Since so many readers commented that they like it when I do ‘articles worth reading’ round-ups on Fridays, here’s another edition of For Your Reading Pleasure!  Read on, read on. No one really wants to do work on Friday afternoons, anyway.

 

The Pregnancy Project: Why One Girl Decided to Fake Her Baby Bump

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Gabby Rodriguez, a high school senior, surprised no one when she confessed she was pregnant – the product of a teen mom herself, most people in her life assumed it would be her fate, too.  But after nine months, she shocked everyone by announcing at a school assembly that the entire pregnancy was faked – a social experiment designed to test stereotypes. Only her mother, boyfriend, and principal knew the truth.  Gabby’s story is now a book and movie (which premieres tomorrow night on Lifetime).  I just can’t believe she had the conviction to go through with this for nine months – IMPRESSIVE.  I’d love to read the book for details on how their families reacted when they found out the truth.

 

Beer Run!

As a runner, you always hear that beer is the “perfect carb-load” or the “ideal recovery drink,” but I think this is mostly just our wild fantasies.   This article was a funny take on whether alcohol really does improve performance and recovery.  Guess what?  It might be better for women to booze up!

 

My Life After Sexual Harassment

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A great, honest, and practical article on dealing with sexual harassment in the workplace.  I actually have a close friend who just dealt with terrible gender bias at her job (how does this still happen in 2012?), and I think every woman should read this article ASAP. 

 

Turning to Kettlebells to Ease Back Pain

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A Danish study of 40 pharmaceutical workers, mostly middle-aged women with back, shoulder, and neck pain were randomly assigned to either a regular kettlebell workout or a control group (that was just told to exercise however they see fit).  The kettlebell lifters reported less pain and improved strength compared with the control group. Over all, the study concluded that working out with kettlebells reduced lower back pain by 57% and cut neck and shoulder pain by 46%.  I thought this was interesting because when my neck hurts, I always assume lifting weights would make it wore.

 

Half of Teen Moms Don’t Use Birth Control — Why That’s No Surprise

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Interesting factoid: 1/3 of teen moms didn’t use birth control because they didn’t think they could get pregnant.  Well… duh.  But most terrifying was that nearly 1/4 didn’t because their partners pressured them not to.  I’m all for supporting individuals who want to want until marriage – or at least adulthood – but I think it’s pretty obvious from this CDC report that we need more sex education in schools. 

 

Meet the Marriage Killer (and a great response: A Naggy Anti-Nagging Nag for Women to Stop Nagging)

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I read both of these articles with great interest because nagging actually used to be a huge problem in our relationship (and not how you’d think – the Husband was the primary nagger, although I also did it, too).  And I quote: “Research that Dr. Markman published in 2010 in the Journal of Family Psychology indicates that couples who became unhappy five years into their marriage had a roughly 20% increase in negative communication patterns consistent with nagging, and a 12% decrease in positive communication. "Nagging is an enemy of love, if allowed to persist," Dr. Markman says.”  I have to say that while the original article was interesting, the Jezebel response was even better (as it usually is).

 

Your turn to weigh in:  Do you kettlebell? Nag the crap out of your spouse? Would you have faked a pregnancy during your senior year of high school for ‘research’?  Do teenagers need more sex ed or less exposure to the horizontal polka in general?  And do you carb-load with beer?

{ 60 comments }

 

  • HTPDad January 27, 2012, 1:16 pm

    #1

  • Gina @ Running to the Kitchen January 27, 2012, 1:18 pm

    I’m literally on a sexual harassment training right now for work. Off to read that article b/c I bet I’d learn more reading that than listening to this!

  • Angela @ Eat Spin Run Repeat January 27, 2012, 1:19 pm

    I love kettlebells! Windmills are my favourite and they always leave my abs and obliques feeling well-worked!

  • Amy January 27, 2012, 1:22 pm

    I have mixed feelings about the girl who faked her pregnancy — mostly I wonder about the hurt feelings of her and her boyfriend’s extended families and friends. They all believed they would be welcoming a new baby into the world, and to be told “psych! I just wanted to see how much you would judge me!” must have been really hurtful and harsh.

