Prioritizing Health
By: Zach Colangelo
Social media has chewed up the fitness and health industry and spit it back out. It has been a blessing and a curse for many of us because of the endless supply of conflicting misinformation that makes it difficult to trust and apply to our lives.
Our hope with this article is to provide a resource for those looking for direction in regards to body composition, sleep, physical activity, and nutrition. Keep in mind, body composition, sleep, physical activity and nutrition are not the only things that we believe need to prioritize. We are not qualified to give any advice or medical information pertaining to medications, relationships, mental and/or physical pain management, and substance abuse. For further questions, please reach out to your medical practitioner.
Let’s Get Started
How would you define ‘health’? What does being ‘healthy’ mean to you? In a BMJ article, Huber, et al. (2011), defined health as “The WHO definition of health as complete wellbeing is no longer fit for purpose given the rise of chronic disease. Machteld Huber and colleagues propose changing the emphasis towards the ability to adapt and self manage in the face of social, physical, and emotional challenges”. The Protocol10 team believes the ability to care for our bodies is a life skill just like sewing, handy work and cooking.
Health Priorities:
1. Meet and/or Exceed The Physical Activity Guidelines
2. Maintain a Healthy Body Composition
3. Sleep Hygiene & Getting A Sufficient Amount of Sleep
4. Avoid The Use and/or Abuse of Addictive Substances***
5. Seek Routine Medical Care***
6. Learn About Mental & Physical Pain & How To Treat It***
7. Develop & Maintain Meaningful Relationships***
*** Indicates health priorities we are not qualified to advise or discuss
Physical Activity Guidelines
Unfortunately, about 26% of men and 19% of women meet the physical activity (PA) guidelines (Piercy 2018). Meeting the PA guidelines is arguably the simplest intervention we can implement into our lives to decrease our chances of disease and early mortality. The American population overwhelmingly does not have a sufficient amount of lean muscle mass, this is called sarcopenia. Sarcopenia is a physiological age related decline is muscle mass and strength (Marini, 2008), which can increase our risk of many other long term health issues as we age. Sarcopenia is so prevalent in the United States, the healthcare costs was upwards of $18.5 billion in 2000 (Janssen, 2004). Resistance training (RT) has been shown in data to combat this issue for individuals of all ages and levels of mobility.
According to Westcott W. L. (2012), RT has been shown to improve physical performance and independence. As well as, movement control, walking speed, cognitive abilities, and self-esteem. Outside of physical appearance and functionality, it also can assist in the prevention and management of type 2 diabetes by decreasing visceral fat, improving insulin sensitivity, cardiovascular health, by reducing resting blood pressure, decreasing low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglycerides, and increasing high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.
The guidelines: (youth, adults and older adults — meet and/or exceed)
150 to 300 minutes per week of moderate aerobic intensity (64-76% of max heart rate) of physical activity OR
75 to 150 minutes per week of vigorous aerobic intensity (76-100% of max heart rate) of physical activity
Resistance training of moderate intensity involving all major muscle groups at a minimum 2 times per week (Legs, Back, Chest, Shoulders, Arms, Core)
The aerobic training can be a combination of both moderate and vigorous intensity activity. The RT must be performed in as large range of motion as possible through a wide rep range of 5-30 reps per set. Doing our best to perform each rep in the largest range of motion will not only result in the greatest muscle gain but also aid in improving mobility. This does not mean we shouldn’t do less that 5 reps or more than 30, for the general population who are not competing in barbell sports should spend 99% of their time in the 5-30 rep range. Performing a exercise for less than 5 reps or more than 30 are not inherently “bad” for you, there just is very little return on your investment for RT for health.
Aerobic Training Examples
For those who have concerns about the guidelines for kids or pregnancy, please reach out and we can provide resources regarding the safety for those two populations.
Maintain A Healthy Body Composition
Similar to RT, maintaining a health body composition is linked with positive health benefits for both the short and long term. Overweight and obesity are defined by the abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that may impair health. According to the WHO (2021), worldwide obesity has nearly triples since 1975 and as of 2016, 39% of Americans are considered overweight and 13% were considered obese.
Body fat is accumulated by the imbalance of energy intake and energy expenditure. If we eat more calories than we burn then we will gain weight. With that said, we do not have enough evidence to determine how much of that weight gain is muscle, fat, water, sodium, etc. In a 2016 paper, obesity is a “complex process influenced by the interaction of a variety of biological, psychological, and social/environmental factors that all need to be addressed” (Garvey, 2016). Although a calorie deficit is needed to lose weight, there are outside factors that can hinder our ability to manage our hunger.
Everyone tends to disregard the Body Mass Index (BMI) scale, which is understandable but when BMI and waist circumference (WC) are combined, the physician’s ability to determine whether or not their patient should implement a weight loss intervention increases. The issue with BMI is that the tool will miss a large portion of the population that carry too much body fat, but are still in the healthy body weight range compared to their height.
Below are the healthy waist circumference limits: This is not the same as your pant size. How to measure your waist: https://youtu.be/PuwS7uL2s3I
If you find that you have obesity or at risk for it, your next step would be changing dietary patterns and meet/exceed the physical activity guidelines. Similar to how our genetics, psychological and environment plays a role in developing obesity, these factors can aid in reversing it.
Below is our dietary approach to priorities:
1.Consume an appropriate amount of calories (use https://www.niddk.nih.gov/bwp)
2. Protein: Consuming 0.7-1 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight daily (175lb person should aim to consume 123-175 grams of protein)
3. Fiber: At least 30 grams of fiber per day
4. Carbohydrate/Fat: The rest of your calories can be filled by personal preference. Although, dietary fat coming from animal-based saturated fats sources should be limited to 10% or less of overall calorie consumption.
For example: 3000 calorie diet — 300 calories or less should come from animal based saturated fats. A 4 ounce cooked filet mignon from Trader Joes is 280 calories with 20g of fat (9g coming from saturated fat). With a 3000 calorie diet 81 calories will be coming from the animal-based saturated fat which is only 2% of my calories.
If you want to learn more about red meat intake: https://www.barbellmedicine.com/blog/the-science-of-red-meat-and-health/
5. Consume 8-10 servings of fruit and/or vegetables per day. This can be a combination of the two. According to the USDA database, a serving size of fruit and vegetables is ~90 grams.
Calories and Macros
1 gram of protein is 4 calories
1 gram of carbohydrates is 4 calories
1 gram of fat is 9 calories
1 gram of alcohol is 7 calories
Sleep Hygiene
Everyone knows how important sleep is for mental health, cognitive function but also recovery from exercise. We break our muscles down to then repair them with a adequate caloric intake and sufficient sleep.
Below are our sleep recommendations:
1.Maintain a consistent bedtime and awakening time
2. Avoid napping (if absolutely needed, do not exceed 45 minutes)
3. Avoid caffeine and alcohol 4 hours before bed
4. Maintain a cool and ventilated environment
5. Avoid eating, working, watching tv or using other electronics in bed
Other Health Priorities
As stated above, we are not qualified to provide advice or discuss the following:
Avoid the use and abuse of addictive substances, seek routine medical care, learn how to manage mental and physical pain, and develop and maintain relationships.
Please contact your physician for further screening and assistance.
We hope this article was helpful, if you believe this information could help someone you know, please share. We hope to continue to have an impact on not only our members but also their family & friends.
In health,
Protocol10 Team
Resources & Info Provided By: Barbell Medicine