Diet & Life Style Info

Sounds cliche, but the message everyone should be getting is that they need to get moving and it really does not matter what you do as long as you are moving and getting the heart rate up a bit.  When we were young we did not need to worry about exercise too much, we were always doing something. Now baby boomers and increasingly younger people need exercise. We are all just consuming way too much food.

This post will focus on the baby boomers who are retiring in huge numbers and looking forward to easy relaxing days, were life is good and you can pursue your dreams.

This is clearly the wrong message and baby boomers really  need to give some serious thought about how they are going to live their lives after they finish work and even before they retire. We believe that you need to not only exercise the body, you also need to continually exercise the brain as well to keep everything in good shape to help you enjoy your retirement. We will discuss exercising the brain in our next post. Watch for it , Baby Boomers need to Exercise the Brain.

The main focus is on keeping moving so that you get exercise. Why is this so important?

An analogy will help to explain.

Think of your arteries as a small stream that flows through your neighborhood. We all have seen them at one time or another. In dry weather when there is little rain, these streams dry up to a trickle and they get clogged with debris that somehow finds its way into the stream bed and plants grow to clog the water flow.  This is your artery while you are sitting on the couch and your heart is not pumping much blood through your arteries. They is not much blood flow and the arteries become clogged with debris called plaque. Your muscles also shrink and become weak as well.

Now when a storm comes along, there is a lot more water and the stream expands to clean out the debris and wash it away. Again this is an example of what your arteries go through when you exercise. Your heart pumps more and stronger forcing blood through the arteries and delivering blood and oxygen to the surrounding muscles.  What a difference between the two scenarios?

This is why we all have to keep moving doing some kind of exercise at least once a day. Go for a walk, bicycle, go to the gym. Do something for at least 20 minutes a day and build up from there. You will feel stronger in no time and feel much better as a result.

We have included a list of things you can do to get started. If you are just beginning, start small and build up as your strength and stamina improve. Find something you enjoy and stay with it. Pretty soon it will become a habit and if you do not go and exercise your body and mind will tell you that you are missing something. We all want to live to a hundred and be healthy too. Keep moving and you will vastly improve your chances of getting there.

Here is our list

• Walk around the block
• Walk in the park
• Walk up 10 flights of stairs
• Go hiking on trails
• Go to the gym every day
• Do 20 minutes of exercise of some kind every day
• Mix it up so you do not get bored
• Play tennis, squash, hand ball, or racquet ball
• Go biking – any kind of bike – mountain, road bike or high speed bikes
• Play sports
• Do your own work around the home – rake leaves, cut the lawn etc
• Park your car a long way from the mall door
• Walk instead of taking the car

There are probably hundreds of other ways to get some exercise. Just remember the main thing is to keep moving and get your heart rate up for at least 20 minutes a day. And if you really want to improve your chances of living longer cut down on your weight by eating less and eating low calorie foods.

ere are nine diet tips that are a combination of common sense and also supported by various diet professionals. Some involve different ways to eat, or adding certain foods to your diet. Others involve learning new behaviors or strategies to help you stay on track. Either way it involves changes to your daily routine and perseverance in sticking to your diet plan, but they are relatively easier to follow.

• Variety Is Overrated
• Have Barley for Breakfast
• Beef Up Your Lunch Salad
• Stock Up on Frozen Vegetables
• Make Yourself a Party Tray
• Turn Down the Thermostat
• Downsize Your Dinnerware
• Go Out for Treats
• Try on Your Skinny Jeans Every Friday

Variety Is Overrated

Who hasn’t heard the advice to “just take a bite of everything” if you’re at a buffet?

I have done this myself. The problem is when there are over 100 items on a buffet, by the time you take one spoonful of everything, your plate will be overflowing! Also if your favorite foods are on the buffet, you probably will take more and increase your intake.

Be selective and focus on low calorie food just as if you were at home. Don’t let a buffet boot you off your diet plan!

Have Barley for Breakfast

Barley got its hunger-fighting reputation after Swedish researchers found that eating barley or rye kernels for breakfast kept blood sugar on an even keel. That’s because the carbs in barley and rye kernels are “low glycemic index,” meaning they raise blood sugar more slowly than some other carbohydrate foods. This helps you avoid a spike, and then a drop, in blood sugar, which can leave you feeling famished.

Buy hulled barely, not pearl barley. The Swedish researchers used minimally processed hull barley, and they can’t vouch for the same effects for more processed forms, such as pearl barley.

