SUPERPOWERS
Go Team Unstoppable
The excitement of the crowd. The rush to the concession stands before the game starts. The nerves of the players. A whistle is blown that signifies the start of the game. What’s with all the hype about sports? Why do so many athletes stick with it past high school, college, and beyond? There are so many benefits to playing sports, we’ve listed the biggest ones below. Better Physical Health Playing sports is a great source of regular exercise. From basketball to swimming, you’ll be burning calories and might not even know...
read moreCook The Stress Away
Think about your favorite meal. Perhaps it’s chicken tenders? Pasta? Stir fry? Pizza? There are so many delicious foods out there – and we’ll bet you could make it on your own. Cooking can be a fun and stress-relieving activity. Some benefits of cooking include: Learning an important life skill Promotes healthy eating Can bring you closer to someone – cook with a friend or family member! Allows for creativity – like adding a new spice to food, decorating a dessert, etc. Cooking for others can show that you care – perhaps make your...
read moreTraining Your Focus
We all have a negativity bias that causes us to see what’s wrong faster and more frequently than what is right. This bias operates at the preconscious level. We don’t even know it is happening but we can surely take a quick look at our past and perhaps current experiences to see it rearing its ugly head. We have all had days where everything seemed to go great except for one incident that we can’t stop thinking about. If left to our negativity bias, this one incident can cast such a dark shadow that we no longer even see the positives. These...
read moreSubstance Use and Your Brains Development
At 18 you are told you are now a legal adult and can start making your own important life decisions. Whether it be working full time or going to college, getting your own credit card, or even moving out into your own apartment. These are all big things to do at such a young age, and most of the time you might not know what the long-term impacts they will have on your life are, so it’s important to consider how much your brain is going to continue to change as you get older. Even though you are considered an adult at 18, your brain is still...
read moreDoes The Type Of Music We Listen To Really Affect Our Mood?
Ever hear a song and you are just instantly happy? It’s upbeat, catchy, and puts you in a good mood. But why is that? What is happening in our brains that just brings a smile to our face and puts some pep in our step? Well, first music offers our brains a healthy dose of Dopamine. According to Dr. Mohammed Saeed, MD. “Dopamine is one of the “feel-good” chemicals in our brain. Interacting with the pleasure and reward center of our brain, dopamine — along with other chemicals like serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins — plays a...
read moreTwo Stepping Your Way To Happiness
We all have that one song. That one that comes on and no matter where we are, what we’re doing, we just have to break it down. But besides getting to show off our sweet dance moves, what can dancing really do for our mental health? In one survey of non-professional dancers, mood improvement was their main motivation for dancing, followed by socializing and escapism. A meta-analysis of 23 studies involving over 1,000 subjects suggests that dance movement therapy and the therapeutic use of dance are particularly effective for...
read moreMirror Mirror on the Wall
We’ve heard time and time again, reflection should be an important part of anything we do. Teachers ask up to reflect on a lesson they gave, coaches ask us to reflect on how the practice or game went, we even ask ourselves to think about how a day went that we were nervous about. But have you ever stopped and reflected on reflecting? Did you know there is actually a process you can follow when you reflect that best supports your happiness? Well, there is, and it looks like this. This is a simple guide to the process of...
read moreShopping Our Way To A Greener Planet
We’ve already given you ideas on how you can help the environment in general right now. (Haven’t read it yet? Click here to learn more!) But what about what you can do right here in Bloomington-Normal? Where in town can you go to help this community? You could start by volunteering at the Ecology Action Center. They host volunteer events all across the community, but if you’re ever just walking along Constitution Trail and are annoyed by the trash, stop by the center and sign out a grabber and bucket. Work on two areas of wellness with one...
read moreHealthy Eating Habits
As you get older, what you eat and drink becomes more of your own decision instead of somebody else telling you what to eat. The younger you start getting into healthy eating habits, the more beneficial and easier it will be to continue to eat healthy throughout your life. By being more conscious of what you eat and how it affects your body, you’ll start to notice how your energy levels may be improving. Staying away from processed food, saturated fats, and sugary snacks, you’ll start to notice that you feel more energetic throughout the day....
read morePlaying Video Games Can Positively Impact Your Health
While most people might not believe this, playing video games can actually be beneficial to you (in moderation of course, so try to limit gameplay to an hour at a time). Whether they are physical, mental, social, or emotional benefits, you might start to notice them the more you pay attention during your gameplay. Depending on the type of games you play, you can improve different aspects of your life. For example, if you are playing Just Dance on the WII, there is a greater chance of you moving around more and getting your heart rate up....
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