Don't miss any of Bottom Line's Daily Health News. Add our address,
dailyhealthnews@news.bottomlinepublishing.com,
to your Address Book or Safe List. Learn how here.
August 4, 2011  In This Issue... - Age-Defying Coconut Honey Complex
- The Key to Exercise Motivation
- Do You Have Back Pain When You Sit?
- Low Testosterone? No, It's Not Inevitable
- Erase Tumors in 2 Months
Age-Defying Coconut Honey Complex Is your skin moisturizer causing you early wrinkles? Find out at http://www.on2url.com/app/adtrack.asp?MerchantID=189069&AdID=562995
The Key to Exercise Motivation Like many people, I manage to exercise almost every day, but I’m not always motivated to do my best. And there are periods when "almost every day" doesn’t happen either. Sound familiar? Well, I’m happy to tell you that researchers have discovered a way that we can all improve our exercise performance merely by teaming up with the right kind of partner -- and that partner does not have to be a human being. A "virtual" partner can be just as effective. All this came to light during recent experiments at Michigan State University, where researchers asked test subjects to compare how well they were able to do plank exercises, in which you strengthen abdominal muscles by lying facedown on a mat and pushing up with your feet and your forearms until your body is suspended several inches above the mat, straight as, yes, a plank. The object is to keep your body suspended for as long as possible. The main purpose of the research -- to be published in an upcoming issue of Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology -- was to show the participants’ level of motivation and persistence depending on whether they exercised with a partner or alone. Results consistently showed greater performance when a participant had a partner. In fact, even a virtual partner spurred performance when compared with a participant exercising alone. How, you may be asking, did the researchers observe the impact of a "virtual" partner? In several tests, participants could see themselves on a nearby EyeToy, the camera device designed for PlayStation 2, the popular video game console. Alongside the EyeToy was a second screen on which participants saw a person -- someone they had been introduced to briefly, and in person, as their new exercise partner. What participants didn’t know was that the partner on the screen was virtual. That is, it was a tape of a person exercising, which actually had been recorded the day before. Since the participants would be viewing their partners through a video link connected to a television screen, they wouldn’t know the difference and would, in fact, think of their partner as live. Participants were told that they and their partners were a team of two whose rating would be determined by whichever team member got the worse score. For example, if a participant was able to stay suspended for 40 seconds, but the partner could remain suspended for two minutes, the team score would be 40 seconds. Results showed that the intensity and duration of exercise were always greater when participating with a partner. In one test, participants were offered a reward (a membership at a fitness club) for getting a high score. In a follow-up test, no reward was offered, but with the partner "present," the team produced a higher score than when a reward was offered. REWARDS HAVE LIMITS Results surprised even the lead researcher, Deborah Feltz, PhD, university distinguished professor and chairperson of Michigan State’s department of kinesiology. I spoke with her about the findings and about that all-important topic "motivation." As Dr. Feltz put it, "It appears that working as part of a team and helping a teammate is stronger motivation than the prospect of a reward" -- and a good part of that motivation, she said, appears to be based on the concern of letting a teammate down or on being identified as the weak link in the team. Of course, participants did think that they were watching their partners perform live, but Dr. Feltz said it probably wouldn’t have made much difference if they had known that the video had been taped earlier. Many other studies, she said, have shown that people routinely treat computers -- whether robotlike or with screens that display words -- as if they’re human. "If you doubt that, just think about all the people who curse the GPS in their cars when it gives wrong directions," she said. An upcoming study at Michigan State will focus specifically on using computer-generated partners in physical exercise, Dr. Feltz said. In light of this research and other studies, Dr. Feltz had this advice for anyone who wants to exercise more effectively... - Instead of giving yourself a reward for exercising, choose a partner with whom you can work out.
- The best exercise partner is someone who is slightly more fit or proficient than you are. This is because doing as well as, or better than, the partner becomes a goal. Conversely, it can be discouraging to work out with someone who is far more competent than you are. In fact, the study found that participants lost motivation if they believed that they could never keep up with their partners... and working out with someone who is far less competent than you isn’t great, as it’s all too easy to become bored.
In the next few years, Dr. Feltz expects we’ll see many video health games that take advantage of the notion of working out with virtual partners. Imagine a brave new world where we’ll all be exercising often and more effectively, not wanting to let our partners -- virtual though they may be -- feel that we haven’t done our utmost! Source(s):
Deborah Feltz, PhD, an expert in sports psychology, is a university distinguished professor at Michigan State University in East Lansing and chairperson of the department of kinesiology. 
Do You Have Back Pain When You Sit? Does your backside and lower thigh ever go numb? Do you feel sluggish? A recent report claims these are normal symptoms caused by sitting -- and they are not good. In fact, new research suggests a startling conclusion: sitting is a public health risk! Discover a safe, simple, and extremely effective solution that over 600,000 people have already found -- a revolutionary and affordable product that is endorsed by medical doctors, neurologists, chiropractic physicians and nurses. Don’t spend another moment in pain! Click Here for details and check out the video.
