First off: I just want to take a few moments to say THANK YOU to all the brave men and women (past a present) who, in what’s arguably the most un-selfish act possible, have put their lives on the line to serve this great country.
In the words of a friend of mine, Greg, who stated it about as eloquently as possible: Regardless of the situations our leaders put you in, you handle it so that others don’t have to and I respect the hell out of that. Often thankless, often overlooked, often taken for granted, you persevere to do the duty you pledged, voluntarily, to do and I respect the hell out of that too.
Thank you. Not just today, but every day.
Happy Veteran’s Day.
Secondly: Some of you may recall a video I linked to earlier this year by author Jonathan Bailor titled Slim is Simple. In it, Jonathan discusses why it is we’re fatter and more unhealthy than ever before despite exercising and dieting in record numbers.
It was a message that I enjoyed and felt many people could relate with. Simple, to the point, with no fluff and BS.
In an age where some grown adults are under the delusion that eating baby food is a viable dietary option, and even more nitpick over whether or not a bowl of oatmeal is considered “Paleo,” it’s a breath of fresh air to hear people like Jonathan speak on why it doesn’t always (if ever) have to so complicated.
Not long after I posted my blog Jonathan invited me to hang out on is podcast, The Smarter Science of Slim, where we talked about a handful of things ranging from CrossFit to training athletes to goal setting to LOLCats.
Hence the title of the episode.
It just went live today, and if you have 30 minutes to spare I think it would be well worth the time.
On any given day when I wake up and turn on my laptop to check my email, what I see on my screen can run the gamut:
Ranging from emails by people asking me any number of fitness and health questions; editors reaching out wondering 1) if I’d be interested in contributing to their magazine/website, or what’s usually the case 2) asking whether or not I’m going to make their deadline (haven’t missed one yet); distance coaching clients writing to say how much of an a-hole I am for programming eight sets of squats on a Monday; annoying SEO representatives asking me if I’m interested in their services; and, of course, emails from the even more annoying Saudi Princes willing to hand over a small fortune purely out of the kindness of their heart……
…….if I’m willing to provide my credit card number.
And, admittedly, I also get a fair share of people who contact me asking me to pimp their new ebook or product (even though I’ve never heard of them or know them for a hole in the wall).
Needless to say I get a lot of mail that goes directly into my spam folder or I just delete altogether. And then I move on with my life.
Last week I received an email through my website that, upon initial viewing, felt a little suspect:
Hi Tony Gentilcore – I hope your 2013 is off to a great start!
We start this year fortunate enough to have received VC funding to start up a non-profit nutrition educational organization we’re calling Slim is Simple. SIS is working to provide compelling multimedia resources—free of charge—that the educational and health communities can leverage to help share the simple science you and I know can help so many people live so much better. We’re working to get this “curriculum” into schools, churches, and etc.
Wanted to give you a quick sneak peak of our first full-length animated educational piece at (see below) with the hopes that we can collaborate on giving this non-profit educational effort the legs it needs to make a difference in the mainstream. The official launch of SIS is Tuesday.
I’m not going to lie – once I read that initial paragraph the theme music from Jaws was running on repeat in my head.
Da-DUM. Da-DUM. Da-DUM…….
I had never heard of Jonathan Bailor, much less read anything he’s written. But I saw in his byline that he has a book titled The Calorie Myth coming out through Harper Collins in 2014, and too, I’d like to think that I’m not that much of a jerk where I can’t give a few minutes of my time to check out a video.
I mean, I’m all about simplifying things – especially when it comes to nutrition. Given most people equate nutrition to rocket science, or quantum physics, or, if you’re me circa 1995, trying to unclasp your first bra (how the hell does this thing work!!!!!), anything that provides information which helps people sift through the BS and make things easier is cool in my book.
So, long story short I was intrigued and took the bait.
And you know what: it was really, reallygood. It’s twelve minutes that’s definitely worth your time.
Slim is Simple
I know there will be some detractors out there who will nitpick a few things and most likely provide some long-winded diatribe on why Jonathan’s approach contains faulty logic, and that’s cool – you can go about hating your life. And no one will probably listen to you anyways.
I can nitpick as well, but all told, I feel the overall message is awesome, and feel it’s something that’s going to be very beneficial to the general public and (hopefully) sway the tide towards a more sensible weight control approach.
I don’t know about you, but I’m so tired of people reading US Magazine, thinking that starving themselves – and being afraid of eating an apple because it contains carbs (but not think twice about crushing a double latte) – and then gaining their nutritional advice from Paris Hilton is a smart approach.
Likewise, I don’t necessarily feel that people have to be “slim” in order to be healthy or be comfortable with their bodies (not that that was what Jonathan was insinuating in the first place). But I do feel we’ve done an awesome job of overcomplicating things, and many people out there have gotten to the point where they have no idea what to eat! Which is absurd.
To that end, anything I can point in YOUR direction that leads YOU to common sense advice is a-okay with me.
So watch the video above and let me know what you think!
For more information on Jonathan and his initiative, check out the Slim is Simple website HERE, as well as his personal website HERE.
