Tuesday, November 30, 2010
The King of running uphill
"The real contest is always between what you've done and what you're capable of doing. You measure yourself against yourself and nobody else."
~ Geoffrey Gaberino
"Part of being a champ is acting like a champ. You have to learn how to win and not run away when you lose. Everyone has bad stretches and real successes. Either way, you have to be careful not to lose your confidence or get too confident."
~ Nancy Kerrigan
Monday, November 29, 2010
WOD's
Workout #1
*Client's choice (one metabolic movement/ one movement with weights)
*Coaches choice rounds, reps, time, etc.
Workout #2
2 person TEAM chipper
200 pull ups/ buddy pull ups
200 DB thrusters
1.5 mile run/row
200 push ups
200 DB cleans
200 plank jump overs
Workout #3
Part 1:
AMRAP 10 minutes:
Left arm OHL
7 KB snatch
Right arm OHL
7 KB snatch
Part 2:
5 rounds of:
7 SDHP
7 thrusters
7 hang squat cleans
7 front squats
5 Tips to Healthy Dining Out
By Michelle Gibeault Traub
No matter how healthy our eating habits are at home something happens when we eat on the go. Blame it on stress, the lack of healthier menu options, or simply a desire to be indulged, but we rarely make healthy choices when dining out.
When you consider research shows that nearly half of all money spent on food is spent in restaurants, it's clear that focusing on improving how you eat outside of the home is vital to your overall weight management and wellness goals. Luckily, there are five simple tips that can help you make smarter choices.
1.COME PREPARED
Healthy eating is a lot like training for a marathon. The more advanced practice and preparation you do, the easier it will be to succeed when the pressure is on. The following strategies will ensure you are always ready to make the best food decisions.
PACK HEALTHY SNACKS
By having healthy options available like fruit, granola bars, trail mix or unsalted nuts you can always keep hunger at bay. Registered Dietitian Janel Ovrut recommends packing portable snacks in your purse, gym bag, office drawer and even in your glove compartment so that they are always available.
No matter how healthy our eating habits are at home something happens when we eat on the go. Blame it on stress, the lack of healthier menu options, or simply a desire to be indulged, but we rarely make healthy choices when dining out.
When you consider research shows that nearly half of all money spent on food is spent in restaurants, it's clear that focusing on improving how you eat outside of the home is vital to your overall weight management and wellness goals. Luckily, there are five simple tips that can help you make smarter choices.
1.COME PREPARED
Healthy eating is a lot like training for a marathon. The more advanced practice and preparation you do, the easier it will be to succeed when the pressure is on. The following strategies will ensure you are always ready to make the best food decisions.
PACK HEALTHY SNACKS
By having healthy options available like fruit, granola bars, trail mix or unsalted nuts you can always keep hunger at bay. Registered Dietitian Janel Ovrut recommends packing portable snacks in your purse, gym bag, office drawer and even in your glove compartment so that they are always available.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Smaller, simpler gyms on the rise in Gresham
New gyms opening around Portland have more in common than powerful names like Crunch and Twist.
They're smaller, offer more classes and, according to their owners, offer better workouts than traditional gyms.
Crunch Fitness in Gresham is among the newcomers. The club on Northeast 223rd Avenue has classes, cardio and weights -- nothing more. Co-owner John LaRosa, who opened Crunch in September and plans to open a second location near Washington Square this fall, said the model allows his staff to be more service-oriented to people who use the gym.
"We're a different model," he said. "We're not your traditional club."
LaRosa knows about traditional clubs, having been a staffer at 24 Hour Fitness and Gold's Gym.
"When you work under huge monsters like that," he says, "there are certain limitations."
His club doesn't have a pool, a basketball court or a sauna -- and it's better for it.
They're smaller, offer more classes and, according to their owners, offer better workouts than traditional gyms.
Crunch Fitness in Gresham is among the newcomers. The club on Northeast 223rd Avenue has classes, cardio and weights -- nothing more. Co-owner John LaRosa, who opened Crunch in September and plans to open a second location near Washington Square this fall, said the model allows his staff to be more service-oriented to people who use the gym.
"We're a different model," he said. "We're not your traditional club."
LaRosa knows about traditional clubs, having been a staffer at 24 Hour Fitness and Gold's Gym.
"When you work under huge monsters like that," he says, "there are certain limitations."
His club doesn't have a pool, a basketball court or a sauna -- and it's better for it.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
The Obesity Acceptance Factor
The OAF in the room
One would think with an obvious truth like the obesity epidemic, society would be waging a serious war of action to cage and control this growing beast. Unfortunately, we don’t just have an elephant in the room, because as the elephant grows, in its shadow, so does the OAF in the room!
The Obesity Acceptance Factor (OAF):
The OAF started very insidiously. It quietly infiltrated most every corner of the room before even the more vigilant people began to take notice and sound the warnings. Over time, there were undercover discussions with occasionally more strident voices, yet nothing was ever done to prevent its happening. Now, our acceptance of obesity is so widespread that it is approaching normal, and our prior state of health and wellness is slowly being relegated to some aberration that used to be back in the day.
Interestingly, there is a group acknowledgment of the growth of obesity as evidenced by all the continual conversation and discussion about the problem, but at the same time, there is individual denial that the problem even exists, as evidenced by the widespread signs and symptoms.
Signs and symptoms:
The signs and symptoms of our society’s acceptance of obesity are everywhere. Have you noticed how mirrors are disappearing? Clothing is vanity sized where the original number scale is now meaningless. People’s increasing girth has prompted size inflation throughout the fashion and apparel industry. The clothing industry has conveniently accommodated expanding Americans by increasing sizes. For example, what once was a women’s size 8 is now a size 4, and today’s size 8 would have been a size 12. Men’s clothing also has expanded where pants that were formerly termed a “regular” now are called a “slim cut,” or “easy fit,” and baggy styles have become popular to accommodate our excess weight. I’ve even heard that shoes are undergoing the same type of size inflation.
