Random Thoughts-Diet

Friday 26 Mar 2010 by drnienstedt | 5 Comments
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I decided to jot down a list of what I would consider important dietary considerations. I did this very quickly so it’s not necessarily “complete”, just a list of major ideas that I think, if taken seriously, can improve a diet and health. Sorry, no in depth explanations-I’ll leave that for another time.

1) Calories count
2) Blood sugar should be controlled
3) Intermittent fasting is good for you
4) Anything in large amounts for long periods of time can be bad for you (aka: moderation in all things)
5) Fruits and vegetables are good for you
6) Meat is good for you
7) Grains should not be a dietary staple
8) Processed foods should be limited in your diet
9) Most polunsaturated seed oils are not good for you
10) Saturated fat is not as bad as you’ve been led to believe
11) You can’t “out-supplement” a bad diet
12) If you are healthy, most supplements will not make you more healthy


Random Thoughts

Wednesday 17 Mar 2010 by drnienstedt | 4 Comments
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  1. There is very little agreement in the field of nutrition. The extremes are amazing, from vegetarians to those who severely limit all carbohydrates and eat mostly animal protein. There is one thing that most nutritionists do agree on, however, and you can take it to the bank: Overly processed foods are not good to consume in large quantities. This is especially true for fats and carbohydrates. Processing removes nutrients and can fundamentally change the molecular structure of foods, making them dangerous (think trans-fatty acids). Reducing processed food consumption is THE priority in improving health, yet most people have a hard time with this and go right to supplements instead. Supplementing a fundamentally poor diet gives poor results.
  2. Pure cardiovascular training (actually, there is no such thing), like jogging, long distance biking and swimming laps is the least effective form of exercise for improving your cardiovascular system. You simply cannot train your heart exclusively. You improve your cardiovascular system by using what it serves (and what you have control over)-mainly your muscles-with intensity. While the above stated activities involve muscle, they are low intensity activities (this actually depends on your level of fitness-if you are not de-conditioned, these activities don’t require huge amounts of muscular effort) that can generally be done for long periods of time. For best results, do short duration, high intensity exercises like interval sprints or hard circuit training.
  3. When it comes to weight training, most systems have value, as long as you recover. People who are invested in a particular system often claim ultimate superiority, which is silly. The superiority of a system is based on the goals and abilities of the trainee-it’s highly individual (again, as long as you recover). For example, I like high intensity training (HIT) because it allows me to push really hard but takes very little time. Other systems, requiring more volume and gym time, have also proven to work well, and even better, for some people. If you don’t like the ultimate pain of training to failure and have more free time, the volume approach may suit you. For me and my schedule, an hour and a half per week of gym time is better than five or six, so I stick with the HIT.
  4. You are what you eat. The people I see who eat loads of junk food, especially packaged sugary foods that help keep their blood glucose from crashing, are sick far more often than those who eat a better diet. And why not? Your body makes its enzymes, some hormones, Immune cells and globulins, and other structural proteins from the amino acids you consume. It makes hormones, cell membranes and energy from the fat and cholesterol you consume. What does it do with sugar? It either burns it as fuel or stores it as glycogen or fat. Too much sugar (especially refined sugary foods) usually means not enough quality nutrients, like protein, vitamins, minerals and yes, fat. Remember Haiti? Buildings made of poor quality materials tend to crumble under pressure. Your body is no different.
  5. The case against eating grains is a good one in my opinion. If you can help it, minimize your consumption. From a nutritional standpoint, what do grain foods offer that other foods (like vegetables) cannot? Nothing! And this includes fiber. The same cannot be said for complete protein and essential fat (omega 6’s are essential but are generally not scarce in our diet) containing foods. The argument is compelling (at least to me) that many potentially health problems, even very severe diseases, can result from the consumption of grains (not just celiac disease).

