Don't stop exercising, old boy!

Exercising in your 70s may stop your brain from shrinking and showing the signs of ageing linked to dementia, say experts from Edinburgh University.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-20026099

Obesity hastens brain decline

Always interested on physical health and how this impacts on our minds, here's an article about how a muffin top may be linked to dementia in later life….

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19323061

Long beach and sand dune run

This 5 mile run cleared my head and helped my knotted shoulders relax.

Extremely enjoyable with flora and fauna bouncing around like a Disney film.

This little fella was smaller than my little finger nail.

Shame about the power station....

View Blue Lagoon run in a larger map

Guarding against dementia

Reduce your chances of developing dementia by 20% by making some lifestyle changes:

• Exercise
• Not being obese
• Reduce high blood pressure and cholesterol
• Stop smoking
• Stay within weekly guidelines for alcohol consumption
• Follow a Mediterranean style diet
• Have an active social life

Apparently there is no proof brain training will help so much....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8484868.stm

Bad news for sausage lovers

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8688104.stm

"Eating processed meat such as sausages increases the likelihood of heart disease, while red meat does not seem to be as harmful, a study suggests."

One person's solution (not very complicated idea, but nicely put):

Death of a pair of good friends

It had to come to this one day...

The soles were gone, the sides ripped and my feet finally felt flat and unsupported running in them. Goodbye faithful Karrimor trail shoes... Into the bin you go...

Sniff.

Green exercise aids mental health

Just five minutes of exercise in a "green space" such as a park can boost mental health, researchers claim.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8654350.stm

Brain health

Singing helps repair damaged brains and naps boost brain learning power!

Teaching stroke patients to sing "rewires" their brains, helping them recover their speech, say scientists. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8526699.stm

A nap during the day improves the brain's ability to absorb new information, US scientists claim.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8524549.stm

Shoes may have changed how we run

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8483401.stm

Wearing cushioned running shoes may have changed the way in which many of us run, new research suggests.

Using slow-motion footage, scientists have discovered that experienced barefoot runners land very differently from runners who wear shoes.

Green Tea is Good for You!

(but we knew that didn't we.)

Green tea 'may block lung cancer'

Drinking green tea may offer some protection against lung cancer, say experts who studied the disease at a medical university in Taiwan.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8453628.stm

The Mighty Migraine

Pronounce it how you will but the migraine is a bummer. Especially in the middle of a Tang Soo Do beasting. High energy, high kicking, and my temples about to explode through the pounding. To be fair I suffer from the less violent 'visual' migraines when white blobs appear in my vision until I go half blind and then have a mild to bad headache. But it's not advised for martial arts. Having said that....

My still working thought processes managed to juggle the options. It started half way through the adult class so I could have whinged and bowed out and gone home or just sucked it up, breathed deeply and got on with it. The latter being what I chose to do and I'm glad I did as by the end of the lesson my head was clearing and I even had fun!

Martial arts aren't magic. I reckon the migraine would have gone in just the same amount of time but training to focus and have a determined spirit is something quite important. Make your mind up on the course of action and get on with it without whinging even if it is a bit difficult. (You had the choice earlier to bow out and you didn't so get something out of it.)

All good.

Snow joke run

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Happy New Year with happy feet

After a somewhat long absence from the dojo I returned this week to normal lessons and found that my foot regime had worked a treat. Over the holidays I had a bit more time than I usually have so I was able to pamper my neglected feet. Don't get me wrong, they're not *that* disgusting but other than clipping my toenails and keeping them clean I don't really pay them much attention. After all, they're just feet, right?

As a martial artist though I really should give them more time. The reason? Hard skin. This is pretty pesky stuff and I don't really want to end up with calluses or corns on my feet. Towards the end of the year they'd been groaning a bit from barefoot practice on cold, hard dojo floors so over the holidays I took a bath and used a pumice stone on them. Following this up I doused them with a rich hand cream. My feet loved it and my first sessions back were pain-free and light.

Look after your feet martial artist!

Meditation 'eases heart disease'

"Heart disease patients who practise Transcendental Meditation have reduced death rates, US researchers have said."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8363302.stm

Organic food 'has no health benefits'

"Organic food is no healthier than ordinary food, a large independent review has concluded."

"Our review indicates that there is currently no evidence to support the selection of organically over conventionally produced foods on the basis of nutritional superiority."

""Although the researchers say that the differences between organic and non-organic food are not 'important', due to the relatively few studies, they report in their analysis that there are higher levels of beneficial nutrients in organic compared to non-organic foods."

As clear as organic mud pie.

Iced coffees 'a meal in a drink'

"Some iced coffees being sold on the high street contain as many calories as a hot dinner, a cancer charity warns."

Another nutrition/dietary article from the BBC website.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8168142.stm

(and just in case you were sitting there feeling smug while tucking into some 'healthy' dark chocolate...think again:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7159051.stm)

Coffee 'may reverse Alzheimer's'

"Drinking five cups of coffee a day could reverse memory problems seen in Alzheimer's disease, US scientists say."

I blame the US scientists!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8132122.stm

...and now for the bad news.

It turns out that a glass of red wine a day ISN'T really that good for you. Or good for you at all! But ssh! Don't tell the French.

"It's an absolute myth that red wine is good for you," says Professor Valerie Beral from the University of Oxford and lead author of the Million Women study.
"The evidence is not there."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8079816.stm

Feeling good!

As I made the toad in the hole tonight for dinner I felt suddenly quite tired. I'd not slept well the previous night and I'd cycled my youngest daughter to playgroup this morning so I wasn't surprised when I felt fatigued on coming home from picking up my eldest daughter! I was, however, surprised when I at the start of training tonight i perked up. Usually this lethargy brought on by sleep deprivation and general busy-ness gets me down during training, seeping in to my mind and my body. I try and re focus and bring in zanshin into my training and it does help. But tonight I felt, well ... good! My idea is that it's likely due to the fact that I've stepped up my aerobic training generally. More running, more cycling, more healthy!

So all that pain and discomfort from pounding the pavement seems to be paying off!