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Welcome,
In pampy's post; august23a,
🍎 Smash winter bugs with the ultimate immune booster,
🍎 So good, but do we actually need carbs?
🍎 I road-test the value of a cryotherapy chamber!
🍎 Will (bottled) oxygen @ 95% improve my athletic performance, See my test results!
🍎 Check out BP's 'stretching' series (10 min video sessions).
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Beating the Seasonal Sniffles!
Attention: Anyone with a sniffle, dry eyes, exhausted, or just not feeling yourself! You've likely copped an annoying seasonal bug, and it's also likely the lead up to your ill-health featured;
🤒 Short-changing sleep,
🤒 Increasing lifestyle stress,
🤒 Alcohol,
🤒 Ultra-process food – usually the sweet stuff, &
🤒 Exercising too hard (yep, too hard).
Righto, along with balancing your lifestyle, whip up this proven 'immune-boosting' counter punch!
Blend;
🥬 1 pear
🥬 Golf ball size (or bigger) fresh ginger,
🥬 3 celery storks,
🥬 3 silver beet leaves,
🥬 Pinch ground turmeric,
🥬 ½ tsp apple cider vinegar (yep, just a tiny bit).
Good Health 1 vs Sick Bugs 0
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CRYOTHERAPY? What is it, and does it work?
Enter: Let's test!
What: A cryotherapy chamber for 3 minutes @ -140c.
Where: Freshwater, NSW, $140 for the 3-minute session! Yikes!
How: A space-age (standing) chamber lowers the temperature to -140 C. According to one's present health, previous experience with cryo, age, and the goal (athletic recovery, rehab, mindfulness), the duration spent in the chamber varies.
The physiology.
The excessive blood flow to the skin, hyper-elevation of the metabolism, super-boost of anti-inflammatory chemicals, and bolstering of the immune system are all stimulated by cold temperatures.
Why is this good for you, so they say?
🥶 You feel europhically booming thanks to the endorphin mega-boost!
🥶 Pain (injuries, chronic pain, aging stiffness) is desensitised.
🥶 Speed of athletic 'recovery' (anti-inflammatory effect) is enhanced – allowing for further & harder training.
🥶 General health, including mental health, can be elevated.
My experience.
With nothing on but my underwear, a beanie, gloves, and boots, I coriously enter the chamber, expecting to be severely chilled. Given that I am solar powdered, I'm not excited about this.
The first 20 seconds @ -140 felt OK. The following 40 seconds felt awful. Then, from 1 minute to 30 seconds to go, while uncomfortable, I felt desensitised and capable of making the 3 minutes. Then, the final 30 seconds hurt – I didn’t want to be there, I was shivering, but heck, I wasn’t bailing. I had paid 140, and my mate (just previously) had nailed the 3-minute shot clock.
Finished!
There is no hot shower; you get change and head out.
After 15 minutes, my mind is already buzzing! The remainder of the day is spent with extraordinary clarity and vigour. I was astonished to find that I wasn't hungry, which is usually the case after a winter surf. I was happy to feel less (to zero) ageing aches and pains. I slept well. The next morning, I was up for a hard training session and I felt great. The next day around the midafternoon, the mental buzz has settled.
So would I do it again?
I would consider the freeze up if; I'm mentally drained, harbour a few training related aches & pains, or the need to concentrate for a an extended period.
Note, after a training session (running or harder riding), I frequently jump into a chilly rock pool which seems to offer up the same (mental & physical) jolt! Further, an ice bath or even a cold shower can also present a similar impact.
I recommend the practice even if it be for the experiment factor.
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Will breathing air @ 95 per cent oxygen
boost my athletic performance?
My athletic (aerobic) performance improves as my oxygen utilisation increases.
In other words, particularly when I'm on the go, the more effectively I take in (air), diffuse the 21% oxygen, and transport the oxygen via red blood cells (the more RBC's the better) for cellular metabolism (via the mitochondria), the more effectively I lower my 'exercise' stress reaction. The better my cardiovascular/pulmonary system, the better my (cellular) lactic acid balance. Generally, the lower my cellular lactic acid, or the better I buffer it out (and use it for fuel), the better I perform (i.e. faster for longer).
Given that my performance suffers when there is less oxygen in the air (at altitude or a lack of fitness), I frequently pondered whether breathing additional richer oxygenated air improves sports performance. Now that bottled oxygen is available for corporate use (at 95 per cent O2), I thought it would be a fun test. The following is just that. A 'fun' test.
Boost Oxygen canisters can be purchased online. The rate of oxygen provided via oral breathing pieces is 95% rather than 21%, so it says on the can.
Note: Since nasal breathing is, in my view, a far better breathing method, I asked Boost about offering canisters for it. They said they did not sell nose pieces.
I have a strong hunch that taking in more oxygen won't help me. My SP02 reading, which is a little device that doctors put on your finger to assess the amount of oxygen your red blood cells are transporting, shows 99.7%. 97.7% means virtually a full house – my RBC’s are full. I mean, if I could jack up more RBCs, that would be different – but more O2 without a transporter!!!!
Test: Cycling Ergometer.
Bike: Trek Road Bike.
Rider: Brad Pamp, average & aging @ 78kgs, 184cm, FTP (1 hr) 309w.
Purpose: Measure the response to work via monitoring heart rate & blood lactate and the possible influence of 95% oxygen consumption at regular intervals.
Protocol: Record the work response to a standard increasing workload via watts (25-watt/2-minute intervals) at 21% oxygen and again when consuming 95% oxygen (orally).
💓🩸💓🩸💓🩸💓🩸💓🩸💓🩸💓🩸💓🩸💓🩸💓🩸💓🩸💓🩸💓🩸💓🩸💓🩸💓
Results: Both my heart rate & blood lactate were lower when consuming a deep breath of 95% oxygen (at 2-minute intervals).
When the power rose towards the conclusion of the test, "I think' I felt better and maintained a superior form when consuming the additional 02.
However,
1) I do not believe the (basic) test results will lead to improved health or athletic performance in the future. Of course, my recuperation may be more effective, allowing for an earlier training stimulus.
2) I also can't see myself carrying an O2 canister training outside or when racing.
Therefore, although it was a quick and fun experiment, I don't think O2 supplementation has any further uses - except managing a hangover!
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Loosen Up!
1) If you're an aging model (a reference to your DOB, not your 'former' good looks) and now in need of more frequent servicing, or,
2) the winter of 2023 has you 'parked', then,
Throw in my 10-minute stretching sets - sessions for all ages & fitness levels.
Kick-off every day by rolling out of bed and straight into a session.
here's set # 4/10.