Mark Sisson's Blog, page 44

Getting Into Fitness at Age 50 and Beyond

A happy couple take a break from cycling through the countryside by resting at the top of a hill for something to eat. The man is sitting on the chair and the woman is sitting on the grass looking out of the frame.

The big 5-0 rolls around and you start grappling with your own mortality. You wonder about your place in the world and how long you have left. Sure, 50 is just another number, but it’s a number that society has placed a large bolus of meaning. For better or worse, whether it’s real or not, turning 50 makes you re-evaluate everything. Especially your health.

One of the most important ways to preserve and enrich your health is physical training, fitness, and movement—and it only becomes more important the older you get. It also gets more important to do it right. If you’re 50 or older and just getting started in fitness, doing it wrong might make your health worse. You might get injured, and injuries incurred as we age become more catastrophic. You probably won’t bounce back from injuries like you did when you were 20 years old; you might never make it back.

So how should you get into fitness at age 50 and beyond? What should you avoid? What should you do?

Let’s dig right in.

Have a compelling reason to get moving

Let’s face facts: It’s been this long and you haven’t done anything. You can’t just “decide” to start training and have it work out, or else you would have done it years before. No, you need a compelling reason to get moving. You need a reason that you can’t say no to, that you can’t rationalize your way out from under. A reason that sticks in your gut and won’t let go.

Can’t think of any? I’ll give you some.

Physical strength and muscle mass is one of the best predictors of both mortality and morbidity. The stronger you are, the longer you’ll live and the better you’ll be at moving, playing, and taking care of yourself.

Cardiovascular fitness protects you not just against losing steam on an uphill run. It protects you against any and all insults to your heart. The more stamina you have, the longer and better you’ll live.https://www.acc.org/latest-in-cardiol...

Physical fitness translates to sexual fitness. Everything works better the more fit you are—for both men and women.

If you aren’t fit—and I don’t mean “ripped” or “can lift 300 pounds” or “has a six pack”—you’ll miss out on the rest of your life. You’ll never reach the heights your genes want you to reach. You’ll never be able to appreciate the simple moments, like playing with a grandkid or hiking in the mountains or taking care of your own affairs in the later years.

 

Develop a vision.

A reason isn’t enough, usually. It’s a good start, but you need to bring that reason to life with a powerful, visually stimulating vision of what your new self will look like. What will you be doing? How will you look in the mirror? What will people say and think when they see you?

Maybe you’re training under the midday sun in a pair of shorts, doing sets of pullups, kettlebell swings, and dips. Your sweat is glistening. Someone your age is going by in a wheelchair or walker, and here you are, glowing and resplendent.

Maybe you’re sprinting after the mail carrier to flag him down after dropping off the wrong package. You dodge a dawdling neighbor, leap over a wiener dog, vault over a fence and sprint down the road to catch up to the mail truck.

Get as specific as you can. Truly make it real in your mind. And then use that vision as fuel to do the work that makes the vision reality.

Get help from a professional.

It gets easier and easier to mess up and get injured the longer you wait to start fitness. It’s like being on extended bed rest: you don’t just pick up where you left off. You have to ease into it. This is where a professional can really help.

Dive right in but then go slow.

You need to start today. Right away. Get moving. Start working out. Get a plan together.

But you don’t need to kill yourself or break something. Don’t throw yourself into heavy weight lifting if you’ve never done it before. Don’t start training by running a marathon. Be consistent, don’t let up, but be smart about it.

Download Primal Blueprint Fitness.

This is a great starter ebook to get going with a basic workout plan. It doesn’t require any weights (but can be easily modified or graduated into weights). It’s all bodyweight. It is scaled for all levels of fitness. You don’t even have to be able to do a single full push-up to get started with it. And ultimately it is good enough for the average 50+ year old to use for perpetuity.

Play as much as possible.

I’ve said many times before that I train so I can play. Well, these days much of my actual training looks an awful lot like play. For instance, at least twice a week I do a long standup paddle board session. It’s where I decompress and destress. It’s where I get my sun exposure. It’s where I see dolphins and other interesting marine life up close and personal. It’s where I have fun. And yes, it’s where I work my abdominals, my posterior chain, my lats and posterior delts.

Once a week I play Ultimate Frisbee for a few hours. I’m sprinting, jumping, jostling for position, throwing, catching, and doing tons of walking/slow jogging. By the end, I’m dog tired but throughout the games I don’t notice all the work I’m putting in. Why? Because I’m playing.

Another good one to consider is dancing. Dancing isn’t just fun. It can be a potent training tool, too. And everything seems to work. Whether it’s Turkish folk, traditional Thai dance, or Scottish country dance, dancing can really increase functional capacity and even strength in older adults.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1...https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2...https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2...

If you haven’t been able to muster the will to train already, figuring out an active way to play could be your way around the block.

Find your game. Find your way to play. Play keeps your mind and body young.

Walk as much as possible.

I don’t know how many times I’ve told readers to make walking the foundation of their movement practice, but it’s true: Walking is the most essential human movement around. And very few of us do enough of it.

In “The Hadza: Hunter-Gatherers of Tanzania,” Frank Marlowe, who spent four years with the tribes, writes that foraging Hadza women walked an average of 5.5 km a day at 3.5 km/hour and foraging men walked an average of 8.3 km each day at 3.6 km/hour. Able-bodied adults foraged on a daily basis, so that’s a lot of walking. As those are just averages (means), some forays were longer and some were shorter. The women Marlowe observed walked anywhere from a quarter kilometer to thirteen, while the men walked as little as 1.57 km and as many as 27.2. It changed, day to day, and that’s the whole point. It was never the same. It was always something new. Physical activity came in peaks and valleys, because that’s what the situation demanded.

So don’t think you have to walk a set number of miles each day. Just walk, walk, and walk some more whenever you get the chance. If you did nothing else but walk for miles each day, you’d be pretty darn healthy. Throw in a couple days of strength training and you’re better than 95% of your age group.

The beauty of walking doesn’t only lie in its direct physical effect on your fitness. It also helps pump the lymphatic system, improves your cognitive function, and keeps your tissues “lubed up” and ready for more intense activity.

Try Myo Rep/rest pause training.

As I wrote back in April, myo reps are the best “bang for your buck” way to strength train I’ve come across, and they’re safe. Here’s how you do it:

Choose a moderate-light weight.Do 10-20 reps, stopping at failure or 1-2 reps short of failure.Rest for 5-7 breaths.Do 3-5 reps.Rest for 5-7 breaths.Do the same number of reps you just did in the previous mini-set.Complete three more “mini-sets” with the same number of reps and rest periods if you can.

That’s it. You’re done with that exercise.

Myo reps don’t require that you use heavy weights you might not feel comfortable handling this early in your training career. You can pick heavy, moderate, or light weights and still get a great workout in a fraction of the time it would take on a normal training plan.

Another benefit of Myo Rep training is that it’s the quickest, most efficient way to activate the “feel good” endorphin release that makes you want to keep working out and come back for more later. It’s a great way to positively condition yourself—to train yourself to want to train.

Take or eat extra collagen and protein.

The older you are, the worse you are at utilizing the protein you eat. You need more of it in your diet to do the same job it did when you were 15 years younger. In studies where they compare resistance training seniors who eat extra protein with resistance training seniors who don’t, only the seniors eating extra protein gain muscle mass.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2...

You also need more collagen. Well, we all do, but especially older folks. Taking 20 grams of collagen with 100 mg of vitamin C 30 minutes before a workout can improve the health of your connective tissue, actually making it stronger and more resistant to injury.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2...

Aim for a 2 grams of protein per kilogram of weight and about 20 grams of collagen each day.

Control your ego.

I won’t say “leave your ego at the door,” because a little ego can be a healthy, helpful companion. You want enough ego to spur you on to make yourself better, healthier, fitter, and faster. You don’t want so much ego that you try doing something in the gym you aren’t prepared for. You don’t want to kill yourself trying to get bigger, stronger, and faster.

This is life, isn’t it? Life is all about balancing the ego. A good heuristic for making sure you’re on the right path is to try to beat your own performance but not the other guy’s or gal’s. Don’t worry about what someone else is doing or accomplishing. Worry about whether you’re getting better.

That’s about it, folks. Now I’d like to hear from you guys.

If this is you, let’s hear it: what’s your reason to train? What’s your vision?

If it’s not, if it was you and you’re an over-50 person who successfully got into training, how did you make it happen? What worked, what didn’t?

Thanks for reading, everyone. Take care!

References https://www.acc.org/latest-in-cardiology/articles/2019/02/20/08/11/cardiorespiratory-fitness-and-long-term-mortalityhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18068829https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23950640https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23950640https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22770932https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27852613

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Preparing for a Primal Road Trip

Nothing says classic summer vacation like hitting the open road with friends or family on a road trip. The summer of 2020 brought this old-school family tradition back into fashion, with folks hitting the highways like never before, eager for COVID-safe travel.

So before packing your bags and gassing up the car, consider some pre-planning to help bring your Primal lifestyle on the road. More than just packing cleaned up snacks, the secret to a successful road trip lies in staying engaged, gathering the right gear, finding ways to keep moving, and making those less than desirable moments float by fast.

Last year I drove cross-country twice, from coast to coast, in my beloved but definitely impractical bright blue VW Beetle. While cruising the open road in my “punch buggy” I learned a few make-or-break tips for long-haul journeys. Keep scrolling for itemized lists of what to pack, what food to look out for, and ingenious accessories that’ll smooth out the inevitable bumps along the road.

Eating Healthy

Finding nutritious food on the road that you actually want to eat is every Primal traveler’s biggest hangup. Staying satiated is also an important part of an easy, breezy trip (it can be hard to take in that view of Mount Rushmore or sit through another round of “I Spy” when hunger begins to take over). Check out this incredible guide to keeping Keto on the trailhead for even more info on packing and prepping keto-friendly food.

Fuel Up

As a Primal vegetarian, the name of the game for me is always protein. Whenever I’m traveling, I bring along a 12-pack of Primal Kitchen Collagen Fuel® or a small food container of Primal Fuel whey protein. Not only does the extra kick of protein keep me feeling satisfied, but the chocolate or vanilla flavor can also instantly improve even the most stale gas station cup of coffee.

On the caffeine note: getting your fix is a tricky balance when on the road. Being over-caffeinated can make the drive stressful and even unsafe. Monitor your intake and be sure to balance with water.