Beef Up Your Lunch Salad

One of the most common mistakes dieters make is to eat a vegetable salad with little or no dressing for lunch and then they are starving by mid-afternoon. A salad is a great choice,  if you add some protein and a little fat to help keep you feeling full longer.

Add 3 oz piece of chicken breast, and you’ve added about 26 grams of protein but just 140 calories. Add about two tablespoons of light salad dressing, and your salad may be filling enough to get you through the 3 p.m. hunger slump without hitting the vending machine.

Stock Up on Frozen Vegetables

Sure, fresh vegetables are delicious and nutritious. Preparation of the vegetables is a pain and most consider not worth the time, so they reach for chips  instead. Why not buy frozen vegetables that are already chopped and ready to be served. Just heat in the microwave and they are ready!

Make Yourself a Party Tray

A big vegetable platter, maybe with some low-fat dip on the side! Now that is good for you, good to eat and will help you lose weight at the same time. If you have it in the fridge and it is the first thing you see when you open the door, there is a good chance you and your family are going to reach for this party tray first before reaching for anything else.

Turn Down the Thermostat

Spending time in a chilly house — about 61 degrees Fahrenheit — may boost the fat-burning power of the “brown fat” in your body. Brown fat is considered “good” fat, as opposed to regular or white fat, which stores calories and tends to accumulate.  Scandinavian researchers found that exposure to these chilly temperatures boosted the metabolic rate of brown fat 15-fold, helping burn more calories.

Downsize Your Dinnerware

The larger your plate, the more you’re likely to put on it. So serving your meals on smaller plates can help you eat less. Even if you still go back for seconds, there is a strong likelihood that you will eat less overall. You can still use the dinner plates for salads instead.

Go Out for Treats

If you must have a sweet, try not to keep them in the house. Go out instead. Just the mere energy needed to go out is going to dissuade you from heading out to the doughnut shop or the grocery store to buy that special treat. The trip to the fridge or the pantry is much shorter and too hard to resist.

Try on Your Skinny Jeans Every Friday or before you go out for Dinner

Weekends are always  a tougher time to stay on diet and Friday mornings try-on will motivate you to watch your eating during the weekend. If you wear them out to dinner, you will be even more motivated, since they are snug and not many people can eat a lot when they are wearing tight clothes.

In the U.S., and around the world people are living longer than ever before. There are now  about 80,000 centenarians in the US alone, which makes it one of the fastest growing segments of the population. This means about 1 in 6,000 people are over 100 years old.

There must be something that we can  learn from those who have survived a century or more? Many people are trying to figure this out and studying these people who have made it to 100. It is important to remember too that not only do you want to live long, you also want to have an enjoyable lifestyle at 100 as well. So what have the experts learned so far?

The New England Centenarian study published some information, not too long ago which we have summarized in the following. Note that as more information is learned, the ideas expressed here may change and be updated.

1. Genes play a critical and complex role in conferring exceptional longevity.

Lifestyle and our attitudes towards our bodies can help our genes or hurt them when it comes to living well into our 80′s, 90′s and even to 100!

• Almost no centenarians are obese. Obesity contributes to the biggest diseases in our country, like diabetes and heart disease.
• Smoking history is rare.
• Centenarians are better able to handle stress than the majority of people.
• 85% of centenarians are women and 15% are men.
• At least 50% of centenarians have first-degree relatives and/or grandparents who also achieve very old age. Again those Genes!

2. Keep on moving

Scientists in California found that people over 50 that exercised over 5 hours per week lived longer and functioned better physically and cognitively. They tracked participants who ran as aerobic activity over 20 years to find that they all had “less heart disease, cancer, neurological diseases, and infections.” In other words, “Aerobic exercise keeps the immune system young.” So, if you aren’t moving you are decreasing your lifespan.

3. Make every calorie count

The standard American diet is very high in calories, typically 2,000 to 3,000 calories. Additionally, the high calories aren’t packed with vital nutrients, but instead sugar and fat.