Photo Comparison

Monday 8 Mar 2010 by drnienstedt | 4 Comments
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I was looking through some old pictures the other day and came across a few when I was 16 years old and into bodybuilding. In the pictures I'm posing in our home gym (it was an excellent set-up), I think it was during or just after a workout. Back then I read all the Weider magazines (before they turned pornographic) and watched bodybuilding contests whenever (rarely) they were on TV. I was really into it! I thought I would someday be 230 lbs  of muscle if I trained hard enough (and that is with a 6.25" wrist circumference). Well, It didn't happen but I don't read the Weider magazines anymore and frankly don't care to be that big anyway, especially with my small frame. But something struck me when looking at the pictures-I gained much of my current muscle mass by the time I was 16 years old. This prompted me to look through some more pictures to see how I have progressed over the years. By the time I was 18 and a freshman at BYU, I was bigger but had added some fat as well. At age 30 (in Chiropractic school), I was getting fat (it's relative of course-I have a small frame and may not look fat but I was certainly holding a lot of flab-you can see it in my face and neck and I had love handles). If I remember right, my body weights, at ages 16, 18 and 30, were about 160 lbs, 175 lbs and 195 lbs respectively. Currently I am 146 lbs and leaner than I've ever been (my Tanida says my body fat is 7.1%). I decided to post some of these pictures and also had current pictures (thanks Mom) taken for comparison. Here they are.


Then and Now Photos

Monday 8 Mar 2010 by drnienstedt | 2 Comments
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Age 16

Age 18

Age 30


Sunday 7 Mar 2010 by drnienstedt | No Comments
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Age 39

Age 39


Wednesday 3 Mar 2010 by drnienstedt | 1 Comment
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HIT MAN

I have tried many different training styles over the past 30 years, from doing bodybuilding style training (didn’t work) to powerlifting (in my garage-this worked somewhat) to body weight only exercises and sprints. I also think I’ve studied most of the training styles out there as well. Over the past few years, I have migrated toward what is known as high intensity training (HIT), popularized by such people as Arthur Jones, Elington Darden and Mike Mentzer. Recently I’ve kept up with Dr. Doug McGuff, who wrote Body by Science, a book on his particular style of HIT. While I don’t follow any of these men’s HIT recommendations to a tee, I have found HIT to be my favorite way to train recently. Many in the HIT world claim it to be superior to all other forms of training. While I wouldn’t go that far, I think it does have advantages over other systems, at least for me right now. The following details three reasons why I like HIT.

  • First, when I’m in the gym, I like to push hard. I find it difficult (sometimes to my detriment-read my prior post on my overtraining) to not go all out every time I’m there. One of the basic tenets of the HIT approach is that you must train with all out effort, which usually means training to momentary muscular failure (when you can’t do another repetition) or beyond. Because this is what I find myself naturally doing in the gym, the HIT approach, at least from this point, suits me well. If you are going to push hard, it’s important that the following two tenets of the approach be paid close attention to (and are the ones I’ve had problems with in the past), and are also two of its advantages for people who don’t want to spend a lot of time in the gym.
  • Second, although I used to enjoy spending a lot of time in the gym (kids!), I now find it difficult to justify spending over an hour in the gym per training session. I guess I’ve grown up. Having a wife and four kids may have something to do with it. Poor return on investment is another. Anyway, I started to notice early on that if my workouts took too long, I’d inevitably start missing planned sessions here and there. And if you plan on splitting up your workouts into different body parts trained on different days, missing workouts becomes a problem. These days, as long as I’m pushing hard, I can get a great workout in 20-30 minutes. And that is working the entire body. Working the entire body in one workout also gives me the leeway to miss a planned workout at times without missing certain body parts (I really don’t worry about missing workouts anymore).  Some HIT advocated, like Dr. McGuff, recommend no more than 10-15 minutes of exercise per session (and I thought I was being efficient). But, according to the many testimonials that I have read about this kind of training, it works.
  • Third, HIT training is done less frequently. It has to be. My previous post documents my issue with overtraining. This happened because I was doing very hard workouts three times per week. While this can be done for a while, it definitely will wear you down if done for too long. How long? I think it’s an individual matter, with many factors-I can generally can go several months, at three times per week (total body workouts), before I get really tired. I don’t recommend doing this, however. Check the My Plan post to see what I am doing now. Many people do less than this and would consider my two HIT workouts per week over doing it. We’ll see.

