FLOURISH WITH FLAVONOIDS Whenever I hear of new ways to help prevent Alzheimer’s disease, I come to full attention. This week I read a short article in Fitness Journal citing new data that older adults who have high intakes of foods and drinks containing flavonoids—such as blueberries, apples, grapes, dark chocolate, green tea and red wine—are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s. Flavonoids are chemical antioxidants found naturally in many fruits and vegetables and other plant products like chocolate, tea and wine. I searched for a more thorough examination of these and found it in a Harvard Medical School October 2020...
RESTORATIVE YOGA Just this week I found out about restorative yoga. This new style of yoga doesn’t involve moving or stretching—it’s more like active relaxation. Once you’re in a pose, you simply hold it for 5 or more minutes. The idea is to focus on your breath in a mindful way; as your body relaxes into the pose your breathing and heart rate slow, you become calmer and you feel less stress (and who doesn’t need reduced stress in this time of Covid?) Rather than going through 20+ poses at a normal hour-long yoga class, it’s recommended you practice restorative...
YUMMY YOGURT We seniors need to eat plenty of calcium-containing foods to help maintain bone density and reduce our risk of fractures. One on the foods richest in calcium is yogurt—the just plain kind without added sugars. Almost every day I have a good-sized serving of Trader Joe’s European Style plain yogurt over muesli with a banana or blueberries as sweetener. I wanted to find out more about yogurt, since I’ve heard it has other benefits besides its calcium content. I found this May 2020 Harvard Medical School online article, Your complete guide to choosing a yogurt to meet your...
THE TOP 15 TOP FITNESS TRENDS FOR 2021 Happy New Year! Happy 2021! The most popular fitness trends change every year as you can see comparing this survey with last year’s post The Top 14 Fitness Trends for 2020 and the posts two years ago The Top 12 Fitness Trends for 2019 and three years ago The Top 10 Fitness Trends for 2018. However, the year 2020 was the most memorable in many of our lives including those in the fitness industry. The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic changed everything. Many health clubs are closed, or at the very best restructuring their...
KEEPING FIT DURING THE HOLIDAYS It’s been difficult enough for us to get in our exercise during this pandemic. Add holidays to the mix and most of us find keeping fit less of a priority during this busy time. It probably also has to do with colder weather keeping us inside, those hearty seasonal meals, and maybe adding in some holiday cheer. Heck, the gyms aren’t open and who wants to stick to a diet. Plus, you don’t want more stress and trying to keep to your usual workout program might do just that. Still, staying physically active will give...
THE 20 PERCENT SOLUTION Here in Southern California—and much of the rest of the state—we’re back to “stay-at-home” restrictions. Restaurants are now closed for outdoor dining as well as indoor, only leaving pickup and delivery options. Gyms, hairdressers, barber shops, movie theaters and bars have all been required to close again. The reason, of course, is that over the past few weeks the number of new Covid-19 cases has skyrocketed in California (and most other states) and hospitals are running out of beds. So now, as each of California’s region’s I.C.U. capacity falls below 15 percent, residents will be required...
TIME TO RUN A VIRTUAL RACE? Little did I know when I ran the Carlsbad Half Marathon last January that it would be my only event of the year. During this pandemic—for good reason—every race or triathlon I would have participated in has been cancelled. Yet, some of the races have instead offered a virtual run. Almost daily I receive email invitations to “compete” in events I’ve done in the past. I haven’t bothered opening most of them—I couldn’t see any point in joining an “unreal” run. Still, this year I jumped into producing a virtual art fair. I had...
MAGNESIUM—ARE YOU GETTING ENOUGH? I’ve read that a majority of us seniors aren’t getting enough magnesium. That’s not only because we aren’t eating enough magnesium-containing foods but also because aging causes decreased adsorption of magnesium in the gut and increased excretion in urine. In addition, many of us are on medications that can lower this mineral’s stores. Why is magnesium important? The mineral plays a vital role in assisting hundreds of enzymes carry out chemical reactions in the body such as building proteins and strong bones and regulating blood sugar, blood pressure and muscle and nerve functions. It also acts...
SQUASH FOR THANKSGIVING I tried to find what kinds of food were served at the “First Thanksgiving” celebrated between the Plymouth Pilgrims and the Wampanoag tribe of Native Americans in the fall of 1621. But we have only a couple of brief passages about the feast from the Pilgrims. Venison and lobsters were for sure on that menu and maybe even turkey, since there were plenty of wild ones in the neighborhood. Plus fruits indigenous to the region: blueberries, plums, grapes, gooseberries, raspberries and, of course, cranberries (but not as a relish). And squash. Squash is native to North America,...
WHO GETS THE VACCINE FIRST? I’m sure you’ve heard the wonderful news of the past few days that both the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine candidates have shown efficacy ratings of about 95%. This is far more than most scientists expected. Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy & Infections Diseases at the NIH, tells us that “from both a scientific and potential public health standpoint, this is an extraordinarily important advance.” Neither company has yet publicly shared their data but independent clinical trial monitoring boards have reviewed the results. And if all goes well, the FDA...