One would think with an obvious truth like the obesity epidemic, society would be waging a serious war of action to cage and control this growing beast. Unfortunately, we don’t just have an elephant in the room, because as the elephant grows, in its shadow, so does the OAF in the room!
The Obesity Acceptance Factor (OAF):
The OAF started very insidiously. It quietly infiltrated most every corner of the room before even the more vigilant people began to take notice and sound the warnings. Over time, there were undercover discussions with occasionally more strident voices, yet nothing was ever done to prevent its happening. Now, our acceptance of obesity is so widespread that it is approaching normal, and our prior state of health and wellness is slowly being relegated to some aberration that used to be back in the day.
Interestingly, there is a group acknowledgment of the growth of obesity as evidenced by all the continual conversation and discussion about the problem, but at the same time, there is individual denial that the problem even exists, as evidenced by the widespread signs and symptoms.
Signs and symptoms:
The signs and symptoms of our society’s acceptance of obesity are everywhere. Have you noticed how mirrors are disappearing? Clothing is vanity sized where the original number scale is now meaningless. People’s increasing girth has prompted size inflation throughout the fashion and apparel industry. The clothing industry has conveniently accommodated expanding Americans by increasing sizes. For example, what once was a women’s size 8 is now a size 4, and today’s size 8 would have been a size 12. Men’s clothing also has expanded where pants that were formerly termed a “regular” now are called a “slim cut,” or “easy fit,” and baggy styles have become popular to accommodate our excess weight. I’ve even heard that shoes are undergoing the same type of size inflation.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Happy Thanksgiving!!!
I hope all of you enjoy your time with family & loved ones... Be thankful for everything you have...
Ray
"We all have ability. The difference is how we use it."
~ Stevie Wonder
"Both abundance and lack exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend... when we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that's present -- love, health, family, friends, work, the joys of nature and personal pursuits that bring us pleasure -- the wasteland of illusion falls away and we experience Heaven on earth."
~ Sarah Ban Breathnach
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Crossfit Football, Teen Athletes, Heavy MetCons & Farm Boy Strength
September 13th, 2010
by admin · Filed Under: Articles · Calendar · Strength Building · Success · muscle building
As you know, last Saturday was 9-11. I drove up to Ct to meet with John Welbourn, former NFL athlete and creator of CrossFit Football. I remember 9-11-01 as if it were this morning. I was a 4th year Phys. Ed. teacher and the librarian was listening to the morning news, as she always did. They were unsure of what happened (the news that is) and thought perhaps two planes collided.
Parents were picking up kids early from school and the panic was felt everywhere. I spent my afternoon at the park and watched the cloud of smoke grow larger and larger after the twin towers were struck. That day left a strange feeling inside of me that is tough to describe.
Driving through NY into Ct the traffic was heavier than usual with extra security around the bridges and tunnels. I was fired up and disappointed to see more than half the drivers did NOT have their lights on.
Some forgot or perhaps didn’t realize they were supposed to remember. Not good.
I got into Ct approximately 2 1/2 hrs later and met up with John. After approximately 2 years of trading e mails and messages via twitter, I had to made the trek to connect.
I had a killer gift for John which was gifted to me by my homeboy, Jim Wendler, I made an extra copy of this rare gem.
It was a collection of the ORIGINAL Westside Barbell articles featuring Bill “Peanuts” West and other greats such as Bill Starr. The articles dated back as far as the late 1960’s I believe, covering topics such as box squats, board pressing, “rack pulls” which were performed as partial deads off of boxes of various heights.
There were articles on training partners, the bench press, olympic lifting and it’s the stuff strength addicts live for.
We began talking training, naturally, and how his CrossFit Football program evolved. Back when he was playing for The Philadelphia Eagles, he spent some off season time training down in Tampa, with Raphael Ruiz, who John said, kicked his ass by training him with methods he had never experienced before.
by admin · Filed Under: Articles · Calendar · Strength Building · Success · muscle building
As you know, last Saturday was 9-11. I drove up to Ct to meet with John Welbourn, former NFL athlete and creator of CrossFit Football. I remember 9-11-01 as if it were this morning. I was a 4th year Phys. Ed. teacher and the librarian was listening to the morning news, as she always did. They were unsure of what happened (the news that is) and thought perhaps two planes collided.
Parents were picking up kids early from school and the panic was felt everywhere. I spent my afternoon at the park and watched the cloud of smoke grow larger and larger after the twin towers were struck. That day left a strange feeling inside of me that is tough to describe.
Driving through NY into Ct the traffic was heavier than usual with extra security around the bridges and tunnels. I was fired up and disappointed to see more than half the drivers did NOT have their lights on.
Some forgot or perhaps didn’t realize they were supposed to remember. Not good.
I got into Ct approximately 2 1/2 hrs later and met up with John. After approximately 2 years of trading e mails and messages via twitter, I had to made the trek to connect.
I had a killer gift for John which was gifted to me by my homeboy, Jim Wendler, I made an extra copy of this rare gem.
It was a collection of the ORIGINAL Westside Barbell articles featuring Bill “Peanuts” West and other greats such as Bill Starr. The articles dated back as far as the late 1960’s I believe, covering topics such as box squats, board pressing, “rack pulls” which were performed as partial deads off of boxes of various heights.
There were articles on training partners, the bench press, olympic lifting and it’s the stuff strength addicts live for.
