Healthy Hydration
Did you know that by the time you are thirsty you are probably already dehydrated? As Joe Cannon points out in his article “Preventing Hydration,” if your body is short just 2% of its required fluid level, it negatively impacts your body and your mind. In addition to thirst, even “mild” hydration can cause dizziness, confusion, irritability, constipation, drowsiness, and fever. Other signs of mild to moderate dehydration include headaches, stiff joints, nausea, cramping, dry mouth, muscle weakness, and sunken eyes.
For athletes and people with physical occupations, dehydration also reduces the ability to perform properly, thereby increasing the risk of injury. Joe Cannon’s research indicates that athletes and those with jobs that involve physical exertion; dehydration reduces athletic performance by 30%. This is because water helps your body to exercise efficiently. It lubricates your entire body and is a vital part of all of the chemical reactions that enable us to survive.
Average adults should drink approximately half your body weight in ounces of fluid. For example, if you weigh 150 pounds, you should drink 75 ounces of fluids. Of course, this figure should be adjusted if you are exercising intensely, training in the heat, etc.
Other tips for active adults:
- Drink a glass of water before you exercise, several small amounts periodically during your workout, and a glass after your workout.
- Drink enough fluids to replace approximately 150% of the weight lost during exercise.
- If your workout facility doesn’t provide cups next to a water cooler, be sure to take your water bottle with you.
- Hydration is not provided by water alone. Recent studies have debunked the myth that coffee is not a good source for hydration and indicate that coffee, in the amount that you normally consume, hydrates as well as water over a 24-hour period. Also, remember that a healthy diet provides hydration as well. For example, broccoli is 80% water!
Bearing all this in mind, it is possible to get too much of a good think. Overhydrating can be just as dangerous as being extremely dehydrated. The clinical term for over hydration is hyponatremia. It is a condition in which the level of sodium in your blood dips to dangerously low levels. When this occurs, your body’s water levels rise and your cells begin to swell. This swelling occurs throughout the body, including vital organs such as the heart and brain. Some of the symptoms of hyponatremia include headache, nausea, confusion, fatigue, loss of appetite, muscle weakness, spasms or cramps, seizures, vomiting, lack of consciousness and coma. If you suspect a case of hyponatremia, get the victim to the emergency room as soon as possible.
To avoid this dangerous condition, follow the following advice:
- Drink small amounts of fluid at regular intervals. You should never feel “full” of water.
- Eat a small banana before you work out to provide your body with potassium.
- When exerting yourself in hot conditions or for extended periods of time, drink a sports drink with sodium and potassium.
- Eat a salted snack during and after long periods of exertion.
To HIIT or Not to HIIT
If you had a choice, would you exercise really hard for a few minutes or moderately for 45 minutes? Pressed for time, you would probably select the former. According to a recent study, the two options - high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and endurance training - yield some of the same health and fitness benefits.
Now you may be wondering if the rise of HIIT signals the demise of endurance training. Rest assured, both approaches are here to stay. For a recent article in the Washington Post, lifelong mind-body fitness enthusiast Gabriella Boston explored the health and fitness benefits associated with HIIT and endurance training, whether or not HIIT training is appropriate for everyone, and if there is an ideal weekly ratio of HIIT-to-endurance training.
When she consulted fitness professionals and a sports medicine doctor, she was directed to a study by researchers at McMaster University in Ontario. The study looked at sedentary individuals, not athletes with sport-specific goals, and focused on health indicators such as insulin sensitivity and cardiorespiratory fitness (the body's ability to supply oxygen-rich blood to the muscles and for the muscles to use that blood for movement). "The study focused on health intervention. How can we get [sedentary] people into a regular exercise routine?" said Pete McCall, spokesperson for the American Council on Exercise.
As Boston highlighted, lack of time is often cited as a reason that so many of us (about 60 percent) fail to get regular exercise. Therefore, for the majority of Americans, a shorter, more efficient routine could be an attractive solution.
The study concluded that 30 minutes of interval training, consisting of 10 minutes to warm-up, 10 minutes of high-intensity intervals, and 10 minutes of cool-down, had the same health benefits as 150 minutes of moderate endurance activity for individuals who are just starting out on a fitness regime. It is important to note that those who are sedentary and just starting a fitness program are the most vulnerable to cardiac events, which can be brought on by high-intensity interval training. Therefore, members of this population should definitely see their doctor for an evaluation before starting a new fitness routine.
