Closest thing to the elixir of life is...WALKING?

[igor_kavinski]

This Simple Daily Habit Could Add Up to 11 Years to Your Life

Increasing physical activity to the levels of the most active quarter of Americans over 40 could add up to 11 years to a person's life, according to a study using data from national health surveys. Walking just over two and a half hours daily could significantly cut the risks of chronic diseases

scitechdaily.com

Curious if indoors walking on a treadmill has the same effect as outdoors walking.

 

[WilliamM2]

I walk one mile twice daily, takes 18 minutes each time . Only one mile since knee surgery, and I skip some days.
That article states just over 2.5 hours a day? That's at least 8.5 miles a day. Even if I could make the time, that ain't happening.

 

[igor_kavinski]

I walk about 45 to 50 minutes from work to home 6 days a week. By the end of it, I'm glad to be home. Can't imagine walking two hours. That would cause me to crash and sleep immediately!

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Some days, I've done two or even three miles. But I have COPD, so it doesn't take me 20 minutes per mile, but more like 30+. Mostly, my goal is one mile per day. And frankly, for the Thanksgiving holiday, I've taken a two-week hiatus.

The problem with using a treadmill indoors would seem to be the quality of the air you breath, and the other enjoyments of being outdoors. Living in So-Cal, if the thermometer begins to climb above 80, walking becomes more unpleasant. I try to do it in the early hours, with temperatures between 40 and 70 depending on the season. And I try and find walking or bike path routes that have more shade than sun. I have found those routes and I know how they are at different times of the day.

 

[GodisanAtheist]

"Being physically fit reduces the chances of suffering from diseases that result from being unfit... more at 11".

2.5 hours of walking a day is a pretty solid workout by any standard. In order to even do it you have to be in decent shape and in order to do it every day you have to be in great shape and probably wealthy to have that kind of time.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

"Being physically fit reduces the chances of suffering from diseases that result from being unfit... more at 11".

2.5 hours of walking a day is a pretty solid workout by any standard. In order to even do it you have to be in decent shape and in order to do it every day you have to be in great shape and probably wealthy to have that kind of time.

I've resumed my mile-a-day walking regimen. The first day, I was stunned at how easy it was -- there were no significant rest stops. The second day, the lungs worked just as well, but the legs seemed unwilling. they weren't sore. They just seemed -- tired.

I went out to lunch with a friend today to "The Old Spaghetti Factory". I didn't overload. I wanted the pasta and clam sauce -- spaghetti it was. "Why don't you have linguine for the clam sauce?" "We don't have it, but how about fettucine?" "Sure" I said. She brings it to the table. I didn't see any clams in it! It looked -- and probably tasted -- like Fettucini Alfredo. Then there was the garlic bread and bruschetta, and the salad. I didn't finish anything, but satisfied it wasn't wasted. A scoop of spumoni.

So -- tomorrow -- I will walk. I need to force myself to walk longer and farther. Even so, a mile every day (or so) is better than nothing.

This is Friday. I"m not going to do any more chores, but I'm going to cook. Roasted tomatoes, with olive oral, salt, pepper, garlic and thyme. I'll leave the tomato plant in the garden, because there will be more.

This is from another thread, but I cannot emphasize enough the benefits of having a Chief of Housekeeping lodged in my home. I won't belabor the details, but trash duty has always been a real chore.

[Yeah -- I know -- the word is "O-I-L". When Clinton had been president, we called his office the Oral Office.]

I forgot to mention the tall mug of dark ale for lunch. So I'm a little weird -- that's all . . .

 

[manly]

This Simple Daily Habit Could Add Up to 11 Years to Your Life

Increasing physical activity to the levels of the most active quarter of Americans over 40 could add up to 11 years to a person's life, according to a study using data from national health surveys. Walking just over two and a half hours daily could significantly cut the risks of chronic diseases

scitechdaily.com

Curious if indoors walking on a treadmill has the same effect as outdoors walking.

Physically yes. Didn't read the article but 2.5 hours is excessive in the sense of diminishing returns.

But hiking is a great activity to have, if you enjoy nature.* I walk in my neighborhood at least 3 times a week; there's nothing to see but I still prefer that over a treadmill. I used to listen to music but lately I listen to audiobooks.

