⭑ 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 metabolism is showing signs of stress - see item #3.

An article about healthspan grabbed my attention this week. I think getting clear on healthspan versus lifespan helps us make better choices - see Item #1.

Inflammaging is a mouthful of a word - it means the accumulation of chronic stress, and it is associated with aging. Keeping it low is one of the goals of managing your healthspan. Regular exercise helps - see Item #2.

A better healthspan requires more regular resistance exercise. Dumbbell rows are a great at-home strength exercise, particularly when we are older — see Item #4.

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01 The 3 Fundamentals to Improve Your Healthspan

This article grabbed my attention as my main goal is to help you extend your healthspan. However, the concepts of longevity and healthspan are often used interchangeably yet represent fundamentally different aspects of aging.

Longevity refers to the total number of years you live, while healthspan focuses on the portion of your life spent in good health—free from chronic disease, frailty, or significant physical limitations.

The article focuses on muscle mass and health, a key factor in maintaining your healthspan. Starting in our 40s, muscle mass decreases by about 1% per year, and muscle strength declines even faster—around 3% annually.

⇒ This progressive loss, known as sarcopenia, is linked to metabolic dysfunction, increased risk of chronic disease, and a higher likelihood of falls and fractures.

Three relationships underscore the importance of muscle health in aging:

• Physical activity slows muscle loss, while inactivity accelerates it.
• Dietary protein intake supports muscle repair and growth.
• Resistance training directly enhances muscle strength and metabolic health.

What this means for you: Of course, we regularly talk about many other factors and interventions. But if you don’t maintain your muscle health (which also helps maintain your bone health), then the other factors alone will struggle to make a difference to your healthspan.

Here are the 3 factors highlighted by the article:

1. Resistance training: 2 - 3 weekly sessions covering all muscles - exercises such as squats, deadlifts, push-ups, pull-ups, and resistance bands. This training also increases the sensitivity of our muscle tissue to dietary protein.
2. Optimise your protein intake: As mentioned in a recent newsletter, our ability to metabolise protein declines with age. Up your daily intake to between 1.6 and 2.1 grams per kg of body weight daily (or 0.73 and 1.0 grams per pound). Consider sources like lean meats, fish, eggs, dairy, legumes, and protein supplements if necessary.
3. Stay physically active during the day: Even outside of structured workouts, maintaining a baseline of daily movement is critical for preserving your overall healthspan. Set a goal of 7,000 steps a day minimum and be consistent.

Note: For younger people who want to gain muscle, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Dietitians of Canada, and the American College of Sports Medicine recommend a protein intake of 1.2–2.0 grams per kilogram of body weight per day. We need this much because we can no longer process it as efficiently.

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

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02 How to Combat Chronic Inflammation As We Age

The level of chronic inflammation we carry has a direct negative causative effect on our healthspan. Meaning that the higher the level, the more likely we are to suffer from heart disease, diabetes, certain cancers and poorer cerebral health.

In my experience, this subject of chronic inflammation is not widely discussed. Yet, when we are older, it is something to which we should pay attention. For example, people with high levels of chronic inflammation are much more likely to die from COVID (see the "related" blog post below, where I explained why).

It's known as inflammaging, i.e. a chronic, low-grade metabolic inflammation. A persistent state of inflammation can contribute to many health issues, including losing muscle mass and strength (crucial for maintaining mobility and independence), as discussed in item #1.

⇒ One key cause of inflammaging is a lack of exercise which in turn exacerbates inflammation and accelerates muscle loss. It's a vicious circle.

Other reasons include the usual suspects:

• Diets high in processed foods, sugars, and unhealthy fats.
• Chronic stress, both physical and mental.
• Poor sleep quality.

What this means for you: Because it's the "usual suspects", the best action is to fine-tune each of the above gradually and consistently. You know the drill, eat less industrial food, chill out more often - consciously - and get the best sleep you can.

My message is that if you are motivated enough to do more strength training, as I advocate in item #1, don’t blow the benefits by ignoring the causes of chronic low-grade inflammation.

⇒ By being aware of inflammaging and its consequences, it is truly possible that you can reduce your level of chronic inflammation.

Related: ​​​​Why Covid-19 Kills More Over-50s And How To Reduce The Risk​

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

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03 Tracking Your Inflammation Response - Apps Can Do it

For those of you who wear fitness trackers, this item will make even more sense in the context of item #2 above.

Inflammaging is a chronic level of metabolic stress. Acute stress that is not fully resolved adds to accumulated chronic stress and over time the level rises.

My "Training Today" for the iPhone and Apple Watch measures my body's capacity to resolve acute metabolic or physical stress, e.g. from running.

​

What interests me is that it appears to work. Well, I mean, it reflects something going on in our body - which is fascinating to watch - and then to try to isolate the cause.

A month ago, my "readiness to combat inflammation" was in the purple zone close to 10, then it dropped, rose up again to 7.8 a week ago, and has today plunged to 2.1 deep into the red.

Three things changed during the last month:

• I stopped taking Aloe Vera juice, as I only take it in alternative months.
• I started taking 1/4 teaspoon of cold-pressed pure Perilla Oil daily, which my wife bought back from Japan. It has strong anti-inflammatory properties.
• Instead of eating my regular breakfast of prebiotic resistant-starches, e.g. cooked and cooled oats, rice, barley, quinoa, I swapped to eat them 1 hour before bed. I wondered if the prebiotic action might work better overnight.

⇒ There was also the stress caused when I reinjured my hamstring 10 days ago running for the train. This caused physical inflammation and, no doubt, a little psychological stress as I pondered my running session going up in smoke!

I don't know why the number has plunged, but it is a dramatic fall.

On December 1, I will restart taking the Aloe Vera juice. I won’t change anything else, and I see what happens to my metabolic ability to resolve stress.

I know that sleep quality is strongly reflected in the numbers, and I've been a bit restless the last few days as the nights have been unseasonally warm.

If it interests you, check out Training Today and a few similar ones. If you search on Google, you see people arguing their pros and cons.

Related: ​​​The Surprising Benefits of Black Tea Daily​​​​​​​​

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04 Stronger Posture Deeper Breathing Less Backpain - Exercise

Our exercise of the week is the ... dumbbell row.

Dumbbell rows, which are consistent with the theme of item #1, strength exercises, challenge our back, biceps, and shoulders, resulting in better upper body strength and improved posture.

We can’t do much better than regularly doing an exercise that strengthens our back, biceps, and shoulders in one go, and it is easy to do at home.

Remember, a goal of healthspan is functional independence, dumbbell rows contribute to this.

⇒ Improved posture from dumbbell rows can alleviate strain on your spine, potentially decreasing the likelihood of back pain. Stronger back and shoulders will allow you to breathe deeper, increasing the amount of oxygen reaching your blood and boosting your energy levels.

What this means for you: Add dumbbell rows into your exercise program 2 to 3 times a week. Watch this clear video of the movement (1:42):

• Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in one hand.
• Bend at the hips and knees slightly, keeping your back straight.
• Pull your elbows back and up, moving the dumbbell towards your hip while keeping your elbow close to your body and breathing in.
• Lower back to the starting position while breathing out.

Repetitions: Aim for 10-12 reps on each side for 2-3 sets.

⇒ Add Tempo Training: If you squeeze on the dumbbell during the entire movement, move slowly, and rub your elbow along your body as you pull up and down, you will significantly boost the value compared to a casual "up and down" with the dumbbell.

Related: Avoid Ankle Injuries And Gain Balance Better With These Four Everyday Simple Exercises​​​​​​​​

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

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