"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.
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Hello,
I trust you're safe, fit and well.
All strength to Ukraine 🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦
Turtles.
We know that, as we get older, if we are still walking at a good pace then we most likely will live longer. That sounds like some kind of causation. If we are walking strongly then we are in better shape - right?
Well apparently turtles are the opposite. Scientists are just learning how turtles age. Imperceptibly slowly, as it turns out. By moving so slowly and conserving energy turtles may have found the secret of immortality.
Perhaps their slow aging is because they produce little metabolic waste from their low energy consumption. Advocates of slow exercise may be on to something.
Here's advice from Roy Englert, 99 years old, after competing in the 2022 US National Games (track and field) 400m event. Englert credits his success to a simple equation. "My consistent advice is to keep moving, keep moving, keep moving,” he said, “and have a little luck."
That's good advice, because right now there is no effective tablet for anti-aging.
In fact, nearly 85,000 people in the US who purchased three brands of anti-aging products are getting a refund from the companies, thanks to the Federal Trade Commission. The Commission accused the makers of Neurocet, Regenify, and Resetigen-D of using deceptive marketing and making unsubstantiated claims.
I've been going to the gym regularly for nearly 24 years and, outside of classes, I've rarely seen people stretching in the right order. The right order helps you prepare and recover better - see item #2.
This is something! Age considerations in regard to what is and it not a healthy blood pressure have been cancelled. And if you are aged 55+ the borderline for being classified as having hypertension has been lowered, considerably - see item #1.
Here are the topics I have chosen for you to help you live longer better:
⭑ High blood pressure is now what was considered normal before - important
⭑ Are you getting your static and dynamic stretching in the right order?
⭑ Diet wards off joint pain - anti-inflammatory foods that can help ✔
⭑ Dumbbells - easy to buy and use at home for good results ✔
01 Reading The New Blood Pressure Guidelines
The definition of what is considered high blood pressure has been tightened.
The old idea of 100 plus your age has been well and truly discarded and the definition of what constitutes high blood pressure has been rewritten.
Here's what you need to know: If you didn't officially have high blood pressure before, there's a good chance you do now.
The new guide from the American Heart Association means 70% to 79% of men ages 55 and older are classified as having hypertension. Hypertension is now classified as a systolic (high) reading of 120 and above.
Previously, for adults 50 and over, above 140 was considered as hypertension.
Extensive research over a long period has now established that having blood pressure of more than 120 mm Hg increases the chance of heart attacks, heart failure or stroke.
The very idea that a gradual increase in blood pressure as we age is acceptable and not considered to be "hypertension", has been dropped. The "normal" target for all age groups is now 120 or less in terms of reducing cardiovascular risks.
What it means for us: If you are "newly" categorised as having hypertension, for example you have a blood pressure of 135-145 mm, then you should consult with your doctor about first adjusting lifestyle habits, such as getting more exercise, losing weight, and following a heart-healthy diet like a Mediterranean diet, before considering medication.
You can definitely bring your blood pressure down with diet and exercise, in most cases. The new guidelines are a timely reminder to keep moving, regularly.
Related: This One Exercise Will Reshape Your Body And Your Brain, If You’re Game
02 Static vs Dynamic Stretching: What’s The Difference?
I like this article from Chuze Fitness. It clearly explains the difference between static and dynamic stretching along with sets of both.
Figuring out the dynamic warm-up and the more static "warm-down" stretches to use and when to do them is crucial to optimising your exercise outcomes.
What’s the difference between dynamic stretches vs static stretches?
Dynamic stretching – Movements that mimic the actions you’re going to be doing during your workout. These will warm up the right muscles and lubricate the right joints. Envisage swimmers swinging their arms in circles.
Static stretching – Is when you move a muscle as far as you can without hurting yourself then hold that position (usually 45 seconds to a minute). This helps to restore muscle length and improve joint range of motion which reduces the chances of strains in the future. Static stretching can also help reduce muscle soreness, increase blood flow and circulation, and improve overall flexibility.
What this means for us: Ideally, your workout will look something like this:
I do 10-15 minutes of warming down, but 5-10 minutes is fine.
Numerous studies have shown that dynamic stretching leads to improved athletic performance, and on the other hand static stretching actually relaxes your muscles, which can lead to decreased performance and increased injuries (in athletes).
