More Women Run 10Ks

It is one of my life goals to run a 10K someday. Not at a winner's pace, just at a decent enough pace to get me over the finish line at some point before sundown.

More and more we women are pushing ourselves to experience life in a way that our great grandmothers would have killed for. A recent study at Northwestern Medical found that women are participating in marathons in big numbers. Running 10 kilometers with guys in front of you, next to you and behind you is a huge step in the right direction for women and men. It's good for the heart, good for the brain, and good for society. It is something that in many parts of the world it wouldn't be allowed and it wasn't allowed for women for literally thousands of years. Keep on moving sisters!

Biggest Predictor of Anxiety, Lying and Aggression in Low Income Children: Housing Quality

For low-income families, substandard housing takes toll on children. A new study finds that children who live in housing with leaks, broken windows, insects and rodents are more likely to suffer from all of the negative outcomes that plague poor and inner city children. The quality of housing, more than any other factor, seems to predict whether a child will develop anxiety, aggression, criminal behavior and other mental and behavioral conditions most likely because the sense of instability and the stress of bad day to day living conditions probably leads to a strong impact on development. This makes so much sense! If we could provide children with decent, stable, secure living space, we could probably reverse the poor performance of poor children around the world. What an impact on education alone this would have.

Homeschooled Kids are Less Obese than Traditionally Schooled Kids

ScienceDaily: This interesting study has found evidence that the stereotype of homeschooled kids being less active and more overweight because they are at home all day may be upended. It turns out that homeschooled kids and traditionally schooled kids are equally as active but that at traditional schools, kids are eating more calories, more sugar, more salt and more fat during lunchtime. This indicates what I have always thought after my kindergartener spent 1 year in private school with a full lunch served daily. While not having to cook lunch as a mom is nice, they were overfeeding her and feeding her a lot of heavy, starchy foods that led to constipation and rashes. So we really need to rethink what we offer kids for school meals and allow kids if they aren't hungry (which my kids are rarely hungry during the day until dinner time) to not eat until they want to. School lunch programs have really been a government subsidy program for agriculture and now food processors...not the people we should necessarily trust to know what and how to feed our kids.

Sleep Flushes Toxins from the Brain

A new study on the mouse brain, indicates that sleep may allow for toxins that accumulate in the brain to be processed and flushed out of the system. These toxins can be related to neurodegenerative disease which might indicate that those who have difficulty sleeping may not be removing these toxins properly.

Scientists watched dye flow through the brain of a sleeping mouse. (Credit: Courtesy of Nedergaard Lab, University of Rochester Medical Center)

The Feeling of Guilt Can Be Very Heavy...Literally!

It seems that new research indicates that guilt may be processed in the brain where bodily sensations are processed. This leads to the sensation of being "burdened with guilt" that is metaphorically used to describe a guilt laden feeling: Click here for more: ScienceDaily.

Tend to Overeat? Blame Your BNST

A new study from UNC Medical School published in Science has identified that the gaba neurons in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, or BNST might play a role in appetite and maladaptive behaviors such as bulemia and anorexia. Really cool study: ScienceDaily

Working From Home Is Good!

Research gives us evidence that telecommuting or working from home can help give a sense of work/life balance: ScienceDaily:

Ballerina Brains Are Different From Yours: They Don't Get Dizzy

It seems ballet dancers' brains adapt over time to suppress the sensation of imbalance in the inner ear. This allows dancers to spin without getting dizzy the way a normal person would. Read more about the research here: ScienceDaily

Babies are Addictive to Moms!

I always knew it! A new article in Time Magazine finds that the way babies smell is addictive...my kids are definitely an addiction for me and I've talked to other mothers who have said the same thing. And the more you're around them, the more you want to stay around them no matter how loud and obnoxious they are. Makes it really hard to have a hard hitting career, that's for sure, if you can't even tear yourself away from the house! I guess that's what they made schools for!
http://healthland.time.com/2013/09/26/why-moms-find-that-new-baby-smell-so-delicious/

Older People Slow Down but They Are Better At Using What They Have

Researchers at UC Riverside and Columbia studied older people and their decision making over time, the first study to do this! The results are fascinating! http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/09/130924141037.htm

Ewwww! Midwest is crippled by triple-the-threshold mold spores in the air

Midwest is crippled by triple-the-threshold mold spores in the air

How do you stop tasting? Protein inside taste cells turn off bitter taste

How do you stop tasting? Protein inside taste cells turn off bitter taste

Found: Taste Receptors for Carbonation

ScienceDaily

Carbonation Makes Your Brain Think Fake Sugar Tastes Like Real Sugar

This explains why my secret formula for Skinny Whiskey Sours is soooo good! ScienceDaily

Personality may predict if you like spicy foods

Can you believe that a love of spicy food may correlate with personality? That explains my jalapeño-like temper! Personality may predict if you like spicy foods

Conference on Consumer Well-Being at Queen's Universiity

I just got back from Kingston Ontario and a great conference on Consumer Well-Being hosted by Prof. Monica Labarge and Queen's University School of Business! Presenters included Ron Hill from Villanova, Jim Gentry from U. Of Nebraska, Lauren Block from Baruch, Melissa Bublitz from U. Of Wisconsin Oshkosh, Beth Vallen from Fordham, Laurence Ashworth from Queen's, Tandy Thomas from Queen's, Stacy Baker from U. Of Wyoming, Andrea Godfrey from U. of San Diego, Roland Gau from U. of Texas El Paso, Monica and little old me. What a great crowd! Thanks Monica and Queen's!