What Happens To Your Body When You Do 100 Glute Bridges Every Day
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Not just for a sculpted butt:
Benefits
With consistent daily glute bridge practice, you may expect:
- Rounder, toned butt: targets the gluteus maximus, toning and lifting the butt for a rounder appearance.
- Improved posture: strengthens glutes to support the spine and pelvis, alleviating lower back and hip pain. Stretches tight hip flexors from prolonged sitting.
- Stronger lower back: glutes support the lower back and spine, reducing pain and making it easier to lift heavy objects. Activating the glutes transfers force from legs to core, preventing injuries.
- Stronger knees: stabilizes the knee joint and promotes alignment by engaging glutes, hamstrings, and quadriceps, reducing knee pain.
- Sculpted hamstrings: contracts hamstrings during lifts for strength, while stretching them on the way down increases flexibility.
- Increased hip flexibility: strengthens muscles around the hip joint, improving mobility and counteracting tight hips from sedentary habits.
- Reduced back pain: strengthens glutes to correct pelvic tilt and reduce strain on the lower back.
- Faster running speed: improves hip extension, strengthens hamstrings, and activates the gluteus medius for better running power and balance.
- Enhanced strength training performance: strengthens glutes, back, and knees, improving performance in exercises like squats and deadlifts.
As for how to get going, the video offers the following very sound advice: begin with 25–30 reps per session and gradually increase to sets of 100 daily. It should take about 5 minutes (that’s 3 seconds per repetition). Results can be seen in as little as 2 weeks, with significant changes after a month of consistent practice.
For more on all of this plus visual demonstrations, enjoy:
Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!
Want to learn more?
You might also like to read:
Strong Curves: A Woman’s Guide to Building a Better Butt and Body – by Bret Contreras & Kellie Davis
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A Surprising Extra Way Exercise Fights Dementia
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We often say “what’s good for your heart is good for your brain”, because the former feeds the latter (with oxygen and nutrients) and helps clear away detritus. It can’t do that without good circulation.
For that reason, we have written such articles as: What’s Your Vascular Dementia Risk? ← includes actual numbers and a risk calculator tool and things like that 😎
And it’s not just cardio! It’s been established that doing strength-training (for example, lifting weights or doing calisthenics) can improve brain health too; see: Can Strength Training Fight Dementia?
For more on how each approach offers different benefits, see: Cardio vs Strength Training: Which Is Better For Brain Health? ← it depends on which aspect(s) of brain health!
But today, we’ll be looking at some new science shining light on a newly-discovered mechanism of action:
Mitochondrial migration
When your body moves, so do your mitochondria! Not just in the sense of “your body is made of cells, and those cells contain mitochondria, so they move with everything else”, but in the sense of “they migrate from cell to cell”.
Researchers (Dr. Toshiki Inaba et al.) examined how low-intensity exercise protects the brain after stroke and in dementia by triggering the transfer of mitochondria from muscle to brain cells via platelets.
How this happens: exercise increases mitochondrial production in muscle and blood, with platelets acting as carriers that deliver these mitochondria to neurons, oligodendrocytes, and astrocytes in the brain.
In mouse models (because the ethics board wouldn’t let the researchers dissect human participants’ brains after a study) they found that mice that performed treadmill exercise showed less white matter and myelin damage, better movement and memory, and fewer post-stroke complications than non-exercising mice.
This happened, the researchers discovered, because the transferred mitochondria helped brain cells survive low-oxygen conditions in damaged areas and the surrounding penumbra, facilitating repair and reducing neuroinflammation-related injury.
They also found that the migration of muscle-derived mitochondria improved the survival of neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes under oxygen–glucose deprivation and hypoxia (so, it improves the body’s defences against the threat in stroke and/or vascular dementia).
You can read the paper itself in full, here: Mitochondrial Intercellular Transfer via Platelets After Physical Training Exerts Neuro-Glial Protection Against Cerebral Ischemia
Can it be done without exercise? Maybe! The researchers hypothesize that mitochondrial transfer via platelet transfusion could allow frail or otherwise relevantly disabled patients to enjoy exercise-like neuroprotection without physical exertion.