My Favorite Supplements to PackGreen Tea BagsInstant Black CoffeeCollagen PeptidesProtein PowderPrimal Damage ControlZinc & Vitamin CSnacks

I got the best (and maybe most obvious) tip from a friend before I set out: “if you see a grocery store you like, STOP and stock up.” When I packed up the car, I was certain I had enough quality nibbles to last me the entire 8-day voyage. I polished off those snacks in about two days.

Even if you feel you have enough, if you can find your non-perishable favorites while out and about, filling up on a few more is always a good idea–even if you end up putting them back in your own pantry later. Don’t be afraid to stop and snag roadside produce if it appeals to you! Enjoying fresh fruits and veg while also supporting the community you’re passing through is a win-win.

Pack these:Nuts and SeedsJerky (Make your own!)Grain-free GranolaTrail MixLow-Carb Protein BarsFruitCarrotsHomemade pemmican (A little unfamiliar, but it’s an awesome on-the-go snack.)Keep Your Cool(er)

Investing in a cooler is key, especially if you’re traveling with little ones. You can refill ice at hotel stops or at most gas stations, or stash reusable ice packs in the minibar fridge overnight to keep perishable items cool and fresh while on the road. You can even pre-prep roasted vegetables or cooked meat the night before to enjoy on the road.

Fill your cooler with these:

Hard-Boiled EggsYogurtCheeseCold cuts (watch for sugar and avoid nitrates when possible)WaterKnow Where to Go

Have a few chain restaurant spots in your back pocket you know you can find Primal-approved (or even Primal-ish) meals. Don’t be afraid to ask for modifications to a menu item, too: usually, if you ask kindly and offer to pay for any extras, many places will be accommodating within reason.

If you’ve got room in the cooler, pack your favorite dressing or sauce to make a bland grilled chicken or basic salad a bit more flavorful.

Hydrate!

This tip is vital! Especially if you are changing elevations and climates, drinking just a bit more water than usual can make all the difference. Investing in a reusable insulated water bottle (I love the Hydro Flask) keeps your water cool all day long. Even though nothing beats the real thing, hydration mixes can be a useful aid. You can also add cut fruit to your water to make it a bit more exciting.

For my trip, I kept a few reusable bottles in my car, and would refill at hotels or at water fountains at rest stops. Keeping a little extra water in the car is also good for washing hands, rinsing off spills, cleaning roadside produce, washing off dirty hiking boots or taking the salt and chlorine out of bathing suits.

Try these:

Collagen Quench Drink MixClean Hydration MixSliced Oranges or Orange ExtractNalgene Water BottleHydroflask BottleBrita Filter Water BottleTaking Breaks

Taking mental and physical breaks during a marathon drive is essential. Around 6pm every day of my 8-day journey, I’d start to get a little loopy–my back hurt, my eyes felt weak, and I’d start to feel out of it. Try these tips for staying nimble behind the wheel.

Stretching

Soothe tight muscles during a long day of sitting with a few simple stretches every time you stop to use the restroom.

Even if you don’t have to go, stop every few hours to:

Touch your chin to chest, and lightly push down on the top of your head for 8 seconds. Repeat on either side of your shoulders, with your shoulder down.Touch your toes, and gently nod your head yes and then no. Squeeze your glutes together as you roll up, vertebrae by vertebrae, to release your low back.Have a clean patch of grass nearby, or settling in for the night? Try a downward dog, pigeon stretch, or even a child’s pose on your bed before going to sleep. Bring along a tennis ball to roll out muscles at the end of a long day.Microworkouts

When you can’t hit the gym, try these pit stop-approved workouts (or go for a microworkout!) to stay on track on the road.

Try These:

Endorphin Mainline WorkoutProper SquatsMicroworkouts

 

Fresh Air

Open the windows, pull over at a breathtaking vista, stop and literally smell the roses: a little fresh air (not A/C!) is the ultimate refresher for a long day in the driver’s or passenger’s seat. Whenever I’m on the road, I have my own rule: if I’m near a National Park, I have to pull over and enjoy it, even if it’s just for an hour. Taking in the natural beauty around you recharges the batteries.

Eye Breaks

Don’t pull over and immediately stare into your phone. Rest your eyes, wear sunglasses (and SPF, for that matter!) and stay away from screens at night to keep your peepers in tip-top shape.

Staying Engaged

No matter how engaging your travel companions are, boredom will inevitably strike, so go prepared with enticing stops, thrilling podcasts, and mindful exercises.

Power of the Podcast and AudioBook

If you have a smartphone, listening to content is easier than it’s ever been. Find a podcast that speaks to your interests and attention span. On days where I felt restless, I turned to Overheard at National Geographic for a gripping, 30-minutes-or-less topic, when I needed a laugh, I’d tune into Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend, and when I wanted to get informed, I’d listen to a 5-minute update from NPR News.

Consider searching for a podcast tied to where you’re traveling to! If you’re a hiker, you might enjoy hearing about the state’s topography, or if you’re a history buff like me, a simple search of a city will provide a local pod with interesting insight.

Go old school with an audiobook. The app Audible offers a free first book: I personally love a biography told in the author’s voice.

Planning Stops

If time isn’t a factor as you’re traveling from one destination to another, consider planning a special stop each day. Whether you’re off to try the best pulled pork in Pittsburgh or to take a soul-searching hike in Sedona, having something to look forward to every day can make the longer travel days fly by.

Consider apps like AllTrails to find a hiking spot, the Dyrt to search for a special cabin or campground, or RoadTrippers to find unique spots.

Other Hacks

You’ve planned the stops, packed the meals, picked the best pit-stop workouts. Even when everything goes according to plan, it always helps to have a few extra-special hacks in your back pocket.

Make Google Maps Work for You

While you may already use this app, most folks don’t know about this life-saving feature. Once you’ve started your directions, tap the tab at the bottom of your screen and select “search along route.” From there, you can select gas stations, restaurants, grocery stores, or coffee shops (or search for something specific) and find what you need without veering off course.

Get The Right Gear

A car safety kit is a must (along with an AAA subscription!) but I also swear by these car accessories.

I am obsessed with this Foldable Garbage Can. It folds over the gear shift and fills up fast, so the trash never starts to stink, and it’s lined with plastic so it can be rinsed out easily.

This smartphone holder makes following map directions easy and closer to eye level.

You know how a sweaty, cold drink makes a very dirty puddle in your cup holders? These car coasters absorb condensation for a clean-freak-friendly cup holder.

This mini-vacuum is a life-saver if you can’t stand crumbs, sand, or dirt in your car.

I drove into California during the wildfires last year, and this goo cleared out the dust and ash caught in my A/C vents to help me breathe easier. I kept the car cooler longer while traversing the desert with these easy, vinyl shades that stick to the car window and block the sun.

Safe Travels! Wherever your car trip takes you, enjoy the open road this summer!

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New and Noteworthy: What I Read This Week—Edition 135

Research of the Week

Extraversion is linked to more happiness than being agreeable.

More testosterone, views more discordant with the majority.

Barefoot walking is easier on the knees in people with osteoarthritis.

For lowering uric acid, a high protein diet beats a high unsaturated fat or high carb diet.

Low-carb diets reduce LDL particle number and increase particle size.

New Primal Blueprint Podcasts

Episode 499: Chairidee Smith: Host Elle Russ chats with Chairidee Smith, advocate for women’s business and personal power.

Episode 500: Listener Q&A: Host Brad Kearns answers your questions.

Episode 501: CJ Hunt: CJ Hunt returns to the podcast for a third time.

Episode 502: Dr. Jennifer Etnier: Dr. Etnier talks about the mental benefits of physical activity and how to teach kids the right way.

Health Coach Radio: Erin and Laura chat with Victoria Field and Dr. Angela Poff about metabolic therapies.

Health Coach Radio: Jamie Sabat on co-creating your own universe.

Media, Schmedia

Social distancing may have impaired our immune systems.

Interesting Blog Posts

The deep history of one of the world’s oldest vegetables.

Pointed shoes brought bunions to medieval Europe.

 

Social Notes

Goal.

Everything Else

An obesity researcher’s account of personal attacks from other researchers. Pretty shameful.

The world’s oldest known (and still used to this day) bird nest.

Things I’m Up to and Interested In

Like for like: Eating sage may make you into a sage.

Interesting research: A glimpse at Neanderthal family structure.

Great example of massaging the data to get what you want: Raw data shows that high levels of linoleic acid in the serum are linked to hypertension; then you “adjust” for a bunch of variables and suddenly high linoleic acid protects against hypertension. But what’s really changed?

Unintended consequences: Having a cold protects against COVID infection.

Incredible: The story of a wolf.

Question I’m Asking

Would you eat like an Icelander?

Recipe CornerTaiwanese popcorn chicken: a nice infrequent treat.They’re not my favorite, but I maintain that chicken breasts are underrated.Time Capsule

One year ago (Jun 19 – Jun 25)

What is Monk Fruit Sweetener, and Is It Keto? — Well, is it?The Health Benefits of Turmeric, and How to Get More of It — You can stop putting teaspoons of dry powder in your mouth.Comment of the Week

“I quit drinking, years ago, by choice. At first, it felt weird to be around other people that were drinking–would they be judging me, think I’m self-righteous, etc. It didn’t take long to realize that no one really cared one way or the other. I was typically thinking only about myself, as were the others. Quitting is no big deal when you realize this.”

-I noticed the same thing when I abstained from alcohol for a long period some years ago, Randy.

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Ask a Health Coach: Who’s Keeping You Accountable?

Hey folks! In this week’s Ask a Health Coach, Erin is answering your questions about shaking up your eating routine, wrangling sugar cravings, and how to know if you should hire a health coach. We love getting your questions, so ask yours in the comments below or in our Mark’s Daily Apple Facebook group.

 

Diana asked:
“I’ve been paleo for about six months and I’m getting sick of eating all the same foods day after day. What ideas do you have for mixing things up?”

This is a question I get asked all the time. And my answer is typically something in the realm of, “if you’re sick of eating the same things, then eat different things.” Honestly, if a nutritionist tells you what to eat, you’ll have some resistance to some of those foods. It’s one of the reasons I don’t offer meal plans to my clients: I don’t really want to tell people what to eat! As humans, we’re pre-wired to resist when someone tells us to do something that goes against what we’re familiar with.1 That, and the fact that I want you to learn how to feed yourself long after our sessions wrap up.