Next, Boston explored the benefits of HIIT for those who are already engaged in a fitness routine. "With athletes, like everyone else, it improves VO2 max and lactate threshold," says Dave Hryvniak, a doctor with University of Virginia sports teams. VO2 max is a measure of the maximum volume of oxygen that an athlete can use per minute while lactate threshold is the point at which lactate, a waste product resulting from the body’s conversion of nutrients to energy, builds up faster than it can be removed from the blood. "The best athletes have the highest VO2 max," he says.
However, when it comes to HIIT vs. endurance training, it is never an either/or situation. The ration depends on the athletic activity and it’s specific demands. Most runners, for example, will do high-intensity interval training, working at more than 90 percent of their max heart rate, to increase power and speed, but they obviously also do long runs too, says Hryvniak.
The type and length of intervals is sport-specific. For example, a football player might need to do 10-second intervals (short but very intense bursts of power), while a tennis player might train with 30- to 45-second intervals, says Ben Fidler, fitness director at Sport&Health on Capitol Hill in Washington.
Fidler, who does high-intensity intervals as part of his own routine, says it is important to remember that the body needs lots of time to recover after high-intensity intervals. "You can only do HIIT 15 to 20 minutes a few times a week," Fidler says. "It's really hard on the body."
High intensity training creates significant stress on muscles and demands sufficient nutrition, sleep and recovery to heal muscles and avoid overtraining syndrome. Overtraining syndrome is an imbalance that can be illustrated in a simple equation: Training = Workout + Recovery. The full spectrum of overtraining syndrome includes hormonal, nutritional, mental, emotional, muscular, and neurological imbalances.
Unlike HIIT, you can train aerobically for endurance, at a lower heart rate, every day of the week. "Endurance days can also help you recover from the high-intensity days," Hryvniak says. As with any training program, though, you should start at an easy to moderate level, training at 40 percent to 60 percent of your maximum heart rate, and then, as you get fitter, move into a moderate-to-challenging range at about 70 percent of your max heart rate. If you would like to learn more about finding your target heart rate, see my article, “Finding Your Target Heart Rate.” (insert link here).
It is also important to be sport- and goal-specific when figuring out your training routine. If you are training for a 10-miler, you will have to put the time in. For example, if you figure the race will take you 90 minutes, you need to be on your feet for that amount of time during training. "The body is an adaptive machine," Fidler says. "It will respond to whatever you put it through."
In other words, if you put it through 15 to 20 minutes of high-intensity intervals, that is what it becomes good at - not 90 minutes of steady-state endurance work. "Your body won't know what to do after the 15 to 20 minutes of HIIT," he says. "But when you are working on steady-state cardio for a longer period of time, the body adapts to that."
The aerobic/endurance training zone is also called “the fat-burning zone,” which means that the body is using fat for fuel, Hryvniak says. Therefore, it is clear that endurance training can be beneficial for weight loss. Studies also show that HIIT is useful for weight loss, as the post-exercise metabolic rate is higher after HIIT than after endurance training. In other words, HIIT and endurance training are complimentary and that the ideal ratio is really sport and goal specific.
Fitness experts recommend not just doing these two but also adding strength, balance, mobility and stability into your routine. For example, add resistance training for strength and stability as well as yoga for mobility, core, mind and balance.
Boston’s fitness experts all suggest varying your routine at least every few months if you want to continue to see improvement. "There is no one way of doing it," McCall says. "But we do know that doing nothing at all - no regular exercise at all - will take years off your life."
The Essential Nutrients
For years, many Americans ignored the critical value of macronutrients – our essential source of energy. You might not have heard of the term “macronutrients” before, but you still eat them every day. Over the past twenty years, many diet plans banished these vital nutrient in a misguided approach to losing weight.
First there was the fat-free craze of the 90’s, ignoring evidence that healthy fats such as avocados, walnuts and olive oil can help you shed fat. For example, a study in the British Journal of Nutrition shows that adults who eat the most unsaturated fat have lower body mass indexes and less belly fat than those who eat the least.
Then, in the early years of the 21st century, low carb diets like Atkins surged in popularity, urging people to cut carbs, even from fruits and vegetables, and maximize protein and fat. However, some research disputes this notion. For example, a 2014 study in the Public Library of Science, studied adults on two different diets with the same number of calories. One was rich in whole grains and low in red meat and the other was low in whole grains and rich in red meat. The adults on the diet rich in whole grains and low in red enhanced the diversity of their gut bacteria, lost more weight and decreased their body fat.
