Health Halo Effect, The Happy Formula, and Improving Cognitive Function

Nutrition Corner

In our fast-paced world, it is easy to overlook the importance of nutrition in maintaining good health.

Consumers may not realize they are being impacted by a health halo effect, which creates false perceptions of whether a certain food product is healthy or unhealthy based on unrelated factors like keywords used on the product’s labeling or in marketing campaigns.

Recipe for The Day

Multi-Grain Millet Khichdi is a healthy alternative to routine morning breakfasts. This will help anyone to kick start their day with much energy. The dish is highly nutritious and highly recommended for people who are on a diet.

Lifestyle & Fitness Focus

The Happy Formula: 5 Steps to Achieving a Winning Mindset While Balancing Your Mental Health

• Embrace Self-Compassion - Who is your hardest critic? Don’t be surprised if it’s yourself. What sets apart the ‘healthy’ from the ‘unhealthy’? True love for themselves at all times, throughout all stages.

• Don’t Slack on Self-Care — Slack on your self-care and you’re slacking on you! Entrepreneurs and people in leadership often juggle many roles and tasks, often neglecting parts of themselves to get their jobs done.

• Visualize Your Success - When you shoot for the moon, you’ll at least land yourself amongst the stars. This means what you aim for, you work towards.

• Be Realistic, Strategically Plan and Have Discipline - If it’s not real it’s fake, and leading down a grey path is shaky and unstable. Make sure your goals are achievable and attainable and that you have enough self-control and self-discipline to establish routines, set clear boundaries and focus on the ‘win.’

• Think Positive While Re-Framing and Challenging Negative Thoughts - Balancing a success-orientated mentality while balancing a winning mindset takes strategy.

3 quick ways to reduce stress and anxiety at work

• Walk - One quick break idea is to take a walk. Moving the body, even for a gentle stroll, can deliver stress-reducing benefits.

• Water - Drinking enough water is another important habit to weave into your break-taking routine.

• Window - The final W is one that throws people off: looking out a window. Leave the screens behind and find a window to sit by and look out into the distance.

Feel Like You Don't Enjoy Anything Anymore? There's a Name for That—Here Are 8 Ways You Can Break Through It

• Make lifestyle changes that lower inflammation and balance dopamine - A lot of the things that help balance dopamine levels are modifiable, such as sleeping sufficiently, exercising or moving more, reducing levels of psychosocial stress, eating consistent healthy meals, and engaging in important social interactions.

• Limit use of electronics, starting at night - Our electronic devices have become one of our main windows to the world and to each other

• Treat yourself like you'd treat a best friend - Do anything you can to convey to yourself that you are worthy of care and worthy of compassion.

• Keep a thought worksheet to investigate negative thinking - People experiencing anhedonia often hold beliefs across three categories. You might have negative views of yourself, combined with negative views of the world, which is not surprising at the moment, combined with negative views of the future, like 'it's not going to get better' or 'I'm always going to feel this way.’

• Replace negative thoughts with neutral ones - Besides evaluating your negative thoughts, take the time to create neutral thoughts to counter them

• Keep a daily record of things you're grateful for - Listing simple things you're grateful for in a journal brings the forgotten positive aspects of our lives to the front of our mind.

• Try doing something you used to enjoy - Aproach activities with a different intent.

• Seek out therapy when needed - While the above tips can be beneficial jumping off points, if the anhedonia (or depression) has been present for a long time and started to affect your ability to carry out daily activities, seeking out a therapist or psychiatrist can provide additional, professional support, and coping strategies.

4 Resistance Band Arm Workouts for Women

• Biceps Curl - This exercise works your biceps. Stand with feet slightly staggered, front foot on center of band, and hold an end of the band in each hand at your sides, palms facing forward. Keeping your abs engaged and upper arms still, curl hands toward your chest. Slowly lower hands to sides and repeat.

• Standing Lateral Raise - This exercise works your shoulders. Stand with feet slightly staggered, front foot on center of band, and hold an end of the band in each hand at your sides, palms facing thighs. Keeping your shoulders down, elbows slightly bent, and abs tight, raise arms out to sides to shoulder height. Hold for one count, then lower arms and repeat.

• Seated Row - This exercise works back and biceps. Sit with center of band wrapped around arches of feet so it won’t pop out. Hold an end of band in each hand, palms facing each other, and extend arms toward feet. Band should have no slack at this point. Sit tall and draw elbows behind you, squeezing shoulder blades together and lifting chest. Hold for one count, then slowly release and repeat.

• Triceps Extension - This exercise works triceps. Stand with right foot on one end of band and hold the other end in right hand. Raise right arm overhead and bend elbow so hand rests behind head and elbow points up. Band should be straight but not taut here. Keeping upper arm still and abs engaged, straighten arm overhead. Hold for one count, then lower and repeat. Do all reps, then switch arms to complete set.

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