E-therapy: 8 ways to be a better blogger
Experts agree that blogging (maintaining a website online where you post updates or commentary) can be therapeutic. Writing helps us process our feelings, as well as communicate with others. So how can you improve the quality of your writing to make it even more enjoyable for yourself and your readers? Here are eight tips.
Define your purpose. Why are you writing your blog? To stay in touch with others? To express a point of view? Exchange information? Is it more of an online journal or a commentary for issues and trends? Whatever your purpose, keep it consistent to manage expectations and keep your readers coming back.
Know your audience. Understanding who you’re writing to will help shape an appropriate voice and writing style, be it straightforward, witty, conversational or authoritative.
Engage your readers. Create a strong connection with those who read your blog. Tell them who you are (you don’t have to use your real name) and relate something interesting about yourself. Interact with them through comments and answer their questions. Add photos to your posts. Use photos to add visual interest and to deliver a more powerful impact than just words.
Mix up your approach. Keep readers interested by varying how you deliver information in your posts. Some ideas include: a post that examines the pros and cons of an issue, a post that is inspirational, a post that interviews an interesting figure, or a post about current events in your niche.
Keep it brief. Most readers have short attention spans, so keep it simple, tight and interesting. Don’t feel like you have to write a lengthy tome. If you do have a lot to say, break it up into smaller paragraphs and make it easy to skim with subheads or bullet points.
Provide links to other helpful sites/information. Good blogs expand their readers’ world through outbound links. Link to other bloggers, articles and sites that you feel will provide added value to your readers.
Proofread and edit yourself tirelessly. Because blogging is so personal, some people don’t bother to review what they’ve written before hitting “Post.” Take the extra 10 minutes to hit spell check and eliminate run-on sentences. Your readers will thank you for it.
Taken from Carepages.com (http://cms.carepages.com/CarePages/en/ArticlesTips/HelpfulTips/BetterYou/e_therapy.html?ipc=nlsept_aby_1)
Showing posts with label healthy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label healthy. Show all posts
Friday, August 29, 2008
Think It's Too Hard to Be Healthy? Think Again!
If you've been fretting that it's just too difficult to be health conscious, these tips are sure to change your mind. With a simple attitude adjustment and the application of even a few of these tips, you'll be on the more-healthy path in no time.
1. Clear out your kitchen cabinets, pantry, and refrigerator of all unhealthy snacks. Forget how much they cost. Just toss them. It's a lot less expensive to toss unhealthy snacks, than to deal with the costs of getting seriously ill.
2. Do most of your shopping in the fruit and vegetable aisle in your supermarket.
3. Cut up the veggies when you get home from shopping and put them into the refrigerator for snacking. In fact, pack up some little packets to bring to work with you for morning and afternoon snacks to eliminate those trips to the vending machines.
4. Plan out menus for healthy cooking on the weekend. When you go grocery shopping, just get the ingredients to make those meals--rather than buying randomly.
5. Plan on eating five to six smaller meals during the day. In addition to your regular meals, have one in the mid morning and one in the mid-afternoon. Do not eat after eight at night. Pretend you are going to have a blood test each morning and that you have to fast.
6. Chew sugarless gum. It keeps your mouth busy and satisfied. Keep a bottle of unsalted almonds in your desk to satisfy an emergency snack craving.
7. If you like crunchy snacks, almonds, celery, sugar snap peas and carrots are great choices.
8. Love ice cream? Treat yourself once or twice each week to a half cup serving. Or, try out some of the lower calorie frozen treats on the market.
9. Avoid eating cake at each and every celebration at work. Those can add up to unnecessary pounds on your body. Keep healthy snacks in your desk so you can enjoy the celebrations on a full stomach.
10. Drink lots of water during the day--six to eight glasses is recommended. This will fill you up and keep you hydrated.
11. Precook some of your entrees on the weekend so you just have the veggies to steam and the salad to prepare. Steaming is a good way of retaining nutrients and vitamins. Make a double portion of dinner so you can freeze it for another dinner when busy--or make a large roast and use it for a few meals.
12. Not enough vegetables in the fridge? Drink a vegetable drink, like V-8. Limit your starches and white flour and sugar.
13. Check the sodium content on packages. Use fresh foods (not the prepackaged prepared foods) whenever possible. Lots of sodium, fat and such isn't good for high blood pressure. Check fat and sugar content and note that a lot of these are hidden ingredients. (By the way, it only takes a few minutes to grill chicken, turkey or fish-- and you can do it on an indoor grill! No excuses for not using fresh foods!)
14. Rice cakes are tasty replacements for bread. Some are sweet, some are salty.
15. Sugar-free Jell-O is another snack that is healthy for you and can satisfy that sweet tooth. With a little light Cool Whip, you actually may feel like you are cheating.