Low Testosterone? No, It's Not Inevitable Turn on the television these days and you’re likely to see ads asking men 45 or older if they might be suffering from something called "Low T." Do you lack energy (the ads ask)? Have you lost some of your zest for life? Even more alarming -- could you be losing your desire for sex altogether? Yikes! It’s Low T! Pass me the cure, whatever it is! Now, I don’t mean to diminish men’s concerns over their vitality and virility -- far from it. But before any of my male acquaintances or readers fall for these ads for drugs to boost their levels of testosterone -- for that’s the "T" in Low T -- I thought I would look into this question with a little less sensationalism and a little more common sense. And what I found is that while it’s normal for testosterone levels to decline slightly after a man passes age 40, only a small percentage of men have levels below normal for their age. So "Low T" is not inevitable, as some ads make it seem -- and the best solution for the vast majority of men is not a drug. I decided to take a deeper look at the latest research on the subject. I found a recently completed study on testosterone levels in healthy older men done at the University of Sydney that put one myth to rest right off the bat. Researchers in Australia found that while it’s true that men may lose their youthful testosterone levels if they are experiencing declining health, for healthy men, testosterone typically drops only very slightly as a consequence of age. How the study worked... In two study centers in Australia, researchers drew blood nine times over three months from 325 healthy men age 40 to 97, finding that their levels did not differ significantly among the wide age range -- and indicating that age had a minimal effect on testosterone concentrations. Even the researchers were somewhat surprised by the study results. They concluded that while there may be a modest drop in blood testosterone experienced among older men -- and these men at the same time may experience nonspecific symptoms such as easy fatigue and low sexual desire -- their symptoms are likely due to mounting chronic and acute conditions associated with aspects of aging that have nothing to do with testosterone levels, for instance heart disease and obesity. Prior research, in fact, has shown that testosterone drops a small amount -- about 1% per year -- in healthy men starting as early as age 30, according to Spyros Mezitis, MD, PhD, a clinical endocrinologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. However, even by age 65, some studies suggest, testosterone levels will be at levels that would be considered "low-normal" for healthy younger men, Dr. Mezitis told me. Problems such as erectile dysfunction are prone to occur more often in less healthy men with conditions such as diabetes or cardiovascular disease. This means that if a man experiences dramatic symptoms that could be caused by testosterone loss, he should not shrug his shoulders at the weary inevitability of it all. He should check with his doctor about the possibility of an illness of another sort. Alarming commercials have their place, Dr. Mezitis thinks, if they raise awareness among men about being vigilant about good health. But those who may need help shouldn’t order some nebulous product off the Internet or television -- they should visit their doctors and get a blood test to see what their testosterone levels really are and discuss the results with their doctors. "For the minority of patients who do have testosterone problems," he said, "we’ll recommend hormone replacement therapy. We don’t prescribe it unless the person is symptomatic and has a genuinely low testosterone level, and we’re sure that his prostate is healthy." Since testosterone in the form of a gel or a patch can contribute to the growth of prostate tumors, hormone replacement therapy needs to be carefully discussed with your doctor. Men are notoriously reluctant to step up and be vigilant about overall health. I’m hoping that these reports will reassure them that, for the great majority, their natural testosterone levels can provide the vitality and virility they need for a lifetime. If a man feels fatigued or listless, that’s a very good reason to schedule a checkup with his doctor. Something like depression, hypotension (low blood pressure) or increased abdominal fat may well be the reason for feeling low. Take care of it... and you can move forward with all your usual enthusiasm for life. Source(s):
Spyros Mezitis, MD, PhD, clinical endocrinologist, Lenox Hill Hospital, New York City.
Erase Tumors in 2 Months "Within two months, every tumor had shrunk, dried up and fallen off," said Tom to Dr. Gary Null about the miraculous disappearance of his rapidly spreading cancer. Tom had already gone through surgery once for skin cancer on his forehead. Unfortunately, his skin cancer was melanoma. Just 10 days after the operation, the cancer was back with a vengeance. It reappeared on his forehead, and quickly spread to his arm, upper body and chest. Four doctors all agreed: There was nothing they could do to cure this cancer. They all still wanted to operate. But Tom wanted to live -- not just get sliced up. Read on to learn what Tom did to save his life...
Be well, 
Carole Jackson
Bottom Line's Daily Health News
You received this free E-letter because you have requested it. You are on the mailing list as healthwellness82@gmail.com. Or... a friend forwarded it to you. Click here to easily subscribe. You can easily unsubscribe by clicking here. To change your e-mail address click here To update your e-mail preferences click here
Important: Help your friends live more healthfully -- forward this E-letter to them. Better: Send it to many friends and your whole family. This is a free e-mail service of BottomLineSecrets.com and Boardroom Inc. Need to contact us?
http://www.bottomlinesecrets.com/cust_service/contact.html Boardroom Inc.
281 Tresser Boulevard
Stamford, CT 06901-3246
ATTN: Web Team Privacy Policy:
BottomLineSecrets.com Web Site Privacy Policy Required Disclaimer: The information provided herein should not be construed as a health-care diagnosis, treatment regimen or any other prescribed health-care advice or instruction. The information is provided with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in the practice of medicine or any other health-care profession and does not enter into a health-care practitioner/patient relationship with its readers. The publisher does not advise or recommend to its readers treatment or action with regard to matters relating to their health or well-being other than to suggest that readers consult appropriate health-care professionals in such matters. No action should be taken based solely on the content of this publication. The information and opinions provided herein are believed to be accurate and sound at the time of publication, based on the best judgment available to the authors. However, readers who rely on information in this publication to replace the advice of health-care professionals, or who fail to consult with health-care professionals, assume all risks of such conduct. The publisher is not responsible for errors or omissions. Bottom Line's Daily Health News is a registered trademark of Boardroom, Inc. Copyright (c) 2011 by Boardroom Inc. |
No comments:
Post a Comment