Fitness

In the Age of Ozempic, What’s the Point of Working Out?

Published

2 years ago

March 25, 2023

In the Age of Ozempic, What’s the Point of Working Out?

In the summer season of 2015, one among my greatest buddies died at work. Shannon was 38, childless, single and thriving, and dealing as an govt at a world public-relations agency, the place she dealt with a serious shopper. She was set to take a household trip—treating her nephews to a Disney journey or some such—when her boss despatched down an edict that nobody on her account was allowed to take time without work. Saying no to your boss is difficult, however disappointing your nephews is even more durable, so Shannon stood her floor and refused to cancel her journey.

She then proceeded—in a convention room—to have a panic assault about how the choice would possibly have an effect on her profession. The panic assault triggered a coronary heart assault; the center assault revealed a preexisting tear in a coronary heart valve; the tear led to inside bleeding that, after a two-week-long coma, led to her dying. You possibly can see why, although it isn’t technically true, I say that Shannon “died at work.” You may also see how my 36-year-old self—additionally single, additionally childless, additionally caught in a profitable however irritating profession and in want of a while off—–was very tousled by this. Everybody who knew Shannon was. Because the bench in Prospect Park we devoted to our pal says: Shannon, she gave a beautiful gentle.

It was on this state of despair that I reluctantly accompanied a pal to SoulCycle. I’m allergic to exercise-guru speak and pseudo-spirituality, however at the hours of darkness of that studio with the music enveloping me, forcing my coronary heart to push itself in the best way that Shannon’s may now not do, one thing dislodged the deepest layers of my grief. I sat, pedaling as arduous as I may, sobbing with abandon, figuring out the black of the room and the sound of the music and the whirring of the bikes have been giving me cowl.

I stored returning, reserving a motorbike within the again and letting the sweat and tears wash down my face. I did this for weeks till sooner or later, I noticed I hadn’t cried. And one other day, I noticed I used to be smiling.

Within the time that I used to be, as my buddies would tease me, within the “Cult of Soul”—I dispute this, for what it’s value; I by no means purchased any merch—I remodeled my life. Finally I obtained up the heart to pursue what I had actually all the time wished to do, which was to put in writing books. Sadly, as a result of time is finite, I needed to do it within the mornings earlier than work and on the weekends—the entire occasions when I was on the bike.

Fitness may be a sophisticated factor. For some, the motivation is well being, and for others it’s pure enjoyment of the game or bodily exercise. However for a lot of—particularly the Gen Xers amongst us, who, if we weren’t given an consuming dysfunction by our Boomer mothers, picked one up in school or from our Cosmopolitan and Vogue magazines—the true level is weight reduction. Sure, train has well being advantages, however these are uncomfortable side effects of the aesthetic objective.

This was how I had all the time approached train. I labored out due to consuming points and body-image challenges cultivated early in my life. Drawn by my grief to SoulCycle, I’d seen a unique aspect of train and of what it may imply to me. However after a lifetime of different messages, the lesson didn’t stick. I nonetheless thought that I labored out as a way to not achieve weight.

And on the similar time, I felt dangerous about this. In opposition to the backdrop of the body-positivity motion, I used to be suspicious of my devotion to bodily health. I wanted to put in writing; was my worry of my very own fats well worth the time taken away from the work required to vary my life? Couldn’t I merely love myself as I used to be?

For a very long time, I did little or no train. I used to be obsessive about my artwork and my challenge. Different issues took priority over health—or reasonably, as I noticed it, over my very own self-importance.

After which one thing shifted. Effectively, two issues.

First, a collection of again accidents left me barely capable of stroll with out ache and took a yr of care to get well from. I yearned for motion, and my physician really helpful common pilates courses.

Then, at first of this yr, the Netflix algorithm fed me the documentary Stutz, directed by Jonah Hill.

The movie is concerning the life and work of Hill’s therapist, Phil Stutz, whom Hill credit with making his life “immeasurably higher.” Stutz helps his sufferers develop what he calls their “life power”—the a part of you that may information you when you find yourself most misplaced. Stutz describes the life power as a pyramid. At its base is your relationship together with your bodily physique, which means we want bodily motion mixed with high quality sleep and weight loss plan. In the course of the pyramid are {our relationships} with different individuals, which means we want them. And on the prime is our relationship with ourselves.

Apparently, Hill—not a Gen X lady—had an analogous psychic relationship with train as I did. Within the movie, he discusses having been scarred as a toddler by being instructed he was fats, and the way health was all the time seen as a punishment to repair the crime of being obese. It was solely when he seen figuring out as a element of caring for his psychological happiness—one thing that he may management, one thing that would enhance the quantity of pleasure he is perhaps able to feeling—that his perspective shifted.

