I've quit training heavyweight until further notice.
On a recommendation from a friend I started taking pilates to help my lower back. I am now convinced that no one should be lifting any significant amount of weight until they can complete a pilates class with relative ease. And that is no small task, let me tell you. And the bigger and "stronger" you are the more humbling this kind of class will be. And no this isn't some finishing class, some thing you should think about adding one day if your already well designed workout isn't doing it anymore. This is the shit we should have been forced to do when we were kids. This should be the benchmark of physical health (one of them anyways). With all the back and hip injuries that are so common today I think it's imperative that the dudes with all the skullcaps who are working on that sixth set of preacher curls get their tiny little boy butts on the floor and learn to hold side plank for 60 seconds.
I always thought pilates was for skinny people. After all, I have a nice soft layer of snuggle pillow, so what's the point of getting all crazy with fourteen bazillion ab exercises? The point is LIFE. Everything we do everyday involves an actively engaged core. Even the act of getting out of bed in the morning and reaching down for our pants, or picking up the paper we dropped, it all depends on proper movement. And proper movement, not just in the plane of a squat or deadlift, is essential to long term health and short term happiness (show me someone with a spasm in their lower back and I'll show you one miserable sod).
But now I have a new respect for pilates. I always did have a certain reverence for it's difficulty. But I still treated it as a novelty, a parlor trick for chicks who still think doing ab exercises will trim their waistlines.
Now I know better.
And all I want for christmas is for one other soul to read this and save themselves years of misery by taking up a pilates class near them.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Friday, December 19, 2008
Romancing the Loaf: Our Relationship with Food
Over the past few years I have been on a quest for a magic bullet. I must confess that with every step I take forward in the pursuit of physical excellence I take a step back when it comes to my diet. As I look over the years I've been lifting weights I can see that my biggest obstacle to progress has been what I put in my mouth rather than what I put my body through.
And for years I hoped I would find a pill or supplement that would "fix" my metabolism. There have been some pretty promising stars on the scene. We have basic thermogenic stimulants like ephedrine. There's an uncoupler called DNP which can be very very dangerous but nonetheless effective. We have cholesterol medications like bezafibrate that burn up triglycerides in the liver and promote insulin sensitivity etc. Let's not forget thyroid medication which works very well but unfortunately does not discriminate between muscle and fat.
Then there's the newest promise - Irvingia Gabonensis. An african nut of some sort that has been "shown" to strip off 28 pounds in ten weeks WITHOUT ANY CHANGE IN DIET. Well it already seems like some holes are beginning to wear into the fabric of those claims but trip with me for a second because I'm not really concerned anymore with the drugs and the supplements. What I'm finally waking up to is the realization that everything comes down to the relationship we have with OURSELVES and the relationship we have with FOOD.
Suppose there was a drug I could give you that would completely reset your appetite. You wouldn't feel hunger anymore and you would be free to make new choices about the food you eat. Your leptin levels, insulin levels and adiponection levels (Hormones involved in metabolism and fat storage) would all be perfectly evened out. You are now NORMAL. You stand every chance in the world of getting your metabolism to stay permanently "fixed".
So now that you're perfect and we've solved your "problem" of a faulty metabolism what do we do now? Go out and pick out new clothes to adorn our body once it achieves a venusian goddess or spartan warrior visual asthetic? Well sure but you know what sounds really really good? Before we go to the store let's stop at a restaurant and get some food. After all we've got a normal metabolism now right? And then later when we're bored and watching tv we can eat some more food, some processed food or better yet straight up candy.
In other words, the point I'm driving home is this - If I could fix your metabolism temporarily it would still be up to YOU to begin making new choices about how you relate to food. Believe me, anyone can ruin this opportunity without the proper mindset.
It seems everyone wishes there was a fix to their metabolism and yet we are actually ignoring the very real co-contributor to our weight problem as a whole. I'm not going to say metabolisms aren't broken. But what I will say is that it's only half the equation. The other half is the emotional connection we have with food.
Do you snack when you're happy?
Do you snack when you're sad?
Do you snack when you're angry?
Do you snack when you're frustrated?
Do you snack when you're bored?
That last one has been the thorn in my side for years. When I'm sad I'm actually pretty good at depriving myself of food (yeah I have a real masochistic side). It's when I'm bored that things take a turn for the worse. If I am cooped up in my apartment all night without a thing to do my first thought for stimulation and interest is what kind of snacks I have laying around.
