Month: September 2022

Remember how our mothers used to tell us certain foods were for certain body parts? Well they weren’t wrong! Scientists are proving how our mothers have been right all along (in more ways than one). Well, guess mothers do know best. 

The ageing process takes a toll on our body not just physically but mentally as well. Our memory and cognitive abilities may not be the same as they used to ten years ago. Studies have shown that including certain foods in your diet can prevent cognitive decline. Include the following foods in your daily diet to get the best results are the following:

Green leafy vegetables:

Leafy greens like kale, spinach, collards, and broccoli are full of minerals like vitamin K, lutein, folate, and beta carotene that are good for the brain. These plant-based diets may reduce cognitive decline, according to research.

Fatty Fish:

Fatty fish is a great source for omega-3 acids, studies show that healthy unsaturated fats are linked to lower blood levels of beta-amyloid—the protein that forms damaging clumps in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease.

Berries:

A natural plant pigment called flavonoid not only gives berries their beautiful colour but they also help improve memory. According to a study from Brigham and Women’s Hospital at Harvard, women who eat two or more portions of strawberries and blueberries each week can delay memory loss by up to two-and-a-half-years. 

Tea and coffee:

Your daily cup of coffee or tea may provide benefits beyond just a temporary improvement in focus. Participants in a 2014 study that was published in The Journal of Nutrition performed better on assessments of mental function. According to previous research, caffeine may also aid in the consolidation of fresh memories. Participants were instructed to see a sequence of photographs before taking either a placebo or a 200-milligram caffeine tablet, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University. The next day, more people who had consumed caffeine were able to correctly identify the pictures.

Dark chocolate

Flavonoids, caffeine, and antioxidants are among the brain-boosting ingredients found in dark chocolate and cocoa powder.A dark chocolate bar has a cocoa content of at least 70%. Regular milk chocolate, which contains between 10 and 50% cocoa, does not offer these advantages.A class of antioxidant plant chemicals known as flavonoids.The flavonoids in chocolate concentrate in the parts of the brain that are involved in memory and learning. These substances, according to researchers, may improve memory and prevent age-related mental deterioration.

The conclusion

Numerous foods can support brain health.Antioxidants found in some meals, including the fruits and vegetables on this list, tea, and coffee, assist in preventing brain damage.Others, like nuts and eggs, have nutrients that help with brain and memory development.By deliberately incorporating these items into your diet, you may support the health of your brain and improve your alertness, memory, and mood.

This article will try and convince you that…

 

Exercise doesn’t have to be boring and neither should it feel like a punishment for your body. You have every right to make it fun!

 

Setting short-term, achievable goals is wiser.

 

Tracking your progress and including others in your activities will reap rewards…

 

We get it. It’s not always easy to summon the drive to exercise. If you’re busy, exhausted, or suffering from aches and pains, exercising may be the last thing you wish to do. The young and old suffer from mustering the motivation to exercise alike BUT there are steps you can take to make it fun and easy for you to at least get started.

Picture Caption: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), older men and women—even those with arthritis and other chronic conditions—can benefit from regular exercise. 

Here are 5 tips for you to get started with exercise…

1. Exercise HAS to be fun: 

We understand. Walking on the treadmill or peddling the gym bike every day can get boring. Our advice is to mix it up. The treadmill and gym bike do have their advantages but try changing your routine every now and then. Some alternatives to consider can be…

1. i) Taking a Zumba or dance class with a friend
2. ii) Walking a natural trail while taking plenty of pictures for your friends and family

iii) Strolling around the mall while window shopping

1. iv) Riding a bike around town
2. v) Or taking your dog or a friend’s dog out for a walk (pets are often the best companions)

 

2. Invite Company

A 2018 study found that people who regularly walked with friends were more likely to keep at it than those who walked alone. Working out with a partner isn’t just fun; it can also help you stay committed. You can even do ‘virtual workouts’ by setting up your phone or laptop on a table and workout with your friends without leaving the comfort of your house.

3. Visualise a happier, stronger you

Let’s be honest. You did make a little progress with that one exercise session that you did. Imagine where you would be if you stayed consistent. Visualisation, a simple yet powerful technique, can help you draw on your inner motivation. 

4. Set Manageable Goals

When you feel a boost of motivation it’s easy to set unrealistic expectations from yourself. Curtail the urge to do so. Set short term, manageable goals that you can start by ticking off easily. Getting from no activity to 30-minutes of exercise every day may sound great but may not always be achievable. Make sure you set specific objectives. For example, make a commitment to walk rather than ride the elevator during the week. Or make a commitment to walking for 10 minutes every day. 

