Published January 1, 2010

The Best Way to Keep Your Muscles Strong and Toned as You Age

t’s normal for our muscles to lose tone and become flabby as we age. But just because it’s normal doesn’t mean it’s good. Not only are flabby muscles unsightly, they’re an indication that we’re losing strength. And all of us would like to stay strong and vital as long as possible.

To stop or reverse this progression, many of us turn to exercise. While a consistent weight lifting program or workouts at a gym is important, it’s not enough. In addition to exercising our muscles, we need to feed them. The best food for muscles is protein. The older we get, the more we need to eat sufficient protein to keep muscles from atrophying, and the harder it is to get enough.

Published December 1, 2009

Two Overlooked Reasons for High Blood Pressure and Heart Disease … and Their Solutions

High blood pressure is common, especially as we get older. It often leads to more serious conditions like strokes and heart disease, which is why you shouldn’t ignore it. The first recommendation you’re likely to hear from your doctor if your blood pressure is high is to reduce the amount of salt in your diet. But sodium is just part of the problem and it doesn’t affect everyone equally. In fact, high sodium intake is not as big a risk factor as you — or your doctor — may think.

There are numerous other reasons for high blood pressure including stress, obesity, and genetics. But for the most part, doctors are often guessing. In many cases, they don’t know what causes high blood pressure in their patients. No one does.

Published November 1, 2009

The Most Important Nutrients for Your Heart Also Protect Against Diabetes and Hypertension

When Jeanie was in her late 40s, she began to have arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats). Aside from slightly high blood pressure, her cardiologist found no problems. He prescribed a medication to help regulate her heart and another to lower her blood pressure. He didn’t mention diet, stress reduction, or exercise. Or the possible benefits of nutritional supplements.

In spite of her medications, Jeanie’s condition slowly progressed into full-blown heart disease and her blood pressure became more difficult to control. She was tired most of the time and became exhausted after eating sweets. Yet her doctor never made a connection between her heart and these warning signs. Jeanie lived the rest of her life with uncomfortable and often frightening symptoms. She could have addressed all of her symptoms at once and had better health if she had known about this connection. But no one told her.