Exercise Risks

Posted on March 20, 2021 by admin

Exercise, while very safe, presents slight risks, particularly in new exercisers. Circulation reminds us:

Cardiovascular

  • During exercise, there is a transient increase in the risk of having a cardiac-related complication (for example, a heart attack or serious heart rhythm disorder).
  • However, this risk is extremely small. For adults without heart disease, the risk of a cardiac event or complication ranges between 1 in 400 000–800 000 hours of exercise. For patients with existing heart disease, an event can occur an average of once in 62 000 hours.
  • The risk of a cardiac event is significantly lower among regular exercisers. Evidence suggests sedentary people’s risk is nearly 50 times higher than the risk for a person who exercises about 5 times per week.
  • Individuals who exercise regularly are much less likely to experience a problem during exercise.
  • The majority of heart attacks (approximately 90%) occur in the resting state, not during physical exercise
  • Another report states that vigorous physical activity acutely increases the risk of cardiovascular events among young individuals and adults with both occult and diagnosed heart disease

Tripping, Falling

  • Tripping and falling can happen at any time.
  • Some sports are inherently riskier than others
  • New exercisers may be at somewhat higher risk of tripping and falling or other injuries, particularly if tired and not familiar with the movement patterns

Musculoskeletal Injuries

  • Doing too much too soon can cause an injuries
  • Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) is not really considered to be an injury and is expected in new exercisers and whenever exercise intensity in a muscle group is stepped up.
  • Appropriate regular stretching, notably after workouts, will also help keeping the body balanced and injury-free

Overtraining

  • Too much, too frequent exercise and not enough recovery for the individual can lead to the dreaded overtraining
  • Most people realise they are over-trained well after everyone else has noticed: be smart, train smart and avoid damaging your body (particularly hormones) in the first place!
  • The type of training should also match the individual and their current health and fitness levels, as well as preferences
Intense Cardiovascular exercise – better in the afternoon?

TIMING – Morning Versus Afternoon Exercise

Adults

Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) and Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD) in adults are more frequent in the early morning hours (ahajournals).

Adult males with obesity or diabetes who exercised in the morning had the highest risk of developing CHD. See: Diabetes and Exercise Timing

This has prompted speculation as to whether vigorous exercise should be best restricted to afternoon hours in individuals at increased risk.

Young Athletes
  • Among young athletes, sudden death and cardiac arrest among young athletes occur primarily in the afternoon and early evening and are associated with training and competition.
  • Among young nonathlete patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, sudden death is more frequent in the early waking hours, much like CHD
Adults with Cardiovascular Disease
  • The limited data suggests the time of day had little or no influence on the rate of cardiovascular complications during exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation.
  • The intensity of this exercise is likely well controlled and appropriate long warmups and cool downs are carried out to avoid risk of adverse cardiovascular events.
  • Given the likely benefits of exercise in reducing cardiovascular events and the low overall rate of exercise-related events, it is probably more important that individuals exercise regularly at a convenient time of day than at a specific time of day.

While more research is needed, it is good information especially if you dislike morning exercise! It means you have good reasons to exercise at some other time of the day you prefer.

REFERENCES

https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/circulationaha.107.181485

https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/01.CIR.0000048890.59383.8D

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Type 2 Diabetes and Exercise

Posted on March 16, 2021 by admin
Timing of exercise impacts men with Type 2 diabetes

The message about exercise and type 2 diabetes is: exercise any time you can. However, it appears that timing of exercise may also be important

Researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Joslin Diabetes Care investigators examined the link between the time of day in which Type 2 diabetics exercised (at moderate-to-high intensity) and their cardiovascular fitness and health risks. Their findings were published in February in Diabetes Care.

One of the authors of the study commented ““The general message for our patient population remains that you should exercise whenever you can as regular exercise provides significant benefits for health“.

But when is the best time to exercise? Does the time matter at all?

Researchers looked at 2,035 people who had taken part in the Look AHEAD (Action for Health in Diabetes) study, which began in 2001 and included more than 5,000 people with diabetes and who were overweight or obese.

The results were:

  • men who exercised in the morning had the highest risk of developing CHD – regardless of how much or how hard they exercised.
  • Men most active at midday, meanwhile, had lower cardiorespiratory fitness levels.
  • Women – among the women studied, there was no strong link between the time of activity and their risk of cardiovascular disease (CHD) or their fitness levels.

The study had limitations such as:

  • men tend to develop CHD earlier in life
  • circadian rhythms were not taken into consideration
  • study design: type of study and limited number of participants
  • it applied only to people with diabetes or obesity

So what if you are not a type 2 diabetic and are not obese?

