The Benefits of Supplements: Enhancing Health and Well-Being

Taking supplements can an effective way to improve your health and overall well-being. They can benefit your overall health in a variety of ways, including bolstering your immune system, assisting with brain function, and even supporting with alcohol rehab. In this article, we'll discuss the advantages of taking supplements, as well as how doing so can help you lead a life that's both healthier and more fulfilling.

Enhanced Nutritional Status

Taking nutritional supplements is a great way to make sure that you are providing your body with all of the necessary nutrients it requires. Even if you eat a healthy, well-rounded diet, it may still be challenging to obtain all of the necessary nutrients from food alone. Supplements are a great way to help fill in the blanks and give your body the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients it needs to perform at its absolute best.

Enhanced Immune System

In addition, taking supplements can help strengthen your immune system, which in turn can assist in the prevention of illness and disease. Taking vitamin C, vitamin D, and zinc supplements on a consistent basis can help strengthen your body's defenses against illness because these vitamins and minerals are believed to have immune-enhancing properties.

Your Energy Levels Can Be Increased 

Supplements can also help increase your energy levels, which can result in an improvement in your quality of life in general. For instance, B vitamins are well-known for their capacity to increase levels of energy, and taking a supplement that contains a B complex can supply you with the energy you need to get through the day.

Enhanced Capabilities of the Brain

The health of the brain and the cognitive processes can also be supported by supplements. For example, omega-3 fatty acids are important for maintaining brain health and have been shown to help improve memory as well as cognitive function. Other supplements, such as ginkgo biloba, have also been shown to improve brain function and lessen the likelihood of cognitive decline brought on by aging.

Decreased Levels of Inflammation

Chronic pain, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes are just some of the health issues that can be caused by inflammation, which is a common problem that can lead to a variety of other health issues. Curcumin and omega-3 fatty acids are two examples of dietary supplements that have been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties and can help reduce inflammation throughout the body.

Better Sleep 

Supplements can also improve the quality of your sleep, which is critical to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Magnesium and melatonin are two examples of dietary supplements that can help improve the quality of your sleep, making it easier for you to fall asleep and wake up feeling more refreshed and rested.

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In conclusion, taking supplements can confer a myriad of positive effects on one's health and general well-being. There are supplements that can assist you in improving your nutrition, boosting your immune system, or supporting your brain function, depending on what it is that you're looking for. However, before beginning a new supplement regimen of any kind, you should make sure to consult with your primary care physician to determine whether or not the supplements will be safe and if they will meet your personal requirements.

5 Healthy Habits to Continue Doing from Home

We are living in unusual times right now, with most of us working from home and thrown off from our normal routines. Stress and anxiety levels are high as the world deals with the current health crisis, with constant reminders every time we turn on the TV. 

With our world turned upside down, it is easy to lose a sense of control and feel powerless over the situation. However, there are some everyday things we can do to create a sense of normalcy and routine despite the circumstances, while improving our health in the process. Here are 5 daily habits that can be done from home to help you stay healthy and cope with the current situation:

1. Outdoor Exercise

It is a telling sign that outdoor exercise is considered an ‘essential’ activity even during stay-at-home orders (as long as physical distancing protocol is followed). Getting outside to walk, run, bike, or hike is a great way to engage your body and clear your mind. Exercise is a proven way to reduce stress and anxiety, boost your immunity, and improve overall health. Additionally, being outside in nature produces its own health benefits, including reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and premature death.

I aim to get in 10,000 steps per day, which can typically be achieved with a 30-minute run outside in the morning, a couple 10–15 minute walks around the neighborhood, plus routine natural movement throughout the day. A worthy goal is to be outside for at least an hour each day.

2. Meditate

Meditation is another potent stress-reliever — the perfect antidote for these uncertain times. Even just a few minutes of meditation is helpful for anxious people, and going up to 10 minutes per day does wonders for your brain. There are numerous apps out there to guide your daily practice, including Headspace and Calm, as well as crystals - check out these amethyst metaphysical properties perfect for meditation-  and other meditation accessories you may want to look into.

