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FAQ 16 (Scroll for more articles) |
Your Take on Tom Brady's Book THE TB12 METHOD?
A: Carol brought Tom Brady's book home from the library and I enjoyed looking through it. As you would expect from arguably the best and certainly the longest starting NFL quarterback ever, it's full of interesting thoughts on: "How To Achieve A Lifetime of Sustained Peak Performance."
I came on a number of interesting thoughts on brain and body fitness. Some that I buy and others that I wonder about.
Let's start with his take on weight training. After years of lifting, he now relies entirely on resistance bands.
"Weights aren't harmful by themselves. What is harmful is how most people use them," he writes.
He compares weights to bricks loading down a pickup truck. "This is what weight lifting does to your muscles, ligaments, and joints. Now imagine your body as a pickup truck that's towing a thousand pounds of bricks behind it. There's a minimal weight on your structure. This difference, between load and resistance, is the difference between what weights and bands do to our bodies."
"After a lifetime of lifting weights, for the past seven years I've used resistance bands almost exclusively," he tells us. "The difference is profound. My muscles are more balanced and functional, especially for movements I need to perform as an NFL quarterback."
"Resistance bands clearly work better for me," he concludes.
I won't argue with him on that, especially when I see the many ways he uses resistance bands, which would be practicably impossible with weights. He does everything but stand on his head, which makes sense considering all the moves required of an NFL quarterback.
He apparently trains in a gym set up for the many resistance band moves illustrated in the book.
Still for someone like me, using both weights and resistance bands has more appeal. Weights have been very good to me and I wouldn't know what to do without them. As I've written here, my friend Dick Winett alerted me to resistance bands. He uses both weights and RBs in his always thoughtful training.
Brain Training
Brady starts with training the body, and ends with "Brain Training."
As any football fan knows, football requires both muscle and brain power. Quarterbacks relay plays in seconds and the players must know and execute them without hesitation. Seems impossible but they do it game after game.
Brady begins with "The Right Mind-Set."
He quotes John Wooden, perhaps the most revered coach of all time: "The most satisfaction comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming."
It's not how much brain power you have, as it is using all you have.
Makes me think of my first year in law school. I came home the first week and told my father that I didn't know whether I could do the work.
He told me to try my best and if I couldn't do it we'd try something else.
I'll never forget it. I went back and did my best, barely passing the first test--and then slowly moved up to number one in the class at the end of the second year.
I think the professors were more surprised than I was. In fact, one of them called me into his office to tell me how surprised he was to see me come out on top.
He noted that I never said anything in class. Right. I paid attention, studied, and learned what was wanted on tests.
Brady moves on to "Keeping Positive," the logical follow-on to "The Right Mind-Set."
"Things happen sometimes that I don't welcome or want, but I make the choice to remain positive," he writes.
"You can make life a lot harder for yourself by focusing on negative things in your path or making excuses for things in your path or making excuses for things that don't go your way. Or, you can refuse to take things personally, let them go, learn from them, and become the best version of yourself.
"It's a choice...your choice."
"Wisdom, someone said, is about knowing the difference between the things you can control and the things you can't."
That brings me to leaving the law firm where I had become a name partner, with my name on the door.
That was as far as I could go--something for which every associate strives.
What I couldn't do was pursue my interest in fitness. Like Brady, I did what was in my power.
I walked into the senior partner's office and told him I was leaving to pursue my interest in fitness. He, of course, thought I was nuts.
God rest his soul. I wish he could see what Carol and I have accomplished.
* * *
Brady has a lot more to say in chapters 2 through 8. I hope I've said enough to make you want to check out or buy his book.
This is my law school graduating class lined up behind our Professors. We are the survivors of a class that started out with about 75 students.
It marks a pivotal stage in my life, telling me that I can do difficult things if I work hard and stay positive.August 1, 2023
Can Strength Training Lower Blood Pressure?
A: Arnie Jensen, the doctor who traveled to Albuquerque to persuade us to come to the Cooper Clinic in Dallas, maintained that weight training multiplies and enlarges blood vessels.
It doesn't take much imagination to conclude that that improves blood flow, lowering blood pressure.