My Plan

Friday 26 Feb 2010 by drnienstedt | 2 Comments
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I’ve decided to reduce the frequency of my training while at the same time increase my nutrient intake. My weight training will consist of two high intensity training sessions per week, working most body parts only once per week. Each workout should last only one half hour. I will move from one exercise to the next fairly quickly, as usual. Most exercises will be done for only one set. Over a few weeks I will reduce the intensity of some of the exercises in each workout and then after a few more weeks eliminate some exercises. I will then go to only one workout per week for a few weeks. This is my periodized high intensity approach and hopefully it will allow enough recovery time. I also plan to stay active on non exercise days, like walking the dog, etc. I will follow this program for two months and then reevaluate (retest my blood chemistry, body composition and evaluate general symptoms).

The priorities of this program are 1) recover 2) add muscle while 3) not adding too much fat. We’ll see how it goes.  My next few posts will be on the benefits of high intensity training and on why I like the paleolithic diet (there are different versions of it, which I will go into). Stay tuned.


Curb Your Enthusiasm

Saturday 20 Feb 2010 by drnienstedt | No Comments
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I’ve decided to do something I have not done in a while-gain some weight. Muscular weight that is. While I tend to be on the lean side, I’ve been heavy (relatively) in the past, peaking at about 197 pounds while in chiropractic school. For a 5’11’, small boned guy, that is a lot of weight and much of it was fat. I subsequently lost about 50 pounds, with my lowest being my recent weight of 146 pounds. It took me a year and a half to lose the weight with lots of hunger and exercise. I’ve managed to stay lean for the last 5 years or so (between 146 and 155) without much trouble. Recently, however, I decided that it was time to get more out of the hard workouts that I put in every week. Although my strength is roughly the same as it was when I was 197, It’s been years, it seems, since I have gained muscle.

I only weight train. I go hard and I go fast and, combined with the right eating, it is a very effective way to reduce body fat while keeping as much muscle aspossible. If you do it right, weight training is far superior than doing traditional cardio (like running, biking, treadmill, elliptical) for fat loss. And it doesn’t take much time-I spend (don’t drop your protein shake) about 1.5 hours per week exercising. But it’s hard exercise-very hard! Doesn’t sound like enough to be effective, you say? Well, for me, it turns out, it’s still too much.
So, although I still want to gain some muscular body weight, I need to alter what I am doing a bit, especially when it comes to my workouts. Essentially, I need to heal. I have come to the belief that workout composition (sets, reps, exercises) really is not all that complicated when it comes to workout effectiveness (unless you read the muscle magazines), it’s the manipulation of workout intensity and frequency that’s the difficult issue for people who are experienced trainees. It’s simply too easy to overdo it when you have a goal in mind and you want to push hard. One thing is for sure, if you have a tendency to push hard frequently like I do, you are setting yourself up for a potential problem.  I’ll will go over my changes (and also what I was doing) in an upcoming post.


McGuff Advice

Tuesday 18 Aug 2009 by drnienstedt | 2 Comments
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I just thought I'd pass along a blog post by someone I read quite a bit and highly respect. This list is from Dr. Doug McGuff, an emergency room physician and author of Body by Science. The fact that he is an ER doc makes this list relevant to anyone, as he sees and treats people from all walks of life. Accidents are no "respecter of persons" but can be minimized if we are careful and smart. The list details his 12 suggestion on how to avoid a catastrophic event (mainly death) in your life. Here it is:

