Health

Here’s how to activate your brain’s “chill out” circuit

How can you calm down when an issue arises and you start freaking out? Here’s how to activate your brain’s “chill out” circuit, according to neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Newberg: 

First: Watch what comes out of your mouth.  M-R-I studies show positive words light up the brain’s reward system……While complaints will activate the pain centers in your brain. 

Also Dr. Newberg says this tip is incredibly effective during a freak out.  Name your emotions.  Right now I’m feeling x or y. And then state why. And if you can, do it out loud.  

Newberg says that will immediately reduce the intensity of your emotions. That’s because naming your emotions transfers brain activity from the emotional part of the brain – to the rational part of the brain. And the freakout will be neutralized.

A new study is now telling us that Extending your life is as easy as going for a brisk walk! 

And we’re talking about an extra 16 YEARS of life!

This is according to brand new research from the University of Leicester that discovered a strong link between a person’s walking pace and the rate at which they age.

To break it down, brisk walking leads to longer telomeres. Telomeres are the protective caps on the ends of our DNA strands…….similar to the plastic caps on shoelaces, which keep them from fraying at the end. And the longer a person’s telomeres are, the younger a person is in terms of biological age – which is how well your body is functioning relative to your actual calendar age.

And don’t miss this:  When the scientists analyzed the genetic data of over 400-thousand adults, they found that a faster walking pace can lead to a person being 16 years younger in terms of biological age. 

So here’s the burning question: how much brisk walking do you need to get the longevity benefits? 

The scientists say just 10 minutes a day!

Again this new study is now telling us that Extending our life by 16 years is as easy as going for a brisk walk! 

It’s all about the lighting in the room!

Could you use a little extra willpower to help you stick to your diet? Try turning up the lights! The Journal of Marketing Research conducted a survey of 160 restaurant customers. 

The result: Those eating in brightly lit rooms were up to 24% more likely to order nutritious dishes, like vegetables, salads and grilled fish. They also ate 39% fewer calories, compared to those who ate in a dark, romantically-lit restaurant. 

The reason? There are two of them……

First, bright lighting makes our brain more aware of what we’re doing, which increases the odds we’ll make healthier food choices. 

Plus, it’s the spotlight effect……Being in a brightly lit setting makes people think they’re being looked at more closely. So we tend to eat better, in case anyone is looking at us and judging our food choices. 

You can reverse skin damage with this tip. 

To look younger, take a brisk walk! The journal Aging Cell found that aerobic exercise can reverse the signs of skin aging by reducing lines and wrinkles and plumping the skin. And it can be anything from a brisk walk to a bike ride. And it works even if you start later in life! 

What happens is, exercise increases the production of hormones that activate your mitochondria. Those are structures in our cells that generate energy. And simply by taking a brisk walk several times a week, your mitochondria can double in size, which helps the body produce more energy. 

It also prevents and reverses skin damage. And the more active your mitochondria are, the younger your skin cells behave. So before you get Botox or another cosmetic procedure, you may want to try getting more aerobic exercise. It can give you younger-looking skin!

Get ready to cancer-proof your life! Because, according to University Hospital in Zurich, Switzerland, all you need are 3 factors to cut your cancer risk by almost two-thirds!

Those factors are: Regular exercise, extra vitamin D and Omega-3 fatty acids.

To reach that conclusion, the hospital tracked nearly 2,200 healthy adults over age 70 for two years to see what preventive strategies, if any, could reduce their cancer risk.

And during the study, only one strategy made a measurable difference: People who got more exercise, vitamin D AND Omega-3 fatty acids saw their cancer risk drop by over 60%! And it didn’t matter whether their exercise was brisk walks, or household chores, like vacuuming, cleaning, and gardening.

And other studies back this up……

For example, a Harvard study found people getting plenty of vitamin D were up to 38% less likely to get cancer. Because “D” inhibits the growth of cancer cells.

Research at Belgium’s Catholic University found the Omega-3s in oily fish stop normal cells from turning cancerous. So, think salmon, lake trout and herring.

Also, research from Australia’s Edith Cowan University shows exercise boosts immunity and reduces inflammation, which can slow or even prevent the growth of tumors.

When you put those 3 things together, the effect is magnified!

So, again the prescription for significantly reducing your cancer risk: Exercise regularly, and eat a diet rich in vitamin D and Omega-3 fatty acids.

When you’re leaving home, how often do you go to the bathroom “just in case” before you leave? Well, experts say it’s a habit we should STOP.

This comes from  Dr. Fei Zang, a pelvic floor therapist. She says, normally, when we have to “go,” it’s because receptors in our bladder have sent signals to our brain, saying our bladder’s “full.”

But when we regularly force ourselves to go – when our bladder’s NOT full – it can desensitize receptors in a way that makes our brain think we need a bathroom break, even if our internal tank is only at half, or even a-quarter, of its capacity. And that often leads to even MORE frequent urges to go.

Ideally, Dr. Zang says, if you can sleep all night without a bathroom visit, that’s a sign of healthy bladder control. And if you’re regularly hydrating throughout the day, it’s fine to go every two or three hours.

But here’s the bottom line: Forcing yourself to pee “just in case” is an unhealthy habit that could lead to bigger problems in the future.

Here’s good news if you’re thinking about your golden years……

Retirement can make you healthier! 

Researchers from the University of Sydney studied the lifestyle habits of over 25-thousand working adults over age 45. They looked at things like their activity level, smoking, diet, alcohol consumption and sleep patterns.

Three years later, when around 11 percent of the participants had retired, they followed up to see how their habits had changed. And it was mostly for the better!

The researchers found that retirees were more active than those who were still working……and they sat less. In fact, on average, retired people got an additional 93 minutes of physical activity each week. They also got more sleep, sat one hour less each day – and women, in particular, were more likely to quit smoking after retirement. 

Why are you so tired today? It could be from all the sugar you ate yesterday!

Because, according to the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, eating a lot of sugar is linked to lighter, more disrupted and less restorative sleep. In fact, the more sugar you eat during the day, the more often you’re going to wake up in the middle of the night.

And even if you don’t fully wake up, the sugar in your system can prevent deep sleep, making you feel exhausted the next day. And the same goes for eating a bunch of refined carbs, like white bread and pastas. Because they turn to sugar in the body and delay the release of the sleep hormone melatonin.

So, the journal scientists suggest we cut back on sugar and refined carbs and get more fiber in our diet. Fiber improves sleep because it digests slowly and keeps blood sugar steady. And a higher fiber intake is associated with more time spent in the deepest, most restorative stage of sleep.

Here are the top germ “hot spots” to avoid according to microbiologist Dr. Kelly Reynolds from the University of Arizona.

First, the absolute dirtiest spots in airports are the touch screens on self check-in kiosks! In fact, a study found the average airport touch screen contains over 200-thousand potentially illness-causing bacteria and fungal cells per square inch…… Which is FOUR TIMES MORE than the average household toilet seat!

Also, beware the reusable bins at the security checkpoint. According to the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, HALF of those bins carry the viruses that cause common colds! And a “significant” number contain dangerous waste matter – due to all the shoes and bags loaded into them, which were recently touching the ground!

Finally, as you’re waiting to board your flight, try to avoid touching chair armrests at the airport gate. Research shows those are on par with public toilet seats when it comes to the amount of illness causing germs they contain. That’s because they get cleaned less frequently than the seats on planes…… and they’re constantly being touched by people who’ve just been eating food, changing diapers, or using the bathroom.