Add healing-through-nature to hockey and Tim Hortons as Canadian gifts to world culture. Healthcare providers in four provinces—British Columbia, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Manitoba—can now prescribe free national parks passes to patients as part of their health treatments.

The country’s new PaRx program, an initiative of the BC Parks Foundation, is designed to help people manage stress and anxiety. More than 6,000 licensed healthcare professionals have registered to prescribe nature to their patients.
With plans to expand to every province, the program aims to get people outside at least two hours a week. While the savings aren’t much (an annual Discovery Pass costs CAD$72), it’s more about improving health by getting people moving. Benefits touted by the program include increased energy, decreased anxiety, pain reduction, reduced stress and improved heart health.

“The pandemic has helped people rediscover the importance of being outside,” says PaRx director Dr. Melissa Lem, “and prescribers are seeing its evidence-based advantages.”

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HIIT is effective for melting body fat, but burpeeing to oblivion can be a soul-sucking means to a sculpted end. Instead of reverting to autopilot and blasting through the usual rotation of mountain climbers and jump squats, try this power endurance HIIT workout, courtesy of Lululemon’s newest brand ambassador and bootcamp maestro, Akin Akman.

“These exercises strengthen neuromuscular pathways and unlock fast-twitch muscle fibers to help you move freely across all planes of motion,” Akman says. Rather than aggravating knees and ankles, this HIIT workout strengthen joints and tendons while improving bone density. “You’ll move and react sharper, becoming more receptive, focused and alert,” says Akman. Plus, all this single-leg work promotes longevity and peak performance.

Directions: How to Do the Power Endurance HIIT Workout
Exercises 1 and 2 are AMRAP super­sets: Do as many reps as possible in 1 minute, then immediately begin second move without rest. Repeat superset on opposite side; that’s 1 round. Rest 45 seconds between supersets and 2 minutes between rounds. Perform 3 to 5 rounds.
1A. Side Lunge Pivot Reach With Row (shown above)
Hold dumbbells at sides with a neutral grip, feet hip-­width apart. Take a big lat­eral step out with left leg, pivoting foot and torso to face forward, as you descend into a lunge and reach arms to frame front leg. Engage lats and draw elbows back to row weights. Drive through left foot to pivot back to start. Go immediately to 1B.

Skater With High Pull and Lateral Hops Marius Bugge for Men’s Journal1B. Skater With High Pull and Lateral Hops
Stand on left leg with soft bend in knee and right hand holding a dumbbell, palm facing you. Lean forward as you raise right leg behind you, and draw left arm back for counterbalance. Jump left foot to the left. Stabilize, then immediately jump back to the right, landing on right foot as you explosively perform a high pull, bringing weight to shoul­der. Stay on right foot and hop laterally (side to side) 4 times. Go back to 1A; switch sides.

Single-leg Oblique Dip Marius Bugge for Men’s Journal2A. Single-leg Oblique Dip
Stand on left leg with right leg bent at 90 degrees, foot flexed, holding a heavy dumb­bell in left hand. Don’t rush: Keep obliques and glutes engaged as you dip toward the left. Go immediately to 2B.

V-formation Tennis Drill Courtesy Image2B. V-formation Tennis Drill
Stand in a split stance, right foot forward, left foot back, holding a medicine ball with both hands. Rotate your torso and hips, drawing med ball to left hip. Shuffle forward at a diagonal, plant your feet, then wood­chop the med ball from right hip to above left shoulder keeping arms mostly straight. Shuffle back and repeat. Go back to 2A; switch sides.

BOSU Ball Side Plank to Snatch Marius Bugge for Men’s Journal3. BOSU Ball Side Plank to Snatch
Plant right hand on BOSU ball, then come into a side plank, shoulder stacked over wrist and feet staggered with bottom foot behind, top foot in front, hips off the ground. Hold a dumbbell in your left hand, palm facing you. Engage core and snatch weight overhead, then lower and repeat. Note: You can do a high pull instead of a snatch. Make it easier by com­ing into a forearm plank or removing the BOSU altogether. Perform as straight set AMRAP: 1 minute each side.

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Dr. David Perlmutter writes books that change the way people think about nutrition. Among his five New York Times best-sellers, he’s explored topics such as the effects of carbohydrates (Grain Brain) and intestinal microbes (Brain Maker) on the body. His latest book, Drop Acid, puts a spotlight on uric acid. It’s a waste byproduct that Dr. Perlmutter says can threaten your health if you have too much of it.

“The most threatening pandemic of our modern times is not a virus,” Dr. Perlmutter wrote in a blog post. “The number one cause of death on our planet are [sic] chronic, metabolic conditions and the multitude of diseases they produce. These include diabetes, overweight and obesity, cardiovascular disease, and even Alzheimer’s. These conditions are by and large not genetic. They are the consequences of our lifestyle choices—especially those related to food.”
One substance that can lead to many health issues
Uric acid is created when your body breaks down purines. Purines are produced in the body and found in goods such as anchovies, dried beans and peas, and beer. Dr. Perlmutter says that in addition to purines, uric acid has two more sources: alcohol and fructose. He calls fructose “the gateway for metabolic problems.”
Elevated levels of uric acid can lead to gout, but Dr. Perlmutter finds it’s much more than that. He claims uric acid plays an important role in “metabolic mayhem” that can be linked to weight gain and elevated blood sugar. He also points to connections with cardiovascular disease, erectile dysfunction, and cognitive decline.
In Drop Acid, Dr. Perlmutter writes about the science of uric acid, as well as the simple dietary changes that can lower uric acid levels and positively impact your metabolism. He also shows how you can test your own uric acid levels at home, so you can reach your optimal levels.
Available now on Amazon, Target, and at select book retailers.

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Source: Wellness – mensjournal.com More