Tips For A Healthy Lifestyle: 'Vitamin D + Exercise = Fewer Falls"

Tips For A Healthy Lifestyle: 'Vitamin D + Exercise = Fewer Falls"

Dr. Weil's Daily Tip, January 6, 2011

Vitamin D intake and regular exercise have  been identified as main factors in the prevention of falls in seniors.  Falls for seniors are often the beginning of a series of health complication, loss of independence, and have been related to premature deaths.  For more, read the article by Dr. Weil below.

That's the conclusion from a review of 54 studies that included data from more than 26,000 seniors. Investigators from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force analyzed the studies in an effort to determine the best recommendations primary care physicians could make to patients age 65 and older in order to prevent falls. The injuries from these accidents are the greatest cause of death, disability and loss of independence among seniors. The incidence of falls has been rising in recent years, due in part to the increasing number of older adults in the population. The review found that taking vitamin D, with or without calcium, cut the risk of falling by an average of 17 percent. In half of the studies reviewed, the daily doses of vitamin D were greater than 800 international units. The researchers also found that exercise reduced the risk of falls by 13 percent. This benefit was seen whether the activity involved was designed to improve balance, strength and flexibility or was weight training or aerobic exercise such as walking. The review was published in the Dec. 21, 2010 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

My take? As you may know, I recommend that everyone take 2,000 IU of vitamin D daily, not only because it helps strengthen bones, which may prevent or slow the progression of osteoporosis, but also because it helps boost the immune system and protects against a number of serious diseases. Exercise is also key to maintaining optimum health in general, and to preventing falls in particular. In addition to aerobic activity, resistance training and exercises to increase flexibility and balance, I also highly recommend tai chi, a gentle form of movement training that has been shown to reduce risk of injury from falls among seniors.

the Benefits of Physical Exercise and Fitness: 'Why Yoga is the Best form of Exercise for your Body'

'Why Yoga is the Best form of Exercise for your Body'

Power Yoga Blog - March 29, 2010

Yoga is an ancient science geared towards bringing both body and mind to a state of perfect balance.  While the ultimate goal of yoga is spiritual in nature, practicing yoga yields tremendous benefits on the physical, mental and emotional level of the practitioner. Looking back at the roots of Yoga, it appears that the original practices originated in India around 5,000 years ago and were perfected over time in an effort to provide the perfect combination of physical and mental practices that would ultimately bring vibrant health, strength, longevity, and stress-free living to its practicing adepts.  No other physical discipline is as complete and holistic or brings such impressive results as yoga does.  That's why Yoga has endured the test of time, transcending scores of generations, governments, cultures and religions in order to offer its benefits to all people throughout the ages.  Because Yoga understands that individuals have distinct physical and mental compositions (personalities) and are therefore attracted by different disciplines and sources of entertainment for their mind, it has adapted and given birth to many branches which cater to different groups of personalities.  Some people may have a more physical approach while others may prefer mental activities, yet, others will be drawn to more emotional pursuits while some are very spiritual in nature.  Whichever type of Yoga fits your personality is the Yoga you'll practice with more ease and enjoyment and which will yield the most powerful results in terms of your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being.  This is exactly what the ultimate goal of Yoga is, i.e. the union with all aspects of yourself on all levels of your being, and it is not as difficult as you may think.  In the West, the primary focus of Yoga has been on the physical aspect and benefits of this system and there is nothing wrong with that.  After all, spiritual masters themselves say that ‘your body is a temple' and you cannot neglect it without negatively effecting your health and overall well-being. The Asana branch of Hatha Yoga which entails all the physical postures of yoga primarily focuses on keeping a clean, healthy body and mind so that you can thrive on all levels of your being and truly enjoy life, light and carefree.  In order to achieve the best possible results, Asana Yoga blends focused breathing and deep concentration with physical poses. It joins breathing, moving and thinking together. The benefits of yoga are extensive.  Many books have been written on the subject and but none can give a fully exhaustive list of all the advantages brought about by the practice of yoga.  Typically, an Astanga Yoga practice includes poses dedicated to engage every cell of your body, heart, kidneys, liver, eyes, bones, brain, nervous system. It is, beyond comparison, the epitome of perfect exercise programs that is essential to complete health. Oxygenating the entire bodily system is one of the greatest benefits of vigorous exercise and the deep, regular breathing inherent in any Yoga practice strengthens and increases the lung's capacity of the practitioner. Astanga Yoga is by far the best, most complete form of exercise.  With each practice, your body’s muscles and bone fiber become stronger as you perfect each pose.  Further, unlike popular belief, yoga practices also include a cardio element, especially Astanga Yoga.  Astanga Yoga sequences are systematic and strengthen every muscle in the body, including the heart. If you practice Power or Astanga Yoga for just one hour a day, you will get as much ‘cardio' as if you had done a work-out at the gym.

