By Kelly Kilpatrick

Achieving personal well-being means taking the time to nurture several parts of your life so that each are healthy and strong. In this busy world, it can be difficult to find the time, and sometimes it’s difficult to know how to break out of your current patterns. From eating right to building strong relationships and securing personal finances, the following resources will give you the tools to help you find your way to a happier existence.

Healthy Living

From getting enough sleep to changing the way you buy goods and spend money, these resources will give you plenty to consider about living your life more healthily.

1. Choosing Voluntary Simplicity. Follow this family as they have made a conscious decision to live life more simply and in a much more fulfilling way.
2. 9 Little Known Ways to Sleep So it Counts. Waking up from a full night’s sleep feeling exhausted is no good. Follow these tips to help you get the most from your sleep.
3. Six Sleep Tips. Using relaxation and visualization, these suggestions will help get you on your way to a good night’s (or day’s) rest.
4. Holistic Approach to Wellness. Being healthy is usually the goal for most people, yet it is easy for the balance in life to get disrupted and result in ill health. Read this article to examine your life and make sure you balance each of the facets to ensure continued good health and well-being.
5. 11 Odd but Simple Ways to Improve Your Health. Move beyond simply improving diet and exercise with these interesting suggestions.
6. 7 Simple Ways to Burst Out of Bed Each Day. These tips on taking a few extra steps to overall health will do more than just help those who struggle to get out of bed each morning. 
7. Top Ten Health & Wellness Gifts: For the Mind, Body, and Spirit. These are gifts worth getting all year round.
8. Whole Longevity. Find out how healthy living can increase your longevity and quality of life with the articles on this site.
9. Prevention is better than cure. This article about holistic healthcare explains how prevention is the best form of healthcare.
10. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, this comprehensive site offers information about specific forms of medicine, clinical trials, research, training, and more to help you stay healthy.

Nutrition

Eating well and putting the right types of foods in your body are important to ensure you are in top shape. These resources will help you get the best nutrition.

11. Superfoods. Goji berries and cacao nibs?  Learn what is so special about these superfoods and others that you might be more familiar eating with this podcast. Be sure to listen to the other installments in the superfoods series.
12. Top 15 Diet Hacks. This list offers tips on how to shift your eating habits to a more healthy style.  Don’t forget to read the Comments for more tips.
13. Organic Guide. Included in this blog are posts about organic-relevant news pieces as well as many organic food topics such as growing your own sprouts, finding a good juicer, and recipes.
14. Five Easy Pieces of an Organic Diet. Having a hard time going organic? This article will help you get started while making the biggest environmental impact.
15. 10 Tasty, Easy and Healthy Breakfast Ideas. They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Here are some suggestions for what to eat and how to do it when you are short on time in the mornings.
16. Nutrition Fact Sheets. Get a wide variety of fact sheets ranging from kid’s nutrition needs to benefits of chewing gum to weight management.
17. Antioxidant Benefits From Drinking Green Tea. Learn about how antioxidants help your body and why green tea is such an excellent source.
18. Do You Get Enough Probiotics In Your Diet?.While this blog post is specifically focused on weight loss, it does an excellent job of explaining why probiotics are important for your body.
19. Holistic Health Nutrition Facts. Browse this blog for tons of information about nutrition and keeping your body healthy. Topics include omega-3 fatty acids, preventing heart disease, and the health benefit of minerals.
20. 7 Fish Oil Benefits Proven by Research. Taking a fish oil supplement is incredibly beneficial to your body. Choosing a high-quality fish oil will ensure the best results and eliminate any "fishy" taste from the supplement.
21. Body-for-LIFE 10 Nutritional Guidelines. Even if you are a very active person, you cannot discount the importance of nutrition. These tips tell you how to get the most out of your workout with better eating habits.

Stress Management

Stress causes health issues as well as mental strain. Eliminate stress from your life with this list of tips to help you achieve a sense of calm.

22. Meditation Oasis. A companion to their podcasts, this blog offers guided meditations. Be sure to sign up for the podcasts, too.
23. Tips for Managing Stress. While created for university students, this list of suggestions is great for anyone feeling the strains of stress.
24. 20 Ways to Eliminate Stress From Your Life. Some of these are simple and others a bit more drastic, but you are sure to find some solutions to the stress in your life.
25. How to Practice Buddhist Breathing Meditation. Follow these simple steps to establishing an ancient form of breathing meditation sure to help you find your inner peace.
26. 6 Ways to De-Stress. These tips focus on a more global approach to living a more stress-free life.
27. The Top 10 Steps to DeStress. Use these suggestions to create a way of living that produces less self-expectation and pressure.
28. Natural Stress Relief. Combine the suggestions in this article with other stress relievers such as exercise and getting enough sleep to combat the stress in your life.
29. Five Tips to De-stress Your Life. This article offers suggestions on making changes to the way you live in order to live less stressfully.
30. Top 10 Stress Relievers: The Best Ways to Feel Better. Take these actions to reduce stress instantly. Make them a habit and you may avoid feeling that stress creep back into your life.
31. Stress Management: How to Reduce, Prevent, and Cope with Stress. From Helpguide.org, find information about stress, tips and resources to reduce stress, and more.
32. Tips for Beating Stress. Get a common sense approach to life that will help you live less stressfully in this article.

Exercise

Use these resources to get your body in shape and give you more energy to get through your busy day.

33. How to Increase Physical Activity When Time is a Problem. These 20 tips will get you moving even when you don’t have a moment to spare.
34. Bike About. The posts in this blog offer much more than just biking with thoughts on healthy eating, hiking, and more.
35. 5 Exercises for Everyone. You don’t have to buy a membership to a gym to get your exercise, and these tips will show you how.
36. Top 42 Exercise Hacks. These ideas will motivate you to take the first step or to continue to exercise when your motivation flags.
37. Abdominal Exercises–Best Ab Exercises–Core Workout. Many experts believe when you strengthen your core, you strengthen your whole body. Try these exercises to do just that (and get flat abs as a bonus).
38. The Everything Yoga Blog. Read the posts to gain information to improve your yoga practice or visit some of the other blogs and sites included here.
39. Free Picture Galleries of Hatha Yoga Poses. These helpful photos and accompanying text will improve your yoga practice whether at home or in class.
40. Ten Cheapest Ways to Exercise. If money is a concern, it shouldn’t stop you from exercising. Follow these tips for easy and inexpensive ways to do it.
41. 10 Ideas to Get You Exercising. If you are feeling stuck but want to get moving, read these suggestions for motivation.
42. Trying Fitness. This blog offers tons of suggestions for ways to get yourself moving in the name of fitness.

Attitude

Sometimes a simple change of attitude can create a whole new perspective on life. Find out how to do that with these resources.

43. Centre for Emotional Well-Being. This blog offers plenty of advice for those looking to improve their outlook on life. There is a heavy emphasis on body image.
44. 8 Powerful Ways to Rediscover Your Passion. It’s easy to get caught up in the rut of our daily existence. If you need to shake it up and rediscover yourself, these steps will help.
45. 5 Steps to Finding True Joy and Removing Sorrow. Learn how to identify and recognize emotional responses so that you can redirect the negative to a more uplifting, positive expression.
46. The Happiness Project. Join the experiment as this woman tries out all the various tips for finding happiness. Wednesday is tip day, so be sure to check in then for great ideas on finding your happy place in life.
47. Out of the Box: 11 Ways to Break Out of the Same Old Routine. Living in a routine can feel safe, but it can also hold you back from your potential. These suggestions will set you on a new path.
48. Work and Life: 15 Ways to Strike a Balance. With busy lifestyles today, it is easy to feel pulled in many directions. This list offers ways to find the balance.
49. 10 Quick Examples of Zen Living. Embrace these life lessons in order to find your joy.
50. The Positivity Blog. Become inspired to stay positive and find the beauty in life with the posts on this uplifting blog.
51. Wake Up Feeling Great with These 22 Tips for High Self-Esteem. These suggestions will have you feeling better about yourself and improve how you approach your life.
52. My 50. This tool will help you keep focused on your life goals by managing your list of places to go, things to do, and anything else you want to do in your lifetime.
53. 10 Surefire Ways to Kill Your Crabby Mood. A bad mood can affect your productivity, relationships, and the way you feel about yourself. Use these tips to rise above it.
54. Well Being Journal. This online magazine offers articles on mind/body connection, nutrition, health, and fitness.
55. 75 Simple Pleasures to Brighten Your Day. Some of these ideas will brighten your day just reading about them. Readers have left some of their own ideas in the Comments section below the list.