• Eating a healthy diet doesn’t only mean decreasing your calories, but getting the most nutrition per calorie. The most nutritious foods include vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.
• Anti-oxidants: very simply put, an antioxidant is something that prevents or slows down oxidization. In much the same way as oxidation creates rust, causing a breakdown on the surface of an old car, oxidation inside the body causes a breakdown of cells. For instance, cholesterol in our bodies is not necessarily harmful until it becomes oxidized, which then causes it to start clinging to our blood vessels, which can then lead to clogging of our arteries. Antioxidants can help to prevent this. They can also provide other benefits to your skin and hair. Antioxidant vitamins include vitamins A, C and E. The most inexpensive way to get lots of anti-oxidants is to eat grapes or berries.
• Fish Oil: contains Omega 3s. The typical American diet is missing the great benefits of Omega 3s which are found in high concentrations in fish. Omega-3 fatty acids slow the rate of damage to your genes. And, fish oils have many other protective anti-aging benefits such as decreasing bad cholesterol.
• Vitamin D: The lack of vitamin D can cause inadequate absorption of calcium, resulting in broken or brittle bones. As we age, deficiency in Vitamin D is common. The reason for this is because we make most of our Vitamin D from the sun. Most older individuals aren’t getting outside for long enough periods on a daily basis to make an adequate amount. Also, our skin (where the Vitamin D is synthesized), gets less efficient at making Vitamin D altogether as we get older.

4. Aging is about attitude

If you respect your body, and have a positive optimistic outlook on life, you will tend to look after yourself more, eat the right foods, exercise and your years lived will be extended.

5. It is never to late to make changes to lifestyle.

As we grow older, it really is about quality of life. We want to be able to do many of the things we have always done and enjoy our families and grand children. We do not want to be constrained because we are over weight, or have heart problems or lung problems. Our bodies are really quite fantastic and can recover from many things, so why not give it some help now and focus on improving your life style now!

Ok, Christmas and new Years are just around the corner and first we celebrate Christmas with lots of gifts, getting to gether with family and enjoying that traditional Christmas dinner with all of the special foods we all love and enjoy. We don’t take a second to think about the calories we may be eating or drinking. In fact this is the one meal next to thanksgiving that we actually indulge way over our calorie limits and not give it a seconds thought!.

After that it is New Years and it is another party time, with lots to drink for some and more fabulous meals.  There are lots of calories in those drinks and we only start thinking about New years resolutions on the day of New Years, knowing full well that we will blow it that evening, and then start the year adhering to all of the rules we put in place for ourselves.  Really as if that is going to happen. The vast majority of us make these resolutions in good faith, however within a week or less, they are forgotten and have fallen by the wayside. We are quickly back to our old habits. So what can we do to make sure we stick to our resolutions, especially if it involves losing weight?

• Make your resolutions public
• Make them with someone so that you have a team mate
• Use each other to help you stick to the plan
• Make realistic resolutions, those that you have a reasonable chance of keeping
• If you need to lose a large amount of weight, set goals for each month that re achievable
• Remove the enablers of weight gain
• Place things or people around you that will help you
• Write your resolutions and goals down
• Stick them on a wall were you see then everyday
• Read them everyday
• Make a conscious effort to work at them every day
• Focus on a few rather than a lot. Too many and you are overwhelmed

These are easy words to write, but the real struggle is in making them happen. Find out what works for you and do you very best!

More than half of Canadians (58 per cent) say resolution success or failure depends on what the resolution is and many are easier to keep than others.People  who resolved to travel someplace special, save money and spend more time with loved ones in 2011 will have the most success keeping resolutions. People who’ve resolved to drink less and quit smoking are the least likely to  succeed. Don’t be discouraged by these statements, but do be realistic in setting your objectives so that you can achieve them early in the year.

Good luck and Happy New Years!

We watched a special put on by CNN’s Dr Sanjay Gupta about how following a specific diet pretty much ensured that you would avoid having a heart attack.  The message in the interview with a variety of people who are following this particular diet is

• Eat vegetables
• Avoid oils
• Avoid Dairy
• Avoid meat

The people in  Papua New Guinea highlanders, rural Chinese, central Africans and the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico all follow this diet and heart attacks are virtually unknown in these cultures. There has to be something to this diet, however it is very difficult to change historical eating habits of North America were everyone eats some kind of meat and dairy everyday!

Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn Jr. who is and was a surgeon is trying to get the message out that if we reduce or eliminate dairy and meat based products, we will suffer many less heart attacks and be able to lead a more healthy lifestyle well into our old age.

One study of 17 people who had had 40 cardiac events before going on the diet, had no events at all after being on the diet over a 12 year period. Pretty impressive. Is this for real, who knows, but it is worth checking out. Also from a common sense perspective, just consider that the oil and fat that you drain off even lean meat is going into your body and in small amounts and apparently it ends up in your arteries as plac that builds up and prevents the blood flow.

Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn Jr. has written a book on the subject and sure this sounds like a money grab, however if CNN is promoting it, surely it cannot be all bad. If you have purchased the book or downloaded the CD , we would be really interest in your comments on the diet and whether it is for real or not?

This post is all about diet and avoiding eating more than you should. My wife is constantly trying to lose weight. However she has no willpower and cannot avoid eating sweets as well as munchies that are available in our house most of the time. In fact if there are deserts in the house, she will have a helping for breakfast instead of a regular breakfast.

Food in the Home

Yes if there are desserts in the house,  guaranteed it will be eaten before the morning arrives or sometime shortly after. She would rather have dessert for breakfast instead of having a proper nutritional breakfast. In fact she does not even like breakfast, but will have dessert if it is in the house for breakfast. The only way that she seems to be able to have any control over what she eats is to avoid having the food in the house. We find that if we buy peanuts or chips, we both start snacking.

Couch Potato

She will sit down and eat them while watching a TV show or just munch on them during the afternoon. There’s no way that you can let them sit there and  this is a terrible way to try to control your diet so we have found that the best way is to avoid buying all those kinds of things. If we’re having a party for some reason the people we have those kinds things in as the host of the party.

If you fall into this category and cannot avoid eating food that’s in the house the best approach is to have food that are low calorie can nature. Fruits and vegetables are a good example of the kinds of foods to have in the house. In fact weight watchers has recently changed their scoring system to include  most if not all fruits and vegetables to zero points meaning that you can eat as much of this kind of food as you want.

Get Out of the House, Go For a Walk

Another approach is to get out of the house even if it’s just for a walk or go to an exercise gym and participate in something that gets you moving to start to burn calories. Sitting in the house watching TV eating high calorie food is just a recipe to gain weight.

So this season to maintain your weight or to lose weight, avoid having all of these high carb and calorie foods in the house.  Avoid foods such as peanuts chips, pretzels and other foods about type. Instead have lots of fruits and vegetables in your home to munch on whenever you have the urge to eat something. Also avoid any kind of dips that go along with these things unless it is zero  calories and zero carbs. Also avoid food that has a lot of salt in them.

Read the labels on every food that you can eat to avoid high salt content and also to make sure that you’re eating low-carb  low calorie food if you’re on a diet and cannot avoid or do not have the willpower to avoid eating while you’re sitting watching TV reading a newspaper or just quietly reading.

Get up and move around if his housework or going for a walk or going to the gym or biking or anything that gets you away from the fridge away from getting any kinds of munchies. When you feel the urge to read something get out of the house and go for a walk.

Well if you read our last post which was a summary of the US Governments New Diet Guidelines, we are assuming you are confused and wondering if you can eat anything at all. You may be also wondering if you have to give up all of your favorite foods with pizza possible at the top of the list. Well this writer does not think so and it is not based on any kind of scientific study, nor is it based on lobby groups. Or opinion is based on experience and a little bit of common sense.

Common sense says that if you eat 5000 calories every day and sit on the couch you are going to get fat. Just think about if for a second. The Tour de France bikers participate in races that span 5 to 6 hours and cover up to 200 kilometers. During this time they will burn between 5000 and 7000 calories. If you are not burning calories you either have to limit your intake or increase your activity to avoid gaining more weight and also to lose weight.

But the new diet guidelines are more than just calories. They are also about making sure you get the right amount of vitamins, fibre and minerals to keep your system running well and staying healthy. This is also very important because if you are not well , then you are sick, become lethargic and likely will gain weight.

Study the Guidelines

Remember they are guidelines. They are not a bible that you have to follow religiously. Rather they are a set of instructions that you should follow most of the time if you want to avoid gaining weight and also stay healthy. Print out the list of things you can eat and those you cannot eat. Carry it with you and use it as a reference. After awhile you will know it by heart, but until you do it will be a handy reference for you to refer to each time you are deciding what to eat.

They Are Really a Guideline and not a Law

This is so important. While you want to follow these guidelines as much as possible, what is important to remember is that these new diet guidelines are just that. Follow them as best you can, at least 90% of the time , which means you may fall off the wagon once and a while, but that is ok as long as it amounts to only 10% of your food intake. They are a guideline so use them as guidelines !

Portion Control

Use small plates. It just makes so much common sense. We all love big plates so that we can pile all of our favorite foods on them. If you use a small plate you will reduce a few hundred, maybe even a thousand calories. Drink a glass of water with your meal as well to fill you up and you will be surprised at how much less food you eat. After awhile it becomes habit to eat less.

