Tag: health

  • The Exercise Gene

    A European twin study finds the desire to exercise runs in the family–deep: Using complicated statistical formulas, the scientists concluded that differences in exercise behavior were about 60 percent attributable to genes. In other words, your parents influence your decision about ­whether to be active, not just by signing you up for soccer camp when you’re…

    Read more: The Exercise Gene
  • Imagining Food

      From PsychCentral:  Food Cravings, Explained: Results of one study showed that the strength of participants’ cravings was linked to how vividly they imagined the food. […] Studies have shown that when subjects are imagining something, they have a hard time completing various cognitive tasks. In one experiment, volunteers who were craving chocolate recalled fewer words…

    Read more: Imagining Food
  • Maybe That’s Not an Allergy

    Food Allergies Less Common Than Believed, says a study.  How they did it:  Disguised food and placebos (e.g., peanut butter hiding in something else or something else dressed up as peanut butter). [T]he true incidence of food allergies is only about 8 percent for children and less than 5 percent for adults…[y]et about 30 percent…

    Read more: Maybe That’s Not an Allergy
  • Green Exercise

    A study says exercising for just a little bit–but outdoors, in nature–is good for mood and well-being. Green areas with water added something extra. A blue and green environment seems even better for health…From a health policy perspective, the largest positive effect on self-esteem came from a five-minute dose.  

    Read more: Green Exercise
  • Laughter as Exercise

      Best medicine department: Repetitive Laughter Response Is Similar To The Effect Of Repetitive Exercise, according to researchers in Loma Linda, CA. Their studies have shown that repetitious “mirthful laughter,” which they call Laughercise, causes the body to respond in a way similar to moderate physical exercise. Laughercise enhances your mood, decreases stress hormones, enhances…

    Read more: Laughter as Exercise