Misty Zaugg's Blog - Posts Tagged "study"

Hi friends,

First of all - thank you for all of you who wrote me about how you use a TENS unit for chronic pain. Many of you suffer a lot more than me, and I admire how much you keep on keeping on. Hats off to you!

For those of you who celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope you had a beautiful one with your family!

For everyone else, did you know that actively looking for positive things and being grateful can influence all kinds of things in your life?

Like what?
• helps with stress
• diminishes depression
• strengthens relationships
• increases sense of well-being (ie. you're happier!)
• improves resilience - difficult things don't throw you as much.
• and lots more

Pretty impressive, isn't?

Since I know all this, you might wonder if I've tried a gratitude journal or other experiment.

Well, I'm the kind of person who often knows what's best for me to do, but ends up with lots of good intentions I don't always follow through on. I usually need a push.

Sound familiar?

So, here's a little push. Would any of you like to join me in writing down three things a day for three weeks that you're grateful for?

I really just need one or two of you to join me . . . it's always more fun to work on a task with friends.

I'm challenging my kids to participate, too.

Starting today, here is my 6-year-old daughter's list:
1. Stuffing (as in the Thanksgiving dish)
2. Felix - the dog we're watching this week.
3. Gum . . . ice cube artic grape flavor, in case you were wondering which specific flavor. :)

And mine (in no particular order):
1. Dark chocolate
2. God
3. A husband who hugs me

Another rule for this challenge is you can't write the same thing twice. I hear that around the end of the first week, you run out of everyday ideas and begin to search the world around you for things you've never noticed before.

That is the mind shift that I'm shooting for. To train my brain to go through life looking for the good, instead of the tendency we often have to latch onto difficulties and disappointments and worry at them over and over in our minds.

Send me a quick note if you want to join me. I'd love to put together a newsletter down the road about your experiences if you'd like to share.

I hope you and your family are enjoying the holiday season!
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Misty's Writing Update:

I just finished writing my post-apoc Christmas story this morning.

I don't want to spoil it, but it's loosely based on an amazing WW1 story that I've always loved since I first heard it as a kid.

Did you know that during the first Christmas of WW1, some of the world powers pushed for a Christmas cease-fire, but couldn't get everyone to agree?

However, across the no-man's land between trenches up and down the line, soldiers began to spontaneously sing Christmas carols, the same songs, but different languages.

One side finally took the leap and climbed up out of their trench, hands raised to show they were unarmed.

The other side was rightfully suspicious of the soldiers that had just been killing them the day before, but they didn't shoot. When the peace continued to hold, they took the risk themselves and climbed up into the no-man's land that still held the cooling bodies of their comrades.

For a single day, they put aside their enmity, sang carols, shared treats and are rumored to even have played a friendly game of soccer.

It still touches me to imagine the amazing event.

I consider myself both a realist and an optimist. While I like to be prepared and plan for the worst, I hope for the best from the world and the people around me.

I'll let you know when our Christmas project is live and send you the link for your free copy.

Then, you'll have to let me know how you like my version of the WW1 Christmas ceasefire.

Enjoy your reading this week!

— Misty :)
Misty Zaugg Website

Hi friends,

Thanks you to everyone who joined me in writing three things a day that you're grateful for.

I'm still planning on doing it for two more weeks, so anyone who'd like to jump aboard, feel free. It's actually a nice few moments each day to sit and contemplate what I'm grateful for that day - and the rule not to duplicate an item on the list during the three weeks is forcing me to stretch a bit. Love it! :)

I'm writing this ahead of time because by the time you read this, I will have had my second kidney stone surgery on Thursday. Eek!

Thankfully, I have an amazing doctor who is a bit of an expert in the field, and I'm praying he'll be able to get all the stones out this time without leaving any behind to bother me in the future.

The healing last time was a bit teeth-clenching - everything is painful and they leave this stent-thing in for a week or two. Fingers crossed it heals up more quickly this time.

In the end, though, I'm extremely grateful for the medical care I have access to and do my best not to take it for granted.

Thanks to all of you who have sent me well wishes - you're such an amazing group of friends!

I'll check back in next week and let you know how things went.

Happy holidays to you and your family!

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Misty's Writing Update:

Well, I got a couple of days of writing done in the first part of the week, but between pre-surgery covid tests, CT scans, etc, things got a bit too busy to write much more.

Hopefully, this is early enough in the month that I'll be all recovered and ready to enjoy the holidays with my family.

Oh, and did I tell you the good news?

My son, his wife and my very beautiful granddaughter will be coming out to visit. I can't wait to hold her again.

How about you? I hope you have nice plans for the holidays and get to spend them with the people you love.

All the best to all of you!

— Misty :)
Misty Zaugg Website

Hi friends,

First, I'd like to thank all of you who sent prayers and well-wishes for my recovery from kidney stone surgery. Things have improved every day, and it's really uplifting to hear from all of you, so thanks again!

And my second bit of good news — and the reason this newsletter is a little late today — the Christmas "Once Upon an Apocalypse" E-Magazine is live today!

