More and more good news keeps coming out about boosting brain health for seniors.

I think it also applies to the rest of us, which is why I pass this information along to you.

Our brains are capable of superior performance even into the 10th decade and beyond!

If the brain remains healthy and free from disease, it can continue to function normally for as long as we live.

What can you do for your mental and physical health to promote a healthy brain?

The answers will, I hope, not be much of a surprise!

1. Exercise.

Neuroscientists recommend swimming, dancing, gardening, knitting and more frequent use of the nondominant hand and leg, and walking 10,000 steps on a daily basis.

In one study it’s suggested that aerobic exercise is the key to lowering the odds of getting Alzheimer’s by 60%. A daily 20 minute walk can cut the risk of having a stroke by 57%.

Think of exercise as fertilizer for your brain!

2. Mental activity.

Use your brain to keep it healthy. How? Play board games, do crossword puzzles, learn a second language, read, take a class and acquire new skills.

3. Healthy diet.

Balanced nutrition is essential for brain health. Emphasize fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts and decrease added sugar. Water is also essential for nervous system electrical transmissions that will keep your brain functional.

There you have it. Maybe nothing new, but a good gentle reminder.

If you’re lacking in these three areas, get with the program now. It’s never too late to give your brain cells a boost!

shelli

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my newsletter.
 
It's the internet's most popular menopause health and success newsletter, and you'll also be able to download my special report, "Seven Simple Strategies you can use TODAY for Optimizing Your Health during Menopause!" Thanks for visiting!

Swimming, swimming, in the swimming pool. When days are hot, when days are cold, in the swimming pool. Do you remember that children’s tune?

I can talk about the virtues of swimming all day long because I LOVE to swim.

Many of you who have known me for a few years might remember that I even became lifeguard certified! You might also recall that it was one of the hardest things I ever took on. I also taught water aerobics at a community college and it was a blast.

But enough about me. Let’s talk about YOU and swimming.

Training in the water is a great way to take care of building that essential core strength.

The muscles of your torso stabilize your spine and provide a foundation for all movements. Since water is gentle on your body and it offers natural resistance, it’s a great environment to train in.

Before doing these movements warm up for 5-10 minutes. For this you can walk in the shallow end of the pool. These moves will require water dumbbells and a noodle.

Remember to breathe as you perform these exercises. Perform the movements slowly and make sure you feel the muscles you are targeting actually doing the work. Using the natural resistance of the water, you can make these moves as easy or as hard as you’d like.

1. Abdominal Rolls: Lie face up in the water holding a dumbbell in each hand. Stretch your arms out to your sides and extend your legs. Pull your knees to your chest. As you do this, roll onto your stomach. Now from your lying face down position, pull knees to your chest and roll again. Perform 8-12 reps of this (one rep includes a back and front position).

2. Reverse Crunch: Place one dumbbell under each knee as you lie on your back. Place your noodle under your arms, across your upper back. You are now in the crunch position. Extend your legs and bring them back in. Remember to breathe. Perform 8-12 reps.

3. Deep Water Walking: Hold one dumbbell in each hand, legs directly under your body. Walk your legs under water. Keep walking your legs. Remember, you are in deep water so your legs are not touching the bottom of the pool. Walk slowly or speed up. Start with 30 seconds at a time and work up to one minute.

4. Oblique Side-Lying Flutter Kicks: Holding the dumbbells, lie on one side with good alignment, and flutter kick for a count of 8 to one side. Switch sides and flutter kick for 8 beats on the opposite side. Move back and forth a few times on each side.

So enjoy the water and let me know how you like working with these moves.

shelli

Do you have bat wings?

A woman recently asked me, “How do I get rid of my bat wings?” I didn’t want to laugh but I swear I had no idea what she meant.

Then when she showed me her arms I got it.

It’s the skin that wiggles underneath our triceps!

Want an idea for tightening tricep wiggle?

I read a study that showed that 85% of women who massaged their skin with rosemary oil found it appeared tighter.

That’s because stimulating compounds in rosemary oil increase circulation in muscles and skin, creating a firmer appearance. It usually takes a few weeks for the difference to show.

Rosemary essential oil also contains antioxidants such as carnosic acid and rosmarinic acid, which help repair and safeguard collagen for firmer skin.

