Before getting into our main topic, I want to report on my experience with “acupressure” to reduce blood pressure (last week’s post).
I started doing the simple rubbing down the neck and pressing the point towards the center of the face from the ear lobes on the 2nd of November.
I did this 2-3 times a day.
I can’t say that it was a great success but my systolic was below 140 for 6 times and my diastolic was below 80 for 11 times. Not bad, but it could be improved upon. Other measurements were above, but not by much, of the 140/80 benchmarks.
Maybe, one should do the movements more than 2-3 times a day. I’ll keep trying, and repot back.
So, what type of exercise?
“If you are running, cycling, and walking regularly in an effort to live longer and reduce your risk of disease, you’re definitely doing right by your body.”
This is a quote from an article I just read. I agree with everything except the running; readers who follow this blog know that I’m not a fan of running. Why?
- Our genetic program dictates that we walk or sprint, not run, and
- 220 minus your age times 0,85 is the maximum heart rate you should have during prolonged exercise if you don’t want to flood your system with free radicals. (226 for women).
- I think walking is great; the happiness hormones the brain produces makes you feel good, and the fact that you are using the biggest muscle in your body, your gluteus, is a sure way to slow down sarcopenia (muscle loss) as you get old.
According to new research out of the University of Sydney, strength – based workouts may be just as important as aerobic ones.
I’ve always maintained that anaerobic workouts are far superior to aerobic workouts.
The study published in the Journal of Epidemiology, looked at the exercise habits of over 80,000 individuals over time. They found that people who did strength-based training had a 23 percent reduction in risk of premature death, and were 31 percent less likely to die of cancer related illnesses.
For those who have an aversion to gyms and working out with weights regularly, bodyweight exercises at home also count.
The lead associate professor in the study, Emmanuel Stamatakis, explains that “many people are intimidated by gyms, the cost or the culture they promote, so it’s great to know that anyone can do classic exercises like triceps dips, sit-ups, push-ups or lunges in their own home or local park and potentially reap the same benefits.”
Given all of that’s been put forth above, I’m going to list all such exercises that was posted in the blog.
- “HIIT”, February 26, 2015
- “Bodyweight Exercises You Can Do At Home”, September 15, 2015
- “HIIT – The Tabatha Method”, October 26, 2015 and November 11, 2015
- “Isometric Exercises”, October 20, 2016
- “High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) Workouts with Dumbbells”, December 12, 2016
- “A High Intensity Training Program”, December 30, 2016
- “A Hybrid Workout Protocol”, April 19, 2017
An example of what you can do at home:
I’m sure you will find one, or more, that meets your requirements/goals.
That’s it for this week; see you next time.