By John Y. Brown III, on Mon Feb 18, 2013 at 3:00 PM ET
I saw the movie Side Effects last night
A powerful and timely critique if our country’s over reliance on the pharmaceutical industry –and the literal and figurative side effects we experience, and try to deny or (in this film’s case, try to manipulate).
The film refers to about a dozen popular–and actual—mainstream meds prescribed today (from Zoloft to Adderall). But the tragedy in the movie plot centers around a drug called Ablixa.
We are told it is a new drug just approved by the FDA but not told it, unlike other meds referenced, is a fictional drug. Ablixa supposedly is a miracle drug in the film but with potentially worrisome side effects.
And so, we are left to wonder what the ultimate impact if this movie will be on our medicated society–partly healed, partly experimental volunteers, partly risking side effects impossible to rationally justify. Or whether the script option available to our mental health doctors will become once again more of the brilliant medical tool originally intended or increasingly the too-easy crutch to short-circuit dealing with complicated patients and circumstances.
And, finally, and perhaps most poignantly, whether “customers” (aka patients) will stop relying more on the “pitch” of pharmaceutical commercials to deliver miracles than on their doctors to deliver slow but real improvements.
If my reaction is indicative, the answer to all these questions is less encouraging than I had hoped.
I went home and Googled Ablixa —to see if it was a medication I should learn more about. Only to learn it is a fictional drug. And then –chastened and disappointed in myself—checking to see if any new Ablixa-like meds had come out recently. Just in case.
“I do not know anyone who has gotten to the top without hard work. That is the recipe. It won’t always get you to the top but it will get you pretty far.”
Margret Thatcher
As a society we have grown into people who are looking for the quickest and most efficient way to live our lives. Cars, microwaves, computers, the internet were all invented to make our lives easier.
Health and fitness is no different. Go to any magazine stand and look at Muscle and Fitness or Shape magazine and you will see pages after pages of advertisements for the latest muscle builder or fat loss supplement.
I’ve always pondered what it would be like to survey 1000 people and ask them one question; If you could have the body of your dreams without working out or dieting by taking one pill per day. Would you do it? The only catch is it would knock off 10 years to your total life span. What do you think people would say?
I have a gut feeling it would be an overwhelming amount of people that would take the pill, taking the easy road to success, cheating their bodies, their mind, their soul and their lifespan.
The problems these days are people are not willing to get their hands dirty and not patient enough to stick with anything long enough to make it count. We have been programmed to believe quicker, efficient is better.
I disagree, efficient is not better, effective is and what trumps everything is quality and hard work. It’s not easy to go to the gym 5 days a week and work your butt off. It’s not easy to juggle kids, marriage, jobs and try to get healthier or have the body you have dreamed of. It’s not easy and it never will be.
My rant today is nothing short believing in you. Believing that the hard work you are putting in is worth it. Believing that anything and everything is possible with hard work, determination and preparation.
As humans we were meant to struggle but we were also meant to persevere under any and all circumstances. You don’t need the easy way out, you don’t need the quick fix and your life will not be complete without the effort it took to get what you want.
We will not lose….ever.
That’s my rant for today. Repeat after me; I WILL NOT LOSE. I’m out.
My friends, family, and students are used to my repeated profession of love for modern technology. They laugh when I pledge adoration for my camera, washing machine, air travel, television, teleconferences, the iron lung (I just watched The Sessions with Helen Hunt and John Hawkes—great movie by the way), movies, my blender, power-point projectors, computers and the web, and, my iPhone!
This is an amazing time to be alive; I feel deeply, deeply, deeply fortunate to live in this part of the world today. I have such gratitude for these intelligent inventions that make my life easier and bigger (consider the amount of time it used to take our great grand-mothers just to wash family laundry. I don’t know about you but I don’t have time to beat my husband’s shirts and underwear against the rocks at the local stream). And I love my automatic garage-door opener so much.
