Credit: iStock/Fokusiert If getting more exercise is on your New Year’s resolution list, you’re not alone. While becoming more active is one of the most common resolutions, only about 25% of adults meet the recommended guidelines for physical activity. How can you beat the odds and make sure your resolution becomes more than just a … Continue reading How to Turn Your Fitness Resolution into a Lasting Habit
Mental Health
Get Up and Dance: It’s Good for Your Body
Credit: iStock The music starts, and you can’t help it. Your toes start tapping, and before you know it, you’re dancing. It’s a great way to exercise, meet new people if you take a class or hit a night spot, and just have fun. So, what’s going on inside your body when you get moving … Continue reading Get Up and Dance: It’s Good for Your Body
The Healing Power of Nature
Credit: iStock Have you considered that nature is a form of medicine? The ancient Greek civilization expressed its need for nature through its father of medicine, Hippocrates, who said “airs, waters and places” were essential for well-being. You may feel profound relaxation on a beach, but you may not know exactly why you feel that … Continue reading The Healing Power of Nature
Spotlight On: Seasonal Affective Disorder
If you feel sad, gloomy and hopeless more often in the winter months compared to the rest of the year, you’re not alone. Between 4 and 6 percent of adults in the U.S. have been diagnosed with seasonal affective disorder (SAD), also known as winter depression. Another 10 to 20 percent may not have an … Continue reading Spotlight On: Seasonal Affective Disorder
March to the Beat of Your Own Drum
My two young children absolutely love to beat on drums (or tables, chairs, any flat surface really). I recently took them to a family-oriented drum circle. They had a blast, and I was surprised at how good I felt too, both during and after the event. It turns out all that drumming—especially with others—is beneficial … Continue reading March to the Beat of Your Own Drum
Look on the Bright Side—It May Improve Your Health
If you tend to see the proverbial glass as half empty instead of half full, you may want to rethink your position. Looking on the bright side and expecting good things to happen may have a positive effect on your physical health. An optimistic outlook on life may reduce your cardiovascular disease risk, lower blood … Continue reading Look on the Bright Side—It May Improve Your Health
Yoga + Deep Breathing = A Calmer You
“I’m not flexible enough to do yoga!” In my 12 years as a yoga instructor, this is the excuse I have heard most often for why people aren’t practicing yoga. My initial response is usually, “That’s exactly why you should be practicing yoga!” However, I am also an assistant professor of physiology, and I know … Continue reading Yoga + Deep Breathing = A Calmer You
Go Ahead, Wear Your Heart on Your Sleeve!
In medieval times, a jousting knight would wear the colors of the lady he was courting tied around his arm. Hence, the phrase “Wear your heart on your sleeve” was born. Today, we use this romantic phrase to describe someone who expresses their emotions openly. How applicable that ancient phrase really is to maintaining a … Continue reading Go Ahead, Wear Your Heart on Your Sleeve!
Exercise: It does a body—no, your brain—good!
Credit: iStock It’s 7:30 a.m., I’m looking for my keys, grabbing my bag and herding everyone out of the door as we hurry off to school and work. Wait! One more trip back into the house for the forgotten homework assignment, a lunchbox and … it seems I have forgotten several things. Is it stress, … Continue reading Exercise: It does a body—no, your brain—good!
Depression + Pregnancy = Diabetes?
Morning sickness, swollen ankles and a growing belly are just a few of the many physiological changes that women experience during pregnancy. The changes we can see are just the tip of the iceberg. Blood volume, bones, heart rate, skin and many other parts of a woman’s body function differently during pregnancy. Pregnancy-related changes can … Continue reading Depression + Pregnancy = Diabetes?