Right, this is an unusual pairing of titular themes.
Yet please bear with me as we delve in ways to chase Big Hairy Audacious Goals (aka BHAGs) that are performance models of Epic Sh*t.
You may dust off your Wayback Machine to find the acronym BHAG. Though the acronym started with Collins and Porris in a 2012 book, I liberally extend BHAGs to world record athletic pursuits.
As an example, this lone hiker’s BHAG is to “summit” that distant and lofty mountain peak.
Credit: Jetpack AI
As my personal example, I share a recent ultra-distance performance by five bucket-list guys, average age 72.
Why did we choose to set a world record for the relay distance rowed on a indoor rower ? That is a great question, as many good folks (like my wife) thought that this was a loony idea.
Well, all of us believe in imposing new demands on our aging bodies. Amassing 189 miles (304,302 meters) in a day was an imposition. Yet the worthy returns on imposed investment of sweat and kilocalories are both explicit and implicit.
The one to two pounds of body fat expended by each of us is just one explicit reward. That’s right, my 7-hour contribution of 95,000 meters rowed internally combusted ~6,000 dietary calories. Yess, there are easier ways to shed fat, yet setting a world record isn’t supposed to be easy.
Bergland was an off-the-charts endurance athlete who set the world record for non-stop running distance on a treadmill. Yes, a quest like that is out of my league and probably yours, too. Please follow my science-backed and sweat-based lesson on DOSE-RESPONSE that conclude too much of a good thing is not wonderful.
Yet, the premise of his book is that we should celebrate the gains in confidence, resilience, and humble pride that we gain by chasing BHAGs. He wrote,
“when I am running, biking, or swimming, happiness pours out of me…everyone who exercises to sweat (properly) experiences this bliss.”
For the record, so to speak, here is our Well Past Forty Record certificate 🙂
Earth Day
I was a mere junior in High School when Earth Day began. I shout out to the forward-leaning activists, and a U.S. Senator, Gaylord Nelson, who originated the BHAG of Earth Day, to be celebrated near the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere.
Let’s salute, and honor this terrestrial ball that we call home!
Four Ways to Fit Mother Earth into your Fitness Bliss
As an ever-practical scribe and athlete, I suggest activities like these to integrate personal health with planetary health:
Fitness is a dynamic way to connect personal health and planetary health.
1. Catch a Local Yoga Session
Guided yoga sessions help us connect with the only environment we have. Yoga, or similar mind-body efforts, are great to work on your flexibility and mental clarity when surrounded by community energy.
2. Take an “Earth Day Challenge” (Virtual 5K/10K)
Participate in an Earth Day Challenge happening today.
100% of the proceeds go to humanitarian aid like water filters for remote villages. It’s a great way to make your daily cardio count for a global cause.
3. Plogging anytime, anywhere
Picking up litter while jogging is more physically demanding, immersive and rewarding than a “run of the mill” jog.
4. Trail Maintenance & Hiking
Find an earthly functional strength workout
Move mulch, plant trees, or clear brush as “nature’s CrossFit.”
And, as you are headed for an out-of-doors workout today and everyday, please avoid the “plastic trap.” Drink from a stainless steel bottle or non-PBA canister, and strive to don workout gear made from recycled materials.
When you return home, enjoy non-inflammatory macros and micros, like the home-grown Vitamin “P”lant shown in this image.
I trust that you sense my encouragement to do Epic Sh*t, and perhaps celebrate your BHAG with bubbly or noble grapes from the Browne Family Vineyards.
After all, measured sips of earthly wine have phytonutrients (polyphenols) that can healthily keep you in good cheer for many more Earth Days
Stay Well Past Forty,
Koach Dave
ps – Stay tuned for the launch of my third book, Burden? or Banish! in the late 2026. And, BOLO (Be On the LOokout) for comprehensive 7s. fit training and education packages too.
Are you ready to join the Big KAHUNA grass-roots effort?
Please join our mailing list by sending me an email with your intent.
In our age of “Mad Men” marketing, you may recall the phrase, “It’s Miller Time.”
I didn’t mean this (Reggie) Miller:
This Miller isn’t my focus either:
Credit: Tenor
Well, to usher in our new calendar year, I’m penning useful information about Liver Time... Our Liver Time… Here we go…
On occasion, or regularly, do you fell that a good night’s sleep is unobtainium?
