I stumbled across a rather interesting article on the Irish Times website that you can read here. Sugar and sugar variants are seemingly reliable indicators of cancer:
"Cancer cells also use sugars to hide from the body's immune system so that they can travel from the primary site to seed new cancers in other organs, a process called metastasis. This means that the levels and types of sugars produced can also be used to monitor disease progression and how the patient is responding to therapy"
I wonder if and when the relationship between sugars and the cause of cancer will be drawn? Time to air one of my favourite quotes:
Superior doctors prevent the disease.
Mediocre doctors treat the disease before evident.
Inferior doctors treat the full-blown disease.
— Huang Dee Nai-Chang—(2600 BC 1st Chinese Medical Text)
Thursday, 30 October 2008
Monday, 27 October 2008
What Follows Will Change Your Workout: After the Rhino Test
My previous post seems to have been well received. I hoped it would highlight certain qualities that I felt were important to a quality workout, and give a vivid handle on what you should and should not be doing to 'leverage' your body's evolutionary capacity to respond to activity. So, having given you 'The Rhino Test', I figured I would expand on some of my other thoughts on exercise.
Metrics
First a little digression. One of the first points I would like to raise is that of metrics. One thing that most of us are guilty of is trying to apply detailed measure to our workouts. This is fine, to a point. We need to 'see how far we have come' on a particular program. Unfortunately we can get too wrapped up in reps, sets and weights without seeing the bigger picture.
Think back to the Rhino Test and tell me how you would quantify such an activity? You couldn't. Even if you applied measures to one rhino hunt, would they apply to the next one? Yet despite this lack of metrics, I am sure we would both agree that anyone tackling coelodonta antiquitatis would exhibit excellent physical markers of health and would not be lacking in athleticism!
I am not saying that metrics have no place, I just feel that we should not get too hung up on them. In particular, if you feel during a workout that it just is not 'happening' for you, then either sack it completely, or on occasion, simply throw the metrics out the window and go with the flow. Try to 'feel' you way through the workout rather than chasing numbers.
One way to 'feel' your way through a workout is to invoke an element of 'play'.
The Importance of Play
I look at my kids playing and they give me loads of ideas for what exercises I should be doing. Captain Kid (CK), is my chief inspiration (as Flash has only just mastered walking - so her repertoire is currently limited).
Given any open space - either the living room or a field, CK will gladly demonstrate short bursts of sprinting, quick changes of pace and direction, jumping, rolling, tumbling, climbing, back bridges, hopping, handstands (although my handstands are better than hers ;) - at the moment!), and various throwing activities of sticks and stones (particularly near water).
If you were to list the range of exercises you perform in a typical session, would it come anywhere close to CK's list in terms of variety? I know that in my days as a gym rat, my routine wouldn't compare! More importantly, I would say that CK's 'routine' would satisfy the Rhino Test! Not bad for a four year old with no formal knowledge of training.
It is this 'instinctive' play that I find so appealing. Think about those nature programs you see on TV. All the mammals (particularly apex predators), develop their skills and abilities through play. Even your domestic cat and dog will hone hunting instincts in the safety of your house, before tackling mice/postmen.
Play and Intensity
There is tendency to train 'hard' every session. At times it is very difficult to avoid this mentality. I normally train about six times a week. This comprises of two martial arts lessons (that can be physically easy and more skill based, or, intense sparring sessions with heavy pad work), and four mini workouts of about 30 minutes. Two of the mini-workouts are gymnastic-based involving body weight exercises (and the odd dumbell), and two are more climbing oriented.
My broad approach is to have a 'hard day' followed by one or more easy days. The easy day will involve light training or complete rest. I do two or three 'hard days' in a week. I might do a hard gymnastic workout at lunch and follow it with a hard climbing session in the evening. Sometimes these sessions are a day apart. I allow my sessions to 'drift' through the week and alter intensity accordingly.
When I approach a light session, be it during a martial arts, climbing or gymnastic session, I choose to mentally embrace that workout as a session of 'play' as this seems to put a natural brake on my inner gym-rat.
