Healthiest You Ever

Red wine, in moderation, can have quite the positive impact on your health. Studies have shown that red wine may inhibit the formation of fat cells and help prevent obesity by affecting the gene SIRT1. Red wine is also rich in antioxidants that can help raise HDL (“good”) cholesterol and protect against heart disease. Its antioxidants come in two forms—flavonoids and nonflavonoids. One of these nonflavonoids is resveratrol, which may help to protect against atherosclerosis and heart disease. It also activates SIRT1, a gene that helps the body process fat, improves overall aerobic activity, and may have a positive impact on longevity.

If you don’t drink wine, Concord grape juice provides similar nutrients. It is high in polyphenols, which have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that help to increase your metabolic rate. A Tufts University study found that Concord grape juice helps increase memory and improve cognitive and motor function as we age. Other studies have shown that the juice helps maintain immune function, and lowers total cholesterol and blood pressure. Remember to keep portions reasonable (4 ounces) to avoid going overboard on calories.

REPLACE RED WINE WITH A BLUEBERRY SMOOTHIE

A report published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry showed that the blueberry has 38 percent more antioxidants than red wine. One cup of blueberries reportedly provides three to five times the antioxidants found in five servings of carrots, broccoli, squash, and apples. What this means for your health is a lower risk of heart disease; vibrant, firm skin; and a boost in brain power.

“Ballet technique is arbitrary and very difficult. It never becomes easy; it becomes possible.”

Your body is always looking to find a state of equilibrium. As you age, this process that is controlled by the nervous system begins to slow down. This slowing down process is inevitable, but with training you can prolong the process and live life to the fullest whatever your age.

Practicing balance exercises challenges the nervous system and helps keep the mind-body connection sharp. It also helps to keep the mind and body sharp in the case that balance has to be regained.

Gymnastics, golf, and Tai Chi are all excellent examples of athletic activities that require static balance. Static balance is the type of balance that is most commonly thought of when you think of being able to hold your balance well. This type of balance is exactly what it sounds like—holding a position and not moving. Standing on one leg and holding the other knee up (stork stand) is a static balance exercise.

IT’S A GREAT WAY TO MINIMIZE INJURIES

Balance training is actually a great way to prevent injuries. Static balance exercises are a type of muscular endurance activity. What happens is that in order to hold a position (say on one leg for example), all of the muscles in your foot, knee, and hip are activating. They must activate in order to hold you steady. These muscles are usually the stabilizers that do the work.

Any time you train stabilizing muscles to work you also strengthen connective tissues and joints, and an increase in joint stability and strength equals decreased risk of injury.

Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant that is also extremely important for proper brain function and, as such, is found in much higher levels within the brain than other parts of the body. In addition to boosting the effectiveness of other antioxidants, vitamin C is an essential ingredient in the manufacture of several neurotransmitters such as dopamine and acetylcholine. In short, a daily dose of vitamin C can boost and maintain mental acuity. So important is vitamin C to proper brain function that it is being evaluated as a possible nutritional preventative for Alzheimer’s disease. Most fruits and vegetables are great sources of vitamin C. Foods particularly high in C include hot chili peppers (raw), cantaloupe, sweet peppers, dark green leafy vegetables, tomatoes, kiwi fruit, oranges, and mango.

Because vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin, your body excretes the excess that may be consumed. Very large doses, though, could cause kidney stones, nausea, and diarrhea. The effects of taking large amounts over extended periods of time are not yet known. You can safely take up to 2,000 milligrams per day (adult), but anything over 2,500 may affect blood or urine tests.

THE WHITE “GREEN” VEGETABLE

The saying “eat your green vegetables” should have the amendment—“and cauliflower.” This nutritional powerhouse is a cruciferous vegetable, in the same family as broccoli, cabbage, and kale. It has high levels of vitamin C and significant amounts of vitamin B₆, folate, and dietary fiber.

Spinning on a stationary bike is a proven way to reduce body fat and expend calories, but it is much more than that. Spinning also helps you to strengthen joints, lower raised cholesterol, and increase energy levels. In terms of calories burned, about 10 minutes of spinning burns about 115 calories. If you took a spinning class every day over a year for at least 10 minutes a day, it could lead to a 12-pound weight loss. Spinning offers opportunities to strengthen your large leg muscles and increase your workout intensity by adding resistance and speed. Plus, spinning classes will be led by an instructor who will vary the routine from slow to fast, spicing up the session with increased resistance or having you stand as you pedal. A spin class is a quality workout, usually lasting forty-five minutes to an hour.

