The findingDulcinea Blog

How to Make and Keep Your New Year’s Resolutions

New Year’s Eve is less than 48 hours away, so it’s about time we shared our 5 tips for making and keeping your New Year’s resolutions.

1. Think Hope, Not Guilt. Dr. Kelly McGonigal, a health psychologist at Stanford University, writes, “Other people's ideas of who you should be and what you should do can go right in the delete file.” New Year’s is a time to feel inspired, not ashamed. Look back on your favorites moment of 2009, and imagine 10 experiences you look forward to in 2010.

2. Choose One Thing. Just one. Stephen Covey, author of “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” suggests, “Make a promise and keep it.” Check in with yourself weekly. After successfully meeting one goal, you’ll have the confidence to take on another.

3. Get the Wording Right. Penelope Trunk, an author and founder of the blog “The Brazen Careerist,” says you should break down your goal into tasks. Instead of telling yourself you need to go to the gym, Trunk suggests saying, “I need to drive to the gym at 4:30 every day and I cannot drive out of the parking lot until 5:30.”

4. Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help. Martha Beck, a life-coach, columnist and author, writing for Oprah.com, outlines four different personality types: quick starters, fact-finders, implementers, and follow-through types. When looking for support in committing to a resolution, partner with others who share your goal but have different strengths and weaknesses.

5. Track Your Success. Use a site like 43 Things to measure your success. Sign up, create an account, outline a strategy and find other people who share your goals.

Find more of the best sites for keeping your resolutions in findingDulcinea’s Web Guide to New Year’s Resolutions.

Do You Know What’s in Your Food?

You’ve snugly secured your lunch, a chicken sandwich with vegetable fixings and mayo, in plastic cling wrap. But is your lettuce local, your chicken free range and your plastic free of #3 PVC? True, the thought of eating only perfectly clean, chemical-free food seems at times an overwhelming task. But the clutter of opinions and information on the Web has slowly given way to a more organized set of standards.

Some products are easier to dissect, ingredient-wise, than others. For instance, in the GLAD Web site FAQ section, the company reveals that it does not use PVC or BPA (Bisphenol-A), a potentially harmful and oft-debated ingredient used in many plastic water bottles.

But not all companies make the contents of their products available to consumers. Luckily, there’s GoodGuide, a so-called “B Corporation” that harnesses “the power of business to solve social and environmental problems.” The staff at GoodGuide ranks products’ impact on human health, the environment and other social factors, such as labor force. To determine rankings, GoodGuide consults with experts at academic institutions and nongovernmental organizations, considers government data and works with “private research firms.” The site is in beta, but plans to eventually allow users to sort through ranked products according to their own value systems. Read the GoodGuide Transparency Manifesto to get a handle on the site’s ambitious mission.

GoodGuide cofounder Dara O’Rourke, a professor of environmental and labor policy at the University of California, Berkeley, was profiled by Michael B. Farrell for The Christian Science Monitor last month. O’Rourke explains that GoodGuide can help people “make better choices about what they buy,” and contends that “[t]ransparency will make the world better.” O’Rourke’s endeavor, which has involved “scientists and engineers working out of an office in downtown San Francisco” over the past year or so, already boasts 75,000 rated products. GoodGuide seems fast on its way to becoming “a sort of CliffsNotes to the confounding and complex world of ingredients typically—but not always—found listed on the back of everyday products,” Farrell noted.

Concerned consumers can also turn to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, an organization that provides helpful information on food additives like artificial food dyes, caffeine and high-fructose corn syrup. The site also discusses the safety of the additives in its glossary, and has a list of banned additives.

And for general advice about reading and understanding food labels, read findingDulcinea’s "Foodie" column on the subject.       

Sarah Amandolare
Senior Writer

Get Acquainted With Health Care Reform Issues

I don’t think that health care reform will be Obama’s “Waterloo,” as South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint was quoted as saying by Ben Smith of Politico. But the stakes are high, both personally and politically.

An article in Slate Magazine explains how private insurance companies give incentives to employees to drop expensive accounts—just before a major surgery—“based on stupid technicalities.” These are called rescissions. According to Slate, an employee at WellPoint received a high score on her job evaluation due to “the dollar amount [$10 million] she had managed to deny through rescission.”

My mother was a victim of rescission. After suffering from gingivitis for 15 years, she had two teeth taken out. The cores of the teeth had rotted with infection. Unfortunately, these teeth anchored her permanent dentures, so she not only needed two teeth removed but also a new denture. Her insurance company, which paid for her previous dentures, dropped her two days before she was scheduled for a $38,000 procedure on the basis of an “undisclosed previous condition.”

