If there’s one wellness trend that stands out from the last couple of years, it’s mindfulness. Not only is it wildly popular, with a legion of dedicated fans across the globe, but it has also become a billion-pound business. Source: Independent So can taking time out of your day to concentrate on yourself really help to increase your health and happiness? The NHS says yes. According to its website: “Paying more attention to the present moment – to your own thoughts and feelings, and to the world around you – can not only help improve mental wellbeing … but can help help you enjoy life and understand yourself better.” Thanks to the boom, there […]
Meditation is a form of mental exercise that has become a popular US health practice. Regular practice of meditation is reported to produce changes in mental state and resting electroencephalogram patterns that persist beyond the time-period of active practice. Source: Business Insider Neuroscientist Sara Lazar found that people who practiced meditation had more gray matter in the part of the brain linked to decision-making and working memory: the frontal cortex. While most people see their cortexes shrink as they age, 50-year-old meditators in the study had the same amount of gray matter as those half their age. Participants in the study averaged about 27 minutes of the habit a […]
Sitting in front of a monitor, balancing personal and working life, even sleeping enough are all challenging areas for our health. In today’s fast-paced world, it is really important to stay fit and healthy, as in this busy life, many suffer from problems related to health, mainly myosceletical, gaining fat and stress related. We have filtered out twelve apps that we believe can have a positive impact in today’s modern Greek lifestyle. Let’s take a detailed look into some of the best health and fitness apps (Android & iOS) that will help you have a better life and stay fit. Source 1. Seven – 7 Minute Workouts This app can show you real results by working out […]
A third of the brain’s volume is comprised of blood vessels. Maintaining a healthy blood flow to those blood vessels is critical to keep the brain young. Here are three ways you can keep your mind sharp: Source: CNN Exercise Research has shown exercise improves brain health, and it’s never too early or too late to begin. Even moderate exercise has been shown to increase memory, mental processing speed and the size of the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for forming new memories, even in previously sedentary adults. Simply walking three times a week has been shown to produce significant gains in memory and mental processing speed. Feel […]
Do you tend to forget things when you’re stressed? Like when you’re late for a meeting and can’t remember where you left your car keys? Or when you have to give a big presentation and suddenly forget all your talking points seconds before you start? Source: CNN There’s nothing like stress to make your memory go a little spotty. A 2010 study found that chronic stress reduces spatial memory: the memory that helps you recall locations and relate objects. Hence, your missing car keys. University of Iowa researchers recently found a connection between the stress hormone cortisol and short-term memory loss in older rats. Their findings, published in the Journal of Neuroscience this […]
Are you running the same route, eating the same grilled chicken and veggies for dinner, or listening to the same playlists over and over? Anyone can fall into a rut, but it’s time to push past the monotony and re-energize your habits. Choose among these apps to find inspiration and ideas to eat, exercise and, yes, sleep better every day. Source: Forbes Meditation Studio Meditation has been proven to help people decrease stress, reduce anxiety, improve sleep and generally aid in managing challenging situations. Meditation Studio is one of the best apps in helping newbies and more advanced meditators alike achieve their zen goals. The app features a wide scope of […]
Stress and anxiety — to some degree — are natural parts of everyday life. Think about it: You get that feeling when a driver cuts you off on your way to work, or when you have a looming deadline, or when you spill coffee on your shirt. Source These stressful moments can range from uncomfortable and annoying (even motivational) to completely debilitating. What’s worse, these negative feelings can build on themselves really quickly until they feel out of control. That’s why it’s crucial to monitor our emotional health whether or not we have a diagnosed disorder. According to experts at the Mayo Clinic, unmanaged stress symptoms “can affect your body, your thoughts and feelings, and your behavior,” […]
According to the World Health Organization, stress is a significant problem of our times and affects both physical as well as the mental health of people. Stress is defined as a situation where the organism‘s homeostasis is threatened or the organism perceives a situation as threatening. Stress coping methods are the cognitive, behavioral and psychological efforts to deal with stress. After a thorough literature review some of the following techniques were identified: Transcendental meditation, cognitive behavioral therapy and mindfulness-based stress reduction. Source Life exists through the maintenance of a complex dynamic equilibrium, termed homeostasis, that is constantly challenged by internal or external adverse forces, termed stressors, which can be emotional […]
“I’m so busy, I don’t have time to slow down”: the mantra of our times in this always-connected world. Source Technology promises to make our lives easier, faster and simpler. But, it’s made our world exceedingly unfocused and overwhelming. Smartphones and laptops mean there’s no division between work and home. Our brains, which grow linearly, are overloaded by the exponential complexity of technology, which deteriorates our focus and performance capacity. How do we overcome compounding distractions and evolve into higher-performing individuals? Enter the science of mindfulness. MINDFULNESS FOR PEAK PERFORMANCE Mindfulness is a systematic approach to reprogram our brain and master ourselves to always perform at our peak. Through conscious attention to your mind, body […]
Sara Lazar, a neuroscientist at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, was one of the first scientists to take the anecdotal claims about the benefits of meditation and mindfulness and test them in brain scans. What she found surprised her — that meditating can literally change your brain. She explains: Source: Health Science Journal.gr & remedyspot.com Q: Why did you start looking at meditation and mindfulness and the brain? Lazar: A friend and I were training for the Boston marathon. I had some running injuries, so I saw a physical therapist who told me to stop running and just stretch. So I started practicing yoga as a form of […]