The new year - lots of people have resolved to get healthy and fit. To keep up the momentum, we all need positive re-enforcement, and women are tempted to sneak a little treat, or a big one, like ice cream, chocolate, a bag of Oreos (hey, I was really good for two weeks!)You can choose from 14 ways to reward yourself without calories or guilt.

Set personal goals to demonstrate to yourself how much progress you’re making. Each time you reach a goal, reward yourself. Here’s a list of fourteen things you can give yourself that won’t sabotage your good intentions.

1. If it has to be food, find a healthy and fit recipe for a sumptuous dessert that isn’t loaded with calories.
2. Buy yourself a new handbag or tote bag. Always a cool feeling.
3. Go to a movie with a friend who absolutely shares your taste.
4. Buy some new music, slap on headphones, and listen to the album all the way through.
5. Buy a new sweater - bright, warm, and natural fabric.
6. Get a new coffee cup that’s 100% only for you. A big one.
7. Go out and play - find a venue that provides everything you need for an afternoon of noodling around. Our community has a little ceramic shop where you buy a piece, rent a table space, and paint your chosen item. They fire it and call you a few days later when it’s done.
8. Find a set of colored pencils, paint, or chalk and create something colorful.
9. Do the proverbial bubble bath with all the accoutrements.
10. Shut off the phones, lock the door and meditate or do creative visualization in total silence.
11. Put fresh flowers on your desk or work space or table. Bury your nose in them and breathe deeply.
12. Take a day off. Don’t work. Don’t clean. Don’t make calls. Rest. Relax.
13. Spend half a day in the park, reading a wonderful book.
14. Take a nap in silky pajamas.

More cool reading:

OnText for the writer in you

DigitalGrandparent for the tech side of your life, even if you aren’t a grand.

How to become a local politician - election advice

If Cyber Monday was an indication, electronic gifts are huge for this year’s holiday gift lists. Before you buy more computer hardware, computer peripherals, and computer toys, go through what you have and donate it. It’s the green living thing to do. Most comm,unities do not allow you to put computer hardware out with the trash. iolo.com gave me terrific solutions!

Why donate computer stuff?

Donate a computer to a school, church, or non-profit and your accountant may be able to deduct the value from your taxes. The government (U.S.) has incentives for computer donations. Folks at iolo technologies remind you to consider the value of installed software when you estimate the value of your computer.

There’s still a divide in the U.S. between computer-haves and -have nots. Some kids, indeed, some school districts are hard pressed to provide even basic equipment. That isn’t to say they will put antiquated hardware into use. Recipients of your gift may turn oldest equipment over for cash to enhance their programs.

The environment benefits every time we choose to recycle or reuse instead of pitching something into a landfill. We all know computer stuff is dangerous to throw away and will never degrade. I saw an old monitor laying in a roadside ditch out in the country the other day. I’d like to get my hands on the “donor” of that one.

Who to donate the computers to

• If the equipment is less than 3 years old, you can give it directly to an organization since extensive upgrading may not be necessary.
• Three to 5 year-old computers should go to a refurbishing center that can repair and upgrade computers, making them useable.  TechSoup’s searchable list of refurbishing centers is a good resource.
• Computer older than 5 years? Recycle it through TechSoup’s searchable list of recycling centers. (Goodwill and the Salvation Army no longer accept donated computers.)

Call the organization before you take your stuff over to them.

iolo technologies smart tips for computer donations

• Keep the operating system intact - the organization won’t have to spend valuable funds to purchase and license a new operating system.*
• Keep any software installed. This may increase the amount your tax deduction, and help the recipient of your PC - older computers often work best with older software.
• Where possible, include the peripherals and accessories, such as the mouse and keyboard, and include any manuals and CDs that came with the computer.

Last details when donating

It’s critically important that you remove your personal and sensitive data from the computer before you turn it over to anyone else. Reformatting the drive or erasing the data does NOT remove your info. Any novice can recover it unless you dowhat’s called a “wipe” with software like DriveScrubber.

Think outside the computer box and consider donating printers, speakers, storage units, or any other computer accessories you aren’t using. Then go get your new stuff for the holidays and enjoy!

Keep a record of your donations, including original receipts if you have them. Ask the organization you choose for a donation receipt.

iolo is a PC tuneup company, makers of System Mechanic software. They care about our environment. Visit their site for great tips, reviews, and information.

Read more?

