Year after year national guidelines urge Americans to do physical activity and eat a healthy plant-based diet. And year after year Americans become more sedentary and choose more highly-processed foods high in fat and calories. So what’s the disconnect? Are our healthy messages too complex? Do Americans not see the benefits of a healthy lifestyle? Or, perhaps, are Americans trying to change, but just not using the right strategies?

This week the American Heart Association released a Scientific Statement titled, “Interventions to Promote Physical Activity and Dietary Lifestyle Change for Cardiovascular Risk Factor Reduction in Adults”.

To see what the AHA identified as the most efficacious and effective strategies for lasting lifestyle change, click here to read a summary of the report from the Cooper Institute.
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If you did not get a chance to see the film Forks Over Knives this past week at the Bryn Mawr Film Institute, I just got notice that its official release will be March 11, 2011. The film provides compelling, scientifically-based, evidence on the power of a plant-based diet. The event at BMFI was a sellout, and Whole Foods the sponsor of the event, had lots of great foods to sample (including Green Smoothies!). It was a pleasure to meet Rip Esselstyn, who did some Q&A after the screening. Rip is the author of the Engine 2 Diet, and is featured in the film, along with his father, the author of “Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease: The Revolutionary, Scientifically Proven, Nutrition-Based Cure“. Colin Campbell, the author of the groundbreaking “The China Study“, is also featured prominently in the movie. If you are looking for some great reading, I highly recommend all three books!

To your health and happiness…

I hope all is well with you. I’ll keep this one short and sweet.

This Monday night (July 26) is the local premiere of the movie “Forks over Knives”. The feature film examines the profound claim that most, if not all, of the degenerative diseases that afflict us can be controlled, or even reversed, by being more conscious of our food choices. Here is the link to the official film web site.

The movie will be shown at the Bryn Mawr Film Institute; for details on tickets and show time, please click here.

I look forward to seeing you there!

To your health and happiness…

Although no prediction is set in stone, it is possible to estimate your life span based on certain genetic, demographic, and lifestyle factors. Each factor – and the amount of years it adds or subtracts from your baseline life expectancy – is documented by hundreds of medical studies.

To find out what your life expectancy is, click here. The longevity quiz takes less than 5 minutes.This is similar to another online quiz mentioned in a Wellness Wednesday newsletter last summer – “Living to 100“, which many of you found both enjoyable and informative.

While it is fun to try and estimate how long you may live, to me the real message is understanding what the key longevity factors are and how much of an impact they have on your life span. The two web sites mentioned are fairly consistent in identifying what those key factors are, things like smoking, nutrition, exercise, sleep, family medical history, and social habits. There’s probably not too many surprises in that list (flossing is on both lists, and it always surprises me how important it is to your overall health), but it’s always helpful to be reminded of these things on occasion and what impact they have on your health, wellness, and longevity.

If you’re curious, the first quiz predicted my life span to be 97, and the “Living to 100″ quiz estimated it to be 93. While there’s a few things I can work on (flossing…), hitting my goal of living to 100 could be a stretch, at least according to these online tools.

If you take the quiz, I’d love to know what your predicted age is, so feel free to reply via email (jamesborden@fitnesstogether.com), this blog post, or through my Facebook page.

May you live long and prosper!

We all know the benefits of eating fruits and vegetables, or as Rip Esselstyn, the author of the Engine 2 Diet calls it, “being plant strong”.

Now there is research indicating that by just being outside with nature, surrounding yourself with forests, parks and other places with plenty of trees – people can experience increased immune function.

In one study, scientists found that being among plants produced “lower concentrations of cortisol, lower pulse rate, and lower blood pressure,” among other things. Other studies have shown that visiting parks and forests seems to raise levels of white blood cells.

While I wouldn’t recommend going for a hike in the middle of the day during our current heat wave, perhaps you can squeeze in an occasional early morning walk at Ridley State Park or the trails at the Willows. It’s not only good for your heart, it’s good for your immune system!

As for the free beer, Whole Foods Market in Plymouth Meeting PA is having a beer tasting event this Friday from 5pm – 7pm. The line up includes: Kronenbourg 1664, Fuller’s ESB, Otter Creek Solstice, Abita Purple Haze, Turbodog, and Satsuma Harvest Wit! All you need is your ID – no money necessary, this event is FREE!

And speaking of Whole Foods, I want to remind you that you can arrange for a personal tour of Whole Foods in Devon by just giving them a call at 610.688.9400. And one final reminder related to Whole Foods – they are sponsoring the only area showing of the film “Forks over Knives”. The movie will be shown at the Bryn Mawr Film Institute on Monday, July 26 at 7:30. Click here for more details. We will be there taking body fat measurements prior to the screening!

In the meantime, I’d recommend you try some of Burlap and Bean’s tempting menu items, such as their chilled watermelon gazpacho, or their summer special on Izze, as a way to keep cool during this heat wave. (By the way, congratulations to B&B on their selection to the 2010 Best of the Main Line and Western Suburbs!)

To your health and happiness…