Did you know that eating certain foods can decrease inflammation in the body? As a result, tweaking your diet may relieve some of the inflammation and pain associated with arthritis. Here are some of the foods you can add and others you can limit to benefit from what we know today about anti-inflammatory nutrition.
The Chocolate Season is here and I can already feel the tension rising. “Between Halloween and New Year’s Eve, I feel surrounded by chocolate. It’s everywhere!!!” reported a self-proclaimed chocoholic. “I try so hard to not eat it, but I inevitably succumb, and I inevitably gain weight. Thank goodness for January First!!!” If you share the same love-hate relationship with chocolate, keep reading. And be thankful this so-called “bad food” offers benefits.
The Good NewsChocolate is made from cocoa, a plant. It is a rich source of health-protective phyto (plant) nutrients, just like you’d get from fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Two tablespoons of natural cocoa power (the kind used in baking) offers the same antioxidant power as 3/4 cup of blueberries or 1.5 glasses of red wine.
Depriving oneself of daily chocolate easily creates urges to binge-eat when given the chance. You know the scenario: “Sunday is my ‘cheat day’— my last chance to eat Chocolate Kisses for the week. I stuff ‘em in!!!” The question arises: Would enjoying two Hershey’s Kisses every day reduce the urge to devour the whole bowl of them at once?
If you like chocolate too much—to the extent you have trouble stopping eating it once you start, an easy way to take the power away from chocolate (and other sweets) is to eat it more often in appropriate portions. Trying to stay away from it will backfire. Thank about it this way: Do apples have power over you? No. You give yourself permission to eat an apple whenever you want. So why does chocolate have power over you? Because you try to not eat it.
To take the power away from chocolate, enjoy some every day, such as for dessert after lunch or planned into an afternoon snack. By regularly eating chocolate, it will become a commonplace food, just like eggs, apples, or carrots. Give daily chocolate a try?
Note to parents: Denial and deprivation leads to overeating in kids, as well as in adults. Letting your kids enjoy—and self-regulate their intake of—(Halloween) candy is the better path than forbidding them to eat it. Do you really want to be the food police?
Some athletes believe they are born with a sweet tooth. Not the case. When the body is hungry (and athletes’ bodies can get very hungry), it craves quick energy, sugar. The solution to sugar cravings is to prevent hunger by eating enough quality-calories earlier in the day. Unfortunately, I meet way to many athletes who believe food is fattening or they have no time to eat. They live with a niggling hunger that can easily explode into a chocolate binge. They are not chocoholics; they are just athletes who have gotten way too hungry.
Fortunately, there are ways to manage sugar cravings.
If you would really enjoy eating chocolate as a regular part of your sports diet/weight management program, I suggest you eat chocolate at breakfast. Yes, chocolate cake for breakfast enhances weight loss —at least, according to Daniela Jacubowicz PhD(2). In her research with 193 subjects with obesity (but no diabetes), half ate a 300-calorie protein-based breakfast. The others ate a 600-calorie breakfast that included protein plus dessert, such as chocolate cake.
She instructed both groups to eat the same amount of total calories: 1,400 (for women) and 1,600 (for men). In the first 16 weeks, both groups lost an average of 33 pounds per person. But in the next 16 weeks of the study, the group with the smaller breakfast complied poorly with the diet and regained an average of 22 pounds per person. The dessert-with-breakfast group continued to lose another 15 pounds each. By 32-weeks, they had lost about 40 pounds more than their peers.
Jacubowicz noticed those who had dessert with breakfast had fewer cravings for sweets later in the day for 2 reasons:
So what does this research mean for you?
By no means is chocolate the key to a healthy sports diet, nor is eating lots of dark chocolate preferable to snacking on apples and bananas. But we can certainly enjoy chocolate as a small part of a well balanced sports diet. Just make sure it does not crowd-out other nutrient dense foods. As always, moderation is the key.
Nancy Clark, MS, RD, CSSD counsels both casual and competitive athletes at her office in Newton, MA (617-795-1875). Her Sports Nutrition Guidebook & food guides for marathoners, new runners and soccer players offer additional information. They are available at nancyclarkrd.com. See NutritionSportsExerciseCEUs.com for her online sports nutrition workshop.
References
There’s no shortage of marketing messages about what’s best for heart health and some of it is well, just plain wrong. Here’s my top 5 offenders – don’t believe their hype, choose my real deals instead.
