The Come Alive Project

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  • Energy Bite 351 – Dueling Studies and Major Programs – Oops

    Last week I wrote about the dueling studies and conflicting programs on all matters of Health, Fitness and Personal Energy for Seniors and how they are confusing.

    I said I would start a series of articles about the pros and cons of all those different studies and programs on exercise, eating, rest and sleep, etc. and how each affected us specifically as seniors. It seems I bit off a little more than I can chew right now..

    I opened up a can of worms. This is not a four or five week project. If I want to do it justice, it is a long term research project. You can find summaries online but most of them are weak summaries. For example, a major magazine recently published a list of the 30 most popular diets, and discusses them in terms of “good, better and best”. Thirty popular diets? Really? And just what “objective” criteria did the magazine use to come up with those values?

    The point is, that, as I pointed out in last week’s article, we each have different exercise and nutritional needs and no one solution works for all.

    I will point out three things that are important to note in choosing a diet or exercise program:

    1. The main common denominator in the successful diet programs is the drastic reduction or elimination of refined sugars.

    2. A number of the studies that precipitated many of the diets were funded by food manufacturing and production companies, and

    3. The main component of most of the major exercise programs is full range of joint movement against some level of resistance.

    So, an in depth series reflecting the pros and cons of all the major studies and programs is not in the cards for a while. Sorry about that, but I would be doing you a major injustice by doing it here and now. It will come.

    Thank you for reading.

  • Energy Bite 350 – The Challenges of “Dueling Studies”

    We have different individual needs within the collective framework of being Seniors. We know we want to look good, feel good, avoid injuries and illnesses, stave off complacency, boredom and frustration, and enjoy our full potential as seniors.

    There are certain fundamentals involved in getting the personal energy we need to get the most out of our lives. What are they? Exercise/movement. Healthful food. Sufficient rest and sleep. Good breathing habits. A Positive Attitude. Plus a few more.

    But there are still enough scientific uncertainties and “dueling studies” on each of those fundamentals to confuse us all. What should we really be doing to live the healthy lives we want.

    “Dueling studies”? What a great term. I’ll be using it a lot.

    So what DO we do?

    Even when it is narrowed down to only Seniors, the confusion and “dueling studies” continue. Strength training, aerobic training, HIIT, stretching, walking or running, etc. How about all of the above? Which should seniors emphasize?

    Which “diet”, if any, should we try? Keto? Paleo? Low Fat? Metamucil (Yeech)? Or, for Seniors, should we try calorie restriction for longevity? It works for rats but is still controversial for Seniors.

    How about sleep? Do Seniors need less sleep or more sleep? Studies promote both. Do naps really help?  How much rest do we need to recover from exercise or other activities? How much personal energy can we accumulate? Once again, “dueling studies” abound.

    Most of us don’t even know what the alternatives are, let alone which are best for us.

    So, over the next few weeks, I will explore those alternatives with you, try to eliminate some of the confusion, and differentiate between the differing studies. So when we read an article that says: “A recent study by scientists at XYZ University proves that Seniors never need to sleep again and that we can stay up all night and binge watch TV, eat pizza and french fries, and never have to move a finger the rest of our lives”, we will understand that there are alternative and opposing studies, and not just accept it on face value.

    So, stay with me for the next few weeks and maybe we will all get some “real world” answers.

    Thank you for reading.

  • Energy Bite 349 – The Most Important Ingredient

    As we slowly move into Fall, and as we begin to ease out of the constraints of the “quarantine” we have been undergoing, I am reminded of the most important ingredient of all when it comes to your Health, Fitness and Personal Energy.

    All of the things I’ve written about, suggested or recommended in these articles over the last Decade, are useless unless you do them — unless you actually put them into practice. No matter how badly you want to lose 30 pounds; no matter how badly you want to build your body up; no matter how much of a burning desire you have to see something accomplished; unless you have the self-discipline to take action, whatever it is you want — won’t happen.

    Merely wanting to do something is not good enough. Having a burning desire to do something is not good enough. No matter how willing you are to make it happen, unless you self-actualize, unless you have the self-discipline to execute on a plan of action, unless you have the self-discipline to actually carry it out — only then will you be moving toward your goal. No matter how badly you want to stop eating, no matter how much of a burning desire you have to lose that weight, unless you actually push yourself away from the plate, or put less on the plate in the first place — you will not lose an ounce.

    Self-discipline is a major challenge for most of us. But to reach goals, you must  do the things that move you toward the result you want, whether you want to or not. Wishing something so, will not make it so.

    I am fortunate. I enjoy going to the gym very early in the morning. I am a morning person. I don’t particularly enjoy exercise for its own sake, but I know I must do it if I want to stay healthy and fit. I enjoy the way I feel when I am done.

    I see a lot of people at the gym in the morning who don’t want to be there — but they are there. They don’t like getting up early; they don’t like to exercise — but they do it because they know that have to if they want to stay lean, trim and live a long life. I know, I talk to a lot of them and that’s what they tell me. There are times I don’t want to go to the gym. I just don’t feel like exercising. That’s where self-discipline takes over. I know that if I want to stay healthy and fit, I have to go. So I do. Rarely do I stay home because I just don’t feel like going.

    How do you develop self-discipline? How do you make yourself cut back on something you know is unhealthful. I don’t know. I suppose it is different for each of us. For me it’s a matter of just moving forward, getting in the car, opening the garage door, and going. Once I am on my way, I am not turning around. I put my gym bag in the car the night before so that isn’t a mental obstacle in the morning. I suppose it has become a habit.

    If you are 30 pounds overweight and you want to lose that weight, motivation will help, but all the motivation in the world won’t get the job done. Self-discipline will put that motivation into action. Any time you want to change a current reality into a new reality, you must have the willingness, the desire, the motivation, and most importantly the self-discipline to take action to get the result you want so badly. You can’t write your own story without self-discipline.

    Thank you for reading.