How many times have you told yourself that you would live a healthier life- will eat better and exercise more? How many times have you disappointed yourself by not sticking to your plan? Michelle Segar, PhD rewrites the story of behavior change in her book, THE JOY CHOICE: How to Finally Achieve Lasting Changes in Eating and Exercise (2022). Kristen and Eleanor found this book revolutionary and had a robust coffee chat/ book club meeting sharing some of the provocative...

When was the last time you truly had fun? Has it been a while? It turns out that having fun is critical to our good health. We found a book that calls our attention to something that most of us are missing in our lives. We invited Carolyn Bennett-Sullivan, from Soft Golf (a business based on fun) to join us this week. We discuss THE POWER OF FUN: How to Feel Alive Again by Catherine Price (2021), and Producer Tim pipes in too. This is one of our...

Kristen and Eleanor get recharged and read some books. In the meantime, here's a revisiting of Episode #63. Do you wake up anxious? Worry through the day? Binge worry late into the night? Are you part of the 80% of Americans who are anxious, according to the APA (American Psychiatric Association)? The Health Geeks, Kristen and Eleanor, think all of us should read this book. We loved talking about the stories and the brain tools that Judson...

Once you finish a book, do you move on? Or do you keep thinking about it? We keep our conversation going and want you to join us. Need a summer read? Eleanor is still thinking about David Linden‘s fascination with our skin’s sensory receptors discussed in the book TOUCH: The science of hand, heart, and mind. Touch is so interconnected to our emotions, our language, and our relationship with the world- just think about that. Kristen reflects on the books that...

If you had to give up one of your senses, would it be touch? What do you know about how touch serves you? Kristen and Eleanor plow into the science of touch as presented by David J Linden, a neuroscientist, professor, and writer in his 2016 book TOUCH: The Science of Hand, Heart, and Mind. “With a novelist’s flair for anecdote, Linden unpacks the science behind touch by revealing how the sense informs and motivates us in everyday situations!”-The Scientist We...

Who can you really count on to be dependable when you need help? If you could stop working without loss of income, would you? What would you do instead? Complete the following sentence anyway you wish: A person feels good when…..?  These are some of the questions people involved in the longest-running scientific study of Happiness thought about and answered.  Eleanor and Kristen talk about topics in adult development from the new book THE GOOD LIFE: Lessons...

Can money buy happiness? How much of our happiness is under our control? How should we be spending our time?  How do you assess your social fitness? Do our relationships affect our health?  Kristen and Eleanor found a book that they both liked. In this episode, they begin to share some of the highlights from this hot-off-the-press book-- THE GOOD LIFE: Lessons from the World’s Longest Scientific Study of Happiness by Robert Waldinger, MD, and...

Do you need some company today? Join Eleanor and Kristen for a casual talk as the conversation continues about the books they have read. They giggle a bit and share common foibles and tips from their reading that are helpful.  Who else is reading books with us? Do people recommend books to you? Are they ones we have reviewed or might like to read?    We encourage you to keep talking about the books you read, don’t dismiss them, embrace them, and...

What happens to the voices in our heads when something terrible happens? How do we help each other recover from traumatic experiences? How can the cognitive and emotional aspects of the experience blend in healing? Kristen and Eleanor talk about more of the tools Ethan Kross reviews to help us “resolve the tension between getting caught in negative thought spirals and thinking clearly and constructively”. This book just keeps getting more interesting, so we...

Do you like to share your negative experiences with others? Do you encourage your friends to talk about their negative experiences or do you try to distract them? Do you like it when people overshare with you? Ethan Kross reveals surprising interactions he discovered in his professional career and writes about them in his 2021 book. Eleanor and Kristen share some insights about empathy and social media interaction and its influence on our self-talk. We...

Do you ever talk to yourself? Do you ever feel crazy for talking to yourself?  Who is really in our heads?  Ethan Kross explores those voices in our heads in his book, CHATTER: The Voices in our Head, Why it Matters, and How to Harness It (2021).   Kristen and Eleanor decided to take a few episodes to really dig into why we talk to ourselves, why it sometimes backfires on us, and how we help ourselves and others when the voices become hurtful.  We just...

What do you know about taking care of your brain? Is your brain “rusty”? Does your brain have “clogged pipes"? Is it too "sugary"?  Do you worry about your genetic risks?  Is exercise protective against memory loss and good for brain health? What type of exercise is a good choice? What are the costs of pharmacological therapy?  How do you structure a lifestyle to help prevent cognitive decline?  Join Kristen and Eleanor as they talk with Cliff...

Are you afraid of losing your mind? Does lifestyle matter?  We start our conversation with author Cliff Arceneaux, MMS PA-C.  He shares his journey to his very readable first book, KEEPING YOUR MARBLES: A Field Guide for preventing & treating cognitive decline (2022). What are the challenges of treating cognitive decline, and what are the options? Is there any hope for those who see memory problems as a real part of their future? Cliff’s...

