If You’re Facing an Eating Disorder, Don’t Face it Alone

This week is National Eating Disorders Awareness Week. Take the opportunity to learn the truth about eating disorders, or to play an important role in fighting them.

Here is one major truth about these pervasive illnesses: Eating disorders lie. They deceive us into believing that whatever and however much we eat is wrong. They insist that whatever we weigh is shameful, and that whatever size or shape we may be is never good enough. When it comes to recovery, however, the most pernicious lie in ED’s arsenal has nothing directly to do with eating. Rather, it’s the notion that we “need” to be left alone.

Running on Empty? How to Recognize When You're on the Road to Burnout

Let's face it. I have a pretty cool job. I'm a psychologist who works with high-achieving women, women who are highly ambitious, extraordinarily talented, and amazingly creative, women who inevitably teach me as much as I teach them. And when I'm not working with high octane women, I'm writing about them. What's not to love?

But if I had to say the one thing that is the most challenging about working with high octane women is that they're often traveling along the road of life at such a high speed, they don't always see the big curve up ahead (even when I'm standing there waving a huge caution flag). Of course, the curve might be close or it might be far off in the distance. But inevitably it's there, and unless they anticipate it, unless they're prepared for it, it can send them spinning out of control. I'm, of course, talking about burnout.

Refueling Your Engine: Strategies to Reduce Stress and Avoid Burnout

My last post, Running on Empty, described symptoms that, if present, suggest you might be on the road to burnout. If you found yourself identifying with a lot of those symptoms, it's normal to feel upset. When you're used to traveling at Mach 3, pulling back to a comfortable Mach 2 may seem ... well, a little disappointing.

But the important thing to keep in mind is that you are still the same person you were when you entered the race. Your drive, your enthusiasm, your passion, and your energy may have gotten buried under the weight of the stress you've been carrying around, but those qualities and all the other good ones are still inside you. You just need to find ways to reach inside and find the sparks that first ignited your engine so that you can climb back into the driver's seat and reenter the race.

8 Simple Ways to Quash Cravings

It’s like a silent clock ticking away in your ear, or a magnetlike grip that draws you closer. It’s unavoidable and inescapable, and you’re powerless against its demands.

It’s a craving for Mexican food. Or chocolate. Or a Coke, or salt-and-vinegar chips, or macaroni and cheese, or a candy bar, or any number of salty, sweet, savory, and delicious foods. This time of year, with everyone determined to get back on track with good eating habits, beating cravings is even harder, since mindless snacking can derail any diet.

It’s normal to have a hard time letting go once you’ve gotten a hankering for a particular food item. For some people, it’s for salty snacks; for others, it’s for sugary treats. But all of us can beat our cravings with a few simple tricks.

3 Easy and Effective Ways to Dig Out of a Rut

It can happen almost before you know it: You wake up at the same time every day, follow the same route to work, and perform the same job you’ve done for years. At the end of the day, you come home and make a meal you’ve made a million times before, watch your favorite television show, and go to bed at the same time you always do.

There’s nothing like the feeling that you’re living out your own version of the movie Groundhog Day to make you realize that you’re in a world-class rut.

Being in a rut doesn’t necessarily mean you’re unhappy—there’s a certain comfort in having a stable and predictable routine. But whether your rut is at work, in your relationship, or in your personal life, when your usual regimen starts to make you feel as if you’re sleepwalking through life, it might be time to snap back to attention.

Six Wonderful Winter Apple Delights

Winter apples are apples that are picked very late in the fall. They have a long shelf life and are excellent for cooking. Some of the most common varieties you are likely to find in your produce aisle are Pippins, Fujis, Pink Ladies, and Braeburns, but there are many other types as well.

Winter apples are fun to cook with, as they can take on many types of spices and can be used in both sweet and salty dishes. Why not try one of these fabulous winter apple recipes at home, or make one to take to a holiday gathering?

Winter Apple Gratin. This recipe comes from Food and Wine. Jonagold apples are steeped in brandy. Butter, brown sugar, sugar and egg yolks are combined to make a delicious custard and served warm. The magazines’ editors suggest pairing with a semi-sweet wine, “such as a young Sauternes or Anjou Coteaux de la Loire.”

When Should You Toss Beauty Products?

In a previous life, I was a cosmetics junkie. As a sales representative and a makeup artist for companies like Hard Candy, Prescriptives, Estee Lauder, Benefit, and Lancome, I brought home more free makeup and skincare products than I could possibly use.

Every available drawer and cabinet in my apartment was brimming with travel-size mascaras, lip glosses, lipsticks, day creams, night creams, cleansers, full-size bottles of perfume … the amount was staggering. My fiance used to get upset because I had taken over every last space (though he was secretly hooked on the plethora of foaming washes and mud masks he had at his fingertips). Even if a color wasn’t a great shade for me, I’d mix it with something until it was perfect. Anything I didn’t use, I gave to family and friends.

Do Chinese Moms Raise the Best Kids?

Being a mom isn’t easy. I say that not from experience, but from countless hours watching Life Goes On and exactly six months of babysitting in middle school. You have to make some tough calls. Let. Me. Tell. You.

