The World Health Organization recently updated its guidelines for physical activity and sedentary behavior. This marks the first update the WHO has made to the guidelines since 2010.
The new guidelines call for adults (ages 18–64) to do 150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, or 75–150 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise, per week (or some equivalent combination of moderate and vigorous exercise). Additionally, resistance training at moderate or greater intensity — involving all major muscle groups — should be done at least 2 times per week.
This equates to about 30–60 minutes of total exercise per day. That amount of activity has been shown to have a range of health benefits, including reduced risk for hypertension, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, and all-cause mortality (dying from any cause). Additionally, exercise at these levels improves mental health (including anxiety and depression), brain functioning, and sleep quality. …
I love wine.
One of my favorite things is to unwind at the end of a long day with a glass of good wine.
But I don’t love the negative effects of wine. I experience lower-quality sleep after just a glass or two. And I am concerned about the possible long-term health consequences.
I lead a very healthy lifestyle overall, but it is hard to determine the right approach to alcohol. Certain studies show moderate drinking has health benefits, while other reports say no amount of alcohol is safe.
Ultimately, since wine is one of the great joys in my life, I want to continue enjoying it while finding the healthiest way to do so. …
Wine and cheese are two of life’s great pleasures.
They’re even better in combination. Just ask the French.
But did you know that wine and cheese can help prevent cognitive decline?
That is what the results show from a new study published in the November 2020 issue of the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.
The top 2 findings from the study were:
- Cheese, by far, was shown to be the most protective food against age-related cognitive problems, even late into life.
- The daily consumption of alcohol, particularly red wine, was related to improvements in cognitive function.
The study — a first-of-its-kind large scale analysis that connects specific foods to later-in-life cognitive acuity — looked at 1,787 aging adults (from 46 to 77 years of age) in the UK from 2006–2016. During that period, participants completed a Fluid Intelligence Test at baseline and then in 2 follow-up assessments years apart. The Fluid Intelligence Test determines someone’s abstract problem-solving skills and ability to think on the fly. …
We are often told that we need to get out of our comfort zone to grow and achieve success.
That life doesn’t begin until things are scary and uncomfortable.
That the pathway to success must be risky, difficult, and riddled with failure along the way.
That you need to push yourself to the limit — and beyond — to realize your true potential.
But that’s all wrong.
Getting out of your comfort zone is overrated.
In fact, understanding your comfort zone and leaning into it is where the real magic happens.
Your comfort zone is the sweet spot where you should be operating. …
Many people who exercise regularly focus exclusively on cardio.
In the past, I was one of those people. For more than a decade, I worked out just about every day, but my workout always consisted of a 30-minute run in the morning.
This daily run produced terrific mental and physical benefits, and I assumed it was all I needed to maintain my health.
I thought lifting weights was only for gym rats and muscle heads obsessed with vanity.
I was mistaken.
Now, don’t get me wrong — aerobic exercise is incredibly important for health and longevity, benefiting everything from your cardiovascular system to your immune function to your brain power. …
For the first time ever, a randomized, controlled clinical trial has demonstrated the ability to reverse biological age
People have been searching for the fountain of youth throughout history.
Now we have scientific data that shows you can turn back the clock on aging.
For the first time, a randomized, controlled clinical trial has demonstrated the reversal of biological age. This trial also marks the first time a diet and lifestyle intervention has been proven to reduce biologic aging.
In just 8 short weeks, those in the ‘treatment’ group (18 people) of the study tested an average of 1.96 years younger, according to the Horvath DNA methylation age and epigenetic clock.
We now have scientific ‘clocks’ that measure markers of age with remarkable accuracy and the best of these is the Horvath DNAmAge clock. The Horvath clock is a multi-tissue predictor of age that estimates the DNA methylation age of most tissues and cell types. …
It’s August and the pandemic is still having a significant impact on everyday households. While most people’s occupations have changed in one way or another, many people have lost their jobs altogether. If you fall in the latter category, chances are you are struggling to make ends meet.
Figuring out how to keep yourself and/or your family afloat financially is essential as you look for employment. Fortunately, there are some practical ways to adjust your finances and boost your income while you are between jobs. Here are a few examples:
Rework Your Finances
The first thing to consider is how you can adjust your budget to help soften the blow of job loss. Take a close look at your budget for the last three months, and identify all of your discretionary expenses. Many of these expenses can be cut, including gym memberships, streaming services, and gaming apps. Look at it this way: You won’t have to live without these comforts forever. The more willing you are to cut expenses now, the faster you will be able to regain financial stability. …
Low-carb diets are all the rage these days.
Keto, Paleo, Primal, Atkins, LCHF, or anything else you want to call it. They are all close low-carb cousins.
But here’s the thing: the longest-lived people in the world don’t eat a low-carb diet.
In the Blue Zones — the places around the world where people live the longest — they actually eat a HIGH-carb diet.
That’s right, carbs are the predominant macronutrient among the world’s centenarians. To be exact, about 65% of their food intake comes from carbs, 20% from fat, and only 15% from protein.
But we’re not talking about simple refined carbs. …
It can be tempting to believe you will become an overnight success.
That if you have a goal and wish for it hard enough, it will miraculously come true one day.
Or maybe you are waiting for inspiration to strike and — once that happens — you’ll be lifted to greatness from motivation alone.
But the reality is success doesn’t work this way.
Having a goal is not sufficient to actually achieve it. And motivation fades all too quickly.
The real secret to success is committing to the process. Every. Single. Day.
“Success is the product of daily habits — not once-in-a-lifetime transformations,” according to James Clear, New York Times bestselling author of Atomic Habits. …
Anecdotally, many of us have experienced the performance-enhancing benefits of caffeine.
My morning runs or workouts certainly seem easier after I’ve had a cup or two of coffee. But is it the placebo effect or does caffeine actually improve exercise performance?
A recent comprehensive report analyzed 21 published meta-analyses to answer this very question.
The systematic review looked at the effects of caffeine on aerobic endurance, muscle strength, muscle endurance, power, jumping performance, and exercise speed.
The conclusion — after looking at all of the data — is that “caffeine ingestion improves exercise performance in a broad range of exercise tasks.” …
