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things to do, jersey, weekend, getaway, activities, camping, flea market, lambertville, new hope, princeton
Spotlight on the Sunlight: Jobs that get you Outdoors
 Spotlight on the Sunlight: Jobs that get you Outdoors 960 635 MPatton
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One of my first real jobs out of college had me sitting in a cubicle (yes, the dreaded cubicle) facing a wall that was painted a bright, cheerful yellow. The sunny yellow of the wall didn’t do much to mitigate the fact that I wasn’t  seeing actual sunlight.

If that weekend itch to get out into nature, go hiking, kayaking, or just hang out with friends around a bonfire starts to become a week-long sting, a career in the great outdoors may be calling you. A lot of outdoor careers are in the sciences or recreation but you don’t have to be field botanist or a survival expert to find a career that incorporates the outdoors and your interests.

Sports Instructors:

Ski and snowboard instructors usually work in the hospitality industry or for a sports complex or training center. Instructor roles tend to rely more on history and experience than educational background. Ski and snowboard instructors generally also assist with trail maintenance and ski patrol and instruct people at all levels of ability. IMG_0135Instructors will need a good skill level and a working knowledge of gear, environment, and terrain, as well as weather patterns.

Gardening:

Gardening, landscaping, and running a nursery or greenhouse can get the sun on your back and the dirt under your fingernails. If you’re interested in running your own small business, this could be the opportunity you’re looking for. Owning and operating a landscaping company or a nursery gives a people person with a natural sales talent the opportunity to work outside, be creative, and work with people.

Nature Guides:

If hiking, trekking, and camping is your thing look into being an outdoor or recreational guide. Outdoor guides may require certification in certain areas like white water rafting and wilderness first aid. Nature guides work in a myriad of businesses: hospitality, travel, scouting, summer camps and with corporate outing ventures, much like United Eventures, to get groups of people from all walks of life engaged in outdoor activities.

Photography:bonfire

Nature and art are closely entwined. Nature and wildlife photography can take you outside in a variety of landscapes and environments. Photography can be a dynamic and adventurous complimentary career; it’s not uncommon for guides and sports instructors to use body cameras to capture film and stills of their stunts, guide trips, and treks for promotional purposes. If you’re more of a people person, wedding and family photography can give you the opportunity to see new and interesting locations while helping families create memories to last a lifetime.

Environmental Impact:

Working in the green industry can take you outside for a cause. Surveying, forestry, and Ranger positions can keep you poised to make an environmental impact. A career in forestry allows you to help manage and clear forests in a sustainable and restorative way and promotes conservation, restoration, and stewardship of public and private lands. Some jobs in forestry require a Bachelor’s Degree or two-year certification. Some ranger positions require a background in law enforcement while others are geared towards educating the public on things like wildlife, outdoor safety, and environmental impact.

Better than a sun lamp.

Better than a sun lamp.

Volunteer!

Not everybody can just ditch their day job and run off into the sunset after going all Office Space on the fax machine. Find a project or nonprofit agency that gets you outdoors and giving back. Volunteer for a team clean of your local park, or assist with trail maintenance on popular local hiking trails. If you’re interested in finding volunteer opportunities by you, check out VolunteerMatch or with your state or local parks and recreation department for what volunteer opportunities are available.

 

If the mountains are calling and that sunlamp on your desk isn’t doing you any favors, get out there. The world is waiting.

vegetarian, vegan, health, healthy living, eating, food, reasons why
3 Reasons to Reduce Your Meat Consumption That Benefit Humans, Not Animals
 3 Reasons to Reduce Your Meat Consumption That Benefit Humans, Not Animals 960 517 Emilie
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In recent years more and more of the United States population have been adopting vegetarian and vegan lifestyles. However, according to Forbes the U.S. is also the second most eat-meating country in the world. Many who choose “veg” lifestyles do so to fight animal cruelty, or to maintain a healthier diet. In fact, a British study cited by Choose Veg shows that eating vegetarian can reduce your risk of heart disease by over 30%. However, although many people understand why animal-lovers adopt these lifestyles, few realize the impact that a meat-heavy diet has on mankind. Here are three crucial reasons why every human should be embarking on Meatless Mondays.

It Helps the Economy

A recent article from The Atlantic called attention to a study found in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that analyzed the economic effect of various dietary choices. You can read the article in its entirety here, but we will explain the gist. The study demonstrated the vast costs to our country for maintaining so many meat-heavy diets. The reason that meat-heavy diets cost the U.S. so much is three-fold. First, meat-heavy diets have extremely detrimental effects on our environment (explained in the next section), and thus it costs a lot of money to try to counteract these effects on the environment. Secondly, meat-heavy diets are correlated with diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and many other health issues which lead to increased health care costs. Finally, producing energy and protein from animal products vs. plant-based products is far more costly. In fact, the study estimates that it will cost the U.S. $1.6 trillion by 2050 if current meat-heavy diets continue in our country, whereas if everyone switched to more balanced reduced-meat diets, it would save the U.S. $191.7  billion (even more for those who become vegetarian and vegan). Even vaster economic savings would occur worldwide if other countries increased their plant-based eating, but the U.S. would benefit more than others due to its greater-than-average meat consumption. Other studies have also shown side benefits from less meat consumption in the U.S., like reduced costs for corn production.