We now have a study, reported in the July 2023 issue of Tufts Health & Nutrition Letter, supporting Arnie's long held belief.
(I took my blood pressure 6 times using our home monitor after learning of the new study. The low was 101/62 and the high was 115/63 for an average of 107/64.)
* * *
Doctors like to see BP 120 over 80 or lower. While my home readings are considerably better than that, they are usually higher in a doctor's office. How high depends on my anxiety level. I'm fine about seeing our eye doctor, but usually a little anxious at the Cooper Clinic.
My doctor at the Cooper Clinic tries a sneak up on me, but my readings there are almost always high.
It's called "White Coat Hypertension."
I tell doctor's assistants that my readings are substantially lower on my home monitor, but I'm not sure they believe me. (Some, however, say they often see patients with "White Coat Hypertension.")
* * *
The new study, published in the July 2023 Scientific Reports, supports my belief (and Arnie's) that my good readings are the result of a lifetime of strength training.
Here's the Tufts' summary of the new study:
"A systematic review and meta-analysis of 14 randomized clinical trials that included a total of 253 participants showed that systolic and diastolic blood pressure (the top and bottom numbers in a blood pressure reading) decreased significantly after strength training interventions. The best results were seen with moderate to vigorous load intensity at least two times a week for at least eight weeks. This means lifting heavier weights for fewer repetitions, as opposed to lifting lighter weights for more repetitions."
For more details, here's a link to the entire study: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-26583-3
My Take
So we now have another reason to continue weight training throughout life.
I hope the high school coach who told me not to lift weights is paying attention from on high.
We love you Coach, but you and your fellow coaches of that time had a lot to learn about weight training.
We're still learning!
July 1, 2023
More Exercise, Less Hospitalization?
A: Yes indeed.
The May 2023 issue of Nutrition Action alerted us to a study led by Eleanor L. Watts, DPhil, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD. which found that replacing 20 minutes a day of sitting with moderate-to-vigorous activity lowered the risk of hospitalization for 25 common health conditions. The study was published February 16, 2023, in JAMA Network Open.
Makes sense to me. I've found over and over that getting up and moving around for a few minutes makes me feel better and more productive.
It has also kept me out of the hospital for common health problems such as cancer, blood clots, pneumonia, and stroke.
I have been hospitalized to have my hips replaced, and ablation to correct an annoying irregular heart rate.
Every time, I was in the hospital one day and out the next day. My ablation was in and out on the same day.
* * *
Dr. Watts and her team tracked 81,717 people wearing an activity tracker for a week, and then followed them for seven years. They found that those who had replaced 20 minutes a day of sitting with moderate-to-vigorous activity had a lower risk of being hospitalized.
The message is to keep moving to stay out of the hospital and improve the quality of your life.
You'll find the entire study on line: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2801494ttps
June 1, 2022
Milk in Your Coffee?
A: Hard core coffee drinkers go for "black," while I enjoy mine with milk. Smoother that way. Not so bitter.
Researchers from the University of Copenhagen reported benefits beyond taste. Sissies like me are apparently benefiting more than we knew.
Turns out that the protein in milk combines with the antioxidants in coffee, with resulting health benefits. Adding milk doubled the anti-inflammatory response.
Something similar happens in a meat dish with vegetables, or a smoothie, if you make sure to add protein like that found in milk or yogurt.
* * *
As usual, it's complicated.
You'll find the details in the January 30, 2023 Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
Andrew Williams, associate professor at the University of Copenhagen's department of veterinary and animal sciences at the faculty of health and medical sciences, is the senior author of the study:
(https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.jafc.2c06658)
May 1, 2023
Strength Training
Why & How?
The March 2023 Tufts Health & Nutrition Letter addresses that query in a clear and concise manner.
They begin by telling us that an hour or so of resistance training a week combined with aerobic activity can keep us strong and fit.
Strength training builds and preserves muscle mass and bone density.
That becomes more important as we grow older and the risk of frailty, falls, and bone fracture become more of a factor.
* * *
Before we move on we should note how far we've come from when Dr. Kenneth Cooper wrote in his landmark book Aerobics that he saw no significant benefit in lifting weights; that bodybuilding was primarily cosmetic.
