Primal Blueprint, Day 4

A few things I’ve noticed now that I’m paying more attention to them.

The Undying Cough!

If you’ve had a bad cough recently, you can empathize with what I’m about to say.  Yesterday, I was feeling pretty darn well.  My head was clearing up, I had no headache and that crummy “sick” feeling was almost completely gone.  Only one problem, I was coughing.  Now coughing is a natural thing.  It’s your body’s way of trying to get rid of crap in your airways.  So I don’t usually take anti cough medication during the day.  However, what about at night?  As good as I was feeling, the cough was definitely keeping me awake.  It’s hard to fall asleep when every couple of minutes your body is wracked by a coughing spell.  So I did what most normal people do and took a couple of cough lozenges.  Basically, these are bits of candy with some numbing agent in them that makes the coughing trigger go away.  It seemed to work and I fell asleep.  By the way, I never used to take these lozenges before.  I only started doing so a year or two ago when someone told me that needlessly suffering coughing attacks is silly and only leads to prolonging the cough.

This morning I woke up and I felt worse than before.  The headache was back, the throat felt worse than ever and I felt generally crappy.  So is Mark right?  Is coughing something we should put up with even at the expense of sleep?  Was the cough lozenge a good way of covering up the symptoms but a bad way of getting healthier?  The answer is, I have no clue.  This could just be a bad cold that came back or it might be that I blocked one of my body’s necessary ways of getting rid of disease.  My sample size of 1 is simply not enough data, but it is something to think about.

I wonder how many other ways we have of circumventing the body’s natural function in the name of comfort.  There’s a study I read a while back on how some necessary nutrients are no longer in our foods because we insist on cleaning them up.  That’s right, dirt has nutrients and when you insist on making all your food perfectly clean, you lose out on a lot.  Same applies to medication which reduces fevers.  Fevers are a way for our body to make it tough for viruses and bacteria to live inside us.  When we suppress those fevers, we often make it easier for infections to persist.

So is all medication bad?  Is all treatment unnecessary?  Well, I wouldn’t go quite that far.  However, this is giving me a lot of food for thought.  I think that, as I progress along this two month experiment, I will try to avoid all unnecessary medicine, even things as simple as throat lozenges, and see how I do.

Chocolate Tasted Funny!

Yes, that’s right, I had a sweet tooth breakdown yesterday.  I was in a candy store and there was maple fudge (my favorite!) and I just craved it so much that I broke down and bought a small piece.  Guess what?  It tasted WAY too sweet.  Just four days after starting, something that would have tasted perfectly fine to me before, now tastes way too sweet.  Again, this is just a sample of one, which means that in the long run, this might be meaningless, but I find it encouraging that the cravings for processed sugar are less and less frequent.  Maybe I can finally kick this candy addiction once for all!

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All in all, I’m liking this new lifestyle, although I’m still having difficulty finding good things to eat.

The Problems With Body Image

Over the next few weeks on 60 in 3, I’m going to write a series of articles about body image, what it means, how important it is, the kind of problems it can lead to if badly handled and my own struggles with it.  I wanted to start out this series with the following video:

It’s from the Dove evolution campaign and it’s a bit old (2006) but I think it makes an amazing point.  What we see today as the “ideal” body image is nothing but a manufactured illusion.  Take a look at this video and see the transformation this woman undergoes.

Some of this transformation was done through makeup, some through technology.  Either way, she is made into something that is impossible for her to achieve on her own.  This is a model, someone picked for beauty, and yet even she must be artificially transformed into something she could never be.  This is what we’re sold every day.  This is what our children see every evening.  This is what we’re told we should look like.  Women get more of this than men, but men get enough of it too.  One look at some recent action movies (300 anyone?) and we can easily see that men too are bombarded with artificially enhanced images of the “ideal” male physique that they must aspire to but can never achieve.

I’ve always said that looking good is a perfectly fine goal to use as motivation for being healthy.  However, like many things, this can be taken to an extreme which is both unhealthy and unrealistic.  That’s what I’d like to talk to you about in the next few weeks.

In the meantime, check out that video.

Time For A Physical

It’s getting towards the middle of the year, almost time for summer.  If you’re like me, this is the perfect time for a physical.

• No holiday plans
• No visiting family
• No vacation trips

Time for you to schedule some time with your doctor and see how your body is doing.

