fbpx
tajirul

Author Archives: tajirul

February 17, 2016

How to not die of heart disease | Dr. Michael Greger

This is the part one of a two-part series with Dr. Michael Greger. He is the author of the book “How Not To Die”.
Dr. Greger says the number one cause of death for both men and women in the United States is heart disease. The good news is a vast majority of premature death due to heart disease is preventable.

Inflammation is the primary cause of heart disease. Death from heart disease occurs when a plaque within the arterial wall of our coronary arteries bursts. Coronary arteries feed oxygen to the heart muscles. When blood flow is cut off due to this bursting plaque, a part of the heart dies. This can lead to certain cardiac death. One of the first stages is the buildup of cholesterol. High levels of cholesterol in blood

One of the first stages is the buildup of cholesterol. High levels of cholesterol in blood damages the wall of the arteries.  White blood cells go into the arterial wall and eat up the cholesterol. This results in the eventual bursting of a plaque.

Heart disease is preventable without drugs and surgery. Simple changes in our diet can be enough to reverse heart disease.  He recommends a plant-based diet to prevent and reverse heart disease.

To connect with Dr. Michael Greger, author of How Not To Die, go to www.nutritionfacts.org to find his contact information.

 

How to not die of diabetes | Dr. Michael Greger

Music: Ben Sound Royalty Free Music

February 15, 2016

Dealing with pain and injury

Today we'll discuss  pain and injury.  When we start an exercise program and begin pushing ourselves, most of us expect we will feel some pain. It can be difficult for people to know when enough is enough, when to carry on and when to stop.  In this episode, I want to help you identify when to push and when to stop.

When we work on our muscles, we tear the muscle fiber down.  Our bodies were designed to respond to this.  The muscles are repaired and in that process, they're made bigger and stronger.  But this can only happen when we make sure to get appropriate rest and take in the right amount of protein. The cycle entails the following: challenge, feed, and recover.  During the challenge phase, it is common to have a little bit of discomfort and pain. And it’s fine to continue with such pain.

When you're new to resistance exercise, it is not uncommon to suffer rather extreme muscle soreness. It means that you've done enough work with that muscle to elicit growth. You'll want to ensure you give the muscle enough time to recover. It takes roughly 48 – 72 hours to recover from intense resistance exercise.

Another type of pain, which is most often associated with running is called a stitch. It is a sharp pain in the lower abdomen. This is believed to occur when there is a mismatch between abdominal muscles and the diaphragm. The stitch can be very painful, bu it is nothing to worry about.

Injuries require a lot more care.  The previous pain issues we covered will go away with rest.  With injuries, that's usually not the case.

Most common exercise-induced injuries are damage to a tendon, ligament, muscle or bone.  You should make sure you seek medical attention for injuries.  The doctor will give you information on how to repair the damage and begin rehabilitation.  I can't stress enough how important it is to follow your doctor's instructions.  Injuries can put an end to exercise permanently if you don't address the underlying issue.

How you should approach pain and injury will depend on the nature of the pain. Make sure you properly asscess your pain and injury before you decide how to go ahead.   There is some pain to get gain, but you'll need to know which type of pain is getting you gains or is going to sideline you.

What is high intensity interval training?

Ben Sound Royalty Free Music

February 10, 2016

Should I do yoga? | Julie Zuzek

In this episode, we get into Yoga Basics with Julie Zuzek. Julie is the founder Corporate Yogi. She helps entrepreneurs grow businesses that are purpose driven and profitable. She is a business coach, a yoga teacher, and host of a podcast.

Julie points out the key benefits of yoga. Yoga iis not just physical, rather it is something that goes deep into our minds. She talks about the physical benefits of Yoga.  It is great for developing flexibility. Just like strength training increases our muscle mass, yoga lengthens our muscles. Then, it increases our body strength. Yoga uses only human body-weight and not any equipment or machines. So, it tends to be a safe way for people to exercise.

Julie mentions how Yoga can help us reduce stress in our life. Relearning to breathe is something people struggle when they first come to yoga. Yoga tends to allow one to breathe in a larger capacity. And that is what allows one to reduce stress in one’s life.

Julie explains different types of Yoga. Bikram style of Yoga is one of the major modalities she teaches. It is something that involves a specific series of 26 poses and two breathing exercises. Ashtanga is another series she teaches. Another yoga type she mentions is Yin Yoga. It takes 4-10 minutes to complete a single posture. It allows us to focus on our breath and also reduce stress. She also mentions Iyengar which is quite popular as well.  It teaches one how to align the body. These are the common styles in the yoga spectrum.

Julie believes one should keep trying Yoga until he or she finds the right type that is for him or her. Finding a connectable, accessible and trustable teacher is important as well.

Hope you enjoyed the session!

https://40plusfitnesspodcast.com/45

https://40plusfitnesspodcast.com/46

Music: Ben Sound Royalty Free Music

Going from project to lifestyle

Today, we are going to talk about lifestyle.

Often when people approach a new diet or exercise regimen, they have a goal in mind, for example losing 10-20 pounds. It’s important to have a target. But after you achieve that target or you fail to reach it, there seems to be a period of time when many people slip and let it all go.