Nutritionist Rania Batayneh suggests including all the macronutrients at each meal. She recommends one serving of carbohydrates, one serving of protein and one serving of fat at every meal and snack. “Because every meal or snack contains a protein, a carb and a fat, you’re supporting each structure and function of your body with nutrients every few hours, which leads to overall health and wellness," she adds. By combining them at each meal, you can stay full longer, keep your blood sugar from spiking, prevent fat gain, and give your muscles a constant supply of protein for muscle growth. It is important to note that some foods count as two different macronutrients. For example, beans count as both a carb and protein, and cheese counts as a fat and protein. “Eating a variety and balance of macronutrients helps to ensure that you meet your micronutrient goals too, which are also key in promoting good health,” says Batayneh. For example, proteins tend to be high in iron and zinc; carbs boast fiber and B vitamins; and fats offer omega-3 fatty acids and help absorb fat-soluble vitamins found in many fruits and vegetables.
In terms of the benefits of getting your energy from macronutrients, Wesley Delbridge, a registered dietitian and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends a focus on whole grains and unprocessed foods at every meal. “All carbohydrates contain 4 calories per gram, but we are seeing that refined ones are adsorbed and stored differently in the body,” he says. “What I think is missing from the common American diet is that we aren’t focused on getting all of our macronutrients for every meal and snack. People wake up and have a granola bar and an apple for breakfast and think they are doing well. Not to knock apples, but without fat and protein in that breakfast, they are just going to be starving and tired in an hour,” he says.
The American Heart Association recommends that no more than 30 percent of your daily calories come from fat (only 10 percent should be saturated fat). That leaves 70 percent or more of your calories to divvy up between protein and fat. There is debate over what that split should be, but dieticians generally recommend 40 to 60 percent of your total calories come from whole carbs and 20 to 30 percent from lean protein.
Macronutrients are critical to a healthy diet, and we should strive to incorporate them frequently in our meals and snacks. Shoot for variety and healthy choices and you will be well on your way to meeting your nutrition and fitness goals.
Signs You’re Successful – Even If It Doesn’t Feel Like It
It is that time of year again when we should probably pull out our New Year’s Resolutions and conduct a mid-year review. If you are like most of us, you may have fallen short of what you had hoped to accomplish by now. While it is admirable that so many of us strive for self-improvement, it is also important that we are kind to ourselves and set realistic expectations. Lofty goals may lead to inevitable moments when you feel like you are not living up to your own expectations.
We live in a world that reinforces this feeling. Though most people won’t admit it, in the back of their minds, they often equate material possessions with success.
It is a shame that many of us fall prey to materialistic thinking because we certainly know better. A study by Strayer University found that 90% of Americans believe happiness is a greater indicator of success than power, possessions, or prestige. Digging a little deeper, 67% defined success as “good relationships with friends and family,” and 60% said that success is achieved when you love what you do for a living. Only 20% believe that monetary wealth determines success.
Unfortunately, our heads don’t always follow our hearts. When it comes to defining success, our eyes often deceive us. Many of us feel like the most successful people are those with the nicest homes, the fanciest cars, and the most exotic vacation pics. Regardless of what you achieve, there’s always someone with more, and this may make one feel inadequate. The problem is not a lack of toys; it is the belief that toys indicate success.
Real success is about who you are and how much determination and grit you exhibit in your life journey. For more information on the power of grit, see my review of this article on Sisu, the intensive grit invented by the Finns. (Insert link here.) If you ever worry that you are not as successful as you think you should be, you may be evaluating yourself against the wrong criteria. Sometimes we just need to be reminded of all that we have accomplished in life. The following success indicators may help you to more effectively evaluate your success factors.
You’re no longer the center of the universe. We all know “successful” people who act like they’re the center of the universe. It’s their world and the rest of us just live in it…right? That’s not success. True success requires the ability to feel empathy—to realize that other people’s feelings and dreams are just as important as ours, and we cannot succeed without them.
You stay positive. Hope and optimism are essential components of a happy life. If you dwell on the things that go wrong, you become bitter and resentful. When that happens, you fail—no matter what you may have achieved. Real success means always seeing the bright side and believing you have the power to make even the worst situations better.
