Are you practicing these five weight loss tricks?

• Do you use a covered, opaque dish to house your candy? Do you keep your candy bowl off your desk top?
  
• Do you refrain from eating while multitasking to cut down on mindless consumption?
  
• Are you in touch with your own hunger, able to stop eating when you're no longer hungry?
• Have you downsized your dinnerware so you can downsize your portions?
• Are you talking more so you eat less?

If you answered in the affirmative for all five questions, pat yourself on the back. If not, that's OK. But if you want some simple techniques for tricking your body into dropping a few pounds, you ought to give a few of these a try.

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As a general rule talking all the time is considered a slightly negative habit, but if you love to chit chat you might be doing yourself some good: research shows that small talk helps memory. Just 10 minutes of talking with somebody face to face was shown to be just as effective on memory and intellectual performance as spending the same time doing crosswords or Sudoku puzzles.

So if you're not a puzzle person and you've been frustrated because all the "boost your memory" stuff seems to center around doing puzzles, math, or the like -- good news! Now you can talk your way to better mental health!

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FitSpirit explores the mind-body connection and the intangible benefits we gain from our efforts to stay physically fit.

I'm a fan of talking. I'm not someone who'd ever be labeled a "talker," and by this I mean I don't talk for the sake of talking. I don't hold people captive with endless chit-chat, and I don't need to hear myself speak. I'm as much a fan of silence, really, as I am of talking. Still, when I've got something to say, I say it, especially when not speaking up keeps my feelings and emotions hidden.

In one 10-year study cited in the January 2008 issue of Reader's Digest, about one in four women and one in three men said they held back during a spat. That's what I don't do, can't do, never do. Holding my peace makes me feel sick. According to this same study, this is a natural reaction to suppressing strong emotions. And it's exactly why women who didn't fess up to their feelings in the study were four times as likely to die during the study period. Health wasn't measurably affected for the men in the study.

As we head into a brand new year, with the hope of brand new health, why not resolve to talk more. It might save your relationships -- and your life too.

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One of the best days of my life has to be when I got my own phone line in junior high school and was finally able to chat away to my girlfriends without the watchful eye of my parents -- or worse -- my little brother. 'Girl talk' is a favourite pastime among females of all ages. I know men probably wonder what women can talk about for hours at a time but the answer is -- everything. From major-life changes to issues as small as what brand of toilet paper is best, girls can make it seem like the most important topic in the world.

But girl talk can be harmful too -- especially to adolescent females. A recent study shows that excessive chatting young girls can lead to anxiety and depression. I believe it; in my early teens, a large part of the time I spent chatting to girlfriends was spent gossiping about other girls and verbally tearing them down. When I wasn't talking to friends, I was worried about what they were saying about me. I wouldn't go back to that time in my life for the world -- young women can be horrifically cruel.

And yet talking to friends can be a source of comfort and inspiration. What do you think the solution is here?

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I came across this article about a study that concludes teen girls (and adult women as well) who spend too much time talking with friends about their problems may face a higher instance of depression. If it's true, I find this news is some of the most disappointing I've heard in ages. In fact, I find it kind of depressing all on its own.

Apparently both girls and boys (and men and women) vent about their problems with friends, which helps form stronger bonds and also should make them feel better. But study results showed that, often when teen girls share their negative feelings, it only leads to additional discussion and more negative feelings. For some, the pattern continues and ends in depression.

The piece does say that many of the girls who became depressed were prone to sadness and anxiety anyway. It also makes sure to point out that talking about their feelings doesn't automatically lead to depression for girls, but that it is a possible outcome. Personally, I don't know what I would do if I didn't have my girlfriends to talk to about problems with relationships, friendships, work and even just a bad day. It definitely has never made me feel worse. How about you? Have you ever found that venting has made you more unhappy about a certain situation?

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It can be hard to pull yourself out of a negative rut, but here's some good news: it seems negative feelings and emotional pains can be helped by simply putting them into words. When study participants were shown angry faces their brains triggered a "danger" response, but when they called the face what it was -- "angry" -- a different area of the brain became active. Talking with somebody, journaling, or any other way you can use to "label" the emotion triggers brain responses that are designed to manage emotions and essentially "put the brakes" on bad feelings.

I think most people agree that talking things out with somebody or writing in a journal can help a lot with emotions of all kinds, but who knew it had such a scientific basis? Does it work for you?

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I had to take a minute to hold my tongue on this because it's one that so many people like myself are guilty of. If I counted up the number of times I could be blamed for Dialing and Driving, some states would already have me in jail.

After a certain point though, it really becomes a personal issue. We've all heard the case: it's dangerous because it takes your attention off the road. But what if someone told you it was more risky than driving drunk? Now that's a bold claim! All of a sudden talking on the phone seems about as safe as turning your minivan into a driverless missile on the road.

This oldie-but-goodie article points out the dangers that we should all be reminded of. For instance, did you know that using a hands-free device doesn't really make you safer? All it really does is ensure that you won't have a cell phone to clutch for dear life. So next time you're late picking up the kids or are needed in eight places at once, reconsider that phone, or at the very least make the conversation as short as possible.

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