    • CaitlinHTP January 27, 2012, 1:24 pm

      I feel the same way! And all her brothers and sisters, too (she has 7, I think).

      • Amy January 27, 2012, 3:29 pm

        Wow, even they weren’t in on it? Ugh. That takes it over the top for me. Despicable.

  • Sarah January 27, 2012, 1:25 pm

    I think schools can only go so far with sex education. I definitely support it but I think parental education is just as important. For example, studies show that girls who have good relationships with their fathers are less promiscuous.

    Schools can and should provide the facts but parents have to instill a moral backdrop for them to be effective.

  • Katie @ Peace Love & Oats January 27, 2012, 1:28 pm

    I remember hearing about the girl who did that pregnancy experiment! To give up your senior year and fake pregnant took some serious courage!

  • Kate January 27, 2012, 1:30 pm

    I remember seeing news stories about the Pregnancy Project and being amazed by her and her boyfriend. I would completely have been the girl to fake a pregnancy in high school, but I doubt I would have had the emotional strength to endure keeping that secret for all 9 months and facing the repercussions of it. I’m thinking specifically of the college recruiting fairs I went to with friends and how the admissions teams might not have taken me seriously as a potential student. I think my friends would have been caring and excited/happy for me if I was excited but I know their parents reactions/ potential judgment would have been really hard for me to handle.

  • Alex @ Alex Eats Green January 27, 2012, 1:36 pm

    Will run for beer!! Awesome.

  • Liz @ Tip Top Shape January 27, 2012, 1:39 pm

    I just read the Kettle ball article! Really interesting stuff.

  • Lindsey January 27, 2012, 1:42 pm

    Loved the nagging article. I read it and sent it to be husband. I am a total nagger and know it. Paragraph 6 described us 100% I am anxious and organized while he is more laid back. Now I know how to better manage these situations!

  • Hillary January 27, 2012, 1:50 pm

    Kids need more sex education, period. I’m a middle school teacher, and it still blows my mind how “mature” my kids are—and how clueless they are at the same time. They need real, honest, straightforward information that they’re not getting from their conversations with friends on the bus or from TV. Just my 2 cents!

  • Emily @ The Swallow Flies January 27, 2012, 1:54 pm

    I teach ninth grade and continue to be shocked at the utter lack of sex ed in our public schools. It saddens me, and it frightens me. I have students coming to my room all the time asking questions and wanting to talk about sensitive issues because they don’t know where else they can. It’s absolutely horrific how much our society is almost setting them up for difficult issues, whether those be teen pregnancy, STIs, etc. So sad.

  • Laura @ She Eats Well January 27, 2012, 2:00 pm

    Teen pregnancy has gotten out of control. I hate shows like Teen Mom that strangely glamorize pregnancy, in a weird way. The Pregnancy Project interests me, but I too have mixed feelings about it. Regardless, takes some guts to do what she did. Thanks for the interesting heads up about the book.

  • Grace @ What Grace Cooked January 27, 2012, 2:02 pm

    I read that Beer Run article in Runners World a few weeks ago – LOVE it! At the end, they talk about how the study was too small to draw any real conclusions, but I found the anecdotal stories of runners performing better in races when they didn’t eliminate alcohol during training.

    I wondered, though, about the spacing of the two running tests – running hard two days in a row will definitely affect performance on the second day, beer or no. I felt like that was a flaw in the methodology, but I’m not an exercise scientist.

  • Laura January 27, 2012, 2:02 pm

    I read similar stories on the theme of “teens didn’t think they could get pregnant.” In the sex-ed that I had, we were basically taught that sperm was some sort of magical goo that could get through clothing. Honestly, I’m still paranoid even though I take the pill, I assume it won’t work.

    I definitely want to read the Pregnancy Project book.

    And yes – sexual harassment is still huge. I had to put up with it all the time when I worked for my former company. Most of the time I thought it was hilarious that these morons still thought they could say certain things and I allowed guys over 60 to call me sweetie and darlin’. There were a few times when I was completely offended and felt uncomfortable though.

  • Sara January 27, 2012, 2:08 pm

    From the first article on the book–how is this still possible w/ teens??

