Health Trends: Are You Ready For High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)?
FEATURE
Myth-Busting Science Reveals Natural Health Wisdom
Jack Tips
Ph.D., C.C.N.
Misapplied Science.
We live in an era of myth-busting excitement as Science reveals new insights and health-truths about the body’s cellular and epigenetic mysteries. What truths? Not so much discovering a cellular metabolic process; but the repeated discovery of truths that proclaim the fundamentals of our natural, holistic health philosophy. Such insights are necessary to guide Science to always support foundational health and avoid damaging health. Some cases in point to consider:
• Impact of mercury in dental fillings on the brain and immune system1,
• Wallop of cell phone electro-magnetic frequencies on human cell membranes’ voltage-gated ion channels2,
• Mood/emotional destabilization of antibiotics on the gut-brain connection3,
• Overuse of antibiotics in farm-raised fish4 and confined-animal feed5 that create superbugs and
reduce human G.I. tract biodiversity, and
• Toxic fluoride6 and chlorine/chloramines7 in public drinking water, and the list goes on.
Many instances include the burgeoning research about the important, vital role that bacteria play in human health. We’ve learned to respect the soil organisms that convert earth-minerals into nutrients for plants and animals that in turn, impart nutrients for human health—the very organisms that Big Ag and Monsanto threaten with dangerous glyphosate pesticides8. We’ve learned to quit killing the oral microbiome with antibiotic (Triclosan) toothpaste9, plaque-fighting mouthwashes10, fluoride products, and tea-tree oil toothpastes11. We’ve learned to reduce sugar intake because of cell-membrane inflammation12.
To create a more healthy society, humanity must undo hundreds of errors based on failure to understand and apply Nature’s Laws of Life*. Even health pundits fail to reconcile the body’s innate wisdom with the latest biohacks on coffee, cannabis, diet, and vitamins.
Despite primary funding from vested interests, scientific studies continue to dispel the past ignorance and point to guiding truths for the future. Now it’s up to humanity to insist on adapting to Nature’s truths or suffer Nature’s consequences. With Nature’s impartiality, ignorance is never an excuse.
Muscle Metabolics — The New Vital Component of Human Health.
More recently, scientific studies reveal myth-busting truths about muscle metabolism as a key player in the body’s ability to support:
• Hormone balance13: estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, insulin, glucagon, leptin epinephrine, and norepinephrine;
• Mitochondrial ATP (Adenosine TriPhosphate— chemical life energy—Citric Acid Cycle (glucose) and Beta Oxidation (fat) efficiency14;
• Insulin-receptor sensitivity15;
• Rate of aging and increased longevity16;
• Optimal thyroid conversion of T4 to the energizing
T3 hormone17; and
• Maintenance of crystal clear cognition and creative brain-power throughout life18.
Suddenly, there’s a new kid on the block. Not only are the body’s microbiomes hugely important to our mental, emotional and physical health; Science says that the body depends on muscle metabolism to self-regulate optimal health activities at the cellular epigenetic level. In our holistic model, everything is interconnected, everything matters.
Body-movement (exercise) literally is an “essential nutrient.” We must “feed” our bodies IF we want optimal health and to maintain youthful vigor throughout life.
Nature speaks contrary to the 150-year drive of humanity toward convenience and sedentary, labor-saving lifestyles. It’s time to reconcile the improved productivity, convenience, and inactive lifestyles with the body’s innate design.
HUT Wonders.
Hundreds of research studies attest to the power of high-intensity, interval training (HUT) exercise as being a direct ticket to unleashing anti-aging genes and the
At-A-Glance
1. HUT is excellent, even necessary, for whole body health.
2. Many people today are not ready for HUT.
3. Even though a person can hop on a treadmill and run for a couple of minutes, it’s best to prepare the muscle-brain connections first before engaging the longevity aspects of HUT and not reinforce preexisting muscle imbalances with greater intensity.
4. Muscle metabolic activity impacts many other body systems and is a foundational component of brain health (mood), cellular energy metabolics, and hormonal balance.
5. Muscle activity is a missing component for most people. Activity provides necessary neuro and molecular input for glucose, blood pressure, hormones, energy, brain, and longevity processes.
