The Many Benefits of Safe Sun Exposure

 

As with a lot of health advice the media tends to be very polarized when it comes to sun exposure.  Ultraviolet (UV) exposure can cause sunburn which can lead to the development of skin cancer.   However, sunlight is not just made of UV light.    In addition proper UV exposure is critical for Vitamin D production which is by far the best way to optimize the many benefits of Vitamin D (See these previous blog posts on how to get safe sun exposure and supplement vitamin D in the winter):  http://workoutanytime.blogspot.com/2016/08/the-facts-on-safe-sun-exposure-and.html and http://workoutanytime.blogspot.com/2019/01/how-to-optimize-vitamin-d-levels-in.html 

But beyond the benefits of Vitamin D production sunlight has many other proven benefits including:

Sunlight kills bad bacteria on the skin and is proven to improve psoriasis, acne, eczema and fungal infections of the skin.

UVA exposure from the sun causes skin to release stores of nitric oxide which is a potent signaling molecule with many benefits including vasodilation of blood vessels that can lower blood pressure and improve erectile function.   Nitric Oxide is also critical for proper immune function.

UVA and UVB exposure cause endorphin release which is relaxing and produces a strong analgesic effect helping to reduce pain.   Endorphins also act as a potent antidepressant. 

Sunlight exposure early in the day is critical for proper sleep/wake cycle – sunlight signals the master timekeeper in the brain, the suprachiasmic nucleus, that it is daytime and this keeps time in all the peripheral “clocks” in the body so they function properly.   All cells express genes that keep cellular time and regular gene expression and activity. For example skin cells exposed to UV light express higher levels of two “clock” genes that control cellular circadian activity.  

Decreased sunlight exposure during daytime negatively affects circadian rhythms and night-time melatonin production so while night-time exposure to light (and blue light in particular) decreases melatonin secretion – daytime exposure (particularly early morning after first waking up) increases it later in the night!

The infrared rays of the sun penetrate the skin deeply producing many benefits including:

Increased Circulation

Helps reduce blood pressure

Helps prevent sunburns – so early morning sun exposure (when there is a high percentage of Infrared and reduced UV) can paradoxically help prevent sunburn later in the day.

Reduces pain and stiffness – this a very real benefit which is why you see animals like cats sit in the sun and stretch!

So enjoy safe sun exposure every day to reap these many benefits.   The key is pre-burn exposure.  Morning sun exposure (prior to 11am is very safe in most locations) and will greatly improve circadian rhythms and sleep while mid-day exposure is key for Vitamin D production.  To learn how to get safe sun exposure read the two previous blog posts mentioned above.

The Three Types of Exercise to Maximize Longevity

 

Most people are aware that exercise can improve quality of life and lifespan.  However, most people do not that there are three types of exercise required to optimize overall health and longevity:

Zone 2 Cardiovascular Exercise

High Intensity Cardiovascular Exercise

Resistance Training

Each of these forms of exercise confers a specific set of benefits and contributes to longevity.   Therefore, the optimal exercise longevity plan would include all three forms on a weekly basis.

Zone 2 Cardiovascular exercise requires exercise at a specific intensity for relatively long durations.  The ideal way to know if you are in zone 2 is to measure blood lactate levels but this is not practical so the next best measurement is heart rate, and you can even assess proper intensity through a simple talk test.

Zone 2 exercise is exercise is done at 60 – 70% of your maximum heart rate.  To learn how estimate max heart rate see this previous blogpost:  https://workoutanytime.blogspot.com/2024/03/the-many-benefits-of-walking-and-zone-2.html The other way is to use the talk test which involves exercising at a steady intensity where you can talk comfortably in SHORT sentences, BUT you should start to feel a bit breathless with continuous talking!

To reap the physiological and life extension benefits of zone 2 exercise you should shoot for 150 minutes each week of Zone 2 training.  Benefits begin with as little as 10 minutes per day if you are sedentary but to optimize results shoot for 150 minutes or longer.  There is no ceiling to the accrual of benefits from Zone 2 exercise meaning more IS better, but the key is exercising at a steady pace that keeps you in Zone 2.    Over time you will get more and more fit so your pace will have to increase to keep you in Zone 2 but avoid the temptation to go faster where you are breathless – save that for your High Intensity Interval Training.

