“Attitudes are more important than facts”… Menninger

To help combat breast cancer, new research supports the concept that living a lifestyle which includes exercising may offer protection against developing breast cancer and recurrence for those who’ve survived.

The evidence indicating this protection, pre- or post-cancer event, states it may be on par with chemotherapy and even the newer hormonal treatments. Along with  protection, a structured exercise program has been shown to improve the physical functioning of women with stages I and II breast cancer.

Quoting from an article written by Peggy Vaughn in which she interviewed Dr. Leslie Bernstein, professor of preventive medicine at the Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Dr. Bernstein said. “Exercise can play as important a role in cancer prevention as the latest screening tool or chemoprevention drug.” Dr. Bernstein continued. “Epidemiological studies strongly suggest that just a few hours each week of moderate to vigorous exercise can reduce a woman’s exposure to ovarian hormones that cause breast cancer – and it’s mostly free.” 

The fact that exercise is a form of preventive medicine for many disorders, including cancer, has been known for years. In an extensive study performed in 1989 which looked directly at the link between fitness and all-cause mortalities, researchers followed the exercise performance of 13,000 men and women for 8 years. The results showed that even a moderate amount of exercise implicitly reduced the risk from dying of cancer and other medical conditions.

A recent study conducted at the Harvard Medical School and published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), found that breast cancer patients who participate in an exercise program for three to five hours a week were about 50 percent less likely to die from the disease than sedentary women. The findings appeared strongest for the most common forms of breast cancer and proved valid regardless of when the cancer was diagnosed. The researchers concluded that. “Women with breast cancer have little to lose and much to gain from exercise.”

The effect exercise may have on lowing the chances of developing or dying from breast cancer are multiple. First, being overweight or obese is a major risk factor for breast cancer. Obesity plays a role in increasing the conversion of circulating hormones and stored hormones found in body fat into estrogen. This conversion and increased estrogen production can fuel the growth of breast cancer cells. This is especially true for postmenopausal women. Research has shown that exercise lowers estrogen levels and alters ovarian hormone production. Physical activity may also prevent tumor development by lowering hormone levels in premenopausal women.

The phenomenon of physical activity and its relationship to hormonal production has been noted in young female athletes. Many young athletes have a delayed menarche (first menstruation). In one study of 1,378 elementary school girls found that 5 hours per week of physical activity delayed menarche. Exercise induced delay of menarche during adolescence can be protective in the long term, since a risk factor for breast cancer is having the first menstruation at a young age.

In a directly related project, researchers did a control study of breast cancer among women aged 40 and tracked the average hours of exercise per week in the 10 years after menarche. They noted a reduction in risk of breast cancer among women who were most physically active in the first 10 years after menarche. These results proved stronger in women who also maintained a healthy bodyweight.

It should be recognized that the effects of exercise on breast cancer risk in this research were restricted to women who did not have a family history of breast cancer. Experts state that family history is a very important risk factor. Studies show that the daughters of women with breast cancer may have substantially higher levels of estrogen than the daughters of women without breast cancer.

Along with altering ovarian hormone production, exercise can reduce the amount of stored nonessential body fat. There is data pointing to the fact that having high levels of body fat negatively affects breast tissue including oxidative tissue damage. One way exercise reduces body fat is by lowering and controlling levels of insulin. Insulin is a storage hormone, and body fat accumulation is under the control of insulin. The more insulin you produce, the more fat you store. 

Exercise can also increase lean skeletal muscle mass. This fact helps a woman maintain a healthy bodyweight. Having more lean muscle mass increases the metabolism, which aids in decreasing body fat. Even at rest, lean muscle can burn up to as much as twenty five percent of the calories eaten or drunk. Plus, exercise improves the immune response and reduces depression. Both are important factors during breast cancer treatment and recovery.

As for an exercise prescription for prevention, the Centers for Disease Control recommend that adults “engage in moderate-intensity physical activity for at least 30 minutes on five or more days of the week,” or “engage in vigorous-intensity physical activity for at least 20 minutes on three or more days of the week”.  I believe this prescription should include both a cardio-endurance program (walking, jogging or biking) and strength training (lifting weights). The training duration, frequency and intensity levels of an exercise program needs to be based on current health status, physical activity levels, time constraints, goals (make sure they’re attainable), age and motivational levels.