6. Today, people require prerequisite muscle work—stretching, strength, flexibility, and stamina—to properly benefit from HUT which Science confirms can improve health and lifespan.
creation of more ATP via mitochondrial biogenesis. Simply put, the human body is hard-wired to get off its duff and sprint one step ahead of a saber-tooth tiger’s fangs (and throw a punch in the chops in route to safety).
Science demonstrates that:
• People can maintain good body composition and muscle tone throughout life, and not surrender mobility, strength, flexibility, and stamina to the now-errant concept of Assured Sarcopenia—agerelated muscle loss19,
• Simple exercises (not too much, not too little) and nutritional considerations20 are required to maintain muscle health to enjoy
their profound holistic impact,
• Certain nutrients (low-doses) excel at supporting muscles including: muscle collagen, beta alanine21, creatine, nictotenic-riboside22/nicotinic-mononucleotide, and HMB (|3-Hydroxy-|3-Methylbutyrate23).
As baby boomers grab for the golden ring of zestful longevity from life’s merry-go-round, they often experience injuries with exercising. In fact, most people today are not ready for HUT due to the very nature of modern lifestyles - too much sitting. Hundreds of tiny muscles can become “back-burner,” while a few muscles are over-used such as the Abductorpolicis brevis — the thumb (texting) muscle.
Neuro-Amnesia.
When a muscle is underused, the brain can forget about it. Dr. Ben Anderson, [D.C.] featured in Dr. Datis Kharizian’s book, “Why Isn’t My Brain Working? ” calls this “Neuro-Amnesia. ” It’s the use it or lose it phenomenon where the squeaky wheel gets the grease at the expense of unengaged muscles.
The issue with jumping into HUT is that, for many people, it simply reinforces their imbalanced muscle-brain “squeaky VS non-squeaky” connections. For example, if
your car engine has poor timing at idle, revving the engine merely forces poor timing to run faster. A person with weak hip-extensors and overused hip-flexors (e.g. sitting too much) would simply apply their imbalanced muscles at a faster rate when jumping into HUT. This may be good for the mitochondria as Science tells us, but the person is likely to develop injuries by reinforcing pre-existing muscle imbalances.
Re-Engage Muscles First.
Preliminary exercises become paramount before gaining the true benefits of HUT. Stretching, strengthening, flexibility and increasing endurance are the muscles’ prerequisites. After 3-years of intensive study and practice, I counsel people regarding a 28-minutes/day, 5-days/week stretchstrengthen-flex regimen. This first supports neurological/ brain awareness of broad-range muscle performances and muscle balance of opposing systems (adand ab-duction), plus muscle metabolic activities. I’m amazed at how literally everyone discovers unused muscles that need to be ‘brought on line” before revving up the HUT engines.
Science provides new insights and reveals Nature’s Plan for a healthy, happy aging process where mobility, cognition, and fitness support many aspects of life-adventures for as long as we live - provided we do our part in applying
natural law properly. The fledgling research on the muscle’s impact on whole-person health is rapidly pointing to a new dimension of holistic healthone where muscular activities are as important to health as nutrition, positive thinking, and the gut-microboime.
References:
1. State of Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection. Fillings: the choices yon have: mercury amalgam and other filling materials [brochure], 2006: 3.
2. J. Cell. Mol. Med. Vol 17, No 8, 2013 pp. 958-965 Electromagnetic fields act via activation ofvoltage-gated calcium channels to produce beneficial or adverse effects Professor Emeritus of Biochemistry and Basic Medical Sciences, Washington State University, Portland, OR, USA
3. BioMed Central. New light on link between gut bacteria and anxiety." ScienceDaily. 24 August 2017. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/08/170824221455
4. Journal of Hazardous Materials October 5, 2014
5. FDA.gov, 2009 Summary Report on Antimicrobials Sold or Distributed for Use in Food Producing Animals (PDF)
6. Environ Health Perspect. 2012 Oct: 120(10): 1362-8. doi: 10.1289/ ehp.1104912. Epub 2012 Jul 20. Developmental fluoride neurotoxicity: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Choi AL, Sun G, Zhang Y, Grand]ean P.
