Fitness & Nutrition

How can we maintain our independence, autonomy, and abilities as we age? In his book “The Aging Brain: Proven Steps to Prevent Dementia and Sharpen Your Mind,” psychiatrist and certified master psychopharmacologist Dr. Timothy R. Jennings writes about the health of our brains and recommends specific actions to protect them from deterioration in order to […]

Diets are everywhere, but could eating “negative calorie”-foods, such as celery and grapefruit, help to boost weight loss? A calorie is a unit of energy, usually expressed as kilocalories (kcal) for the energy content in food. The theory behind negative-calorie foods is that some foods have lower calorie (energy) content than the amount of energy […]

Low-carb diets might be popular now, but they could also be deadly over time, a long-term study shows. Esteemed British medical publication The Lancet Public Health released a study of the diets and health of a group of 15,400 Americans that spans 25 years, which showed that a more balanced diet might decrease one’s risk […]

It’s always been clear that water is essential to life. But science is still discovering new levels to this very deep relationship. By weight, an average adult human can be up to 60 percent water (children up to 75 percent). But if you consider our composition in terms of molecules, we’re practically all water—nearly 99 […]

You may think that because you’re older, having strong muscles doesn’t matter, but you’re wrong. Researchers at King’s College London have found that muscle fitness is closely related to brain aging. The researchers found that interventions like increasing walking can have a positive effect on the brain. The study looked at 324 healthy female twins […]

There seems to be a lot of confusion regarding the value of muscle stretching to accelerate recovery after exercise. “Stretching clears out your lactic acid,” and other similar claims abound. Is any of this true? Sort of. First, it is important to understand the difference between stretching for recovery and stretching for remodeling. Recovery During […]

Nutritionally speaking, there is no such thing as a superfood. The term was coined for marketing purposes to influence food trends and sell products. The food industry bestows the superfood label on nutrient-rich foods that are good for our health. Though many foods could be described as super, it’s important to understand that there is […]

Lupus, also known as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), is a complex autoimmune disease in which the body attacks itself, resulting in a wide range of often debilitating symptoms. Lupus is characterized by acute and chronic inflammation of various tissues throughout the body. One of the bright spots in the area of treatment is the number of […]

A healthy diet has been scientifically proven to provide numerous health benefits, such as reducing your risk of several chronic diseases and keeping your body healthy. However, making major changes to your diet can sometimes seem very overwhelming. Instead of making big changes, it may be better to start with a few smaller ones. This […]

When I finally gasp to a stop, the monitor shows that my heart rate has averaged 174 beats per minute for the last 40 minutes. I’m a family and emergency room doctor, so I know that is well above normal. There’s a small pond of sweat beneath the exercise bike. My head pounds from dehydration. […]

Adult obesity rates began to increase dramatically in Western society in the 1980s, due to an increase in the popularity and consumption of high-energy convenience foods. Alongside this, a new trend in dieting occurred, with many people trying new and often unsuccessful ways to restrict their food intake and lose weight. Unfortunately, depriving ourselves of […]

It’s a beautiful day. The sun is shining, you’re headed to the beach, and you don’t have to work all weekend. The world is your oyster and nothing could bring you down. And then, out of the blue, you win the lottery of negative emotions. Hopelessness clouds your sky like an unexpected torrential rain storm. Mood […]

We have been taught from the time we are children that outbursts of anger are unproductive and socially unacceptable. But if channelled properly, there is an upside to anger—and is most often evident in sport. The field of play has always been an acceptable outlet for healthy aggression and combat. We compete as athletes, weekend […]

When I was growing up, we usually thought of all bacteria as the bad guys; microscopic organisms that cause disease and symptoms and therefore should be avoided. Times have changed as experts have uncovered the worlds of beneficial and harmful (bad) bacteria, intestinal flora, and the impact they have on our overall health. Probiotics 101 […]

Yup, if there’s one number that many of us tend to fixate on, it’s how many pounds we weigh. This is especially true if you’re conscious about your size or trying to slim down. But the numbers on the scale aren’t the only ones that can affect your well-being. There are plenty of other stats […]

No one likes a tummy ache, nor the heartburn or indigestion that can accompany it. Beyond the discomfort and disruption to your lifestyle and routines, problems with your gut and digestion are a big deal for overall health. After all, you need a smooth functioning digestive system to optimally absorb your nutrients, fuel and detoxify your body, […]

Many of us may be considering “burning some fat” so we feel better in our bathing suits out on the beach or at the pool. What does that actually mean, though? The normal fat cell exists primarily to store energy. The body will expand the number of fat cells and the size of fat cells […]

Many of us have the intention of eating healthy, which is an important part of supporting good health. Yet, without knowing it, we could be secretly sabotaging our healthy diet. Even with small mistakes, it’s enough to keep you from achieving the results you desire. You think healthy eating would be easy since many companies […]

Imagine that you are running a company, but you cannot get to your goal because all of your good workers keep quitting. For 30 years, your response to this problem has been to criticize the workers and say they are stupid and weak for quitting. As a result, you never reach your goal. You don’t […]

Most of the carbohydrates in your diet are starches. Starches are long chains of glucose that are found in grains, potatoes and various foods. But not all of the starch you eat gets digested. Sometimes a small part of it passes through your digestive tract unchanged. In other words, it is resistant to digestion. This […]