⭑ Power training heads strength training for your healthspan ✔ Both are good
⭑ Do you toss and turn at 3 am? I do ✔ Here's why and what to do about it
⭑ Fit or not fit, don’t jump your food intake quickly ✔ Here's why not
⭑ A simple at-home power exercise ✔

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

Hello,

Still above ground.

I'm entered to run a 10-mile road race in two weeks, but my low-grade glute/hamstring injury is very slow to improve. When you're a "runner" who can't run, you feel sorry for yourself—a kind of gloom and doom.

But then I always think of Pit Bull and ♬ "Time of My Life" ♬ where he sings "...every day above ground is a good day", making me smile.

I was comforted to find out that waking at 3 am and going around in circles until falling back to sleep is common—see item #2.

Power training and strength training have tremendous benefits for us as we age. Research is consistent that power training edges out strength training when measured one against the other for our health span—see item #1.

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01 Power Training Develops Better Functionality

I was surprised to find consistent research suggesting that power training yields greater healthspan benefits for our age group than strength training.

As we age, our muscle strength and power decline, significantly impacting daily activities and our overall quality of life. Research has highlighted a pivotal distinction in training modalities, suggesting that power training may offer superior functional benefits compared to traditional strength training.

What does this actually mean? Firstly, we must understand "muscle power": the ability to quickly generate force. It is the product of strength and speed, involving fast-twitch muscle fibres that allow for rapid and explosive movements, such as squat jumps.

Muscle power declines faster than muscle strength as we age, with this trend being more pronounced in men than in women. For example, power declines about 10% more than strength in men, starting around age 40.

Functional performance refers to the ability to perform everyday activities that require a combination of strength, balance, coordination, and agility. Training for muscle power, which focuses on rapid force production, yields better functional performance outcomes than strength training.

⇒ This is because many everyday activities require not just the ability to exert force, but to do so quickly and efficiently, which is more effectively developed through power training.

What this means for you: By integrating power-focused exercises into your fitness routine, you can improve your overall functional performance, maintain independence, and reduce your risk of falling as you age. In other words, improve your healthspan.

Three steps to better muscle power:

1. Understand the Difference: Power Training: Focuses on high-velocity movements that enhance muscle power (e.g., jumping exercises, quick lifts). Strength Training: Concentrates on lifting heavier weights at slower speeds to build muscle strength.
   ​
2. Incorporate Power Exercises:

• Examples: Medicine Ball Throws: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and throw a medicine ball upward as high as possible.
• Jump Squats: Start in a squat position and explosively jump upwards, landing softly back into the squat.
• Kettlebell Swings: Use a kettlebell to perform swings while focusing on explosive upward movement (get training for this, to avoid injuring yourself).
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  3. Train Regularly:
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• Aim for at least two weekly sessions focusing on power exercises, gradually increasing intensity and complexity as your skills improve.

⇒ The key is consistency.

Check this useful video: Strength vs. power training│Dr Brad Schoenfeld

Related: ​​​​​​Even Very Active Runners Lose Leg Strength Without Resistance Training​

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02 Worrying at 3 AM? I Do, Apparently, There's a Reason

This topic caught my attention because it happens to me! Why do we wake up at 3 am and find ourselves caught up in a cascade of niggling worries until we finally drop off to sleep again?

I've noticed it happening a little earlier, around 2:30 am. I think the time is related to a certain number of sleep cycles after going to sleep

Apparently, it is not uncommon, and there is a physiological reason.

⇒ Research indicates that our body's neurobiology reaches a turning point around 3 AM, with rising cortisol levels and decreasing sleep drive, which can trigger these distressing thoughts.

It's described as “barbed-wire thinking,” where we get caught in a loop of distressing and punitive self-reflection.

What this means for you: Waking at 3 am can lead to a cascade of negative thoughts, but understanding the underlying biological processes and employing effective strategies can mitigate their impact. Here are techniques recommended by experts:

1. Mindfulness Practice: Incorporate mindfulness techniques during daytime to prepare for potential 3 AM awakenings. Focus on your breath and sensory experiences to ground yourself.
2. Cognitive Behavioral Techniques: Familiarise yourself with cognitive behavioural therapy strategies that can help reframe negative thoughts. This includes identifying worries and replacing them with rational responses.
3. Create a Sleep-Friendly Environment: Ensure your bedroom is comfortable, quiet and dark. Consider using earplugs to block out distractions, which can help you focus on calming your breath.
4. Establish a Routine: Maintain a consistent sleep schedule. Going to bed and waking at the same time every day reinforces your body's natural circadian rhythms. Although I sleep in on weekends, I still get up at 5:45 am, have a glass of warmed water as I do during the week, and go back to bed.
5. Get Up If Necessary: I hate this idea and resist it, but apparently, if you find yourself ruminating after 15-20 minutes of wakefulness, getting up and doing a calming activity such as reading under dim light may help. This can help break the cycle of unproductive thinking.
6. Use Relaxation Techniques: Try gentle stretching or meditation before bedtime to reduce stress levels.

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

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03 Boosting Your Food Intake Quickly Is Never A Good Option

If you’re fit, active, and healthy, you might think that a short period of overeating will have less impact on your metabolic health than someone who is not active and healthy.

A hot-off-the-press study looked at how overeating affects fat storage in the abdomen and insulin sensitivity in people who exercise regularly compared to those who do not. Participants ate about 30% more than their daily energy needs for one week.

• Both groups gained about 1 kg of weight.
• Insulin sensitivity (how well the body responds to insulin) decreased by about 15% for both groups.
• Certain genes related to fat storage and blood vessel formation were more active after overeating, but there was no difference between exercisers and non-exercisers.

⇒ It turns out that a brief episode of overeating can reduce insulin sensitivity and increase the activity of genes regulating fat storage, regardless of exercise habits.

Reduced insulin sensitivity is never good. It causes fatigue, increases the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, may lead to increased fat accumulation around your abdomen, contributes to hypertension, accelerates the loss of muscle mass, and is associated with an increased risk of neurodegenerative diseases.

What this means for you: Try not to suddenly increase your food intake, even if you are fit and healthy, because a reduction in insulin sensitivity

⇒ Instead of sudden overeating, gradually increasing calorie intake might help your body adapt better, say, when you are on holiday - take it a little at a time.

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

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04 Develop and Test Your Power With This Simple Exercise

Our exercise of the week is... the sit-stand exercise.

The sit-stand is a power development exercise (meaning that you should stand explosively) and also a measure of your power (by the number of repetitions you can do explosively).

This simple exercise will build your leg power and strength, improve your body mechanics, such as your posterior chain, and improve the condition of many major muscles, such as your quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves.

⇒ Meaning you'll be more agile and more steady on your feet.

What this means for you: Do your preferred variation of the sit-to-stand daily, perhaps during a TV ad break. Check these three short videos:

​Sit-to-Stand Balance Exercise​

​Seniors: Sit-to-stand exercise to improve your strength!​

​Sit-to-stand squat exercise progressions for older adults​

⇒ To increase your power development, progressively add weights, see the last video above.

Related: ​​All Exercise Improves Your Mood - Five Theories Why And Six Steps To Get Started​​

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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