It's safe to say many of us have gained a few pounds during quarantine and are aching to lose them as we inch closer to normalcy following the rollout of vaccines.  When the fridge is within close reach, it can be awfully difficult to resist the chips, ice cream, or whatever else we deem Covid comfort food.  But here's the good news: Losing weight is more mental than anything else. If we're in the right frame of mind, we can achieve results -- sometimes far quicker than anticipated.  And here's even better news: You don't have to starve yourself to shed those pesky pounds.  Two keys to success, both of which are easy to recall (as they begin with the same word), are: 1. Exercising moderation when it comes to one's eating habits. 2. Exercising physically.  Though I've done a pretty good job at maintaining my weight the last couple of years, it's been a mission to drop an extra 15 or so pounds I've been carrying around. I thought that as long as I ate ...

Has COVID brought the dating market to its knees?  Not quite, although, as one would suspect, people are trying to balance staying healthy and safe with keeping their love lives from going full-on rusty. But there's no question that, with many businesses ground to a halt and crowd-attracting events nixed indefinitely, it limits opportunities to meet and connect with people.  Social distancing and reduced capacity limits in restaurants, movie theaters, and other venues where you might ordinarily strike up a conversation with someone doesn't exactly lend itself to romance.  Thankfully, with the rollout of vaccines, we may finally be turning the corner, as deaths and cases have been dropping sharply in recent weeks.  Just because we are still in the middle of a pandemic doesn't mean you can't go on dates, but you should insist that whoever you meet get tested, as he or she may ask you as well. It isn't as if meeting in a quiet restaurant, mall, or park is all bad. Thin...

Surely, everyone wants this terrible virus to be eradicated. News of vaccines being deemed safe and deployed to hospitals offered a ray of hope that soon enough the staggering death toll and number of cases will begin to drop. And only by putting an end to the public health crisis can we get the economy rolling again. But that doesn't necessarily mean everybody is on board with returning back to the way things used to be. Among those who appreciate the opportunity to work from home and not have to interact face-to-face with co-workers and the general public are: Introverts who are susceptible to being worn down by heavy social interaction Those, introverts or not, who prefer written to verbal communication  People who don't miss getting stuck in rush hour traffic driving to and from work The ones who value the extra time to be able to perform household chores and make home improvements  People seizing the opportunity to spend more time with their kids Individuals who are takin...