Can you just ignore all this? Find out here:

Exercise risks

REFERENCES

https://blog.thediabetessite.greatergood.com/exercise-timing-health-risk-diabetes/

https://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/early/2021/02/11/dc20-2178

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Happy International Womens Day 2021

Posted on March 8, 2021 by admin

The UN theme for the International Womens Day in 2021 is “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a Covid-19 world”.

UN Women Executive Director said: “We need women’s representation that reflects all women and girls in all their diversity and abilities, and across all cultural, social, economic and political situations. This is the only way we will get real societal change that incorporates women in decision-making as equals and benefits us all.”

The International Women’s Day website – which claims to be designed to “provide a platform to help forge positive change for women” – has chosen the theme #ChooseToChallenge and it is asking people to “raise your hand high to show you’re in and that you commit to choose to challenge and call out inequality”.

“Gender parity will not be attained for almost a century“: according to the World Economic Forum “none of us will see gender parity in our lifetimes, and nor likely will many of our children”.

Recent events have also worsened the situation: according to UN Women: the coronavirus pandemic could wipe out 25 years of increasing gender equality. Women have been doing much work at home in the form of domestic chores and family care (plus schooling) because of the pandemic lockdowns, which in turn, can impact upon job and education opportunities and financial remuneration.

This year, there is all the more need to remind ourselves of the importance of gender equality in both theory and practice! Gender equality means a better society for all.

REFERENCES

https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2020/11/announcer-international-womens-day-2021

https://www.internationalwomensday.com/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-56169219

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-55016842

https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2020/11/announcer-international-womens-day-2021

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Tai Chi and COVID-19

Posted on February 12, 2021 by admin
Tai chi
tai chi in the garden

Can Tai Chi be used to fight COVID-19? For instance, can it help us avoid a severe case, or speed up our recovery, while avoiding any complications?

Some might think that tai chi is not a medication so it cannot possibly help. And yet, tai chi has been and is being used to help patients recover from COVID. Yes, I literally mean tai chi being practiced within hospitals, often taught by the doctors or nurses themselves! Here below a doctor in hazmat suit teaches tai chi to a patient who is recovering from coronavirus, seemingly in Wuhan, China

And again in Wuhan, a hospital tai chi class run by the nurses of the COVID ward:

Nurse Zhang Yatao says tai chi reduces stress, improves immunity and relationship between patients and staff

OK so the Chinese are using tai chi. Big deal: it originates from there. But it is being used elsewhere too

One such example is that of the Krylatskoye Ice Palace in Moscow (which has been converted into a temporary hospital). Here, Alexander Aliev works as a doctor and Tai Chi instructor. He says [3]:

“The movements improve the ventilation and drainage of patients’ lungs.”

Tai Chi at Ice Palace Temporary COVID hospital in Moscow [3]

“We are using methods developed in fighting tuberculosis and other lung diseases here at the ice palace. We are using Tai Chi breathing exercises, which, along with health aids allows us to speed up the rehabilitation of the patients, to minimize the number of complications during the healing process and complications which might remain after.”

Can Tai Chi Help PREVENT COVID?

How would this work? From a TCM perspective, Tai chi increases the amount of chi and boosts its “flow” around the body to promote optimal health (OK this is a great simplification for the benefit of newbies).

From a Western perspective, we notice that tai chi is soothing, reduces stress, improves sleep and helps boost the immune system – all of which should help our bodies prevent (and fight) disease.

And TCM practitioners certainly seem to think so… youtube lists several videos where TCM medical staff practice tai chi to prevent respiratory diseases during coronavirus outbreak [4]. They seem to be practicing either before work or during breaks at work.

Medical staff practice tai chi to strengthen their resilience against COVID et al

Does Tai Chi Help the Lungs Specifically?

A 2016 Cochrane Review Tai Chi for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) [5], comparing Tai Chi with usual care, reported that Tai Chi demonstrated better functional capacity (i.e. people able to walk farther) and improved pulmonary function compared with patients undergoing usual care.

While COVID is NOT COPD, both are conditions that manifest with breathing difficulty. We have also already seen [4] that Chinese medical staff practice tai chi to strengthen themselves against respiratory diseases including COVID.

Where is the science?

A search on google highlighted the existence of several protocols to determine the effect of tai chi practice with regards to various conditions, starting with the most relevant: COVID:

Tai Chi for the elderly patients with COVID-19 in recovery period: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Zhu, Xiangyu; Luo, Ziyu; Chen, Ying; Medicine, 100(3):e24111, January 22, 2021

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has caused a great impact in many countries. Older people are more susceptible to the virus than other people. As a good health exercise suitable for the elderly, Tai Chi has a positive impact on heart function, blood pressure, lung function, immunity, etc. It can enhance cardiopulmonary function, increase the elasticity of blood vessels, and improve the body’s self-regulation function. For the elder patients with COVID-19, Tai Chi has outstanding merits.

