Author: Nicolette Kavouras

By: Brad Hankins

With the Holidays and a new year upon us, there is no better time for reflection and hope.  Considering our somewhat older and perhaps retired lives, it is easy to slide toward complacency and lose sight of the path we are on and where we would like that journey to take us.

I am biased toward higher levels of wellness and health being part of a full and enriched life.  My Nursing career has shown me that without a foundation of good health (as that means to you) it is difficult to reach personal potential, regardless of age.  And with age we can become comfortable with our current levels of physical, mental and emotional health, easily forgetting there are many things to explore and experience.  How do we reconnect ourselves to our lives?

Step one, become active.  In other words, do more in different ways than you currently are. The body is connected to the mind and the mind to the body – inseparable yet unique.  Both loves to be exercised, challenged and exposed to the new and unexplored.  Great joy can come from body and mind overcoming the perceived insurmountable together.  Age is not a barrier to learning and growth.

Step two, improve yourself physically.  All it takes that most rare behavior, discipline.  We all know discipline very well; we couldn’t successfully have reached our age without it.  Did you serve in the military?  If so, discipline is imbedded in your DNA.  Remember those early mornings you drug yourself out of bed to face another frustrating day of work because it was the right thing to do for your family? Then you have no shortage of discipline.  It is simply a matter of focusing the discipline you have developed over time on beginning a daily walk, going to the gym three days a week, taking a yoga class, or diving into a regular swimming practice.

Step three, exercise your mind.  Our brain becomes accustomed to patterns, both of thought and daily life. It becomes comfortable doing only expected things and gets grumpy when we ask more if it.  Ask more of your brain.  Change up your daily activities, brush your teeth with your non-dominate hand, go through the grocery store the opposite direction, put your pants on standing up.  Scroll less, read more. And when you read, challenge yourself with new authors and new topics.

Last step, be kind to yourself.  We didn’t get chronologically here without hitting a few bumps in the road – maybe a guardrail or two. Give yourself the grace to appreciate the life you have lived and the space to embrace your future.  It is easy for rumination to overwhelm us at times.  That’s okay, it happens but only visit those memories for what they were and refuse to let them describe who we are today.  In the words of Stephen Stills, “don’t let the past remind us of what we are not now”.

The improvement of emotional, mental and physical wellbeing is not restricted by age, circumstance nor perspective. Introspection is readily available to all of us and there are times even simple journeys can bring new, never before seen vistas.

Merry Christmas and I hope your new year is full of wonder and happiness!

As always, I would enjoy hearing about the challenges and successes of your fitness journey.  Please feel free to email me at hankinsb@ssymca.net .

Brad Hankins RN, CPT

 

By: Brad Hankins

Though March is national protein month it seems November, with Thanksgiving having a delightful abundance of protein, is also a good month to visit these delicious amino acids. Additionally, protein has recently been getting top billing in nutritional articles and podcasts, which can bring as many questions as answers.

First, protein is one of the three essential macronutrients along with carbohydrates and fats.  What makes essential macronutrients essential is our bodies cannot either produce them or produce enough of them.  In other words, we must eat or drink them – frequently and in adequate amounts.

Proteins are responsible for building and repairing tissue (to include our nervous system) and muscle as well as providing structure to the membranes of our cells, balancing our body’s acid levels, and are used as the building blocks of enzymes and hormones. In fact, without protein, and the right amino acids derived from it, your body is unable to create many enzymes and hormones. Protein is a big deal – regardless of age.

For those of us enjoying our 60’s, 70’s and beyond protein plays a big role in our health, strength and stamina.  Per the Cleveland Clinic, https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/23167-sarcopenia , age related muscle loss (sarcopenia) begins in ours 30’s and 40’s and can account for a loss of up to 8% of muscle mass per decade.  For the average person this can add up to five pounds of muscle lost every 10 years.  This loss of muscle contributes to poor balance and greater fall risk, difficulty walking and climbing stairs, and struggles with daily activities and routine home chores.

To maintain, or regain, muscle size and strength a minimum of two things are needed, 1) adequate dietary protein and 2) exercise – preferably weight training.  For both to work it takes informed decision making, a tolerable plan and discipline.   Knowing this, a good first question is how much protein is enough.

The USDA RDA for protein is 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram (one kilogram = 2.2 pounds) of body weight per day.  A common thought is for those over age 50 this base line should be increased to 1.0 grams per kilogram per day to offset both age related muscle loss and slowed digestion/nutrient uptake.  Keep in mind this is the baseline to keep you healthy, not necessarily the specific amount you should be eating if you are exercising frequently.  A general rule of thumb for those exercising is daily protein intake should be increased to 1.2 to 2.2 grams per kilogram of body weight per day to adequately support tissue repair and muscle growth.

Determining the exact amount protein needed to meet your daily and fitness needs is as much feel as science. If you are meeting your strength and muscle growth goals, and your post exercise recovery and energy levels are as expected then you are probably at the right protein place.

