Working to Live
 by Todd Stauffer
October 28, 2004
Illustration by Ken Patterson
After 10 weeks of the wellness column, I’m still no wellness guru. There’s an awful lot more that I could be doing for myself, but when I started I promised that I would take things slow. And did I ever.
The good news is that by simply setting a few rules that I've mostly stuck to, I’ve lost about five pounds and what I would guess is around an inch off my waist. That means I’m at least in a position where I probably don’t need an emergency trip to the tailor in the next few weeks, as long as I stick to the plan.
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A good source for health information from both a holistic and medical approach is the Web site of Dr. Andrew Weil. He answers a new question daily, as well as has lots of info on his site and hints on how to achieve wellness: that is, a healthy combination of mind, body and spirit.
The The Georgia Straight helps you figure out how to purge your home of household toxins: "Just as not smoking can reduce the risk of lung cancer, not using harmful chemicals to clean your countertops could help decrease the chance of acquiring other forms of the disease. According to the Vancouver-based Labour Environmental Alliance Society, the link between human health and the environment is commonly overlooked. To help people better understand what's in the products they buy--and help them find safer options--the organization recently published the CancerSmart Consumer Guide."
"The easy-to-read booklet goes into comprehensive detail about a vast array of chemicals, such as 2-butoxyethanol--a suspected cardiovascular, developmental, endocrine, liver, kidney, and reproductive toxicant found in products like Fantastic Lemon Scent Cleaner and Tilex Total Bathroom Multipurpose Cleaner--and ethoxylated nonylphenol, a suspected endocrine toxicant, which is in Purex Liquid Laundry Detergent and VIP Regular Detergent."
As we prepare to launch another wellness campaign, read Bingo Holman's fun 12-week road to wellness from last year. Change your lifestyle, feel better, have a good life.
by J. Bingo Holman
July 12, 2003
Normally when someone utters the word “wellness,” I cringe. It spawns in my head visions of a distant mountain. It’s too hard to get there, so I’m not going. But, now in my 30s the fun I’ve had has begun to catch up to me. My anxiety is out of control. My weight fluctuates like the tides. I may even have a wrinkle, and Lord knows, I’ve got gray hair. I’m reminded of what it says in the Tao Te Ching: “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” And I’m ready to start walkin’.
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I don't know about y'all, but this wellness shtick is not as easy as I thought it was going to be. The hardest thing I've found is that I have absolutely no willpower. I'll do well for one day and then reward myself the next day with a trip to Keifer's for a pita with mozzarella (and feta cheese dressing) and cottage fries (big slabs of fried potatoes).
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Well, gang, we’ve put in a full month of trying to live a well-rounded, healthier life. Mr. Gunter and I are still (pretty) hard at it. He’s discovered a new addiction: honey-roasted soy nuts. I found them at the Jitney 14 (Winn Dixie) in the produce section, and I can’t seem to keep him away from them. I’m admittedly not doing as well on the walking lately, but I promise to pick it back up if all y’all do, too. So without any further ado … onward and upward.
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I finally joined the Y this week and promise to regale all of you with my (no doubt funny) escapades there. I've been drinking smoothies every day and eating OK, not great yet, but better. My favorite find lately is Luna bars, made by the Clif Bar Company. They're made especially for women, packed with soy, and come in a lot of great flavors; my personal favorite is lemon. What's in store for us these next couple of weeks? More of the same, my friends, more of the same.
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by J. Bingo Holman
Sept. 4, 2003
Can you believe we’re almost done with our 12 weeks? After this one, there’s only one more installment. I don’t know about y’all, but I actually feel better, both mentally and physically. I feel stronger. Proof of that is in the pudding, as it were. Some friends and I are trying to start a roller derby league. A few weeks ago I would have said, “No way, Jose!” But now I’m raring to go. Our first meeting was last Saturday, and we had a blast. The music in the roller rink was pumping, a lot different from “Drop a Bomb On Me”—they were playing that last time I was there. Let me tell you, skating is some kind of workout, and I am beginning to love working out (don’t tell anybody).
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When we started this trip, the word "wellness" made me cringe. Now it's what I strive for on a daily basis. I'm still not exactly where I want to be, but I have a strong foundation for the journey now. In this last installment, I thought would I summarize all that we've talked about over the previous 10 weeks.
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by Ayana Taylor
May 20, 2004
The sign,"!Stop! HYSTERECTOMY DAMAGES WOMEN,” strapped to the side of a royal-blue Subaru parked in front of the University Medical Center, caught the attention of many Jacksonians the first week of April. Standing near the car on State Street was Nora Coffey of Philadelphia, Penn., the president of Hysterectomy Educational Resources and Services, which she refers to as HERS.
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