One of the principle unanswered questions was what exactly does D-A-S-H stand for? And the answer is: "Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension." It was previously mentioned that this "diet" originated as a study to reduce hypertension by focusing on dietary means - primarily low fat dairy products, a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, and low in saturated and total fat.
Some more specific information about the DASH diet is presented based on a diet of 2000 calories a day; obviously if your diet is either more or less than 2000 calories, you will need to make some adjustments. If you decide to adopt the DASH plan, begin as follows and you will be more likely to be successful in the long term than if you just jump into it with both feet:
The DASH diet seems to be based on the USDA's Basic Four food groups with a few specifics added. The DASH food groups are as follows with recommended servings per day:
Changes in energy sources as exercise intensity changes has been previously addressed in the Newsletter, but here is a brief augmentation. It was previously stated that as we begin an aerobic exercise session we "burn" nearly equal amounts of fats and carbohydrates (glucose) for energy, but as intensity increases, so does the percentage of glucose. Fat remains as the primary fuel source at low to moderate intensity' although as fitness improves, the intensity at which fat is the primary fuel source rises.
At rest, the body typically obtains about 1/3 of it's energy from glycogen and 2/3 from fats, but at maximal effort, nearly 100% of energy comes from glucose (as long as it is available, of course).
The FloJo story can finally be put to rest. Her autopsy report has been released, and the cause of her untimely death was determined to be asphyxiation resulting from an epileptic seizure as she slept. Her heart was in good condition. The specter of drug use can be put to rest, and she can be honored as the great track athlete that she was.
Strength training for women is not new, but it is, relatively speaking, in it's infancy , and it deserves some attention; not that it hasn't been featured in this Newsletter before.
By now it should be clear that women's maximum strength is, on average, less than for men, but that they can improve strength relative to muscle mass just as men can. If that isn't clear to you all, it should be. But to reap the same physiological and psychological benefits, they need to train like men in terms of exercises, intensity, and volume.
Studies have shown that strength potential between men and women indicate that women can have about 2/3 the strength of men. What are some of the reasons for this disparity, you may ask. There are two major reasons that you could all guess: hormones and physiological factors.
The hormonal influence on the development of strength isn't absolutely clear, but androgens from the adrenals and ovaries are thought to have the strongest influence - most important seem to be testosterone and androstenedione. Weight training seems to elicit the same androstenedione response in both men and women. The affect of testosterone; however, seems to be less understood and more variable.
What is fairly clear however, is that women have only about 1/10 the testosterone of men, but the level varies substantially in women, and seems to influence women's strength development more than men's. Women with higher testosterone levels seem to have a higher capacity for developing strength and power than women with lower levels. But in spite of the pretty clear influence of hormones on women's strength potential, it isn't likely that they account for the significant differences between the absolute strength levels between men and women.
That leaves physiological differences between the sexes as the likely cause. The average male is taller, heavier, and with more lean body mass than women. Men's larger frames support more muscle and provide leverage advantages over women.
Women's strength relative to men's differs by body parts; however, male strength superiority is not uniform. Women's upper body strength is 40-60% that of men's, and their upper body strength is 79-75% of men's. It may be that men's neuromuscular response time is faster than women's, resulting in higher force production and speed. But men and women seem to have similar distribution of muscle fiber types - fast/slow twitch.
Lean body mass is significant in terms of relative strength between men and women. Using a ratio of strength to lean body mass, women are much closer to men in strength. And measuring equal cross-sectional areas of muscles found no male/female differences.
A seemingly inescapable conclusion is that men and women can benefit equally from the same types of strength training. Women, maybe even more.
Okay, so what benefits can women get out of strength training? The following, that's what:
Strength training is also important for strengthening tendons and cartilage, which is important for joint stability - decreased risk of injury.
As a consequence, women should train with the same intensely as men. Use of free weights is very helpful, especially dumbbells which force you two into balanced exercises; that is, barbells and many machines often allow weaker muscles (e.g., the dominant side can "help" the weaker side), but with dumbbells, each side has to pull its own weight. The same benefit falls to one-sided exercises, like one-legged squats or leg presses. Some good exercises to include in your program are: lunges, step-ups, heel raises, and squats for the lower body; and upper body, multi-joint/muscle group exercises like bench presses, lat pulls, pull-ups, and back extensions. Even full-body exercises like power cleans as your strength improves.
Women should include occasional near maximal lifts to their exercise sessions to gain the fullest benefits from strength training.
Remember, strong women stay young.
Americans just keep getting wider and wider. Here is a recent tidbit confirming that fact, just in case anyone is still in doubt:
Our butts are getting too big, according to a recent release from the Coast Guard. They have long had a rule that one passenger required 18 inches of space, and that measurement was used to determine maximum capacity on ferry boats. Long ago the maximum capacity for passengers was set at 250 on the standard boat. After a few years that maximum had to be revised to 240 because there just wasn't enough space to get the last 10 in. Now it has just been determined that the maximum had to be revised again - it is now 230. Maybe we need to widen the boats? But better yet, each 18 inch space should be equipped with pedals and mini-paddle wheels; then the passengers could propel the boat with their own leg power and whittle down those butts so the maximum capacity can be reset to 250.
Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) is an NSAID that is commonly used for pain relief, to lower fever, and to reduce inflammation. And in more recent times has been used for its blood thinning quality (e.g., reduces the body's blood clotting function) as a tool for lowering risk of a heart attack or stroke.
Bleeding, as from an injury, results in the collection of platelets (see Note 1) at the site of injury. Their clumping characteristic results in essentially a "plug" that reduces blood flow; aspirin reduces the clumping effect. One study suggests that aspirin may reduce by at least 30% the chance of a previous heart attack victim having another one.