7. https: //emergency, cdc. gov/agent/chlorine/basics/facts, asp
8. J Environ Anal Toxicol 4:210. doi: 10.4172/2161-0525.1000210
9. Yueh MF, et al. Triclosan: A widespread environmental toxicant with many biological effects. Annual Review of Pharmacology and Toxicology. 2016:56:251. Mayo Clinic Healthy Lifestyle. Should I avoid products that contain triclosan? James M. Steckelberg, M.D.
10. Franklin, D., Scientific American, To Beat Bad Breath, Keep Die Bacteria In Your Mouth Happy, 5, 2013
11. [opinion] https://askthedentist. com/essential-oils-toothpaste/
12. Giovcmnucci E, Harlan DM, Archer MC, Bergenstal RM, Gapstur SM, Habel LA, PoliakM, Regensteiner JG, Yee D. Diabetes and cancer: a consensus report. CA Cancer J Clin. 2010:60:207-21
13. Pratesi, Alessandro, Francesca Tarantini, andMauro Di Bari. ‘‘SkeletalMuscle: An Endocrine Organ. ” Clinical Cases in Mineral and Bone Metabolism 10.1 (2013): 11-14. PMC. Web. 21 Apr. 2018.
14. Daussin, F.N., et al. 2008. Effect of interval versus continuous training on cardiorespiratory and mitochondrial functions: relationship to aerobic performance improvements in sedentary subjects. American Journal of Physiology: Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, 295, R264-72.
15. S. Lambernd, A. Taube, A. Schober, B. Platzbecker, S. W. Goergens, R. Schlich, K. Jeruschke, J. Weiss, K. Eckardt, and J. Eckel, “Contractile activity of human skeletal muscle cells prevents insidin resistance by inhibiting pro-inflammatory signalling pathways, ” Diabetologia, vol. 55, no. 4, pp. 1128-1139, 2012.
16. Thijs M.H. Eijsvogels, Silvana Molossi, Duck-chid Lee, Michael S. Emery, Paid D. Diompson. Exercise at the Extremes. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 2016: 67 (3): 316 DOI: 10.1016/j. jacc.2015.11.034
17. Rone, J.; Dons, R.; Reed, H. The effect of endurance training on serum triiodothyronine kinetics in man: physical conditioning marked by enhanced thyroid hormone metabolism, J. of Clinical Endocrinology, Vol 37(4), Oct 1, 1992
18. Bergland, C. Physical Activity Improves Cognitive Function Regular physical activity can improve brain function throughout a lifespan. Psychology Today, April 9, 2014
19. Singh, M. Exercise Comes of Age: Rationale and Recommendations for a Geriatric Exercise Prescription, The Journals of Gerontology: Series A, Volume 5 7, Issue 5, 1 May 2002, Pages M262-M282, https:// doi. org/10.1093/gerona/5 7.5.M262
20. Brose A, Parise G, Tarnopolsky MA. Creatine supplementation enhances isometric strength and body composition improvements following strength exercise training in older adults. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2003 Jan:58(1): 11-9.
21. Hill C, Harris R, Kim H, et al. Influence of beta-alanine supplementation on skeletal muscle carnosine concentrations and high intensity cycling capacity. Amino Acids 2007:32(2):225-233.
22. Zhang, Hongbo, et al. “NAD+ repletion improves mitochondrial and stem cell function and enhances life span in mice. ” Science (2016)
23. Kreider RB, FerreiraM, GreenwoodM, Wilson M, GrindstaffP, PliskJ, Reinardy E, CantlerE, AlmadaAL: Effects of Calcium B-HMB supplementation during training on markers of body composition, strength, and sprint performance. J Exerc Physiology-online. 2000, 3: 48-59.
Jack Tips, Ph.D., C.C.N., is a clinical nutritionist, homeopath, herbalist, researcher, and author of 16 books on human health including the classic “The Pro-Vita! Plan For Optimal Nutrition. ” He’s appeared on programs with Anthony Robbins, Dr. Depak Chopra, and Dr. Bruce Lipton. He ,’s a codeveloper of the LimitlessLiving™ on-line program to support neuro-activation of the gut-microbiome and muscle metabolics. Website: https://www.wellnesswiz.com