You have to wonder what goes through his mind decades later as he walks into the Cooper Clinic Fitness Center full of treadmills, exercise bikes--and every muscle building tool imaginable.
What went on between those two landmarks is something I know something about, because I played a part in changing his view of strength training. How significant I really don't know, but things changed big time after my first visit to the Cooper Clinic in Dallas, Texas.
Dr. Arnie Jensen brought me to the Cooper Clinic 35 years ago, to demonstrate that a strength trained athlete could make a good time on their treadmill stress test. I did 28 minutes when Dr. Cooper was doing 27 minutes; he was, however, about 7 years older than me.
David Prokop (shown above), who went with us to the Cooper Clinic, wrote an article about it for Muscle & Fitness magazine.
* * *
The Tufts Letter adds that a recent review of 16 studies found that muscle strengthening activities were associated with a 10 to 17 percent lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), cancer, diabetes, lung cancer, and death from any cause.
The researchers found that not only is strength training beneficial for health, it doesn't require a lot of time to see positive results. Even 30 minutes a week may lead to increased strength and health benefits. Combining strength training with aerobic activities was linked to a lower risk of all-cause, CVD, and total cancer deaths.
That should make all of us want to keep lifting more than ever.
I've been lifting for 70 years and that tells me that it's more important now than ever before. That a combination of strength and aerobic training is super important for staying fit and healthy.
April 1, 2023
What's Up with Hydration?
A: Tom Brady for starters. Off the football field, Brady is a surprisingly active entrepreneur. Among many other things, he offers a line of electrolyte products for those who want to track the lifestyle that has kept him on the field decades after his peers have retired.
Brady has two glasses of water when he wakes up in the morning and then every hour or two during the day: half his body weight in ounces per day.
I assume that he adds the flavored Electrolyte powders he sells
I drink a bottle of purified water (16.9 ounces, available in any supermarket) when I get up and several more bottles during the day. It helps me consume fewer calories, aids bowel function, and apparently more.
Brady's promo online explains that hydration is not only important for performance, but also for recovery after a workout--and longevity.
They also warn that drinking too much water in a short period of time can backfire by causing overhydration and diluting the vitamins and minerals in the body.
I experienced some version of this by drinking too much water to get my urine flowing following bladder surgery. All of the sudden I felt awful, like I was going to die. Laying down for a while helped me recover--and be discharged from the hospital.
* * *
Research has shown that good hydration is linked to healthy aging.
Adults who stay well-hydrated appear to be healthier, develop fewer chronic conditions, such as heart and lung disease, and live longer than those who may not get sufficient fluids, according to a National Institutes of Health study published in eBioMedicine: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/news/2023/good-hydration-linked-healthy-aging
March 1, 2023
Physical Exercise for the Brain?
A: The New York Times says it is well established that exercise benefits the brain, reducing the risk of dementia. Rachel Fairbank, a freelance science writer based in Texas, adds that there is no consensus on the type of exercise. It depends on the person and the circumstance.
* * *
“There’s no real clear prescription that we can provide for physical activity,” said Dr. Joel Salinas, an assistant professor of neurology at New York University’s Grossman School of Medicine, who specializes in treating people with dementia.
Vigorous exercise seems to be best, but even non-traditional exercise, such as doing household chores, can offer a significant benefit, even for those with a family history of dementia.
For those with a family history of dementia, it's good to know that many types of physical activity will reduce their risk.
“We recommend to people to do the exercise that they like,” said Le Shi, a researcher at Peking University.
No exercise will help unless you're willing and able to keep doing it.
* * *
It’s never too soon to start. In a recent study, researchers followed more than 1,200 children between 7 and 15 for more than 30 years. Those with higher levels of fitness as children had higher levels of cognitive functioning in midlife, suggesting that establishing a lifelong habit of physical activity is good for brain health.
My father took this photo after I'd been training for about nine months.
Together, studies suggest that the ways we move our bodies on a daily basis could add up overtime. They also solidify the notion that regular, lifelong physical activity, in all of its forms, goes a long way toward reducing the risk of dementia, even for people who are classified as high-risk.