More than half (51 percent) of Americans admit that they don't understand the issues involved in health care reform. The numbers are even lower for Americans’ faith in members of Congress: Only 27 percent of Americans believe that members of Congress have a good grasp of health care issues.

The sheer complexity of the current health care debate needs to be understood. Get informed with a variety of perspectives on health care reform:

Jonathan Cohn, a writer for The New Republic, is stationed in Washington, D.C., and reports what he sees in The Treatment, The New Republic’s health care blog.

The Washington Post's health care blog, Health Care Rx, is a reliable source of breaking news. Turn here for new research on the complicated social policies involved in the debate.

The Cato Institute, a nonpartisan, nonprofit think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C., presents different philosophical views on the health care debate in its blog, Cato @ Liberty.

Jim Sabin's blog, Health Care Organizational Ethics, keeps an eye on policy ideals and the most efficient distribution of health care.

David Williams, cofounder of MedPharma Partners, covers business issues in health care in his blog, Health Business Blog.

Health Beat is a project of The Century Foundation, an organization that examines public policy. The blog is maintained by Maggie Mahar, a fellow at the Foundation and author of “Money-Driven Medicine: The Real Reason Health Care Costs So Much.”

The Covert Rationing Blog, written by a former professor of medicine, explains why it's unavoidable to ration health care, and distinguishes between productive and unproductive means of rationing health care.

Read findingDulcinea's four-part article series on health care to learn more about landmarks and issues leading to President Obama's plan:

Part I: Surveying the Facts of the American Health Care Landscape
Part II: Revisiting HillaryCare: What It Proposed and Why It Failed
Part III: Does Socialized Medicine Work? A Look at British Health Care
Part IV: Deconstructing the Democratic Plan for Health Care

Josh Goldberg

How Do I Know If I Have Swine Flu?

Photo: Ryan Remiorz/AP

In case you haven’t heard, there’s a global panic, er, we mean pandemic, called swine flu. Or, at least it was called swine flu until the name was changed to protect the innocent. (Pigs, that is.) It’s now going by the clunky but nonoffensive title of influenza A (H1N1). Thankfully, we’re all clear on one fact: You can’t get swine flu from eating pork.

Unfortunately, when people start to panic, facts are hard to come by. On Twitter, which has been heralded as a hub for so-called citizen journalists, not every post tagged “#swineflu” contained information that was accurate, or even worth reading. People using the Twitter search engine to find answers may not have been employing the soundest judgment.

But even the professional media was responsible for creating a bit of a scare. As one Huffington Post blogger observed, a few headlines reading “Death Toll Rising” can lead the innocent news consumer to feel like “there’s a plague on.”

And while there have been comparisons to the flu epidemic of 1918, suggesting that influenza A might be the next Spanish influenza, we won’t help ourselves by giving in to hysteria. Still, a trait shared by the two viruses is that they start out mild. Spanish influenza eventually got worse, and influenza A has that potential.

In short: We can’t stop paying attention. Somewhere in between panic and ignorance is a happy medium.

That’s why we decided to find five sites with reliable, accurate and comprehensive information about swine flu. Get all your questions answered about how the disease started, why it’s a concern, what the symptoms are and how swine flu affects travel. The only thing the article won’t tell you is where you can buy a surgical mask.

Rachel Balik
Senior Writer

The Boston Marathon Is the Heart of US Distance Running

Photo: Bizuayehu Tesfaye/AP

CEO Mark Moran is live tweeting as he runs the Boston Marathon. Follow him @markemoran.

As I write this, more than 26,000 people, who all qualified with previous marathon times, are running or have just completed the Boston Marathon, which weaves downhill and then gradually up Heartbreak Hill through several outlying towns and into Boston. Already, the top professional runners have finished, with Salina Kosgei of Kenya placing first for the women and Deriba Merga of Ethiopia finishing first for the men. The Americans Kara Goucher and Ryan Hall each finished in third place. For a play-by-play recap of the pro races, read the USA Today blog Game On. You can find complete, searchable results of all the athletes running the race at the Boston Athletic Association Web site.

Boston is in many senses the heart of U.S. distance running, even if the most talented running professionals now spend their time in verdant and high-altitude places like Mammoth Lakes, Calif. and Portland, Ore. to help them improve their fitness levels and compete with the Africans. The U.S. running boom, which started in the 1970s and called Boston its home, saw Americans like Bill Rodgers (who is running again this year after a 10-year hiatus), Amby Burfoot, Alberto Salazar, Frank Shorter and Grete Waitz burst on the scene, engaging in friendly rivalries and, in Rodgers' case, getting four Boston wins under his belt (for her part, Waitz won the New York City Marathon nine times between 1978 and 1988). They themselves were spurred by the efforts of athletes like Steve Prefontaine, who died prematurely and remains a god in runners' eyes.

