Month: November 2018

I received a sponsored ad on Facebook from Pillsbury. I don’t usually callout the offender directly, but this advertisement was simply irresponsible considering the continued rise of obesity in the U.S. and the implications for personal health. The ad read: “Dessert for breakfast, or breakfast for dessert? Either way, your weekend just got a whole lot sweeter.” The posts suggested that their dessert products could double as a (healthy?) breakfast. WRONG!

Food manufacturers have been pushing sugary breakfasts for decades. As a result, we have become increasingly addicted to sugar—and are growing fatter. Now, I am not opposed to the occasional dessert.  I have a bit of a sweet tooth that I fight, myself. I am opposed to the promotion of unhealthy eating habits.

Sugar results in a spike in insulin—the hormone that works to move glucose into the tissue (muscle as well as fat). As a result of this spike, glucose levels drop thus increasing hunger and eating. Carbohydrates, like sugar, don’t make us fat per se, but too many calories make us fat. In addition, these refined sugary products are quite devoid of nutrient (though they may be “enriched”). Carbs are okay when associated with exercise—that is, intensive, glycogen-depleting exercise—but few of us actually exercise that intensely or significantly deplete our muscle glycogen to necessitate carbohydrate timing. For most well-fed adults, a balanced diet that emphasizes vegetables and whole fruits will certainly provide adequate glucose to replenish muscle glycogen stores and maintain stead blood glucose levels.

Given that breakfast is eaten in a fasted state (hence, “break-fast”), carbohydrates are probably the worst thing to eat first thing in the morning. Breakfast rather should be composed of proteins and healthy fats. This is especially true of children—to whom sweet cereals and pastries are marketed. Childhood is where one’s life-long habits are established.  As well, children need stable blood glucose levels for concentration in school and sports performance. Teach these eating habits early and model them to your children.

What is a good breakfast? I am a coffee drinker. I like a cup of buttered coffee (including a tablespoon each of grain-fed butter and coconut oil; approximately 220 kcal). This could easily sustain me through my midday teaching load, but, since I exercise in the early morning and want to supply my daily protein needs, I usually have a whey protein shake or some eggs (I like to put a couple cups of spinach in each). I never experience the sudden hunger that follows a sugary breakfast. If I eat sweets, they are almost always later in the day after a workout (when they will go to my muscle more than to my fat) or around bed (when they will help me sleep and help in recovery). A better breakfast allows me to perform better throughout the day, and less hunger allows me to better regulate my caloric intake.

Sorry, Pillsbury. Dessert is NOT for breakfast. (Though I might consider a healthy breakfast for dessert!)

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

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Am I the only one who is tired of the so-called “research” that purports to support an alternative to exercise? I saw one recently that now claims that a hot bath burns more calories than walking for 30 minutes.* Sometimes I think these reporters must think it is okay to compare apples and oranges. First, the author compares 30 minutes of walking to  an hour bath. I don’t know about the reader, but I barely have (i.e., can make) time to exercise for 30 minutes, let alone soak in a hot bath for an hour. Granted, there are benefits to taking a hot bath or sauna, but let’s not quit the gym and “let Calgon take me away”.

A hot bath is reported to burn 130 kilocalories (technically, the article read “130 calories” which is literally next to nothing). For comparison, the “100 kcal rule” states that whether one walks, jogs, or runs one mile he or she burns approximately 100 kcal (for a 70 kg person). So, maybe, if you walk at a 1 mph pace….

Let’s try to remember that exercise follow the principle of specificity. A bath may be relaxing and may increase the metabolism some, but it lacks the benefits of walking—or, better yet, more intense aerobic exercise. It will not improve cardiorespiratory fitness (i.e., VO₂max). Don’t be misled! No doubt that a hot bath or sauna are good for you, but don’t skip the gym.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow!

Carpe momento!

