Today, 10 million Americans—more than twice as many as a decade ago—practice some form of meditation, according to TIME magazine. And with contemporary medical experts claiming that regular practice of this ancient activity improves well-being and health, the trend may well continue.
Would meditation help you? Discover what meditation is, the benefits of...
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Expert tips on maintaining health and fitness
Genetically Engineered Foods
o genetically engineered (GE) products present the answer to world food shortages or pose a danger to an unsuspecting public? Catherine Reade, MS, RD, owner of HealthFull Living in Littleton, Colorado, offers this information to help you form an opinion.
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ucts can also be affected. Additionally, 30,...
A popular myth is that there is a specific range of heart rates in which you must exercise to burn fat. Even many cardio machines display a “fat-burning zone” on their panels, encouraging people to exercise in a specific heart rate range. Have you ever wondered if you really have to exercise in a specific heart rate zone to lose fat? And what happens if you venture out of that zone? Jason R.
You wake up to the sound of an annoying alarm, you’re dead tired, and you just plain feel out of sorts. Ugh! How do you go out into the world—or even get out of bed!—when you are feeling so blah? April Durrett, IDEA contributing editor, and health, fitness and lifestyle writer shares mindful strategies that can help you shake off the blues.
Use Mind-Body Methods
What can you do if you wake up on the wrong side of the bed? Try these strategies.
Have you experienced back pain at one time or another? Have you been told to strengthen your abdominal muscles to fix a back problem? While traditional crunches strengthen the outer layers of the abdominal musculature, they bypass the deep support structures of your back. This can place the lumbar spine in too much flexion and may even worsen your back pain, depending on what your original physical problem was. By training the deep stabilizers of the lumbar spine, pain can be alleviated and you’ll be able to return to everyday activities sooner.
Excited about going on vacation? While traveling is fun, simply getting to a vacation destination—whether by plane, train, bus or car—often involves extended periods of immobility. Hours of inactivity associated with air travel—first in the airport waiting lounge and then on the plane—may leave you achy and sore before your vacation has even begun!
Natural and organic food markets have sprouted up everywhere, offering you a nearby source for “natural” foods, such as organic produce and other foods that are free of antibiotics, preservatives, growth hormones and trans fats.
With all the artificial sweeteners available, you may find it challenging to separate fact from fiction. In fact, so many new sweeteners have made their way to market that the American Dietetic Association (ADA) released a Position Paper in 2004 to help nutrition experts educate consumers on the health implications of these products!
With all this sweet talk, it’s no wonder that y...
On the messy road of life, it is often challenging to determine what your next step will be, what direction you will take and which way you will turn. Perhaps that is one reason why walking a labyrinth as a meditation is so appealing: the journey is clearly marked, unobstructed and in full view. Although it twists and winds its way to the center, there are no tricks, wrong choices or dead ends. To reach your destination, all you have to do is follow the path.
by Jennie McCary, MS, RD, LD
The holiday season, now upon us, is a time of celebration and abundance. Teeming with tasty temptations (not to mention tons of stress!), the holidays can present challenges to clients trying to maintain healthy habits. Each festivity or social function can create anxiety for the calorie-conscious struggling to maintain weight as co-workers serve sugary treats at the office and hectic sch...
