A theme I come back to over and over again on this blog is the benefits of a simple exercise regimen that requires minimal time and equipment. Building on this theme, I’d like to briefly post today about one of my personal favorite exercises: the farmer’s carry (and its one handed equivalent, the suitcase carry).
I’m excited to share that, as of last week, I am now licensed to practice telemedicine in Florida. I took the step of obtaining this extra license because I have a number of patients who spend part of the winter in that particular state, and it seemed like it would be useful to be able to dispense health advice (not to mention medications!) via phone or Facetime without having to worry about running afoul of medical licensing laws.
As my patients – and regular readers of this blog – know, one of my frequent recommendations for better health is to increase the intake of dietary protein. Dietary protein is satiating, which tends to lead to lower overall caloric intake, and thus less fat mass. At the same time, dietary protein supports muscle mass, particularly when combined with a regular program of physical activity. The combination of less fat and more muscle leads to lots of desirable outcomes, from improved health (lower blood pressure, lower blood glucose, improved metabolism, lower risk for frailty with aging) to a more visually appealing body aesthetic. Does this strategy work for everyone? No, we’re all unique. But for a lot of people it’s quite helpful.
However, frequently when I make this recommendation to patients, I am met with one particular concern: “won’t all of that extra protein harm my kidneys?”
Last year, I provided a link on this blog to a lecture I gave in 2023, about how lifestyle changes can improve arthritis and other musculoskeletal pains. If for some reason you want to watch that lecture, I will link to it here.
But to give you the brief summary of what I covered in that talk: being overweight doesn’t just cause arthritis by increasing physical pressure on the joint, but also because fat cells have the effect of up-regulating inflammatory signals in the body, which in turn lead to weakening of muscle, increased pain receptors, and other factors that create more pain.
Now a new study published in JAMA supports this point.
