experts Archives

As 75 Hard fitness program trends on TikTok, experts raise red flags

November 30, 2020 [email protected]_84 experts, fitness, flags, hard, Program, raise, Red, TikTok, Trends

As the coronavirus pandemic rages on and quarantine orders are being extended, people have turned to new places to get workout inspiration at home.

Fitness videos on TikTok have grown exponentially since the pandemic began, as many looked for new ways to stay in shape. Fitness challenges like #DragonFlag, #OneMinuteFitness and #PlankChallenge have gone viral in recent months, and celebrities like Carrie Underwood have even joined in.

Experts urge those just starting out to take it slow before jumping into some of the advanced moves seen in popular TikTok videos, and the intense program called 75 Hard that’s trending on the platform is no exception.

The 75 Hard program, created by entrepreneur and podcaster Andy Frisella and described as a “mental toughness” program, outlines rules users must follow for 75 days. They are:

Do two 45-minute workouts a day, one of which must be outside

Follow a healthy diet with zero alcohol or cheat days

Take a progress picture every day

Drink one gallon of water daily

Read 10 pages a day of a nonfiction book

If you fail, you must start over again at Day One

75 Hard found life on TikTok during the pandemic after 22-year-old Rylee Ollearis documented her journey doing the program from May to July. Her first video about it has racked up more than 4 million views.

“I decided to post on TikTok for my five followers at the time… ‘Hey guys, I’m doing this crazy challenge, this crazy program,’ and the video started to blow up,” Ollearis told “GMA.”

“I’ve almost given up myself a few too many times in the past,” she explained about what drew her to the intense program. “I wanted to prove to myself for this time that I could be tough enough to complete something that I set my mind to.”

Ollearis’ audio from her Day One video is now used in more than 500 TikTok videos of other users trying out the program for themselves. The hashtag #75Hard itself has over 126 million views on the platform.

The recent college graduate is now a wellness coach and said many people have reached out to her about the program since finding her videos. While she recognized that the program is a major commitment, she said she chose to do it the middle of quarantine because she could put the majority of her daily focus on making sure she was being mindful with her workouts and recovery.

“Understanding that two 45-minute workouts every single day is a lot. You’re pushing your body, but you also have to ensure that you’re getting the right recovery, that you’re including active rest into those days to make sure that you’re not hurting yourself in any way,” she said.

Experts raise ‘red flags’ about 75 Hard

One of the concerns about 75 Hard, according to many experts, is many may opt to ignore the 75 Hard recommendations and begin the workout plan without seeking advice from a physician first, and this can be

health

‘Half-measure’ Virus Vaccine Intrigues Experts

November 23, 2020 [email protected]_84 experts, Halfmeasure, Intrigues, vaccine, virus

Evidence suggesting an initial half dose of the vaccine being developed by drugs firm AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford is more effective than a full dose is counterintuitive, and even took the researchers by surprise.

Why would less be better than more when it comes to triggering an immune response?

Andrew Pollard, the director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, described the findings from the Phase 3 clinical trial as “intriguing”.

They showed that the vaccine had an efficacy of 62 percent among the people given two full doses a month apart.

But this rose to 90 percent for another group who received a half-dose first and then a full dose after a month.

“I think all of us expected that the two high doses would be the best response,” said Pollard, who noted researchers had only seen the details of the results over the weekend and would now start digging into the data.

“We think that by giving a smaller first dose, that we’re priming the immune system differently. We’re setting it up better to respond,” he told a press briefing.

Sarah Gilbert, professor at Oxford’s Nuffield Department of Medicine, said the better result with a smaller initial dose could be because this better “mimics what happens in a real infection”.

Essentially a vaccine uses a safe method to trick the immune system into believing it is dealing with a dangerous infection, triggering an immune response and an immune memory that can activate if the body comes across the real pathogen.

“It could be that by giving a small amount of the vaccine to start with and following up with a big amount, that’s a better way of kicking the immune system into action and giving us the strongest immune response,” Gilbert told reporters.

