Look at nature, eat chocolate and try aqua aerobics — plus 8 more health tips to help you have a great week
Cutting back TV time to no more than one hour daily can protect your heart.
Hello, Yahoo Life readers! My name is Rachel Grumman Bender. I’m filling in for Kaitlin Reilly and am here to ensure you don’t miss out on this week’s best health and wellness tips.
Thanks to Daylight Saving Time, we all sprung forward an hour last week. The good news: It’s no longer pitch black at 4:30 p.m. The bad news: It’s so dark in the mornings now that it can feel like you’re waking up in the middle of the night. If you, like me, are still struggling with the time change, there are some steps you can take to make getting up in the morning and leaving your cozy bed a little less painful.
Sure, sticking with a set sleep schedule helps (something I’m still working on as a night owl). But maximizing light exposure in the morning, whether that’s a sunrise alarm clock (which simulates a natural sunrise by gradually increasing the light) or turning on a table lamp, helps signal to your brain that it’s time to get up. Or if a bright light feels too harsh, try setting your smartphone to wake you up with one of your favorite songs (mine would be “You Make My Dreams (Come True)” by Hall and Oates). Research shows that people with melodic alarms feel more alert in the a.m. than those who kick off their day with a beeping alarm.
Ready to start off your week on the right track? Check out your local weather forecast and steal a glance at your horoscope — then read about the small steps you can take to boost your well-being this week.
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?? Go green
???♀? Try aqua aerobics
?? Chew on wood
?? Go green
Saint Patrick’s Day is March 17, and while drinking Guinness and eating some corned beef and cabbage may spring to mind, how about some healthier ways to honor the holiday? Since green is the color of Saint Patrick’s Day, use it as an excuse to boost your intake of healthy green produce, which is typically packed with vitamins and minerals. Cut up an avocado and toss it in a hearty green salad, stir-fry some bok choy, sauté spinach or roast some Brussels sprouts with a balsamic glaze.
?? Reduce pain by looking at nature
Speaking of green, taking some time to watch nature scenes can help ease pain. That’s the takeaway from a new study published in Nature Communications in which researchers used a functional MRI to look at study participants' brain activity as they received a series of small electric shocks. Participants who watched nature videos while getting zapped, compared to those who stared at an indoor office or city views, reported feeling less pain. Scans revealed that areas of the brain that process pain actually changed, meaning it wasn’t just a placebo effect. Although focusing on nature is half as effective as taking actual painkillers, the study authors say that natural scenery genuinely buffers against pain symptoms.
???♀? Try aqua aerobics
When you think of water aerobics, chances are grandmas in sensible bathing suits and overly enthusiastic fitness instructors on cruise ships come to mind. But this might make you look at the exercise in a new light: A new study in the journal BMJ Open found that people who stuck with aqua aerobics for more than 10 weeks significantly reduced their body weight by more than 6 lbs. and waist circumference by nearly 3 cm. Aqua aerobics, performed two to three times a week for about one hour, was particularly effective in overweight and obese women and those over 45. Bonus: The buoyancy of water is kinder to your joints, helping to reduce injuries.
?? Chew on wood
While you probably didn’t have gnawing on wood on your to-do list, you might want to reconsider. Hear me out: A new study found that chewing on a hard material like wood (in this case, a wood tongue depressor you’d find in a doctor’s office) increased a crucial antioxidant in the brain called glutathione that can help improve memory, while chewing on gum did not. If munching on wood isn’t your thing (and really, who could blame you?), you can still opt for chewing gum instead. Research suggests it helps boost blood flow to your brain by up to 40% and can make you more alert. Plus, you don’t have to worry about any splinters.
? Sip coffee
As if you needed another reason to wrap your hands around a hot cup of Joe: Coffee is good for your gut health. Researchers found that coffee stimulates the growth of good bacteria (Lawsonibacter asaccharolyticus, if you really want to get technical). But coffee, which is rich in antioxidants, serves up a slew of other benefits, including reducing the risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease. But you can have too much of a good thing, which is why the Food and Drug Administration recommends having no more than 400 mg of caffeine per day. To put that in perspective, an 8-ounce cup of coffee has about 96 mg of caffeine.
