Rejuvalife Vitality Institute
Beverly Hills CA

Skincare: How to Keep Your Skin Moist During the Dry Winter Months


Winter is not the time to let your skin routine go into hibernation. During these cold, and often dry, months your skin needs some extra attention to keep moisture levels even. Whether it’s the outside elements chapping your skin, or the harsh heat of an indoor heater causing flakes and discomfort, you’ll need to protect the delicate outer layer of your skin against all the elements.

Here are some easy skin-saving tips to get you through the winter!

1. Moisturize! It seems obvious, but most people think they can get by the whole year with the same moisturizer. Kudos to you if you have taken the time to choose the right moisturizer for your skin type, but you also have to have at least one other option for when the climate turns cold. Look for the appropriate oils to put on your face, like avocado, primrose, or almond oil. These are good bets because they won’t clog your pores. Humectants, which attract moisture to the skin, are also added benefits to your moisturizer. Glycerine, sorbitol, and alpha-hydroxy acids all qualify as humectants. Bonus: It’s best to apply moisturizer as soon as possible after the skin gets wet, before the water evaporates from the face.

2. Sunscreen isn’t just for summer. Apply a light, non-greasy formula to your skin to protect against glare. This is especially important if you’ll be in snowy conditions. Don’t forget to reapply après ski!

3. Hands and feet need more moisture, too. The thin skin on hands and feet means you’ll need to pay extra attention when moisturizing. Use a heavier moisturizer in these areas, reapplying to the hands every time you wash them to lock in that moisture.

4. Lips need to stay kissable! Stay away from lip balms with added flavors or colors, as these dry out the skin. You can use a wet, wrung out wash cloth to gently buff your lips, removing dead skin cells before sealing them with a natural lip balm. Look for an emollient lip balm that will act as a barrier against the harsh elements.

5. Shorter showers are better for your skin. To keep skin from drying out in the winter months, don’t take hot showers, though they may feel great. Hot water will strip the layer of lipids from your skin in a flash, leaving you much more exposed to the drying effects of winter. Exfoliate only once a week during the season and only at the end of your shower when the pores have opened up. Moisturize within minutes of finishing your shower to maximize the amount of moisture you trap in your skin.

6. As an added measure, Rejuvalife offers an Oxygen Facial that renews dull skin cells with a pure oxygen mist that absorbs directly into the top layers of the skin for deep hydration in these drying times. On top of a well-maintained skin routine, the Oxygen Facial is a luxurious treatment to help speed up cell turnover and reduce fine lines, which can become more obvious when skin is not hydrated.

Winter doesn’t need to be an uncomfortable time for your skin. Take care of it with these tips, and you’ll sail right into the bright days of spring with smooth, bright skin!

Posted 6 days, 19 hours ago at 4:49 pm.

Add a comment

January Specials Help You Put Your Best Face Forward in the New Year

 

You’ve got your list of resolutions, now how about putting a fresh face forward for the New Year? If you have sun-damage, rosacea, age spots, premature wrinkles, hyperpigmentation, broken spider veins, or acne, Rejuvalife’s most popular medical cosmetic treatments are on sale now to help you achieve a smooth and rejuvenated face.

Botox, and the safe alternative Xeomin, are on sale for two days only, January 24 and 25. Call now to book for either of those days. You’ll see an immediate freshening of the face, especially in the softening of crow’s feet, bunny lines, and frown lines. If you’re working hard to get the rest of your body in shape, you’ll definitely want your face to reflect your hard work. The IPL Photofacial uses the patented Florescent Pulsed Light system, which penetrates deep below the skin’s surface to help start the production of new collagen and other connective tissues.  Add in a Latisse treatment, for semi-permanent longer lashes that will dramatically increase the glamour factor and compliment your skin treatments beautifully. Call our office today to schedule your appointment and for more details! 310.276.4494


BOTOX MADNESS (January 24 & 25 Only)
Botox $8.50/unit
Xeomin $7.50/unit

Posted 1 week, 3 days ago at 5:07 pm.

