Train with Lauren

Is Being Healthy a Vain Pursuit?

Is Being Healthy a Vain Pursuit?  by Scott Kustes

MODERNFORAGER.COM <--I love it..it's a GREAT SITE!

vain: conceited: characteristic of false pride; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance;

The other day I met up with an old friend after many years. It seemed that time and a life of bad habits had really gotten to him. At 27 he wheezed like Darth Vader, and almost filed up two seats. As we chatted away he commented on how lean I was looking, and I laid down in two sentences what my secret was. “HGH-inducing workouts 4-5 times a week, and a low-carbish diet consisting of veggies meats, and yummy fats” He went on to say that such a lifestyle seemed too stressful to follow. He concluded, “You and I aren’t models, why deprive yourself?” I had no answer. I could tell him about health, wakefulness, longevity, feeling good looking good, but it really seemed like something egotistical at that moment.
….
It made me wonder, I do not want to ever stop, but why am I doing it? Why take the time to lift weights or sprint? Why get down below 10% bodyfat? Why skip out on french fries and cake? Why look good? I know these seem like obvious questions, but I am trying to answer them from my friend’s perspective. Because in the end, is it not all for the sake of vanity?
….
But in the end is there really anything more to it? Is looking great really anything special. Moreover is it wrong? In light of the fat-acceptance movement, I would be considered vain, anorexic, and genetically blessed. I get weird looks for leaving out french fries, skipping desert or for ordering salad. By looking better than 90% of people, am I just some sort of elitist? Again, I want to be fit for the rest of my life, I am not knocking health and fitness in any way. I am simply questioning the overall philosophy.

There are three main points that I want to address from this comment. First, I’m going to look at the natural state of man. Second, “why deprive yourself?” And finally, elitism and fat acceptance.

Man’s Natural State

The natural state of man is invariably lean, strong, and healthy. Look at people still living in traditional ways, look at fossil records of our hunter-gatherer ancestors…you see that there is no obesity. There is no cancer and heart disease. Bodies are long and lean, a requirement for and result of trekking for food and taking down animals stronger and faster than oneself.

So do I think there’s anything vain about allowing my genes to express themselves properly by feeding myself good food and working out? Not at all. I think it’s vain to think that mankind can come close to outdoing the food and medicine that Mother Nature has provided.

Frankly, I think what JE mentioned is the exact reason to follow such a lifestyle: “health, wakefulness, longevity, feeling good, looking good”. Why is being healthy, alert, and feeling good about yourself (up to and including looking good in your clothes dubbed vanity? Who doesn’t want those things?

Addressing Stress And Deprivation

Let’s look at another point from JE’s friend:

He went on to say that such a lifestyle seemed too stressful to follow. He concluded, “You and I aren’t models, why deprive yourself?”

Is a Paleo-ish way of life stressful? Maybe at first while you’re still trying to overcome the cravings forunnatural fake foods, but after a couple months, it’s a rather easy lifestyle to follow. The body knows what it wants; we just have to get the frontal lobe to follow along.

As for deprivation, raise your hand if you feel deprived eating meat without trimming the fat, loading up on fruits and vegetables, eating nuts and seeds, and getting some intense exercise. My hand isn’t raised. If yours is, tell us why in the comments. I find that the longer I stick to a solid dietary and fitness lifestyle, the less deprived of things I feel. In fact, I have absolutely zero desire to taste a Krispy Kreme. If I were forcing myself to exercise, then I might feel deprived, but generally I want to be on the track or in the gym. If I were forcing myself to eat a rare steak with a baked sweet potato loaded with coconut cream and kale with a lemon-tahini mixture (sorry for the tantalizing description…that was last night’s dinner), then perhaps I’d feel deprived. But I think the lifestyle I describe here at Modern Forager is much less depriving than the diet we’re told to follow.

