Exercise, blue light combat SAD
Q.I have seasonal affective disorder, and before I get socked by winter depression, tell me: What’s the best way to deal with it?
A. There are several ways for you to deal with SAD (seasonal affective disorder).
Exercising outside provides exposure to sunlight (lack of sunlight can cause an imbalance of two key mood-regulating neurotransmitters — serotonin and melatonin). It also improves your outlook by stimulating release of moodboosting endorphins, helps you sleep better and makes it easier to eat more healthfully — all powerful ways to combat SAD.
Blue-light therapy for one hour a day can improve your mood significantly during the winter months, and coupling it with exercise amps up its benefits.
Vitamin D-3 helps boost mood, the immune system and heart health! Most folks rely on sun exposure to get their daily dose of vitamin D. We recommend you take a D-3 supplement of 1,000 IU a day if you’re under age 60, and 1,200 if you’re older.
Q. My doc says I’m headed for type 2 diabetes if I don’t do something to get in shape. I don’t mind the gym, so what’s the best plan?
A. What you do at the gym can revolutionize your future, preventing everything from heart attack to kidney failure and blindness — just a few of the complications associated with diabetes. Here’s the latest solid data:
1. Weight training for 59 minutes a week slashes diabetes risk by 12 percent; ramp it up to 149 minutes, and it’s down by 25 percent. Opt for 150 minutes or more each week, and your risk is cut by 34 percent.
2. Prefer aerobics? Swimming, treadmill ( jogging, walking), stationary bike or taking a 59-minute spin class cuts your risk by 7 percent; more than an hour, 31 percent; and 90 minutes, 52 percent.
3. Now put the two together, and fireworks happen! Go for 150 minutes of weights and 150 minutes of aerobics a week, and you can see a 59 percent drop in your risk for type 2 diabetes. And you haven’t even tackled the other lifestyle life-changers — better nutrition, improved sleep habits and de-stressing.
Nutritional upgrades have powerful positive effects on blood pressure, overall body inflammation, depression, weight and glucose levels, all associated with diabetes. So, avoid the five food felons: added sugars, added syrups, most saturated fat, ALL trans fats and grains that are NOT 100 percent whole. Next, get at least seven hours of shut-eye every night, and, in addition to physical activity, adopt new ways to shake off stress. We recommend (and do it ourselves) daily meditation.