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staying young
Want to look younger? Research says to start with your diet
While behavioral factors such as avoiding sun exposure, getting adequate sleep and not smoking are crucial to your skin’s health, there is a a tremendous opportunity to improve your skin’s appearance and quality with a healthy diet, according to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD). The AAD says that diets high in fiber, lean proteins and fresh fruits and vegetables can lead to healthier skin.
Excuse me? Improve your hearing in the face of distractions, says new study
Did you know it was possible to improve your hearing in a noisy environment? A new study from researchers at UCSF shows that, by training our brains and hearing, we can actually improve our hearing in the face of distractions. The UCSF team developed a training technique for individuals to suppress distracting sounds. Over the course of the study, as subjects trained with this technique, their ability to hear and distinguish sounds in the face of distractions showed significant improvement.
SMILE when you don’t want to, or for no reason at all!
Many of us have been told to “smile more”, as this sends off a more friendly and inviting signal to the outer world. However, the act of smiling (even when we don’t feel like it) has powerful internal effects as well. Researchers have shown that the mere act of smiling, even when “forced”, sends a signal to the body’s “fight or flight” response system that the coast is clear.
Increase brain health, alertness and relaxation by writing in cursive
The numerous requirements of writing in cursive can positively impact brain health in many ways. By stimulating both sides of the brain simultaneously, requiring dexterity and triggering norepenephrine (responsible for attention), cursive writing can help your brain’s health in ways that printed writing and typing cannot.
Meditate to Both Reduce Anxiety and to Prevent Dementia and Alzheimer’s?
A recent study by Dr. Linda Mah shows that higher levels of anxiety in study subjects were associated with a greater prevalence of Alzheimer’s and dementia. This raises the question of whether reducing anxiety could prevent dementia and Alzheimer’s.
Stand more and sit less to live longer, burn more calories and be healthier – BBC
The evidence that standing up is good for you goes back to at least the 1950s when a study was done comparing bus conductors (who stand) with bus drivers (who don’t). This study, published in the Lancet, showed that the bus conductors had around half the risk of developing heart disease of the bus drivers.
Since then prolonged sitting has not only been linked to problems with blood glucose control, but also a sharp reduction in the activity of an enzyme called lipoprotein lipase, which breaks down blood fats and makes them available as a fuel to the muscles. This reduction in enzyme activity leads to raised levels of triglycerides and fats in the blood, increasing the risk of heart disease.
The numbers behind the standing vs. sitting comparison tell quite a story:
[Standing instead of sitting] adds up to about 50 calories an hour. If you stand for three hours a day for five days that’s around 750 calories burnt. Over the course of a year it would add up to about 30,000 extra calories, or around 8lb of fat.
“If you want to put that into activity levels… then that would be the equivalent of running about 10 marathons a year. Just by standing up three or four hours in your day at work.”
– Dr. John Buckley, head of the team from the University of Chester in the UK studying the topic
Read More: http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-24532996
Pretty amazing, no? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Maybe you CAN teach an old dog new tricks?
Researchers aim to use ‘middle aged’ pet dogs to test rapamycin, folowing the drug’s lifespan extension in experiments with mice. Developed as an anti-rejection drug for patients who have just undergone kidney transplants, rapamycin has recently been shown to extend the lives of mice by more than 10%.
Rapamycin acts on a protein that is involved in cell growth and has an anti-inflammatory impact on the body. It was also the first drug shown to extend lifespan in a mammalian species.
“As organisms age, inflammation can increase and that is related to many disorders,” added [University of Washington in Seattle Dr. Matt] Kaeberlein. “But that is not the only thing that rapamycin does. It also turns on a process called autophagy which is in effect the process by which cells dispose of the garbage that builds up inside them.”
Read More: http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/nov/08/anti-ageing-drugs-tested-on-dogs-cancer-heart
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Learn new skills in order to maintain your brain’s vitality with age, study says
Crossword puzzles, reading and that familiar hobby of yours may not be enough to keep your brain sharp, according to studies in the journal “Psychological Science”.
A recent study performed by Denise Park at University of Texas at Dallas shows that learning new skills could the key to maintaining cognitive vitality with age. Simply maintaining those old habits may not be enough.
“This is speculation, but what if challenging mental activity slows the rate at which the brain ages?” asks Park. “Every year that you save could be an added year of high quality life and independence.”
Were you aware that you needed to learn new skills to keep your brain sharp? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Want to live to 100? Practice qigong, says Dr. Oz
Read More: http://www.bgtent.com/CMAQigongSchool/QigongProgram.htm
What do you think leads to qigong practitioners living longer lives? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Patriots QB Tom Brady using brain exercises to stay sharp
Top professional athletes at the cutting edge of their sports are using brain exercises to stay on top of their game. Case in point is 37-year old New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, who has recently brought cognitive exercises into his training regimen.
“I think finding that balance in your brain or in your body is how you optimize your performance. You figure out where deficiencies are. Where you’re out of range, and you exercise to bring yourself back to range so you can continue to do the things you want to do as long as you want. Just because you get older, I’ve said this before, you can sustain peak performance as long as you can …Your memory or whatever the things that you need to do to work on, you can sustain those things a lot longer than you realize. I think that’s something that I’ve learned and that I’m going to continue to do as long as I’m here.””
– Tom Brady, 8.25.14 via profootballtalk.nbcsports.com.
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