Join The Wonderfulness Community Short on Time? How 1 Minute of HIIT Can Transform Your Health High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is a time-efficient way to boost cardiovascular health and improve VO2 max—how well your body uses oxygen during exercise. VO2 max is a key predictor of heart health and longevity, and HIIT has been shown to significantly increase it, even with just one minute of intense effort. The HIIT Breakdown: What is it? Short bursts of intense activity (around 80% of...
13 days ago • 1 min read
Join The Wonderfulness Community A Sip or a Slip? The Surprising Impact of Alcohol on Health and Longevity Heavy drinking is linked to various health issues, and complete abstinence eliminates those risks. But what about moderate alcohol consumption? Studies show mixed results—some suggest a drink or two may be protective, while others find no health benefits over abstinence. A new review of 107 studies (including nearly 5 million participants) aimed to clear things up. It found that...
24 days ago • 1 min read
Join The Wonderfulness Community The Truth About Exercise and Weight Loss: Time and Intensity Matter Can exercise help you lose weight? The short answer: yes. But it’s all about the right dose. Here’s the deal: If you’re trying to lose weight with exercise, you need to put in some serious time. A recent study shows that 150 minutes of aerobic exercise per week is the minimum to see clinically meaningful weight loss. That’s about 6 pounds on average. Want to lose more? Go for 300 minutes a...
29 days ago • 1 min read
Join The Wonderfulness Community Better Sleep Starts at Sunrise: 9 Daytime Habits for Deeper Rest Your sleep is a mirror of your day. From the moment you wake up, your actions—light exposure, movement, meals, and stress—shape how well you rest at night. Instead of forcing sleep, set yourself up for success with these science-backed habits: ✨ Break Up Sedentary Time – Sitting too much reduces sleep pressure. Move for at least 30 minutes daily.✨ Take Restorative Breaks – Balance activity with...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Join The Wonderfulness Community Niacin: The Hidden Heart Risk No One Saw Coming Supplements seem like a risk-free boost—but they don’t always play nice. I’m cautious with them because they can impact far more than their intended target. And in excess? They can backfire in ways we never saw coming. That’s exactly what this latest research dives into. For years, niacin (vitamin B3) has been hailed as a heart-healthy nutrient. But new research in Nature Medicine suggests that too much of it...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Join The Wonderfulness Community The Fragility Line: Cross It, and Your Independence Is at Risk There’s a line you don’t want to cross—the fragility line. When your VO2 max drops too low, even basic movements like standing up and walking across a room become a struggle, and your risk of losing independence skyrockets. Every decade, we lose about 10% of this crucial fitness marker, but the decline isn’t inevitable—you can stop it and even reverse it. From strength training to strategic cardio...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Join The Wonderfulness Community Level Up Your Strength: How to Build Muscle and Endurance Without Leaving Home For the past twenty years, I’ve been perfecting Wonderfulness Workouts to help women build strength, boost endurance, and enhance stability—all in just thirty minutes. Whether you join live on Zoom or follow along by video, these workouts are designed to seamlessly fit into your life. No equipment needed (just an optional mat), and you can even take them on the road. Bodyweight...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Join The Wonderfulness Community Judged by My Oura Ring: Escaping the Self-Improvement Trap Is it just me, or have we turned self-improvement into a never-ending renovation project? Wearable trackers were supposed to help us live healthier lives, but somewhere along the way, they started feeling like tiny judgmental robots strapped to our bodies. I should know—I’ve been wearing an Oura ring for a year, and let’s just say it’s been... a journey. At first, it was eye-opening. Forty-one minutes...
2 months ago • 3 min read
Join The Wonderfulness Community Failure Isn’t the Goal—But Training Close to It Is The standard advice for getting stronger is to push yourself to failure during resistance training—but is that the full picture? Researchers analyzed data from 55 studies and their answer was basically “yes, but with some nuance.” For building muscle (aka hypertrophy), training within 0-5 reps short of failure is ideal. For gaining strength, stopping a little further from failure—about 3-5 reps shy—is best,...
2 months ago • 4 min read