HEALTHY LIVING--FREELANCE WRITER HELEN BENNETT ON THE IMPORTANCE OF KEEPING A JOURNAL

photo by Guy Sie from Utrecht, Netherlands

Helen Bennett is a freelance writer previously employed in the healthcare sector for many years, with a varied career that took in many aspects of helping people, particularly in matters relating to diet, nutrition and fitness. She joins us today to discuss the benefits of keeping a journal.

Could Writing a Journal Be Good for Your Health? 

If you have aspirations to succeed as a writer, than journaling everyday could change your life. Many successful writers choose to keep a journal: the importance of keeping a journal is something that Virginia Woolf wrote extensively about, sharing in her letters: 'My belief is that my habit of writing this for my own eye only is good practice. It loosens the ligaments...I believe that during the past year I can trace some increase of ease in my professional writing to my casual half hour after tea.' Other famous literary journal writers include Ray Bradbury, Susan Sontag and CS Lewis. The more you write, the more your writing skills will increase, and for writers of memoir journals, provide important lessons in chronology and forming a solid narrative arc. However journal writing is not just for writers because it does so much more than simply improve the quality of your writing: it can also improve mental and physical health and wellbeing.

Here are just some of the health benefits of keeping and regularly updating a journal:

Immune System Boosting Properties

It might seem illogical, but there is mounting evidence to suggest that jotting down just a few sentences in your journal each day can actually help to boost your immune system. University of Texas at Austin Psychologist and Researcher James Pennebaker has conducted extensive investigations into the power of journal keeping, and found that regular journaling strengthens the T-lymphocyte immune cells. By strengthening your immunity you will increase your overall health, reducing your likelihood of suffering from colds, the flu, and other contagious viral illnesses. What's more, additional research has also shown that journaling can help reduce the symptoms of chronic inflammatory disorders such as asthma and rheumatoid arthritis. It is thought this works because conditions such as these can be aggravated by external stressors: as journaling minimizes your stress levels, it reduces the impact that stress can have on your physical health. 

Reduce Levels of Stress and Anxiety

Reducing your levels of stress and anxiety is thought to be the biggest health benefit of writing a regular journal. This is why individuals who have experienced stressful life events (such as the death of a friend or family member, the trauma of addiction, of a long term health condition) are often encouraged to keep a daily journal. Because the act of writing unlocks the logical and analytical left side of your brain, it frees up the creative right side of your brain to process the emotions that you have experienced throughout the day whilst the left side is distracted and occupied. Journaling is an excellent way to clarify your thoughts and feelings, particularly about events that make you feel confused and anxious, and find solutions to problems more effectively. For individuals working in high pressure environments or living otherwise stressful lives, writing about your anger, frustration and pain can help to relieve the intensity of those emotions and enable you to look at them with a calmer and more logical mind (which means you are more likely to find a worthwhile solution to your stressors and ultimately live a more enriching life).

Pick Up Your Pen

Many people that are new to journaling often ask where they should start: the simple answer is to just pick up your pen and start writing! There is no right or wrong thing to write about, only what is right and wrong for you. From a scientific point of view, the most effective journaling is undertaken on a daily basis and lasts for around 20 minutes each day: this will enable you to be enveloped in the full cathartic effect of the experience. Ensure that you have a quiet and private place to write, and keep your journal safe from prying eyes: if you feel your journal may be read by someone else, you will unconsciously censor your thoughts, and this will remove many of the benefits of the open stream of consciousness journal writing experience.

HEALTHY LIVING WITH JANICE--ASTHMA TRIGGERS

Chances are either you have asthma, or you know someone who has asthma. Or maybe you have asthma and don’t know realize it. Do you commonly have shortness or breath? Do you often wheeze? These are symptoms of asthma. Asthma is an affliction that’s affecting more and more people. Tobacco smoke, pollution, strong fragrances, and even cold air are all common asthma triggers.

However, there are many other irritants that can trigger asthma symptoms. The fumes from gas stoves is one you might not be aware of. These fumes irritate airways. If you’re prone to asthma, consider switching to an electric stove. If that’s not possible, make sure your kitchen is well ventilated when you cook.

Acetaminophen is another culprit. It lowers the levels of a substance in your body that eases lung inflammation. If you have asthma, consider switching to aspirin or ibuprofen for headaches and other pain.

Also, medications that contain beta-blockers can cause airway restriction. Beta-blockers are found in blood pressure and glaucoma medications. If you have asthma and suffer from high blood pressure and/or glaucoma, ask your doctor about alternative medications that don’t contain beta-blockers.

