Issue #286: The Unsung Hero of Exercise
Good morning. It’s Thursday, January 4th.
In today’s email:
Learn: The Unsung Hero of Exercise - Mobility
Try: Sitting on the Floor
Eat: Salmon
Cook: Broiled Salmon with Thai Sweet Chili Glaze
In the News: Vibrating Pill for Weight Loss
Stat of the Day
The annual cost for medical expenses and loss of productivity from back pain. (source)
Learn
Mobility
There are three pillars of exercise. I’m pretty good at consistently focusing on the first two:
Metabolic Training - running, biking, HIIT classes
Strength Training - weights, machines, bodyweight movements
But for some reason I really need to remind myself to do the third:
Mobility Training - body alignment, range of motion movements
Life is so busy that when we do make it to the gym to squeeze in a 30 min workout, we head straight for the weights - it’s a waste of time to just work on opening up our hips and shoulders, right?
Nope - it’s the foundation for how we move.
We talked about how our metabolism doesn’t begin to slow down until around age 60 - we slow down instead. But for many of us it’s a forced option - due to injury, chronic pain, or limited movement.
Nearly every conversation I have with friends over 40 drifts towards back or knee pain (see Stat of the Day).
“I was just playing with my kids…” or “I just got up off the couch…” These stories end the same way “…and my back went out.”
Even injuries like tearing your ACL or straining your hamstring are rarely from just one wrong movement - it’s the cumulative effect of consistent compromised movement when your body is out of whack.
So what is mobility?
“Mobility is the harmonious convergence of all the elements that allow you to move freely and effortlessly through space and life.”
In other words - mobility allows us to fully experience the world. Without mobility there is no metabolic training, no strength training, no tennis, no surfing, no running, and even limited walking and hiking.
To maximize our mobility we need to better understand how our body works so that we can correct our positioning and increase our range of motion.
For example, when we sit in a chair all day, the range of motion of our hips shrinks.
…and our weight is plugged into our hamstrings and we lose the pelvis-femur (thigh bone) stability. So our body compensates by using our lower back for stability - not how our back was designed to be used.
This might be why Westerners experience 80-90 percent more arthritic hip pain than people living in China - who still prefer to sit on the ground.
Try
Sit on the Floor
Take a break from the chair and couch and try sitting crisscross applesauce on the ground. Maybe it’s only for one chapter of a book, or just for 10 minutes while watching the final week of NFL games this weekend.
Even the slightest time on the ground will open up your hips and give you better mobility.
If you want to test your hip mobility - you can do the now famous Sit & Rise Test.
Cross one foot in front of the other and bend your knees to slowly sit down cross-legged
Then lean forward with your arms in front of you for balance and stand back up - try to do it without putting either hand (or elbow) on the ground
It’s ok if you can’t - but this is really the story of tight hips. Even if you already have back or knee problems - or especially if you’ve had these injuries - spend the time and effort to open up your hips.
Your back will thank you later.
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Eat
Salmon
Forget about taking a ton of supplements - in just a single serving of wild-caught salmon you get your daily allowance of:
Omega-3 fatty acids, including DHA and EPA - essential for heart health and brain function (see Issue #22 for a full list of benefits)
Vitamin D - amazing for bone health and immune function (see Issue #20 for a full list of benefits)
Vitamin B12 - essential for nerve function, making red blood cells, and DNA production
Plus, you also get 20 grams of a complete protein - that means all 22 amino acids (stay strong).
As an added bonus, salmon has a ton of minerals (like selenium & potassium) and antioxidants - like astaxanthin, which can protect our skin from UV rays.
How to eat it
Serving size: 3-4 oz (85-110g), roughly the size of a deck of cards
When to eat: salmon can be eaten at any meal - don’t worry about over-doing it
Pairing: Vitamin C-rich foods (like lemon or bell peppers), can enhance the absorption of selenium, and health fats (avocado, olive oil) can complement the omega-3 content
Personally, I don’t love the taste of salmon. But I can easily get 3-4 servings a week - add it to one dinner (see the recipe below), try smoked salmon for breakfast (Ducktrap is my go-to brand), and then have a date night with some sushi or sashimi.
The Risks
We hear about not eating too much fish because of mercury - but this is often for fish at the top of the food chain (tuna, swordfish, etc.). According to the Environmental Defense Fund, salmon doesn’t pose the same risk.
The real issue is farmed salmon. We’ve basically created industrial farms out in the ocean and packing salmon into tiny pens - leading to parasites and disease - while feeding them an artificial diet. For more see Salmon Wars.
Whenever possible get wild-caught Alaskan sockeye salmon or look for the ASC certification. For any seafood, I recommend checking out the Seafood Watch from the Monterey Aquarium.
Bottom Line
Add wild-caught Alaskan salmon to your weekly food plan.
Cook
Broiled Salmon with Thai Sweet Chili Glaze
This broiled salmon recipe combines the ease of preparation with extraordinary flavors. The salmon is marinated in a mix of Thai sweet chili sauce to bring out the richness of the salmon (try a low sugar brand like this one), soy sauce, and ginger, for a caramelized finish.
Pro Tip: this is not a 90-min recipe! Make the marinade during lunch (5 min) and put in the fridge. Set a time to add the salmon 90 min before dinner.
In the News
Beavers, Our Savior: Max’s community recently trapped a family of beavers causing a nuisance - they have been safely relocated. Maybe to California - where the state monitors beaver activity to help understand the population and help with drought-ridden areas. (WIRED)
A Successful Dry January: Arm yourself with a few strategies if you’re taking on the challenge in January, Sober October or any other point throughout the year. (NYTimes)
Vibrating Pill: More options for that magic pill to lose weight - MIT scientists are looking for Ozempic alternatives and found a vibrating pill that tells your stomach it’s full without surgery or GLP-1 drugs. (TechCrunch)
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The information in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and may not be appropriate or applicable based on your individual circumstances. Thrive25 Labs, Inc. does not provide medical, professional, or licensed advice. Please connect with your healthcare professional for medical advice specific to your health needs.