No Middle Ground

Gretchen Reynolds of the Times comes back to the new emerging wisdom in exercise - short and intense workouts beat long, patient ones. Some famous studies demonstrated the efficacy of high intensity training for athletes, but this new study looks at sedentary middle-agers:

In proof of that idea, researchers at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, recently gathered several groups of volunteers. One consisted of sedentary but generally healthy middle-aged men and women. Another was composed of middle-aged and older patients who’d been diagnosed with cardiovascular disease.

...

the researchers also developed a gentler but still chronologically abbreviated form of HIIT. This modified routine involved one minute of strenuous effort, at about 90 percent of a person’s maximum heart rate (which most of us can estimate, very roughly, by subtracting our age from 220), followed by one minute of easy recovery. The effort and recovery are repeated 10 times, for a total of 20 minutes.

Despite the small time commitment of this modified HIIT program, after several weeks of practicing it, both the unfit volunteers and the cardiac patients showed significant improvements in their health and fitness.

And this may come as a surprise - they liked it!

Almost as surprising, the cardiac patients have embraced the routine. Although their ratings of perceived exertion, or sense of the discomfort of each individual interval, are high and probably accurate, averaging a 7 or higher on a 10-point scale, they report enjoying the entire sessions more than longer, continuous moderate exercise, Dr. MacDonald said.

“The hard work is short,” she points out, “so it’s tolerable.” Members of a separate, exercise control group at the rehab center, assigned to complete standard 30-minute moderate-intensity workout sessions, have been watching wistfully as the interval trainers leave the lab before them. “They want to switch groups,” she said.

Left unmentioned - 30 minutes of slow cycling on a stationary bike takes you near the pinnacle of tedium (in a modern gym a television would be available, which is not so for the lap swimmers.)  However, a serious interval effort is only boring to people who think that being waterboarded would be boring. For the rest of us, pain is not dull.

FULL DISCLOSURE:  I was a skeptic, but science is science.

MY CONTRIBUTION TO ECONOMICS AND POLITICAL SCIENCE:  Yesterday David Brooks took a swipe at Paul Krugman, who naturally responded.  This detail catches my eye:

But I do want to make a point about the nature of social explanation.

David says,

I don’t care how many factory jobs have been lost, it still doesn’t make sense to drop out of high school.

True enough. But suppose we apply the same logic to another problem, say obesity:

I don’t care how little manual work Americans engage in these days, or how available fast food has become, it still doesn’t make sense not to stay at your ideal weight through diet and exercise.

This is also true — yet few people do this (I don’t, although I’ll get on the treadmill in a few minutes).

If Krugman is truly reality-based he'll know what to do when next he gets on that treadmill.  All aboard the Distress Express!

Oh, and he needs to switch to low-carbs, slow-carbs.  This shouldn't be a partisan fight, but I assume Krugman will want to make it one (the vegetarians are mostly on the left and a diet based on grass-fed beef is not a sustainable model for the world.) 

Well - both sides agree that sugar is out, so be sure to exclude fruit juices and sports drinks.  Refined carbs generally are the treats of the devil and do give some special thought to wheat gluten.  Some theorists believe that there are two types of people in the world - those who know they are sensitive to gluten, and those who have not yet realized they are sensitive to gluten.

LET ME ADD: Bryan Caplan's response to Krugman was far more interesting (and far less practical) than mine.  Just a snippet:

When someone drops out of high school, overeats, or fails to exercise, you tell us that their behavior is only "human."  But if a conservative or libertarian objects to paying taxes to help people who make these choices, you get angry.  Question: Why are you so forgiving of people with irresponsible lifestyles, but so outraged by people who don't want to pay taxes to help people with irresponsible lifestyles?

Hmm, because these poverty-deniers are haters?  Or racist?  Or racist haters?  I am rarely successful trying to think like a lib.

Comments

[Jack is Back!]

Can I inspect Krug's lunch bucket to make sure it meets USDA standards?

[NK]

JiB-- excellent snark, brilliant.

[NK]

TomM-- I have no idea what is right/wrong indifferent about workout intensity/duration. I CHOOSE TO BELIEVE the latest evidence is correct, while I'm on the stationary spinning bike tonight at the 'Y' for the brutal 42 minute time trial 80-100% maximum heart rate session. If I drop dead, at least I believe I was doing the right thing.

[Rick Ballard]

"but science is science"

Sure it is - just ask the Skydragon. A better formulation might be "science is science and horseshit is horseshit but only time can actually determine the difference".

[Ignatz]

--Some theorists believe that there are two types of people in the world - those who know they are sensitive to gluten, and those who have not yet realized they are sensitive to gluten.--

Other theorists speculate that there is a relatively small number of people who exercise to be more fit and a much larger group who secretly indulge the magical thought that if they just exercise enough they'll be that one person who never ages and lives forever and 20 year old hot chicks will find attractive at 85.

[Porchlight]

Give me gluten or give me death.

Also, what other pansified society in history has had so many sensitivities, allergies, aversions, and intolerances to life-sustaining food? Our forebears were glad to get what they got and made the best of it. We're so pathetic.

[Buford Gooch]

The government's insistence that huge wads of grain are good for us has triggered most of the food intolerance problems we are currently witnessing. Also, Celiac Disease (an auto-immune disorder that is caused by wheat gluten) is one of the most prevalent and least diagnosed conditions in the country. Many people have suffered and died from it over the last century or so, and it was not known at the time that Celiac was the problem.