Always check with your doctor before switching or stopping medications, and make sure he or she is aware of your asthma symptoms.

HEALTHY LIVING WITH JANICE--CUT YOUR RISK OF HEART ATTACK

The next time you’re tempted to reach for a piece of candy, grab a handful of strawberries or blueberries instead. In a Harvard study of 90,000 women, researchers found that those who ate at least three servings of these berries a week had a 32% lower risk of heart attack than women who ate the berries once a month or less. The reason they found is that strawberries and blueberries contain anthocyanins, substances that make blood vessels more flexible and reduce blood pressure. 

HEALTHY LIVING WITH JANICE--DIET GUIDE

Many people try to lose weight. Some succeed; many don't. E.S. Abramson, author of the highly acclaimed From Fat to Fabulous: A Diet Guide for Restaurant Lovers, which has been seen on ABC, NBC, and PBS, lost a lot of weight and has kept it off in a way that might surprise you. E.S. also writes the award-winning Thursday’s Child series as Elaine Abramson. To learn more about her and her books, visit her website. -- AP 

Dieting is Fun

“There is no love more sincere than the love of food.” -- George Bernard Shaw.

I have a body by disaster and hair by wash and beware. Now that my physical characteristics are out of the way, let me say that after 40 years of trying just about every known diet that doctors, nutritionists, celebrities, and dietitians dreamt up, none of them have worked for me. I would take off 20, 40, or 50 pounds one year and the following year I would weigh far more than the day I began the diet. There were a number of reasons those diets didn’t work for me. (1) They were time consuming. It seemed to take forever to measure, weigh, and prepare the foods recommended. (2) Their instructions were hard to follow. (3) They required tons of high-impact exercise. (4) They were boring. (5) They were expensive. (6) They required me join a diet group or purchase specific prepared meals. (7) Most important of all, they were not fun, and they did not work.

The news media reports on a daily basis about obesity, weight loss programs, weight loss successes, and politicians who are trying to end obesity not because of the health problems it causes but based on the burden it costs taxpayers.

In less than one week, the Today Show has had boxer Lila Ali, who never eats pork and keeps her refrigerator stocked with chocolate bars; Dr. Oz’s lose-ten-pounds-in-thirty-days diet by limiting your calorie intake; Snookie Polizzi, a reality star who counted calories and lost forty-two pounds; New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who tried to legislate the end to sugary drinks over sixteen ounces; the Mayo Clinic’s money as a motivator to lose weight program; and Today Show weatherman Al Roker, who repeatedly gained and lost weight until he underwent bypass surgery and worked out with a personal trainer.

Mr. Roker says, “Diets never work.” In addition to this, celebrities hawk every diet and exercise plan under the sun. Nielson Company’s TV ratings reported that NBC’s The Biggest Loser did not draw as many viewers as thirty-six other prime-time broadcast programs which rated much higher. I don’t know about other viewers, but I find it boring to watch contestants count calories, exercise until sweat pours off their bodies, constantly weigh in, and be booted off the program when they are unable to lose the weight required. Where is the fun in any of these diets?

I needed to be extremely motivated to begin a traditional diet and stick to it, but motivation always seemed hard to come by. My enthusiasm quickly died when I discovered that each diet came with a “yoyo syndrome” attached to it. If I ate one thing that was not on the diet’s approved list or if my writing or art got in the way and I didn’t have time to do the strenuous exercises required, I found myself right back where I started from. I spent my life fighting the battle of the bulge and watching my scale groan with every pound I gained. On traditional diets, all I ended up with was frustration and anger because I was fighting a battle I could not win.

One of the reasons for not being able to lose weight is eating sugar, and one of the less obvious sources of sugar is your medicine. While doing research for the second edition of From Fat to Fabulous: Another Diet Guide for Restaurant Lovers, I read books on diet  and nutrition, calorie and carbohydrate counters, and books on pills and vitamin supplements. I could not find any mention of sugar being contained in drugs in any of those sources.

Actress Julie Andrews portrayed a fictional character in the movie Mary Poppins. When she sang about a spoonful of sugar helping the medicine go down, she was telling it like it is. What I’ve said is not intended as medical advice nor is it intended to make you give up the medicine you are taking. It is strictly to inform you that sugar is found in some of the most unlikely places. In the 1970’s I worked in the weighing room of Barre National, the firm that manufactured Revco’s generic drugs. I weighed the sugar that went into the pills they manufactured. Because so-called traditional diets do not take the sugar in medicine into account, it seemed like nothing I did took the pounds and inches off and kept them off. Because I no longer have access to the USP-NF, a book that gives the exact measurements of all the ingredients that go into making each drug, I cannot tell you the amount of sugar used. But I noticed that if I ate bread, pasta, potatoes, rice, or dessert after I took my medicine for arthritis, thyroid, allergy, or osteoporosis, I weighed more, so I limit those foods in my diet.

