Healthy Eating Curbs Heart Disease Deaths

 

We first wrote about the benefits of whole foods in RIPPED, our first book. We didn't know how right we've been.

 

Longevity Magazine online tells us that recent research shows that more than two thirds of heart disease deaths can be avoided by adopting a more health diet.

 

You'd think they've been reading our FAQ on processed and unprocessed foods: https://cbass.com/FAQ(10).htm (scroll down)

 

For more details on the new research go to Longevity Magazine: https://www.worldhealth.net/news/research-shows-most-heart-disease-deaths-are-preventable-changing-diets/

 

Eat wisely and keep your heart going strong years longer.

 

February 1, 2023

 

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Strength Training Adds Years

 

Harvard Health Letter (January 2023) tells us that a large study published online October 17, 2022 by JAMA Network Open found that adding strength training to aerobic exercise appears to extend life span.

 

Researchers evaluated physical activity of more than 115,000 people age 65 or older over an average of eight years. They found that those who did at least two sessions of strength training as well as 2.5 hours of aerobic activity each week were 30% less likely to die than those who did aerobic activity only.

 

Interestingly, strength training was broadly defined to include activities such as lifting weights, using resistance bands, doing push-up or sit-ups, or digging in the garden.

 

For more details you can access the study online:  https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2797402 .

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This takes me back to my high school coach who told me that athletes don't lift weights. And all the years since than when strength training has slowly but surely taken it's place alongside aerobic exercise as the key to building all around fitness and extending years of healthy life span.

 

See Biomarkers: https://cbass.com/Biomarkers.htm

 

February 1, 2023

 

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Coffee for a Healthier Heart and Longer Life

 

Harvard Health Letter (January 2023) also tells us that researchers have linked coffee with heart health and longevity.

 

A study published online September 27, 2022, in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology found that people who drink coffee every day were healthier than those who avoid the beverage.

 

The researchers followed just short of 450,000 people, average age 58, who did not have cardiovascular disease at the start of the study. After 12 years they found that the coffee drinkers had less cardiovascular disease and fewer deaths. 

 

Those who drank two or three cups had the lowest risk of heart disease and death. For irregular heart beat the lowest risk was among those who drank four to five cups daily.

 

Ground and instant coffee, but not decaffeinated, were associated with less arrhythmia including atrial fibrillation. Compared with non-drinkers, the lowest risks were observed with four to five cups of ground coffee and two to three cups of instant coffee, with 17% and 12% reduced risk.

 

For more details and the benefits of decaffeinated coffee see the press release:  https://www.escardio.org/The-ESC/Press-Office/Press-releases/Coffee-drinking-is-associated-with-increased-longevity  

 

Here's the bottom line as expressed by study author Professor Peter Kistler of the Baker Heart and Diabetes Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia: "Our findings indicate that drinking modest amounts of coffee of all types should not be discouraged but can be enjoyed as a heart healthy behaviour." 

 

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I would add that coffee should be consumed with food to avoid unwelcome drops in blood sugar.

 

I start my work and workout days with a substantial cup of instant coffee and a Nut Bar.

 

(Sounds like I may not be drinking enough coffee.)

 

February 1, 2023

 

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"Dying to Compete"

 

The Washington Post Spotlights the Downside of Professional Bodybuilding

 

We've come upon this shocking expose' and want to alert our visitors.

 

The Washington Post is known for its well-researched investigations. Headed up by Desmond Butler, son of George Butler, producer of the famous bodybuilding film Pumping Iron, this article is no exception. It tells about male and female bodybuilders who have died trying to make it in professional bodybuilding.

 

The details are riveting, with eye opening conclusions.

 

For the whole story, read the article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/interactive/2022/bodybuilding-extreme-training/

 

You'll also find several follow-on pieces on line.

January 1, 2023

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Washington University Prison Education Program Changes Lives

 

Law Professor Dan Keating Introduces Law Class

 

Our long-time friend and life long trainer, Dan Keating has sent us an article from the Washington University student newspaper about their prison education project. The focus is on degrees other than law, but Dan tells us that all four prisoners profiled are among the top students of his Introduction to Law class.

