We can’t say it enough: There are plenty of reasons to get outside, whether for your workouts or for fun. Research from Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health shows that outdoor exercise lowers blood pressure and boosts mental health more than staying indoors. “Whether you’re kayaking, rock climbing, horseback riding, or mountain biking, outdoor activities give you a chance to breathe in some fresh air, soak in some vitamin D, and recharge,” says Jennifer Pharr Davis, a hiker, author, and owner of Blue Ridge Hiking Company, who has hiked six continents, explored trails in all 50 states, and set the endurance record on the 2,185-mile Appalachian Trail.It can also work your muscle in new, different ways. Setting a one-rep max in the gym is one thing, but “if you’re setting a new PR on a trail run, barrel rolling a kayak for the first time, or biking farther than you ever have before, you’re always up against natural obstacles that are pure and relentless,” Davis says. They are guaranteed to expose your weaknesses and “shock” your muscles with new challenges.Finally, in the wilderness, “you’re always welcome and reminded that you are beautiful and that your body can do amazing things,” Davis says. There, you’re stripped of judgment and other hurdles that may have worked their way into your life. Research shows that hiking can even boost creativity by up to 60%.
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Moya Mcalister
Eat More Fruits and Veggies
Eat more fruits and vegetables because, besides more exercise, there really isn’t any better, more studied way to get healthier, avoid disease, and live longer. The latest study on the nutritious nosh is from the University of Southern California, and it focuses on fruits and veggies with a high potassium content, like sweet potatoes, avocados, spinach, beans, and bananas.”If you eat a typical Western diet,” said McDonough, “your sodium intake is high and your potassium intake is low. This significantly increases your chances of developing high blood pressure.” When dietary potassium is low, the balancing act uses sodium retention to hold onto the limited potassium, which is like eating a higher sodium diet, she said.Try to get at least 10 servings (or cups) of fruits and vegetables per day, and besides the ones mentioned above, go for stuff like apricots, coffee, clams, beet greens, kiwi fruit, cabbage, watercress, hot peppers, Swiss chard, squash, tomatoes, cauliflower, spinach, and celery to get the most potassium out of your food.
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Shutterstock
Reduce Stress With Deep Breathing
If you’re feeling blue, try adding some deep breathing to your cooldown. Research from Rutgers University shows doing some focused meditation along with aerobic activity can help fight symptoms of depression and anxiety among adults with and without depression disorders.
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Shutterstock
Mute Your Stress With Sound
We all love to listen to those nature recordings made to help you sleep because they contain chill and comforting environments like summer rain storms, jungle noises at night, and ocean waves crashing on the shore—they naturally make you more calm and take you out of your head. But no one really knows why they do that; so, to find out, the scientists at the Brighton and Sussex Medical School in the U.K. recently put together a study that examined people who listened to natural sounds while in a functional MRI machine.“We are all familiar with the feeling of relaxation and ‘switching-off’ that comes from a walk in the countryside, and now we have evidence from the brain and the body, which helps us understand this effect,” said lead author Cassandra Gould van Praag, Ph.D. “This has produced results, which may have a real-world impact, particularly for people who are experiencing high levels of stress.”
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Shutterstock
Always Be Aware of the Risks
You’ve certainly heard the expression “no pain, no gain,” but there’s such a thing as pushing it too hard in your workouts. And the consequences can go far beyond sore muscles and fatigue. Athletes who overexert themselves to an extreme point can develop a condition called rhabdomyolysis, a breakdown of muscle tissue that can lead to kidney failure, heart damage, and even death.Although relatively rare, rhabdo affects approximately 26,000 people in the United States each year. Athletes who do high-intensity or extreme endurance workouts are often among those who feel the effects of rhabdo.Find out what causes it and how to stay safe here.
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fcafotodigital / Getty
Get Your Greens
The latest superfood to add some color at the juice bar: Chlorophyll, the pigment that gives plants and algae their green color, has been rising in popularity for its variety of health benefits. Chlorophyll is linked with cancer prevention, since it can bind with potential carcinogens and keep them from circulating through the body, says Sonya Angelone, R.D.N., a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “It’s also been found to promote healthy skin by reducing the number of cold sores because it has an antiviral effect and can speed up healing time,” she adds.Your best source of the nutrient is green vegetables, says Angelone. Try making a smoothie with spinach, carrots, cucumbers, bell peppers, and tomatoes, then add fresh lemon or lime juice and some hot pepper sauce. “This spicy drink energizes me so I avoid the afternoon slump,” she notes. Plus, “it has a lot of fiber, which helps feed good-gut bacteria, and plenty of vitamins, minerals, and other phytochemicals.”
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PeopleImages / Getty
Strike a Pose
Yoga has plenty of benefits, including weight loss, a better immune system, and back pain relief. But if you’re still not convinced that it should be a regular installment in your workout plan, consider your longterm brain health to be another plus.Female yogis (or yoginis) over 60 who practiced at least twice a week for at least eight years had better brain structure than women of the same age and activity level who had never practiced yoga or meditation, according to a study published inFrontiers in Aging Neuroscience. Specifically, their brains maintained more thickness in the left prefrontal cortex, the area of the brain associated with things like memory and attention.”In the same way as muscles, the brain develops through training,” Elisa Kozasa of Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein in São Paulo, Brazil, a researcher involved in the study, said in a press release. “Like any contemplative practice, yoga has a cognitive component in which attention and concentration are important.”
