Quality Life Forum

Saturday, June 1, 2024

Sleep Well

We spend 1/3 of our life time in sleep. This is not a waste of time. Human bodies need sleep as much as we need to eat and drink. Sleep plays a vital role in our ability to maintain body system functions. Sleep deprivation or oversleeping can lead to higher risk of chronic health problems.

How much sleep do we need? While sleep requirements vary slightly from person to person, the national sleep foundation recommends the following -

Teenagers (14-17): Sleep range is 8-10 hours
Younger adults (18-25): Sleep range is 7-9 hours
Adults (26-64): Sleep range remains 7-9 hours
Older adults (65+): Sleep range is 7-8 hours

When you open your eyes in the morning, checking the time clock is the first thing, naturally. Do you also track how many hours you have slept? And check how do you feel? Are you fully re-charged from a quality good night sleep? With modern technology on smart phones, sleep tracking becomes easy. Time in bed and time of sleep is not the same; time in bed is part of lifestyle and time of sleep reflects the quality of sleep. However, it is important to keep time in bed routine to ensure quality of sleep.

Interestingly, sleep pattern differences were observed among ethnic groups.

Whites report the highest rate of diagnosis for insomnia (10%), and Blacks/African-Americans have the highest rate of diagnosed sleep apnea (14%) among the four groups (White, Black/African-American, Asian or Hispanic).
Blacks/African-Americans report getting the least amount of sleep on workdays/ weekdays (6 hours and 14 minutes), but they also say that they need only 7 hours and 5 minutes of sleep each night to perform at their best during the day, which is significantly less sleep than Asians and Hispanics (7 hours and 29 minutes each).

Asians are the most likely ethnic group (84%) to say that they had a good night's sleep at least a few nights or more a week.

Insomnia in aging population

Research reports that difficulties falling asleep, interrupted sleep, early awakening and other insomnia symptoms affect up to 30-50% of adults. Some studies indicate that the prevalence of insomnia symptoms increases with age, and is associated with negative effects on cognitive function. In addition, sleep disorders are related to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, depression, falls and increased mortality. Click here to learn how to manage chronic insomnia.

What happens when sleep too little or too much? On either side of the normal sleep hours (7 – 9 hours/night for adults) appears to have some risks in common, affecting our brain and overall health.

1. Impaired Brain Functioning and Mental Health

Cognition: researchers found that cognitive performance on three different games all peaked when people slept around seven hours, worsening with more or less rest. Other studies have also found memory impairments and decreased cognitive function with short or longer sleep.
Degenerative Diseases: Research indicates that getting too little or too much sleep may be tied to increased Alzheimer’s disease risk factors and a large Spanish study found that long sleepers may be at increased risk of developing dementia.
Depression and Mental Health: Oversleeping is considered a potential symptom of depression. While many people with depression report insomnia, about 15% tend to oversleep. People with long sleep durations are more likely to have persistent depression or anxiety symptoms compared to normal sleepers. Some research shows that irregularities in the body’s sleep clock may play a role in depressive symptoms, and returning sleep to a healthy pattern is often a focus of treatment.

2. Increased Inflammation Factors
Chronic inflammation in the body is tied with increased risk of everything from diabetes to heart disease to Alzheimer’s disease. Certain lifestyle factors like smoking, being obese and prolonged infections can contribute to inflammation, and getting too little or too much sleep may also play a role.

3. Increased Pain
While many times it can seem intuitive to rest more when we’re in pain, research shows that in some cases too much sleep can exacerbate symptoms. Oversleeping is also linked with higher rates of headaches as well as trigger migraines and tension headaches.

Back pain can worsen from too little activity or spending too much time in bed. Sleeping in an un-ergonomic position or using an old or unsupportive mattress can also worsen back pain. Combined with staying still for a long period of time, these factors mean many people awake with worse back pain especially when spending longer amounts of time in bed.

4. Impaired Fertility
A study of Korean women undergoing in vitro fertilization therapy found that women who slept seven to eight hours had the best chances of conceiving. The moderate sleepers had the highest pregnancy rates (53%) compared to those sleeping six hours or less (46%) and those sleeping nine to eleven hours (43%). Study authors suggest sleep outside the normal range could be affecting hormones and circadian cycles, impairing fertility.

5. Impaired Glucose Tolerance
Glucose tolerance refers to the body’s ability to process sugars, and impaired glucose tolerance is associated with insulin resistance and is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

A Canadian study was conducted on 810 participants aged 18 to 65 years. The results strongly suggest that short sleep duration is a risk factor for the metabolic syndrome. A recent meta-analysis of diabetes and sleep studies concluded that both short and long sleep duration are associated with a significantly increased risk of type 2 diabetes, underscoring the importance of appropriate sleep duration in the delay or prevention of type 2 diabetes.

