Six Ways You Can Get oomph!

Many of us want to find creative ways of getting oomph! We all know we will not live forever, but how do we live into a ripe old age with plenty of zeal, energy, vitality, inspiration or shall we say…oomph!

Some of this information I received from various studies listed below and from health expert Joel Weber, who writes for Men’s Health magazine.

Personally, I think there are many ways to get oomph!, but here are 6 different key ways you can get oomph! and maybe even stick around a long time:

Exercise – I know, I know, maybe we all know this and maybe it’s boring to keep hearing about. But, I will tell you this, it also happens to be true. In fact just this month four studies were published in the Archives of Internal Medicine that show us that if you want to stay physically and mentally healthier in old age then better start or continue exercising. According to a study by researchers at Harvard School of Public Health, Brigham And Woman’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, women who exercised more during middle age had lesser chances of developing a serious disease after 70. Second study stated that there was improvement in attention spans and conflict resolution skills by a year of resistance training. A third study found that people age 55 or more who were into a moderate or high physical activity were able to fight cognitive impairment better.

Maintain Good Weight – The fat you carry today could kill you tomorrow. And if you do maintain good body-mass index (BMI) you can feel better. I know you can feel better, because I lost over 25 pounds last year and I do feel better. University of Alabama researchers discovered that maintaining a body-mass index of 25 to 35 can shorten your life by up to three years. Excess body fat raises your risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and colon cancer. In one landmark 2007 study, men with a 5-point increase in BMI – about 30 extra pounds on a 5’10 guy –had testosterone levels comparable to men who were a full decade older. Women need to watch their BMI, too. Research also suggests that women gaining more than 20 pounds from 18 to midlife doubles the risk of post-menopausal breast cancer.

Eat More Vegetables – I know, I’m not really using my imagination here on how to get oomph am I? What can I say, eating vegetables and good raw ones can give you a boost and expand you life. Italian researchers have found that eating as little as one cup of raw vegetables daily can add two years to your life. Why raw? Cooking can deplete up to 30 percent of the antioxidants (the stuff our bodies love) in vegetables. That said, sautéing or steaming them is far better than not eating them at all. If you consume more than five servings of fruits and vegetables per day, you have a 26 percent lower risk of stroke than people who eat fewer than three servings, according to one British study.

Eat Some Nuts – When Loma Linda University researchers tracked the lifestyle habits of 34,000 Seventh-Day Adventists – a population famous for its longevity—they discovered that those who munched nuts five days a week earned an extra 2.9 years on the planet. ( watch the oomph profile on Jack Kirk – The Dipsea Demon. He was Seventh-Day Adventist ) Not surprisingly, nuts are one of the healthiest snacks you can have. High in monounsaturated fats and protein, they help keep your arteries clean and your stomach feeling full.

Okay here are two ways to get oomph! with a little more imagination:

Don’t Forget Your Friends – Studies show that good friends can help extend your lifespan. Chronic stress weakens the immune system and ages cells more quickly – ultimately shortening life-spans – but friendships can act as a buffer against stresses of everyday life. When Australian researchers looked at seventy somethings, for instance, they found that those with the largest network of friends had the longest lease on life. For the average person, this could add up to seven additional years. But acquaintances aren’t friends: You need people you can openly confide in.

Keep a Positive Frame of Mind – In a Yale University study of older adults, people with a positive outlook on the aging process lived more than seven years longer than those who felt doomed to deteriorating mental and physical health. If you’re outlook has some room for improvement, give back to your community by volunteering or mentoring-selfless actions that distract from unhealthy obsessing, according to studies. In addition to helping others, don’t forget to care about yourself. Make yourself happy by doing the activities you enjoy most – whether it’s going to the spa , playing golf, going to a movie or drinking green tea. Do something for yourself.

Well there you go with 6 ways to get oomph! I know there are many, many more ways to get oomph! I would love to hear back from you, on how you get oomph!

Read more inspiring news.

Our behavior, our future

I live in Los Angeles.  I just read that  over half (55%) of LA County’s adult population are either overweight or obese. (You can read this too at www.lapublichealth.org.) We all know that there are many whom are overweight, but half of our local population? I’m still in shock.  On the other hand, countless articles have cited that obesity is “the great American public-health problem”.  This gets me thinking – if obesity is the leading cause of chronic disease (heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, high blood pressure, stroke, and some types of cancer) then where does this weigh in on the health care debate, and why aren’t we doing more to prevent it?

Dr. Christine Olson, a professor of community nutrition at Cornell University (www.cornell.edu) recently published research citing that a mother’s weight gain during pregnancy has a direct association with the weight of her child in early life.  After following more than 200 mothers and children, Olson found that if the mother gained more than the recommended 25-35 pounds during pregnancy, her child was more likely to be overweight at age three. Yes, that’s age three.

Let’s pick up the thread and follow this would-be three year old. Her Mom, after a hard day’s work, fights traffic to pick up her daughter from  day-care.  On the way home, Mom stops for fast food.  After all, the kid is hungry and the convenience and low cost is alluring. (Plus, there’s the toy that comes with the meal.) The fast-food habit kicks in, and the food preferences take hold of the kid.  Fast forward to this same child now in school. Physical education has been  reduced  (and in some schools, completely eliminated.) The kid goes to the school’s cafeteria, where she is offered more available high-fat, low-fiber foods and sweetened drinks. In her neighborhood, the community has reduced sidewalks and areas for physical activity. After-school programs at parks are no longer offered. There is little that promotes recreation by walking or cycling. Mom and Dad, often at work, rely on the television and/or computer to keep the kid entertained. Furthermore, the contents of their refrigerator reflect the simple truth of the dollar:  the real price of soda has fallen 33 percent over the last three decades. The real price of fruit and vegetables has risen more than 40 percent. So it’s Coke and Pepsi that line the shelves. And I wondered why obesity is a national epidemic?

There is a clinical word for a way to help rectify our wrongs: “Population-Based Prevention of Obesity”.  A new, comprehensive, population-based strategy published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association ( www.americanheart.org) recommends broad policy and environmental strategies that can help people adopt healthy behaviors, like being physically active and eating right. What does this mean? We begin to see the obesity problem as one that affects all of us and we take civic action to change it.  After all, we not only tax tobacco, we don’t even allow smoking in many public areas. Yet when I visit Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles, there is Mickey D’s in plain view right on the first floor. Should we tax soda?  Obesity-provoking cafeteria meals? Instead of government debating taxes back and forth, it would be wildly refreshing to see true change. The incentive should be repeated again and again: to a large degree, we control the future of our own health. J. Michael McGinnis, a senior scholar at theInstitute of Medicine has estimated that only 10 percent of early deaths are the result of substandard medical care. About 20 percent stem from social and physical environments, and 30 percent from genetics. The biggest contributor, at 40 percent, is behavior.

Here at www.oomphtv.com we profile those over forty who are doing amazing things with their lives. A 94 year old runner, a trapeze artist in her late forties, an engaged full-time teacher who is still going strong in her late eighties. All of our storytellers thus far have had the blessings of good health. Let’s hope we can all help tip the balance toward healthy, active children so that the younger generation has just as much oomph! as their elders.