These are good warm-down static stretches:
Related: Have a Better Shorter Warm-up With This 3D Dynamic Stretch For Your Hips, Ankles and Lower Back
@Medium - Follow my publication there↗, covering ⭑food, ⭑brain, ⭑body, ⭑life
03 An Anti-inflammatory Diet May Be Good For Your Joints
These times of living with the pandemic and its new virulent strains requires that we do everything we can to reduce the background inflammation in our body.
If our background inflammation is high and we are hit by Covid or the flu then our acute inflammation level will spike. If this total "viral load" crosses a certain threshold then our immune response will spin out of control and start destroying our healthy bits as well as the attackers.
This is a key reason why many more older people die from Covid, as our background level of inflammation increases as we age. It doesn't take much additional infection to spike it above the self-destruct threshold.
Adding anti-inflammatory foods to our regular diet is a very good idea.
Not only are these foods great for reducing inflammation overall, but many of them also offer other health benefits. Some examples include lowering cholesterol levels, reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and stroke, improving blood pressure, adding protection against heart disease, and even reducing pain and soreness after exercise.
And, a diet rich in anti-inflammatory foods also helps our joints.
Research has found that an anti-inflammatory eating pattern potentially cuts the risk of gout by as much as 60%, helps to reduce joint pain for people living with osteoarthritis, and potentially slows the progression of damage.
What this means for us: Check out these options for adding more fruits and vegetables, omega-3s, and nuts and seeds to your diet. And don't forget olive oil and avocado oil.
Fruits and vegetables: Leafy greens like spinach or kale are packed with nutrients, as are berries like strawberries or blackberries. Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli are a great source of fiber and vitamins C and K. Tomatoes are a good source of lycopene, an antioxidant that may help protect against cancer.
Omega-3 rich fish: Salmon is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA. Sardines also contain high levels of omega-3s as well as vitamin B12 which is important for energy production. Other good choices include mackerel, tuna (especially canned light tuna), herring, and trout.
Nuts: Walnuts are an especially good choice when it comes to nuts because they're high in alpha linolenic acid (ALA), a type of omega-3 fatty acid. They're also a good source of magnesium, potassium, zinc, and vitamin E. Other nutrient-dense nuts include almonds, pistachios, cashews, and Brazil nuts.
Seeds: Chia seeds contain high levels of ALA as well as calcium, magnesium, iron zinc, copper, selenium, and other trace minerals. Sunflower seeds provide vitamin E along with minerals such as magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc and copper. Sesame seeds offer up a good spread of trace minerals as well.
See last week's newsletter for a long list of anti-inflammatory fruits (Item #1).
Related: The Anti-Inflammatory Benefits of Exercise, Easier Than You Think
04 4 Dumbbell Workouts That’ll Tone Up Every Part of Your Body
Our exercise of the week is ... dumbbell exercises.
If you're looking for a way to change up your workout routine, consider adding a few new dumbbell movements into the mix. Dumbbells can be readily used at home, and they offer a variety of benefits that other pieces of equipment can't match.
For starters, dumbbell workouts are designed to work your whole body from your legs to your arms. This is important as we get older, as it helps improve our posture and balance. Additionally, using different weights in each hand challenges our muscles and brain in different ways, and can help prevent boredom with our regular routine.
What this means for us: These are my three favourites from the article. You will definitely feel the benefits if you add these into your exercise routine. Do each of these exercises for 6 reps, rest 20 seconds, and repeat for 3 sets; then rest 2 minutes before the next exercise.
Goblet Squat (also known as the front squat). This exercise targets the quads and glutes. To do this move, hold a a heavier dumbbell close to your chest with both hands and squat down as if sitting in a chair until thighs are parallel to the floor. Keep core engaged and back straight throughout movement. Drive through heels back up to standing position.
Renegade Row ✔ ✔ ✔ - an under-rated exercise. This targets the upper back, shoulders and biceps muscles. Assume push-up position with each hand gripping a dumbbell placed beneath the respective shoulder. Row one weight towards your chest by squeezing your elbow backwards and up, and brushing into your side at the bottom of your rib cage while maintaining a stable shoulder position. Then lower it back down deliberately, unrushed, before repeating on opposite side. Repeat as described above on each side - 3 sets of 6 reps each.
