Health and Wellness
Understanding Autism in Children
Autism affects the way a person communicates and interacts with others. It does not affect all people equally, rather there are varying degrees of severity.
How Taking a Break from Alcohol Benefits Your Health
Alcohol negatively affects physical and mental health in many ways, especially if consumed in excess, routinely or habitually. The reverse is also true, however – sobriety or cutting alcohol out of a lifestyle can have significant, positive effects on overall health and wellness.
The Link Between Stress and Nutrition
The link between stress and nutrition is bi-directional, meaning they both affect each other. Stress can affect our eating habits, especially the chances of unhealthy choices or overeating. Additionally, poor nutrition and diet choices can exacerbate or increase levels of stress.
How Gen Z Uses Karaoke as Exercise
Karaoke fits the bill when it comes to many of the preferences Gen Z has for exercise. Karaoke can be a great group workout or exercise, it is a social and communal activity, and it can easily be done at home, at work or in social settings.
3 Elevated Grilled Cheese Recipes
Grilled cheese sandwiches have long held a cherished spot in the hearts and stomachs of many, not just kids. In fact, according to a 2019 YouGov survey, grilled cheese reigns as the most popular sandwich among Americans.
Pizza-inspired Grilled Cheese
In this recipe, melty fresh mozzarella alongside your favorite pasta sauce and Italian herbs come together for pizza flavors without the effort. In general, mozzarella is lower in sodium and calories than other cheeses, making it a heart healthier option.
Fig and Pear Grilled Cheese
This recipe puts a sense of class into a grilled cheese. The bitterness of the Brie cheese is perfectly accompanied by the fig jam. If you don’t have fig jam, any other type of jam will provide a hint of sweetness to cut the bitterness.
Buffalo Grilled Cheese
This recipe has that kick of buffalo everyone loves – the tang from the vinegar and the kick of heat from cayenne. Both the avocado and jack cheese adds a creamy component that literally makes this a melt-in-your-mouth meal.
Foods That Help with Stress Relief
What you eat can have a significant effect on your stress levels and risk of chronic stress. Proper nutrition is an important element to handling stress and anxiety. Learn more about foods that can help manage stress and anxiety.
3 Spring-inspired Mocktail Recipes
April is Alcohol Awareness Month, which sheds light on the role of alcoholic beverages in our lives. Alcohol is a central component of social gatherings, celebrations and moments of relaxation. As spring arrives, and the opportunities for celebration increase, consider trying one of these refreshing mocktail options.
Ginger Lemon Mocktail
Ginger and lemon are ideal flavor combinations for a refreshing beverage. In this balanced mocktail, citrus provides a refreshing acid profile, honey balances it with sweetness while the ginger adds a hint of spice.
Grapefruit and Thyme Refresher
This refreshing mocktail recipe is citrusy with light hints of woodsy and savory elements from the thyme. The grapefruit’s bitterness mocks the taste of alcohol, while its tartness is balanced with honey.
Easy Ways to Reduce Exposure to Microplastics
Microplastics are a concern to the environment and for human health. Americans on average consume between 75,000 and 120,000 microplastic particles a year. Read on for some suggestions on how to reduce your microplastic exposures through some lifestyle and consumption changes.
Why Indoor Plants Are Good for Your Mental Health
Ready to lower your blood pressure and feel more relaxed? Indoor plants might be a worthy investment. Let’s look at how they can make you feel better – and why.
Is Coloring a Good Way for Adults to Relieve Stress?
Coloring has been found to be a therapeutic or meditative activity for many and can have multifold benefits, especially for adults with high levels of stress or anxiety.
What Are the Basics of Safe Sleep for Infants?
The primary dangers related to sleep for infants, and risk factors for sleep-related infant deaths, involve the positioning of the child while sleeping, the materials and environment the child sleeps in, temperature, respiratory inhibitors and choking hazards. There are a few basic standards or rules to go by when setting up a safe sleep environment for your baby.