16. One of the easiest ways to loose weight is walking. Loose weight, strengthen your lungs and think about your goals--all at the same time.
17. Have an active get together with friends, rather than always meeting at a restaurant. Meet to bike or walk together. You can catch up on all that has been going on in your lives, while burning calories.
18. Swimming is another excellent way to exercise. Join the local Y or health club.
19. Keep walking shoes at work. Eat a light lunch and then head outdoors to do some power walking. You can get a break from work and come back refreshed and ready to tackle the afternoon.
20. Plan activities with your hands to keep busy, so you don't reach for the snacks. Play games with the kids, read a book, go outside and walk around the block as a family. If you are crafty, start a project to complete. Start dancing. Take an art class.
21. Get at least 8 hours of sleep each night. You'll feel more energetic in the morning.
22. Last but not least, YOU are the only one who can change any unhealthy habits and it all starts with your attitude-- the time to start getting healthier is NOW! Do yourself a favor and make that wonderful decision for yourself today.
(from a newsletter by http://www.getorganizednow.com/ )
If you've been fretting that it's just too difficult to be health conscious, these tips are sure to change your mind. With a simple attitude adjustment and the application of even a few of these tips, you'll be on the more-healthy path in no time.
1. Clear out your kitchen cabinets, pantry, and refrigerator of all unhealthy snacks. Forget how much they cost. Just toss them. It's a lot less expensive to toss unhealthy snacks, than to deal with the costs of getting seriously ill.
2. Do most of your shopping in the fruit and vegetable aisle in your supermarket.
3. Cut up the veggies when you get home from shopping and put them into the refrigerator for snacking. In fact, pack up some little packets to bring to work with you for morning and afternoon snacks to eliminate those trips to the vending machines.
4. Plan out menus for healthy cooking on the weekend. When you go grocery shopping, just get the ingredients to make those meals--rather than buying randomly.
5. Plan on eating five to six smaller meals during the day. In addition to your regular meals, have one in the mid morning and one in the mid-afternoon. Do not eat after eight at night. Pretend you are going to have a blood test each morning and that you have to fast.
6. Chew sugarless gum. It keeps your mouth busy and satisfied. Keep a bottle of unsalted almonds in your desk to satisfy an emergency snack craving.
7. If you like crunchy snacks, almonds, celery, sugar snap peas and carrots are great choices.
8. Love ice cream? Treat yourself once or twice each week to a half cup serving. Or, try out some of the lower calorie frozen treats on the market.
9. Avoid eating cake at each and every celebration at work. Those can add up to unnecessary pounds on your body. Keep healthy snacks in your desk so you can enjoy the celebrations on a full stomach.
10. Drink lots of water during the day--six to eight glasses is recommended. This will fill you up and keep you hydrated.
11. Precook some of your entrees on the weekend so you just have the veggies to steam and the salad to prepare. Steaming is a good way of retaining nutrients and vitamins. Make a double portion of dinner so you can freeze it for another dinner when busy--or make a large roast and use it for a few meals.
12. Not enough vegetables in the fridge? Drink a vegetable drink, like V-8. Limit your starches and white flour and sugar.
13. Check the sodium content on packages. Use fresh foods (not the prepackaged prepared foods) whenever possible. Lots of sodium, fat and such isn't good for high blood pressure. Check fat and sugar content and note that a lot of these are hidden ingredients. (By the way, it only takes a few minutes to grill chicken, turkey or fish-- and you can do it on an indoor grill! No excuses for not using fresh foods!)
14. Rice cakes are tasty replacements for bread. Some are sweet, some are salty.
15. Sugar-free Jell-O is another snack that is healthy for you and can satisfy that sweet tooth. With a little light Cool Whip, you actually may feel like you are cheating.
16. One of the easiest ways to loose weight is walking. Loose weight, strengthen your lungs and think about your goals--all at the same time.
17. Have an active get together with friends, rather than always meeting at a restaurant. Meet to bike or walk together. You can catch up on all that has been going on in your lives, while burning calories.
18. Swimming is another excellent way to exercise. Join the local Y or health club.
19. Keep walking shoes at work. Eat a light lunch and then head outdoors to do some power walking. You can get a break from work and come back refreshed and ready to tackle the afternoon.
20. Plan activities with your hands to keep busy, so you don't reach for the snacks. Play games with the kids, read a book, go outside and walk around the block as a family. If you are crafty, start a project to complete. Start dancing. Take an art class.
21. Get at least 8 hours of sleep each night. You'll feel more energetic in the morning.
22. Last but not least, YOU are the only one who can change any unhealthy habits and it all starts with your attitude-- the time to start getting healthier is NOW! Do yourself a favor and make that wonderful decision for yourself today.
(from a newsletter by http://www.getorganizednow.com/ )
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