“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

“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

“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

Get tips from this Toronto man who has run nearly 16,000 days in a row.

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.

Happiness and health are highly correlated. Happy people tend to be healthier physically and have a lower risk of developing chronic diseases. A study on individuals with type 2 diabetes found that those who were happier had lower inflammatory markers, which might slow the progression of the disease. Happy people have also been shown to be more productive at work and there is even some research that suggests that happiness can improve mitochondrial health.

Everyone knows that alcohol isn’t exactly healthy. But how much is too much? Is having the occasional drink so bad. This week we’ll dive deeper into the effects of alcohol and how to limit your consumption in a “drinking encouraged” society.

Physical activity is one of the most effective ways to stay mentally healthy. Exercise has been shown to increase circulating levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), stimulating the growth of new neurons and facilitating learning and memory. Walking has been shown to improve creativity and a single bout of exercise can boost mood. Even a small amount of physical activity can significantly reduce the risk of developing depression. When we exercise we just feel better.

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.

Cold therapy has received a lot of attention over the past few years. Cold therapy is simply exposing your body to low temperatures, either through cold water immersion (cold tubs or ice baths), cryotherapy chambers (exposing yourself to freezing dry air for a few minutes), contrast therapy (alternating between hot and cold), or simply taking a cold shower.

Nuts and seeds are an important part of a healthy diet. Nuts are the hard shelled “fruit” of certain plants and seeds are a small plant enclosed inside a seed coat. Both are a great source of healthy fats, protein, and fibre - the three main things we need to keep our blood sugar stabilized.

The benefits of mindfulness are far reaching - from decreasing stress, anxiety, and depression, to boosting focus, memory, problem solving. In addition to these functional benefits, there is also some evidence that mindfulness affects the structure of the brain. Studies have shown that meditation is associated with a higher concentration of grey matter in certain areas of the brain. However, the impact of mindfulness and meditation on white matter is less understood.

Here are our five tips to help you recover, refocus, and recharge your body and mind.

Last year we dedicated a week to answering our most frequently asked questions and we received a lot of great feedback afterward. We get a lot of questions through live events, coaching, and our online courses, and we’d like to share these questions and answers with our entire community. We plan on doing this every few months to make sure that we’re keeping up with the demand. If you have any follow up questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible and include them in our next FAQ newsletter. Enjoy!

Mental health has been the number one concern for people in our community over the past couple of years. With constantly changing lock downs and uncertainty, the pandemic has led to increased stress, anxiety, and feelings of overwhelm at levels that we haven’t seen before. Here are 10 tips for overcoming overwhelm and burnout.