A woman who has been sedentary most of her life and/or is overweight and wants to give exercise a try for prevention, should start small and not be intimated. It may be uncomfortable at first, but she’ll get used to it. Be resolute and make it a weekly habit. Consistency is the key. If  too, a woman who has been physically active most of her life and is used to exercising may want to increase the intensity of her chosen activity. New data shows that as the duration and frequency of exercising is increased, the greater the decrease in the risk of breast cancer.

Also, anyone who’s undergoing treatment will most likely get physically worn out at some point. During these times the exercise program may need to be altered to fit the specific side effects of the treatment. From my experience as an exercise instructor training cancer patients, I feel it’s important, albeit tough, to make the effort to continue training even through the bad days. Many studies have shown that exercise boosts breast cancer patients’ sense of well-being and quality of life, so keep those benefits going.

One of the strongest advocates for exercise during breast cancer treatments is Mary Morton of Shrewsbury. Mary was first diagnosed with breast cancer in the early 1960s. She knew this was most likely to happen since her mother and three aunts all died of the same disease. After her right side mastectomy, Mary began to exercise. She has had no recurrence of breast cancer since. Unfortunately, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer several years ago and had a hysterectomy as a result, but today is cancer-free.

Through all the treatments Mary, who’s now in her 70s. kept working out. “Getting to the gym was my salvation,” Mary said. “Exercising through all the side-effects helps you get away from the ‘poor me’ depression and keeps your mind off other bad thoughts. I cannot recommend enough to anyone who has cancer how important it is to keep your body and mind strong.” She added, “Every physician who deals with cancer patients should be a proponent for discussing with their patents about getting involved in some form of exercise.”

All this information about the benefits of exercise should be good news to women. It needs to be said that exercise does not guarantee prevention or survival of breast cancer. Nor should it be looked upon as a replacement for medical treatment or check-ups. It is, however, a proven and safe complimentary approach, one you may want to discuss with your physician. Finally, I believe that exercise allows a woman to physically, mentally and emotionally take control of an aspect of their disease outside the world of medicine.

“The play’s the thing”…Shakespeare

U.S. health organizations are concerned that our country is in a middle of a diabetes epidemic. This epidemic, experts worry, is not only a health issue it’s also an economic issue impacting our healthcare system. Complimenting the diabetes epidemic is the rise of obesity.

The catch is that as levels of obesity increase, so do cases of diabetes. On a optimistic note, both these threats can be contained with a little knowledge, discipline and old-fashioned muscle power.

What is diabetes? Diabetes is a group of disorders involving elevated blood sugar levels and insulin production. Insulin is a storage hormone vital to regulating cell metabolism.

There are two main types of diabetes; Type 1 begins in childhood, accounts for 5 percent of the all cases and requires treatments of insulin for life. To date, type one is not curable. Type 2 accounts for 90 to 95 percent of all cases, rarely requires insulin treatments and in many cases is preventable and reversible. It’s also the one trigged directly by obesity and physical inactivity.

Complications from type 2 can include coronary artery disease, kidney failure, erectile dysfunction, blindness and stroke. Once a disease of the middle-aged, type 2 is now a kid’s disease, caused mostly by increases in childhood obesity. Unfortunately, statistics show that overweight kids have a 70 percent chance of becoming obese adults. This chance increases to 80 percent if one or both parents are overweight or obese.

The importance of maintaining proper body weight to prevent type 2, has been noted by The Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Recently, the CDC has started the National Diabetes Prevention Program which represents a network of lifestyle interventions programs for overweight and obese people who are at high risk. These interventions include dietary changes, a target loss of 5 to 7 percent body weight and moderate physical activities for at least 150 minutes per week for the participants.

What causes obesity? Removing underlying medical disorders, obesity is eating more food than the body needs for healthy living. Excessive food is converted and stored in fat cells (adipose tissue) as non-essential body fat. Fat storage is under complete control of insulin. Studies show that overweight people who constant eat large amounts of food with low nutritional value, cause their insulin levels to stay in a storage mode. Storing almost everything they eat.

