<p>After a two week layoff, back to the grind with Phase 3 of Show&Go. OHS, Barbell Lunges, Rows, incline dumbbell bench press, Single Leg RDLs. Yikes!</p>
<p>I’ll be rockin’ the single leg deadlifts tomorrow. I hope they go as well as the last time. It makes all the difference in the world to do the bodyweight version during the warmup, touching the toe of the standing leg at the bottom. Gets all the wobbles out of the system before loading it up with DBs later on.</p>
<p>I don’t reckon this study will be featured in Lipitor ads:</p>
<p>[Is</a> the use of cholesterol in mortality risk algorithms in clinical guidelines valid? Ten years prospective data from the Norwegian HUNT 2 study - Petursson - 2011 - Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice - Wiley Online Library](<a href=“http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2753.2011.01767.x/pdf]Is”>http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-2753.2011.01767.x/pdf)</p>
<p>A study from a district health service database in Norway. 27,852 women, aged 20 to 74. No cardiovascular disease at the start. They did cholesterol screening to start and then followed the women for 10 years. </p>
<p>At the end of ten years, smoking was correlated with higher numbers of deaths from coronary disease and from all causes when correcting for other factors.</p>
<p>High blood pressure was correlated with higher numbers of deaths from coronary disease and all causes.</p>
<p>But… oops … cholesterol was inversely correlated with deaths from coronary disease and deaths from all causes when correcting for other factors. The lower the cholesterol, the more deaths and it was progressive and linear. The group with the highest cholesterol readings had the fewest number of deaths – all cause deaths and cardiovascular disease deaths.</p>
<p>I’m starting to think that the current state of modern medicine in these fields is pretty much like what we would see if pharma had patents on snake oil. Sheesh. Can you imagine? Convince the entire western world that the cholesterol test is the end all and be all and the science doesn’t even back it up? </p>
<p>Why are women on statins? </p>
<p>Why are we being beat over the head to eat more sugar and less fat when lowering our cholesterol doesn’t even help us live longer? The last 40 years of nutrition and heart health policy is just a complete unmitigated disaster with an obesity epidemic and a type 2 diabetes epidemic to show for it. Bring back leeches…</p>
<hr>
<p>They did the same study with a similar cohort of men. The results were a little different – not linear. Men with super low and super high cholesterol had more deaths. Those in the middle high range – like 200 to 250 had the lowest number of deaths.</p>
<p>Just talked to an older gal that does the “lite version” of my cardio dance class. She looked trimmer and fitter than when I saw her a few years ago. Turns out her doc wanted to put her on statins, but she convinced him to let her try low carb first. He gave her 6 weeks. She turned all of her numbers around in that time, lost a bunch of weight, and wasn’t a candidate for the statins anymore. She had a heart/stroke specialist (not a physician but some kind of educational liaison type) assigned to her as part of her HMO or something. This person felt that despite all of the good news and the fact that my acquaintance didn’t fit into any risk category anymore, that the low carb diet wasn’t healthy. The kicker? The heart/stroke specialist was morbidly obese.
My acquaintance by the way is turning 80 next month.</p>
<p>The only logical explanation for a doc putting a 79 woman on statins would be a hefty commission from the drug company.</p>
<p>It’s crazy. This poor woman had to fight her health care providers over a lifestyle approach that was clearly working. How crazy is that? I would guess that most people who have seen success from reducing their carb intake with fat loss and improved health markers are probably hesitant to even discuss what they are doing with their doctors and health care providers. It’s a sorry state of affairs.</p>
<p>Idad, no photos…don’t wanna break YouTube ;)</p>
<p>I did, however, do one more “run” last night and discovered it was possible to get the speed up.</p>
<p>That cholesterol report is outstanding. Thank god there are other countries where research is not routinely suppressed by a particular industry. Not that it seems to budge these ill formed positions the medical community seems to take on matters of cholesterol, depression, and fat.</p>
<p>In the case of depression, I read a New England journal study recently that suggested claims of antidepressant efficacy are largely overrated and that half of the studies were suppressed. Which would lead one to wonder why 11 percent of the entire American population are presently on antidepressants. And why our idea of “low” B12 is 300 points lower than europe’s notion of what comprises “low” B12, the later of which is proven to give rise to neurological symptoms. </p>
<p>Seems to me the most meaningful human health policy in the US might be to routinely give school kids b12 and make them run around the track a few times during home room. And serve them something with lots of protein, good fat and veggies for lunch. I wonder then if we’d avert this inattentive, fat, sad, sick population that increasingly is told to pop a pill and vilify butter.</p>
<p>Ah, but one can only dream of such a non-corporatized society :)</p>
<p>I do however, have a hunch that if we overhauled the education system and provided these instruments of physical and mental health to all our students, we might also perform a little better in tests like PISA where we presently rank in the high 30s in terms of math proficiency.</p>
<p>I don’t know whether it actually made a difference, but in te 70s in Ontario, Canada, where I am originally from, we had a program called “particip-action” that was along these lines, at least in terms of moving your body. I doubt there’s a correlation, because the cdn govt has cut much “good” fat in recent decades when it comes to public policy, but I have trouble explaining the 30-spot spread between Canadian and American youths in the PISA math when both countries are westernized, close in proximity and spend similar amounts on education.</p>
<p>Step one to strength training - bookmarked some YouTube demo videos from Erin Sharoni - just looked up “beginner strength training for women” and I warmed up to the couple I saw her do.</p>
<p>Step two, hopefully later today - actually DOING some of the exercises she demos!!! :)</p>
<p>1 mile yesterday and dips, pullups, rotary torso, chest press, abductors, adductors and rows. Basically a YMCA day. Today, probably more of the same with abs work and stretching.</p>
<p>Swimming in a rain at 6am was almost romantic. Surprisingly another lady was in a next lane enjoying the same…and nobody else in huge 50m pool. Guards did not mind, they have to be there anyway. I barely could open my eyes after sleeping probably for 3.5 hours or so…not any more, fully awake and ready to face wahtever after being in 70F for 1.5 hrs. (2 degrees higher than yesterday). Will attempt to walk in a rain or maybe it will stop. We are having straaaaange summer!</p>
<p>Saturday did a 10.5 bike ride
Sunday ran 3.1 …wanted to do more but the heat/humidity of coastal NC wiped me out. Note to self…start earlier in the a.m.
