Physical
Health and Wellness Resources
Aging
Find resources related to healthy aging and Alzheimer's disease and other dementias
Create Better Health: Curriculum and Handouts
Find resources related to: food and meal preparation, food safety, reducing sugar etc.
Create Better Health: Free Recipe Booklets
Download a free cookbook. Titles Include:
Create Better Health (Utah SNAP-ED)
Food $ense (SNAP-Ed) connects program participants with the knowledge and skills they need for continued access to safe and healthy foods. Participants learn how to cook healthy meals on a budget, buy and prepare whole foods, read food labels, practice safety in the kitchen, and much more.
COVID-19 Resources
Resources available for preventing and managing the financial, physical, emotional, and social aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Marathon Kids
Marathon Kids is a national program with the mission to get all kids moving. Research shows when children participate in Marathon Kids, they have a better chance of getting the recommended amount of daily physical activity.
Stay Happy. Stay Healthy.
Provides tips and resources for staying connected, taking care of yourself, building and maintaining a healthy immune system, and following COVID-19 safety guidelines. Landing page for the more extensive USU Extension COVID-19 website.
USU Extension Nutrition
Your resource for unbiased, research-based nutrition answers. Our goal is to provide you with the food and nutrition knowledge, skills, and opportunities that you need to eat well and live a healthy life.
Physical
Health and Wellness Articles
Understanding Long COVID: Navigating the Journey to Recovery
Long COVID occurs when COVID-19 symptoms last longer than 12 weeks, affecting millions of people. Common symptoms include fatigue, brain fog, and breathing problems. While challenging, people with long COVID can improve their situation by learning about t...
What is Sleep Hygiene and How Does it Affect Me?
Sleep hygiene encompasses practices and habits essential for promoting high-quality sleep and achieving a healthy sleep duration. Sleep plays a crucial role in both emotional and physical health. Key factors influencing sleep hygiene include consistency i...
Prevent Falls with Strengthening and Balance Exercises
In the U.S., one in four adults aged 65 and older report falling every year, with 37% reporting an injury that required medical attention or impaired their activity for at least one day (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2024a).
The Benefits of Exercise During Pregnancy
Pregnancy is a time when women experience a variety of changes to their bodies in nine months. Growing a human being results in many emotional, mental, and especially physical changes.
Mind Over Matter: The Benefits of Mindfulness for Senior Adults
As we age, maintaining mental and physical health becomes increasingly important and certainly does matter. One effective approach to achieving this is through mindfulness. Mindfulness, the practice of focusing on the present moment without judgment.
Is Strength Training Okay for Children?
The recommendation has different durations of physical activity depending on the age, but recommends that all youth engage in a variety of aerobic, muscle strengthening, and bone strengthening activities every day (DHHS, 2018).
Build a Strong Foundation with Functional Strength Training
A comprehensive fitness plan includes exercises that help build strength, endurance, balance, and flexibility because they build upon one another to improve our ability to do daily tasks and can improve overall health (National Institute on Aging, 2021).
Water Competency Skills Are Important For All Ages
However, water competency is more than swimming well and is not only for young children, because even if a household doesn’t have a pool, they most likely have a bathtub in their house, or maybe an ornamental pond, and any of these can lead to drowning ev...
Beyond Physical Fitness: The Benefits of Regular Exercise
Sticking with a regular exercise routine can be a challenge. However, engaging in regular physical activity has more benefits than just the ones you can see.
Dive into Better Health
Working out or playing in the water can be great for physical health. Swimming can help alleviate arthritis symptoms.
Staying Active Through the Summer
We have reached the summer months when children are free from school schedules and homework. However, studies show that during these months of freedom youth experience an increase in body mass index levels and a decrease in moderate to vigorous physical a...
Eating Disorders
Eating disorders (EDs) are one of the most common mental illnesses in the United States, affecting 9% of Americans. Chances are, you may know someone suffering from an ED. This article will describe signs and symptoms of the most common EDs to help you be...
Stretch Out of Your Comfort Zone
The health benefits of yoga include not only improvement in balance but also an increase in strength and flexibility. Implementing yoga into your everyday life can improve your overall health.
Strength Training for Senior Adults: A Key to Keeping Mobility and Independence
One study showed that 20 – 30 minutes of strength exercise per week has positive effects on risk factors for cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and osteoporosis.
Hiking: Assisting in the Pursuit of Peace Through Positive Work-Life Balance
According to a research study, hiking as a family activity has been proven to increase the amount of time made for family during down time, as well as positively benefit the social construct of the family unit for all members of the family.
Is Tai Chi for Me?