*https://theheartysoul.com/burn-calories-reach-fitness-goals-baths/?utm_source=HHL&fbclid=IwAR2mSwmzWjTqBJKXBawMNQE9oPkqLT_PRmdI9Sz9V0gCkhg5PBXimzlE9yM

“Your outlook upon life, your estimate of yourself, your estimate of your value are largely colored by your environment. Your whole career will be modified, shaped, molded by your surroundings, by the character of the people with whom you come in contact every day.”—Orison Swett Marden

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

I like to keep workouts simple—and effective. I appreciated the “Russian conditioning” my high school wrestling coach put us through back in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s. He was ahead of his time and the conditioning was effective. (Conditioning was my only strength in wrestling.) I particularly liked “100s”. (I use the term “liked” rather loosely, as they were exhausting—especially until our conditioning was built up.) These are simply doing sets in sequence: 3-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-3. We were usually led by the captains, so the rest would be as long as the preceding set.

As a high-intensity interval resistance training session (HIIRT), a full-body 100s workout can be a great calorie burn and promote sarcoplasmic hypertrophy (i.e., muscle volume more than size). I use a combination of body weight, free weight dumbbells, and Bulgarian bag, but barbells and even machines can be used. A typical workout takes about 40-45 minutes (50-55 minutes, if I include my “core 550” Bulgarian bag sequence).

For a HIIRT 100s challenge, try the following:

Squats

Pushups

Dumbbell rows (alternate sides with as little rest as possible)

Tricep extensions

Arm curls

Lateral raises

Crunches

Start light. The volume is actually quite high, and you want to be able to complete the sets with as little rest in between as possible. As a motivator, try this with a partner and alternate sets. Concentrate on using good technique. You want to perform the exercises quickly, but not at the expense of form. As the sets get easy, add weight to increase the challenge. I you can’t complete the full sequence, go as high as you can and back down; drop the weight the next session. (For pushups, drop into a “modified” pushup, i.e., on your knees, if necessary to complete the sequence.)

Try this 2-3 times per week in sessions separate from your usual weight training and cardio. Remember, this is not intended to build strength or cardiorespiratory endurance. Specificity. It will affect muscular endurance, but it primarily targets body composition (i.e., body fat).

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

You have to go deep in the definitions (6c in Merriam-Webster), but a hack can be defined as “a clever tip or technique for doing or improving something”. Increasingly, I am seeing fitness professionals offering a variety of “fitness hacks”. In other words, they are proposing shortcuts to fitness benefits.

When I see the word “hack” associated with fitness, however, I think of the adjective definition: “working for hire especially with mediocre professional standards” (which actually reads much nicer than how I might use the word). Now not all fitness professionals are “hacks”, but the concept of a hack—or shortcut—is not uncommon in fitness marketing. This is primarily because exercisers want shortcuts—and, of course, we all want results as fast as humanly possible.  Unfortunately, “fast” is never “fast enough”. If someone is offering a shortcut to fitness, question their motives and/or competency. There are no shortcuts!

The shortest path to fitness is the right path. “Quick” results come with effective training, diet, and recovery. In addition, one must consider that the pace of progression is not the same for everyone—even if that do everything the same. There are responders and non-responders to exercise. So, one person’s “hack” may be another’s waste of time and money.

So, if someone promises a fitness hack to your goal, ask yourself: “Is this person offering a more effective training or are they promising unrealistic success?”

I saw an article titled: “24 Fitness Hacks That Will Make Exercise Easier”. While the author presents many good motivational techniques, these are not techniques that will make exercise “easier”.  Rather, these will (help) make it easier to exercise. This is, of course, a good thing. Nothing can make exercise “easier” than…(wait for it)…EXERCISE. Exercise intensely, and it will get easier.  Of course, we have to progress exercise—we have to keep making it “harder” to get better. There are no benefits in cutting corners. Not technique, supplement, or drug will substitute for hard work.

If you want a “hack”, cut the junk food and alcohol, train more effectively and more frequently, fuel the body with the right balance of healthy carbohydrates, fats, and protein, and sleep 7-8 hours a day. Do this, and you will improve—at a sustainable rate and faster in the long-term than the one who looks for shortcut.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

Today marks 730 straight days of posts on this blog. It started two years ago with a “challenge” by my friend Andy Lausier to share a post every day through the wrestling season. It was not clear what exactly constituted the end of the season, but Andy had done something amazing and inspiring to raise money for his wrestling team (Sacred Heart University, at the time). He cycled roughly 1100 miles from SHU to St. Louis, MO—where the NCAA tournament was being held—in seven days! There has no doubt that my journey, too, would end in St. Louis—at the end of the tournament.