Relationships

Learn how to keep your relationships with family, co-workers, and friends strong and successful with these suggestions.

56. Managing Relationship Stress. From your job to family members to friends, this article helps you manage the stress when your relationships are going through a rocky time.
57. Friendship–Tips for a Special Relationship!. Everyone should read these tips for a reminder of how to treat the important people in your life.
58. Tips on How to Repair Your Family Relationship Rightly!. Families are so busy it is easy to forget the small things that keep them together. This article reminds you how to go about the small tasks that make a family united.
59. 20 Ways to Attack Shyness. If you have a difficult time coming out of your shell, this list is for you. Not only does it offer tips to get you going, it also explains a little about the mechanics of shyness.
60. 10 Ways We Hurt Our Romantic Relationships. This list lets you know what to avoid to ensure your relationship grows stronger instead of weaker.
61. Can Your Dog Help Fix Your Relationship?. Find out what the family pet can teach you and your partner about strengthening your relationship.
62. Building Healthy Relationships. From listening to humor to forgiveness, learn how you can build a healthy relationship.
63. 8 Ways to Strengthen Your Relationship. Learn what you and your partner can do to help keep your relationship growing with these suggestions.
64. 18 ways to improve your body language . Set a more positive tone about yourself by improving your body language. This list will tell you how to do it.
65. 10 Tips to Strengthen Families. Find how you can improve the relationship between parents and children with these suggestions.
66. Ways to Build, Strengthen, and Enhance Your Relationship. Taking care to do these five simple things may provide just what your relationship needs to make it last long term.

Spirituality

Whether or not you are religious, a sense of spirituality can open your life in a whole new way.

67. Spirituality & Well-Being Self Tests. Take these two tests to see how your body-soul connection lines up.
68. Spiritual Endeavors. This website offers articles, links, and more to help you in your spiritual journey–no matter what shape it takes.
69. Spiritual Teachings. With a focus on a variety of spiritual teaching traditions and both essays and links to other resources, this site helps you get started down your spiritual path.
70. Buddhist Studies WWW Virtual Library. Find anything Buddhist here from Zen Buddhism to Buddhist art.
71. Links Relating to Creation Spirituality. Hosted by Trinity United Methodist Church in Austin, TX, this site provides several links to resources for those interested in learning more about Creation Spirituality.
72. 10 Ways to Grow Your Spirit. From tying up loose ends to letting go to loving yourself, these suggestions will help you become more spiritual.
73. Tips For A More Effective Prayer Life. If prayer is a part of your life, these tips can help you get more from your daily practice.
74. Belief-O-Matic. If you are struggling to find a spiritual or religious path, take this quiz to help you determine which religion is best suited to your personality.
75. Cultivating Spiritual Virtues. This article offers a straightforward approach to ways you can expand your spirituality while embracing what is good in the world.
76. Beliefnet. No matter what you religious beliefs, Beliefnet has much to offer in the way of spirituality and religion.
77. Fitting Spirituality Into The Rest Of Your Life. It is easy to let important things slip away in the hectic nature of life, but this article tells you how you can find time for spirituality despite the busy day.

Financial

Get control of your personal finances and make managing your money less stressful with these great resources.

78. When Times are Tight: 168 Frugal Tips to Make Your Dollar Stretch. Including tips from around the house, at the grocery store, and entertainment, this list will help you find ways to save your money.
79. mint. Manage your money with this free software. Connect with your bank, credit cards, and mutual funds to effortlessly gain control over your finances.
80. Zopa. This social finance company brings borrowers and investors together to work out loans that benefit both parties.
81. 35 Sneaky Ways to Improve Your Finances. These suggestions are simple and easy to implement. Follow these and watch your financial situation perk up.
82. Financial Planning: A Comprehensive Guide to Personal Finance. This guide from About.com offers great resources to help you make the most of your finances.
83. USA.gov Personal Finance. The U.S. government has created a list of resources ranging from bankruptcy to home ownership to retirement and estate planning.
84. 5 Tips for Getting Out of Debt (and Why). With credit cards so readily available, it’s easy to find yourself in debt. Here are five ways to find yourself in the clear.
85. wesabe. Getting out of debt can be a struggle, but not with wesabe. This free software helps you track spending and create goals towards getting out of debt or saving money.
86. AllBusiness Personal Finance Center. Find anything you could want to learn about managing your finances with this awesome resource.
87. 21 Strategies for Creating an Emergency Fund, and Why It’s Critical. Emergencies can send your finances tumbling. Follow these tips for creating a cushion so when the unexpected happens, you aren’t caught short.
88. BudgetTracker, Inc. Create and track your budget with this tool. It helps with bills, investments, bank accounts, and more.

Career

Most people spend the biggest part of their day at work. If you do, learn how to make that time enjoyable and successful.

89. Work Happy Now!. Learn how to love your job with the great posts on this blog. Recent topics have covered developing emotional intelligence and expanding your various networks.
90. A Balancing Act: Finding Balance Between Work and Life. This article offers a helpful perspective on the work/life balance while providing suggestions for ways to approach finding your balance.
91. Chief Happiness Officer. Written by a Danish consultant, this blog offers great advice on finding your happiness at work.
92. 5 Ways to Improve Your Productivity in the Office. This site suggests you focus on these five areas of your work to increase your productivity.
93. 11 Lifehacking Tips for Improving Productivity–and Knowing When That’s Not the Point. If you would like to boost your work productivity, these suggestions are sure to help you change your habits in a more productive way.
94. Top 10 Email Productivity Boosters. You don’t have to go away on vacation to know what it’s like to be overwhelmed by emails. These tips will help you stay on top of emails in an organized and professional way.
95. Instant Calmer: 11 Easy Answers to On-the-Job Stress. These helpful tips are easy to implement and will have you back on track and feeling calmer in no time.
96. Develop a Career Action Plan. Make sure your career goes the direction you want it to with a Career Action Plan.
97. 12 Tools to Recover from Procrastination and Get Things Done. Anyone who has a habit of putting things off until the last minute know the frustration of procrastination. Follow these suggestions to get things going and stay on top of your work.
98. Just a Minute: Dr. Z’s Top 5 Time Management Principles. For a more Zen-like approach to time management, follow these five suggestions.
99. All Things Workplace. This blog offers great career coaching advice to improve your experience at work.
100. BetterMondays. Find out ways to brighten your office, how to succeed at an interview, what not to do at work and more on this blog dedicated to helping people enjoy their jobs.

Posted in Uncategorized -- No Comments

By Alisa Miller

Whether you are a physician or just want to keep abreast of the latest news in the field of medicine, blogs from medical professors are a great way to stay on top of it all. These blogs range from ethics to general health issues and some even include podcasts. Take advantage of the knowledge these professors have to share by diving into their blogs.

Bioethics and Legal Issues

From human rights to end-of-life, these blogs examine the ethics and legal aspects of the field of medicine.

1. Global Bioethics Blog. This professor’s blog examines issues concerning bioethics and research ethics in sub-Saharan Africa. Find topics ranging from AIDS to health and human rights among these posts.
2. Women’s Bioethics Project. Written by both scholars and public policy makers, the issues in this blog cover medical ethics, current research, and more.
3. Sufficient Scruples. This blogger has previously taught both bioethics and ethics and focuses on "healthcare-related issues from a moral perspective," with a focus on both theoretical and practical issues.
4. Neuroethics and Law Blog. Law professor Adam Kolber writes about the law, ethics, and the brain. Topics also include a heavy dose of psychology for a well-rounded blog.
5. Lost in Translation. Learn about bioethics as it pertains to cutting edge medical interventions in early phase clinical trials in this blog written by Jonathan Kimmelman.
6. HealthLawProf Blog. Written by a legal professor, this blog focuses on the issues where medicine and the law intersect. Read about drug labeling, plastics used in baby bottles, and more.
7. Medical Futility. This professor looks at medical futility in his blog. This is a great resource for topics on physician/patient conflict, euthanization, end-of-life care, and more.
8. Adventures in Ethics and Science. Written by a philosophy professor, this ethics blog looks at science and the humanities with plenty of medical topics such as medical research and mammograms.
9. Bioethics Discussion Blog. Dr. Maurice Bernstein writes about the ethics associated with medicine, medical care, and science in this blog with over 600 topics in it.
10. HealthLawBlog. This blogger teaches ethics, law, and medicine at three different schools. Take advantage of his knowledge across these fields by reading his blog that discusses health law and policy.

Men, Women, and Children

These blogs offer information on women’s and men’s health, pediatrics, and family medicine.

