New research suggests people who get too little sleep during the week can make up for it on the weekends. According to a study published in the Journal of Sleep Research, people who slept less than five hours each night throughout the week had an increased risk of early death compared to those who slept six to seven hours every night. People who get less than five hours during the week, but who catch up on some of that lost sleep on the weekend, do not have the same risk. These results suggest that sleep is not a risk factor for mortality if it is combined with a medium or long weekend sleep. Some... Read More

Did you know that a green (unripe) banana confers its own unique health benefits? Green bananas are a good source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals, and contain resistant starch which cannot be broken down by enzymes in your digestive system and, therefore, acts more like fiber. Including foods high in resistant starch in your diet may reduce your risk of diabetes and heart disease by aiding in blood sugar control and lowering blood cholesterol levels. Bananas have higher levels of antioxidants as they ripen. Fully ripened bananas produce a substance called Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF). TNF regulates... Read More

There is widespread agreement among those in the scientific and health care communities, that certain behaviors contribute greatly to preventable chronic disease, improve productivity and impact health. In 2000, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that four lifestyle-related behavioral risk factors accounted for approximately 40% of all deaths in the United States. The optimal lifestyle metric (OLM), reflects adherence to these four positive health behaviors: not using tobacco, exercising at least 150 minutes per week, consuming at least five fruits and vegetable... Read More

Recently, a friend of mine posted on social media that he was considering a plant-based diet to reduce his risk of heart disease.  What does that means for those of us who are omnivores – eaters of food that are of both plant and animal origin? Is it necessary to eschew animal protein to have a healthy heart? Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma and Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual, among others, has been an outspoken critic of both America’s obsession with healthy eating and American food policy.  In 2009, Mr. Pollan spoke to a room full of CDC scientists about how and why... Read More

Whether you are from out-of-town planning a trip to beautiful Boulder County, you have family and friends coming into town, or you are a native, protecting yourself from altitude sickness is a must! Here are five tips to avoid getting sick while enjoying Colorado’s beautiful outdoors. Get Acclimated. If you live at a lower altitude, it is best to avoid strenuous activity the first day or two after you arrive. Your body needs time to get used to the oxygen deficiency that comes with the higher altitude. Hydrate. Hydrate. Hydrate. Because of Colorado’s arid climate, you are more likely to get... Read More

If you look closely at a Gatorade commercial featuring Serena Williams called “You Fuel Us, We’ll Fuel You,” you may have noticed she is wearing a small patch.  That patch is a biosensor being used as a health monitor—in this case, by assessing sweat. Biosensors are currently being tested in athletes, but have other applications in the world of health. The sensor itself is a soft, flexible patch that adheres to the skin and is placed directly on the forearm or back. It’s a little larger than a quarter and about the same thickness. Fluids can be collected non-invasively and many... Read More

My mother has dementia. When I talk to her it is like talking to a pre-school age child — stream of consciousness-style ramblings of reality mixed with fantasy. It is disturbing to compare this woman to the person my mother was before dementia.  She was smart, witty, and quite opinionated.  She was a modern woman who was still quite old-fashioned; a unique woman for her generation. Dementia is not a disease, but rather a group of symptoms caused by other conditions.  Dementia causes problems with thinking, memory, and reasoning, happening when the parts of the brain used for learning,... Read More

What is it that makes it so challenging to peel oneself off the couch and workout? Who are these crazies who jump out of bed at 5 a.m. and run in the cold, crepuscular morning hours? Or who get in a power hike after work when the rest of us want nothing more than to go home and veg. What powers these people, and how do we bottle it? It seems like it should be enough to merely want to exercise—to want to look better; to want a more toned body; to want to control high blood pressure or diabetes; to want to be healthier. But, as anyone who has chosen the couch over the treadmill can attest, wanting... Read More

If you’re looking to eat right and feel great at the same time, there are some foods that you should consider adding to your menu. While there are plenty of healthy foods out there that you can choose from, the foods listed in this article are some of my favorites. They are all super nutritious and will help you to maintain robust health and a strong physique. These foods will also enhance your body’s health from the inside to the outside!   Chia seeds – A powerhouse of vitamins and nutrients, chia seeds are also a great alternative to the more processed grains you may be faced... Read More

Are you a glass half-full person? In other words, are you hopeful and confident about the future?  If so, you might be healthier than your friends who believe that the worst will happen. Many studies have reported that optimism influences health. Among the findings:   Highly pessimistic men were three times more likely to develop hypertension. People with positive emotions had lower blood pressures. The most pessimistic men were more than twice as likely to develop heart disease compared with the most optimistic.   It is hard to know if optimism is the result of good health, or if... Read More

