Health In Motion

Anti-aging can be a difficult topic to address because it has a number of different common meanings and connotations. Each is championed by a particular group or coalition of interests which define their terms in ways that can make the subject confusing.

For the scientific community, anti-aging research refers exclusively to slowing, preventing, or reversing the aging process. In the medical community, anti-aging medicine means early detection, prevention, and reversal of age-related diseases. The wider business (health) community (taking away hucksters and adventurous branding to increase sales) usually concentrates upon looking or feeling younger (longevitymeme)

The confusion lies not only in the definition, but also the application. There is, as of this time, no medical technology that allows us to slow, prevent or reverse the aging process. Nor is there any currently available method (short of waiting for people to die) to accurately measure the effects of an alleged anti-aging therapy.

Early detection and prevention is always a noble cause, but sadly we are focusing on the effect, rather than the cause. And of course intervention does not lengthen life spans, but only allows natural biological process to go on unabated for a specific time. By arresting diseases we merely prevent the interruption of the normal life span. This cannot be called true anti-aging medicine as it has no effect on the aging process itself.

Still, many remain eternally optimistic of modulating the human aging process and mapping  a possible route to individual immortality. Dr. Ronald Klatz, founder and President of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine sincerely believes we’re looking at life spans of 120 to 150 years of age, with perhaps no natural limits.” (V. Kannisto, Development of Oldest-Old Mortality, 1950-1990). Yet at this present time, the only verified case of a human living beyond 120 years is Jeanne Calment, a Frenchwoman who died in 1997 at 122 years.

We may ask the question, “Which community – whether scientific, medical or marketplace – has turned back the clock on time one iota?” Name a study, cite a legitimate claim, or even give a personal reference. It’s true that people desire real anti-aging medicines, but these therapies simply don’t exist. In that sense, I believe science is selling a pipe dream of hope when it advertises regenerative medicine, repairing mitochondria, gene therapies or nanomedicine as possible mechanisms to extend life. Normal human cells have a built-in program that prevents them from replicating more than a predetermined number of times. In fact, scientists have already identified genes that appear to accelerate human aging, but they have yet to find genes with the opposite effect.

It is true that medicine can help us to prolong the time spent in age-related disability. But this also begs the question, “Do the extra years allow us to enjoy life, or just cling to it?”Aging is not an illness pathologized by false hope, neither should it be paying homage to a dubious youth obsessed culture. If we can get past all the hype, hucksters and theories, we see that the only provable concept available to humans today is optimizing the normal lifespan.

Using appropriate lifestyle and diet choices will help you live a years longer and in better health than your sick neighbour. And instead of calling it “anti-aging,” we could apply the more appropriate label of “graceful aging.”  In rather simple terms, it involves prevention, good maintenance, and moderation to allow the biochemical processes of the body  to operate most efficiently. Eat healthy foods, get sufficient sleep, exercise and fresh air, practice good hygiene, proper elimination and right thinking. Then live life to the fullest in the time you have, because you can!

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Someone once said that all human beings, from the earliest age, are on a slow road to death. By that it was meant that we have a limited lifespan which eventually ends, though many young people don’t seem to realize it. Fact is, everything around us has limitations – beginnings and endings. We are aware of infants being born and of grandparents dying. We also observe animals, plants and insects go through this cycle of life. We speak of the birth and the death of cultures and civilizations, even ideas, trends and fads. We are accustomed to seeing things get old. Clothing and furniture wear out. Automobiles fall apart. Buildings deteriorate and yes, our bodies become wrinkled and old.

To humans, everything is measurable by hours, days and years. At the beginning of our life, time seems eternal, lazy and endless as we enjoy the blessing of youthful vitality and dynamism. As we grow into adulthood, the excitement of careers, marriage, and family life dictate that our minds are pre-occupied with being busy. But then something happens as we reach middle age. We realize that half our life is over and that we have achieved a measure of financial success. But we are also bothered by pains, illness or handicapped by some physical ailment which prevents us from enjoying life as we should. What happened? How did we get to feeling lethargic, achy and physically uninspired?