I choose to meditate for 10 minutes first thing in the morning using the free Insight Timer app. My guided daily session includes deep breathing, intention setting, and a gratitude practice. It is an ideal way to become calm and centered for the day ahead.

3. Sleep 8 Hours Per Night

In this stay-at-home environment, it is easy to keep your laptop open longer than usual or binge on Netflix late into the evening. But adequate sleep is more important now than ever. Sleep reduces stress, strengthens the immune system, and helps you think more clearly throughout the day. While the amount of sleep you need varies from person to person, most adults need between 7–9 hours per night.

I aim for 8 hours of sleep but I try to give myself 9 hours total in bed. This ensures I can have a wind-down period (I typically read for 15–20 minutes in bed) and it also accounts for the time it takes to fall asleep.

4. Eat a Whole-Food, Plant-Rich Diet

Evidence shows that a healthy diet should revolve around vegetables, fruit, whole grains, healthy fats, and healthy proteins. The most sensible guide to healthy eating is the Healthy Eating Plate, developed by the doctors and nutrition experts at Harvard. This eating approach calls for at least half of your plate to be fruits and vegetables, ¼ of your plate to be whole and intact grains, and ¼ to be healthy proteins such as fish, poultry, beans, and nuts (red meat is to be limited, and processed meats avoided altogether).

Eating in this manner has been shown to improve numerous health measures, including lowering the risk of heart disease and premature death. A whole-food, plant-rich diet has also been shown to reduce anxiety and produce better mental health. Exactly what we need right now.

5. Stretch

A simple stretching practice can calm your mind, ease tension, and increase energy, in addition to the flexibility and injury prevention benefits. Engaging in yoga — a more active form of stretching — produces powerful mental and physical health benefits.

You don’t need a gym or studio to establish a stretching or yoga practice. There are many great routines that can be found on TV or online and done from your living room. Aim to incorporate 10 minutes of light stretching or yoga as part of your daily mind and body regimen.

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These 5 simple habits can be done from home, on your own terms, with profound benefits for your health and well-being. 

Although all of these activities can be done individually, it may give you extra motivation and enjoyment to involve your friends and family. For example, take your kids for a walk outside or schedule a daily Zoom video workout class with your friends. There are creative ways to make these activities fun and social, while still adhering to all recommended precautionary measures. 

The world around you might be chaotic, but these habits can help you maintain a sense of control and routine amidst the uncertainty.

Andrew Merle writes about living well. Read more and subscribe to his email list at andrewmerle.com.

3 Easy (And Fun) Daily Habits to Extend Your Life

What if your vices could actually help you live longer?

A recent study followed 1700 nonagenarians to determine what makes people live to age 90 and beyond.

And the results are almost too good to be true.

The study revealed these 3 daily habits that increase longevity:

Drink Beer and Wine

That’s right — drinking alcohol was shown to have a statistically-significant impact on living longer, even when controlling for other factors.

Specifically, people who drank about two glasses of beer or wine a day (a glass is about 5 oz.) were 18% less likely to experience a premature death than those who abstained from alcohol.

“I have no explanation for it, but I do firmly believe that modest drinking improves longevity,” said University of California neurologist and lead researcher Claudia Kawas.

This is consistent with studies of centenarians from the world’s Blue Zones regions — the places around the world with the highest life expectancy — where they often drink up to two glasses of wine every day as a way to downshift from the stressors of daily life.

So it’s possible that a daily happy hour extends your life by shedding stress. We know that stress leads to chronic inflammation, which is associated with every major age-related disease.

Or perhaps it is because drinking alcohol often brings us together with friends and family. Social relationships are vital for our health (not to mention the best predictor of our overall happiness).

Or maybe the benefits come from what’s in the alcohol itself. For example, red wine contains powerful antioxidants that have anti-inflammatory benefits. People in the Blue Zones region of Sardinia, Italy drink Cannonau wine (from the Grenache grape), which is renowned for its high levels of polyphenols — antioxidants linked to heart health and protection from cardiovascular disease.

