Archive for the ‘Health’ Category

People live longer and healthier – now what?

Thursday, March 25th, 2010

“If young people realize they might live past 100 and be in good shape to 90 or 95, it might make more sense to mix education, work and child-rearing across more years of life instead of devoting the first two decades exclusively to education, the next three or four decades to career and parenting, and the last four solely to leisure.”
James W. Vaupel (Duke University)
http://www.dukenews.duke.edu/2010/03/aging.html

Fascinating thought… How would you arrange/plan/dream your life if you knew you’d live to be in good shape at 90?

Better question yet: How should the institutions around us, guiding and supporting us in our lives, change??

Does a sense of control imrove life and increase life span?

Wednesday, February 17th, 2010

I haven’t been posting much on my FreshNewsBlog lately. Spent most of my time on www.slimtennis.nl instead..

Anyway, this great article reminded me that I like sharing stuff that strikes an interest with me, and this article certainly did. How a Lack of Control Leads to Superstition, A Skeptic’s review of the study “Lacking Control Increases Illusory Pattern Perception”, By Michael Shermer.

In summary, what the article implies, based on scientific study, is that people often tend to identify coherent and meaningful interrelationships among a set of random or unrelated stimuli (such as the tendency to perceive false correlations, see imaginary figures, form superstitious rituals, and embrace conspiracy beliefs) when they have a feeling of lacking control over the matter. In other words, when individuals are unable to gain a sense of control objectively, they will try to gain it perceptually.

I wonder how big this effect is when it comes to religion :) !?

Anyway, this is the most interesting part of the article. One study indicated the following:
In a New England nursing home in which the residents were given plants, but only some had the opportunity to water them. Those residents who were in charge of watering the plants lived longer and healthier lives than the others, even those given plants watered by the staff. The sense of control had the apparent effect on physical health and well-being.

Does this mean what I think it means? We tend to live longer and happier when we have a sense of being in control over certain aspects in our surroundings!?

Cell Phone Headache

Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009

Has a long conversation over a cell phone ever given you a headache? Research results are still not conclusive on the link between cell-phone use and cancer. Studies have however shown an increase in salivary gland and brain tumors in people using cell phones for 10 or more years (source).

Personally, about a year ago I noticed that each of my long cell-phone conversations ended with a headache. For me this was reason enough to start using headsets as often as I could.

Anyway, the reason for this blog is THIS WEBSITE. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has released a consumer guide on the radiation levels emitted by over 1,000 cell phones sold. You can read their report here >>.

NokiaE52Unfortunately, I stumbled upon this information just when I was ready to buy that new Nokia E52. The thing is that I wasn’t able to find any information on the Radiation Emission level of this phone. What I did notice is that the predecessor of this phone, Nokia E51 had almost the highest emission level.

So, in short, please consider this information as I’m sure you use a cell phone as well. And do also please help out and leave a comment if you know where I could find the emission level for the Nokia E52..

Thanks and regards,
Ajdin

Fit Body, Fit Mind?

Wednesday, July 8th, 2009

It’s been a while since I posted my Healthy Brain blog. Perhaps not relevant to us young guns, but I’d like to argue that it is. Now is the time to make sure we age well.

So, how can we stay sharp into old age? As the below article explains, it is not just a matter of winning the genetic lottery. Please find below a summary of the article “Fit Body, Fit Mind? Your Workout Makes You Smarter“, which suggests a few things you can do that will make a difference:

READ and Do PUZZLES: memory, reasoning, and visual search. It DOES make a difference!

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY: excercise, excercise, excercise. Brain scans after fitness training showed that even relatively short exercise interventions can begin to restore some of the losses in brain volume associated with normal aging. Aerobic exercise however is the real key to brain fitness.

Be SOCIALLY ACTIVE: get involved in social groups, do volunteer work, increase your number of friends, and socialize with your relatives.

Be MORE: optimistic, agreeable, open to new experiences, conscientious, positively motivated, and goal-directed.

Piece of cake, right!? ;)

Regards,
Ajdin

Fast & Easy Home Workouts

Monday, April 20th, 2009

Expensive gym memberships, heavy commitments, lots of dedicated time, personal trainers, worrying and bad feelings… All general keywords I’ve heard from people who would like to be a bit healthier and loose some weight, but who are not very interested in sports.

I believe that even if you don’t like sports, you can still integrate daily workouts in your routine that you will not even notice. And a year later, you’ll be amazed when you see and feel the results.

Focusing only on physical activity this time, and not on nutrition, my advice for people who would like to seamlessly integrate sufficient daily physical activity in their lives would be to DAILY:

  • never use escalators,
  • use elevators only from 5 floors and up,
  • WALK distances up to 15min,
  • CYCLE distances up to 10min,
  • and work out at home or garden for periods up to 5min.

Easy to stick to, right?

Oh, and if you are not sure what to do in those 5 minutes at home, those 5 minutes that hit you a couple of times a day probably, those 5 minutes when you’re waiting on someone to get out of the bathroom, or waiting on the water to boil, or waiting on a particular SMS :) … Well check out the below videos, 2 examples of the abundance in resources online…

1. www.ExerciseTV.tv

http://www.exercisetv.tv/watchvideo…

2. YouTube of course

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbnW3RTLEvs&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1]

Eating Healthy

Wednesday, March 18th, 2009

Well, summer is coming again… Time to get health conscious right :) ?

