A recently reported study shows that you may need to do less than five intervals to get an improvement in fitness and better insulin sensitivity (which protects you from diabetes).

In the study, the researchers investigated the effects of a reduced-exertion high intensity interval (REHIT) exercise intervention on insulin sensitivity and aerobic capacity.

Twenty-nine healthy but sedentary young men and women were randomly assigned to the REHIT intervention (men, n = 7; women, n = 8) or a control group (men, n = 6; women, n = 8). Subjects assigned to the control groups maintained their normal sedentary lifestyle, whilst subjects in the training groups completed three exercise sessions per week for 6 weeks.

The 10-min exercise sessions consisted of low-intensity cycling (60 W) and one (first session) or two (all other sessions) brief ‘all-out’ sprints (10 s in week 1, 15 s in weeks 2–3 and 20 s in the final 3 weeks).

Aerobic capacity (the best measure of aerobic fitness) and the glucose and insulin response to a 75-g glucose load (OGTT) were determined before and 3 days after the exercise program.

Despite the subjects rating the exercise as fairly easy (ratings of perceived exertion (RPE 13 ± 1)), insulin sensitivity significantly increased by 28% in the male training group following the REHIT intervention .

Aerobic fitness (VO2max) increased in the male training (+15%) and female training (+12%) groups.

The researchers concluded that this novel approach to training may be a feasible exercise intervention to improve metabolic health and aerobic capacity.

Very short bursts of high intensity exercise (REHIT) may offer a genuinely time-efficient alternative to repeated intervals and conventional cardiorespiratory exercise training for improving risk factors of Type 2 Diabetes.

Imagine if you could maintain your fitness levels and guard against diabetes, and probably other metabolic conditions, by exercising for just 10 – 15 minutes a day, with only 2 minutes of hard effort.

No more excuses about not having enough time!

Getting up early to exercise before work? Or fitting in some exercise after work when you really don’t feel like it?

Perhaps the idea of holding off exercising until you retire and have more time is an appealing thought.

Especially given that the real impact of low levels of physical fitness and muscle strength occur in older populations and are associated with increased risk of health problems, loss of independence, and shorter survival times.

Researchers have just reported on a study in which they examined the associations of physical activity across adulthood with physical performance and strength in midlife in a group of British men and women that they followed since birth in March 1946.

The researchers stated that as the global population ages, there is a growing need to identify modifiable factors across life that influence physical performance and strength in later life.

The study found that there are cumulative benefits of physical activity across adulthood on physical performance in mid-life.

They suggested that increased activity should be promoted early in adulthood to ensure the maintenance of physical performance in later life and that promotion of leisure time activity is likely to become increasingly important in younger populations as people’s daily routines become more sedentary.”

In the study they analyzed self-reported leisure time physical activity (LTPA) levels at 36, 43 and 53 years of age. During the 53-year investigation, grip strength, standing balance, and chair rise times were measured as indicators of strength and physical performance.

Grip strength is a measure of upper-body muscle condition. Chair-rise times are associated with lower body strength and power, as well as cardiorespiratory fitness. Standing balance requires mental concentration and subtle motor control and measures a number of neurophysiological and sensory systems.

Participants who were more active at all three ages showed better performance on the chair-rise test. Persons more active at ages 43 and 53 had better performance on the standing balance test, even after adjusting for other variables. Physical activity and grip strength were not associated in women and, in men, only physical activity at age 53 was associated with grip strength.

The investigators state that the findings in relation to chair rising and standing balance performance suggest that promotion of physical activity across adulthood would have beneficial effects on physical performance later in life and hence the functional health and quality of life of the aging population.

While getting out of a chair, keeping your balance and gripping objects may not seem difficult activities for you now, being able to keep doing them for the rest of your life is very important. It is the inability to do these that puts you at risk of losing your independence and suffering injuries due to falls.

The key message from this study is that it is safer and more effective to maintain your strength and fitness throughout your life than wait until you get older and try to regain it.

From my experience, both personally and with clients, it is easier to stay fit than to get fit.

So next time that little voice says you are too busy to exercise and why don’t you wait until you have more time, remember that what you do now has a major effect on what you will be able to do in years to come.