 

It's an excellent way to put convicts on the road to making a living on the straight and narrow, with more satisfaction on the ladder of success.

 

We've heard from numerous convicts over the years requesting training advice or copies of our books. We've been glad to help them in any way we can. Our experience is that success in the gym leads to success in the world at large.

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We've just received a long letter from a prisoner we first heard from in 1990. He reviews our exchanges and how much they have meant to him.

 

We hope that our contacts will prove helpful if he's released to the outside world.

 

Dan's the Man 

 

Dan is to be complimented for the time he freely devotes to teaching outside of his regular law school classroom. Teaching law to the incarcerated is, no doubt, a challenging and rewarding undertaking.

 

Congratulations to him and the prisoners taking advantage of his legal expertise.

 

You'll find many more details in the Washington University student newspaper: 

 

https://www.studlife.com/scene/2022/11/03/earning-a-degree-behind-bars-wu-prison-education-project-changes-live/

 

For more on Dan Keating see here and also Dan's very fit brothers here.

 

January 1, 2023

 

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American Heart Association Links Cardiovascular & Brain Health

 

Tufts Health & Nutrition Letter (October 2022) begins with a breakthrough headline: For Brain Health, Protect Your Heart: A healthy cardiovascular system is associated with lower risk for dementia.

 

That led off their feature article explaining that the American Heart Association's 2022 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics annual report includes a chapter on brain health for the first time.

 

Deaths from Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia combined now outrank strokes as the cause of deaths and disabilities. That was a key development leading the American Heart Association to address brain health.

 

Tufts interviewed a member of the report writing committee to get the latest on the relationship between heart and brain health and what we can do to bolster both.

 

Things we can do to help ourselves are of special interest to our visitors, who believe in self-help.

 

It turns out that what's good for the heart and blood vessels is good for the brain. Regular physical activity and healthy eating are key factors.

 

Genetic factors are also important, because they identify those with greater risk. Heart disease or dementia in the family make self-help all the more important.

 

The AHA writer told the Tufts Letter that walking thirty minutes a day reduces the risk of stroke and dementia, so even a small amount of exercise done regularly helps, and might very well lead to more challenging physical activities.

 

Another important factor is sleep. The American Heart Association recommends getting seven to nine hours of sleep for healthy living.

 

On the other hand, obesity is associated with tripling in the risk of dementia, and smoking a 40 or 50 percent increase.

 

Getting into the weeds, the Heart Association spokesman ended by explaining the newly recognized connection between heart and brain health:

 

"The recognition that cardiovascular risk factors contribute to brain diseases reflects an awareness that vascular problems contribute to brain disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease, that have long been considered exclusively degenerative. Most people who die with dementia are found at autopsy to have evidence of more than one brain disorder: the plaques and tangles of Alzheimer's disease, the multiple strokes seen in vascular dementia, and other problems. Gradual blocking of brain vessels may thus worsen neurodegeneration. So healthy blood vessels may decrease the brain damage associated with brain aging from other causes as well.

 

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It would, of course, be wise to see your doctor for regular check-ups, and help with problems requiring his or her guidance.

 

November 1, 2022

 

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Coronary Arteries Still Wide Open

 

I promised to report the results of our trip to the Cooper Clinic in Dallas to have cardiologist John Ho, MD repeat the CT angiograph of my heart.

 

I'll start with some background to explain the significance of this procedure.

 

Several decades back Dr. Arnie Jensen found that I have a build up of calcium on the walls of my coronary arteries. That's not good because the calcium can slow blood flow and break open causing a blood clot.

 

That's where Dr. Ho comes into the picture, finding that my coronary arteries are very large due to my high level of fitness, and that there is no slowing or blockage.

 

In October of 2015, Dr. Ho found little or no change since the scan in 2011, which found no obstruction once again.