But for now, exercise seems to be the best way.
The good news is, it doesn’t have to be a lot! This is consistent with what we wrote previously on the topic of light exercise and Alzheimer’s, here:
How Many Steps Per Day To Beat Alzheimer’s? (A Lot Fewer Than You Might Think)
However, if you do want to supplement your exercise with other methods of improving your mitochondrial mobility and thus general good health, then do check out:
7 Ways To Boost Mitochondrial Health To Fight Disease
Want to learn more?
For a much deeper dive, you might like this book that we reviewed a little while back:
Take care!
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The Breathing Cure – by Patrick McKeown
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We’ve previously reviewed this author’s “The Oxygen Advantage”, which as you might guess from the title, was also about breathing. So, what’s different here?
While The Oxygen Advantage was mostly about improving good health with optimized breathing, and with an emphasis on sports too, The Breathing Cure is more about the two-way relationship between ill health and disordered breathing (and how to fix it).
Many kinds of illnesses can affect our breathing, and our breathing can affect many types of illness; McKeown covers a lot of these, including the obvious things like respiratory diseases (including COVID and Long COVID, as well as non-infectious respiratory conditions like asthma), but also things like diabetes and heart disease, as well as peri-disease things like chronic pain, and demi-disease things like periods and menopause.
In each case (and more), he examines what things make matters better or worse, and how to improve them.
While the style itself is just as pop-science as The Oxygen Advantage, this time it relies less on anecdote (though there are plenty of anecdotes too), and leans more heavily on a generous chapter-by-chapter scientific bibliography, with plenty of citations to back up claims.
Bottom line: if you’d like to breathe better, this book can help in very many ways.
Click here to check out The Breathing Cure, and breathe easy!
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Healthy Chocolate Fudge Energy Bites
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While these are quite high-calorie, they’re also high in protein, and the fiber and healthy fats flatten the blood sugar curve:
You will need
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 4 oz dark chocolate, melted (try to get dark chocolate with >80% cocoa, if you can; 85% is very respectable and 90% is perfect)
- ⅓ cup maple syrup (you can safely reduce this, or even omit it, if you prefer less sweetness)
- ¼ cup hazelnuts
- ¼ cup almond milk (or your preferred milk, but we recommend almond for taste and health)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Topping: ¼ cup hazelnuts, roughly chopped
Method
(we suggest you read everything at least once before doing anything)
1) Combine all the ingredients (except the topping) in a food processor, and blend until smooth.
2) Line a container (5″x7″ is a good size) with baking paper and spread the mixture evenly into it, pressing down gently.
3) Sprinkle the topping onto it, press that even more gently into it.
4) Refrigerate overnight (or chill it for 2hrs in the freezer).
5) Cut into cubes to serve; they can be served frozen or thawed, per your preference:
Enjoy!
Want to learn more?
For those interested in some of the science of what we have going on today:
- Eating For Energy (In Ways That Actually Work)
- “Let Them Eat Cake”, She Said…
- Why You Should Diversify Your Nuts!
- Plant-Based Milks—What’s Best?
- Chocolate & Health: Fact or Fiction?
Take care!
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Acupuncture vs Massage, For Jaw Release!
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It’s Q&A Day at 10almonds!
Have a question or a request? We love to hear from you!
In cases where we’ve already covered something, we might link to what we wrote before, but will always be happy to revisit any of our topics again in the future too—there’s always more to say!
No question/request too big or small 😎
❝I was wondering if there have been any studies showing the comparison between Acupuncture for jaw release and using Massage?❞
Thanks for asking! We will start by assuming that you are referring to myofascial release of the temporomandibular joint, and not, say, unhinging your jaw like a snake*.
*If you do want to unhinge your jaw like a snake, then a) we do not recommend that b) anecdotally, we may comment that massage can certainly achieve it if sufficiently vigorous, but we hope you’ll forgive us if for legal reasons we don’t write a how-to.
Silliness aside and addressing the more serious question, the answer is yes there has, albeit not much and the quality of evidence remains low.