Finished off w/jumping jacks,ladder climb dips,planks. </p>
<p>Stayed up really late last night(17 innings) watching the NC State Wolfpack fight their way into the College World Series…go Pack!</p>
<p>I love swimming in the rain! Thanks for the reminder to check when the outdoor city pools open. :)</p>
<p>kmcmom, thanks for the aquajogging report. I knew you would make it sound fun! I may try it later this summer. We actually do have a pool, but this is the year to replaster and change out the water, so I’ll wait til I get that done. </p>
<p>Considering all the harm that’s been done by our health policies of the last 40 years, it makes me wonder what our new health care reform will do to us. My health insurance started requiring me to fill out a yearly report on my habits, what I eat, how much do I exercise, do I smoke, etc, etc. That’s fine, until they started hounding me to do what they think is best, which would be to eat in a way that would probably make me fat. After the first year of being asked whether I have made the recommended changes to my diet, I learned to answer the questions in the way they find acceptable. Now they leave me alone.</p>
<p>At home workout</p>
<p>side leg lifts (many)
single leg circles (15 each clockwise & counter clockwise each leg)
side leg adduction (4 x 20 each side)
hip lifts (3 x 20 - each set done between other exercises)
stability ball deadbug (2 x 8)
stability ball hamstring curl (2 x 8)
stability ball pass (2 x 6)
stability ball stir the pot (2 x 1 clockwise & 1 counter clockwise)
stability ball toe touches (2 x 6 each side)
stability ball jackknife (2 x 8)
planks w/elastics rows (2 x ~60 seconds and 10 pulls on one side)
paloff press (2 x 6 count to six front & 6 count to six up)
leg swings (6 each side)
reverse lunges w/rotation (5 each side)
quads stretch (2 each side)
squats (8)
heel raises (6 up & down, 2 pointed in, 2 pointed out)
pushups (10)
bicep curls (3 x 8 each side, 6# db)
military press (2 x 8, 6# dbs)
chest press (2 x 8, 6# dbs)
tricep kickbacks (3 x 8 each side, 6# db)
rows (3 x 10 each side, 8# db)</p>
<p>I grew up with mashed potatoes from a box - mashed potatoes from scratch were a special occasion. Honestly, I think it’s good that I’m not a foodie. I don’t have to “demand” that every meal that I eat tastes fabulous, or worry about leftovers. I’m totally fine eating the same food day after day. I find the tips in women’s magazines about transforming leftovers annoying - just eat the same darn thing again, what’s the big deal? </p>
<p>As for dessert, my desserts these days are pretty much Fage Greek Yogurt with whatever fruit of choice on top. Every now and then, I’ll throw on a tablespoon of chocolate chips. Desserts / sweets are my downfall and I’m best if I just recast the whole thing away from “traditional” desserts.</p>
<p>^I am the same, I practically do not care too much what I consume, might as well be the same every day, I do not care too much. Sometime I spend time in a kitchen, but it is not my favorite activity which is OK with my H. I am planning to have an omelet for dinner today, I keep forgetting eating eggs, they are very good food…that is if I remember my plan by the time I get home. I try to remember important things, leave stickies, but food is never too much on my mind, whatever, beer and nuts and ton of fruits will do if nothing else.</p>
<p>I completed a 45 minute kettle bell workout and a 3 mile walk today. Signed up for a spinning class tomorrow and have a session scheduled with my trainer on Wednesday. After that, I’m traveling and will have to be creative to figure out ways to fit in exercise (most likely–walking).</p>
<p>Re tracking workouts and food: Guess we’re all different because tracking is something I like to do and when I don’t do it, I fall off the wagon. I recently ordered a Fitbit and started wearing it–I bought the Zip model, which doesn’t have as many features (e.g., tracking sleep patterns) as other models. I like having information on # of steps and while a pedometer could have provided the same information, the FBzip syncs with the computer and gives me more data than a pedometer. So far, I like it. I still use my Polar HRM because I like seeing HR movement during workouts. My H thinks I’m looney wearing all these devices. Losing slowly, which is frustrating, but better than the alternative.</p>
<p>Bromfield, I do the same thing. I’ve been pretty zealous about tracking my exercise. Love my smartphone. I haven’t been too good with my fitness pal, I was getting too wound up tracking and it wasn’t good or healthily for me. I’m trying to eat more fruits and vegetables and less fat and try not to worry. But since I downloaded map my run, I’ve really used it. I bought a HR monitor for my iPhone and I think it works great for what I want. I like the C25k app I downloaded. It shows your progress from week to week and shows your splits. I like knowing I’m improving.</p>
<p>I like tracking with the Garmin watch because, at my age, I can’t remember where I’ve been without logging onto the computer and seeing the route on the map! Ah, the joys of geezer fitness…</p>
<p>Some cc coaches I know, want their runners wearing Garmins and uploading the information during the summer. Gone are the days of “honest coach-- I ran a fast 7 miles last night.” Trust but verify!</p>
<p>Does the coach pay for the Garmins?</p>