Resistance Training, Sitting Danger and Tea Types
October 21, 2010 Written by JP [Font too small?]The most exciting aspect of skimming through Twitter posts or tweets is that you never know what or who you’re going find. The one thing you can be sure of is that the more time you spend looking, the more interesting content and people you’ll stumble upon. Some of the characters you’ll likely end up following may be household names, while others are hardly recognizable if you normally get your news via the mainstream or regional press. Today’s edition of Twitter Thursday will feature examples of both camps.
One of my favorite figures in the “hardly recognizable” category is Dr. Bill Yates of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Here’s the charming way he describes himself on his Twitter profile, a “Physician interested in clinical neuroscience research, the brain, fitness, golf and humor. Aim to educate and amuse. Not selling anything.” True to form, he recently offered up a supremely constructive tweet for older women looking to improve or maintain healthy bodies. He cites a study appearing in the July issue of Medicine & Science in Sports & Nutrition that examined the association between resistance training and weight gain in postmenopausal women. In the trial, 122 previously sedentary women were asked to participate in: a) a resistance training program; b) a sedentary control group; c) a sedentary control group that later “crossed over” to the resistance exercise training. The progress of all the participants was followed over a six year period. Post-trial analysis reveals that certain exercises and practices were inversely associated with weight gain and “deleterious changes in body composition”.
- Women who exercised most frequently and performed military presses and squats demonstrated a loss of body fat, body weight and trunk fat.
- Women who practiced squats infrequently were at a higher risk for gaining body fat, body weight and trunk fat over the six year follow-up time frame.
There are several other reasons to consider incorporating resistance training (RT) into your regular wellness routine. A review article currently presented in the Journal of Obesity reports that resistance training is “at least as effective as AET (aerobic endurance training) in reducing some major cardiovascular disease risk factors”. The summary goes on to point out that RT is especially useful in mobilizing subcutaneous and visceral fat in the abdominal region and lowering long-term blood sugar readings as assessed by Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels. (1,2,3)
Mehmet Oz requires no introduction. He’s probably among the top ten recognizable physicians in the world. Truth be told, he doesn’t need to spend time posting messages on Twitter. I suspect he does so because it’s an efficient means of sharing helpful medical tips with countless people online who will never get the chance to become his patients. This past week, Dr. Oz relayed an article from The Washington Post about the dangers of leading a sedentary existence. We all know that staying physically active is an important element of a healthy lifestyle. However, many of us think of physical activity only in the context of the free time we have at our disposal. As it were, it appears that long periods of sitting at work may be significantly harming us. And wouldn’t you know it, the medical literature is packed with evidence to back up that assertion. A broad list of diseases including breast cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and “total mortality” appear to be affected by planting our posteriors in chairs, seats and sofas too often. The conclusion of a recent cohort study summarizes the current state of knowledge thusly, “time spent sitting was independently associated with total mortality, regardless of physical activity level. Public health messages should include both being physically active and reducing time spent sitting”. (4,5,6,7,8)
The odds aren’t great that you’ll find me standing at a newsstand perusing through the latest issue of Women’s Health Magazine. But I’ll gladly admit that I rather enjoy scanning the posts of WomensHealthMag on Twitter. A recent tweet of theirs that caught my attention explained the differences between the various forms of green tea sold in health food stores and specialty markets throughout the world. For instance, “matcha” is a tea made by grinding whole green tea leaves. It has an earthy flavor which can be easily used in desserts. “Gunpowder” tea is made by pan-frying tea leaves and then rolling them into tiny pellets. It has a more pungent flavor than many other forms of tea and is sometimes added to savory broths and soups. “Sencha” is one of the most popular teas in Japan. It has a mild, sweet flavor that is produced in a gentle steaming and rolling process. Understanding the different characteristics of tea may allow for some tea-haters to become tea-lovers. This is a valuable pursuit since the benefits of green tea are continually reported in scientific journals. Of late, green tea consumption has been linked to: improved blood sugar, lipid levels, weight management and even protection against ovarian cancer and UV radiation exposure. (9,10,11,12,13)
I sometimes wonder what my readers do with all of the information that I publish on this site. Do you just read the blogs and forget them soon after? Do you print out the most pertinent pieces and save them in a notebook? Or perhaps you selectively take note of the specific strategies that are most applicable to your individual circumstances? I can understand how all of these options make sense in the real world. I certainly hope that some of you do print out these columns and take notes when you think it’s important enough. But even if you don’t, you can always use the search feature that appears in the upper right hand corner of every page on this site. I use it all the time to reflect on what I’ve already covered and what’s left to address. I only wish I had such a search feature for all things in life! While that’s obviously not possible, I do have your feedback to help me along the way with all things relating to my work here. Please keep the comments and suggestions coming as they’re invaluable in shaping the direction of this site. Many thanks.
