Friday 25 August 2017

Rich Piana - Another Pro Bodybuilder Dies Too Soon

Rich Piana was the new breed of professional bodybuilder! 

   The 'new breed' of professional bodybuilder lives in a new world order:
  • They are monstrously muscled, gargantuan sized leviathans.
  • Size overpowers symmetry.
  • They do not look natural.
  • Often they no longer compete. Rich Piana was a former Mr. California.
  • The prize for professional bodybuilding shows are rarely economically sustaining amounts.
  • They are 'professional' because they promote food supplements such as protein powders or ergogenic agents such as creatine phosphate for vitamin and food supplement companies.
  • Many, such as Rich Piana, also have a multitude of devoted YouTube followers. This can brings in lucrative advertising income.
  • In these videos enough iron can be lifted to build a skyscraper.
  • The monstrously muscled bodies are most likely due to more than just food supplements. You think?

   I have watched some of Rich Piana's YouTube videos. He has this likable charisma that has made his video postings popular with the bodybuilding subculture. Unlike Tour de France bicyclists or track and field athletes, Rich Piana was refreshingly honest about his use of copious amounts of performance enhancing drugs such as anabolic steroids, human growth hormone, synthol oil and even the non diabetic use of insulin.
   Refreshingly honest does not make it safe! The non medical use of  such drugs can have a myriad of health consequences. Last week Rich Piana collapsed at home and was taken to the emergency. Doctors put him into a medically induced coma to allow his body and brain to mend. Sadly, Rich Piana died today at the age of 47. His death may not have been due to the long term use of these substances but it is probable that there was some correlation. Many professional bodybuilders die young these days.
   Professional bodybuilding is not about health or fitness! It has become about the search to attain an unnatural shape and size of the human musculature. You have professional bodybuilders who are 5 feet 6 inches tall and weigh 300 pounds. The bones, ligaments and heart were not designed to carry around that amount of muscle. The purpose of skeletal muscle is to move the bones through a range of motion around a joint - not to get so large that movement is compromised..
   Even traditional old school bodybuilding exercises are not always the best for fitness or movement. Many bodybuilding exercises isolate muscles for the purpose of hypertrophy or muscle enlargement. Fitness or sports weight training is about developing muscle movements which may require synchronization of numerous muscle groups. Some muscle size can be desirable but not at the expense of movement or function.
   I don't mean to totally bash professional bodybuilding. Professional boxing or the UFC require great athleticism but it is not about health or fitness when they batter each other senseless. Football quarterbacks are usually super coordinated physical phenomenons but  the goal of the opposing team is to tackle them with as much force as possible. That can't be healthy either. Hockey goalies have frozen rubber discs propelled at them at 100 miles per hour as well as 220 pound players crashing their crease. Baseball pitchers destroy shoulders and elbows .Runners can tear hamstring muscles. Soccer players can blow out their ACL joints at the knee. All professional sports carry a certain amount of risk.
 The modern version of pro bodybuilding just seems to carry far more risk than reward!
Image result for rich piana
Rich Piana - larger than life!



Until Next Time
Keep Fit!

Little Bobby Strong











Links:
www.fitnwell.com

Thursday 3 August 2017

Oxylicious - The Oxytocin Cookbook that Makes You Lose Weight and be Happy

   About a year ago I applied for a 'ghostwriter' job with a New York City based  fitness website run by a well known Fitness Trainer who also blogs for the Huffington Post. The Huffington Post is the world's number 1 ranked bog site so if selected I would be part of an elite fitness company. The hiring coordinator liked my submitted blog samples and writing style.
   She gave me the task of writing about something with this title; "Oxylicious"The Oxytocin Cookbook that Makes You Lose Weight and be Happy.  I am not a dietitian or nutritionist but I do believe in the health benefits of sensible eating habits. However I am not a big believer in magic super foods or heal - everything diets. My forte is to write about current sports conditioning or fitness training fads and facts with the occasional dart projected towards fitness phonies. This title would stretch me past my comfort level but I decided to go for it.  Here is the article that I submitted.
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“OXYLICIOUS” - The Oxytocin Cookbook that Makes You Lose Weight and Be Happy
      
   Finally, we have what you want. That dream ingredient that will lead to weight loss and happiness.
Unfortunately, there is a downside. Your teeth will fall out and you will need to break into houses to support your habit. Oh, wait – my mistake. That's Oxycontin, a much abused pharmaceutical painkiller
that is extremely addictive. Oxycontin is also known as 'Hillbilly Heroin' since it has been used by the low rental crowd as a substitute for certain illegal narcotics. For that you need need to go to
the 'Breaking Bad' website. Hopefully you don't feel the need to do that.
   The substance that I meant to discuss is Oxytocin.  This is also an extraordinary substance.
    Oxytocin is a hormone that is produced by the Hypothalmus
    It is secreted by the Posterior Pituitary Gland by way of neural stimulation.
    Oxytocin is known as the 'cuddle hormone' and the 'happiness hormone' because it creates feelings of intimacy, trust, bonding and supposedly fidelity. Could a shortage of this hormone be a factor (or an excuse) for a cheating spouse? 
    Oxytocin may lessen the reaction of fear as a response to a threatening stimulus.
    Oxytocin is released during childbirth to aid in the contraction of the uterus.
    This hormone stimulates lactation after birth.
    Oxytocin increases the bonding of a mother to her newborn. Could a lack of oxytocin production be a factor in postpartum depression?
    Oxytocin as a medication can be used during childbirth to induce greater contractions of the uterus for problem births.
    Oxytocin may have some anti-inflammatory properties and act as an agent in healing wounds.
    This hormone can increase arousal during orgasm!

