Health, nutrition, and fitness articles I've written articles for Livestrong.com appear under the pen name Nicole Langton. These articles were written according to the client's very specific requirments and based on titles the client provided. A full list is available at Livestrong.com. Examples include:
One of my early articles, published in 2004, is available online: Teaching English in Hungary in Transitions Abroad
A sample of my writing is also available at HealthPLRContent.com (my health PLR site) and below for your convenience:
Control Your Stress to Control Your Weight
Work stress, financial stress, relationship stress–seems like it’s always something. While completely avoiding stress may be impossible, learning to manage it is critical for maintaining good health. Uncontrolled stress can do a number on your health in many ways and increasing your weight is just one of them.
How Stress Causes Fat Gain
If you’ve ever looked into the ways stress affects your weight, you probably know it has something to do with hormones, particularly the hormone cortisol. While hormones do affect fat gain, the connection is often misunderstood. In response to very short-term stress, such as a loud noise, your body releases hormones that trigger either a “fight” or a “flight” response. These hormones aren’t what cause you to pack on the pounds, though.
The problem arises when the stress lasts longer than a few minutes, at which point your adrenal glands release cortisol. This is particularly true for stress that triggers feelings of defeat and hopelessness. Cortisol increases fat production overall and also causes your body to store more visceral fat, the harmful abdominal fat that lies around your internal organs.
To make matters worse, cortisol stays in the brain longer than other stress hormones and prolonged stress, such as a stressful workplace or constant financial worries, keeps your body releasing cortisol on a regular basis.
The Snack Factor
You probably don’t need a study to tell you stress can increase your appetite and provoke cravings for sweets. Just in case you had any lingering doubts, though, a study published in the January 2001 issue of Psychoneuroendocrinology should remove them. Of fifty-nine healthy women who took laboratory stress tests, the women who released more cortisol had greater appetites after the tests and were also more likely to choose sugary foods than were the calmer women, researchers found.
To reduce the calories you take in through stress-related snacking, stock up on healthy, low-calorie snacks like low-fat cheese, whole-wheat crackers, dried fruit and yogurt. For meal times, collect recipes for healthy versions of comfort food favorites like chicken pot pie and clam chowder. Ideally, though, you’ll want to find ways to manage your stress that don’t involve eating.
Exercise to Beat Stress and Burn Fat
If you’ve been gaining weight due to stress, regular exercise holds a two-fold benefit for you. Regular workouts not only help you burn off some of that extra fat, but they also help you manage your body's and brain's reactions to stress. During cardiovascular exercise, like running or dancing, your body releases endorphins, which boost your mood and reduce feelings of pain. Your levels of stress hormones, like cortisol and adrenaline, also fall when you work out.
Even a long walk or a few minutes of stretching can help relieve some stress. To raise your endorphin levels, though, go with cardiovascular exercise that increases your heart rate and breathing rate, and makes you break a sweat. Exercises that work your arms and legs in a rhythmic way, such as jogging, or working on an elliptical machine, may be especially relaxing. Keep in mind that you may not notice the endorphin boost when you first start working out, so give your routine 3 or 4 weeks to take effect.
Meditation Helps, Too
While they may not get your blood pumping, mind-body practices like yoga and tai chi can help you manage stress and increase your physical fitness. Yoga, for instance, may help you avoid weight gain or lose excess weight, found a study published in the July-August 2005 issue of Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine. Normal-weight people who practiced yoga for four years were less likely to put on excess weight than those who didn’t practice yoga. Overweight people who practiced yoga for this length of time lost an average of 5 pounds while those who didn’t practice yoga gained an average of 13 pounds.
Finding healthy ways to manage your stress not only helps keep you slim, it also lowers your risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, digestive problems, and depression. If you suspect stress is a factor in your weight gain, look for ways to work more cardiovascular exercise into your daily routine or take up a stress-busting mind-body practice. Even starting with 15 minutes a day can set you on the road towards better health.