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Grace & Peace.

A friend recently posed the question: “Why do the holidays bring out the worst in people.” I know where she is coming from. People get crazy this time of year. Shopping, traffic, shopping….

It is a question worth pondering. Why the holidays bring out the worst in people…in us? As I thought about this, I couldn’t help but focus on the “us”—more specifically, “me”. It is easy to perceive others as the problem. It is difficult to see our own implication in the frustration.

As much as I strive to live “I am third”, the more I realize that I am not capable of living this consistently. I am also aware that people are as frustrated as I am. Perhaps, it is because the holidays bring out the worst in me that I perceive the worst in others.

Our happiness during the holidays is a choice. Another friend, Coach Andy Lausier, would remind me that I get to have gratitude this season (to move from “have” to “get”). The apostle Paul began his letters with the greeting “Grace and Peace”— charis (a derivation of chairein) from the Greek tradition and shalom from the Jewish tradition. It is a greeting to unite people. It is a thought that should be in our minds as we greet others during these harried times. We get to greet others with thoughts of “grace and peace”. We get to remember that we are not alone in our frustration. We get to remember that we are connected and the interconnectedness that fuels our frustration can be the same interconnectedness that fuels of joy. It is a choice.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow!

Carpe momento!

When the Universe Speaks.

Saturday was one of those mornings. My children had to be it to places at the same time on opposite sides of the school district. My son had wrestling at 9 at the high school. My daughter had her first basketball game of the season across town. It should have been easy. I’d drop him off early and hurry to make her game. Of course, everyone was running late. Gym shorts and basketballs could not be found, and my near teenage, who must have stayed on his PS4 much later than was supposed to, woke up more like a grumpy 6-year-old. I don’t like to be late, so it was “Go! Go! Go!”

I am not the most patient of men. I start out the day with the best of intentions, but…. Then, I start the car, and, of course, the first song on the radio was ‘Patience’ by Guns n’ Roses! Oh, how I love moments like this! True, one might call it a coincidence. Perhaps. I tend to hear it as the Universe speaking.

Sometimes, like this Saturday morning, I am receptive to the message. Unfortunately, many other times I miss the subtleness of the Universe. I do try to listen.

I like when the Universe speaks. I don’t always like the message. (Okay, truthfully, I never like the message, because it usually pierces.) Still, I get to hear the Universe speak reset my course.

We can all use a little patience. Thank you, Universe, for speaking through Axl Rose!

Be your best today; be better tomorrow!

Carpe momento!

White vans.

Why is it always white vans? The other day, a friend shared that the daughter of a friend was being stalked and was nearly abducted by a man in a white van with a teal stripe down the side on the campus where I teach. On my campus?! I don’t know the girl. She is not one of my students. But, I care. It is somebody’s daughter. It could be mine. It could be a student I know. Yes, I care.

Be aware. Not only for yourself and your closest friends and family, but also for the daughters of friends of friends and people you don’t know. Love your neighbor means protect your neighbor.

I refuse to live in fear, but I also refuse to allow my neighbors to live in fear. The world is a very scary place—especially for young women. Be observant. If something seems wrong or out of place, don’t dismiss it. If someone comes to you for help, help. If someone is in trouble, do something.

I shared my friend’s post with my students. The ladies in the class were well aware of the attempted abduction—and another unrelated one around the same time! We discussed it in class. I want my students to know that I am there for them. I will do more than call the police to help them. I drove home from campus on Thursday a bit slower than usual with an eye out for a white van with a teal stripe. (Incidentally, the van pictured above is not the involved van. The picture of the actual van was removed from social media.) I had no worries about what I would have done, if I saw the van.

We can no longer be by-standers. We must involve ourselves in the safety and welfare of our neighbor. Otherwise, we are as guilty as the predators who walk among us.

Carpe momento!

10 Foods to Avoid this Holiday Season.

Of course, the following list is a bit tongue-in-cheek. I can’t make a list without a little bit of sarcasm. If you follow this blog, you are probably well aware of my love of “must do/not do” lists—particularly of those that are fitness and diet related. There is some seriousness to what follows, though, as the holidays are a difficult time for managing our efforts to eat healthy.

