I spend a lot of time talking about evolutionary blueprints, primordial logic and genetic instinct because I happen to think there’s value in it. We live today with the belief (or maybe bluster) that we’re “evolved” beyond our evolution. Too often there’s a resistance to scrutinize our innate responses to the world, to question our choices or to imagine that what we want to pursue is anything other than deep and enlightened rationality at its finest. Sometimes people are offended by the concept of seeing themselves as products of their evolution. For some people, it’s the equivalent of calling them advanced animals, to which I basically agree (much to their continuing exasperation). And, yet, there’s the crux of our human story – these additional, incredible capabilities that
Category: HEALTH NEWS
What If You Could Take A Blood Pressure Vaccine?
Japanese researchers have seen some promising results in recent experiments. What does that mean for you?
A Brilliant Way to Enjoy the Summer
We’re springing into summer, and into perfect weather for outdoor activities—we’re already there in Malibu. I’ve been catching some rays (and vitamin D as a result) while hiking, paddle boarding, cycling, and playing Ultimate Frisbee. The key word in that last sentence is “playing”—it’s central to how I stay in shape and enjoy life. But it wasn’t always this way. As many of you probably know, my love of low level aerobic activity and sport as play developed from a 20 year career as a competitive endurance athlete. I logged tens of thousands of training miles pounding the pavement and hammering the bike, developing all sorts of physical ailments in the process. At the age of 28, I was diagnosed with debilitating osteoarthritis, and
Master Bedroom Mood Board
We kind of have a weird thing going on with our bedroom situation. Our real master is downstairs; once Henry was moved to his Big Boy Room, we moved into the guest room upstairs. Then, when I got really pregnant, I started to snore all night long, so the Husband moved back downstairs while I stayed upstairs. When Claire was little, we continued sleeping in different rooms just to maximize everyone’s sleep (he’d get up early with Henry; I’d handle all of the baby’s wakeups). So for over a year, I’ve been sleeping in a “master” filled with mismatched hand-me-down furniture. Not exactly the master retreat one dreams about! But about two months ago, Claire moved out and the Husband moved back upstairs. So we’ve
Video: 6 Things For Awesome Health (What Leanne Loves Episode #1)
6 of my favorite innovative products that make living an awesome, high-fat life just a little bit easier. There are things that I love… that I eat (and enjoy) a lot of, every day. Which is why I started a little thing I call, “What Leanne Loves”, maybe you’ve seen it on the sidebar of the blog? Basically, every 3 months, I’ll be sharing 6 things – snacks, condiments, all sorts of foods, tools, and cool stuff that I’m obsessed with. These things make my life better. These things make me happy. And maybe… these things could do the same for you. There are a lot of products out there, and a lot of companies that pay a lot of money to people like me to share those products
Cyclefit: Transform your cycling
When the hire bike for my up-coming triathlon arrived, I hated it. It felt too small, I felt cramped and I even considered dumping it in favour of my beloved retro-style Bobbin Scout. Then I received a call from Cyclefit asking if I was interested in a bike fit session – knowing that the set-up is really important I jumped at the opportunity. The result? I now LOVE the hire bike and my riding has been improved beyond recognition. It’s fair to say that my experience at Cyclefit has been transformative, not only does my bike feel great – like we are working together as a team rather than two separate entities – but my riding position has improved to such an extent
Asisat Oshoala wins BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year
Nigerian and Liverpool footballer Asisat Oshoala has won the BBC Women’s Footballer of the Year. The 20-year-old forward is the first player to win the new award from the BBC World Service which is voted for by football fans around the world. Asisat Oshoala said: “I would like to say thank you to the BBC, to my fans around the world and to everyone who voted. I feel very happy and appreciated. It’s a very good thing for me and also motivation for the World Cup. I had a very good 2014 and had the opportunity of going to the under 20′s Women’s World Cup with Nigeria and also won the Golden Ball and Golden Boot so I think maybe that added
The Perfect Morning Workout if You’re Not a Morning Person
When it comes to exercising in the a.m., it’s way easier to be a wimp than a warrior—which is bad news, considering how an early sweat session may benefit your body, not to mention your to-do list. Not only are morning workouts easier to stick to (hey, impromptu happy hours don’t happen before the sun comes up), but science also suggests that working out early—more specifically, before you’ve had breakfast—may help the body burn fat more efficiently1 . That said, actually getting yourself to the gym—or even out of the house—at the crack of dawn can feel like a one-way ticket to struggle city. It’s no wonder, really, since your body’s still going to be in snooze mode at that hour, particularly if it’s not
Roasted Lemon Chicken With Cinnamon Sweet Potatoes
This savory and succulent chicken with a side of sweet potato wedges is an easy weeknight meal made from a few common ingredients. Just toss together a salad, and dinner is ready. To watch a video demonstrating how to prepare this recipe and find dozens of other healthy, delicious meal ideas, head over to Sonima.com. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put chicken in a deep baking dish and season with salt and pepper to taste. In a small food processor, combine onion, garlic, tomato, cilantro, lemon juice, and olive oil. Blend for about 20 seconds. Pour mixture over chicken and roast in the oven skin side up for about 30 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. While chicken is cooking, coat sweet potatoes in olive oil and season
Greatist Workout of the Day: Wednesday, May 27th
This series of GWODs was designed exclusively for Greatist by Bodeefit. For more information about the exercises in this workout, or to see video demos of each movement, follow the links below the graphic. Be sure to note the results of your workout so you can track your progress as you go. Before you tackle this workout, try this quick and effective full-body warm-up. It’s just five simple moves but hits every major muscle group and gets your heart pumping. Wall What?! Going as fast as is safely possible, complete 9 reps of each movement in the following circuit, then 6 reps, then 3 reps. Wall Walks Knees to Elbows (per side) Mountain Climbers (per side) Want to kick up the intensity? Just move faster. And don’t forget
What if Sydney University’s complementary medicine research shows it’s useless?
The Faculty would do well to appoint an external audit committee. kubais/ShutterstockThe Faculty of Medicine at the University of Sydney has just announced A$1.3 of funding from Blackmores, the complementary medicine manufacturer, for a Chair in Integrative Medicine (a blending of evidence-based conventional and complementary medicine). It will be named after the company’s owner, Maurice Blackmore. The Dean of the Faculty, Bruce Robinson, has given a coherent and persuasive account of why research in this area is of importance to modern medical practice. Nearly a quarter of Australians with chronic health problems use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and the bewildering range and often changing nature of these products are often of unknown efficacy, and may have important adverse or beneficial interactions with prescribed medicines.