Are you exercised about exercise?

I watched Ogie Shaw’s TED talk years ago and I found it reassuring, his views echoed my own. Exercise isn’t fun, it’s hard and we need to do it anyway. However recently I have started to question that view of exercise. I am concerned about the people that hate exercise and struggle to incorporate it into their lives. How do I reach them? I cannot say my workouts are easy, they are hard and I can talk myself out of them and postpone them like everybody else but I also love how I feel afterwards, energized, happy and full of a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. I assumed everybody felt this way so I struggled to understand why some people could not get themselves to exercise.

Then I read Daniel Lieberman’s book, Exercised. I had several aha moments but the one that shifted my thinking the most was when he explained why some people hate to exercise. In fact, many people do not feel the way I feel after a workout, whoa, what? Dr. Lieberman is an paleoanthropologist, I find his view on exercise refreshing and eye opening. There is a lot of great information in this book, for the purposes of this article I will focus on a few key points.

Sitting, good or bad? Depends…

Dr. Lieberman states “In our post industrial world, instead of walking, carrying, digging, running, throwing and sometimes climbing, dancing and fighting, we sit for most of the day in ergonomically designed chairs, stare at screens and press buttons. The only catch is we still inherited our ancestors’ thrifty genes that rely on physical activity to grow, maintain and repair our bodies.”

It turns out that sitting for long periods of time and sitting in ergonomically designed chairs are what make sitting so bad. Dr. Lieberman has spent a lot of time with gatherer-hunter tribes and noticed that they too spend a lot of time sitting, between 5-10 hours a day BUT, they sit on the ground, kneel and sit in the relaxed squat position. These positions use about the same degree of muscle activity in thighs, calves and backs as standing. The gatherer-hunters do not sit with their back supported and this makes a big difference. They also do not sit in these positions for long periods of time partially because they are not that comfortable. They sit periodically to accomplish a task, socialize or relax. Although they may spend up to 10 hours a day sitting it is not in long bouts of sitting.

Dr. Lieberman goes on to explain that “Incessant sitting combined with modern diets and other novelties thus contributes to evolutionary mismatches-conditions like obesity, metabolic syndrome and Type-2 diabetes, that are more common and severe today than in the past. In fact these conditions are unrecorded in gatherer-hunter and subsistence living societies because our bodies are poorly adapted to novel environmental decisions.”

Unfortunately, evidence does suggest that exercise alone does not counter all the negative effects of sitting so even if you are physically active and fit, the more time you spend sitting in a chair, the higher your risk of chronic illnesses. Research also shows that people who rarely sat for more than 12 minutes at a time had lower death rates and those that tended to sit for 1/2 hour or longer without getting up had especially high death rates (p.66, Exercised).

Instead of trying to find the most comfortable chairs for our work spaces and homes it might be better for us to sit in uncomfortable chairs then we would be more likely to get up and move around. According to research it would only take 100 seconds of movement every 30 minutes to reduce some of the negative effects of sitting (p.67, Exercised). Or perhaps it would be beneficial to think of sitting comfortably for more than half an hour as an indulgence, something to really appreciate, a treat, like dessert.

Why some people hate to exercise

EXERCISE TAKES TIME TO BECOME ENJOYABLE/LESS UNPLEASANT.

When I read this, it really caught my attention. Dr. Lieberman explains “because we never evolved to be inactive and out of shape the adaptations that make physical activity feel rewarding and become a habit develop only after the several months of effort it takes to improve fitness. This is valuable information, when starting an exercise program it is crucial to start with an activity that you enjoy because you need to establish the habit to get to the point where exercise becomes rewarding. Instead of starting with a “should” mindset, I should be lifting weights, I should be doing cardio…I think it is more important to ask yourself “what movements or activities do I enjoy?” Dancing? Remember there are many, many, many different kinds of dancing. Walking? Swimming? Throwing a Frisbee? Bowling? Gardening? Thai Chi? Think back to what games you played as a kid, Hopscotch? Hula Hooping? Skipping Rope? Jungle Gyms?

I was recently inspired by an interview with James Clear, author of Atomic Habits. At this point it is worth outlining a few of his tips for setting goals and forming habits.

STARTING TOO BIG

We tend to set goals on our best days, when we feel really motivated. Instead, we need to select the right habit by determining what we would be able to do on our worst day, when we feel tired, stressed, sad, angry or overwhelmed. James states that “this goal might be smaller than you had hoped initially but allows you to get a foothold.

A HABIT MUST BE ESTABLISHED BEFORE IT CAN BE IMPROVED.

When we set a goal we can plan big but for progress we need to think small. For example, my big goal is to be able to do the splits. To do this I have a goal of stretching everyday. Most days I do my full stretching routine which takes about 15 minutes but on my worst days I will do one stretch, my hip flexor stretch, the one I feel I need the most.

SELECTING THE RIGHT GOALS

In order to set the right goals, James suggests asking yourself a few key questions; 1) Who is the type of person that would have that goal? 2) What is the identity I am trying to reinforce?

Your habits embody your identity. Every action is a vote for the kind of person you want to become.

3) What habits would you take pride in?

When you are proud of something it is easier to maintain internal motivation for it.

HABITS HAVE NO END DATE

If you stop doing it then it is no longer a habit. Habits are forever, to be established they must be sustainable and non-threatening.

TWO MINUTE RULE

This means taking a habit that you are trying to form and scaling it down to something that can be done in two minutes or less. James states that, “we tend to be all or nothing with our habits and the two minute rule helps us get out of this perfectionist tendency.” I think he makes a really good point here, all or nothing thinking sets us up for failure and feelings of guilt and shame which make us want to numb and this puts us in a vicious cycle. We need to start with showing up, establish the habit. “We don’t give ourselves permission to show up in a small way.” says James.

