Fitness By Marilyn: exercise

Showing posts with label exercise. Show all posts

Friday, November 21, 2008

Exercise Saves Aging Brains

Exercise Saves Aging Brains....If this is not an incentive, I don't know what is!

Everyone knows exercise keeps bodies young, and now a new study confirms it keeps brains young, too. The study, carried out with mice, demonstrated that exercise reverses age-related decline in the creation of neural stem cells by restoring an essential brain chemical.

The focus of the study, which was performed by the National Cheng Kung University Medical College in Taiwan, was the hippocampus. Mammals, including both humans and mice, have a hippocampus on each side of the brain. When fewer new stem cells are produced in the hippocampus, which plays a major role in short term memory and spatial navigation, the result is an impairment of memory functions and of the capacity to learn. In Alzheimer’s disease, the hippocampus is one of the first areas of the brain to suffer damage.

The researchers knew from prior studies with mice that the production of stem cells in the hippocampus declined dramatically in middleaged mice, and also that exercise seemed to slow the decline. The new study aimed to trace the progression of the decline and to attempt to find out what causes it.

The study used mice that had been trained to exercise on a treadmill for an hour a day. Mice varying in age from young (aged 3 months) to old (24 months) were tested, with special attention given to mice aged 13 months, which for them is middleaged.

The study soon focused on a brain chemical known as “brain-derived neurotrophic factor” or BDNF. This chemical promotes “neurogenesis,” or the growth of new neurons, and supports the survival of existing ones.

As the researchers expected, the study showed that in the normal course of events, neurogenesis fell sharply in middleaged mice, with these mice having only about five percent of the number of neural stem cells of young mice.

Importantly, the researchers discovered that exercise slows down the loss of new nerve cells in the middleaged group while actually improving neural stem cell production by 200 percent over middleaged mice that did not exercise. Further, new nerve cell survival was up by 170 percent over the non-exercising group. Exercise also benefited young mice, producing an even stronger effect than in the older mice.

The researchers concluded that at least in mice, exercise—by stimulating the production of BDNF—promotes the development and survival of new brain cells.

Monday, January 14, 2008

Exercise Your Memory

Think there’s nothing you can do once your memory starts slipping? Think again. The following guide can get you back on track. Try these tips, which involve working your brain in new ways.

1. Be alert. It sounds elementary, but simply being aware of what is happening increases and exercises your memory.
2. Get organized. If it’s worth memorizing, it’s worth taking notes on it, no matter what “it” is. Scientists agree: Short-term memory can only hold seven items at one time. Choose your seven and jot down notes on others.
3. Use association. For new information, ask yourself how the information relates to ideas with which you’re already familiar. Try familiar stimulis such as repeating or grouping like ideas.
4. Remember through teaching. Explain your new memory/idea to someone else in your own words. This is a great tool for increasing memory.
5. Say it out loud. Don’t worry about what others are thinking when you think out loud. Recite what you are reading; paraphrase; review notes out loud.
6. Set aside time for review. After learning something new, make time to review the information. Retention relies on review; that phrase itself will help you remember to review!
7. Exercise your memory. Learn a new subject or re-learn an old subject from your previous schooling, such as math, science, or history — something you have forgotten.
8. Keep a journal. A journal exercises the mind. It will also help you remember through review.
9. Do crossword puzzles. These are great exercises for the memory. They will help you remember and sharpen your wit too.
10. Practice using visual imagery. Go through the steps of building or creating something.

For more detailed information on how to keep your memory sharp your entire life, go here now to find out how to get Blaylock Wellness Report “Maintaining Your Memory.”

Monday, September 03, 2007

September IS

Monday, May 14, 2007

Exercise Makes You Smarter

Bob Livingstone -

holding on to emotional pain can cause mental and physical harm.

The Body Mind Soul Solution can set you free

Author of "The Mind, Body, Soul Soulution" - Healing Emotional Pain Through Exercise

Exercise Makes You Smarter

By Bob Livingstone, LCSW

eDiets Contributor

Updated: May 14, 2007

A Newsweek article titled Exercise and the Brain describes how exercise increases brainpower. I feel that I have certainly experienced this phenomenon by running five days a week, five miles a day for many years. I have recently added two days of cycling and subtracted two running days from my weekly workout. I feel that physical exercise has improved the clarity of my thoughts and has opened pathways that have greatly increased my capacity for knowledge.

Perhaps the greatest discovery of my life is that exercise heals emotional pain. When I workout, the endorphins kick in and this creates a calm state that allows me to bravely face issues that are troubling. Dealing with this trauma doesn't seem possible while sedentary. This discovery has been crucial during several points in my life. I have found this process extremely helpful in healing the emotional pain surrounding the deaths of both of my parents.

