Say "Halo" to Healthy!

There really has never been a better time to explore online yoga classes. We’re cooped up inside, stressed out, and likely, spending more hours hunched over our devices. Luckily, yoga is an affordable workout that requires very little equipment and not much space. It gives you the chance to stretch out, breathe, and release tension. A study at Lund University in Sweden shared that “yoga practitioners reported significant reductions in stress,” compared to non-practitioners. They go on to conclude that it “appears to be effective for stress” and promotes psychological health among workers. For anyone still shy or skeptical of yoga, don’t knock it until you enjoy the freedom of practicing in your own home. It’s less pressure and puts you in control. (That means of the playlist, too.) As a self-professed online yoga addict, here are my recommendations for where to take online yoga classes: 5 Great Options for Online Yoga Classes Image: Sky Ting TV 1. With Your Local Studio or Teac...

The best natural way to ease anxiety, insomnia, pain—and even Parkinson’s tremors—might be CBD. Is CBD really a wonder medicine? My clinical experience confirms that CBD can be effective for pain, anxiety, and insomnia, and can also help reduce Parkinson’s tremors. CBD is an extract of the cannabis plant, but unlike the more well-known extract, THC, it doesn’t get you high. In some states, you can legally buy products that contain both, but what’s of most interest is the non-hallucinogenic component in cannabis, CBD (cannabidiol). What Are Cannabinoids? The principal cannabinoids found in cannabis are CBD, CBG, CBN, and THC. These cannabinoids target receptors found throughout the body that are reported to help relieve pain, nausea, inflammation, and other symptoms. THC is the most abundant and widely known cannabinoid in cannabis, and is responsible for marijuana’s famous psychoactive effect. CBD, on the other hand, is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid that is thought to reduce...

Wish your kids did more around the house? Simplify your system. These chore sticks get your kids pitching in–and make it a lot easier on you. Does getting your kids to do chores feel like, well, a chore? That was my problem. I was intent on having kids who understood what it took to keep a household running, were competent at everything from setting a table to scrubbing a toilet, and grew up to be adults who could keep a home reasonably clean. But any system I tried wasn’t quite right–and felt like too much work for ME .  I tried weekly chore charts, but none of them seemed to last. I tried sticker charts and rewards for each job completed, but my kids weren’t motivated by money or stickers. The solution couldn’t have been simpler One day I changed my tune. I started writing a small list of age-appropriate daily chores for each kid, based on what really needed to get done around the house that day. I made those chores mandatory, no stickers or quarters or extra screen...

This common veggie is hidden in multitudes of food products, and if you’re sensitive to it, you can experience everything from rashes and abdominal pain to cravings and binge-eating. Q:  My teenage daughter figured out that she develops gas and bloating every time she eats something with corn in it. I, on the other hand, love corn products and crave them, and end up bingeing on them. Does that mean that both my daughter and I have an allergy to corn? And, if so, how can we avoid it?  Corn Allergy vs Sensitivity It’s possible to have a true allergic reaction to corn—where the body releases immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies—which manifests in dramatic symptoms such as hives, skin rashes, asthma, or labored breathing. But this type of reaction is very rare More common are food sensitivities, also called delayed-onset food allergies, which are immune responses that involve the release of immunoglobulin G (IgG), not IgE. Symptoms may not appear until hours or days after you’ve...

The challenges of being homebound are many: bickering kids, feelings of isolation, and alternating bouts of stress and boredom. If you need a much-needed mental escape or a project to pass the time, I hope you’ll find some things here to help: Ideas for Books Books For Kids: Books My Kids Couldn’t Put Down Part One Part Two Books For You: Books I Couldn’t Put Down  Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four Part Five Ideas for Podcasts Podcasts For Your Kids: The Best Podcasts For Kids Podcasts For You: My Favorite Podcasts (Updated!) Ideas for Movies Age-by-Age Ideas For Family Movie Night: 101 Movies To Watch As A Family Things to Read, Watch & Make When You’re Stuck at home: Click to Tweet Ideas for Snacks Meet the Snack Platter: 3 Snack Platters For Kids Mega List of Snacks: 100+ Snacks For Teens + Tweens Who Are Always Hungry Ideas for Baking Chocolate Chip Banana Bread No Bake Cookies Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie Pepperoni Rolls ...

By: Julie Mancuso, B.A., R.H.N, JM Nutrition   In this post: How to eat healthy at home during the new Coronavirus lockdown Tips, tricks and strategies to lose weight or avoid gaining weight when at home   These are unprecedented times. The new coronavirus (Covid-19) has swept across the world leaving people in many countries in some form of lockdown mode. Because we really don’t know how long this ordeal is going to last and for how long many of us will be bound to our homes, we need to do what we can to stay safe and healthy. I’m not going to touch upon the safety precautions you should take to ensure you and your family keep safe in the face of this pandemic. It’s not my place to comment, other than to offer suggestions on how to boost your immune system through the consumption of certain foods.  Read: Foods That Help Boost The Immune System What I can offer as a nutritionist, however, is some practical tips aimed at helping you to eat as healthily as p...

Learn how to personalize your meditation practice with these seven varieties to suit your style. You know meditation is good for you. Studies show that it can relieve stress, improve concentration, increase energy, and encourage a sense of well-being. But if you’ve never had success sitting still or quieting your mind, you may need a different approach. Check out this guide to seven different styles—one for every personality or need. 1. Focused and disciplined.  Ultra-focused by nature? Try a meditation practice that involves concentrating on something, using one of your five senses. The yogic practice of trataka involves gazing at a single point. It’s also said to protect vision, improve memory, and promote intuition. To start, sit with your back straight and choose an object, such as a candle flame, on which to focus. It should be about two or three feet away, and more or less level with your eyes. Gaze softly but intently, until your mind begins to still. If your mind d...

By: Julie Mancuso, B.A., R.H.N, JM Nutrition   In this post: What is intermittent fasting and how does it work? Common fasting methods or schedules What are the benefits of intermittent fasting? What are the drawbacks of intermittent fasting? Important considerations of intermittent fasting What you should eat when doing intermittent fasting Other tips   Humans have been fasting for years. Hunter-gatherer societies had to adapt to fasting for one simple reason: food was scarce. For centuries, fasting has also formed a part of many cultures and religions with its benefits being extolled the world over. Even medicine has turned to fasting in various forms. Given this historical popularity, does intermittent fasting work? Should you give it a try? Let’s take a look:   What is intermittent fasting? Intermittent fasting is cycling between eating and fasting. In other words, you fast or abstain from eating for a set period of time, eat during a specific timefram...

A sane, simple cleanse can optimize your natural detoxification system, give your body a break from bad habits, and leave you feeling lighter, cleaner, and revitalized. It’s that cleansing time of year again, when ads for miracle detox plans litter social media posts and the pages of magazines. But is a detox really necessary? Technically, no. Your body has its own sophisticated and efficient detox system that includes the liver, kidneys, and intestines. That said, a sane, simple cleanse can optimize your natural detoxification system, give your body a break from bad habits, and leave you feeling lighter, cleaner, and revitalized. Unclear about cleanses? Check out these eleven easy tips for a safe-and-sane detox. 1. Keep it simple—and short.  You know those flashy programs that include hundreds of dollars of premade juices or complicated supplements, or the starvation diets where you drink nothing but lemon water with maple syrup and cayenne? You’re wasting your money and...