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healthy lifestyle

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A new research has found that people who walk with a slouched body posture are more likely to feel depressed

Having a good posture is key to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Your posture plays a huge role in making sure that your bones are well aligned with the rest of your body while the tension in your ligaments and muscles is properly distributed. A person with good posture will have improved blood flow, decreased wear and tear on joints, and experience less shoulder, back, and neck pain than a person with bad posture.

Your posture is determined by your day-to-day habits which are formed over years of repeated behavior. Luckily, you won’t need years to improve your posture. In this article, we will explore 4 things you can do daily that will improve your posture in less than 30 days.

Start Your Day with Stretches

Tight and tense muscles have a major impact on your posture and can lead to a miserable day in the office. A daily stretch can help relieve any tension or pain you may have sustained from sleeping, energize you for the day, improve your posture, decrease back pain, help prevent injury, decrease muscle pain, and improve your body’s flexibility. 

Form a new daily habit of a full-body stretch in the morning; this will allow you to loosen up your muscles and give you a better chance at maintaining a good posture during the day.

Keep Your Sitting Posture in Check

You may have heard of ergonomic chairs, and even ergonomic mouse pads and keyboards, but what does the term ergonomic mean and why is it important? According to Collins, ergonomics is the science that seeks to adapt work or working conditions to suit the worker so that workers can perform activities efficiently and comfortably. An ergonomic chair would be a chair that can be adjusted to give a person the most support and most comfort while they are seated.

Your chair can only do so much though. When you are sitting at your office desk, or even seated behind the wheel of your car, try and practice ergonomic sitting. Most people tend to lean forward while seated, putting unnecessary pressure on the lower back. While seated, sit upright so that your shoulder blades are in line with your hip and make sure your chair’s height is adjusted so that your feet can sit flat on the ground. Your knees should bend at a natural 90-degree angle and legs should remain uncrossed. 

Start Strengthening Your Core Muscles

The muscles in your core can be defined as those that help keep you upright. Exercising these muscles can greatly improve your posture in just a few sessions. Exercises such as planks, deadlifts, squats, and crunches are some of the main exercises you can do to strengthen your core and help you on the road to a better posture.

Relax with Care

Relaxing after a long day at work is a must; however, now is not the time to start slacking on your posture. Watching TV from a couch or while lounging on a bed may be comfortable, but the effect it could have on your muscles later that night may just negate all those good feelings. Watching TV from the wrong position can cause strain in the back and neck muscles, so be sure to give your body ample support during times of relaxation.

Your bed is another important factor in good posture as the right bed can mean the difference between a good night’s sleep and one which leaves a person with more aches and pains than they went to sleep with. Make sure your mattress is hard enough to support your weight but not too hard that it affects your posture while you sleep. If you feel that your current bed is not up to the task, a list of Black Friday mattress deals can help you find a bed that best suits you and your budget.

While forming new habits can be difficult, improving posture can have a huge impact on a person’s everyday health and wellbeing. Start practicing some of these good habits today and you should see an improvement in your overall health almost immediately.

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The way we live says a lot about us. Lifestyle means a lot to us and is about more than how much fun you’re having or how much work you’re getting done. It also has a profound effect on your mental health.

That’s why it’s smart to take a step back and examine your own lifestyle. How is it helping your mental health? How it is hurting? The consequences of a lifestyle that runs counter to your mental health interests can be severe, so take action and build a better, healthier life.

Is your lifestyle good for you?

Everyday, we make decisions (or follow through on powerful habit loops) that affect our mental health, whether we realize it or not. And, over time, these decisions can add up to a complete mental health picture — for better or for worse. Let’s take a closer look at your lifestyle.

Mental health and physical health are much more closely connected than many of us realize, and a poor diet and lack of exercise can bring down your mood and make you more vulnerable to all kinds of common mental health conditions. If you are interested in trying licensed online therapy to improve your mental health, check out https://www.betterhelp.com/start/ today.

