By: Duke Lifestyle & Weight Management Team Pilates, a form of exercise and body conditioning that focuses more on muscle tone than building muscle mass, is a great way to strengthen your core. Pilates specifically focuses on isolating and relaxing muscle groups, strengthening them with control and breath. Get the benefits of a Pilates session without any complicated gear with ...
By Duke Integrative Medicine Psychotherapy Team We can easily let go of our healthy routines and boundaries when dealing with crises. During a crisis, we may let go of important practices that cultivate the four pillars of a stable mood: nutrition, connection, movement, and rest. During highly stressful times, it's important to do what we can to maintain and bolster ...
By the Duke Health & Well-Being Programs Team Mindfulness is an ability that can be practiced at any point in our day, either in stillness or in movement. Sitting still to meditate can be challenging for many of us, especially with long days of commuting and sitting at work. Though generally performed with the primary purpose of getting from one ...
By the Duke Integrative Medicine Programs Team
As we go about the activities of our day, it is often the case that we may not notice the tension in our muscles and the feelings in our bodies. With increased awareness, we can both notice and choose to relax those muscles that tend to hold habitual tension and stress.
According to the American Council on Exercise, foam rolling is a self-myofascial release technique (SMR), which is a type of therapy used to eliminate general fascia restrictions. It is commonly used as a warm-up for mobility and/or a cool-down for recovery, although it should not fully replace stretching. Research studies indicate that, when foam rolling precedes static stretching, individuals ...
The Duke Diet and Fitness Center will now be called the Duke Lifestyle and Weight Management Center. The center’s director explains why the new name more accurately represents his team’s holistic approach to health. Darla Olson has lost 80 pounds in one year. She’s traded breakfast biscuits for fruit and yogurt parfaits. She’s walked five miles daily. And she’s embarked ...
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 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; ...
Studies in sports and exercise have shown that music can improve performance in several areas. For instance, during repetitive exercise such as running, music can narrow a person’s attention away from sensations of fatigue. In other instances, it can be a stimulant before a competition or have a calming effect on anxious athletes. Music can often be an untapped source ...
By Jocelyn Weiss, PhD, MPH Winter is not just a time of hibernation for bears, but us humans as well. The colder temperatures have a way of keeping us inside, decreasing our energy levels, bringing down our mood, and making us less likely to do those activities and forms of self-care that are supportive of our health and ...
