One More Reason to Exercise

An estimated 35.6 million people live with Alzheimer's disease or dementia, a number that is predicted to double every 20 years. Research indicates that exercise can help stave off Alzheimer's disease and dementia. People who exercised at least mildly decreased their risk of developing dementia by 29% to 41%. Those who were very physically active decreased their dementia risk by 37% to 50%. Sounds like a good reason to get out there and take a walk.

Exercising your mind can also help keep dementia at bay. Researchers found that seniors in their 70s and 80s who exercised their cognitive skills every day by reading, writing, doing crossword puzzles, playing board or card games or participating in group discussions delayed dementia. In fact, each daily cognitive activity delayed dementia by two months. or more!

How Siblings Cope When Parents Start to Fail

There comes a time in the life of every family when roles must be reversed and children begin to care for their parents. Research shows that the job of caregiver most often falls to daughters. And those who live geographically closest to their ailing parent shoulder the greater share of the burden.

It is common for siblings to clash about how to care for their parents and even who will do the caregiving. Too often ancient childhood rivalries and slights arise anew just when siblings need each others' support most. When caring for parents, siblings can be the source of both the greatest support and the greatest interpersonal stress.

Having been through this ordeal with my dad not long ago, my sisters and I found that caring for an ailing parent cannot be a one-person job. Even more than the physical strain, the daily mental stress can become burdensome to those doing the caregiving. It's important for siblings to help each other, to take turns providing care so that no one sibling feels overburdened. Even though one sibling may provide primary care, generally because they live closest to the parent, other siblings should fill in so that person is able to take a break periodically.

In our far-flung family several of us either came in regularly on weekends or devoted a week's vacation at a time to give mom and my in-town sister a break. My sister particularly appreciated the opportunity to return to her home and her own life even if just for a weekend. It was an opportunity to renew and return refreshed. For mom, the change of people was like a change of scenery, something exciting and fresh to break up the days.

If your family is facing the caregiver years, I recommend Francine Russo's new book. They're Your Parents, Too! How Siblings Can Survive Their Parents' Aging Without Driving Each Other Crazy.

One last thought. It was not always easy to care for Dad, but it was a rare gift to know him at that time of his life. He was more communicative and more reflective than when he and I were both younger. I heard stories about his childhood and war years that I had never heard before. He shared some of his dreams and disappointments, triumphs and regrets. I got to know a different man than I had known before, a more complete, more complex, far more human being than the Dad I knew growing up. I will always be grateful that I had the opportunity to know that man.

One Million Acts of Kindness

Bob Votruba is on a mission of kindness. Cruising the country in a bus emblazoned, "One Million Acts of Kindness," Votruba is on a 10-year mission to encourage kindness in America.

Inspired by the September 11 attacks and Virginia Tech shootings, the 54-year-old Clevelander is traveling across America in an old, white-painted school bus covered with hand-lettered messages of inspiration. With his dog Bogart riding shotgun, Votruba aims to visit 100 college campuses this year to spread his message. Along the way he's met a lot of friendly folks in towns across the country and touched a lot of hearts with his message that even little acts of kindness can have a big impact on someone's life.

Votruba says to reach 1 million acts of kindness, he'll need to perform 50 acts of kindness every day for 55 years, a goal he says is "totally obtainable with kindness in the heart." This story in the January-February 2010 issue of the AARP Bulletin inspired me to wonder if we couldn't start our own Acts of Kindness effort here in Louisville. Start today. Smile at a stranger on the street. Thank the checker at the grocery. Lend your neighbor a hand. Call your mom. Stop by and say hello to a friend. Hug your kids. Kiss your husband (or wife or special someone). Spread the love and watch it grow. I feel better already!

Senior Lament

Age creeps up on us all. I saw this in a newsletter and couldn't resist sharing. Unfortunately, no author was credited; but I'm sure we can all identify with his/her thoughts. Hope this gives you a chuckle.

Senior Lament

I started with nothing, and I still have most of it.
My wild oats have turned into prunes and All Bran.
I finally got my head together and now my body is falling apart.
It's easier to get older than it is to get wiser.
Funny, I don't remember being absent-minded.
If God wanted me to touch my toes, he would have put them on my knees.
It's not hard to meet expenses -- they're everywhere.
The only time the world beats a path to your door is when you're in the bathroom.
The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth.
If all is not lost, where is it?
It's hard to make a comeback when you haven't been anywhere.
These days I spend a lot of time thinking about the hereafter.
I go somewhere to get something and then wonder, What am I here after?

