How to Live Longer

"It’s hardly revolutionary to suggest that exercise is good for you, of course. But the fact that people continue to latch on to ever more esoteric minutiae suggests that we continue to undersell its benefits. That might be a data problem, at least in part. It’s famously hard to quantify how much you move in a given day, and early epidemiological studies tended to rely on surveys in which people were asked to estimate how much they exercised. Later studies used cumbersome hip-mounted accelerometers that were seldom worn around the clock. The new study, published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, draws on NHANES data from subjects recruited between 2011 and 2014, the first wave of the study to employ convenient wrist-worn accelerometers that stay on all day and night.

"Sure enough, it turns out that better data yields better predictions. The study zeroed in on 3,600 subjects between the ages of 50 and 80, and tracked them to see who died in the years following their baseline measurements. In addition to physical activity, the subjects were assessed for 14 of the best-known traditional risk factors for mortality: basic demographic information (age, gender, body mass index, race or ethnicity, educational level), lifestyle habits (alcohol consumption, smoking), preexisting medical conditions (diabetes, heart disease, congestive heart failure, stroke, cancer, mobility problems), and self-reported overall health. The best predictors for how to live longer? Physical activity, followed by age, mobility problems, self-assessed health, diabetes, and smoking. Take a moment to let that sink in: how much and how vigorously you move are more important than how old you are as a predictor of the years you’ve got left."

Click on this link for more details.

Eyes: Exercises And UV/Blue Light

Eye Exercises

"So in summary — and you can take this to the bank — eye exercises do not improve your vision, if your problem is nearsightedness, farsightedness, presbyopia, or astigmatism — exactly the set of eye problems that most of us wish we could magically solve. There is no scientific evidence that any eye exercise program will reduce or eliminate the need for glasses."

Click here for the rest of the story.

UV/Blue Light Effects on Eyes

"All things are good in moderation—this extends to the sun as well. We need some UV exposure to attain certain vitamins like Vitamin D.

"In fact, the body naturally has some mechanisms to protect itself against UV damage—generally speaking the sun is good for us. It’s when we accumulate too much UV exposure overtime, overworking the protective system, that UV light becomes dangerous.

"The body naturally breaks down UV light into non-harmful particles in a physiological process called oxidation.

"However, when the system has too much exposure to UV light, it can no longer keep up with the oxidative process and harmful particles called free radicals begin to build up in human cells, causing irreversible damage.

"A damaged cell here and there may not be problematic, but as more and more cells become damaged and more and more free radicals build up within the body, serious biological changes, like cancer, can occur."

"Blue light, the light emitted from electronic screens such as computers, tablets, smartphones, and TVs, ranges between the upper UVB to lower UVA range. While research is still ongoing when it comes to blue light, it is considered to be a part of UV light family and precautions should be taken." (link)

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" - - - blue light can suppress our natural melatonin production, making it hard to sleep if there is increased screen exposure at night. So while the glasses will not protect you from long-term retina damage, and may not safeguard against eye strain, they can be a useful tool for screen use in the evenings." (link)

Mechanical Spinal Pain: Science-Based Management

There are many levels of knowledge in the medical sciences. When it comes to spinal pain, there are multiple causes and multiple treatments available with a wide range of scientific evidence for effectiveness. Assuming the spinal pain is not from psychological issues, tissue other than neuro-musculoskeletal (mechanical), and is not the result of an acute, recent injury, my experience dealing with such patients as a physical therapist informed me that the most effective management has at its "core" (pun intended) the McKenzie Method. This includes a detailed appropriate history and physical evaluation followed by appropriate instruction in lifestyle, movement, posture, and proper active exercise. The use of any passive treatment is not warranted and tends to reinforce the "treatment by others" mindset that is opposite to the patient taking the ACTIVE and responsible role for success (heads-up, chiropractic fans).

Because of the highly individual nature of spinal pain, placing patients in neat experimental and control groups for research studies has produced contradictory results. However, when patients are appropriately chosen, research supports the hypothesis that the McKenzie method was better than manual treatment methods at improving long-term patient pain and disability (link)(link).

This video presents the treatment concepts, with links to more details, including a * Back Pain Self-Assessment Tool

* Disclaimer: Any exercise program addressing spinal pain should only be carried out under qualified individuals with experience using the McKenzie Method.

https://www.amazon.com/Treat-Your-Back-Robin-McKenzie/dp/0987650408/

A Major Health Factor Not Mentioned Enough

Health is a general term with multiple definitions and causative factors. Exercise is mentioned in most conversations regarding health but there is little agreement regarding the best options for achieving its maximum benefits (link). Click on the link below for a brief presentation on what simple but regular exercise can do for your health in one major area:

A Morning Jog Can Reduce Risk Of These Cancers: Study

Is Stretching Part Of Your Exercise Routine?