Part of our problem is lack of exercise. Anaerobic and aerobic are the two basics types which are a big part of the solution. Generally, anaerobic activities build muscles, and aerobic activities strengthen the cardiovascular system. A typical anaerobic exercise is weight lifting. It involves little continuous deep breathing, though it certainly can be done at a rapid pace to encourage faster oxygen intake. One of the benefits of weight-bearing exercise is the fact that it strengthens bones, which is good news to women who tend to lose a lot of calcium and develop osteoporosis.

The kind of exercise vital to building and maintaining our cardiovascular system—the heart, lungs and liver—is aerobic exercises such as jogging and brisk walking. The heart contracts and dilates at an average rate of 72 times a minute, 100,000 times a day, and close to 40 million times a year, and aerobic activity strengthens your heart to do this job efficiently. For some reason though, we believe that the needs of the human body have changed in our modern society. But of course it has not, and in fact, the adage of “use it or lose it” applies even more today as we slave away at sedentary jobs. When muscles are not used they deteriorate, our heart becomes smaller and less efficient, pumping less blood, delivering less oxygen to tissues, and eliminates less waste. In short, we’re in big trouble.

But exercise can turn fat into fitness, fatigue into vitality, and worry about health into energy filled living! So what do we do for exercise? I know for a fact that many people can only walk due to health concerns. Keep in mind that even walking revives tired blood and helps lessen the danger of arterial blockage. Plus, our cells will convert food and oxygen into energy more rapidly, firm up muscles, improve posture, and contribute to a better physical appearance.

Remember, exercise may not add years to your life, but it will add life to your years.

Editors Comment: The following article is from Mercola.com and properly identifies a few misconceptions about the power of the sun, Vitamin D and sunscreen. I believe there is too much hysteria circulating in our population about the supposed unhealthy effects of the sun. There is more evidence to back up the assertion that sun exposure (with its subsequent Vitamin D) is healthy, rather than the other way around. Please read this article to understand what I mean.

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Does Too Much Sun Really Cause Melanoma?

Source: Mercola.com

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/08/05/does-too-much-sun-really-cause-melanoma.aspx?source=nl

Source: blog.garymoller.com/2007/12/if-you-have-melan...

Sam Shuster, a consultant dermatologist at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, argues that sun exposure is not the major cause of malignant melanoma.

Melanoma is related more to ethnicity, and in 75 percent of cases it occurs on relatively unexposed sites, especially on the feet of Africans. Melanoma occurrence actually decreases with greater sun exposure and can be increased by sunscreens.

There is also good evidence that the reported increase in melanoma incidence is an caused by the incorrect classification of benign naevi as malignant melanomas, which would explain why melanoma mortality has changed little despite the great increase in supposed incidence.

Source:

• Eurekalert July 22, 2008

Unfortunately, in the United States, as well as many other Western countries, the sun has been unfairly demonized. Many people have been convinced that it is necessary to avoid  the sun to decrease their risk of cancer, when the converse is actually true.

And, EVEN IF increased sun exposure does not decrease your risk of melanoma specifically – the most dangerous and rare form of skin cancer — why would anyone in their right mind want to exchange the risk of a few harmless skin cancers with that of serious life-threatening challenges like breast-, prostate- and colon cancers?

Reduced Overall Cancer Risk Outweigh Any Risk of Melanoma

In fact, other studies have confirmed that the benefits of moderate sun exposure FAR outweigh its risks. For example, people who live in sunnier, southern latitudes and have higher vitamin D levels as a result of their increased sun exposure, are less likely to die from any type of cancer than people in northern latitudes.

Optimizing your vitamin D levels can help you to prevent as many as 16 different types of cancer including pancreatic, lung, breast, ovarian, prostate, and colon cancers. And vitamin D does not just impact your cancer risk slightly. It can cut your risk by as much as 60 percent!