Add a comment

It’s a New Year—Will it Also Be a New You?


It’s a New Year—Will it Also Be a New You?

Welcome to 2012! What will you do this year to make yourself healthy and beautiful inside and out?

Resolutions are notoriously difficult to make and keep. This year make a resolution you’ll never regret – resolve to achieve and maintain self-confidence through keeping good health and beauty routines. Feelings about ourselves determine how we perceive our lives, and in turn, determine how others see us. Caring for yourself properly, from the outside in, and from the inside out, can make huge changes in your overall well-being. This year resolve to increase your self-confidence by taking care of YOU. You’re worth it.

Don’t go through 2012 feeling less than your best! We are experts, and we’re eager to help you take a holistic approach to your well-being. We believe in a multifaceted approach that includes looking at a person’s mind, body, and spirit for areas of improvement. You can also make small changes every day in your current habits to get going. This includes getting better quality sleep, exercising more, and making changes in your diet to kick start weight loss. When you’ve given attention to the inside, you’re ready to get started on the outside. Rejuvalife can help you with both. We’re proud to offer a variety of services to help you meet your goals, whether they be stress managment, weight loss, facial rejuvenation, or non-surgical body contouring, the experts at Rejuvalife are ready to help.

What’s New at Rejuvalife for 2012

Natural Breast Augmentation + BodyJet™ Liposuction
Getting the breast shape you desire without invasive surgery or using saline or silicone implants is now a viable option. Natural Breast Augmentation uses your own fat cells to create natural looking breasts with increased volume. The process is two-fold. Using a gentle saline solution, fat cells are harvested from the thighs, hips, or abdomen then used to sculpt breasts. You’ll be able to go up one to two cup sizes! Call our office for more details on this exciting new procedure, 310.276.4494.

Xeomin®
We are proud to announce the addition of FDA approved Xeomin®, a new additive-free formulation of Botulinum Toxin Type A, the same active ingredient found in Botox® and Dysport®.  As an elite office, Rejuvalife is offering special introductory pricing for Xeomin at $7.50 per unit all through the month of January. Cost-effective and FDA-approved, Xeomin® is a natural and equally effective BOTOX® alternative.

Stay in the Know
Follow Rejuvalife on Facebook and Twitter for the latest updates and tips on health and beauty topics and the Youtube channel for in-depth answers to your health questions by Dr. Berger.

Join Dr. Berger on his BlogTalk Radio show for instant answers to your questions. The next radio show is January 24 at 4:30pm and the theme is Low Testosterone Levels. Call the Rejuvalife office at 310.276.4494 to reserve your spot on the show to get answers.

All of us at Rejuvalife would like to wish you a happy and healthy New Year!

 

 

Posted 2 weeks, 2 days ago at 5:36 pm.

Add a comment

The Top Anti-Aging Studies of 2011

2011 was a good year for anti-aging news.  Diverse studies published this year suggest that it’s possible to retain your mental powers, muscle mass, speed and physique as you age.  It’s also looking like coffee, chocolate and yes, even beer, (all in moderation, of course) can be a part of your anti-aging regime.

In the most encouraging studies of the year, scientists showed that exercise not only increases cognitive sharpness, but may even change brain cells at a molecular level – increasing the mitochondria (which produce energy) in the neurons. Multiple other researchers showed that any exercise – from intense training, to light jogging or even informal exercise like cooking, cleaning and gardening – leads to better memory, sharper problem solving skills, more youthful muscle mass and balance, and less shrinkage of hearts, brains and gonads.  Even fidgeting counts.  While it’s certainly not enough exercise, small unplanned movements like having to run to catch the bus, tapping your fingers and walking to the water cooler can burn up to an extra 300 calories a day and increase your VO2 max (the maximum amount of oxygen you can take in while exercising.)

