Health and Wellness

With body neutrality, you can let go of negative feelings about yourself and appreciate your body for what it can do. Learn more about body neutrality and how to practice it through the holiday season.

While Americans report finding joy and excitement around traditional holidays, almost 9 in 10 also say they also experience stress leading up to and during holiday celebrations. While you can’t avoid all sources of stress, planning ahead and setting personal or social boundaries can help to manage or minimize stress.

Did you know that many cleaning supplies can not only be bad for the environment, but also for your health? While cleaning is a necessary part of our everyday lives, many cleaning supplies can irritate the eyes or throat, cause headaches or other health problems.

Saunas are small, cozy rooms that are typically heated via wood or electric to reach a high temperature. The exact temperature depends on the individual sauna, but most will hover around 185 degrees. Saunas are set to a level that has people breaking out in a sweat within a minute or two of entering the room.

TikTok is buzzing with a trend called “the winter arc” that encourages you to start your health and fitness goals in the fall to create a healthy winter. Let’s explore the viral winter arc challenge and whether it has potential to improve your self-improvement journey.

Proper nutrition is a must especially when running or exercising, not only to keep a healthy diet, but also to get additional nutrients needed when exercising regularly. Here are some tips on foods to eat and foods to avoid leading up to and following a run.

We all love to document moments with our children that mean a lot to us, but oversharing pictures and information about our kids online carries serious risk. The term for this habit is "sharenting."

Nearly 1 in 10 women who give birth experience premature or preterm birth, defined as any birth before the 37th week of pregnancy. There are a variety of inherent health factors, environmental factors and lifestyle factors that heighten the risk of premature birth.

The basic principle of breathwork practices is to view the breath as a calming tool that accesses deeper states of awareness, healing and relaxation. Here are some techniques and benefits.

When choosing meals for kids with type 1 diabetes, aim for a balanced mix of complex carbohydrates, proteins and fats. It’s also important to time meals and snacks in accordance with insulin doses.

Pre-diabetes refers to elevated blood sugar levels that aren’t high enough to be Type 2 diabetes. However, pre-diabetes can lead to the development of diabetes without lifestyle changes to lower blood sugar levels.

Dry air and dust can wreak havoc on allergies, sinuses and skin. Dry air indoors is more common during the winter. Many people use humidifiers to keep their air more humid in the winter months, but do humidifiers help or exacerbate allergies? It depends on the specific allergens and triggers involved.

Maybe you feel like you’re dragging your feet or a step behind in the morning, or just wish you were more productive or active when you first get up. Becoming a morning person can be a hard adjustment but can be made much easier by setting yourself up for success by getting good sleep and changing some habits.

If you’re feeling stressed, you’re not alone. Here is how tweaking your exercise schedule can help you manage those feelings.

Lifetime sports are those you can play for your whole life at any age. Regular exercise is important for people of all ages and has been shown to reduce and prevent many health conditions.

Energy drinks are everywhere these days, promising to relieve fatigue and help you power through your day. Energy drinks can also lead to jitters, crashes and dependence. Luckily, there are plenty of natural alternatives that can give you the boost you need without the negative side effects.

The mind-gut connection has been the target of increasing study in recent years. Not only has research shown the connection, but there’s been more awareness by people who battle depression and anxiety that they often have to deal with gastrointestinal conditions like irritable bowel syndrome, abdominal pain and stomach upset.

Learn how joining a running club can help you with your physical and mental health.

Taking time to check in with yourself is a powerful practice for your physical, mental and emotional well-being. Follow these tips to create a personal health check in:

Even if getting scared isn’t an enjoyable experience for you, you probably know someone who is a thrill-seeker or enjoys frights and scary movies, haunted houses or rollercoasters. What is it about getting scared that is fun or enjoyable for some people?

Eating a healthy and well-rounded diet can improve mental health and make mental health obstacles easier to deal with. On the other hand, a poor diet can be a catalyst for poor mental health and can make it more difficult to manage mental health struggles.

Don't get sidelined by an injury. Here's how to build strength and prevent injuries in the first place.

Malnutrition is often associated with being severely underweight. However, anyone whose body is deprived of the nutrients it needs to maintain healthy tissues and organ function is malnourished.

Whether you respond better to digital resources like smartphone apps or materials like planners and sticky notes, ADHD management tools can help in a variety of ways.

As of 2020, more than 54% of school-aged children in the United States participated in youth sports. Youth sports are associated with higher levels of physical activity and improved physical and mental health. There are multiple benefits to participation in youth sports.

