Is your smartphone making you sick?

Research from Arizona University has linked high screen time to the worst diet patterns and unhealthiest habits. The study followed 900 adults that owned one television and at least one other screen. This could include phone, laptop or tablet, to see the link between screen time to health habits. Most research on screen time has been on television viewing and …

Why Exercise? 3 Great Reasons to Stay Active

Couple running in sunset

To clean house We all know exercise is good for us, but now we know exercise cleans our muscles. Exercise removes worn-out proteins and prevents their accumulation to keep muscles healthy and functioning. Exercise builds muscle which is important for maintaining and regulating metabolism and mobility. It also cleans muscles. Danish and Australian researchers have shown that a single intense …

Change Over Time

Normally, September feels like a new beginning. After years of being trained to get back into a routine in September, this year does feel quite a bit different. The anxiety around what the future may hold can take a toll. Physically and mentally many of us have reached peak coping capacity. Even exercise which can be an effective coping mechanism …

Over 50? An orange a day keeps the doctor away

Oranges in a bowl

An orange a day could keep the doctor away in the most unusual way. For most people eating an orange would seem like a healthy snack and a good way to get a dose of Vitamin C. Both of those are true, but the benefits may also include keeping more of your muscle mass longer. Having more muscle mass is …

Good news to start your week

chocolate hearts

Three good news facts to start your week. 1. Chocolate is good for your heart. Eating chocolate once a week lowers your risk of heart disease by 8%. The polyphenols and flavonoids in cocoa seem to keep blood vessels healthy, reducing inflammation and improving cholesterol levels. 2. Whole carbohydrates improve type 1 diabetes. Plant-based diets filled with fruits, vegetables, grains …

3 Ways to Improve Longevity

Most people want to extend their lifespan, but shouldn’t we think about extending our healthspan first? Healthspan, according to Merriam-Webster, is the length of time that you are healthy—not just alive. Extending our healthspan means compressing our worst health into the shortest and latest possible time in our lifespan. Spending most of our time able to enjoy what we love and less …

A horrible warning.

Too much of a good thing is still too much. With the cold, wet weather and the fact that the gyms and the pools are closed, I had been running most days. At the beginning of this year I had a goal to do 2020 km of running or skiing for 2020. We had a great ski season, but I …

Habits: 3 Ways your eating habits change your future.

I was listening to a podcast about changing your habits and someone, sorry I can’t remember who, said, “Bad habits take from your future, good habits take from the present moment.” Brilliant. We aren’t great at ignoring the immediate rewards of a bad habit, so we often borrow from our future. Our good habits don’t often come with an immediate …

Plants & Protein

vegan wraps

Anyone who eats an animal-free diet has heard the following words, “Where do you get your protein?” I’m not going to answer that now because I have done many times before, here and here and here. Where is not really the question, because it turns out that protein is in so many foods. In fact, The Harvard T.H.Chan School of …

Health is more than what you do

Personal health is on everyone’s mind right now. Not that long ago we didn’t think about infectious disease and many people didn’t think much about chronic disease either. I make a few assumptions about you when I write these blog posts. I assume that you are safe, that you have a home, money to buy food, that you are educated …