6. Increased Weight Gain
Using the data as in a six-year Canadian study, researchers also found links between weight gain and sleep. This study provides evidence to the effect that both short and long sleep times predict higher body weight and fat gain in adults (aged 21 – 64).

7. Higher Heart Disease Risk
Using information from the large National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NAHNES), researchers linked both short and long sleep with higher risk of coronary heart disease and stroke. The study found that people sleeping more than eight hours per night were twice as likely to have angina (chest pain caused by reduced blood flow) and 10% more likely to have coronary heart disease.

Analysis of the data from the Nurses’ Health Study, which involved 71 617 middle-aged (45 – 65 years old) women, also found connections between sleep length and heart health. Short and long self-reported sleep durations are independently associated with a modestly increased risk of coronary events.

8. Higher Stroke Risk
A recent study from University of Cambridge found that people who sleep for more than eight hours a day have an increased risk of stroke and this risk doubles for older people who persistently sleep longer than average. However, the researchers say it is unclear why this association exists and call for further research to explore the link.

Follow up Data from NHANES also found a significant relationship between long sleep and stroke risk. People who slept more than eight hours had higher risk of stroke than people who slept six to eight hours. People who slept over eight hours and who also had daytime drowsiness had more significant higher stroke risk compared to normal sleepers.

9. Higher All-Cause Mortality Risk
Multiple studies have found that people who sleep nine or more hours a night have significantly higher death rates than people sleeping seven to eight hours a night.

A study of older adults found that compared with optimal sleep duration (7-9 h per day), both short (≤ 6 h per day) and long (≥ 10 h per day) sleep duration were significantly associated with CHD, stroke, and diabetes among adults age 45 years or older. These associations were more pronounced with long sleep duration than with short sleep.

Control your dreams will benefit sleep quality and you may have more control than you thought.

Focusing your mind on that topic in the moments before you fall asleep it’s likely to make the impression into your dream. Do not watch or think unpleasant events or horrible images before sleep. Calm your body and mind one hour before sleep to prevent nightmares.
Focusing on what you'd like to dream about – as we all dream in our sleeps, you may pick what you want to and telling yourself as you are falling into asleep, to make your sweet dreams become true.
Set your mind free and creative for dreams. Follow your heart, listen to the sound of nature, and close your eyes. Let your imaginations soar high, and travel to the world without footprints; the dreamland has no limit. Sweet dreams improve quality of sleep and waking a fresh new day in a good mood.

By the end of your day, relax and shut eyes for 8 quality hours in sweet dreams. You will renew yourself with empowering energy for life.

Visit https://qualitylifeforum.weebly.com/ for health and wellness coaching

References:

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02813432.2020.1753382

https://sleepfoundation.org/press-release/national-sleep-foundation-recommends-new-sleep-times

Tuesday, May 14, 2024

Exercise for Blood Sugar Regulation update

Physical activity can lower your blood glucose up to 24 hours or more after your workout by making your body more sensitive to insulin and when you are active on a regular basis, it can also lower your A1C, according to American Diabetes Association. Physical activity is a non-drug treatment for blood sugar regulation, which is proven to be safe and effective. It also has the added benefit for psychological wellbeing. In our modern society today, everyone is at risk for diabetes because of our prolonged sedentary behavior, over nutrition, and inactive life style. Preventive actions are to be taken as early as possible. Exercise is free for everyone - just do it, and most importantly, regularly. It’s never too late to get started or up for a new challenge.

A lot of information is available on relationship of exercise and blood sugar, from bio-physiology reviews, scientific research reports, clinical studies, sport medicine, nutrition and health magazines, as well as personal data and testimonials. These data analyses may have a variety of limitations, but findings are mostly consistent, which suggest exercise/physical activities lower blood sugar level and benefit overall health.

Fact A - in Prediabetes/Overweight/Obese population, A 2007 analysis, which included five studies examining walking and the risk of type 2 diabetes (data from a staggering 301,221 people), found that those who walked regularly (about 20 minutes per day) had a 30% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes compared to those who did almost no walking at all.

Act – walk a mile within 20 minutes a day. Outdoor walks are with added physiological benefits and nature intensity. This should be an easy target to achieve, as long as you are committed. You may increase the duration and intensity gradually. Note: Avoid work out on empathy stomach to prevent low blood sugar episode.

Fact B - seniors are more prone to developing diabetes, but a little exercise could make a big difference. A study published in Diabetes Care found that three short walks each day after meals were as effective at reducing blood sugar over 24 hours as a single 45-minute walk at the same moderate pace. Also to note that as older people may be particularly susceptible to poor blood sugar control after meals because inactive muscles contribute to insulin resistance. The problem is compounded by slow or low insulin secretion by the pancreas, which often occurs as the body ages.

