Month: September 2021

I frequently see discussions about “What advice would you give to your younger-self?” These are sometimes coupled with the question of “If you could go back in time and change one thing in your life, what would you change?” The reality is that you can’t. You have to live with your past. Above all, you past has shaped your current life. Of what benefit is it to think about how things might be different.

I get that the question, “What advice would you give to your younger-self?”, is really (possibly) about what advice would you give to someone in your circumstances today. Which, if that is the question, ask it as such. But a “you” today would be in different circumstances—and wouldn’t be “you.” My son is 16. In many ways we are similar. In more ways we are different. If for me when I was 16—in 1979—cannot compare to being 16 in 2021.

The question we really should be asking ourselves is “Who do you want your future self to be?”

We can’t live in regret or a What if…? scenario of the past. We can only live in the moment with aspirations for a better next moment.

So, maybe a better question than “What advice would you give to your younger self?” is “What advice would your older-self give you today?”

Heed future self’s advice.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

“If we are not in the shape we want to be in, then do something to get back on track and stay on track.  If we are in shape, we just need to keep doing what we are doing.  Indeed, maintenance is actually easier than getting into shape.  Getting in shape—e.g., improving the functioning of a body system or improving one’s physical appearance—requires overload (i.e., stressing the body system to a level greater than that to which it is accustomed).  Maintaining requires little more than continuing with what is working—that is, maintenance exercise which requires less effort than it takes to get into ‘shape’.”

Today, I want to revisit a post from four years ago (almost to the day; September 25, 2017) that was inspired by a comment by a friend, Chris, who said, “I wish I was as fat as I was the first time I thought I was fat.” Judging by recent statistics suggesting that the average American has gained 29 pounds during COVID-19, it is likely that many of us are feeling this way. Perhaps, we are seeing this gain as the clicking upward of the rollercoaster before the big drop. The thing about rollercoasters is that they do drop, but every drop is followed by another climb. In case, the ride never ends. In the case of body fat, the average elevation of the ride most often climbs progressively. We don’t have to be unreasonable. Our goal need only be to return to a healthy body composition and sustainable level of fitness. “Back in shape” need not (should not) be our “glory days” of high school or college.

COVID-19 has been an excuse. Aging has been an excuse. Time has been an excuse. Work has been an excuse. Having kids…. The list can go on. The excuses have to end. Our health depends on it. There is a tremendous price tag on not addressing personal and community health. Declining fitness levels have revealed a stress on the health care system (though we are reluctant to discuss it publicly), yet preventative care is so much cheaper and life-fulfilling (in addition to life-saving).

Change does not have to occur on a grand scale to be effective. Small, sustainable changes are cumulative. Move a little be more today than you did yesterday. Change one bad habit at a time. Move daily toward a healthier diet. Baby steps. There is always still time to get healthier. Start today.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!!

“Virtue signaling” (“an attempt to show other people that you are a good person, for example by expressing opinions that will be acceptable to them, especially on social media [Cambridge Dictionary] is a phrase I have often heard over the last couple of years. I believe, for the most part, we are all guilty of it. After all, if we express that we don’t participate, are we not participating. I am in academia, so I see it often—too often.

Considering how I am increasingly identified as less-good because I don’t often share the same narrative as colleagues, I have been reflective and, frankly, more determined in my ways. I try to be growth-oriented. I have written and attempted to express many times the feelings I have about labels and how divisive they tend to be. It is not a popular opinion in our society today, but it is where I stand. Along with labels comes discussion about bias. Of course, with discussion bias comes virtue signaling.

We all have bias. I certainly do—I won’t deny it. If bias is intentional (i.e., conscious), then it is an expression of prejudice. I prefer to look at bias as ignorance—as an opportunity to grow. After all, most bias is unintentional.

In my opinion, labeling creates an environment for virtue signaling. It creates an us v. them atmosphere. It creates and opportunity to identify another’s bias while ignoring one’s own (or worse, trumpeting one’s ‘lack’ of bias).

I have for some time been striving to become what I identify as “other-centered”—a phrase I have adopted from the likes of Parker J. Palmer. As such I am learning (and trying to effectively practice) the approach of creating space for the soul to speak. Thus, I am considering (or am opening myself to consider) the individual, not as a member of a group, but as a one among the whole. I am trying to look beyond the labels and to listen to the soul. I think of the soul as what makes us uniquely human and unique humans. Labels and categorizing people ignores this uniqueness. I believe this separates the Spiritual from the Physical in quite destructive ways.