The more obese they get, the more their body’s becomes resistant to insulin. This causes an even a greater production of insulin. This cycle is called insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is recognized as the first step towards developing full blown type 2 diabetes. The situation is worsened by physical inactivity.

Which foods most effect insulin production and obesity? Over the last few decades, the public’s attention has focused on eating fats as the cause of obesity. However, data strongly suggests that table sugar, high fructose corn syrup, sugary drinks and white foods (bread, pasta and rice.) are the causes. This may account for why we have a fat free everything food culture, and yet obesity and diabetes cases have quadrupled over those decades.

According to Dr. Frank V. Porco, MD and Board Certified Fellow of the American College of Physicians. “The evidence now points to the cause of the obesity and diabetes epidemics in the United States as the direct result of the consumption of carbohydrate-rich food and its effect on insulin.” He added. “How much insulin your body produces is directly determined by how many carbohydrates (sugar) you eat, not by the amount of protein or fat. Once you restrict carbohydrates, you will get off the sugar highs and the sugar crashes that leave you fatigued and overweight.”

Why is it difficult to lose body fat? In a prevention program, weight loss means losing stored nonessential body fat, not overall body mass. An adult doesn’t want to loose muscle mass, bone mass or any healthy cell mass. The problem with losing nonessential body fat is how fat cells react when you reduce them. They don’t want to be reduced. As fat cells get fatter, they reach set points. At these set points, large amounts of a circulating hormone called leptin are released. This tells the brain that the cells are fat and happy.

Leptin is a hormone that, among many functions, regulates hunger and feelings of fullness. As fat cells shrink via diet, leptin levels decrease. This signals the brain to increase hunger because the brain believes the body is starving. So appetite soars, binge eating starts and the 5 pounds of fat that where lost dieting are quickly regained. This is why crash fad diets don’t work.

In addition, when a obese person starts packing on more pounds, leptin levels can spike. Like insulin resistance, this may cause leptin resistance. If this occurs, it takes higher leptin levels to tell the brain that hunger has been satisfied. Consequently, it takes longer before a person feels full. So they keep eating. The good news is research has shown that high leptin levels and spikes are correctable though “proper” dieting and exercise.

What’s the best diet to prevent type 2 diabetes?  If a person is at risk, successful dieting isn’t just loosing 7 percent nonessential body fat. It’s keeping it off for good. Fat cells that were once fat want to be fat again. It’s a part of human evolution. For that reason, the challenge is finding a diet or actually a lifestyle that works lifetime.

There are countless diet programs. Most focus on counting and cutting calories by portion control. However for long term success, counting calories may prove unnecessary. Research is showing that it’s not the amount of calories; it’s the kind. For example, some brands of fat free yogurts remove fat (that does not spike insulin) and replace it with sugars (that drives insulin levels crazy).

With this in mind, attention has been drawn to two diets. The first is the “Mediterranean” diet. This diet is based on research from the 60s, focusing on the eating patterns of countries in the Mediterranean. This diet includes high intakes of fresh vegetables, nuts, olive oils, olives, fish, lamb, cheese and lot’s of wine with some complex breads. Studies show that this diet is very effect for weight loss. Also, this diet has been proven in research to improve the condition of patients with heart disease. 

Second is the “Paleolithic” diet. First proposed by Dr. S. Boyd Eaton M.D., this diet is based on what humans ate before the development of agriculture. Data for the diet was provided by research on modern day hunter-gatherers. Many indigenous people have few, if any, modern medical disorders including diabetes, obesity or heart disease. The ratio between animal calories to plant calories in hunter-gatherer cultures is about 65 percent to 35 percent respectively. The Paleolithic diet emphasizes meats from grass fed animals or wild game, free range poultry, seasonal fruits, raw nuts, raw seeds and lots of fresh leafy vegetables with no dairy.

Note that these diets are based on natural foods. One food group that’s not natural are trans-fats. These fats are manmade and should be removed from any diet. These diets also eliminate large intakes of high fructose corn syrup. Besides weight gain, data now shows that risk for cardiovascular disease is increased in people consuming 25 percent of their daily calories as fructose or high fructose corn syrup. An important point since 75 percent of all diabetics die from heart disease.