“Your brain is part of your body and is going to benefit from anything you do that is good for your general health,” says Dr. Weintraub, a neurologist at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine.
Active living appears to be good for just about anything that ails us. We choose the way and our body and brain will do the rest.
Finally, it's never too late to start. If you've been inactive, start moving now at a pace you enjoy. We see people of all ages walking in our neighborhood.
You'll find many more details in the August 15, 2022, article by Rachel Fairbank in The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/15/well/move/exercise-dementia-risk.html
Dementia: Another Reason to Avoid Processed Foods?
A: Yes, that's what researchers are telling us.
As explained in FAQ 10, unprocessed foods are whole foods the way they come in nature, while processed foods are usually no longer recognizable as their original plant or animal source. Examples of processed foods are cookies, chips, white bread, and hot dogs. Examples of whole foods are whole grains, vegetables, fruit, nuts, and fresh seafood.
As I wrote in my first book Ripped, whole unprocessed foods are the key to calorie control; they fill you up before you eat more than you need.
* * *
There's more. Researchers from Brazil reported at the August 2022 Alzheimer's Association International Conference in San Diego that eating processed foods is associated with increased risk of dementia.
Examination of the diet and cognition of 10,000 middle-aged and older adults showed that those getting 20% or more of their daily calories from ultra-processed foods saw a faster decline in cognitive performance over a span of six to 10 years than people eating fewer processed foods.
ScienceDaily (July 27, 2022) observed that other researchers found that every 10% increase in daily ultra-processed foods was associated with a 25% higher risk of dementia.
On the other hand, substituting unprocessed or minimally processed foods such as fresh fruit, vegetables, legumes, milk and meat was associated with a 19% lower risk of dementia.
Another researcher observed that “it’s encouraging to know that small and manageable changes in diet make a difference in a person’s risk of dementia.”
The challenge is categorizing foods in the middle, such as canned versus homemade soups. That's where common sense comes in. It's best to stick with homemade soups where you have first-hand information on contents. (I enjoyed canned mushroom soup during my bachelor years, but that ended when Carol came along.)
* * *
With that information in hand, I urge you to revisit FAQ 10 on the difference between processed and unprocessed foods. Remember that any kind of preparation or processing that substantially reduces volume and concentrates calories is moving in the wrong direction. Choose natural unprocessed foods. Stick with foods you have to chew.
Finally, Harvard Health Letter (November 2022) tells us that the most important way to reduce the risk of dementia is to control your weight and engage in regular physical activity. As noted above, unprocessed foods are the key factor in calorie control.
Stick with whole foods and stay lean and sharp.
December 1, 2022
Hand-Grip Strength and Cognitive Function?
A: I've long wondered why they measured my grip strength as part of The New Mexico Aging Process Study (1980 - 1997). I was approaching 60 at the time and looking forward to many more good years.
Testing the grip strength of aging people does make sense. People of all ages can do it. It's logical that grip strength changes with age, with the rate of change correlated to change in overall body strength.
I scanned the book on the study published by the University of New Mexico School of Medicine, and couldn't find anything about grip strength. The book is written in academic jargon, in small print, and has no index. So it could be that I missed it.
It could also be that they didn't find anything definitive on the connection between grip strength and the aging process. They did, however, find a strong correlation between body composition and healthy aging.
* * *
So, I was pleased to find a News Brief in the September 2022 Harvard Health Letter on a study published online June 23, 2022, by JAMA Network Open finding that poor hand-grip strength in midlife is associated with cognitive decline a decade later. More than 190,000 dementia free men and women (average age 56) were followed for at least 10 years. Participants were tested for hand-grip strength, problem-solving skills, memory, reasoning ability, and brain image.
People with lower grip scores were found to be more likely to develop problems with thinking and memory, brain imaging markers of vascular dementia, and diagnoses of dementia.
While the study is observational and does not prove that poor grip strength is linked to cognitive decline, other studies have apparently suggested a similar connection. The researchers cite 52 references!
As we have written in recent updates, the connection between body composition, muscle strength and brain health is well established.
The researchers concluded: These findings suggest that hand-grip strength is associated with measures of neurocognitive brain health among men and women and they add to a growing body of research indicating that the association between muscle strength and dementia may be due to vascular mechanisms and that interventions designed to increase muscle strength, particularly among middle-aged adults, may hold promise for the maintenance of neurocognitive brain health.