Sure, many factors contribute to your and my sleep quality or inequality. Stress, alcohol consumption, and late meals are three top takeaways from mimicking Morpheus in your slumber.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) identifies the liver and its impact on our ability to achieve deep, restorative sleep. You know, sleep deprivation can be tantamount to being drunk. And Cortisol levels can rise with sleep problems. And your endocrine system’s capacity to produce happy hormones is impaired. And…..,.
If you awake between 1 and 3 AM in your biorhythm, your liver might be hollering for a liver lifeline.
Role Playing
In TCM, the liver’s role is vital for smooth flows of Qi (life energy that we pronounce “chee”) and for healthy blood flow throughout your or my body. The largest gland in our body can role play your emotions, like anger, frustration, and irritability.
When the liver function is balanced, Qi and blood can flow freely, emotions are regulated, and your quality sleep is long and restorative.
However, a “stagnant” or “overheated” liver can disrupt this delicate balance for too many Americans – like me.
This specific time window is known as the “Liver Time” in the TCM organ clock.
Credit: WordPress AI image.
During these nocturnal organ hours, a healthy and balanced liver is cleansing blood, processing emotions, and preparing the body for a new day dawning. If the liver is overburdened or out of balance, its energetic activity during this time can awaken you, leaving you feeling restless and unable to fall back asleep.
But Wait, There is More!
Beyond the 1-3 AM wake-ups, an imbalanced liver can manifest issues via :
Emotional Irritability: Frequent anger, frustration, resentment, or temper.
Physical Discomfort: Headaches , muscle tension, eye strain, dark circles under the eyes.
Energy Levels: Fatigue, lack of mojo, feeling sluggish.
Approach Liver Health and Better Sleep
“Detoxing” is how we support our liver’s natural functions with lifestyle adjustments. Here are my suggestions for you to nurture that unsung and oft-overworked organ. Yes! You can improve sleep, especially during those crucial 1-3 AM hours:
1. Eat to Live with a Liver-Friendly Diet:
Go Green: Enjoy dark leafy greens. Yup! Chlorophyll helps your liver cleanse the blood.
Better Bitters: And not just in adult cocktails 🙂 Boost your bile output with dandelion greens, radicchio, endive, and artichokes.
Sour Power: Citrus fruits.Sip warm lemon water in the morning to stimulate liver function.
Cruciferous Vegetables: Broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage support liver enzyme processes.
Limit Processed and Ultra-processed “Foods” (UPFs): Please shun refined sugars, unhealthy fats, and processed foods that burden American livers.
Hydrate: Drink plenty of filtered water throughout each day to help flush toxins from your metabolism.
2. Manage Stress and Emotions:
Mindfulness & Meditation: Calm your mind and reduce emotional swings.
Breathe Deeply: Release tension and chill.
Journaling: Express your emotions on paper to promote them rather than suppress your liver Qi.
Nature Connection: Invest time in our great outdoors to ground and to reduce stressors of the rat races you find yourself in…
3. Move:
Walk: Strolls after meals aid digestion and help move Qi.
(As I wrote last month in my recent Know your Nuts and Bolts post, that post-meal stroll can help with manly bladder control too.)
Yoga & Tai Chi: Mindfully move your body to improve circulation and help release emotional blockages that occur near your solar plexus chakra (Manipura). Don’t neglect “belly” or diaphragm breathing, please.
Stretching: Stretch muscle and fascia fibers to open your flanks or body sides with frontal and transverse (twisting) plane movements for better Qi along your liver meridians. Moves that I practice are:
ankle (tic toc) rotations from a lying or seated position,
side stretches,
torso twists, and
wide-legged “stances or “sumo steps.”
4. Herbal X Factors :
A qualified TCM practitioner can personalize recommendations for herbal formulas. Herbs traditionally used to support liver health include:
Dandelion Root: Known for its cleansing properties.
Milk Thistle: Supports liver cell regeneration.
Schisandra Berry: An adaptogen that protects the liver and supports overall well-being.
Chrysanthemum Flowers: Used to clear “liver heat” and calm the eyes.
5. Is your Sleep Routine…Routine?:
Wind-Downs: Create your relaxing evening routine that signals to your body it’s time to sleep. This could include a warm bath, reading, or gentle stretching.
Limit your late Screen Time: Avoid electronic devices for at least an hour before your beddy-bye, as their blue lights can disrupt your natural melatonin production.