Both these diets too, allow a person to eat as much as they want, but of foods that do not spike insulin. By eating till full, leptin levels and appetite may also be suppressed by the brain because it’s registering fullness, not starvation. Following a diet lifestyle that lowers insulin and leptin levels, may allow a obese person may eventually find and maintain a healthy weight body. 

What exercise program is best for diabetes prevention?  Quoting Dr. Ann Albright, director of the CDC’s Division of Diabetes Translation. “Physical activity is crucial to managing diabetes and reducing serious complications of the disease. Moderate intensity activities such as dancing or brisk walking, for just 150 minutes a week, can significantly improve the health of people with diabetes or at high risk for the disease.”

Along with walking, I believe a strength training program should be included.
Strength training helps a person gain lean muscle mass which is essential for proper metabolism. For a fitness program, people need to “keep it simple”. Go for energetic walks four or five times a week. At least two days a week, get to a gym and lift some weights. The key in using exercise for type 2 diabetes prevention or therapy is starting, being consistent and just keep moving.

 “I’m a great believer in luck, and I find that the harder I work, the more I have of it”…Thomas Jefferson

 Every 60 seconds someone dies from an event related to heart disease. Those that survive will find themselves propelled into a world of intrusive surgeries and risky medications with questionable side-effects.

In the United States, heart disease is the leading cause of death. It is also the leading cause of death for women. Its toll as a killer of women is greater than breast cancer, ovarian, lung and colon cancers combined. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) approximately 61 million people in our country suffer from heart disease. The CDC also reports that health care costs in 2010 for heart disease totaled approximately $316.4 billion. This total includes the cost of health care services, medications and lost productivity.
 

Heart disease is a term used to describe a wide range of medical conditions. It’s frequently used in the same breath as cardiovascular disease. Heart disease encompasses coronary artery disease, chest pain (angina), congestive hearth failure, heart rhythm problems (arrhythmias), cardiomyopathy (various disorders of the heart muscle) and diseases of the blood vessels.

The most common cause of heart disease is atherosclerosis, which is the depositing of damaged cholesterol and cellular debris (plaque) on the artery walls. This causes the arteries to harden and narrow, restricting blood flow to the heart. The underlying disorder for the depositing of these compounds and plaque formation is micro-trauma to blood vessel lining which triggers inflammation.

Another cause of atherosclerosis is elevated levels of a compound called homocysteine, a byproduct of protein metabolism. High levels of homocysteine can cause inflammation irritating the arteries, resulting in additional plaque build-up. More damage can be caused at these build-up sites by physical, emotional, neuro-hormonal and psychological stress.

Since most people are unaware they have heart disease until they have a heart attack, it’s important to understand the risk factors. Statistically, those who are most at risk are people who are physically inactive. Following in descending order are those who are obese, have high blood pressure, smoke (nicotine constricts blood vessels and forces the heart to work harder), have high cholesterol levels and those that are diabetic. Other risks factors are hypertension, family history, psychological stress and depression. Additional factors play a role in women developing heart disease.

One issue is “metabolic syndrome” – a combination of fat around a woman’s abdomen, high blood pressure, high blood sugar and high triglycerides caused by hyperinsulinemia (insulin resistance). Also, low levels of estrogen after menopause pose a major risk for developing cardiovascular disease in the smaller blood vessels.
 Whether you have one of these risk factors or not, you may want to make some changes in your daily habits to keep your heart healthy and happy.

The most significant change you can make and the one most recommended by the medical community, is increasing your level of physical activity. In other words, exercise, exercise, exercise. Get your body off the couch or from in front of your computer and start moving. This is especially true for people who may already have heart disease and even those that have suffered a cardiac event.

Dr. Walt Andzel, a professor of exercise physiology and director of the human performance lab at Kean University in NJ describes exercise as preventive medicine for heart disease. “The benefits of exercise as related to heart disease are multiple including improved oxygen supply to the heart muscle, weight reduction and improved cholesterol and triglycerides levels. Also, heart size peaks early in life and as with most muscles, it loses mass with age. This may increase the risks for heart problems. New research shows that exercising can prevent this mass loss, helping maintain the heart’s elasticity and keeping it young.”

