blog

Dec 5

Tuesday was the first dreary day of the season here in New Jersey. It started sleeting just in time for the morning commute, and then things settled into a cold rain for most of the rest of the day. The good news is that when it comes to seasonal weather change, we humans are expert-level adapters; such a day won't feel all that cold in a month or so. The less-good news is, the process takes a few weeks, and with Winter still (officially) out on the horizon, we're only just beginning our "winterizing" phase.

The winter months come with a unique set of risks. Although there isn't a ton of strong research documenting the phenomenon, and we don't really know whether it is due to decreased consumption or increased fluid loss (or both), it's not uncommon to feel a little dried out during the colder months. Add to this our tendency to move a little less easily (tissue stiffness) and a little less often this time of year, and it's no surprise that soft tissues and joints tend to be a little more cranky. As if that weren't enough to be tedious, unlike most animals, which burn extra calories staying warm, we do the opposite and add body mass, which, of course, tends to be in the wrong direction for a long list of health indicators, including brain age, according to a release last week.

If only there were a few simple (and intuitive) tactics that could put the odds back on our side...well, we're so glad you asked. :) Two new, otherwise unrelated studies out in the last week can provide direction.

The first was a review on the impact of increasing body temperature before exercise or athletics, quite literally warming up. For anyone who gets regular workplace visits from our team, the results should DEFINITELY NOT be a surprise - while it doesn't make a person stronger (per se), muscle warm-up consistently improved power output and speed.  Specifically, for every 1°C increase in muscle temperature, performance improved by about 3.5%. The interesting twist on this one, however, was that passive warm-ups (such as sitting in a sauna to raise body temperature), although not nearly as practical as a quick dynamic warm-up, by and large produced similar results. The study authors, however, still favored mimicking the intended movements when able due to the added benefit of priming the nervous system. One author was quoted as saying, "While both active and passive warm-ups result in better speed and power, a lot of research shows that the warm-up exercises should be similar to the exercise you will be doing." He went on to say, "The practice actually helps us to activate our muscles more and to use more efficient movement patterns -- the nervous system can learn on the spot."  

The second study, which wasn't exactly targeting body temperature, did show interesting preventative effects that could be very beneficial this time of year. This time, it was the impact of a hot cup of flavanols on arterial performance in sedentary healthy individuals. The researchers used unprocessed cocoa, but high-quality green tea would work well here too. They found that after the dose of flavanols, declines in arterial performance from prolonged sitting were effectively halted. Interestingly, this was consistent across both low and high-fitness subgroups, ruling out baseline fitness as a possible driver. Of course, given that exercise snacks (bouts lasting < 1 min) have also been shown to improve arterial responsiveness similarly, combining both strategies is probably better than 1 alone. 

For most of us, it's bound to get colder from here. Add some flavanols to your hydration and prime your power with some warm-up movements to lower risk, especially while we are in the early phases of adaptation.

Have a great weekend,
Mike E.