We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.
I guess it depends on how strictly one wishes to define "disease." I would not be willing to term being fat or obese a disease but as a normal variant as a result of life style, physical tendencies, psychological tendencies, culture, subculture, and the like. Western cultures now value youthful slimness and stylish fitness, but a century ago being fat was considered prosperous, important, "weighty."
For a while there, it seemed as if obesity were almost a requirement of a US President. I think Trump is the fattest President we will have had in a long time. Who was the last fat President of the US, not counting Bill Clinton whose weight varied a good deal and who now looks underfed if not ill?
I think it's a stretch to term a physical condition a "disease." We do not term physical weakness "a disease," or being "uinderweight" unless you have anorexia. Many or maybe even most fat people seem comfortable with it, and accept the trade-off of tasty carbs vs. being light on their feet.
Anyway, government money is flowing into research so now being fat is suddenly a disease needing medical treatment. In the US, the expanding "disease" label is often about money. Example: One Weight-Loss Approach Fits All? No, Not Even Close.
When human variations occur on a bell curve, you can get away with drawing the vertical line of "abnormal" wherever you want. That's where America's "obesity epidemic" came from.
When I discuss fitness and conditioning, I use the categories of Strength Training, Endurance Training, General Athleticism Training, and Nutritional "Training."
Naturally, different regimens address each fitness category with some specificity but with some overlap. To get stronger, you have to stress nerves and damage muscle fibers by moving weight. For endurance training, 20 mins of intense interval exercise seems to beat out longer low-intensity aerobic cardio. All categories feed into General Athleticism which is most peoples' real goal - Fitness for whatever life brings - but we address it specifically with calisthenics and by playing recreational sports and other outdoor vigorous activities.
These categories of activity use different combinations of energy systems. Animal bodies have three energy systems, each with different purposes.Just as nerve pathways can improve with stress and challenge, cellular energy systems can be bolstered with stress. When you think about it, a fair amount of stress is good for both body and soul.
Your energy systems are the Phosphagen System, the Gycolysis System, and the Aerobic Oxygen System. In a balanced Conditioning regimen of Strength, Endurance, and General, all three energy systems adapt to being stressed and, ideally, exhausted. Your body will build up those systems, over time, to meet the challenge. That is called "more energy."
For one example, the Phosphagen metabolic system can be stressed or depleted by ten heavy ball floor slams or by a 30-second full-out sprint. That system is for quick bursts of maximum power.
This site, The Three Metabolic Energy Systems, explains the basic physiology of the three energy systems with a discussion of how each is best stressed (but unfortunately that discussion only addresses things like running rather than the other exercise categories which also make specific demands on the 3 energy systems).
I could think that a third might be fat, though, aka "overweight." Being overweight is a bad idea because it slows you down, damages your joints, and plays a role in some diseases such as breast cancer and heart disease. Also, it is widely viewed as unattractive and as a sign of poor impulse control in Western cultures rather than a sign of prosperity as it is in some.
Donald Trump "fat-shamed" his employee "Miss Piggy" for being "an eating machine." Mr. Trump, who is fat, was attacked for that by Mrs. Clinton - who is fat and getting fatter. As for fat-shaming, even your doctor will do that to you when you visit.
I do not view being overweight or obese as a disease. They are physical "conditions." All behavior has physiological consequences and correlates, which does not make them diseases. We over-pathologize things these days in an effort to let people off the hook for their behavior or, sometimes, in search of an insurance code. In my view, if you do not mind being fat, that's fine. Your choice as long as you accept the consequences. Being underweight frightens me more, medically.
I'll briefly discuss two physiological correlates of overweight and obesity. First, satiety. A sense of satiety is managed by chemical signals from the gut to the brain. The signals are slow to inform you that "That's sufficient." Thus fast eaters do not get the memo in time to stop. Furthermore, some people have weak signaling, or just learn to ignore the signals. Heavy-duty eaters also have expanded stomachs which are less-readily satisfied and always seem to have room for more. Recreational eating is what I call that.
I think many people seem to ignore or misinterpret all sorts of physiologic signs and signals. Also, hedonism is, by definition, fun.
My second physiologic correlate for today concerns insulin. An excess of carbs (more than you need to stay alive that day) gradually causes "insulin resistance." That is not diabetes, but just an adaptation to the amount of carbs a person consumes. It is discussed here. It explains how carbs effect energy levels and fat accumulation.
Phizzicle phitness consists of strength, endurance, and athleticism (plus body composition). A balanced fitness program will address all aspects.