Silk pillowcases and other silk accessories such as wraps, scarves and bonnets have become increasingly popular for their benefits for hair and skin. These silk head accessories have been a cornerstone of Black hair experiences to protect natural and braided hairstyles long before they were more widely adopted as a healthy hair technique. Now the use of silk material has become more popular regardless of hair type.

By current estimates, more than 7 million children and more than 8 million adults in the United States have ADHD. Here are 8 tools to better manage ADHD for both adults and children.

Decluttering our digital spaces can become almost as necessary as cleaning and decluttering living spaces and may even need to be done more often. Here are some helpful ways to start digital decluttering and some benefits you may see as a result.

Whether it's for health reasons or a curiosity, you might be wondering if a gluten-free diet is right for you. Going gluten-free is a commitment and requires both dietary and lifestyle changes. For some, consuming gluten can lead to serious health concerns, while others may choose to avoid it in hopes of better health.

Powdered greens have become a popular trend to add fruits and vegetables into your diet through a blend of freeze-dried and ground fruits, vegetables and greens mixed with water or a smoothie. Are they a good substitute for eating fruits and vegetables? Learn more about powdered greens and their benefits and drawbacks.

Rebecca Adams’ HER2-positive, stage 3A breast cancer diagnosis came as a shock. Extensive research and lifestyle changes helped her persevere.

Yoga is known for its health benefits, including increased flexibility, increased strength, improved sleep and the ability to help with chronic pain and inflammation. Many of these benefits apply to kids as well. Learn how to introduce yoga to kids with these tips and yoga poses.

Regular running and exercise are associated with better overall heart health and other health benefits. Americans who follow the American Heart Association guidelines of 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise a week have healthier hearts and avoid diseases at higher rates than those who don’t, and those who get 3-5 times that amount of exercise have the best health outcomes.

Gut health is connected to all other areas of personal health, including physical and mental health. Maintaining a healthy gut biome is important to support your body and the way it functions. There are foods that promote gut health in the way they are broken down and absorbed in the digestive system.

Pebbling refers to the practice of sending or leaving little day-brighteners or “pebbles” for others in your life. It has been described as a love language, an appreciation practice or a ritual form of communication for couples, friends and family. The term comes from the behavior of Gentoo penguins, who will present pebbles to other penguins they are bonding with, to use in nesting.

The recommended amount of daily fiber is between 25 and 38 grams, but most Americans eat only 10-15 grams daily. A diet high in fiber can help reduce the risk of chronic diseases and help you to feel fuller for longer and more energized compared to refined carbohydrates.

The risk of falls and injuries from falls increases as we age due to loss of bone mass, muscle mass and balance. Balance exercises can lower the risk of falling as well as the risk of injuries. Here are some balance exercises that are helpful for balance training and preventing falls and related injuries.

There are more than 30 million cases of illness cause by food contamination annually in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Many of these cases are preventable with proper cooking, handling and storing practices. Learning proper food preparation practices and getting rid of unhealthy habits in the kitchen can prevent food poisoning and safety issues.

In the hustle of everyday life, it's easy to overlook the importance of self-care. I know when my schedule picks up, I have a habit of prioritizing my responsibilities over my own wellness. However, I’ve made the conscious decision to incorporate self-care habits into my routine.

Supporting a sick loved one is something that nothing can truly prepare a family for. It can be stressful enough going about your day-to-day life and trying to be supportive of each other, but when you add supporting a family member through illness, daily life activities can become more challenging.

I think I can speak for almost everyone when I say that my smart phone runs my entire life. Staying connected with friends, listening to music, and mapping me to my next destination. As someone who grew up in a world where cell phones always existed, it is hard for me to imagine a world in which I am not dependent on my smart phone

I’ve found that college is a great time to create healthy habits through regular practice of physical activity. While every person is different, here are some workouts that work for me as a college student.

Having a family member in assisted living can be difficult for everyone involved. People who move into assisted living can struggle with a loss of independence, leaving their home or fears of fewer family visits. Family members of those in assisted living may feel guilt, helplessness and concern.

Topical treatments and medications are available and can be very effective for some, but acne can be persistent and hard to deal with.

If there is an imbalance between the nutrients your body needs and the nutrients you are able to eat and absorb it can cause malnutrition. Undernutrition is most common condition associated with malnutrition but there can be other causes as well. Malnutrition includes undernutrition as well as overnutrition, or an imbalance of nutrients

Taking time to clear your mind of thoughts, judgments and opinions can help to reduce feelings of stress and anxiety. This practice is known as mindfulness.

Taking care of yourself and being mindful of your mental and overall health can be especially difficult when you are grieving. Self-care is important during times of loss, even though it may be difficult. Here are some ideas and tips for taking care of yourself and being mindful of your personal mental health while you grieve.

