Dietary Confusion

Old news is new again. A recent article declares the Okinawa diet to be as healthy if not more so than the fabled Mediterranean diet. The latter promotes a menu rich in vegetables supplemented with omega-3 derived from seafood. The Okinawan diet is even more restrictive in that its carb to protein ratio is 10:1 and Okinawans eat even fewer calories.

These are comparable by degrees to the Pritikin diet and Ornish diet for heart disease except those are caloric and fat-restrictive. Studies show significant longevity increase in monkeys and other animals when subjected to restricted calories (but nutritionally supplemented with vital minerals and vitamins).

The Okinawan and Mediterranean diets correlate to the Blue Zones, areas of the world where populations tend to live into extreme old age -- approaching 100 years. There are 7 to 9 designated Blue Zones, but only one in the US. Loma Linda, California contains a large Seventh Day Adventist population who eschew alcohol and tobacco as well as meat, and take regular exercise. It is reported that they tend to live 10 years longer than the average population due to their healthy lifestyle and vegetarian diet.

Of course, recent guidelines also state that older folks (over 50 years of age) should increase their protein intake beyond current recommendations of 0.8 gms protein per kg body weight to 1-1.2 gms of high-quality protein (like whey).

All this conflicting information makes it hard to determine what course of action to take. Obviously, the best food plan is the one you can actually follow and live by. It's not a diet per se but an actual lifestyle modification. It looks nearly impossible to eat properly without some sort of supplementation.

The key is to take baby steps and make small sustainable changes. I love English muffins, but in trying to cut unnecessary refined carbohydrates, I've stopped buying them. If they're not in my kitchen, they won't get eaten. It does pose the problem of how to make avocado toast without toast. Lately, I've put avocado and crushed fresh garlic atop oatmeal. Some days I replace the avocado and garlic with frozen blueberries, then add whey protein to the cooled porridge.

I'm still figuring out how to proceed, how to maintain my health and purported longevity. Although both my parents died younger than expected, I still hope to live past my grandmother's age of 93, but in much better health. While I'm cutting back on empty calories, I'm continuing to maintain a decent whey protein intake. Increase the vegetables, continue with snack nuts, raw garlic, avocado, eat less animal protein and keep an eye on alcohol intake. It's a plan.

Today was standard HIIT cardio followed by a Push Day routine. The only difference was that it ended with a proper V-bar Tricep Press Down drop set, which means little to no rest between sets once I hit the maximum weight of 45 lbs. This also means that I'm barely able to squeeze out any reps, unlike last week when I took at least a minute between sets. Amazing what rest time will do.

Monday Post Sprachfest

Norwegian 4x4
5 min w/u (4 min on / 3 min off) x 4
5, 9, 12, 16, 19, 23, 26, 30, 33
Calories 286
Miles 2.65
HR 137-190 (123, 115, 97, 87)

Cage Stretch
HGPU 22

Push Ups 53
Crunches 30/40
Scissors 50
Bicycles 50
Side Planks 2 x 60s
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s

Smith Inclined Press
(60degree)
Bar (30) x 15
50 x 12
70 x 12
90 x 12 x 3
65 x 25 (kinda EZ)

DB Laterals s/s Rev Incl Flyes
20 lbs x 12/15 reps
22.5 x 12/15 x 3 sets

Rip Skulls
(Happy with 8+)
40 lbs x 12 reps x 3 sets

V-bar Triceps Press Down
20lbs x 12
30 x 12
40 x 12
45 x 9
40 x 7
30 x 5
20 x 12

Mat Stretch