Consider stress. What about your environment — including your home, your commute, and your work environment — might contribute to higher stress levels? What about your work, your career, and your current work-life balance (or lack thereof) might be raising your stress?

What about the place that you live in? Big cities with competitive work environments tend to lead to higher stress levels, so residents of places such as Washington, D.C., may want to be more proactive about their mental health than others, expert DC therapists point out — though they emphasize that virtually anyone can benefit from therapy.

Are you seeking treatment for any mental health issues? Are you in therapy? You probably visit the doctor regularly for physical checkups — do you do the same for your mind?

What a rough lifestyle can do to your mind

All of the questions and concerns above are important because, if you’re not careful, your wrong answers could lead to serious mental health problems.

Anxiety disorders are, when taken together, the most common form of mental health issues. They can be triggered and exacerbated by stress — the same sort of stress that is caused by your lack of work-life balance or your busy, competitive life in a big city like Washington, D.C.

Depression is common, too, and it can be worsened by the low moods you’ll experience when you fail to get proper nutrition or exercise regularly.

And other, less common mental health issues can arise from environmental factors — including basic, ongoing lifestyle decisions — too. So get smart and change your life.

Building a better life

The idea of changing your whole lifestyle to improve your mental health can be overwhelming. But you don’t have to do all of this at once, and reprogramming habit loops for the better will help you achieve long-term, sustainable change.

Tackle bad habits first, and start fighting for the little things that will improve your mental health, such as a vacation or a rule against answering emails after hours. Leave a bit earlier to make your big-city commute less stressful. Aim for sustainable changes — rather than crash diets — and try adding vegetables in and swapping out a few unhealthy favorites for healthier options. And, above all, get some professional help. Your mental health is an important dimension of your overall health, and it deserves the same professional care that you’d give your physical health.

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Staying healthy requires us to eat well, exercise, take the right medicines and supplements, and regularly visit our doctors. But these aren’t all things that we do consciously. If we had to check our schedules every time we ate an apple or ran a mile, we’d never do any of that stuff. In reality, of course, health is built on habits.

Our habits are incredibly powerful. They’re what we do when we’re not thinking. And when we’ve managed to shape our habits in a positive way, we achieve a healthy long-term lifestyle.

That’s a gift that we can share. We can dedicate our lives — and our careers — to the healthy habits and products that have made such an enormous difference in our own lives. Here’s how.

The health and lifestyle industry

Businesses are started with purposes. If you’re a health nut with the mind of an entrepreneur, your calling may lie with the health and lifestyle industry.


You can’t take other people’s supplements for them or do their exercise routine for them, but you can help them — while also making a few bucks for yourself. In the health and lifestyle industry, you can guide customers to great healthy products, supplements, and solutions.

The health and lifestyle space is a great choice for small-business owners and entrepreneurs. These sorts of businesses are things that you can run out of your own home. Start-up costs and overhead are manageably low. And the potential for real earnings is definitely there. Americans are waking up to the consequences of years of unhealthy living, and we’re seeing more and more trends that indicate just how drawn people are to exercise options, diet choices, health supplements, and other related solutions, services, and products.

If that sounds like your kind of thing, then you’ll want to read on.

Getting started

Starting a business is never easy. Health and lifestyle businesses are no exception.

Before you get started, you’ll need a business plan. You need to work hard on your plan and do your research carefully and extensively. Before you put your money and your future on the line, you need to know your business’ target customer base, long-term goals, and immediate financial situation.

Work with an attorney to set your business up properly. Making your business a legal entity can help to insulate you from potential financial stresses your business could encounter. It will also make life a whole lot easier — and whole lot less expensive — at tax time.

You’ll also need the right business partners. Running a store that offers supplements or branding products online does not require you to make your own vitamins in your basement (please don’t do this). You’re going to partner with supplement manufacturers and suppliers. They’ll keep you stocked with healthy products and, in many cases, can even help you brand your products. Your customers will know your brand, and you’ll know that they’re getting the finest supplements and health products.

