⭑ An egg a day keeps the doctor away ✔ Or even 2
⭑ When small changes connect the results can be big ✔ Our body is interconnected
⭑ Your body and mind's best friend is free ✔ the morning sun
⭑ A T-Push-up does wonders for your shoulders, chest core and balance ✔

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

Hello,

Happy new year. I trust you're well and keeping active and all the best for 2025.

I must be reading too much news already. So soon in the year and between the fires, wars, political tremors and tragedies I think I need a break!

A morning walk in the sun always helps, I can vouch for that, and this inspired me to write item #3. I know that being out in the sunlight in the morning gives me a great start for the day.

I see a lot of benefit in small changes as I know that the little changes all connect and can add up to more than the parts. Taken individually many of my recommendations may seem inconsequential, but I am viewing them as part of a closely connected system and item #2 gives one such example.

Eggs are back in the good books, and a recent study found particular benefits for older women compared to men. In either case eggs a fantastically convenient source of high-quality protein. Continue reading in item #1 below.
​
Your podcast of this newsletter is here (14 min).

//

01 Egg-cellent News for Women

Contrary to previous concerns about cholesterol, recent findings (September 2024) suggest that higher egg consumption may support cognitive function in older adults.

A 4-year study of 890 adults over 55 found that women who consumed eggs more frequently exhibited less cognitive decline in semantic memory and executive function. Interestingly, this association was not observed in men, indicating potential gender differences in dietary impacts on brain health.

⇒ Women who ate five or more eggs per week had better semantic memory and executive functioning than those who ate fewer or no eggs each week, the research showed.

Another side of this study was that even those who ate a large number of eggs weekly showed no decline in cognitive performance among the study group. This means that eating eggs generally does not appear to have any negative consequences for brain health.

What this means for you: This study only examined association, not causation, and many other factors that differentiated between men and women were not recorded, e.g. education level, exercise, smoking, alcohol consumption and rates of diabetes.

Therefore the study shines no light on why men did not respond in the same way as women.

⇒ But what it did highlight is that eggs are a safe way to add regular protein to your daily diet.

Though eggs have had a bad rap due to their high cholesterol content—one large egg has approximately 200 milligrams of cholesterol — experts now say most people can eat one to two eggs a day without harming heart health, nor their brain health. One egg is typically 6g of high quality protein.

Egg protein is considered high-quality because it contains all nine essential amino acids that we cannot produce metabolically. These amino acids are crucial for building and repairing tissues, making enzymes and hormones, and supporting our immune function.

Related: ​​​​Too Much Omega-6 Can Harm Us, Unless We Eat More Omega-3​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

//

02 How Small Changes Add Up Across Our Entire Body

This item embraces a recurring theme of mine, which is to help you understand how interconnected every unit of our body is with every other. Knowing this enables you to appreciate how one seemingly small change in diet or exercise can cascade through the connections to produce big results - good and bad.

For example, it might seem trivial to say "eat this, then", but if you understand the system of connections you would be more inclined to give it a go. And all these small choices add up to something bigger.

Since we just discussed eggs, let's use dietary protein as an example of how all the parts of our "system" are connected:

• As we age our ability to absorb protein decreases.
• This exacerbates the natural loss of muscle loss as we age.
• Type 2 diabetes, common after 50, accelerates the muscle loss.
• Accelerated muscle loss leads to reduced bone density, and worsens the effect of the diabetes.
• Reduced amino acid availability in the gut, due to age-reduced protein digestion, increases systemic inflammation and negatively affects brain health.

⇒ Knowing these connections would you be more likely or less likely to make a couple of small changes to your diet - changes which you might otherwise see as inconsequential?