Clinical trials suggested that an initial half-dose was better than a full one Photo: AFP / JUAN MABROMATA

The Astra/Oxford vaccine employs what is known as a “viral vector”, using engineered viruses to deliver genetic cargo into cells, giving them instructions on how to fight SARS-CoV-2.

The strategy uses the transporting virus as a “Trojan Horse”, said Colin Butter, Associate Professor at the University of Lincoln.

It is “complex and usually achieved experimentally: a luxury not available in the present situation”.

The technology itself may be the reason why an initial half-dose could work better, according to several scientists commenting on the results, with the immune system acting against the virus being used as a delivery vehicle.

“It may seem confusing that a higher initial dose gives a less favourable response, but this may just be due to a residual response in some patients to the disabled ‘vehicle’,” a snippet of chimpanzee virus used to deliver the vaccine “payload”, said Stephen Griffin, Associate Professor in the School of Medicine, University of Leeds.

But he said this could be “easily fixed” by using the adjusted dose.

Pollard said researchers would be looking to find out if the issue was the quantity or quality of the immune

fitness

The Best Stress-Relieving Workout, According to 11 Fitness Experts

November 2, 2020 [email protected]_84 experts, fitness, StressRelieving, workout

“This helps me de-stress because I’m making a point to pause during a hectic day. It’s about being self-aware enough of how you’re feeling at a certain point—emotionally, mentally, physically—and prioritizing you by focusing on being present, mindful, and tapping into your parasympathetic system (the part of the nervous system that helps you relax and slows down your heart rate),” she says.

How you can try it: Try these 12 hip stretches and 11 lower-back exercises to relieve tightness and pain, and increase mobility.

3. A gentle yoga flow.

When Jessica Rihal, a registered yoga teacher and meditation instructor based in Orange County, California, is looking to relieve stress, she’ll do a series of poses in prone (belly down) or tabletop position to help her focus on breathing and relaxing.

Some of her favorite poses for relieving stress are a supported variation of child’s pose, cat-cow, thread the needle, hug the earth, and a reclined position with bolsters or legs up on the wall.

“I find poses that keep me prone or in tabletop position are most helpful because having my face down allows me to withdraw my senses, focus on breathing and help to promote relaxation,” Rihal says. “I will typically use blocks, a bolster, and even my eye mask to help make my practice supportive and restorative.”

How you can try it: Start feeling zen right away with these 6 calming yoga poses.

4. WOD strength training.

Depending on how you’re feeling, stress may make you crave doing something either relaxing or adrenaline-pumping. That’s true for Marcia Darbouze, D.P.T., a physical therapist and registered yoga instructor based in Hollywood, FL.

“I have two forms of movement that give me joy and help me de-stress: the physical practice of yoga and strength training. Either way, I’ll opt for movement alone and enjoy the solitude,” Darbouze, co-host of the Disabled Girls Who Lift podcast, tells SELF.

If she is craving more movement, she’ll do a quick, 10-minute cardio and strength training workout. For example, she’ll do a barbell and resistance band circuit, which includes barbell cleans, barbell strict presses (overhead press), banded trunk rotations (hold band and twist away), banded Pallof presses (hold band and press away from your chest without rotating), and kneeling windmills with a kettlebell.

“Strength training in WOD form is a great way to burn off energy without having to calculate numbers or percentages. It’s also a great way to add in more small and accessory movements that help me move better,” she says. “And once I’m done sweating, I’m done stressing.”

How you can try it: If you want to put some movement behind weight, try these 6 basic barbell exercises, and for a more relaxing routine, get started with these 12 beginner yoga poses.