AKA the Sugar & chem lab project bombs – cereals like Honey nut cheerios & Honey bunches of oats or getting “fully loaded” oatmeal with added sugar & dried fruit – my heart just skipped a beat – not in a good way. AKA better: choose organic oats and add spices, nut butter and / or hemp seeds. We are loving Natures Path’s new plain Qi’a oatmeal
Mooooove away from this stuff – research shows full-fat dairy is associated with lower risk of obesity (which means lower heart disease risk too) and likely due to the hormone profile change when the fat is removed, as well as the fact that without the fat it’s harder to feel full which means you fill up on other calories. AKA better: choose organic whole milk or skip the dairy and choose full fat coconut or cashew etc.
While potatoes pack in heart healthy potassium and rice provides vitamins, minerals and antioxidants – when we over process them and then add salt and other chemistry lab projects we end up with a heartbreak. AKA better: whole bean or potato chips with added spices not loads of salt.
We hear soy and think heart health but the truth is these are heart failures. Highly processed parts of soy contain none of the good stuff – fiber, omegas, antioxidants that we find in whole organic soybeans. AKA better: whole organic soybeans or organic tofu or organic tempeh – and “protein” powders and bars that contain them or other whole quality plant sources like hemp and quinoa.
They look so love-ly and even have such sweet quotes on them. But they aren’t the sweet friend 
for heart health that you think – artificial dyes and chemistry lab corn syrup are not the basis of a lasting love affair. AKA better: choose a little heart-healthy organic dark chocolate (that’s >65%) and if you do want candy try authentic sweets – organic, free of artificial dyes etc – like those from our friends at TruSweets.
Originally printed on ashleykoffapproved.com. Reprinted with permission.
Ashley Koff RD is your better health enabler. For decades, Koff has helped thousands get and keep better health by learning to make their better not perfect nutrition choices more often. A go-to nutrition expert for the country’s leading doctors, media, companies and non-profit organizations, Koff regularly shares her Better Nutrition message with millions on national and local television, magazines and newspapers. Visit her website at ashleykoffapproved.com.
O
ften when we hear the term “fitness” – we automatically think of our physical health. Being mentally fit is equally as important. Cognitive fitness is a state of optimized ability to reason, remember, learn, plan and adapt that is enhanced by certain attitudes, lifestyle choices, and exercises. Better cognitive fitness translates into the ability to make better decisions, solve problems, and deal with stress and change. Neurogenesis is the process of developing new chemical messengers called neurons in the brain. This process can be profoundly affected by how you live your life. Here are eight strategies to help you facilitate the process of neurogenesis and have optimal cognitive functioning:
Daily Physical Activity: Aerobic activity for 30 minutes, three times per week helps improve brain blood flow and enhances memory performance. Regular exercise also releases brain chemicals called endorphins which reduce feelings of depression.
Be Open to New Experiences: Have you ever wanted to learn to play golf or sing in a choir? Participating in experiences that are unfamiliar and mentally challenging will strengthen neural connections in your brain.
Be Curious and Creative: Participating in arts and crafts projects leads to innovative thinking, and musical training may improve function and connectivity of different brain regions. It’s always a great time to take up painting, poetry, or piano!
Develop Meaningful Relationships: Studies have shown that the health consequences of feeling lonely can trigger psychological and cognitive decline – as well as alter immune cells and increase feelings of depression. Make every effort to engage with other people whenever possible.
Get Enough Sleep: Healthy sleep consolidates learning and memory and is necessary for clear thinking and optimal brain function. It is easier to sleep well in a peaceful and natural environment free of clutter.
Reduce Chronic Stress: Chronic stress produces a hormone called cortisol that can damage the brain. Chronic stress can also trigger long-term changes in brain structure that can lead to cognitive decline. Healthy ways to relieve stress include deep breathing, physical exercise, or talking with a trusted friend or family member.
Eat Specific Healthy Foods: Food plays a vital role in the health and proper functioning of the brain. Strive to eat real, whole foods such as fruit, vegetables, whole grains and lean meats – and drink eight 8oz bottles of water each day to keep brain cells hydrated. Apples, avocados, blueberries, unsalted nuts, broccoli and brown rice are great food choices for brain health.
Regular Learning: Continual learning is one of simplest methods to boost brain function. The size and structure of neurons and the connections between them actually change as you learn. Learning can include studying a new subject, travelling to a different place, learning a foreign language or participating in a new volunteer activity.
Practicing these strategies along with having a positive attitude will not only enhance your cognitive fitness, but also your quality of life!
