Memorial Day

This is a reprint from last Memorial Day worth remembering.

As we enjoy our friends, family and freedom, let us not forget the true meaning of Memorial Day.

Tools you should be using- Sliders

I've been a bit slack in the blogging department as of late, but not without good reason. With my movie career in full swing, Playgirl calling daily (sometimes twice) and figuring out a way to launder all of the insane amount of cash we are raking in at the gym, I just haven't had the time.

Oh wait, that's not me. I'm the kids getting out of school, keeping the gym pumping and feeling like I have a Rhino sitting on my face for the last few days (summer colds suck) guy.

Anywho, on with some useful information. Everyone should purchase a set of furniture sliders from your local home improvement store. You are only limited by your imagination!



Somebody needs a little more caffeine on a Sunday morning!

RM

The More I Learn.....

Here is a post from Brad Pilon. I couldn't agree more and I find the same to be true with exercise. The more we learn, the more we return to the basic principles.

I've been reading the book "The Tao of Physics" by Fritjof Capra.

I'm about halfway through and had planned on working my way through a big chunk the second half last night.

But, right when I started reading I came across the following quote: "Before you study Zen, mountains are mountains and rivers are rivers; while you are studying zen, mountains are no longer mountains and rivers are no longer rivers; but once you have had enlightenment, mountains are once again mountains and rivers again rivers."

This quote stopped me dead in my tracks.

It was unbelievably eye opening because it perfectly parallels my experience with nutrition. With a couple small changes I could sum up my entire journey in health and nutrition with one (rather long)sentence.

"Before you study Nutrition, food is food and drink is drink;while you are studying nutrition, food is no longer food and drink is no longer drink; but once you have had enlightenment, food is once again food and drink is again drink."

Back when I was a kid, food was food and drink was drink.

Then as I started studying Nutrition, food and drink became these complex chemical compositions that had these wondrous effects in the human body. Food and Drink were now macro-nutrients and micro-nutrients and polyphenols and volatile fatty acids, carbs,fats, essential fats, and on and on...

The more I learned the less the words food and drink meant to me,to the point where they were virtually meaning less. There was no such thing as food or drink. It was only protein, fat and carbs.

Now, after years of studying nutrition and learning I've realized that most of that 'stuff' ...that 'knowledge'...it's almost completely useless.

It's health and fitness mind-clutter.

And, it destroyed my relationship with food.

So now, food is food once again and drink is drink.

It does not have magical properties. It is simply there to

A) fuel my body when I need it

and

B) to be enjoyed

This realization has helped me break free of Obsessive Compulsive Eating and has made losing weight and maintaining a body I am proud of to be easier than I ever thought possible.
So this is what I hope you learn when you read Eat Stop Eat.

Food is Food and Drink is Drink. If you want to lose weight then Eat Less. If you want a stress free life then learn to enjoy food again.

It can be this easy if you let it be.

It's amazing where you can find inspiration (I mean really...a book on Physics?)

I'll leave you with what I believe to be the best long lasting health advice I can give. It has nothing to do with carbs, protein,fats, calorie cycling, hormones or anything of that nature.

It is simply..
Eat when you are hungry. Sleep when you are tired.

BP

Milk Phobia

There is quite often a massive overreaction to information about exercise and nutrition. We read an article about the benefits of barefoot running and then some knucklehead runs a marathon barefoot on asphalt and wonders why his feet end up like ground beef. There is pesticide on our vegetables? OMG! I don't want to grow a third eyeball so I'm going to quit my job and start an organic garden for my family.

We all have friends or neighbors who will grab our ears about some crazy theory about food or exercise, which is usually based on a snip it from a magazine article or anecdotal evidence from one of their coworkers, etc.

One food that too often gets vilified is milk. Personally, I don't like milk. I never have. But it has nothing to do with the "dangers" of consuming it. It's just personal preference.

Let's take a brief, commonsense look at why you should or should not drink milk.

Much of the science behind my reasoning is well documented by people much smarter than myself. For the unbiased science, I recommend referencing our own Natalie Logan, Alan Aragon or Leigh Peele on this subject.

Reasons for drinking milk:

1. It’s a good source of high-quality protein- the typical Amercian diet contains more then enough protein, but for certain populations (vegetarians,etc) it is a great protein source. Want a perfect post workout meal? Read "Chocolate Milk: It's not just for kids"

2. Milk is rich in calcium and vitamin D- vitamin D is the "hot topic" supplement. Most of us do not get the recommended amount of vitamin D or calcium. Milk is fortified with vitamin D and is a very available source of calcium. Yes, you can get calcium from other foods such as broccoli and leafy green vegetables, but let's face it, we don't eat nearly enough of those foods to get what we need.

3. It's inexpensive- the amount of protein, vitamin D and calcium you get for the cost is unmatched. This is a very inexpensive source of protein for those on a limited income. Hello college kids

Reasons for not drinking it:

1. Ethics- If you feel strongly about the ethical treatment of animals, you may choose to boycott dairy products all together. To each his own and, if you feel strongly about this subject, I can think of no better way to show it than to withhold your almighty dollar.

2. Lactose Intolerance- there are those who simply do not tolerate milk well. Depending on which study you are reading, somewhere between 10 and 20 percent of folks lack the digestive enzyme lactase.

Wait! That's it? What about allergies, cancer, homogenization, pasteurization, babies, hormones, pesticides, antibiotics and etc? At some point it becomes a beer and peanuts (back and forth) debate. I encourage you to look into the solid body of research available and avoid the alarmist approach before making your decision.

Again, I don't care for milk personally, but my kids love it and drink it liberally.




She has such heavy bones!

My Wife Could Beat You Up!

No- seriously



Mr McDouchey that you hear in the background is yours truly. Ouch!

Have a great weekend!

Exercises You Should Be Doing- TRX Rollouts

Benefits: Great anterior core exercise! One of the main functions of your "abs" is to reduce spinal extension (sway back posture). In my opinion, the rollout is the best exercise to challenge that function. Also, I'd be lying if I said I didn't like the "feedback" the next day when sitting out of bed hurts like....

Execution: from the knees (yeah- there are some internet heroes that do one arm from the toes, but at some point, it's just circus tricks) set up with your wrists straight, your shoulders away from your ears and your butt tight. Try and maintain this posture throughout the movement. Also, keep your feet down on the ground and your ankles dorsiflexed (toes pulled up). Keep the reps low at first and work on the quality of the movement rather than just cranking through reps. We have our newbies start with just a hold for 10-20 seconds.

Progressions: Range of motion or reps. Simply add reps or rollout farther

Especially good for: Everyone! We all need more core strength and some version of the rollout should be a staple in your program.


Remember, if you really want great looking abs, you must have very low levels of body fat. There is one certain exercise that you should perform every single day. This magic exercise is aptly named Push-Backs and it involves pushing away from the table a little earlier that you normally would. This is the only thing that I guarantee will make your abs look great!

RM