Friends for (Longer) Life

Good health starts with good intentions.

Combine those with determination, goals and a plan for achieving them, and active steps in the right direction, and you’ve got the recipe for improved overall health.

Maintaining a healthy diet and exercising as little as 30 minutes a day can improve quality of life and even add years to it.

Feeling better, looking better, having a better long-term outlook … what more compelling reasons could anyone need to concentrate on improving their health?

And health and wellness has far-reaching effects that go beyond the individual.

As far … read more »

When you’re trying to improve your physical health, it’s important to focus on your mental well-being, as well.

While the concept of a mind/body connection might seem too vague and even somewhat far-fetched, its existence and importance to the concept of overall health is well documented.

According to the American Psychological Association (APA), a decline in mental health can lead to a parallel decline in physical health. Likewise, poor physical health can take a toll on mental wellness.

Your body responds to stressful events in your life and the heightened emotions they stir … read more »

You know work-related stress is unhealthy for your employees, but it can be far worse than you might even imagine: It can kill.

Stress is a common condition, universal among people no matter what their work and life situations.

And at its most severe, studies have shown, it can cause a number of health problems.

Job stress raises the risk of heart disease, according to research that indicates the cause may be attributed to both behavioral and biological factors.

Stress-related behaviors such as unhealthy eating and smoking combined with an overabundance of the … read more »

You plan your workday, your social dates, your family obligations … even your TV schedule.

If you’re trying to lose weight, you should add something else to that list: your meals.

Presumably you’ve plotted out an exercise routine, an essential component of any weight loss regimen.

But you’re going to need something to fuel those heart-pumping, calorie-consuming workouts.

Just as your exercise schedule boosts your chances of success, so does a well-devised nutrition game plan.

Before you hit the grocery store, do your homework. Consider each menu you’ll prepare for every day of the week, … read more »

Everyone knows at least one of them: those calm, cool, unflappable people who just seem to have it all together.

And while they might appear enviably laid-back on the surface, not even these polished few are immune to the occasional bout of palm-sweating, stomach-clenching, sleep-stealing anxiety.

Whether it’s a looming project deadline or a mile-long to-do list, the things that make you anxious have at least one thing in common: They can have detrimental effects on both mental and physical health.

And left unchecked, those effects can be far more severe than … read more »