Category Archives: #BrownleeGlobal

Healthy Aging and Lifestyle: Achieving Happiness and Purpose

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“If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my years on this planet, it’s that the happiest and most fulfilled people are those who devoted themselves to something bigger and more profound than merely their own self-interest.” John Glenn

Healthy Aging with purpose is about embracing opportunities to reshape your lives, connect with and help one another, and change the world for the better —all while learning, growing, getting better and having fun!

Work at your relationships all the time. Take care of friendships, hold people you love close to you, take advantage of birthdays and celebrate fiercely.
Patti LaBelle

References:

  1. https://seniorplanet.org/14-of-the-best-quotes-about-aging/
  2. https://www.zyto.com/5-inspirational-quotes-for-healthy-aging

The Economic Cost of Black Inequality in the U.S. | Citigroup

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Racism stymies national economic growth and is bad financially for business

“We’re in the midst of a national reckoning on race, and words are not enough.  We need awareness, education and action that drive results.”  Mark Mason, Chief Financial Officer of Citigroup

Citigroup research found that if the U.S. could instantly end the most severe forms of economic discrimination against African Americans, it could give the economy a $5 trillion boost to gross domestic product (GDP) over the next five years.

Racial inequalities shaved about $16 trillion from U.S. GDP

During the past 20 years, race-based inequalities shaved about $16 trillion from GDP, Citigroup estimated in a CLOSING THE RACIAL INEQUALITY GAPS: The Economic Cost of Black Inequality in the U.S. study. Citigroup said it “studied the costs of lost wages, fewer opportunities for higher education and less access to home and small-business loans” for African Americans.

“What this report underscores is that this tariff is levied on us all and, particularly in the U.S., that cost has a real and tangible impact on our country’s economic output,” Citigroup Vice Chairman Raymond J. McGuire said in the report. “We have a responsibility and an opportunity to confront this longstanding societal ill.”

Furthermore, today in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Black, Latin, and Native Americans have been hospitalized for COVID-19 at a disproportionately high rate, a direct result of what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified as “long-standing systemic health and social inequities.” Blacks and People of Color are also bearing a disproportionate share of the pandemic’s economic devastation.

Citigroup believes that they, as a major U.S. financial institution, “have a responsibility to address complex societal questions” and “to address current events and to frame them with an economic lens in order to highlight the real costs of longstanding discrimination against minority groups, especially against Black people and particularly in the U.S.”

Four key racial gaps for Blacks

The analysis in the report shows that if four key racial gaps for Blacks —wages, education, housing, and investment — were closed 20 years ago, $16 trillion
could have been added to the U.S. economy. And if the gaps are closed today, $5 trillion can be added to U.S. GDP over the next five years.  The Citi study assessed that:

  • Closing the Black racial wage gap 20 years ago might have provided an additional $2.7 trillion in income available for consumption and investment.
  • Improving access to housing credit might have added an additional 770,000 Black homeowners over the last 20 years, with combined sales and expenditures adding another $218 billion to GDP over that time.
  • Facilitating increased access to higher education (college, graduate, and vocational schools) for Black students might have bolstered lifetime incomes that in aggregate sums to $90 to $113 billion.
  • Providing fair and equitable lending to Black entrepreneurs might have resulted in the creation of an additional $13 trillion in business revenue over the last 20 years. This could have been used for investments in labor, technology, capital equipment, and structures and 6.1 million jobs might have been created per year.

Closing the wage, housing, education, and business investment racial gaps can help narrow the wealth gap, which is significant for facilitating homeownership, business, and job creation, plus establishing a pipeline for intergenerational wealth accumulation.

It’s hoped that Citigroup’s study brings perspective that collectively Americans can find substantive and sustainable opportunities to address the racial inequality gaps identified in the research.

References:

  1. https://www.americanbanker.com/articles/citigroup-vows-to-become-antiracist-review-internal-policies‘
  2. https://ir.citi.com/NvIUklHPilz14Hwd3oxqZBLMn1_XPqo5FrxsZD0x6hhil84ZxaxEuJUWmak51UHvYk75VKeHCMI%3D

Cyber Attacks Becoming Faster and More Sophisticated

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“One thing is clear…with cyber attacks becoming faster and more sophisticated, education about prevention is necessary for everyone.”