Hormones replacement has been back in the news this year as well.  As decade old studies about the risk of hormone replacement therapies are being debunked, more people are embracing hormone replacement therapy – both men and women. Researchers are finding even more evidence that hormone replacement therapy is extremely beneficial as estrogen and testosterone levels start to drop significantly around mid-life.  Data shows that with the decline of these naturally occurring hormones comes possible depression, sleeping problems, mood swings, bone loss, heart disease, and a decline in brain function. But hormone therapy, which boosts mood, libido, muscle and bone mass, is about much more than that.  According to one pharmacist, “It’s about vitality and energy and cognition — especially with the large number of professional women in this generation who want to continue their careers into their 60s and 70s.”  New types of hormone therapy becoming available are especially exciting as they can be personalized to individual patients.  Bioidentical hormones are now being used by the top anti-aging doctors. Derived from plants or animals, bioidentical hormones have been modified to be molecularly identical to those in the human body, make them even more efficacious and since these new therapies are delivered though the skin in the form of creams or patches, doctors can also use lower doses.

2011 also came with new concerns about BPA levels, especially in women.  An endocrine-disrupting compound that mimics the body’s hormones, BPA has been linked to heart disease, diabetes and obesity, and to potential problems during development young children. Japanese and Korean researchers also linked it to oxidative stress and inflammation in post-menopausal women. Aging occurs, in part, because of cell damage due to oxidative stress and inflammation. You can cut down on your BPA exposure by using glass, rather than plastic, containers and cutting out as much canned food as possible.  (As an added benefit, you’ll reduce your salt intake quite a bit as well!)

Looking forward to healthy and vital 2012!

Posted 4 weeks ago at 10:59 am.

Add a comment

Holiday Wellness

We often refer to this time of year as winter “break.”  But a break from our wellness isn’t what we intend.  Instead of looking and feeling our best over the holidays, we end up tired and stressed after all the “good cheer.”  Having a plan to handle the holidays will make it easier to navigate them in a healthy way and by acknowledging that wellness is a priority, you’ll not only be able to stay on track, but you just might inspire the friends and family around you.
Eat better:
Set some rules, but don’t make them so strict you know they’ll fly out the window at the first delicious looking cookie.  Eat fewer carbs, fatty and sweet-laden foods that zap your enegery and send your mood on a roller-coaster ride of unwanted highs and lows.  Instead eat more spiced foods – they’ll be more filling and many spices have health benefits – and focus on colorful veggies.  Sweet potatoes, carrots, kale and fruit are delicious, packed with anti-oxidants that’ll help your skin glow with health and they’re low in calories!
Drink smarter:
When it comes to alcoholic drinks, the better choices are red wine or dark beer. They have more antioxidants or flavonoids than any other alcoholic beverages.  But indulge in moderation.  Alcohol is a packed with calories and sugar and can lead to weakened inhibitions and overeating.  (It also makes it harder to sleep!)
Make a list and check it twice:
Santa does it, you should too.  Don’t overbuy “just in case.”  Recent studies have shown that people are more grateful when they get gifts that they’ve asked for. The recipient doesn’t know how much time and money went into what you bought them, so you don’t need to spend a week looking for that perfect – and elusive – something.  As an alternative, think about giving to charity in someone’s name.  Or even better, have the whole family volunteer for a few hours.   It turns out that the pleasure centers in the brain that are activated when we receive gifts are also activated when we give things away!  Volunteering is also linked to  lower mortality rates, greater functional ability, and lower rates of depression – all keys for anti-aging!
Work Out:
You know that exercise is good for you.  It reduces stress, helps you stay younger, it’s good for your memory, it releases endorphins and makes you happier.  Don’t let it fall by the wayside when you need it the most.  If you can’t find the time to accommodate your regular schedule, try to work exercising into your plans.  Need some alone time with your new sister-in-law.  Hike together.  Want to get the kids out of the house for a few hours?  Take everyone ice-skating.  By exploring new activities you may just find another one that you love.
Rest:
Don’t be tempted to get by on too little sleep; instead, look for ways to simplify holiday preparations.  Sleep is when your body rebuilds, repairs and re-energizes for the next day.  If you aren’t getting enough, you’ll see it in your mood, your ability to function and your skin.  Since your skin is the largest organ in your body, it’s also the one that shows the most stress and age.  Tired during the day?  Take a power nap – you’ll be amazed at the rejuvenating effects!
You Time:
Take some time to be silent and reflective each day, even if it’s just for 15 minutes. There is scientific proof that doing so can decrease blood pressure, pulse rate, and improve blood circulation. Brain scans show that the happiest people around are those who meditate.  You don’t need to have an aromatherapy room filled with candles to do this, you can sit outside in your garden or take a walk.
Prepare for the New Year:
New Year’s resolutions are easily made and easily broken.  Instead of making sweeping proclamations like, “I’m going to stop eating dessert in 2012,” and ending it there, make a plan for success.  Set up your doctors appointments for January and head off potential problems early.  A good doctor will help you set up a wellness or lifestyle management program that is specially tailored to your needs and help you meet your goals.  Be sure your doctors are experienced and board certified!
Let Go:  
The holidays won’t be perfect or just like they were when you were growing up, and that’s a good thing.  As families change and grow, traditions and rituals change as well. Choose a few to hold on to, and be open to creating new ones. Find ways to include new family member’s traditions – it turns out your son-in-law’s vegetarian stew is delicious alternative to goose – and honor where people are in their lives.  If your grown daughter just got married and is spending Christmas with her in-laws, Skype before dinner.
Most importantly, remember that the holidays can be a time for love and celebration.  Don’t let your health and wellness fall by the wayside trying to take care of everyone else or trying to meet unreasonable expectations.  Have fun, take time for yourself and bring your best you to 2012!

