High calcium intake may not help prevent fractures, reports the Harvard Health Letter

Two studies showed that calcium didn’t prevent fractures—even when taken in combination with vitamin D. Another study showed that postmenopausal women who took a calcium-vitamin D combination were no less likely to break their hip than women who took a placebo pill. And other researchers reported the results from a meta-analysis of studies on calcium that found no connection between high calcium intake and lower hip fracture risk. -harvard health publications

The bottom line: According to current recommendations, Americans over 50 are supposed to get 1,200 mg of calcium daily, but 600 mg is probably enough for most people to keep their fracture risk low. Still, because extra calcium might be protective against colon cancer, a daily intake of 600 to 1,000 mg is a reasonable goal.

Kareem Abdul Jabbar on Exercise

Take a guess at Kareem Abdul Jabbar's pick for best overall cardiovascular exercise? If you said jumping rope, you would be right on.

Jumping rope is my first choice for best overall cardio workout. I've been jumping rope for 30 years and, though the image of a 7-foot-2 man jumping rope may make you smile, I assure you that it keeps me in great shape. Not only does it burn more calories than many other cardio exercises, it improves your balance, agility, foot speed, and hand-eye coordination. Jumping rope at 130 revolutions per minute is equivalent to running at 6 miles per hour or cycling 12 miles per hour. Ten minutes of jumping rope at that pace is like running a mile. Also, you can adjust the intensity of the workout to your own level of fitness. If you are in good shape, you can jump longer and faster. If you're a beginner, go slow and steady.
-from latimesblogs.latimes.com

Joint Replacements Expected to Soar

The number of knee replacements done annually in the U.S. will jump 525% by 2030. You read correctly: 525%. This prediction comes out of a paper presented Thursday at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Hip replacements? Those will more than double, rising from 285,000 to 573,000. from time.com

Prevention? Weight control is paramount, says Dr. Joseph Buckwalter, an arthritis specialist at the University of Iowa Medical Center. "For someone who is obese, even losing a relatively little amount — 15 to 20 lbs. — can make a huge difference, both in terms of pain and progression of the disease." For every pound of weight lost, you can take 3 to 5 lbs. of force off a bad joint. Lose 10 pounds, and that's 30 to 50 fewer pounds of force.

Other recommendations include care for injured joints when you are young and exercise to maintain strength, flexibility, and joint range of motion.

3 lb. Dumbell Routine for Runners

Nice set of exercises demonstrated by Matt Tegenkamp - from runnersworld.com. Matt is the American record holder for 2 miles- 8:07.07

How to Break Out of a Slump

I am in the middle of a serious running slump. Every day seems like a struggle. Runs are terribly slow. 7 miles seems very long. Motivation is low.

Part of me is saying this is it- I've had it with competing. Just let me enjoy regular exercise and mix it up with other activities, not worrying about performance in my next big race. The other part of me is having a difficult time letting that go.

I am coming off a long cold winter of training. I haven't been able to do much over 10 miles, and I have had to abandon interval training for several months due to weather and illness.

OK- enough excuses. In order to get motivated again, I obviously need to make some dramatic changes.

I am now easing back into interval training. Following my own advice for beginners, I am going to progress something like this over the next 6 weeks:

Week 1: 6 x 400 in 85-87 sec 2 min rest
Week 2: 6 x 400 in 85-87 sec 90 sec rest
Week 3: 8 x 400 in 82-85 sec 2 min rest
Week 4: 8 x 400 in 82-85 90 sec rest
Week 5: 4 x 800 in 2:50-2:52 2 min rest (longer rest is ok!)
Week 6: 6 x 400 in 80-82 sec 2 min rest

I will be doing at least 2 anaerobic or tempo workouts per week- hopefully this will snap me out of it so I can do more quality training.

Alcohol and Cancer Risk

"Analyses of the evidence presented in the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) report reveal that one drink a day can increase a woman’s risk of breast cancer by 7 to 15 percent." -health.msn.com

Safety Issues with Alcohol-Based Gel Hand Sanitizers

"Another study conducted at Colorado State University yielded similar conclusions, that alcohol-based hand sanitizers were as much as twice as effective as either regular soap or antibacterial soap at reducing germs on human hands. A Purdue University study, however, concluded that while alcohol-based hand sanitizers may kill more germs than plain or triclosan-based soaps, they do not prevent more infections that make people sick. Instead they may kill the human body’s own beneficial bacteria by stripping the skin of its outer layer of oil. "

- HealthNewsDigest

One alternative to an alcohol-based sanitizer is a company called Pureworks- their product line includes alcohol free lotion, soap, foams and sprays, and hard surface disinfectant.

