Fun and Fitness for the 40-Something

Yes, yes … I know I’m crossing my pop culture references. Indulge me!

Almost one year and 400 postings ago, I launched Fun and Fitness for the 40-Something. I’ve learned a lot over that time, and I hope you have, too. But keeping up with the almost-daily postings (and sometimes more) has taken a significant toll on my time. I can’t really justify devoting that much time to FF40 in this economy, so I’m closing up shop to focus more on landing paying work (and maybe even increasing my fun and fitness). I still believe in the mission of this blog, though, and plan to leave it up for a while to allow you to access any information you found valuable.

To my loyal readers (and you know who you are), I thank you for your continuing support and interest and wish you well. And, of course, I urge you to continue any and all fitness efforts (within reason!).

I’ve written plenty about the sports drinks now lining grocery shelves. Runners in particular seem drawn to the drinks—especially in the summer heat and humidity that are so trashing my runs in Chicago this month. But I’m still turned off by those pricey, neon-colored drinks. Fortunately, Runner’s World has suggested some natural alternatives.

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Did you know that July is Cankle Awareness Month? Well, at least to the degree that Gold’s Gym has the power to declare such things. The company has even launched a Web site called Say No to Cankles that’s devoted to ridding us of this scourge. But what, you might ask, can you do to help with what Gold’s says is “no laughing matter”?

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Have you red wine drinkers been feeling neglected by FF40? Well, I’m back with more research indicating that moderate consumption of the grape reduces “all-cause mortality“—i.e., the annual number of deaths in a given age group. On the flip side, though, excessive drinking causes multi-organ damage.

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With Father’s Day on tap, you may be firing up the grill this weekend. Or maybe you’ve been scared off of barbecues by stories about how grilling meats can produce cancer-causing carcinogens known as heterocyclic amines (HCAs). If so, I have some good news—food chemical experts say you can cut the risks significantly simply by adding certain spices.

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A few weeks ago, I heard a story on NPR about a study on the effectiveness of acupuncture—and simulated acupuncture—for lower back pain. I had just received the second treatment in my first-ever course of acupuncture (although not for back pain), but I thought I’d wait until I had some more sessions myself before I wrote about it. And now I have nine treatments under my belt (so to speak).

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In case you had any doubts about the cultural preference for a youthful appearance, researchers say that the photos used in obituaries provide evidence that Americans are less accepting of appearing older today than we were in the past.

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Maybe you’re like me—you see the benefit of sports drinks, but you just don’t like the taste. Or the cost. Well, if that’s the case, I have some good news to report. It turns out that a tasty bowl of whole grain cereal is just as good as a sports drink for recovery after exercise.

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Did you see any of the alarmist news reports this week about how too much cola can cause muscle problems? I didn’t actually click through any of the links I saw about it on news Web sites, but I just came across an article on the study that generated the headlines. And, yes, researchers linked cola consumption to symptoms ranging from mild muscle weakness to profound paralysis. But there’s a pretty significant caveat—the symptoms were experienced by people who consumed absurd levels of the drink.

The people in the study drank two to nine (!) liters each day. A single liter is about 34 ounces, or almost three cans of pop. So these participants drank from a six-pack to more than a case of cola every day. I’m going to go out on a limb and speculate that such levels are far from typical.

At any rate, I guess I don’t have to worry about my two diet Cokes a day.

Perhaps this is just SoCal thing, but every race out here seems to offer post-run massages to the runners, even the 5Ks. I always see long lines to get on the tables, so people clearly believe in the benefits of a massage after a workout. Some researchers are throwing water on that this week, though, raising further questions about the value of massage after exercise. (more…)