Running Boston is no easy feat. It requires training for several months through the winter, which alone is enough to ward off a lot of runners. But our very own CEO Mark Moran is doing it, making this his fifth marathon in a handful of years and possibly his fastest, his previous record coming in Philadelphia last fall. Constantly adapting his training, Mark has shown that with a little Internet savvy, some creativity (he's added boxing to his cross-training routine), and a lot of patience, marathons can actually get easier, not to mention more enjoyable. (So much so that he was having trouble waiting for today to come).

Naturally, being an office of several distance runners—we're running the New York Ragnar Relays in May—we've compiled a series of inspirational and motivational articles, training resources and multimedia to help convert more peple to the Boston cause.

Liz Colville
Senior Writer
Audience Development

If you need another marathon to help you qualify for Boston, want to start running, or have other running-related queries, our Web Guide to Running can help with that.

It's February 2. Do You Know Where Your New Year’s Fitness Resolutions Are?

As the dead of winter sets in and your gym membership starts to feel like a mountain you can’t summit, remember you can turn to online training tools, fellow exercisers and fun goals for inspiration.

Several of us at findingDulcinea are competing in a Ragnar Relay in New York State in May. Ragnar Relays happen all over the country, and it’s an exciting chance to test your endurance without having to go it alone.

Active is a great resource for finding other races around the country. The site lists triathlons, half-marathons and marathons, as well as shorter road races. You can also use the site to track your progress in a log and read helpful articles about training and racing.

Gimme20, mentioned in our article “7 Sites for Getting in Shape—and Staying in Shape,” lets you trawl through hundreds of workout plans and use the wisdom of other fitness fanatics to get stronger and in better shape, whether you’re interested in weight training, Pilates or abs.

Gyminee is a relatively new but popular site that tracks your fitness progress and, importantly, your nutrition. Connect with others through the site, set specific goals and watch yourself meet them.

The elegantly designed Web site of the magazine Yoga Journal explains and illustrates more than 100 poses, and offers blogs, resources for those new to yoga, resources for yoga teachers and more.

Fitting exercise into your day can be tough, especially if you work long hours. But this lengthy headline from the UK’s Daily Mail should inspire you: “People who exercise on work days are happier, suffer less stress and are more productive.”

Liz Colville
Senior Writer
Audience Development

You may not always get a natural high from exercise, but there are many healthy processes that happen to you every time you do it. To learn more, read “Exercise and the Brain.”

Keeping Up with Food Safety

If you’ve been reading the news lately, you’re probably aware that during the past several months, outbreaks of salmonella have been connected with food products around the country. Food-borne illnesses can leave consumers feeling a little unnerved, but with the help of these Web sites, you can become an educated shopper and learn more about practicing food safety at home.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is the regulatory body responsible for overseeing most of the food products on the market. Check here for important food safety notices, or to report a problem with an item.

Avoiding cross-contamination is perhaps one of the best ways to stop the spread of bacteria in your kitchen. The National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse explains how this is done, and reveals what else you should do to store and cook food properly.

One way to extend the life of your food is freezing items you don’t plan to use right away. But if you’ve ever tasted something with freezer burn, you know it’s not always easy to freeze food correctly. Learn how to freeze a variety of products at the National Center for Home Food Preservation, and get answers to other questions about freezing food with the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service.

Lindsey Chapman
Writer

Looking to learn more about food? The findingDulcinea Food Web Guide recommends some of the best Web sites for finding great recipes online, exploring specialty foods, reading restaurant reviews and more.

Winter Sports That Ramp Up Your Workout

With the arrival of winter 2009, it’s time to turn your New Year’s resolutions into newly discovered passions. Are you feeling less-than-compelled by ordinary activities during these months? Spark your inner adrenaline junkie by tapping into cool winter sports that take place both indoors and outdoors.

Indoor rock climbing is good for those who fancy action, a great workout and cheap fun. Find climbing walls at local gyms and recreation centers before heading out to explore rugged cliffs and mountaintops.

Curling is a game of strategy and teamwork that involves sliding a rock on ice and sweeping its path; it’s described as “lawn bowling on ice.” Blogcritics Magazine discusses the mystique behind the sport that captivated Americans during the 2006 Olympics.

Ice biking allows you to be extreme, and can take place outside your front door—all you need is a bike, helmet and ice to fuel your wild side.