More and more Americans are using cyber technologies and spending more time online during COVID-19 than ever before. Our growing dependence on technology, coupled with the increasing threat of cyber attacks, demands greater security in our online world.

Consequently, the FBI has seen a significant spike in cyber crimes reported to its Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, as hackers take advantage of Americans’ daily activities moving increasingly online. IC3 has been receiving between 3,000 and 4,000 cybersecurity complaints each day, a major jump from prior to the COVID-19 pandemic when about 1,000 complaints were received daily.

Additionally, Microsoft reports that COVID-19 themed attacks, where cybercriminals get access to a system through the use of phishing or social engineering attacks, have jumped to 20,000 to 30,00 a day in the U.S. alone. And, researchers for the cyber group Barracuda Networks found a 667 percent increase in phishing emails using the coronavirus to trick individuals into clicking links or downloading attachments that included computer viruses, such as ransomware that lock up computers and demands a ransom to unencrypt them, according to The Hill.

Both the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) have put out alerts warning Americans to watch out for these phishing emails while working from home.

To protect yourself and your money from cyber threats, it is important to understand how hackers think and act. Today’s hackers are using “social engineering” to take information they glean from social media and publicly available information, such as speaking engagements and media profiles. Armed with that data, they target people using personal details that make them feel comfortable sharing pertinent information.

Hackers can spoof phone numbers or email addresses to look like they’re coming from a legitimate financial or mobile service provider. They ask questions or send links that mine for personal data, such as credit card numbers and identifying information.

“Defend Today, Secure Tomorrow”—Protect Yourself from Cyberattacks

It’s imperative to understand the nature of cybercrime and to get educated about avoiding it. While nothing is foolproof, there are tangible steps you can take to ensure you are not an easy target for hackers.

Five Ways to Keep Your Information and Systems Secure:

  1. Use two-factor authentication everywhere you can. Yes, it can make logging in more time-consuming, but it’s much more difficult for a hacker to breach your password and access your PC or phone.
  2. Make your passwords more complicated and use different ones for different sites or a password vault. Use phrases that are longer, rather than generic word and number combinations that fall into a pattern (e.g., Fall2019, Winter2019). A phrase such as ILoveBuckeyes! is more difficult to hack. If remembering multiple passwords is an issue, try a recommended password vault provider, an online service designed to help keep your password information secure and consolidated into one location, such as 1Password, KeePass, LastPass, or Dashlane.
  3. Make sure you keep your computer software up to date. Security updates are designed to fix known attacks or vulnerabilities that software developers are monitoring and addressing.
  4. Be careful of how much information you share on social media. Social engineers can track your spending habits, location, busy times on your schedule, travel plans, and more and strike when you’re preoccupied, attending functions, at work, or traveling. That catchy Facebook quiz? Watch out if it asks for too much personal data like your birthdate or address.
  5. Do not give out personal information without verification. Hackers can impersonate financial services providers. If you receive an email or phone call that looks official, do not respond directly. Use the phone number on your financial services provider’s statements to call and confirm whether the call/email was genuine. Never give out your Social Security number or credit card information to an unverified person on the phone, and avoid clicking on any links in emails you receive.
STOP. THINK. CONNECT. ™
The STOP.THINK.CONNECT.™ Campaign is a national public awareness campaign aimed at increasing the understanding of cyber threats and empowering the American public to be safer and more secure online. Cybersecurity is a shared responsibility. We each have to do our part to keep the Internet safe. When we all take simple steps to be safer online, it makes using the Internet a more secure experience for everyone.

References:

  1. https://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/490232-cyber-threats-spike-during-coronavirus-pandemic
  2. https://www.microsoft.com/security/blog/2020/06/16/exploiting-a-crisis-how-cybercrimincybersecurity-in-the-hacking-age.jspals-behaved-during-the-outbreak/
  3. https://www.key.com/businesses-institutions/business-expertise/articles/
  4. https://www.cisa.gov/cybersummit2020
  5. https://www.stopthinkconnect.org

Digital Pirates Are Hacking Brokerage Accounts | Bloomberg

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“Cyber hacking has now become the biggest threat to investors’ financial well-being.”