Regarding which protein source is best, and if you need a protein supplement, my thought is protein should first come from a dietary source that fits well with your daily diet, that you (and your digestive system) can tolerate and meets your fitness and daily activity needs.  As with most dietary exploration a good place to begin is with an honest food diary, preferably one that tracks your meals and snacks over a month.  You can use a food journal or there are lot of good apps that are click-the-box simple and will also provide great dietary data.

Once you know how much protein you are eating each day and have a baseline range of what your daily protein intake should be, you can calculate if you need a protein supplement.  The types and functions of currently available protein powders could, and have, filled volumes.  The Cleveland Clinic again weighs in with a concise, informative article on the subject, https://health.clevelandclinic.org/7-tips-choosing-best-protein-powder .  As you will see, there are protein powders available for most everyone even if they are lactose intolerant, prefer plant-based protein sources or are looking for a supplement that is gluten free.

This article lightly touches on the basics of protein nutrition and its positive effect on increasing muscle strength and size.  For more information on how much of which kind of protein is best for you and how these insights can fit into a comprehensive fitness plan please schedule a visit with a SSYMCA Personal Trainer.

As always, I would enjoy hearing about the challenges and successes of your fitness journey.  Please feel free to email me at hankinsb@ssymca.net .

Brad Hankins RN, CPT

 

By: Brad Hankins

Many of us with a few miles on the odometer of life haven’t gotten here unscathed.  As grateful as we are to have reached this number of years old, accidents, emotional stress and routine physical wear and tear can combine to limit the way we want to live our life.  This month we look at improving chronic health conditions, specifically Metabolic Syndrome.

The combination of Type 2 Diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol are the chronic health conditions that make up Metabolic Syndrome (MetS).  Also, in my Nursing opinion, there is often a fourth accompanying component, depression.  Up to one third of Americans have MetS, with that number increasing each year, and because the symptoms of MetS are slow to appear many are not aware of their worsening health.  Outwardly MetS symptoms are somewhat limited to increasing body weight and waist size, though waist size is not a direct indicator of MetS nor its independent factors.

The prevention of MetS include maintaining a healthy weight (as measured by percent of fat mass and skeletal muscle – not BMI), regular exercise, an active life, a reasonable diet, successful stress management and making time for yourself to enjoy those things you enjoy.  MetS prevention is a team-based endeavor involving a positive relationship with your healthcare provider and clear, honest communication with your family.

If you have MetS, you can improve your health, both physical and emotional, with an informed gameplan and disciplined approach.  If there is a good thing about MetS it’s that an improvement in one of the four component medical conditions will also improve the other three.  The best first place to begin is with your healthcare provider for testing and perhaps the prescribing of medications to improve symptoms while developing a plan to lessen the overall impact of MetS.

Typically, the next step is weight reduction via diet and exercise, which will bring with it an across-the-board MetS improvement.  The approach to dietary change, in my opinion, should first begin with an honest appraisal of what you are currently eating, which can be done with the help of a diet tracking app such as MyFittnessPal.  Next would be a change in calorie intake while improving, to toleration, the nutritional content of the types of food you currently enjoy.

Per an earlier column, exercise should be considered in the combined approach of cardio, weight training and movement practices.  Cardio can simply begin with walking 20 minutes a day, three times a week.  Weight training is best explored with the help of a South Sound YMCA trainer to help develop a safe, enjoyable training plan which will increase both strength and stamina.  Movement practices include Yoga, Palates, Tai Chi, dance and/or court sports such as pickleball and basketball, most of which are available at your local South Sound YMCA branch.

MetS prevention and the improvement of developed MetS are similar, weight reduction, regular exercise, reasonable diet and stress reduction/management.   The programs, staff, instructors and trainers at SSYMCA are all available to help you in your MetS journey.  We hope you will consider SSYMCA as part of your care team and we look forward to supporting you as you improve your health and wellbeing.

I would enjoy hearing about your wellness journey, please feel free to email me at hankinsb@ssymca.net.

Brad Hankins RN, CPT

 

By: Brad Hankins

With Fall approaching this is a perfect time to discuss the third part of the fitness triad, movement.  As you may recall from previous months, weightlifting/resistance training, cardio/aerobic and movement are the three components of a well-structured fitness program. Combined, the three practices provide synergy leading to increased strength, stamina and marked improvements in both physical and psychological reserves.

Movement means any exercise activity which causes physical motion, then stops or changes the direction of that motion.   The motion can be slow and purposeful, as in Yoga and Tai chi, or fast and quick like court sports such as pickleball and basketball.  The results are improvements in balance, coordination and strength across multiple muscle groups. Where resistance training and cardio we are targeting specific muscles and body systems, movement brings those efforts together in a dynamic way.

If you have a chronic health condition always consult your medical provider before beginning any exercise program.

The programs, classes and lessons at your SSYMCA branch offer a wide variety of movement choices. And with a variety of activities to choose from, you can mix them together to keep you interest and challenges peaked.  For instance, your choice may reflect an interest in improving balance, something all of us regardless of age can work on.  Or maybe you have a desire to increase muscle strength via low impact exercise.  Interestingly, both things (and other gains such as flexibility) can be found in Yoga.  Tai chi offers similar fitness improvements, and both offer improved sleep, lower blood pressure and a better performing immune system when performed regularly.

