One of the most visible rewards from a fitness program comes from vigorous exercise. Many people report that the end of their exercise period is a high point of the day. They report feeling refreshed, energetic, free from stress and having a satisfying attitude of achievement. It is this high which makes it easy for many people to come back the next day, on schedule and looking forward to starting their exercise agenda.

For attaining and maintaining top fitness and health, regular vigorous exercise has great value. We are talking here about exercise that increases one’s heartbeat and rate of breathing for an extended period of time. How much time? Any is good, more is better, up to a point. However, after 30 to 35 minutes of continuous vigorous exercise, endorphins are released into the body.

Endorphins affect the body and the mind. They are what gives the body its “second wind.” When we begin to tire and then, as if by magic, we feel a surge of renewed strength and energy, the endorphins have kicked in. They cause physiological changes to the body, to equip us with the ability to go on. They are what gives our mind its “high.” The high is the mood of well-being, optimism and peace that we suddenly feel, as if we had taken a magic potion.

We are not advocating here that every person do 40 minutes or more of vigorous exercise every day. If it is right for you, that is great. If not, then exercise at the level that is right for you. If not 40 minutes, then maybe 20 minutes. If not every day, then maybe three times per week. Any exercise is better than no exercise. Vigorous exercise is better than relaxed exercise.

We do advocate that every person design his or her exercise program based on where he or she is at the time. We do advocate that the program challenge its designer. Whatever one’s level of fitness, we believe that person will be best-served by setting goals and standards of performance that require striving to reach. It is the striving that guarantees successful results from a physical exercise program. See Designing My Exercise Agenda for more information.

We are aiming to reach an ideal in our quest for lifetime fitness. We will need all the help we can get, and should use every resource at our disposal. We have seen and considered the different components that must be included to reach this ideal. We can combine all of the tools – diet, weight control, exercise, supplements, intimacy and mental attitude – to achieve our goal of attaining and maintaining optimum health and lifetime fitness.

Optimal health is represented by a feeling of being on top of things. All of the right moves have been made, the right habits have been formed, the right foods are faithfully eaten, the exercise regimen is followed without fail, the desired supplements are included, and the relationships could not be better. You know you have done it right, so there is no nagging concern about what you might have done. You have done your best.

Now enjoy it. Take a moment to contemplate that you have done what you can with your chronological age, and you have kept your physical age well below your actual number of years on this earth. Relish the fact that few people do this. Some do parts of it, and some do most or all of it for a while, but you have done it all for the long run. Be proud of yourself and enjoy it.

For more information see Optimal Health Strategies.

The correlation between intimacy and good health is well-documented but sometimes overlooked. It is a factor in determing a person’s fitness and health. Because this site is dedicated to considering all relevant factors, we will offer some ideas. Intimacy is not an area usually included in discussions of fitness and health, but we believe it has a place here.

The word intimacy often suggests touching and sex. Our definition here is broader. Our definition is “closeness or familiarity with another person.” We see the most important aspect of intimacy as being emotional, with touching and sex frequently included. The word is commonly used in describing a couple relationship, but we think it should be described as residing primarily in the family, including the couple often at the head of the family.

It is widely known that married people live longer than singles. Although not as well-studied, unmarried couples of any makeup also live longer than singles. According to one researcher, being in a couple relationship has a rejuvenating effect on the body, alters body chemistry, lowers stress and improves health. It lowers the chance of illness and improves the chance of recovery if affected by illness. We assume that the same is true of intimacy outside of a couple relationship.

So how do we use this information to increase our life expectancy and improve our quality of life? Many people would say that the motivation to be in a satisfying couple relationship does not need any rational discourse to help it along. The thought is this. It is another factor to keep in mind as one thinks about achieving top fitness and health in his or her own life. For more on this, see Fitness and Intimacy.

I TOTALLY forgot about our Frappr map and look at how many of you are up there! Geesh! I don’t know where my head’s been.

I wanted to post it here so we all knew it existed.

I also wanted to tell you I’ve been working on the templates. I removed some obtrusive google ads from some, like skeletons. The only ads I’m integrated in are from the blog her network. I’ve been saving up so we can upgrade our hosting. I think the site is starting to drag a bit with all our users!

Don’t worry, any updates I’ll make I’ll keep you posted on!

Have you ever wondered why we have such a range of skin colors in the world? Our African ancestors had dark skins because the melanin helped to protect them from ultraviolet light – up to an SPF 15. This UV protection, however, meant that it slowed down vitamin D synthesis. Not a problem when you live in an area that has so much sunshine.

But, as humans migrated northwards, exposure to the sun diminished. Skins became lighter because protection wasn’t as important as being able to synthesize vitamin D. (The lighter the skin the more efficient is the chemical reaction between the skin and UVB.) White skin synthesizes vitamin D six times faster than dark skin. This is why I found my sun-phobic dermatologist the other day standing in the parking lot wearing his ski jacket and holding his face to the sun.

How important is vitamin D? For years, we have known about its role in bone building and how it acts in the kidneys, intestines and the skeleton to help control the flow of calcium into and out of bones from the bloodstream. However, in an article entitled Sunshine Vitamin by Luz E. Tavera-Mendoza and John H. Shite for Scientific American, they point out that studies of vitamin D’s function have broadened, revealing that the so-called sunshine vitamin does far more than build bones. Extensive evidence now shows that D has potent anticancer actions and also serves as an important regulator of immune system responses. Moreover, many of D’s newly recognized benefits are maximized when it is present in the bloodstream at levels considerably higher than those found in many populations. These findings, together with epidemiological data linking low vitamin D levels to disease, support the possibility that widespread vitamin D deficiency is contributing to a number of serious illnesses.

The other source of vitamin D is through food, but food provides relatively small doses of D compared with amounts made by the skin. For example, one of the higher sources, cod-liver oil provides 1,360 IU in one tablespoon, whereas full-body exposure to UVB for 15 to 20 minutes at midday in summer provides 10,000 IU.

So, where are we with all this? Clearly some sun exposure is necessary. No more than 20 minutes though because UVB light will end up degrading vitamin D to prevent too much of it from building up in the skin. (Don’t get confused with exposure in tanning beds. This does not synthesize vitamin D. Tanning beds emit UVA rays which go deeper into the skin and destroy our collagen and elastin. No one has yet found anything good to say about UVA!)

If you don’t see the sun for weeks, then make sure you incorporate food sources of vitamin D such as cod-liver oil, cooked tuna, sardines, mackerel or salmon, shiitake mushrooms and organic eggs.

I’ve always noticed that my nails grow longer and stronger when I’m in the sun for a while, so I know there must be something to this!