    Last week, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a survey of nearly 5,000 girls in 19 states who got pregnant unintentionally and gave birth between 2004 and 2008. Half had not used birth control and a third explained their reasoning by saying they didn’t think they could get pregnant. In fact, research has shown that girls who get pregnant in their teens are often woefully misguided about their menstrual cycles. Some thought there was no way to get pregnant at the same time they lost their virginity, while others had an incorrect understanding of how ovulation works and at what point in the month they were most fertile.

  • Liz January 27, 2012, 2:11 pm

    That beer run picture is terrifying. Yikes.

  • Poptartyogini January 27, 2012, 2:25 pm

    Oh my goodness. I hope I’m not a nag but I probably am!!

  • Catherine January 27, 2012, 2:35 pm

    While I respect Gabby’s conviction, I don’t agree with what she did. Yes, it’s good to challenge stereotypes, but it makes me wonder if people needlessly spent money buying gifts for this girl’s imaginary baby. I’m not quite 5 months pregnant and already received several gifts. Family and friends get excited for you! Also, even if their relatives didn’t initially approve of the pregnancy because of their age or lack of a marriage license, they may have been looking forward to meeting their new little relative. I’m assuming her boyfriend’s family didn’t know and I think his mother would have been heartbroken, or possibly feel as though she lost a grandchild. I do give her kudos for being so bold, and sure it’s great to do something that “impacts the community” as she said. But not at the expense of the people closest to her.

    And I used to carb-load with beer all the time. Even when it wasn’t necessary 🙂

    • Amy January 27, 2012, 3:32 pm

      Exactly. I’ll even go so far as to say it wasn’t bold at all — it was sanctimonious, self-righteous, selfish and unnecessary. Find another way to challenge people’s prejudices without also messing with their emotions. I don’t think pregnancy and birth are anything to make light of in the way that she did.

    • Rebecca January 27, 2012, 5:08 pm

      It’s better than some of the women who pretend they’re pregnant IN ORDER TO get all the extra perks (including sometimes stealing a baby) and then you find out, “Oh, just kidding, I just took all your stuff because I’m a jerk.”

      • Amy January 27, 2012, 5:55 pm

        Haha yes!! I can’t believe anyone would actually do that, but there are all kinds of “people” out there …

  • Abby January 27, 2012, 2:35 pm

    More sex ed! I’ve lived in a pretty conservative town in West Texas all my life, and we used to have an abstinence-based sex ed program. They had to discontinue it because IT WASN’T WORKING, and we had a ton of pregnant girls.
    My beliefs of sex/waiting/etc. aside, teens are always going to have sex, so why can’t we at least teach them how to do it safely?
    Crazy story: my ex-best friend (who was a really smart girl)started dating a bit older guy her freshman year in college. She was a virgin, but when they started sleeping together they didn’t use any form of BC. She ended up getting herpes from him and has since passed it on to a few other people, just because she doesn’t use condoms. Now all of those people have to live with such a terrible disease for the rest of their lives. I really think that if buying condoms/ educating the youth around here about the dangers of unprotected sex, a lot of grief could be prevented.

  • Sarah January 27, 2012, 2:42 pm

    I experienced gender harrassment at work- I was told by my supervisor not to get pregnant. A few times. I did go to HR about the situation and he was fired, though I’m sure given a lovely severance. He also did this two at least one other coworker. We went forward together and I think that really helped us deal with the situation. It was never publicly acknowledged at work.

  • Rebecca January 27, 2012, 2:52 pm

    Thanks, Caitlin! I’m always looking for new books to read and The Pregnancy Project looks so interesting!

  • Jenny January 27, 2012, 2:55 pm

    I love this post and the articles attached. I was a victim of sexual harassment in the workplace and that article really struck close to home. I could relate to the author on more than one level. It wasn’t until after a year+ of compartmentalizing and wrongfully justifying the issue at hand that I finally reached my breaking point and went to HR. I quit my job on the spot and handed over a binder full of the reasons why (TONS of emails, letters, etc. from my boss at the time). I was lucky enough that within two weeks, he was no longer in his position and they were asking me to come back with the company into my old role. It was hard to come back and face the stares and gossip since no one else really knew what went on but here I am 3 years later with the company, still succeeding and way happier than I ever thought I could again!

