Wellness
Archive
I like to ride my bike to and from work. I use the same outfit for both rides, which my coworker says is nasty. If I lay my clothes out in the sun while I’m working, won’t the sun kill the bacteria on them? (Please say yes or I’ll lose a bet.)
New technology has made it easier than ever to keep real-time tabs on an endless array of fitness metrics. Don't drown in the data stream.
I’ve read that tomato paste, green tea, and even chocolate can keep me from getting sunburned. Is that true? And what SPF are we talking here?
I'm a 31-year-old professional who sits on his butt a lot. I used to find getting into shape easy, but now es no bueno. I'm not overweight, I just can't get into an exercise routine which actually helps me get fit and buff. Can you give me advice on how to get fit enough to be rocking in the sack again?
Where did the myth that a woman’s uterus would fall out if she participated in sports come from?
I feel like whenever it’s cold outside, I have to pee more. Same thing goes for swimming in cold water. What’s going on?
I live in Minnesota, so for half of the year I either exercise indoors or am pretty covered up. How often should I be screened for skin cancer?
I want this to be the year that I finally get in shape and stay in shape—but I say that every year. How can I actually make my resolutions stick for once?
Is bar soap clean because it’s soap, or can it transfer bacteria commonly spread among athletes like MRSA?
These days, screen-addicted Americans are more stressed out and distracted than ever. And there’s no app for that. But there is a radically simple remedy: get outside. Florence Williams travels to the deep woods of Japan, where researchers are backing up the theory that nature can lower your blood pressure, fight off depression—and even prevent cancer.
When his wife Amy showed up with a Labrador Retriever, Jeff Supergan wasn't sure it made sense. He had never had a dog before, and, being confined to a wheelchair, didn't know if he could handle it. But when Amy's doctors discovered an unexpected brain tumor, the dog ended up taking care of them both.
As an athlete who spends a lot of time in the sun, I wonder if I should be taking sunscreen pills. Do they work as well as lotions?
Wildness is all around. Photo: Katie Arnold Last week, I was hiking with a friend on a trail in town. We’ve been doing this once a week for two years, and in that time, we’ve developed a system: On the way up, we hike in silence…
I like to work out during my lunch break, but I just switched jobs and my new office building doesn’t have showers. How important is it that I shower after working out?
How can you have both a career and enough time for adventure? The new video series Balance offers its answer to that question by profiling three men who have found different ways to make a living and enjoy their favorite outdoor sports. Catch the trailer above, and a new episode…
Rick Paulas takes a look at Allen Carr's The Easy Way to Stop Smoking and wonders if the author might actually be right
It seems like every time I complete a race that lasts longer than a few hours, I get sick afterward. Why is that, and is there any way to prevent it from happening?
I only put sunscreen on the uncovered parts of my body, but should I be using it under my clothes, too? How well do my clothes protect me against the sun?
Is it safe to participate in my triathlon club’s ocean swims while I’m menstruating, am I more likely to get attacked by a shark?
My mom always said to stay inside during dust storms because the dirt could make me sick. Can racing a muddy, dusty event make me ill?
Duties: regular workouts, mandatory lunch hours, and the occasional rafting trip. Benefits: international adventure travel, personal training sessions, and sweet swag. These jobs really do exist.
Enlightened companies seek ambitious individuals who work hard, think big, and crave life-affirming careers, lunchtime bike rides, and soul-expanding travel
So many great companies, we couldn't fit them all into one article
I can see the smoke from wildfires burning all across the state. How do I know if it’s safe to run outside?
Recharge your battery with a much deserved break from your daily routine.
Time for a walk, via Shutterstock Don't just sit there. That's the obvious lesson learned after reading Gretchen Reynolds's latest column on health…
Does stretching prior to a run prevent injuries and improve performance? Does guzzling water prevent cramps? Here's the truth about the top 10 fitness myths.
Cognitive scientists are only just beginning to understand what being in nature does for our mental health. But—big surprise!—the evidence is promising. Here are five smart reasons to go wild.
Just when we need it most, along comes a wave of enlightened companies that believe success starts with smiling employees.
A five-step strategy for landing your dream job in the action-sports or outdoor industries
Apply Liberally: At ϳԹ’s 50 Best Places to Work, you can’t go wrong
A cutting-edge blood therapy believed to speed recovery from sports injuries has never been more popular—or more controversial. Is the science as convincing as the hype?
You'd be amazed at how far scientists have progressed in their ability to turn humans into unstoppable athletic machines. Here's a peek at a future that's coming fast.
