PROTIME-FITNESS HOLISTIC HEALTH AND WELLNESS

  ORAL HEALTH: BEYOND THE SMILE Oral health isn’t just about having a nice smile—it’s a key part of staying healthy overall. Problems like cavities, gum disease, and tooth loss can follow when oral hygiene slips. But the effects reach further than your mouth. Studies have found that poor oral health is connected to conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and respiratory infections. Infections and inflammation in the mouth can worsen these health issues or even help trigger them (see the Journal of the American Dental Association via ResearchGate: Inflammation: the relationship between oral health and systemic disease). Maintaining hygiene habits—like brushing, flossing, and seeing your dentist—can help you avoid common dental issues such as cavities and gum disease. If left untreated, these problems can become serious. For example, severe gum disease (periodontitis) has been linked to a greater risk of long-term illnesses and even early death (Periodontology 2000). Oral health ...

EXERCISING: OPTIMAL AMOUNTS   How much exercise is “too much”? There is no neat answer, but research provides clear boundaries and warning signs. How Much Is Healthy? Exercise is one of the best things you can do for your health—no surprise. Most experts suggest at least 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous activity weekly. But what happens if you go way beyond that? Doing a lot more than the minimum is usually safe for healthy people. Significant studies show that even if you’re getting up to ten times the recommended amount of exercise, you’re still seeing benefits, like a lower risk of dying from any cause, and not much evidence of harm. For example, a primary pooled analysis found that the mortality benefits of exercise level off after about three to five times the recommended minimum, but the risks don’t go up until you hit extremely high levels (think: more than ten times the minimum). JAMA Internal Medicine , British Journal of Sports Medicine . When Exercise Go...

  SUGAR OVERLOAD: HEALTH RISKS Sugar gets a bad rap, and for good reason—too much of it has been tied to a whole host of health problems, especially long-term ones. Here’s what’s going on: When you load up on added sugars, especially from things like sodas and sweetened drinks, you’re piling on extra calories. That often leads to weight gain, and carrying extra weight is a significant risk factor for diseases like type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Research has consistently shown that the more sugar people eat, the higher the rates of obesity in both kids and adults. There’s also a strong link between high sugar intake and heart problems. One major study found that people who got 17–21% of their daily calories from added sugars were much more likely to die from heart disease than those who kept it under 10%. Sugar can also mess with your body’s ability to handle insulin, raising your risk for type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome, especially if you’re getting a lot of it from suga...

CANCER: WHAT SCIENCE KNOWS SO FAR   Cancer isn’t just one disease—it’s a group of related conditions that all start with cells growing out of control. After years of research, scientists have learned much about what drives these changes and how people can lower their risk. Experts estimate that somewhere between a third and half of all cancer cases could be prevented if we focused on what we already know about risk factors. Prevention remains one of the most effective—and affordable—ways to tackle cancer (Journal of Preventive Medicine and Hygiene). How Cancer Starts Cancer develops when genetic mutations cause normal cells to multiply unchecked. Some risk factors, like aging or inheriting specific genes, are beyond our control. But a large share of cancer risk comes from things we can change, like lifestyle habits and environmental exposures (British Journal of Cancer). Prevention: What Makes a Difference Tobacco Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of cancer globally. Smo...

  VITAMIN D: OPTIMIZED WITH EXERCISE As summer brings more sunlight and boosts vitamin D, it’s easy to forget how scarce both can be in winter. However, research from the University of Bath and collaborators shows that regular exercise is a simple way to protect vitamin D when the days get short. In a study published in Advanced Science, researchers followed overweight and obese adults through the winter months, having some participants participate in a 10-week indoor exercise program. The routine included four weekly sessions: treadmill walking, steady-state cycling, and high-intensity interval bike training. Everyone’s weight stayed stable, and no one took vitamin D supplements. The research ran from October to April, when sunlight-driven vitamin D production is minimal in the UK. The results? Those who exercised saw their overall vitamin D levels drop only about 15% over winter. In contrast, the number of people who didn’t exercise declined by around 25%. More striking: exercise...

  Carb Quality and Healthy Aging A new study from Tufts University and Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health suggests that what you eat in middle age could shape your health decades later. Researchers found that women who consumed more high-quality carbohydrates and dietary fiber in their forties and fifties were more likely to enjoy better mental and physical health as they aged. The team followed over 47,000 women from the long-running Nurses' Health Study, tracking their diets every four years between 1984 and 2016. By 2016, all participants were between 70 and 93 years old. The researchers compared their intake of different types of carbohydrates, like whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, and dietary fiber, to their health status in later life. To be considered healthy aging, women must avoid 11 major chronic diseases, maintain good mental health, and preserve their cognitive and physical abilities. In the end, just over 3,700 women met these criteria. The resul...

ANXIETY: WEIGHTED VESTS MAY HELP Weighted vests — and similar tools like weighted blankets — are all about giving your body calming, steady pressure, a technique called deep pressure therapy (DPT). The idea is that this pressure can help soothe your nerves and take the edge off anxiety. But what does the research say? What the Science Shows Physiological Effects: Recent studies suggest that wearing a weighted vest (especially with added vibration) can reduce your body’s stress response. Your sympathetic nervous system, which fires up when you’re anxious, seems to chill out a bit. One study in Health Science Reports described these vests as a “promising tool” for easing anxiety, at least in the short run. The catch? Scientists say we need more research to be sure. Deep Pressure Therapy (DPT): Research on DPT, the mechanism behind weighted vests and blankets, shows it can help people feel calmer and report less anxiety, especially for those who enjoy or seek out tactile comfort. Some ...