A recent article in Time magazine expounds upon the benefits of exercise on depression.

In a business which costs Americans approximately $10million each year, a new solution is more than needed.

Why such a demand for antidepressants?

We, as human beings (and more so as inhabitants of the “Western world”) are meant to have reached the pinnacle of all aspects of life?

Right?

Maybe not?

Maybe we are too materialistic…?

The article describes how psychologist Jasper Smits is using an “unorthodox” method of treating anxiety and mood disorders (including depression) – he’s using exercise, more specifically, aerobic/cardiovascular forms of exercise.

Now I don’t know about yourselves, but I always thought that this was somewhat common knowledge, if you’re feeling a bit down or even on the brink of mild depression, exercise was the key to combating such a state.

It makes complete sense when one considers only some of the side-effects of taking antidepressants, such as:

• Sleep disturbances
• Nausea
• Tremors
• Fluctuation in body weight

Many studies and experiments have shown the benefits of exercise on regulating and promoting endorphins (feel-good hormones), specifically, serotonin and norepinephrine.

In 1999, researchers at Duke University demonstrated that depressed adults who participated in an aerobic-exercise plan improved as much as those on antidepressants!

Subsequent studies have complemented these findings.

More recently, neuroscience professor Philip Holmes and colleagues have shown that exercise, over several weeks, can “switch on” certain genes that increase galanin, a peptide neurotransmitter found in the brain that helps control stress by regulating another hormone, norepinephrine.

Talking from experience, there have been times where I have stopped exercising during very busy periods of my life (not an excuse!) and as a result, my ability to handle and maintain a strong mental composure to stressful events has been relatively less than optimal, at the best of times!

I guess such studies show that being active (generally) is more preferred than being sedentary.

There are of course cases where such an approach will not help resolve/cure the condition.

I have always found that exercising has helped me to be more optimistic and proactive, especially when I have been consistently following a plan for a period of time.

Muscular activity also helps activate the movement of lymphatic “rubbish” and hence allows your body to detox and cleanse itself and become less “sluggish”!

What are your experiences?  Do you agree with these studies?  Have you overcome the “blues” another way?

Please comment and lets us know below.

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Study Info.

You’ve guessed it, yet another study expounding the great benefits of green tea.

So what was the study about and what did it show?

The study investigated the effects of the consumption of green tea for 7 days on biomarkers (i.e. indicators) of oxidative stress in young men undergoing resistance exercise.

Blood samples were taken before and after exercise and were analysed for total antioxidant capacity.

The control group (i.e. those who didn’t drink green tea) had reduced levels of Glutathione (a very strong antioxidant produced in the body). In addition other activities increased in the control group as a result of exercise (i.e. by-products: creatine kinase (CK), Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) & xanthine oxidase (XO)).

Green tea reduced the post-exercise concentration of some of the above by-products and increased the values of total polyphenols (antioxidants from Green Tea) and Glutathione. Green tea also inhibited a significant rise in the other by-products, namely CK and XO activities.

Conclusion

	Consumption of GT, a beverage rich in polyphenols, may offer protection against the oxidative damage caused by exercise, and dietary guidance for sports participants should be emphasized.

Source: Journal of Nutrition

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Just a quick one: one of the authors at the ‘Online Nursing Degree Directory’ (ONDD) blog just published an article that I thought the readers of this blog would find of interest:

’20 Simple At Your Desk Exercises For Web Workers’.

It ties in nicely with my previous two articles:

- Sitting in front of the computer for too long: The Effects (Part 1)

&

- Sitting in front of the computer for too long: The Solution (Part 2) .

Hope it’s beneficial!

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Okay people, I came across these points that may motivate many of you to start exercising. I was pondering over this subject for a while now, that is, how to motivate oneself to exercise. After having read these points and remembering the state of many unhealthy people i’ve seen, I thought I would share them with you for your benefit

Here goes:

1. Improved heart and lung function
2. Lower heart rate and blood pressure
3. Increased blood supply to muscles and improved ability to use oxygen
4. Increased HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol)
5. Decreased triglycerides
6. Reduced body fat and improved weight control
7. Improved glucose tolerance and reduced insulin resistance
8. Enhanced immune function, which means
   • Increased resistance to viral and bacterial infection
   • Increased resistance to cancer
9. Lowered blood sugar levels and reduced risk of diabetes
10. Longer life expectancy

Source: Jon Barron

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Here are eight ways women can strengthen their bones and reduce the incidence of damage and fractures:

1. Get vital nutrients: Maintain a healthy diet that provides bone-building nutrients, including potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, and vitamin D.
2. Exercise: Get at least 30 minutes of bone-strengthening activity most days. Include both weight-bearing activities, like running or brisk walking, and resistance exercise.
3. Don’t smoke: Smokers lose bone faster and have higher fracture rates.
4. Know your risk: Most guidelines recommend osteoporosis screening through bone mineral density (BMD) testing starting at age 65—earlier for women who have health conditions or take medications that increase risk.
5. Consider bone-preserving drugs: Postmenopausal women who’ve had a fracture or received a BMD score of –2.5 or worse should take an osteoporosis drug. Women with scores of –2.0 to –2.5 should consider medication.
6. Be aware of the depression connection: Research has found links between depression and bone loss. For example, women with a history of major depression have lower bone density and higher levels of cortisol, a hormone related to bone loss. If you’re being treated for depression, ask your clinician about whether you should have a BMD test.
7. Maintain a healthy weight: Weighing less than 127 pounds or having a body mass index under 21 is a risk factor for osteoporosis. Also, if you lose weight during the menopausal transition, you’re more likely to lose bone. Avoid ultra-low-calorie diets and diets that eliminate whole food groups.
8. Avoid falls: Keep floors clear of tripping hazards, make sure stairways and entrances are well lit, and add grab bars to your bathtub or shower.

Source: Harvard Women’s Health Watch

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As promised, here is the second part to ‘Sitting in front of the computer for too long’.

Some of you may have come across a few of these points before, but don’t take them lightly, you’ll be amazed at how much of a difference they can make if executed regularly and properly.

1. Adjust the brightness of your screen to match your environment.
2. Get an anti-glare screen on your monitor, reflections off the computer screen can cause itself cause eyestrain
3. Make sure your refresh rate is at 70Hz (Hertz) or above.
4. Blink more often, when working at a computer, people on average blink five times less than normal.
5. Look away from the screen (approx. every 20 minutes), preferably at a distant object and try to focus on that object momentarily (for approx. 10 secs.). This helps stretch your focusing muscles and also helps prevent strained near vision.
6. If you have to look back and forth between the computer screen and printed paper, place the paper on a copy stand adjacent to (i.e. next to) the monitor. This will considerably reduce eye and neck strain.
7. Make sure the top of the screen is at eye-level.
8. Use the right type of chair, preferably adjustable chairs. Or alternatively, as Yaro and Blaine (Blogmastermind.com) suggested, use a swiss ball.
9. Rest your wrists on the desk or get a wrist/arm rest.
10. Make sure the room temperature is not too low or high. If too low (i.e. cold), then your muscles can go into spasm and therefore injury is much more likely.
11. Make sure you hydrate yourself with water (you’d think this is obvious right? Not so.). Many office workers drink a lot of tea and coffee which have a diuretic action (i.e. make you urinate more often and therefore results in the loss of minerals). Don’t get me wrong, tea is very good for you, especially green tea, though make sure this is balanced with a good intake of water and food dense in vitamins, minerals and various other nutrients required by your body, simply put, eat as healthily as possible.
12. Stand up and take a walk around your room (if it’s a large room) or the next room. This helps especially with reducing hip-flexor tightness (hip flexor stretch). If you feel that your hip flexors are tight (usually signified by arch in lower back – lordosis – and your butt sticking out), you can see how to do the stretch here. NOTE: be careful NOT to over exert yourself and thereby cause injury!

Whatever you do, don’t ignore the pain. If parts of your body are causing you discomfort and pain, go and see your doctor! Don’t put it off.

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I’ve written this article with the primary goal of reminding myself of the importance of monitoring my own computer usage and thereby incorporating appropriate methods and techniques to reduce the damage of such a prolonged state of sitting and staring at the monitor/screen! Phew, that was a long sentence, don’t want to get arrested by my English teacher. Okay, I know…that was a bad joke!

Anyway, back to the topic.

Sometimes, or maybe always, whenever I sit in front of my computer with the intention of doing one thing, I end doing maybe twenty other things too. Even whilst writing this article I have several pages open, trying to read them all at once. My point is most people always nearly end up spending more time in front of their screen than initially intended. This leads to the purpose of this article. Whilst I was in Dubai (UAE), I was watching a good friend of mine working on his website. I noticed the bad position he was sitting in, I didn’t say anything as I expected it to be temporary. However, I later observed that he always sat like that and as a result he has developed a kyphotic and lordotic curve in his spine, tight hip flexors and also his belly is somewhat more prominent.

