Month: September 2019

Psyllium: is magic

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Throughout the fitness industry,  people are busting a gut to sell you dubious pills and potions.

However there are naturally occurring, non controversial  substances that cure or alleviate many  dangerous  medical conditions. I’ve discussed Chia seeds here, today its  Psyllium.

Pysllium is magic.

 

Some fun Pysllium facts

 

  1. Psyllium is a soluble fiber derived from the seeds of Plantago ovata. Grown mainly  in India
  2. Because of its great water solubility, psyllium can absorb water and become a thick, viscous compound that resists digestion in the small intestine.

    Its resistance to digestion allows it to help regulate high cholesterol, triglycerides and blood sugar levels.  For me, there are 2 notable areas where it helps

A) Blood sugar regulation

One study treated 56 diabetic men with 5.1 grams of psyllium twice per day for eight weeks. It reduced their daily blood sugar levels by 11% (see here for reference). 

Other studies indicate the same , with a guess that 10gms a day is the magic figure

B) Cholesterol

A review of 21 studies reported that reductions in total and LDL cholesterol are dose dependent. This means greater results were observed with treatments of 20.4 grams of psyllium per day than 3 grams per day

Prescription

5 gms  x 3 times a day with a glass of water, but increase water consumption in general. It is a bit difficult to get that much  down!

 

 

Chia seeds

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Well, its all chia seeds now!

29 grams of chia seeds provides up to 42% of your daily recommended fiber,  plus phosphorus, magnesium, calcium and omega-3 fatty acids ( which are good btw!). Don’t take my dubious word for it. Look up :

“A dietary pattern including nopal, chia seed, soy protein, and oat reduces serum triglycerides and glucose intolerance in patients with metabolic syndrome” says so (check it out here).

What a read.

But, what this really means is that if you don’t include things like chia seeds and psyllium husks in your diet, you are a bit of a moron.

I should say,  however, that I’d never heard of “nopal” until I read the above  study. It’s a prickly pear cactus, comes from  Mexico and has a high   antioxidant, vitamin, mineral, and fiber content.

A sort of a sit up test

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Coming from a functional fitness back ground, the  sit up procedure suggested by Goulding is a bit of a shocker!!

Lie on the floor  with your knees bent at approximately right angles, with feet flat on the ground. Your hands should be resting on your thighs. Just slide your hands along your thighs to touch the top of your knees, then back to the starting position (don’t tug or strain your neck)

Do it for 1 minute

Allow the table below to Judge you!

1 Minute Sit Up Test (Men)

Age 18-25 26-35 36-45 46-55 56-65 65+
Excellent >49 >45 >41 >35 >31 >28
Good 44-49 40-45 35-41 29-35 25-31 22-28
Above average 39-43 35-39 30-34 25-28 21-24 19-21
Average 35-38 31-34 27-29 22-24 17-20 15-18
Below Average 31-34 29-30 23-26 18-21 13-16 11-14
Poor 25-30 22-28 17-22 13-17 9-12 7-10
Very Poor <25 <22 <17 <13 <9 <7

1 Minute Sit Up Test (Women)

Age 18-25 26-35 36-45 46-55 56-65 65+
Excellent >43 >39 >33 >27 >24 >23
Good 37-43 33-39 27-33 22-27 18-24 17-23
Above average 33-36 29-32 23-26 18-21 13-17 14-16
Average 29-32 25-28 19-22 14-17 10-12 11-13
Below Average 25-28 21-24 15-18 10-13 7-9 5-10
Poor 18-24 13-20 7-14 5-9 3-6 2-4
Very Poor <18 <13 <7 <5 ❤ <2

Source: adapted from Golding, et al. (1986). The Y’s way to physical fitness (3rd ed.)

Push up test

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The old favourite push up test. Loved by some hated by many. This is supposed to be the amount of push ups you can do before exhaustion. Surprisingly this is not chest to floor, but elbows to 90 degree.

Allegedly, those with weaker upper body strength, can drop their knees to the floor and test from there

Table: Push Up Test norms for MEN

Age 17-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-65
Excellent > 56 > 47 > 41 > 34 > 31 > 30
Good 47-56 39-47 34-41 28-34 25-31 24-30
Above average 35-46 30-39 25-33 21-28 18-24 17-23
Average 19-34 17-29 13-24 11-20 9-17 6-16
Below average 11-18 10-16 8-12 6-10 5-8 3-5
Poor 4-10 4-9 2-7 1-5 1-4 1-2
Very Poor < 4 < 4 < 2 0 0 0

Table: Push Up Test norms for WOMEN

Age 17-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-65
Excellent > 35 > 36 > 37 > 31 > 25 > 23
Good 27-35 30-36 30-37 25-31 21-25 19-23
Above Average 21-27 23-29 22-30 18-24 15-20 13-18
Average 11-20 12-22 10-21 8-17 7-14 5-12
Below average 6-10 7-11 5-9 4-7 3-6 2-4
Poor 2-5 2-6 1-4 1-3 1-2 1
Very Poor 0-1 0-1 0 0 0 0

* Source: adapted from Golding, et al. (1986). The Y’s way to physical fitness (3rd ed.)

Fitness tests: the 12 minute run

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The 12 Minute Run test

If you have 12 minutes spare, plus warm up and cool down time, you can find out: how aerobically fit you are, a theoretical VO2 Max figure and how well you do for your age. Run, walk, crawl as far as you can in 12 mins.  Then compare here.

cooperstable.png

If you want a VO2 Max “figure” try this (very crude) calculation:
VO2max = (22.351 x kilometers) – 11.288 =         mL/kg/min
Then look yourself up here:

vo2maxvalues.gif

Try not to kill yourself. You may need to build up running times, and possibly get medical clearance. Some need to walk. It doesn’t matter if your first go is a poor result. Use it to motivate you to get better.

Email me for more support Andrew@crossfitlondonuk.com