Assessing progress with Zone 2 is simple if you are using heart rate monitoring. Over time you should be able to hold a faster pace (whether walking, swimming, or biking) while at the same time staying in Zone 2.  This guarantees all the many physiological and life extension benefits of Zone 2 exercise described in the blogpost listed above.

High Intensity Cardiovascular Training aka High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT for short) involves short intervals at a very high intensity – between 85 – 100% of your maximum heart rate.  There are many different HIIT protocols but the one that delivers the biggest bang for the buck is known as the Norwegian VO2 Max Protocol. It involves doing a warm-up followed by 4 minutes at the highest pace you can hold, getting your heart rate to 85 – 95% of your maximum heart rate then going at a slow pace (just moving steadily) for 3 minutes and repeating this 4 times!  This is very challenging and NOT for beginners!

This should be done 1 – 2 times per week.   This type of training is focused on improving your VO2 Max which is your maximum oxygen consumption capacity.  To know that you are making progress with this type of exercise you can have your VO2 max measured on a regular basis.  This involves an exercise test with respired gas analysis using a metabolic gas analyzer and can be done at hospitals or other performance training facilities and costs $120 - $150.

Resistance Training – is the final type of exercise required to extend Lifespan. The anti-aging benefits of resistance training include:

Maintaining muscle and bone mass

Maintaining strength

Maintaining the ability to be independent without requiring assistance for activities of daily living.

Maintaining blood sugar control because muscle pulls blood sugar out of circulation

In some respects, this is the most important type of exercise because without enough strength you cannot do Zone 2 exercise and definitely not HIIT training. 

A key feature of aging is “Sarcopenia” or loss of muscle mass and strength.  There are two keys to preventing this:

Proper Progressive Resistance Training

Optimal Protein Intake

It used to be assumed that this muscle loss was a very steady process, but research has discovered that sarcopenia is usually marked by periods of inactivity with large muscle loss that is never fully recovered.  Even in young healthy people one week of bedrest can result in the loss of 2 – 3 lbs. of lean mass. 

If you think about older family members you can probably recall events where you see “he was never the same after….” These events can be caused by injury, surgery, infections or just periods of being very sedentary. 

All exercise helps to stimulate muscle mass and results in better use of amino acids from proteins in the diet, but the maximum stimulation occurs when we specifically challenge the muscles with resistance from free weight, resistance bands, pin-loaded exercise machines, or body weight resistance exercises like push-ups or bodyweight squats.  Even walking up stairs helps build and maintain muscle mass in the lower body!

Anyone at any age can benefit from appropriate resistance training and increase their muscle mass and strength!  However, this is one area where investment in personal training and working with an exercise professional is really important!  Learning what type of resistance training is best for you based on your current fitness level, lifestyle and any injuries is critical for optimal results.  Just 10 – 15 sessions with a qualified trainer can help you develop a personalized progressive resistance plan!

Optimizing Protein Intake is also key as mentioned above.  To learn how to determine your daily needs and how to obtain it check out these previous blog posts:

https://workoutanytime.blogspot.com/2021/06/everything-you-need-to-know-about.html - part 1 on protein intake

https://workoutanytime.blogspot.com/2021/06/everything-you-wanted-to-know-about.html - part 2 on protein intake

 

Secrets to Effective Glute Training

The “Glutes” are important for functional movement, athletics, and appearance, yet most people do not know to target, shape, and strengthen this muscle group.

The Glutes consist of three different muscles:

1.     Gluteus Maximus (the largest of the glute muscles and most powerful)

2.     Gluteus Medius (which is higher up on the side of the hip)

3.     Gluteus Minimus (which is located below and underneath the Gluteus Medius)

Any good glute conditioning program will target all these muscles.  Different exercises will produce different levels of glute activation at different places in the range of motion emphasizing different parts of the glutes.

For example:

In squats and lunges peak glute activation happens in the bottom of the movement when the glutes are in their maximally extended/stretched position!   Therefore, the bottom of the glute is the focus during these movements.

The greatest peak glute activity in a deadlift occurs in the mid-range position so deadlifts emphasize the middle of the glute.

Peak glute activity in the hip thrust occurs at the end of movement in the fully contracted position!

Balanced Glute Workout to Optimize Glute Development

By putting together exercises that emphasis stretched, middle, and fully contracted positions along with loading through all planes of motion we can optimize glute shape and function.   This includes hip abduction exercises along with hip external rotation exercises to hit the glutes from all angles.