?? Consider ditching that probiotic
In her Ask a Doctor column for the Washington Post, gastroenterologist Dr. Trisha Pasricha says that over-the-counter probiotics — which have grown into a multibillion-dollar industry thanks to people paying more attention to gut health — aren’t worth it. Pasricha says the evidence of whether these supplements actually work is mixed (although they can help restore good bacteria after taking a course of antibiotics). The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health echoes that sentiment, noting it’s still unclear which probiotics are helpful and which aren’t. Also, like many dietary supplements, they aren’t regulated by the FDA. So what should you do instead? Pasricha, like many physicians, recommends getting in more fiber, such as oatmeal, beans and whole grains, which keeps your digestive system running smoothly and is good for your overall health. Eating fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi and Greek yogurt, which are naturally rich in probiotics, is another smart move. Or maybe just try drinking some gut-friendly coffee instead?
?? Snack on chocolate
There’s an entire week dedicated just to chocolate (March 16 to 22 is American Chocolate Week) — and for good reason. We clearly love it, with Americans consuming about 1.28 billion kilograms of chocolate confections annually (that’s 2.6 billion lbs., in case you don’t want to do the math). While milk chocolate is more popular because it’s sweeter, dark chocolate, which tends to be more bitter, is the healthier standout. Dark chocolate can help reduce inflammation, support heart health and lower the risk of type 2 diabetes. It also contains the feel-good hormone serotonin and magnesium, which can help lower anxiety. Just be sure that whatever dark chocolate bar you reach for is made up of at least 70% cacao to reap the benefits.
?? Cut back on TV time to protect your heart
Limiting the amount of time spent sitting and watching TV to no more than one hour each day can help counteract the increased risk of heart disease for people with a high likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes, according to a new study in the Journal of the American Heart Association. The researchers found that being sedentary, such as watching TV for two or more hours daily, plays a role in developing heart and blood vessel diseases. Those who reported spending one hour or less on TV had a lower risk of developing atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease within the next 10 years. Here’s another reason to cut back: 11% of coronary heart disease cases could be prevented by spending less than an hour daily in front of the TV, according to a 2022 study. Even breaking up sedentary time in front of the TV helps. Try doing some squats or push-ups during commercial breaks. Your heart will thank you.
?? Get nostalgic
Feeling sentimental? That’s a good thing, according to a new study in the journal Cognition and Emotion. The researchers looked at nostalgia — which they describe as “an emotion that often reminds us of important relationships” — and found that it plays a key role in friendships. The study found that people who feel and value nostalgia tend to have — and hold onto — more close friends and go the extra mile in maintaining those friendships compared to people who are less sentimental. Having close relationships with others has several health benefits, including lowering the risk of depression and anxiety and boosting well-being, and it can even help you live longer. Here’s how doing FaceTime with your friends can help maintain your bond.
?? Eat some artichokes
If vegetables could brag, artichokes — yes, artichokes — would get a lot more attention. The funky-looking produce has the highest levels of antioxidants of any vegetable. They’re chockfull of vitamins and minerals from copper, magnesium and iron to vitamin C and potassium. Artichokes also help lower cholesterol, contain more fiber than a cup of prunes and are, in my personal opinion, downright delicious. Given that March 16 is National Artichoke Day, try one of these three easy ways to cook them.
??? Watch your waistline
A new study published in JAMA Network Open found that eating a healthy diet and having a lower waist-to-hip ratio (which measures the ratio of your waist circumference to your hip circumference) throughout midlife was linked with better brain health in older age. On the flip side, having a higher waist-to-hip ratio in midlife was linked to poorer working memory and executive function later on. While the researchers say that ages 48 to 70 are a key time to improve your diet and manage the accumulation of fat around your midsection to help protect brain health in older age, everyone can benefit from starting to eat healthier now. If you aren’t sure where to begin, try following the heart-healthy Mediterranean diet, which is a favorite of both doctors and nutritionists, or check out these 18 dietitian-approved healthy snacks.
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