Steps for using exercise to heal emotional pain:

1. Prepare an emotional pain question before you work out. This question can be one of the following: "Why am I feeling so sad?" "How do I feel about my divorce?" "How do I feel about being abused as a child?" This process works best during an aerobic exercise. You will notice a calmness in your body and mind shortly after you begin your workout. You can capture the confidence in order to take a direct look at your personal pain. If you can face your emotional pain, there is a high possibility you can work through it. During your workouts, you may begin to feel sadness, anger, grief or disappointment that had been deeply buried for years. It's not unusual to achieve progress during the first work out.
2. Journal your thoughts and feelings immediately after exercising. It is important to write down your thoughts, feelings and memories while they are fresh in your mind. Journaling will also allow you to advance the new insights that you gained from the work out. It will also help you increase your understanding the origins of your emotional pain.
3. If it is safe to do so, use a voice recorder to express your thoughts and feelings while exercising. Often times the thoughts and feelings come so fast and furious that it is difficult to remember all that transpires. The voice recorder takes away the burden of remembering. When it is time to journal, you can listen to your own words that took place in real time.
4. If it is safe to do so, listen to music that will evoke strong feelings while working out. You may decide to choose music that brings up memories that create an internal visual image. These images may be of traumatic child hood memories or they may be of lovers who left abruptly. Listening to music, with the purpose of healing emotional pain while exercising, may speed up the grieving process. This occurs because the music makes the memories and feelings more immediate. A previously hazy memory may be replaced with a clear one that enhances healing.
5. Re-read your journal immediately before your next work out in order to prepare an emotional pain question. This will reinforce your working through process and it will also provide you with information about how to formulate your next question.

Utilizing these techniques will enable you to heal emotional pain through exercise. This process is helpful for those who have recent trauma as well as those who have been "stuck" for many years. It is known as The Body-Mind-Soul Solution and it can set you free.

Bob Livingstone, LCSW, has been a psychotherapist in private practice for almost 20 years. He works with adults, teenagers and children who have experienced traumas such as family violence, neglect and divorce. He works with men around anger issues and adults in recovery from child abuse. He is the author of the critically acclaimed Redemption of the Shattered: A Teenager’s Healing Journey through Sandtray Therapy and the upcoming The Body-Mind-Soul Solution: Healing Emotional Pain through Exercise (Pegasus Books, Aug. 2007). For more information visit www.boblivingstone.com.

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Wednesday, February 14, 2007

What About Exercising Do You Not Understand

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

To Your Health

#1. 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated. (Likely applies to half the world population.)

#2. In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is mistaken for hunger.

#3. Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as 3%.

#4. One glass of water will shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the dieters studied in a University of Washington study.

#5. Lack of water, the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.

#6. Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.

#7. A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.

#8. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%., and one is 50% less likely to develop bladder cancer. Are you drinking the amount of water you should drink every day?

#9. It is essential to drink water while exercising and during outdoor activities especially in the summertime.

Fitness By Marilyn
Rockport, TX 78382
361-288-1806
fitnessbymarilyn@gmail.com
http://www.fitnessbymarilyn.com
Independent AIM Member - Marilyn Wilson Price

Wednesday, October 19, 2005

60 Minutes To A Healthier Heart

Practical Prevention: 60 minutes to a Healthier Heart
by Elizabeth S. Smoots, MD

What would you say to 60 minutes of physical activity a week?

Many studies have revealed the health value of exercise. Now, new research has defined the minimal amount of physical activity it takes to see heart benefits in women—60 minutes per week. Would you be willing to commit to that amount of time? Since this decision is so important to your long-term health, before answering, consider why women even need to worry about their hearts.

Heart Disease is Common in Women

Heart disease is the number one killer of women in our country today. Nearly 400,000 women die from cardiac causes in the U.S. each year—this is ten times the number of women that die from breast cancer. Yet, according to a Gallup poll, four-out-of-five women are not even aware that they are at risk for heart disease.

It is true that estrogen produced by a woman's body helps prevent heart disease while we're young, but this advantage is lost after we pass through menopause. By age 65, one in four women—the same proportion as in men—ends up with coronary heart disease. So we need something more to keep our hearts healthy.

Studying Physical Activity in Women

Encouraging news from a recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) indicates that even light exercise is associated with a lower rate of coronary heart disease in women. The study followed 39,000 healthy women aged 45 and older for an average of five years. At the end of the study, researchers found that women who walked at least one hour a week, regardless of pace, had half the rate of heart disease as women who did not walk regularly.

Vigorous activities also reduced heart disease risk. But the results suggest that time spent exercising and calories burned were more important than intensity for the women enrolled in this study.

Researchers noted exercise's beneficial effects extended to women at high-risk for heart disease. Those who smoked, were overweight, or had elevated cholesterol levels had similar improvements in their heart disease rate when they exercised as did low-risk women. For women with high blood pressure, however, the scientists said their findings indicate that more than mild exercise may be harmful.

