•All About YOU: Brain Pills

Aspirin, vitamin E, the B vitamins, ginkgo biloba, vinpocetine . . . which vitamins and supplements really do give you a mental lift when you need it?

RealAge experts Mehmet Oz, MD, and Michael Roizen, MD, give you the straight story on this and lots of other need-to-know aging issues in their new book, YOU: Staying Young. Here's their take on "brain pills."

RealAge Recommends
Do these pills, supplements, and vitamins give you a stronger memory? Here's the short answer from the RealAge docs:

Aspirin: Yes. Research shows a 40 percent decrease in arterial aging, a major cause of memory loss, for those who take 162 milligrams of aspirin a day. (Learn at what age daily aspirin makes the most sense.)
Vitamin E: Yes (from food). People who consume the highest amount of vitamin E are 43 percent less likely to get Alzheimer's. And you can get all the E you need by eating just 3 ounces of nuts or seeds a day. Look up other food sources with this online tool.
B vitamins: Yes. The RealAge docs recommend 400 micrograms of folic acid, 800 micrograms of B12, and 40 milligrams of B6 per day, because B vitamins help your neurotransmitters work efficiently.
Ginkgo biloba: If you want to. No large studies support its use, but it has promise. The docs recommend trying 120 milligrams daily, as long as you don't have a blood clotting disorder or aren't anticipating surgery. Discontinue if you don't notice any benefits.
Vinpocetine. No. There's not enough evidence that this supplement (from a periwinkle plant) helps. Plus, it could reduce blood pressure too much.

What are the 14 Major Agers? Order your copy of YOU: Staying Young and find out!

Tune Up Your Brain

You know those seemingly endless hours your parents made you spend practicing the piano or learning to play the violin?

Time to say thank you, because all that practice did more than tune up your recital skills. It may have made the language areas of your brain more efficient, too. If you never took music lessons, here's why you should start.

Music and Lyrics
Researchers recently asked a group of musicians and nonmusicians to listen to -- and reproduce -- tone sequences. (Answer these seven questions to find out how reliable your hearing is.)

Your Brain on Music
Not surprisingly, the musicians performed better on the task. But this was a surprise: As the musicians reproduced the tones, scans of their brains showed major activity in areas linked to language, leading researchers to conclude that building music skills may bolster language areas of the brain as well. In other words, studying music is like doing push-ups for your brain! (Here's another way to give your brain a workout.)

Did You Know?
Just listening to music has health benefits, too. Here's an example.

RealAge Benefit: Learning a new skill that requires brainpower can make your RealAge 1.3 years younger.

Try It: Always wanted to tickle the ivories or strum a hot guitar? Feed your inner rock star and tune up your brain at the same time with these step-by-step video lessons -- designed for total beginners: Easy Piano, Easy Bass, Easy Guitar Deluxe, and Easy Drums

Mind over Matter.

What does that means?

Do not think too hard :-)

Well, if you think about things that you do, and how they become reality, you know that they are fruits of your thoughts.





Physical body example:





If you are running very fast, and think that is very hard. Automatically you are sending the message (hard) to your body and eventually you have to reduce your speed.



Running TIP:


Run 45 min on your aerobic zone and safe the last 15 min to challenge your self by increasing your speed to a race pace(5km, 10km...)and tell your self that you are willing and able to maintain the speed all the way through the 15 min.
Honnor your disconfort, and relax your breath.
Allow the speed to flow instead of pushing it.
SMILE!

Stay tall and focus on maintaining your core strong and engaged.



Cool down for more 10 min very easy.


You will break the pattern!

Book reading: Thinking body, dancing mind.

SEH 5km Congratulations

Congratulations to all participants at the SEH 5Km and 50m dash.

This year was my daughter 1st race ever.

of course I was a very proud dad.

RESULTS

Sofia Flor Rodrigues 18 month 35 sec and 98 c medal contender.

Keep posted for pictures and feel Free to post your results.

Ricardo Rodrigues
Wellness Specialist

•Not Your Average Nut

For boosting heart health, this nut's got one up on olive oil.

