Exercise on the Wild Side

/in /by

Here are a few observations and comments about exercising on the wild side.

  • “I think I may walk around the yard and talk to my cow.” You know, if it gets you moving, I’m all for it—you do you. I did not talk to the skunk I met on the sidewalk. I took to the street, and we parted as friends.
  • Take a 1½- to 2-year-old to a trampoline park. Watch them run toward the steps; catch them before they fall down the steps; repeat over and over and over, because they never seem to get tired. It’s a naturally occurring HIIT workout.
  • Go to the gym and just lift the weights you want to lift. No order. No schedule to keep. Just do a few random sets of whatever takes your fancy. Take a long shower and you’re done.
  • Back to the trampoline park—get your steps in while the kids jump. Didn’t even realize what the women were doing completely independent of each other; looking at their watches gave them away.
  • Dance. Put on some music and go for it. If you normally bike for 45 minutes, dance for 45 minutes instead.
  • From social media: “Do the thing you can do instead of beating yourself up over not doing the thing you’re not doing” is honestly life-changing, even lifesaving, advice. I agree. Sometimes, you just have to say, “Well, that’s good enough.”

What we think about structure and uniformity to our schedule is important; having a schedule and sticking to it relieves you of the need to decide what you’re going to do every day. But some of the time, we just have to think outside the box, shake things up, and go a little nuts. Every time Riley says, “I’m bored,” Paula says, “That’s your fault. Find something to do.” If you get bored with your workout, change it. Sometimes, you’ve got to lose the structure and get a little wild.

Finally, I misjudged the number of voters; I promised to do 10 push-ups after every 25 voters in my precinct, and we had over 500 voters Tuesday. By the time we got to 250, my shoulders were shot, so I substituted 10 squats; I did 100 push-ups and 100 squats over a 14-hour day. Still felt sore the next day.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Election Day: Get Wild!

/in /by

Today from coast to coast, there are primary elections being held—five today, including Michigan, and about a dozen more the rest of the month. It’s not just the U.S.—it looks like Iceland, Kosovo, U.K., and Zambia have elections this month, and there may be more I’ve missed.

I’m a Michigan election inspector and will be working to make sure everything is done according to the book—and it’s a thick book. Wherever you live in the U.S., take the time to vote for the candidates you support. All the people involved in elections are doing their part to make sure we have a free and fair election. Do your part and vote today or when your primary is scheduled. That’s our voice and we have to express it.

Then go do something a little crazy with a workout. Do jumping jacks at a bus stop. Go up two flights of stairs and then get on the elevator to go to your floor. Race your grandchild across the yard. Play catch with a football. When a meeting is over, drop and do 10 push-ups. Just do some sort of movement that is out of the norm, that is safe, and within any restrictions. I’ll start by doing 10 push-ups after every 25 voters in my precinct. I hope to break 100! Let me know what you did and I’ll put it in Saturday’s Memo along with some of the responses I got via email.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Use Animal Protein to Build Muscle

/in /by

Plant-based food versus supplemental shake: that is the question. It’s not the only question, but it’s where we start today’s Health Memo. The supplemental shake used in the study used the same type and amount of amino acids found in the rice and beans. They also used the same amount of carbohydrates, fiber, and fat. With the results virtually the same as to the lack of muscle-protein synthesis, the question becomes why?

Food Factors

The researchers suggested that the lack of muscle-protein synthesis could be due to the extraction of the amino acids from the food structure. It may take the digestive system too long to release the protein from the carbohydrate material before it reaches the end of the digestion process and thus is eliminated from the body. If true, that means the issue could get worse the older that we get and could contribute to age-related sarcopenia.

The researchers also cite that the high carbohydrate level of the rice at 114 grams might have impaired the availability of the amino acids. At some point, the elevated blood sugar blunts the use of amino acids to build muscle. They also used a supplement of carbohydrate alone in another similar study which also blunted muscle-protein synthesis.

The researchers also suggested that perhaps the amount of protein at 20 grams was too low. Other studies have used 30 grams of protein or more in similar studies with much lower carbohydrate.

The researchers also included data from another similar study using ground pork. The rate of muscle-protein synthesis was twice that found in the current study.

The Bottom Line

Where does this study leave us? With more questions.

