High Intensity Workouts Can Reverse Cell Damage
Exercise is good for your health, but did you know that it can even reverse damage to your cells? Researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota recently conducted a study that confirmed that age-related decline in the cellular health of muscles can be corrected with exercise — and the more intense the better.
The study authors collected a group of 72 sedentary men and women who were in overall good health. The participants made up two age groups: 30 and below and older than 64. Initial baseline measures of aerobic fitness, blood-sugar levels, gene activity, and mitochondrial health were recorded for each person. The volunteers were then randomly assigned to a particular exercise routine, which they performed several times a week:
- Vigorous weight training
- High-intensity interval training
- Combined low-intensity cardio and weightlifting
- No exercise at all
After a 12-week period, each participant had his or her labs repeated. After 12 weeks of high-intensity aerobic intervals (HIIT), resistant (RT) and combined exercise training, the study saw enhanced insulin sensitivity and lean mass in all active participants. But those that performed the high-intensity interval training (HIIT) benefited the most, showing an improvement in the age-related decline in their muscle mitochondria.
This data demonstrates the benefits of higher intensity interval workouts as a means of keeping muscles strong and healthy. And that’s not all of the benefits of doing HIIT. The American Physiological Society (APS) found that resistance-based interval training can improve endothelial function, leading to an increase in nitric oxide production, better blood vessel dilation, and improved blood flow. Others advantages to engaging in higher intensity workouts include a healthier heart, reduced blood pressure, an energy boost, and an increased metabolism.
What is HIIT?
High-intensity interval training involves using 100% effort in a series of quick, intense bursts of exercise, typically 20 to 30 seconds long. This is followed by short recovery periods while your body refuels. The idea behind the workout is to get your heart rate up and start burning fat more quickly compared to traditional lower-intensity but sustained workouts, like going for a run. “The rules of HIIT are pretty simple: work really hard, rest, then work really hard again,” says fitness expert and celebrity trainer Rob Sulaver.
30-Minute HITT Plan
Interested in reaping the benefits of HITT for yourself? Try your hand at this HITT Program created by celebrity trainer Tina Hill, co-owner of Happy Hour Gym in Beverly Hills, California. Tina explains that her program is completely modifiable, especially in the event of an injury or physical limitation. “Make sure to go at your own pace,” she notes. “Sprint speeds, for instance, are different for everyone. The general idea is just to push yourself to the best of your ability.”
- Warm up: Walk a block, jog a block 3 times.
- Do 15 squats, followed by 10 jump squats.
- 15 push-ups
- 15 lunges per leg, alternating
Repeat # 2-4 three times
- 5 wind sprints (1/2 block, walk back, then repeat 5 times)
- 15 bench dips
- 10 burpees
- 20 bicycles
Repeat #6-8 three times:
- 5 wind sprints
- Finish your workout with a stretch
How to do these exercises
Squats: Sit like you are sitting down in a chair, then stand up again, making sure you engage your bum.
Lunges: Take a big step forward, bending both knees to 90 degrees, then returning feet to starting position. Alternate with the other leg. Try not to let your knee extend past your toes on the front leg.
Wind sprints: For ½ a block, run as fast as you can, then turn and walk back to where you started.
Bench dips: Sit on a bench with your bum close to the edge, one hand on each side of your hips, with fingers coming over the front of the seat. Slide your bum off the front of the bench. Bend your arms behind you, parallel to each other. Lower yourself halfway to the ground, then push up until your arms are straight.
Burpees: Start in standing position. Crouch to the ground, placing hands on the ground. Jump back into push up position, then jump back to crouch position, and stand up. To make it more difficult, add a jump every time you stand back up.
Bicycles: Lying on your back with your hands by your ears, elbow dropped open, lift the back of your shoulders off the floor. Also lift your legs off the floor, pulling left knee in toward your chest, while the right leg is extended. Now alternate right elbow to left knee and left elbow to right knee. Keep your lower and mid back pressed into the floor.
Strength training
The Mayo Clinic study also touted the benefits of weight lifting for toning your body maintaining muscles. Research shows, however, that less than one-quarter of adults over 45 are meeting the muscle-strengthening recommendations as set by the Department of Health and Human Services. According to the Center for Disease Control’s recommendations, older adults should opt for at least two days of strength training activities per week that work all the major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms).
Per the National Institute of Health, here are some exercises that middle-aged and senior Americans can do to keep their muscles strong.