Its protective effect against cancer works in several ways, including:

• Increasing the self-destruction of mutated cells (which, if allowed to replicate, could lead to cancer)
• Reducing the spread and reproduction of cancer cells
• Causing cells to become differentiated (cancer cells often lack differentiation)
• Reducing the growth of new blood vessels from pre-existing ones, which is a step in the transition of dormant tumors turning cancerous

Previous studies have found that more than one million people die every year from lack of sun exposure and subsequent vitamin D deficiency, so you really need to overcome your fear of the sun if you want to stay optimally healthy.

The Cumulative Benefits of Sun Exposure FAR Outweigh Your Risk of Skin Cancer

But the benefits don’t end with reduced cancer risk. Appropriate sun exposure has also been linked to:

• Fewer aging-related changes in your DNA
• Lowered inflammatory responses
• Lowered insulin resistance
• Reduced heart disease risk

Northern countries (with less intense sunlight and colder winters) have higher levels of heart disease than sun-filled southern countries, and more heart attacks occur in the winter months, when sunlight is scarce.

One study even discovered that low vitamin D levels more than doubled the risk of heart attack and death. That’s big!

Past studies have also found that getting a daily dose of vitamin D boosts your natural anti-inflammatory response, which can help treat congestive heart failure.

Just how does vitamin D help your heart?

There are a number of mechanisms triggered by vitamin D production that help fight heart disease, including:

• An increase in your body’s natural anti-inflammatory cytokines
• The suppression of vascular calcification
• The inhibition of vascular smooth muscle growth

What May Be a Greater Risk Factor for Melanoma Than the Sun?

In 2001, the National Academy of Sciences published a comprehensive review showing that your omega-3 to omega-6 ratio was the key to preventing skin cancer development.

If you’re like the average American, you’re likely consuming far too many omega-6 fats, and far too little omega-3.

If you want to reduce or virtually eliminate your risk of skin- and other cancers, it will be vital to radically reduce your consumption of most vegetable oils, as they are high in omega-6 fats. Just 100 years ago, the average American consumed less than one pound of these oils per year, and today that amount has exploded to 75 pounds per year.

Another Australian study showed a 40 percent reduction in melanoma for those who ate fish, which is rich in omega-3.

This is one of the many reasons why I highly recommend taking krill oil or fish oil as a safe and effective alternative to increase your intake of beneficial omega-3s, considering the fact that most fish is now heavily contaminated with high levels of mercury.

To Prevent Skin Damage You Have to Protect Against the Most Damaging Rays

Ultraviolet light from the sun comes in two main wavelengths – UVA and UVB.  It’s important for you to understand the difference between them, and your risk factors from each.

Consider UVB the ‘good guy’ that helps your skin produce vitamin D.

UVA is considered the ‘bad guy’ because it penetrates your skin more deeply and causes more free radical damage.  Not only that, but UVA rays are quite constant during ALL hours of daylight, throughout the entire year — unlike UVB, which are low in morning and evening, and high at midday.

If you’ve ever gotten a scorching sunburn on a cloudy day, you now understand why; it’s from the deeply penetrating UVA!

Since UVA’s are inherently more damaging, AND persistently high during all daylight hours, wearing a sunscreen that doesn’t protect you from UVA is going to give you virtually no benefit and be detrimental to your overall health, while increasing your risk of melanoma since you’re more likely to stay out longer and suffer deeper damage.

Two non-toxic ingredients that scatter both UVB and the more damaging UVA rays are titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. They’ve been used all over the world for over 75 years as safe sunscreens. These two natural minerals form the base of my Natural Sunscreen.

Sunscreens May Not Prevent Melanoma Either…

Although sunscreen can prevent the most common types of skin cancer — basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas — it does not protect against melanoma, according to research from the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

They found that those who used sunscreen did not have a lower risk of melanoma, even though it has been theorized that using sunscreen to prevent sunburns in childhood might lower your risk of cancer.

Based on the evidence, researchers concluded that sunburn, in and of itself, probably does not cause melanoma, but that sunburn is an important sign of excessive sun exposure that can cause melanoma in people who are genetically susceptible because of their skin type. Since sunscreen prevents sunburn it might encourage light-skinned individuals to spend more time in the sun, possibly increasing their melanoma risk.