That's right. Walnuts are better than olive oil at combating the harmful effects that saturated fats have on arteries, which may make walnuts the mightiest nuts of all. Here's what makes them special.

When you eat a meal high in saturated fats, it causes your arteries to narrow and stiffen. And although you may have the best intentions of shunning nacho cheese and bacon-wrapped hamburgers, everyone slips a little now and then.

So here are a few things you can do to minimize the impact of the nasty fats on your arteries.

• Eat a handful of walnuts. In a study, arteries stayed more relaxed when walnuts were added to a high-fat meal. They did an even better job than olive oil of helping blood to flow unrestricted. Researchers credit the alpha-linolenic acid in the nuts with helping keep arteries flexible.
• Take a 45-minute walk a couple of hours after you indulge. Physical activity partly offsets the blood vessel dysfunction caused by eating a high-fat meal. Read more about this research.
• Top off your meal with a tiny piece of dark chocolate, some hot tea, or a bit of pomegranate juice. These items are rich in compounds that help your arteries relax. Read more about chocolate's effects on blood vessels and what makes a sensible serving size.

How much do you know about fats? Take this quiz to find out.

RealAge Benefit: Eating only healthful fat can make your RealAge 3.4 years younger.

RealAge Smart Search: Welcome walnuts into your life with these healthful recipes.

Exercise Has Profit Potential

Taking time away from work to squeeze in some exercise? Good for you -- and your company.

That's right. The less time you spend sitting on your bottom, the better your -- and your company's -- bottom line. Here's how and why. (see below ↓)

Fit and Confident
Researchers suspect that the boost in confidence and energy that people get from regular exercise may spill over into their careers, giving them an edge. So not only does exercising keep your weight in check, but it also may give you a better shot at reaching your personal and professional goals.

Run Up Your Sales
But it may require more than a 10-minute walk at lunchtime to be a real go-getter. In a study of entrepreneurs, the business owners that ran regularly were the ones who enjoyed personal and professional side benefits. Not the runner type? Strength training also was linked to better personal-goal progress (although pumping iron didn't affect company performance).

Introduce your body -- and bottom line -- to the quickest, easiest workout on the planet: The RealAge 20-Minute Workout.

How do your finances affect your health? Take this quiz and find out.

RealAge Benefit: Exercising regularly, expending at least 3,500 calories of energy a week, can make your RealAge 3.4 years younger.

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Obese Employees Cost Companies More

By: Tamara Schweitzer

A new study suggests that investing in wellness programs may pay off on the bottom line.

Maintaining a normal body weight may no longer be just a matter of personal health. New research shows that it pays for companies to promote healthy lifestyle choices among its employees. According to a recent study out of Duke University Medical Center, obese employees cost companies more money than their fit counterparts—in lost workdays, higher medical costs, and more workers' compensation claims.

In conducting the study, researchers looked at the records of 11,728 employees of Duke University who received health risk appraisals between 1997 and 2004 to determine if there was a relationship between body mass index and the rate of workers' compensations claims (body mass index, or BMI, takes into account a person's height and weight and is considered the most accurate indicator of obesity). The researchers found that obese workers filed twice as many workers' compensations claims as workers who fell within the recommended BMI range.

Obese workers averaged 11.65 claims per 100 workers, compared to 5.8 claims per 100 for non-obese employees. As a result, obese employees had seven times higher medical costs, for an average of $51,019 per 100 employees. The most common causes of injury among obese workers were falls, slips, and attempts to lift something.

"We all know obesity is bad for the individual, but it isn't solely a personal medical problem--it spills over into the workplace and has concrete economic costs," Truls Ostbye, co-author of the study and professor of community and family medicine at Duke, said in a statement.

The study also found that obese employees lost 13 times more days of work, than their leaner counterparts, averaging 183.63 days lost per 100 employees. Ostbye says that the results of the study should be a wake-up call to employers.

"Given the strong link between obesity and workers' compensation costs, maintaining healthy weight is not only important to workers but should also be a high priority for employers," Ostbye said. "Work-based programs designed to target healthful eating and physical activity should be developed and then evaluated as part of a strategy to make all workplaces healthier and safer."

