Category: health

Workout analysis for 11/13/22 – 11/19/22

It’s my birthday! I’m spending it relaxing watching electric guitar ballads because I got an electric guitar for my birthday. I tinkered on a shitty acoustic 27 years ago but I didn’t make time or money to keep it up. But 40 is the new 20, right?

Anyway, this week was tough to fit in a workout, but I made it two times. Work was insane (I worked 44 hours this week, which might seem like nothing to people who work 80 per week but I need work-life balance and at least 8 hours of sleep). I found myself crunching work past 6 pm a few times. Next week is the Thanksgiving holiday, so there will be plenty of time to workout then. We need to offset the eating, right?

My goal was to go past 50k but this is okay. I’m not going to beat myself up over it, as it seems like I grew calves this week, suddenly.

Workout analysis, 11/6/22 – 11/12/22

This week wasn’t ideal for exercise. I took 2 days off lifting and ended up both rock climbing and lifting on Saturday (11/12/22). The first day that I took off, Thursday, was because work was way too busy for me to take any time off. Then Friday was a holiday but I spent an hour working (2x pay per hour!) and spent the rest of the day with Mom. So the volume might not be as much as otherwise. I have to remind myself that my muscles won’t disappear if I don’t work out for 2 days.

Diseases and syndromes I looked up in October

Microscopic polyangiitis – This disease, now known as microscopic polyangiitis (MPA), is a primary systemic vasculitis characterized by inflammation of the small-caliber blood vessels and the presence of circulating antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA). Typically, microscopic polyangiitis presents with glomerulonephritis and pulmonary capillaritis, although involvement of the skin, nerves, and gastrointestinal tract is not uncommon. 

Thygeson’s Superficial Punctate Keratopathy – Thygeson’s superficial punctate keratitis (TSPK) is reportedly a rare disease with an insidious onset, numerous remissions and exacerbations, and a long duration. The corneal lesions are elevated, whitish–grey in colour, and granular in the intraepithelium. 

Acute Eosinophilic Pneumonia – this wasn’t for work. Actually, I was diagnosed with this once a long time ago. I have no idea if this is related, but I found out recently (within the past 10 years) that I have eosinophilic asthma.

Workout analysis, 10/23/22 to 10/29/22

The hour is the rock climbing time from today. I increased the poundage on my legs a lot this week, and tried to keep up the chest stuff as well. What’s holding the chest and biceps back is joint pain on the outside of my left elbow. This makes me have to work around the elbow pain and think of exercises that don’t aggravate it. I realized that I have to work on shoulders more, also without hurting that left elbow! (Although I did dips and incline presses this week).

Workout Analysis, 10/2/22 – 10/8/22

Also did rock climbing on 10/9/22, but I didn’t record it. Rock climbing (to me) doesn’t feel truly only cardio, but it’s also not just strength. I consider it a more comprehensive workout that works a lot of different dimensions (flexibility, mobility, endurance, conquering mental issues like fear or frustration or technique, intuition, balance, proprioception, etc.), especially once you go above a 5.9 grade. I’m in the “heavy lifting” phase of my workout program, and I’m setting a lot of PRs every workout! However, this week, I need to work on my chest more.

Stuff I looked up in August & September

Lots of things these past 2 months! When I was in high school, someone (probably one of my high school teachers) told me that to earn your PhD you have to contribute to some field’s research with a new idea. At that time I thought, wow, that sounds really hard. I couldn’t imagine any new ideas. Then I got older and learned more. One thing I keep realizing is that the more you look things up and learn, the more you realize what you, or we as humans, don’t know. The hunt for answers only brings up more questions. Can we ever really know everything?

Moyamoya disease

Hyperproliferative lymphocytosis

Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia

Todd’s paralysis – Todd’s paralysis is a neurological condition experienced by individuals with epilepsy, in which a seizure is followed by a brief period of temporary paralysis. The paralysis may be partial or complete but usually occurs on just one side of the body. The paralysis can last from half an hour to 36 hours, with an average of 15 hours, at which point it resolves completely. Todd’s paralysis may also affect speech and vision. Scientists don’t know what causes Todd’s paralysis.

Li-Fraumeni Syndrome – Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS) is an inherited familial predisposition to a wide range of certain, often rare, cancers. This is due to a change (mutation) in a tumor suppressor gene known as TP53. The resulting p53 protein produced by the gene is damaged (or otherwise rendered malfunctioning) and is unable to help prevent malignant tumors from developing. Children and young adults are susceptible to developing several multiple cancers, most notably soft-tissue and bone sarcomas, breast cancer, brain tumors, adrenocortical carcinoma and acute leukemia.

Sclerosing mesenteritis – Sclerosing mesenteritis, also called mesenteric panniculitis, occurs when the tissue (mesentery) that holds the small intestines in place becomes inflamed and forms scar tissue. Sclerosing mesenteritis is rare, and it’s not clear what causes it.

PMS2-related Lynch syndrome – In humans, the importance of MMR is underscored by the discovery that a single mutation in any one of four genes within the MMR pathway (MLH1, MSH2, MSH6 and PMS2) results in Lynch syndrome (LS). LS is an autosomal dominant condition that predisposes individuals to a higher incidence of many malignancies including colorectal, endometrial, ovarian, and gastric cancers.

