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Exercise and Disease Prevention

by drpaul

The science behind the need for movement:
In order for humans to express their optimal genetic expression (in other words, to be healthy), we must exercise daily.  Not to be fit, but to be healthy.  The goal is health, not fitness.

“At present human genes and human lives are incongruent, especially in affluent Western nations. When our current genome was originally selected, daily physical exertion was obligatory; our biochemistry and physiology are designed to function optimally in such circumstances. However, today’s mechanized, technologically oriented conditions allow and even promote an unprecedentedly sedentary lifestyle. Many important health problems are affected by this imbalance, including atherosclerosis, obesity, age-related fractures and diabetes, among others.”

Eaton SB, Eaton III SB, An Evolutionary Perspective on Human Physical Activity: Implications for Health. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology – Part A: Molecular & Integrative Physiology 2003; 136(1):153-159. [view abstract]

Exercise is an essential element to being well.  Additionally, did you notice the wording “unprecedentedly sedentary lifestyle?”  This means our present day sit-and-drive, sit-at-a-desk, sit-at-a-computer, sit-in-front-of-a-TV culture has never been seen before in the history of man.

“In other words, physical inactivity is an abnormal event for a genome programmed to expect physical activity, thus explaining, in part, the genesis of how physical inactivity leads to metabolic dysfunctions and eventual metabolic disorders such as atherosclerosis, hypertension, obesity, Type 2 diabetes, and so forth.”

Booth FW, et al. Waging war on physical inactivity: Using modern molecular ammunition against an ancient enemy. Journal of Applied Physiology, 2002; 93:3-30. [view article]

Did you catch that? Inactivity is abnormal.

“Since the appearance of behaviorally modern humans perhaps 50,000 years ago and particularly since the Neolithic Revolution of 10,000 years ago, evolution has proceeded more rapidly than has genetic evolution, thereby producing ever-greater dissociation between the way we actually live and the lifestyle for which our genome was originally selected.”

Eaton SB, et al. Evolutionary Health Promotion: A Consideration of Common Counterarguments Preventive Medicine 2002; 34:119–123.

The statement “. . .thereby producing ever-greater dissociation between the way we actually live and the lifestyle for which our genome was originally selected” means modern man is living a genetically incongruent life.  It would be analogous to eating bark for breakfast – our genetic structure doesn’t allow for digestion of bark (similar to why my dog’s poop has chunks of carrot in it – he’s not genetically designed to digest carrots, so why am I feeding him carrots, you ask?  Good question, I’ll ask my wife).  A more accurate illustration would be that our bodies are not genetically designed to be healthy from eating donuts and soda pop.  Eventually, the body’s adaptation to that genetically incongruent behavior will be obesity and diabetes.

It’s no longer overwhelming when we look to solve the enormous problem surrounding the overwhelming chronic disease rates.  It’s really quite simple (not necessarily easy):  we, as a culture, must create lifestyles that incorporate the vital behaviors that match our genetics within the domains of eating, moving and thinking.

Exercise and Disease:
In addition to the general overview of the scientific validation for the need for exercise from the standpoint of genetic requirements, there exists more and more reductionist research demonstrating how exercise impacts both the risk and the survival of many specific diseases.

“There is now unequivocal evidence in the literature supporting the notion that all environmental factors combined, includingphysical inactivity (defined here as the activity equivalent of<30 min of brisk walking/day), account for the majority of chronichealth conditions.  Sedentary men and women had a 56% and 72%, respectively, higher incidence of melanomas that those exercising 5-7 days/wk.”

Booth, Frank W, et al. Waging war on physical inactivity: using modern molecular ammunition against an ancient enemy. J Appl Physiol 2002; 93: 3-30 [view article]

Interesting to note that the above study was regarding skin cancer AND that exercising less than 4 days per week did not prevent the melanoma cancer – THAT’S PROFOUND!

Exercise, Cancer and Diabetes:  Studies have shown that 30-50% of all cases of Type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, and many cancers were prevented by 30  minutes of moderate-intensity exercise each day in middle-aged women(e.g., walking greater than 3 miles per hour) compared with cohorts who exhibitedlower levels of physical activity.

