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Michelle L Devon's Writer's BlogMichelle L Devon (1,667)    Michelle L Devon    Accentuate Services How Thin is Too Thin?Posted Thursday, August 21, 2008 (1 year 78 days ago.) Viewed 1,267 times. What if obesity is not an issue, and your problem is that you can't gain weight or maintain a healthy body weight on the other end of the spectrum? I actually have a couple of friends who have been unable to gain weight, one due in part to her metabolism and medication, and the other due in part to anorexia. Both of my friends are extremely thin, and frequently have had people comment on their size. In fact, both of them said it is not unusual for even a stranger to say they need to gain weight, 'put some meat on their bones', or to offer them more food or larger portions because they can stand to eat more. Just like obesity and overweight are not necessarily always caused by overeating, the same is true that being too thin is not always caused by under eating either. Carson Kressley, who hosts the Lifetime Television show "How to Look Good Naked", was quoted on the show as saying, "...Zero is not a size, okay? It's a warning sign." (episode aired: January 10th, 2008) In other words, there does come a point where being thin can become too thin, and that is a warning sign of other potential problems. There are ways to determine when your body weight is normal, below normal or in the danger zone. Possible Symptoms of being Too Thin
When trying to determine how thin is too thin, it is important to look at many other aspects besides the ones listed as warning signs. Genetics, just as with obesity and overweight, plays a role in a person's body size. If a person comes from a family with small statures, small frames, and thin relatives, then leaning on the thinner side is not as big of a warning sign of being two thin as a person who comes from a family of larger individuals and are leaning toward being too thin. Also, looking at diet is important too. A healthy person who eats enough calories during the day for fueling their activities, eats a good variety of nutritional foods, and does not exercise too much but is still very thin might not actually be too thin, while someone the same size might be too thin. When is being Too Thin a Sign of a Bigger Problem? Anorexia nervosa and bulimia are certain types of psychological disorders that can cause rapid and unhealthy weight loss, to a weight that is exceedingly too thin for the build of a person. These eating disorders cause other problems besides just being too thin. Some warning signs to look for to determine if being too thin might actually be an eating disorder are:
There is no hard or fast rule for how much exercise is too much, if a person exercises to the point of exhaustion or physical energy, coupled with being too thin, this is a warning sign of a body image problem that should at least be addressed. It is important to note that just like obesity and overweight, being too thin is not always the blame of the person, but perhaps an issue with certain medication, metabolism, health problems and more. However, just like obesity and overweight, being too thin is a medical condition that can lead to certain health problems, and thus weight should be managed by a qualified medical professional. 
Permalink Comments (2) Sex After MenopausePosted Thursday, August 21, 2008 (1 year 78 days ago.) Viewed 364 times. Menopause is a time of change in the way a woman's body functions, which is why menopause is often called 'the change of life'. Some women look at menopause as a very freeing thing, while others look at menopause as the end of their youth or even let menopause affect how they see themselves as a woman. How a woman views menopause can affect how she feels about herself and her body while going through menopause, and those feelings, along with physical changes in the body, can have a profound impact on an otherwise normal sex life. Even though there are many body changes that can result from menopause, the one thing that doesn't have to change is having an active, satisfying sex life after menopause. In fact, for a wife and a mother, menopause might just be the best sex time in her life! Think about it: no worries about pregnancy or birth control; the kids are grown or almost grown; and since men go through their own hormonal changes at about the same age, he might just have to physically spend more time on foreplay! Human sexuality doesn't end at a certain age. Nowadays, men and women are both enjoying active and healthy sex lives well into the 'golden years'. Of course, there are certain changes that happen to the body that might need to be addressed when going through menopause to ensure maximum sexual satisfaction during and post menopause. Let's look at a few things a woman and her partner can do to minimize any potential menopause sexual pitfalls. Hormones Change Sex After Menopause Some woman will find hormonal changes happen after menopause that can reduce or increase sex drive. Other woman may find no noticeable change from hormones. If mood and libido are negatively impacted during or after menopause, doctors can prescribe hormone therapy, from prescribing birth control pills to prescribing hormone replacement therapy (HRT). If you are a woman older than 35 or so and you are experiencing negative changes in your sex drive or mood, discuss these with your doctor - it may be nothing but pre-menopausal symptoms and not a sign of anything wrong. Vaginal Dryness Changes Sex After Menopause Only about 20% of all woman experience vaginal dryness significant enough to require medical or product intervention. That means the majority of women experience no vaginal issues from menopause. If, however, you happen to be one of the unlucky 20%, there a wide variety or products sold over the counter to assist with vaginal dryness. From KY to Astroglide, you can now find exceptional