The science is in: Do either, ideally both. — Jessica Gorzelitz is a certified trainer, a weightlifter, and a non-competitive powerlifter, and she’s got some thoughts on whether strength training or aerobic workouts are best for health and longevity. Do both, her new study suggests, settling any debate there might have been. Gorzelitz, an assistant professor of health promotion…

Stress is contagious, and it can infect more than just your mood — When my wife is stressed, whether she wears it on her sleeve or buries it under a flimsy facade, I feel it. It transmits invisibly through the air, like a virus, and sinks into my chest and on down into my bones. Stress is catchy that way. “Your stress can…

A super simple approach to reducing stress and anxiety anytime, anywhere — Something is bugging you. You may or may not know exactly what it is. That’s OK. We all experience underlying, undefined angst now and then. So let’s do something about it, before ongoing anxiety degrades your mental and physical health. Right now. No matter where you are or what you’re…

DNA is altered, dumping too many white blood cells into the body in what appears to be a lasting problem. — Lack of sleep is known to lower your immune defenses and lead to higher risk for all sorts of diseases in the near term and over time. New research offers some insight as to why: Sleep that’s too short or fragmented during the night actually alters the DNA inside stem…

Don’t let your busy schedule, age or other limitations keep you from improving sleep, mood, smarts and overall health — When I write about the health benefits of physical activity, readers often comment about the impediments of busy lives, old age, chronic pain or other limitations. Exercise can indeed be extremely challenging for some people. But physical activity — the term I prefer — can take many forms, all beneficial…

Predictable, habitual healthy behaviors, like consistent bedtimes, are really good for the mind and body — Habitual bedtime and wake time and a penchant for other consistent routines make me a source of annoyance to the night owls and take-it-as-it-comes people in my life, which seem to be almost everyone but me. …

Painkillers and supplements are tempting go-to treatments, despite health risks and sketchy effectiveness — More than 70% of Americans 50 and older say they have joint pain, according to a new survey, and 80% of them believe arthritis and joint pain are a normal part of aging. This perception, while it holds a grain of truth, obscures a rapidly growing reality: More and more…

How long people can live, and live in good health, may surprise you — Queen Elizabeth II, who died at age 96 today, had a long and storied life, reigning as monarch in Britain longer than anyone in history. But the queen, who must’ve had some good genes and was known for living a relatively healthy and productive existence, didn’t live near as long…

Solitude gets a bad rap, but for some of us, it’s dreamy — Psychologists tell us we’re social animals, and therefore solid social connections are vital to mental well-being and happiness, even good physical health. Loneliness is unhealthy, they say. No argument here. There’s a lot of solid science on all this. But what about those of us who really just like being…