Posted 1 month ago at 11:40 am.

Add a comment

Finding the Motivation to Work Out

How many of you have started a new gym membership, went every other day the first couple weeks, then soon lost motivation and now you’re lucky to make it a few times a month. Finding your motivation is key to staying with an exercise plan, and making it a regular part of your anti-aging lifestyle. Certain simple lifestyle changes, techniques and mindsets can help to keep motivation steadily high.

Use a scale every day – Weigh yourself first thing every morning without heavy clothes, before breakfast, and after using the bathroom.  Studies have shown that people who weigh themselves regularly lose more weight and keep the pounds off more effectively than those who don’t. Being aware of your weight can put you more in tune with the factors that cause it to go up and down, to track your progress on a diet or fitness plan, and to allow you to adjust accordingly as weight fluctuates.

It’s all in the mind – Studies of elite athletes have shown that the ideal ratio of pre-event visualization to physical training is 70-30. That’s seventy percent visualization. Just psyching yourself up while strength training can increase up to 8%. Visualizing doing perfect benchpresses can add about 12% more power than being distracted. Repeating affirmations or mantras during endurance exercises can help increase stamina and performance.

Plan ahead – Chances are, if you are not planning your workouts in advance and scheduling around them, something will come up or you will find an excuse to skip workouts. The morning is the best time to work out. Not only can early morning workouts have beneficial effects on your mental and physical health throughout the day, but people’s days tend to get busier as the day moves on, and they are less likely to be interrupted by things coming up before the start of the work day.

Consistency is Key – “Well, maybe I wont work all week, but I’ll take a really long run on Sunday.” That’s the equivalent of saying “well, maybe I wont brush my teeth all week, but I’ll brush them extra long on Sunday.” Your body will begin to lose conditioning only three days after stopping working out. Adults should work out at least 30 minutes, 5 times per week. There are significant additional health benefits for working out an hour a day, 5 times per week. Recent studies have found that even 15 minutes of exercise a day have incredible health benefits.

