Healthy Living, Simplified

A Flow State Can Boost Focus and Lower Stress. Here’s How to Find Yours

In the Zone: If you’ve ever lost yourself in a project — even lost track of time while doing it— you know how fulfilling a flow state can feel. Writers, artists, and musicians talk about creating in a flow state, but, according to Hungarian-American psychologist (who first introduced the idea) Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, anyone can enter a flow state. He researched intrinsic motivation by studying how artists immerse themselves in a painting for weeks, months, or longer, later shifting his focus to how athletes, chess players, surgeons, and dancers also get into flow states. Reaching a flow state creates the optimal conditions for creation and productivity. The key is that your actions and your awareness unite, resulting in singular focus and concentration, allowing you to let go of fear and self-doubt. How to Do It: You’re more likely to lose yourself in something you enjoy doing, and it should be something that’s just challenging enough to keep it interesting. Start the work with a specific goal to keep you motivated, and focus on just one thing — multitasking is the opposite of flow. And remember to remove or shut off distractions (like your phone). The Benefits: Beyond productivity, studies have found […]

Mixed dried beans and lentils spilling from a glass jar, examples of high protein high fiber foods

5 High-Protein, High-Fiber Foods That Keep You Full

Most people hit their protein goals but fall short on fiber. These five high-protein, high-fiber foods, from lentils to chia seeds, help you close that gap while keeping you fuller for longer.

a woman mixes electrolytes, which is one of many healthy drinks besides water

5 Healthy Drinks Besides Water, Backed By Research

woman relaxing with a green fermented drink among plants, an editorial look at how to fix your gut health

How to Fix Your Gut Health, According to Science

It's never too late to heal your gut. Small, steady changes — more fiber, fermented foods, better sleep, and less stress — add up faster than one big fix ever could.

Close-up of hand gripping a barbell during deadlift to build grip strength

These 8 Exercises Will Improve Your Grip Strength

Grip strength does more than help you crush a handshake or open a jar. Research links it to better heart health, cognitive function, and longevity. Here are 8 exercises to strengthen your grip and forearms, plus why it matters more than you might think.

Nutrition

Sleep

Why Yoga’s Having a Rough Stretch in Fitness

The Trend: Trends often follow what’s in, but this one is about what’s out: Yoga. Lots of people are still practicing yoga, but it doesn’t quite have the stranglehold on the wellness and fitness worlds as it once had. So what’s the reason for yoga’s decline in popularity? What People Are Saying: Boutique fitness studios were growing leading up to 2020, but the COVID pandemic was not kind to them. Studios rely on consistently full classes to make money, and many yoga studios never recovered after the lockdown. More recently, there’s been a shift toward team sports and “tougher” workouts, including HYROX, marathon and trail running, and strength training. Pilates has also nibbled away at yoga’s market share, with Pilates participation up by about 11% and yoga’s growth staying flat. In fact, fitness booking sites ClassPass and Mindbody both reported that more yoga studios are adding Pilates classes and reducing yoga classes. What to Know: The fitness landscape is always changing, and yoga simply might not be the hottest workout trend of the moment. But the shift away from yoga may also reflect a growing focus on “fitness-maxxing,” and physical optimization, as “the cultural ideal seems to have shifted from […]

Person kneeling outdoors and extending a leg wearing zero-drop toe shoes, incorporating foot strengthening exercises into an outdoor stretching routine

What Foot Training Can Do For Strength and Balance

Foot health plays a bigger role in mobility than most of us realize. Here's how toe spacers and simple strength exercises can help your feet stay strong, stable, and balanced as you age.

