Can You Lose Weight by Eating Chocolate?

Institute Editorial Team 09/20/2021

Imagine a world where you can lose weight by eating chocolate. It sounds like a fantasy, right? Well, maybe not. Some research indicates that consuming chocolate every day, at specific times, may help our body burn fat and decrease blood sugar levels. Before you file this under “too good to be true,” let’s explore how chocolate may not be the enemy to our waistline after all. How Blood Sugar Affects Your Weight If your doctor has indicated that you are diabetic or even pre-diabetic, you may be paying closer attention to your sugar intake. However, if your annual physical indicates that all is normal, then you may not think about sugar intake as much as you should. The connection between blood sugar, belly fat, and…

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Categories: Self-care, Wellness & Personal Growth

Tags: chocolate, diet, health, weight management, wellness

Institute Editorial Team

woman sitting at desk thinking, stressed, should you return to pre-pandemic job?

Is Your Pre-Pandemic Job Still Right for You?

Is Your Pre-Pandemic Job Still Right for You? The world is slowly returning back to “normal” 一 or as close to normal as things get while continuing to live with the threat of a global pandemic. And this return to “normal” has left many of us wondering: do I want to go back to exactly the way things were pre-pandemic? Here are some things to consider when weighing the pros and cons of staying at your pre-pandemic job. Many are leaving their pre-pandemic jobs As employers call workers back into the office, many people are choosing not to go back to their old jobs at all. Although a record number of open jobs are available in the U.S., hiring has gone way down. And people…

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Gina Messina, Ph.D. 10/18/2021

How to care for yourself while taking care of others

Caregivers, this is for you. Even before the pandemic, more than 16% of the US population was providing unpaid care to an adult 18 years or older, including family members with Alzheimer’s or dementia. Women make up about 75% of those caregivers, and they put in the work while juggling jobs, children, and ongoing domestic-task overload. With COVID back on the rise, caregivers are under additional pressure to care for and protect their loved ones. If you’re a caregiver, the stress may seem relentless, and you may be: having trouble sleeping under/over-eating self-medicating with alcohol or drugs canceling (or not even booking) your own doctors’ appointments That’s because when you’re a caregiver, caring for yourself tends to happen only after everyone else’s needs have been…

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Institute Editorial Team 09/26/2023

woman sitting at table thinking about self-care and work-life balance

4 Self-Care Practices to Disconnect from Work

Why do we need self-care practices to disconnect from work? As we cope with the stress of phase 2 of the pandemic, many women are headed back to the office. Finding a healthy work-life balance seems to be more difficult than ever. Imagine this: You finally leave the office after a long day at work. You’re exhausted, and can’t wait to get home. But in the car, you start thinking about that project you’re working on, or that client, or that meeting tomorrow. You’re filled with worry and self-doubt, and you can’t stop thinking about work the whole way home. You get home and you are still thinking about it. Your body is physically at home with your family, but your mind is still at…

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Gina Messina, Ph.D. 09/06/2021

woman looking up at sky thinking, showing mental performance

Mental performance and you: 10 things you need to know

Our mental performance, how we think, analyze, and perceive the world, influences how we work, tackle challenges, relate to others, manage stress and more. Where we choose to put our focus has a tremendous impact on how we feel and perform in our day-to-day lives. Julie Jones, Mental Performance Coach and Institute instructor, specializes in helping people boost their mental game, and in teaching them how mental training, positivity and self-awareness can help us do better in our jobs, our personal lives, as leaders, as athletes, and as members of the community. As a former Division I softball coach, Julie specializes in training athletes in mental performance techniques. The same brain strategies that can help a softball player improve her swing can help us all…

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Institute Editorial Team 08/02/2021

How to Give Your Immune System a Boost Through Healthy Eating

With parties, barbecues, and playdates, it can be difficult to avoid the germs escaping coughs and sneezes from your peers, colleagues or family members. However, there are several ways you can build up your immune system to combat sickness and sniffles. One method is to incorporate healthy eating habits into your routine. The Importance of Nutrition for the Immune System Your immune system works hard to protect your body from harmful viruses, bacteria and parasites. It uses innate immunity as the first line of defense, including barriers like skin, mucus, stomach acid and enzymes. However, if a microbe slips through, your body will use its adaptive immunity to target the substance and zap it out of your system. The adaptive immune system will then remember…

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Mia Barnes 06/05/2023

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