Listening to him say that, it out of the blue clicked for me too: Train may be an act not of self-importance, however of psychological self-care. Many wars are being waged in opposition to girls—in opposition to our our bodies, our rights, our sizes, our photographs of ourselves, and who’s and isn’t allowed to say this identification. For a very long time, I felt that by rejecting motion, I used to be rejecting an idealized and not possible physique picture, that I used to be studying “self-acceptance.” However actually I used to be simply sabotaging my very own psychological well being.

This isn’t an anti-fat or anti-body-positivity message. I like that youthful girls are being raised with out the internalized self-hatred I used to be steeped in. I actually love that younger girls of colour are spurning the notions of “good our bodies” which might be rooted in a magnificence normal that excludes our communities. If something, I’m lastly personally connecting the dots that the fat-activist and body-positivity communities have been railing about for a while: Fatphobia within the health business is dangerous. It alienates many individuals from motion.

However within the Age of Ozempic, the concept that we work out to get skinny could also be much more harmful than ever, regardless of your measurement.

Ozempic now affords injectable skinniness to the identical monied Alo- and Lululemon-wearing women and men who’ve been filling up health courses and gymnasiums for years, all of them there to chase the elusive objective of “thinner,” or, in the event that they’ve caught it, to maintain that slim body of their clutches. However on the similar time, all of them have been benefiting from the uncomfortable side effects of endorphins and rising coronary heart charges, the pleasure of experiencing the vitality of their very own blood-pumping our bodies.

If they will now keep skinny with simply an injection and some picked-over meals, will they abandon health? What’s a life the place you don’t want to maneuver your physique and also you don’t must eat, however you recognize you look good in designer garments? What’s actual residing if you’re doing it for the ’gram?

A number of weeks in the past, I went to California for a guide speak and signing. I’ve most likely signed 1000’s of books, however for the primary time ever, I used to be requested to dedicate a guide to a Shannon. I instantly felt my eyes burn scorching and my throat shut up. My Shannon was the kind of one who obtained off on her buddies doing nicely, and I’ve usually imagined how pumped she could be to see me now. However the reality is, I used to be capable of make these modifications due to her, as a result of her dying made me reassess my life and what being alive means.

And it additionally led me into that very darkish spin studio the place, class after class, I went from drowning in disappointment to feeling that my loopy goals is perhaps achievable. It was simple for Stutz to transform me to his philosophy, as a result of I already knew that what he was saying was true. I simply hadn’t made the connection earlier than. Did it want to return within the type of a luxurious health class? No. However did being subsequent to the opposite our bodies assist? Completely. As a result of individuals: We’d like them.

Since I watched that documentary, not a day has handed with out me forcing myself, ultimately, to maneuver. Ideally, with any individual else—even when that any individual else is simply my canine working up a hill with me. I even went again to a SoulCycle class for the primary time in years. To not be thinner or stronger, however to regulate the amount of my very own happiness.

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Fitness

RFK Is a Big Proponent of Exercise as Medicine. We Agree.

Published

2 hours ago

November 21, 2024

Press Room

RFK Is a Big Proponent of Exercise as Medicine. We Agree.

IT’S GREAT TO see Robert F. Kennedy Jr elevating exercise in the national conversation, and at Men’s Health we’ve been saying exercise is strong medicine for 35 years—because nothing advances health and can’t be patented by Pharma as much as consistently working out.

We’ve been reporting on the styles of strength and fitness that you need to optimize your health for years—and the pandemic, which saw those who struggled with fitness suffer more than strong, healthy people, put a spotlight on that. Since then, gym memberships are booming; 2023 saw with 72.9 million people with gym memberships.

These days, healthspan (the portion of life during which you’re able to do what you want instead of being frail and weak) is a buzzword, as we’ve covered in our stories with Peter Attia, M.D., author of Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity. According to Attia: “Exercise is by far the most potent longevity ‘drug.’ The data are unambiguous: Exercise not only delays actual death but also prevents both cognitive and physical decline better than any other intervention. It is the single most potent tool we have in the health-span-enhancing toolkit—and that includes nutrition, sleep, and meds.”

Over the years MH has covered the ideal amount of exercise people should do, and, like Dr. Attia, MH recommend more exercise weekly—ideally 7 to 10 hours— than the government’s regulations. Currently, the CDC says:

Adults need at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity a week. There are multiple ways to break this up, but an easy way to think about it is that you should fitness 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week.

