Ah, hiking. One of our favorite ways to trick ourselves into exercising. “Look honey, another squirrel. And by the way, we just burned 400 calories.”* Now if the sheer joy of the great outdoors isn’t enough for you, try this hiking bingo game. Just print out the sheets and take them with you on your next hike. See an item, check it off (everything’s native to Washington or Oregon). Get five in a row, yell out “bingo,” and scare the heck out of any nearby deer.
*Mayo Clinic
Of course, we recommend taking the stairs to get a little exercise. But if you do find yourself idling on a long elevator ride, you can use that down time to meditate. Studies have shown that meditation can improve both physical and emotional responses to stress.* So when the doors close, close your eyes, relax, and let your mind wander. You never know where it might take you. (Click on the button above for a few possible destinations.)
*Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Go on, dance the night away. According to USDA physical activity guidelines, dancing is considered a moderate exercise activity. Which is something everyone should do for 30 minutes a day. Dancing is a great way to get your heart rate up, and it’s a weight-bearing activity that strengthens bones too.* Kind of takes the romance out of the tango when you think of it that way though. Don’t know the tango yet? You will. Just download our his-and-hers footprints along with our dance maps with his and hers footprints and away you go.
*National Institutes of Health
On top of unconditional love and a legitimate reason to say, “who’s a good boy?” in a goofy voice, owning pets may have some very real health benefits. Just petting an animal is known to cause a person’s blood pressure to drop. Not only that, researchers have noted lower levels of cholesterol and triglycerides in pet owners compared to non-pet owners.* So here we present our tribute to dogs. And what they’re willing to let us put on them.
*WebMD
Don’t mock it till you try it. A great way to get a serious cardio workout, racewalking is much easier on the knee joints than running. If that’s not enough to sell you on it, check out this instructional video with expert racewalker Stan Chraminski teaching some LifeWise folks how to achieve his signature swinging hip action. You want fries with that shake?
News flash: water is good for you. Besides turning glasses into symphonic instruments, water also flushes toxins out of vital organs and carries nutrients to your cells. Of course, you say, that’s why everyone’s supposed to drink eight glasses a day. Not so fast. While every body needs water, not every body needs the exact same amount. And actually there are no studies that say drinking eight 8-oz glasses is the ideal. If you drink enough fluids so you rarely feel thirsty and produce 1.5 liters or more of, uh, “water byproduct” per day, you should be in pretty good shape.*
*Mayo Clinic
The coffee mug. It turns a regular cup o’ Joe into a bold statement of individuality, creating a window into the soul of the drinker themselves. Or maybe it just shows a cute picture of a kitten in a top hat. But adding a “World’s Greatest Parallel Parker” mug to your collection might help reduce stress too. Because hobbies can provide a nice reprieve from the daily grind — if you’re focused on your shiny new mug or rare stamp or that sweater you’re knitting, you’re less likely to be thinking about the things that stress you out.* Like when someone takes the last cup of coffee then doesn’t make a new pot. You heard me, Stan.
*Reader’s Digest
Who doesn’t like bubble wrap? Well, maybe globophobiacs. They technically have a fear of balloons, but the plastic little bubbles do bear a striking resemblance. Anyway, along with some mindless stress relief, there’s something amazingly satisfying about that popping sound. And with our electronic bubble wrap popping simulator, we’ve been able to solve two major bubble wrap-related issues: 1) you don’t have that overwhelming sense of loss when all the bubbles are popped and 2) no plastic to toss in the landfill. So pop away, guilt free.
Unless you’re sprinkling chocolate donuts on top of your oatmeal, one of the oldest breakfast staples is also one of the best for you. On top of making sure your stomach isn’t growling during that early morning budget meeting, oatmeal helps lower cholesterol levels and may reduce the risk for elevated blood pressure. And oatmeal is a good source of vitamin E, zinc, selenium, iron, magnesium and protein. So eat a bowl a day (sounds like an ad slogan, doesn’t it?). To get you started, here’s one of our favorite recipes.
A genuine smile has been proven to release endorphins and lower stress*. So we took the one thing that makes almost everyone smile: babies (puppies were a close second). And then we pitted them against each other in a winner-take-all staring contest.
No wagering, please.
*Medindia
