LYCOPENE FIGHTS CANCER!

Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant that may reduce your risk of breast cancer and heart disease. You'll find lycopene in bright red fruits and vegetables. And if you add olive oil when cooking some tomatoes for pasta sauce, you'll enhance the power of lycopene to neutralize free radicals, thus preventing oxidative damage to your cells. Healthy cells have the most resistance to cancer. (Pam Stephan, About Cancer, 2/9/11)

CONSISTENT EXERCISE LOWERS RISK OF DYING FROM COLON CANCER

According to a new study led by researchers at the Siteman Cancer Center at Washington University School of Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis physical activity can make the disease less deadly.

“People who were consistently active over the course of their adulthood had a lower risk of death from colon cancer than those who were sedentary,” says first author Kathleen Y. Wolin, ScD. “People often wonder around the start of a new year whether exercise really will help them stay healthy or whether it’s already too late. It’s never too late to start exercising, but it’s also never too early to start being active. That’s the message we hope people will take away from this study.”

Wolin

Wolin, assistant professor of surgery in the Division of Public Health Sciences, says the benefits of starting an exercise program include not just preventing colon cancer and death from the disease, but also reduced risk of heart disease, diabetes and other cancers.

She says the greatest benefits seem to accrue in those who have exercised for the largest percentage of their lives. But it isn’t necessary to run marathons or to work out for many hours every day.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

It's 2011! I just walked 3 miles back and forth to the Rose Bowl Parade. What a beautiful display of creativity and commitment. From the 9/11 commemorative float to the Budweiser Clydesdale Horses, we have a lot to celebrate in the new year.

Now is the time to make your realistic and lofty goals and plans for the year ahead. Make sure it includes exercise, proper nutrition, enough sleep, and brain games to keep you healthy. A little bit each day goes a long way to insuring your health. Stay committed and practice 'moderation --- you will see the results.

Thanks to all my wonderful clients and colleagues for their continued support. Wishing everyone a year of health and fortune (however you define it!).

Cheers!

Deborah

Happy Holidays!

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Exercise and Type 2 Diabetes--Important info

Updated position statement on exercise and type 2 diabetes.

A joint position statement from the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Diabetes Association states that high-quality studies confirm that physical activity “plays a major role” in the prevention and management of type 2 diabetes, and that exercise needs to be performed regularly to have a continued benefit.

(SOURCE: Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 42(12):2282-2303 (December 2010))

Good News about Alzheimer's

Diet. Scientists have found coffee,fatty fish, and dark chocolate contain chemicals that prevent protein buildup associated with Alzheimer's disease.
2.		Exercise. Older men who do moderate to heavy daily exercise have 40% less chance of developing dementia or Alzheimer's disease.
3.	Yoga. Some findings show that holding yoga poses prevents the formation of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which signals the onset of Alzheimer's disease. (Jewish Home for the Aging Report, 10/20/10)

EXERCISE IS FREE MEDICINE

"Exercise is like free medicine," says Robert Leahy, PhD, director of the American Institute for Cognitive Therapy and author of Beat the Blues Before They Beat You. "Medication may work more rapidly to lessen the symptoms of depression or stressed feelings, but the effects of regular exercise are longer lasting."

 "More than anything, what we've realized is that the biochemical changes that occur to make us resilient to stress are cumulative," she says. "The more consistent you are with your workouts, the more you are rewarded with stress-fighting power." (Fitness, 10/10)