If paleo won't fix it, you're probably going to die

I don't see any paleo man around here. Obviously, they strayed from the path...

Banksy Caveman Art on Amazon

 
If ______ won't fix it, you're probably going to die

It's not just paleo, but squats and fish oil, among other things. In the fitness and nutrition "community," we see the claims of "cure all" being made for the latest "it" food or activity, and while they rarely claim it explicitly, it's often implied or inferred, depending on where you are sitting.

The list of "the fix for everything" is long and mighty

• paleo
• fish oil
• squats
• crossfit
• kettlebells
• green tea
• clean eating
• alignment
• vegan
• vegetarian
• yoga
• a good steam
• vitamin d
•  

My short list is tongue in cheek, I hope you know. If I've given you the impression that none of these things can't, won't, or don't matter, that was not my intent. I eat pretty close to what many would describe as paleo, for one thing. I believe that it's pretty healthy, and will [God willing] lead to a long and healthy life without a walker, insulin pump, or severe memory loss.

Wait, I also drink some green tea, because I must have more problems than even paleo can't fix ..and I love kettlebells. ...but I do need some serious alignment help. It's bad.



Do you have any to add to my list? Something's gotta fix everything, I just know it!

Kettlebell hands

Friday was my first day back to Kettlebells Sport training, after a week or two break. I tried to make a comeback a few days before, but my hands hurt too bad.

It's important to remember that what you do to your hands today leads to the callus of tomorrow. ...or next week. You might make a blister today, but a callus is a delayed reaction.

My mistake was to assume that I didn't need to grind, scrape, cut, plane, or polish my calluses because I wasn't doing the work, but my lazy two weeks of no hand care led to calluses that were ready to erupt like a pent up volcano. Just ten warmup kettlebell cleans and the calluses immediately tugged and burned.

I'm trying to be less stupid, and more aware, so I stopped immediately and went on to my scheduled gym workout, and took the time to shave and polish my hands later that night. Between the rack pulls, cleans, and chinups, the calluses were a little tender, so even after I took care of them, they hurt. I had to take three more days off from cleans and snatches, and that broke my heart so badly that I took three more days off.

Finally, my hands were good again, and yesterday I was able to get in a good workout, BUT I could still feel it.

My Kettlebell Hand Care Tips

• Clean and/or Snatch regularly so your hands don't lose the 'armor' they've built up. When I do these exercises at least once or twice a week, I get fewer calluses and my hands feel great.
• If you need a break from serious kettlebell training, consider keeping some Snatching or Cleaning in your regular warmups, just for the sake of your hands and the training that you'll be back to in due time.
• If you've truly taken a break from it, get back into it slowly, and take care of any erupting calluses a few days before you plan to train again. Serious callus removal can leave your hands pretty tender.
• Sand, scrape, plane, polish, or grind your calluses regularly so they never build up. Don't wait until you see and feel them, but get on a schedule.
• If you feel burning hands or tugging calluses in training, stop immediately. You can still train, but use Swings, Jerks, and maybe the Half Snatch instead of the drop of a regular Snatch.
• Torn calluses and blood are to be saved for competitions, not training. If you tear, you lose a week or two of training, and there goes your competition.

 

Highly Recommended – February 17th, 2012

Do not expect any fluff, but if I think it's valuable, I'll post it up here, maybe with a blurb about why it's good. Just know that it's only here because I think it's good, even if I don't say it. Sometimes awesome stands alone.

awesome

Podcasts

Revolution Health Radio – Chris Masterjohn on Cholesterol and Heart Disease

Twice the Chris means twice the info. Chris Masterjohn joins Chris Kresser to talk the cholesterol myth, thyroid, and more. You SHOULD listen and learn. It's Part Three, but they sum up Parts One and Two, so just go for it.

Don't forget to subscribe on iTunes. Chris is awesome every week.