1. Breakfast. I know they say that “breakfast is the most important meal of the day”, but, frankly, they are all important. When and what we eat, however, is most important.

Breakfast during the holidays can be quite destructive to the diet. Weight management—particularly fat weight management—is predicated on caloric balance. There are limited calories we can consume in the day, if we are trying to lose or maintain our weight. Inevitably, we will be having celebratory meals and parties throughout the season. Family gatherings, work parties, etc. Thus, we will want to “save” our calories.

During the holidays, we may likely have visitors to our homes. We will want to be good hosts and put out a spread for every meal. As a result, our average daily caloric consumption goes through the roof. Stop the insanity!

During the height of the holiday season, choose one big holiday meal of the day—preferably late in the day. A big breakfast, inevitably, leads to over-eating throughout the day. Traditional breakfast in the US are laden with carbohydrates that spike our insulin and leave us hungry a short time later. If we skip the big breakfast and snack (i.e., graze) wisely throughout the day, we are able to conserve our daily calories for the later festive meal or party. If we are more likely to over-indulge in holiday meals and parties, it is better to reserve calories to permit us to do so (more or less) guilt-free.

2. Liquor. Personally, I am not a hard liquor kind of guy. So, avoiding hard liquor during the holidays is less challenging (technically, no challenge). If, however, you are one who enjoys the hard stuff, avoidance is better advice than moderation. Remember, we are trying to choose our calories wisely—and “opportunity costs”. On average, there is 100 kcal in a shot of alcohol. This means that the range is actually more like 90-110 kcal. As a rule of thumb, there is approximately 1.2 kcal per “proof”—e.g., vodka, at 80 proof, has 96 kcal, and gin, at 94 proof, has 115 kcal. If you are mixing shots and drinks, the calories can begin to skyrocket.

If you are inclined to have liquor during the holiday, feel free, but do so wisely. Know that you will have to cut something, food-wise, and drink s-l-o-w-l-y. Nurse that drink! Sip it. Dilute it as much as is palatable—with ice and/or non-caloric mixer.

3. Alcohol. I am not repeating myself here. There are stiff holiday drinks, and there are wimpier holidays beers, wines, and ciders. These can be more dangerous to the diet than the hard stuff, because we don’t always think about the times we refill—until we look at the bottles piling up in the recycling.

With alcohol, a key is to not start too early. “It is 5 o’clock somewhere” will destroy your weight management. Drinks and appetizers before a big meal are a sure path to diet destruction.

One does not have to declare Prohibition during the holidays. One should simply plan wisely for alcohol consumption. Reserve wine to be served at the dinner table. Unless you feel like you have to play catch-up (and, warning, getting drunk at the holiday meal is a sure-fire wat to get struck from the invite list), you can reasonably limit your alcohol calories and contain your total for the day.

4. Fast food. Seriously, you are considering going to a fast food restaurant during the holidays?? Of course, I understand holiday shopping and travel. We are always in a rush to get somewhere. For one thing, try to avoid eating out during the holidays. Save the calories for the big festive meals. If you have to eat on the road, take the time to seat and eat the healthiest possible choices. Keep yourself a little hungry to eat the choice foods at your holiday destination, where you are going to want to over-eat.

5. Hersey Kisses. First, let me say, I am a Pennsylvanian. I love Hersey chocolates. I love them too much. It is those damn shiny green, red, and silver foil packages of pure evil that visit during the holidays that I don’t like. Seriously—and I am talking directly to my wife, here—stop putting out bowls of candy during the holidays. Yes, they look festive and inviting, but they are too inviting. It is too easy to over-enjoy chocolates during the holidays. Don’t make them so accessible.

For those times when you want chocolate, keep good dark chocolate in the house. There are some health benefits to dark chocolate that warrant occasional consumption, but, overall, save calories for real foods and the seasonal treats.

