Good news for busy people everywhere. A new study reported that every little bit of activity you get in can add up to a longer, healthier life — not just when you do it in half hour or more increments. While advice for the past 30 years as has usually told us to get at least 10 minutes at a time, the latest research from Duke University School of Medicine shows that it doesn’t really matter how you get it, as long as you do. No matter the length of segments people got their exercise, those who moved more were less likely to die over the next six to seven years that those who were less active. Guidelines typically recommend that people get at least 2.5 hours of moderate exercise every week, or about 30 minutes, five times a week. But while, the 10-minute-at-a-time bench mark was widely accepted, it…
10 easy ways to start a healthier lifestyle
New Year’s resolutions get a bad rap — for a good reason. Does anyone actually find those things useful? Don’t waste your time setting big resolutions that you’ll dump before the end of the month. Instead, set a few small intentions that will make this year your healthiest ever, guaranteed. Here are 10 easy ways to get started on a healthier lifestyle. Cook at home more It’s true. Weight loss begins in the kitchen. As a rule of thumb, getting in shape amounts to about 75 percent diet and 25 percent exercise. That means even if you workout religiously, you still can’t sneak away to the corner cantina for daily overstuffed burritos and expect to shed pounds. Homemade meals will always be your best bet because you’re more aware of what you’re eating — and you can control it. You can ensure you’re getting the protein, fiber, and other nutrients…
10 foods to avoid pre-workout
There’s nothing worse than hitting the gym on an empty stomach. That is, except maybe when you’ve jumped into downward dog or hit mile three on the treadmill and realized your pre-workout snack was a horrible choice. But you don’t have to workout on an empty stomach — you just have to snack smart. Eating the wrong foods pre-workout can cause a variety of unpleasant side effects from gas to bloating to diarrhea. So the next time you want to munch on something before getting your sweat on, remember to keep things simple. Grab a small amount of protein and some easy-to-digest carbs to help power your workout. A banana and peanut butter or a whole fruit smoothie do the trick nicely. But whatever you do, be sure to save these 10 foods until after your workout. 1. Alcohol You’re already sweating and losing water from your workout, booze will…
This is the best exercise for your mental health, according to researchers
Different exercises deliver different results for various systems in your body — weightlifting for muscle tone, cardio for weight loss, and so on. But what exercise should you look to if you want to improve your mental health? Researchers recently looked at the link between physical activities and mental health to determine the answer to this question. Team sports were found to have the greatest mental health benefit, followed by cycling, either on the road or a stationary bike. The findings were published in the journal Lancet Psychiatry this month. The study was among the first of its kind. Participants were asked to respond to a survey asking how many days in the previous month their mental health was “not good” due to stress, depression or other problems. Researchers found that physical activated performed in groups, including team sports and gym classes, provided more of a boost in mental health than…
These 10 foods have more potassium than that boring banana
If you know just one thing about potassium, it’s probably that it’s found in bananas. Bananas are a portable, tasty source of potassium, but there other great foods that can help you reach your recommended daily intake, too. Potassium plays many important roles in the human body. You don’t hear as much about potassium as you do with say, vitamin C, fiber or even omega-3s, but 100,000 times every day, this electrolyte helps to trigger your heart to pump blood to the rest of of you body. It helps your muscles to move, your bones to stay strong and your nervous system to communicate. Low potassium intake has been linked with high blood pressure and kidney stones, according the National Institutes of Health. Less than two percent of people in the U.S. get the recommended 4,700 mg daily recommendation of potassium, according to The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Yes, that means a whopping 98 percent of…
Adopting these 5 habits can add years to your life, study shows
Everyone wants a long, healthy life, but are we doing what is necessary to actually get there? A new study conducted by Harvard suggests that if American adults integrate five specific habits into their daily lives, their life expectancy will be increased by more than a decade. The recommended five habits are: 1. Don’t smoke 2. Eat a healthy diet 3. Get at least 30 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise, daily 4. Maintain a healthy weight 5. Consume alcohol only in moderation The research, published last month in the journal Circulation, says that adopting these five healthy-habits could prolong your life expectancy at age 50 by a little more than 14 years of woman and a little more than 12 years for men. “The general population just needs to adopt a small step forward toward a healthier lifestyle,” says the lead researcher, Yanping, Li, MD, PhD, a scientists at the Harvard T.H. Chan School…
These two workout classes are dirtier than your toilet
Gym classes are a great way to keep up motivation to workout. However the camaraderie you build when spinning or spotting isn’t the only thing you’re sharing. It seems that certain gym classes leave you more open to swapping bacteria. While all gym equipment — and all public places, for that matter — carry some expectation of germs, a recent study conducted by EllipticalReviews.com found that there are two gym classes in particular that are more unhygienic than a toilet. The researchers took three swab samples from equipment in four different workout classes (spin, hot yoga, barre, and weight-based workouts). The swabs were measured for the volume of microbes found and then the three samples were averaged to determine the level of colony-forming units (CFU). Weight-based workouts were the worst, with an average of 153,410 CFU detected on an average barbell. For comparison, a toilet seat comes in with about 3,200 CFU — that…
Here’s how you can maximize your walking-only workout
Gym membership get too expensive? Running not an option? Here are are a few ways you can take that daily walking workout to the next level. Time to get moving! 1. Add intervals Walking faster isn’t the only way to burn more calories. Researchers from Ohio State University found that changing pace can increase metabolic heart rate by nearly 20 percent over those who maintain a fixed pace while they walk. The study also found that we tend to walk faster when we have longer distances to cover. So set a goal for at least one long distance walk per week, and practice picking up the pace every five minutes or so. 2. Head uphill While it’s great to walk a track, or circle your office building when the weather gets cold, consider adding some gradient to your walk. It’s a no-brainer than you’ll expend more energy and burn more calories than…
4 reasons why your vegan diet isn’t helping you lose weight
Vegan diets conjure up images of lean, healthy folks, happily chowing down on massive bowls of leafy green salad. And science backs this image. In a large study of 40,000 adults, conducted by Oxford University, vegans were found to have the lowest BMIs among any of their peers, while meat-eaters, not surprisingly, had the highest. But not every vegan sees the same results after cutting out animal products from their daily diets. Some don’t see changes at all, and some can actually gain weight. If you’ve made the switch to vegan in attempt to shed pounds, here’s what you might be doing that could be sabotaging your efforts. Reason 1: Your overestimating portion size Sure, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and whole grains are healthy food our bodies require to fuel new cell growth, and regenerate healthy hair, nails and muscles, but we don’t need an infinite amount of these nutrients. The amount…
Should you sleep more or workout?
There are only 24 hours in a day, so it’s no wonder we feel the pressure to find time to fit in both ample sleep and rigorous exercise. For your overall health and happiness, you do need to be getting enough of both, but when you throw in life’s other responsibilities — family, friends, work, and an overwhelming number of others — sometime you can feel as though you have to choose. So on a busy day, which should it be, exercise or sleep? Well, the answer isn’t so simple. The case for getting more shut-eye Dr. Charles Czeisler, a sleep expert at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston recently told The New York Times that sleep and exercise shouldn’t be pitted against each other. Because people need around eight hours of sleep each night, getting up early to workout can interrupt your body’s circadian rhythm. So…