Although research has provided data regarding health and exercise, there are unfortunately many unknowns. Today's essay is based on Insights found in four articles published by the New York Times. Are the findings relevant , helpful, and might they contribute to your well-being?
The November 7, 2021 article was titled "Why Do More Men Die of Covid-19?" The credible doctor reported that men are much more likely than women to die of Covid- 19, are more likely to be intubated and have longer hospitalizations prior to being vaccinated. Men are also more likely to develop certain rare complications from the same Covid-19 vaccines and experience a faster decline in measures of immunity once vaccinated. Reasons for this discrepancy remain unclear. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that in the United States, women accounted for 45.6% of Covid-19 deaths so far and men accounted for 54.4% even though there are more women than men . Further, among Americans ages 65 to 84, the group at the highest risk for severe Covid-19 and death were men, 57.9% and among women 42.1% . According to the Brookings Institution, at least 65,000 more men than women have died of Covid-19 in the United States. The weaker sex title goes to?
Other studies found that the incidence of myocarditis, inflammation of the heart muscle to be nearly 18 times higher among men compared to women over age 16. Also there was evidence that for men, the immunity from the Pfizer vaccine wanes more rapidly compared to women. Another study found that six months after the second dose of that vaccine ,levels of antibodies were substantially lower among men than among women ages 65 and older .Men are the sicker sex.
Some possible contributing factors for men might be adherence to mask wearing , underlying health conditions or perhaps high rates of smoking. Diseases like tuberculosis, higher viral loads of hepatitis C virus and HIV are also more common among men. Some researchers hypothesize that hormonal factors might be at play like estrogen.For instance, women have more immune B cells which produce antibodies. Perhaps these differences suggest that males are physiologically inferior to females, which can be explained by Eve receiving Adam's good rib leaving him with the bad ribs.
Perhaps the following 3 studies might be helpful to one's health, especially males . The article published on 12/11/ 16 titled "Keep It Moving" found that inactivity altered man's physiology in many ways and apparently prevented exercise from improving the metabolic metabolism of fat. Physical inactivity is bad and linked to 6% of all cases of heart disease worldwide and 11% of all premature deaths in the United States. Exercise tends to increase lifespan and protect against heart disease. This study found an unhealthy impact of too much sitting. and perhaps a single vigorous workout may do little to counter the effects of prolonged sitting compared to walking.
This study had seven healthy young male volunteers with monitors .They spent four active days in a row followed by four sedentary days in a row . Active walkers averaged more than 17,000 daily steps and then sat for roughly 8 hours a day . The second group sat daily for 14 hours or so. Then in the evening of the fourth day, they ran for an hour and next morning they ate a high-fat, sugary breakfast. Researchers found that this first group regime led to a healthful reduction in triglycerides- fat associated with heart disease that enters the bloodstream after meals. However, when men sat for 14 hours a day, without activity, that did not bring down the high levels of triglycerides in their blood. In other words, sitting seemed to have made man's body exercise resistant and the inactivity altered the man's physiology that prevented exercise from improving the metabolism of fat.
In response to this research, the generalizations are limited. 1. Only men were studied. 2. Sample size of seven. 3. How healthy were these seven? 4. Averaging so many steps at what pace and under what conditions? 5. How was sedentary defined ?6. What did the men do for the remaining 10 hours of day ?7. What findings would be found from other breakfasts and women subjects?. 8. The long-term effects from reduced triglycerides for these men were? Yes, this study found results using limited variables. Physiologically, God did not design us to sit.
On a personal note, when I trained for my Western States 100 run, I stood as much as possible during the day to prepare and condition my being to be on my feet for long periods of time. Also, for the last 12 years or so, I have placed my computer on a platform so that I have to stand when engaged.
Another article dated 10/ 30/ 16 was titled "Give Yourself a Break?" Could there be a technique to make running a marathon less stressful on the heart? Many recreational marathoners have been found to have high levels of enzymes in their blood that indicate cardiac damage .However, enzyme levels generally return to normal within a week or so after competition. Can running a marathon be with less heart damage ? Researchers recruited 42 recreational runners training for the first marathon and then just before the race randomly split them into groups. Some were told to walk for a minute after roughly every 1 1/2 miles and the others to run the entire race. All the runners that finished, ran it in a little more than four hours. Walkers tended to speed up when they resumed running, producing faster average times than those in the other group. Yes, read the Run-Walk-Run method written by Jeff Galloway. He claimed it is an injury free marathon training program .
The researchers did a follow-up test four days after the race that showed elevated levels of enzymes in the runners but returned to normal. Walking did not eliminate the stress on one's heart. However, the group of walkers showed there was much less strain on the rest of the body such as decreased fatigue and less muscle soreness at the end of the race.I'm not sure how less was defined. Running 26.2 miles results in enzyme elevation. Not sure how elevated enzymes were defined. What are the long-term cardiac effects of running marathons?How many marathons produce negative enzyme effects? I have run more trail 50 milers and more trail 50 K's, than marathons. Has that been good for me? And how does all this relate to longevity and well-being?
