Social science has been exploring how our perception and vision affects our approach to exercise. The results of their experiments are fascinating! There are a few things that predict how we "see" exercise as easy or hard. One is our own fitness. Fit people tend to "see" exercise as easier. Another is motivation. People who are highly motivated "see" exercise as easier. But the most fascinating part is what they found about how people "see" the world around them and the effect on how they "see" exercise. As it turns out, people who are focussed and not attending to everything in their line of vision "see" exercise as easier. That's great news! It suggests there may be ways for us to adjust our perception of exercise and "see" how easy it is to stay fit and finish strong.
Wednesday, 31 December 2014
Kale Loses Its Crown
Kale has been dubbed the superfood of the year in 2014. People are eating it up like crazy. And it's great for you! But, as it turns out, it only ranks 15th on the list of good-for-you foods in terms of nutrient density.
Salad is a good bet any day - especially if you include the "top ten" in your salad mix.
Read about it here.
Salad is a good bet any day - especially if you include the "top ten" in your salad mix.
Read about it here.
Monday, 22 December 2014
Never Leave the Playground
Stephen Jepson is 77 years old and plays all day as if he were 7. He supports play and movement at all ages to improve your life. He wants all of us to have better balance - to avoid falls. And he believes his approach builds brain cells and memory. He is a marvelous inventor of toys and activities and an inspiration for us all.
Stay active. Never leave the playground.
Hole in One at 103
Gus Andreone recently became the oldest PGA member to score a hole in one. It's only been 75 years since he last scored one!
Gus golfs three times a week at a par 90. His personal formula for longevity is not complex. “It’s all about just being yourself, keeping your old regular pace,” he says. ”You just have habits you do every day. You don’t live outside of what you do every day.”
“I take a spoon of honey every morning in my coffee. Every morning,” says Andreone. “Before I get out of bed, I do a certain set of exercises that help my knees, back and hips. It works for me.”
Gus is more evidence that we just have to KEEP MOVING!
Gus golfs three times a week at a par 90. His personal formula for longevity is not complex. “It’s all about just being yourself, keeping your old regular pace,” he says. ”You just have habits you do every day. You don’t live outside of what you do every day.”
“I take a spoon of honey every morning in my coffee. Every morning,” says Andreone. “Before I get out of bed, I do a certain set of exercises that help my knees, back and hips. It works for me.”
Gus is more evidence that we just have to KEEP MOVING!
Saturday, 20 December 2014
How to Live to be 100
As it turns out, our bodies have a capacity of about 90 years. But our average life expectancy is 78. Dan Buettner explored "blue zones" - places with a high rate of longevity - to try to figure out how to live long. Here's what he found:
Move naturally. Don't exercise. MOVE. Build systems into your life that make you move. Walk. Garden. Take the stairs. Just move.
Have the right outlook. Take time to downshift. Have a purpose. I like the Okinawan concept of "ikigai" - the reason you wake up in the morning.
Eat wisely. Don't diet. People in blue zones drink a bit of wine every day. They eat a mainly plant based diet - some meat, but not much. And they limit their portions.
Connect. Social connections are likely the most important aspect of longevity. People need to belong. Family is important, but, more than that, so is your "tribe" - the people you surround yourself with on a daily basis.
Watch the video. It's interesting!
Move naturally. Don't exercise. MOVE. Build systems into your life that make you move. Walk. Garden. Take the stairs. Just move.
Have the right outlook. Take time to downshift. Have a purpose. I like the Okinawan concept of "ikigai" - the reason you wake up in the morning.
Eat wisely. Don't diet. People in blue zones drink a bit of wine every day. They eat a mainly plant based diet - some meat, but not much. And they limit their portions.
Connect. Social connections are likely the most important aspect of longevity. People need to belong. Family is important, but, more than that, so is your "tribe" - the people you surround yourself with on a daily basis.
Watch the video. It's interesting!
Dealing with a Tight Psoas
I have heavy calcification in one of my heels. It's there because I have always had foot issues, not the least of which is a Haglund's Deformity. Stiff feet, years of soccer, and that little bit of extra bone means that my achilles is now pretty thickened, stiff and sore much of the time. So I went to a physiatrist to get it sorted out. I'm way too young to stop moving! She prescribed custom orthotics to limit the movement in the foot and the amount of friction from the Haglund's Deformity on the achilles tendon.
The orthotics feel GREAT on my feet, but they've created a new issue. As my body adjusts to the support on my feet, my psoas muscle is tight, tight, tight. So I thought this article was quite timely.
Releasing Tension in the Psoas
The orthotics feel GREAT on my feet, but they've created a new issue. As my body adjusts to the support on my feet, my psoas muscle is tight, tight, tight. So I thought this article was quite timely.
Releasing Tension in the Psoas
Guinness Book of Records at 91
Margaret Hagerty is amazing. She's 91 and has run 81 marathons - the most recent is the NYC Marathon. Margaret holds the Guinness Book Record for being the oldest person to run a marathon on 7 continents. Amazing! But what makes this an even better story is that she didn't start running until she was in her sixties. She went to a stop smoking clinic at 64 and has not looked back.
Read about her here.
Read about her here.
Friday, 5 December 2014
Detox? Don't Waste Your Money!
Everywhere I look I see boxes that can "detox" me. Many of my friends spend days and weeks on "detox" diets. Everyone is trying to be healthier.
But, as it turns out, our bodies are tuned perfectly to detoxify themselves. If they weren't, we'd be dead.
I loved this article in The Guardian about how we're being fooled by marketers to spend our money when what we should really be doing is eating well and exercising.
Have a read!
You can’t detox your body. It’s a myth. So how do you get healthy?
But, as it turns out, our bodies are tuned perfectly to detoxify themselves. If they weren't, we'd be dead.
I loved this article in The Guardian about how we're being fooled by marketers to spend our money when what we should really be doing is eating well and exercising.
Have a read!
You can’t detox your body. It’s a myth. So how do you get healthy?
Wednesday, 3 December 2014
Running Makes You a Better Walker
I like walking. It's easy on my feet and gets me outdoors. Check backward on this blog and you'll see lots of support for walking as a way of life. Or at least as an essential component of it.
But runners are better walkers. Turns out that walking into old age isn't so great at holding off your ability to move with ease and agility. Running is.
This is a great article that outlines the research that was done into both running and walking in your mid 60''s and beyond. Runners have a similar "fitness" to sedentary college students!
Looks like I need to pick up my pace.
Read: Run to Stay Young
But runners are better walkers. Turns out that walking into old age isn't so great at holding off your ability to move with ease and agility. Running is.
This is a great article that outlines the research that was done into both running and walking in your mid 60''s and beyond. Runners have a similar "fitness" to sedentary college students!
Looks like I need to pick up my pace.
Read: Run to Stay Young
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