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By Andy Corbley -Jan 18, 2023

A study looking to find the bare minimum of physical activity required to prevent the well documented ill effects of continuous sitting determined that 5 minutes of walking every half hour was enough.

By looking at blood sugar levels and blood pressure, two important metrics of heart disease, the scientists were able to determine how much daily movement was required to get back to equilibrium from the negative effects of sitting.

Picture if you will, an office worker. Waking in the morning in time for coffee and perhaps breakfast with perhaps a spouse or perhaps children, the day begins with at least some sitting. Then climbing into one’s car, the office worker drives in a seated position to the office. There, between lunch and desk work, the worker spends 8-9 hours sitting before returning home, sitting in their car. Once home, they likely sit down for dinner, and perhaps a bit of television or reading; both done from the seated position.

Sitting time for adults in industrialized nations has been climbing for decades, and it increases the risk for all the diseases typical of those nations, i.e.…

THIS IS A FABULOUS ARTICLE NOW IN A BOOK AS WELL BECAUSE IT CAPTURED THE HEARTS OF MANY PEOPLE, AND STILL DOES (her article or her book). WHATEVER YOU DO, DON'T MISS THIS - IT IMPARTS HOPE, IT INSPIRES MOTIVATION, THERE ARE PRINCIPLES EVERYONE CAN PRACTICE.

Amy, a Social Worker and Psychologist, experienced several family tragedies, including the death of a husband, her mother, and later her next husband’s father. She wrote the mentally strong article just as much for herself as for her readers.

After her article was published on Lifehack, she received a notice that was sent to all contributors — "Do not submit any new articles because the site is receiving much more traffic than normal!" Amy didn’t realize it at the time, but it was her article that triggered the wave of traffic.

Now in a book “13 things mentally strong people don’t do” Amy gives tips, exercises and excellent advice on increasing our mental strength which can change our entire attitude:

  1. They don’t waste time feeling sorry for themselves.
    “Self pity is easily the most destructive of the non-pharmaceutical narcotics; it is addictive, gives momentary pleasure and separates the victim form reality” – John Gardner.

Heather McClees - Health Journalist and Certified Holistic Nutritionist

Anxiety is one of the most difficult health disorders to deal with, mainly because it makes you feel out of control and unable to make changes. But that’s a myth, to say the least.

During my second year of college, after parents separation, depression and anxiety, I was at a crossroads: I had been put on various medications for depression and anxiety. It was around this time that OCD started to kick in. Suddenly, everything had to be perfect and if it wasn’t, anxiety got worse. Every little thing became a huge deal in my mind, and I felt nothing like the person I used to be. I knew something wasn’t right. This wasn’t my natural self and certainly wasn’t what I wanted to be. None of the medications were working to full capacity despite two years of attempts to get them right. I knew nothing of Natural Health, and yet something within me said there had to be a better way.

As I began to study Natural Health, I discovered some of the easiest answers were also the most effective. I went from suffering panic attacks, brain fog, debilitating depression to vibrant health that has lasted over 10 years of my life.…

By SunnySkyz - Based on Survey!

A new study suggests that frequent gardening may be linked to increased health benefits.

According to the study posted on ScienceDirect, gardening just two or three times a week maximized the benefits of better wellbeing and lower stress levels. Gardening Encourages Family Togetherness, and it Keeps You Company if you live on your own too - I love to do this, my plants are great company. Folks, you don't have to have a lot of Plants to do this!

Benefits Of Gardening - Discover Them

The research explored why residents engaged with gardening and the extent to which they recognized any health benefits from the activity.

A questionnaire was distributed electronically within the UK, with 5,766 gardeners and 249 non-gardeners responding. Data was collated on factors including garden typology, frequency of gardening and individual perceptions of health and well-being.

"This is the first time the 'dose response' to gardening has been tested and the evidence overwhelmingly suggests that the more frequently you garden – the greater the health benefits," said Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) wellbeing fellow and lead author Dr Lauriane Chalmin-Pui. "In fact gardening every day has the same positive impact on wellbeing than undertaking regular, vigorous exercise like cycling or running.…

IF YOU READ THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE, YOU WILL GAIN SOME INSIGHTS AND BE GREATLY ENCOURAGED, THAT IF WE MAKE GOOD CHOICES AND PRACTICE THEM ON A DAILY BASIS, WE WON'T BE SO VULNERABLE TO INFECTIOUS AILMENTS THAT COME OUR WAY BECAUSE OUR IMMUNE SYSTEM WILL BE FENDING THEM OFF SUCCESSFULLY MOST TIMES. NOT SO, WITH A COMPROMISED AND WEAKENED IMMUNE SYSTEM - due to poor habits - THAT WILL SURCOMBE TO CHALLENGES MORE OFTEN - SOMETIMES VERY OFTEN.

The pandemic has made many of us think more about our immune system and how to support it. While we can’t control everything that happens, there are some things we can do to help

Covid has prompted many of us to take more responsibility for our health. Online searches for ‘how to boost your immune system’ have rocketed during the pandemic. So, what can we do to stay healthy as we head into autumn?

Well, all the experts that Positive News spoke to stressed one thing: the importance of getting jabbed. “The obvious thing we can do to improve immune response is to get vaccinated,” says Charles Bangham, a professor of immunology and infectious diseases at Imperial College London.…

Researchers in Germany have found that a one-hour walk in nature reduces
stress-related brain activity.

