Welcome to Volume 15 of the Fitness Destinations Journal!
How Memorable is your Memory?
Although we don't normally reprint news articles here in the Fitness Journal, this week we have made an exception due to the quality of the article in question.
The article below about the memory-saving effects of Folic Acid is not only informative and very useful, but you can easily gain the listed benefits by some simple diet and lifestyle modifications. If you value your memory or are afraid of Alzheimer's Disease, you have to read this article!
Also find below this week's latest installment of humor from Dan Worona, and a great article by Angela Horsdent on the benefits of having a home treadmill, and what to look for when buying one.
Have a safe and fun summer weekend!
One who indulges
Bulges.
He who stuffeth..
Puffeth!
Practice girth control
Loose lips
Broad hips
Tough cookies don't crumble
I repeat myself when I am hungry.
I repeat myself when I am hungry.
Obesity is really widespread.
I have to exercise early in the morning before my brain figures out what I am doing.
Weight-loss advice to an obese patient: "Let's keep it simple...just eat the things you don't like."
Fitness Article - Study: Extra Folic Acid May Help Memory
WASHINGTON - High-dose folic acid pills — providing as much of the nutrient as 2.5 pounds of strawberries — might help slow the cognitive decline of aging. So says a Dutch study that's the first to show a vitamin could really improve memory.
The research, unveiled Monday at a meeting of Alzheimer's researchers, adds to mounting evidence that a diet higher in folate is important for a variety of health effects. It's already proven to reduce birth defects, and research suggests it helps ward off heart disease and strokes, too.
The new study doesn't show folic acid could prevent Alzheimer's — the people who tested the vitamin didn't have symptoms of that disease.
But as people age, some decline in memory and other brain functions is inevitable. Taking 800 micrograms of folic acid a day slowed that brain drain, reported lead researcher Jane Durga of Wageningen University in the Netherlands.
In the study, 818 cognitively healthy people ages 50 to 75 swallowed either folic acid or a dummy pill for three years.
On memory tests, the supplement users had scores comparable to people 5.5 years younger, Durga said. On tests of cognitive speed, the folic acid helped users perform as well as people 1.9 years younger.
That's significant brain protection, with a supplement that's already well-known to be safe, said Johns Hopkins University neuroscientist Marilyn Albert, who chairs the Alzheimer's Association's science advisory council.
"I think I would take folic acid, assuming my doctor said it was OK," Albert said. "We know Alzheimer's disease, the pathology, begins many, many years before the symptoms. We ought to be thinking about the health of our brain the same way we think about the health of our heart."
Indeed, there's enough research now suggesting that there are ways to guard the brain against age-related memory loss and Alzheimer's that the association has begun offering classes to teach people the techniques.
Topping the list:
- Exercise your brain. Using it in unusual ways increases blood flow and helps the brain wire new connections. That's important to build up what's called cognitive reserve, an ability to adapt to or withstand the damage of Alzheimer's a little longer.
In youth, that means good education. Later in life, do puzzles, learn to play chess, take classes.
- Stay socially stimulated. Declining social interaction with age predicts declining cognitive function.
- Exercise your body. Bad memory is linked to heart disease and diabetes because clogged arteries slow blood flow in the brain.
Experts recommend going for the triple-whammy of something mentally, physically and socially stimulating all at once: Coach your child's ball team. Take a dance class. Strategize a round of golf.
Diet's also important. While Alzheimer's researchers have long recommended a heart-healthy diet as good for the brain, Monday's folic acid study is the first to test the advice directly.
Previous studies have shown that people with low folate levels in their blood are more at risk for both heart disease and diminished cognitive function.
Durga said it's not clear how folic acid might work to protect the brain. Some studies suggest folate lowers inflammation; others suggest it may play a role in expression of dementia-related genes.
Folate is found in such foods as oranges and strawberries, dark-green leafy vegetables, and beans. In the United States, it also is added to cereal and flour products. The recommended daily dose here is 400 micrograms; doctors advise women of childbearing age to take a supplement to ensure they get that much.
By LAURAN NEERGAARD, AP Medical Writer
AP News
Fitness Article - What To Look For When You're Buying A Treadmill
There is nothing that compares to the freedom of running
through open air, like in a park or in the country. The
sights and smells enhance the experience of running. But
not everyone can put aside the time to enjoy the great
outdoors. In our society, the majority of us who live in
cities have obstacles to face on a daily basis. Traffic,
pollution, hard concrete pavements, or inclement weather are
a real problem when we want to enjoy running from home or
the office.
Scheduling the time to enjoy a brisk walk in the park is
more difficult than it seems. Most of us are running on
empty by the time we get home from work. And the few
of us that don't have to deal with traffic every day, find
running errands just as trying. Exercise is good for us
and because of the growing awareness of achieving good
health; many people are considering a treadmill. A
treadmill can be used at home or in the office; thus,
giving us a flexible option to an exercise routine.
Whilst static exercise bikes have been a popular way of
exercising at home for the last 25 years or so, the
popularity of the treadmill is increasing dramatically - it
is fast becoming the preferred way to exercise at home.
Interestingly the highest sales in America are in the big
cities like New York. Up until now the treadmill has been
most popular amongst women of mid-high income levels and
aged between 30 and 50 years old. However sales are
becoming more varied and now include both older (late 60s)
and younger (20s), as well as those with lower incomes.
The convenience and flexibility of having a treadmill at
home outweighs the outdoor run. The treadmill provides a
level surface that is low-impact. Shock absorbers help
absorb any shock from the impact. Occasionally, people
experience injury from running on hard concrete surfaces.
And using a treadmill helps you avoid injury and is
excellent for older people.
With walking becoming more popular as a leisure activity or
people deciding that walking to the shops or walking with
their kids on the way to school has certain health benefits,
the advantages of a treadmill at home are becoming
appreciated. Furthermore, walking and running are natural
things to do, although running takes more effort, they are
not things we need to learn to do like playing squash or
basketball and we do not need to rely on other team members
in order to do them.
Your figure will benefit from a daily workout on the
treadmill. So why not have a treadmill in your home?
On top of a better figure, your heart and lungs also benefit
from the cardiovascular workout. The end result is
stronger bones and better circulation. Of course, a walk
or run on your treadmill doesn't compare to the emotional
effects of a brisk run in the park. However, you can
enhance your experience on the treadmill with "mood
music", television, or by positioning your treadmill
near a window. Virtual programs are being developed
today that will allow treadmill users to enjoy
the same benefits as outdoor runners.
Treadmills do vary in style, functions, and price. Often it
is the operating functions that increase the price, as well
as the amount of hours the treadmill can be used. The more
powerful the motor and higher the quality of running belt,
the higher the cost. The treadmill functions will consist
of settings that will allow you to adjust the speed and
incline of the treadmill. Some inclines range as much
as 25%.
The electronic feedback given such as speed, time, calories
etc., also varies, as does the way in which you can adjust
the programs - the less sophisticated models are usually
adjusted by hand using buttons and the more sophisticated
adjusted automatically via a heart rate monitor that works
to keep you within the recommended heart rate range.
Manufacturers have made it easier to buy a treadmill. Price
range still varies by the number of options. No longer can
bad weather or the small inconveniences hold you back from
a good run.
About the Author
Health and fitness coach, Angela Horsdent, operates
F Treadmills,
a website crammed full of information about exercise
equipment. Visit Angela's site at http://www.ftreadmills.com
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