Grab Bag Interval Training Testament:

Hallelujah. I’ve come to give my testament to the exercise physiologists and cellular biologists. Amen. I’m a believer.

Remember all those posts where I have been singing the praises of interval training?? Short bursts of walking, running, biking, swimming, or whatever you do to improve your metabolic system and in turn reap so many other benefits? Well check this out.

Witness the red line in the photo above. It represents an approximately 200′ swim to a buoy that has been a summer habit for years. In years past, when I was younger and, I thought, “more fit”, I could swim freestyle at a pretty good clip until… I pulled even with the end of the breakwater (the green line).

It was always about that point where the 6200′ elevation and the 65° water (oh, ya, can I hear an AMEN?) got the best of my cardiopulmonary system and I’d have to switch to breaststroke, allowing me to slow down and suck more air.

Not THIS year, my friends!! A switch has been flipped, and I credit my EXCLUSIVE employment of interval training in the last year to my 2010 discovery that I can swim the full distance freestyle, without stopping, rest on the buoy for a minute or so, swim back, and then do it all over again a second time. And, voilá…. swimming intervals that are adding gold to the metabolic pot.

I truly believe that interval training has made a huge difference, especially considering I am just coming off of a couple of injuries that have curtailed a good deal of my normal activity. And, I’m OLDER than I ever was in summers past :shock:.

So…. there you go… a scientific study of ONE, but a pretty good comparison. Just try it.

Grab Bag Global Artisans:

I recently discovered this site, which carries goods from artists and craftsmen around the world. Novica is put together in association with National Geographic, and is based on fair trade and fair pay for the artisans. If you’re looking for something different and special, take a look at

Here are just a few highlights of the goodies they offer…

Grab Bag Pretty Party Plates:

Bongenre features high-design melamine plates and bowls. Plastic melamine has always been great for pool, deck, garden, beach… anywhere non-breakables are a must (take note…  dishwasher safe, but no oven OR microwave for melamine).

Party on at Bongenre.com…

Grab Bag Low-Tech Tot Toys:

Technology is great, isn’t it? But there are times when it just doesn’t feel right. Like when little babes are learning about their world through play. Don’t we all think fondly of the simpler days when toys were powered by our own good forces and action was what we imagined it to be?

Hark back to those days for the short people in your life here at…

Grab Bag Alzheimer Alert:

Think there’s nothing we can do to stave off the great memory thief? Think again. And when you’re done thinking…. exercise, drink tea, and get your vitamin D.

Read these excerpts from the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference 2010:

Physical Activity Lowers Risk of Dementia, Especially in Men: The Framingham Study, a long-term trial that has been tracking participants since 1948, found that participants who performed moderate to heavy levels of physical activity had about a 40 percent lower risk of developing any type of dementia. Further, people who reported the lowest levels of physical activity were 45 percent more likely to develop any type of dementia compared to those who reported higher levels of activity. Similar results were seen when analyses were limited to Alzheimer’s alone. Analyses showed that the observed associations were largely evident in men in the study.

Tea Consumption Slows Cognitive Decline:

The researchers found that people who consumed tea at a variety of levels had significantly less cognitive decline (17-37 percent) than non-tea drinkers. More specifically, study participants who drank tea 5-10 times/year, 1-3 times/month, 1-4 times/week, and 5+ times/week had average annual rates of decline 17 percent, 32 percent, 37 percent, and 26 percent lower, respectively, than non-tea drinkers.

According to the scientists, coffee consumption did not show any effect except at the very highest level of consumption where its effects were minimal.

Vitamin D Deficiency Increases Risk of Cognitive Impairment: Recent European studies suggest vitamin D deficiency is associated with increased odds of cognitive impairment and dementia in later life.  Interest in vitamin D has intensified recently as research has suggested that it may play a role in a variety of age-associated diseases.

Vitamin D levels were measured from blood samples and compared with performance on a measure of general cognitive function that incorporated tests of memory, orientation in time and space, and ability to maintain attention.  They found that the odds of cognitive impairment were about 42 percent higher in those people who were deficient in vitamin D, and 394 percent higher in people who were severely deficient.

Grab Bag Brain Game:

Trip on back to the 60’s and test your brain cells on events from that psychedelic decade:

Grab Bag Funny Stuff:

There are some dear readers out there (you know who you are) that would certainly answer these questions in a very similar fashion. I’ll convert you…. just give me time 🙂

Q: Doctor, I’ve heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life; is this true?

A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that’s it … don’t waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that’s like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.

Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?

A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.

Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?

A: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine, that means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of grain. Bottoms up!

Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?

A: Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.

Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?

A: Can’t think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain…Good!

Q: Aren’t fried foods bad for you?

A: YOU’RE NOT LISTENING!!! …. Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they’re permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you? (I think my husband answered this one.)

Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?

A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.

Q: Is chocolate bad for me?

A: Are you crazy? HELLO Cocoa beans! Another vegetable!!! It’s the best feel-good food around! (This happens to hold some truth.)

Q: Is swimming good for your figure?

A:   If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.

Q: Is getting in shape important for my lifestyle?

A: Hey! ‘Round’ is a shape!