Carisa Campanella, BA, AS, is an ACE Health Coach and ACSM Personal Trainer. She is the Program Manager at the Neuro Challenge Foundation for Parkinson’s. Neuro Challenge provides ongoing monthly support groups and educational programs, individualized care advising and community resource referrals to help empower people with Parkinson’s and their caregivers.
Food is fuel and food is medicine. Food brings people together and is supposed to be one of life’s pleasures. Shared meals are a vehicle for building relationships, enjoying conversations, and nourishing the soul.
Unfortunately in today’s society, too many athletes and fitness exercisers alike report they have no time to enjoy meals. Sports parents struggle to gather their student athletes for a family dinner; practices and games inevitably interrupt the dinner hour. And even when seated at the same table, some family members may be eating just salad while the rest of the family enjoys steak. So much for eating out of the same pot.
Today’s food conversations commonly refer to good food, bad food, clean food, fattening food. We all know athletes who don’t do sugar, gluten, white flour, or red meat, to say nothing of cake on birthdays, ice cream cones in summer, or apple pie on Thanksgiving. We live with abundant food, but we have created a fearful eating environment with our words. This article invites you to pay attention to how you think and talk about food. Perhaps it is time to watch your mouth, so you can start to change the current culture that makes food a source of fear for many athletes.
“I eat only healthy foods —lots of fresh fruits and vegetables—and I stay away from stuff in wrappers with ingredients I can’t pronounce.“ While this may seem like a noble stance towards being a responsible caretaker for your body, it raises a few red flags for me.
Yes, many hard-to-pronounce and unfamiliar words like niacinamide, ferrous sulfate, and ascorbic acid are listed among the ingredients of many grain foods. These are the scientific names for the same vitamins in pills. There’s a reason why they were added to foods in the first place. Adding folic acid to grains has reduced the risk of having a baby with a birth defect. B-12 is important for vegans. Will the trend to avoid enriched and fortified foods come back to bite us? How about choosing the best of both?
When athletes feel compelled to confess their nutritional sins to me (“I eat too many bad foods—chips, French fries, nachos… “), I quickly remind them there is no such thing as a bad food (or a good food, for that matter). Is birthday cake really a bad food? Is a hot dog at a baseball game going to ruin your health forever? Should you not make cookies with your children on a snowy day?
Those so-called bad foods are actually fun foods that taste yummy and can fit into an overall balanced diet. Rather than critiquing a single food, please judge your diet by the whole week, month, and year. Halloween candy is a fun treat in the midst of a steady intake of fruits, vegetables, lean meats and wholesome grains. So is pumpkin pie with ice cream.
Depriving yourself of fun foods creates good and bad foods, as well as a really bad relationship with food. Eating a fun food is not cheating. The problem arises when you restrict fun foods, only to succumb to devouring not just one cookie but all 24 of them. Binge-eating burdens you with not only excess body fat, but also (self-imposed) guilt for having broken your food rules, and disgust with yourself for having pigged out.
Eating the whole thing means you like that food and should actually eat it more often, rather than try to stay away from it. Contrary to what you may believe, you are not addicted to cookies. You are simply doing “last chance” eating. Last chance to have cookies (or so you tell yourself) because they are a bad food and I shouldn’t eat them at all.
There’s a more peaceful way to live. Try balancing a cookie or two into your daily menu. After all, you need not have a perfect diet to have an excellent diet. A reasonable goal is 85-90% quality foods; 10-15% “whatever.”
Healthy diet vs. A single ingredientSalt, sugar, and saturated fat seem to be today’s food demons. Rather than look at each ingredient, I cannot encourage you enough to look at the entire food (and your entire diet). Take sugar, for example. Are the 3 grams of sugar in Skippy peanut butter really a source of evil? What about the 10 grams of refined sugar in chocolate milk? That (“evil”) sugar quickly refuels muscles after a hard workout. That’s why chocolate milk is an effective recovery food. After a hard workout, when you are tired and thirsty, but not yet hungry, the sugar in chocolate milk offers a quick energy boost that normalizes your low blood glucose and replenishes depleted muscle glycogen. While some athletes focus on chocolate milk’s 10 grams (40 calories) of added sugar, I invite you to welcome its high quality protein (needed to repair muscles) and abundant vitamins and minerals that invest in your good health. The fit bodies of athletes can metabolize sugar much better than the unfit bodies of couch potatoes.
You want to enjoy an excellent diet, and not strive for a “perfect” (but very strict) diet. You can win good health and perform well with a balanced diet, filled with a variety of foods, and enjoyed in moderation.