Finding your purpose

The health and lifestyle industry is a unique place to be in. You’ll be working to make money, just like everyone else, but your purpose will be greater than that. For those of us who dedicate our lives to helping our customers live healthier, each day on the job matters. You’ll still have tough days, of course, and regular business concerns. But the entrepreneurs, managers, manufacturers, and others who make their living in health and lifestyle products can know in their hearts that their work is making life better for others, and that’s a truly wonderful thing.

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Image source Pexels

In this time of constant connectivity and convenience, it can be really hard to maintain good health and wellness. The allure of fast food and the convenience of driving or ordering everything you need for your home often means that people are not making great choices for their overall health. It’s so easy to access everything you need and so tempting to overindulge that obesity, type 2 diabetes and a whole host of other ‘lifestyle’ diseases are constantly rising in many countries.

There are, however, some quick and easy tips to help you maintain a healthier lifestyle.

1. Drink More Water

This is probably the easiest step towards a healthier lifestyle, but many still find the process of incorporating 8 cups of water into their diet easy to forget. Replacing caffeinated and sugary drinks with the simple goodness of water will be better for your hydration, which in turn will help your skin, digestion and energy levels. Sugary drinks are one of the key factors in the rise of obesity and giving them up could be the best decision you ever make.

2. Eat More Fresh Fruit and Vegetables

Fresh fruit and vegetables are the best fuel for an active healthy lifestyle. Vegetables are one of those foods that are low in calories and you can eat a lot of them without causing the problems that overeating processed food does. Fruit is higher in natural sugars, but it contains the necessary vitamins that will keep your body healthy and help fight infection.

3. Look After Your Mental Health

Looking after your mental health is so important and it’s also one of the aspects of health that is most neglected. From combating the depression that may make it a struggle to get up in the morning, to limiting stress in the workplace, to seeking help for serious psychiatric issues, your mental health is intrinsic to your overall well being.

4. Get Moving

It’s hard to overstate the importance of exercise and movement to your overall body health. 30 minutes of exercise a day can help you to maintain and improve your health. However, more exercise can give you more health benefits and boost your energy levels. If you aren’t used to exercising, start off gently so that you don’t injure yourself.

5. Replace Your Bad Habits

We talked earlier about the allure of convenience foods and sugary drinks, and one way to combat these bad habits is to replace them with healthy ones. Before a workout, you might want to give yourself an energy boost, but a coffee or junk food is likely to cause more trouble than help you. Try choosing a supplement instead that can help with a sustained energy boost. You can see more about healthy work out, boosts through reputable supplement companies.

Whether you are a busy type A personality, a time poor parent or a struggling, student you can find ways to incorporate healthy habits into your day. Changing the way you approach your health and wellbeing can be a reinvigorating and revitalizing experience that will make you feel good and look even better. It’s never too late to start and these steps are so easy that you can start today!

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Learn some useful tips for healthy eating for students

Sometimes all that essay writing and all the other assignments keep you so busy that you don’t even have time to eat properly. No wonder that after a few years in school students get digestion issues along with their education certificates. Here are some useful tips that may help you to make sure your diet is healthy, even when your workload is far from that.

So what are the main reasons why it’s hard for students to keep a healthy diet?

  1. Lack of free time
    On the average, you’ll need around 1 – 1,5 hours to cook a proper meal. You’ll probably say that it’s a luxury you just can’t afford – and you’ll be absolutely right. If your schedule is stuffed, one task to complete after another, it’s extremely hard to find as much as an hour of free time. Usually, there are so many things to do students try to do a few things at the same time (like wolfing down some fast food, working on essay topics and answering important emails, all at once).

The only way out of the situation is eating some convenience food or going to fast food restaurants. Needless to say, this kind of food is not the healthiest. Try to eat at least three times a day and avoid grabbing snacks in between your meals.

