Motion Health & Fitness

Category: Ponte Vedra personal trainers

  • Honor Your Body Clock, Create Circadian Alignment

    Honor Your Body Clock, Create Circadian Alignment

    Scientists have isolated the body-clock genes that control 24-hour light-dark circadian rhythm, and it’s now known that every cell in the body has a synchronized clock. 
     
    The 2017 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine was awarded to three scientists who discovered the body clock gene and its critical role in metabolic function. In a world of 24/7 non-stop chaotic eating, relentless stress, continuous screen-gazing, sedentary lifestyle and sleep deprivation, time has become irrelevant. These constant 21st century disruptions of the powerful cellular body clock cycles (aka, circadian rhythm) are wreaking life-threatening havoc on mental and physical health, resulting in obesity, metabolic syndrome, cancer and diabetes.
     
    “We didn’t realize at the time that this clock would be represented all over the body in many different tissues and control so many different biological processes that we go through every day,” says Michael Young MD, 2017 Nobel Laureate in Medicine and Physiology. “It left us with the understanding that our whole bodies are rhythmically active.”  
     
    Circadian Alignment is when the central and peripheral clocks are aligned: bright light during daytime, sleep at night, and food intake during daytime. Circadian Misalignment is when the central and peripheral clocks are misaligned: light at night, sleep during daytime, and food intake at night.
     
    This misalignment has become normalized. According to a recent study of the eating habits of more than 34,000 U.S. adults, nearly 60 percent said it was normal for them to eat after 9 p.m. 
     
    Yet, time-restricted eating (12-16 hours of non-eating) has proven to be the best match to our circadian clocks. This means we need to eliminate nocturnal eating. We should stop eating by 6-7pm and not eat again for at least 12 hours (14 hours is the sweet spot).
     
    Our bodies have evolved to process nutrients during the day, and to conserve energy at night. The body uses energy to repair all of its systems at night, while we sleep. Disrupting that natural rhythm can cause problems.
     
    Several studies have found, for instance, that eating dinner within three hours of bedtime may worsen heartburn or acid reflux symptoms. And limited research has suggested that eating one to three hours before bedtime is associated with more disrupted sleep.
     
    The most intriguing research on late-night eating, however, has focused on its relationship with body weight and metabolic health.
     
    In one 2019 study of nearly 900 middle-aged and older U.S. adults, researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston found that those who consumed roughly 100 calories or more within two hours of bedtime were about 80 percent more likely to be overweight or to have obesity than those who did not eat during that window. Researchers have found similar results in adults in Sweden and Japan.
     
    And in a 2023 study of more than 850 adults in Britain, those who regularly snacked after 9 p.m. had higher levels of HbA1c, a marker for diabetes risk, and greater spikes in blood sugars and fats after daytime meals than those who did not typically consume late-night snacks.
     
    Research has also found that carbohydrates consumed in the evening result in greater blood sugar spikes than those consumed earlier in the day. That is in part because melatonin, a sleep-promoting hormone that increases in the evening, dampens the secretion of insulin, which regulates blood sugar levels. Elevated blood sugars could eventually damage blood vessels and increase the risk of developing high blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes.
     
    Research suggests that it’s best to avoid eating for three to four hours before your usual bedtime. We should be eating during an 8-12 hour window, allowing 12-16 hours for regeneration. We should also be sleeping for 7-8 hours each night. 
     
    A regular bed time is critical for your health and wellness, as is a regular waking time. Additionally, sleeping too long can affect your ability to fall asleep that night. After a good night’s sleep, most people need to be awake around 16 hours before they feel sleepy again.
     
    Going to sleep between 10:00 pm and 11:00 pm is associated with a lower risk of developing heart disease compared to earlier or later bedtimes, according to a recent study by the European Society of Cardiology. Early or late bedtimes may be more likely to disrupt the body’s circadian clock, with adverse consequences for cardiovascular health, according to the study’s authors.
     
    The incidence of cardiovascular disease was highest in those with sleep times at midnight or later (25% higher risk) and lowest in those with sleep onset from 10:00 to 10:59 pm. There was also a 24% higher risk for falling asleep before 10:00 pm. Yes, the body clock is that precise and sensitive. 
     
    Humans are not nocturnal animals; we are diurnal. We need to honor our innate body clock by eating and sleeping in a manner that naturally suits us and promotes health.
  • What Is Your Body Type?

    What Is Your Body Type?

    One’s body type, or somatotype, describes their body composition or the amount of muscle and fat their body tends to comprise. There are three body types — endomorph, mesomorph, and ectomorph — and each is related to overall body composition. 
     
    Endomorphs have bodies that are rounded and soft (think apple or pear shaped), with shorter, thicker arms and legs; mesomorphs are athletic and muscular; and ectomorphs are slender, with thin arms and legs. 
     
    More specifically, endomorphs are stocky, with a larger midsection and hips. Their bodies hold more fat, which is easy to gain and difficult to lose. Endomorphs have a slower metabolism and are more likely to be sedentary. Though they may be heavy and carry lots of body fat, endomorphs can be quite strong. Participants in strongman competitions are likely to be endomorphs.  
     
    Mesomorphs have athletic, muscular bodies, with broad shoulders and narrow waists. They have a higher metabolism and can gain muscle and lose fat fairly easily. Most athletes in sports that require speed, strength, power and coordination tend to be mesomorphs. Most people who exercise would like to have a mesomorphic body, whether that’s realistic or not.
     
    Ectomorphs have narrow shoulders and hips, with longer limb segments. They are the classic ’skinny’ body type. They have a very high metabolism that makes it difficult to gain either muscle or fat. Ectomorphs seem to able to eat almost anything and everything without gaining an ounce. As athletes, ectomorphs are likely to be distance runners. However, they aren’t likely to excel at sports requiring power and strength. 
     