The phrase “virtue-centered” came to mind this morning. (I am sure that this is not an original concept.) I see it as a well-meaning, but self-centered, effort to do good. I would have to admit that writing on this topic today is, in itself, virtue-centered—or certainly viewed by some to be. Undoubtedly, we all want to be perceived as good. We care about what others think. So, we are beginning from a point of virtue-centeredness. Our goal, however, should not be to do good for the sake of being perceived as good. Rather, we must seek to do good for the sake of the good. This is the very foundation of every major religion, though I would be quick to suggest that it is not the practice per se of every major religion. In Christianity, for example, we can see this play out in the discussions of faith v. works. Did Christ die for the sake of our salvation or as an example of our salvation? This is a question that I will leave open.

When we are virtue-centered, we are constantly having to prove our goodness. To prove we are good there has to be some others that are labeled as “bad.” Us v. Them. Virtue-centeredness invariably leads to division.

Other-centeredness, on the other hand, favors unity. It reflects the complex unity to which man is evolving (per the likes of Pierre Teilhard Chardin and others). In this regard, virtue-centeredness is a good thing, as it is likely a stage in our ever-evolving consciousness. It is suggestive of the friction that often develops on the fault line of change.

It is inevitable that we will experience conflict as we move toward greater unity. It is inevitable (in my opinion) that the tendency to label and divide is going to reveal its own futility. Ultimately, we will see the unique Purpose that each fulfills in the greater Whole.

Each of us is far too complex (and valuable) to be identified by even a handful of labels. We do good to understand others on the basis of these labels, but we do better as we seek to understand the complexity of the individual. We must, however, progress beyond labels to ever-increasing complexity and unity of Purpose.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

I saw the above meme this morning. The list could certainly go on.

Early in my career (immediately following graduation from my first graduate program in exercise physiology) I worked at a racquet/fitness club where there was a salesman who was quite good at tearing down excuses for not joining. One of his best was the excuse of “no time.” He would pull apart your daily schedule—“How many hours do spend sleeping? …working? …eating? …watching T.V.? …?” Quite quickly, he would expose just how much time one had for exercise. He would demonstrate that “life is about choices.”

I have written several times lately about the effect that COVID-19 policies have had on obesity rates—now nearing 40% of the US population; an average weight gain of 29 lb over the period of COVID-19. Indeed, policies can be faulted, but…. Each of us decides for ourselves whether we would move or sit during the lockdowns (which, incidentally, were not for the entire period!). Each decided whether or not to snack on healthy foods or junk food. Many of us were working from home and had a choice of how to use the time gained by not commuting. There was certainly opportunity. It is true that the opportunity was greater for some than others and factors such as geography and socioeconomics play a role, but ultimately, we do make the choices within our circumstances.

As a society, we not only have to make the best individual choices given our circumstances, but we also have to support policies and decisions that best affect the community at-large. We must do better.

Individually, we can take more responsibility. Consider what choices we make and own these. Small personal choices can have big impacts. Lack of opportunity? Really or are we creating excuses? There are always choices (choices beyond just diet and exercise—choices that affect our Spiritual, Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, and Social well-centeredness). Choose wisely.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

Kudos to those who have maintained their exercise habits over the last 20 months during the pandemic. I applaud those who have dramatically transformed themselves during this time. (Several friends have lost in excess of 50 pounds!) Still the data show that Americans on average gained weight—29 lbs, including those who have lost weight!

“A Harris Poll from February concluded that 42 percent of American adults experienced weight gain since the beginning of the pandemic, with an average gain of 29 pounds.”¹

It is never too late to turn the tide. It is never more important that we turn the tide.

So, what do we have to do? Beside systemic changes in community planning, community health, health care, and public schools, we can begin with personal changes—small changes. We can begin with baby steps.

Assuming 3500 kcal per pound of fat, at an average gain of 29 pounds, the average American needs to create an average daily caloric deficit of 278 kcal. Honestly, when I went to calculate this, I thought the number would be more overwhelming. This is not a lot to cut. It is slightly more than a 20 oz sugared pop (soda). It is a package of chips or snack food. I is the average “serving” of alcohol. It is a little less on the plate at each meal. Moreover, it is beginning to meet the minimum daily activity levels. The average person takes 2,000 steps per mile. The CDC recommends a goal of 10,000 steps per day. Very few Americans meet these or the ACSM/AHA Guidance of 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week. Using the ‘100-kcal rule’ (i.e., for every mile walking, jogging, or running, the average person expends 100 kcal), one could suggest increases their current daily activity by 5,560 steps. This is cumulative, so it is just a matter of creating opportunity (or taking advantage of the opportunity) to move more—walking instead of driving, parking farther from your destination, taking stairs, instead of elevators or escalators, getting up and taking periodic movement breaks, etc., as well as initiating a daily exercise routine. Remember: baby steps.