The Benefits of Physical Exercise and Fitness: 'Physical Strength and mental determination linked to longer life'

'Physical Strength and mental determination linked to longer life'

BBC News - September 12, 2010

A recent study investigating common factors in longevity identified a 'strong handshake' as one of those factors.   Since a strong handshake mainly relates to strength, life force and personal affirmation, it is safe to deduct a correlation between physical strength as well as mental and emotional well-being and longevity.  For more, read below.

'Firm handshake link to long life: A firm handshake was one of the signs of longevity'

The strength of your handshake could be a clue to how long you'll live, say scientists from University College London. They matched older people's balance, grip strength and ability to get up from a chair with their risk of an earlier death. Those who did best were likely to live longer, the British Medical Journal reported. It is hoped such simple tests might help doctors spot "at-risk" patients. "With time this could be relevant to younger people in terms of preventative medicine”, said Professor Avan Aihie Sayer of Southampton University. The study, carried out at the Medical Research Council-funded Unit for Lifelong Health and Aging, combined the results of more than 30 earlier research projects, involving tens of thousands of people which looked at "physical capability" and mortality. The people involved were mostly over the age of 60, but living in the community rather than hospitals or care homes.

The researchers found that death rates over the period of the studies were 67% higher in people with the weakest grip strength compared with the strongest.

The Benefits of Physical Exercise and Fitness: 'Michelle Obama and 'Let's Move!' leading the WAY!'

'Michelle Obama and 'Let's Move!' leading the WAY!'

New York Times - September 10, 2010

One of the most preoccupying issue facing the U.S. is the obesity epidemic resulting from poor nutrition and lack of exercise and which is starting to affect younger and younger populations in our country each year.

The first lady, Michelle Obama, has identified this issue as a priority and launched a national initiative called, 'Let's Move!' to try and derail a process that would have extreme negative consequences on both the health and future wealth of our nation.  For more, read below.

SLIDELL, La. — Declaring the beginning of the “next phase” of a program to combat childhood obesity, the first lady, Michelle Obama, called on Congress on Wednesday to pass legislation that would make many of the program’s initiatives possible. In a speech at an elementary school here, Mrs. Obama ticked off the main points of her “Let’s Move!” campaign: encouraging children to exercise, providing more free and reduced-price school meals and making the food in schools more nutritious. Explicitly tying school nutrition to academic performance, she pledged to expand the program on all these points. But Mrs. Obama, who has typically not waded into Congressional debates, emphasized that achieving much of this was dependent on federal lawmakers. “It’s important to be clear,” she said, “that we can’t do any of this unless we pass the Child Nutrition legislation that’s before Congress right now.” Under the act, food sold in schools would have to meet new nutrition guidelines, but schools would get an increased amount of federal reimbursement money for meals. It would also expand the number of poorer students who are eligible for free and reduced-price school meals. In early August, on the eve of the act’s passage in the Senate, Mrs. Obama wrote an op-ed article in The Washington Post encouraging lawmakers to vote yes, which they did, unanimously. The bill is now expected to be on the agenda this month in the House of Representatives, where lawmakers have been working on a version that would add new elements, and more financing, to the $4.5 billion version that passed in the Senate. “Congress is very close to getting this done but still there are a number of barriers,” said Margo Wootan, the director of nutrition policy for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a group that provided input to the White House in the creation of a plan to address childhood obesity. “This would be a historic change to the programs,” Ms. Wootan said. “I’m agonizing daily about it.” Mrs. Obama delivered her speech at an elementary school here that is one of 25 in the district — out of only 59 in the country — that have received $2,000 cash awards from the United States Department of Agriculture for promoting healthy eating and physical activity. It also sits just over the state line from Mississippi, which has the highest rate of childhood obesity in the country.