Would you go or would you politely decline (even though you really like to catch up with your old friends)?

The thought of seeing people you haven’t seen can be a bit scary, especially if you haven’t maintained your fitness.

I’m currently in San Diego for the wedding of a friend I was at University with over 25 years ago. I’ve been catching up with old friends I studied, lived and exercised with all those years ago. I also got to meet the Professor I studied under for my Masters Degree

As always at these events, there was a lot of laughter and reminiscing about the things we used to do. It was There were also some valuable lessons to be learned.

Here’s some of them -

Keep doing what you’ve always done

It was obvious who had kept up there fitness. Those that had, looked just the same (other than a bit less or lighter coloured hair). They hadn’t put on weight and still had the same physique they had, even though 25 years had passed.

Those who had kept exercising, had maintained their muscle tissue and more obviously hadn’t got fatter. Some were even leaner than they were all those years ago. The myth that it is normal to get fatter and heavier as you get older might be the norm, but it’s not what has to happen.

Stay strong

One of the biggest risks to your fitness and health as you get older is that you suffer an injury, can’t exercise for a while and fall out of the habit. Maintaining your strength is one of the safeguards against injury.

Do a variety of activities

Those who were the fittest were the ones who did a variety of exercise. By doing so they were able to keep active even if a minor injury or circumstances meant they couldn’t do their normal routine. Doing different activities also means your body isn’t doing the same thing every day; increasing the likelihood of injury or fatigue.

Keep flexible

There is no doubt that as you get older muscles and tendons lose their elasticity if you don’t keep using them in their full range of motion. Incorporating some stretching, whether it be Yoga, Pilates or some other form is essential.

Get your partner involved

Those who had maintained their fitness all had life partners who valued their own health and fitness and made it a priority in their life.

Find friends to exercise with

Although not essential, most of those who kept active did so with other people. The social aspect of exercise is one of the things that keeps people doing it, especially when life gets busy or stressful. Don’y under-estimate the power of those around you to keep you going when you don’t necessarily feel like it.

Don’t let time be your excuse

All of the people I talked to led busy lives. They worked in demanding jobs or had their own businesses and had family commitments that could easily have stopped them from exercising. But they put their own health as a priority and made the time to stay fit. Even those who still had younger children fitted in time for exercise.

There is probably nothing in that list that is new or surprising. Seeing friends from a quarter of a century ago just reinforced the importance of being active and staying fit.

It’s a lot easier to maintain your fitness than it is to lose it and try t get it back when you are older.

Staying fit also makes going to reunions a pleasure not something to avoid or fear.

The researchers were observing the effects of a cocoa ingredient called `epicatechin’ on mice.  They state that the results indicate that eating dark chocolate ’boosts fitnessin the same way as jogging.

Epicatechin apparently stimulates muscles to grow in the same way as a vigorous activity does.

The researchers were studying middle-aged mice – which were divided into three groups: one got epicatechin from cocoa twice a day for 15 days; another had epicatechin and 30 minutes daily on the treadmill; and one did the exercise but without taking the extract.

The researchers concluded that when small doses of epicatechin were eaten in combination with regular exercise, there was a 50 percent boost in performance.

Surprisingly, the `epicatechin-only’ mice had a notably better muscle performanceand did not fatigue as easily as their `exercise-only’ counterparts.

The `epicatechin plus exercise’ group showed even greater improvement; thereby implying that “epicatechin combined with exercise may be a viable means to offset muscle ageing!” the researchers said.

So, if you are middle-aged and want to improve your muscle performance, exercise and eat dark chocolate.

Note – Although the researchers said the chocolate-only group performed better thant he exercise-only group, I find it hard to believe it and I wouldn’t take the risk of not exercising.  There are too many other benefits you’d miss out on.

And if you’re self-employed or a busy executive, and struggling to get everything done, you really need to take note.  Devoting time to physical activity leads to higher productivity.

A recently reported study showed that it is possible to use work time for exercise or other health-promoting measures and still attain the same or even higher production levels.