What do WMD and WWW stand for? Do you ever phone out? Who did you phub last? Did you mean to? Catherine Price’s book, HOW TO BREAK UP WITH YOUR PHONE, has a fun glossary that shares some new terminology about our behaviors. She develops ideas around these terms throughout her book.  She reminds us about how concentration works and how focus and memory are related. Kristen and Eleanor talk about how our phone use is changing our brains. ...

What is your relationship with your smartphone? When was the last time you were bored? How much time are you spending on social media? Is there a relationship between user engagement and addiction? Is your brain being hacked?  Kristen and Eleanor start a conversation about a very interesting book by Catherine Price, HOW TO BREAK UP WITH YOUR PHONE (2018). She has some great insight into smartphones and our behaviors. Be sure to...

How did George Washington die? What is a bechic blast? Have you ever choked?  Who was Dr. Heimlich? Chevalier Jackson? Wilbur Scoville?  Ever heard of the Mutter Museum of medical history? Why do we yawn? Hiccup? Do we know everything about the body?  Even though there is so much more that Bill Bryson shares in his comprehensive discussion, Kristen and Eleanor (with comments from Tim) wrap up their book club review of THE BODY: A Guide...

Who figured out that fat and health are related? Who are some of the key figures in the scientific history of health and wellness? Who were Ancel Keyes, Nettie Stevens, and Albert Schatz?  Ever wondered who the patients were that submitted to experimentation and new procedures? How did K-rations get their name? Has the nutritional quality of our foods changed over time? Why doesn’t America rank higher on lists of good health? Bill Bryson...

Have you ever thought about the microbial or molecular content of a kiss? If you were going to build a human body, how much would it cost you? Are American, English, and European academic systems and resources similar?  Bill Bryson loves words and their derivation. He explores some questions many of us have had and uses clever word pictures to help us grasp the magnificence of our bodies. We continue to be charmed by this author and the contents of this book....

How much do you know and understand about the workings of your body? Want to learn more without taking a science class? Bill Bryson’s book “THE BODY: An Occupants Guide” (2019) might be a good place to start. Kristen and Eleanor selected this book for the next few sessions of our Health Geeks Book Club. As an introduction, we talk about the publisher and book structure. Then, we took some time to learn more about the author, his reason for writing the book, his...

Ever heard of Lydia Pinkham and her vegetable compound, or other old wives' tales to “cure” menopause? Do you know what medical therapies, pharmaceuticals, and supplements are available to support women transitioning through menopause?  How does diet affect women in menopause? Kristen and Eleanor share a current hot topic evening news report about governmental recommendations on "diet," and deconstruct it. They caution people to critically evaluate news reports....

How do you take care of your pelvic floor? How big is the incontinence industry? What is OAB?  Do you have pelvic pain?   When do you need a pelvic floor therapist? We invited Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist, Holly Keets McDonald, to join us as we got into the urinary and sexual concerns of navigating menopause.  Dr. Jen Gunter brings a feminist perspective to this topic in her 2021 book--THE MENOPAUSE MANIFESTO: Own Your Health with Facts and...

Do you know how to critically evaluate the books you read on health and wellness?   The Health Geeks dig into evaluation criteria and why it is important to understand: Who is the author? Who is the publisher? How is the book structured? Are there references? How good are they? In this episode, they take some time to share their insight. They discuss their evaluation criteria as applied to Dr. Gen Gunter’s 2021 book--THE MENOPAUSE MANIFESTO: Own Your Health with Facts...

Are you comfortable talking about menopause? What does society say about women and menopause? Do we need to change the way we talk about menopause and treat women experiencing it?  Dr. Jen Gunter calls us to task to do better and presents her declaration in her book: THE MENOPAUSE MANIFESTO: Own Your Health with Facts and Feminism (2021).   As uncomfortable as Eleanor and Kristen might have been at the onset of this discussion, Tim joined in and brought some...

Are you on the “clean eating” bandwagon? Do you have a gym membership? Own a Peloton? Ever noticed competition in the wellness market?    How can you become a wise consumer of wellness practices and products? Rina Raphael shares her guides for the perplexed in her book- THE GOSPEL OF WELLNESS: Gyms, Gurus, Goop, and the False Promise of Self-Care (2022). Eleanor and Kristen are looking forward to a conversation with this author and what the topic of her...

Ever heard someone say, “Kale Yes”? Ever heard of Goop? or the Vegan Blonde?  Have you been seduced by messages of consumerist self-care? Are you heading down the road to “orthorexia”?  Why do we listen to the latest fad and participate in wellness trends?  Is there a dark side to this wellness movement?  Kristen and Eleanor can’t stop talking about Rina Raphael’s book- THE GOSPEL OF WELLNESS: Gyms, Gurus, Goop, and the False Promise of...