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With summertime right around the corner, many people will begin the picnic season starting Memorial Day weekend. This means grills will be fired up and gatherings will be taking place with copious amounts of food being served. Many barbeques consist of the standard hot dogs and hamburgers, however the finger foods can really add to the daily caloric intake. One great option is to offer various types of fruit, instead of things like macaroni and potato salads. One of the great super foods to offer is pineapple. Pineapple has numerous health benefits as well as being great for the recovery … [Read more...] about Pineapple, What a great super food?

The formula for peak exercise heart rate that doctors have used for decades in tests to diagnose heart conditions may be flawed because it does not account for differences between men and women, according to research to be presented at the American College of Cardiology's 63rd Annual Scientific Session. The simple formula of "220 minus age" has been widely used to calculate the maximum number of heart beats per minute a person can achieve. Many people use it to derive their target heart rate during a workout. Doctors use it to determine how hard a patient should exercise during a … [Read more...] about Heart responds differently to exercise in men vs. women

Obesity, rather than diet, causes changes in the colon that may lead to colorectal cancer, according to a study in mice by the National Institutes of Health. The finding bolsters the recommendation that calorie control and frequent exercise are not only key to a healthy lifestyle, but a strategy to lower the risk for colon cancer, the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States. Paul Wade, Ph.D., and Thomas Eling, Ph.D., scientists at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of NIH, led a collaborative team that made the discovery. The study … [Read more...] about Obesity primes colon for cancer, according to study

Regular aerobic exercise seems to boost the size of the area of the brain (hippocampus) involved in verbal memory and learning among women whose intellectual capacity has been affected by age, indicates a small study published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. The hippocampus has become a focus of interest in dementia research because it is the area of the brain involved in verbal memory and learning, but it is very sensitive to the effects of aging and neurological damage. The researchers tested the impact of different types of exercise on the hippocampal volume of 86 women … [Read more...] about Regular aerobic exercise boosts memory area of brain in older women

Protein has so many numerous benefits for the mind and body and new research might suggest another benefit. It is one of the big scientific mysteries of Alzheimer’s disease: Why do some people whose brains accumulate the plaques and tangles so strongly associated with Alzheimer’s not develop the disease? Now, a series of studies by Harvard scientists suggests a possible answer, one that could lead to new treatments if confirmed by other research. The memory and thinking problems of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, which affect an estimated seven million Americans, may be related to a … [Read more...] about Protein May Hold the Key to Who Gets Alzheimer’s

Are you one of the many individuals that does not sleep throughout the night? If you are currently not exercising you might be missing the boat. In the article by Gretchen Reynolds, the new studies show that exercise can help you get a better night's rest. As a clinical psychologist and sleep researcher at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University, Kelly Glazer Baron frequently heard complaints from aggrieved patients about exercise. They would work out, they told her, sometimes to the point of exhaustion, but they would not sleep better that night. Dr. Baron was surprised and … [Read more...] about How Exercise Can Help Us Sleep Better

Many Americans have a significantly high sodium intake due to the fast foods, addition of salt when cooking, or sodium in various canned products.  In this article by Amanda Woerner she discusses what role herbs can play in reducing your sodium intake to a normal healthy level. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 90 percent of Americans over the age of 2 eat too much sodium, putting them at risk for high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke.  And lowering sodium intake can be a challenge – especially because so much of the American diet revolves around … [Read more...] about Need to reduce sodium intake? Herbs and spices may help

You look out the window and see the beauty of the snow as it glistens off the ground and evenly covers the trees. Shoveling snow is a great workout, but it can be dangerous if the task is not approached with care. Are There Any Health Benefits to Shoveling Snow? Like any activity that challenges the large muscle groups of the body in a rhythmic fashion, shoveling is a wonderful form of exercise that raises the heart rate and burns many calories. Shoveling snow is a fun and timely activity that can compliment any exercise program. It also provides variety and an opportunity to participate in … [Read more...] about Need a workout? Try snow shoveling