For example, with the gymnastics, I will replace a more 'rigid' exercise like pistols, with something more fun such as hopping over a small obstruction. Alternatively, sprinting might be replaced with a game of 'tag' with the kids. The idea is to substitute some of the exercises for more 'fun' options.
Play and Exercise Selection
This is one of the more revolutionary changes that I have adopted! Given the role of play amongst wildlife in developing primal skills, I believe that you should be able to describe all of the exercises you perform in terms of play. This I will call The Play Test.
When you think about this, it is a natural (and hopefully right), conclusion to make. I mean why wouldn't our inclination to play reflect those skills we require later in life?
Moving my exercise to the outdoors and emphasising climbing, combat and gymnastics was an express route to the 'play' approach. Kids instinctively climb, they play-fight and perform gymnastic activities, relying heavily on body weight (handstands, rolls, back bridges etc....all those things you'll witness as a parent).
I have noted amongst some gym-rats a reluctance to go down the route of body weight routines (BWRs). It is irrelevant whether I think BWRs are better than training with iron, but the thing to remember is that it is all 'resistance' and with gymnastic body weight exercises there is always a harder variation to master!
the 'play test' means that what is 'out' are curls, pec-dec flyes, tricep extensions, lying leg curls (although I do use a heel-hook' when climbing), and other exercises which lack wider utility.
If you want big guns, try pull ups (especially as part of a tree climbing activity). You want big triceps? Well, as a kid I would climb the local football/soccer goal. I would traverse out along the 'cross bar' hanging by my arms and then perform a 'muscle-up' and try to stand up on the crossbar. Muscle ups REALLY work the triceps!
You get the idea. 'Play' builds utility and function.
Play and Skill
Play has a greater emphasis on skill than strength and fitness. The latter follows on from skill as you push your performance. Not all performances have to be 'maximal'!
Again, with gymnastics in particular, there are always harder variations to master and so you can always push your abilities. Conversely you can base a light session on easier variations of an exercise.
Conclusion
So there you go. These are my thoughts on exercise. What you have just read in the last two posts is my framework for how I train currently. I will flesh out the bones in subsequent posts.
Metrics
First a little digression. One of the first points I would like to raise is that of metrics. One thing that most of us are guilty of is trying to apply detailed measure to our workouts. This is fine, to a point. We need to 'see how far we have come' on a particular program. Unfortunately we can get too wrapped up in reps, sets and weights without seeing the bigger picture.
Think back to the Rhino Test and tell me how you would quantify such an activity? You couldn't. Even if you applied measures to one rhino hunt, would they apply to the next one? Yet despite this lack of metrics, I am sure we would both agree that anyone tackling coelodonta antiquitatis would exhibit excellent physical markers of health and would not be lacking in athleticism!
I am not saying that metrics have no place, I just feel that we should not get too hung up on them. In particular, if you feel during a workout that it just is not 'happening' for you, then either sack it completely, or on occasion, simply throw the metrics out the window and go with the flow. Try to 'feel' you way through the workout rather than chasing numbers.
One way to 'feel' your way through a workout is to invoke an element of 'play'.
The Importance of Play
I look at my kids playing and they give me loads of ideas for what exercises I should be doing. Captain Kid (CK), is my chief inspiration (as Flash has only just mastered walking - so her repertoire is currently limited).
Given any open space - either the living room or a field, CK will gladly demonstrate short bursts of sprinting, quick changes of pace and direction, jumping, rolling, tumbling, climbing, back bridges, hopping, handstands (although my handstands are better than hers ;) - at the moment!), and various throwing activities of sticks and stones (particularly near water).
If you were to list the range of exercises you perform in a typical session, would it come anywhere close to CK's list in terms of variety? I know that in my days as a gym rat, my routine wouldn't compare! More importantly, I would say that CK's 'routine' would satisfy the Rhino Test! Not bad for a four year old with no formal knowledge of training.
It is this 'instinctive' play that I find so appealing. Think about those nature programs you see on TV. All the mammals (particularly apex predators), develop their skills and abilities through play. Even your domestic cat and dog will hone hunting instincts in the safety of your house, before tackling mice/postmen.
