Play Dungeons & Dragons, use a standing desk and sleep on your side. 9 tips to help you have a healthy week.

Greetings, health enthusiasts! Lauren Tuck and Rachel Grumman Bender here, filling in for Kaitlin Reilly, who is sick with COVID-19. Given that the illness is currently surging in the United States, think about when to wear a mask and stay home if you too get sick. Last week’s news cycle might have you feeling out of sorts due to “headline stress disorder,” so consider these wellness tips as we start a new one. As always, check the weather in your area — and your horoscope, if you’re so inclined.

🐲 Play Dungeons & Dragons

My 11-year-old just wrapped up a week-long Dungeons & Dragons summer camp. While anything that gets my tween off of screens is a win in my book, it turns out that playing this imaginative role-playing game, which has been around since the 1970s, is not only fun, but it may also have a positive impact on mental health. A new study in the appropriately named International Journal of Role-Playing found that the fantasy game’s elements of escapism, creative expression, social support and collaborative storytelling boosts well-being and gives players a sense of control in the real world. Needless to say, I’ll be bookmarking that camp for next summer. — RGB

🖥️ Use a standing desk

You’ve heard the whole “sitting is the new smoking” theory before, but here’s a quick recap: sitting during the workday is associated with exhaustion, lower back, shoulder, knee and thigh pain, hypertension and even lower job satisfaction (seriously!). So what can be done? A standing desk may help, a recently released study suggests, especially with lower back discomfort. BRB, adding to cart (written as I reach hour 7 firmly plopped in my office chair). — LT

🛋️ Exercise from the comfort of your couch

Here’s your ultimate excuse to watch one more episode: New research suggests that doing quick, easy exercises at night can help sleep. Even better? Some of the moves — chair squats, calf raises and standing knee raises with straight leg hip extensions — can be done while catching the latest episode of House of Dragons tonight and some can be done while still sitting on the couch. — LT

🏋️ Try HIIT

HIIT, or high intensity interval training — think short bursts of intense exercise followed by a quick recovery period and then repeat — is popular for a reason: You can get an effective, sweat-inducing workout in a short amount of time. Here’s more good news: According to a new study published in the journal Aging and Disease, the workout also helps improve brain function and protects against cognitive decline in older adults. The study looked at healthy adults ages 65 to 85 and found that those who did HIIT workouts for six months saw changes to the hippocampus, the area of the brain responsible for learning and memory. And they held onto those cognitive benefits for up to five years after starting HIIT workouts. — RGB

💤 Sleep on your side

When pregnant, you’re advised not to sleep on your back, my preferred position. So I recently had to train myself to sleep on my side. As it turns out, according to neurologists, I have my 6-month-old son to thank for my new positive sleep habit. As reported in Parade, sleeping on your left side may play a crucial role in promoting long-term cognitive health by reducing sleep apnea and enhancing blood flow. These findings are based on animal studies, so continue sleeping however you can get in your 8 hours. — LT

🚲 Ride a bike

People in the Netherlands, where riding bikes is practically a way of life, are clearly onto something. A new study published in BMJ Public Health that investigated how biking or walking to work impacts health. While walking is undoubtedly good for you (not to mention it’s free), the study found that biking was even more beneficial. People who hopped on two wheels to head to work had a 47% lower overall risk of an early death. Biking was also linked to a 51% reduced risk of dying from cancer, a 24% lower risk of being admitted to the hospital for heart disease and a 30% lower risk of being prescribed heart medication. If you, like me, bought a shiny new bike early on in the pandemic, this sounds like a good excuse to start taking it out for a spin on the regular. —RGB

😋 Eat beets

Bright red beets not only add a dash of color to your meals, but they’re also incredibly good for you. A half cup of sliced beet contains 1.7 grams of fiber, which helps with digestion and is good for gut health. They also pack in a slew of vitamins and minerals including magnesium, vitamin C, potassium and calcium. Betalains, which give beets their signature hue, have been linked to a lower risk of certain cancers and cardiovascular diseases, and eating beets in general can help lower blood pressure. You can slice them up and add them to your salad, toss them in a smoothie or my preferred way: Drizzle beets with olive oil, add a dash of salt and pepper and roast them. — RGB

🧂 Visit a salt cave

Redbook put together a list of odd activities for a refreshing day off and this one caught my eye 👀: visit a salt cave. A salt cave is, well, exactly what it sounds like — a climate-controlled room filled to the brim with salt. They can be found at most spas and have health benefits that, as shown in clinical trials, may provide some respiratory symptom relief from issues such as sinusitis, chronic bronchitis and asthma. When you see that my phone is set to Do Not Disturb during the day, you'll know where I am. — LT

😴 Get on a sleep schedule

Nabbing an extra hour of sleep to “catch up” after not getting enough shut-eye the night before sounds like a good idea in theory. And as someone who loves to sleep, it’s something I’ve done for years. But a new study finds that those irregular sleep habits — defined as a difference of 60 minutes or more of sleep between nights — may actually be harmful to your health. The study found a link between irregular sleep habits and a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, compared to those who had steady sleep schedules. Experts say that when it comes to sleep, consistency — going to bed and waking up around the same time every day — is key. — RGB