Act: if you can’t do too much at one time, break it down. Small steps add up. A 15-minute activity fun at a time is very doable. Make a habit not to sit down after meals but keep the body up and active for a while, which will also regulate the post-meal high blood sugar to double the benefit. Activity may include mild to moderate walking, biking, yoga, Taichi, aerobics, strength training, or anything of your choice.

Fact C:
Studies have shown that interval training can help people burn more fat, and increase fitness levels even after just 15 or 20 minutes of exercise. A study found that people with type 2 diabetes benefited more from interval walking—their blood sugar was more controlled—compared to people who walked continuously. Interval training means alternating between different intensities of exercise and allowing time to rest in between bursts of action. This can mean simply speeding up your walk to a jog for a few minutes or, in the more extreme, it can mean high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and Tabata. But they’re all based in the same idea: short explosions of exercise that get your heart rate up followed by periods of rest or lower intensity provide a greater benefit. Interval training doesn’t have to be difficult, but when it’s taken up a notch, researchers have seen more benefit.

Act: Get out of your comfort zone and push it harder, challenge yourself for a higher intensity, in short excursions. This is also a strategy to break the weight loss plateau. However, it is important to monitor your body for safety. If you have heart or other serious conditions or limitations, interval training may not be appropriate for you.

Exercise Safely

Monitoring your blood sugar levels helps reduce your risk for hypoglycemia. Symptoms of low blood sugar include feeling hungry, nauseated, lightheaded or confused. Additionally, your vision may blur or you may get headaches.

Tips for prevent blood sugar drop during exercise

• Have a small snack that includes 15 to 30 grams of carbohydrates. Some examples are fruit juice, fruit and crackers before you work out or when feel hungry.

• Stop exercise and sit down to rest when feeling weak.

• Drink enough water to keep well hydrated.

Action items review:

A. Target walking a mile within 20 minutes a day.
B. Try three 15 minutes exercise a day after each meal for better control of post-meal high blood sugar.
C. Try interval training, do the best you can based on your physical conditions.

The take home messages
1. Do something (what you can do) is better than nothing. Establish and stick with your daily exercise routine.
2. Make a conscious effort to reduce daily sugar intake.
3. Keep a fitness diary to track and review intake, activity level, frequency, duration, and results.

References:
https://diatribe.org/issues/51/adams-corner
http://www.healthline.com/health-news/aging-walking-after-meals-to-control-blood-sugar-spikes-061213#1
http://www.prevention.com/fitness/fitness-tips/exercise-intervals-better-controlling-blood-sugar

Monday, April 1, 2024

Aging and Alzheimer's Prevention

Updated April, 2024

Nowadays, longevity is increasing in general population. As older generation reaches over age 90 are more common, the quality of life becomes increasingly important for the extended life expectancy.

Aging population must take greater charge of their own health, to improve health literacy and self-care for freedom and independence in later life. As most of today’s retirees top health over wealth for their golden years, many are taking a more proactive approach to health and health care and became more engaged in healthy lifestyle and behaviors. Aging population must take greater charge of their own health, to improve health literacy and self-care for freedom and independence in later life. Of health challenges and potential risks for the aging population, dementia or Alzheimer’s are among the most worrisome diseases. The World Health Organization notes 47.5 million people have dementia and there are 7.7 million new cases every year. Alzheimer's disease, the most common type of dementia, may contribute 60 to 70 percent of cases.

Alzheimer's is a brain disease that causes a slow decline in memory, thinking and reasoning skills. There are 10 early signs and symptoms, according to Alzheimer’s Association:

10 Early Signs and Symptoms of Alzheimer's
1. Memory loss that disrupts daily life
2. Challenges in planning or solving problems
3. Difficulty completing familiar tasks at home, at work or at leisure
4. Confusion with time or place
5. Trouble understanding visual images and spatial relationships
6. New problems with words in speaking or writing
7. Misplacing things and losing the ability to retrace steps
8. Decreased or poor judgment
9. Withdrawal from work or social activities
10. Changes in mood and personality

The causes probably include a combination of age-related changes in the brain, along with genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors. There's no cure for Alzheimer’s, but there are treatments that may change disease progression, and drug and non-drug options that may help treat symptoms.

Best lifestyle choices for healthy aging

• Physical and mental stimulation go hand in hand. Any exercise of any type and in even small amounts is likely to be beneficial for brain health. Scientific evidences suggest exercises extending human live and improve human brain cognitive functions. Being physically active and exercise safely within your limit is one of the most important behaviors anyone can do to improve their health. Appropriate exercises for older adults including moderate cardio endurance, light strength training, and balance exercises.