Whatever the reason, you can feel good about drinking a glass or two of beer or wine every day.

The research is clear — Moderate drinkers outlive non-drinkers.

Drink Coffee

While we’re on the topic of drinking, coffee is another beverage that extends your life.

Drinking two cups of coffee per day was shown to reduce the risk of dying prematurely by 10%.

Previous studies revealed that drinking 3–4 cups of coffee every day could significantly reduce your chances of early death, and even drinking as many as 8 cups of coffee per day can help you live longer.

And the benefits hold true for all types of coffee — caffeinated, decaf, ground, instant, etc.

Daily coffee consumption is another common habit among Blue Zones populations. Centenarians in all five original Blue Zones areas drink up to two or three cups of black coffee per day.

How can the longevity benefits of coffee be explained?

• Coffee is loaded with essential antioxidants. Similar to red wine, coffee contains polyphenols that neutralize free radicals and help prevent disease.
• Coffee reduces age-related inflammation.
• Coffee reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes. This is specifically true for fully caffeinated coffee.
• Coffee lowers the risk of prostate cancer in men. This again could be because coffee contains many beneficial compounds that act as antioxidants, reduce inflammation, and regulate insulin, all of which may influence prostate cancer.

Coffee has also been linked with a lower risk of Parkinson’s disease and liver cancer.

All of this doesn’t necessarily mean you should start drinking coffee if you’re not already, but if you are a coffee drinker you should feel very good about your daily fix.

Moderate Exercise

OK, so maybe this habit isn’t as fun as the previous two, but it is still pretty easy to achieve.

The nonagenarian study showed that those who engaged in moderate exercise every day (between 15 and 45 minutes) had an 11% lower risk of dying early.

So you can’t just sit on your couch all day long, but we’re talking about a very small amount of physical activity reducing your risk of death by double-digit percentage points.

I won’t belabor this point, since by now we all know that exercise is good for us.

The health benefits of physical activity have been well-documented — including helping to control weight, strengthen the cardiovascular system, fortify bones, and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. Exercise is also the single most powerful tool you have to optimize your brain function.

The world’s longest-lived people don’t pump iron, run marathons, or join gyms. Instead, they live in environments that constantly nudge them into moving without thinking about it.

Even if you are only active for 15–45 minutes per day, clearly the health benefits are profound.

That is a very small time commitment to significantly increase your life span.

...

This might just be the best news you hear all day:

Drinking alcohol, drinking coffee, and doing just a small amount of exercise each day will help you live longer.

Cheers to that!

Andrew Merle writes about living well, including good habits for happiness, health, productivity, and success. Subscribe to his email list at andrewmerle.com.

The Healthiest People In The World Don't Go To The Gym

Maybe it's time to cancel your gym membership. 

If you want to be as healthy as possible, there are no treadmills or weight machines required.

Don’t just take my word for it — look to the longest-lived people in the world for proof.

People in the world’s Blue Zones — the places around the world with the highest life expectancy — don’t pump iron, run marathons or join gyms.

Instead, they live in environments that constantly nudge them into moving without even thinking about it. This means that they grow gardens, walk throughout the day, and minimize mechanical conveniences for house and yard work.

In fact, Blue Zones researchers determined that routine natural movement is one of the most impactful ways to increase your life span, and a common habit among the world’s longest-lived populations.

Of course this might not seem realistic in our current knowledge economy, where we’re often tied to a desk and in front of a computer screen all day.

Moving naturally throughout the day might sound pleasant and romantic, but the reality is that 90% of us have sedentary jobs (whereas 100 years ago it was only 10%).

However, there are still easy ways to add more movement into your daily life.

One of the best ways to do this is to use an active mode of transportation. This could mean walking your kids to school, walking or biking to the grocery store, to a friend’s house, or out to dinner.

Ideally you could walk or bike to work as well (or walk/bike to the bus or train station, if that’s more feasible).

