Source: http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/01/13/462284157/for-exiles-in-turkey-syrian-eateries-offer-taste-of-better-times?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=thesalt

Abu Mohammed, the owner of Sultan Kesap restaurant in the Southern Turkish city of Reyhanli, debones a lamb for meat. His butcher shop/eatery provides his displaced countrymen with culinary reminders of home during better days.

Nish Nalbandian

In the kitchen of a small eatery in Reyhanli, Turkey, Abu Mohammed took a break from deboning the flank of a freshly slaughtered lamb to opine on grave matters happening just across the border in Syria.

“This is what should be done to the Islamic State,” he says, jabbing and swiping the air with his knife as if he were eviscerating one of the extremist fighters.

Having illustrated his disdain for ISIS, Mohammed laid down the knife on his butcher’s block and resumed tearing each rib …

Source: http://greatist.com/live/apple-night-shift-improve-sleep?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed_http–greatistcom-

As much as we love the nightly ritual of hitting the hay with our smartphones, scientists warn that all that screen time (and blue light exposure) before bed can make us lose an hour of sleep per night. Apple is finally doing something about it.

The newest update for mobile and tablet devices (iOS 9.3) includes an optional mode called Night Shift. Once enabled, it gradually removes blue light after sunset by shifting to warmer colors. (Our eyes expect to see red light as it gets darker, so seeing cooler light at night disrupts our sleep, according to the American Medical Association.) Night Shift uses your device’s clock and location to detect when the sun is setting. By the time you wake up in the morning, your phone or tablet will switch back to emitting those bright blue rays.

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Source: http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/01/13/462821161/illustrating-diet-advice-is-hard-heres-how-usda-has-tried-to-do-it?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=thesalt

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s first stab at offering nutrition advice came in 1894, when W. O. Atwater, a chemist and pioneering nutrition investigator for the agency, published this warning in a Farmer’s Bulletin:

“Unless care is exercised in selecting food, a diet may result which is one-sided or badly balanced. … The evils of overeating may not be felt at once, but sooner or later they are sure to appear…”

Thus began the USDA’s long struggle to craft eating advice based on the latest scientific evidence. That science, of course, has evolved quite a bit since 1894 – a time when micronutrients like vitamins hadn’t even been discovered.

As the science changed, so did the USDA’s efforts to represent its best advice with visuals – sometimes, with amusing results to our modern eyes.

1943: The Basic 7

The …

Source: http://www.sonima.com/fitness/stretches-for-runners/

Watch video on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkqVNuG4vts

It’s hard to know what advice you should really be following when it comes to health and fitness. One article says running is bad for your health, while the next hit on Google tells you it can increase your lifespan. In this video, Pete Egoscue, creator of the Egoscue Method, dispels many of the myths that people tend to believe about running. Pete explains that the human body is  designed to run long distances and to sustain more intense workouts, as long as it’s functioning properly. The renowned alignment expert then goes on to offer the most effective warm-up and post-run stretches to enhance your cardiovascular fitness and running capability. Try to do each of these stretches until your muscles feel equalized on both sides, and remember to breathe deeply and regularly during each position for best results.

Related: 6 Yoga-Inspired Moves to Help You Run Injury-Free

The post The Best Warm-Up and Cool-Down Stretches for Runners appeared first on Sonima.

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Source: http://greatist.com/live/hookah-smoking-toxic?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed_http–greatistcom-

Thanks to endless PSAs (and those posters in health class), we know cigarettes are addictive and full of cancer-causing toxins. Using hookahs, however, tends to get a pass in these conversations. But those Instagrammable smoke rings are chock-full of bad stuff.

New research from the University of Pittsburgh found that a typical one-hour smoking session involves more than double the nicotine, 10 times the carbon monoxide, and 25 times the tar as smoking a single cigarette. It’s not a perfect comparison—you can definitely smoke more than one cigarette in a hour. But the findings are still alarming, especially with news that for the first time ever, hookah smoking is more popular than cigarettes among teens.

(h/t ScienceDaily)

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Source: http://greatist.com/move/presidential-fitness-test-trauma?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed_http–greatistcom-

As humans, we’re designed to be powerful movers and climbers. Think about it: We’re always focused on ‘movin’ on up,’ whether it’s financially, socially, or physically. And, yes, I’m talking about climbing things. From rock climbing to doing pull-ups, getting better at ascending will have a direct effect on how you can rise in other areas of your life.

But an entire generation of kids have been “grounded”—never able to venture upward—weighed down by a massive monkey on their back. And the name of that monkey? The Presidential Fitness Test. Or more specifically, the traumatic, humiliating, shame-inducing memories that have left a scar in our collective psyche and even shaped our relationship to our own bodies in a profoundly damaging way.

