BODY AND MIND
Mental wellbeing and physical activity are
closely linked, and Finnish researchers say
that the type of exercise you choose can confer
unique benefits. Researchers gathered data
from 303 adults – when they were 42 and again
when they were 50 – as part of the Jyväskylä
Longitudinal Study of Personality and Social
Development, and found that walking was
related to emotional wellbeing, going for a
ramble in nature benefitted social wellbeing and
endurance training boosted how participants
rated their own health. Plus, researchers also
found that those adults with higher mental
wellbeing when they were 42 were more likely
to be active at age 50, compared to those who
had lower scores in mental wellbeing.WHAT’S TRENDING IN
HEALTH AND FITNESS
RIGHT NOW
HEALTH
NOW
BLOOMING
LOVELY
A beautiful
bouquet may
benefit our
wellbeing.
The American
Society for
Horticultural
Science split 90
patients, who were
recovering from an
appendectomy, into
rooms that had plants
or were greenery-free.
The patients with
flowers in their rooms
saw plenty of benefits,
including lower blood
pressure, lower ratings
of pain, anxiety and
fatigue, and more positive
feelings than patients in
rooms without plants.Ma ̄nuka Health’s new Immune Guard offers
every day immune support by boosting
immune defences and overall vitality and
wellbeing, especially when under stress. With
New Zealand bee propolis, reishi mushrooms
and zinc, this helps to restore the body’s
natural immune defences and resilience.
Available from Life and Unichem pharmacies.
Always read the label and use as directed.
If symptoms persist see your healthcare
professional. Ma ̄nuka Health NZ Ltd, Auckland.RHAPSODY IN BLUE
Blueberries may be good for the heart. A six-
month study, published in the American Journal
of Clinical Nutrition, recruited 115 overweight and
obese adults, who had a high risk of cardiovascular
disease. The double-blind trial had one-third of the
group consume one cup of freeze-dried blueberries
a day, the other third a half-cup, and the rest
had a placebo. All in all, researchers found that
a cup of blueberries a day reduced the risk of a
cardiovascular event by 13 percent and lowered the
risk of coronary heart disease by up to 14.5 percent.«
On guard!