Life Span Vs. Health Span

Life Span vs. Health Span - You may have heard of these two terms and wonder what the difference is. Living well and long: Are they the same? Can we do both?

Living a longer life does not necessarily mean a better life. New research has changed our concept of aging. Instead of worrying about how long we live - our life span - we now place emphasis on our "health span."

Ideally our health span (that functional, disease-free period of physical, mental and emotional health) should equal our life span. But, statistics show our health has steadily declined since World War II with over 50 percent of adults suffering one chronic illness or condition while others suffer multiple conditions.

It's obvious that advancements in medicine and technology have increased overall lifespan, but the achievement of extending our health span is still lagging.

For example, let's look at the villain cancer, the second leading cause of death in the world. Even though billions of dollars has been spent on research cancer is just as deadly now as it was 20, 30 or even 50 years ago.

The average person has a one-in-two chance of getting cancer and a one-in-three chance of dying from it. Three quarters of the population find themselves in this category already and sadly these figures are expected to soar as the number of overweight and obese people climbs to unprecedented levels.

The reality is, even with more drugs, more hospitals and more nursing homes available many people still suffer more than their parents did at a similar age.

To live with a life span that does not match one's health span is very expensive and a much less attractive option. If along with those extra years of life, life to years is to be added, experts agree the next chapter in medical advancement will need to be as much about "lifestyle as medicine"

This is wonderful news as it means we do have a lot of control and can structure our lifestyle to ensure our health span does indeed match our life span.

A huge part of being healthy is about removing the risk around getting these killers. To lower the likelihood of developing modern "lifestyle chronic diseases" like diabetes, heart disease and cancer along with many hundreds of others, a healthy lifestyle should start in childhood and last throughout adulthood

So, what can we do to increase our health span?

It is now becoming evident that adherence to healthy lifestyle choices like proper exercise, healthy eating (REAL food) and other healthy lifestyle elements like stress management, quality sleep and healthy doses of sunlight is the formula necessary to obtain a comparable increase in "health span."

A focus on lean body mass which is the amount of lean muscle tissue we have is vitally important and many of us fail to understand that our muscles go far beyond mobility.

Increased muscle mass helps slow the aging process, improve our functionality, and enhance our quality of life. Unfortunately, our modern increasingly sedentary world does not offer enough "work" for our muscles to remain strong. We literally sit for most of the day and do not get enough muscle- building and maintaining activity.

The only way to assure we do get enough of the right activity is to add intentional strengthening exercise into our lives and never stop doing them no matter how old we are, or we get.

Muscle health protects against metabolic and hormonal decline, insulin resistance, obesity and increased risk of fractures. When neglected it will limit health span.

Lean body mass is the MOST important biomarker because it hugely influences many other biomarkers such as basil metabolic rate, overall body strength, bone density and brain health.

If we ignore these issues and do nothing about them, sarcopenia - the serious loss of muscle mass and strength - sets in.

Toned, strong muscles maintain optimum blood sugar levels, boost heart strength and immune system health, keeps bones and joints healthy, and enhances cognitive function while slowing the aging process.

Given the metabolic and biological importance of healthy muscle mass, allowing degradation of this system through inactivity particularly as we get older can set the stage for a significant health crisis.

In short, once muscle tissue loss sets in, health is on a slippery downhill slope, triggering unhealthy body composition (muscle/fat ratio) changes, loss of physical energy and vitality, increased tendency to gain excess weight, increased vulnerability to disease and accelerating the aging process.

When strength is lost, the loss of independence also disappears and we become too frail to move around unassisted in order to take care of ourselves. A condition many of us have seen with our parents and grandparents.

Partaking in strengthening exercise (not cardio-type activity) defined as slow, direct controlled loading of the muscles through their ranges of movement under with adequate resistance is the key to rebuilding lost muscle mass and strengthening or maintaining it.

Moral of the story: Every lifestyle choice we make has a direct impact on our health now, and in the future.

Decide today to become passionate about increasing your own health span for a long AND healthy life.

It's not so much about years of life, but about life in years. A long life with a high burden of chronic disease is not a good thing if it means more time is spent living with illness and disability.

Carolyn Hansen -Your Go To Health & Fitness Specialist

"I help clients take charge of their health before circumstance removes the option. If your quest for a life of true physical and mental well-being is a journey I'll put you in the driver's seat."

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/10526535

Our First Line of Health Defence Is Our Immunity

Our immune system is our body's first line of defense against foreign invaders. It is our body's natural defense and, without it, we wouldn't stand a chance against microorganisms such as fungus, viruses, parasites and bacteria.

These pesky, health destroying intruders hide out everywhere and it is our immune system working around the clock that sets up protective barriers preventing them from entering our body.

