Have you ever noticed that when you present people with facts that are contrary to their deepest held beliefs they always change their minds? Me neither! In fact, people seem to double down on their beliefs in the teeth of overwhelming evidence against them. This is called the Backfire Effect and it happens when people perceive their worldview to be under threat by conflicting The psychology underneath the backfire effect is called cognitive dissonance, or the uncomfortable feeling you get when a deeply held belief is contradicted by the facts. Are we doomed to always be at odds with the facts and other people when they don’t agree with our beliefs? Can we shred the backfire effect and reduce the problem of cognitive dissonance? Yes! In this video, Michael Shermer presents 6 things we can do. These may not always work to change people’s minds, but they may reduce unnecessary divisiveness so rampant in our culture.
Watch the video
Friday, June 23, 2017
Why Weight Training Is Ridiculously Good For You
from MSN-Lifestyle
For many, weight training calls to mind bodybuilders pumping iron in pursuit of beefy biceps and bulging pecs. But, experts say it’s well past time to discard those antiquated notions of what resistance training can do for your health, function, and physique. Modern exercise science shows that working with weights--whether that weight is a heavy dumbbell, a lighter one, or your own body weight--may be the best exercise for lifelong physical functioning and fitness.
"To me, resistance training is the most important form of training for overall health and wellness," says Brad Schoenfeld, an assistant professor of exercise science at New York City’s Lehman College. During the past decade, Schoenfeld has published more than 30 academic papers on every aspect of resistance training-from the biomechanics of the push-up to the body’s nutrient needs following a hard lift. Many people think of weight training as exercise that augments muscle size and strength, which is certainly true. But, Schoenfeld says the "load" that this form of training puts on bones and their supporting muscles, tendons and ligaments is probably a bigger deal when it comes to health and physical function.
"We talk about bone resorption, which is a decrease in bone tissue over time," he says. When you’re young, bone resorption is balanced and in some cases exceeded by new bone tissue generation. But later in life, bone tissue losses accelerate and outpace the creation of new bone. That acceleration is especially pronounced among people who are sedentary and women who have reached or passed menopause, Schoenfeld says. This loss of bone tissue leads to the weakness and postural problems that plague many older adults.
"Resistance training works to counteract all those bone losses and postural deficits," he says. Through a process known as bone remodeling, strength training stimulates the development of bone osteoblasts: cells that build bones back up. While you can achieve some of these bone benefits through aerobic exercise, especially in your lower body, resistance training is really the best way to maintain and enhance total-body bone strength.
More research links resistance training with improved insulin sensitivity among people with diabetes and prediabetes. One study published in the journal Diabetes Care found that twice-weekly training sessions helped control insulin swings (and body weight) among older men with type-2 diabetes. "Muscle is very metabolically active, and it uses glucose, or blood sugar, for energy," says Mark Peterson, an assistant professor of physical medicine at the University of Michigan.
During a bout of resistance training, your muscles are rapidly using glucose, and this energy consumption continues even after you’ve finished exercising, Peterson says. For anyone at risk for metabolic conditions-type-2 diabetes, but also high blood pressure, unhealthy cholesterol levels and other symptoms of metabolic syndrome-strength training is among the most-effective remedies, he says.
Strength training also seems to be a potent antidote to inflammation, a major risk factor for heart disease and other conditions, says Schoenfeld. A 2010 study from the University of Connecticut linked regular resistance training with inflammation-quelling shifts in the body’s levels of cytokines, a type of immune system protein. Another study from Mayo Clinic found that when overweight women did twice-weekly resistance training sessions, they had significant drops in several markers of inflammation.
Still more research has linked strength training to improved focus and cognitive function, better balance, less anxiety and greater well-being.
Some of the latest and most surprising research is in the realm of "light-load training," or lifting lighter weights. "It used to be thought that you needed to lift heavy loads in order to build muscle and achieve a lot of these benefits," Schoenfeld says. "That’s what I was taught in grad school and undergrad, but now it looks like that’s not completely true."
If all that isn’t convincing enough to turn you onto weights, perhaps this is: maintaining strength later in life "seems to be one of the best predictors of survival," says Peterson. "When we add strength...almost every health outcome improves."
"It used to be we thought of strength training as something for athletes," he adds, "but now we recognize it as a seminal part of general health and well-being at all ages."
