Ty Wilson Law February 2019

Ty Wilson Law February 2019

www.TyWi lsonLaw. com 1-866-937-5454

Your Compass MONTHLY

FEBRUARY 2019

FROM THE DESK OF Ty Wilson

What a difference a year makes. On January 3, 2018 we had snow for the first time in a long time. This year it was 80 degrees. So much for winter.

THE 4 TYPES OF EXERCISE And Why You Need Them All

Wow, one month down in 2019.

This is starting to be another fast year. You know things are moving fast when your daughter tells you life is moving too quickly. Both of my children have recently started basketball. This is the first year for both to play. As a portly young lad, I loved basketball, I got the benefit of exercise while having the fun of playing a game. What a concept. I am probably less portly today due to basketball. In fact, I may need to start playing again after the holidays!

From the Thighmaster to the ShakeWeight, every era has had its own ridiculous fitness fads. However, in a world that’s increasingly obsessed with health and fitness, silly, single-use items have given way to complex workout methodologies. Instructors and gyms now offer varying programs for success, and each will tell you their system is the best way to get and stay fit. While the debate over the best way to work out continues to rage on, one thing remains indisputable: Exercise is essential to a healthy lifestyle. According to the Harvard Health Letter, there are four types of exercise everyone should do. Each provides unique benefits to your overall health and wellness. Rather than deciding that one is better than the others, it’s smart to make sure you’re mixing them all regularly. “People do what they enjoy, or what feels the most effective, so some aspects of exercise and fitness are ignored,”says Rachel Wilson of Brigham andWomen’s Hospital. Don’t end up overlooking an integral aspect of any well-rounded fitness regimen. Examine the four most important types of exercise and ask yourself if you’re getting enough of each. Aerobic exercise, which comprises any cardiovascular conditioning (cardio), speeds up your heart rate and breathing. Whether through walking, swimming, running, cycling, or another mode of repetitive movement, cardio increases your endurance and works out your heart and lungs. Your cardiovascular system is the pump supplying fuel to your muscles. If it’s not firing on all cylinders, you’ll never perform at your best. That’s why regular aerobic exercise is so important. As Anthony Joshua, the heavyweight champion of the world, says,“Cardio is a nice way to start the morning … it’s good to get up, get the body active.” Aerobic Exercise

Happy Valentines’ day this month the shortest and fastest one of the year.

Recently, we have had several family members working hard to overcome some setbacks. Any kind thoughts you can send our way is most appreciated.

Make it a Great Month!

Be happy with what you have as you could have so much less.

-Ty Wilson

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... continued from cover

Strength Training

already dealing with problems should consult a physical therapist, who will provide you with a specific set of exercises designed to recover your lost balance.

increase your range of motion while reducing your chances of injury—a win-win.

Where aerobic exercise targets the cardiovascular systems, strength training is all about building muscle mass.“Regular strength training will help you feel more confident and capable of daily tasks like carrying groceries, gardening, and lifting heavy objects around the house. Strength training will also help you stand up from a chair, get up off the floor, and go upstairs,”saysWilson. You don’t need to lift massive amounts of weight to get the benefits of strength training. Bodyweight exercises, like squats and pushups, are a great way to strength train. Because muscle mass is actually built during rest periods, be sure to schedule recovery days each week.

Begin by warming up your muscles with dynamic stretches like arm circles or walking in place. Once your blood is flowing, move to static stretches that require you to hold a position. Areas like the calves, hamstrings, shoulders, neck, and back are particularly important to stretch.

Both/and, Not Either/Or

Many sources will tell you that one type of exercise reigns supreme. The problemwith this thinking is that it inhibits all the advantages you can gain from a multifaceted fitness plan. There’s no rule that states you can only pick one or two of the four essential types of exercise, so why limit yourself? Like a balanced diet, the best fitness system is the one that covers all the bases.

Balance Exercises

Balance is the result of many systems—vision, the vestibular system, legmuscles, body mechanics—working with one another. As we get older, these systems suffer wear and tear and begin to break down. Balance exercises allow you to keep these systems healthy and well- functioning. Some types of exercise, like yoga and tai chi, help maintain your balance. They’re also incredibly easy to start at any point in your life because they don’t have a high barrier to entry. Even if you don’t have balance issues, youmay want to consider trying themout. Alternatively, those

Stretching

When you’re young, it’s easy to take flexibility for granted. Amiddle schooler can run around all day without warming up and have no fear of straining a tendon or overworking a joint. That’s not the case for older adults who need to stretch in order to stay limber. Regular stretching will

STRENGTH OF MIND Tips to Keep Memory Sharp and Improve Cognitive Function

exercises like swimming and running keep the part of our brain responsible for memory from shrinking.

instrument, or picking up a new hobby work wonders to keep your mind active and your memory sharp. These mental exercises are especially important after retirement, often to make up for the loss of stimulating challenges that work used to provide.

Irish poet Oscar Wilde once called memory“the diary that we all carry about with us.”Of course, inWilde’s time, the average life expectancy was less than 50 years old. As modern medicine continues to enable people to live longer, these “diaries”tend to become muddled. Fortunately, there are ways to counteract the natural dulling of our memory that comes with time. Just like any other muscle, our brain needs a workout in order to stay strong. As Dr. Celeste Robb-Nicholson of Harvard Medical School writes,“Challenging your brain with mental exercise is believed to activate processes that help maintain individual brain cells.”Activities like solving puzzles, learning a musical Puzzle Yourself

Spend Time Friends and Family

Humans are social creatures. Many studies have shown that being a part of a supportive social group can significantly benefit our physical and mental health. In fact, the American Journal of Public Health reports that people who have daily contact with friends and family cut their risk of dementia and mental impairment almost in half. Our mental diaries may be longer and fuller than they were inWilde’s day, but if we fill those pages with hobbies, exercise, and close friends, our memories will remain sharp and vivid for the rest of our days.

