Moving your body everyday is essential for staying well and energized. And it’s great for our brains too. Did you know our brain stops producing neurons around age 30?! That’s alarming considering most women in the U.S. will retire around 62! But we don’t have to be shuffling around in bathrobes, mumbling incoherently just yet. Aerobic exercise has been found not only to stop the loss of neurons, but to help build new neural connections to keep that brain sharp!

Obviously, It’s great for our bodies too. Resistance, strength and weight training keeps bones healthy, while deep stretching prevents injury and improves posture.

What’s more, a study by the journal of labor research, found that people who workout get paid more! Yes, you read that correctly. Workers who exercise more are paid an average of 9 percent more than employees who don’t workout. Not that money is everything, but just saying. 

However, an hour-long trip to the gym, complete with commuting time, can kill your day. Especially if you're trying to go a few times a week. But, that doesn't mean you need to skip workouts altogether. If time and space are you nemesis, these quick, yet effective workouts should be your go-to.  Remember to check with your healthcare provider before beginning a new workout or nutrition plan.

 Do each more for 30 seconds and then repeat the whole series four times:

 

Mountain Climbers

• Option 1:

  • High knees

  • Mermaid crunches

  • Mountain climbers

  • Squats

  • Box jumps

 

V sit-ups

• Option 2:

  • Burpees

  • Triceps dips

  • Push-ups

  • V sit-ups

  • Jump lunges

 

Speed Skater

• Option 3:

  • Butt kickers

  • Wall sit

  • Jump squats

  • Plank

  • Speed skater

 

Side Lunges

• Option 4:

  • Jumping jacks

  • Side lunges

  • Push-up rotations

  • Plié squat pulses

  • Crunches 

As much as we love feeling good in our own skin (and let's be real, looking good in our fave swim suit) sometimes, working out is the pits. And no matter how much you amp yourself up, you'd rather just nextflix and chill. Sometimes we need a fitness miracle to snap us out our funk. But if working out felt like going out, we be racing to the treadmill like it was a sale at Lululemon. Here are a few of my fave coaching tips to get you from coach-surfing to curls in no time at all.

Make a killer playlist

Taylor Headphones

We all have that one awesome playlist on our phone, usually saved under GNO. Well, dust it off and put it on full blast! Music has the power to alter our moods. In fact, new research suggests that even sad music can lift our moods and get us motivated. So crank up the tunes!  P.S A great set of headphones, like these uber cool ones above, doesn't hurt either)

Workout with a friend

We've heard this before, but it really works.  Those who start a new workout routine with a partner, are 40% more likely to stick to the routine than those who go it alone.  Friends don't let friends lose muscle mass.  

Find a workout you love

Jump Life NYC

It's true of jobs and workouts, find something you love and it will never be work.  If you hate running, don't do it.  If you're flexible and love yoga, you can find a balanced routine within that.  If strength training gives you a rise, find a local facility that specializes in that.  The best way to find one or two or even three workouts you love, is to try a variety first.  Getting a free pass to a local gym to try classes or even using ClassPass is a great way to test out a variety before committing.

It's been a great week in the world of wellness.  From the US Supreme Court's decision on abortion rights, to a surprising report on corporate wellness, here's our roundup of all things well-being related.  

US Supreme Court Firmly Backs Abortion Rights

A women's right to choose gets backing from the Supreme Court!

The First Wellness-Focused Co-working Space 

Wellness-centric start-ups now have a place to call home in NYC complete with yoga, wellness lounges and more!

Surprise, Surpise: Smoking May Hinder Breast Cancer Treatment

A recent study finds that smoking may inhibit some breast cancer treatments.  One more reason to quit.  

WSJ Reports: Companies Are Over Corporate Wellness Programs! 

Flu shots, health coaching and other perks declined over the past year, human-resources study finds. 

More Veggie, Less Meat Could Reduce Risk of Type 2 Diabetes 

Not surprisingly, a plate full of colorful veggies has far-reaching health benefits, including reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes.  So load up that plate!  

How You Fight With Your Spouse May Effect Different Body Parts

Over 15 years of research correlates couples' fighting styles to particular ailments.  

