Exercise trains your fat to help you age well
When you exercise, you train your muscles and your cardiovascular system, and even improve your immune system. Did you know that when you regularly exercise you are also training your fat cells? A recent study from the University of Copenhagen shows that properly trained fat cells actually Read More...
Reproductive justice: Colombia decriminalizes abortion
Following in the footsteps of Latin American countries such as Mexico and Argentina, Colombia’s constitutional court ruled five against four to decriminalize abortion during the first 24 weeks of pregnancy, as reported by The Guardian. Prior to this motion, abortion in Colombia was only Read More...
Do long weekend walks make up for daily ones? Here’s what the experts say
It’s no secret that regular exercise is good for our health—physical, mental, and emotional. However, during the week our schedules can get pretty hectic, which leaves us hunched over our desks, visualizing all the work that’s piling up in our minds, all the while talking ourselves out of the Read More...
Researchers find companionship may reduce risk of Alzheimer's
Here at The Optimist Daily, we’ve written a great deal about the contributing factors to Alzheimer's disease and what you can do to help avoid it yourself. Exercise, proper diet, even knitting, and nifty nasal sprays can improve your chances, but recent findings suggest that just keeping in Read More...
Study: Exercise after vaccination may boost immunity
If you thought it was better to take it easy after getting your vaccine, you may want to think again. In a new study published by Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, researchers found that up to 90 minutes of mild-to-moderate exercise soon after receiving a vaccine could provide you with additional Read More...
Putting the moves on your own self — 6 benefits of masturbation
In light of Valentine’s week, we’re exploring all aspects of intimacy and love here at The Optimist Daily, so of course we had to write a feature on that most important of all love relationships — our relationship with our own self. It is perhaps the first sexual relationship you ever had, Read More...
Researchers propose sticking images of diseased organs on sugary drinks
Scientists from Harvard and the University of North Carolina had a thought—what if unhealthy, sugary snack items were coupled with photos similar to the ones we see on cigarette packs and tobacco? You know, instead of a blackened lung, a sugary beverage would also carry the image of a diseased Read More...
Canadian doctors are now prescribing patients "time in nature"
Here at The Optimist Daily, we’ve shared countless stories on the benefits of spending time in nature on many levels—emotionally, physically, and mentally. Well, health care providers in four Canadian provinces (British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario) are taking these findings Read More...
5 Surprising myths about vitamin D
In the article we wrote about the telltale signs that your body needs more vitamin D, we pointed out that around 42 percent of Americans meet the criteria for clinical vitamin D insufficiency. With such a significant portion of the population not getting enough of this important vitamin, it’s not Read More...
What the ideal sleep schedule is for every sleep chronotype
Getting enough good quality sleep is crucial for our overall health, but unfortunately, there isn’t a standardized sleeping schedule that will work for everyone. That's because, much like personality types, each person falls into one of four different “sleep chronotypes,” and each chronotype Read More...