Month: May 2019

Sometimes a song sticks in my head. Perhaps, it is for a reason?

“Carry On Wayward Son”

Carry on my wayward son
There’ll be peace when you are done
Lay your weary head to rest
Don’t you cry no more

Once I rose above the noise and confusion
Just to get a glimpse beyond this illusion
I was soaring ever higher, but I flew too high

Though my eyes could see I still was a blind man
Though my mind could think I still was a mad man
I hear the voices when I’m dreaming
I can hear them sa

Carry on my wayward son
There’ll be peace when you are done
Lay your weary head to rest
Don’t you cry no more

Masquerading as a man with a reason
My charade is the event of the season
And if I claim to be a wise man
Well, it surely means that I don’t know

On a stormy sea of moving emotion
Tossed about, I’m like a ship on the ocean
I set a course for winds of fortune
But I hear the voices say

Carry on my wayward son
There’ll be peace when you are done
Lay your weary head to rest
Don’t you cry no more no!

Carry on
You will always remember
Carry on
Nothing equals the splendor
Now your life’s no longer empty
Surely heaven waits for you

Carry on my wayward son
There’ll be peace when you are done
Lay your weary head to rest
Don’t you cry
Don’t you cry no more

No more!

Writer: Kerry Livgren

All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope.
–Winston Churchill

Sometimes a simple quote is all I need to get my day started.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

“You should never be defined by what you do, by the things you have; you’ve got to define yourself by who you are and who you impact and how you impact people.”
–Tony Dungy

I look sometimes to quotes for inspiration. “Legacy” came to mind. I expected to find quotes from noteworthy leaders. Instead, the vast majority of the quotes were pop stars and athletes—celebrities. It occurred to me that “legacy” is of little importance. It is impact that makes us (extra)ordinary.

Legacy is being remembered for something you did in the past. Impact, on the other hand, is the lasting effect of what you are doing now. Impact has a compounding effect.

Being defined by what we do and the things you have is “legacy”. Legacy is shallow. It is the façade of success. Being defined by who you are, moreover, who you impact and how you impact others, is “impact”—it is Purpose. Legacy is self-serving. Impact is other-centered.

Legacy will fade or fall victim to the realities of our humanness. Impact grows and changes the world. If given a choice (and, by the way, we are given a choice), choose to be impactive!

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

The more I teach exercise physiology and the principles of adaptation the more frustrated I get with trainers and coaches who complicate it all for the purposes of marketing. I understand that fitness professionals need to recruit clients and that the clients don’t want to have to think about what they are doing. Simple doesn’t sell. Scientific-sounding terms and fun sell. We want variety. We want to feel like athletes again (or for the first time).

I saw an ad for sweating off pounds at a “speed and agility boot camp”. Now, not that any type of exercise can’t expend calories, but there are crossed-signals here. It defies the principle of specificity—in principle. It sounds like a great idea, but….

The principle of specificity is sometimes referred to as the “S.A.I.D. principle” to make it easier for students to remember. (I am not sure it is effective.) The acronym is used because the body makes specific adaptations to imposed demands. In other word, cardiorespiratory exercise for cardiorespiratory endurance, strength training for muscle strength, agility training for agility, etc.

A “speed and agility boot camp” may improve body composition when it becomes high-intensity interval training (HIIT) or high-intensity interval resistance training (HIIRT), but when that becomes the goal, it diminishes its effectiveness is improving speed and agility. In speed and agility training, the focus is on technique and brief explosive movements. HIIT/HIIRT is focused on repetition—energy expenditure. Performing movement patterns for much greater than 10-15 seconds is likely to shift the focus away from precision and work contrary to the intention of the drill. High repetition leads to diminished technique and works counter to speed and agility. It likely leads to poor, rather than effective, movement patterns as fatigue invariably sets in. (Speed and agility training drills are not meant to be performed under fatigue!)

This is but one example of how the principle of specificity is being forgotten for the sake of business. It is important to understand what are the goals of the individual and why are we doing the prescribed activity.

I am pleased that it is once again permissible to use the phrase “exercise prescription”. (For a while it was felt that this somehow blurred the lines between the physician and the exercise physiologist. Now, “Exercise is Medicine” is the theme.) We would not want a physician to prescribe a drug that was not intended for the condition being treated. We would not want a prescription that was general or that interacted with other drugs or was a placebo. Likewise, we want an exercise prescription that is individualized and effective for our intended goals.

