Rub-a-dub dub

Suffer from PMS? Depression? Lower back pain?
Apparently, massage is seen as the latest thing to attack these ills, and more. This report from CNN details the benefits of massage. Some of the "bennies" may surprise you.
The obvious payoffs: loosening hard and pained muscles. The not-so obvious: your mood and your PMS. (I've long held the theory that men have PMS too; maybe not the actual condition but regular dips in mood. Men, what say you?)
Enjoy that massage.

Community health

Been thinking a lot about community health. On a health and fitness blog, it's an OK thing--and an expected one--to talk about foods that are good for you, fitness tips and extraordinary things like trans-fat-free cruises. But that is so micro (and actually very American). What food should go into MY mouth? What exercise is best for ME? Conversation at the refrigerator with self: "What kind of milk do I want with my Cheerios?" Conversation at the gym: "How many pushups should I do today?"
But do you ever think what sort of impact your own health choices make on the wider world? Does it matter to the community if you maintain a healthy lifestyle? To your spouse? Does it matter what kind of cereal you choose? In real dollars and cents? It matters on the one hand if you are a crack addict, refuse treatment, get kicked out of your group home and end up in a state-run institution. Taxpayers pay. It also matters, on the other hand, if you use your money to support charities that assist crack addicts and others in need. Someone comes off drugs and off the dole. Those are just financial examples, never mind other tolls.
What is public health? (Physical, emotional). How is it related to private?
And on a spiritual level: How do my innermost thoughts and decisions and prayers affect the wider circle? Should that matter to me? Within Christianity alone (which for the sake of argument we'll isolate since this blog comes from the Bible Belt), the myriad denominations vary in their emphasis on decision-making; is the group paramount or the person? In very, very general terms, groups that include the Quakers, for instance, are more communal-oriented than not (meaning decisions within the body are made with the whole in mind; think Catholic monastic communities); Baptists and Protestants less so; the "priesthood of the believer" is a key tenet there, similar to how individuality is celebrated in this country. Both (and all) systems have merit, unless of course you're a Jim Jones or David Koresh character but that's for another day.
All of which leads to this: Are we here merely to secure our own place, serve ourselves and see our way to a happy afterlife? To do our own pushups and sit-ups? Or, does "salvation" occur when, and only when, everyone has a chance to be well?
Micro and macro. Private health and public health. Both essential, and intertwined in intriguing and mysterious ways.
Thoughts?

5 dieting myths

Good morning.
Our friends at WebMd have this piece about 5 dieting myths. Of particular note is the section on carbs. Bucking conventional wisdom, the report says not all carbs are bad, or created equal. If you down carbs laden with sugar or white flour, that's not as healthy as, say, beans or brown rice. As with most things food-related, use common sense. If you need some more knowledge, check out the article.
Giving away my age, I was also bummed to discover from WebMD that my metabolism is going to change in about two years. Something to look forward to. ...

Emotional eating

There's a scene in the movie "Parenthood" where one of the characters, angry at her husband, sneaks into a closet and takes a big bite of a chocolate cupcake. A look of "I'll show you" covers her face. A new article from Prevention Magazine talks about "emotional eating," when we eat high-calorie foods to deal with powerful emotions or stress. And often, we do it without even thinking. The article says, If you need to grab a snack to deal with stress, make it fruit or something else low-cal. Check this out and let me know what you think.

"Now I know y’all are crazy"

It's quintessential Paula Deen, a celebrity chef who lives in Savannah. Never one to hide her Southern drawl, Deen had this retort for a New York writer who said his city seemed lacking in pimento cheese. (A Southern staple, almost, and great comfort food.) Deen, along with her now-grown sons, is the mastermind behind "The Lady and Sons" line of cookbooks as well as a popular Savannah restaurant by the same name.
Click here for the story.
In April, Deen's memoir will come out (who doesn't have a memoir?). In it, she details her rise from a hardscrabble life to kitchen fame. Among the things she's overcome: agoraphobia (a fear of being out of one's immediate confines, such as the house), and poverty after she and her first husband divorced in the 1980s. At that time, Deen set out with $200 and kept a brown paper bag in her glove compartment, in which to take deep breaths during panic attacks — yesteryear's answer to Xanax.
Critics say she takes shortcuts in her cooking, that it's not REAL Southern preparation; her response is that most regular people who work don't have time for, say, boiling greens for four hours on the stove. And, having used "The Lady and Sons" books myself, I can attest that most of the recipes don't take long to prepare, and they are mighty tasty.
Here's Paula Deen's website and here's a recipe for pimento cheese. Enjoy!

The cutting edge of mediocrity

That's the nickname of a blog out of Utah, which in my opinion is far from mediocre. What a great title.
In local news, parts of our town look like a war zone after a tornado came through Thursday night. We've not had one touch down here since the 1950s. Even when the weather sirens go off, most of us are pretty nonchalant. Not anymore. If you are the praying kind, please keep our town in your thoughts, and also Enterprise, Ala., which suffered multiple deaths around a high school.
In news of the sorta weird, this New York Times story is about a cruise line that has non-trans-fat food options. Though I've never been on a cruise, I'm thinking, "What's the point if you can't put on the feedbag?" A spokeswoman for Crystal Cruises said: “It is not just about weight control; it is about health and not clogging your arteries," adding that French fries and salad dressings would still be available, only now they will be prepared with trans-fat-free oils, like sesame, pumpkin, walnut and corn seed.


P.S. About the photo, compliments of Crystal Cruise Lines--this guy is probably whispering: "Honey, I'm so thankful that roll didn't have any real butter in it."

So you want to start exercising?

As we noted the other day, spring has sprung in some parts of the country--including mine--and often that inspires people to get outdoors for a jog, bike ride, walk, cartwheels or whatever. Some folks will be doing this for the first time, or for the first time in a long while. But this site, with various links, offers wise tips for getting into shape. Topics include advice for seniors; and dealing with the intimidation factor. Consult your doctor if you have any major concerns.
On a side note: Saw a guy jogging on our Riverwalk the other day wearing a shirt that read: "I always get what I want." Hmmmmm.