It Helps the Environment

Ever wonder what meat production does to our environment? The Guardian has a great article that discusses these many impacts. In the U.S. most of our animals are bred simply to be killed and eaten. Having such a vast number of these animals on earth results in increased greenhouse gases and methane. In fact, emissions from meat-centered farming exceeds the amount of emissions resulting from all forms of transportation combined. Such methane and greenhouse gases come from animals farting, their manure, and the destruction of their carcasses (among other factors). Farming animals also uses a great amount of the planet’s oil, and factors such as fertilizer contribute to pollution. You may think that these issues will result from any type of farming (including that of plant production). However, the environmental impact is far greater for animal farming because farmers must produce grain which is fed to the animals, which we then eat. Thus, factors like fertilizer impact the environment for years as the animal is raised, and as grain is produced for the animals. Producing soy protein uses 8% as much fossil fuels and 7% as much water as producing the same amount of protein from animal products.  Meat production leads to increased deforestation (even much of the rainforest has been destroyed for pasture), use of water (that animals drink over their life), air and water pollution (from polluting gasses and animal waste), flooding (from overgrazing), and soil erosion. In fact, eating a vegan diet actually results in a reduction of carbon emissions twice as large as that from driving a Prius.

It Reduces the Extreme Amount of Resources Used by First World Countries

World poverty is always a critical issue to keep in consideration, especially with increased population growth on the planet. Meat production uses far more resources than plant-based food production. Why? Because in order to consume animals, we must first produce plants and grains to feed these animals, which we then eat. In fact, 70% of the grain produced in the United States is used to feed animals, not humans. Additionally, 30% of the world’s land is used for farming animals just for meat consumption. This does not include farmlands for grain or plants. Thus, the way in which we currently eat in most first world countries uses an imbalance of precious resources that far surpasses what we need to use. Another article from The Guardian explains the need to manage our resources better. Due to the massive increase in world population over the years, we have minimum resources that must be used wisely to feed everyone on planet Earth. We cannot simply increase food production to handle population growth, we must be aware of the way we are using the resources that we have, and the truth of the matter is we could feed far more people if we used some of that grain for feeding people directly instead of feeding cattle which are later eaten. You can read this entire article by following this link.

To learn more about how to incorporate vegetarian meals into your diet, check out ChooseVeg.com.

"Get Ready to Save the World." ChooseVeg.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Aug. 2016.
Lusk, Jayson L., and Bailey F. Norwood. "Some Economic Benefits and Costs of Vegetarianism." Agricultural and Resource Economics Review 38.2 (2009): 109-24. Web.
sleep, app, white noise, iphone, healthy living, health, meditation, sleep, alarm clock
Go to Sleep Easier and Wake Up More Energized with This App
 Go to Sleep Easier and Wake Up More Energized with This App 960 640 Emilie
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If you’re anything like me, it’s not always easy to have a deep, restful sleep. So this past week I decided to try out the Alarm Clock Sleep Sounds App. The app claims to use brainwaves and aural entrainment to improve your sleep experience. For nighttime sleep, the app drifts you more easily to a resting state, allowing you to fall asleep more quickly and deeply. For the morning, the app aims to rise you gently, while keeping you energized. I have to admit, although I was originally skeptical, I ended up being quite impressed by the large number of features and personalization settings that the app allows for.

Pros

White Noise Soundscapes. If you’ve ever used a free white noise machine app, you know that you have pretty limited options and a lot of the soundscapes do not sound particularly real. The Alarm Clock Sleep Sounds App offers a huge variety of white noise sounds to choose from. Free sound choices include rain, birds, camp fire, thunderstorm, waves, and more. You design your sleep program to be different than your wake program, which means that you can choose to fall asleep to a completely different sound than the one you will wake up to. Additionally, you can actually combine as many of these soundscapes as you would like. So if you want to listen to the rain with birds, that’s a choice you can absolutely make. The sounds are also as natural sounding as one could hope for with a free app.

Customizable Programs. There are three different types of programs you can create: waking, sleeping, and meditation. Every program has a variety of components that you can customize. You can choose your soundscape(s), the type of wave (monoaural or isochronic without headphones), the balance between waves and soundscape, the duration of the program, and the type of program. For instance, for your morning program you may choose a progressive wake-up, or an “energized mind” wake-up program. You can then save each program (as many as you’d like!) for later use. Name each custom program, so that you can choose each night and morning how you want to sleep and rise, depending on your mood.

