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Dangerous Drinking Trend Leading to Death in Women
Chick Lit Plus

Dangerous Drinking Trend Leading to Death in Women

Cosmopolitan Magazine recently published an article titled “The Deadly Drinking Mistake Smart Girls Make.” After reading it, I was deeply disturbed about an increasing trend taking the lives of young women around America. Many people realize the dangers of drinking alcohol- car accidents, alcohol poisoning- but what many (including myself) did not realize is the danger of one’s blood alcohol content (BAC) becoming too high.
Cosmo opened the story with 19 year old Laura Treanor, a sophomore at the George Washington University in DC. Treanor went out with friends one night to celebrate Barack Obama becoming president, where she indulged in a few drinks. (The exact amount was not known.) Security cameras outside the campus residence hall shows Treanor searching for her keys just after 2 a.m. The next morning, Laura was found dead in her bed.
Amanda Jax was celebrating her 21st birthday. The Minnesota State student started by drinking beer at a friend’s apartment, then moved on to a bar. There, Jax indulged in an eye-popping number of drinks in a short period of time- more beer, a shot of whiskey, and shot of rum, three more shots of hard liquor, a shared pitcher of Long Island iced tea (which equal out to be 12 shots of booze) and a cherry bomb (cherry vodka mixed with an energy drink)- all under two hours.
Amanda Jax later passed out at a friend’s house, and was found dead in the morning.
Why did these two young girls die after a night of drinking? The reason many surprise you. Each girl was found with dangerously high blood alcohol content’s – Laura Treanor’s was at 0.29- more than three and a half times the legal limit for driving- and Amanda Jax’s was at a staggering 0.46- almost six times the legal driving limit. Both girls had something in common- neither were heavy drinkers. And you don’t need to be an experienced drinker to succumb to this deadly happening- it is actually usually the opposite. Inexperienced drinkers often do not realize the warning signs that the body is producing after consuming too much alcohol, so they do not know it is time to stop. What happens is that they will get acute blood alcohol poisoning- and that often leads to death. Too much alcohol in the blood can prompt a complete shutdown of the respiratory center in the lower brainstem (Cosmopolitan magazine, November, pg. 167).What happens next is that the person will slip into a coma and stop breathing. Once that happens, there is about six minutes before the lack of oxygen to the brain leads to the breakdown of the body systems and will cause permanent neurological damage. Soon after that, the heart stops, and death occurs.
Cosmopolitan Magazine listed many ways to make sure women are drinking safely. Share these with your friends to keep yourself and others safe when you go out.
For the lowest risk, try to keep your intake to no more than two drinks in once day and no more than seven over the course of the week.
If you plan to have more than one, nurse each 12 ounce beer, 5 ounce glass of wine, or 1.5 ounces of liquor in a cocktail for one hour.
Try alternating water, soda, or juice with alcoholic drinks to slow yourself down.
Water down mixed drinks with ice, and avoid shots- they are almost impossible to nurse.
Never drink on an empty stomach. Eat before you hit the bar to slow the rate at which alcohol passes into your bloodstream.

Visit Cosmopoliitan.com for more health tips and to read the full article.

November 30, 2009
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Weekly Update from SqueezeItIn.com
Updates

Weekly Update from SqueezeItIn.com

SqueezeItIn.com: Bag Some Biceps
No time to exercise? That excuse is gone forever with SqueezeItIn.com [WEBMASTER: Hyperlink to: http://www.SqueezeItIn.com] – the website that teaches you to “let life be your workout!” Founders Jenny Hein and Brigette Polmar are trying to change the way you think about fitness and challenging you to Squeeze It In with clever and effective exercises you can fit into your daily routine. We’ll be posting regular tips from SqueezeItIn.com, like this one that will have you looking forward to putting away the dishes.
From Jenny & Brigette – The SqueezeItIn.com Girls:
This exercise is so easy, effective, and popular, we made it our logo! Why stop to lift weights when you’re already lifting groceries? This multitasker puts great arms in the bag!

Holding one grocery bag in each hand (choose bags that are roughly of equal weight and aren’t too heavy, approximately 5 – 10 pounds each to start) begin with arms down at your sides and palms facing upward grasping the handles. Bend elbows and lifts bags to your shoulders, while keeping elbows tightly to your sides. Slowly return to the starting position. Lift both bags at once or alternate, lifting one bag at a time. Continue for two sets of twelve.
[WEBMASTER: Here is a link to this exercise on the SqueezeItIn.com site: http://www.squeezeitin.com/2009/06/new-exercise-bag-some-biceps/]
VARIATIONS:
Lower Slower: Lift bags as above, but lower bags SLOWLY to a 3-count of SQUEEZE-IT-IN.
Partial Curl: (See photo.) Start with arms at your sides and raise bags only halfway until arms are bent at a 90-degree angle. Slowly lower back to starting position.
Hammer Curls: Change hand position and hold bags with palms facing inward as if holding a hammer. Raise and lower bags with palms facing inward and thumbs pointing at shoulders.

