Food policy: Check the ingredient list
Policies designed to improve the diet quality and health of Americans are likely to have only marginal effects on consumers’ food choices. However, policies targeted directly at consumers such as nutrition information and education programs, along with labeling regulations, can spur the reformulation of products with healthier ingredients by stimulating competition among food manufacturers to offer products that appeal to health-conscious consumers…
Yoga instructor still going strong at 83
Yoga instructor Bette Calman may be 83, but she is still bending over backwards to spread the benefits of the ancient Indian system.
With 40 years of teaching under her belt, the Williamstown wonder is living proof that a lifetime’s dedication to the healthy pursuit can keep you nimble…
Woman finally “bulks up” from weight training!
Dear readers, I report with breathless excitement that it’s finally happened!! I have finally “gotten too big” from weight training! Yes! It’s true!
Why Your Excuses Are Crap: “I’m too tired”
As part of my ongoing series of Why Your Excuses are Crap, today we examine the “I’m too tired” excuse. A new study demonstrates that lifting weights gives you energy…
Weight training increases resting energy expenditure in older women
You’ve probably heard people say that some forms of exercise “increase your metabolism”. What this often means is that after you’ve done a certain kind of exercise, your body’s energy expenditure — the amount of energy it’s spending on tasks like recovering from whatever crazy thing you’ve done — is temporarily elevated. We know that some forms of exercise do this more than others. A new study examines this phenomenon in women…
Why positive thinking is overrated
I [heart] Mike Mahler. He’s really good at telling you the stuff you need to hear, but don’t want to. And he does it with tough love. One of the most important lessons I ever learned was that sometimes, you just have to suck it up…
Rant 51 May 2009: Rituals of renewal
As the Animatronic robot sang to Bart Simpson, “You’re the birthday, you’re the birthday, you’re the birthday boy or girl.” My second birthday, competitive dishwasher unloading, and new opportunities for Hallmark.
Update from shaky man
My regular correspondent Neil Sligar, the hardcore badass from Down Under, has sent along some photos. What he’s doing would be ninjariffic for any dude in his mid-60s, but is especially so because Neil was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 1998. Check him out bench pressing 100 kg.
As Jorg Blech points out in his book, exercise is good for damn near anything that ails you. The human body evolved to move against resistance — literally and metaphorically. Rest and recovery are important — essential, even. But like anything else, they should be done in moderation. The body thrives on well-managed challenges (with the occasional crazy challenge thrown in there to shake things up). As this video of Hazda Bushmen in Tanzania suggests, our ancestors evolved as active beings. Daily life for early humans meant almost constant movement. Stop moving and you’re lion food.
High fives to Neil!
Jorg Blech, Healing Through Exercise
News flash: exercise is good for you.
Sure, we all know it.
But do you know why?
And do you know the many hows? Judging from a lot of traditional medical advice, most folks have failed to appreciate the plethora of ways in which exercise can treat, heal, and even cure. Bed rest is commonly prescribed, particularly for older people. Yet according to Blech, this is likely the worst advice someone can receive!
Toronto Stumptuous workshop: Any interest?
Howdy folks,
Anyone interested in a Toronto Stumptuous seminar? I’d like to get something going for this summer. Reply in the comments if you’re geographically available and interested, and what you’d like to cover in a workshop.
