wellness Archives - Page 9 of 13

Iced Tea for Health

What would your life be like without the 1904 World's Fair? Many of our fun food staples hit the American taste buds at the fair, including the hamburger, hot dog, peanut butter, ice cream cone, cotton candy, and iced tea. During that time, iced tea became a staple of American culture. Health Benefits Heart Health and Cancer Risk There are health protecting properties to plants called phytochemicals. Research is constantly being done about how different phytochemicals correlate to health and wellness. Epigallocatechin-3-gallate, usually called EGCG, is a phytochemical found in high amounts in green tea. EGCG has been linked to decreasing inflammation and better heart health . Researchers have also linked a decreased risk of breast, colorectal and prostate cancer with some of the properties in green tea. Nutrition Minerals such as manganese, potassium, phosphorus, calcium and zinc vary [...]

Tags: black tea, drink, green tea, health, health benefits, herbal tea, hydration, hydration for health, iced tea, phytochemicals, RTD, RTD tea, tea, wellness, white tea|

5 Components of Exercise Recovery

You just finished up a great workout…Congrats! But now what? Practicing recovery techniques after exercise is essential for getting the most out of your workout and lowering the risk of injury. Incorporate the components below into your routine for maximum recovery. Cool-Down The cool-down is a component of exercise that is frequently overlooked. Too often, we finish our workout and go right on with our day. However, wrapping up our workout with a cool-down is going to help our body recover quicker. Finish up your workout with 5-10 minutes of very low-intense activity. This will gradually lower your heart rate and bring your body back into a resting state. Finish up your cool-down with several minutes of full-body stretching. Stretching will allow your muscles to relax, which can ease soreness and cramping. Recover Complete an extra intense workout or [...]

Tags: cool down, corporate wellness, exercise, exercise recovery, foam roll, hydrate, nutrition, physical activity, recover, refuel, rest, sleep, stretch, water, wellness|

Adaptogenic Mushrooms

The largest living organism in the world is a fungus: the almighty mushroom. At the cell level, mushrooms have more in common with humans than any other plant. Maybe that is why they seem so helpful to human health? Adaptogens are a class of herb that are thought to help us cope with stress. Types of stress range from general inflammation to fight-or-flight response. The thought is that they aid in the ability of our bodies to cope and adapt to physical, biological, and chemical stress. Consuming adaptogenic herbs can possibly help reduce physical fatigue along with depression and anxiety, enhance mental performance and immunity, and generally help you thrive under pressure. Medicinal mushrooms have been used for thousands of years in Eastern Medicine. The adaptogen class of these mushrooms have shown to reduce the effects of stress on [...]

Tags: adaptogen, adaptogens, arthritis, cordyceps, disease prevention, fungi, herbal medicine, inflammation, integrative medicine, lion's mane, medicinal mushrooms, mushroom, mycelium, reishi, stress, wellness, World Autoimmune Arthritis Day|

Try a New Move: Bob & Weave

Bob & Weave When it comes to getting fit, we most commonly choose exercises that favor forward motion like walking, cycling, and running. We may move backward when doing reverse lunges or a backstroke, but lateral movements become an afterthought. Think about the last time you purposefully moved side-to-side. It might be challenging to recall! When we favor one plane of motion, the same dominant muscles get bigger and stronger, while smaller stabilizer muscles don’t get challenged and stay the same. Don’t get us wrong, forward and backward movements are invaluable, but moving in other directions comes with benefits. For muscles in the lower body, lateral motions even-out strength imbalances by working stabilizing muscles on the inside and outside of the legs. The “bob and weave” is a lateral (sideways) single leg muscle-strengthening exercise that requires heavy use of your [...]

Tags: bob and weave, corporate welllness, exercise, fitness, wellness|

Stress Less: How Breathing Fights Stress

How Breathing Fights Stress What’s the first sensation you notice in your body when you face a moment of stress? Are you shaky? Does your heart race? Do your palms sweat? Maybe your breath becomes quicker and shallower. These physiological changes are all regulated by the autonomic nervous system, which continually works to regulate heart rate, respiratory rate, and digestion. When we face any stress, whether big or little, the sympathetic branch (better known as fight-or-flight) of the autonomic nervous system activates. Even bad traffic on the way home can cause the release of adrenal hormones into the bloodstream that triggers fight-or-flight in multiple parts of the body. The result can be higher blood pressure, faster breathing, a quicker heart rate, and even elevated blood sugar levels. It might seem like there is little we can do to stop fight-or-flight [...]

