oxygenmagAU Sep/Oct 2017 67
6
PLAY, PLAY,
PLAY!
Good news:
goofing off is
good for you!
Studies have
found that adult
play can boost
mental and emo-
tional health,
relieve stress,
boost happiness
and improve
relationships — it
can even boost
creativity and
empathy. “Open
yourself to play
and play will
come,” says Dr
Scott G. Eberle,
vice president
for play studies
at The Strong
National Museum
of Play and editor
of the American
Journal of Play.
Put some music
on the stereo
and dance while
you’re making
dinner. Sing out
loud during your
commute. Take a
cue from kids and
hit up the play-
ground or play
tag — you’re it!
7
MAKE
MEDITATION A
MUST-DO.
The scientific
research is in
and medita-
tion has some
mind-blowing
benefits. It can
reduce stress and
anxiety, boost
immunity, curb
cravings, and
even improve
concentration,
memory and
gamma waves
associated with
heightened
awareness.
Meditation can
take many forms,
from mantra
meditation
(silently repeat-
ing a sound or
phrase) to taking
a yoga class
or, increasingly
popular among
millennials, a
group medita-
tion class. “The
underlying pur-
pose is to train
your awareness,”
says Dr Judson
Brewer, medical
director of the
Yale Therapeutic
Neuroscience
Clinic. And all
you have to do to
reap the rewards
is start practis-
ing. Get started:
download Russell
Simmons’ free
“Meditation
Made Simple”
app.8
SUPER POWDERS
ARE THE NEW
SUPERFOODS.
Want an easier
way to sneak in
more vitamins
and minerals?
Enter superfood
powders, finely
milled yet mighty
ingredients
that add nutri-
tional oomph
to smoothies,
homemade
energy bars and
raw desserts.
Add acai pow-
der for extra
health-promot-
ing antioxidants,
spirulina for
muscle-build-
ing protein and
cocoa powder
for mind-calming
magnesium. As
an added plus,
these powdered
powerhouses
have a much lon-
ger shelf life than,
say, a punnet of
blueberries.9
COUNT YOUR
COLOURS, NOT
YOUR CALORIES.
Eating the
rainbow doesn’t
mean chowing
down on Fruit
Loops. “Real
colours in fruits
and vegetables
can function as
preventative
medicine in our
body,” says Dr
David Heber,
author of What
Colour Is Your
Diet? (William
Morrow, 2002).
Each plant pig-
ment is like a
colour code to
how it helps.
Red-hued foods
(tomatoes,
watermelon,
pink grapefruit)
are loaded with
lycopene, which
may decrease
the risk of cer-
tain cancers.
Purple produce
(red grapes,
blueberries,
red cabbage)
is packed with
anthocyanins,
antioxidants that
can improve
brain function.
Orange-yellow
eats (pumpkin,
carrots, sweet
potato, rock-
melon) contain
carotenoids,
which may be
good for your
heart. Just opt for
bold, bright and
not out of a box.10
STOP
CRUNCHING FOR
A FLAT BELLY.
“Crunches and
sit-ups are 100
per cent over-
rated!” says Kim
Lyons, former
trainer on The
Biggest Loser and
author of Your
Body, Your Life
(Sterling, 2008).
“They promote
bad posture and
tight hip flex-
ors, which most
people already
suffer from.”
The ab-mighty
alternative:
multi-muscle
exercises that
challenge the
entire core, like
side planks, sta-
bility-ball sit-ups,
hanging leg lifts,
medicine-ball
roll-outs and
rotation lunges.
Not only will your
abs be popping,
but you’ll also
burn mega calo-
ries, reduce injury
and build more
strength. }BODY MAKEOVER