My entry into creating and writing my restaurant lovers’ diet came the day I stood in my kitchen and screamed because the pain in my knees was so bad I could not stand long enough to prepare a meal. I had gained so much weight that my knees caved in under me. My husband, being the wonderful caring soul that he is, put the food back in the refrigerator and took me out to dinner. Before I could scream my head off the next night, he took me out to dinner again. Night after night we left the kitchen for one restaurant after another. After a while, just about every restaurant in town knew us and greeted us on a first name basis.

WOW! You’re probably saying to yourself, this lady has it made. You’re right; I do. At the end of three months I noticed that my clothes were falling off me. I also began to notice less pain in my knees. Best of all, for the first time in my life I was enjoying my meals and losing weight and proportions at the same time. I do not count calories, carbs, trans fats, or any of the other things dieters do to lose weight. As for the sugar in my medicine, on my restaurant lovers’ diet I rarely have to consider it. The only physical exercise I get is walking the dog and riding a stationary bicycle. The strenuous stuff I leave to others.

Most people have the mistaken perception that eating in restaurants is fattening. My answer is that it is not fattening if you eat the right combinations of foods. The other mistaken perception is that it is expensive. In From Fat to Fabulous: A Diet Guide for Restaurant Lovers I give a list of ways to cut costs. My husband and I have discovered that with all the waste in preparing food at home, it costs us practically the same amount to eat out. Best of all, it is fun to choose a new restaurant and to select from multiple choices on the menu.

With the odds stacked against me, I lost 50 pounds in one year on my restaurant lovers’ diet.  During my second year on the diet, I lost an additional 35 pounds and have gone from a size 22 to a size 12. I have a sluggish thyroid, do not have a spleen, and take medication that causes weight gain, had a slipped disk, and have bad knees which makes any form of exercise extremely difficult.

It has been four years since I have set foot in a kitchen to prepare a meal. My only cooking skills are microwaving restaurant leftovers and boiling water for a cup of tea. The day my microwave goes on the fritz or my refrigerator does not keep my leftovers frozen is going to be a bad day at black rock in our house.

On my restaurant lovers’ diet I am having the time of my life. No mess, no fuss, and nothing but fun. For me, it is happy eating and weight loss at the same time. Recently I have taken up a new hobby. I shop for new clothes every time I get one size smaller. I am no longer the woman who only collected jewelry because one size fits all.  The charity shops love my restaurant lovers’ diet, too, because every couple of months I fill their shelves and clothes racks with the clothes that have become too big on me.

For most of our married life, the Jack Spratt nursery rhyme described my husband and me. He was thin, and I was fat. He could eat four times what I ate and never gain an ounce. All I had to do was look at food and I packed on the pounds. Around the time I began my restaurant lovers’ diet, for the first time in his life my husband’s clothes were tight on him. With the exception of breakfast, where he finds it impossible to give up hot cereal, he’s on my restaurant lovers’ diet, too. In addition to losing inches, he says my diet gives him more energy.

With my weight loss, my husband, who is proud of what I have accomplished with my fun, enjoyable, no work, no mess, no fuss, never boring diet, tells everyone, “I’ve lost a whole other wife.”

Buy Link

HEALTHY LIVING WITH JANICE-HOW TO BURN MORE CALORIES

If you’re like millions of others, one of your New Year’s resolutions was to lose weight. Have you? Here’s a handy tip to help you burn more calories with very little effort. 

We’ve all heard that drinking a glass of water before each meal fills us up and helps keep us from overeating. One recent study also found that 16 ounces of water increased metabolism by 30%. But here’s where it gets really interesting—cold water increased metabolism even more. So drop a few ice cubes in that glass of water to burn, baby, burn—calories, that is.

HEALTHY LIVING WITH JANICE-FIGHT PIMPLES WITH TOOTHPASTE

Did you grow up hearing about all sorts of home remedies from “the old country?” I’ll bet, like me, you rolled your eyes, never giving them much credence. Perhaps we should have paid more attention to our elderly relatives. It seems they were often on to something according to an article I recently came across.

One home remedy that I’d never heard of before was to use toothpaste for facial blemishes. The article said that when a pimple rears its ugly head, reach for the toothpaste. Apply a dab over the pimple and let the toothpaste set. Once set, rinse off the toothpaste. This handy trick helps quickly dry up the pimple. Who knew?