First, let’s look at the evidence for massage:
❝Three studies showed significant improvements in headache intensity and frequency following TMJ or orofacial physiotherapy. One study favored the control group, and one showed no significant difference. However, variability in study quality, therapist roles, and poorly reported interventions limited comparability and prevented meta-analysis.❞
Translating from sciencese:
“We don’t know, because we got mixed results and the methodology was sloppy”
You can read the paper in full, here: The effectiveness of physiotherapy for chronic headaches in patients with temporomandibular disorders: a systematic review
And now, let’s look at the evidence for acupuncture:
❝the evidence for acupuncture for TMD management, especially for TMJ and masseter muscles pain, is weak❞
~ this after about 3,000 words detailing the litany of failures in methodology.
You can find the paper itself here: Acupuncture for treating temporomandibular joint disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized, sham-controlled trials ← unfortunately, you can’t read this one in full unless you have institutional access or want to buy access from the journal. Failing that, you can trust us that it wasn’t inspiring reading.
Finally, let’s look at the evidence for each when compared head-to-head (so to speak):
❝There was moderate evidence that classical acupuncture had a positive influence beyond those of placebo (three trials, 65 participants); had positive effects similar to those of occlusal splint therapy (three trials, 160 participants); and was more effective for TMD symptoms than physical therapy (four trials, 397 participants), indomethacin plus vitamin B1 (two trials, 85 participants), and a wait-list control (three trials, 138 participants). Only two RCTs addressed adverse events and reported no serious adverse events.❞
Source: Acupuncture for temporomandibular disorders: a systematic review
👆 So this one was the most positive towards acupuncture, but even we were not able to find the full text for this one. It’s not merely paywalled like the previous one (for which we enjoy institutional access and can read it on your behalf), rather this one’s simply not there. All we can find is the abstract, so we cannot comment on the validity of their claims, and can rather only report that those are the claims they make.
In summary:
- Yes, science has been done
- No, it isn’t very compelling
About the best we can say is that if you want to try it, the (admittedly weak) evidence that exists suggests it is quite safe.
Want to learn more?
You might like our main feature on…
How Does One Test Acupuncture Against Placebo Anyway?
Take care!
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Mythbusting The Mask Debate
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Mythbusting The Mask Debate
We asked you for your mask policy this respiratory virus season, and got the above-depicted, below-described, set of responses:
- A little under half of you said you will be masking when practical in indoor public places
- A little over a fifth of you said you will mask only if you have respiratory virus symptoms
- A little under a fifth of you said that you will not mask, because you don’t think it helps
- A much smaller minority of you (7%) said you will go with whatever people around you are doing
- An equally small minority of you said that you will not mask, because you’re not concerned about infections
So, what does the science say?
Wearing a mask reduces the transmission of respiratory viruses: True or False?
True…with limitations. The limitations include:
- The type of mask
- A homemade polyester single-sheet is not the same as an N95 respirator, for instance
- How well it is fitted
- It needs to be a physical barrier, so a loose-fitting “going through the motions” fit won’t help
- The condition of the mask
- And if applicable, the replaceable filter in the mask
- What exactly it has to stop
- What kind of virus, what kind of viral load, what kind of environment, is someone coughing/sneezing, etc
More details on these things can be found in the link at the end of today’s main feature, as it’s more than we could fit here!
Note: We’re talking about respiratory viruses in general in this main feature, but most extant up-to-date research is on COVID, so that’s going to appear quite a lot. Remember though, even COVID is not one beast, but many different variants, each with their own properties.
Nevertheless, the scientific consensus is “it does help, but is not a magical amulet”:
- 2021: Effectiveness of Face Masks in Reducing the Spread of COVID-19: A Model-Based Analysis
- 2022: Why Masks are Important during COVID‐19 Pandemic
- 2023: The mitigating effect of masks on the spread of COVID-19
Wearing a mask is actually unhygienic: True or False?
False, assuming your mask is clean when you put it on.
This (the fear of breathing more of one’s own germs in a cyclic fashion) was a point raised by some of those who expressed mask-unfavorable views in response to our poll.
There have been studies testing this, and they mostly say the same thing, “if it’s clean when you put it on, great, if not, then well yes, that can be a problem”:
❝A longer mask usage significantly increased the fungal colony numbers but not the bacterial colony numbers.