Jillian Michaels Podcast

I know, it's Jillian Michaels... But, despite The Biggest Loser, I've listened to her for years on the radio and on her podcast. On her latest podcast, dated 2/8/12, she talks about her latest DVD set, the program actually sounds good, AND she sound smart. She discusses two questions from a listener on bad fats and "the French," that I found pretty spot on. My only question to Jillian would be "Why would you come back home and go back to your same old same old if the French really have something there?" Why not take the French paradigm you discovered in Paris and make it your own? 

She often covers topics that are too touchy-feely for me, but what can you do? She seems very genuine and caring. I hope her TBL persona was just editing. :)


News (even if it's old news)


Sitting Down is Killing You – The third picture in the infographic is the keystone: How sitting wrecks your body. If your body didn't undergo those changes, you wouldn't have the other issues. All roads lead to Rome, all is fair in love and war, and sitting down is killing you.



Events

Paleo Summit, hosted by Underground Wellness

This is a free, online event, and filled with many awesome presenters. I'll be honest and tell you that some will come across as whack jobs, but that's because A, you haven't been assimilated yet, B, they aren't very good at presenting things without sounding like whack jobs, C, they are whack jobs. You will have to decide.

Why sign up and why listen? Whether or not you buy into paleo, primal, or ancestral eating, many of the things that these people spew talk about has grains of truth (pun intended). You might not need to jump into grain and gluten free eating, or want to live on grass-fed, Himalayan salt seasoned, free range bison offal, but I must admit that there is merit to including many forgotten foods in our diets, and reducing much of the highly processed and industrialized foods that society relied on.

Here are some of the ones I'm looking forward to:

• Mark Sisson – Mark has the most reasonable approach to a healthy lifestyle that I know and he puts it in everyday, easy terms.
• Chris Kresser – I listen to him every week already, and always learn something new.
• Denise Minger – smart and pretty. I like that.
• Mat Lalonde – smart and pretty. My wife probably likes that.
• Dallas & Melissa Hartwig – If I had a quarter for every vegetarian with hormone problems that asked me what to eat to lose weight and get healthy, I'd have laundry money for weeks!

Sign up here (scroll to the bottom and enter your email) and get all the updates, plus two free videos to warm you up! One of them is Gary Taubes, but despite his reporting with blinders on, there is some truth in this words.

BTW, if you sign up and do parts of the conference, please let me know. I'd love to have conversations about all this stuff and see what you think. I'm not a paleo hardliner AT ALL, so I want to talk about this stuff; good and bad.


Commentary

If you're a personal trainer or strength coach, don't tell women that they won't get big and bulky lifting weights, and then use Jessica Biel as your example of hot. She is very hot, but to the average woman who doesn't lift weights, she's bulky.

If you're a female who's afraid to lift weights because you don't want to get bulky, please know that Jessica Biel is naturally big and muscular, and you will have to find another way to get that hot!

Many women try to put on muscle and just can't do it. Others find ways to keep the excess muscle where it belongs. Either way, to enjoy a long and healthy life, free of stooping, slouching, and broken hips, you owe it to yourself to lift some weights or engage in resistance training, whether it's at home with kettlebells, dumbbells, or bodyweight or at the gym with deadlifts, squats, and bench press.

Your ancestors stayed strong, healthy, and standing upright via hard work. Your choice is to do that or train.

Later, people!

Cheesecake with orange cranberry walnut crust

I don't really like "stuff" in my cheesecake, but the crust is always fair game. Toppings are sketchy, but there are solutions; here, we have a regular cheesecake, in the style of a cream cheese pie, with a grainless crust of walnuts and orange flavored cranberries. A nice marmalade on the side lets those who will enjoy the topping, enjoy, while those who won't will be looked up with disdain by the rest of us...

This is not a diet food, this is a full blown cheesecake. If you're on a diet, eat less.

Cheesecake with orange cranberry walnut crust

If you can't find orange flavored cranberries, feel free to substitute regular dried cranberries, which are equally awesome, yet different. Search out an awesome marmalade, but I confess that most marmalades are better than no marmalade.

Do your best to find sour cream without thickeners and gums. It will spread easier over the hot cheesecake, while thicker ones will be harder to spread without tearing the cheesecake.