We began talking training, naturally, and how his CrossFit Football program evolved. Back when he was playing for The Philadelphia Eagles, he spent some off season time training down in Tampa, with Raphael Ruiz, who John said, kicked his ass by training him with methods he had never experienced before.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Weekly Wod's
 |
| Chad S. in Santa Monica |
Workout #1
"Murph"
For time:
Run 1 mile
100 pull ups
200 push ups
300 squats
Run 1 mile
(pull ups, push ups, and squats can be split any way you want)
Workout #2
TEAM workout
5 rounds for time:
ONLY one- Run 600m (each team member must run 600m)
*200 sit ups
*200 KBS
*100 double unders
(*split any way between TEAM)
Workout #3
Part1:
AMRAP 10 minutes:
25 double unders
10 burpees
Part 2:
TEAM row
Max calories in 10 minutes
What Do You Get Up For?
"The universe is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper."
~ Eden Phillpotts
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Saturday, November 20, 2010
The Iceman's Last Stand
The Iceman's Last Stand
The story of a famous corpse gets a surprising twist
Tuesday, November 9, 2010 1
BURIED?: Otzi the Iceman may not have died where hikers found him in 1991.Image: Courtesy of South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology (www.iceman.it)It is one of the most evocative ancient corpses ever discovered: a 46-year-old man with an arrow wound in his left shoulder, whose body and belongings came to rest in a high mountain pass some 5,000 years ago. Ever since hikers first spotted the remains of Ötzi the Iceman, as he is known, emerging from the melting ice in the Ötztal Alps near the Austrian-Italian border in 1991, scientists have been working to determine how he died and what he was doing in such a remote spot. The leading theory holds that he had fled there and froze to death after being shot with a bow and arrow during a skirmish with members of a rival tribe. A new study challenges this disaster scenario and suggests instead that the Iceman died in a fight in the valley below and was later transported to the lofty locale for a grand ceremonial send-off.
Friday, November 19, 2010
ADHD Is on the Rise: How to Use Nutrition to Treat Attention Deficit
On November 12, the CDC reported that 10 percent of children in the U.S. have been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), an increase of almost 25 percent in just four years.
Between 2003 and 2007, a million children were given this diagnosis for the first time, raising the number of affected children to 5.54 million. Two-thirds of those children are being treated with drugs to enhance focus and concentration.
But research indicates that two drugs commonly prescribed to treat ADHD, Methylphenidate (Ritalin) and d-amphetamine (Dexedrine), can increase the rate of cigarette smoking. A study done at the University of Kentucky found that use of Methylphenidate increased the total number of cigarettes smoked, number of puffs, and carbon monoxide levels.
There is an effective alternative to drug therapy: nutrition.
A body of scientific research supports the importance of nutritional factors in ADHD. I have personally treated hundreds of children with ADHD over the past 30 years. Almost all have improved without the need for drug therapy. To help them and their parents I have used a series of questions that searches for the causes of ADHD in each individual child.
A body of scientific research supports the importance of nutritional factors in ADHD. I have personally treated hundreds of children with ADHD over the past 30 years. Almost all have improved without the need for drug therapy. To help them and their parents I have used a series of questions that searches for the causes of ADHD in each individual child.
Parents seeking to learn more about how nutrition may impact their child's behavior can use these questions as a guide:
(1. How nutritious is the child's diet?
Over 50 percent of children with ADHD crave sweets, often at the expense of nutritious food. About 70 percent of children who crave sweets have much more control over their behavior when their food is low in added sugar. My first line of advice to parents is, keep your children away from sugary cereals, pancakes or waffles with syrup, soft drinks, candy, cakes, cookies, doughnuts, ice cream, frozen yogurt and chocolate. Every ounce of sugar reduction helps. Sugar alone does not cause hyperactivity. It reduces the nutritional quality of the diet and may aggravate other food intolerances (see below).
Over 50 percent of children with ADHD crave sweets, often at the expense of nutritious food. About 70 percent of children who crave sweets have much more control over their behavior when their food is low in added sugar. My first line of advice to parents is, keep your children away from sugary cereals, pancakes or waffles with syrup, soft drinks, candy, cakes, cookies, doughnuts, ice cream, frozen yogurt and chocolate. Every ounce of sugar reduction helps. Sugar alone does not cause hyperactivity. It reduces the nutritional quality of the diet and may aggravate other food intolerances (see below).
Thursday, November 18, 2010
The Four Capacities Every Great Leader Needs (and Very Few Have)
The Four Capacities Every Great Leader Needs (and Very Few Have)
BY FC Expert Blogger Tony SchwartzFri Oct 15, 2010
This blog is written by a member of our expert blogging community and expresses that expert's views alone.
When I was a very young journalist, full of bravado and barely concealed insecurity, Ed Kosner, editor of Newsweek, hired me to do a job I wasn't sure I was capable of doing. Thrown into deep water, I had no choice but to swim. But I also knew he wouldn't let me drown. His confidence buoyed me.
Some years later, I was hired away by Arthur Gelb, the managing editor of The New York Times. This time, I was seduced by Gelb's contagious exuberance about being part of a noble fraternity committed to putting out the world's greatest newspaper.
Over the last dozen years, I've worked with scores of CEOs and senior executives to help them build more engaged, high performance cultures by energizing their employees. Along the way, I've landed on four key capacities that show up, to one degree or another, in the most inspiring leaders I've met.
1. Great leaders recognize strengths in us that we don't always yet fully see in ourselves.
This is precisely what Kosner did with me. He provided belief where I didn't yet have it, and I trusted his judgment more than my own. It's the Pygmalion effect: expectations become self-fulfilling.
Both positive and negative emotions feed on themselves. In the absence of Kosner's confidence, I simply wouldn't have assumed I was ready to write at that level.