I also stress the importance of resistance exercise to maintain or (better) build lean tissue. Lean mass is more metabolic (i.e., expends more energy) than fat. It also permits more physical activity to further improve body composition and health. It doesn’t require expensive equipment or gym memberships. Calisthenics or body-weight exercises can be quite effective—especially when the goals are more health-related than performance-related. The movements don’t have to be elaborate. Stick to variations of the basic-5 (squat, deadlift or hip-hinge, bench or horizontal press, horizontal/vertical pull, and overhead press) with a progressive overload (i.e., doing a little more each session). Strengthening exercises are often neglected in ‘weight-loss’ programs because, after all, we are focused on losing weight. Muscle increases body weight. So, let the scale guide your body composition changes, but don’t be overly focused on the numbers on the scale. Use the mirror, the fit of clothing, etc. to track your progress.

If you hear anything about BMI (body mass index; body weight in kilograms divided my height in meters-squared), take it with a grain of salt. Low BMI (what is often considered healthy) may, in fact, be unhealthy; and, certainly, a BMI greater than 30 kg·m^-2 is unhealthy unless you are an incredibly lean bodybuilder or powerlifter/athlete. A BMI of 24-26 kg·m^-2 is, in my professional opinion, the sweet spot for health. Much less and one is likely under-muscled (and can be under-fat or over-fat). Overall, if you are getting leaner (without pursuing ‘six-pack’ abs) and more muscled (hypertrophy + strength), you are getting healthier.

The road to better health is travelled a step at a time. It requires commitment and consistency. There are no shortcuts. There are no magical hack. The road is faster with hard work, but moderate effort will lead to optimal health. Daily. Moderation. Consistency. These are important words. The average American did not gain 29 pounds overnight. They won’t be lost overnight, as well. It won’t happen, though, without immediate and progressive change. If we take no steps, we will continue down a path of decreasing health—and, therefore, increasing hospitalizations (regardless of the status of one’s vaccinations and the variants of viral infection) and cost of health care). Without change, America will soon exceed an obesity rate of 40%!

If you have already started to make changes, congratulations! Stick to it. You can and your will succeed.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

¹https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/572357-number-of-states-with-high-obesity-prevalence-nearly-doubles-since-2018-cdc?fbclid=IwAR0zdljQ9Gf7VNpK5ewtXUpzW20ZepTSZ00G9gCVngui4AiNsBNT2CUIl3E

“Be faithful to that which exists within yourself.”—Andre Gide

I am feeling frustrated and uninspired going into the start of my Fall term teaching. I am feeling a burden of division and control that I have not experienced before. This is the first term back after four terms of remote teaching and having no face-to-face interaction with my students and colleagues.

I am not ordinarily an anxious person, but I am experiencing periods of anxiety—like the other shoe is going to suddenly drop. I am feeling the anxiety of losing what I do well. Nevertheless, I trust in my heart and my experience (and in my growing base of knowledge). I trust in my Purpose.

I know that there is no cost to being “faithful to that which exists within yourself.” There is only reward. Anything that appears to be a cost—a penalty—is only momentary. The reward of being faithful to oneself is eternal.

To be “faithful to that which exists within yourself” is not to be dogmatic or to cause division. It is not to resist growth and change. It is to act with integrity and conviction. It is to understand one’s Purpose (even when said Purpose is not entirely clear).

To be “faithful to that which exists within yourself” is not to be self-centered. Indeed, it is quite the opposite. It is to be other­-centered.

To be “faithful to that which exists within yourself” is to allow space for the soul to speak. It is to listen when it speaks.

I know my frustration will wane the moment I address my first class of students. After all, they are why I do what I do. They are my inspiration to do what I do the best I can—and to strive to do it better. Outside controls may affect how I do can or can’t do what I do, but what exists within me is what allows be the control over how I respond.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

I grew up with libraries, books, and the Encyclopedia. I remember in graduate school (Master’s degree time) having to take a list of descriptors to the Librarian to do a literature search. I would have to come back a day later to pick up the results (10¢ a hit—so you better pick your descriptors wisely). Prior to that, we had the Science Citation Index—volumes of bound citations that should make one grateful for the Internet). Today, of course, I can do it myself in minutes using the university library search tools. We also have Google Scholar. Nevertheless, it seems, most find their information via basic Internet searches (which are biased by your algorithms) or haphazardly from their social media feeds. We tend to be fed a constant diet of information that conforms to our narrative –furthering our confirmation biases. And adding to this narrowing of information is the practice of ‘shadow banning’ and censorship under the guise of “fact-checking” on social media. As such, we are fed a diet of controlled information.

