Disease Proof : Disease Proof : Health & Nutrition News & Commentary : Dr. Joel Fuhrman

I love Yoga! I practice twice a week. So this is awesome. Findings in the journal Health Education & Behavior reveal doing a little yoga and meditation everyday during lunch can help people reduce stress at work.

Participants attended one-hour weekly group meetings during lunch and practiced 20 minutes of meditation and yoga per day at their desks. After six weeks, program participants reported that they were more aware of external stressors, they felt less stressed by life events, and they fell asleep more easily than did a control group that did not experience the intervention.

“Because chronic stress is associated with chronic disease, I am focusing on how to reduce stress before it has a chance to contribute to disease,” said Maryanna Klatt, lead author of the study and an assistant professor of clinical allied medicine at Ohio State.

“My interest is to see whether or not we can get people to reduce their health care utilization because they’re less stressed. I want to deliver something low cost at the work site, something practical that can be sustained, that can help reduce health care costs,” Klatt said.

It’s weird for me though. If I’m too stressed I can’t do Yoga. I can’t focus. But I better find a way to chill out, because Dr. Fuhrman insists reducing negative stress is an important of a long healthy life. My bad!

Via Newswise.

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Whether you like weights or cardio, all exercise helps after a heart attack. Published in the journal Circulation, researchers enrolled 209 heart attack survivors in a four-week exercise routine including either a 10-minute warm-up followed by 40 minutes of cycling or 10 exercises with weights and rubber bands. At the end of the study the endothelial function of both groups, i.e. the amount blood vessels widen to increase blood flow, more than doubled, jumping from 4% to 10%; HealthDay News investigates.

And many health experts believe more exercise, coupled with better diet, would cut world cancer in half and other studies have linked aerobic fitness with appetite suppression and bone strength. For fun, mix up your workout! Maybe try Yoga it’s been associated with diabetes control, or Tai Chi which fights arthritis.

But don’t kill yourself! A recent report linked mental tiredness with quicker physical exhaustion. I blog a lot and I exercise a lot and if I don’t relax, I really feel it at the gym.

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Wow, new findings in the Journal of Applied Physiology suggest being mentally tired may cause you to become exhausted more quickly during exercise, but researchers claim your muscles and heart don’t underperform. It’s your “perceived effort” that’s dragging you down. On one day 16 participants were given a demanding 90-minute test and on another day they watched TV for 90-minutes. When put on a stationary bike 15% of subjects stopped exercising sooner when they were mentally pooped; Reuters explains.

I relate to this big time! Tell me if you do too. A year ago I exercised a ton; Yoga, running, weights and more running! But I couldn’t do it anymore, too busy. Nowadays, DiseaseProof draws major attention, so I had to step up my game, hopefully you’ve noticed. Long story short, I was leaving the gym near death. Now I’ve cut back. I still exercise 6 days a week, but for shorter intervals and no more working out twice a day. That was crazy!

Clearly, pushing yourself to mental and physical exhaustion is a dumb idea. Our bodies need sufficient rest and recovery to function properly and previous reports insist Americans are overworked and under-slept. So cut yourself a break. You probably need it.

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• At 66 years old rock and roll immortal, Sir Paul McCartney, isn’t slowing down. In fact, the newly named Fireman does Yoga six times a day. He does eye Yoga, something he picked up during a recent trip to India. It involves various eye movements to keep the eye muscles strong; from Healthy Hollywood.

• New findings in the Archives of Internal Medicine suggest postmenopausal women who exercise more have improved mental and physical wellbeing. Participants in all 3 exercise groups (the fourth was a control group) reported better quality of life and weight-loss of up to 4.10 pounds; via HealthDay News.

• The United Kingdom Conservative Party has placed a bid to change the law for stricter country-of-origin labeling of meat. Current regulations allow imported meat to be processed in Britain, i.e. made into prepared meals, sausage, pies and other foods, but labeled as British meat; FoodNavigator reports.

• Apparently an owner of the peanut company linked to the deadly peanut butter-salmonella outbreak that caused 600 illnesses and 8 deaths, urged his workers to ship tainted products after receiving test results identifying salmonella contamination. The owner was worried about lost sales; ENN explains.

• Another study in the Archives of Internal Medicine claims bad sleeping habits might cause psychiatric illnesses, like depression, or lead to unusual behavior that may cause doctors to mistakenly diagnosis someone with mental problems and prescribe unnecessary psychoactive drugs; NewScientists reports.

• A U.S. court has ruled against three families who claimed vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella vaccine caused their children's autism, concluding that the families were misled, saying evidence does support that thimerosal, a mercury-containing preservative, damages immune systems; from Reuters.