He adds. “Exercises that help to increase lean muscle mass have an added benefit for diabetics, because lean muscle improves the ability of muscle cells to utilize insulin and manage glucose (sugar) more efficiently.” It’s important to note that nearly 75% of diabetics die from some form of heart disease.

Other experts mention that exercise can lower blood pressure by as much as 4 to 9 mm Hg., which is relatively the same decrease in blood pressure produced by some antihypertensive medications. Also exercise improves myocardial circulation which increases the heart’s energy stores. This can be lifesaving if the heart’s oxygen supply is compromised.

“What you see is what you get”…. Flip Wilson

THE FORWARD to MY NEW BOOK!  Keeping Baby Boomers in The Game. A No-Nonsense Approach to Lifting Weights For Men Over 50. Forward Written by Dr. Erwin       – Get Em While They’re HOT-

In the early 60s, industrial psychologist Victor Vroom upended the field of motivational psychology with his Expectancy Theory. Vroom postulated that the effort someone would expend at work (motivation) was the product of attainability times desirability, that is M = A x D. Therefore goals have to be attainable as well as desirable for motivation to be up there.

Low or zero attainability would mean that motivation would be nonexistent. One of the most vexing fitness problems for us baby boomers (yup, I was born in 1948 and less than a mile from the second McDonald’s built in this country in suburban Chicago) is that first we grew up with the physique images of Charles Atlas in our heads. Then in our middling years we’ve been cluster bombed by the sleek youth culture where six-pack abdominals reign supreme on both sides of the sexual fence.

Now we look in the mirror and see that our physiques and abdominal landscapes have been constructed through decades of mostly career building, so-so food, good booze and working like a dog to feed the family and raise the kids.

“Workout?” a boomer might ask., “what the hell could I possibly get out of working out at this age… and besides what am I supposed to do?” Just like a good workout program helps to build up strength, Mark’s book elucidates and emphasizes attainable benefits from working out for guys who are not out there chasing Brazilian supermodels (even though we might wish we were!). With a lifetime of personal experience, Mark cuts to the core on what really works: the basics, which have been around since the 40s and which have been time tested and proven. His approach is straightforward, simple, and realistic.

In my own case, despite a young adult history of college football and weight-lifting, I was dealing with that insidious syndrome where you are the same weight as college but your body looks nothing like it did back then. Along with that, I was trying to cope with a chronic viral condition that made my diaphragm regularly malfunction and to avoid this required that my stomach and chest muscles perform properly.

I went to see Mark a few years ago and we started with the basics. His periodized and progressive workouts have fit into my busy clinical schedule and never left me sore, tired or hurting and it has definitely helped with my condition. And by assimilating reasonable attainable goals into my efforts over time, I have remained motivated to make changes in my physical form and energy level that just about everyone in my life has noticed. 

I have watched others in my gym recovering from cancer, coping with 70+ age, adapting to hip and knee replacements and other life challenges maintain the same motivation to continue working out because they are deriving desirable and attainable benefits from well-grounded workout programs that emphasize overall wellness, health and fitness not just physical form and youthful beauty.

So take a read through Mark’s book. Give his ideas a serious try and throw away the last copy of the 6-week body transformation book you picked up in the airport! Have good workout.

Don Erwin, Ph.D.
Clinical Director, The Eating Disorders Program
Monmouth Psychological Associates
Tinton Falls, New Jersey

“All the world is full of suffering. It is also full of overcoming it”….Helen Keller

As we age, there is a significant decline in our neuromuscular reaction times, both simple and complex. Neuromuscular reaction time is the processing time it takes the body to react to a stimulus.

The condition of declining reaction time is directly related to the aging of the central nervous system (CNS), which consist of the brain and the spinal cord. One reason why this area of deteriorating function is so important, is that it plays a key role in a persons inability to prevent a fall. Simple, as you get older and you stumble, your body can’t react fast and you fall. Sometimes, with serious consequences. It’s been shown that well over 40% of older Americans fall each year, resulting in a vast array of injuries. The extent of these injuries are from cuts and bruise, to more serious ones including fractures and head injuries. New statistics show, that falls are the leading cause of injury death and hospital admissions for trauma in people 65 and older. 

