exercise | Fix It! Plan

There was a very interesting story today from NBC News discussing a report that was published in Lancet Oncology, where the research team studied how lifestyle changes in diet, exercise and stress reduction resulted in people with longer telomeres.

Telomeres you say? It is said they are like the tips on the ends of your shoelaces, only they’re on the tips of our chromosomes that carry DNA. Telomere length shortens with age, affecting our health and lifespan. But the good news is, recent studies indicate we can slow the shortening of our telomeres by making healthy changes in the way we eat and live.

In fact, the research just recently reported in Lancet Oncology indicates these lifestyle changes can actually lengthen our telomeres! Dr. Dean Ornish, who is well known for his research about the benefits of a low-fat, vegetarian diet, was one of the people who headed up the study, and I love his quote at the end of the article:

“People often think that it has to be a new drug or a new laser, something really high-tech and expensive to be powerful. What we are finding is the simple choices that we make every day are more powerful.”

You can read more about telomeres at the National Institute of Health: Telomeres, lifestyle, cancer and aging.

How much protein do we need in our diet to be healthy? To build muscle and stay strong?

I was troubled by this question for quite some time. I know protein is necessary for repairing and building muscle among other things, and part of our “Fix It” journey is to restore muscle strength and mass that has been lost with aging and being too sedentery. I researched this question online, asked personal trainers and athletes I knew, and the bottom line was that everyone and every source had a different answer. The responses would range from such a low number of grams per day I knew it couldn’t be right, to exorbitant numbers that didn’t seem right either. Or worse, I’d get the blanket phrase “Americans consume too much protein so don’t worry about whether you’re getting enough protein or not.” And often there didn’t seem to be any distinction between men and women, but it would seem likely that a woman’s protein needs might differ from that of a man, and also frame and weight would make a difference. Continue reading “Feel my muscle.” →

Fix It! Plan

This site is about sharing our journey back from heart attack to good health! I wish and believe it will provide hope, and hopefully direction on the road to the idea that you CAN stop heart disease in its tracks! And often even reverse its damage.

Tag Archives: exercise

“Feel my muscle.”