The Grace of Hulkamania
Hi, I’m Matt Tillotson, and this is Matt’s Mix Tape: essays + links on living a healthy and creative middle life.
This week’s Mix:
- The grace of Hulkamania
- Fat-burning in fasted vs. fed workouts
- Workout in your 40s, benefit in your 70s
- Florida photo
The grace of Hulkamania
Wrestling legend Hulk Hogan—a.k.a. Terry Bollea—is a fixture in the Tampa Bay area. Today he lives in Clearwater and owns Hogan’s Beach Shop on Clearwater Beach.
In the 80s and into the 90s, Hogan was pro wrestling’s first crossover superstar, even fighting Rocky in Rocky III.
Hogan was The Rock before The Rock.
But in 2007, his life came apart:
- He went through bitter and public divorce after which a 20-year old guy moved into his old home with his ex-wife
- His son Nick, speeding through Clearwater, wrecked a car and critcally injured his passenger
In 2012, things got worse:
- A sex video of Hogan and his wife, made without consent by his friend, emerged and circulated online
- His endorsements and wrestling income dried up
How did Hogan respond?
Ike McFadden worked with Hogan as his life unraveled:
Ike McFadden@Ike__McFaddenConstant nonstop crisis.
And he was always cool. Always polite. Always friendly.
Never saw him yell, or lose his temper.
You could tell it weighed on him...but he had faith that, no matter how bad things were...they'd get better.11:58 AM · Jul 9, 2021
14 Reposts · 224 LikesGrace in crisis is one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves and others.
McFadden recalls Hogan’s demeanor after one particularly bad phone call:
Ike McFadden@Ike__McFaddenHe was quiet for a solid couple of minutes, staring.
The sky was getting dark, red and purple.
He then said....
"Look at that sunset. Isn't that a beautiful thing? All this beauty. Everywhere. Just for us. Someone loves us."
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- -11:58 AM · Jul 9, 2021
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96 Reposts · 690 LikesEventually Hogan rebuilt his life.
Surely his gratitude and grace in crisis helped him recover faster than anger and anguish ever could have.
Fat-burning in fasted vs. fed workouts
To eat breakfast or not to eat it. That is the question.
I’ve been breakfastless for 18 months. Normally I also work out before eating—which may have extra benefits.
Brady Holmer, fellow Gator and PhD Candidate in cardiovascular physiology, deep-dives on a well-constructed study on the fat-burning differences between fasted and fed workouts:
The group who completed the exercise training in a fasted state experienced a 2-fold increase in their lipid utilization during exercise, which was maintained throughout the entire 6-week trial. They reduced their “reliance” on carbohydrates and burned more fat during exercise.
The fasted exercise training group also experienced an increase in their insulin sensitivity after 6 weeks — their insulin response to the OGTT was lower — meaning they needed less insulin to take up the same amount of glucose (basically, insulin “worked better”).
It makes sense, right? If you don’t have readily available carbohydrates to burn, the body turns to fat stores for fuel.
I agree with Brody’s take on fasted workouts:
… training fasted is more comfortable, sustainable, and actually leaves me feeling quite good. It’s something to get used to, however. The body can become adapted to most things and, when that happens, we are usually all the more stronger for it.
I notice this even when walking.
A fasted walk feels better and lighter than a walk after a meal (though a short walk after a meal can stabilize blood sugar—also very beneficial!).
While the difference in benefits might not be huge, it’s worth it to me. And it feels better.
Workout in your 40s, benefit in your 70s
Regular exercise in middle age has long-lasting effects:
The Finns discovered that an active lifestyle during middle age reduces the likelihood of loss of muscle, energy and strength in old age.
The Finnish study started in 1960s and followed 514 men through the early 2000s. The results were not surprising:
Of the group that had done little exercise 16 percent were frail. Of the group that had had moderate and the group that had intensive exercise 10.2 and 4.7 percent respectively were frail.
Fight future frailty: strength train today.
This week’s Florida photo
Thank you for reading
See you next Friday.
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