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When it comes to your health, you already know how important it is to eat well and stay active. But other hobbies and lifestyle changes—that have nothing to do with diet or exercise—can also offer a big payoff for your well-being. Try incorporating a few of these activities into your routine to benefit from reduced stress levels, lesser risk of certain diseases, lower blood pressure, and much more. 1. Knitting and crocheting It might be time to pick up that half-finished crochet project again. Repetitive activities that put your hands to work can help relieve stress by getting you out of … [Read more...] about 8 everyday activities that boost your health

More than half of all calories consumed in the U.S. come from "ultra-processed" foods, which can contribute to serious health complications like obesity and heart disease, new research finds. Ultra-processed foods are products that contain several manufactured ingredients that are not generally used when cooking from scratch, including natural and artificial flavors or colors, sweeteners, preservatives, and other additives. These are often used to imitate the taste, texture or other qualities of natural foods, or "to disguise undesirable qualities of the final product," lead study author … [Read more...] about “Ultra-processed” foods a huge chunk of American diet

If you knew that a certain type of exercise could benefit your heart, improve your balance, strengthen your bones, and help you lose weight as it made you look and feel better, wouldn't you want to get started? Well, studies show that strength training can do all of that and more. Strength training is not just about bodybuilders lifting weights in a gym. It can benefit people of all ages and may be particularly important for people with health issues such as arthritis or a heart condition. Strength Training: The Benefits Yes, strength training will add definition to your muscles and give men … [Read more...] about 7 Reasons to Add Strength Training to Your Workout Routine

Whether it is down to work pressure, money worries or relationship troubles, most of us experience stress at some point in our lives. In fact, around 75% of us report experiencing moderate to high levels of stress over the past month. It is well known that stress can cause sleep problems, headache and raise the risk of depression. But in this Spotlight, we look at some of the more surprising ways in which stress may harm our health. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) define stress as the "brain's response to any demand." In other words, it is how the brain reacts to certain … [Read more...] about Stress: its surprising implications for health

Exercise alone is not enough to lose weight because our bodies reach a plateau where working out more does not necessarily burn extra calories, researchers have found. The team are the latest to challenge obesity prevention strategies that recommend increasing daily physical activity as a way to shed the pounds. In a study, published in Current Biology on Thursday, they suggest that there might be a physical activity “sweet spot”, whereby too little can make one unhealthy but too much drives the body to make big adjustments to adapt, thus constraining total energy expenditure. If true, it … [Read more...] about Exercise alone won’t cause weight loss, study shows

If you crave chocolate or Cheetos after a hectic day, it may be because you're sleep-deprived, a new study suggests. Researchers have found that lack of sleep may lead to increased appetite and an affinity for unhealthy foods. According to the Centers for Disease Control, one in three U.S. adults don't get enough sleep and roughly the same percentage are obese. Study author Erin Hanlon, a research associate at the University of Chicago, aimed to connect these two nationwide problems. "Evidence from laboratory and epidemiological studies has started to consistently associate insufficient … [Read more...] about The cure for your junk food cravings? Sleep