brain

Today’s Health Tip ~ Getting Your Brain & Stomach in Sync

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Get your stomach and brain in sync by listening closely to your body

“It’s recognizing that when we feel hungry, particularly after we’ve been eating to capacity for a period of time, that our hunger signals might not be calibrated in the [usual] way,” Dr Fiona Willer says. To put this into practice, she says you need to envision what an “enjoyable” day of eating would look like for you, including nutritional foods that make you feel energized, and eat like this for a few days. 

Dr Willer says it’s important to include “core foods”, which are essentially less-processed food items that are high in nutrients. These include meats, seafood, vegetables, fruits, grains and dairy. “The body needs the core foods to function properly … and if you’re eating a lot of non-core foods, you don’t have room in your day for [nutritional meals],” she says.

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Today’s Health Tip ~ Nuts Have Multiple Health Benefits

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Nuts Provide Many Health Benefits

Nuts provide numerous health advantages. They lower the number of low-density lipoproteins (LDL) cholesterol and triglycerides, which improves heart health. Research referenced by the Mayo Clinic also suggests nuts can improve the lining of arteries, reduce inflammation linked to heart disease and reduce the risk of developing blood clots. 

Research from Harvard University also found that those who eat a healthy amount of nuts every day live longer, healthier lives than those who didn’t eat nuts. Now, research also indicates that nuts can help slow age-related cognitive decline.

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Today’s Health Tip ~ Is Sneezing Healthy?

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Sneezing Helps Keep Your Body Safe

Sneezing is an important part of the immune process, helping to keep us healthy and sniffle-free. Sneezes protect your body by clearing the nose of bacteria and viruses. When something enters your nose or you encounter a trigger that sets off your “sneeze center” in your brain, located in the lower brain stem, signals are rapidly sent to tightly close your throat, eyes, and mouth. Next, your chest muscles vigorously contract, and then your throat muscles quickly relax. As result, air — along with saliva and mucus — is forced out of your mouth and nose. Voila, you’ve sneezed.

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Optimism Works ~ You Can Change the Way You Think

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Dr. Norman Doidge, M.D. in his book, The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science, states that our brains are not rigidly mapped out as scientists once thought. Instead, by thinking differently, our brain has the incredible capacity to form new neural pathways (source).

If you’re prone to negative and doomsday thinking why not switch it around and practice for one week thinking optimistic thoughts. Think about how good things have been and how well things you are working on will turn out. All you got to lose by trying a new way of thinking is setting aside negative thinking and a depressing attitude. C’mon, you can do it. 

Today’s Health Tip ~ Is Drinking Too Much on a Single Occassion Harmful?

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You Bet It Is – Here are the Detrimental Effects

Drinking excessively within a short period of time, or binge drinking, increases the stress on your body and internal organs (and can result in feeling a hangover following a drinking session). High levels of alcohol in your body can result in headaches, severe dehydration, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and indigestion.3

Drinking excessively, even on a single occasion, increases a person’s risk of detrimental heart effects. These effects include:16

    • Cardiomyopathy, which means that your heart muscle has a harder time pumping blood.
    • Arrhythmias, which is an irregular heartbeat.
    • High blood pressure.
    • Stroke.

Excessive alcohol use on a single occasion can also put you at risk of alcohol poisoning. This can occur when your body is overwhelmed by the amount of alcohol you drank and is no longer able to effectively process it from your system. You can experience a negative impact on your breath rate, heart rate, and gag reflex. Severe alcohol poisoning can lead to a coma and even death.

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Today’s Health Tip ~ Should You Nap?

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An Afternoon Nap’s Benefits

Napping isn’t just for babies. Studies show that an afternoon nap is great for adults, too. There’s no need to feel lazy for indulging in daytime sleep. A short nap in the mid-afternoon can boost memory, improve job performance, lift your mood, make you more alert, and ease stress. Cozy up to these nap benefits. . . . nap as short as 10 minutes can be beneficial, but keep your nap to 30 minutes or less so you don’t wake up feeling more tired.

    1. It can improve your memory – Studies have shown that sleep plays an important role in storing memories. A nap can help you remember things learned earlier in the day as much as a full night’s sleep. Napping works to keep you from forgetting things like motor skills, sense perception, and verbal recall, too.
    2. It may help in connecting the dots – Not only can napping help you remember things you’ve just learned, but it could help your brain draw connections between things you find out. In one study, nappers found it easier to put together information they got earlier in the day.
    3. It may lift your mood – If you’re feeling down, try taking a nap to lift your spirits. Napping, or even just resting for an hour without falling asleep, can brighten your outlook. Experts say relaxation that comes from lying down and resting is a mood booster, whether you fall asleep or not.

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Today’s Health Tip ~ Music and Health, They’re a Good Team

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Music is a fundamental attribute of the human species. Virtually all cultures, from the most primitive to the most advanced, make music. It’s been true through history, and it’s true throughout an individual’s lifespan. In tune or not, we humans sing and hum; in time or not, we clap and sway; in step or not, we dance and bounce.