Like medications, exercise can have interactions when mixed. For example, doing cardio and strength training in the same exercise session is going to diminish the results. Sometimes, this is unavoidable because of time constraints. When it can’t be avoided, the primary goal takes priority. Ideally, we compartmentalize exercise session to maximize the effectiveness. I often make the recommendation that the non-athlete do 2-4 strength sessions, 2-3 cardio sessions, and 2-3 HIIRT sessions per week for optimal benefit in strength/hypertrophy, cardiorespiratory health, and body composition (more, if possible). These need not be excessive (as short as 20-30 minutes), but they will address specificity.

Diet is, likewise, driven by the principle of specificity. Beyond calories-in v. calories-out, diet needs to match the activity demands. Macro balance and nutrient timing should consider the exercise prescription (as well as possible) for optimal performance.

Specificity need not be complicated. Strength training can be as simple as a 5×5 plan or 5-3-1 plan using the “basic 5” (squat, deadlift, bench, row, and overhead press) done 2-4 times a week. Cardio need not be complicated either. It may involve 20-30 minutes of steady-state aerobic exercise or it to follow a simple interval pattern. (HIIT is most time effective and produce the fastest results.) HIIRT is where variety and less-individualized WODs (workout-of-the-day) can be useful and fun. If general fitness (i.e., one is less interested in building strength/muscle hypertrophy, and wants only minimal improvement in cardiorespiratory endurance, but wants to emphasize body composition—losing fat), then HIIRT group workouts can be the priority. Just be aware of what you are doing and, moreover, why you are doing it.

Specificity is not complicated, but it does require a bit more engagement than simply showing up and doing whatever the trainer tells you. Ask “why?”. If the trainer can provide a sound physiological rationale (not just big science-sounding words), then follow. Otherwise, push for a program that is specific to your goals.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

Here’s the deal: all those advertisements you see for protein powders and supplements? They are all bull****! With few exceptions, supplements are of limited benefit. Muscle does not grow without a stimulus. Some supplements may help in recovery. Some may help increase the stimulus. But, ultimately, the muscle needs an adequate stimulus to grow. You don’t need supplements to get stronger—even as you age. You simply have to put in the work!

I agree with the assessment (based on the literature) of Dr. Mike Israetel (The Renaissance Diet) that there are 5 classes of effective supplements. These are: whey protein, glycemic carbohydrate supplements, creatine, caffeine, and casein protein. There is nothing fancy or revolutionary about these—no secret formulas. Most importantly, these work only to increase the stimulus and aid in recovery. Thus, they are only as effective as the training the individual is doing!

Before breaking the bank on supplements that are purported to “grow muscle over 50”, hit the gym and do the work. It doesn’t have to take a lot of time to prevent the muscle wasting that is associated with age. It is possible to get stronger—even over fifty. The key is effective effort.

Once you have a training regimen established—that includes adequate nutrition and recovery—the aforementioned supplements may have some added benefit. Whey protein is a great source of protein before, during, and after the workout because its absorption qualities. Casein protein is more slow-absorbing and is better as a late-night source of protein. It is important to recognize, however, that merely consuming quality protein foods throughout the day can provide sufficient protein for most lifters. Caffeine is an effective stimulant for pre-workouts. Most pre-workout supplements on the market are unnecessary and over-priced. A cup of coffee makes better sense. Glycemic carbohydrate supplements (e.g., Gatorade, Powerade, etc.) are useful for those who are training at the more extreme levels (durations and intensities) where muscle glycogen is being significantly depleted. For most of us, though, the carbohydrates in our diet should be sufficient. We should, however, do our best to time our carbohydrate intake to our exercise sessions to increase the likelihood of these carbs going to the muscle instead of fats.

Creatine is probably the first supplement I would recommend to the older lifter. Lifting heavy is going to be most taxing on our immediate energy sources (adenosine triphosphate or ATP; the ATP-PC bioenergy system). Creatine, as phosphocreatine (PC), extends the availability of ATP to fuel muscular contractions. Hence, it enables the lifter to lift more—more weight or more repetitions. It is relatively cheap and has very few known side-effects. We can get creatine in the diet, but supplementation is more effective for building up stores in the muscle.

Bottom line? Adaptation is stimulated in the gym. Growth happens during recover. You can’t have growth without the stimulus. No supplement is going to build or spare muscle without a stimulus. So, if you want to spare muscle mass as you age, lift heavy weights. (Remember: “heavy” is relative to your maximum.) Supplementation only becomes important when your “heavy” starts getting really heavy.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow!

Carpe momento!

Low carb diets are popular. For many, however, this means bacon and butter fat. Personally, I am not a fan of bacon, but that is beside the point. Low carbs should not mean zero carbs. It also should not mean a meat-only diet. Ideally, it means quality carbs—i.e., low sugar/low processing. Just like “fat-free” foods should be scrutinized, so, too, should “sugar-free” or “keto” foods.