@BonzaiDuck A mile is good, but start to stretch it out a bit. More important is adding pace; it's important to get the heart rate going a bit if you're up to it.
In SoCal, outdoor air is typically dirtier than indoor air because of auto emissions. Depending on your local air quality, I'd recommend a Coway air purifier or two in the house (one where you sleep and another where you spend a lot of time).

* IIRC there are substantial mental health benefits to nature hiking.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Physically yes. Didn't read the article but 2.5 hours is excessive in the sense of diminishing returns.

But hiking is a great activity to have, if you enjoy nature.* I walk in my neighborhood at least 3 times a week; there's nothing to see but I still prefer that over a treadmill. I used to listen to music but lately I listen to audiobooks.

@BonzaiDuck A mile is good, but start to stretch it out a bit. More important is adding pace; it's important to get the heart rate going a bit if you're up to it.
In SoCal, outdoor air is typically dirtier than indoor air because of auto emissions. Depending on your local air quality, I'd recommend a Coway air purifier or two in the house (one where you sleep and another where you spend a lot of time).

* IIRC there are substantial mental health benefits to nature hiking.

I had given myself a holiday hiatus, with excuses that I have an agenda of important housecleaning chores.

Today is not the day, though. First, the Santa Ana winds are blowing like crazy -- the same winds fueling the Palisades, Hurst and Eaton fires about 50+ miles to the west. I could argue or imagine the air to be polluted as well, but -- really -- I understand what's happening -- the plume from the Palisades fire is blowing out into the ocean. I can see out across the valley to the north side of San Bernardino -- no haze, no smog, no fog -- clear as can be.

Pulmonologist told me last week that I've recaptured 10% of lung function as measured a year ago. There is a hope that this will continue, but she was emphatic to tell me that I will never "get it all back". So I intend to keep working at it, and thus the growing urgency to resume the daily regimen.

 

[igor_kavinski]

Pulmonologist told me last week that I've recaptured 10% of lung function as measured a year ago.

Great job! Discuss with your doctor if you can use Now brand Cordyceps. 750mg 3 times a day. Helps to oxygenate the body. Even easier is to drink a whole watermelon worth of fresh juice. The natural citrulline in the juice will help to ease your blood flow and make it especially pump towards your lungs. Some people stay away from watermelon juice because they complain it makes them pee too much. That just means it is helping their kidneys filter better so that is to be expected.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Thanks for the info on this "Now brand Cordyceps" and the watermelon.

Just chortling a bit, here -- but I was thinking the other day after finishing my daily walk, what a great thing it would be if there were an "oxygen-pill" you could take to stifle your oxygen deficit.

I could post a separate thread on what follows here.

The pulmonologist told me that she prefers me to use my Inogen G4 O2-concentrator when I walk. I've tried it now a couple times. The G4 has a maximum setting of "3", while other concentrators have settings that go up to "6" on the same scale. With my oximeter in my pocket, the concentrator doesn't make a "profound" difference, but it is a noticeable difference -- or slightly so. But the BO level, once I achieve labored breathing, still drops to 88 or below. Taking a rest stop, even in standing position, this bounces back to around 91 to 92.

Personally, I would think the body would tell us if our oxygen deficit is harmful. I observe, for instance, that the labored breathing, or breathing that moves toward a sense of dyspnea, is considerably less "labored" or stressful than I would experience at age 30 or 40 running a mile flat-out. If I feel the need, I pause or even stop for a sit-down break. But I was measuring my progress (without the Inogen G4) according to a count of pauses and sit-downs, and there had been real progress. Even so, I never carried the oximeter before, and the %BO readings were -- how shall I say? -- enlightening? Disturbing seems too strong a word for it.

Now I hear as gossip from family that use of a concentrator makes you more dependent on it, or that -- eventually -- you could achieve a state where what was once comfortable without the concentrator is suddenly insufficient.

I'm trying to navigate between what the pulmonologist recommends and my own sense of health and convenience. The concentrator is extra weight to carry. With the canula stuck in my nostrils, I have to inhale through my nose, and I'd grown accustomed to using both mouth and nose during my walks. So in a way, the canula restriction slightly limits my air intake.