What this means for you: If you are a regular reader then you know my thoughts about protein as we age - we need more of it because we absorb less of it. I am going to add some extra "small" tips below, which as part of your connected metabolism, will help you get the most from the protein you eat:

1. Timing: Spread out your protein intake across 3 to 5 meals of 25 to 30 g per meal. This helps protein absorption.
2. After exercise: Use leucine-rich or whey protein sources for rapid post-exercise protein synthesis - meaning this will most effectively help maintain and build your muscle mass. (Leucine is in in eggs, fish, chicken breast and beef but 5 to 10X higher in whey protein isolate and soy protein isolate.)
3. Before bed: Proteins which include casein (found in dairy products) reduce the risk of loss of muscle mass during the night. Casein is a complete protein which forms a gel-like structure in our stomach leading to a slow release of amino acids. This makes it ideal for preventing muscle breakdown overnight. It also provides calcium for bone health.
4. Support the Gut: Protein digestion is improved if we support our gut health with regular fermented foods and fibre. You can activate item 3 and this gut requirement by having a good quality yoghurt with a banana about one hour before you go to sleep (try Greek Yoghurt or cottage cheese).

⇒ Doing each of these small steps adds up to many more healthy consequences than each of them individually - for your blood health, muscle health and brain health.

Related: ​​​​​Walking Backwards Benefits So Much More Than Your Knees​​

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

//

03 Nature's Natural Vitamin - Why Morning Light Matters

The cheapest health supplement you'll find is the first light of the day.

It's a powerful signal to our biological systems, resetting our internal clock and optimising our alertness, mood, and cognitive function during the day. And just as importantly, getting us set up for the coming evening and sleep.

How It Works

Exposure to morning light triggers a cascade of hormonal responses. It suppresses melatonin production, the hormone responsible for sleep, while boosting cortisol levels to promote wakefulness and alertness.

A well-calibrated circadian rhythm helps us get the most from all other parts of our day and life, in the main by helping us concentrate effectively, minimise sleep disorders, mood swings, and even chronic conditions like obesity and depression.

It does sound a little exaggerated doesn’t it, that mere sunshine can help so much? However numerous studies support the benefits, for example:

• Morning sunlight is rich in UVB rays, which are essential for synthesising vitamin D in the skin. Vitamin D is critical for bone health, immune function, and reducing the risk of conditions like osteoporosis.
• Exposure increases serotonin levels, which are linked to improved mood and reduced risk of depression.
• It triggers the release of nitric oxide from the skin, which reduces blood pressure and improves cardiovascular health.

What this means for you: To harness the benefits of morning light:

• Aim to spend at least 20-30 minutes outdoors shortly after waking. Even on cloudy days you'll get similar benefits to full sun. Better still, take a brisk walk as well.

Related: ​​​​​​​​Why Walnuts Lower Heart Disease and Help You Sleep Better​​​​​​​​​​

​//

04 Twisting Your Way To Ab Strength and Better Balance

Our exercise of the week is ... push-up with rotation.

Push-ups with rotation, also known as T-push-ups, are a great addition to your exercise routine because of their cross-over effect on so many parts of your body:

1. The rotation component significantly engages your core - obliques, rectus abdominis, and transverse abdominis - leading to improved core stability which is crucial for balance and preventing falls.
2. The exercise not only works the chest, shoulders, and triceps like a standard push-up but also increases the demand on your shoulders and upper back due to the added rotation. This will improve your upper body strength, which otherwise diminishes with age.
3. The motion of rotating to form the 'T' shape with the arms requires shoulder mobility. Regular practice will improve your shoulder flexibility.
4. Balancing on one arm while raising the other requires coordination and balance. This activates the neuromuscular pathways which help you balance better generally.

⇒ In other words, this one exercise, ironically perhaps, helps you from your toes to your brain despite being performed horizontally.

What this means for you: Years ago I did T-push-ups regularly, but they've slipped out of my routine. I'm going to add them back in as they really do have so many benefits. I highly recommend you give them a try.

​This YouTube video is a mere 40 seconds and a perfect demonstration.

Start with 10 push-ups - alternating 5 twists to the left and 5 to the right, 3 times a week.

Tip: Proper form is essential to prevent strain, particularly on your shoulders and lower back. Your back should remain straight and core engaged throughout the movement. Don't rush - slow, controlled and steady will get you better results.

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

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.