    However, most people are some combination of these body types. For example, one might be a cross between an endomorph and a mesomorph, or a cross between an ectomorph and a mesomorph. For each of these body types, an appropriate diet makes a big difference in the results they will get from a workout program.
     
    One study, published in the National Center for Biotechnology Information, found that men were most likely to be endomorphic/mesomorphs and women were most likely to be mesomorph/endomorphs. Another study of men and women, also published in the National Center for Biotechnology Information, found that the average distribution of somatotypes is 51.6% endomorphic/mesomorphs, which was by far the highest percentage found in the study. In fact, 65% of men in this study were endomorphic/mesomorphs. Next up were mesomorph/endomorphs (17.1% ), and mesomorphic/endomorphs (16.7%). After that, the percentages for each cross type fell into the low single digits (6.1% balanced mesomorphs, and 3.0% ectomorphic/mesomorphs). The study also showed that somatotype classification is not static and can shift over time. So, we can eat and train in a way that will change our bodies. 
     
    Those who are predominately ectomorphic need a diet and training program that focuses on protein intake and muscle mass gain. Since it is difficult for these people to put on mass and maintain it, their workouts should focus on building muscle (hypertrophy) and strength. There should be less focus on cardiorespiratory training and calorie burning. Ectomorphs need to focus on getting adequate calories and high-quality nutrition that will help them gradually gain mass. Ectomorphs need high levels of protein in the range of 1.2 to 1.6 grams per kilogram body weight per day, which is optimal for muscle growth. Since ectomorphs can eat virtually anything without gaining weight, they need to be careful of eating junk foods/calories that are absent nutrition. Quality still counts for ectomorphs. Fats and carbohydrates can be eaten in copious amounts, but the nutritional value of everything eaten still matters, even if fat gain is not an issue. Meals should be eaten frequently throughout the day. Protein shakes can be a helpful way to get adequate protein and calories. 
     
    Those who are primarily endomorphic need a diet that focuses on reduced calorie intake, limited carbohydrates, higher protein, and frequent training sessions to stimulate metabolism. Workouts that focus on aerobic capacity and cardiovascular function should be prioritized. In the gym, interval training and circuits can be utilized to raise heart rate and improve metabolic conditioning. Rest periods should be minimized. Additionally, endomorphs should do cardiovascular exercise most days of the week and should at least take a long walk every day. Avoiding a sedentary lifestyle is critical. 
     
    Mesomorphs not only have the physique that most others aspire to, they also have an easier time with both eating and training. They carry more muscle and therefore have a higher metabolism too. They get great results with less work. They gain muscle mass rather easily and quickly. On the other hand, they don’t gain fat easily, despite eating high calorie diets. Mesomorphs need a high protein diet in the range of 1.2 to 1.6 grams per kilogram body weight per day, perhaps even higher in some cases. The balance can come from a variety of healthy carbs and fats. 
     
    Through sheer force of will, strict dieting and dedicated, focused training, some endomorphs and ectomorphs can take on the physical qualities or mesomorphs. It’s hard work — a lot harder than for mesomorphs themselves — but it can be done. Again, you need to train hard and often, and you need to focus on your diet, with a strong emphasis on your macronutrient composition, with a high percentage (25%-35%) of proteins.  
  • Loneliness Has Become Endemic and It’s Harming Our Health

    Loneliness Has Become Endemic and It’s Harming Our Health

    lone·li·ness| ˈlōnlēnəs | noun
    sadness because one has no friends or company: feelings of depression and loneliness. 
    • the fact of being without companions; solitariness: the loneliness of a sailor’s life.
     
    We’ve all felt lonely from time to time in our lives. But there’s something much deeper going right now, and it’s really troubling.
     
    Loneliness rates are now at unprecedented highs. Multiple studies show that we’re in the midst of a growing loneliness epidemic. Even before the pandemic, nearly half of all Americans said they were lonely. 
     
    Covid only made the problem worse. Data collected in December 2021 found that 58% of US adults considered themselves lonely. Yet, the end of the pandemic surely hasn’t made loneliness go away.
     
    With young adults, the problem of loneliness is even more pervasive. In a recent survey conducted by Cigna, researchers found that almost 80% of young adults from the ages of 18 to 24 reported feeling lonely.  
     
    However, loneliness isn’t just an American phenomena. It’s becoming a public health emergency in other nations too, so much so that countries like Japan and the United Kingdom have appointed Ministries of Loneliness to tackle the problem in recent years. There are good reasons for these concerted national efforts.
     
    Chronic loneliness and isolation can harm both mental and physical health, contributing to conditions such as obesity, inactivity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, anxiety and poor sleep, which increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke.
     
    Yes, loneliness actually takes a toll on our physical health. Loneliness can double the risk of Type 2 diabetes and has been linked to increased inflammation, heart disease, stroke and even premature death. Quite famously, a 2010 study by Brigham Young University found that loneliness shortens a person’s life by 15 years. Remarkably, chronically lonely people tend to have an 83% higher mortality risk than those who feel less isolated.
     
    “Our epidemic of loneliness and isolation has been an underappreciated public health crisis that has harmed individual and societal health,” says US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy. He details how much social disconnection increases the risk of certain health issues: heart disease (29 percent), stroke (32 percent) and dementia (50 percent). All because we lack connection with others. We are fundamentally built for social connection. It’s hardwired into our human operating system. 

    Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram were supposedly going to solve this, but it seems just the opposite has happened. Studies reveal that the more time people spend on their devices, the more lonely they often feel. People are more connected now than ever — through phones, social media, Zoom, etc. — yet loneliness continues to rise. Among the most digitally connected — teenagers and young adults — loneliness nearly doubled between 2012-2018, coinciding with the explosion in social media use.
     
    Anywhere you go in the world, the evidence shows that people who are more socially connected, people who interact and intentionally spend time with their friends and family members, are happier.
     
    Neuroscience has validated the importance of connections and illustrates how the human brain is hardwired to form personal connections. For example, scientists describe how people’s experiences leave a physical imprint on their brains.
     
    Experiences involving important social connections, such as love, friendship and family bonds, or those involving shame and trauma, physically register in the brain along neuropathways. Studies validate the influence of relational connections on physical and emotional well-being.
     
    Social connections are so essential to the health and well-being of humans that they share a neurological pathway with physical pain. The human body and mind do not differentiate between physical pain and social rejection or isolation in terms of the amount of stress placed on the body. Brain‐imaging studies have demonstrated that neglect by one’s peers stimulates the same areas of the brain as does physical pain.
     
    This is a real problem because less than half of American men report being satisfied with their friendships, and only about 1 in 5 said they had received emotional support from a friend in the last week, compared with 4 in 10 women, according to a 2021 survey from the Survey Center on American Life.
     
    Thirty years ago, a majority of men (55%) reported having at least six close friends. Today, that number has been cut in half. Slightly more than one in four (27%) men now have six or more close friends. Fifteen percent of men have no close friendships at all, a fivefold increase since 1990. 
     
    One large survey showed that the number of Americans who say they have zero close friends has quadrupled in the past 30 years. The numbers are especially bleak for men, with only 48% saying they are satisfied with the number of friends they have. 
     
    It’s important to get connected with real people in real life, not just online or on social media. Reach out to old friends and re-cultivate lost or faded friendships. When you do go online, look for local groups that share your interests; Meet Up is a good example. There are men’s groups and men’s circles, for example, that provide a sense of kinship and belonging. 
     
    There are many, many reasons to avoid isolation and loneliness. Reach out. Get connected. 
  • Stress Can Undermine Weight Loss and Increase Weight Gain

    Stress Can Undermine Weight Loss and Increase Weight Gain

    If you’re a stress eater (i.e., you eat to cope with stress), restricting calories can cause even more stress.

    If you eat a little less than your body needs, it can help you lose weight and body fat without sacrificing performance or wellbeing.

    However, eating a lot less, especially for a long time, and especially when you have major recovery needs—like hard athletic training or recovering from surgery—can actually thwart proper recovery. It can even cause your body to turn down the thermostat, restricting calorie burning. In essence, your body goes into preservation mode.

    Food is meant to nourish the body and the right amounts are vital to athletes. An excessive or chronic caloric deficit can impair performance, decrease lean muscle mass, and lead to a host of other issues ranging from hormonal imbalances to immune deficiencies.

    You need to eat enough to support your physiological needs. Unfortunately, most Americans (truly, the majority) eat well beyond their physiological needs. Stress is a common culprit.

    Cutting too many calories all at once can be very stressful and leave a person feeling like they’re starving. That’s not a formula for successful weight loss or athletic performance.

    It’s best to taper slowly, gradually reducing your caloric intake. Say, for example, that you (or your coach or nutritionist) determine that you should be eating 2,000 calories per day (I chose this because it’s a round number that’s easy to work with). Let’s also say that you discover, through the use of a food app, that you’re actually eating about 2,600 calories per day, which is why you’re overweight. 

    You’re best off tapering to 2,400 calories for about two weeks, and then dropping down 2,200 for another two weeks before finally settling in at your proper intake of 2,000 calories per day. This gradual step-down will keep your body from going into starvation mode and keep you from feeling hungry all the time, which will undermine your efforts. 
     
    Calorie requirements are highly individualized. An ideal daily intake of calories varies depending on age, metabolism and levels of physical activity, among other things. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans provide calorie estimates for men and women based on age and activity level. For example, these guidelines note that the general recommended intake for adult women ranges from 1,600 to 2,400 calories daily, while men often require 2,000 to 3,000 calories a day to maintain healthy body weights.  
     
     
     
    Sedentary people need fewer calories because sitting is not very demanding, and most Americans are quite sedentary. According to a study reported by the American College of Sports Medicine, American adults, ages 20 to 75, reported spending an average of 9.5 hours sedentary each day, and most of this time was accumulated at work and during leisure-time. Then factor in that most of us sleep 7-8 hours per night. 
     
    Harvard Medical School says that sedentary adults require 13 calories for each pound of their body weight on a daily basis. For example, a sedentary 130-pound woman needs about 1,700 calories, while a 175-pound, inactive man requires about 2,300 calories daily to maintain a healthy body weight.
     
    Yet, those numbers are to maintain body weight. If you need to lose weight, you’ll need to lower your caloric intake. The University of Washington suggests that overweight adults need 10 calories per pound of their desirable body weight to move toward that healthier weight. For example, an overweight woman with a goal weight of 130 pounds needs 1,300 calories daily, while an obese man trying to reach 175 pounds needs about 1,750 calories daily to reach his goal.
     
    Again, any caloric reduction should be done slowly and gradually. Give your body — particularly your stomach and brain, which communicate hunger signals — time to adapt. Initially, at least, focus on eating slowly and eating more whole foods, instead of just eating smaller portions. After a week or two of these adjustments, you can begin to focus on portion sizes and limiting caloric intake, which should accelerate your weight loss. Being hungry all the time will cause a backlash and result in bad food choices and, ultimately, overeating. 
     