It actually works. It’s hard to explain what the “brain wave entrainment” sounds and feels like. It is almost like a soft light hum that radiates from your phone. Although many may not believe an iPhone app can meet these “aural entrainment” claims, it genuinely does feel like waves are being produced by your phone. Regardless of the reason why it works, this light hum combined with the quiet white noise soundscapes proved to wake me gently and smoothly. It’s a far nicer way to wake up than a shrieking alarm clock, and my body never sleeps through it.

Cons

Freemium Model. The app is not entirely free, and much of the app’s capabilities have to be unlocked for a price. Because of this, there are only two program types you can use for waking up, and only one for falling asleep. Additionally, there is only one free meditation option- which focuses on rest and relaxation. There are a large number of soundscapes available for free, but far more available if you are paying for an additional upgrade. However, the app does have a large number of options and customization for a free app.

Free Meditation Could be Improved. The meditation portion of the app is a really cool additional feature, and I do feel like the waves that the app emits during meditation. That being said, the free meditation options leave something to be desired. The guided meditation is short and the voice used is not optimal. However, you can choose for it to be guided or unguided, which is definitely a positive. And, if you choose unguided, you can set the meditation to last as long as you like, so you don’t have to worry about time getting away from you. The other major downside to the meditation portion is that the soundscapes are better suited for falling asleep or waking up than they are for meditation sessions. However, you can easily choose to only turn on the aural wave function and not the soundscapes.

fitness, lose weight, exercise, healthy living, breakfast, habits, eating window, circadian rhythm
Get Fit Quick with These Simple Life Changes
 Get Fit Quick with These Simple Life Changes 960 639 Emilie
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Here at United EVENTures, we highly value an active lifestyle. We believe in getting outside and being active as often as possible. For many of us, however, it is incredibly difficult to lose weight and get as fit as we’d like, despite regular exercise. What happens when you feel like you’ve tried everything, but your exercise doesn’t seem to pay off? Here are three easy and simply changes to lose that weight more easily, without extreme dieting or other major life changes.

Know How to Rev Your Metabolism Early in the Morning

As we all know, one of the most important keys for burning fat is having a fast metabolism. That’s why it’s so important to rev your metabolism early in the morning. By kicking your metabolism into gear early in the AM, this will allow your body to process food better the rest of the day.

We’ve all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. You may also have heard that you should eat breakfast within an hour of waking up. That’s because breakfast is one of the best ways to rev your metabolism, and eating within the first hour of waking allows you to kickstart it quickly. However, certain breakfast foods will rev your metabolism more than others. According to Prevention.com eating a fiber-rich breakfast can boost your metabolism by 30%. Additionally, meals with protein can boost your metabolism by 35%. Thus, if you’re looking for a good metabolism boosting breakfast, try going for that extra dose of fiber and protein.

So what should you have for breakfast? For some extra protein try: high protein cereals, eggs/vegan eggs, yogurt, sausage/veggie sausage, or high protein oatmeals. For fiber try: bran muffins, fruits and veggies, high fiber cereals, or some oatmeal with almonds. Try mixing and matching to get a metabolism boost from both ends! A good sample breakfast includes eggs and a bran muffin, or some yogurt and fruit. And remember not to skimp on your breakfast, or your metabolism will think it needs to conserve energy instead.

Your ideal breakfast doesn’t end with the foods you eat. Luckily enough, our morning tea or coffee does more than give you energy to start your day. In fact, both do a marvelous job of boosting your metabolism. If you’re running out the door late and don’t have time for a breakfast, do your metabolism a favor and at least remember to grab a cup of joe when you first wake up.

Know How to Burn Fat, Not Just the Carbs 

So you may now be convinced to eat your breakfast within the first hour of waking. However it may be better for you to eat breakfast after you exercise. A recent article by Men’s Fitness called attention to a study in Belgium which analyzed this very question. Because many people understand the benefit of eating breakfast early, they were surprised to find that participants were healthier and gained less weight when they exercised on an empty stomach, and then ate breakfast.

So why did these results occur? It may be because both exercise and eating breakfast effectively jump start your metabolism. However, if you start your morning with a workout, your body has not yet received food that it can use as energy. Thus, during your workout your body will pull energy from fat cells instead of carbohydrates, causing you to burn fat more rapidly.

So what’s the takeaway? When should you exercise and when should you eat breakfast? The most important thing is to somehow boost your metabolism within 30 or 60 minutes of waking. Ideally, this means waking up, starting your day with a workout, followed by breakfast and coffee, and then heading off to work. However, if this does not fit into your schedule, make sure you either workout or eat breakfast first thing in the morning. If you choose to workout before leaving the house, grab a coffee and breakfast on your way to work. If you instead opt to eat breakfast first thing, try working out before lunch or dinner.