Tags: breath exercises, corporate wellness, destress, mindfulness, stress, stress relief, wellness|

Get a Dose of Nature

Get a Dose of Nature You likely already do things to help cut down on daily stress. Perhaps you meditate for a few minutes each day; practice self-care rituals; or choose to eat a well-balanced diet that promotes sustained energy and mental clarity. But have you ever considered what spending time outdoors can do for you? Think about it; outdoor-living was the only option for our ancestors. Over time, human brains formed an innate connection with nature, one that can be difficult to uphold with indoor-based living. This relatively recent change to living and working indoors comes with apparent advantages, i.e., protection from harsh weather, but our brains never abandoned the instinctual desire to connect with nature. This desire to spend time outside can be demonstrated by the mental and physical health benefits that occur when we get in touch [...]

Tags: corporate wellness, Corporate Wellness Firm, cortisol, nature, wellness|

Beans for Dessert

Beans for Dessert When it comes to dessert, fruit is always your best option as it’s naturally sweet and offers a healthy dose of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. It is also well established that fruit consumption is linked to lower risk of chronic disease. If you want to stay on track with your healthy diet, improve your biometric screening results and you’re bored with having fruit for dessert, try Dessert Hummus! You’re likely familiar with hummus, the traditional middle eastern chickpea dip that pairs perfectly with crunchy carrots, cucumbers, and celery. Its main ingredient, chickpeas (garbanzo beans), has grown in popularity so much that the United States Department of Agriculture expects crop plantings to reach record highs in 2019. This trend reflects our newfound love for all things chickpea! Put off by the idea of beans for dessert? We [...]

Tags: clean eating, corporate wellness, fruit for dessert, healthy dessert, hummus, wellness|

April is National Volunteer Month

National Volunteer Month April is National Volunteer Month, but volunteer work any time of year is important for the health of both you and your community! Nearly one in three American adults (77 million!) volunteer each year, contributing a collective 6.9 billion hours of service at an estimated value of $167 billion. But did you know that helping others could help you too? Helping your community is what matters most, but when performed altruistically, volunteering has mental and physical health benefits for volunteers themselves. Research has shown positive associations between volunteering and improved health in older age demonstrated by longer lifespan, higher cognitive function, and lower rates of depression. It’s hypothesized that knowing your actions make a lasting impact on those you serve helps you feel better about yourself, thus reducing stress. Volunteering can also offer a new sense of [...]

Tags: Corporate Wellness Firm, health and wellness, kindness, stress, volunteer, volunteer month, wellness|

Train Your Self-Esteem

“Without it, you can do little. With it, you can do anything.” No, we aren’t talking about money. We’re talking about self-esteem, a trait often understood as something you either have or you don’t. Individuals who report high levels of self-esteem claim to be more likable and attractive, have better relationships and make better impressions on others than individuals who report low levels (though, objective measures show these assumptions aren't valid). The good news is that self-esteem isn’t a fixed state as it may wax and wane through the lifespan. We also know it’s a lot like a muscle that can be trained to grow stronger. How can you start training your self-esteem? Start by completing this reflective exercise. Take a few minutes to write a short description of yourself. Use adjectives to describe your mood, outlook, personality, and [...]

Tags: core belief, corporate wellness, self-esteem, wellness|

Identify your Bias

Identify your bias Are you biased? Of course you are! We all have biases that can help or hurt how we navigate the world and the people in it. Our biases can be explicit or implicit, meaning we’re aware or unaware of them, respectively. Explicit biases are simpler to address because we’re conscious of them. On the other hand, our implicit biases are involuntary and might not align with our declared beliefs. The problem is that these biases could cause us to inadvertently engage with viewpoints we don’t truly agree with. Good news! Implicit biases are malleable; our brains are incredibly complex, so the negative associations we’ve formed through our lifetime can be unlearned. The first step, though, is identifying your implicit biases. Get your results by taking an implicit bias test from Project Implicit at Harvard University: https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html

Tags: bias, corporate wellness, wellness|