Top 10 Health Tips of 2011

1. The faster you eat, the more weight you may gain
A Japanese study that followed more than 500 men over 8 years reported that faster eaters gained an average of 4.2 pounds during the study, while slow eaters gained only 1.5 pounds. It takes 20 minutes for your body to register how full you are. To slow yourself down, try sipping water between each bite of a meal.


2. Playing music keeps your mind sharp as you age
If you don’t want to constantly be searching for your lost keys through the years, it might be time to pick up a guitar—and the sooner you do it, the better for your noggin. A University of Kansas Medical Center study showed that people who had played music for more than a decade had the best memory and cognition. Because playing music has been shown to arouse so many different sections of the brain, practicing can have broad benefits to keep you sharp.


3. Cure those nagging pains with better posture
Here’s a simple trick for your brain the next time you go to the doctor for a routine—but painful—shot. Stand up straight and try to have a dominant pose, says a Journal of Experimental Social Psychology study. When taking dominant yoga poses over submissive ones, people could stand pain longer. By acting dominant, you’re likely releasing more testosterone to combat the pain you otherwise would feel.


4. Stay in touch with family to know if you should bump up a cancer screening
The American Cancer Society found that having a family member—even extended family—with cancer increased a person’s cancer risk substantially between the ages of 30 of 50, meaning that the colorectal cancer screening you thought you’d need at 50 might have to move up if your Uncle Ray recently was diagnosed.


5. Avoid health problems other than sore thumbs with video games
Those marathon gaming nights of Madden on PS3 aren’t bad for you just because you aren’t acquiring enough sleep. Prolonged sitting can cause deep-vein thrombosis—a blood clot in the lower limbs that can work its way up to the heart or lungs, triggering a heart attack. If you have to stay on the controller for several hours to crack a level or are simply stuck to your desk at work, make sure you take breaks each hour to keep your blood flowing.


6. Easy ways to avoid exercise-induced asthma
Not much is worse for an athlete than a good run or game of basketball taking a nosedive because your chest tightens up. Asthma is a disease caused by inflammation, and sadly many of us eat foods that help contribute to that inflammation. An Indiana University review found that certain foods, though, can increase or decrease your risk for an attack.


7. A simple way to cure your blues
If you’re bummed because of a recent layoff or you were dumped recently, hitting the gym for 30 to 45 minutes three to four times a week could really help your mental outlook. A University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center study found that 28 percent of depressed people eliminated their symptoms of depression when they worked out that much. The results were even better for men, and it was even more effective when they worked out longer.


8. Maybe you should avoid plastic altogether
If you always bring a sandwich to work in a plastic bag or drink from a plastic water bottle, listen up: Even BPA-free plastics can seep harmful chemicals like estrogen into your food or drink, according to a study in Environmental Health Perspectives. The best way to combat this is to use stainless-steel water bottles and glass containers.


9. Add some light to your (morning) life
If you’re always moving like a zombie after the alarm goes off in the morning, maybe you should be a reverse vampire and seek extra light before you awake. In a study, when sleepers were exposed to gradually intensifying light a half hour before the woke up, they felt more alert than sleepers who woke up to a sudden burst of light. We suggest you try a light-equipped alarm like the Verilux Rise & Shine Natural Wake-Up Light Clock.


10.  Kick diabetes with this drink that’s available everywhere
It’s more available than coffee or tea, and we don’t mean soda. Staying hydrated with 34 ounces of water a day made people in a 9-year French study 36 percent less likely to develop high blood sugar or diabetes. Why? If you’re dehydrated, your brain tells your liver to make more glucose for the body.