We love going to buffets and they all have these huge plates, You can pile so much food on them of all different types. We have learned to take the desert plates instead of the dinner plates when we are browsing the main course buffet lines. You cannot get that much food on them and you have to go back for seconds, but that is just fine since it limits our calory intake!

The following is a summary of the new US Government dietary guidelines. In our next post we are going to discuss these guidelines and how the average person may be able to apply them!

A new term has been coined by the US Government and they want you to  avoid extra calories from Solid Fats and Added Sugars (SoFAS). Also consumers  who eat a lot of SoFAS also tend to eat a lot of refined grains which should also be avoided. They want consumers to move away from our over reliance in the past on sugar and sodium and saturated fat.

If it tastes great, then you probably should avoid it and of course that means pizza, which is major source of food types Americans enjoy and  are advised to avoid.

We also need to cut back to 1,500 mg of sodium per day for people over age 51, African-Americans, and people with high blood pressure.  Everyone else are advised to cut back to less than 2,300 mg of sodium per day. There is salt in just about everything, so start by putting the salt shaker away! Avoid processed foods were salt is very high. Read the labels and look for low sodium levels in foods. Also avoid fast food restaurants that do not have low salt menus and low calorie foods.

The new dietary guidelines from the US Government  focus on two major themes:

• watching calories to achieve and maintain a healthy weight
• tipping the balance of calorie intake: More calories from nutrition-rich foods, fewer calories from solid fats, sugars, and refined grains

The new American guidelines suggest:

• Eat more seafood — at least 8 ounces a week
• Eat more fruits and vegetables
• Substitute healthy oils for solid fats (such as margarine)
• Lower your sodium intake
• Avoid fast foods
• Exercise more
• Read food labels
• Substitute whole grains for refined grains
• Eat more beans and peas
• Get plenty of fiber, potassium, and vitamin D
• Eat/drink more nonfat or low-fat dairy products
• Replace high-fat meats with lean meats
• For some Americans, drink less alcohol
• Get off your SoFAS

The new guidelines point to specific sources of SoFAS and refined grains that we should not eat.

Dietary Guidelines: Worst Foods for Solid Fats

Solid fats make up almost a fifth of the total calories in American diets. They are a major factor behind the obesity epidemic.

The 10 foods that give us the most solid fats (and the percentage of solid fats from each food):

• Grain-based desserts (10.8%)
• Pizza (9.1%)
• Regular cheese (7.6%)
• Sausage, franks, bacon, and ribs (7.1%)
• French fries (4.8%)
• Dairy desserts (4.7%)
• Tortillas, burritos, and tacos (4.6%)
• Chicken and mixed chicken dishes (4.1%)
• Pasta and pasta dishes (3.9%)
• Whole milk (3.9%, just ahead of burgers at 3.8%)

Dietary Guidelines: Worst Foods for Saturated Fat

The body makes its own saturated fat — and we don’t need any more from our diet. High intake of saturated fat is linked to high cholesterol levels, which in turn are linked to heart disease.

The 10 foods from which Americans get most of their saturated fat

• Regular cheese (8.5%)
• Pizza (5.9%)
• Grain-based desserts (5.8%)
• Dairy desserts (5.6%)
• Chicken and chicken mixed dishes (5.5%)
• Sausage, franks, bacon, and ribs (4.9%)
• Burgers (4.4%)
• Tortillas, burritos, and tacos (4.1%)
• Beef and beef mixed dishes (4.1%)
• Reduced-fat milk (3.9%)

 Dietary Guidelines: Worst Foods for Added Sugars

Added sugars make up 16% of the total calories in American diets. Like solid fats, they’re a major factor in obesity. Far atop the list are sugary beverages.

The 10 foods from which Americans get most of their added sugars:

• Soda, energy drinks, and sports drinks (35.7%)
• Grain-based desserts (12.9%)
• Fruit drinks (10.5%)
• Dairy desserts (6.5%)
• Candy (6.1%)
• Ready-to-eat cereals (3.8%)
• Sugars and honey (3.5%)
• Tea (3.5%)
• Yeast breads (2.1%)
• All other foods (15.4%)

The new dietary guidelines say we should get more fiber in our diets.