With a little help from my friends – Studies have shown that having an exercise partner or group can help you stay with an exercise routine. Not only are you committing to yourself, but you’re making a commitment to someone else, which makes it that much harder to break. You can also help each other track progress, keep things fun, and support and motivate each other. Running with a partner, in a group, or in a public event can increase performance, because of an aspect of social comparison and often competition.

Set your sights – Signing up for a specific event or having a very specific fitness or health goal in mind can dramatically improve your motivation and help you stay on track. If you know you have to be in shape for a marathon in 3 months, you will be able to figure out better how much you need to be running to accomplish the goal. If  your goal is unclear or nebulous, it is hard to track progress and to stay on course.

Do what you love – Working out should not be tedious! If you hate the elliptical machine, it’s going to be hard to committing 2 hours a week to using it. And why would you? There are so many fun, challenging, and unique ways to stay in shape. Whether it’s basketball, kayaking, hiking, skiing, surfing, jumping on a trampoline, martial arts, or even gardening, there are so many activities to choose from that burn major calories and that you can actually look forward to doing. It’s much easier to stay motivated when your workout isn’t a chore you feel you have to do, but something you genuinely enjoy. And if you really don’t like any other physical activity, at least can sex burn 85 calories or more in a half an hour.

The wave of the future – Modern technology has made incredible innovations geared to make exercise more fun, effective, and accessible. You can now where a sensor on your wrist that’s linked to an app that can keep track of your heart rate, calories burned, steps, workouts, and diet, while GPS tracking the distance of your runs. One app even let’s you take a picture of your meal, and it will tell you how many calories and carbs it has. Recent have studies have found that personal mobile exercise management apps improve weight loss. Certain exercise related and physically active video games have been shown to be effective for weight loss and fitness. Investing a little bit in engaging gadgetry and gear can motivate you to put it to use more. After all, you want to get your money’s worth.

Staying on a fitness plan isn’t always easy, but making your health a priority can help you grit your teeth and workout even when it’s tough. Making these simple lifestyle changes can help you stay on track. Rejuvalife Vitality Institute is here to support your health and wellbeing goals. We offer comprehensive Fitness and Nutrition Plans, Nutritional Supplements, Lifestyle Management, and Medically Supervised Weight Loss.

For Your Health!

Posted 1 month, 3 weeks ago at 5:00 pm.

Add a comment

Longevity – Will it Last?

Human Life expectancy has nearly doubled over the past 100 years, and the maximum human life span has also increased dramatically. Even more incredibly, centenarians are now the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population, increasing from only 3700 in 1940 to over 60,000 today. This is due largely to modern scientific and medical innovations, in addition to other changes in the way we live our life. Many diseases and environmental factors that used to cut our lives short are no longer as much of an issue. We have antibiotics for infection, sterilization, pasteurization, surgery, immunization, and countless other innovations that weren’t available in the recent past. If trends are any indication the human life span and life expectancy will continue to increase as our scientific and medical technology evolves. Science is divided on the question of whether it is possible to significantly increase human longevity, or if there are hard and fast biological markers that put a cap on how long we can possibly live, and we have already reached the plateau.

This also raises the question that even if we can extend our life span, what will happen to the quality of life as we grow older and older as a people? Skeptics argue that if human beings really were supposed to live to an average of 100 years, then there would not be such a universal decline in all human biological systems by age 80. It is now possible to keep someone who is brain dead or in a coma alive with life support and machines to keep them functioning. If growing to a superhuman age is going to bring with it significant increases in age related decline and pathology, then what is the point? For the science of anti-aging to be useful to us, it must necessarily delay age related changes and the degradation of the quality of life.

Current research is providing evidence that by developing deeper understanding of how the aging process works, we can dramatically slow down the aging process, and potentially stop and even reverse biological aging. Research into the relationship between longevity and telomere length, oxidative stress, caloric restriction, and gene expression have produced some remarkable findings. For instance, studies on rats have shown dramatic increase in lifespan for rats who were given an extremely low calorie diet. The idea of gene manipulation opens a whole new world of possibility. Even if humans as the are are designed with a genetic time limit, gene manipulation has the potential to alter those very genes. Maybe the key to longevity is to simply change the expression of the genes that cause our systems to deteriorate with age and us to die.