Sports nutritionist Nancy Clark MS RD CSSD has a private practice in the Boston-area (Newton; 617-795-1875), where she helps both fitness exercisers and competitive athletes create winning food plans. Her best-selling Sports Nutrition Guidebook, and food guides for marathoners, cyclists and soccer are available at nancyclarkrd.com. For online workshops, see www.NutritionSportsExerciseCEUs.com.
In this last part of the series I will share with you what it has meant to me to train for my 70s – and look forward to training for my 80s. The notion of living well today – and creating a healthy and happy tomorrow – is one I am living by everyday in the present. We ARE powerful – if we are conscious of our potential in the present moment. In fact, I have saved the best for last: the issue isn’t getting older – it is getting old.
My daily observations confirm that people are indeed “aging badly” and it is only getting worse with the rise of sedentary lifestyles, the ever increasing obesity epidemic, and the growing attachment to our “devices” – those things that continue to rob us of precious time in the present. Medication and drugs now play a crucial role in the world of healthcare. Joint replacement surgeries are on the rise and only increasing in number with each passing day. Our reliance and dependence upon technology to solve our health issues and challenges is a key ingredient in how we are treating “what ails us” today. Specialization has increased throughout the medical profession to the point that we no longer see “our doctor” – we see many doctors. This is the reality of the 21st century and these trends are creating a world that I hardly recognize. I am convinced that the individual is slowly being removed from the process of truly being a partner in his own health decisions and the “system” is becoming overwhelming for all of us.
So what are we to do about this problem of aging healthfully in a world that doesn’t yet recognize the concept of personal wellness while promising “cures” and “quick fixes” through drugs, surgeries, and diets? The internet is full of answers that can now come to us in “the blink of an eye”. Is this the right path to health?
The answer in my mind is ‘NO’, but the truth DOES rest in becoming personally responsible – and accountable – for our own health and lifestyle choices. This power I recognize comes from within not from without, from relying on our ‘self’ instead of others. By taking responsibility and remaining present TODAY, we are giving ourselves the opportunity to determine our own health and fitness futures. This is becoming increasingly difficult in the world of the 21st century and is creating a significant roadblock to progress. Training mentally, physically and spiritually represents our best hope for a healthy future.
Back in 1988, when I “bet on myself” after losing my health insurance and chose the path of the fitness professional, I was not sure what was going to happen to me in the years ahead. I only knew that since I could not afford health insurance on my own, I was going to have to be responsible enough, smart enough, and finally lucky enough to do “it alone” and “take care of myself”. My continuing education in the fitness profession – and commitment to my own health and fitness needs – gave me strength and confidence.
Obviously it worked out for me and the idea that “we are all more powerful than we realize” is one I am willing to “bet on” as well. The notion that we don’t control our health outcomes is false. We are – through our choices – powerful beings, but if we don’t believe it for ourselves then we ARE powerless to change. Changing our minds – and attitudes about our potential – is critical to any positive outcome.
The decade of my 60s started evolving from the moment I finished writing my book Healthy Aging and You in 2006. Everything I have done, learned, and applied in my life since that special moment has gone toward becoming the “example of the change I wish to see in the world”. My example is similar to the one Jack Lalanne spent his entire life perfecting and sharing with the world over the course of his 96 years on earth. I see the benefits of healthy aging in my own experience now because I cared to look at the possibilities of my own “inner” power, and at the same time, I acted upon the principles of healthy aging as I understood them in my own life.
My running program, my spiritual practices, and my weight training programs were designed for me to find the message in my own life and be able to crystallize it in my consciousness so that I could share it with the world. I have been training my mind, body, and spirit every day with the hope of making a difference in the world – and bring meaning into my own life. I have been attempting to recognize the potential that resides within me – and embrace the belief that we are indeed the “captains of our own ships”. It is up to each of us to decide the direction our lives will take – and it all begins with choice.
The decade of my 60s has shown me that I am capable of far more than I ever dreamed possible. This message was driven home to me through my running program. By taking a “leap of faith” one day in the fall of 2015 I found out that I am fully capable of running at a 5 minute per mile pace on the treadmill and am able to sustain that pace over time. The goal of running a 6 minute mile on my 80th birthday is now REAL in my consciousness because I learned I CAN run faster than that as demonstrated in my training runs in my 60s.
I could never have learned this important lesson about myself had I continued to run outside on the roads – it would not have been possible for me to achieve. BELIEF in oneself is CRUCIAL to any positive growth in life and this is true regardless of the form it takes. I now believe in my potential for great things because I finally believe I am not only capable of great things – but I deserve them as well. I get to live the best life has to offer now as I approach my 70s – and beyond – because I wanted to be an example of what is possible so badly. I never gave up on my vision. You too can have this – but you have to first believe – and then ACT upon your belief.