What Are Exercise Snacks?
Exercise snacks are short periods of intense workouts, usually only two to minutes. The idea behind energy snacking is to have a few of these brief, intense workouts interspersed throughout your day.
How Caffeine Impacts Your Body
From morning coffee to snacking on chocolate bars or grabbing an energy drink, caffeine is a big part of people’s daily diet in the United States.
When Should I Eat My Biggest Meal of the Day?
What you eat certainly is directly tied to your health and wellness, but so is the time of day you eat. This is true especially when it comes to timing the largest meal of your day. How food affects your body can depend on the time of day it’s digested.
How Seasonal Changes, Even in the Spring, Affect My Anxiety
I’ve noticed something about my anxiety over the years – that almost every year it feels like my anxiety heightens around mid-March/early-April. Each year, it comes as a surprise to me. Learn more about springtime seasonal mood changes.
Find Your Fit: What You Need to Know About Rucking, from a Michigan Resident Who Fell in Love with it
Osceola County resident Donnie Dwyer gravitated toward rucking for its low-impact, resistance-based nature. More than just a sneaky good workout, rucking's communal element has been a boon to Dwyer's social life.
Why Walking Isn’t Enough Exercise to Stay Fit While Aging
Adults 65 and older need at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week, such as walking, but also at least two sessions of strength training a week. Besides moderate exercise and strength training, balance training and exercises are also recommended routinely for older adults.
Is Biological Age Real?
Yes, biological age is real, but understanding the term and what is meant in comparison to chronological age is important. It's impossible to stop or slow time; as the years go by, you chronologically age.
5 Ways Alcohol Can Affect Your Health and Fitness Progress
The use and overuse of alcohol limits and inhibits your overall level of health and fitness. Alcohol suppresses many of your body’s main functions to different extents and can affect your ability to recover from illness and injury.
Seven Eye-Opening Ways to Save Your Vision
It’s easy to take good vision for granted – until it’s no longer there. Bad lifestyle habits can jeopardize good vision and negatively impact quality of life.
5 Common Household Poisons to Avoid
Someone in the U.S. is exposed to poison every 15 seconds, according to statistics from the National Capital Poison Center. In 2021, more than two million people called Poison Control for help. Children are the most at risk for poisoning, especially those six years and under.
Brain-Sharpening Exercises and Activities
Just like our bodies, our brains change as we age. But there are exercises and activities that can slow or even prevent some of that decline.
What Color Noise is Best for Sleep
There is not one color of noise that has proven best for sleep. Rather, each color of noise has unique qualities and affects different listeners in various ways. To better understand how color noises can help you with sleep or other activities, it’s best to understand how color noises got their names.
Does Running Destroy Your Knees?
For a long time, there has been sentiment among runners and doctors that long-distance running, especially long-term and regular running, would predispose runners to arthritis or joint issues as they age. However, there's evidencethat challenges this long-held belief.
How Daylight Saving Time Can Affect Your Body
It might seem as simple as updating a few clocks in your home, but Daylight Saving Time can take a toll on some people’s overall health.
How to Stay Healthy During Spring Break
Make the most of the wonderful weather by getting your body up and moving. Springtime outdoor workouts can reinvigorate you after a long cold winter. Make sure you are staying healthy and moving this spring.
How To Adjust Baby Sleep Hours for Daylight Savings
It will likely be easier to go through the time change with your baby if you take some steps ahead of time to prepare you both for Daylight Savings Time. These methods work to both “Spring Forward” and “Fall Back” for Daylight Savings Time if you adjust the sleep schedule in the right way each time.
The Real Scoop on Colonoscopies
It’s one of those topics people avoid talking about. But the fact is, colonoscopies save lives and it's important to debunk these four common misconceptions surrounding them.
What I’m Doing Instead of Drinking This St. Patrick’s Day
Mental health advocate and contributing writer Monica Drake shares why she decided not to drink this St. Patrick's Day — and her plans to celebrate the Irish holiday without the alcohol.