Cardio: Every good workout must include cardio. Click here to see examples of our easy, do-anywhere cardio moves. [WEBMASTER: Hyperlink to : http://www.squeezeitin.com/2009/04/cardio/ ]

Visit SqueezeItIn.com [WEBMASTER: Hyperlink to: http://www.SqueezeItIn.com] every week for new exercise videos and nutrition tips.
Just Released: The SqueezeItIn.com Workout DVD, featuring an exclusive 30-minute workout along with dozens of SqueezeItIn.com moves you can use throughout your busy day. [WEBMASTER: Hyperlink to: http://www.SqueezeItIn.com/store]
Jenny Hein and Brigette Polmar co-founded SqueezeItIn.com as a wellness solution to help busy people find time to exercise, improve their lives, and “let life be their workout!”
Please Note: You should consult your physician before starting this or any exercise program.

November 28, 2009
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Dance Your Way Slim
Updates

Dance Your Way Slim

I recently wrote an article about the great workout you can get from belly dancing. Now, Shape Magazine has come up with many other great dance routines that are not only fun to do, but can help sculpt your body at the same time. Dancing has become a big interest with women across America due to the popularity of the ABC show Dancing With the Stars. Many gyms and other fitness areas are offering more dance classes, making learning even easier! Shape.com posted five popular dances (salsa, hip hop, samba, swing, and the paso doble) and broke down the steps that will target the key body areas women want to shape and tone. Check out that article, rent the dance DVD’s, or take up a new class at your local gym and have fun!

November 27, 2009
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Big, Beautiful Hair
Chick Lit Plus

Big, Beautiful Hair

Another hot style for this holiday season? Big, beautiful hair! But what is the secret to getting your hair to curl properly and stay put during the parties? The first weapon is having the proper tool. Usmagazine recommends the T3 EverTwirl Curling Iron, which uses the same technology as a flatiron to increase curl longevity. To begin, while your hair is wet make a side part, and apply a volumizing mousse. Then begin blow drying your hair, brushing through the strands with a round brush to help get hair smooth and shiny. Once hair is dry, wrap small sections around the barrel of the curling iron. Pin each curl up and let sit for 10 minutes. Spray with hairspray and unpin. To get a more natural look, run your fingers through the curls.

T3 EverTwirl Curling Iron

November 27, 2009
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Interview with Alisa Kwitney
Chick Lit Authors

Interview with Alisa Kwitney

Q: Where do you find inspiration for your novels?

Sometimes life throws me a plot. There was a year where I kept getting calls from men who thought they were dialing an escort service. That became the genesis for On the Couch. Last spring, I started thinking about the strange circumstances surrounding the death of an ex-lover, and how I wound up cleaning out his apartment with two other ex-girlfriends of his. That became the seed of a book I’m writing now.
But other books start out as daydreams, like The Dominant Blonde, and the YA steampunk I’m brewing.
Q: Your father is a writer and your mother is a journalist. Did you ever feel any pressure to be a writer?
None whatsoever. I started writing at age six, because I was an avid reader, and what Sue the cheerleading coach on Glee calls “a scab eating mouth breather.” Books were my glee club. And comics, too.
Q: You write in a variety of different genres, do you have one in particular that is your favorite?
I don’t really think my range is all that wide – I write in a variety of subgenres, which is kind of like making a lot of different kinds of pasta, as opposed to being a master of wildly different cuisines. But some things remain constant in my writing. I like the battle between the sexes a lot, and I like humor that reveals things, and I love how desire can unsettle people in profound and fascinating ways. I believe that people reveal themselves the most when they believe they are concealed by a lie.
Q: Who is your favorite author/or favorite book?
I can’t just name one, but I do have a particular love for Thorne Smith – he wrote sophisticated supernatural screwball comedies like Topper and the Passionate Witch, which eventually turned into Bewitched.
Q: You worked as an editor for many years with DC Comics. How did being an editor impact your writing skills?
Wow, there are so many, many ways. To begin with, I learned how to work up an idea into a proposal, and how to estimate whether the idea would require 20 pages or 100 pages or 300 pages to execute properly. I learned how to write action scenes. I learned to check to see if the ideas in my head had actually made it onto the page.