While the jury is still out on the fate of human longevity as a whole, there are many simple lifestyle changes and scientific innovations currently available that are known to increase our projected life expectancy and lower our mortality rates. Stopping smoking, eating healthy, getting enough sleep, reducing stress, and limiting television exposure can all add years to your life. Rejuvalife Vitality Institute offers a comprehensive, medically supervised age management program, using bioidentical hormones to restore a youthful hormonal balance. This combined with proper nutrition, fitness and lifestyle management can significantly improve your life expectancy. We can’t change the genetics that were given to us, but we have a say in the quality of life that we live and how we take care of the body that we have.

Posted 2 months ago at 10:12 pm.

Add a comment

The Unexpected Benefits of Exercise

As if being able to fit into your jeans from college isn’t enough of a reason, sufficient exercise can bring a wide variety of serious health benefits. Besides the obvious weight loss, improved muscle and cardiovascular function, as well as increased longevity, exercise brings with it a host of unexpected benefits. In general, those who exercise regularly are actually “biologically younger” than those who do not exercise regularly, therefore, they are at lower risk for age-related disease and physical decline.

A new study suggests a strong link between exercise and eye health. The study suggests that regular exercise can lower the risk of macular degeneration resulting from age by up to 70%. Physical activity reduces inflammation in the blood vessel walls the results from the disease.

Exercise can significantly increase how quickly you fall asleep, and improve the overall quality of your sleep. As your metabolism becomes more efficient, your body is able to make the downgrade from awake to asleep faster. In other words, your body does not to remain active as long to maintain your metabolic balance. Not only that, but exercise allows you to wake up faster and feel more rested, even if you got a little less sleep than normal.

Exercise is also great for your skin. Healthy skin requires sufficient water and oxygen to look and feel it’s best. The heavy breathing and increased heart rate associated with exercise increase your circulation, which carries oxygen throughout the body, including the skin. Increased muscle mass and reduces fatty deposits can also result in tighter, smoother feeling skin, as the skin is literally being pulled more tightly over the muscle.

Sports involving small, fast moving objects like tennis can improve your general ability to focus. In addition to improved concentration, your eyes will actually physically focus faster. A strong link has also been shown between exercise and memory and other cognitive functions. Exercise also significantly improves balance, which can have positive effects in many different areas.

Don’t sweat! People who exercise often tend to sweat less when not working out than those who don’t exercise regularly. The body uses the exercise time to sweat out toxins and excess water. In addition, regular exercisers have lower resting heart rate, which keeps their bodies from heating up and sweating during regular tasks, like climbing stairs.

If taking care of yourself isn’t enough, then do it for your kids. Studies show that parent who have healthy exercise routines and diet are more likely to raise kids with the same habits. Not to mention if you live significantly longer, you will have more time with your loved ones.

So how much do you need to exercise? Adults should do a minimum of 2 hours and 30 minutes a week of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity. Health benefits increase significantly at 5 hours per week. Adults should also do exercise to strengthen their muscles using all major muscle groups at least 2 days per week.  While it’s less than ideal, recent studies have found significant health benefits from exercising only 15 minutes a day.

Exercise is one of the most important components of an anti-aging lifestyle, along with nutrition, sleep, and stress reduction. In addition to looking and feeling great, exercise provides an incredible amount of health benefits. Rejuvalife Vitality Institute offers comprehensive fitness and nutrition programs, as well as medically supervised weight loss, to support your overall health, beauty, and well-being.

Posted 2 months, 1 week ago at 11:13 pm.

