Yes! You could WIN one!

Maintaining an active social life keeps you feeling young. Staying connected with friends and family is an important way to keep active and healthy.

And these days, we have more ways to stay connected than ever before. Whether you're calling your friends and family, texting them, sending them a quick e-mail, connecting with them on Facebook or even following them on Twitter, there are a lot of ways to touch base with the people who matter most to you.

Who would you most like to reconnect with? Maybe it's a sibling you don't talk to as much as you'd like to. Maybe it's a high school friend you've lost touch with. Perhaps you'd like to be closer to your grown children. Or maybe you long to be reconnected with a long-lost love.

For a chance to WIN a Palm Pre™ smart phone, just Subscribe To This Blog and post a reply telling us about who you'd like to reconnect with and why. The Palm Pre™ is valued at $149.95 on a three-year contract or $599.95 without a contract with a minimum 500 MB data plan. You have until Monday, December 7 to let us know. I'll announce the winner here on Tuesday, December 8.

I can tell you from first-hand experience that these Palm Pre™ smart phones are super-fab. The Palm folks let me try one out and suddenly my husband and I were e-mailing each other constantly while he was out-of-town on business. Plus, I developed a closer bond with my sister-in-law, who's a rampant texter.

If I could reconnect with anyone, it would be my folks. Even though we talk on the phone almost daily, if I could get them using a smart phone like this, we could also text each other, e-mail each other more often and instantly exchange photos. What fun!

In my October 7 blog post, I asked you to tell me about what scares you for a chance to win a copy of Esther Kane's new book It's Not About the Food: A Woman's Guide to Making Peace With Food and Our Bodies.

We have a winner! Congratulations to Amy Barroso, who said:
"I was trying to pin down one thing that scares me, but on my way to work today I realized that what scares me changes depending on my life stage.

When I was little I was afraid of getting lost or losing my parents in the grocery store. When I was a teen I was afraid that my friends wouldn't accept me. In my 20's I was afraid that I wouldn't find the man of my dreams and have a happy life.

But I never got lost, my friends never judged me and I did find the man of my dreams.

Then it was the "mommy" stage and that opened up a whole new world of scared. When they were babies I was afraid they would stop breathing in the night and I wouldn't know it. When they were small I was afraid of losing them in the grocery store and now that they are teens I'm afraid of the wrong choices they may make.

All I can do is take a deep breath and be thankful that they never stopped breathing, I never lost them (well I did lose the little one for a minute LOL) and that the way I raised them will have taught them to make the right choices.

Can't wait to see what scares me next!"

What a terrific, positive approach. Way to go, Amy!

Have you entered our October 21 contest yet? And remember to enter our October 27 contest!

I was just checking out a book called The Shangri-La Diet: The No Hunger Eat Anything Weight-Loss Plan, by Seth Roberts, Ph.D.

Eat Anything. Anything. Really?

While I'm skeptical that you really could eat anything and lose weight and be healthy, I'm curious: if you could eat anything without feeling sick, full or fat afterward, what would it be? What would your 'Eat Anything' meal look like?

Mine would probably start with a rocky road ice cream appetizer, then progress to a poutine entree, followed by a towering pyramid of baklava for dessert, accompanied by a chocolate milkshake. Or two.

How 'bout you? For a chance to WIN a copy of The Shangri-La Diet, just Subscribe To This Blog and post a reply telling us about what you would eat if you could eat anything.

You have until Thursday, November 12 to let us know. I'll announce the lucky winner here on lucky Friday, November 13.

I'm really enjoying reading all your responses to my October 21 post, where I asked you to tell us about how you stay young. With all these great ideas, we'll be able to stay young-at-heart and enjoy healthy living for years to come!

You'll find more ideas for attaining a lifestyle that encourages longevity in Dan Buettner new book, The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest. Buettner has traveled the globe to uncover strategies for longevity found in the Blue Zones: places in the world where higher percentages of people enjoy remarkably long, full lives.

For a chance to WIN a copy of The Blue Zones, just Subscribe To This Blog and post a reply to let us know what's on your "bucket list" - that is, what's on your list of things to do before you die? Now that our healthy lifestyles are helping us live longer, how do you want to spend your time? Let us know about the things you want to accomplish before you pass on - the places you'd like to see, the things you'd like to do.

You have until Tuesday, November 17 to let us know. I'll announce the winner here on Wednesday, November 18.

Oh my lord, I'm getting old.

At least, that's how it feels these days. Maybe it's the shorter days and the cooler temperatures that are making me feel stiff, sore, tired and generally ancient. (Or maybe it's the fact that I am, in fact, a 96-year-old woman trapped in the body of a 31-year-old.)

I wistfully remember those fresh, energetic spring days filled with the promise of a summer that would go on forever.

And now. Here we are. November, daylight savings time, and flu season loom large on the horizon. Not to mention another birthday.

I need your tips on how you keep yourselves young! And in exchange, I'll provide one lucky winner with a copy of the brand new book The Hormone Diet: Lose Fat. Gain Strength. Live Younger Longer by Dr. Natasha Turner, naturopathic doctor.

Just Subscribe To This Blog and post a reply telling us what you do to keep yourself feeling young for a chance to WIN. You have until Wednesday, November 11 to enter. I'll announce the winner here on Thursday, November 12.

In my September 21 blog post, we talked about whether you could still fit into your high school clothes and I asked you what you hoped to accomplish by November 2 for a chance to win a copy of The 6-Week Cure for the Middle-Aged Middle: The simple plan to flatten your belly fast, by Mary Dan Eades, M.D. and Michael R. Eades, M.D.