Creatine Has Big Benefits — Even If You Don’t Exercise

Big Benefits: The list of creatine benefits keeps growing longer. It’s well-known for its positive impact on strength, power, and overall athletic performance, but those benefits have historically been associated with resistance training exercise. New research challenges the idea that creatine is only for exercisers, showing that supplementation may actually offer similar benefits even if you don’t work out. The Study: This trial examined whether creatine could help adults preserve muscle, improve fitness, and potentially support cognitive function. Researchers enrolled 73 healthy, sedentary adults ages 45 to 65; 64 completed the 12-week study. Participants either remained inactive or followed an exercise and diet program. Within each group, participants received either creatine monohydrate or a placebo. Those taking creatine consumed 10 grams daily. Supplementation increased lean tissue mass, strength, and muscular endurance, including among those who didn’t exercise. When combined with exercise and weight loss, creatine helped participants lose a greater percentage of body fat. The Takeaway: Creatine supplementation offers health benefits without exercise, but exercising appears to increase its efficacy. Creatine may also help preserve lean mass during periods of weight loss. Keep in Mind: This study focused on middle-aged and older adults, so it’s unclear if the same benefits […]

Running Might Not Wreck Your Joints, Research Shows

Hit the Pavement: For years, runners have been warned that pounding the pavement could wear down their knees, ankles, and hips. New research suggests that assumption may be too simplistic, and that even people with osteoarthritis can safely run. The Study: Researchers at the University of Essex examined data from 17,661 people with knee or hip osteoarthritis. They found that those who took part in higher-impact activities, including running and tennis, had 36% to 48% lower odds of undergoing a total hip replacement within the next year. Higher-impact exercise was also not associated with a greater likelihood of undergoing a total knee replacement during the following year. The Takeaway: The findings challenge the idea that high-impact exercise is inherently bad for your joints. The study authors said that high-impact exercise “should not be routinely discouraged based on joint replacement risk alone.” If running is something you enjoy and your joints tolerate it, an osteoarthritis diagnosis doesn’t necessarily mean you have to quit. Keep in Mind: This was an observational study, so it can’t prove running prevents joint damage or replacement. People who are able to run may already have healthier joints, especially if they also do regular strength training.

a woman eating a salad, representing high protein lunch ideas

High-Protein Lunch Ideas That Pack 25 Grams or More

Eight easy lunches that each deliver 25 grams of protein or more, including meal-prep, no-cook, vegetarian, and meat-based options to keep you full all afternoon.

How to Fix Your Gut Health, According to Science

It's never too late to heal your gut. Small, steady changes — more fiber, fermented foods, better sleep, and less stress — add up faster than one big fix ever could.

Five Cups a Day Might Be Too Many for Your Bones

A Bone To Pick: Coffee, now linked to lower risk of heart disease and sharper memory, has had an amazing run in the health headlines recently. But a new study has ended that streak. Researchers in Australia tracked nearly 10,000 women aged 65 and older for a decade, following how their coffee and tea habits affected bone density, and the results weren’t great for Team Coffee. The Study: The team used data from a long-running fracture study. Two to three daily cups of coffee showed no drop in bone density, but more than five cups did; those women had lower bone density than moderate coffee drinkers. Tea drinkers had slightly higher hip bone density, credited to compounds called catechins that may help support bone health. The Takeaway: The American Heart Association recently raised its coffee allmotment to up to five cups a day for your heart. Your bones, however, may have a lower ceiling, so two or three cups may be safer long term. Keep in Mind: Adding milk to your coffee may help offset some of the effect caffeine has on calcium absorption.

a woman eating a bowl of high volume low calorie foods like leafy greens and vegetables

13 High-Volume, Low-Calorie Foods That Fill You Up

High-volume, low-calorie foods — think leafy greens, broth-heavy soups, potatoes, and berries — take up more space in your stomach because they contain more fiber and water, while keeping calories low.

More People Are Ditching Melatonin for Magnesium. But How Does It Help With Sleep?

You Should Know: Melatonin was the go-to sleep aid for a long time, but more people are now reaching for magnesium instead. Magnesium’s surge in popularity is potentially connected to recent research linking melatonin supplements and heart risks. Plus, melatonin can make some people feel groggy and cause vivid dreams or nightmares. Both supplements can help with sleep, but do they affect your body in the same way? Going Deeper: The body needs both magnesium and melatonin to function properly. Melatonin is a hormone that helps to regulate the sleep-wake cycle and induce sleep. It’s produced in the pineal gland, increasing production when it’s dark and decreasing production when it’s light. Magnesium is a mineral that plays a role in hundreds of bodily functions. Takeaway: Magnesium may improve sleep by balancing the effects of excitatory and relaxing neurotransmitters, including GABA, serotonin, and cortisol. It can also calm the nervous system and treat restless leg syndrome. Bottom Line: Experts say magnesium is likely safe for healthy people, but not every type is good for sleep — so choose magnesium glycinate or L-threonate to catch some Z’s. And remember that taking sleep aids too often could mask more serious conditions, such as chronic […]