Do You Have a Healthy Heart?
NASM Master Trainer Angela Moore writes about the importance of knowing key numbers for heart health. She writes: "I encourage you to take it one day at a time, one step at a time, and know that every effort you make to become healthier increases your chance of living a healthier and happier life for many years to come. Here’s to a healthier heart and a healthier YOU!"
Self-Checks to Do at Home
Breast self-exams, temperature checks and even measuring heart rate are all things that can be indicators of how healthy a person is.
Find Your Fit: WERQ Dance Fitness is for Everybody and ‘Every Body’
Fitness instructor Monica Sanders is one of the pioneers of WERQ, a nationally-known style of cardio-based group exercise that originated in the Midwest.
How Healthy Are Hot Tubs?
A good soak in a hot tub can make you feel better, but how healthy are they?
How Sleep Syncing Can Give You a Better Night’s Rest
Have you heard of sleep syncing? This TikTok trend could lead you down a path toward better sleep. Here are the bullet points.
Nordic Walking Provides a Full-Body Workout
Nordic walking incorporates hand-held poles that propel you forward. This surprisingly tough workout gets your back, chest, core, shoulders and arms engaged.
Michigan Mom with Rare Heart Disease Credits Her Baby with Saving Her Life
West Michigan mom Amanda Banic, 35, almost died from a rare, genetic disease that caused her heart to tear apart – and she credits her baby with saving her life.
4 Reasons Valentine’s Day is Good for Your Heart
Chocolate, wine and a trip around the dance floor are hallmarks of Valentine’s Day. But they can also be good for your heart.
How Dancing Can Help Your Heart Health
If having a heart-healthy lifestyle is on your goals list for this year, dancing can help.
5 Ways to Get Moving with Meditation
Who says meditation has to be solitary, still and boring? Get active in your practice with these five moves. Meditation takes many forms, and these five can be a boon for your physical and mental health.
Why Walking Your Dog is Healthy for You, Too
Did you know dog owners are 34% more likely to fit 150 minutes of walking into a week than non-dog owners? The benefits only begin there.
What’s the Let-Down Effect? Here’s How I Dealt With It
Mental health advocate and contributor Monica Drake shares her experience with the let-down effect after planning and celebrating her wedding, and how she dealt with the feelings of listlessness after the big day.
Find Your Fit: What is the 12-3-30 Workout?
Even the biggest cardio detractors might find some fun in the 12-3-30 routine. This 30-minute aerobic challenge took the workout world by storm in 2023.
Why Tanning Beds Don’t Help with Seasonal Depression
Thinking about popping into a tanning bed to ward off the winter blues? Not so fast.
Melting Away Winter Health Myths
Not everything you hear about how the winter affects your health is true. As the dead of winter approaches, it's important to be as informed as possible.
Winter Workout Safety
Adding snow and ice to a workout routine presents additional challenges and health risks. Before you step outside, keep these health and safety tips in mind.
Ways to Combat Winter Restlessness
Did you know emotions associated with the “winter blues” can affect 10% to 20% of people this time of year? These tips can help you combat those emotions.
Benefits of Owning a Dog
Most dogs are naturally happy and even excited to see their owners. They wag their tails, lean against their owner, stick close for a head scratch or a friendly greeting. It’s a welcome-home reaction that’s pretty hard to beat. It speaks to the bond most people have with their pets, and this relationship has lots of perks for the owners, too. Four-legged friends bring their owners both mental and physical benefits as part of their relationships.
Winterize Your Home for a Healthy Season Indoors
As you cozy up at home during the long winter months, take these simple precautions to keep the flu bug and other illnesses at bay.
Shovel Snow Safely: 12 Tips
You shouldn't dive right into snow shoveling without first taking your health into consideration, especially if you have preexisting conditions. These tips should help.
What is the Goldilocks Rule for Social Media Use?