  • Amber K January 27, 2012, 3:03 pm

    I was completely intrigued by the pregnancy project when I first heard about it. I already have the Lifetime movie set to record on my DVR. I’m completely impressed that she was able to keep it up for nine months!

  • Linz @ ItzLinz January 27, 2012, 3:11 pm

    Yes to kettle bell. I try not to nag. I never would have faked a pregnancy in high school.. I played sports year round so I wouldn’t let it affect that. I’m not a beer drinker. Teenagers definitely need more sex Ed!

  • TeenyLittleSuperChef January 27, 2012, 3:18 pm

    I’m pretty sure I could be accused of nagging sometimes, at least that’s what my husband would probably say. I bet most wives out there have done so at some point in their married lives. It happens when you live with someone 24 hours a day and they don’t exactly do things the way you would. I’m working on it, cause seriously, who wants to live with a nag? I sure wouldn’t.

  • v January 27, 2012, 3:18 pm

    I guess I’m part of the problem and not the solution if I say, well if he’d just do what I ask, I wouldn’t have to nag!!!!

  • Annette @ EnjoyYourHealthyLife January 27, 2012, 3:19 pm

    The marriage thing: I hardly nag my hubby and he does less so to me, and our marriage is as strong as ever. I feel closer to him if we use constructive feedback, instead of constant badgering or nagging.

    We def need more and/or better sex ed <—for both directions too. Not just focusing on the idea that everyone has to have sex before marriage (b/c this is so not the case).

  • Chelsea January 27, 2012, 3:53 pm

    I’m so going to read that book on The Pregnancy Project! I’m really interested in hearing how it really feels to be a teen mom from the looks, the talk, etc. Thank you for sharing!

  • Anna Crouch January 27, 2012, 3:57 pm

    I can see both sides of the spectrum about the fake pregnancy. Either way, it’ll make for good TV (fortunately, or unfortunately…).

    I also read the nagging article. This is definitely something I’ve struggled with since we got married. I’m not as bad anymore, but mostly because I just end up doing stuff, because i figure my husband won’t do it. Ugh, terrible. I forwarded it to him 🙂 It’s something we know we need to work on. Thanks for the reference

  • Emily January 27, 2012, 4:14 pm

    Teen pregnancy is a really interesting subject to me. I am now 22 and of the girls I went to school with a large proportion had babies as teenagers. The first when we were all 12, and then loads of them when we were aged 16 and 17. By the time I hit 20 over half of the girls I was at school with had babies or were pregnant.

    In the UK we had pretty good sex ed (though too late for the 12 year old), and very good access to contraception: all contraception is available free and confidentially (at any age) from your GP or from a family planning clinic. Here teens have become used to accessing these services and will often go with their friends.

    I would like to see more and better sex and relationships education though. I would like to see similar to what happens in some Scandinavian countries (Holland and Sweden have good models), whereby basic ‘sex ed’ (more anatomy really) is taught from 4 years old. In those places children learn about love and relationships from the same age. Gradually it is all brought together in an age appropriate way, so that children are equipped with the information they need well before physiological urges and peer pressures kick in. They have a much more open and mature approach which yields results later on.

    The UK also has issues with rising STD rates – 1 in 10 16-24 year olds have chlamydia here. However, this is not the same everywhere: there are hot spots of up to to 60% infection rates. Pretty chilling. Our teen pregnancy rate is behind America, but is the highest in Western Europe.

    I think in relation to teen pregnancy there are two key issues aside from the basic sex ed. The first is empowerment of girls. The kind of work you do helps with this: its about giving girls and young women the confidence in themselves and their bodies to take their own decisions and then enforce them. Including by saying no sex or no to sex without a condom. Lots of girls are used to being told what to do by various people in their lives: the boyfriend is just the next in a line. We need to fix this so that women can be confident in being the woman they want to be, not the kind of woman society or people in their lives tell them to be.

    The second is of aspiration. It has been said in the mainstream here that aspiration is the best form of contraception, and in many situations I think I agree. It is often in areas of poor education and little opportunity that girls choose motherhood young. In my peer group it was certainly the case that no matter how sexually active, those of us who had plans for further study, careers, travel etc ensured babies didn’t happen. The girls who didn’t have these plans either actively sought pregnancy, or invited it by not using contraception. I think often teen pregnancy is just one symptom of wider social problems.