Optimal Sleep Environment: Ensure your bedroom is dark, quiet, and cool. Skip the PJs, open that window a crack, and massage your vagus nerve system before turning out the lights.
Dream On America
Please think about your liver health through ancient TCM lenses. You just might improve your vital sleep, particularly for any 1-3 AM wake-ups.
Eat liver-friendly foods, manage your stressors, move often and mindfully, and consider herbal support, as I am now trying with milk thistle.
Show your liver some love and pave the dreamy way for more peaceful, restorative nights. Self-scanning your body’s imbalanced signals is important for you to thrive and strive.
Would Poor Richard mislead us? One Almanack aphorism concerned temperance. Most of us know that part of the liver’s imbalance at nighttime could be alcohol-related…
“Franklin believed the liver’s greatest enemy was the “Punchbowl.” He often warned that what we drink today, we pay for tomorrow—both in money and in health.
“He that spills the Rum, loses that only; He that drinks it, often loses both that and himself.”
Get unstuck to thrive and strive. Morpheus would want it that way 🙂
Stay well past forty! Thanks for reviewing this Liver listing.
Please join our big KAHUNA movement to banish cardiovascular disease in America!
Welcome to our December edition, fellow Healthitude enthusiasts!
Thank you for investing a bit of your personal capital to sustain your long-term physical portfolio with a lifeline from my operating system!
When you reach the bottom of this article, you will find attractive Deals that become a Win-win for the big KAHUNA and for you.
Resolve?
We are halfway through this 2025-2026 Holiday season.
How are you doing, physically and mentally, at this Halftime show?
Those two to 5 pounds of added white fat for many Americans are harder to shed as we age. ‘Tis far better to avoid the storage of white fat – unless you plan to be a member of the next Donner Party…
Naughty and Nice
Here’s hope that those North Pole elves have you covered.
Please be uber-nice to those strangers, acquaintances, and compadres with whom you chinwag through and beyond this most wonderful time of the Year.
Well, whether the Holidays (Hannukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, Festivus…) are truly wonderful depends on matters within and beyond our control. So, let’s commit to working on those factors that we can control – like mental anguish, loneliness, and poor lifestyle choices. Surely I know that you get plenty of coaching from Madison Avenue and digital sources about Holiday Happiness.
I pile on with my counsel that motion and sweat can tackle the causes of Holiday unhappiness. And, it does not take hours to move your muscles and joints or generate happy hormones. Here is one of my “atomic” Holiday habits:
a. before a party or social event – I do 25 bodyweight squats, 25 pushups, and 25 Dead Bug moves.
Granted, these are all in our sagittal (front to back) planes of motion. Yet I said “atomic”, didn’t I? If you go for the gusto before the fruitcake, eggnog, glögg, or lutefish helpings, add sets of side-to-side and twisting motions. Trust me that these little efforts count toward your enduring physical portfolio.
Recall that a prime reason for failing resolutions is that folks choose goals that are too ambitious and actions are too irregular. Yes, we can fix that!
Hoosier Daddy
Curt “I win, Google it” Cignetti is my unquestioned Coach of the Year. Talk about turnarounds! About-facing from the role of biggest loser in NCAA football history to this year’s undefeated Big Dog is remarkable.
Coach Cignetti is a mastermind of process. His key point for us aging athletes is that it is far more important to adapt and to work smarter than it is to work harder. I commend to you today’s Wall Street Journal article that highlighted Coach C’s adaptive, work-smarter system. Yes, it is important to do the work in that safe zone of your Dose-Response curve. When there, remember to adapt and make your movements count rather than count your movements. Go IU!
Stocking Stuff
This month, as we reflect on the past year and look forward to new beginnings, we’re focusing on the foundational element of Strength and a critical health topic: Hypertension.
Let’s dive in and keep our Healthspan UNAbated!
1. Medical Section: Avoid High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)
Hypertension (High Blood Pressure, or HBP) is often called the “silent killer” because it frequently has no outward developmental symptoms. However, it significantly increases your risk for both a heart attack and a stroke. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is your best defense!
Dietary Changes: Follow the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet, focusing on vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and lean proteins, and limiting saturated and total fats.
Sodium Reduction: Aim for less than 1 teaspoon of sodium per day, especially if you have HBP. – which too many countrymen do! Read nutrition labels carefully, as processed and ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are a major source. Fact: We Americans average 2 teaspoons of sodium a day. Even if you sweat a lot from healthy exercise, it is prudent to consume and absorb “right” levels of sodium from natural foods.
