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Simple nutrition tips to stay on track

Karen Hawthorne — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 19:46:00 -0700

Life can be hectic with jobs, household duties, and social obligations—making drive-through or dial-up delivery dining an easy fix. Our waistlines beg to differ, though. Good nutrition will keep us strong and energized to meet those challenges head on.

6 Simple tips for getting healthier

Karen Hawthorne — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 19:29:00 -0700

Healthy lifestyle choices can boost your energy, your outlook, and dramatically lower your risk for disease; however, prescriptions for getting and staying healthy—and the information available about those drugs—can be overwhelming. Here are a few easy suggestions to incorporate into your routine and keep you smiling.

5 Secrets of happy women

Karen Hawthorne — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 19:00:00 -0700

Take control of your attitude and outlook on life—you can make lifestyle changes to boost your happiness and self-confidence. Here are five simple secrets of happy women.

10 Dorm safety tips for college kids

Karen Hawthorne — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 14:51:00 -0700

With fall just around the corner, thousands of post-secondary students are packing up to move to a nearby city or across the country to pursue their studies. Becoming independent almost overnight comes with certain risks and responsibilities, and college kids need to think of safety as well as fun. Here are 10 dorm safety tips to take with you as you head back to school.

Energy-efficient green home plans

Karen Hawthorne — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 14:23:00 -0700

Choosing biodegradable shampoo and recycling soda cans are good earth-friendly steps. Next up is building energy-efficient green homes, offices and retail spaces that use solar and thermal power — and leave less of a footprint on the planet. Here's how green buildings can save energy, water, and money.

Bed bugs pandemic: Back-to-school dorm room pests?

Karen Hawthorne — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 12:47:00 -0700

Bed bugs -- those tiny bloodsucking insects -- seem to be everywhere lately. They don’t discriminate between rich or poor, dirty or clean. While much has been written about specific incidents of bedbug infestations in high-profile offices and retail stores, many people don’t realize that these infestations are not only happening in New York and other major urban centers, but are also wreaking havoc in smaller towns and cities across the country. They're in student dormitories, too, putting a new spin on back-to-school preparedness.

Egg recalls: Spot the signs of salmonella

Karen Hawthorne — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 13:45:00 -0700

If you've shopped at a grocery store in Iowa recently, don't opt for scrambled eggs for breakfast -- or any meal. An Iowa egg producer has issued a recall for 228 million eggs after a suspected link to an outbreak of salmonella poisoning. The potentially life-threatening condition is more common than you may realize, making it even more important to know how to recognize the signs of salmonella.

Women at risk of weight-lifting injuries

Karen Hawthorne — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 15:43:00 -0700

Lifting barbells to get toned? That’s great. Dropping them on your toes? Not so great. You don't have to stop lifting heavy, though. You just need to learn how to keep building strength safely so you can show off those sexy Madonna-like pipes. With the growing number of women sustaining weight-lifting injuries, here are some weight-lifting safety tips to take to the gym.

Eco-friendly pets: Green pet pampering

Karen Hawthorne — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 15:34:00 -0700

You love your pet, you spoil your pet and now you can reduce your pet’s carbon pawprint. All good. Those cute, furry companions of ours have a surprisingly large environmental impact on the planet, so here are some earth-friendly choices we can make — and still leave room for biscuits and catnip.

Boot camp workouts blast fat

Karen Hawthorne — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 16:40:00 -0700

Need some motivation to jump-start your commitment to fitness? Boot camps not only blast fat and build strength, they break the monotony of your everyday workouts. Boot camp training doesn’t require fancy equipment – all you need is your body weight and enthusiasm. Why are boot camp workouts gaining popularity? Because they work. SheKnows talked to Laura Jackson, personal trainer, boot camp instructor and co-founder of Fit Chicks, to give us the skinny on boot camp fitness.

