I live just a few blocks from an Orange Theory gym, so I have been working out there for the past few months. Since a lot of you probably live near those studios and may have considered trying them out, here is my review.

After you join an OT gym, you sign up for roughly 1-hour managed classes, which rotate through sessions with floor weights, rowers, and treadmills.

There is a big emphasis on heart rate. Many participants wear heart rate monitors and their statistics are shown on big screens in the gym. If you are shy and don’t want everyone knowing your heart rate, you don’t have to wear one, or you can just use something like an Apple watch (or just ignore your heart rate altogether).

The Orange Theory workouts are considered HIIT, meaning High-Intensity Interval Training. They are designed to push you for short periods of time and then give you brief rest periods.

OT is not for the faint of heart. It is the most challenging workout I have ever done, and I have done a lot of things. In a typical workout, you might burn 500-800 calories and end up drenched in sweat.

So, should you do something like Orange Theory? Honestly, I am not sure that most people should, because I would argue it is just a bit extreme and unnecessary. Here are some things to consider.

• It is pricey (around $150/month). There are way, way cheaper options, such as an annual subscription to Beach Body for $150/year.
• If you are not already in reasonable shape, don’t attempt it. That is especially true for older people. Plenty of older people do OT, but the majority of the studio will be young.
• If you do HIIT programs like OT, you certainly do not need to do it every day. I go 3-4 times/week and take it relatively easy on other days.
• OT gamifies things in ways that are designed to make you push yourself. That is fine to an extent, but you should never forget that real harm and injuries can come from pushing yourself too hard. If you are susceptible to pushing yourself too hard, be careful with this kind of program.
• If you have heart disease risks, avoid OT.

Above all, remember this: Just because something is hard does not mean it is best or even good. I understand the feeling of wanting to take a radical step to improve your life. However, good health does not usually require you to be radical. In fact, most of us simply need to make incremental improvements. We don’t need to run marathons; we just need to get out and walk more.

I want to reinforce that people with certain personality traits are likely to do themselves damage on these kinds of programs. I have to watch myself carefully. If I push myself too hard to hit various goals (such as a 2,000-meter row), I can end up with injuries that keep me out of the gym for weeks. In fact, pushing yourself too hard could even endanger your life.

Here is one more reminder: even if you do something extreme like OT, that should not be used as an excuse to eat badly. You cannot out-exercise a bad diet.

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Nature’s Sunshine has around 500 products, which creates a lot of overlap and confusion for many customers.

They are well aware of the confusion, and over the next few years, you will see a lot of pruning in the Nature’s Sunshine lineup. But, in the meantime, I want to give you a few thoughts about one big point of confusion: Chinese herbs and the TCM line.

There are about twenty herbal formulas based on traditional Chinese medicine that come in two varieties: a regular version and a TCM version.

Here is an example: Kidney Activator and Kidney Activator TCM.

Now, here is why this gets confusing. TCM stands for “Traditional Chinese Medicine.” However, both versions of the product are based on traditional Chinese medicine, and this phrase appears on both of those labels. In fact, the labels look almost exactly the same at first glance.

There are differences though:

• The stock number is different.
• The number of capsules is different. TCM formulas contain 30 capsules while original formulas usually have 100 capsules.
• The TCM formulas are made with concentrated herbal extracts. This means that the capsules do not just contain powdered herbs; they actually contain extracts of herbs that are standardized to a certain level o the active constituent in the herb. In other words, they are far more powerful.

The recommended dosage for TCM formulas is always one per day (while you may take anywhere from 1-6 capsules of the original formulas).

Here is what you need to know: When you see one of these products named with a TCM at the end, it does not imply that that version is based on traditional Chinese medicine while the other version is not. Both versions are based on traditional Chinese medicine. Rather, TCM means that the product is more potent because it is made with extracts.

Confusing? You bet. But that is where we are…

So which option should you take? In my opinion, the choice is clear: TCM formulas are always a better choice. They are higher quality, stronger, and generally a better value.

They are a better value because while they often cost more, a bottle usually lasts longer. As an example, if you use an original formula that requires you to take six capsules/day, a bottle with 100 capsules will only last you about 16 days. The TCM equivalent may cost 30% more but lasts 100% longer.

Again, Nature’s Sunshine is going to be trimming products to eliminate overlap over the coming years, and my guess is that all the original formulas will be eliminated eventually. However, in the meantime, choosing the TCM formula is a slam-dunk. If faced with a choice, just buy the TCM option. You won’t regret it.

Note: On Caring Sunshine, we make it very obvious which products are TCM versions. The product name will always end with TCM..

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As you probably know, fasting is an archaic but still used term that refers to going without food for a period of time.

Intermittent fasting is a strategy of limiting food intake to a fairly narrow period of the day and fasting the rest of the day. The end goal is usually weight loss.

The thinking behind intermittent fasting is sound. If you have the discipline to not eat calories during a large part of the day, you will likely eat fewer calories over the course of the full day.

While intermittent fasting seems like a reasonable way to approach weight loss, studies have shown mixed results. This is more complicated than it appears. For example, limiting all food to a narrow range of the day could overly spike blood sugar during that period of the day, leading to the production of more fat.

However, new studies have produced strong evidence that intermittent fasting is not only effective in weight management but beneficial in other ways as well.

Johns Hopkins neuroscientist Mark Mattson documents these benefits:

• Improved thinking and memory
• Improved heart health
• Improved physical performance
• Lower risk of diabetes
• Lower risk of obesity
• Improved tissue health

How does intermittent fasting compare to traditional calorie counting as a weight management technique? Here is a study that suggests it may be superior.

