Education
If you're looking for a way to stay mentally sharp, consider this: swimming may be one of, if not the best exercise for your brain. You no doubt know of the physical benefits of swimming: increased endurance, cardiovascular health, and a toned physique. What you may not realize, however, is that science is discovering how swimming uniquely affects the brain. Some studies indicate that the brain responds differently to swimming than perhaps any other type of exercise. If you make swimming a part of your regular routine, you may enjoy better focus, mood, and a jolt of mental energy.
If you’ve ever fallen in love, you know full well how powerful its effects can be (for better or worse!) As it turns out, science has revealed that there’s a good reason why love is such a big deal. The effects it can have on us, especially our brains, are like no other. It creates not only euphoria, joy, and fulfillment, but it can also create chemical dependency in our minds. Some researchers even compare the effects of love to hard drugs in terms of its addictive quality.
If you’re still not convinced of the power of love, continue reading to learn about the surprising effects of love on the brain.
You hear the word 'neurotransmitter' thrown around all the time in the health industry, but it's not always clear what they are or why they matter. Today we want to take a deeper look at how neurotransmitters function--what they do for you, and why you need them for your body to perform optimally. Scroll down to read more about neurotransmitters and how they could be affecting the way you think and feel.
If you’re like most Americans, you’ve got a lot going on. Statistics show that our schedules are fuller than ever and that we’re struggling to find balance with our time. According to ABC News, 20% of Americans work at least 49 hours a week. A little less than half of that work 59 or more.
Beyond work, US citizens also report high levels of stress with family life. A Gallup poll reveals that 55% of parents with young children feel there isn’t enough time in the day.
Once used in ancient India, now embraced by natural health experts, ashwagandha is an herb long-known for its medicinal properties. For more than 3,000 years, ashwagandha has been used in a form of natural healing called Ayurveda. You may have heard that word thrown around in recent years, but if you're not familiar, Ayurveda is a type of alternative medicine practiced in both ancient and modern-day India. For millennia, practitioners have believed that ashwagandha benefits the body by enhancing immunity, longevity, and stamina.
The brain is an energy demanding organ that is fueled by glucose. Have you ever wondered how brain function is impacted by excessive sugars from the standard American diet?
Excessive sugar can impair our cognitive function, mood and even our self-control. Sugar can also have an addition-like effect on the brain, impacting our ability to control what and how much we eat. This can result in unhealthy weight gain and loss of energy. Keep reading for more information on the impacts of excess sugar plus 7 helpful tips to detox and cleanse your system.
At some point you’ve likely heard the term ‘cognitive function,’ but you might have wondered, ‘what does it really mean?’ A good starting point is understanding the word cognition.
Cognition comes from the Latin word cognoscere, which means ‘to get to know.’ Cognition refers to your ability to perceive, react, make decisions, and respond appropriately. Key to your everyday function, cognition helps you distill information down to what is important and meaningful.
Your memory is a fascinating thing. But how does it work? Even now, the human brain remains largely mysterious to the scientific community. But what we do understand is that our memory isn’t just one function. There are many types of memory, and to understand how it fits together, we have to look at each individual part. Scroll down to learn about your memory: how it moves through different phases and how it changes as you age. Also, in this article, you can discover answers to common questions about your memory function.
If you're a seasoned veteran of the gym or just been working out a few months, you've likely started seeing some benefits from exercise that you didn't expect. We all know that working out helps us look good and feel good, but it's not until we actually start doing it that we realize just how many hidden benefits there are. Your body is like an ecosystem. When one part is affected, it can have a downstream effect on all of the others. This can be true in a bad way, but also in a good way. Although the connection may not be obvious, exercise can have an important impact on our sleep. Today we take a look at some of the benefits of exercise for our sleep as well as recommendations for how to incorporate the best workout routine for your rest.
It seems these days that we see the word 'antioxidant' everywhere, especially when it comes to food advertising. More and more brands are labelling their products 'antioxidant-rich,' as though that were universally understood. The funny thing is that unless we have a background in medicine or nutrition, we may only vaguely understand that antioxidants are a good thing. So the question remains: what's behind the antioxidant hype? As it turns out, antioxidants really are a big deal, and having enough of them can be critical for our health. The reason for this is because antioxidants protect us from a chemical process that is at the root of many health issues. On the flip side, getting enough antioxidants can help us stay looking good and feeling good. Today we take a close look at antioxidants--what they are, why they matter, and some practical ways that you can get enough of them in your diet.
Many of us don’t realize how much we rely on our joints every day for simple tasks. Your joints are responsible for every conceivable action in the body, and our quality of life depends to a great extent on how well (and painlessly) our joints function.
Does your head feel foggy? Do you wake up inexplicably tired? Do you struggle with mood imbalance for seemingly no real reason? The root cause may be in a place you'd never think to look: the gut. You might be thinking, "Isn't all of this a brain issue?" It certainly is, but scientists are becoming more and more convinced that there is an incredibly complex connection between your gut and your brain. In other words, if something is off with your gut health, it can actually affect how well your brain functions.
