fitness

Honey isn't just an alternative spermicide (see "honey cap" post) but is being experimented with as a way to deal with superbugs in hospitals, according to "Sticky solution: Honey may help in the battle against superbugs," an article that appeared in the Economist last year: Research in Australia and New Zealand suggests that honey heals because it attacks bacteria in several different ways at once. Because honey is composed of saturated sugars, it sucks up water, depriving bacteria of the liquid they need to survive and multiply. As bees make [...]

Ski season has already started in the Berkshires, after our first big snowfall last Friday. I love the idea of people being outside, enjoying the winter outdoors, but skiing, at least our modern industralized version, is one of the sports with the worst impact on the environment. I've found a farm nearby that grooms trails for cross-country skiiing and plan to give it a try. But even a quiet activity like yoga has impact--mostly because people drive and fly to do it. Here's a modest way to make your asana [...]

Good to see that the younger athletes who are driving the growth of extreme and adventure sports are also thinking about the environment: "X Games Go Extreme and Green. Sports can be a great way to connect with the natural world and with our physical selves, but they can be destructive, too. This rising consciousness is a wonderful thing to see . I'm working on a book project called Sports for Every Woman and plan to try them out, but have to admit I'll cry off when it comes to [...]

Remember the Alar scare? I'm not sure I ever saw it myself, but the legendary news clip lingers in my mind: suburban women chasing the school bus to try to retrieve a possibly Alar-sprayed apple from their child's lunchbox. Health and the environment are closely connected, but we need to keep our perspective. My daughter sent this quote, making a joke of our modern hysteria about safety and hygiene: "Science Editor Daniel Koshland lampooned this mood last June when he invented an interview with "Dr. Noitall" whose "appearance on three [...]

Air travel is the most energy-intensive of all, and is definitely to be avoided when possible. But I'm afraid that I've been crossing the Atlantic--it's hard to run an international business without doing some of this type of travel--so I thought I'd share some health tips from The Armchair Environmentalist's chapter on Greener Transport. More about ways to avoid excessive travel to come! Wing Tips

I love sports, and in fact have just published the Berkshire Encyclopedia of World Sport, which is edited by David Levinson and yours truly, the wannabe jock. Here's an extract from The Armchair Environmentalist on becoming an eco-activist: Throughout history we've been trying to find ways to reduce physical labour. We