BUT, no matter how terrifically these things enhance, ease, and upgrade my life, they take up but a speck of space in my heart compared to what I feel for the essential celebration-worthy, beauty of interaction between human beings.
I’m talking about friendship here. Today I profess my love and adoration for this. It’s fitting for valentine week, too.
The typical starter in blooming friendship is life-commonality—resonating with the experiences, views, needs, interests, and dreams that others also hold dear.
“We know this, we know this—we’ve had friendships since kindergarden—they come and go, some last, there will be more where that came from.” For many people the commonality of friendship has become so expected that its essential value to human happiness is enormously undervalued.
Have you ever observed the way that 10 year olds appreciate their new friends, or on the flip-side, teenagers who don’t have any? What about Facebook—I know a lot of people who spend some good amount of time there, making friends and keeping them, in space, ahem.
From a human-development hierarchy-of-needs perspective, friendship is to the human spirit as manna was to the Hebrews.
Watch this terrific video about the blooming of friendship—it’s just 4 minutes and 53 seconds long—your heart will like it and you will observe human spirit in action as time and place seem to recede (and that’s not an easy set-up for grown-ups sittin in a ball-pit on a busy urban side-walk), and complete strangers become important and personal to one another:
(This video created by Soul Pancake by the way, a fabulous site that captures art, philosophy, science, spirituality and humor, and serves it up all warm and (ful)filling.)
Now I ask myself what it is that I look for in friendship today. Have you deliberately thought about this lately? Me thinks this an important question. As adults we’re no longer really limited in our choices for the most part—we’re out there in the world with options greater than who lives next door or who sits next to us in classroom alphabet seating.
I loved that the question from the ball-pit was “who inspires you?” not, who pisses you off that you want to complain and gossip about? We absolutely have choice when it comes to whom we want to spend time with. And time is definitely a “spending”—there’s no reason to waste it in depleting relationships with “friends” who remind us of our worst qualities.
So I’m making this a valentine week of heartfull thought about what I most appreciate about my loved-ones (you know who you are! Mu-ah!), all those I’ve loved in friendship but who are no longer in my life, and the type of friend I want to continue to grow into.
And finally, with this brilliant invention called YouTube, applaud with me here as I sit in awe as two of my favorite things come together in this video: the seeds of unexpected spontaneous friendship, and the technology that allows us a ringside seat at the beauty of it.
If you spend enough time in a gym, you can hear the most creative questions and mis-truths in any field, anywhere. Any personal trainer that has spent their career in a gym setting, can recite the most compelling stories of clients/members and their beliefs of what is fact. I figure I could write a best seller, just by the sheer volume of misinformation about exercise and nutrition that is conveyed through media outlets and misinformed “experts.” This is not the gym goers fault, rather this is my problem and a problem I tend to overcome through education and factual information. “OK JB what is your point?” My point is there is a lot of information out there I would consider a myth. For example, that is possible to spot reduce. Not possible, next question! Another example, I can eat what I want and still have the body of my dreams. Kinda, sorta possible but depends on genetics and other hormonal factors but for most people, not possible. “Alright enough already, what is THE myth?” The king of exercise myths, the grand puba of misinformation…Lifting weights will make a woman bulky! That’s right, after doing this as long as I have; people, in particular women still believe strength training will make them look like a bodybuilder. Ain’t going to happen!
Now, I am not naïve to think women are not strength training in record numbers. Years ago, most women would join a gym and only perform cardiovascular exercises such as biking or running on a treadmill. Although great for the heart, this alone does not create the lean, sculpted bodies women are wanting and displaying today. It was always thought that women should not lift weights because it would make them bulky and look like a man. The traditional routines would consist of high repetitions, usually 3 or 4 sets with 30-60 second rest periods. Cardio usually would precede strength training. Group fitness classes such as Body Pump or “15 minute abs” would have mostly female attendance. In some clubs you would have “Women’s Only,” areas, full of selectorized equipment and cardio.
