Hello,

I trust you're safe, fit and well.

All strength to Ukraine 🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦

Not prebiotics, not probiotics, but now postbiotics.

Postbiotics are new to me, this week. Scientists have apparently discovered that postbiotics are as important for gut health as prebiotics and probiotics. Postbiotics are metabolic by-products of the breakdown of prebiotics and probiotics in the gut.

I'll include an article in next week's newsletter about how to improve your postbiotic gut flora, and the benefits.

Not sure whether to exercise when you have a cold? There are circumstances when exercise can help, and other times when exercising is a bad idea - see item #2.

Hate spending too much time at the gym, or avoiding exercise because you don’t want to commit an hour every other day? Can you spare 2 minutes a few times a day - see item #1.

Here are the topics I have chosen for you to help you live longer better:

⭑ How 8 minutes a day keeps the doctor at bay ✔ Easy-peasy
⭑ Exercise can help a cold - or make it far worse. Here's how to decide ✔
⭑ Hold the almonds? Advice from a reader
⭑ This one exercise will strengthen your posterior chain for better posture

01 Just 8 Minutes of Exercise a Day Is All You Need​

Thanks to reader Jeffrey for this one! Vigorous exercise provides the same benefits as moderate exercise, only faster. Researchers have found the sweet spot that gives you the most benefit in the least amount of time.

Vigorous exercise, while a bit more intense than moderate exercise, is worth considering if your goal is to get the most out of your workout time. Not only does it provide the same benefits as moderate exercise, but it also does so faster and more efficiently.

With just 54 minutes of exercise per week, you can reduce your risk of premature death and heart disease by a substantial amount, according to a new study in the European Heart Journal.

Scientists examined data from fitness trackers worn by more than 71,000 people studied in the United Kingdom, and then analysed their health over the next several years.

They found that just 8 minutes of vigorous exercise (which could be done in 4 bursts of 2 minutes each, for example) offers the same benefits as moderate exercise, only faster.

⇒ The study showed that 54 minutes of vigorous exercise per week could reduce the risk of early death and heart disease by 36% and 35% respectively.

What it means for us: A tough, short workout improves blood pressure, shrinks artery-clogging plaques, boosts your overall fitness and reduces chronic inflammation.

So what is "vigorous" exercise? It is when you are breathing hard enough during exercise that it's difficult to have a conversation. Keep it simple!

While biking, jogging and swimming might suit the bill (done vigorously), these are not what you are likely to do in a 2-minute break at work or while watching TV. Try these instead:

1. At work, climb a couple of flights of stairs if you have access.
2. Bodyweight squats, lunges or planks are convenient.
3. Jumping Jacks, mountain climbers, and burpees can be done easily anywhere.
4. Jogging in place, or high knees, or kicking your hands behind your buttocks.
5. Add more intensity with squat jumps and squat lunges (start with small bends in your knees and small jumps).
6. Add a 2-minute brisk vigorous walking component to your daily walks, or add 4 of them if you only get out once a day (or detour up a ramp or slope).
7. At home, watching TV, jump up and do 20 lounge push-ups or 20 lounge stand-to-sits.

Just 4 times a day, doing one of the above for 2 minutes, will put you a long way in front of doing no regular exercise. The benefits accumulate with consistency - by making it a habit. Start easy, stop if you're short of breath.

Thanks Jeffrey.

Related: Rebuilding Your Fast-twitch Muscles Doesn’t Require Fast Movements. Rebuild Your Balance in 2 Minutes Daily​

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02 Will Exercising With a Cold Make You Sicker?​

There's a myth that you can sweat out a virus, and given we have so many virus infections these days, believing this myth could prove dangerous for your health.

Exercising when you have a cold or virus can be a tricky dilemma. On one hand, you may feel like you have the energy and desire to exercise, while on the other, you don’t want to make your symptoms worse. So what’s the solution?

The professional advice is consistent. If you’re not feeling well, light exercise and gentle movement can be beneficial to your recovery, but heavy exercise can exacerbate your symptoms and increase your risk for complications.

If your condition does deteriorate, it’s best to rest until the symptoms go away, then, gradually get back into your exercise routine. Relapse can be common if you get back too quickly and push hard.

⇒ Exercising intensely while you are sick, or even shortly after you’ve recovered, could lead to new or lingering symptoms like exhaustion or unexplained pain.

Researchers believe this phenomenon is similar to how some people develop Long-Covid, which results in lingering chronic inflammation which is a threat to your longevity.

