Thursday Things: Coffee Run Edition
30 March 2023. Vol 5 No 13. By Dan McGirt. #190
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“I’m your personal trainer now.” Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash
Hitting the stairs
Don’t have time to make it to the gym to use the cardio machines? Not up for running or jogging outside? If you’ve got stairs at your home or office, you might consider an “exercise snack” instead!
20 Seconds of Stair-Climbing Can Improve Cardio Fitness, New Study Says
Even brief, functional bouts of aerobic activity, such as climbing stairs for 20 seconds, can ultimately improve one's cardiorespiratory fitness, according to a new study published in the Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism journal.
Under observation, members of the test group swiftly ascended a three-flight, 60-step staircase three times a day—an exercise "snack," as described in the study. This 20-second activity was preceded by a warm-up of jumping-jacks, air squats and lunges, and was followed by a cooling-down walk.
After six weeks, the researchers found that VO2 max and peak power output were higher in the test group, equating to a 5 percent increase in overall aerobic fitness.
The study states: "The present work nonetheless shows that the stair climbing exercise snacking protocol was feasible, and well-tolerated by sedentary individuals, and improved functional performance."
I read this article a couple of weeks ago and started running up the stairs in my building for 20 seconds twice a day. First day I made it 3 1/2 floors in that time. After one week I could cover 4 floors. (Eight flights of eight steps - I counted).
Next week I’ll up it to three times a day, per the study. Give it a try! And if you need an extra energy boost to get going, see our next item…
Coffee keeps you moving!
Thursday Things is in large part brought to you by coffee each week, so we like to highlight positive coffee news. If you’re one of those “count your steps” trying to get in 10,000 steps a day, coffee is a plus-up:
Coffee lovers gain 1,000 steps a day, but get less sleep, study shows
The research showed that coffee has striking effects on physical activity levels, causing people to move more, taking, on average, 1,000 extra steps a day — a significant boost in activity that might help explain why coffee consumption has long been linked to better health.
Of course there are always tradeoffs:
But the study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, did find some downsides to a daily cuppa. It showed that people lost about 36 minutes of nightly sleep on days when they drank coffee — and the more coffee they drank, the less they slept.
Moving each day is important, but so is getting enough sleep at night. So tune your coffee consumption accordingly!
Still, overall, coffee is your friend:
More recent studies have found that drinking several cups of coffee daily — including decaffeinated coffee — could actually lower the risk of dying from heart disease or a stroke, which some experts attribute to the large amounts of antioxidants and other anti-inflammatory compounds in coffee.
Read the article for much more discussion of the health benefits of coffee.
Wonder Twin powers!
Another theme we love here at Thursday Things is listicles of helpful tips, and it is time for another one!
8 Fantastic Uses for Baking Soda and Vinegar
Natural, non-toxic cleansers are all the rage, and white vinegar and baking soda are popular options in this area. Most people know that baking soda is a helpful cleaning and deodorizing agent, and that vinegar packs serious antibacterial and rust-fighting powers. But while each substance on its own is an effective cleanser, put together they pack an extra punch.
Baking soda and vinegar are the Batman and Robin of cleaning.
When vinegar (dilute acetic acid) and baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) mix together, the pair "foams up" to produce carbon dioxide gas, as well as liquid water, acetate ions and sodium ions. The carbon dioxide gas is what produces the bubbles.
Once the liquid water evaporates and the solid baking soda dissolves, sodium acetate remains … Now that you know a bit of the science involved in this impressive reaction, it's time to find out how to use it to your advantage. Here are eight excellent suggestions on how to use baking soda and vinegar together for maximum effectiveness.
I’ll list the 8 suggestions — read the article for all the how-to details.
Clean Pots and Pans
Clean the Dishwasher
Clean the Washing Machine
Unclog the Drain
Get Grout to Sparkle
Clean the Kitchen Sink
Deodorize the Toilet
Revitalize Towels
Following a tip from a previous list, I’ve been using baking soda (without vinegar) to clean residual cooking oil out of pans. You sprinkle baking soda in, sift it around to cover all the oil. The baking soda absorbs most of the oil and makes a paste that you can easily wipe from the pan with a paper towel. So you wash far less drain-clogging oil down the kitchen sink. It’s awesome! Let me know if any of today’s tips work out for you!
Thank you for reading!
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Yay tips! And coffee!!