Changing Your Reading Habits Can Transform Your Health

Do you read? I mean do you read books and if so do you read frequently, funny question I know but once you have taken the time to read the story by Michael Grothaus in FastCompany magazine below you will hopefully realize that you should  to do more reading for it might actually help to transform your health:

How Changing Your Reading Habits Can Transform Your Health
Reading doesn’t just improve your knowledge, it can help fight depression, make you more confident, empathetic, and a better decision maker.

My favorite book is War and Peace.
And I know what you’re thinking: “Oh, another writer wanting people to think he’s all intellectual and highbrow.”

But it really is my favorite book, only not because it has 1,500 pages of unforgettable characters or a generational plot that is more compelling than that of any other book I’ve read. It’s because right before I started reading it, my life was in a rut. I had recently been passed over for a promotion at Apple and I had just been rejected by a graduate school I applied to. This double whammy left me doubting myself, my abilities, and my future. So when I came across the massive tome that is War and Peace, I thought, “Why not? I’m not doing anything else.”
“People who read find it easier to make decisions, plan, and prioritize.”

Two months later, I finished the book and immediately knew I had a new “favorite.” But it wasn’t my new favorite book just because it was so compelling. It was my new favorite because it changed something in me. It’s almost impossible to explain why, but after reading it I felt more confident in myself, less uncertain about my future. I became more assertive with my bosses. I got back on the horse, so to speak, and applied to three more graduate schools. I attended three interviews and got accepted to all three schools (without mentioning War and Peace at all). As weird as it sounds, reading War and Peace put me back in control of my life—and that’s why it’s my favorite book.

But according to Dr Josie Billington, deputy director of the Centre for Research into Reading at the University of Liverpool, my experience wasn’t so odd. It’s actually the norm for people who read a lot—and one of the main benefits of reading that most people don’t know about.
“Reading for pleasure can help prevent conditions such as stress, depression, and dementia.”

“Reading can offer richer, broader, and more complex models of experience, which enable people to view their own lives from a refreshed perspective and with renewed understanding,” says Billington. This renewed understanding gives readers a greater ability to cope with difficult situations by expanding their “repertoires and sense of possible avenues of action or attitude.”…

Read more at this link

What You Should Know About Your Health At Every Age

I hope you don’t mind me asking: Do you worry too about your health? and what do you know about your health or how it differs as you age?

Well The Huffington Post is just now publishing a guide about that very question and below is an excerpt of the first part of that guide which looks this will be rather interesting and well worth your time:
Health complaints change over the decades. What worries us at 25 is very different from our concerns at 40. We asked the HuffPost Lifestyle Facebook community to tell us what they worried about most, and then conferred with experts.

Whether you’re barely 20 years old or pushing 65, health stewardship is a part of being an adult. Everyday decisions, repeated over a lifetime, can mean the difference between a long and active life and one confined to a couch or hospital bed.

While many people assume you can’t do anything about your genetic lot in life, that’s not true. Armed with better behavior and educated, preventative measures based on family history, you can be your most healthful self.

While there’s no precise figure for the impact that genetics plays on health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that from a population-wide perspective, less than 12 percent of health outcomes are genetic. The rest is a mixture of environment, behavior and access to quality health services.

Genetic knowledge is power

While you can’t change your genes, you can arm yourself with the specific knowledge that might help you. Use your next family gathering as a chance to learn more about your genetic risks — even if your family is generally healthy.

“It’s never too early to start with a good family health history,” said Dr. Charis Eng, a cancer geneticist at the Cleveland Clinic. Her advice? Touch base with whomever has the most comprehensive knowledge of your extended family’s health — it’s not necessarily your parents — then draw up a family health blueprint.

“Certainly with parents or first-degree relatives, parents, siblings, kids, you can start building: Have you ever been ill? How old were you when you were diagnosed?” Eng said.

You can also take stock of genetic red flags, or factors that might increase your chances of developing a disease or condition. “Age is very important,” Eng said. “If a disease typically starts in the rest of us at 60, and your mom is like, ‘No, I actually got it at 30,’ that’s a red flag.”…

Another red flag is a cluster of similar disease types. For example, if all of the women in your family died of breast cancer, you have a higher risk of developing the disease yourself.

