Archive for the ‘Exercise’ Category

Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases are on the rise. The pharmaceutical companies have not found a drug that cures a person. What’s the answer?

It’s so simple that most people don’t know about it. It’s getting proper cellular nutrition.

Studies have shown that one of the largest if not the only cause of neurodegenerative diseases is oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is simply the damage made to our cells by the normal process of metabolism, which creates free radicals.

Antioxidants to the rescue. But some antioxidants don’t pass through the blood brain barrier and then the cells begin to die. To keep a healthy brain we need a good diet, exercise and quality nutritional food supplements. A major factor in the death of brain cells are the statin drugs which take the cholesterol from the body. Without cholesterol, Co-Q10 and other nutrition, the brain cells die and the loss of mental capabilities sets in.

Studies today are showing with proper supplements which will pass through the brain blood cells some of the damaging effects can be reversed.

Again, eat good nutritious food, meditate, exercise regularly and take quality supplements.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that heart disease will cost  us $475 billion in 2009. Yet many heart conditions are avoidable with low-cost measures such as diet, meditation, and exercise. Some doctors are saying that 70 percent of our surgeries are unnecessary.

The U.S. is a leader in many areas of medical research but we rely too heavily on treatment rather than prevention. As many people say we have a health sick program. Doctors are not paid to prevent sickness they are paid to supply the drug companies with patients who will continue to need the drugs. As I have said before I weaned myself off of the drug Lipitor (a $22 billion a year income for the drug industries). I was given Lipitor for my high cholesterol. Omega-3 does a better job of lowering cholesterol at a fraction of the cost. But the drug companies don’t make money off of fish oil.

Lipitor and other statin drugs are recommended for millions of healthy men and women over the age of 69 but a 2007 analysis in The Lancet found that these medications did not reduce premature deaths in these groups.

I heard at a Town Forum last Saturday, August 1, 2009, that we had the best health care system in the world. The World Health Organization rated America 37^th in the world.

As the United States looks to reform the health care system organizations are spending over $1 million a day to keep the status quo – a broken health care system. No one questions that our system is broken but the organizations making big profits from our current system are not concerned about the common person they only want to keep making money.

You can have a voice if you contact your elected government officials and say you want a change.

It was after World War II (ended in 1945 for you youngsters) that the edible oil companies took over our food supply. As they learned that refining food products, literally taking the nutrition out of our food and substituting placebos that obesity began to occur. By 1959 the fast food restaurant came into being and hydrogenated oils replaced lard, butter and tallow. They told us that margarine was better than butter, transfat better than saturated fat; eggs were filled with cholesterol and therefore unhealthy. All the real foods were being replaced with artificial ingredients that were supposed to save us from getting heart attacks and strokes.

The reality is that since WWII diabetes, strokes, heart attacks and sudden cardiac arrest have increased. Dementia, Alzheimer, fibromyalgia spread among the population as people got away from “real” food and ate the plastic food off the shelf. This food had most of the nutrients taken out and preservatives added so that they had a longer self-life and it didn’t matter if you ate it this year or next. It was indestructible and indigestible.

Our human bodies are quite amazing and are capable of  overcoming many obstacles but continued abuse with poor diets and lack of exercise are taking its toll and so more than half of US citizens are obese. When we look at other countries who have not taken on Western ways we find they are much healthier.

Unfortunately we have been sold a bill of goods and only now people are beginning to realize there is a better way – there is a way to eat healthy. As scientific studies have shown we need food supplements to get the nutrients we need for a healthy body. Exercise and diet are the two main ingredients for a healthy llife-style.

Live life as it was meant to be.

The most creative thing we can do is to bring balance into our life. As we learn that process we will also bring quality and longevity into our life as well.

Business analysts estimate that the antiaging industry generates $50 billion a year in sales. It does this by offering remedies for the effects of aging – creams, lotions, injections, surgeries, and food supplements. The end result is that in these offerings of products you can never stop buying the products.

