…Way too much coffee.  But if it weren’t for the coffee, I’d have no identifiable personality whatsoever.

-David Letterman

Why Caffeine Is Absolutely Necessary

Caffeine. Just writing it down gives me the shivers, and it isn’t from the jitters. No, I’m so excited because I am passionate about this taboo wonder drug, and I’m going to show why you should be too!

According to Wikipedia:

“Humans have consumed caffeine since the Stone Age. Early peoples found that chewing the seeds, bark, or leaves of certain plants had the effects of easing fatigue, stimulating awareness, and elevating one’s mood.”

It appears that the Chinese were the first to steep these plants and drink the caffeinated beverages.  Tea was first used by the Chinese in 3000 B.C.  Later, coffee was discovered in the 9th century in Ethiopia, and spread quickly to Persia, and then to Europe.”

Jumping forward, we find ourselves in the year 2010 where it is a wonderful time to be a caffeine aficionado. For starters, you’ve got your coffees, espressos, and teas. For those who need it on the go, there are the gels, shots, packets, and even powders. Caffeine can even be found in pill form. But with all this easy access to such a wonderful stimulant there has to be a downside, and there most certainly is: the media.

Caffeine has gotten a very bad rap. Every other week I seem to hear about the dangers of caffeine from the most credible of all scientific sources: network news. The problem isn’t that this is done on purpose, but rather simply due to a lack of information and the need to “sell” exciting and controversial news to an information-hungry public. As crude as it sounds, spouting about how dangerous caffeine is will garner much more press than citing how helpful it can be.

It seems that the negative side affects such as jitteriness, headaches, and its diuretic properties only show themselves at high doses.  These “high doses” are well over 500 mg of caffeine, or over 5 cups of coffee!

To get down to the nitty gritty, here are three ways that caffeine can improve your athletic endeavors that you might not have known:

1- Performance Benefits. While caffeine hasn’t been shown to benefit shorter races, its endurance benefits are well known. Basically, caffeine promotes activated muscles to use fat as their fuel source. This allows the athlete to work harder and longer.

2- Boost Recovery. Recently, a study was done to find out the truth behind this claim. A select group of cyclists rode to exhaustion to ensure complete muscle glycogen depletion. During their 4-hour recovery period, one group was given a carbohydrate recovery drink, while the other had the same only with the added stimulant of caffeine.
“With the ingestion of both caffeine and carbohydrate, the overall amount of glycogen stored in the muscle for the 4-hour period was 60-percent higher than with carbohydrate alone,” said Hawley. “There is absolutely no question that this additional muscle glycogen would improve performance.” (Journal of Applied Physiology, May 2008)

3- Treat Asthma. One our authors is an asthmatic, and when in need of his inhaler, a strong cup of coffee is enough to bring him back to life. So there you have it, caffeine can save lives!

This goes without saying, but please check with your doctor before thinking about supplementing your diet with caffeine. People with high blood pressure especially need to be careful with extra caffeine. Otherwise, take advantage of this wonder drug and go out there and get energized!

Characteristics of Socially Isolated Patients With Coronary Artery Disease Who Are at Elevated Risk for Mortality

Patients with small social networks had an elevated risk of mortality, but this greater risk was not attributable to confounding with disease severity, demographics, or psychological distress.

This study raises some interesting points about the social dynamics of humans as a species. Can the state of mind, and therefore the state of the physical body, really be affected by social interaction, and if so, does it go both ways? Is there as much of a benefit to social interaction as there is a consequence?

As I am sure most of you are probably aware, human beings are social creatures. This can be seen in regards to what social norms are and what they have been. It is considered abnormal to withdraw from other people, and we normally refer to those who do as hermits. This is not simply a product of the times either. Over a century ago, in the Victorian Era, social customs were considered extremely important. It didn’t matter so much as to what class you were in, because everyone wanted to seem wealthier and more important than they were. Seashells were proudly displayed on etageres to show off how worldly the family was. These weren’t simply collectibles; these and other similar items were displayed to “keep up with the Joneses”, so to speak. This was a time when calling cards were all the rage, and the elite social groups had a lot of influence.

Sure, social institutions have not gone the wayside, but is the purpose behind these more than just for some benefit to the ego? Yes, and you can even go so far as to use social isolation as a predictor for morbidity. Why exactly does this happen, and why is it so important to be social and not close yourself off?

Social Isolation Kills, But How and Why?

First is the idea that isolation from others is anxiety arousing or stressful in and of itself, producing physiological arousal and changes, which if prolonged, can produce serious morbidity or mortality; and, conversely that affiliation or contact with others reduces or modulates physiological arousal, both, in general and in the presence of stress and other threats to health.

A second hypothesis is that social relationships beneficially affect health, not only because of their supportiveness, but also because of the social control that others exercise over a person, especially by encouraging health-promoting behaviors such as adequate sleep, diet, exercise, and compliance with medical regimes or by discouraging health-damaging behaviors such as smoking, excessive eating, alcohol consumption, or drug abuse.

