Things I thought about when I had the flu

I'm sure I've had the flu before, but I can't actually remember a time. This has been bad. It's getting better.

On the plus side, I was advised to take time off from training after the One Hour Long Cycle, so here ya go. Time off? Check.

BTW, I have stuff to say, but I have days to catch up on, and I'm still sick. I only get a few minutes of sitting up before I have to lay down; this will may be brief.


Movies on the couch...

The Sure Thing - I like John Cussack.

Pirate Radio - A fun movie.  I like Richard Curtis's stuff.  This was no Notting Hill or Four Weddings and a Funeral, but I will watch it again.

Fast Times at Ridgemont High - Sean Penn. Mr. Hand. Classic funny & Phoebe Cates.

Whip It - It was good? I liked it, but a little too much chick flick, in that Riding in Cars with Boys sorta way.  Or Fried Green Tomatoes. *shudder*

Conan the Barbarian - Conan never gets old, and was especially good right after Whip It.

In food...

My friend Justin Marks [sic], of Marx Foods, was kind enough to send me some spice awesomeness, and there will be cooking awesomeness to follow. In the meantime, I'll tell you that the box itself contains a mixture of scents that is beyond belief. It will be a shame to use them, but a crime not to.

Sick since Monday, and until tonight I've eaten nothing but eggs, ground beef, and tomatoes. But enter the appetite.

steak, parsley, and Star Glow - a 60's trifecta

Classic fare from the days of yore.  Steak and "vegetables" on a Star Glow plate. I'm feeling better already.


In fitness...

Low carb wisdom - Hitting a stall in his fat loss goals, low carb author, blogger, and pod celebrity Jimmy Moore cuts calories and adds activity. My hat's of him for giving this a shot, which flies in the face of much of the low carb dogma. Still, there are many posters telling him that the secret is to go "Atkin's induction" or "full paleo." The desperation can almost be felt in their typed pleas suggestions to drop carbs more or change the macros and ingredients up because "we believe." Seriously. I wish it was as easy as dropping carbs. I'd be jacked as jacked could be.


Paleo wisdom - Calories DO count when trying to lose fat, even on full out paleo, says Robb Wolf.

You DO need a cal deficit, but you do not typically need to focus on it to get to respectable levels of leanness.

You may not have to count them, but they do count. Find a way to eat fewer calories than you burn, and you lose weight.


Finally, I saw this from Galya.

If people addressed training the same way as they do playing a musical instrument, things would go a lot better for them. You want to play music? Find a teacher, learn how to read notes, play the basic tunes, maybe in a few years you can play a more complicated piece or you can improvise or even write your own piece of music. Training, no! People walk in the gym and they expect they can do it all.

I remember trying power cleans on my own.  Ugly.  I remember the first time I snatched a kettlebell. ...on my own. Ouch.  I remember I used to think my squatting form was safe.

I gave up on the power cleans (I mostly do sandbag cleans, instead), I got the IKFF and OKC to train me on kettlebells, and I'm still getting help with my squats.

Get a trainer or coach. Be safe. Train smart.