Because of where Memorial Day fell on the calendar this year, this summer will be seven days longer than the last. For us, that means more trips to the beach, evening bike rides, and generally more time spent outside.
And we’re not the only ones: Research suggests people tend to be more physically active during the sunny summer months. But as we discuss in this issue, a super-sweaty workout doesn’t necessarily mean a better one, and exercising in the heat comes with its own set of risks.
Ringing In Your Ears? Serotonin May Be the Culprit
Midjourney
Ring, Ring: Tinnitus, a condition that affects more than 25 million Americans, is characterized by ringing or buzzing in the ears. It can range from mildly annoying to fully debilitating, and it’s associated with hearing loss, head and neck injuries, and ear infections. Certain medications may also fuel the condition, like NSAIDs, some antibiotics, diuretics, and anti-cancer drugs. And now, new research is adding one more to that list: antidepressants.
The Study: Research in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences links serotonin, the neurotransmitter often used in depression treatment, to tinnitus. Using optogenetics (a technique that utilizes fiber optics and light to activate specific brain cells) on mice, the scientists found “a specific brain circuit involving serotonin that goes straight to the auditory system” — and discovered that it can induce tinnitus.
The Takeaway: If you take a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) to treat anxiety or depression, and you experience disruptive tinnitus, it may be worth talking to your doctor about changing your medication regimen.
Keep in Mind: This study was performed on mice, not humans. That said, it still furthers the framework for improving tinnitus treatment in the future, as well as understanding its relationship with mood disorders.
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Sponsored
Why Wellness Shoppers Are Rethinking Soda
Courtesy: Bloom Pop
Soda used to be a pretty simple choice: regular, diet, or skip it. But lately, the beverage aisle has gotten a lot more interesting.
It’s also caffeine-free, which makes it an easy swap when you want something refreshing in the afternoon, with dinner, or whenever a soda craving shows up.
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Fitness
Does Sweating More Make for a Better Workout?
Meg Aghamyan/Unsplash
You Should Know: Leaving a workout class completely drenched while your friend beside you barely broke a sweat doesn't necessarily mean you burned more calories. Perspiration is the body's cooling system, and the amount of water and salt you produce has far more to do with your body and environment than with how hard you're actually pushing.
Going Deeper: Research on hot yoga found that a 90-minute class burned around 330 to 460 calories on average — nowhere near the 1,000-per-hour figure that sometimes gets floated online. You can also burn plenty of calories swimming or exercising in cold weather without breaking much of a sweat. Interestingly, fitter people tend to sweat sooner into a workout because their bodies get more efficient at cooling down, so heavy sweating can actually reflect good conditioning even when it has nothing to do with calorie burn.
Takeaway: Heart rate is a much better gauge if you’re trying to determine how hard you're working. On particularly hot days, that might mean slowing your pace or lowering the intensity to keep it in your usual range.
Bottom Line: Sweat doesn't mean all that much when it comes to calories burned or effort level.
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Personal Development
The Secret to Teaching Kids Self-Control
Brooke Cagle/Unsplash
Like a Kid in a Candy Store: Kids often aren’t great at demonstrating self-control, especially when it comes to ever-present temptations like screen time and junk food. Experts agree that classic exposure techniques — like giving your child complete access to the cookie jar — won’t help them resist temptation long-term. So, how do you help kids cultivate willpower?
How to Do It: Create a temptation-free environment — teaching kids how to eliminate a temptation is more effective than teaching them to resist it. Want your child to do homework instead of playing video games? Teach kids to keep the screen out of the work space. Want to foster a love of reading? Keep books around — in their bedroom, in the car, in places where they have to wait, like restaurants. Want them to choose healthier foods throughout their life? Serve those foods, and talk about how tasty they are and how they’re good for their body.
The Benefits: Cultivating healthy, temptation-free environments early on can build lifelong habits. Parents have a lot of influence over kids’ preferences, simply by presenting and speaking positively about these options. Stronger willpower is associated with better grades, healthier diets, and more successful careers and relationships as adults.
Powerhouse of the Cell — This diet is linked to better mitochondrial health.
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What We're Cooking
Greek Yogurt Potato Salad
Courtesy: Food52
Serves: 6 | Cook Time: 20 minutes
This Greek yogurt potato salad swaps traditional mayonnaise for tangy full-fat Greek yogurt, giving the dish a lighter, but still creamy, texture. Tender red potatoes are gently tossed with olive oil, fresh dill, and mint, plus briny oil-cured olives for a bright, herb-forward flavor profile. The result is a fresh, Mediterranean-inspired take on classic American potato salad that works especially well as a summer BBQ side.
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This, Not That
Smarter Grocery Storage
THIS
NOT THAT
Ello/Unsplash, Stephanie Berbec/Unsplash
This: Healthy Food at Eye Level Not That: Hiding It in Drawers
The food you see first is usually the food you eat first. Keep fruit, yogurt, cut vegetables, or leftovers where they’re immediately visible — and tuck indulgent foods farther away.
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Sponsored
Here’s Why Soda Is Getting a Wellness Makeover
The latest better-for-you beverage trend isn’t about giving up soda. It’s about rethinking what’s in the can.
Thank you for supporting our sponsors! They help us keep All Healthy free.
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HEALTHY HABIT
Five Deep Squats
Pick a moment you repeat daily — waiting for the microwave, brushing teeth, or feeding the dog — and add five slow squats. Keep your chest tall and move with control. It takes about ten seconds, but repeated daily it quietly builds leg strength and mobility.
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Final Thought
Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose.”