This was a very small group of young adults; we know age, gender, fitness level, and other factors may also impact protein utilization. At this time, animal protein, whether in food or in supplement form, is probably better to build muscle than plant-based protein. In addition, it should be taken either before, during, or just after muscle-building workouts to maximize muscle-protein synthesis. We still need our carbs in grains, veggies, and fruits as well as some fat—just at another time for maximum benefit from all the nutrients.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: AJCN. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajcnut.2026.101380

Plant-Based Protein: Food vs. Shake

/in /by

There are many questions related to every aspect of nutrition. Most may seem trivial, but it doesn’t mean it won’t be helpful to know the answers. One that’s important to protein synthesis is whether a person can get enough protein from complementary plant foods or plant-based protein from shakes with the same nutrient distribution as the whole foods. Complementary protein is the concept of combining plant foods to provide a more complete amino acid profile; rice and beans would be one example.

Researchers chose 10 young people as subjects to test the muscle-protein synthesis rate of eating a complementary whole-food plant protein meal rather than a supplement with the same macronutrient profile. The meals were ingested after a weight-training session focused on leg muscles. Subjects served as their own controls, and the sessions were held in a randomized fashion one week apart.

They found no differences between the rate of muscle-protein synthesis after eating the nutrients as rice and beans or the macronutrients provided as a supplemental shake. Did it prove to be good enough to build muscle? We’ll check that out as well as a couple of surprise findings on Saturday.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: AJCN. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajcnut.2026.101380

HIIT Can Be Fun

/in /by

After you’ve checked with your doctor to find out any limitations as it relates to exercise intensity, then it’s time to get after it—not to lose a whole bunch of weight, not to win the next 5k, not every day—but to make your heart and body stronger and fitter.

Modes of Exercise for HIIT

The approach remains the same no matter what mode of exercise we choose: increase speed or resistance for a specific amount of time ranging from 15 to 90 seconds, and then actively rest for 3 or 4 minutes, repeating the cycle 4–6 times. Here are some ideas.

Friends
There’s probably no addition to your HIIT exercise routine that’s more fun than getting several people together and doing it as a group. Someone can be the designated timer to keep track of the intervals and rest times. Walking is the logical choice, but group exercise can be done in a pool, indoor bikes, calisthenics, or some other group activity or class. It may bring about a little competition, which can be motivating. It especially helps on those days when you really don’t want to work harder. Obligation to someone else can keep you on track.

Trampoline Rebounder
These are available at moderate cost at big box stores or online. They come with a variety of aerobic workouts. The simplest thing is to increase your foot speed as you bounce. I’d recommend one with a bar to hang onto while working out. You can also bounce higher, but if you do that, you have to remember your ceiling height. Also, hit the rebounder straight down dead center or you could bounce yourself off the equipment onto the floor or whatever else is in the way.

Pool
If you have access to a pool, you can always use pool walking as your mode of exercise. There are a number of ways to increase the intensity: you could walk faster, move from the shallow end to a deeper section, or increase the resistance by using your arms to push the water to propel you faster as you walk. If you want to have some more fun, skip across the pool.

One more thing: you could hang onto the side of the pool and practice your freestyle leg stroke. Same idea, go faster for a specified time and then chill by walking for the rest interval. Be cautious if you have a large hot tub; that adds another stressor: heat. One stress at a time, done in the correct fashion, is a better idea.

Walkers and Wheelchairs

If you have difficulty moving without assistance, you can still do some interval training. Using your walker for balance, depending on how much room you have in your home, your driveway, or in a local park, you can simply walk faster for 15 seconds to start. If you have a wheelchair, the same approach applies. I know from observation that some people like to use their wheelchairs to scoot along using their legs. As long as you’re always under control, that would be acceptable—just not down a hill!

They also have rollers that wheelchairs sit on for people who want to exercise indoors. That’s another way to train your arms as well.

The Bottom Line

If you really want to try HIIT, you might have to be creative. Just remember that the basic time of interval is 30 to 90 seconds. The rest interval is 3 to 4 minutes, and don’t do it more than 2 or 3 times per week with a rest day between each session.

If you’ve found other ways to do HIIT, let me know and I’ll include them in a follow-up Memo in the future.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

HIIT Fun?

/in /by

I have a confession: I married a woman who doesn’t like to exercise. I know—it’s not what you’d expect from guy committed to a career in making people fitter and healthier, but she was and is irresistible. Since we met, I’ve been on the lookout for fun ways to exercise, especially since HIIT (high-intensity interval training) has become popular. One could argue that HIIT shouldn’t be fun, but maybe it could be more interesting?

We’ve worked out that distraction helps, so Paula usually is reading or watching TV while biking or doing other exercises. How can we work HIIT into that formula?

