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January 2, 2008
Hi everyone,
Isn't it about time you started a new year on your terms? We think so. In honor of the 2008 that you want, I am very happy to announce BlogHer's Good Health-a-thon, conceived of and delivered by BlogHer Kristy Sammis:
Announcing the BlogHer 2008 Good Health-a-thon!
"It's only January 2nd, and I'm already tired of ad campaigns flashing scales and measuring tapes at me, reminding me that NOW! is the time to join the gym/lose inches/spend a fortune on pre-packaged food diets. I can't hear the words "new year" without some company also trying to convince me that I need to "Lose Weight!" so I can finally "feel better about myself!" Forgive me if I'm skeptical.
"The truth is, it's 2008 and it's time for a whole new approach. No more meaningless resolutions, no more unrealistic expectations. No more buying into the notion that "feeling better" is inextricably linked to my weight and nothing else. My life, and my health, is bigger than that.
"It's not about losing weight to feel better; it's about feeling better, period.
"Which is why I'm very, very happy to be introducing BlogHer's 2008 Good Health-a-thon. It's simple. It's fun. It's personal. And I'll hope you'll join me in making it a success.
"(The best part? No scales required!)"
You may know Kristy as the logistical maven who produces BlogHer's conferences and holiday party on time and within budget. Those of us here at BlogHer World Headquarters also know and love Kristy's savage pen and her hysterical blogging about that crazy game known as health, weight and body image (her personal blog is She just walks around with it: Because booty is only skin-deep).
Ahhh, body image and weight -- a red-hot topic in the BlogHersphere this time of year. Even before the countdown began New Year's Eve, BlogHer was filled with resolutions, as women blogged here and here and here and here and here and here. Plus here.
These posts are a lesson in themselves. What I learned from your writings is that today women online are as different and diverse as ever -- but we all want to feel good about what we bring to the party of life. I mean inside and out. We want to be treated with respect, talked WITH not AT, and appreciated for the individual charms and attributes that make us wonderful and special -- our unique selves.
Kristy says all that and more...I think you'll laugh and learn as she kicks off this new initiative with some guidelines that I myself found very hard to procrastinate around. In her "Overview," she writes, "There are lots of things that each of us could do to improve our health. But with so many options and opportunities, sometimes I simply feel overwhelmed." Then she goes on in a way that is so not that boring eat-smart talk I have heard until my eyes glaze over:
Example A: Eating Healthy
"Okay, so...I'm supposed to be lowering my salt and eating only lean proteins, got it. And saturated fat is the enemy. And so is dairy. And so are carbs. And what was that about wheat? Oh, not wheat, just gluten? So no gluten, carbs, dairy, fat or salt. And organic? Organic is better for me? So I should order only free-range, organic, non-gluten, non-salt, non-dairy, fat-free items? But then...huh? How is it possible that fruit can be bad for me, I thought... What? Glycemic index? No, I don't know -- HEY, CAN I HAVE THIS GRAPE OR NOT?"
"And then, frustrated and fed up, I order a cheeseburger.
"My problem -- and perhaps yours, if the above example sounds familiar -- is that I try and do it all at once, taking an all-or-nothing approach. If I can't do everything right, I feel I may as well not bother at all. Which gets me nowhere.
"Help me, Good Health-a-thon!
"BlogHer's Good Health-a-thon is all about what we can do, little by little, day by day, week by week and month by month to live healthier...."
Join us! Read the entire post and comment here. I'm doing it. Kristy's already changed my goals for the year by making me be very very verrrry specific about which days I'm going to the gym. I'm literally going to sit down with my family tonight, ask for their support, try to mark out the days and report back next week.
So c'mon, join the party. 2008 is shaping up already.
Best,
Lisa
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Sponsor message: Last fall, BlogHer asked for it, and now it’s finally here! Lifetime's newest show, How to Look Good Naked, premieres on January 4th and BlogHer has been given a sneak peek. Simply click the register button and provide your name, email, and blog URL. You will be given a secret login and be one of the first to watch the premiere Lifetime show."
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