When considering the best options for fitness programs, small business specialist Barbara Weltman stresses the importance for companies to promote wellness programs among all employees, not just overweight ones. "Any program that you adopt can't be discriminatory," Weltman says. "You have to encourage all employees to take advantage of it."

While small businesses tend to be cost-conscious when it comes to paying for health coverage, Weltman says that the study suggests that investing in wellness programs could ultimately help companies save money. "The cost of wellness programs," she says, "may pay off for businesses in terms of reduced health care premiums."

Diabetes on Your Mind

The health consequences of type 2 diabetes go straight to your head.

You're twice as likely to perform poorly on a reasoning test if you have diabetes than if you don't have the disease -- even if you're fairly young and rather newly diagnosed.

It's no news that diabetes affects cognition and memory in older people. But now we know the disease also affects reasoning skills in middle-aged people who've had the disease for only a few years. How's your memory? Test it with this online tool.

More than 6 million people in the U.S. have undiagnosed diabetes, and the havoc it wreaks on blood sugar levels can affect your kidneys, your heart, and a bunch of other major organs. So it's a good idea to visit your doctor regularly to be screened for diabetes, especially if you have risk factors. Do you know what those are? Take the RealAge Type 2 Diabetes Quiz to find out.

If you already have diabetes, keep a tight handle on it. Doing so can minimize the impact it has on all your body parts.

RealAge Benefit: People with diabetes who adopt an aggressive disease-management program can make their RealAge as much as 8 years younger.

RealAge Smart Search: Find more news about type 2 diabetes with RealAge Smart Search.

•Too Skinny to Be Fat?

True or false: You can have a normal weight and BMI and still be "obese."

It's true. Even if you're no bigger than a minute, you could still be at risk for cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome if your fat mass is greater than 30 percent of your body weight. It's called "normal-weight obese syndrome." Here's how it works.

Overall weight and BMI are a good start when estimating health risks, but they don't tell the whole story. What's more important is how much fat you have relative to your overall weight and where that fat is on your body.

The higher your percentage of fat mass -- and the more fat you have bunched around your middle -- the more proinflammatory cytokines you have racing around in your blood. What's so bad about that, you ask? These chemicals signal inflammation, and the more inflammation you have in your

What's metabolic syndrome? Here's a definition.

body, the greater your health risks. Cytokines also affect the way your body uses insulin and contribute to hardening of the arteries.

Once the inflammation ball gets rolling, your risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic syndrome go up. Which helps explain, in part, why skinny people can still get heart disease and may pack on pounds after a certain age.

To lower your percentage of body fat, use the triple threat: cardiovascular exercise, weight training, and a balanced diet. No time to exercise? Use these double-duty moves that blend exercise with everyday activities.

And don't throw out your scale or ignore your BMI altogether. They still provide important information about your overall health. Check your BMI and waist-to-height ratio with this online tool.

Get your waist back! Try YOU: On a Diet, a realistic waist-management plan from RealAge Drs. Mehmet Oz and Michael Roizen.

When You Snooze You . . . Win!

Corporate culture has it wrong: When you snooze, you win!

A daytime doze is a stress buster and heart protector. Just 30 minutes midday, three times a week, is all you need. Middle-aged working men who did just that cut their risk of a fatal heart attack and other heart problems by a whopping 37 percent. How about women?

Although the study focused on working men, women would probably benefit as well. Naps are a great stress reducer. You've heard how stress can damage your health, but how it causes heart disease remains unclear. Blame the stress hormones that course through

your veins when you are under pressure. Researchers think these hormones may damage organs, glands, and blood vessels. Or bad influence could be at fault, because stress can drive you to unhealthy behaviors like smoking, overeating, and skipping your workout. Learn more about preventing heart disease.

What is clear about stress: Pressure-cooker jobs increase your chances of accumulating risk factors for heart disease, such as obesity, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.

So for sweet dreams and a more relaxed (and happier) you, do as the Spaniards do -- take a siesta! Can't nap on the job? Catch some midday ZZZs on the weekend. Just be sure to set an alarm clock -- sleep too long and you'll have trouble sticking to your regular bedtime.

Want better sleep? Here are four ways to boost shut-eye.

