exercise

Curcumin Matches Exercise In Slowing Aging, Protecting The Heart

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curcuminMike Barrett – It is well established that exercise helps to preserve youth and protect the heart from aging, but it certainly isn’t the one protector out there. According to 3 different studies carried out by researchers from the University of Tsukuba in Japan, the spice turmeric may be just as effective as moderate exercise at preventing aging and boosting heart health.

For the first of the 3 randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled trials, researchers divided 32 postmenopausal women into 3 separate groups to examine the effects of curcumin and exercise on the heart. One group was given curcumin orally, the second group partook in moderate exercise training, and the third group did nothing at all. The study lasted 8 weeks.

After measuring participants’ vascular endothelial function – a key indicator of overall cardiovascular health – at the start and end of the study, they found that the control group saw no improvement while the curcumin group and exercise group saw equal, notable improvement. The study abstract concludes with:

“Our results indicated that curcumin ingestion and aerobic exercise training can increase flow-mediated dilation in postmenopausal women, suggesting that both can potentially improve the age-related decline in endothelial function.” Continue reading →

6 Reasons You Should Do Handstands Everyday

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HandstandWhen you think of doing handstands you might picture a gymnast doing what appears to be a very difficult move that you may never be able to do. This idea is what keeps most people from doing handstands. Handstands and headstands are great exercises that come with many benefits.

After reading this, if you decide to start doing handstands, start slowly. Instead of going full force and throwing yourself all over your house or yard, find a wall or get a buddy and start with assisted handstands. As you gain more strength and comfort, try doing them unassisted.

Helps To Reduce Stress

In the handstand position, blood is flowing to your brain which has a stimulating yet calming effect. This is particularly true when you are feeling stressed out. Blood is brought to the adrenal glands and helps to slow the production of cortisol, also known as the stress hormone. This will help you to relieve short term stress and even minor depression.[1]

Builds Strength

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Longevity Secrets: 6 Reasons Okinawans Live To Be Older Than 100

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Did you know that only 20-30% of our life expectancy can be determined through our genes? If you want to live to be 100, you may need more than just a sound set of X and Y chromosomes passed down from your parents. Lifestyle is the most important factor in determining not only how long you live, but the quality of your long life. It turns out the people from a small island off the coast of Japan, Okinawa, have figured out a secret recipe for living to be more than 100 years old.

Scientists researching for the U.S. National Institutes of Health and Japan’s Ministry of Health have been following Okinawan’s who are older than 100 since 1976 in the Okinawa Centenarian Study (OCS) and they’ve learned that there are some very typical traits for all those who live to be so vital at such an advanced age.

Want to know the Okinawan secret to living a long, productive life? Here it is broken down into easily digestible bits:

1. Elderly Okinawans often exercise both physically and mentally. Continue reading →

The Amazing Power Of Walking

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Ben Hirshberg – Sometimes the best solutions are the most simple. This appears to be the case with walking, arguably the simplest form of exercise. Walking is gentle on the body and takes no special equipment to perform, making it also a very accessible way to exercise. There has been quite a bit of research done on the effectiveness of walking and the results are staggering.

Decreased pain and disability

Walking appears to make the body stronger and more resilient in addition to being therapeutic. When people suffering from knee arthritis walked for only three hours a week, their pain and disability went down by nearly half. Walking for only four hours per week decreased the risk of hip fracture in post-menopausal women by over 40 percent.

Walking and mental health

Though physical activity and mental health are not always put in the same breath, walking also appears to have a significant impact on our happiness levels. In one study, nearly a third of the depressed patients reported feeling better after only a small dose of walking. When that small dose was increased, the number of depressed patients who were feeling better jumped to about half. Similarly, walking has been shown to reduce anxiety in about half of all patients who implement it into their routine.

Decreased illness and disease

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