Sitting down might be shortening your life and adding inches to your waistline, according to an article in the New York Times. The study, performed by Mao Clinic researcher James Levine, attempted to answer…
https://youtube.com/watch?v=wiw-7-zY9iQ%C2%A0 Sitting down may be shortening your life and adding inches to your waistline, according to an article in the New York Times. The study, performed by Mayo Clinic researcher James Levine,…
Results of a four-year study by researchers at the University of Colorado suggest that living at altitudes around 5,000 feet (Denver is 5,280 feet above see level) or higher might increase lifespan. The study, recently published in the…
Sleepy people don’t make healthy food choices and tend to overeat, according to a study at Columbia University and the New York Obesity Research Center. “Our data show that reducing sleep increases energy and fat intakes, which may explain some of the…
Courtesy of Flickr Different types of happiness have different levels of importance, according to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal. Eudaimonic well-being, caused by engaging in meaningful activity, is more important to physical health…
Mark W. Moffett, a.k.a. Doctor Bugs, sent in this video of a botfly emerging from under his skin. A mosquito deposited the egg into the entomologist during a recent trip to Belize. The egg hatched and grew—dining on Moffett's flesh all the way home—before emerging in front of…
Photo courtesy of Flickr. Researchers studying 22 male chimps in Uganda's Kibale National Park found that males with more testosterone also had more parasites living in their stomachs, ScienceNow reports. Male chimps compete aggressively for dominance, like most primates, and…
Courtesy of bradley j on Flickr. Taking supplemental calcium and vitamin D, which has been widely recommended by doctors, is not necessary in most cases according to a panel of medical researchers convened by the Institute of Medicine, the…
Being an athlete requires me to be totally in tune with my body. To be able to read it, listen to it, respect it understand it, and, yes, love it for what it enables me to do. Do most people not love their bodies, or does it sound…
A new study shows that physically clean people are more inclined than dirty people to judge others harshly, Wired reports. Researchers at Northwestern university invited 58 undergrads to a shiny new lab to “rate the morality of…
Any dermatologist will tell you: Wear sunscreen every day, even if you're just hanging around town. But picking the right one is where it gets complicated. According to a 2009 study by the Environmental Working Group, nearly 30 percent of sunscreens don't have strong enough protection from UVA, the sun's most prevalent, carcinogenic rays. Then there
(Photo courtesy stuartpilbrow on Flickr.) A Stanford University professor is working on a vaccine that would shield humans from chronic stress, Wired reports. Dr. Robert Sapolsky, a neuroscience…
You got yourself to the gym. That's great. But did you ever think how your effort to stay fit might lead you into a fight against infection? The National Athletic Trainers Association published a paper…
A prostatecancer vaccine that the US Food and Drug Administration rejected in2007 has now won the regulator's approval, making it the first cancer vaccine to do so, according to newscientist.com. Made by Dendreon of Seattle,…
A new study published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine shows that kids in the Southeast states, referred to as the “Stroke Belt,” are fatter than their U.S. peers in other regions. In 2007, 45 percent of 10- to 17-year-olds in Mississippi were overweight, and 22 percent were…
At a time when we're supposed to feel lucky just to have a job, why are so many employers supporting our addiction to travel, helping us get fit, and inviting our dogs into the office? Because it's good business. Presenting our third annual list of ϳԹ's Best Places to Work.
How we picked them: First, with help from the Outdoor Industry Association, we got the word out to eligible applicants–nonprofit or for-profit companies with at least 15 employees working in the U.S. Our project partner, the Harrisburg, Pennsylvania-based research firm Best Companies Group (bestcompaniesgroup.net), then sent registered…
Christine Fanning, executive director of The Outdoor Foundation, said the amount of young people heading outdoors is dropping each year, according to the Outdoor…
Bad news for us office bums who spend most of the day in a chair: Some new research from the Journal of Sports Medicine suggests that prolonged periods of sitting are detrimental to your health, regardless of whether or not…
A new study ranking happiness in each state puts Louisiana at the top of the list, LiveScience reports. Data was gathered before Hurricane Katrina, however, so that number one ranking might not be an accurate reflection of the current happiness level in that state.
You're supposed to get eight hours of sleep a night to function well on a daily basis, but if you short yourself during work nights and overcompensate during weekends, you may be doing yourself a disservice. Habitual excessive sleeping can cause “sleep drunkeness” and can be a sign of an…
Over at CNN.com, David B. Givens discusses how the fist-bump may be a solution to slowing the spread of germs caused by the handshake. Seriously. He talks of other nations that greet in a manner other than…
Researchers show that, historically, overall health improves during a bad economy, CNN reports. A study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences looks at economic growth and the health of the…
There are two choices when confronting the current chaos in the job market: Be afraid. (Useless.) Be bold. (That’s the spirit.) Because moments of turmoil present the biggest opportunities to take a new direction, to find an employer who gets your need for adventure, to finally break free of the cubicle. How We Picked…
This simple formula is seemingly impossible to master. So how does Kelly Slater do it year after year? And how can you?
Do you work for a great company? One that encourages you to balance a productive work life with an active, healthy personal lifewith things like fitness programs, flexible hours, or other cool perks? We want to hear about it! Tell your human resources director or public relations director to…
Thirty companies outshined the rest in our first annual study of the nation's most well-balanced workplaces
Seeking ambitious individuals hungry for life-affirming employment in emergent industries. A firm understanding of the need to balance work and play is preferred. Ideal candidates think big, enjoy travel, and are plagued by a voice that keeps repeating, You can do better than this.
Finding ϳԹ‘s Best Places to Workcompanies that make it easy for employees to balance productivity with an active, eco-conscious lifestyleis no easy task. If you know a nonprofit or for-profit company based in the U.S. with more than 15 employees that deserves mention, shoot us an email. We don’t want…
ϳԹ‘s Best Places to Work program recognizes companies that encourage employees to balance a productive work life with an active, healthy personal life. Does your company offer: » fitness facilities or programs? » flex-time or telecommuting options?…
Partners with the outdoor industry association and the best companies group to find the ultimate work environment
Think of fitness like your portfolio: don’t let short-term thinking limit long-term gains.
OK, maybe a little work, but when you're having this much fun, it's hard to tell the difference. No matter where you are or where you've been, you can still tack in a new direction and do something you love—and make a living. Just ask these folks.