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Monthly Archives: December 2019

Reading books will prolong your life!

31 Tuesday Dec 2019

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book reader, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, live longer, long life, longevity, read, read a book, read books, reading, Yale

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Here’s some good news for people who love to read. Reading books may add a couple more years to your life! That’s according to researchers at Yale University’s School of Public Health.

The researchers studied nearly 4‑thousand people over a span of 20 years. What the Yale team found was that older adults who were regular book readers lived an average of 2 years longer than their non-reading peers – or those who read only magazines and newspapers.

In the study, older adults who spent an average of 3-and-a-half hours reading books per week had a nearly 20% lower risk of dying over the next 12 years – compared to non-book-readers.

The Yale study also showed it doesn’t matter if you’re rich or poor, male or female. The benefit of living longer was the same.

So what is it about book-lovers that boosts their longevity? Researchers say, because books are more in-depth, and the characters and plot are more involved, they engage the mind more than newspapers and magazines. That leads to cognitive benefits that positively affect longevity. The bottom line: Reading books prolongs your life!

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Good news for those who wait for the bus in the winter!

30 Monday Dec 2019

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brown fat, burn calories, burn fat, bus, bus stop, cold weather, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, cooling blanket, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, irisin, lose weight, waiting for the bus, weight loss, winter, winter weather

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If you had to wait outside for 15 minutes in winter weather for the bus today, I have good news. According to a study in the journal Cell Metabolism, those 15 minutes of shivering in the cold have a similar effect on the body as an HOUR of moderate exercise. In the study, researchers put subjects under cooling blankets – and saw that they had a rise in the hormone irisin. That hormone turns our main type of body fat – white fat, which is bad – into BROWN fat, which actually burns calories to warm us up. Cold weather – and the study’s cooling blankets – work, because when we’re cold, our muscles contract in a way that’s similar to what happens when we exercise. So the next time you’re literally cooling your heels outside this winter, just think, “My brown fat is switching on, and burning calories like crazy!”

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Make someone else’s day!

27 Friday Dec 2019

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Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, facebook, happy, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, positive, uplifting

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If you post a happy picture or an uplifting quote on Facebook, you could improve someone else’s day. According to a study from UC San Diego, the emotions expressed online are contagious – whether they’re positive or negative. Researchers analyzed the emotional content of 1 billion Facebook posts – and found that the language we use impacts the words our friends use in their posts… which creates what experts call a “social multiplier.” The good news is: Positive emotions spread faster and farther than negative ones.

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Knitting is a great way to lift your mood.

24 Tuesday Dec 2019

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Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, embroidery, feel happy, focus, happiness, happy, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, knit, knitting, mood boost, repetition, sewing

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In fact, anything that engages both hands in rhythmic, repetitive motion can have the same effect – like embroidery or sewing. That’s according to the journal Neuro-psycho-pharmacology. The repetitive movements trigger your brain to release the mood-lifting chemical serotonin… and when your mind is focused on an absorbing task, it blocks out negative thoughts.

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Having a sense of purpose can add years to your life.

23 Monday Dec 2019

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Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, live longer, long life, longevity, sports, travel, volunteer

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That’s from a 14-year study on over 6,000 adults. Each participant was asked about their emotional state, the quality of their relationships, and to rate statements like: “Some people wander aimlessly through life, but not me.” The result: Every person who died during the study scored the lowest in purposefulness. Psychologist Dr. Patrick Hill says setting long-term goals can help you live longer, no matter how old you are when you discover what gives your life meaning. So, find a goal, whether it’s learning a new sport, volunteering, or traveling – and get cracking!

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Here’s an odd tip to help you fight a cold or flu:

20 Friday Dec 2019

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Acupressure, cold, cold and flu, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, flu, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, virus, viruses

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Tap your chest!

There’s an acupressure point in the middle of the breastbone – at about where your third rib would be. Gently tap that point for a minute every couple of hours. Eastern medicine experts say it’ll trigger the thymus gland to produce more T-cells, which are the cells that help our immune system find and attack viruses.

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Can adults use toddler thermometers?

19 Thursday Dec 2019

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Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, eardrum, fever, in-the-ear toddler thermometer, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, Loyola University Medical Center, self-test, sick, thermometer

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You think you may have a fever. But you only have one of those in-the-ear toddler thermometers. Will it work on an adult? Loyola University Medical Center says YES. In fact, many hospitals use ear thermometers on adults because they’re faster, more accurate and more comfortable than under-the-tongue models. They use an infrared beam to measure the temperature of blood vessels under the eardrum, where skin is thinnest. But since you can’t see inside your own ear, keep this in mind: For an accurate self-test, pull your ear up and back, and angle the tip of the thermometer in your ear, toward your nose. Because the eardrum is slightly forward in the ear canal.

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If it’s working for you, don’t change it!

18 Wednesday Dec 2019

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Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, happy, happy life, healthy, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, life, satisfied

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Before you consider overhauling your life to become happier, healthier or more satisfied, do this: Think about what’s going right. Executive coach Marshall Goldsmith says once you figure out what’s working, don’t change it! So if you exercise just twice a week but it’s a nice vigorous workout, don’t try to do more… it’s working. Or if you love spending Sundays watching movies, don’t stop because you think you should get a jump on work, to get ahead. If it’s making you happy, it’s working. Again, before you consider overhauling your life to become happier, healthier or more satisfied, do this: Think about what’s going right.

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When’s the last time you listened to your food?

17 Tuesday Dec 2019

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apples, bacon, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, crisp, crispy, crunch, crunchy, healthy, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, potato chips, satisfied, satisfy, satisfying, soda

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Well, even if we don’t realize we’re doing it, the way our food sounds has a direct impact on how we think it tastes. And, generally speaking, we perceive crisp and crunchy food as tasting better than softer foods. Research in the journal Flavour found when people were asked to describe and evaluate different foods, the ones described as “crisp” were almost always rated as the most flavorful. So, think apples, bacon, potato chips, and even the crispy “fizz” of a freshly opened can of soda. The sound tells our brain if it’s fresh and good to eat, or if it’s spoiled and potentially bad for us. The thinking is that even when we KNOW chips are unhealthy, they still provide that satisfying “crunch” that our brain craves.

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Make exercising fun!

16 Monday Dec 2019

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Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, exercise, exercise with friends, fun exercise, hike with the dog, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, play tennis, walk the dog

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If you hate the very idea of exercise, it’s time to change your definition of it! Behavioral scientist Dr. Michelle Segar says if you think it only counts if you run 3 miles and sweat like crazy, you’re less likely to exercise, while people doing activities they find fun are more active. Think, hiking with your dog, or playing tennis with friends. Because time flies when the goal isn’t to push yourself as hard and as long as possible.

Bottom line: If you hate exercise, Dr. Segar suggests looking for ways to make it something you look forward to. And you’ll be much more likely to make exercise a regular part of your life.

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