For those that don’t recall, the Presidential Fitness Test was an attempt to assess the strength and fitness of the entire nation’s grade school kids, ages six to 17 from 1956 to 2013. And although the program was recently retired, its effects can still be felt today. The pervasive negative culture formed as a result of this assessment, which turned gym class into the scene of a crime, is perhaps stronger than ever.

Though well-intentioned, the PFT was a traumatic experience for many people. And as crazy as it sounds, many of us created an identity out of that trauma. Think: “I’ll never be able to do a pull-up,” or “I’m not an athlete.” And that just isn’t true.

Come on Down to Gym…

Source: http://www.fannetasticfood.com/2016/01/13/7-common-nutrition-myths/

Now that it’s the new year, I thought it was timely to share a blog post about some of the biggest nutrition myths floating around out there – and why you shouldn’t believe them.

Myth #1: "It’s healthier to eat egg whites rather than whole eggs."

Actually, the yolk is where a lot of the nutrition is! Most people don’t know that the yolk contains over 40% of the protein in a whole egg – and more than 90% of the calcium, iron, and B vitamins. It also contains all of the egg’s fat soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K). Plus, that extra fat will help to keep you full and satisfied for longer than you would be with just the whites! But what about cholesterol? Research is showing that cholesterol in food has a much smaller effect on blood levels of total cholesterol and harmful LDL cholesterol than we thought. In fact, moderate egg consumption (defined as 1 per day) has not been found to increase heart disease risk in healthy individuals. (sources: 1, 2) The 2015 Dietary Guidelines (which finally just came out last week) have also dropped the …

Source: http://greatist.com/eat/one-skillet-meals?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed_http–greatistcom-

There’s a lot that can go wrong when cooking. Maybe you miss an ingredient and now your meal tastes weirdly salty, or you make such a steamy dish that it sets off the smoke detector. But dare we say the worst part of cooking is cleaning up a mountain of dishes afterward.

That’s why we’re so keen on these easy, healthy one-skillet meals. All you need is an oven-friendly pan to make everything from hearty breakfasts to finger-lickin’ desserts. Whether you’re cooking for one or a crowd, try out these tasty meals and say buh-bye to a long cleanup.

Breakfast

Photo: Feasting at Home

1. Huevos Rancheros

Get your Tex-Mex on. Seasoned black beans and a freshly cracked egg are placed on a crisp tortilla then baked. Add your favorite toppings, like fresh salsa, sliced avocado, cilantro, and sour cream, for a breakfast so good you won’t realize it’s meat-free.

2. Baked Eggs Skillet With Avocado a…

Source: http://www.sonima.com/meditation/meditation-motivation/

You know you should meditate. Your mom/therapist/boyfriend/boss has said that you, in particular, for some reason, really should meditate. You tried it once or twice. It was hard. It didn’t stick. But you want it to. You really want a consistent meditation practice.

The good news is that you’re not alone. Every day I meet with people who want to start a consistent practice, have the best intentions for doing so, but can’t keep it going for more than a few weeks at a time. I have previously offered advice here on Sonima about how to get a meditation practice going, but I failed to mention the number one thing you need to do to make sure you don’t ever fall off the meditation wagon:

You need to be kind to yourself. 

I know, I know—what a surprise that the Buddhist teacher will tell you that you need to be kind to yourself. But it’s true. If you don’t abide by this one piece of advice you will lose momentum in your practice. Here’s why:

The Technique May Be Simple but It’s Not Easy 

The most basic meditation instruction I offer is one based in coming back to the breath, over and over again. Very simple, right? But our minds are prone to distraction. They are constantly generating thoughts all day long, so if you think meditation is going to magically trigger some switch and turn off your thinking you are sadly mistaken. Instead, meditation will help you become more focused and present …

Source: http://greatist.com/health/most-influential-health-fitness-people?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=feed_http–greatistcom-

There are thousands of people working every day to revolutionize the way people think about health, fitness, and happiness, and every year we recognize those making the biggest impact.

This year’s list highlights the power of social media and bloggers, the desire to be strong, body positivity, and a back-to-basics approach to food. You’ll also notice a few individuals whose messages or claims have been questioned—and we’ve called that out when necessary.

When trying to determine the most powerful innovators in this space, we looked at several quantifiable factors for each candidate: social reach, research they’ve contributed to, professional certifications and degrees they’ve attained, trends they’ve set, products they’ve created, and media coverage, among other things. (You can check out the details on our metrics below the list.) After many discussions (and way too much math), here are the 100 people we determined to be the most influential this year. While we may not always agree with everyone’s approach, we can always respect any effort to help make healthy living a little bit easier.

Curious who’s making their second (or third) appearance? Click here to check out last year’s list.

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