Puvema

07/28/2025

Hot off the press!

We invite you to check out our latest article:

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4,500 Sunrises

https://puvema.com/4500-sunrises/

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According to a large, longitudinal scientific study conducted at Harvard University, taking great care of yourself gets you 13 years.

07/28/2025

"Getting a good night’s sleep is incredibly important for your health. In fact, it’s just as important as eating a balanced, nutritious diet and exercising."

"Short sleep duration is associated with an increased risk of developing obesity and weight gain."

"Sleeping fewer than seven hours per night is linked to an increased risk of heart disease and high blood pressure."

"Many studies show a strong association between chronic sleep deprivation and risk of developing type 2 diabetes."

"Lack of sleep has been shown to impair immune function.

In one study, participants who slept fewer than 5 hours per night were 4.5 times more likely to develop a cold compared than who slept more than 7 hours. Those who slept 5-6 hours were 4.24 times more likely."

"Sleep disturbance is linked to higher levels of inflammation. Over time, this can increase your risk of developing chronic conditions like heart disease, depression, and Alzheimer’s disease."

"Along with nutrition and exercise, taking care of your sleep is one of the pillars of health.

Lack of sleep is associated with many negative health effects, including increased risk of heart disease, depression, weight gain, inflammation, and sickness.

Though individual needs vary, most research suggests that you should get between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per night for optimal health.

Just like you prioritize your diet and physical activity, it’s time to give sleep the attention it deserves."

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-reasons-why-good-sleep-is-important

Getting quality sleep is one of the best things you can do for your health. Here are five evidence-based reasons why good sleep is important.

07/27/2025

If you enjoy our posts and you’re challenged by yo-yo dieting, we invite you to check out our special report:

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How to Permanently Overcome Yo-Yo Dieting

https://puvema.com/report/how-to-permanently-overcome-yo-yo-dieting/

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This special report gets to the bottom of yo-yo dieting.

07/25/2025

"Fitness and wellness goals are easy to set, and tough to keep. What if you had a little extra help?

Consider talking with a wellness coach."

"Many people already know what they need to do to change. But figuring out how to implement those changes in everyday life can be challenging."

"As a coach, I aim to cultivate an environment and working relationship in which you can come to your own decisions on the next best step forward.

I will help you explore the challenges and benefits of changing, and partner with you to brainstorm options and new perspectives to foster growth. With new development comes opportunities to see things differently and, as a result, act differently.

There are many helpful professions aimed at educating and sharing expert advice. However, coaches walk alongside you, help you filter the education and advice, and create an individualized approach to health and well-being that fits your specific needs."

"If you are interested in working with a wellness coach, it’s a good idea to find someone certified by the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching. This distinction is noted by the letters NBC-HWC after the coach’s name and is currently the highest level of credentialing for health and wellness coaching. To qualify for this accreditation, wellness coaches meet minimum education, training and practice hour requirements to become board certified, and they must maintain regular continuing education training."

https://mcpress.mayoclinic.org/living-well/what-is-wellness-coaching-answering-common-questions/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1TCg-OF27euw0hCI8qOaejP7ONVzlGHyXYTeZcSWBbOJ1WZ3GvmYSEKF4_aem_AbOl7tRZ7RADyiMd1CBvukdIwSlxXltWjlRz5LPUMb8Z-mRiuEv08d9t_xmk0bKPHjW2mWsVdJpf-aDuu080Olvy

Fitness and wellness goals are easy to set, and tough to keep. Wellness coaches are here to help.

07/23/2025

"The early days of lockdown restrictions had a profound effect on people's daily lives. Alcohol sales skyrocketed, physical activity dropped off sharply, and ‘comfort eating’ led to weight gain, too.

So, what's happened since March of 2020? After two years of pandemic life, many of these effects persist. The strategies we used to adapt and cope have cemented into habits for many of us. And this is not a surprise to scientists who study behavior change."

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2022/03/10/1085243050/unhealthy-pandemic-habits

After two years of pandemic life, people have learned to cope in ways that have become stubborn, unhealthy habits. But there are positive steps we can take to reset a healthy lifestyle.

07/21/2025

"Just 10 extra pounds add 40 pounds of pressure on your knees and other lower body joints. That can wear them out quicker. Extra fat can also cause inflammation--when chemicals in your body damage your own tissues over time, including your joints. Losing even a little weight can ease these effects. If you keep it off, you’re much less likely to get arthritis later in life."

"One study showed that older women who lost at least 5% of their body weight lowered their chances of breast cancer by 12%. There’s no such clear proof that losing weight protects you from other types, but some changes that happen when you shed pounds hint that it might. For example, overweight people who slim down have lower levels of some hormones linked to cancer, like estrogens, insulin, and androgens."

"People who are overweight gain extra tissue in the back of their throats. When your body relaxes when you sleep, that tissue can drop down and block your airway. It makes you stop breathing over and over all night, which causes all kinds of health problems, especially for your heart. Slimming down a little can often help with sleep apnea--sometimes enough that you can stop using the bulky breathing devices that treat it."