Maybe you’re not sure what to eat. Thankfully the internet is filled with amazing resources, including this one right here. Eat anything on this list, in any combo you want. It’s that simple! No complicated recipes required. Still need ideas? Keep reading.

Here’s an exercise I use with my clients that might be helpful here. Take a sheet of paper and make a chart that has three columns and seven rows.

Write the numbers one through seven in the first columnJot down your favorite proteins in the second columnAdd your favorite veggies to the third column

In less than a minute’s time, you’ve got a week’s worth of meals. And if you really want to get crazy, mix and match the proteins and vegetables in your chart. I’ve had clients assign numbers to their protein and veg lists, and then use a pair of dice to throw together meal combos; gamifying it, somewhat.

One of the best ways I know to help is by educating you, setting you on the path to take care of this stuff yourself. Because in the end, who’s going to be there? You. And if after this, you get bored of eating the same things again, grab a fresh sheet of paper and make a new list.

You absolutely have to love every bite of food you eat, or you’ll struggle to stay on your Primal path. We want this to feel effortless, and rewarding, and enjoyable.

Sammy asked:
“I need to get back to keto, but I’m struggling with sweets. My sugar cravings are really bad this time! And it doesn’t help that my wife is always bringing home desserts. Suggestions, please!”

It can be frustrating when a partner, spouse, or roommate isn’t on the same page as you when it comes to your health. It’s one of the most consistent hurdles I help my clients navigate. Obviously, if the sweets weren’t in the house to begin with, you’d be having an easier time here. That’s a conversation to have with your spouse. Might your wife be open to having special designated “treat days” a couple of days per week, where everyone gets to go out and treat themselves to their fave indulgence, but those treats don’t live at home full-time?

Let’s talk for a moment about your own struggles with sweets. As you’ve noticed, ditching sweets from your diet can be difficult. I see a lot of my own clients spiral into self-destructive patterns of guilt and shame when they struggle, thinking they should be stronger or more determined or have more willpower. The thing is, we’re hard-wired to seek out quick energy. Plus, we’re constantly bombarded by advertising and messaging that encourages us to indulge in an array of less-than-healthy, hyperpalatable foods.

 

Does that mean you’re doomed to fight your cravings forever? Nope. It just means you have to go about it a different way. Maybe you’ve noticed that your cravings for sweets kick in any time you have a stressful day or feel anxious or deprived or smell something that reminds you of your favorite snickerdoodle cookie from childhood.

Cravings are often more psychological than they are physiological, so see if any of these factors resonate with you:

Being too restrictive. Depriving yourself too much or even perceiving that you’re being deprived can end up backfiring. Studies show that traditional “dieters” have significantly more food cravings, especially for sugary foods.Emotional associations. Cravings are tied to the brain’s memory center. Knowing that the areas of the brain activated by cravings are also in charge of housing memories can help you start to break the cycle.Chronic stress. Sugar consumption temporarily increases serotonin, the neurotransmitter that regulates mood. So, when you’re feeling stressed, instead of reaching for a treat, find a non-food way to decompress.Existing rituals. When you consciously or subconsciously seek out sweets in specific situations (i.e. at the movies, summer BBQs, after dinner), you form the expectation that it will happen every time. Become aware of your triggers and start to develop rituals that better suit your goals. (By the way, I’m of the personal belief that some of our “treat rituals” ought to be allowed to stick around. I think humans are hedonistic pleasure-seekers at the core, and too much rigidity just brings us right back to to bullet point #1…)

The only person responsible for your actions is you; and I say this to empower you. You’re in charge, here! Understanding the reasons for your cravings is the first step in taking back your power.

Charron asked:
“After months of trying unsuccessfully to do it on my own, I think I’m ready to hire a health coach – someone who can answer my questions, guide my macro targets, and help me stay accountable. Any tips on what I should be looking for?”

I have a section on my intake form for new clients that basically asks these three questions:

Are you prepared and excited to embark on a change?Do you have the support you need at home and in your life to succeed?Are you prepared to hold yourself accountable to the changes prescribed?

Why do I tell you this? Because even if you decide to hire a health professional, you’ll be the one doing the work. A health coach isn’t technically your accountability partner; they’re your guide to your own self-accountability. In my practice, I teach my clients how to create accountability from within so that after we’re done working together, they have the skills to keep going, which is really what long-term health is all about.

Whether you hire someone or continue to do it solo, this is the time to reacquaint yourself with why you wanted to make this change in the first place. Reconnecting with your ‘why’ is crucial if you want to navigate the ups and downs of your journey.

It’s also important to know where you stand on support. I can’t stress the importance of this: your support network, and the support of your environment are some of the first factors to square up before you embark on massive change. Are your friends/family/co-workers onboard with your goals? If so, great. If not, decide what you need to do to stay on track, regardless of their attitudes or behaviours. Your coach can help you strategize ways to support yourself, if and when your support network fails to step up to the plate.

And finally, figure out your potential barriers. What obstacles might come up? And what’s going to motivate you to keep going when it gets a little uncomfortable (which, by the way, it always will)? Knowing the answer to these questions will help you stay the course. Your health coach will take great care of you during your working relationship, and will be a steady source of education and support, but ultimately, you need to be there for yourself.

What about you? How do you handle accountability?

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What Are Postbiotics and What Do They Have to Do With Gut Health?

Gut health is an enormous topic that just got even bigger.

You know about probiotics: bacteria that provide benefits to our gut, metabolic, and/or overall health when eaten. Some probiotic bacteria colonize our guts—they take up residence in our digestive tract and provide lasting effects. Some probiotic bacteria are transients—they visit and impart benefits and interact with our guts and its inhabitants, but do not stay.

You also know about prebiotics: non-digestible food components that nourish and provide food for the bacteria living in our guts. Prebiotics include fermentable plant fibers, resistant starch, “animal fiber,” and certain polyphenols.

This is standard stuff. Entire store shelves are devoted to fermented dairy, pickles, sauerkraut, supplements, kombucha, and other sources of probiotics. You’ve probably got all sorts of strange gums and fibers and powders that serve as prebiotic substrate for gut bugs. Gut health is mainstream.

But you probably don’t know about postbiotics.

What Are Postbiotics?

Postbiotics are the products created by our gut bacteria after they consume prebiotics, interact with incoming food components, and interact with other bacteria. They include:

Short-chain fatty acids like butyrate, propionate, and acetateVitamins like inositol, vitamin K2, and certain B vitaminsNeurotransmitters like GABA and serotonin

And then there are the likely innumerable postbiotic effects, metabolites, and outcomes that we have yet to elucidate and quantify.

In other words, postbiotics—the actions, products, and interactions of probiotic bacteria—are the entire reason we’re so interested in probiotics and prebiotics.

Short Chain Fatty Acids

The short chain fatty acids that are byproducts of fiber fermentation, including butyrate, propionate, and acetate, improve our health in many ways. Butyrate in particular has been shown to have beneficial effects on insulin sensitivity, colonic transport, inflammation, and symptoms of Crohn’s disease.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1...https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2...https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1... It’s also the preferred fuel source for our native colonic cells, so without enough butyrate, our colonic cells can wither and die off, leading to digestive impairments and even cancer. Mucin-degrading bacteria predominate in colorectal cancer patients, for example, while butyrate-producing bacteria dominate in healthy patients without cancer.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2... Populations with lower rates of colorectal cancer also tend to have higher levels of butyrate.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2...

Propionate is helpful, too, reducing fat storage and improving lipids.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2... One of the coolest effects though is on exercise tolerance: certain gut bacteria have been shown to metabolize lactate into propionate, and in doing so improve exercise capacity. In fact, elite athletes tend to have higher levels of propionate-producing bacteria in their guts.https://www.nature.com/articles/s4225...

Acetate is less well-characterized, but it has been shown to enhance butyrate production.

 

Vitamins

When gut bacteria consume substrates, they produce various metabolites, the most famous of which are the short chain fatty acids butyrate, acetate, and propionate discussed in the previous section. But they also produce vitamins in the process, particularly vitamin K, B-vitamins, and inositol.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9...

Although this hasn’t been directly quantified, we know the potential for gut bacteria that produce vitamin K2 exists. Broad spectrum antibiotic usage leads to lower levels of vitamin K2 in the human liver, a consequence that only makes sense if the antibiotics are killing vitamin K2-producing bacteria.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7... What we do make in the gut can absolutely be absorbed and utilized.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8...

And gene sequencing of bacterial strains known to inhabit human guts has found strong evidence of genetic capacities for the manufacture of folate and other B-vitamins. However, these vitamin producing genes are only expressed “when bifidobacteria are in their natural ecological niche.”https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22940... You can’t eat a diet of processed junk food and refined grains and hope to nourish the relevant bacteria. If you want your gut bacteria to produce vitamins as postbiotics, you need to provide their “natural ecological niche”—prebiotics, good sleep, healthy living, colorful plants, sunlight and exercise.

Certain gut bacteria can actually turn phytic acid into inositol, preventing the mineral-binding activity of the phytic acid and unlocking the mood regulation and insulin sensitizing effects of inositol.https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases... The more phytate-rich foods you eat, the better your gut bacteria get at breaking it down into inositol.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2...

Neurotransmitters

When scientists first discovered the enteric nervous system, housed in the vagus nerve and running from the gut to the brain and back again, they assumed it only delivered information and instructions about digestive contractions. But now we know that it’s much more than that. We know that the gut bacteria produce 95% of our serotonin, half of our dopamine, and a significant portion of our GABA.https://neurosciencestuff.tumblr.com/... This may explain why unhealthy gut biomes are strongly linked to mental health issues like depression and anxiety, and it’s probably why we even have the concept of a “gut feeling.”

People with major depressive disorder are more likely to have low levels of Bacteroides, a bacterial genus known for producing large amounts of GABA in human guts.https://www.nature.com/articles/s4156...

Should You Take Postbiotic Supplements?

Some companies have begun releasing postbiotic supplements, like straight-up sodium butyrate and something called “yeast fermentate,” which is the concentrated extract of a brewer’s yeast fermentation. The butyrate and fermentate are probably fine to take, but that’s not the best way to get postbiotics. It’s not the same as letting your gut bacteria make it themselves.