Adults also need 2 days of muscle-strengthening activity each week.
The CDC does also note that you’ll gain even more health benefits if you go beyond 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity or week – or if you have 75 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity activity (think: a pickup hoops game).

The latest research reveals that you need a combination of different intensities of cardio, as well as consistent strength training and stability exercises to be your best self. Here’s how much you should get to be at your best.

Your Cardio Goals

4+ Hours/Week

Dr. Attia says your VO2 max is a good proxy measure of physical capability: It indicates what you can—and cannot—do. Studies suggest that VO2 max will decline by roughly 10 percent per decade after your 20s and up to 15 percent per decade after age 50. Increasing your VO2 max makes you functionally younger. So having average or even above-average VO2 max has long-term ramifications. Dr. Attia’s goal for his patients is to be at an excellent level for the decade (or two) below their age. Many smartwatches can estimate VO2 max, but a real test (e.g., the Cooper 12-Minute Run) is better and VO2-max charts are easy to find online.

The good news?

You can improve VO2 max by as much as 17 percent per year. But you need to put in the work. Dr. Attia advises that patients do at least three 45 to 60-minute cardio sessions per week in zone 2 of their heart rate (57 to 65 percent of max heart rate, a gentle intensity during which you can say a complete sentence). They can involve running, cycling, rowing, even rucking. This is optimal for the health and efficiency of your mitochondria, the factories that burn fat and glucose to power your muscles and that decline as you age.

Along with cruising in zone 2, Dr. Attia recommends that patients do a weekly 30-minute VO2-max effort, such as high-intensity intervals that last anywhere from 3 to 8 minutes. For instance, you can run, ride, row, or ruck uphill for four rounds of four minutes, with four minutes of rest in between. “This is a much higher level of intensity—a hard, minutes-long effort,” he says. By testing your VO2 max and committing to cardio, you can nudge up your score and win in the long run.

Your Strength Goals

3+ Hours/Week

Age-related muscle loss—which starts insidiously in your 40s and picks up the pace in your 50s—is called sarcopenia, from the Greek words for “poverty of the flesh,” says Dr. Attia. Think of strength training as a form of retirement saving, he says. Just as you retire with enough money saved up to sustain you for the rest of your life, you want to reach an older age with enough of a “reserve” of muscle to protect you from injury and allow you to continue to pursue the activities that you enjoy. That muscle also acts as a buffer against the natural age-related decline in muscle mass. The larger the reserve you build up early on, the better off you will be over the long term. And, there are many categories to train:

Grip Strength

New research reveals that American adults have far weaker grip strength—and thus less muscle mass—than they did even a generation ago. In 1985, men ages 20 to 24 had an average right-handed grip strength of 121 pounds, while in 2015, men of the same age averaged just 101 pounds. Dr. Attia notes that many studies suggest that grip strength predicts how long you are likely to live. In these studies, it’s acting as a proxy for overall strength, but it’s also a broader indicator of general robustness and your ability to protect yourself if you slip.

Try These: Weighted carries, dead hangs, and plate pinches. Your goal: Do a farmer’s carry with a quarter of your bodyweight in each hand for one minute.

Concentric and Eccentric Loading

You need strength when your muscles are shortening (concentric) and lengthening (eccentric) under load. In other words, you must be able to lift the weight up and put it back down, slowly and with control. In life, especially as you age, eccentric strength is where many people falter.

Eccentric strength in the quads is what gives us the brakes required when we are moving down an incline or walking down a set of stairs. It’s really important to keep us safe from falling.

Try These: Focus on the “down” phase of lifts, whether doing pullups, curls, or deadlifts. Practice slow stepdowns—can you step off an 18-inch box in three seconds or more?

Pulling Motions

Pulling motions help bulletproof your shoulders against injury, and they’re critical in other underrated ways, too, driving your motion when you open car doors, lift boxes from the floor, and give somebody a hug.

Try These: Practice pulling at all angles. Start with dumbbell rows and progress to overhead moves like pullups.

Hip Hinges

You bend at the hips—not the spine—to harness your body’s largest muscles, the glutei maximi and the hamstrings. It is a very powerful move that is essential to life. If you are jumping, picking up a penny off the sidewalk, or simply getting out of a chair, you are hip hinging.

Try These: Deadlifts, hip thrusts, and kettlebell swings.

With all this exercise, your body may need more TLC. And that’s where stability and mobility training and low impact things like yoga and walking come in. These kinds of activities help your body recover and you can target weak areas to build your overall strength.