Upper Body Exercises
- wrist curls
- arm curls
- side arm raises
- elbow extensions
- chair dips
- seated rows with resistance band
Lower Body Exercises
- back leg raises
- knee curls
- leg straightening exercises
- toe stands
If you are new to weightlifting, start slow. Opt for lighter weights and gradually build up your resistance levels. When lifting weights, take 3 seconds to lift or push the weight into place, pause for a second, and then spend 3 seconds lowering the weight to its starting position. Make sure to breathe in as you lift or push a weight and exhale as you relax. Aim for 10 to 15 repetitions and two sets of each move.
Not exercising worse for your health than smoking, diabetes and heart disease, study reveals.
Atlanta, Georgia (CNN) We’ve all heard exercise helps you live longer. But a new study goes one step further, finding that a sedentary lifestyle is worse for your health than smoking, diabetes and heart disease.
Dr. Wael Jaber, a cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic and senior author of the study, called the results “extremely surprising.” “Being unfit on a treadmill or in an exercise stress test has a worse prognosis, as far as death, than being hypertensive, being diabetic or being a current smoker,” Jaber told CNN. “We’ve never seen something as pronounced as this and as objective as this.”
Jaber said researchers must now convey the risks to the general population that “being unfit should be considered as strong of a risk factor as hypertension, diabetes and smoking — if not stronger than all of them.” “It should be treated almost as a disease that has a prescription, which is called exercise,” he said.
Researchers retrospectively studied 122,007 patients who underwent exercise treadmill testing at Cleveland Clinic between January 1, 1991 and December 31, 2014 to measure all-cause mortality relating to the benefits of exercise and fitness. Those with the lowest exercise rate accounted for 12% of the participants.
The study was published Friday in the journal JAMA Network Open. “Cardiovascular disease and diabetes are the most expensive diseases in the United States. We spend more than $200 billion per year treating these diseases and their complications. Rather than pay huge sums for disease treatment, we should be encouraging our patients and communities to be active and exercise daily,” said Dr. Jordan Metzl, sports medicine physician at the Hospital for Special Surgery and author of the book “The Exercise Cure.”
Jaber said the other big revelation from the research is that fitness leads to a longer life, with no limit to the benefit of aerobic exercise. Researche
rs have always been concerned that “ultra” exercisers might be at a higher risk of death, but the study found that not to be the case.
rs have always been concerned that “ultra” exercisers might be at a higher risk of death, but the study found that not to be the case.“There is no level of exercise or fitness that exposes you to risk,” he said. “We can see from the study that the ultra-fit still have lower mortality.”
“In this study, the most fit individuals did the best,” said Metzl, who was not involved in the study. “Once cleared by their physicians, patients shouldn’t be afraid of exercise intensity.”
The benefits of exercise were seen across all ages and in both men and women, “probably a little more pronounced in females,” Jaber said. “Whether you’re in your 40s or your 80s, you will benefit in the same way.”
The risks, he said, became more shocking when comparing those who don’t exercise much. “We all know that a sedentary lifestyle or being unfit has some risk. But I’m surprised they overwhelm even the risk factors as strong as smoking, diabetes or even end-stage disease.”
“People who do not perform very well on a treadmill test,” Jaber said, “have almost double the risk of people with kidney failure on dialysis.”
What made the study so unique, beyond the sheer number of people studied, he said was that researchers weren’t relying on patients self-reporting their exercise. “This is not the patients telling us what they do,” Jaber said. “This is us testing them and figuring out objectively the real measure of what they do.”
Comparing those with a sedentary lifestyle to the top exercise performers, he said, the risk associated with death is “500% higher.” “If you compare the risk of sitting versus the highest performing on the exercise test, the risk is about three times higher than smoking,” Jaber explained.
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Comparing somebody who doesn’t exercise much to somebody who exercises regularly, he said, still showed a risk 390% higher. “There actually is no ceiling for the benefit of exercise,” he said. “”There’s no age limit that doesn’t benefit from being physically fit.” Dr. Satjit Bhusri, a cardiologist at Lenox Hill Hospital, who was not involved in the study, said this reinforces what we know. “Sedentary, Western lifestyles have lead to a higher incidence in heart disease and this shows that it’s modifiable. It’s reversible,” he explained, adding that doctors are really good at treating patients who have had cardiovascular events but they can be prevented. “We’re meant to walk, run, exercise. It’s all about getting up and moving.” For patients, especially those who live a sedentary lifestyle, Jaber said, “You should demand a prescription from your doctor for exercise.”
