Why Los Angeles’ Fast Food Ban Did Nothing To Check Obesity– This is the first I had personally heard about this test in LA with the city banning opening’s of new fast food restaurants in southern LA in hopes of curbing obesity. Personally I love the goal of wanting to help with what is being called an “epidemic.” however it feels like maybe not the most thought out approach. “Surveys of diet and obesity show no changes that can be attributed to the new fast-food restrictions. Fast-food consumption and obesity rates continued to increase in all areas of LA from 2007 to 2011-2012, and the increase was greatest in the areas affected by the fast-food restrictions.”

An Upbeat Emotion That’s Surprisingly Good for You– I am all about how mood and feeling affect our well being. I believe positive thoughts will make people healthier. So when I saw this article I was excited to read it. Who knew the emotion “Awe” would have the biggest impact. “A new study singles out one surprising emotion as a potent medicine: awe. And happily, awe seems to be much easier to come by than many might expect, even for the busy and stressed-out.”

Germanwings Crash Raises Questions About Shifting Ideas of Pilot Fitness–  On CNN this has been a huge topic of discussion this last week. Is there more of an opportunity for airlines to regulate pilots well being prior to flying? This article has some good food for thought. “The programs currently used by airlines and regulators on either side of the Atlantic, aviation experts and psychiatrists said, leave much to be desired. Screening exams are given on a yearly basis and often merely nod to mental health issues, including only a few questions about depression or other illnesses. The exams are often conducted by general practitioners with no psychiatric expertise. In addition, most programs are based on an honor system, relying on pilots to volunteer information about problems they might have.”

Starbucks Introduces Delivery, Mobile Ordering– One of my favorite parts of getting my morning coffee is the routine of walking to the place, standing inline, and seeing all of the people around me. I love the smell, experience, and just getting out in the fresh air. In a society where time seems to dictate all, we are now becoming a society that seems to no longer have time to walk down the block to grab a drink. It will be interesting to see how consumers utilize this new program. “It is mind-boggling to me how many of our customers want Starbucks delivered, even when there is a Starbucks in the lobby of their building,” CEO Howard Schultz told BuzzFeed News in an interview. “I think it’s going to be wildly successful; we’ve figured out how to do it, and it is going to create jobs, no question.”

Keurig for X’: Pods Invade the Kitchen– “Companies are attempting to replicate Keurig’s astounding success by conveniently delivering habit-forming substances at the push of a button. There’s Synek, the Keurig for craft beer, and Somabar, the Keurig for cocktails. Flatev is the Keurig of tortillas; Genie is the Keurig of couscous; the One Shot is the Keurig of miso soup; and if its designers are ever able to bring it to market, Cookiwill be the Keurig of home-cooked meals.”

Photo from Huff Post

The Power of ‘Good Enough’– I like this article because it makes you think about how sometimes we strive for wanting it all, we want perfect. However that may not always happen. Can we be ok with just good enough? “If you ever aren’t sure if you attended the very best party or bought the very best computer, just settle for “good enough.” People who do this are called “satisficers,” and they’re consistently happier, he’s found, than are “maximizers,” people who feel that they must choose the very best possible option.”

Is Technology Spoiling Your Workout-I have never stopped to think about how my workout’s and fitness routine keep my constantly plugged into technology. I listen to music from my phone, have an app that tracks my miles, I wear my fitbit daily, and keep track of what I eat. This article talks about how the author did the daring, unplugged her workouts. “is a double-edged sword. For some people, technology is the exact reason to get off the couch and for others it’s what makes them too competitive.”

What Yoga Taught Me About the Balanced Life– This article is opinion based, but I really enjoyed reading it. Balance is a word I use often when describing my ideal self and it was nice to read another perspective. These were my two favorite quotes from the article.”Balance is not about symmetry, but about perspective, how we see.” “Balance is not so much striking or holding the pose, but flowing with the movements that affect your pose. The more quickly you can respond and make those adjustments – that’s balance. Balance comes from adapting quickly.”

Probiotics 101: Literally Everything You Need to Know– Probitoics has become a new buzz word. However do most of us really know what probiotics are and why we need them in our body? Well this article does a great job of laying out what probiotics is and why bacteria in our gut is good. “Probiotics have been shown to have numerous health benefits. They may reduce depression and anxiety, improve heart health and enhance immune function, to name a few.”

7 Reasons This Is The Ultimate Dinner Hack–  I personally have had yet to try the new website plated, but started to hear friends talking about it. So when I saw this article I thought it was worth a read and passing along to others. What is plated? It is a delivery service that brings healthy ingredients and recipes so you can cook meals at home, fast, easy, and convenient.

Photo from Huff Post

Learning to Like Spicier Food– I have always found it fascinating the differences we all have in our tastes. For instance I hate cilantro, but I know many people out there who love it. Spicy food is along the same line, for some the burn is not that bad or very enjoyable. Others it feels like they may die from it. This article is interesting as it touches on why some people can tolerate spice and others cant. It also gives ways to improve your tolerance. “Researchers noted a positive correlation between the levels of testosterone in a subject and the amount of hot sauce he chose to apply to his potatoes: Those with higher levels drizzled on more of the spicy condiment. Those men also shared tendencies towards social dominance, aggression, and risk-taking behaviors, the researchers found.”