To change your routine a bit, try Nordic walking, the activity cross-country skiers take up to maintain their fitness during the off-season. The low-impact sport uses 90 percent of your body’s muscles, and can burn 40 percent more calories than walking alone. It’s also a way to discover parks, trails and city streets.

Need a little extra boost? Escape to one of Active.com’s “Top 5 Destinations to Try a New Sport.” A vacation is a great way to learn a new sport without having to endure harsh winter weather.

Jen O’Neill
Writer

FindingDulcinea’s Web Guide to Fitness will help jumpstart your fitness routine in the new year. Use it to find nutrition and exercise advice, and access online communities of health-oriented people.

 Our Web Guide to Sports has a section on buying equipment that will outfit you for your new activity.

Keeping Those New Year's Resolutions

For many of us, every New Year’s Day is the same. We declare our regrets, recognize our shortcomings, make resolutions, and then a few days later bid farewell to the year that was and forget it all.

Whether your pledge is small and simple or frustratingly hard, New Year’s resolutions can seem impossible to keep for a week, let alone a year or more.

However, as we all follow in the footsteps of the mythical King Janus—who was said to have had two faces so he could look forward and backward, and who inspired early Romans to pledge to make themselves better each new year—we must remember that there is no shortage of help available to each one of us.

Whether you want to shed pounds, quit smoking, or make the world a better place, there are Web resources available to help make your resolution become a reality.

Those who are getting ready to quit smoking can start by watching introductory videos on Joel's Quit Smoking Web site. A professional cessation coach, he offers clips that can be read or watched sharing advice for your first two weeks of the quitting process.

If shedding a few (or many) pounds is one of your goals this year, the Weight-Control Information Network is provided by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. The latest research on weight control sits alongside several downloadable publications on nutrition, physical activity and diet.

Or maybe you'd like to do some good for the world. Visit VolunteerMatch, which matches up volunteers and organizations according to their preferences, almost like a dating service.

Chris Coats
Senior Writer

For a comprehensive collection of New Year’s resolution resources, check out finding Dulcinea’s Guide to New Year’s Resolutions.

Get Holiday Hangover Relief

Dr. Aaron Carroll and Dr. Rachel Vreeman of Indiana University's Medical School specialize in "medical myths for the holiday season."

They've done two lists so far, and 2008's, summarized by the New York Times blog Well, includes more evidence that there is, sadly, no cure for that peskiest of holiday guests: the hangover. The, ahem, sobering reality: "The researchers found no scientific evidence supporting any type of cure for alcohol hangovers. Because hangovers are caused by drinking too much alcohol, the only way to avoid one is to drink very little or not at all."

While there may not be a cure to over-drinking (or, for that matter, overeating), there is still a trove of good Web sites and products that can help you feel better after one or several nights of dehydrating, calorie-packed revelry.

Coconut water is "nature's sports drink," and you'll be seeing it populating more and more supermarket shelves as beverage companies catch on to this simple and delicious potassium-sodium cocktail. BeYouTV, an online health magazine, explains that the drink is low in sugar, cholesterol-free, 99 percent fat-free and low in calories.

Acetaldehyde may sound like something you find in a petrie dish, but unfortunately you'll also find it in your body after you drink. In a very interesting article about what alcohol does to your body, educational site SoYouWanna explains that it's a "nasty chemical critter" that has a starring role in every hangover. Arm yourself with knowledge to help you minimize overzealous drinking.

Pricky pear cactus extract was studied by some researchers at Tulane University in 2004 and discovered to be helpful in preventing the symptoms of a hangover. The extract can be found at some health food stores; take it a few hours before drinking commences and it may "alleviate symptoms such as dry mouth and that nauseated, can’t-stand-the-sight-of-food feeling."

Bananas can help counteract the diuretic (dehydrating) effect of alcohol and caffeine, which many people use to minimize hangover headaches and fatigue. An article on holiday hangovers from the Food Network Web site explains that bananas are full of the electrolyte potassium, which, together with sodium can help get you upright again. The article adds that different cultures have different ideas about which foods can help you overcome yet another hangover symptom, nausea.

Food and timing play a crucial role in hangovers; the site RealBeer has some great tips about drinking water, drinking on a full stomach, knowing how different alcohols affect you and spacing out your drinks adequately.

Liz Colville
Senior Writer
Audience Development

Now that you're sufficiently educated about the effects of partying too hard, find resources on "Making the Most of New Year's" in our Web Guide on the subject.

And if you're still craving more hangover science, read Newsweek's 2007 article, "Why Hangovers Can't Be Cured."