Knowledge is good. And stretching is good. We’re often a bit short on both. Yet MEN’S HEALTH suggests we add a Scorpion Stretch to our routine. That assumes we have a routine.
Check out this article and video for more information about the importance of stretching for men over 40.. And be careful. It sure sounds dangerous but likely the benefits are significant.
Photo: spotmebro.com
Nationaldaycalendar.com notes that National Procrastination Week falls during the first two weeks of March or whenever it’s convenient. For our purposes, this is a week to put off some necessary tasks in order to make extra time for…. exercising. That’s right. We’re going to put the Week to good use. Working on taxes will have to wait.
However, if procrastination stresses you out, here are some tips to avoid it.
Five Ways To Avoid Procrastination
1. Find the answer to ‘What’s In It For Me.”
2. Chunk your time – set a timer.
3. Watch out for time gobblers – internet, email, TV, phone, socializing, unimportant notices and forwards.
4. Delegate when the task is not part of your priority.
5. Make it fun by rewarding yourself.
Great tips to avoid procrastination! But not today.
– Jet Cannon
Eatingwell.com says that hand strength is about more than opening pickle jars with ease. We beg to differ.
However, “research has linked low grip strength to an increased risk for cognitive impairment, fractures, falls, depression, sleep problems, type 2 diabetes and premature death.” Is that all?
There are various exercises that will increase grip strength involving chin bars or dumbbells. Or, we have an inexpensive hand-grip trainer purchased on Amazon and that works pretty well as it has adjustable grip strength.
Truth be told, we also have a device for opening stubborn jars, also purchased on Amazon. But if that tool isn’t available bring on that pickle jar!!
– Jet Cannon
Inc.com just reported that the magical 10,000 steps a day for good health isn’t all that magical. This was based on a University of Massachusetts Amherst study that found that while more is generally better, “7,000 steps seemed to be an important inflection point. Taking that many steps reduced participants’ chance of premature death by 50 to 70 percent.” Trudging beyond that 7,000 step mark didn’t produce all that much benefit.
We’re not statisticians but that 50 to 70 percent seems like a pretty good reduction! And those last 3,000 steps were rough.
We watched a compelling video today about the nearly-magical benefits of butter, or bulletproof, coffee. The video promised to solve most, if not all, of our problems including weight loss and obtaining vigorous, all-day energy simply by adding butter to our morning coffee. So we did a quick Interweb search. Here is what webmd.com had to say.
“While people have been adding butter to their coffee for hundreds of years, today’s “butter coffee” refers to bulletproof coffee, which is also known as keto coffee.
There are certain benefits to the various ingredients of butter coffee, and it may help those transitioning to a ketogenic diet (our doctor is not a big fan of keto diets). However, you would generally be better off consuming a nutrient-dense and balanced meal. A solid breakfast will provide you with the same feelings of alertness and fullness while providing additional nutritional benefits.”
Damn. No magic today in our coffee.
– Jet Cannon
US News reports that physical activity helps keep the aging brain sharp, according to the latest of many studies showing a link between exercise and brain health.
This study included 90 adults, ages 50-74, who wore devices to measure their levels of physical activity and completed thinking tests at home.
The participants did better on the tests on days when they were more active, and worse on days when they got less exercise, according to researchers from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine.
A neurologist recently told us about the importance of mental exercise to help keep the brain sharp. “The brain is like a muscle. Use it or lose it.” And these studies remind us that physical exercise can help with brain function as well.
Ready, march!!
With Dry January coming to an end, some Buzzed Boomers may be carrying on dry for a bit longer. To experience that mellow Buzz without alcohol, generating endorphins via exercise is one option. Exercise also helps with those New Year’s health and weigh-loss resolutions.
According to healthline.com, moderate exercise works just fine for generating endorphins; around 30 minutes after concluding. That’s good news for Buzzed Boomers who need to be careful about over-exerting. Moderate means you can still talk but might be short of breath. And you might sweat a bit.
Covid-permitting, a small study found that group exercise was better at creating those endorphins that working out solo.
– Jet Cannon
With Covid still circling the globe, keeping fit continues to present challenges. Gyms closed, some reopened, some closed again. As a result, home fitness got a huge boost. Some gyms have gone hybrid offering both in-person classes and online classes. And of course Peloton and others offer robust online classes. So what are the trends?