5. Your favorite sport.

If traditional gym-based workouts don’t exactly ooze relaxation for you, consider engaging in a sport you love instead. Nate Feliciano, owner and head of training at private fitness studio Studio 16 in New York City, likes

health

Nearly 50,000 hospitalized with Covid-19 as experts warn of growing health care pressure

November 2, 2020 [email protected]_84 Care, COVID19, experts, Growing, health, Hospitalized, Pressure, warn

The fall surge has left nearly 50,000 people hospitalized across the US due to Covid-19, and experts say the strain health care systems are under could soon get worse.

a person in a blue blanket: HOUSTON, TX - OCTOBER 31: A medical staff member grabs a hand of a patient to reposition the bed in the COVID-19 intensive care unit (ICU) at the United Memorial Medical Center (UMMC) on October 31, 2020 in Houston, Texas. According to reports, Texas has reached over 916,000 cases, including over 18,000 deaths. (Photo by Go Nakamura/Getty Images)

© Go Nakamura/Getty Images
HOUSTON, TX – OCTOBER 31: A medical staff member grabs a hand of a patient to reposition the bed in the COVID-19 intensive care unit (ICU) at the United Memorial Medical Center (UMMC) on October 31, 2020 in Houston, Texas. According to reports, Texas has reached over 916,000 cases, including over 18,000 deaths. (Photo by Go Nakamura/Getty Images)

Hospitalizations were on the rise in 47 states last month, according to the Covid Tracking Project, and a total of 47,502 people were hospitalized as of Sunday. The rates come alongside a surge of cases that made October a record setting month for coronavirus infections in the US.

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The US recorded its highest number of new cases on Friday with a reported 99,321, the record for any nation in the world. And experts have said that the impacts will likely continue to get worse as colder months drive up infections.

“We’re right at the beginning of what looks like exponential growth in a lot of states,” Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration, said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday. “This is very worrisome as we head into the winter.”

Gottlieb expects Thanksgiving to be an inflection point, and from there he said the hospital system is going to be facing pressure similar to the early spikes — when hospitals around the country were reaching capacity and health care workers were stretched thin.

Dr. Christopher Murray, director of the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, said hospitalizations are the best measure of how the nation is faring against the pandemic and are often an indicator of how the number of deaths will trend.

The seven-day average for new cases currently is more than 81,300 — higher than any other time in the pandemic. The surge has brought cases to more than 9.2 million in the US since the pandemic began, and 230,996 people have died, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

Coronavirus accelerating in states

Covid-19 spread and hospitalizations have reached staggering levels across states.

This week, there were more new coronavirus cases in Kentucky than any other week since the pandemic began, Gov. Andy Beshear said in a statement Sunday.

“I know we’re tired, but if we do not get the spread of this disease under control, we risk a darker, more deadly period this winter than we ever experienced in the spring,” Beshear said.

Illinois is working to manage the virus by putting the entire state under resurgence mitigation measures, Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health said Sunday. The state reported nearly 7,000 new cases on Sunday.

“As cases, hospitalizations and deaths are rising across our state, across the Midwest and across the nation, we have to act responsibly and collectively

health

Nearly 50,000 hospitalized with Covid-19 as experts warn of growing healthcare pressure

November 2, 2020 [email protected]_84 COVID19, experts, Growing, healthcare, Hospitalized, Pressure, warn

The fall surge has left nearly 50,000 people hospitalized across the US due to Covid-19, and experts say the strain healthcare systems are under could soon get worse.

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Coronavirus accelerating in states

Covid-19 spread and hospitalizations have reached staggering levels across states.

This week, there were more new coronavirus cases in Kentucky than any other week since the pandemic began, Gov. Andy Beshear said in a statement Sunday.

“I know we’re tired, but if we do not get the spread of this disease under control, we risk a darker, more deadly period this winter than we ever experienced in the spring,” Beshear said.

“As cases, hospitalizations and deaths are rising across our state, across the Midwest and across the nation, we have to act responsibly and collectively to protect

health

Sleep experts: It’s time to ditch daylight saving time

October 30, 2020 [email protected]_84 Daylight, Ditch, experts, saving, Sleep, Time

Oct. 30 (UPI) — For most of the United States, the clock goes back one hour on Sunday morning, the “fall back” for daylight saving time. Many of us appreciate the extra hour of sleep.

But for millions, that gain won’t counter the inadequate sleep they get the rest of the year. About 40% of adults — 50 to 70 million Americans — get less than the recommended minimum seven hours per night.