Get rid of things and people cluttering your life

Need a money-making career? Consider ghost writing

Do yourself a favor and find a way to volunteer for an organization you like. It’s good for the soul - yours, and theirs. It’s non-fattening, and has no free radicals. Well, some of us from the 60s might be considered freed radicals, and a lot of us volunteer. Spend an hour this week volunteering - read how volunteering changed life for our guest writer, Jennifer A. Lee from Volunteer Gear, Inc..

In my younger days, a creamy, dark, sweet substance found its way into my not so chubby tummy (again, I was younger) when the days were dark. Dipped in peanut butter, the day became even brighter.

As I have aged, my body has changed, my metabolism has slowed and my worries have become more real and chocolate can’t seem to solve all of life’s problems any longer. The most unexpected

Jennifer

replacement for my favorite sweet has emerged - volunteering.

My life over the last several years has been difficult at best. From launching a business to raising three kids to marital struggles, financial problems and ultimately a divorce and a business closing, many days, weeks and even months left me in a state of panic.

I was in the midst of all of my struggles when I volunteered to serve with the Meals on Wheels committee at my church. Meals on Wheels, also known as Golden Diners, is a program run by the Salvation Army. Volunteers deliver hot and cold meals to local area seniors on a daily basis. In my area, local churches sign up for delivery every 4 months. The churches have a coordinator that assigns days of service to the volunteers. Typically two people are assigned a route. In some cases they ride together and in other cases, they split the route.

On my days of service, Cody (my one year old Old English Sheep Dog) and I head to the Senior Center. Occasionally one or more of my three kids partakes in the excursion. The Senior Center packs the food and provides the delivery list. Cody and I map out our route and begin our drive.

Each delivery is a little different. Some folks are bed ridden and a care taker accepts the meals. In other homes, it is a widower welcoming the company you provide for the day. One lady welcomed me into her home so I could chat with her husband sitting in the family room chair. One gentleman needed the company of our visit, but never would accept it. For some folks, the volunteer may be the only person they see all week.

After delivering the route a few times, you become attached to these people, people you spend a very short time of your life with but the care and concern you have for them is real. You worry about them if they are not listed on the route or if they are not home when you stop.

I began this journey of service to do just that, serve others. What I found is that those I was serving were actually serving me. I gained a greater sense of peace with each delivery. My day became brighter. My stress diminished and some of my problems did not seem as important. I look forward to my delivery months.

Volunteering is good for the mind body and soul. Serving others can be accomplished in so many ways from chairing the committee that raises money for a cause to coaching a child’s sports team to volunteering at the local food pantry to buying the food that stocks the shelves at the food pantry. Knowing that you made a difference in someone’s life is the greatest reward. The fact that it took me 42 years and many days at the gym to replace the comfort of chocolate was a lesson well worth learning.

Jennifer is the operations director for Volunteer Gear, Inc. a unique new company that encourages volunteers to share their stories, comment and encourage others to own their cause. Founded on the premise of giving people an outlet for their volunteer spirit, Volunteer Gear launched its website and t-shirt product line promoting volunteerism and encouraging people to support own their cause.

The United States National Women’s Hall of Fame is a delightful place to get virtually lost for an afternoon. I tripped over this site today as I was browsing the Web and I couldn’t tear myself away. You don’t have to leave your comfy chair, or go out in the rain. Just click on the alphabetical links and read about women who have impacted our lives.

• I read about how Lucille Ball was not only a comedian, but a true entrepreneur and the first woman head of a major studio.
• I learned that Mary McLeod Bethune was an African-American teacher who, with only $1.50, began a school to help educate other young African-American women. Maybe she wasn’t as flamboyant as Oprah, but she did her part.
• Leontine Kelly was the first female Methodist bishop. Awesome power for us.
• Ida Tarbell’s expose of the Standard Oil Trust in the 1904 publication, The History of the Standard Oil Company prompted the federal government to prosecute and break up Standard Oil for anti-trust violations. She became an icon of journalism.

The articles are very short - teasers, really, with nuggets of susinct information in them. They are often linked to larger pieces, and can inspire you to browse. Learn about women. Read a few of these to the children you care about, girls or boys.

You might become inspired to write a brief or two in your social media spaces about the women who have inspured your life.

Take a moment to check out my guest post at HealMyPTSD.com for PTSD and Invisible Illness Awareness Week. I was invited to do a guest column because two of my family members are dealing with PTSD. It’s really tough to cope with an illness or condition that is invisible. There are physical symptoms, but often, people chalk those up to some other cause. HealMyPTSD is a valuable website by people who have knowledge and great concern.

