The recent death of Broadway star Elaine Stritch at the age of 89 made me think of her perfect rendition of Steven Sondheim's song: Everybody Says Don't. If you don't know the song the gist of it is that we are told constantly what we shouldn't do: walk across the grass, walk across the ice, rock the boat, etc. There are good reasons for restrictions: if we all walked across the grass the lawn would turn to dirt, walking across ice can kill you and rocking the boat, literally or metaphorically, can alter your life. I have been guilty of doing all of the above because I chafe under the saddle of rules.
This is not unique behavior especially in this country where people see it as their right to break rules that should not apply to them but should apply to others. It's also human nature to demonstrate a modicum of disobedience. If one engages in too much disregard for rules or the law one is labeled a deviant, is punished by the legal system, is ostracized by society or wakes up dead. But if you play your cards right you can be rewarded for being a bad boy or a naughty girl (think Wall Street).
Perhaps this hint of naughtiness is a beneficial trait that has allowed the human race to prosper up to this point. Having rock climbed for many years I know that there is a personality trait that all climbers share. They have a desire to break the rules that are least likely to get them killed. Whenever you move vertically half of the human race thinks you are crazy, 25% become sick to their stomachs and the rest find it appealing. Successful climbers redefine boundaries and have the ability to recognize when they are about to become a statistic. The recurring theme of balance presents itself again in these blogs.
You need to push your limits in order to make progress but you have to make an educated decision about your ability to do so and the consequences of a failed attempt. As a lead climber I will take a 25 foot fall (not that I like to) if I trust my belayer, the protection I have placed and am reasonably confident that I am not going to hit something or someone (there could be a French guy climbing through) along the way.
The same is true for weight lifting. If your form is spot-on in the lift and it turns out that the weight is too heavy you can drop it. If your technique is questionable and you attempt a PR in your dead lift you may well herniate a disk. Good form in lifting weights is the equivalent of knowing what not to lead in climbing.
How do you know when to push the limits? That is subjectve. Experience, surrounding yourself with a knowledgeable cohort who cares about you and listening carefully to the dialogue between your body and mind are key factors. Once you have achieved a high level of proficiency the danger comes from complacency not from ignorance. If you feel too comfortable when you are leading a pitch or stepping up to a barbell check yourself. When climbing: check your knot, check your partner's knot, make sure you have the gear you need and see if your head is screwed on correctly. When lifting: set-up properly with your spine and shoulders supported and be present.
If you feel like you must move with reckless abandon - throw yourself into a mosh-pit.
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Monday, July 21, 2014
Insomnia
I know I am not alone in saying that I have experienced insomnia all of my adult life and throughout most of my childhood. But what does that mean? Sleep is complex, so little is known about it and our experience of it is subjective. Scientists are certain about one thing concerning sleep - it is important. Lack of adequate sleep (subjective) can lead to heart disease and diabetes. Insomnia impacts memory and may contribute to the onset of dementia. The problem is no one can agree on what is an adequate amount. The recommendation is six to eight hours for an adult but kids and teens need more and the elderly don't get enough (and should get more).
The problem with these conclusions as in many aspects of life is that they contain a lot of "shoulds". We know that looking at the short wave light produced by our computer screens suppresses the production of melatonin which regulates sleep. We know that a crucial element of sleep hygiene is that your bed should be used for only two things - sleep and sex, but many of us find it difficult to abide by this rigid paradigm. Besides there are many other places to have sex. We should go to sleep at the same time every night and wake at the same hour every day, we should not drink too much caffeine and alcohol and we should do everything we can to reduce stress. The problem is that since the industrial revolution, the invention of the electric light bulb, the dawn of the tech-netronic age, the great recession and my neighbors who like to set off fireworks at 2AM on any given Friday or Saturday night it is hard to do what you should to get what you need.
Whenever I read a new study concerning sleep it makes me anxious because according to the results I should be dead. Millions of people in this country are considered sleep deprived and a substantial number of car accidents and work related injuries cost the nation's economy millions of dollars and thousands of lives. All of this information, however, does not improve your sleep and as a matter of fact it makes it worse because sleep is another biochemical mystery regulated by the good old hypothalamus which we can't control. You can help the brain decide to secrete GABA, an inhibitory neurotransmitter necessary to quiet the mind and the lymbic system but you can't tell it to go to sleep and attempting to do so will have the opposite effect because stressors cause the release of cortisol which keeps you alert. One of the reasons sleep is so important is that we secrete growth-hormone-releasing-hormone (GHRH) in deep sleep, so if we aren't sleeping the body is not healing properly after a day of work and exercise (stress). And if you are not sleeping well your body becomes less resilient to the slings and arrows that life tosses your way. Are you getting nervous? I hope you aren't reading this in bed.
