Category: Healthy Tips

Exercise is important for overall health and well-being, but recent studies have found that one type of workout can actually reverse aging at a cellular level! AARP reports: A new study at the Mayo Clinic suggests that interval training, rather than weight lifting, may be best at slowing down — or even reversing — aging at a cellular level. High-intensity interval training — or HIIT — has become very popular in the last decade as a fast-paced routine that alternates between a short burst of intense aerobic exercise, such as sprinting or cycling at full speed, followed by a brief lower-intensity period. This pattern is repeated, usually for about 15 to 20 minutes, although some say even half that long is beneficial. The benefits of briefly pushing your body to the max, then letting it recover, and then pushing it again, helps improve cardiovascular and respiratory health, reduce fat and control glucose, according to recent studies. But the new study, published in Cell Metabolism, finds interval training has additional benefits for older adults, namely reversing signs of aging within cells. Researchers had two age groups of men and women — younger than 30 and older than 65 — who were …

Walk down the vitamin aisle at your local grocery store or pharmacy and you’ll see row after row of vitamins: Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, Magnesium, Copper, Zinc, Calcium…this can be confusing and misleading because most vitamins don’t work on their own – nutrients interact and can work with or against each other. A better alternative to taking a vitamin supplement is eating vitamin-rich foods – whole foods contain mixtures of nutrients that naturally work well together. Choose complementary foods like folate-rich spinach and eggs loaded with B12, and you’ve got a winning combination! Harvard HealthBeat compiled this handy list as a sample of nutrients that work in pairs: Vitamin D and Calcium Like most nutrients, calcium is mostly absorbed in the small intestine. Calcium is important because it strengthens bones, but the body often needs vitamin D’s assistance to absorb the nutrient. Vitamin D also has many other benefits throughout the body. There’s debate these days about whether to raise the daily intake goal for vitamin D. Right now, the official nutrition guidelines recommend that adults get 1,000 milligrams (mg) of calcium and 400 international units (IU) of vitamin D daily. For older adults, the recommended daily allowance …

We all have those moments – you open the refrigerator and can’t remember what you wanted, or you frantically search for your car keys only to find them in your hand. These moments can happen to anybody at any age, and despite common belief, aging alone does not generally cause cognitive decline. When significant memory loss occurs among older people, it is often due to organic disorders, brain injury, or neurological illness. After decades of research, studies have shown that you can help prevent cognitive decline and reduce the risk of dementia with some basic good health habits: Regular physical activity Getting enough sleep Not smoking Maintaining good social connections Limiting alcohol to one drink a day Eating a balanced diet low in saturated and trans fats Certain health conditions that can impair cognitive skills include diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, depression, and hypothyroidism. If you have any of these health issues, you can help protect your memory by following your doctor’s advice carefully. Harvard Medical School recommends the following strategies to protect and improve memory function: 1. Keep learning A higher level of education is associated with better mental functioning in old age. Experts think that advanced education …

Olive oil’s gotten some flak in the kitchen lately because of its relatively low smoke point. But there’s more to olive oil’s healthful and flavorful story… Our friends at The Huffington Post say: “When it comes to cooking, olive oil gets some mixed reviews. On the one hand, it’s a known fact that olive oil is full of healthy, monounsaturated fats, which help reduce bad cholesterol and lower risk of heart disease and stroke, according to the American Heart Association. On the other hand, there’s a “smoke point,” or the temperature at which the oil starts to break down, lose its health benefits and produce chemicals that aren’t all that good for you. And olive oil has a relatively low smoke point — 320°F for extra virgin and 420°F for virgin. So is there a point to using it to sauté your veggies? “Absolutely,” nutritionist Bridget Bennett told The Huffington Post. “It’s gotten a bad rap because people think that simply heating olive oil releases all sorts of unhealthy chemicals, but they are missing half of the story here.” Yes, all oils have a temperature at which they start to break down and are no longer considered healthful or tasty, …

Do you feel drained before your day even kicks in? According to Dr. Jacob Teitelbaum of Good Health magazine, there are three common habits that may be contributing to your waning energy supply. 1. You “check in” before you turn in Research shows that staring at the cool blue and white glow of phones, tablets, and laptops, actually lowers the body’s production of melatonin, a sleep-regulating hormone. To combat this, Dr. Teitelbaum says ditch all devices for at least one hour before bedtime. You can still read a real book or magazine, but scrap the electronics, your dream life will thank you. 2. You’re not moving enough People often use the excuse that they’re too tired to exercise when they should be thinking they’re too tired NOT to. You see, a sedentary lifestyle causes blood vessels to constrict, making you feel tired, even if you’re getting plenty of restful sleep at night. Here’s why: Physical activity triggers your brain to release endorphins, those “feel good” chemicals that boost your physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Even a little bit of movement increases blood flow enough to help more oxygen reach your cells. The result is that you’ll feel more alert throughout …

Dodge dementia with exercise, study proves According to a recent article in Easy Health Options, there’s now even more proof that exercise and brain health go hand in hand. Want to boost your brain power? Maintain your memory? Reverse age-related brain shrinkage? Then hop on that bike, roll out that yoga mat, dust off those weights and exercise. But as simple as that sounds, you may be wondering how much exercise it actually takes to keep your brain healthy. More specifically, how much time do you have to put in to prevent the most dreaded of age-related diseases — dementia? Will 30 minutes per day do the trick? Or should you shoot for an hour? Does moderate exercise count? Or do you need to get your heart pumping and brow sweating every time? So many questions! Luckily, science finally has a solid answer for you. A recent study determined a fitness goal you can set to obliterate your dementia risk. It’s not an easy goal. But it’s completely possible. And it’s worth achieving if you’re serious about keeping your brain sharp until the very end. A recent study conducted at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden found that women who …

Our friends at Humana just shared a great video that will introduce you to the world of pickleball. Pickleball is a fun, easy-to-learn sport that can get people of all ages moving and healthy. Pickleball is more than just an interesting name! A cross between tennis, badminton and ping pong, pickleball can be played one-on-one or two-on-two. The sport, which is especially popular with seniors, is quickly growing in popularity. There are nearly 13,000 pickleball courts nationwide, and the sport is one of 19 played at the National Senior Games.

You’re eager to improve your health, but you may also be overwhelmed by the task at hand. We get it! How about trying these three scientifically proven health hacks first? Getting healthy can be easier than you think! 1. Munch these to control cholesterol: That’s right, eating just 1/3 cup of walnuts daily could lower your total cholesterol 12% — and your artery-clogging LDLs 18%, research in the journal Nutrients shows. Walnut compounds block cholesterol absorption in the intestines, plus their minerals and healthy fats reduce your LDL cholesterol output, says study author Emilio Ross, M.D. in an interview with Woman’s World magazine. Enjoying this filling snack regularly could cut your risk of heart disease by 50%, say Yale researchers. 2. Tip some tea, tame blood sugar: Research in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry suggests that drinking 6 oz. of chamomile tea with each meal cuts blood-sugar surges (and the risk of symptoms like tiredness) as much as 25% in three weeks, even if you already have insulin resistance or prediabetes. Chamomile helps muscles convert blood sugar to fuel before it can build up and damage tissues, says study author Rob Nash, Ph.D. 3. Read your way slim: …