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Daily Edition • Tuesday, Aug 4

What Too Much TV Could Be Doing to Your Brain

Two people sit on a couch watching a scene on a TV, featuring a woman interacting with a dog.

Kevin Woblick/Unsplash

Tube Tap-Out: Remember those old clichés about watching too much TV, that it will rot your brain or turn you into a couch potato? Excessive TV consumption won’t literally do either of those things, but it could make your brain smaller. A new study links heavy TV-watching by middle-aged adults to smaller brain structures and a potentially higher risk of dementia later in life.

The Study: Researchers from the University of Southern California pulled data from 1,712 adults who participated in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study. Participants had self-reported their sedentary time — watching TV and sitting at work — on their first visit between 1987 and 1989. During their fifth visit (2011–2013), they had MRI brain scans.

The Takeaway: Frequent TV watching was associated with structural changes to the brain. Researchers found smaller frontal and occipital lobes, reduced volume in the memory parts of the brain, and damage to parts of the brain’s white matter that are associated with aging, stroke risk, cognitive decline, and dementia.

Keep in Mind: Sedentary behavior was self-reported, and participants’ recall might not be totally accurate. Plus, the study was observational, so it didn’t find a causal link — only a correlation.

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The Low-Impact Workout Built for Better Movement

A person performs an exercise on a black mat, using resistance bands while kneeling and extending one leg back.

Courtesy: Pvolve

Strength is important, but how you move matters, too. That’s why more people are turning to functional fitness, a style of training focused on building strength, stability, and mobility for everyday life.

Pvolve combines low-impact movement with innovative resistance equipment to create effective, approachable workouts you can do from home. With on-demand classes ranging from full-body strength to mobility and recovery, it’s designed to help you stay consistent, whether you’re refreshing your routine or fitting movement into a busy summer schedule.

Trusted by Jennifer Aniston, Pvolve offers a smarter way to build strength that supports the way you live. Explore Pvolve’s Summer Sale and discover functional workouts designed to help you move stronger every day.

Discover Pvolve

Thank you for supporting our sponsors! They help us keep All Healthy free.

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Fitness

Want to Bike to Work? Here’s How to Do It Safely (and Stay Fresh)

A cyclist rides on a street with parked bicycles and passing cars, wearing a backpack and casual clothing.

Nhi D/Unsplash

Wheels Up: With gas prices on the rise, more and more people are thinking about biking to work. Bike commuting isn’t anything new, but if it’s new to you, it may feel intimidating. Factors like weather, traffic, gear, and fitness — and, let’s be real, being stinky at work — may hold you back. These are valid concerns, but ones that can be overcome.

How to Do It: First things first — wear a helmet! Know that you can commute on any bike, so long as it’s in working order. You don’t need to spend hundreds or thousands on a fancy new set of wheels. The same goes for clothes: just wear comfortable, athletic clothes you already own. Carry a flat tire kit and a bike lock. As for your work gear, a backpack or sling (our editor uses this one) tends to be the most comfortable way to carry it. Stash some toiletries (think body wipes, micellar cleanser, and deodorant) so you can freshen up in the office bathroom when you arrive, if needed.

The Benefits: Biking is great for your health. It’s a low-impact form of cardiovascular exercise, so it supports heart health without putting undue stress on your hips and knees. It also exposes you to fresh air and nature, which is linked to improved mood and cognitive health. And, as some bike commuters say, riding to work immerses them in their neighborhoods in ways driving can’t.

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Beauty

Is Avocado Really “Nature’s Moisturizer”?

Halved ripe avocado with a brown pit, resting on a soft, beige backdrop.

Alekseeva Maya/Unsplash

You Should Know: Avocado has earned a reputation as “nature’s moisturizer.” And even if you haven’t heard that exact phrase, you’ve probably heard that its healthy fats and antioxidants can support skin from the inside out. To explore this theory, a recent pilot study asked women to eat one avocado daily for eight weeks and found improved firmness and elasticity at the forehead compared to those in the group who skipped avocado.

Going Deeper: The study followed only 39 women over eight weeks and was partly funded by the Hass Avocado Board, which has a stake in promoting new uses for avocado. And while firmness and elasticity did improve at the forehead, hydration and oil production stayed the same. Pigmentation and resistance to UV-induced redness also showed no difference between the avocado eaters and the control group.

Takeaway: The study indicates that avocado may help your skin, but the fruit (not vegetable) still doesn’t quite stand up to the “nature’s moisturizer” moniker.

Bottom Line: The skin benefits of avocado are promising but remain unproven until further research shows otherwise. So keep eating them because you like them and/or their nutritional benefits, not because it’s a moisturizer you can eat.

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What We're Cooking

Lime-Crusted Salmon Salad

Grilled salmon served on a colorful salad with cilantro, lime, and creamy dressing. Fork resting on the side.

Courtesy: Minimalist Baker

Serves: 4 | Cook Time: 30 minutes

This summer salad pairs crisp, lime-crusted salmon with crunchy romaine, red cabbage, and hearty black beans for a meal that’s fresh but still satisfying. The salmon gets an especially flavorful coating from brown rice flour, cornstarch, and plenty of lime zest, creating a light, crispy crust when seared in a skillet. Top everything with sweet-tangy peach cucumber salsa and smoky chipotle dressing for a colorful mix of bright, fresh, and smoky flavors.

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This, Not That

Bean Supreme

Chickpeas in tomato sauce with rice, garnished with parsley, on a blue plate, with tomatoes and garlic in the background.

THIS

A plate of grilled steak garnished with cilantro, served alongside crispy French fries.

NOT THAT

Dragne Marius/Unsplash, Tim Toomey/Unsplash

This: Add beans to something
Not That: Treating fiber like a future problem

Beans are one of the easiest ways to add fiber, protein, and staying power to a meal. Toss them into salads, soups, grain bowls, tacos, pasta, or eggs. You don’t need to reinvent dinner — just make it a little more useful.

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The Workout Trend Built Around Real-Life Movement

Functional fitness is changing the way people think about exercise. Instead of focusing on strength alone, it emphasizes the balance of strength and better movement for everyday life.

Pvolve pairs low-impact functional movement with resistance equipment to support strength, stability and mobility through every stage of your routine.

With flexible, on-demand classes for strength, sculpting, recovery, and more, Pvolve makes it easier to stay active from anywhere. Discover the method trusted by Jennifer Aniston and explore Pvolve’s Summer Sale for a new approach to building strength and moving better.

Explore The Summer Sale

Thank you for supporting our sponsors! They help us keep All Healthy free.

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HEALTHY HABIT

Keep Your Workout Clothes Visible

The less you have to hunt for gear, the less dramatic movement feels. Put your running shoes by the door, leave gym clothes on a chair, or keep a resistance band near your desk. A visible cue can turn “I should exercise” into “I might as well.”

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Final Thought

Colorful layered rock formations with winding paths and a cloudy sky in the background.

We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.”

– Kurt Vonnegut, Mother Night

GWANGJIN GO/Unsplash