Energy Express from Creators Syndicate

The Crops Are Coming: Are You Riding With the Dirty Dozen? for 05/22/2012

Tue, 22 May 2012 00:00:00 -0700

I've never wanted a tattoo of the Dirty Dozen before, but I do now. Because this is when so many spring and summer fruits and vegetables are coming to town, and it's nothing but fun to wander around my local farmer's market, picking and schmoozing.

I'm not talking about the classic Lee Marvin shoot-'em-up. I'm talking about the Dirty Dozen list of which fruits and vegetables you should ...

Updated: Tue May 22, 2012

Body Image 101: How to Embrace the Naked Truth for 05/15/2012

Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Last week, we ended our Summer Is Coming Bad Body Image Redesign class with some very encouraging news. If you've lost your notes, I will backtrack a bit ...

While it's sad but true that millions of women and men are suffering from the bad-body-image blues — and its devastating twin sisters, anorexia and bulimia — we learned last week that my best friend yoga, and her best f ...

Updated: Tue May 15, 2012

Om-land Security: How to Defeat the Body Image Blues for 05/08/2012

Tue, 08 May 2012 00:00:00 -0700

A woman I know — let's call her Terry — is suffering from a case of the Bad Body Image Blues. She loves her life, her family and her work, but when she thinks about her body, she feels miserable.

"I hate the way I look," she tells me. "I haven't looked at myself, naked, in a mirror since I weighed 118 ... and that was 30 years ago!"

Terry is not a ...

Updated: Tue May 08, 2012

High Intensity Exercise Takes Your Breath Away! Goodie! for 05/01/2012

Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 -0700

From time to time, I feel it's my sacred duty — as your most personal trainer — to tell you about exciting developments in the world of getting stronger and lasting longer that you otherwise might not know about, leading the crazed and busy life you do.

That time is now. So welcome to the brave new world of high-intensity exercise, or Peak Fitness training, as it's now being ...

Updated: Tue May 01, 2012

Don't Overdo It! Three Ways 2 B the Best Athlete U Can B for 04/24/2012

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Spring and summer are peak times for juicing up your life with more activity, more days of play, more fun. Remember fun? Tennis, golf, volleyball, softball ... or what about trying something entirely new, like mountain biking, or the sport I only do in July but dream about all year — kayaking.

Left to their own devices — none of them digital — it's the nature of our bo ...

Updated: Tue Apr 24, 2012

The Earth Won't Wait: Let's Renew Our Planet and Ourselves for 04/17/2012

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Earth Day is April 22, 2012 — the 42nd anniversary of a global eco-movement that isn't even close to running out of steam. Why would it? A sick, abused, deteriorating planet — polluted air, tainted water, pink-slimed school lunches — isn't good for anyone's health, even if you personally are smart enough to be working out daily, sleeping well at night and maintaining your idea ...

Updated: Tue Apr 17, 2012

Is It Wellness or Weakness? “The Biggest Loser” Wins Me Over for 04/10/2012

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700

I've never been a fan of "The Biggest Loser," the wildly popular weight-loss reality show on NBC. How could I be? I never watch it.

Don't get me wrong. I care deeply, widely, fully about fat people. And I'm fascinated by what motivates men and women, girls and boys, to make healthier choices and lead happier, lighter lives. But spending my own leisure time watching contestants ...

Updated: Tue Apr 10, 2012

Obamacare Plus Youcare Equals Everybody Wins for 04/03/2012

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700

The Supremes have listened to the arguments about the Affordable Care Act — pro and con, catastrophic and cautionary — and now the whole country has to wait and see what they decide about the future of health care reform.

Itâ€™s not a small thing. Our wellness — personally, and as a nation — will be significantly affected. In 99 out of 100 cases before the Supreme ...

Updated: Tue Apr 03, 2012

The Secret of Spring: Three Ways to Jump Start Your Fitness for 03/27/2012

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Spring has sprung. The cranes are flying north, the cherry blossoms are screaming for attention, and politicians everywhere are madly scrambling to eat the local junk food and kiss every baby in sight. The sap is rising.

Step outside into the sweet morning sunshine, and inhale deeply enough to feel your naked toes wiggle and spread. What's that smell? Change is in the air. Where I am no ...

Updated: Tue Mar 27, 2012

Get Away! If You Don't Take Your Vacation, Who Will? for 03/20/2012

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0700

In case you've been preoccupied with weightier matters — rising gas prices or the color of Peyton Manning's next jersey — I'm here to remind you that March 18-24 is the second annual National Plan a Vacation Week.

