more good for you stuff

another study proving meditation is good for you!

fire good.

Fascinating article in the Harvard Gazette studying the amount of energy gained from cooked vs. raw foods - which may support the hypothesis that cooking allowed early humans to absorb more energy from foods resulting in larger, stronger bodies and more complex brains.

Natural light found to reduce myopia?

Fascinating article on http://www.medicalnewstoday.com regarding reduced myopia (nearsightedness) in children who spent time outside, away from computers and books which keep the eyes focused on near objects.  Check out the details at: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/236483.php .

Relax-O-Snack

This refreshing exercise takes about 4-5 minutes and can be done at your desk - I find it encourages me to take deeper breaths and helps me feel more energized - Start with your left foot, circling each toe ten times in both directions (for a total of 20 circles per toe, 100 circle per foot assuming average number of toes). Note how your left foot feels compared to your right.  Next, circle each finger on your left hand individually, ten times in both directions.  Repeat with the fingers on your right hand and then the toes on your right foot.  See how you feel!

A puppy for every workplace...

...maybe not yet, but it's heartening to see the Harvard Medical School is offering some creative alternatives to school/workplace stress - hopefully we are moving toward more practices in the workplace that support stress reduction.

Validation

I love coffee - I have many earthy-crunchy friends who try to tell me how bad it is for me - how rooiboos or caffeine-free chai is SO much better - so I'm always heartened when I read articles that state: "...women who were in the top fifth of caffeine consumption had a 20 percent lower risk of depression than women in the bottom fifth." - so 4 cups of coffee a day is now part of my daily health routine. :)

Relax-O-Snack

I have been trying to think of the time I have during the day more like a budget (i.e. how many minutes are spent on...?) - so in that spirit have been asking myself, for example: I have a 1.5 minutes while I wait for the microwave to warm up my lunch - shall I wait and stare, thereby giving up my time to the microwave or can I stretch during that time and not let that stupid, yet fascinating microwave carousel  rule my life? <feeble attempt at humor>

Turns out 1.5 minutes is a perfect time length for a refreshing stretch - today I chose to relax forward, folding at the hips and allowing my hands to hang toward the floor - (Kripalu Yoga Instructors refer to this position as "rag doll") - breathing deeply into my abdomen & low back, letting my hips and hamstrings relax and lengthen - when the microwave was done, I pressed my feet into the floor and exhaled slowly as I returned to standing - I felt refreshed and glad I used that time to rejuvenate a little- give it a try, remembering to breathe and listen to your body in the stretch and feel your feet on the floor and "roll" up slowly when you are ready to stand.