The NCAAs came and went, and I had momentum. Surely, I could make it a year.  When, November 14, 2017 came, I felt compelled to keep going. With the help and inspiration of friends, I managed to find topics and keep writing. Now, at the two-year mark, it seems like a good time to slow the pace. It is too easy to get caught up in producing and lose sight on why I write in the first place. I write, actually, to myself. Not that I don’t appreciate my readers, but I find I am my best audience. I mean that I need plenty of help and am easily detoured from my own “well-centered fitness”. I hope I encourage others along the way, but, ultimately, if no one reads my blog, I am none the worse for it. I find myself repeating topics from time to time, so maybe a slower pace will allow me to go deeper in my pursuit of well-centered fitness.

Andy’s challenge paralleled his own personal introspection. He shared many daily thoughts on gratitude and his lessons on “from have to get”. This inspired me to view my circumstances as “opportunities”. I now make it a practice in my morning growth routine to list my “opportunities” for the day—in addition to Spiritual, Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, and Social goals, my mission statement, and my core values. It is one way of reminding me of the “gets”. This has helped ground me for the past two years.

It has not been a rosy two years. I have been plagued with self-doubt and frustration. I have not always appreciated my circumstances, but seeing them as “opportunities” has enabled me to view them in a more positive light.

Pursuing Spiritual well-centeredness, I can see that I am where I am not only for my benefit but moreover for the benefit of other—e.g., my wife, my son, my daughter, my students, and others. I don’t have to like where I am at the moment. I simply have to seize the moment—carpe momento—and make the most of it. I have to seize the moment with and for others.

Physically, I have explored my own fitness pursuits and struggles. I think I have actually grown the most in these last two years of 20-year professional teaching career.

Intellectually, this blog has kept me reading and learning. Struggling to come up with topics has kept me on my toes.

Of all the dimensions of well-centered fitness, I have to admit that the Emotional dimension—the keystone—is the greatest struggle. At times, I know I don’t appear happy to others—particularly family (who see me at my worst) and my co-workers (who rarely interact with me and tend to perceive my desire to grow as dissatisfaction). I have been giving this much thought after a colleague charged me that “If you hate it here so much…”. I realized that it is not me who hates it so much. I am around people who complain but never act. I tend to be one who sees change as essential—kaizen. It is sometimes perceived as complaining, but it is really a burning desire to better serve my students and my profession. I realized that this is passion. For that, I make no apologies. I often don’t like my circumstances, but when I put them under the light of my responsibilities to other—particularly my wife and kids—I get knocked back on track. As such, it is often a bit of an Emotional (well-centeredness) rollercoaster.

Fortunately, I have tremendous Social support. I could not ask for a better wife and family. My “15-minute check-in” with my wife is a daily necessity. When we miss, it leaves a hole in the day.

I have (mostly through social media) reconnected and stayed connected with a lot of important people from throughout the years and places of my life. This journey has brought back memories from time to time and has often reminded me of the importance of relationships. I am blessed relationally.

I don’t know, actually, the degree to which I will be able to slow down and write less frequently. At least the pressure is off. Something tells me that I still have much to learn—and, therefore, much to write.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

A friend was staring at her glass of red wine and contemplating the health benefits. The benefits appear quite solid in the scientific literature.  I have seen reports, however, equating drinking a glass of wine to spending an hour at the gym. Personally, I would hold off on cancelling the gym membership just yet.

The ingredient in wine that catches attention is the polyphenol, resveratrol. As an antioxidant, resveratrol reduces low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (the “bad” cholesterol) and is linked to a lower risk of inflammation and blood clotting, which can reduce the risk of heart disease.

Like exercise, resveratrol raises HDL (healthy) cholesterol and helps prevent artery damage caused by inflammation and high levels of LDL (harmful) cholesterol. As such, it may improve the function of the layer of cells that line your blood vessels. However….

