1. Story worth sharing again…
I posted this story on here a few years ago, but it’s worth reposting. The story of the Golden Buddha pretty much sums up my philosophy on health, wellness, human potential, and the fact that you are an AMAZING human being. Here it is…
2. An old study I’ve been talking about a lot this week…
There was a study done at Duke University in the 90’s called SMILE (Standard Medical Intervention and Long-term Exercise), which looked at exercise versus medication and the impact it had on depression. The result? “To the surprise of the researchers, after 16 weeks, all three groups showed statistically significant and identical improvement in standard measurements of depression, implying that exercise was just as effective as medication in treating major depression.” WOW! Exercise was JUST AS EFFECTIVE as medication for depression. And not just mild depression… but major depression. Over a longer period of time, exercise proved to be BETTER than the medications. So why don’t doctors demand an exercise regimen prior to prescribing dangerous medications which can cause serious adverse side effects? Great question. My guess… there’s not much money to be made by prescribing exercise. The information in the study is yet another reason to make sure that you are moving your body regularly. Especially in this day and age when depression is sooooo prevalent… with a STAGGERING 1 in 10 Americans over the age of 12 taking antidepressants. (I think it should be malpractice for a doctor to prescribe these medications without first prescribing an exercise program. Or at bare minimum, including an exercise program with medication.)
3. Something I started doing most mornings…
I started dry brushing most mornings. It’s a simple process of brushing the skin and has many benefits. It enhances lymph flow, exfoliates the skin, improves circulation, and more. I do it in the shower before turning the water on. It only takes 1-2 minutes. I start at my feet and brush up the legs toward the hips, then do the arms starting at the hands and brushing toward the shoulders, then do the torso, brushing from the hips up toward the heart, then do as much of my back as I can reach. I also do the lymph nodes on my neck going downward towards the heart. I can’t say I have felt any differently, but I’ve only been doing it for about two weeks. And because my skin tends to be on the drier side, I know at bare minimum, I’m getting rid of a few layers of dead skin before showering. I’ll attach a pic of the brush I use below. If interested, you can find a ton of how-to videos online. I like health-hacks that are quick, inexpensive, and have no down-side.