Cybersecurity experts say the exponential rise in online stock trading on apps such as Robinhood has created a parallel opportunity for hackers. And even the most diligent traders can fall prey to the increasingly sophisticated tactics of today’s digital pirates.

According to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), a government-authorized not-for-profit organization that oversees U.S. broker-dealers, cyber threats to brokerage firms are increasing and with these threats comes the increase risk of potential harm to investors. Dangers to accounts include email hack attacks, improper transfer or theft of customer assets, and misuse or even theft of customer data.

“Cyber hacking has now become the biggest threat to investors’ financial well-being,” said Andrew Stoltmann, a Chicago-based lawyer and former president of the Public Investors Advocate Bar Association. “Unfortunately, brokerage firms haven’t invested the money needed in order to keep cyber hacking of brokerage accounts from happening.”

The cyber threat

More believable “phishing” emails, said Jonathan Care, a research director who specializes in cybersecurity and fraud at Gartner, has aided in the hacking of accounts. Such missives might use personal information gathered from publicly visible social-media accounts. They may use the logos of financial institutions to look official to even the most discerning eye enticing unwitting investors may be baited into forking over their log-in information.

Other tactics take place in the background and make legitimate-seeming web activity risky. Some hackers set up WiFi networks in public places with monikers that sound credible — such as the name of a nearby business — which can in fact be used to take control of a system.

Malicious software installed on some machines can detect when users log into financial accounts and even make additional transactions they did not intended to authorize, Care said.

How to protect your brokerage accounts

Digital traders should change their passwords frequently, experts say, and avoid unfamiliar WiFi networks. They should be sure to have two-factor authentication enabled, which requires a secondary code to sign in.

But more than anything else, even savvy users could benefit from simply paying more attention to the flurry of emails, texts and other messages that flood their devices.

Recourse if hacked

Investors who think their accounts are compromised should immediately notify their brokers, who may be able to track down where funds were wired and reverse the transfer. After alerting their brokers, investors may also find it helpful to file a complaint with law enforcement. The most direct way to do that in the U.S. is with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.

A common industry practice is to promise to cover 100% of losses as a result of unauthorized activity in a brokerage account. The sticking point, of course, is whether the company will rule the breach was indeed unauthorized or lay the blame on you. Since brokerage firms have a strong incentive to compensate consumers for losses.

“With most of these firms, the judgments are really reputational,” said Adam Fee, a former federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York who is now a partner at Milbank, a law firm. “When something bad happens, they are asking, ‘Do we want a bunch of articles about how people are out money because we messed up and didn’t react?’”

Practice Cyber Safety

Your online security can be enhanced by doing your part to safeguard your brokerage accounts and personal financial information.

Sound cyber safety tips include using up to date firewall and anti-virus programs on your personal computer, as well as formally logging out of all online sessions related to your account once you are finished. If you use apps on mobile devices to access your financial accounts, be sure to password-protect your device—and make sure you select the highest security setting that the app offers (such as disabling quick access or keeping your account open even if you close the app).

Email awareness is essential. Cybercriminals use a variety of phishing techniques—scams that use spam email or a fake website to lure you into revealing your bank or brokerage account information, passwords or PINs, Social Security number or other types of confidential information.

Beware of emails that request personal information. And, don’t reply to, or click on a link in, an unsolicited email that asks for your personal information. When in doubt, log onto the main website of your bank, credit card company or brokerage firm using the website address that appears on your account statements or credit card—or call your firm using a telephone number you know is legitimate.

Stay Protected While Connected

The bottom line is that whenever you’re online, you’re vulnerable. If devices on your network are compromised for any reason, or if hackers break through an encrypted firewall, someone could be eavesdropping on you even in your own home on encrypted Wi-Fi.