"Weight loss may help chase your blues away. Scientists are still trying to work out why, but better body image and improved sleep may be part of the reason. In one study, depressed people who were very overweight felt better after they lost an average of 8% of their body weight. Other research shows you’ll continue to feel better, even after 2 years--as long as you keep the weight off."

https://www.webmd.com/diet/ss/slideshow-five-percent-weight-loss

Losing a little weight goes a long way. Find out the benefits you could get if you shed just 5% to 10% of your body weight.

07/20/2025

If you enjoy our posts and you’re interested in the psychology of lasting behavior improvement and positive habit formation, we invite you to check out our special report:

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How to Form Self-Care Habits That Truly Stick

https://puvema.com/report/how-to-form-self-care-habits-that-truly-stick/

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This special report describes how to make change go from seemingly impossible to eminently doable.

07/18/2025

In the west, there's a land.

The people there struggle with type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, dementia, chronic neuromusculosketetal pain, anxiety, depression, and related ailments.

Despite knowing what to do and having good intentions, they struggle with their eating habits, exercise habits, and overall self-care habits.

This is the Province of Knowledge and Good Intentions.
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In the east, there's a land.

The people there are thriving.

They consistently maintain their self-care habits.

They adeptly turn knowledge and good intentions into action, habits, and results.

This is the Province of Thriving.
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Between the two lands is a 100-mile-wide gap:

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Implementation Gap

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Each and every day, millions of people try to travel from the Province of Knowledge and Good Intentions to the Province of Thriving, but most don't make it through Implementation Gap.

They get sucked up by quicksand, eaten by dragons, or swept away by tsunamis.
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Some rather benevolent figures also roam these lands:

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Mayo Clinic Certified Wellness Coach Jason Gootman and his team of wellness professionals

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Jason and his team are IMPLEMENTATION SPECIALISTS.

They help people build IMPLEMENTATION BRIDGES that enable them to successfully navigate Implementation Gap.

They provide people with accountability, guidance, and support rooted in the psychology of lasting behavior improvement and positive habit formation and help them get from the Province of Knowledge and Good Intentions to the Province of Thriving.

The end.

07/16/2025

"A healthy diet can’t counter the effects of a sedentary lifestyle, the same as regular exercise can’t offset poor eating habits."

"According to Winer, Ding’s study shows how important it is to do at least one thing right--either exercise regularly or eat well--to lower the risk of mortality. But diet and exercise, together, are most helpful when it comes to lowering the risk of death from cardiovascular disease and many forms of cancer."

https://www.healthline.com/health-news/diet-and-exercise-alone-wont-help-you-live-longer-you-have-to-do-both

A new study shows that combining a healthy diet with regular exercise will help you live longer and that even high levels of exercise can't offset the harms of a poor diet.

07/14/2025

"Research has already made clear that regular exercise is one of the top tools to prevent Alzheimer’s in the first place. A meta-analysis of 16 studies analyzing 160,000 subjects showed that physically active people are 45% less likely to develop the debilitating disease."

"Various mechanisms could explain exercise’s apparent ability to slow Alzheimer’s disease. One is increasing blood flow to the brain. Aerobic exercise in particular stimulates hemoglobin proteins in red blood cells to release nitric oxide. In turn, this compound causes small blood vessels to dilate, thus accepting more blood and oxygen. Another mechanism is reducing markers of inflammation in the central nervous system. A third is boosting brain size. Numerous trials have shown exercise to enlarge the anterior cingulate cortex and the hippocampus in older adults. (The hippocampus in particular shrinks with Alzheimer’s.) These changes were accompanied by improvements in reaction time, motor function, spatial memory, and cognitive processing speed. Fourth, exercise greatly boosts the production of BDNF, one of a group of compounds called neurotrophins. Collectively, they regulate various functions that help the brain grow and work smoothly. BDNF is one of the most important. In Alzheimer’s patients, it’s often depleted."

https://bigthink.com/health/exercise-for-alzheimers/

Regular exercise greatly reduces one's risk of Alzheimer's. Recent studies suggest physical activity may also slow the disease's progression.

07/14/2025

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

We invite you to check out our article:

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The Lean, Thriving People Who Primarily Eat Carbohydrate, Sugar, Fat, Saturated Fat, Flesh, and Guts

https://puvema.com/the-lean-thriving-people-who-primarily-eat-carbohydrate-sugar-fat-saturated-fat-flesh-and-guts/

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Kitavans, who live as subsistence farmers who also fish, eat very well. They always have an abundance of nutrilicious food. Their staples are:

07/13/2025

If you enjoy our posts and you’re interested in lifestyle medicine, we invite you to check out our special report:

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Lifestyle Medicine Saves Lives

https://puvema.com/report/lifestyle-medicine-saves-lives/

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This special report details the potency of lifestyle medicine.