4MV #207 Discover the secret to staying fit and active at 75 ✔ I wasn't always this fit

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Hello,

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

Blue-light glasses don't work!@

I have a small collection of blue-light glasses, bought at Black Friday and other sales, and mostly worn once. But I was prepared to believe they helped.

"No evidence that blue-light blocking glasses have any health or even ocular benefits when it comes to eyes", says a new study—time to clear out the drawer.

If you have back pain and trouble getting comfortable in bed, try these proven postures to relieve pain and get a deeper sleep - see item #2.

As I get older, more people tell me how fit I am. There's no secret, just putting one foot in front of the other - time after time. See item #1.

⭑ Fitness is a journey of a thousand steps ✔ You can start at any age
⭑ Try one of these sleeping positions - found to reduce back pain ✔
⭑ Incidental exercise found to reduce cancer risk by 30%. Research ✔
⭑ Best exercises to relieve hip osteoarthritis - there's a specific technique ✔

01 What Does It Take To Be Fit At 75?

I turned 75 a short while back, and I've noted something odd.

Since transiting into the latter half of my 70s, more people have told me how fit I am.

I'm only as fit as before turning 75, but somehow I must look older, triggering more people to comment on how fit I look.

I know what it takes. It isn’t a secret, and it's open to all of us.

This morning, for example, I ran about 6 km along a beautiful beach cliff-top track, then back home to row for 10 minutes, resistance bands for 5 minutes, 100 kettlebell swings, 30 pushups and then my everyday grip exercises (see my grip devices in this newsletter).

That sounds like a lot when you hit it cold. But after building up to daily exercise over the last 25 years, it is doable - for me and for you. On other days I do heavier barbell and kettlebell exercises and mix things up across the week.

When I was a young leftist in the 60s, it was de rigueur to have a copy of Mao Tse Tung's Little Red Book visible in your pad - on the coffee table or bookshelf. The truth is - I never read it.

But I have always remembered one of Mao Tse Tung's favorite proscriptions: "The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step" (from philosopher Lao Tzu, a contemporary of Confucius).

What this means for you: Your journey to fitness and to living longer better also begins with one step.

⇒ No matter how small, start being more active today, and then do it the next day and the day after again - for the rest of your life.

It's not going to HIIT or to Crossfit that will make the biggest difference for you. They are outcomes of beginning with one step.

Consistency is king. I make it a little like a job I do every day. This may not sound especially motivating, but it translates, after thousands of days, into that journey of a thousand miles towards your enjoyment of life when you're older.

In many things that I do, I often think of that "one step", and then one more and one more, as the way to get it done, like running a marathon.

Good luck.

PS Post WW2, after being nearly wiped out by Chiang Kai-shek, Mao Tse Tung retreated to an upper tributary of the Yangtze River at Leaping Tiger Gorge. He regrouped his army and set out on a "journey of a thousand miles", which resulted in him defeating Chiang and ruling China. I've bused with the locals along that same route - it's remote, stark, and beautiful.

02 The Best Position To Sleep In To Relieve Back Pain

Constant back pain is debilitating. In a study conducted with older participants in a fitness program in Portugal, those with back pain were instructed to sleep on their sides, while those with neck pain were advised to try sleeping on their backs.

⇒ After four weeks, 90% of the participants reported a reduction in their respective pains.

The researchers instructed individuals to change their sleeping positions based on their pathological problems or reported pain.

They used three recommended positions: one for individuals with dorsal or low back pain, another for individuals with cervical complaints, and finally, to avoid the prone position altogether.

There are some caveats, the most important being that there are very few research studies on this topic. This study was well-designed and reliable.

Another caveat is that poor sleep is associated with higher reported back pain, and good sleep with less reported back pain. So the recommended positions may not reduce the back pain physiologically but rather psychologically.

What this means for you: You have nothing to lose in trying one of these positions. Remember that the study measured results after 4 weeks, so you need to keep it up for this long and not be distracted by a lack of pain reduction in the short term.

Posture A is recommended if you have dorsal (thoracic) or low back pain, and posture B if you have cervical pain - pain in or around your spine beneath your head. The prone position - C - was not recommended in any case.

