Exercise Sucks! (But It's Still Good for You In Surprising Ways)

Exercising is difficult, no ifs, ands or buts about it. But when it comes down to it, exercising can benefit you in ways you might not have even realized. There are a million reasons why you don’t want to work out but Care2 has 7 reasons that prove that you should.


Starting a new exercise routine can be daunting, and the long-term benefits can often seem too far off to motivate us to give up an extra hour of sleep in favor of hitting the gym. But luckily, there’s plenty of instant gratification to be had when you work out. Need some motivation? Keep reading for seven ways your workout will benefit you immediately.

It’ll boost creativity.

A thirty-minute aerobic workout can increase your creativity for up to two hours post-exercise, according to one study. Want to supercharge the effects? Take that workout outside—spending time in nature boosts the cognitive benefits.

It’ll improve your mood.

Runner’s high is real—and you don’t need to be fast to experience it. In a study of college students jogging at low, medium, and high intensities, all reported feeling better after exercising, regardless of intensity.

It’ll boost your metabolism.

Whether you lift weights or prefer cardio, exercise boosts your metabolism within minutes—and it keeps going even after you’ve finished your workout, helping you burn more calories long after your cool down.

It’ll improve your skin.

It may take a few weeks of exercise before you start seeing improvements to your abs, but the effects on your skin are immediate. Exercise increases your body temperature, boosting blood flow to your skin and giving you that healthy glow.

It’ll help you at work.

Big meeting? Fit a short workout into your morning. One study found that participants who completed 15 minutes of stationary cycling had faster reaction times on working memory tasks, possibly because intense bursts of cardio make make your attentional and memory resources more efficient.

It’ll boost your productivity.

Another way more time at the gym can improve your time at the office? The boost in productivity—one study found that replaced two and half work hours a week with exercise increased employees’ self-rated productivity and decreased sick days.

It’ll lower your blood pressure.

Just one workout can lower your blood pressure for up to 16 hours. And over time, exercise can be just as effective as some medications for lowering blood pressure.

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Mental Health Awareness Month

When you feel worn out and run down you need to change your habits. A few easy lifestyle changes are all that’s needed to improve your mental and physical health. In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, Mashable has compiled 7 simple things you can do to feel better when you’re at your worst.

Here are seven quick ways to improve your overall mental health.

1. Walk outside.

Skip the gym and head for the great outdoors. While exercising in itself is a great boost to your mental health, going for a walk or run outside has even more vital health benefits. Studies show you'll exert more effort, and will have increased signs of "vitality, enthusiasm, pleasure and self-esteem," as compared to staying indoors.

2. Take vitamin B12.

You've always known taking vitamins is important, but do you know about the benefits of B12?

Studies have shown that a severe deficiency of B12 can lead to depression, anxiety, paranoia and more harmful problems. Get your B12 dosage from pill supplements, or by eating foods such as eggs, poultry and dairy products like milk.

3. Write simple goals.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness says setting simple, well-defined goals like, "I will smoke one less cigarette, each day, for the next three weeks," is a great way to actually accomplish something. Set goals for yourself in relation to your mental health (such as, "I will take two minutes each day to focus on breathing"), and be as specific as possible.

Once you've accomplished that goal, reward yourself!

4. Listen to slow, calming music.

Plenty of studies have shown that performing tasks while listening to classical tracks such as Pachelbel's "Canon in D Major" soothes your mind and reduces anxiety. If you're not one for classical music, opt for other tracks that are slow and simple.

5. Use lavender oil.

Put a bit of lavender oil on your pillow. Studies show that the essential oil canimprove your sleep quality and help battle insomnia. If you don't want it on your pillow, try drinking a bit of lavender tea before bed to soak up its healthful benefits.

6. Spend money on someone else.

You know that victorious feeling you get when you find the perfect gift for someone? That's your happiness levels skyrocketing. Studies have shown that people who buy something for someone else feel happier throughout day. And you don't have to break the bank every time -- spending $5 for someone else is perfectly effective.

7. Meditate.

We know this is constantly touted as the mind-clearing fix-all, but it's for good reason. Mindful meditation can increase the brain's emotional regulator, and can help combat depression, anxiety, stress, insomnia and more. Start slowly by meditating for three to five minutes per day in order to get comfortable with silence.