Manson JE, et al. A prospective study of walking as compared with vigorous exercise in the prevention of coronary heart disease in women. N Engl J Med 1999; 341:650-658. [view article]

Colditz GA, et al. Physical activity and reduced risk of colon cancer: implications for prevention. Cancer Causes Control 1997; 8(4): 649-667. [view abstract]

Hu FB, et al. Diet, lifestyle, and the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus in women. N Engl J Med 2001; 345: 790-797. [view article]

There is inherent danger when reading these “scientific reductionist” articles that are designed to study within the narrow boundaries of a specific condition [reductionism is the position that the best scientific strategy is to attempt to reduce explanations to the smallest possible entities].  It’s easy to overlook the big picture.

For example, someone reading the next two articles might be inclined to say, “Well, I don’t have breast cancer, so this doesn’t apply to me.”  In this case, we must remember that cancer is a breakdown in the function of the body in general and the body’s immune system in particular, most often due to toxicities and deficiencies (i.e. a deficiency of movement or exercise).  Where a particular cancer shows up or manifests within the body as a result of the dysfunction can and often does vary within individuals from colon to prostate to breast to brain, etc.  The “take away” from an article like this is that exercise improved “health” by enhancing physiologic function – in this particular case, within the subgroup of women who had been diagnosed with breast cancer.

Breast Cancer:  Exercise greatly enhanced breast cancer survival.

“Womenwho engaged in an amount of physical activity equivalent towalking 1 or more hours per week had better survival comparedwith those who exercised less than that or not at all.”

Holmes, MD, Physical Activity and Survival After Breast Cancer Diagnosis. J Amer Med Assoc. (JAMA),  2005; 293:2479-2486. [view article]

Pancreatic cancer:

“In 2 prospective cohort studies, obesity significantlyincreased the risk of pancreatic cancer. Physical activity appearsto decrease the risk of pancreatic cancer, especially amongthose who are overweight. Abnormal glucose metabolism and hyperinsulinemiahave been proposed as underlying mechanisms that might explainthe positive association between diabetes mellitus and the riskof pancreatic cancer. Hyperinsulinemia has been shown to increaselocal blood flow and cell division within the pancreas.”

Michaud DS, et al. Physical Activity, Obesity, Height, and the Risk of Pancreatic Cancer, JAMA, 2001; 286:921-929 [view article]

Creating Your Exercise Routine

by admin

Creating the Exercise Routine for Your Life and Schedule

An important part of life today is to schedule our priorities.  Most people simply prioritize their schedule.  What’s the difference?  The best way to describe it is like this:  Start off your week by saying, or even better, writing down, the things that must happen.  Everything else in your life can then and only then, fit in around the prioritized things in your life.

This means to make it a priority to get your exercise – schedule it!  Now it’s time to talk about how to make exercise part of your regular routine.

First, figure out:

• What it is that you enjoy?
• What is easily available to you?
• Is it convenient to you and your schedule?  You may have to manipulate your schedule to make it convenient.
• Can you commit to it regularly (i.e. 6-7 times per week)?

For example, if you enjoy golf – great!  But, be honest with yourself, does golf make you pant and sweat – it’s a game, not a sport; also, is it something that you can do 6-7 days a week, all year long?  Unless you’re now independently wealthy or on the “4 Hour Work Week” program, your golf should probably fit into your schedule as a “Leisure” or “Play” activity instead of your regular exercise.  By the way, “play” is very important for relaxation, stress relief and mental health.

If you like to go to the gym, run, do yoga or swim, the question is, is that particular exercise available between home and work?  Now is a good time to mention that a combination of sports/activities can often be quite beneficial; that’s why health clubs are so popular – you can take a spin class, work out on machines, swim, do yoga, play racquetball or basketball, etc. all under one roof.  Also, if you like to ride a mountain bike but live in the northeast, you may need to find some alternate “cross training” activities to keep you in shape from December through April.

You get the idea – be realistic, be committed, and make it happen.

Energy Acquisition and Energy Consumption

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Acquiring food used to be hard work.  Whether it was walking to a water source to obtain water, gathering fruit, or hunting a large animal and dragging it to camp, getting resources required a lot of effort.  Therefore, our bodies are imprinted with the expectation that energy expenditure (burning calories) is related to consuming them – as opposed to a sea sponge, for example, that is designed to sit in one spot all day and eat.

