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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.…

A Return To Nature – Now Referred To As ECO Therapy

Summer often means spending time outdoors, swimming, camping, taking walks, and just enjoying the great outdoors. These leisure activities are fun and good for you.

That's right. They're good for you!

ECO Nature Therapy Is Good For The Soul

Psychologists in the new field of Eco-Therapy believe that spending time outdoors is important for our health. Connecting more with nature can help improve depression, lower blood pressure, improve self-esteem, help with impulse control, decrease post-operative recovery time, and encourage new social behaviors in patients with dementia, according to ecotherapyheals.com and the book Ecotherapy: Healing with Nature in Mind.

Eco-therapists claim that eco-therapy can be especially beneficial for those with depression, anxiety, stress or other mental illnesses. Depression is the most common psychiatric disorder, and the incidence of depression has increased every year during the past century. Now, one in six people will experience a depressive episode in their lifetime.

Traditional treatment for depression has focused on medications and individual or group therapy.

Now, Eco-therapists suggest that benefit can be gained with activities such as gardening, walking or other outdoor exercise, or spending time with animals.…

Can't Stop Cigarettes? Don't Despair!  New Routines.

Freedom from Smoke and Dope.
They are not good ways to Cope.
Come, make a Start.

Tobacco users aren’t just addicted to smoking or chewing; they’re also habitually addicted to the physical act of using tobacco products. Over time, smoking or chewing becomes a part of your daily routine or coping mechanism. Certain activities, routines or feelings “trigger” the urge to smoke or chew.

Triggers can be habitual daily activities, such as a morning cup of coffee or hanging out with a certain group of friends. Triggers can also be feelings and emotions, such as stress or unhappiness. Even certain times of the day can be triggers. Triggers can be a huge barrier to quitting tobacco. In order to quit successfully, you need to first determine what “triggers” you to smoke or dip. With practice, you can overcome your triggers. Eventually, it becomes easier to separate triggers and tobacco, and then finally quit for good. Here are some proven tips to help you identify and beat your triggers:

Step 1 Figure out what your triggers are by keeping a list of when you have the urge to smoke or dip.…

Everyone Has Habits They Would Benefit From Breaking
Maybe That Someone Is You?

I'm thinking of what habits I'd like to break
and make a better tomorrow.

Habits can be like giants to most of us, hard to overcome. Many have started regimes in their Quest to get somewhere with this problem that seem to have more relevance Today more than any time in history it seems. Because these days, so much is expected of us….on the work scene….on the social scene….eyes are towards how we perform, as it were. We live in a day where self-acceptance is important – how one feels about oneself. If we’ve mastered this, we can handle some critique that comes our way….be it not meeting someone’s Personal standards or expectations, by glance or comments or reports. We need to be happy with the one we live with (that’s us) to function at our best and relate well with those around us, at home and when we go out. When we’re happy with ourselves we can face the day so much better. We really can.

IT IS OF VITAL IMPORTANCE TO FOCUS ON WHO YOU ARE BECOMING THAN WHO YOU DON'T WANT TO BE

Some of the stress we face these days has to do with an underlying dislike for ourselves as much as a disliking for anyone else.…

THE EARLIER THE BETTER. THAT’S  WHAT THEY’RE SAYING. SO YOU CAN NEVER BE TOO YOUNG TO KEEP PRACTICING THINGS THAT KEEP YOUR MIND SHARP AND ALERT. FROM LATE 30s IS IDEAL – LET THE REST OF US CATCH UP, HEY? THE NINETIES WERE REFERRED TO AS “THE DECADE OF THE BRAIN” WHEN THEY WERE DISCOVERING SO MANY THINGS ABOUT HOW OUR BRAIN WORKS ETC (New Found Knowledge). IN FACT, IT PAVED THE WAY FOR EVEN BETTER DISCOVERIES WE HAVE BEEN MAKING IN THE 21st CENTURY. SO CHEERS TO ALL OF YOU WHO ARE LOOKING FOR PRINCIPLES THAT WORK. I’VE FOUND THIS REALLY GOOD ARTICLE FROM THE PREVENTION HEALTH WEBSITE. SHALL WE GO?

Alzheimer’s-Related Brain Changes Start As Early As Our 30s Or 40s. Here Are Four Positive Steps We Can Take To  Brighter Future Days.

If you were taught that you’re born with all the brain cells you’ll ever get and it’s all downhill from there, it’s time for a rethink. Mounting research suggests you can improve your brain no matter what your age, making it stronger now and protecting it for the long term.

In fact, while many people consider Alzheimer’s disease a natural part of getting older, scientists say the opposite.…

THESE COME UP IN MY RESEARCH FROM TIME TO TIME. TODAY, THEY CAME UP IN ONE ARTICLE ON THE INTERNET AND I'M PASSING IT ON. THESE PRINCIPLES ARE GOOD WHEN PUT INTO PRACTICE.

Building Healthy Habits For A Healthy Brain - See Te Difference These Make

Three Key’s To A Better Brain

Almost everyone experiences some degree of changes in memory and brain function as they age.  This can range from simply misplacing keys or taking longer to recall the name of the neighbor you run into at the grocery store, to more serious types of cognitive decline such as Alzheimer’s Disease and other forms of dementia.  Women may especially notice cognitive changes around the time of menopause, when hormone-related “brain fog” can become a bothersome and annoying complaint.  The upside to all this is that the brain responds well to the healthy choices we make in our lives.  Three new studies point to the various ways we can positively influence our brain, memory, and thinking as we age.

1. Healthy Fats, Healthy Brain

Mediterranean diet for the win, again!  It is well known that the Mediterranean diet is excellent for improving heart health, longevity, and cancer outcomes. …