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If you are interested in improving your singing, yoga and running would be your best bets. If you're in training to audition for The Tales of Hoffmann, the character Olympia, the mechanical doll, wears a 140lb costume, so lifting heavy could also improve your performance. But if your concern is calories, I'd be more…

Healthy: Sushi is the easy answer. My boyfriend found a yummy quinoa salad from a local place recently. And I love raw oysters with a champagne mignonette, but that's not really a meal. I also loved Tokyo Joe's when I lived in Denver, particularly a noodle bowl with broccoli, dark meat chicken, and their perfect teriyaki…

Ha! 90 years! Failed to take into account that there are more health problems than cancer, stroke, hypertension, etc. Nice to know I'd live a long and healthy life if not for my kidney disease! (Not to mention my meds cost more in a month than their yearly health care estimate...) It was fun, though. Thanks!

I make barbecue chicken and sweet potato tacos. I bake a large sweet potato and divide it into four sections (4 days of sweet potato madness). then I smash one quarter of it onto two corn tortillas and top with grilled chicken and barbecue sauce. If basil or watercress are on sale, then I dress that with a little seasoned…

You don't have to be bendy to practice yoga! You just need to be willing to work at it. Be brave and go to that class. If you don't like it, you don't have to go back.

If you look at it a different way, beauty *is* great health. We buy products to cover our skin imperfections or make our hair more voluminous because glowing skin and lustrous hair are signs of good health. Before cosmetics, beauty came from a diverse diet, adequate exercise and rest, and a lower stress environment (to…

Ooo! I love it when people get stuff out of my posts because I feel like I personalize things too much. I feel like I should add that I also eat a lot of vegetables, tofu, eggs, nuts/seeds, grains, etc. For weekends with my boyfriend, I eat meat, but it saves me money to not eat it at home. Cookies and stuff are often on…

I eat a ton of sugar. Mostly fruit, but I also eat a bowl of pb2 with sliced bananas, 15g of miniature chocolate chips, and a grind of pink sea salt several times a week. Or a spiced date smoothie with coconut/almond milk. I went easy on the main dishes at the Thai buffet this weekend because mango and sticky rice and taro…

I have a kidney transplant, and I've been diagnosed bipolar. The most generic answer is that you have to make the choice every day to do good things for your body if you want to improve your health. I can't run or lift heavy things, but I practice simple yoga postures and do a lot of walking. I like to eat a lot of fresh…

When I click through that bbc link, I'm most similar to someone from Bangladesh, which translates to being a very skinny American! I'm at a healthy weight, and don't have any visible ribs or anything that indicates under-nutrition. The average is overweight on my body, and it looks it, but I'm also not particularly short.…

Micronutrients. If your energy bar is made out of ingredients that are less processed, it will give your body better quality tools to repair and grow new tissue. If I had to choose between a Clif bar and a Milky Way, I'd choose the Clif bar, but I'm totally with you on the Butterfinger!

I had my gallbladder out June 23, and I'm having a tubal ligation soon because of unexpected problems when I went to have the Essure coils inserted. It'll be my eighth surgery, which includes a 15 year old kidney transplant, so I get very nervous about people cutting into my abdomen. I'm not a big fan of exercise, but I do…

Have you tried meditation for stress reduction? I was on the bus last April, agonizing over something that had happened in the long past, or something ridiculously dramatic that would probably never happen. Either way, my thoughts were racing, as usual, and I couldn't take it anymore. So I breathed in and out, thinking…

I get the impression from the comments about your hair and eyes that you are probably looking a lot healthier, rather than just thinner. That's awesome! Isn't that the real goal? I've mostly been getting weight comments, sprinkled with the observation that I look happier and seem more confident. My nurse used the child…

I just mentioned my experiences with doctors and weight on the "I've been thin and I've been fat" thread yesterday. Basically, I gained 25 pounds in 6 weeks after giving in to violent sugar cravings when I was put on a new set of psych meds last summer. At my 6 week check-up with the psych NP, he took me off that…

I've been 4 lbs underweight and almost 20 lbs overweight, according to bmi charts. When I was 4 lbs underweight, my nephrologist threatened to hospitalize me for anorexia if I lost anymore weight. I went home with a prescription for ensure bars, which I happily ate (I lost weight due to illness and a renal diet, not…

How's your blood? I have orthostatic hypotension, but I also just don't make enough blood. It'd be worth it to see a doctor if it's been a while since your last CBC. Other than that, there's nothing really to do about it except be aware and slow down when you stand up. Or eat more salt, but slowing down to let your blood…

Poor posture and a belly pooch are related, but not belly fat. When your psoas are too tight, it can cause a swayback, which makes your belly appear rounder and larger (and puts serious strain on your lower back). If you're a cardio bunny or sedentary, lifting and flexibility training should help solve posture problems.…

I took a hatha yoga class at a community college that was taught by a male math teacher! I've used some of Rodney Yee's dvds before, and I know he has a lot of beginner videos out there. I also shy away from any talk of "the divine," but I do use yoga for mental exercise, as well as physical. I let go of any thoughts of…

High blood pressure runs on my dad's side of the family, too. So does sitting on the couch, watching bad tv, and eating cheez-its (we're not total sloths, but...). Personally, I've had high blood pressure due to reasons I cannot control (kidney failure from a rare genetic disease from my mom's side), and I've had high…

Sun salutations! There are different versions out there, so you should be able to find something that suits you.

The women on my dad's side blame their bodies on genetics. I have the same figure: a larger lower body and awful cellulite when I gain weight and don't care. It's funny, though, how I've noticed that my cellulite reduces dramatically with overall fat loss combined with regular, but gentle, exercise. One of my cousins…

If you're on hemodialysis, listen to the dietician at your clinic, as well as the recommendations of your doctors. There are basic restrictions, yes, but your clinic is a better source for advice specific to your treatment needs. I was on dialysis for a year and a half, and just celebrated 15 years post cadaver transplant.…

I use a reversible hot yoga mat with a fabric texture on one side, even though I have no interest in hot yoga. I just have gross, clammy hands that need a grippier texture. The one I use is made by Gaiam, but I'm in the market for a pretty new one if anyone shows up with a recommendation.

Every scale is calibrated differently, so it's recommended to that you use the same scale in the same place with the same conditions (time of day, clothing or lack thereof, after elimination, etc) to track your weight changes.

I may have made a chocolate chip quesadilla the other day. One small corn tortilla heated with a tablespoon of semi sweet chocolate. And if you have good knife skills, you can whip up a fruit salsa for dipping while it heats up. The tortilla is a little chewy, but the texture just extends the actual time spent eating. And…

Just replying because I didn't see anyone else mention this, but I have never in my entire life had anyone complain about the comparative size of my lower body (except my mother...when I was in the 4th grade...and weighed less than 100 lbs). I started at 5'6" 170lbs with a 29" waist and 42" hips (+ I wasn't interested in…

I'm currently cycling through white, peppermint, and chamomile. I'm trying to avoid caffeine a little more lately to help me shut down better at night. I've never been a coffee or soda drinker, but black tea gets me wired. My all time favorite tea is Republic of Tea's Blackberry Sage.

I had mine removed five weeks ago. I certainly bounced back better than I would have after open surgery. I was talking hour long walks the week after, but I'm still limited in my exercise of choice, yoga. Keep in mind that you just had surgery. There's no shame in walking a race when you've had abdominal surgery in the…

I got curious because I deal with just not enough blood at all, including platelets. I'm treated with shots every other week. A quick google search just told me that you basically need to eat a lot of different fresh, nutritious foods. Highlights include: leafy greens, orange-y fruits and veggies, shellfish and other lean…