For many, weight training calls to mind bodybuilders pumping iron in pursuit of beefy biceps and bulging pecs. But, experts say it’s well past time to discard those antiquated notions of what resistance training can do for your health, function, and physique. Modern exercise science shows that working with weights--whether that weight is a heavy dumbbell, a lighter one, or your own body weight--may be the best exercise for lifelong physical functioning and fitness.
"To me, resistance training is the most important form of training for overall health and wellness," says Brad Schoenfeld, an assistant professor of exercise science at New York City’s Lehman College. During the past decade, Schoenfeld has published more than 30 academic papers on every aspect of resistance training-from the biomechanics of the push-up to the body’s nutrient needs following a hard lift. Many people think of weight training as exercise that augments muscle size and strength, which is certainly true. But, Schoenfeld says the "load" that this form of training puts on bones and their supporting muscles, tendons and ligaments is probably a bigger deal when it comes to health and physical function.
"We talk about bone resorption, which is a decrease in bone tissue over time," he says. When you’re young, bone resorption is balanced and in some cases exceeded by new bone tissue generation. But later in life, bone tissue losses accelerate and outpace the creation of new bone. That acceleration is especially pronounced among people who are sedentary and women who have reached or passed menopause, Schoenfeld says. This loss of bone tissue leads to the weakness and postural problems that plague many older adults.
"Resistance training works to counteract all those bone losses and postural deficits," he says. Through a process known as bone remodeling, strength training stimulates the development of bone osteoblasts: cells that build bones back up. While you can achieve some of these bone benefits through aerobic exercise, especially in your lower body, resistance training is really the best way to maintain and enhance total-body bone strength.
More research links resistance training with improved insulin sensitivity among people with diabetes and prediabetes. One study published in the journal Diabetes Care found that twice-weekly training sessions helped control insulin swings (and body weight) among older men with type-2 diabetes. "Muscle is very metabolically active, and it uses glucose, or blood sugar, for energy," says Mark Peterson, an assistant professor of physical medicine at the University of Michigan.
During a bout of resistance training, your muscles are rapidly using glucose, and this energy consumption continues even after you’ve finished exercising, Peterson says. For anyone at risk for metabolic conditions-type-2 diabetes, but also high blood pressure, unhealthy cholesterol levels and other symptoms of metabolic syndrome-strength training is among the most-effective remedies, he says.
Strength training also seems to be a potent antidote to inflammation, a major risk factor for heart disease and other conditions, says Schoenfeld. A 2010 study from the University of Connecticut linked regular resistance training with inflammation-quelling shifts in the body’s levels of cytokines, a type of immune system protein. Another study from Mayo Clinic found that when overweight women did twice-weekly resistance training sessions, they had significant drops in several markers of inflammation.
Still more research has linked strength training to improved focus and cognitive function, better balance, less anxiety and greater well-being.
Some of the latest and most surprising research is in the realm of "light-load training," or lifting lighter weights. "It used to be thought that you needed to lift heavy loads in order to build muscle and achieve a lot of these benefits," Schoenfeld says. "That’s what I was taught in grad school and undergrad, but now it looks like that’s not completely true."
If all that isn’t convincing enough to turn you onto weights, perhaps this is: maintaining strength later in life "seems to be one of the best predictors of survival," says Peterson. "When we add strength...almost every health outcome improves."
"It used to be we thought of strength training as something for athletes," he adds, "but now we recognize it as a seminal part of general health and well-being at all ages."
Saturday, June 10, 2017
Dead Butt Syndrome is One More Reason You Shouldn’t Sit All Day
from MSN Health
It's no secret that sitting for long stretches isn't great for your body. Research has linked it to heart disease, obesity, diabetes, even cancer. But there's another health risk from sitting all day that most people don't know about: gluteal amnesia, or dead butt syndrome.
It almost sounds like a joke, but it's not uncommon, says Andrew Bang, a chiropractor at the Cleveland Clinic’s Wellness Institute: "I see the injury all the time in varying degrees."
Dead butt syndrome develops when the gluteus medius-one of the three main muscles in the booty-stops firing correctly. That can happen if you spend too much time parked in a chair, explains Kristen Schuyten, a physical therapist at Michigan Medicine. "But it can also occur in very active individuals who just don’t engage the glute muscles enough or correctly," she adds.
Since the gluteus medius normally helps stabilize the pelvis, gluteal amnesia can lead to lower back pain and hip pain, as well as knee and ankle issues, as the body tries to compensate for the imbalance.