Many of us can afford to shave down the amount of time we spend on social media. It's also a useful professional tool, and can be a boon to our social lives in small doses. Balance is key.
How Washing Your Face Can Help Your Brain
Cleansing your face each day has bigger benefits than just healthy-looking skin.
New "Find Your Fit” Series Will Spotlight Fun, New Workouts Every Month
Discovering a new workout can spark motivation when the gym routine gets stale. In 2024, A Healthier Michigan's "Find Your Fit" workout series will feature fun, unique and trending exercises that you can try at your pace.
The Calming Effect of Decluttering
Here are six tips on tackling clutter and organizing. If you’re dealing with items inherited from parents and items your grown children have left behind, these pointers are especially helpful.
Get Outside in Nature This Winter: Why It’s Good for Your Mental Health
Just because it’s winter doesn’t mean you should stay cooped up inside. A little outside time can lead to big health benefits.
Improve Your Walking or Running Form in 3 Steps
Simple tweaks to your running or walking form can help you go farther while preserving the condition of your back, joints and other body parts.
Should I Cold Plunge Before or After a Workout?
Cold plunges can be a complementary recovery method to vigorous exercise. But exactly when should you take the plunge? Here's what the research suggests.
Decluttering for the New Year
Clutter doesn't always refer to physical items. If your house and your life feel a little messy, it’s time to declutter for the New Year. Here are some tips.
Why Decluttering Makes Your Brain Happy and How to Start
Is your space running out of...space? Before you buy more organizational products, consider going the opposite direction and getting rid of some of the clutter. That can be easier said than done, so here are some tips.
What is a Disney Rash?
What is a Disney Rash? It looks like a rash, but it’s really not.
How I Am Managing the Holidays While Grieving
Contributor and mental health advocate Monica Drake writes about how she is managing the holiday season while grieving a recent loss in her family.
Benefits of Walking Backwards
It may sound a bit silly, but walking backwards is a great way to incorporate varied movement into your workout. When done safely, it's an exercise that works muscles you don't normally work.
Are New Year’s Resolutions Bad?
Integrative health expert, keynote speaker, radio personality, business owner and NASM Master Trainer Angela T. Moore talks about the pros and cons of New Year's resolutions. Are they bad? The answer might surprise you.
3 Tips to Ease Travel Anxiety
If stress has become an uninvited guest on your vacations or work trips, you may have travel anxiety.
Detroit-Area Entrepreneurs in the Non-Alcoholic Industry Offer Dry January Steps for Success
Trying Dry January? The month-long challenge can be mentally trying. Some of the people at the forefront of Detroit’s "sober curious" movement have some advice.
Healthy New Year: Take Baby Steps to Improve Your Health
This year, trade your big New Year's resolutions for small goals that will make you healthier.
Social Media Can Put a Damper on Your Holiday Spirit
If scrolling and swiping makes you feel less than festive, don’t let social media put a damper on your holiday celebrations.
5 Meditations to Try
Ready to add a little more zen to your life? Try these 5 kinds of meditations.
How I Learned to Manage Impulsive and Intrusive Thoughts
Mental health advocate and contributor Monica Drake shares how she learned the difference between impulsive and intrusive thoughts -- and how they affect her mental health.
Overcoming Post-Vacation Blues
If getting back from a trip gives you the blues, here’s how to overcome post-vacation depression.
Advice for Coping with Holiday Blues
Contributor Monica Drake shares what you can do if the holidays aren’t feeling so joyful right now.
‘Alcohol is Not Your Friend:’ BCBSM Medical Director of Behavioral Health Digs into His Passion for Advocating Against Alcohol Abuse
Dr. William T. Beecroft has advocated against alcohol abuse for much of his 40-plus-year health care career. Here, he reflects and shares some candid thoughts.
Health Benefits of Wallyball
Looking for fun activities this winter? Stop your search at wallyball. Similar to volleyball, this fast-paced indoor sport has plenty of health benefits to offer.
