Exercising Safely in the Heat

Summer is a fantastic time to take your workouts outside, but the soaring temperatures can pose a risk. Here are five essential tips to help you stay cool and safe while enjoying your outdoor exercises in the heat.

1. Choose the Right Time

The best times to exercise outdoors during hot weather are early in the morning or late in the evening. These periods typically have lower temperatures and reduced sun exposure. Aim for workouts before 10 a.m. or after 6 p.m. to avoid the hottest part of the day.

2. Stay Hydrated

Hydration is crucial when exercising in the heat. Drink plenty of water before, during, and after your workout. Consider carrying a water bottle with you and take small sips every 15-20 minutes. You can also incorporate sports drinks to replenish electrolytes lost through sweat.

3. Wear the Right Gear

Opt for lightweight, breathable, and moisture-wicking clothing. Light-colored clothes can help reflect the sun's rays, keeping you cooler. Don't forget a hat and sunglasses for additional protection, and always apply sunscreen with at least SPF 30 to protect your skin from UV rays.

4. Adjust Your Intensity

Heat can significantly impact your performance and increase the risk of heat-related illnesses. Lower your workout intensity and take frequent breaks to cool down. Listen to your body and avoid pushing yourself too hard. Consider splitting your workout into shorter sessions if necessary.

5. Seek Shady Routes

Plan your exercise routes with shade in mind. Parks, trails, and areas with plenty of trees provide natural cover from the sun. If you're running or biking, try to find routes that keep you out of direct sunlight as much as possible. This can help maintain a cooler body temperature and make your workout more enjoyable.

Final Thoughts

Exercising outdoors in the summer can be refreshing and invigorating, but it's essential to prioritize safety. By following these tips, you can enjoy your outdoor activities while minimizing the risks associated with high temperatures. Stay cool, stay hydrated, and keep moving!

Happy Exercising!

Can Older People Really BUILD Muscle?

As I watch my parents age into their 80’s, it’s a topic that continues to become more personal to me and more important to talk about. According to findings from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging, muscles tend to grow from birth until they peak at around 30-35 years old. From there, our muscle mass tends to slowly decline. Once we hit 65 (for women) or 70 (for men), the decline becomes even more rapid. This loss of muscle can greatly impact our metabolic health and quality of life.

While, it’s an inevitable fact of life that as we age, we experience a gradual loss of muscle mass, elderly people are perfectly capable of maintaining and actually building more muscle through a targeted approach to diet and exercise. The result is improved vitality, reduced bone loss, prevention of osteoarthritis and decreased risks of falling and fractures. So how can we start the mission of building muscle either before the inevitable decline or even after the decline to build our bodies back up?

Embrace strength training.

Resistance training, hands down, is the best approach for building muscle,. When you do exercises under resistance, your muscles are subject to stress and damage. When paired with the right diet and recovery processes, your immune system can begin to repair your muscles so that they grow back even bigger and stronger than they were before.

So strength training is one of the most effective habits to incorporate into your daily routine if you want to build lean body mass as an older adult. Research recommends strength training 3 or 4 times weekly.

A caveat here: if you’re new to strength training (or have not done it in a long time), it’s a good idea to work with a fitness professional like a personal trainer. Schedule a free 15-minute phone consult with a BBH trainer who can help guide you through your workout routines, perfecting your form and developing an effective workout schedule to help you build muscle while protecting you from potential injury

Prioritize protein.

Your diet is the other big piece of the puzzle for muscle growth. While doing resistance training starts the process, you can’t grow muscle without eating enough of the right nutrients necessary to repair and rebuild.

Protein is often referred to as the nutritional “building block” of your muscle tissue since it actually makes up its structure, so you’re going to need plenty of it to help your muscles recover from your strength training workouts.

So how much protein should you be eating overall? The official recommendation is that you should be eating at least 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of your body weight to hold off muscle loss, while some studies have also indicated greater intakes of 1.0-1.6 g/kg of body weight may help promote muscle strength and size. However, the exact amount you should eat is highly individualized and we recommend that it might be helpful to schedule a nutrition consultation with one of our certified nutrition coaches if you want to dial in the right amount for you . Everyone’s nutritional needs will vary based on their current health status and activity level.

If you need more resources for high protein meal plans, you can find multiple meal plans in the Nutrition Corner of our on-demand membership studio, BBH Fit.

The bottom line is that it is never too late to start preventing muscle loss or build muscle in our latter years! If you want to maintain vitality in your life as you age, muscle is the currency with some of the highest value for helping you achieve a vibrantly healthy life.