• Prevent and manage chronic high blood pressure, high blood sugar and stress

• Eat healthy and maintain a healthy weight

• No smoking and avoid binge drinking significantly reduce risks of death

• Keep reading, writing, learning new technologies/ideas and take up challenges of digital literacy for mental sharpness

• Being socially engaged, making meaningful connection and prevent isolation

• Ensure 7-9 hours quality sleep daily; better sleep is a protective factor against dementia

Practical tips for brain sharpness –

• Learn building mental maps to facilitate memory recall

• Practice mental math over calculator dependency

• Keep it visual and use reminder tools

• Cooking, smell and food preparation can stimulate senses in the brain

• Prevent and correct vision and hearing loss benefit brain functions

• Making physical motor function and coordination challenges, e,g, brush your teeth using your non-dominant hand, single leg balance for 30 seconds, strength training.

• Get more sun exposure in nature daily and living positively

Aging is an inescapable aspect of life, but cognitive decline isn't necessarily so. Seemingly ordinary activities and habits can pack an extraordinary punch in safeguarding our mental agility.

Mindspan Diet
For stay current concerning diet, it’s worth to read a book - The Mindspan Plan: Maximize Your Memory and Extend the Life of Your Mind, published in 2016, by Preston Estep, III, PH. D, a scientist in Harvard Medical School. You may consult your Doctor for personal needs.
In a brief review, the author’s general advices are:
- Limit iron
- Limit red meat
- Start meals with soup or salad; then eat carbs
- Eat only low glycemic carbs
- Don't drink milk, and minimize other milk products
- Eat fish and seafood
- Drink coffee, tea, and red wine with meals
- Alcohol in moderation
- Limit sugar
- Take B & D vitamins

To learn more, go to https://qualitylifeforum.weebly.com/2024-april-aging-and-alzheimers-prevention.html

References:

http://agewave.com/what-we-do/landmark-research-and-consulting/research-studies/health-and-retirement-planning-for-the-great-unknown/
Westwood AJ, Beiser A, Jain A. Prolonged sleep duration as a marker of early neurodegeneration predicting incident dementia. Neurology. 2017.
https://www.nia.nih.gov/alzheimers/publication/preventing-alzheimers-disease/introduction
https://academic.oup.com/brain/article/133/8/2210/395786/Education-the-brain-and-dementia-neuroprotection
http://www.alz.org/10-signs-symptoms-alzheimers-dementia.asp
The Mindspan Diet: Reduce Alzheimer’s Risk, Minimize Memory Loss, and Keep Your Brain Young. By Preston Estep, III, PH.D

Thursday, February 29, 2024

Balance Training for Body Stability Improvement

BALANCE is the ability to maintain the line of gravity of a body (vertical line from the center of mass)within the base of support with minimal postural sway, according to definition. However, we must accept that there are physical changes and the process of maintaining our balance slows or deteriorates as we age, such as:

Overall weakness throughout the body.
A generalized decrease in fitness (our whole body becoming less fit, leading to faster muscle fatigue and shortness of breath).
Decline in posture, changing our center of mass.
Decreased reaction time.
Decreased balance.

Balance exercises are especially important for older adults because they can help prevent falls. Balance training is as important as strength training, flexibility, and cardiovascular activities in a fitness routine. Simple balance exercises include the following:

Walking can help build lower-body strength, an important element of good balance.
Standing on one foot for 30 seconds on each side. (Tip: Keeping toes, sole, and heel firmly on the floor for best results.)
Walking heel-to-toe for 20 steps, forward and backward.
Going from sitting to standing without using hands, as quickly as you can.
Doing heel raises 10 to 20 times, rising up on toes as far as you can while standing
Walking on your toes, forward and backward.

We should do everything in our power from now on to improve our balance and keep it that way for the many benefits it will bring us. We can improve balance and prevent falls with balance training. Balance is a skill and can be trained at any age. Here is my personal story to share, with limited literature review.

Balance Training For Body Stability Improvement

Objective: Observations for progressive personal balance training (level 3) effect in body stability improvement

Importance for balance training: Balance is the condition during which the body's center of gravity is maintained within its base of support; the state of equilibrium, which relies on:

Position of the center of gravity in relation to the base of support
Direction of the forces
Base of support

There are three pathways that help maintain balance, and they are:

Eyes
Ears
Nervous System

Training the core muscles is vital for athletes, bodybuilders and fitness enthusiasts. Whether running, lifting or performing upper/lower body activities, power in each movement is generated from the core. Gaining enough core strength increases the stability of the pelvis and spine, which improves balance during athletic and bodybuilding movements 1 .