You know that failure isn’t forever. You’ve learned that the only people who never fail are those who don’t try. When you fail, you don’t automatically assume that you’re a failure. Instead, you embrace each failure as an opportunity to learn something—and then you move on. If you still struggle with this at times, know that you’ll never experience true success until you learn to embrace failure. Your mistakes pave the way for your success by revealing when you’re on the wrong path. The biggest breakthroughs typically come when you’re feeling the most frustrated and the most stuck. It’s this frustration that forces you to think differently, to look outside the box and see the solution you’ve been missing.
You keep things in perspective. Sometimes bad things happen. It’s part of life. For most of us, however, our very worst day would seem like a vacation to somebody who has real problems—like not having enough to eat, or trying to survive a civil war. Locking your keys in the car—or even getting passed over for a promotion—isn’t that bad once you learn to develop perspective. If you’ve mastered the ability to keep your problems in perspective, mark it down as a huge success.
You ask for help when you need it. Refusing to ask for help, no matter how much you’re struggling, is a sign of emotional immaturity. Asking for help means that you no longer feel like you have something to prove by being perfect. It shows you aren’t afraid of people discovering your weaknesses and you understand no one succeeds alone.
You realize that life isn’t a zero-sum game. It’s not a see-saw, either. Just because somebody else achieves a big success, that doesn’t mean you suffer a loss in equal proportion. You just didn’t win that particular time. One sure sign of success is the ability to celebrate others’ achievements with sincere enthusiasm.
You can tell the difference between drama and excitement. Remember the days when stable relationships were boring, and you quickly got tired of anyone who treated you as they should? If that kind of “drama” is a thing of the past, congratulations. If you prefer stability and depth to drama, you’re succeeding.
You no longer care what other people think. You only worry about what other people think when you still feel like you have something to prove. Conversely, you know you’ve “made it” when you don’t worry about that anymore—when you’re true to yourself and your principles, and satisfied with your life. You know you’ve made it when you understand that other people’s opinions are just that—opinions. They have no effect on reality. They don’t change who or what you are.
You accept what you can’t change and change what you can. There’s a difference between pessimism and practicality. If there’s a hurricane headed your way, there’s nothing you can do to stop it. But once you accept that the hurricane is coming, you can start working to mitigate its effects. If your company downsizes and you get laid off, every moment you spend in denial just delays whatever is waiting over the horizon. You’re able to move on only when you start exploring your options and making plans to change what you can. Taking responsibility for changing the things you don’t like about your life is one of the biggest indicators of success.
Bringing It All Together
There’s no sense in feeling like a failure just because you think you should have a better job, a bigger house, or a nicer car. Real success comes from the inside, and it’s completely independent of circumstance.
*Dr. Travis Bradberry is the award-winning co-author of the #1 bestselling book, Emotional Intelligence 2.0, and the cofounder of TalentSmart, the world's leading provider of emotional intelligence tests and training, serving more than 75% of Fortune 500 companies. His bestselling books have been translated into 25 languages and are available in more than 150 countries. Dr. Bradberry has written for, or been covered by, Newsweek, TIME, BusinessWeek, Fortune, Forbes, Fast Company, Inc., USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and The Harvard Business Review.
Sisu: Mental Toughness in the Face of Adversity
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An expert on grit and motivation, James Clear wrote a book about the Finnish version of grit -- one of the best predictors of success in the world.
On November 30, 1939, the Finnish began a campaign of fierce resistance against incredible odds that would soon stand as an enduring, global example of stoic determination, grit, bravery, resilience and hardiness. Without warning, Soviet Union planes came roaring over the city of Helsinki as Finland was about to receive a violent thrust into World War II.
The Soviets dropped more than 350 bombs during the raid. Innocent civilians died. Entire buildings were turned to dust. And it was just the beginning. Three hours before the air strike, more than 450,000 Soviet soldiers began marching across the Finnish border. The Soviet soldiers outnumbered the Finnish army almost 3-to-1. That was not the worst of it. The Soviets also commanded more than 6,000 armored tanks and almost 4,000 aircraft. Finland, meanwhile, had just 32 tanks and 114 aircraft.
It was the beginning of what became known as the Winter War. For the Finns, there was no question whether some of them would die. The question was whether any of them would survive.
The Winter War
The winter was brutal that year. In January, temperatures dropped to 40 degrees below zero. Furthermore, at that time of the year and with Finland being located so far north, the soldiers were surrounded by darkness for almost 18 hours per day. Vastly outnumbered, fighting in a brutally cold darkness, and facing near certain death, the Finnish soldiers relied on a concept that has been part of Finnish culture for hundreds of years: Sisu.