Narrow Your Eating Window

Most of us know that late night snacking is bad, but few of us have heard of the “12 hour window.” The New York Times and Peak Fitness recently called attention to several studies which demonstrated the impact of restricted eating times. A restricted eating window refers to the number of hours between the first food you consume to the last. So if you eat breakfast at 7 AM and have your last snack around 9 PM, you have a 14 hour eating window.

These studies showed that when mice were given a 9, 12, 15, or 24 hour eating windows, those with the 9 and 12 hour windows were significantly thinner. Some of the mice that were allowed to eat whenever they wanted (in the 24 hour group) were switched midway to these restricted windows, and actively lost weight following the switch.

So why does sticking to a 12 hour eating window help? There are a couple theories, and it is likely a combination of the two. The first is that when your body is constantly consuming food, it never has to dip into fat stores to fuel its energy needs. So instead, it continues to use energy from the foods you are eating. The second is that by restricting yourself to a shorter eating window, it improves your body’s circadian rhythm. The stronger your body’s natural circadian rhythm, the faster your metabolism.

Believe it or not, the 12 hour window begins and ends the second you consume any food product. That means that the second you have coffee with milk in the morning, your clock starts ticking. Even that evening tea with honey impacts your restricted window. In order to narrow your window, stick to water, or black tea and coffee. Take note of the moment your window starts each day, and make sure you are finished with dinner and all evening snacks by the time your 12 hours have elapsed. I.e. if you start breakfast at 7 AM, you should be done eating for the day at 7 PM.

Take-Home Ideas

Overall, remember these three main ideas. Sometimes we can’t lose weight because we don’t even know what habits we need to fix!

  1. Eat a breakfast rich in protein, fiber, and coffee or tea to get an optimal metabolism boost.
  2. Make the first thing you do each morning either exercise or eating breakfast. If you exercise first, make sure to eat breakfast right after. If you don’t have time to exercise in the morning, try exercising before lunch or dinner when you haven’t eaten very recently.
  3. Narrow your eating window to 12 hours, including snacks and cream or sugar in your coffee.

Do you have any other ideas or suggestions? Let us know about your experiences in the comments below!

chocolate, benefits, super food, healthy living, healthy eating
The Secret Benefits of Chocolate
 The Secret Benefits of Chocolate 960 640 Emilie
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Most of the time when we think about “super foods” we think about clearly healthy fruits and veggies: like kale and goji berries. But believe it or not, chocolate (in moderate consumption) actually has some great health benefits. Take a look at the amazing qualities of your favorite treat!

Improves cognitive functioning. Cognitive functioning refers to any and all brain activities that allow you to gain and manipulate knowledge. This includes problem solving and memory, just to name a couple examples. A recent study analyzing nearly 1,000 participants demonstrated that increased chocolate consumption was correlated with improved cognitive functioning in a large number of areas. Higher cognition was seen in the following domains:

  • Visual-Spatial Memory and Organization
  • Working Memory
  • Scanning and Tracking
  • Abstract Reasoning

Lowered Blood Pressure and Cardiovascular Benefits. Because chocolate is made with added sugar, we often don’t notice its benefits: they become over-shadowed by its negative effects. Believe it or not, chocolate is associated with lower blood pressure. High blood pressure can lead to higher risk of cardiovascular damage. That means higher risk of heart attacks, congestive heart failure, heart disease and stroke.

Lower Cholesterol Levels. Yet another way that chocolate can help your heart is its association with lowering cholesterol levels. Low cholesterol levels and low blood pressure are both important for reducing risk of heart failure and heart attacks. Chocolate is made with theobromine, which studies have shown are responsible for this cholesterol benefit. Heart benefits are also believed to result from flavanols (otherwise known as flavan-3-ols) which exist in chocolate.

Anti-cancer properties. Some studies provide suggestive evidence that chocolate actually has anti-cancer properties. This may be because of chocolate’s anti-inflamattory effects and ability to reduce oxidative stress, both of which can help fight cancer. Catechin and procyanidin, which are found in cocoa, are particularly related to the reduction of cancer risks. Studies have shown that these anti-cancer properties have been shown with lung cancer, colorectal cancer and stomach cancer.

Improved intestinal health. Even the Aztecs used chocolate medicinally to help fight intestinal pain, and historically Europeans used chocolate to aid intestinal health when they first discovered cocoa. Recent research shows that procyanidins, found in chocolate, actually alters the microbiota in your stomach in a positive way which improves intestinal health.