2 Science-Backed Ways to Recover From a Bad Night of Sleep

Counting Sheep: We all deal with a bout of bad sleep now and then. Functioning properly the next day can feel impossible, as both our brains and our bodies feel sluggish and exhausted. But new research suggests there are two effective ways to help our brains work better the next day (and not one involves downing a pot of coffee). How to Do It: Researchers kept 54 adults awake for 30 hours, and split participants into three groups. After the bout of sleep deprivation, one group took a 90-minute nap, one group cycled for 20 minutes at a moderate to vigorous intensity, and the other group sat on a stationary bike, neither napping nor pedaling. Then, all of the participants were shown several images — three days later, they all took a memory test on those images. The nap and exercise groups both performed better than the no-intervention group, though the neural mechanisms driving this differed between the two groups. The Benefits: Napping and exercising after being sleep-deprived protected memory in different ways. Exercising appeared to help the brain encode new information more efficiently, due to increased attention from physical activity. Napping decreased mental fatigue and sleep pressure before the […]

Could Your Pillow Height Affect Glaucoma? A Small Study Takes a Look

A small 2026 study found that sleeping propped up on two pillows was linked to higher eye pressure than lying flat in people with glaucoma — researchers think jugular vein compression may be the mechanism behind it.

a woman in the shower wonders if it would be better for her to shower in the morning or at night

Should You Shower in the Morning or at Night?

Is it better to shower in the morning or at night? It's an even split among Americans — and both camps have science on their side. Here's what each does for your body.

Mindfulness

Beauty

Personal Growth

Somatic Therapy Is on the Rise. Can It Really Help With Trauma?

The Trend: Nervous system “resets,” TikTok sages, and a “Workout Witch” who teaches movements designed to release “trapped emotions” are bringing somatic practices to the mainstream. The ideas behind somatic therapy aren’t new, but they’ve found new life recently as Americans increasingly seek out care beyond traditional medical institutions. Unlike talk therapy, which focuses on your thinking patterns, behaviors, and experiences, somatic therapy focuses on the body and the physical manifestations of trauma. Workouts like somatic yoga are linked to these principles, using slow movement and focusing on paying attention to physical sensations as they arise. What People Are Saying: Many people were first introduced to somatics from the book The Body Keeps the Score, which explores the idea that trauma is held in the body. Somatic therapy uses a body-first “bottoms up” approach — the goal is to release the emotions from the body, which practitioners say can relieve pain and muscle tension, improve sleep, and generally allow the brain and the body to let go of lingering trauma. What to Know: Somatic therapy hasn’t been as widely researched as other therapy modalities, but it does show promise for helping people with PTSD, anxiety, grief, and depression. Finding an […]

How To Use This Neuroscience Principle To Rewire Negative Thoughts

Stinking Thinking: Ever have the experience where one critical comment plays on repeat in your head? Well, your brain’s default mode network (which switches on whenever you’re not focused on anything in particular, like in the shower or lying awake at night) may be to blame. A 2023 study scanned the brains of 53 women while they listened to critical comments and praise. Those at higher risk for depression showed more activity in this network after hearing criticism, but not after hearing praise. Researchers think the brain can be primed to latch onto criticism, but luckily, harnessing your brain’s neuroplasticity can help you break the pattern. How to Do It: There’s a reason why affirmations remain so popular — they really work. So try saying the opposite out loud (something simple like “I handled this before” or “I’m doing fine” works best) next time you find yourself caught in a rumination spiral. Do it enough, and you’ll end up creating new neural pathways inside your brain. The Benefits: Giving yourself positive affirmations basically gives your brain new material to practice instead of the old script. If you repeat it enough, your mind will find evidence to back it up, effectively […]

how to keep your brain sharp includes walking outdoors

The Science-Based Way to Set Goals You’ll Actually Stick With