Your Guide to Healthy Life

New insights into how exercise can lift mood in depression

There is growing evidence that exercise can help to treat symptoms of depression and lift mood, although the reasons have been unclear. Now, a new study finds that the body’s endocannabinoid system may play a role.

New research helps explain why exercise improves mood.

The researchers propose that a better appreciation of the relationship between exercise, mood, and the endocannabinoid system could result in better treatments for depression.

The study investigated changes in mood and endocannabinoid levels in people with major depression who exercised at different intensities on a stationary bike.

The investigators found a significant increase in endocannabinoid levels and improvement in mood after a session of prescribed exercise of moderate intensity.

The endocannabinoid system is a cell signaling system comprising the body’s own cannabinoids, or endocannabinoids, and receptors. It extends throughout the body and influences the function of the immune, cardiovascular, and nervous systems.

When a particular endocannabinoid binds to a matching cell receptor, it sends a signal into the cell that alters its behavior and functioning.…

Social activity in your 60s may lower dementia risk by 12%

Mental Health

New research over a 28-year follow-up period finds significant evidence that frequent social contact at the age of 60 can lower the risk of developing dementia later on.

Spending time with friends could stave off dementia for those 60 and older.

The link between having a rich social life and brain health has received much attention in the scientific community.

Some studies have suggested that levels of social interaction can predict cognitive decline and even dementia, while others have shown that group socializing can prevent the harmful effects of aging on memory.

New research examines the link between social contact and dementia in more depth. Andrew Sommerlad, Ph.D., from the Division of Psychiatry at University College London (UCL), in the United Kingdom, is the first and corresponding author of the new study.

Sommerlad and colleagues started from a critical observation of existing studies. They say that numerous findings have suggested that frequent social contact can protect the brain, either by helping to build a “cognitive reserve,” or by reducing stress and promoting more healthful behaviors.…

How to Craft Marketing Messages That Speak to Your Clients

Fitness

What made you want to become a fitness and nutrition professional? It probably wasn’t your excitement about marketing your business. But to be a successful business owner and help your clients reach their goals, you need clients. In this article, we help you learn how to craft marketing messages that feel and sound like you so you can attract your ideal clients. …

Preorder How Not to Diet Now!

Nutrition

My new book How Not to Diet is now available for pre-order!

It’s hard to express how excited I am that it’s finally coming out. It’s the biggest single research project I’ve ever taken on. There are more than a half million papers published in the medical literature on obesity with 100 new ones every day. It’s no wonder no one has yet pulled together all the best science…until now!

In Part 1, I explain the cause of the obesity epidemic. What exactly happened in the late 1970’s that triggered the global crisis? In Part 2, I construct the ideal weight loss diet from the ground up, identifying 17 different ingredients for optimal weight control with a chapter on each. Then, in Part 3, I go through specific foods proven in randomized, controlled trials to enhance weight loss by acting as everything from fat blockers and burners to appetite suppressants and metabolic boosters.…

Zulresso (brexanolone)

Mental Health

FDA warning: Severe sedation and loss of consciousness

This drug has a boxed warning. A boxed warning is the most serious warning from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It alerts doctors and patients about drug effects that may be dangerous.

Zulresso can cause severe sedation, with symptoms such as sleepiness, trouble thinking clearly, and not being able to drive. It can also cause loss of consciousness (not being able to respond to noise or touch).

Your doctor will monitor you while you receive the Zulresso infusion because of this risk. They will also be present if you are with your child (or children) in case you lose consciousness.

Due to the risk of loss of consciousness, Zulresso is only prescribed and given at certified healthcare facilities.

What is Zulresso?

Zulresso is a brand-name prescription medication that’s prescribed for postpartum depression (PPD) in adults. PPD is depression that typically starts within a few weeks of giving birth.…

BLT Roll Ups with Turkey and Avocado

Healthy Food

Easy BLT Roll Ups with Turkey and Avocado are delicious and perfect for school lunch.

These pinwheels are delicious, filled with bacon, lettuce, tomato plus lean turkey and avocado all rolled in a tortilla. Of course, you can easily modify them to suit your children’s palate. Created in partnership with ALDI.

Back-to-school time is in the air! As the spontaneity of summer ends and school starts, get back into the routine of the new school year with healthy lunches the kids will love. I’ve partnered with ALDI to bring you high-quality food at affordable prices! I’m a busy Mom, so I love how ALDI saves me time and money, I can get everything I need for back to school from organic snacks and produce to high-quality lunchbox staples.

Madison loves fresh fruits and raw vegetables in her lunch box, the more colorful the better! Using bento style lunch boxes with several compartments, like this one from ALDI, she helps me decide what to pack in her lunch box.

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Why more depression treatments should include exercise

Mental Health

After assessing numerous specialist studies, a new review concludes that exercise can help to both prevent depression and treat its symptoms. However, current treatments for depression often fail to include this lifestyle adjustment, despite the strong evidence.

A new review of the specialist literature emphasizes the need to add exercise to recommendations for the treatment of depression.

Both anecdotal and scientific evidence has suggested that physical activity can be a great ally in fending off or fighting the symptoms of depression, which affects around 40 million adults in the United States each year, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America.

“The evidence of the use of exercise [for the management of depression] is substantial and growing fast,” write Felipe Barretto Schuch, from the Universidade Federal de Santa Maria in Brazil, and Brendon Stubbs, from King’s College London in the United Kingdom.

Schuch and Stubbs have recently conducted a review of the literature looking at the effects of exercise on the risk and symptoms of depression.…

Orecchiette with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe

Healthy Food

Orecchiette with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe uses chicken sausage in place of pork and a whole lot of garlic! This lightened up version will not disappoint!!

Orecchiette pasta with sausage and broccoli rabe is one of my FAVORITE Italian pasta dishes! The combination of the slightly bitter broccoli rabe combined with the garlic, red pepper flakes, Parmigiano Reggiano and sausage makes my taste buds do the happy dance!! If you’ve never had it, step out of your comfort zone and give it a try.

My daughter Karina loves this dish! I usually make a big pot and keep the leftovers in the refrigerator to heat up for lunch or another night. You can use any pasta shape you like, whole wheat, gluten-free or even chickpea pasta would also be great. If you want to skip the pasta, you would love this Broccoli Rabe and Sausage Spiralized Parsnip Noodles!

They key to this dish is finding a great tasting chicken or turkey sausage.

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The Best Source of Resistant Starch

Nutrition

Resistant starch wasn’t discovered until 1982. Before that, we thought all starch could be digested by the digestive enzymes in our small intestine. Subsequent studies confirmed that there are indeed starches that resist digestion and end up in our large intestine, where they can feed our good bacteria, just like fiber does. Resistant starch is found naturally in many common foods, including grains, vegetables, beans, seeds, and some nuts, but in small quantities, just a few percent of the total. As I discuss in my video Getting Starch to Take the Path of Most Resistance, there are a few ways, though, to get some of the rest of the starch to join the resistance.

When regular starches are cooked and then cooled, some of the starch recrystallizes into resistant starch. For this reason, pasta salad can be healthier than hot pasta and potato salad can be healthier than a baked potato, but the effect isn’t huge.…

AFPA Graduate Spotlight: Brandi Jackson, Personal Trainer and Holistic Nutritionist

Fitness

During the last 25 years, we’ve certified over 110,000 professionals. To celebrate our 25th year in business, we’re selecting 25 grads to showcase this year. Meet our next featured grad, Brandi Jackson, a Personal Trainer and AFPA Holistic Nutritionist. …