 

Dr. McFarlin wrote that the slight narrowing of calcification "is not felt to represent anything close to obstruction...a finding consistent with your life-long commitment to exercise, health and fitness."

 

He and Dr. Ho recommended a repeat coronary scan in three years--which stretched out to seven years due to the virus shutdown and other delays--making the current results all the more meaningful.

 

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As he has with me in the past, Dr. Ho delighted in showing Carol and I an enlarged image of my heart on the wall behind his desk. We could see the calcium deposits on the wall of my arteries, with the river of blood flowing unimpeded.

 

"This evaluation was again unrevealing for any severely obstructive lesions," he wrote in his follow letter. "Upon comparison with the study of 2015, there has been no significant worsening."

 

And that was four years longer than the recommended three year interval!

 

Like Dr. McFarlin, he urged me to continue my active and healthy lifestyle--and "repeat coronary CT angiography in four years."

 

We couldn't have asked for a better result.

 

With guidance from Drs. McFarlin and Ho, I intend to keep going strong--taking our readers with us along the winding road of healthy living.

 

July 1, 2022

 

 

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Bill Pearl Recovering from a Freak Accident

 

Our friend and role model Bill Pearl was severely injured early in April when his riding mower got stuck and flipped over trapping him underneath. His wife Judy reported the accident to their Facebook friends--ending with the upbeat HE'LL BE BACK!!!

 

Here are the details as she related them:

 

To all our Facebook friends: a personal announcement:
 

The article I just posted was prepared by Bill on Tuesday morning. It had rained the night before, but the sun had come out, and he decided to go up the hill and mow around the barn. He was using the smaller Craftsman riding mower and it got stuck on a squirrel mound, so he put it in reverse to back off of it and it kind of jumped, and being close to an embankment, rolled over the edge and came to rest against the barn, on top of Bill’s back.
 

I was working in the house and realized I hadn’t heard the mower in a while and walked up the hill to check on him.
 

When I first saw the mower upside down, and him under I panicked and ran the rest of the way, fearing the worst. (The best was bad enough) He was conscious, but totally pinned, face-down in the grass.
 

I knew I’d have to leave him that way to call 911. Just as I stood up to leave, a truck came up the drive, with two strong guys, a friend and his son, there to take a workout in the barn. Together, they were able to lift the machine up and off of Bill’s back without injuring him further.
 

They then called for an ambulance, and they were able to apply a neck brace strapping him onto a backboard and safely turn him and take him to the hospital.
 

After X-Rays a Cat scan and an MRI, a Neurologist determined that he had a compression fracture of his T-10 Vertebrae, among other things.
 

He was scheduled for surgery the next day. He endured six hours of very complicated surgery and Praise The Lord, he is resting un-comfortably in the hospital, and should be home in a few days.
 

It may be awhile ’til he can sit at a computer again, but HE’LL BE BACK !!!
 

We have many friends and family to thank for their Prayers and good wishes, we are so grateful.
 

Bill and Judy

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April 11, 2022

Good Evening to our Facebook Friends. Judy has asked that I pass along a quick update on Bill. He is currently in the ICU following a second surgery to stabilize a neck fracture that was missed during the first surgery.

Bill and Judy thank you for all your well wishes and prayers.

 

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Judy added the following news on May 18, 2022:

BILL IS HOME!!!!

We have been so touched by all your loving messages, they were at least as beneficial as all the doctors, nurses, therapists and meds Bill received in the hospital. They encouraged him and kept his spirits up.

So now comes the next leg of the journey. Bill did so well with his physical therapy progress that the insurance company said he was no longer sick enough to stay in the hospital, so here we are, sink or swim. It's a little scary, but things are falling into place.

We have a physical therapist coming twice a week, and the other days Bill's workout partner and my sister and I are working at getting him stronger each day.

He has an appointment June 6 to do MRIs and re-evaluate his healing progress, to determine when he can say goodbye to the accursed neck brace and clamshell we have to strap onto him any time he moves out of bed or his recliner. It is very uncomfortable, so he is not yet able to sit at the computer, but he is impatient to do so.

