PHYSICAL WELLNESS

 

At any age, you want to stay physically healthy.  That means being proactive about your health, maintaining or even improving your physical wellness through exercise, healthy eating habits and regular health screenings.

Article Summaries

As women get older, many believe they can forego their Pap tests. For some, that may be true, but women need to remain vigilant with cervical cancer screenings even after menopause. January is Cervical Health Awareness Month, which makes it a good time to dispel some mistaken beliefs about good reproductive health in older women.

It’s pretty common for women to take calcium supplements, but men would be wise to follow suit. Men's bones benefit from calcium supplementation just as much as women's do, a new study in the Archives of Internal Medicine shows.

Most men and women need more calcium in their diet. You know the usual sources—dairy products, fortified orange juice—but you can add calcium in some unusual ways too, such as with this yogurt-based salad dressing from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute’s Stay Young at Heart recipe collection.

We want you to enjoy a healthier life. That’s why we’ve teamed up with Jenny Craig to help you create a personalized weight loss plan at a fraction of the price.

Attention baby boomers: If you want to build muscle, now is the time to do it. New research shows that strength training can help you build muscle mass to assist in the fight against the debilitating effects of old age—but not after age 80. 

Nutritionally speaking, the holidays can be a tough time, especially for families dealing with diabetes. Food is a huge part of the season, and we’re not talking broccoli here. But with a little preparation and some careful planning, anyone—even those with diabetes—can enjoy the holidays and eat healthfully. You can even indulge in some of those not-so-healthy treats. The American Diabetes Association shows you how.

Holidays and parties present challenges to those trying to stay on track with good nutrition. But many recipes, such as this pumpkin pie from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Association’s Stay Young at Heart recipe collection, can turn sweet treats into healthier options.

Good cognitive health, like good physical health, doesn’t just happen. It takes some effort. Many older adults mistakenly believe that becoming “senile” or forgetful is a normal part of aging. That’s not necessarily so. Recent scientific research suggests that there are many things you can do to maintain your cognitive health as you age.

No one on Earth lives longer, healthier lives than the people of Okinawa, and much of their longevity can be traced to their remarkable eating habits. For nearly 30 years, a team of internationally recognized medical experts has studied the Okinawa diet. Their research led them to create the Okinawa Diet program, a scientifically proven approach to living long and well by eating smart and staying lean. And now, Momentum Wellness Program participants can sign up for the Okinawa Diet program and receive up to 75 percent off membership fees.

If you have diabetes, you know it never takes a vacation. You live with it every day. In November, during National Diabetes Month, diabetes organizations take center stage to focus the world’s attention on the disease. One such group, dLife, offers some great ideas on how you can improve your life while living with diabetes.

Research over the past few years has increasingly shown the importance of B vitamins in maintaining a host of physical functions. A September 2008 study in the journal Neurology adds to the evidence. It finds that older individuals with low levels of vitamin B12 seem to be at increased risk of having brain atrophy or shrinkage, which is associated with Alzheimer's disease and impaired cognitive function.

Trout is a rich source of vitamin B12, which plays a key role in maintaining brain health. This recipe, from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, creates a spicy fried flavor with only 2 grams of fat.

Past research has linked the consumption of omega-3-rich fish with lower stroke and dementia risk. And new research may show why. Eating fish may lower your risk of developing brain infarcts. Those are tiny areas of brain tissue that have died from lack of blood supply. Many infarcts are “silent”—they don’t produce symptoms of their own—but they add up over the long term to the kind of brain damage that contributes to stroke and dementia.

The 2007 flu vaccine was an admitted bust. Researchers create each year’s vaccine by guessing, months ahead of time, which three of the many flu strains are likely to cause flu during the upcoming flu season. They guessed wrong in ‘07, leading to an unusually high number of flu cases. What’s in store for the 2008 flu season?

Breakfast helps you control food cravings the rest of the day, and that can help you lose weight. That’s one reason why breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. It can also be the most delicious.