    Highly-processed foods, aka “junk” foods, are typically loaded with sugar, fat, and sodium. Beyond that, they often harm the microbiome, the delicate balance of microorganisms in the gut, which contributes to various health problems. Highly-processed foods are also associated with increased systemic inflammation. 
     
    If you can gradually shift to to eating more whole, minimally-processed foods more often, you’ll be on the right track. Don’t do it all at once and don’t be militant about it. Slowly cut your calories to a number that suits your sex, age and activity level. 
     
    Don’t restrict food to the point that it causes anxiety or stress. That will prove to be unproductive and will undermine your goals. Simply put, don’t deprive yourself. By eating more slowly, and eating foods that are high in protein and fiber, which are more filling, you can become more attuned to hunger sensations and learn to stop before overeating. 
     
    Lastly find healthier ways to cope with stress that don’t involve eating, such as taking a walk, doing a crossword puzzle, talking to a close friend or loved one, or even meditating. Stress is part of life; don’t let it undermine you. 
     
    Be compassionate with yourself. Be on your own side and don’t be so judgmental. Good things — the fruits of your labor — take time to manifest. Keep moving forward and know that your sustained efforts will pay off. Be patient and remain focused. 
  • Adverse Childhood Experiences Have Adverse Effects on Adult Health

    Adverse Childhood Experiences Have Adverse Effects on Adult Health

    In 1985, Dr. Vincent Felitti was running an obesity program at his San Diego-based clinic. He discovered that the people most likely to drop out of the program were the ones successfully losing weight. Upon further inquiry, Dr. Felitti found that 55% of the people in the program acknowledged a history of childhood sexual abuse. Many of the women indicated that they believed their physical size helped to ward off sexual advances from men. For these women, excess weight was meant to be protective. For them, losing weight was not deemed helpful.
     
    Backing Felitti’s findings, longitudinal studies suggest that self-reported physical and sexual abuse during childhood greatly increase one’s risk for severe obesity in adulthood. One analysis using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health found more than double the risk for abused females and more than triple for abused males, compared to individuals with no history of abuse.
     
    This made Dr. Felitti, the founder of the Department of Preventive Medicine at Kaiser Permanente, wonder whether adverse experiences prior to one’s 18th birthday could be related to other negative health outcomes in adulthood. So, he initiated a study to find out.
     
    Now one of the world’s foremost experts on childhood trauma, Dr. Felitti is the co-principal investigator of the internationally recognized Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study, a long-term, in-depth, analysis of more than 17,000 middle-class adults, 75% of whom were white. Done in conjunction with the CDC, the ACE study was conducted at Kaiser Permanente from 1995 to 1997.
     
    Again, the participants were largely white, middle-class adults, and they were mostly educated people. In fact, 39.3% were college graduates or higher, and 35.9% had attended at least some college.
     
    The ACE study found that traumatic experiences in childhood, which are often protected for many years by shame and secrecy, can play out a half-century later in terms of emotional state, disease, and even life expectancy. The ACE study examined 10 categories of adverse childhood experiences due to their prevalence:
     
    1. Physical abuse
    2. Sexual abuse
    3. Verbal/emotional abuse
    4. Physical neglect
    5. Emotional neglect
    6. Witnessing a mother being abused
    7. A family member who is depressed, suicidal or diagnosed with other mental illness
    8. A family member who is addicted to alcohol or another substance
    9. Losing a parent to separation, divorce or death
    10. A family member who is in prison
     
    The ACEs study found a strong association between the number of adverse childhood experiences and later-life mental and physical health problems, such as heart disease, COPD, higher rates of STDs, and even premature death.
     
    Adverse childhood experiences dramatically increase the risk for seven of the 10 leading causes of death in the US. In high doses, they affect brain development, the immune system, hormonal systems, and even the way that DNA is read and transcribed. People who are exposed to very high doses have triple the lifetime risk of heart disease and lung cancer, and a significant difference in life expectancy.
     
    The ACEs study found that 67% of the population had at least one ACE; almost 25% of American adults have been exposed to three or more ACEs; and 12.6% (1 in 8) had four or more ACEs. The higher the ACE score, the worse the health outcomes are.
     
    In a middle-class population, one in 11 people experienced six or more of those adverse experiences in childhood. A so-called ACE score of six (experiencing any six of the 10 categories) made that person 4,600% more likely to become an IV drug user than a person who had experienced none of those categories. An ACE score of six also produces a likelihood of attempting suicide that is between 3,100%-5,000% greater than someone with none of these categories.
     
    An ACE score of six also shortens life expectancy by about 20 years.
     
    The findings showed that people who experienced four or more adverse childhood events (1 in 8 people) had:
     
    • Increased risk for smoking, alcoholism and drug abuse
    • Increased risk for depression and suicide attempts
    • Poor self-rated health
    • 50 or more sexual partners
    • Greater likelihood of sexually transmitted disease
    • Challenges with physical inactivity and severe obesity
     
    These individuals end up with a great likelihood of disease states in adulthood for two primary reasons:
     
    1. The use of various coping devices (i.e., smoking, drinking and overeating) that become destructive over time and
    2. The effect of chronic, major unrelieved stress on the brain and CNS can produce a chronic release of pro-inflammatory chemicals into the body and suppress the immune system.
     