Some researchers are concerned about how the twice-a-year switch impacts our body’s physiology. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine, the largest scientific organization that studies sleep, now wants to replace daylight saving time with a move to a year-round fixed time. That way, our internal circadian clocks would not be misaligned for half the year. And it would eliminate the safety risk from sleep loss when transitioning to daylight saving time.

I am a neurologist at the University of Florida. I’ve studied how a lack of sleep can impair the brain. In the 1940s, most American adults averaged 7.9 hours of sleep a night. Today, it’s only 6.9 hours. To put it another way: In 1942, 84% of us got the recommended seven to nine hours; in 2013, it was 59%. To break it down further, a January 2018 study from Fitbit reported that men got even less sleep per night than women, about 6.5 hours.

The case for sleep

Problems from sleep shortage go beyond simply being tired. Compared to those who got enough sleep, adults who are short sleepers — those getting less than seven hours per day — were more likely to report 10 chronic health conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, obesity, asthma and depression.

Children, who need more sleep than adults, face even more challenges. To promote optimal health, 6- to 12-year-olds should sleep nine to 12 hours a day; teens age 13 to 18, eight to 10 hours. But a Sleep Foundation poll of parents says children are getting at least one hour less than that. And researchers have found that sleep deprivation of even a single hour can harm a child’s developing brain, affecting memory encoding and attentiveness in school.

Sleep impacts every one of our biological systems. Serious consequences can result with poor sleep quality. Here’s a short list: Blood pressure may increase. Risk of coronary heart disease could go up. Our endocrine system releases more cortisol, a stress hormone. We become more aroused by “fight or flight” syndrome. There’s a reduction of growth hormone and muscle maintenance. There’s a higher chance of increased appetite and weight gain. The body has less glucose tolerance and greater insulin resistance; in the long term, that means an increased risk for Type 2 diabetes.

Sleep deprivation is associated with increased inflammation and a decreased number of antibodies to fight infections. It may also cause a decrease in pain tolerance, reaction times and memory. Occupational studies show sleep loss can cause poor work performance, including more days missed and more car accidents.

Recent research

health

Experts share tips on how to navigate

October 28, 2020 [email protected]_84 experts, navigate, Share, Tips

It’s that time of year again: open enrollment for your 2021 benefits. (Photo: Chinnapong / Getty Images)

Would you spend more time choosing a health plan or debating whether “Tiger King” or “Schitt’s Creek” is a better choice for binge-watching?

If you put more thought into picking a show, you’re not alone.

Open enrollment for 2021 benefits will kick off in November when companies ask their workers to pick everything from medical and dental plans to long-term disability insurance. While those are big decisions — it turns out workers typically spend just 17 minutes on their choices, less time than they spend on picking a Netflix show, according to Voya Financial.

This year, workers need to buckle down given the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic, experts say. People are creatures of habit, meaning that more than 9 of 10 workers usually select the same choices as in the previous year, says Matthew Owenby, chief human resources officer at insurance company Aflac.

“Having been in HR for my entire career, I wish I could tell you why they are on autopilot,” Owenby says. “Our main takeaway is that workers need to stop assuming that what worked in the past will work for them moving forward.”

Is COVID-19 covered?

Those issues are thrown into stark relief given the ongoing pandemic, with more than 8 million people infected in the U.S. and over 225,000 deaths. About 1 in 3 workers told Aflac in a recent survey that they don’t feel confident or aren’t sure if their benefits will protect them or their family if they are affected by COVID-19.

Moving during COVID-19?: Relocating for work could come with a massive pay cut

Technology: Ditch the soundbar with new Amazon Echo speakers

“People are worried about getting sick, or know someone who has gotten sick, and they are thinking, ‘Would I be covered for the medical bills if I have to go into the hospital or get a test?’,” says Mona Zielke, senior vice president of employee benefits operations and claims at financial-services firm Voya Financial.

There are signs that workers are getting the message, with Voya finding in a recent survey that slightly more than half of employees intend to make changes to their benefits this year. Open enrollment is typically the only chance to make changes to your benefits unless you have a significant life change, like getting married or having a baby.