[Thomas Collins]

Wow. I must be totally out of "step", so to speak. When I was young I engaged in competitive baseball, basketball, boxing and shot putting because I enjoyed them. As I aged, I figured I was concussed enough from the boxing and disjointed enough from the baseball and basketball, and not disciplined enough in terms of strength training to continue the shot, so I took up swimming, which I totally enjoy (a feature of it to me is that there is no TV or people talking to me; it is a wonderful escape). I never would have thought to base my exercise habits on a study. I guess I need reeducation in the mores of The Fitness Society.

[Ignatz]

--I guess I need reeducation in the mores of The Fitness Society.--

In keeping with Barrycare, that's The Mandatory Fitness Society, bub.

[Melinda Romanoff]

TC-

Right after Edzo's.

I promise.

[Clarice]

Actually, Buford more people have died of starvation over that time. I'm with Porch.

[Thomas Collins]

Ignatz, I have prepared my application to Fitness Czarina Michelle Obama, in which application I propose to swim a few laps, then take a flight to O'Hare and a cab to the burger joint in Evanston, Illinois that Mel mentioned in his 1:15 PM post. I am hoping that with my display of commitment to moving around in water and air, and on land, not to mention exercising my jaws at Edzo's, she'll exempt me from any further fitness audits!

[peter]

One thing about intensity, is that they usually measure it by percentage of maximum heart rate, but max HR is almost never the same. Those charts with average max HR for men and women of different ages are meaningless. Then there is the whole issue of cardiac drift, where even if you continue to do maximal exertion, your HR changes. Very easy to say intensity, but what does it mean?

[Frau Turnverein]

They'll have to pry my kettlebells out of my cold, dead hands...oh, maybe they will.

[Ignatz]

--I am hoping that with my display of commitment to moving around in water and air, and on land, not to mention exercising my jaws at Edzo's, she'll exempt me from any further fitness audits!--

TC,
I'm afraid at Moochelles fat farm, four legs get waivers, two legs don't.
You can however, of course, be granted an honorary membership in the four legs good club for a relatively modest contribution to the cause.

[Porchlight]

Sorry Buford, I just don't buy it. Grain consumption as a percentage of total consumption used to be much higher. Cornmeal mush sustained much of the population from colonial times right into the 20th century (and native cultures previous to ours). And then there is bread. There are entire food cultures based around bread that are far older than ours.

[Porchlight]

That said, I am trying to go lower carb myself, but it's only because I want to lose weight. If I were skinny I'd eat as much bread as I wanted.

[Stephanie]

I started the "Six Week Cure" diet on Monday that drs Eades (husband and wife) developed. High protein low/slow carbs and no fructose. Down 6 lbs so far. The first two weeks are 3 protein shakes and one low carb/ low fructose per day. Weeks 3 and 4 the shakes are off the menu, but lots of protein/low carb foods and back in play.

Supposedly developed to combat middle age stomach pooch and attack VAT fat. We'll see if it works or not.

This morning I had to stop after 9 holes as I was feeling icky. I think I got a little dehydrated overnight and the early morning shake with heavy cream added was probably best made minus the cream since I was walking the course this morning. Too much milk/cream combined with exercise usually makes me nauseous. Lesson learned.

[Stephanie]

One low carb no fructose *meal * that should read for the first two weeks.

[Thomas Collins]

See LUN (via Taranto via Instapundit) for what I think is creepier than Nanny Government tut-tutting about what we eat and how much we exercise. The Boston Public Health Commission has seen the need to lecture us on which love songs are healthy and which are not.

[Thomas Collins]

Looks as if another Kennedy is about to embark upon an illustrious career of public service in elective office. See LUN.

[NK]

Even Gallup -- milquetoast liberal Gallup-- says a significant number of small businesses don't hire becasue of Obamacare and other Gov't regulations, and the Gallup 'chief economist' recommends a regulation moratorium- the link: http://www.gallup.com/poll/152654/Health-Costs-Gov-Regulations-Curb-Small-Business-Hiring.aspx

[Rick Ballard]

NK,

It's even funnier that the announcement comes on a day when Gallup's unemployment measure hits 9% - again.

[Janet]

Loved Porchlight's 12:53 comment.

[scott]

Intensity is best measured by aerobic threshold (AT) i.e. 70%AT, 110%AT etc. AT can be determined pretty accurately at home with a heart rate monitor and stepper, treadmill or similar -- AT is the point one goes from aerobic to anaerobic repiration. Max HR is a crude estimate for the muddle. Similar to the BMI nonsense.

Related, last night we saw a segment where a cardiologist re-injected stem cells into damaged hearts and reduced scarring from heart attacks ~50%. Wife's first question was "So what?" Turns out there was no improvement in function. Seems like interesting work, though. I'm sure he'll get there.

[Able]

I can recommend two resources for fitness information:
Sally Edwards on heart rate training and Phillip Maffetone on training and diet

Sally gives this formula:
New Mathematical Formula Age/Weight Predicted Maximum Heart Rate
Males: 210 minus 1/2 your age minus 5% of your body weight + 4
Females: 210 minus - 1/2 your age minus 1% of your body weight + 0
Phil has several books. One that I like is The Big Book of Endurance Training and Racing (Dr. Philip Maffetone and Mark Allen)