Why Weight

Most of you have heard how important it is to include weight lifting as a part of your exercise routine.  Obviously any exercise is better than none at all, but if you’re not doing some form of weight or resistance training at least a couple times per week you are likely missing out on some important benefits.

For instance, in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, they found that lifting weights two times a week can decrease back pain by 18% in just 16 weeks and by 42% if you are strength training four times per week.  Other research has shown that 30 minutes of strength training two to three times per week can improve cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and improve bone density, in addition to reducing fat.  You might remember the Harvard study covered in this very column that showed exercise to be the most important factor in increasing bone density and reducing the risk of osteoporosis.  Weight lifting also boosts your metabolism.  All exercise will burn calories, but the muscle building that is going on with just one good strength training session has been shown to burn 100 extra calories per day for up to three days after the workout.  This is why weight lifting helps keep any weight off that you may have lost with diet and exercise.  A big misconception is that you must do exercises such as yoga to increase flexibility.  While yoga is indeed great for this, a study from the University of North Dakota showed that doing strength training properly through a full range of motion was every bit as effective as stretching and yoga for increasing motion and flexibility in all joints.

Through our wellness program, we have definitely found that lifting weights intimidates many people.  But most of this seems to stem from fear of the unknown or fear of getting hurt.  Once people learn to strength train the right way and are placed on a program, they become very comfortable and even enjoy “pumping iron.”  However, there is a right way and a wrong way to strength train.  The wrong way could not only result in injury, but it will also prevent you from enjoying all the benefits listed above.  For this reason, we do recommend that you consult a trainer when getting started to teach you the right way and also to put you on a program to meet your goals.  A couple of the gyms in town offer this service as do we in our office.  Whatever you choose, don’t miss out on this important aspect of exercise and general wellness!

Fighting Free Radicals

In the past, I’ve discussed free radicals.  In the chemistry world these are molecules in the body with unpaired electrons that will attack nearby cells hoping to steal an electron thereby damaging healthy cells.  In your body, the damage of free radicals can be related to numerous diseases from arthritis to cardiovascular disease to cancer or any other form of degeneration.  Antioxidants are molecules that will neutralize free radicals by giving them the extra electron they so desperately desire. 

A new laboratory test known as ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) is one of the most accurate ways to measure the ability of antioxidant to absorb free radicals. The higher the ORAC score, the better the food is for the body.  Researchers have found that consuming a combination of foods that provide a daily ORAC score of 50,000 or greater will provide the antioxidants necessary to prevent disease and reduce aging.  But what foods will deliver the most bang for your buck?  I thought it might be helpful to give you a list of the most powerful antioxidant foods based on this ORAC score.

Oddly enough, 60 grams or unprocessed and unsweetened Cacao (for dark chocolate) yields a score of 16,800.  A cup of blueberries provides 9700.  A half cup of black beans, kidney beans, lentils or pinto beans all yield an average of around 7500.  Broccoli, artichokes, or a Granny Smith apple are around the 7000 mark as well.  A cup of raspberries or strawberries both score around 6000.  And pomegranate juice is near 3000.  Obviously the key is various raw fruits and vegetables and plenty of them to get 50,000 ORAC points each day.  This is one of the many reasons why I’ve always stressed the importance of committing to 5-8 serving of raw fruits and vegetables as a staple of your daily diet.