      It would seem as though Oxytocin is something that is good to have in abundance. Why not
create a diet that will ensure a constant supply of this happiness hormone? Hence my title
Oxylicious – The Oxytocin Cookbook that Makes You Lose Weight and be Happy”.
It would only make sense to eat foods that would keep this chemical circulating throughout your body.
It sounds great, doesn't it? “What's for dinner? I want to juice up the neurotransmitters of my brain.”
   Now for the diet. What are the best foods to increase my oxytocin levels? After much research I then realized “Houston, we have a problem!” There are no foods that contain oxytocin. There are also no known supplements that affect how much oxytocin is released by the posterior pituitary gland.
As for weight loss, there has been no strong connection proven between this hormone and weight loss.
It is also unknown and not yet proven as to whether or not exercise has an effect on Oxytocin production.  
“Why the misleading title?” you might ask. Well I wanted to get the your attention before you
fall for one of the many extreme or crazy food fads that are out there! People will try many useless and possibly dangerous diets in the hopes of getting healthy, losing weight or to magically pump up some naturally produced hormone.   
   However, all is not lost!  Even though foods do not contain oxytocin, there still may be a way to modify the diet to affect oxytocin secretion.
    Eating enjoyable foods activates the vagal afferent nerves which stimulates the glands to release oxytocin into the system. This would imply that the meal should be a source of pleasure and joy. Some healthy foods such as Brussels Sprouts just may not make the cut in this case.
    A diet of bland, boring food may also fail to do the job. How many happy people are there in jail?
    Some people find eating junk food to be pleasurable. Binge eating during depression could be a search for some temporary oxytocin fix.
    There is a possible link between a healthy gut environment and oxytocin secretion. Could a diet that includes probiotics be a part of the link?

   Ideally, you want to find healthy foods that are also pleasurable to eat rather than eat fun junk food to stimulate oxytocin production. Forget the food fads! Try this real 'Oxylicious Diet'
    Eat sensibly but strive for tasty meals.
     Any diet that is not enjoyable is not sustainable over time. It is doomed to fail!
    Many effective diets allow for a 'cheat' day, usually a Sunday' in which you can eat anything you want. This way you don't have to deprive yourself of family gatherings and holiday feasts.
    Strive for a variety of vegetables and fruits in each meal plan.
    Yogurt helps gut chemistry which may have a connection to oxytocin release.
    Processed food should be kept to a minimum.
    Snack on veggies instead of chips and candies.
    Grandma's cookies are allowed but only on occasion.
    If you are dining on healthy but tasty cuisine, you will have higher oxytocin levels and therefore less likely to binge eat on junk out of depression or despondency.
    An active lifestyle including exercise with lots of time spent in the great outdoors is a necessary complement to the healthy eating if gradual weight loss is also a goal.

   There are some non nutritional elements that can be used as seasoning. As stated earlier
neural stimulation also causes oxytocin to be release into the system. This can be caused by some possible joy inducing events such as:
1.      Hugging someone you love
2.      Cuddling someone
3.      Cuddling a pet animal
4.      Getting a massage
5.      Relaxing in a hot tub
6.      Being pregnant???? However the distress of an unplanned pregnancy may cause stress that counteracts with the happiness produced by the greater oxytocin release.
Could it also be possible that other positive actions such as;
    Scoring a goal in hockey or soccer
    A super golf shot
    Someone laughing at your jokes (I have trouble relating to this one. It rarely happens)
    A super muscle pump after a weight training set,
also cause oxytocin to be released and add to the good feeling that results? As stated previously there has been no real scientific evidence linking exercise to oxytocin release. However the joy of a successful physical action could stimulate the release of this happiness hormone.
   Yes, Oxylicious does exist. However it is not a quick fix, extreme diet.
It is a lifestyle of eating well, eating food that tastes good, and is best combined with an active lifestyle.
Oxylicious works best when seasoned with the company of people that love and enjoy your company.
Living well is the best natural hormone.


References

1.      Exercise Physiology -Energy, Nutrition and Human Performance 4th Edition McArdle, Katch, Katch 1966 William and Wilkins
2.      Mind Boosters – A Guide to Natural Supplements that Enhance Your Mind, Memory and Mood  Ray Sahelian M.D. 2000 St. Martins Griffin N.Y.
3.      Nutrient Power : Heal Your Biochemistry and Heal Your Brain William J. Walsh PhD 2004 Skyhorse Publishing
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   The hiring coordinator gave me positive feedback for the article but they never published it. It would have been my first paid work for them if they had. Since they didn't publish it, the article is now my property. 
   I think what froze my article was the obvious theme that I am a reluctant believer in super foods, fitness supplements and magic diets! I believe in sensible eating. Supplements are best used if the person has some condition that causes a deficiency of some vitamin, mineral or has a medically recognized food issue. Otherwise they can cause nutritional imbalances.  There is also little scientific support for the concept of magic diets that cure certain ailments or eliminate baldness or attract the perfect mate. I wish that it were all true!
   I do believe that we should eat sensibly, drink water and keep junk foods to a minimum without totally depriving ourselves. Some supplements such as creatine phosphate can aid in strength training but more protein powder than the body needs is counterproductive. There is little evidence of natural foods that boost our ability to produce hormones. Health and fitness is a marathon - not a sprint!
   My reluctance to espouse the total power of the 'Oxylicious' diet may have been why my submitted article was left in the dust bin. The mandate of this company is more accommodating to the belief in super foods and supplements. It is also possible that they didn't like my attempt to interject some humor. Either way, we are probably unlikely collaborators.
    Check out Ben Greenfield Fitness. They seem to have a pulse on the message that people want to hear. You can't argue with their success. You just probably won't read anything 'ghostly' from me. 

Image result for super diets
Sensible diets are healthy but can they really manipulate hormone levels? 
Until next time.                                                
Keep Fit