Before I begin to ramble my way out of a really good point I'm going to get focused back to my main argument.
No metabolism fix, IF THERE IS ONE, will ever fix our emotional connections to food and our unhealthy relationship with food. If you were given a pill that fixed your metabolism would you still keep yourself from eating that junk food because it feels good? Hell, I've been hopped up on diet pills and still ended up eating cookies because they just taste good!
I urge everyone to begin this examination with me. Let's take a hard look at our relationships with food and let's see if we can improve it and in the process increase our lifespan, increase our capacity for happiness and yeah, maybe look really sexy in a swimsuit....
stay tuned for more...
And for years I hoped I would find a pill or supplement that would "fix" my metabolism. There have been some pretty promising stars on the scene. We have basic thermogenic stimulants like ephedrine. There's an uncoupler called DNP which can be very very dangerous but nonetheless effective. We have cholesterol medications like bezafibrate that burn up triglycerides in the liver and promote insulin sensitivity etc. Let's not forget thyroid medication which works very well but unfortunately does not discriminate between muscle and fat.
Then there's the newest promise - Irvingia Gabonensis. An african nut of some sort that has been "shown" to strip off 28 pounds in ten weeks WITHOUT ANY CHANGE IN DIET. Well it already seems like some holes are beginning to wear into the fabric of those claims but trip with me for a second because I'm not really concerned anymore with the drugs and the supplements. What I'm finally waking up to is the realization that everything comes down to the relationship we have with OURSELVES and the relationship we have with FOOD.
Suppose there was a drug I could give you that would completely reset your appetite. You wouldn't feel hunger anymore and you would be free to make new choices about the food you eat. Your leptin levels, insulin levels and adiponection levels (Hormones involved in metabolism and fat storage) would all be perfectly evened out. You are now NORMAL. You stand every chance in the world of getting your metabolism to stay permanently "fixed".
So now that you're perfect and we've solved your "problem" of a faulty metabolism what do we do now? Go out and pick out new clothes to adorn our body once it achieves a venusian goddess or spartan warrior visual asthetic? Well sure but you know what sounds really really good? Before we go to the store let's stop at a restaurant and get some food. After all we've got a normal metabolism now right? And then later when we're bored and watching tv we can eat some more food, some processed food or better yet straight up candy.
In other words, the point I'm driving home is this - If I could fix your metabolism temporarily it would still be up to YOU to begin making new choices about how you relate to food. Believe me, anyone can ruin this opportunity without the proper mindset.
It seems everyone wishes there was a fix to their metabolism and yet we are actually ignoring the very real co-contributor to our weight problem as a whole. I'm not going to say metabolisms aren't broken. But what I will say is that it's only half the equation. The other half is the emotional connection we have with food.
Do you snack when you're happy?
Do you snack when you're sad?
Do you snack when you're angry?
Do you snack when you're frustrated?
Do you snack when you're bored?
That last one has been the thorn in my side for years. When I'm sad I'm actually pretty good at depriving myself of food (yeah I have a real masochistic side). It's when I'm bored that things take a turn for the worse. If I am cooped up in my apartment all night without a thing to do my first thought for stimulation and interest is what kind of snacks I have laying around.
Before I begin to ramble my way out of a really good point I'm going to get focused back to my main argument.
No metabolism fix, IF THERE IS ONE, will ever fix our emotional connections to food and our unhealthy relationship with food. If you were given a pill that fixed your metabolism would you still keep yourself from eating that junk food because it feels good? Hell, I've been hopped up on diet pills and still ended up eating cookies because they just taste good!
I urge everyone to begin this examination with me. Let's take a hard look at our relationships with food and let's see if we can improve it and in the process increase our lifespan, increase our capacity for happiness and yeah, maybe look really sexy in a swimsuit....
stay tuned for more...
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Relaxation Response
From a regular contributor on the forum, Tiger Look shares some great information on the Relaxation Response.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
These days I'm keenly interested in the spiritual possibilities of meditation. However mediation brought me a treasure of change first. This is a treasure that all can obtain if they choose to look inward for change rather than to look for outward magic bullets. Meditation triggers something that is known as the Relaxation Response. Studies have shown that the Relaxation Response does not require mediation, but just a few simple steps. Recently science has revealed that this special response can affect you all the way down to the level of genetic expression. It makes sense that if eliciting the Relaxation Response regularly can change your genetic expression then in effect you can actually change yourself... and that is no small feat.