Sisu is a word that has no direct translation, but it refers to the idea of continuing to act even in the face of repeated failures and extreme odds. It is a way of living life by displaying perseverance even when you have reached the end of your mental and physical capacities. During the Winter War, the extreme mental toughness of Sisu was all the Finnish soldiers could rely on.
The Finns would suffer more than 70,000 casualties during the Winter War. However, that number would pale in comparison to the 323,000 Soviet casualties inflicted by the Finns during the same time. By the end of winter, the Soviets had seen enough and the Moscow Peace Treaty was signed in March 1940. In all, the Soviets attacked with over 900,000 soldiers during the Winter War and 300,000 Finns managed to fight them to a standstill.
Sisu
Emilia Lahti, a PhD candidate at Aalto University in Helsinki and former student of Angela Duckworth at University of Pennsylvania, studies the concept of Sisu and how it applies to our lives. According to Lahti, “Sisu is the concept of taking action in the face of significant adversity or challenge. It is not so much about achievement as it is about facing your challenges with valor and determination.” She goes on to say, “Sisu provides the final empowering push, when we would otherwise hesitate to act.”
In many ways, Sisu is similar to grit, which has been shown to be one of the best predictors of success in the real world. For example, Angela Duckworth’s research on grit has shown that…
- West Point cadets who scored highest on the Grit Test were 60% more likely to succeed than their peers.
- Ivy League undergraduate students who had more grit also had higher GPAs than their peers — even though they had lower SAT scores and were not deemed as “smart.”
- When comparing two people who are the same age but have different levels of education, grit, not intelligence, more accurately predicts which one will be better educated.
- Competitors in the National Spelling Bee outperform their peers not because of IQ, but because of their grit and commitment to more consistent practice.
But Sisu runs even deeper than grit. It is a type of mental toughness that allows you to bear the burden of your responsibilities, whatever they happen to be, with a will and perseverance that is unbreakable. It is the ability to sustain your action and fight against extreme odds. Sisu extends beyond perseverance. It is what you rely on when you feel like you have nothing left.
Failure is an Event, Not an Identity
Joshua Waitzkin, a martial arts competitor and champion chess player, says, “At a high level of competition, success often hinges on who determines the field and tone of battle.” It is your mental toughness—your Sisu—that determines the tone of battle.
Many people let their battles define them. They see failure as an indication of who they are. Mentally tough people let their perseverance define them. They see failure as an event. Failure is something that happens to a person, not who a person is. This is the attitude that helped carry the Finnish soldiers through the Winter War. Even when surrounded by failure, by death, and by insurmountable odds, their Sisu did not let the soldiers see themselves as failures.
This same attitude helped carry Dwayne Johnson out of a life of poverty and despair into the Hollywood limelight, where he has recently been deemed the highest paid actor and the Sexiest Man Alive. Dwayne Johnson credits his grit on the gridiron as his life’s definition and serves as the basis for the cover story in a recent edition of Sports Illustrated. Johnson and his family lived a tumultuous life, existing on the fringes, dogged by eviction notices, constantly on the move, and plagued by violence. The teenaged Dwayne had an acute affliction with authority, raking up frequent trips to the principal’s office and brushes with law enforcement. He had just moved to his fourth high school in three years when he had an experience that would frame his future and help him develop the grit that would eventually make him one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. In his second week at Freedom high in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Dwayne decided he did not like the smell of the boys’ bathroom and nonchalantly strolled through the teachers’ lounge to the attached restroom. He was at the urinal when a stout, barrel-chested man informed him that he was in the wrong place. Johnson ignored the teacher, lackadaisically washing his hands while the man impatiently pounded on the wall and yelled, “You need to get the f--- out of here!”
Something about the confrontation affected Dwayne and caused him to track down the teacher, Jody Cwik. I went to his office and “apologized for being such a punk,” Johnson said. “I didn’t want to be that kid. He shook my hand and woundn’t let go. Crushing handshake. And he looked in my eyes and said, ‘Son, I want you to come out and play football for me.’ That was the day everything changed.” Football gave Dwayne the structure and discipline his life lacked and provided the positive role model that Dwayne needed. Johnson fell in love with the game and, he says, “It gave my life purpose.” Coach Cwik mentored Johnson and encouraged him to pursue a football scholarship, the ticket that would later enable Johnson to be the first member of his family to go to college.