    Also, though I think we all accept that children raising children is not something to be encouraged, I do think there is sometimes too much stigma attached. Many of the girls I know who got pregnant young have done fantastic jobs. Where they lacked drive before their babies have been the making of them: they have been determined to provide the very best for their kids. Many have returned to education and even university (when they had never considered this before) in their quest to provide more and better for their kids. When it happens society should be supportive of these mothers.

  • Melissa @ Be Not Simply Good January 27, 2012, 4:53 pm

    I am surprised about the kettlebell article. I have always thought that kettlebell workouts would be too hard on my back and haven’t even tried them. I’ll have to take a look at this article. Thanks for the recommendations.

  • Sneakers2Sandals January 27, 2012, 4:58 pm

    I just recently started kettlebell workouts. Mostly because my bootcamp instructor got us going on them. Then I bought my dad a set for Hanukah and he is addicted now!

    I just have to compliment you on how professional your posts are each and every time. With all these articles out about being professional in blogging and not acting like it’s your myspace account…I’ve felt that your blog and a few others exemplify professionalism. Anyways, just thought I’d let you know 🙂

  • Rebecca January 27, 2012, 5:01 pm

    My roommate and I saw a commercial for the Pregnancy Project movie and both want to watch it. Eventually.

    I actually just watched a documentary in my Interim class about HIV/AIDS in Africa, and the topic of birth control. The one guy they interviewed said he left the sex talk to his in-laws. For his children. Ridiculous. They are getting more education in schools, though, and trying to get girls to realize that they CAN say “no” in such a male-dominated culture. Part of the reason HIV/AIDS spreads so quickly there is because people have so much casual, extramarital/premarital sex and nobody really uses protection. But it’s not quite as prevalent in Senegal, for instance, because the country is mostly Muslim and they frown on infidelity and premarital/casual sex. Plus they had a pretty good health system in place a long time ago. Their prostitutes are required to get checked every so often and have to get these little notebooks stamped that they’re free or whatever. Kind of interesting.

    I know a girl who got pregnant our … senior year of high school, I believe. It seemed like every year there were at least two pregnant girls in school. It was ridiculous. Most of them seemed to do a pretty good job of parenting their kids, but I didn’t want that responsibility at that age. I don’t want it now. =\

    I don’t think anyone should be having sex before they’re, say, married, but there’s not much I can do to change people’s opinions. If they want to do something, they’re going to find a way to do it.

  • Kristee January 27, 2012, 5:35 pm

    I love your blog and read it nearly every day – love the healthy living practical tips and constant reminder to treat ourselves well!

    I do however, have to respectfully disagree with your opinion that more sex education is required in the school system.

    As a homeowner that pays property taxes in four different school districts and has not a single child in the public school system (and never will), I do not my hard earned money being spent to teach other people’s children about sex and protection when I strongly feel that it is a parent’s responsibility to do so.

    • Stephanie C January 27, 2012, 9:13 pm

      Ideally I think that should be something that happens – the norm. Unfortunately there are parents out there that just don’t want to talk about it. For my situation, I learned about sex through sex ed in high school as well as through LOVELINE (wow, right?) because my mom gave me two books and never talked to me about it after.

    • Amanda January 27, 2012, 9:30 pm

      But you don’t mind if they learn about cellular or molecular biology or calculus or any other subject taught? Learning about sex and your body is just biology. You learn about the body parts of other animals and how they mate in biology, how is it any different? It shouldn’t be treated as a religiously or emotionally charged subject, its just biology, just another interesting subject to learn about. Just my opinion.

      • Christena January 27, 2012, 11:38 pm

        But it IS an emotionally charged subject because it is an emotionally charged, voluntary ACT (entirely different from say, breathing, digestion, etc) that has serious implications on both long-term emotional and physical health. It is also a subject where individual values come in to play (not necessarily just religion), which is why it can’t be compared to subjects like cellular biology or calculus.

        Failure to appreciate the delicate nature of the subject and treat it appropriately would be a disservice to students who don’t get appropriate guideance at home.

