By Carol Krucoff, C-IAYT, E-RYT If you think you're an expert in breathing just because you've been doing it all your life, take this test: Put one hand on your chest and the other hand on your belly. Close your eyes and take several full, deep breaths, paying close attention to the movement of breath in your body. When you inhale ...

By: Jocelyn Weiss. When we fail to reach our goals, a lack of willpower often takes the blame. There are many definitions of willpower. At its simplest, willpower involves the ability to put off what we want at the moment for the sake of what we want in the future. In recent years, however, psychologists and researchers have doubted the role ...

By Hailey Nicholson, Duke University Hospital Dietetic Intern with the supervision of the Duke Diet & Fitness Center Nutrition Team. There is no doubt that the keto diet, which is a high fat, moderate protein, very low carbohydrate diet, has recently become one of the most popular weight loss methods in the United States. Many people achieve great success, but ...

By Kathy Murray - LCSW - Clinical Social Worker - Duke Diet & Fitness Center.  When the holidays end and the New Year arrives, many people are ready and eager to make positive life changes. That desire for change is often channeled into making New Year’s resolutions. But if you want to see big life results, perhaps you should start ...

By: Riitta H Rutanen Whaley, Mindfulness Instructor, Yoga Teacher The current global COVID-19 pandemic has led to a holiday season, unlike anything most of us have experienced before. We may be grieving the death of a loved one, have been sick or limited in our movement, seen our children miss their friends and school, or lost some or all of ...

By Elizabeth Bechard, BA, RYT Disclosure: The original version of this article was published in 2017 and edited and adapted for the 2020 holiday season. It’s December, and although this holiday season is nothing like we have experienced before, many of us still want to show our love and appreciation with gifts. Here are seven ideas for more mindful, sustainable, and ...

By: Duke Diet & Fitness Center Nutrition Team Cooking meals at home is an important component of a healthy eating plan. But making healthy meals that actually taste good can be time-consuming and overwhelming— especially for cooks who don’t know a whisk from a spatula! But there’s good news for home cooks. Kitchen gadgets can help! Learn more about multi-cookers (like ...

By Jocelyn Weiss, Ph.D., MPH, NBC-HWC I know… it feels a little weird to imagine a “Best of” list for 2020. It has been a doozy of a year and there is no getting around that. COVID-19 has taken a toll on our physical, mental, and social well-being. That all said, we have also found new ways to connect, care for ...

By Ashley Rinehart, Student of North Carolina Central University’s Dietetics Program and Intern at Duke Diet & Fitness Center with the supervision of the Duke Diet & Fitness Center Nutrition Team. What’s an “Ancient” Grain? The Whole Grains Council loosely defines ancient grains as “grains that are largely unchanged over the last several hundred years.”   Ancient grains recently gained popularity in the ...

By Sadie Engelken, Duke Diet & Fitness Intern from Carroll University, and the Duke Lifestyle and Weight Management Center Nutrition Team. The immune system is the body's protection system. The body recognizes and defends against bacteria, viruses, and foreign and/or harmful substances to prevent or limit infection or disease. Regular exercise is an effective way to keep the immune system strong; ...