CORONAVIRUS—Q & A FROM THE MAYO CLINIC I knew that my post this week would be on coronavirus disease. So, I began assembling facts & suggestions from here and there to put together into a, hopefully, coherent post. But then, fortuitously, I received a special supplement to the Mayo Clinic Health Letter (which I subscribe to) that puts just about everything relevant on the disease into one article. I’m certain you already know much of what’s included here, but I’ve decided to insert the entire piece just to make sure everything is covered. You may wish to read the original...
BEST DIETS RANKINGS FOR 2020 BY U.S. NEWS I’ve been away on vacation this past week. Instead of writing my regular weekly feature, I’m taking the opportunity to post this article and lists from a January 2, 2020 U.S. News article titled U.S. News Reveals Best Diets Rankings for 2020 Washington, D.C. – U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in rankings and consumer advice, today released its annual assessment of the year’s Best Diets. For the millions of Americans making health-related resolutions for the New Year, the Best Diets platform offers rankings, data and information on 35 diet...
EXERCISES TO RELIEVE KNEE PAIN If you’re an active older adult, you’ve probably had knee pain at one time or another. I sure have. When I was younger and did a lot of mountain climbing I used to hop from boulder to boulder coming downhill. It was extreme fun—and extremely hard on my knees. With the help of a personal trainer I was able to regain full use of my knees (Finally stopping boulder hopping helped too!) That was years ago. Over the past decade, I’ve periodically had knee pain while jogging. I’ve usually “run through it” but this didn’t...
CHOLESTEROL & RED MEAT, WHITE MEAT OR NO MEAT It seems that we seniors are continually being reminded to watch our cholesterol levels. I’m sure you know about high-density lipoprotein (HDL) or “good cholesterol, which picks up excess cholesterol & takes it back to your liver. And about low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or “bad” cholesterol, which transports cholesterol particles throughout your body. LDL builds up in the walls of your arteries, making them hard & narrow—which increases your heart disease risk. Factors that can increase your risk of bad cholesterol include: poor diet, excess weight, lack of exercise, smoking, diabetes and...
SEAFOOD—ALL ITS BENEFITS We keep hearing that we should be eating more fish and other seafood—especially as we age. But why? Well, it’s loaded with good stuff important for healthy aging. The most important is it’s the best source of omega-3 fatty acids. But it also has loads of high-quality protein, minerals and vitamins B-12 and D for our brain, bone & muscle health. The American Heart Association tells us that eating seafood can not only help prevent heart disease, but also stroke, heart failure, sudden cardiac death and congestive heart failure. To get the health benefits of omega-3s, the...
VITAMIN K—ARE YOU GETTING ENOUGH? I’ve heard that Vitamin K is vital to our health. But I didn’t know much about it, so began a bit of research. I found that vitamin K is important because of its involvement in blood clotting and production of proteins in bones. In addition, some research shows that too little vitamin K can also affect us older adults in cognitive function, heart health and mobility. I’d like to share more information that I gained from a Harvard School of Public Health (The Nutrition Source), article, Vitamin K. Here are excerpts: Vitamin K is a...
A LEAD TO A POSSIBLE ALZHEIMER’S CURE Just in: A new target for drugs to potentially slow or even possibly cure Alzheimer’s. I periodically post on Alzheimer’s disease because the risk is forever looming for us seniors; By age 85, half of us will have developed it! These posts include: Exercise Might be the Best Medicine for Avoiding Alzheimer’s, The Herpes-Alzheimer’s Connection & Reduce your Alzheimer’s Risk with the MIND Diet. Now, here are excerpts from the November 27, 2019 Harvard Health Blog article by Andrew E. Budson, MD: A clue to a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. I’m writing today...
SURMOUNTING FITNESS OBSTACLES Some 20 years ago, completely out of shape, I decided it was time to get fit. Yet, I kept finding reasons to not begin exercising: I was too busy, I thought the workout routines would be boring, I didn’t want to join a health club. But I finally conquered my fitness obstacles after I realized what was my biggest challenge: I didn’t want to exercise cooped up indoors. So I went outside and began to jog a little, starting off at a mile twice a week. Next, I tightened and oiled the chain and pumped air...
THE TOP 14 FITNESS TRENDS FOR 2020 The most popular fitness trends change every year as you can see comparing this survey with last year’s post The Top 12 Fitness Trends for 2019 and the post two years ago The Top 10 Fitness Trends for 2018. Here are excerpts from the new 14th annual survey from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) published in its Health & Fitness Journal, Worldwide Survey of Fitness Trends for 2020. For the survey, the authors identified 38 possible fitness trends for 2020 and received responses from more than 3,000 fitness professionals who ranked...
START EXERCISING AT ANY AGE Here’s a New Year’s resolution I think we can all subscribe to: Get fitter. As we grow older, we need to keep active more than ever. But perhaps you haven’t worked out for years—or maybe never—and don’t especially know how to start exercising. If this is you, I’m giving you excerpts from two Cleveland Clinic online articles. The first is a February 2016 piece titled You Can Start Exercising After Age 60—Here’s How. Here are six practical tips to get you going. Get the go-ahead If you haven’t seen a doctor lately, that’s your first stop. He...