Everyone Should Care About Pelvic Floor Health

Many women (AND MEN) experience pelvic floor problems, but often they ignore them, think it’s just a part of aging, or may be too embarrassed to talk to a professional about them. The specific issues can vary and may involve injuries or damage to muscles in the pelvic area, the bowel, bladder, or uterus. Getting help early usually means better treatment results. If you do think you have issues, we recommend seeing your doctor who can do an exam to diagnose and figure out the best treatment. Treatment options range from medications to surgery, laser treatment, or physical therapy, depending on what's going on and where.

With our clients at the Body by Hannah Studio, we believe that proactively training the pelvic floor just like all of our other muscle groups is a great way to prevent weakening of the pelvic floor muscles over time. Creating mindfulness around many of our exercises to properly breathe and engage/relax these muscles is our first defense from future issues.

Let's break down five common problems when the pelvic floor isn't working properly. But first, think of the pelvic floor like a hammock made of lots of connected muscles that support your bladder, bowel, and other organs. These muscles help with things like controlling when you pee or poop, keeping your posture in check, and even sexual function.

1. Needing to pee a lot or urgently: If you're constantly running to the bathroom, it might be due to something called overactive bladder. Basically, the muscles in your bladder contract too much, making you feel like you gotta go all the time. Strengthening your pelvic floor can help calm down your bladder, reducing those urgent feelings.

2. Leaking urine when you cough, sneeze, or laugh: This is called stress urinary incontinence. It happens when the muscles supporting your bladder and urethra are weak or damaged, often from childbirth. Even simple movements like laughing can make you leak a little.

3. Trouble with pooping: Weak pelvic floor muscles can mess with how well you poop. Sometimes it leads to constipation or feeling like you can't fully empty your bowels. The process of pooping is pretty complex, and when those pelvic muscles aren't doing their job right, it can cause pain or discomfort.

4. Back or pelvic pain, or pain during sex: Your pelvic floor muscles play a role in a lot of daily activities, like keeping you upright and moving smoothly. But if they're weak or damaged, they can cause pain in your back or pelvis. They can also make sex uncomfortable, especially during orgasm, when those muscles contract strongly.

5. Feeling like things are falling down there: Damage to the pelvic floor can cause organs like the uterus or bladder to sag or bulge into the vagina. This is called prolapse. It's more common as women get older and their bodies change. You might feel pressure or heaviness in your pelvis, especially when standing for a long time or lifting heavy things.

We created a FREE pelvic floor introductory series with Dr. Kat Hamblin that will help you understand better what the pelvic floor is and how to begin to activate it and strengthen it! Download the BBH Fit App and search for Pelvic Floor Series to get started at home!

Young-Onset Dementia

A growing concern over young-onset dementia has sparked our own interest in it, lately. Young onset dementia affects individuals under the age of 65. It is often misdiagnosed or overlooked due to its rarity and the age of those it affects. It encompasses a range of neurological conditions, with Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, and frontotemporal dementia being the most common types. The symptoms can vary widely but generally include memory loss, difficulty with problem-solving, and changes in mood and behavior.

The Role of Physical Activity in Prevention

What research has been confirming over and over again, is that physical activity can be a cornerstone of dementia prevention. Here’s how:

1. Boosting Cardiovascular Health: Exercise improves cardiovascular health, which is directly linked to brain health. A healthy heart pumps blood more efficiently, delivering essential nutrients and oxygen to the brain!

2. Enhancing Neuroplasticity: Physical activity stimulates the production of neurotrophic factors, chemicals that support the growth and survival of neurons. This enhances neuroplasticity aka the brain's ability to form new neural connections.

3. Reducing Inflammation: Chronic inflammation has been linked to neurodegenerative diseases. Exercise can help to reduce inflammation levels in the body, potentially lowering the risk of dementia.

4. Stress Reduction: Chronic stress is a risk factor for cognitive decline. Exercise, particularly aerobic activities, can reduce stress levels, thereby indirectly protecting cognitive health.

OTHER PREVENTATIVE MEASURES:

1. Social Engagement: Engaging in social activities more than once a month can be protective against early dementia, while social isolation can increase the risk.

   2. Vitamin D Levels: Maintaining healthy vitamin D levels is crucial. Severe deficiency has been linked to a higher risk of YOD. Consuming vitamin-D-rich foods and supplements can be super beneficial.

   3. Physical Strength:

   • Grip Strength: Improving grip strength, an indicator of overall physical strength, can help to lower the risk of YOD.

While the risk of young-onset dementia can be influenced by genetic factors, lifestyle choices play a significant role in our genetic expression. By adopting a routine of regular physical activity, focusing on cardiovascular health, and engaging in exercises that challenge the brain, individuals can significantly reduce even a genetic predisposition to dementia.