Beer Companies Sued over Energy Beer

The nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest has served brewers Anheuser-Busch and Miller with notices its intent to sue them over a new generation of caffeinated alcoholic drinks - Bud Extra and Tilt from A-B and Sparks from Miller.

According to the CSPI, the brands "have more alcohol than beer and contain stimulant additives that are not officially approved for use in alcoholic drinks, including caffeine, taurine, ginseng, or guarana".

The question is - how much stimulant/alcohol combination can the body handle?

"It's a recipe for disaster and the companies should be held accountable."


Read the full story at beveragedaily.com

Still Sick!

I've started some easy jogging despite some residual congestion. This is taking a long time! I basically was off for 2 weeks. Today I ran 50 minutes- about 5 miles. I won't be running the Moab Canyonlands Half this weekend- too much to do.

Alzheimer's Facts

In 2000, there were an estimated 411,000 new cases of Alzheimer’s disease. That number is expected to increase to 454,000 new cases a year by 2010, 615,000 new cases a year by 2030 and 959,000 new cases a year by 2050.

• The number of people age 65 and over with Alzheimer’s disease is estimated to be 7.7 million in 2030, a greater than 50 percent increase over the number currently affected.

• According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of July 1, 2005, there were an estimated 78.2 million American baby boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964). In 2006, baby boomers began turning 60 at a rate of about 330 every hour. In 2011, baby boomers begin turning 65, reaching the age of greatest risk for Alzheimer’s disease.

• By 2050, the number of individuals age 65 and over with Alzheimer’s could range from 11 million to 16 million unless science finds a way to prevent or effectively treat the disease. By that date, more than 60 percent of people with Alzheimer’s disease will be age 85+. -Alzheimers Association data

- alz.org

Sustaining the Brain with Antioxidant Protection

"...by 2030 more than 9 million Alzheimer’s patients will be in America, with close to half the population over 85 years old carrying the diagnosis. [ 2 ]

The situation is much the same with other degenerative diseases of the nervous system. Between 1955 and 1986, the mortality from Parkinson’s disease in the US rose 411 per cent, while deaths from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease) increased 328 per cent in only the nine-year period from 1977 to 1986.

The sobering numbers presented here are from an article by Shane Starling, probably reflecting the fact that more of us are simply living longer. The point is, if we are living longer, isn't there anything that can be done to protect ourself from these chronic diseases? A quality antioxidant supplement might be a good place to start.

Vitamin and Antioxidant Research

"Although the predominance of expert opinion some years ago were that extra vitamins are expensive and unnecessary, there has been some change in thinking. The essential concept is as follows. The published RDAs for vitamins provide protection against acute deficiency diseases, e.g. scurvy, pellagra, beriberi, and pernicious anemia. Yet it is possible that higher intakes may protect against chronic diseases such as coronary heart disease and cancer. Various plausible hypotheses have been developed whereby long-term protection might occur. These hypotheses have generated intensified research into the vitamin field." Read the full article here.

-Southwestern Medical Center website


I think ever so slowly more health professionals are realizing the potential benefits of antioxidant supplementation.

Bored With Weights? New Trends in Strength Training

Nice video from the wsj.com on a different way to strength train.

For Those Who Eat Once a Day

Larger Portions lead to greater health risk- foodnavigator-usa.com

"The study showed that consuming a one-meal-per-day diet, rather than a traditional three-meal-per-day diet, is feasible for a short duration, but that the "one-mealers" had significant increases in total cholesterol, LDL or 'bad' cholesterol and in blood pressure compared to the "three-mealers".

"There were also problems in regulating blood sugar levels for the one-mealers, the study showed: they had higher morning fasting blood sugar levels, higher and more sustained elevations in blood sugar concentrations, and a delayed response to the body's insulin, compared to when they were three-mealers. Insulin is required to lower blood sugar levels."

I used to see this all too often among our men and women in the military- missing morning chow, usually using tobacco as an appetite suppressant. Regular physical training, tobacco use, and 1 meal a day is a sure recipe for disaster.