I noticed the other day (actually, I noticed it quite a while ago) that those who would control information are quick to point out that studies that do not support their narrative are “not peer-reviewed”, but hide the fact when the study supports their narrative. The limitations of studies are identified when the results are contrary to one’s biases, but justified when the study supports said biases. All the while, these sources claim to “follow the science.” Science, however, is rarely cut-and-dry. Science tests hypotheses and draws conclusions from the cumulative results. In essences, it weighs the scales of supporting evidence. It addresses contrary evidence—and, sometimes, has to concede that the evidence is equivocal or that the hypothesis was not supported.

In the last 18-months, there seems to be a flood of studies that are released ahead of print. (I have one such paper that has released in January, but has still not gone “to print.”) In some cases, this is an advantage of the digital age. In some cases, this is confusing because it leads to a potential release of information prematurely. This is where we need to use critical thinking skills (and where I wish such skills were being more effectively taught in K-12!). “Pre-print” or “ahead of print” may or may not be “peer-reviewed.” In general, they have been and the status should be reported (and it often is—we just choose not to look). Peer-reviewed should be an indication that the article has been scrutinized by “experts” in the field. The level of scrutiny varies among journals, which makes it challenging to assess the information. Over all, we must scrutinize the information for ourselves. We must did deeper.

Often, the popular media will highlight one study, and this what we base our understanding on. In addition, the popular media are selective in the conclusions drawn from the one study. Unlike scientific reviews, they do not gather information from other studies (often contradictory studies) to draw conclusions. As a result, we are often misled. We are fed a narrative.

We must learn to gather information for ourselves. Our access is better than it was in the ‘60s and ‘70s with World Book or Britannica. We have the Internet, if we use it wisely. We have an accumulation of information, if we take the effort to dig through it. Scientific literature can be hard to read, but we can learn. A great starting point in gathering information is to read peer-reviewed scientific review papers (and meta-analysis papers) on a given topic—and following up with articles cited in the bibliography. We can read books rather than “book.” We can read that which challenges our biases with an open mind. We can (must) question all that we have been taught and (especially) all the information we are being fed. It just takes a little effort and critical thinking.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!!

I grew up with Sesame Street—when the show was very new. I grew up with the “letter of the day.” So, today’s letter of the day is J. Why J? Because it is a letter I don’t think we are hearing enough about in our current media. Specifically, I want to talk about “Neiman’s J.”^3-5

I have written about Neiman’s J several times. Interestingly (for me at least), I keep seeing it—the J-shape curve—appear in papers relating to BMI, exercise, etc. as these relate to infection, hospitalization, admission to the ICU, ventilation, and death in the current health crisis.^1-2 Consistently, these and other studies suggest moderation. Moderate exercise—exceeding the proposed guidelines, but not to an extreme. Moderate body composition—healthy, not over-fat and not under-muscled (the ideal result of maintaining Neiman’s J of physical activity). Healthy eating. No smoking. Low-to-moderate consumption of alcohol. Seven to eight hours of sleep nightly.

We don’t hear about these preventative health measures. A friend shared an article in The Atlantic⁶ about the you-know-what and how it is here forever and “this is how we live with it.” The subtitle was: “We can’t avoid the virus for the rest of our lives, but we can minimize its impact.” Frankly, I found nothing of value in the article. It suggests that through vaccination or infection (preferably vaccination) the virus will transition to an endemic—much like the flu and common cold. But, accepting that the virus will go the way of other viruses is not going to solve much. People still get very sick from virus like the cold and flu. People still die. Neiman’s J, however, tells us that we can minimize our risk of infection. The extensive work in exercise immunology informs us that we can make ourselves less-hospitable hosts to viral infection. Diet, exercise, and weight loss do not zero our risk, but they do significantly impact our risk of severe infection. They should be addressed in our pandemic preparedness!

The vaccine is effective in flattening the J in the short term. It keeps the ends of the J out of the hospital (and the morgue).

In the long-term, we want to be moving toward the base of the J—where the risk of infection is lowest. This should be a priority in pandemic preparedness. It should be a public health priority. Moving to the base of the J will significantly reduce health care costs across the country. It warrants significant consideration.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

¹Gao, M., Piernas, C., Astbury, N. M., Hippisley-Cox, J., O’Rahilly, S., Aveyard, P., & Jebb, S. A. (2021). Associations between body-mass index and COVID-19 severity in 6·9 million people in England: a prospective, community-based, cohort study. The Lancet (online). doi: 10.1016/S2213-8587(21)00089-9

²Kompaniyets, L., Goodman, A. B., Belay, B., Freedman, D. S., Sucosky, M. S., Lange, S. J., Gundlapalli, A. V., Boehmer, T. K., & Blanck, H. M. (2021). Body Mass Index and Risk for COVID-19-Related Hospitalization, Intensive Care Unit Admission, Invasive Mechanical Ventilation, and Death—United States, March-December, 2020. Morbidity and Mortality Report, 70:1-8.

