Strength training improves your thinking was the topic of yesterday’s post. Since yesterday I also found an earlier study that found evidence that engaging even in moderate physical activity such as brisk walking, swimming or yoga in mid life can help turn the clock back on the aging of your brain. After 6 months of more intense aerobic exercise, there was an improvement in the cognitive abilities of attention, concentration, organization, planning and multitasking. That information was from Dr. Laura Baker of the University Of Washington School Of Medicine and was reported in the Archives of Neurology, January 2010.

In the meantime, here is what you can do. After you doctor has given you the okay, focus on your strengths, not your limitations. If you cannot jog, then walk. If you cannot use the treadmill then try the stationery bike. If you are recovering from injuries, do chair exercises.

Measure your progress. I wear a pedometer while walking; in fact I wear it throughout the day. You can also keep a workout dairy.

Combine your new exercise program with a healthy eating program to improve your weight and give you more energy.

You do not need to purchase expensive equipment for resistance training. You can also use elastic bands or your own body weight for resistance exercises such as push ups.

Find a friend and buddy up. Now you have included more socializing and peer support both of which are closely associated with better well being. You don’t always have to go to the gym. Look for exercise programs at your community center which usually have programs for all ages and abilities.

If you have another suggestion, type it in the comment box and I will share it with our readers.

To your success at healthy aging.

Ruthan Brodsky

I want to write a bit more about the options you have regarding preventing and managing osteoporosis because as more of us age it is becoming a growing problems. And we’ve all heard the horror stories of a hip fracture leading to a hospital stay leading to an infection, pneumonia and nothing else that is good. The bone growth drugs do benefit most people but they also have side effects.

Osteoporosis is defined as having a bone mineral density T score, which is the standard measure of bone density, of minus 2.5 or lower. Lesser degrees of bone loss, which is known as osteopenia, may or may not benefit from drug therapy.

So that you will better understand what you need to know there are two types of drugs for osteoporosis. The most prominent are called antiresorptives which are drugs that reduce bone breakdown by limiting the release of calcium from bone into the blood. This includes Fosamax, or generically known as alendronate, and Actonel. The second kind of drug is called bisphosphonates and they include Boniva and Reclast. They increase bone mass by reducing bone turnover. The problems with these drugs are possible stomach ulcers and inflammation of the esophagus. Rarely, and I am betting you know this story, the drug causes breakdown of the jaw. It made a sensational headline!

What you may not know, and what you should absolutely understand is that there is a disturbing side effect of patients who have been on one of these medications for some time and then find  a low-trauma fracture of a major bone. They ofen encounter a delay in healing or there is no complete healing at all. This is why there is now a warning that after five years on bisphosphonates people should take a break from the drugs for at least a year.

Other but less effective drugs at reducing vertebral fractures is calcitonin, a natural hormone sold as Fortical and Miacalcin. There is also the drug Forteo which needs to be self injected daily.

My suggestion, whatever meds you are on and after talking it over with your physician, is to continue taking calcium supplements and vitamin D which helps your body absorb the calcium. Even if you are on an osteoporosis drug, you need 1,200 to 1,500 mg of calcium a day in food and about a 1000 international units, IU, in supplement in vitamin D. Some people may be required to take 3000 or 5000 units, it all depends where you live, how much you are exposed to the sun, and what your vitamin D levels are in the first place. Again, talk to your doctor.

To your healthy aging.
Ruthan Brodsky

AGEs or Advanced Glycation End products have been discussed in health newsletters and peer reviewed journals for over 10 years. A nutritionist understands what they are all about but most consumers are so turned off by the overwhelming name they seldom read beyond the headline. I am hoping this headline got your attention because it is important to understand AGEs, especially as you get older. Read the rest of this entry

Everything you eat is going to influence the way your brain functions; I am convinced of that. It just makes sense if you think about it. Food gives your body the raw materials it needs to build, replace and repair everything and to operate efficiently. Read the rest of this entry

In my last post I wrote about a few cosmetic procedures that are taken care of in the hospital. In this post I’m writing about procedures that take place in your doctor’s office.

