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Boston Strong: Resilience and True Grit in Action
 Posted
4/22/2013 11:38:00 AM
 Wow. What a month. I had intended to write about energy drinks this month—the good, the bad and the unsafe—but that can wait until May. This month I will write instead about the resilience that Boston showed after the historical and tragic week of the Boston Marathon.
I recently read a business article that advised women in particular to “Develop resilience and ‘true grit.’ Be strong enough to do what is right.” I dedicate this blog to the entire Boston community this month, where we had to prove in body, mind and spirit what resilience and true grit are really all about: rising to the challenge in the face of adversity, and coming together to ultimately overcome it.
It was a tough week in our city as we dealt with the senseless tragedy that took the lives of four of our people and injured 176 others. The “Boston Strong” mantra ...
Music: The Great Motivator (or not)
Posted
3/11/2013 4:17:00 PM
Most of us have an mp3 player we listen to when we work out, whether we’re walking, running, at the gym, cleaning the house or, more recently, shoveling snow. But there are others of us who don’t listen to music at all during our workouts, either we don’t think of it or simply choose silence instead of a pounding beat to urge us on.
Music as a motivator was the topic of an interesting article in Runner’s World magazine a few years ago, where scientific evidence suggested different benefits from different types of music. But there were also benefits to no music as well, and in fact some people find music distracting to the natural flow of thoughts they experience when they work out. Another article pointed out that some of us are “associators” when we work out, which means we prefer to tune into to what we are doing ...
The 5 Foods You Must Eat
Posted
2/12/2013 10:37:00 AM
Tired of wondering what to eat next? Or tired of complicated diet plans that tell you what to eat? For those of us watching our weight, it’s a constant chore of making decisions and, most importantly, making the right decisions several times a day.
For myself, the less I think about food the better. The more decisions I have to make, the greater my chances are at making the wrong choices at least some of the time. And if I’m making those decisions while I’m actually hungry? Forget it, all bets are off—chances are I’ll just eat what I want, and that most likely won’t be a salad.
So less thinking means sticking to a list of the best foods available and making sure I include several of them in my meals every day. Then if I overeat, I am overeating on the best foods, not the worst.
 Here are ...
My Most Important New Year’s Resolution: Balance
Posted
1/8/2013 11:17:00 AM
The last blog I posted was back in July when I was nose deep in work and completely out of balance. I was involved in an aggressively-paced project that demanded my full attention and left me running on empty but going a mile a minute. Exercise took a back seat, as did all the other activities I have come to enjoy that keep me active and healthy throughout the year.
 Ironically but on purpose, that last blog was about managing stress in our lives. While it was certainly a stressful time for me, I also knew it was necessary in order to achieve a couple of professional goals I had laid out for myself. And most importantly, I knew it was temporary—I just needed to get through it. I did get through it and accomplished the goals I had wanted, and have no regrets. However, I’d make some different choices ...
Part Two: Reducing the Stress in Our Lives
Posted
7/26/2012 9:24:00 AM
In Part One, we looked at the sources and reasons for certain types of stress. Now we will look at practical tips and tricks for preventing, managing and eventually reducing (or maybe even eliminating!) stress in our daily lives. How nice it would be to sit down after dinner without a long “to do” list still rattling around our heads, or sleeping through the night without waking up thinking about a particular situation or person. Reducing our level of stress will lead to better sleep, better nutrition, more satisfaction with our lives and a much higher level of happiness on a daily basis.
Let’s cut right to the chase with tips on reducing the level of stress we feel.
1. Avoid overscheduling and set realistic goals. Practice doing “enough” without doing too much. And be sure to schedule down time into your busy schedule for fun or relaxation.
2. Prepare ...
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