  • The simplest way is just to see whether she can increase the RPMs for 30 seconds by pedaling as fast as possible; maybe she only makes it 15 seconds.
  • Then pedal at an easy pace for three and a half minutes; repeat four to six times.
  • The goal is to last for 30 seconds during all the intervals.

Another approach would be to keep the same pace, but bump up the resistance for 30 seconds, followed by the same approach of easy cycling at reduced resistance.

The same logic could be used for walking, elliptical trainers, and stair climbers. What about other forms of exercise or exercise equipment? What do you do for exercise that’s fun?

One important caution: you should always check with your physician or cardiologist before you do HIIT just to be sure your heart is healthy enough to try it. That doesn’t mean you have to make an appointment; if you see your doctor regularly, you can probably call the office or send a message through the online portal and get an answer. What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

HIIT for Everyone

/in /by

Before I get into this study on high-intensity interval training or HIIT, I want to be sure you understand that unless you’re under 30 and very fit, you need guidance and advice from your physician before you attempt a HIIT program, especially if you have cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or are on medications for these conditions. I’ve been doing interval training for over 40 years, but the intervals I do today are within the limitations of the body I have today, not the limitations I had in my 30s. With that in mind, let’s proceed.

HIIT After a Heart Attack

Researchers in China recruited over 200 subjects with a specific cardiac profile: the subjects all had myocardial infarctions (commonly known as heart attacks) that were resolved by a percutaneous coronary intervention (treatment used to open blockages in the coronary arteries) such as a stent. This group requires special attention in that they are at serious risk for another event within the next year.

As part of a 12-week cardiac rehabilitation program, researchers divided the subjects into three groups:

  • A moderate-intensity continuous training group (MICT)
  • A HIIT group
  • A group that did a combined MICT and HIIT program.

The advantage is that every exercise session was under the supervision of professionals trained in cardiac rehab who knew how to respond if something went wrong.

All groups improved their fitness levels, but the combined training program of MCIT and HIIT provided better results than either of the approaches done separately. From a fitness perspective, those in the combined group increased the amount of oxygen they could use by more than the other groups and pumped significantly more blood per beat. Most important, there were no differences in major adverse events.

The Bottom Line

I specifically chose this study because these subjects were most at risk. With a doctor’s approval and under the right supervision, they were able to do HIIT safely. For most of the rest of us, those are obstacles and advantages we don’t face.

We should be prudent and check with our physicians first. We should also get some guidance on how to begin a HIIT program; if possible, get an appointment with a physical therapist to plan your workout program, because they’re trained to understand and work around everyone’s physical limitations and avoid injury. The workout plan must be within our fitness level right now, not 20 years ago. It can be as simple as walking faster for 30 seconds at a time during the walk you already take, but the gains can be significant toward improving our healthspan.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: Aging and Disease. 2025. http://dx.doi.org/10.14336/AD.2024.0642

HIIT at Any Age

/in /by

Last week, I talked about taking inventory of where your body is now, primarily in your ability to move your limbs. The reason was that regardless of age as well as physical limitations, you can improve your fitness level; better yet, you can potentially accelerate the process using high-intensity interval training, also known as HIIT. It may take ingenuity if your physical limitations are significant, and you should be guided by your healthcare professional to get started. Let’s take a look at a recent study.

Researchers in Australia recruited a group of apparently healthy subjects 65 to 85 years old to participate in a HIIT study focusing on changes in body composition. With a mean age of 72, the subjects were randomly assigned to one of three groups: a control group who focused on stretching and balance exercises, a moderate intensity group who walked on a treadmill for 45 minutes at a specified target heart rate range, and a group who walked 40 minutes including a 10-minute warm-up, four 4-minute intervals at a specified heart rate range interspersed with 3 minutes of active recovery, and a cool down.

There were significant changes in body composition between the control group and both the HIIT and the moderate-intensity group with a specific change in the visceral fat. Were they fitter? The HIIT group had a greater use of oxygen than the moderate group, but it was not statistically significant. The important point was that even people over 80 could perform HIIT based on their specific fitness level. What about people who recently had heart attacks? I’ll tell you about another study on Saturday.