Kerimi, Asimini, and Gary Williamson. "The Cardiovascular Benefits of Dark Chocolate." Vascular Pharmacology 71 (2015): 11-15. Web.
Ju, Dan. "Chapter 13 – Cocoa—past Medicinal Uses, Current Scientific Evidence, and Advertised Health Benefits." Fruits, Vegetables and Herbs: Bioactive Foods in Health Promotion. By Gertraud Maskarinec. London: Nikki Levy, 2016. 271-92. Print.
Daniells, Stepen. "Is Theobromine Responsible for Cocoa's Cholesterol Benefits?" NutraIngredients-USA.com. N.p., 21 May 2013. Web. 26 July 2016.
Crichton, Georgina E., Merrill F. Elias, and Ala'a Alkerwi. "Chocolate Intake Is Associated with Better Cognitive Function: The Maine-Syracuse Longitudinal Study." Appetite 100 (2016): 126-32. Web.
exercise, fitness, healthy living, enough exercise, 30 min a day, cardio, muscle tone
How to Know if You’re Getting Enough Exercise
 How to Know if You’re Getting Enough Exercise 960 640 Emilie
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We all know that exercise is important, but how much exercise do we actually need? The Department of Health and Human Services suggests that all adults should get 150 minutes a week of moderate aerobic exercise, or 75 minutes a week of vigorous aerobic exercise, with 2X a week strength training. Moderate aerobic exercise includes activities that get your blood pumping like speed walking, hiking, casual biking or gardening. Vigorous aerobic activity refers to activity that is more demanding such as running, fast paced tennis, dancing, or fast paced swimming. Nearly any exercise can be light or vigorous, depending on how difficult you make it. Even walking can range greatly: anything from a casual stroll to walking on an incline while carrying a heavy load.

Typically it is easy to tell how vigorous your exercise is if you are being honest with yourself. Good indicators of vigorous exercise includes heavy sweating and increased breathing effort. However, a more concrete way of looking at your exercise is by analyzing your heart rate (HR). When exercising, your HR should reach 55%-85% of your maximum HR. The closer to 85% you are, the more vigorous your exercise. An easy way to calculate your maximum HR is by subtracting your age from 220. You can also use Active’s Target Heart Rate Calculator to calculate what 50% and 85% of your maximum HR is. And luckily, there are now many free smartphone apps that will now identify your HR, without the need to pay for a new gadget.

Of course, different exercise goals necessitate different exercise requirements. Prevention.com suggests that if you want to lose weight, your exercise goal should actually be 300 minutes per week. In this scenario, you should still be strength training twice a week. Of course, you can strength train even more frequently if your goal is to improve your muscle tone. So how much is enough exercise? It depends on what you’re working towards! Below are some example exercise plans that you can use, depending on your exercise goal. Please note that all cardio assumes moderate aerobic activity.

To Be Fit and Active:

  • Plan 1: Monday: 30 min cardio, 30 min strength training. Tuesday-Thursday: 30 min cardio. Friday: 30 min strength training. Saturday: 30 min cardio. Sunday: rest day.
  • Plan 2: Monday: 45 min cardio. Tuesday: 30 min strength training. Wednesday: 40 min cardio. Thursday: 30 min strength training. Friday: 45 min cardio. Saturday: 20 min cardio. Sunday: rest day.

Total: 150 min per week aerobic exercise, 60 min per week weight training.

To Lose Weight:

  • Plan 1: Monday: 1 hour cardio, 30 min strength training. Tuesday-Thursday: 1 hour cardio. Friday: 30 min strength training. Saturday: 1 hr cardio. Sunday: rest day.
  • Plan 2: Monday: 1 hour cardio. Tuesday: 30 min strength training. 30 min cardio. Wednesday: 1 hour cardio. Thursday: 30 min. strength training. 30 min cardio. Friday: 1 hour cardio. Saturday: 1 hour cardio. Sunday: rest day.

Total: 300 min per week aerobic exercise, 60 min per week weight training.

To Improve Muscle Tone:

  • Plan 1: Monday: 30 min cardio. Tuesday-Thursday: 30 min cardio and 30 min strength training. Friday: 30 min. strength training. Saturday: 30 min cardio. Sunday: rest day.
  • Plan 2: Monday: 45 hour cardio. Tuesday: 30 min strength training. Wednesday: 1 hour cardio. Thursday and Friday: 45 min strength training. Saturday: 45 min cardio. Sunday: rest day.

Total: 150 min per week aerobic exercise, 120 min per week weight training.

Remember that all of these programs are just examples! Keep in mind how many minutes you should be exercising per week, what your goals are, and how vigorous your exercise is. By tracking your HR, improvement from workout to workout, and overall fitness levels, you will be able to design the perfect program for you.