In summaryThis series has attempted to shine the “light of truth” on a very complex and puzzling challenge – the issue of healthy aging in the 21st century. In a technologically driven world we are constantly being asked to believe in ourselves and yet are given precious little confirmation of the real value of this idea. We are sitting our way to ill health and are being overloaded with information in a world that is increasingly becoming angrier and more frustrated and frightened with each passing day. Where is the hope in this picture?
It is my hope that through changing ourselves FIRST we can ALL become examples of the change we wish to see in the world. This is purpose and hope enough for me. I do not want to argue about my thoughts on this subject – I simply want to share them and let others decide if they are worthy of consideration. It is my own personal goal to continue what I started in my 50s and 60s: to develop and perfect the idea of what it means to me to age healthfully and continue to share what I have learned with others until my life ends. The rest is not in my hands. The world will change – or not.
Take time today to consider your own path in life and remember to be patient and loving toward your ‘self’ – and grateful and forgiving as well. The two cornerstones of my life – gratitude and forgiveness (and of course love) – are always guiding me in my choices for the day. I do not know what tomorrow will bring – I only know that today well lived is its own reward. Sail well!
You can read the previous articles in this series by clicking on the links below:
Originally printed on HealthyNewAge.com. Reprinted with permission from Nicholas Prukop.
Nicholas Prukop is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer & a Health Coach, a fitness professional with over 25 years of experience whose passion for health and fitness comes from his boyhood in Hawaii where he grew up a swimmer on Maui. He found his calling in writing his first book “Healthy Aging & You: Your Journey to Becoming Happy, Healthy & Fit” and since then he has dedicated himself to empowering, inspiring and enabling people of all ages to reach for the best that is within them and become who they are meant to be – happy, healthy and fit – and be a part of a world where each person can contribute their own unique gifts to life.
It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s a Super Food! Like the arrival of super heroes to save the day, super foods landed upon us in the last decade and now we are all supposed to load up on them to save our days. But are they really so super? Let’s get better Super Food nutrition, simplified and see!
Super Food Rule #1ORGANIC FOOD is SUPER, chemistry lab projects are not. No bells and whistles required, no need to be found or able to leap tall plants in the Amazon or Balinese jungle, no need to grow where no one else grows… just need to be food, from a seed or having eaten the plant, whole or minimally processed, grown without excess of harmful pesticides. So while chemistry is a SUPER fun class (or can be), and is SUPER awesome at helping us test and learn things, let’s focus on consuming more organic food, most often.
Better Nutrition is SUPER. When your body gets what it needs, wants, and recognizes most easily it functions most efficiently and effectively to deliver you the better health you seek. Whether it’s better energy, better skin, better heart health, better immune health, better all of the above health – you get it, your body will too when it gets better nutrition. So check out the Better Nutrition Simplified plan and assess how SUPER your nutrition is today to fuel better health tomorrow.
Nutrient balance, not calorie counting, is SUPER. Your body doesn’t need fuel, it needs the right fuel for the right parts and activities. That means carbs for quick energy including brain fuel, fats to promote healthy inflammatory response and sustainable energy, proteins for muscles, hormones, and enzymes and all your non-starchy vegetables for routine and deep clean up and removal of unwanted “dirt.” So make any nutrition pit stop SUPER by balancing your nutrients.
SUPER is as much about what a food is free from as it is about what it contains. Plenty of super food products and ingredients being sold may be full of a high amount of an antioxidant but also full of binders, highly processed and even artificial ingredients. Conversely, some may be isolates of the “super” ingredient but it is not so super without its comrades from the whole food form. For example, if your gluten free cereal is made from refined flour and then has added isolated ingredients like a vitamin or mineral (not even in the same form as found in the food) then there’s nothing SUPER about it. Instead get an organic gluten free cereal with whole or minimally processed ingredients and if you need it, take a quality organic multi as a supplement (not sure if you need it a supplement, that’s what I am here for, fill out the supplement evaluation form here and send it to me so I can help you)
DIY is SUPER, but so is Some Assemble Required (thanks IKEA for that phrase). When you buy ready to eat food, it may be ready and fast but it likely has ingredients that keep it ready and fast and as such make it a little less super. For example, instead of buying a ready to eat yogurt parfait, try adding Nature’s Path Qi’a coconut chia super flakes to your plain almond yogurt (or make my cashew cream and top it with the super flakes) for a delicious, better nutrition pit stop because you control the quality, quantity, and nutrient balance making it a SUPER FOOD version of your desired eats or sips (same goes for your lattes and your smoothies, see the Better Liquid Nutrition Simplified quick start guide).
