Health and Strength Training Links, 28th September

~ Runner’s High Revisited – “Some scientists claim that endorphins are too large to pass through the blood-brain barrier - and if something can’t get into your brain you can pretty much guarantee it can’t make you high either. So if it’s not endorphins that give you that happy feeling inside after exercise, what is the underlying factor? One possibility is the production of anandamide, a messenger molecule naturally produced in our bodies that plays a role in pain, depression, appetite, memory, and fertility. As reported by CNN, anandamide is known to produce sensations similar to those of THC, which is the psychoactive property in marijuana.”
~ Row Right: Get More Bang for Your Back – “Girls may hate to see you leave, but if you've got a broad back, they'll love to watch you go. (Course it helps if you've got a nice ass, too, but that's a whole 'nother article.) Mike Robertson is here to troubleshoot your rowing.”
~ Tapering for Athletes and Ordinary Exercisers – “Tapering refers to the period just before a major race or game, when an athlete reduces workload to be in peak shape on the day of the competition. Ordinary exercisers can apply this training principle when they plan to enter a local race or charity event.”
~ Bad Carbohydrates Are Not The Enemy – “The latest common wisdom on carbohydrates claims that eating so-called “bad” carbohydrates will make you fat, but University of Virginia professor Glenn Gaesser says, “that's just nonsense.” Eating sandwiches with white bread, or an occasional doughnut, isn't going to kill you, or necessarily even lead to obesity, he said.” It's 80/20 – eat right 80% of the time and 20% of the time that you don't isn't a problem.
~ Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Symptoms Reduced By Dark Chocolate Consumption – “If you suffer from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome you may well find that your symptoms are significantly reduced if you regularly consume dark chocolate - that means chocolate with a high cocoa content and without any milk in it. A pilot study carried out on patients with chronic fatigue syndrome found that their symptoms were alleviated when they consumed dark chocolate, much more so than when they consumed milk chocolate that had brown dye added to it.”
~ Supersets for strength – “Supersets are a popular weight lifting technique among many who are looking to kickstart a stalled weight lifting routine and add more variety into their program. They are a slightly more advanced principle to use so it’s going to be best if you have already have a fairly decent weight lifting background behind you.” It's also a great way to strip fat and get more work done in less time.
~ Dietary quality of popular diets varies: study – “There's no shortage of weight-loss plans for Americans to choose from, but some of the most popular ones fall short in dietary quality, according to a new study.”
~ The Future Of Male Contraception – “For decades, pundits have predicted new contraceptives for men within the next 5 to10 years. Are we really getting any closer? Judging from work presented at the second “Future of Male Contraception” conference, the answer may finally be yes. But will men actually use a new method if researchers make one? Elaine Lissner, director of the nonprofit Male Contraception Information Project, says demand is the least of the problems.”
~ Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Benefit From Meditation Therapy – “A revered contemplative practice for centuries, meditation has recently inspired research into its therapeutic value for everything from anxiety disorders to heart attack prevention. A painful, progressive autoimmune disease, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with a high risk of depression – double the risk of the healthy population, by conservative estimates – and various forms of psychological distress.”
~ The Eight Most Fattening Foods of Fall – “As the temperature drops, we start yearning for comfort foods. But beware of their hefty caloric price. A few of autumn's least healthy offerings.”
~ Boost your body image – “Get real about your body.”
~ Preventing liver disease through healthy eating – “Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) refers to a range of conditions from cirrhosis to liver inflammation that can lead to liver disease and death, and afflict individuals who drink little to no alcohol. Why should you care about this? According to some recent research, NAFLD affects nearly one-third of all American adults.”
~ The MH Minute: Great Squat! – “Test your core strength and balance with the single-leg squat.”
~ High-carb diet may help you think faster – “A low-carbohydrate/high-fat diet and a high-carbohydrate/low-fat diet both improve weight loss, enhance mood, and speed thinking, a study shows, but the low-carb diet may offer less benefit in terms of the rate of cognitive processing.” This is a bit misleading – at first the brain is sluggish when using ketones for fuel, but it eventually adapts. I eat less than 50 grams of carbs most days with no brain sluggishness.
~ ISSA Explains How To Protect Yourself Against Fraudulent Supplement Claims – “Although nutritional supplements are viewed as an important component of the International Sport Sciences Association's overall integrated approach to personal training, these products should not be taken without doing the proper research first. The International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA) reminds consumers of a few easy rules to remember in order to protect yourself against fraudulent supplement claims.”
~ Why Americans 'Tune Out' Fat Talk – “Despite more information and resources, we're still getting fatter. Why?”
~ Quit counting calories if it doesn't add up – “Good news for anyone who hates number crunching: You don’t need to add or subtract a thing to get slim.”
~ Health Tip: Considering Low-Carb? – “Low-carbohydrate diets are rich in proteins (such as meats) and low in carbohydrates (such as breads and pastas). Because of the limited food choices offered by these plans, some people on a low-carb diet may need to take a multivitamin and a fiber supplement to get needed nutrients, says the American Academy of Family Physicians.”
~ Fried Food Compounds May Harm Heart – “Foods high in compounds called advanced glycation end products (AGEs) – such as hamburgers, french fries and other fatty foods cooked at high temperatures – cause a short-lived but significant dysfunction in blood vessel dilation that can lead to heart disease, a new study suggests.”
~ All Hail Peanut Butter! – ” Calling peanut butter a diet food, with 180 to 210 calories per serving, may seem counter-intuitive. But it has the enviable combination of fiber (2 g per serving) and protein (8 g per serving) that fills you up and keeps you feeling full longer, so you eat less overall. Plus, there's nothing more indulgent than licking peanut butter off a spoon–and indulgence (in moderation) helps dieters fight cravings and stay on track.” And don't forget cashew butter and almond butter, both of which are very good.
~ Skin Deep: Nutrition and Good Skin – “Whether you're a pock-marked adolescent or a 35-year-old who prematurely looks like an old catcher's mitt, the health of your skin is probably important to you. Dr. Alan Logan knows how to use nutrition to fix you up.”
~ BONUS ARTICLE: The Step Construct – “Building your body ain't just physical — you gotta' use some gray matter, and we're not talking about your underwear. Here's a simple mental technique to help you achieve your goals while simultaneously showing up those loser bastards who dared to piss on your ambitions.”
~ ASK LARA: Three yoga poses for runners – “I am a big fan of yoga myself, and that’s because I believe yoga is a great accompaniment to running training. Stretching helps to return your muscles to their normal resting length. And, in my experience, many yoga poses seem to hit just the right spots. The following are just some of my favorites.”
~ Link Discovered Between Hormone Regulating Appetite And Stress – “A hormone system linked to reducing food consumption appears to do so by increasing stress-related behaviors, according to a new study.”
~ “Good” Cholesterol Earns Its Name – “High HDL “good” cholesterol levels may help heart disease patients, even those with very low LDL “bad” cholesterol levels, doctors report.
~ Health Tip: Finding Fiber in Your Diet – “Fiber should be an important part of every diet. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, dietary fiber can help prevent heart disease, high cholesterol, diabetes, and even some types of cancer.”
~ Ground-breaking study links food additives to hyperactivity in children – “In a landmark study published in The Lancet, commonly used artificial food colorings and the preservative sodium benzoate have been strongly linked to hyperactivity in children, triggering renewed vigor in the decades-long campaign by activists to ban artificial food additives from food marketed to children.”