Don’t Just Get Better, Get Superbetter
Great article from Organic Authority’s Lacy Boggs Renner
http://www.organicauthority.com/health/superbetter-video-game.html
What happens when Jane McGonigal, one of the world’s preeminent alternate reality game designers and experts in game theory, suffers from a traumatic brain injury? Well, she designs a game to get better, of course. And not just better; Superbetter.
Superbetter is an online, social game designed to help you build up resistance in four categories: mental resistance, emotional resistance, social resistance and physical resistance. And by building yourself up in these areas, McGonigal believes that you can overcome just about anything, from depression to obesity and anxiety to PTSD. In other words, this is few steps beyond playing Angry Birds or Draw Something.
Superbetter is an alternate reality game, which incorporates online and real-world tasks. So, for example, if your quest in the game is to lose weight, you might battle a bad guy after dinner every night—namely, mindless munching in front of the TV. Whenever you defeat your personal bad guys (I’ve nicknamed mine Evil Dr. Chocolate Bar), you can log that on the game website and earn yourself points.
It’s definitely a fun way to think about working towards a goal, but does it actually work? In a word, yes.
In 2009, McGonigal had what seemed at first to be a minor accident, but which quickly morphed into a concussion with serious repercussions. Her brain injury sent her into a bout of deep depression, social isolation and anxiety. When her doctor told her that she might never get better if she didn’t see improvement within a year, she turned her passion for game theory and the psychology of positive emotions into a game for getting better. She became the hero in her own quest, enlisted friends and family members as allies to give her challenges and award her points, identified the bad guys that were her triggers, and made healthy choices that were her power-ups.
Today, she is completely recovered.
The SuperBetter website provides a framework, based in real science, for anyone to follow McGonigal’s strategy to work on their own quests. Although there are some common quests pre-programmed with challenges and bad guys, like losing weight or even working on a positive body image, the program is extremely customizable, making it an amazing free tool for every hero out there looking to slay a few personal demons.
6 Tips to Avoid Food Poisoning this Summer
As August nears, we’re all scraping to hang onto these final weeks of summer. Thinking about taking a picnic to the park, packing a lunch for a hike, or hosting an outdoor bar-b-q? Careful, with the heat wave being experienced all over the US, it doesn’t take long for the warm air to spoil your food. Organic Authority gives us 6 helpful tips to avoid getting food poisoning this summer.
Written by Lacy Boggs Renner
You only need to have food poisoning once to know how incredibly awful it can be—and to become committed to doing everything possible to prevent further foodborne illnesses. The Centers for Disease Control estimate that every year, 48 million Americans—nearly one in six—will get sick from a foodborne illness.
We’ve rounded up our six best tips to keep your summer picnics and barbeques safe and healthy. Read about them here: http://www.organicauthority.com/health/tips-to-avoid-food-poisoning.html
Sustainable or Gross? 7 Tips to Re-wear Clothes Before Washing
In this article, Organic Authority brings you 7 deciding factors for what to wash and how often. A twist on sustainable clothing! Enjoy
View full article here: http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1xK9Sj/www.organicauthority.com/sanctuary/7-tips-to-rewear-clothes-before-washing.html
Image: Magic Madzik
Someone had to ask, right? Is it sustainable or just plain gross to re-wear outfits before washing clothes?
The average American household does some 400 loads of laundry per year, using as much as 40 gallons of water per load, according to the Consumer Energy Center. With fresh water becoming a seriously scarce resource, that’s a huge number to take into consideration, especially when clothes are frequently and unnecessarily washed. In the not-so-olden days just a century ago, it was a given that clothes were going to be worn several times, if not dozens before washing. And even then, they were low-impact hand-washed and air-dried.