Dr. Thomas Perls of Boston University School of Medicine and his team, who are studying centenarians, found a region on chromosome 4 that is linked to exceptional longevity. If you have one of these 200 genes which slow down the aging process you can expect a longer life. But nutrition, exercise, lifestyle and environment play a 70 percent chance in longer life while genes play only a 30 percent chance.

Good healthy living plays a large part in how long we live and the quality of life we live.

You can read more in Dr. Joseph Maroon’s book, The Longevity Factor, Chap. 20

As we age we see a loss of organ reserve, not only do our muscles get weaker, many other factors play in as well as our bodies seem to grow old. But the biggest factor contributing to the deterioration of our body is nutrition. Most people still do not eat a good diet with the food that is responsible for building us up. We consume too many omega-6 oils (safflower, sunflower, corn, soybean, cottonseed as well as others). We need to increase our consumption of omega-3 oils (fish oil supplements, flax seed, and others). Omega-3 is an anti-inflammatory essential fatty oil which improves the elasticity of every cell in our body. Cells that are hydrated and oxygenated work at an optimal level and reverse the aging process. With a smooth functioning, healthy body we see our energy levels rise. More and more studies tell us that as we take the proper nutrients, and not drugs, there is less likelihood of disease. Disease is not natural or normal. We bring it upon ourselves by improper eating and taking too many drugs. Drugs are sometimes needed in some cases but the widespread use of drugs in America is making us a sicker nation than any other industrialized nation in the world.

If you want to live a long healthy life examine what you are doing—eat properly, meditate, exercise, and breathe deeply.

I have been reading the emails from Better Life Institute for years. Here is some excellent advice for the beginner of an exercise program. If you would like to receive these notices on a regular basis you can subscribe to List.Server@betterlifeunlimited.com

Supplementation For The Person Beginning An Exercise Program
The Better Life Experts | March 12, 2009

“Tell me what supplements I should be taking when I start an exercise program that will benefit my body yet not break the bank.”

We at BLU get asked this question very often. So to get you “the most cluck for your buck” we suggest the following:

    * Start with a high quality Multi-vitamin and mineral supplement to ensure you are not like most individuals and deficient in Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc, vitamin D, and certain B vitamins, while starting or continuing an exercise program. This will a help you avoid essential nutrient deficiency related problems/health issues. Most of the essential nutrients should be at the 100% level of RDA’s with the exception of calcium and magnesium which are usually at a 15 to 20% level of the RDA due to their large size. It is best to add a separate Calcium, Magnesium and Vitamin D supplement to your one a day daily multi for this reason and at a level of 500mg to 1000mg per day.

    * A broad antioxidant formula with things like vitamin C between 250-500mg, grape seed extract, pycnogynol, quercitin, mixed tocopherols (natural vitamin E), mixed carotenoids, and green tea extract, to help with tissue protection and repair. Also because most folks are not eating the required fruits and vegetables high in antioxidants on a daily basis.

    * Omega 3 fatty acids to assist with cell structure and help prevent inflammation. Shoot for 500mg to 1000mg per day of DHA and EPA.

    * An optional B-Complex supplement (that includes all the B vitamins not just one or a few of them) may be in order for those of you with nutritional support needs pertaining to your nervous system, energy and endurance, digestive issues, heart, liver and muscle cell support as well as a good working metabolic system.

In summary, if you are going to supplement daily and we do recommend that most of you do so, start with “The Big 3″ needs for supplementation then add to them on an individual basis depending on your needs. Get your personal NHA recommendations. Also, depending where you shop, the above listed supplements can be purchased in a local vitamin shop or drug store. Look for special sales and while you are at it, don’t forget the importance of a good protein powder to insure adequate protein intake for tissue growth and repair (BLI Paper on Protein for Peak Performance). In an upcoming issue we will give you some names and suggestions for products that meet the “Big Three” supplement needs for most of you, so stay fit and tune back in.
Copyright 2009
Better Life Unlimited
168 Louis Campau Promenade NW, Suite 400
Grand Rapids, MI 49503

Many people put off the thought of exercise but physical fitness affects every aspect of our lives, from bodily health to mental and emotional wellness.