• How’s your weight?  Are you in a good, healthy place?  Ask your doctor for a recommendation based not just on weight and BMI but also body fat.
• Blood pressure good?  Anything you can do to raise or lower it as necessary?
• Cholesterol ok?  Should you make any changes to your eating habits?
• Other blood work good?  Anything you should know about?  Yes, I know you think you’re ok but an HIV test won’t hurt and should be done every 6 months in my opinion.
• Any big changes coming up in your life?  Training for a marathon?  Going vegetarian?  Moving to Asia?  Ask your doctor if there’s anything you should know or do to better prepare.
• All that and a variety of other exams that could save your life by detecting things like cancer early, when it’s still easily treatable.

Assuming you have health insurance, there’s no reason not to get a physical on a regular basis.  Also, don’t just wait for the doctor to tell you to go home.  Be proactive, ask questions, inquire about your health and how to improve it.  Your doctor is a valuable resource which you should use for more than just prescriptions.  So go schedule that physical already!

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While we’re talking about preventative medicine, how about that 6 month dentist’s appointment?  Time for a cleaning and a check up…

Should We Exercise When Sick?

I’ve always thought that exercising when sick was a bad idea.  The sickness decreased my performance and, at the same time, I thought the exercise was weakening my immune system, making me stay sick longer.  Well, it appears as though I might be wrong.

In this article from the New York Times, researchers from the Mayo Clinic discuss their findings about exercising while having a cold.  Turns out that the cold does not reduce performance, nor does the exercise prolong the cold.

There are several experiments described in the article but here are some of the interesting results:

The researchers reported that having a cold had no effect on either lung function or exercise capacity.

That’s right, having a cold does not have a real effect on your exercise ability.  You may feel sick but your body is still capable of doing what it usually does.  And:

The investigators found no difference in symptoms between the group that exercised and the one that rested. And there was no difference in the time it took to recover from the colds. But when the exercisers assessed their symptoms, Dr. Kaminsky said, “people said they felt O.K. and, in some cases, they actually felt better.”

Yep, exercise does not cause you to remain sick longer.

Now keep in mind that all of this was tested with the common cold.  Please don’t assume that this means exercise is a good thing regardless of how sick you are.  I don’t want to see people at gym killing themselves on the treadmill while sick with the flu.  However, I do think this is pretty neat information and I’m going to keep it in mind for the next time I have a cold.

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By the way, you may need to register in order to read that article at the New York Times.  Registration is free but a bit annoying.

Should I Get A Yearly Physical?

As many of you who read 60 in 3 know, I am not the biggest fan of the modern medical system.  I think we have a tendency to overmedicate when we should be solving the problem in more natural ways.  Got a cholesterol problem?  Take some medication (but you really should be eating healthier).  Got a weight problem?  Take some medication (but you really should be exercising more).  It seems like medication is the answer to problems that are better addressed through healthier living.  So with this said, I think I surprised one of my friends when I told him I was going to schedule my yearly physical soon.  He assumed that I avoid doctors altogether.

First Things First

I don’t avoid doctors.  If I have an issue that needs medical attention, I have it taken care of by a doctor.  If I broke my leg, I certainly wouldn’t expect it to heal through healthier living and I would definitely go to a doctor.  Actually, I would immediately go to the ER but that’s pretty much the same as seeing a doctor soo…

Second Things Second

I don’t avoid all medication.  A few months ago I happened to hike right into a patch of poison oak, a plant that leaves amazingly itchy welts.  After a miserable night of little to no sleep thanks to constant itching, I went to the doctor and got some Prednizone (I think that’s how it’s spelled) which made things a lot better.

So What Do I Do?

I trust doctors to have my best interest in mind.  However, I am also aware of the fact that they are under a lot of pressure (usually by their patients) to solve everything through medication.  Patients don’t want to hear “you’re overweight because you eat too much and exercise too little, you need to eat less and exercise more for the rest of your life.”  They want to hear “you have a medical condition and here’s a little pill you can take twice a day to make it better.”

Ironically, many doctors are quite relieved to hear “so doc, what can I do to make this condition better?”  They know that overmedicating is a problem but they can’t do much about it.  The patients demand it and the pharmaceutical industry is only too happy to oblige.  I’m lucky enough to have a doctor who’s honest and not afraid to tell me some things are better solved through lifestyle changes and not medicine.

When I first started losing weight is also when I started going to yearly physicals.  I told my doctor I wanted to change my life and she told me how.  She suggested what to eat, what not to eat and how to exercise.  She even gave me a few tips on jogging thanks to her own experience running marathons.  I’ve stayed with that doctor and I’ve also kept the habit of yearly physicals.