I also learned a lot from the fact that I was reading and editing comics – I think it made me a more visual writer. The books I write after writing comics or graphic novels are always more visual.
Q: Which part of the writing process do you find is the most difficult for you?
Getting a book to the point where I can start writing it is the hardest. By the time I actually begin my first page, I’ve usually spent months figuring out the whole book in my head. And the first five pages always take me a while to get right. Once I have those, the rest of the book usually flows pretty easily. I rewrite as I go along, so once the book is done, I don’t usually have a lot of editing to deal with.
Q: Does She or Doesn’t She has some hilarious fantasies dreamt by heroine Delilah. How were you able to come up with those scenarios?
Those were the easiest things in the world to write! Most of them were inspired by books and movies I have loved for years, like Shanna and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. My favorite one to do was Bewitched – I’ve always been obsessed with the television series. I could have just gone on and on with the fantasies.
Q: You have been teaching a course on Graphic Novel Writing in New York City. How excited are you to be teaching this class?
It’s been a lot of fun teaching, and I’ve learned a lot in the process. Last week we talked about exposition, and the ways in which you want to leave your reader guessing, and the ways in which you don’t. Tomorrow I’ll be talking about world building.

Q: What advice do you have for aspiring writers?

Read a lot, so that you know what you like to read, and keep trying to write what you want to read. The path to the universal is through the specific. And for God’s sake, don’t start smoking while you write, because it’ll be hell to get back to work once you quit.
Q: What would be or is your favorite place to travel?

Ooh, this is like naming my favorite author or book – I can’t decide on just one place. I love walking, though, in the wilderness or through old cities. And I’m very, very fond of cheese. Any place that combines walking and cheese works for me.

November 24, 2009
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Interview with Cara Lockwood
Chick Lit Authors

Interview with Cara Lockwood

Q: When did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I knew from as far back as I can remember, probably since I first started reading. I loved books (then and now!). There’s nothing quite like getting lost in a good book.

Q: What are the greatest perks of being a full time writer?

No cubicles! No annoying coworkers sitting next to you. No nagging bosses staring over your shoulder (Instead you’ve got an editor that’s a few hundred miles away). It’s just you and your little blinking cursor on the screen.

Q: On the other hand, what can be the hardest part about being a full time writer?

Well, it’s just you and your little blinking cursor on the screen! Sometimes it gets a little lonely. Although, I have to admit, I still don’t miss those annoying coworkers or the cubicles.

Q: Where do you find inspiration for your books?

Everywhere! Friends, family, my (so-called) life, television, movies, other books.

Q: Are any of the characters you write about based off of you or people you know?

Absolutely – most of them are. I think the best characters are grounded in people you know.

Q: Do you find anything difficult about writing both adult and young adult novels?

Well, they’re very different in some ways, but in the big picture ways, they are the same. Both audiences want compelling characters and interesting plots. The bigger challenge about writing young adult fiction is that I have to dig deeper to remember what it was like to be an adolescent.

Q: Has there ever been an odd time or peculiar place that you have had a great idea for a book or character?

I nearly always come up with my very best ideas just when I’m lying down about to go to sleep. I think it’s because it’s the only moment of quiet I have in my day. I’ve got two kids under the age of three, so my house is very, very loud. I keep a pen and paper near my bed just for scribbling ideas down. Otherwise, I’ll go to sleep and forget them.

Q: I just finished reading I Did (But I Wouldn’t Now) and it is mostly set in London. Have you traveled to London, or how did you get the idea to set the novel there?

I have been to London twice. I love that city. I’m a bit of an anglophile (I’m addicted to BBC America) and the idea of setting it mostly in London was just a kind of fantasy for me. I would have loved to live there. Plus, it gave me the excuse to subscribe to Hello! Magazine (the British equivalent of People) for a whole year under the guise of “research.”

Q: You wrote an anthology, This Is Chick Lit. What made you want to write this?

There has been so much negativity about Chick Lit, which I just think is ridiculous. That particular anthology was edited by fellow author Lauren Baratz-Logsted as a reaction to a short-story collection called “This is NOT Chick Lit” by a group of writers who were very negative about the Chick Lit label, mainly because of what critics have said about it. I think people should be able to read what they want, whether that’s sci-fi, romance, mysteries, chick lit, literary fiction, without someone else trying to belittle them for it. I love literary fiction, but I also love young adult fiction and mysteries and chick lit – so does that make me shallow? I think when people get on a high horse about what should or shouldn’t be “literary” it ultimately just sounds snobbish.