Right! It's a PR ploy created by hungry travel agents, but all the same it provides the very valuable function of reminding you that anticipating, planning and taki ...

Updated: Tue Mar 20, 2012

Spring Cleaning Challenge: From "Chotchky" to Liberotchky for 03/13/2012

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Spring cleaning is not considered an aerobic sport ... but it should be. Just the thought of it makes my heart pound and my endorphins flow. And just like working out, after I do it, I feel so much better. And that's the point — decluttering brings joy. It's a mystery, but it's one I discovered when I was very young.

"Clean your closet!" my mother would say on a Saturday ...

Updated: Tue Mar 13, 2012

Fight the Fat 101: Tweet It Before You Eat It for 03/06/2012

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0800

If suddenly one evening you got a tweet, and it's a photo from a friend who wants you to see exactly what he's eating for dinner that night, would you care?

Picture this: You're about to veg out in front of "The Biggest Loser" with your own dinner plate —a half-pound burger on a bun the size of a frisbee and a hill of hash browns, with a banana-caramel cupcake for dessert ...

Updated: Tue Mar 06, 2012

Motivation! The Heart Attack Grill vs. Dieting for Dollars for 02/28/2012

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800

You can't tell another person what to do. Well, you can, but it's not very effective in terms of getting someone to choose a healthier behavior. Your wife might plead with you to lose a few dozen pounds. Your kids may beg you to quit smoking. Your doctor can insist you start to exercise ... or else. But healthy lifestyle change only happens when you are ready. This we know.

So I ...

Updated: Tue Feb 28, 2012

Here's a No-Brainer -- Try Using, Not Losing, Your Mind for 02/21/2012

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800

The aging brain used to be something to fear. I forget why. Wait! I remember now. It's because my generation grew up believing nonsense.

Men of science, even the women, used to believe that starting about age 30, our brain cells begin to die off, never to return. Bummer.

Our ability to remember, to learn, to perform challenging mental tasks, such as locating our car key or recalli ...

Updated: Tue Feb 21, 2012

Kidfitness 101: The First Lady Moves and Grooves -- and You? for 02/14/2012

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800

When it comes to getting TV cameras to focus on "Let's Move!" — the White House anti-obesity initiative to inspire kids to eat their broccoli, grow their muscles and ride their bikes — first lady Michele Obama is a role model of shamelessness.

To celebrate its second anniversary, she challenged Ellen DeGeneres to a drop-down push-up contest ... and won. She battled ...

Updated: Tue Feb 14, 2012

It's Valentine's Day! Have a Heart-to-Heart with Yourself for 02/07/2012

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800

I've been saving this sweet quote for this week's Get Ready for Valentine's Day column. It gets to the heart of what really matters in life, not just this February, but every month of every year you have left.

"If I could ask someone only one question," writes best-selling author John Robbins, "and I wanted to learn the most I could about their health and how long they are ...

Updated: Tue Feb 07, 2012

It's Valentine's Day! Have a Heart-to-Heart with Yourself for 02/07/2012

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800

"If I could ask someone only one question," writes best-selling author John Robbins, "and I wanted to learn the most I could about their health and how long they are ...

Updated: Tue Feb 07, 2012

Tweet Revenge: 10 Fitness Tips to Set You All a'Twitter for 01/31/2012

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

It's a revolution. Tweeting is in. Short is the new long. Attention spans are shrinking. R U serious? 4 sure! Less is more. #Cool.

#4TIGHTRABS. Want more core strength? Of course you do. Lie on your back in front of a chair. Put your heels on the seat in front of you so you form a 90-degree angle at your hips and knees. Clasp your hands lightly behind your neck, elbows moving toward each ...

Updated: Tue Jan 31, 2012

Swaportunity! A New Word to Healthify Your Snacks for 01/24/2012

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

This week's column is inspired by a TV commercial that I happened to catch right after the Golden Globes (Go Meryl!) It features a bespectacled young man in a spelling bee, and the word he's asked to spell is "swaportunity." He's stumped. He's never heard of that word. None of us have. The boy asks for a definition. "Swaportunity," the spelling bee judge says, is "the o ...

Updated: Tue Jan 24, 2012

The Latest Twist on Yoga: Will It Harm or Heal You? for 01/17/2012

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Normally, my yoga class is an oasis of calm. We unroll our mats, gather our props, sit in a comfortable posture — relaxing, breathing, quieting our busy brains — and wait in silence for the teacher to begin.

Not last week. Holy Patanjali! A bomb had been dropped, and everyone was buzzing — not just in my yoga studio, but across the country: "Did you see the piece i ...

Updated: Tue Jan 17, 2012