 

By Resha AlTai

It’s that time of year again! The trees are beginning to bloom, birds are singing outside windows, and parkas are finally shed. With all this physical renewal, it can be easy to forget that our minds also need freshening up. Allow your heart and mind to flourish with these four incredible reads for Spring:

1) Gut: The Inside Story of Our Body’s Most Underrated Organ by Giulia Enders This quick, informative read delves deeply into the workings of our digestive system, including its effects on our mental well-being. The language is totally accessible to those of us with a basic understanding of anatomy and physiology and makes wonderful use of illustrations (drawn by the author’s sister) to complement her explanations.

2) The Places That Scare You by Pema Chödrön In our current age of anxiety, Chödrön is both a refreshing and challenging voice — she encourages us to see problems as spiritual opportunities. Instead of trying to run from discomfort, she advocates staying put and learning about ourselves. This a wonderful read for those of us who are facing uncertain or difficult times and looking for a little spiritual boost!

3) The Faraway Nearby by Rebecca Solnit It starts off with a basket of apricots sitting on the authors floor and morphs into an allegory. The gift of apricots that Solnit’s estranged mother gives her starts to decay, much in the the same way as her mother’s mind (she is suffering from Alzheimer’s) is doing. Through the observing of the apricots, she makes sense of her mother and her relationship with her. Solnit reminds us of the importance of empathy in our lives in this brilliant work of non-fiction.

4) Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation by Sharon Salzburg While this work is technically a 28-day program, it can totally be used as a reference guide for your existing or burgeoning meditation practice. Don’t let the self-help sounding title scare you away from this book, Salzburg shares incredible insights best illustrated by this quote:

"Real happiness depends on what we do with our attention. When we train our attention through meditation, we connect to ourselves, to our own true experience, and then we connect to others. The simple act of being completely attentive and present to another person is an act of love, and it fosters unshakeable well-being. It is happiness that isn't bound to a particular situation, happiness that can withstand change.”

Happy reading! 

Who doesn't love to travel?  But it can be such a challenge to stay healthy while we do.  Business travel is forecast to hit an all time high and it’s one of the biggest ways that healthy professionals lives’ get sidetracked. We reach for convenient foods, stay out late, and drink more than we probably should.  Additionally, when you’re out of your routine it can be harder to hit the gym, find healthy spots to eat, and avoid the temptations that work dinners pose. 

Even when it comes to vacations, it can be hard to stay on track.  Holidays are often synonymous with overeating, drinking too much and an absence of workouts. So what's a busy gal/guy to do?

This well wanderlust has spent a lot of time in the air (and on busses, trains, rental cars) and have perfected my routine.  Now there's no need to arrive feeling and looking anything less than stellar.  K?

 

Pro tips:

•Airports have come a long way in the last few years in terms of healthy options, but they still have a long way to go.  Try and prepare as much as you can ahead of time by bringing your own food and snacks and make sure you hydrate more than usual.  My go to?  A gluten free wrap with hummus and hormone-free turkey and lettuce, or vegetable quinoa.  

•Moisturize your skin in-flight so you don’t arrive dried out and inclined to a breakout.  I've even been known to do a full on face mask in-flight.  But no need to be ridiculous.  You can simply use a hydrating mist, or your regular lotion.  

•Bring detox tea in-flight.  Nothing is worse than landing with cankles or with hands so swollen you can hardly type.  Choose a tea that has dandelion root, which acts as natural diuretic. 

•Clean your area: Airplanes are a breeding ground for germs and you don’t have time to get sick.  Wipe down the arm rests, screens, remotes and tray tables. 

• Bring a portable workout: Hotels are getting more healthy (Thank you, Even for paving the way!) but in case you’re tight for time and there is no gym, bring a jump rope, or simply do some HIIT in your room.  

•Map out healthy places to eat: A fellow health coach and marketer once told me that he mapped out the healthy restaurants and groceries stores near his hotel on every business trip.  It’s super smart and it keeps you from making poor decisions when you’re hangry. 

•Get a massage on arrival.  If you’ve been flying for a while, massage can be a great way to reduce aches and pains as well as anxiety.

•Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!  Drink water before, during and after your flight to keep your body hydrated.  Flights can be extremely dehydrating and that can worsen jet lag.  

•Take digestive enzymes.  Flights can slow your digestion.  Keep things moving by taking digestive enzymes during your flight.  

•Limit the booze.  Alcohol at high altitudes impacts your body even more than at sea level.  Keep alcohol to a minimum (avoid it all together if you can) to keep your body detoxing at it's optimal levels.  

How do you stay well while you travel?  Share your tips in the comments below.