I’ve compiled a few diet tips that perhaps aren’t that obvious, but did make me, and might make you, think…

 

1) NOT all fats are bad, and following a low-fat diet is NOT the best way to lose weight.

Fat is necessary for energy, especially for active and growing kids, for hormone function, vitamin absorption and transport. Fats add flavor to your food, but fat contains more than twice the calories — per gram — than protein and carbohydrates. Fat is more concentrated in calories, so to lose weight on a calorie-controlled diet — you need to eat less fat. Choose your fats wisely: nuts, avocado, seeds and fatty fish contain immune-promoting monounsaturated fat and omega-3 fatty acids.

 

2) Fresh vegetables are NOT necessarily better than frozen.

In fact, frozen vegetables can be healthier than fresh depending on how long the fresh vegetables have been sitting in the market. Frozen vegetables are processed at their peak nutritional value, whereas it could take days, even weeks, for fresh vegetables to be transported. It could be even longer before you cook them. Health experts recommend you eat at least five servings of fruit and vegetables daily — fresh or frozen.

 

3) Mushrooms are good for more than just making shirts look groovy.

Mushrooms are an underappreciated, low-calorie food rich in nutrients. Mushrooms surpass all other items in the produce category in selenium, which was shown in one study to decrease prostate cancer by 60 percent. Also, mushrooms are an excellent source of three essential B-vitamins: riboflavin, niacin and pantothenic acid. Additionally, mushrooms are an under-recognized source of potassium, which has been shown to help regulate blood pressure, keep the right balance of water in fat and muscle tissues, and ensure the proper functioning of cells. One 3-ounce portabella mushroom cap provides more potassium than an orange or even a banana.

 

4) The banana is an appealing fruit, packed with nutrients, that won’t cause you to slip off your diet.

Bananas are a great source of vitamin C, potassium and dietary fiber. Potassium is an essential mineral for protein synthesis and the building of muscle because it stimulates nerve impulses for muscle contraction. Since bananas are sodium-free and very rich in potassium, they can be eaten as part of a diet to reduce the risk of high blood pressure. Plus, bananas contain a good supply of vitamin B6, which is significant in the production of antibodies in the immune system, as well as helping in protein metabolism, red-blood-cell formation and functioning of the central nervous system. Bananas have no fat, cholesterol or sodium.

 

5) Eggs will NOT kill you with their high cholesterol content.

An egg is high in cholesterol, but all that cholesterol does not go directly to your bloodstream and arteries. Actually, in healthy people only a small amount of the cholesterol in food passes directly into the blood. In fact, most of the cholesterol that circulates in the blood is created by the liver in response to saturated and trans fats in the diet, which does translate into an increase in heart disease. Eggs are good for you — inexpensive and loaded with nutritional benefits. For about a dime, an egg has 6 grams of protein, healthful unsaturated fats, key vitamins and minerals such as iron and riboflavin, and it is low in saturated fats and free of trans fats. Eggs are also a good source of choline, which has been linked with preserving memory, and lutein and zeaxanthin, which may protect against vision loss.

 

6) The good thing about fiber is NOT ONLY that it gets you regular in the restroom.

While that is one benefit, fiber also helps to lower the risk for heart disease and cancer. Also, a diet high in fiber translates into increases in the intake of fruits, vegetables and whole-grain foods. Fiber helps fill you up, without adding calories. Foods high in fiber are generally lower in calories, fresh and can help you maintain your weight loss.

 

7) Beer is both fat-free and cholesterol-free.

Check the label. Nutritionally, a beer is similar to a can of soda in its calories and carbs, but can your cola curb cancer? Research by scientists at the Universidade do Porto in Portugal found that polyphenols in wine and beer appeared to decrease breast cancer cells significantly. Numerous other experiments have shown that certain polyphenols, mainly flavonoids, can protect against heart disease and have anticancer, antiviral and antiallergic properties. The Portuguese study concluded that xanthohumol, which is found in beer, was the most potent polyphenol over breast cancer cell growth; it showed its effect more rapidly and at a lower concentration than the others. Beer has many healthy benefits when enjoyed in moderation. One or two beers a day can keep you healthy, but don’t overindulge or you’ll watch your beer belly blossom.

 

Healthy Brain

Wednesday, March 18th, 2009

Interesting how education is mostly focused on pumping our brain with knowledge, whereas nobody ever mentions that it’s important to keep that complicated thing clean and healthy. Here’s a nice article on how to do exactly that.
http://www.brainaustralia.org.au/healthy_brain
 
And please find below a short presentation on why it is actually important to keep your brain healthy.
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/gregory_petsko_on_the_coming_neurological_epidemic.html
 
If you find that you’re interested in this topic, you can for example also check out this 3 minute presentation.
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/dean_ornish_says_your_genes_are_not_your_fate.html
 
And if you want this topic to really blow your mind then please watch this 20 minute presentation.
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/aubrey_de_grey_says_we_can_avoid_aging.html