The amygdala is the brain region involved in stress processing. It has been shown to be less activated in people who live in rural areas, compared to those who live in cities, hinting at the potential benefits of nature.

Nature Walks Are Good For Your Brain

However, no study so far has examined the causal effects of natural and urban environments on stress-related brain mechanisms.

"But so far the hen-and-egg problem could not be disentangled, namely whether nature actually caused the effects in the brain or whether the particular individuals chose to live in rural or urban regions," says Sonja Sudimac, predoctoral fellow in the Lise Meitner Group for Environmental Neuroscience (LMGEN) and lead author of the study.

To address this question, researchers from LMGEN examined brain activity in regions involved in stress processing in 63 healthy volunteers before and after a one-hour walk in Berlin's Grunewald Forest and a busy city street using functional magnetic resonance imaging.

The results of the study revealed that activity in the amygdala decreased after the walk in nature, suggesting that nature elicits beneficial effects on brain regions related to stress.…

By Juandri Buitendag and Prof Margareta James - Psychologists

Self-kindness can boost our mental health and help us navigate stressful situations. This is what we can do to nurture more of it.

Importance Of Practicing Some Self-Kindness - An Absolute Must!

Observing the breeze blow gently through the trees, savoring the delicate taste of a morning cuppa and curling up with a diverting novel in hand: far from being an extravagance, as these acts of self-kindness have sometimes been treated, they are in fact the fundamental building blocks of strong mental health.

In a world that is increasingly time-pressured and an economic model that has an unyielding focus on improving efficiency, it is easier than ever to overlook or de-prioritise your personal feelings and needs.

But according to psychologists, the art of self-kindness, although something that can be honed, is not something that should be optional. Whether it be in the realms of the physical, emotional, spiritual, or indeed professional, being conscious and sensitive towards yourself, they say, is key preparation for everything that life throws at us.

“It can change your life massively,” says Juandri Buitendag, a counseling psychologist who founded JB Wellness Dynamics, a London-based psychology therapy practice.…

I'M RESEARCHING ON ANTI-AGING, OUR BRAIN AND PHYSICAL EXERCISE THIS WEEK AND DISCOVERED THIS FASCINATING NEWS SOME PHYSIOS AND COACHES ARE MAKING KNOWN IN RECENT TIMES. NEUROSCIENTISTS ARE COMING UP WITH SOME INTERESTING DISCOVERIES NOW FOR OUR BRAIN, AND SO ARE SOME PHYSIO THERAPISTS. LET'S SEE WHAT THEY HAVE TO OFFER US. IT HAS OTHER BENEFITS AS WELL. WOULD MAKE A GOOD DISTRACTION TECHNIQUE FOR STRESS - WE WOULD START LAUGHING INSTEAD OF FROWNING AT OURSELVES MAYBE:)

The Health Benefits of Walking Backward, According to Fitness Experts

By Karla Walsh

See the very real physical and mental health benefits of turning your steps around.

You've heard it time and time again: Walking is one of the best forms of exercise for your body and your brain. In addition to being free and easy to do inside your home, on vacation, using poles as part of a hike, with your pup and beyond, walking has been proven to boost mood, promote weight loss, boost heart health and so much more. (And if you've been convinced that only running and higher-impact exercise "counts," we can confirm that walking can be a legit, super-effective workout.)…

By Becky Searles, Family Garden Life

If you want to turn a house into a home then a garden is going to be your best move. And if you want to really improve the value of your home, it’s a productive garden where you can harvest nutrient-dense food that’s going to make the biggest impact.

When you think about a family’s basic needs, food and shelter at at the top of the list, and if your food garden is operating well, it can provide a family with food for most of the year.

Even better, if your family adopts organic gardening principles, you’ll have home-grown organic food that will leave money in your back pocket.

Some advantages to growing your own organic food include:

  • Saving serious money
  • Your family will enjoy freshly harvested food
  • Reducing your family’s carbon footprint
  • Your food will be packed full of nutrients
  • Your harvest will be free of the baddies like synthetic fertilisers, pesticides and chemicals
  • You’ll be helping the environment on so many levels
  • Mindfulness, connecting with nature and family at the same time

Planting the right foods at the right time will yield you delicious results all year round.…

by Helen Carter, Journalist, Optometry Australia 2020

Another great reason to keep up physical exercise has now been added to the list. Several studies have provided evidence that regular physical exercise reduces the risk of age-related cataracts.

Regular Exercise Proves Beneficial For Eyesight

Australian and Chinese researchers analysed data from six different studies of more than 171,000 people looking at how exercise reduces oxidative damage in the eye. The studies included 19,173 cases of cataract. Participants from America, the UK and Sweden were followed for six to 12 years.

The research found that exercise appears helpful in cataract prevention, as well as being beneficial for other eye conditions including possibly reducing risks of developing glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration (AMD), plus delaying progression of AMD and diabetic retinopathy.

Researchers found a 10 per cent reduction in age-related cataracts among people who engaged in regular physical activity such as walking and cycling. And they said the risk of developing cataracts could potentially decrease by two per cent for every hour of cycling or jogging.

The researchers from the University of South Australia and Xi’an Jiatong University, China, published their findings in the International Journal of Ophthalmology.…