Note: Please check out the “Comments & Updates” section of this blog – at the bottom of the page. You can find the latest research about this topic there!
Be well!
JP
Tags: Diabetes, Green Tea, Sitting
Posted in Exercise, Food and Drink, Heart Health
October 22nd, 2010 at 4:24 am
As many who read your posts will agree, your willingness to post vital and pertinent health information is very much appreciated. I have taken much from your blog, such as your post on soy isoflavones and it’s relation to hot flashes in women. My wife has seen a huge reduction in occurrences from 4-5 a day to 4-5 a week.
Do I or have I printed one. Sadly no, because I never thought about it. So your mention of it has now made me aware I should. What a great idea.
Tell your wife to pat you on the back for a job well done!!
October 22nd, 2010 at 12:02 pm
Mark,
That’s wonderful news. Thank you for letting me know. 🙂
My back has been patted. Many thanks!
Be well!
JP
October 25th, 2010 at 1:37 pm
I’m a big fan of printing articles I like to a file (usually a PDF) and then filing them on my hard drive. That way I can find them when I want them, but I don’t have to waste paper printing things. I think printers are old technology and they need to go away soon.
January 8th, 2011 at 1:08 pm
I think you bring invaluable perspecitive to many health issues, and I usually would read some that concern me and my family but with your posts I tend to read it all and I apprieciate such a great insights. And no, I don’t forget it – I make mental notes and try to remember it next time I am on shopping trip. (p.s. just got baby bok choy for the reciepe you posted and can’t wait to try it).
January 8th, 2011 at 1:30 pm
Thank you, Ewelina. I’m very happy to know this! 🙂
Be well!
JP
February 5th, 2011 at 7:31 pm
Some very interesting facts you present here. I am a big fan of squats and find that by performing regular squats I am able to keep my leg muscles strong. Lately I have been testing myself to do them on my rebounder so that it uin addition to workiing out my legs it challenges my core strength and my sense of balance – the flexible surface of the rebounder means that muscles throughout my body have to work harder to compensate for the stretchy surface.
August 15th, 2016 at 7:37 pm
Updated 08/15/16:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4967304/
Arthritis Res Ther. 2016 Jul 30;18:176.
Resistance exercise improves physical fatigue in women with fibromyalgia: a randomized controlled trial.
BACKGROUND: Fibromyalgia (FM) affects approximately 1-3 % of the general population. Fatigue limits the work ability and social life of patients with FM. A few studies of physical exercise have included measures of fatigue in FM, indicating that exercise can decrease fatigue levels. There is limited knowledge about the effects of resistance exercise on multiple dimensions of fatigue in FM. The present study is a sub-study of a multicenter randomized controlled trial in women with FM. The purpose of the present sub-study was to examine the effects of a person-centered progressive resistance exercise program on multiple dimensions of fatigue in women with FM, and to investigate predictors of the potential change in fatigue.
METHODS: A total of 130 women with FM (age 22-64 years) were included in this assessor-blinded randomized controlled multicenter trial examining the effects of person-centered progressive resistance exercise compared with an active control group. The intervention was performed twice a week for 15 weeks. Outcomes were five dimensions of fatigue measured with the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI-20). Information about background was collected and the women also completed several health-related questionnaires. Multiple linear stepwise regression was used to analyze predictors of change in fatigue in the total population.
RESULTS: A higher improvement was found at the post-treatment examination for change in the resistance exercise group, as compared to change in the active control group in the MFI-20 subscale of physical fatigue (resistance group Δ -1.7, SD 4.3, controls Δ 0.0, SD 2.7, p = 0.013), with an effect size of 0.33. Sleep efficiency was the strongest predictor of change in the MFI-20 subscale general fatigue (beta = -0.54, p = 0.031, R (2) = 0.05). Participating in resistance exercise (beta = 1.90, p = 0.010) and working fewer hours per week (beta = 0.84, p = 0.005) were independent significant predictors of change in physical fatigue (R (2) = 0.14).