My opinion is that it is not one or the other, but a combination of both. The moral support given to a person suffering from an illness is second to none. The fact that the same person is doing healthier things as a result of that interaction is an added benefit.

The positive state that this puts the afflicted person in can’t be denied. It has been shown time and time again that simply adjusting your attitude can greatly improve, or destroy, your physical well being.

So, I ask you, what is your opinion on the matter? Is it one of these reasons, or something else entirely?

Maybe this will make you think twice about being rude the next time that urge creeps up! You should be nice to everyone around you, not for their sake, but for your own!

It isn’t necessary to invest billions of dollars in genetic research or to implement a worldwide crusade against the top causes of death (2). The two basic words for increasing your probabilities of living a longer and a healthier life are grow stronger. Between the first and second century there was a poet named Juvenal. Although little is known about his life, there is a phrase of his that we know about. And that is “Mens sana in corpore sano.” In English, this phrase can be translated to “A healthy mind in a healthy body.” This poet of Ancient Rome didn’t intend to establish a relation between mind and body, but for many people it became an axiom in order to grow stronger.

As a matter of fact, there is a sports club, the Carlton Football Club that uses it as its motto (3). Unfortunately, millions of Americans do not follow this simple piece of advice and plunge themselves to an unhealthy lifestyle. Inadequate nourishment (fast food is a perfect example) and the lack of exercise are causing millions of deaths in the world. If the population of the United States wants to grow stronger, it needs to make some changes.

Making A Change: Why is it so important?
According to the American Obesity Association, 127 million Americans are overweight, another 60 million are obese and 9 million are severely obese (4). With these numbers, is it possible for America to grow stronger? What kind of country are we giving to our kids? These new generations will grow surrounded by people who are not exploiting the full capacity of their mind and their bodies.

Do we really want to teach them mediocrity instead of excellence? What can we do in order to help them grow stronger? An excellent example of the consequences of an unhealthy life is the movie Supersize Me. This film, made by the independent director Morgan Spurlock, shows the real effects of what happens to a healthy man when he subjects himself to the habits of the average person (5). If we really want to endure as a civilization, and assure a future to our children, we need to grow stronger. The problem is that many people do not know were to start in order to grow stronger. Many find exercise and dieting too much of an effort, so they continue with their lives, unaware of the price that they will have to pay later in their life. So, where do we need to start in order to grow stronger, both in mind and body?

The first step to grow stronger is to assume a compromise with ourselves. This isn’t easy. It may be one of the most difficult things to do since it is a long-term decision. After all, you need to dedicate time, effort, and money, into an objective that will cost a lot of sacrifices and won’t allow you to see the results for a long time. Remember, though, that in order to grow stronger and stay that way, you will need to exercise for the rest of your life. Do not expect to do some cycling and pushups for half a year and then forget about exercising.

Steps to Grow Stronger
Our body is the product of millions of years of evolution. This trial and error process was the one that designed us. The human body requires adequate nourishment if we want it to grow stronger. The second step is to find out how healthy you are. And the only way to do this is to go to the doctors. They will perform a series of tests to your body in order to determine what is good, and wrong, with your lifestyle.

If we consider the numbers provided by the American Obesity Association, it is quite probable that you will not pass many of these tests. The third step is to look for professional help. Go to a certified gymnasium and tell them about your commitment to grow stronger. Since they are professionals, and have helped thousands of people with their new lives, they will be able to help you in your transformation process. Let them know, though, that you are looking for a long-term solution and not just a fit body for the summer months. That way, you will not be subject of extreme diets or tiresome training routines. In case you are not interested in gymnasiums, you may go for sports.

There are dozens of sports to choose from, and most of them are practiced at every major city. Look for a sport with which you feel identified. It can be a solitary sport like swimming or a group activity like hockey. One word of caution, though, in your quest to grow stronger, is do not go for a sport if you are obese or severely obese. Even, something as easy as jogging can damage your body. Consider that it wasn’t designed to carry such amount of mass. In those cases, look for professional help.

Finally, you will need to change your habits of consumption. Lucky for us, supermarkets offer a wide variety of foods to choose from. You don’t have to become a calorie-freak, though, in order to grow stronger. You just need to be conscious of what you eat. The human body can be seen as a machine. As in the case of the machines produced by our industry, if the body isn’t adequately maintained and used, it won’t work properly. And, after a time, it will break down.

It is our sole responsibility, not of the government or our loved ones, to assure ourselves that our bodies will be able to grow stronger. So do not wait until is too late. If you really want to grow stronger, you need to start as soon as possible. Leave behind those soft drinks and start drinking water. Say good-bye to fast food joints and learn the pleasure of eating Japanese food. And, instead of spending long evenings as a couch potato, buy a stationary bike and use it for a couple of hours. Your body, and your mind, will thank you for it.

References:

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_expectancy

2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death

3. http://carltonfc.com.au/default.asp?pg=contributors&spg=display&articleid=213805

4. http://www.obesity.org/subs/fastfacts/obesity_US.shtml

5. http://www.supersizeme.com/