If you watched the Paris Olympic or Paralympic Games this summer, you might have gotten swept away seeing your favorite athlete compete. While they seem to perform with such ease, you know there are hours of work put into their physical training. Let the inspiring efforts of these athletes motivate you to achieve your workout goals this year.

A smartwatch does much more than tell you the time. Using a smartwatch makes it so that you don’t need to always have your phone on you. You can make calls, send texts, and use a GPS from your watch.

It can be easy to ignore your workout goals when on your period, but the physical and mental benefits of exercise can help. Although it feels counterintuitive, avoiding exercise isn’t going to save energy or make you feel better.

Mental health, anxiety and depression are topics many people shy away from because they can be uncomfortable to talk about. Breaking the stigma around mental health is extremely important because someone’s mental health is just as important as their physical health.

Developing a routine in college that works for you is a significant task on its own, but having to weave in time for healthy meals can be intimidating. For college students, newfound independence can feel exciting and refreshing but sometimes daunting.

It can be difficult to know how to respond when a friend or loved one is diagnosed with cancer. Emotional support and encouragement can be helpful to cancer patients, but often, cancer patients have logistical, physical and financial needs that you can help them with. Here are five creative ways to help someone with cancer.

You may associate Labor Day with barbecues, fun and the end of summer, but Labor Day has long been tied to public health. The origins of Labor Day include movements for better workplace health protections and improved quality of life for workers. Here are some health benefits from Labor Day that may surprise you.

Activated charcoal has been showing up all over in recent years, from toothpaste to hamburger buns to supplements. The substance has a history of medical use as an antitoxin for ingested poisons, but more recently it’s become a social phenomenon for “detoxing.”

Mental decluttering is a process of clearing one's mind of excessive and unnecessary thoughts and worries to focus on the thoughts that matter. Individuals can use simple practices to declutter their minds. It just takes a few minutes a day to create healthy, sustainable habits.

When I imagined what life would be like in college, I never once considered I would be lonely. I had pictured an ideal movie montage in my head of staying up late, surrounded by friends and going to fun social events whenever I felt like it.

POUND is a cardio-based workout that incorporates Pilates, core strengthening and arm and leg movements. But you won't just burn calories; instructor and Grass Lake resident Crystal Scott can attest to POUND's mental benefits.

It’s easy to ask a friend for a recommendation, but their body, stride and injury-risk are different than yours. Learn how to pick out running and walking shoes that will help you stay healthy and meet your goals.

People with weaker immune systems may find themselves getting sick from common bacteria found on their cell phones. To avoid contracting those germs, get in the habit of cleaning your device on a regular basis.

Low-calorie prebiotic sodas have burst onto the scene in recent years. They claim to promote good gut health, but how credible are those claims?

Running is one of the only sports that can be done nearly anywhere, on any surface. The key is finding a route and a terrain that best suits your physical needs. While running is a great form of exercise, there are advantages and disadvantages to running on different surfaces.

Sharing meals is a great way to spend more time with your family and friends. It turns out there are multiple benefits to health and well-being from sharing meals, including improved eating habits, reduces stress and tension, improved self-image in kids, and improved family relationships.

Summer means eyes are exposed to ultraviolet (UV) rays, smoke particles, bacteria and pathogens in water and more. These can damage and injure the eyes.

Are you looking for an activity that is good for all aspects of your health like physical, mental, and social? We have just the activity. Originating as a mixed martial art from China, tai chi is an activity that involves a series of gentle and slow movements, a meditative state of mind, and physical postures.

Alcohol is involved in cultural and social norms, including after-work decompression and socialization, but there are many ways to wind down after work and “chill out” that don’t involve alcohol.

While many women do fall in love with their unborn babies as soon as they see the two pink lines appear on their pregnancy tests, for others, it doesn’t happen quite that way. That’s OK; it doesn’t mean anything is wrong with you!

One of the easiest ways to make a real difference when it comes to the environment is by making simple adjustments to your own lifestyle. As awareness of environmental issues grows, people are looking for ways to reduce their plastic use.

Going to the beach is not only fun, but a great way to spend time outside and connect to the natural sights and sounds of an inland lake or one of the Great Lakes. The best way to make sure your beach day is a success is to be prepared. We’ve compiled a list of must-haves to include in your beach bag.

As temperatures increase, people might notice that their blood pressure is increasing as well. High heat causes blood pressure to increase. It is important to focus on your blood pressure during the summertime because Midwest summers present high temperatures and high humidity.

Summer is in full swing, which means people are spending more time outside. It also means that more insects are outside, including bees and wasps. Being stung by a bee or wasp is scary for many people, but it can cause more than pain in some situations.