The home washing machine drastically changed all that in the 1950s. Suddenly, we could have clean clothes with little effort—a necessity that became a luxury—but in our modern efforts to decrease our consumption of resources and our impact on the environment, it’s important that we choose to develop new habits. We didn’t always look at the bottom of containers to determine whether or not they were recyclable, now it’s a habit for many of us. So is shopping at local farmers markets to support our regional economy and decrease the distance between where our food is grown and our mouths. But what about what we wear? Is just using an environmentally friendly detergent enough? Check this list of tips on re-wearing clothes to decrease your impact on the environment and make your clothes last longer:
View the 7 tips here: http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1xK9Sj/www.organicauthority.com/sanctuary/7-tips-to-rewear-clothes-before-washing.html
4 Foods that Prevent Sunburn—from the Inside Out
4 Foods that Prevent Sunburn—from the Inside Out
| Written by Lacy Boggs Renner Organic Authority.com |
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We all know that it’s important to do our best to avoid sunburn altogether, but it seems inevitable: at least once a summer you end up forgetting your sunscreen and… ouch. But, if you bulk up on these foods even before you set foot outside, your body could be better equipped to prevent sunburn (and heal when you do get burned). Green teaStudies have shown that drinking two cups of green tea per day could provide your body with (a little bit of) sunburn-fighting abilities! The catechin compounds in green tea are thought to help protect the body from the sun’s radiation. Bonus: the tannic acid in tea can help fight sunburn pain, so put cool teabags on a sunburn to feel better after the fact. (Click here for more natural sunburn remedies.) PomegranatesThis wonder fruit is packed with ellagic acid, and a study from Texas A&M University found it can help protect skin from cell damage caused by UVA- and UVB-rays. GuavasNothing says summer better than tropical fruit, and this one has up to five times the amount of vitamin C—a skin-healing antioxidant—than your average orange. In fact, working any vitamin C-rich foods into your diet could help add an extra layer of protection. TomatoesThese summer gems are jam-packed with lycopene, which can help protect you from sun damage. In one study, volunteers who ate five tablespoons of tomato paste showed 25 percent more sun resistance! Image by chrisjohnbeckett You can follow Lacy on Twitter @lacylu42 |
Impact of California’s GMO Label Law
7 Ways California’s GMO Label Law Could Change the World
The California Right to Know Campaign that would require labeling of genetically modified foods was successful in collecting nearly a million signatures from California voters who want the right to know what’s in their food. So, what happens then if Californians opt for GMO labeling in November and the measure passes? How will it affect the rest of the country, and the world?
Read on here! http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/1sy56R/www.organicauthority.com/foodie-buzz/california-gmo-label-law.html
Banned! Los Angeles Nation’s Largest City to Prohibit Plastic Bags
Courtesy of Organic Authority
The highly anticipated decision by the city of Los Angeles on whether or not to ban the single use plastic bag from retail stores and restaurants was announced last Wednesday, with an overwhelming 13 to 1 vote in favor of the ban, making Los Angeles the nation’s largest city to prohibit plastic bags and the state’s 48th city overall, joining San Francisco, San Jose and Long Beach.
Experts estimate that by keeping the nearly 3 billion plastic bags currently used in the city of Los Angeles out of landfills, residents will also experience fewer environmental pollutants and cleaner oceans. But not everyone agrees. Representatives of plastic bag manufacturing plants suggest the measure could cost many Los Angeles residents their jobs. The 1 nay vote, issued by Councilman Bernard Parks, represents his concern over legal challenges and health concerns over possible food contamination from reusable bags.
Large markets and stores within Los Angeles will have six months and smaller stores will have to the end of 2012 to phase out the plastic bags. This does not count against plastic bags used for produce and bulk items. The same measure also aims to decrease the use of paper bags, as well, which will still be allowed as an option, but stores and restaurants will be required to charge a ten-cent surcharge per bag.
Last year, the county of Los Angeles enforced a ban on plastic bags, which has already taken effect in unincorporated areas of the county, but the measure has been challenged in court.
Keep in touch with Jill on Twitter @jillettinger
Image: velkrO
Feminist Websites to Women’s Magazines: A Smart Woman’s Reading Guide
Abbie Stutzer
OK, ladies. Are you bored with the reading selection in your doctor’s office? Tired of clicking on apparent women’s interest news stories only to get an eye-full of some young starlet who’s fallen off the wagon again? Fume no more. We (Organic Authority) have compiled a “smart woman’s reading list” just for you covering everything from blogs to magazines, to smart websites and a podcast.
Go to this link to view Organic Authority’s “smart woman’s reading list” - http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2CXEFZ/www.organicauthority.com/sanctuary/a-smart-womans-reading-guide-from-feminist-websites-to-womens-news-magazines.html