Research shows that the best work commute you can have is a 15-minute walk each way, but any physical activity built in along your commute is a plus. On the flip side, the daily car commute is the number two thing Americans hate the most on a daily basis, behind only housework (but maybe housework would be more enjoyable if you reminded yourself of the life-extending natural movement involved!).

If active transportation isn’t possible in your community, you can still find time to go out for a walk.

A recent study from the American Cancer Society revealed that walking for six hours per week resulted in a lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, and cancer than not being active at all. But the research also showed that walking even as little as two hours per week could reduce the risk of disease and help you live longer.

Walking is also great medicine for your mind. A daily walk could reduce the risk of dementia by 40%, according to Anders Hansen, a physician and psychiatry specialist from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden.

If long walks aren’t your thing, break it up by taking several smaller walks per day instead (5 minutes per hour).

Make it a point to stand at your desk, or at least get up and move around regularly throughout the day. Get outside at lunch for some fresh air.

The bottom line is that our bodies were made to move.

And that doesn’t necessarily mean going to the gym.

You don’t need to lift heavy weights or grind through high intensity interval workouts to live a long and healthy life.

Simple, natural movement can be even more impactful.

Do as the world’s centenarians do — move naturally.

This Is How Many Hours You Should Really Be Working

Have you ever wondered about the optimal number of hours to work per week?

Perhaps you are one of those people who brags about your 70-hour workweek, or maybe you are on the other end of the spectrum chasing the 4-hour workweek dream.

Who really has it right, anyway?

It turns out that the number of hours you work affects not only your productivity, but also your happiness and perception of how much time you have.

And we currently have some room for improvement.

A recent Gallup poll in the US revealed that one in five full-time employees work more than 60 hours a week and nearly half of US workers regularly clock at least 50 hours.

But those people are doing themselves (and their employers) a disservice.

Research shows that productivity falls sharply after 50 hours per week, and drops off a cliff after 55 hours. Additionally, not taking at least one full day off per week (e.g. Sunday) leads to lower hourly output overall.

From a productivity standpoint you shouldn’t go above 50 hours, but to cut down on stress you’d be wise to work even less.

It is no secret that we are busier and more connected than ever, often bouncing from one obligation to the next. This non-stop lifestyle has resulted in 48 percent of working adults feeling rushed for time, and 52 percent feeling significant stress as a result.

Time management expert Laura Vanderkam conducted a study to determine how the number of hours you work affects how much time you think you have.

Of the 900 people included in the study, the average person worked 8.3 hours per day. And the results showed that there was only a one hour difference between the people who felt like they had a lot of time and those who felt time-pressured. Those who felt like they had the least time overall worked 8.6 hours, whereas those who felt like they had the most time worked just one hour less (7.6 hours).

So to not feel starved for time, aim for a 7.6 hour work day. That would equate to a 38-hour workweek.

A 38-hour workweek is remarkably similar to the number of hours worked in Denmark, consistently one of the world’s happiest countries (Denmark has earned the top spot on the World Happiness Report in three of the past five years, and finished number two and three in the other years). People in Denmark work hard but rarely put in more than 37 hours a week, often leaving the office by 4 or 5pm. Other Scandinavian countries enjoy a similar work-life balance, and similar happiness rankings.

Happiness expert Dan Buettner takes it even a step further. Buettner has reviewed the research on more than 20 million people worldwide through the Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index, and has conducted extensive on-the-ground research in the world’s happiest countries. “When it comes to your work, try to work part-time, 30–35 hours a week,” he concludes.

Buettner also recommends taking six weeks of vacation per year, which is the optimal amount for happiness. If that isn’t possible, he says at the very least you should use all of your allotted vacation time and keep negotiating for more until you’re getting 6 weeks.

Unfortunately Americans are not taking half of their vacation days, and two-thirds of Americans report working even when they are on vacation. Perhaps it’s no surprise that the US is down at #18 in the World Happiness Report.

Maybe 30 work hours per week and six weeks of vacation is not practical for you. But that’s okay.

