FitSugar

5 Ways to Improve Your Smarts

Leta Shy — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 03:05:55 PDT

Just because you're well out of school (or at least enjoying the Summer break) doesn't mean you should neglect your noggin. Improving your smarts now will help you out later, whether it's trying to remember your grocery list on the weekend or staying mentally sharp later in life. Feeling foggy-headed? Check out these five lifestyle changes that will make you smarter!

What You Can Learn From NFL Stars

Leta Shy — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 14:00:44 PDT

What's not to love about football season? Burgers on the grill, chips and dip, and all the crudité you can imagine. Oh, and whatever game is on TV. I may not be the hugest football fan, but I have to admire the fitness discipline of professional athletes. Even if you don't know your first-and-tens from your field goals, here are some fitness lessons you can learn from those modern-day gladiators.

Conditioning is important:

varying your workout

Protect that brain: Sporting a helmet on your bike ride is a no-brainer, but don't forget to protect your greatest asset by eating the right kind of brain food, like brazil nuts, avocados, and blueberries.
Teamwork is key: Jocks value the importance of being on a team, so start your own by getting some workout buddies. They're good at motivating you, they can teach you some things, and unlike on a football field, the encouraging butt tap is optional.
The right gear is essential: You may not be sporting a number on your back, but your workout uniform should have you performing at your best. Find what works for you to keep you supported in all the right places, sweat-free, and safer from injuries.
Timing is everything: In football, those last few seconds on the clock can sometimes mean the difference between a Gatorade shower or a dejected march to the locker room. Get that winning feeling the same way by shaving seconds off your personal best or increasing your running time or goal miles.

Source: Flickr User Ed Yourdon

Brain News: Cognitive Decline May Start in Your 20s

FitSugar — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 03:00:00 PDT

If you're in your late 20s and your brain feels a little more sluggish than usual, don't blame your last late-night ANTM TiVo marathon. New research indicates that the cognitive decline once associated with old age begins much earlier than previously thought. It seems that brain function peaks around 22 years and begins to slowly shrink starting around 27 years. After 27 years, abstract reasoning, brain speed, and puzzle-solving all show signs of diminishing function, with the average memory decline beginning around 37 years. All is not lost though; vocabulary and general knowledge skills seem to increase until at least 60. Yay!

Just like you challenge your muscles to increase your strength, playing creative brain games like crossword puzzles and sudoku generates neuron growth and increases brain function. If Brain Age is your guilty pleasure, think of it as flexing your gray matter for exercise. Don't forget that aerobic exercise is good for the brain, too.

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No-Carb Diets Could Crash Your Brain's Memory

FitSugar — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 03:30:00 PST

As far as fad diets go, the low-carbohydrate train has enjoyed a prolonged ride when compared to its more trendy counterparts. Some dieters shun carbs because their bodies respond by shedding pounds, but new research shows they could also be sacrificing some very important brain power.

The brain converts carbohydrates to glucose for proper functionality, and severely restricting carb intake can limit our ability to remember. Nineteen women were put on either a very low-carb diet or the low-calorie diet recommended by the American Dietetic Association, and after just one week the low-carb dieters performed worse on memory-based tasks than the women following the ADA diet.

While low-carb participants consumed almost no carbohydrates during the first week, limited carbs were introduced during the second week and their memories showed improvement with the revised diet. The study's co-author Holly A. Taylor, PhD commented on the bottom line, saying, "Although this study only tracked dieting participants for three weeks, the data suggest that diets can affect more than just weight."

Have you noticed that some diets affect your brain's ability to function properly?

Source

Another Reason to Exercise: It's Keeps You Sharp

FitSugar — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 11:00:00 PDT

A daily dose of aerobic exercise is good for your mind just as much as it is for your heart and waistline.

One of the many downfalls of aging is that our brains become not as sharp as they used to be resulting in forgetting things easily along with the reduced ability to pay attention. Recent research out of the Netherlands has found that aerobics can boost cognitive processing speed, motor function, and visual and auditory attention in older adults. In other words: regular aerobic exercise may actually help keep that brain of yours sharp as a needle well into your golden years.

Looking for ideas? Check out some of my own cardio ideas, sign up for a fun new class, or try out an exercise DVD.

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Drink Cocoa for Your Brain

FitSugar — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 13:05:00 PST

There are so many reasons to enjoy a nice, hot mug of cocoa, and now there are even more.

A recent study found that cocoa increases blood flow to the brain, which means it may be helpful in treating dementia since it is marked by decreased blood flow in the brain.