Achieving the same production levels in less work hours means higher productivity. Not only is this better for an organisation but individual health benefits are significant.  Not to mention reduced healthcare costs for the community.  The study was reported in  the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

According to the researchers from from Stockholm University and Karolinska Institute the increased productivity came from people getting more done during the hours they are at work and from less absenteeism owing to sickness.

Two dental care workplaces devoted 2.5 hours per week to physical activity, distributed across two sessions.

Another group had the same decrease in work hours but without exercise, and a third group maintained their usual work hours, 40 a week.

Those who exercised reported improvements in self-assessed productivity — they perceived that they got more done at work, had a greater work capacity and were sick less often.

If you are self-employed, a busy executive or a work-at-home parent, being active and fit is the best way to get more done in less time with reduced stress.

All pretty good reasons to get and stay fit.

It is probably the thing people fear the most about getting older.

But it turns out that it doesn’t take much effort to stave off the effects of aging on your memory and your mind.

An increasing amount of research is showing that you can slow the progression of memory loss and dementia by regular light exercise. And it doesn’t have to be that much; even walking or gardening can make a difference.

You don’t have to do high intensity exercise to get the oxygen flowing to your brain. So if you needed some added motivation to walk to work or exercise during your lunch break, here is some of the findings from research on exercise and memory.

Get walking

In one study, researchers from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada measured the energy expenditure and cognitive functioning of elderly adults for two to five years. The “active” adults did not do vigorous exercise, but instead did things like walking around the block, gardening and cleaning. This moderate activity protected them from cognitive decline over several years compared to people who were more sedentary. About 90 percent of those with the highest levels of daily activity were able to think and remember almost as well over the two to five year study period.

Stop your brain shrinking

Another study found that exercise prevents the brain shrinkage that occurs with age. The hippocampus “shrinks” in late adulthood, and this reduced volume is associated with impaired memory and increased risk of dementia. This study found that hippocampal volume of exercisers increased by 2% compared with declines in the control groups.

It’s not just old people who benefit

A study published in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine looked at the effect of exercise on young adults ranging in age from 19 to 29 years. It found that those who did moderate exercise five times a week for 30 minutes had enhanced memory compared to those who didn’t exercise as much.

Strength training helps to

It isn’t just aerobic exercise that helps your memory. Strength training may be just as effective.

A study published in the journal Neurobiology of Aging found that weight training improved how older women think and changed how blood flows within their brains. Women who lifted weights twice a week for 12 months performed significantly better on mental processing tests than a control group.

Even a little exercise helps

A recent University of Colorado Boulder study showed that a small amount of exercise could protect against long-term memory loss that can happen suddenly following infection, illnesses or injury in old age.

In the study, researchers found that aging rats that ran just over half a kilometer each week were protected against infection-induced memory loss.

They found that a small amount of physical exercise by late middle-aged rats protected them against inflammation in the brain and ongoing memory loss that can occur following a serious infection.

The researchers concluded that even a small amount of exercise was sufficient to provide significant benefits, and that this is an important finding because those of advanced age are more vulnerable to memory impairments following immune challenges such as infections or surgery.

Past research has shown that dementia is often preceded by bacterial infections, such as pneumonia, or other immune challenges so the more protection you have, the better your chances of memory loss.

What does it all mean?

Even relatively low intensity exercise offers protection against much-feared memory loss as you get older, and I’m sure research will confirm that the fitter you are, the more protection you have against memory loss.

So keeping active and being fit is the best defence you have against forgetting what this newsletter talked about.

As one of the researchers stated, exercise is probably as close as we can come to the long-sought fountain of youth.

Even if you stay fit and can’t do all the things you did when you were younger, at least you’ll be able to remember what you once did!

One of the keys to being able to exercise consistently is to stay well and injury-free. Nothing is more frustrating to a regular exerciser than to be restricted by an injury. The rest of your body and your heart is saying move, but your injury and head is saying you have to rest. It can cause people to get irritable and mess with their body and brain chemistry.

With that in mind, here are some tips to stay injury free.