If you want to achieve the perfect blend of productivity, happiness, and time affluence, a more realistic goal is to work slightly below 40 hours per week.

The research shows that even shaving an hour or two off of the standard 40-hour workweek can have huge benefits, both at work and at home.

Less than 10% of workers are able to achieve that schedule. A good goal is to be one of those people.

Here’s to the 38-hour workweek!

Andrew Merle writes about living well, including good habits for happiness, health, productivity, and success. Subscribe to his email list at andrewmerle.com.

This is How to Exercise to Sharpen Your Mind

I am a huge believer in the power of exercise — for the body, and even more importantly for the mind.

As I have written about before, I never go into a big day without running first thing in the morning. I have found that morning exercise makes me mentally sharper throughout the day, and I am convinced that my morning running routine has changed my life and career more than any other habit.

After reading The Real Happy Pill: Power Up Your Brain by Moving Your Body, I know that science has undoubtedly proven the dramatic benefits of exercise on the brain.

In the book, author Anders Hansen, a physician and psychiatry specialist from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, cites the latest neuroscientific research to clearly show that exercise:

• Increases focus and concentration

• Boosts creativity

• Alleviates stress and anxiety

• Improves mood and happiness

• Strengthens memory

• Slows the brain’s aging process

The amazing thing is that the cognitive benefits of exercise can be felt with as little as a 30-minute walk per day. In fact, Hansen notes that walking is the best medicine for dementia and a daily walk could reduce the risk of dementia by 40%.

A daily walk is the minimum amount of physical activity needed to see good results, but in the book Hansen also lays out the most beneficial activity level for the brain overall (to experience the full range of benefits listed above).

He says the very best you can do for your brain is to run for 45 minutes, at least three times per week. It is essential to raise your heart rate during exercise sessions, and he advises to focus on aerobic training over weightlifting to achieve maximum results for the brain. He says it is very important to stick with your training routine — people who exercise regularly a few times a week for six months will experience the most positive changes.

While that gives a great general framework to build your exercise routine around, Hansen also provides some concrete exercise tips to produce each type of cognitive benefit, including:

Best Exercise Routine for Improved Mood and Happiness

• Go for a 30–40 minute run, three times per week

• Hit at least 70% of your max intensity — you can keep a consistent pace throughout, but make sure you break a sweat and feel winded at the end of the workout

• Biking, swimming, or any other type of cardio can substitute for running as long as the intensity level and workout duration stay the same

• It is essential to keep this up for at least three weeks to experience the full benefits

• If you suffer from depression, you must run (or similar exercise) three times per week, 45 minutes each time. It usually takes about six weeks to notice the changes

Best Exercise Routine for Stress and Anxiety Relief

• Choose cardio over weight training

• Exercise for 30–45 minutes, at least 2–3 times per week

• You must elevate your heart rate during training sessions

• Reach the point of fatigue/exhaustion once a week (e.g. via interval training)

Best Exercise Routine for Increased Concentration

• Go for a run instead of a walk, ideally for 30 minutes

• Your heart rate should hit 70–75% of its max capacity (130–140 beats per minute if you’re 40 years old, at least 125 bpm if you are 50)

• Exercise in the morning to experience the peak concentration benefits during your work day (the effect will drop off after a few hours, and most of us need to focus during the day vs. at night)

Best Exercise Routine for Enhanced Creativity

• Run for at least 20–30 minutes (or similar vigorous exercise). A walk is good as well, but will not be as effective as running

• The creativity boost will be felt for about two hours after exercise

• Do not go all out — creativity will actually go down in the hours after a very intense/strenuous workout

Best Exercise Routine for Improved Memory

• Alternate between cardio exercise and weight training (weight training does seem to improve associative memory, e.g. matching a name with a face)

• If you need to choose between cardio and weights, cardio should take the priority since it is more beneficial for memory

• Don’t exercise to exhaustion — a walk or a light jog is sufficient

• Memory improvement takes place over several months, so it is important to keep at it

Best Exercise Routine to Halt the Brain’s Aging Process

• Walk for 30 minutes every day, at least five days a week (or run/bike/swim for 20 minutes, three times a week, which produces similar results)

• A daily walk is far more important than a daily crossword puzzle

Best Exercise Routine for Children and Teenagers

• It is best for children to be active for at least 30 minutes, at least a few times per week. Keeping this up for 2–3 months leads to permanent benefits including better arithmetic ability, increased creativity, and improved executive functioning (planning, concentration, impulse control, etc.)