I say this all the time regarding probiotics and prebiotics: rather than fixate on a single strain, single metabolite, single short-chain fatty acid, or single specific fiber source, think in terms of whole foods, whole patterns of lifestyle and health. There’s so much we don’t know about what’s going on in our gut—up to 65% of the bacteria living in our guts hasn’t even been cultured and analyzed—and it’s silly to think we can engineer specific outcomes. For instance, you can’t just megadose with propionate and hope to get performance boosts in the gym or choke down butyrate and drop your insulin resistance. It may work, but it probably works better to come at the situation with a bottoms-up approach that emulates or is the natural, organic path than to insert some ingredient midway through the process.

That said, perhaps postbiotic supplementation will improve down the line.

How Do You Support Natural Postbiotic Production?

That’s a big question, but there are answers.

Eat prebiotics. This post gives a good overview of prebiotics and how to get them. And read up on resistant starch, a particularly pro-butyrate form of prebiotic. Excellent sources of prebiotics include onions, garlic, leeks, Jersualem artichokes, asparagus, slightly green bananas, cooked and cooled potatoes, pistachios and almonds, chicory root, mushrooms, dandelion greens, and carrots. I could go on, and those listed are most of the most potent sources, but you get the point—plants contain prebiotics.

Eat probiotics. Eat fermented dairy, eat fermented vegetables, take supplements if that’s easier or if you wish to supplement.Eat colorful fruits and vegetables and animals. These plant pigments, polyphenols, and animal connective tissues are prebiotic substrate for the gut bacteria.Maintain good circadian hygiene. Sleep and circadian rhythm affect every system in the body, and the gut is no different.Manage stress. Stress disrupts gut bacteria and worsens gut health.Play in the dirt. Spend time outside getting dirty.Get sun. Sunlight is another underrated modulator of gut bacteria diversity.Eat whole foods. Whole foods contain the broad spectrum of food components, many of which we haven’t quantified and some of which will have positive postbiotic effects on the gut bacteria.

For a comprehensive treatment of all the things that affect gut bacteria in both positive and negative ways, read this post.

As you can see, nothing is laid out with great specificity (“to produce [this specific postbiotic], do [this specific intervention] or take [this specific supplement]”). You can’t just do one thing. You have to take a comprehensive, holistic, Primal approach. But here’s the great thing about doing it that way: you won’t just get the benefits of postbiotics, but also the health, fitness, and overall happiness benefits of living more healthfully in general.

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References https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19366864https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22412931https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10940278https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23940645https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23719549https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21521227https://www.nature.com/articles/s42255-019-0092-1https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9167138https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7895417https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8198105https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22940212/https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140213122358.htmhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23551617https://neurosciencestuff.tumblr.com/post/38271759345/gut-instincts-the-secrets-of-your-second-brainhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-018-0307-3

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Sober-curious: Experimenting with Ditching Alcohol and Going Dry

More and more people are questioning whether alcohol deserves a place in their lives. The popular media has dubbed this growing contingent of alcohol skeptics “sober-curious.” These folks aren’t so much worried that they have a serious drinking problem, though that might be a nagging thought in the back of their minds. Rather, they suspect that the negatives outweigh the positives, even if they only drink “moderately” (however they define it).

Sober-curious folks are ready to dabble in sobriety, yet the choice to stop drinking is a complicated one. Cutting out alcohol isn’t as simple as switching to mineral water and going on your merry way. For many, it means giving up a stress or anxiety release, a comfortable habit, and a way to unwind at the end of a long day.

Then there are the obvious social considerations. Drinking is woven into every aspect of social life, from celebrations to mourning, brunches with friends, first dates, work functions—you name it, alcohol is there. Drinking is so normalized that not drinking unsettles and perplexes other people more than drinking to excess.

The sober-curious crowd, which includes a growing contingent of young people, is ready to disrupt the system as they increasingly realize that a sober lifestyle has more to offer. Alcohol perhaps isn’t the cool best friend it’s supposed to be. It’s more like the sloppy, unhelpful roommate who needs a boot.

Sobriety: Defining a New Relationship with Alcohol

Disclaimer: This post isn’t aimed at people who believe themselves to be, or who have been diagnosed as, addicted to alcohol. It’s for people who are curious about exploring sobriety as an alternative to a life that includes alcohol consumption. If you need help, call your doctor or the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357). 

Let’s be clear: You don’t have to think you have a problem to realize that your life might be better with less—or no—alcohol.

An entire industry is growing up around the idea of sobriety. The market for boutique alcohol-free beverages is booming. You can find sober happy hours in any major city. The sheer number of books, blogs, long-form essays, Instagram accounts, and podcasts dedicated to getting sober is a testament to this sea change.

Overwhelmingly, the people telling their sobriety tales publicly were once on the precipice, their drinking behavior threatening to destroy everything, before they quit. These narratives are important, and you might see yourself in their stories. However, they don’t represent the entire sober-curious movement. Plenty of people don’t have tales of woe beyond the occasional hangover and retrospectively embarrassing karaoke session. Nevertheless, they think they’d be better off without alcohol. They’re usually not writing books about their path to sobriety, but their stories—and yours, if this is you—are equally valid.

 

Giving Up the Juice: Learning to Live Without Alcohol

Society tends to treat drinking as a binary: you’re a drinker or a non-drinker, period. In reality, there are shades of gray in the middle. One of your many adult responsibilities is to decide where you belong along the imbibing spectrum. You might want to drink less often or not at all.

In either case, breaking up with alcohol means tackling the very practical side of changing the behavior, as well as the much deeper—and usually much harder—work of filling the void that getting sober leaves behind. There’s no magic pill here. Some people will have an easier time than others, irrespective of how much they drink.

Below are some strategies to try, but this is not an all-encompassing list. Some might help, and others not at all. To be successful, you’ll likely need a variety of different tools and tricks at your disposal.

Lessons Gleaned from Habit Change

Drinking is a habitual behavior. At least, it is for anyone who thinks about quitting. You don’t quit things that aren’t ingrained; you simply don’t do them.

Habitual behaviors follow a predictable pattern:

First, a cue or trigger primes the behavior.Second, the behavior appeals to you. (This is sometimes called the craving stage.)You do the behavior. In this case, you take a drink.Finally, you derive some reward or benefit from the behavior. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t do it again. It wouldn’t become a habit.

Breaking habitual patterns comes down to interrupting that process. With something like alcohol consumption, it’s probably best to break the chain in as many places as possible.

Remove the Cues

One way to reduce the drive to drink is to avoid getting triggered in the first place. When it comes to drinking, that’s usually easier said than done.

Cues can be things (seeing your favorite crystal highball glass in the cupboard), people (your happy hour buddy), time of day (getting off work), places (sitting on your porch swing), or even emotions. Getting rid of the alcohol and barware in your house is a great first step. However, if feeling stressed is your main trigger, tossing the booze almost certainly won’t be enough. It’s not like you can snap your fingers and live a stress-free life. You can start to develop different tools for coping with stress without drinking, possibly with a therapist’s help.

For many people, their cues include friends or coworkers, or their favorite restaurants and bars. Ultimately, you may have to cut ties with certain people, switch jobs, or find new hobbies on your path to sobriety. You don’t necessarily have to start there, though, depending on your situation. There are other ways to engineer your environment:

If you’re comfortable doing so, tell people that you are doing a sobriety experiment.

People seem to accept sobriety more when you give it a cute name like “Dry July” or “Sober October.” Ask your friends not to invite you out for drinks or recount their drunken exploits to you for the time being. If you’ve been in the Primal community for a while, your friends are probably used to your “weird” self-experiments, like giving up grains, so they might not bat an eye.

Find or create sober spaces.

Thanks to the growing sober-curious movement, it’s easier than ever to find alcohol-free social options like sober dance parties, sober dating events, and even bars that specialize in fancy non-alcoholic concoctions. You shouldn’t have any trouble finding these types of events in any large-ish city.

If none exist in your area, you always have the option of starting social meet-ups yourself to get to know other sober-curious folks. Invite your friends to join you. Plan sober game nights or picnics. Go kombucha tasting instead of wine tasting. Do a couch-to-5k together. Lean on each other for social support.

Quell the Craving

The impulse to drink is usually accompanied by beliefs about how much better you’ll feel, or how much more fun you’ll be having, once you take that drink. A major focus of most addiction recovery programs is changing the thoughts you have around alcohol.

You’re thinking about quitting for a reason. See if you can start focusing on the negatives more than the positives. Come up with a mantra or affirmation that reminds you why you don’t want to drink:

Alcohol is the bad relationship partner I keep returning to over and over. I deserve better than that.Nothing feels better than a good night’s sleep.I’ll be happier tomorrow if I say no tonight.

Of course, you’ll probably need more than just a mantra, but it could be one piece of the puzzle.

When a craving hits, employ the same techniques you use to deal with sugar cravings: distract yourself, ride it out, or replace the alcohol with something you feel better about consuming. One technique that some addiction specialists use is a mindfulness-based tool called urge surfing. Fighting cravings makes them stronger, whereas tuning in to them and “riding the wave” allows them to pass more peacefully. Here is an example of an urge surfing meditation to try.

Try these delicious, refreshing summer mocktails recipes!

Filling the Void

Nobody drinks because they want to raise their blood alcohol level. They drink because of the other stuff alcohol delivers: numbing, social connection, disinhibition, maybe even self-punishment. Ultimately, there’s nothing that alcohol offers that we can’t get by healthier means. Alcohol just happens to be readily available, fast-acting, and socially sanctioned.

An essential piece of the sobriety puzzle is learning to meet those needs in other ways. This requires self-awareness first—an honest exploration of why you’re drinking—and then effective tools to fill those voids without the downsides of drinking.

Your trajectory is going to be highly individual. Some #soberAF social media influencers will try to convince you that sobriety looks like walks on the beach, meditation, yoga retreats, and other “self-care.” Sure, bubble baths and meditation might help. I’d never tell you not to meditate. But, if your drinking behavior stems from unresolved childhood trauma, no amount of chanting om is going to deliver everything you need. You might very well need a competent therapist and a support group to arrive at your destination.

Focus on the Short Term

If quitting alcohol is your goal, and it feels important or urgent, then do what you need to do. Sure, in an ideal world, you’d replace drinking with a health-promoting, life-affirming habit instead. You’d go from drinking to transcendental meditation or training for an Ironman or learning another language or whatever. However, if in reality, you go from drinking every night to bingeing Netflix for a couple months until you have made a clean break from alcohol, so be it. You can work on becoming bilingual later.

“I’m Not Drinking Right Now.”

