Last Sunday I heard a pastor tell a reporter the following: “They say even the air conditioner had an impact on our community connections because people were no longer sitting on their porches and interacting with neighbors. So I worry about the unintended consequences of all this technology in religion.” Let’s say he’s right, for […]
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Biggest Bang for Stretching Buck
By Gillian Pieper | Published:If you have time for only one stretch and strengthen exercise, fitness, yoga and pilates experts will say, unequivocally, the truly famous “Downward Dog” is the winner. Blog dog Winnie agrees: And if you have a dog, you know they do this every time the get up to walk around by remote control. Skipping it […]
Read moreWake Up You Sleepy Head
By Gillian Pieper | Published:I just read the original story of Rip Van Winkle (Washington Irving, 1819) and discovered why he really slept for 20 years. He had needy neighbors, bratty kids, an unruly farm, and a really awful wife, of which he cautioned: “… a sharp tongue is the only edged tool that grows keener with constant use.” […]
Read moreA Pocket Full of Anxiety
By Gillian Pieper | Published:All wound up? Is stress making you anxious or down in the dumpy? Mean and slumpy? Take time to make time and lighten your mood by being mindful. No joke. The anxieties of today are very different from primitive times. From the saber tooth tiger to the black plague, worry was overt and right in […]
Read moreHappiness and Mildred’s Mistep
By Gillian Pieper | Published:“In here is the sitting room. I do all my sitting here. I’m becoming quite an expert here… at sitting.” A favorite line from the 1945 movie version of Mildred Pierce with Joan Crawford. Her trust-fund boyfriend tells her this once he’s become the ultimate procrastinator and mooch, and is being forced to sell his grand mansion. […]
Read moreCleaning Calories
By Gillian Pieper | Published:It’s Passover and almost Easter (“Peastover” in my family) Holiday hosts are scurrying around cleaning, cooking, cleaning, cooking, and did I mention cleaning? Lest you think your exercise routine is going to the matzah (or to chocolate eggs)… Remember that many household chores burn ample calories. Here’s a list: Cleaning (general): 5-6 cals per minute […]
Read moreSmartest Brain Around
By Gillian Pieper | Published:“The brain is wider than the sky.” By poet Emily Dickinson. Beautifully said. Neuroscience tells us Emily is right and yet all I can think of is how little brain I must actually be using! Since that’s a terribly negative angle on things, I’ve decided to re-frame my point of view… Just in case I happen […]
Read moreMusic To My Brains
By Gillian Pieper | Published:Do you ever wonder why music is such a big part of the exercise world? No, okay well I do. Olga and I wonder about stuff like that all the time. So there I was reading health news when… This just in… A study in Nature Neuroscience done by the Neuro lab at McGill University […]
Read moreA Health Thriller
By Gillian Pieper | Published:Yesterday was World Health Day. I know, I know, this day then that day. Everything’s got a day. Maybe look at it this way… Isn’t it exciting!? Every day is a new day! Now, back to yesterday… World Health. There are many health issues (and disparities) that affect all those who inhabit this Earth. Clean […]
Read moreWhat Do You Know?
By Gillian Pieper | Published:Today is National Employee Benefits Day… How much do you know about your “Benefits Package?” Seriously. I know it’s not “sexy” but people are always asking me if their insurance or benefits will pay for outrageous things. Did you know, in fact, that a person actually tried to deduct “underwear” on his tax returns last […]
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