I thought that this could go into the diet forum because it has much the same effect as the recent diet threads by sweetjade and others.
I'd just like to add other benfits of weight lifting. Pretty much all of this can be said for cardio as well.
This has all been pretty much covered I'd just like to simplify it for those that are too lazy to read the in depth, technical posts by others.
1. It increases metabolism for at least 18 hours afterwords(Add on the bonus that more muscle burns more calories if you are trying to lose fat eventually). This sustained metabolic rate is even greater than any cardio exercise.
2. Bone Density Increases. You can eat all the soy or calcium you want but if I do moderate weightlifting all my life, I will have bones much much stronger than you and we all know the downward spiral a broken hip or whatever can cause when you're 85.
3. Increases insulin sensitivity significantly(Aerobic exercise does this as well).
This makes sense because the reason many(Not all) have insulin resistance is because basically they are lazy bastards. You have glucose floating around and so the pancreas sends out the insulin to save the day and it routs up all the glucose and tries to shove it into cells, many of which are muscle cells to get it out of the blood. However, if you haven't used your muscles much(Inactive), it's like trying to force more air into the raft, when it's already full. The muscles don't like this because they have all this energy already and so the receptors start denying the entry of the insulin laden glucose because the muscles don't need it. This is insulin resistance. You would think that your body would recognize this fault but no, becuase the glucose isn't going anywhere the good old pancreas sends more insulin and eventually the receptors close up shop and bang you have type 2 diabetes(And for many weight gain).
There is hope though and this is where weight training or cardio comes in. You have now depleted your muscles of their energy and they want more, therefore the receptors are open to taking in all this extra insulin. This is also why after hard cardio or weight lifting there is no blood sugar spike, becuase your muscles and other body cells are craving the energy. It is in this time right after exercise(And some right before and during) that it's a good idea to have some simple carbs, hell, even sugar wouldn't hurt(Yes you can even take this opportunity to have some delicious cake or something as long as it doesn't have bad fats), because that's all carbs are anyway, sugar(This also prevents muscle loss because insulin shuts down fat loss and increases fat storage and when the body tries to get energy from the fat if you don't feed it, it will go to the muscles, since the insulin shut down the fat loss channel). In short you need anything that will feed the muscles fast. This takes care of the immediate need. Now theres a prolonged need for rebuilding all the tissue that you broke down and that's where the complex carbs come in. They supply a steady stream of energy that is gradually forefed, if you will, into the cells. This isn't a problem because if you exercise and lift weight, the cells will need that energy and will accept it, thus you have decreased or conquered your resistance to insulin.
Summary for IR: Work out or do cardio(Both preferably).
Eat a small amount of simple carbs before a workout(Just to get you by the workout) and eat a good portion right after(With protein, preferably in liquid form).
The rest of the time eat complex carbs, ones that will slowly release insulin.
If you do eat simple carbs make sure you eat them with other thigns discussed in other threads that slow glucose rise(Or refer to the GL index) or make sure they're healthy like apples(Which usually are low in GL).
4. It lowers bad and increases good cholesterol. You're body is already producing 75% of it's cholesterol from the liver and that is mostly inedependant from the foods you eat so avoiding high cholesterol foods but failing to exercise or weight lift will yield poor results. oF course there are specific foods amd drinks that decrease the cholesterol in your blood such as red wine green tea, etc...
5. It lowers blood pressure(Of course not during the exercise).
Hmmm.... see a connection to the above three points and ending Syndrome X?
Hope this clears up some worries about weightlifting. For it's affect on testosterone(Not as bad as you think) go to the glucose intolerance and insulin thread.
I'd just like to add that as far as diet, insulin, and weightgain goes it's not wise to eat carbs before bed, instead go for fats and protein(Which you should be eating thoughout the day anyway). The solid forms of protein go best when taken in the morning, and afternoon. At night and right after a workout liquid is preferable. Again,the only good time to spike insulin is right after a workout and a little bit before exercising so you don't burnout(Although if you ate the proper amounts of complex carbs, you wouldn't have as high a burnout rate).
Oh yeah you are definately an asset to the board. I learn so from you and you always seem much more calm than I and grounded than others on this board when it comes to dealing with trollers/flammers 😉 I especially love how you keep reminding us that we could always try exercising, something that I've ceased doing lately but really do miss =( I have to say though that I was much much more active as preteen & teen as well as working out out at home than I am now and....it didn't help. Yet for everything I know that helps, I'm trying to follow anyway so maybe getting back to exercising, with the way I currrently eat, is all I need to get this last 1%.
Anyway, I'm so glad to hear that you are going to keep researching into the hyperkeritination aspect of acne as just from reading various posts this week, I've added more to my "research list" and sometimes I kinda get a tired He he, but I really do enjoy seeing when more members empower themselves by doing their own research. If we all did it, perhaps we would get a lot closer to discovering what or if there is a "Big Answer" to all of this.
In the mean, perhaps others will mention their results with trying exercising and eating a specific way, like how you suggested, and maybe we'll actually discover some sort of regimen that allows members to workout and control if not clear their acne!
Thanks =)
Oh, here's the Glucose Tolerance thread: http://www.acne.org/messageboard/index.php...=20#entry490001
Adult and Jade, thanks a lot
Although I don't have nearly the ambition that you have(Jade) with regards to research, citing courses, and technical knowledge. I suppose that's a grad student thing, and I'm a mere Commerce undergrad. I honestly think you should win the lottery so you can fund an independant acne research lab and find the cure that way.