This proposed study will evaluate the effectiveness and safety of Tai Chi for the improvement of psychological pressure, cardiopulmonary function, and immunity in elderly COVID-19 patients during the recovery period.

The effect of Tai Chi practice on immunological function in cancer survivors – Medicine (of interest, as it would point to an improvement in immune function relevant to COVID too)

Tai chi for type 2 diabetes mellitus: a protocol for systematic review. Diabetes is a chronic condition that is correlated with worse COVID outcomes.

While we welcome these and further studies, the proof is in the pudding: tai chi has and is being used for respiratory conditions and COVID: it will not hurt to follow the example of doctors and nurses in Wuhan and elsewhere and practice tai chi to optimise your health in general, lung health and to help recover from COVID.

RESOURCES

[1] Tai chi to recover from COVID in Wuhan hospital – https://youtu.be/lRvvBQefXm8

[2] Tai chi class run by nurses at Wuhan hospital – https://youtu.be/JnbjACXp-SE

[3] Tai Chi to Recover From COVID – Ice Palace, Moscow – https://youtu.be/T6rE8EGFuL4

[4] Tai Chi practiced by medical staff to prevent respiratory diseases during coronavirus outbreak – https://youtu.be/WmRtws6xQZ4

[5] 2016 Cochrane Review (Tai Chi and COPD) – https://www.cochrane.org/CD009953/AIRWAYS_tai-chi-chronic-obstructive-pulmonary-disease-copd


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2020 End-of-Year Gratitude

Posted on December 31, 2020 by admin

2020: what a year!
Who could have imagined it? Probably no one, unless they had a really outstanding crystal ball. Or they were called Nostradamus…

It is generally a good idea to do an end-of-the-year gratitude practice / meditation. Perhaps this year it is EVEN MORE ESSENTIAL to take a moment to count our blessings…

How can you do this?

  • sit quietly and think of 3 things you are grateful today (this can be done daily but at least today)
  • follow along an end-of-year guided meditation, alone or with friends. I did this today with my friend Gabrielle and we both thought it was pretty good!
  • take a journal and make it a game to come up with as many things as you can under the category “grateful for in 2020”
  • think or say to yourself “I am grateful for… ” (and add all the events, people, small and big things that have made your year better)
  • remember to feel grateful for being alive and able to experience 2021!

Personally, I am grateful for:

  • a ton of learning and inspiring online events
  • our zoom sessions, particularly our daily tai chi has helped me stay sane during full lockdown
  • my lovely customers who have embraced new technologies and managed to keep up (and even increase) their frequency of exercise, thus improving their physical and mental health
  • being able to spend time with family
  • morning walks with Ollie (lovely Maltese dog)
  • cycling more and driving… much less (where is my car?)
  • my loved ones
  • health, mine and that of my family
  • my job and the chance it gives me to help others and make a positive impact in the world, even during a pandemic
  • hope for the future

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Is Sitting Down The New Smoking?

Posted on November 20, 2020 by admin
chair, sitting bad for health
Sitting down is the new Smoking

We have been hearing this a lot in the last few years. Is it true?
The Heart Foundation has listed a few downsides to sitting…

A 2011 study documented 800,000 people and their sitting habits. They found that people who sit the most (compared to people who sit the least) have a greater risk of disease and death:

  • 112% increased risk of diabetes.
  • 147% increased risk of cardiovascular events like heart attack and stroke.
  • 90% increased risk of death from cardiovascular events.
  • 49% increased risk of death from any cause.

THE SCIENCE

They also explain the mechanisms through which sitting increases morbidity (disease) and mortality (deaths).

When we spend too much time sitting:

  • Blood flow slows down. This can allow fatty acids to build up in the blood vessels, leading to heart disease.

  • Sitting for extended periods of time regularly may lead to insulin resistance which can cause obesity and type 2 diabetes, 2 major risk factors for heart disease.

  • Blood clots form. A 2018 study found that 82% of people who suffer from blood clots, sat for a significantly greater amount of time than the remaining 18%.

  • Fat and obesity. Your body’s ability to process fats is slowed when we are inactive. When you sit, your body’s production of lipoprotein lipase (an enzyme essential for breaking down fat) drops by about 90%. When your body cannot break down fat, it is stored instead.

So IS sitting the new smoking?