Balance has been a part of my integrated personal training program, which began with level 1, then progressed and maintained for level 2 over 1 year. This experiment was intended to observe the effect at the next level (III) for the first 14 days during the ongoing progression personal training.

Levels of balance training are defined as following:
Level 1: free-standing single-limb stance (left and right) with eyes open on stable surface, also with yoga based dynamic body poses
Level 2: free-standing static single-limb stance (left and right) with eyes closed on stable surface
Level 3: free-standing static single-limb stance (left and right) on a cushion with eyes closed

Results
Level 3 Results

1. free-standing static single-limb stance (left and right) on a cushion with eyes closed; Day 1 – Day 14 balance time data summary

Summary of Improvement 2-week overall average vs. baseline
2-Week overall average left 54.6 sec          right 38.7 sec
Baseline                              left 20 sec               right 25 sec
Improvement                     left + 34.6 sec         right +13.7 sec

2. Additional observation free-standing static single-limb stance (left and right) on a cushion with eyes open; Day 1 and Day 14 balance time data summary
Summary of Improvement Day 14 vs. Day 1: Left +25 sec    Right +33 sec

Comparison with Level 1 and Level 2
Level 1: free-standing single-limb stance (left and right) with eyes open on stable surface and with yoga based dynamic body poses
Results: up to approximately 70 - 80 seconds on left or right limb stand, comfortably with yoga based dynamic body poses, upon approximately 2 years routine practice

Level 2: free-standing static single-limb stance (left and right) with eyes closed on stable surface
Results: up to approximately 100 – 120 seconds stands on left or right limb stand comfortably, upon approximately 14 months routine practice

Level 3: free-standing static single-limb stance (left and right) on a cushion with eyes closed; upon the initial 2-week practice, effects are observed as following at this early time point, while the training routine is continuing:

1. When standing on a cushion with eyes closed, the difficulty level is increased considerably compared with level 1 and level 2, as the level 3 baseline ( 20 - 25 seconds) showing a dramatic shortened balance time from level 2 (comfortably 2 minutes) . With the eyes open (75 seconds at baseline), however, it was less challenging. This observation suggests the importance of visual balance.

2. Data collected with open eye balance on cushion (75 seconds at baseline and 100/108 seconds on day 14) – results are comparable with level 2 (comfortably 120 seconds).

3. Left and right lib strength are not equal in the same individual under the same training conditions, however, improvements were observed in both sides [2-Week overall average (left 54.6 sec and right 38.7 sec) comparing to the baseline (left 20 sec and right 25 sec) , positive deltas were observed at left + 34.6 sec and right +13.7 sec].

Summary:

Observations

Descriptive data from the initial 14 day level 3 balance challenge are summarized as following –

Balance training is essential for body stability improvement. Overall balance enhancement on Level 3 difficulty was observed, as demonstrated by average time increase compared with baseline, after 14 days daily practice.
Variability of individual balance strength of each limb has been observed; left and right limb balance strength varies. Variance from day to day of the same limb is also observed. Limb strength improvements of both sides have been observed.
Significance for body stability benefit – not conclusive at the 2-week time point. This training program is continuing and progresses are to be evaluated with the same criteria at ongoing basis.

Practical applications and potential long-term benefits from literature review:
The potential benefits of routine balance training include improvements to overall fitness, performance, and injury prevention. Specific Benefits Include 2, 3, 4, 5:

There is strong evidence to suggest that balance training can improve static balance ability on stable and unstable surfaces, as well as dynamic balance ability.

1. Mind and body connection – It benefits neuromuscular coordination – basically it helps improve the communication between brain and muscles. Body awareness is the sense of how your own limbs are oriented in space, also referred to as proprioception. Balance training promotes body awareness which makes movement more seamless and prevents injury. As balance diminishes progressively with age, balance training is not just about avoiding falls. Better balance will improve focus, overall movement and physical ability in daily life.

2. Core stabilization and coordination – Balance training requires all of the body to work together otherwise one might fall or stumble. It helps with core stabilization – this in turn helps to improve coordination and posture.

3. Joint Stability – Balance training promotes stable knees, ankles, hips, and shoulders. This can prevent a whole array of injuries including sprained ankles and serious knee problems. It helps with muscle isolation – during balance training you have to maintain stabilization and you are forced to engage an individual muscle predominantly.

4. Reaction Time – If you slip or stumble when carrying out challenging balance exercises your body needs to re-balance immediately or you will fall. This can improve your reaction time as you learn to quickly correct a mistake, but not over-correct.

5. Strength – Balance training is challenging for nervous system (brain and nerves). The nervous system recruits your muscle when lifting weights, so as nervous system becomes more efficient it can recruit a higher percentage of muscle for each lift. This means you are stronger and can lift more weight.

