It’s been said that a creative life is a healthy life, but how many people actually achieve that? Pursuing our passions can be difficult, but recent research shows that it’s a worthwhile endeavor because it’s good for our health.
Evidence that creative minds are healthy minds is popping up left and right, saying that the act of creating gives us a sense of happiness, can help lessen anxiety, and even make us more resilient and capable of problem solving.
But one of the greatest obstacles in actually following through with the things we’re passionate about is our jobs.
Studies have shown that work stress is killing us, and not just creatively, but also when it comes to our health. This is because workplace stress doesn’t just stay at work; it follows us home and affects our sleep, causes weight gain and elevated glucose levels, and can even promote upper respiratory infections and cardiovascular disease. Read Full Post >
It’s obvious when talking to someone who’s an elite athlete as compared to someone who can barely run a mile, that there’s a difference in mindset and basic pain threshold. Up until recently, most people assumed this was a genetic trait; and it may still be in slight. But scientists now believe there might be something more revealing about the athlete’s ability to cope with pain.
In a recent study published in the journal Pain, scientists found that most athletes’ high pain tolerance while exercising may also help them deal with pain when they’re not exercising.
The study, which took place at the University of Heidelberg in Germany, found that athletes can tolerate more pain than their non-athletic friends. And this is because regular physical activity can alter the way a person – marathoner and couch potato alike – can perceive and tolerate pain.
To conduct the study, researchers analyzed 15 separate studies which compared the pain thresholds of very active and non-active individuals. What they found was athletes – especially elite level, endurance athletes – consistently seemed more capable of dealing with pain as compared to non-athletes. Read Full Post >
Friday’s episode of The Doctors will potentially be the most energized segment in daytime television history. Fitness legend Richard Simmons will be bringing his one-of-a-kind aerobic exercises to the cast, audience, and viewers at home. Simmons plans to reveal 13 secrets to get thin by summer.
Good thinglaughing burns calories too as the previews for Friday’s episode display images of the docs in stitches as Simmons pumps up the audience in a style only he could bring to an exercise routine. While the docs and the audience get in on the good, aerobic time, Simmons also brings a dose of seriousness. Simmons will help one dangerously overweight audience member find the motivation to begin exercise and lose weight.
This installment of The Doctors will be memorable, for sure. Until then, a few of Simmons’ 13 secrets are being revealed so we all can get a head start on our plan to get thin by summer.
“Yoga is like music. The rhythm of the body, the melody of the mind and the harmony of the soul create the symphony of life.” ~ BKS Iyengar
What would the world be like without music? It’s true the perfect instrument and lyric can accomplish a number of things. It can serve as a reflection, a memory, or it can simply keep you in the present moment where the mind quiets and we learn to let go. Yoga follows a similar school of thought, though traditional yoga studios usually keep their classes silent so students can learn to meditate and focus on their breath. This certainly makes sense, yet using music can often be a more effective way of getting a person to achieve serenity. When I practice yoga at home, or share my practice with students, I always use music to enhance the experience. Here is my ultimate yoga playlist that takes me through a perfect hour of practice.
Cheers to you and your yoga practice. Perhaps music can be your vehicle to get to that place of non-judgement, tranquility, and never-ending presence.
These days the Miss USA pageant is about more than just evening gowns, swimsuits and world peace; it’s about advocacy for both global and local organizations that are on a mission to educate, inform and even save lives.
This year, The Miss USA and Miss Universe competitions – co-sponsored by Donald Trump and NBC Universal - are committed to raising awareness for breast and ovarian cancers by working with organizations such as Susan G. Komen for the Cure and Gilda’s Club – both of which are focused on research and education in these areas.
Hosting the Miss USA competition are Bravo’s Executive Vice President of Development and Talent Andy Cohen, and E! News anchor and managing editor Giuliana Rancic, who is abreast cancer survivor herself.
In a recent press event promoting the pageant, Rancic opened up to Diets In Review about her recovery from breast cancer, and how she approached health in the days and months after her treatment was completed. Read Full Post >