What is interesting is that the facelift is not as popular as it once was. Many people are focusing on what is called lunchtime lifts which focus on the mid-face and cheek or mini lifts which deal with the jaw line and neck. People don’t want to go through the pain and a long recovery of a facelift.

Both the lunchtime lifts and mini-lifts are performed in-office under local anesthetic or mild sedation, and take about an hour. Recovery is about one week and costs are $4,500 – $5000 for each.

Others are opting for fillers such as Restylane and Juvederm which help eliminate deep and fine lines. Then there are the Botox injections, a muscle relaxant that works on your crow’s feet and other creases such as the one between your eyes. Lots of people like these because they are not surgery and they are affordable. Fillers can run from $450 to $700 an injection and you usually need to repeat them over a period of time.

From my conversations with plastic surgeons, people need to be more realistic about recovery time and the fact that there might be pain. What ever you do it won’t be an overnight miracle. You may not need recovery time, for example, but you may feel uncomfortable for several weeks and there may be bruises.

My advice if you are thinking about any of these procedures is to make an appointment and then consult with the physician.  Take someone along with you to ask the questions you forget.  Make sure you and the doctor have the same idea and philosophy you do.  And ask to talk with some of the doctor’s patients who had the procedure.  After all, it’s your face!  Make the most of it.

To your healthy aging success.

Ruthan brodsky

I’ve known for a long time that when I’m in a funk, down in the dumps or just in a lousy mood, a quick 20 minute walk/jog or even 10 minutes on the treadmill or running up and down the stairs 5 times will help get me through the temporary blues. (I do admit, however, the stair piece doesn’t work so well.)  Now the experts are saying the mood boost associated with a moderate aerobic workout can last a long time ever after you take off your walking shoes.

I’m smiling to myself as I write this post because I’m thinking of all the time, money and energy spent on arriving at this conclusion and they could have just asked me!

But now it’s official, friends. But here’s something I didn’t know. I never really thought about it but I assumed that this boosted good feeling only lasted for a short time. Now we’re being told that rather than fading after an hour or so, the beneficial effects of physical activity on mood begin as soon as a person exercises and may last as long as 12 hours afterwards. “Post-exercise glow” were the words in the report presented May 2009 at the American College of Sports Medicine’s Annual Meeting. The research was carried out at the Massachusetts General Hospital’s Depression Clinical and Research Program.

Apparently, exercise helps to relieve stress by releasing endorphins and other good hormones that elevate our mood. What is of particular interest is that even in moderate amounts, exercise can be very helpful in preventing emotional problems. All of which is a very good thing because we face enough physical and mental challenges as we get older and can certainly do without the emotional glitches.

To your success at healthy aging.

Ruthan Brodsky

The evidence says it all. You are never too old to exercise.

In my last post I wrote about a recent study out of Israel that demonstrated you’re less likely to die if you exercise. Titled the Jerusalem Longitudinal Cohort Study, the researchers also followed 2000 people for 18 years who were studied from age 70 to age 88. What was learned from this age cohort was that seniors who started physical activity between ages 70 and 78 and even between 78 and 85 improved their odds of survival.

The test results also showed that seniors who exercised were more likely to maintain an independent lifestyle than those who didn’t exercise. The researchers also claim that because exercise helps to maintain cardiovascular health, it also improves immunity, and suppresses chronic inflammation.

The Israeli investigators concluded that the difference between physically active and sedentary participants actually increased the older the seniors. Walking appears to me the favorite of physical activities especially because of its low risk of injury.

Walking works even if you’re trying to lose weight. If your weight held fairly steady for some time, but when you hit 55 you started to gain weight, you can gradually increase your physical activity level or eat less and take in less calories. Or you can do both restricting calories and increasing exercise.