Now, go forth and bake!

Ingredients

The crust
1 1/2 cup walnut pieces
1/2 cup dried Trader Joe's orange flavored cranberries
1/4 cup sugar
4 tbsp butter, melted

The cheesecake proper
3 8oz packages of cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 tbsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup half and half

The sour cream topping
24 oz good sour cream, at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar

On the side
A jar of awesome marmalade, like Bonne Maman's Orange or St. Dalfour's Kumquat
or, as we had in the morning, fresh blueberries


Directions

Preheat oven to 375°

In small batches, pulse the walnuts in a blender until chopped and semi-powdered. It's okay to have some chunks. Remove to a bowl and do the same for the cranberries. Go for chopped only, not powdered. Stir in the sugar and mix well. Stir in the butter and mix well, once more. Press into the bottom of a 10" spring form pan. Put the crust in the oven and cook for 10 minutes.


Reduce oven to 325° and allow crust to cool for 10-15 minutes.

Cream (mix until creamy...) the cream cheese and sugar using a mixer. If you must do it by hand, do it a long time and really try to get some air into that thing! Add vanilla and 1 egg, mixing well until smooth. Scrape down and repeat with the 2nd egg. Scrape down and repeat with egg #3. Add the half and half and mix well.

Pour the creamy filling over the crust and return the pan to the 325° oven for 60-75 minutes (check it at 60, please) or until the middle is jiggly, but no longer runny. The top may also become slightly golden, which is a good sign, but probably a sign to take it out of the oven, too.

In a separate bowl stir the room temperature sour cream and sugar together, mixing very well. It should be smooth and easily poured. When the cheesecake comes out of the oven, immediately pour the topping over the cake, and gently smooth it over the surface. Return the cake to the oven for 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and place on a rack to cool to room temperature, then run a thin knife around the side to free it from the ring. Chill for about 3-4 hours before covering so it doesn't get condensation. Cover with foil or plastic wrap and chill for 3-4 more hours or until the next day.

Serve plain, with marmalade, or with berries.

Happy birthday, Stela!

The Gallery of Unusual Fruit #8

Tabata – I don't think it means what you think it means

"You keep using that word. I don't think it means what you think it means." – Inigo Montoya, The Princess Bride

A while back, I posted about Bodyweight Training and how it's morphed into routines that incorporate all sorts of external loads and resistance. These things aren't bad. Not at all. Just don't call it Bodyweight Training and you're good. But call it that, and you either limit yourself by sticking to "pure" bodyweight, or put a target for mockery on your back when you start to add bands, sleds, and weighted vests.

I didn't say it in the blog post, but if you choose to train for something (Kettlebell Sport, Surfing, Crossfit, Powerlifting, etc), rather than choose to train with something (kettlebells, bodyweight, barbells, etc), you might be better off. Hockey players train for hockey, they don't just "train with a hockey stick."

My flashback to that recent blog post is over, and today's blog post will be blessedly short and sweet as a result of all that wasted time on the past.

Tabatas

People love to do Tabatas for fat loss. Tabata front squats, Tabatas on the Elliptical, Tabata circuits, Bodyweight Tabatas, Tabata This!, Tabatas with eight different movements, Tabatas, Tabatas, Tabatas!

Question: What is the Tabata's purpose?
Answer: Increasing one's VO2max

The Tabata Protocol was developed as part of a study on increasing VO2max, nothing else. It has nothing to do with fat loss. In addition, the intervals were done on a Schwinn Airdyne bike, where you can really go all out. Pushups, front squats, the elliptical trainer, and swings just aren't the same. In fact, the tougher the exercise is to setup or perform, the more complicated the circuit, or the more skill it takes, the less effective it's likely to be. Pushups on three medicine balls, a circuit that changes exercises every round, or movements that are so heavy that you can only get in a few reps are typically poor choices for "tabatas." How many fewer reps will you get because you have to concentrate hard, get into position, or balance?

The protocol in the study was very specific; in each week they performed FIVE days of "tabatas," each day with 7-8 twenty second all out sets, then another day of steady state at a high level. Are you doing all that?