11. Dr. Tori Hudson, N.D.. This professor at the National College of Naturopathic Medicine discusses women’s health issues and treatment with a naturopathic approach. Recent topics include perimenopause symptoms, calcium guidelines, and saffron to help PMS.
12. Dr. Scherger on Revolution Health. This physician and professor writes on men’s health issues with topics such as chest pain, screenings, and exercise.
13. Dr. David’s Blog. This practicing pediatrician who also works as a professor of oncology blogs about pediatric oncology, cancer research, and cancer treatments. Recent topics have touched on cancer and athletes, Make-A-Wish Foundation, and a wonderful case of successful of chemo.
14. Family Medicine Notes. This professor keeps notes of what he learns through his practice and offers links to medical news in his blog. This physician has been blogging since 1999.

Neurosciences

If the brain is your area of interest, then take advantage of these blogs focusing on neurology, neuropsychology, and neuroscience.

15. BrainBlog. Read about neuropsychology and the latest topics in the field at this blog written by Anthony Risser.
16. Mind Hacks. Technically written collaboratively by a group of bloggers who mix academia with the tech field, this blog offers interesting posts on neuroscience and psychology.
17. Renegade Neurologist. This professor blogs about neurology-based topics like Alzheimer’s and dementia, but he also touches on many other more general-interest medical issues as well.
18. Alzheimer’s Blog. Learn about respite care, caregiving issues, genetic tests, exercise to combat effects of Alzheimer’s and much more on this educator’s blog.

General Health and Medicine

These blog offer interesting and sometimes amusing glimpses into the world of medicine.

19. Clinical Cases and Images–Blog. This eclectic blog includes medical topics ranging from Michael Phelps to genetics to pollution. Founded by a medical professor, this blog is interesting and entertaining enough for anyone inside or outside the medical community.
20. Sporula. This ex-professor who turned science writer is blogging about all sorts of unusual and interesting medical and scientific topics.
21. Reflections in a Head Mirror. Read about the experiences at an academic medical center through Dr. Bruce Campbell as he chronicles everything from his speech to the first-year medical students to a cancer patient smoking in his hospital bed.
22. Dr. Geoff’s MedBlog. A former emergency medicine professor and currently on staff with Wellsphere, Dr. Geoff blogs about various medical-related blogs on his blog.
23. DB’s Medical Rants. Read about teaching medicine, learning medicine, and the world of medicine in general in this physician and professor’s blog.
24. Mothers in Medicine. Juliaink, one of the contributors to this collaborative blog, is a professor of psychiatry and shares her views on motherhood, academia, and psychiatry in her posts.
25. DoctorMama. This blog touches on everything from running to medicine to being a mama–and even has a few cockroaches and snakes thrown in too.
26. tails of a mouse asthmatologist. Follow this professor and scientist’s blog as he documents his growing family, posts photos, and even talks about medicine.
27. Super Dok. This professor, doctor, and mother in the Philippines blogs about various aspects of medicine including Wii not being a good substitute for exercise, the importance of sleep, and nutrition and diabetes.

The Current Condition of Health Care

With the current health care crisis gaining so much attention, the professors themselves are sure to have plenty to say on the current condition of medicine and medical treatment in these blogs.

28. The Health Advocate. A collaborative blog that includes professors, students, and alumni of The Health Advocacy Program at Sarah Lawrence, this blog examines the issues surrounding patient advocacy and the current state of health care in America.
29. Health Care Renewal. These bloggers take a look at the state of health care and threats to the current system stemming from abuse of power. Conflicts of interest feature highly in these posts.
30. Health Care Organizational Ethics. Harvard professor, Jim Sabin, writes about the state of health care, including topics such as personal responsibility, pharmaceuticals, and hospital ethics.
31. Wachter’s World. Bob Wachter blogs about hospitalists, hospitals, and their quality and safety.
32. Hooked: Ethics, Medicine, and Pharma. The posts in this blog examine the issues of conflict of interest and how it affects medical care, especially as it pertains to the pharmaceutical industry.
33. MedicationSense.com. Technically a newsletter and not a blog, this free e-publication provides the news and information on medicine and health care that you likely won’t hear from the mainstream medical organizations.
34. EMedConcepts. Dr. Steven J. Davidson blogs about hospital-based medicine and growing leadership in the field. Recent posts have covered physicians and electronic health records, medicare policy, and hospitals showing their list prices.
35. California Medicine Man. This blog touches on policy, medicine, patients, and much more as Dr. John S. Ford offers his experience and wisdom.
36. Dr. Thompson’s Blog. This practicing pediatrician and professor of pediatrics writes about the state of health care with a focus on children and family issues.
37. The Physician Executive. Read about the business of medicine as well as current medical policy issues in this blog written by an anonymous physician.

Specific Specialties

Whether they are writing about cardiology, alternative medicine, or orthopaedics, these professors share their specialty with you.

38. Dr. Wes. Dr. Wes is a practicing heart doctor as well as a professor, and he shares his knowledge in this engaging and informative blog.
39. Terra Sigillata. This anonymous professor describes his blog topics as "natural product drugs and dietary supplements, academic career development, medical journalism and, occasionally, making and listening to music and wine appreciation for the monetarily-challenged."
40. Complementary and Alternative Medicine Law Blog. This blogger is both a practicing lawyer and was an associate professor at Harvard Medical School. He currently writes about integrating complementary and alternative medicine into western medical practice.
41. Stress Blog. This professor of oncology at the Mayo Clinic offers sound advice for ways to reduce stress and find your happiness in life.
42. All Things Orthopaedic. Read Dr. James Herndon’s blog that touches on orthopaedic implants, osteoporosis assessment tools, and athletics.
43. Aetiology. From anthrax to gastric bacterium to salmonella, this professor of epidemiology blogs about a wide range of illnesses that affect humanity with a particular interest in the ones that touch on both humans and animals.
44. Cosmeticsurgerybangalore’s Weblog. This professor of cosmetic surgery in India posts videos of various cosmetic surgical procedures in this blog.
45. Docinthemachine. This blog is written by an Ob/Gyn who has an interest and background in all things tech. Find interesting posts about technology in the medical field with a special emphasis on women’s health and reproduction.

Academic Podcasts

These podcasts offer an easy way to get your medical news and information. Either click on the links to listen directly or sign up to have RSS feeds deliver new content directly to you.

46. Harvard Medical Labcast. Listen to podcasts from experts at Harvard Medical School as they offer a glimpse into the groundbreaking work going on in the field of medicine.
47. Medcast. From the Stanford School of Medicine, these podcasts offer a sampling of lectures from renowned experts. Some podcasts include stem cell research, childhood obesity, and women and heart disease.
48. Johns Hopkins Medicine Podcasts. Presented by a professor of medicine and the director of electronic media, this podcast brings weekly looks at all the top news from the medical world.
49. University of Michigan Health System Podcast. The podcasts available here are many. Choose from podcast topics such as health news, health and medical questions and answers, and child development and behavior.
50. New England Journal of Medicine. This medical journal offers two different podcasts. Listen to Audio Interviews or select NEJM This Week for a recap of all the articles in the journal.

Posted in Health News, Nursing Resources -- No Comments

By Kelly Kilpatrick

When you’ve got a busy schedule, healthy eating can seem more like a luxury than a necessity, like it is. To help you stay on track at work, during travel and even on the weekends, we’ve researched and discovered these 100 web tools. You’ll be able to bookmark calorie calculators, instantly check portion sizes and nutrition information, connect with dieters and healthy eaters through social media sites, research recipes, and plenty more.

Calculators

Here you can figure out how many calories you need to eat each day, evaluate how many calories are hiding in your favorite restaurant meals and more.

1. Food Calories and Nutrition Calculator: Select grocery items, ethnic specialties and restaurant items to figure out your calorie intake.
2. MetaboCalc v1.0: Figure out how many calories you burn each day using this calculator.
3. Calorie Calculator: This calculator shows you how many calories you burn during daily activities and during workouts.
4. Calories Burned Calculator: Here you can calculate the number of calories burned during exercises like walking, running and biking. You’ll also find out your BMR and BMI.
5. Weight Loss Calculator: Learn about calorie intake and calorie burn with this tool, which also helps you set up weight loss goals.
6. Diet: Use this tool to calculate BMI, your healthy weight, daily caloric requirement, daily protein, carbohydrate, fat and iron requirements, target heart rate and more.
7. UMMS Health Calculators: The University of Maryland Medical Center’s calculators measure waist-hip ratio, calories burned, diabetes, BMI, fat intake, fiber and more.
8. Calorie Calculator: Figure out how many calories you burn during activities like gardening and raking, shoveling snow and playing cards.
9. Quiz: Are You Getting Enough Protein?: Let this quiz help you determine whether or not you need to add more protein to your diet.
10. Calorie Needs: Quickly calculate how many calories your body needs on a daily basis.

