"I empower mid-life men and women to make the choice to live as actively and as independently as they can, for as long as they can", Walter Adamson Get access to my weekly research that I don’t share elsewhere. “My wife and I both read your articles each week, and I have to say there is so much confusing data out there, but yours is a great source, well researched, scientific and always relevant.” — Steve Ridgway, subscriber.
4MV #256 Why Weight Management is Harder Today Than Ever Before ✔
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⭑ The weight debate ✔ Is it really harder to lose weight today? All strength to Ukraine 🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦 Hello,I'm back. No AI-written posts today. We've had a few unseasonably warm days here in Melbourne as we head into Spring. I hope we don’t bake like the summer in the Northern Hemisphere. I want to run often again in summer, as I used to do around dawn. That depends on how my right leg's hamstring and glutes recover. Fortunately, they are well on the way now - it's been 10 weeks since I injured them. I've declined the offer to run a 1/2 marathon in 8 days from now - a case of my head ruling my heart. It seems although I remain sceptical, that weekend warriors get the same metabolic benefits as those of us who exercise regulalry - see item #2. As we eat less real food and more chemically manufactured food, it has become harder for each generation to lose weight - see Item #1. // 01 The Evolving Body Weight Reality for Today I think this is true. The notion that simply eating less and exercising more is the key to weight control is increasingly outdated. A comprehensive study reveals that modern adults face unique challenges that their predecessors didn’t, making weight maintenance significantly harder. Researchers found that people with caloric intake and activity levels identical to those in the 1980s have a BMI about 10% higher today. Chemicals in our food and environment cause us unique challenges today, which are not improving. ⇒ It’s surprising that hormonal changes due to environmental chemicals could be at play in our struggle against weight gain. What this means for you: some practical practical measures you can take:
⇒ "Eat real food, not too much, mostly plants" (Michael Pollan) is very sage advice. Related: The Exact Slow Pace You Must Run and Cycle To Max Fat-Burning // 02 Weekend Warriors: Just as Good for Your Brain as Daily Exercise? I hate this article :) One of my tenets for a better health span is consistency in everything beneficial, including exercise. I might be wrong: a new study published in Nature Aging suggests that being a “weekend warrior”—someone who crams most of their exercise into one or two days—might offer the same brain and mental health benefits as exercising consistently throughout the week. Researchers analysed data from over 75,000 people in the UK Biobank study, categorising participants into three groups: inactive, regularly active (meeting the recommended 150 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity throughout the week), and weekend warriors (who achieved the same amount of activity in just one or two days). The findings were encouraging if you're not up to regular exercise: weekend warriors had a 26% lower risk of dementia, a 21% lower risk of stroke, and a 45% lower risk of Parkinson’s disease compared to inactive adults. They also had significantly lower risks of depression and anxiety—similar to those who exercised regularly throughout the week. ⇒ Here’s the kicker: The brain health benefits were just as strong for weekend warriors as for regular exercisers, particularly those over 65! What this means for you: I would have said that weekends only are better than nothing. But perhaps they're just better. I'm not actually convinced about this, but I'll take the study results at face value. In any case:
⇒ So, if you’re a weekend warrior, keep at it. Your brain—and your overall health—will thank you! Related: Brain Health Is Boosted By Eating Less, Often — Here’s How To Start @Medium - Follow me on Medium ↗, covering ⭑food, ⭑brain, ⭑body, ⭑life // 03 Unlocking Memory Retention Beyond Sleep I was surprised to find out that recent research indicates that the majority of our memory retention occurs not only during sleep but also during quiet, mindful rest periods. It’s easy to overlook the importance of rest, especially when it comes to learning and memory. This is useful to know as we need all the help we can get to remember things when we're older. Historically (I have discovered) studies have shown that memory formation is a fragile process that benefits from undisturbed downtime. Notably, the work of German psychologists Georg Elias Müller and Alfons Pilzecker in 1900 revealed that participants who took a brief break after learning new information recalled nearly 50% more than those who immediately continued with additional tasks. ⇒ Surprisingly, taking intentional breaks—especially in a quiet, distraction-free environment—can significantly enhance our ability to remember new information. What this means for you: Integrating structured periods of quiet rest into any of your learning routines will help your memory retention:
⇒ There's other helpful research-based advice I am just reading, so I will return to this topic in a future newsletter. Related: Too Much Omega-6 Can Harm Us, Unless We Eat More Omega-3 // 04 Better Balance, Reduced Vertigo with Neck Proprioceptor Activation Our exercise of the week is... lateral raises. We had a shoulder exercise not so long ago, but since any regular exercise that keeps your shoulders healthy is worth doing regularly, there is no harm in having another one now. The bonus is that lateral raises are easy; you can do them with a packet of rice in each hand if you don't have weights, and the benefits are real. What this means for you: Lateral raises specifically strengthen your deltoid muscles, which are essential for shoulder stability and movement. Strong deltoids reduce the risk of injury and improve the ability to perform tasks that require lifting or pushing. Check How To Do Lateral Raises at VeryWellFit ⇒ Regularly performing lateral raises strengthens the deltoids and the muscles around the shoulder girdle, contributing to better posture by balancing the muscles of the upper back and shoulders. Improved posture helps reduce the risk of spinal deformities and chronic pain. Related: The Surprising Way Hip Flexors Pull You Down Into An Elderly Stoop And Shuffle, And How To Avoid It 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 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. Each of these weekly emails has 4MV in the subject line to help you filter them and search for previous ones. |
Four Most Valuable [4MV] Weekly Tips For Living Longer Better | Newsletter
"I empower mid-life men and women to make the choice to live as actively and as independently as they can, for as long as they can", Walter Adamson Get access to my weekly research that I don’t share elsewhere. “My wife and I both read your articles each week, and I have to say there is so much confusing data out there, but yours is a great source, well researched, scientific and always relevant.” — Steve Ridgway, subscriber.
⭑ Maintaining muscle health is one key to healthspan ✔ Three tips⭑ Inflammaging - what is it and how to tame it ✔ Gets worse as we age⭑ You can track your body's capacity to resolve stress ✔ I find it interesting⭑ Healthier back shoulders and biceps with the dumbbell row ✔ All strength to Ukraine 🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦 Hello, I trust you're well and keeping active. Summer's here down under. We’ve had some weird nights with the highest temperature for the day at 5 am! Perhaps that's why my...
⭑ These doctors will fact-check your medical queries ✔ For free⭑ How walnuts improve your brain health and your blood pressure ✔ Research⭑ Regular bad dreams? Talk to your doctor about it, here's why ✔⭑ The squat-calf raise combo is a fabulous muscle builder - not difficult ✔ All strength to Ukraine 🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦 Hello, I trust you're well and keeping active. Ouch! Running for the train last Wednesday I tore my nearly repaired hamstring again - set me back a few months. The irony was that...
⭑ How every little strain accumulates to reduce our flexibility ✔ News to me⭑ Why reduced flexibility leads to more injuries ✔ Dynamic stretches help⭑ The dynamite negative combination of reduced flexibility and more sprains ✔⭑ Four effective remedial treatments for sprains - how deep is your pocket? ✔ All strength to Ukraine 🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦 Hello, I trust you're well and keeping active. Whoa, the world's getting even more complex! RF Kennedy Jr's selection to lead the US HHS, on the one...