...that Tabatas are good for fat loss

I have nothing against intervals for fat loss, in fact, I encourage them. I don't, however, see fat loss value specifically in the Tabata Protocol – I think you can do better. ...unless you're also trying to improve your VO2max, of course.

Instead of Tabatas for fat loss, try:

• The Prowler
• Barbell complexes
• Eat less food
• Going for long walks
• Kettlebell swings
• Hill sprints or other intervals with a positive rest to work ratio

The Prowler – I think pushing and pulling heavy things is a very primal feeling. It's historically natural "work." It provides cardio and strength benefits AND little eccentric work, meaning less soreness tomorrow.


Barbell complexes – A barbell complex is using a barbell to do a circuit with it, usually without having to put it down. It will be fairly light, so you can do it fast and with a lot of reps, then rest and repeat for a few more rounds.

1. backsquat
2. overhead press
3. romanian deadlift
4. bent over row

Pick a weight that you can use for 10-12 reps on your weakest lift (usually the overhead press), but only do 5 reps, immediately moving on to the next exercise, 5 reps, next exercise, 5 reps, next, 5 reps, put the barbell down and rest 1 minute. Repeat for 3 more rounds. Next week, you can do more reps (like 6) or another set (like 5). Increase one of the other each week.


Eat less food – I'm not saying to do this. You may already be eating very little. But do look at your diet and be honest with yourself. If you're still eating ice cream and hamburger buns, look to stop that before worrying about Tabatas.


Going for long walks – Walking is a low stress way to add more activity. It doesn't wear you out or make you hungry for yet more food. Try some walking this Monday.


Kettlebell swings – Virtually everybody reading this needs more glute work, and swings are one the best ways to get that. It doesn't matter whether you swing like a Kettlebell Sport guy or an RKC, but swing you should. If you only have a light kettlebell, learn to go one handed, and switch before form is compromised. For those on the cusp, here's Neghar Fonooni showing you how to put some one handed work into the mix when the bell feels heavy.

The lighter the kettlebell, the longer the work set. When I use a 16kg kettlebell, I can swing for several minutes straight. There's nothing wrong with swinging a kettlebell for several minutes straight, just keep in mind that it's more like cardio, and less like an interval. For an interval effect, make sure to pick a weight that's challenging for you and your glutes!

For kettlebell swings, I tend to prefer timed sets, rather than reps. Try 30s two handed swinging, 1 minute resting, repeat 4-6 times. Or, if the bell is lighter, try 30s left hand, 30s right hand, 1:30 minutes resting, repeat 4-6 times. It doesn't have to be 30 seconds, just pick a time that's challenging for you without compromising form. When in doubt, set the bell down and use this new time as your interval time.


Hill Sprints and other positive rest period intervals – A positive rest period interval is the flip side of the Tabata, which has a negative rest period. A positive rest period is one that is longer than the work period before and after it. Thirty seconds of work with one minute of rest qualifies as a positive rest period. Twenty seconds of work with a ten second rest period is negative.

Here's a good article on the pitfalls of negative rest intervals (like a tabata workout) by Strength Coach Robert dos Remedios. It's a good read, but here's a quote from Dos.

I know that most people cannot do continuous high intensity sprint workouts for 30 min. etc. so we need more practical protocols. This being said my general rule of thumb is ALWAYS choose some sort of positive rest period. AT LEAST work with EQUAL work-rest periods.

I listed some of the best exercises for fat loss up above, but I think hill sprints are my favorite because they are safer than regular sprints, take no real equipment, they are a real test of mettle, and seem to be pretty self regulating.

Happy to not do tabatas?

How to do hill sprints

• Go to the base of a hill
• Sprint up the hill
• Walk down the hill
• Rest if necessary
• Repeat 4 or 5 times

Next week, go faster or add another sprint.


You have options

These are just a few of the many options for incorporating more "fat burning" exercises into your routine.

