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.

Number Crunching

Despite the weather, Minnesotans think they live in the best place in the country. By the number of times you see them point to the state as among the healthiest, most livable, and most literate—well, you might start to think there’s something to the claim.

The fact is that there’s a lot to like about this state, but sometimes the numbers aren’t always in our favor. To see how we stack up on stats like commute time, Facebook usage, and poverty, check out the story I did for Minnesota Monthly with three other writers.

Read it here.

The Best of Summer

After the crummiest winter in recent memory, almost everyone’s ready for the mercury to top 70. We Minnesotans are great at making the most of our fleeting summer season, and in this cover story for Minnesota Monthly, I explored some of the best ways to make summer great. From star gazing to strawberry pie, there are an infinite number of ways to make the days between Memorial Day and Labor Day memorable.

Read more here.

Name That Loon

When you write about money, having a sense of humor isn’t usually a qualification for the gig. Occasionally, though, I have the chance to tackle a story that’s outside of my primary area of expertise, and I do what I can to ham it up. So when Minnesota Monthly asked me to tackle a portion of their annual Uncommon Loon Awards story, I couldn’t resist. The yearly compendium of Minnesota-themed gaffes is simultaneously horrifying and awesome. Stories about guys who drive drunk in motorized La-Z-Boys kind of write themselves, but it doesn’t make them any less delightful.

Read the full story here.