Digiulio, Sarah. "How Much Exercise Do You Really Need?" Prevention. N.p., 18 Aug. 2015. Web. 26 July 2016.
"Target Heart Rate Calculator." ACTIVE.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 July 2016.
Laskowski, Edward R., M.D. "Exercise: How Much Do I Need Every Day?" MayoClinic.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 July 2016.

 

tea, healthy, healthy living, antioxidant, cognitive effects, cancer treatments, dementia treatments
We Bet You Didn’t Know Tea Could Do This
 We Bet You Didn’t Know Tea Could Do This 960 599 Emilie
By:

We’ve all heard that tea is amazingly healthy, but do you actually know why? We didn’t, so we decided to look through scientific research to find some of tea’s most impressive functions. We were shocked by just how much tea can do, and we’re sure you will be as well! This list will turn you into a tea drinker in no time.

1. Improves cognitive attention. Not only does tea make you more alert, it also improves your cognitive attention in several ways. Attention refers to the ability to focus on specific information, while cutting out less important information. A recent double blind study showed that black tea aids with visual accuracy with attention tasks. So the next time you’re trying to concentrate on one task, don’t just rely on coffee, reach for the tea!

2. Antioxidant properties. Green tea is especially high in antioxidants, which is awesome for your health in many ways. Antioxidants help improve your immune system, decrease risk of heart disease, and has a helping role in preventing all other kinds of diseases.

3. Anti-aging effects. White tea is less processed than any other caffeinated tea- black, green or oolong. Therefore, it has additional health benefits that other teas do not have. White tea has high antielastase and anticollagenase properties, which leads to anti-aging effects for your skin and lungs (among other organs). That means white tea will have you looking and feeling younger.

4. Anti-obesity effects. White tea has been shown to be the tea most effective at stimulating lipolytic activity. What does that mean? It means that white tea helps break down fat better in your body. This decreases stores of fat deposits, and fights against obesity.

5. Anti-cancer effects. Recently, studies have shown that dandelion roots actually have antioxidant and detoxifying effects. But, even more astonishingly, they actually increase apoptosis (otherwise known as cell death) in pancreatic cancer cells. There are also studies that suggest these same effects may occur with leukemia and melanoma cancer cells. With such amazing effects, grab some dandelion root tea for yourself. White tea has also shown to increase apoptosis in regards to non small cell lung cancer.

6. Anti-dementia effects. Dementia has no cure, and while tea does not cure dementia, green tea has been shown to slow its effects. Some studies have even shown improved cognitive functioning in dementia patients after they begin to drink tea regularly. The reasons behind these effects are not entirely clear, but it may be because tea leads to increased frontal and parietal lobe connectivity. It may also work by enhancing the health benefits of dementia medicines.

7. Anti-diabetes effects. It turns out that black tea actually fights against type 2 diabetes. Research suggests that by drinking 3-4 cups a day, your risk of diabetes  decreases by 20%.

8. Improves bone health. Although most bone-related tea studies have been done on non-human animals, there is research suggesting many types of bone benefits from drinking tea. This includes prevention of bone loss from aging, and the increase of many other bone health and strengthening properties.

Believe it or not, this is just a short list! Tea has also been linked to improvement with cardiovascular disease and improved feelings of relaxation. So sit down and grab a cuppa, you won’t be sorry!

Shen, Chwan-Li, Jia Han, Shu Wang, Eunhee Chung, Ming-Chien Chyu, and Jay J. Cao. "Green Tea Supplementation Benefits Body Composition and Improves Bone Properties in Obese Female Rats Fed with High-fat Diet and Caloric Restricted Diet." Nutrition Research 35.12 (2015): 1095-105. Web.
Da Silva Pinto, Marcia. "Tea: A New Perspective on Health Benefits." Food Research International 53.2 (2013): 558-67. Web.
Lorenzo, Jose Manuel, and Paulo Eduardo Sichetti Munekata. "Phenolic Compounds of Green Tea: Health Benefits and Technological Application in Food." Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine6.8 (2016): 709-19. Web.
Ide, Kazuki, and Hiroshi Yamada. "Clinical Benefits of Green Tea Consumption for Cognitive Dysfunction." PharmaNutrition 3.4 (2015): 136-45. Web.
Mao, Jenny T. "Chapter 3 – White Tea: The Plants, Processing, Manufacturing, and Potential Health Benefits." Tea in Health and Disease Prevention(2013): 33-40. Web.
Giesbrecht, Timo, Charlotte M. Walden, Leo Van Buren, Pieter C. Van Der Pijl, and Eveline A. De Bruin. "Chapter 115 – Attention Benefits of Tea and Tea Ingredients: A Review of the Research to Date." Tea in Health and Disease Prevention. By Suzanne J.L. Einöther. London: British Library, 2013. 1373-384. Print.