So get moving.
Eat These Foods to Prevent Exercise Induced Nausea
Runner’s stomach can slow you down so eat these foods to keep up your pace!
Runners’ gut or runners’ stomach is a well-known phenomenon in the world of running. From mid-run stomach aches and bathroom breaks to other gastrointestinal complaints, athletes can be plagued with exercise-induced stomach problems. Nausea is also a common symptom among runners.
People who engage in intense workouts like high intensity training, marathons, long distance cycling and triathlons are at greater risk for nausea that is brought about by exercise. People with a history of acid reflux (also sometimes called Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease or GERD) are at an even greater risk due to excessive pressure on your core.
Exercise-induced nausea can occur in athletes after high intensity or strenuous training, according to a study published in 2013 in Gastroenterology Review. According to Robert Glatter, M.D., an assistant professor of Emergency Medicine at Northwell Health as well as attending emergency physician at Lenox Hill Hospital, “Exercise-induced nausea results from reduced blood flow to the stomach during intense exercise as blood flow is directed to more critical organs such as the heart, lungs and brain.”
It can also be caused by other things like irritable bowel syndrome and other factors such as climate conditions, duration and intensity, type of exercise and hydration status. This nausea can also occur if you start and stop running too quickly, which makes it important to slowly ease your pace down when coming to the end of a run.
In some cases, this nausea may result in vomiting if relief is not sought. Slow and deep abdominal breathing can help as well as the application of a cool compress on the back of your neck or forehead.
Below are some foods that can help prevent or ease symptoms of exercise-induced nausea.
Starchy Foods
Foods such as pretzels and crackers can help absorb stomach acid, which can ease stomach upset and nausea. Grab a handful of pretzels or white saltine crackers about 30 minutes before your run.
Ginger
Ginger is a well-known ailment for stomach upset. It may work to relieve nausea in the middle of a workout as well. Grab some ginger snap cookies before a workout. This gives you both a carbohydrate benefit as well as the anti-nausea benefit of the ginger. You can also carry ginger candies on your run to pop one in your mouth if you feel a bout of queasiness coming on.
Whole Grains
Some people experience nausea while running because their glycogen stores are low. Complex carbs like whole grains may help by slowly release energy into your body and bloodstream, which can help to keep your appetite satisfied.
Nut Butters
Nut butters like peanut, almond or cashew may help reduce nausea if eaten in small portions due to their sodium content. Be careful not to eat too much as it can upset your stomach before exercise.
Coconut Water
Coconut water offers hydration and electrolytes. Dehydration and electrolyte loss (often due to sweat) can both lead to feelings of nausea. Coconut water offers sodium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus and calcium.
Great Holiday Gift Ideas for Runners
The holidays are around the corner and it’s time to start thinking about gifts for all of your friends that love running as much as you do. Finding the perfect gift can be difficult, which is why we’re here to help! There are so many things that your friends and family may not even realize that they wanted, but as soon as they open those gifts, they will absolutely love them! Here are some gift ideas that any runner would love!
- Wearable Fitness Trackers
Runners want to know how well they are performing during each training session so that they can work to improve during their next session. Fitness trackers make it easy for runners to track their heart rate, their speed, their distance, the number of calories they burned, and other helpful information. Fitness trackers have been getting progressively more accurate and easy to use.
- Bluetooth Earbuds
Every runner wants to have her favorite tunes that help pump her up and help her keep his pace. Wrestling with earbud cords while you are running can be irritating. With Bluetooth earbuds, the runner in your life can easily put their earbuds in, grab their music, and go. Bluetooth earbuds make listening to your favorite music while you are on the go.
- Fun Running Socks
Socks are always a favorite gift for the holidays. They always make great stocking stuffers! Running socks not only make your run more comfortable, but they can also make your run more colorful. There are so many great running socks that have some fun patterns. No matter the sense of style for the runner in your life, you can find a pattern that they will absolutely love!
- Foam Roller
One thing that runners need to think about is their recovering from a challenging run. One thing that can help during recovery is a foam roller. A foam roller is a great tool for runners to help them loosen their muscles and help them relax after a run.
- Running and Fitness Log
Understanding progress can help any runner reach their fitness goals. Journals can help runners keep track of their progress and their nutrition so that they can understand how their body has improved based on their fitness schedule. Find a fitness log that has everything that the runner in your life needs to track their fitness.