Young cancer survivor says humor is good medicine

Karen Hawthorne — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 08:49:00 -0700

What does it feel like to be young, vital, with your whole life in front of you -- and have someone tell you that the world as you know it is about to end with a single word: "cancer"? Seattle-based writer Glenn Rockowitz has come up with a solution to find the courage, strength and hope to cope: He recommends developing a sense of irreverent humor. Here, a Q & A with the four-time cancer survivor about his funny coping strategy and his memoir, Rodeo in Joliet, which chronicles his journey from the doctor’s prognosis of "three months at best" to his miraculous remission several months later.

Summer pests: Tips to prevent bug infestation

Karen Hawthorne — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 07:17:00 -0700

Summertime rituals are in full swing – heading up to the cottage, hosting a backyard barbecue or enjoying a campground cookout. These popular pastimes attract insects, especially with this season’s early hot weather. Whether they’re buzzing around the picnic table or creeping inside through an open screen door, it’s important to know how to prevent – or eliminate – an infestation.

Look your best in that bathing suit

Karen Hawthorne — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 13:33:00 -0700

When summer heat blasts, you’ve got to be ready to strip down. While you don’t need to show off your birthday suit – except in certain private, pleasurable situations, of course – a bathing suit that exposes some skin, keeps you cool and beats those heavier layers of clothing is the way to go when the temperature rises. For some people, the thought of revealing their curves in Lycra is downright scary. Here’s how to boost your confidence, find a swimsuit that flatters, and look your best.

The Biggest Loser's Jillian Michaels fat-blasting cookbook

Karen Hawthorne — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 10:38:00 -0700

As the no-mercy personal trainer on NBC’s reality series, The Biggest Loser, Jillian Michaels is like a drill sergeant on overdrive. Her tough-love approach to blasting fat works: just look at the program contestants' results, and her huge fan following. Exercise is only part of her weight-loss equation, however. In Michaels’ Master Your Metabolism Cookbook, the popular health coach shares her tips and recipes to boost nutrition and commitment to good eating.

Social media safety tips when traveling

Karen Hawthorne — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 13:24:00 -0700

You arrive at your hotel room and throw open the curtains. There it is, the most fantastic view on the planet. This is far too impressive not to share, so what do you do? Whip out your wireless device and begin to tweet or update your social network profile, proclaiming your undying love for your vacation locale. Just one problem. Now you’ve let the whole world know you are out of town. Before you update your social media status, consider these safety tips on social media sharing.

Pasta for breakfast is good for your health

Karen Hawthorne — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 12:23:00 -0700

Waking up to a bowl of pasta or helping of lasagna for breakfast may be a deviation from usual your bowl of oatmeal, but it turns out that you can eat this Italian staple for your morning meal. Just make sure it’s whole grain. Here’s why pasta is a great way to start the day.

Andie MacDowell speaks out on heart health

Karen Hawthorne — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 18:42:00 -0700

Award-winning actress and heart health advocate, Andie MacDowell, has teamed with Time to Talk CARDIO, a cardiovascular-focused initiative that provides patients and health care professionals with a skill-building tool to help make the most of the limited time in a medical visit. The program aims to educate people about heart health and disease prevention to improve communication during these visits.

Exhausted? Easy ways to get energized

Karen Hawthorne — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 15:33:00 -0700

Without question, life is a whirl of a million little details that you do your best to keep in check. If you’re like most women, while managing work, family and a social life, one of the things that you tend to skip is taking care of Y-O-U. As a result, you often end up with that nagging head-nodding fatigue throughout the day. There is no reason to accept this as the norm; in fact, if you adopt the following three energy-boosting tips, you’ll not only soar through your day, you’ll get to feel good again.

For better, for worse: More couples staying married

Karen Hawthorne — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 20:06:00 -0700

It’s no secret that marriage takes work – including patience and a transport-trailer full of understanding. While expectations regarding marriage have skyrocketed, a new report indicates that the divorce rate has dropped in Canada by six percent during the past four years. Here’s what we can learn about marriage from Canadian couples.

Added sugar hurts your heart

Karen Hawthorne — Tue, 11 May 2010 03:53:00 -0700

Tooth decay, energy spikes and dips, weight gain – do you need another reason to cut back on the sugar in your diet? How about heightened heart risks? Moderation is key, but new research shows that sugar consumption is not good for your heart.