You can protect yourself from online fraud:

  • Practice safe web surfing wherever you are by checking for the “green lock” or padlock icon in your browser bar— this signifies a secure connection.
  • When you find yourself out in the great “wild Wi-Fi West,” avoid free Internet access with no encryption.
  • If you do use an unsecured public access point, practice good Internet hygiene by avoiding sensitive activities (e.g., banking) that require passwords or credit cards. Your personal hotspot is often a safer alternative to free Wi-Fi.
  • Don’t reveal personally identifiable information such as your bank account number, SSN, or date of birth to unknown sources.
  • Type website URLs directly into the address bar instead of clicking on links or cutting and pasting from the email.

Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-10-13/brokerage-account-hack-what-to-do-if-money-in-robinhood-other-apps-is-stolen?utm_campaign=news&utm_medium=bd&utm_source=applenews

STOP. THINK. CONNECT. ™

The STOP.THINK.CONNECT.™ Campaign is a national public awareness campaign aimed at increasing the understanding of cyber threats and empowering the American public to be safer and more secure online. Cybersecurity is a shared responsibility. We each have to do our part to keep the Internet safe. When we all take simple steps to be safer online, it makes using the Internet a more secure experience for everyone.

References:

  1. https://www.finra.org/investors/alerts/cybersecurity-and-your-brokerage-firm
  2. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-10-13/brokerage-account-hack-what-to-do-if-money-in-robinhood-other-apps-is-stolen?utm_campaign=news&utm_medium=bd&utm_source=applenews
  3. https://www.cisa.gov/stopthinkconnect
  4. https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/publications/NCSAM_TheftScams_2020.pdf

Healthy Aging and Lifestyle: Avoid Muscle Loss as You Age

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Declining muscle mass is part of aging, but that does not mean you are helpless to stop it.

“Older men can indeed increase muscle mass lost as a consequence of aging,” says Dr. Thomas W. Storer, director of the exercise physiology and physical function lab at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital. “It takes work, dedication, and a plan, but it is never too late to rebuild muscle and maintain it.”

The best means to build muscle mass, no matter your age, is progressive resistance training (PRT), says Dr. Storer. With PRT, you gradually amp up your workout volume—weight, reps, and sets—as your strength and endurance improve.

This constant challenging builds muscle and keeps you away from plateaus where you stop making gains. (See “Working on a PRT program.”) In fact, a recent meta-analysis published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise reviewed 49 studies of men ages 50 to 83 who did PRT and found that subjects averaged a 2.4-pound increase in lean body mass.

if you want to burn more calories and lose weight, the answer is simple: build muscle, according to the Cleveland Clinic.  

Muscle burns more calories at rest than fat

Ten pounds of muscle burns 50 calories at rest, whereas 10 pounds of fat burns 20 calories. This means, long after you’ve stopped working out, your body is still burning over twice as many calories when you’re toned than when you’re not. 

Strength training

When you lift weights and build muscle, you’re actually creating tiny tears in the muscle fibers within your body. This is why you’re sore after a tough workout.

Strength training comes when your muscles build against those tears. athletic trainer Tom Iannetta, ATC, CSCS explains that strength training is beneficial at any age. “As we age, we lose muscle mass, which decreases metabolism, so establishing a strength program will not only increase muscles, it will boost metabolism,” he says. 

Get moving a little every day.

Work out every morning and some evenings. Some moves take just minutes to do. Here’s a few ways to do it right:

  • Start slow—incorporate regular walks or body weight exercises to feel the burn.
  • Workout when you’re working—like with a stressball or a hand grip strengthener
  • Incorporate a complete exercise plan for building muscle. Use it and you’ll avoid back pain and get injured less

A general guideline for improving strength is to exercise each major muscle group at least twice a week. This could be performed as a full-body workout or by doing a split routine performing upper body exercises twice a week, then lower body exercises twice a week.”

Helpful strength training tips:

  • Warm up. Always begin with a light warm-up such as riding a stationary bike or an elliptical machine. Five to 10 minutes should be sufficient.
  • Sets are key. Three sets of an exercise with eight to 12 repetitions has been the gold standard for an effective strength program. However, finding time to exercise may be a challenge.  Recent research shows that many people see results with one or two sets of eight to 15 repetitions of a particular exercise.
  • Push it. Pushing the muscle to fatigue is a key factor. Choose a weight that is heavy enough to fatigue your muscles in eight to 15 repetitions. As exercise becomes easier, you can progressively increase the amount of resistance.
  • Variety is the spice of life … and muscle building. As you get stronger, try varying the exercises you perform. Different exercises or varying the weight training equipment in your routine should keep your program challenging.