Incidence of High Blood Pressure Increases in American Women

MONDAY, Feb. 11 (HealthDay News) -- "Uncontrolled hypertension rates are on the increase among American women, and the prevalence of this major risk factor for heart disease and stroke among American men is still not as low as it should be, a new survey shows"

"The incidence of uncontrolled high blood pressure had been declining steadily for decades into the 1990s, the researchers found. The decline has continued for American men, with the rate dropping from 19 percent to 17 percent in the early 2000s. But the incidence among American women increased from 17 percent to more than 22 percent during that same period."

complete story on Medline.com

It's important that all American adults know their blood pressure and seek medical advice if it's high- consistently over 140/90 mm Hg. Did you know that a systolic blood pressure between 120-139 and diastolic between 80-89 is called prehypertensive? If you are consistently in that range, you may be able to obtain the safer range of below 120/80 through a program of regular exercise, plenty of fruits and vegetables, and less salt.

Dave's Training Log Feb 17-23

Sun, Feb 17
took the day off, weather was lousy and coming off 74 miles in 6 days I deserved it!

Mon, Feb 18
am: 3 miles with Sumo, then 7 miles
total = 10 miles

Tues, Feb 19
no run- everybody is sick here- not feeling so hot so I better rest up.

Wed, Feb 20
no run

Thurs, Feb 20
am: 3 mile jog

Fri, Feb 21
am: 3 mile jog

Sat, Feb 22
am: 2 mile jog

Total miles for the week = 18

So much for a high skin carotenoid score preventing flu- I have been sick all week and still very little if any sign of feeling better. I'll keep resting!

Please Pass on the Salt!

Salt "is the single most harmful element in the food supply, even worse than saturated fat and trans fat, or food additives and pesticides," says Michael Jacobson, executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Science in the Public Interest. USA Today, Salt intake brings new levels of alarm

New Theory on Muscle Fatigue

The new study shows that the fatigue that marathoners and other extreme athletes feel at the end of a race is caused by a tiny leak inside their muscles that probably also saps the energy from patients with heart failure. -newswise.com

"The leak – which allows calcium to continuously leak inside muscle cells – weakens the force produced by the muscle and also turns on a protein-digesting enzyme that damages the muscle fibers. The new study found the leak was present in the muscle of mice after an intense three-week daily swimming regimen and in human athletes after three days of daily intense cycling."

Professional Sports Teams Need a Wake up Call

Is it my imagination or is it true that a flu epidemic is sweeping professional sports? Lately it seems that every time I read a newspaper or catch a game on TV another key team member is down with the flu. With millions of dollars at stake, you would think a trainer or somebody would wake up and implement some effective preventive measures to keep their athletes healthy.

Are team members briefed on the importance of regular hand-washing?

Are they getting flu shots?

Are they being taught not to touch their eyes, nose, and mouth (how many times must we watch LeBron James chewing his fingernails?)

Are they getting enough rest? Right.

Are they taking high quality antioxidant supplements? I happen to have a Biophotonic Scanner that can measure skin carotenoid levels, a key indicator of healthy nutritional status. Theoretically speaking, a high skin carotenoid score will offer additional protection against viral infection. Here is one study on the antioxidant glutothione that concluded this: "the data suggest that the thiol antioxidant GSH has an anti-influenza activity in vitro and in vivo".
-Sciencedirect.com

I am currently taking the Pharmanex Lifepak Nano twice a day and my skin carotenoid score yesterday was 83,000. Most people I test fall in the 20,000-29,000 range. Where would you rather be, and if you owned a professional sports team, where would you want your athletes to be?

I can't prove it's because I take antioxidants, but it's been several years now since I have come down with anything other than a minor cold.

Owners, trainers, and coaches, at least get your athletes tested! Call me! 801-230-3223.

I also recommend the book Lance Armstong's War, which gives some good insight into extreme preventive measures used by professional cyclists.

One final note: Did you see the case of bananas the New York Giants had brought in during the Super Bowl to fight muscle cramps? Is that really the best a Super Bowl team could come up with?

Dave's Training Log Feb 10-16

Sun Feb 10-30 wind chill- forget it!

Mon Feb 11
am: 1 mile with Sumo, then 13 in 2 hrs in the snow
total miles=14

Tues Feb 12
am: 3 miles with Sumo, then 8. snowing so very slow.
total miles = 11

Wed Feb 13
am: 3 miles with Sumo, then 9. snow and slow.
total miles = 12

Thurs, Feb 14
am: 3 miles with Sumo, then 9. more clear roads, ave pace a little quicker
total miles = 12

Fri, Feb 15
am: 3 miles with Sumo, then 9 miles- about 4 on snowmobile trails
total miles = 12

Sat, Feb 16

am: 3 miles with Sumo, then 10 miles, about 5 on snowmobile trails- nice!
total miles = 13

total miles for the week: 74

This is the biggest week I've had in years! Naturally with this Wisconsin weather everything is pretty slow. Looking at what Suzy Favor Hamilton had to say, I think training in Wisconsin is a blessing because winters provide a nice break from high intensity intervals. Perfect for for solid base building.