water-based products, and there are even fancy and fun ones now, such as warming lubricants, and stimulating lubricants, and even the new KY His & Hers, which you'll just have to buy and try to see what they do! Besides lubricants, there are also vaginal moisturizers that are used after bathing instead of during or before sexual activity, and these work directly on the vaginal lining to provide moisture instead of just lubrication. Products like Replens moisturize instead of just lubricate. The point is, vaginal dryness is not a big problem, and if you approach it with a sense of humor and a little playfulness with your partner, vaginal dryness after menopause can actually make your sex life better. Talk to your partner about it too. Sometimes, post menopausal vaginal dryness can also be combated by having your partner increase the amount of time for foreplay to allow for proper excitement and lubrication. Can more foreplay really be a bad thing? Decreased Sex Drive or Libido After Menopause First, make sure you're not taking any medication that has decreased sex drive as part of the side effects. You might be surprised how many do, particularly antidepressants, anti anxiety medication, and even some antibiotics and over the counter cold medication will too. Next, before opting for hormones or speaking to your doctor, try something really simple: have more sex. No, this is serious. Believe it or not, sex releases hormones and endorphins that can actually help increase your sex drive. Whether masturbation or sexual activity with a partner, sexual stimulation actually increases sex drive without artificial hormones. Sex After Menopause Is What You Make It You've probably heard that sex is 90% in the mind anyway, and that is mostly true where sex after menopause is concerned too. If you come into menopause believing you're going to have sexual problems, chances are you can create those very problems. Instead, if you look at menopause like you would any other condition, treat it appropriately if there are symptoms and keep positive about it in general, menopause doesn't have to affect your sex life in any way. In the end, while menopause is a time of change for a woman's body, nothing significant in her life has to change. Most women, by the time they reach menopause, don't want children or more children anyway, and the opportunity to skip a monthly cycle after so many years can be welcomed as a positive change. Some woman said they feel like less of a woman after menopause, but if you really think about it: no more monthly crying spells, no more cramps, no more mood swings, no more risk of pregnancy, no periods - sex any time, anywhere you want it with your partner - well, all in all, sounds to me like menopause could actually be a time when a woman can focus more time on just being a woman. When you think of it that way, menopause doesn't sound like a bad thing at all!
Permalink Comments (0) Weak Writing with Weasel WordsPosted Thursday, August 07, 2008 (1 year 92 days ago.) Viewed 279 times. What are weasel words? Well, whether you are actively aware of this or not, weasel words are a way of slipping personal opinion into what you are writing, and to do it in such a way that it sounds credible, but isn't exactly verifiable. Keep reading. I'll give you a list of some common weasel word phrases toward the end, but let's talk about why weasel words are not a good thing. If I personally think driving too fast is not a good idea and I write a piece about it like this:
Also, the inverse of that statement can also be true.
Now, I suppose if you're writing an opinion piece, some weasel words are to be expected, but wouldn't your opinion piece - and most definitely your factual/informational content - be stronger and make a better point if it had real information? For example, "A survey by (name who did the survey) says that 90% of all drivers on the road exceed the posted limit..." Okay, that's an example only - have no idea if there's even a real stat for that particular example, but that's not the point. The point is - which is stronger:
Now, why are they called weasel words? Because this is a trick that is usually used by a writer or speaker when they are wanting to push their opinion in their writing or speaking, but they do not have the information or sometimes even the truth on their side and they want to 'weasel' out of giving cold, hard information and facts. (again, usually because the facts do not support their position). Now, what are some other weasel words? "Some..." "Most...." "Many..." "A lot..." "More and more..." "Critics says...." "Opponents feel..." "A few..." Can you add others to this list? If you've ever tried to edit or use Wikipedia, you probably know, they are very much against weasel words. Why? Because, strange as it may seem to think of them as a wholly reliable source, Wikipedia is trying to be an online 'living' encyclopedia, and weasel words are not quantifiable. If you are writing fact/informational based articles or content, avoid weasel words completely, and be sure to back up your assertions about stats or facts with a reliable source. If you are writing opinion pieces, and you feel you must use weasels words, be prepared to have someone come along and slam your opinion as groundless or not based on facts. While it's true one can find a stat to support just about any opinion one might have, a fact or stat is still preferable to a weasel word that is lazy and possibly indicative of intentional desire to sway opinion without providing any proof of that viewpoint. While reading content on the internet, keep your eye open for the use of weasel words, and you might find yourself a bit less gullible when reading things on the internet! But most importantly, review your own writing and try to remove weasel words wherever you can or back them up with solid, useful, quantifiable information.
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