• Kids should do whatever they enjoy (running, playing, tennis, soccer, etc.), but it is essential that they elevate the heart rate during exercise, ideally getting up to around 150 bpm

All of this shows that you don’t need to be an ultra-marathoner or jump on to the latest fitness craze — in fact, it is best to stick with the exercise basics to reap the maximum mental benefits.

Ultimately, you should do what you enjoy since that will make it easier to stick with it over the long haul. That’s why taking up an activity like golf, where you can wear fun golf polos and enjoy the good weather, is great, even if it means you’re not always breaking a sweat. And doing something is far better than nothing. Hansen points out that the brain registers every step — so while 30 minutes of physical activity is better than five minutes, five minutes of moving still counts for the brain.

So do your brain a favor by moving your body.

As Hansen says, “Modern neuroscience has shown that maybe the most important thing we can do for our brain — and therefore ourselves — is to be physically active.”

And it takes less than an hour per day.

The #1 Healthiest Food for Adding Years to Your Life

The single healthiest food out there might surprise you.

Chances are this food is not a part of your regular diet, but it is the cornerstone food of the longest-lived people in the world. In fact, in the locations around the world with the highest concentrations of 100-year-olds, people are eating at least four times as much of this food as we are.

That is according to Dan Buettner, a National Geographic Fellow and New York Times bestselling author, who has spent over a decade studying the places around the globe where people live the longest.

This superfood is beans — and eating just a cup per day is the single-best longevity supplement available.

That’s right, eating a cup of beans per day can add an extra four years to your life, says Buettner.

He argues that beans of every type are the world’s greatest longevity foods — including black beans, pinto beans, white beans, garbanzo beans, fava beans, black eyed peas, and lentils.

Credit: U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

Beans are the ultimate superfood because they have the ideal mix of protein (21 percent), complex carbohydrates (77 percent — the type of carbs that provide slow and steady energy), and fat (only a few percent). They are also an excellent source of fiber and deliver more nutrients per gram than any other food on the planet.

If that isn’t enough, beans have also been shown to support digestion, regulate blood sugar, lower cholesterol, boost heart health, and possibly even reduce cancer risk.

Pound for pound, beans are simply the healthiest food in the world.

If you’re ready to add beans to your daily regimen, here are some of Buettner’s tips to get started:

• Eat beans that you like and cook recipes that will taste good. This is easier said than done, so reference this great list of bean dish recipes.
• Make sure the only ingredients in the beans you buy are: beans, water, spices, and maybe a bit of salt (avoid any beans with added sugar or fat).
• It is best to buy dry beans, but low-sodium beans in cans are fine as well.
• Use pureed beans as a thickener in soups to add protein and a creamy texture.
• Add cooked beans to salads to make them more filling.
• Keep your kitchen stocked with other ingredients that are popular in bean recipes, including carrots, celery, onion, garlic, thyme, and pepper.
• Instead of meat and potatoes for your meals, think beans and vegetables. After beans, vegetables are the next most important item to add to your diet.
• When going out for dinner, Mexican is a good option. Mexican restaurants always serve pinto or black beans, which can be dressed up with rice, vegetables, guacamole, and hot sauce (just make sure to avoid the white flour tortillas — opt for corn tortillas instead).

It sounds too good to be true, but the simple addition of beans to your daily diet can add years to your life.

If you are looking for other food and lifestyle suggestions to increase longevity, check out one of my similar articles here.

Here’s to a long, happy, and healthy life!