Pearls of Wisdom

According to a recent systematic review of literature by the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, participation in physical activity is positively related to academic performance in children. The researchers used 14 different studies which included children ranging in numbers from as little as 50 to as many as 12000.

According to the authors:

“Physical activity and sports are generally promoted for their positive effect on children’s physical health; regular participation in physical activity in childhood is associated with a decreased cardiovascular risk in youth and adulthood. There is also a growing body of literature suggesting that physical activity has beneficial effects on several mental health outcomes, including health-related quality of life and better mood states.

In addition… there is a strong belief that regular participation in physical activity is linked to enhancement of brain function and cognition, thereby positively influencing academic performance.
There are several hypothesized mechanisms for why exercise is beneficial for cognition, including:

1. Increased blood and oxygen flow to the brain
2. Increased levels of norepinephrine and endorphins resulting in a reduction of stress and an improvement of mood
3. Increased growth factors that help to create new nerve cells and support synaptic plasticity

The increasing pressures to improve academic scores often lead to additional instructional time for subjects such as mathematics and language at the cost of time for being physically active. Given the suggested relationship and the ongoing discussions on the replacement of physical education lessons by academic subjects, we aimed to review the evidence on the longitudinal relationship between these two variables…

To summarize, the literature provides inconclusive evidence on the positive longitudinal relationship between physical activity and academic performance. However, there is a strong general belief that this relationship is present, and research in this area is ongoing.”

Read the original post: here.

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The CDC’s Summary Health Statistics, 2009 is out, and it comes with some intriguing figures on the overall picture of who’s healthy — and who’s not — among adults in the United States. When it comes to how education figures in to health, it turns out that the more educated you are, the healthier you may be.

The survey, which includes data from over 27,700 U.S. adults, found that people with a college education were more physically active, and were less likely to have heart disease, hypertension, diabetes and other chronic health problems such as back pain, kidney and liver disease or migraine headaches.

The two are undoubtedly linked, as exercise is directly related to a lowered risk of many of the chronic conditions on that list. It certainly does not take a college education to exercise, or realize that you should, so no matter how much schooling you have this is one simple health habit to take note of.

by Dr. Mercola

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“Sports remain a great metaphor for life’s more difficult lessons. It was through athletics that many of us first came to understand that fear can be tamed; that on a team, the whole is more than the sum of its parts; and that the ability to be heroic lies, to a surprising degree, within.”  —Susan Casey

When you think of heroics in sports, you probably think of the performances of people like Michael Jordan, Joe Montana, Ronaldo, Jackie Robinson, and so on. These are the stories our culture cherishes. We’ve memorized their statistics and their faces are emblazoned on our collective cerebrum. We can all rattle off at least a few dozen of these icons. But being one of “the greats” is not quite the same thing as having heart. Put another way, not every great athlete plays with heart and not every person or team that plays with heart wins. However, those who do play with heart can be even more inspirational to the rest of us than those who lug home a big, shiny trophy.

What do I mean about having heart? Somewhere, within most every person, there a chasm between what they think they can do in sport and what they can actually do. People who have heart are the ones dedicated and engaged enough to take a leap of faith across that chasm and, come what may, search out the other side. The act of diving headlong into that great unknown is a kind of heroism in itself.

When I think of people that embody THIS trait, no particular name comes immediately to mind (though perhaps it does for you). Images do, however. I picture the Olympic marathoner who places fifth. They hit the wall over and over again that day and kept on trucking. Perhaps they weren’t expected to place at all but very nearly took home a medal.

I think of the professional boxer that is pummeled in round after round and still manages to stay on his feet. Then, amazingly, he wins the fight with a crazy, drunk, Rocky Balboa-type punch that knocks his opponent into another state of consciousness.

I think of wounded veterans like Ryan Job, a decorated U.S. Navy SEAL who lost his sight in combat in 2006 and still managed to summit Mt Rainier in 2008 before he died the following year. (He said that even without sight, he could sense the majesty of the 14,411-foot peak.)

What is it that allows you to dive into the abyss and keep pressing on? First of all, it has to be a passion for the sport or activity combined with the simple knowledge that you have more to give. You’re not beat yet. You’ve still got a few moves left…another burst of energy…another few miles. Maybe there’s a certain breed of human that would, as someone once put it, “…rather die on their feet than live on their knees.”

You don’t need to be famous to be considered great. You just have to have heart. Take that into your training, and you will certainly do well.

Read the original article here.

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We have all been informed of the dangers of the Standard American Diet (SAD for short) and risks of eating processed foods. Well, if knowledge is the first step, then action must be the second. Sometimes it is easier and more practical to take slow and gradual steps to a longer term goal. Here are some steps to help you “wean yourself from processed foods”.

1. Seek true satisfaction. Enjoy genuine flavors, rather than fat, sugar, and salt added to mask the metallic taste of chemical additives.

2. Read labels wisely. You can find food with “real” ingredients in the supermarket if you read labels carefully.

3. Relish what’s on your plate. Devote time solely to enjoying the pleasures of eating.

4. Wean yourself off excess salt, fat, and sugar. You can also cook with smaller amounts of these ingredients by using natural substitutes like strong spices.

5. Give your palate time to change. You’ll gradually lose your taste for excessively sweet and salty foods.

6. Go for high-quality foods. Look for products that contain the least amount of processed ingredients.

7. Treat yourself well by not skipping meals. Try eating three meals a day at fairly regular times, plus a mid-afternoon snack.

Read the original article here.