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Apartment Life: 10 Tips to Make It Easier

Have you spoken with your landlord since you moved in? Living in an apartment isn’t always a walk in the park. It could benefit you tremendously if you establish a positive relationship with your landlord. Follow these tips from Lifehacker to get the most out of your apartment living. http://lifehacker.com/top-10-tricks-for-better-apartment-living-1441257482


Apartment hunting can be stressful, and living in an apartment isn't always a picnic either. From noisy neighbors to horrible landlords and tight spaces, things can get dicey. But with the right tricks up your sleeve, living in an apartment can be awesome. Here are ten ways to make that happen.

10. Find the Perfect Pad

The first step to better apartment living is, obviously to find a good apartment to begin with. It takes a little research, but with a bit of patience you should be able to find a nice apartment in the neighborhood you want. Check our five favorite apartment search tools to get started, and be sure to bring this checklist with you toask the most important questions while you hunt.

9. Cultivate a Good Relationship with Your Landlord

When you're looking for an apartment, don't just look at the unit—pay close attention to the landlord too. Avoid future problems by getting everything in writing, documenting the condition of the apartment, and knowing your rights. Hopefully you won't have too many problems, but if something ever does go wrong, make sure you hold your landlord accountable.

8. Save on Rent (and Moving Costs)

Many landlords are willing to negotiate on price, as long as you aren't competing with a bunch of other tenants. Try negotiating on things like pet fees or parking spaces rather than the actual rent cost, which can be tricky. The easiest way to save money on rent, though? Move in the winter, rather than the summer, when there's less competition. In fact, data shows that mornings at the beginning or end of November is the best time to search. Photo remixed from originals by The Noun Project, Maurizio Pedrazzoli, and Bev Sykes.

7. Upgrade It (Temporarily)

One of the major downsides of apartment living is that you can't upgrade a lot of things that are older or not as nice as you'd like. You may not be able to redo the entire kitchen, but you can perform a lot of temporary upgrades (old school or high-tech) that will make things look a little nicer and work a little better. Plus, if you want to put in the work, try talking to your landlord—they might be okay with you making a bigger upgrade, especially it if ends up saving (or making) them money in the long run.

6. Ease Roommate Tension

If you're living with roommates, you have a whole new set of things to deal with. For example, you have to divide up all your expenses, and share a close quarters living space. The former can be easily managed with a service like Splitwise, and almost everything else just means you should have a conversation and set ground rules early on. Of course, if you just get stuck with a horrible roommate, there are ways to "evict" them, too.

5. Deal with Noisy Neighbors

When you live in a house, your neighbors are separated by...well, another house. When you live in an apartment, your neighbors are separated by what always appears to be paper-thin "walls." If your neighbor is prone to loud music, lovemaking, or dance dance revolution binges at 1am, you have options. Obviously you can have a conversation with them, but depending on the circumstances, it may pay to go to the management or send them more subtle messages. Of course, you could just fill out this complaint form and slip it under their door too. And if you don't have any noisy neighbors...make sure you're not the noisy neighbor. Image remixed from YuriArcurs.

4. Avoid the Dreaded Rent Increase

Just because you got a good deal on rent at the beginning doesn't mean you're in the clear. Landlords increase rent all the time, and if you aren't prepared, you'll end up paying more next year than you did this year. Luckily, it may be avoidable. First, make sure it's even legal for them to do so, and see if you can negotiate them down(much like you did with the initial rent). This form letter may help you out, too.

3. Save on Energy Costs

Like upgrading your fixtures, some energy-saving measures are more difficult to pull off in an apartment, but you can still do a lot. For example, you can still install window shades, install a programmable thermostat, use energy efficient light bulbs, and more. In fact, most of our best energy-saving tips should be applicable to apartment living—just make sure you check with your landlord before you start tearing anything apart or sealing up doors and windows.

2. Make It Feel Like Home

You may not be able to repaint your apartment, install new carpet, or make any other permanent changes, you can still customize it and make it feel like home. Use photos and frames creatively to keep the walls from looking too bare, and add a large rug or other floor covering to switch things up. Stick to good design principles and a little can go a long way, at least until it's time to buy your own place.

