Straight Track #11

Exercise Prescriptions, The Payoffs Are Priceless

J. Dillon Hoey, Partner
Hoey & Farina

As mentioned last week, we ran across several articles in the May/June edition of News for Healthy Living, a publication for the Graduates of the Pritikin Longevity Center in Santa Monica, Calif., and thought our railroad friends and their families might enjoy reading them. The following is the second of a two part health-related series of the Straight Track newsletter.

Exercise Prescriptions From
The Pritikin Longevity Center

Cardiovascular Fitness & Weight Loss

Type of Training:
Aerobic, which means any activity that uses large muscle groups and can be maintained continuously and rhythmically, such as walking, hiking, jogging, running, bicycling, cross country skiing, aerobic classes, rowing, stair climbing, and skating.

Frequency & Intensity: 
2 to 3 times weekly at your training heart rate; and 2 to 3 times weekly at less intensity (what we refer to at the Center as your “informal” days).

Duration:
20 to 60 minutes. Duration is dependent on the intensity of activity. On training heart rate days, 20 minutes is sufficient for most people. On lower-intensity days, aim for 30 minutes or more.

If it's difficult to carve out a full 30 minute workout, slip in 10-to-15 minute bouts when you can. 

Research has shown that you will still benefit enormously from these shorter bursts of activity as long as they add up to 30 minutes or more by day's end.

Weight Loss Tip: 
To shed pounds, a half-hour of aerobic exercise every day is preferable to an hour every other day. It's in the first half-hour that your body derives huge benefits, like decreases in triglycerides, or blood fats, and lowering of insulin levels (the lower your insulin, the less fat your body tends to store). The second half-hour of exercise has fat-burning benefits, too, but not nearly as many as that first half-hour.

Special Recommendations For Diabetics:

45 to 60 minutes of aerobic activity every day is optional. States Dr. James Barnard, UCLA researcher of exercise and insulin: "If you're a Type 2 diabetic and you exercise for at least 45 minutes, there are immediate effects: both insulin and blood glucose (sugar) levels drop. But there's also a secondary response, called enhanced insulin sensitivity, which lasts for about 24 hours."

Put simply, for a full 24 hours after exercising, your body's cells aren't as stubborn: they're much more receptive to insulin. They're "opening" their "doors," allowing insulin to usher in more glucose. That's fantastic because glucose is no longer building up in the blood, sending blood sugar levels soaring. And because you don't need as much insulin to get those cell doors open, the level of insulin in your blood stays nice and low, too, which means weight loss is easier.

For Type 2 diabetics, a 5-to-15 minute walk after meals is helpful, too. "You don't even have to go at your training heart rate," says Dr. Monroe Rosenthal, Physician and Educator at the Pritikin Longevity Center. "Whether at home or at a restaurant, just walk around the block for a few minutes. It'll help keep your blood sugars from going too high. It's almost like taking another glucose lowering drug." 

Muscle Strength & Weight Loss

 Type of Training:
8 to 10 strength-training exercises involving the major muscle groups (arms, shoulders, chest, abdomen, back, hips, and leg). Your Pritikin Longevity Center Program Guidebook contains illustrations and descriptions for each muscle group.

 Frequency & Intensity: 
As discussed in last month's newsletter, you're doing fine if you're hefting one set of each exercise two to three times weekly. Indeed, one set yields virtually all the benefits to two to three sets. Do use amounts that you can lift just 8 to 12 times (if you're under 50) or 10 to 15 times (if you're over 50). If you're pumping past these ranges, it's time to add weight. 

 Duration:
One set of 8 to 10 exercises shouldn't take longer than 20 minutes.

For Flexibility:

After your aerobic or strength training, be sure to stretch your major muscle groups for about 10 minutes. In your Program Guidebook are illustrations and descriptions of safe, simple, stretches. They help cool the body, improve range of motion, keep muscles from cramping, and reduce the risk of injury. Of course, they're wonderfully relaxing, too. 

Getting Back On Track:

If it's been more than a year since your last treadmill stress test, you probably ought to make an appointment with your cardiologist for an updated one. And if lately your couch has gotten more attention than your walking shoes, start out slowly - maybe a 10 minutes walk - and monitor your heart rate. Or come back for a refresher course at the Pritikin Longevity Center. The Center's Doctors and Exercise Physiologists will guide you back to safe, effective exercise - and a life rich in energy and good health.

Do make the effort to get moving again! The payoffs are priceless.

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