Add a comment

The Health Benefits of Thanksgiving Dinner

Rather than try to cThanksgiving Dinneronvince you to give up all of your favorite dishes this Thanksgiving, (honestly, who would listen?) I’m here to tell you that your Thanksgiving dinner can actually be good for you. Most of the reason people tend to gain weight around the holidays has more to do with eating outrageous portion sizes, rather than the food itself. As long as you exercise a little restraint and maybe don’t go back for those third and fourth helpings, most of the food you will eat this Thanksgiving actually has significant nutritional value and health benefits.

Turkey – Turkey is one of the most nutritious kinds of lean meat you can eat, with even less fat and calories than chicken. If you stick with the white meat and forget the skin, a 3-ounce serving packs 25g of protein, only 3g of fat and less than 1g of saturated fat. Turkey is also an excellent source of the amino acid Arginine, an essential building block for proteins, which also plays a role in cell division, wound healing, immune function, and hormone function. 

Cranberry Sauce – Cranberries are loaded with antioxidants that help fight cell damage and improve cardiovascular function, and are one of the highest ranked foods on the ORAC Antioxidant Scale. They are also a good source of Vitamin C, Dietary Fiber, and the essential mineral Manganese. If you’re making your sauce from scratch, consider replacing the sugar with some nutrient rich honey.

Sweet Potatoes – Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of A and C Vitamins, Beta Carotine, Potassium, and Fiber. Research is showing that sweet potatoes may have cancer fighting properties, and can stabilize blood sugar levels for diabetics. Maybe take it easy on the brown sugar, butter and marshmallows.

Mashed Potatoes – Potatoes have gotten a bad rap as the unhealthy black sheep of the vegetable family. The truth is, the unhealthy aspects of potatoes tend to be the way they’re prepared, in greasy french fries and chips, and baked potatoes loaded with sour cream or butter. Potatoes on their own are actually a very healthy, low calorie, high fiber food with properties that fight cardiovascular disease and cancer. They are also a great source of Vitamin C, B6, copper, potassium, manganese, and dietary fiber. To make your mash a little healthier, try using chicken broth instead of butter, and skim milk instead of cream.  

Pumpkin Pie – Pumpkin is a low fat, low calorie food that is high in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Zinc and Potassium. Most of the unhealthy aspects of pumpkin pie come from the heavy whipped cream and the buttery crust. Believe it or not, you can actually make whipped cream using skim milk with a powerful enough blender, and substituting a flour crust for crushed pecans adds significant nutritional benefits and tastes even better.

Be Thankful - During this time, let’s not forget about the actual act of “thanks-giving.”  Studies have shown that gratitude has incredible positive effects on health and well-being.  Research is showing that gratitude is associated with reduced blood pressure, stress, depression, and lower risk of development of eating disorders, phobias, and addictions. Furthermore, gratitude is associated with improved mood, sense of well-being, interpersonal relationships, physical health, weight loss, cardiovascular health, immune function, and longevity.

Posted 2 months, 3 weeks ago at 5:29 pm.

Add a comment

Rest Easy – The Effect of Sleep on Health

You don’t smoke or drink, you eat healthy, and exercise regularly, so you can get away with only 4 or 5 hours of sleep a night, right? WRONG! For people to function optimally, they require 6-8 hours of sleep a night, no exceptions. Although why we sleep and the full role it plays is still a matter of intense research, it serves several critical physiological and psychological functions that we know of. Sleep not only allows us to recover our energy stores, but also affects cellular repair and wound healing, regulates hormonal and immune functioning, and consolidates memories to name a few. Sleep is absolutely essential to the development of infants, which is why they sleep 12-14 hours a day. We should consider the need to sleep in the same category as the need to eat, drink, and breathe.

Potential Health Risks of Sleep Deprivation

Chronic sleep deprivation is linked to an overwhelming number of potential health issues. When you are feeling “worn down” from lack of sleep, your body is more vulnerable to infection. Being sleep deprived lowers your immune function, which can make you more susceptible to cold and flu, and to a host of more serious illnesses. Studies have shown that sleep deprivation can even impact the effectiveness of vaccines, because the suppressed immune system is slower to develop antibodies to fight off the disease.

