Parabens are chemical preservatives found primarily in cosmetics like deodorants, shampoos, face and body lotions, and makeup. They are antimicrobial agents, put in to help preserve the products and increase shelf life. You may see them included as metyl-, ethyl-, butyl-, iso- and/or propylparabens. Regardless of how they show up, these preservatives are considered to […]
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In light of this wonderful upcoming holiday of thanks, giving and (often) eating too much I wanted to share 10 things you can do to stay healthy this holiday without comprising the fun and food of Thanksgiving. Get in your active minutes Thanksgiving morning (any activity you want, just try to break a sweat) Start
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As the window of time we experience sunlight dwindles this time of year, many people experience changes in their mood and energy. Some of this is natural- hibernation is a real thing after all- but in this day and age we need to be able to function optimally year round. Being a sun worshipper myself,
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Every day we are faced with choices. Some of us are wired to move through these easily. Others get hung-up along the way. Some take the small choices in stride, like what to wear or how much to tip, while others get lost when faced with big decisions, like how much money to invest or
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HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training. While the format varies tremendously, the idea is to do a set number of seconds of a cardiovascular exercise that significantly raises the heart rate, following by a period of rest and recovery. It is theorized that these kind of intervals more readily improve cardiovascular fitness and burn
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As we have discovered, Fitbits are wonderful tools for tracking steps, exercise and sleep, among other things. While steps are fairly self-explanatory, one thing that can be measured that is slightly less clear is something known as active minutes. Please see below for a clarification of Fitbit’s active minutes category. FitBit measures active minutes through
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You may be thinking, “What does it mean to exercise ‘hard’?” For our purposes, exercising “hard” just means giving a concerted effort of exercise in order raise the heart rate and get it to a point where your breathing a bit heavy. Below we will look at 10 (of many) reasons why exercising “hard” can
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It is a common misconception that breathing comes from the upper chest. Yes, the muscles in the neck and top of the chest are accessory breathing muscles, but not the primary ones. Breathing should come from the belly. The primary breathing muscle is actually the diaphragm. Proper breathing is therefore known as “diaphragmatic breathing” or
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Provided by Family Wellness First Nutrition, published by ICPA, Inc., Issue #2, written by Kelly Hayford, C.N.C. When Betty first started nutrition and health coaching she was taking seven medications, had severe osteoarthritis, could barely walk, was in constant pain and had to catheterize herself daily—among other things. She had heard that making dietary changes
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After previously exploring regular planks, it is now time to look at the side plank, which further engages the abdominal muscles, putting emphasis on the obliques and helping get rid of those “love handles”. Similar rules apply with side planks as they do with regular planks: the belly button should be pulled towards the spine
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