Lyme disease is an emerging disease transmitted by the blacklegged tick in Michigan. In 2024, It has been reported in nearly every county in the state, according to the State of Michigan. Taking prevention measures is one of the smartest ways to avoid tick bites and tick-borne diseases.

If you listen to music when you work out, you've got to read this post to design the perfect playlist to pump you up.

As temperatures continue to rise this summer, it's important to concentrate on how much water you consume daily. It is estimated that 75% of Americans suffer from chronic dehydration and that issue is especially apparent in the warm summer months.

Summertime comes with unique challenges or environments that can harm or endanger foot health and foot safety. With increased time spent active outdoors, in the sun, and barefoot or in open-toed shoes, more care and attention is needed prevent injuries or burns to the feet.

When you start a workout plan, it’s easy to do too much too soon. That can leave you sore, tired, and feeling dejected, as well as increase your chance for injury. If you’re not in the habit of a regular strength routine, start small.

Grabbing your phone or switching on the TV or YouTube is second nature for many people. When there is a lull in the day or a moment of silence, it can be easy to fill that space with social media, entertainment or news that are always available at our fingertips. It’s important to set screen time limits for yourself.

UVA, UVB, UVC: What do these all mean? Here’s how to the know difference and protect yourself from their damage.

Paisley Taylor of Grand Rapids was diagnosed with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis a few years ago. The diagnosis has sparked a passion for advocacy in Paisley's mother, Taylor, who knows the condition does not define her daughter.

Most of the time, houseflies are merely annoying, and their bites can be briefly painful. However, these insects can spread bacteria and viruses through their bites.

The joy and affection that animals bring can cheer you up, calm you down, and keep your attention focused and in-the-moment. Not everyone can have a pet at home, and even if you do, you may find volunteering at a local animal rescue to be a rewarding experience. Learn five ways volunteering at an animal shelter can benefit your health.

While the sun can be healing, it can also be harmful. Make sure to protect your skin with sunscreen but remember skin protection from sunlight doesn’t stop there.

Adopting five new habits can help reduce your overall stress and have a positive impact on your life.

Social wellness, just like another area of personal health, requires care and attention. Your social health, just like physical or mental health, cannot be ignored until something is going wrong.

Self-care can help build and maintain mental health and resilience. Mental health is not something that can be ignored until something goes wrong. Just like any other area of your personal health, it needs to be maintained and checked up on.

Summer is here and the sun is shining. While you are enjoying the heat and daylight, you also have to protect your skin and body.

You can protect yourself against West Nile and other mosquito-borne diseases by avoiding contact with mosquitos. Here are five tips to help you do just that.

Trauma is an event or series of events that threaten your sense of safety or your life.

Badminton has been around for centuries, but we don't often think of it as a recreational sport we can play locally. Ann Arbor's Kim Yeow shares tips and discusses the sport's benefits and communal qualities.

Music therapy experiences may include singing songs, playing instruments, writing music, or listening to music and analyzing the lyrics. Music therapy interventions can address a variety of health care and educational goals.

TikTok users are sharing their morning routines before settling down at their laptops at home or heading to work. Those using this trend are getting up earlier – 5 a.m. – to pack more into their days.

Damaged hair can say a lot about your health – keep your hair healthy in the hot summer with these diet tips and scalp treatments.

Shin splints are a common and painful overuse injury or condition usually caused by running, tennis, pickleball, dancing, or other standing exercises for extended periods of time. With some preparation, there are self-treatment tips for preventing shin splints or minimizing the pain from shin splints.

When it comes to health care, men tend to be much more reluctant than women to obtain preventive care or seek out medical care when there’s an issue. And this reluctance can increase their risk for health consequences.

Six months ago, I found out I was pregnant with my first child — only two months into the “honeymoon stage” of marriage. To be honest, even at 35 years old, I was not prepared at all! 

Combining the strategies of the Mediterranean diet and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, the MIND diet revolves around healthy combinations of foods that may help reduce inflammation, hypertension and high blood pressure, and protect against cardiovascular and neurological diseases and signs of aging.

Diabetes can lead to conditions that affect your vision, such as glaucoma, cataracts and diabetic retinopathy. Equip yourself with the knowledge needed to prevent these conditions by reading these tips.

Water bottles are traveling everywhere with you and collecting the germs from places you go. From errands to work to an outdoor soccer game on the weekends, your water bottle straw is picking up bacteria in those areas.

Ditching all the planning and your phone can alleviate stress and restore creativity. Giving yourself time on your vacation to restore your whole body will help you when you’re back home.