Although most identified microbes were non-pathogenic in humans; Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Cladosporium, we found several pathogenic microbes; Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus saprophyticus, Aspergillus, and Microsporum.
We also found no associations of mask-attached microbes with the transportation methods or gargling.
We propose that immunocompromised people should avoid repeated use of masks to prevent microbial infection.❞
Source: Bacterial and fungal isolation from face masks under the COVID-19 pandemic
Wearing a mask can mean we don’t get enough oxygen: True or False?
False, for any masks made-for-purpose (i.e., are by default “breathable”), under normal conditions:
- COVID‐19 pandemic: do surgical masks impact respiratory nasal functions?
- Performance Comparison of Single and Double Masks: Filtration Efficiencies, Breathing Resistance and CO2 Content
However, wearing a mask while engaging in strenuous best-effort cardiovascular exercise, will reduce VO₂max. To be clear, you will still have more than enough oxygen to function; it’s not considered a health hazard. However, it will reduce peak athletic performance:
…so if you are worrying about whether the mask will impede you breathing, ask yourself: am I engaging in an activity that requires my peak athletic performance?
Also: don’t let it get soaked with water, because…
Writer’s anecdote as an additional caveat: in the earliest days of the COVID pandemic, I had a simple cloth mask on, the one-piece polyester kind that we later learned quite useless. The fit wasn’t perfect either, but one day I was caught in heavy rain (I had left it on while going from one store to another while shopping), and suddenly, it fitted perfectly, as being soaked through caused it to cling beautifully to my face.
However, I was now effectively being waterboarded. I will say, it was not pleasant, but also I did not die. I did buy a new mask in the next store, though.
tl;dr = an exception to “no it won’t impede your breathing” is that a mask may indeed impede your breathing if it is made of cloth and literally soaked with water; that is how waterboarding works!
Want up-to-date information?
Most of the studies we cited today were from 2022 or 2023, but you can get up-to-date information and guidance from the World Health Organization, who really do not have any agenda besides actual world health, here:
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Masks | Frequently Asked Questions
At the time of writing this newsletter, the above information was last updated yesterday.
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Peanuts vs Pistachios – Which is Healthier?
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Our Verdict
When comparing peanuts to pistachios, we picked the peanuts.
Why?
The choice might be surprising; after all, peanuts are usually the cheapest and most readily available nuts, popularly associated with calories and not much else. However! This one was super-close, and peanuts won very marginally, as you’ll see.
In terms of macros, peanuts have slightly more protein and fats, while pistachios have slightly more fiber and nearly 2x the carbs. What we all as individuals might prioritize more there is subjective, but this could arguably be considered a tie. About the fiber and carbs: peanuts have the lower glycemic index, but not by much. And about those fats: yes, they are healthy, and the fat breakdown for each is almost identical: peanuts have 53% monounsaturated, 34% polyunsaturated, and 14% saturated, while pistachios have 53% monounsaturated, 33% polyunsaturated, and 14% saturated, while. Yes, that adds up to 101% in the case of peanuts, but that’s what happens with rounding things to integers. However, the point is clear: both of these nuts have almost identical fats.
In the category of vitamins, peanuts have more of vitamins B3, B5, B9, E, and choline, while pistachios have more of vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, and C. So, a 5:5 tie on vitamins.
When it comes to minerals, peanuts have more iron, magnesium, manganese, selenium, and zinc, while pistachios have more calcium, copper, phosphorus, and potassium, So, a marginal victory for peanuts (and yes, the margins of difference were similarly small in each case).
Adding up the tie, the other tie, and the marginal victory for peanuts, means a marginal victory for peanuts in total.
A quick note in closing though: this was comparing raw unsalted nuts in both cases, so do take that into account when buying nuts, and at the very least, skip the salted, unless you are deficient in sodium. Or if you’re using them for cooking, then buying salted nuts because they’re usually cheaper is fine; just soak and rinse them to remove the salt.
Want to learn more?
You might like:
Why You Should Diversify Your Nuts
Enjoy!
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