Not Exercising Isn't Just Dangerous... It's Selfish.

It pains me to admit, growing up in central North Dakota, that it was a rare experience for me to witness an adult engaging in rigorous physical activity simply to maintain or improve their physical and mental health. It isn’t commonplace in the Midwest for individuals to subject themselves to physical activity as a means of cognitive enhancement or preservation despite all the evidence to support it as an efficacious strategy.

I’m passionate about the subject because the effects of Alzheimer’s and dementia have been highly prevalent in my family’s history. I had grandparents on both sides of my family that dealt with significant neurocognitive deficits and decline that I am certain, now, could have been managed or even reversed, had they been willing to change their diet and engage consistently in physical activity. Most people think of physical activity as something that we engage in to stave off unwanted physical or biological traits from the neck down, but the evidence is incredibly robust in support of physical activity as a means to preserve and improve physiological traits that display themselves from the neck up. I’ll share some evidence in this writing that will hopefully convince you that consistent physical activity gives you the best possible chance of staying sharp as a whip long into old age.

According to Mandolesi (2018) physical activity acts as a strong gene modulator that creates structural and functional changes in our brains. These structural and functional changes facilitate enormous benefit on cognitive functioning and well-being. Some of the benefits include staving off neurodegeneration, the death or loss of function of brain cells; improving brain plasticity, the ability for our brain cells to adapt and change their structure or function; and emotional regulation. The cross-stressor adaptation hypothesis (Lox, Martin Ginis, Petruzzello, 2014) suggests that intense physical activity may actually provide us with a physiological experience similar to that of stress and anxiety and actually help us better cope with the effects when we face them in our external environment. Yes, I’m telling you that there is scientific evidence to suggest that people who engage in rigorous physical activity are actually cognitively sharper and manage stressful situations better than those who do not.

I think people in our country have learned to live with carrying a little extra weight and it is socially acceptable to do so. Selling exercise as a means to change or optimize body image, therefore, isn't likely to move the needle the way we'd like. People need to understand is that if you aren’t consistently engaging in physical activity, you are not doing everything you can to keep your brain functioning at the highest level possible. Even if your only goal is to be the smartest person in the room, you should be exercising. If you want to absorb and retain information more efficiently, exercise. Want to be able to critically think your way through problems and provide actionable solutions quicker and easier? Exercise. Want to be easier to get along with? Exercise. Want to give yourself the best chance possible to avoid neurodegeneration associated with diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s? Exercise.

Engaging in consistent rigorous physical activity is so much more than wanting to have chiseled arms and washboard abs. Chasing aesthetic goals doesn’t have to be your thing. You don’t have to care about looking great in a bathing suit or moving like a professional athlete, but I do believe not caring about preserving (or optimizing) the function of your brain for your time on this earth makes you selfish. According to the Institute for Neurogenerative Diseases, people suffering from Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases cost our nation nearly $200 billion every year in patient care and lost productivity. Add that to the American Diabetes Association's estimate that Type 2 Diabetes; a disease that is man-made and can be reversed through diet and exercise, costs us $327 billion per year and you can see that we have an existential crisis on our hands. Unless something is done to eradicate these diseases, the cost is estimated to increase to the trillions by 2050. It is, quite literally, your responsibility to society to take care of yourself. With more of the baby boomer generation moving closer to retirement it is imperative that they find ways to stay active or else the impact of neurocognitive diseases on the Medicare and Medicaid systems may be unsustainable. Living in a country that seems to be closer and closer every year to implementing a health care system funded by tax payer dollars, this scares the hell out of me. Our current model will undoubtedly bankrupt us if people don't take ownership of their own health.

Barnes (2015) has shown that there are many different modes of regular exercise that can improve cognitive function through beneficial adaptations in vascular physiology and improved neurovascular coupling (more blood flow to the brain), so pick literally anything that gets your blood flowing and makes you feel better. Going for a brisk walk, taking in a yoga session, going for a bike ride, lifting weights, playing sports, working hard in the back yard are all great options. The key is to stay busy and never stop challenging yourself physically and cognitively.

The great philosopher Plato once said, "In order for man to succeed in life, God provided him with two means: education and physical activity. Not separately, one for the soul and the other for the body, but for the two together. With these means, man can attain perfection."

Now get off the couch and find something to do.