You may want to think of taking the stairs rather than the elevator or adding short periods of walking during the day. Once you make your mind up you probably can come up with a few ideas of your own to burn a few more calories.

If you do have some ideas for burning calories, let the rest of us know.  We all could use help when it comes to losing weight especially if exercising is helping us to live longer.

To your successful aging.

Ruthan Brodsky

The headline for the front page of the Personal Journal section of the Wall Street Journal, no less, reads “How the Cookie Diet Crumbles”. This was Tuesday, just 3 days ago.

First you need to know I have nothing against cookies. The fact is I love cookies; I’d rather have a good cookie than a piece of pie or cake. My first thought, however, was how significant this article should be given this is the holiday season and everyone is making cookies. Read the rest of this entry

You can actually lose weight by eating more food and still consume fewer calories while still getting plenty of key nutrients. Sounds impossible but it is doable. The answer are low energy density foods. These foods, such as fruits, vegetables and high fiber grains, have greater volume so they tend to fill you up more. However, they contain fewer calories per ounce than sugary or fatty foods such as snacks or colas.

A second benefit of eating the low energy density foods is that you consume more fiber, and have higher than normal intake of important micronutrients including vitamins A, C and B6, folate, iron, calcium, and potassium.

Unfortunately our bodies are not like gas tanks. They don’t tell us to stop now, you’ve eaten 400 calories. Eating is often less determined by biology than my psychology.  For instance, the size of the portions you eat and with whom you eat often determine how much you eat.  Research shows, for example, that if you are served larger portions, you will likely finish them. Presentation also impacts how much you eat.  Just visit any buffet and you will see much larger portions put on a plate than if you were served by a waiter.

Here are tips for reducing your diet’s energy density:

• Eat a large salad before the rest of your meal to fill up on greens but you must limit the fatty salad dressing.

• Change the proportions on your plate, giving more space to vegetables and whole grains and less to meat.

• Substitute low fat dairy foods, lean meat and fish for cheese and fatty cuts of meat.

• Drink water and tea or coffee without sugar rather than colas and other sugary drinks.

• Look for foods high in water or fiber content, but low in sugar and fat.

• Check out those energy bars for sucrose and fats before you start snacking on them.

Hope these tips help.  Do you have any you might give us? Send them thru the comments and we’ll share them with the rest of the readers.

To your success at healthy aging.
Ruthan Brodsky

Paul had a wild ride with a detox regimen. When he turned 49 he made the switch to a more healthy lifestyle. He started working out, drinking less beer, stretching, and watching everything he ate for preservatives and chemicals.

Paul was feeling good and figured he would feel better if he flushed his system so he started one of the more popular detox regimens, the Master Cleanse. For 10 days he ate no solid foods but drank 8 glasses of a cocktail of lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper. In the morning he drank 2 full quarts of salted water and a laxative tea at night.

He felt terrible after 10 days but he did lose 10 pounds.  He also was irritable and had headaches and people told him he didn’t look very good. He went off the diet and gained the 10 pounds back almost immediately. A few months later he went back on the detox diet but didn’t follow it so closely. As a result he only lost a few pounds but he didn’t have the adverse effects and is now a fan of detox regimens.

I’m convinced detox regimens can be dangerous and that they don’t add anything to your over all health. I do think they give people a sense of security, that they are protecting their health by detoxing, but it is simply not so. There is no scientific evidence that points to this conclusion.

True there are pesticides, artificial sweeteners, sugar, processed foods that surround us. And it’s also true that without a cleansing these poisons can accumulate in our bodies and cause headaches, fatigue and chronic illness. However, your wonderful body has several systems already in place that are continually taking care of you.

Your liver, your kidneys, and your gastrointestinal tract do a superb job of eliminating toxins from your body within hours of consumption or exposure. You don’t have to wait to go to the spa and get detoxed. And none of those diets even help what your body already does naturally.

My advice: save your money and envelope a more healthy lifestyle.

To your success at healthy aging.