We’ve all seen the studies that show exercise improves mental power in older people. But new research from UCLA is some of the first to track people over a span of several years using brain scans. The findings are crucial in a world where dementia is predicted to triple in the next 35 years. Because, whether you walk, swim, ballroom dance, or even garden (just a few times a week), keeping moving means significantly more gray matter – and 50 percent less risk of experiencing memory decline or Alzheimer’s.
Must-Reads from the Wellness World (Week of April 19, 2016)
“There’s a Place in India Where Religions Coexist Beautifully and Gender Equality Is Unmatched” – Huffington Post, April 6, 2016
In a world struggling with virulent strains of intolerance and violence, the Indian state of Kerala is a symbol of religious coexistence, not simply tolerance. It has a unique mix of three of the world’s largest religions and is a model of how to keep multiethnic and multi-religious communities stable in the long-term. The founder and CEO of the Global Institute for Tomorrow offers a few reasons as to why it is so.
Companies that Shine in Employee Wellness Outperform Stock Market 3:1
VIEW ALL BRIEF POSTS Fresh evidence that treating employees well improves a company’s bottom line? A recent U.S. study revealed that companies that won the Koop National Health Award for effective workplace health and wellness programs had much higher stock value appreciation (tracked from 2000-2014) than average S&P 500 companies. How much higher? Koop winners’ stock appreciated 325% vs. 105% for the market average. Read…
New App Identifies Changes in Workers’ Stress Levels
Workplace wellness programs are based on the assumption that healthy initiatives at work will improve employee health and productivity. But rarely (if ever!) do they acknowledge the fact that work itself is often the main health enemy. Well, now a new app (for employee smartphones) identifies shifts in their stress levels (from changes in their tone of voice to sleep quality) – to stop stress before it gets out of hand.
Study: Mindfulness Beats Painkillers for Back Pain
Chronic back pain is an epidemic, and there has been a surge in painkiller prescriptions. But a new study found that mindfulness-based stress reduction (including meditation and yoga) led to a bigger reduction in pain (for 44% of participants) than usual care/painkillers (27% saw meaningful pain reduction). As The Observer put it, “It’s pretty striking to see a journal like JAMA endorsing meditation… considering that not so very long ago it would have been dismissed as woo-woo.”
Wellness Communities: Inspiring Times for the $100B Wellness Lifestyle Real Estate Sector
In May of 2015, pioneers in the development of wellness communities around the globe, came together for the first time to consider what a “wellness community” truly was. Armed with personal examples and experiences, the group broadly defined wellness communities as “communities and buildings developed with the holistic health of its residents, guests, environment and surrounding community in mind.”