Goal-Setting Tools

Use these online tools to help you stay on track with your healthy eating goals.

11. Ideal Body Weight: If your new diet is supposed to get you down to a certain weight, first figure out what your ideal weight is by using this tool.
12. Free Diet and Weight Loss Journal: This free food and fitness tracker can help you organize your healthy eating goals.
13. Online Diet and Exercise Journal: This website features community forums and free space for you to record your diet goals.
14. The Fat Test: This quiz will help you learn more about good fats vs. bad fats, which foods to cut out of your diet and which to introduce, and be more proactive about goal setting.
15. Standard Weight Charts: Understand your frame size, muscle weight and healthy weight here.
16. National Body Challenge: Discovery Health’s National Body Challenge encourages individuals to exercise and start eating more healthy foods. Register to access menu planners and other resources.
17. Diet Tools: This collection of tools can help you stay on track until you meet your goals.
18. iFitOne: This software program " helps make tracking your diet, fitness and weight loss simple and fun."
19. TeenBodyBuilding: While this program is marketed towards body builders, it offers great goal-tracking tools, workout tips and more.
20. Joe’s Goals: This easy-to-use goal tracker helps you organize work outs, home prepared meals and restaurant trips.

Calendars and Organization

The following list includes diet diaries and other tools that will keep you, your menu ideas and your calorie counts organized.

21. Diet Planning: Access a diet diary and other helpful planners here.
22. StartYourDiet.com: Register to access weight tracking tools, a meal planning tool, diet diary and more.
23. Menu Planner: Organize your daily meals by calories, food items, portion, and total fat and carbohydrates.
24. Daily Food and Activity Diary: Stay organized with this tool, which helps you record your hunger levels, motivation, serving sizes and more.
25. NutritionData: "Know what you eat" by researching food and nutrition data on this site, which also lets you analyze recipes and calculate your BMI.
26. NutriDiary: Organize your foods, meals and more on this site.
27. My Food Diary: Access an exercise log, food and ingredient tracker and more.
28. My Net Diary: This attractive, streamlined food log helps you achieve "safe, steady, long-term weight loss."
29. Weight by Date: This tool can help Windows users track weight loss, keep a food journal and more.
30. My Pyramid Tracker: Evaluate your food intake and exercise with this tool.

Networks and Social Media

Join other healthy eaters and dieters through these sites, which also offer recipe tips and diet advice.

31. Food Count: Members in this network have access to 30,000 foods and nutrition information, diet analysis tools and more.
32. DietGuild: DietGuild is designed to organize and motivate individuals who want to lose weight and eat more healthy foods. You’ll access nutrition tables, public diaries, and resources like the food pyramid and an articles database.
33. The Daily Plate: Those who want to be super organized about their eating habits can turn to this site, which features a forum, groups, personal profile and more.
34. NutriCoach: Create your own personal page on this site, connect with other users, watch videos and access great diet tools and nutrition information.
35. Peer Trainer: Join this network to find buddies who will hold you accountable and keep you on track with your fitness and eating plan.
36. SparkPeople: Here you can take advantage of community features, motivation tools and health tips. You can even join and create SparkTeams to stay on track.
37. My Fitness Pal: Get tips from other community members, read articles and learn about healthy foods and snacks on this network.
38. Gyminee: Gyminee is a workout and food tracker that’s also a social media network.
39. fitsugar: Part of the popular "sugar" network, fitsugar is a network that features a blog with celebrity diet news, a celebrity fitness corner, community for sharing tips and food information, and more.
40. 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet Weight Loss Community: Visit these forums to learn about goal setting, diet plans and more.

Articles and Guides

Check out these articles and resources that can help you understand different diets, types of foods, and eating attitudes.

41. How to Read Food Labels and Nutrition Facts: Learn what you should be looking for on food labels.
42. Are You a Healthy Cook?: Give your cooking style a realistic evaluation with this quiz.
43. Eating Disorders and Emotional Eating Test: Make sure you’re not overcompensating with food for some emotional or mental problem.
44. How do I shop for healthy foods for my diet?: This article can help you stay focused and motivated at the grocery store.
45. Easing Into a Healthy Diet: If you love junk food, try the suggestions offered in this guide to help you get used to healthier eating.
46. 16 Ways to Eat Healthy While Keeping it Cheap: Eating healthy doesn’t have to be expensive. Learn how to keep costs down here.
47. Eat a Nutritious Diet: HealthierUS.gov provides this resource full of healthy foods, a list of foods to limit and other articles.
48. 12 Tips for Eating More Veggies: Veggie Chic’s tips include creating a salad habit, veg up your sandwich and top pasta with tomato-based sauces.
49. Fresh Fruits and Vegetables, By the Month: Bookmark this guide so you’ll always know which fruits and veggies are in season, saving you money and inspiring you to eat healthier.
50. Top Ten Wellness Tips for Eating More Vegetables and Fruit: Here you’ll learn new ways to add vegetables and fruit to your diet.

Recipes and Online Cookbooks

Head to these resources for lots of recipes and meal or snack ideas that are good for you.

51. Diabetes Meal Plan Recipes: From spring rolls and shrimp to Southwestern potato skins to avocado dip, find out how healthy eating is also delicious.
52. Healthy Recipes: Discovery Health provides lots of healthy recipes for kids, breakfast lovers, the holidays and more.
53. FoodFit: Visit this site often to get all kinds of recipes, organized by most popular, low-fat, low in sugar, vegetarian, quick meals and more.
54. Healthy Cooking: From Grandma’s Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili to Morning Glory Muffins, this section of AllRecipes.com is devoted to delicious healthy recipes.
55. Healthy Recipes: These recipes come from the MayoClinic, so you know they’re good for you.
56. Better Recipes: Healthy Recipes: Find healthy snacks, desserts, poultry dishes, vegetarian recipes, side dishes, breads, meat and fish ideas.
57. EatingWell.com: Here you can get diet and nutrition tips, as well as healthy recipes that are easy to whip up.
58. Delicious Decisions: The American Heart Association’s cookbook allows you to do a recipe quick find and find heart-healthy ingredient substitutions.
59. WeightWatchers Food and Recipes: Find recipes that adhere to WeightWatchers here.
60. Over 100 Quick and Easy Healthy Foods: Try out recipes for foods like Santa Fe eggs, ginger yogurt with fruit, festive fruit salad, zucchini bisque and more.

Inspiration and Support

When you need a little extra motivation, use these sites and tools to keep you going.

61. Healthy Weight Forum: Access inspirational quotes, read diet reviews and more on this forum.
62. Chicken Soup for the Soul: Chocolate is Not the Enemy: Beliefnet’s Health page features this story to help dieters keep their perspective.
63. diettalk.com: This network of dieters and healthy eaters supports each other, because "desire, dedication, determination and discipline = success."
64. Weekend Diet Traps: If you’re known to binge every weekend, use this guide to help you curb your cravings.
65. Low Carb Friends: Turn to this forum for support groups and recipe ideas.
66. Low Carb Eating: This site "provides support for healthy, sustainable low-carb living — via community, education, and resources."
67. What Did You Eat Today?: Refer to this thread on myjellybean.com for yummy but healthy food ideas and snacks.
68. The Seven Habits of Successful Healthy Eating: Dietician Lara Rondinelli urges you to "make healthy eating a priority" and forget about making up excuses.
69. Small Step: This government program inspires adults, seniors and teenagers to eat more healthy foods and have a healthier body image, one step at a time.
70. BuddySlim: Connect with other weight loss buddies over this network, where over 429,000 lbs. have been dropped by members.

Trying New Diets

Here you can research different types of diets that inspire healthy eating, including the raw food diet, veganism, and low-carb diets.

71. South Beach Diet: Get your diet profile for free on this site.
72. Healthy Foods Instead of a Diet: Consider introducing new foods into your menus instead of jumping on the bandwagon of a fad diet that could actually be unhealthy.
73. Veganism in a Nutshell: Learn all about veganism and diet ideas here.
74. High Protein Diets: The American Heart Association goes over high protein diets here.
75. Weight Loss: Reducing Dietary Fat: Learn about calories and sources of dietary fat here.
76. Raw Food Chat: This network will connect you to those who adhere to the raw food diet. Registering will also give you access to articles and recipes.
77. Every Diet: Get the lowdown on diets like Atkins, genotype diet, high protein dies and more on this site.
78. Popular Diets Versus Dietary Guidelines: This article explores what kind of diets and eating regimes are best.
79. Tips for Sugar-Free Cooking and Eating: Find out what foods are good to eat and which ones are off limits in a sugar-free diet.
80. Low Carb Diet: Get recipes, facts about the low-carb diet and more on this list.

