19 Instant Energy Boosters
Struggling to get through the holidays? Not quite sure how to have more energy? I hear you.
The days are short (but thankfully starting to get longer again) and in spite of it being the holiday season, there doesn’t seem to be nearly enough good cheer going around. It’s a result of overwork, overstress, and not enough energy. Too much to do – and not nearly enough time to do it.
To help you get through the holidays and feel great heading into 2012, put these 19 energy boosters into practice. [Read more...]
Why Dynamic Stretching Beats Static Stretching
There is nothing like a good, deep static stretch before a run to make you limber and prevent injuries, right?
WRONG!
Static stretching has long been the warm-up and cool-down favorite of athletes everywhere, but recent research indicates that dynamic stretching beats static stretching when it comes to both performance and injury prevention (nor does it help with the type of flexibility most people are after). [Read more...]
Why Wrist Braces Don’t Solve Carpal Tunnel
Wrist braces have their place – but on your wrists for 10 hours a day is not one of them.
They are a great idea for things like snowboarding, skateboarding, and rollerblading, where the risk of falling and shattering your wrist is very real – and where you wear them for short periods of time.
But, when you wear them day in and day out, they do more harm than good. As Inigo Montoya would say, “let me explain…” [Read more...]
The RDA Fallacy
You see it in advertisements all the time, “product x contains 172% of the recommended daily allowance of these essential nutrients.” It’s like a tacit endorsement that whatever you are taking is going to keep you healthy.
But, did you ever stop to think about what the RDA guideline is and where it came from? And exactly what “recommended” means?
I didn’t either until recently. And when I found out I was nothing short of floored.
History of the RDA
The RDA was created during World War II when President Franklin D. Roosevelt called a National Nutrition Council for Defense. This council was called directly in response to the high rates of malnutrition in the country, which was a legitimate national security concern. While this may sound laughable now, in the decades immediately prior to calling the council, the rate of rickets was 75% in NYC infants, scurvy was a very real problem, and sizable segments of the population were found with various nutritional deficiencies. [Read more...]
Why Awesome is Contagious
You’re awesome at something. Or more likely, many things.
Go ahead, make a list of your awesomeness. I’ll wait right here.
Nicely done. I hope you didn’t limit yourself to just awesomeness at work, because you are a lot more than that. You might be the best daddy ever at playing horsey, and we wouldn’t want to overlook that. (You think I’m joking, but I’m serious. My brother ROCKS horsey.)
How You Became Awesome
You became awesome at the stuff that you practiced. It’s pretty much a universal truth, like death, taxes, and that dark chocolate is way better than milk chocolate. In physiology we have a term for it, called the SAID Principle, which stands for Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands. Or, as we like to say in Z-Health, you always adapt to exactly what you do. You get better at what you practice, and worse at what you don’t. [Read more...]