    The good news is that ACEs can be screened, prevented and healed. Validating one’s existing strengths and protective factors is important. Some of the strategies that can be employed include:
     
    • Supportive relationships, including other family members and peers
    • High-quality, sufficient sleep
    • Balanced nutrition
    • Regular physical activity
    • Mindfulness and meditation
    • Experiencing nature
    • Mental health care, including psychotherapy or psychiatric care, and substance use disorder treatment, when indicated
     
    The widespread nature of adverse childhood experiences is a reminder that you never know what someone is going through at any given moment or why. It’s a reminder for us to refrain from judgement, and to always be kind.
  • Why It’s Critical to Manage Your Stress

    Why It’s Critical to Manage Your Stress

    There may be an even greater risk to your heart’s health than high blood pressure, high LDL cholesterol, smoking, diabetes, obesity and physical inactivity. Chronic psychological stress may be more dangerous to heart health than each of these traditional cardiac risk factors.
     
    A recent study, published in JAMA, found that mental stress took a significantly greater toll on the hearts and lives of heart patients than did physical stress. The patients were more likely to suffer a non-fatal heart attack or die of cardiovascular disease in the years that followed.
     
    A previous study of patients from 52 countries found that those who experienced a high level of psychological stress during the year before they entered the study were more than twice as likely to suffer a heart attack during an average follow-up of five years, even when traditional risk factors were taken into account.
     
    The study, known as Interheart, showed that psychological stress is an independent risk factor for heart attacks, similar in heart-damaging effects to the more commonly measured cardiovascular risks.
     
    Stress is a profound, yet underrated, factor in the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Stress, itself, exacerbates cholesterol levels, raises blood pressure and heart rate, and often creates the kind of pressure that prevents a person from engaging in adequate self-care activities.
     
    Science has shown that an unrelenting barrage of stress hormones can break down the body, leading to obesity, disease, depression and more. Stress hormones have a profound effect on the brain. They actually change the brain, alter behavior and impact mental health. There’s growing evidence indicating that depressive illness and hostility are both associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and other systemic disorders.
     
    Ultimately, stress affects us in every way — body, mind, emotions and behavior. Here’s how:
     
    Stress can negatively affect the immune system, skin, hormones, bones, brain, heart, gut and muscles.
     
    The effects of stress in the body can manifest in many ways: headaches, frequent infections, tight muscles, muscle twitches, fatigue, skin irritations and poor breathing, for example.
     
    Stress can also affect our minds in the form of: worrying, impaired judgement, nightmares, indecision, negativity and hasty decisions, for example.
     
    Stress affect our emotions in the the following ways: loss of confidence, irritability, depression, apathy, alienation and apprehension, for example.
     
    Stress can also affect our behavior in the following ways: insomnia, restlessness, drinking more, smoking more, loss of appetite and loss of sex drive, for example.
     
    Stress affects our nervous system and raises cortisol levels, which can affect metabolism, blood pressure, heart rate and the immune system. Continually high cortisol levels result in weight gain, digestive problems, heart disease and a suppressed immune system.
     
    The immune system is designed to ward off these problems. However, the stress hormone cortisol is known to interfere with immune functioning. So, it’s important to find healthy ways to mitigate and manage your stress.
     
    It should be noted that not all stress is bad, however. Good stress allows us to respond to an immediate challenge with a burst of energy that focuses the mind. And transient stress is a response to daily frustrations that resolve quickly. The problem is chronic stress, which results from a toxic, unrelenting barrage of challenges that eventually breaks down the body.
     
    What can you do to mitigate the effects of chronic stress and/or anxiety?
     
    Regular physical exercise can help to tamp down stress and the body-wide inflammation it can cause. Research shows that exercise lowers anxiety levels, and it does it rather quickly — in about 10 minutes. Exercise is a great way to bring wellness to your brain. A single workout increases neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin and noradrenaline, and these mood boosters can also improve your memory and focus for up to three hours afterwards. So, exercise helps your mental health, as well as your cognition.
     
    A healthy, balanced diet can also help to relieve stress. What you put into your body affects you, for better or worse, in myriad ways. Sugar and processed foods can lead to inflammation throughout the body and brain, which may contribute to mood disorders, including anxiety and depression. Yet, when we’re feeling stressed or depressed, it’s often processed foods that we reach for as a means of coping. This just creates a feedback loop. 
     
    Adequate nightly sleep is also a stress reliever. On the other hand, poor sleep increases stress and promotes arterial inflammation. For this reason, developing good sleep habits can also reduce the risk of cardiovascular damage. Adopt a consistent pattern of bedtime and awakening, and avoid exposure at bedtime to screens that emit blue light, like smartphones and computers, or use blue-light filters for such devices.
     
    Maintaining a healthy social support network is also a critical means of stress management. Loneliness and isolation have been scientifically proven to be really bad for our health.
     
    Relaxation techniques, such as meditation, can result in a rebalancing of your hormone levels, including: increased serotonin (happiness hormone), increased endorphins (pain relief hormone), increased melatonin (sleep hormone), decreased adrenaline (action hormone), and deceased norepinephrine (fight or fight hormone), as well as the enhancement of your immune system. Simply put, meditation helps people reduce stress and build resilience.
     
    Controlled breathing has also been shown to reduce stress, increase alertness, and boost your immune system. Yogis have for ages long used breath control, or pranayama, to promote concentration and improve vitality.
     
    Studies have found that breathing practices can help reduce symptoms associated with anxiety, insomnia, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and attention deficit disorder.
     
    Consciously slowing your breath can turn on the parasympathetic nervous system, which can slow heart rate and promote feelings of calm and relaxation.
     
    A 2011 review article in Health Science Journal identified some of the potential health benefits of deep breathing techniques, particularly for deep breathing from the diaphragm. These include:
     
    • Reduced anxiety
    • Better stress management
    • Reduced hypertension
    • Decreased fatigue
    • Improved migraine symptoms
    • Reduced aggressive behavior in adolescent males
    • Reduced symptoms of asthma in children and adolescents
     
    Ultimately, techniques such as meditation and controlled breathing activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which calms the brain and body. These techniques can help you become calmer, while relieving anxiety and stress, which can lead to healthier physical, mental and emotional outcomes.
     