Understanding Food and Nutrition

From the food pyramid to fiber charts, these tools will teach you about food and nutrition.

81. Fiber Chart: Here you’ll figure out what kinds of foods–and how much–equals the right kind of fiber.
82. The Food Pyramid: Refresh your understanding of the food pyramid and how many servings of each food group you need.
83. Low Carb Diet Tools: Discover how many carbs are in dairy products, vegetables, beef and more.
84. Exploring the USDA Food Pyramid: This intensive look at the food pyramid will help you understand your own nutritional goals better.
85. Fast Food Explorer: Find out just how many calories and fat are in popular meals at KFC, Dairy Queen, Taco Bell, Wendy’s and other fast food spots.
86. Calcium Assessment: Learn how much calcium you need in this quiz, which evaluates your intake and knowledge about calcium.
87. DietFacts: Get nutrition data for foods when you search by brand and restaurant.
88. Calorie King: Find out the calorie count in foods at restaurants like Chili’s and at retailers like Costco. You can also get healthy recipes and read articles about better eating.
89. Nutri-Facts.com: Instantly get nutrition information for nearly 6,000 different foods, including sausage, baby food items and even different cooking spices.
90. Antioxidants food chart: This chart shows you which foods are richest in antioxidants, which are important for healthy living, good skin, fighting cancer and more.

Portion Control

Understanding portion control is a huge part of healthy eating. Let these tools guide you when you start spooning out dessert.

91. Look at Three Hundred Calories: Understand portion size better when you can visualize what 300 calories is.
92. Portion Control: Here you’ll find tips for measuring out portions, as well as figuring out drink serving sizes and snacks.
93. Meals Matter: This fantastic tool helps you plan out meals for every day of the week, and you can also read nutrition articles, take quizzes and find yummy recipes.
94. Food Portion Sizes: This illustrated guide can help you determine the real portion sizes for meat, apples, ice cream and more.
95. Quick Guide to Food Portions: Here’s another guide that will help you better understand what food portions really mean.
96. French lessons: Eat petite, be petite: MSNBC’s article explores how simply downsizing at the dinner table can help you lose weight.
97. Understanding Portion Control: This guide explores the trouble Americans have with portion control and offers tips for eating light, even in restaurants.
98. How to Avoid Portion Size Pitfalls to Help Manage Your Weight: Here you’ll get advice for managing serving sizes when you eat at home, when you eat in front of the TV, and when you eat out of the package.
99. Portion Distortion: 5 Easy Ways to Downsize Your Servings: Tips here include trimming your trigger foods and to "create your own after-meal ritual."
100. Nutri Diet Tracker: This system frees you from the stress and frustration of counting calories by organizing your diet with special cards.

Posted in Diet and Nutrition, Health and Wellness -- No Comments

By Jessica Merritt

The Internet is full of wonderful information, and much of this information can be found in ebooks. Whether you’re looking for guidance on feng shui, or just want to know how to save money, there’s an ebook out there for you. Here you’ll find a great collection of ebooks available online for free.

Health

Brush up on your health knowledge with these ebooks.

1. Asthma and Allergies: Find out what asthma and allergies are, how they’re related, and how they can be treated.
2. The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci: Get a look at the complete notebooks and sketchbooks of Leonardo Da Vinci in this resource.
3. Drugs, Alcohol and HIV/AIDS: A Consumer Guide: Find out how HIV is affected by drug abuse behavior through the knowledge in this pamphlet.
4. Obesity: In this book on obesity, you’ll learn about good health habits like eating right and exercising.
5. Working With Your Doctor: Getting the Healthcare You Deserve: This book will help you better communicate with your doctor.
6. Searchlights on Health: Read all about the science of eugenics in this ebook.
7. Simple Guide to Weight Loss and Fitness: In four steps, this guide will explain how you can lose weight and be more fit.
8. 10 Ways to Alleviate Pain: Find out how your mind deals with pain by reading this ebook.
9. Having Healthy Babies: Expectant mothers should read this book to learn how to avoid or reduce the health risks of pregnancy.
10. Vibrant Health: Learn how to be healthy from the inside out with this ebook.
11. Your Health: Learn about diseases and how they can be prevented in this ebook.
12. 2008 Recovery Month Kit: Learn how to recover from alcohol and drug addiction with the help of this ebook.
13. High Blood Pressure: In this book, you’ll learn how to prevent and care for high blood pressure.
14. Energy Healing for Self and Others: Read this book and learn how to heal yourself with energetic tools.
15. HIV and AIDS: Find out how HIV and AIDS can be prevented and treated by reading this ebook.
16. Diabetes: In this book about diabetes, you’ll learn the essentials of the disease, including how it can be prevented and treated.

Useful Knowledge

Read these ebooks to pick up knowledge that you can put to use.

17. Simple Sabotage Field Manual: Learn the art of sabotage with this ebook.
18. Tame Your Brain!: Read this ebook to learn how to control your brain.
19. The Practice and Science of Drawing: Harold Speed’s book explains the philosophy behind drawing.
20. Camping: Prepare and Enjoy the Great Outdoors: Read this ebook to get prepared for a camping trip.
21. Fifteen Thousand Useful Phrases: Consult this guide for a huge amount of phrases that you can use.
22. Emily Post’s Etiquette: Emily Post’s book explains proper etiquette in a variety of situations.

Self-Improvement

These ebooks offer a wealth of information about improving your confidence, knowledge, and quality of life.

23. How to Overcome Social Anxiety: Defeat social anxiety with the techniques found in this ebook.
24. Affirmation eBook: Learn how to achieve your goals using affirmations with the help of this ebook.
25. How to Read Body Language: This ebook explains how to read body language for business and personal relationships.
26. The Seven Challenges Workbook: In this workbook, you’ll get a guide to communication skills that you can put to work at home and in your professional life.
27. How to Be More Successful: This ebook explains how you can set goals to achieve what you want from life.
28. Helping Yourself Heal-A Recovering Woman’s Guide to Coping with the Effects of Childhood Abuse Issues: Learn about recovering from childhood abuse from this ebook.
29. The Epidemiology of Co-Occuring Substance Use and Mental Disorders: Get an overview of substance abuse paired with mental disorders through this ebook.
30. 12 Fun Ways to Change Your Life: Make a difference in your life with the 12 strategies in this ebook.
31. Know Your Own Mind: Get an analysis of your personality by using this ebook.
32. 89 Ways to Simplify Your Life: Read this ebook to learn how to make your life easier and happier.
33. The Keys to Becoming Confident: This ebook will explain in simple steps how you can become a more confident person.
34. How to Feel Better: This ebook is written to help people suffering from depression.
35. 5 Secrets of Motivation: Overcome inaction and achieve your dreams with the knowledge in this ebook.
36. Mental Health Self-Help Book: Check out this book written by two doctors to get help with your mental health.

Family & Relationships

Read these ebooks to get guidance on interpersonal relationships and family management.

37. 10 Qualities of the Ladies Man: Learn how to be the man all women want with this ebook.
38. Protect Children from Drugs & Alcohol: Parents should check out this ebook that will help you keep your kids away from drugs and alcohol.
39. Time-Tested Dating Secrets: This ebook will teach you how to make Internet dating work for you.
40. Underage Alcohol Use: Findings from the 2002-2006 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health: In this report, you’ll learn about alcohol consumption by people from 12 to 20.
41. The Bully: This book will explain how to deal with bullies, both as a child and an adult.
42. 10 Deadly Relationship Mistakes That Cause Breakups: Help prevent breakups by avoiding these relationship mistakes.
43. The Divorce & Custody Resource Handbook: Read this ebook to find useful resources for getting through divorce.
44. 45 Ways to Be a Better Parent and Raise Well-Balanced and Responsible Kids: Get practical, effective parenting strategies from this ebook.
45. 100 Dating and Relationship Tips: In this ebook, you’ll find a wealth of helpful information for creating new relationships.
46. 35 Smart Dating Rules: Follow these rules for the dating world.
47. Baby Tips for New Parents: Read this book for guidance on getting ready to bring your new baby home.

Food

Whip up something healthy and tasty in the kitchen with the help of these ebooks.

