Monsters Bodybuilding

I found this really interesting, we all now how important exercise is to a daily routine. This is just one more study that proves how valuable daily exercise really is to our everyday lives.

(Reuters Health) - Losing weight and improving fitness may ward off some of the mobility problems that older overweight people with type 2 diabetes often face, according to a new study.

The lifestyle changes helped mobile people stay that way and eased severe mobility problems in others, at least over the short term.

Lead author W. Jack Rejeski from Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, said the trends show the importance of encouraging people to get their weight down and exercise sooner, rather than waiting until they develop problems getting around.

In the new study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the researchers calculated that a one-percent drop in weight cut the risk of mobility problems by more than seven percent, and the same increase in fitness level lowered mobility risks by between one and two percent.

"If you can change people's lifestyles sufficiently, they're going to get more mobile and, over time, this will have a tremendous impact on their lives," said Dr. Vivian Fonseca, president of medicine and science for the American Diabetes Association, who wasn't involved in the research.

"There has yet to be really a large study like this that says, 'This really does make a difference,'" Rejeski told Reuters Health, adding that he hopes the results find a way into typical conversations between doctors and their diabetic patients.

The ADA estimates that nearly 26 million Americans have diabetes -- most of them with type 2, the form of the disease often associated with being overweight -- and 79 million more are at risk for developing the condition. Those numbers are expected to increase dramatically as the U.S. population ages.

Diabetics are twice as likely to have mobility problems as other people their age.

Rejeski and his colleagues tested a program in which volunteers were encouraged -- through diet plans, eat-smart strategies, meal replacements and other techniques -- to lose more than seven percent of their body weight. They were also encouraged to exercise at least three hours per week, primarily by walking.

Volunteers in a comparison group were asked to attend group meetings -- focusing on nutrition, physical activity and support -- three times a year.

The study involved more than 5,000 volunteers age 45 to 74, all overweight or obese. They reported their own mobility on health surveys given over four years and took fitness tests at different points during the study period.

After a year, participants in the intervention group had lost an average of six percent of their body weight, compared to less than one percent in the "control" group.

Fifteen percent of people in the no-intervention group had severe mobility problems at the start of the study. That rate increased to nineteen percent after a year, and continued to rise over the next three years.

In the diet and exercise group, thirteen percent started off with severe mobility problems. After a year that fell slightly to twelve percent -- but after that, the likelihood of severe problems began to increase again.

"It's difficult to drag yourself out of that hole," said Rejeski.

For example, some people may regain the weight they lost, "but they also get older, and other things catch up with them," Fonseca, who is also an endocrinologist at the Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans, told Reuters Health.

The researchers found that 33 percent of the control group started out with good mobility, a fraction that didn't change much over the next few years.

On the other hand, 37 percent of volunteers in the intervention group started out with good mobility. With diet and exercise, that ratio rose to 41 percent at the one-year mark and, although it declined after that, never fell below the starting point.

Rejeski's team calculated that all in all, the lifestyle changes led to a 48-percent drop in the chance of diabetic patients losing their mobility.

"You don't need extreme amounts of weight loss or extreme lifestyle change to improve your outlook," said Fonseca.

"It is achievable by many people who put their mind to it and who are given the right kind of tools to do that. The problem is, how do we translate this to people outside the study?"

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Tomorrow is Friday, got to suck it up for one more day.

Check this out! This gentleman won the bodybuilding title in 1952, was still lifting weights at the age of 99! That's incredible!

A former Mr Universe who has just turned 100 said on Sunday that happiness and a life without tensions were the keys to his longevity.

Manohar Aich, who is 4ft 11in (150cm) tall, overcame many hurdles – including grinding poverty and a stint in jail – to succeed as a bodybuilder.

His children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren gathered with him at his home in Kolkata to celebrate his birthday.

Hindu priests chanted prayers while a feast was served to honour Aich, winner of the 1952 Mr Universe title.

Aich rippled his muscles and flashed a toothless grin for his guests, before saying his ability to remain happy during difficult times was the secret to his long life.

He believes his simple diet of milk, fruit, vegetables, rice, lentils and fish has kept him healthy. He does not smoke and has never touched alcohol.

"I never allow any sort of tension to grip me," he said. "I had to struggle to earn money since my young days, but whatever the situation, I remained happy."

Aich, who was born in the small town of Comilla in Bengal, was a puny youngster. But he decided to build his muscles when as a schoolboy he saw a group of wrestlers in action.

In 1942, in British-ruled India, he joined the RAF. It was there that he began his bodybuilding in earnest.

Encouraged by a British officer named Reuben Martin, who introduced him to weight training, Aich earned praise for his physique from his comrades.

Some years later, however, he was thrown into prison when he protested against colonial oppression.

"It was in the jail that I began weight training seriously. This helped me prepare myself for the world championship," said Aich.

"In jail I used to practise on my own, without any equipment, sometimes for 12 hours in a day," he recalled.

The jail authorities were impressed with his perseverance and gave him a special diet to help build his stamina.

India's independence in 1947 led to Aich's release from jail. Dogged by poverty, he and his wife struggled to put their four children through school and there was little cash to indulge his passion for bodybuilding.

In 1950 he won a Mr Hercules contest and that spurred him to set his sights on the Mr Universe tournament in London.

In 1951, he came second in the contest, and stayed on in London to prepare for another shot at the title. He returned to India after becoming Mr Universe in 1952.

Back in India, he won several contests, including the Asian Bodybuilding Championships. He was also affectionately nicknamed Pocket Hercules, due to his short stature.

Six decades later, Aich helps his sons run a gym and fitness centre and advises and guides juvenile bodybuilders.

He was still lifting weights himself at the age of 99, but a minor stroke last year meant he had to stop.

Neither of his sons took up bodybuilding, but many of Aich's pupils have succeeded in the sport – including Premchand Dogra, the 1988 Mr Universe.

Aich says he has few regrets – but he does wish he had got to meet Arnold Schwarzenegger, a fellow Mr Universe winner. Aich is a fan and has seen many of the actor's films. "I like the incredible stunts he does," he said.

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Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

David