Breakfast helps you control food cravings the rest of the day, and that can help you lose weight. That’s one reason why breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. It can also be the most delicious.

You care about your health. You want the best care possible. Today’s complex health care system doesn’t make that easy. Perhaps we can help. We have partnered with The Health Care System to teach you how to take control of your health care.

Are achy knees and sore hips getting in the way of your active lifestyle? If you haven’t considered joint replacement surgery yet, two recent studies may convince you to. They both report that these surgeries offer “excellent long-term outcomes” after you update your creaky parts.

If you’re old enough to remember rickets, you know the health consequences of having too little vitamin D. But rickets is only part of the problem faced by the 60 percent of all adults who are currently deficient in D. Low levels of vitamin D have also been linked to bone fractures, cancer, immune dysfunction, cardiovascular disease, and high blood pressure. Two recent studies add to the evidence. Too little vitamin D, they say, can lead to heart failure and raise your risk of dying.

Fish, such as salmon, mackerel, and tuna, are just about the only food sources that contain vitamin D naturally. So, while most of your D needs to come from fortified foods, supplements, and sun exposure, you can also get almost a full day’s worth of D from 3.5 ounces of cooked salmon, as in this recipe from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

This fall, more than 200,000 men and women across the nation will be on the move. They will be taking part in a Memory Walk®, the Alzheimer’s Association’s signature event to raise awareness and funds. Genworth Financial is pleased and proud to be the presenting national sponsor for these important events. And we encourage all Momentum Wellness Program participants to strap on their sneakers, get some exercise and help raise money for Alzheimer care, support and research.

Because women make up about 80 percent of osteoporosis cases, most screening guidelines currently recommend bone density testing for women only. But a lot of men get the bone-wasting disease too, and osteoporosis rates among men are expected to increase 50 percent over the next 15 years. For this reason, the American College of Physicians (ACP) has developed a new clinical guideline on screening for osteoporosis in men.

Diabetes throws insulin levels out of whack, which can then lead to a host of serious health problems throughout your body. New evidence finds that it may even increase your risk for Alzheimer’s disease. A study in the journal Neurology found that men with low insulin levels at age 50 were nearly one-and-a-half times more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease than men with normal insulin levels.

Eating a Mediterranean-style diet has already been shown to protect against heart disease. New evidence suggests it may also thwart type 2 diabetes. A study of more than 13,000 adults from Spain found that those who stuck very closely to a Mediterranean diet reduced their risk of diabetes by 83 percent.

August is prime time for one of summer’s tastiest treats: fresh, sweet corn on the cob. And for a refreshing change of pace, take it off the cob and mix it into this zesty corn salad.

If you or a loved one has diabetes, one of the best things you can do to manage the disease is to learn more about it. A study in the journal Diabetes Care found that taking diabetes classes or visiting a nutritionist might help keep you out of the hospital. It could even save you lots of money.

If you’re planning a summer vacation that includes air travel, make sure you add a doctor’s visit to your pre-trip planning, says the American Geriatrics Society. “It's important for seniors to make their physicians aware of upcoming airplane travel,” Dr. Sharon A. Brangman, an AGS member, said. “Meeting with a physician a week or so before any air travel will allow the doctor to address any immediate concerns and provide the traveler with any necessary medications or other advice to help ensure a safe trip.”

To the surprise of absolutely no one, a new study finds that women who are overweight or obese can reduce their risk of heart disease by exercising more. These results, the researchers conclude, “highlight the importance of counseling all women to participate in increasing amounts of regular physical activity and maintaining a healthy weight to reduce the risk of heart disease.”

Hot summer days call for cooling refreshment, but ice cream is loaded with calories and fat. The solution: make your own fruit sorbet. This recipe can be made with or without an ice cream maker. Either way it cools you down with only 100 calories and 1 gram of fat per serving.

The month of June, which already dedicates one day to fathers, also has been declared Men’s Health Month. Why do males need their own month for health? Because they tend to ignore it the rest of the year. Men are 25 percent less likely than women to have visited the doctor within the past year and are 38 percent more likely than women to have neglected their cholesterol tests. Those are big reasons why men are 1.5 times more likely than women to die from heart disease, cancer and chronic lower respiratory diseases. 

Some loss of memory is to be expected as you age. Much of it is caused by the normal wear-and-tear on the brain. But some of it may be caused by your medicine. Several classes of medications are already known to impair memory. New research confirms one of the suspects. Anticholinergic medications –commonly prescribed drugs used to treat ulcers, stomach cramps, motion sickness, Parkinson's disease, and urinary incontinence—may cause older people to lose their cognitive skills more quickly than seniors who don't take the medicines.

Keeping muscles strong as we age is important for maintaining independence and preventing falls. But older women have a harder time than men replacing muscle that's lost naturally as they age, say U.S. and British researchers in the journal Public Library of Science One. Because of this, the findings suggest, older women need to be sure they eat plenty of protein-rich foods such as eggs, fish, chicken and lean red meat and to do resistance training to keep their muscles strong.

We all need to consume plenty of lean protein to keep muscles strong as we age. This heart-healthy, one-dish meal, from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Association’s Stay Young at Heart recipe collection, can help, providing 27 grams of protein per serving with only 4 grams of fat.

The research is in: exercising your mind is just as important as exercising your body. A number of brain fitness programs have come onto the market to help individuals stay sharp. Genworth Financial brings you Vigorous Mind, one of the leading organizations in this rapidly-evolving category, to save you 10 percent on My Vigorous Mind, a web-based brain wellness suite.

Two separate studies released in January 2008 reveal the staggering toll type 2 diabetes is taking on our nation. The number of reported new cases in adults over age 65, the frequency of serious complications, and the financial burden imposed on our nations’ health care bill are all going through the roof.  

You’ve probably seen articles recommending tai chi as a great exercise to help older adults maintain balance and muscle strength. But this ancient Chinese practice is a type of mind-body medicine that also exercises the ways in which emotional, mental, social, spiritual, and behavioral factors can directly affect health, says the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM).

During an intense French heat wave in the summer of 2003, 14,000 people, mostly elderly, died largely because they didn’t drink enough water. Why are older people more likely to suffer from dehydration? Recent research in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences may have the answer.

You can make your daily water consumption livelier—and more nutritious—by adding fruits and flavorings. This sprightly spring concoction is loaded with vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and iron. 

Would you devote 10 minutes of your time to help save your life? More than 2 million Americans already have, through Life Line Screening. Better yet, Wellness Program participants are eligible for discounts to all Life Line Screenings.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, deaths from accidental overdoses rose from 12,186 to 20,950 between 1999 and 2004. They cut across all age and socioeconomic groups. These scary numbers are a reminder for you to tell all of your doctors about every medicine you are taking, including over-the-counter drugs, sleeping aids, vitamins, and herbal supplements, to prevent accidental medication misuse.

In the nursing home industry, it's long been known that caring for a pet can improve residents' quality of life. A recent article in the online edition of Newsweek reinforced this, reporting, "Research shows that caring for an animal can improve your mental and physical well-being." This can increase longevity in those who've had heart attacks, and even relax and improve the appetites of Alzheimer's patients, the article states. But are there benefits for those in healthier middle age?

Breakfast, the old saying goes, is the most important meal of the day. But why? One of the most important reasons, new research in the American Journal of Epidemiology finds, is that eating a morning meal can help limit weight gain among those over age 40.

Looking for something new for breakfast? You'll flip for these pancakes, which are an excellent source of vitamin C and a good source of Folic Acid and fiber.

MedicAlert is the original emergency medical information service, founded in 1956. When you join MedicAlert, your medical information—including medications and dosages, physicians, emergency contacts, and allergies—can be entered into a secure database. Through the Genworth Momentum Wellness Program, we have established a special relationship with MedicAlert that means you can receive a first-year membership absolutely free.

Let’s be clear—staying at a healthy weight is one of the best ways to help avoid many life-threatening diseases, including diabetes, heart disease and some forms of cancer. But if you are overweight, being physically fit can still help you live longer. Longer, even, than your thin but unfit friends. 