48. Prize Winning Recipes: In this ebook, you’ll find some of the best recipes out there.
49. 365 Foreign Dishes: Learn to cook a new foreign dish for every night of the year with this ebook.
50. Make Pizza at Home: Don’t order delivery-save money and make your own pizza at home with this cookbook.
51. The Wellness & Nutrition Landslide: Download this ebook to learn about the food you should be eating for better health.
52. International Recipes: Create food from around the world with the recipes in this ebook.

Business & Career

In these ebooks, you’ll find plenty of guidance for your career.

53. Who’s There?: In Seth Godin’s ebook, you’ll learn all about blog writing.
54. Making Your Workplace Drug-Free: Download this ebook to learn how to keep drugs out of the workplace.
55. The Small Business Checklist for Success: This ebook offers a number of low-cost business solutions you can find online.
56. Insider Profits: Learn how to profit from Internet marketing and more.
57. Top Ten E-Businesses for the 21st Century: Read this ebook to get ideas for profitable e-businesses.
58. Poor Richard’s Top 100 Tips for Doing Business Online: Follow this ebook to find out a number of tips for online businesses.
59. Go It Alone!: Read this ebook to get inspired to create your own business.
60. What Do You Want to do With Your Life?: Decide what you want to do with your life using this workbook.

Feng Shui

Check out these ebooks to learn all about the practice of feng shui.

61. The Top 10 Feng Shui Mistakes, and How to Avoid Them: Avoid the pitfalls of feng shui outlined in this ebook.
62. A Quick Guide to the Five Elements: Learn how to use the five feng shui elements to improve the energy in your life and home.
63. Wind Chimes & Water Fountains: Favorite Feng Shui Objects and How to Use Them: This ebook will give you guidelines for using feng shui objects.

Finance

Learn about a wide variety of financial issues and advice in these ebooks.

64. 66 Ways to Save Money: Learn about practical ways to cut costs in your daily life with this ebook.
65. Estate Planning: Find out why a will is so important and how you can prepare one, plus plenty of other helpful details for estate planning.
66. Ten Questions to Ask When Choosing a Financial Planner: Read this ebook to know what you should ask when looking for a professional to help you with your money.
67. 7 Steps to Eliminate Debt: Take control of and eliminate your debt by following the steps outlined in this ebook.
68. Living Trust Offers: The FTC commision’s pamphlet explains the details of living trusts and how you can protect yourself from estate planning scams.
69. Get the Facts on Saving and Investing: This SEC document will help you learn how to save and invest properly.
70. Simple Strategies for Managing Your Money: This FDIC ebook’s checklists will help you get financially fit and avoid scams.
71. Building a Better Credit Report: In this ebook, you’ll learn about methods for legally improving your credit score, spotting scams, and dealing with debt.
72. What You Should Know About Buying Life Insurance: In this pamphlet, you’ll find out about all of the types of life insurance, plus tips for choosing the right policy.
73. How SIPC Protects You: Read this document to see how the Securities Investor Protection Corproration will help return your assets if your brokerage firm goes under.
74. Building Wealth: A Beginner’s Guide to Securing Your Financial Future: The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas offers this guide that will help you build personal wealth.
75. ID Theft: What It’s All About: This pamphlet from the FTC explains how your identity can be stolen and what you can do about it.
76. SHOP: The Credit Card You Pick Can Save You Money: In this consumer awareness brochure, you’ll learn how to pick the right credit card for you.
77. All About…The Foreign Exchange Market in the United States: This ebook explains how the forex market works in the US.
78. Identity Theft: Learn about the details of identity theft and how you can protect yourself from it in this pamphlet.
79. Debt Consolidation Sample Letters for Free: Find a collection of sample letters that you can use for debt consolidation in this ebook.
80. Privacy Choices for Your Personal Information: This booklet will tell you how to opt out of sharing private information.
81. Credit Score: The Quintessential Therapy for a Happy Pocket: Check out this ebook to learn everything you need to know about credit scores.
82. Identity Theft and Your Social Security Number: Find out how your social security number can be exploited by reading this ebook.
83. Tools of the Trade: A Basic Guide to Financial Derivatives: See how derivatives can be good for managing financial risks.
84. Healthy Credit: In this ebook, you’ll learn about managing your credit report and score.
85. Phishing and Pharming: Helping Consumers Avoid Internet Fraud: Protect yourself from internet fraud by educating yourself with this ebook.
86. Taking Control of Your Finances: Learn how to save and manage money, as well as avoid common mistakes by reading this ebook from the FDIC.
87. Know Before You Go…To Get a Mortgage: Read this guide to learn about mortgage information you need to know.
88. Take Creditors and Collection Agents to Small Claims Court: This ebook explains how you can sue creditors and collection agencies based on consumer rights.
89. What Women Need to Know About Retirement: In this ebook, you’ll learn about being prepared for retirement.
90. Pathways to Getting Ahead: Young adults should read this book about asset building and policy choices.
91. Interest-Only Mortgage Payments and Payment-Option ARMs: Are they for you?: This guide will help you determine whether or not you should get an interest-only or ARM loans.
92. Banking Basics: The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston offers this ebook that will explain everything young adults need to know about banking.
93. Consumer Action Handbook: A top-notch ebook, this handbook will help you with buying tips and resolving consumer problems.
94. Savings Fitness: A Guide to Your Money and Your Financial Future: Set up a personal savings plan using this guide.
95. Financial Intelligence Training: Become more financially intelligent by reading this ebook.
96. Money Matters: Your Guide for Financial Strength: This ebook will help you learn how to set financial goals, get organized, and more.
97. 401(k) Plans: This document explains everything you need to know about 401(k) plans.
98. Credit Score: The Quintessential Therapy for a Happy Pocket: Learn about the importance of a good credit score and how you can make yours better with this ebook.
99. Consumer’s Almanac: The Consumer’s Almanac will help you manage your money, get organized, save, and more.
100. Variable Annuities: What You Should Know: Find out the details of variable annuities with this guide.

Posted in Health and Wellness, Nursing Resources -- No Comments

By Alisa Miller

Blogging opens up a wide community for both the writers and the readers. Blogging about women’s health bonds that community through shared experiences. The following blogs touch on several aspects of women’s health issues ranging from exercise to infertility to life after 40. Check out what these women have to share with you in the blogs listed below.

Nutrition and Special Diets

Touching on healthy ways of eating or special diets such as for those who can’t eat gluten or choose to remove unhealthy ingredients from their diet, the following blogs will inform you about nutritious eating.

1. Healthy Nutrition Hints and More…. Read about food and nutrition in this blog that highlights food in the news with an emphasis on organics.
2. Gastro Girl: All Things Digestive. This woman takes a look at food news and comments on it in her blog.
3. Foodtherapy™. This blog discusses how food, and specifically the kind of food you eat, affects your health and life.
4. Feed the Soul Nutrition Blog. With posts ranging from fresh vegetables to eating healthy on a tight budget, this blog will help you find a way to eat more healthily.
5. Fear and Loathing in the Kitchen. With experience on various types of health diets including gluten and dairy-free, this blogger offers suggestions, news, and more on how eating wholesome food can help you lose weight as well as allow you to enjoy food and yourself.
6. Foodielicious. Blogging about fresh produce and the benefits of cooking and eating this way, this woman will leave your mouth watering.
7. Grow. Food. Love. This woman blogs about gardening and the food she prepares as a form of mental health for herself and nutritional health for her readers.
8. A Gluten Free Guide. Written by a woman with Celiac disease, this blog offers recipes, suggestions for restaurants, and more for those eating gluten-free. She includes some great photos, too.
9. A Life Less Sweet. This woman blogs about her family’s experience following a diet without high fructose corn syrup and includes recommendations for food as well as news on health issues and high fructose corn syrup.
10. Almost Vegetarian. Follow along with this woman as she chronicles her adventures of eating healthy and mostly vegetarian–and taking her husband along for the ride.
11. Bueller’s Kitchen. This blog highlights raw/living food as the woman who writes it shares her experience of overcoming health issues by following this way of eating.

Exercise

From yoga to getting fit through exercise, these blogs will guide you to better health.