Don’t go flat out with enthusiasm

If you’re just getting back into exercise or doing an activity that you haven’t done for a while, don’t go as hard as you can or as hard as you used to. It takes a couple of sessions for the nerves, muscles and blood vessels to remember what is required. Go a bit easy for a couple of sessions and increase the amount and intensity gradually. How long this takes will depend upon how long since you’ve done this activity and your general level of fitness. It doesn’t have to take months. The body will adapt within weeks.

Warm up and cool down properly

The blood supply takes a little while to catch up when you start exercising so you don’t want to fatigue the muscles unnecessarily at the start. Start slowly and increase your activity level gradually. This gives the heart, lungs and blood vessels a chance to supply enough oxygen and remove carbon dioxide.

Vary what you do

Many injuries are caused by overuse – doing the same exercise every day. Ideally muscles have a day’s rest before being called upon again. This is especially the case for impact activities like running.

Giving the muscles a time to recover before they are used again does not mean you have to do nothing. Ideally you would exercise every day but not do the same activity two days running. Even sports such as cycling and swimming, where there is minimal impact can result in overuse injury. Alternate activities so you are using different muscles or at least different actions during the week.

Go harder rather than go longer

Most adults don’t exercise hard enough to get the most benefit from the time they spend. As a result, they do more, thinking that more is the answer. Doing more at a slow pace doesn’t necessarily make you fitter and increases your chance of overuse injuries like stress fractures, stiff or sore joints and muscles, and inflamed tendons and ligaments. If getting fitter or staying fit in the least amount of time is your aim, then go harder not longer.

Listen to your body

While I strongly recommend that you do something active every day, you need to know when to back off. Hold off on exercise when you’re sick or feeling very fatigued. Cut back if you are struggling with an exercise session, feel faint or suffer persistent aches and pains in joints. As a general rule, if you have a cold it is usually safe to exercise, but if you have a flu or temperature it is better to rest or at least do an easy session.

Be realistic after a break from exercise

If you stop exercising for a while, drop back to a lower level of exercise initially. If you’re doing strength training, for example, lift lighter weights or do fewer reps or sets.

Drink up

For most people, simply drinking plenty of water and eating a healthy diet is sufficient. But if you’re training especially hard or doing long training sessions in preparation for an event (the only reason you should be doing long sessions!), choose drinks that replace fluids plus essential electrolytes.

Dress to impress (your body not other people)

Choose clothes and shoes designed for your type of exercise and the climate. Shoes especially can make a huge difference to your chance of injury. If you run or walk regularly, check your shoes every six months to make sure they are still providing adequate cushioning and support.

While on clothing, don’t be tempted to overdress just because the temperature has dropped a bit (in the southern hemisphere anyway). Unless it is very cold, you probably don’t want to add too many extra layers. The body doesn’t like being too hot and you’ll burn more calories if you’re a bit cool!

Always get your technique right

For strength training especially, good technique is essential. Initially use no weight, or very light weights, when learning the exercises. Never sacrifice good form by hurrying to finish reps or sets, or struggling to lift heavier weights.

Even for aerobic activities, poor technique increases your risk of injury. If in doubt, book a session with a professional coach just so they can correct any techniques problems.

Adapt to the environment

Exercising in hot, humid conditions can lead to serious overheating and dehydration. Ease up or do shorter sessions when the temperature or humidity is high. Watch for signs of overheating, such as headache, dizziness, nausea, faintness, cramps, or palpitations.

If you’re sore, wait a day

Delayed muscle soreness that starts 12 to 24 hours after a workout and gradually decreases is a normal response to taxing your muscles. In contrast, persistent or intense muscle pain that starts during a workout or right afterward, or muscle soreness that persists more than a week should be checked out by a health professional.

If you are sore from a previous activity, ease up or do something using different muscles until the soreness has gone.

You won’t get any fitter exercising sore muscles.

The  304,054 adult participants were members of the health fund.  Sixty-three percent (192,467) registered for the health promotion program offering incentives for fitness-related activities. Specifically, the program placed participants in activity categories according to their annual number of gym visits. More than 48 gym visits a year was ‘high activity’, 24-48 visits ‘medium activity’, 4-24 visits ‘low activity’ and less than 4 visits ‘inactive’. Members could also accumulate points through registration in sport events like fun runs. Participation in activities allowed members to claims discounts of 20-40% in certain retail stores. Changes in participation in fitness activities over years 1-3 was monitored and examined in comparison with subsequent costs of hospital admission in years 4 and 5, based on health insurance claims.

