Latest news with #functionalhealth
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
4 Simple Wellness Shifts That Will Make the Move Into Fall Feel Effortless
As the summer heat turns into crisp fall air and the days become shorter, your body may need some recalibration: your energy shifts. Your cravings evolve. And if you listen closely, your body might be telling you that it's time to adjust your daily routines. 'Light runs the show for your body clock,' says Anu Simh, board certified functional health coach. 'When the days get shorter, your sleep hormone rises earlier, which can make you feel sleepy sooner at night and a little slower to start in the morning.' But sleep is not the only part of your life that may be affected as the seasons change—cooler, drier air can leave your body more dehydrated. Your gut health may change as you naturally gravitate towards different foods that are in season. And because your brain is sensitive to both light and changes in your routine, mood and focus can ebb and flow during the seasonal turnover. 'The good news is that small, intentional adjustments can make the shift feel smooth instead of jarring,' Simh says. Here, we've rounded up four effective, expert-approved ways to make the transition into fall a little bit smoother. Listen to What Your Body Is Telling You Your body will give you the proper signals when your routine might need some adjustment, Simh says. You might notice you're yawning earlier in the evening, waking up groggier, or finding your sleep less restful. That's your circadian rhythm responding to shorter daylight hours. Your skin might start feeling drier, or you may find your throat scratchy in the morning, which are early signs that cooler, drier air is affecting your hydration levels. Your appetite may shift, too. Stronger cravings for bread or sweets, excess bloating, or irregular digestion are common around this time. Recognizing these signals gives you a chance to make adjustments before your lifestyle habits cause you any additional fatigue or discomfort. Adjust Your Light Exposure and Sleep Routine One of the biggest changes you may notice is your body's natural clock, also known as your circadian rhythm. 'Your sleep hormone rises a bit earlier, so you [may] feel sleepy sooner,' Simh says. Her advice? Ease your body into the new rhythm rather than forcing it to adapt overnight. 'Build a gentle 'circadian bridge' over the course of about two weeks,' she says. That may mean going to bed 15 to 20 minutes earlier every night until you're aligned with the earlier sunsets. Adjusting your light exposure is equally as important. 'Get 10 to 20 minutes of natural light soon after you wake,' Simh suggests. 'It's the single most powerful cue for your circadian rhythm.' Morning light can help to regulate hormones that are responsible for energy, alertness, and sleep quality. The opposite is true for the evenings, which are meant for slowing down and reducing light exposure as much as possible before snoozing. Simh recommends dimming the lights 60 to 90 minutes before bed so your brain and body have the correct atmosphere to wind down and prepare for restful sleep. Reconsider Your Diet 'Cooler, drier air makes many of us crave warm, cozy foods,' Simh says. 'And the fall harvest feeds a slightly different mix of gut microbes than summer produce.' Foods like squash, cabbages, apples, and mushrooms—which are all in season during the fall—not only feel comforting for your body, but also help to diversify your gut bacteria, which can strengthen digestion and immunity. She encourages her clients to keep a curated fall pantry of in-season staples that they can turn into quick, nourishing meals. Some of these items may include beans, pumpkin, sweet potato, kale, and other quick and easy ingredients that can easily be turned into soups and stews. Warm, cooked meals are much easier to digest when your body's metabolism naturally slows in cooler months. Not only will this help with quick food preparation as your energy levels dip, but your gut will also thank you. Keep Your Body Moving Simh suggests making movement a steady, non-negotiable part of your fall routine, even if you feel a bit more lethargic. The key, she says, is timing, and autumn is a great time to rethink the schedule and intensity of your regular exercise. 'Moving your workouts to morning or lunchtime can make such a difference,' she shares. One of her biggest rules for her client is to finish vigorous exercise that raises your heart rate variably at least three hours before bedtime. You want to avoid harder, more strenuous workouts before you go to sleep. In the evenings, she suggests lighter forms of movement, like yoga or stretching, to signal to your body that it's time to shift into rest mode. 'It's about protecting your sleep quality,' she explains, 'which underpins every other aspect of health.' Her recommended balance of exercise for fall is two to three strength-training sessions per week to maintain muscle mass and bone density, paired with one long, easy walk to promote circulation and rest. Outdoor movement, whenever possible, is ideal. 'Getting natural light while you exercise is a double win—you're supporting both your physical and mental health,' she says. Read the original article on Real Simple
Medscape
09-06-2025
- Health
- Medscape
Managing Weight in Older Adults Isn't About Weight at All
While weight loss is often the goal of weight management, weight management in older adults should go beyond weight loss to focus on functional health outcomes, comorbidity improvements, and harm reduction. Beverly Tchang, MD Weight management in older adults requires greater mindfulness and clinical nuance than in younger populations, owing to the increased risk of potential harm. Aging is commonly accompanied by a rise in medical complexity — older adults are more likely to live with multiple chronic conditions and to take several medications, which adds important layers of consideration when pursuing weight loss interventions. Over 50% of older adults have three or more chronic diseases. These overlapping conditions demand coordinated, multidisciplinary care. Within this context, clinicians must consider how meaningful weight loss might improve obesity-related complications, while also weighing the potential for unintended consequences that can arise from rapid or unmonitored changes in health status. Polypharmacy is a common concern in geriatric care and adds to the complexity of weight management. Among adults aged 65 and older with Medicare insurance, the median number of prescription medications was four. Older patients may be prescribed medications associated with potential weight gain, such as first-generation antihistamines or beta-blockers. Polypharmacy not only increases the risk of adverse drug-drug interactions but also necessitates vigilant monitoring during weight loss, particularly when medications are weight-dependent. A case report on thyrotoxicosis in the setting of 30% weight loss with tirzepatide highlighted the importance of adjusting weight-based medications like levothyroxine. Because obesity is the root cause or contributor to several other cardiometabolic diseases, obesity treatment has been demonstrated to improve several weight-related consequences. The Look AHEAD trial of adults with type 2 diabetes reported an average 8.6% weight loss and associated improvements in blood pressure, lipid profiles, and glycemic status. Obesity pharmacotherapy advances, which now grants access to 15%-20% weight loss thresholds, have been associated with de-escalation of antihypertensive and lipid-lowering therapies. In a secondary analysis of trials for semaglutide 2.4 mg, 34% vs 15% of participants experienced a discontinuation or dose reduction in their anti-hypertensive medication, while maintaining normal blood pressures. While such observational data is insufficient to establish recommendations, they implore attention: As weight loss is achieved, medication regimens should be regularly reviewed for potential deprescribing to reduce the risk of overtreatment, adverse effects, and polypharmacy-related complications. Beyond cardiometabolic disease, sarcopenia— the age-related decline in muscle mass and function — is another critical consideration. Clinicians should focus on evidence-based nutrition and physical activity recommendations demonstrated to preserve lean mass and function. Higher protein intake has been consistently demonstrated to preserve lean mass or improve body composition in the setting of weight loss. High protein diets (ie, greater than 0.8 g/kg/d) are commonly recommended alongside a progressive strength training program. In a weight loss study of adults with obesity, participants were randomized to a high protein supplement vs an isocaloric supplement and participated in a resistance exercise program 3 times/week for 13 weeks. While weight loss and fat mass loss between groups did not differ, those on the higher protein supplement (1.1 g/kg/d of protein) gained 0.4 kg +/- 1.2 kg of appendicular muscle mass while those on the isocaloric supplement (0.85 g/kg/d of protein) lost 0.5 +/- 2.1 kg ( P =.03). Similar studies focusing on resistance training have replicated these benefits across studies. A systematic review and meta-analysis of six randomized controlled trials that enrolled older adults with obesity compared weight loss via caloric restriction alone vs weight loss via caloric restriction plus resistance training; resistance training reduced 93.5% of the lean body mass loss associated with calorie restriction. Additionally, the strength-to-lean body mass ratio improved when resistance training accompanied calorie restriction compared to calorie restriction alone (20.9% vs -7.5%). However, muscle preservation is only half the story. Bone health is an equally important concern during weight loss in older adults. Rapid or sustained weight reduction can have unintended effects on bone density, which in turn can increase the risk of fractures. Few studies have examined the incidence of fracture rate after long-term and sustained weight loss. In the aforementioned Look AHEAD study of adults with type 2 diabetes, no significant difference in incident fracture rate was observed over a median of 9.6 years (373 participants randomized to intensive lifestyle intervention vs 358 randomized to standard diabetes education), but a composite of the first occurrence of a hip, upper arm, or shoulder fracture was found to be 39% higher in the intervention group. Long-term outcome studies examining risk of fractures with medical weight management have not been conducted, but the increased risk of fractures observed among individuals who have undergone bariatric surgery informed guidelines to recommend earlier, repeated osteoporosis screening and higher vitamin D supplementation to optimize bone health. Overall, obesity management in older adults requires a careful and tailored approach that is attentive to comorbidity management and that prioritizes risk mitigation. Increasingly, the effects of obesity on all aspects of a person's quality of life is being recognized, and patients should be informed on how weight loss may interact with coexisting medical conditions, medication regimens, and musculoskeletal health. Clinicians who treat obesity in older adults should be prepared to manage patients across these intersections, or coordinate care with registered dietitian-nutritionists, exercise physiologists, endocrinologists, and primary care professionals.
