Want To Live A Long Healthy Life?

If someone told you there really is a fountain of youth, would you believe him? What if it was one of the world’s leading cancer doctors? David Agus, MD, says you can live longer, stave off disease and feel younger than you ever thought possible if you follow his advice. Dr. Agus teamed up with Mehmet Oz, MD, to share these longevity-boosting tips.

Tip # 1: Automate Your Life
We all have busy schedules, and sticking to a routine can be difficult. But Agus says automating things like when you go to sleep, eat meals and exercise can add years to your life. According to Agus, it doesn’t matter how many meals you eat -- it could be three or even five -- as long as you eat them at the same time each day. Why? Eating meals at different times causes your body to go into stress mode, which raises cortisol levels, says Dr. Oz. High levels of cortisol lead to spikes in insulin, which causes inflammation and can increase the risk of cancer.

“If you want to live a longer, healthier life, schedule it,” says Agus.

Tip # 2: Pop This Pill Daily
You don’t have to wait for a headache to take an aspirin. Agus suggests you ask your doctor about taking this powerful anti-inflammatory pill once a day. Studies have shown that daily aspirin reduces the risk for heart attacks and strokes as well as for dying from common cancers, including colon, prostate, brain, lung and pancreatic cancer.

Aspirin therapy isn’t for everyone, so talk with your doctor before you start.

Tip #3: Stand Up
Sitting all day could be worse for your health than smoking cigarettes, says Agus. “Women seem to be more severely affected by inactivity than men,” he adds. A recent study found that women who sat for six or more hours a day were 40 percent more likely to die during the 13-year study than those who sat fewer than three hours a day.

“Bursts of exercise is not the answer; 2 hours of exercise per day will not compensate for 22 hours of sitting,” says Agus. He suggests finding ways to move more during the day. Take the stairs instead of the elevator and pace when you’re talking on the phone. When you’re watching TV, don’t just sit there. Cook, fold laundry, empty the dishwasher or march in place. I have a stationary bike that I ride when I watch TV. If you have a desk job, make sure you get up and move every 30 minutes.

“Medicine can’t do it alone,” says Agus. “Patients need to take matters into their own hands -- and only then can we end illness and enjoy the fountain of youth.”

20 Minutes a Day to Younger Muscles

Just 20 minutes of this stuff a day can help keep your muscles young. We're talking about exercise.

Yep, the timeless physique is just minutes away. It appears that, regardless of age, 20 minutes may be all the daily exercise needed to somehow reverse age-related decline in muscle stem cells, those master cells critical to new muscle growth.

20 Minutes to Youth
Remember Jack LaLanne, the country's first uberfit exercise guru who lived to the ripe old age of 96? Turns out he was really on to something. But don't worry. You probably don't have to become an exercise fanatic like Jack to keep your muscles regenerating as you grow older. In an animal study, just 20 minutes on a treadmill 6 days a week was enough to bestow up to triple the number of stem cells produced in the test subjects. And those extra stem cells are likely behind the subsequent jump in new muscle fibers and additional muscle mass that those test subjects experienced as well. One other benefit: The older rats in the study also exhibited an uptick in "spontaneous locomotion" — a naturally occurring increase in their physical activity levels. 

Exercise has turned back the clock

It's not clear exactly how exercise increases the number of stem cells in muscle, but stem cells normally remain dormant in adults until a muscle injury or some other event triggers the stem cells to crank out new muscle fibers to replace damaged or dead ones. Exercise may work the same way, increasing stem cells and enhancing their capacity to renew old muscle tissue. 

I prefer to use a stationary bike because of my knee problem but I agree with everything and I also do some Yoga to stay flexible and give me better balance.

4 Myths and plenty of truths about running

When it comes to running, there are plenty of truths: It improves your health. It can help you lose weight. It can even make you happier. But there’s a lot of misconceptions attached to running floating out there, too. Here, we bust some of the sport’s major myths—and offer even more reasons to call yourself a runner.

The Myth: “Running is bad for my knees!”

The Truth: Sure, your entire body—including your knees—takes a pounding with every step you run. But studies show that running actually strengthens your knees and other joints, and improves your bone health. “Running is not bad for you,” insists Ryan Bolton, a running coach with Training Bible in Santa Fe, New Mexico. “We were all physically made to run.”

To prevent damage to your knees or anywhere else on your body, first start with the right pair of shoes. Not sure which sneaks to select? Head to your local running specialty store for a gait analysis, which will reveal the type of shoe that has the right combination of cushion and support for you.