6. Power – Power is the ability to exert maximum muscular contraction instantly in an explosive burst of movement. The two components of power are strength and speed. With quicker reaction times and stronger muscles, your power ability should increase too.

7. Agility – Agility is defined as quick and nimble. It is the ability to change the direction of the body in an efficient and effective manner and to achieve this requiring a combination of balance, speed, strength, and co-ordination. Therefore, the better your balance is, the more likely you are to have good agility.

8. Long term health – Incorporating balance training into your routine helps to maintain or improve your balance, which is needed to prevent falls and fractures. As balance may deteriorate with age, you want to be proactive with balance training efforts.

Suggested focus for future balance studies

Establishing balance standard or normal range by age for healthy individuals
Develop practical guidelines for balance training program design, implementation, and maintenance
The effective balance training evaluation criteria and measurement

Recommendations

Include balance exercises into personal fitness routine is beneficial
Challenge brain and body with increased level of balance difficulties
Practice balance routinely with yoga and tai chi for continued body stability improvements

References
1. http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/wotw49.htm
2. http://www.humankinetics.com/excerpts/excerpts/five-factors-determine-stability-and-mobility
3. http://www.thera-bandacademy.com/elements/clients/docs/distefano2009-balance__201108DD_120807.pdf
4. http://www.passionateaboutfitness.com/blog/the-benefits-of-balance-training
5. http://www.activecenterforhealthandwellness.com/blog/active-news/the-5-major-benefits-of-balance-training-do-not-neglect-it

6. https://morelifehealth.com/articles/balance-guide

Thursday, February 1, 2024

Golden Age Wellness and Functional Fitness

The Mayo Clinic defines “functional fitness exercises as those that train your muscles to help you do everyday activities safely and efficiently.” These include activities as diverse as walking the stairs, carrying groceries while walking, yoga or multidirectional lunges. They prepare your muscles for daily living activities like squatting down to pick up a spoon, reaching up to put your mugs away on a high shelf, hiking up the mountains or running to catch up to your grand-son.

Human bodies do age, but they are also amazingly resilient and adaptable. The good news is that most of the negative changes can be significantly slowed with regular physical activity. You can get benefits with even small amounts of exercise and the more you do the stronger the effect, based on research findings. For individual wellbeing, you may have to find your own “fit” solutions, based on life situation and personal values.

Five-Pointer Golden Age Wellness Attitude

1. Listen to your body – If it hurts (as opposed to just feeling tired), stop what you are doing. Also be aware of your body senses. Exercises benefit physical and mental health. What happens when mind, body and spirit are disconnected? You feel lost, fearful, insecure, fatigue, may also experience depression and pain. What’s the difference when mind, body, and spirit are harmonized? You feel calm, in control, energetic, and hopeful. Be conscious about your body needs, connect your mind with body, and keep up your spirits.

2. Be open-minded and flexible – the “un-known” is acceptable; being aware that we can’t totally control life. Are you living at the present time for the fullest personal potential? Don’t have to pursuit for happiness of an ideal life, but finding your own way to live happily. Establish your self-care and fitness routine, be persistent but flexible.

3. Simplify life for happiness – want for less (i.e., possessions, positions, profits), focus more on perusing personal value and health goals to gain life satisfaction.

4. Build strong immune systems – Basic building blocks are nutrition, fitness, and quality sleep. Healthy life style and self-care are important for prevention. Illnesses may heal naturally with well-maintained immunity and good care. Not all discomforts require medical treatment and over treatments are almost always associated with risks.

5. Healthy body weight - Body weight does not tell about your health. Each person has a biological baseline weight. Not everyone can survive at a socially standard ideal weight. Care your body and nurture it to perform your personal best. Create your own healthy body image.

Three Key Steps for Fitness Goal Achievement Success -

1, decide what you want to do (be specific and realistic)

2, taking actions and keep a track record

3, evaluate and make adjustment when necessary

It’s simple but you need to stick with it to make it work.

Helpful Pointers

“Good health” is often cited as the number one goal for people as they age. Don't let another day pass without taking advantage of the powerful medicine of physical activity to take charge of your health. If you are struggling to make it happen, here are some pointers that might help.