Should one sneak by, our immune system has a back-up plan that kicks in and sends out an array of chemicals and proteins along with a host of white blood cells, all seeking to find and attack the foreign antigen before it has time to reproduce.

A strong immune system helps keep all health problems at bay from dangerous diseases to common colds. When working at peak performance, it recognizes and responds to millions of antigens producing what's needed to eradicate them.

Dr. Bruce Polsky MD, St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital in N.Y. states, "we are endowed with a great immune system designed to evolutionarily keep us healthy."

However, when we continually engage in unhealthy habits/lifestyles we weaken our immune system. These dangerous actions open the door to foreign invaders and the end result is, we get sick.

Simple healthy tactics such as washing our hands often and avoiding close contact with those affected with illness are obvious solutions we can employ that help keep us from getting sick.

Taking a pro-active stance to boost our immune system is the other.

Here's a few tips that help keep the immune system humming in tip-top shape:

Nutrient dense diet -

Vegetables, fruits and other plants contain natural substances known as phytochemicals (natural compounds found in plants) that give them their color and flavor. These phytochemicals act as powerful antioxidants neutralizing free radicals before they can create damage. They also serve as soldiers, supporting the immune system and the death of damaged cells, protecting the body from damage and creating new healthy cells.

All illnesses, diseases and infections are harder to ward off if the body is lacking nutrients/malnourished. It's best to choose and enjoy foods from all food groups including some protein with every meal and snack.

Proper Exercise -

The immune system is very responsive to exercise. After diet, it is one of the pillars that contribute to overall great health and strong immunity. It activates the sympathetic nervous system and increases heart rate, blood pressure and breathing, making us feel better and more energetic.

It kicks our circulation in, reduces anxiety and stress, slows the aging process, helping us to live longer and better.

Recent studies performed at the University of California-San Diego; School of Medicine revealed that 20 minutes of exercise provides our body with anti-inflammatory effects that, in turn, boost immunity.

Reduce and avoid stress -

Our state of mind does affect our health. Long-term, chronic stress increases the chance of illness because it depresses the immune system. This type of emotional and mental wear and tear ravages our immunity and our health.

Deep breathing, meditation and exercise all help to reduce the effects of chronic stress.

Adopt a Healthy Attitude -

Although we cannot control all events in our lives, we can control our feeling/attitude/response towards them. A positive, good attitude (seeing the glass half-full rather than half-empty), expressing gratitude every day in all situations works to strengthen our immune system and increases all chances for a positive outcome.

Laughter heals -

Laughter is powerful, more than we realize. It boosts our immunity because it is empowered to decrease our stress hormones, increase infection fighting antibodies and trigger the release of "happy" endorphins.

As a health bonus, it also works our abs, lowers our blood pressure, improves cardiac health and boosts our T-cells. It truly is "the best medicine."

According to Dr. Lee Berk, PH, Pro Loma Linda School of Medicine, "The best clinicians understand that there is an intrinsic physiological intervention brought about by positive emotions such as mirthful laughter, optimism and hope." Laugh often, it's free for everyone.

Quality Sleep -

Sleep is a major component towards being healthy. It's the downtime the body uses to rebuild and restore. Lack of it results in a weak immune system for a variety of reasons. One major issue is that less cytokines are produced. Cytokines are proteins released during sleep that target infection and inflammation creating an immune response.

Ongoing studies prove that those suffering from chronic sleep loss are more likely to get sick after exposure to viruses.

If your sleep cycle is interrupted and your schedule allows, try making up the loss with a nap. Two naps daily, one in the morning and one in the afternoon (no longer than 30 minutes duration) decreases stress and offsets any negative effects created by sleep deprivation on the immune system.

Step into the Sun -

The sun/natural sunlight is the body's major provider of Vitamin D. Vitamin D helps the body produce antibodies which in turn, boost the healthy functioning of our immune system.

For example, one major reason for respiratory issues is low levels of vitamin D. A simple fresh air walk in the sunlight of approximately 20-30 minutes helps ensure enough Vitamin D is produced by the body.

Fresh air and sunshine help heal us.

A strong immune system doesn't make us invincible but throws the odds in our favor. Therefore, our first line of defense against life's many health challenges is a healthy lifestyle.

Our immune system gets a true boost when we adopt an "attitude of gratitude," don our fitness gear, enjoy and share many good belly laughs and focus on healthy foods!

It's a true warrior when it comes to decreasing our chances of falling ill and provides the extra strength needed to fight any invader that finds its way through. It's a good thing.

Carolyn Hansen -Your Go To Health & Fitness Specialist

"I help clients take charge of their health before circumstance removes the option. If your quest for a life of true physical and mental well-being is a journey I'll put you in the driver's seat."

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/10511913