    We will never eliminate all stress from our lives, but we can seek to reduce it, better tolerate it, and recover from it. Whatever you do, find ways to lessen and manage your stress. It can have a significant impact on your health.
     
    Although stress is a part of life, doing the following things can help you manage your stress:
     
    • Recognize your stress
    • Take time for yourself
    • Practice deep breathing
    • Meditate
    • Exercise
    • Put Joy and laughter into your life
    • Eat healthy, nutritious foods
    • Avoid putting anything unhealthy in your body
    • Have good sleep habits
  • How to Slow Your Heart Rate and Promote Feelings of Calm

    How to Slow Your Heart Rate and Promote Feelings of Calm

    Our breath is the fundamental element of our life.
     
    Most people can comfortably hold their breath for 30 to 60 seconds. Some can safely hold it for as long 2 minutes. However, permanent brain damage usually begins after only 4 minutes without oxygen, and death can occur as soon as 4 to 6 minutes after that.
     
    Obviously, our breath is vital. Yet, we’re rarely conscious of it. Breathing is part of the autonomic nervous system, meaning that it is automatic and unconscious. The autonomic nervous system has two primary branches: The sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system.
     
    The sympathetic nervous system prepares the body for the “fight or flight” response during any potential danger. On the other hand, the parasympathetic nervous system inhibits the body from overworking and restores it to a calm and composed state. So, we can think of the sympathetic nervous system as the gas pedal and the parasympathetic nervous system as the brake pedal.
     
    The breath is really the quickest and most efficient way to affect and control the nervous system. By extending the exhalation longer than the inhalation, you generate parasympathetic activation and often a soothing, calming, steadying effect. This natural phenomenon is called respiratory sinus arrhythmia. As you exhale, the vagus nerve will slow down the heartbeat.
     
    So, consciously slowing your breath can ease the parasympathetic nervous system, which can slow your heart rate and promote feelings of calm.
     
    Studies have found that breathing practices can help reduce symptoms associated with anxiety, insomnia, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and attention deficit disorder (ADD).
     
    Normal respiration rates for adults at rest range from 12 to 16 breaths per minute, according to Johns Hopkins. It should be noted that 12 breaths per minute amounts to one breath every 5 seconds. Exceeding 12 breaths per minute is a sign of quick and shallow breathing.
     
    Unfortunately, we breathe a lot faster than previous generations did, and it’s really not good for us. Most American adults now breathe at a rate of 15-20 per minute. Yet, any breath rate above 12 per minute activates the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight). This means that most of us are in a constant state of fight or flight activation simply due to the way we breathe.
     
    Scientists are finding that breathing at the rate of about six exhalations per minute can be especially restorative, triggering a relaxation response in the brain and body. Some people can reduce their respiratory rate to this level using slow, mindful breathing techniques. 
     
    There is a direct relationship between respiration rate and heart rate. Exhalation – particularly when sustained longer than inhalation – slows your heart. Meanwhile, inhalation accelerates your heart. And the more your heart beats, the more respiration occurs. As the heart beats faster, it uses more energy and sends more oxygen to the body. For example, during exercise the respiratory rate will increase to about 40–60 breaths per minute.
     
    Breathing with your mouth, especially when you’re not exercising vigorously, is a sign of dysfunctional breathing.
     
    Nose breathing is more beneficial than mouth breathing, which is unnatural. Breathing through your nose can help filter out dust and allergens, boost your oxygen uptake, and humidify the air you inhale. Mouth breathing, on the other hand, can dry out your mouth, which may increase your risk of bad breath and gum inflammation.
     
    The nose produces nitric oxide, which improves your lungs’ ability to absorb oxygen. Nitric oxide also increases your ability to transport oxygen throughout your body, including inside your heart. It relaxes vascular smooth muscle and allows blood vessels to dilate.
     
    Nitric oxide is also antifungal, antiviral, antiparasitic, and antibacterial. Simply put, it helps the immune system fight infections.
     
    It is also believed that you absorb oxygen around 15 percent better when you exhale through your nose when compared to mouth breathing.
     
    So, breathing with your nose is preferable in many ways. Meanwhile, mouth breathing, as previously stated, is a sign of dysfunctional breathing.
     
    Inhaling with your chest is another common sign of dysfunctional breathing. If you notice that your chest is the first thing to move when you begin inhaling, it’s a sign that you’re engaging in shallow, upper chest breathing.
     
    A shallow or a quick breathing pattern is a sign that your diaphragmatic muscles may not be actively stabilizing your trunk, which can lead to poor posture and instability in your low back.
     
    Poor diaphragmatic control can cause the muscles in your chest and the front of your shoulders to become short and tight. If you find yourself slouching your head or shoulders forward, this can be a sign that you’re not activating your diaphragm when you breathe.
     
    You should be able to limit shoulder movement while breathing, keeping the shoulders from elevating. Elevating your shoulders when breathing causes upper chest breathing.
     
    Tight neck, chest, and shoulder muscles can cause shallow breathing. If you carry lots of tension in your shoulders and neck, this can be a sign that you engage in stressed and shallow breathing.
     
    Practice contracting your abdominal muscles as you breathe. Using your abdominals (part of your core) can help you breathe better. You should feel your abdominal muscles moving in and out as you breathe.
     
    A healthy breathing pattern allows your body to maintain a high metabolism and deliver oxygen to vital tissues. Shallow breathing increases both blood pressure and heart rate. In addition, if you breathe too fast or don’t inhale deeply enough, you can increase the pH of your blood, which can decrease the amount of blood getting to your brain and muscles, and result in less oxygen being released by the blood. This can make you feel tired and fatigued.
     