I learned this simple but incredibly powerful statement from Melissa Urban, founder of Whole30. She discovered that when you tell people, “I don’t drink,” or “I’m not drinking,” they challenge you and want to know why. Adding the tiny qualifier “right now” mostly eliminates the pushback. Maybe it’s because, as a society, we have become accustomed to sobriety experiments like Dry January. Or perhaps it makes people less uncomfortable to process the idea of “right now” as opposed to “forever.”

It’s also a poignant reminder to yourself that you don’t have to commit to never drinking again. You don’t even have to worry about the party you’ll be attending this weekend or the wedding next month. All you have to do is keep making the choice right now, in this moment, not to drink.

Explore Different Paths

Hundreds of roads lead to sobriety. Seek out sobriety and recovery stories from people like you, but also realize that there’s only one YOU. You have the freedom and the responsibility to find the path that is right for you. Your path won’t look exactly like anyone else’s, and that’s fine.

Some people will be able to do it on their own with no major hiccups. Others will need more structured support. You’re surely familiar with Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), but there are many, many other options out there that might suit you better. Don’t give up if the first one you try isn’t a good fit.

Drinking Mindfully

Many people believe that 100 percent abstinence is the only way to go. Others feel just as strongly that it doesn’t have to be all or nothing for everyone.

Instead of total abstinence, some folks opt for “mindful drinking,” which is exactly what it sounds like: making conscious, controlled choices about how much to drink and when. Mindful drinking approaches encourage you to drink more intentionally (and presumably, more moderately) without going completely dry.

In her book, We Are the Luckiest: The Surprising Magic of a Sober Life, Laura McKowen reminds us, “One of the definitions of sobriety is to be clearheaded. In that way, sobriety is about freeing yourself from any behavior, relationship, or way of thinking that enslaves you and keeps you from being present to life.” Ultimately, only you can decide what you need to do to be present or free, with or without alcohol.

Don’t Be “That Person”

As a final note, don’t be the person who challenges someone else’s sobriety. Just don’t.

When someone tells you they aren’t drinking, the only acceptable responses are, “OK!” and, “Can I get you some mineral water?” It’s never “Why?” or “Are you pregnant?” or “C’mon, one won’t hurt.” Don’t even consider, “Are you going to make me feel guilty for drinking?” Never be the reason that someone else feels pressured to take a drink they don’t want.

If you’ve tried your own sober experiment, share below what worked for you. What resources did you use? How did you navigate social situations where others were drinking? What did you learn?

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Sprinting, Jumping, Losing Body Fat, (And Cultivating Gratitude), Part Two

I hope you enjoyed part one of this presentation. I’d like to you pay particular attention to the four prerequisites in your diet and fitness program that must be in place before you can properly benefit from explosive sprinting and jumping workouts. They were detailed at the end of part one, and to briefly recap they are:

Diet. Ditch processed sugars, grains, and industrial seed oilsMovement. Increase all forms of general everyday movementAvoid the chronic. Correct anything in your training schedule that gives off even a whiff of being chronic in natureDo high intensity correctly. We’ll detail the workout templates here, but make sure that you only attempt explosive, high-intensity sessions when you are fully rested and energized to deliver a peak performance effort.

Increasing all forms of general everyday movement is a broad and non-specific recommendation, which makes it more difficult to integrate into daily life. It’s time to focus on a life-changing centerpiece to meet this objective: A morning flexibility, mobility, core & leg strengthening routine. I do this every single day immediately upon awakening. What started as a pretty simple and non-strenuous 12-minute session has progressed gracefully over the past four years into a quite challenging session that takes a minimum of 35 minutes every day to complete – by choice. You don’t have to make a big production out of it if you don’t want to.

My integration of the morning routine into a habit has been a life-changing experience for many reasons. It provides discipline, focus, and structure to start my day, and I have a sense of pride that I have a streak going past four years and counting. This regimen elevates the fitness platform from which I launch all formal workouts, and especially helps with injury prevention.

Sprinting The Right Way (and how I one-upped Usain Bolt)

The following is a simple template for a highly effective sprint workout.

The Cardio Warmup

I always take a 10-minute bicycle ride or jog to the running track. Usually I’m off into the warmup right after my elaborate morning routine, so I don’t need the additional stretching. Otherwise, consider doing some dynamic stretching after you complete your cardio warmup. You want to get your heart rate and respiration elevated, be breaking a light sweat, and central nervous system focused on delivering upcoming hard efforts.

 

Drills

Review the basic and advanced running technique drill videos for ideas. Even though running is a simple sport, developing correct technique is critical. This video will help you avoid common mistakes and dial in the most efficient technique for sprinting and all slower speeds. I’ve been really enjoying a focus on skipping drills. Many sprint coaches contend skipping is the single best way to refine good technique because you can isolate certain aspects of the running stride that are hard to focus on when running full speed. And also because the basic skipping movement and all variations are inherently explosive—just like good sprinting.

This video details 10 Ways To Skip. I typically circle a 400-meter running track two times and do all ten skipping styles shown. Work efforts are usually around 20 seconds (never longer).

Since I’m fully warmed up when I start skipping, these two laps have quite a high degree of difficulty. I’ll do a skip drill for about 20 seconds, jog for about 20 seconds, and then another skip drill. I’m breathing hard and my heart rate is elevated as I finish a sequence. I’ll end my two laps with the difficult hamstring kick outs as seen here on the advanced technique drills video. They have to feel good in order to proceed to real sprinting or hard jumping. On occasion when I feel too sluggish with the skipping drills, I’ll just head home with an aerobic cooldown and wait for a better day. This is an extremely important admonition. Sprinting or jumping when the muscles or central nervous system are fatigued is a recipe for big trouble in the form of injury or an ineffective workout with extended recovery time at the very least.

Wind Sprints

Preparatory efforts where you accelerate up to nearly full speed and then immediately slow back down. Your accelerations last 4-5 seconds before you slow down. This is just revving the engine for the formal sprints ahead. Focus on precise and explosive sprinting techniques. If you notice any tightness or imperfections in your technique, this is a good final checkpoint to consider skipping the main sprints.

Main Set of Sprints

I’ll do four to eight 80 meters sprints with at least one-minute rest between efforts. My 80- meter efforts take me 11-12 seconds, so I’ll rest at least five times longer than the sprint, or around 1:00.

This honors what Dr. Craig Marker calls “luxurious” rest intervals in the HIRT protocol. During the recovery period, you want your respiration to return to near normal and your nervous system to return to what sports scientist Dr. Tudor Bompa calls an, “optimally excited and uninhibited” state—you are psyched to take on the next sprint! This is a big difference from toeing the line with your tongue hanging out, hoping you can “survive” three more. I had to learn to ditch my endurance athlete mindset at the chain-line fence I hopped to access the track, and instead treat my body and my psyche with the delicate sensitivity shown when training thoroughbred racehorses.

Surprising as it may seem, you never need to do anything more than eight times 80 meters for a template sprint (running) workout. Those new to running sprints can start out with four times 80 meters and progress up to eight. The only reason to run longer sprints is if you have competitive goals, where you encounter high risk for minimal extra payoff (more shortly.) Trying to sprint for longer than 20 seconds invites cellular breakdown, increased recovery time, and appetite spikes in the aftermath. If you keep your sprints between 10-20 seconds, you are burning ATP and creatine phosphate for fuel instead of blasting through your glycogen stores.

Taking insufficient recovery time between sprints is another way to trash yourself and compromise the intended benefits of the workout. This is a mistake I made for 13 years with my sprint workouts because I inappropriately projected my endurance athlete mentality into my sprint training. Mind you, I could perform my sprints on short recovery intervals just fine because of my strong endurance background. I recall an all-comers meet a decade ago where I achieved something not even Usain Bolt could ever dream of. I ran a 100-meter race and was disappointed with my performance. So I jogged back to the starting line and lined up in the blocks to participate in the next heat. After perhaps a minute of rest, I improved my time by 1/10th of a second, and was only 3.5 seconds off the world record! (For those uninitiated to track & field stats, this is a joke that happens to be true.)

When one is pumped up and ready for a peak performance session, the potential drawbacks are not perceivable in the moment. The problem when you perform explosive efforts with short recovery is that you experience that aforementioned cellular breakdown and increased recovery time in the hours and days afterward. For so long, I associated sprint workouts with waking up the next day feeling beat up, calves sore to the touch, and needed to crash out for a big nap in the afternoon. After all, this was a centerpiece workout with huge fitness benefits that you only do once every 7-10 days, right? Alas, there is a cutoff point where a workout becomes too difficult for maximum benefit, and toning things down can be a much better strategy. With a correctly designed sprint workout, I can perform significantly more of them over the course of a year, not have to waste precious resources repairing sore muscles, and not challenge my general health and hormone function with high-stress workouts.

If you’re performing low- or no-impact sprints on a stationary bike, cardio machines, rowing, or running uphill or upstairs, you can sprint for longer and do a few more reps than you can with running sprints. The lower degree of difficulty of the activity, the more the body can handle. For example, Olympic sprinters spend perhaps 1-2 hours a day on the track, with just minutes of explosive effort in total. By contrast, Olympic swimmers spend 4-5 hours a day in the pool, including numerous high-intensity sets and sprints. With low impact activities, you can sprint for up to 20 seconds, but keep the range between four and eight and keep the rest “luxurious,” at least one minute. Maximum benefits accrue with high impact running (bone density, fat reduction signaling), so strive to progress to running sprints if at all possible. Whether running or doing low-impact, you always want to set your sights on going faster rather than adding more sprints or taking less recovery than what’s recommended here.

Jump Into Jumping

So you’re not a jumper you say?! Even if you don’t dream of Olympic bronze like me, I strongly encourage you to consider adding jumping to your training regimen. Leaving the earth to briefly experience the theory of gravity viscerally is one of the quintessential human movements, yet even many highly devoted fitness enthusiasts never get air time of any kind. The reason sprinting on flat ground and jumping are the best fat loss workouts is because the penalty for carrying extra non-functional weight is so severe (unlike non-weight bearing sports like swimming or downhill skiing, or moving at lower levels of intensity). This is why you never see a fat sprinter or high jumper!

Sprinting and jumping send strong genetic signals to shed excess body fat so you might find yourself more adapted for ensuing sessions. Even with workouts lasting less than 30 minutes in total, and cumulative explosive efforts totaling only a few minutes (e.g., 8 x 12-second sprints, plus a dozen difficult technique drills lasting 10 seconds each totals 3.6 minutes), the metabolic benefits are experienced for days afterward.