BY FC Expert Blogger Tony SchwartzFri Oct 15, 2010
This blog is written by a member of our expert blogging community and expresses that expert's views alone.
When I was a very young journalist, full of bravado and barely concealed insecurity, Ed Kosner, editor of Newsweek, hired me to do a job I wasn't sure I was capable of doing. Thrown into deep water, I had no choice but to swim. But I also knew he wouldn't let me drown. His confidence buoyed me.
Some years later, I was hired away by Arthur Gelb, the managing editor of The New York Times. This time, I was seduced by Gelb's contagious exuberance about being part of a noble fraternity committed to putting out the world's greatest newspaper.
Over the last dozen years, I've worked with scores of CEOs and senior executives to help them build more engaged, high performance cultures by energizing their employees. Along the way, I've landed on four key capacities that show up, to one degree or another, in the most inspiring leaders I've met.
1. Great leaders recognize strengths in us that we don't always yet fully see in ourselves.
This is precisely what Kosner did with me. He provided belief where I didn't yet have it, and I trusted his judgment more than my own. It's the Pygmalion effect: expectations become self-fulfilling.
Both positive and negative emotions feed on themselves. In the absence of Kosner's confidence, I simply wouldn't have assumed I was ready to write at that level.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
I am a champion!
"Striving for excellence motivates you; striving for perfection is demoralizing."
~ Harriet Braiker
"What is opportunity, and when does it knock? It never knocks. You can wait a whole lifetime, listening, hoping, and you will hear no knocking. None at all. You are opportunity, and you must knock on the door leading to your destiny. You prepare yourself to recognize opportunity, to pursue and seize opportunity as you develop the strength of your personality, and build a self-image with which you are able to live -- with your self-respect alive and growing."
~ Maxwell Maltz
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
End of the 30 day PALEO challenge
Well the 30 day challenge has ended... I hope you learned how food effects your well-being both mental & physical performance...
Food is a very powerful tool for our lives...
Congratulations!!!!
Day 30... RECOVERY
INTRODUCTION
Are your knees sore or stiff? Do your muscles ache for days after exercise? Is it difficult to get out of bed in the morning? Has there been a recent decline in your exercise performance or energy levels? Have you experienced a loss of strength or desire to exercise?
If you answered yes to any of the questions above, it may be necessary to evaluate your exercise frequency, intensity, time, type, and RECOVERY.
Recovery is a generic term used to describe a return to a state of performance readiness. Recovery involves both physical and mental restoration. Replenishing nutrient and energy stores, a return to normal physiological function, a decrease in muscle soreness, and the disappearance of psychological symptoms (irritability, anxiety, disorientation) are all necessary to perform at your very best. Whether you are a high performance athlete, a weekend warrior, or you exercise for general health or aesthetic reasons; recovering from exercise sessions is essential for success. Understanding and applying the five elements of recovery will allow for successful training adaptation, resulting in improved performance, and a decrease in the risk for injury.
PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD
Progressive overload is an organized way of applying a greater-than-normal stress to the body systems over time. Our bodies actually respond to stress by adapting to it, in order to cope with it better. As your fitness improves, it takes a greater exercise stimulus to enhance performance, create physiologic change, and prevent training plateaus. Professional athletes and high level sports and fitness competitors utilize this training principle all the time.
To understand the value of recovery, it is important to first understand the fundamental principles of “progressive overload” in training.
Fundamental Principles
Adaptation - Exercise in and of itself is not enough to produce results. Our bodies need time to recover and adapt to training.
Are your knees sore or stiff? Do your muscles ache for days after exercise? Is it difficult to get out of bed in the morning? Has there been a recent decline in your exercise performance or energy levels? Have you experienced a loss of strength or desire to exercise?
If you answered yes to any of the questions above, it may be necessary to evaluate your exercise frequency, intensity, time, type, and RECOVERY.
Recovery is a generic term used to describe a return to a state of performance readiness. Recovery involves both physical and mental restoration. Replenishing nutrient and energy stores, a return to normal physiological function, a decrease in muscle soreness, and the disappearance of psychological symptoms (irritability, anxiety, disorientation) are all necessary to perform at your very best. Whether you are a high performance athlete, a weekend warrior, or you exercise for general health or aesthetic reasons; recovering from exercise sessions is essential for success. Understanding and applying the five elements of recovery will allow for successful training adaptation, resulting in improved performance, and a decrease in the risk for injury.
PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD
Progressive overload is an organized way of applying a greater-than-normal stress to the body systems over time. Our bodies actually respond to stress by adapting to it, in order to cope with it better. As your fitness improves, it takes a greater exercise stimulus to enhance performance, create physiologic change, and prevent training plateaus. Professional athletes and high level sports and fitness competitors utilize this training principle all the time.
To understand the value of recovery, it is important to first understand the fundamental principles of “progressive overload” in training.
Fundamental Principles
Periodization – A well-designed training program will progressively and systematically overload the body systems and fuel stores over time. Training variables will be manipulated while periods of recovery are integrated into the plan.
Adaptation - Exercise in and of itself is not enough to produce results. Our bodies need time to recover and adapt to training.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Da WOD's
Workout #1
"Nancy"
5 rounds for time:
400m run
15 OHS
Workout #2
Part 1:
Max reps for 2 minutes of double unders
Part 2:
AMRAP 20 minutes:
Buddy jump over/ plank 10
Buddy farmers walk (one run each)
Buddy burpees (high fives) 7
Workout #3
Part 1:
Box squats
2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2
Part 2:
Max KBS in 2 minutes
"Nancy"
5 rounds for time:
400m run
15 OHS
Workout #2
Part 1:
Max reps for 2 minutes of double unders
Part 2:
AMRAP 20 minutes:
Buddy jump over/ plank 10
Buddy farmers walk (one run each)
Buddy burpees (high fives) 7
Workout #3
Part 1:
Box squats
2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2
Part 2:
Max KBS in 2 minutes
Day 29... Testosterone Has Links to Insulin
By Ed Susman, Contributing Writer, MedPage Today
November 05, 2010
MedPage Today Action Points
•Note that this study was published as an abstract and presented at a conference. These data and conclusions should be considered to be preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.