Dead butt syndrome has to do with reciprocal inhibition-the process that describes the give-and-take relationship between muscles on either side of a joint. "In general, when one muscle contracts, a nerve signal is sent to its opposing muscle to relax," says Bang.
When you spend hours on end in a seated position, your hip flexors are contracting while your glutes rest. "Over time, we’re basically training our glutes to be weak," Bang says.
How do you know if you have gluteal amnesia? One way practitioners pronounce a butt dead is with the Trendelenburg test, a physical exam in which a person lifts one leg in front of them while standing. "If the pelvis dips down on the side of the body where the leg is lifted, that indicates weakness in the gluteus medius on the opposite side," says Bang.
The curve in a person's back can also suggest gluteal amnesia. While the lumbar spine (or lower back) should naturally form an S shape, more extreme curvature may signal that the hip flexors are so tight they’re pulling the spine forward, says Bang.
What can you do to avoid dead butt syndrome? Try to take frequent breaks from your chair throughout the day. Get up and walk around, or do some stretches at your desk. Schuyten recommends setting hourly reminders on your phone, to prompt you to squeeze your butt muscles at regular intervals.
And when you work out, don't forget to target that booty. Along with squats and bridges, lying-down leg lifts are a good move to add to your routine, says Bang. "Start on your left side with your right leg lifted and the big toe pointing toward the floor as you lift," he says. "This angle isolates the gluteus medius and minimus muscles the most, so you’ll feel it within 10 to 15 lifts of the leg." Add a band or ankle weight for extra resistance.
Above all, the best way to avoid gluteal amnesia is to mix up your daily routine, says Bang. Sit on an exercise ball for part of the day. Spend some time standing up, working at a high countertop. "Whatever you do, just don’t allow your body to get into a repetitive cycle," he says.
It's no secret that sitting for long stretches isn't great for your body. Research has linked it to heart disease, obesity, diabetes, even cancer. But there's another health risk from sitting all day that most people don't know about: gluteal amnesia, or dead butt syndrome.
It almost sounds like a joke, but it's not uncommon, says Andrew Bang, a chiropractor at the Cleveland Clinic’s Wellness Institute: "I see the injury all the time in varying degrees."
Dead butt syndrome develops when the gluteus medius-one of the three main muscles in the booty-stops firing correctly. That can happen if you spend too much time parked in a chair, explains Kristen Schuyten, a physical therapist at Michigan Medicine. "But it can also occur in very active individuals who just don’t engage the glute muscles enough or correctly," she adds.
Since the gluteus medius normally helps stabilize the pelvis, gluteal amnesia can lead to lower back pain and hip pain, as well as knee and ankle issues, as the body tries to compensate for the imbalance.
Dead butt syndrome has to do with reciprocal inhibition-the process that describes the give-and-take relationship between muscles on either side of a joint. "In general, when one muscle contracts, a nerve signal is sent to its opposing muscle to relax," says Bang.
When you spend hours on end in a seated position, your hip flexors are contracting while your glutes rest. "Over time, we’re basically training our glutes to be weak," Bang says.
How do you know if you have gluteal amnesia? One way practitioners pronounce a butt dead is with the Trendelenburg test, a physical exam in which a person lifts one leg in front of them while standing. "If the pelvis dips down on the side of the body where the leg is lifted, that indicates weakness in the gluteus medius on the opposite side," says Bang.
The curve in a person's back can also suggest gluteal amnesia. While the lumbar spine (or lower back) should naturally form an S shape, more extreme curvature may signal that the hip flexors are so tight they’re pulling the spine forward, says Bang.
What can you do to avoid dead butt syndrome? Try to take frequent breaks from your chair throughout the day. Get up and walk around, or do some stretches at your desk. Schuyten recommends setting hourly reminders on your phone, to prompt you to squeeze your butt muscles at regular intervals.
And when you work out, don't forget to target that booty. Along with squats and bridges, lying-down leg lifts are a good move to add to your routine, says Bang. "Start on your left side with your right leg lifted and the big toe pointing toward the floor as you lift," he says. "This angle isolates the gluteus medius and minimus muscles the most, so you’ll feel it within 10 to 15 lifts of the leg." Add a band or ankle weight for extra resistance.
Above all, the best way to avoid gluteal amnesia is to mix up your daily routine, says Bang. Sit on an exercise ball for part of the day. Spend some time standing up, working at a high countertop. "Whatever you do, just don’t allow your body to get into a repetitive cycle," he says.
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