The study talked about is from Nature Food published in August 2021 by environmental health scientists from the University of Michigan. It looked at different food and the minutes of life that are potentially gained or lost when we eat them.
Again, the message remains to be mindful of what we eat and make smart choices! And don’t forget to laugh!!!
This study published in PLOS Medicine February 8, 2022 looked at the affect of replacing a diet of processed food and meat with a diet consistent with fruits, nuts, grains, and vegetables. The Norway research team used existing data from more than 200 countries and territories from the Global Burden of Disase Study.
“More than 1 in 5 adults is inactive in all but four states, according to new state maps of adult physical inactivity prevalence released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). For these maps, physical inactivity for adults is defined as not participating in any physical activities outside of work over the last month – activities such as running, walking for exercise, or gardening.”
CDC released updated maps of America’s high levels of inactivity on January 20, 2022 and found that 25 % of U.S. adults are not active enough to protect their health.
This CDC study called the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System was conducted from 2017 to 2020 by telephone. Colorado, Washington, Utah, and Vermont were the most active states whereas the Southern states had the most inactivity noted.
What is really interesting about this is that this is prepandemic and we can only wonder how much worse the numbers got during the pandemic. It is also interesting to note that the southern states with the better weather in the winters fared worse than other states.
The take home message is that inactivity can lead to chronic illness such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, elevated cholesterol, etc. This in turn can lead to more serious issues such as strokes and heart disease.
Make your health a priority. Make time for some sort of activity, be it a walk, jog, gardening, at home exercises,or something else. Something is better than nothing. Even 10 minutes a day can make a BIG difference.
Photo by TheStandingDesk
It can be hard to get that well needed activity our bodies require with long working hours. More and more people are getting standing desks, whether it be an add on to the work place or an adjustable sitting to standing desk. Standing desks provide health benefits that not many know about.
It is best to alternate between sitting and standing about every 30-60 minutes. Research shows that for every one to two hours sitting, it is ideal to spend about one hour standing.
Standing desks can cause some leg and foot pain(because you are standing for longer periods of time), but some comfy shoes and/or a memory foam/antifatigue mat to stand on will help.
It may be nice to start pondering if that standing desk is something that would work for you, but the main take home point is to make it a point to take every opportunity you can to get up and stand or walk around to prevent sedentary behavior.
Photo by Kelly Sikkema
Flurona describes infection with Covid and influenza at the same time. With more stricter masking guidelines last year, we were lucky not to see as many concurrent infections. Both the flu and covid infection spread via aerosol particles and can spread via cough, speaking, sneezing etc.
The symptoms are the same for both and overlap, including cough, runny/stuffy nose, weakness, muscle aches, loss of appetite, shortness of breath, sore throat, loss of taste and smell.
As we know, both covid and influenza come with varying natures of infection and more serious infections with either can lead to hospitalization and death. Now, imagine, having them both, this could prove to be even more dangerous.
What we know works! Get vaccinated for both, wear well fitting masks, keep your distance from others, avoid crowds, stay in well ventilated places(open windows if need to) and keep up with hand hygiene.
Photo by Ruud de Peijper
Dry January actually began as a public health initiative in the UK in 2012. Dry January challenge means no alcohol for the month of January and more people have taken it on over the years. More Americans report drinking more alcoholic drinks since the start of the pandemic for a variety of reasons.
Even abstaining from alcohol for a short duration will have health benefits.
Some things you can do to make sure you complete the challenge:
For all of those that have tackled on “Dry January”, keep on with it, you are also getting in those health benefits. More than anything, this will give you a glimpse into your drinking pattern and how much self control you have.
Photo by Tim Mossholder
The New Year is coming and with it the thoughts of what should be your New Year Resolution. Should it be one thing or a few things to work on? It has been shown that most New Year resolutions are short lived, we do better the first few weeks and then get tired and hit some stumbling blocks. It is good to pick something that you feel motivated to do and try to stick with it….even if you have some lapses.
Some healthy thoughts to consider:
You should be eating less than 2300 mg/day, that is less than a teaspoon a day
The options for making that one change this New Year are endless, but remember one tiny change can make a world of difference. So, what New Year’s resolution are you going to tackle?
Photo by Clark Street Mercantile
It’s winter…and it can get really cold out there. Layering of clothes is important to do in the cold. It is a term used to describe wearing garments on top of each other. When planning an outing in the snow or winter, you have to be prepared and pack accordingly.
So what are the basics of layering of clothes? Three layers is what is felt to be just right.
Also, don’t forget the appropriate socks, gloves, hats, and scarves you may need depending on where you are off to. It is better to be prepared then not have the right amount and type of clothes. After all, you can always remove outer layers or decide not to wear them. The important thing is to enjoy those outings while staying warm and preventing yourself from getting sick during the winter.
Photo by Ayo Ogunseinde
You may often hear of people talking of taking part in numerous activities (swimming, jogging, tennis, aerobics, yoga, etc), but not many people rave about doing push-ups on a regular basis. Push-ups are often an overlooked exercise, but something definitely worth considering.
There was a study published in JAMA in 2019 that should make everybody want to incorporate this into their workout mojo. This decade long study of male firefighters aged 18 and above found that those that could do more than 40 push-ups had a significant decrease in cardiovascular disease compared to those who could do 10 or fewer push-ups.
Photo by Tom Hermans
There have been two recent studies that have come out that have concluded improved longevity for those who have diets with higher amounts of Omega 3 fatty acids.
Fish oil, fatty fish, flaxseed, flaxseed oil, soybeans, canola oil, walnuts, chia seeds (Flaxseeds and flaxseed oil contrain 45-55% of fatty acids as ALA, walnuts contain about 5-10% of fatty acids as ALA).
A study published in June 2021 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrtion tracked 2240 people over 11 years and omega-3 levels in the blood checked. It was found that nonsmokers with high omega-3 blood levels had highest survival estimate. Researchers concluded that those over the age of 65 years with higher omega-3 blood levels had a lower mortality rate.
A meta-analysis of 41 studies published in the British Medical Journal published on October 14, 2021 found that those with diets with higher levels of ALA had associations with overall lower mortality risk.