Many studies have now been conducted to provide us with the full scope of health benefits for those who practice Tai Chi on a regular basis. Let’s explore its many benefits and provide you with an idea of how it is done.
Electronic Use and Your Physical Health
For many, electronic use and social media have become a part of daily life. And while advancements in electronics have provided benefits, because of its ready access and subsequent social media use, we have not only seen an impact in the area of mental he...
Jump In - The Waters Fine
Exercise is vital to maintain health and wellness, however, not all exercises are suitable for all people. Some people have limitations due to painful joints, degenerative muscles, or poor balance.
Laugh Your Way to Better Health
Laughter has been shown to reduce stress, which in turn can make people feel less fatigued and even prevent stress related diseases such as heart disease.
Prevent Injury in the Garden
No matter if you’re a weekend gardener or do it as part of your job, you probably had those experiences where you may have worked a little too hard for a little too long, and then felt sore or pain for a few days.
Youth Sports Engagement - What's Right for My Child?
With the summer break from school approaching quickly, you might be wondering how to keep your child physically active. Sports participation is an option but is not always the right fit for every child.
Physical Activity and Aging
Increasing physical activity is the most important intervention to improve health in all age groups, and for older adults, it becomes an important factor in extending life and maintaining independence.
Exercise and Heart Health
February is famous for being the month of hearts and love. One way we can show our own hearts love is by being physically active.
Let's Get Moving!
Sometimes it can seem like the business of the holiday season extends year-round. So, how do you make time for exercise, even when life is busy? Let’s go over some different tips that may help you fit exercise and health into your life.
Staying Active When It's Cold Outside
The cold weather is upon us and it’s easy to become less active during these Fall and Winter months. However, being less active means that you may be missing out on some of the health benefits of exercise when there are many advantages to staying active d...
Does Physical Activity Improve Symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)?
According to Meesters et al. (2016), 1 to 10 percent of people suffer from mild to severe depressive states as we enter autumn and winter.
Making Time for Self-Care
Time seems to be a common struggle when it comes to self-care. Look at the tips and ideas listed below to help you make self-care a part of your daily routine:
A Healthy Utah - Youth Obesity and Utah's Recreation Resources
Utah outscores all other U.S. states when it comes to childhood obesity rates. So, what is it that sets us apart from other states? To gain a better understanding of the possible factors that could influence our youth obesity rates, this article will exam...
The Physical Benefits of Camping
Camping provides a host of benefits. Simply put, camping is good for you, both in body and mind. Benefits include relationship building, opportunities to learn and develop new skills, unplugging and getting away from screens, connecting with nature, stre
Family Hikes
Family hikes can build both fitness and strong family bonds. What's a better way to bond as a family than being out in nature? Heading out for a family hike is a great way to take a break from devices and connect with each other and the outdoors.
Health Benefits of Adding Just 10 More Minutes of Exercise in Your Day
The phrase “Drop and give me 10!” may bring back unpleasant memories for some of us. It may remind us of a tough physical education teacher or a coach that pushed us farther than we thought we could go. But recent studies have shown that 10 more minute
Easy Ways to Work Physical Activity into Your Day
According to the Physical Guidelines for Americans, “Being physically active is one of the most important actions that people of all ages can take to improve their health.” Benefits linked to physical activity include feeling better, functioning better, s...
Thinking of Joining a Gym? Tips to Get Started
If you are thinking of joining a gym, it can be a bit overwhelming trying to figure out what fits your needs in the best way. The great news is, you are not alone and it is possible! It just takes a bit of planning and research. One reason for taking your...
How to Make (and Not Break) Resolutions
If you are like the 44% of adults in the US, you probably make a new year’s resolution each year (Marist Poll, 2018). About half of the resolutions made are health-focused, such as eating healthy, losing weight, being active, and quitting smoking (Bakken,...
10 Tips to Improve Sleep
Studies show insomnia rates are increasing as people struggle to sleep more than at any time in history. This is an alarming trend because so many other health issues are related to sleep. Studies show that adults need an average of 8 hours of sleep per n...
Improving Health Through Time Spent in Nature
Using green spaces as a means of improving health is not a new concept. In fact, in ancient Persia there were gardens throughout the busy capital where visitors and residents could go to relax. Our world has changed a great deal since the days of the Pers...
Is Your Child Hydrated?
Did you know that over 75% of children do not meet the recommended fluid intake each day (Drewnowski et al., 2013)? Water is the best fluid children can drink. It is essential for all functions in the body to work at their ideal level, yet most children d...
The Benefits of Including Kids in the Kitchen
Learning to cook is an essential life skill everyone should strive to develop at some point in their life. Involving kids in the kitchen is a great way to kickstart that learning from a young age and comes with numerous benefits.