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Most of y’all know I’m a desk jockey – I’m here at my computer most of the day, every day. Sure, I work out – hard - on a regular basis, but I don’t believe in spending hours at the gym. I go there to get strong, not burn calories… thus, when my performance begins to deteriorate, it’s time to hang it up, go home and eat. All told, I don’t spend more than an hour/day lifting; or doing combined cardio, ab work and stretches.
I work in the health/fitness/bodybuilding industry, and I’m in contact with others who share my interests (to varying degrees) 7 days a week…thus, I’m pretty immersed in the issues and events relevant to my field.
Like the Arnold Classic, for example… Since supplements are my game, it’s a natural place for me to be, as virtually every sports supp company in existence puts in an appearance. This is understandable, as it’s quite a show. In addition to the other sports contests, the Arnold is one of the two biggest pro bodybuilding competitions in the US (the other is the Olympia in Las Vegas). And, since it’s named for world-famous bodybuilder/actor (and now politician) Arnold Schwarzenegger, I just assumed that EVERYBODY knows about it…right?
NOT…
Nick had an orthodonist appointment the other day, so - as usual – I chatted w/the office staff while I waited for her. We needed to set a followup appointment date for early March, and – since we’re off to the Arnold on the 5th – I told them to make it the week of the 8th – after we return. The gals sounded interested in the trip and asked about the details, but looked pretty puzzled at my comment about bringing back a big sack of supp samples to review. As it turned out, they’d been assuming that “Arnold” referred to Arnold Palmer, and the “Arnold Classic” was a golf tournament. 
An amusing moment, and a good reminder that I need to get out into the “real world” a little more often… 
A lot of people struggle with starting/maintaining an exercise habit, so it’s not surprising that folks with the opposite problem – exercise addicts (EAs) - get a lot of positive attention. They’re soooo disciplined, after all. Everyone should be just like them…right?
I stumbled across this article the other day. It indicates that 9 of 10 adults could be overweight or obese by 2030. The ramifications of this are frightening; since obesity is associated with an increased risk of various maladies (heart disease, diabetes, stroke and various types of cancer to name a few) a trend like this could pretty much financially cripple our health care systems – both in Canada and the U.S. And that, of course, does not even address the human cost involved in this.
Last year, Paul made this great video on a deceptive practice some internet supplement marketers engage in…”The 5-7 Day Fat Burner & Diet Pill Free Trial Scam!”
The Federal Trade Commission refers to this as “Online Negative Option Marketing” (personally, I think “Free Trial Scam” is far more descriptive, but that’s government bureaucrats for you).
At any rate, it’s a horrible practice, so it’s nice to see the FTC is cracking down on some of these creeps.
A couple of summers ago, John attended a conference in Pittsburgh, so on a whim, the kids and I decided we’d tag along too, and make a short vacation out of it. Pittsburgh has some pretty cool, family-oriented things to do (the Zoo/Aquarium and the Carnegie Museum of Natural History are aweome), so it was a fun trip.
Did it a day early (Friday instead of Saturday) as the husband was off work today.
135 lbs: 5/5, 5/5, 5/5, 5/5
140 lbs: 3/5
Moved up on the last set, just for fun. Next week, I’ll start at 140 lbs…I’m already half-way to the goal of 6. While I don’t think I’ll hit it next week, it’s nice to know I’m in shooting distance.
I had a brief Skype chat session this morning with one of my industry buds: Will Brink…we were talking about the latest research on creatine ethyl ester (not good), and then moved on to all the different forms of creatine there are on the market now.
Just for fun, I combed through some supplement formulas and put together a little list…here it is:
Discussions about the obesity epidemic inevitably focus on commercial products, either processed foods from the grocery store, or fast food/restaurant offerings. Since the frequency of home-cooked, “slow food” meals is at an all-time low, “homemade” food has more-or-less gotten a pass.
But home-cooked meals have evidently gotten bigger/richer over time, too…
From the Department of What Will They Think of Next?
We created FLING™ Chocolate Fingers to celebrate the female spirit – the unapologetically feminine playful, naughty, flirtatious, and alluring nature that brings shimmer into the world.
FLING™ is a sweet, light truffle on a subtle crisp layer enrobed in shimmering chocolate that’s as glamorous as you are. At under 85 calories per finger, it’s slim, but not skinny. Indulgent but not greedy. Naughty but nice.
And it literally does sparkle…there’s mica embedded in the chocolate.
Yesterday’s session was a small improvement over last week, overall. While I still didn’t hit all the reps in each set, I didn’t suffer from “TMC” (total moral collapse) in my final sets, either.
I managed: 5/5, 5/5, 4/5, 4/5, 4/5 (@ 135 lbs.)