Well, according to some, wearable fitness trackers lead the 2022 fitness trends. The ability to track distances, heart rate, calories, and more on one’s wrist adds interest and motivation.
Next, home gyms. No surprise there, with gyms closing and some folks choosing not to go back to indoor gyms with Covid still festering.
Outdoor activities are next. Walking, yard work, pickle ball, and dodging floating Covid viruses are some of the obvious alternatives to staying fit indoors.
Next is strength training. Building muscle mass burns calories and tailors that beach bod and more people are discovering the positives strength training offers.
Oh, there’s more trends and we will continue to review and report. In the meantime, start your workout timer on the fitness watch, step outside to your outdoor home gym, and start pumping that iron!
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has a National Institute on Aging. We did not know that. The Institute has some suggestions for keeping that exercise motivation in gear.
Variety. Mix it up to work on strength, balance, flexibility and endurance. Makes sense.
Combine daily tasks like walking the dog or taking out the garbage with exercise by picking up the pace.
Make exercise a social activity. (Scratch this one for now unless you want to help thin the herd.)
Track your exercise and reward progress with a movie or massage. (Scratch the movie and massage for now. See thinning the herd above.)
Not particularly helpful? Well, blame Covid and drop down and give us 20!
Some Buzzed Boomers are trying Dry January or moderating their drinking this month. Some are amping up the exercise endorphins while trying to shed those holiday pounds. Some are exploring their cannabis options. And some are just sticking to that delicious cup of coffee or tea in the morning.
Whatever your path, whether a cocktail, a latte, a cannabis drink, or cold water after a good workout…. Savor the the beverage!
Happy New Year!
– Jet Cannon
Eating Well magazine had an interesting and well-researched article about salty good news and salty bad news. We’ve all heard that a higher salt intake can lead to higher blood pressure. That appears to be true. Nuts.
Salty food is often associated with high calorie food which can lead to weight gain. But salt may also mess with hormones that promote fat storage. Perfect.
Ye,s but salt can reduce cramps for us athletic types, right? Maybe not. Those sports drinks with sodium and potassium may not be as beneficial as we thought. Too many other factors besides depleted electrolytes could be causing those cramps. We don’t care. We like sports drinks and how we look when we’re drinking them.
The salt shaker on the table probably isn’t our problem. Shake, shake, shake up to about a teaspoon. Yes!! The culprit more likely is deli meats, pizza, popcorn, burritos, tacos, soups, crackers and chips that we love to eat. Loaded with sodium.
We’re sticking with the salt on our Margarita and Bloody Mary rims. So there.
Thank you nationaldaycalendar.com. We now know that National Stress Awareness Day, on the first Wednesday in November, aims to identify and reduce the stress factors in your life.
Everyone has stress. Some stress is good for us. It helps us to respond to changes in life. Stress is our body’s way of protecting itself from harm. However, too much stress causes harm to our health and relationships.
Identifying the stressors impacting our physical and mental health is important. Sometimes, health problems are the cause. But our health can also be affected by external stressors such as physical abuse, stressful work environments, financial stress, or other family health issues.
Once we identify the causes of stress in our lives, we can begin to eliminate or reduce stress. Some tools that help with stress include:
– Jet Cannon
We’ve been blaming extra pounds gained on a slowing metabolism. AARP says, not so fast. The need for less calories as we age likely has more to do with less muscle mass and more couch surfing. So stick with that strength training and stay active to make room for that Big Mac.
– Jet Cannon
Caffeine tolerance is a thing. We like the Buzz before workouts, for motivation, for focus, and for those times when we need to stay alert. But tolerance minimizes those benefits.
We did some reading to get tips on getting a reset and we learned a few things. First, caffeine is not an essential nutrient! We agree to disagree on that one. Next, clearing out the caffeine from your systems takes about a week or even two. And then the tolerance rebuilds quickly as soon as caffeine consumption becomes a habit again. Depressing.
What about just drinking more? Three or four cups of coffee a day is considered to be fairly safe but more than that is probably not a good idea. And we need to include all sources of caffeine from chocolate to energy drinks.
After sifting through the suggestions for catching a Buzz when it’s really needed, the most reasonable seems to be either just getting out of the habit of, say, starting the morning with a cup of coffee just because we always do or steadily reducing the amount consumed each day. Save the big gulp for the days when we really need the Buzz. It’s common sense that beats going completely cold turkey.
Too drowsy to dig any deeper. Good luck.
– Jet Cannon
