Before I made the life-changing decision to go back to school to become a health coach, I toyed around with several different business ideas. One of my business plans was to start an Editing & Proofreading business...after all, I had many years of experience editing legislative bill copy when I worked for the NYS Division of the Budget. My dream company even had a name: "DON'T PRESS SEND!" I figured that this would be an attention-getting name since many people could probably relate to sending something (to the printer, to their boss, to a long list of "reply to all" email addresses) without having first properly proofread it. As I was putting together my business plan and researching domain names, all I could think about was the time when one of my former colleagues had sent an inappropriate email (I believe it was a joke that was either sexist or racist or both) to one of his work friends. Instead of the intended recipient, the email was inadvertently sent to the big-big- head-head boss because she shared the same last name as my colleague's work friend. You can imagine the dust-up that this caused! If only my colleague had hesitated before he PRESSED SEND!   Looking back now, I think that the content of that email was far less offensive than the kinds of things that seem to be so easily tweeted and retweeted today. As I am writing this, the number one show on network television has been cancelled because the star and namesake of the show "pressed SEND" on Twitter without thinking. Perhaps she was thinking....that makes it much worse. I do not feel that it matters that the tweet was written in the wee-hours of the morning, or that a dose or two of Ambien may have been involved, or that the words were meant to be funny. What matters is that we now have so many more ways to (easily) hurt each other. Read More

This month, you may start to notice fiddleheads at the farmers’ market. As the name suggests, these green veggies have a curled shape that resembles the top of a fiddle or violin. They are a good source of iron and fiber and make for a striking vegetable dish. Fiddleheads are also an excellent source of vitamins A and C. Read More

If you are regular reader of the "Core Four Health Coaching Corner", you are probably thinking that when I say "replace your broom" that the broom is actually a metaphor for something else. You may be expecting some elaborate connection between using a broom and living a healthier life. Believe it or not, today I am talking about an actual broom...you know, the thing that you use to sweep the crumbs out of your kitchen and the leaves off of your front porch. Last week I purchased a new broom and dust pan. This was a very big purchase for me, which may be hard to believe since we are talking about an everyday cleaning tool that most people probably don't think that much about. You see, for years I have been sweeping my kitchen with a really bad broom. I am not over- dramatizing this...it was a complete piece of garbage. The bristles never actually picked anything up from the floor, the handle was way too short, the dustpan didn't rest flush on the floor, and I am pretty sure the handle had splintering wood on it. The worst part of all, as if those other things weren't bad enough, the broom head and broom stick would become disconnected no less than 8 times every time I used the darn thing! My broom turned what should have been a simple and routine household chore into a back-straining, splinter-causing, dust-flying headache. I cannot, for the life of me, figure out why I did not toss the thing out years ago! Something clicked for me last week! I had an Oprah AH-HA moment (more about that later)... Read More

My sons are both in high school and almost every night at the dinner table they share the latest version of "the dog ate my homework" excuse that one or more of their classmates used that day. They have heard everything at school from "my Mom gave me a pineapple smoothie for breakfast and I am allergic to pineapples and couldn't finish my work" to "the dishwasher flooded our kitchen and my homework is now under water". I often wonder how the teachers keep a straight face! As funny as these pathetic excuses may seem and as easy as it is for us to point fingers, are we guilty of doing the same thing? Are you a card-carrying member of the Lame Excuses Club? If you have ever talked yourself out of getting something done, then you just may be guilty as charged. The good news is: there is a cure for this disease I call "Excusamania" and today's blog is not going to be filled with "tough love" to get you to change your wicked ways. I am hoping you will be inspired by the story I am about to share. Read More

I am writing this blog in memory of my Father, who passed away two years ago and would have celebrated his 75th birthday today . My Dad was a huge fan of the comedian Steve Harvey . He enjoyed watching his daytime talk shows very much and really appreciated Harvey's rags-to-riches story. I admit that I did not know that much about Steve Harvey other than the fact that he seems to have more shows on television than anyone else I can think of... the Steve Harvey Show, the Steve Harvey Morning Show, Family Feud, Little Big Shots, Little Big Shots: Forever Young, Steve Harvey's Funderdome and the Miss Universe Pageant . He is also a successful author, an Emmy and NAACP Image Award winner, and the father of 7 children.Because of my Dad, I decided to read up on Steve Harvey and I was struck by his story. Read More

If you work a 9-to-5 job, chances are much of your day is spent sitting – whether during your commute, at your desk, or in meetings. But recent research has highlighted that long periods of sitting can be bad for your health. Read More

We can all agree that Curious George is one of the most beloved characters in children's literature. First published in 1941, the very popular books have been in continuous print since then. What we know and love from the books (and the PBS television animated series) is that the storylines always revolve around the mischief that George gets into because of his inquisitiveness. The only other recurring character in the books is the unnamed "Man With the Yellow Hat" who brought George home with him to the 'big city' after a trip to Africa. He is responsible for many of George's mishaps because he brings him on adventures and fortunately, he seems to always come to the rescue just in the nick of time. The moral of each and every story is George's curiosity is the cause of much peril, stress and tension. I love that mischievous monkey and I think we should all be more like him! Read More