⭑ Scientists compared exercise types for weight loss ✔ a clear answer
⭑ Snack on almonds for longevity benefits ✔ and sore muscle recovery
⭑ Buying expensive protein supplements ✔ your muscles don't benefit
⭑ Ropeless jump ropes are more sensible than they sound ✔

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

Hello,

News fatigue.

Trying to keep up with the news, I found myself reading later and later each night. So now I'm skimming because I value my sleep more than going down all the rabbit holes of everything that is happening these days.

I'm sleeping better because I'm trying out a 5th-generation anti-snore device. It's small, convenient and it appears to work. I'll write more in due course.

Scientists found eating almonds reduced muscle soreness after exercise. But almonds do much more. See why you should have a daily serving - item #2.

Knowing what kind of exercise to do when trying to lose weight can be confusing. Researchers just came to a conclusion - see item #1 below.

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01 Comparing different exercise types for weight loss - conclusive answer

Trying to lose weight can be confusing and thankless when your efforts fall short. Researchers compared the effectiveness of aerobic exercise (AE), resistance training (RT), combined aerobic and resistance training (CT), and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) for weight loss.

They concluded that AE is the optimal exercise type for reducing body weight and BMI, while HIIT exerts the most beneficial effects on improving body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness, and metabolic abnormalities in adults with overweight and obesity.

⇒ However, in my opinion, there are some important caveats not mentioned in the research report.

What this means for you: If weight loss is your main initial goal, then treadmills, walking, cycling, and rowing for 40 or more minutes daily should work best for pure weight loss.

I have two caveats:

1. Diet must still take centre stage, at least in terms of calories, if not quality of nutrition. Aim to immediately reduce your daily calories by 20%, then, aim to switch "empty" calorific foods, e.g. sweets, snacks, sugary drinks, with healthier choices. This way, you could expect to lose about 1 kg/month.
2. Don't overdo long cardio exercises during your weight loss period or afterwards. Once you hit your target, you should include other forms of exercise, including strength training.

Endurance exercises such as long-distance running or cycling primarily burn fat but can also lead to a reduction in muscle mass and bone density.

At the gym, I often see people, mainly women, on the treadmill for more than an hour, and that is the only exercise they do each visit. Marathon runners look the way they do because their bodies shed everything that their brain perceives as not helping them achieve their physical endurance goals.

For marathon runners, this means muscle and bone mass is shed. For cyclists, it is far worse. Professional road cyclists have significantly lower total body, arms, legs, spine, pelvis, lumbar spine, and femoral neck bone density compared to healthy male controls, with the femoral neck being the most affected site, although abnormally low values in low lumbar spine bone density are not uncommon.

For women, the worst thing you can do is excessive endurance exercise, reducing your bone density. You need to have bone-strengthening exercises in the mix e.g. any forms of resistance training.

Related: Eat prunes to keep your bones strong, and other surprising health benefits​​​

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02 Almonds have restorative and preventative benefits for longevity

Because I run, this piece of research grabbed my attention - researchers found that "chronic almond supplementation" reduced muscle soreness during acute recovery from exercise (and improved maintenance of muscle functional capacity).

So, as of yesterday, I am eating a serve of almonds every day. Until then I didn't know that there is a "standard serving" of almonds, it is 23 nuts! This weighs 50 to 60g and contains about 330 calories.

⇒ The good news is that there is much more to almonds than just helping recover from muscle soreness.

Almonds are rich in protein, fibre, unsaturated fatty acids, antioxidants, and phytonutrients. Different researchers found that eating one serve for six months led to significant improvements in visuospatial working memory, visual memory, learning, and spatial planning in healthy middle-aged to older adults.

Other studies have highlighted the benefits of almonds for gut health and for controlling diabetes, i.e. eating almonds with a meal reduces the sugar spike that follows.

What does this mean for you? Try snacking on a serving of almonds daily - 23 nuts, or 50 grams for the benefits above. What does that look like? See below (I use a 200ml coffee cup).

How about the 300 calories, will you put on weight?

Most studies have found that the additional energy obtained from daily almond consumption is compensated by reductions in the intake of other foods. This is because the satiety provided by almonds generally leads to decreased snacking and overall food consumption.

If you are concerned about weight gain then try removing your calorie-heavy snacks and replacing them with visible snacks of almonds.

⇒ Almond meal has slightly higher bioavailability compared to whole almond kernels, so if you add a 50g serve to your shake or breakfast cereal the results should be as good as eating the nuts.

Related: Eating Nuts Helps Manage Your Weight - Research Proves It​​​​​​

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

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03 Expensive protein powders - save your money

Have you bought into the idea of drinking expensive branded protein shakes after exercising to "help build your muscle mass"?

I do drink protein shakes, but with the goal of achieving a regular daily high protein intake - I aim for ~2g per kg of body weight.

​This research compared muscle mass response to different protein supplements in combination with exercising.

⇒ The different protein supplements did not lead to significant alterations in body composition measures.

What this means for you: As one of my gym instructors used to say, save money by ditching the expensive protein drinks and branched-chain amino acids [BCAAs], hydrolysed whey, etc. and just drink a chocolate milk instead.

Drinking expensive protein supplements is like putting nitro fuel in your Camry - pointless. For those 0.1% who are competitive powerlifters, bodybuilders or other athletes, it does help when timed correctly.

⇒ The study found that eating everyday meat protein had the same result as specialised protein supplements.

Related: Over 50? You're Not Eating Enough Protein. Here's Why, and How Much​​​​​

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04 Ropeless jump ropes? Weird idea, but they work ...

Our exercise of the week is... using ropeless jump ropes.

This morning, I was using my ropeless jump ropes, and it struck me what a weird idea they are.

You'd think the most important thing about a jump rope would be the rope. Despite not having ropes, these things work. They can help you get fit via a good cardio workout and lose weight.

Regular jump ropes require a certain level of coordination to avoid tripping yourself up. There's no tripping without a rope. They are also ideal for those with arthritis concerned about the impact of jumping

⇒ I pretend the rope is there and "skip" my feet accordingly, and I find my heart beats quite strongly during the routine.

What this means for you: If you find regular jump ropes challenging and are looking for a compact piece of cardio equipment, then pick up a set of ropeless jump ropes and give them a try.

⇒ Watch this video for 10 minutes of different ropeless jump rope moves.

I just do two types of jumps, each type with two variations:

1. Skip feet alternatively as if you are skipping with a rope (1) 100 times swinging both ropelets towards the front, and (2) 100 times swinging the ropelets in the opposite direction.
2. Double jump on toes, slightly raised heels (1) 100 times swinging both ropelets towards the front, and (2) 100 times swinging the ropelets in the opposite direction.

Do this every day and you will notice a difference in 4 weeks.

Related: Daddy, Is Skipping Better For You Than Running?​​​​​

Thanks for reading!

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: Energise Your Golden Years: Boosting Your Desire to Exercise with Gut-Healthy Foods​

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