Older Bolder Life

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Foundation Series: Functional Fitness Is Where It’s At

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Way back when starting my residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Utah (Salt Lake was a great place to live back in the mid-80s), the term functional fitness wasn’t a popular buzzword in the everyday fitness world.

Functional fitness (as a term) was really used primarily in a medical arena, most often as we worked as a team to restore injured and compromised individuals’ mobility as well as their ability to do what are loosely termed “activities of daily living” – all those things we do to manage ourselves, our households, and most often our work in a given day.

A great deal of what the members of the rehab team did in this functional training was very practical, geared toward equipping a person to perform useful tasks with greater ease, efficiency, and proficiency. (To this day I’m deeply inspired by some of the transformations in function I witnessed during those years.)

Functional Fitness is a hot topic these days it seems, and for good reason. I’m all about the functional fitness movement (no pun intended), particularly for those of us over 40 (you could really easily argue that could be 30) who are beginning to feel some of the symptoms of joint wear and tear (aching, stiffness, etc), aren’t as fit as we used to be, are a bit too sedentary, are beginning to pack on extra pounds, or are just overwhelmed with the urgent life tasks that seem to dominate some (if not most) days.

Getting a Grip on Functional Fitness

Like most involved in the wellness and health worlds today, it seems like I’m singing the praises of and talking details about functional fitness just about every day.

I like to keep things direct and simple, and define (more or less) functional fitness as movement and exercise that’s geared toward improving our body’s ability to complete often complex life tasks we face routinely, as opposed to building, for example, the biggest biceps or triceps possible, or trimming seconds off a timed run or swim.

Functional fitness implies personalization. We’re all unique in terms of our specific physical construct, metabolism, and psyche; the tasks we complete as part of our home and work days are different and unique to us, as is our play.

Why wouldn’t we optimally build out an exercise routine that is designed to peak our performance of both these daily tasks and our play?

Yet so often we try and force our bodies to grind through training routines that aren’t necessarily functionally targeted, that might isolate and build impressive individual muscles yet leave us woefully unconditioned and unprepared for various challenges we face in the real world every day.

[I’m always reminded of an interview I read years ago back in the infancy of triathlon competitions; one of the earliest heroes of the sport, Mark Allen, noted in an interview that despite his being a champion swimmer at the collegiate level, he found himself woefully unprepared early in his career to meet the challenges of cycling and running.]

Functional fitness focuses on core strength, balance and stability, functional strength, solid cardio (without overtraining), and multi-planar, multi-muscle (often arm, trunk, and leg together) movements and exercise.

There’s no magic program to simply plug into; as noted above, functional fitness implies personalization to the demands your life puts on you. At the most basic level, Mark Sisson’s 4 Essential Movements of the Primal Blueprint could be a great place to start, though we’ll be talking a great deal more about functional fitness over the next months.

It’s time to get moving, and start building up your functional capacity and reserve. Life is all about function.

Question of the Week 23 July: Walk vs Jog

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A friend forwarded this question on from an acquaintance of hers, and I thought it worth running through some of the thinking on walking vs. jogging, particularly for someone over 40, above their ideal weight, and not as active as they perhaps think they are…

From Carol –

…My daughter is home from college and has been nagging me for weeks now to get out and run with her in the mornings. She’s of course 20, a life-long runner, and extremely fit, putting in 27-30 mile weeks on average. I’ve had a very stressful year (death of a parent after an ugly cancer battle) and put on another 30 pounds, making me about 55 pounds over what I feel is my best weight.

I’ve been a walker in years past (about 3 miles five days per week) but not in the past year, though I’m playing golf (out of a cart) once every 10 days or so so getting a fair bit of exercise there. Otherwise I guess I’m considered sedentary given my desk job. My daughter is convinced that walking is basically of no benefit for weight loss or general health and that I have to run at some every day to regain my form, and it’s beginning to stress our relationship. I’m ready to get started but she’s rattled my confidence in my old walking routine…

Kudos, and Let’s Agree That Simply Getting Moving is Good

Carol, kudos to you for making the decision to get back in the walking game, and kudos to your daughter for wanting to help you along the way (even though she’s overlooking some of the proven benefits of walking).

And I’d bet the farm that your daughter would agree that, without even delving too far into the science, that simply getting moving (more than you are now) will be a very helpful action for you to take – whether that be walking, jogging, or actually running. And sorry, though I’m not currently an active golfer, having played a number of rounds out of a cart in years past, I don’t think that’s providing much at all in terms of true exercise benefit, though the sun exposure (with appropriate high-exposure skin precautions) is probably boosting your vitamin D!