Importance of Hip Flexor Stretching During Warm-up

Work on Hip Flexor lengthening to maximize glute activation.  The hip flexors are the antagonistic muscle to the glutes which means that if they are tight you literally cannot get maximum glute activation! In addition, since we spend too much time sitting they are chronically shortened in most of us.   Stretch them before your glute workouts to allow for optimum glute activation.   To learn how to stretch your hip flexors properly watch this excellent tutorial:  https://youtu.be/Q4Ko275cluo

Great Glute Routine

Do Hip Thrusts 3 sets of 10 with a five second hold at the top of the movement focusing on squeezing the glutes maximally at the top!  Hip thrusts can be done on the ground or better yet using some type of Hip Thrust Machine like the Matrix Glute Drive or The Glute Lif Prot or by placing your shoulders along a bench and feet on the floor.

Progressions:

Add load by holding a dumbbell or barbell across the hips if you do not have access to a Hip Thrust Machine..  If you are lucky your gym will have a Matrix Glute Trainer or Glute Lift Pro from Abs Company which allows for weight and/or band resistance in a very comfortable position:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qE1pCWzzsyY

Also do single leg hip lifts/glute bridges

The key is keeping your back neutral and focusing your head down.   To learn optimal form, watch this fantastic video from Brett Contreras (aka the Glute Guy!):   https://youtu.be/qE1pCWzzsyY  He shows you exactly how to do this at about 5:00 minutes into this great video.

Goblet Squats – 3 sets of 10-15 repetitions done properly – use the link above to see the keys to getting the most from this amazing type of squat at 9:10 into the video.

Deadlifts or Romanian Deadlifts – 3 sets of 6 – 8 reps – see tutorial at 15:00 in the video above.

Do Hip Abduction Exercises – 3 sets of 10.   Ideally you have access to a standing abduction machine that allows you to perform the exercise while in a squat position which preloads the glutes.

45 Degree Hyperextension – 3 sets of 10 – to get the most from this exercise it is important to learn how to optimize glute vs hamstring targeting which the video above will show you at 17:45.

Bulgarian Split Squat – 3 sets of 10 – the king of exercises for the fully stretched position and emphasizing the bottom of the glutes – watch the video above at 21:23 to learn exactly how to do this highly effective glute exercise!

Hip Abduction – 3 sets of 10 - it is important to target the glute medius using either the hip abduction machine or by doing seated band hip abduction.  To learn how to set-up and use a hip abduction machine click here:  https://youtu.be/vYJlsVzaH-w

For seated band hip abduction sit on a bench with knees and hips at a 90-degree angle with thick elastic band around the top of the shins. Lift feet slightly off floor and pull knees out to the side against the band pausing in the fully contracted position for 5 seconds.  Do NOT arch the back and keep the navel drawn in to stabilize the core and keep all the work on the glute medius.  This can be done with one or two bands as per here:   https://youtu.be/7cGgI5hXTUU

Can Vitamin D Build Muscle?

 

The short answer is yes – vitamin D levels impact nearly every aspect of your physiology including your ability to build and maintain muscle mass and strength.   Multiple studies and meta-analyses have shown that vitamin D supplementation produces a significant increase in overall muscles’ strength – particularly in aging individuals and those with low baseline levels of vitamin D.  Vitamin D deficiency has also been associated with reduced muscle mass.

Mechanisms of Action

Vitamin D suppresses myostatin to assist in muscle growth.   Myostatin puts the brakes on muscle growth.

Vitamin D shifts calorie allocation toward muscle – which is also one of the key effects of anabolic steroids which also redirect excess energy away from fat to muscle.

Vitamin D boosts metabolic rate and fat metabolism.

Vitamin D stimulates skeletal growth like anabolic steroids.

Take home message – get your Vitamin D levels checked and get them in the optimal range through safe sun exposure or supplementation if you are interested in building muscle and losing fat!   For more information on how to use safe sun exposure to optimize Vitamin D levels – check out this previous blog post:  https://workoutanytime.blogspot.com/2022/05/the-facts-on-safe-sun-exposure-and.html For information on how to test and supplement to optimize Vitamin D levels check out this article:  https://www.grassrootshealth.net/blog/finding-right-dose-vitamin-d/