ENVIRONMENT DESIGN

Lastly, if you are trying to exercise at home, do you have a designated space for those workouts? Have you set up that space to encourage that behaviour?

Exercise or physical activity by definition is not necessary for our survival anymore. We mostly do it for emotional, social or physical rewards. Humans are social, the most social animal on the planet, we have been selected to enjoy doing activities in groups, to assist one another and to care what others think of us. This is why peer pressure and camaraderie are powerful motivators. If you struggle to find a physical activity that you enjoy consider at least doing it with someone you enjoy.

Active Grandparent Hypothesis

In his book, Dr. Lieberman proposes the Active Grandparent Hypothesis which states that human longevity was not only selected for but also made possible by having to work moderately during old age to help as many children, grandchildren and other younger relatives as possible to survive and thrive.

Anthropologists have shown that all older individuals in foraging populations from Australia to South America remain active throughout life, gathering and hunting more calories than they consume which they provide to younger generations. In the Hazda tribe, grandmothers typically work longer hours than mothers do because they do not have to nurse little ones.

“A study of thousands of American women compared how much American and Hazda women walk and found that Hazda women walk twice as much per day as Americans. The study also showed that American women in their seventies were taking half as many daily steps as they did in their 20’s-40’s. In addition, heart rate monitors showed that elderly Hazda women actually spent more of their day engaged in moderate to vigorous activity than younger women who were still having children. Not surprisingly, hard work keeps elderly gatherer-hunters fit.” (p.232, Exercised)

Dr. Lieberman asks, “Is human longevity a result of physical activity or an adaptation to stay physically active?” He continues “it follows that if humans were selected to live long after we stopped having babies, we were probably not selected to live those years in a state of chronic disability.”

Our prehistoric ancestors had to move to survive and they had to keep moving their entire lives. We don’t have to be physically active to survive but according to Dr. Lieberman “there are many mechanisms in our bodies that slow aging and extend life and they are turned on by physical activity, especially as we age.” Because exercise is not necessary for our survival it is in our own best interests to make it as enjoyable as possible, we can do this by;

Remembering that it takes time for exercise to feel rewarding.

Finding an activity that you like or is the least unpleasant.

Thinking outside the box, what games did you play as a kid?

Exploring the vast world of dance, there are many different forms suitable to any age and ability.

Setting realistic big and small goals. What will you do on your worst day?

Establishing a habit first before trying to improve.

Making it a forever habit. Make it part of your day.

Making it social. Exercising, moving and playing can be more fun with company.

Designating a space for exercise that encourages you to exercise.

“Human health and longevity are extended both by and for physical activity.” Daniel Lieberman. Let these words sink in, to be human is to move. Move more and keep moving.

Intermittent Fasting

We all Fast, that period of time when we stop eating before going to sleep and start eating the following day is a Fast. For the purposes of this article Intermittent Fasting refers to the 16:8 approach which is fasting for 16 hours with an 8 hour eating window. There are other approaches including; The 5:2 method where you eat normally for five days of the week, and restrict your calories to 500 (women) or 600 (men) the other two days. The eat-stop-eat method where you do one or two 24-hour fasts each week; for example, not eating after lunch until lunch the next day and the alternate-day fasting method which involves eating normally one day, and then eating very low-calorie (500 calories) the following day.

I first thought about Intermittent Fasting when I saw a study for BBC’s Trust Me, I’m a Doctor. Participants were asked to eat their first meal of the day 90 minutes later and their last meal of the day 90 minutes earlier. This extended their overnight fast by three hours. The benefits experienced by the participants included; fat loss and lower blood sugar and cholesterol levels.

I have been Intermittent Fasting for several years now and for me the most significant benefits have been:

• breaking the habit of evening snacking. I no longer associate evening TV watching with eating,

• I no longer think about my caloric intake or my macro nutrient ratio or profile (fats, carbs, protein),

• I feel more in tune with my body’s signals. I can differentiate between physical hunger and psychological hunger
• and my weight has not fluctuated, this is significant because my lifestyle became a lot more sedentary while we were living in our motorhome.

Cynthia Thurlow a nurse practitioner and functional nutritionist describes Intermittent Fasting as Free, Simple, Flexible and revolutionary in her TED talk BUT it is not for everyone. There are several people for whom Intermittent Fasting is contraindicated and these include; people who have difficult to control diabetes, children, adolescents and people above 70 years of age, people who have chronic heart, kidney or renal issues, people with a history of a disordered relationship with food, people with a low BMI, people who have been recently hospitalized and if you are pregnant. However, if you are not in any of these groups I think Intermittent Fasting is a lifestyle worth consideration.

Intermittent Fasting is flexible, you choose your eating window based on your schedule and lifestyle. Although Cynthia Thurlow prescribes an 8 hour window for her clients, my eating window is between 9am and 6pm and I have found that this works for me, for now. Currently I am eating three meals a day but I am experimenting with eating two bigger meals. I have even done a 24 hour fast and it was not as difficult as I had anticipated.

There is a lot of information on Fasting and it is easy to feel overwhelmed and waste time by trying to read or watch everything, DON’T. Pick a few videos or books, get the gist and then try it, as long as it is not contraindicated for you and see how you feel.

THE RIGHT WORDS AT THE RIGHT TIME

You know how sometimes a message doesn’t sink in until you hear the right words at the right time? When I heard Dr. Fung, a Canadian Nephrologist and a world-leading expert on Intermittent Fasting, say “Weight loss/gain is more of a hormonal imbalance than a caloric imbalance.” It made me stop and say “Whoa, what?”