Bollinger, Ty. "The Cancer Fighting Medicine That’s Growing in Your Yard." The Truth About Cancer: Educate, Expose, Eradicate. N.p., 2016. Web.



			

		

			




	

						

			lose weight, cardio, weights, dieting, healthy living, eat right, fitness, exercise
		

		

			
Why You’re Working Out But Not Losing Weight
					
			Why You’re Working Out But Not Losing Weight
			
			   
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We all know that exercise is important, and provides a long list of health and medical benefits. But at the end of the day, many of us exercise with one clear goal in mind: to lose weight. How is it possible that we can work out multiple times a week (or even every day!) and still not lose weight?


I know this pain all too well. Most of our bodies have a comfortable size and body shape, and it takes a lot for us to change that size from where our body wants it. I have felt like no matter how active I am, no matter how hard I push myself in my workouts, I see very little change. But believe it or not, there still is hope! Take a look below for common reasons you aren’t losing weight, even though you feel like you should be.


You’re not pushing yourself in your workouts. I talk to a lot of people who are frustrated with weight loss, because they exercise every day and still see no results. You may be frustrated because you are using a workout program that originally helped you lose weight, but is now showing no benefits. The problem is that any time your body becomes used to a workout, it makes it easier for your body to find its way back to it’s desired shape and size, despite your regular workouts.


Let’s take running for example. If you are going for a run every morning, you may not lose any weight because your body is never hitting the fat burning zone. Based on your age and baseline HR, each person has a different “fat burning zone.” That means that unless you are hitting a certain BPM during your workouts, it may be good exercise, but you are less likely to start burning fat. Without hitting this fat burning zone, your body will only chip away at the fat that is easy for it to take away. That means the areas on your body which are already slim may lose weight, but you may not see a difference in your problem areas, like your thighs or tummy.


So how do you fight against this? Of course, many people will say to shake up your workout routines, and this is a great idea. However, even doing different things each day (legs one day, cardio another, etc) is not enough. Instead, every time you do each of these workouts, you should be mixing up your exercises. Personally, this sounds exhausting to me, and if I had to put that much creativity into each workout, I would simply never exercise.


Instead, there are several ways you can accomplish this without having to design creative workouts. The first that I like to suggest is fitness apps. There is a huge slew of free apps which will give you a list of workouts to choose from. This steps you through new workouts each day, without the need to create workouts yourself. The second suggestion I like to give is to push yourself in your current workouts. If you run each day, set goals for yourself to make yourself run faster. If you don’t like setting goals, try doing it only 3 times a week. Just make sure your goal is enough to push yourself: not so low that you continue to see little difference. That being said, don’t make it so high that it’s impossible to reach!


 


Your workouts are one-dimensional. Whether you only weight train or only do cardio, you are creating a recipe for poor weight loss. Let’s start with people who only weight train. By googling “best ab workouts” you will probably find tons of suggestions: from crunches to planking. However, while this will help strengthen your ab muscles, it will do very little to actually burn fat in those areas. That means that while your abs are getting stronger, you will only see so much benefit unless you pair these exercises with cardio, which will burn off that top layer of fat.


However, this does not mean exercising without weight training is effective. Let’s return to my previous example about running. Whenever people only do cardio, your body falls into a comfortable routine, and it becomes a lot more difficult to whittle your middle. Weight lifting is exceedingly important in burning calories, and you will actually end up expending more calories the more muscle you have (which helps you lose weight all day long!). To see even more benefits to weight lifting, check out the article by bodybuilding.com here.


Overall it is very important for both genders to partake in cardio and weightlifting. Just because you haven’t used the big weights at your gym before, doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t now! If you feel like you will look foolish, learn how to use weights and various machines a few times with a personal trainer or a gym buddy. Soon, you will be able to apply what you have learned even when you aren’t working out alongside a pro.


Your diet doesn’t reflect your weight loss goals. A lot of us make the mistake of seeing weight loss as a calorie exchange. In other words, if we run 2 mile (losing about 200 calories), we believe that we can have a 100 calories snack throughout the day, and we will still come out ahead (because we burned off 200 calories while running). Technically, this is absolutely true: if the only difference in your diet all day is that 100 calorie snack.


The problem arises because typically the more we exercise, the more we crave heartier, more filling food. That means each time you eat, you might eat a slightly larger meal. You might eat slightly more of the sauce on your plate (adding calories without even realizing it). Whether we want to admit it, it is so easy for us to gain back the calories we have burned just through normal eating throughout the day. That means that each time we choose a small snack (with the idea that it still doesn’t cover our new calorie deficit) we are likely incorrect, because we have already used up part of that deficit through regular eating. Each small snack and meal we choose actually does matter.