I find this most often happens when the project (the diet) wasn't something they ever intended to sustain. And when they go back to doing what they did before the project, they end up where they were before, if not worse. That’s why you need to think about the changes that you put in place as being something that you can generally sustain for the long term.

Try making sustainable changes to your lifestyle so that you can maintain your healthy life even after achieving your initial goals. Long-term success requires supports from your family and friends. This may take some time. You're different. You're eating different foods, doing different things. Eventually, they come to understand. As you build this new healthy lifestyle, be sure to explain your why to you family and friends. This will help them get more comfortable with the changes in you.

I recommend limiting yourself to one sustainable healthy behavior at a time and work to make that stick.

Mindset also plays an important role in building a good lifestyle. Work on changing your language, find balance in your life, and build stronger relationships with the people around you. All of these will make you happier and that will make you healthier.

This is your life and you can do this.

Healthy habits | Dr. Cris Beer

Music used for the podcast Intro and Outro: http://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music

Body by science | Dr. Doug McGuff

This is the second part of a two-part interview with Dr Doug McGuff . In this episode, we discuss the principles behind the book “Body by Science”. Dr McGuff co-authored the book with John Little.

At the age of 15, Dr Doug McGuff became interested in exercise, diet and human performance. He took up weight training to improve his performance in the sport of bicycle motocross. He traded janitorial services for membership in a local gym.

In 1989, he graduated from the University Of Texas Medical School At San Antonio. He served as the chief resident at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences at Little Rock. From there, he served as faculty at Wright State University Emergency Medicine Residency. In 1997, he realized his lifelong dream when he opened up Ultimate Exercise.

Dr. McGuff's program has always been high-intensity. Over the years, he continued to tweak his program to continue progressing. He turned his attention to finding the lowest volume necessary to still see results.  He found that intensity was the key, not volume.  Those principles are reflected in the Body by Science book. It is a combination of his own experience and scientific studies. 

In the book, McGuff showed how the intensity comes by slowing down the exercise. He says the purpose of slowing down the exercise is not just going slow. There is nothing magical about that. It’s the focus and intent that changes things. It’s important to set a benchmark workload and progress over time following that benchmark. There is no reason to rush and try to achieve anything quickly. Taking time and focusing on safety at the time of weight-lifting are important.

The book discusses many other aspects of human body and muscular development.

 

https://40plusfitnesspodcast.com/primal-prescription-doug-mcguff/

Music used for the podcast Intro and Outro: http://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music

Discussions about sleep

In this client episode, we discuss getting good sleep with John and Tammy.

John described his normal sleep pattern, noting he used to sleep six hours a night. Per Allan's recommendation, he added an hour to his nightly sleep over the past week.  With that extra hour, he does not need a nap when he gets home from work.  The sleep he is getting now has him feeling more rested. 

A nap can be a useful tool as well. John said he is not avoiding the nap, rather he does not feel the need for it.  So, he thinks his adding an extra hour of sleep is something he will continue doing. Because he sees real benefit.

If someone gets a good sleep pattern going and gets comfortable with it, his or her body performs better. This will help balance your  hormones, improving brain chemistry and memory. 

John says the setup in their room is completely perfect for sleep. They did not have to make any changes in the sleeping environment. That means they already had some good sleeping habits. 

Tammy tends to sleep more than John. But there are some nights when  wakes up sometimes after 2 – 3 hours.  She finds it very frustrating that when she cannot fall back asleep.  Using good sleep hygiene should keep these restless nights at a minimum.

Start a good sleep practice to ensure you get good nights sleep every night.

Progression for results

 

Music used for the podcast Intro and Outro: http://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music

Should I lift weights?

Today we're going to talk about resistance training.

A very common question about resistance training is “why would I want to do resistance training if I am trying to lose fat?”

Fat-loss is all about what and how much you eat. And if you are trying to use exercise as a way of burning more calories, you probably pushing yourself to a point that is unsustainable. And when you go back to your normal lifestyle, your metabolism will have slowed. Good weight loss is when the loss is done on a sustainable eating plan. The ideal way is to set small goals like losing one or two pounds per week. Resistance training allows you to retain lean body mass while you lose body fat. This will lead to a better body composition after you've lost the weight.

Lifting weights can help us in three different modalities; muscle strength, muscle mass, and muscle endurance. What many people don’t know is after you turn 35, you start to lose muscle every single year. So, if you look at the older people who did not do resistance training and as a result, they don’t have as much muscle mass. That can be a big problem.

You may not feel comfortable lifting weights. I say you don't have to lift weights; you can actually use your own body weight.
Body-weight exercises like squat and pull-ups are things that can help you get really stronger. Two major advantages of bodyweight exercises are that you can do it anywhere and with limited injury risk.

If you choose to do weights, my typical choice would be free weights. Free weights are better for functional strength. The advantage of machines is that they are easier to learn and use. Regardless of whether you go free weights or machines, always ensure you use good form to avoid injury.

It is difficult to fully cover this topic in 15 minutes. Still, I hope you understand the value of resistance training and don't neglect this very important fitness modality.

 

Weight machines versus free weights

Why you should squat

Music used for the podcast Intro and Outro: http://www.bensound.com/royalty-free-music

1 2 3