Friendship for a Healthy Heart– Just another reason dedicating time to friends and being social is so important. “Plenty of other studies have linked a lack of social interaction to heart problems. The Swedish Survey of Living Conditions, which surveyed more than 17,000 people, found that those with the fewest social contacts were at a 50 percent higher risk for dying of cardiovascular disease. And once someone has a heart problem, friends improve her chances of survival.”

Writing Your Way to Happiness– Part of the reason I started writing this blog was the need for an outlet. I found writing out my thoughts was very therapeutic and helped me focus what I was thinking about. I like how this research shows one can ultimately change their thoughts or behavior by writing. I feel like this may be a good challenge for myself for the new year, seeing if I can alter some thoughts by writing about them objectively. “The concept is based on the idea that we all have a personal narrative that shapes our view of the world and ourselves. But sometimes our inner voice doesn’t get it completely right. Some researchers believe that by writing and then editing our own stories, we can change our perceptions of ourselves and identify obstacles that stand in the way of better health.”

 Your Diet and Exercise Plan is Not Working: Here’s Why– This is a quick read and it is more about how in order to really succeed at any diet or exercise plan you need to be mentally checked in as well. This is a goal for myself personally as I move into the New Year. How do I talk to myself better in order to make sure I am feeling everything I work so hard for. “A clear mind and a strong heart will do much more for your health and life than any perfect diet or workout”.

Your’e Thinking About Fitness All Wrong I just really like what the author here has to say. “So what should be the purpose of exercise? According to Young, exercise is striving toward wholeness and a fuller life. Fitness is a quest for character, virtue, beauty and pleasure. The point of intelligent exercise is full embodiment of that, a commitment to working out the body and the mind together.”

Partners In Health– “Obnoxious couple’s classes and duo-based workouts be damned, new research shows that twosomes who work out together are more likely to achieve their fitness goals than those who try to get healthy alone.”

–  Photo From Huff Post