Recommended sleeping positions to reduce back pain

Good luck. Let me know what works for you.

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

03 Incidental Exercise Associated With Reduction In Cancer Risk

You're undoubtedly aware that exercise can help reduce the risk of various cancers, such as liver, lung, breast, and kidney. However, engaging in structured exercise can be time-consuming and often requires cash or travel to a gym.

A new study explored the health potential of brief bursts of vigorous physical activity embedded in daily life to reduce the risk of cancer e.g. doing errands on foot, work-related activity, or housework as part of daily routines.

Participants wore wrist activity trackers to monitor their activity levels continuously.

They were asked to do short bursts of vigorous activity as part of their normal daily routine. Surprisingly, these short bursts were found to be associated with a reduction in total cancer risk, especially breast, lung, and bowel cancer.

⇒ For example, a minimum of 3.5 minutes per day of vigorous incidental activity reduced the risk of these cancers by 28–29 per cent. At 4.5 minutes a day, these risks were reduced by 31–32 per cent.

What this means for you: Whether you are doing structured exercise or not, it is always beneficial to add unstructured exercise into your daily habits:

Walking or running errands on foot
Work-related activity (e.g., walking around the office, lifting objects)
Housework (e.g., cleaning, gardening)
Taking the stairs instead of the elevator
Carrying heavy shopping bags
Energetic play with children or pets.

04 Exercises to Reduce Hip Osteoarthritis Pain

Our exercise of the week is... proven exercises for the relief of hip pain, including osteoarthritis hip pain.

The good news is that these exercises are valuable to all of us. By doing them, we can delay, perhaps forever, degeneration of the hip joint and pain. If you run, these will help stave off the typical hip pains commonly developed in older runners.

I found a specific well-designed study that sought to isolate the best exercises to relieve hip pain. These exercises focus on building muscle strength and physical performance in support of the hip joint.

They have a specific characteristic, which was a particular focus of the study (Fukumoto 2014).

This research aimed to examine how high-velocity resistance training and low-velocity resistance training impact women with hip osteoarthritis. Both groups underwent an eight-week home-based exercise program, utilising an elastic band.

⇒ Researchers found that high-velocity resistance training had a greater effect on muscle properties and physical performance than low-velocity training in patients with hip osteoarthritis.

What this means for you: The high-velocity group conducted their exercises rapidly, whereas the low-velocity group performed them slower. Within the high-velocity group, participants completed the concentric phase (the contraction) of each repetition as quickly as feasible and then returned to the initial position eccentrically within three seconds.

The exercises used in the research were hip abduction, extension, flexion and knee extension using a resistance band.

Hip Abduction:
- Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Attach an elastic band around both ankles.
- Rapidly move your right leg away from your body, keeping it straight.
- Hold for a second and then slowly bring your leg back to the starting position.
- Repeat the same with your left leg.
- This exercise helps strengthen the muscles on the sides of your hips.
Hip Extension:
- Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Attach an elastic band around both ankles.
- Rapidly extend your right leg backward, extending it straight behind you.
- Hold for a second and then slowly return your leg to the starting position.
- Repeat the same with your left leg.
- This exercise targets the muscles in the back of your hips.
Standing Hip Flexion (excellent video here):
- Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Attach an elastic band around both ankles.
- Rapidly lift your right knee towards your chest, bending it as much as you can.
- Hold for a second and then slowly lower your leg back to the starting position.
- Repeat the same with your left leg.
- This exercise works the muscles at the front of your hips.
Knee Extension:
- Sit on a chair or bench with your feet flat on the floor.
- Attach an elastic band around one ankle and secure it to a sturdy object in front of you.
- Rapidly straighten your leg by pushing against the resistance of the band, lifting your foot off the ground.
- Hold for a second and then slowly lower your leg back to the starting position.
- Repeat the same with your other leg.
- This exercise strengthens the muscles in the front of your thighs.

Do these twice weekly. Perform each exercise slowly and with control. If you have any discomfort or pain, it’s important to stop and consult a health professional

Thanks for reading!

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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

Walter Adamson @bodyagebuster Helping your live longer better

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