Voice: Health

Voice specialist Ann Utterback reports on a warning that sitting all day can be as harmful to your health as smoking a pack and a half of cigarettes – dire news for voice actors confined to hours on end (literally) in a studio. What can you do?

Holiday stress can be hazardous to your voice, warns voice specialist Ann Utterback. Pressures, nasty bugs and freezing temperatures can wear you down. So here are 10 daily holiday stress busters to help keep your voice and body healthy …

You are what you eat, they say – and likewise, what you eat is how you sound! Leading voice talent and coach Elley-Ray Hennessy guides us through the do’s and don’ts of a healthy voice over diet …

Want to add one thing to your daily life that doesn’t take much time but will improve your voice and performance? Well, get moving, says Dr. Ann Utterback, voice specialist and author of the e-book, “Broadcaster’s Survival Guide.” You just need to do something that raises your heart rate moderately for between 10 to 30 minutes several times per week …

Can you unwind? Can you take a break from work … your cell phone, emails, the fear of NOT being “there” 24/7 for your clients? “Take time to recharge your batteries and inspire others,” urges veteran voice actor Paul Strikwerda, who eloquently tells us why and how to do it …

Get an exam and invest in the health of your voice, urges Dr. Reena Gupta, at the Osborne Head & Neck Institute in LA. In Part 3 of VoiceOverXtra’s vocal health series, voice talent/author Elizabeth Holmes interviews Dr. Gupta and others on proper voice evaluations, vocal abuses, advice for surgery, how to find a doctor, drug side effects and more …

OK, you’re taking good care of your vocal health – drinking lots of water, resting. But still, something’s not right. Admit you might have a serious problem and see an ear-nose-throat (ENT) physician. Mary was “hoarse all the time” … Part 2 of a VoiceOverXtra series by Elizabeth Holmes.

Usually we don’t pay much attention to our vocal health – until something goes wrong, notes voice talent and author Elizabeth Holmes. The discovery of two lumps in her father’s throat sent Elizabeth into weeks of doctors’ visits and diagnostic tests, leading to Part 1 of this VoiceOverXtra series on how to protect your voice and health. Quick tips abound …

When a friend or voice over colleague is not feeling well, we want to help. We pass along remedies we believe have helped us, or mention something we’ve been told or read about in a voice over forum. Trouble is, some of that advice might actually be harmful. Here’s a quick Vocal Health IQ Quiz to help you get a sense of what’s fact or myth …

Feeling an energy drain as the day wears on? This affects the quality of your voice – your livelihood! So what’s the problem? French fries! Or, as veteran voice talent / coach Terry Daniel recently discovered, a diet of carbs, cream in the coffee and little exercise is a downer. Here’s how Terry pulled out of that rut and lost 15 pounds …