If you want a longer, healthier life, you should exercise. But if you say you can’t find the time, that’s simply not true.

To extend your life, all you need is just two minutes of exercise per day.

Scientists spent years tracking people on Fitbit – and the study found that people who got 15 minutes of exercise a week extended their life expectancy by nearly 20%.

And this isn’t the first study that found it to be true – there was a four second exercise study a few years ago that found people that would peddle quickly for four seconds on a stationary bike, rest, then repeat five times – and do that 8 times per day would live longer – that added up to just 2 minutes and 40 seconds.

More exercise is certainly better than less, but at least even a little goes a long way.

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Many of us start the day with coffee or take a coffee break during the day, but coffee isn’t for everyone. Plenty of people like to drink tea instead.

But what time you drink tea is important – and no, I’m not talking about traditional English teatime or even late at night if you’re worried about caffeine keeping you up at night. The time of day you drink tea is important as it can interrupt your body’s ability to absorb certain minerals.

A new study found this issue in older adults who drank strong tea while eating a meal. The body’s ability to absorb zinc and iron were greatly affected.

Zinc and iron are especially important for our bodies – zinc supports immunity and helps the body heal, and iron helps with immunity as well as energy production and carrying oxygen through the body.

So, to get the maximum nutritional benefits, make sure you take your tea between meals.

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We’ve been hearing that this tick season is going to be a bad one in Connecticut. But that’s actually our own fault. If anything, it’s people season for the ticks!

Because the weather is nice and we’re spending more time outside, venturing further into woodland and beach areas, we’re really encroaching on their territory. But there are some things we can do to help prevent tick bites as well as Lyme disease and other tick-born illnesses:

• Wear repellents that contain DEET
• When outside, light colors and long sleeve shirts and pants will help make ticks easier to spot.
• Check yourself as soon as you get home, and then shower or bathe right after coming inside to wash away loose ticks and to check for any that may have attached.
• Check children and pets each time they come inside.

If you don’t spot one, but are worried about Lyme disease, some symptoms to look out for are fatigue, fever, muscle and joint pain, and bullseye rash. If you do find a tick and have been bitten, save it so you can bring it to get tested.

It’s important to have fun outdoors, but it’s more important to be safe.

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Spring is here and your gardening season is about to begin. Aside from creating a sustainable addition to your meals, gardening is good for both your mental and physical health.

But why is that?

Researchers have been looking into it – and they’ve found there’s something about green environments which help with regular exercise. They compared treadmill runners looking at screens that were green, red, black and white, and no view at all, and the green screen runners felt exercise was easier, and they had an improved mood and better self-esteem.

Keeping our attention focused on gardening is also a great mindfulness activity – you clear out extraneous thoughts and focus on what’s right in front of you – tending to the garden has long been used as an important therapeutic tool.

Gardening can also have a positive impact for those suffering from loneliness and isolation – gardening tends to attract neighbors, who are apt to ask and start conversations.

While the science is still being determined, the bottom line is when it comes to horticultural therapy, if it feels good, do it!

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If you’re a night owl, you probably think you could never be an early bird. Well, there are a few tricks that can turn you into a morning person:

First – do it in stages, not at once. Go to bed a 15 minutes earlier each night to reset your internal clock little by little.

When you do wake up, open the curtains – the light tells your body to be alert and active.

Keep a consistent schedule – don’t sleep in or deviate too much on the weekends.

Don’t hit snooze – make it a rule, as soon as the alarm goes off, you get up.

Finally, there’s the RISE method, where each letter stands for something different – R is for refrain from hitting snooze; I is increase physical activity in general, so you go to sleep earlier; S is shower; and E is expose yourself to light as soon as possible.

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