Walking is Great Exercise and Has a Number of Health Benefits

Please reassure your daughter that walking has a number of proven health benefits demonstrated across widely varying age bands, and in fact, particularly for those of us in our fifth decades and beyond, offers these benefits without the baggage of running-induced injuries that often increase with age.

In addition, as you’re “getting back in the exercise groove” after a tough year and with a (recently) sedentary lifestyle, walking allows you to ramp up your exercise volumes with relative ease, with a reasonable goal of walking five of seven days per week (or more); thirty minutes per outing is good, an hour is even better.

What Does some Representative Research Suggest About Walking vs Running?

In this study, equivalent energy expenditures by moderate walking and running invoked similar risk reductions for hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and hypercholesterolemia; perhaps lesser so for coronary heart disease.

This study of men 64-65 looked the effects on health of walking (more than 2 hours/day, 1-2 hours/day, and < 30 min/day); the more they walked, the greater benefit (decreased mortality) was noted.

This study showed that moderate walking (8.6 miles/week) was very effective at improving glucose tolerance and nearly as effective as a much more aggressive (diet, moderate exercise, weight loss) approach in those at risk for T2DM.

This editorial in the American Journal of Cardiology made some interesting observations about the efficacy of running vs. walking, though appropriately discussed the much higher injury rates associated with running.

There’s a hoard of research supporting the premise that injury rates are higher among runners of all skill level levels and mileage/volume; for example see this, this, and this. And finally, some studies, such as this one, suggest that more aggressive (strenuous) jogging provides no all-cause mortality benefit over sedentary controls. (A topic for another day.)

Bottom Line: Lace Up Those Walking Shoes

Bottom line, resuming your walking program is a great idea, and will benefit you in a multitude of ways. (I’ve resumed a vigorous walking program myself this spring and summer, and have come to treasure my early morning/sunrise adventures in the countryside; I’d forgotten with what gusto birds sing as the sun comes up.) Perhaps your daughter might accompany you some days, as a complement to her running program, and allow some genuine ‘social networking’ before she heads back to school.

Don’t forget that your body composition is 80% or more what you eat, with exercise contributing 10% (more or less) to the equation.

the Older Bolder Life Salad Sunday 22 July: Ring the Bell (Pepper) Salad

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Here’s another incredible offering from the kitchen of our catering chef buddy Libby in Austin – her Ring the Bell (Pepper) Salad.

Great looking bell peppers are available in abundance right now; she (and we) like to use orange, yellow, and red peppers as they make for a stunning presentation with the onion and herbs, and they simply taste great.

It’s easy as pie to stir together, and you can sub in whatever herbs float your boat, though this is the original recipe as written from Libby. She occasionally crumbles in some feta or Cotija cheese (my wife prefers the feta), and we like it best with a really good avocado oil drizzled in…

2 orange bell peppers, thinly sliced into rings
2 yellow bell peppers, thinly sliced into rings
2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced into rings
1 medium red onion, halved and thinly sliced
3 tbsp red wine vinegar (or Sherry vinegar)
Good salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

1/3 cup fresh chives, chopped
1/3 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/3 cup fresh parsley (flat leaf), chopped
1/3 cup fresh mint, chopped
Optional: 1 tsp fresh thyme
2-3 tbsp EVOO or good avocado oil

Optional: Crumble in some good feta or Cotija cheese just before serving

This one couldn’t be easier to put together. Wash and slice the bell peppers, then combine with the sliced red onion. Sprinkle with the vinegar, salt, and pepper, toss to coat, then let them sit for 15-20 minutes to soften and absorb a bit of the vinegar.

When ready to serve, add the herbs and oil, toss to coat, and go to it.

Enjoy.

Inquiring Minds Want to Know (Links and Stuff) 21 July 2018

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We’ve been on the road soaking up the goodness of a new grandson in Montana the past week or so; here’s a few quick links that caught our attention on the road…

Digital Media Consumption Still Isn’t Good for Teens

Your Morning Coffee Just Might Make You Live Longer

Leisure Reading is On the Decline

A Low-Carb Drumbeat in the Mainstream Press? Say It Ain’t So…

Have You Been Abducted by Aliens? (Added after a conversation overhead at the next table in a Wyoming diner).

