
Articles
Search the entire archive of over 250 articles on health, wellness and peak performance here!
Activate Your Body to Focus Your Mind
Activating the body is one of the most effective ways to engage and focus the mind. Research consistently shows that physical activity boosts cognitive performance, helping us think faster, focus better, and improve creativity.
Activate the Mind-Body Connection
The connection between mind and body is essential and our understanding of this mind-body axis is exploding. This connection can be activated by activating specific enzymes, such as AMP kinase via aerobic exercise and mTOR via strength training as they play key roles in energy metabolism, cellular function, and positive adaptation.
Cold Exposure for Healthy High Performance: Pump the Parasympathetic Nervous System Brakes
In recent years, cold exposure has gained popularity as a powerful wellness practice with benefits that extend far beyond boosting resilience. Regular exposure to cold, whether through cold showers, ice baths, or winter swims, offers an impressive range of health benefits. Key to its positive effects is the activation of the parasympathetic nervous system, which promotes relaxation, mental clarity, and overall well-being. This article delves into the science behind cold exposure and its transformative effects on the body and mind.
Heat for Health and Wellness: The Science of Heat Shock Protein
From ancient practices to modern saunas, cultures worldwide have long recognized the health benefits of heat exposure. Recent science sheds light on why this practice is so beneficial: mild heat stress activates a family of cellular protectors known as heat shock proteins (HSPs), which play an essential role in cellular repair, resilience, and energy production. By embracing controlled heat exposure, like sauna sessions or hot baths, we can tap into these benefits to improve our health and longevity.
Fueling the Body: The Best Foods for Health & Energy
Today, we explore how proper nutrition can optimize health and energy. Mitochondria are essential for producing the energy that powers every cell in your body, playing a crucial role in overall health, vitality, and performance. By understanding the key nutrients that fuel these vital organelles, you can make informed dietary choices that enhance your wellbeing and supercharge your performance.
Boost Your Memory and Cognitive Function with Exercise - 2023 Thrive Practice #6
Do you find yourself forgetting things more and more? Or feeling fuzzy minded when you need to be clear and sharp? You may be losing your edge if you’re not moving your body.
The Power of Mindful Movement - 2023 Thrive Practice #2
Mindful movement is a form of physical activity that involves being present and aware of one's body and movements while exercising or performing physical activities. It involves paying attention to the sensations in the body, the breath, and the environment, and practicing moving in a way that is mindful and intentional.
Use Saunas for Healthspan and Lifespan
Saunas and other forms of heat therapy have been used for centuries, and have been a big part of many cultures. But saunas are more than just an enjoyable, therapeutic, and often social activity. Research suggests that sauna use has many physical and mental health benefits.
Heart Health
“People don’t think much about breathing. Of all the things we take for granted, breathing must be number one. It’s our main source of life and energy. When I started focusing on my breathing, I became a stronger athlete and was better able to control my levels of effort and pain.”
— LAIRD HAMILTON
The mind-body connection & your immune system
In this era, we often don’t know the difference between a real and perceived threat, and we can get into a state of chronic stress and that can weaken our immune system.
Move your Body to Calm your Mind
In today’s world, the increased pace of life, high workload (both at work and at home), and pressure to succeed has led to a society in which we’re in a constant state of stress. The stress response is an evolutionary adaptation in response to an immediate threat, however, these days we are often stuck in a state of chronic stress.
Tracking Heart Rate Variability: A Mini Case Study
In recent years, technology has advanced to the point where we can measure stress on the spot using a wearable device, such as the Apple watch, or through an app that uses the phone camera. By simply measuring your heart rate for a minute, you’ll get a stress score through something called Heart Rate Variability (HRV).
Frequently Asked Questions
One of the most common pieces of feedback we get is that people love Q&A sessions. So this week we thought we’d compile all of the FAQs that we’ve received from our community over the past year - through emails, live events, and coaching sessions. Hopefully you find this information helpful and that there are some key takeaways that you can apply to your daily routine. Of course if you have any questions that we missed don't hesitate to reach out!
The 4th "F" of Fitness: Get Fit
This week, we’re going to dive into the fourth and final “F” of Fitness: Fit, or cardiovascular endurance. Endurance training is any sort of exercise in which you’re moving your body for an extended period of time. Typical endurance activities include jogging, cycling, hiking, swimming, rowing, etc. However, endurance activities also include household chores, cooking, walking a pet, or low-impact sports such as golf.
Sprint your way to better health
Sprint interval training, speed work, high intensity interval training, and high intensity intermittent exercise are all considered “fast” workouts. Simply - any workout in which you are varying the pace of your workout session
Vegetables really are all they’re cracked up to be
In today’s fast paced world of work, family, and other commitments, it can be hard to stick to a healthy meal plan. It’s much easier to grab a chocolate bar on your way out the door or order take out instead of cooking after a busy day at the office. One of the biggest challenges for people is getting enough vegetables and fruits into their diet. But vegetables and fruits - and vegetables in particular - are so important for health.
Strengthen your muscles to boost your health
Strength training, or resistance training, is any form of exercise in which your muscles are working against a resistance to produce force. While there are many different variations of resistance training, people tend to love it or hate it. For those of you who are nervous about strength training, here is a basic overview of why you should do it, how to start a strength training program, and why it's not as daunting as you might think!
Exercise Snacks
In previous weeks, we’ve discussed one of the main dangers of working from home: too much sitting time. During a normal day at the office, the walks to and from your car, and to and from appointments and other commitments, all add up. These days, if you’re working from home, even if you’re getting in a lot of exercise otherwise, you’re probably sitting more than you ever have. This can be damaging to not only your physical health, but your mental health and work performance as well.