During exercise you brain releases chemicals that reduce depression and helps with a relaxed positive state of mind. So when you’re feeling down, get up and exercise. If you watching TV, lie on the floor and do leg raises or pushups. Jump up and down for 10 seconds and get that blood flowing again. It also raises your self-worth and confidence. Exercise makes you feel more energized and enthusiastic.

In my last blog I mentioned those 80+ year olds who after 14 weeks of controlled strength training were able to get out of their chair unassisted or walk without someone to hold on to. My doctor on Monday told me I needed to keep up with three things: flexibility, strength, cardio conditioning.

Enjoy your life while you can!

We have heard a lot about aerobic training over the past years but now we are hearing about strength training. Actually we need both. But why is strength training important for both men and women?
A study by John Knox Village Med Center put 19 elderly nursing home residents through a 14-week weight-training program and found they could push 81 percent more weight with their legs and 40 percent more weight with their triceps than before the training. Many were able to walk or get out of their chairs unassisted after the training. Those octogenarians also lost 2.9 pounds of fat and gained 3.8 pounds of muscle.
The down side is if you become a couch potato women lose 2 pounds of muscle mass every decade after the age of 36. Men lose 3 pounds. So without regular testing, muscle groups become frail and can lead to joint problems.
Strength training requires pushing and fatiguing each muscle group with some form of exercise. Going to a health club or Y may help the most but you can do it at home as well. The American Council on Exercise (ACE) says the 30 minutes a week will already benefit you. But for best results two or three times a week are recommended. You should choose 8 to 10 different exercises that condition all major muscle groups of the body.
When exercising be sure to drink plenty of water and be sure to give you muscles a day of rest between workouts. And to help delay soreness do some stretching for the worked out muscles.

As a sedentary society we have a lot to learn about getting fit and staying that way. Here are a few simple steps to getting fit.

1) Plan on getting 30 minutes of physical activity each day. This will burn 150 calories. Brisk walking, yard work, running, stair climbing, inline skating, bicycling, swimming, bowling, dancing, and other physical activities. Here in Minnesota in the winter when it’s below zero my wife and I walk the skyway in downtown Minneapolis.
2) Strength training should be done two or three times a week. Be sure to leave one day between each strength training workout. At home you can carry heavy water bottles standing then squatting (water weighs 8 pounds a gallon), do push-ups, leg lifts, etc. At the gym your personal trainer will guide you for your age and physical condition.
3) It’s also important to stretch the major muscle groups every other day as well. Warm up before stretching.
4) Set a goal for yourself, exercise with a friend, or read while on the treadmill.
5 Wear exercise clothes that don’t make you feel fat.
6) Focus on being healthy, not thin.

Remember when you finally decided to get serious about exercise the first thing you heard was “Before engaging in any type of physical activity, please consult your doctor”? It’s written on your gym membership, you see it in fitness articles. In fact it is stressed very strongly your doctor knows best.

When doctors are asked if they had any training in exercise in medical school you find that almost no one has. That statement “check with your doctor” gives the impression that doctor knows best, even if they have had no training. To find the “expert” in physical fitness go to your professional who knows more about fitness and exercise—your personal trainer.

I remember as I was recovering from my cardiac arrest I asked my cardiologist about strenuous exercise and he just said do what I want.
The 2001 May/June issue of Public Health Reports went to 128 medical schools and asked about exercise education. The results were the schools felt only 10 percent of their students could design a meaningful exercise prescription.
Read the full story in TWIN CITIES …NATURALLY, January 2009, “MovementasMedicine”