1. Hormones dictate what our body does with the calories we eat.
2. Insulin is a nutrient sensor, when insulin is elevated, it tells your body to STORE calories. I always knew that elevated Insulin levels were problematic but I did not fully understand why.
3. Every food you eat has a different hormonal impact. Foods high in good fat, protein and or fiber have a different hormonal impact than highly processed sugary foods. Again, I knew that but I always thought of it in terms of calories not hormones.
4. Snacking or frequent food intake during the day keeps your Insulin levels elevated. When you are eating your body is storing calories, when you are Fasting your body is using calories.
5. Fasting regulates Insulin and decreases hunger.

I think looking at our food intake through the lens of hormonal impact instead of caloric intake is more useful. I found Dr. Fung’s videos very insightful and helpful especially in regards to explaining the role of hormones in weight management. I particularly liked this interview with Dr. Fung.

Calorie Counting

Most of us know that eating a 500 calorie piece of cake will have a different impact on our body than 500 calories from a hearty vegetable soup. In the past that knowledge didn’t stop me from eating the piece of cake because I still thought that if I stayed within my daily caloric intake I wouldn’t gain weight. I also thought “I can work that off with my workout,” no big deal BUT continually eating sugary, highly processed foods has a cumulative, negative effect on our body no matter how much we workout.

We need to shift away from the calorie mindset and focus on the food itself.

Satiety

Fiber, Fat, Protein and Processed foods

Foods that are high in fiber, healthy fats and/or protein are high in satiety. They make us feel full. Usually it is harder to overeat these kinds of foods.

Be aware, there are a few things to consider;

1. Nuts. Roasted, salted and/or flavored nuts are not a high satiety food because they are highly processed and easy to overeat! Look at the difference in the ingredient list between a raw nut and a flavored nut. Choose raw nuts instead.

2. Most of us tend to think that a meal needs to contain meat to be filling. Meat does not equal protein (85 grams of skinless chicken = 28 grams of protein). Meat is high in bad fats and meat has NO fiber. I think choosing foods that have protein is more beneficial than worrying about whether a food is high or low in protein.

3. Eat the whole fruit not the processed derivatives. Eat the orange not the orange juice because the orange has more fiber. Eat raw cranberries not the dried cranberries because they have added sugar. Adding sugar is a process, juicing is a process (unless you juice the whole fruit).

4. Eat the high fiber whole grain bread not the highly processed white bread.

EAT AND DRINK FOODS THAT DON’T NEED AN INGREDIENT LIST OR HAVE A VERY SHORT LIST.

Hunger, ride the wave

Dr. Fung describes hunger as a wave, it builds up, it peaks and then it dissipates. It does not keep building up until you can no longer stand it. You can make hunger worse by telling yourself “OMG I am SO hungry! or when can I eat? or how much longer until I can eat?!” For most of my adult life I woke up hungry. The feeling of hunger was an uncomfortable state for me I would get a stomach ache and/or a head ache so hunger was tinged with feelings of anxiety and urgency. Feeling hungry was a cue for me to eat. I have made friends with my hunger, I notice it but I do not feel the need to do anything about it. Hunger means two things for me now, either, “YAY!” my body is now in a fasted state, I am USING my calories and my fat stores! Or if I am feeling hungry shortly after eating a meal that means my meal was not high in satiety foods. Hunger is not something to be feared rather hunger gives me useful information.

It is important to note that working out actually decreases the feeling of hunger, check out this study that asked “Will exercise make me hungry?” I have used this information to my advantage when I wake up early and have to wait 1.5 – 2 hours before I eat breakfast. If I start feeling hungry during this time I will do a workout and by the time I am done I am, a) no longer hungry and b) that much closer to my breakfast time.

Eating is the ultimate endurance test isn’t it? We have to eat to survive and everyday it starts again. What I ate yesterday doesn’t eliminate the need for me to eat today (unless you are fasting!) We have to eat food every day of our life for our entire life. Having to prepare our meals never stops. I feel that Intermittent Fasting has simplified my life. A couple of friends of mine have joked that sometimes they wish they could live with an IV for food intake so they didn’t have to think about food prep and food intake anymore, well, perhaps Fasting is the answer? Preparing two meals a day takes up less time and requires less effort than preparing three meals and multiple snacks. Something to think about…

What is good science?

Wine drinkers and chocolate lovers  love it when a new study comes out claiming that wine or chocolate is good for us, “yippee! I don’t have to feel guilty about eating something I love.”

This is a natural reaction, nobody likes to feel guilty and we want to be able to justify our actions.  However it seems like we are getting a little too good at extrapolating, being biased and failing to see the big picture.  For instance, the cocoa bean has health benefits but how many of us chocolate lovers are eating 100% cocoa powder?  Hot chocolate, milk chocolate, chocolate candies and chocolate chip cookies are not the chocolate with health benefits.  The scientific community is still debating whether wine is healthy.  Good science seems to tell us that abstaining is healthier than consuming one glass of wine a day but there is good science telling us that drinking one glass a day will not harm us and may provide some health benefits.   Can drinking wine reduce our risk of heart disease?  When BBC’s Trust Me I am a Dr team asked “How can I avoid getting heart disease?” they found that “The evidence on alcohol at the moment suggests that it is not protective against heart disease.”

Click here to read a great article discussing both the pros and cons of alcohol consumption.

We are too quick to leap onto a study that tells us what we want to hear and it is our tendency to make that leap that I want to call to your attention.  Being aware of your bias is critical in being able to evaluate good science.  I love sugar and I do not like alcohol.  I want to believe that alcohol is bad for us.  I think chocolate cake is a beautiful thing to do to cocoa.  I am fully aware of my bias so when I am reading studies, instead of looking at what the study says I first ask, IS IT A GOOD STUDY?