Well not quite, as smoking has been mostly outlawed, while sitting is on the increase. But they both may lead to similar negative health outcomes – this is their conclusion.

Quite a bit of recent research suggests that sitting and not moving around is the worst thing you can do for your health.

What to do then?

1. Take regular breaks. Set a timer and get up every 20-60 minutes and have a stretch, walk to the water fountain or up and down the stairs. I have a watch that beeps if I ever sit down at my computer for one hour (easily down when in the middle of an article or a task). Very useful but a bit annoying if you ever happen to go to the cinema!

2. Exercise regularly. Let’s get off that couch and let’s keep moving! Pilates, tai chi, walking, running, cycling, dancing to your favourite music, play with your kids or grandkids… whatever suits.

taichi-in-the-garden

3. Work around the house. Gardening, DIY (carefully!), walking the dog, tidying up, vacuum cleaning, it all helps in this sense.

OTHER BENEFITS of EXERCISE

Health Benefits of Tai Chi

Exercise Helpful for Knee Osteoarthritis

Exercise and Menopause

Exercise Good for People Aged 60 or Over

Health Benefits of Walking

Research, published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry, explores the link between cardiorespiratory fitness and depression, finding that for many who suffer from depression, exercise is the best treatment that keeps both the mind and the body healthy.

They also conclude that “being fit at midlife is associated with a lower risk of later-life depression and subsequent CVD [e.g. cardiovascular – including heart disease] mortality, even in the presence of depression”

Exercise helps prevent disease but also reduces mortality and complications (such as diabetes) in people with chronic conditions.

Low leisure-based sitting time and being physically active were associated with reduced odds of death and diabetes in people with COPD (see references)

REFERENCES

Is Sitting the New Smoking? – The Heart Foundation

Association of Midlife Cardiorespiratory Fitness With Incident Depression and Cardiovascular Death After Depression in Later Life

Low leisure-based sitting time and being physically active were associated with reduced odds of death and diabetes in people with COPD

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Anti-Cancer Life NOW!

Posted on October 20, 2020 by admin
Anti-Cancer Lifestyle
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And yet…

As we’ve all heard by now, cancer is not caused by bad luck; it has everything to do with the toxicity of the world we live in.

Scientific journals Nature and Pharmaceutical Research have both published large studies finding that cancer is up to 90% preventable.

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Holistic Oral Health

Posted on August 2, 2020 by admin

Holistic Oral Health summit and resources

Is your dentist considering how your oral health is affecting your whole body… and vice versa?

One uneducated visit to your dentist can have devastating health consequences — common dental procedures can trigger autoimmune disorders, cancer, heart disease and dementia!

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FREE eBOOKS – FICTION

Posted on June 13, 2020 by admin

January 2022

Girl, Alone (FBI Suspense Thriller) – Blake Pierce

https://amzn.to/3zgb3LI

FBI Agent Ella Dark has studied serial killers from the time she could read, devastated by the murder of her own sister. With her photographic memory, she has obtained an encyclopedic knowledge of every serial killer, every victim and every case. But when a serial killer strikes in the swamps of Louisiana, Ella soon comes to learn that the real thing is like nothing she ever expected.

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Long Road to Mercy – David Baldacci

Number one bestseller Long Road to Mercy is the heart-pounding first novel in the FBI Special Agent Atlee Pine series by bestselling author David Baldacci.

FBI Special Agent Atlee Pine has learnt three lessons in life:

Some wounds never heal.

Atlee’s twin sister, Mercy, was abducted from their bedroom over thirty years ago, and Atlee has spent every day since wondering what happened to her.

Time doesn’t lessen your pain.

The prime suspect, notorious serial killer Daniel James Tor, is in a high-security prison, but with no confession, Atlee continues to search for her sister, even as Tor taunts her from jail.

But she can always make a difference.

Wracked by survivor’s guilt, Atlee joined the FBI to hunt down killers like Tor. Assigned to the remote wilds of the Western United States, she has spent years honing her skills and building her endurance, always with one eye on the ultimate goal.

Now, Atlee Pine is tasked with an investigation which begins with a missing person in the Grand Canyon. And ends with a discovery much more sinister and far-reaching.

 

Girl Missing: An addictive suspense mystery novel (A Detective Kaitlyn Carr Mystery Book 1) – Kate Gable

Girl Missing: An addictive suspense mystery novel (A Detective Kaitlyn Carr Mystery Book 1) by [Kate Gable]

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “The twists come at you at breakneck pace.” – Hideaway1355, Amazon review 
 
When her 13-year-old sister vanishes on her way back from a friend’s house, Detective Kaitlyn Carr must confront demons from her own past in order to bring her sister home.

