Projo Fitness Blog

Researchers have evidence that periodontal health is important to the prevention of heart disease and diabetes.

Now, scientists are trying to determine whether healthy teeth and gums benefit our brains, according to the Tufts Health & Nutrition Letter.

"The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently announced a $1.3 million study to investigate connections between older people's oral health and their mental functioning," the newsletter reports. "Researchers will examine several large existing data sets from previous studies to see how oral health affects cognitive function -- and vice versa -- over time."

A West Virginia University study, in progress, suggests that there is a connection between poor oral health and reduced brain function among older people.

The connection between poor oral health and heart disease is well established.

"We are hopeful to have more evidence to support the tenet that oral health is also important for cognitive health, and to increase our understanding of determinants of oral health among older adults," said Richard Crout, a physician participating in the West Virginia study as well as the NIH project.

In the meantime, the Tufts newsletter advises, brush your teeth.

The Emilie Ruecker Wildlife Refuge in Tiverton is filled with wonders for wanderers.

The trail system in the 50-acre refuge, owned by the Audubon Society of Rhode Island, is about 1.75 miles long and flat. "I always recommend the trails for children because you don't have to go very far to find some cool stuff," said Joe Metzen, a member of the Audubon staff who lives on the refuge.

Emilie Ruecker, an artist and teacher, donated her family's summer home and land to the Audubon Society in 1966, Metzen said. Audubon received two smaller parcels of land in 1998.

The Sakonnet River flows by the refuge, and it provides tidal water to marshes filled with pea-green cord grass with patches of a magenta succulent plant whose fingers reach upward.

"It's glasswort," said Scott Ruhren, a botanist and senior conservation director of the Audubon Society. "Taste it," he said.

The "fingers" are crunchy, slightly sour and very salty. Like wild pickles.

It is a weekday in autumn, but sailboats are still cruising the Sakonnet near the smaller of Narragansett Bay's two Gould Islands. The looping yellow and blue trails offer several views of the marsh and the river. They may be spots where Emilie Ruecker painted.

Today, bird watchers with digital cameras stop to make photographs. Among the birds they may see are great egrets, snowy egrets, and glossy ibis. The refuge is also home to a variety of fur-bearing animals, said Metzen.

Jack's Island, a peninsula that extends into the Sakonnet River, is home to breeding ospreys and hordes of fiddler crabs, said Metzen. The waters off the peninsula are popular among fly fishers below the mean high-tide mark.

Driving directions to get there.

AP photo / chicken fajitas

This is the time of year when our thoughts turn to turkey ... and while that's a great lean meat ... I'm here today to sing the praises of chicken.

Chicken is my favorite meal -- I eat some form of it almost every day, and the protein in chicken makes for a healthy meal when you're trying to keep your weight in check.

Full disclosure: My absolute favorite way to eat chicken is breaded and fried, but I don't want to push that on anyone who's looking for a healthier way to eat. But, if you're interested in a great recipe for southern-fried chicken (my mother's) that only requires a little browning in Canola oil, please e-mail me and I'll be happy to provide it.

There are many healthy ways to prepare chicken to get the most out of its protein and low-fat content. My favorite, chicken fajitas, is often a lunchtime treat.

I microwave a flour tortilla for about 20 seconds to soften it up, add a dab of nonfat sour cream onto the tortilla, chop up cooked skinless chicken breast -- a handful of pieces is all the tortilla will hold. Then I add some cheese (low-fat cheddar is best), raw green and/or red pepper and onion pieces, and heat them up in a paninni grill until the cheese melts and the chicken is hot. I add some lettuce and salsa -- or maybe a little avacado too, and a few tortilla chips on the side of my plate.

Here's a few more recipe ideas from the hard-core (Jimmy Smith training) and the more easy-going "3 Healthy Ways to Eat Chicken."

Antioxidants in foods are important to maintaining wellness, but "The term 'antioxidant' has become a sales tool," according to the Berkeley Wellness Letter in a piece about the much touted açaí berry. The internet and many magazines are loaded with all kinds of health claims, including weight loss and age-reversing properties of the South American fruit.

"Since açaí came on the market there have been a few studies pointing to potential benefits," write the newsletter's editors. "Like many other fruits, açaí berries are high in antioxidants (molecules that quell cell-damaging free radicals) and other interesting compounds. But these were lab studies, and the results may not apply to humans. There is no scientific basis for weight-loss claims or any other health claims for açaí....

"Consumer protection groups such as the Center for Science in the Public Interest and the Better Business Bureau have now come out against açaí marketers. 'If Bernard Madoff were in the food business," said a CSPI nutritionist, 'He'd be offering 'free' trials of açaí-based weight-loss products."

If you want to try açaí for yourself, it's available in many health-food stores, some large drug stores and supermarkets.Be wary on online sources, the Berkeley newsletter warns: "Online ads regularly promise a free trial, saying that all you have to pay is shipping and handling. The catch is that you must supply your credit card number, and you'll automatically be signed up for $50 monthly shipments that will prove hard to cancel."

Working nights again this week, which gave me a great opportunity to enjoy the nice weather Monday and take a long bike ride along the Quonset shared use bike path near my home in North Kingstown.

The above photo shows the water view from Calf Pasture Point, where the bike trail veers off into the old base road and eventually, some scenic surf.

According to the five-day weather forecast, it's supposed to be sunny most of the week, with temperatures in the 50s and 60s. So whatever your favorite sport or activity, get outside and get some exercise.

By the Associated Press

While exercise is constantly touted as the best way to have a fit and healthy body, it may also be the single most important tool to combat everything from obesity to depression to ADD and Alzheimer's, according to research by one Harvard professor.

Moderate exercise, even just 5 or 10 minutes at a time, can help supercharge the brain's mental circuits and help beat stress, sharpen thinking and even enhance memory, said Dr. John Ratey, an associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

Ratey's lecture, "Exercise For You and Your Brain," focused on how exercise can be beneficial not only for a person's body, but also for their mind through a unique yet important mind-body connection.

Dr. Ratey's most recent book, "SPARK: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain," encourages people to reach their full potential by embracing exercise as an essential for both the brain and the body.

Ratey encouraged everyone to change the way they think about their morning run -- or just the way that they think.

''We're hunters and gatherers by nature," he said. "We used to move 10 to 14 miles a day on average," he said.

Ten thousand years later, our genetics haven't changed that much, but our lifestyle has, especially in the last 40 years.

''We've become completely sedentary," he said.

The average adult spends nine-and-a-half hours in front of a screen of some sort every day, he said, severely limiting time dedicated to physical activity.

But changing up a work routine, like getting a taller desk and standing instead of sitting, or setting aside 30 minutes to jog on a treadmill, will not only effect the body physically, but will also increase mental capacity by opening up the brain.

''What's happening in the body is the heart rate's increasing and blood flow is changing, and the brain is activated differently than when they're sitting down," he said.

>> Continue reading: Expert: Exercise beneficial for brain as well as body

If you hike or climb the Presidential Range, you may have read the first edition of "Not Without Peril: 150 Years of Misadventure on The Presidential Range of New Hampshire," by Nick Howe.

Appalachian Mountain Club Books has released the Tenth Anniversary Edition of the acclaimed adventure narrative.

Among the most beautiful and deadly mountains in the world, Mount Washington has challenged adventurers for centuries with its severe weather. From the days when gentlefolk ascended in hoop skirts and wool suits to today's high-tech assaults on wintry summits, Howe's book offers seventeen profiles of people who found trouble there.

The Boston Globe listed the book among its 100 Essential New England Books.

The new edition includes a foreword by Mohamed Ellozy, former accidents editor of the mountaineering journal Appalachia; an afterword by author Nick Howe, offering a personal account of an evening spent at the Mount Washington Observatory while 160-mile-per-hour winds raged outside; an updated chronology of deaths on Mount Washington, and new historical photos.