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Midlife Vascular Risk Burden and Dementia-Free Survival Years

neurology.org

61–70 of 82 posts

Re: Midlife Vascular Risk Burden and Dementia-Free Survival Years

#61

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For those who are inclined, I recommend running instead (even if you think you aren't a runner) My body has been completely transformed from 15 years of running. I'm 5'7" and 135 pounds at age 41. My face looks thin, I have a better body than most 20 year olds. I gave myself the best gift that I could possibly give myself. If they could distill 15 years of running (5x per week) and put it in pill form, I truly believ…

For those who are a bit intimidated by the thought of starting running, especially if you are a bit older, you don't need to run hard or fast. Slow jogging (zone 2) results in great cardiovascular improvements. Don't be afraid to start by alternating jogging and walking. And if you can't spare 45 minutes 5 days per week, do it 3 days a week instead. Something is better than nothing.

The couch to 5k programme is now routinely recommended by GPs in the UK (and elsewhere), a very positive development in health care in my opinion.

https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/get-active/get-running-with...

Re: Midlife Vascular Risk Burden and Dementia-Free Survival Years

#64

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And don't drink alcohol

I'm not a drinker, but I think we shouldn't be so strict about it. I usually have a drink once every few months or so, and frankly I don't really care about the impact it has on my health. I suspect it's so minuscule as to not matter at all in the scheme of things. Same with eating deep fried food. Especially if it's a food that's otherwise quite healthy. A bit of hot oil isn't going to be your undoing. Just don't ma…

It is an issue of moderation. The problem is that the science says the only safe level is none and people are not so good at moderating. My current level is one beer a week. My goal is to scale that back to one a month.

Re: Midlife Vascular Risk Burden and Dementia-Free Survival Years

#65

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It is a bit crazy that everybody seems to agree that diet and exercise are important, and yet it seems like society is hell bent on making those things very hard to do well. I went to the mall recently (big mistake) and I had to get lunch at the food court. I don't think there was a single gram of fiber across the 10 or so restaurants. So much of America is drive-thru garbage. Yup -- you don't even have to stand up t…

Exercise is taxing, and healthy food isn't as tasty or easy as junk food. Humans are natural experts in min-maxing calories spent vs calories consumed. Then we solved food ~100 years ago and its been a kid in a candy shop ever since.

A lot of healthy food is much more tasty because it's mostly plants, which is where almost all flavours come from. The trouble is a lot of the time it it's branded as healthy it won't have much salt or oil etc. They make it taste bad so you think it's good for you. But food consisting of mostly plants can be both healthy and delicious, you just have to prepare it like Indians or Italians.

Re: Midlife Vascular Risk Burden and Dementia-Free Survival Years

#66

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I just watched this video by a doctor, and his point was every one of his ER patients had a problem that was years in the making (except for 1, a little girl who swallowed a battery) I Saw 120 Patients This Week. Here's Why They Were Actually Sick. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiVKh97rJsg

It is a bit crazy that everybody seems to agree that diet and exercise are important, and yet it seems like society is hell bent on making those things very hard to do well. I went to the mall recently (big mistake) and I had to get lunch at the food court. I don't think there was a single gram of fiber across the 10 or so restaurants. So much of America is drive-thru garbage. Yup -- you don't even have to stand up t…

People are ignoring climate change too even though they know about it. It’s hard to make good decisions over these long lifestyles, which is why pay as you go taxes or structured retirement savings as part of your paycheck work better than just telling people they should be prepared.

Re: Midlife Vascular Risk Burden and Dementia-Free Survival Years

#67
post #15

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IMO developing good sleep hygiene is by far the most important habit to cultivate. It has lots of benefits, but the most important one is it replenishes your willpower. If you're trying to develop other healthy habits, it's 10x harder if you haven't slept well.

It's also the easiest to implement, imo. But there is a tradeoff: fewer waking hours during your best years cognitively for more years when you're older...

Have some kids and tell me how easy it is. I havnt had an uniterupted sleep in 4 years

Re: Midlife Vascular Risk Burden and Dementia-Free Survival Years

#68
post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's also the easiest to implement, imo. But there is a tradeoff: fewer waking hours during your best years cognitively for more years when you're older...

Have some kids and tell me how easy it is. I havnt had an uniterupted sleep in 4 years

Orphanages are always an option

Re: Midlife Vascular Risk Burden and Dementia-Free Survival Years

#69
post #7

The importance of walking can not be overstated. Walking for 30 mins every other day will dramatically improve your life if you are sedentary. If you can't do 30 minutes, start with 15.

For those who are inclined, I recommend running instead (even if you think you aren't a runner) My body has been completely transformed from 15 years of running. I'm 5'7" and 135 pounds at age 41. My face looks thin, I have a better body than most 20 year olds. I gave myself the best gift that I could possibly give myself. If they could distill 15 years of running (5x per week) and put it in pill form, I truly believ…

> For those who are inclined

I'd actually recommend an incline treadmill. Roughly 10% grade 3mph will give you the same caloric burn as a run but will be significantly easier to perform and save your knees from the wear and tear of running.

Re: Midlife Vascular Risk Burden and Dementia-Free Survival Years

#70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is a bit crazy that everybody seems to agree that diet and exercise are important, and yet it seems like society is hell bent on making those things very hard to do well. I went to the mall recently (big mistake) and I had to get lunch at the food court. I don't think there was a single gram of fiber across the 10 or so restaurants. So much of America is drive-thru garbage. Yup -- you don't even have to stand up t…

There's no master plan, it's just that technology is making life more efficient, and more productive. It's also the downside of freedom: you're free to make bad choices too. Should we ban cars to force people to hike uphill to work? It would mean people would have to live in smaller apartments in cities, and the workforce would have less talent. But we could do it. Should we ban rich foods in the mall? Do we want to…

I'm not saying we should ban stuff.

I'm saying that we could enact policies that encourage better habits by default. For example, we don't have to build car-dependent suburbia. Car-dependency is a choice we made. We've largely outlawed the building of walkable cities through zoning codes. There are literally millions upon millions of people who are forced into car-dependent suburbia and stuck with 9-5 jobs where they have to spend 1.5 hours commuting. It's no wonder people find it difficult to exercise. Add kids into the mix and it becomes almost impossible to find the time to drive to a gym to exercise 5 days a week. Many of these suburban cities are openly hostile to people not in cars.

That whole thing I just described is a series of policy choices. We can't save people from themselves but we can encourage better lifestyle choices. People would walk more if there were more stuff to walk to. People would bike to work if it were made possible.

Also, honestly, a world with fewer cars would be a much better place.

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