THE RULES OF GOOD SCIENCE

When it comes to distinguishing which studies are good or which studies are questionable look for the following;

Randomized-A Randomized Control Trial (RCT) is a study in which the participants are assigned by chance to separate groups; neither the researchers nor the participants can choose which group.  (PubMed Health Glossary-Source: NIH – National Cancer Institute).

Peer Reviewed– A Scholarly peer review (also known as refereeing) is the process of subjecting an author’s scholarly work, research, or ideas to the scrutiny of others who are experts in the same field, before a paper describing this work is published in a journal or as a book. (Wikipedia).

Double Blind-A double-blind study is one in which neither the participants nor the experimenters know who is receiving a particular treatment. This procedure is utilized to prevent bias in research results. Double-blind studies are particularly useful for preventing bias due to demand characteristics or the placebo effect. (Verywell.com).

It would be a good idea to become familiar with these terms as well,

Anecdotal Evidence-Evidence from anecdotes, i.e., evidence collected in a casual or informal manner and relying heavily or entirely on personal testimony. (Wikipedia).

Dictionary.com defines anecdotal evidence as non-scientific observations or studies, which do not provide proof but may assist in research efforts.

Cherry Picking-Cherry picking involves suppressing evidence because a company or person selects which studies it is going to reference to support their claim, or to confirm a particular position while ignoring a significant portion of related cases or data that may contradict that position.  (Wikipedia).

Extrapolate-to infer or extend the application of (a method or conclusion) to an unknown situation by assuming that existing trends will continue or similar methods will be applicable. (Oxforddictionaries.com).

In addition look for studies that are current and that have been reproduced several times, by different researchers.

This means you have to spend a little bit of time verifying what you read. Before I read an article I do a quick search on the author; what is their background and who is paying them? A friend of mine follows the Paleo diet and I am skeptical of this diet as it eliminates legumes, a very healthy food group and a staple in my diet so I did a quick Google search “paleo diet randomized studies.”  I found some interesting articles, this one was particularly good, it examined several studies on the paleo diet.  Adding these words to your vocabulary gives you a new language allowing you to be more critical and informed.  Once you know the words to use in your searches it becomes a lot easier to weed out the “bad science” and become aware of the “media’s habit of oversimplifying and overstating study results” (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, “Paleo diet still lacks evidence.”)

Let’s take a closer look at a couple of diets and examine the science behind their claims.

Wheat Belly

I have read Wheat Belly and it has affected how I eat. It motivated me to reduce my overall intake of white flour and grains. Vegetables are my staple, grains are a treat. However, Wheat Belly breaks several of the rules of good science. This book is full of anecdotal evidence, Dr. Davis claims that the wheat of today is a “frankenwheat”and that our modern wheat is not only unhealthy and toxic, but also addictive.    The “Frankenwheat” notion has never been scientifically proven.  Dr. Davis uses a study on rats from 1979 to support his claim of wheat being addictive and that study is not recent and has not been peer reviewed or replicated.  This CBC article summarizes the shaky science behind Wheat Belly.

In a recent BBC Horizon Episode: Clean Eating Dr. Giles Yeo spoke with Dr. Davis who is now extrapolating from Dr. Fasano‘s research on Celiac  disease to support his claim that,  “the consumption of grains is harming all of us to some degree.”  A claim which has not been scientifically proven.

• Dr. Davis uses the increase in Celiac Disease to support his position, however the increase in cases of this disease is mostly attributed to, according to Dr. Fasano, our improved ability to detect and diagnose the disease.
• In addition Dr. Fasano’s research shows that you need to have some pre-existing conditions (four in fact; genetic predisposition, a leaky gut, a faulty immune system AND an imbalance in gut microbes) in order for Gluten to be a problem.
• Finally, Dr. Fasano disagrees with Dr. Davis’ claim that the Gliadin protein can initiate the process of an autoimmune response leading the body to attack its own organs.  Dr. Davis is not only extrapolating to support his philosophy but ignoring good science (cherry picking).

Dr. Bill Davis is particularly dangerous because he portrays himself as someone, like me, who is trying to wade through all the misinformation out there and give people the facts.  He is guilty of questionable science.   Dr. Giles Yeo summarizes Dr. Davis and his philosophy like this “Bill Davis has no proof that giving up grains will have all these health effects on this wide range of diseases.  Extreme dietary advice requires proof otherwise all you are doing is stoking fear about a food group that most people shouldn’t have to worry about.”  BBC Horizon: Clean Eating.

The China Study

The China Study is known as the “most comprehensive study of nutrition ever conducted” however it too has been found to have used questionable research methods. The main author, Dr. Colin Campbell asserts that “plant based foods are beneficial and animal based foods are NOT, period.”   However eliminating ALL animal based foods  has not been scientifically proven to be a healthier way of eating.

Dr Giles Yeo asked if Dr. Colin could have been affected by Observational Bias- when a researcher sees what they want to see instead of what the data shows,  while researching for the China Study.   Dr. Colin does admit that this may have occurred.  In addition Dr. Colin used Cholesterol as a Proxy;

• Proxy Method-in which a variable (Dr. Colin used increased levels of Cholesterol) which correlates with the variable of interest (Increased risk of cardiovascular disease)  is measured, and then used to infer the value of the variable of interest.  (Wikipedia).
• Proxy Method, is a form of Extrapolation-A= Meat Intake, B= Increased cholesterol levels and C= Increased risk of cardiovascular disease. If you have data linking A to B and B to C, you cannot then conclude that A=C.  Many factors contribute to increased cholesterol, like genetics, not just meat intake.

