More on Coffee and Exercise

There is new research on the effects of caffeine on exercise induced muscle soreness. I wrote about this topic before here. The recent research as reported in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 2009, was done at the University of Illinois and looked at college aged males performing high intensity 30-minute cycling workouts. They were given a pill containing either a dose of caffeine equivalent to 5 milligrams per kilogram of body weight (about 2-3 cups of coffee) or a placebo. The cyclists reported a reduction in quadriceps muscle pain after consuming the caffeine. The researchers believe the reduction in pain is due to caffeine blocking adenosine, a biochemical in the brain that is involved in pain processing. If this reduction in pain leads in a greater likelihood that you will continue to exercise on a regular basis, it could be a helpful addition to your daily routine. I wouldn't suggest that you get your caffeine through one of those $5 calorie laden drive-through drinks, but maybe a couple cups of regular coffee have their place in a healthy lifestyle.

Health Fair?

Warning! This is a bit of a rant.

Last Friday I dropped into the local mall to see a movie with a friend. When we arrived it was particularly crowded. There were many booths set up for a Health Fair that was scheduled to run through the weekend. Students and senior citizens had been bussed in to attend the event. Multiphasic blood testing, blood pressure checks, and balance screening were being offered. A couple of local chiropractic practices were offering free chair massages. These are all great services to the community and one could argue that they are important to health and wellness. However, there were many other booths that were more centered on disease, than health. Gruesome pictures of wounds that would not heal, diseased lungs, etc were on display. A number of surgical associates were promoting their services. One particularly ironic display was promoting laproscopic surgeries and had a display where you could play a game to try to find the piece of candy in the abdomen of the dummy - sort of like Operation, for those of you who remember that game. The technology on display was impressive. I was struck, however, by the fact that one would have to be decidedly unhealthy to be in the market for these services. I suppose many Americans find themselves needing to make decisions about these sorts of services everyday, but to see them marketed in a festive atmosphere seemed a bit bizarre to me. Maybe I am old enough to remember when health care was not a business and I just can't seem to make the adjustment to medicine as a consumer pastime. It seems to me that promoting health is a different venture than promoting critical care procedures. If that is my age showing, then so be it. In the meantime, I'll try eating and sleeping well, exercising intelligently, and staying engaged emotionally and intellectually, in the hope that it can stave off the need for most of the "health care" services I saw on display last week.

Timing is Everything

I just completed my workout for today and I feel great! The weather was sunny and above freezing for the first time in days so I went outside for a long Nordic walk. When I came home I did a 10 minute stretching routine and now I'm full of energy to tackle the long list of paperwork tasks that await me. That burst of energy and enthusiasm got me thinking about how exercise enhances my life and how I have learned to integrate exercise into my daily responsibilities.

Whenever possible I try to schedule my workout first thing in the morning (after being sure I have eaten a good breakfast - see previous post). If I leave it for later in the day I am much more likely to decide not to workout. Other tasks compete for time. But the real cost will come later when I am getting ready for bed and taking account of my day and realize that I did not take care of my health. By exercising early, I get a psychological boost along with the physiological one. I cruise through the day confident that I have met my obligation to myself to take good care of me. When the evening has set in I am relaxed and calm and am able to count up all the things I accomplished in my day beginning with honoring my committment to my health. It works for me.

This pattern doesn't work for everyone. I have a son in college who has ADHD. He doesn't wake up easily in the morning. When he sits in a classroom all day the stress builds for him. It is not only psychological, but physiological as well. At the end of a day of school work he needs to work his body to release that toxic buildup of chemicals that stress brings with it. We learned this together when he was still in grade school and it has stood the test of time for him. Exercising first thing in the morning just wouldn't give him the same benefits (although there is emerging evidence that getting your heart rate up in aerobic activity can improve the brain's capacity for learning tasks in the hours that immediately follow - maybe I'll blog more about that soon).

I'm sure many businesspeople find it advantageous to exercise on their lunch hour or after work as well. In fact, yesterday I read an interesting article from a businessman who works at his desk with his computer most of the day. He said he sets a timer for either 30 minutes or 60 minutes - never longer - and when it rings he pauses in whatever task he is working on and gets up and walks around the office or does a set of pushups against his desk. Sometimes he does 20 squats or lunges and then gets a drink and stretches a bit before he sits back down to his task. He insists it helps his productivity as well as ensuring that he gets some exercise. He'd rather spend his evenings with his children and wife than in the gym. His workout plan fits his situation.