To make a lotion, mix 3 drops of rosemary oil into your body moisturizer and massage into your arms (or any other area you want) daily.

Of course there’s always tricep dips and other strength training you can do, but when I gave her this idea for using rosemary oil, she was thrilled.

Try it and see what you think!

shelli

This week I have a fun article for you. I may be dating myself a bit, but so what!

Here are MOVIE MUSIC ideas to MOVE to!

I love to dance. I must admit that I dance around the house when no one is looking and sometimes even when people are looking! My dog usually runs and hides because it often means I’ll pick him up and do the lindy hop with him. Just when I can see he’s getting nauseous, I put him down again.

Where was I? Yes, movie music!

So here’s my list of some great movie soundtracks to sing and dance along with.

1. Saturday Night Fever. Disco Inferno from the 70’s, what fun. How can you not get up and dance to “Stayin’ Alive” or “More Than A Woman”?

2. Footloose. Dance with Kevin Bacon to “Let’s Hear It For The Boy”.

3. American Graffiti. “Party Doll” and “All Summer Long” make me remember how much fun drive-in movies were.

4. Dirty Dancing. Patrick Swayze as a dance instructor? Sign me up! “I’ve Had The Time of My Life” always makes me get up and dance and sing at the top of my lungs.

5. The Big Chill. How can you not love Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson and my personal favorite, ARETHA! I’ve often written about how I love to workout as long as Aretha keeps me company!

6. When Harry Met Sally. Harry Connick, Jr. croons his big band numbers which provide a nice dancing cool down period in between all the wild and crazy disco dancing.

7. Grease. No song from the soundtrack gets left out when you want to have fun dancing. You can start by using “Hopelessly Devoted To You” as a warm-up and end with a heart pumping “You’re The One That I Want”.

Do you have any soundtracks that you’d suggest??? Let me know and I’ll pass them along.

And, if anyone out there has the technology to make a copy of these songs on a dance CD and sends it to me, I’ll gladly gift them a copy of one of my products.

shelli

What’s almost as good as an outdoor alpine climb for losing weight?

How about omega-3’s?

I read that due to factors such as chronic stress, age-related hormonal fluctuations, and exposure to environmental toxins, 65% of American women have low levels of the appetite-suppressing hormone leptin.

That’s a lot of women!

It’s relatively easy to correct.

Just consume more omega-3 fatty acids. These healthy fats elevate leptin levels and increase the body’s sensitivity to it. Consume three daily servings of omega-3 rich foods like salmon, tuna, sardines, walnuts, chia seeds and flaxseed oil.

Keeping your leptin levels in a healthy fat burning range is important whether you’re losing weight or maintaining a healthy weight.

shelli

I’ve been noticing that more and more gizmos, online tools and fitness books are coming on the market to help people exercise and get fitness results. However, you’d get a huge bang for the buck (actually forget the bucks), if you used your MIND as an exercise and fitness tool.

Your thoughts control everything from how fully your muscles contract to how difficult an exercise feels. You must use your mind to get the best and quickest results from your efforts.

Here’s how!

1. Are you working on your abs or core strength? Set a difficult goal.

You may just achieve more than you thought possible. In study after study on human performance, people who aim for a specific goal significantly outperform those who just aimed to do the best they could. People generally underestimate their own abilities. Aiming high allows you to push past your own perceptions.

2. Do you ever get bored, particularly when you do cardio exercise?

Many people tend to focus on boredom, fatigue or discomfort while they do their cardio routines. That usually leads to those sensations feeling even worse!

Instead, try focusing on unrelated thoughts.

I read about one study where researchers instructed one group to try and recall the names of every teacher they’d had since kindergarten while cycling for 15 minutes. Another group was told to focus on their exertion level. The name game group found their routine to be at least 10% easier.

3. Do you get tired or discouraged while doing your strength training?

While staying focused on what you’re doing, try filling your mind with affirmations. Make up some of your own or use ones like “I can feel my muscles growing.” Positive thinking lowers levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Also, motivational self-talk boosts performance.

4. What do you use your mind for when you’re waiting on line or generally waiting for something or someone?

You can use your mind and imagine yourself doing a push-up, for instance.

Picturing an action activates the nerves that make muscles move and triggers an actual contraction. Please read that again, because it’s a very crucial point in understanding just how important your mind actually is in what you can accomplish.