What did acquiring food used to look like?  Here is a quote from Professor Loren Cordain:

• “Our Paleolithic ancestors exerted themselves daily to secure their food, water, and protection.

• Our remote ancestors participated in various physical activities daily.  They walked and ran 5 to 10 miles daily as they foraged and hunted for their food sources.

• They also lifted, carried, climbed, stretched, leaped, and did whatever else was necessary to secure their sustenance and protection.

• Days of heavy exertion were followed by recovery days.  In modern terms, these people cross-trained with aerobic, resistance, and flexibility exercises.

• Even in times of caloric excess, hunter-gatherers avoided weight gain in part because they were extremely physically active.

• Although modern technology has made physical exertion optional, it is still important to exercise as though our survival depended on it, and in a different way it still does.

• A sedentary existence predisposes us to obesity, hypertension, the metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and most types of cardiovascular disease, whereas regular exercise decreases the risks of developing all these diseases.

• We are genetically adapted to live an extremely physically active lifestyle.“

-Cordain, Loren, O’Keefe, James H. Cardiovascular Disease Resulting From a Diet and Lifestyle at Odds With Our Paleolithic Genome: How to Become a 21st-Century Hunter-Gatherer. Mayo Clin Proc. 2004;79:101-108

 

Today there is a much different situation when it comes to acquiring food.  Today, food is much more plentiful, energy dense, and easier to obtain.  Check out this history of the energy involved in getting food today.  Think about it:  how many opportunities are there in your town to get your hands on a meal without ever leaving your car?

What is a Calorie Exactly?
A calorie is a unit of energy.  Technically, it is the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water by one degree Celsius.  A typical human diet can consist of anywhere from under 2,000 to over 3,000 calories of energy consumed in food per day.

Of course, your body has specific fuel sources it can use for energy.  Your body is designed to metabolize, or burn, three categories: fat, carbohydrate and protein.  Fat is the most energy-dense energy source.  Fat contains 9 calories for every gram of fat.  Protein and carbohydrate both contain 4 calories per gram.

Calorie-Dense Foods
When you eat food, it contains a certain amount of calories.  However, there are other substances in food that do not contain calories.  Water and fiber are two of the most important of these.  Other nutrients in food that are present in smaller amounts are vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals.

Some foods are more calorie dense than others. Meaning that for the same volume of food, the calorie content can vary widely.  A hundred calories can come in the form of a large head of lettuce, or in the form of a small candy bar.  Good fuel sources are typically lower in calorie density than processed foods. Good fuel sources typically have a high fiber and water content.  Processed foods tend to be very low in fiber and water, and also tend to have lots of toxic additives as well.

Energy Imbalance
The result of these changes in energy acquisition and energy consumption has led to an energy imbalance.  In other words, we are too often consuming more energy, or calories, than we are expending.  The occurrence of this energy imbalance problem is at the root of the world-wide obesity epidemic.

 

Healthy Lifestyle – The Essential Components

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Exercise and Disease Prevention/Avoidance

The two main factors that will determine whether a person will die prematurely of a preventable disease, such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes or obesity-related diseases, are:

1. Diet
2. Exercise

The scientific research is irrefutable in these two areas of lifestyle habits and disease prevention/avoidance.  Eating perfectly doesn’t replace the need for exercise and vice versa – exercising will not offset bad dietary choices.  You know those obsessive athletes who think that they can get away with eating donuts because they work out all the time?  They’re wrong!

What Does The Science Say?  Here’s a fascinating illustration.  In general, most people associate cancer with bad genes, or random chance, or simply bad luck; it’s rare that people will associate a cancer death with lifestyle choices.  However, when it comes to skin cancer, there’s an overwhelming association with sun exposure as the cause.  However, when we look at all cancer as a health issue, a different picture emerges.

Exercising reduces the risk of skin cancer?

“Thus the majority of deaths from chronic health conditions in the United States are of environmental origin. Physical inactivity is the third leading cause of death in the United States and contributes to the second leading cause (obesity), accounting for at least 1 in 10 deaths.