Deprivation comes from a feeling that you’re not getting something you need. But once you start loading your body up with the right foods and nutrients, you realize that donuts, cookies, pies, and the like hold little in the way of goodness for you. When you eat those things, your body revolts. Basically, you feel like crap. Of course, we all have our vices, but the goal is choosing smart vices. I drink coffee a few times a week, whether I need it or not. I eat dark chocolate. And I’m not above going head-first into a bag of corn chips with salsa or guacamole. It’s not about depriving yourself, but about realizing that the things you think you “just couldn’t do without” typically aren’t all that good anyway.

Elitism and Fat Acceptance

Now for the real issue: elitism. Can one pursue health and fitness in a way that is vain? AB-SO-LUTE-LY! It does no one any good for those of us that are in shape to look down our noses at the unwashed masses. Just because you have a six-pack doesn’t make you a better person (nor does it mean you need to walk around shirtless every chance you get…you know who you are). Just because you don’t eat French fries doesn’t mean you should wave your salad in someone’s face or make comments about how you don’t understand how they can eat such things. The goal should be to help those that want help and leave the others alone.

Don’t interject your opinions when they aren’t asked for, lest you want to be dubbed a zealot and elitist. Recognize that when people get on you for not eating fried potatoes or cake, it’s not necessarily because you’ve done something to be an elitist, but because your choice puts theirs in stark contrast. As a pack animal, we don’t like those that stand out from the crowd on their own choices. But making your own choices doesn’t make you an elitist. How you wave those choices in other people’s faces might though.

And about the fat acceptance movement…is it a good thing or a bad thing? I’m neutral. I mean, no one should be discriminated against, be they fat, black, gay, Asian, female, or otherwise. But I don’t see a reason to pander to any particular group either. If everyone would just live and let live, we’d all be better off.

Summing Up My Opinion
So is it wrong to seek health and fitness, to seek looking good? Not necessarily. You can be an arsehole about it to everyone you meet and you’ll come across as vain. Or you can live your life and let others live theirs, helping those that seek your help and leaving the rest alone. It’s all in the execution, not in the act.

Cause let’s get real…there’s not a person out there that doesn’t give a hoot about how they look. It may not be a priority for many, but anyone would choose to change something or other i-f it required no sacrifices.

What are your thoughts on this? Is it vain to pursue looking good? Is it elitist to skip certain foods?

Nice Article on Functional Fitness

CrossFit is renowned for it's ability to functionally train the body.  Here's a nice article that explains functional fitness and whyyou should care about it:

Yesterday you had a great workout at the gym. You're bench-pressing more weight than ever before, and pulling enough weight on the seated rowing machine to try out for the Olympic sculling team.

Today, you lift a 60-pound suitcase to carry it downstairs -- and throw your back out. What happened? In all likelihood, you're not paying enough attention to your functional fitness. You might be toned, tight, and ready for the beach, but are you ready to lift your toddler out of his car seat or hoist the spring-water bottle onto the dispenser? 

Read more...

 http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/guide/working-out-for-real-life-functions

Why Worry About the Little Things When the Big Things Aren't in Place?

Great thought provoking article by Scott Kustas. I found it on modernforager.com . What do you think?

I had a conversation at work last Friday that sparked this post. One of my coworkers was calling people out for drinking water/tea out of cups made of #7 plastic, which is known to leech xenoestrogens. I pointed out that his bottle of Cherry Coke had 70g of sugarand that the plastic his drink came out of was probably a much smaller concern than that sugar (which will be discussed further in a later post).

But this got me to thinking about why we spend so much time focused on the minutiae of our lives rather than the big things that make the most difference. So many people get bogged down in the details that they fail to make even the simplest changes that could reap huge benefits. There’s no science today, no details, just high-level stuff in fitting with the theme.

Misguided Focus
So here are a few questions?