6. Candy Canes. Pure sugar. Best left hanging on the tree.

7. Store-bought Desserts. Again, seriously?? Why in the world would you buy and eat Little Debbie cake and cookies or Hostess treats—or any prepackaged, sugar-laden, fat-laden, calorie-laden, disappointing dessert—when family and friends spend so much time baking family recipes that have been passed down for generations? You know you are going to eat foods that are nowhere near ketogenic or Paleo, so choose wisely. Enjoy holiday cakes and cookies, but make it worth the exercise and sacrifice that will inevitably have to go alone with the pleasure.

8. Chips and Nuts. Avoid calorie-laden snacking. There will be sufficient calories consumed with meals and desserts. Avoid filling your downtime with unnecessary calorie consumption. Ordinarily, nuts are a good go-to snack that can keep you satisfied between meals. During the holidays, we just need to avoid eating calories when we can. Instead of bowls of nuts and chips (Lay’s is truthful in their advertising—“you can’t eat just one”), munch on celery and carrots. Eat whole fruits and more veggies. Snack on foods that are high in fiber and water and low in calories. Save for the meals and desserts.

9. Bread. There is no need for rolls at the holiday dinner table. Hot, deliciously smelling rolls just beg to be smothered in butter and eaten. Remember: “opportunity costs”. Every buttered roll is a dessert that can’t be eaten. Avoid sandwiches and any consumption of refined grains. Our goal is to make the best use of our calorie allotment. Quality proteins and vegetables should be priority so that we can enjoy some seasonal treats.

10. Egg Nog. Honestly, I don’t know how people like this stuff! According to Wikipedia, “egg nog, historically also known (when alcoholic beverages are added) as milk punch or egg milk punch, is a rich, chilled, sweetened, creamy dairy-based beverage traditionally made with milk, cream, sugar, whipped egg whites and egg yolks (which gives it a frothy texture, and its name) and, in some contexts, distilled spirits such as brandy, rum or bourbon.” It is calorie dense. Depending on the recipe, egg nog is in excess of 220 kcal and 20 g of sugar. There are better ways to waste calories.

Enjoy the holiday wisely. Make smart use of the calories you consume. Don’t deny yourself holiday pleasures. Just choose them with care.

Carpe momento!

Bench press.

A student asked me recently about my recommendations for range of motion for the bench press. Years ago, I was all about full range of motion—it was cheating if you didn’t touch the chest. Studying a bit more anatomy and having shoulder problems owing to wear-and-tear and a type III acromion, I have changed my tune a bit. Unless you are required to touch the sternum because of competition rules, it really isn’t necessary to bring the bar all the way to the chest (i.e., the sternum). One to two inches above the chest should be sufficient. Key is that the arms come to slightly less than 90-degrees and just below parallel to the ground.

It is important to not stretch the shoulder excessively. The deltoid and pectoralis major muscles are quite capable of being stretch. The potential problem, though, is the coracobrachialis, which runs from the coracoid process on the scapula to the humerus (the brachium or arm). At the low point of the bench press, the coracobrachialis is stretched and add to the compression of the shoulder capsule—especially when the arm is abducted 90-degrees (i.e. is near parallel to the bar). This can be alleviated by pressing with the elbows closer to the sides—and avoiding dropping the bar to the chest.

Another benefit of pausing above the chest is that you pause above the chest. It is harder—because the lifter isn’t taking advantage of a bounce off of the chest—and thus requires more work of the muscles. Now, if you are powerlifting, you will want every possible advantage in maximizing the weight lifted, but, if the goal is to build strength and size, we are less interested in a technique advantage. Controlling the descent and pausing at the bottom before exploding into the concentric phase will emphasize the eccentric contraction and affect greater muscle hypertrophy.

If shoulder pain is an issue, a reverse grip bench press might be an option. The challenge with a reverse grip bench press is racking and re-racking the barbell. If you are using a spotter, then it is less of a problem. If lifting alone, set the safety catches to just above chest height. This will enable you to slide under the bar to position yourself for the lift and serve as a stop to protect you should you fail to complete a repetition (nothing worse than getting stuck—or crushed—under the weight of the barbell). Grip the bar comfortably wider than shoulder width and press off of the rack. The barbell can come closer to the chest since the coracobrachialis is less vulnerable, and you will also effectively activate the chest muscles with less load. Start light. The movement will feel quite awkward at first. Quite quickly, though, you will find it easy to begin progressing the weight. It is a nice alternative to the flat or incline bench.