Once you have the your family history in hand, bring it to your doctor and discuss any concerns you have with her. It’s also good idea to update your history periodically — a new Thanksgiving tradition, perhaps? — to ensure it remains up to date.

“As research goes on, we will see that the sooner one knows whether one is at risk for disease X or Y, the more effective either prevention or early detection will be,” Eng said.

Here’s a helpful tool to build your own family health blueprint….

Read on by clicking this link

The Health Benefits of Almonds

It is a well known fact that eating a variety of nuts is good for your health which is exactly why I have been eating a handful per day for quite a while now, not only is it good for you but it’s obviously better than any regular “snacks” you might have so go ahead and read the article below and hopefully you will go the “nuts” too

Almonds: Nutrition & Health Benefits

Almonds are the most popular nuts in the United States. A favorite of dieters, in recent years almonds have become famous for their versatility and health benefits.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Americans’ demand for almonds has increased 220 percent since 2005. In 2012, Americans ate an average of 2 lbs. (907 grams) of almonds each, while they ate half a pound (227 g) of walnuts, about a third of a pound (136 g) of pecans and 1.2 lbs. (544 g) of all other nuts, including hazelnuts, macadamias, pistachios, Brazil nuts and cashews.

There’s good reason for the love affair. “Almonds have been studied extensively for their benefits on heart health, diabetes, and weight management,” said Jenny Heap, a registered dietitian with the Almond Board of California. “The unique nutrient combination of almonds — plant-based protein, fiber and monounsaturated fats, plus key nutrients like vitamin E and magnesium — help make them a heart-healthy snack.”

Video About keyword Phrase

Technically speaking, though, almonds are not true nuts at all. The edible part that we call a nut is actually a seed, and almonds themselves are drupes, according to the University of California Riverside’s botany department. Sometimes called “stone fruits,” drupes are characterized by a tough rind surrounding a shell that holds a seed. Peaches and apricots, close cousins to the almond, are common examples of drupes. Like these relatives, almonds grow on beautiful, flowering trees and thrive in warm, dry climates…

Read on at this link: https://www.livescience.com/51627-almonds-nutrition.html

The 7 Best Drinks That Shrink Belly Fat

I’m on a real mission to lose 15 pounds within the next 2 months and that won’t be easy but I just came across another interesting set of tips that could help me and you to reach my goal so here goes::

7 Best Drinks That Shrink Belly Fat

“Doctor, why can’t I lose weight?”

Many of the patients I see in my practice ask the same thing: They have tried exercise, they have tried cutting calories—they’ve tried just about everything that Western medicine has to offer, and yet the weight just doesn’t come off.

But what most people — even most Western doctors — fail to understand is that weight loss doesn’t just come from balancing your calories. It comes from balancing your body, an essential aspect of Ayurveda, the centuries-old Indian medical practice that’s based around proper nutrition.

Ayurvedic medicine sees the body as a series of systems, called doshas; keeping these systems in balance through proper nutrition prevents inflammation, the source of most of our illnesses, including weight gain. To combat belly fat, I often prescribe for my patients one of these simple, delicious drinks made of traditional herbs, which help to soothe the digestive system and stimulate weight loss. Try one or more of these traditional healing drinks, and watch how quickly your own belly can go from nasty to Namaste.

Weight-Loss Drink #1: Mango Lassi

Because it: Reduces inflammation

Lassi is a popular drink from India and Pakistan, made from fermented yogurt. In Ayurvedic medicine, lassi “cools” the digestive system, aiding gut function. And from a modern medical perspective, lassi is a fermented food that contains many healthy bacteria, or probiotics, which decrease bloating and reduce inflammation—two key contributors to weight loss. While lassi can be made with any number of fruits, mango lassi is one of the easiest and most popular drinks in India…

Click here to read on

The Top Four Hormone Imbalances

Researchers Identify The Top Four Hormone Imbalances Causing You To Store More Trouble Spot Fat

Researchers working in the field of endocrinology have identified an alarming connection between hormone imbalance and the inability to lose problem fat areas (like lower belly fat, love handles, thigh and back fat).

An increasing number of women and men over the age of 35 from around the world have been experiencing the fat storing effects of hormone imbalance. What researchers found most interesting was that the hormone related fat deposits could not be eliminated by diet and exercise alone.

