Science is showing us that muscle mass may be even more essential to life span and healthspan than we once thought. According to a systematic review1 published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine earlier this year, muscle-strengthening activities can reduce one’s mortality risk by 10 to 17p percent. We’re predicting that a growing body of research—in addition to advancements in muscle measurement and a shifting culture around exercise—will go on to change the way we strengthen and monitor our muscle health in the year ahead....

Caroline Leaf, Ph.D., a neuroscientist, mental health expert, and author of Cleaning Up Your Mental Mess, explains that during times of stress, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by emotions. “Sometimes, in these moments, it can be almost impossible to think clearly or do the emotional work needed to get out of the toxic stress spiral, which is why decompression activities can be so helpful.” Decompressing, Leaf explains, involves giving ourselves permission to step back and take a breather....

In addition to keeping your peepers in tiptop shape, vitamin A also helps your immune system function at its best and keeps cells growing and developing as they should (and that’s not all, either).* Clearly, there’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes in order for your body to put the various forms of vitamin A you consume to work. When you consume retinol-containing animal foods, for example, the animal basically did one step of the process for you by converting the carotenoids they consumed from plants into that retinol form, notes Drake....

First things first, the best way to prevent illness is to be proactive. Whether this is the first time you’re hearing about the CDC’s recommended protocol for prevention of illness or you’ve almost memorized it, repetition is the mother of all skill, so let’s talk about the basics for a minute: Acupuncture is an effective alternative medicine that boasts a 5,000-year history treating a variety of disease conditions and has recently shown to have an effect on physiological activities, specifically immune function....

Read on to get the scoop on the proven benefits of ice baths and learn how you can take the plunge for the sake of your health. “The concept of hormesis is simply that if you apply a little bit of stress to a system it will get better,” Mike T. Nelson, Ph.D., founder of Extreme Human Performance, previously told mindbodygreen. Charles Tabone, N.D., a naturopathic practitioner with Pause Studio, explains that when our bodies are shocked by a drastic temperature change, our brains send a signal to the body that it’s under stress and needs to respond accordingly....

I’d lost my menstrual cycle and was dealing with reactive hypoglycemia, which means that shortly after eating I would get a drop in blood sugar that would leave me shaky, sweaty, nauseous and reaching for more food. I also struggled with digestive issues, dry skin, mood issues, and insomnia. I ending up booking an appointment with a naturopath to get a second opinion. This is when I learned about the female athlete triad, adrenal fatigue and hypothalamic amenorrhea....

When you love another person (whether it’s your partner, a family member or friend), you prioritize thinking about their desires, needs, interests, proclivities and so on, right? This makes sense: we want to make those we love happy; we want to make them feel heard and understood. But loving others doesn’t mean that you can’t love yourself, too. In fact, perhaps we should all try to cultivate more love for ourselves than we do for others....