Dwayne received dozens of offers, including Clemson, Florida State, Penn State, and UCLA, and eventually decided to go to Miami. In quick order, he made such a great first impression that he was about to be the only true freshman on the Hurricanes’ roster. Then, on one of the last practice sessions before the start of the regular season, Johnson suffered a season-ending shoulder injury that necessitated the first of several other surgeries that would hamper his college career. The coach replaced Johnson with Warren Sapp, and Dwayne spent the rest of his college career in Sapp’s shadow. After graduation and unable to garner interest from any NFL team, Johnson signed with the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League. In less than two months, he was cut. Johnson moved home with his parents with a heavy heart and just seven dollars in his pocket.
Within a year, Johnson rebounded and joined the World Wrestling Federation. In less than five years, Johnson was well onto his way of becoming a Hollywood phenomenon. Today, Johnson is the highest paid actor in Hollywood, raking in $64.5 million in 2016. When asked about his perseverance, Johnson invokes the actor Kurt Russell, who played second base for the Angels’ minor league team until a rotator cuff injury killed his athletic dreams. “So much of his drive comes from failing as a baseball player,” Johnson says of his mentor. “We’ve had great philosophical conversations about how you make sense of your failures. And you know what the simple answer is? I was in the wrong game. And now I’m in the right one.”
We all experience failure, but by employing a sense of Sisi, we can better understand that failure is an event, not an identity.
A Genetic Inheritance
Recent studies indicate that motivation to exercise may be inherited. This indicates that perhaps some of us are born with a strong desire to exercise while others struggle to find an exercise routine that makes us happy.
In “Are You Programmed to Enjoy Exercise?,” Gretchen Reynolds writes:
“It’s possible that some of us are born not to run. According to an eye-opening new genetics study of lab rats, published in The Journal of Physiology, the motivation to exercise — or not — may be at least partly inherited.”
For years, scientists have been perplexed by the question of why so many of us fail to exercise on a regular basis when we know we should. There are many obvious reasons, such as busy schedules and worrisome health complications, but researchers have recently speculated that genetics may play a key role. In one recent study, sets of adult twins wore activity monitors to track their movements. The results indicated that the twins were more alike in their exercise habits than a shared upbringing alone would explain. The willingness to exercise or not depended a lot on genetics, these studies concluded. But the specifics on the genes involved and their role in the individuals’ activity remained a mystery. As a result, scientists at the University of Missouri delved into these issues and created their own groups of exercise and sedentary enthusiasts. .
They concluded that it is possible that some of us are born not to run. According to this recent study of lab rats, published in The Journal of Physiology, the motivation to exercise or not to exercise may be genetic.
The researchers accomplished this task by inter-breeding normal rats that had voluntarily run on wheels in the lab. Rats that enjoyed running were bred while those who were more sedentary were bred. This process continued through several generations, until the researchers had two distinct groups of rats – one group that would happily run for hours on their wheels and others that were content to sit and think about whatever rats think about in their spare time.
During early stages of the experiments, researchers found some interesting differences in brain activity. In most situations, the genes create proteins that tell young cells to grow up and join the working world. However, if the genes do not function this way, the cells do not receive the necessary chemical messages and remain in a protracted, stagnant state. These undeveloped cells do not join the cognitive network and do not contribute to healthy brain function.
In general, these genes worked normally in the brains of the rats that are bred to run. However, their expression was quite different in the non-runners’ brains, particularly in a portion of the brain called the nucleus accumbens, which is involved in reward processing. In many animals, including humans, the nucleus accumbens is illuminated when we engage in activities that we enjoy.
As a result, when the scientists closely examined the brains of the two types of rats, they found that the animals bred to run had more mature neurons in the nucleus accumbus than did the non-runners, even if neither group had actually done much running. In practical terms, that finding indicates that the brains of those born to the running line are innately primed to find running rewarding as the more mature neurons in the reward center of the brain could be expected to fire robustly in response to exercise.
Conversely, the rats from the line that is more reluctant to running, with their sparse complement of mature neurons, would probably have a weaker motivation to exercise.
These results may appear to be dispiriting, but the study showed that the brains of those who were less inclined to exercise were changing. Compared to others in their family that had remained sedentary, those who were involved in the study were responding to exercise in ways that would seem likely to make it more rewarding.
According to Dr. Booth, a leader in the study, that data suggests that “humans may have genes for motivation to exercise and other genes for motivation to sit on the couch.” Over generations, one set of genes could predominate within a family.
The bottom line is that people can decide to exercise, regardless of genetic inheritance. If you’re not excited to exercise, do what makes you happy and try to “rewrite” your brain so that exercise becomes a pleasurable experience.
