A new study by Columbia University suggests that eating low-fiber, high-fat and sugary foods leads to waking up at night and less time in “slow wave sleep,” the critical restorative phase. If studies have shown that sleep deprivation leads to bad diet choices (which lead to obesity and diabetes), this new study suggests the whole “bad diet thing” is a vicious circle.
Must-Reads from the Wellness World (Week of January 26, 2016)
“Pleasure is good: How French children acquire a taste for life” – The Conversation, Jan. 5
A professor explains that in France, the struggle to teach children to eat well is not connected to the moralistic, guilty-pleasure model common in America, but rather to the pure pursuit of pleasure. As a result, French children end up having great taste and a better diet.
Video: Dr. Deepak Chopra on the “Future of Wellness”
At the recent Global Wellness Summit, world-renowned thinker Dr. Deepak Chopra took a brilliant dive into how the future of wellness is decoding the epigenome, that DNA which is ceaselessly modified by lifestyle choices. He put the hard science behind our intuitive sense that changing our lifestyles and consciousness (through healthy food, exercise, sleep and meditation) can prevent the expression of 95 percent of genetic mutations (the root of chronic disease) that are not hardwired into us at birth.
A “User’s Guide” for Hot Springs Released
When you’re lying blissed out in hot springs, you may not ask yourself questions like: What is the true history of thermal mineral bathing? What makes soaking in natural mineral springs different from regular old heated water (with minerals added)? Well, as a booming $50 billion global industry, more travelers need a guide to the real value of – and how to best participate in – natural hot spring bathing. So the GWI’s Global Hot Springs Initiative just released the world’s first “user’s guide.”
Focus on Healthy Work Cultures – Think Beyond the “Program”
The mantra in workplace wellness discussions is that, in order to succeed, you have to strive for a total “culture” of wellness at work – and that limited, isolated “programs” often fail. The experts at the GWI’s roundtable on “Redefining Workplace Wellness” had a lively discussion on the topic, pointing out that in many ways it’s an issue of honesty and common sense. For example, giving people gym memberships over here, while dishing out brutal work hours over there, doesn’t fly.
12-Minutes of Daily Yoga Reversed Bone Loss from Osteoporosis
Studies on yoga are typically ill funded (no “Big Pharma” bucks) and hard to administer, as they often require tracking people who regularly do yoga for years. A new study from Columbia University did just the latter: tracked older people from 2005-2015 (80 percent or more who had osteoporosis or its precursor) to see what 12 minutes of daily/near-daily yoga (12 assigned poses) would do. The result: a reversal of bone loss and significantly improved bone density of the spine and femur.