Do something you enjoy. If you don't like it, you will stop. The specifics of how much, what kind, and how hard are less important than just doing something more than you were doing before.
Start small, but just do something. Small “snacks” of exercise can add up effectively throughout the day to meet the physical activity guidelines. Remember that small changes over time can impact your health and longevity.
Understand that a convenient life is not necessarily a good life. Your health will benefit from finding ways to reintroduce movement back into your daily activities. The outdoor trails are naturally more challenging than a treadmill, but the nature connection is added benefit to energize your body and fresh your mind. Bundle up and enjoy the cold air in the winter sun. Yes, you may feel heavier with the winter gear on, just think it will also add on as weight training benefit.
In bad weather days, indoor activities are unlimited, whether going to gym or not; home training with DVD or online exercises, try yoga and tai chi, join a dance class, and much more. Make your workout enjoyable.
Don’t be intimidated by the extremes. There are a lot of crazy exercise fanatics out there, but you don’t have to join them to get health benefits.
Allow yourself recovery time. Recovery time will need to increase as you age. However, no excuse to be a couch potato.
Track your workout for cardio, strength, core/abs, balance, and flexibility. A balanced routine will benefit your overall fitness.
Workout with friends or sign-up for personal training to keep motivated and stay on track
Be patient. Change will happen if you give it a chance. Persistence is the key to gain benefits.
Keep up the nutrition for energy and food is the source for body heat. Drink enough water and enjoy hot tea.
As the winter nights are longer, your body will naturally sleep more. Let it be and get adequate rest. Physical activities during the day will also help you sleep better at night.

Hope you roll out winter fitness action plan now and enjoy it. QualityLifeForum.Weebly.com is you trusted resource for your healthy aging journey.

Reference:

Class material from StanfordOnline HUMBIOX0101 Your Body Inside and Out: Using Exercise Physiology to Slow Aging

Monday, January 1, 2024

Prevention For Health Maintenance Jan, 2024 update

When you are well, you may not want to see a Doctor or Dentist, as many people have all the sound reasons for it. I know what a pain it is and you have a busy life. But think again – what could be more important than your health? You probably keep up your car on schedule for checkup, oil change, tire rotation, and all maintenance work up to date for keep it running. Won’t you want to maintain your health before break down? Prevention is the key for health maintenance.

For too long, health care system has been focusing on treatment for illness. This has been changing, with more focus on disease prevention and foster good health. Preventive health care focus on keeping people healthy, engages and empowers individuals in healthy behaviors, and makes changes that reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases and other morbidities.

It is recommended that adults and children aim to keep regular check-ups (medical, vision, and dental), even if they feel healthy, to perform disease screening, identify risk factors for disease, discuss tips for a healthy and balanced lifestyle, stay up to date with immunizations and boosters, to maintain a good health. Now, most health insurance carriers also cover 100% for health, vision, and dental preventive care. If you do not have health insurance, check with your local health department for free or affordable preventive services.

Levels of prevention

Primal prevention :Any measure aimed at helping future parents provide their upcoming child with adequate attention, as well as secure physical and affective environments from conception to first birthday (i.e., over the child's primal period of life[12].

Primary prevention: Methods to avoid occurrence of disease either through eliminating disease agents or increasing resistance to disease.[13] Examples include immunization against disease, maintaining a healthy diet and exercise regimen, and avoiding smoking.[14]

Secondary prevention: Methods to detect and address an existing disease prior to the appearance of symptoms.[13] Examples include treatment of hypertension (a risk factor for many cardiovascular diseases), cancer screenings[14]

Tertiary prevention: Methods to reduce the harm of symptomatic disease, such as disability or death, through rehabilitation and treatment.[13] Examples include surgical procedures that halt the spread or progression of disease[13]

Quaternary prevention: Methods to mitigate or avoid results of unnecessary or excessive interventions in the health system[15]

Well-child visits and immunizations
From new born to age 17, the well-child visits and immunizations should be well maintained to meet children’s rapid growth and developmental needs. The day cares, schools and college admissions also require health record documentations.

Common screenings for Adults
Annual physical with laboratory testing and dental checkup (twice a year dental cleaning are optimal) in adulthood are too important to be ignored. For adults, some common disease screenings include checking for hypertension (high blood pressure), hyperglycemia (high blood sugar, a risk factor for diabetes mellitus), hypercholesterolemia (high blood cholesterol), screening for colon cancer, depression, HIV and other common types of sexually transmitted disease (such as chlamydia, syphilis, and gonorrhea), colorectal cancer screening, and screening for osteoporosis. For females, also include mammography (to screen for breast cancer) and a pap test (to check for cervical cancer).

Preventive screening guideline for healthy adults from BlueCross BlueShield, one of the nation’s largest health insurance carriers, is a good reference to consider.

Engaging in prevention for health maintenance

Health maintenance is more than an annual physical exam and dental checkup. However, annual physical exam and dental checkup are important elements in health maintenance.

1. The necessity of an annual physical exam
Your annual preventive health exam (aka well visit or annual physical) is scheduled with your primary care physician to catch potential health issues early, before they become serious, and to help you focus on wellness and a healthy lifestyle while identifying important screening tests, vaccinations and other necessary testing.