References

Barnes, J.N. (2015) Exercise, cognitive function, and aging. Advances in Physiology Education, 39(2), 55-62. http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/advan.00101.2014

Lox, C. L., Martin Ginis, K. A., & Petruzzello, S. J. (2014). The psychology of exercise: Integrating theory and practice (4th ed.). Scottsdale, AZ: Holcomb Hathaway.

Institute for Neurogenerative Disease. (2013) Retrieved from: https://ind.ucsf.edu/supporting-our-work/cost-dementia

Mandolesi, L., Polverino, A., Montuori, S., Foti, F., Ferraioli, G., Sorrentino, P., Sorrentinio, G. (2018) Effects of physical exercise on cognitive functioning and wellbeing: Biological and physchological benefits. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 509.

On Motivation

Motivation seems to be a rather vague concept that is poorly understood by most of those in a prime position to try and help others attain it. Sport coaches, personal trainers, and strength and conditioning coaches all do their best to ensure that those they work with are motivated for the daily task at hand. Often times, this turns into yelling patronizing or degrading comments at the individuals they’re coaching at the worst and positive and supportive comments at the best. Most of the time I assume this method to be driving a wedge in the relationship of the coach and client/athlete or to be falling upon deaf ears, respectively.

Research suggests that motivation, in general, is inferred from variability in behavioral patterns (Williams & Krane, 2013). They list perception and judgement of competence as critical antecedents to the attainment of quantity and quality motivation for any individual. Puente and Anshel (2010) echoed this sentiment in a way by showing that exerciser’s perceptions of their instructor’s interacting style, perceived competence, and autonomy with training had the most profound effect on their own self-determined regulation to exercise, enjoyment with exercise, and exercise frequency.

I have found, through my own experience, that these three things transcend the framework of adherence to exercise and permeate into other areas of life as well. Professionally I have been both and employee and an employer. I can say confidently that due to my experience with both, I will never allow myself to be employed again. Autonomy in my work is extremely important to me. I’ve always been a pretty hard worker so I’ve always perceived myself as competent. I don’t doubt myself often as long as I am given the freedom to conduct my work as I so choose. Now that I am self-employed, I have that freedom, and I feel considerably more motivated than I ever did working for someone else.

If I were speaking to a group of coaches I would include this in my primary message. I tell my athletes that at our University we will “Treat you like an adult until you demonstrate that you no longer deserve to be treated that way.” Education and autonomy is an important component of any well run training program and it is well supported by the literature that it is an intricate part of staying motivated in any endeavor. Once the athletes know what is expected of them and they have a firm grasp of how to carry out tasks properly we, as coaches, can start to raise our standard of excellence and really challenge them to live up to those standards. That subsequent challenge imposed on the individuals should also help to motivate them to improve their skillset and achieve a more robust sense of self.

If I were speaking to a group of athletes I don’t know that I would leave the supporting literature out, but I would probably spend more time trying to educate them in layman’s terms why I think these things are so important. Often times, especially in collegiate athletics, we conduct programs that promote obedience. I also tell my athletes that “Obedience is for kids and dogs. We’re adults, so if we act like adults, we can go into competition with well-educated adults. And I’ll take well-educated adults going up against obedient children any day of the week.”

It’s relatively simple to me. We must educate and challenge those we work with and allow them to take control of their own progress. If we want “buy in”, we also must ensure that the methods we are implementing are efficacious. A lot of times athletes will demonstrate behavior that makes them look amotivated, but often times this is a result of them not believing their coach knows how to help them improve. I am convinced that motivation comes as a result of knowing that the path you’re on may lead to mastery and working to attain said mastery.

References

Puente, R., Anshel, M.H. (2010) Exercisers perceptions of their fitness instructor’s interacting style, perceived competence, and autonomy as a function of self-determined regulation to exercise, enjoyment, affect, and exercise frequency. Scandanavian Journal of Psychology, 51, 38-45.

Williams, J. M., & Krane, V. (2014). Applied sport psychology: Personal growth to peak performance (7th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Protein for Recovery: How Much? And When?

When discussing the role of nutrition in recovery from training for both athletes and members of the general public it’s important to first establish the primary goals of the individual and understand that every individual will respond to specific strategies in their own way. It’s also important to understand that fatigue can manifest itself in more than one way and if we don’t understand the origin of the individual’s fatigue we will likely fall short in our attempt of achieving optimal recovery.

According Bishop, Jones, and Woods (2008) perturbed homeostasis in the soft tissues can be referred to as peripheral fatigue. This origin of fatigue is a result of tissue damage that has left the muscle biochemically or mechanically incapable of responding as effectively as it does in its optimal state. This is likely the mechanism of fatigue that can be best modulated through properly prescribed dietary interventions and strategies.