The healthy diet is rather simple. Better than a food pyramid or a plate is a simple hand—a palm (for protein), a fist (for vegetables), a cupped hand (for starches, grains, and fruit) and a thumb (for fats). A palm of protein and a thumb of fat (healthy fats, of course) is rather simple. Choosing carbs are less straight-forward. Not all carbohydrates are equal. what we eat will depend largely of our weight management goals and activity levels. Simply, vegetables should be the priority carb, and starches, grains, and fruits will depend on activity, body composition, and performance needs. Training will require carbohydrates. So, on training days, we can up the ‘cupped hands’. On non-training days, we should cut back on the ‘cupped hands’ along with the calories.

Vegetables are low in calories. A serving of raw broccoli, for example, is around 30 kcal (depending on the size of the fist) and 6 g of carbohydrates (2.5 g of fiber and only 1.5 g of sugars). A cup of cooked long-grain brown rice, on the other hand, is around 215 kcal and 45 g of carbohydrates (3.5 g of fiber and 0.7 g of sugars). So, obviously, vegetables are the way to go—especially for managing body fat.

Eating more keto-friendly on a non-training day or for the purposes of lowering weight is not necessarily carb-free (or a plate of bacon). Two fists (a male serving size; 200 g) of cooked broccoli and two cupped hands of raspberries has only 14 grams (8 and 6 grams, respectively). For three meals, that is only 42 g (net) of carbs. If truly eating “keto” this might be too many, but there are other lower carb choices (e.g., spinach = 1 net carb per 100 g). So, choosing wisely can still allow one to keep to the diet without cutting fruits and veggies all together. Even on training days, the weight-conscious exerciser can consume performance-friendly carbs without going overboard (e.g., sweet potatoes are always a good choice).

So, trying to lose body fat? Exercise and eat your veggies. As you eat your meal, eat your protein first. Eat your vegetables second. Then, eat some “healthy” carbs if there is still room. Snack on vegetables and healthy fats that will fill you and satisfy hunger—rather than load the calories. Desserts should be reserved for special occasions. Life doesn’t have to be ‘bacon and butter fat’.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

“Courage is knowing it might hurt, and doing it anyway. Stupidity is the same. And that’s why life is hard.”—Jeremy Goldberg

Life is hard. If we are honest with ourselves and even modestly ambitious, we wouldn’t want tit any other way. We need the challenge of difficulty to grow. (In exercise physiology, we call it “overload”—stressing the body system to a level greater than that to which it is accustomed to stimulate an adaptation.) Without overload in life, we don’t change.

There is, however, a fine line between courage and stupidity. That line is drawn by wisdom—the wisdom to know the difference between the “hurt” that strengthens and the “hurt” that breaks.

Walking the fine line between courage and stupid (especially what others perceive to be “stupid”) is what makes one (extra)ordinary. Life involves risk—trying a new idea, relationships, doing things that have never been done before, etc. Courage is taking the risk to try. Stupidity is repeating the same poor choices over and over.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

“If you wake up at 4am to do cardio after only 5 hours of sleep, you’re stepping over $100 bills to pick up nickels.”–Stan Efferding

Sleep is essential to recovery. If your body (not the “lazy” side of your brain) is telling you to sleep, sleep! Better to get eight hours of quality sleep and recovery than to push the body toward overtraining.

Now, if you are getting eight hours of sleep and your body is not recovered, look at your nutrition, stress, and other health patterns. It may also be time for a deload (a period of reduced exercise—not a time to skip you regular exercise pattern).

As we age, unless one is training specifically for endurance competition, cardio is going to begin to fall lower on the priority list. (Note: it is not off of the priority list.) Strength training and high-intensity resistance training (e.g., HIIRT) will be of greatest importance. Get your sleep and rearrange your day or week to fit these in (trimming the less necessary work, if time is a factor).

Fasted cardio, first thing in the morning, may have added benefit for burning fat, but it should not be done at the expense of muscle mass. You are, indeed, “stepping over $100 bills to pick up nickels” if you are sacrificing recovery to do cardio. It is not always a matter of training harder. Remember, physical gains are not made in the gym. Gains are made in recovery from an effective workout.

Be your best today; be better (and well-rested) tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

A former student and friend recently asked me about a claim she had seen on social media about Alzheimer’s disease (AD)—dementia, in general—being “type 3 diabetes”. It was current for me, as I am presently teaching a course called “Pathophysiology & Exercise” and Alzheimer’s/dementia was a current topic. She sparked my interest. This claim was new to me, so I told her I would have to do some research. de la Monte and Wands¹ seemed like a good place to start.