Dr. Colins went into his research looking to prove that meat consumption increased the risk of CV disease, he picked the data on cardiovascular disease that supported his position instead of considering all of the risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

A new language

I want to give you a new language which allows you to read articles, journals and studies with a critical mindset.  I found some useful tips on how to tell fake news from real news  and the tips apply here, especially this one,   How does it make you feel?  Is the study/article telling you what you WANT to hear?  Is it confirming your bias?  It is important to be aware of your biases otherwise it is too easy to fall prey to extreme health claims that ultimately lead to disappointment, frustration and not knowing who to trust and what to believe.  Reading a study published in a scientific journal can be intimidating but you can save yourself time by looking for these key words; randomized, peer reviewed, and double blind.  Knowledge is your best weapon against media hype and bad science.

Your Microbiome, Probiotics, and Fermented Foods: Myths and Facts

Microbiome: Cool Facts

Cool facts about bacteria that I learned from Martin Blaser‘s, Missing Microbes:

• Your body is composed of an estimated 30 trillion human cells – and more than 100 trillion bacterial and fungal cells. That’s right – bacterial cells substantially outnumber your own human cells.
• When you were in your mother’s womb, you had NO bacteria. During the birth process (vaginal birth), you were colonized by trillions of microbes.
• The microbes that constitute your microbiome are generally acquired before the age of three.
• Your microbiome is responsible for your immunity, metabolism and cognition. It’s what keeps you healthy.

I thought of my body as being composed of cells, organs and complex structures. I never thought about my body as trillions of microbes working together, waiting, feeding, communicating, fighting and dying.  “Collectively these bacteria weigh about three pounds and represent perhaps 10,000 distinct species. Over time they have evolved specialized properties that allow them to thrive in and on particular niches in the human body,” writes Martin Blaser in Missing Microbes.

The theory of microbes was formulated in 1543. Humans have known about microbes for a very long time but only in the last 100 years have scientists really started to understand the impact our microbes have on health and longevity.

These days, you can’t open a newspaper or health magazine without seeing an article about gut health, probiotics, and more recently the importance of fermented foods. In Missing Microbes, Blaser shows how our overuse of antibiotics has negatively affected our microbiome, making us more susceptible to “modern plagues.”

Jason Tetro’s book, The Germ Files is another excellent guidebook about the roles microbes play in our body, what we can do to improve the diversity of our microbiome, and how to work with our microbes to lead healthier lives.

Probiotics 101

There is a wealth of fascinating and useful information in both of these books. But, in this article, I will focus on probiotics and fermented foods; are they really beneficial? Does the latest research back up their health claims?  As a personal trainer I feel a responsibility to help people wade through the masses of information on the latest hot topics in health and nutrition and there is already a lot of misinformation circulating regarding gut health. I would like to help you sort the facts from the marketing half truths.

Let’s start with some definitions (most paraphrased or copied from Blaser and Tetro):

BACTERIA are microscopic living organisms, usually one-celled, that can be found everywhere. Everywhere on the planet and everywhere in and on your body.

VIRUSES “strictly speaking are not alive, they propagate by invading and co-opting living cells.”

MICROBIOME is defined as the collection of microbes or microorganisms that inhabit an environment, creating a sort of “mini-ecosystem”. Our human microbiome is made up of communities of symbiotic, commensal and pathogenic bacteria (along with fungi and viruses) all of which call our bodies home.

PROBIOTICS are live bacteria and yeasts.

PREBIOTICS are chemical compounds that stimulate the growth of organisms we consider favourable.

SYNBIOTICS are mixtures of probiotics and prebiotics. The prebiotic increases the chances that the probiotic will colonize the intestines in greater numbers and for a longer time.

FERMENTATION is the process in which a substance breaks down into a simpler substance. Microorganisms like yeast and bacteria usually play a role in the fermentation process.  Jason Tetro defines fermentation as “the deliberate spoiling of food with known species of bacteria or fungi in order to prevent rotting from more harmful microbes.”

PASTEURIZATION is the process of exposing a food or drink to an elevated temperature for a period of time sufficient to destroy certain microorganisms, mainly bacteria. (Dictionary.com)

PLACEBO EFFECT Also called the placebo response. A remarkable phenomenon in which a placebo — a fake treatment, an inactive substance like sugar, distilled water, or saline solution — can sometimes improve a patient’s condition simply because the person has the expectation that it will be helpful. The more a person believes they are going to benefit from a treatment, the more likely it is that they will experience a benefit (Medicinenet.com)

• Martin Blaser explains that “when you go to a health-food store looking for probiotics, the very act of walking in suggests you are seeking something to make you feel better. By buying the product, you are ready to be helped and the placebo effect kicks in.”

Probiotics: Good or Bad?

Martin Blaser is skeptical about the many claims surrounding all the probiotics on the grocery and health food store shelves. “They are almost completely untested. The packages make all sorts of vague claims about health promotion, yet in most cases no rigorous trials were done to show that the ingredients were actually effective.” Blaser continues: “The definition of probiotics is broad but so are the different types of bacterial cultures sold in stores. Sometimes what are apparently the same strains are sold under different labels with different text extolling their benefits…. It is the wild west; the field is almost completely unregulated.”

Jason Tetro shares a similar concern, stating: “Some probiotics may do more harm than good.”  He then gives these tips on how to find good probiotics:

1. Know the types of bacteria in the product. If you don’t see Latin, the product probably is not going to help.
2. Know exactly what benefits can be gained from taking in these microbes. The claims can include improving digestion, improving the diversity of the microbial population of the gut and helping heart health. 
   
