Nutrition. Vitamins. You.
Photo by Bruce Mars on Unsplash In honor of National Women’s Health & Fitness Day, we bring you the benefits of specific nutrients for women’s health, including essential nutrients needed for fitness. It’s so important that women are getting the essential nutrients to make sure …
Photo by Bruno Nascimento on Unsplash If you’re like the majority of the world, weight loss is difficult. You’re making sure to take the right vitamins, eat the best foods and stick to a workout regimen. But how does fitness actually help to maintain your …
New research, published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, explores the link between two conditions, finding that for many who suffer from depression, exercise is the best treatment that keeps both the mind and the body healthy.
Depression is a disorder that affects around 6.7% of adults in the United States each year. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that more than 300 million people currently live with the disorder. This disorder is not a normal “up and down” of emotions; this illness greatly affects mood, body, behavior and the mind and commonly interferes with daily function.
‘Just 1 Hour of Exercise Per Week Prevents Depression’
Researchers from The Cooper Institute and University of North Texas set out to determine whether fitness measured in midlife would be inversely associated with later-life CVD (cardiovascular disease) mortality in those with depression.
Data collected from January 1971 through December 2009 of generally healthy men and women who presented for preventive medicine examinations at midlife and who were eligible for Medicare from 1999 to 2010 were analyzed. A total of 17,989 participants with a mean age of 50 years old were included. Those with a self-reported history of depression, myocardial infarction, or stroke at examination were excluded.
‘New Link Between Intestinal Bacteria and Depression’
The study’s findings showed that higher levels of fitness in midlife were associated with a 16% lower risk of depression. Also, after a diagnosis of depression, higher levels of fitness were associated with a 56% lower risk of cardiovascular mortality.
According to researchers, these findings suggest the importance of midlife fitness in primary prevention of depression and subsequent CVD mortality in older age and should encourage fitness and physical activity for healthy aging.
Turmeric (aka Curcumin) is the brownish herb in curry that has so many benefits. Turmeric is a powerful antioxidant herb useful for inflammation and tenderness, but Turmeric is difficult to absorb. Bio-Curcumin is a vastly more absorbable version of Turmeric with up to 8 times greater bioavailability. Human clinical trials show that Bio-Curcumin lasts much longer in our body, giving a more sustained benefit.†
A number of studies show that BioCurcumin may help adults with depression. In a new study, 123 patients with major depressive disorder were treated with BioCurcumin, or placebo, or BioCurcumin with saffron; saffron supplies powerful antioxidants. Biocurcumin significantly improved symptoms of this condition and anxiety compared to placebo at doses of 250mg or 500mg a day with food. Adding saffron gave no additional benefit. The study is published in the Journal of Affective Disorders.†
Being physically fit is known to contribute to a host of healthy benefits, including staving off metabolic diseases and protecting against heart disease. Now, a new study says that being physically fit can highly decrease a women’s risk of dementia. What is Dementia? According to …
It’s true – having a “fitness buddy” has a positive impact on your health! According to a new Dutch study, scientists report that more than 90% of people who start an exercise program with a fitness buddy continue to work out after a year. If …
If you’re like many others, you’ve made a New Year’s Resolution to get your health back on track. Whether your goal is to lose weight, eat healthy or just to remember to take your vitamins daily, here’s what you need to know in order to turn your resolution into an achievement.
If you’ve made a resolution to lose thirty pounds, that’s great! If you’ve only given yourself one month to do so, that’s setting yourself up for disappointment. Think bigger than losing a certain amount of weight. If you take smaller steps to increase your energy or to get better sleep, you are setting yourself up for success. What you were doing before – sleeping in, following a bad diet, not regularly exercising – did not work. Switch it up!
When you go into the new year with a goal to eat healthy, remember that the “all or nothing” mentality will be very hard to follow. It’s common that you categorize different foods into an “always eat” or “never eat” group. But remember that one unhealthy meal won’t hurt you as much as continuous unhealthy choices will. Choosing healthier options the majority of the time, while allowing yourself to have occasional “cheat foods”, is more sustainable than being too strict on your diet too fast!
Need some new breakfast ideas? Click here for the Breakfast of Champions!
If you know once you sit down after work you’ll never get up to head to the gym or if you wake up too late to pack your lunch that you’ll have to buy fast food, you’re setting yourself up to fail before you’ve even tried. Planning ahead makes all of the difference when it comes to health and fitness goals. If you’re too tired after work, try working out in the morning. Packing your lunch will not only save you money, but allow you to stay on track if you’re counting calories or just trying to incorporate specific food groups into your diet.
We’ve heard it before; we all have that one friend who decided to become a vegetarian and dropped 10 pounds or the friend who started eating high portions of meat protein and gained muscle. Cutting out so much of something that you’re used to can make this goals sustainability more than difficult. Moderation is key! If you want to try to limit your intake of meat, try Meatless Monday. If you’re looking for muscle gains, try a delicious whey protein shake on Fitness Friday.
Could your diet restrictions be creating a nutritional gap? Find out by clicking here!
If you’re not sure what to include or remove from your diet, there are resources available! Speak with a nutritionist or naturopathic doctor for information on what you should be incorporating into your diet, including specific supplements and vitamins that may help support your health and fitness goals.
Stepping on the scale each week to measure your weight loss results is great. But remember that your healthy habits lend to more than just dropping pounds. You should take factors like body weight, waist size, sleeping patterns and energy levels into account too! Start a healthy lifestyle journal and log how you feel each day. You can include a food journal, log your energy level from 1 (low energy) to 5 (high energy) and note your weight each day or week.
Kiss those resolutions goodbye and say hello to the health and fitness achievements you’ve been looking for by following these simple, yet effective steps.