Being active doesn’t just help prevent chronic diseases. As we age, it can also lower the chance for serious injury. Regular exercise could also boost your brainpower. When sedentary adults performed three 45-minute exercise sessions per week for six months, they had improved executive function (the ability to focus and make plans) equal to someone nine years younger, found one Neurology study. So go ahead and lace up those sneaks.
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Month: April 2019
Wellness Tip ~ Healthy Changes
Asking ‘Is red meat good or bad?’ is useless,” said Meir Stampfer, professor of epidemiology and nutrition and senior author of the study. “It has to be ‘Compared to what?’ If you replace burgers with cookies or fries, you don’t get healthier. But if you replace red meat with healthy plant protein sources, like nuts and beans, you get a health benefit.”
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Are You in Earnest? ~ Goethe
Are you in earnest? Seize this very minute
What you can do, or dream you can; begin it;
Boldness has genius, power magic in it.
Only engage, and then the mind grows heated;
Begin and then the work will be completed.
—Goethe.
Today’s Reflection ~ Overcoming Difficulties
Overcoming difficulties leads to courage, self-respect, and knowing yourself. ~ Alfred Adler
Longevity Tip ~ Drink Water
Staying hydrated is so important, regardless of age. Our bodies are made of approximately 60 percent water, we need to provide our body and brain with adequate amounts. When you feel thirsty, this is your body’s way of telling you that you’re already dehydrated. At this point, energy levels and cognition can be affected. From digestive health to cell function, water is a critical component of positive health. When you drink enough water, you’ll also support a healthy weight throughout adulthood. Try to consume half of your body weight in ounces daily – meaning, if you weigh 140 pounds, consume 70 ounces of water.
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Wellness Tip ~ Awareness
Know What Makes You Overeat
The key to staying motivated is to know where your problem areas are and have a plan for dealing with them. Do you use food to cope with disappointment, rejection, boredom, or even personal success? Brainstorm some healthier ways to cope with mood swings that do not involve food. In addition, control your environment to avoid bingeing on high-calorie foods when you do feel disappointed, rejected, or bored. Keep your kitchen stocked with lots of healthy options such as chunks of fruits and veggies, low-fat yogurts, flavored waters, and sugar-free gum.
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Something Sings ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Let me go where’er I will,
I hear a sky-born music still:
It sounds from all things old,
It sounds from all things young,
From all that’s fair, from all that’s foul,
Peals out a cheerful song.
It is not only in the rose,
It is not only in the bird,
Not only where the rainbow glows,
Nor in the song of woman heard,
But in the darkest, meanest things
There alway, alway something sings.
‘Tis not in the high stars alone,
Nor in the cup of budding flowers,
Nor in the redbreast’s mellow tone,
Nor in the bow that smiles in showers,
But in the mud and scum of things
There alway, alway something sings.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Today’s Reflection ~ Overcoming Fear
One can choose to go back toward safety or forward toward growth. Growth must be chosen again and again; fear must be overcome again and again. ~ Abraham Maslow
Longevity Tip ~ Quit Smoking Or Look Like a Prune
Smoking increases your risk of lung cancer and other related ailments. It can also attack the look and feel of your skin. Wrinkles are nothing to be ashamed of, they’re a normal part of the aging process. Smoking speeds up the development of wrinkles. Based on the high nicotine content in cigarettes, blood vessels narrow, reducing the flow of oxygen and nutrient-rich blood to the skin. There are also thousands of chemicals in cigarettes, damaging the elasticity in your face, reducing organ function, and potentially increasing one’s risk of dementia.
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Wellness Tip ~ Stretch it Out
When you sit too much and don’t move around, the muscles in your hips, legs, and calves get tighter. This lack of flexibility can increase your risk of strains and other injuries, and add difficulty to everyday movements like reaching a high shelf, twisting to look behind you in the car, raising your arms overhead, walking up stairs, or squatting or bending to pick up something. The main trouble spots for people are the hips, legs, low back, and shoulders and chest. Stretching is the best way to improve flexibility. “You should stretch every day,” says Dr. Elson. “It should be like brushing your teeth. Stretch after a workout or walk, after a hot shower, or as a break from a long period of sitting.”
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