Fitness centers everywhere should be posting that news on their bulletin boards!
You can read the entire study online: file:///C:/Users/cncbass/Downloads/duchowny_2022_oi_220528_1654887641.28477.pdf
* * *
My thought is that grip strength alone doesn't necessarily suggest that your brain is operating on all cylinders. Grip strength as part of a strong body is far more likely to suggest a well-functioning brain. That may also explain why the UNM researchers didn't focus on grip strength alone.
Some strength athletes do specialize in grip strength. MILO: A Journal For Serious Strength Athletes often carried features on hand-grip strength. While they ceased publication in 2018 after 25 years, they still offer an impressive line of grip building devices online: see https://ironmind.com
* * *
When Carol and I were having breakfast with Bill and Judy Pearl at the Stark Center celebration of the opening of the Joe and Betty Weider wing, a man came up to our table and tore a stack of cards in half. Didn't say a thing, just did it.
It was an amazing feat of hand strength.
Bill suggested to the guy that he should be careful, that he might hurt himself doing that.
Bill was known for blowing up hot water bottles and other amazing feats of strength, so he spoke from experience.
I just sat there in awe.
* * *
The man signed the torn deck of cards for us. It's on display in my office at Ripped Enterprises.
We later learned that he is a legendary strongman, named Dennis Rogers.
You can see him tearing a deck of cards online--wearing gloves.
Strength-Training for Effective Weight Loss?
A: While weight loss programs often include strength training, the specific role of strength training has not been investigated in depth.
Researchers from Western Australia and Brazil addressed that issue and reported their findings in the Journal Obesity Reviews (May 2022). I learned of the review in the August 2022 issue of Cleveland Clinic Arthritis Advisor, where the results were summarized.
The study included the results of 144 studies including a total of 4,184 participants, looking at the role of strength training from every angle. As you will see, isolating the role of strength training is a complex undertaking. We'll list the findings one at a time, and then state the overall conclusion.
They found that resistance training and calorie reduction resulted in reduced fat mass.
Aerobic and resistance training programs and resistance training alone also reduced body fat.
Resistance training was also shown to build and preserve muscle mass. That's important because muscle mass can decline with calorie restriction, especially when protein intake drops.
Finally, resistance training was shown to help maintain muscle mass when fewer calories were consumed.
The researchers concluded that resistance exercise should be part of any multicomponent weight loss program, along with calorie reduction.
The bottom line is that resistance training burns fat, while building or preserving muscle mass.
Strength training should be part of any comprehensive weight loss program for individuals able to push resistance.
Here's the conclusion for scholars: In conclusion, this study provides evidence that resistance-based exercise programs are effective and should be considered as part of a multi-component therapy program when caloric restriction is utilized in adults with overweight or obesity. Considering the similar effect on fat and weight loss and unique effect on lean mass, resistance training rather than aerobic exercise alone should be considered within any multicomponent fat loss prescription for individuals with overweight/obesity. These results expand current guidelines to improve existing exercise clinical practice 1–3 with the potential to counteract cardio metabolic complications associated with increased fat mass and body weight while avoiding loss of muscle mass.
The entire study (all 25 pages) can be read online: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/obr.13428
* * *
We've come a long way since resistance training was looked down on as cosmetic only. It is much more, improving overall body composition and function.
This photo taken by Denie Walter shows me
having my body composition--muscle and fat--measured under water at the Lovelace
Medical Center.
The results spawned my interest in body composition and
provided the cornerstone of my first book:
RIPPED: The Sensible Way to Achieve Ultimate Muscularity.
October 1, 2022
Spot & Address Cognitive Impairment?
Q: How can we recognize cognitive impairment and what can we do to bolster an aging brain?
A: I first wrote about this topic in 2018 (FAQ 12) focusing on my own experience with memory loss over the years. You might want to check that out when you finish here.
As I explained there, it's normal to have memory problems as you age. Don't worry unless it starts to affect your quality of life, especially if other people have to tell you about it.
