ONS Graphic

An interesting infographic from the ONS:

Running and Dying

HuffPo on 'Studies Link Running Too Much To Dying Younger'

• Running is undoubtedly great for your health, but some research suggests that when it comes to pounding the pavement, too much of a good thing might actually have the opposite effect.

Ok, so that is no surprise.  Like most things to do with diet and exercise, there seems to be a U-shaped curve that we need to be careful to stay within. 

It should be easy to stay within these limits but when we fetishise diet and exercise (ultramarathons and heavily engineered foods), it is unsurprising that not only do we push beyond evolved limits, but we continue to do so and are encouraged to do so.

However, the money-shot in this article comes with this quote (my emphasis),

• He added, however, that adopting a more moderate running regimen might be the key when it comes to reaping all the possible health benefits. He recommends running no more than 2 or 3 hours a week; but as a 2013 Boston Globe report on this topic points out, researchers are divided on what "moderate" really means.

Ain't that the truth.  If there are two words to throw in bin when it comes to diet and/exercise, for me, 'moderate' and 'balanced' would be right up there!

Raw Milk

BBC Radio 4 have an excellent series called the Food Program which I've mentioned on here a few times before.  The latest episode was on raw milk and is well worth listening to:

• With a Food Standards Agency consultation underway, Sheila Dillon and guests discuss the controversial subject of raw milk. Banned in Scotland in 1983, the current system in England allows raw unpasteurised milk to be sold directly from the farmer. Raw milk producers are subject to stringent and regular laboratory tests and their products have to carry a warning on the label that the milk may contain properties that are harmful. But there is a growing demand for raw milk in the UK and means of supply are testing the current rules ; The FSA recently threatened prosecution over the presence of a vending machine selling raw milk in Selfridges. Advocates argue that raw milk has many positive health benefits that are lost with pasteurisation. The debate for some is about the right of the individual to choose what risks they take. Balancing that demand with the need to protect public health is the challenge the Food Standards Agency faces. In America, the libertarian argument is even more polarised. With the prices paid for pasteurised milk being on a seemingly downward trajectory in the UK, and with internet shopping making a mockery of distribution rules, Sheila will get the views of all the interested parties. The passion this subject stirs, and the big questions it raises will make for a lively and engaging listen to everyone - raw milk and non raw milk drinkers alike.

It is available on iPlayer and download now.

Get Your Greens. (Sound Familiar? )

Check out @bbcscitech's Tweet: https://twitter.com/bbcscitech/status/451757030613610496

How Wolves Change Rivers

H/T Angelo @ Latest in Paleo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysa5OBhXz-Q&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Food Quality

Paleo has flirted with low carb and now seems comfortable alongside If It Fits Your Macros, but this article in WSJ suggests that we should never lose sight of the underlying principle of foog quality; something backed by a growing body of evidence.

This article also adds weight to an ongoing idea that chronic cardio can lesd to health issues. The dose makes the poison.

http://m.europe.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702303949704579461381883678174?mobile=y

Divided Sleep

My recent brush with hypertension is pretty much under control now.  I still get spikes but when I go to bed or get up, the numbers are in the normal zone.  On awakening the other day I managed three readings taken five minutes apart as follows:

• 114/64
• 116/67
• 115/65

Not bad for someone that a year ago was considered hypertensive.  The link above gives some background on both my diagnosis and what I have done to address the issue.

A LOT of caffeine through the day seems to have had an impact on my sleep.  I tried to get lots of sleep but dragging oneself off to bed before 2200hrs is difficult.  I only have one coffee a day now (if at all), and moderate my tea drinking (no more than four cups a day, and seldom after 1600hrs).  The big change though, has been with sleep.

I work hard at getting to bed shortly after 2100hrs to read and then meditate.  I am strongly aware of the importance of sleep for several years and divided sleep in particular.  Sleep is doctor, counsellor, psychiatrist, physiotherapist, massively anabolic, and generally restorative at every level.  I hit the gym hard three times a week and know that this must be mirrored in terms of quality and quantity of sleep.

All this stuff was thrown back in to perspective again today by the re-trending today of this story on the BBC site from 2012, The Myth of the Eight Hour Sleep.

I typically awaken at 0230hrs each morning and will be awake for 30-60 minutes, but then sleep pretty solidly until around 0600 - 0630hrs.  As a coarse indicator of sleep hygiene, I'd say that this is spot on!