It's only 1:50PM in the afternoon. I think I'm going to go walk without the concentrator today. Shit! I've been doing that for more than a year!

Opinions or comments on this are welcome, and thank you in advance . . .

 

[igor_kavinski]

Now I hear as gossip from family that use of a concentrator makes you more dependent on it, or that -- eventually -- you could achieve a state where what was once comfortable without the concentrator is suddenly insufficient.

Makes sense because if higher concentration of oxygen is available, it may lead to fewer red blood cells being created. Once you remove the concentrator from the equation, the fewer RBCs won't be able to carry enough oxygen for your needs. This is why at high altitudes where oxygen concentration is lower, the body will create more blood cells after a certain period of time and your lungs may get stronger to process the atmospheric air more quickly through their capillaries to extract as much oxygen as possible.

I would suggest trying the freshly squeezed/blended watermelon juice before your walk (keep it short, like 20 to 25 minutes in case the urge to pee becomes too strong) and see if it improves your breathing capacity.

Another thing to try is walking on empty stomach early in the morning. That way your blood won't have a flurry of activity trying to distribute the digested nutrients all around your body so the blood will be "thinner", flow more easily and be able to carry and supply oxygen better.

The oximeter is a great idea to keep track of your progress.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Cordyceps 200-pill bottle arriving to-dayyy!

I posted yesterday at 1:55PM -- prior to going out to the park without my G4 concentrator. It seemed easy. I was going to do two loops around the park or 0.7 miles, but chose to do a third loop for ~ 1.1 miles, and it was easy. No muscular pain, not even really out of breath.

The Inogen G4 cost me short of $4,000, and more than that with the accessories and extra batteries. It only has a maximum setting of "3", as I said yesterday. There are other manufactures than Inogen, and I found one with good customer reviews with the full range of settings, priced at only $950. But under the circumstances, I can wait up to a month before I pull the checkout string.

If the pulmonologist was correct at my lung function improving 10% over the last year, then -- maybe -- I can acquire another 10%. Just over the past four months or so, I've had perceptions and a sense of ongoing improvement.

I have memories of a year ago and a year before that, when I'd have to catch my breath after walking from the house to the garage, or getting from the parking lot to the grocery store entrance. I've left that level of disability in the dust -- apparently.

Maybe I've got a few more good years! Asking the pulmonologist "How many years do I have left?" -- I thought she was joking when she said "Maybe five years." Then, she said "maybe you'll surprise us." I thought about it: there are two types of probability density functions on something like a history of cigarette smoking. First, there's the number of years since the smoker quit -- likelihood of cancer just declines. But second, there is a set of probability curves based on the "number of pack-years" -- of which I'd racked up about 57!! With each level of personal smoking history, there would be a likelihood function for each successive age, and I'm 77.

So I have to be realistic and accept what she said. I could surprise myself, I suppose! Best to just keep walking. Today I'm doing some push-ups and sit-ups.

 

[igor_kavinski]

Cordyceps 200-pill bottle arriving to-dayyy!

6 Benefits of Cordyceps, All Backed by Science

Cordyceps is a genus of fungi that may have anti-aging and exercise performance benefits, among several others. This article discusses six science-based benefits of Cordyceps.

www.healthline.com

Due to limited human research, there is no consensus on dosages. A 2018 study used a dosage of 1,000 to 4,000 milligrams per dayTrusted Source, which wasn’t associated with side effects.

So three pills per day is safe, with the caveats that if you are taking blood thinning medication or anti-diabetic drugs, start with just one capsule in the morning and see how the rest of your day goes. After 3 or 4 days, start taking a 2nd capsule in the afternoon and wait another 3 or 4 days to see how things are with 2 capsules per day. Finally on the 8th or 9th day, you can start taking the 3rd capsule in the evening.

It may reduce your blood sugar level (so good to take it with a heavy meal) and may thin your blood (so don't take aspirin or any other blood thinner with it). May need to adjust your regular diabetes medication dose if you find that your blood glucose is dipping too low.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Interesting. because it was a "vegetable" supplement, I didn't worry much about side-effects and interactions. But even so, from the descriptions in the link you gave, it shouldn't be a problem, and I can start with a pill every day.