  1. Lack of money
    Many students just don’t have enough money to buy all ingredients for healthy meals. And it’s not that they are constantly cash-strapped. It’s just that more often than not, young people think they can spend their money on some “more useful” things than quality food (whether it’s a Prada handbag or a custom essay that saves you from trouble). Sounds familiar? Remember: by buying quality food products you invest in your future well-being. So spend money wisely and buy healthy foods.
  2. Downright laziness
    This is maybe one of the main reasons why students keep a not so healthy lifestyle. It’s just that when your workload is overwhelming, you get tired to much that the last thing you want to do is spend time cooking a healthy meal.

    Image source Flickr

Useful tips: how to improve your diet

Tip 1: Learn to cook healthy food

Yes, anyone can cook eggs or warm some canned soup in a microwave. But something like roast chicken and potatoes may seem like mission impossible for many. So how can you improve your cooking skills? Well, there are lots of websites and YouTube video channels that can teach you how to cook healthy and easy meals. Ask your moms and grannies about some cooking secrets. Odds are, you’ll find that cooking is not as hard as you think. It can even be a lot of fun!

Try to experiment. Memorize (or write down) some simple recipes that will help you when you don’t have much time. You can keep ingredients for your meals prepared and packaged in your fridge so you could cook them quickly without spending much time on preparation. You’ll see that very soon you’ll get a knack of it and kill two birds with one stone: keep your diet healthy and do some quality essay writing.

Tip 2: Cook your meals in advance

If you don’t have much time for cooking after your classes are over, learn to cook in advance, for a few days ahead. Isn’t it great to come home tired and hungry, warm some food you’ve cooked a day before and eat without having to hurry anywhere? And it won’t be some low quality convenience food, but your own home cooking!

Tip 3: Take turns to cook

If you live with roommates, it’s probably they have the same diet issues you do. So wouldn’t it be easier to combine your efforts in order to solve your eating issues? Do a sort of a brainstorming session and think of a cooking schedule that will benefit you all. If you take turns cooking healthy homemade food, this will significantly improve your diet and allow you to forget about the lack of time issue. Besides, it will let you save some money too (remember, you might need it for that essay writing service).

Eat healthy, stay healthy – it’s quite possible, even if you are the most diligent student ever.

 

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A new research has found that a healthy lifestyle may do more than simply slow the ageing process – it could actually reverse it.

Keeping physically fit, having a plant-based diet and practicing stress-reduction techniques such as yoga could extend the lifespan of cells, researchers say.

They studied the effect of healthy living on lengths of DNA called telomeres – tiny “caps” on the ends of chromosomes that protect against the ageing process.

Just as the tips of shoelaces prevent fraying, telomeres keep chromosomes stable and prevent deterioration when the cells containing them divide.

Dubbed the “chromosomal clock”, they shorten as we age. This process is associated with a greater risk of early death and of conditions such as heart disease, dementia, diabetes and cancers, as well as with increased vulnerability to infection.

Scientists believe the shortening process may even place an unextendable limit on the human lifespan.

Healthy lifestyle may do more than simply slow the ageing process

Healthy lifestyle may do more than simply slow the ageing process

The pilot study, published in The Lancet Oncology, compared two groups of men with early non-aggressive prostate cancer who had not undergone surgery or radiotherapy but were having regular checks.

One group of 25 men continued without making any changes. Ten others underwent a radical lifestyle transformation supervised by doctors, nutritionists and psychologists.

Their diet was switched to one high in plant proteins, fruits, vegetables and unrefined grains while low in fat and processed carbohydrates. They were taught stress reduction techniques such as yoga and meditation, and were given counseling. They also took moderate levels of exercise, such as walking for 30 minutes, six days a week.