3. Know if you are getting enough. Research has proven that adults need at least ten billion bacteria in each serving to make any difference. For the record, yogurt only contains millions per serving.

According to Trust Me, one of my favourite health resources, “it is possible to alter the proportions of different bacteria that already live in our guts by making changes to our diet.” Check out the Trust Me website for lots more information on probiotics and gut health.

The Probiotic Family

Tetro writes: “Only a few microbial species qualify as probiotics and most come from one of two groups: Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium. These are the primary fermenters of yogurt and other solid forms of dairy. Other fermenters include Bacillus, Enterococcus and Streptococcus and many probiotic mixtures now include these bacteria. Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium are the most tested forms of probiotics and they have shown the most benefit to humans, including aiding in digestion and producing beneficial chemicals which promote balance in metabolism and the immune system.”

When choosing a probiotic product, be sure to read the ingredients list. The list should either be exclusively microbial or at least have those species at the top of the list.  If the first ingredient is sugar PUT IT BACK.

Fermented Foods

We probably know someone who is experimenting with fermented foods right now and rightfully so, as “analyses of several fermented food products reveal that many contain antioxidants, anti-inflammatories and metabolism regulating molecules,” Tetro reports.  BUT as with the probiotics, we need to know what to look for to get the health benefits.

First and foremost, the fermented foods must be raw or UNpasteurized. Remember the definitions earlier? Pasteurization KILLS bacteria, both the bad and the good. It is the fermenting organisms present in fermented foods that benefit us, they enrich vitamins to aid in their absorption and produce chemicals that calm our immune system. Tetro explains: “The bacterial and fungal species are either the same as or related to the healthy bacteria we already have in our gastrointestinal tract.”

When we change milk through fermentation we end up with yogurt, cheese or Kefir.  Trust Me did an experiment with Kefir and the results were positive. The subjects who consumed Kefir regularly had increases in one type of bacteria. The experiment was a success because they were trying to see if Kefir increased the amount of a specific bacteria, already present in the gut and it did. It did not increase the diversity of the gut bacteria by introducing new species – this is an important distinction because a lot of products make this claim and as of yet there is no research proving it.

According to Tetro, one of the ways that we can improve the diversity of our microbiome is to change our environment. For instance, if you live in the city take regular trips to forests, farmland, rivers, mountains and coasts. It is important to note that new bacteria tend to stay in our system for only a few days so it is crucial to visit these environments regularly.

Stay Tuned

There is a wealth of information on gut health, probiotics and fermented foods. I chose to read the two books that I reference here (Missing Microbes and The Germ Files by Jason Tetro), as well as reading up on the Trust Me website to familiarize myself with the basics and find out the latest results from research.

I chose books written by scientists because I feel that they are a trustworthy resource.  We are being inundated with fake news and media hype, especially in the areas of fitness and nutrition. We need to be more critical in choosing our sources of information. I will be discussing this in more detail in my next article.

 

 

 

 

 

 

BBC’s Trust Me, I am a Doctor

Trust Me, I am a Dr is a BBC TV Series that got me really excited especially with the latest research in the fields of health, nutrition and fitness. I would like to summarize some of those findings here, in particular what I find to be the most relevant to this blog.

Protein drinks are a waste of your money

We have become protein obsessed

In a Trust Me experiment a group of participants were put on an exercise regime, throughout their exercise program some drank a protein drink and some did not.  Results showed NO difference in muscle or strength gain between the two groups. Everyone increased strength by about 30% and muscle mass by 1-2% irrelevant of protein supplementation! Your body can only use about 20-30 grams at a meal anything extra is either stored as fat or comes out in your urine.

I feel that we have become a protein obsessed culture, I am not sure who is to blame for this I think both the fitness and body building industry as well as meat and dairy farmers but we have certainly embraced what they are selling, to the detriment of our health and our pocketbooks.

When you eat matters

It is not just about WHAT you eat but WHEN you eat

A new theory suggests that giving ourselves longer periods without eating can make us healthier. In a Trust Me experiment 12 people changed their eating habits over 10 weeks to test this new theory.  They ate breakfast 1.5 hours later and supper 1.5 hours earlier and no snacking after supper.  This meant there were three hours more per day when they were not eating. There were no restrictions on what they ate. Results showed that those that restricted their eating time had lower resting blood sugar levels, cholesterol and body fat. WHY? because (a) your body deals with the calories more efficiently, (b) increased metabolism during the day and (c) possibly a fasting effect.
Fat levels naturally rise in the evening due to Melatonin, when you eat during this time you “spike” the natural effect. Results do suggest that we should be eating most of our calories earlier in the day. Late dinners and evening snacking make it really hard to maintain a healthy weight and almost impossible to lose weight.

I have put this theory into practice by fasting between 6pm and 8am everyday and I do like the results.

Competition is a good motivator

Competition and collaboration are effective motivational techniques

Trust Me conducted a study where three groups of people were given different motivational techniques to establish which technique worked best.

• Control group were given no incentives, no prizes and no coaching
• Competitors were given incentives to achieve the most weight loss within the group (individual goals for weight loss and a prize for the individual who lost the most weight).
• Collaborators were given incentives to work as a group (prize given to group who lost most weight, total pounds lost).

It was found that the collaborators improved 16% with improvement staying stable throughout the month and competitors improved 30% improving on a week by week basis. When it comes to weight loss, social pressure motivates us.  This is why it is crucial to let others know when you are trying to lose weight, get people to compete with you or at the very least have a group of people who can help motivate and support you.