Exercise: Get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity (like brisk walking) or 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week. Note that these are our Government’s “blanket” guidelines for Joe and Jill Six Pack. Many of you readers safely exceed these weekly guideline totals.
Limit Alcohol: For those who drink, it is prudent to limit intake to two drinks per day for men and one for women – or less. The jury is still out as to whether abstinence is a healthitude booster. For now, practically follow the adage that moderation is key!
Know Your Numbers: Regular blood pressure checks are essential. A normal blood pressure reading is generally considered below 120/80 mmHg when you are at rest.
2. 7-S Segment: Focus on STRENGTH
Strength is more than just lifting weights; it’s the foundational enabler for two other S’s in our framework – Stability and Stamina as we age. Building and maintaining muscle mass offers tangible benefits well past forty:
Boosted Metabolism: Muscle tissue burns more calories than fat, even at rest.
Better Bone Health: Resistance exercises put needed stress on your bone matrices, stimulates bone density, and reduces risk of osteopenia/osteoporosis.
Improved Balance and Coordination: Stronger muscles support joint mobility, helping to prevent falls. Or, if a fall occurs, those sarcomeres serve as capable shock absorbers. Remember that rehearsed exercises for our neuromuscular systems and proprioception (as your sixth sense) are your flexible insurance riders.
Functional Fitness: Makes everyday activities—like carrying groceries or standing up from a chair—safer and easier.
Action Step: Incorporate 2 full-body strength training sessions per week if you are a Kaboomer. If you are a GenX, then 3 is your “go to” number of sessions per seek. Use resistance bands, free weights, or even your own body weight (squats, push-ups).
Repeat after me as your guide, resisted motion is fine medicine!
3. Myth Buster: The “Younger You” Myth
Myth: The key to longevity is trying to look, act, and exercise exactly as you did when you were 20-something.
Fact: Attempting to replicate your youthful self can lead to injury and burnout. The key to successful longevity is rational Adaptation and Consistency. Your body is constantly changing, but it remains incredibly adaptable. Take another look at Coach Cignetti’s winning recipe in this article to reinforce this point.
Focus on Healthspan, not just Lifespan: Prioritize exercises and habits that maintain your quality of life and ability to function independently, rather than chasing a personal best from decades ago.
Embrace Progressive Overload: Keep challenging your body safely (e.g., gradually increasing weight or distance), but always listen to what your body needs, including adequate recovery.
4. X Factors from KABOOMER, Strong to Save, and soon Burden? or Banish
X Factor aren’t secret pills, or fountains of youth. Rather, these “‘lil bit extras” can help us on our continuing adventures, with long-term returns in our physical portfolios.
Today’s subjective X Factor is Adopting a Growth Mindset and Purpose. With purposeful and immersive efforts- rather than brain-dead ones – (such as volunteering, mentoring, or mastering a new skill), your brain stays engaged, your stress levels decrease, and your motivation to maintain physical health soars. Purpose fuels Healthitude.
5. Dave’s Latest Checkout: Fitness Watches
This month, I’m highlighting the Apple Fitness Watch (or similar smartwatches/fitness trackers). These devices are powerful computational and tracking assets to monitor and motivate your Healthitude journey:
Activity Rings/Goals: Provides a visual, satisfying way to track daily movement, exercise, stress levels and resilience and step counts.
Heart Rate Monitoring: This watch function is crucial for tracking heart health, especially for those managing or preventing conditions like HBP (Hypertension) and even A-fibrillation. Remember that any device can offer false positives and miss actual occurrences.
Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and Heart Age estimation are also vital measures for trending!
Sleep Tracking: Offers insight into the quality and duration of your restorative sleep. Yes, light sleep counts. Yet, Deep Sleep and Rapid Eye Movement (REM) segments are invaluable.
Fall Detection: A powerful safety feature that can automatically call emergency services if a serious fall is detected.
Tip: Use accessory data that the watch provides as insight, not as a stick to beat yourself with. Progress and favorable trends are our game for life!
6. Healthitude Humor
Why did the 40-year-old weightlifter break up with the 20-something cardio enthusiast?
He said their relationship didn’t have enough resistance!
7. December’s Fitness Haiku
Cold wind blows outside,
Strong muscles defy the frost,
Warm purpose remains!