Benzodiazepines, Ambien (slightly different from BDZs and can be problematic), SSRIs (Prozac), exercise, yoga, weight loss, massage, acupuncture, diet, limiting caffeine and alcohol intake (and time of ingestion) can all be helpful but there is no silver bullet. After sleep apnea and other physical causes of sleep deficiency have been ruled out, the next step is to assess all of the factors above and start experimenting with what works. You might find that none of these do and that in itself is beneficial. Acceptance of the way your body functions on all levels is half the battle.
What does work is stress reduction. Even if you don't sleep well reducing anxiety will help curb the resulting dread and paranoia associated with insomnia which will eventually lead to better Zs. I have given up on conventional approaches to insomnia because none of them worked over the long haul except for stress reduction through meditation and working with my natural cycle instead of fighting it. The best sleep I experience is during naps. A sleep specialist at Cornell Medical Center told me not to nap because it would screw up my sleep cycle at night, but since that cycle was already a shambles I disregarded his admonition after unsuccessfully attempting to abide by it. Now I nap whenever I can. I sleep in chunks lasting from forty-five minutes to three hours, two to three times within a twenty four hour period and that generally works for me. I am more awake at 3AM than I am at 8AM, so I get up, go to another room and read or write until I doze off again.
Fighting your natural cycle doesn't work. First you have to figure out what your cycle is and then you have to work with it. If you currently reside in the deep dark hole of insomnia remember that you will eventually sleep. Conversely, if you are an insomniac who is currently feeling rested remember that this is a temporary state of affairs. Eventually you will experience sleepless nights, so don't be furious with yourself when that occurs. If your life is a wreck right now and you can't sleep identify what you can change to mitigate stress, set goals and speak with your health care provider about sleep aids. With society being the complicated mess that it is there is no shame in using pharmeceuticals to get you through a rough patch. Use them with caution and without guilt.
Care keeps his watch in every old man's eye,
And where care lodges,
Sleep will never lie;
But where unbruised youth with unstuff'd brain
Doth couch his limbs, there golden sleep doth reign.
Romeo and Juliet - William Shakespeare
And to all a good night!
The problem with these conclusions as in many aspects of life is that they contain a lot of "shoulds". We know that looking at the short wave light produced by our computer screens suppresses the production of melatonin which regulates sleep. We know that a crucial element of sleep hygiene is that your bed should be used for only two things - sleep and sex, but many of us find it difficult to abide by this rigid paradigm. Besides there are many other places to have sex. We should go to sleep at the same time every night and wake at the same hour every day, we should not drink too much caffeine and alcohol and we should do everything we can to reduce stress. The problem is that since the industrial revolution, the invention of the electric light bulb, the dawn of the tech-netronic age, the great recession and my neighbors who like to set off fireworks at 2AM on any given Friday or Saturday night it is hard to do what you should to get what you need.
Whenever I read a new study concerning sleep it makes me anxious because according to the results I should be dead. Millions of people in this country are considered sleep deprived and a substantial number of car accidents and work related injuries cost the nation's economy millions of dollars and thousands of lives. All of this information, however, does not improve your sleep and as a matter of fact it makes it worse because sleep is another biochemical mystery regulated by the good old hypothalamus which we can't control. You can help the brain decide to secrete GABA, an inhibitory neurotransmitter necessary to quiet the mind and the lymbic system but you can't tell it to go to sleep and attempting to do so will have the opposite effect because stressors cause the release of cortisol which keeps you alert. One of the reasons sleep is so important is that we secrete growth-hormone-releasing-hormone (GHRH) in deep sleep, so if we aren't sleeping the body is not healing properly after a day of work and exercise (stress). And if you are not sleeping well your body becomes less resilient to the slings and arrows that life tosses your way. Are you getting nervous? I hope you aren't reading this in bed.