What is Siphon Coffee, and How is it Made? One of the perks of living in the Bay Area is you get immersed in new food and alcohol trends. Not only new trends, but really good ones. Right now coffee is really big in San Francisco and I for one am 100% on board with it. Most of the artisan coffee houses in the city offer siphon coffee. I have yet to try it, but since I keep seeing it pop up as a premium choice I thought it would be good to look into what the process of making Siphon coffee is.

Should Athletes Eat Fat or Carbs?– “Exercise scientists long ago established that endurance training makes athletes better able to use fat as a fuel. And that metabolic adaptation prompted many scientists and coaches in recent years to wonder what would happen if you extended that ability to its farthest extreme and trained an athlete’s body to rely almost exclusively on fat, by removing almost all carbohydrates from the diet and ramping up grease intake?”

Processed Food Additives May Alter Gut Bacteria– A short article on  how researchers have looked at a study with mice and have determined a common ingredient called emulsifiers which is found in a lot of processed foods might increase the risk of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and metabolic syndrome. A short read.

The Skinny Carb– With all of the different messages being sent to people on what a healthy diet is, researchers decided to give a group of people one message. Eat more fiber. It is interesting to see the results compared to the group who was watching everything they ate.

Photo from Huff Post

A little late with this weeks articles, that is what working on the weekend in NYC will do for you 🙂 Enjoy!

Real Runners Do Take Walk Breaks– I am a runner and I have to say I have the same mentality as the writer of this article does. If you are not running the whole race can you really say you ran it? However now that I am getting older and starting to feel my body more, it just makes sense to approach races with the run/walk mentality. If you end up running the whole thing awesome, but knowing you can walk will just make it easier to approach. “The walk breakers performed well. Runners in both groups finished the marathon with similar times, and the group that took walking breaks experienced less muscle pain and fatigue after the race than their running-only counterparts.”

The Great American Sleep Recession– For anyone who has kids this is a great article on how much sleep different age groups should have along with talking to the preferred age groups for napping. Are you getting the right amount of sleep every night? “While there is plenty of research confirming all that goes wrong when you don’t get enough sleep, there are also proven steps people can take to help fall asleep and sleep better once they do fall asleep. A new study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine says mindful meditation helps adults fall asleep and stay asleep.”

The Best Thing You Can Do For Yourself — And All The Women Around You– One of my girlfriends sent this article over to me as a must read. For any woman out there who feels like you are not doing enough, this is a great article. I for one am constantly juggling work, friends, family, fitness, and feel like I am never living up to my full potential, but why? Why do we all push ourselves so much? I really like what the author has to say here, good food for thought. “Can we draft a joint resolution to drop the crazy-making expectation that we must all be perfect friends and perfect mothers and perfect workers and perfect lovers with perfect bodies who dedicate ourselves to charity and grow our own organic vegetables, at the same time that we run corporations and stand on our heads while playing the guitar with our feet?”

Eggs Are Back: The Elegant Simplicity of the New Diet Guidelines– Finally! We now have guidelines that just make sense. Just a good article on overall nutrition.  “according to new 2015 federal dietary recommendations, released today—are the time-tested basics: moderation and a focus on fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.”

Photo From Huff Post

Binge-Watching TV: Sign of Depression, Loneliness?- Ok this article is not ground breaking science. It seems pretty common sense. What I did like about it though is how it made me think about the concept of binge. I have always incorporated this word with food. However when I start to think of bingeing more broadly I think back to my time when I was unhealthy and would binge eat, but it didn’t stop there. I would also binge on TV marathons, I remember watching 8 episodes of the first season of Lost back to back one hungover New Years Day in college. I can recall coming home from work my first year in San Francisco and pouring myself a glass of wine. It felt so relaxing and tasted so good. Next thing I knew I had finished the whole bottle on a Monday night. Looking back now at all of the areas I used to binge I have pretty mush ceased this behavior. I now can hardly sit still for an entire movie let alone an entire season of TV. One glass of wine seems to relax me enough without needing more. I still struggle with the food piece, but I am worlds apart from where I was even 9 months ago. What does this all mean? Well for myself I think once I learned how to eat in moderation it started a trickle down affect across every area. Life is all about balance and once you learn how to balance one area it is easy to apply that behavior to more.

Slow Runners Come Out Ahead– “Plodding joggers tended to live longer than those who ran faster. In fact, the people who jogged most often and at the fastest pace — who were, in effect, runners rather than joggers — did not enjoy much benefit in terms of mortality. In fact, their lifespans tended to be about the same as those who did not exercise at all.”

Is Costco Making Us Fat?– It is interesting to think about if being able to get food for cheaper and in bulk is one of the reasons America is becoming more obese.”Only two of the factors ended up being meaningful drivers of obesity: 1) the proliferation of restaurants and 2) the rise of warehouse clubs, like Costco, and super-centers. Both restaurants and super-centers saw a remarkable growth since 1990, and together they explain about half the rise in class II and class III obesity—the worst varieties”

Why Is Popcorn the Default Movie Theater Snack?– If you are like mean when it is dark, cold, or rainy out I love going to see a movie. What I also love is popcorn, which can be a healthier snack option if you are avoiding the extra butter and salt and eating in moderation. This article is not related to health or fitness, but the history of a snack we all know and love. With the rain pouring down outside this felt appropriate for today.

We Know Why You Are Always Late– This article dives into why people tend to be late. The biggest theme is essentially people are not good at estimating the time certain tasks will take. This article does give some helpful tips on trying to curb tardiness.

Photo from Huff Post