Women are displaying incredible results from strength training but the myth still exists. Keeping all things equal, let’s tackle the reason’s ALL women should strength train.
The Differences between Men and Women- YES! I know the DIFFERENCE but I’m not referring to our outer differences, I’m talking about what happens inside the body. As far as muscle goes; a bicep is a bicep and a glute is a glute, whether its on a man or on a female, anatomically they function the exact same. What are different are the hormonal levels that allow our biceps, glutes and all 600 some skeletal muscles to grow. You guessed it, testosterone. Loved by men, feared by women. That’s ok because men produce anywhere from 10-50 times more testosterone than women. YAHTZEE! Men can build bigger muscles than women (in most cases J). Now, does that mean women cannot build muscle, NO! It just means women cannot produce enough testosterone possible to build muscles the size of most males. Debunking the myth has begun!
Strength- Hence the name “strength” training. Picking up heavy things will make you stronger. What does that mean for most women and men for that matter, everyday activities can become easier. Picking up that 20 lb box and placing it on a shelf 2 feet above your head all of a sudden becomes easy. Pulling dog food out of your SUV and throwing it over your shoulder to take in the house suddenly becomes a breeze. Strength training makes you stronger, period. We all could use more strength, everyone, including you!
Body Fat- Most people reading this want to lose weight. Well actually you want to lose bodyfat. You are on a quest for a better physique, more toned arms, a tighter stomach and athletic legs. You cannot achieve that with cardio alone. You need something that packs a punch, something that creates results and gives you the body you have always wanted, you need STRENGTH training. Look at any professional woman’s body, such as Serena Williams or Jennie Finch. They strength train. They build muscle and thus reduce the amount of body fat on their body. In fact you burn calories, post workout, for up to 24-48 hours following a vigorus strength training day. You know how much post workout calorie burn you get from 30 minutes on the elliptical….ZERO! You want to keep your weight off without all the yo-yoing, start strength training.
Strong Bones- Best way to strengthen your bones? Drink milk! WRONG! Strength train. Women are far more susceptible to osteoporosis than men. Strength training will strengthen your bones, increase bone mineral density and delay any and all effects of osteoporosis. Research has found that weight training can increase spinal bone mineral density by 15 percent in six months. Have I sold you yet?
Disease Prevention- For cardiovascular health, strength training lowers ones LDL cholesterol preventing arteries from clogging up. Also, lowers resting blood pressure and helps the body to metabolize sugars better, warding off the signs of diabetes.
Self Esteem- The greatest benefit of strength training for a woman is the benefit of self gratification. The increased feel good hormone serotonin will allow you to feel better about yourself and have a sense of accomplishment. At the end of the day, this is what is about anyway, improving our bodies and minds but also improving how we feel about ourselves.
“There’s nothing “wrong” with needing more sleep, or letting ideas rest this season—it’s only natural. It’s permission to revel in the easier pace. Go on, revel!”
A psychologist in town asked me to help her plan a healthy body image workshop for girls and their mothers. So we met today at her home office on her horse farm, which if you ask me is a pretty great place to hold a meeting.
In addition to the many reasons I enjoyed this meeting, I benefited deeply from the beauty of Kentucky nature that surrounds her little farm. Even in the middle of winter, the natural flow of the life-cycle is easy to feel there. I’m talking about the hibernating trees, the water eroded spots in the grass, the dormant gardens, and the thick soft coats that the horses grow. I felt the beauty in these predictable, natural aspects of nature despite having become an outspoken professional whiner about the winter season in recent years.
I’m writing about this because going with the flow of the four seasons—understanding that we humans are designed to take cues from the symbolic and environmental qualities of each season in particular—can be a powerful and nourishing way to maintain emotional and physical health throughout the entire year.
