Sarcopenia! Prevent it!

Posted by abraham.williams@gmail.com on in General

Older people with low muscle mass 50% more likely to be hospitalized!

One in five Americans over the age of 65 suffers from sarcopenia. In 2000 the direct health care cost of treating it were estimated to be more than $18.5 billion. With the number of Americans older than 65 estimated to double by the middle of the century those costs are expected to increase dramatically.

Preventing older Americans from being hospitalized is more than just a matter of saving health care dollars, it may also save lives. Numerous studies show that even short stays in the hospital are associated with a greater future risk of functional decline and disability.

– From www.sciencedaily.com

Make sure you are strength training. Start immediately if you are not. Make it part of your routine. Schedule the time with someone and pay money if you need motivation.

Don’t exercise to lose weight

Posted by abraham.williams@gmail.com on in Health

Exercise to increase your physical abilities. Exercise to increase your physical capacity, build your confidence, play your game, prevent sarcopenia, turn over cells, kick start recovery and healing, make it easy on the pancreas when it comes to storing energy…the list goes on.

Oh, and by the way, you can lose weight without exercising. Make grains and grain products (pasta and bread and alcohol) 5% or less of your diet instead of 90% (0% is best). Eat colorful vegetables, meat, fish, nuts, seeds and fruits. Do this and your body will have a very hard time assembling fatty acids into triglycerides inside of cell walls. I can add body fat or take it off just by altering the composition of my diet. I can eat corn (a grain), toast, and drink beer frequently and add 5lbs in 2 weeks. I can switch back to eating as described above and remove that 5lbs in the next two. I am constantly testing this and finding it to be true. A little bit now and again seems to be just fine, but high frequency grain consumption should only be embarked upon if you want to gain for an Arctic winter stay.

When you eat this way, you will quickly see if you have muscle on your frame. If you don’t, start putting some on so can outrun your grandkids until they are 7 or so. Put some on so that when you are sixty and get pneumonia you can rebound more quickly. Put on some muscle so you can get out of a chair when you are 80. Life is short, be as strong as you can for as long as you can so your quality of life is as good as can be.

Lift some heavy things now and again. Take long walks. Eat as I said.

3 months and still Crossfit-ing

Posted by abraham.williams@gmail.com on in General

I have to say that this form of exercise is the by far the best I’ve tried. The wellroundedness of the movements and the fact that one is pushed very hard when it is applied results in fantastic conditioning and strength. I think I shall have to remove myself from speaking of it with others as my opinion now is completely biased. However, I doubt this will happen as I am moving into an evangelistic phase. I think the right balance in this case is speaking factually and intending good. Although, that’s applicable to many facets of life.

My results with muscle development have been most exciting to me. I deviated from my paleo diet due to the amount of food I needed to eat in order to maintain the “block” requirements from the zone diet that is part of Crossfit (although, I will be moving into a paleo-zone diet shortly). My weight was 152lbs when I started in April 09 and it has increased to 160lbs while I have maintained low body fat. That’s 8lbs of lean tissue. This is in 3 months. I should state that my weight can fluctuate a few pounds depending on water intake and days of rest.

I have also been training others with this methodology. Here is a quote from the wife of one who has been training with me, “[He] has lost almost all of his belly fat.” Another who has started jogging in addition to taking up Crossfit with me said, “I felt much stronger running up the hills. I am getting into condition faster.”

I could say that it’s magic and it’s easy, but it’s really not factual to say either. These exercise sessions can be very hard. Of course, they can be reduced in intensity; however, one still has to finish. The benefits I have found and others have found as well are the short durations, the confidence of performing and finishing such grueling feats and the positive comradery that is part of the community. There is a competitive aspect one can choose to engage in or not.

If you are interested, check out Crossfit.

CrossFit

Posted by abraham.williams@gmail.com on in General

I started CrossFit with LaLanne fitness here in SF on 9 Apr 09. I went to an all levels class and the workout of the day (WOD) was the “Filthy Fifty”. I should state that I thought I was in peak fitness before I started. I had been doing altered CF workouts for about a year (minus proper olympic lifts). Well, it was the most metabolically demanding session of physical exercise I think I have ever done. I finished dead last with a time of 47 minutes. I wasn’t pushing myself in the beginning because I knew it would be long. It took me about 3 days to recover. I realized I was fit in some areas, but weak in others. That session uncovered that very quickly.

The next session I did was a beginner and level 1 class. That was a different experience. Slower, less of demand and a quicker recovery. As I’ve done sessions since, I’ve noticed something. When I was in the middle of the “filthy fifty” doing the burpees and not seeing how I could ever finish, I was completely exhausted and wondered if I’d finish. In the WODs since, I still find myself in those places of complete exhaustion wondering if I’ll finish, but I have more to give. I have more reserve. I actually feel that is when I’m tapping into strength that is normally never even touched. I’ve never run into that before, physically. I think it is quite remarkable and gives one evidence of the untapped human physical potential.