Studies have shown that people who practiced exercise visualization for 5 minutes a day were able to increase their muscle strength by 35% in 12 weeks, without ever stepping into a gym.

Of course, don’t forget to use visualization when you ACTUALLY exercise! Always imagine yourself using proper form as you move.

5. As you complete your chores, what do you think about?

Try thinking about the muscles you use to do daily chores.

Carrying things up and down stairs, for instance, works your quadriceps, butt muscles and hamstrings. Again, concentration strengthens the neurological connection between the brain and the muscles, prompting the body to use up to 30% more muscle fibers during a movement. This added muscle action helps speed muscle growth while increasing caloric expenditure. That’s a GOOD thing!

So remember that your mind is not only an incredible tool in your health and fitness journey but it’s free and accessible to you ALL the time!

shelli

Want three ways to hedge against dementia?

Who doesn’t, right?

Three studies presented in July at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference pointed towards exercise, tea consumption, and vitamin D as promising to keep dementia at bay.

1. Those who engage in moderate to heavy levels of physical activity have a lower risk of developing any type of dementia. How much lower? About a 40% lower risk.

2. Studies have been done examining the relationship between tea consumption and change in cognitive function over time. Researchers found that people who consume tea had significantly less cognitive decline, between 17-37%, than those who were not tea drinkers. The greatest benefit accrues when you drink tea 1-4 times per week.

3. Researchers find that the odds of cognitive impairment were about 42% higher in people who are deficient in vitamin D. If you’re severely deficient, the odds jump way up to 394%. That’s a scary finding!

I recently had my vitamin D levels checked, so I’m OK in that respect.

And I don’t know about you, but after I finish writing this article I’m going out for an invigorating walk and after that I’ll make a nice cup of tea!

shelli

“Sure, I know I should be working out, but I just can’t find the time”.

I hear it all the time.

How about 15 minutes a week, though?

Don’t tell me you can’t find 15 minutes a week!

How about if I only gave you TWO exercises to do?

OK, here we go.

The PLANK is, in my book, a fantastic whole body exercise.

If you’ve taken a Yoga class, or worked one on one with a trainer, or hung out with me for any length of time, you’re familiar with the PLANK.

Here’s how to do it.

Kneel on your hands and knees. Move into the PLANK position by extending your legs backward and reaching forward through the crown of your head, similar to if you were doing push-ups.

Keep your shoulders relaxed and away from your ears, and keep your hips up. Don’t allow your back to cave downward.

Hold yourself up, palms flat on the floor, arms extended, up to 90 seconds.

Remember to breathe.

If you have wrist issues and flat palms don’t work for you, bend your arms so you’re supported from your elbows and forearms. There are many variations on the plank, but start here.

WALL SITTING looks much easier than it is.

The WALL SIT works your legs, and strengthens your abs and back as you press your back into the wall.

Here’s how to do it.

Press your back against a wall. Walk your feet away from the wall and then slide your back down the wall until your knees form ninety-degree angles. Hold up to 90 seconds. Remember to breathe.

Do these two 90 second exercises as a set 5 days a week and you’ll have your 15 minutes!!

Enjoy,

shelli

Here’s a question I get asked at least once a week.

Are whole eggs or egg whites better for me?

I was staying with a friend recently and she started to make breakfast. I went over to see what she was cooking and saw she was getting ready to fix some eggs.

Much to my surprise I noticed she was cracking the eggs open and separating the egg whites into a bowl and throwing out the yolks.

I asked her why she was throwing out the yolks. Here’s what she said, “I thought the egg yolks were bad for you because of the cholesterol and fat in them.”

Fair enough. I know there’s a lot of information out there that would lead her to reply like this, HOWEVER…..

The yolk is where all the NUTRITION is!

This is a great example of how confused most people are about nutrition.

Most people now think that the egg yolk is the worst part of the egg, when in fact, the YOLK IS THE HEALTHIEST PART OF THE EGG!

Does this sound like you?

By throwing out the yolk and only eating egg whites, you’re essentially throwing out the most nutrient dense, antioxidant-rich, vitamin and mineral loaded portion of the egg.

Egg yolks contain B-vitamins, minerals, vitamin A, folate, choline, lutein, and many other nutrients as well.

In fact, the egg whites are almost devoid of nutrition compared to the yolks.

