Health & Fitness

Science fiction would have us believe that one day in the future we’ll get all our food through little pills. Many of us have started down that path by opting for a handful of supplements in order to compensate for not eating right. Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, Northwestern Memorial Hospital Wellness Institute, Chicago, subscribes to […]

So the economy has you rethinking that gym membership, and now you’d like to start working out at home – but you don’t know where to put all that cumbersome exercise equipment. Or perhaps, you already have the equipment, but your Nordic Track has become just another interesting focal point in the family room and […]

Most of us use our feet all day, every day – for work, for play, to get to our car , to get a drink of water, to get ourselves to the bathroom. With all of this walking, it’s not surprising that there are more than 300 types of foot problems that can develop. More […]

It happened so subtly that I hardly noticed. From junior high through the beginning of college, I got fat. At just over six feet tall and weighing more than 270 pounds, I was positively obese – nearly 100 pounds over my ideal weight. I felt isolated and humiliated every time I went clothes shopping for […]

You may approach the subject with the best of intentions, but nutritionists recommend you don’t talk to your teen daughter about dieting, and do not put her on a diet. “If you decide your daughter truly has a weight problem, she’s going to know it, too,” says Dayle Hayes, a dietitian and mother. “It’s critical […]

Strong diaphragms aren’t the cause celebre of the fitness world, but becoming a better breather can enhance your life – and your appearance – as much as a firm backside and killer thighs. From stress relief to weight loss to muscle toning, making the most of what’s generally an automatic action will increase your energy […]

If shedding those extra pounds is your top New Year’s resolution, health experts say you should start small – with your sweet tooth. According to the latest figures from the United States Department of Agriculture, the average American consumes around 140 pounds of added sugar (refined sugar, corn sweeteners, honey and edible syrups) each year.  […]

A peek inside the typical kitchen cupboard will give you a short history of American weight-loss fads. Every promise for a skinnier life, from fat-free to high-protein to reduced-carbohydrate foods, is reflected in a product tucked in the back of the shelves gathering dust. “People are spinning, they’re latching onto gimmicks and many aren’t getting […]

An entire day meditating in silence may not be how you usually fill a Saturday, but here’s an opportunity to try something different. Eva Muller and Juliet Slack are leading “A Day of Mindfulness: a Meditation Retreat” Saturday, Oct. 23. They claim that the activity is a calming, healing experience. And as the cacophonous political […]

Brent Bohlen, a retired state worker and current exercise enthusiast, is an unlikely person to be speaking to doctors at a high-level conference on Alzheimer’s disease held this month at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield. But several of those researchers say he may have discovered an effective form of prevention against the […]

Avoid the New Year’s resolution trap January, 2010…you’ve been handed a proverbial clean slate — another chance to shrug off your bad habits and reach for your dreams. It never fails to evoke feelings of hope and renewal, but is it really a trap? In an attempt to bottle that New Year’s vigor, you’ve probably […]

Untitled Document The Frank J. Menolascino Award for Excellence, given yearly by the National Association for the Dually Diagnosed, was created to honor individuals “whose efforts have resulted in an improved quality of life for a significant number of persons with mental retardation and mental illness.” In October, the national organization presented the prestigious award […]