The Expedition: DEXA scans, hotel room exercises, marijuana, etc.
The Expedition: DEXA scans, hotel room exercises, marijuana, etc.
This month's most useful and important ideas.
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Audio/podcast version
The post
The Expedition is a monthly journey into thoughts, opinions, ideas, observations, studies, facts, figures, etc.
Good ones, bad ones, insightful ones, interesting ones, and ones you can use to live better.
It’s a roundup of all the worthwhile stuff I’ve encountered in the last month. The Expedition is a bit of an island of misfit toys. But, hey, the greatest journeys are winding.
This month, we’re covering:
A documentary I loved.
Numbers on:
Ultraprocessed food and diabetes risk.
How accurate doctors are with lifespan predictions.
When to re-fuel after a hard workout.
Whether a “weekend warrior” approach to fitness works.
Energy drinks and performance.
How strength training impacts your metabolism.
Marijuana.
Heavy metals in tampons.
How to (maybe) not die in a plane crash.
How obese your state is.
Whether getting a DXA/DEXA scan to learn your body fat percentage is worth it.
My go-to hotel room exercise.
An awesome quote about performance from a genius.
An important parting question about books (weigh in in the comments).
Let’s roll …
A show I watched: Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos
The Sopranos is my favorite series of all time. If you haven’t watched it, do.
HBO recently released a documentary about the show’s creation. It holds lessons around creativity, taking swings, and how madness can lead to genius. I do believe breakthroughs often happen on the verge of breakdowns—and The Sopranos is an excellent example of that phenomenon.
(P.S. The cast audition videos are incredible.)
By the numbers …
17
Percent your risk of diabetes rises for every 10 percent of your calories that come from ultraprocessed/junk food.
20
Percent of doctors correctly estimated how long terminally ill patients would live.
From the study: “Only 20% of predictions were accurate; 63% were overoptimistic and 17% were overpessimistic.”
0
Time you should wait to eat or drink something after a hard workout. People who waited three hours to refuel after a hard workout performed worse in a workout the next day. The takeaway: Eat or drink right before, during, or after a tough workout.
21 to 45
Percent reduction in the risk for dementia, stroke, Parkinson’s disease, and depression and anxiety experienced by “weekend warriors.” Those are people who get at least 150 minutes of activity a week but get most of it on the weekend.
The takeaway: You’ll still get giant benefits if you can only fit exercise into your weekends. Just try to hit 150 minutes across the week. For example, 30 minutes on Tuesday, 60 minutes on Saturday, and 60 minutes on Sunday.
0
Extra mental or physical performance benefits from an energy drink beyond what you get in the caffeine.
7
Percent increase in metabolic rate experienced by people who did a 10-week strength training routine. They also gained 3 pounds of muscle, lost four pounds of fat, and improved their bone density by 1 to 3 percent.
56
Percent of Americans have tried marijuana at some point in their life …
24
Percent of Americans have used marijuana in the past year …
17
Percent have used marijuana in the past month.
12 to 100
Percent of tampons contain toxic metals like lead, arsenic, and cadmium according to a recent test by researchers at Columbia University. The scientists evaluated 30 tampons from 14 different brands.
How to (maybe) not die on an airplane in the event said plane crashes
In 2007, Popular Mechanics analyzed National Transportation Safety Bureau data around commercial plane crashes that had fatalities and survivors.
The takeaway:
First class: First and most likely to die. But at least you’ll enjoy extra legroom on your way out.
Middle of plane: Not much better off than First Class—and you’ll be more cramped as you die.
Back of plane: Best off! The catch: Due to sitting in the cramped back, you will probably have wanted to die the entirety of the flight.
This year’s CDC state-by-state obesity maps are in …
… And obesity keeps getting worse.
Should you get a DEXA Scan?
This week, we covered BMI and how much muscle is enough for health. The takeaway: Be SUPERMEDIUM.
One smart reader pointed out that getting a DXA/DEXA can tell you how much of your bodyweight is comprised of fat tissue versus lean tissues—muscles, bones, etc.
But DEXA is not so straightforward and does come with limitations. There could be easier and equally-accurate methods …