8. Join Us in the Big KAHUNA Movement!
The KAHUNA Movement is about collective commitment to Keeping America’s Healthspan UNAbated.
We reject the notion that accelerated or “normal” decline is inevitable. We are committed to strength, stability, and purpose! Yes, we can change the nation’s trajectory of glothic behaviors, and prevent preventable dis-eases. Yes! We can chase yesterdays of 7-12 vital years. Trust me.
What is a personal KAHUNA Commitment?
Know Your Numbers (Blood pressure, cholesterol, weight).
Actively Engage in Strength Training and Stamina efforts.
Are you ready to become part of a Big KAHUNA? Share this newsletter with friends who are also dedicated to thriving well past forty. Let’s inspire the nation!
Here is the Deal (cited in your welcome above)
By joining the big KAHUNA movement and our mailing list by MLK’s Holiday (Monday, January 19th 2026) –
you will receive from Well Past Forty LLC a digital copy of either Kaboomer or Strong to Save as your Healthitude operating system and guide,
You will be eligible for a Buy one Get one (BOGO) Deal when our new FutureFit online training package is released in 2026,
You will be eligible for a Half-price offer for my new Book, Burden? or Banish! to be released in 2026.
Stay #strongtosave. Stay #wellpastforty.
Back with you next month for 2026’s first newsletter,
Rather, I focus on the variable separation of our calendar years from vital fitness years. Yup, calendar years have “some” actuarial reasons for being – like mandatory retirement ages, or Social Security/ Medicare start times. And, sure, it is pleasing to celebrate many candles on birthday treats as we age. However, calendar ages become 6 7 if we focus on vital healthspan and healthitude years. After all, what good are birthday candles if we cannot blow ’em out like this, a discouraged and winded elder?
I hone in on three vital estimators that you should put in your healthitude toolkit.
The first is Dr. Thomas Perl’s Living to 100 calculator. This free and anonymous questionnaire pegs the factors that determine your and my lifespan prospects. Think of seat belts, no smoking, and dental flossing as life extenders! You know that I say there is more to vital lives than “just longevity” – right?
2. The second estimator focuses on America’s top killer – heart disease prospects. The American Heart Association’s PREVENT calculator is an evolving “yardstick” that now includes vitals for older folks like me. Yes, the PREVENT acronym is relevant: Predicting Risk of cardiovascular disease EVENTs … This tool is for “clinicians to help people understand their risk for developing heart disease, stroke, or heart failure. It is designed to estimate risk based on health factors that assess cardiovascular, kidney, and metabolic health.”
I particularly like the inclusion of metabolic health in this PREVENT estimator as it is intertwined with cardiovascular health in systematic ways!
If your medical team doesn’t use the PREVENT tool to help you evaluate your CVH strengths and weaknesses – it should!
3. The third tool that I cite is the very credible and valuable estimator developed by a Norwegian research organization for VO2 maximum. Our capacity for ingesting Oxygen to produce motion and work is vital. Period.
I challenge anyone who is interested in healthspan and healthitude to get familiar with and to improve VO2 maximum. Yes, you can!
Why?
My personal example today:
The average VO2 max for a 73-year old male is 35 ml/kg/min.
I am blessed, and work hard to have a VO2 max of ~ 48 ml/kg/min. That is the cardiovascular capacity of a 42-year-old male.
I’ll take that as a reward for my hard work, and acknowledge a little blessing of nature.
How much sweat is recommended for you and me to improve our fitness age and change the trajectory of physical decline? IT DEPENDS. I have written about the evolving awareness of DOSE-RESPONSE curves for each athlete.
As one proud Veteran of America’s Navy, I shout out to all ~ 3.5 million living Navy and Naval Reserve veterans on this special October 13th, 2025 birthday celebration. It is no surprise to me that units of our Atlantic Fleet converged on Philadelphia, as the City of Brotherly Love, for prominent celebrations and festivities. I will be grateful if you take a few moments to read the Presidential Proclamation for the founding of America’s Navy.
Two and 1/2 Centuries
You may not recognize some names of Naval Committee principals of the Second Continental Congress: Silas Deane, John Langdon, and Christopher Gadsen. I reckon that you do recognize the name of John Adams, who later became our second president. In Fact, President Adams wrote the US Navy into Law in 1798. Get this, the original authorization was for two (2!) sailing ships to counter Britannia and King George’s armada.
