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Exercise: Want more efficient muscles? Eat your spinach, says a new study. According to research published in Cell Metabolism, nitrate, a compound found in vegetables and especially in green leaves, helps healthy people consume less oxygen while exercising. This happens because the nitrate in vegetables mixes with friendly bacteria in the mouth and forms nitric oxide, which in turn helps the cardiovascular system by opening up our blood vessels to lower blood pressure. The study says that, in addition to this benefit, the nitrates make mitochondria – the powerhouses of the cell -  more efficient. Interestingly, the researchers say that since the benefits of nitrates depend on friendly bacteria in the mouth, mouthwashes are not good if you want this system to work because they kill good and bad bacteria. Read More…

In the East, physical fitness has a lot to do with the body-mind connection. Legend has it that the origins of martial arts were rooted in Zen Buddhism via the prince-turned-monk Bodhidharma, who traveled from India to China and introduced a form of Buddhism for developing mind and body. The idea was that enlightenment was not a purely spiritual experience – it was a way of life, to be lived in mind and body, “while carrying water and chopping wood.” Train like a monk and incorporate this principle into your own exercise routine, reaping the benefits of an integrated mind, body, and spirit all year long.

Two things to help you: Read More…