The small mountain town of Big Bear Lake is only three hours away but a world away from her life in Los Angeles. It’s the place she grew up and the place that’s plagued her with lies, death and secrets.

In Girl Missing, as Kaitlyn digs deeper into the murder she is investigating and her sister’s disappearance, she finds out that appearances are misleading and few things are what they seem.

A murderer is lurking in the shadows and the more of the mystery that Kaitlyn unspools the closer she gets to danger herself.

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What happens when someone else is taken?

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Girl Lost: A Detective Kaitlyn Carr Mystery (book 2) by Kate Gable

Girl Lost: A Detective Kaitlyn Carr Mystery by [Kate Gable]

Detective Kaitlyn Carr’s 13-year-old sister is still missing and now her friend has disappeared as well under very similar circumstances. The FBI is called to Big Bear Lake and the agent assigned to the case is none other than Luke Galvinson, a man from her past.

Meanwhile, back in Los Angeles, Kaitlyn must investigate the case of a newlywed with a secret pregnancy who went missing after a business trip.

Her husband isn’t very concerned. Why didn’t he want to report her missing?Did she run away with someone else, did someone take her or worse?

Kaitlyn must not only split her time between these cases but also go further down the rabbit hole of the place she once called home.

Nothing is what it seems.
No one is who they are.
Everyone has a secret.

Can Kaitlyn uncover the truth in time to prevent another death?

Find out here

This is a suspenseful thriller perfect for fans of James Patterson, Leslie Wolfe, Lisa Regan, L. T. Vargus and Karin Slaughter. It has mystery, angst, a bit of romance and family drama.

 

Not Like Us (An Ilse Beck FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 1) – Ava Strong

Not Like Us (An Ilse Beck FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 1) by [Ava Strong]

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Nothing can prepare Ilse for her new patient, a survivor from a near murder by a serial killer. The patient, paranoid, believes she is still being watched by the killer. And when the killer claims a new victim, the FBI needs Ilse’s help to solve it.

Not Like Us – This case and this killer, though, strike too close to home for Ilse’s comfort. When she realizes that she herself is being targeted, the trauma of her own past comes full circle.

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Tai Chi Case Study – Effects in Lockdown

Posted on April 3, 2020 by admin

Tai chi is generally known to help reduce stress. [1]

With stress levels skyrocketing at the moment (coronavirus lockdown), what better time to put tai chi to the test?

Tai Chi to Counteract “Lockdown Cabin Fever”

We are currently (03-April-2020) doing our own little experiment with daily tai chi practice to counteract stress:

  • the cabin fever stress caused by the coronavirus lockdown
  • plus the stress of worrying over the whole situation

Methodology

Due to lockdown mobility restrictions, the practice is taking place indoors (with an open window and by a window to the outside, if possible) but in virtual companionship with the other members of the group, as we practice together with the help of modern technology.

Intervention

The intervention is a 30 minute session taking place every day at 12 noon. This time was chosen so that it would suit participant (early and late risers, workers and retired or furloughed workers) and take place before lunch (it is not recommended to practice on a full stomach).

Control Group

While we did not have a control group as such:

  • my neighbours (who do not practice tai chi) fighting next door provide an interesting counterpoint to our chilled calm;
  • our own selves before we started this practice could be considered a “control” (no intervention) group with unprecedented high stress levels.
  • withholding tai chi practice from a group to see “how much worse they fare” would be unethical in my opinion

RESULTS – After about 2 weeks:

After about 2 weeks of daily tai chi qigong shibashi practice, this is the situation on 02- April-2020:

  • We started this daily collective practice because we were all feeling very high levels of stress and uncertainty – these levels have abated considerably now. Sleep quality seems also to have improved since we started this daily practice.
  • My HRV has also improved

This is what other participants said…

Erica C. :

I’m really appreciating these classes as I find them calming and energising which sounds silly but it works! Thank you

Magda S.:

Doing your classes certainly helps having a structure to the days and staying healthy and fit is an important part of this.

It’s also great having a break from the craziness of the situation

Anne:

… Having a structure to the day is so important particularly when you have been used to having busy days. I also enjoy the exercise and seeing everybody each day which is important as well.

Stephanie:

I find the 30 minutes a calming experience; the focus on breathing is especially beneficial in distancing myself from the worries of the day. The fact that it’s a daily habit means my day has some structure too

Updates coming up…

REFERENCES

[1] Benefits of Tai Chi – http://pilatesfitness.co.uk/blog/?p=237

[2] HRV – https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/bitstream/handle/2142/78469/SCHAAFSMA-THESIS-2015.pdf

Heart rate variability: A new way to track well-being

 

 

 

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