Physiological reserve is your body's ability to tolerate and recover from stress, illness, and injury. The concept becomes increasingly important with age. Although many people focus on preventive care, immunizations, avoiding colds and flu, or preventing pneumonia, it is often low physiological reserve that places them at risk for poor outcomes, including death. Treating an illness with antibiotics, for example, addresses only pary of the problem. Even if treatment is successful, the body must…

Fatigue is a result of prolonged mental or physical exertion. It can affect people's performance and impair their mental alertness. This can lead to dangerous errors, accidents, and losses. With long hours, little sleep, and poor nutrition, you can easily experience fatigue. But will you notice it? Lack of sleep is often a major contributor to fatigue, but feeling tired and sleep won't necessarily be a symptom of fatigue. Your body will give you signals - pay attention to them.

It's time to…

According to a recent Colonial Penn Life Insurance study, 20% of workers are spending up to five hours per week thinking about their stressors and worries. Worrying may be the single most costly personal and business problem in existence, yet finding relief from it can feel so elusive. When you worry, your mind becomes stuck in a cycle of stress as it tries to analyze, prevent, or find a solution for some threat in order to prevent its negative effect. When fears are vague and you don't have…

 You can feel like a million bucks and still have a serious health condition called prediabetes. According to the Centers for Disease Control, one out of three adults in the United States has prediabetes. That's 83 million people. Are you one of them? The good news is that you are not diabetic -- yet. You can get a simple blood sugar test to find out whether you have prediabetes. Ask your doctor. If you are over 45, not exercising much, and are overweight, the chances are high that prediabetes…

If you suffer from depression and/or anxiety, you know that symptoms don't park themselves at the front door when you arrive at work. They might affect your mood and productivity, with some days being worse than others. Be sure to develop a strategy for yourself so you can manage the symptoms that are making your day a struggle. Reach out to the Employee Assistance Program for support in developing a plan. You might also try contacting a "health buddy" (someone with whom you can share or can…

Research shows that sitting at a desk most of the day can take a toll on your health. For this reason, some health experts call long-term sitting "the new smoking." Stand-up desks and even expensive treadmill-desks have been introduced to mitigate this health crisis. There may be an easier way to mitigate all the risk: Move when you get the chance. Walk in the morning, walk at lunch, pace while on the phone, do some stretches every 30 minutes, try a few sit-ups, do some lunges, or try…

The benefits of practicing gratitude have real science behind it. This principle recognizes that how we think and condition ourselves to think produces expectations and plays significant role in our self-esteem, perception, decisions, and ability to manage stress. Research supports the benefits of practicing gratitude. In one study, those who wrote about gratitude ten minutes a day were more optimistic and felt better about their lives, exercised more, and had fewer visits to physicians than…

You may have heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Our bodies need sufficient energy to begin the day and you likely won't perform at your best if you skip. What's more concerning though is that a review of key studies focusing on skipping breakfast confirmed something more menacing - increased risk of diabetes. Some research shows an increase in heart disease for those who bypass breakfast. With type 2 diabetes on the increase, it's best to avoid skipping breakfast. Why…

Studies who that stress, life crises, and negative emotional states increase the risk of acute respiratory infections like colds, flu, and similar conditions. Could stress reduction techniques such as mindfulness, meditation, and physical exercise have a preventive effect? The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) decided to find out. Nearly 400 study participants completed a stress management training program, and the results were positive. Participants did experience fewer flu, colds, and…