There have been studies conducted to determine if happy people live longer.  In a study from the UK, one of the longest-running studies on aging,  older people who said they were happy, were less likely to die over a five-year period. And the happier they were, the longer they lived. The study results showed that older people who reported feeling happiest were 35% less likely of dying during the study than those who were least happy. Earlier studies have looked at happiness and longevity by asking people to recall their emotional state, for example, happiness and anxiety, throughout the day.... Read More

Television is a valuable source of information. We can get the weather forecast, see documentaries about subjects that are important to us, or learn how to cook at any hour of the day or night.  While having access all the time may be valuable, like anything else, too much of a good thing is not good. The current 24-hour news cycle style of TV, creates a culture of fear that creates anxiety about the world in which we live. There is a perception in America that we live in a more dangerous time than ever.  The fact is, crime statistics show a decrease in crime since the 80s.  Now, however, we... Read More

A new survey finds that the U.S. is just the 18th happiest country in the world, because of poor health, poor economic mobility, and a lack of social cohesion.  In each of more than 150 countries surveyed, Gallup asked 3,000 respondents to assess their life on a scale of 1 to 10. The top rung (10) means they are living the best possible life; the bottom means the worst. Americans give an average rung-number of 6.8, while the top four countries all score more than 7.5. There are many reasons why we might not be happy. Social media, while giving the illusion of connectedness actually makes us more... Read More

Rosacea is a skin condition characterized by redness and often small, red, pus-filled bumps on the face. Over 3 million people are estimated to have rosacea and the signs and symptoms may flare up for a period of weeks to months and then diminish for a while. Rosacea can be mistaken for acne, an allergic reaction or other skin problems. The cause of rosacea is unknown, but it could be due to a combination of hereditary and environmental factors. A number of factors can trigger rosacea by increasing blood flow to the surface of your skin. Some of these factors include: Hot drinks Spicy foods Alcohol Temperature... Read More

I’m going to talk about a subject may be uncomfortable for some… low testosterone. Testosterone is a sex hormone that belongs to a class of male hormones called androgens.  The National Institutes of Health regards testosterone as the most important male hormone, but women also produce testosterone at lower levels. For men, testosterone is produced mainly in the testes, with a small amount made in the adrenal glands. Women, on the other hand, produce testosterone in the ovaries and adrenal glands. Low testosterone affects both men and women, although each is affected differently. For men,... Read More

Exercise can seem daunting, exhausting or downright impossible if you are busy…and who isn’t busy? Time and gym access are the two biggest excuses Americans cite for not working out.  Research conducted at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, suggests that taking the stairs 30 minutes a week can give our body adequate exercise for good health. Stair climbing is a rigorous activity and previous research has found climbing stairs can burn calories two to three times faster than just walking. In the McMaster study, 17 healthy men, average age 64, were asked to walk, lift weights, and climb... Read More

Hospitals around the country are using music therapy as a way to ease a patient’s pain, lower blood pressure, and reduce anxiety and depression, allowing patients to heal faster. Thirty-five percent of healthcare facilities in the US offer music, of some form, to their patients. An article in the journal, Pain Physician, indicates ​that music functions effectively to alleviate both chronic pain and related depression. In general, music was used in combination with other, more conventional pain treatments, rather than as a standalone substitute. Music that listeners find emotionally engaging... Read More

Did you know that people who track their physical activity are more successful at losing weight?? A fitness device like FitBit, Jawbone, or FuelBand could be exactly what you need to support your weight loss goals. Some wearable devices are trackers on steroids — monitoring your workouts, counting calories, evaluating your sleep, and tracking your progress as you slim down. You can use your device to see how close you get to your target goal each day, or if you crushed it! Or, set a smaller, shorter-term goal so you’ll feel successful right away. Doing so will help you to stay focused.... Read More

The benefits of yoga are many! Researchers found that yoga outperformed aerobic exercise at improving balance, flexibility, strength, pain levels, menopausal symptoms, daily energy level, and social and occupation functioning, among other health parameters. Whether you are long time yogi or new to the practice, there are some fun new ways to experience yoga, that might boost the benefits. Goat yoga. There are many positives to having contact with animals. The act of petting or being near goats will produce an automatic relaxation response. There are many mental benefits of practicing yoga with... Read More

The way we read, write, and talk helps to determine the way we see the world. Recently, economist Keith Chen published a paper that asked the question, are languages with less decisive future tenses more thoughtful about the future because they consider it grammatically equivalent to the present. For example, in English, we say “I will go to the play tomorrow,” which is a strong future tense. In Mandarin or Finnish, which have weaker future tenses, it might be more appropriate to say, “I go to the play tomorrow.”   Chen discovered that speakers of German, Finnish... Read More