“There is now unequivocal evidence in the literature supporting the notion that all environmental factors combined, including physical inactivity (defined here as the activity equivalent of <30 min of brisk walking/day), account for the majority of chronic health conditions. Sedentary men and women had a 56% and 72%, respectively, higher incidence of melanomas that those exercising 5-7 days/wk.”

Booth FW, et al. Waging war on physical inactivity: using modern molecular ammunition against an ancient enemy. J Appl Physiol 2002; 93: 3-30. view article

Interesting to note that the study was regarding skin cancer – that means that exercising less than 4 days/week did not prevent the melanoma cancer – THAT’S PROFOUND!

Compounding Fitness: How to Experience the Exponential Benefits of Functional Fitness

by admin

First, can you be healthy without being fit? No. Being physically fit is a major component of being healthy, but it’s not the only one. The other components are nutritional and mental/emotional/stress management, each of which are comprehensive topics themselves.

Second, can you get fit in one workout? No, that’s crazy even to suggest it. So, fitness is cumulative.

Third, by definition, anything that is cumulative qualifies as something that can be compounded, meaning the more you do, the greater the benefit. The more fit you are, the more healthy you have the potential to become. However, lengthy aerobic exercise such as two-to-three hour runs in preparation for marathons and all day events such as ironman triathlons can be very stressful to the body because extended endurance training causes increased cortisol levels, which result in accelerated aging from oxidative stress, systemic inflammation, depressed immune response and muscle breakdown, not to mention abnormal wear and tear on joints and connective tissue such as cartilage and ligaments.

So, how does one get the greatest benefit of compounding fitness without the negative effects of over-training? It’s accomplished by engaging in regular (meaning 5-6 days/week), short interval, high intensity training sessions. This is where you move, pant and sweat for a minimum of thirty minutes nearly every day.

Real Life Movements
And here’s the method by which this can be accomplished. The key is to incorporate functional training through:

• Variation

• Frequency

• Intensity

By incorporating variation, frequency, and intensity, you will develop the 10 elements or facets of fitness – endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, accuracy, agility and balance. And you will also experience the benefits of training movements versus training muscles. Functional training is defined as using the entire body instead of isolated muscle groups which is common to the “machines” used in gyms or specialized athletic event training.

Benefits of Full-Body Functional Movements:

• Quicker, more efficient workouts

• Scalable for all ages and fitness levels

• Greater range of motion – better for joint health and injury prevention

• Mimics real life body movements – develops coordination and agility

• Greater compounded health benefits

Finally, remember these key concepts:

• You can’t “out train” a bad diet: just because you had a good workout doesn’t mean it’s okay to eat a donut, a bagel or a Frappuccino; those foods will still be damaging to your body.

• Under-recovery goes hand in hand with over-training: not allowing the body to sufficiently recover from intense workouts is similar to the damage two hours on the treadmill can cause.

Now get moving!

The Secret to Living Your Healthiest Life: Understanding Our Hunter-Gather Ancestry

by admin

 

Our (Hunter-Gather) Heritage
Picture a world without any obvious evidence of humans – a world without buildings, automobiles, cities, factories, gyms, schools, freeways, airports, shipyards, even a world without electronics. Picture this land before time, and in it, try to visualize the different landscapes: the jungle, with its huge trees and intense animal noises, a vast savanna, with many types of prairie grasses growing and different big game animals roaming in huge packs, and the desert, with its own unique geography and animals, specifically adapted to its seemingly inhospitable climate. These are all places that throughout time humans have called home, and it was the selective pressures in these places that shaped our genome, our heredity, what makes humans humans. The human genus (Homo) has existed for some 2.5 million years, and our specific species originated in Africa some 200,000 years ago. From there we spread out all over the globe.  Humans have lived in almost all regions of the earth with varied climates, such as the mountains of Switzerland, the plains of America, and the deserts of Australia.

And through all of that and in all of those places, there was one thing that was common to all humans:  their lifestyle. Every human being on the planet, until the advent of agriculture, depended on a lifestyle of hunting and gathering for survival. Humans depended on what animals they could kill and what produce they could gather from nature for roughly the last 100,000 generations. It was only until about 500 generations ago (10,000) years ago that agriculture and the domestication of animals entered into our way of life, slowly changing everything about our lifestyle.