"Stretching is a pleasant ritual for many people, myself included. It’s simple, it feels good, and we believe — or hope — that it prevents and treats injuries. For many others, athletes and couch potatoes alike, stretching is also a bit of a drag: a duty that weighs on the conscience, one more thing to make time for. And yet they still do it, counting on the benefits.

"Can all these people be barking up the wrong tree? Yes. In fact, stretching is not an important part of fitness and wellness. Stretching’s primary goal — flexibility — does not have any clear value to anyone, not even most elite athletes, let alone the average fitness nut. It’s also easily achieved with other kinds of exercise that are more beneficial for fitness in other ways: strengthening can also improve flexibility.1 Most stretching is simply a waste of time, its reputation completely undeserved."

Click on the link below for more:

Quite A Stretch

Brain Health And Exercise

"What's the most transformative thing that you can do for your brain today? Exercise! says neuroscientist Wendy Suzuki. Get inspired to go to the gym as Suzuki discusses the science of how working out boosts your mood and memory -- and protects your brain against neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's."

Sometimes it is the simpler things one can do that help the most regarding health.

Click on link below:

The Brain-changing benefits of exercise

Exercise And Standing

Both the benefits of exercise and standing are front and center recently regarding improving overall health and longevity. This article sheds more light on the subject.

Exercise vs. Standing? You Probably Need to Do Both

An Alternative to High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

One of the recent trends in exercise is High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT).  While, with caution and knowledge, this is an excellent way to exercise for both health and fitness for athletics, it is not practical, safe and/or convenient for many. An alternative is LISS: low-intensity steady state training.

You don’t need HIIT to get fit. Try this instead.

(mChemist.com)

Every Little Bit Of Activity Helps

Much research on exercise is focused on athletic performance.  However, it appears that, regarding health and longevity, even a few minutes of moderate movement performed several times a day may be quite beneficial.

Those Two-Minute Walk Breaks Add Up

Diet And Exercise Are Not "Alternative" Treatments

"The reason proponents of integrative medicine claim so many non-surgical, non-pharmacological interventions is because, although inflated claims are often made for them, they can actually work, in contrast to the pseudoscientific treatments also 'integrated' into medicine, such as acupuncture, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), and the like."

Diet and exercise versus cancer: A science-based view

Aerobic Exercise And Schizophrenia

"New research further supports the benefits of exercise for mental health, after finding aerobic physical activity could help treat the symptoms of schizophrenia."

Schizophrenia symptoms eased with aerobic exercise

Exercise Addiction

"Both men and women are equally likely to have a problematic relationship with exercise, Brewerton says. The primary difference is that women are more likely to have an eating disorder in tandem with their exercise issue. What may have started off as a love of sport or physical activity (what researchers call harmonious passion, when someone’s activity exists in harmony with other areas of their life) ultimately crosses the line into an obsessive passion, characterized by inflexibility in behavior and high levels of commitment, according to a study in the Journal of Behavioral Addiction."

When Exercise Becomes Too Much of a Good Thing

More Evidence Of The Protective Aspects Of Being Physically Fit

"'The advantages of being physically active one’s entire life are crystal clear,' says researcher Per Ladenvall at Salgrenska Academy of the University of Gothenburg."

Being Unfit Nearly as Harmful as Smoking

Fit Body Leads To A Sharp Mind?

A Protein That Moves From Muscle To Brain May Tie Exercise To Memory

Muscle Soreness After Exercise

"The only thing that really helps with muscle soreness is to get in shape and exercise regularly, the researchers say."

I am a retired physical therapist.  I now realize that much of what I used to treat many problems was not based on good research.  I see that there isn't much change.

Should You Exercise if Your Muscles Are Sore?

CrossFit

This is a symptom of a social problem of isolation. I recommend socializing within other secular groups spreading across the world rather than CrossFit: http://www.livestrong.com/art.../545200-the-fall-of-fitness/

The theology of CrossFit

The Value Of Muscle Strengthening Exercises

Regular participation in muscle strengthening activity such as weight or resistance training has many health benefits.

High-Intensity Interval Training Not A Panacea

High-Intensity Interval Training has benefits, but they are narrow.

The truth about high-intensity interval training

Interval Training Works

"For many of us, the most pressing question about exercise is: How little can I get away with? The answer, according to a sophisticated new study of interval training, may be very, very little. In this new experiment, in fact, 60 seconds of strenuous exertion proved to be as successful at improving health and fitness as three-quarters of an hour of moderate exercise."

1 Minute of All-Out Exercise May Have Benefits of 45 Minutes of Moderate Exertion

Electrical Stimulation Adds To Exercise Benefits

"The results of these three studies have important health implications and suggest that electro-stimulation can be used as a supplement in overweight and rehabilitative populations, to further induce effective cardiovascular, neuromuscular and muscular strength adaptations to physical exercise."

Electro-Stimulation with Exercise Ups Caloric Burn, Study Says