FitSugar

Maybe Not the Best Choice of Words

GiggleSugar — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 07:00:16 PDT

Let's put aside for a moment the fact that this ad seems to make light of a very serious problem. Because even if this service did work, is making someone who has memory loss forget something really that much of an accomplishment?

Source

Babysugar Diaries: Pregnant Brain Is in Full Effect

babysugar — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 10:00:12 PDT

I have always been a wealth of information on past events in my circle of friends. I can remember names and faces of random acquaintances and happenings from our early years. Two years ago, however, my memory began failing me about the same time my belly began to grow a baby.

When scientists came out with a study proving that pregnant women experience more memory loss than a typical person, I was relieved. Unfortunately, I am going through the same process this time around. Instead of recalling my favorite honeymoon restaurant, my brain works over time to store information on preschools, grocery lists, and doctor's appointments.

I am wondering where this will leave me in another six months. Will I have half the memory I once had? In the meantime, I am using it to my advantage. Last night I "forgot" to make a delicious dinner for my family and had to order take–out.
Source

Study Reports Maternity Memory Loss

babysugar — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 06:00:27 PST

A while back I wrote about having mush brain when I was pregnant. Now there is scientific evidence to show I wasn't alone.

A new Australian study published in the Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, found that pregnant women experience memory loss during pregnancy and it often lingers after the birth.

To learn about the researchers' findings,

read more. One of the Australian researchers behind the study, Dr. Julie Henry said:

What we found is that memory tasks which are more challenging or more novel, or those that would require multitasking -- these types of tasks are likely to be disrupted. For example, a pregnant woman is more likely to forget a new telephone number, but she is able to recall a number she has dialed many times before.

While the researchers don't know what causes the lapse in memory, there are a few theories. One is that pregnant or new mamas are typically dealing with a significant hormonal change. Some believe it's the lack of sleep that expectant women and new mums experience. Others question whether the new lifestyle has caused the brain's focus to shift. The study evaluated 14 reports that measured the memory performance of more than 1,000 women – mothers, pregnant women and non–pregnant women from various countries and cultures. Source

Coffee Round Up

FitSugar — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 02:00:00 PDT

Caffeine and my favorite method of loading up with caffeine, coffee, have been in the news a lot recently. So I thought I should review a few reasons why NOT to give up the bean.

I know that eye twitches really work your nerves, so when I saw this headline I knew I had to share it. Drinking coffee may prevent eyelid twitch. Pretty cool to know that drinking a regular cup of joe regularly can prevent the eye twitching condition know in medical circles as "blepharospasm." If you already have chronic eye twitches downing java will not create a cure, coffee is merely a preventative measure. Since this study is Italian, maybe we should all celebrate with an espresso!

A recent French study found that drinking three or more daily cups of coffee or tea may help women preserve their memory. Participants in the study took several tests over the course of four years. The women who stated they drank at least three cups of coffee or tea per day showed less of a drop in test scores during the study, than their non-caffeine drinking counterparts. So let's celebrate with a cafe au lait!

Other coffee news that might perk you up:
Coffee and working out may help prevent skin cancer
Coffee may decrease your chances of developing liver cancer
Coffee may help ease post workout pain

Relax Already: Chronic Worrying Can Lead to Memory Loss

FitSugar — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 02:00:00 PDT

If you feel like a stress case now, I just want to let you know that it could affect how well your memory functions in your future. Not that I want to add to your worries, I just provide another reason why it is important to keep your attitude in check.

A recent study followed 1,256 men and women, all who were nearly 77 years old for over 12 years. Participants received medical and mental evaluations annually. Those participants with the highest degree of psychological distress (negative emotions) were about 42% more likely to develop mild cognitive impairment. The impairment was not severe enough to be diagnosed as dementia, but marked enough to be noticed and labeled "develop mild cognitive impairment." The connection between stress and memory was more marked in men than women, although the reasons for the difference remain unclear.

Since people's basic tendency toward negative emotions doesn't shift drastically over short periods of time, it is good to start cultivating a positive attitude and learning techniques for dealing with stress. If you are looking for some ideas on how to relax, here are a few different ideas for you to check out.

The Vow: Channing Tatum Is More Memorable Than the Romance

Becky Kirsch — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:30:00 PST

It's no accident that The Vow's release date coincides almost perfectly with Valentine's Day. The film promises the kind of epic love story that many of us, like it or not, are more amenable to getting swept up in at this time of year: a man tries to make his wife fall in love with him again after a horrific accident leaves her with no memory of the last four years, or of him. Channing Tatum is endearing as Leo and though he has chemistry with Rachel McAdams's Paige, it almost goes to waste due to the film's lack of focus and uneven plot.

For starters, having a stranger for a husband is just the beginning of Paige's problems. Sometime in the four years she's lost, she went from being a preppy law student to a free-spirited artist. Naturally, when she wakes up, she wants an explanation for why she doesn't talk to her family anymore, what happened to her pretty boy fiancé (Scott Speedman), and why her hair is so "weird." It's understandable that she's a little different from who she used to be, but a complete life transformation is a bit hard to swallow - both for Paige, and for the audience.