Studies also show that a woman is 46% more likely to suffer an injury, especially fractures, in a fall than a man. This is most likely do to the fact that women are at greater risk for developing osteoporosis (loss of bone mass) than men are. It should be noted too that some injuries from falls such as traumatic brain injuries, can make living independently extremely difficult.

Psychologically, many people who experience a fall develop a deep anxiety about falling. This apprehension may unwarrantedly, cause them to limit their physical and social activities. Add to all of this, the heath care cost related to falls, fatal and non-fatal, in older Americans is annually about $19 billion.

These facts are why if you’re over 40 it’s paramount that you begin now, taking proactive steps to prevent future falls. And the first step, is increasing your physical activity. It has been stated repeatedly in research that living an active lifestyle, which includes exercise and fitness, can significantly affect neuromuscular functioning. This is especially true about reaction times. Studies have shown that men (60+) who remained physically active for 20 or more years, had reaction times equal too or faster then inactive men in their 20s. Similarly, those between 50 to 70 that participated in racquet sports, had reaction times much greater than their inactive peers.

“Desire creates the power”……Raymond Hollingwell

Hey….. the mechanism of a man’s and woman’s libido is found in the androgens, or the “sex steroids”. In men these include dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) which is a building block for other hormones. Another is testosterone which, promotes male sex characteristics, controls muscle size, decreases body fat and is a key for a man’s sex drive.

In women, DHEA is also a building block for the female hormone estrogen which promotes females sex characteristics, controls the menstrual cycle, increases fat deposits and is the key for a woman’s sex drive.

There is no exclusively male or female hormones. The distinction comes from the actual concentration of these hormones. Both genders share some of the same sex hormones, but in varying amounts. In a women, the ovaries secrete small amounts of testosterone. In a man, testosterone can be converted to estrogen in the peripheral tissues. And, when it comes to increasing you sex drive, this fact plays a role.

Lifting weights on a consistent basis, especially for someone who never lifted before, has been show to increase the level of testosterone in the body. Perhaps even in both sexes. In some reports it was noted that athletes who were involved in lifting weights for 2 years, had substantial increased levels of serum testosterone.  

Another area in which lifting weights may help your sex drive is found in its effects on Human Growth Hormones (HGH or GH). HGH is a natural hormonal product of the human body. HGH causes cells to grow and multiply by directly increasing the rate that amino acids (proteins building blocks) enter the cells. HGH also causes cells to switch from burning carbohydrates to burning fat for energy, by stimulating adipose (fat) tissue to release fat. Plus, HGH stimulates other cells to break down the released fat molecules.

 One factor that increase the secretion of HGH is exercise. And, it been shown from studies, that exercise induced HGH emission is relative to the level of exercise. This increase in HGH may last several hours. Because of this “natural” boost in HGH can without a doubt, contribute to a persons feelings of virility, sexuality and energy. 

It’s no secret too, that working out at the gym act’s as a form of meditation which helps to decrease stress levels. This form of stress reduction directly effects the autonomic nervous system, improving our emotional state. When your self-confidence is high and your disposition is good, it’s natural to feel more sexual, more competent and more attractive.

After all it’s hard to be in the mood to have good sex when you’re feeling stressed out. Also think about your sex partner. Who wants to be in the sack with someone who is stressed, depressed or negative?

“There is nothing left to you at this moment but to have a good laugh”….. Zen Teaching

A)  I recently ran into a friend of mine that I haven’t seen in sometime. Back in the day, I designed her fitness training program. In the years that followed, she decided to become a personal fitness trainer.

She was telling me that several months ago, she took an instructors position at a very large gym on the Jersey shore. She didn’t last that long. It wasn’t that she didn’t know her shit, she did. It was that the head trainer told her, “Make sure you change things every time you work with a client. That way you confuse them so they don’t know what to do on their own and they become dependent on you. That‘s how we make money.”  That’s the state of personal training you’ll find in a lot of gyms in Jersey.