This is a concept known as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17101... – your metabolic rate increases in response to the extreme energy expenditure during the workout. What’s happening with EPOC is that your body is working hard on cellular repair, hormone rebalancing, building new and stronger muscles and mitochondria, replenishing fuel sources like ATP and glycogen, replenishing depleted neurons in the central nervous system, and so on. Countless studies have validated that a little goes a long way such that a properly conducted explosive sprint or jumping workout or a resistance training session, can deliver a greater return on investment than lower intensity workouts2 lasting five times longer.

All manner of jumping can also improve bone density, balance, and resilience against all kinds of athletic or everyday physical injuries. Dr. Michael Roizen, co-author with Dr. Oz of the popular You: The Owner’s Manual health book series and leader of the Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute, says you can preserve bone mass in the spine and lower extremities by simply jumping up and down 20 times, every morning and every night. The attributes of bone density and better balance, general mobility and athleticism also represent some of the most important longevity attributes, because it’s the number-one cause of injury and death.https://www.cdc.gov/injury/features/o... in American’s over age 65 is falling. A simple falling incident with a frail senior can spell doom because the recovery time restricts activity and leads to further atrophy. This increases the risk of accidents from even the most mundane of daily activities. Many falling victims never get back up after breaking a fragile femur bone and being bedridden for so long that there’s not enough strength to get back up even with the initial break healed.

When I go through my sequence of jumping drills, I’m honoring the principles of sprinting where my work efforts last between 10 and 20 seconds with plenty of rest between sets. A single set of jumping drills isn’t as tough as a sprint of the same duration, so I’m resting maybe 20-30 seconds between work efforts instead of 60.

Usually I’ll do ~14 sets, which means most but not all of the advanced suggestions here. If you are a novice, focus on the basic drills and limit the duration of your sets to 10 seconds. You can try to work in some advanced drills over time and extend the duration of your work efforts up to 20 seconds, but never over. As with technique drills and sprints, end the set if you notice technique or explosiveness falter.

Jumping Workout Sequence

Here is a template for a fun and effective jumping workout:

Low-intensity cardio warmup, dynamic stretching Basic and advanced running technique drillsMain set of 5-15 jumping drills as followsBasic2 x Explosive vertical jump, two-foot takeoff. Stand comfortably with feet shoulder-width apart, crouch down so thighs are near parallel, then swing arms aggressively as you explode straight up off the ground. Catch your breath for a bit and repeat, or progress to immediate takeoff after landings. Honor a maximum duration of :20 for the set.2 x Vertical jumps, three-step approach. Vertical jump with three-step approach (as if dunking a basketball or high jumping), landing on two feet. Swing arms upwards in unison for takeoff. Repeat with your dominant takeoff leg ~6-12 efforts. I like to simulate the high jump takeoff by taking the three-step approach with a slight curve and taking off at a 45-degree angle. You can also proceed in a straight line and jump vertically. Land and then take another three-step approach for another explosive jump.2 x Vertical jumps with three-step approach, opposite leg takeoff. It’s always a good idea to balance the training load instead of favoring your dominant limb or side. This helps the central nervous system refine good technique with your dominant limb or side. The same is true for golfers—try hitting some shots with a left-handed club some time! Strive to execute well with your off-hand, off-leg or opposite swing as an important component of your training program and skill development.2 x Explosive skipping. As seen here on the 10 ways to skip video, it’s essentially a vertical jump with a one-step approach, landing on the same leg, then taking one step into a takeoff on the opposite leg. Continue for ~12 jumps.2 x Bunny hops. Take off and land with feet together, splitting the effort between height and distance. Strive to land gracefully and in balance every time. Slow down for a beat if you need to gather yourself between hops2 x Leap frogs. Assume deep squat position with hands on the ground. Explode up, splitting effort between height and distance. Land gracefully and in balance.More Difficult2 x Left leg hopping. Take off and land on Left leg for 12-20 hops. On each Left leg takeoff, the R leg swings gently forward to provide momentum and balance. Land in softly and gracefully. Preserve hip height at all times.2 x Right leg hopping. 12-20 hops. Land gracefully with a balanced center of gravity.2 x Explosive bounding. Take extra-long strides with an explosive takeoff and a graceful landing. Be as light on your feet as possible and try to maintain forward momentum. Take care to always land in balance and preserve hip height. Try to explode off the ground with each landing rather than collapse your weight into the ground.2 x Bicycle drill. Take off on the left leg and complete a simulated pedal rotation in the air before landing on right leg. Take a couple steps and execute another left leg takeoff, right leg landing for ~6 reps or :20 max. Expert: Take off on left leg, land on right leg. Then take one stride and execute a right leg takeoff, left leg landing-2 strides into a right leg takeoff, right leg landing, then back to left leg bicycle, then right leg bicycle. Focus on a graceful and balanced landing for each bicycle stride.2 x lateral single-leg hops. Take two Left legged hops, then explode sideways to land on Right leg and take two Right leg hops. Then explode sideways and land on Left leg. Take two Left leg hops and so on.2 x Explosive lunge in place.  Assume the lunge position with R leg forward and L leg behind, both bent to near 90 degrees. Swing arms aggressively and explode directly up in the air, switching your forward leg in midair to land with L leg in front and R leg behind. A graceful and balanced landing is critical here. Try to maintain a straight and elongated spine and land on midfoot with hips level.Sumo lateral bounding. Face forward with knees slightly bent and explode off L leg up and sideways. Land gracefully on your R leg on midfoot, with balanced center of gravity and knees tracking over midfoot. Gather your energy, swing the arms and explode off R leg to land on L leg.

There are a lot of options here but please don’t get overwhelmed. 2004 Olympic high jump champion Stefan Holm, who holds the world record for jumping a differential of 2’0” over his height (5”10” with high jump personal best of 7’10”), suggests getting really good at a handful of your favorite drills and perfecting them. He’s pretty good at Holm Hurdles (they are 5’0’ high!).  If you haven’t left the ground in a while, you can start with the basic drills and just do a few of them each time you work out. Baby steps count for a lot when you head in the direction of sprinting and jumping, so get started right away and strive to make steady progress over time. Good luck!!

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References https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17101527/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...https://www.cdc.gov/injury/features/older-adult-falls/index.html

The post Sprinting, Jumping, Losing Body Fat, (And Cultivating Gratitude), Part Two appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.

Gluten-free Coffee Infused Hazelnut Pancakes Recipe: Paleo, Primal, and Perfect

Is there a comfort food more perfect than a stack of pancakes? We leveled up your basic grain-free pancake recipe with coffee and hazelnuts for roasty, nutty perfection on a plate. Serve them with a touch of maple syrup or maple-flavored monk fruit syrup if you want to keep your carbs on the low side. Top your coffee infused hazelnut pancakes with some of the toasty chopped hazelnuts for an added crunch, not to mention a photo worthy of the ‘gram.

Here’s how to make them.

Ingredients1/4 cup strong coffee2 tbsp. soft coconut oil2 tbsp. milk of choice1/2 tsp. vanilla extract3/4 cup ground hazelnuts (roasted)2 tbsp. ground flaxseed2 tbsp. tapioca starch2 tbsp. coconut flour1 tsp. baking powder1/4-1/2 tsp. ground coffee4 drops monk fruit extract sweetener3 room temperature large eggscoconut oil for the pan

 

Directions

Place hazelnuts (we used roasted hazelnuts) in a high speed blender and blend until a fine flour forms. Don’t blend too long or you’ll get the beginnings of hazelnut butter. Measure out ¾ cup of the hazelnut flour and move to the next step.

In a bowl, whisk together the coffee, coconut oil, milk and vanilla extract until the coconut oil is melted and the mixture is combined.

Add the ground hazelnuts, ground flaxseed, tapioca starch, coconut flour, baking powder and ground coffee and whisk together. Add the monkfruit sweetener to taste (we used about 4 drops, but sweeten to fit your tastes).

Whisk in the eggs and mix until the batter is smooth.

Heat a pan over medium heat on your stovetop. You can use a small skillet or regular 9” one. Once hot, add a small amount of coconut oil (about 1-2 teaspoons or so) and swirl it around the pan. Quickly scoop the batter out into 1, 2 or 3 pancakes on the pan, depending on the size of your pan. Allow them to cook until the edges of the pancakes are bubbling and slightly set, then carefully flip them. Allow them to cook on the other side until the pancakes are fairly firm. Remove the pancakes from the pan with a spatula.

Add a little more coconut oil to the pan and repeat until you’ve used up all of the pancake batter. Enjoy as is or top with a little bit of syrup and chopped hazelnuts.

 

 

 

Tips:

For a stronger coffee flavor, use more ground coffee, or espresso powder.We like using roasted hazelnuts for this recipe, but regular raw hazelnuts should work as well.

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li{padding:0;clip-path:none;background:none;line-height:1.5em;list-style:disc}.tasty-recipes-print .tasty-recipes-source-link{text-align:center} Gluten-free Coffee Infused Hazelnut Pancakes Recipe: Paleo, Primal, and Perfect Author: Mark's Daily Apple Prep Time: 5 Cook Time: 10 Total Time: 15 minutes Yield: 8 pancakes Diet: Gluten Free Print Recipe Pin Recipe Description

Grain-free pancakes infused with coffee and hazelnuts for a roasty, nutty spin on this classic comfort food.

Ingredients

1/4 cup strong coffee
2 tbsp. soft coconut oil
2 tbsp. Milk of choice
1/2 tsp. Vanilla extract
3/4 cup ground hazelnuts (roasted)
2 tbsp. ground flaxseed
2 tbsp. tapioca starch
2 tbsp. coconut flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4–1/2 tsp. ground coffee
4 drops monk fruit extract sweetener
3 room temperature large eggs
Coconut oil for the pan

Instructions

Place hazelnuts (we used roasted hazelnuts) in a high speed blender and blend until a fine flour forms. Don’t blend too long or you’ll get the beginnings of hazelnut butter. Measure out ¾ cup of the hazelnut flour and move to the next step.

In a bowl, whisk together the coffee, coconut oil, milk and vanilla extract until the coconut oil is melted and the mixture is combined.

Add the ground hazelnuts, ground flaxseed, tapioca starch, coconut flour, baking powder and ground coffee and whisk together. Add the monkfruit sweetener to taste (we used about 4 drops, but sweeten to fit your tastes).

Whisk in the eggs and mix until the batter is smooth.

