Exercise: Poor air quality apparently affects the running times of women marathoners, according to a study. Higher levels of particles in the air were associated with slower running times for women, while men were not significantly affected. The differences, according to researcher Linsey Marr of Virginia Tech, may be due to the smaller size of women’s tracheas, which makes it easier for certain particles to deposit there and possibly cause irritation. “Although pollution levels in these marathons rarely exceeded national standards for air quality, performance was still affected,” Marr said. Her studies were conducted where major USA marathons are located, such as New York, Boston, and Los Angeles, where pollution tends to be highest. Although the regular person might not be significantly impacted by low-yet-still-acceptable air quality, marathoners typically inhale and exhale about the same amount of air as a sedentary person would over the course of two full days. This means they are exposed to much greater amounts of pollutants than under typical breathing conditions. Interestingly, the performances of female marathoners appeared to only be affected by particulate matter, and not other pollutants like carbon monoxide, ozone, nitrogen dioxide or sulfur dioxide. The research was published in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports & Exercise. more …
Smoothie by HLife Photography
When we talk about a powerful nutrient-dense meal to start out your day energy-fueled and mentally prepared, we call upon: Our ultimate smoothie. And, yes, this smoothie is also the perfect replenish-and-repair drink to have after a great workout, filled with nourishment for your body and mind. Because breakfast is the most important meal of the day, the one that will kick start, support and carry out the performance of your mind and body, this ultimate smoothie is the perfect candidate for the job. In the morning, we must be sure to provide our mind and body with enough of the right nutrients to generate cellular energy, handle stress, and ensure efficient work performance, communication and understanding with the external and your own internal world. So, the focus of this smoothie is cellular and brain (mind) nutrition. Let’s get started: more …
Bee Pollen by HLife Photography
There are so many different ways of verbally glorifying bee pollen because its just that holistically amazing. It’s a complete food famous since ancient times due to its nutritional properties and medicinal benefits. Throughout centuries, bee pollen has been referred to via a variety of names, among these “the semen of the plant kingdom,” “the original treasure house of nutrition and medicine,” “the ultimate superfood,” and “the proactive life force of the plant world.” My family and I like to refer to bee pollen as “the real gold nuggets.” In Spanish we called them “las pepitas de oro” (seeds of gold). more …
You see something. You think it’s yummy (or you say, “this is healthy for me!” Thumbs up.) You put it in your mouth. It disappears. Now what happens? Let’s follow some food down the rabbit hole.
The digestive system starts in the mouth, the place where ingestion (you putting your food in your mouth for it to enter your body) takes place. The first thing that happens is the secretion of saliva. Saliva is actually pretty amazing: It lines and protects the inside of the mouth from superficial damage, makes the food easier to swallow, and has chemicals that help neutralize acid and prevent tooth decay, as well as antibacterial agents that get rid of many of the bad guys that come in with food. Probably the most known action of saliva is that it contains amylase, an enzyme that digests carbohydrates. So, of all the macronutrients (carbs, proteins and fats) the carbs (sugars and starches) are what gets digested first chemically, starting in your mouth. Physical digestion (the actual breaking down of foods into physically smaller pieces by a force exerted on them) is what your teeth are for. Chewing is a crucial part of digestion, so spend some time there and chew your food well, because food has to be in very tiny molecules before it can be used by your body. After your food has been partially chemically digested and you have chewed and physically broken it down, your tongue helps shape it into a bolus, and then pushes this bolus (ball) down the pharynx. more …
Coming soon to HLife – Join sisters Silvie Celiz and Maryl Celiz every week on The Silvie & Maryl Show! A show with discussions, and interviews with a variety of topics aimed at making you think about your life and your health. Also featuring a nutritional cooking segment.