Yes, the run, walk, run method is terrific as I know from personal Ride and Tie experience. I was first introduced to walking hills by Dan, a collegiate swimmer who competed against Mark Spitz. He told me that I would conserve energy by walking some of these steep hills ,so I did. A few years later, I ran my first marathon in Maui. During the run, I met a young attractive runner who employed the Galloway method. I was able to keep up with her for a while. But,she finished before me. I have no trouble incorporating run, walk, run, when encountering certain hills on my daily runs. Lately, with Tony and Dale, we walk. I may have damaged my heart over 25 years of trail running. However, on the positive side, I consulted with the orthopedic surgeon a few years ago regarding discomfort in my knees. He told me that I have young knees and emphasized the fact that when running downhill, I should have my heel strike first to protect my knees. Also , I have not had an overuse injury for the last couple years, which means no ibuprofen, no icing and not seeing The Monster of Massage. Once again, were there any recreational women marathoners in the study?
"Powerhouse Renovation" was found In the March 26, 2017 edition. In this study, could certain kinds of exercise mitigate the effects of aging at the cellular level? The damage accrued by cells in older muscles is especially severe because they do not regenerate easily and become weaker as mitochondria produce energy, and that diminishes with vigor and number. Therefore, can certain workouts minimize what years do to mitochondria?
This study had 72 healthy, sedentary men and women who were 30 years or younger or older than 64. Base levels of aerobic fitness, blood sugar levels, gene activity and mitochondrial health in their muscle cells were measured. These volunteers were randomly separated Into the following groups: 1. Vigorous weight training several times a week. 2. Brief interval training three times a week with stationary bike pedaling for four minutes, resting for three and then repeating that sequence three more times. 3. Stationary bikes at a moderate pace for 30 minutes three times a week and lifted weights lightly on other days. 4. The control group did not exercise.
The exercise groups experienced improvements in fitness and the ability to regulate blood sugar. There were some differences. The gains in muscle mass and strength were greater for those who exercised only with weights. Interval training had the strongest influence . Among younger subjects, their activity changed 274 genes compared with 170 genes for those who exercised more moderately and 74 for weightlifters. Among the older, almost 400 genes worked differently now, compared with 33 for the weightlifters and only 19 for the moderate exercisers. It's believed the cells of the interval trainers influenced the ability of mitochondria to produce energy for muscle cells. The impact was particularly more pronounced among the older .
There was no clear definition of interval training. My definition of cross or interval training is running and walking, which varies depending upon the distance, elevation and degree of heat. My definition has lots of latitude because of the variables. When walking up the hill, I pump my arms vigorously.
The major problem in all studies was the selection of the population. Subjects were not randomly selected. With these volunteers, one is measuring only those volunteers to other volunteers -It's not random which affects generalizing results. Therefore, the results from these studies are extremely limited. With that being said, interval training(as defined by them) had better results among the variables studied. Other studies, and from personal experience have found Interval training to be best and believed to be superior. Can one generalize riding a stationary bike for four minutes and then resting for three and repeating that sequence for three more times to other exercise techniques? Would one get the same results by running hard up hills and then walking regarding gene increase or producing energy? Is it very difficult to accurately compare riding a bike or running on the trail?
A couple of points to consider follow: 1. Exercise-activity requiring physical effort, carried out to sustain or improve health and fitness. 2. Walking-move at a regular pace by lifting and sitting down each foot In turn, never having both feet off the ground at once.There are tremendous differences in activity requiring physical effort as well as moving at a regular pace. All of us have some definition of exercise and walking. How different is your definition of exercise and walking compared to Steph Curry or Mike Tyson? For me, my current daily activity includes both exercise and walking.This routine , for the last 25 years or so, benefits me both mentally, physically, as they play a role in my well-being. Approaching my mid 80s , I believe I'm doing the right thing, as indicated in the reference "Stopping the Clock" written by doctors Klatz and Goldman. This reference was given to me by a friend over 25 years ago. It has provided me with a good baseline understanding of aging. Additionally, I have been running, rain or shine, consistently averaging over six days a week while incorporating information from the previous articles. Further , check out the insights from Russ Kiernan, Jim Steere, Lew Hollander, Jack Sholl, Doc Shay , Sammie Stanbro and Beverlee Bentley found in "It Has Nothing to Do With
Age.-Stories of driven athletes who compete in extraordinary sports" published by Winter Goose. According to W. Somerset Maugham “The fact that a great many people believe something is no guarantee of its truth."
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