The Best Way To Train For A Good Healthspan
Last year read an interesting book Exercised by Daniel Lieberman. Fascinating book and highly recommend. Our ancestors never exercised but were physically more active than we are today. Through physically active tasks like hunting, foraging and other tasks for survival, they were reasonably strong and had great endurance. If u look at their health span graph graphs vs modern day and assuming they did die of infection or as an infant for killed by wild animal, our ancestors lived a long life with high functional capacity.
They lived many more years as active, functional & physically capable humans than we do today. While the modern world is not set up to replicate that lifestyles, we can substitute similar activity with exercise. The right kind & in the right dose will set us up for a long active life.
Lifespan
Three strength workouts a week, few moderate intensity cardio and small dose of HIIT( for those who are capable, not everyone). The writer does not mention this but I will add mobility one day to it. Many scientific research and my own experience also recognise this as best method.
HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING
Coming to HIIT, body weight few jumps and burpees is not HIIT. HIIT is “repeated bouts of high intensity work interspersed with periods of passive or active rest.” In the context of HIIT and the science that underpins it, high intensity means “above 90% VO2 max.” To qualify as an effective HIIT session, you need to accumulate around 10 minutes of work at VO2 Max. That doesn’t mean the workout needs to only be 10 minutes long, it’s more like 20-30 to accumulate 10 minutes of true ‘red zone’ VO2 maximum intensity work.
Bodyweight exercises, no matter how “hard” they feel and how out of breath they may leave you, will not hit this intensity of effort. Not even close. The best way to do HIIT can be by running, spinning, rowing etc. Your heart graph will be something like this:
Circadian rhythms are biological processes or ‘clocks’ that exist in each one of our cells. Programmed to turn genes on or off at different times of the day or night, they influence every aspect of our health from weight and energy levels through to resistance to disease and infection, and how well we sleep. Now, in The Circadian Code, these fascinating findings are revealed, showing that the timings of our day (when we eat, sleep, exercise, work) are crucial. Dr Panda introduces specific easy-to-action advice for all ages and lifestyles, providing concrete plans to enhance weight loss, improve sleep, optimise exercise, manage technology and even prevent or reverse diseases such as diabetes and dementia. Whether you are a shift worker, a frustrated dieter, someone suffering from sleep problems or chronic illness, whatever your health concern, The Circadian Code is the key to unlocking your health.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr Panda is the leading expert in the field of circadian rhythm research. He is Associate Professor in the Regulatory Lab at the SalkInstitute, a Pew Scholar and a recipient of the Dana Foundation Award in Brain and Immune System Imaging.