Ordinary guys often tend to emphasize the strength component because it seems more rewarding, but if you have bulging biceps to impress the girls at the beach but can not sprint a mile or a half-mile, what good are you? Fact is, biceps are not very important in functional fitness. Triceps? More useful.
Ordinary gals tend to emphasize the cardio aspect but that is just as unbalanced. That's why we always say Weights + Cardio + Calisthenics (with sports counting as calisthenics unless it is TV football).
Today, more fun info re strength-building (for men and women).
- You can gain strength without dramatic growth in visible muscle size.
- An adult body can not grow new skeletal muscle cells. However, muscle cells can develop new and larger muscle fibers within the cells you were born with.
-Usable strength can only be increased by pushing, pulling, and carrying progressively heavy resistances (eg weights). Cardio and calisthenics do not generally build strength. Running one mile vs. 10 miles is not strength - it's endurance. Distance runners are often not very strong or powerful.
- Steroids work remarkably well to increase strength and size. Do not use them - go natural.
- After an initial phase of neuromuscular adaptation, strength improvement is discouragingly slow. Few good things come easily.
- Strength, endurance, and athleticism are rapidly lost without use. The older you are, the faster they disappear. Fitness is like money: Hard to get, easy to lose.
- Serious strength-building programs require a diet high in protein and fats, plus adequate carbs unless overweight. A good dose of protein immediately after a painful work-out is recommended.
- Strength building is a mind-body challenge. Very difficult and unpleasant unless you love pain and extreme effort. Most people prefer comfort - just look around at people. It's more fun with a trainer or a group so there is a relational aspect to it.
For strength-building for men and women, we recommend working one's way up over months or years to being able to condense a program down to multi-muscle exercises like bench press, deadlift, barbell squat, pull-up, rows, military press/inclined bench press. Together, those will stress pretty much every functional muscle group. That is my goal - a simple, basic, efficient strength regimen.
- As we enter flu season, it's a good idea to take the flu vaccine around now. I can possibly save you from a few days of lost work, and if you get it at CVS they will give you a 20% discount card for all the Halloween junk and other junk you buy there that day. Flu shots do not always work, because the viruses mutate so quickly. Still, it is something to do to minimize the risk of the unpleasantness.
- Tetanus? (or Tetanus-Diptheria-Pertussis) vaccine? Adults who have had their booster shot long ago probably do not need to repeat, but people caring for infants usually get an adult booster dose. Most people who have had puncture injuries or sutures in the ER have gotten a tetanus shot on a precautionary basis.
The placebo idea has a long history, back to ancient Greek medicine. However, in my experience the placebo effect, such as it is, seems most powerful in the ignorant and the suggestible. Hence the enduring popularity of quackery like naturopaths and homeopaths.
While it remains true that modern physicians often recommend treatments with marginal effects, those marginal effects are likely not imaginary.
A healthy distrust of experts, especially government experts, is a good trend. Government "expertise" is always contaminated by politics (eg the Ethanol scam). Caveat emptor.
As the threat of communicable diseases receded, public medicine began to turn its attention to treating and preventing health problems that weren’t germ-caused, such as chronic heart disease and strokes, the death rates for which seemed to be soaring after World War II. Some observers cautioned that the apparent increase might be the result of diagnostic advances, which had improved doctors’ ability to detect heart ailments. This possibility, however, failed to deter the press and advocacy groups like the American Heart Association from declaring the arrival of a frightening epidemic.
That is a major but unknown scandal. Think of all of the gullible Americans who avoided "red meat" and "animal fat" over a generation, for no reason at all.
Please do not tell me that you can lose fat by exercise alone. It doesn't happen. Exercise is great, but not for fat loss although many people find that strenuous exercise reduces appetite.
Bone weakness is mainly seen in post-menopausal women. It isasymptomatic until a bone breaks and you face a real problem. When men have it, it tends to be at least ten years later than women, on average.
You do not need to appear frail to have bone fragility, but osteopenia is one component of what we term "frailty" - vulnerability to things breaking. While being underweight is one risk factor, being heavy is not a protection. Vit D deficiency and inactivity are other factors, along with bad habits, unlucky genes, and a life style lacking in daily resistance exertion.
Hip fractures are one of the common presentations of previously-undiagnosed bone weakness. Contrary to common belief, people do not "fall and break their hip." It is usually the opposite: their femur just fractures from weakness, causing them to fall. People with bone weakness, though, are more prone to any bone fracture anytime they fall or have an accident.