Here’s advice from the experts about how to navigate open enrollment this November:

Be alert for open enrollment dates

Your employer will typically alert you to its open enrollment period ahead of time. While there is no required length of time that companies must offer open enrollment, the sign-up period typically lasts three to four weeks, Zielke notes.

By comparison, open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act — which offers medical insurance plans to people without employer-sponsored coverage — is open from November 1 to December 15.

But employers typically offer a smaller window for open enrollment. Because

health

How much bias is too much to become a police officer? Experts fear new law might backfire.

October 27, 2020 [email protected]_84 backfire, bias, experts, Fear, Law, Officer, Police

An ambitious new law in California taking aim at potential biases of prospective officers has raised questions and concerns among police officers and experts who fear that if implemented inadequately, the law could undermine its own mission to change policing and culture of law enforcement.

a person holding a sign: A billboard in the town of Marysville, Calif., on Saturday, June 20, 2020. (Photo by Melina Mara/The Washington Post/file)

© Melina Mara/The Washington Post
A billboard in the town of Marysville, Calif., on Saturday, June 20, 2020. (Photo by Melina Mara/The Washington Post/file)

The law, which was signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sept. 30, will expand the present screening requirements by mandating all law enforcement agencies to conduct mental evaluations of peace officer candidates to identify both implicit and explicit biases against race, ethnicity, gender, religion and sexual orientation in order to exclude unfit recruits.

While experts, police unions and lawmakers agree on the value of identifying whether those who aspire to become officers carry considerable degrees of biases, it is the lack of clarity on what tools and measures will be used to look for implicit biases that is raising concerns and prompting questions.

“If police departments start to reject applicants because they have implicit biases there will be no one left to hire,” said Laurie Fridell, professor of Criminology at the University of South Florida and founder of the Fair and Impartial Policing program, one of the most popular implicit bias awareness trainings in the country.

Under the new law, the state Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) will review and develop new regulations and screening materials to identify these potential explicit and implicit biases. It will be up to each agency in the state to determine how to administrate them.

POST information officer Meagan Catafi would not say whether implicit association tests will be part of the new screenings, arguing “it is too premature at this point to know what will be assessed and used in our materials.”

Catafi said POST will be working with psychologists and law enforcement experts to incorporate these new required items to the current psychological screening manual and have until January 2022 to complete the process.

The law comes amid a moment of social upheaval where police departments across the country are facing scrutiny and increasing calls for accountability over cases of slayings of unarmed civilians and excessive use of force that predominantly affects minorities.

This has prompted many agencies to ramp up efforts to identify racist and other discriminatory beliefs that could lead to destructive behavior, mostly by incorporating bias, diversity and inclusion training programs for active officers.

None of the experts interviewed by The Washington Post claimed to know of law enforcement agencies that screen for unconscious biases — those that people are unwilling or unable to identify — as a hiring standard. All of them, however, are either wary of such approach or advice against it.

“This is a tough one. What do you do if someone tests positive for racism?” Do you train them again? Do you fire them? There are a lot of unknowns about how this

health

Health experts question Pence campaigning as essential work

October 25, 2020 [email protected]_84 campaigning, Essential, experts, health, Pence, question, Work

Health policy specialists are questioning Vice President Mike Pence’s claim that federal rules on essential workers allow him to continue to campaign and not quarantine himself after exposure to multiple close staffers with COVID-19

October 25, 2020, 6:13 PM

4 min read

Health policy specialists questioned White House officials’ claim that federal rules on essential workers allow Vice President Mike Pence to continue to campaign and not quarantine himself after being exposed to the coronavirus.

Campaigning is not an official duty that might fall under the guidelines meant to ensure that police, first responders and key transportation and food workers can still perform jobs that cannot be done remotely, the health experts said.

A Pence aide said Sunday that the vice president would continue to work and travel, including for campaigning, after his chief of staff and some other close contacts tested positive. Pence tested negative on Sunday and decided to keep traveling after consulting White House medical personnel, his aides said.