Get to know your gut

Gut bacteria may be key to weight loss

Our gut bacteria is key to how we process food, different foods will spike blood sugar levels in different people causing weight gain. In another Trust Me experiment two women (same height and same weight) had the exact same diet and activity for one week but each woman had a very different gut bacteria profile.
It was found that the foods that spiked for one woman had the opposite effect on the other so the woman that gained weight on those foods changed her diet to avoid foods that spiked her blood sugar levels and this resulted in a change in her microbiome.

Research is showing that we can change our gut bacteria. Knowing what foods to eat and changing our gut bacteria so we process food better may be key to weight management and weight loss.  For more information on this fascinating subject consider reading one of these; Missing Microbes, The Germ Files and The Diet Myth.

Some other interesting findings included;

 

• Women seem to benefit more from working out on an empty stomach whereas men do better after they have eaten because men have more muscle which means they have a greater capacity to store and utilize carbohydrates.
• Stop buying high antioxidant smoothies and fruit drinks. Yes, antioxidants sweep up free radicals which are thought to cause damage to cells BUT free radicals are vital for muscle growth, free radicals are signal molecules that tell the body when to repair muscles.  Most of us have the amount of free radicals we need and our bodies are very good at maintaining homeostasis.  When you ingest a smoothie or fruit drink that is loaded with antioxidants, yes the level of antioxidants in your body will initially spike but your body will then do what ever it takes to get back to homeostasis and compensate by lowering free radicals BELOW baseline and it will take up to 24 hours to get back up to baseline. So instead of getting an antioxidant boost you are forcing your body to overcompensate and reduce free radicals below baseline for up to 24 hours impairing your body’s ability to build and repair muscle.
• Is there a difference between outdoor and treadmill running? The short answer is no however we do get more benefits from running outside because running outside forces you on to different surfaces improving balance, you get an increase in Vitamin D and it is better for your mind; read Your Brain on Nature for more information on this topic.  If you want to get some of the benefits from outdoor running but prefer to run on a treadmill use at least a 1% incline to compensate for the lack of wind resistance and vary your speed and incline throughout your workout.

This show inspired me to make several changes in my life and all have had positive results.  Please visit the Trust Me website for lots more eye opening and inspiring information.

Fitness Myths

In my next Iron Rose on the Road article I was planning to write about a wide spread discrepancy I have been noticing regarding people’s fitness goals and lack of results or to say it another way a discrepancy between what people say they want and what they are actually willing to do.  I realized that before I publish my next article I had to spend some time dispelling some persistent fitness myths.  These are my top three and I hope that I can finally put these to rest.

Notice her knees, they are slightly beyond her toes. Perfect squat technique.

Myth #1 Don’t let your knees go beyond your toes/Squatting is bad for your knees

Squatting on your haunches is a very natural human position, in fact a lot of people in the world still squat to go to the bathroom.  When it comes to exercise the squat is an absolute must and Paul Chek includes squatting as one of six primal movement patterns, these patterns form the foundation from which all movement originates.  Click here to watch a short video of Paul explaining the primal movement patterns.

In my years as a personal trainer I have had a few clients say to me that they don’t want to squat, mostly because they are worried about their knees but in fact we know that because squats build all the muscles around the knee joint, squatting is good for your knees.  Very few knee issues make squats contraindicated and there are so many variations of the squat that even with a knee issue there is always a way to squat without making a pre-existing condition worse.  I am concerned that people are eliminating this vital and beneficial exercise from their fitness routines, if you go to the bathroom, if you get in and out of a car and if you go up and down steps throughout your day then you NEED to squat.  Click here to read Paul Chek’s article “Fear the squat no more!” (Paul gets pretty technical in his writing, if you find this article a challenge skip down to the “For Those Who Have Been Injured by a Squat” section and the Conclusion.

Myth #2 The fat burning zone (The long slow burn)

Look at any cardio machine and you will see a little chart that shows what intensity to work at to burn fat, which is low intensity (about 65%).  Although this is based on fact it has been taken out of context to the point that it is no longer accurate and in fact, very misleading.  Yes if you work at 65% of your max then a higher percentage of calories burned come from fat BUT if you work at a higher intensity you burn more calories and even though a smaller percentage comes from fat you have burned more calories total.  However this is all irrelevant, the ratio is NOT IMPORTANT, if you want to burn fat then do workouts that burn lots of calories, period.

In my next article I discuss the importance of high intensity training to gain maximum results but in order to understand why high intensity is more effective than lower intensity training you need to have a basic understanding of the three metabolic systems.  Every one who has done any kind of resistance training program will be familiar with sets and reps and rest periods, this, proven, effective, training method is based on the metabolic training systems. When it comes to maximum fat burning you need to work in both aerobic and anaerobic systems, click here to read this excellent article on the “fat burning zone.”

My clients will be all too familiar with this concept as I encouraged my clients to do shorter and higher intensity workouts.  Shin Otake, a reputable trainer and a former competitive athlete, coach and chiropractic soft tissue therapist agrees with me.  Shin states that “fitness is intensity dependent NOT duration dependent” and I could not agree more.

Myth #3 You can “lengthen” your muscles (long, lean muscles)

What does this even mean?  Yoga makes this claim and it is a physiological impossibility. We as clients and participants benefit from knowing some basic physiology and anatomy, the more we understand about our own bodies the more we can modify our expectations in regards to our to fitness goals.  This short video illustrates how our muscles work.

Unfortunately, women not wanting to “build” muscle but wanting to look more toned have at least partially lead to this pervasive and false claim in the fitness industry.  Ladies if you want a firmer butt you need to build bigger butt muscles.  If you want toned arms you need to build bigger deltiods, biceps and triceps.  Actually there is another way to do it and it is to reduce your body fat enough that you see more of your muscles BUT in order to do this your body fat percentage, especially for women, has to get really low which is just not a realistic goal for most.  In addition if you reduce body fat alone without building up your muscles you can still be flabby, small but flabby and NOT toned.

