As regular readers know, we at Van’s are all about healthy choices. While our specialty is making delicious breakfasts and snacks that fit into a healthy lifestyle, we know that healthy food choices are just one aspect of overall health.
A visit to
NutritionNews.com underscores the many elements that contribute to a healthy lifestyle, with two stories that aren’t about nutrition at all – but which have a real impact on health for kids as well as adults.
The first of these is sleep, and its affects. A new
study compares the performance of teens with an 8 a.m. start time with those with a start time 30 minutes earlier. The results demonstrate that just an extra 30 minutes of sleep a night for teens can make a big difference in alertness, responsiveness and even academic performance.
Exercise is another core part of a healthy lifestyle, and another
study out recently demonstrates how the benefits of exercise go beyond toned muscles, burned calories and healthy hearts. According to the study, published in the Frontiers of Aging Neuroscience, adults aged 55 to 80 who walked three times a week showed increased connections between brain areas after a year compared with adults who simply stretched and did toning exercises without walking.
While these studies underscore the importance of sleep and exercise for specific populations, anyone who’s spent a sleepless night or gone a month without exercise knows that the health benefits of sleep and exercise are very true – and a key part of the healthy living we keep talking about.