BBH Tailored Fitness Programs

At BBH, we understand the importance of a personalized approach to physical fitness, especially when it comes to cognitive health. Our programs are designed to cater to individual needs and preferences, in hopes that we can help you hit your own personal goals.

1. Personalized Cardiovascular Training: We focus on cardiovascular health through a mix of aerobic exercises, tailored to suit each individual's fitness level and preferences.

2. Cognitive Challenge and Variety: Our routines include exercises that challenge the brain, such as coordination and balance activities, to stimulate mental engagement.

3. Mind-Body Approaches: We love sharing ways you can better connect your mind-body connection. Often times you will hear us referring to shifting your focus to a certain muscle you are trying to engage, to form that connection.

4. Stress Management: We love to weave in stress reduction techniques, recognizing its critical role in overall brain health.

Download the BBH Fitness App for fitness programs and nutrition plans you can trust to improve your physical and mental health!

Tread with Caution: The world of compounded weight loss drugs

Promising Weight Loss Drugs

As the new year unfolds, many of us are embracing resolutions, especially those related to health and weight loss. We totally understand the battle around sustained weight loss and want to recognize the huge potential around trending weight loss drugs approved by the FDA for helping pre-diabetic and diabetic patients. In my opinion, this is a very exciting time to hopefully see the obesity epidemic curbed in a big way. We’re seeing at risk individuals achieve substantial weight loss and improve their overall health. This could create a huge dent in our overall medical care costs across the globe. It’s also exciting to see that in many cases, the results patients are having from taking the drug inspire and motivate them to eat healthier and move more as a way to safeguard this better health.

Wagovy, Ozempic, Mounjaro, oh my!

Semaglutide medications like popular Wagovy and Ozempic are typically prescribed for individuals with type 2 diabetes to help manage blood sugar levels and signaling to the brain “fulllness”.

Before considering any medication, including semaglutide, it's wise to consult with your doctor. While these drugs are promising, the collected data around them only extend about 20 years, making what we know about long term effects, quite limited. It is best to have your doctor assess your health status, consider your medical history, and determine the most appropriate treatment plan based on your specific needs.

Enter Compounded Semaglutide

I started getting one email after another from boutique fitness clubs in Chattanooga and Atlanta and NYC and from med spas all over advertising their new “medical weight loss fitness program”. And what I discovered from digging a bit more is that many of these programs were packaging compounded semaglutide drugs into their program, making it easier for the general public to get the weight loss drug. And this is where I throw up my red flag and say, if this intrigues you, tread with caution.

So what is compounded semaglutide?

Compounded semaglutide refers to the practice of combining or altering the commercially available medication, semaglutide. Compounding drugs can be very helpful in shortage situations or in situations where it can address a patients allergy to a specific ingredient in the commercially available drug. But, compounding medications also introduces potential risks.

1. Effectiveness Concerns: Compounded medications may lack the precise formulation and quality control of commercially available drugs. This raises concerns about the effectiveness of compounded semaglutide in managing blood sugar levels as intended.

2. Dosage Accuracy: Achieving accurate dosage in compounded medications can be challenging. Variability in dosage may lead to inadequate blood sugar control or, conversely, increase the risk of side effects.

3. Safety Profile: Commercially available medications undergo rigorous testing to establish their safety profiles. Compounded semaglutide may lack such comprehensive safety data, making it difficult to assess potential risks and side effects accurately.

4. Contamination and Stability: Compounding introduces the risk of contamination and instability. Improper handling or storage of compounded semaglutide could compromise its effectiveness and safety.

5. Lack of Regulatory Oversight: Unlike commercially available medications, compounded drugs may not be subject to the same level of regulatory scrutiny. This absence of oversight can pose challenges in ensuring product quality and patient safety.

Patients considering compounded semaglutide should consult their healthcare providers to thoroughly discuss the potential risks and benefits.

…more on this from the FDA

The Bottom Line

I’m excited about the potential these weight loss drugs have to create a huge impact on the obesity epidemic and the ripple effect we will likely see it have on choosing to move more and eat healthier to sustain the results from taking the drug. The wellness expert in me says “BRING IT ON!”

But, I’m cautious and concerned for anybody that chooses to take semaglutide or its’ compounded versions without consulting their doctor and doing the research needed to make sure that the product they are getting is safe and legitimate. We still don’t know what happens with long term drug use on the population it was intended for, and we absolutely don’t know what long term effects it will have on a population for whom the drug was not intended for. It’s so tempting to want to use semaglutide to lose those last 5 or final 10 lbs, but will the side effects and potential long term effects be worth it? We just don’t know yet.

What are your thoughts on this? Please add your comments below. I know this topic can absolutely stir up a lot of emotions and opinions. I’m curious what your experiences have been with any of these drugs, what other questions you have around it, and what feedback you can share with us all.