If you know me, you know that I believe in Better, not superlatives like Super or Healthiest and certainly not Perfect. I am in the business of helping you have more, better days and that begins with better nutrition. But I get that we may want things to feel SUPER, so I hope this helped you sort the SUPER from the Not So. Got more questions? I have Answers, so send them my way for an #AskAshley answer to help you have another better day fueled by better nutrition.
Originally printed on ashleykoffapproved.com. Reprinted with permission.
Ashley Koff RD is your better health enabler. For decades, Koff has helped thousands get and keep better health by learning to make their better not perfect nutrition choices more often. A go-to nutrition expert for the country’s leading doctors, media, companies and non-profit organizations, Koff regularly shares her Better Nutrition message with millions on national and local television, magazines and newspapers. Visit her website at ashleykoffapproved.com.
Considering the near-consensus that adipose tissue is the culprit behind so many diseases, one must wonder the reason behind some obese people having no metabolic dysfunction.[1]
The real irony comes with the emergence of a new phenomenon that acknowledges and catalogues those within a healthy BMI range that find themselves at greater risk for diseases generally reserved for those considered obese.
People within the acceptable BMI range have found themselves saddled with heart disease, Type 2 Diabetes, and greater instances of certain cancers.[2] The inquisitive mind must ask why those that are considered low-risk by BMI standards exemplify the results of those considered at high-risk.
These individuals have a pattern of fat storage invisible to the naked eye and hidden deep around the organs and within the liver. Considered visceral fat, visceral adipose tissue (VAT) or intra-abdominal adipose tissue (IAAT), these skinny people are at an increased risk of metabolic diseases despite not being visibly overweight.[3] Also referred to as the thin-fat phenotype,[4] this particular population may be at increased danger of these potential diseases because the issue with visceral fat storage is not visible; it cannot be pinched, or jiggle, or seem unsightly, and so these individuals are not only unaware of the problem, but may even be resistant to the possibility since they do not manifest the outward appearances associated with these issues.
Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) is gaining increasing understanding and acceptance as an active hormone gland with dangerous, destructive potential on the endocrine system.[5] These functions allow it to partly control nutritional intake, hunger, and appetite through secretions of leptin and angiotensin, control insulin sensitivity and inflammation through tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-a), Interleukin-6 (IL-6), resistin, visfatin, adiponectin, and other hormones.[6] With such an impressive list, and such numerous and varied hormone functions, the vital importance of VAT’s endocrine functions becomes apparent. The ignorance or ignoring of this becomes dangerous.
What about normal adipose tissue? When examined and compared side-by-side, VAT proves itself far more dangerous. When compared to total body fat, VAT is significantly better correlated with triglycerides, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, HDL/total cholesterol ratio and its effects on glucose and insulin.[7]
Its intimate control over so many hormonal processes also places VAT in a potential death spiral. Since it acts as both a hunger controller and as a controller of insulin resistance and blood sugar through its release of leptin, resistan, visfatin, and acylation stimulating protein (ASP), visceral fat, in excess, exacerbates the very conditions that allowed it to expand. For example, a sedentary lifestyle and poor diet results in excess visceral fat accumulation. This excess visceral fat then produces excess hormones that signal the body to develop a diseased state such as Type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance. In turn, these disease states trigger their own lifestyle and dietary shifts that result in further visceral fat accumulation. And so spins the disease spiral.
VAT also plays a critical role in the secretion of endogenous growth hormone (GH). As levels of VAT increase, exogenous secretion of GH decreases.[8] As levels of GH drop, VAT increases due to a decrease in hormone-sensitive lipolysis.[9] This becomes more apparent when the use of a GH releasing hormone reverses these effects. A full series of articles is necessary to explain the myriad of potential dysfunctions caused by such endocrine disruption.
Fortunately, clinical treatment with a growth hormone releasing hormone is not necessary. VAT can be safely controlled long-term through intelligent lifestyle alterations and a properly designed training plan.
Unfortunately, there is very little information regarding effective dietary intervention to reduce VAT. However, understanding how integral VAT accumulation depends on endocrine disruption, especially that of hyperinsulinemia, one can intelligently extrapolate this outwards and hypothesize a sensible and logical dietary approach.