Tomorrow night is the Insider Conference Call, and the topic of the night is reducing the risk of dementia by changing the lifestyle factors that are under our control. You can participate if you become an Insider by 8 p.m. Eastern Time tomorrow night.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2025.108763

Your Independence Inventory

/in /by

I’m breaking this into two separate inventories: your physical inventory, focusing on muscles bones and joints, and your logistics inventory. Let’s begin with your physical inventory. To make this easier, we created a printable checklist that you’ll find in the Basic Health Info section of drchet.com.

Physical Inventory

Let’s start with some of the factors that can impact your ability to exercise, whether that’s getting fitter, stronger, or more flexible:

  • Can you sit and stand without assistance? Do you need assistance whether in the form of a walker or arms on the chair? All of those require basic muscular strength and balance.
  • Can you walk without assistance? How about with assistance? How far can you walk? I know this sounds so basic, but everyone starts somewhere. How fast you can walk also matters.
  • Can you bend over at the waist? Do you lose your balance if you do that? How about squatting? Full squat, half squat, quarter squat, or not at all?
  • Can you get on an exercise bike or an elliptical trainer or a treadmill? In order to use them, you have to be able to balance well enough to get on them first. If you’ve never been on a treadmill, you don’t really know whether that’s possible for your fitness program or not. Some people have balance issues they never knew existed.
  • Can you stand in place with your eyes closed, or do you get dizzy? Can you touch your finger to your nose with your eyes closed while holding your arms horizontal to the floor? This test may be associated with assessing your degree of drunkenness, but you’ve got to be able to do it sober first.
  • Can you raise your arms above your head? Can you bend your arms at the elbow? Can you do a bicep curl with a can of vegetables? Can you lift it above your head?
  • Can you usually grip the lid of a sealed jar well enough to open it? Everyone’s grip strength deteriorates over time, so it’s important to know where you rate.
  • Can you get on the floor on your hands and knees? Can you lie face down on the flood? Can you lie face up? Can you get up off the floor without leaning on any piece of furniture?
  • Can you walk up a flight of stairs? Can you walk up a single stair and step down again?

Logistics Inventory

Logistics for getting healthier requires that you assess your assets and liabilities. You’ve got to know whether you have the time, the equipment, the time, the space, the time, the gym membership, the time… Are you getting the idea that time is important here? That’s the single biggest reason people quit an exercise program, and for most, it’s the reason they never start.

  • Do you have the time in your schedule, while getting reasonable sleep, to exercise? Early in the day? Lunch? Before dinner? In the evening? Every day? Three days per week? Does it depend on your children’s after-school activity schedule?
  • What equipment do you have? Do you like it enough to use it? Do you have exercise tubes or bands? Weights like dumbbells or barbells? Do you have mats for floor routines? Do you like exercising while watching videos or do you prefer music?
  • Are you a member of a gym or club? Can you get there on a regular basis? Is there enough equipment to do what you like to do? Does it have a pool in case swimming is your thing?
  • Do you have the time to prepare meals if eating better is your goal? Do you have a selection of the right tools to cook well? It’s easier if you have the right spices, knives, cookware, and cook wear (might as well have a cute apron). Do you have the budget to buy healthier ingredients?
  • What are you willing to eat on a regular basis? I’ve made it clear I’m not drinking smoothies or eating bars, at least, not very much. That means it takes more time for prep and cooking.
  • If you’re not exercising at home, is your car dependable?
  • Do you live in a safe neighborhood to walk or jog?

Those are just some of the logistical factors to consider before you get to working toward your health goals.

If you’re thinking this is just for old people, nope—I suggest you do this no matter what your age. Mark your calendar to inventory your physical state every year when you get your annual physical. You may find that although you’re only in your 30s, you can’t easily get up off the floor. The time to work on that is now; don’t wait another decade or two to work on your physical independence. You’re building your health future. Take a full inventory before you start your plan; that’s the way to gain the health independence we all want to have.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Time to Take Inventory

/in /by

After last week’s Memo on Independence, I decided to follow it up with some thoughts on where to begin the quest for independence. Nobody is beginning at absolute zero. Regardless of where you stand (or sit) with your health, it’s time to take an inventory.

I could include everything from lowering cholesterol, sleeping better, or reducing medications, but those are discussions you need to have with your physician first to see if what you’re planning to do is reasonable. They know what health issues you’re facing, from auto-immune diseases to type 2 diabetes, and even more. For example, if you have a genetically determined high blood pressure, you may have to stay on medications no matter how much weight you lose and how fit you become. I would start with a consultation with your physician or healthcare professional.

Once you’ve done that if it applies to you, it’s time to take inventory, both physical and logistical. We’ll do that on Saturday.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet