Dr. Chet’s Health Memos
If it’s in the health news today, I’ll be writing about it as soon as I read the research, both old and new. With my email Health Memos, you’ll know more about making lifestyle choices that will help you get and keep good health. These free, concise updates on health are emailed to subscribers twice a week. Subscribe today and get a free MP3, in English or Spanish, of Dr. Chet’s Top Ten Tips—Small Changes for a Healthier Life.
Energy Thieves: Food
This week I’m focusing on potential energy thieves, and I’ve identified three areas that can hinder performance; one of those is the foods we eat. The two primary food thieves that affect me and many others are refined carbohydrates and deep-fat fried food, but the reasons are polar opposites: Refined carbohydrates and some starchy foods […]
Personal Productivity: Improving Performance
The study of time management began before the turn of the last century, but technology has changed dramatically since then; from home to the office, we have more timesaving devices than ever before. So why are we not more productive? Why do we still not have the time to eat better and exercise?
You could go the blame route and say you need to manage time better; there are more books written on that topic than almost anything else on the self-help category. I'm all for reading books that help us think and keep us focusing on our . . .
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Productivity and Technology
Let's look at how technology helps us be productive today. It's important to understand that computers, smart phones, and tablets have been commonplace for at least five years. How're you doing with all this tech to help you be productive? You should have been able to shave some time to prepare better meals and grab a workout.
You have apps that separate and categorize your email. You have calendar apps that can help you schedule your appointments and give you reminders. You have watch apps that will pay for your groceries and even track your steps, heart . . .
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Modern Productivity
Do you feel like you want to eat better and exercise, but you don't have the time? That's why I'm focusing on productivity this week. I always tell you to eat less, eat better, and move more, but those last two may take more time than you're currently able to give them. Where can we get that extra time? That sent me into researching the fascinating field of workplace productivity.
The current state of modern productivity can be traced back to Frederick Taylor in the late 1890s through early 1900s. He was constantly frustrated by co . . .
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Train to Perform
If you’re a Buffalo Bills fan, the one single player you most likely detest is Tom Brady of the New England Patriots. For me, I have to double-down on him because he’s also a Wolverine. But after reading the way he trains to perform, I have a new-found respect for this 39-year-old quarterback.
His attention to detail and his willingness to prepare for every game is legendary. But it doesn’t stop with sports-specific activity. Brady does it better in all ways. For the bulk of the year, he’s a vegan. During . . .
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Exercise to Perform
Keeping with a Steeler theme, Pittsburgh won this past Sunday evening to advance in the NFL playoffs. They landed at about 4 a.m. A couple hours later, James Harrison, a 38-year-old linebacker and a star in the game, posted pictures of himself working out at the Steeler facility at 6 a.m. To say that’s dedication is an understatement.
There aren’t many 38-year-old linebackers in professional football—he’s the only one. He eats clean. He is dedicated to his workouts. He gets treatment from acupuncturists and chiropractors weekly. If it’s legal . . .
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Eat to Perform
With the NFL playoffs going on, there have been some amazing performances. Do these men have talent? Sure, but talent won't take you far enough. I've accumulated some stories about how athletes prepare to perform and they seemed especially appropriate this week.
Let's begin with what is known in Steeler Lore as The Waffle House Incident. Antonio Brown, late of Dancing with the Stars fame and one of the best wide receivers in football, went out to eat with his wide receiver teammates. He's known for eating only organic food. As the story goes, he grilled . . .
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How Exercise Affects Menopause: Heart and Brain
In the last post, I talked about the effects of menopause on the muscles and bones; in short, the changes in the muscles reduce physical abilities, and exercise can help that. But there’s another factor when it comes to physical performance: the heart and cardiovascular system. Once a women passes 30, her aerobic capacity declines every decade. That means oxygen doesn’t reach the muscles and brain as often. Her physical reserves wane.
Exercise can have a positive impact on the heart . . .
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How Exercise Affects Menopause: Muscle and Bone
In Tuesday’s post, we looked at how menopause affects exercise. Today and Saturday we’ll look at the reverse because exercise can have powerful effects on the changes we associate with menopause.
As a woman ages, she loses bone mineral content due to decreasing hormone levels. Her muscles change as well; fast-twitch muscle fibers become more like slow-twitch fibers. Women can’t run as fast . . .
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How Menopause Affects Exercise: Thirst
Dr. Peggy Whitson is an astronaut on her third extended mission on the International Space Station. If her current mission ends as planned, she will be the astronaut with more time in space than any other. She just completed her 7th spacewalk to install three new lithium-ion batteries. This is nothing like changing the batteries in the remote; each battery is about the size of half of a refrigerator and takes hours to install. And, oh, by the way, Dr. Watson is 56 years old.
By all accounts, she is fit, with an avid interest in weight training and . . .
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