The other way this harms us is when we forget how much everything we eat adds up. I fall into this trap a lot: if I am regularly exercising, I believe I should be able to reward myself. That means sometimes you may grab a small latte instead of a black coffee. Or you may choose to split a dessert with someone. Every now and then, this is true. But when “a small reward” becomes our constant mentality, we end up exceeding the number of calories we have burned. Soon, we are back at our normal weight once again.


This may sound depressing, because it feels like you can never indulge yourself. However I am definitely not suggesting something so extreme! Instead, try taking a few days to journal everything you eat (that includes the sauces and items used to cook each food). This will make you far more aware of what you are eating, allowing you to make better, healthier choices with each meal and snack. That way, when you choose to indulge yourself (with some chocolate, an icecream cone, etc) it’s not a big deal because you are eating well throughout the rest of your day.

			

		

			




	

						

			happiness, healthy living, office, workplace
		

		

			
5 Simple Changes for a Happier and Healthier Workplace
					
			5 Simple Changes for a Happier and Healthier Workplace
			
			   
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				Emilie
				
					
				
			
						
			
			
		
				

					

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It seems like every year offices become more and more focused on productivity and streamlining processes, and less focused on the health and happiness of employees. But not only should we care about the wellbeing of our employees because we want them to be happy, we should also remember that keeping employees happy and healthy actually improves productivity. When employees’ health and happiness rates drop, so does burnout and turnover rates. So whether you are an employee or employer, here are 5 ways you can make simple changes to make the office your happy place.


1. Increase views of vegetation and green space. Studies have shown over and over that happiness increases when we have regular scenic views or are surrounded by other greenery. Of course, the ideal scenario is to have an office with a large window overlooking a park or other vegetative view. However, most of us don’t have this as a viable option. Instead, try bringing additional plants into your workplace. If you do have a window near you, try rearranging your desk or chair so that you have better sight-lines to see outside. Being surrounded by plants and vegetation instinctively improves our mood because of biophilia, which is the term that refers to our innate connection to other living systems. Having these plants to water each day and take care of will make you feel more cheerful.


2. Foster those friendships. It shouldn’t be surprising, but having those close friendships in the workplace is incredibly important to being able to maintain the tedium of the daily grind. Often times the people we work with are more important to our happiness than the actual work itself. Employers should try to foster interaction, group bonding and acceptance amongst their employees. Remember, happy employees means a better work environment and more effective productivity.


3. Make your workplace your own. We spend so much time decorating our homes. We hang up pictures of our family and favorite memories, we decorate with our favorite decor, and we buy new furniture to make each room reflect our identity. But why do we spend so little time making our workplace feel like home? After all, we probably spend more waking hours there than in our actual houses. Try finding a new shelf for your desk, or get some cubicle wallpaper. There are tons of ways you can spruce up your workspace through personal mementos and your own design flairs. Making your workspace feel homey should be just as important as making your actual house feel like home.


4. Get moving! We all know that during the work day it is difficult not to be too sedentary. However, there are many small ways to be more active throughout the day. Treadmill desks have been shown to benefit postprandial glucose levels and cholesterol levels, and both treadmill and standing desks have been shown to improve psychological wellbeing. You can also try bringing some light weights to use as you are on phone calls, or take a quick walk around the building every hour or so to stretch your legs.


5. Work for flexibility. Research has shown that flexible workplaces result in increased feelings of empowerment as well as improved quality of life. Employers should be aware of this relationship in order to increase happiness and efficiency within their employees. Of course, employees only have limited control over how flexible their workplace is, but there are several ways you can work to increase flexibility. A flexible workplace is one in which you are allowed to complete your work in convenient ways. Be firm about not completing tasks when you are not available, such as outside of office hours. On the flip side, when you are allowed flexibility, prove that you can accomplish the task effectively even with added leniency.


Gilchrist, Kathryn, Caroline Brown, and Alicia Montarzino."Workplace Settings and Wellbeing: Greenspace Use and Views Contribute to Employee Wellbeing at Peri-urban Business Sites." Landscape and Urban Planning 138 (2015): 32-40. Web.


Chaiprasit, Kemakorn, and Orapin Santidhiraku. "Happiness at Work of Employees in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, Thailand." Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 25 (2011): 189-200. Web.


MacEwen, Brittany T., Dany J. MacDonald, and Jamie F. Burr. "A Systematic Review of Standing and Treadmill Desks in the Workplace." Preventive Medicine 70 (2015): 50-58. Web.


Subramaniam, Geetha, Peck-Leong Tan, Balasundram Maniam, and Ershad Ali. "Workplace Flexibility, Empowerment and Quality of Life." Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 105 (2013): 885-93. Web.


DiPirro, Dani. "5 Tips to Make Work Your Happy Place." Livehappy. N.p., 26 Jan. 2016. Web.