[from:
http://www.mbmi.org/basics/whatis_rresponse_elicitation.asp
]
Elicitation of the relaxation response is actually quite easy. There are two essential steps:
1. Repetition of a word, sound, phrase, prayer, or muscular activity.
2. Passive disregard of everyday thoughts that inevitably come to mind and the return to your repetition.
The following is the generic technique taught at the Benson-Henry Institute:
1. Pick a focus word, short phrase, or prayer that is firmly rooted in your belief system, such as "one," "peace," "The Lord is my shepherd," "Hail Mary full of grace," or "shalom."
2. Sit quietly in a comfortable position.
3. Close your eyes.
4. Relax your muscles, progressing from your feet to your calves, thighs, abdomen, shoulders, head, and neck.
5. Breathe slowly and naturally, and as you do, say your focus word, sound, phrase, or prayer silently to yourself as you exhale.
6. Assume a passive attitude. Don't worry about how well you're doing. When other thoughts come to mind, simply say to yourself, "Oh well," and gently return to your repetition.
7. Continue for ten to 20 minutes.
8. Do not stand immediately. Continue sitting quietly for a minute or so, allowing other thoughts to return. Then open your eyes and sit for another minute before rising.
9. Practice the technique once or twice daily. Good times to do so are before breakfast and before dinner.
Regular elicitation of the relaxation response has been scientifically proven to be an effective treatment for a wide range of stress-related disorders. In fact, to the extent that any disease is caused or made worse by stress, the relaxation response can help.
Other techniques for evoking the relaxation response are:
Imagery
Progressive muscle relaxation
Repetitive prayer
Mindfulness meditation
Repetitive physical exercises
Breath focus
[ From:
http://www.massgeneral.org/news/releases/070208benson.html
]
Relaxation response can influence expression of stress-related genes
Genomic study finds common biological basis for effects of mind/body practices
BOSTON - July 1, 2008 - How could a single, nonpharmacological intervention help patients deal with disorders ranging from high blood pressure, to pain syndromes, to infertility, to rheumatoid arthritis? That question may have been answered by a study finding that eliciting the relaxation response – a physiologic state of deep rest – influences the activation patterns of genes associated with the body’s response to stress. The collaborative investigation by members of the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind/Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the Genomics Center at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) appears in the open-access journal PLoS One.
“For hundreds of years Western medicine has looked at mind and body as totally separate entities, to the point where saying something ‘is all in your head’ implied that it was imaginary,” says Herbert Benson, MD, director emeritus of the Benson-Henry Institute and co-senior author of the PloS One report. “Now we’ve found how changing the activity of the mind can alter the way basic genetic instructions are implemented.”
Towia Libermann, PhD, director of the BIDMC Genomics Center and the report’s co-senior author, adds, “This is the first comprehensive study of how the mind can affect gene expression, linking what has been looked on as a ‘soft’ science with the ‘hard’ science of genomics. It is also important because of its focus on gene expression in healthy individuals, rather than in disease states.”
More than 35 years ago Benson first described the relaxation response, which can be elicited by practices including meditation, deep breathing and prayer; and his team has pioneered the field of mind/body medicine. Over the years, studies in many peer-reviewed journals documented how the relaxation response not only alleviates symptoms of psychological disorders such as anxiety but also affects physiologic factors such as heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen consumption and brain activity. While it became evident that the relaxation response was the opposite of the well documented fight-or-flight response, the mechanism underlying these effects was still unknown.
The current study was designed to investigate if changes in gene expression – whether specific genes are activated or repressed – were behind the wide-ranging effects of the relaxation response. The first phase compared gene expression patterns of 19 long-term practitioners of different relaxation response techniques with those of 19 individuals who had never engaged in such practices. Those control participants then went through an 8-week training program to investigate whether initiating relaxation response practice would change gene expression over time.
Both phases of the study indicated that the relaxation response alters the expression of genes involved with processes such as inflammation, programmed cell death and how the body handles free radicals – molecules produced by normal metabolism that, if not appropriately neutralized, can damage cells and tissues. To validate those results, both phases were repeated in 6 different relaxation response practitioners and 5 non-practitioners, resulting in significantly similar changes in gene expression.
Jeffery Dusek, PhD, co-lead author of the study notes, “Changes in the activation of these same genes have previously been seen in conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder; but the relaxation-response-associated changes were the opposite of stress-associated changes and were much more pronounced in the long-term practitioners.” Formerly with the Benson-Henry Institute, Dusek is now at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis.
