We’re all supposed to get some, so let’s define the terms and understand the thresholds — Advice on the benefits of physical activity invariably invokes the need to achieve a minimum amount of “moderate or vigorous physical activity” on a daily or weekly basis. The formal thresholds — achieved by only 24% of U.S. adults, by the way — offer outsized rewards: better physical and mental…

If your goals include weight loss, better health or longer life, the latest research offers skeptical food for thought — Intermittent fasting has been widely touted as a healthy way to lose weight and improve health, increase brain and body performance, and extend life — all by creating long windows of time during which you don’t eat. Successful anecdotes abound. Yet while some studies suggest certain people may benefit, the…

New studies add to evidence that we can greatly lower the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia — If you know someone with Alzheimer’s disease or some other form of dementia, the conclusions of a new study suggest yet another reason you’ll want to keep an eye on them: “Older adults living with dementia have twice the risk of falling and three times the risk of incurring serious…

Ephemeral events in nature can boost your mood or improve physical well-being, new research suggests — Sometimes scientific studies merely confirm what we know in our hearts. Case in point: A new study finds that people view sunrises, sunsets, rainbows and other beautiful and fleeting natural phenomena as… drum roll please… substantially more beautiful than standard blue skies. More significantly, such scenes and events pack a…

Good and bad songs for sleeping, according to science — Some people prefer total silence for a good night’s sleep. Others like some white noise. And music is the answer for many. Yet while some experts sing the praises of music as a sleep aid, the science is not yet in total harmony. “Music has a solid evidence base as…

Key ingredients for cooking up a wise, healthy, happy, future you, instead of just getting old — Sean Gates, a friend of mine in his 50s, recently did a 53-mile mountain bike ride. When he mentioned it on social media, someone called him a “seasoned human.” I love the term. It implies everything good about growing older: the well-established-but-not-guaranteed potential for greater wisdom and the strong tendency…

Just a few minutes of walking improves mood, energy level and physical health markers, new research finds — When I’m really busy, I might sit on my butt in front of the computer for hours at a time. But most days I’ll take a good, long exercise break, spending an hour or more running, biking, doing yoga or working out at the gym. Seems like a good balance…

Can we talk about this unnecessary and harmful cloak of silence and end the stigma? — Few human conditions so seriously, surely, and yet unexpectedly affect the health of half the global population as menopause, marked by everything from hot flashes and night sweats to serious internal plumbing problems, poor sleep and notable ongoing health risks. Likewise, few conditions of such seriousness are less talked about…

One of the world’s top procrastination experts, who admits to putting things off now and then, offers a prescription for fixing the root of the problem. — When one of the world’s foremost scientific experts on procrastination admits to putting things off, the rest of us can cut ourselves a little slack when we dawdle and delay and can’t seem to do anything about it. …