Staying healthy is more important than ever before as we try to slow the spread of COVID-19. We all know that eating healthy food and exercising is conducive to that goal, but did you know that meditation is, as well?

Research shows that meditation is beneficial for both physical and mental health, and may reduce blood pressure, pain, anxiety, depression and insomnia, as well as symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome and ulcerative colitis.

We live in a world of technological marvels that would have astounded our ancestors. It’s pretty amazing when you think about. We have access to more information on our phones that the ancients of Alexandria had in their entire library. Videos, news, sports and more are just a click away. We’re connected to our world in more ways than we ever thought possible. 

There aren’t many advantages to a long commute to and from work. It’s the price you pay for living in the country and working in the city. Sure, you may be able to catch up on some podcasts and use your vehicle as a mobile office to some extent, but it doesn’t make the rush hour traffic any more entertaining. A long commute does have one advantage, however. That long trek enables you to shift gears from work to home and from home to work every day. That type of separation can be a key step to helping your work life balance.

The electric hand buzzer, the camera that shoots water when you go in for that special ‘close-up’ or convincing your kids it’s really Sunday when the calendar says Thursday: these are just a few of the tools available to you on the world’s most mischievous day of the year.

If you’re trying to eat healthy, you know that you need to eat more vegetables— but what kind? They’re not all created equal, after all. For some variety in your diet, why not try root vegetables? No, we don’t mean tree roots. Root vegetables include such family staples as carrots, potatoes, yams, and beets, but it doesn’t stop there. There’s a whole cornucopia of flavors grown beneath the ground:

When it comes to making positive changes in our lives, we’re often more likely to come up with reasons they can’t be done, rather than how to make them happen. But many times the only thing that's stopping us is ourselves. Try small changes and give them a chance. You might be surprised how easy they can insinuate themselves into your life and make things better.

There are some great traditions on Thanksgiving, like turkey and dressing, the Dallas Cowboys and the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade to name just a few. Along with these traditions, Thanksgiving is a day for giving thanks. It says so right in the name. We give thanks for all the blessings we’ve received during the years. We’re grateful to be warm and dry and to have great people to share those blessings with.

You probably remember that kid back in school with the weird haircut and the big glasses. You probably also remember they always seemed to have a book in their hand. They were the eggheads or the bookworms, reading everything from Herman Melville’s classic Moby Dick to Stephen Hawking’s A Brief History of Time. When other kids were learning to read they were reading to learn.

Remember your first date with your current partner? Maybe it was a great experience that makes you wistfully smile when you think back on it. Maybe it was an epic disaster straight out of a sitcom. However it worked out, it was interesting and fun (or at least memorable enough for a second try.) With that in mind, how long has it been since you had that sort of excitement? If you’re like many of us, you can probably think of a long list of work projects that are more recent than your last date. If we’re going to keep our lives balanced, it’s important to remember the excitement of that first date and try to recapture it once in a while. And what better way than a date night? 

We're all aware of the tendency to overindulge our stomachs during the holidays, but what about the rest of the year, and especially now that we are quarantined? Is there something more we could be doing with our normal diet given our current circumstances?

Being home all day, whether it’s newly homeschooling or teleworking, who has time to cook? The good news is there are plenty of quick tricks you can adapt in the kitchen to have a healthy dinner ready in no time!

We’ve all heard the expression about all work and no play making us a dull boy or girl. Sure, work is important, but it shouldn’t be the only thing we have going on in our lives. Like everything, there should be a comfortable equilibrium, and that’s what we’re going to talk about in our upcoming series on work-life balance.

The first part of the series is a fun topic— vacation! Everyone needs to get away now and again. Chances are you’ll remember those two weeks in Cancun a lot longer than you’ll recall the latest work project team you were on. Of course, if you are going to ‘go on holiday’ as the Brits say, you’ll want to start planning. While spontaneity is great sometimes, the general rule is that the more you plan something the more smoothly it will go. In other words, book your vacation NOW.

Winter is coming to an end. There’s a hint of a warm breeze and wait! Is that a crocus poking through the winter grass? Spring is finally here.  

You may be tempted to go full tilt at the first hint of a nice day, particularly if you’ve been cooped up all winter, but like a car engine your body needs to warm up first. 

Do you read ingredient labels? Polydimethylsiloxane, Propylene glycol, Azodicarbonamide, etc. The list goes on and on. You’re not sure exactly what they are, but it’s a pretty safe bet some of them shouldn't be part of a healthy diet. 

If you’re like many people who want to avoid eating things they can’t pronounce, here are 4 tips to help you live and eat better:

"As we struggle with shopping lists and invitations, compounded by December's bad weather, it is good to be reminded that there are people in our lives who are worth this aggravation, and people to whom we are worth the same."   

                      ~ Donald E. Westlake

Ah, the holiday season. There’s a nip in the air. There are colors everywhere, from the sparkling lights in the windows of picturesque houses to the gaudy inflatable Santa your neighbor insists on putting on his front lawn every year. There is a sense of merriment and goodwill in the air as we spend time with friends and family and do our best to forgive the person who just took the last parking space at the mall.

You may be excited about coming in and getting some quality work done in the office, but that doesn’t mean your back is. Sure, you’ll cut through those sales spreadsheets and the monthly expense reports like a hot knife slicing through warm butter, but your back…?

Well, it will have to face the brutal gauntlet of your office chair and the angle of your desk, and that’s just for starters. Needless to say, the day probably won’t be a picnic for your wrists, neck and feet either. Fortunately, with a few simple ergonomic tricks, a productive day in the office doesn’t have to be a painful one.