Virtual Fitness

Mental illness is a very serious and sensitive subject. Assumptions about causes, treatments, or the validity of mental illnesses are often met with offense. For example, when someone expresses their struggles with depression, a frequent and misguided recommendation is just to exercise. “Have you tried working out. It’s proven to boost your mood!” While someone who says this is coming from a good place, they often don’t understand that depression is much more than just being in a bad mood. In fact (and I am no expert on mental illness, but), I know depression can often be difficult to even recognize and some of the most joyous-seeming people could be suffering. Let’s go back to the exercise recommendation. Working out is proven to boost your mood. Is this a valid treatment option for people with depression, or even suicidal thoughts? Could it actually make a significant improvement in their lives? David Levine explores this in his recent article about the connection between br...

It's common knowledge that regular exercise comes with a plethora of physical benefits, but often overlooked are the mental health advantages many receive from working out.  Cardio and weight-lifting may not just make you look better, they will probably make you feel better too. Enhanced good mood, increased energy, and focus has all been linked to regular exercise.  According to helpguide.org, exercise can help treat mild cases of depression, anxiety, ADHD, and just stress in general.  This is because the physical activity triggers calming and happiness-inducing chemicals in your brain such as dopamine, norepinephrine, and endorphins.   So next time you're overly stressed, cancel your Netflix binge and junk food eating session; instead, hit the gym!

People have mixed feelings about advertisements. Some go to great lengths to not see ads, paying for premium services and installing ad blockers. Others watch the Super Bowl only to see the advertisements in the form of commercials. Many fall into both of these categories at once depending on the content. What makes us want to see advertisements? Obviously consumers enjoy advertisements when they are entertaining, funny or heart-warming. We all loved the hilarious KIA commercial featuring Melissa McCarthy putting herself in perilous situations trying to save the planet. This ad obviously took a lot of time and money to hire McCarthy and feature such amazing special effects. (If not, rest in peace Melissa McCarthy.) But, not all advertisements are this special... as many of us are painfully aware of. Companies just don't have the resources to create Super Bowl-worthy ads for every product they sell. More normal, every day ads are less exciting. Here is one I scrolled p...