SMWI*: Now if this doesn’t get you off the couch…

June 8, 2013June 8, 2013 ~ Live & Learn ~ 16 Comments

Source: nbcnews.com. May 17, 2013. Excerpts from new research in a study on more than 17,000 men:

Fitness can protect you from cancer — even 20 or more years down the road
Men who were the most fit in middle age were the least likely to die a quarter century later even if they were unlucky enough to get cancer
Men who were the most fit at age 50 back in the 1970s were the least likely to develop lung or colon cancer 20 to 25 years later
Men who did get lung, colon or prostate cancer, the fitter they were in their early 50s, the less likely they were to die of it.
Two things you can’t change are your genes and your age,’ she said. “But you can get more fit.
This important study establishes cardiorespiratory fitness as an independent and strong predictor of cancer risk and prognosis in men
These results indicate that people can reduce their risk of cancer with relatively small lifestyle changes.”
Many studies have shown that exercise lowers the risk of cancer, but this one is one of the first to show it can also reduce the risk of dying from cancer.

When it comes, I’ll be fine, calm.

March 14, 2013 ~ Live & Learn ~ 15 Comments

“My doctor told me that I’m old, fat, and ugly, but none of those things is going to kill me immediately,” he told me shortly before his 72nd birthday. “The actuaries say I have six to eight years. The best tables give me 10. Three thousand days, more or less.” I asked if he is afraid to die. “Because of my hemophilia, I’ve been prepared to face death all of my life. As a boy I spent a lot of time in hospitals. My parents had to leave at the end of visiting hours, and I spent a lot of time just lying there in the dark, thinking about the fact that any accident could be dangerous or even fatal. So I’m ready. Everybody fears the unknown. But I have a strong feeling there’s something bigger than us. I don’t think all this exists because some rocks happened to collide. I’m at peace. When it comes, I’ll be fine, calm. I’ll miss life, though. Especially my family.”

~ Roger Ailles, 72, Founder and Head of Fox News, in Vanity Fair

Whether one is far right, passionate left or in the center, we are not so different at our core. We face our daily struggles. We love our family. We’d give anything for another ten years…Life is good. Have a good day…

Image Credit: EveryThing All Around Me

SuperFoods?

March 14, 2013 ~ Live & Learn ~ 26 Comments

Steve Layman’s post on this book published in 2006 peaked my interest. (NY Times Bestseller. Where have I been? How could I have missed this?)

Here’s an excerpt from Steve’s post: “The foods you eat every day, from the fast food you mindlessly consume to the best meals you savor in a top restaurant, are doing much more than making you fat or thin. Their effects on your body are making the difference between the development of chronic disease and a vigorous extended life. They can prevent or greatly reduce your risk of vision problems, stroke, heart disease, diabetes and a host of killers. These are not just vague promises; they are facts that are now supported by an impressive and irrefutable body of research.”

What are the 14 “Superfoods”? Hit this link to see the complete list. (You have to question the veracity of this story given the omission of chocolate chip cookies, pistachio ice cream and smoked & salted almonds.)

30% of U.S. Workers Get < 6 Hours of Sleep A Night.

August 6, 2012August 5, 2012 ~ Live & Learn ~ 23 Comments

These statistics are shocking. And here I thought I was in a minority class…

“A growing number of Americans don’t get enough sleep, thanks to higher stress and other factors”

“Some 20% of automobile accidents come as the result of drowsy drivers”

“U.S. military researchers, meanwhile, have concluded that sleeplessness is one of the leading causes of friendly fire.”

“Technology was making the world smaller by the day; the global economy blurred the lines between one day and the next, and things like time and place were supposed to be growing ever less important in the always-on workplace”

“74%: People who drink a caffeinated beverage on an average weekday”

“13%: People who drink more than six caffeinated beverages on an average weekday”

“Researchers are increasingly finding that lack of sleep is terrible for our health. Sleeplessness has been linked to increased rates of heart disease, obesity, stroke and even certain cancers. The exact reasons for these effects are still largely unknown, but give support to the theory that sleep is the time when our bodies naturally repair themselves on a cellular level.”

Continue reading “30% of U.S. Workers Get < 6 Hours of Sleep A Night.” →