Smoothies: Your One-the-Go Nutrition Health Hack
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Smoothies are all the rage these days, but are they really all they’re cracked up to be? From the green vegetable variety to the more-like-milkshake fare, we’ve got the skinny on smoothies here. Do you want to boost your health, energy, and mood with a simple and delicious drink? If so, you might […]
Self-Care: Meeting Stress with Success
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Stress is inevitable. This is especially true for the 50% of the Boulder population who are college students dealing with exams, assignments, deadlines, and – this week – midterms. While some stress can be beneficial and motivating, too much can have negative impacts on physical and mental health. With mid-terms upon us, it can be tempting […]
How to Beat Inflammation (and Why)
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Inflammation is your body’s natural response to injury, infection, or stress. It helps to heal and protect you from harm. However, when inflammation becomes chronic or excessive, it can cause more harm than good. Chronic inflammation is linked to many health problems, such as: Weight gain and obesity. Cardiovascular disease. Mood and depression. Cognitive function […]
Type 2 Fun: Your New Number One!
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Have you ever done something that was hard, uncomfortable, or even painful in the moment, but rewarding and satisfying after? If you live in Boulder, you probably have. You might even be that person who wakes up before dawn to engage in some epic all-day (and sometimes all-night) climbing, skiing, running, or cycling adventure. You […]
Meditation: The New Vegetable in Town
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Meditation is an ancient practice that trains the mind to observe and regulate its own activity. It has been used for centuries by Hindu and Buddhist practitioners to cultivate attention, insight, and spirituality (1,2). More recently, meditation has been adopted and adapted by Western science and medicine as a way to enhance well-being, reduce stress, […]
Cold Plunging: What’s the Skinny?
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You’ve probably heard of cold plunging, the wellness trend that involves jumping into ice water for a few minutes. Sounds crazy, right? Well, not so fast. There’s actually some science behind this practice, and it might have some surprising benefits for your health and well-being. But before you grab your swimsuit and head to the […]
SMART Goal Setting
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SMART Goal-Setting I. SMART Goals The SMART goal acronym is used in many different settings to help set, achieve, and maintain a variety of different health-related goals. The SMART Acronym suggests setting goals that are: SPECIFIC. MEASURABLE. ACHIEVABLE/ATTAINABLE. REALISTIC/RELEVANT. TIME-BOUND/TIME-BASED. The SMART Acronym is used with empirical (research-based) support in a variety of healthcare settings, […]
Phytonutrients & Polyphenols: Let Food Be Thy Medicine
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Phytonutrients & Polyphenols: Let Food Be Thy Medicine! Phytonutrients and Polyphenols 1. What are Phytonutrients? Phytonutrients are beneficial chemicals/compounds found in plants (including fruits, legumes, nuts, seeds, herbs, coffee/teas, and veggies). They often have benefits that promote plant health and vitality and can benefit human health and vitality in turn when consumed/used appropriately. Phytonutrients are not […]
Let’s Talk About Antioxidants!
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Let’s Talk About Antioxidants! What are Antioxidants? 1. Free Radicals & Antioxidants: 1.1. What are Free Radicals? Free radicals are molecules that easily loose electrons, making them unstable, and causing them to seek out other molecules’ electrons for stability (damaging other molecules and their tissues in the process). Do you remember the kid at lunchtime […]
Let’s Talk About Smoothies
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Let’s Talk About Smoothies! To Smoothie or Not to Smoothie? Glycemic Index, Weight, & Cardiometabolic Markers Myth #1: “All Smoothies are Liquid Sugar” Many commercial smoothies these days are indeed: 1) void of fiber; 2) laden with artificial sugars or sweeteners; 3) closer to milkshakes than smoothies. Read More Micronutrients and Polyphenols Although some smoothies […]