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Here is a collection of recent health news you can use.  We’re focusing on whole-body health. Click on the links to read more about each topic.

Be active for better brain health: Perhaps you work out to keep trim and toned, but did you know that exercise also builds new brain cells? Recent research shows how physical activity stimulates the stem cells in our brains that make new neurons. Perhaps that’s one reason why people who are active in their younger years are at lower risk for cognitive impairment later in life. In a study of more than 9,000 women, those who had been active a teens had the lowest risk of cognitive impairment, but regular activity at any time in life lowered the risk. In other words, being active now means better brain health later.

Awareness has healing power: The mindfulness you develop in meditation and yoga can help your health in many ways. In one study, people who practiced mindfulness boosted the levels of immune cells in their blood. And in an Australian study, 12 women at risk for binge eating lost weight and had higher self-esteem after practicing yoga for 12 weeks.

Meditation is increasingly being recognized as a natural pain reliever. The U.S. Army  is adding yoga and acupuncture to its arsenal of pain treatments. In Britain, brain scans showed how meditation changes the way the brain anticipates pain. “Meditation trains the brain to be more present-focused and therefore to spend less time anticipating future negative events,” said the study author.

Natural foods guard against disease: Whole, natural foods are like treasure boxes filled with healing substances. For example, extra virgin olive oil may guard against breast cancer; researchers think substances in the oil help send death signals to cancer cells and protect DNA in the cell nucleus. Just pour it on. And replacing white rice with whole grains could reduce your risk of diabetes by 36 percent, say doctors at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Two or more servings a week of brown rice, whole-wheat berries and barley made the difference in the study.

Processed foods, on the other hand, can be damaging. So many processed foods contain added sugars and a recent study found that fructose makes kids’ fat cells bigger and less sensitive to insulin, setting them up for obesity and diabetes. Another reason to choose water and avoid drinks with added sugar!

If you never seem to have enough time to exercise, perhaps hours and minutes aren’t the issue. Instead, examine why you want to work out regularly. If your reasons aren’t truly important to you, then you are unlikely to make the changes in your schedule to allow the time you need.

The key word is passion, says APOGEE life coach Staci Rosenberg. “Lack of passion and uncertainty about what it is you want—those two things combined lead to lack of success.” says Rosenberg.

For example, you might consider that exercise is a route to a shapely body, especially at this time of year when bathing suit season is right around the corner. But if you never put on a suit, then it may be hard to truly care about how you look in this year’s bikini. Likewise, it would be hard to make time to train for a marathon when you don’t have one on your schedule.

Instead, dig deep to discover what it is you truly desire. “Ask yourself: what will this mean to me? You have to identify the personal meaning for you—through writing or dialogue with another person,” says Rosenberg. Look at the other benefits you get from exercise: People who exercise regularly fall asleep faster and sleep better than those who don’t. Exercise is also as effective as antidepressants in lifting mood and can help you moderate stress. Those benefits may be more meaningful to you.

Then, says Rosenberg, create a personal statement that includes your passion and the steps you will take to attain it. Here’s how.

1. Connect your goal to your passion. Create a statment; here’s a sample: “When I exercise regularly, I sleep better and can handle stress during the day.”
2. Identify the specific steps to get to your goal. “I go to Zumba class on Monday and Wednesday; cardio on Thursday; and take a long walk on Sunday.”
3. Put your goal statement in front of you. You might write it on a sticky note and put it on the visor of your car or make it the wallpaper on your cellphone, Blackberry or laptop—put it wherever you will see it several times a day. Then it gets absorbed, Rosenberg says.

Of course, you may want to make time for more than exercise: Painting, writing, reading, playing a sport, hiking, traveling, or playing music may be your passion. “When people make time for something they really love, it affects their entire life,” says Rosenberg. Inserting passion into your life creates balance and makes every hour of every day more enjoyable.

Get more tips from APOGEE life coaches at our upcoming open houses: March 25 in White Plains and March 31 in Bedford Hills.