Cocoa is high in the anti-oxidant known as flavanol, and flavanol promotes
dilation of the arteries. Hence the increase in blood flow to the brain. The wonders of cocoa don't stop there, it has been found to help decrease blood pressure as well. Chocolate companies are positioning themselves to break into the lucrative health food market and Mars announced plans to market a line of products under the name CocoaVia which will be high in flavanols. Looks like Hershey will follow suit and increase flavanols in their dark chocolate products.

Studies will soon be performed on folks with compromised brain function to see if drinking a nice, hot mug of cocoa increases blood flow to their brains as well as the young lasses that participated in the original study.

Your Brain’s Default Setting Is Daydreaming

FitSugar — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 04:00:00 PST

It looks like a wandering mind is the human brain's default setting.

Researchers are unraveling the complexities of the brain and the latest findings show that with no specific task at hand we simply daydream. Not that all the thoughts are of a dream date with McDreamy, they are a little more like "to do" lists. That is why the scientists have labeled this thinking pattern "stimulus-independent thought." How very dry.

So write your "to do" list down so you can spend your daydream time on other more fanciful things.

Source

A Doctor Dishes: Which "Superfoods" Are Worth the Cost?

LearnVest — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:15:00 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart LearnVest story here on Savvy!

Most people you speak to these days are trying to stretch every dollar as far as possible - even the ones they spend buying apples and oranges.

Food prices are expected to increase yet again this year, and food manufacturers are making portions smaller without reducing prices. Not surprisingly, a recent Rasmussen poll found that 93 percent of adults report paying more for groceries now than they did a year ago.

So how can we supercharge our grocery dollars and get them to do overtime for us?

Yes, some foods are obviously a better nutritional deal than others (think apples vs. potato chips), but there’s another class of foods that blows the rest of the field away in terms of nutrients and health-protecting qualities: superfoods.

Superfoods can help prevent diabetes and heart disease, repair damage to your body’s cells, and more. But before you go piling them into your cart, know that some superfoods are better nutritional bargains than others. As a doctor and a mom, I’ve sleuthed out which ones are worth the extra cost in terms of their long-term health benefits. Below is the scoop on which ones may help you age better, ward off cancer, and more.

What to Know Before Buying Superfoods

Before we dive into what to buy, there are a few important things to remember about consuming these foods:

Eating foods fresh and in their natural state, especially fruits and vegetables (rather than in pill or powder supplement form), usually allows us to absorb the greatest amount of their nutrients. The way a superfood is processed or cooked can significantly lower its antioxidant content.
If the superfood can’t be eaten fresh, look for easy and appetizing recipes containing it. No matter how “super” a superfood may be, if you don’t know how to cook it, you’ll probably let it go to waste.

Are Superfoods "Good Buys" If I’m Shopping on a Budget?

Read on to find out.

Reese Witherspoon Works Out Just to Stay Healthy

Jenny Sugar — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:43:11 PST

At 36, Reese Witherspoon always looks amazing. Strong, sculpted, lean, yet feminine. How does Reese do it? She told Us Weekly:

"I work out all the time anyway just to stay healthy. I don't believe in crash dieting or anything like that."

From yoga sessions to running, this Oscar-winning actress loves to get her sweat on. Regular exercise offers a slew of health benefits, including improved sleep, increased energy and brain function, a happier mood, a stronger immune system, and prevention of health issues like heart disease and diabetes. But not everyone loves exercise, and some just use it as a weight-loss tool. What about you?

5 Surprising Health Benefits of Being a Sports Fan

Prevention — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 04:19:15 PST

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Prevention here on FitSugar!

By Cristina Goyanes, Prevention

It’s no wonder your friends aren’t available to hang out on Sundays in the Fall and Winter - according to a 2005 Gallup Poll, 64 percent of Americans claim to be professional football fans, and as of 2010, women make up 44 percent of the NFL fan base.

Being a sports fan doesn’t mean you’re expected to know all the players and stats of your hometown teams and destined for a beer gut - it’s about coming together in the name of good times as part of a community.

“Bonding over sports - the highs and lows of the game - strengthens ties, helps us feel supported, and makes it easier for you to open up about personal things,” says Renee Clauselle, PsyD, who runs a private psychology practice in Long Island, NY.

Seventeen Unexpected Side Effects of Exercise

Rooting for the same team creates an immediate sense of family, says Daniel Wann, PhD, a Murray State University professor who has been studying the psychology of sports fans for over 20 years. “If you identify with a local team, you build an instant connection to others around you,” he says.

Beyond the bonding aspects, watching sports can motivate you to pump up your own workouts - and even burn a few extra calories when you jump, cheer, and clap during the highlights of the game. Find out more ways being a sports fan is a winning situation for your health.

Keep reading to learn how being a sports fan benefits your health.