The guidelines’ top 10 selected sources of dietary fiber :

• Beans — navy, pinto, black, kidney, white, great northern, and lima (6.2 to 9.6 grams)
• 100% Bran ready-to-eat cereal (9.1 grams)
• Split peas, lentils, chickpeas, or cowpeas (5.6 to 8.1 grams)
• Artichokes (7.2 grams)
• Pears (5.5 grams)
• Soybeans (5.2 grams)
• Plain rye wafer crackers (5.0 grams)
• Bran ready-to-eat cereals — various types (2.6 to 5.0 grams)
• Asian pears (4.4 grams)
• Green peas (3.5 to 4.4 grams)

Dietary Guidelines: Best Foods for Potassium

The new dietary guidelines say we should get more potassium in our diets.

The guidelines’ top 10 selected sources of dietary potassium :

• Baked potatoes including the skin (738 mg)
• Prune juice, canned (707 mg)
• Carrot juice, canned (689 mg)
• Tomato paste (664 mg)
• Beet greens, cooked (654 mg)
• White beans, canned (595 mg)
• Tomato juice, canned (556 mg)
• Plain yogurt, nonfat or low fat (531 to 579 mg)
• Tomato puree (549 mg)
• Sweet potato, baked in skin (542 mg)

Dietary Guidelines: Best Foods for Calcium

The new dietary guidelines advise Americans to get more calcium in their diets.

The guidelines’ top 10 selected sources of dietary calcium:

• Fortified ready-to-eat cereals (250 mg to 1,000 mg)
• Orange juice fortified with calcium (500 mg)
• Plain yogurt, nonfat (452 mg)
• Romano cheese (452 mg)
• Pasteurized processed Swiss cheese (438 mg)
• Evaporated milk, nonfat (371 mg)
• Tofu, regular, preserved with calcium sulfate (434 mg)
• Plain yogurt, low fat (415 mg)
• Fruit yogurt, low fat (345 mg)
• Ricotta cheese, part skim (337 mg)

Dietary Guidelines: Best Foods for Vitamin D

The new dietary guidelines advise Americans to get more vitamin D in their diets.

The guidelines’ top 10 selected dietary sources of vitamin D :

• Salmon, sockeye, cooked (19.8 mcg)
• Salmon, smoked (14.5 mcg)
• Salmon, canned (11.6 mcg)
• Rockfish, cooked (6.5 mcg)
• Tuna, light, canned in oil, drained (5.7 mcg)
• Orange juice, vitamin D fortified (3.4 mcg)
• Sardines, canned in oil, drained (4.1 mcg)
• Tuna, light, canned in water, drained (3.8 mcg)
• Whole milk (3.2 mcg)
• Whole chocolate milk (3.2 mcg)

Recent studies by scientists are uncovering a phenomenon that points to the more exercise you do , the longer you are likely to live. Exercise appears to ensure that more blood gets to organs and tissues, they are cleaned of impurities and they receive more oxygen, which contributes to overall health and longer life. Of course like anything else you can overdue exercise and begin to have to much wear and tear on muscles, joints and ligaments. For most people it means exercising moderately 4 or 5 times a week with out enduring extreme wear and tear on your body.

The scientists are reporting that not only that signs of premature aging were halted — they were even reversed — in virtually every tissue and organ in the bodies of exercised mice.

So instead of taking a pill or eating some exotic food, all you need to do is follow an exercise regime and you will longer  than your peers who do not.

The particular studies that these findings are being based on consisted of allowing mice to receive regular exercise in one group while in another group, they were allowed to lead a sedentary lifestyle. The mice that exercised, were much more lively , had more energy and were much more alert than the sedentary mice. They also looked more healthy as well with sleek shiny coats of fur compared to the group.

Exercising 3 times a week for perhaps 45 to 60 minutes a week is sufficient to achieve these stupendous results. Anti-aging effects of endurance exercise on the brain, skin, hair, gonads (ovaries and testicles), kidneys, spleen and liver were significant.

Real Life Example

Recently a friend of mind was talking about his father who had experienced a slight stroke, was hospitalized and then caught a disease while in the hospital. The net result was that he was in bed on his back for 3 months with no exercise at all while he recovered. He was then shipped to a long term care facility.

He had lost a great deal of muscle mass, and strength. He was lethargic and very little energy. Fortunately for him, his daughter in law was a former critical care nurse and new that she needed to get him up and walking.

They started slow with a walker, to the door of his room and back. This is really how bad he was. Later he progressed out the door and to the end of the hall, all of the time rebuilding his strength and increasing his heart rate just a little bit.
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