[Note: Next month, I will give another Huzzah! for US Marine Corps veterans on November 10th for their own 250th birthday celebration. Then my colors will certainly be flown on Veterans’ (formerly Armistice Day) on November 11th].
A Pirate or a Sailor?
You may recall a maxim by Steve Jobs of Apple and Silicon Valley fame. He told his Macintosh workforce in 1983 that it was better to be a pirate than a sailor.
My response is that I want America’s navymen and women to be hybrid sailors and pirates. Operate with sworn tyrust and loyalty, honor, and obedience – for sure – from a sailor’s duty. Yet, I want our seaborne warfighters to be adventurous and non-traditional, while honoring the lifelines of our Department of the Navy.
Hybrid Sailors
John F. Kennedy was a 20th century profile of courage in his own right as the young skipper of PT-109 in Solomon Island waters of World War II.
We know of the unsung heroism of these two 21st-century sailors who gave their all for the country they served and loved:
Michael P. Murphy
Michael Monsoor
Both of the Navy SEAL Medal of Honor recipients now have combatant ships named after them.
Many CrossFit folks tackle a “Murph” workout on Memorial Day. I am not focusing on the tough bodyweight crucible aspect of the full-up “MURPH”.
Rather, I focus on the resilience of Murphy and Monsoor that was honed in the uncomfortable cold surf, wet Coronado sand, and the boat crew carriage of heavy inflatable rafts after crewmates rang the bell.
Is there a parallel with those of us who do uncomfotable things every day to challenge ourselves? I argue that there is.
Being STRONG TO SAVE is selfless work. Functional strengths and mental toughness are very much in the spirit of mastering oneself to better serve others. There is a very good reason wht the US Navy Hymn begins with this line, “Eternal Father Strong to Save”. Strong to Save is a very special mantra for seafarers.
Even in today’s modern Navy, it takes strength and stamina, plus mental toughness to peacekeep, to conduct expeditionary operations in adverse conditions, to endure lengthy deployments, and to persevere.
I just learned that the title of a 1962 travel movie by two Italians, “Mondo Cane”, means “a dog’s world” in the King’s English. I have a tad of difficulty linking man’s best friend with globetrotting.
So it goes.
My newfound awareness stemmed from a Doctor Google search about “MORE.” Why was I looking for more? Well, most of us do.
Yet my trigger for that little bit extra was a local priest’s homily about “MORE” as a Easter transformation. I am not going all the way with transformation in a Christian sense, I promise. Yet, transforming is a fine verb for the lesser yet vital goal of self care and improvement. So, I’m not penning a metamorphosis from chrysalis to butterfly. Rather, I am musing about the maturation of that butterfly. So, now you have the start of a page 2 story for my little journey from a ’62 flick to church and now to us on April 29th, 2025. More from page 2: Sir Thomas More, that great thinker and author of Utopia [published in 1516 A.D.] sets my stage with his thought for individuals and their society:
“Nobody owns anything but everyone is rich.”
Sounds like Sir Thomas read and followed the rational thoughts and deeds of stoics. You see, stoics indifferently viewed ownership and wealth as means, not ends. “Stoics believed that true wealth resided within, in qualities like virtue, self-mastery, and contentment. They foresaw wealth’s potential to distract from the pursuit of inner well-being.
Everyone is Rich
Hmmm. This purported richness from antiquity beckons a 20th century metaphor of Earl Nightingale that we are in the midst of “acres of diamonds” – IF we look carefully. Inner wealth and soft skills of virtue, mastery, contentment and purpose sound valuable – don’t they?
Question: Do we need lots and lots of things to work on our self improvement and self care? The one-word answer is “no.”
Got a towel, a PBA-free water bottle, and a good mental outlook?
Then, my friend, you are good to go and to look carefully.
Surely… fitness appliances, workout accessories and products that are likely made in China :), and of course supplements or ergogenic things may selectively help you. Yet, those items are beyond “self” – right?
What time and effort are needed to find a wall, a small floor space, or free-standing space to move your joints for isotonic deeds? Just a little!
What more do you need to contract your muscles in isometric ways? Not much!
It is springtime in our hemisphere, so mindfully breathe in the renewed sensory wealth around us. Then, make the time to sweat a little in the spirit of Healthitude.
Remember that acronym of mine – Healthitude – and its components?