Benzodiazepines, Ambien (slightly different from BDZs and can be problematic), SSRIs (Prozac), exercise, yoga, weight loss, massage, acupuncture, diet, limiting caffeine and alcohol intake (and time of ingestion) can all be helpful but there is no silver bullet. After sleep apnea and other physical causes of sleep deficiency have been ruled out, the next step is to assess all of the factors above and start experimenting with what works. You might find that none of these do and that in itself is beneficial. Acceptance of the way your body functions on all levels is half the battle.
What does work is stress reduction. Even if you don't sleep well reducing anxiety will help curb the resulting dread and paranoia associated with insomnia which will eventually lead to better Zs. I have given up on conventional approaches to insomnia because none of them worked over the long haul except for stress reduction through meditation and working with my natural cycle instead of fighting it. The best sleep I experience is during naps. A sleep specialist at Cornell Medical Center told me not to nap because it would screw up my sleep cycle at night, but since that cycle was already a shambles I disregarded his admonition after unsuccessfully attempting to abide by it. Now I nap whenever I can. I sleep in chunks lasting from forty-five minutes to three hours, two to three times within a twenty four hour period and that generally works for me. I am more awake at 3AM than I am at 8AM, so I get up, go to another room and read or write until I doze off again.
Fighting your natural cycle doesn't work. First you have to figure out what your cycle is and then you have to work with it. If you currently reside in the deep dark hole of insomnia remember that you will eventually sleep. Conversely, if you are an insomniac who is currently feeling rested remember that this is a temporary state of affairs. Eventually you will experience sleepless nights, so don't be furious with yourself when that occurs. If your life is a wreck right now and you can't sleep identify what you can change to mitigate stress, set goals and speak with your health care provider about sleep aids. With society being the complicated mess that it is there is no shame in using pharmeceuticals to get you through a rough patch. Use them with caution and without guilt.
Care keeps his watch in every old man's eye,
And where care lodges,
Sleep will never lie;
But where unbruised youth with unstuff'd brain
Doth couch his limbs, there golden sleep doth reign.
Romeo and Juliet - William Shakespeare
And to all a good night!
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Camellia sinensis
For those of you who know me you are probably saying it's about time. I love tea and after drinking fine tea for twenty five years I am just beginning to understand how complex and beneficial this pleasurable beverage is. Tea consists of three components: amino acids (especially in green tea), tannins and aroma compounds. People have been imbibing this liquid since the fourth century and the culture, agricultural practices and terroir of this beverage are as vast and deep as those of wine.
Studies have revealed that caffeine can improve performance in both short term and long endurance exercising. The biochemistry of why this is remains uncertain. One theory is that caffeine makes fat more readily available for the muscles to use, which allows glycogen to be saved for future use.
Would you prefer coffee or tea with your workout? Ask anybody what beverage they drink to administer their self prescribed dose of caffeine and they will respond with a definitive and often passionate response. "Oh my God! I can't drink coffee - it's too strong. I much prefer tea." or "Don't even talk to me until I have had my first two cups of joe." Much like the long overdue micro brew renaissance the coffee culture in this country has boomed. Now it's tea's time.
There are hundreds of different kinds of tea. There are numerous infusions as well but the two are not the same. Infusions are herbal and rarely contain caffeine. Tea comes in bags or sachets or it can be loose and it contains caffeine. Tea contains more caffeine by weight than coffee but less tea is required to make a cup of tea than coffee is used to make a cup of coffee. In other words a cup of tea generally contains less caffeine than a cup of coffee. There are some decent teas in bags but most bagged tea, especially dark tea, is usually taken from what is swept from the floor in a processing plant. If you have limited yourself to one of the commercial brands whose names I can not mention and decided you don't like tea, that is a kin to you drinking Night Train and deciding you don't like wine. If, however, you like these teas, keep on sipping because the chemical composition is almost identical to loose tea that cost as much as marijuana purchased legally in Pottsylvania (thank you Colbert Report)...I mean Colorado.
If you have never given tea a chance, buy some decent loose tea. Sample some greens and some blacks or meet in the middle by trying various oolongs. The world of tea is beautiful. The ritual of drinking tea is meditative, contemplative, and an olfactory feast that is sensual. Try it you'll like it! And much like Alkaseltzer it will help your digestion.
Studies have revealed that caffeine can improve performance in both short term and long endurance exercising. The biochemistry of why this is remains uncertain. One theory is that caffeine makes fat more readily available for the muscles to use, which allows glycogen to be saved for future use.