•Explain to interested patients that men with lower than normal testosterone appear to have higher fasting insulin levels, but researchers cautioned against overtreatment because men with high testosterone had an adverse blood lipid profile.
Review
LOS ANGELES -- Men with lower than normal testosterone appear to have higher fasting insulin levels, but researchers cautioned against overtreatment because men with high testosterone had an adverse blood lipid profile.
Men with low testosterone had insulin measurements of about 6.3 microIU/mL compared with about 5.0 microIU/mL for men with normal testosterone (P=0.003) and about 4 microIU/mL for men with high testosterone (P=0.01), according to Margaret Groves, M.Phil, M.Ed, a researcher with ZRT Laboratories in Beaverton, Ore.
November 05, 2010
MedPage Today Action Points
•Note that this study was published as an abstract and presented at a conference. These data and conclusions should be considered to be preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.
•Explain to interested patients that men with lower than normal testosterone appear to have higher fasting insulin levels, but researchers cautioned against overtreatment because men with high testosterone had an adverse blood lipid profile.
Review
LOS ANGELES -- Men with lower than normal testosterone appear to have higher fasting insulin levels, but researchers cautioned against overtreatment because men with high testosterone had an adverse blood lipid profile.
Men with low testosterone had insulin measurements of about 6.3 microIU/mL compared with about 5.0 microIU/mL for men with normal testosterone (P=0.003) and about 4 microIU/mL for men with high testosterone (P=0.01), according to Margaret Groves, M.Phil, M.Ed, a researcher with ZRT Laboratories in Beaverton, Ore.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Day 28... Butter Your Vegetables: The Role of Fruits, Vegetables & Dietary Fat in Health
In our home, we eat our vegetables with butter – lots of butter, and newcomers to traditional foods are often shocked at the amount of fat recommended in the wholesome recipes featured on Nourished Kitchen. After all fat, especially saturated fat, is bad, isn’t it? It’s dangerous – all this despite significant evidence that dietary fat, including animal fats, featured prominently in the native diets of humans prior to the industrialization of the food supply1 thus nourishing and fostering human evolution along with other wholesome, unrefined foods. Indeed animal foods rich in dietary fat comprised approximately two-thirds of the average hunter-gatherer diet, with some pre-agricultural societies consuming up to 99% of their diet from animal foods and others as little as 26%2. Fat nourishes.
While the consumption of plant foods varies significantly among traditional societies, based largely on both climate and season, such foods also provide essential nutrients – vitamins, antioxidants and minerals. As valuable as these plant foods are, to maximize their value, it is essential to eat them with fat. In an age when low-fat milk and steamed vegetables are heralded as a panacea for obesity, cancer, heart disease and other ills, it’s easy to forget the value of the foods that nourished our ancestors; moreover, it’s near blasphemy to suggest that we ought to butter our carrots, braise our greens in bacon fat or even spread our sandwiches with a homemade mayonnaise loaded with egg yolk and olive oil.
Fruits, Vegetables, Dairy Fat and DiseaseYet, as we serve up sauce-less steamed broccoli and butter-less potatoes, we not only miss the flavor and satisfaction that wholesome fats provide, but also better absorption of the nutrients found in those vegetables. While increased consumption of fruits, vegetables and other plant foods are linked to better health – particularly in relation to cancer and cardiovascular disease. Yet, the role of traditional dietary fats is largely ignored. A recent study of over 1.700 Swedish men indicates that consumption of fruits and vegetables was associated with a decreased risk of heart disease, but only when combined with full-fat dairy consumption3. That is, the men who enjoyed enjoyed plenty of vegetables along with full-fat farm milk, butter and cream experienced fewer incidences of cardiovascular disease then the men who eschewed dairy fat, consuming margarine or skim and low-fat milk.
It seems that the combination of fruit, vegetables and wholesome traditional fats not only affects the risk of cardiovascular disease, but also cancer risk and even the effects of aging on the skin. A recent analysis of over fifteen studies on the effects of dairy fat and death from heart disease, diabetes and cancer found that those who consumed more dairy products experienced lower risk of stroke and heart disease than those who consumed very little dairy4. Some physicians have posited that since cancer cells thrive on sugar, a diet of up to 80% fat by calorie is indicated5 – such a recommendation makes the inclusion of a tablespoon or two of butter on a dish of freshly cooked vegetables seem a little paltry by comparison.
While the consumption of plant foods varies significantly among traditional societies, based largely on both climate and season, such foods also provide essential nutrients – vitamins, antioxidants and minerals. As valuable as these plant foods are, to maximize their value, it is essential to eat them with fat. In an age when low-fat milk and steamed vegetables are heralded as a panacea for obesity, cancer, heart disease and other ills, it’s easy to forget the value of the foods that nourished our ancestors; moreover, it’s near blasphemy to suggest that we ought to butter our carrots, braise our greens in bacon fat or even spread our sandwiches with a homemade mayonnaise loaded with egg yolk and olive oil.