There seems to be reason to call AD “type 3 diabetes”. de la Monte and Wands concluded that the label “accurately reflects the fact that AD represents a form of diabetes that selectively involves the brain and has molecular and biochemical features that overlap with both type 1 diabetes mellitus and (type 2 diabetes mellitus)”. Insulin deficiency and insulin resistance may mediate Alzheimer’s disease-type neurodegeneration and give cause to evaluate our diets, body compositions, and exercise habits.

Central to metabolic syndrome (the coexistence of insulidemia, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension) is obesity. AD, to my knowledge, does not have the same ties to obesity as does type 2 diabetes. It does, however, raise concern about sugar in the diet—particularly refined sugars and processed foods.

The current evidence regarding AD—as well as cardiovascular disease—would certainly warrant the limiting of sugar from the diet. I have suggested this in several previous posts. I don’t think we have to go to extremes, after all, what is the point of living longer if one can’t enjoy some pleasures like an occasional good dessert (i.e., “opportunity costs” when it comes to dessert—make it worth the indulgence). We have to be careful, however, and not go to the extreme of eliminating carbohydrates all together. It is a matter of making more healthy choices and maintaining consistency.

I am inclined to think a more keto-friendly diet is warranted for most sedentary individuals. And, considering the benefits for epileptics, it might be beneficial for those at risk of AD. As exercise and activity levels increase, however, carbohydrates are going be increasingly important—especially to maintain performance. So, balance is most important.

There is no known cure for AD, but one can likely reduce the risk by managing body fat, limiting refined sugars, and exercising regularly and consistently. In consideration of diet, low carbs should not mean zero carbs. The high-fat “bacon” approach to a keto-friendly diet is not recommended. Rather, one should focus on lean protein sources, healthy fats (e.g., fish oils, avocado, olive oil, nuts, etc.), and lots of vegetables. Avoid added sugars and simple carbohydrates. Avoid foods with a lot of additives. Limit alcohol and sweets. If you decide to splurge, make worthwhile decisions—a dessert in a cellophane wrapper will not be nearly as rewarding as something homemade or chef prepared. (In other words, indulges should be guilt- and regret-free—and only occasional.)

It will be interesting to see where how the “type 3 diabetes” classification develops. With regards to insulin resistance, we know there are things we can do to minimize our risk. These are things that we should already be doing: maintain a healthy body composition, exercise, eat right, and get sufficient sleep. These require regularity and consistency. In other words, be habitual about diet and exercise.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

¹de la Monte, S.M. & Wands, J.R. (2008). Alzheimer’s diseases is type 3 diabetes—evidence reviewed. J Diabetes Sci Technol. 2(6):1101-1113. doi: 10.1177/193229680800200619

This covers the breadth of dimensions of well-centered fitness (Spiritual, Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, and Social), but the inspiration comes from the Physical. I was teaching on Monday on Neuromuscular Disorders, and we spent some time on cerebral palsy. The course is Pathophysiology & Exercise, so, of course, we examined the intervention of exercise in the disorder (as well as several others, e.g., Parkinson’s disease). One point I tried to drive home to the students was to never underestimate the capacity of the client/patient or lower your expectations. In cerebral palsy, as in any condition—healthy or otherwise, success will rise to the level of expectation. So, we must raise our expectations just above what we believe to be reasonable.

We make a habit of limiting one’s capacity based on prejudices. I see it in academics, as well as in fitness and sport. It is far better to over-estimate one’s abilities than to under-estimate. Of course, we can’t expect the extremes, but we can expect just more than we think to be reasonable. Sure, we might fall short, but we keep pushing. If we keep falling short of low expectations, we are—well—falling short of one’s potential.

We cannot presume to know what one is capable of achieving. Daily, I see students in the classroom who under-perform because they have never been challenged to exceed expectation. Sadly, by the time to get to me in upper-division course, the habits and self-perceptions are hard to change.

Physically—age, genetics, physical or intellectual disability, etc. are nothing more than opportunities to challenge oneself to be (extra)ordinary. Little excites me more in fitness (and academics) than to see a person exceed expectations—to prove the critics wrong. I love the attitude of “’Can’t’ never did anything”.

Bernie, one of my best training partners ever, was a 3-sport athlete in high school with cerebral palsy. He expected me to train him as hard as he trained me. (Indeed, we often fought over who would train first, knowing that whoever went second would get pushed harder as “payback”.) He may not have been a starter, but he wasn’t a bystander. He worked hard, if not harder than most, to prove himself and to push his teammates. It was an inspiration.

As soon as we see limitations in people (ourselves), we limit them—we prevent them (ourselves) from achieving their full potential. So, we must never see someone as where we think they are. Rather, we need to look beyond where we think they can go. In doing so, success is inevitable.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!