Decision-Making

Statistics regarding longevity, in the United States has not significantly changed for either males or females within the last 10 years. I frequently found articles pertaining to wellness or health in the New York Times and other written materials. For instance, in the November 25, 2018 edition of the New York Times, there was an article titled “The Nose Knows.” In this article, researchers in Stockholm, Sweden evaluated the association between breathing and recall or short-term memory. Previous research indicated that breathing through the nose or belly breathing was pertinent when it came to cognition, yoga and relaxation. In this particular research, the researchers compared nasal breathing to mouth breathing with the ability to recall various smells. Their findings added to the literature on how breathing affected cognition. Briefly, nasal breathing was found to be significantly superior when it came to detecting odors as far as short-term memory. Unfortunately, we can’t, as of yet, conclude that nasal breathing is superior to long-term memory regarding odors. However, we can conclude that there are many benefits when it comes to breathing through the nose like relaxation and cognition.

A second article, “When It Comes to Exercise, Every Movement Counts” was found in the December 10, 2018 edition of Time. This article, pointed out the relationship of movement to exercise. According to the new federal guidelines, it urged adults to perform 75 minutes of vigorous or 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity each week plus muscle strengthening activities. Apparently, only about one fourth of Americans accomplish this. Further, one fourth of Americans sit for more than eight hours a day. A Study in the Journal of American Geriatrics Society found that each 30 minute chunk of light activities was linked to a 20% lower risk of dying early compared to more sedentary peers. Another study found that each additional half-hour of light physical activity, such as walking or gardening lowered the risk of early death by 17%.

To Be Continued

PS

I suffered an overuse injury to my calf in mid-December. I visited the Monster of Massage and with rest entered the 10 mile trail Resolution Run on New Year’s with Tony. I completed that run, and felt terrific. I’m now ready for the Jed Smith 50 K in February.