Subjects were placed on a hypo caloric (low calorie) diet and exercised 3 times per week. After 8 weeks, more than 50% of subjects were still unable to eliminate their trouble spot fat deposits. Researchers discovered that in each case where weight loss was unsuccessful, hormone imbalance was to blame.

The researchers then identified four hormonal imbalances that prevent your body from losing fat;

1. Inflammation

Chronic inflammation is now recognized as being the most common disease associated with fat gain and rapid aging. Researchers from Harvard University recently concluded that inflammation and the associated excess insulin are the number one contributors to the recent rise in type 2 diabetes and obesity in North America. A new 3 step process for reducing inflammation and balancing the hormones associated with fat gain is revealed in the article on the next page…

Read on by clicking this link

Detox your fridge

Have you started eating healthy and clean as yet, apparently it’s not so much about dieting but rather about cleaning up your fridge and eating “clean” foods as is explained in the article below:

Don’t diet, detox your fridge

It’s hard to ignore at the moment, across social media, in magazines and bestselling books – step forward “eating clean”, brought to you in a thousand Instagram and Pinterest images by a tribe of glamorous young women, notably Ella Woodward, Amelia Freer and the Hemsley sisters. “Clean” foodies have a passion for all things kale and courgetti, “spiralising” veg into noodles, blasting fruit into smoothies, all served simply with a scattering of pomegranate seeds and hazelnuts, preferably blitzed – chia seeds optional.

“It’s about eating healthily, not counting calories,” says nutritional therapist Amelia Freer, author of bestseller Eat Nourish Glow. Her philosophy is: take control of your health and, above all, keep foods as close to their natural state as possible. No deprivation and dieting, we should think about food as “something that can nourish and protect”, she says. Which some may say amounts to pretty much the same thing as the usual rules: no pasta, no sugar, no fat. Freer disagrees, however, and believes that our bad habits can be replaced with something that tastes as good and makes you feel better. So if pizza is a weakness, switch it for this homemade version, with a cauliflower base, herby pesto and roasted veg topping.

The cornerstone of Freer’s approach is to detox your kitchen. If the foundations are good, she says, it’s easier to eat more healthily. It’s all about starting out with the right equipment and ingredients close at hand. We meet in my kitchen for a consultation, and Freer is quick to suggest a new tool which could transform my cooking habits. I should switch the pasta maker for a spiraliser, she says, which can be used to make courgetti – thinly sliced courgettes used in place of spaghetti. Freer suggests sauteeing the courgetti in a little olive oil and garlic, then stirring in some pureed avocado, chilli flakes and a little fresh crab meat…

Read more by clicking here

Sugar intake should be halved

Are you one of those using to much sugar? several years ago I seriously reduced my sugar consumption after reading about white sugar being a genuine poison, meanwhile in England the government has been advised to develop a program targeting a reduction of 50% of the current sugar consumption:

Scientific experts: Sugar intake ‘should be halved’

A committee of scientists has advised the government to halve the current recommended daily intake of sugar.

Nutrition experts say no more than 5% of daily calories should come from added sugar – about seven teaspoons.

Most people consume at least twice this limit.

The government has said it will accept the recommendations and will use them to develop its national strategy on childhood obesity, which is due out later this year.

The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN), which advises Public Health England and other government agencies on nutrition, wants the recommended daily intake of sugar to be halved to reduce obesity risk and improve dental health.

Prof Ian Macdonald, chair of the working group of the committee, said: “The evidence is stark – too much sugar is harmful to health and we all need to cut back.

“The clear and consistent link between a high-sugar diet and conditions like obesity and type 2 diabetes is the wake-up call we need to rethink our diet.

“Cut down on sugars, increase fibre and we’ll all have a better chance of living longer, healthier lives.”

Free sugars

The guidelines, which apply from the age of two, are in line with new World Health Organization proposals.

Prof Judith Buttriss of the British Nutrition Foundation said the type of sugar targeted was known as free sugar – all the different types of sugar in the diet, excluding the sugars that are found naturally in fruit and milk..