Myths are stories, legends or invented explanations that are retold so often that they are accepted as truth. They should not be that way, and they have no place in any individual’s fitness routine. Below are 14 of the most common myths on fitness, exercises and workouts that you and I should know about.

When you stop working out, muscles will turn into fat

It’s the most typical workout myth in the world. Muscle has never and will never turn into fat and neither does fat turn into muscle. During weight training, more energy is required, hence a bigger appetite. When a person stops working out, the need for extra energy stops as well. But because the stomach size has increased due to a bigger appetite, the need to feel full has become a habit. Those extra calories that were once used as fuel while training is now stored as fat. It may seem like the bulk of muscle has turned into fat, but the truth is that the body became fatter due to eating more than previously needed.

Be it protein or carbohydrates, both turns into fat when not used. Cutting back on training requires you to cut back on food consumption as well.

Food eaten after 8 at night will turn into body fat

Not entirely true. For people who workout during the later part of a day, it is important to eat accordingly. Whenever there is a need for the body to repair and rebuild, fuel is needed and the body most actively repairs during during sleep. However, it is more important to eat healthier foods during the later part of a day like lean meat, unsaturated fats, vegetables and fruits to avoid the risk of unwanted fat deposits. Give the body at least 2 hours to digest the food before going to bed.

Six pack abs equal six hundred sit ups and crunches daily

Everyone has six pack abs. Abdominal exercises do not lead to clearly visible six pack abs but fat reduction does. The first place that fat goes to in the body, is the last place fat comes off. Tummy for men and hips, butt, thighs for women. Spot reduction of fat has never and will never work. Here are some of the lesser known facts about losing weight that people ought to know about.

A six pack abs is a definite want for any man working out for it is a social muscle. Ab exercises will definitely strengthen and tone the abs but does not rid the fat. A better use of time would be to spend it on interval cardio sessions and making sure that proper food is fed to the body.

I actually have a personal digital body fat analyzer that I use from time to time that gives me a rough idea of my body’s current state. Accuracy may not be as good as a DXA but it’s good enough for me. You can easily get one at less than $US 10 from online auction sites like ebay.

Stretching and warm up isn’t necessary

I hit the gym every day, and I’ll take up 10 minutes to stretch and warm up my body from head to toe daily. It is necessary to avoid sprains and injuries. Even after a good day’s workout, I stretch. It greatly reduces the severity of DOMS, delayed onset muscle soreness, which will be pretty much appreciated the morning after. 

Supplements will boost muscle growth and strength in no time

There are only 2 ways to make the most gains in mass and might.

1. • A good training program.
   • A well planned out diet.

Time and energy should be focused on the 2 methods mentioned above rather than on supplements that claim to be able to bring out the Arnold in you. Some supplements may have serious and irreversible side effects if taken wrongly. For example, steroids taken wrongly may lead to a loss of appetite, constipation, intestinal irritation, vomiting, nose bleeding, headaches, increased aggression and even liver cancer. It’s way better to attain the results we want naturally. Think safe, think long term. Our body’s health should not be taken lightly.

Weight training will make women look beefy

To look beefy, you’d need testosterone. Lots of it. Hundreds and hundreds of nanograms per deciliter of blood. The average testosterone levels for a human being are :

1. • Male : 300-1,000 ng/dl
   • Female : 20-80 ng/dl

Women just do not have the testosterone levels necessary to look like The Rock in Scorpion King. As a matter of fact, weight training is the fastest and easiest way for women to look leaner, sculpted and toned. Light to moderate weights and many repetitions are the most effective for toning and strengthening and make you look like Megan Fox in Transformers.

Vegetarians will not make it in bodybuilding

It’s so wrong. There is Bill Pearl who won Mr Universe twice, first in 1953 kicking Sean Connery’s butt (6th), and in 1971 before retiring. 1951 Mr America, Roy Hilligenn is another perfect example who still looks young as hell at 77 years old. You can see more of today’s vegetarian bodybuilders at veganbodybuilding.com.

