Time of Your Life

by Michael Colgan, Ph.D.

It’s vital to guard your health, not because of the pain and suffering of illness. You just can’t afford the time to be ill. 

Time is what life’s made of. An average American lifetime is 78 years, a mere 936 months. According to the World Health Organization, we spend one-third of that time sleeping and getting up. (We are slow at getting up.) That leaves 640 months. Wow ! One-third of our life gone and we’re not having fun yet.

On average, we spend 15 years at kindie and school. It’s called the best time of your life. I would have given most of it a miss, but we spend all our youth at it. That’s 180 months. That leaves 460 months. Life’s half over. Where is all the fun? Continue reading →

Water Revs Up the Brain

Even mild dehydration can affect mood and concentration, according to study

Forget the caffeinated buzz of that morning cup of Joe, soda pop, or energy drink—water, plain water, could be all your brain needs for a real pick-me-up.

The brain may be a remarkably complex organ, but it requires water for every one of its cells and their function. Now, research from the University of Connecticut has found that keeping the brain completely hydrated is critical for its happy performance.

In a crossover study, 25 young women performed 40 minutes of treadmill walking in a warmed room as part of three experiments: 1) exercise-induced dehydration plus a placebo; 2) exercise-induced dehydration plus a diuretic; 3) and normal hydration with placebo. The researchers documented the women’s moods and their cognitive function during and after the activity.

The authors report that there were negative affects to vigor, fatigue, and mood after only mild dehydration, which equaled a 1.36 percent drop in body mass from water loss. A 2 percent drop in body mass from water loss is the “red flag” for full-blown dehydration. Also, the subjects’ perception of task difficulty and headache severity increased and their ability to concentrate decreased with just mild hydration. Continue reading →

Advancements in Skin Aging: Ageless Renewal Serum

Trainer: Skin Health Expert Kathy McGowan

Want to have “ageless skin”? Designed by scientists in the field of tissue regeneration, Ageless Renewal Serum supplies Repair-Plex™, the proprietary blend of skin bioactives. The serum promotes greater production of matrix protein, collagen, and elastin to create thicker, younger-looking skin. Learn from Kathy McGowan how to best apply the product to work with your skin to “remember” what it has “forgotten” with age.

 

The Role of Muscle in Weight Loss

Trainer: Dr. Michael Colgan

With so many people who would like to lose weight, there is a great need for health professionals to properly guide these people through the process. Dr. Michael Colgan, world-renowned research scientist, has provided nutrition and training programs for thousands of people, and is director of his eponymous Colgan Institute, a consulting, educational and research facility concerned with the effects of nutrition and exercise on athletic performance, along with prevention of chronic degenerative disease, and prevention of degeneration of the brain. Listen in as he discusses the importance of retaining lean muscle mass while losing weight, and why muscle just might hold the secret to successful and healthy weight loss for anyone embarking on the journey.

 

Low-Glycemic Diet Improves Inflammatory Profile in Overweight and Obese

Eating low-glycemic foods such as whole grains and fiber-rich fruits may reduce markers of inflammation in overweight and obese people, according to new study

Results of a new study suggests that a low-glycemic diet — rich in foods containing carbohydrates that are slowly absorbed into the bloodstream — significantly lowered markers of inflammation and also increased a hormone that helps in regulating the metabolism of sugar and fat.

The study, which be published in the February issue of the Journal of Nutrition, randomized 80 healthy men and women to a controlled feeding trial. Half of the participants were normal weight and half were overweight or obese.

The researchers, from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, found through subjects’ blood samples that C-reactive protein, a biomarker of inflammation, was reduced by about 22 percent among the overweight and obese subjects who followed the low-glycemic diet.

“This finding is important and clinically useful since C-reactive protein is associated with an increased risk for many cancers as well as cardiovascular disease,” said lead author Marian Neuhouser, Ph.D., R.D. “Showing that a low-glycemic-load diet can improve health is important for the millions of Americans who are overweight or obese.” Continue reading →