Sipping on a glass of red wine is no substitute for a hard sweat session at the gym. Physiologically, it might mimic some of the vascular effects, but it does not increase energy expenditure or overload the heart or skeletal muscle—the main reason for going to the gym in the first place. If weight (i.e., fat) loss is the goal, drinking wine may be counter-productive. The calories in one 5-ounce glass of red wine are about 123 kcal. (Remember, there are approximately 3500 kcal in a pound of fat. Skipping the gym and adding a daily glass of wine to the diet is the equivalent of adding 44,895 kcal per year or almost 13 pounds of fat!!—Sorry, ladies.) Conversely, 10-5 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise will contribute to the opposite effect.

Skipping the gym leads to muscle atrophy, as well as fat gain. (Remember, “skinny fat”?) As well, alcohol can have a stimulating effect on the appetite, leading one to consume excess calories. Another problem with wine it that, once the bottle is uncorked, one is less likely to stop at one glass—thus, more calories.

Just because something mimics some of the effects of exercise this does not make it a suitable substitute. Enjoy a glass of wine, if you choose—in moderation—but don’t skip the gym. Moreover, make sure the effort at the gym exceeds the indulgence of the wine.

Carpe momento!

Let me begin by saying that I am not a fan of (most) sports/training supplements. I am a proponent of the philosophy that we should eat a balanced diet that provides the necessary nutrients. There may be some argument that that foods we eat today are more depleted of nutrients than they were in the past, but let’s face facts: 1) Americans, over all, eat too much food—generally, too much of foods that are nutrient-poor as opposed to nutrient dense foods; 2) we eat the wrong foods; and/or 3) we are dieting our way to obesity. So, first and foremost, we should be focused on consuming healthy foods.

I have shared before the thought that weight management 50% caloric balance, 30% macro balance, and 10% nutrient timing. That leaves about 5% for food composition and 5% for supplementation. Of that remaining 10%, food composition likely carries more importance than supplementation.

Nonetheless, there may be some need for supplementation for optimal performance. In The Renaissance Diet, Dr. Mike Israetel et al. suggest 5 categories of supplements that warrant consideration: whey protein, glycemic carbohydrate supplements, creatine, stimulants, and casein protein. For performance and muscle hypertrophy, these are all that have strong support in the literature. With regard to stimulants (e.g., pre-workouts and “fat-burners”) caffeine alone is likely sufficient.

Remember, we want to refer to “diet” as what one habitually eats. It should not be equated only with a hypocaloric diet. When one is hypocaloric for the purpose of losing body weight, calories and, thus, food intake will be restricted. As such, there is some risk of being nutrient deficient—particularly, if one is restricting carbohydrates (e.g., on a ketogenic diet).

When restricting carbs and training intensely, performance will suffer. Protein will remain important and whey and/or casein protein supplements may be helpful. In the absence of carbohydrates, there is a great possibility that important nutrients and other benefits of whole foods might be lacking. Multi-colored (and particularly green leafy) vegetables should be a priority. To make up for the absence of a variety of fruits—particularly berries—I have found extracts, like Biotest’s Superfood, quite beneficial. There are other brands of comparable quality, but the price on this product is pretty good at less than $24 for 28 serving. (I buy direct from Biotest*– https://biotest.t-nation.com/products/superfood.) Biotest Superfood contains freeze-dried extracts from eighteen fruits and vegetables packed full of vitamins, minerals, trace elements, antioxidants, enzymes, adaptogens, prebiotics, probiotics, etc.—all the good stuff nutritionists tell us we need (and might be missing in our foods). The taste can be a bit bitter, but mixed in a protein shake it isn’t so bad. The label reads 0 kcal, which seems unbelievable, but in a 5 gram serving the most calories possible would be less than 25 kcal (carbohydrates have 4 kcal/g).  Considering how much food would have to be consumed to get the nutrients packed into a single serving, the price is affordable.

For anyone training with any level of seriousness and trying to watch calories at the same time, I would encourage supplementing with 5 g each of creatine HCl and a superfood powder. It may offset some of the potential for decreased performance while being hypocaloric. Nothing, however, can offset a poor diet. Always focus first on small portions of nutrient-dense foods and avoiding “junk” (i.e., nutrient-poor, calorie-rich foods).

Eat your best today; eat better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

*Note: I get no financial compensation from Biotest.

Some gave all, but all gave some. Thank you!

Grattitude.

Carpe momento!