Play and Intensity
There is tendency to train 'hard' every session. At times it is very difficult to avoid this mentality. I normally train about six times a week. This comprises of two martial arts lessons (that can be physically easy and more skill based, or, intense sparring sessions with heavy pad work), and four mini workouts of about 30 minutes. Two of the mini-workouts are gymnastic-based involving body weight exercises (and the odd dumbell), and two are more climbing oriented.
My broad approach is to have a 'hard day' followed by one or more easy days. The easy day will involve light training or complete rest. I do two or three 'hard days' in a week. I might do a hard gymnastic workout at lunch and follow it with a hard climbing session in the evening. Sometimes these sessions are a day apart. I allow my sessions to 'drift' through the week and alter intensity accordingly.
When I approach a light session, be it during a martial arts, climbing or gymnastic session, I choose to mentally embrace that workout as a session of 'play' as this seems to put a natural brake on my inner gym-rat.
For example, with the gymnastics, I will replace a more 'rigid' exercise like pistols, with something more fun such as hopping over a small obstruction. Alternatively, sprinting might be replaced with a game of 'tag' with the kids. The idea is to substitute some of the exercises for more 'fun' options.
Play and Exercise Selection
This is one of the more revolutionary changes that I have adopted! Given the role of play amongst wildlife in developing primal skills, I believe that you should be able to describe all of the exercises you perform in terms of play. This I will call The Play Test.
When you think about this, it is a natural (and hopefully right), conclusion to make. I mean why wouldn't our inclination to play reflect those skills we require later in life?
Moving my exercise to the outdoors and emphasising climbing, combat and gymnastics was an express route to the 'play' approach. Kids instinctively climb, they play-fight and perform gymnastic activities, relying heavily on body weight (handstands, rolls, back bridges etc....all those things you'll witness as a parent).
I have noted amongst some gym-rats a reluctance to go down the route of body weight routines (BWRs). It is irrelevant whether I think BWRs are better than training with iron, but the thing to remember is that it is all 'resistance' and with gymnastic body weight exercises there is always a harder variation to master!
the 'play test' means that what is 'out' are curls, pec-dec flyes, tricep extensions, lying leg curls (although I do use a heel-hook' when climbing), and other exercises which lack wider utility.
If you want big guns, try pull ups (especially as part of a tree climbing activity). You want big triceps? Well, as a kid I would climb the local football/soccer goal. I would traverse out along the 'cross bar' hanging by my arms and then perform a 'muscle-up' and try to stand up on the crossbar. Muscle ups REALLY work the triceps!
You get the idea. 'Play' builds utility and function.
Play and Skill
Play has a greater emphasis on skill than strength and fitness. The latter follows on from skill as you push your performance. Not all performances have to be 'maximal'!
Again, with gymnastics in particular, there are always harder variations to master and so you can always push your abilities. Conversely you can base a light session on easier variations of an exercise.
Conclusion
So there you go. These are my thoughts on exercise. What you have just read in the last two posts is my framework for how I train currently. I will flesh out the bones in subsequent posts.
A final thought I'd like to leave you with is that 'play' is almost exclusively a body weight activity. I don't think we should limit ourselves to training ONLY with our own body weight, but we should certainly EMPHASISE it. My reason for thinking this way is neatly expressed by Steven Johnson in Emergence,
- "the essential characteristic of all organic growth - [is] to maintain diversity and balance, the organism must not exceed the norm of its species. Any ecological association eventually reaches the 'climax' stage,' beyond which growth without deterioration is not possible."
Now go play!
What Follows Will Change Your Workout
"What Follows Will Change Your Workout". How about that for title? It might sound a tad arrogant, but for most of the people out there, I think this post will give you significant food for thought. Paleo Food
We can see from cave paintings and bone remnants that paleo dude hunted down game.....BIG game.
The problems of a diet based upon high levels of protein and the constraints of carbohydrate availability - particularly during the winter period and even during cooler periods in the earth's history where the vegetation would have been characteristically slow growing, difficult to harvest and largely indigestible to humans, are circumvented by adaption to the hunting of big game.
Big game offers copious amounts of fatty meat and additional materials (skin, fur and bone) from which to make tools and garments. Big game offer optimal utility in a marginal environment. Big game was a staple of our early diet.