Your annual wellness visit includes the following:

• A review of your medical and surgical history

• Screenings

• Blood tests

• Immunizations

• A physical exam

• Counseling to prevent future health problems

Most insurance plans cover your annual wellness exam—no copay required.

Book an annual checkup will better keep your health on track. The laboratory testing may detect conditions require early intervention without any symptoms. Screenings may be prescribed at the well-visit only. As most major insurances pays for it, why not utilize this benefit. It is a small investment once a year, even you don’t have insurance; your health is worth of it.

2. Expectations and Preparations
The annual physical examinations consist of the basics, male or female exam, laboratory testing, and preventives. I often see people get disappointed, because the doctor was not listening or don’t do anything about their complaints, or felt the exam was superficial which won’t discover much.

Consider these factors for your expectations - A typical visit with a family doctor is usually allotted about 15 minutes. It’s understandable that time is business. In order to properly assess a health concern when necessary, physicians need more than a couple of minutes to take a detailed history and perform a physical exam, which may require additional appointment. In fact, a 15-minutes well-visit can be meaningful, with proper preparations, in most cases.
Be prepared before the visit:

Self-monitoring– you can monitor your own blood pressure and heart rate with an automated blood pressure monitor. Body temperature, body weight and BMI can be easily self-monitored as well. The best time for vital signs is after morning wake up and before start up the daily activities. Be health conscious for any changes or unusual sensations, including pain/itching/discomfort, awareness of lymph nodes, skin lesions or discolorations. If you are a woman, perform your own breast exams regularly. If you are a man, check your testicles for lumps, tenderness, or changes in size routinely.
Keep a personal health record - start a journal and mark the notable changes (with possible physical or psychological impacts noted). For example, when your blood pressure was high, compared with the previous year’s physical baseline numbers, check for physical activities or stress factors at the time. Also record your diet intakes, body weight/body compositions, and track your exercises/work out.
Improve health literacy – continue to learn from community and on-line health resources, educational health coaching sessions, medical research findings.
Write down and ask the right questions – be as clear and as specific as possible. Describe changes from the previous year or your usual state and share your concerns.

At the visit, ensure understanding of the medical advice and receive all prescriptions/diagnostics (i.e., lab slips, prescriptions for preventives - bone density, colonoscopy, mammogram, etc) deemed necessary.

After the visit, schedule and complete the testing and follow-up the results. Communicate with your Doctor for any further questions, call or by e-portal, which has become increasingly accessible for patients by more medical practices. Keep a record of your testing and treatment results.

3. Routine vision exam

Sight is a precious gift and eye exam results identify solutions that will keep your vision clear and preserve your long-term eye health.

An eye care professional may also detect early signs of several general health issues. A comprehensive eye exam with your optometrist is essential for maintaining good vision and detecting eye health problems. To learn more, go to Aging Eye Facts.

4. Routine dental check-up and cleaning

A routine dental check-up and teeth cleaning is recommended at least once a year, may be more often based on personal oral health conditions. The association between nutritional status and oral health in older people seems evident. Poor oral health can cause oral pain, chewing problems, periodontal disease, and tooth loss, which have a negative impact on nutritional intake, leading to poor nutritional status and risk of malnutrition. Inadequate intake of micronutrients and macronutrients can, in turn, lead to an increased risk of oral health problems such as gum disease, caries, and hyposalivation. There are evidence indicating a negative association between malnutrition and oral health. Prevention of malnutrition and optimizing oral health conditions in older people can result in better overall health, increased self-dependency, and higher quality of life. To learn more, go to Aging and Oral Health.

5. Take charge for your health
You know yourself the best and should not dependent on your doctor to find out everything at a 15-minutes physical exam once a year. A 15-minute well-visit can be valuable, when it’s done right, for health maintenance. Remember to schedule your eye exam and dental checkup as well. To take the initiative for prevention is your first step toward better health, as you are accountable for your wellness.

Of course, health maintenance requires commitment year around. Your engagement in prevention and improvement in health literacy shall enhance healthy life style.
As defined by the World Health Organization, health promotion is: “The process of enabling people to increase control over, and to improve, their health. It moves beyond a focus on individual behavior towards a wide range of social and environmental interventions.”

Lastly, if you have shared your problem and the doctor concludes it’s not concern, then at least your mind will be at ease. Celebrate your health when everything checked out fine; don’t feel it was a waste of time and money. You did the right thing and you are doing well. Congratulations!

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References:

http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/annual-physical-examinations
https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/community-health/health-promotion/1/definition
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preventive_healthcare#Levels_of_prevention
https://www.ghc.org/healthAndWellness/?item=/common/healthAndWellness/children/childVisits/overview.html

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