Another great move is the Dumbbell Deadlift. Stand with your feet hip-width apart holding weights in each hand with palms facing thighs. Hinge to the rear at the hips slightly and slowly lower the weights towards floor while keeping your back flat – imagine you’re trying to touch floor with weights without actually doing so! Keep core engaged throughout entire movement then drive through heels to return to start position; repeat 6 times for 3 sets.
If you need more, the article describes 4 different whole workouts with dumbbells.
In case you missed it...
Related: The Surprising Way Hip Flexors Pull You Down Into An Elderly Stoop And Shuffle, And How To Avoid It
Thanks for reading!
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.
Resources for you:
How To Keep Your Weight Off With Daily Walks — 5 Fun Level-ups That Everyone Can Do
Ease Your Lower Back Pain By Walking Backwards
All Exercise Matters But Intense Matters More If You Want To Live Longer
Measuring Your Waist Will Tell You If You Are On Your Way To Diabetes
How To Walk Better (And Undo The Damage Of Treadmills)
How To Go From On-knee to Full Pushups, and Reap The Benefits
Vitamin D Is Free Yet We Don’t Get Enough And Our Health Is Suffering
The Surprising Benefits of Black Tea Daily
As You Age Pistachios Can Help You Sleep Better
I Started Trail Running At 70. Besides Being Bitten By A Dog I Love It
Shining Light On Infrared Therapy - It Helped Unlock My Shoulder
Are You Ab-Wheel Rolling To Back Pain? I Was — Not Now
Brain Health Is Boosted By Eating Less, Often — Here’s How To Start
Why Walnuts Lower Heart Disease and Help You Sleep Better
The Countdown - How To Start Exercising When You Can't Get Started
No Pain But Gain Strength With Slow Movement Resistance Training
Drink This Many Cups Of Coffee Daily For Better Health
Relieve Your 8PM Burning Eyes With These Three Simple Moves
Six Feet Exercises That Will Keep You Running And Walking Pain-free
Six Out Of Seven Dieticians Can’t Answer This Question — Can You?
I Ditched My Commercial Protein Shake For A Nutritionally-dense Eggnog
Strengthen Hip Flexors, Spring To Your Feet, Balance Better With This One At-Home Exercise
Five Better Food Choices I Should Have Made Before I Developed Diabetes
Over 50? Exercising Cannot Undo The Damage Of Added Sugar Unless You Plan Running 52 km A Week
How To Keep Your Weight Off With Daily Walks — 5 Fun Level-ups That Everyone Can Do
How To Boost Your Circadian Rhythm And Live Longer
How To Sleep Better And Recover Like Elite Soccer Players
I Am Diabetic — I Eat Fruit — You Should Too
How Bananas Benefit Your Bones — And Brain
Every one of these weekly emails has [4MV] in the subject line to help you filter them and search for previous ones.
"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.
⭑ Are you ready to develop strong bones? ✔ resistance training does it⭑ Resistance training has a hidden longevity factor ✔ research underplays it⭑ The kinetics of handwriting keeps your brain younger ✔ Norwegian research⭑ Try these every day 6 at-home strength exercises ✔ your bones will thank you All strength to Ukraine 🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦 Hello, On being social. I've turned over a new leaf lately. Until now, I've eschewed groups and preferred to exercise alone, whether at the gym or running....
⭑ Building a caring company culture is nearly impossible ✔ this CEO did it⭑ Could herbs and spices help prevent obesity in Indians? ✔ it is likely⭑ My favourite herbal-flavoured dessert combination ✔ ⭑ This Indian massage is said to improve eyesight ✔ I'm willing to believe it All strength to Ukraine 🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦 Hello, Back home now. Entwined with my business reasons for being in India, I was hosted to tour local sites of interest around Jaipur, Bangalore and Mysore. The sites were...
⭑ Being rejected all day long and smiling ✔ this guy has my admiration⭑ Chai wasn't really on my radar ✔ freshly brewed masala chai changed my mind⭑ Native dogs rule the streets ✔ except for the cows⭑ So many healthy-weight people ✔ what's going on here in India? All strength to Ukraine 🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦 Hello, India, Jaipur. My apologies for the late newsletter. I packed late and then travelled for nearly 23 hours and am now in Jaipur, India. It is a beautiful late winter day about 20C (68F)...