Recipes We’ve Posted Over the Past Few Weeks

1015 Tomato Salad
Grill-Charred Green Beans w Homemade Harissa
Columbian Marinated Flank Steaks
Smashed Cucumber Salad
Grilled Leeks
Lemony Spiced Salmon Kabobs
Libby’s Creamy Avocado
Quick Chinese Cucumber Salad
Ancho Grilled Leg of Lamb

the Older Bolder Life Friday Feast 20 July: Ancho Grilled Leg of Lamb

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Last week we shared a quick discussion about road trip foods; the concepts would of course apply to those camping or exploring new territory otherwise ensconced in a hotel or vacation rental.

One of the foods we like to take along, certainly in the warmer months of the year, is a grilled leg of lamb. There are a host of great ways to prepare and grill a leg of lamb; we love traditional Greek flavors around our camp, though we reach for this Ancho Grilled Leg of Lamb three out of four times lamb is on the menu.

You need to plan ahead a bit, as it’s much better soaking in the marinade overnight (up to 24 hours). And it’s very much worth tracking down fresh oregano and genuine ancho chile powder (check the Hispanic foods aisle at your favorite grocer, spices and chiles are often much more reasonably priced there). Don’t be afraid of the garlic amount either; when we originally pilfered this recipe from Chef Libby in Austin, her’s called for 14-16 cloves!

By the way, this is great hot of the grill, and maybe even better chilled the next few days.

1 cup white wine
1/3 cup good olive oil
6 tbsp fresh oregano
2 green onions
10 garlic cloves, peeled
3 tbsp ancho chile powder
3 tbsp good blended chili powder
4 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 and 1/2 tbsp kosher salt
1 generous tbsp fresh ground black pepper

1- 4 to 5 pound, grass-fed leg of lamb, trimmed and butterflied

Combine everything (but the lamb!) in your trusty blender and blend well; add more wine if too thick. Slather the leg of lam in the marinade, rubbing it into the nooks and crannies; place the leg of lamb (covered in all of the marinade) in the fridge overnight, consider using a two-gallon plastic bag to ensure better coverage. Turn it once before you go to bed and again in the morning.

Fire your grill, and note you’ll need a fire with some staying power; we like this over oak and natural hardwood charcoal. Gently shake excess marinade from the lamb (but don’t shake it all off) and let it rumble along for 15-18 minutes per side. It’s medium rare at 130 though you’ll want this big piece of meat to rest for 15 minutes or so.

Once rested, artfully slice thinly against the grain and pour some of those incredible pan juices that oozed out while it was resting over it. Holy smoke, that’s good.

Enjoy.

the Older Bolder Life Salad Wednesday 18 July: Quick Chinese Cucumber Salad

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Here’s another quick and easy salad featuring one of the stars of summer – fresh cucumbers – and some of our clan’s favorite flavors from the orient.

The black rice vinegar provides a great counterpoint to the spice of the chili oil and the earthy nuttiness of the toasted sesame oil, and the bundle of flavors play incredibly well with the cucumbers (and the herbal cilantro).

We enjoy it more with a bit more spice, hence the recommendation for the pinch of red pepper flakes or a seeded and chopped serrano (or your favorite pepper), try it with and without to see which suits you better.

6 kirby or Persian cucumbers, or 2 big English cucumbers
2 tbsp Chinkiang (Chinese black rice) vinegar
2-3 tsp good, spicy chili oil
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1/2 tsp good salt, more to taste
2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
4 tbsp cilantro leaves
4 tbsp roasted unsalted peanuts, chopped

Optional: 1 tsp turbinado sugar, pinch of red pepper flakes or a fresh pepper, chopped

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, chili oil, sesame oil, salt, and red pepper flakes/sugar if using, set aside once the salt and sugar have dissolved.

Cut the cucumbers in half lengthwise, seed if desired (certainly the English cucs if using), the lay flat on a your cutting board and either whack with a rolling pin or press down on them with the blade of a large chef’s knife to crack the cucumbers in several places. Now cut the cucs (crosswise) into approximately 1/2-inch slices (like a little half-moon).

Add the cucumbers (and fresh peppers if using) to the dressing mix, toss gently, and serve, topping each serving with a bit of the toasted sesame seeds, cilantro, and peanuts.

Cheers.

Older Bolder Foundations: Making the Best Fish and Seafood Protein Choices

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We’ve been talking lately about making the best possible choices when shopping for proteins, covering a few principles regarding red meat proteins here and poultry proteins here.

The health benefits of regular seafood consumptions are pretty much indisputable (see here and here for example), with some particular precautions duly noted, and include reduction of chronic inflammation, improved mood and decreased risk of depression, improved cardiovascular and pulmonary health/function, and improved cognitive function across all age groups.

