You’re Not Losing Your Mind, You’re Just Stressed Out!
You’re Not Losing Your Mind, You’re Just Stressed Out! |
- You’re Not Losing Your Mind, You’re Just Stressed Out!
- Should You Do a Juice Cleanse?
- Is Stretching Before a Workout Bad for You?
- Is Our Diet Depleting the Planet?
| You’re Not Losing Your Mind, You’re Just Stressed Out! Posted: 14 Mar 2012 08:55 PM PDT
Since this is Brain Awareness Week, ThirdAge decided to have a look at recent research about the aging brain. We ran across riffs on all the usual advice including diet, exercise, crossword puzzles, "neuroplasticity," and the differences between the gray matter of men and women -- but one finding riveted our attention. If you've been having what seem to be "senior moments" lately, getting older may not be the main culprit after all. Instead, the perpetrator could be constant stress. Write your relationship success story. Find 50+ Singles on BetterDate.com. Join Today! A study, done at the State University of New York at Buffalo by Zhen Yan, Ph.D., and colleagues and published in the journal "Neuron," showed that when your stress hormone cortisol spikes and then remains high, your prefrontal cortex is disturbed to the point that memory problems can occur. Also, neuropsychologist Paul Nussbaum Ph.D., author most recently of "Save Your Brain: The 5 Things You Must Do to Keep Your Mind Young and Sharp," talked during an American Society on Aging webinar about how a prolonged version of the "fight or flight syndrome" can cause the hippocampus, your brain's memory center, to shut down. Notice that in both of those examples, the emphasis is on chronic as opposed to acute stress. In other words, if you slam on the brakes to avoid a fender bender, your sweaty palms and thudding heart will return to normal shortly and you won't experience memory loss. In fact, your recollection of the frightening situation may even be enhanced by all those rushing hormones. However, if you had actually ended up hitting the car ahead of you, you might have had to deal for weeks or months with whiplash, insurance, car repairs, and flashbacks in addition to all the normal concerns and anxieties of your life. That level of stress over that length of time is what wreaks havoc with your ability to retain information and call up what you've already stored away. In fact, you don't even need something as dramatic as an auto accident to cause the kind of long-term stress that makes you forgetful. Simply a low level but ongoing concern about your finances in these perilous times, or continuing anxiety about an adult child who's having problems, or the daily work and worry that goes along with caregiving, can muddle your mind pretty effectively. So what's the solution? You can't magically get rid of the chronic stressors in your life, but what you can do is mitigate your reaction to them. Again, we won't reiterate what you've heard so often before about the importance of good nutrition and regular exercise, although we hope you won't ignore those ways to calm yourself. We also won't trot out the old take-a-bubble-bath tip or even the one about having a good laugh. They do work, of course, but we nosed around for some fresh and surprising stress beaters to add to your list: Write Down Your Worries Turn off the computer and pick up a pen and paper. Studies have shown that the act of cursive handwriting, all but lost in this digital age, is not only soothing but also helps exorcise your stress demons. Better yet, try to write with your non-dominant hand. The sheer novelty of this will challenge your neurons and help bring down your cortisol level. Don't Just Sit There, Do Something! The often-heard recommendation to sit calmly and mediate makes plenty of people more anxious than ever! If you fall into that category, forget the "Om" and get out of the house. Catch a movie with a friend, play Mahjong, take the grandchildren to the zoo, or anything else that keeps you from being alone with your thoughts. Don't Live in the Moment This sounds like heresy but you may have seen the Internet meme that went viral, saying "I shall live in the moment unless the moment is unpleasant, in which case I will have a cookie." Experts agree that there's truth in that witticism - not the part about the cookie, of course, but the part about escaping from a not-so-wonderful moment. The idea is to plan something fun to look forward to when you can possibly get away from whatever is draining your emotional reserves right now. Be realistic, though. Don't promise yourself a world cruise if that's going to be out of the question. Just decide that you'll go window shopping with your BFF and maybe buy a trinket or two, or that you'll treat yourself to dinner at that new restaurant in town. Have a Tantrum Blowing off steam instead of always being the good little girl who never makes a fuss is a genuine stress reliever. The current advice is not to "share," however, but to pick a time when you're alone. Then go ahead and yell about how angry or put upon you feel. Consider adding the old punch-a-pillow ploy for extra release. Practice Random Acts of Kindness You already know that reaching out to others is good for your state of mind, but you don't have to go so far as to sign up to serve at a soup kitchen or commit to anything else that will put one more obligation on your already crammed to-do list. Just make a point of being nice. Do simple little things such as hold the door for a woman with a stroller or comment on somebody's attractive new hairstyle or let the person with one item in his shopping cart go ahead of you at the grocery check-out counter. There! Don't you feel better already? Chances are your memory is on its way to being up to snuff again as well! 