But Why The Physical If I’m Healthy Now?

Remember, leading a healthy life doesn’t make me immune to disease.  It makes diseases like cancer less likely, but not impossible.  So yes, my physicals usually consist of my doctor telling me I’m fine and then she and I chat about long distance running but that’s still not a waste of time.  They’re a way for me to know that everything really is fine and that, if something is wrong, we catch it early enough to make a difference.

Also, the yearly physical is a way for me to get a professional opinion about my health from someone who knows far more than me.  Should I lose more weight?  Am I stressing my joints too much by running?  (My doctor is the one who told me I shouldn’t run five days a week and I thank her for that great advice)  Am I eating enough or too much?  What do I need to do in order to eat healthy while being a vegetarian?  All of these are things your doctor can help you with.

So yes, the answer to this post’s question is “absolutely!”  Everyone should get a yearly physical regardless of what shape they’re in.  Actually, I think there is some age below which it’s ok for a man to get a physical every two years.  I’m not sure about that though, so maybe you should ask your doctor while getting that physical

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Muscles don’t deflect bullets, and they don’t make you immune to cancer either.

EDIT - Unless you’re my friend Greg, who pointed out to me after reading this post that he can indeed deflect bullets with his muscles!

Oh My Poor Back

Yes, even a healthy life, a good weight and high level of fitness do not make someone injury proof.  Take me as an example, I have no idea what I did, but my back is in horrible pain this morning.  I think I pulled a muscle somewhere in my mid back.  Whatever it is, I had the most miserable night last night with very little sleep and plenty of pain.  At about 2:30am, I stumbled to the nearest gas station in order to pick up a bottle of Advil.  It helped, a little, but I’m back at grad school this morning and not feeling so well.  So rather than talk about fitness today, I’d like to talk about injuries, how to avoid them and what to do if you get them.

How To Avoid Injuries

• Don’t be stupid! - Yes, it sounds obvious but most injuries are actually easily preventable by not being stupid.  Don’t ride your bike without a helmet, don’t use broken equipment, don’t lift more than you should and so on.  Really, stupidity and carelessness are the number 1 cause of injuries.
• Use good form - Good form isn’t just for good fitness, it’s also for preventing injuries.  If your body is flailing around each time you lift a weight, you’re going to injure yourself eventually.  You’re trying to lift too much and you’re not doing it in a controlled manner.  That’s just begging for an injury.
• Don’t overdo it - Overtraining is dangerous.  Overdo the cardio and you’ll get a stress fracture like I did.  Overdo the weights and you’ll strain a muscle, like I did.

Those three items right there are enough to prevent the overwhelming majority of injuries.  Sometimes though, even with proper care, you still hurt yourself.  Which brings me to my next topic.

What To Do When You’re Injured

• Nothing - No, that doesn’t mean ignoring the injury.  It means rest, as in not doing anything strenuous.  If you’re injured, you need to rest.  Your body can heal most injuries but it needs you to not add more strain on top of the injury.  It doesn’t make you tough to keep training through an injury, it just makes you stupid.
• Take a pain killer or anti inflammatory - For some injuries, you may need a pain killer like an advil.  Yes, I hate medication as much as the next guy, but my body needs rest and if I’m in too much pain to sleep then I’m not getting that rest.  A tylenol won’t make you a drug addict.
• See the doctor - If it’s a serious injury, see a doctor.  If you’re not sure if it’s a serious injury, see a doctor.  If it doesn’t seem to be getting better, see a doctor.  Again, I’m not a fan of going to the doctor for every minor scratch or cold but I’m also not stupid.  I know my body and if it’s serious, I have no problem with going to see my physician.

Fitness Does Not Equal Injury Proof

In fact, being fit might lead to more injuries.  You’re doing more, you’re more active.  For example, I go hiking, I work out, I bike.  All of these things have a higher injury rate than my former lifestyle of sitting in front of the computer eating microwaved pizza pockets.  So what?  Injuries are a part of life.  Don’t be afraid of them, just try to prevent them where possible and deal with them when you have to.

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I had a blast during my class field day yesterday.  Yes, I had a miserable night but I don’t regret running around yesterday.  I’m going to rest today and tomorrow and hopefully be back to normal on Sunday.  If I’m still feeling bad on Monday, I’ll go see a doctor.  Now I just need to get through this statistics session!