Vegetarians get their protein from nuts, seeds, cereals and legumes. B12 vitamin and iodin are 2 other essential nutrients available through seaweed.

Your body weakens with age

It’s all in the mind. Think old and you’ll look old and act old. The fact is, body building doesn’t only improve your physique and rejuvenates your spirit, but also gives you a healthy perspective on people and the world around. Some of the older bodybuilders include :

1. • John Pasco, born 1928
   • Bill Pearl, born 1930
   • Steve Holt, born 1954

With regular exercise, weight training and a low-fat diet, you’ll gain increased energy levels, leaner body mass and an optimum body fat percentage. With the big 90 around the corner, people still do experience renewed strength, increased mobility, stronger bones and greater flexibility by exercising.

The longer time I spend at the gym, the fitter I become

For me, it’s 60 minutes of weight training plus another 30 minutes of cardio, 5 times a week. The focus here is on efficiency and effectiveness like this super cool 15 minutes workout that works every muscle in your body. An average bodybuilder does not spend more than 1 hour working out. People who just don’t have the time to workout that much will lose interest and motivation to exercise, if the myth were true. The point is, any exercise, at all, done correctly is better than none.

If I don’t feel pain in the morning, I didn’t work out hard enough

When we lift weights, our muscle fibers will tear a little. Muscle soreness is expected, but normally heals within a week. Anything more than a week is an indication of over working out. Committing to a fitness program will eventually lead the muscle into getting used to it. Changing a fitness program regularly will ensure that all muscles are worked on and experiencing growth.

However, what happens in the gym is only meant to promote muscle growth. The real process begins only when a person is recovering. Pain should not be used as a measurement of a workout session’s effectiveness. Some soreness, yes, but not pain. Always remember to stretch before and after. Get enough rest and work on different muscle groups on different days. Rest a day if the muscles are still sore.

1. • shoulders
   • upper back
   • arms
   • chest
   • abs & lower back
   • legs

Avoid drinking water when your body is over heated

An average human body’s water content is 60% for men and 55% for women. In my body, 86 out of 143 pounds is water. If the body’s water content drops 5%, it’s already considered dehydration. An hour of vigorous exercise is enough to drain a quart (~1 liter). Drinking before, during and after is pretty important.

During exercise, muscles generate heat that will cause a rise in body temperature. This heat is doused by water when it is carried in the bloodstream and pushed to the surface as bullets of sweat. It continues to drain water from the body until it is replenished. Thirst is already a sign of dehydration. Drink a cup every 15 minutes. Keeps the muscles oiled and the body productive.

There is no need for doctors if I don’t plan on biting off more than I can chew

If you have never done any resistance training before in your life and you’re above 40, it’s best to consult your doc. Go for a physical exam that examines the temperature, blood pressure, pulse and respiratory rate. Things that concern your cardiovascular fitness, blood cholesterol levels and medical history should also be taken into account. Ask doc about the best exercise given your medical profile.

The prime time for exercising and working out is in the mornings

Correction. The best time to exercise is the time that works with the individual’s body clock and fits their busy days. People working out in the morning are more likely to stick to their fitness plans as they are able to get it in before the various demands of life compete for their time.

Many, many people believe that the best way to lose fat is to start pushing your body right after waking up in the mornings, on an empty stomach. I say no. Exercise is meant for toning the muscle and burning fat. Inability to draw energy from the main source will only force the body to go to other sources of energy, which are your muscles and fat. More muscles are used up as fuel as their composition is much simpler compared to fat.

It is okay to cover a week’s worth of workout during the weekend

It’s also much better spreading a workout all over the week instead of pounding the body during weekends. A weekend warrior will lose out on other health benefits. Blood pressure and glucose levels are temporarily lowered during each exercise, which are beneficial in the long run. Exercising regularly also keeps a person’s appetite consistent.

Original Source: http://odyb.net/fitness/myths-about-fitness-exercises-workouts/