What can a museum do for you?

15 Friday Sep 2017

Posted by ConnieSellecca in Intelligence for Your Life

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art gallery, art museum, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, cortisol, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, museum, paintings, reduce stress, relax, relaxing, sculpture, stress, stress free, stress hormone, University in Milan

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Sure, it can expose you to fine art – but it can also slash your stress by 60%! That’s according to I-U-L-M University in Milan. The researchers measured people’s levels of the stress hormone cortisol, before and after they visited a museum. And they found that just spending a few minutes admiring a painting or sculpture dramatically reduced stress. Their cortisol dropped 60%! That’s because art fills us with positive emotions, which lower levels of inflammatory proteins, reducing stress.

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Have the SMALL popcorn when you go to the movies!

30 Wednesday Aug 2017

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blueberries, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, cortisol, fatty foods, Freddy Krueger, horror movie, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, kale, movies, scary movie, small popcorn, stress eating, stress hormone, thriller movie

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If your favorite movie genre is horror or thrillers – get the SMALL popcorn. Because research from Cornell University says movie-goers are more likely to munch while watching scary movies. Why? Blame the stress from the edge-of-your-seat action! It increases the stress hormone cortisol, which prompts us to eat more in case we need energy to run from Freddy Krueger! Cortisol also makes us crave fatty and salty foods – not kale and blueberries. So if you’re going to watch horror movies – get the small popcorn. Cornell’s experts say small portions can be just as satisfying, both physically and psychologically, as servings with 7-times as many calories.

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To feel more energized in the morning:

11 Friday Aug 2017

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Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, cortisol, cortisol production, energized, feeling energized, focused, get more sleep, have more energy, having more energy, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, morning energy, sleep better, wake up feeling energized, wear earplugs, wear earplugs to bed

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Go to bed wearing earplugs! A joint study between British and Swedish researchers found that people who feel foggy and slowed-up in the morning probably aren’t producing enough cortisol – a natural brain-energizer that wakes us up, and heightens our alertness. But wearing earplugs to bed blocks low levels of overnight noise – like nearby traffic, or a barking dog… And research shows that when the quality of our sleep improves, our brain churns out more cortisol in the morning – giving us more focus and energy.

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Feeling tense?

24 Monday Jul 2017

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antioxidants, belly-fat, blueberries, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, cortisol, de-stress, destress, dopamine, feel-good brain chemical, feeling tense, folate, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, lower blood pressure, peaches, potassium, stress hormone, sunflower seeds, tense

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Here are a few foods proven to help you de‑stress:
Starting with Blueberries. They contain antioxidants so powerful, they counteract the production of cortisol, the stress hormone that increases blood sugar levels. And high levels of cortisol are linked to belly fat.
Another anti-stress food: Peaches. The potassium in peaches helps lower blood pressure.
Finally, when you’re stressed, load up on sunflower seeds. They contain high levels of folate, which helps your body produce the feel-good brain chemical dopamine.

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What can 5 to 10 minutes of meditation a day do for you?

17 Monday Jul 2017

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alpha wave, belly-fat, blood pressure, brain waves, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, cortisol, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, lower blood pressure, meditate, meditation, psoriasis, stress hormone, theta wave

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A lot… in not a lot of time.
For example: It increases alpha and theta brain wave activity – which leaves you in a state of relaxed wakefulness.
Twice-daily meditation sessions have also been proven to lower blood pressure naturally.
Plus, meditation can help reduce symptoms of psoriasis – by controlling the output of the stress hormone, cortisol.
And that reduction in cortisol means daily meditation makes us less likely to retain belly fat, too.

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Feeling a bit anxious & stressed?

06 Thursday Jul 2017

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anxiety, anxious, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, cortisol, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, stand up, stress, stretch, take a walk

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Have you ever noticed that the longer you sit, the more anxious you feel?
Well, there’s a scientific reason for that: It’s because sitting for 2 hours or more makes the stress hormone cortisol build up in our system – without any way to be released. That’s according to the journal BioMed Central Public Health. To combat that rising stress, all you have to do is rise, yourself! Stand up, stretch, take a short walk. That’ll significantly reduce cortisol production and your feelings of stress.

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Allergies, allergies, allergies!

27 Friday Jan 2017

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allergic, allergies, allergy, attention span, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, cortisol, eucalyptus, focus, grass, houseplant, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, memory, memory test, score, stress, stress hormone, stress-reliever, trees, wax plant, wheeze, wheezing

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We know that being out in nature is a major stress reliever. Studies show that breathing in the scent of fresh greenery lowers levels of the stress hormone cortisol by 12%. And that allows us to think more clearly. But what if you have allergies – and inhaling the scent of trees and grass makes you a wheezing, watery-eyed mess? Get fragrant houseplants – like a eucalyptus or wax plant. Research from the University of Michigan found that inhaling those scents improves attention span and focus – and even raises people’s scores on language and memory tests. An added bonus? Those plants also purify indoor air from allergens.

Wait before having your first cup of coffee…

14 Monday Nov 2016

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90 minutes, brain, caffeine, coffee, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, cortisol, energy boost, energy levels, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, morning coffee, Steven Miller, stress, stress hormones, stress levels, wake up

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No matter what time you wake up – wait 90 minutes – THEN have coffee. Psychologist Steven Miller is from BrainFacts.org – and he says when you wake up, your stress hormones will start rising. So drinking coffee right out of the gate is a waste of good caffeine. Because we’re already on a natural cortisol upswing, so you won’t feel the energy boost. But after 90 minutes, those stress hormones will start leveling off. That’s when a dose of caffeine will pay off, raising your energy levels back up again. So remember, wake up time – plus 90 minutes – equals coffee.

Misplacing your smartphone could be stress-related.

01 Tuesday Nov 2016

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brain, chronic stress, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, cortisol, hormone, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, long-term memory, lost, memory, misplace, remember, short term memory, smartphone, stress

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That’s because chronic stress floods the area of the brain responsible for short-term memory with the hormone cortisol. Figuring out and dealing with the root cause of your stress is the best way to get your memory back. In the meantime, experts suggest writing down what you need to remember. Because when we write things down, it enters our memory two ways – so we’re more likely to store the information.

Stress is contagious!

10 Friday Jun 2016

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Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, contagious, cortisol, couples, fight-or-flight response, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, stress, stress hormone, stressed, stressed out, stressful

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Studies show just seeing someone who’s freaking out can flood your body with the stress hormone, cortisol. And if your partner’s the one who’s stressed out, you’re 25% more likely to be affected than a stranger would be. The response is a holdover from our ancient ancestors…… Because if one person flipped out when a lion charged the village, everyone experienced the same fight-or-flight response, so the group could instantly go into defensive mode. Today, our reaction remains the same, but the “danger” is more likely to be a crashed computer.

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Tag Archives: cortisol

What can a museum do for you?

Have the SMALL popcorn when you go to the movies!

To feel more energized in the morning:

Feeling tense?

What can 5 to 10 minutes of meditation a day do for you?

Feeling a bit anxious & stressed?

Allergies, allergies, allergies!

Wait before having your first cup of coffee…

Misplacing your smartphone could be stress-related.

Stress is contagious!