Benson explains, “People have been using these culturally determined mind/body techniques for millenia. We found that no matter which particular technique is used – different forms of meditation and yoga, breath focus, or repetitive prayer – the mechanism involved is the same. Now we need to see if similar changes occur in patients who use the relaxation response to help treat stress-related disorders, and those studies are underway now.”
Libermann notes that the sensitive genomic analyses conducted in this study are at the cutting edge of efforts to unravel the genetic aspects of complex disorders. “There are a lot of differences in gene expression between one healthy person and another, so it is challenging to analyze the kinds of subtle changes we are seeing and identify what changes are significant and what are just background noise. Our approach uses the latest bioinformatics tools to identify potential gene functions, generating hypotheses that can then be tested in laboratory or clinical studies.”
Benson is the Mind/Body Medical Institute Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, where Libermann is an associate professor of Medicine. Hasan Otu, PhD, of BIDMC Genomics Center is co-lead author of the PloS One study. Additional co-authors are Ann Wohlhueter, Benson-Henry Institute; and Manoj Bhasin, PhD, Luiz Zerbini, PhD, and Marie Joseph, BIDMC. The study was supported by grants from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health.
Massachusetts General Hospital, established in 1811, is the original and largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. The MGH conducts the largest hospital-based research program in the United States, with an annual research budget of more than $500 million and major research centers in AIDS, cardiovascular research, cancer, computational and integrative biology, cutaneous biology, human genetics, medical imaging, neurodegenerative disorders, regenerative medicine, systems biology, transplantation biology and photomedicine.
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is a patient care, teaching and research affiliate of Harvard Medical School and consistently ranks in the top four in National Institutes of Health funding among independent hospitals nationwide. BIDMC is a clinical partner of the Joslin Diabetes Center and is a research partner of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center. BIDMC is the official hospital of the Boston Red Sox.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
These days I'm keenly interested in the spiritual possibilities of meditation. However mediation brought me a treasure of change first. This is a treasure that all can obtain if they choose to look inward for change rather than to look for outward magic bullets. Meditation triggers something that is known as the Relaxation Response. Studies have shown that the Relaxation Response does not require mediation, but just a few simple steps. Recently science has revealed that this special response can affect you all the way down to the level of genetic expression. It makes sense that if eliciting the Relaxation Response regularly can change your genetic expression then in effect you can actually change yourself... and that is no small feat.
[from:
http://www.mbmi.org/basics/whatis_rresponse_elicitation.asp
]
Elicitation of the relaxation response is actually quite easy. There are two essential steps:
1. Repetition of a word, sound, phrase, prayer, or muscular activity.
2. Passive disregard of everyday thoughts that inevitably come to mind and the return to your repetition.
The following is the generic technique taught at the Benson-Henry Institute:
1. Pick a focus word, short phrase, or prayer that is firmly rooted in your belief system, such as "one," "peace," "The Lord is my shepherd," "Hail Mary full of grace," or "shalom."
2. Sit quietly in a comfortable position.
3. Close your eyes.
4. Relax your muscles, progressing from your feet to your calves, thighs, abdomen, shoulders, head, and neck.
5. Breathe slowly and naturally, and as you do, say your focus word, sound, phrase, or prayer silently to yourself as you exhale.
6. Assume a passive attitude. Don't worry about how well you're doing. When other thoughts come to mind, simply say to yourself, "Oh well," and gently return to your repetition.
7. Continue for ten to 20 minutes.
8. Do not stand immediately. Continue sitting quietly for a minute or so, allowing other thoughts to return. Then open your eyes and sit for another minute before rising.
9. Practice the technique once or twice daily. Good times to do so are before breakfast and before dinner.
Regular elicitation of the relaxation response has been scientifically proven to be an effective treatment for a wide range of stress-related disorders. In fact, to the extent that any disease is caused or made worse by stress, the relaxation response can help.
Other techniques for evoking the relaxation response are:
Imagery
Progressive muscle relaxation
Repetitive prayer
Mindfulness meditation
Repetitive physical exercises
Breath focus
[ From:
http://www.massgeneral.org/news/releases/070208benson.html
]
Relaxation response can influence expression of stress-related genes
Genomic study finds common biological basis for effects of mind/body practices
BOSTON - July 1, 2008 - How could a single, nonpharmacological intervention help patients deal with disorders ranging from high blood pressure, to pain syndromes, to infertility, to rheumatoid arthritis? That question may have been answered by a study finding that eliciting the relaxation response – a physiologic state of deep rest – influences the activation patterns of genes associated with the body’s response to stress. The collaborative investigation by members of the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind/Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the Genomics Center at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) appears in the open-access journal PLoS One.