Stepping Out for Health
Many of us are counting our steps every day, but did you ever wonder where the goal of 10,000 steps a day came from? Joe Cannon, a consumer advocate dedicated to educating fitness trainers and the public on exercise, health and wellness, did some digging and found that the number actually dates back to the 1960s. “Back then, there was a company in Japan making a pedometer called –wait for it... – The 10,000 steps meter.”
While all the talk about how we all should aim for taking 10,000 steps a day may look like an arbitrary number, 10,000 steps a day is still a healthy goal for many people. However, we are all unique individuals with different health profiles and fitness objectives. While studies show that the average American gets in about 5000 steps a day, this objective can vary by our age, education level and other demographics. The appropriate goal depends on your current fitness level and other unique health considerations. For someone just starting out on a fitness regime with their new Fitbit, for example, suddenly going from a low level of daily activity to 10,000 steps a day will likely lead to overuse injuries, like tendinitis and shin splints. For someone with arthritis, a quick jump to 10,000 steps a day could cause arthritic flair ups.
As a general rule, taking 3000 steps a day provides about 30 minutes of physical activity. This meets the minimum requirement for good health by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which recommends at least 150 minutes of exercise per week. If you do not find yourself with a solid block of 30 minutes or more for exercise, you can break it up into smaller chunks. Walk 10 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes during the day and 10 minutes in the evening.
In Joe’s review, which you can review here, he outlined a simple way to build up to 10,000 steps or whatever is right for you. Rather than focusing on a specific number of steps per day, the most important point is to get regular exercise on a consistent basis. As Joe reminds us, “a body in motion stays in motion. A body at rest stays at rest.”
10 Strategies to Successfully Cope with Stress
Pausing to make a plan for coping with stress can help you feel more calm, balanced, and effective. You usually cannot plan for a stressful event, but you can plan for how to deal with it. To get you started, here are 10 coping strategies to triumph over stress—in the heat of the moment and beyond:
- Pause – Unless it is a life-threatening emergency, don’t react immediately to stress. Instead, take a few moments and some deep breaths to let things settle and allow you to form a more objective point of view.
- Be in the moment – Experts say the ability to live in the moment -- and reacting to the situation based strictly on what is present -- is among the most important factors in handling a crisis of any type. "Being in the moment does not mean being unaware of the consequences of any actions you take; it means you do not have a prejudgment about those consequences," says disaster expert Anie Kalayjian. This, she says, keeps you from panicking over what could happen, and keeps a person focused on what is happening. Likewise, Al Siebert, PhD, says the best survivors are the ones who are able to "read" the new reality rapidly, focus on problem solving, and take practical action -- all within the moment.
- Be flexible -- "There's a fair amount of flexibility needed -- the personality who can adapt quickly to changes and feel certain about their ability to do so is usually the type that handles a crisis well," says Siebert, author of The Resiliency Advantage and founding director of ResiliencyCenter.com.
- Remain calm -- Ladany says the ability to keep emotions under control is also key. "You can't be plagued with ruminative anxiety. You can't agonize about the consequences of a decision. Those who function best in a crisis are those who can be comfortable with ambiguity in a heightened sense," says Ladany.
- Have a solid value system – Experts say that the more emphasis we put on material goods, the less likely we are to cope when the threat of losing those goods becomes a reality. "If the meaning of your life is wrapped around material things, then you will be shattered at the thought of losing everything, which can happen in 10 seconds when disaster strikes," says Kalayjian.
- Learn to cope – If you think that some people are born with survivor qualities, think again. Experts agree that the ability to champion a crisis is a learned behavior and not the result of your genetics. In fact, the crisis behaviors we exhibit as an adult are often entrenched in what we learn as children, often causing us to react without even thinking. "If a child is in a car accident and the entire family becomes hysterical, then the child learns that this is how you react to crisis," says Kalayjian. "At a young age, we don't have a psychological sorting process to reason out that our parents are going overboard." Experience this kind of family reaction to crisis enough times, she says, and it will cause this reactive behavior to be hardwired into your brain. "As a child you have no experience, no comparison, no judgment -- so you just think, 'Oh, this is what I am supposed to do in crisis,' and that can lay down the groundwork for how you will react as an adult," says Kalayjian.