Here is a strong to save refresher:
H Hearty
E Endocrines
A Attitude (remember your Mind and Body are aligned)
L Lungs (Oxygen is life and breath)
T Transform
H Healthspan
I Invest
T Train
U Upbeat / Utopian riches
D Desire
E EXERCISE
I look forward to a chat with you about this combo approach for healthspan and attitude. Look around you, as there often is MORE – – – even in a competitive “dog’s world.”
From the way back machine, “You bet your sweet bippy” was a standard line from LAUGH IN episodes with Dan Rowan and Dick Martin. Though the rowdy 1960s pre-dated the Urban Dictionary’s inception – this bippy phrase still means that one can be certain about a certain fact, figure, or sentiment.
Okay, I’m not blogging about Rowan and Martin’s heyday humor. Rather, I am writing about a very serious medical condition with the colloquial name “High Blood Pressure” if the label Hypertension gets you down. I am certain that high BP, or HBP, or Hypertension, is a bad bet for healthspan and lifespan. Absitively, posilutely…
You can bet your sweet BP that everyone, and I do mean everyone, should be aware of nasty arterial pressure effects from one’s diet, age, lifestyle, stress, and even exercise can have on overall healthspan.
The accomplished Michael Roizen, MD, wrote in his (1999) book titled Real Age that Blood Pressure (BP) was a public enemy #1. The World Heart Federation does too. Why?
High Blood pressure can mean a lifespan decrement of 20 years for those who do not work it downward. Two decades of life kissed off. Wasn’t it John Wayne who once offered on-screen, “Life is tough enough without being stupid.” – Does this lumberjack (below) appear to be smart to you? I equate being stupid about Hypertension to sawing a limb without regard for your own limb or digit.
Roizen also noted, “the older you are, the more your choices determine how long and how well you live.” In my 72nd year, my decisions about BP and counter-moves versus all 4 “Horsemen” of Chronic Disease become more time-critical for me. Younger folks should start making good choices as soon as possible – Duh! As I asked in STRONG to SAVE, who wants to die earlier and easier?
As with so many other metrics to evaluate and consolidate into overall wellness, blood pressure readings that suggest arterial stiffening can be satisfying, or alarming. Here is the big deal:
Increased aortic stiffness predicts higher probabilities of cardiovascular disease across a chosen population.
A Billion people worldwide have hypertension, and sadly 80% of those billion do not have the disease under control!
Segue. We all know about the White Coat Effect or WCE which is cited in many articles about quizzical blood pressure spot checks.
Spoiler Alert: Your regular at-home or walking blood pressure checks are more accurate and fitting :). Am I implying that everyone should have access to a blood pressure cuff and monitor, and use it pretty darned often?
You bet your sweet bippy!
I also bet that many of you love the musical group Queen and its repertoire of melodies. I cannot count the gazillion times that Queen’s classic song, Under Pressure, has percolated in my own life from work stressors, a big athletic event, or a hyped visit to a Cardiologist…
Two Hypes
Hypertrophy is a very good thing. Who doesn’t like a big trophy? By keeping skeletal muscle mass/size , you can offset that dreaded muscle loss disease – sarcopenia – as you age or after you regrettably neglect strength training motions.
2. Conversely, Hypertension, as that white-coat fancy term for elevated blood pressure, can be an evil thing for so many probabilistic reasons:
Chronic hypertension causes hard labor for the only heart you have!
89% of Americans (including me) have blood pressure readings that are higher than the declared ideal reading of 115/76 millimeters of Mercury.
For every 2 units of added blood pressure over the “youthful and vigorous 115/76 reading’s upper and lower numbers, the fitness age lowers by about 2 years. This is assuredly not a good 2:2 relationship!
With normal healthy aging, the upper number in a BP reading – called the systolic pressure – does increase due to inevitable arterial stiffening. The upper systolic # reflects stiffer arteries, possibly from calcium deposits, or from that gooey, low density, soupy plaque we’d love to avoid. So, someone like me – a male in his 8yh decade – may have a “normal BP” as long as the upper systolic number doesn’t get to or stay above 130 mm/Hg.
The lower number in a BP reading represents the arterial pressure at the measured spot between beats of your ticker. This “diastolic” pressure does not seem to rise at the same rate vs. time as does the systolic pressure. Thus, the focus on lowering blood pressure by any method is on systolic blood pressure.
“Measuring PWV offers the chance to identify subjects at risk and to intervene timely through lifestyle modifications and medication. In contrast to classical cardiovascular risk factors, PWV is a more stable parameter that gradually becomes abnormal and represents vascular aging.”
