Football Hangover: 30 Days Without Booze

Now that football season is over, it’s time to shed those pesky pounds we’ve been hiding under those tent-like Redskins jerseys and extra large Raiders T-shirts. Too many of us spent the past six months competing Buffalo wing for Buffalo wing and beer for beer with our husbands, boyfriends and significant others. Now it’s time to redeem ourselves and get back to our healthy habits. With this plan, you don’t have to worry about cutting back on your favorite foods— this weight loss method focuses instead on altering your drinking habits.

I recently read an article about women who had been trying to lose weight. Many were stunned to learn they had been consuming, in some cases, more than 2,000 calories per week in alcoholic beverages alone. Their intake usually included a couple of glasses of wine, a handful of beers or a few cocktails each night. They thought this was pretty harmless, but as many of you know, those calories can really add up over the course of a week. Furthermore, when you drink, your ability to sustain healthy eating habits becomes tougher.

The women in the article faced this challenge: Give up all alcoholic beverages for 30 days. Each subject lost weight, ranging from 5-15 pounds, having made only this one change. They didn’t alter their eating or exercise habits at all—in fact, many weren’t on any type of nutritional or activity program at all.

What if you were asked to go 30 days without alcohol? Is this a plan that could work for you? Try it and see.

Female Sports Executives: Going, Going, Gone?

In the span of three years, the sports world has lost a handful of pioneering female executives from the ranks of very few.

Marge Schott, the cantankerous and often controversial owner of the Cincinnati Reds, died in 2004. She was the first woman to buy—rather than inherit—a major league baseball team.

Susan O’Malley became the first female president of a major professional sports franchise when she was selected in 1991 to helm the Washington Bullets (later known as the Wizards). O’Malley was only 29 when she was elevated to her post as right-hand woman to owner Abe Pollin. She resigned last June, although she still consults with the organization.

And on Friday, Georgia Frontiere, the owner of the St. Louis Rams, passed away. She was 80. Frontiere took over the team after the untimely death of her sixth husband, Carroll Rosenbloom, in 1979. Under her leadership, the Rams made the playoffs 13 times and advanced to three Super Bowls.

For years, women have been making strides in key positions in sports and other male-dominated areas as well as with Fortune 500 companies. And to be fair, there are still a number of women executives playing significant roles in sports, most notably Sheila Johnson, co-owner/partner of the Washington Capitals, Mystics and Wizards, and Jeanie Buss, executive vice president of business operations for the Los Angeles Lakers. Is there always room for more? I hope so, particularly in the NFL.

With Frontiere’s death, the city of St. Louis will have a lot to miss. She lived a colorful life—she was married seven times and once worked as a chorus girl. But she also was a pivotal businesswoman, a philanthropist and the owner of an NFL team.

Most of all, she was the lady amongst the NFL’s men.

Giants v. Cowboys: Lesser of Two Evils

I've gotta tell you, this is a really good game, but a tough game to watch. Being a 'Skins fan, I can't decide which of these teams I dislike more. Naturally, it's Dallas, but there's some pretty strong disdain for the Giants, too.

I find myself rooting for the Giants, but just barely.

Bolts v. Colts: Is Peyton One and Done?

I love Peyton, but I was happy to see LT's team win today. No LT for much of the game, no Rivers late in the game. San Diego still held on. I wonder, as far as Super Bowl's go, is Peyton one and done?