Need to calm down? Movement can help.
In 2018, the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans concluded that being active can ease anxiety if you have a diagnosed anxiety disorder, and can lower the long-term risk of developing anxiety.
Two years of pandemic haven’t done any favors to our stress and anxiety levels. And as companies market everything from apps to bath salts for “self-care,” you may be wondering what can really help. Should you try cognitive behavioral therapy or meds? Download a meditation app? Lace up your sneakers? Turn to the supplement aisle? Here’s what the best research shows.
Elizabeth Hoge is a board-certified psychiatrist and director of the Anxiety Disorders Research Program at the Georgetown University School of Medicine. Her research focuses on treatment for stress and anxiety disorders, including psychotherapy, medication, and mindfulness meditation. Hoge spoke with Nutrition Action’s Caitlin Dow.
In 2018, the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans advised adults to do at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise like brisk walking, cycling, or dancing—or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous exercise like running—every week. And they recommended strength exercises at least twice a week.
Newsflash: Most of us aren’t hitting those targets. We’ll find a routine post-pandemic, after the holidays, when work calms down, when the weather is warmer (or cooler). But our bodies aren’t frozen in time while we’re not exercising. We’re paying a price.
Here are eight reasons to get moving today.
“Is your gut microbiome the key to health and happiness?” ran The Guardian headline in 2017. “Germs in your gut are talking to your brain,” declared the New York Times in 2019.
A new field of research suggests that the gut microbiome may influence mood, mental health, and the nervous system's vitality. But is the supplement market way ahead of the evidence?
“Is your gut microbiome the key to health and happiness?” ran The Guardian headline in 2017. “Germs in your gut are talking to your brain,” declared the New York Times in January.
Your microbiome—the ecosystem of bacteria, viruses, yeast, and other microbes living in your gut—may be sending signals to your brain that alter your mood, your behavior, and your nervous system’s vitality. But scientists are only starting to bring the microbiome-brain picture into focus.
Adaptogens. Butter coffee. Essential oils. You can find them on websites ranging from Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop to Alex Jones’s Infowars. Can they curb stress, fight fatigue, or make you sharper? Or do they just lighten your pocketbook?