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Note 1 - Platelets are disk shaped, cell-like components of blood - the solid component of blood, as opposed to plasma - the liquid component.
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In addition to reducing risk of a second heart attack, some other benefits of aspirin include:
But, does aspirin actually prevent heart disease? That has not been irrefutably proven. In a study of 22,000 male doctors - oddly enough called the Physicians' Health Study - aspirin was shown to significantly reduce the occurrence of heart attacks, but didn't significantly reduce the overall death rate from CVD. Unfortunately, there were also increased rates of hemorrhagic stroke (stroke resulting from a ruptured blood vessel in the head) and gastrointestinal bleeding.
So, most experts agree that for healthy men it is not recommended in view of the potential risks. That is that asymptomatic men should not take prophylactic doses of aspirin.
Even after all these years of use of aspirin (centuries, actually), new uses are being investigated. For example, aspirin may reduce risk for colon, rectal, stomach, or esophageal cancers. It is theorized that aspirin may inhibit growth of tumors by inhibiting production of certain hormone-like matter like prostaglandins. Use of aspirin may also reduce some complications of pregnancy: very high blood pressure during the later stages of pregnancy, and babies with low birth weight, for example.
There is also some thought that anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin or ibuprofen may reduce risk of Alzheimer's.
Your physician's recommendation for aspirin therapy would ordinarily be low (on the order of part of one normal aspirin a day, or even a baby aspirin), but will depend on his/her assessment of your risk for heart attack or stroke.
Don't forget to inform your doctor if you are on aspirin therapy and are scheduled for surgery. You may be asked to forgo it for a day or so to prevent possible excessive bleeding.
Now let's discuss the side effects of aspirin in a little more detail.
Aspirin is normally safe, but can produce some side-effects, especially from extended use. They are:
For those of you who suffer from a sore back, here are some Yoga stretches that might help. If you spend 10 minutes a day (faithfully) doing these stretches you might find that your stiff back will disappear forever. They are referred to as a "torso relaxer" and a "spine-lengthening twist."
For the torso relaxer, lie in a prone position, with legs together and toes pointed. Now raise up on your elbows, but keep your pelvis pressed flat against the floor. Your elbows should be directly under your shoulders and your torso is supported by your forearms. Now inhale deeply and simultaneously raise your chest. Relax and hold this position for five breaths, then lower and repeat.
As this stretch gets too easy (you don't feel a stretch anymore), modify it by straightening your elbows ("soft," not locked). You are now in the same position as above except that your torso is now supported by your palms rather than your forearms. If this position causes any pain, return to the previous position. Follow the same breath pattern as above.
The spinal twist is done by sitting on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you. Now bend your right knee and pull your foot back to your inner thigh - your foot remains flat on the floor. Twist your trunk to the right side with your left arm wrapped around your right knee so you can pull on it slightly to get a full stretch. Your right arm is extended with your palm on the floor. Take five deep breaths, then unwrap yourself and do the same stretch to the other side.
As with the torso relaxer, when you stop feeling a stretch, you can intensify it by putting your elbow against the outside of the bent knee. In this position you can push against your knee to achieve a little more twist/stretch.
It has frequently been stated that eating close to bedtime causes weight gain. But it seems that that is not necessarily true. What counts are how many total calories you eat, not when you eat them. So, if your schedule forces you to eat a late dinner, don't worry about it - at least as far as gaining weight goes. Please note that we are talking about a late dinner, not fatty snacks on top of whatever else you've had during the day. Of course there can be other problems, like trying to get to sleep with a stomach full of food.
Atriceps kickback is a commonly performed exercise, but is it effective? For more see Q&A.
- Horace -
(Q) Okay, so what's the story on the triceps kickback exercise?
M.A.F., Sunnyvale, CA
(A) The kickback is only effective for about the last inch or so of elbow extension, resulting in a very short ROM - okay for bodybuilders who do several different triceps exercises, but not so good for everyone else. Also, in an effort to use heavy weights, the arm is frequently held almost vertically which makes the exercise almost isometric. This exercise is at the bottom of my list, although it can be made much more effective by holding the upper arm parallel to the floor, and at full extension, raising the weight from the shoulder to involve the long head of the muscle. [You may or may not remember that the triceps muscle has a common attachment below the elbow, and then separates into medial and lateral heads that attach to the humorus (upper arm bone), and long head which attaches to the scapula and usually requires an overhead movement to fully activate it.]
If kickbacks aren't so hot because of short ROM and frequent form abuse, what would be preferable? In my opinion, "skull crushers" (a.k.a. "lying triceps extensions"), especially the 45 degrees version. In a prone position with a barbell held straight up from your shoulders and with elbows fully extended, move the bar toward your head until they are at 45 degrees, now lower the bar by bending your elbows (your upper arms remain unwaveringly at 45 degrees and your elbows should remain as close together as you can keep them) to about 90 degrees. Straighten your elbows, but don't snap them into a locked position. Repeat as often as your set dictates. This position not only allows you to avoid crushing your skull, but also activates the long head of the muscle. The entire triceps muscle gets a workout. And close elbows keeps the focus on the triceps.
(Q) I want to lose a few pounds, nothing major, but maybe five pounds or so. But I don't want to make any dietary changes. Any suggestions?
N.T.F., Redwood City, CA
(A) There are several approaches to your problem, but I like this one: do 14,000 sit-ups and lose one pound. This is a very easy way to regulate your weight loss.
(Q) Does potassium reduce risk for a stroke?
R.M., San Jose, CA
(A) Apparently, yes. So eat lots of fruits and veggies.
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Send questions or comments to Michael Fenner: e-mail to Mike Fenner
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