Fruits, Vegetables, Dairy Fat and DiseaseYet, as we serve up sauce-less steamed broccoli and butter-less potatoes, we not only miss the flavor and satisfaction that wholesome fats provide, but also better absorption of the nutrients found in those vegetables. While increased consumption of fruits, vegetables and other plant foods are linked to better health – particularly in relation to cancer and cardiovascular disease. Yet, the role of traditional dietary fats is largely ignored. A recent study of over 1.700 Swedish men indicates that consumption of fruits and vegetables was associated with a decreased risk of heart disease, but only when combined with full-fat dairy consumption3. That is, the men who enjoyed enjoyed plenty of vegetables along with full-fat farm milk, butter and cream experienced fewer incidences of cardiovascular disease then the men who eschewed dairy fat, consuming margarine or skim and low-fat milk.
It seems that the combination of fruit, vegetables and wholesome traditional fats not only affects the risk of cardiovascular disease, but also cancer risk and even the effects of aging on the skin. A recent analysis of over fifteen studies on the effects of dairy fat and death from heart disease, diabetes and cancer found that those who consumed more dairy products experienced lower risk of stroke and heart disease than those who consumed very little dairy4. Some physicians have posited that since cancer cells thrive on sugar, a diet of up to 80% fat by calorie is indicated5 – such a recommendation makes the inclusion of a tablespoon or two of butter on a dish of freshly cooked vegetables seem a little paltry by comparison.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Day 27... Nutritional Information: The Best Way to Judge the Health Value of Foods
In judging the nutritional quality of foods, there is a strong case to make for not just the truth, but the whole truth. A product may be fat-reduced, but not better for us because fat was taken out, but sugar and salt were added. Or salt reduced, but not better for us, because fiber was taken out. Or sugar reduced, but not better for us ...
There is also a strong case to make for disclosing the good, the bad and the ugly. However, a committee of the Institute of Medicine (IOM), convened to review the whole issue of "front of pack" nutrition guidance, settled on the latter two only: the bad and the ugly.
Specifically, the IOM committee recommends that front of pack guidance be about calories, saturated fat, trans fat and sodium. Period.
Let's start with what might be good about only considering the bad and the ugly. At present, food companies, which own the front-of-pack real estate, emphasize the positive there. And, they do so in a way that can be very misleading. A breakfast cereal may well be a source of vitamins and minerals because those are added to the mix, but be made primarily from sugar. A fat-reduced peanut butter will tell you on the front of its jar that it is fat-reduced, but fail to mention the copious additions of sugar and salt.
Perhaps the IOM committee members particularly wanted to help put a stop to this. If so, they were on to something. Consumers cannot choose better nutrition when industry practices directly undermine their ability to identify it.
But, frankly, it seems to me there is a whole lot more that is bad and ugly about just considering the bad and ugly, and doing it the way this IOM committee suggests. Among the more obvious problems with their proposal is that sugar is ignored. So, with this approach, products that take out saturated fat but add sugar -- a fairly common practice in the reformulation of processed foods -- would get to talk about the saturated fat reduction only. An excess of added sugar is widely recognized as one of the great liabilities of the modern American diet. The fact that not all saturated fat is created equal and not all is harmful -- a matter directly addressed by the current Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee -- calls the IOM committee's conclusion further into question. Though limited to the bad and the ugly, the proposed approach does not appear to address these comprehensively.
But then, more fundamentally, there is the enormous distortion of ignoring the good. As far as I can tell, with the IOM's proposed approach, jelly beans would be better than almonds, walnuts, avocado or salmon (the latter all contain some saturated fat). Fat-free, artificially flavored ice cream, loaded with sugar, would look better than dark chocolate (which contains saturated fat), or lightly salted edamame, or tuna, or whole grain breakfast cereal. Chicken could not be distinguished from salmon, because omega-3 fat is not considered. Whole grain would not be distinguishable from refined grain, because fiber is not considered. A potato would not be distinguishable from spinach or kale, because phytonutrients are not considered. And on it goes.
I think nutrition guidance should be based on the very best knowledge we have of the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. This can be done, by a system that is independent, objective, comprehensive and considers the good, the bad and the ugly.
A system that penalizes the bad and ugly, but rewards the genuinely good. A system that can distinguish between nutrients added, willy-nilly, through fortification and nutrients of actual value, intrinsic to a food. Such an approach exists, and has been shown to correlate strongly with the actual health outcomes we truly care about in a test involving over 100,000 people. We of course have no such evidence for the approach the IOM committee proposes.
The truth, nothing but the truth and the whole truth is a powerful and compelling concept, and the cornerstone of not just our approach to justice, but our ideals about approaching justice. It is relevant to making an informed judgment about anything.
Putting the IOM proposal about food in the context of the legal system may be a good way to close out the argument that considering just the bad and the ugly -- and doing even that selectively -- is oddly, distortingly and even dangerously inadequate: Under a system that tells only the bad and the ugly ... Nelson Mandela is an ex-con; period.
-Dr. David L. Katz
www.davidkatzmd.com
www.turnthetidefoundation.org
There is also a strong case to make for disclosing the good, the bad and the ugly. However, a committee of the Institute of Medicine (IOM), convened to review the whole issue of "front of pack" nutrition guidance, settled on the latter two only: the bad and the ugly.
Specifically, the IOM committee recommends that front of pack guidance be about calories, saturated fat, trans fat and sodium. Period.
Let's start with what might be good about only considering the bad and the ugly. At present, food companies, which own the front-of-pack real estate, emphasize the positive there. And, they do so in a way that can be very misleading. A breakfast cereal may well be a source of vitamins and minerals because those are added to the mix, but be made primarily from sugar. A fat-reduced peanut butter will tell you on the front of its jar that it is fat-reduced, but fail to mention the copious additions of sugar and salt.
Perhaps the IOM committee members particularly wanted to help put a stop to this. If so, they were on to something. Consumers cannot choose better nutrition when industry practices directly undermine their ability to identify it.