After five years, blood tests showed that the telomeres of the healthy-lifestyle group had lengthened by an average of 10%, effectively reversing the natural ageing process.  But the telomeres of the group who continued with their previous lifestyle shortened by an average of 3%.

The study found no significant difference between the groups in the progress of prostate cancer.

But the scientists believe that their findings carry an important health message with wider implications.

The team’s leader, Prof. Dean Ornish, from the Preventive Medicine Research Institute at the University of California in San Francisco, said: “The implications of this relatively small pilot study may go beyond men with prostate cancer.

“If validated by large-scale randomized controlled trials, these comprehensive lifestyle changes may significantly reduce the risk of a wide variety of diseases and premature mortality. Our genes, and our telomeres, are a predisposition, but they are not necessarily our fate.”

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Vanessa Lachey has revealed that she put on 65 lbs whilst pregnant with her son Camden.

In the nine months since he was born, Vanessa Lachey has since shed the weight.

Vanessa Lachey, 32, says she did not do it with the help of a fad diet or crazed exercise regime.

She says she simply just “let it happen” and that happiness is the key to her healthy lifestyle.

“I gained, I think, 65 pounds when I was pregnant,” Vanessa Lachey said in an interview with HuffPo Live.

“And I will say to moms out there, <<Don’t stress about losing it. It will happen when it happens>>.

Vanessa Lachey has revealed that she put on 65 lbs whilst pregnant with her son Camden

Vanessa Lachey has revealed that she put on 65 lbs whilst pregnant with her son Camden

“Cam’s 9 months, so it’s been a minute, and we’re working, and we’re traveling, and it’s just about maintaining a happy, healthy lifestyle, not obsessing about it.”

Vanessa Lachey stresses that the “get thin quick” tactic is a waste of time and new mothers should more be concentrating on and spending time with their newborns.

“I think that’s one thing I would like to convey to moms everywhere,” she continued.

“It’s not about this <<get skinny quick>> diet or these fads. Just enjoy time being a mom. You’ve just had this wonderful, magical moment, and you shouldn’t be stressing about that kind of stuff.”
But Vanessa Lachey does rave about the slimming effects of Spanx, praising the individual who created them in the process.

“If you’re really worried, Spanx are amazing,” she joked.

“Thank you to the inventor of that.”

Vanessa also took time out in the interview to praise her husband 98 Degrees singer Nick Lachey.

“He was born to be a daddy,” she said.

Vanessa Lachey has been in the audience several times when her husband has performed with his boy band 98 Degrees, who are currently on tour with Boyz II Men and New Kids on the Block for The Package Tour.

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Gwyneth Paltrow promotes a healthy lifestyle but she admits having her vices, like smoking one cigarette per week.

Gwyneth Paltrow, 40, also admitted she has tried Botox injections in the May issue of Harper’s Bazaar.

When asked about her guilty pleasures, Gwyneth Paltrow, who recently penned healthy eating cookbook It’s All Good, said: “My one light American Spirit that I smoke once a week, on Saturday night.”

As for surgery, the star said she would be “scared to go under the knife”, although she admitted that may change as she gets older.

Gwyneth Paltrow promotes a healthy lifestyle but she admits having her vices, like smoking one cigarette per week

Gwyneth Paltrow promotes a healthy lifestyle but she admits having her vices, like smoking one cigarette per week

“I’ll try anything. Except I won’t do Botox again, because I looked crazy,” Gwyneth Paltrow said.

“I looked like Joan Rivers!”

The actress also admitted to stepping up her beauty routine in recent years.

“I really used to be bad with products, but I exfoliate every night and use a lot of organic oils,” she said, confiding that she is a Sonya Dakar fan.

Gwyneth Paltrow said she recently had the Thermage laser treatment, which she described as “quite painful”.

“It feels like someone’s smacking your face with a rubber band that has an electric shock in it,” she said.

“But I would do it again, because I feel like it took five years off my face.”

