The secret to being healthy is healthy friends

Friends 4ever ❤️ No Images? [Click here]( GET HEALTHIER Surround yourself with happy, healthy people and you'll be happier and healthier It's simple but effective advice. There's [mounting evidence]( that spending your time with good, supportive friends who have similar long-term goals as you is one of the best (and face it, most fun) ways to live longer and healthier. The evidence takes many forms [People run faster and longer]( if they see their friend went out for a run that day or the day before. [Strong friendships are as effective]( as exercising and quitting smoking when it comes to increasing your life span. A good relationship can even [boost your metabolism](. [There are more studies](, but they all come to basically the same conclusion: Solid bonds will make you a healthier person. (This doesn't mean you should ditch your friends going though a rough patch) Nor should you discriminate against people dealing with mental illness. Instead, [keep an eye out for toxic people](, [learn the signs of an expired friendship](, and [don't feel guilty about breaking up with friends you've known forever](. And if you're freaking out about not having enough happy and healthy friends, consider being the agent of change in your own friend group. Or if it's a matter of getting new friends together, own that and put in the work. Clearly, it will be worth it. Greatist's guide to finding better friends: - [How to Make New Friends (and Keep the Old) As a Young Adult]( - [Let's Talk About Why It's So Damn Hard to Make Friends As Adults]( - [Making Friends in a New City]( - [Tips for Actually Making Friends at the Gym]( - [I Swiped Right to Make Friends: What It's Like Using BumbleBFF]( One final note If you haven't read [Buzzfeed's guide to showing up for your friends]( yet, it's time. This is how you keep the friends you already have. Try this Turn a frozen banana into ice cream in 5 minutes—just blend one in a food processor until creamy. Bonus tip: Add cocoa powder to make it chocolate. Hello, new favorite dessert (and breakfast, and snack...) [Greatist]( STUDY UP Make better meal-time choices by just thinking about health Sounds simple and [a new study]( proves it is: If you think about health as you are choosing your meals, you'll serve yourself smaller portion sizes. If you think about filling up so you're not hungry later, you'll choose bigger portion sizes. If you think about how good the food will taste, you'll choose normal-to-large portions. If you don't think about anything, you'll probably keep serving yourself the serving sizes you have been up until now. Sounds kinda "... duh," but there's a lesson here You're smart and you know what a healthy meal looks like. The problem most of us have with healthy eating is that we forget we're supposed to be doing it when we're faced with a really delicious-looking ice cream sundae bar. The solution is to remind yourself of your healthy-eating goals (if you have 'em) more often—maybe it's setting regular reminders on your phone or focusing on health before preparing your meals. SPONSORED Take back your mental health You're stressed, you're anxious, you feel like every part of your body is probably inflamed, and your knee hurts. (Who even knows why at this point.) You could keep turning to wine and ibuprofen, or you could turn to [Sagely Naturals](. It's a natural way to relax, ease pain, and reduce inflammation All [Sagely Naturals]( products are made with hemp-derived CBD and essential oils so you get the therapeutic benefits of cannabis without the psychoactive effects (in addition to a truly lovely smell). You can choose between standard lotions, capsules, or sprays, but the new [Tranquility Roll-On]( oil is a particularly amazing addition to any self-care routine—just dab it on your temples, neck, forehead, or pressure points, and wait for the stress to melt away. If a less stressful life sounds like something you're into, grab [20 percent off your entire Sagely Naturals order]( with code SagelyWellNow20. Say it with us: Ahhhhh. [SHOP NOW]( EDITOR'S PICK Summer camp for adults exists, and it's awesome It's called [Pursuit Series](. Instead of hiking and biking and camping and running around with other kids, you hike and bike and camp and run around with other adults. Instead of counselors, you get expert guides and pro athletes. For three days, Pursuit Series lets you try those things you never had the chance to try (travel photography? Mountain biking? Wilderness survival?) and finally see if you're any good at them. The goal is to get more people outdoors, and it's working—last year, the California camp sold out, so they launched in New York this year too. If you can't make it in 2018, mark your calendars for next summer. It's gonna be wild. HERE'S THE REST Dynamic stretching before a workout isn't any more effective than static stretching [New York Times]( Pita bread has been around for at least 14,000 years 🍞 [Quartzy]( Your first memory probably didn't happen 👶 [Newsweek]( It's official: You don't really need to properly eject USB drives 💻 [PopSci]( Traveler's constipation is a thing so, no, it's not just you ✈️ [Independent Online]( Well Now is Greatist's new roundup of all the health stories you were too busy to read this week. We won't be sending it to you forever, so [sign up]( to make sure you keep getting it. [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [Pinterest]( © Greatist 2018 Greatist, Inc. 30 Vandam St., Floor 3, New York, NY 10013 [Forward]( [Unsubscribe](