Over twenty of us post-apoc authors have all donated short stories, author bios, free prizes, articles, recipes etc. and the awesome Baileigh Higgins worked like crazy putting this whole 500+ page project together.

And guess what?

It's FREE! This is our Christmas gift back to our readers who are the reason we can afford to spend time creating stories.

So click below and download it. No strings attached. You don't even have to enter your email address (unless you decide to enter the drawings for the collection of prizes since we need a way to contact you if you win.)



Once Upon an Apocalypse FREE Christmas E-Magazine

Also, this is only available until the first of the year. At that time, we'll have the big prize drawing and then take down the magazine, so grab a copy before then.

And feel free to share the download link with any friends who enjoy the genre.

We really hope you get some enjoyment out of the magazine itself and maybe find a new author or two to follow.

Happy holidays to you and your family!

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Misty's Writing Update:

I just passed 43k words in my new book and am experimenting with dictating again. I can obviously speak faster than I can type, but I generally leave behind so many errors that the clean-up afterward kind of ruins the whole 'write faster' goal.

So, I'm investigating new microphones that are supposed to be much more accurate, but they run around $300 - Yikes! If any of you out there do much dictating and have some advice, I'm all ears.

I'm currently using Dragon Naturally Speaking 13 Premier and the included microphone headset to dictate into Microsoft Word. I found that dictating into Google docs introduced too many random punctuation and capitalization errors.

It turns out there is a newer version 15, but again it costs about $340. What's with the $300 price tag for everything?

On the other hand, if I can figure out how to write more in the same amount of time, that would mean more books, and they would hopefully pay back the investment in quality software and equipment.

I'll keep plunking away and improving my author skills and appreciate all of your kind advice.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays,

— Misty :)
Misty Zaugg Website

Hi friends,

I hope you and your family are having a wonderful holiday season.

And for anyone who didn't pick up a free copy of our 20-plus post-apoc author e-magazine last week, it's still available - Our Christmas gift to our readers. Enjoy!



Once Upon an Apocalypse FREE Christmas E-Magazine

Today, I thought I'd also share a few ideas I had as I brainstormed stocking stuffer gifts for the family. Here are some of the items I enjoy because of their small size and practicality:

The Life Straw - usually around $13, this handy item fits in your bug-out bag or car emergency pack, and allows you to drink straight from any water source for up to 1000 gallons of filtered water.

Fire Starter Steel - often combined with a compass, whistle and magnesium stick, these types of rods create a shower of sparks to easily start a fire in an emergency. Great to have one stashed in the car or purse.

A pack of inexpensive mylar thermal blankets - While not the sturdiest item, these simple blankets are small and easy to stick in the glove box or first aid kit and are useful in many situations when someone who is injured or cold needs protection from the elements.

Moldable aluminum foam splints - These are about the size of a large elastic bandage and roll out to be used as a splint when a limb or injury needs to be stabilized. Effective, convenient and great to keep with your portable medical supplies.

How about you? Any small items you would consider useful or essential to add to a glove box or bug-out bag? Please share, and I'll add them to the list and maybe someone's stocking. :)

Happy holidays to you and your family!

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Misty's Writing Update:
Have you or your kids ever read the Junie B Jones books?

Rachel, my youngest, loved them so much, I recorded myself as I read to her at night so she could listen to them later as many times as she wanted.

Then my author mind started transforming all the shenanigans that Rachel got up to into similar funny stories.

Together, she and I came up with the character 'Rascally Rachel' who does things like sets a trap for the tooth fairy (true story!) and asks Alexa how many minutes until her birthday, because she's so impatient.

I couldn't help it and had to jot down some of the ideas. So, as a mental break from my current book, and because she will only be 6-years-old for so long, I wrote the first few chapters of "Rascally Rachel Can't Wait for Her Birthday" this week.

She and her older brother (the antagonist in the story) had a blast reading it. When I went upstairs to grab something for a couple of minutes, she asked me if I'd finished another chapter - lol.

Whether it'll end up as something commercial or not, who knows? But it sure is fun creative a book with my daughter's input.

Her final opinion?

"It's a pretty good story, except for a couple of lies"

LOL.

We had more than one discussion about the difference between fiction and a lie. Hmm. :)

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays,

— Misty :)
Misty Zaugg Website

Last Day! Grab your Huge Post-Apoc Christmas E-Magazine - Free.
Hi friends,

Sometimes there's a bit of a downer after the holidays. For us here, there were a few tears shed as we dropped off my oldest and his small family (including my granddaughter) at the airport so they could return home.

We miss them already!!

And then I spent last night tossing and turning with one of those nasty head colds.

I guess with how isolated we've all been, a resurgence in common illnesses has to be expected as we get out a little more.

So - as a little pick me up . . . make sure to grab your FREE copy of our huge, Christmas post-apoc e-magazine before it gets taken down for good. (no email required either!)

Enjoy the short stories, recipes, survival tips and a lot more.



FREE Christmas E-Magazine

Plus, you can still enter the drawing for a bunch of prizes donated by all of us authors who wanted to give something back to our amazing readers this holiday season.