I prefer the barbell to dumbbells for a couple of reasons. For one, it is an easier set up. I have adjustable dumbbells and it takes some time to change plates. Dumbbells are also harder to exit out of at the end of a set—especially at heavy weights. Sure, you can drop them. This is fine with set dumbbells—maybe—but adjustable dumbbells can be more easily damages (and I have scars from the cuts and scratches that come with using the thighs to push them up into the starting position). In dropping the dumbbell, there is also an increased risk of injury. An advantage to dumbbells in the possible greater activation of the muscles owing to the reduced stability. Still, one can lift more weight with barbells an ultimately have a greater increase in strength. For the bodybuilder, though, dumbbells and cables will be necessary for building greater shape and size to the muscle. For pure strength and hypertrophy, nothing beats the good ol’ bench press!

I would avoid chest flyes (again, unless you are a bodybuilder or physique athlete). First, this is an isolation exercise removing much of the triceps contributions to the exercise. Always, “opportunity costs”. Isolation exercises then require additional exercises to target the missed muscle(s). This means more time spent in the gym. Second, the motion of the fly is essentially the same as the barbell or dumbbell bench press. The only difference is that, with the arms held nearly straight, there is less action in the triceps muscles. Complex movements always trump isolation exercises. Finally, with flyes, there is a greater likelihood of taking the range of motion to an extreme and over-stretching the shoulder. So, I stick with the bench press in my “basic 5”.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

Image: https://www.t-nation.com/system/publishing/articles/10004882/original/The-5-Bench-Press-Commandments.jpg?1496450000

Give the love you desire.

I wrote these words for my son as we were approaching his birth. They are from Lessons for Liam:

“You will spend your life wanting to be loved. In many cases, this will come easy. When it comes to matters of the heart, however, love does not come easy. It requires effort on your part—effort that is well worth it.

Don’t be in a rush to fall in love. Love will come when it is ready. In the meantime, master the art of making love.

The phrase, “making love” is most often associated with the act of sexual intercourse. This is not at all what I am referring to. Rather, I mean that you should act toward others in such a way that a loving relationship naturally develops. Love is an act of giving, not receiving. For most, sex is a matter of self-gratification. Perhaps the English language would be more accurate if it were to use the phrase “getting love” when referring to sex. Proper “love-making,” however, necessitates that you put the needs of the other ahead of self. Love should be selfless. This is why it requires so much work.”

May we give love more than we seek it.

Carpe momento!

We didn’t start the fire.

The year 2017 is rapidly nearing its end. A lot has happened this year. Personally, it has been a pretty good year. Sometimes, though, it feels like a year that has been circling the toilet bowl. I was thinking about the year, and Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire” came to mind. I am sure he could write another hit just with the events of this year.

The song tends to have us look back at all that has happened in our life. Compared to Billy Joel birth year (1949), I was born in 1963, and a lot has happened just since then. (My life picks up with “Pope Paul, Malcolm X, British politician sex, JFK blown away….” It has been a whirlwind since then. In the time since the song was written (1989) there are probably a half-a-dozen songs—or more. Incidentally, with the exception of an occasional non-traditional student, all of my college students were born well after the time of this song—10 years or so after. It is no wonder that can’t relate to some of the stories I tell.

History keeps being made. We keep the fire burning and the world keeps turning. Here’s to making better history!

Be your best today; be better tomorrow!!

Carpe momento!

“We Didn’t Start the Fire”

Harry Truman, Doris Day, Red China, Johnnie Ray
South Pacific, Walter Winchell, Joe DiMaggio

Joe McCarthy, Richard Nixon, Studebaker, television
North Korea, South Korea, Marilyn Monroe

Rosenbergs, H-bomb, Sugar Ray, Panmunjom
Brando, “The King and I” and “The Catcher in the Rye”

Eisenhower, vaccine, England’s got a new queen
Marciano, Liberace, Santayana goodbye