Recently, I had dinner at my favorite Mexican restaurant.  Usually I get a meal and don’t have room for the sopapilla that comes with it, but this time I took the sopapilla home to eat later. When I was ready to eat it, I was surprised to see that the “honey” for the sopapilla was not honey at all. It was fake honey made with corn syrup. I happened to have some locally source honey at home and used that instead of the faux honey. This is just one of the reasons it’s important to read labels. If you’re trying to change your life by eating fewer processed foods, less sugar, or any number... Read More

Americans are still getting fatter.  Here are some eye-opening statistics about the health of American adults. About half of all adults get the recommended 150 minutes of physical activity per week. Only 3% of Americans meet the definition of a healthy lifestyle: Have a healthy body fat percentage (less than 20% for men and less than 30% for women) Meet exercise recommendations Are non-smokers Score in the top 40% on the Harvard Healthy Eating Index   Obesity is not just an issue for your health.  Obesity as a nationwide issue impacts our ability to defend our nation and respond to crises. ... Read More

There is no perfect diet for everyone, in spite of what you might have heard.  It seems the human body can adapt to almost any diet and survive, even thrive!  Consider the diet of the Inuit, the people indigenous to polar locations such as Siberia, Alaska, Canada, and Greenland. Theirs is a mostly meat diet, and yet they are a hardy population who consume few to no vegetables in their diet. In the US, experts recommend a diet largely focused on healthy grains, fruits and vegetables.  Most Americans don’t get the recommended 5 servings per day, and even fewer eat the 5-9 servings that is considered... Read More

We all know that it’s important to eat well, be physically active and get a good night’s sleep.  In recent years, magazines such as Entrepreneur, Time and Inc. have featured articles about the connection between engaging in the trifecta of health behaviors and professional success. Why? Your success starts with your health – eating healthy, getting enough sleep, and exercising regularly. After all, if don’t feel great, how do you expect to sustain the focus and energy needed to get things done? Here’s a closer look at why food, sleep, and exercise can impact your success and what... Read More

Camping helps us refresh our mind and soul. There’s nothing better than seeing the wilderness wake up as the sun lights up the sky! Camping requires some preparation to keep you warm, safe, and healthy. If you are planning a camping trip this year, keep in mind these essential health and safety tips. Assess your fitness level.  If you are planning a particularly strenuous trip, make sure you are fit enough to withstand the strain of the journey. You may want to consider working with a fitness professional before you go on a particularly strenuous trip, especially if you aren’t physically active... Read More

Coconut is a unique fruit because it is available year-round rather than during a season. While loosely referred to as a fruit, a coconut is actually a drupe.  A drupe is a fruit that contains a seed. Also called a stone fruit, other drupes include plums, cherries, almonds, and olives. Botanically speaking, a coconut can be a fruit, a nut, and a seed. Coconut has been denoted with many benefits, some controversial.  For example, coconut oil has been touted as a good fat for cooking.  It is high in healthy fats that can boost fat burning and provide your body and brain with quick energy. They... Read More

  “Eat less, move more” is a mantra I’ve heard and advice I’ve given many times over the years.  While both calorie intake and physical activity are important factors in weight loss, which one is more important? Physiologically speaking, weight loss and gain revolve around the concept of calories in, calories out. In a nutshell, we lose weight when we eat fewer calories than we expend. Conversely, we gain weight when we eat more calories than we expend. Many of us have been advised to add physical activity to our weight loss plan to increase our calorie burn and improve... Read More

As we approach bathing suit season, many Americans are planning to drop some winter weight. Changing when and what you eat could be the edge you need to see weight loss results that you aren’t seeing from just following a healthy diet. Fine tune your eating habits with the following tips to help you dump the plump this spring. Have dinner earlier. Stop eating around mid-afternoon, and don’t start again till morning. “Restricted feeding” cuts appetite and ups fat burning at night, researchers at Pennington Biomedical Research Center say. Go low carb once a week. Eating just three low-carb... Read More

On Mondays I attend my favorite yoga class. Every week, as class disperses and the yogis and yoginis depart, most of them head straight to their phone to see what they’ve missed. The hour they spend unifying their breath and body, finding peace, and practicing mindfulness, is shattered almost immediately after they leave the studio. Why is it so hard to practice mindfulness in our modern society? Here is my take on why practicing mindfulness every day is so hard. In the era of the 24-hour news cycle, portable devices that go everywhere with us, and social media – my apology to the medium that... Read More

Low- and no- carb eating is all the rage these days.  Ditching carbs is tough to do-over the long haul. For starters, adults in the U.S. get about 50 percent of their daily calories from carbohydrates. If you cut out all carbs, you’ll have to give up fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans — which are the building blocks of a healthy diet. If you’re a woman, you may be doing yourself a disservice giving up carbs.  For women, particularly peri-menopausal or menopausal women, carbs stimulate serotonin production in the brain. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that governs our mood.  Some... Read More