Ward off Alzheimer's by keeping your body & brain in shape

By Kimberly Garrison, Daily News Personal Fitness Columnist

 

A NEW STUDY has delivered compelling evidence that diet, exercise and other prescription-free interventions are the best way to ward off Alzheimer's disease.

 

Alzheimer's is perhaps the most dreadful of modern diseases: It steals your mind, your personality and your very soul. And once you have it, there is no turning back.

 

On a personal note, I have seen firsthand the slow, devastating effects of this awful disease on a loved one, as well as the family members.

 

So, my ears really perked up when I heard about the groundbreaking study that was presented at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference. It demonstrated that after only two years, individuals at risk for the disease who made dramatic lifestyle changes showed significant improvements.

 

According to the Finnish Geriatric Intervention Study to Prevent Cognitive Impairment and Disability study, lifestyle behaviors like exercise, a healthy diet and friendships staved off the cognitive declines that are common to Alzheimer's.

The two-year randomized study assessed more than 1,200 individuals at risk for Alzheimer's. While the control group received typical medical advice, the lifestyle makeover participants received extensive dietary, exercise, cognitive and social training, as well as training in management of metabolic and vascular risks.

The results of the lifestyle participants was nothing less than stunning and delivered benefits that no technology or medication to date can trump.

Here are some of the simple, though clearly impactful treatments:

* Nutritional counseling sessions with a focus on consuming more fruits, vegetables and fish.

* Initially, emphasis on weight training one to two times a week and cardiovascular training two to four times a week. Ultimately, participants were encouraged to continue with strength training and ramp up cardiovascular training to five to six days per week.

* Throughout the study, various cognitive training exercises were also provided to participants.

So, since there is no medical treatment to cure Alzheimer's once it occurs, prevention is our only hope. Lucky for us, prevention may be as near as the kitchen, the gym and woven into our personal relationships.

 

BUILD MASSIVE LEGS WITH THE WALL SIT

"Construction" was a widely despised punishment during my secondary school days, along with squats, isometric arm holds, and a gauntlet of as many sadistic exercises and positions as could be imagined by the human mind. 

 

Looking back, as much as we hated the punishments, we were very strong, we would be woken from bed to run about 10 Km (with the threat of being whipped if you didn't keep pace), and our injuries healed faster. Apparently, what couldn't kill us made us stronger!

 

 

This exercise basically involves sitting with your back against a wall in a squat position, or for the more adept, performing the position in mid air and simply holding the position for as long as you can. It is important that the legs are at a 90 degree angle. Apparently you are not supposed to rest your hands on your thighs, but instead to hold them above your head or even in front of you to work your shoulders. The exercise builds isometric strength as well as endurance in the quads and glutes – a favorite exercise to perform for the running season, or if you're interested in the martial arts.

 

This is one exercise you can perform just about anywhere, with no need for gym equipment. With practice, you should be able to increase your muscular endurance and hold on for longer times. My longest time was above 5 hours ( I had a sadistic prefect standing over me with a belt!!). I wasn't smiling at the end, I assure you.

 

 

 

 

The Legally Muscled Gospel: Taking Control of your Fitness

Have you been tempted to quit the fitness lifestyle because you were trapped in the same boooring circle, day after day, without seeing any tangible results?

Are you tired of having to shell out money every month to personal trainers without seeing any success?

Would you like to be your own personal trainer, wholly dedicated to getting you into the best shape of your life through the use of the most advanced fitness machine ever created?

......and whats so great about your body is that it's always there, you don't have to spend hours and hours in the gym.

Do you know that success with fitness almost invariably translates to success with life, and therefore when you become physically fit, you exponentially increase your capacity to achieve more in every other aspect of your life?

Human beings do require gyms or expensive fitness equipment to stay fit; it's a lack of knowledge of the immense potentials of our bodies that have kept us from tapping into the vast pool of natures resources.

Why do you think most animals are pound for pound stronger than humans? I'm yet to see a lion in the gym, or a horse lifting weights.

We have been sucked into the abyss created by endless (and useless!) fitness marketing gimmicks when in fact the solution to ultimate fitness is surprisingly simple, you only require the discipline to follow through.

Free yourself from dependency on gadgets, trainers and fitness misconceptions. They are all crutches, keeping you from getting into the best shape possible. 

Your Fitness should be dependent on nothing but yourself!!!!!! Success is about you and no one else - you have to let go of anything that conflicts with your goals. I have learned that success in this journey is all about being fully committed, no matter how bad it hurts.

I have experimented with various fitness methods and techniques over the past 10 years and I have been successful in building a training method aimed at developing lean, muscular and physically fit bodies in as little time as possible. That's what I share with you.