Adding Extra Years To Your Life

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Here is another interesting article that was written on MSN Health talking about how to add 22 years extra to your life. I find this research to very intriguing. Here are a few:

Never forget that your buddies have your back—even when it’s hunched over from osteoporosis. +7 years

In a study of seventysomethings, Australian researchers found that those with the largest network of friends had the longest lease on life. For the average guy, this could add up to seven additional years of existence. Yes, some buddies may encourage risky behavior from time to time, but friendship ultimately provides more protection than peril.

Repeat after us: “There is life after retirement.” +7 ½ years

Or at least that’s what you’d better believe if you want to live that long. In a Yale University study of older adults, people with a positive outlook on the aging process lived more than seven years longer than those who felt doomed to deteriorating mental and physical health.

Next time you’re asked, “Soup or salad?” order the salad. +2 years

Italian researchers found that eating as little as 1 cup of raw vegetables daily can add two years to your life. Why raw? Cooking can deplete up to 30 percent of the antioxidants in vegetables. To eat your quota, fill a plastic sandwich bag with chopped red and green peppers, broccoli and carrots. Toss the bag into your briefcase, along with a packet of dressing—the fat will boost your body’s absorption of certain nutrients.

To read more go to MSN Health

Food Of The Month: Pumpkins

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Yes. It is the season again where we start to see our favorite orange food; the pumpkin. These wonderful fruits are a favorite this time of year. Pumpkins pack many health benefits that go unnoticed. Pumpkins are a great source of fiber, vitamins C,E, and A, and potassium.

Can Help Treat Depression
They contain L-tryptophan, which has been effective in treating depression.

Osteoporosis Prevention
Because they are high in zinc, pumpkin seeds are a natural protector against osteoporosis. Low intake of zinc is linked to higher rates of osteoporosis.

Natural Anti-Inflammatory
Pumpkin seeds effectively reduce inflammation without the side effects of anti-inflammatory drugs.

Prevention of Kidney Stones
Research shows that pumpkins prevent calcium oxalate kidney stone formation.

Treatment of Parasites
They are used in many cultures as a natural treatment for tapeworms and other parasites. Studies also show them to be effective against acute schistosomiasis, a parasite contracted from snails.

Great Source of Magnesium
1/2 cup of pumpkin seeds contains over 90% of your daily value of magnesium.

Lower Cholesterol
Pumpkin seeds contain phytosterols, compounds that that have been shown to reduce levels of LDL cholesterol.

Cancer Prevention
The same phytosterols that lower cholesterol also protect against many cancers.

Yoga To Keep Colds At Bay

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Yoga is such an amazing way to exercise your body, rejuvenate you soul, and nourish your spirit. It also can assist you even when you are feeling under the weather. All these wonderful poses from YogaJournal.com can help you when you get sick.

1. Head Wrap
Before you begin, wrap your forehead to relieve tension in the head. Take a wide ace bandage (about 4 inches) and wrap it snugly around the head, tucking the free end in. You can also wrap it over the eyes, taking care not to wrap the eyes too tightly. The bandage will comfort your congested sinuses while you do the poses that follow.

2. Standing Forward Bend (Uttanasana)
Brings energy to the head and respiratory area; helps clear the sinuses.

Stand with your feet hip-width apart and rest your forearms on a chair seat. You can also place a blanket on the chair seat for extra padding. Hold two to five minutes.

3. Supported Bridge Pose (Salamba Setu Bandhasana)
Opens up the chest and increases circulation to the upper torso.

Align two bolsters or two to four blankets on the floor running the entire length of your body (the height of the support can vary from 6 to 12 inches). Sit on the middle of the support and lie back. Slide towards your head until your shoulders lightly touch the floor. Open your arms out to the sides, palms turned up. Rest with your legs stretched out on the bolster or with your knees bent and your feet on the floor. Relax for a minimum of five minutes.

4. Legs Up the Wall Pose (Viparita Karani)
Brings energy to the groin and opens the chest area to facilitate breathing.

With the back of the pelvis on a bolster placed 4 to 6 inches from the wall, swing the legs up the wall. Drop your sitting bones into the space between the blanket and the wall and open your arms out to the sides. If your hamstrings feel tight, try turning the legs slightly in, or move the bolster further away from the wall. Hold for a minimum of five minutes.

5. Supported Bound Angle Pose (Salamba Baddha Konasana)
Opens the chest, abdomen, and groins; relaxes the nervous system.

Sit on the floor, knees bent towards the chest. Bring the soles of your feet together and let your knees open towards the floor. Support the outer thighs with folded blankets at a comfortable height. You can also place sandbags on each inner thigh to deepen relaxation. Release the arms out to the sides and let go of any tension. Relax in the pose for a minimum of five minutes.

To read more go to YogaJournal.Com

A Walk A Day Keeps The Doctors Away

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We have all heard the time old saying, ” An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Well, what about walking? Walking has a huge benefit on your health.

Managing your weight. Combined with healthy eating, physical activity like walking is key to any plan for long-lasting weight control. Keeping your weight within healthy limits can lower your risks of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, cancer, sleep apnea, and osteoarthritis.

Decreasing your risk of heart attack. Exercise such as brisk walking for three hours a week — or just half an hour a day — is associated with a 30% to 40% lower risk of heart disease in women. (Based on the 20-year Nurses’ Health Study of 72,000 female nurses.)

Sleep better. Walking can improve sleep, increase energy, and improve the overall quality of your life. Research shows that walking in the morning can help set the bodies internal sleep rhythm.

Better support for you immune system. Research has shown that a brisk walk for 30 minutes a day for at least 5 days can dramatically decrease your chances of getting sick. Exercise gets the body circulating blood through the body, which also moves antibodies through the body faster than normal.

Let’s De-Stress

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We all want a little de-stress in our live. Dr. Maoshing Ni from Yahoo Health gives some great suggestions on doing just that.

1. Cut the Caffeine: Caffeine stimulates the adrenaline release. Give up the cup of coffee and opt for the therapeutic benefits of caffeine-free herbal teas.

Or you can cut down on your caffeine intake by substituting green tea for coffee, which usually has 1/3 of the caffeine of a cup of coffee, but with the benefits of the antioxidant polyphenols.

2. Meditation: A daily meditation program is can be your number one method to decompress at the end of a busy day and release tension.

3. Take a Breather: Exhale the stress away. Specific exercises can detoxify your body and revitalize your being. Try this exercise, adapted from Chinese qigong and make your goal to slow down, smooth out, and deepen each breath.

With every exhalation, utter the word calm in your mind and breathe out the tension from a part of your body, starting from the top of your head and working your way down through each part of your body until you get to your feet. Release the remaining tension through your toes and the bottoms of your feet.

4. Cleanse the Clutter: Have you ever heard the saying that what you own soon owns you? Not only do these unnecessary items consume much of your energy for cleaning and maintenance, they also add to the clutter, making you disorganized and increasing your stress level. Cut back and let go. A good rule of thumb is that anything you haven’t used in six months can be given away to charity.

5. Lighten Your Schedule: Cut back on the commitments in your calendar of events. If you are really scrambling for some free time, try writing in a day a week to just spend alone and relax…and stick to it!

6. Reframe Your Perspective: As you move through your day, pay attention to what causes you feelings of stress. Our response has much to do with how it will affect us; by reframing our perspective on stressful situations, we can often see that the danger is largely an illusion and maintain a calm frame of mind.

Source: Yahoo Health