But, frankly, it seems to me there is a whole lot more that is bad and ugly about just considering the bad and ugly, and doing it the way this IOM committee suggests. Among the more obvious problems with their proposal is that sugar is ignored. So, with this approach, products that take out saturated fat but add sugar -- a fairly common practice in the reformulation of processed foods -- would get to talk about the saturated fat reduction only. An excess of added sugar is widely recognized as one of the great liabilities of the modern American diet. The fact that not all saturated fat is created equal and not all is harmful -- a matter directly addressed by the current Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee -- calls the IOM committee's conclusion further into question. Though limited to the bad and the ugly, the proposed approach does not appear to address these comprehensively.
But then, more fundamentally, there is the enormous distortion of ignoring the good. As far as I can tell, with the IOM's proposed approach, jelly beans would be better than almonds, walnuts, avocado or salmon (the latter all contain some saturated fat). Fat-free, artificially flavored ice cream, loaded with sugar, would look better than dark chocolate (which contains saturated fat), or lightly salted edamame, or tuna, or whole grain breakfast cereal. Chicken could not be distinguished from salmon, because omega-3 fat is not considered. Whole grain would not be distinguishable from refined grain, because fiber is not considered. A potato would not be distinguishable from spinach or kale, because phytonutrients are not considered. And on it goes.
I think nutrition guidance should be based on the very best knowledge we have of the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. This can be done, by a system that is independent, objective, comprehensive and considers the good, the bad and the ugly.
A system that penalizes the bad and ugly, but rewards the genuinely good. A system that can distinguish between nutrients added, willy-nilly, through fortification and nutrients of actual value, intrinsic to a food. Such an approach exists, and has been shown to correlate strongly with the actual health outcomes we truly care about in a test involving over 100,000 people. We of course have no such evidence for the approach the IOM committee proposes.
The truth, nothing but the truth and the whole truth is a powerful and compelling concept, and the cornerstone of not just our approach to justice, but our ideals about approaching justice. It is relevant to making an informed judgment about anything.
Putting the IOM proposal about food in the context of the legal system may be a good way to close out the argument that considering just the bad and the ugly -- and doing even that selectively -- is oddly, distortingly and even dangerously inadequate: Under a system that tells only the bad and the ugly ... Nelson Mandela is an ex-con; period.
-Dr. David L. Katz
www.davidkatzmd.com
www.turnthetidefoundation.org
Friday, November 12, 2010
Day 26... Powerful Beyond Measure
The PALEO challenge is yet hitting another weekend... I need to know how things are going by now... I'm still open to questions... Four days left... I hope you been on point as well as loging everything...
Ray
Ray
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Day 25... Nibbling, noshing, grazing to good health
79-year-old who gave up on three meals a day reaps benefits of caveman diet
McClatchy News Service October 24, 2010 Bob Kay was not planning to reform his diet. He was just lazy.
Fourteen years ago, when a live-in relationship broke up, Kay became a full-fledged bachelor. Making big meals for himself was too tedious and time-consuming, so the busy psychiatrist began feeding himself by nibbling, noshing and grazing. In short order, the practice became habitual.
Today, Kay, 79, has forsaken the conventional three squares a day. Instead, he eats 15 to 20 times a day, grazing and nibbling in the manner of our primordial ancestors.
He eats a wide range of foods -- vegetables, fruits, grains, seeds, nuts, meat, and fish -- and his diet is based on no particular model or principle other than eating what he likes.
"I eat what primates eat," Kay says. "I eat a good deal of protein because that's what monkeys are supposed to do."
Not that Kay is a monkey. Indeed, his opinion of evolution is irrelevant. What matters is this:
"I feel good," Kay says.
Over the years, Kay has kept an eye open for scientific evidence that supports the virtue of his mode of nutrition: a study in the New England Journal of Medicine showing that nibbling reduced cholesterol; a Columbia University study showing that a bountiful plate or table encourages overeating; a book (Health Secrets of the Stone Age, by Philip J. Goscienski, M.D.) that postulates that nibbling may inhibit a hormone (ghrelin) that drives appetite.
McClatchy News Service October 24, 2010 Bob Kay was not planning to reform his diet. He was just lazy.
Fourteen years ago, when a live-in relationship broke up, Kay became a full-fledged bachelor. Making big meals for himself was too tedious and time-consuming, so the busy psychiatrist began feeding himself by nibbling, noshing and grazing. In short order, the practice became habitual.
Today, Kay, 79, has forsaken the conventional three squares a day. Instead, he eats 15 to 20 times a day, grazing and nibbling in the manner of our primordial ancestors.
He eats a wide range of foods -- vegetables, fruits, grains, seeds, nuts, meat, and fish -- and his diet is based on no particular model or principle other than eating what he likes.
"I eat what primates eat," Kay says. "I eat a good deal of protein because that's what monkeys are supposed to do."
Not that Kay is a monkey. Indeed, his opinion of evolution is irrelevant. What matters is this:
"I feel good," Kay says.
Over the years, Kay has kept an eye open for scientific evidence that supports the virtue of his mode of nutrition: a study in the New England Journal of Medicine showing that nibbling reduced cholesterol; a Columbia University study showing that a bountiful plate or table encourages overeating; a book (Health Secrets of the Stone Age, by Philip J. Goscienski, M.D.) that postulates that nibbling may inhibit a hormone (ghrelin) that drives appetite.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Day 24... Strength Training for Young Athletes
By John
Published: October 14, 2010
Johnnie
What’s your take on what age young athletes should start lifting weights? I am working with a group of 11 and 12 year-old baseball players doing mostly speed and agility work because their parents are terrified of strength training.
Sandy H.
Lets take a look at how kids unfold. As children grow in size and develop muscle mass, they also develop increased strength. These strength improvements are independent of any training stimulus. Children will grow bigger and stronger until full maturity. Boys will naturally continue to get stronger as girls will begin to plateau. This comes from a flood of testosterone that takes place during puberty.
