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Working on Balance

Balance exercises can help you maintain your balance at any age. It’s generally a good idea for older adults in particular to include exercises to maintain or improve balance in their routine exercises. This is important because balance tends to deteriorate with age, which can lead to falls and fractures. Balance exercises can help older adults prevent falls and maintain their independence. Balance . . . can help stabilize your core muscles. Try standing on one leg for increasing periods of time to improve your overall stability. Activities such as tai chi can promote balance, too.

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H20 is pretty much your BFF. “Every morning, I pour myself a big glass of water, which I drink before putting anything else in my body,” explains Nora Minno, R.D., C.D.N. “Staying hydrated keeps our bodies healthy down to the cellular level and it also helps keep us from overeating. Oftentimes we can mistake thirst for hunger,” she adds, which can lead to taking in more calories than your body needs from food.

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Build a Strong Core

Core-strength exercises strengthen your core muscles, including your abdominal muscles, back muscles and the muscles around the pelvis. Strong core muscles make it easier to do many physical activities. You can do core-strength exercises on a carpeted floor or mat. Breathe freely and deeply during each core-strength exercise. Focus on tightening your transversus abdominis, the deepest abdominal muscle and the one you feel contracting when you cough.

Core exercises are available at the MayoClinic. via a slide show. Repeat each of these core-strength exercises about five times. As your core strength improves, build up to 10 to 15 repetitions. If you have back problems, osteoporosis or other health concerns, talk to your doctor before doing these core-strength exercises.

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Myth: Omega-3 fatty acid supplements will help your heart.

The argument: Eating fish may lower your risk of dying of heart disease thanks to the unsaturated fatty acids in seafood, which may reduce inflammation and lower levels of blood fats called triglycerides. But if you don’t eat fish regularly (or at all), reaching for an omega-3 or fish oil supplement seems like a good shortcut.

The reality: A major review of studies including nearly 80,000 patients found no link between omega-3 supplements and heart disease. The takeaway: While supplements probably aren’t harmful, you may be better off getting your omega-3s from your diet, rather than from a bottle.

Source: MayoClinic

Myth: It’s best to avoid eggs — or at least the yolks.

The argument: Egg yolks contain lots of cholesterol. So, logically, eating cholesterol leads to high cholesterol. Right?

The reality: Most of the cholesterol in the body is made by the liver, not delivered through diet. And while diet does matter, research has found that cholesterol levels have more to do with the fat you eat, namely saturated and trans fats, than cholesterol. Eggs contain healthy nutrients, including vitamins A and D, as well as protein. Long-term population studies show that eating an egg a day hasn’t been linked to higher rates of heart attack or stroke. But beware the side of bacon and cheese, which can raise your risk.

Source: MayoClinic

Myth: Coconut oil is a heart-healthy cooking alternative.

The argument: Coconut oil is extremely high in saturated fat — about 50 percent more than butter, even. But despite that saturated fat is known to raise cholesterol levels, linked with heart disease risk, proponents believe that some saturated fats in coconut oil (called medium-chain triglycerides) are less harmful and may actually raise levels of beneficial HDL cholesterol.

The reality: Coconut oil has been shown to raise cholesterol levels — the good and the bad kinds — more than other plant-based oils like olive or canola. And in truth, medium-chain triglycerides make up only a small amount of the fatty acids in coconut oil.

Plus, while other heart-healthy fats like olive oil, canola oil, or omega-3 fatty acids in nuts and seafood have been supported by a large body of evidence, coconut oil’s supposed benefits still haven’t been proved in large-scale human research.

Source: MayoClinic

Spinach – A good source of magnesium

Too little magnesium may trigger headaches and fatigue, compounding the effects of stress. One cup of spinach helps you stock back up on magnesium. Don’t like spinach? Other green, leafy vegetables are good magnesium sources. Or try some cooked soybeans or a fillet of salmon, also high in magnesium.

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