When you were young, you never forgot your best friend’s name or where you put your glasses. Now, it seems to happen every day. What causes these “senior moments”? And do they signal the beginnings of a more serious brain illness, such as Alzheimer’s disease? New research may have the answer.

According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), there are 20.8 million people in the U.S. with diabetes, but nearly one-third of them (or 6.2 million Americans) don’t know it. In order to alert all Americans to their potential risk for diabetes, the ADA is sponsoring American Diabetes Alert® Day on March 25, 2008. They have even posted a short, easy on-line Risk Test to calculate your personal risk for the disease.

Has your doctor talked to you about blood pressure control? Specifically, has the doctor stressed how important diet and exercise are in bringing your BP numbers down? If not, you’re not alone. Doctors are less likely to counsel older Americans with high blood pressure on how lifestyle changes can lower their blood pressure than their younger patients.

The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute’s DASH diet (for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) has been proven to help lower blood pressure. And the food isn’t bad either. Heck, you can even have lasagna.

Concerned about an older family member who lives alone? The QuietCare system lets you watch over your loved one without intruding on his or her privacy. And as a Momentum Wellness participant, you're entitled to a 15 percent discount on QuietCare installation and 10 percent off monthly monitoring.

Fish, particularly rainbow trout and salmon, is a great source of vitamin B12. This recipe, from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, gives trout a Spanish kick.

B vitamins come in eight varieties. You may know them by numbers, such as B1, B2, and so on, or by names, such as niacin, thiamin, and folic acid (or folate). However you refer to them, they all add up to support many of the body’s functions, including metabolism, cell growth, and immunity. A new study finds that one of the B’s may affect mental performance.

So you’re not a spring chicken anymore. That doesn’t mean you have to slow down. “We can teach older adults to get rid of those old beliefs that becoming sedentary is just a normal part of growing older,” said Dr. Catherine Sarkisian, an assistant professor of geriatrics at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine. A pilot program she recently created proves it.

Alzheimer’s disease often starts out as a condition called mild cognitive impairment, or MCI. About 10 percent of adults with MCI progress to Alzheimer’s, compared to about 1 percent of the general population. Preventing MCI may be an important step in preventing Alzheimer’s. New research shows that a good way to prevent MCI is to control blood pressure.

February is National Heart Month, set aside to remind all of us to learn more about our risk factors for heart disease. A recent study in the Archives of Internal Medicine shows just how important that simple step can be. In that study, adults who talked to a doctor about their coronary risk showed greater improvement in cholesterol levels than those who didn’t have that discussion.

If one of your New Year’s goals is to get fitter, have we got a deal for you! Make 2008 your year for change with GlobalFit’s Commit Membership, and you’ll save 50 percent off the one-time affiliation fee at more than 10,000 fitness clubs nationwide.*

Most people know that exercise can help beat type 2 diabetes, the type that develops primarily from being overweight. But which type of exercise is best? A new study shows that combining both aerobic activity and resistance training is better at controlling blood sugar than either type of activity done alone. Together, they can cut your risk of some diabetes-related complications by up to 37 percent.

Winter’s cold, dry weather isn’t the only thing that can take a toll on skin and hair. Stress also can lead to dermatologic problems such as acne, eczema, brittle nails or even hair loss. The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) has some tips to help soothe stress-related symptoms.

Science may have finally answered an age-old question: Why we are grumpy after a bad night’s sleep. It appears that a lack of ZZZZ’s causes our brains to overreact to negative emotional experiences.

If you’re not taking a calcium supplement, you may be missing out on a critical tool in the fight against osteoporosis. An analysis of 17 research studies involving more than 52,000 people proves it. For those over 50, calcium supplementation may cut the overall risk of bone fractures by as much as 24 percent and slow bone loss by 54 percent.

The dark green veggies in this warming winter soup start you off with a healthy dose of calcium. And a dollop of yogurt on top adds even more.

 

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