DO RUNNERS LIVE LONGER? You’ve heard about all the studies that point to regular exercise as the best way to help prevent many of the major conditions—strokes, diabetes, some cancers, osteoporosis, even dementia—that most expect to come along with aging. But in the past few years researchers are finding that one exercise—running—can actually add years to your life. I love to run—actually to jog is more accurate. Usually I’m getting ready for a half marathon or a triathlon. I ran in the Carlsbad Half Marathon way back in January little knowing that would be my only event this year—everything else...
MEMORY MEMO My memory seems to get worse by the month. More and more often, I catch myself saying, “It’s on the tip of my tongue.” What used to roll off immediately—like “What island is Honolulu on?” now finally comes to me an hour later, or not at all. Folks say I just need to accept it’s part of getting older. Still, I wanted to know if I could regain or at least improve my memory. After searching, I found this Harvard Medical School March, 2014 article helpful. Here are excerpts from 10 research-proven tips for better memory: Healthful habits...
TAKE CARE OF YOUR TEETH—TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF Because of the pandemic, I haven’t visited my dentist this year for a checkup and a teeth cleaning. Yet I know I should get checked once or twice a year, if for nothing else, to catch a condition—such as a cavity or gum disease—that will only get worse in time. But at least I’ve done a bit of research on older-adult oral health. Here are a couple of articles I’d like to share with you. The first is a January 2020 Harvard Medical School piece titled Hidden dental dangers that may threaten...
LATEST ALZHEIMER’S PREVENTION ADVICE: EAT MORE FISH Once again I’m sending you a post on Alzheimer’s disease. I think it’s one of the scarier things about aging. In fact, at least one third of us will have it after age 85. Last December I recommended a hybrid of the Mediterranean & DASH diets, Reduce your Alzheimer’s Risk with the MIND Diet. And that still holds. This post is similar except for this recent finding: Fish is the one food you can eat that lowers your risk of both cognitive impairment and cognitive decline. Here’s the complete article by Andrew E....
SOY STORY Over the past few years, we’ve added more soy into our diet. JoAnne makes a terrific tofu parmesan about once a month and we’ve come to enjoy meatless burgers made with soy, like the Impossible Burger. At the Thai restaurant we regularly visit, we’ve begun substituting tofu for chicken or shrimp in pad Thai and in curries. Also, at Japanese restaurants I always order a bowl of miso soup along with my sushi or baked roll. And edamame makes a great snack Soy foods are, of course, made from soybeans. The soybean is a legume because it grows...
FIBROMYALGIA IS FOR REAL I have two friends who had fibromyalgia for years. Each of them had pain and stiffness in their muscles and joints all over their body and were abnormally tired even after a full night’s sleep. Until very recently, their doctors couldn’t find either a cause or a physical reason for their symptoms. In fact, many doctors questioned if people with fibromyalgia symptoms even had a medical illness and instead suggested it was caused by psychological distress or general stress. But now scientists have finally begun to apprehend this malady which affects millions of older adults, especially...
EAT HEALTHIER WITH THE NEW NUTRITION FACTS LABEL Nutrition Facts labels: the old (on left) and new (on right) versions. Finally, after 26 years, we have a new nutrition facts label to help in choosing our food buys. This new label not only stresses up-to-date nutrition science, but also is more realistic and consumer-friendly. The new label is much easier to read because it now displays bigger bolder print including an impossible- to miss-calorie count. The old label listed vitamin A and C content in the food. However, most folks get enough of these. Now it lists vitamin D, which...
IS INTERMITTENT FASTING THE DIET FOR YOU? I’ve gone through the pros and cons of a number of diets in my past posts including the ketogenic diet, the MIND diet, and three years worth of Best Diet Rankings from U.S. News. This week I’d like to talk about a trendy diet that concentrates on when you eat rather than what you eat. It’s called intermittent fasting. There isn’t a whole lot of research on this diet, but what there is points to extensive health benefits. Intermittent fasting has been especially studied in rodents. If you feed rats just every other...
TOMATOES TODAY? One of the joys of summer is biting into a juicy sun-ripened tomato. It’s not only tasty, but also super good for you. Tomatoes are low-calorie, low-carb and full of disease-fighting nutrients. So, have you had your tomatoes today? Lycopene Tomatoes contain the antioxidant lycopene, which is responsible for their red color. Lycopene has been found to lower the risk of prostate, ovarian, lung and stomach cancers. It also lessens the risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke and metabolic syndrome. And lycopene and other nutrients in tomatoes also protect against eye conditions including cataracts and macular degeneration. Vitamins...
RUNNER’S KNEE DOESN’T HAVE TO END YOUR JOGGING, BIKING OR SKIING FUN One of the biggest reasons us older adults quit running, jogging or hiking is a condition commonly called runner’s knee. It’s an injury that many experience at some point in their lives and which causes some to give up an activity they once enjoyed. However, by learning more about how to prevent and treat it you may be able in time to return to your sport. Runner’s knee (or patellofemoral pain syndrome or illotibial band syndrome) is often an overuse injury. It can come from attempting too much...