Stay tuned for my relay of practical ways to mitigate “pre-” or hypertension to lower one’s BP correlation to atherosclerosis (ASCVD) and mortality. As a takeaway for PWV merits,
Another Bippy Bet
A related measure of great value for Roizen’s real age or cardiovascular health (CVH) is known as pulse wave velocity, or PWV in shorthand.
Clinicians measure the distance between arterial points, then calculate the time for blood to travel that distance in a wave for one pulse. As we learned in science class, velocity equals distance divided by time, or V = D/T.
There is also a bit of fluid mechanics at work that helps us grasp whether one’s pulse characteristic is good for her or his age.
Good ‘ol Venturi analyzed constant flows of fluids or gases through restricted conduits. He realized that a constricted portion of a flow tube or pipe, or artery causes the fluid to move at an increased velocity. So, in my layman’s terms, a lower Venturi effect suggests wider and more elastic arteries. A higher measure suggests an arterial constriction to be evaluated with others in one’s age group and gender. A valuable health measure that you can store in your physical bank is this: a lower PWV is better than a high value.
Technology can be wonderful when accurate and actionable information is processed for a user. I bring up technology in the form/fit/function of some smart watches, or rings like the Oura ring. These clever fitness devices use a different method to estimate and present one’s daily PWV.
This is a tiny sample size of 1 athlete; yet Tonometry and Oura ring estimates of PWV values were quite close for me.
A Massachusetts General Hospital staff member recently measured my PWV at 8.7 meters per second.
My Oura Ring estimates my PWV to be 8.9 – 9.0 meters per second. If this comparison works for many users, instead of little old me, then it seems like a good validation for affordable and convenient CVH monitoring.
Note: PWV generally increases with age, by about a tenth of a meter a year in adulthood. Men have a slightly higher mean PWV than women up to age 60, but women have a slightly higher mean PWV than men after age 60. Don’t ask me why 🙂 the small sample numbers in this PWV Table are what they are:
Age and gender-dependent values of pulse wave velocity for a small study
Gender/Age
20–29 (years)
30–39 (years)
40–49 (years)
50–59 (years)
60–69 (years)
70–79 (years)
Female
N = 10
N = 9
N = 11
N = 13
N = 12
N = 9
PWV (m/s)
4.41 ± 0.39
4.57 ± 0.67
5.24 ± 0.66
6.59 ± 0.70
7.38 ± 0.95
7.78 ± 0.93
Male
N = 10
N = 14
N = 10
N = 10
N = 9
N = 9
PWV (m/s)
4.64 ± 0.49
5.22 ± 0.50
5.57 ± 0.63
7.03 ± 0.84
8.05 ± 0.57
8.49 ± 1.09
A broader European study of PWV generated this graph showing PWV vs. both Age and Blood Pressure brackets – normalized for gender:
As this busy plot is a tad hard to follow or scrutinize, your Bottom lines about PWV are these 3:
A lower velocity is better. For the average Baby Boomer or GenX, a PWV of less than 10 meters/second is considered okay.
One committed adult may be able to lower PWV with regular aerobic exercise.
Some fitness appliances are fairly accurate in their estimates of PWV.
Bippy bets to challenge Hypertension
Sure, a MD can prescribe drugs to deal with hypertension. Yet there are proven natural ways to lower hypertensive readings to safe(r) readings with effort.
Lose fat and body weight! A guideline is that one’s BP reading drops a point for each pound loss of bodyweight. That is a good 1 fer 1!
Exercise.I lobby for more weekly exercise than our Government mandates
Limit overall and processed food salt intake. Scientists suggest following a Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension(DASH) diet and restricting table salt to 1.5 grams per day may lower systolic BP by 6-11 mm/HG and diastolic BP by 3-5 mm/Hg.
Lower your Alcohol consumption.
Go “cold turkey” on smoking.
Don’t sweat or stress over things that you cannot control or affect.
Don’t get hyper, and Do keep hypertension at bay as you age.
Medical Section: Avoid High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)
7-S Segment: Focus on STRENGTH
Myth Buster: The “Younger You” Myth
X Factors from KABOOMER, Strong to Save, and soon Burden? or Banish
Dave’s Latest Checkout: Fitness Watches
Healthitude Humor
December’s Fitness Haiku 
Join Us in the Big KAHUNA Movement!