Q: What is your favorite chick lit book and/or author?

My anglophile roots are going to show here. I am a huge fan of Jane Green (my favorite is one of her classics “Mr. Maybe”) and yes I still love her work even though I think she now lives in Connecticut. My other all-time favorite is Marian Keyes (another classic –“ Watermelon.” It was after reading this book that I was inspired to write “I Do (But I Don’t)”). I would talk about newer books, but now I have so many chick lit author friends who are all so equally fabulous, that if I started listing them, I think I might not be able to stop.

Q: What would be your advice to aspiring authors?

I say just read everything you can get your hands on. Even reading bad novels can teach you something about writing.

Q: What would be or is your favorite place to travel?

Since I’m an anglophile, I’d say England. But a close second is Hawaii. It’s truly one of the most beautiful places.

Q: And finally, when you are not writing, how do you enjoy your free time?

I wish I had free time! My toddlers keep me pretty busy. But, when I’m not writing or chasing after them, you can find me playing tennis, watching “Glee” or reading new books on my Kindle. I am completely addicted to that thing. Best invention ever!

Click Here to Visit Cara’s Website

November 24, 2009
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Calorie Burners
Updates

Calorie Burners

I saw that Shape.com had posted an article listing the amount of calories you can burn for different exercises. They reported that if you expend 500 more calories than you consume each day, you can lose a pound a week! Here are the activities and how much time you need to spend on each to get to that 500 calorie mark.

Golf- 1 hour, 45 minutes
Race-walking (4.5 mph)- 1 hour, 10 minutes
High-impact aerobics- 1 hour, 5 minutes
Rowing- 55 minutes
Jumping rope- 45 minutes
Running (6 mph)- 45 minutes
Group cycling- 45 minutes
Rock climbing- 40 minutes
Boxing- 40 minutes
Elliptical trainer- 40 minutes

November 21, 2009
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Trend Alert: Headbands
Chick Lit Plus

Trend Alert: Headbands

What’s the hottest way to perk up your hairstyle without any hassle? A headband! Fashion headbands are making a comeback, especially those adorned with bling like the one seen on Hilary Duff. I love headbands to give my look an all together more polished feel, and it is so easy. I like to do a small pouf in the front, then tie my hair back in a ponytail. Slip a headband on to top it off. Headbands are great because they can work so many different ways and with all different types of hair textures.

Usmagazine highlights the headbands by True Birds, which can be bought online for only $32!

November 19, 2009
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8 Foods That Help Fight Fat
Chick Lit Plus

8 Foods That Help Fight Fat

Self Magazine recently came out with an article on foods that can actually help your body in fighting fats. These eight foods have been shown to help keep the weight off and maintain a slim figure. And who doesn’t love that?
1. Almonds. We have learned from past articles that nuts are a healthier snack choice, but more specifically, almonds are one of the best choices. They contain high amounts of alpha-linolenic acid, which can speed up the metabolisms found in fatty foods. Self recommends 12 per serving.
2. Berries. Fruits that contain a lot of Vitamin C- such as strawberries and raspberries- can help burn off 30% more fat while exercising.
3. Cinnamon. Just ¼ teaspoon of this spice on your food can prevent a postmeal insulin speak. This increase usually occurs after a meal and “signals the body that it should store fat rather than burn it,” explains Lauren Slayton, R.D., of New York City.
4. Mustard. A study in the journal Endocrinology shows that this condiment may slow the growth of fat tissues.
5. Oranges. This fruit is packed with flavones, which help burn off the body fat according to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Self suggest snacking on orange slices or drinking freshly squeezed juice with the pulp to see the best results.
6. Soybeans. Soybeans contain choline, which is a compound that blocks fat absorption and breaks down fatty deposits.
7. Sweet potatoes. These are high in fiber, which means there will be no dramatic increase in insulin, so less fat will go on your body.
8. Swiss cheese. Swiss is one of the cheeses that is highest in the calcium content, and “Calcium-rich foods reduce fat-producing enzymes and increase fat breakdown.” That comes from Michael B. Zemel, Ph.D., director of the Nutrition Institute at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.

What is great about these fat fighters is there is no need for a drastic diet change. Most are small tweaks that can be introduced, and others can be eaten as snacks between your main meals. Head to Self Magazine for the full article.
Direct Link: http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/8-fat-fighting-foods-533949/

November 19, 2009
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