Diagnosis is usually via a routine Bone Density Scan or after a fracture.
Prevention and Treatment: Besides getting some sunshine daily (not just on your face) and taking Vit D along with a good diet, the prevention and treatment for bone weakness is strength training. The medicines for osteoporosis are problematic and often ineffective. Cardio exercises - things like walking, running, swimming, etc. are not effective in building muscle or bone strength. (It is not unusual for runners to be weak-muscled - or for weight-lifters to be unable to run a mile. Balanced fitness means strength, a little cardio, and calisthenics for athleticism but only the strength component is relevant here). Some full-body calisthenics might be helpful (eg squats, farmer's walks, push-ups, step and press) but what really helps is moving heavy weights against gravity with all the muscles you can engage for a couple of hours each week.
That works because muscle stress and muscle growth put the good kind of stress on the bones to which they are attached. This naturally stimulates bone development. Bone-ligament-muscle is a functional unit. Weight training can not damage your bones. Quite the opposite.
For strength training for post-menopausal women, I recommend working towards multi-muscle-group exertions like barbell or goblet squats, bench press, deadlifts, assisted pull-ups, military press, leg press, etc with ever-increasing resistance. The uninitiated should not do these things without an experienced and savvy trainer with some nutritional sophistication. Being overweight is no obstacle to strength training, but a low BMI is a major obstacle to strength-building and requires remediation.
Bone weakness aside, any non-casual fitness program should include strength training, some cardio, and calisthenics. In addition, a nutritional plan that supports your conditioning goals.
Posture is complicated, because it involves habit, training, psychological attitude, and muscle strength. Further, good posture makes you more presentable and makes you look more confident even if you do not feel that way.
Medically, good posture helps prevent back problems.
Computer monitors, age, shame and shyness, muscle atrophy, and general slovenliness are the enemies of good posture: shoulders back, head up, no slouch, belly tucked in, etc. Look good, not proudful but self-respecting.
I hate sunscreen. I at least should use it on my nose when I expect to be outdoors for hours, but I often forget to.
In recent years, Americans have become so heliophobic that they become Vit D deprived, raising the risk for many diseases. My dermatologist told me that many American kids are now Vit D-deprived due to excessive sunblock use. Oral Vit D is an unreliable source. Your skin produces sufficient Vit D via exposure to the UV rays in natural sunlight for about an hour per week (assuming your body is not mostly covered up).
Nobody wants skin cancer, but the scary one is the rare but dangerous Melanoma. It seems to be associated with sunburn. Do dark-skinned people get Melanoma? Yes.
Can you get sunburned on cloudy days? I did an experiment on myself last week. After 4 hours of kayaking on a hazy day with thin clouds, I got semi- scorched. Can You Still Get A Sunburn When It’s Cloudy Out?
I think it makes sense to get some time in unprotected sun but if you are going to be outside all day nude or in a bathing suit, spray the stuff on after that and use a hat. It can't hurt.
In the crematorium, will you sizzle nicely or will your corpse burn down the funeral home?
We recently posted about abdominal muscles and abdominal wall fat, but fat of course is widely-distributed on the body. It's not all subcutaneous. Much of the excess fat you have is intramuscular and most of it is stored amongst your guts in the large packets of soft lard which produce the belly.
The human body is a sponge for carbs. It is designed to be a prepper for the next famine. If you have ever assisted with surgery on a heavy person, those giant yellow blobs of adipose clinging to the organs and intestines mean trouble. They ooze a slippery oil that make it difficult to hold onto a tool and get in the way of everything you try to do. Disgusting. Surgeons hate working on heavy people because of that. It pisses them off but they deal with it. Risky, though.
But, with the first incision when the yellow subcutaneous globules billow up and flow out onto your skin, they will say things about you that you would not like to hear. It's one reason they knock you out first. Handling all of that goo in my youth helped motivate me to stay fit in middle age.
Around 15% body fat is considered good, athletic fitness for men, and about up around 19-23% for women. Women naturally carry somewhat more fat in their hips, butts, and boobs. Less than 19% in women is for under-30 year-olds, body-builders, the naturally-skinny, and if it gets too low, those with eating problems. No need for expensive tests to assess yourself. Just compare your image below the fold, from here.
As government and other medical bureaucracies impose themselves on medical practice, their temptations are to create "practice guidelines" for their practitioner subordinates.
I resist the underlying idea of one-size-fits-all, or even the idea of a tyranny of "best practices." Each patient is unique. Furthermore, most areas of medicine are in constant controversy and dispute, with new ideas always emerging. For one example, the nutritional bureaucracies are about 20 years behind the times.