1. Drive the biggest vehicle you can afford to drive. Your greatest risk of death comes from a motor vehicle accident. Despite all the data from the government on crash test safety, I can say unequivocally that in a 2-car accident, the person in the larger car always fairs better. Force=Mass x Acceleration. The vehicle with larger mass imparts the greater force. Also, purchase the newest large vehicle that you can afford. Crumple zones in newer cars can expand deceleration time from 30 milliseconds to 90 milliseconds which decreases deceleration forces by a factor of 3. I am not a believer in global warming or man’s contribution to it, but if you are and you want to do your part by driving a Smart Car or a Prius you should be commended for potentially standing by your convictions with your life. Also, if your midlife crisis plans include a motorcycle or sports car, realize that you might resolve your midlife crisis by avoiding old age all together. It goes without saying to wear your seatbelts, and you should be engulfed by as many air bags as possible. If we were truly rational about risk, all seat belts would be 5-point restraints and we would wear helmets while driving.
2. Never get on a 4-wheeler ATV. These are the most dangerous vehicle that I know of. ATV’s have produced more quadriplegics than anything else I have seen.
3. Do not road cycle or jog on public roads/roadsides. This is self-evident.
4. Do not fly a plane or helicopter unless you are a full-time professional pilot. If you are a doctor, lawyer, actor, athlete, stockbroker or other well-to-do professional do not get a pilot’s license. Expertise in one area of life does not transfer to piloting, often with fatal results.
5. If you are walking down a sidewalk and are approaching a group of loud and apparently intoxicated males, cross to the other side of the street immediately. If anyone tries to start a fight with you, the first step should be “choke them with heel dust”.
6. If your gas grill won’t start….walk away. Never throw gas (or other accelerant) on a fire.
7. Never dive into a pool or body of water (except in a pool diving area marked 9 feet or deeper after you have checked in out feet-first).
8. Never get on a ladder to clean your gutters, or on your roof to hang Christmas lights. Do not cut down trees with a chainsaw. I have seen too many middle age males (with a bug up their ass to get something done) die from these activities. In general, any house or lawn work that you can hire for an amount equal to or less than your own hourly wage is money well spent.
9. If you are retirement age and plan on moving to a new home…think twice. The stress pushes many seniors over the edge. If you do, buy an existing house. I have lost count of the number of retirees that have died of heart attacks while going through the stress of custom-building their retirement dream home.
10. If anyone tries to force you into your car or car trunk at gun point, don’t cooperate. Fight and scream all you can even if you risk getting shot in the parking lot. If you get in the car, you will most likely die (or worse).
11. If you are in any personal or professional relationship that exhausts you or otherwise causes your recurrent distress, then end the relationship immediately.
12. Don’t play the lottery…you might win. Any unearned wealth, or wealth that is disproportionate to the objective value you provide will destroy you. Lottery winners and Sports/Movie stars share a common bond of disproportionate rates of depression, addiction, and suicide.


More on Physiologic Headroom

Sunday 9 Aug 2009 by drnienstedt | 1 Comment
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As I mentioned in my previous post, maximizing your physiologic headroom is not so much about life extension as it is about get the most out of the time you have. There are many things you can do to increase your lifespan as well as you life quality (there are no sure things, however). One of the things you can do to significantly increase your headroom is lift weights-intensely. Let me explain.

As we age, our abilities decrease. If you are young, just ask a parent or grandparent to compare the physical activities they do now to what they did in the past. For most, there is a stark contrast. Why is this? As we age, we tend to lose muscle mass. We especially lose the muscles required for quick, explosive movements and short bursts of strength. These are the “strength” muscles that tend to burn sugar, build up lactic acid and tire quickly. When was the last time you saw a 60-70 year old person sprint? Probably never. This is because they simply do not have the physiologic capacity, the right type of muscle, to do so. As they age, many people find even simple tasks like getting dressed or walking from a parked car to a storefront to be difficult work. Does it have to be this way? No.

Dr. Doug McGuff, in his article “Fountain of Youth” (www.bodybyscience.net) explains that when we lose much of our fast twitch, strength producing muscles (as opposed to our slow twitch, oxygen consuming, endurance muscles), we are losing much of our capacity to perform anaerobic work. This means we become very poor at doing tasks that require strength or speed. We also lose our ability to perform in fight or flight mode if needed (for example to fight off an attacker or run away from an assailant). And if our anaerobic systems are never called upon, they simply go away. Essentially, as we age, the big difference between the most we can do and the least we can do is the presence or lack of fast twitch, strong and fast, anaerobic muscles. When these go, so does much of our everyday functional capacity.

So the key is to exercise. But not just any exercise will do. I hear elderly people all the time saying that they walk for exercise. Now, I think walking is great and benefits your health. It certainly helps exercise your aerobic system. But when it comes to increasing your physiologic headroom, you need to stimulate the fast twitch muscles, and walking (assuming you can already do it) just doesn't cut it. You will not stimulate these muscles by doing work that other muscles, ones that are better at using oxygen to burn sugar and fat for endurance, can do. You need to do exercise that requires strength and tends to stimulates a build up of lactic acid. Strength training, usually by lifting weights, is the best way to do this.

I often see elderly people in the gym performing exercises with very light weights and very little exertion. I also tend to see many women working out like this too. Although this type of work is better than nothing (maybe), it won't get the results you want. You need to lift hard, very hard, challenging the right muscles. The great thing is you don't have to lift really heavy weights to accomplish this. I will expound more on this soon.


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