The thing is that my acne was just do to puberty(I think) and the effects lingered until I was 21(It can sometimes take to 24 before it can be called adult acne). When I washed with just a mild cleanser I was mostly clear, but stupid me thinking it was somethign else tried a million things and it made it worse during the few years before I grew out of it.
sx3: me too. The worst thing you can do is be one of those guys that goes to the gym 6 times a week(In order to do this your diet, rest, and training schedule has to be so complex and strict to make gains that most don't bother).
I'm moving more into the smaller muscle groups, however I still mainly focus on the big ones and exercises that do whole areas like squats, bench, weighted dips, etc.... Therefore it usually takes me only 30min each workout of weightlifting(I've never been over 40 and usually it's less than 30 if I'm targeting only one muscle group, although I may try an interesting theory where you train the whole body each workout, although the weight pattern is wierd).
I'm very active in cardio and have been my whole life so I can't really tell you when it started to improve. When I mean active I mean it's a lifestyle, not a daily grind thing like going on the treadmill. I swim(Used to in competitions), rock climb, hike, snowboard backcountry, kayak, jog by the river, cycle, karate, I walk tons etc.... I never liked sports much such as basketball, baseball, etc... all though coming from a small town we all did these as children. What I'm saying is that it's part of my life, cardio isn't something I do becuase I have to.
As far as IR goes, I don't know I may have it in the future and what I'm doing now is to prevent that from happening(My dad had high cholesterol and my grandpa diabetes(I heard it skips a generation ), although both were due to diets in previous decades) . I have never, ever had what one would call an unhealthy diet, of course we had no fast food places where I lived so that helped. You could call my diet anywhere from 90% healthy on most days to 80% when I just feel like somethign sugary and bad, which I don't stop myself at all from having(And 80% on some days is a lot of calories considering I take in over 3200 a day, and when I see pumpkin cheesecake insulin spike be damned!
).
As for how all of this affects me, I have had every test you can imagine save for some specific hormone tests like DHT, and I have never, ever tested below optimal in anything but stress, and that alone has done enough damage to my body(Lol if that can be tested accurately). Event hough my diet isn't perfect and never will be(Trust me, diets like paleo, atkins and such have flaws as well and their followers will unfortunately find them later down the road), it is mostly great and the rest of my lifestyle, the exercising, the control of stress, zero anxiety, an amazing outlook on life and people makes up for whatever bad food I happen to eat. If you only look to food as your measure of health you will end up disappointed.
In my observation, of my skin, if you walk, it takes an hour to see results, and 20 minutes if you run, continuously. Of course, it's tough, if not impossible for me to run for 20 minutes straight, so it ends up being 30+ minutes or so.
Now if you want exercising to be as least boring as possible, and that you're burning calories from all parts of the body, then a treadmill is the way to go. Wake up in the morning, turn on the price is right, and you're ready to go. However, those things cost a fortune(got mine at a garage sale fortunately.) So an alternative may be a recumbent bike. The problem with the recumbent bike, for me at least, is that it only seems to improve the skin on my legs and thigh.
However, if you're already eating healthy, then I think a recumbent bike is enough. If you're already eating healthy, then there's no need to worry about the fast insulin spike, which I think can be resolved only with running or walking(there's something to be said about simplicity.) You will, however, need to worry about the possible fat deposit from the huge amount of inactivity, however, and the recumbent bike can do just that, since it burns off fat mostly from your thighs.
Finally, and I just found this out and what I would recommend. Just buy a jumprope. It's obviously very cheap, convenient, and best of all, you can still watch T.V while doing it.
Targeted fat loss is a myth. No matter what you think, you are not just losing fat on your legs when you ride the bike. Perhaps you are building muscle there and it makes it seem like there is less fat but when your body burns fat, it does so indiscriminately. Overall calories burned is not specific to an area. You can only target muscle growth not fat loss or gain.
Also exercise should be part of your life that you enjoy or else you probably won't last. To me, a treadmill, stationary bike, or any indoor exercise(Apart from weight training) is the most boring(Hey, we all have our opinions right?). Even with weight training I would rather be outdoors doing some heavy lifting. Why on earth someone would choose to run in thier living room over the great outdoors is beyond me(Time isn't an excuse because you can run anywhere, there's even tons of runners downtown during their 45min lunch break).
In my observation, of my skin, if you walk, it takes an hour to see results, and 20 minutes if you run, continuously. Of course, it's tough, if not impossible for me to run for 20 minutes straight, so it ends up being 30+ minutes or so.
Now if you want exercising to be as least boring as possible, and that you're burning calories from all parts of the body, then a treadmill is the way to go. Wake up in the morning, turn on the price is right, and you're ready to go. However, those things cost a fortune(got mine at a garage sale fortunately.) So an alternative may be a recumbent bike. The problem with the recumbent bike, for me at least, is that it only seems to improve the skin on my legs and thigh.
However, if you're already eating healthy, then I think a recumbent bike is enough. If you're already eating healthy, then there's no need to worry about the fast insulin spike, which I think can be resolved only with running or walking(there's something to be said about simplicity.) You will, however, need to worry about the possible fat deposit from the huge amount of inactivity, however, and the recumbent bike can do just that, since it burns off fat mostly from your thighs.
Finally, and I just found this out and what I would recommend. Just buy a jumprope. It's obviously very cheap, convenient, and best of all, you can still watch T.V while doing it.
Yeah, about the recumbent bike, I read today that if you aren't standing when excersising, the affect it has on your body becomes limited. This is also the case if you rest your arms on a treadmill. If it's not free in posture, then your results won't reach the full body. So of course standing on a real bike, riding around outside may improve the workout. Just be careful out there!