The important thing is to find an activity that you enjoy. With consistency, you’ll shed that quarantine weight in no time. 

References:

  1. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/build-muscles-lose-weight-by-adding-strength-training-to-your-workout/?_ga=2.29316282.743021087.1601167027-783556893.1601167027
  2. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-can-you-avoid-muscle-loss-as-you-age/
  3. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/preserve-your-muscle-mass

Why so many Americans in the middle class have no savings

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“Millions of  Americans, and not just the working class and poorest among us, struggle to make ends meet.”  Neal Gabler

Middle class families in America are in rough shape. The typical middle class family, according to the Federal Reserve, have enough financial cash reserve to keep themselves afloat for about 3 weeks if they lose their primary source of income.  The biggest reason cited for this predicament is several decades of wage stagnation in the U.S. as worker productivity has increased, wages remained constant and corporate C-suite executives’ compensation have increase a thousand-fold in that same timeframe.

The Federal Reserve conducted a survey to “monitor the financial and economic status of American consumers.” The Fed asked respondents how they would pay for a $400 emergency. The answer: 47 percent of respondents said that either they would cover the expense by borrowing or selling something, or they would not be able to come up with the $400 at all.


(As part of a collaboration between The Atlantic and the PBS NewsHour, Judy Woodruff looks at why Gabler and so many other Americans are struggling with savings.)

Additionally, the Federal Reserve asked Americans if they could come up with $2,000 in 30 days if they had to in case of an emergency. As many as 40 percent of American families can’t, despite the once pre-COVID improving economy.

Owning Stocks, Bonds and Mutual Funds essential to accumulating wealth

In 2020, a Gallup poll finds 55% of Americans reporting that they own stocks, based on polls conducted in March and April. However, a closer look into the numbers reveal that the top 1% of wealthiest Americans own 50% of household equities (stocks, bonds, and mutual funds).  And, the top 10% own a staggering 80% of household equities.

Stock ownership is strongly correlated with household income, formal education, age and race.  In 2020, the percentages owning stock range from highs of 85% of adults with postgraduate education and 84% of those in households earning $100,000 or more to lows of 22% of those in households earning less than $40,000 and 28% of Hispanics.

When you own stock, you own a piece of the company. This means you own a share of the company’s profits and assets. When you own stock, you can grow your money and wealth! There are two ways you can make money with a stock. First, the value of your ownership stake can go up or appreciate in value. Second, some stocks pay dividends too. Dividends are company profits that some companies distribute to their shareholders.

Why Own stocks

Stocks are one possible way to invest and grow your hard-earned money. And, according to Morning Star, savvy investors invest in stocks because they provide the highest potential returns. And over the long term, no other type of investment tends to perform better.

On the downside, stocks tend to be the most volatile investments. This means that the value of stocks can drop in the short term. But you can minimize this by taking a long-term investing approach.  Yet, there’s also no guarantee you will actually realize any sort of positive return.

By educating yourself and increasing your investing knowledge, you can make the risk acceptable relative to your expected reward. And, investing in stocks is well worth it, because over the long haul, your money can work harder for you in equities than in just about any other investment.

Financially Unstable

“Gold is the money of kings, silver is the money of gentlemen, barter is the money of peasants and debt is the money of slaves.”  Unknown

Financial illiterate pay a hefty price for not having basic financial knowledge.

  1. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/05/my-secret-shame/476415/
  2. https://ritholtz.com/2020/01/stock-ownership/
  3. https://news.gallup.com/poll/266807/percentage-americans-owns-stock.aspx

Healthy Aging and Lifestyle: Whole Foods, Plant Based Diet | Consumers Report

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“It’s never too early or too late to embrace a healthier lifestyle.” Robert Ostfeld, M.D., director of Preventive Cardiology and founder and director of the Cardiac Wellness Program at Montefiore Medical Center in New York

A strong body of research supports the idea that a whole foods, plant-based diet can boost your health, decreasing the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers, and helping you stay at a healthy weight. It can even lengthen your life, according to a recent study in JAMA Internal Medicine that tracked more than 70,000 people.