CONCLUSIONS: Person-centered progressive resistance exercise improved physical fatigue in women with FM when compared to an active control group.
Be well!
JP
May 27th, 2017 at 1:04 pm
Updated 05/26/17:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/dom.13016/abstract
Diabetes Obes Metab. 2017 May 23.
Breaking up sedentary time with seated upper body activity can regulate metabolic health in obese high risk adults: A randomised crossover trial.
AIMS: To investigate the impact of performing short bouts of seated upper body activity on postprandial blood glucose and insulin levels during prolonged sitting.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Participants undertook two 7 · 5 hour experimental conditions in a randomised order: 1) prolonged sitting only 2) sitting interspersed with 5 minutes of seated arm ergometry every 30 minutes. Blood samples were obtained while fasting and throughout the postprandial period following ingestion of two standardised meals. Incremental Area Under the Curve (iAUC) was calculated for glucose and insulin throughout each experimental condition. Paired samples t-test assessed the difference in iAUC data between conditions for glucose (primary outcome) and insulin (secondary outcome).
RESULTS: Thirteen obese adults (7 female; 6 male; age: 66 ± 6 years, BMI: 33.8 ± 3.8 kg/m2 (mean ± SD) completed this investigation. Compared with the prolonged sitting only condition, the implementation of seated arm ergometry every 30 minutes significantly reduced mean [95% CI] blood glucose iAUC (from 7.4 [5.2, 9.5] mmol · L-1 · h to 3.1 [1.3, 5.0] mmol · L-1 · h, p = 0.001). Significant reductions in mean insulin iAUC (from 696 [359, 1032] mU⋅L-1 ⋅h to 554 [298, 811] mU⋅L-1 ⋅h, p = 0.047) were also observed.
CONCLUSION: Performing short bouts of arm ergometry during prolonged sitting attenuated postprandial glycaemia despite maintaining a seated posture. This may have clinical significance for those with weight bearing difficulty who may struggle with postural change.
Be well!
JP
June 25th, 2017 at 11:55 am
Updated 06/25/17:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28642713
Front Physiol. 2017 Jun 8;8:353.
Benefits of Substituting Sitting with Standing and Walking in Free-Living Conditions for Cardiometabolic Risk Markers, Cognition and Mood in Overweight Adults.
Background: We investigated whether substituting sitting with standing and self-perceived light walking in free-living conditions would improve cardiometabolic risk factors, mood, and cognition in overweight/obese adults.
Methods: In a randomized, cross-over study, 24 (m/f: 13/11) sedentary overweight/obese participants (64 ± 7 years, BMI 29 ± 2 kg/m2) followed two activity regimens of each 4 days in free-living conditions: “Sit”: sitting 13.5 h/day, standing 1.4 h/day, self-perceived light-intensity walking 0.7 h/day; for “SitLess” these activities lasted 7.6, 4.0, and 4.3 h/day, respectively. Meals were standardized and physical activity was assessed by accelerometry (activPAL). Insulin sensitivity (expressed as Matsuda-index based on an oral glucose tolerance test), circulating lipids, blood pressure, mood (pleasantness and arousal), and cognition were assessed on the morning after the activity regimens. Quality of life and sleep were assessed on the last day of the activity regimens.
Results: We observed that AUC (0-190 min) for insulin decreased by 20% after SitLess vs. Sit [10,125 (656) vs. 12,633 (818); p = 0.006]. Insulin sensitivity improved by 16% after SitLess vs. Sit [Matsuda-index, mean (SEM): 6.45 (0.25) vs. 5.58 (0.25) respectively; p = 0.007]. Fasting triglycerides, non-HDL-cholesterol, and apolipoprotein B decreased by 32, 7, and 4% respectively, whereas HDL-cholesterol increased by 7% after SitLess vs. Sit (all p < 0.01). Diastolic blood pressure was lower after SitLess vs. Sit (p < 0.05). Pleasantness (as one marker of mood status) after the oral glucose tolerance test was higher after SitLess vs. Sit (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference between regimens for cognition, quality of life and sleep. Conclusions: Reducing sitting time in free-living conditions markedly improved insulin sensitivity, circulating lipids, and diastolic blood pressure. Substituting sitting with standing and self-perceived light walking is an effective strategy to improve cardiometabolic risk factors in overweight/obese subjects. Be well! JP