12 Habits of Super-Healthy People
Have Breakfast
It’s important for a bunch of reasons. It jump-starts your metabolism and stops you from overeating later. Plus, studies show that adults who have a healthy breakfast do better at work, and kids who eat a morning meal score higher on tests. If a big plateful first thing isn’t for you, keep it light with a granola bar or a piece of fruit. Just don’t skip it.
Plan Your Meals
It’ll help you save time and money in the long run. Block out some time, then sit down and consider your goals and needs. Do you want to lose weight? Cut back on sugar, fat, or carbs? Add protein or vitamins? Meal prep keeps you in control. You know what you’re eating and when. A bonus: It’ll be that much easier to skip those doughnuts in the breakroom at work.
Drink Plenty of Water…
Are healthy habits worth cultivating? A recent study suggests healthy habits may help people tack on years of life and sidestep serious illnesses, such as diabetes and cancer. After all, if you’re going to gain an extra decade of life on this earth, you want to enjoy it!
What did this research focus on?
Researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health looked at data from more than 73,000 women enrolled in the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) who were followed for 34 years, and more than 38,000 men enrolled in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS) who were followed for 28 years.
In a previous study using the same data, these researchers found that five low-risk lifestyle habits are critical for a longer life expectancy. The more of these habits people had, the longer they lived… READ MORE
Meditation to Boost Health and Well-Being
Practicing mindfulness and meditation may help you manage stress and high blood pressure, sleep better, feel more balanced and connected, and even lower your risk of heart disease.
Meditation and mindfulness are practices — often using breathing, quiet contemplation, or sustained focus on something, such as an image, phrase, or sound — that help you let go of stress and feel more calm and peaceful. Think of it as a mini-vacation from the stress in your life! Stress is your body’s natural alarm system. It releases a hormone called adrenaline that makes your breathing speed up and your heart rate and blood pressure rise. It kicks us into action, which can be a good thing when we’re faced with a real danger or need to perform.
But that “fight or flight” response can take a toll on your body when it goes on too long or is a regular occurrence. Mindfulness meditation provides a method for handling stress more healthily.
Meditation can improve well-being and quality of life.
Recent studies have offered promising results about the impact of meditation in reducing blood pressure. There is also evidence that it can help people manage insomnia, depression, and anxiety… READ MORE
10 Important Reasons to Start Making Time for Silence, Rest and Solitude
Practice becoming an observer of your thoughts. The human will is strengthened whenever we choose not to respond to every actionable thought.
It’s amazing how tuned out we become to the motor of the air-conditioner and refrigerator — the sudden silence is a startling reprieve. Likewise, we become numb to the buzz of our technology-saturated world.
Smartphone users check their device every 6.5 minutes, which works out to around 150 times a day. Silence is replaced with a cacophony of communication, and solitude is replaced with social media.
Indeed they’re an endangered species: silence and solitude; yet great revelations and benefits are found in them. Here are ten:
1. Bypassing Burnout
Too often, our culture assigns self-worth to productivity. Whether it’s asking what your country can do for you, or what you can do for your country, the question remains — what can be done? It’s a one-way ticket to burnout… READ MORE
Nutrition, Health, and Lifestyle: Issues and Insights
Separate fact from fiction and fads as you learn about core nutrition concepts and how to evaluate not only personal food choices and overall dietary patterns; ns but nutrition-related content in the media and advertising. Such topics include fundamentals of a healthful eating pattern, nutrition labeling, dietary supplements, fortified and “super” foods, plant-based nutrition, and nutrition and fitness. The course will also include an overview of nutrition fundamentals as they relate to human health.
During this course, you will have the opportunity to:
- Analyze and evaluate your food and beverage intake using a recommended online or cell phone app nutrient database.
- Research a dietary supplement of your choosing using credible informational websites as well as evidence-based medical literature.
- Personally examine the concept of energy balance through the determination of your calorie needs, intake, and expenditure.
Syllabus
Week One: Just What is a Healthy Diet? A Balancing Act
Week Two: Nutrition Labeling: Facts, Claims, and Challenges
Week Three: Dietary Supplements: Evaluating the Evidence
Week Four: Functional and “Super” Foods: Their Role in Optimal Nutrition
Week Five: Plant-based Nutrition: Controversies and Considerations
Week Six: Nutrition and Fitness: Facts, Food, and Fuel
Week Seven: Food Allergies and Intolerances: Separating Fact from Fiction