The Fit Nation

https://ift.tt/jx6OLn4 https://giving.massgeneral.org/stories/too-much-of-a-good-thing I’ve talked in the past ( here and here ) about the concept of whether there is a point beyond which exercise becomes too much of a good thing. Since I’m always tempted to push the envelope on this, I decided to ask Google Gemini deep research to investigate it for me: Endurance Exercise Volume, Intensity and Human Longevity. It came up with this report , which is summarized in this podcast derived from the report. It is an interesting update. In the past some studies have seemed to show a “U-shaped curve” of longevity vs exercise volume: Exercise reduces all-cause mortality, with the benefit increasing with more exercise, up to a point. After that, mortality risk increases again. This is not born out in meta-analyses of the majority of studies, however. Instead, all-cause mortality continues to go down no matter how much you exercise. But beyond a certain point, we are at higher risk of develop...

https://ift.tt/bmnSjgR I may have overdone the volume of riding this week, but the weather has been nice so it’s been fun. Last Tuesday we did a group ride in the hills East of Gilroy that started at the Mendoza ranch entrance to Harvey Bear park. I usually catch a ride up there from my friend’s house, but lately due to SI joint issues I haven’t been able to ride my upright on this long of a ride, and I was afraid my recumbent wouldn’t fit in her vehicle. So I rode the recumbent from home to the start, making this a total of 90 km (56 miles) for me (and 3 batteries). It was a great ride, though. From the valley this time of year, it looks really dry in the east hills, and it’s always amazing how pretty it is when you get up in them. On Wednesday I did one of my hard rides, 85 km in 3 hours 25 minutes, with a bit over two hours brisk tempo followed by some intervals and sprints. Thursday was a hard upper body session followed by an easy recovery ride, then Friday I went to a long brisk ...

https://ift.tt/IkzbGy3 Ever since my aortic valve replacement in 2017, I have been on the beta-blocker metoprolol. This is mostly to prevent possible heart arrhythmia but also helps control my blood pressure. It seems to be working fine and I have no noticeable side effects, other than my heart rate doesn’t seem to go up quite as high during exercise. Wednesday showed its effects more dramatically. I had finished my prescription bottle and Wednesday morning I could not find the replacement bottle. I usually take it first thing in the morning before any activity. I decided to go on my ride anyway and look for it later. Wednesday was scheduled to be a harder ride, a long brisk tempo ride followed by an interval session and on-bike strength training. I wore my chest strap for heart-rate monitoring, which I know is accurate. Wednesday’s route, out and back on the Coyote trail to Bernal road, then south to Gilroy and back, for about 3 1/2 hours. ( https://www.strava.com/activities/1476870...

https://ift.tt/83fxk1F My problems with sciatica are pretty dormant right now so I have been able to bump up my training. I still get a little soreness in my right SI joint if I walk or stand around too much and it sometimes refers minor pain down my leg. I’ve researched how SI joint issues might cross over into sciatica and it seems there are at least two mechanisms. The piriformis muscle crosses the SI joint and can get irritated, which in turn can affect the sciatic nerve which runs right under it (or in some people, it runs through the piriformis muscle). A second way is that if the SI joint is inflamed, it can release inflammatory enzymes ( cytokines ) which can cross over to the nearby sciatic nerve. There is also a detailed discussion of how the SI joint affects sciatica in this youtube video . Whatever the mechanism, I nip this in the bud by cutting walks short or sitting as needed. Also, I’ve found it helps to wear an SI joint belt. Fortunately, none of my main exercise activi...

https://ift.tt/CX7dOP2 Yesterday my group did a loop first heading to the southeast of Morgan Hill and then turning north to pick up the Coyote Creek trail. We headed North up to Metcalf Park and then south, finishing at Rosy’s in Morgan Hill for lunch. A few of us also added a detour to check out a side route along Basking Ridge road on the way back. This was 40 miles for me, in about 2 1/2 hours, a nice brisk ride. Rosy’s has Taco Tuesday the 1st Tuesday of each month, their special is their delicious Salmon Taco’s which I love. The Coyote Creek Trail on a nice summer day, tailwind on the way out.