Tips for Better Living

Science is always revealing new ways that our habits and actions can improve (or diminish) our health. In this month’s issue of Experience Life, I explain how new research suggests that writing can help conquer stress and sleep improves our nutritional willpower.

I also wrote about the insidious problem of mislabeled seafood and how specific planning techniques can improve your happiness, but you’ll need to pick up the January issue to find out the details on those.

Read the stories here and here.

A Buffet of Health Stories

Almost every month, I write a slew of short health pieces for Experience Life. This month, I tackled the effect of long commutes on marriages (rotten), the long-term results of liposuction (rotten), the effect of short writing exercises before big tests (amazing), and the dangers of certain types of honey. You can pick up the magazine to read all the stories, or just click here to read the honey piece. Regardless, I’d add this whole issue to your “to read” list. It’s an especially good one.

Read more here.

A Little Bit Healthier

The problem with the avalanche of new health data that comes out every day — new studies, new stats, new theories — is that it’s hard to sift through everything and find the stuff that’s most relevant and applicable to your life. But Experience Life magazine is doing just that. For their November issue, I tackled studies that show that new moms eat lots more than their non-mom counterparts, new data on the power of Epsom salts for athletic recovery, and the dangers of over whitening your teeth with over-the-counter whitening strips.

The story isn’t online, but you can check out the magazine at your nearest newsstand.

Getting Better

A few years ago, I wrote a story for Experience Life about Denise Morth, a woman who lost more than 225 pounds. Before she lost the weight, she tipped the scales at nearly 400 pounds, and she couldn’t fit into the seats at movie theaters or on buses. When she got committed to fitness and the accountability found in organizations like Weight Watchers and in running training groups, she lost the weight—and completed a 10-mile race. The story that led to that astonishing turnaround is excerpted in Mac Anderson’s book, One Choice.

Heal Thyself

Sometimes, medicine isn’t enough. Just ask Penny George, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1996. She got the best available care at the time, but she still felt that something was missing. She added acupunture, therapy, and meditation to the rigors of chemotherapy and found that adding mental and spiritual components to her care helped immensely. Now, as a philanthropist, she’s hoping to encourage more systematic integrative health and healing practices. This story, written for the University of Minnesota, shares the components of a range of new programs that are being developed with her help that will bring holistic care to a greater number of patients.

Read the full story here.

The Only Way Is Up

One of the perks of my job is that I get to talk to inspiring people on an almost-daily basis. A case in point is the subject of this story I did for Experience Life magazine.

Don was a talented athlete growing up, but got stuck in a sedentary job and developed unhealthy eating habits. When he tipped the scales at 330 pounds, he finally decided he had to change. What he did next was remarkable.

Read the full story of how he changed his life for the better here.

Well Enough

Back when I was in college, “wellness” wasn’t exactly the buzzword it is today. Sure, if you had a cold, the nurses might offer you a little paper sack filled with cough syrup and ibuprofen, but that was about it.

I discovered how much things had changed in the intervening 15 years when I wrote this story for Macalester College’s alumni magazine. These days, there are college wellness centers that offer up everything from massage classes to sleeping seminars to 5K fun runs. Macalester is definitely ahead of the curve compared to most colleges, but the idea is catching on.

Students at many colleges are eager to squeeze the most out of every moment they have in school, and they sometimes sacrifice their health in the process. Thanks to wellness programs, they’re beginning to learn how to take better care of themselves—a skill that they’ll use long after they graduate.

Read the full story here.

Starting Off Right

Sure, it’s a little late to jump on the New Year’s resolution bandwagon, but if you’re looking to make and maintain changes in your life this year, you might need a little inspiration to stay on track. This story that I wrote for Experience Life magazine offers up a range of different kinds of resolutions—and how to best take action on them.

Read the full article here.