        • Amanda January 28, 2012, 2:30 am

          I agree that it should be taught with decorum and not just about the act but all the emotions and consequences (emotional, physical, etc) that go along with it.

          I was just responding to the above comment, that she didn’t want her tax dollar money to go towards sex ed because parents should teach sex ed to their child and didn’t want money wasted on the class in school. I was just asking why it was okay to spend tax dollar money on other subjects but not sex ed.

          • Rachel January 29, 2012, 2:33 am

            First of all, I have such little tolerance for this “I have to pay even though I don’t send my kids to public school” attitude. Do you want a country full of uneducated people? You paying to support public schools affords you the privilege to live in a society with a higher level of literacy and education compared to the rest of the world. Bet she doesn’t want her tax dollars to go to supporting unwed teen mothers on welfare either!This is usually the double standard we face in America. Don’t want to support abortion or sex ed in schools but don’t want to spend my hard earned money on welfare programs either. To expect to leave it up to parents to teach their children how the reproductive system works is as ridiculous as saying parents should be responsible for teaching their children calculus. It’s biology people, when are we going to wake up from this prude backwards state of mind and realize IT’S NOT WORKING. We cannot be selective about which type of science and anatomy we teach in schools. It’s exactly this attitude that has gotten us where we are in the first place.

    • Peter January 28, 2012, 7:53 am

      I have a feeling if you’re paying property taxes in four different school districts it’s because you’re well off; maybe you’ve never had kids in public school, and possibly your parents could afford to send you to private school. Doesn’t matter – we have a 250 year tradition of public education in America.

      Possibly your parents were well educated enough to really give you a grounding in human biology and sexuality or insisted your teachers did.
      It is a fact that long term, sex education is not only less expensive, leads to healthier babies (due to later first births)and better economic outcomes for women because they’re not single moms young in life.
      If all the people who say sex ed belonged at home delivered sex ed at home, there wouldn’t be a problem. Just like most kids hate the thought of their parents being sexually active, most parents feel the same way about their kids.

      • Kristee January 28, 2012, 9:10 am

        Peter – No. My parents didn’t send me to private school. I come from a blue color working class family who took responsibility to teach me things they felt were their job. I have no issue with the public school system – never said so as you insinuate I did.
        I am not “well off” as you describe. My husband and I worked very hard to put ourselves through college and have done well for ourselves since then to lead a comfortable life.

        I do agree that many parents do not properly teach the topic at home and that is a problem. But, it is THEIR problem, not mine and not the public school systems.

        And just because it is taught in school and also discussed and taught at home doesn’t make the problem go away. Case in point, my parents raised 3 daughters. We all went to public school and got the sex education curriculum. My parents had very open discussions with us about the topic – both the biology of it and the wait for the right person topic and protect yourself topic. We all got the same education and parenting. Two of us made choices consistent with that teaching and one did not.

        If I did have children, I certainly wouldn’t want some stranger at school teaching my kids about that topic.

        • Claire January 28, 2012, 1:43 pm

          You said, “I do agree that many parents do not properly teach the topic at home and that is a problem. But, it is THEIR problem, not mine and not the public school systems [sic].” This is incredibly shortsighted and misguided. The small amount of tax dollars it costs to give kids a thorough sex ed. curriculum completely pales in comparison to the amount of tax dollars it costs to take care of young mothers and their children. Also, I think your statement is indicative of a total lack of compassion for your fellow citizens (something that I think is a widespread problem in our country). How are the struggles of your neighbors and kids in your community not your problem? Do you live in a vacuum? Do you think people in a civil society don’t have any responsibility for one another’s well-being?? I really don’t understand.

          • Rachel January 29, 2012, 2:37 am

            agree!!!! Like I said to her original comment, these “It’s not my problem” attitudes are the problem! So ignorant and narrow minded.

          • Kristee January 29, 2012, 11:59 pm

            I’m just curious if any of you attacking me actually pay property taxes that go towards the school system, because it is not “a small amount of tax dollars.” My feelings and beliefs are not short sighted or misguided. I also don’t feel I should be paying for young mothers and children either.