If speed and agility are your targets, consider pickleball.  A sport born in the Pacific Northwest, on Bainbridge Island to be exact, pickleball can be as intense or relaxed as you and your playing partners choose.  This sport will challenge your abilities to make quick movements with multiple forward, backward and lateral movements often occurring in the same volley.  Flexibility, speed, hand-eye coordination and stamina are the names of this game. All three SSYMCA branches have scheduled open pickleballs sessions with lessons offered at our Olympia Branch.

The most universally loved movement exercise is dance.   Embraced across all cultures and societies, dance is a not only an expression of the human experience but an exercise that wraps balance, coordination and strength into a fun, enjoyable package.  From an exercise perspective the type of dance is not as important as the benefits from sustained movement and the changes in direction and tempo dance brings. Pick your music, your partner (or not) and add this movement to your day, or night, or work -just make sure your air pods are connected before your fellow workers experience Led Zeppelin at 110 decibels.

Movement is an important part of fitness and overall enjoyment of life.  Please let us know how we can help you pick a movement program, or two, to try at your local SSYMCA.  Some programs require registration, some don’t, and we are happy to help you navigate signups and a class time that best fits your day.

I would enjoy hearing about the success and challenges of your fitness journey.

Please feel free to email me at hankinsb@ssymca.net

Brad Hankins RN, CPT

 

By: Brad Hankins

This month we will begin exploring the three primary fitness practices which together make the foundation of fitness.  The practices are cardio/aerobic exercise, resistance (weight) training and body movement. Body movement being any activity causing changes in direction, position and speed e.g. yoga, pickleball, dance, basketball, tai chi etc.

This month let’s examine the most familiar of the three, cardio/aerobic which has been at the forefront of modern fitness since the 70’s and early 80’s.  Who knows, you might have a dogeared copy of Jim Fixx’s book Running in the attic or still occasionally rock that hot pink headband from those VCR work outs with Jane Fonda.  Cardio has been a fitness staple, and financial success, for decades.

The two most common cardio questions I get from clients are 1) do I really have to do this and 2) how much is enough? The answers are yes, and it depends. The yes is based on years of empirical clinical evidence indicating aerobic exercise is the single best modifiable factor in the prevention of, and recovery from, cardiovascular disease and other chronic health conditions. The it depends is directly related to your current level of fitness and desired goals. Of this there is no debate, the path to physical health goes through the crucible of cardio.

If you have a chronic health condition always consult your medical provider before beginning any exercise program.

Cardio exercise is any movement which increases heart and breathing rates, and sustains those elevated rates over time.  Aerobic (the terms cardio and aerobic are interchangeable in the exercise vernacular) means the movement is sustained long enough your body begins using oxygen as one of its energy sources.  The movement can be walking, running, biking, swimming – any movement using large muscle groups.  The good news is most everyone has the equipment to begin walking for exercise, a great cardio practice.  Essentially a pair of comfortable shoes with good support, a selection of pants/shirts/jackets, and in our area a raincoat is all you need.  And a dog if you have one, dogs need cardio too.

Treadmills, exercise bikes and elliptical machines are great to help focus your aerobic activity.  Your favorite branch of the SSYMCA has a selection of cardio equipment and staff to help with machine set up and review basic walking or peddling instructions.  Then there’s swimming, which is both an aerobic and resistance exercise.  Your local Y has a pool, or pools, available for lap swims as well as instructors and classes.  With these resources available weather is not an excuse to avoid increasing heart rate and respiration.

A good initial time goal is 20 minutes of sustained movement that increases both heartrate and breathing, three times a week. However, if five or ten minutes is your beginning exercise limit, that’s great – the important thing is you have made a commitment to exercise regularly!

When a 20-minute goal is reached then begin working toward a 50-minute goal by slowly increasing exercise time 10% per week, but do not exceed a 5 minute increase at any given time.  In the beginning, exercise duration is more important than intensity.  In other words, first increase your time on the treadmill, not the incline.  When you get to 50 minutes, then experiment with incline.

Measuring exercise intensity can be done either by monitoring heart rate or breathing difficulty.  Self-heart rate monitoring can be tricky when walking outside, however most cardio equipment at the SSYMCA branches have heartrate monitors built into the safety bars.  Safe exercise heart rate ranges by age can be found at the American Health Association website: https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/fitness/fitness-basics/target-heart-rates.

Breathing rates are best gauged by the ability to speak in full sentences when exercising.  In other words, you do not want to exercise to the point of gasping when talking. Your exercise buddy can help monitor your breathing or simply ask yourself if someone asked me a question right now, could I answer in a full sentence?  If you find yourself unable to respond in a full sentence simply slow your exercise speed, but don’t stop exercising. Then give yourself two to three minutes at the new exercise speed and reassess your breathing.

Cardio exercise is critical to health improvement and necessary to reach new fitness levels.  However, it doesn’t have to be intimidating and can be an enjoyable practice, regardless of age.  Please let us know how we can help add a cardio exercise practice to your fitness journey.

If you have questions or would like to share your fitness journey, please email me at hankinsb@ssymca.net.

Brad Hankins RN, CPT