Click here to read on

Check Out These Quick Tips to Boost Metabolism

My personal metabolism could definitely be better and so I was interested to read this article and will certainly be trying out the various tips featured here:

Quick Tips to Boost Metabolism

A sluggish metabolism can thwart even the best attempts at weight loss. Find out how to increase metabolism to burn calories and slim down
Sometimes life just doesn’t seem fair. Your best friend feasts on whatever she wants and never gains a pound, while you suffer through carrots and celery and still can’t lose an ounce. Could your metabolism be to blame? It’s possible. Although genetics play a role in how your metabolism runs, you do have some power to increase metabolism and help burn calories more quickly.

Metabolism is a chemical process that converts your body’s fuel (calories) into energy. It’s involved in everything your body does, from breathing to moving and thinking. If your metabolism runs fast, it’s like a furnace quickly burning through fuel. If it runs slowly, it’s more like a smoldering fire using up your fuel supply gradually.

A slow metabolism is actually a very efficient one, says Michael Zemel, PhD, professor emeritus and former director of the Nutrition Institute at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. He explains that our ancestors were hunter-gatherers who often didn’t know when their next meal would come. Their bodies held onto calories as a matter of survival. And because only the fittest people lived to pass along their genes, modern humans probably evolved from those with slower metabolisms.

Fast forward to you: Here’s how to boost metabolism for better weight management.
Build Muscle to Boost Metabolism

Lean muscle burns more calories than fat, even when you’re at rest, says Dr. Zemel. So increasing your muscle mass will help increase metabolism and burn calories more quickly. This is especially important as you move into middle age, a time when metabolism naturally slows down and you risk a loss of muscle mass..

Read more:https://www.everydayhealth.com/hs/weight-management-guide/quick-tips-boost-metabolism/

Women who sit too much have increased risk of cancer

Well here’s some rather bad news for all those women working sitting down so read on:
Study reveals that women who sit too much have increased risk of cancer

A new study published in “Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers, and Prevention” reveals that women who sit too much during their leisure time have an increased risk of cancer.This is the latest study showing that the sitting disease, too much time on our rumps, negatively impacts our health.

“I think this is a really interesting result. There’s been a growing body of literature over the past couple of years that too much sitting carries risk above just lack of exercise. Only in the past few years have we seen studies address cancer specifically,” says Karen Basen-Engquist, director of the Center for Energy Balance and Cancer Prevention and Survivorship at MD Anderson Cancer Center, who was not involved in the study.

The prospective included 184,000 adults aged 50 to 70, who were enrolled in American Cancer Society Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort. Participants answered a questionnaire about how many hours they work, exercise, complete household activities, and sit for leisure, which is sitting to watch TV, reading, or playing with electronic gadgets. Then the researchers followed the 69,260 men for about 13 years and the 77,462 women for about 16 and compared their behaviors to their health.

For women, the news isn’t great. Those who sat more than six hours a day had a 10 percent greater risk of getting any cancer compared to ladies who sat for less than three hours. Those sitting for more than six hours daily had a 65 percent increased risk for multiple myeloma, a 10 percent increased risk for invasive breast cancer, and a 43 percent higher risk for ovarian cancer than their peers lounging for three hours or less…

Read more by clicking here

Can a wider use of statins save lives?

If you’re subject to potential heart health issues you might want to talk to your doctor about the findings of a new study that has just been published:

Wider use of statins could save thousands of lives, report says

New expert guidelines from two major cardiologists’ groups may boost doctors’ ability to spot patients who should take cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, researchers said.

The updated guidelines were released in 2013 by the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association. Now, a new report finds they are more accurate and efficient than earlier guidelines in identifying adults at high risk for heart trouble who could gain from statins.

All of that should add up to lives saved, the researchers said.

“Extrapolating our results to the approximately 10 million U.S. adults who would be newly eligible for statin therapy under the new guidelines, we estimate that between 41,000 and 63,000 cardiovascular events — heart attacks, strokes or deaths from cardiovascular disease — would be prevented over a 10-year period,” lead researcher Dr. Udo Hoffman, a cardiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, said in a hospital news release.

The new guidelines are also better at identifying low-risk patients who do not need to take the drugs, his team noted.

The findings are published July 15 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The 2013 guidelines replace a former advisory to doctors published in 2004. The new guidelines focus more specifically on the use of statins — drugs such as Crestor, Lipitor and Zocor — to prevent heart disease by lowering “bad” LDL cholesterol.

The updated criteria also broaden prevention efforts to focus on all forms of heart disease.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/wider-use-of-statins-could-save-thousands-of-lives-report-says/