Big Game
You often read about 'big game' and ancient hunter gatherers. I have visited several museums with flint tools and skeleton of these mighty beasts. Images of early man tackling mammoth and other giants of the planet abound. This is the reason for my post!
Woolly Rhinoceros
The Woolly Rhinoceros was just under 4m in length, around 2m in height, with a one meter horn on its nose. These bad-boys weighed in at 3 tonnes and were powerfully built. I cannot find a information on the speed that they could attain, but modern rhino can reach around 30mph, and it is not improbable that the Woolly Rhino could reach a similar speed. They existed in herds called a 'crash'.
If you saw one of these beasts you would undoubtedly find it intimidating. Very intimidating. I was at a museum the other day where they had a model of a woolly rhino - and I managed to capture a photograph of it with a man standing beside it - useful for scale purposes. The guy was about 5ft8in tall and is standing directly beneath the animal.
You probably know where I am going with this, but look at that picture for a minute. Now imagine that this was one of your staples - a staple which you HAVE to tackle, simply to eat. Now imagine yourself going out on the hunt, to kill on of these animals......!The Workout
Given the scenario above and the physical prowess of the woolly rhino, what kind of physical skills do you think you would want to possess prior to going in to battle with one? Obviously you'd want speed and agility to get close to it, but also to keep out of its way. You'd want great strength to throw spears or rocks into it. Your movements would involve multidirectional bursts of speed, changing angles quickly as the 'battle' dictated.
What of the 'crash'? Perhaps you might need to quickly scale rocks or a tree if the wider herd were in pursuit. For sure, you would probably choose not to 'jog' away in a steady state.
Perhaps you would be called upon to rescue an injured comrade?
Even after kill, you might be called on to protect your kill from other scavengers. The meat would have to be quickly butchered and carried back to camp. The load would be heavy.
Modern Gym Rats
Think about your local gym. Can you imagine a bodybuilder or even a power lifter expressing the necessary qualities to engage in those activities above?
More importantly, does YOUR workout?
Sunday, 26 October 2008
God to Protect Pets
I like blogging - it is an excellent vent for ones opinions and views. This blog was set up to cover my paleo leanings - particularly my experiences with paleo diet and exercise.
But, religion seems to be making a 'more than occasional' appearance. I don't mind religion or faith, nor spirituality. People can believe pretty much what they want as long as they do not use it from a position of power on a decision of policy that affects all of us. Such decisions should be informed by science and rationality rather than on belief in the supernatural.
Many of the religious people I have engaged with offer pity at my atheism - as if I am missing out on some kind of love or humanity and an experience in some kind of 'higher magic'. On the contrary, the magic of science is way bigger and more curious than any religious concept (check out Quantum Theory for a start).
The religious opine about the beauty of God's creation, but the beauty of the physical world around us (accessible to us all), is similarly matched by beauty in human endeavours such as mathematics - a field of thought well beyond all religious texts.
And what of Gods' love? Well the love I experience between myself, my family and my friends is a nourishing as anything I could hope to receive from a deity. Secular humanism offers love from a tangible source.
The thing with deism and theism is that once you subscribe to such thoughts, where do you stop? How can you exclude or dismiss the gods of others? What you end up doing is binning your bullshit filter and have to accept all gods and supernatural - no matter how absurd.
One of my personal problems with 'faith' is that I don't know which god or gods to believe in. I suppose as a Westerner I should chose Christianity...but then my problem becomes which version of the Bible to read. The Bible has varied massively in content and interpretation particularly before the onset of mass printing, often under political influence rather than spiritual.
This leads me to today's absurd religious observation. Not content with encouraging motorists to make the sign of the cross before starting a journey (does that lower insurance premiums?), it now appears that you can extend Gods own protection for your pooch. Belive it or not, you can have your pet blessed!
This says so much about how religion reflects human interest - whereas you'd imagine religion would lead humanity, it actually follows our desires. It has a plasticity that allows you to do this - which kind of makes a mockery of it.
Any gap in science (such as the source of the Big Bang), is held up as 'proof of God', anything we care about - such as pets, are eligible for inclusion. The complexity, interconnectedness and interdependence between all species is held up as proof of God's power - when if you think about it, a lack of inter-dependence would be a greater proof of God as you'd be left reasoning, from where could it originate?
