Wellness
Your Gut Microbiome and Its Connection to Sleep
The gut and sleep? There is more to it than munching too many chips while binge-watching a favorite show and then tossing and turning all night. Home to thousands of bacteria that make up the microbiome, the gut affects appetite, metabolism, weight management, and whether or not a sound sleep arrives at night. To understand how nutrition, the gut and sleep interact, take a closer look at the purpose and physiology of sleep. Then discover the intricate web that ties together food and drink, the gut, and the health benefits of sleep.
The Forgiveness Factor
Do you know that forgiving others can help your mind and your body? Forgiveness is universally accepted throughout the world’s religious and spiritual practices. Learn what the research says about forgiveness, how you can achieve it for yourself and how you can introduce the concept to clients.
Health and Wellness Coaching Approved as Healthcare Service
Health and wellness coaching has hit an important professional milestone. The AMA has officially recognized the role of health and wellness coaches as nonphysician healthcare professionals by approving procedural codes for tracking health and well-being coaching services. This means that health and wellness coaches who are certified by either the National Board of Health and Wellness Coaching (NBHWC) or by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing Inc. are recognized as Category III healthcare professionals.
HELP! I Can’t Meditate… I’ve Tried
It’s easy to understand how some folks can believe that statement to be true. It’s a lot like how some say, “I can’t exercise. I’m uncoordinated.” Or, “I can’t do yoga. My muscles are too tight.” It makes sense that when you believe there is only one way to accomplish something, it’s easy to feel defeated.
Cultural Appropriation in Yoga
Yoga teachers will already be well aware that the yamas are one of the eight limbs of yoga. According to Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, the word yamas can be translated as “abstinences”; in other words, these are things yogis should avoid doing (Satchidananda 2012).
How to Increase Confidence and Fitness Class Size
Group fitness instructors have a reputation for being fearless extroverts. And it does take self-confidence to stand in front of a group of people and lead them through an exercise routine—all while wearing a mic and managing a playlist. The truth is that we’re performing, but that doesn’t come naturally to everyone. Some of us need to fake it till we make it!
Poor Food Choices at Work Can Impact Overall Diet
Since many Americans spend half their waking hours at a job, it makes sense that the food they decide to purchase at work can have a big impact on their overall diet.
Fitness Predicts Longevity After 70
Most adults over age 70 have multiple risk factors, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and/or diabetes, but experts note that knowing the total number of risk factors is not helpful for predicting future health. By contrast, knowing how fit a person is can be predictive, according to a study presented at the American College of Cardiology’s 68th Annual Scientific Session in March 2019.
Muscular Strength and Mental Well-Being
In a study of midlife women in Singapore, weak upper- and lower-body strength was associated with depression and anxiety. Researchers analyzed data from 1,159 healthy women ages 45–69 for physical activity, physical performance, lifestyle choices, reproductive health, sociodemographic characteristics, and depression and anxiety symptoms. Weak handgrip strength and poor lower-body strength were associated with elevated symptoms of depression and/or anxiety. Fifteen percent of participants reported depression and/or anxiety.
Men’s Health Research Review
Men: Are you exercising and eating healthfully but not losing the weight you want? The good news is that there are more benefits to these two habits than just weight loss.
Megan Senger, professional fitness writer/editor and fitness instructor based in North Carolina, has summarized a few studies that center on men’s wellness, with comments on what the findings may mean for you.
Social Media Influencers Give Inaccurate Health Advice
Have you been frustrated by bad health and fitness advice doled out by social media influencers? You’re not alone, and if you sense that much of the popular online health information is wrong, you’re right! A recent study of key U.K. social media influencers’ weight management blogs—presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Glasgow, Scotland, in April 2019—showed that most influencers were not reliable weight management resources.
Soda Tax: Drink Pop, Pay More
Love sodas or loathe them, it’s becoming harder to ignore the impact that a “soda tax” can have on consumption rates. A tax of 1.5 cents per ounce of sugary drinks sold in Philadelphia, implemented in 2017, resulted in a 51% drop in sales compared with the previous year, although that figure was partially offset by a rise in sales in neighboring no-tax towns, according to research published in JAMA.
October 2019 Question of the Month: Can “Clean Eating” Go Wrong?
Although eating nutritious food is an important part of an overall healthy lifestyle, for some people a preoccupation with so-called “clean eating” can become physically and socially damaging.
2019 IDEA® World Convention: Igniting Passion With Purpose!
Purpose, passion and people! The fitness industry is all about forging relationships that lift others up. Fitness professionals have energy to spare, and they are dedicated to mentoring new generations of pros, networking with peers, and motivating clients and participants every day.
Food Prescriptions Could Save Billions
To invest in prevention, perhaps physicians should start writing scripts for broccoli as well as pharmaceuticals.
The Market for CBD Products Is Booming
Passage of the 2018 Farm Bill opened America’s doors to hemp agriculture, from which cannabidiol (CBD) is derived. Since then, there has been a flood of CBD-infused foods and beverages hitting the market. (CBD that is extracted from other cannabis plants, including marijuana, is technically illegal on a federal level.) Everything from coffee to sparkling water to protein powder can now be found with CBD, and a recent survey reports that roughly 40% of U.S. adults ages 21 and over are willing to give these products a try. In 2017, U.S.
Can Digital Multitasking Increase Overeating?
You may want to review your digital device usage. New research shows that people who mindlessly switch between a smartphone and a tablet or other digital devices are likely to have an increased susceptibility to food temptations and lack of self-control, potentially leading to weight gain. Researchers from three American universities conducted the inquiry to examine whether links exist between obesity and use of digital devices.
Playing Team Sports Fights Depression in Boys
Participation in team sports not only helps children improve fitness and social skills; it’s also linked with development of the hippocampus region of the brain, according to research published in Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging (2019; doi:10.1016/j.bpsc.2019.01.011). In adults, lower hippocampal volume has been associated with depression for some time.
5 Tips for Success as a Health Coach
Launch your coaching career with strategies from successful health coaches:
1. Identify With Your Clients
“You need to specialize and understand your prospective clients very deeply,” says Jeff Popoff, founder of the online business The Healthy Executive. “It really helps if you are authentically ÔÇÿone of their tribe.’ If you try to be everything to everyone, you will wind up being nothing to nobody.”
Exercise Linked to Longer Life
Keeping physically active or becoming more active during middle and older age is associated with a lower risk of death, regardless of past activity levels or existing health conditions, suggests a large United Kingdom study published in the June 26 issue of The BMJ.