This truth is evident from many of the wisdom traditions around the world. In particular, Native American tradition teaches that winter is THE time to slow down, sleep a little more, sit with projects. In Ayurvedic medicine from India, the circadian rhythm is an internal 24 hour clock that measures the slower and heightened energy hours of each day, even.
But I read an FB post this week that said, “I have so much energy when the moon is full, I’ll know I’ve arrived when I can maintain that zing during the rest of the month.”
The truth is that living in rhythm with nature means that there are times in the day, the month, and the year that are naturally slower and less energetic. We need them because we are not machines—we are supposed to notice when personal energy feels slower, lazier, less exhuberent. And then we’re supposed to go with it—lean into it, ENJOY it. It’s each body’s internal system of need that determines health, not external, intellectual rules. What makes sense for one body, may not, for another.
Read the rest of… Lisa Miller: Winter’s Rhythm is Right On, Right On, RIGHT ON, Baby
Myths are fun, especially when that myth is prominent. The Fat Burning Zone myth has stood the test of time, through several decades and held its own in exercise mythology. To this day people still believe that keeping their heart rate in the “fat burning zone” is better than short bursts of interval training. Maybe it has to do with every piece of cardio equipment has a fat burn option, thus disallowing you to get your heart rate up past a certain.
Let me explain this in more detail. The theory is if I keep my heart rate at low level (60-65% of max) my body will burn more fat than if I were to run a 15 second sprint. That part is true. You will use fat as the predominant fuel during your workout. Heart rate/intensity are inversely related to which energy system you use. The lower your heart rate the more oxygen is available, when oxygen is available you can use fat as fuel. The higher your heart rate goes the less oxygen you have available and the more you must rely anaerobic sources (glycogen, glucose, creatine) to perform the exercise. So the thought is, I will walk on a treadmill for 30 minutes, keep my heart rate low and burn body fat. Wrong! You can walk on a treadmill all day if you want but that’s not going to change your body composition. For one, your body will adapt very quickly. For two, you are not burning any significant calories needed to burn body fat. Want proof take an Olympic marathon runner and put them side by side with an Olympic sprinter. What difference can you tell? Lower body fat and more muscle tissue in the sprinter, there is a reason for that.
Research has shown that quick bouts of exercise are more beneficial in cardiovascular health but also body composition change. Dr. Al Sears, M.D. the Director of The Center for Health and Wellness who has reversed heart disease in over 15,000 patients has this to say in his book The Doctor’s Heart Cure. “When you exercise for more than about 10 minutes, your heart adapts by becoming more efficient. It achieves this efficiency through downsizing. Long-duration exercise makes the heart, lungs and muscles smaller so that they can go longer with less energy, but there’s a trade-off. The cardiovascular system becomes very good at handling a 60-minute jog, but it gives up the ability to provide you with big bursts of energy for short periods. Far from protecting your heart, this loss makes you more vulnerable to a heart attack.”
Also remember the importance of resistance training and body composition change. Post resistance training workout, your body will burn fat 24-48 hours post workout. This is from the increased oxygen needs of the person. When oxygen is available body fat will be burnt.
Read the rest of… Josh Bowen: The Myth of the Fat-Burning Zone
By John Y. Brown III, on Tue Jan 29, 2013 at 12:00 PM ET
Want to have a brighter future?
Here’s how.
Have a “Growth Mindset” –as opposed to a “Fixed Mindset.”Mindset is a simple idea discovered by Stanford professor, Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D., in decades of research on motivation, achievement, and success.
Mindsets are beliefs individuals hold about their most basic qualities and abilities.In a Growth Mindset, people believe they can develop their brain, abilities, and talent.
This view creates a love for learning, a drive for growth and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishments.On the contrary, people with a Fixed Mindset believe their basic qualities, such as intelligence and abilities are fixed, and can’t be developed.
They also believe that talent alone creates success, and see effort as a sign of weakness rather than as a positive element of life needed to reach one’s full potential.
The diagram above shows how people with different views of intelligence behave in different situations.