The August 2022 Harvard Health Letter adds that it's normal to sometimes forget the name of an acquaintance. The problem comes when you begin forgetting the names of close family members or friends.
* * *
Five or so years back, my doctor at the Cooper Clinic surprised me with a five-minute cognitive screening test. I had no trouble passing the test, but I didn't like the surprise. (It was administered while I was getting ready to do the treadmill stress test!)
I've since learned that health care providers frequently administer this test to aging patients. It increases early detection of cognitive problems, thus expanding treatment options.
Administration of the test is relatively simple. You probably wouldn't want to do it on your own, but it's instructive to know how it works. (There may be several variations.)
First, the person is asked to repeat three unrelated words, which tests immediate recall. Then, the person is asked to draw a clock, which assesses many factors, but its ability to test for problem solving is especially helpful in spotting cognitive problems.
Finally, the person is asked to remember the three words, testing their memory after the distraction of drawing the clock.
You don't have to be perfect to pass.
A person is scored as likely to have dementia if they recall none of the three words, or if they recall one or two of the words and draw an abnormal clock. Similarly, a person is scored as unlikely to have dementia if they recall all three words or if they recall one or two words but draw a normal clock.
If the person doesn't pass, a specialist may be brought into the picture.
* * *
As I explain in my earlier piece, there are things you can do to help yourself.
Doctors have long advised physical activity to help keep your brain healthy. We have encouraging news in this area.
New research suggests that even a simple form of exercise such as stretching or balancing can stop or slow worsening of memory or brain shrinkage.
The key seemed to be movement. The seniors in this study completed over 100 hours of "exercise" over a period of months.
The researchers believe that the sheer volume may explain why even stretching or balancing produced an apparent benefit.
You'll find more details about this research in an Associated Press piece by Lauran Neergaard: https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medical/even-simple-exercise-may-help-aging-brain-study-hints/ar-AA10en0P?cvid=36e53878e3cc4f3985100819727a09ea
* * *
That tells me that my Morning Motion and balancing moves are good for my brain. To be sure I've added a new movement to my weekday routine.
The photo below shows the marching movement I've added. It's half way between walking and running in place. I do 50 or more reps at the end of my morning routine, which my back seems to tolerate okay. (Our friend Dick Winett suggested this movement.)
Photo by Carol Bass
September 1, 2022
Running and the Knees?
Q: Will running ruin your knees?
A: It depends.
Harvard Professor Daniel Lieberman tells us in his book Exercised (Vintage Books, 2020) that running can be good for the knees, if approached wisely.
He explains that knees and other joints aren't like the shock absorbers in your car that wear out from overuse. "Instead, running, walking and other activities have been shown to keep knees healthy, and numerous high-quality studies show that runners are, if anything, less likely to develop knee osteoarthritis. The strategy to avoiding knee pain is to learn to run properly and train sensibly (which means not increasing your mileage by too much too quickly)," he told The Guardian.
The details are in his book.
Walking and running can improve the quality of cartilage in the knees and other joints. Exercise, especially weight training, strengthens the muscles around the joints, reducing the likelihood that they will be damaged by twisting the knee or other aberrant movements.
The downside comes from knee crunching activities such as snowboarding down a bumpy hill.
Walking on grass in parks, like I do to save my back, also stabilizes the knees. The irregular surface challenges the mind and the knees. Running in the foothills would also strengthen the knees.
Combining strength training, hiking, walking, rowing, biking--and running--would be good for the knees.
Extremes in any of these activities can, of course, damage the knees.
* * *
For decades Carol and I ran on various tracks in our area. (She was running within days after our son was born.)
I enjoyed it--until by back started complained. I never ran again, but I have continued doing a good deal of other joint friendly activities.
My walking is now limited to the numerous parks in our area. (There are hundreds in Albuquerque.)
My knees also like climbing stairs, as long as I don't overdo it. Controlled bench squats are also good. (I did 70 with a weight belt in my last workout.)
I have, of course, never stopped training my legs in the gym, with adjustments mandated by my back. My knees have never complained in any meaningful way. Protecting my back has also served my knees well.
That's my way. Now it's up to you to find ways to save--and strengthen--your knees and other joints in your body.
