Miscellaneous Miscellany Monday (Cupcakes, Food Allergies, and a Movie Review)
1. Now that the weather is warmer, I’ve been making a point to go for some morning strolls before breakfast just to get the blood flowing, and to kick-start the day on the right note. Did I just come across as if I were a 70 year old man just then? Rest assured ladies, I’m quite not. *pours a glass of prune juice and turns on tv to watch Matlock re-runs*
Nevertheless, I’ve noticed an alarming trend on my walks- people jogging while talking on their cell phones. It’s bad enough that they’re jogging in the first place (yep I just said it), but come on, a cell phone!?! Really? Do these people honestly think they’re getting any benefit at all? I burn more calories opening a can of tuna. I’m surprised I haven’t seen someone jogging past me watching their portable dvd player yet. Just wait, it will happen.
2. Last weekI wrote a little rant on The Swine Flu. For those who are still in panic mode about whether or not you may be infected, I encourage you to check out this very informative website: doihavepigflu.com. Who needs the CDC anyways?
3. Are hidden food allergies making you fat? This is a question that Dr. Jonny Bowden brought up in a recent blog post of his. Admittedly, this is a topic that I need to read up on more, because it makes perfect sense. We all know of someone who has tried every diet imaginable, only to be disappointed by the end result. As Bowden discusses above, many people who are unable to achieve their weight loss goals through conventional caloric restriction, may in fact, have a food allergy they’re unaware of:
Food sensitivities often provoke delayed and chronic symptoms, like IBS, migraine and arthritis that are not as obvious as the dramatic and immediate onset of “true” food allergies, such as peanut anaphylaxis, but, over the long term, can be just as devastating and are more difficult to detect.
Furthermore, Bowden discusses a recent study where participants took an ALCAT test (a test that identifies foods that cause an immune response), and the results were pretty impressive to say the least.
By just eliminating the foods to which they were sensitive, the study participants dropped an average of 37 pounds in 12 weeks- a very impressive amount. They also dropped an average of 6 points on their BMI (body mass index) and a reduced their body fat by a stunning 30%.
Pretty cool stuff.
4. I went to the movies yesterday and saw State of Play. Normally whenever I watch a movie that includes Ben Affleck all I end up doing is drop kicking the movie screen. But I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by this one. As far as political thrillers are concerned, I’d put this up there as one of the best in recent years. And I’m just going throw it out there- Rachel McAdams is kinda hot.
And her boyfriend, whoever he is, is kind of a douche.
5. I’m not a huge fan of guys adding in an extra day of dedicated shoulder training. I think the bulk your shoulder development will come from the mere fact that you’re benching and rowing on a consistent basis. That’s not to say that I don’t like to include some overhead pressing into the mix, but as a general rule of thumb, I don’t think the vast majority of trainees need to go out of their way to include more lateral raises into their programming. That’s just an overuse injury waiting to happen. If you want to add in some extra shoulder work, do more external rotations.
6. My friend Jen Sinkler sent me this link (The Cupcake Flowchart) the other day and I thought it was hilarious, yet felt it hit the nail on the head in regards to how people tend to approach food. Time and time again I try to instill in my clients that you really are what they eat. As rudimentary as it may sound, I think if more people asked themselves whether or not “name scrumptious food item here” will get them one step closer to their physique goal, or two steps back, they would probably make better progress. Mmmmm, cupcakes.
7. The Boston Herald ran a really great article on CP client, and Weston senior pitcher Sahil Bloom yesterday. Check it out here.
8. My back is killing me today. Can anyone come over here and make me an egg sandwich?
