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| | | | | | | My First Rock Climbing Trip Taught Me How to Gear Up | The place? Sedona. The task? My first outdoor rock climb. While I had dabbled in indoor gym climbing at children's birthday parties in my youth, I had never scaled any sort of outdoor boulder before. The sweat poured down my face and my heart pounded in my chest as I tilted my head back and looked up, up, up to see what I had signed up for.
On this particular trip, I was testing out new gear from outdoor outfitter Mountain Hardwear. The first thing I learned was that loose clothing isn't ideal for climbing—a climber never wants baggy, hanging apparel to distract them. I immediately slid into some of the brand's Chockstone tights and a Mountain Stretch tanklette, both of which clung safely to my body as I, well, clung on to a rock for dear life.
I grew up dancing ballet, and was immediately smitten with my Black Diamond climbing shoes, whose sturdy bottoms and hard toes reminded me of my past pointe shoes. Similar to a ballet shoe, I didn't need to wear socks with them, so they were easy to slip right on and off after my climb. I took a deep breath, buckled my sturdy helmet to my head, and put one foot in front of the other, beginning my adventure.
Afterward, I felt proud of myself for facing my fears and trying something new. Now I can say I've climbed some of the most beautiful rocks in America! If you're thinking of jumping into rock climbing yourself, these great products are a perfect place to start. |
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I've always believed that you can train your brain to crave certain foods that make you feel good.  |  | By Stephanie Cornwell, Editorial Assistant | | | I've always believed that you can train your brain to crave certain foods that make you feel good. No matter how disgusting I thought bananas were, I knew they were good for me. So, I started putting them in my morning smoothie, and now I find myself looking forward to them every day. | | | Today's Top Story | | You Might Be Better at Picking Nutritious Foods Than You Think |  | A new study validates the idea that humans have an innate "nutritional wisdom," or the instinct to select foods that meet our micronutrient needs. We've evolved to choose the foods that will sustain us.
You may think, "if I crave what I need, why do I want candy, ice cream, and McDonald's?" Fair. Despite our bodies knowing what they need, cultural, social, and evolutionary influences impact our food choices significantly.
This is the argument Mark Schatzker, co-author of the study, makes in his book The Dorito Effect.
Selecting healthy foods may have been easier for our ancestors. Modern fast-food options and synthetic flavoring in processed foods can trick the brain into linking artificial flavoring with nutrition.
Our ancestors also didn't have access to the amount of food we do now. We evolved with unstable sources of calories, so we instinctively want to gorge ourselves on foods high in fat, sugar, and salt. | | Know More | | You may find your dietary habits change during certain life stages. An example is choosing foods high in iron during pregnancy. | | Feel Better | | Understanding why our brains crave certain foods can help us make better choices. Intuitive eating practices can ensure that we get enough vitamins and minerals from our diet. | | |  | | What You Should Know About Stockpiling Plan B | | With the news that Roe v. Wade may be struck down, there's been talk on social media about the need for an emergency supply of Plan B, birth control, and abortion pills. While it may be wise to have emergency contraception on hand, don't hoard it. You might be limiting access for others. Plus, these pills do have an expiration date. | | | | Can Stress Cause Shingles? | | Shingles is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox. Even after you recover from chickenpox, the varicella-zoster virus lays dormant in the body and can be reactivated at any point if something happens to your immune system. Psychological stress can impact the immune system and may be a trigger that reactivates the virus. The connection between stress and shingles is not definitive, but managing stress and getting the shingles vaccine can help prevent the virus. | | | | | |  |  | | If I were in one of the 28 states that might outlaw abortion, I would at least have some emergency contraception. Abortion medication is harder to get and more expensive. | |  |  | Sophia Yen, MD, MPH
Clinical associate professor at Stanford Medical School
| | | Keep Reading | | | ■ | Psychologists Explain How to Age Gracefully. HuffPost | | | | | ■ | When Does Life Begin? Religions Don't Agree. NPR | | | | | ■ | The One Parenting Decision That Really Matters. The Atlantic | | | | | | | |  |      | You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the Verywell Health newsletter. If you wish to unsubscribe, please click here.
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These 5 exercises have a strong potential to boost your mood, increasing your motivation toward physical—and then mental—strength. | |