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Next time you’re freaked out, calm down. A new study in Neurology claims people who cope with stress are less likely to develop dementia. In outgoing, social people the findings were particularly high. A decreased risk was also observed in less social people that could still handle stress well. Researchers tracked 506 older people for 6 years, during this time 106 became demented. In the beginning, participants filled out questionnaires to determine their personality type and stress level; CNN reports.

I deal with stress by bashing my head against the wall. Kidding! Actually, for me Yoga is a huge stress alleviator. And a previous study reveals mediation and prayer techniques, like those found in Yoga, might change people’s gene activity and help them better react to stress. Shanti, shanti!

And other reports show being social improves memory and reducing stress helps you live longer.

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A new study in Pediatrics claims a person’s level of fitness as a child influences their health as an adult. Of the participants, Norwegian students, those who were more physically active at age 13 were less likely to become obese and develop high blood pressure in their 20s and mid-30s, but this effect dissipated by age 40. Leaving researchers to recommend staying fit as you grow up; Reuters reports.

With so many schools cutting gym programs and obesity soaring worldwide, a lot of attention is being paid to keeping kids active. The National Football League has its Play 60 campaign and recently, India’s health minister suggested making Yoga mandatory for all school children.

Oh! And remember, the television is the enemy. Children that watch too much TV are unfit.

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A funny thing happened yesterday. A couple months ago I switched Yoga studios. I like a vigorous practice and my old studio cut back on classes. Now, as luck would have it. My new studio is two doors down from a farmers market.

I’ve been shopping there for a while now. Here’s the stuff I bought yesterday: chicory, Bartlett pears, Bosc pears, broccoli, blueberries, red grapes, apricots and pineapple chunks. A smaller than average purchase for me, it only cost about 18 bucks.

Now, when it was my turn in line, the cashier, who I see every week and never makes small talk, asked me, “Hey, do you work in a restaurant? Because you always buy lots of stuff.” I smiled. I guess a short Italian guy buying bunches of produce every week does look like a restaurant owner, especially in New Jersey, the land of pizzerias and delis.

I laughed and told her no. To be brief, I explained I eat a vegetable-based diet and that I don’t eat meat. She wanted to know if I was a vegetarian. I said, “Sort of.” Telling her I eat fish once a week, but most of my diet is fruits and vegetables. She seemed to get it and thanked me for my repeat business.

So, has something like this ever happened to you? It wasn’t a first for me, but it was still pretty funny. Maybe I should open a restaurant. Apparently I look the part!
 

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A lot of people say they don’t have time to exercise. Even doctors can’t find the time!

So, if you’re hard-pressed to get a work out in. Angela Stovall, a master trainer at 24 Hour Fitness in Chino, California, put together this 30-minute work out:

Five minutes cardio warm-up: five minutes walking lunges, then alternate between 10 walking lunges and 10 abdominal crunches for three sets.

Hop on the treadmill for five minutes at 3.5 mph: simultaneously doing three-to-five pound bicep curls and shoulder presses. Watch your form.

Then to the mat for 10-20 push-ups: alternate with 10-20 tricep bench dips, three sets of each.

Run stairs or jump on a cardio stair stepper for 5 minutes: then finish with 25 no-weight standing squats and 50 side bends.

This is cute. But 30 minutes doesn’t work for me. Between Yoga classes, lifting weights and running on and off the treadmill, I exercise WAY more than 30 measly minutes.

Oh, and try training like a Spartan or a U.S. Navy Seal. Eye of the tiger baby!

Via That’sFit.

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India has the most diabetes worldwide, with 41 million cases in 2007 and an estimated of 70 million by 2025. Officials blame modern life and inactivity. That’s why India’s health minister wants to make Yoga mandatory for all school-going children; Reuters reports.

In addition to a healthy diet, Dr. Fuhrman insists exercise is an integral part of diabetes-prevention and previous reports agree. Now, Yoga is phenomena exercise! It’s awesome for your abs, helps reduce stress and can aid in breast cancer recovery. So, go get bendy!
 

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Barack Obama, like presidents before him, exercises regularly, even on Election Day! Nowadays, Obama, a former smoker still trying to quit, and his wife, future First Lady Michelle, are both avid gym rats, playing basketball, lifting weights and doing cardio; The NY Daily News investigates.

Obama’s lead is perfect for our chronically sedentary nation. And actually, his predecessor George W. Bush also fought hard for exercise, recently unveiling a presidential fitness test for adults.

Now, Dr. Fuhrman insists regular exercise is an important part of longevity. Even centenarians urge staying active. So get out there and move, running, Yoga, Tai Chi, whatever!

Via That'sFit.
 

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