Oct 16

How Exercise Protects Your Brain’s Health

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Exercise that gets your heart pumping helps keep your body and brain in tip-top shape   You’ve taken to the heart recommendations to get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity a week to improve your physical fitness. Or … maybe you haven’t, but you’re looking for another reason to add more movement to your days. What you might not realize is that with every step you take, every mile you pedal or every lap you swim, you’re enhancing your cognitive fitness. Yes. That’s right. Moving your body can help your brain work better. (Does that blow your mind or what?!) “We know that physical exercise, and aerobic exercise in particular, is very beneficial for maintaining brain health, even in people who are at risk for developing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease,” says neuropsychologist Aaron Bonner-Jackson, PhD. “With regular exercise, you can make a major difference in terms of how your body is functioning and, as a result, how your brain is functioning.” We talked with Dr. Bonner-Jackson and physical therapist Christy Ross, PT, DPT, about how exercise boosts your brain health, and how much exercise you need.   The science of exercise and brain health In a recent […]
Oct 15

Genetics vs lifestyle: How healthy living can extend your lifespan

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Adopting a healthy lifestyle could counter the effects of life-shortening genes by more than 60 per cent, according to new research published in the British Medical Journal Evidence-Based Medicine. Researchers found four factors to make up the most favourable lifestyle combination — not smoking, regular physical activity, adequate nightly sleep, and a healthy diet. The team, including researchers from Zhejiang University School of Medicine, China, found that while genes and lifestyle together impact a person’s lifespan, an unhealthy lifestyle could heighten the risk of dying prematurely by 78 per cent, regardless of their genetic inclinations. However, “the genetic risk of a shorter lifespan or premature death might be offset by a favourable lifestyle by approximately 62 per cent”, the authors wrote. The researchers analysed the data of more than 3.5 lakh adults, recruited to the UK Biobank between 2006 and 2010, and whose health was tracked up until 2021. Each participant’s genetic predisposition to longer or shorter lifespan was arrived at using polygenic risk score (PRS). Lifestyle factors including diet and sleep habits were also studied. The authors found that starting a healthy lifestyle at the age of 40 years could enhance life expectancy by roughly 5.5 years in those […]
Oct 14

All about the 5×5 workout plan to boost your strength and muscle power

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There are weight loss exercises, and there are moves than can help you build strength. Try the 5×5 workout to build strength and stay in shape. Body strength not only makes workouts easy, but also helps with everyday movements. Whether you are getting up off the floor or carrying heavy groceries, you need muscle strength. There are many strength-building exercises that you can go for. If you are into fitness programs or plans, you can try the 5×5 workout. It means performing five sets of five reps while using heavy weights. This fitness program includes exercises like squats and deadlifts that can make you stronger and fitter. Individually, they are beneficial, but making them part of your fitness routine can be better. Learn how to follow the 5×5 workout program to build strength.   What is the 5×5 workout? The 5×5 workout is a type of strength training aimed at enhancing strength and building muscles with the help of compound exercises. These are exercises that work multiple muscle groups at the same time. “This program includes doing five sets of five repetitions of a compound exercise, which mainly includes bench press, barbell row, squats, deadlifts, and overhead presses along with […]
Oct 13

Meditation for all: A beginner’s guide to mindful living

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Meditation has rapidly gained traction in recent years, with many deciding to undertake the transformational journey; yet others fail to understand what meditation truly is. And while some may be eager to start their own journeys on to self-healing and self-discovery, they may be unaware of the correct way in which to do so. Sameera Afreen, meditations facilitator and communications specialist at Satori Meditations, explains, “Meditation, essentially, is a state of being where we are completely aware, present and non-judgmental. It is knowing how you feel in a certain moment without identification of the mind. In other words, it is being in a state of no mind.” If you are a beginner who is wondering whether meditation is for you, the good news is that meditation is for everyone, regardless of their age, socioeconomic background or vocation in life. Meditating regularly makes one more receptive and open, thus enhancing the way one experiences life. Additionally, it makes us conscious of our own biases, allowing us to be aware of our partialities when making decisions in our day-to-day lives. “Every individual is different — we are each raised in different ways, growing up in different environments and this affects our psyche, […]
Oct 12

Depression: 6 Tips for Eating Well When Cooking Feels Impossible

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If you’re feeling down, preparing a meal can feel like a major task. Experts share their best tips for making meal prep easier and choosing foods that will help lift your energy and mood.   For people with depression, fueling their body with high-quality nutrition can literally help change their life for the better, according to a slew of studies. Not surprisingly, research shows people who consistently eat healthy foods by, say, following the Mediterranean diet (which is centered on plant-based foods, olive oil, and heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids from fish) often have better mental health than people whose diet is centered on red meat and processed foods high in saturated fats, sodium, and added sugars. But nourishing your body when you have depression can be easier said than done, especially if your mood or energy is low to prepare even one meal, or if you don’t have an appetite at all. When you’re struggling with depression, it’s not uncommon to have no initiative to shop for food, prepare a meal, or clean up afterward, says Amy Gorin, a plant-based registered dietitian nutritionist in Stamford, Connecticut. “Some of the primary symptoms of depression — loss of motivation, poor concentration, difficulty […]
Oct 11