While we’re at it, let’s visit some of my favorite posts over the years of compiling WomenDayByDay and Ontext:

A guest post from Thistle Farm, where women work to fix the hugely challenging problems in their lives. This one is terrific.

Women who read us honor their military loved ones for Memorial Day.

Proof that Jesus was a woman, and other funny stuff.

The courts are failing to help battered women.

22 ways to earn aliving at home - work at home

Basing marriage on positive thinking

Dr. Phil and the drunken teenage girls

Half dozen good ways for women to enter the blogsphere

Light therapy for pregnant women

There. That’s a little journey through the last few years of Women Day By Day. It’s rewarding to spend time digging up great information for my readers and empowering women to manage some of the things we face everyday. I’ve really loved finding guest writers to do a post here and there this year. Let me know if you know someone with something important, funny, or entertaining to tell us. Write me — maryan at ontext.com

I found a new Internet-based background check service that has potential to save lives, or at the least to prevent some of the problems unsuspecting women encountered constantly on web-based dating services. Finding your soul mate on line is not impossible, but it can be a risky prospect if you’re all on your own. Cathy Taylor’s new product, called SweetheartChecks, offers a way for you to search public records, confidentially, easily, and quite inexpensively. To my mind, this could be an invaluable tool. I talked to Cathy about her product - see what you think.

Cathy Taylor

Can I have a little background, Cathy? Where you’re from, family, and so on.

I was born in Niagara Falls, Ontario Canada and came to California in February 1979. I married in 1985 and had one son, Christopher who is now 22. I raised him as a single mom. I have been an entrepreneur pretty much since I began working in my teens. I run SweetheartChecks as a tool to help women understand they need to be careful when dating. Running a national criminal check is a beginning but doesn

A thistle, symbol of self-protection

Thistle Farm, a manufacturing subsidiary of Magdalene, the awesome residential program for women, is one of my favorite women organizations. Magdalene provides a do-over for women who have encountered serious problems and Thistle Farm provides a unique work environment where women manufacture quality personal care products for women.Terry Mitchell and Caitlin Bradley of Thistle Farm give us insight into working in a hen house - figuratively.

Estrogen on the job - working in an all-women environment

By Terry Mitchell with Caitlin Bradley

Terry sits in a circle of her co-workers, listening to two women discuss the production schedule for the day. She is relocated to a tennis-match-style discussion watching opinions bounce back and forth around her as she turns her head left to right. “Sometimes everybody wants to be the boss instead of the employee,” Terry explains. “Too many captains on the boat!”

Terry is in the unique position of working at a company that is run and staffed by women only. Thistle Farms is a non-profit business operated by the women of Magdalene, a two-year residential community for women with a history of prostitution and drug addiction. By hand, the women create natural bath and body products that are as kind to the environment as they are to the body. All proceeds support the program.

Terry finds that working with women allows for more laughter throughout the workday. “We can all relate to each other and more importantly, for the most part, we all enjoy each other.” With a relaxed boss (often seen entertaining by dancing to hip hop), Terry boasts that Thistle Farms has a comfortable work environment. In rare high stress situations, laughter proves to be helpful.

You might think working with all women means not having to think about what you wear to work. However, Terry puts her best effort into getting ready each day, regardless of who’s there. “I’m not trying to impress anyone, but I want to feel proud of how I look.” This is a central theme as we manufacture our bath and body products at Thistle Farms. We all make each product with the belief that love heals, and it is, therefore, critical to care for yourself.

Of course, there are some downfalls to working around a bunch of estrogen. Stereotypically or not, when a few women are on the same cycle, stress and mood swings can be high. But women working together have the unique opportunity to actually talk about their emotions. Women here can say what they’re feeling, rather than hide it. We try not to rely on the “excuse of PMS.”

Talking about personal feelings is not only accepted, it’s encouraged at Thistle Farms. Terry enjoys putting herself out there as a safe haven for co-workers to express their personal problems, “I’m a shoulder or an ear when they need it.” Terry says this open spirit of conversation can lead to complaining. but that’s something she can accept.

Terry has worked with Thistle Farms for almost five years. Always surrounded by other women, with everyone feeling and processing their own stuff and own emotions, she has learned a valuable life lesson: “People can create their own confusion, but I don’t let anything bother me. I just give it up to God and let it be.”