Anyway, next time you are out walking and tread in some dog-muck, don't be so quick to blaspheme and resort to coarse language. That muck might just be the deposit of one 'favoured by God'!
But, religion seems to be making a 'more than occasional' appearance. I don't mind religion or faith, nor spirituality. People can believe pretty much what they want as long as they do not use it from a position of power on a decision of policy that affects all of us. Such decisions should be informed by science and rationality rather than on belief in the supernatural.
Many of the religious people I have engaged with offer pity at my atheism - as if I am missing out on some kind of love or humanity and an experience in some kind of 'higher magic'. On the contrary, the magic of science is way bigger and more curious than any religious concept (check out Quantum Theory for a start).
The religious opine about the beauty of God's creation, but the beauty of the physical world around us (accessible to us all), is similarly matched by beauty in human endeavours such as mathematics - a field of thought well beyond all religious texts.
And what of Gods' love? Well the love I experience between myself, my family and my friends is a nourishing as anything I could hope to receive from a deity. Secular humanism offers love from a tangible source.
The thing with deism and theism is that once you subscribe to such thoughts, where do you stop? How can you exclude or dismiss the gods of others? What you end up doing is binning your bullshit filter and have to accept all gods and supernatural - no matter how absurd.
One of my personal problems with 'faith' is that I don't know which god or gods to believe in. I suppose as a Westerner I should chose Christianity...but then my problem becomes which version of the Bible to read. The Bible has varied massively in content and interpretation particularly before the onset of mass printing, often under political influence rather than spiritual.
This leads me to today's absurd religious observation. Not content with encouraging motorists to make the sign of the cross before starting a journey (does that lower insurance premiums?), it now appears that you can extend Gods own protection for your pooch. Belive it or not, you can have your pet blessed!
This says so much about how religion reflects human interest - whereas you'd imagine religion would lead humanity, it actually follows our desires. It has a plasticity that allows you to do this - which kind of makes a mockery of it.
Any gap in science (such as the source of the Big Bang), is held up as 'proof of God', anything we care about - such as pets, are eligible for inclusion. The complexity, interconnectedness and interdependence between all species is held up as proof of God's power - when if you think about it, a lack of inter-dependence would be a greater proof of God as you'd be left reasoning, from where could it originate?
Anyway, next time you are out walking and tread in some dog-muck, don't be so quick to blaspheme and resort to coarse language. That muck might just be the deposit of one 'favoured by God'!
Friday, 24 October 2008
Free Book!
I found this free book via Ben Goldacre's book, 'Bad Science' (have you bought it yet?). It is published by the James Lind Library, which has the following noble objective;
Go get!
- "The James Lind Library has been created to help people understand fair tests of treatments in health care."
Go get!
Thursday, 23 October 2008
Facing Fear
An interesting article caught my eye today which you can read here. A UCSB study has found that physical strength and fighting ability is revealed in human faces.
I have a post that is still in gestation which details some of my thoughts on physical activity. It includes the kinds of exercises we should pursue - and combat is one of them. If the paper above is correct and we have evolved mechanisms to determine an opponents ability in combat, you can bet your bottom dollar that some form of combat will be key to our physical well being and so should be a part of our training.
I myself do an hours Lau Gar Kung Fu and Lau Gar Kickboxing a week. The sessions are excellent for general conditioning and follow a classic interval training model with bursts of high intensity work (for up to two minutes), followed by rest. Some session concentrate on skill work and some are more fitness oriented.
Wider Picture
I have no interest in being 'hard', it is the wider implications of combat that interest me. Some of the kicks in particular require excellent balance (spinning kicks for example). Sparring improves reactions time and full body agility - ducking, bobbing and weaving. A key tool for the successful martial artists is speed and explosive power - jumping in to kicks and springing forwards with a jab. You develop all round kinaesthetic awareness.
If fitness is your thing then three one minute rounds on a kick shield (with a minutes rest between rounds), will get your heart working in a similar way as a sprint. The last round will demand real heart.