(Thanks to Lee H. Baucom for teaching me about this theory and doing it in such a memorable and meaningful way).
By John Y. Brown III, on Mon Jan 28, 2013 at 12:00 PM ET
Facebook and the levels of dopamine hits.
It’s a good feeling when a friend request on Facebook gets “accepted.” Of course, we are adults and perhaps shouldn’t acknowledge the affirmation rush we feel, but it happens and is pleasing.
But what about the “delayed acceptance” of a friend request?
This gets complicated. The “dopamine factor” (we’ll call it) is reduced the more time that passes before we are notified of the big “accept.”
A week delay is probably only about a 20% reduction in the dopamine delivery. It’s possible this were really busy or is just now checking Facebook for new friend requests. But the chances are they saw the request from you 5 days ago and weren’t excited enough about it to immediately accept but knew they would eventually accept when “other” friend requests came in and they could kill 5 birds with one round of accepts, so to speak.
A month delay, is concerning and delivers only about 40% of the dopamine an immediate accept produces. In this case, it’s likely the person decided not to accept you but then in the intervening weeks realized they needed to ask you for a favor or remembered you know someone important to them and don’t want you saying bad things about them for not accepting you on Facebook. Hence, the month delayed “accept.” The reason this is 40% and not lower is we know going in these people aren’t crazy about us and getting an accept in the first place is a bigger surprise, increasing the dopamine punch.
6 months or longer. It delivers about 20% of the maximum dopamine surge. Sure it’s offensive to know it took 6 months for someone to finally think of something redeeming enough about you to “accept” but the “relief factor” of knowing they eventually did come up with some reason to accept is worth a 20% hit. In fact, we are so relieved we don’t even need to know what the redeeming factor about us is. Just that there is one at all (for these individuals) is good enough.
1 year and 9 months? This is a tough one to explain. And is what got me thinking about this topic in the first place tonight. I haven’t figured it out yet. I’ll say a 25% dopamine burst. These are people you had written you off as undeserving of a friend accept. And about 639 days passed before they changed their mind…..and you have come back from the social dead to them, figuratively speaking. And coming back from death from anything is worth at least 25% of the maximum dopamine burst. I’m low-balling this one. ; )
I believe most of us are educated enough to realize that most of the foods at the grocery store are contaminated in some way. Whether it be hormones and nitrates added to our meats, pesticides and insecticides sprayed on our vegetables or genetically modified crap thats all over the grocery store. It almost seems like the only way to eat decent food is to grow it and hunt it yourself. On top of all of that, we now have another problem child, gluten, that wrecks our digestive systems and puts our bodies in a state where we cannot lose weight or bodyfat. In fact gluten (which seems to be in everything) will not allow our bodies to absorb fat soluable vitamins (A,D,E,K) which leads to malnutrition. Malnutrition, you thought, only occured in third world countries right? Nope, it happens here in the US because of the food industry and the crap they put in our foods.
On to the important stuff, I wrote this blog as educational and from a disertation point of view. It is somewhat “technical” but I find this topic interesting. This is a comprehensive list of gluten free foods, foods with gluten AND ingredients to look out for when considering gluten-free options (there are alot of options now). So here you go…
What is Celiac Disease? Also referred to as gluten sensitive enteropathy (GSE), or celiacsprue, is a chronic, inherited digestive disease that can lead to malnutrition if untreated.CD is the result of an immune system response to the ingestion of gluten (a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley) that damages the small intestine. When the small intestine is damaged, nutrients pass through the small intestine, rather than get absorbed. To develop celiac disease (CD), you must inherit a gene, be consuming gluten, and have the disease activated. Common triggers include stress, trauma (surgeries, etc.) and possibly viral infections. Approximately 10% of first-degree relatives could have CD triggered in their lifetime. The disease is permanent and damage to the small intestine will occur every time you consume gluten, regardless if symptoms are present.
