Author Archives: Paula Widish

My plan for this week’s post was to discuss the benefits of brain training and my February health goal of committing to doing it every day. It was sure to be a hit, and I was confident that I’d find a magnitude of resources touting brain training as the best decision I could ever make […]

When I decided to make better resolutions for 2016, I talked about picking just one new healthy habit per month. In choosing to meditate daily for my first new habit in January, I knew I was setting myself up for more peace of mind and calm in my daily life. I’ve been getting my Zen […]

These days it isn’t so unusual to find discarded peels of fruit covering the bottom of our kitchen sink. The various shades of orange complement the black surface very nicely, I must say. While it’s an ongoing battle to get our boys to automatically clean up after themselves rather than leave their mess behind, it’s […]

While it’s possible to get the flu any time of year, the CDC says we’re smack dab in the middle of peak flu season. Don’t worry, I’m not here to chime in on whether or not you should get a flu shot—plenty of people are out there doing that already. Though I do suggest you […]

Last month I wrote about resolving to make better resolutions for 2016. Rather than make an all-encompassing declaration of what you want to accomplish by the end of the year, I suggested taking on a new healthy habit each month. Baby steps are often easier to make happen. Quite honestly, I wrote that post as […]

Being the information junkie that I am, my gig writing the Adventures of a Self-Healther blog for SRP is pretty sweet. Picking a nutrition or health topic that interests me, digging around for information that builds on my self-health knowledge, and then sharing it with others is near perfect for me. For this last post […]

We’re inching dangerously close to that time of year when nearly half of the U.S. population (45 percent) will be making resolutions for a better 2016. Shortly thereafter, we will arrive at the time when almost every single one of them has been tossed aside for old habits. Only 8 percent of people succeed with […]

Whether you’ve been anxiously awaiting the season since June or wishing you could hibernate with the bears rather than participate, the holidays are here. Let the parties and package gathering and traveling begin. Right? Right. Love it or loathe it, the hustle and bustle and perceived obligations can scramble the minds of the best of […]

We live in a world jam-packed with knowledge—it’s at our fingertips in the blink of an eye. Personally, I miss the days of encyclopedias, but we’ll save that for another time. Getting back on track here, these days you don’t need to remain ignorant about any topic. A question pops in your head, go online […]

Well, folks. Whether you can believe it or not, here we are at December 1st. That means the holidays are rapidly approaching, and if you haven’t started thinking about the people on your gift list this year, there’s no time like the present. Did you catch what I just did there? “Present” meaning right now—and […]

There are a good number of people out there who live by the creed of gratitude. While I live my life as an optimist—always seeing the best in people, places, and situations—what I’m talking about here goes way beyond that. It’s more than the power of positive thinking. On a daily basis, these folks count […]

Much like the tale of your tongue, your fingernails have a lot to say about you—and your health. I’m not talking about gardeners with perpetual dirt under their nails or nibblers with the nervous habit of chewing them right down to nothing (though if you’re looking, both of those things also tell a story). No, […]

It’s not exactly breaking news that a sedentary lifestyle is bad for your health. We’ve been hearing about it for years. But until recently, our jobs have been left out of the equation. Now that’s all changed. The frequency in the number of stories about the detriments of sitting for too long—at work or otherwise—has […]

With the arrival of November, it’s time to exchange your pleasing glass pitchers of iced tea for your favorite mug of the hot stuff. That mug of yours has been waiting patiently in the cupboard for you to grab hold of its handle, carefully place a tea bag inside, and fill ’er up with boiling […]

If you prepared for this weekend’s Halloween festivities by carving a pumpkin, I certainly hope you didn’t wantonly throw away the bounty of seeds it had to offer. You may have hurt your jack-o-lantern’s feelings if you did. Feel free to go apologize before any mysterious goings on befall you. I’ll be right here waiting. […]

I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that every human being walking around on this planet has at least one good habit they’ve been meaning to bring into their lives. Whether it’s cooking with a new super food or developing a new skill, we can all benefit from adding a new, […]

Remember the days when your athletic coach would encourage you to “carb load” before some big matchup? Heck, the matchup didn’t even have to be big. My high school track coach used to encourage us to eat a big plate of pasta the night before any old Tuesday afternoon meet. Knowing what we know now, […]

While there isn’t a sound more glorious than a baby giggling, laughter from people of all ages can totally make my day. Especially when I overhear one of those contagious kinds of laughs that make me bust up myself—completely involuntarily. I don’t have to know the person laughing or even be with them to feel […]

Have you noticed some shifting going on at your local farmers’ market? Not only are we starting to add more oomph to our top layers, but the vegetables are getting heftier too. Take for example the difference between those thin-skinned summer squash that have been so easy to come by and the ever more present […]

There are certain news stories that tend to catch my eye, and one of the topics I can’t seem to look away from is our food supply. Watching the news is a brilliant way to convince yourself how important it is to know where your food comes from. Look at these three recent headlines to […]