Music Can Change the Way We Feel

Winter blues got you down? Feeling sad and lonely? Feeling churned up and anxious? Dreading some obnoxious chore? Having a hard time getting your body in gear and moving? Try a little music.

Scientist have found that music has a powerful impact on human emotions and behavior. Movies and television use background music to synch our emotions to key plot points. Stores use music to encourage us to stay and shop longer. Sports arenas use music to rouse the crowd to cheer for the home team. Businesses use music to placate customers when they put them on hold. Your workplace may even use music to encourage a productive work environment. If we use language to communicate information and ideas, then we use music to communicate emotion.

Our response to music can change the way we feel. Music can pump us up, calm us down, energize us, relax us, wash us with sadness or put us in the mood for romance. If you're feeling blue, turn on some tunes and get happy!

New Study Says Watching TV Can Kill You!

For a long time people have been telling us that TV rots your brain. Now, new research says it can kill you, too! Long hours of sedentary inactivity spent watching TV has been linked to obesity and heart disease for some time, but new research has quantified the the connection between inactivity and increased health risk.

Researchers found that for every hour per day you spend sitting on your duff watching TV:

• You have an 18% greater risk of dying of cardiovascular disease.
• You have an 11% greater risk of dying from any cause.
• You have a 9% greater risk of dying from cancer.

Part of an Australian Diabetes, Obesity and Lifestyle Study, the study findings were published this week in the Circulation Journal of the American Heart Association. The study tracked 8,800 men and women aged 25 and older over 6 years and did not include people who already had a history of cardiovascular disease.

While the results of the study might be expected for people who are overweight or obese, what surprised researchers is that results held true even for people of normal weight and those who exercised regularly. And even if you don't spend that much time in front of the boob tube, you run the same risks if you spend hours on the job sitting in front of a computer or processing paperwork or doing anything. Apparently our bodies weren't made to sit for hours on end.

The lesson here seems to be, if you want to live longer, get off your duff and get moving!

Hot Fitness Trends for 2010

The best advice for staying fit is eat less and move more, experts agree. But every year people come up with new ways to make the drudgery of diet and exercise more fun. Here are the 10 top fitness trends for 2010:

1. Group training. Exercise is more fun when you share the pain. Find classes and small group training at health clubs, senior centers and community centers.
2. Timed workouts. Increase the intensity but shorten the time. That's the idea behind timed workouts. Great for busy folks.
3. Exergaming. Mix fitness with video games. Adding element of competition to exercise motivates you to keep going. Wii even makes exercise fun.
4. Cost-conscious workouts. Forget expensive health and fitness clubs; more folks are exercising at home. Turn up the tunes or plug in an exercise or yoga tape. Save while you shave off those pounds.
5. Boomer programs. Exercise routines targeted to baby boomers are aimed at lowering blood pressure and cholesterol to promote healthy, independent living.
6. Functional workouts. Exercise wherever you are and whenever you have time with suspension training tools and resistance bands that you can use at home, work or on the road.
7. Online training tools. Online meal planning and exercise guidance programs allow folks to get information they need 24/7. iPhone interaction lets you check calories, download recipes any time. Online support groups help you stay motivated.
8. Health and fitness awareness. Fighting obesity has replaced smoking as America's next big health challenge.
9. Specialty exercise classes. The success of TV's Dancing with the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance have sparked interest in ethnic dance, pole dancing, Zumba and other unusual dance techniques. Dancing provides great exercise. Attendance is increasing at Arthur Murray and other ballroom dancing schools.
10. Professional credentials. More health clubs and fitness centers are hiring credentialed pros to provide higher-quality, knowledgeable, accurate fitness help.

Four Foods Help You Fight Off Flu

Happy New Year from all of us at AM Warner Insurance. January has started out with a nasty blast of cold arctic air. If you haven't had your flu and pneumonia shots, I encourage you to get them right away. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 98% of flu cases in the U.S. are related to swine flu, so make sure to get vaccinated for H1N1.

Adding four foods rich in germ-fighting antioxidants can help your immune system fight off colds and flu this winter.

• Colorful fruits and veggies contain beta-carotene and vitamin C, powerful antioxidants. So stock up on carrots and sweet potatoes and try to eat at least a half cup serving every day.
• Eating two 6-ounce servings of yogurt every day, particularly varieties containing probiotics, improves digestive health, can ease diarrhea and prevent yeast and urinary tract infections.
• Four tablespoons of lemon juice stirred into a glass of water or tea or sprinkled on salad helps maintain a healthy internal climate for good disease-fighting bacteria.
• Season your food with two cloves of garlic each day to stimulate infection fighting white blood cells.