John Aaron Wellness

Anyone who knows me knows I love my Joe…. err, “cup of joe” that is. In fact, I’m enjoying a cup as I write this post. However, as a wellness professional that little admission of guilt has gotten me a few sneers and looks of condescension. Caffeine is BAD for you, they say! Well, perhaps abusing caffeine may be “bad” for you, but ‘caffeine’ doesn’t necessarily mean ‘coffee.’ Despite this fact, coffee has gotten a bad rep over the years after a few health experts linked it (or rather, linked caffeine abuse) to several diseases. But is coffee actually that bad? Probably not; new research shows that drinking coffee in moderation provides numerous health benefits. Antidepressant It might seem a little odd to find that coffee could help with depression, but new research has shown that it does just that. Now, don’t go throwing out your prescriptions or quit counseling just yet though, coffee is not a cure for depression. Rather, the caffeine in coffee helps regulate your mood trans...

My friends over at ProGrade posted this article which I think is quite good because whether you are a college student, night shift worker or you are a parent with small children you may struggle to get regular sleep yet you want quick weight loss. The sleep recommendation provided by the National Sleep Foundation recommends 8 hours per night. According to the CDC and a National Health Interview Survey shows that 30% of Americans who are 30-64 years of age sleep less than 6 hours per night. There is a prevalence of chronic sleep loss in America and it is troubling because for those looking to lose weight or who are following a healthy weight loss diet plan their attempts may be wasted. Research is showing that long term sleep loss is related to an increase in obesity and diabetes. This research is even showing that partial sleep deprivation can manipulate key hormones that impact weight loss and weight gain. Lack of sleep can also affect insulin sensitivity, your a...

Like most things in medicine, the amount of liquid you should drink seems to be constantly changing. So just how much do you need to drink on a daily basis for optimal health? You're about to find out that the scientific world has determined about your drinking needs. So turn on the tap and get ready to find out how full you should fill your glass. Only a few years ago, the medical community had a nice, one-size-fits-all answer to the liquid question. According to the experts, adults needed about eight glasses of water each day. This equaled out to approximately 64 ounces of water. While this acted as a good goal for most adults, it was a goal that was rarely met due to people simply being too busy to remember to down their daily regimen of water. Today, the old answer is no longer the only answer. Granted, it is still an accepted answer that helps many people remember to keep their lips to a glass of water, but researchers spent plenty of time studying just how much water a pe...