Since VAT accumulation depends on hyperinsulinemia and reduced exogenous GH secretion as two major components, we would want to incorporate a diet that controls blood sugar levels (and thus insulin secretion) as well overall improved endocrine function. Removing all sugar, with the notable exception of low-sugar fruits, is the first obvious step. A ketogenic diet has proven itself time and time again, clinically, to controlling hyperinsulinemia, even in those with congenital issues.[10] The ketogenic diet is also efficient at controlling blood sugar levels,[11],[12] and therefore insulin secretion, an excess of which similarly leads to hyperinsulinemia.
A diet that is the opposite of the Standard American Diet (appropriately abbreviated as SAD) is a good direction to go, regardless of the stance of a ketogenic approach.
When it comes to exercising with the sole intent of reducing VAT, there are a couple variables one must take into consideration to ensure maximal positive effect.
Per a meta-analysis in 2012 found that moderate or high intensity aerobic training has the highest potential to reduce VAT.[13] Note, too, that this was in the absence of caloric restriction. The type of diet otherwise pursued was not expanded on. One could wonder the potential improvement in outcomes if this same design was followed in combination with the ketogenic diet. Not surprisingly, similar results were found with strength training as well in this same meta-analysis. In this study, “moderate” was defined as >250 min.wk. Of similar importance is the studies analyzed that included greater volume defined as 45-60 minutes a day, six days a week, did not yield more positive results, suggesting a definite bell curve and potential for decrease in return for higher-volume work, an idea supported throughout this section.
This meta-analysis also implied a threshold for training intensity for VAT to be effected optimally. Unfortunately, no further evidence is described for this, other than mentioning the synergistic qualities of high-intensity training post-exercise.[14]
One must use caution with the word “aerobic”, however, as the effect of regular aerobic exercise, defined as walking and jogging at a moderate intensity on body fat is negligible.[15],[16] Perhaps this explains why so many people find themselves on treadmills and elliptical, performing steady-state aerobic exercise with little or no improvement.
High intensity training demands special mention here due to increased GH secretion.[17] In this same study, GH concentration was still ten times higher than baseline an hour after recovery. Harkening back to the relationship between VAT and reduced GH secretion, this method of training directly counteracts one of the most damning results of excess VAT and could single-handedly upset one of the mechanisms behind VAT accumulation.
Since Type 1 diabetics are prone to experiencing hypoglycemia after prolonged aerobic expenditure, a single 10-second sprint could help retain healthy sugar levels.[18] This opens a potential exercise prescription for a population group that otherwise would be at a higher risk. Obese women with metabolic disorder were studied under a high-intensity exercise training and low-intensity exercise training, with the HIET group showed significantly reduced abdominal fat, abdominal subcutaneous fat, and visceral fat, where no significant changes were found in either a control group or the low-intensity group.[19] The last thing a medical fitness expert wants to do is waste time with an ineffective approach.
Numerous studies also highlight the effectiveness of HIIE over steady-state aerobic exercise for reduction of adipose tissue and VAT. Tremblay et al. compared HIIE and aerobic exercise and found that the HIIE group lost more subcutaneous fat after 24 weeks than the aerobic group.[20]
Another study by Trapp et al. once again found that women in the HIIE group lost 2.5kg more subcutaneous fat than those in a steady-state aerobic program.[21]
All this information implies that although VAT has numerous mechanisms to harm the body and exacerbate disease states, the appropriate modifications to training and lifestyle can help the body against it without the use of drugs. The optimal exercise prescription rests with a mixture of moderate and high-intensity training combined with intelligent diet. Thankfully, despite its horrible potential, managing visceral fat is not so difficult a task. As fitness professionals, we can utilize this information to ensure that we do not get stuck in an archaic steady-state paradigm and can better serve our clients.
Shane Caraway CHN, CPT, PTSP, uses his education, experience, and credentials as a certified personal trainer and nutritionist to help others recapture the primitive mystique, strength, and beauty that their body is capable of. His greatest pleasure comes from the successes of his clients, no matter how mundane or simple each small victory may be. Always in pursuit of various techniques, compounds, nutrients, herbs, and other means to help support the body against disease, Shane finds the challenge of combating chronic disease to be the pinnacle of his work, especially with diseases and conditions that otherwise cause clients to surrender.