My doctor thinks my A1C is "just fine" at between 6.7 to 6.9, and this is after giving up bottled fruit juice with added sugar, soft drinks with sugar and sugary deserts, cutting back on potatoes and pasta with a daily tablet of Metformin. I personally am not satisfied with that, so if Cordyceps reduces blood sugar, it may be a good thing.

My Amazon page shows the photo of the package on my doorstep today, so I will get off my ass and retrieve it. I just ordered the stuff yesterday! It was here at 8AM! There are actually some positive aspects to 21st century life, like "instantaneous delivery"!

 

[igor_kavinski]

so if Cordyceps reduces blood sugar, it may be a good thing.

If it reduces A1C, that's a great thing. But the actual danger is taking both metformin and cordyceps together and then blood sugar going way below than needed by the body to function properly. That could be very dangerous. So please exercise caution. Keep something sweet handy. If you feel sugar is going down, replenish it ASAP.

 

[WelshBloke]

Cordyceps? If you feel a compulsion to climb some tall trees and just chill maybe get a friend with a shotgun to stand on duty!

 

[BonzaiDuck]

At some point 18 months past, my A1C was 6.7, but it seems to come in at 6.9 over the last year. I don't eat birthday cake with icing, cookies, brownies, pie, candy bars. Don't drink sugar-laden soft drinks and sparkling cider. Limit my intake of bread, pasta and potatoes. I really would love to reduce my blood sugar more. My primary physician thinks my A1C is "just fine" with a daily tablet of Metformin. I want it to be lower.

Just popped two of those capsules with a testosterone supplement and a prostate supplement. Lotta pills in one day! All vegetable stuff, though. I don't see any problems, but I'll go slow with the dosage until I'm sure.

Just reviewed this through an "AI" web-search:

Low blood sugar, also known as hypoglycemia, can cause a range of symptoms, including shakiness, sweating, and dizziness. In severe cases, it can lead to seizures, loss of consciousness, or death.

Symptoms
Fast / irregular heartbeat
shakiness
sweating
nervousness/anxiety
irritability/confusion
Dizziness/lightheadedness
hunger or nausea
tingling or numbness -- lips, tongue or cheek
headaches
difficulty speaking

SO FAR -- none of these, but too early to tell.

Maybe I'll wait another hour before I take my walk . . .

As long as I don't have seizures or dizziness, I should be OK. I've never had "seizures" before! What's THAT like?!

 

[igor_kavinski]

My primary physician thinks my A1C is "just fine" with a daily tablet of Metformin. I want it to be lower.

Only known way to do that is fasting with low calorie diet (800 to 1000 calories a day). That helps to take out the accumulated fat from the pancreas and then the pancreas is able to produce insulin normally. Newcastle University UK confirmed that with before and after MRI images of pancreas from previously diabetic patients who adhered to the diet. It's a slow process and may take up to 3 months to show results.

Or a fasting mimicking diet (Prolon. One of that per month for 4 months at least) and then you should see an improvement in your sugar levels.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Only known way to do that is fasting with low calorie diet (800 to 1000 calories a day). That helps to take out the accumulated fat from the pancreas and then the pancreas is able to produce insulin normally. Newcastle University UK confirmed that with before and after MRI images of pancreas from previously diabetic patients who adhered to the diet. It's a slow process and may take up to 3 months to show results.

Or a fasting mimicking diet (Prolon. One of that per month for 4 months at least) and then you should see an improvement in your sugar levels.

Confused! What about the Cordyceps' impact on blood sugar? I must not have the full information about blood sugar. Somebody had told me that the blood-draw and metabolic panel applies over a longer past period of time than "what you ate that day".

I'm going to fix BLT sandwiches today, then some white-bean soup -- later preparing some fried chicken livers. I understand this about the latter, but -- as I said -- once in a while . . . . Not so many folks like chicken livers. I like them with gravy and some rice. Rice also not so good for diabetic diet.