Adding More Exercise To Your Life

How can you get the heart-benefits of exercise—including better cardiovascular function, lower blood sugar and cholesterol, and reduced weight and stress—even if you have cardiac risk factors or are not accustomed to exercising? Heed this heart-healthy advice:

Get your health care provider's okay before starting physical activities. This is especially critical for women with chronic illness or risk factors for heart disease.

Choose several activities you think you would enjoy. For most women a blend of exercise types is usually best.

These may include:

Aerobic activities like walking—the most popular leisure activity among women—and dancing, aerobics classes, swimming, or biking

Stretching exercises

Strengthening exercises such as using weights or body bands

For each activity, gradually increase your pace and time. Learn to listen to your body. If you don't feel right, stop and make adjustments, or see your doctor.

Building Protection For Your Heart

Over the years numerous studies have concluded that physically active people have a lower rate of heart disease than those who are inactive. For heart health, most experts recommend that women aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise most days of the week. This equates to expending about 1,000 calories a week through exercise.

I encourage women who are physically fit to continue vigorous activities for the added health value. Even if you're sedentary, though, the latest findings suggest that light exercise for as little as 60 minutes a week can dramatically benefit your heart.

Now I ask you, do you think you can commit to giving your heart that much time?

Resources

American Heart Association
http://www.americanheart.org/

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/

American Academy of Family Physicians
http://familydoctor.org

"Physical activity and coronary heart disease in women: is ‘no pain, no gain' passé?" by I-Min Lee, MBBS, ScD, et al. Journal of the American Medical Association, March 21, 2001, Volume 285, pp. 1447-54.

"Coronary artery disease prevention: what's different for women?" by Joan Bedinghaus, MD. American Family Physician, April 1, 2001, Volume 63, pp. 1393-1406.

"One for 2001: take lifestyle to heart," Women's Health Watch, Harvard Medical School, January 2001, p.1.

"Benefits of physical activity for the heart." Journal of the American Medical Association, March 21, 2001, Volume 285, p.1536.

Fitness By Marilyn
Independent AIM Member - Marilyn Wilson Price

Monday, October 17, 2005

Health And Fitness Resources

Sunday, July 17, 2005

Why Bother With Exercise?

"When we exercise routinely, our bodies work more efficiently and we use less energy to get better results. When we are in shape, we better use our energy when fighting disease or stress, or in the healing process. This can result in faster recovery, less stress, and a more powerful immune system.*"

Additionally, regular exercise':

1. Reduces the risk of dying prematurely and from heart disease, and of developing diabetes, high blood pressure, and colon cancer.

2. Helps reduce blood pressure in people who already have high blood pressure.

3. Reduces feelings of depression and anxiety; promotes psychological well-being.

4. Helps control weight.

5. Helps build and maintain healthy muscles, bones, and joints.

6. Helps older adults become stronger and better able to move without falling.

"People who are usually inactive can improve their health and well-being by becoming even moderately active on a regular basis, and physical activity need not be strenuous to achieve health benefits. For those interested in preventing bone loss and osteoporosis, experts recommend exercising at least three times per week.*" "Muscle strengthening and walking improve support and stability to reduce falls and fractures. For individuals of all ages, exercise should be the keystone of osteoporosis prevention and treatment.^"

"Exercising releases hormones, neurotransmitters (which help the brain communicate within itself), and other substances that help the body relax. It appears that exercise increases the levels of neurotrophins, proteins that stimulate the growth of new nerve cells in the part of the brain that deals with learning and memory.*" "There is growing evidence that regular physical activity helps to ward off mental declines as people age. A five-year Canadian study suggested that exercise may cut the risk of Alzheimer's disease and less devastating mental losses by as much as 40 per cent, particularly in women. Further, the report stated that those who exercised vigorously at least three times per week and were considered highly active, had the lowest risk of Alzheimer's, but even those receiving light or moderate exercise significantly cut their risks for Alzheimer's and mental decline.~"

Start Or Expand An Exercise Program Tips*:

1. Find activities that you enjoy!

2. Make the exercise convenient!

3. Vary your activities and how you do them!

4. Keep track of your progress!

5. Lighten Up!

6. Don't Give Up!

7. Make exercise a part of your day!

Other things which help are group sports, exercise classes, workouts at a health club, or exercising on equipment and using videos at home. Many people benefit from having a partner to exercise with. It is very encouraging to me that the medical profession is getting more knowledgeable about preventative medicine which is sometimes called integrated medicine. This has been so long in coming about. Also our insurance companies are covering preventative medicine and sponsoring exercise programs in our communities.

* AIM Partners, July-August, The AIM Companies
' Office Of The Surgeon General: "Physical Activity And Health Report"
^ The Physician And Sportsmedicine (vol. 26, 1998)
~ Archives Of Neurology (vol. 53, 2001)

Fitness By Marilyn
P. O. Box 834
Rockport, TX 78381
fitnessbymarilyn@gmail.com
http://www.fitnessbymarilyn.com
Independent AIM Member - Marilyn Wilson Price