Before the advent of agriculture and then the subsequent industrial revolution, further mechanizing food growing and procuring, there was a direct relationship between energy expenditure and eating. Think about the land before time – there were no grocery stores, no fast food joints, no refrigerators.  Everything that kept humans alive throughout their life had to be sought out or hunted on a regular basis.  Food didn’t keep, there were no food processing plants, everything was fresh, and so it spoiled quickly and had to be gathered every few days and eaten quickly.  It was that lifestyle of hunting and gathering that shaped us; constant and daily activity was stamped into our genes, as was a dependence on fresh foods (the only kinds that were available). The needs for community and support and the values that would make us a productive part of a tribe were also stamped in. Social deviants would not have been tolerated in the small tribes that existed before agriculture. Times were so tough and without the important social skills that we still hold dear (love, trust, loyalty, bravery, intelligence, compassion, leadership, humor…) that a deviant member would have been excluded from the tribe. In that world, exclusion would have meant death, causing their genes to disappear from the earth.The time and way of life that shaped our genome was so incredibly different than it is now, it is almost as if we are on another planet.  Here is the catch: our genes are the same now as they were then.

 

“…today’s humans arose through a multi-million year evolutionary process.
… Since the appearance of agriculture 10,000 years ago and especially since the Industrial Revolution, genetic adaptation has been unable to keep pace with cultural progress”

Eur J. of Clinical Nutrition 1997 51; 207-216.

Although the lifestyle change that came along with the advent of agriculture was HUGE, it did not cause humans to die before they were able to reproduce, and therefore, there has been very little change in our genes in the last 50,000-100,000 years.

What does this mean for us today?
It means that we are hunters and gatherers who never hunt or gather.  It means that our bodies are the same bodies that were designed, created or evolved to move (exercise) daily in a vigorous manner, eat only fresh, local, unprocessed foods that come from the earth (fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and meats – no grains), and live with community support in happy, positive and relatively chronic stress-devoid lives with the occasional acute stressor.

It means that modern humans are using the awesome living machine that is their body incorrectly.  What happens when a machine or a tool is used incorrectly or for the wrong task? IT BREAKS DOWN MUCH FASTER.  It is the same for us!  Our genetically incongruent ways of living account for all lifestyle diseases from cancers to heart attacks, to auto immune diseases, to acne, and more.

“These conditions (heart disease, diabetes, cancer, obesity, hypertension etc.) have emerged as dominant health problems only in the past century and are virtually unknown among the few surviving hunter-gatherer populations whose way of life and eating habits most closely resemble those of pre-agricultural human beings.”

Eaton M.D. & Konner Ph.D. Paleolithic Nutrition: a consideration of its nature and current implications. 1985: N. Eng. J. Med. 312, 282-289.

“There is increasing evidence that the resulting mismatch fosters “diseases of civilization” that together cause 75% of all deaths in Western nations, but that are rare among persons whose lifeways reflect those of our preagricultural ancestors.”

Eaton, Konner & Shostak. Stoneagers in the fast lane. 1988. Am J. of Med. 84, 739-49.

If we wish to live long, happy and healthy lives, we must adopt the principles that were carved into our genes; we must live as close to a hunter-gatherer lifestyle as possible, by eating, moving and thinking in genetically congruent ways.

Varied Approach to Fitness

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When you look at the incredible design of the human body, you can’t help notice how perfectly we are crafted to move.  We have feet that are engineered to evenly support our body weight and absorb shock when we walk, dance, run and jump.  Our muscle fibers are built to respond to stress when we lift heavy objects, then rebuild themselves to become stronger for next time.  Our lung capacity has the potential to increase, and so does the size of our heart by performing cardiovascular-type exercises.  Your spine has many tiny receptors in each individual joint, and when they are stimulated by movement, it literally charges your brain and gives you energy.  Your body is a truly amazing organism that is constantly being redesigned and molded through use.