Check out this list of authors who contributed: (makes me feel privileged to be included!)

Ryan Schow, Baileigh Higgins, Kyla Stone, Jon Cronshaw, Brian King, T.L. Payne, Laura Martone, Sylvester Barzey, Kate L. Mary, Stephanie Mylchreest, Allen Gamboa, Joseph Hansen, Chris Philbrook, Scott Baker, David Simpson, Jaime Hernandez, D.L. Martone, Bethany Stutsman Hagardt, Nic Roads, Rich Restucci, Hadley Thorne, and Christopher Artinian.

Some of your favorites should be in there plus plenty of new ones to discover.

And if any of you have already downloaded and started reading it, I'd love to hear what you think of my included short story: "Christmas Impasse"

Enjoy the New Year!
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Misty's Writing Update:

I've been brainstorming plots lately - inspired by my holiday binge reading.

Yep - I did spend quite a bit of time rocking the baby to sleep and it's the perfect guilt-free reading time! I get to enjoy two of my favorite activities at the same time - nirvana!

What I did notice by devouring so many books in a row, is that it stimulated my creative side again, and I had to keep writing down new ideas to make my current book even better. Adding extra side mysteries, ramping up the small achievements, leveling up the main character's pet and many other fun ideas have me chomping at the bit to get back to the story.

Hopefully this head cold will disappear with the new year, and I can jump back in soon.

I hope your holidays were wonderful and that you're excited about the new year.

All the best! <3

— Misty :)
Misty Zaugg Website

Eat and run - an effective diabetes tip? Health Tip #5: March 4, 2022
Hi friends,

I know many of us are still so worried and concerned for all the people who are struggling amidst so much turmoil in the world. They are all in our prayers and we hope things can quickly reach a peaceful resolution.

It's been a while since I had a health tip, and as I was considering the topic, I thought about my diabetes and how many others are also handling this chronic illness.

Also, our bodies are all different and will often react to various foods, medicines and treatments differently, so consult with a doctor before making any significant changes.

I thought I'd share one of the simpler things that has helped me with my diabetes and hope that it might help one of you, too

Eat and Run!

Unlike the saying that means you have to leave right after finishing your meal, I have found that a literal interpretation of the saying is very effective for diabetes.

As your body digests the carbohydrates in your meal, your blood sugar naturally goes up, and the systems of those with diabetes allow the blood sugar to rise and sometimes stay at dangerously high levels.

But what if you exercise right after you eat? Does it help? What kind of exercise works best? How long do you need to work-out?

Here are general guidelines:
• A Cleveland Clinic study showed exercising about 30 minutes after the start of your meal will help keep post-meal glucose within acceptable levels.
• During aerobic exercise (walking briskly, running, swimming, etc.) your muscles will start using up glucose at as much as fifty times the normal rate.
• This can continue for up to two hours after exercising.
• Insulin sensitivity (a good thing, that means your body is responding to insulin better) can also stay high for up to 24 hours after exercising.
• Anaerobic exercise (ex. lifting weights) may actually increase blood sugar due to using glycogen inside the muscle for fuel and a not as significant decrease in insulin levels. Bottom line: Aerobic will control glucose better in the short term. However, more muscle mass can be beneficial in the long run.
• Early evening is the time to exercise instead of morning. A study with pre-diabetic men showed a better overnight glucose control when exercising in the early evening versus morning.
• Short is still great! Another study had seniors with diabetes take a 15-minute walk after each meal and it significantly helped their glucose control - on par with a longer 45 minute exercise session. Plus, the walk after dinner really helped overnight glucose levels.

So, if you've got diabetes, start small. Maybe just a 10-minute walk after you get up from the dinner table to start and go from there.

Good luck and stay safe out there!
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Misty's Writing Update:

Yay! I'm actually writing the final battle scene. It is going to last a few chapters at least. I have what happens for the finale in mind, but I'm currently brainstorming a fun twist I can weave in somewhere, something that will also add an interesting side-plot or hook to the series or flesh out a side character.

What about you? Do you like surprise twists?

Personally, I love them, especially if there were clues left earlier that I missed or dismissed as insignificant. The twists I hate, however, are the ones where a main or important side character is killed.

I know. I know. It is more realistic. But I don't read fiction for realism. I read to enjoy escaping from the hard, sometimes tragic sides of realism in my real life. I figure it's called fantasy for a reason! :)

So, it is only with great reluctance (and the urging of my co-writer Steph and now my husband) that I will even consider killing someone. And even then, I negotiate. "Who is the least important character so far who has an actual name that I can sacrifice as a martyr in the coming battle?"

How about you? Would you rather everyone important is still alive at the end of a book (battered, but alive)? Or do you think a small dish of tragedy, as long as it's not the main character, is alright and even adds more depth to the book?

Come on - if you all vote for no death, maybe I can get away with it as I finish this book. Tell me soon, though, because the scene will be written in a day or two.

. . . what do you think I'll do? :)

Enjoy reading this week!

— Misty :)
Misty Zaugg Website