Author name: Roberta Levine

1. You want to fight disease. Exercise reduces your risk of a number of conditions, such as cancer, osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. 2. You want to lose weight and keep it off. This is a given, but it means that people who maintain weight loss work out regularly. They don’t just exercise until the […]

You probably know the effects of smoking, but do you know the wonderful effects of quitting? In 20 minutes, your heart rate and blood pressure drop In 12 hours, your blood’s carbon monoxide level returns to normal In 2-12 weeks, your circulation improves and lung function increases In 1-9 months, coughing and shortness of breath

You hear all the time that exercise is good for your health and heart. Here’s more motivation to start getting fit: If you’re inactive, you’re twice as likely to develop Heart Disease as people MOVING on a regular basis. Regular exercise naturally decreases the LDL (bad cholesterol) levels in your blood while increasing the HDL

As we work, we sit more than we do anything else. We’re averaging 9.3 hours a day, compared to 7.7 hours of sleeping. Sitting is so prevalent and pervasive that we don’t even question how much we’re doing it. And, everyone else is doing it also, so it doesn’t occur to us that it’s not

Meat in the Middle. Instead of going completely vegetarian one day, try to go two-thirds vegetarian almost every day. It’s fairly easy to eliminate meat from a couple of meals a day. Try enjoying meat for your lunch only. A salad a day. Try a roasted root vegetable salad. Root vegetables have a meaty flavor,

Can you improve your eating habits? Get more Sleep? Exercise more? What is your goal? Why do you want to achieve it? What will it take to attain it? When do you want to obtain it? What do you need to do to succeed? Break your goal into 4 smaller specific goals. (Example) Instead of

All the stressors in your life aren’t likely to disappear, but there is a way to stop and even reverse the damage they do. Start by getting enough sleep. Lack of shut-eye boosts cortisol levels and can lead to metabolic imbalances that can increase your risk of heart disease. Eat plenty of antioxidant-rich fruits and

There are many factors that can cause sleep problems, and even more potential solutions. The steps you take to improve your sleeping patterns will be individual, based on the cause of your insomnia and the treatment plan laid out by your health care provider. In addition to the many lifestyle changes that can help you

The ins and outs of Better Breathing Try this relaxation exercise from breathing guru Andrew Weil, MD. The payoff? Blessed relief from constant thinking. Sit with your back straight Place the tip of your tongue against the ridge just behind your front teeth. Exhale completely through your mouth, making a whooshing sound. Inhale quietly through

If you feel like you’re always rushed, never get a break, don’t have enough time, and are dissatisfied with your relationships, job, etc., chances are you’re stressed. Stress has become so normal that most of us don’t even recognize it. Stress can also manifest as physical symptoms, such as stomachaches, headaches, chest pains or back

Exercises that elicit a “relaxation” response can help your body erase the cumulative effects of stress. This relaxation response is a state of profound rest and release. When a person meditates, for example, heartbeat and respiration slow down. The body uses less oxygen and produces less carbon dioxide. Blood-lactate levels- which some researchers believe are

Walk for 60 minutes every day. Break it up into 20-minute segments to work with your schedule if necessary. Watch less than 10 hours of TV a week. That’ll get you off your duff and keep you from snacking. Weigh yourself at least once a week. Think of the scale more like a car’s speedometer-

There are differences in how easy it is for people to resist distraction but we all have the potential to improve our focus. Boosting our mental discipline can help us to excel at work and any other interests…… And we all want to excel, right? Unitask. Multitasking may seem like a valuable skill, but the

But all workouts are not created equal. Here is the bottom line on what really works for what….. The most youth-restoring move you can make is exercise! It’s the one prescription that has the power to affect every cell and system in your body, reducing your risk of developing dozens of diseases, slowing down aging

Doing only one thing differently can be all it takes to lose weight and improve your life in surprising, healthy ways….. Walk- Take a brisk stroll on flat terrain….. Pick up the pace, so you’re power-walking. Go at a challenging clip and hit the hills or add incline. Run- Jog slowly and steadily on flat

If it’s one thing I wish I could fix, it would be people’s “all or nothing” approach when thinking about health. Don’t start some diet that’s so vastly different from the way you eat- figure out something that fits your preferences and approach this as an ongoing process. Can I save a bit here? Can

Whether you’re new to exercise or you are an accomplished athlete, one of the most important ways to train your body is through resistance training which helps to build lean body mass. In order to properly train your body- and in order to see results like muscle toning, increased metabolism, increased bone density, and weight

So you’ve made a resolution about committing to weight loss and starting to exercise and then your initial enthusiasm and energy wane. We get distracted by other things going on in our lives, or we do not think we are seeing results quickly enough, and we throw in the towel. Many people do manage to