Now more than ever, we all want to be healthy. However, for a non-expert looking to share wellness tips, the term “health” can be pretty ambiguous. From physical health to mental health, heart health, brain health, healthy eating, healthy living, and healthy remedies, there is so much encompassed under the term that is so essential to our lives. So how do we make sense of it? For starters, we can keep an open mind and welcome the advice gleaned from articles such as the ones to follow. You don’t need to be a doctor, a gym rat, a personal trainer, or a person with a fast metabolism to be healthy. Health looks different for everyone and thanks to the internet, it is now easier than ever to access health and wellness guidance.

WELLNESS AROUND THE WEB

So let’s consider this week’s Wellness Wednesday a health flight, but instead of small samplings of beverages, we’ve got a sampling of unique links from around the web that give advice on everything from skin care to processed foods to being lucky. Now let’s start sipping.

On Natural Health and Healing

When it comes to health and wellness, I am constantly looking up the healthiest, most organic and earth friendly products and brands. Natural medicine does not always mean using honey to treat a cough and drinking tea to alleviate a headache. In Alan Jay Levinovitz’s “Natural and Unnatural,” the author looks at how natural remedies offer answers that modern medicine can’t, despite being “metaphysically inconsistent and unscientific.” 

“Most ancient medical systems see the well-ordered human body as a microcosm of a larger, harmoniously ordered whole,” Levinovitz writes. “The balance of yin and yang that makes human health possible mirrors the natural cosmic balance that governs the health of nations and the natural world. Suffering is always a result of departing from the natural order of things. It can be avoided by realigning oneself with an order that’s at once physical and metaphysical.”

 

Winter Skin Care

The bitter cold weekend may be behind us, but there’s still a few months of winter ahead. Dry skin is induced by the combination of cold air, low humidity and dry indoor heat. Take care of the largest organ in your body with Healthline’s 11 tips to prevent dry skin. One of the most important things that I learned this winter is that yes, you need sunscreen even when it’s cold out. It’s easy to forget that harmful UV rays still shine in January, which is why it’s important in the winter to remember your SPF.

To Eat or Not to Eat: Processed Foods

These days, the term “processed foods” sounds like something we should avoid at all costs. In many cases, this is true. However, according to writer David Levine, some processed foods are “perfectly healthy and belong in any well-balanced diet.” Check out Levine’s article, which discusses everything you need to know about processed foods. Included are ingredients to avoid — such as maltose, brown sugar and corn syrup — and minimally processed foods such as cut vegetables and roasted nuts.

Accomplish Your Fitness Goals

The next sample on our flight is, of course, fitness. Did you make a new year’s fitness resolution? Or are you simply looking to get more active in 2021? Check out this article from Today.com, which lists five of the most common health goals and the best workouts that help accomplish those goals. Whether you’re interested in getting more sleep, toning your muscles, building endurance or strengthening your core, there’s a workout idea for everyone.

Financial Health (Yes, That’s a Thing)

Health and wellness don’t always need to come from the inside. Outside circumstances have a hefty impact on both our mental and physical health, and the ongoing global pandemic has brought unexpected financial pressures to many of us. Whether you are struggling or satisfied, I recommend you to take a look at writer Cathy Cassata’s eight tips to improving your financial wellness during difficult times. Included in this helpful article are the three components of financial wellness: financial literacy, financial behavior and internal emotions towards money.

Make Your Own Luck

What if someone told you that you can make your own luck? No, not in Harvey Dent’s fashion. It’s all positive, and all in your head. Check out the “serendipity mindset,” described here by Christian Busch.

“You might think of serendipity as passive luck that just happens to you, when actually it’s an active process of spotting and connecting the dots,” Busch writes. “It is about seeing bridges where others see gaps, and then taking initiative and action(s) to create smart luck. Serendipity is a guiding force in great scientific discoveries but it’s also present in our everyday lives, in the smallest of moments as well as the greatest life-changing events.”

Should You “Double Mask”?

One of the many things viewers noticed while watching President Biden’s Inauguration last week was that many politicians wore two masks — one on top of another. For more information on whether or not wearing multiple masks is effective, check out what experts are saying on the matter here. For advice from Dr. Anthony Fauci himself, check out this article.

 ***

GOOD READS & WATCHES

On this week’s edition of good reads and watches, we’ve got a lineup of things you’ve probably never heard in the same sentence: cartilage, licorice and clownfish.

Re-Growth Research — A laboratory study from Stanford School of Medicine has discovered a way to regenerate cartilage, which eases movement between bones. This is a revolutionary development for those who are battling arthritis.

Good News for Twizzlers Fans — Licorice may be known as the beloved stringy candy, but in its pure form, it also provides a variety of health benefits. More interestingly, one can consume this form of licorice as a tea or powder.

Finding Nemo IRL — Check out this fascinating video of the life cycle of a clownfish. It’s like the live action version of “Finding Nemo.” Disney, don’t get any ideas.

***

EVENT TODAY: Living With Dementia During COVID-19 

If you or a loved one is struggling with this dementia-related illnesses during these difficult times, check out Edgewood Retirement Community’s free, online presentation, Living With Dementia During COVID-19. Michael Skrajner, director of research and innovation at the Hearthstone Institute, will share techniques that friends, family members and caregivers can use to help people living with dementia navigate the challenges of COVID-19. This virtual event will take place TODAY, Wed., Jan. 27, from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. Click here to register.