            And please be open minded – you cannot assume that I have no compassion for others. I am certain I donate far more of my time and money to charities than you do.

            It’s unfortunate that someone cannot have a different opinion without being attacked.

          • CaitlinHTP January 30, 2012, 7:55 am

            While I do not agree with Kristee’s sentiments, I do think she has a point about being to disagree without being attacked (sorry, Kristee, I would’ve jumped in earlier but my blog was giving me issues all weekend). We’re all entitled to agree or disagree, but let’s keep it respectful!

  • Laura January 27, 2012, 5:36 pm

    The nagging stuff was interesting. The one thing my mother never did was nag, she was adamant about it. My mother always thought it was a horrible, disrespectful habit. Growing up in a house without nagging, I am very aware of when I do nag and try to never do it. I think it’s helped my relationship. Another thing I try not to do is re-do anything my husband does (like fold clothes) bc I have a friend (a wise woman I might add) who once changed her daughter’s clothes after her husband dressed her and made her husband really upset. She said she realized that redoing something your partner did doesn’t engender much trust or respect. I think she’s SO right, so now, even though the towels aren’t folded like I would like, I try to focus on the fact that they are folded. 😉

  • Nikki January 27, 2012, 6:12 pm

    I’m sorry, but the kettlebell conclusions are completely overstated. I don’t think the results have anything to do with “kettlebell training” and more to do with guided strength training in general. There’s absolutely no evidence that there is anything special about kettlebell training. Furthermore, if you look at the actual data from the study, there is HUGE variability in the results. A 50% reduction in back-pain is sort of meaningless when the reduction goes from 3/10 to 2/10.

    Caitlin, I know you like posting these round-ups, but please take the time to read the actual science before putting out this kind of information. Just because the New York Times says its true, doesn’t mean it is. You should be critically reading and thinking about these things for yourself, not just regurgitating someone else’s recap of it.

    • Desirae January 27, 2012, 8:25 pm

      Totally agree here!

    • Opal January 27, 2012, 10:40 pm

      Absolutely. A group of people given a specific training program did better than a group left to their own devices? Gee, really?

      This says nothing at all about the superiority of kettlebells over any other training regime.

  • Brooke @ sweats & sweets January 27, 2012, 6:39 pm

    I can’t wait to watch that movie on Lifetime, although I have set to record on the DVR, I’m sure my husband won’t want to watch it. And I loved that beer run article in Runner’s World! I will now be joining the Michelob Ultra Finishers Circle after my races 🙂

  • KaraHadley January 27, 2012, 9:01 pm

    As a teenager (oh, how NOT long ago that was) I was obsessive about condoms. I was always the friend willing to buy them for other people and I never ever even thought about sex without them. UNTIL one night I did have sex without a condom and suddenly I felt invincible.
    Moral of the story — teens REALLY need facts about pregnancy rates and fertility and the whatnot. I am so freaking lucky that I didn’t get pregnant in high school.
    And I cringe hardcore when I hear about what “sex ed” is like in schools. People wonder why so many teens get pregnant, but they never seem to think about sex ed.

  • Kristen @ The Concrete Runnee January 28, 2012, 6:47 am

    I am a health teacher and I also waited until marriage, and while I hope my daughter follows in my (and her Gigi’s) footsteps, I’m a firm believer that there needs to be more sex Ed in schools. Teen pregnancy is an issue because most of them know nothing about birth control. They probably aren’t being told about it at home since most parents are in denial that their child would be having sex. I think it’s just as important to teach about birth control methods in school as it is drug prevention. I think this would significantly drop the teen pregnancy rate. We can still teach abstinence only since its really the only way to prevent pregnancy and STDs, but also teach other ways to protect against these things. Hopefully we will see this change in our lifetime!

  • Leila @ Spinach and Skittles January 30, 2012, 9:39 pm

    The girl who faked her pregnancy is from where I grew up, so it has been quite the big deal around my hometown. I think it is an interesting social experiment (that I would have never had the guts to do in high school!), but I don’t feel it was right to mislead the boyfriend’s parents. I don’t understand why they thought it was okay to tell her mom, but not his mom and dad. They would still get almost all of the same negative attention without putting that much unnecessary stress on his parents.

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