“For hundreds of years Western medicine has looked at mind and body as totally separate entities, to the point where saying something ‘is all in your head’ implied that it was imaginary,” says Herbert Benson, MD, director emeritus of the Benson-Henry Institute and co-senior author of the PloS One report. “Now we’ve found how changing the activity of the mind can alter the way basic genetic instructions are implemented.”
Towia Libermann, PhD, director of the BIDMC Genomics Center and the report’s co-senior author, adds, “This is the first comprehensive study of how the mind can affect gene expression, linking what has been looked on as a ‘soft’ science with the ‘hard’ science of genomics. It is also important because of its focus on gene expression in healthy individuals, rather than in disease states.”
More than 35 years ago Benson first described the relaxation response, which can be elicited by practices including meditation, deep breathing and prayer; and his team has pioneered the field of mind/body medicine. Over the years, studies in many peer-reviewed journals documented how the relaxation response not only alleviates symptoms of psychological disorders such as anxiety but also affects physiologic factors such as heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen consumption and brain activity. While it became evident that the relaxation response was the opposite of the well documented fight-or-flight response, the mechanism underlying these effects was still unknown.
The current study was designed to investigate if changes in gene expression – whether specific genes are activated or repressed – were behind the wide-ranging effects of the relaxation response. The first phase compared gene expression patterns of 19 long-term practitioners of different relaxation response techniques with those of 19 individuals who had never engaged in such practices. Those control participants then went through an 8-week training program to investigate whether initiating relaxation response practice would change gene expression over time.
Both phases of the study indicated that the relaxation response alters the expression of genes involved with processes such as inflammation, programmed cell death and how the body handles free radicals – molecules produced by normal metabolism that, if not appropriately neutralized, can damage cells and tissues. To validate those results, both phases were repeated in 6 different relaxation response practitioners and 5 non-practitioners, resulting in significantly similar changes in gene expression.
Jeffery Dusek, PhD, co-lead author of the study notes, “Changes in the activation of these same genes have previously been seen in conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder; but the relaxation-response-associated changes were the opposite of stress-associated changes and were much more pronounced in the long-term practitioners.” Formerly with the Benson-Henry Institute, Dusek is now at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis.
Benson explains, “People have been using these culturally determined mind/body techniques for millenia. We found that no matter which particular technique is used – different forms of meditation and yoga, breath focus, or repetitive prayer – the mechanism involved is the same. Now we need to see if similar changes occur in patients who use the relaxation response to help treat stress-related disorders, and those studies are underway now.”
Libermann notes that the sensitive genomic analyses conducted in this study are at the cutting edge of efforts to unravel the genetic aspects of complex disorders. “There are a lot of differences in gene expression between one healthy person and another, so it is challenging to analyze the kinds of subtle changes we are seeing and identify what changes are significant and what are just background noise. Our approach uses the latest bioinformatics tools to identify potential gene functions, generating hypotheses that can then be tested in laboratory or clinical studies.”
Benson is the Mind/Body Medical Institute Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, where Libermann is an associate professor of Medicine. Hasan Otu, PhD, of BIDMC Genomics Center is co-lead author of the PloS One study. Additional co-authors are Ann Wohlhueter, Benson-Henry Institute; and Manoj Bhasin, PhD, Luiz Zerbini, PhD, and Marie Joseph, BIDMC. The study was supported by grants from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health.
Massachusetts General Hospital, established in 1811, is the original and largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. The MGH conducts the largest hospital-based research program in the United States, with an annual research budget of more than $500 million and major research centers in AIDS, cardiovascular research, cancer, computational and integrative biology, cutaneous biology, human genetics, medical imaging, neurodegenerative disorders, regenerative medicine, systems biology, transplantation biology and photomedicine.
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is a patient care, teaching and research affiliate of Harvard Medical School and consistently ranks in the top four in National Institutes of Health funding among independent hospitals nationwide. BIDMC is a clinical partner of the Joslin Diabetes Center and is a research partner of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center. BIDMC is the official hospital of the Boston Red Sox.
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