Then, gently ease into running by alternating between walking and jogging, gradually decreasing the time you walk. Bottom line? To avoid completely shocking your system, give your body time to adjust to running before you really start pounding the pavement.

The Myth: “I’m going to lose a ton of weight as soon as I start running.”

The Truth: While running can be one of the most effective ways to lose weight, you’re not necessarily going to see instant results. And there’s a variety of reasons why, ranging from your approach to running (long, slow runs may keep your metabolism static) to the fact that high-intensity exercise can increase appetite—so just be wary that you’re not eating more than you burn when trying to lose weight.

The simplest way to see results from running? Stop looking at the scale.

“Scales don’t differentiate between fat, muscle, water retention, or the clothes you’re wearing,” says Shannon Downey, a health and fitness expert in Chicago, Ill. “If you feel good, have more energy, and notice that your clothes fit better, you’ll know [the running] is working.”

The Myth: “I don’t need to do any other type of exercise if I run.”

The Truth: Wouldn’t life be so simple if all we had to do was lace up our shoes and head out the door? While running provides a total body workout, it’s not the end-all-be-all when it comes to exercise. That’s why we have cross-training—or non-running exercises like cycling, swimming, or even a Zumba class.

“For the best results, it’s important to mix three forms of training: higher intensity interval training to help raise your metabolism; strength training to build lean muscle, which burns fat; and steady-state cardio training to burn extra calories at lower intensities,” explains Brett Hoebel, a professional trainer in Los Angeles. “Choosing one different cross-training exercise a day can target all three areas.”

Besides that, a regular cross-training routine can help you prevent injuries and bust boredom—both of which may come along with running only. So supplement your running with some cross-training, and you’ll be a better (and stronger) runner for it.

The Myth: “I’m not skinny or young enough to start running.”

The Truth: Anybody can be a runner. Just head out to a local road race and you’ll see people of all ages and body sizes streaming by. Or take a look at runners like Fauja Singh, the Indian-born Brit who retired from running last year at the age of 101—after taking up marathons at the age of 89. And 39-year-old professional runner Blake Russell, a mom of two, who became the second-oldest woman to snag an American marathon title with her win at the 2015 U.S. marathon championships in Los Angeles. So what’s your excuse again?

While it can be super scary to start up a running routine as an adult, it’s completely doable—even if you don’t consider yourself to have an “ideal” runner’s body.

As writer John “The Penguin” Bingham wrote: “If you run, you are a runner. It doesn’t matter how fast or how far. It doesn’t matter if today is your first day or if you’ve been running for 20 years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run.”

So what are you waiting for? Just run already.

Compulsive Eating

Compulsive eating is your diets biggest enemy

How does it start?

In some cases, people simply overeat out of mindless habit, like always sitting down with a bag of chips in front of the TV at night. But often times, it’s the result of underlying emotional problems. Having a negative body image can play a big role. Most compulsive eaters don't even know they're doing it. A bag of chips at night while reading or watching TV. A container of ice cream while watching a movie. 

For many people, compulsive overeating is part of a cycle that starts with a restrictive diet. May calls it the “eat, repent, repeat” cycle. You might begin a diet because you feel bad about your weight or size but find that it’s too hard to stick to -- especially if you use food as a coping tool. Eventually, you hit a breaking point and binge on “forbidden” foods, and then the guilt and shame set in, and the restrictions begin again.

The cycle can be hard to break. “Even people who say they’re not on a diet often have ingrained ideas about ‘good’ or ‘bad’ foods,” says Marsha Hudnall, president of Green Mountain at Fox Run in Vermont, a center for women who struggle with overeating. “But when you have a substance that is naturally appealing and soothing and comforting, and you make it off-limits, it just becomes more attractive.”

Can people be “addicted” to food?

In recent years, food addiction has become a popular idea among some scientists. Those researchers say that certain foods high in fat, sugar, and salt are addictive, causing changes in the brain similar to those made by drugs. Studies in animals have shown that rats that binge on sugar, for example, can develop signs of dependency.

But the idea of food addiction is controversial. For one thing, the standard treatment for addiction is abstinence, and that’s not possible with food. Also, “dieting is a very strong component of the binge eating cycle,” May says. “From that standpoint, it’s counterproductive to label certain foods as negative.”