The human brain and nervous system are hard-wired to distinguish music from noise and to respond to rhythm and repetition, tones, and tunes. Is this a biologic accident, or does it serve a purpose? It’s not possible to say. Still, a varied group of studies suggests that music may enhance human health and performance.

In every era of human history and in every society around the globe, music has allowed people to express their feelings and communicate with others. More than simply expressing emotions, music can alter them; as British dramatist William Congreve put it in 1697, “Music has charms to soothe a savage breast.” Few things are more stressful than illness and surgery. Can music reduce stress in these difficult circumstances? Several trials show it can.

Soothing jangled nerves is one thing; raising sagging spirits, another. Bright, cheerful music can make people of all ages feel happy, energetic, and alert, and music may even has a role in lifting the mood of people with depressive illnesses. Bach may never replace Prozac, but when it comes to depression, even a little help strikes a welcome chord.

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Today’s Health Tip ~ 5 Lifelong Fitness Tips From a 96-Year-Old Swimmer

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Judy Young is not just any athlete. Born in 1926, she is a 96-year-old swimmer who doesn’t let her age keep her from winning gold or setting new records at YMCA National swim meets.

5 Lifelong Fitness Tips From a 96-Year-Old Swimmer Who Continues To Win Gold Medals

  1. Do some kind of physical activity every day. – Young says. “I recently had surgery and the doctor told me the reason I’ve been able to recover so quickly is because I’ve led a very active and healthy lifestyle.”
  2. Switch between aerobic and strength workouts—and don’t forget to rest.- Staying active doesn’t mean you have to follow a rigorous workout plan each and every day. Young says that making time for aerobic exercises (like swimming, walking, cycling, and rowing) as well as strength exercises (like weight lifting) make for the most well-rounded fitness-focused lifestyle.
  3. Exercise outside when weather permits—particularly by walking – No matter your age, Young proves that regular hot girl walks can be beneficial. In addition to boosting cardio health, taking your workout outside increases vitamin D levels, which can work wonders for your mood—especially during the gloomier winter months.
  4. Don’t forget about mental fitness. – Your body isn’t the only thing you have to worry about staying fit as you age. “Strengthen your mind through playing cards, reading, or puzzles,” Young says.
  5. Enjoy the process. – Hard as you may try, you can’t hate yourself into a fitter lifestyle. If you despise the process, it’s unlikely that you’ll stick to it. That’s why Young emphasizes the importance finding an activity you enjoy.

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Today’s Health Tip ~ 5 Tips to Stop Feeling Overwhelmed

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The human mind can juggle an amazing amount of information — but there is a limit. “At some point, you reach a critical mass,” says psychologist Scott Bea, PsyD. “You start missing things, avoiding things, getting angry, and struggling at work, home or in your relationships.”

5 Tips to End Brain Overload

  1. Do it now – Sometimes the best way to get it out of your head is to just get it done. Whatever is taking up mental space — shopping for groceries, replying to that email, lifting weights, scheduling a dentist appointment — stop thinking and start doing it.
  2. Plan all the things – Don’t just schedule the obvious, like appointments and meetings. Fill in blocks of free time with the little items that have been taking up brain space. Schedule both the fun and the not-so-fun.
  3. Be true to your schedule – Scheduling tasks commits you to doing them. It’s a great way to reduce mental overload.
  4. Is it time to skip it? – If you keep avoiding something for weeks (or months), ask yourself: Does it really need to get done? If not, cross it off your list for good.
  5. Ask for help – You can’t expect other people to rescue you from your obligations, but you can ask for assistance.

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Today’s Health Tip ~ How are You Feeding Your Brain?

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Eating Healthy Produces Big Benefits for the Brain

Think about it. Your brain is always “on.” It takes care of your thoughts and movements, your breathing and heartbeat, your senses — it works hard 24/7, even while you’re asleep. This means your brain requires a constant supply of fuel. That “fuel” comes from the foods you eat — and what’s in that fuel makes all the difference. Put simply, what you eat directly affects the structure and function of your brain and, ultimately, your mood.

Like an expensive car, your brain functions best when it gets only premium fuel. Eating high-quality foods that contain lots of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants nourishes the brain and protects it from oxidative stress — the “waste” (free radicals) produced when the body uses oxygen, which can damage cells.

Unfortunately, just like an expensive car, your brain can be damaged if you ingest anything other than premium fuel. If substances from “low-premium” fuel (such as what you get from processed or refined foods) get to the brain, it has little ability to get rid of them. Diets high in refined sugars, for example, are harmful to the brain. In addition to worsening your body’s regulation of insulin, they also promote inflammation and oxidative stress. Multiple studies have found a correlation between a diet high in refined sugars and impaired brain function — and even a worsening of symptoms of mood disorders, such as depression.

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