12. Yoga Journey/Yoga for Health and Joy in Life. Get everything yoga here from poses to news to help with specific health issues.
13. Athleta Chi. With a focus on athletics and adventure, this blog serves as an inspiration for women on the go.
14. Fit Bottomed Girls. These two women blog about fitness on this fun blog.
15. A Dumbbell in a Home Gym. This woman blogs about incorporating exercise into her life with a goal to weight loss and better physical health.
16. Every Gym’s Nightmare. Written by a woman who is a fitness trainer and ex-bulimic, this blog will help you find healthy ways to care for your body through exercise.
17. Fitness Cure. Heavy on the motivation, this blogger writes about staying fit through exercise. She recently disclosed that she is pregnant, so look for more posts on staying fit during pregnancy.
18. Food, Fitness, Fashion. This blog focuses heavily on fitness through exercise and includes posts on such activities as yoga and belly dancing. Looking fashionably fit also finds its place here.
19. Catapult Fitness. Focusing on fitness and nutrition, this blog strives to help you lead a healthier life.
20. Look, a fitness blog!. While this woman blogs about maintaining her weight goal with healthy eating and exercise, there is a strong emphasis on exercise, especially running, since she has begun training for a 5k race.
21. A Marathon Leap. Follow this woman’s experience with running as she begins training and running in marathons as a "non-runner."

Infertility

For women struggling with infertility, the road can be long and difficult. Sharing these women’s experiences can make dealing with it all a little more bearable.

22. living a new life with infertility. This blog about the trials and tribulations of infertility also focuses on life and knitting; wonderful metaphors for the experience of infertility.
23. Baby or Bust. Follow the adventures of Brandi and Shelton as they raise money for their In Vitro procedure to help them start a family.
24. Jenny from the Infertility Block. This step mom goes on a journey for a baby and writes about her infertility and fertility treatments.
25. Busted Babymaker. This woman writes about her infertility and loss of 23 week twins.
26. babyfruit: the miscarriage blog and motherhood diaries. Started while this woman was experiencing miscarriages, gather inspiration from this blog as the writer moves through to pregnancy and motherhood.
27. Fertility Musing, Questions & Answers and News. This blog is written by a mother of six who experienced infertility and finally achieved her dreams of a family through fertility treatments.
28. Infertility Drama. This woman blogs about her infertility, fertility treatment, pregnancy losses, and her current pregnancy on this blog.
29. Coming2Terms. Follow the globetrotting exploits of this woman as she lives the life of infertility "in a fertile world."
30. Lost and Found and Connections Abound. This is the ultimate blog for those dealing with infertility. This blog keeps those active in the infertility blog world connected and in the know with what is happening on the various blogs.

Pregnancy

Pregnancy is an exciting time for most women and can also be full of unknowns. Learn from these women who share what they went through in their blogs.

31. Notes from the Nursery. This blog offers the latest news and information on pregnancy as well as baby products brought to you by HealthyWomen.org.
32. Kristie McNealy, MD. Written by a physician, this blog offers news and updates on women’s health, pregnancy, childbirth, and child wellness.
33. Let’s Talk Babies. This blog touches on the early signs of pregnancy to parenting tips and everything in between.
34. The Fun Times Guide to Pregnancy. This blog touches on all sorts of helpful topics such as what not to buy for your nursery, fun online pregnancy tools, and interesting pregnancy gadgets.
35. Day By Day Pregnancy. This blog offers the basics on pregnancy with daily updates.
36. Mission: Impossible (or adventures in infertility, pregnancy…parenting?). Title of this blog says it all, except that the blogger just gave birth to twins, so the parenting part is about to kick in.
37. Barely Pregnant. Follow the second pregnancy of this woman who has gone through infertility, fertility treatments, and loss during pregnancy.
38. Child-bearing Hips. Read this woman’s blog as she chronicles her pregnancy journey.
39. Motherhood Uncensored. This mother of two with one on the way writes an entertaining and popular blog.

Childbirth and Breastfeeding

The curiosity and feeling of going through the unknown doesn’t end after your pregnancy. These blogs discuss childbirth and breastfeeding.

40. Have a Natural Childbirth. This blog includes amazing natural birth stories, posts by midwives and doulas, and more.
41. Natural Childbirth for the "Hip Chick". This experience mama talks about childbirth and the newborn on this blog.
42. Birth Ecology Project. Dedicated to gentle birth, midwives, doulas, and sustainable living, the posts on this blog will uplift and inspire you.
43. Black Breastfeeding Blog. For black women who are breastfeed or expect to in the future, this blog offers information as well as the history of breastfeeding.
44. The Lactivist. Read about breastfeeding, parenting, and more at this blog.
45. BreastfeedingMums Blog. Out of the U.K., this blogger writes about breastfeeding, health, and nutrition.
46. Mama Knows Breast. Learn about breastfeeding topics, get the latest in the news about breastfeeding, and learn about other breastfeeding blogs at this woman’s blog.
47. The Beautiful Letdown. This mom writes about breastfeeding–and tandem nursing in particular.
48. Breastfeeding123. Get tips, news, and support on breastfeeding from this experienced mother of three and breastfeeding counselor.

Weight Loss

These women share their ups and downs as they deal with their weight loss experiences and blog about it.

49. Alycat’s Claws My WW Journey. This woman posts about her experiences with WeightWatchers and weight loss in general.
50. Ranaesheart Weight Loss Blog. This woman lost 143 lbs. in a healthful way and now blogs to share how you can lose weight and maintain your health.
51. The Amazing Adventures of Diet Girl. Get recipes, fitness, inspiration and more from this blogger who lost over 175 lbs. and continues her healthy lifestyle.
52. DietDiva. Follow this woman’s diet journey as she tries to lose weight while trying to eat less prepackaged food and go a more natural route.
53. Angry Fat Girlz. This collaborative blog written by six women exploring the world of weight loss and living life with a few extra pounds.
54. Do you have an Extra Large in this?. Follow the Marshmallow as she chronicles her weight loss adventures of eating, exercise, and online support.
55. Fat Girl Camp. This blog offers the ups and downs of life with fun side trips to pups, politics, and more.
56. Half of Me. Almost 200 lbs. lighter and still keeping it off, this blogger offers hope and support to those struggling with weight loss.
57. lose the buddha. Combining healthy eating and exercise with living a better life, this blogger writes about her weight loss experiences.
58. The Shrinking Knitter. With topics hitting on weight loss, knitting, and politics, you’ll stay entertained and informed with this blog.

Health Challenges

From breast cancer to chronic pain to migraines, these blogs provide knowledge and support on a wide variety of women’s health issues.

59. Keep Working, Girlfriend. This blog offers support to working women dealing with chronic illness–specifically autoimmune diseases.
60. Beating Breast Cancer. Written by a husband and wife team–he’s a doctor and she’s a nurse–who went through her diagnosis of breast cancer in 2006, this blog offers tons of information and medical news.
61. Bomb in My Belly. This young woman writes about life and cancer as she chronicles her experiences with ovarian cancer and her mother’s breast cancer.
62. A Medical Mystery. Written by a young woman who lives with Multiple Hereditary Exotoses, this blog offers an insightful view on living with a lifelong illness and still living life.
63. Buoy for Perinatal Blues & Beyond. This blog is a wonderful source of support for women suffering from PPD and their families.
64. The Greatest Gift Foundation’s Blog. This blog is about helping find solutions for health issues by offering support to living organ donors.
65. Chronic Pain Today. Written by someone suffering with chronic pain to offer support and solutions to other, this blog offers everything from clinical trials to freebies.
66. ChronicBabe.com. Offering support to younger women who suffer from chronic illnesses, this blog is upbeat, supportive, and fun.
67. Food Allergy Buzz. Find the latest news and research on food allergies with this woman’s blog.
68. Free my Brain from Migraine Pain. From the silly to the spiritual, this blog offers support and resources to those suffering from migraines.

Fit and Healthy over Forty

Become inspired by these women who don’t let age define their lifestyle as they lead active and fulfilling lives.

69. Fit and Fabulous at Forty the natural way. Follow along as this forty-something woman keeps herself fit and healthy through good eating, physical activity and more.
70. Fabulously 40 & Beyond. This collaborative blog offers inspiration for women over forty to begin living for themselves and find their happiness.
71. A Greener Tea. Get recipes, motivation, inspiration and more on this blog devoted to supporting healthy and strong women over 35.
72. Bikinis and Bifocals. This blog offers a positive and empowering look at women with articles ranging from menopause to inspirational women.
73. Leona Gets Fit. Follow the journey of this 41 year-old mom as she loses weight and gets fit.
74. Fab Fit and 40. This woman is chronicling her goal of losing 50 lbs. in one year to honor her turning 40 on the goal date.
75. Fabulous @ 50. Similar to the previous blog, this woman has given herself a goal of losing 200 lbs. prior to her 50th birthday and has already lost almost 63 lbs.
76. Growing Older, Sexier, and Skinnier. This self-described post-menopausal woman blogs her way through weight loss and feeling good about her life as she ages.
77. Flashfree. As the subtitle reads, this blog is "not your mama’s menopause" and offers great solutions and news on the latest in menopause research.
78. Grow Older Better. This woman blogs on "older" topics such as active 90 year-olds, exercise and aging, and medical care for retired folks.

