Life's Little Questions Offer Big Brain Benefits

-
What's your goal today? And does it fit into your life plan? If these questions leave you scratching your head, then your brain might be suffering in more ways than one.
In a recent study, older adults who had a strong sense of purpose in their lives were significantly less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease or cognitive impairment over the long haul.

The Purpose-Driven Life
What does having a purpose in life got to do with the price of eggs? Well, for one, it means that your actions and choices are guided by specific goals and desires. For another, it makes you more wired to look for meaning in personal events and experiences. And the piece de resistance of all this meaning-making? Researchers think it may help positively alter immune-system functioning in a way that benefits your heart and blood vessels. And that's good for your noggin.  

A Better Health Perspective
Lots of things can add purpose and meaning to your life, whether it's setting certain career goals, deciding to treat your body as a temple, choosing to be more in the moment in your everyday life, or striving to be a good parent, spouse, or friend. And in the recent study, orienting one's life around a personal philosophy or goal meant people were 2.4 times less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease. Mild cognitive impairment -- which is sometimes a precursor to Alzheimer's -- was less likely among purpose-driven folks, too.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

5 Low-Cal Game Day Snacks

-
Combine 1 month of holiday feasting with 1 football season of noshing on high-calorie snacks, and what have you got? Double the size in belly, hips, and thighs. But cheer up! We've got diet snack solutions to help. That's right. Game day food makeovers that look and taste like the originals. Your guests won't even know they're low in fat (and you'll stay in your skinny jeans till baseball season). Lite Wings: Cut the saturated fat and sodium with these cornmeal-crusted boneless buffalo wings. Serve them with a light blue-cheese dip. Pizza-to-go: For maximum calorie control, make it yourself. If convenience is a priority, order a thin-crust veggie pizza from Domino's, Pizza Hut, or Papa John's. All three can deliver a pizza that weighs in at less than 250 calories a slice. Chips and dip: Serve baked chips with a Greek-yogurt-based fat-free dip. At about 15 calories a tablespoon, you can have more than a handful.   Chocolate fix: Make y
Read More>>

Best Way to Stay Healthy? Call In Sick

-
Next time you get a sore throat and sniffles, here's what you need to do to avoid can't-get-out-of-bed misery later: stay home. Research shows that people who report to work sick are much more likely to get laid out flat by an even nastier bout of illness down the road. Sick at Work People who came to work sick at least six times within the previous year were 50 percent more likely to need extended sick leave later on -- as much as two or more weeks off within the next 18 months. Why is punching the clock when you're sick so bad? Researchers speculate that when people don't take time to rest and recuperate, the body gets more and more run down -- to the point where it can't keep a little illness from ballooning into big trouble.    Healthy Solution Okay, so sometimes you might feel like you really just don't have time to be sick. Or maybe you don't have the luxury of copious sick days. If you can swing it, stay home. But also try these
Read More>>

6 Reasons to Get a Flu Shot This Year

-
Did you decide to skip your flu shot this year? If so, you might want to rethink that. Here's why: Getting the shot is the single best way for nearly everyone to prevent the flu, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). So, what's stopping you? Here are 6 common excuses, and why you should reconsider: It's too late. It's true, getting a flu shot early in the season offers the best protection, but the shot is effective anytime, even if you wait until December. Flu activity typically peaks in January or February and can last as late as May. I'm healthy. The flu vaccine is especially important for high-risk people (pregnant women, young kids, older folks, and anyone with a compromised immune system), but the rest of us need it, too. Having the shot will prevent you from wasting precious vacation days or (worse!) going to work sick and sharing the virus with your coworkers. I had a flu shot last year. Smart move! Get ano
Read More>>

Adsense