For the Meditation-Curious 🧘‍♀️

Science-backed benefits of meditation👇

I’ve been talking a lot about mindset, and one of the most common questions coming up is: 

How do I change my mindset? 

There are lots of ways to go about this, but one science-backed way is through meditation! 

Research shows that meditation literally changes the brain to:

✔️ Calm the “lizard brain” (amygdala)

✔️ Reduce anxiety

✔️ Manage eating behaviors

✔️ Increase pain tolerance

✔️ Improve sleep

✔️ Relieve stress

If you’re meditation-curious, you can dip your toe in (just 5 minutes a day!) with an app like HeadSpace of Calm.

References

Review of research by the NIH. 

Goyal M, Singh S, Sibinga EM, et al. Meditation programs for psychological stress and well-being: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Intern Med. 2014;174(3):357-368. [link]

Kral TRA, Schuyler BS, Mumford JA, Rosenkranz MA, Lutz A, Davidson RJ. Impact of short- and long-term mindfulness meditation training on amygdala reactivity to emotional stimuli. Neuroimage. 2018;181:301-313. [link]

What’s the Happiest Age?

What’s the happiest age?

Sounds like an impossible question to answer…

…which is why researchers pooled data from long-term studies of close to half a million people (460,000+) to find out.

This type of research is called a meta-analysis, and it’s the most reliable way to answer tough questions that get different answers from different individual studies.

They found that happiness & life satisfaction:

↘️ Declined from ages 9-16 (it’s tough being a teen!)

↗️ Then increased until age 70 (that’s encouraging!)

↘️ Declined again after that (possibly related to overall health)

Happiness is a vague concept that can seem elusive, but the good news is that you don’t have to follow trends!

Happiness is related to so many other aspects of health that everything you do to feel better could also have a side effect of happiness.

Like…

🥦 Eating vegetables.

🚶 Going for walks.

💧 Drinking water.

✍️ Journaling.

🧘 Meditating.

❤️ And doing things you love.

What are you doing today for your happiness?

Reference

Buecker, S., Luhmann, M., Haehner, P., Bühler, J. L., Dapp, L. C., Luciano, E. C., & Orth, U. The development of subjective well-being across the lifespan: A meta-analytic review of longitudinal studies. Psychological Bulletin. 2023; 149(7-8):418–446. [link]

5 Simple & Healthy Lunches

Back to school? Back to work? Time to brainstorm some simple and healthy lunches you can pack up and go! 

I’ll go first…

🍌 Nut butter & fruit wrap

Mix and match your favorite nut butter with apples, strawberries, or bananas, some chopped nuts or granola, and a sprinkling of cinnamon.

🥕 Hummus & veggie wrap

Use wheat or gluten-free wraps with hummus and an array of chopped veggies. Add in some shredded cheese or chopped chicken for a protein boost. 

🥣 Chicken salad & crackers

Chicken salad is pretty versatile and can be paired with crackers, pita bread, a wrap, or just eaten on its own. 

🥚 Hard-boiled eggs & Quinoa salad

Both of these can be made ahead (even on the weekend) and stay fresh in the fridge for as many grab-n-go lunches as you need. 

🥬 Ham & lettuce wraps

For those who are not a fan of sandwiches or unnecessary bread, wrap up some deli ham or turkey slices with cheese and your favorite spread in a lettuce wrap. 

Pair any of these with some fresh fruits and veggies (maybe a square of chocolate?), and you’ll have the energy to power through the afternoon. 

What other sack lunches do you love?