1. Use Your Space Wisely

You hear it all the time, but the most useful apartment tips we encounter always have to do with saving space. It makes sense, since apartments can be pretty tight fits—especially if you're renting in a big city. You can save a lot of space with cheap household products, though—like command hooks, bed risers, and over-the-door storage racks. Just remember: use your vertical space when you don't have horizontal space, especially where it's easily out of sight.

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Happy Mother's Day Weekend

Happy Mother’s Day to all of the moms out there. Have a beautiful weekend!

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Light Your Way To A Good Night's Sleep

(Image courtesy of Lisa Risager)

Tossing and turning at night is frustrating. There are a number of different reasons that we may not be getting the sleep we need when then sun is down. Reasons such as sleeping with your phone, procrastinating at bedtime or sleeping next to a serial snorer can be enough to ruin a good REM cycle for the night.

If you've tried everything to get your snooze on and nothing's working, the secret may be in the amount of sunlight you're exposed to during the day. Writer, Carrie McBride, from Apartment Therapy examines how moving your work space closer to the window can actually help you fall asleep at night. Keep reading to see what she has to say.

Researchers found a measurable difference in the length nighttime sleep between two sets of office workers: one seated near windows and the other seated far from windows or in windowless rooms. Subjects wore a device on their wrists that measured both daytime light exposure and sleep activity. The lucky workers near the windows were exposed to 173% more light during the workday and slept about 46 more minutes each night than their window-poor counterparts.

The study co-author called light "the most important synchronizing agent for the brain and body" and stressed the health benefits of daytime light exposure. So, if you have a home office, try to situate it near a window. If you can't, at least eat your lunch or take some calls near a window and take a walk in the sun if you can.

If your out-of-home office setting is too dark, try to get your co-workers on board to rearrange the office, change the shades or invest in some full-spectrum artificial light.

Fiat lux!

• Impact of windows and daylight exposure on overall health and sleep quality of office workers: a case-control pilot study. Ivy Cheung et al. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. June 2014 (must be a subscriber to read the full article).
• A good summary: You're Losing Sleep Just by Working in a Windowless Cubicle by Belinda Lanks on Bloomberg Business News.

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Happy Earth Day!

We'd like to wish a Happy Earth Day to everyone out there! Let's all take a moment to appreciate our planet and enjoy nature!

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Make a Bold Decor Move

Photo courtesy Wicker Paradise

We have all seen something on Pinterest that we thought would look so cool, but then said, “I could never do that.” Yes, you can! Aside from things that you may have to ask your landlord for permission for, there are still many things you can do to take risks as you decorate--from furniture, to rugs, to accessories. So here’s that motivation you need to actually put those Pinterest boards to use, courtesy of Apartment Therapy.

1. Decide to do it — This is both the easiest and hardest part. You've thought it through, debated endlessly and now it's time for a simple yes or no. It's liberating! No more, "Gee, I'd really like to have..." or "Someday I'll try a..." That day is today! Don't dawdle, say yes and don't look back.

2. Get inspired — Time for the eye candy. You have a general plan, sure, but browsing some great inspirational images will help you really nail down what you love and what turns your stomach (and with risky decisions, it's usually one or the other). This is also when you'll start to get really excited about your project, which will further cement your decision to do it. Remember: this is fun!

3. Tell everyone — Now that you've made your decision, it's time to share. Telling everyone your plan is an insurance policy that you'll actually follow through. You're accountable, see? Sure, people will have their own opinions (and may decide to share them, unsolicited) but that won't bother you because you're solid in your knowledge that you've made the right decision for you.

4. Baby steps — Don't get overwhelmed and derail your decision. No matter how big or small, breaking down your project into baby steps will help you see a clear, do-able path to the finish line. It may be scary to paint a wall pink, but it's not scary to drive to the paint store — you can do that. It's not scary to grab some paint samples, piece of cake! Now, wash your wall, no problem. Baby steps are everything.

5. Repeat after me: nothing is permanent — There's nothing you can do to your home that you can't undo; it's as simple as that. Don't overthink this. If you don't like it, you'll try something else. Yep, you've spent some time and money to learn what you don't like (a very valuable lesson by the way) and next time you'll do better. The journey to your perfect home is never-ending and that is part of the fun, so don't be afraid to make a mistake once in a while.

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