We’ll see what next week brings. I figure I’ll continue working on this until we leave for the Arnold Classic (March 5), then it will be time for a break and a change up in my routine. That’s just 2 more sessions. I figure I could possibly move up to 140 pounds by then, although I’ll (temporarily) have to stop short of my goal of 6 reps.
But that’s ok for now…I was working on 125 lbs. at the point of my first “bench day” post on Jan 4, and was working on 120 pounds before the holidays - so my 5 RM has improved a lot already. Thus, I expect I’m close to a point of diminishing returns. I pulled out Mike Westerdal’s “Critical Bench” program this morning, as I suspect I’ve come just about as far as I can by winging it, and will likely need a more specialized routine to hit my current goal (and maybe surpass it – lol…a girl can dream, right?).
Thanks to the American Egg Board, I virtually grew up with that slogan. Kind of annoying, really, but I can’t blame the industry, as it’s been in a defensive crouch ever since the 1970’s, when dietary cholesterol was implicated as a cause of heart disease. As it turned out, the science is much more complicated than that, but eggs have yet to be fully exonerated. Some recent epidemiological studies, for example, have suggested that frequent egg consumption is associated with an increased risk of heart failure and type II diabetes.
It’s an all-natural health drink from India. The manufacturer claims it “…offers a cure for around 70 to 80 incurable diseases like diabetes.”
Sound good?
Forget the expensive, get-up-and-go cleansing products…exercise is the real deal, when it comes to mitigating colon cancer risk.
An ambitious new study has added considerable weight to the claim that exercise can lower the risk for colon cancer. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Harvard University combined and analyzed several decades worth of data from past studies on how exercise affects colon cancer risk. They found that people who exercised the most were 24 percent less likely to develop the disease than those who exercised the least.
…They found that the protective effect of exercise held for all types of physical activity, whether that activity was recreational, such as jogging, biking or swimming, or job related, such as walking, lifting or digging.
“The beneficial effect of exercise holds across all sorts of activities,” says Wolin, also assistant professor of surgery. “And it holds for both men and women. There is an ever-growing body of evidence that the behavior choices we make affect our cancer risk. Physical activity is at the top of the list of ways that you can reduce your risk of colon cancer.”
Study abstract here: http://www.nature.com/bjc/journal/vaop/ncurrent/abs/6604917a.html
I’m sure you’ve seen the news about the latest study on multivitamins, and how they don’t prevent cancer or CVD in older women.
I’m ok with that…
Just thought I’d pass along a link to a feature in the LA Times: The Healthy Skeptic. The author, Chris Woolston, is a freelance science/medical journalist with a Masters in Biology. His columns examine the science (or lack therof) behind various health products – both supplement and non-supplement (such as laser combs, infrared saunas, etc.).
Click the above link and check it out!
I just finished gagging my way through this NYT profile of celebrity trainer Tracy Anderson, who was quoted as saying (p. 2):
She said a woman should never lift more than three-pound weights. “Most gym programs overwork major muscle groups,” she said. “Repetition builds and bulks muscles.”
Judging from her arms, it looks like she takes her own advice. Madonna and Gwyneth should sue.
As a student of human nature, as well as a de-facto health/nutrition advocate, I’ve always been intrigued by the way our society views food. In many ways, our food choices and eating behaviors are increasingly divorced from the reality of what food is, and what eating is supposed to accomplish.
I’m not trying to be a killjoy: in fact, I’m a firm believer in “eat, drink and be merry.” Food has a sensual side, and I’ve always made room for some indulgences, both in my selection of foods, as well as the ways I eat them. Food also plays important social roles: put 10 people in a room, and you have a group; add hors d’oeuvres, and you’ve got a party. Works for me.
Weighed in at 128 pounds this morning – I seem to be holding my own vs. the scale.
Today was my first crack at 135 lbs. The first 3 sets went well, although the fifth (last) rep of the third set fit the definition of “winning ugly” – the bar stalled twice, and John pretty much had to talk (ok, yell) me through the rep (afterwards, I just laid there for about a minute, laughing my a** off…I expect I looked pretty ridiculous). Past that point, I was pretty fried, and completed only 3 and 2 reps, respectively, in my last two sets (we refer to this syndrome as “total moral collapse” or “TMC”).
In summary, I managed: 5/5, 5/5, 5/5, 3/5, 2/5
I’m reasonably happy with this, although I would have liked to have finished a little stronger. Maybe next week…
There’s an article online in the Los Angeles Times that explores the pros and cons…for some people, simply not eating 1 – 2 days per week is an easier way to restrict calories and lose weight, than to stick with a conventional diet program. This sort of regime is also favored as a way to achieve the alleged longevity-enhancing benefits of chronic caloric restriction without actually having to restrict calories all the time.
