A blog about the wily side of health behavior
The world may have been watching Felix Baumgartner overcome his fears and plunge 120,000 feet through the sound barrier toward earth… But chances are, almost no one is watching whether you ace your workout. For my latest U.S. News piece, I talked “exercise hang-ups” with Michael Gervais, a licensed psychologist and expert in sports performance. AsRead More
This week a friend showed me the video of Louis C.K. talking about cell phones. He jokes about how we fiddle with our phones because we don’t like standing around in line, and we especially don’t like to feel alone. And it made me wonder: is this the reason mandatory menu labeling isn’t working? Because most of theRead More
When it comes to influencing what Americans will order at a restaurant, a picture is worth a thousand words — or roughly six billion dollars, which is what restaurants spent on advertising in the U.S. in 2011, according to Kantar Media. We should consider that for a moment. It’s largely believed that education is theRead More
One of the questions that keeps me up at night (or rambling at pub night) is this: how is it that 90% of us are stumped about how to incorporate exercise into our lives, while the other 10% are bloody doing it? This seemingly superheroic 10% also have jobs, kids, school, significant others. How haveRead More
Time flies when there’s a lunging blade, roundhouse kick or tango dip around every corner. For a recent U.S. News piece, I looked at why complex workouts deliver better fitness results than regular ol’ running and cycling. Not only does a workout challenge keep us engaged, it continually enhances our ability to strategize, according to performanceRead More
“It’s a Zen moment, and the cup should reflect that,” said a Starbucks creative director to Fast Company recently. She was talking about Teavana’s new pristine cup design with disguised sleeve, instead of the old cardboard option, and it sounded like bullshit. “Zen moment”? But in truth, I’m not any more rational when it comes to judging aRead More
Bacon frying. Buttery popcorn. Warm brownies fresh from the oven. Many a healthy eating pledge has flown out the window at first whiff of one of these mouthwatering aromas. Of course, we saw — or rather, smelled — it coming. But what about other, sneakier ways our sniffers might be leading us to indulge? Thanks to “smellvertising”Read More
If Skechers had included a disclosure in its advertising for Shape-ups and Resistance Runner shoes, it might have avoided a class action lawsuit last year — not to mention a $40 million settlement to provide customer refunds. Skechers was accused of making fitness claims that were poorly supported by the scientific research it cited. But current marketingRead More
According to findings published in the Journal of Marketing Research, people tend to have a “now or whenever” mentality when it comes to results. We’d like our rewards now, thank you — but if we have to wait, it doesn’t matter so much when they arrive. It’s why we’re willing to pay considerably more to haveRead More
Due to their convenience and often cheaper prices, big-box stores, warehouse clubs, and standard supermarket chains have become popular alternatives to specialty chains like Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods, and small, local markets. Many of the grocery goliaths even offer natural, fresh, and organic options for the health-conscious shopper. But there could be downsides to getting yourRead More
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