Scientific research highlighted in the landmark book The China Study shows that a whole food, plant-based diet can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, certain types of cancer, and other major illnesses. Many people also reported bigger fitness payoffs, more energy, reduced inflammation, and better health outcomes after making the switch.

You can eat to be younger

Whole Foods, plant-based diets are also full of phytochemicals, compounds that help keep many of your body’s systems running smoothly, Rachel Meltzer Warren, M.S., R.D., a frequent contributor to Consumers Report, wrote. For instance, the anthocyanins in berries help protect vision; carotenoids in carrots and cantaloupe, and the isothiocyanates in brussels sprouts neutralize the free radicals that cause cell damage; and flavonoids in apples help control inflammation.

A whole-food, plant-based diet is based on the following principles, according to ForksOverKnives:

  • Whole food describes natural foods that are not heavily processed. That means whole, unrefined, or minimally refined ingredients.
  • Plant-based means food that comes from plants and doesn’t include animal ingredients such as meat, milk, eggs, or honey.

A “less meat, more plants” style of eating can also help improve the quality of your life

Research shows in one recent preliminary study of more than 450,000 adults, those who followed a whole food, plant-based diet that was 70 percent plants had a 20 percent lower risk of dying from heart disease or stroke than those whose diets centered on meat and dairy. A Harvard study that tracked more than 120,000 people for 30 years found that those who ate the most red meat tended to die younger during the study period but that swapping just one daily serving of beef for nuts could cut the risk of dying early by as much as 19 percent.

One possible reason for those benefits is that a whole food, plant-based diet can improve blood lipid levels. Making the change from a standard American diet to a whole food, plant based (including some meat) or vegetarian one was associated with a 10 to 15 percent decrease in total and LDL “bad” cholesterol, according to a review of 27 studies in the American Journal of Cardiology. Shifting to a vegan diet led to even more dramatic change.

A “less meat, more plants” style of eating can also help improve the quality of your life. In addition, it’s associated with higher levels of short-chain fatty acids in the gut, and research suggests that it lowers the risk of heart disease, inflammatory diseases, and type 2 diabetes.

Wake up and go to work on yourself before you go to work for anyone else

Changing your diet after age 50 can make a difference, according to experts. “It’s never too early or too late to embrace a healthier lifestyle,” Robert Ostfeld, M.D., director of Preventive Cardiology and founder and director of the Cardiac Wellness Program at Montefiore Medical Center in New York says, which includes a healthy whole food, plant based diet, aerobic and resistance exercises and good nights sleep. “The benefits come quickly and continue to accrue with time.” In one study, women in that age group who ate a mostly plant diet were 34 percent more likely to be free of chronic diseases, like type 2 diabetes and heart disease, 15 years later than women whose diets included more meat.

Essentially, a whole-food, plant-based diet is good for your heart, your body, and it may even be good for your soul.

References:

  1. https://www.consumerreports.org/diet-plans/plant-based-diet/
  2. https://www.forksoverknives.com/how-tos/plant-based-primer-beginners-guide-starting-plant-based-diet/
  3. https://www.forksoverknives.com/wellness/patient-lost-75-pounds-reduced-nineteen-meds-three/

Healthy Plant Based Diet, Aerobic and Resistance Exercises and Restful Sleep

Becoming Ageless: The Four Secrets to Looking and Feeling Younger Than Ever

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“It is never too late to reverse how you look and feel, and develop the mindset of how you do it. Day in and day out, if you want to live longer and live better, you need a clear and basic understanding that the outcome of your journey is the sum of its steps.” Strauss Zelnick, Becoming Ageless

You can have the mind, body, and spirit of someone half your age, and add more years to your life. Or, you can have people stare in disbelief when they discover how old you really are. You can become…ageless?  You can. It’s possible.

A holistic mind/body approach that really works.

By following the four secrets of Becoming Ageless, you can boost your metabolism, enjoy all-day energy and feel younger for life.

