Monday, November 10, 2014

The importance of lean muscles and adequate sleep

Do you ever read Prevention Magazine? I like it. There are some articles in the November newstand issue that I found to be really important. They are not yet available online, or at least I could not pull them up on a search of their website.

The first is an article by Ginny Graves entitled "Your Muscles, Your life." The magazine's cover headlines the story: "Just Do This and Stop Aging Our #1 Proven Plan." The sub-headline for the story reads: Buried deep inside your muscle tissue may be the secret answer to your flagging energy, growing waist size, and declining health.

From the article:
New science shows that it's not just how much muscle you have that's important - it's what's inside the muscle that matters most. Metabolically active muscle - the kind that's devoid of harmful fat and teeming with mitochondria, the metabolism boosting powerhouses within cells - has a profound influence on everything from your weight to your energy levels to your risks of diabetes and heart disease.

So how do we unlock our bodies' anti-aging superpowers? The article outlines four easy steps:
1. Walk briskly at least three to five days a week for 35 to 45 minutes. Throw in a few faster e1-minute intervals several times into each session.
2. Do strength (resistance) training at least twice a week.
3. Eat protein at every meal.
4. Get your Vitamin D.

The second was an article by Christie Aschwanden entitled Counting Sleep. Just like diet and exercise, scientists have found that sleep is a "pillar of healthy living." Getting too little sleep
damages the brain, quite possibly permanently, and raises the risk of cognitive problems, including memory loss and Alzheimers Disease.
Aschwanden reports that the scientific research show that there are four key new facts that are guiding sleep science now:
1. Not sleeping kills neurons, shrinks the brain, and leaves trash everywhere.
2. The damage can handicap your mind today, tomorrow, and years from now.
3. What we all need is a little more brain synchronicity. Meditation ushers even the worst tossers and turners into restorative rest. For three mindfulness meditations go here.
4. There is no need to become some kind of serious yogi. Any practice in which you close your eyes and focus on breathing will set your mind in the right direction.

Pick up a copy of Prevention November issue at your grocery store and read the two articles to get more scientific explanations of the importance of lean muscles and adequate sleep.

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