What this means for us: Firstly, it means knowing whether to do light exercise or to rest completely. The most common determination is via "the neck check".

If your symptoms are above the neck, exercise is probably safe. For example, if your only symptoms are nasal congestion and a low-grade headache, a light workout shouldn’t worsen your cold.

If, however, you have symptoms below the neck, such as a hacking cough, chest discomfort, nausea, diarrhea or body-wide symptoms like fever, muscle aches or fatigue, then it's not a good idea to exercise. It’s ok to give yourself a break.

If you feel that you can exercise, which light exercises are best?

Stick to light-to-moderate intensity exercises e.g. a brisk 30-minute walk outside or a low-impact workout on an elliptical machine, stationary bike, or rowing machine. Lifting light weights is fine provided you keep the intensity low.

When you’re feeling down a bit of exercise can do wonders. It can boost your energy, help to clear your head and improve your overall mood.

However, always bear in mind that heavy exercise can make your symptoms worse and increase your risk for complications and even long-term poor health.

Ultimately, it’s important to listen to your body and understand when it’s time to take a break and rest. Don't be hard on yourself.

Related: ​​​How Avoiding A High Viral Load Can Save Your Life - Coronavirus​

@Medium - Follow me on Medium ↗, covering ⭑food, ⭑brain, ⭑body, ⭑life

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03 Almonds Can Help Support The Gut Microbiome - New Study​

In this spot last week I wrote about how Almonds Can Help Support The Gut Microbiome.

Reader Paul pinged me to point out that almonds have a high omega-6 to omega-3 ratio. Therefore, consuming the 56 grams (2 oz) I recommended would boost your omega-6 and possibly put it out of balance with your omega-3 intake.

That's true. Because the balance of omega-3 to omega-6 has been found to be the key to the benefits of both, not the absolute amount, as I wrote here some time ago "Too Much Omega-6 Can Harm Us, Unless We Eat More Omega-3"

In the past, the ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 in our diet was in balance due to the consumption of fresh fruits, vegetables, and seafood. Unfortunately, due to changes in the modern diet, this ratio has become skewed, with the omega-6 ratio becoming too high.

This is due to the increased consumption of processed foods, vegetable oils, and other foods that are high in omega-6 fatty acids.

Omega-6 fatty acids are essential for our health, but are thought to be pro-inflammatory when consumed in excess and especially when consumed out of balance with our consumption of omega-3.

What this means for us: If you are uncertain if you are getting enough omega-3 then cut back on the almonds. Paul provided links to two useful articles, which show that walnuts and macadamia nuts are far lower in omega-6 than almonds, and that flax and chia seeds have a good balance of omega-3 and omega 6.

Key points:

• Omega-6 fats from vegetable oils and other sources — like their cousins, the omega-3 fats from fish — are good for the heart and body.
• To improve the ratio of omega-3 fats to omega-6 fats, eat more omega-3s, not necessarily fewer omega-6s.
• Sources of high omega-6 are safflower oil, sunflower oil, corn oil, soybean oil, sunflower seeds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds.
• Good sources of omega-3 are oily fish such as salmon, herring, mackerel, and sardines; fish oil and flaxseed oil; flaxseeds, walnuts, and chia seeds

PS Paul also helpfully provided this: If you're really concerned about Butyrate, you can buy the powder here. You may recall that I explained "Butyrate helps maintain a healthy gut barrier. By keeping bacteria and other microbes from entering your blood, butyrate can help to reduce inflammation and gastrointestinal discomfort like bloating".

Thanks Paul.

Related: Holy Mackerel! Researchers Confirm Walnuts Help Your Muscles Stay Stronger Helping Live Longer​

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04 A Quick Bodyweight Workout Which Delivers "HIIT Results"

Our exercise of the week is... for your posterior chain muscles.

As you get older, it is essential to maintain your strength and mobility. One of the best ways to do this is to exercise the posterior chain muscles.

The posterior chain consists of the large muscles running along the back of the body, such as your glutes, hamstrings and back muscles. These muscles play an important role in maintaining proper alignment and function of the spine. As you age, the strength of these muscles decreases leading to decreased mobility and increased risk of injury.

A strong posterior chain allows us to maintain balance while walking, running, lifting, and carrying objects.

It's most common for us to train the muscles that attach to the front side of the body, known as the “anterior chain”. The muscles of the anterior chain - like the quads - help to flex and strengthen the knee, which is important for overall strength and performance.

However, these muscles are often overemphasised in training, resulting in the posterior chain being disproportionately weak and thus creating an imbalance of forces on our joints and muscles.