As Professor Lieberman says "train sensibly."
If it hurts don't do it!
August 1, 2022
Exercise with Varicose Veins?
Q: Any suggestions for workouts that will not aggravate a varicose vein in my upper right thigh?
After 29 years of running twice a week (2 hours total), my doctor says it's time for a change.
A: Your doctor is telling you to cut back on the pounding of running, which leaves many options which give you the benefits of exercise without aggravating your problem.
Seated calf raises are also good.
You'll find more details online: https://www.veinspecialists.com/blog/exercise-and-varicose-veins/
April 1, 2022
How to Offset A Day of Sitting?
A: Many were wondering about that when cloistered during the pandemic. We have two recent studies addressing this issue, one from Norway and the other from Columbia University. Both studies were published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. The second study expands on the first study.
This is, of course, a problem confronting anyone with a desk job.
The study from Norway found that 30-40 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) will balance out 10 hours of sitting.
It's like counting calories, eat the right kind of food and there's no need to count. Include movement in your day and there's no need to worry about sitting.
Any amount of moving around helps. Standing up and walking around every hour or so would be a good offset. Walking in the park at lunch time would be a more dynamic offset.
The Norwegian study is based on a
meta-analysis across nine previous studies, involving a total of 44,370
people in four different countries who were wearing some form of fitness
tracker.
The analysis found the risk of death among those with a more sedentary
lifestyle went up as time spent engaging in MVPA went down.
"In active individuals doing about 30-40 minutes of MVPA, the
association between high sedentary time and risk of death is not
significantly different from those with low amounts of sedentary time,"
the researchers wrote in the British Journal of Sports Medicine
(BJSM) in 2020.
It's like a kid's Teeter Totter, when one side goes up the other side goes down.
For more details, the study abstract can be accessed free of charge: https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/54/24/1499
The Second Study
This being a fast paced field of research, more studies were expected to fill gaps in the knowledge, which brings us to the Columbia University study.
As you will see, physical activity monitors such as Fitbit made this study possible. It's a real breakthrough for those who don't have the time or interest for structured exercise.
Science Daily summarized the findings: Columbia University and an international team of researchers identifies multiple ways to achieve the same health benefits from exercise -- as long as the exercise "cocktail" includes plenty of light physical activity.
You get to choose what you enjoy. The options are practically endless.
"For decades, we've been telling people that the way to stay healthy is to get at least 30 minutes of exercise five days a week," says Keith Diaz, PhD, assistant professor of behavioral medicine and director of the exercise testing laboratory at the Center for Behavioral Cardiovascular Health at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.
"Our study shows that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to physical activity, and we get to choose which ones we like best," Diaz says. "It may be more important to mix a movement cocktail that includes a healthy dose of exercise and light activity to take the place of sitting."
The benefits of 30 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise depends on how you spend the rest of the day.
Only through the new and easy-to-use activity monitors have researchers been able to track activity around the clock.
"In other words, it is not as simple as checking off that 'exercise' box on your to-do list," says Diaz. "A healthy movement profile requires more than 30 minutes of daily exercise. Moving around and not remaining sedentary all day also matters."
"This is good news for people who may not have the time, ability, or desire to engage in formal exercise," Diaz adds. "They can get health benefits from a lot of light physical activity and just a little moderate-to-vigorous activity."
You'll find more details on Science Daily:
My Take
This is how I've been doing it all along. The only thing I have tracked is my weekly body composition. If my body fat goes up I make small adjustments in food intake and activity level. That has kept my body composition lean for decades on end.
See my diet and training philosophy: https://www.cbass.com/PHILOSOP.HTM
You don't have to count calories or anything else.
Do that YOUR way, and worrying about offsetting sitting will be a thing of the past.
You'll find details on tracking body composition in my book Great Expectations: https://www.cbass.com/GreatExpectations.htm
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Note that I have worked at a desk my entire adult life. Practicing law for 34 years and now researching and writing books and material for this website.
Muscle Strengthening Activities Lower the Risk of Death?
A: A new study from Japan (published February 28, 2022) reports that as little as 30 minutes a week of resistance exercise can lower the risk of death. In other words, strengthening your muscles can help you live longer. This can be by lifting weights in a gym or heavy lifting around the house or outside. It, of course, has to be done regularly.
