Have you ever stopped to think about why you eat the foods that you do? Often food selections and the actual act of eating are done unconsciously so you might not have put much thought into it. There are actually a number of factors that influence our daily food choices.

Sports related concussions especially in football were once trivialized by athletes and coaches whose mentality was to play through pain to prove toughness and “take one for the team”. But now concussions are a hot sports topic and recognized by professionals as an ever increasing concern and public health issue.

It’s that time of year again. Summer is winding down and school is about to (or already has) start. I know for many parents this time is met with mixed emotions. On the one hand they think, how can another year have passed?

It is widely known that coronary heart disease (CHD) is among the leading causes of death in most countries that have a reasonably high standard of living. CHD is characterized by accumulation of plaque within the coronary arteries, which are located in the heart muscle.

A picture of chocolate and the word secret—sure got your attention didn’t it? But no it’s not eating chocolate (unfortunately) and maybe what I am about to talk about isn’t that much of a “secret” but please keep reading. A few weeks ago I was out of town on business and a very nice lady who worked in the business office at the hotel where I was staying drove me to the airport for my return trip home.

The 2012 Summer Olympics have proven once again to have some amazing battles, swimming included. Many races came right down to the wire with each swimmer going to full exhaustion during the race.

Last week, we discussed the Strength Model of Self-Control, or the idea that self-control is similar to a muscle that can be fatigued with overuse. Also, similar to a muscle, self-control can be strengthened through “exercise.

Making changes to your behavior is hard work—we know! It’s not just as simple as “mind over matter” as many people think. Patterns of behavior when done over and over and over again become second nature so that when we do want to make a change it is quite challenging.

Last week in Resisting Temptations: Part 1, we discussed the Strength Model of Self-Control, or comparing self-control to a muscle that can be fatigued with overuse. For example, you use your self-control muscle all day, resisting some chocolate chip cookies, and when you go home, you have no strength left to resist the chocolate cake on the counter.