3 Ways to Avoid Overeating During the Holidays
Holidays can mean overeating to the point of stretchy pants and undoing some waistband buttons. But they don’t have to.
8 Ways to Stop Holiday Stress Before It Starts
The holidays are as stressful as they are joyous. When it comes to shopping, traveling, decorating and family time, here are ways to mitigate the stress.
5 Everyday Ways to Live Healthier with Diabetes
Having diabetes doesn’t mean you can’t make choices for a healthier lifestyle.
Foods to Avoid with a UTI
Can the foods you eat make urinary tract infections worse?
Health Benefits of Using a Sauna
Superheated environments like saunas have physical and mental health benefits.
Detroit Native Builds ‘Slow AF Run Club’ Community to Bust Stereotypes
Detroit native Martinus Evans started running at 300 pounds 10 years ago, and has gone on to run eight marathons and founded a 25,000-member online running community called the “Slow AF Run Club.” The community is inclusive, and empowers people to run “in the body they have right now.”
Parents: The Flu Shot Is For You, Too
The more members of your family who receive the flu shot, the greater the effect the vaccine has on your household. Here's how you protecting yourself can actually help protect others.
How Change – Even Good Change – Affects My Anxiety
Contributor and mental health advocate Monica Drake writes about one of the biggest triggers for her anxiety -- change -- as she prepared to get married.
Best Workouts to Manage Stress
If you’re feeling stressed, you’re not alone. Here is how tweaking your exercise schedule can help you manage those feelings.
How Your Gut Health Affects Your Mental Health
How does your brain keep connected to your gut, and what does it mean for your mental health?
What I Learned By Shifting to a Different Mirror
integrative health expert, keynote speaker, radio personality, and business owner. She's a NASM Master Trainer, PAngela T. Moore explains the different types of workouts available and how you can decide which one is best for you.
Exercises for Joint Health
Want to keep moving well as you age? Remember to exercise your joints.
Fighting Breast Cancer With Food
Healthy eating cannot completely prevent every kind of disease and illness. However, a balanced diet featuring these five foods can help fight against breast cancer.
What are the Seven Principles of Mindfulness?
Taking time to clear your mind of thoughts, judgments and opinions can help to reduce feelings of stress and anxiety. This practice is known as mindfulness.
The Benefits of Starting Your Child’s Yoga Practice
While it’s often thought of as an adult wellness activity, kids can realize the same health benefits by discovering their inner “yogi.” Why not start them early?
What is Intuitive Eating?
When you eat intuitively, you listen to your body. You trust it to let you know when you are full and satisfied. You also reject the new fad diet of the month. Here are the benefits and risks.
How Does Alcohol Affect My Sleep?
Booze before bed may seem like an OK way to help you doze off quickly. But the tradeoff is usually fragmented sleep, wakefulness and a very groggy day after.
This Suicide Prevention Month, I Remember.
Contributor and mental health advocate Monica Drake writes about what Suicide Prevention Month means to her and why.
Preventing Falls at Home: Ways to Reduce the Risk for Seniors
Understanding why seniors are at risk of falling can help individuals, caregivers, friends and families prevent them from happening in the first place.
The Flu Shot: Still Your Best Bet
It’s easy to assume that if you didn’t get the flu shot last year and didn’t get sick, there’s no need to get one this year. But that's one of a few common misconceptions surrounding the flu shot. We address those here.
How I Stay Healthy in College
School is back and so is the juggling act that comes with life on campus for college students. BCBSM'S 2023 corporate communications interns recently shared their diet, exercise and self-care regimens.
Introducing Our New Look on A Healthier Michigan
Welcome to A Healthier Michigan! We’ve got a fresh new look and new design features that are ready to help everyone in Michigan get healthier – from the inside out.
Top 5 Red Flags in Friendships
Recognizing and addressing the red flags in a friendship can be crucial to your mental and physical well-being. Start an open dialogue with your friend if you encounter these five red flags.