Exercise can work wonders in your life, but you have to actually do it. When you are planning your health and fitness goals it helps to reflect a bit on what timing will work for you. Also think about what environment is best for you. If you know that at home you will be constantly distracted by family responsibilities, consider the gym or outdoor activities. If you feel self-conscious in the gym or it is too far away from home, hire a personal trainer to come to your home and design a workout for you in your own environment. There is a way around every obstacle to exercise. Be creative and keep yourself moving.

I have a confession to make........I'm nervous about exposing myself with this blog. When people hear that I have lost 70 lbs and kept most of it off for 4 years they ask me how I did it. It makes me feel like a deer in the headlights. Will my answer be helpful to them, will it encourage or discourage them? And about that answer.......there is a lot that goes into it. The simple answer (you know the one - eat less, move more!) doesn't even begin to tell the story, though I suppose it is true that I eat less and move more than I used to, but the real story is in how I came to eat less and move more and that wasn't easy - it took years of attempts and failures to put together a strategy that worked for me. Maybe I am just a slow learner, but as I look around I think I am pretty average in this department - it's a lot harder to figure this out than those four words -- eat less, move more---convey.

Let me provide a little background. In 2004, I moved back to the United States with my husband and sons after living for 13 years in the Middle East. I was 60 lbs heavier than I am now, had metabolic syndrome, and was in pretty bad shape. I also had 46 years of dieting and exercise experience behind me that had obviously not led me to the promised land of health and wellness. I was then and am now pretty intelligent, so why couldn't I make this work. ( I remember saying to my husband once that I just didn't get why this was so diifficult for me - I had to work so hard at exercise and diet and was still fighting a loosing battle. Wonderful man that he is he replied that no one could expect to have it all, brains, compassion, kindness, talent, and a perfect physical body. My struggle with my body was just my particular challenge in life. You just have to love a man who can address your biggest flaw while saying so many nice things about you!)

When we moved back to the States so much change was happening in my life. We were living in a new town, buying a home for the first time, our oldest son was in college, and I was looking at going back to work after years of at home parenting and volunteering. My husband was hoping to retire in 10 years time and I would need to be providing a sufficient income by then. I decided that since I was enveloped in change I would make another attempt to recreate my body as well. I could not have predicted how well that would work out for me. I don't think I really believed it would work when I began and even after I had lost 55 lbs in about 7 months I didn't really think it would last, but it has.

I've learned many things about myself and my body. I have had to meet a number of challenges, both psychological and physical, but I can honestly tell you that today I feel better than I can ever remember feeling. I have more energy than when I was a teenager. I am passionate about nutrition, weight-loss, exercise, and the power of small changes to produce big results. Along the way I pursued some educational goals and became a certified personal trainer. I like working with people who are entering the second half of life (50+ years old) and I especially like working with those people who don't feel a part of the gym culture. (Not that there is anything wrong with working out in a gym - I do it myself from time to time.) I have a special affinity for those people who are a little afraid to try and are discouraged by their past experiences. I have walked in their shoes and I know what that is like.

On the cusp of a new year I've been counting my blessings and realizing how grateful I am to have had the help of those courageous bloggers who have sharpened my focus and caused me to be more reflective in the last several years. Their posts have taken me all kind of places in my quest for improved health and fitness. Now I am taking a step forward to give back by beginning my own blog in the hope that it will help someone else who is traveling the road to a better quality of life. I know that what works for me might not work for someone else, but it just might spark an idea for what will work or what might work and sometimes that makes all the difference.

One last thought for those of you who noticed that I used 3 different numbers for my weight loss. First, you get points for being attentive. Second, there is in fact an explanation. I did in fact lose a total of 70 lbs. After the first 55 I got a little scared and decided to see if I could hold my weight at that number for a year to be sure this wasn't a fluke. During that year while I was trying to maintain, I actually lost another 10 lbs. Then I started trying to lose a little more and it took lots of effort and I felt hungry and unhappy though I lost another 5 lbs. Sometime, I will blog about that - much was learned from that experience. As of today I am 60 lbs lighter than my heaviest weight and my body seems happy here - most days - I'm sure I will blog about that
slight ambiguity somewhere along the line too.