Physical Well-Being

All of these blogs focus on how women can become physically healthier with better living, exercise, nutrition, and more.

79. The WELLalarm. These three women post about such topics as eating out, healthy sun screen, and yoga with an emphasis on staying physically well.
80. Fitness-Health-Nutrition. Written by a mom, this blog looks at wellness through better nutrition and fitness with an emphasis on both women and children.
81. Catherine Morgan’s Blog at BlogHer. Catherine posts on a variety of health topics including how the high price of gasoline impacts health, dieting and vacation, and recent food-borne illness outbreaks.
82. Active Women. This collaborative blog celebrates women and their active lifestyles with an emphasis on globe-trotting adventures.
83. RealSelf.com. This blog brings the latest news and information from the world of beauty, skin care, and wellness from real people, not advertisers.
84. Wellness Bites. Find the latest news and research in all natural health, wellness, and beauty with this blog.
85. Balanced Health and Nutrition. Get the latest news, and a bit of opinion, on healthy eating, exercise, and living.
86. Eve’s Health & Fitness. Find exercise, nutrition, and diet information on this blog designed to help you become healthier.
87. Fit and Healthy in the Valley. Living in Hollywood surrounded by so many living an unhealthy lifestyle, this blogger stands out from her peers as a woman trying to achieve well-being through healthy living.
88. The Active Life. Follow this blog for posts inspiring women and their children to stay active, fit, and healthy.
89. Fit for Adventure. Follow this woman’s progress as she gets fit so she can enjoy the kind of life she wants to live full of outdoor adventures.
90. Fit on a Budget. Who couldn’t love a blog that incorporates fitness, nutrition, and freebie (or at least cheapies)?

Mental Well-Being

Staying healthy mentally is as important as physical health and these women’s blogs offer tips and inspiration to do just that.

91. BeThree. Read this blog from the hip site that helps you find the best balance between body, mind, and soul.
92. Rituals to Invite Balance and Well-being. This blog is a compilation of reader-submitted rituals that help maintain their well being. Feel free to add your own to the blog.
93. A Highly Sensitive Woman’s New Perspective on Mental Illness. This woman blogs about her journey to mental health including her experience with medications.
94. A Woman’s Guide to Saner Living. Follow this blog for tips and inspiration to help you live a more fulfilling life through a shift in perspective and thoughtful choices.
95. Sally Huss–Addicted to Happiness. This inspirational blog offers reminders on the beauty of life and how to stay in your happiness zone.
96. Are You "Eating with Your Anorexic?". Written by a mom who is working to dispel myths and teach families how to overcome eating disorders, this author "thinks parents deserve to know that EDs are brain disorders and that parents really can be part of the solution."
97. BwhoUR. Be inspired by the posts of this woman who went from "life in the Fast Lane" to life on a cattle farm in Texas.
98. Beach Walks with Rox. Join Roxanne and her dog for fun and inspiration on this video blog as they take daily walks on the beach in Hawaii.
99. Becoming Your StellarSelf. Become inspired at finding the best you with this blog that focuses on improving your quality of life through better living.
100. Between Us Girls. Find life lessons to help you grow into the person you seek to be.

Posted in Diet and Nutrition, Health and Wellness -- No Comments

By Heather Johnson

Having a baby is an exciting time for the whole family. In the middle of that excitement, though, are so many new experiences with your baby that you may be left wondering what to do and how to do it safely. The following list offers tips on ways to keep your baby safe and healthy so you can take the worry out of your new job as a parent and just focus on the joy of your newborn.

Feeding

One of the fundamentals to providing a healthy start for your baby is feeding. Whether you choose to breast feed or bottle feed, you will find information here to know that you are doing the very best for your baby.

1. Breastfeeding. Medically accepted as the best nutrition for your baby, if you are able to breast feed, this is a wonderful gift for your baby and you as it also provides health benefits for mom and supports bonding.
2. Formula. If you are unable to breastfed your baby or have opted not to do so, there are many good quality formulas to provide excellent nutrition for your baby. If you discover your baby has problems with cow milk formula, try soy or another alternate milk source.
3. Burping. Burping your baby will alleviate some of the trapped air in her stomach and may make her feel more comfortable. If gentle patting on the back doesn’t do the trick, try a different position, such as laying your baby across your knees and patting her back.
4. Solids. The generally accepted age to begin solids for both bottle and breastfed babies is six months, so feeding anything else to your newborn is completely unnecessary and might even be unwise due to several risk factors.
5. Weight. Weight loss is common right after birth, but you want to make sure your baby isn’t continuing to lose weight. Make sure you keep your baby’s postnatal visits with his doctor to ensure he is gaining weight.
6. Wet diapers. Having wet diapers is a good sign and indicates that your baby is getting enough to eat. Look for at least four to six wet diapers a day.
7. Spitting up. It is not uncommon for babies to spit up a bit after eating. Keep a burp cloth or extra cloth diaper handy to clean up messes. If spitting up becomes projectile vomiting or is consistently a large volume after each feeding, consult your doctor about a potential digestive problem.
8. Nutritional supplements. Supplements are not necessary for a newborn as the breast milk or formula you are feeding your baby contains all the necessary nutrients she will need. Water and juice are also unnecessary at this time.

Sleep

Regardless of where your baby will sleep, you just hope sleep comes and that it comes safely. The following tips will help you find peace of mind while your little one rests peacefully.

9. On the back. Putting your baby to sleep on her back will greatly reduce the chance of SIDS while she sleeps.
10. No pillows. Your baby doesn’t need pillows in his crib right now. Ensure there is less chance of accidental suffocation by leaving pillows, plush toys, and blankets out of the crib.
11. Don’t overdress. Your baby doesn’t need to sleep in five layers of pajamas every night. Dress your baby in the same number of layers you wear to bed plus one extra, thin layer.
12. Safe crib. If your baby sleeps in a crib, make sure it meets current safety standards and does not have wide spaces between the railings or any sharp edges.
13. Family bed. Many parents opt for cosleeping with their baby. Many experts feel this form of sleeping, which has been practiced for thousands of years, can be a safe option and also provide a great bonding opportunity. Be sure you are not sedated with medication or alcohol, though, to ensure the best safety for your baby.
14. Cosleeper. This device attaches to the side of your bed allowing your baby to be in a space of his own while also being close to you. There are also cosleepers that go in the bed like this one. Many parents who are not comfortable with the family bed like this option to have their baby within arm’s reach.
15. Baby massage. Baby massage is an excellent way to relax your baby before putting him to bed at night. Place your baby on his back and gently rub his arms, legs, and belly with an unscented oil not made from nuts (to protect against any potential allergy problems).
16. Routine. It is never too early to start a bedtime routine with your baby. Even if she is not sleeping more than two hours at a stretch, find your target "bedtime" and start your routine which may include rocking, baby massage, feeding, soft music, or whatever makes you and your baby the most relaxed.

Belly Button Care

That strange little stump on your newborn’s belly sure does require attention. These suggestions will help you care for your baby’s umbilical cord until it falls off.

17. No feeling. The stump left behind after your baby’s cord is clipped doesn’t contain any nerve endings, so it is not a painful area for your baby.
18. Clean. Keep your baby’s umbilical cord clean by swabbing it gently with rubbing alcohol if it becomes dirty or sticky.
19. Dry. Fold your baby’s diaper down away from the base of the cord and allow air circulation to dry out the cord more quickly.
20. Sponge bath. Bathe your baby with a sponge bath until the cord falls off. Once it has, then you can move to a baby tub.
21. Don’t pull. Let the cord come off by itself. Resist the urge to pull it off yourself.
22. Funny colors. As your baby’s cord dries up it will change from a yellowish color to brown to black. This is normal, so don’t worry.
23. No swelling. A little dried blood is normal, but if the area around the cord becomes red and swollen, call your doctor for advice.
24. No pus. Be sure there is no yellowish pus around the cord as this could be a sign of infection.
25. No smell. If a foul smell starts to come from the cord area, call your doctor as this can also be a sign of infection.
26. Two weeks. The average time it takes for an umbilical cord to fall off is two weeks, but can sometimes take a few weeks longer. See your doctor if it keeps hanging on.

Skin

From heat rash to food sensitivities, your newborn’s sensitive skin can have plenty going on with it. This list lets you know what you can expect and what is out of the ordinary when it comes to your baby’s skin.

27. Cradle cap. If your baby gets a scaly, red area on her head, it’s probably just cradle cap. This common condition is not itchy or painful and will disappear with regular shampooing.
28. Baby acne