Ageless Secret #1 Indulge in Delicious Foods 

You can eat to be younger. Most people associate eating for health or weight loss with a “diet”— break that association. Diets fail. Instead, focus on “Forever Fuel.” It doesn’t mean you can’t eat your favorite foods; you’re just getting the best versions of them. On the Becoming Ageless plan, enjoy the following: 

  • Unlimited Foods—Lean Protein, Salads, and Vegetables—eat as much as you want…bison, light tuna, chicken, eggs, grass-fed beef.
  • Limited Foods—Some fruits and dried fruits, nuts, and cheese—in moderation.
  • Highly restricted foods—no processed foods, fried foods, or added sugars. Processed foods account for 70% of the calories that Americans take in. They don’t just make you fat; they age you. Commit yourself to eating sensibly. 

Ageless Secret #2: Unlock Your Inner Strength

One of the things to realize is that fitness can be the foundation for so much of your success in life—it improves your mood, and shrink your belly, Just commit and be consistent. Get moving a little every day. 

It is recommended that you work out every day. Some moves take just minutes to do. Here’s a few ways to do it right:

  • Start slow—incorporate regular walks or body weight exercises to feel the burn.
  • Workout when you’re working—like with a stressball or a hand grip strengthener
  • Follow an exercise plan for building muscle. Use it and you’ll avoid back pain and get injured less.

Ageless Secret #3: Bulletproof Your Body

You can’t feel younger if you’re sick all the time.  It is important to turn your body into a disease-fighting machine. That’s why:

  • Preventative measures—a complete checklist of all the tests you need, and when you should have them.
  • A guide to better sleep, so you can have a more peaceful rest.
  • Mental health is important. To boost your confidence, it is recommended to ditch the scale. Measure success by what you see in the mirror and how you look and feel. If you like what you see, what the scale reads isn’t important. Little changes mean big results. 

Ageless Secret #4: Discover a Deeper Connection

People who focus solely on the body and not the mind are shortchanging themselves. For lasting success, it’s essential to construct a support system that will hold you accountable—and cheer you on. Consider texting a friend after every workout, and revel in the virtual high-five; better yet, join a workout class. You’ll strengthen bonds with friends and loved ones and elevate your mood and productivity. 

There is a benefit in embracing your spiritual side. For quiet reflection, you can integrate morning prayer into your routine. It’s life-changing, and feeds into personal success on every level. To help you focus, meditate, do yoga, and find a community that supports your new lifestyle. 

By following the pillars in Becoming Ageless, you’ll be happier and healthier; you’ll stave off disease; you’ll enhance your spiritual connections; and you’ll lose fat from where it matters most. That’s something you want at any age.

88% of Americans Adults in Poor Metabolic Health

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Only 1 in 8 Americans are metabolically healthy

88 percent of Americans adults are in poor metabolic health, according to survey by Cleveland Clinic and Parade Magazine. American adults suffer from high blood pressure, cholesterol and triglyceride. And, a metabolically unhealthy lifestyle puts you at elevated risk of COVID-19 related complications.

Metabolic syndrome is the name for a group of risk factors that raises your risk for heart disease and other health problems, such as diabetes and stroke, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). The term “metabolic” refers to the biochemical processes involved in the body’s normal functioning. Risk factors are traits, conditions, or habits that increase your chance of developing a disease.

These conditions include increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist, and abnormal cholesterol or triglyceride levels. Metabolic syndrome is closely linked to overweight or obesity and inactivity. Insulin resistance also may increase your risk for metabolic syndrome. Insulin resistance is a condition in which the body can’t use its insulin properly. Insulin is a hormone that helps move blood sugar into cells where it’s used for energy, according to NHLBI.

Metabolic Risk Factors

The five conditions described below are metabolic risk factors. You can have any one of these risk factors by itself, but they tend to occur together.