The key to living a long, healthy and happy life

'The key to living a long, healthy and happy life'

Enjoying a full, healthy and happy life doesn't take that much; it's all about the little things that make an incredible difference.... For more, read below.

Following are a few small deletions or additions to make to your daily life that will not only make you healthier but will also make you happier.

1. EXERCISE: Exercise is vital to human health and exercising today can be the key to your later quality of life. Pace your exercise program to your health, in times of illness, range of motion exercises will insure you maintain as much movement as possible. When you are healthy, exercise will help build muscle or aid in lung and heart health. Listen to your body and pace your exercise program by what it dictates.

2. REST: Rest is a form of therapy and it is essential for your body to have when you are under physical or emotional stress. If you need it then don't fight it. Try to lay down each day for a 20 minute total rest period. Total rest meaning that you do absolutely nothing during this brief lay down. Although you do not need to sleep to receive the benefits of this rest period it is amazing the amount of energy that it will replenish you with.

3. ALLOW YOUR BODY TO SWEAT: In today's world of deodorants and air conditioners we don't sweat enough. Like the kidneys excrete waste from the body so does the process of sweating allow our bodies to rid itself of harmful waste. Sweating helps reduce the accumulation of heavy metals such as lead, mercury and nickle and also serves to secrete toxins such as alcohol and nicotine residues from our bodies. Sweating reduces bacteria in our bodies and can actually strengthen our immune system. When you sweat profusely, just remember to add additional water so that dehydration does not occur.

4. REDUCE THE POLLUTANTS THAT YOU ARE EXPOSED TO: Be aware of the pollutants that you are exposed to and take the appropriate measures to reduce that exposure. If you smoke; find a way to quit. If your water system is an older one than it may contain lead and other contaminants. Most water purifiers are very reasonably priced and can be purchased at your local department store. With the amount of water we ingest daily it is very important to insure that it is as pure as it can be. If you live in a very polluted community consider a move to a cleaner environment. Eliminate the use of as many plastics as possible and instead switch to glass, wood, cast iron or steel containers and surfaces. Do not use non-stick baking utensils as the coating currently contains a toxin which leaches at high temperatures. Reduce the amount of electricity that you are exposed to. Evening and night is when you are most likely to be home and exposed so simple things like throwing out the electric blanket, reducing the amount of lighting you use, removing the electric clock from the bedside ( or better yet replacing it with a wind-up one), sitting back from the T.V. or computer and reducing the amount of time you spend doing those activities. Instead spend more time outdoors.

5. DETOXIFY YOUR DIET: Eat foods rich in antioxidants. These combine with those dangerous free radicals in your body and serve to strengthen your immune system. Reduce sugars and starches, chemicals and preservatives, also fatty foods such as french fries and red meats. Eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables. Switch from fatty red meats to leaner white meats, or no meat at all if you can. Minimize alcohol consumption. If necessary add vitamins from a natural source, such as the blue-green algae E3Live, to supplement your diet.

6. REDUCE YOUR STRESS: Stress can cause irreparable damage to the immune system which leave you open to all kinds of future illnesses. Stress kills! Reduce it any way that you can.

7. BE PROUD OF WHO YOU ARE: We each have our own unique qualities and these are our gift to this old world that we live in. Be proud of all those special qualities that make you......you. Also know that sometimes changes in your life can alter who you are and require you to set new attributes and goals for yourself. Always push yourself to be the best that you can be but also understand that there are times when you just need to hide away and recuperate.

8. SMILE: When you put that sweet little grin on your face your brain does an amazing thing and it releases a little chemical known as "endorphins". These endorphins are the body's natural pain killer and will reduce feelings of emotional or physical pain. The more that you smile, the more often that you will find yourself smiling, without your even thinking about it. Then without knowing when it happened, you will discover that you have actually become, a much happier person.

9. LAUGH: You may have heard the saying that, "Laughter is the best medicine". Well this is a fact. Laughter is one of those things, like smiling, that makes you feel good. It is also a great form of exercise with all the same great variety of health benefits for your body that exercise will give it. Find any reason that you can to laugh, the more that you practice laughing, the more often that you will find it occurring naturally.

10. LOVE: Love with all your heart and soul. Don't be afraid to give freely of yourself and your emotions to as many living creatures as you are able to. The kindness that you give will not only make you more content with your life, but it will create a wave of kindness, that stretches out far beyond what your eyes are capable of seeing.