Gwyneth Paltrow also spoke about the apparent contradictions in promoting a healthy lifestyle and organic products while at the same time indulging in high-end beauty treatments.

“I think it’s a mix,” she said.

“You know, I use organic products, but I get lasers. It’s what makes life, finding the balance between cigarettes and tofu.”

Gwyneth Paltrow opened about her 10-year marriage to Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, stating that they are “growing into very similar people”.

The star, who is already a mother to Apple, 8, and Moses, 6, said she is considering trying for a third child, despite the big adjustment that would entail.

“But then you see a baby and you smell a baby!” she said.

“And you’re like, <<Yep, I do>>. I don’t know. It’s a very big decision, so we’ll see. Anyway, I’m not doing it this month!”

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A study of half a million people across Europe suggests that sausages, ham, bacon and other processed meats appear to increase the risk of dying young.

The study concluded diets high in processed meats were linked to cardiovascular disease, cancer and early deaths.

The researchers, writing in the journal BMC Medicine, said salt and chemicals used to preserve the meat may damage health.

The British Heart Foundation suggested opting for leaner cuts of meat.

The study followed people from 10 European countries for nearly 13 years on average.

It showed people who ate a lot of processed meat were also more likely to smoke, be obese and have other behaviors known to damage health.

However, the researchers said even after those risk factors were accounted for, processed meat still damaged health.

One in every 17 people followed in the study died. However, those eating more than 160 g of processed meat a day – roughly two sausages and a slice of bacon – were 44% more likely to die over a typical follow-up time of 12.7 years than those eating about 20 g.

In total, nearly 10,000 people died from cancer and 5,500 from heart problems.

Prof. Sabine Rohrmann, from the University of Zurich, said: “High meat consumption, especially processed meat, is associated with a less healthy lifestyle.

“But after adjusting for smoking, obesity and other confounders we think there is a risk of eating processed meat.

“Stopping smoking is more important than cutting meat, but I would recommend people reduce their meat intake.”

A study of half a million people across Europe suggests that sausages, ham, bacon and other processed meats appear to increase the risk of dying young

A study of half a million people across Europe suggests that sausages, ham, bacon and other processed meats appear to increase the risk of dying young

Sabine Rohrmann said if everyone in the study consumed no more than 20 g of processed meat a day then 3% of the premature deaths could have been prevented.

However a little bit of meat, even processed meat, had health benefits in the study.

Ursula Arens from the British Dietetic Association said that putting fresh meat through a mincer did not make it processed meat.

“Something has been done to it to extend its shelf life, or to change its taste, or to make it more palatable in some way… and this could be a traditional process like curing or salting.”

She said even good quality ham or sausages were still classed as processed meat, while homemade burgers using fresh meat were not.

“For most people there’s no need to cut back on fresh, red meat. For people who have very high intake of red meat – eat lots of red meat every day – there is the recommendation that they should moderate their intake,” she added.

Ursula Arens also confirmed that the study’s finding that processed meat was linked to heart disease was new.

Dr. Rachel Thompson, from the World Cancer Research Fund, said: “This research adds to the body of scientific evidence highlighting the health risks of eating processed meat.

“Our research, published in 2007 and subsequently confirmed in 2011, shows strong evidence that eating processed meat, such as bacon, ham, hot dogs, salami and some sausages, increases the risk of getting bowel cancer.”

The organization said there would be 4,000 fewer cases of bowel cancer if people had less than 10 g a day.

“This is why World Cancer Research Fund recommends people avoid processed meat,” said Dr. Rachel Thompson.

Mitt Romney today overcame one hurdle on the path to the White House – he was declared healthy enough to be the President of the United States.

Mitt Romney, 65, was described by his personal doctor as “a healthy-appearing, energetic, strong, physically fit male” in a letter released by his campaign on Friday.

Those considering voting for him will doubtless be relieved to hear that he has never suffered from HIV, cancer or epilepsy, and does not take illegal drugs.