If you need somewhere to start and aren’t sure how to get going: Try this simple bodyweight workout: Set a timer for 10 minutes. Start by doing 30 seconds plank walkout, then do 30 seconds of alternating reverse lunges, then do 30 seconds of jumping jacks. Rest 30 seconds, then repeat until time is up. This simple session fires up your core and burns calories, and it gets you moving in multiple planes, an underrated quality you want to preserve for longevity. It also challenges many of the key functions we’ve already listed above. A bonus: As you gain fitness, this can become a warmup drill for any workout you do.

If you’re looking for exercise guidance, check out our Men’s Health MVP Training Lab, which is full of month-long workouts that can help you improve your VO2 max, build total-body muscle and strength, shed excess pounds, and get into optimal shape.

Fitness

A new way to exercise is now open at the Smith River Sports Complex

Published

10 hours ago

November 21, 2024

Press Room

A new way to exercise is now open at the Smith River Sports Complex

A new fitness court is now open for public use at the Smith River Sports Complex.

The fitness court, located at the Smith River Sports Complex, was completed in partnership with Aetna for its National Fitness Campaign across Virginia. It was created to cater to people ages 14 and older and with multiple levels of fitness in mind by allowing them to move at their own pace.

“We would like to thank Aetna for their support in bringing this important program to our community,” Henry County Director of Parks and Recreation Roger Adams said. “And for recognizing the need to support healthy lifestyles for all Virginians.”

The Smith River Sports Complex Fitness Court is one of the first communities in Virginia selected for the initiative, Adams said.

The fitness court base is a concrete pad with a connecting wall that features different equipment allowing users to work different muscles. The court is separated into seven different sections including: core, squat, push, pull, lunge, agility and bend.

Some of the different exercises possible on the fitness court include: mountain climbers, pushups, lunges at the lunge station, pullups, burpees and different core exercises.

“The fitness court is a wonderful example of partnerships across the public and private sectors to help break down barriers to accessible community programming,” Adams said. “Living a healthy lifestyle and taking preventative measures can help reduce the risk of developing chronic yet preventable diseases.”

“By practicing healthy habits through regular exercise on the fitness court with body weight training, individuals could significantly lower their risk of developing these diseases,” Adams said. “A body weight workout enhances coordination, balance and mobility in particular. We encourage everyone to walk, jog and cycle to our new fitness court and spend a little more time outside every day.”

“We know that when your physical health is better, your mental health is also better,” Henry County Board of Supervisors Iriswood District Representative Garrett Dillard said. “When you become a healthier community, that impacts your work, your school, your daily life.”

“We need to do better in Henry County,” Dillard said.

Henry County ranks 119 out of 133 counties in Virginia in terms of health outcomes, the county life expectancy is almost five years less than the state average, 42% of the population is considered obese and 26% of the county population reports having access to exercise opportunities, Dillard said.

“The key word there is opportunity,” he added. “Yes, we have a fair share of problems, but we also have an opportunity to solve them if we work together.”

“By partnering with Aetna, the National Fitness Campaign … the county is now able to offer free, accessible and high-quality fitness equipment for people of all ages and abilities,” Dillard said. “The fitness court is designed to bring the benefits of exercise to everyone, regardless of fitness level, and its right here in our community.”

Along with the fitness court, users can download the free Fitness Court App which provides a coach-in-your-pocket and enhances the outdoor gym with a digitally supported wellness experience.

The Martinsville-Henry County YMCA also plans to hold classes on the fitness court in the future.

“This is sure to be the first of many initiatives that will encourage healthy habits in our community,” Dillard said. “I encourage everyone to take full advantage of this incredible resource as we work together to improve the health and quality of life for everyone in our community.”

Fitness

AI-Driven Fitness Applications

Published

18 hours ago

November 20, 2024

Press Room

Ginkgo Health is preparing to launch its groundbreaking AI-driven fitness application — Ginkgo Active. Designed to deliver tailored exercise plans for managing and preventing chronic conditions, the app uses advanced algorithms to process extensive health data and create individualized prescriptions, targeting balance, strength, and cardiovascular fitness. Set to be available in December, Ginkgo Health’s tool bridges the gap between exercise research and practical implementation. This move addresses a critical need for accessible, preventive healthcare solutions.

By providing dynamic adjustments based on user feedback, Ginkgo Active offers flexibility to accommodate changing needs, such as limited equipment or fluctuating energy levels. Its commitment to personalization ensures each plan evolves with the user’s progress. The app’s gamified design further fosters engagement by turning habit formation into an enjoyable experience.

Image Credit: Ginkgo Health