  • A large waistline (e.g., abdominal obesity). Excess fat in the stomach area is a greater risk factor for heart disease than excess fat in other parts of the body, such as on the hips.
  • A high triglyceride level (or you’re on medicine to treat high triglycerides). Triglycerides are a type of fat found in the blood.
  • A low HDL cholesterol level (or you’re on medicine to treat low HDL cholesterol). HDL sometimes is called “good” cholesterol. This is because it helps remove cholesterol from your arteries. A low HDL cholesterol level raises your risk for heart disease.
  • High blood pressure (or you’re on medicine to treat high blood pressure). Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of your arteries as your heart pumps blood. If this pressure rises and stays high over time, it can damage your heart and lead to plaque buildup.
  • High fasting blood sugar (or you’re on medicine to treat high blood sugar). Mildly high blood sugar may be an early sign of diabetes.

A person has metabolic syndrome when they have too high or too low levels of three of the five factors, meaning that someone who has high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and high triglycerides would be considered unhealthy, metabolically speaking. The three risk factors combined put a person at much greater risk for diseases like type 2 diabetes, stroke, and heart disease, according to the Mayo Clinic

In order to have perfect metabolic health, according to a study published in the journal Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders, you need:

  • a waist circumference below 40 inches for men and below 34.6 inches for women,
  • blood sugar below 100 mg/dL,
  • blood pressure below 120/80,
  • triglycerides below 150 mg/dL, and
  • high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (also known as “good” cholesterol) greater than or equal to 40 mg/dL for men and 50 mg/dL for women.

According to this study, only about 12% ( or one in every eight) of adults based on these guidelines in the U.S. have perfect levels of all five risk factors without having to take medication, researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Gillings School of Global Public Health found in their study. The scientists examined National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data from 8,721 people in the U.S. between 2009 and 2016. And they’re calling their findings “alarmingly low.”

“Based on the data, few Americans are achieving metabolic health, which is quite alarming and should spur renewed attention to population-based interventions,” Joana Araujo, PhD, a postdoctoral research associate in nutrition, said.

Even small steps add up.

Doctors generally agree on when it comes to a person’s health that blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides (a type of fat found in blood), blood sugar, and waist circumference are all often used to measure what’s called “metabolic health.”

Now is a great time to focus on eating unprocessed food and eliminating process food from your diet, exercising, getting adequate sleep, managing stress and anxiety, and maintaining social connections.

Mark Hyman, M.D., head of strategy and innovation for Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Functional medicine, “Poor metabolic health can be reversed in a couple of weeks, simply by dietary change.”

References:

  1. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/metabolic-syndrome
  2. Pajer, Nicole, Parade, September 27, 2020, pg. 11
  3. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/metabolic-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20351916
  4. https://www.health.com/condition/heart-disease/metabolic-health

Healthy Aging: Resistance (Weight) Training

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One form of exercise, weight or resistance training, proves to be most effective for long-term weight loss

Weight lifting, also known as resistance training, helps us build strength, and also improves muscle size and can help counteract age-related muscle loss.

Recently weight lifting has become popular among those looking to lose weight.

Endurance exercises such as running and walking are indeed effective for reducing body fat. However, these exercises can simultaneously decrease muscle size, leading to weaker muscles and greater perceived weight loss, as muscle is more dense than fat.

But unlike endurance exercises, evidence shows resistance training not only has beneficial effects on reducing body fat, but it also increases muscle size and strength.

THE “AFTER-BURN EFFECT”

When you exercise, your muscles need more energy than they do when resting. This energy comes from your muscles’ ability to break down fat and carbohydrate (stored within the muscle, liver, and fat tissue) with the help of oxygen. So during exercise, you breathe faster and our heart works harder to pump more oxygen, fat, and carbohydrates to your exercising muscles.

Resistance training exercises should engage the largest muscle groups, use whole body exercises performed standing, and should involve two or more joints. All of these make the bodywork harder, thereby increasing the amount of muscle and therefore RMR. An effective resistance training program should combine intensity, volume (number of exercises and sets), and progression (increasing both as you get stronger). The intensity should be high enough that you feel challenged during your workout.

The most effective way of doing this is by using the repetition maximum method. For the purpose of fat loss, this should be performing between six and ten repetitions of an exercise with a resistance that results in fatigue, so that you cannot comfortably do another full repetition after the last one. Three to four sets, two or three times a week for each muscle group is recommended.

References:

  1. https://www.inverse.com/mind-body/resistance-training-heres-why-its-so-effective-for-weight-loss