³Nehlsen-Cannarella, S. L., Neiman, D. C., Balk-Lamberton, A. J., Markoff, P. A., Chritton, D. B., Gusewitch, G., & Lee, J. W. (1991) The effects of moderate exercise training on immune response. Med Sci Sports Exerc 23(1):64-70.

⁴Neiman, D. C. (1990) The effects of moderate exercise training on natural killer cells and acute upper respiratory tract infections. Int J Sports Med 11(16):467-473.

⁵Nieman, D. C. (1994) Exercise, upper respiratory tract infection, and the immune system. Med Sci Sports Exerc 26:128-139.

⁶https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2021/08/how-we-live-coronavirus-forever/619783/?utm_campaign=the-atlantic&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR2ydXHKvxPUFpnQDJm5CZRlapB0yKXCMBi0TPX-rsiSrQVoYpyT2nnxIF8

Last night I watched The Tomorrow’s War, starring Chris Pratt. An entertaining movie, albeit with questionable physics. It got me thinking about COVID-19. (Do we really need a prompt to get us thinking about current pandemic?) It got me thinking: Could we prevent the hospitalizations and death toll, if we could travel back 30 years? If we knew 30 years ago that there was a way to minimize the devastation, would we act accordingly?

According to Mokdad and others (1999)¹:

“The prevalence of obesity (defined as a body mass index ≥30 kg/m²) increased from 12.0% in 1991 to 17.9% in 1998. A steady increase was observed in all states; in both sexes; across age groups, races, educational levels; and occurred regardless of smoking status. The greatest magnitude of increase was found in the following groups: 18- to 29-year-olds (7.1% to 12.1%), those with some college education (10.6% to 17.8%), and those of Hispanic ethnicity (11.6% to 20.8%). The magnitude of the increased prevalence varied by region (ranging from 31.9% for mid Atlantic to 67.2% for South Atlantic, the area with the greatest increases) and by state (ranging from 11.3% for Delaware to 101.8% for Georgia, the state with the greatest increases).”

Current statistics suggest that the current prevalence of obesity in the United States exceeds 36%. Interesting, those who were 18- to 29-year-olds in 1998 (who saw the greatest increases in obesity) are now 41 to 52 years old. The highest rates of obesity in 1998 were in 50- to 59-year-olds (23.8%), who are now 73 to 82 years old—at the cusps of the highest risks for hospitalization and death from COVID-19.

We know that obesity is a central factor in the severity of COVID-19 infection—along with the prevalence of pre-existing conditions associated with COVID-19. Obesity is a complex problem that is not easily solved by telling people to eat right, exercise, and lose weight. It is not a problem of will or a problem of genetics. It is an economic and social problem that requires a community solution. What was happening from 1991-1998 to feed the growing prevalence of obesity had started before the early ‘80s and has persisted (i.e., magnified) until today.

If we could travel back to 1991, knowing what we know today, could we have turned the tide of obesity and hypokinetic disease and spared millions from the traumatic effects of the SARS-CoV-2 virus? Would we have been willing to change society?

We can’t change the past, but we can affect the future. We can reverse the trends. We must reverse the trends. The cost of obesity and its associated health issues (hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, respiratory illness, cancer, etc.) already approach trillions of dollars annually. These costs were only magnified by the COVID-19 pandemic. Sadly, I see little commitment among the federal and state governments to address the issue. There are no such preventative strategies in the President’s 27-page Pandemic Preparedness Plan². It is also not what I would consider a “plan” per se. We, indeed, need an Apollo-style commitment to a healthy America. Perhaps a commitment to developing time-travel should be considered.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

¹Mokdad, A. H., Serdula,  M. K., Dietz, W. H, et al. (1999). The spread of the Obesity Epidemic in the United States, 1991-1998. JAMA, 282(16):1519-1522.

²https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/American-Pandemic-Preparedness-Transforming-Our-Capabilities-Final-For-Web.pdf

September 11, 2001 the people of these United States of America we brought together by two towers and four planes. Twenty years later, are we any greater as a nation? Any more United? Where do we stand? Is the world any better for how we responded and how we remember? These are questions we must ask ourselves.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!