But the document revealed that Mitt Romney does have some medical issues – he is allergic to penicillin, has an enlarged prostate, and takes daily drugs to combat his high cholesterol.

The former governor of Massachusetts and his running mate Paul Ryan each released a message from their doctors designed to show that the pair have the physical ability to take on the presidency and vice-presidency.

Mitt Romney’s doctor is Randall D. Gaz, of the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, who has been treating the politician since 1989.

Mitt Romney was declared healthy enough to be the President of the United States

Mitt Romney was declared healthy enough to be the President of the United States

His letter noted that the candidate has been involved in few major medical emergencies, bar ‘a concussion and fractures’ sustained in a car crash in 1968.

But Dr. Randall D. Gaz revealed that his patient takes aspirin and Lipitor daily – though never penicillin, to which Mitt Romney has an allergy.

The doctor praised Mr Romney’s healthy lifestyle and “high fiber diet”, saying: “He totally abstains from drinking any alcoholic beverages, and does not use any tobacco products or illicit drugs.”

As a Mormon, the former governor is forbidden from using alcohol, tobacco and narcotics.

Mitt Romney’s resting heart rate is apparently “in the 40s” – more characteristic of a professional athlete than a senior citizen.

However, Dr. Randall D. Gaz warned that the Romney family had a history of heart problems and prostate cancer, adding that his patient knew to monitor signs related to these conditions.

The letter set out a summary of Mitt Romney’s most recent physical exam, which took place last month and “revealed a healthy-appearing, energetic, strong, physically fit male” who “appears years younger than his age”.

Dr. Randall D. Gaz concluded with a thorough endorsement of his patient’s medical health – and what appears to be an endorsement of his political ambitions too.

“He is vigorous man who takes excellent care of his personal physical health,” the letter said.

“He has reserves of strength, energy and stamina that provide him with the ability to meet unexpected demands.

“There are no physical impairments that should interfere with his rigorous and demanding political career as the next president of the United States.”

Paul Ryan, the 42-year-old Wisconsin congressman, is known for his exercise regime and is intensely proud of his own physical fitness.

Brian P. Monahan, Attending Physician to the U.S. Congress, said Paul Ryan’s “overall health is excellent” despite his family history of fatal heart attacks.

According to the doctor’s letter, the congressman does not smoke and his alcohol use is “infrequent”.

Barack Obama releases the results of his annual physical, which last year declared him in excellent health and praised him for quitting smoking.

 

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Scientists claim people who believe in luck and fate are more likely to be obese.

Researchers found that those who place their hands in fate were less likely to change their lives by their own actions, leading to conditions including obesity.

Their outlook meant they exercised less, ate less healthily and smoked and drank more than those who believed their life was in their own hands.

A team from the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research looked at the diet and exercise habits of more than 7,000 people and compared the results to their personality types.

Scientists claim people who believe in luck and fate are more likely to be obese

Scientists claim people who believe in luck and fate are more likely to be obese

Professor Deborah Cobb-Clark said those who had a greater faith in luck or fate were more likely to live an unhealthy life, adding: “Our research shows a direct link between the type of personality a person has and a healthy lifestyle.”

She suggested that the findings could have implications for the obesity epidemic, with psychology playing a more important role.

Prof. Deborah Cobb-Clark said: “The main policy response to the obesity epidemic has been the provision of better information, but information alone is insufficient to change people’s eating habits.

“Understanding the psychological underpinning of a person’s eating patterns and exercise habits is central to understanding obesity.”

The research also found that men and women hold different views on the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.

While men wanted physical results from their healthy choices, women were more receptive to the everyday enjoyment of leading a healthy lifestyle.

Prof. Deborah Cobb-Clark said this implied policies to cut obesity may need to be tailored according to gender, adding: “What works well for women may not work well for men.

“Gender-specific initiatives may be particularly helpful in promoting healthy lifestyles.”