Researchers led by Dr. Haruki Momma, Department of Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, reported that muscle strengthening activities for 30 to 60 minutes a week reduced the risk of all-cause mortality by 10 to 20 percent. And when combined with aerobic exercise the drop in risk can double.
Surprisingly, a higher volume of muscle-strengthening exercise produced a J-shaped association, casting doubt on the benefit of doing more strengthening activities.
The researchers analyzed 16 studies in the last 10 years, done mostly in the USA, but also in the UK, Australia and Japan.
The studies ranged from about 4,000 to almost 500,000 and included men and women ranging in age from 18 to 97.
They all considered the effect of aerobic forms of exercise such as running and jumping as well as strength training.
Momma and colleagues concluded: Muscle-strengthening activities were inversely associated with the risk of all-cause mortality and major non-communicable diseases including CVD, total cancer, diabetes and lung cancer; however, the influence of a higher volume of muscle-strengthening activities on all-cause mortality, CVD and total cancer is unclear when considering the observed J-shaped associations.
The study was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, and can be accessed free of charge: https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2022/01/19/bjsports-2021-105061
More May Not be Better
You can work your whole-body effectively in 30 to 60 minutes, if you train efficiently. The workout that I just did is an example.
1: General warm-up of the entire body
2: Keiser Seated Row: 20 reps
3: Keiser Chest Press: 20 reps
4: Keiser Shoulder Press: 20 reps
5: Kettlebell Upright Row: 20 reps
6: Narrow Grip Curl: 20 reps
7: Resistance Band Ab Pulldown: 30 reps
8: Slow Bodyweight Bench Squat: 40 reps
9: Brief Cooldown
My only warm-up was at the beginning of the workout. As Arthur Jones explained, the warm-up comes in the early reps. This works especially well when doing 10 reps or more.
I alternate another version of this workout every 4 or 5 days, cutting reps and adding resistance. I walk and do my Morning Motion routine on most rest days.
As always, I suggest lifting in the way you enjoy. The above workout is an example, one of many possibilities.
April 1, 2022
Fight Aging with Drugs or Healthy Eating?
A: Here come the mice again.
Researchers from the University of Sydney, Australia used mice to compare the results of a healthy balanced diet and three drugs doctors prescribe to slow the aging process.
We've written numerous times about efforts to find drugs as a Fountain of Youth. It never works, but researchers and drug companies keep looking.
This study is no exception. In fact, they found that anti-aging drugs actually get in the way of healthy eating.
Study authors say drugs designed to improve health often target the same biochemical pathways as the nutrients in your food.
“Diet is a powerful medicine. However, presently drugs are administered without consideration of whether and how they might interact with our diet composition – even when these drugs are designed to act in the same way, and on the same nutrient-signaling pathways as diet,” says senior author Professor Stephen Simpson in a university release.
"We discovered dietary composition had a far more powerful effect than drugs, which largely dampened responses to diet rather than reshaped them.”
Given that humans share essentially the same nutrient-signaling pathways as mice, the research suggests people would get better value from changing their diet to improve metabolic health rather than taking the drugs we studied,” Prof. Simpson continues.
You'll find more details in an article dated November 17, 2021, by Chris Melore: You are what you eat: Healthy diet tops drugs when it comes to anti-aging benefits - Study Finds
The study itself is published in the journal Cell Metabolism.
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Approached properly, healthy eating is really quite simple, and painless. Our diet philosophy is summarized here: https://www.cbass.com/PHILOSOP.HTM
As explained, there is no need for hunger or feeling deprived.
Carol and I enjoy the way we eat. We never leave the table feeling hungry or unsatisfied.
If we want more food, we get up and get it.
The key is to think before eating more. We only put out what we plan to eat. If we "really" want more we get up and get it.
We avoid pills whenever possible. You have to twist Carol's arm to persuade her to take an aspirin.
Being the son of a doctor, I'm a little more inclined to take a pill when necessary.
Emphasizing unprocessed food is another way to approach healthy eating: https://www.cbass.com/FAQ(10).htm (scroll down)
December 1, 2021
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