References
Adipose tissue image: Blausen.com staff (2014). “Medical gallery of Blausen Medical 2014″. WikiJournal of Medicine 1 (2). DOI:10.15347/wjm/2014.010. ISSN 2002-4436
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The primary question being asked in the majority of sessions for retirement planning is what you will need in terms of financial reserves to carry you through your later years. Unfortunately, this is the only model used in America and worldwide today. However, the question that you should really ponder is: “What will you do if your health fails, and how will your retirement life really be if you will no longer be able take care of myself?” An additional issue revolves around the date at which you start taking your social security benefits, but age is just a number! In reality, what if things don’t go according to plan and you don’t even make it to 70?
The concept of healthy aging is something that has appealed to me since I realised that at any point in time I was indeed training for the decades to come. When this dawned on me, I had to re-evaluate my own position on what aging healthfully encompasses. I am convinced that money is only part of the dilemma: if we reach our 50s and 60s with little of the health we desire, what are our realistic prospects? I have concluded that financial planning is not enough: it’s essential to be physically, emotionally, spiritually and professionally fit as well. Recently, I told a friend at the gym that I think that if people go by the common definition of retirement, namely “remaining in a state of leisure”, this will lead to an early death because people literally stop “living”.
The answer is to face the reality that we are all going to age and start preparing as carefully as we can NOW. It is much more appealing to get on with the business of training NOW rather than later when it may be too late. This thought reminds me of the oil filter ad that said: “Pay me now or pay me later” – meaning that you can replace your engine later (at a much higher cost) – or the oil filter today. Which choice would you prefer for your body? Train now or knee replacement later?
The decade of our 50s is when we start to “show our age”. This is the time when all our bad choices and lifestyle habits catch up with us. The truth is that playing catch up with our health is never a good option and if we prepare now rather than later we can be way ahead of the curve.
When I was in my early 50s, I realized my goal of running a combined 3000 plus miles (3675 to be exact in 1998 and 1999). That record stood until looking back on those two years I made the decision to break 4000 miles in a combined two year span so in 2011, at the age of almost 65, I started my “run” to a new two year record and finished 2011 with a total of 1955 miles. 2012 was in my sights now as a potential record breaker, so as I worked hard toward my new goal, I remained positive that I could make it past 2000 miles. I ended up with an all time record of 2145 miles and a grand total of 4150 miles. I was elated and found courage in setting a goal that had pushed me beyond previous boundaries and out of long held comfort zones.
This was possible because of my record keeping discipline over the years and the fact that I decided to break a record that had been set 12 years before. I share this example with you as a way of demonstrating that we are never old until we decide we are – and to illustrate how the succeeding decade can be influenced by something we did in the preceding one. I am planning for my 70s now based upon the foundation I laid in the previous decades of my life. I am approaching this new decade with the same thought and care that went into my 50s and 60s. Now, I feel a strong desire to maintain what I have achieved in terms of fitness, instead of going backwards and lose what I have gained.
Being driven to accomplish something meaningful is important to living a healthy and fit life. I found my work with my clients rewarding in my 50s. I believe I shared with them the best that was truly me. My 50s were a decade of growth for me. Some of my clients encouraged me to write about my training philosophy. They supported me because they believed in me and what I had been doing to serve and guide them to achieving their goals. They were responsive to my coaching and I in turn loved being with them and seeing them grow and evolve mentally and phsically. My view of life expanded greatly during my 50s. I found my stride – and witnessed becoming happier and more fulfilled than I had been in years.
In my 50s, my world was far from being perfect, but it was filled with love and support from those I cared about and served. My daughter and I grew closer during this decade while she was living a life of adventure and success. The foundation for who I wanted to be – and become – in my 50s had been laid in the previous two decades. I am grateful for my 50s because I fulfilled part of the promise I had shown as a child on Maui: I had become a good man with a kind heart and most importantly open minded. I loved learning and exploring again – just as I had done all those years before in Hawaii. This sense of progression and continuation at the same time, gave me a feeling I was being true to myself, which is the only key to happiness and wellbeing.
I will cover the 60’s and beyond in the final part of this series being fully aware that I have only “scratched the surface” of this examination and exploration of “training for the decades ahead”!
Originally printed on HealthyNewAge.com. Reprinted with permission from Nicholas Prukop.
Nicholas Prukop is an ACE Certified Personal Trainer & a Health Coach, a fitness professional with over 25 years of experience whose passion for health and fitness comes from his boyhood in Hawaii where he grew up a swimmer on Maui. He found his calling in writing his first book “Healthy Aging & You: Your Journey to Becoming Happy, Healthy & Fit” and since then he has dedicated himself to empowering, inspiring and enabling people of all ages to reach for the best that is within them and become who they are meant to be – happy, healthy and fit – and be a part of a world where each person can contribute their own unique gifts to life.