• Should you worry about whether your cookie is made with high-fructose corn syrup or whether you are sleeping 8 hours per night?
• Which is better: counting calories or just eating quality food?
• Should you worry about what plastic your bottle is made of if the beverage in the bottle is a sugar-bomb?
• Is the type of workout you do more important than just getting up and getting started with something active even if it’s not the world’s best workout?

I’d argue that focusing on the second item in each pair will yield far greater benefits and is just as easy as, and in some cases easier than, dealing with the first items. Of course, none of these are mutually exclusive. It would be all the better to drink green tea out of a glass instead of drinking Coke out of a plastic bottle. But if you have to pick one, ditch the Coke before concerning yourself with the plastic bottle.

Remember Pareto’s Principle
First identified by Vilfredo Pareto, you probably know The Pareto Principle by its more common name, the “80/20 Rule”. This rule states that “80% of X comes from 20% of Y,” or conversely “20% of X yields 80% of Y”. In business, it might be “80% of your sales come from 20% of your customers” or “20% of the defects cause 80% of the problems”. In economics, 20% of the world’s population holds just over 80% of its wealth.

So what’s my 20% that takes care of 80% of the gains you’ll make in your health, at least in terms of diet? Eat Real Food.Before worrying about quantity, focus on quality. I think there are far bigger health and performance rewards to be gained from avoiding processed grains, sugars, and fake fats than there are from eating those items in specific quantities.

As I’ve pointed out before, civilizations have thrived on various quantities of carbohydrates, protein, and fat. What remains constant across all of them is that they eat unprocessed foods and ensure that certain foods, like soy and grains, are properly fermented to neutralize their negatives.

The Other 80% Comes Later
That’s not to say that there’s no importance in avoiding xenoestrogens or in putting a focus on how much of the various macronutrients you eat. It is to say that I put those things at a lower level than cleaning up the foods you eat, ensuring that you get enough sleep, and living an active lifestyle. Remember that even the most beautiful architecture is built on a solid foundation of rock or iron before the builder ever concerns himself with the flourishes. Build your body the same way.

Workout of the Day 11/15/2008

Run 8 miles

Afterwards, do 4x100m strides

Fish oil

Why is fish oil a recommended supplement? Aside from its possible ability to decrease body fat , another benefit of fish oil is its ability to reduce inflammation. There are two types of inflammation. The classic form of inflammation hurts. That's why you take anti-inflammatory drugs to relieve the pain. However, the second type is far more insidious. This is silent inflammation. This type of inflammation is below the perception of pain. It's a marker of the inflammatory potential of a cell. It is not a disease, but it is the first clinical sign that you are no longer well. This is the type of inflammation that can't be altered by any drug, but it can be reduced by fish oil. You need some inflammatory potential at the cellular level, but not too much. Therefore, if you had some nutritional way to silent inflammation, then your state of wellness could be extended indefinitely. That is the promise of fish oil. It is not just fish oil, but the presence of the long-chain omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenonic acid (DHA) that are key in reducing silent inflammation. If taken at the appropriate levels, they have been shown to reduce excess silent inflammation within 30 days. With that reduction of silent inflammation comes a return to wellness.

reduce 

Silent inflammation is not a disease any more than free radicals are. Silent inflammation is an indicator of the imbalance of the building blocks of "good" and "bad" eicosanoids at the cellular level. Wellness requires a balance of both. Too few of the building blocks of "bad" eicosanoids, and the body will not to able to defend itself from microbial invaders or heal from injuries. On the other hand, if there is an excess of the same building blocks of "bad" eicosanoids, the body will be in a constant inflammatory state at the cellular level. What you need is balance. But at the same time you also need the building blocks for "good" eicosanoids that are the key to cellular rejuvenation as they repair the cellular damage caused by increased silent inflammation. The optimal balance of the building blocks of "good" and "bad" eicosanoids becomes the molecular definition of wellness. The best way to determine if you have excess levels of silent inflammation is a blood test that Dr. Sears developed and that has been extensively used in various clinical trials. However, you can use several subjective parameters to indicate whether or not you may have elevated silent inflammation. No single parameter is sufficient, but if you answer yes to at least three of the following questions, then you probably have high levels of silent inflammation, which means your wellness is already eroding.