Lordosis

Kyphosis

He’s still very young and it is a lot easier for him to reverse these problems now! I hope he’s reading this!

The aforementioned problems are very common amongst deskbound and computer users, unfortunately the situation is not quickly discovered, though the problem is cumulative and hence there is a gradual deterioration which can be quickly rectified at any stage (not always, but in most cases this holds true).

Another common problem many computer users experience, especially bloggers and webmasters, is Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI), the name itself describes the problem, however for those who don’t know what it is: it is loosely described and related to the overuse of a tool or movement, e.g. pressing the same key on your keyboard for an hour!

RSI is also known as cumulative trauma disorder, occupational overuse syndrome, or work related upper limb disorder (WRULD).

Many people also complain of eye related problems such as irritation and straining.

So what can you do to prevent the above? I’ll tell you soon in Part 2, stay tuned!

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This is just a quick note of advice, not an article.

I was speaking to a personal trainer friend the other day and he told me how one of his clients thought that taking protein powder alone (i.e. without a real training regime + diet) would significantly change his body (aesthetically) and it was some sort of a special potion that would yield him significant results in terms of gaining muscle mass.

I couldn’t help but laugh and also secretly empathise, I unfortunately fell for this farce too.
Several years ago when I first started training I heard about protein from my tae kwon do teacher and thought that this special drink would transform my physique into something like the ones you find in those magazines, you know the ones I’m talking about

Don’t get me wrong, protein powders are very beneficial, have a very high biological value and can also have anabolic effects if used properly and frequently, in combination with a very good diet and training plan.

However, don’t be fooled into thinking that you can drink a protein shake and you shall immediately explode into Ronnie Coleman. Sorry to disappoint you, but this is highly and totally unlikely to occur.

There is no substitute for hard work in the gym – except maybe the use of banned substances, which I do not endorse.

Please don’t surmise that buying protein powder alone is the answer, healthy achievements involve determination, persistence, trial & improvement and hard work to succeed with good drug-free results!

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Fasting is a test of patience and willpower. It takes effort and determination both physically and mentally.

Implementing a training regime without due planning and consideration, during the fast, can be somewhat tricky (ok “regime” sounds a bit harsh, “plan” sounds less aggressive – happy ).

For those of you who want to exercise during the month of Ramadan (Islamic month – in which Muslims fast), consider the information below before you undertake something which may have a detrimental result.

Is it good to exercise whilst fasting?

Very simply, yes!

Now the elaborated answer:

Our blood circulates through the veins and arteries in our body as a direct result of the heart, the blood systems “pump”.

Don’t worry this is relevant I promise!

We also have another system in the body called the Lymphatic System, which is a network of nodes and ducts that are distributed throughout the body (high concentration of these nodes are found in the neck, arm pits, chest and groin). The lymph system carries and transports waste products to the centre of the body, where it can be eliminated.

Now, unlike the circulatory (blood) system the lymph system does not have a pump (e.g. heart), the lymphatic fluid is moved through muscular contractions.

See I told you it was relevant!

This doesn’t mean go and run a marathon or bench press 300kg, it just means that one should engage in moderate activity that will stimulate muscular contractions. This could range from walking, stretching, deep breathing, to exercising a little time before breaking the fast (hence you can replenish your energy stores when you finish training).

If you have time to exercise a little while after you have finished your fast, this would be better. An experiment in the Journal of Applied Physiology found that fasting before exercise increases fat utilisation and lowers the rate of muscle glycogen (i.e. the carbohydrates stored in the muscle) depletion (this information is in relation to fasts that are less than 24 hours and as a result liver glycogen is not depleted – the opposite is true if the fast is 24 hours or more).

A study in the Journal of Nutrition found that the weight loss of a fasting group and that of an exercise (aerobic) whilst fasting group was literally the same (marginal differences), though the group that was fasting whilst exercising lost weight considerably quicker (27 days as opposed to 41 days).

For those of you who were engaging in regular activity before Ramadan, it should be ok to exercise during your fast – though I recommend that you take it easier than usual (i.e. less volume and therefore duration) and to train shortly before you break your fast or a while after. Those who have not been exercising consistently should take up light exercises (e.g. stretching, walking up stairs etc.), gradually increase the intensity (if at all required) and perform them during the fast or shortly before or after breaking the fast (i.e. during the period they can eat).

Getting carried away could result in headaches, vomiting and even passing out, so be very careful. Your body has enough pressure detoxing (i.e. whilst fasting) and if you over exert yourself, you could compromise your ability to fast every day this month.

References available upon request.

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