Category Archive

It’s not always doable to block off big chunks of time for long walks, leisurely bike rides, or hours in the gym. The good news is that there’s an incredibly effective method of exercise that you can fit into 20 minutes of your day. High-intensity interval training, or HIIT, combines very short, very intense periods of cardio-based exercise with periods of rest. For example, if you sprinted for 30 seconds and walked or jogged for a minute, and repeated this cycle for 10-15 minutes, you’ve done a HIIT workout.

HIIT workouts are proving to have many health benefits. They may be more effective than traditional forms of exercise for fat loss. They improve your overall fitness, strengthen your muscles, reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease, and help manage high blood sugar. If you’re already regularly exercising, they can increase your speed, agility, and strength.

Click HERE and HERE for some examples of HIIT workouts you might try – many of them take less than 15 minutes! The key is to get your heart rate up to 80% of its maximum (check HERE for an age-based chart). You can check your heart rate by either counting it over a 20-second period and multiplying that number by 3, or by using a heart rate monitor.

It’s important to know your current fitness level and work within it. If you’re not used to regular cardio-based exercise, be sure to ease into it. Additionally, if you have any health concerns, especially heart- or lung-related, make sure to check with your doctor before starting a new type of workout.

HIIT: High Intensity Interval Training Exercise Really Works | Time
Short Workouts – Well Guides – The New York Times (nytimes.com)

All of us deal with grief in many shapes and forms throughout the course of our lives. It might be lesser, like the loss of a career opportunity, or greater, like the death of a loved one. Coping with loss is never easy, and while everyone handles their grief differently, here are some actions to help move through grief.

• Accept and express your feelings. Grief is natural. There is nothing wrong with the feelings that come along with grief, such as anger and frustration. It is healthy to recognize that you’re experiencing those feelings and to talk about them with trusted friends or family.
• Take care of yourself. Experiencing grief is often exhausting. Make sure you’re sleeping well, drinking enough water, and eating nourishing food. When you have the energy to, do activities that bring you joy, whether it’s taking a walk somewhere scenic or reading a good book.
• Recognize that grief is a complicated process. Grief is not a straight road. You may feel better for some time before feeling overwhelmed with sadness again. That’s okay and normal, even though it may not feel that way.
• Talk to someone who can help. There are many kinds of therapy that can help you talk through your grief and learn how to process it. Your company’s Employee Assistance Program may provide a number of counseling sessions that you and your covered family members might be eligible for. Many medical plans have also mental health benefits that apply to therapy.

Grief: Coping with the loss of your loved one (apa.org)
Coping With Grief | NIH News in Health

A recent trend in the dieting world is the ketogenic diet, or “keto” for short. The premise is that by consuming a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet, you will force your body to burn fat it has stored for fuel instead of carbs – a process called ketosis. This sounds promising on the surface, but is going keto good for you?

On a practical level, keto diets are extremely restrictive, requiring you to eat fewer than 20-50 grams of carbohydrates a day (for comparison, a single banana has roughly 27 grams of carbohydrates). It’s also restrictive of protein, which is a key nutrient for maintaining your muscles. This means up to 90% of your daily calories have to come from fat. These restrictions can lead a number of side effects, including the following:

• Nutrient deficiency
• Liver and kidney problems
• Low blood pressure
• Increased risk of heart disease
• Brain fog and mood swings

There are not a lot of long-term studies done on the keto diet’s impact on a human body. Some studies suggest that people on the keto diet will lose weight in the short-term, but long-term, a keto diet is not more effective or lasting than a low-fat diet. (Other studies, however, have shown that the ketogenic diet is beneficial to some people with epilepsy.) If you’re looking to eat more nutritiously, consider talking to a dietitian or licensed nutritionist. They can help you create a balanced diet that’s best for what your body needs.

Should you try the keto diet? – Harvard Health
Is the Keto Diet Safe? What are the Risks? – UChicago Medicine