Women are understandably hesitant to weight train to “build muscle” they are afraid of looking bulky but this just does not happen, I have been consistently weight training to build muscle for several years and I do not look bulky.  Women do not have enough testosterone (and too much Estrogen) to build muscle the way men do.  I would like to see more women weight train and working to build up their muscle mass, the benefits are numerous and include;

• increased fat loss
• more tone and firmness
• better sleep
• stress release
• prevent muscle loss due to age, prevention of joint deterioration
• prevention of osteoporosis
• reduced Cortisol levels, which reduces belly fat.   In an op-ed piece in Forbes magazine, Jennifer Cohen outlines several strategies that burn up cortisol to reduce belly fat.  Cortisol is a hormone in your body that depletes lean muscle and holds on to fat in the abdominal region.  One of the most important ways to prevent this process is to reduce stress in your life, because stress causes cortisol levels to spike. Other strategies that help reduce your cortisol levels, include getting enough sleep and doing short bursts of high intensity training-more on this in my next article.

I hope I have provided enough information to finally dispel these myths, as a personal trainer for well over a decade it was heart breaking to see my clients getting frustrated when they did not see the results they were expecting.   The actual workouts are only part of the process, management of expectations and setting realistic goals are also key. In order to manage expectations when it comes to our fitness goals, we need to have a basic understanding of our anatomy and physiology.  Please take the time to click on the links I have provided in this article, I believe this information will change the way you exercise.

Dangerous Advertising

I wanted to talk about this when I was still in Ottawa however my last few months there were, as you can imagine, a bit hectic. I took this photo in a Real Canadian Superstore location because I was furious and I wanted to point out how misleading marketing, especially of food, can be and how important it is to be an educated consumer. I don’t know if this display is still up but even if it isn’t it is worthwhile talking about it as this method is used by the food industry constantly. A typical consumer looks at this display and makes an assumption; that everything in that display case meets the criteria advertised (“Our stores carry the widest range of MSC and ASC certified sustainably wild-caught and responsibly farmed seafood products in Canada”). This is normal, this is what most of us do and companies know this, so they take advantage. In reality when my husband and I looked thoroughly through that bin and read EVERY package there was only ONE bag of fish that met the criteria advertised on that sign.  And what does responsibly farmed mean anyway?  Well to the best of my knowledge farmed seafood is not responsible on any level it is the equivalent to a CAFO, the only responsible seafood farming is organic and/or inland farms  (for more detailed information on fish farms please read Bottomfeeder by Taras Grescoe) but I have yet to see any seafood from those farms at a supermarket. We make this assumption over and over again on many levels:

• if it is sold in a health food store it must be healthy-WRONG
• if it is gluten-free it must be healthy-WRONG
• if it is low in calories (100 calorie snack packs!) it must be healthy-WRONG
• if it is made from 100% fruit juice it must be healthy-WRONG and there are hundreds more examples
• if it is made with 100% natural ingredients, it must be healthy-WRONG

Food Labels I cannot stress enough the importance of reading the ingredient list  and NOT the food label (the black and white label that shows percentage and/or amounts of the macro nutrients).   The most important and relevant information on any food package is the ingredient list.  This list enables me to make better food decisions. I would even venture to say that the food label is almost useless and even used as a diversionary tactic to lead you away from the ingredient list. The food label does not tell you what type of sugar is in the food (very important), the food label tells you calories but a calorie is not a calorie-the type of calorie matters so just because a food is low calorie does not mean it is healthy. Please, please, please read the ingredient list before making the decision to buy. Calories do not matter (ultimately) if the ingredients are not high quality. We have become a little too preoccupied with the calorie content of food, again the food industry knows this and this is why you will often see the calorie count advertised on the front of a food package. This way you are persuaded that it is healthy and you have not felt the need to look further and read the ingredient list, which is more telling.

Agave-the big swindle I am sure many of you have noticed recently that agave nectar has popped up everywhere especially in “health food” stores. I put health food in quotation marks because a lot of what is sold in these stores is not healthy but that is another newsletter.  Back to Agave Nectar, I recently watched a fantastic lecture on youtube, Sugar: The bitter truth by Dr.Lustig, this man is seen as the authority on sugar, he gets interviewed in almost any documentary about the food industry. The lecture is about 90 minutes long and it gets right into the science of sugars and exactly how they impact your body. One of the take home messages is this, Fructose is the worst kind of sugar for your body, it is a poison and here is the kicker Agave is almost 100% fructose!!! Table sugar is only 50% fructose, table sugar is “healthier” than Agave.  Agave is basically the same as high fructose corn syrup and we all know how bad that is yet somehow Agave is permitted to be advertised as healthy. Which brings me back to my earlier point, read the ingredient list. In fact someone said that if a food is trying to convince you that it is healthy it probably ISN’T and I tend to agree. Dr.Lustig also explains why fruit (whole fruit-not fruit juice), although a sugar, is healthy because of fiber and how fiber is missing in our diets.

A  Recommendation I read this book a few years ago, Buyology: the truth and lies about why we buy by Lindstrom and Underhill and I learned a lot about marketing and I was convinced of the importance of understanding how and why companies choose their advertising. This book helped me become a more educated consumer. Also check out Under the Influence on CBC radio, visit their website to listen and download the podcast. Host “Terry O’Reilly explores why we make the shopping decisions we make, and how we are influenced by words, colours and images. He tells stories of the remarkable creativity found at the higher realms of marketing, and analyzes the ads we love to hate. ” My husband and I have listened to this show several times and we always enjoy it.