However, most of us spend a great deal of our time in office cubicles, cars, school desks, and on living room couches.  It is for this reason that we must supplement exercise in our daily routine to stay healthy and avoid movement deficiency.  Most people are aware that exercise is a necessity, but are confused about what kind of movement they are supposed to be doing.  Let’s clear up the confusion.

If you are regularly committing time to exercise, give yourself a pat on the back.  That is the first and most important step.  Our hunter-gatherer ancestors, who shaped our genetic requirements for movement, moved their bodies every day for survival.  The concept of supplementing exercise to them would have been ridiculous.  Our ancestors played, ran, hunted, gathered, lifted heavy objects, walked long distances, and exerted all-out efforts on occasion (when there was danger or combat).  This means that they were always ready for dynamic challenges of the unknown and the unknowable.  And so, you should be too.

Your regular activities should include:

• Daily movements where you can hold your pace for a sustained period of time, such as walking, stair climbing, hiking, gardening, shoveling, etc.

• Lifting something heavy once in a while

• Occasional high interval, short intensity efforts

• Learning new skills and sports or activities

This varied approach to your fitness is what you need for optimal health and to stay functional throughout your entire life.  Make varied fitness a priority.

Coaching: 7 Valuable Reasons to Hire a Coach or Trainer

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“There comes that mysterious meeting in life when someone acknowledges who we are and what we can be, igniting the circuits of our highest potential.”

-Rusty Berkus

Have you ever wished that someone would help you recognize your true potential?  Help you raise your game to the next level?  Help you to gain some clarity in your life?  Or just give you that shot in the arm that you need to start making changes in your life?

This is exactly what a coach is for! More →

Short Interval, High Intensity Exercise

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Move Slowly, Don’t Stop, and Carry A Big Stick
Humans evolved over the millennia being physical – survival meant performing consistently varied, relatively low intensity endurance activities such as gathering food, building shelter, tracking animals, and simply moving with the seasons (this was 40,000 years before agriculture appeared).  This means that humans developed the physiological need for moving at a low level of exertion for several hours a day.

Occasionally, short-duration outputs of peak power during fights and sprints were required (to chase or flee from an opponent or animal).  Rarely, if ever, did man spend any long periods of time with his heart rate significantly elevated as a distance runner might today – just as we can look to those genetic ancestors of ours for answers to our dietary needs (eat plants and animals; do not eat grains or dairy), today we can and should take note of our ancestors’ movement patterns for the exercise component of optimal health. More →

Benefits of Exercise in Aging Populations

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There are incredible benefits found in older populations who exercise regularly.  There is evidence that older people experience the same benefits that younger people experience from physical activity.  This study below tells us that exercise increases blood flow to muscular tissues, allowing us to build muscle the same way, in both young and aged people.  This means that you can still build muscle at any age.   It is never too late to start increasing your health by exercising!

“These results demonstrate that the angiogenic response to aerobic exercise training is not altered during the aging process in humans. In addition, muscular activity-associated increases in interstitial VEGF protein may play an important role in the maintenance of skeletal muscle capillarization across the life span.”

 

Gavin, TP, et all, No difference in the skeletal muscle angiogenic response to aerobic exercise training between young and aged men. J Physiology 2007 Nov 15;585(Pt 1):231-9.

In fact, exercise in older populations is particularly important.  There is significant evidence to show that exercise can promote healthy mental status in older people, improving memory.  This study reviewed most of the available research on exercise in aging populations.  It found that exercise has repeatedly been shown to aid in memory issues and mental health in older populations.  The greatest benefits were shown in women.

“…although fitness training broadly influenced a variety of cognitive processes, the largest positive effects were observed for executive control processes. Executive control processes include components of cognition such as planning, scheduling, working memory, inhibitory processes, and multitasking. Interestingly, these are many of the processes that show substantial age-related decline. Second, effects of fitness training were larger when programs of aerobic training were combined with strength and flexibility training. Combinations of different treatment protocols may engender both more varied brain changes and serve to further reduce age-associated cardiovascular and muscular skeletal disorders. Third, and perhaps most interestingly, studies that included more women showed larger fitness training benefits than studies with fewer women.”

Kramer, AF. Exercise, cognition and the aging brain. J Appl Physiol.2006 Oct; 101(4):1237-42.