We can’t say it enough: There are plenty of reasons to get outside, whether for your workouts or for fun. Research from Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health shows that outdoor exercise lowers blood pressure and boosts mental health more than staying indoors. “Whether you’re kayaking, rock climbing, horseback riding, or mountain biking, outdoor activities give you a chance to breathe in some fresh air, soak in some vitamin D, and recharge,” says Jennifer Pharr Davis, a hiker, author, and owner of Blue Ridge Hiking Company, who has hiked six continents, explored trails in all 50 states, and set the endurance record on the 2,185-mile Appalachian Trail.
It can also work your muscle in new, different ways. Setting a one-rep max in the gym is one thing, but “if you’re setting a new PR on a trail run, barrel rolling a kayak for the first time, or biking farther than you ever have before, you’re always up against natural obstacles that are pure and relentless,” Davis says. They are guaranteed to expose your weaknesses and “shock” your muscles with new challenges.
Finally, in the wilderness, “you’re always welcome and reminded that you are beautiful and that your body can do amazing things,” Davis says. There, you’re stripped of judgment and other hurdles that may have worked their way into your life. Research shows that hiking can even boost creativity by up to 60%.
Eat More Fruits and Veggies
Eat more fruits and vegetables because, besides more exercise, there really isn’t any better, more studied way to get healthier, avoid disease, and live longer. The latest study on the nutritious nosh is from the University of Southern California, and it focuses on fruits and veggies with a high potassium content, like sweet potatoes, avocados, spinach, beans, and bananas.
“If you eat a typical Western diet,” said McDonough, “your sodium intake is high and your potassium intake is low. This significantly increases your chances of developing high blood pressure.” When dietary potassium is low, the balancing act uses sodium retention to hold onto the limited potassium, which is like eating a higher sodium diet, she said.
Try to get at least 10 servings (or cups) of fruits and vegetables per day, and besides the ones mentioned above, go for stuff like apricots, coffee, clams, beet greens, kiwi fruit, cabbage, watercress, hot peppers, Swiss chard, squash, tomatoes, cauliflower, spinach, and celery to get the most potassium out of your food.
Reduce Stress With Deep Breathing
If you’re feeling blue, try adding some deep breathing to your cooldown. Research from Rutgers University shows doing some focused meditation along with aerobic activity can help fight symptoms of depression and anxiety among adults with and without depression disorders.
Mute Your Stress With Sound
We all love to listen to those nature recordings made to help you sleep because they contain chill and comforting environments like summer rain storms, jungle noises at night, and ocean waves crashing on the shore—they naturally make you more calm and take you out of your head. But no one really knows why they do that; so, to find out, the scientists at the Brighton and Sussex Medical School in the U.K. recently put together a study that examined people who listened to natural sounds while in a functional MRI machine.
“We are all familiar with the feeling of relaxation and ‘switching-off’ that comes from a walk in the countryside, and now we have evidence from the brain and the body, which helps us understand this effect,” said lead author Cassandra Gould van Praag, Ph.D. “This has produced results, which may have a real-world impact, particularly for people who are experiencing high levels of stress.”
Always Be Aware of the Risks
You’ve certainly heard the expression “no pain, no gain,” but there’s such a thing as pushing it too hard in your workouts. And the consequences can go far beyond sore muscles and fatigue. Athletes who overexert themselves to an extreme point can develop a condition called rhabdomyolysis, a breakdown of muscle tissue that can lead to kidney failure, heart damage, and even death.
Although relatively rare, rhabdo affects approximately 26,000 people in the United States each year. Athletes who do high-intensity or extreme endurance workouts are often among those who feel the effects of rhabdo.
The latest superfood to add some color at the juice bar: Chlorophyll, the pigment that gives plants and algae their green color, has been rising in popularity for its variety of health benefits. Chlorophyll is linked with cancer prevention, since it can bind with potential carcinogens and keep them from circulating through the body, says Sonya Angelone, R.D.N., a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “It’s also been found to promote healthy skin by reducing the number of cold sores because it has an antiviral effect and can speed up healing time,” she adds.
Your best source of the nutrient is green vegetables, says Angelone. Try making a smoothie with spinach, carrots, cucumbers, bell peppers, and tomatoes, then add fresh lemon or lime juice and some hot pepper sauce. “This spicy drink energizes me so I avoid the afternoon slump,” she notes. Plus, “it has a lot of fiber, which helps feed good-gut bacteria, and plenty of vitamins, minerals, and other phytochemicals.”
Female yogis (or yoginis) over 60 who practiced at least twice a week for at least eight years had better brain structure than women of the same age and activity level who had never practiced yoga or meditation, according to a study published inFrontiers in Aging Neuroscience. Specifically, their brains maintained more thickness in the left prefrontal cortex, the area of the brain associated with things like memory and attention.
“In the same way as muscles, the brain develops through training,” Elisa Kozasa of Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein in São Paulo, Brazil, a researcher involved in the study, said in a press release. “Like any contemplative practice, yoga has a cognitive component in which attention and concentration are important.”