Even the protein in egg whites isn’t as powerful without the yolks to balance out the amino acid profile and make the protein more bio-available.

And if you eat egg yolks from free range chickens, they’ll be loaded with healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

Yolks contain more than 90% of the calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, thiamin, B6, folate, and B12 of the egg. In addition, the yolks contain ALL the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K in the egg, as well as ALL of the essential fatty acids (EFAs).

The most common objection I hear, even when people know about the nutritive value in the yolks, is “But I heard that whole eggs will send my cholesterol levels through the roof!”

This is actually FALSE.

First of all, when you eat a food that contains a high amount of dietary cholesterol such as eggs, your body down-regulates its internal production of cholesterol to balance things out.

And, if you don’t eat enough cholesterol, your body simply produces more, because cholesterol has dozens of important vital functions in the body.

Lately, there have been studies indicating that eating whole eggs actually raises your good HDL cholesterol to a higher degree than LDL cholesterol, thereby improving your overall cholesterol ratio and blood chemistry.

And please remember that high cholesterol is NOT a disease!

Heart disease is a disease, but high cholesterol is NOT.

Cholesterol is actually a VERY important substance in your body. It is WRONG to try to “lower your cholesterol” just because it’s in the best interest of pharmaceutical companies for everyone on the planet to be on statin drugs.

If you’re interested in the topic of cholesterol specifically, I wrote a much more in depth article for my Joyinmovement newsletter. Go to www.joyinmovement.com and look under the link for newsletters. You’ll see it in the archive.

Getting back to the nutritive value of egg yolks, yolks contain the antioxidant lutein, as well as other antioxidants. Antioxidants help protect you from inflammation within your body (which is the REAL culprit in heart disease, not dietary cholesterol), giving you yet another reason why the yolks are actually GOOD for you.

Need more proof that whole eggs are better for you than egg whites?

I recently read a University of Connecticut study that showed that a group of men in the study that ate 3 eggs per day for 12 weeks while on a reduced carb, higher fat diet increased their HDL good cholesterol by 20%, while their LDL bad cholesterol stayed the same during the study.

However, the group that ate egg substitutes (egg whites) saw no change in either and did not see the improvement in good cholesterol (remember that higher HDL levels are associated with lower risk of heart disease).

Whole eggs are not a “bad” food that will wreck your body. They are FAR superior to egg whites.

Some people ask about the extra calories in the yolks.

I see this as a non-issue.

Even though egg yolks contain more calories than just eating the egg whites, the yolks are so dense with good nutritional value in those calories.

This helps you regulate your appetite for the remainder of the day, so you end up eating less calories overall.

In addition, the healthy fats in the egg yolks help to maintain a good level of fat-burning hormones in your body.

Overall, this means that the extra fats (healthy fats) and calories from the yolk are so nutrient-dense that they actually HELP you to burn off body fat!

Make sure to eat organic free range eggs from healthier chickens. These have the highest nutrient value.

This is due to the fact that a free-roaming hen allowed to roam on plenty of land will eat a variety of greens, insects, and worms transferring MUCH higher levels of nutrients to the eggs compared to an unhealthy hen that is trapped inside a dark factory farm hen house in horrible conditions and fed nothing but piles of corn and soy. It’s a DRASTIC difference in the nutrition that you get from the egg.

So next time a health or fitness professional tells you that egg whites are superior, you can quietly ignore their advice knowing that you now understand the REAL deal about egg yolks.

And can we all please STOP with this silliness about eating an omelete with 4-5 egg whites and only 1 egg yolk. If we want real taste and real health benefits, we’d all be better off eating ALL of our eggs with the yolks.

After all, do you REALLY think that our ancestors thousands of years ago threw out the yolks and only ate the egg whites?

NOT A CHANCE!

They intuitively knew that all of the nutrition was found in the yolks. Unfortunately, our modern society has been brainwashed with misinformation about fats and cholesterol.

I personally eat whole eggs almost every day. I recently had a check-up and all my blood work done and I’m fit, trim and healthy as can be, so enjoy your eggs and let me know if you have any creative new egg recipes and I’ll pass them along!

shelli

Did you know that there are effective ways to burn up to 300 more calories every day by eating certain foods?

For some of you this may sound strange, although I’m guessing
many of you have either heard or read something to this effect but didn’t really know what it meant.