Would you prefer coffee or tea with your workout? Ask anybody what beverage they drink to administer their self prescribed dose of caffeine and they will respond with a definitive and often passionate response. "Oh my God! I can't drink coffee - it's too strong. I much prefer tea." or "Don't even talk to me until I have had my first two cups of joe." Much like the long overdue micro brew renaissance the coffee culture in this country has boomed. Now it's tea's time.
There are hundreds of different kinds of tea. There are numerous infusions as well but the two are not the same. Infusions are herbal and rarely contain caffeine. Tea comes in bags or sachets or it can be loose and it contains caffeine. Tea contains more caffeine by weight than coffee but less tea is required to make a cup of tea than coffee is used to make a cup of coffee. In other words a cup of tea generally contains less caffeine than a cup of coffee. There are some decent teas in bags but most bagged tea, especially dark tea, is usually taken from what is swept from the floor in a processing plant. If you have limited yourself to one of the commercial brands whose names I can not mention and decided you don't like tea, that is a kin to you drinking Night Train and deciding you don't like wine. If, however, you like these teas, keep on sipping because the chemical composition is almost identical to loose tea that cost as much as marijuana purchased legally in Pottsylvania (thank you Colbert Report)...I mean Colorado.
If you have never given tea a chance, buy some decent loose tea. Sample some greens and some blacks or meet in the middle by trying various oolongs. The world of tea is beautiful. The ritual of drinking tea is meditative, contemplative, and an olfactory feast that is sensual. Try it you'll like it! And much like Alkaseltzer it will help your digestion.
Monday, July 7, 2014
Total hip replacement
Exactly one year ago I had my left hip replaced and seven years ago to the day my right hip was replaced with a device that has now been recalled. I have mixed feelings when it comes to invasive procedures. If I did not have these surgeries and a few others I would be a crippled alcoholic.
When do we decide to allow a person we barely know to open us up and trust them to right what is wrong? The answer is pain.
For people with osteoarthritis pain is part of life. You wake in the middle of the night and amble to the bathroom with a sailor's rolling gait to pee. Doesn't everybody hurt when they get out of bed or walk down a flight of stairs? I thought so. I was a bit surprised when at age 43 I was informed that to alleviate my inability to bend over and tie my shoe or sleep without taking ibuprofin I would have to undergo a rather inconvenient and invasive operation (two of them it turned out - and possibly three). I assumed that everyone I knew who was active was experiencing bone on bone pain in their joints.
Pain is relative and we do not have the ability to experience each others discomfort and therefore I don't know what level of pain you are currently feeling. It is, however, safe to assume that many people are in pain that is either physical, emotional or often times a combination of the two.
It is important to remember this when interacting with people. Pain is debilitating. Pain is distracting and pain is unhealthy. In a gym most people are nursing an injury while trying to engage in an activity that is designed to prevent further damage. This is an interesting paradox. I used to think that if I wasn't in pain I wasn't working hard enough because it is easy to associate pain with effort. This is a self-destructive misconception. There is no such thing as "good pain." There is only pain and the lack of it.
When do we decide to allow a person we barely know to open us up and trust them to right what is wrong? The answer is pain.
For people with osteoarthritis pain is part of life. You wake in the middle of the night and amble to the bathroom with a sailor's rolling gait to pee. Doesn't everybody hurt when they get out of bed or walk down a flight of stairs? I thought so. I was a bit surprised when at age 43 I was informed that to alleviate my inability to bend over and tie my shoe or sleep without taking ibuprofin I would have to undergo a rather inconvenient and invasive operation (two of them it turned out - and possibly three). I assumed that everyone I knew who was active was experiencing bone on bone pain in their joints.
Pain is relative and we do not have the ability to experience each others discomfort and therefore I don't know what level of pain you are currently feeling. It is, however, safe to assume that many people are in pain that is either physical, emotional or often times a combination of the two.
It is important to remember this when interacting with people. Pain is debilitating. Pain is distracting and pain is unhealthy. In a gym most people are nursing an injury while trying to engage in an activity that is designed to prevent further damage. This is an interesting paradox. I used to think that if I wasn't in pain I wasn't working hard enough because it is easy to associate pain with effort. This is a self-destructive misconception. There is no such thing as "good pain." There is only pain and the lack of it.
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