To be very honest, I am still not completely convinced, and more research is probably warranted. But in the meantime, if intermittent fasting feels natural for you and is a weight management strategy that helps you limit food intake, current science is in your corner.

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The top fear about aging is declining mental capacity. My guess is many of you have fears about cognitive decline. I do too, especially when observing the devastating effects of dementia and similar diseases on family members.

Be positive: Cognitive decline is on the increase in the United States and worldwide, but the increase is primarily driven by the reality that the population is getting older and people are living longer. There is a lot of evidence that preventative strategies are actually reducing the risk of cognitive disease.

Case in point: I want to highlight a new study about folic acid and DHA.

Folic acid is a B vitamin that helps your body grow new, healthy cells. DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid) has a similar function in the body but is especially important for brain tissue.

A recent study suggests that folic acid and DHA together not only stop cognitive decline but slightly reverse it.

In the study, one group took just folic acid, one group took just DHA, one group took both, and a control group took neither. While the groups taking only folic acid and only DHA saw some improvement, the group taking both DHA and folic acid saw the most improvement by far.

Here is a warning: After the trial, the subjects were retested, and the positive impact of folic acid and DHA diminished extremely fast after the participants stopped their regimen. Keep the nutrition flowing.

The primary diet sources of DHA are seafood, eggs, and some plant sources such as flaxseed. You can get folic acid primarily from green vegetables. And, of course, you can get both nutrients from high-quality supplements.

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Our immune systems are under attack this time of year, but there are ways to reduce your chances of getting sick.

One of the things you can do? Move more.

Obviously, physical activity has many benefits including a positive effect on our metabolism, heart health, brain function, and even mood.

But, while few know this, modern science tells us that physical activity also supports immune health. PubMed has an amazing collection of studies on this topic: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6523821/#bib0021

One particular study found here suggests that regular 30-to-45-minute moderate-to-vigorous exercise is beneficial to immune function.

In the study, a group of healthy and active elderly women were divided into two groups: walkers and non-walkers. The walkers were told to walk three times a week with an elevated heart rate.

After 10 weeks, the participants were tested for cellular immune function, and the walking group had far better immune function than the non-walkers.

Make sure and keep moving through this sick season.

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Being sore after an active day or workout is a common experience for most of us. If you can believe it, medical professionals and researchers are still trying to figure out what actually causes muscle soreness. One popular theory is that microtears are created when you strain your muscles. Those microtears cause the pain that we associate with soreness.

Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is the soreness you develop between 12 and 24 hours after a new activity, but not during the exercise itself. While painful, DOMS is not dangerous.

DOMS usually goes away on its own, and there aren’t a lot of safe medical treatments for DOMS symptoms. In particular, the anti-inflammatory drugs a doctor may prescribe should not be used for long.

Fortunately, other remedies are available, and there is good research behind them!

Magnesium has been proven to help with symptoms and recovery after exercise, though it has only been studied on a short-term basis. Here are two studies demonstrating a significant benefit when magnesium was added to the subject’s diet: Study A and Study B.

In this study, saffron was found to be highly effective in treating DOMS symptoms. Those who took a 300 mg supplement of saffron were able to continue to exercise and recover faster than those who received the placebo. More studies are needed, but there is more about saffron later in this email.

What is the best (and cheapest) way to recover from DOMS symptoms? Move more (low intensity is fine). A long walk or swim may help if you are struggling with soreness.

Important note: Please pay attention if your DOMS symptoms last more than a week or are painful rather than sore, and reach out to a healthcare professional if necessary.

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Recently, I found a group of studies that focused on the link between disordered eating in young people and vegetarian/vegan diets. Because we are seeing an increase in disordered eating, this is a topic worthy of discussion.

To start, let’s define terms:

Disordered eating, in this study, is any type of eating that restricts calories to under the bare minimum of what is considered healthy. It is almost always done without the help of a dietitian or doctor. Anorexia is an example of disordered eating.

Vegetarianism is the practice of not eating meat. For the purposes of this discussion, when I say vegetarianism, I am including vegetarianism and all its various derivatives (including veganism which forbids animal byproducts as well).

Here is something shocking: In 20 different study groups with over a total of 14,300 subjects, researchers found a significant link between disordered eating and vegetarianism.

While a strong correlation was found, researchers stopped short of saying that vegetarianism is in itself disordered eating. This is clearly not true; many people stay healthy on a vegetarian diet.

But, at a minimum, there is evidence that a lot of young people in particular who are choosing vegetarianism need more guidance because they are simply not eating enough. Remember that vegetarian foods in general tend to be low-calorie, and a large number of foods that are high in calories are not vegetarian-friendly.

Now, here is another more troubling hypothesis: some young people who struggle with disordered eating may be using vegetarianism as an excuse to explain why they may be refusing foods.

What do we take away from this? Here are some thoughts:

• If you are a vegetarian, make sure you are consuming enough high-calorie foods to hit your minimum caloric intake (1600-2000 calories/day). Remember that calories are not bad; in fact, they are a  measurement of energy.
• If you have children or other loved ones who are vegetarian, check up on them in a loving way to make sure they are getting the calories they need.
• If you have children who are vegetarian, be on alert for signs that they may be using vegetarianism to cover up a deeper problem like anorexia.

What you should not take away from this study is that vegetarianism is bad in itself or constitutes disordered eating. Remember that correlation does not equal causation.

If you wonder how many calories you should be consuming a day, try this handy calculator.

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