To see why The Vow may not be the love story you're expecting, just

read more. Watching Tatum and McAdams play off each other is what keeps the movie engaging, and Tatum is particularly sympathetic. Though Paige is the one who has suffered the trauma, it's even more difficult to watch Leo quietly suffer as the love of his life continues to slip away in favor of the life she actually remembers. Leo represents a life that the new Paige is enticed by but can't imagine: he's goofy, laid-back, and immensely committed to her. But Paige can't come to terms with a life she doesn't feel part of, and instead reverts back to her former self. The sincerity and sweetness that Tatum brings to Leo are reflected in flashbacks of his life with Paige and in his current attempts to win her back, but the film isn't the epic romance that it's packaged to be. In fact, it's more depressing than it is joyful; not only are most of the characters in pain throughout the film, but with the exception of Leo, most of them are downright irritating. Paige's family and friends couldn't be more stereotypically conservative, which only makes Paige's decision to stay with them all the more frustrating to watch. As the film goes on, the love story starts to take the backseat to her family issues, and the crux of the film rests on a subplot that's both lame and contrived. The Vow is certainly watchable, thanks to the intrigue of the premise, and the mystery of how Leo and Paige will (inevitably, of course) find their way back to each other. But the film tries too hard to manufacture extra drama out of Paige's memory loss, when all the audience really wants to see is a love story to get swept up in.

Photos courtesy of Sony Pictures

The Couple Who Inspired The Vow

Annie Scudder — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:00:55 PST

Kim and Krickitt Carpenter sold the movie rights to their unforgettable love story back in 1996. But it took until this week for that film, The Vow, to come out. The Carpenters married in September 1993, and less than 10 weeks later, a car accident left them both injured and Krickitt in a coma. Once she woke up, she had no memory of her husband.

Besides the coma and memory loss, The Vow doesn't quite follow the story of Kim (played by Channing Tatum) and Krickitt (played by Rachel McAdams) to the exact details. The real-life couple had met serendipitously over the phone when Kim, a baseball coach living in New Mexico, had called the sport shop Krickitt was working at in Southern California. Hitting it off, they talked for hours on the phone each week, and soon Kim invited Krickitt to visit him in New Mexico. After a whirlwind romance they got married.

The accident soon ended their newlywed bliss, and the couple described life after Krickitt's amnesia in a 1996 People article. "I honestly didn't think our marriage would work," Kim admitted thinking when his wife seemed to be a completely different person, but he said he "made a vow before God" to stick it out. She remembered asking, "'How did I do the wife thing? Did I cook for you? Did I bring you lunch?'" And she told herself, "I figured, if I fell in love with this guy before, I guess I just need to meet him again."

The accident happened in 1993, and on Valentine's Day 1996, Kim proposed again to his wife Krickitt and she accepted. In 2000, they wrote a book about their experience, The Vow: The Kim and Krickitt Carpenter Story. Although she never regained memory of the 18 months she had forgotten after her coma, they stayed together and have two kids, whom they brought to this week's premiere of The Vow. See photos of the Carpenters and their movie star alter egos.

5 Reasons You Need More Sleep

Shape — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 04:14:00 PST

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Shape here on FitSugar.

Whether you admit you need help nodding off or are still in denial about the major suitcases under your eyes, chances are you could use an intervention: a full two-thirds of Americans say they have trouble getting enough shut-eye at least once a week. That’s pretty harrowing, considering that sleep is absolutely essential for health and normal functioning. If you need a reason to hit the sack early read on. You’ll be surprised how much skipped sleep impacts your well-being.

You'll Live Longer
Chronic insomniacs are more likely to suffer a heart attack than those who sleep well, according to new research in the journal Circulation. Other studies have linked lack of sleep to a higher risk of dying from a stroke and developing breast cancer.

See even more benefits of sleep after the break!

Sharpen Your Memory by Shedding Some Pounds, Study Says

Heather Dale — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 00:59:06 PDT

If I were to put my gym membership to good use, I just might not need those ginkgo biloba pills after all. A new study, examining data from 109 bariatric surgery patients and 41 obese control subjects at Cornell Medical College and Weill Columbia University Medical Center, discovered that those who lost weight from surgeries demonstrated improved memory and concentration, moving from the slightly impaired range up to the normal range.

Just another motivational reason to lose some weight, in case you didn't have enough already. But something you may want to consider with your diet and workout plan is that you still need carbs for proper brain functionality, since the brain converts carbohydrates to glucose; and glucose is the brain's fuel.

Research has shown that removing carbs from your diet can sacrifice important brain power - especially your memory.

4 Don'ts For Your Next Breakfast

Leta Shy — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 02:16:35 PST

When it comes to meals, breakfast is the champ. Instead of grabbing a muffin at the coffee shop to fuel your day, give the mealtime the attention it deserves. Here are four don'ts for the most important meal of the day.

Don't skip it: Eating breakfast helps jump-start your metabolism after it slows down during your sleep. Not only that, but eating breakfast is an important tool in maintaining weight loss. So don't wait until lunch to nosh; eat a filling, healthy meal early in the day to keep your energy up, brain on, and weight loss goals in check.

Don't delay: The best time to eat breakfast is within an hour of waking up, so don't delay! Unless, of course, you are working out first, in which case you should make sure you fuel up with a pre-workout snack before you go (read our tips for choosing a pre-workout snack here). Afterward, be sure to eat a protein- and carbohydrate-filled breakfast 30 minutes to two hours after a workout in order to fuel your body the right way.

Read on for more breakfast don'ts.