Mevalonate kinase deficiency – Mevalonate kinase deficiency (MKD) is a rare genetic autoinflammatory disorder. Autoinflammatory syndromes are a group of disorders characterized by seemingly random or unprovoked episodes of inflammation generally due to an abnormality of the innate immune system. They are not the same as autoimmune disorders, in which the adaptive immune system malfunctions and mistakenly attacks healthy tissue.

Muckle Wells syndrome – Muckle-Wells syndrome (MWS) is one of the cryopyrin associated periodic syndromes (CAPS) caused by mutations in the CIAS1/NLRP3 gene. These syndromes are characterized by fever, rash and joint pain.

Adult onset Still’s disease – Adult-onset Still’s disease (AOSD) is a rare inflammatory disorder that can affect the entire body (systemic disease). The cause of the disorder is unknown (idiopathic). Affected individuals may develop episodes of high, spiking fevers, a pink or salmon colored rash, joint pain, muscle pain, a sore throat and other symptoms associated with systemic inflammatory disease.

Creatine in seniors

Sarcopenia is associated with reduced bone mass and bone strength and may be a contributing factor for the increased risks of falls and fractures often observed in aging adults. It is well established that resistance training is an effective lifestyle intervention for improving aging muscle mass, strength and bone accretion. Accumulating evidence indicates that creatine supplementation, with and without resistance training, has possible anti-sarcopenic and anti-dynapenic effects. Specifically, creatine supplementation increases aging muscle mass and strength (upper- and lower-body), possibly by influencing high-energy phosphate metabolism, muscle protein kinetics and growth factors. Creatine supplementation has shown potential to enhance bone mineral in some but not all studies, and seems to affect the activation of cells involved in both bone formation and resorption. Creatine has the potential to decrease the risk of falls experienced by aging adults which would subsequently reduce the risk of fracture. Finally, preliminary evidence suggests that creatine may have anti-inflammatory effects during times of elevated metabolic stress, such as during extended/intense aerobic exercise. 

Effectiveness of Creatine Supplementation on Aging Muscle and Bone: Focus on Falls Prevention and Inflammation

I have this giant bottle of Naked Creatine (I got it from Amazon) and I feel that it helps me retain and build muscle just a bit better, as long as I don’t forget to put it in my smoothies. Starting last week, I started to put ~5 grams of creatine into my mom’s protein smoothie, because there seems to be a generally positive effect of creatine use in adults. There’s some research into this topic.

Mega Granola Oat Nut Chocolate Chip Protein Bar, or, Squirrel Food

In the afternoon while slaving away at my computer, I crave a snack but it’s hard to find something high protein, healthy, not too sweet, and guaranteed unprocessed. So why not make your own? This smelled really good as I mixed it together.

DRY INGREDIENTS

  • 1/4 cup rolled oats
  • 1/4 cup wheat germ
  • 1/4 cup milled flax seeds
  • 3 huge scoops vanilla protein powder
  • 1 tbspn blueberry extract
  • 1 cup pre-prepared granola mix (from my local grocery store)
  • 2 small handfuls of your favorite raw nuts or what you have on hand
  • 2 small handfuls of dried fruit (I had cranberries and raisins)
  • 2 tbspn cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup Semi-Sweet chocolate chips (optional)

WET INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup peanut or your choice nut butter
  • 1/2 cup Manuka honey
  • 1/2 cup agave nectar
  • 1-2 cups soy or your favorite nut drink
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 300°F. Butter or spray a flat cookie sheet.

2. Mix all dry ingredients together except for the chocolate chips.

3. Mix all the wet ingredients together until mostly combined.

4. Mix the wet and dry ingredients together. At this point, it should smell good. Mine did.

5. Add any wet ingredient you prefer if the mixture is too dry or more rolled oats or wheat germ if too wet. I ended up adding an extra tablespoon of peanut butter to soak up the dusty wheat germ/flax seed that weren’t absorbed.

6. Plop the mixture onto the pan and flatten with a spoon until desired thickness/thinness. My mixture only took up half my pan.

7. If you choose to use chocolate chips, press the chocolate chips into the top of the mixture.

8. Bake until edges are golden brown or dark brown (or in my case, like they are half a minute from burning). Mine took approximately 18 minutes. Place on cooling rack and let cool.

Can’t really tell the before vs. after except for the edges.

Research articles on protein supplement or wine effects on health

Note: these are only a handful of studies compared to the multitudes of results I found on each topic. Please read widely to form a balanced perspective.

Effect of whey protein on blood pressure in pre‐ and mildly hypertensive adults: A randomized controlled study.

Moderate red wine consumption and cardiovascular disease risk: beyond the “French paradox”.

Effects of Whey and Pea Protein Supplementation on Post-Eccentric Exercise Muscle Damage: A Randomized Trial.

Effects of Whey Protein Supplementation Pre- or Post-Resistance Training on Muscle Mass, Muscular Strength, and Functional Capacity in Pre-Conditioned Older Women: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Protein Intake and Exercise-Induced Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy: An Update.

The history, science, and art of wine and the case for health benefits: perspectives of an oenophilic cardiovascular pathologist. (There is a lot about wine itself in parts 1 – 10, and the parts about wine’s effects on health starts at part 11).