How to train your brain to truly enjoy exercise, according to science

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Yes, you can mold your mind to extract more pleasure from activity.   Truth: They woke up like this. Some people really are more inclined to find joy in exercise. But! You can rewire your brain to join that ‘love it’ group, research shows. When experts measured the electrical connectivity in the brains of people who are recreationally active, they found that those who perceive themselves as being highly tolerant of physical effort had greater levels of ‘remembered pleasure’ afterward, according to the new study by Florida International University. Meanwhile, those who said they were not as tolerant had a certain amount of ‘anticipatory dread,’ or negative feelings, before the work even started. The good news is that you can teach yourself to be more accepting, physically and mentally, of movement—which will help you feel excited about exercise in general and crave it more often. By trying some (or all!) of these tactics, you’ll likely notice benefits immediately, says study lead Marcelo Bigliassi, PhD. To extend the effect, keep efforts ongoing, so subtle changes compound over time. Onward!   1. Add appeal to the flavour of exercise you already like. Let’s say you don’t mind weight lifting but definitely don’t […]
Oct 10

Push, pull, legs workout: An exercise routine that targets muscle gain

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Looking for exercises to gain muscle and strength? Then follow the push, pull, legs workout routine that targets different muscle groups on separate days. Your strength training goals may include increasing your strength and gaining muscle. But doing the same exercise every day will get monotonous and make you hit a plateau. It will also not target all the muscle groups, so you will need to consider a more specialised workout routine. Push, pull, legs or PPL method is a training routine that divides workouts into three categories. Each muscle group gets trained separately, on a different day. One day you can focus on your chest, shoulders, and triceps. The next day you can perform exercises for your back, and biceps. Then the following day, you can work on your lower body, which includes the hamstrings, calves, glutes.   What is the push, pull, legs workout? Strength training is not all about building muscle and strength. It may help in prevention of type 2 diabetes, enhance cardiovascular health, promote bone development, and may be effective for reducing low back pain, as per research published in Current Sports Medicine Reports in 2012. Splitting your strength training routine by focusing on different […]
Oct 09

7 Tips for Clean Eating

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If you’re wondering what clean eating is, consider this your guide to eating more whole foods and less processed ones. Here are our best tips to help you start eating healthier—recipes included. You may be familiar with the concept of clean eating, but its precise definition might still be unclear. For us, clean eating involves prioritizing the consumption of the healthiest choices within each food category while minimizing intake of less nutritious options. This entails emphasizing whole foods such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean proteins and beneficial fats while reducing consumption of refined grains, additives, preservatives, unhealthy fats, excessive added sugars and salt. It also involves steering clear of heavily processed foods containing ingredients that may be challenging to pronounce without assistance from a laboratory technician. Some clean-eating plans call for eliminating many food groups—coffee, dairy, grains and more. We don’t believe in being that restrictive. Not only will you take away some of the enjoyment of eating, but there isn’t much science to back up any benefits. You need to find a clean-eating style that works for you. If you only take a few steps toward eating cleaner—cutting back on highly processed foods, for example, or eating more […]
Oct 08

6 Calming Self-Care Activities for People With Anxiety Disorders

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Exercising regularly, filling your plate with nutritious foods, and other strategies can not only ease your symptoms, but they can help your treatment work better, too. Alongside treatments like talk therapy and medication, lifestyle management strategies — including self-care — can help people with anxiety disorders feel better. Self-care is any activity that helps you keep up your mental and physical well-being. In general, a solid self-care routine can help you curb stress, lower your risk of illness, and boost your energy. For anxiety disorders in particular, self-care can actually help make your treatment more effective. “Self-care is crucial for individuals with anxiety disorders as it serves as a fundamental tool to manage and alleviate symptoms,” says Joel Frank, PsyD, a clinical psychologist in private practice in Los Angeles. Here are six expert-backed self-care activities that can help keep your anxiety symptoms at bay.   1. Exercise Regularly It’s well-known that exercise can do a lot of good for both physical and mental health — and anxiety is no exception. “Exercise and physical activity can be powerful tools for treating anxiety,” says Dr. Frank. Research backs this up. One study showed that regular exercise may help improve symptoms among people […]
Oct 07

Resistance Training Principles on How To Build Muscle With Cardio

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The natural bodybuilder, powerlifter, and fitness coach has 3 top tips.   You’ve probably been told by someone during your fitness journey that doing cardio will rob you of the hard-earned muscle that you’ve amassed by lifting heavy weights. But are those ‘experts’ right? Does building muscle mean that you can’t enjoy a weekly run or even warm up on the step machine on leg day? Fortunately, Jeff Nippard has broken it all down with three important tips that mean you can crush cardio and still pack on muscle so long as you follow his three principles to build muscle with cardio. When it comes to the long-held assumption that combining conditioning cardio work with resistance training kills muscle gains, “Probably not,” is Nippard’s frank answer in a recent Instagram post. And, as a competitive powerlifter, he should know. But why do so many people feel this way? “Early science said that, since weight lifting is anabolic, and cardio is catabolic, then cardio will burn your muscle away,” explains the Canadian coach. “But, since then, higher quality long-term research has shown that you can balance cardio with weight lifting as long as you do these three things.”   Perform Longer […]
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