The beauty of the outdoors naturally encourages people to go outside, inhale fresh air, listen to the birds, take a walk, or watch the wind animate the branches of the steadfast neighboring trees. The pull toward the natural world is present even in normal times. Now, as we’re confined indoors by the coronavirus pandemic, often spending hours in front of inanimate screens, the urge to be outside is ever more acute. One way to satisfy these urges while improving our health and well-being is forest therapy, a practice growing in popularity around the world…

You may not know it, but you have an army of microbes living inside of you that are essential for fighting off threats, including the virus that causes COVID-19. In the past two decades, scientists have learned our bodies are home to more bacterial cells than human ones…

A deeper look at the relationship between exercise and mental health. Findings from a large research study give greater insight into the exercise-mental health connection.

Do you or someone you love struggle with mental illness? The good news is that exercise can help.

Do you know how critical healthy feet are to a successful training program? Your feet and ankles make up your body’s foundation and act as “shock absorbers” when your body interacts with a surface (Price 2006)…

Athletes, fitness buffs and novices alike all know the saying, “No pain, no gain.” To some extent, this saying is true.

Weight-bearing and cardiovascular activities stress the body. As a result of that stress, we enhance our strength and endurance. By pushing our physical boundaries, we optimize our athletic performance. But this process is almost always at the cost of feeling some level of pain…

In general, muscle soreness is a result of microscopic tears in the individual muscle fibers from exercise, or other activities you’re not used to doing. The amount and degree of these microscopic tears vary according to intensity, duration, and frequency of any particular exercise session.

This result is often referred to as DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness), and is a term you’ll hear thrown around in almost all fitness arenas as an association to a great workout, when in fact, it could lead you to taking a number in the orthopedic’s waiting room…

Foam rolling is a self-myofascial release (SMR) stretching technique that has been embraced throughout the fitness industry. This effective and simple to do technique delivers positive, feel good results. Foam rollers have become easily accessible, either shared at the gym or found in almost any sporting goods aisle to bring home for a minimal investment…

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Self-massage tools are used for soft-tissue therapy on trigger points, postural problems and can help you recover from stiff, tight and sore muscles. Get started with this chart. Your health care provider can also help you decide which tool is right for you.

Start gradually by using the device for a short time and then increase use progressively. You can also begin with a softer device (tennis ball), before trying something firmer (lacrosse ball)…

Just like approximately 5% of the spice turmeric is composed of an active compound called curcumin, about 5% of black pepper by weight is comprised of this compound called piperine. Curcumin is responsible for the yellow color of turmeric and piperine for the pungent flavor of pepper. Piperine is a potent inhibitor of drug metabolism….

Looking to build endurance? What about power? Do dreams of being an all-star hitter or marathon runner need to be dashed if twitch ratios aren’t ideal? Not necessarily. The types of muscle fibers targeted in different types of training programs can impact athletic performance goals...

The longest-lived people in the world eat a mainly plant-based diet that, at its foundation, is centered on beans, legumes, greens, nuts, whole grains, and fruits. In the blue zones, they eat seasonally, they cook at home, and they often celebrate and dine with friends around the table...

Many fitness professionals understand how critical healthy, functional feet are to a successful training program. After all, the feet and ankles make up the body’s foundation and act as “shock absorbers” when the body interacts with a surface (Price 2006)...

You can’t rely on expensive probiotic supplements to improve your gut health. As it turns out, you can get many of the good bacteria your gut needs to move things through properly by changing things in your environment...

Black, green, or herbal, we know tea is the longevity drink enjoyed among the longest-lived people in the world, but how does it work to extend longevity, relieve stress, protect against cancer, and decrease the risk of heart disease?...

Water is essential to life. The human body is made up of cells that are filled with water and need water to perform their day-to-day activities. Two-thirds of the human body is water. Your blood, which is responsible for carrying oxygen, nutrients, and waste products to and from cells, is more than 95% water...

Not all stress is bad. When we perceive a threat, our hypothalamus – one of our most basic parts of the brain – kicks in to protect us by triggering what many recognize as the “fight or flight”response...

This article will provide you with background knowledge and practical suggestions on how to prevent or improve conditions of this muscle group through stabilization and strengthening exercises...

Shoulder pain and shoulder injuries are among the most common conditions within the general population and among athletes. Approximately 75 to 80% of these are caused by conditions related to the rotator cuff (1)...

Our immune system is made up of a complex network of cells and organs that help protect our body from...

Cardiovascular exercise is generally promoted as a benefit to overall heart health, but as athletes continue to push...