No symptoms yet for hypoglycemia. Gonna go drive to the grocery and do my 1-mile at the park . . .

 

[igor_kavinski]

Confused! What about the Cordyceps' impact on blood sugar?

Studies on the Antidiabetic Activities of Cordyceps militaris Extract in Diet-Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Sprague-Dawley Rats - PMC

Due to substantial morbidity and high complications, diabetes mellitus is considered as the third “killer” in the world. A search for alternative antidiabetic drugs from herbs or fungi is highly demanded. Our present study aims to investigate the ...

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

hbA1C measures the percentage of your red blood cells damaged by glucose exposure in the past 3 months (since the body completely replaces RBCs in 90 days). Up to 5.5% is normal. More than 6% is where it gets dangerous because the test doesn't tell anything about everything else that is damaged in the body. Glucose is a troublesome molecule. That is why our bodies need to produce insulin to keep it in check.

I'm not sure about the long term impact of Cordyceps on blood glucose but my guess is that it lowers glucose by reducing insulin resistance of cells. In other words, it may be signalling the cells to take up and remove the free flowing glucose from blood, thus reducing its damage. Will it cause diabetes to go into remission? I don't know. But if your A1C is significantly lower after 3 months, then it would make sense to keep taking cordyceps.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Studies on the Antidiabetic Activities of Cordyceps militaris Extract in Diet-Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Sprague-Dawley Rats - PMC

Due to substantial morbidity and high complications, diabetes mellitus is considered as the third “killer” in the world. A search for alternative antidiabetic drugs from herbs or fungi is highly demanded. Our present study aims to investigate the ...

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

hbA1C measures the percentage of your red blood cells damaged by glucose exposure in the past 3 months (since the body completely replaces RBCs in 90 days). Up to 5.5% is normal. More than 6% is where it gets dangerous because the test doesn't tell anything about everything else that is damaged in the body. Glucose is a troublesome molecule. That is why our bodies need to produce insulin to keep it in check.

I'm not sure about the long term impact of Cordyceps on blood glucose but my guess is that it lowers glucose by reducing insulin resistance of cells. In other words, it may be signalling the cells to take up and remove the free flowing glucose from blood, thus reducing its damage. Will it cause diabetes to go into remission? I don't know. But if your A1C is significantly lower after 3 months, then it would make sense to keep taking cordyceps.

I can only say this. The Directions on the pill bottle say to take two twice daily, while your advice (or somebody's) was to just take a single capsule. I took two at about 11AM. No symptoms of hypoglycemia -- nothing -- no side-effects. I went for my walk. That was also good -- without the oxygen gadget. I CAN get lazy, so I'll walk 0.7 miles, then hop over to the grocery next to the park and a tour up and down the aisles easily tops it off to 1+ miles. I should also try to do two miles daily, but -- ya see -- when I'm busy, yada yada.

I figure if you do SOMETHING every day, it all helps . . .

A little will-power -- I'm going to fix BLT sandwiches on toast . . . gotta get up and walk into the kitchen . . .

 

[BonzaiDuck]

More Cordyceps info. There are two types of product. One -- represented by the NOW brand -- grows the fungus on rice and contains more "filler", diluting the desirable components. The other is Cordyceps M, identified as such and described as derived from "100% fruiting bodies":

"Real Mushrooms" brand -- Cordyceps M

I haven't had any noticeable reaction to the NOW brand product. The REal Mushrooms variety arrives tomorrow. I suspect, if there are any positive health effects, they will appear gradually as I continue to take the supplement.

Howsoever, my walking and breathing continues to improve, and I say that without using the Inogen G4. I have no symptoms of hypoxia or dyspnea when I walk -- assuming the latter shows as a sense of suffocation with prolonged heavy breathing to restore blood oxygen. If I feel short of breath, I stop and pause in my walk. I have a sure sense of improvement. If I gained 10% lung function over the last year, maybe I can add another 10% if I just persist.

But if using the concentrator has an adverse affect on red corpuscle creation so that I need to use the device more and more, I'm inclined to deviate from my pulmonologist's recommendation. I think they believe my walking regimen leaves me with severe O2 deficit, but the oximeter shows that it bounces back to the 91-92 range after a 30-second to 1-minute pause. And the results don't seem to differ much between use of the G4 Inogen and without it.