There’s no doubt that eating can stimulate the release of feel-good chemicals in the brain, Hudnall says. “But that doesn’t make food an addictive substance. There’s evidence that it’s actually the behavior -- the restrict/binge cycle -- that causes the signs of dependency, not the food itself,” she says. Some researchers have even stated that the term “eating addiction” is a more accurate term than “food addiction.”

Personally, I think it's more about the "feel good" feelings you get from comfort food. Comfort food is a calorie problem for dieters. It's not really comfort food unless it's high in calories. Not from sugar but from carbs. Popcorn with lots of butter doesn't really contain any sugar but it has lots of carbs. Chips has little sugar but lots of carbs. So the point is that watching calories will help you control carbs. It's not only the sweet things that contain calories. Read the labels and remember if your trying to lose weight, 1500 calories is about right for the average person. A little less for a women. You can adjust that number depending on your size and activity level. 

Weight Loss Program Can Work For You

Weight loss programs can help a person when they don't have a clue how to start. I personally never was able to stick with a program, but that was 20 years ago when these programs were not very flexible and didn't give you much choice in the foods you ate. But today things are much different and the novice who hasn't  had any luck in the past with these programs might find one that will work for them.

Finding a weight loss program can be quite a challenge. It takes time, mental toughness and support to change lifetime habits. But it's a process you must learn in order to succeed. Regardless of which of the many weight loss programs you decide to join, you alone are the one who has the power to lose your excess weight.

We are flooded with success stories every day on television and in newspapers, magazines and tabloids, all of them about people who have lost their excess weight and kept it off with a new miraculous weight loss program.

Diets and weight loss programs are generally more flexible now than they once were. The meals are attractive and can often be prepared in a matter of minutes. Low-fat and low-calorie foods are on shelves everywhere.

You will probably need to learn new, wiser eating skills. You will want a weight loss program that gives you some control, rather than imposing one rigid system. Look for one that offers a variety of different eating plans, so you can choose the one that's best for you.

Keep in mind, too, that your weight loss program will most likely include some physical exercises. Look at the exercising aspect of your program as fun and recreation and not as a form of sweaty work.

If you are willing to take the few simple steps that lie between you and fitness, you will soon begin to feel better, and the improvement will reflect in every part of your life. These are the new weight loss programs of today. The new programs are designed to get you healthy and as you get healthy and feel healthy the weight will come off.

A rule of thumb that I follow when making recommendations, is not to spend a lot of money and don't sign-up for a long-term program. Weight Watchers is a good program for beginners but you want to "pay by the week" until you're sure this is for you. The people who always drop-out of programs that require going to a gym or somewhere for a meeting is that over time you always find a reason not to go. People drop out because their lives are busy and over time other things take priority. Choice a plan wisely or do it on your own.

Over a couple of decades, I lost my excess body fat by changing my diet. I did it on my own, just like I quit smoking. Make up your mind that you want to be thin and you can do it.

Look on my Home Page and click on the Tab "Diet". If you stick to that program you will lose weight. The pyramid give you numerous food choices every day, stick to the pyramid, and only drink what it says. I did push it a little, with tea and coffee but I drank them black. Wine very little and lots of water. It worked for me and you can eat all you want if it's on the pyramid.

Get my new e-book on weight loss at smashwords.com. Type "getting to a healthy weight" in the search field and check it out.

Is Breakfast Important?

There's many different opinions about the value of breakfast, but for kids everyone seems to agree that kids need to eat breakfast before school. Breakfast for school kids can actually increase their IQ. These are not my words, in 2013 a study was done with Chinese kindergartens and the study found that the students that ate breakfast had higher IQ's.

Will breakfast for adults do the same thing? I doubt that, but I do know that those adults who eat breakfast snack less throughout the day. So why is that important? Eating snacks especially in the morning starts a cycle of more snacking throughout the day which translates to over-eating. It is true that those adults who eat a high-protein breakfast (13gm of protein minimum ) are thinner and healthier.

So why is that, you might ask? What science says is that eating protein will start your metabolism burning calories and the earlier you start burning calories the more calories you'll burn that day. The same thing goes for exercise. Exercise will wake up your sleeping metabolism and start the process of burning calories. So the earlier in the day you exercise the more calories you'll burn that day.

Do you see where I'm going with this. I wrote last week about running and how running is one of the best ways to lose weight. Why is that, you might ask? O.K., running will quick start your metabolism and start you burning calories, but more important a high intensity workout like running will keep your metabolism burning calories longer than passive exercise. Hence, the morning run. For many years I thought that runners would run in the morning because it was cooler and morning exercise wakes you up and helps prepare you for the day ahead, who knew that runner would actually be burning more calories by running in the morning.