- Embrace experience -- How well you weathered the storm of a previous crisis in your life is also important. "My 40-some years of research into the nature of life's most resilient survivors shows that experience in coping with and surviving previous emergencies and tragedies is the best preparation for handling new ones," says Siebert. In fact, nothing prepares one for a crisis like a crisis -- even if the incidents are radically different. "The very act of surviving one crisis helps us survive another," he says. Maurice Ramirez, DO, relates the concept back to a phenomenon known as "plasticity" -- a desensitizing of sorts that occurs as we are exposed to adversity. "If you become desensitized to one type of crisis, you will function better in all crisis situations, even if the crisis is different and requires different things from you. Science shows it carries over from one area of life to another," says Ramirez, founding director of the American College of Disaster Medicine and founder of High-Alert.com. Conversely, Siebert says, if you're the classic 'drama queen' with a history of emotional outbursts, this will also impact your crisis reaction. "If you are someone who 'awfulizes' things, focuses intently on losses ... If you have a tendency to act like a victim, these are the kind of characteristics that can keep you from coping with a crisis, and often cause you to make things worse for yourself and for others," says Seibert.
- Prepare for future crises -- Any type of disaster training program will help train you for any kind of disaster. "There are deliberate education programs -- disaster life training courses -- that can provide the kind of repetitive, psycho-motor activity that helps enforce good response behaviors. Knowledge is power and practice is what sets it in concrete," says Ramirez. "Even doing something as simple as taking a first aid course or learning CPR can teach you how it feels to intervene in a crisis situation and give you some extra measure of confidence going into a real crisis -- even if it has nothing to do with CPR," Ladany says.
- Prepare yourself emotionally – Accepting the fact that “@#$%” happens and accepting the idea that things are going to happen that are out of your control will help prepare yourself emotionally for the unavoidable crises of life. "If you can accept the fact that nothing except your breath is under your control, you'll be far less likely to panic during any situation in which control must be surrendered," says Kalayjian.
- Build resiliency -- The following long-term strategies can help strengthen your resilience to stressful events. Being physically fit, spending time with people you enjoy, and community involvement are healthy ways to reduce stress, distance yourself from stressful situations, and help you see life from a fresh perspective.
Everyday Exercise
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Ideally, adults should exercise at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week. This doesn’t necessarily mean you need to be running or lifting weights every day. One of the most important tenants of a successful fitness plan is to do something you enjoy. If you are finding it hard to squeeze in some daily exercise, consider your daily activities and take them up a notch. There is even a scientific acronym for this principle: Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis or NEAT. It’s the energy we use for everyday activities, from walking up stairs to grocery shopping, that turn mundane activities into calorie burning opportunities—no gym required.
We might not work up a sweat while shopping or doing housework, but every minute we’re not lounging on the couch is another step closer to a healthy lifestyle.
For many years, it was suggested that we had to be active for at least 10 minutes at a time for the activity to count toward physical activity. However, recent studies published in the American Journal of Health Promotion are causing some people to reconsider these dated beliefs. Researchers looked at physical activity in adults between the ages of 18 and 64 and found that both long and short bouts of higher-intensity exercise were associated with lower body mass index (BMI) and reduced risk of obesity.
These findings suggest that we should take advantage of our daily activities to get exercise. By tackling everyday tasks with a little creativity, the tedious to-do list can turn into a resourceful fitness plan.
- Shop around. Whether it’s shopping for groceries or clothing, shopping includes walking, and walking burns calories (an estimated 120 to 150 per half hour). Ready to take it to the next level? Park as far away from the store’s entrance as possible and just say “no” to elevators and escalators.
- Take the stairs. Whether you’re at work, shopping, or traveling, embrace the stairs. Taking the stairs burns more calories per minute than jogging. In addition, it is a great workout for legs and glutes.
- Clean house. Vacuuming, sweeping, or dusting earns burns around 150 calories an hour and it is more enjoyable with good music in the background. Get creative and add some moves to get a little added benefit like adding some isometrics by contracting your glutes while you dust.
- Sit tight. Sitting in class, meetings, or at a desk doesn’t burn many calories, but add some isometrics by tightening the core and butt, hold, release, and repeat.
- Stop hop. Get off the bus or metro one stop early and get in some extra mileage. Walking burns around 135 calories every half hour.
- Wax on, wax off. Washing the car burns 135 calories in 30 minutes. Add some calf raises to reach the roof of the car, along with a few sets of squats to wash the tires and the legs get a workout, too.
While traditional aerobic activity and strength training are the keys to physical fitness, taking these everyday activities to the next level will augment your fitness routine and help you maintain a healthy lifestyle.