Exercise

Is Your Fat Shrinking Your Brain?

It isn’t breaking news that the majority of the US population is overweight or obese.  The situation has been spiraling out of control for decades.  Prospects for impacting this trend have been so bleak that new data indicating that US obesity rates have stabilized generated extensive news coverage, including segments on two national television networks, with many sources contrasting the high prevalence of obesity with the fact that rates are not climbing.  Should we really be celebrating that a third of adults[1] and one in six kids and teenagers[2] are heavy enough to be considered obese, even if that percentage hasn’t statistically increased since 2003?  Well, let’s consider the population.  From 2003 to 2011, the US population increased by approximately 18 million.  So that would mean about 6 million more obese adults even though the percentage did not increase.  During this same period, humans as a race set a new milestone; for the first time in history there are more overweight people in the world than underweight.[3]  Read the rest of this entry »

Recapture Your Youth

Healthy aging is a topic that gets more and more vital each year.  More than 40 million Americans are 65 years old or greater and the proportion the U.S. population over 65 is anticipated to keep increasing.  Human lifespans are now at the longest they have ever been but more and more are questioning the best ways to ensure the quality of those extra years.

Aging is a complex process with many contributing environmental and genetic factors.  While a person’s lifespan is not absolutely programmed into their genes, longevity is dependent on genetic mechanisms.  This means that a doctor can’t run a genetic test to see what age you will live to, but they can see how well or poorly you are aging on a genetic level.  The damage that we accumulate through our lives is reflected in certain areas of our genes, and these areas in turn shape the ability of our cells to continue to function.

These genetic keys to aging are called telomeres.  Read the rest of this entry »

How Strong Is Your Heart?

Progress in our society has been measured in large part by events like the Industrial Revolution and the Information Age.  As a result, more of us are working with our brains instead of our bodies.  But that may not be such a good thing after all.  In our current global economy, we are dealing with more competition, unprecedented levels of stress and diminished physical activity.  America has become a nation of spectators.   Far too few are getting the exercise that lowers blood pressure, burns away body fat, strengthens muscle and bones, lowers cholesterol, improves mood and sleep, and protects against diabetes, dementia, several cancers, heart attacks and strokes.  But what exactly is the right kind of exercise? Read the rest of this entry »

For Better Longevity, You Are What You Eat…And Do

So what does that say about most Americans?  An increasingly large segment of the US population is overweight or obese, and nearly as many admit to being couch potatoes. Convincing evidence shows that weight gain and obesity increases the risk of several different cancers, including colon, prostate and breast cancer. Studies continue to reveal a link between food consumption, exercise, lifestyle choices and health impact. And the latest research suggests eating fruits and vegetables, limiting alcohol intake and regular exercise just may lower your risk for cancer.  Read the rest of this entry »

Too Young To Have A Stroke? R.I.P Nate Dogg

Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States and it is the number one cause of serious, long-term disability. Most of us think about strokes as a condition affecting the elderly.  While it is true that the vast majority of strokes occur after age 65, recent statistics point to a troubling trend among young to middle aged people.  The incidence of stroke is increasing at the highest rate among the 40 to 60 year old segment of the population.  Currently, nearly 1 in 4 strokes occur before age 65.  Are you at risk? Read the rest of this entry »

Get Your Mojo Back

Remember how good you felt in your twenties?  You were full of energy, vigor and lust.  Your responsibilities were few and just having fun was fairly routine.  The world was your oyster.  You really had the mojo-thing going on.  But life can get in the way.  Career, family and the demands of our modern life can make you feel tired, overwhelmed, stressed-out, grumpy, and lethargic.  Once you’ve lost some of your mojo, it can be hard to muster the enthusiasm to get it back.  But that is precisely when you must fight the hardest.  One of the best ways to get back into a groove is to become more physically active. Read the rest of this entry »

How Long Do You Want To Live?

Many of us are fascinated by stories of unusual longevity.  It seems every television network has some variation of a segment celebrating birthdays at or around 100 years old.  Perhaps it is because those over the century mark are one of the fastest growing segments of the United States population.  So often, getting to triple digits, living longer, and being the oldest kid on the block seems to be our obsession.  We like thinking about how long we want to live, rather than how well we want to live.  Is there a way to do both – live well, and live long? Read the rest of this entry »

Avoid Getting Sick, Naturally

Despite all of the tremendous medical advances of the last century, strategies to fight the viruses that cause seasonal flu and the common cold remain largely unchanged.    There are no cures for either which makes prevention all the more important.   Last year, we suffered through the first flu pandemic in 40 years courtesy of a new and very different flu virus named H1N1. Although there are thousands of fatalities attributed to the flu every year, getting a cold is usually less serious though still very unpleasant.    What are your options besides just rolling the dice and stockpiling Kleenex? Read the rest of this entry »

Sweet Dreams

It may seem obvious that sleep is beneficial. Even without fully grasping what sleep does for us, we know that going without sleep for too long makes us feel terrible, and that getting a good night’s sleep can make us feel ready to take on the world.  When we awaken from a restful sleep, we feel more alert, more energetic, happier, and better able to function. However, the fact that sleep makes us feel better and that going without sleep makes us feel worse only begins to explain why sleep might be necessary. Numerous studies have linked poor sleep with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, a weakened immune system, cancers, high blood pressure, obesity and Type 2 diabetes. Read the rest of this entry »

Is the FDA Negligent?

Over the last twenty years, Americans appetite for prescription drugs has exploded.  One need only to turn on the TV to see ad after ad  suggesting that there is a pill to satisfy any pain, discomfort or ailment that you may encounter.  The message seems to be: “No need to work hard at anything or modify the way you live because we have a pill for it; whatever it is”.  But with the FDA looking out for the public welfare, isn’t that a safe proposition?

Well, let’s look at the facts.  Last year over half a million Americans suffered adverse events due to prescription medications.[1]  Almost 100,000 people die yearly as a result of complications from pharmaceutical drugs.[2]  Read the rest of this entry »