HEALTHY LIVING WITH JANICE - AMERICA'S FAT FUTURE

We all know that obesity is a major problem in America today. Reader Tony Shin sent the following graphic to share with our readers. 

HEALTHY LIVING WITH JANICE - WALK WHILE YOU TALK

Who has time to exercise? You do, says health editor Janice Kerr, and she’s here today to show you how. -- AP

We’ve become a nation of sofa spuds. Even when we’re not sitting in front of the TV, we’re sitting -- at work and in the car. We Americans sit an average of 54 hours a week. That’s 2-1/4 days of sitting out of every 7 days. Yikes! No wonder obesity, diabetes, and heart disease are higher than ever.

If we got on our feet and moved just an extra hour or two a day, we’d do wonders for our health. So…I can hear you all screaming about how you don’t have time. You most certainly do! And you won’t even have to give up something to achieve those extra hours of being active.

Every time you’re on the phone, walk while you talk. Just walk from room to room. Or walk in place if you’re on the phone at work. If you’re home and have stairs in your house, go up and down a flight or two for good measure. The more you talk, the more walking you’ll get in.

When you do hit the couch in the evening, get up during the commercials. Again, walk in place. Or better yet, jog in place. The average half hour show is only 22 minutes of programming; the average hour long show is about 43 minutes of program. The remaining minutes are filled with commercials. For every hour of television you watch, that’s 16 or 17 minutes of exercise.

Your body will thank you!

Once again, Janice has offered some great advice for staying healthy. How many of you readers will take up the challenge to move more each day? Let's hear from you. Post a comment to be entered in the drawing for a free book from our Book Club Friday author this week. -- AP

EAT WHAT YOU WANT DAY

Do you know what today is? Health editor Janice Kerr does. Keep reading. You’ll be glad you did. -- AP

It seems like there’s a holiday for everything lately. Today is no exception. It’s Eat What You Want Day, a day to reward yourself for being so diligent in your healthful eating habits and exercise routines. This holiday was created by Thomas and Ruth Roy. They sell herbs and e-cards and come up with quirky holidays like Eat What You Want Day. As quirky holidays go, this one is pretty cool and so much more appetizing than some of the other holidays they’ve established, like Return of the Slugs Day, which falls later in the month.

So go ahead. Take the day off. Splurge! But remember, it’s one day and one day only. Going off the health wagon one day of the year isn’t going to make a difference in the greater scheme of things, as long as you don’t have food allergies or any other medical reasons to stay away from certain foods.

Tomorrow it’s back to getting in shape for those bathing suit days that are fast approaching. Just remember, it’s Eat What You Want Day, not Pig Out Day. Watch those portions. Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow it’s back to salads and the treadmill.

So readers, what will you treat yourself to today? -- AP

HEALTHY LIVING WITH JANICE--PAINLESS TRICKS FOR CUTTING CALORIES

Did you make a New Year’s resolution to lose weight? It’s the most common resolution people make at the beginning of a new year. It’s also the most common that resolution long given up by this time of year. Health editor Janice Kerr is here today with some tips for helping you get back on track and shed those unwanted pounds. -- AP

Thanks, Anastasia! Losing weight is hard. There probably isn’t anyone reading this blog who hasn’t been on the weight loss merry-go-round and fallen off too many times. One of the reasons we can’t stick to our diets is that we set the bar too high. And we expect results too quickly. The best weight loss -- the kind that stays off -- are the pounds that are shed gradually.

So here’s a trick to try: lower your expectations, and you may find you actually shed more weight and keep it off. Instead of cutting 500 - 1000 calories a day, try cutting 100 - 300. You’re less likely to feel as though you’re starving yourself and will be less tempted to cheat.

A pound of body fat is approximately 3500 calories. If you cut 500 calories a day from your diet, you’ll lose about a pound a week. But cutting 500 calories a day is hard for many people. That’s why their diets fail. Cutting 250 calories a day is a lot easier. It will take you twice as long to lose that pound, but isn’t it better to lose a pound every two weeks than not at all?

Here are a few examples of how you can cut 100 - 200 calories without feeling any pain:

• Leave the pizza crust on your plate.
• 
  
• Make your morning eggs with egg whites only.
• 
  
• Eat one slice of toast instead of two with those morning eggs.
• 
  
• Make your sandwiches from bagel thins instead of whole bagels.
• 
  
• Leave the slice of cheese off your sandwich or burger.
• 
  
• Use mustard instead of mayonnaise on your sandwiches.
• 
  
• Drink flavored seltzer water instead of soda.
• 
  
• Use salad dressing spritzers instead of drowning your salad in dressing.