1. Are you overweight?
2. Are you constantly hungry?
3. Are you groggy upon waking?
4. Do you constantly crave carbohydrates?
5. Are you fatigued throughout the day?
6. Are your fingernails brittle?

As you can see, a great number of Americans probably have elevated levels of silent inflammation.

Information researched on zonediet.com.

Workout of the Day

5 min thrusters

5 min hanging knees to elbows

3 min thrusters

3 min hanging knees to elbows

1 min thrusters

1 min knees to elbows

Keep track of reps and add up upon completion. 

How to Burn Fat Faster

See this excellent article from zonediet.com.

I'm not a certified nutritionist just yet, however, I do a lot of research and like to pass on articles, 

to help others make informed decisions on the way they eat and exercise.

Enjoy the article!

How to Burn Fat Faster

Workout of the Day (HAPPY FRIDAY!)

"Tabata Something Else"

Complete 32 intervals of 20 seconds of work followed by ten seconds of rest where the first 8 intervals are pull-ups, the second 8 are push-ups, the third 8 intervals are sit-ups, and finally, the last 8 intervals are squats. There is no rest between exercises.

Workout of the Day

Run 20-60 mins (depending on your ability)

then...

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1

pushups and knees to elbows, for time!

Nutrition: The Teeter Totter by Nicole Carroll

From CrossFit Journal, published March 1, 2008

Anyone who wants the full benefit and results of CrossFit must understand--and then act on the information--that nutrition is the foundation for all the other work you do in the name of athletic development and elite health. The key, of course, is hormones, which regulate how the body stores and releases energy and repairs itself. And, as far as hormones are concerned, food is a drug--a very powerful drug. It is the regulator for your body's internal teeter-totter, where the interdependent levels of "good" and "bad" hormones pivot on the food you take in. The simple CrossFit nutrition prescription--"Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch, and no sugar"--will deliver you from metabolic derangement (i.e., hyperinsulinemia, Syndrome X, and their relatives) and keep you generally well. For maximal fitness and output, however, you need to be more precise than that. In this lecture excerpt, Nicole Carroll makes a compelling case for why. 

Watch the lecture video HERE!

Workout of the Day

Complete as many reps as possible in the allotted time.

5 minutes thrusters

5 minutes push ups

3 minutes thrusters

3 minutes push ups

1 minute thrusters

1 minute push ups

Workout of the Day (WOD)

For time:

Run one mile on the YMCA track

Every lap (100 meters), stop and do three burpees.

30 burpees total

Energy Drink Nation

Another good one from Modern Forager.  

Pondering Energy Drinks and the Fatigue of a Nation

Why are people so dependent on caffeine and energy drinks?

 Three words to fix this: 1) sleep 2) nutrition 3) exercise

Happy Thanksgiving!

Check out these insightful articles from Modern Forager  (just might be my new favorite web site!) which may help you stay on track with your healthy lifestyle this holiday/eating season. Here are a few of my favorites:

1. Ditch the Soy: It's Really Not Good for You - ...and as for soy milk, it's packed with sugar!

2. Avoid these Five Dietary Transgressions-...Please, when all else fails, just stay away from this stuff!

3. The One Rule to Remember- ...if it's not real, don't eat it. Simple as that.

4. Understanding Sweetners-...I recommend organic blue agave nectar (Thanks, Evan!)

5. Surviving Thanksgiving Dinner-...although the day is almost over, you can still apply this to other holiday dinners!

Blending Strength, Endurance, and Mobility

Here's a link for an interesting article from the CrossFit Journal. It's called "Removing Interference" by Lon Kilgore.

http://library.crossfit.com/premium/pdf/53_07_Remove_Interference.pdf

Tired of lifting to do strength training and then spending an hour running to do cardio? How much time do we really have to spend exercising? In this article, you will learn about the co-existance of strength and endurance training in a single CrossFit workout.