Heat a pan over medium heat on your stovetop. You can use a small skillet or regular 9” one. Once hot, add a small amount of coconut oil (about 1-2 teaspoons or so) and swirl it around the pan. Quickly scoop the batter out into 1, 2 or 3 pancakes on the pan, depending on the size of your pan. Allow them to cook until the edges of the pancakes are bubbling and slightly set, then carefully flip them. Allow them to cook on the other side until the pancakes are fairly firm. Remove the pancakes from the pan with a spatula.

Add a little more coconut oil to the pan and repeat until you’ve used up all of the pancake batter. Enjoy as is or top with a little bit of syrup and chopped hazelnuts.

Notes

For a stronger coffee flavor, use more ground coffee, or espresso powder.

We like using roasted hazelnuts for this recipe, but regular raw hazelnuts should work as well.

Category: BreakfastMethod: StovetopCuisine: American Nutrition Serving Size: 2 pancakes Calories: 285.3 Sugar: 11.2 g Sodium: 187.9 mg Fat: 21.6 g Saturated Fat: 7.4 g Unsaturated Fat: 13 g Trans Fat: 0.1 g Carbohydrates: 15.2 g Fiber: 1.8 g Protein: 21.3 g Cholesterol: 55.6 mg Net Carbs: 13.34 g

Keywords: gluten free pancakes, gluten free hazelnut pancakes, hazelnut pancakes, paleo pancakes

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Why Mindfulness Isn’t for Everyone

I’d argue that mindfulness is one of the biggest health trends of our time. It promises less stress, more inner peace, and a solid dose of self-awareness. It’s also a multi-billion-dollar industry, from apps that dole out guided meditations to full-on retreats in tropical locales.

But before you download the paid version of Headspace or investigate roundtrip fares to Bali, ask yourself this important question: Am I ready to stop operating on autopilot, repeating the same less-than-healthy patterns over and over again?

I’ll let you ponder one that for a minute.

What Is Mindfulness, Anyway?

Mindfulness is a 2,500-year-old practice. It’s the ability to be fully present, where you’re totally tuned into what’s happening, what you’re doing, and why you’re doing it — in the moment and without judgement.

A lot of my health coaching clients are convinced they’re being mindful when it comes to their eating habits, yet somehow, manage to polish off a bottle of wine or wheel of cheese without realizing it. Now, I’m all for hedonistic behaviour, but if your choices leave you full of regret, shame, and guilt, it’s probably worthwhile to pursue a different strategy.

Mindfulness isn’t for the faint of heart. It also isn’t great for perfectionists (if you’re determined to “get it right”), those with limited patience, or anyone looking for a temporary fix. Or if you don’t believe change is possible.

The Problem with Mindfulness

Contrary to most things in our instant gratification world, you probably won’t get results right away. Which is why mindfulness isn’t a great fit for everyone. In fact, one study showed that it can actually make stress worse, although it’s not clear if the outcome was related to the participants’ mindset, their mode of mindfulness, or a combo of both.https://journals.plos.org/plosone/art...

Another struggle that comes up with a mindfulness practice is that it can be uncomfortable to take a good hard look in the mirror. When you embark on a mindfulness journey — and stick with it — you will reprogram your thoughts and actions. Assuming you want to, you’ll begin to recognize your self-sabotaging behaviours and establish different habits. Heck, you might even start to like yourself more.

In this study, researchers from the University of Utah recruited 1089 undergrads, ranging in age from 18 to 53, to complete questionnaires about different traits:https://scottbarrykaufman.com/wp-cont...

Mindfulness (their tendency to be aware of their thoughts and feelings, and to respond in a non-reactive, non-judgmental way)Well-being (how much they felt a sense of self-acceptance, autonomy, and control over their environment)Clarity of self (how stable, clear, and unconflicted their views about themselves were)

Researchers found that the more mindful students also reported experiencing more well-being. Diving deeper, they also discovered that certain aspects of mindfulness were more impactful than others, specifically, students who were non-judgmental about their thoughts and feelings had a clearer and stronger sense of self. One researcher adding, “If we don’t expect to beat ourselves up for our flaws, we may be more willing to take a clear look in the mirror.”

 

So, Who Is Mindfulness For?

Obviously, there are benefits to embracing mindfulness, from having more self-compassion to changing your relationship with food. But is it right for you? It might be, if you fall into one of these categories:

You struggle with chronic stress, anxiety, or depressionYou have trouble focusing on single tasksYou feel overwhelmed or out of controlYou’re worried something is wrong with youYou have a hard time putting yourself firstYou eat out of boredom or for emotional reasonsYou self-sabotageYou tend to look at the negatives side of thingsYour relationship with yourself or others isn’t what you’d like it to beYou’re ready to stop going through life on autopilotMake Mindfulness Work for You

If beating yourself up, or feeling guilt, shame, or other useless emotions hasn’t worked for you in the past, perhaps you’re open to trying something different. Perhaps you’d be keen on doing something that didn’t require forcing, white-knuckling, or falling off a wagon.

It’s one thing to decide to be more mindful, but it’s something entirely different to know how to do it. And that’s the secret sauce the separates the folks who start to move the needle on their thought patterns (and health goals) from those who struggle to get started.

Take the pressure off

Most people think being mindful means they’ve got to commit to an hour-long daily meditation practice with ornate pillows, dimmed lights, and chanting voices. Setting unrealistic expectations will only make you feel worse. Instead, start with something that feels easy that you can do anytime and anywhere.

Try this: Your brain craves periods of stillness, so step away from your phone, TV, computer, and yes, family members, and sit quietly, taking a much-needed pause from the constant flood of info coming at you. For 30 seconds, do nothing except for being still and breathing. Can’t sit still the whole 30 seconds? Totally normal. Do the best you can, and, this is key, don’t judge yourself for what you can or can’t currently do.

Notice your breathing

Is it shallow and fast or deep and calm? Your breathing affects your mind, so if you’re someone who’s constantly overthinking, worrying, anticipating, or stressing, I’d recommend reviewing your breathing patterns. This study from the Journal of Neurophysiology shows how deliberate breathing activates different parts of the brain associated with emotion, attention, and awareness.https://journals.physiology.org/doi/f...

Try this: Consciously inhale and exhale to a set rhythm. I personally love “triangular breathing,” a variation of box breathing, where I inhale for six seconds, hold for two seconds, and exhale for eight seconds. It doesn’t have to be that complex either, just slow down your breathing, making your exhales longer than your inhales. Not only can this make you feel calmer and more focused, it has the power to regulate your nervous system and allow you to be still in the present moment, aka mindfulness.

Be aware of judgements

Consciously or not, you’re constantly judging yourself and others. Dozens of times per day, you’re evaluating your decisions, appearance, and self-worth, replaying scenarios and conversations, and trying to mentally strongarm outcomes that are out of your control. It gets exhausting. On a subconscious level, judgements are how you protect yourself, and you know how much your brain likes to keep you safe. You don’t have to be thrilled with every thought or emotion, but it’s worth your while to a create safe place for them to live — even for 30 seconds.

Try this: This is the time to notice, not to fixate and freak out. It’s an opportunity to sit with uncomfortable emotions and give yourself room to feel them in the moment. So, practice observing your thoughts without reacting to them. The more you practice embracing all the parts of you (the good and the painful), the easier mindfulness will become.

Get outside

Thanks to the pandemic, we got fairly used to staying indoors, working too much, perfecting our sourdough and banana bread recipes, and completely neglecting the great outdoors. But there’s something so freaking magical about the great outdoors. The grass, the trees, the dirt, and of course, the fresh air. Being surrounded by nature has some pretty powerful benefits too, including reducing muscle tension and blood pressure, decreasing cortisol, and boosting endorphins.https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral...

Try this: Take a walk in the woods, move your yoga practice to the backyard, or just stand in the grass barefoot and notice the sights, sounds, and smells. Connecting with nature allows you to slow down and be more present, which is what mindfulness is all about. Can’t get outside? Evidence suggests even just looking at photos of natural landscapes can have similar benefits.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...

Mindfulness: Health Trend or Key to Happiness?

Wouldn’t it be nice to feel less stressed and less critical, rather than racing through each day overwhelmed, overworked, and believing you’ll be happy if you could just get to the other side of your challenge du jour? Listen, mindfulness isn’t for everyone. But if you’re ready to flip the script on your current mindset (and I think you are), use these tips to get started:

Sit in silence for 30 seconds, away from your phone, computer, or TVSlow your breathing, being conscious of your inhales and exhalesPractice observing your thoughts without reacting to themNotice the sights, sounds, and smells of the great outdoors

What do you think? Does mindfulness work for you?

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Face Yoga and Eye Yoga: The Next Anti-Aging Revolution?

You know that feeling when you add something to your wellness repertoire, and it just clicks? Maybe for you it was meditation, daily walks, blue-light blocking glasses, or a particular supplement. For me, it was face yoga.

Face yoga is billed as a safe and effective anti-aging tool—a facelift without surgery or botox. That’s not why I like it, though. I use face and eye yoga to relieve stress and counteract the effects of looking at screens all day.

I don’t blame you if you’re feeling skeptical. My initial reaction was to roll my eyes, too, which is ironic since eye rolling is an eye yoga exercise. My friends look at me incredulously when I mention it. Reserve your judgment until you try it, though.

It only takes a few minutes a day and to reap the benefits. Even then, you might be thinking, “Seriously?! I don’t have the time or energy to add anything else into my daily routine, and you want me to try face and eye yoga?” Never fear. I’ve worked out a strategy that lets me check some self-care boxes and reduce stress levels at the same time. Read to the bottom of the post for details.

What Are Face and Eye Yoga?

People flock to face yoga mainly for its supposed anti-aging benefits. According to practitioners, it increases muscle tone, circulation, lymphatic drainage, and collagen production. With consistent practice, skin appears plumper and smoother, facial symmetry increases, and you end up looking noticeably younger, or so they claim. Eye yoga is supposed to promote eye health and good vision.

Face and eye yoga practices combine movement exercises, massage, and acupressure. There are dozens and dozens of techniques or poses you might try depending on your specific goals. Some exercises are designed to relieve tension throughout the face and neck. Others specifically target the forehead, eye area, cheeks, mouth, nose, or jawline. Want to tighten up the skin under your chin or reduce the appearance of forehead creases? There’s an exercise for that.

Does Face Yoga Really Work?