Variety
One of the real advantages of combat is that outside of skill work where you may follow a particular drill, sparring and pad work has a degree of randomness in that there is only a broad structure to your work. The detail within is ad-hoc and provides the randomness and novelty that should be present in every good workout.
Can you kick it?
I have a post that is still in gestation which details some of my thoughts on physical activity. It includes the kinds of exercises we should pursue - and combat is one of them. If the paper above is correct and we have evolved mechanisms to determine an opponents ability in combat, you can bet your bottom dollar that some form of combat will be key to our physical well being and so should be a part of our training.
I myself do an hours Lau Gar Kung Fu and Lau Gar Kickboxing a week. The sessions are excellent for general conditioning and follow a classic interval training model with bursts of high intensity work (for up to two minutes), followed by rest. Some session concentrate on skill work and some are more fitness oriented.
Wider Picture
I have no interest in being 'hard', it is the wider implications of combat that interest me. Some of the kicks in particular require excellent balance (spinning kicks for example). Sparring improves reactions time and full body agility - ducking, bobbing and weaving. A key tool for the successful martial artists is speed and explosive power - jumping in to kicks and springing forwards with a jab. You develop all round kinaesthetic awareness.
If fitness is your thing then three one minute rounds on a kick shield (with a minutes rest between rounds), will get your heart working in a similar way as a sprint. The last round will demand real heart.
Variety
One of the real advantages of combat is that outside of skill work where you may follow a particular drill, sparring and pad work has a degree of randomness in that there is only a broad structure to your work. The detail within is ad-hoc and provides the randomness and novelty that should be present in every good workout.
Can you kick it?
Wednesday, 22 October 2008
Speed of Bite
It now appears that eating quickly can cause obesity! I hate to use car and gas-tank analogies as they can over-simplify the complexity of diet, nutrition, hunger and satiety. But to cut a long story short, that is exactly what your hunger should do. Hunger should act as a simple mechanism to guide your appetite - and given that it evolved over the last two-million years, you'd think it would be bloody good at it.
How does 'eating fast' cause obesity? According to Professor Ian McDonald from Nottingham University,
I am sure many of us have 'over filled' our stomach - on Christmas day for example. And at your next meal, did you eat your 'usual amount' or did you actually have less or skip the meal all together? I for one have witnessed my family and myself all 'fasting' between our Christmas dinner (around 1400hrs) and a small late supper (around 2100hrs).
Why do we 'fast' this period? It is because we over-consumed and our bodies were happy for us to go without a top up for longer than usual. Much longer. Are we really to believe that our bodies cannot adjust our appetite in accordance with how much food we have eaten? Has anybody actually had an experience of being able to continually over-eat at every meal time?
You might be able to over-eat at a particular meal (and feel ill because of it), but that does not explain obesity. Obesity is driven by appetite.
Fork Me
Whilst eating fast may lead to a short term weight gain, over a longer term your body still knows if it is maintaining homeostasis and will adjust appetite accordingly....unless you eat grains.....but then you already knew that.
It can be only a matter of time before scientists discover that large plates or bigger spoons are similarly implicated.
How does 'eating fast' cause obesity? According to Professor Ian McDonald from Nottingham University,
- "If you eat quickly you basically fill your stomach before your gastric feedback has a chance to start developing - you can overfill the thing."
I am sure many of us have 'over filled' our stomach - on Christmas day for example. And at your next meal, did you eat your 'usual amount' or did you actually have less or skip the meal all together? I for one have witnessed my family and myself all 'fasting' between our Christmas dinner (around 1400hrs) and a small late supper (around 2100hrs).
Why do we 'fast' this period? It is because we over-consumed and our bodies were happy for us to go without a top up for longer than usual. Much longer. Are we really to believe that our bodies cannot adjust our appetite in accordance with how much food we have eaten? Has anybody actually had an experience of being able to continually over-eat at every meal time?
You might be able to over-eat at a particular meal (and feel ill because of it), but that does not explain obesity. Obesity is driven by appetite.
Fork Me
Whilst eating fast may lead to a short term weight gain, over a longer term your body still knows if it is maintaining homeostasis and will adjust appetite accordingly....unless you eat grains.....but then you already knew that.
It can be only a matter of time before scientists discover that large plates or bigger spoons are similarly implicated.
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