Free Weights Vs. Machines, The Gym’s Eternal Argument

It never fails, get three people together in a gym and ask them to discuss their workout and inevitably the conversation will eventually turn to machines vs. free weights. If you’re completely clueless about this argument, it comes from the fact that some people prefer free weights like dumbbells and barbells while others like to workout on specialized machines that offer a narrow range of choices for exercises per machine.

In fact, most gyms are set up to have one area in which people work out on machines and another area in which people use free weights. for beginners, this can be a little confusing. After all, it seems like these two options are identical. I can get on a machine and do some curls or I can use dumbbells. I could use the leg press machine or I could do some squats. What’s the difference?

Form Is Better On Machines

As I’ve said before many times, form is very important when you workout. You want good form in which you slowly and gradually move the weights around. You want to primarily use the muscle group which you intend to workout. That means if you’re doing curls, you shouldn’t be swinging your entire body around trying to lift those weights.

For the purposes of good form, machines are better. Machines force us to have good form by stabilizing our whole body. For example, when I do a curl on a machine, I’m sitting and my upper body is relatively immobile due to the various supports on the machines. That means it’s only my biceps which are doing the work. With free weights, I’m free to swing more body parts around which could contribute to bad form. In fact, you can see that if you click on the free weights curls link here. The person working out is swinging back and forth, which is bad form. By way of comparison, look at these machine curls here. You can see that the whole body is much more stable and only the biceps are working. Do free weights have to mean bad form? Not at all. It’s very possible to achieve good form with free weights, but it’s somewhat easier with machines.

Muscle Recruitment Is Better With Freeweights

What the heck is muscle recruitment? It’s that thing your body does when you lift something and need to maintain your balance. Think of it this way. When you do a squat, you’re lifting a weight up with your legs. Your leg muscles are doing most of the work lifting straight up, but your body also recruit quite a few smaller muscles groups to maintain stability, to keep you upright and to prevent you from falling over. If you did the same exercises with a machine, less of your body would be involved.

Muscle recruitment is a little like form. It means more muscles are involved in the exercise than just the ones you wanted involved. The difference is that bad form means you’re making things too easy for those primary muscles. You’re replacing the work they’re supposed to do by doing it with other muscle groups. Muscle recruitments means you’re adding more work which is being done by other muscle groups.

Take a look at a free weight squat here, vs a machine press here.  Both have very good form and in both, the legs are doing the same amount of work.  However, with the free weight squat, the user is also recruiting other muscle groups to keep himself upright and stable, which the machine press does not do.

Less Injuries With Machines

By their nature, machines limit the potential for injuries.  You’re not going to drop a weight on your foot, you’re not going to move your arm into a weird position and tear a tendon and you’re not going to find yourself pinned to the bench with too much weight on your chest.  Machines are in fact safer to use since they limit the range of things you can do.

More Accurate Progress With Machines

It’s easier to measure progress with machines since the movements and weights are always the same.  For example, if I use the example of the machine press vs. the squat I showed above.  The machine press is easy to adjust for less or more weight, but what about the squat?  My body weight ranges up or down a few lbs every day.  Since I’m also lifting my body weight, that could make things harder or easier.  Also, as you lose weight, exercises with freeweights could feel easier because you’re lifting less weight.  Finally, you could adjust your form or grip to make things harder or easier, something that’s more difficult with machines.  For example, if I’m doing a bench press, a narrow or wide grip on the bar could make things harder or easier.  With a machine press, there are places for you to grip, which means you always grip in the same spot.  All of these things combine to make machine workouts more precise.

Even Workout For Both Side With Free Weights

With machines, you typically workout both sides at the same time.  For example, when you do curls, you’re doing them with both hands at the same time.  This is not always true, but in general, that’s how most machines are set up.  That means one side could be doing more of the work and you might not notice it.  In fact, many people, when doing two handed exercises, will let their dominant hand or leg do most of the work.  With free weights, and specifically with dumbbells, it’s impossible to let one side do more of the work.  So you end up with a more even workout for both sides.

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So have we solved the argument?  Well, not really.  Personally, I’m a free weights fan.  However, I believe that most people who are new to the gym start out with machines before they use free weights.  That will help you learn good form and how to avoid injuries.  In the end, the best workout is the one you feel comfortable with.  The differences between free weights and machines are relatively small and both are far better than not working out at all.

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