So far, the evidence to back up these claims is mostly anecdotal. There are lots of impressive before-and-after photos online, but only a handful of small studies and case reports to back them up.https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24327... The largest one included 16 middle-aged women who did 30 minutes of face yoga every day or every other day for 20 weeks.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti... Independent judges thought the women looked younger at the end of the program than when they started, and the women themselves noted significant improvements on 18 of 20 dimensions of facial aging.

A larger body of evidence supports the efficacy of orofacial myofunctional therapy (OMT). OMT is a form of physiotherapy designed to correct functional disorders of the face and mouth. Doctors and dentists use it to treat a wide variety of issues, from sleep apnea to speech problems to teeth grinding. OMT is more concerned with function than aesthetics, but there is considerable overlap between the techniques used in face yoga and OMT. Both aim to strengthen specific muscles and improve head, neck, and tongue posture (yes, that’s a thing).

Eye Yoga Benefits

From what I can tell, the main benefit of eye yoga is to help reduce eye strain. I certainly feel the difference if I spend all day looking at screens with no break versus taking regular breaks and doing some of the eye yoga exercises below.

A few studies corroborate my experience:

Researchers had 20 undergraduate students do one hour of eye yoga exercises twice a week for eight weeks.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti... Compared to a control group that didn’t do the exercises, these students ended up with fewer symptoms of eye fatigue, such as tired eyes, dry eyes, and blurred vision.Sixty-two employees of a software company completed an hour of yoga each day for sixty days.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti... The yoga included 10 minutes of trataka exercises, which is a yoga practice specifically for the eyes. Participants experienced significantly less visual comfort after the intervention, similar to the previous study. A control group that did not do the daily yoga experienced more discomfort over this time period.In a similar study, 16 optometry students did 30 minutes of eye exercises five days a week for six weeks.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti... They also reported less eye fatigue at the end of the study, while a control group reported more.

We can’t rule out the placebo effect with these findings, but they’re promising nonetheless. Frankly, I’m fine with a placebo effect if it helps me feel better. It’s also worth noting that these researchers required a substantial time commitment from participants. I couldn’t find any rationale for the methodologies, nor any studies comparing shorter versus longer bouts of eye yoga. You might not need to do as much as the participants in these studies did in order to reap similar benefits.

Some folks also claim that eye yoga, specifically trataka exercises, can improve eyesight and treat various eye diseases. Fun fact: the Beatles’ Paul McCartney is a vocal proponent of eye yoga, attributing his good eyesight to eye yoga exercises. Unfortunately for Sir Paul and the rest of us, the evidence to support these claims is thin at best. Doctors do use specific exercises to help strengthen the eyes and repair vision after eye injuries, concussions, and TBI. However, multiple studies have found no benefit of trataka practices for improving vision.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti... https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...

Vagus Nerve Connection?

Personally, I’m more interested in face and eye yoga for stress relief than for cosmetic reasons, though I’m happy to have a chiseled jawline or whatever. There’s good reason to think that face and eye yoga should stimulate the vagus nerve and upregulate the parasympathetic (“rest-and-digest”) nervous system.

Branches of the vagus nerve travel throughout the face, mouth, and neck. Some of the massage techniques associated with face yoga could potentially improve vagal tone. Furthermore, when you practice face and eye yoga, you’re also supposed to breathe slowly and prioritize nasal breathing, both of which also increase vagal tone. Trataka practices are apparently associated with higher HRVhttps://www.heartindia.net/article.as... and lower heart ratehttps://www.theyogicjournal.com/pdf/2... and blood pressurehttps://www.semanticscholar.org/paper..., which all indicate higher vagal tone.

Also, some of the purported anti-aging benefits of face and eye yoga probably arise because you become more aware of your facial muscles. If you carry a lot of tension in your face—clenching your jaw, squinting, furrowing your brow—you’ll start to notice and naturally relax those muscles. Not only will this reduce creasing and wrinkles, it could theoretically provide biofeedback and tell your brain (via your vagus nerve) that you aren’t so stressed after all.

Face and Eye Yoga Exercises to Try

As I said, the catalog of face and eye yoga exercises is pretty extensive. If you’re interested in focusing on a specific area, I suggest you get thee to YouTube and start searching. Remember that the evidence for any particular outcome is purely anecdotal at this point, but there’s no harm in trying.

Always start by taking a couple slow deep breaths to center yourself. For any of the exercises that involve touching your face, wash your hands first.

Six Face Yoga ExercisesForehead Massage

Make fists with your hands. Rest your fists against the center of your forehead so the middle joints of your fingers (the ones you’d use to knock on a door) are against your skin. Apply gentle pressure as you pull your hands apart and massage from the center of your forehead to your temples. Next, use the middle knuckle on your index finger to stroke upward between your eyebrows.

Do about 10 repetitions of each exercise. Use a face oil or serum to provide slip so you aren’t pulling too hard on the skin.

Tapping

Use the tips of your fingers to tap rapidly all over your face. Then use your middle fingers or ring fingers to gently tap circles around your eyes, following the ridge of your brows and the line of your eye socket in both directions.

Tapping is supposed to increase circulation and reduce under-eye puffiness. Be careful not to tap too hard or pull the delicate skin beneath your eyes. Use an extremely light touch in the undereye area.

“O” Face

Relax all the muscles in your face and allow your mouth to open wide. Keep breathing through your nose. Keeping your forehead and neck still, look up at the ceiling with your eyes and hold for 10 seconds. If you feel your forehead wrinkling, place your hand on your forehead to help keep it smooth.

Surprised Face

Stand in front of a mirror, looking straight ahead. Open your eyes as wide as you can, but keep your forehead perfectly smooth. This is key! Place a hand on your forehead if needed. Hold your eyes wide for a few seconds, then release. Repeat 10 times.

Blowfish Face with VariationsKeep your mouth closed. Relax the muscles of your face, then inflate your cheeks with air and hold for up to a minute.Alternate cheeks. Imagine you are swishing the air back and forth in your mouth like mouthwash.Finally, try using your fingers to gently tap your cheeks while they are inflated.

Whichever variation you do, make sure you aren’t scrunching up your eyes. Check yourself in a mirror. If you see vertical lines forming on your upper lip, place your fingertips on the lip to smooth them out.

Kiss the Sky

Sit with your back straight. Tilt your head and look up until you feel a comfortable stretch through the front of your throat. Pucker your mouth like you’re trying to kiss the ceiling. Hold for a few seconds, then relax your face. Repeat for up to a minute, then slowly lower your head. You can also try switching back and forth between puckering your lips and sticking your tongue out.

Six Easy Eye Yoga ExercisesPalming

Vigorously rub the palms of your hands together to warm them up. Gently close your eyes. Cup your hands over them with the heels of your hands resting on your cheekbones and fingertips near your hairline. Hold for several breaths, then blink your eyes open and remove your hands. Take this opportunity to practice extended exhale breathing through your nose.

Shifting Your Gaze, or Eye Flexing

Sit with good posture, looking straight ahead. Without tilting your neck or scrunching your forehead, slowly alternate looking up and down 10 times, then left and right 10 times. All the movement comes from your eyeballs.

You can also gaze diagonally: up and to the left, down and to the right, then up and to the right, down and to the left.

Eye Rolling

Slowly roll your eyes clockwise, looking left, up, right, down. Do this 5 to 10 times, then switch directions and go counterclockwise.

You can do eye rolling and eye flexing with eyes open or closed. Rolling your eyes with eyes closed feels fantastic if you’ve been doing a lot of computer work.

I like to pair eye rolling with box breathing:

Inhale for a count of four while you look left.Look up and hold for four counts.Look right and exhale for four counts.Look down and hold for four counts.Do this a few times, then switch directions.Figure-8s

Extend your arm in front of you and put your thumb up like you’re hitchhiking. Focus your gaze on the tip of your thumb. Start to draw a figure-8 with your hand. Follow the tip of your thumb with your eyes, but keep your head still. Vary the size and direction of the figure-8.

Distance Gazing and Focus Shifting

Pick a point in the distance and focus on it for about 10 seconds, then shift your gaze to something else and focus on that. Switch between nearer and farther objects.

For a variation on this exercise, focus on a point in the distance. Extend your arm with your thumb up, like in the figure-8 exercise. Shift your focus back and forth between the distant object and the tip of your thumb 10 times.

How to Incorporate Face and Eye Yoga into Your Day

Making time for self-care is hard. Even for me, a staunch self-care advocate, stress-relief exercises are the first things to go when my time is stretched thin. What I like about face and eye yoga is that they’re quick and easy to work into my day. Many poses can be done anytime, anywhere. I’ve started doing blowfish face in the car, for example, which I’m sure has earned me some funny looks from fellow drivers.

Here’s how I’m incorporating them:

First, I make face yoga a part of my morning and evening skincare routine. As I apply my various lotions and potions, I do a few minutes of facial massage and tapping. This forces—or rather, allows—me to slow down a little and take a few minutes at the beginning and end of my day to breathe.

During the workday, I use the Pomodoro technique. If you’re not familiar, Pomodoro is a system where you do focused work for 25 minutes and then take a 5-minute break. Use an app or web-based timer to keep you honest, and adjust the intervals to suit your needs. When the break timer goes off, I do some combination of the following:

Palming exercise. I consistently start with this one because it feels amazing.One or two eye yoga exercises. I particularly like to go out on my front porch and practice distance gazing, but if my eyes feel very fatigued, I’ll close my eyes and do slow eye rolls instead.One tech neck exercise, which we’ve covered before on the blog.A quick microworkout, like a set of air squats, kettlebell swings, mountain climbers, or a couple of these functional exercises (2, 4, and 10 are my favorites).

I can get this all done and still have time to grab a quick drink before it’s time to get back to work. My productivity is much higher when I adhere to this routine, and my body feels noticeably better.

So what do you say—have I piqued your interest? Pick a couple exercises to do consistently for at least a few weeks. See if you notice any benefits either in your appearance or in how you feel. Then come back here and leave a comment. Let me know how it goes!

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References https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24327764/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5885810/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4932063https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1697802/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6937872/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5769202/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3665208/https://www.heartindia.net/article.asp?issn=2321-449x;year=2014;volume=2;issue=1;spage=15;epage=18;aulast=Raghavendrahttps://www.theyogicjournal.com/pdf/2018/vol3issue1/PartP/3-1-155-430.pdfhttps://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Effect-of-Trataka-on-blood-pressure-of-college-Bhadra-Chatterjee/004170708aeee32a41d7b6d43c2f3f334a19a94f

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