Get tired sometimes of the relentless messages advocating exercise and diet? How about checking out an art gallery or museum to enjoy better health?
Seems that folks who visit art galleries, museums, and the theatre on a regular basis (In particular, men.) seem to enjoy better health and are more satisfied with life.
Read more about it here.
(Then do your Runner’s Yoga and run to a museum 
)
Yoga: A Fitness Fad or Spiritual Path?
Approximately 15 million Americans practice yoga on a regular basis. But for many, its primary benefit is as a fitness/stretching routine.
Now a group of Indian-Americans has started a campaign called “Take Back Yoga,” in an effort to help American yoga practitioners become more aware of yoga’s spiritual side.
It’s a campaign that is getting some strong reactions from figures across the full spectrum of spiritual pursuits. Deepak Chopra, for example, has dismissed the campaign as “Hindu nationalism.” While Baptist ministers suggest that Christians who practice yoga are imperiling their souls.
CALCIUM SUPPLEMENTS: ARE THEY HARMFUL TO YOUR HEART?
Commonly recommended for women over the age of 50 to improve bone health, calcium supplementation (plus vitamin D) has been considered relatively safe except for the increased risk of kidney stones. But could calcium supplements actually be harmful to your heart?
A new look at the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study of the health of more than 160,000 women from 1991 until the present, suggests the answer is Yes.
In fact, researchers now suggest calcium supplementation may be associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke and heart attack.
Is A Dog Better Than A Treadmill?
An article in the NY Times suggests that owning a dog may be healthier for you than owning a treadmill. Turns out that people with dogs are more active than those without. And that older folks are more likely to go walking with their dog than with a human. Better listeners, I guess.
How yoga is transforming a Kenyan city
An organization in Kenyan capital of Nairobi is finding that including yoga is enhancing its other outreach programs such as food distribution and schools.
Do Naps Make You Smarter?
Cramming until late at night for next day’s test is time-honored tradition for students. But it turns out the roommate who is sawing logs at the same time may be the smarter dude after all.
Research shows that getting sleep is important for both learning new information and remembering the old. Meaning taking that nap might not be such a bad idea.
Can Yoga Calm An Irregular Heartbeat?
In the past we’ve seen evidence that yoga can help reduce cholesterol and lower blood pressure. Now a preliminary study suggests that it may also help reduce the symptoms for people who suffer from an irregular heartbeat, with just three sessions a week helping to lower anxiety and halve the number of episodes. Read more here.
This has gotta be the most creative online product page I’ve ever seen.
It’s for a Dutch department store chain called HEMA. The first store opened on November 1926 in Amsterdam . Now there are 150 stores all over the Netherlands . (HEMA also has stores in Belgium, Luxemburg and Germany.)
Might take a couple moments to load (and I had to hit “reload” one time when it played the sounds but there was no action) but to check it out, Click Here.
What really causes runner’s high?
For decades it has been thought that endorphins cause ‘runner’s high’ – that sense of euphoria and calm that many people seem to experience after prolonged exercise.
This article in the NY Times discusses some of the science behind the rhetoric: Click here
I know folks who can disappear for hours into a video game, Sudoku, even playing solitaire on the internet. Works as stress relief for them.
Not my cup of tea. But if you’re looking for a way to kill some time, check out this online puzzle: CIRCLE THE CAT
But please, don’t blame me if you go a little crazy trying to figure it out )
*The object is to enclose the cat with dark circles before it sneaks out of the Puzzle. Supposed to be a stress reducer. Warning: for some of you it might be a stress INDUCER. Knock yourselves out.
