7 Ways to Stop Emotional Eating

Katie M. McLaughlin 94 Comments Feb 17, 2014

After a stressful day at work, you unwind on the couch with mindless television and a bag of tortilla chips…and the next thing you know that bag is empty.

Or maybe your kid spent the entire day pushing your buttons, so as soon as he’s in bed you drown out your frustration with a carton of Mint Chocolate Chip.

Or maybe you swore off carbohydrates in the name of losing ten pounds, only to find yourself in a desperate showdown with a bowl of pasta.

We eat to stay alive, yes. But we also eat for countless reasons that have little to do with physical nourishment.

It’s the reason the phrase “comfort food” exists.

Indulging in a bit of chocolate after a bad day is generally no big deal. The problem is when we overdo it with the hopes of distracting ourselves from stress, loneliness, frustration, anxiety, shame, or whatever uncomfortable emotion we’re facing.

The problem is when we go so overboard that we’re plagued with guilt over what we ate. More →

Healthy Living

7 Smartphone Apps to Make Healthy Eating Easier

Katie M. McLaughlin 5 Comments Feb 4, 2014

If you’re already falling short of your New Year’s resolution to eat healthier, it might be time to call in some backup—in the form of your smartphone.

Modern technology makes it easier than ever to find the information and encouragement you need to make nutritious food choices.

Whatever barrier is standing between you and a healthier diet—be it a lack of knowledge or a lack of willpower—there’s a smartphone application to help you overcome it.

Ready to recommit to your healthy eating goal? More →

Healthy Living

Fifty Percent of Women Have Never Done WHAT?

Katie M. McLaughlin 15 Comments Feb 3, 2014

We moms have done some pretty incredible things, not the least of which is growing another human being inside of our bodies.

So why is it that we know so very little about how exactly that happens?

A new study by researchers at the Yale School of Medicine has uncovered just how uninformed many women are about their reproductive health.

Consider these startling findings from the survey of 1,000 reproductive-age women: More →

Healthy Living

4 Easy Ways to Sit Less & Stand More

Katie M. McLaughlin 2 Comments Jan 20, 2014

Here’s what I did yesterday: Drove to my office, worked on my computer, attended a meeting, drove home, relaxed on the couch, and went to bed.

What do all of those activities have in common (besides sounding a bit boring)? None of them involved standing up.

We have become a society of sitters. We sit while commuting, working, eating, and watching television. According to David Conroy at Penn State University, many of us spend eight of our waking hours with our butts in a chair. More →

Healthy Living

Top Fitness Trends for the New Year

Katie M. McLaughlin 0 Comment Jan 1, 2014

Maybe you’re one of the many Americans who regularly make New Year’s resolutions, and this is the year you’re vowing to get in better shape. Or maybe you’re a regular exerciser who likes to stay on top of what’s new in the world of health and fitness.

Either way, you might be interested in the results of the American College of Sports Medicine’s Worldwide Survey of Fitness Trends for 2014. This annual survey, which was completed by over 3,800 fitness professionals, predicts what types of exercises, fitness classes, and training programs will be popular in the year to come. It’s the crystal ball of working out, if you will.

Over at No Sweat, York I’ve highlighted some of the top up-and-coming trends to inspire your exercise routines. Check it out!

image via blary54

Body Image/ Healthy Living

Be Honest: How Many Times a Day Do You Think About Your Weight?

Katie M. McLaughlin 6 Comments Dec 19, 2013

How many times a day do you think about your weight?

Wait, don’t tell me, I already know the answer: Too many.

Here’s a perfect example:

I was having one of those days where your brain is so full, you’re just waiting for all the overcrowded thoughts and ideas and reminders to start seeping out of your ears. Between figuring out who was going to watch my too-sick-for-daycare son, how I was going to hit my work deadline, and when I was going to stop at the store for baby Tylenol because we’re out again, my mental capacity was shot.

When I couldn’t bear to think another thought, that was the moment my brain decided to point out that the waistband of my jeans was digging into my love handles. Thanks, brain.

It’s an all-too-familiar story that begs the question: If we’re already spread so thin, do we really have the extra mental energy to stress over how thin (or not thin) our bodies are? More →

Body Image/ Healthy Living

3 Lessons We Should Learn from Tori Spelling’s Post-Baby Weight Loss Plan

Katie M. McLaughlin 7 Comments Dec 5, 2013

When Us Weekly interviewed Tori Spelling about her 45-pound weight loss after the birth of her son, she gave the customary vanilla answer about eating a diet full of vegetables and lean protein combined with regular cardio exercise. But in her new memoir Spelling It Like It Is, she admits that was all a bunch of bologna.

The truth is a little tougher to stomach: Spelling writes in her book, “I took off my weight the old-fashioned way. I like to call it the Just Keep Your F-King Mouth Shut and Eat Air diet. It’s all the rage.” In the months immediately following the birth of her son, she basically starved herself back into her skinny jeans.

Inspiring? Not so much. Pretty common among celebrities? Probably.

Here’s what we should be taking away from this story. More →