Happiness

A major study completed at the University of Chicago and published in the journal American Sociological Review has concluded that Americans grow happier with age, according to a recent release by Newswise. The journal article was authored by Yang Yang, assistant professor of sociology, and is entitled "Social Inequalities in Happiness in the United States, 1972-2004: An Age-Period-Cohort Analysis."

Heralded a s one of the most thorough and painstaking evaluations of happiness in America, this study utilized data compiled since 1972 by the General Social Survey of the National Opinion Research Center (which is supported by the National Science Foundation). The methodology, although implemented on a grand scale, was refreshingly straightforward. In live interviews, large samples of the population were asked:

"Taken all together, how would you say things are these days -- would you say that you are very happy, pretty happy, or not too happy?"

Regarding racial groups, Yang found that among young adults the happiest are white women, followed in order by white men, African American women, and African American men. However, those discrepancies actually evaporate over the years as happiness increases.

One reason why people may become happier over time, according to Yang, is that aging is associated with greater maturity which, in turn, may improve one's sense of well -being. Another potential contributor, Yang explains, is that aging may also bring better access to health care through programs such as Medicare.

Interestingly, Yang's analysis indicated that "baby boomers" (the generation born from 1946-1964) ranked as the least happy among those surveyed. Quoted by Newswise, she says, "This is probably due to the fact that the generation as a group was so large, and their expectations were so great, that not everyone in the group could get what he or she wanted as they aged due to competition for opportunities. This could lead to disappointment that could undermine happiness."

Considering that the data spanned 33 years of history, it is not surprising that Yang detected upswings in happiness during periods characterized by widespread economic prosperity. For instance, she noted that the year 1995 was a very good one in terms of perceived personal happiness.

 
The excellent news coming out of this study is that happiness increases with age and that, in fact, our oldest citizens are the happiest Americans of all.

YOU HAVE TIME! A week is 168 hours.

Walking poles: Good way to maximize a daily walk?

Walking poles work your arms, shoulders, chest and upper back muscles through a full range of motion as you walk. Think of it as cross-country skiing for walkers: With one walking pole in each hand, you grip the handles and push off with each stride. The arm movement adds intensity to your aerobic workout, which can help you burn more calories. The arm movement also fosters balance and stability. And that's not all. Walking poles take some of the load off your lower back, hips and knees, which can be helpful if you have arthritis or back problems. Most walking poles have rubber tips that grab the pavement and wrist straps that secure the poles to your arms. Sturdier walking poles designed for hiking are known as hiking or trekking poles.

Athens 1896

The modern Olympic Games started as it had ended in ancient times and set the precedent of struggle and strife shared by subsequent hosts of the ultimate sports event. Competition in the shadow of Mount Olympus in 1896 was, as it had been, for men only and had come about after much campaigning by Greece against Pierre de Coubertin's idea of staging the first modern Games in Paris in 1900 as part of the World Exhibition.

Once Greece had won the argument, Dimitrios Vikelas was appointed the president of the newly-formed International Olympic Committee but it was not long before preparations were marred by financial difficulties and an offer from Budapest to take over the event. Crown Prince Constantine of Greece saved the day for Athens, launching a fund-raising effort that enabled the ancient Olympic stadium to be reconstructed in the heart of the capital city, where it stands to this day.

The reconstruction was a fine early example of how a mix of private and public sector funding can be the most effective way of getting large-scale projects off the ground; at one level there were people such as businessman Georgios Averoff who donated almost a million gold drachmas, while at another level sports stamps were sold to the public and a lottery was launched to boost capital.

The Games were opened in April by King George I of Greece to the cheering of a 60,000-strong crowd at the then newly refurbished Olympic stadium. A total of 245 men from 14 nations competed in 43 events, although the majority of those who took part were Greek as national enthusiasm reached fever pitch.

Athletics, swimming, cycling, fencing, gymnastics, tennis, weightlifting, wrestling and shooting all featured but the rowing and sailing events had to be cancelled because of poor weather. Cricket and football were also called off because of lack of interest by competitors and audiences alike. Just 15 events staged that day would survive until today, 12 of those being track and field events, one the 1,500 meters swimming race and the other two the foil and saber bouts in fencing.

