Hi James,

  I love your writing, but want to give you a word of advice. Your latest rant on Broscience  was  entertaining but as a young buck of 43, let me warn you. You’re wrong about the minutiae  or what you refer to as the 10%.

Between the ages of 30-45 you won’t see much of a difference to your body.  After 45, your body starts to mess with you. Ask any 70 year old if there was much of a difference in how they felt between the ages of 50 and 70 and they’ll tell you, there is a BIG difference. You’ll find, the more you consider the minutiae the better you will feel. For example, letting the tension out of your hands slowly after lifting a weight will help that tendonitis in your biceps not hurt so much. Paying attention to the speed of the descent on a squat  will allow you to actually complete the motion without grunting or moaning from the arthritis in your knees. Ensuring that  the axis of the leg extension machine aligns with your knee joint might save you a knee replacement.

 Lifting heavy, often without paying attention to the mechanical wear you’ve  created from your macho  years of proving your virility will not only reinforce the imbalances from not having a clue, but will help you contribute to your orthopedic surgeons’s BMW fund.  It’s paying attention to the minutiae  that will  help prevent an injury or  more pain than you already have.

Consistently kicking ass  without paying attention to the minutiae is like spending a ton money at a strip club every week without a long-term financial plan and then condoning it by saying, “hey, it was a f#@$cking great time.”  At 43 years old, with children I would hope you’d learned that.  

You’re intentions were good in your rant because  most people just need to make a friggin effort. But we differ on what you consider the “essentials.” Essentially, you need to constantly educate yourself regarding nutrition and exercise, especially after 40. You will see young man………. Remember, “Aging is the ultimate extreme sport.”

1. Let people work in. The other day I saw a woman with three sets of dumbbells around a bench go off to the bathroom and came back five minutes later! I’ve seen women park their bag, water bottle, keys, etc in front of a fitness machine. It’s a gym not a picnic. A set shouldn’t take longer than a minute. After that minute, get up and let someone else work in.

2. Don’t do aerobics in the weight room. You rarely see a man doing body sculpting exercises in front of the dumbbell rack. What if someone started doing 400 lb dead-lifts in the middle of a step class? The whole point of lifting weights is to increase the intensity of the exercise. If you can dance with the weights, it’s probably too light. If you want to dance with weights, go into the aerobic room.

3. Don’t lift weights in the stretching area. Some think, if the weights are light, it’s okay to throw them around while people are stretching right under them. Remember, it’s not the weight of a bullet that kills you. A three to five pound weight can break your face just as easy as a heavier weight. NO WEIGHTS IN THE STRETCHING AREA, PERIOD!

4. Use the equipment for what it is designed for. The other day I saw three women using the sit-up bench as a range limiter for their body squats. We only have two sit-up benches for the entire gym. They are for sit ups! Not to squat and touch your butt. That’s what the mirrors are for. Sit-up benches are for sit-ups! Jeesh!

5. When using dumbbells, stand back a few feet from the rack. The other day a woman set her keys, her bag and her water bottle at the base of the dumbbell rack and then proceeded to do front raises and lateral raises a foot from the dumbbell rack. Not only did I have to time my attempt to dive under her arms to grab a set of dumbbells, but then had to navigate around her “landing airplanes” to try and sidestep around her belongings so I wouldn’t trip and fall. Try doing that with a pair of 40lb dumbbells after you’ve just finished 20 reps of shoulder presses.

6. If a woman has headphones on, leave her alone. Although we all need help, some people don’t want any. If a woman has headphones on, don’t try and talk to her. She doesn’t want to talk to you, that’s why she has headphones on. If you need to work in, you might have to trip over her belongings and bang into her, or politely try and get her attention.

7. Wipe your equipment off when you’re finished. Don’t be gross. If you sweat or drip all over the equipment, clean it off with a towel. No one wants to wallow in your sweat.

According to the research beer drinkers experienced greater immune system support, fewer colds and of those who experienced colds -they were shorter and more mild.

If beer isn''t your thing you could opt for wine or grape juice; also known for containing polyphenols.

There are factors that can affect the accuracy of the equation such as genetics, physical activity, organ mass and hormones. That means, as with any equation, you may have to tweak your clients intake to determine the ideal calories.

Here''s the equation:

Male: RMR = 10 x (weight in kilograms) + 6.25 x (height in centimeters) - 5 x (age in years) +5

Female: RMR = 10 x (weight in kilograms) + 6.25 x (height in centimeters) - 5 x (age in years) -161

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Originally written in 2009 to the Mississippi Clarion Ledger, Dr. Jones'' letter has shown up in numerous distorted versions of the original.

The original letter below. What do you think of Dr. Jones'' sentiments?

During my last shift in the ER, I had the pleasure of evaluating a patient with a shiny new gold tooth, multiple elaborate tatoos and a new cellular telephone equipped with her favorite R&B tune for a ring tone.

Glancing over the chart, one could not help noticing her payer status: Medicaid.

She smokes a costly pack of cigarettes every day and, somehow, still has money to buy beer.

And our president expects me to pay for this woman’s health care?

Our nation’s health care crisis is not a shortage of quality hospitals, doctors or nurses. It is a crisis of culture – a culture in which it is perfectly acceptable to spend money on vices while refusing to take care of one’s self or, heaven forbid, purchase health insurance.

Life is really not that hard. Most of us reap what we sow.

Starner Jones, MD Jackson

They''''re loaded with ergothioneine and selenium, two immune-boosting antioxidants that cut your risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease.

They also contain beta-glucans, plant chemicals found especially in shitake and maitake mushrooms, which supercharge the immune system and may prevent cancer.

They''''re 90% water with only 15 calories per cup.

Lastly, the B vitamins found in fungi may help fend off age-related cognitive decline.