SMASH Your Fish

Two key principles in selecting the best fish choices include selecting fish from colder waters (higher omega-3) and fish lower down the food chain (to minimize concentration of mercury and other contaminants as you move further up the chain).

Remember the SMASH fish five: salmon, mackerel (not king mackerel), anchovies, most sardines, and herring. Smaller fish are most often more economical, and many are canned using quality oils (check to be sure).

Wild-caught fish from remote, pollution free waters should be top on your list (Bristol Bay salmon, we’re thinking about you).

Fish Farms, For the Most Part, Are Not Your Friend

Most farmed fish and shellfish, particularly those raised out of country, are fairly high risk given their exposures to substandard feeds, antibiotic use in pens to address infections caused by compromised water and conditions, are often pesticide-treated given infestations of their tanks, and are often raised in toxic, polluted waters. Many farmed fish and shellfish are even fed artificial coloring agents to tint their flesh more like their wild cousins (common in some Atlantic salmon farms).

There are exceptions to the ‘avoid most farmed fish’ caution, and include domestically raised catfish, barramundi, trout, tanked-farmed coho salmon, crayfish, and most domestically propagated shellfish.

Fish Priorities for Your Plate

Top of the list every time will be the wild-caught, cold-water, oily fish – think the SMASH five; followed by other sustainable, wild-caught fish from pristine waters.

Fish lower on the food chain are your friend for the most part; fish higher on the food chain (i.e. king mackerel, American eel, Chilean sea bass, orange roughy, marlin, shark, swordfish, and some tuna – ahi and big eye) are more prone to bio-accumulation of toxins.

Sustainability of fish stocks has been and will remain a prime concern; for that reason we agree with those who suggest limited consumption of Atlantic cod, halibut, sole, bluefin tuna, and even flounder.

There are several resources available, though the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch site is probably the most commonly sited resource you need to bookmark and use, and they have a handy pocket guide you can print and carry with you (image cut below).

Fish You’d Never Want to Serve Your Family

Though I was not convinced of this until several years ago, almost all farmed fish from Asia should be avoided given concerns over very lax management of water quality, specifically related to pollution and toxin levels, as well as substandard feeds used.

Another fish to avoid consistently is farmed Atlantic salmon, the species most commonly served by fishmongers and restaurant providers across the country. There’s years of data exposing the travesty of this particular industry, dig around a bit and read more if you’re skeptical.

The Mercury vs. Selenium Debate

We’ve all been cautioned for years about the impressive levels of mercury found in fish stocks, increasing as you move up the food chain, though there’s increasing data available that suggests naturally occurring selenium in fish (high levels except in swordfish and sharks) indeed counteracts many of the concerns regarding mercury in fish. A couple of interesting reads to overview the issue if you’ve not read much on this topic can be found here and here.

the Older Bolder Life Salsa Sunday 15 July: Libby’s Creamy Avocado

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Here’s another nifty, avocado-based, dip slash topping slash table salsa slash magic sauce from our compadre Chef Libby down in Austin – Libby’s Creamy Avocado (or Avocado Crema as she likes to prepare it).

Avocados, packed with healthy fats and little soluble carbohydrate baggage, and most importantly, bursting with incredible flavor, end up on the menu around our camp just about every day, even more so during these blistering days of high summer.

Libby serves this not only as a dip (and not just for chips, think for a cold, crispy crudite plate too) but a topping on a spicy grilled chicken breast she often preps for her catering gigs; we’ve just had it on a tropically-spiced, sautéed (grilled would be awesome too) mahi fillet here at home in the past week too.

For those looking to up the game a bit, try sourcing (or making) some genuine crema to sub in for the sour cream…

2 firm-ripe avocados, flesh only
1/2 cup full-fat sour cream (maybe a touch more…) OR genuine crema
2 tbsp good, extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp good apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp + 2 tbsp fresh cilantro leaves, rough chopped
2 tbsp fennel fronds, chopped fine, optional more for serving
Good salt to taste
Juice from one big lime quarter

Optional – add 1/2 to 1 stemmed and seeded serrano

Into your trusty food processor goes the avocado flesh, sour cream, EVOO, apple cider vinegar, first two tbsp cilantro, and first two tbsp fennel fronds.

Process until smooth; if not thick enough to suit you, add a bit of sour cream, if too thick, add a bit of EVOO or vinegar.

Season to taste with salt; pour into your serving bowl, sprinkle with the additional cilantro and fennel, spritz with the lime juice, and go to it.

Enjoy.