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…
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!
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.
Hydroxycut products recalled
Via Reuters:
The maker of the widely sold Hydroxycut weight-loss supplements is recalling 14 products after reports of liver damage and one death, U.S. health officials said on Friday.
The Food and Drug Administration urged consumers to immediately stop using the recalled products, which are made by Iovate Health Sciences Inc and marketed for weight loss, boosting energy and other uses.
The agency has received 23 reports of liver problems ranging from jaundice to damage that required a liver transplant, Katz said. One person died…
Because we think you’re stupid: Cherry 7-Up with antioxidants
Move over, skin cream with “lipids”. Shove a cheek, vitamin water. And you too, multigrain Lucky Charms. (OK, you’re still astoundingly idiotic. You can stay.) There’s a new bullshit health superstar in town! Cherry 7-Up with antioxidants! Any resemblance to actual cherries is purely coincidental, of course.
Thanks to Ninja M for the link and MamaPop for alerting us to this staggering display of food industry crap and chutzpah.
Media representations of fitness: Skinny =/= healthy
From Jonathan Sabar, a thoughtful and refreshing commentary on the distinction between skinny and healthy in women’s fitness, including a very kind shout-out to old Doctor K as well as another great link to a woman busting out 15 reps of bodyweight overhead squats. I think it’s interesting that as a male trainer, he’s been inspired by his daughter. Research suggests that a lot of men end up making very good feminist critiques as a result of raising girls and suddenly having to think about what young women have to go through. High fives Jonathan!
How to stop making bullshit excuses
Ah, excuses. The dog ate my homework. The sun was in my eyes. My genes are out to get me. We have a million of ’em. But what if you just set them aside — briefly — to accomplish something? (Then you can go back to them. Enjoy.) This is the premise behind Gym Junkies’ […]
From the Dept of Obvious Research: You can (gasp) walk or bike to work!
According to researchers with Kansas State University’s Physical Activity and Public Health Laboratory, active commuting — walking or biking to school or work — can be an easy, effective and efficient way to integrate physical activity into the daily routine.
No shit! That is just crazy! Anyway the interesting findings here, which I’ve been bitching about for years, is that the physical layout of the urban environment contributes to people’s inclination to actively commute. If you have bike lanes, walking paths, safe modes of personal transport, well-arranged services, etc. then people will use them. Hell, I’m almost sorry that Toronto put in bike lanes in some places because there are so many bloody cyclists now, you can get stuck in bike rush hour! It’s also sort of an odd feeling to complain about how there are no bike parking spaces left. But I’d take that any day over the soul-eroding slow death of car commuting.
New video: Stair walks
I’m often asked, “Krista, how can I make going down stairs more interesting?”* Either I refer them to the Ministry of Silly Walks, episodes of Jackass, or this video.
If you experience knee pain while walking down stairs, try this alternative.
*Not really.
New videos going up on YouTube
I’ve been working on a few little exercise videos to show some of my more unusual exercises, or the ones I often prescribe to training clients. Over the next few days I’ll be uploading them to the newfangled YouTube machine that the kids are so crazy about these days. So keep an eye out for what’s being added to my page — there are a few new ones there already.