Monthly Archives: May 2018

Do you snore? Read this!

31 Thursday May 2018

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Snorers, try these things to strengthen your throat muscles: Sing, or play the kazoo, the harmonica or the flute for 22 minutes a day. It’ll cut sleep apnea episodes in half within 4 months. That’s according to Swiss researchers, who say singing or playing a wind instrument tightens the muscles needed to keep your airways open while you sleep. And when your airway doesn’t collapse, your breathing is improved, your snoring is reduced, and you get a better night’s sleep.

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Tissue germs!

30 Wednesday May 2018

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If you’re sick – and you’ve been using the same tissue to blow your nose all morning – is that a problem? Well, according to Dr. Wendy Bennett, an internist from Johns Hopkins, that ratty tissue won’t hurt you – but it could hurt those around you. Because each time you touch the tissue, you’re touching your germy mucus – and wherever your hands land afterward will be contaminated with your virus. So grab a new tissue. Or sneeze into your elbow, since that’s less likely to touch other surfaces or people.

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Olive oil isn’t only good for cooking…

29 Tuesday May 2018

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Is your skin feeling dry and chapped – but you don’t have any body lotion? Grab some olive oil!

It acts as a humectant – which means, it draws moisture INTO your skin. You can also smooth out your sand-papery heels by rubbing your feet with olive oil, and slipping on a pair of cotton socks before you go to bed.

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Unless you enjoy it – you don’t need to run for hours on end to get fit.

28 Monday May 2018

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According to the American College of Cardiology, a light jog may be the best form of running if you want a longer life. And all you need to do is cover 2 miles. For the study, researchers followed 5,000 healthy people for 12 years. They tracked how often they ran, as well as how fast and how far. And the people who had the lowest death rate were light joggers who ran no more than three times a week, at a slow or average pace, for 15 to 30 minutes at a time. In plain English – that translates to jogging two miles, three times a week. And the best news is that most people find that totally doable – as far as the time they have for exercise. So even though you get bragging rights for running marathons… all you need to do is jog two miles to live a longer life.

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Concerts and earplugs

25 Friday May 2018

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Next time you attend a concert or music festival, bring earplugs. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, it could save your hearing!
For the study, researchers measured the hearing of volunteers before and after a music festival where the sound was roughly 100 decibels – which can cause permanent hearing damage within 5 minutes. Among people who wore earplugs, only 8% experienced hearing damage. But 42% of those who didn’t wear earplugs showed measurable damage.

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Smelly foods and eating less!

24 Thursday May 2018

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Did you know that in general, the stronger a food’s aroma, the less of it we’ll eat? And experts say that’s true whether the food’s sweet, spicy or savory. That’s because, when food has a strong odor, we think it has more calories – so we tend to eat more moderately. That’s why adding a dash of strong spices to hot food can help you lose weight.

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What’s the best way to stick with a regular exercise routine?

23 Wednesday May 2018

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You need to develop so-called “instigation habits” – that prompt you to work out. That’s according to Dr. Alison Phillips, psychology professor at Iowa State University. So what is an “instigation habit?”

It’s something that not only reminds you to go work out – it makes working out a no brainer. For example:

Make driving past the gym on your way home from work part of your new commute.

Or, make your workout clothes your new pajamas – so when you wake up, you’re already dressed for exercise…

Or put your gym shoes so they’re blocking the front door. So you can’t open it without touching them.

Dr. Phillips’ research suggests it can take at least a month of repeated behavior to develop this so-called instigation habit that’s impossible to ignore.

But once you repeat the same behaviors day after day, she found that having an instigation cue that prompts people to automatically go to the gym works to increase exercise frequency.

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This is how germs are spread!

22 Tuesday May 2018

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We know that coughing and sneezing spreads germs. Now, researchers say, so do singing, whistling and laughing!

Virologists at Singapore’s National University Hospital say singing produces an even stronger, “more penetrating plume of infection” than coughing. How do they know? Because the researchers used a gigantic mirror and high-speed camera to watch the splatter of saliva… and they figured out exactly how far those flu droplets flew when someone was singing!

So what’s the point of this research? Researchers can apply it to how far apart hospital beds need to be to prevent airborne infection. But for us, we should steer clear of strangers who are whistling on their way to work – and maybe avoid close contact with singers on karaoke night! Keep a minimum distance of 20 feet… and know that viral droplets can stay suspended in the air for up to 10 minutes.

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Are you lacking Vitamin D?

21 Monday May 2018

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Here’s a quick do-it-yourself way to tell if YOU might need more Vitamin D… It’s from nutritionist Karen Langston, from the National Association of Nutrition Professionals: Press your fingers against your sternum – AKA your breastbone… or press on your shinbone. If it’s painful, you might be low on “D”. Why would it hurt? Because we need D for strong bones!
So if you try the sternum test and it hurts, talk to your doctor about taking a supplement.

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The health risks of ROAD RAGE!

18 Friday May 2018

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When you’re driving, and someone makes a bone-headed move, honks, or cuts you off – do you turn into the Hulk and get road rage?

Well, you might want to practice forgiveness and take deep breaths, instead. Researchers at Australia’s University of The Sunshine Coast put study participants into driving simulators that measured heart rate, blood pressure, and anxiety levels – and had them encounter a variety of drivers… from polite and considerate ones, to aggressive and distracted ones.

The result: when participants drove alongside rude, aggressive drivers – who cut them off, tailgated and honked – their blood pressure spiked. They also became more aggressive and distracted, had more near-crashes with other cars and pedestrians.

They were also more likely to miss a turn, and drive off the road.

And research from MIT shows the stress of road rage can last for your entire commute – and beyond. And that kind of chronic stress boosts blood pressure – and raises your risk of heart disease within 6 years. So forgive bad drivers – for your heart’s sake.

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