A brisk walk can do the same thing, it's just that running will accomplish the same thing in less time. I wrote in that post last week that beginner can still run, they just have to start slow. 10 minutes a day, to start. Walk for 2 minutes, then run for 20 seconds, then walk for 2 minutes, then run for 20 seconds and so on. If your out of breath at the end your going to fast. This is meant to condition your body for the next step. After a couple of weeks and you've increased the pace, you need to increase to 20 minutes a day. with 30 second intervals of running. Remember if your out of breath your running to fast. The next step would be to increase to 30 minutes a day and after you get use to that you would increase the time running and decrease the time walking. Check out the post on Running. If you forget I'll re-post two posts I wrote about running.

Breakfast is also important for running or any early morning exercise. You need fuel to work-out. A small amount of carbs before and protein after. If that sounds to difficult and time-consuming think about high-protein shakes. My wife makes a high-protein shake every morning. Actually she puts the drink together at night and puts it in the frig. In the morning she puts it together, puts it on the blender and in 2 minutes she's out the door with the drink in hand. People who are pressed for time in the morning have no excuse now. There's several different recipes for shakes but basically its Greek Yogurt and fruit with a protein powder added. You can find recipes on the internet.

Why Talk About Running?

Running is probably the best exercise I know for losing weight. Many overweight people, especially middle age men remembering their youth will start running again trying to recapture that body they once had back in school. Well I found out a while ago that I'm not going to recapture my youth but I can run to lose weight. Running is inexpensive and there's no gym membership involved, just a good pair of running shoes. Also you don't have to spend half a day at the gym to lose weight. You can run for half an hour and your done for the day.

Whether you’re running for the first time, or for the first time in a long time, you want to kick things off slowly. Before you lace up your shoes and hit the pavement, try this smart advice to get into the race safely.

"If you’re huffing and puffing at the end of a run, you’ve overdone it." -- running expert Jeff Galloway gives advice on how to begin.

Start with your diet. To fuel a run, keep well-hydrated by drinking at least 8 ounces of nonalcoholic liquid eight times a day and eating a small, sugar-boosting snack 30 minutes before you head out, says former Olympic runner Jeff Galloway, a columnist for Runner's World and author of Women's Complete Guide to Running, which he co-wrote with his wife, Barbara. He suggests half of an energy bar or a sports drink. 

Find a buddy. Running can be a great way to stay in shape and keep connected with friends. "Women tend to respond better to running in groups," Galloway says. "It helps keep them motivated."

Pace yourself. Galloway cautions newbies not to get overly enthusiastic early on. “Men tend to get injuries from overdoing it," he says. "Men who have not done any real exercise in 20 years and suddenly decide to run like they did in high school -- that's a formula for disaster."

The Walk-Run Ratio
Galloway, who works with runners of all ages and levels, teaches a technique that lets the body ease into its new type of motion. Beginning runners, he says, should run for 5 to 10 seconds out of every minute, walking the rest of each minute. Gradually, the walk/run ratio will shift as your muscles strengthen and your joints adjust.

Even in the beginning, when the bulk of your run time is spent walking, you’re still getting a good workout. "Walking is the best cross-training," Galloway says. "And a lot of people progress to marathons in just 6 months." I never made it Marathon, but I ran 5 miles a day and that's a good workout and after you get use to running you will pick up speed and running 5 miles is easily done in 30 minutes, as a matter of fact after spending months running I could run 10 miles in 30 minutes. I wasn't exceptional just average.

Running Rules
Here are a few of Galloway's tips to keep you on the run and off the injured list.

Go for gain, not pain . "Follow the huff-and-puff rule: If you’re huffing and puffing at the end of a run, you’ve overdone it," says Galloway, who advises a slow and easy approach to running. "The bottom line: You need to monitor your aches and pains."

Avoid runner's lows. Done incorrectly, running can cause a lot of discomfort and even injury, Galloway says. "People get discouraged and feel they’re not designed for running. Really, they just need to correct their walk/run ratio [until it feels right]." 

Stretching is an important part of running without injury. Check-out my next post.

Naturally, if your under Doctor's care or are extremely heavy you should see a doctor before starting any strenuous exercise program. Running, if not done right, can be hard on your heart and other parts of your body. Be sure your healthy enough to run before you start a program like this.