Shortcomings of Body Composition Assessments, and Fitness-Related Applications of Mindfulness and Meditation

The Stronger By Science Podcast

In today's episode, Greg and Eric pat themselves on the back for breaking the 100 episode barrier, in addition to sharing their picks for Fat Bear Week 2022. After that, Greg encroaches on Eric’s territory with a segment about body composition assessments. In the segment, Greg discusses what common body composition devices actually measure, how accurate (or inaccurate) they are for individuals (rather than groups), and some better strategies for monitoring progress toward fitness goals. After that, Eric steers others toward the Road to Enlightenment with a segment on the fitness-related applications of mindfulness and meditation. He specifically looks at the research evaluating mindfulness-based interventions for mental fatigue, sleep, pain management, and eating behaviors. Eric also discusses scenarios in which mindfulness-based interventions might be contraindicated, and provides some resources for people who want to give meditation or other mindfulness-based interventions a shot.

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TIME STAMPS

Intro/Announcements (0:00)

Fat Bear Week (5:09)

• https://www.nps.gov/katm/learn/fat-bear-week-2022.htm

Recipe sharing in MacroFactor (14:57)

• www.macrofactorapp.com

Body Composition Assessments are Less Useful Than You Think (17:19)

• https://macrofactorapp.com/body-composition/

What’s actually being measured by the most common body composition devices? (18:48)

How accurate are the estimates at the group level? (34:07)

• https://weightology.net/the-pitfalls-of-body-fat-measurement-part-1/

How accurate are the estimates at the individual level? (36:49)

A hypothetical example with calculations (45:02)

Can your bathroom scale track changes effectively over time, even if the exact body-fat value isn’t perfectly valid? (Another issue with bioelectrical impedance devices) (50:09)

Why worry about body composition in the first place? (54:29)

What should we actually track to monitor progress over time? (1:03:48)

Fitness-Related Applications of Mindfulness and Meditation (1:09:08)

• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33593124/

Important disclaimer (1:12:21)

Defining mindfulness and meditation (1:15:21)

• https://www.headspace.com/meditation/techniques

Mindfulness and mental fatigue (1:20:21)

• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35805484/

Mindfulness and sleep (1:27:45)

• https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-hygiene
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27663102/
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30714811/

Mindfulness for pain management (1:35:20)

• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK545194/
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29126747/
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27658913/

Mindful eating (1:42:48)

• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28848310/
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24854804/
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32551798/
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27862826/

Important caveats (1:46:13)

• https://forrt.org/reversals/
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30708288/

Introductory resources for mindfulness and meditation (1:58:28)

• https://mhealth.jmir.org/2015/3/e82/
• https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-meditation-apps/
• https://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/g25178771/best-meditation-apps/
• https://lifehacker.com/7-meditation-apps-that-are-cheaper-and-better-than-he-1847455111
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5556586/
• https://yesherabgye.com
• https://plumvillage.org/thich-nhat-hanh/key-books/

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• BulkSupplements: Next time you stock up on supplements, be sure to use the promo code “SBSPOD” (all caps) to get 5% off your entire order.
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