In the meantime, we continue to progress, and hopefully in a few weeks he will be back in the gym. .....We Love you, we are more grateful than we can express, we will be trying to get Bill back on line ASAP.

Bill and Judy

My Take
 

This photo of Bill on his 91st birthday and in peak condition is from Facebook.

This was a terrible accident for anyone, but for a 91-year-old man it is devastating. Luckily, Bill Pearl is "extraordinary" for any age, akin to landing on a buffalo. The fact that his insurance company wanted him out of the hospital so soon speaks volumes. 

His muscle mass at 91 (showing thru his shirt) shielded him from being injured far more than would be the case for a normal man of any age.

As Judy tells us the "loving messages" from family and friends from all over world are bolstering his spirits and helping to speed his recovery.

Carol and I sent our good wishes as soon as we learned of the accident, hoping and trusting that he will be home soon and planning his next workout.

With the help of family and friends, he appears to be on the road to doing just that.

We love and admire Bill (and Judy) and ask the POWER above to speed his recovery--trusting that he will soon be pumping iron in his barn gym with the strong father and son who lifted the mower off him--and others.

PS: Years ago, I trained in the barn with Bill and his training partners at the crack of dawn and know that they evolve, with those who burn out replaced with others who are gung ho to train with Bill. That may have changed with time, but I'm sure that there are plenty who are eager to train with the one and only Bill Pearl.    

 

June 1, 2022

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IRON GAME HISTORY Features Mabel Rader: A Champion For Women's Lifting

 

 

Kim Beckwith, University of Texas at Austin, has done the first scholarly treatment of Mabel Rader's life and contribution to women's sports. Her achievements include becoming the first Chairwoman of the Weightlifting Federation's Woman's Committee in 1980, starting a women's weightlifting newsletter, making history with the first Women's National Weightlifting Championship--and was on the way to a Woman's World Championship and Olympic recognition when her term ended.

 

There is more, of course, but those are the high points.

(As those who follow women's weight lifting will know, our women are now out performing our men on the international stage.)

Surprisingly, Mabel accomplished all of this without taking up weight lifting herself. When she first saw her husband Peary lifting she believed "it was the dumbest thing I ever saw in my life."

 

Interviewed later, she continued, "I couldn't get him to quit, so if you can't change 'em, join 'em. I didn't just stand by, I got involved. It was our life."

 

As weightlifting aficionados will know, the rest is history.

 

We wrote about this in depth when Mabel celebrated her 100th birthday, including our long friendship with Peary and Mabel and how close we came to buying IRON MAN magazine when Peary retired: https://www.cbass.com/mabelRader.html

 

 

 

This photo of Mabel celebrating her 100th birthday was taken from her hometown newspaper, The Alliance Times.

 

 

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Kim Beckwith begins with Mabel's birth on the family homestead in the Nebraska sandhills in June of 1917.  Continuing from there Kim uncovers many things that we did not know - and are happy to learn. 

 

First, of course, being that she is still going strong at 104.

 

I hope I have provided enough information to make our readers want to subscribe to Iron Game History: The Journal Of Physical Culture online at: WWW.STARKCENTER.ORG

 

May 1, 2022

 

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Clarence and Carol Return for Their Alma Mater's 133rd Anniversary

We accepted an open invitation from the Alumni Association to celebrate the University of New Mexico’s 133rd birthday.

 

They had a historic building decorated and ready for visitors. Hodgin Hall, the present home of the Alumni Association, was the first building on campus when it was built in 1889. Students started and ended at Hodgin Hall.

 

Alumni were invited to take photos of the historic building, which is beautifully replicated above.

 

Clarence has degrees in Psychology, Government, and Law, while Carol's degrees are in English, Biology, and as a Paralegal. The school gave us a solid grounding for all that we have achieved together.

 

     

 

Photo by Carol

 

March 1, 2022