WOD

30 minutes elliptical

How many rounds in 20 minutes?

10 med ball squats and 10 walking lunges

Workout of the Day (WOD)

1 mile time trial

1 minute max push up test

1 minute max sit up test

Red's Gym in Action

I used to train at Red's Gym, an M&M Mars corporate facility associated with CrossFit Delaware Valley. Check out this video by Jim Wingerter, a technology-saavy CrossFit Delaware Valley trainer, to see some of the intensity in action! Crank up the volume...3,2,1...GO!

Can't get to the gym?

If you've got the self-motivation and drive, you don't need to be at a gym to work your butt off. No excuses...these fun, intense, varied workouts can be done anywhere, many of them even in your pajamas on a snow day!

Jump rope 3 mins, 50 squats - 5 rounds

Run 1/2 mile, do 50 air squats - 3 rounds.

10 push-ups 10 sit ups 10 squats - 10 rounds.

200 air squats for time.

Run 200m 10 squats 10 push ups 5 rounds.

Sprint 200m and do 25 push ups, 3 rounds.

Tabata squats and tabata pushups.

5 push ups 5 squats 5 sit ups, 20 rounds.

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 sets of sit-ups and a 100 meter sprint between each set.

Run 1 mile for time.

10 push ups 10 air squats and 10 sit ups, 6 rounds for time.

10 push-ups 100M dash 10x.

Tabata squats.

5x 400M sprints.

10 X 100 m dash.

100 air squats. For time.

10 vertical jumps, 10 push ups, 10 sit ups, 4 rounds...for time.

10 air squats every 1 minute of your 1 mile run.

100 burpees for time.

10 push-ups 10 squats 10 sit ups 10 rounds.

Sprint 100 meters, Walk 100 meters, 10 rounds.

100 push ups for time.

Run 1 mile for time.

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 Burpies and Sit ups.

50 sit-ups, 400 meter run or sprint or walk. 3 rounds.

10 walking lunges, 10 push-ups, 10 rounds.

Tabata Squats.

7 squats, 7 burpies, seven rounds, for time.

Burpee to the push up position, do 10 push ups, burpie out. 5 rounds.

10 sit ups and 10 burpies...10 rounds-for time.

250 jumping jacks...for time.

100 jumping jacks, 75 air squats, 50 push ups, 25 burpies. For time.

Tabata Push-ups.

30 second handstand against a wall, followed by a 30 second static hold at the bottom of the squat. 5 rounds.

Run 1 minute, squat 1 minute 5 rounds.

100 air squats 3 min. rest, 100 air squats.

Test yourself on a max set of push ups...tight body chest to the floor...full extension!
If you cannot do "mens style" do your pushups from the knees. After that do 100 air squats for time.

5 pushups, 5 squats, 5 sit-ups - 20 rounds

Run 1 mile, stopping every minute to do 20 air squats.

Get in 'the zone' with The Zone Diet Club!

Want to improve your body composition, feel more energized, and of course, increase your CrossFit performance capabilities?

Are you interested in learning more about The Zone Diet? Need support and advice in getting started and staying on track? 

I'm starting a Zone Diet Club where we'll be holding weekly meetings after the WOD at CrossFit Delaware Valley in Glenolden, PA.

The Club will be about menu planning, grocery shopping lists, discussions, perhaps a holiday fat loss contest(!!) and will help you stay motivated -- and so much more. Please post your wants and needs to comments. I'm looking for feedback because I want this to be YOUR club! 

If you are not a member of CrossFit Delaware Valley and would like more information on how to be a part of the club anyway, E-mail me at laurenbahnatka@gmail.com. All it takes is commitment to the Zone, keeping a food journal, and your desire to help your fellow Zoners stay motivated!