Plus, training with a group is an excellent way to really enjoy your training. You will often get energy from the group that can make the difference between a poor session and a productive workout. Most cities of reasonable size will have health clubs that offer spinning classes.

If you train frequently with a group, you will learn from the more experienced spinners, and you will learn about new equipment, better nutrition, and different workouts that can add variety to your training. In the end, the top reward for training with others will be the friends you make.

GO FOR THE TOTAL BURN

Some spin classes use stationary bikes that use a flywheel that requires constant pedaling so you can’t coast. It’s a tough but very effective workout, and you can usually just jump into a spin session at the last minute as long as there is a free bike.

“When you do yoga, the deep breathing, the stretching, the movements that release muscle tension, the relaxed focus on being present in your body … the heartbeat slows, respiration decreases, blood pressure decreases. The body seizes this chance to turn on the healing mechanisms.”

Bikram Yoga is a challenging, hot, and aggressive yoga style developed by Bikram Choudhury. The practice consists of a prescribed sequence of twenty-six yoga postures designed to enhance the efficient functioning of every body system. The series is done utilizing the ujjayii breath. The yoga studio is heated up to 100 degrees to encourage sweating and the release of impurities.

Standing postures are done in the first part of the series. Backbends, forward bends, and twists complete the practice along with kapalabhati breath, the breath of fire. Each posture is usually performed twice and held for a certain length of time.

People who are already in good shape, with minimal chronic ailments or injuries, are good candidates for Bikram Yoga. It is a practice designed to encourage the cleansing of the body, the releasing of toxins, and maximum flexibility. Bikram Yoga has become increasingly mainstream so you’ll likely be able to find a yoga studio that offers classes for you to sample.

YOGA SHOULD NEVER BE PAINFUL

There is a difference between pain and feeling the intensity of an action. Don’t force or strain when performing the poses. Strive for a balance between ease and effort. You should feel better after yoga, although some soreness is normal. Soreness is healthy pain, while searing, persistent pain is unhealthy, indicating injury. Injury may require care from a health professional.

“Life is a train of moods like a string of beads; and as we pass through them they prove to be many-colored lenses, which paint the world their own hue, and each shows us only what lies in its own focus.”

Beading has increased in popularity in recent years and is considered by many to be not only a high art form but also a way to earn some extra bucks. Already, there are several magazines devoted to beading and columns about beading in others. Whether you want to create beaded jewelry or works of art, you’ll soon discover that time seems to fly as you discover beads in assorted styles, shapes, colors, and textures; decide on the optimum way to use them; and then create beautiful earrings, chokers, bracelets, pins, and necklaces. To find beads, visit a bead shop, department stores, and arts and crafts outlets. Have fun making your distinctive pieces as gifts for birthdays and other celebratory occasions, showing them in galleries, or selling them in stores or online.

When you learn a new skill, particularly one that involves complex planning and execution, it’s particularly good for your brain. If beading or making jewelry is not your cup of tea, choose something that will require new skills, dexterity, and complex thinking—and have fun!

SEARCH THE INTERNET TO FIND LOWER MATERIAL COSTS

Hobbies can be an expensive enterprise. But if you have time and persistence, you can often find items you need for your hobby at competitive prices on the Internet. Teaming up with others who share your interest in a particular hobby can sometimes help you get a better price because you can buy in bulk. Search for those good deals and share them with your friends and colleagues. Buy two for one when possible, such as bags of beads or findings, and look for other ways to reduce your cost of buying hobby materials.

If you’ve been feeling particularly stressed, exhausted, and out of whack, treat your body and soul to a Reiki session. Reiki (pronounced ray-key) is an energy healing technique based in ancient Tibetan practices. Practi-tioners of Reiki put their hands on or just above the body in order to balance energy by acting as a sort of conduit for life force energy. Reiki is used to treat physical problems as well as emotional and psychological problems, and it is, more positively, also used as a tool to support and facilitate positive changes. Becoming a Reiki practitioner is a complex process and also is somewhat mysterious. Advanced Reiki practitioners are even thought to be able to perform long-distance healing.

If you are interested in less mainstream types of massage therapy such as Reiki, but don’t know where to find a practioner, talk to friends, a natural health provider, a yoga teacher, or the employees at your local natural health food store for recommendations. Some areas have directories of natural health-care providers.