⇒ Having a strong posterior chain can help to create a balance of forces and reduce the likelihood of sprain and strain injuries.

What this means for us: Luckily, there are many different ways to easily exercise the posterior chain. Examples include bridges, planks and bird-dogs. These exercises will help to strengthen the muscles in your back, glutes and hamstrings, while also increasing your balance and stability.

For those who are feeling a bit more adventurous, weightlifting is a great way e.g. Romanian Deadlifts, or Bent Over Rows.

For today, I am going to stick with the Bird Dog because you can do it anywhere.

Bird dogs are excellent for activating your glutes and lower back while also strengthening the stability muscles surrounding your core.

1. Begin on all fours on the floor, hands directly beneath your shoulders and knees hip-width apart (placed under your hips).
2. Maintain a straight line from your head down through your back, and prepare by tensing your arms and shoulders by pushing into the floor.
3. Extend your right leg behind you while simultaneously extending your left arm out in front of you. Focus on squeezing your glutes as you hold for 2-3 seconds.
4. Lower and repeat, alternating sides, for 10 to 15 reps.

Check this Best Bird Dog Video I have selected on YouTube for you.

Alert: Maintain a strong focus on NOT rotating your hips or shoulders during the extensions of your arms and legs. Imagine a broomstick lying across your shoulders and hips, and keeping it parallel with the floor at all times.

Variations: If you find yourself losing your balance, try lifting only one leg or one arm at a time for 10 to 15 reps.

Enjoy.

Thanks for reading!

I will add today's exercise above to my free app, so look out for it.

P.S. If you are not yet subscribed to my free exercise app, try now ↓↓↓ Free forever. Opt-out any time. Opt-in by CLICKING HERE PLEASE SEND ME THE EXERCISES. NOTE: YOU ONLY NEED TO SUBSCRIBE ONE TIME.

>> My Latest Blog Post: How Many Pistachios Should I Eat For Sleep and When?​

About the newsletter: Do you think it can be improved? Have a story idea? Want to share about the time you met Chris Hemsworth, or your questions about how to live longer better? Send those thoughts and more to me at walter@bodyagebuster.com

'4 Most Valuable' is a weekly newsletter from Walter Adamson. If you like it, please forward to a like-minded soul. Someone forward this to you? You can subscribe from this page.

Resources for you:

​How To Go From On-knee to Full Pushups, and Reap The Benefits​

​The Exact Slow Pace You Must Run and Cycle To Max Fat-Burning​

​As You Age Pistachios Can Help You Sleep Better​

​Vitamin D Is Free Yet We Don’t Get Enough And Our Health Is Suffering​

​How To Keep Your Weight Off With Daily Walks — 5 Fun Level-ups That Everyone Can Do​

​

​Skipping Breakfast May Make You More Likely To Develop Diabetes - Research​

​This One Exercise Will Reshape Your Body And Your Brain, If You’re Game​

​The Surprising Way Hip Flexors Pull You Down Into An Elderly Stoop And ​Shuffle, And How To Avoid It​

​Shining Light On Infrared Therapy - It Helped Unlock My Shoulder​

​People With Problems Want To Give Them To You. Here’s How To Not Accept Them​

​​Forget Beetroot Juice, Eat More Vegetables For Nitrate Potency And Longer Life​

​Drink This Many Cups Of Coffee Daily For Better Health​

​Dizziness And Cataracts - Is There A Link?​

​Brain Health Is Boosted By Eating Less, Often — Here’s How To Start​

​How To Get The Health Benefits Of Black Tea - Even If You Don't Like Drinking It​

​The Surprising Benefits of Black Tea Daily​

​How To Exercise And Eat In Your 40s To Live Longer Better - Ten Tips​

​How To Walk Better (And Undo The Damage Of Treadmills)​

​Don’t Distract Your Immune System By Poor Dental Hygiene​

​Are You Ab-Wheel Rolling To Back Pain? I Was — Not Now​

​How To Sleep Better And Recover Like Elite Soccer Players​

​How To Find Purpose In Your life Without Feeling Like You Are Endlessly Chasing Your Tail​

​Measuring Your Waist Will Tell You If You Are On Your Way To Diabetes​

​Walking Barefoot Improves Your Brain, Balance, and Soul And Reduces Running Injuries​

​I Started Trail Running At 70. Besides Being Bitten By A Dog I Love It​

​​Why Walnuts Lower Heart Disease and Help You Sleep Better​

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