I have seen plenty of people poorly-served because of fear of rules or of law suits.
A "healthy diet" above and beyond the basics cannot be defined and never will be defined because adequate nourishment can be obtained in so many ways. Much of the science of nutrition is dubious and, anyway, nobody reading this website is in any danger of being malnourished. Overnourished, more likely. Americans probably pee out more vitamins and minerals in a week than malnourished African kids get in a year.
In other words, Americans are the last people in the world who ought to fetishize the idea of "healthy" food. That is probably why we are the only people who do.
The nutritional science which has the most value involves diseases of malnutrition, which are absent in the Western world. The knowledge that has general applicability concerns the roles of protein, carbs, and fats in the diet, perhaps the role of vitamins, and the new information about how people become fat.
Furthermore, some foods are disparaged as unhealthy for no reason. Consider steak and burgers, ice cream, and so forth. People say "Eat fruits, greens, and vegetables." Why? They are just sometimes-tasty fillers with minimal nutrients but which can be fun to eat if done right. Is orange juice "healthy"? Depends what you mean. It's flavored sugar water and some people prefer it to plain water. Is chocolate "bad for you"? Of course not. It is wonderful food.
People talk about what foods are "nutritious." In the Western world, that is an absurd notion. Lots of guys in the NBA were raised on Frosted Flakes, Doritos, hot dogs, Coke, MacDonalds, and school lunch slops. Highly nutritious. The only people who should eat brown rice and whole wheat bread are people who prefer the flavor. The only people who should pay any attention to nutrition are parents of growing kids, people who are overweight, and athletes and others with heavy physical work.
In the prosperous Western world, you are not what you eat - so people ought to eat what they like and what they can afford and ignore the health marketing hype and ignore the health superstitions. I can tell you why our family meals consist of what they do: Tradition, preferences, and nothing more.
Modern investigators find it hard to accept the fact that groups exhibiting superb physical development and perfect health ate liberally of the very dietary component that modern nutritionists have demonized: Saturated animal fat.
In Western civilization, self-exposure is often a daunting process. I mean physical as well as psychological exposure. Self-exposure requires courage and trust, but fortunately it is rarely called-for.
In public, we cover ourselves up literally and metaphorically. We put our best foot forward, if sober. The only real exception is at the beach where everybody wears highly-exposing underwear and our flaws are out there for all the world to see.
My topic is shame, whether about our physical or our psychological beings. Most of the time, shame is not neurotic but a healthy human response to exposure of our flaws, imperfections, and general instinct for privacy. We all have all sorts of dirty laundry. We are all on some spectrum between shame-paralyzed and shameless. The extremes are problems.
What sorts of things are often on many peoples' shame/privacy lists?
Physical self must be exposed sometimes: physical exams, weight, strength, physique, dentist(!), beach, sexual encounters, excretory fuinctions
Psychological exposure: Our private thoughts, fears, fantasies, mental flaws and weaknesses. Sometimes we will cautiously expose these to close friends or to shrinks.
Other personal attributes: Money, personal habits and home, rotten behavior, political views, failures, public performances, job status, childrens' difficulties, etc.
Intimacy means showing aspects of our unadorned selves to somebody else. It is not something to be done lightly because our private selves are not necessarily appealing to others (note the expression "TMI").We know that better than anybody, hence shame.
Caveat: Sociopaths are quite good at faux intimacy for purposes of ingratiation and manipulation.
Mitochondria are complex little buggers which live in our cells almost like little bacteria. They are the cell's, and thus the body's, power source (they burn sugar and only sugar but, only if necessary, the body will convert body fat or body protein into sugar for them to burn). They have their own DNA which is separate from your personal DNA.
"mtDNA" is only inherited from the mother, which is why we know that all living humans are descendants of one woman, Mitochondrial Eve. That is quite remarkable.
In recent years, the identification and understanding of Mitochondrial Diseases has been progressing. Most of these diseases are disabling or fatal: What is Mitochondrial Disease?
"A third of Americans are obese"
Phizzicle phitness consists of strength, endurance, and athleticism (plus body composition). A balanced fitness program will address all aspects. 
Mitochondria are complex little buggers which live in our cells almost like little bacteria. They are the cell's, and thus the body's, power source (they burn sugar and only sugar but, only if necessary, the body will convert body fat or body protein into sugar for them to burn). They have their own DNA which is separate from your personal DNA.