I remind you that only high level athletes do enough overall work to out exercise a bad diet. Focus on cleaning up your intake before you add too much extra output. Maybe Tabata Push-Aways?

Want more 'genius' from me? My current writing, blogging, and complaining is found at TheFitInk.com. See you there!

I'm feeling better and standing up again

I got sick last week, and I'm about back to 100% awesome. I'm able to train, but I still have to clear my throat and cough more than I'd like. I feel better than I have in months, despite the cold. Training has been great and very rewarding!

I'm also able to type again. I don't really advertise it, but I do about 90% of my typing standing up at a countertop or elevated work surface. At work, I get to hear "we'll make room so you can sit down" regularly. No thanks!

John Durant's stand up office experience

At Starbuck's I seek out the countertops and pub tables, when available. At work, we have standing computer stands in our showroom, so I often have options.

Sit vs stand calculator

It takes more energy to stand, as being sick will show you, than it does to sit. If that isn't enough to convince you that standing is healthier than sitting for your waistline, I don't know what is. It's also a lot healthier on the glutes, hips, feet and back, even if you are already svelte!

Although I'd love to stand all day, and burn 400 more calories, it's just not practical or even optimal. I try to sit when reading, stand when writing. As to last week's sickness/typing issue... Why not just sit down to type, you ask? Well, I must have an off button on my ass, because when I sit down, nothing gets done.

Here's one man's experience with the standup work plan over a year. The takeaway is to sit, stand, and move around. I have stood all day and then gone to the gym, no problem. I think that it comes down to level of fitness, other stress, other rest, and what your general level of activity might be. We are all different, so I urge you to play around with this stuff.

Do you use a computer a lot? What's your plan to sit less?

Why is it so hard to lose weight (and keep it off)?

Is the Big Mac to blame?

I think most of us realize that obesity isn't caused by just one thing, but there are many people "out there" who point to just one thing as the cause or the primary reason. Personally, I get very annoyed when someone says "counting calories doesn't work," because they are either wrong, lying, or misrepresenting. I wrote about that, here.

The list

Here's a partial list of reasons commonly believed to be the cause of obesity:

• carbs
• sugar
• high fructose corn syrup
• fat
• saturated fat
• gluten
• wheat
• eating too much
• moving too little
• eating too much and moving too little (aka calories in, calories out)
• food is too tasty and readily available
• fast food
• high reward food
• pesticides
• hormones (our own hormones)
• diseases (Hashimoto, PCOS, etc.)
• syndromes (Type 2 Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome, Leptin Resistance, etc.)
• more

As most of us can see, a lot of these things overlap (hormones and syndromes, for instance), but even some of the most brilliant people out there often look with blinders on, refuse to discuss the other aspects because they think it will confuse the issue, feel that the other aspects are insignificant, or possibly play games for more insidious reasons. Who can know for sure?

On his most recent podcast, Chris Kresser discusses how obesity is a multifaceted issue, where many things play their part. It is an excellent listen, and if you have a long drive or cardio session ahead of you, I encourage you to put this on your mp3 player or ipod. There is also a full text transcript, for those of you are readers, rather than listeners.

Sugar v calories v food reward

Some of you are familiar with the low carb, primal, and paleo worlds out there on the internet, so you get to hear Chris's good explanations on why there should be less controversy between Gary Taubes and those people who insist he's flat out wrong. He is wrong and right, but so are they. Only because it's never one thing. It's not just the calories and it's not just the high reward foods, just as it's not just the sugar.

Synergy can one day become a vicious circle

For those of you who don't follow that crap, this is an excellent explanation for how foods, hormones, calories, activity, lifestyle, carbs, etc all work together very well to keep you fit and lean. ...until they suddenly don't work anymore.

From there, they all conspire against you to make you fatter or keep you there. When you do manage to lose it, you might still be "broken," and your body does what it needs to put the weight back on because that's what it thinks it needs.

Who should listen

Everyone who's had trouble losing, felt urges to eat beyond their control, or regained it all or more should listen to this podcast.

There are truly things that are not your fault, but that doesn't mean you can't do something about it.