- Run a Virtual Race With Them
One way of letting the runner in your life know how much you appreciate them is to actually run a race with them. Also, sometimes it’s nice to get a little gift for yourself. A virtual race is a great way of making that happen. With a virtual race, you can run together wherever you want to at your own pace. You can do them wherever is most convenient for you. There are so many races and medals to choose from so you can choose the perfect race that you know you both will enjoy doing together.
6 Tips for Running in Winter
When the weather begins to change, it can be tempting to stay indoors instead of going and running outside. But, just because the thermometer has dropped does not mean that you cannot enjoy the outdoors when you want to go for a run. Here are some tips to help you enjoy your run when it’s colder outside.
1. Protect Your Feet
Look for shoes that have the least amount of mesh. Also, be sure to wear socks that wick away your sweat, but will still keep your feet warm. This will help ensure that your feet stay warm and will keep any snow or slush out.
2. Layer It Up!
If you are running in colder weather, the general rule is to dress as if it were 20 degrees warmer. Be sure to dress in layers, so if you do get too hot and sweaty when you run, you can begin to shed layers. Also, it may be a good idea to remember to wear a scarf or mask to keep your face warmer when you are running. Cold air tends to also be very dry, which can cause breathing issues.
3. Warm Up Before You Start
It’s easier to get started on your run if you have warmed up beforehand. Before you start your run be sure to do some stretching and some light jogging. This will help you stay warm while you are running and will keep you feeling great throughout your run.
4. Stay Hydrated
Even in the colder weather, it is important to stay hydrated and make sure that you are getting plenty of water while you run. You may be losing as much fluid in the winter as you do in the summer, so it’s important to make sure that you always have an insulated water bottle on hand while you run.
5. Stay Visible
Unfortunately, during winter, the sun sets much earlier in the day, which means that there are fewer daylight hours to actually go for your run. It is important that if you are running during darker times, that you wear something that ensures that can be seen by others. Make sure that you wear clothing that is reflective and stay in well-lit areas. It also may be a good idea to wear a headlamp.
6. Change Quickly After Your Run
Once you are done with your run, take a warm shower and change into warm clothes. This will help you recover easily from the winter cold. A warm beverage such as a hot cup of coffee or tea can warm your body up and help you recover quickly.
Training for a Virtual Race During the Winter
It’s important to train before your virtual race, which can be more difficult during the winter months. If you are training for a winter virtual race and you cannot stand running outside during colder weather, you can still complete the race wherever you want including a treadmill. Find what works best for you and your training habits.
How to Get into a Winning Mindset While Virtual Racing
If you haven’t signed up for your first virtual race, it’s time that you did! There is no better time than now to start racing. Signing up for a 5K or 10K race that you complete in your own time is easy. In fact, it takes minutes to do and makes you eligible for a finisher’s medal just like the one you’d receive at a sponsored event you attended in person.
Developing a winning mindset can help you overcome the challenges you face with your first virtual race. It helps you adapt and conquer the terrain you’ve chosen to race on. If you have a time in mind that you’d like to beat, you can set a goal for yourself. The thing about virtual racing is that you do it on your own terms, when it’s convenient for you so timing yourself isn’t necessary.
Here are some ways to get into a winning mindset while virtual racing:
- Pride yourself on having the courage to start. For many people, running a race is a dream that they’ve had for a long time. Unfortunately, for some men and women, time constraints or life events prevent them from joining their friends, family members or work colleagues in an organized race. Having the opportunity to race on your own is incredible. It’s something that not everyone can do alone. That’s why you should be proud of your decision to start.
- Know that you are strong and resilient. Your body is capable of doing things you’re not even aware of. Keep this in mind when you start to tire or feel like giving up in the middle of your race. It’s okay to run and walk. Virtual races give you greater flexibility. You can even ride your bicycle or take your dog for a walk and have it count toward your 5K or 10K total. The point is to finish what you’ve started because you are strong and capable.
- Listen to uplifting music or your favorite podcast. This race is all about you! Why not put yourself in the right mindset by listening to music that you love or a podcast that you’ve been meaning to check out? You’ll be amazed at how quickly time passes when you’re doing something fun. Your virtual race can be customized however you see fit. The only thing we advise is that you do it when it is light out and that you remain aware of your surroundings throughout the duration of the race. We want you to put your personal safety first.
A virtual race provides you with the opportunity to discover new strengths about yourself. It allows you to complete a 5K or 10K race at your own pace and on your own schedule. Virtually racing builds strength in your body and character while providing you the opportunity to support charities and causes that matter to you.