We often talk about how positive body practices such as eating well, exercise and posture make you happier. The science on such topics is extensive, as we have covered in previous blog posts. Today we wanted to point out that the opposite is also true: Feeling happier makes you physically healthier. Take for example a study done by Sheldon Cohen and colleagues of the Psychology Department at Carnegie Mellon University. After categorizing almost 200 subjects based on their lev

Most people associate the benefits of exercise with fending off obesity, and as a result some people whose weight is at a healthy level don't try as hard to be active. But there are countless benefits to working out, many of which have nothing to do with burning fat. You might have already heard that exercise helps improve your skin and offsets the effects of aging, or seen the latest research that it also helps improve your cognitive abilities and memory. But here is somethi

A recent meta-analysis of multiple nutrition studies revealed something you probably already knew: eating fiber is good for you. Specifically the researchers in this study determined that the more fiber you eat the less likely you are to die over a certain period of time. You've probably already heard that fiber helps with digestion and that foods that are rich in fiber also tend to have other nutrients that are good for you, as is the case with many fruits and vegetables. Bu

The first thing to realize about shoveling is that it's hard and strenuous work. Every year we hear on the news about someone who suffered a fatal heart attack shoveling, and what we probably don't hear about are the far larger number of people who suffer some sort of injury. If you are not someone that regularly does strenuous exercise for extended periods, you probably shouldn't be pushing yourself outside when it's cold and slippery. If you are going to do some shoveling t

It's a story so common that it has become a cliche. A person decides that for the New Year they will take better care of their health, so they sign up for a gym, go on a diet or buy a treadmill. In the beginning they are motivated, but then they tail off, and a few months later are back to their old habits.The process is so predictable that a significant portion of the fitness industry is built on it, as you'll see from all the gym and diet advertisements in the next few week