Lack of sleep causes an inflammatory response in the blood vessels and arteries, which can compromise your cardiovascular system. The same thing occurs in hypertension. If sleep deprivation persists, chronic inflammation can lead to increased risk of heart attack, stroke, and diabetes. Sleep also reduces stress, another risk factor for heart disease, and it may also affect cholesterol levels.

Chronic sleep deprivation increases insulin resistance, which increases risk of diabetes. Studies in sleep deprivation showed significantly impaired glucose tolerance in otherwise young, healthy adult males. People in their 20s and 30s who slept less than 6.5 hours a night had insulin sensitivity of an average person over 60 years old!

Sleep deprivation can significantly affect mental functioning. One study found that chronically sleep deprived people were at as high a risk driving as someone who was driving drunk. Judgment, attention, memory, and hand-eye coordination are all significantly impaired.

A major link is being shown between sleep deprivation and obesity. One study found that sleep deprivation was a bigger risk factor for childhood obesity than any other factor. Another study found that sleeping 5 hours a night or less was associated with a 73% greater likeliness to become obese than sleeping 7-9 hours. Research is still trying to understand the link, but one explanation is that sleep deprivation lowers production of the hormone leptin, which helps to reduce hunger.

One study found that people who slept less than 7 hours a night or more than 8 hours a night had an increased risk of death. For women, it was a 21% increase for short-sleepers, and a 17% increase for long sleepers. For men, it was a 26% increase for short-sleepers, and a 24% increase for long sleepers.

Here are some more reasons to get a good night of sleep:

  • Sufficient sleep helps to reduce risk of anxiety and depression.
  • Sleep serves a function of memory consolidation, and people seem to strengthen emotional components of memory, which can lead to increased creativity.
  • Sufficient sleep has been shown to significantly improve aspects of athletic performance, including increased stamina, faster sprint times, and less fatigue.
  • Sleep deprived college students have poorer grades than those getting enough sleep.
  • Children aged 10-16 with sleep breathing disorders such as sleep apnea have impaired attention and learning skills. While adults tend to slow down when deprived, children tend to become hyperactive, and can exhibit ADHD-like symptoms.
  • In one study, well rested dieters lost 56% of their weight loss in fat, compared to their sleep deprived counterparts, who lost more muscle mass than fat.

Rest Easy

The good news is, except for in extreme cases, where damage is extensive, most sleep deprivation symptoms can be alleviated by restoring normal sleep habits for only a few nights. In fact, in the diabetes study I mentioned earlier, all of the men returned to normal glucose tolerance after only a few good nights of sleep.

10 Quick Tips to Improve Sleep:

  • Reduce noise, light and activity in your bedroom
  • Take the tv, radio, and other electronics out of your bedroom
  • Keep temperature cool
  • Exercise during the day, but preferably not within a few hours of bedtime
  • Try to stick to a bedtime routine, going to bed and waking up at the same time if possible
  • Try to cut out liquids a few hours before bed, to keep from getting up to use the bathroom
  • Reduce caffeine from coffee, tea, soda and chocolate
  • Don’t drink alcohol before bed. It may help you fall asleep, but sleep quality will be impaired
  • Quit smoking, or at least cut down before bed. Nicotine can keep you up
  • Try to fight the urge to nap. It will disrupt your natural sleep patterns

In most cases, difficulty sleeping can be corrected by a few simple changes to lifestyle and environment. Rejuvalife believes that sleep is an integral part of an anti-aging lifestyle and overall health, and we offer comprehensive lifestyle management programs to help. You will be given a sleep diary, to keep track of your sleeping habits, when you slept well and poorly, and what factors may have affected your sleep quality. We will look at possible contributing factors such as stress, diet and nutrition, fitness, lifestyle and environmental factors, as well as potential hormonal imbalance, and design a personalized plan to promote optimal sleep and health.

Posted 3 months ago at 6:35 pm.

Add a comment

« Older Entries