B) Not All Protein Bars Live Up to Their Good-For-You Image.

A good quality protein bar is almost an necessity if you want to increase lean muscle mass muscle. Many surveys show consumers consider protein bars an easy way to obtain protein without having to get to an oven to cook, which is true. However, not all energy bars live up to their good-for-you image. Trust me, many marketing labels are poor guides to what’s actually inside a protein bar.

Some of the more popular protein bar are very high in calories and sugar. Some use rice syrup as a binder which is readily stored as adipose tissue, FAT! Others are loaded with sugar that will give you the sugar-blues. Most bars are really nothing more than a candy bar wrapped in a BS marketing label.

According to Diet & Nutrition Consumer Reports Diet & Nutrition the 5 fallacies of a typical “healthy” protein bar are:

1. Any amount of trans fat
2. Sugar alcohols
3. A high carbohydrate to fiber ratio
4. Artificial sweeteners
5. High in sodium

“Everybody Lives by Selling Something”……Robert Louis Stevenson

It’s that time of year when many men and women will be heading to the gym (beach season). And, if it’s like every year in past memory, getting on an exercise program tops that list. If it doesn’t, then it should. That’s because it’s been shown that regular exercise improves almost every area of a person’s physiological functions regardless of age. These functions include; physique, mobility, posture, joint health, heart health, bone health, mental functions, sexuality and even social abilities. But can exercise be dangerous?

Yes it can. If you have set the goal of getting into better shape this year to reap the benefits of exercise, a word of caution. According to new studies, over the past two decades there has been a startling increase in the number of injuries occurring in gyms. These injuries, many of which required a trip to an emergency room, include muscles tears, strains, sprains, fractures and even dislocations. At the heart of this rise in the injury rate is weight-lifting. This is unfortunate because increasing strength levels via lifting weights may be the most important area for increasing a person’s overall health.

According to emergency room statistics, topping the list as the number one cause of the more serious injuries is dropping a weight, barbell or dumbbell on yourself or someone else. With that said, people have been dropping weights on themselves ever since people started working out. The good news is that this type of injury can be avoided.

Apart from having a pair of butterfingers, I believe the most common reasons for getting injured during a weight lifting workout are; doing too much too soon, lack of warming up and cooling down, poor lifting techniques and lack of concentration. Also, a factor in the rise of injuries is the increasing use of personal trainers. Let’s take a brief look at why.

First, people do too much too soon. This happens to men more than it does to women, since women seem to have more common sense in the gym, and other places for that matter. Sometimes a person’s worst enemy when they lift weights is their ego. If you are planning to lift weights as part of your workout program, remember it may take months performing a training routine before you can start increasing intensity. Give it time.

Second, people in general do not warm up before or cool down after a workout. The warm up takes the body from a cold non-active state to a ready state. This transition is accomplished by increasing the tissue temperature of the body through some form of cardio-respiratory activity, like walking on a treadmill or riding a stationary bike. Increasing the tissue temperature before lifting decreases many factors that cause acute muscle and joint injuries. A cool down, which can also be done on a treadmill at a slow pace at the end of the workout, helps the body make a safe transition back to normal functioning. Specifically, a cool down facilitates a gradual drop in blood pressure, reducing any type of circulatory stress on the heart and the relaxation of tight muscles.

Third, another factor for the increase in the injury rate is poor lifting techniques. Right from the start, a person must make sure that their exercises are performed correctly. It’s essential that when working out the weight load is moved at a rhythmic, smooth tempo. Not too fast, not too slow and never jerky. What I would describe as a comfortable pace.

Fourth, while performing an exercise, a person needs to focus on what they’re doing. Talking about what happened over Thanksgiving doesn’t help. In addition, I highly recommend that people stay away from any exercise that has them lifting a weight while balancing on one foot, or balancing on some kind of ball. Even though some of these exercises are in vogue, they provide an unstable foundation which can result in injury. This occurs because people are concentrating on trying to balance, they’re not concentrating on moving the weight load.