Get Physical

Taking care of our physical health has also been shown to help brain function. According to a study by Sydney University in Australia, aerobic exercise is particularly good at jogging our memory. The researchers note that“aerobic exercise acts by preventing the usual decrease in neurogenesis associated with aging, thus resulting in greater retention of neural matter —particularly in the hippocampus.”In short,

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Therapy Lights DO THEY WORK OR ARE THEY ALL HYPE?

which means your body and brain won’t respond the same way they do when in natural sunlight.

The winter months can be dreary for folks who live in northern regions. The days are shorter and the sky is often obscured by clouds. This bleak weather can lead to seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. Depression, moodiness, and lower energy typically affect people with SAD more during the fall and winter months. The disorder has several different causes, but a primary one is a lack of sunlight, which can have an impact on your body’s internal clock. The winter climate can also reduce your serotonin levels, which influence your mood. Low serotonin can bring about feelings of depression. To address this problem, manufacturers developed light therapy devices. Therapy lights, or “happy lights,” are bright lamps that can sit on your desk or end table. They simulate natural sunlight and are marketed as mood boosters that treat symptoms of SAD. But do these therapy lights actually work or are they just placebos? The answer is both . There are a lot of therapy lights on the market, but they’re not all equally effective. The difference is their output. While most lights attempt to simulate sunlight, some devices have weaker output,

For instance, some lights are marketed as having “5,000 lux” or “10,000 lux.”There is a big difference between the two. Normal daylight (not direct sunlight), has the equivalent of 10,000–25,000 lux. Direct sunlight can have anywhere from 30,000–100,000 lux. Average office lighting puts out less than 500 lux. In order to be effective, you need a lamp with at least 10,000 lux. After about 30–45 minutes of use, you should notice a boost in mood and energy. While therapy lights are safe and come with few side effects, they are not suited for extended use. Many lights come with a warning not to use them for more than an hour at a time. Using them for longer than an hour can cause eye strain, headaches, and irritability. Therapy lights are not a cure-all. They can help, but they’re a short-term solution. If you feel the effects of SAD or experience depression, consult with a health professional to determine what solution is right for you.

Take a Break!

Tiramisu

INGREDIENTS •

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2 teaspoons dark rum

6 egg yolks

•

24 packaged ladyfingers

•

3 tablespoons sugar

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1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate shavings, for garnish

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1 pound mascarpone cheese

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1 1/2 cups strong espresso, cooled

DIRECTIONS

ladyfingers at the bottom of a walled baking dish.

1. In a large mixing bowl, use a whisk to beat together egg yolks and sugar until thick and pale, about 5 minutes. 2. Add mascarpone cheese and beat until smooth. 3. Fold in 1 tablespoon of espresso. 4. In a small, shallow dish, combine remaining espresso

5. Spread half of the

mascarpone mixture on top of the first layer of ladyfingers. Top with another layer of ladyfingers and another layer of mascarpone. 6. Cover and refrigerate 2–8 hours. 7. Remove from fridge, sprinkle with chocolate shavings, and serve.

with rum. Dip each lady finger into mixture for 5 seconds. Place soaked

Recipe Inspired by foodnetwork.com

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Inside This Issue From the Desk of Ty PAGE 1 The 4 Essential Types of Exercise PAGE 1 3 Ways to Improve Your Memory PAGE 2 DoTherapy Lights Really Work? PAGE 3 Tiramisu PAGE 3 Take a Break! PAGE 3 Healing Tips: What Helps andWhat Hinders PAGE 4

WHAT’S STOPPING YOU? Daily Habits That Impede Your Healing

rely on them for a long-term solution if you can avoid it.

Nursing an injury by using crutches for too long or favoring a limb encourages unhealthy movement and keeps your body from healing normally. On the other hand, not resting enough can be harmful. So be active but take it easy, and avoid spending hours on the couch or the treadmill. Smoking comes with a long list of health risks, and“inability to heal from an injury”is on that list. Nicotine, the powerful chemical that makes tobacco so addictive, keeps your immune system from doing its job. Smoking also makes exercise more difficult because of the toll it takes on your cardiovascular system. Painkillers can also inhibit the healing process because they mask pain without treating the source. Use them when necessary, but don’t Snuff Your Habit

Eat for Your Joints

You already know that food is fuel for your body, but what you eat can also affect your quality of life. Ingredients that cause inflammation— such as saturated fats, alcohol, and sugars — can increase pain in your joints and put extra strain on them. Instead, stick to a healthy diet of lean proteins, leafy greens, low- sugar fruits, and complex carbohydrates to give your body the boost it needs to heal. Making or breaking a habit can take weeks, so take it slow, understand that change is a process, and ask your physical therapist for advice. It may make your healing process more challenging, but it’ll be worth it in the long run.

Physical therapy can help your body harness its healing power, but without a lifestyle change, you may actually be hurting your body. Add these three tips to your PT regimen to help your body heal as well — and as quickly — as possible.

Too Much Yet Not Enough

Rest is necessary for healing, but when you rest too much, you do more harm than good.

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