Which is probably why everyone’s up in a tizzy over this Wall Street Journal column from Amy Chua, Chinese mom extraordinaire whose idea of good parenting is to starve her children until they can play the piano. On her long list of things her kids were not allowed to do: attend sleepovers, watch TV, or come home with any grade lower than an A.

This type of strict parenting is, according to Chua, proof that she cares more about her kids than Western parents “who seem perfectly content to let their children turn out badly.”

How to Become a Business Manager

Business or administrative managers form the backbone of a company. They are responsible for keeping the wheels of the business moving in a smooth manner by planning, coordinating and directing a broad range of activities in their organization.

If you have excellent organizational, communication and analytical skills, a friendly disposition, and above all, leadership qualities, you may want to explore the option of becoming a business manager.

Most businesses, however, have some predefined qualifying criteria to fill business manager positions in their outfits. One of the most important credentials that you’ll need for becoming a business manager is a relevant college degree.

How to Pack a Healthy Lunch for Work (and Save Money!)

A lot of us are in the habit of buying lunch out each day. I don’t mean we’re all enjoying three-course lunches with wine – for most people, it’s just a sandwich and maybe a bag of chips and a drink from the nearest store.

The problem is, when you’re sinking a few dollars on lunch five days a week, every week, the cost soon adds up. Buying a sandwich out is probably costing you around $3-$6 a pop; making that same sandwich as home would likely cost about a third of what it does in the store, around $1-$2.

So why don’t more of us brown-bag our lunch? In most cases, I think it’s simply habit. Of course, there’s always the excuse that we’re too rushed in the mornings – but that’s pretty easy to overcome.

How to Choose a Distance Learning Program

According to the 2010 report on the state of online learning in the country published by Sloan Consortium, 63% of the institutions surveyed said that online learning formed a critical part of their long term strategy. sloanconsortium.org/publications/survey/pdf/class_differences.pdf Clearly, online and distance learning programs have become the present and future of education in the U.S.

With so many students jumping on the online education bandwagon, is it time for you to start thinking seriously about distance learning courses? If your answer is yes, then here are certain tips you might find handy in choosing a distance learning program.

ADN vs. BSN

If you are a nursing aspirant or even a practicing nurse, you must have heard the raging debate over an Associate’s degree in Nursing vs. the Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing. Any effort at finding out which one scores over the other is sure to lead to massive confusion for a candidate.

The truth of the matter is that both of these nursing degree programs have their own set of benefits and drawbacks. The key is to find which one of these two programs fits into your scheme of things.

But before you can decide which one suits you more, you need to understand the distinguishing factors between the two programs as well as their pros and cons.

Types of College Degrees

According to a report published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, April 27, 2010, 70.1% of 2009 high school graduates were enrolled in colleges or universities – a historic high since 1959. (bls.gov/news.release/hsgec.htm)

If you are currently in high school, chances are that you have already set the ball rolling on preparing for college. The word on the street is the earlier you start, the more time you’ll have to plan for college.

One important question you’ll need to address as part of your planning process is the type of college degree that best suits your educational goals, career objectives, personal situation and financial circumstances. Let’s face it, not everyone can afford or may want to spend five to six years in college.

Top 10 Anti-Aging Tricks

Somewhere around mid-January we realize that despite our best intentions, the only thing the New Year has brought us is one more year of crow’s feet and grey hairs that appear in more places than an “Everybody Loves Raymond” rerun. These ten tricks below will keep you looking younger than ever and the best part? Totally stress-free- and isn’t that really the key of looking younger, longer?

1. Green Tea

I’m not going to bore you with details about what the scientists are discovering about green tea, or why Chinese women have been drinking it for centuries, or why I drink it by the gallon a day. But I will tell you this- this is one of the only scientifically backed natural remedies for wrinkles, cancer prevention, heart health and boosting up that metabolism. Green tea is loaded with antioxidants, specifically the superpower of antioxidants- Epigallocatechin Gallate- otherwise known as EGCG. Feel guilty about that pizza you ate an hour ago? Or shouldn’t have had the cheesecake? Drinking green tea, after consuming fatty foods is scientifically proven to help reduce how much of that fat your body actually absorbs. Drink green tea daily, for an all over younger, healthier, skinnier look this new year! My favorite brand? Mighty Leaf Tropical Green Tea ($9.95-$49.50, mightyleaf.com)

Light Roast vs. Dark Roast Coffee: Which Has More Caffeine?

Millions of Americans begin each morning with a cup of coffee. Some people are coffee connoisseurs, obsessing over the origin of the bean and the method of brewing while shunning any additives that would adulterate the natural flavor; other people just grab whatever’s available and dump in loads of milk and sugar.

Besides the bean itself, the biggest factors that influence coffee’s flavor, color, and chemical makeup are how it’s roasted, for how long, and at what temperature. Roasting can bring out certain flavors while removing others. It can alter the caffeine content and even change how the coffee affects sensitive stomachs. Contrary to most people’s perception, thick, black coffee isn’t the strongest or most bracing brew. In fact, it may be the kindest, gentlest choice of all.