    So, though we typically take breathing for granted and pay little, if any, attention to it (unless we’re exercising), it really is a critical and fundamental element to good health and lower stress levels.
     
    The fact that slow, measured breathing can slow heart rate, promote feelings of calm, and help reduce symptoms associated with anxiety, insomnia, PTSD, depression, and ADD is all the reason we need to begin a regular, deliberate practice. Begin with the following:
     
    1. While standing or sitting, draw your elbows back slightly to allow your chest to expand.
     
    2. Take a deep inhalation through your nose for a count of four.
     
    3. Retain/hold your breath for a count of four.
     
    4. Using your belly muscles, exhale through your nose for a count of eight.
     
    5. Continue to breath like this for 2-5 minutes. See if you can eventually work your way up to 10 minutes.
     
    Utilizing this method should bring your breathing down to a rate of about six exhalations per minute, which scientists are finding to be especially restorative, triggering a relaxation response in the brain and body.
     
    Another useful technique is alternate nostril breathing, known as pranayama in India. This yogic technique also promotes relaxation and lowers heart rate.
     
    Alternate nostril breathing is best practiced on an empty stomach. Avoid the practice if you’re feeling sick or congested. Keep your breath smooth and even throughout the practice.
     
    1. Choose a comfortable seated position.
     
    2. After an exhale, use your right thumb to gently close your right nostril.
     
    3. Inhale through your left nostril and then close your left nostril with your middle or index finger.
     
    4. Release your thumb and exhale out through your right nostril.
     
    5. Inhale through your right nostril and then close this nostril.
     
    6. Release your finger to open your left nostril and exhale through this side.
     
    7. This is one cycle.
     
    8. Continue this breathing pattern for up to 5 minutes.
     
    9. Finish your session with an exhale on the left side.
     
    You can utilize these techniques any time you’re feeling stressed or anxious throughout the day. Try them both, or least one, every day. Naturally, you should discontinue these practices if you experience any feelings of discomfort or agitation.
  • Don’t Quit Working Out; Don’t Let Your Efforts Go To Waste

    Don’t Quit Working Out; Don’t Let Your Efforts Go To Waste

    An exercise program is viewed by many as akin to climbing a mountain; once you’ve reached the summit or goal, you walk back down to tell everyone about your accomplishment and celebrate.
     
    In reality, exercise is more like walking up a downward escalator; if you stop moving, you start losing ground and moving backward.
     
    For example, athletes can start to lose their muscle strength in about three weeks if they’re not working out, according to a 2013 study. Athletes typically lose less overall muscle strength during a break than non-athletes. Newbies and less frequent gym-goers will see declines more quickly and evidently.
     
    Strength and power will decrease before muscle size actually decreases, which occurs after 4-6 weeks of inactivity. This means your physique isn’t the first or best sign of the decline that results from an exercise layoff. Strength losses are deceptive.
     
    Your aerobic capacity (endurance) will also begin to decline after about a two-week layoff. In fact, detraining typically occurs faster with aerobic capacity than it does for muscular strength. A couple of days off can be good for recovery, especially if you’ve been working out really hard. It’s the longer breaks that should be avoided.
     
    So, if you’ve spent months working hard at the gym and getting yourself into shape, you can lose all your hard-earned gains after just a one-month layoff.
     
    I always tell people that it’s easier to stay in shape than it is to get in shape.
     
    The key is not to give up. You’ve worked too hard and spent too much time to let it all slip away.
     
    The reality is that there is no fitness savings account to bank on after you stop working out. Your fitness level accrues only as long as you maintain it. Once you stop, your ‘balance’ starts to fall. Fitness is an active and ongoing process. 
     
    The simple message is: Don’t quit! Exercise is really good for you, physically and mentally. Letting all those hard-earned gains just slip away is a bad idea and, ultimately, a recipe for disappointment and regret.
     
    Stay the course. Stay in Motion!
  • The Risks of Excessive Screen Time and ‘Sitting Disease’

    The Risks of Excessive Screen Time and ‘Sitting Disease’

    Always listen to your body. Never ignore the things it’s telling you; it has important information that you need to know and acknowledge. Pay attention to its cues. 
     
    As a 21st Century society, we sit far too much. Beware of so-called “sitting disease,” also known as the “desk sentence.”
     
    Constant sitting decreases your metabolism and is associated with increased risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer.
     
    Sitting disease:
     
    • Impairs your circulation
    • Compresses vital fluids (such as lymphatic fluid) and impacts cell growth
    • Leads to joint stiffness, low back pain, sciatica, hip pain, neck pain, and shoulder pain
     
    Over-eating and obesity are distress signals from your body; don’t ignore them. The health risks from over-eating and obesity are numerous and widely reported. Mindless over-eating is often associated with excessive screen time.
     
    Depriving yourself of sleep leads to cognitive impairment, a less efficient brain, over-eating, higher emotionality, increased anxiety, and delayed production of melatonin (the sleep hormone). Many people are sleep deprived due to an inability to limit screen time.
     
    As of 2020, it is estimated that one-third of the world’s population (2.6 billion) has myopia and that by 2050 it will affect half the global population. This short-sightedness is typically associated with excessive screen time and, in the worst cases, leads to blindness. Think I’m overstating the problem? Well, by 2050 myopia is projected to become the leading cause of permanent blindness worldwide. 
     
    Our inability to unplug and disengage from our digital devices is causing widespread stress, anxiety and self-reported depression. At this point, many people are all too familiar with “Zoom fatigue” and the associated energy loss. Many people feel they have no autonomy to determine when to disconnect. They even wake up at night to check work emails and/or text messages.
     
