As devices become more pervasive, and as many children become more scheduled with lessons and organized activities, making time for device-free play can be a challenge. Here's why it's important prioritize free play in a child's life.
High temperatures stress the body, leading to thousands of heat-related illnesses and deaths every year in the US. Learn when hot weather becomes dangerous and how to create your own hot weather safety plan.
What drives forms of self-harm like cutting that some teens engage in? Gaining an understanding of why some children harm themselves by cutting their skin, what signs to be aware of, and how to approach the subject can help parents respond if this occurs.
Optimism and other positive emotions may guard against serious heart-related events and death. Simple exercises such as expressing gratitude and performing acts of kindness can counter depression and improve well-being. These interventions may encourage people—including those with heart-related conditions such as heart attacks and heart failure—to exercise more and take their medications more consistently. Having a more positive outlook may help reinforce other positive behaviors, or what psychologists refer to as the “upward spiral.” This momentum can help people start healthy habits like exercise, which then becomes self-reinforcing.
Two studies found that managing stress and eating a plant-based diet with at least seven servings of leafy green vegetables per week can help improve cognitive function and protect against Alzheimer’s disease, respectively.
Although golf is a low-to-moderate intensity exercise, the game can last up to four hours and players may walk up to six miles. A 2023 study found that walking a round of 18 holes may be slightly better for cardiovascular health than an hour of brisk walking or Nordic walking. Golf provides a sense of competition and camaraderie and can be played well into older age, unlike more strenuous sports such as basketball or soccer. Even if people are not physically able to walk the entire course, hitting the ball works the muscles of the core and arms, and the golf swing provides a balance challenge.
People can adapt the basic guidelines of the Mediterranean diet to any cuisine they like by choosing mostly plant-based foods and healthy fats. Latin America includes Mexico and more than 30 other countries in the Caribbean and Central and South America. Healthy choices include beans, corn tortillas, plantains, avocados and tropical fruits, as well as small amounts of fish, seafood, and queso blanco (a mild, white cheese).
11 easy tips to add them in.
Learn to squeeze the most nutritional benefit from your diet.