The second hypothesized, and in my opinion, the most often overlooked origin of fatigue is known as central fatigue, which suggests that the brain is constantly acting as a protective mechanism to prevent excessive damage to the muscles (Bishop et al., 2008). It’s important to note that central fatigue is widely recognized as the chief mechanism in training recovery, so even if we are implementing all the right dietary strategies, our recovery will still be less than optimal if we aren’t providing our central nervous system with the rest that it needs to fully recover.

When explaining this to athletes I’ve found it useful to refer to our musculoskeletal system as our “hardware” and our central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) as our “software.” Explaining that the hardware will always be governed by the software, helps them to conceptualize the key role that sleep quantity and quality play in optimal recovery from training. I’ve found it useful to explain that sleep is akin to re-booting your computer each day while practices like meditation and mindfulness are akin to ensuring the proper upgrades are discovered and downloaded. I mention the importance of recovery from central fatigue to establish that, no matter the precision of our dietary recovery strategies, they alone will not provide us with optimal recovery from intense bouts of training and competition.

Long term recovery from peripheral fatigue requires that our nutrition strategies are well formulated and adhered to. If the individual’s goal is to recover from a specific training stimulus and increase their stores of fat-free muscle mass (FFM), then their dietary strategies must ensure that they undergo muscle protein synthesis (MPS) at a higher rate than muscle protein degradation (MPD). Tipton and Wolfe (2001) showed that resistance exercise improves muscle protein balance, but in the absence of food intake, the balance will remain negative (catabolic). This means that if you fail to consume sufficient protein prior to resistance training you may actually lose muscle mass (MPD). Muscle protein’s metabolic response to a bout of resistance exercise can last 24-48 hours (Tipton & Wolfe, 2001) so any dietary strategies implemented in that window can have an impact on your body’s ability to pack on muscle. This evidence suggests to me that the “anabolic window” a number of individuals are so eager to discuss while waiting to perform their next set of bench press at your local YMCA is probably not as important as they’d like you to think. Aragon and Schoenfeld (2013) shine light on the over-reaction to the timing of protein ingestion in their 2013 paper by writing:

“If protein is delivered within particularly large mixed-meals (which are inherently more anticatabolic), a case can be made for lengthening the [feeding window] to 5–6 hours. This strategy covers the hypothetical timing benefits while allowing significant flexibility in the length of the feeding windows before and after training. Specific timing within this general framework would vary depending on individual preference and tolerance, as well as exercise duration. One of many possible examples involving a 60- minute resistance training bout could have up to 90- minute feeding windows on both sides of the bout, given central placement between the meals. In contrast, bouts exceeding typical duration would default to shorter feeding windows if the 3–4 hour pre- to post-exercise meal interval is maintained. Shifting the training session closer to the pre- or post-exercise meal should be dictated by personal preference, tolerance, and lifestyle/ scheduling constraints”

Aragon and Schoenfeld (2013) go on to suggest that 20-40 g (depending on your age) of protein ingestion should suffice to maximize the acute anabolic response necessary to achieve muscle hypertrophy. I think we should all be able to conceptualize with the availability of this data that consistent and sufficient protein intake is required if an athlete wishes to accumulate fat free muscle mass, but the timing of the protein intake can be highly variable with little to no detrimental effects.

My current recommendations for athletes attempting to accumulate body mass in the form of fat free muscle mass are:

1.     Consume .5 gram of protein per pound of your bodyweight daily.

2.     Get at least 75% of your protein intake from real foods. Learning to properly prepare a variety of animal products (sorry vegans) makes this relatively simple.

3.     Supplement with whey protein throughout the day if necessary.

4.     Don’t worry about the timing of your consumption, worry about being consistent.

5.     Stop carrying your blender bottle around the weight room and start wearing shirts with sleeves. You look stupid.

References

Aragon, A.A., Schoenfeld, B.J. (2013) Nutrient timing revisited: Is there a post-exercise anabolic window? Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 10(5), 1-11.

Bishop, P.A., Jones, E., Woods, K.A. (2008) Recovery from training: A brief review. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 22(3), 1015-1024.

Tipton, K.D., Wolfe, R.R. (2001) Exercise, protein metabolism, and muscle growth. Interntional Journal of Sports Nutrition. 11(1), 109-132.