5. Track Your Progress

We live in a world where everything is getting ‘smart’ so you should by no means limit yourself. You have already made the right choice as you have Longlive’s SmartWatch around your wrist. SmartWatches track your progress for you automatically without you having to worry about noting them down in a journal. When you see you were able to hit the small goals you made for yourself, you will only be spurred on to go the full mile. 

Remember to reward yourself every time you hit your goals!

 

Read on if you are looking for…

Reasons backed by scientific research to spend time in nature

Evidence that spending time in nature can do wonders for your mental health

Proof that an hour spent in nature can help the mind cope with stress

We are sure you have often been told to take a walk in the park to deal with stress. It almost sounds like a cliche. We can understand how you believe the stress won’t go away unless the external factors that are upsetting your mind subside, such as waiting on the outcome of a job interview, or the stress resulting from a tight financial situation or the loss of a loved one. However, findings from a new study by the Lise Meitner Group for Environmental Neuroscience at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, published in Molecular Psychiatry, suggest a one-hour walk in nature has been discovered to reduce primary stress in the brain, which is significantly helpful for mental health. 

Living in a metropolitan area is a well-known risk factor for getting a mental disease, while being close to nature is mostly helpful for psychological health and the brain. Studies have indicated that persons who reside in rural settings have lower levels of amygdala(this part of the brain is responsible for memory, emotional responses and decision-making) activation in response to stress than people who live in urban areas, suggesting that exposure to nature may have positive health effects.

The Lise Meitner Group for Environmental Neuroscience used functional magnetic resonance imaging to compare the brain activity of 63 healthy volunteers before and after they took a one-hour walk in Grunewald Forest or a shopping district with traffic in Berlin (fMRI). The study found that after the stroll in nature, activation in the amygdala decreased, suggesting that time spent in nature has a positive effect on the brain’s stress centres. Scientists demonstrate that even a short exposure to nature, such as a stroll of an hour, might have a beneficial effect on stress-processing brain regions. This helps us comprehend the ways in which our everyday surroundings have an impact on our cognitive and emotional well-being.

Doing things like taking a stroll in the woods can help protect you from developing mental health issues and mitigate the negative effects of urban living. Considering the current rate of urbanisation, these findings may prompt planners to prioritise the development of easily accessible green spaces and the modification of urban surroundings in ways that are favourable to the mental health of city dwellers. Based on these findings we recommend you to spend an hour in parks and green spaces close to you every now and then to help your state of being.

These findings provide support for the idea that getting out into nature for a walk can have beneficial effects on areas of the brain associated with stress, suggesting that this practice may serve as a protective measure against both mental stress, and consequently other common diseases.

When it comes to telling if you have diabetes, no individual is the same…

The symptoms you experience won’t exactly match those of another person…

However, knowing the most common early signs of diabetes will enable you to take action sooner, providing better chances of preventing diabetes-related complications….

According to WHO, about 422 million people worldwide have diabetes, and 1.5 million deaths are directly attributed to diabetes each year. https://www.who.int/health-topics/diabetes#tab=tab_1

Most early signs and symptoms of diabetes are caused by higher-than-normal blood sugar levels. Symptoms of type 2 diabetes often develop slowly and go unnoticed. In contrast, type 1 diabetes usually presents itself in a matter of days or a few weeks, with more severe symptoms.

Are you aware of the early signs for both types of diabetes?

Watch out for the following 6 early signs:

1. FEELING HUNGRIER & MORE TIRED THAN USUAL:

Your body makes glucose from food to give you energy. This glucose passes from your blood into your body cells with the help of a hormone called insulin. With insufficient or no insulin, the glucose can’t get into your cells, making you feel hungrier and more fatigued.

2. BEING REALLY THIRSTY & URINATING OFTEN:

Healthy individuals usually have to pee between four and seven times in 24 hours. With diabetes, you may have to go a lot more. Your body tries to lower blood sugar levels by flushing out the extra sugar in your blood. More urine is made, while fluids are taken up. So alongside frequent urination, you experience increased thirst.

3. LOSING WEIGHT WITHOUT TRYING:

When the sugar in your blood can’t get into your cells, your body tries to break down its fat stores for energy. That is why you might find that you are losing weight without really trying to.

4. HAVING TROUBLE WITH BLURRED VISION:

The changing fluid levels in your body make the lenses in your eyes swell up. They change shape and can’t focus, making it harder to see.

5. CUTS AND BRUISES TAKE LONGER TO HEAL:

High blood sugar levels can limit nutrients and oxygen from getting to your wounds. You might find that they heal slowly and may also get infected.

6. DRY MOUTH & ITCHY SKIN:

When your body is using fluids to make more urine, you could get dehydrated. Your mouth may feel dry. Less moisture for your skin can also make you itchy.

Talk to your doctor if you feel very unwell or have any symptoms of diabetes.