    This inability to disconnect has led to a lack of work/life balance, and longer work days that are uncompensated. This, in turn, has led to a long term loss of motivation.
     
    The overuse of social media has also led to more radical emotions, such as fear and outrage. It’s even led to lower self-esteem and body image.
     
    People are suffering from digital burnout and it’s little surprise that depression has risen. Researchers in a 2017 study found that adults who watched TV or used a computer for more than 6 hours per day were more likely to experience moderate to severe depression.
     
    The pandemic only made the situation worse.
     
    During the first year of the pandemic, April 2020-April 2021, the prevalence of people with depression or anxiety symptoms in America increased substantially — from about 11 percent of people in 2019 to close to 40 percent.
     
    We leave ourselves little to no time to recover from our digital overload because almost everything in our lives revolves around screen time. Consider all the things that people now do online:
     
    • Shopping
    • School
    • Mail
    • Work
    • Meetings
    • News
    • Arts
    • Sex
    • Movies
    • Bills
    • Chatting
    • Leisure/social media scrolling
     
    Some of these activities amount to using tech to relax from too much tech, which has led to what is called the “digital fatigue paradox.” More engagement simply leads to more stress. This is digital burnout.
     
    Give yourself a digital detox. Set aside time in the day when you check out and stop all screen time; give your eyes and brain a rest. Set a nighttime digital curfew. Turn off your phone at night and keep it off until the next morning. These aren’t novel ideas; this was normal, everyday life prior to the 21st Century.
     
    Take the initiative to get up and move more. A four-year study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine suggest that getting up and moving around every 30 minutes could help you avoid some of the health woes that come with sitting all day.
     
    Just set your phone alarm, Apple Watch or Fitbit to alert yourself to get up and move every 30 minutes (a paradox, huh?). It doesn’t need to be for more than a few minutes, but just the simple act of standing up and moving around will do you a lot of good.
     
    Even if you exercise vigorously on multiple days of the week, taking a daily 30-minute walk has enormous health benefits and can prevent chronic disease as you age. Walking is good for us orthopedically; we are meant to move.
     
    Just the simple act of walking also reduces stress, cheers you up (walking releases endorphins, your body’s happy hormones), and increases self-esteem. You’ll feel better about yourself just for doing it. And, if you leave your phone at home, it forces you to disconnect from screen time.
     
    We have more control over our health destiny than we might realize. We just need to take the wheel and steer.
  • How Much Muscle Can You Gain in a Year?

    How Much Muscle Can You Gain in a Year?

    When people gain weight through a committed strength training program, it involves more than just added muscle mass. A 10-to 20-pound weight gain typically includes not only muscle, but also fat, water, and carbohydrate storage. In short, it usually isn’t all lean muscle.
     
    The ability to gain muscle, and how much one gains, is dependent on age, sex, physical condition, genetics, diet quality and, of course, training program. As we get older, hormone levels can drop, and men tend to put on muscle more easily than women due to their higher testosterone levels.
     
    A good rule of thumb is that most healthy individuals can gain 1 to 2 pounds of lean muscle mass per month, at least in the early stages. After the first three months, a monthly increase of about half a pound is more likely over the longer run.
     
    Stuart Phillips, Ph.D., who has conducted many studies at McMaster University in Ontario, says he expects the average guy to gain 4 to 7 pounds of muscle in the first three months. Yet, that’s only if he’s either new to lifting or returning from a layoff. The more experienced and dedicated you are, the less you can gain. In other words, there are diminishing returns over time and the gains become harder to achieve.
     
    By Phillips’ measure, the average guy can expect to gain about 8-12 pounds of muscle over the course of a year. However, some guys may gain more or less than that.
     
    Regardless of the program or the supplements used, Phillips never sees average gains exceeding about a half-pound a week, which amounts to 26 pounds over the course of a year. But those guys are the genetic freaks, the ones everyone would like to be.
     
    Whether muscle comes easily to you or you’re a hard gainer, it all comes down to genetics. Some people have a predisposition and propensity to gain muscle easily, while others find such gains very difficult to come by.
     
    Building muscle usually equates to gaining weight, which requires eating more than your body needs to maintain its current size. That’s not desirable for someone who’s already overweight. And no, you cannot turn fat into muscle anymore than you can turn blood into bone. If you plan to gain muscle, prepare to gain weight, and some of it will be fat.
     
    Building muscle requires a very dedicated program of lifting at least three days per week, working all of the large muscle groups for 3-6 sets of 8-12 reps to failure. It’s important to give each muscle group a 48-hour break before training it again (i.e., Monday, Wednesday. Friday)
     
    It’s also critical to get eight hours of sleep every night, with essentially the same bed and wake times. Your body releases more growth hormone (GH) during sleep than at any other time. Research shows that 70% of the growth hormone humans release occurs during deep sleep (from 10pm-2am), and the more deep sleep you get, the more growth hormone you produce. Growth hormone is a vital part of muscle repair. Protein synthesis also occurs during sleep, which leads to the last factor for muscle growth.
     
    A high-protein diet is essential for muscle growth to occur. A common recommendation for gaining muscle is 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. Though there are varying recommendations, this is a simple, easy formula to remember. Remember that in addition to animal sources, protein can be found in lots of non-animal sources, such as beans, legumes, seeds, nuts and nut butters. Then there’s also eggs and dairy. A whey-protein powder supplement can also be useful between meals and before bed.
     
    So, be prepared to train hard and often, to sleep well every night, and to eat plenty of calories, particularly protein. Always set realistic goals and remember that the one factor you can’t control is your genetics.