Since cannabis is legal for recreational use in ten states and counting, one of the most common question that comes up is “Can I use cannabis before working out?” The answer is yes. More and more athletes are coming out of the green closet to discuss their cannabis use and how it affects their athletic performance.  Olympian and World Champion Joanna Zeiger, PhD is the founder and coach with Train Away Chronic Pain. She is a cannabis advocate and often discusses how cannabis has helped her manage chronic pain symptoms and provide a restful night’s sleep. Other athletes such as Anna Symonds... Read More

Guess who I found exploring Chautauqua Park? This lovely lady, Julia Fallman. It’s safe to say that Julia is making a positive impact on the Boulder community, not only at Impact Hub Boulder as a Communications and Programming Coordinator, but also at Unreasonable Institute as a Global Labs Maverick. Julia describes Boulder as, “a sunny place where entrepreneurship meets the outdoors. In one day I could go for a trail run, go to work, climb the Flatirons, and grab dinner at the farmers market.” Cheers to that Julia!  Read More

A recent article in the journal The Conversation, asked the question “Is walking enough exercise?”  Four out of five experts said yes. The one expert who said no, qualified his response by saying that walking is better than no exercise at all. He goes on to point out that, ideally, strength training and higher intensity exercise is ideal for good health. While strength training and higher intensity exercise along with moderate exercise is the ideal situation for many, the National Runners’ Health Study found that moderate-intensity walking and vigorous-intensity running resulted in similar... Read More

We all possess a secret power deep within us. This secret power has the ability to create and manifest anything that we want in our lives. It is an unlimited catalog that we can place “orders” with, whenever we want. It will give us anything that we want, we just have to ask. Maybe it is wealth, success, new cars or just happiness – whatever it is we can have it. Period. So how do we unleash this power? Visualization. Visualization is the fuel to our internal-fire. Visualization is our connection to an infinite supply of wisdom, creativity and wealth. The Universe is always working to give... 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

All my life, leading up to early this week, I thought eating healthy was hard. There are hundreds of diets out there, from Mariah Carey’s ‘eating only purple shade food’ to Atkins, each with its own bag of tricks and snake oil, promising easy weight loss and health benefits. And then there are those food labels; the tiny black ink consumers are encouraged to read. When the ingredients on the back of the package read “Sodium Benzoate” and “Butylated Hydroxyanisole,” it may as well be written in a foreign language. But then I discovered 1908 Brands, a Boulder-based company that develops... Read More

Featured Photo Credit: The Weed Blog I spent the majority of last week sick with a sore throat (a name that doesn’t quite do it justice as I felt it would be better described as nightmare throat or raging-baby-dragon-trapped-in-my throat), and I found myself wondering about cannabis teas, or in short, CBD tea.  First, a couple of facts: Tea alone is packed with benefits for the body. There’s the antioxidants that protect the it from free radicals that can wreak havoc on our health, and let’s not forget about its association with weight loss and a lower risk of heart disease and diabetes. When... Read More

Boulder is a city brimming with delectable creations and cuisine artists. You can’t throw a stone within the city limits without hitting a renowned or beloved place to eat. But not all of Boulder’s delicious delicacies require you to take to the city streets. Some of the best, most regarded food in town comes to you… Meet Chef Bob Sampson, a venerated chef with over 30 years of experience in the industry. He’s served as an executive chef at three different restaurants, and for seven years owned the Boulder restaurant World Fare. Throughout that time, Chef Bob has been... Read More

The demand is growing rapidly for vegan products around the world. These products are in high demand among consumers because of their cruelty free ingredients, eco-friendly production methods, and overall health and wellness properties. With this growing demand, industries all over the world are adding vegan options, including cannabis companies. Their product lines are expanding, and vegan options are more available across the market. Below are some of my favorite vegan cannabis edibles found in Colorado. 1.Wana If you Wana Enhance Your Life, Wana has several options to choose from. They have... Read More

Perhaps you’ve heard that sitting is the new smoking?  Sitting all day is not good for our health.  We’ve actually known this, from a public health perspective, for over 60 years. Back in the 50s, researchers studied men (yes, not much research done with women in those days) who had jobs that required them to sit, compared to those who were standing or walking during the work day. The study showed that the rates of illness and early death were highest among those who were the least active. As we are now a society of desk jockeys, it makes sense that scientists would revisit this... Read More