We know one way to increase strength is to increase the diameter of a muscle. Theoretically, a larger muscle will be able to support more weight. Another way to increase strength is through training the central nervous system. These strength improvements are independent of training. Children will grow bigger and stronger until reaching full maturity. Boys and girls diverge as they hit puberty when high levels of testosterone flood the male system and account for extra upper-body bone growth and muscular hypertrophy.
Natural strength development comes in two forms: increased muscle mass and maturing of the nervous system. Since we concluded that a bigger muscle can support more weight, breaking down the muscle and forcing the muscle to adapt to the new stimulus will cause the muscle to grow. Maturing of the nervous system comes in the form of major changes occuring throughout childhood is the myelination of the nerve fibres. Myelination, for those you that have not had the pleasure of hearing Raphael Ruiz speak, is the ‘insulation’ of the fibres to allow faster conductivity of the electrical impulse. Full myelination happens in adolescence, generally taking 10 or 12 years before even a general development is complete.
Published: October 14, 2010
Johnnie
What’s your take on what age young athletes should start lifting weights? I am working with a group of 11 and 12 year-old baseball players doing mostly speed and agility work because their parents are terrified of strength training.
Sandy H.
Lets take a look at how kids unfold. As children grow in size and develop muscle mass, they also develop increased strength. These strength improvements are independent of any training stimulus. Children will grow bigger and stronger until full maturity. Boys will naturally continue to get stronger as girls will begin to plateau. This comes from a flood of testosterone that takes place during puberty.
We know one way to increase strength is to increase the diameter of a muscle. Theoretically, a larger muscle will be able to support more weight. Another way to increase strength is through training the central nervous system. These strength improvements are independent of training. Children will grow bigger and stronger until reaching full maturity. Boys and girls diverge as they hit puberty when high levels of testosterone flood the male system and account for extra upper-body bone growth and muscular hypertrophy.
Natural strength development comes in two forms: increased muscle mass and maturing of the nervous system. Since we concluded that a bigger muscle can support more weight, breaking down the muscle and forcing the muscle to adapt to the new stimulus will cause the muscle to grow. Maturing of the nervous system comes in the form of major changes occuring throughout childhood is the myelination of the nerve fibres. Myelination, for those you that have not had the pleasure of hearing Raphael Ruiz speak, is the ‘insulation’ of the fibres to allow faster conductivity of the electrical impulse. Full myelination happens in adolescence, generally taking 10 or 12 years before even a general development is complete.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Day 23... DIET...is a 4 Letter WORD!
Diet another Four Letter Word!
by Toby Watson
For those of you doing the Healthy Eating Challenge and for those of you who are not but are trying to eat better I have some food for thought. Diet with a capital D is a bad word and should not be uttered at all. Diet lowercase d is ok...so If you say I am on DIET...I am going to scowl at you and shake my head...if you say my diet consists of these foods I am going to smile and applaud in my head. Are you able to tell the difference between the two words? It is important that you do or you will never truly reach your fitness or nutrition goals.
So let's look at the word Diet as in I am on a Diet! That has all sorts of negative thoughts and meanings associated with it. You are restricted to what you can and can't eat, you are doing it for a short period of time to fix a problem, the bottom line is that it is not at all sustainable. So why would you want to be on a Diet? If a diet ends and you are going to go back to your old habits and gain the weight back, or become inflamed again or whatever the results are after you quit the diet, why do it? Diet's also lead people into feeling guilty if you slip up and have a cookie or a beer. You end up feeling guilty for a day or two and then you starve yourself or end up sneaking food. So DIET SHOULD BECOME A 4 LETTER WORD IN YOUR HOUSE THAT IS NOT ALLOWED!
Now let's talk about the other diet and what your daily diet consists of. This is a much better relationship with the word diet because you are using it as this is the way I eat. Your diet may consist of anything from whole grains, veggies, ice cream and beer but it is what you can sustain, maintain and eat on a regular basis. You have a good relationship with this word, because it doesn't cause you added stress...you aren't "cheating" if you eat something like icecream. Can you tell the difference? What is your relationship with the way you are eating today?
by Toby Watson
For those of you doing the Healthy Eating Challenge and for those of you who are not but are trying to eat better I have some food for thought. Diet with a capital D is a bad word and should not be uttered at all. Diet lowercase d is ok...so If you say I am on DIET...I am going to scowl at you and shake my head...if you say my diet consists of these foods I am going to smile and applaud in my head. Are you able to tell the difference between the two words? It is important that you do or you will never truly reach your fitness or nutrition goals.
So let's look at the word Diet as in I am on a Diet! That has all sorts of negative thoughts and meanings associated with it. You are restricted to what you can and can't eat, you are doing it for a short period of time to fix a problem, the bottom line is that it is not at all sustainable. So why would you want to be on a Diet? If a diet ends and you are going to go back to your old habits and gain the weight back, or become inflamed again or whatever the results are after you quit the diet, why do it? Diet's also lead people into feeling guilty if you slip up and have a cookie or a beer. You end up feeling guilty for a day or two and then you starve yourself or end up sneaking food. So DIET SHOULD BECOME A 4 LETTER WORD IN YOUR HOUSE THAT IS NOT ALLOWED!
Now let's talk about the other diet and what your daily diet consists of. This is a much better relationship with the word diet because you are using it as this is the way I eat. Your diet may consist of anything from whole grains, veggies, ice cream and beer but it is what you can sustain, maintain and eat on a regular basis. You have a good relationship with this word, because it doesn't cause you added stress...you aren't "cheating" if you eat something like icecream. Can you tell the difference? What is your relationship with the way you are eating today?