I've been giving thought into easing back into some interval training, but it would have to be inside at the Pettit Center in West Allis. I think my problem is that I don't have anything special on my calendar- I am entered in the Canyonlands Half Marathon in Moab on March 8 but am not sure if I will be able to make it.

Isn't Wisconsin Weather Great?

"I look at living in Wisconsin as a blessing in disguise," she said. "In the winter it forces you to kind of take a mental break, a physical break, because of the weather. That's a good thing. It gives you time to sit back and reflect a little, maybe put on a couple pounds, and enjoy life a little more."

- 3 time Olympian Suzy Favor-Hamilton

note- i ran 2 hours this morning- according to the television at 6 am when I departed the wind chill was at minus 20. The amazing thing is that I never felt cold.

Steve Cullen's Healthy Hearts Club 8K

Tough running! Snow covered roads made this one pretty slow. full results

1 1 1 M15-19 16 28:33 5:45 334 STILIN DAVID WI MILWAUKEE
2 2 2 M15-19 18 29:09 5:52 92 DIXON JOE WI MILWAUKEE
3 3 1 M30-34 33 29:51 6:01 361 UDOVICH BRIAN WI OCONOMOWOC
4 4 1 M20-24 23 29:55 6:02 429 WILBERT CHRIS WI MILWAUKEE
5 5 1 M35-39 38 30:05 6:03 318 SHUE TED WI MILWAUKEE
6 6 1 M40-44 43 30:13 6:05 132 GROSS JIM WI MILWAUKEE
7 7 2 M35-39 36 30:15 6:06 187 KOBINSKY JEFF WI WAUWATOSA
8 8 1 M25-29 28 30:18 6:06 469 TORTOMASI JOEL WI PALMYRA
9 9 3 M15-19 16 30:23 6:07 337 SULLIVAN NATHANIEL WI ST FRANCIS
10 10 2 M25-29 25 30:43 6:11 394 PIERCE AARON WI MILWAUKEE
11 11 1 M45-49 45 30:47 6:12 328 STEFANOVIC RICK WI MILWAUKEE
12 12 4 M15-19 17 30:48 6:12 416 GUILBAULT KELVIN WI FRANKLIN
13 13 3 M35-39 36 30:49 6:12 340 SVEUM MATT WI MILWAUKEE
14 14 5 M15-19 18 30:55 6:13 272 POWERS NATE WI MILWAUKEE
15 15 2 M30-34 33 31:13 6:17 417 AGGER TODD WI FRANKLIN
16 16 3 M30-34 32 31:23 6:19 432 METZ PETER WI GERMANTOWN
17 17 2 M40-44 42 31:27 6:20 292 RISCHMAN RICK WI GRAFTON
18 18 1 M50-54 54 31:36 6:22 475 ELGER DAVE WI MUSKEGO
19 19 2 M45-49 48 31:44 6:23 124 GILMORE BILL WI JANESVILLE
20 20 3 M40-44 42 31:57 6:26 143 HECKMAN CHAZ WI SUSSEX

Mammoth Workout with Josh Cox

This video features core strengthening exercises used by some of America's top marathoners now training at Mammoth Lakes, California. (from runnersworld.com)

Important Nutrients for Recovery

By now everybody has probably heard that carbohydates along with a little protein (4:1 ratio) within 30-45 minutes of exercise optimizes muscle recovery, at least in terms of glycogen reloading. This article by Debra Wein, MS, RD, LDN, CSSD, NSCA-CPT-*D, and Stacie Sieloff offers additional advice on how other nutients can help. - nsca-lift.org

Dave's Training Log Feb 3-9

Sun Feb 3
am: 5 miles easy

Mon, Feb 4
am: 2.5 miles with Sumo, then 9.5 miles at a good pace
total miles = 12 miles

Tues, Feb 5
am: 2.5 miles with Sumo, then 9.5 miles
total= 12 miles

Wed, Feb 6
am: 2.5 miles with Sumo, then 8.5 miles
total= 11 miles in heavy snow and wind

Thurs, Feb 7
am: 2.5 miles with Sumo,then 10.5 miles
snow and very poor footing
total miles= 13

Fri, Feb 8
am: 3 miles with Sumo

Sat, Feb 9
am: 2 miles with Sumo
2 mile warm up
8K race- Seve Cullen Healthy Hearts Club

snow covered roads all the way- I felt that I ran ok- just very poor footing.

total miles for the week= 65