National Bacon Day! Listen…
National Bacon Day! Listen…
You know the adage – breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But it’s not just a saying – a new study has revealed just how true it really is!
Adults who skip breakfast don’t simply miss out on a lot, but it’ll affect their choices for the rest of the day.
No matter what your breakfast may be – skipping it will make you miss out on necessary nutrients – like calcium from milk, vitamin C from fruit, and vitamin D and iron from various cereals.
The habit of regularly skipping breakfast could increase the risk of weight gain and other illness like diabetes or cardiovascular disease. And those who skipped the meal ended up eating bigger lunches or dinners, but still didn’t get all of the nutrients they needed that they missed out on.
And those who did eat breakfast generally chose healthier lunches and dinners too.
So the best dietary decision you can make for your entire day is to start it off right!
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National lemon juice day! Listen…
It happens to us all – sometimes we need a little extra motivation. But if there’s no one around and you need a self-pep talk, refer to yourself as “you” and not “I”.
A new study found that when talking to yourself in the second person – like “you can do this” – running performance improved.
Psychologists think this works better because if you say “I can do it” – there’s a better chance that your brain will respond with “I can’t do it” – and that will lead to a lessened performance.
Pretend you’re giving someone else a pep talk, and you just may see the results you want!
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Hitting the brick wall! Listen…
If this nice stretch of weather has you enjoying the outdoors, running more, keep it up! But if you need to stop and walk occasionally, don’t worry about it – in fact, it’s good for you!
Whether your goal is to build distance or conserve energy for the long haul, plenty of runners take walk breaks. It lets you recover without having to lose time, especially if you’re involved in a 5K race and trying to break your previous time. Researchers have found that a combined run/walk strategy allows everyday runners achieve similar times, and with far less discomfort.
Walking comes in particularly handy when encountering hills. It takes less overall aerobic effort, and in some cases, can even be faster than running up them. Plus, a hill becomes a lot less daunting if you reframe it as your walking break.
But remember, if you end up walking overall more than you’re running, you may be able to go farther, but you won’t find your race times improving. Your best bet is to try an easier run.
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The other person should pick up! Listen…
It’s the start of a new work week, but did you dread it all day yesterday with a case of the “Sunday scaries”?
That’s when you’ve got anxiety about the week ahead – it starts in the middle of the day when you realize the weekend is nearly over, builds throughout the evening, and may even keep you up at night.
But there are some ways to beat it:
First, don’t leave half-finished tasks for Monday. If you didn’t finish a project on Friday, you’ll be dreading those loose ends through the weekend – if it’s a bigger project, try to complete a task before you leave for the weekend.
Also, think positively about the things that are coming up that week – if work gives you the anxiety, think about non-work things that you can look forward to – lunch with a friend, or dinner plans during the week.
Finally, write things down. If you’re not sure why you’re uneasy, writing your thoughts down can help you figure it out.
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It’s still August, but this is cool! Listen…
You eat right, you exercise, you stay healthy – but are you doing the right things, or are there some health myths you’ve subscribed to?
Maybe you’ve heard that coffee stunts your growth. Not true – it’s really genetics, and the only real medical condition a cup of coffee will give you is a slight increase in blood pressure.
Maybe you think eggs cause high cholesterol. Well, that’s another myth as they have nearly no effect on cholesterol, and some studies show they improve heart health.
You’ve probably heard you should go for 10,000 steps per day. While walking more isn’t a bad thing, it’s really more like 6,000 to 8,000 steps that you need – past that, and the health benefits don’t really increase.
You might think social media influencers will inspire you to diet and exercise – but it turns out it’s the opposite and can lead to body dissatisfaction.
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