Pence’s chief of staff, Marc Short, was among those who tested positive. President Donald Trump, said early Sunday that Short was quarantining.

That usually means isolating oneself for 14 days after exposure in case an infection is developing, to prevent spreading the virus to others.

Pence was holding a rally Sunday in North Carolina, another one in Minnesota on Monday and three events in North Carolina and South Carolina on Tuesday. The most recent numbers show COVID-19 cases are rising in 75% of the country.

On Sunday, National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien told reporters that Pence “is following all the rules” from federal health officials. He called Pence “an essential worker” and said, “essential workers going out and campaigning and voting are about as essential as things we can do as Americans.”

However, the guidelines on essential workers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are aimed at folks like police, first responders and key transportation and food workers.

The Department of Homeland Security spells out 16 categories of critical infrastructure workers, including those at military bases, nuclear power sites, courthouses and public works facilities like dams and water plants.

“I don’t see campaigning on the list,” said Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, vice dean for public health practice at Johns Hopkins University and former Maryland state health department chief. “Anything that does not have to be done in person and anything not related to his job as vice president would not be considered essential.”

Dr. Thomas Tsai, a health policy specialist at Harvard University, agreed.

Helping to maintain the function of the executive branch of government could be considered critical work, but “we’ve always historically separated campaigning from official duties,” he said.

Pence also serves as president of the Senate, a largely ceremonial role outlined in the Constitution but one that stands to come into focus Monday.

The Senate was expected to vote Monday evening to confirm Trump’s Supreme Court

health

USA TODAY’s experts say securing a COVID-19 vaccine in record time could be easy, but distributing it won’t be

October 24, 2020 [email protected]_84 COVID19, distributing, Easy, experts, record, securing, Time, TODAYs, USA, vaccine, wont

Science is making incredible progress toward a COVID-19 vaccine, but as approval nears – potentially as early as December – worry has shifted to the complexity of distribution.

Overall, hopefulness was the theme of USA TODAY’s vaccine panel this month. After five months, the panel’s countdown clock to a widely available vaccine skipped forward another hour, to 8 a.m.

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Companies and observers generally expect at least one COVID-19 candidate vaccine soon will receive a regulatory thumbs up. Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, joined the chorus Tuesday when he told NPR he was “guardedly optimistic” one or more of the candidates will be judged safe and effective by the end of the year.

Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning.

But reality is setting in about how hard it will be to get an approved vaccine into the arms of everyone who wants it – twice.

“The initial vaccine supply and the distribution and vaccination programs will not live up to the public’s desire for immediate, widespread access to a safe and effective vaccine,” said Dr. Kelly Moore, associate director of immunization education at the Immunization Action Coalition.

Health care workers and first responders are likely to be prioritized for an approved vaccine, followed by high-risk elderly.

Even those limited groups account for as many as 150 million Americans, said Dr. Paul Offit, a vaccine expert at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Unless three vaccines win approval simultaneously, it’s unlikely enough doses will be available right away.

The two leading vaccine candidates have to be delivered in different ways, adding to the difficulty of getting the right vaccine into the right person. Both require two doses, but the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine shots are given 21 days apart, while Moderna’s second shot is delivered at 28 days.

Moderna’s vaccine must be kept frozen. Pfizer’s has to be kept even colder – at minus-78 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature of dry ice – meaning it needs different shipping and storing protocols.

Another variable is whether the vaccines will be equally effective in groups such as the elderly. Studies underway may show one vaccine is more effective than another among high-risk populations, adding even more complexity.

“It’s going to be hard,” Offit said, to get the right vaccine into the right person’s arm at the right time. And then to do it again with a second dose.

Making progress

For the past five months, USA TODAY has asked a dozen or more experts in all aspects of vaccine development to gauge the progress on a COVID-19 vaccine.

We asked panel members to place vaccine development on a 12-hour clock, on which midnight, the starting point, is the moment in early January when the world became aware of the virus known as SARS-CoV-2, and noon is the time a vaccine will become widely available.

In late June, panelists put the time at 4 a.m.,

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