The first Games of the modern era, as so many of the early events that followed it, did not exactly reflect sporting standards or potential around the world. However, they were deemed a great success, not least because of the enthusiasm of the Greek hosts, who were rewarded with victory in what was then the most eagerly awaited event, the marathon, courtesy of Spiridon Louis. Of the many gifts offered to him after his victory, Louis, a shepherd, was said to have accepted only a horse and cart for use on his farm. In 1936, he returned to the Olympic arena to present a laurel wreath from the sacred grove at Olympia to Adolf Hitler.

In Athens, winners were presented with an olive branch, certificate and a silver medal, while runner-up medals were copper. Top of the first medals of the modern era was the USA, with 11 victories, 7 seconds and 1 third, just edging out the hosts, on 10 titles. Britain finished fifth behind Germany and France with three victories. The athlete of the Games was Germany's Carl Shuhmann who won three gymnastics events and one wrestling contest to take four titles ahead of the three won in cycling by Paul Masson of France.

Athens may also have provided the modern Games with its youngest ever medal winner. Greek gymnast, Dimitrios Loundras, was 10 years and 218 days-old when he finished third in the 1896 parallel bars event. Third, however, was also last on that occasion, it must be noted, while there is some doubt about the age of a French boy who won gold in the 1900 Games.

Source: Craig Lord – London-times.

HALE AND HARDY LIFESTYLE TIPS:
by Tatjana Egink

Eating Disorders: While we have chatted in the past few months about the odd body standards of the catwalk and Hollywood, we have not discussed the sad outcome of these disillusioned and disillusionary worlds. Unfortunately, the reality for many teenage girls, who aspire to emulate these unhealthy ideals, is an eating disorder. But increasingly, it is not just adolescents and young women, who are affected, but older women, especially over 50, who are drawn into a wicked cycle of starvation and/or bingeing and purging. To help you identify trouble, here are some of the signs of an eating disorder:

1. Dramatic weight loss

2. Pre-occupation with calorie counting

3. Frequent use of a weight scale

4. Obsession with exercise

5. Binge eating and/or purging

6. Food rituals, like taking tiny bites, rearranging food on plate and not eating certain food groups

7. Eating alone and avoiding meals all together

8. Use of laxatives

9. Smoking aimed at suppressing appetite

10. Frequent critic of self as "fat," despite weight loss.

11. Perfectionism

12.  Problems with teeth

Median onset of anorexia for girls is between 11 and 13, but has been noted with an increasing frequency in children younger than that. It seems that dancers, gymnasts and ice skaters are in particular danger as these sports demand lithe, lean bodies. Intervention is key at any age.

Source: Medline Plus. HealthDay.

On a continuing subject, the modeling world and its unhealthy standards of beauty, an article in the Wall Street Journal recently described the career pursuit of a young model, Bianca Gomez, who at 5 feet 11 inches and 120 pounds was not quite thin enough for some designers. "On the runway the ideal body type for models today has been smaller shoulders, small waist, small rib cage, small hips." We, as women, should rebel and not support designers, who represent their ideal, not our reality, make adult women feel ugly and fat, if at a healthy weight for height, and encourage our young 'sisters' to aspire to a false ideal, leading many teenager girls to an inappropriate sense of self, expressed in its worst forms in bulimia and anorexia.

On a related subject, dieting continues to be big business around the "civilized" world. Charlatans of all ilk promise the quick fix - a treatment, a pill, a device etc. to make the former bulky ,the slim and trim overnight. Alas, many of us buy into these "cures," the aids to help us drop unwanted pounds, despite the evidence that states that there is no magic bullet to take off quickly that, which we chose to put on mouthful after slothful mouthful year in, year out. The regulatory agency has not been helpful to curb, while not our appetite, the false claims of many of these weight loss products. But finally, it happened and we are thrilled that the marketers of four diet pills were fined to the tune of 25 million dollars for making false claims. The offending products were TrimSpa, Xenadrine EFX, CortiSlim and CortiStress.  It is about time, too, that the FDA finally took this step - may this be a beginning to regulate all supplements more aggressively. Let's be smart consumers. Eat right, more plants than meat. Exercise daily, either for health or fitness (yes, there is a difference). And then, be surprised as you reach your healthy, normal female body.