Over the five years, there was a significant decrease in the proportion of inactive members (76% to 68%) and the proportion of high activity members increased from 10% to 13%. Those who remained highly active in years 1–3 had a significantly lower probability (20.7%) of hospital admission in years 4 to 5, compared with those who remained inactive (22.2%).

Benefits in becoming more active were evident; Members in the inactive-to–more active group were significantly less likely to be admitted to hospital and had lower hospital claims than those in the inactive-to–no change group. Members in the active-to–no change and active-to–more active groups also claimed less and had a lower rate of hospital admissions than those in the active-to–less active group. A dose-response relationship was also discovered; the likelihood of hospital admission was 13% lower for two additional gym visits per week.

The results are quite encouraging, especially given the activity categories do not necessarily reflect optimum doses of physical activity. The ‘high activity’ category could be achieved by attending the gym less than once a week and the activities engaged in whilst at the gym are unknown.

Imagine the possible outcome if we could get people active every day!!

Bottom Line – if you want ot reduce your risk of ending up in hospital, get moving and get fitter.

Since then, I’ve had a few questions about what exercises I do and recommend. So I thought I’d share my basic upper body strength routine. I don’t do this all the time, and if I have the time I’ll do more than just these exercises, but these form the basis of nearly all my workouts.

In the name of time efficiency, I superset two opposing exercises and do an abdominal exercise as my recovery. By opposing exercises I mean one is a push exercise and the other a pull exercise.

I do Bench Press(push) followed by Seated Row(pull). I’ll then do some form of abdominal exercise (eg. crunch). Those three make up one set and I’ll typically do 3 or 4 sets, gradually increasing the weight and decreasing the number (reps).

Then I’ll combine Lat Pulldown(pull) with Shoulder Press(push). Then I’ll do a different abdominal exercise (e.g. reverse crunch) as my recovery. Three or 4 sets of these completes my upper body workout.

All up, this takes about 20 minutes.

If I’m short of time, I might only do two sets of each. If I’ve only got a few minutes I might just do one set of each. This takes about 5 minutes and while it won’t make me stronger, it is better than nothing and keeps me in the routine.

If your thinking that all sounds a bit boring, there are plenty of ways to vary it.

Sometimes I don’t use weights, but use my bodyweight as resistance(pushing exercises) and an elastic tube for the pulling exercises. Or I’ll do chin-ups instead of lat pulldowns.

Changing the position of your hands or the angle you push or pull can make the exercise feel different.

Have a go and see how much you can do in a short period of time.

And let me know how you go.

They examined telomeres in the white blood cells, of the immune system, which defends the body against both infectious agents and cell damage.

Their findings suggest that traumatic and chronic stressful life events are associated with shortening of telomeres in cells of the immune system, but that physical activity moderates the impact.

Telomeres are tiny units of DNA at the ends of chromosomes that protect the chromosomes. Each time a cell divides, some telomeres come off and after a certain number of cell divisions the telomeres reach a critical length and the cell typically dies.

Scientists have known for over a decade that the length of telomeres in immune system cells is a marker of cell aging. In recent years, they have discovered that shorter telomeres are associated with a broad range of age-related diseases and are predictive of incidence and severity of cardiovascular disease and a variety of cancers.

In their latest research, they studied three different groups of women who were under some type of stress.  In all three groups, an increase in perceived level of stress was related to an increase in the odds of having short telomeres.

However, this was only evident in the non-exercising women. In those who exercised, perceived stress was not related to telomere length.

The researchers concluded that exercise protects the telomeres from the shortening effect of stress, thereby reducing the risk of premature ageing and chronic disease.  Even people who had experienced severe stress as a child seemed to be protected by exercise later in life.

If you have, or have had, stress in your life, get exercising to protect the ends of your chromosomes and live a longer, healthier life.