The Well

We've all been there. You’re watching your favorite sporting event on TV when a Gatorade commercial comes on touting the all-powerful electrolyte! You’re told you need to replenish electrolytes in order to push yourself further and get the most out of your workouts. But what is an electrolyte and how exactly does it help you? Electrolytes: The Brass Tacks Put simply, electrolytes are salts. When salts are dissolved in fluid, they tend to break apart into their component ions. This breakdown creates an electrically-conductive solution. Any fluid that conducts electricity is known as an electrolyte solution - salt ions in...

Photo by: Vegan Liftz When it comes to health, we often hear a lot of talk about how good antioxidants are for us. While this may seem like common knowledge, what is not so common is exactly why antioxidants are good for us. What do they do, and how can we get the most out of understanding them? Though it may seem complicated, understanding exactly what antioxidants do for our bodies is actually quite simple. First Thing’s First: Oxidative Stress Oxidative stress refers to the fact that oxygen is technically bad for us. Luckily, our bodies have produced a way...

We all know that disposable water bottles lead to more waste in our landfills, and all that plastic can hurt our environment. It can take up to 450 years for a plastic water bottle to degrade naturally in a landfill. To give you a little perspective, the US alone consumed around 50 billion disposable water bottles... last YEAR. On average, we Americans only recycle around 23 percent of our plastic waste, meaning around 38 billion water bottles went straight into landfills. That's a lot of waste.            Aside from the environmental impact disposable plastic water bottles pose, they can also inflict...

Something we probably all wish we did more, but seldom remember to make time for, is being mindful. Life can get hectic and, before you know it, time passes in a flash. To be mindful means to be conscious and aware of one’s thoughts, feelings, motivations, and body. Some describe it as taking a moment to go off of autopilot and self-reflecting. Numerous benefits come from being mindful, including reduced stress, better memory, improved focus, and less emotional reactivity. With our busy schedules, it can seem difficult to force ourselves to stop and breath. But doing so is easier than...