Part 36 - Best of Backpacker Bites from 2008
With New Year fitness resolutions flying around like wildfire this January, we thought you might enjoy all the best health tips from the 2008 run of Backpacker Bites – all in one place. Here’s a sweet guide on how to kick 2009 into gear.
Story Highlights
- Too Fit to Travel ‐ Fat Versus Fiction
- Strength and Endurance
- The Press Up
- What Caffeine Really Does to Your Body
April 2008: Too Fit to Travel ‐ Fat Versus Fiction
This story is nicely illustrated by a friend of mine who, since leaving university, has been travelling the world. For a long time prior to leaving, said friend was hugely excited about the range of experiences which lay ahead, but conversations about the future also included the inevitable topic of a desire to become fitter, healthier and stronger.
To the modern mind the ideas of travel and fitness are mutually inconsistent. We live in a world of corporate health clubs, where we’re told that signing up is synonymous with a healthier lifestyle. It’s a sad fact that the wealth of the industry is primarily due to unused memberships. This reality is proven by the increasing levels of obesity in this country and in the USA, in addition to the continued growth of the fitness industry.
May 2008: Strength and Endurance
So far I have used the words strength and endurance under the same umbrella, but it’s important to make the distinction. These two training principles are in fact the two extremes of a continuum; at one end, strength training focuses on the ability to work against heavy resistances for short periods of time, and at the other end we have endurance training, which involves being able to work against lesser forces ‐ but for extended periods of time. A pro at shot putt would take greater benefit in strength training, but a cyclist’s job involves much more endurance. Of course, we could all lift zero kilograms forever, so there comes a point at which training effects begin to fade.
At this point I would like to clear up a common myth. If pure bulk is what you are after then the solution lies not at the strength end of the spectrum but in fact half way along. A combination of weight and time is needed to achieve the results that Popeye got from his spinach. But before we talk numbers, let’s apply this theory to the subject of travel.
August 2008: The Press Up
It’s possible that the mention of this exercise brings up mental images ‐ associated with military drills. I think it’s necessary to throw in a: “drop and give me fifty” here, just to add a little colour to these visions! But what are press ups actually for? Think for a little while and you may reach the sensible conclusion that they are used to develop your upper body strength. This is indeed true ‐ but the upper body is a large collection of muscle groups and they can be targeted in a number of ways. Furthermore pounding press ups out by the million ‐ is by no means the most effective approach. Biceps and lats are rather difficult to target without special equipment. Press‐ups however focus on the chest, the back of the arms and the front of the shoulders ‐ so the pectorals, triceps and anterior deltoids. The first version of this move will provide a balanced and targeted workout for all of these muscles.
November 2008: What Caffeine Really Does to Your Body
The stimulating effects of this drug are known to manifest themselves in mood, stamina, the cerebral vascular system and gastric, and colonic activity. All are enhanced but only in the short term. Less than an hour after the consumption of caffeine the full extent of these effects will be reached and within three hours they begin to fade. An important fact to note is that no caffeine is retained in the body – and the more water you drink the faster the caffeine leaves your body.
On a more serious note it is often thought that the stimulating effects of caffeine may contribute to the risk of heart disease, especially in relation to the increased stress levels. Research however has shown no such long‐term link ‐ not surprising given the timescale on which the body processes this drug. In fact the opposite was shown, namely that regular caffeine intake can in the long term, reduce the risk of heart disease. Oddly this fact is much more apparent in older generations. Could this be linked to the typical source of caffeine? Certainly tea and coffee are not linked to elevated blood pressure or heart arrhythmias ‐ whereas soft drinks are. Also it has been shown that modern, decaffeinated tea and coffee do not provide the same benefits. Could it be that tea and coffee drinkers are exercising the heart?
A note of caution though before we get carried away on a caffeine high. Research has shown that a caffeine intake of 300mg or more a day may increase bone loss in later life. Potential links with osteoporosis are not known but the research into this is ongoing. On another point ‐ I’m sure all you information savvy readers have terrified yourselves with articles linking caffeine to cancer. The good news is that there is no evidence to date to validate this link ‐ whatsoever. Phew!
‐ David Haw