Our winner is Conni Christensen. Conni says:
"In the next six weeks I plan on keeping my family healthy enough to fight off any signs of H1N1 flu. I'm going to duct tape my mouth shut so that I don't eat the leftover Halloween candy. I've GOT to make jelly out of the grapes that are STILL in the freezer...they're my nemesis! Nope, I cannot fit into my highschool clothes...grad '82....I'm about 4 sizes up now...RATS!!"

Congratulations, Conni — I'll be sending you a copy of The 6-Week Cure for the Middle-Aged Middle. Here are some great articles to help you through your to-do list.

Prepare for flu season:
How not to spread the flu
Expert tips on staying flu-free
Colds and the flu: Symptoms and treatment
Chicken Soup: Comforting chicken soup recipes for cold and flu season

Have a lean Halloween with these great ideas:
Halloween health tips for adults

Beat your nemesis with these great recipes:
Great Grape Jelly
Grape Plum Jelly

Can't fit into your high school clothes? Here's how to make the most of what you've got while you continue down the road of healthy living:
How to dress for your age
How to pick a little black dress for your figure
8 secrets for dressing slimmer

Have you entered our October 7 contest yet?

With Halloween just around the corner, it's a great time to talk about what scares you.

For me, it's getting fat(ter). It's trying on clothes and having to get the next size up.

Of course, my fears aren't just related to weight. It's not all about the food. I have all the other fears, too, like looking at my bank balance, or realizing I've forgotten my keys, or waking up with (another) giant zit, or getting a flat tire on the 401. And then, of course, there are the real, serious fears about someone you love getting sick or hurt.

So I have food fears, but it's not all about the food.

What scares you? Let us know your deepest, darkest fears for a chance to WIN a copy of Esther Kane's new book It's Not About the Food: A Woman's Guide to Making Peace With Food and Our Bodies.

Just Subscribe To This Blog and post your reply for a chance to WIN. You have until Wednesday, October 28 to enter. I'll announce the winner here on Thursday, October 29. Good luck!

I would love to take this opportunity to share with you a story about my love affair with running.

Sadly, I cannot. As many of you know, despite my most sincere and enduring efforts, I am often winded just by leisurely strolling around the block.

However! I am pleased to present this inspiring guest post by my fellow blogger Daniela Payne of CanadianLiving.com's super-fab Green Living blog. It is no small feat that she makes me feel like I am really missing out on something by not running around all the time. Read and enjoy. And then pick up your pace.

Disclaimer: This is not an actual photo of Daniela running. She, um, usually runs around with a giant *blue* scarf, you see.

Running changed my life. I know it sounds dramatic, but it couldn't be more true. I was very active in my high school days, and like everyone else, once I was out of the routine of soccer and field hockey practice, the pounds started to pack on. When I decided to take up running I thought it would be easy, but boy was I mistaken. My first run turned into more of a fast walk, but I refused to feel discouraged. Seeing 30, 40 and 50-year-old, fit women running in the sun, rain and snow – smiling from ear to ear – seriously motivated me. If they could look so fit and happy, so could I. And with practice and determination, I became one of them.

The camaraderie I experience when out for a run is elating. It's the encouragement from other women runners in my area and local park that pushes me to add another kilometre on my run, or to push myself up that darned hill one more time.

I was thrilled this year to learn about the Look Good Feel Better Running Series, a series of women-only runs with a variety of distances and terrain. Look Good Feel Better is the only cancer charity in Canada which focuses on teaching women how to take control of their appearance and morale during cancer treatment. The running series raises funds and awareness about this worthy cause.

This past weekend I participated in the series' Toronto Island Women's Half Marathon, and the experience was great. I had constant encouragement from fabulous women, and watching the first place runner blow by sure lit up a spark of determination to continue to train to better my time in next year's half marathon.

Find out how you can get into running here!

Can you still fit into your high school clothes? Your answer probably depends on your age. If you graduated just a few years ago, you can probably wear your high school garb no problem.

But if you're approaching middle age, it's probably a much tighter fit. And whether you're willing to sport your high school styles again or not, the issue goes beyond retaining your youthful figure and the accompanying bragging rights.

Your waist size is an important indicator of your health. The 6-Week Cure for the Middle-Aged Middle: The simple plan to flatten your belly fast, by Mary Dan Eades, M.D. and Michael R. Eades, M.D., provides a plan for eliminating the unhealthy fat that can accumulate around the organs which they say is the true cause for the middle-aged bulge.

The good news is that with the right diet, this fat can be quickly reduced, enhancing both your appearance and your health.

For a chance to WIN a copy of The 6-Week Cure for the Middle-Aged Middle, just Subscribe To This Blog and post a reply telling us what you hope to accomplish in the next six weeks. What job, goal, nagging chore or delightful activity do you hope to have done by November 2?

You have until Monday, October 12 to let us know. I'll announce the winner here on Tuesday, October 13.

As promised, here are a few of my fave high-protein Canadian Living recipes:

Pilaf-Stuffed Rack of Pork
(46 grams of protein per serving)

Seared Rib Eye Steaks with Roquefort Butter
(50 grams of protein per serving)

Lamb Stew with Squash and Mint
(43 grams of protein per serving)

Biscuit-Topped Chicken Pot Pie
(45 grams of protein per serving)

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin
(43 grams of protein per serving)