8 ways to go natural

Find an heir

Popcorn shouldn’t need to be smothered in butter to taste good, heirloom popcorn

enthusiasts say.

Companies cultivating the centuries-old plant using organic, sustainable farming practices are popping up nationwide, and proponents say their popcorn is more flavorful and easier to digest than commercial varieties. Plus, keeping heirloom plants in circulation helps preserve genetic diversity in our food supply.

 You’re good enough, and smart enough ...

If you suffer from chronic stress, here are three good reasons to carve some

me-time into your day: A brief selfaffirmation can relieve acute stress,

increase your creativity and even make solving problems easier, suggest researchers at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pa. Students who participated in the study were asked

to rank their values—such as artistic or athletic ability, or relationships with family members— in order of importance. Researchers noted improved problem-solving

in the stressed students who wrote about their most important values compared to the control group who wrote about ones they considered much less important.

Spread your wings

Help the nonprofit On Wings Of Care in its mission to track and rescue wildlife and domestic animals in need, provide rehabilitation services and help preserve the ecosystem with aerial, sea and ground missions with a tax-deductible donation.

Request a window seat

Workers in offices with windows get more and better sleep at night, are more physically active and have a higher quality of life than those in windowless workplaces, a Northwestern University study found. “Office hours occur at a time of

day where light exposure has a strong impact,” says study co-author Ivy N. Cheung, a

doctoral candidate in the interdepartmental neuroscience program at Northwestern

University in Chicago. “Therefore, lighting in the office has effects beyond the workplace.” Try to get outside for a walk or eat outdoors during your workday, Cheung says. “Morning light is most important for regulating circadian rhythms,”

she adds.

Face facts

 Need an ego boost? Log on to Facebook and check out your own profile.

A University of Wisconsin at Madison study recently found that subjects exhibited an increase in self-esteem after perusing their own profiles for five minutes—but longer than that reduced motivation to perform cognitive tasks well. The study authors think that seeing idealized Facebook versions of ourselves might make us rest on our laurels a bit and not feel as obligated to pursue goals that could increase our self-worth.

Take a healing vacation

Give your getaway a healthy makeover with a retreat at Hippocrates Health Institute in West Palm Beach, Fla. Their oneto three-week Life Transformation

Program offers instruction by renowned health experts Brian Clement, Ph.D., L.N.C., and Anna Maria Clement, Ph.D., L.N.C., in raw vegan cooking, detoxing, meditation,

yoga and emotional healing. Even better, all this learning happens in a serene, tropical setting. Pricing and accommodations vary, and financing is available.

Make an impact

For each bag of GMO-free maple oat, blueberry honey and vanilla almond granola sold, Impact Foods and partner World Food Program USA provide a meal for

kids in impoverished nations.

Tap your animal instincts

Animal Flow at Equinox 02 fitness clubs combines a series of fluid movements that mix

elements of parkour, break dancing, gymnastics, running and circus arts. The result? The primal movements target hard-to-work muscles so you see results quickly.

02 fitness 02 fitness 02 fitness 02 fitness