RealAge Benefit: Getting 6 to 8 hours of sleep per night can make your RealAge as much as 3 years younger.

RealAge Smart Search: Find more ways to reduce stress with RealAge Smart Search.

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• Colds Hate Positive People

Dread colds? Then be a Little Miss Sunshine.

That's the word from researchers who tested the emotional outlook and immune-system capabilities of a group of adults. Cold viruses had a harder time taking hold in the people who had mostly positive things to say. Not only that, but if they did get sick, they . . .

Apparently, emotions play a role in immunity. Positive thoughts not only help you steer clear of colds but also might make your colds milder if you do get sick. Good reasons to look on the bright side and to get help if you habitually feel negative, anxious, or depressed.

Of course, thinking warm, fuzzy thoughts doesn't replace good ol' cold-killing facts. So follow these sniffle-stopping tips as well:

•	Wash your hands frequently, especially if you spend time with someone who is sick. And keep hand towels separate to minimize the spread of germs.
•	Avoid spending time with people who are newly sick; they are most infectious during the first few days of illness.
•	Eat foods high in vitamin C -- oranges, strawberries, and red bell peppers are good choices. Better yet, get a big boost of vitamin C with a supplement.
•	Avoid touching your nose, mouth, or eyes.
•	Get plenty of rest.

Of course, you can help other people stay healthy, too, by washing your hands after you blow your nose and covering your mouth with a tissue or the inner crook of your elbow when you sneeze. Because let's face it, what goes around comes around -- sooner or later.

RealAge Benefit: Protecting your immune system can make your RealAge as much as 6 years younger.

All About YOU: Stand Up Straight

One of the easiest ways to strengthen your abdominal muscles -- and support your back -- is through good posture. You may feel like you're already standing straight, but in reality, most of us stand like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Practice good posture by bringing your head and neck back. The key element is breathing in to tighten your gut. That's the component that lifts your chest and will give you Marine-like posture. Here are the five points of perfect posture . . .


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Sometimes the smallest changes in your life can lead to the biggest results. Sucking in your gut while you do crunches, or even when you take the elevator, is a good example. It helps your body not only look younger -- by skimming a couple of inches off your middle and adding them to your lungs/chest -- but it also helps your body get stronger, because you're engaging your abdominal muscles. Here are the five steps to perfect posture:
1.
Pull your shoulder blades back slightly toward each other and down away from your ears.
2.
Lift your chest up and out.
3.
Pull your head back just enough to keep it in line with your spine.
4.
Position your pelvis or hips to create or maintain a natural arch in your lower back.
5.
Pull your belly button in toward your spine without changing or tilting your hips or losing the arch in your lower back.Is your back barking? Take this symptom checker for advice.
RealAge Benefit: Actively patrolling your health can make your RealAge as much as 12 years younger.

A New Way to Maintain Your Brain

Want to keep your brain razor sharp for years to come? Just say no to middle-age spread.

When it comes to memory and concentration, it may pay to practice waist control. Packing on extra pounds can slow not only your time in the 50-yard dash but also your ability to remember things and stay focused. Need help shedding weight? Find a diet buddy.

Advertisement

Obesity and declines in both memory and attention span have long been linked in older people, but new research has found the same relationship in 30-somethings, too. And the slowdown only gets worse over time.

A large study tested 2,223 adults, ranging in age from 32 to 62, to see how their weight affected four different measures of cognitive function. Five years later, the researchers tested them again. Those who were seriously overweight -- meaning they had a body mass index (BMI) over 30 -- did poorly on the first round of testing. Worse, their mental abilities had declined even more at the 5-year mark.

Why? One theory faults leptin, a protein secreted by stored fat; high leptin levels may affect learning and memory. Another theory is that the brain is harmed by cardiovascular disease, which is commonly associated with high BMIs.

Although you don't need six-pack abs or a bikini-worthy waist to stay sharp and age healthfully, obesity is not a viable alternative. Join a health club, try the YOU: On a Diet plan, do whatever it takes. Do it not just for your body, but for your brain!

RealAge Benefit: Maintaining your weight and body mass index at a desirable level can make your RealAge as much as 6 years younger.