UPDATE: So far, no symptoms or side-effects taking the full dosage now from the Cordyceps-M bottle.

OBSERVATIONS :YESTERDAY: I went to the park for my walk, and it seemed easier again. Then I came home and did some push-ups. After that, I took a 50mg Delta-8 Gummi. Just as I was starting to "come on", I also started feeling sore enough to incline taking two Tramadols.

These were left by my departed brother, who hoarded them. You would count on the pain-killer wearing off after six hours. 12 to 14 hours later, I was still ripped, cripped, flipped and zipped from the Gummi, but I totally felt wonderful today. I mean -- in ways excluding the good feeling of being high.

AN UPDATE THREE DAYS AFTER THE LAST: I cannot prove that the Cordyceps-M is working, but since I started taking it, I generally feel better, eat better, poop better, pee better, breath better and walk better. As for the blood sugar, if I keep taking two of the "M" caps daily, we'll see what the metabolic panel shows when I have my blood drawn before April. But no recognizable side-effects, while I initially started taking twice the recommended dose of the "M" variety of Cordyceps.

Today, it almost seemed strange. Got out on the trail, did my full mile without getting out of breath, and it was actually comfortable and pleasant. We're adding pushups and sit-ups to the exercise regimen if I didn't already say so.

I know I should follow my pulmonologist's recommendations, but I absolutely see no reason to encumber myself with a portable Inogen O2 concentrator. Breathing is more difficult during my walks, for needing to take air exclusively through my nose where I stick the canula. I've made a point to take rest-stops when I feel like it, but it still takes about the same time to complete my daily objective.

 

[igor_kavinski]

Are Sex and Pickleball Keys to Longevity?

This article was first published in The Montreal Gazette. Want to lead a long life? Play pickleball and have sex. Who says so? Dan Buettner, a guy who knows something about longevity. After all, he is responsible for popularizing the concept of “blue zones,” regions of the world where people...

www.mcgill.ca

Easy fix?

 

[igor_kavinski]

AN UPDATE THREE DAYS AFTER THE LAST: I cannot prove that the Cordyceps-M is working, but since I started taking it, I generally feel better, eat better, poop better, pee better, breath better and walk better. As for the blood sugar, if I keep taking two of the "M" caps daily, we'll see what the metabolic panel shows when I have my blood drawn before April. But no recognizable side-effects, while I initially started taking twice the recommended dose of the "M" variety of Cordyceps.

Today, it almost seemed strange. Got out on the trail, did my full mile without getting out of breath, and it was actually comfortable and pleasant. We're adding pushups and sit-ups to the exercise regimen if I didn't already say so.

WOW

Yeah. That's the trouble with supplements. You cannot "prove" they work but they make you feel a lot better so something "must" be working

Can't wait to hear about your hbA1c progress!

 

[BonzaiDuck]

WOW

Yeah. That's the trouble with supplements. You cannot "prove" they work but they make you feel a lot better so something "must" be working

Can't wait to hear about your hbA1c progress!

That should prove enough to my satisfaction, given the abstract introducing the NIH article you posted.

If I hadn't already said it, I've made a departure from my pulmonologist's recommendation to use my Inogen G4 oxygen concentrator when I do my morning walk. The G4 only allows a full setting of "3" on a common scale among those devices generally which extends to "6". In comparison to walking without it, the oximeter doesn't show any marked improvement in the oxygen-deficit readings that coincide with feeling "out of breath". Further, the nasal canula is an encumbrance, because I must continuously inhale through the nose, when inhaling through the mouth allows for less restricted, deeper breathing. It is uncomfortable and unwelcome.

Instead, I choose not to push myself and allow for more breaks during the walk -- just until I achieve "at-rest" breathing. But these breaks are not significant in slowing my time-lapse progress during the walk: yesterday, I finished the mile in 35 minutes. I distinctly find these walks to be more progressively enjoyable and less of a strain -- emphatically without the Inogen device.

I just "guess" that lung efficiency has improved, whether for continuing to walk regularly or as a result of taking the Cordyceps-M.