Finally, if you decide to use a personal trainer, make sure you let them know exactly what you want to accomplish and any limitations you have. You know your body better than anyone. If you want to exercise to get in better shape, don’t let an overzealous trainer push you to where you are constantly sore, in pain or exhausted. Most trainers are professionals, but there are some who are intent on pushing you to their limits, not yours.

So, as you start to plan your exercise program for the new year, remember that lifting weights and exercise in general is extremely safe if you follow a few rules, regardless of the new statistics. Most importantly, exercise has been proven time and time again to have a positive effect on a person’s health. It must be made part of everyone’s life.

“Who has no faults? To err and yet be able to correct it is best of all”…..Yuanwu

 As people approach their mid-thirties, some much earlier, there is a noticeable increase in body weight. This increase continues until they reach their late 60s. Most of this weight gain is an increase in plain old stored body fat.

Also during this same time period, lean muscle mass is decreasing at a disturbing rate. On average when people reach their late 60s, their total body mass begins to decrease, but there is an acceleration in gaining substantial body fat. While diet plays a role, the dichotomy of losing lean body mass but gaining body fat can be explained by disuse atrophy and the de-mineralization of the skeleton.

Add to the fact that our basal metabolic rate (BMR), which is the minimum level of energy required by the body to sustain vital functions, also decreases. Simply, we do not efficiently use the calories taken from the foods we eat as we age. It may be that the individual cell’s energy in/energy out requirements or cellular metabolism may not have changed, it’s that we just do not have as many cells as we had at a younger age. This is one reason why people constantly complain that they’re eating exactly the same way for years, but they’re getting fatter.

Also add the fact that we get shorter as we age. It’s stated that the average loss is about 1/2 of an inch per decade after 30, but it varies depending on genetics and lifestyle. As we age, we’re shrinking down at the same time expanding out. Like a balloon in a vise, we have the appearance of being fatter than we may actually be. To help counter the loss of lean muscle mass, it’s been shown that older athletes who lift heavy weights on a regular basis not only maintain, but can increase lean muscle mass.

Also in these individuals, there is a progressive decrease in body fat. Plus according to studies, lifting heavy weight loads can slow the rate of BMR loss. It’s been substantiated too that lifting weights combined with curbed caloric intake can maintain lean-body weight, as opposed to just dieting to control increases in body fat. After all this makes sense because if the body can maintain or gain bone mass, lean body-mass and more cells of every kind, it can metabolize the food we eat much more efficiently.

“The only lasting beauty is the beauty of the heart”……Rumi

After a good training session, there are several post workout procedures you can use to help accelerate the body’s recovery process. These procedures aid in the removal of intercellular waste products, which can accumulate during a workout. It’s the retention of these naturally occurring cellular by-products that must be avoided, if full recovery from training is to be attained.

The first procedure is “hydrotherapy”. This means using water as a tool for speeding recovery. There are many forms of hydrotherapy. Whirlpool‘s, Jacuzzi’s, sauna’s and steambath’s all help. A hot shower is also an effective method to relax the muscles and stimulate the body’s recovery systems. A hot shower may be taken anytime, but they are particularly useful just before bed-time because they can induce deep sleep.

Second is massage therapy. Besides feeling great, getting a massage after a workout helps to reduce residual fatigue, drain accumulated cellular waste and improves circulation. Message therapy also speeds the healing of minor muscle and ligament tears. To help increase the effectiveness of a massage, take a warm shower before you start. And, make sure to increase the room temperature to avoid chills.  

Third is sleep. Getting a good night sleep is imperative because when you’re sleeping your body is repairing itself. You should try to get a proper amount of sleep each night. How much sleep is proper is still debatable among experts. If however you are an average physically active adult, may need to get a good solid eight hours of sleep every night. Regardless of the hours, it may be the quality of sleep that‘s most important. Noise, partying, heavy food and alcohol all can affect the quality of your sleep. Also, a half hour nap in and there can’t hurt either.

Fourth is stress reduction. Besides workout stress, mental and emotional stress can cause fatigue just as easily as residual training fatigue. To help the body deal with this, deep breathing exercise such as the kind used in yoga can help to relax the mind and body.

If you have any post workout recovery procedures you enjoy, let us know with a comment. Come on. Share it!