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| Should You Do a Juice Cleanse? Posted: 14 Mar 2012 08:55 PM PDT
Cleanses are red-hot with celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow, Miranda Kerr, Blake Lively and Nicole Richie, but are they healthy? Three experts tell whether doing a cleanse is right for you. "Go for it. Cleanses come in many forms-some are just juices, others are restricted-eating plans that last a day or even several weeks. But the goal is the same: to help your body flush out toxins and jump-start weight loss. Some aren't helpful, because they are too low in calories or omit key nutrients. But a good cleanse, one that's organic and vitamin-rich, acts as a reset button to help transform unhealthy eating habits and infuses your body with nutrients. A lot of my clients who find cleanses appealing have been subsisting on sugar and caffeine-they're actually somewhat malnourished! They find that an organic-juice cleanse makes them feel sharper and more aware of bad habits that were sabotaging their health, like mindless eating. I know every time I do one, I get an energy boost." - Ashley Koff, R.D., Los Angeles dietitian and coauthor of Mom Energy: A Simple Plan to Live Fully Charged See more: 50 Things Men Are Afraid to Ask For (But Really Want!) "No. Liquid cleanses, or severely calorie-restricted detox diets, are based on quack science, and the only weight you lose is water weight. They can even do your body a lot of harm: Because many cleanses cause you to go to the bathroom more than usual, you may flush out important electrolytes that help your heart function and maintain fluid balance in your body. That's why some people experience muscle weakness and mental fogginess. Your colon isn't dirty, and juice cleanses wouldn't 'clean' it anyway, since they don't contain much fiber, which is what actually 'scrubs' the colon. Plus, the idea that your body is better able to digest liquids is nonsense. Your stomach is built to cope with solid food, and it doesn't need a break! If you really want to slim down, fill your plate with leafy green vegetables, fiber, whole grains and good fats in your everyday life." - Michael D. Gershon, M.D., professor of pathology and cell biology at Columbia University See more: Spring 2012's Most Wearable Fashion Trends "Do it, but be smart. I don't recommend cleanses that omit protein, good carbs or healthy fat. And watch out for ones that provide fewer than 1,000 calories a day. Skimping on nutrition can cause you to lose calorie-burning muscle, slow your metabolism, weaken your immune system and dull your skin and hair. Plus, it can lead to rebound binge eating. Do it right, though, and a cleanse has advantages. Many women do cleanses to drop pounds; while all of the weight loss may not last, it can be motivating. It's inspired some of my clients to make lifestyle changes that do lead to long-term success. I recommend a solid-food detox-it's more filling than liquid-only plans. Simply cut out processed foods and alcohol, and consider eliminating animal products and caffeine. A detox should feel like a tune-up, not a punishment." - Cynthia Sass, R.D., author of S.A.S.S. Yourself Slim: Conquer Cravings, Drop Pounds and Lose Inches 
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| Is Stretching Before a Workout Bad for You? Posted: 14 Mar 2012 08:55 PM PDT
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| Is Our Diet Depleting the Planet? Posted: 14 Mar 2012 08:49 PM PDT
Everyone has heard of Global Warming, but Global Depletion is much less known. As vast as Global Warming may seem, it is only a small piece in the growing puzzle of Global Depletion, which refers to the loss of all of Earth's renewable and non-renewable resources. One of the few books that captures the whole scope of Global Depletion, instead of focusing on issues that branch off from the real problem, is Comfortably Unaware, by Dr. Richard A. Oppenlander. This book reaches deep into the heart of the issue, where society seems to avoid looking. While unaware of the issue of Global Depletion, many of us are not even aware of the true cause of Global Warming, which has been given such publicity. While carbon dioxide is allocated the majority of the blame for climate change, Oppenlander reveals that "Our current food choices detrimentally affect climate change and global warming more so than do all the cars, planes, trucks, buses, and trains used worldwide." It is not our lights being left on or our fans running (although they contribute) that are destroying our planet; it is our eating habits. And it is not turning off the light or air conditioning that will save the Earth, it is the shift to a plant based diet. The animal industry simultaneously destroys our planet's air, water, diversity, soil, atmosphere, and our own health. Comfortably Unaware brings to light all of these terrifying truths that have been hidden and ignored. "Please understand: this book is not about animal rights, although this is a very noble concern." says Oppenlander. The book simply lays on the table the bare facts that everyone has a right to know about what is being done to the place we live without our knowledge. It is not fair that we have been denied this information and that we have been led to believe that the animal industry will make our planet and our bodies healthier. Nor is it fair to deny ourselves the opportunity to learn the truth in a time when it is being exposed to members of the public who are willing to look for it. "Fifty-five percent of our fresh water is being given to livestock… Over 70 percent of the grain in the United States is fed to livestock… It takes 10 to 20 gallons of water to produce one pound of vegetables, fruit, soybeans, or grain… over 5000 gallons of water to produce one pound of meat… over 30 percent of all usable total land mass on the earth is used by livestock." These are things that every person should be aware of, and has the right to be aware of. Believe it or not, the unfairness of the issue continues relentlessly. It is unfair to those less fortunate than ourselves if we do not take the opportunity we are given to learn about ways that we can help the planet and all of its people. "Six million children in the world will die from starvation this year…1.1 billion people in the world are considered malnourished or suffering from hunger." As a species, we can help these people through a method as ridiculously simple as eating a plant based diet. The land and resources used to produce meat, dairy and eggs could be used to grow a vastly larger amount of grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes that would not only feed more people, but improve the health of every one of them. "There is no room for a halfway approach. Heavy economic penalties should be imposed on all producers and consumers of animal products, as well as nations that continue the practice," warns Dr.Oppenlander. Take the chance to learn what everyone should have been taught a long time ago, to reveal the facts that have been distorted or completely twisted. Everyone deserves to know the truth about what is really going on in the world. Some may choose to ignore this right. But the more of us who take the truth upon ourselves as a responsibility, the sooner the precious Earth will begin healing. From Kahlil Gibran: "Faith is a knowledge within the heart, beyond the reach of proof." "The obvious is that which is never seen until someone expresses it simply." "When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight." Read More @ Source
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