Great tips, Janice! This makes dieting sound almost painless. Readers, do you have any dieting tips that have worked for you? Let’s hear them. -- AP

HEALTHY LIVING WITH JANICE--DIABETES SUPER FOODS

You’d have to have been living under a rock for the last year not to know that diabetes has become a huge problem in this country, both for children and adults. Health editor Janice Kerr is here today with some interesting news about recent studies. -- AP

Thanks, Anastasia! Diabetes is pretty much at epidemic proportions in America. One in four adults are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

There are two types of diabetes. In type 1 diabetes, formerly known as juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes, the body doesn’t produce insulin. Insulin is a hormone produced in the pancreas. It converts sugar, starches and other food into energy.

Type 2 diabetes, formerly called adult-onset diabetes or noninsulin-dependent diabetes, is the most common form of diabetes. It can occur in people of any age, including children. This form of diabetes usually begins with insulin resistance in which fat, muscle, and liver cells don’t use insulin properly. The pancreas at first is able to keep up with the body’s demand to produce more insulin, but over time the pancreas loses the ability to secrete enough insulin.

Being overweight and inactive increases a person’s chances of developing type 2 diabetes. Because of this, we know that maintaining a healthy weight, getting regular exercise, and eating a well-balanced diet can reduce a person’s chances of getting type 2 diabetes. However, there have been some recent studies published that tout four specific foods as “super foods” in the fight against diabetes.

A study at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine claims that drinking one glass of low-fat milk a day can lower your risk of getting diabetes by 44 percent. This is because milk is rich in both calcium and vitamin D, both of which aid your body in using insulin more efficiently.

A study of Chinese women found that those who ate peanuts every day reduced their risk of developing diabetes by up to 21 percent. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, all it takes is an ounce of peanuts a day.

Other studies have found benefits in adding half a teaspoon of cinnamon each day to your diet and at least two servings a week of whole grain brown rice. Cinnamon contains polyphenols which improve the body’s use of insulin. Brown rice contains fiber, vitamins, and minerals that stabilize blood sugar far better than white rice or refined carbohydrates.

Thanks, Janice. I wonder if Cloris can come up with a recipe that incorporates milk, peanuts, cinnamon and brown rice. Shouldn’t be too difficult for our resident kitchen wizard. What do you think, readers? Post a comment to enter the drawing for a book from our Book Club Friday guest this week. -- AP

HEALTHY LIVING WITH JANICE-- COLD? FLU? ALLERGY? KNOW THE DIFFERENCE

Do you have the sniffles? Aches? A cough? It’s that time of year again, but what do you really have? A cold? The flu? Or is it allergies? Health editor Janice Kerr is here today to help you figure out just what ails you. -- AP

Thanks, Anastasia! Sometimes it’s not easy to tell exactly what it is you have, and taking the wrong treatment can either do nothing to alleviate your symptoms or may actually make them worse. So before you reach for the decongestant, here are a few tips to help you determine what you have.

Colds are viruses. They usually last 3-5 days, but symptoms can linger for several days after the virus is gone from your body. Signs of a cold can include a hacking, mucous-producing cough along with a stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat, slight body ache, and mild chest discomfort. Fever and headaches are fairly uncommon with colds, and tiredness is fairly mild. Cold symptoms general develop over the course of several days. The best defense against catching a cold is to wash your hands frequently.

Flu is also a virus, but it generally comes on quite quickly, usually within 3-6 hours. Symptoms can include fever, a dry cough, severe aches and pains, chills, tiredness, and chest discomfort. Sneezing, a stuffy nose, and a sore throat are not commonly present with the flu, but headache is. The best defense against the flu is to get an annual flu shot. However, since there are many different strains of flu and the shots only protect against the three that scientists believe will be present any given year, you can still get one of the strains not included in the inoculation.

Allergies occur when your immune system overreacts to something that is generally not a common threat. Some of the more common allergies are pollen, ragweed, dust, mold, and pet dander. These types of allergies come on slowly (as opposed to certain food allergies) and will linger for as long as the allergen is present. For allergies to pollen and ragweed, this is usually 3-4 weeks. These allergies generally produce sneezing, sniffles watery eyes, itching, and sometimes rashes. The best defense against allergies is to avoid the allergen. When that’s not possible, allergy shots work for many people, or you can take over-the-counter allergy medications as needed, but always consult with your doctor first.

Thanks, Janice! I’m sure you’ve helped many of our readers today. Readers, what are some of your tips for dealing with or preventing colds, allergies, and the flu? Post a comment to be entered into our drawing for a free book from our Book Club Friday guest author. -- AP