Dr. Henry Emmons joined Kare 11 News to discuss four key strategies to reduce stress. Watch the video below for the fourth strategy. Read more at Kare 11 >>>

If you're struggling to find the time to schedule in play or fitness, consider blending the two. Find friends to join you for a workout!

Learn why HIIT is foundational for supporting calm, joy, and focus and how to implement the practice.>>>

Dr. Henry Emmons joined Kare 11 News to discuss four key strategies to reduce stress. Watch the video below for the third strategy. Read more at Kare 11 >>>

Ready for part 4? Learn how to transform your relationship with stress through play.>>>

Dr. Henry Emmons joined Kare 11 News to discuss four key strategies to reduce stress. Watch the video below for the second strategy. Read more at Kare 11 >>>

Ready for Part 3? Learn more about transforming your relationship with stress by resting.>>>

Henry joined Kare 11 News to discuss four key strategies to reduce stress. Watch the video below for the first strategy. Read more at Kare 11 >>>

Ready for Part 2? Learn how to transform your relationship with stress by moving more.>>>

Last month's theme encouraged you to add more activity to your day with attention to more rhythmic and diverse movements. This month, you'll activate your system in ways that may seem more subtle, but are just as enlivening and nourishing. 

The focus this month is to awaken your senses in ways that can help you feel more energized and connected. 

Wake Up Your Senses

Three strategies to focus on:

Smell & Aromatherapy

Why: Inhaling aromatherapy scents can stimulate or soothe your system and provide a way to come alive in new and different ways. 

Specific action: Take just one minute daily to focus on smelling something that you enjoy. Give your full attention to the smell and notice how your system responds. 

Not sure what to smell? Try sniffing an aromatherapy product (find some here), a flower, fruit, or another natural element.

Touch & Sensory Experience

Why: It's easy to get consumed by all the things happening around you. Those...

Stuck in an exercise rut? Want to boost your mood?

If your answer is an exhausted "Yes" to both of those questions, then read on for five simple strategies you can integrate into your day or week to build an exercise habit and support your mood.

Note: Don't feel pressure to integrate all of the strategies at once. Start with one the first week, then add another the next week or when you feel confident. Continue adding strategies until all five are part of your typical day/week.

1. Move More

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend a weekly minimum activity of:

• At least 2.5 hours of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week OR 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity per week.
• Two days per week (minimum) of muscle-strengthening activity.  

Unfortunately, only 1 in 5 adults meets these standards. This may be partly because these "rules" can feel overwhelming. The important thing to remember is that the point is to move more. Any movement...

By Henry Emmons, MD

In an earlier post, Dr. Culbert discussed more about motivation and apathy and some very practical ways to deal with these concerns. In this article, I want to offer you some ways you can apply a mindfulness perspective to help you when you just can’t get yourself going. 

First, a confession: I’m not always very motivated. But, neither are you…or anyone else! The reality is that motivation is a transient state. Sometimes you have it, and sometimes you don’t. That’s an invitation to stop seeing yourself as bad, broken, or lacking when you feel unmotivated or apathetic. You are human, and like everything else that you desire, motivation is impermanent.

It’s also helpful to know that motivation exists on a spectrum. You have varying degrees of motivation that are constantly in flux from one moment to the next, from one day to the next. On the days that motivation is low, try to remember that yesterday, a month ago,...

By Tim Culbert, MD

Do you struggle with low energy, decreased physical activity, or feeling like you just don’t want to do much, even though you have things you should do? Understanding your motivation and the role of apathy can help you tailor strategies to help you get back to feeling and moving more like you. Let’s dive in...

The Flow of Motivation

Motivation waxes and wanes naturally for all sorts of reasons. Those fluctuations are normally no big deal. Humans are complex and life is complicated, so lots of things can cause temporary decreases in excitement, energy, and the ability to get things done. Stressful events; a bad night’s sleep; or even subtle seasonal changes in activity, light exposure, and lifestyle habits can reduce motivation in ways that may just require a day or week of patience and recovery.

But, what if motivation remains MIA for too long? When does a lack of motivation or productivity become worrisome or represent something that needs to...

By Henry Emmons, MD

It makes sense that if you remain active you are likely to experience less physical and mental decline. But what if you’ve been a bit reluctant about exercise throughout your life and now you think it’s too late. Is there still hope for you?  

Like most everything else in the body, the heart stiffens with age: it gets smaller, less pliable, and less efficient at filling and dispersing blood to the body. However, a recent study showed that exercise, even if you start later in life, can actually make your heart “younger.” The researchers divided a group of sedentary people between ages 45-64 into two groups. One group did non-aerobic exercise like yoga, stretching, and weight training. The other group did moderate to high-intensity aerobic activity 4 days or more per week. After 2 years, the second group showed dramatic improvements in heart function and overall health. It was as if they got younger.

That’s good news, but...

Last month's theme aimed at simplifying your obligations and space so that you can give more time and space toward healthy habits that nourish your body, mind, and heart. This month, you can take inspiration from nature and begin growing some new, healthy habits. 

The focus this month is to incorporate more movement in your day that you enjoy and that nourishes your body, mind, and heart. With this in mind, the intention this month is: 

Get Active

Here are three strategies to focus on:

Get Rhythmic

• Why: Rhythmic movements like dance, qigong, drumming, running, swimming, and cycling can help you reduce stress and rebalance your nervous system. 
• Specific action: Choose one of the Resilient Movement Plans and incorporate a rhythmic activity into your plan. 

Mix It Up

• Why: If you're bored with your exercise routine, then you're less likely to stick with it. Alternatively, if you aren't exercising because you "don't like to," then you likely haven't...