Celiac disease is a genetic disorder affecting 1:133 persons in the United States,potentially 2 million people. For every person diagnosed with CD, approximately 80 people are undiagnosed.
What is Gluten?
Gluten is a composite formed from several different proteins. It is found most commonly in wheat and other related grains, such as barley and rye. Adding texture and a characteristic chewiness to baked goods, gluten is used in a wide variety of other foods as a thickener and binder, flavor enhancer, and protein supplement. Some people can develop intolerance to these proteins, however; a gluten-free diet often helps to alleviate symptoms caused by this intolerance and prevents further damage to the body.
Diseases Associated with Gluten Intolerance-
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Lupus can affect many organs: the skin, joints and muscles, kidneys, heart, brain, lungs, blood and blood vessels, intestines, hearing and balance. Ninety percent of patients are female. Symptoms vary depending on the organs involved, but may include fatigue, fever, anemia, rashes in sunexposed areas, aching muscles, painful and stiff joints,confusion, seizures, inflammation around the heart or lungs, sores in the mouth, vasculitis, blood clots, and changes in the urine.
Thyroid Disease
There are two common forms of autoimmune thyroid disease commonly associated with CD and DH – Grave’s disease and Hashimoto’s disease.
Grave’s Disease: An overaactive thyroid. Symptoms may include weight loss, rapid pulse, protruding eyes, feeling too warm, restlessness, insomnia, diarrhea, irritability, palpatations.
Hashimoto’s Disease: An underactive thyroid. Symptoms may include weight gain, slow pulse, red puffy eyes, feeling too cold, mental slowness, drowsiness, confusion, constipation, enlarged thyroid gland in the neck, thick and coarse hair.
Addison’s Disease
A rare disease involving the adrenal gland. The prevalence of CD in persons with Addison’s Disease is significant. Symptoms of Addison’s may include weight loss, increasing fatigue, lack of appetite, anemia, darkening of the skin, increased sun sensitivity, low blood sugar, low blood pressure, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or constipation, and dehydration.
Autoimmune Chronic Active Hepatitis
A disease of the liver that may be mistaken for alcoholic liver disease. Seventy percent of patients are female. Symptoms can include fatigue, abdominal discomfort, itching, nausea, vomiting, bloating, yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice), enlarged liver, tumors on the skin, aching, fever, mental confusion, and cirrhosis.
Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (Type 1)
A disease of the pancreas. The incidence of Type 1 diabetes and CD is between 6-12%. Often the second disease is silent (having few symptoms). Symptoms can include excessive thirst, hunger, weakness, frequent urination, blurred vision, trembling, confusion, weight loss, and coma (if left untreated).
Where is Gluten commonly found?
Read the rest of… Josh Bowen: The Limited Factor — The Gluten Story
For the past 4-5 years the fitness industry has seen the increased popularity of the kettlebell. This very simple, yet very effective piece of equipment can literally shape and form one’s physique. I can also point out that research states that no other piece of equipment burns as many calories per minute and increases lean body mass than the kettlebell. I and my clients (as you can see in the videos below) use kettlebells often. We can hit more muscles per exercise than most any other apparatus. So lets take a look at the history of this piece of equipment and show some different exercises:
Oh, you said “Kettlebell”!
The kettlebell (also called a girya) is a piece of cast iron that looks like a basketball with a suitcase handle. The kettlebell was born in Russia, and is centuries old and first appeared in a Russian dictionary in 1704. In a 1913 article “Not a single sport develops our muscular strength and bodies as well as kettlebells. The United States Secret Service utilizes a single arm snatch test: 10 minutes with a 24 kg kettlbell for 250 reps. So from a scientific point of view why would one pick kettlebells:
Displaced Center of Gravity – The center of gravity of the KB is six to eight inches below the center of your hand. Barbells and dumbbells center the weight with your hand. The offset of the KB makes the weight “alive” in your hand and increases the difficulty and benefit of many of the drills. KBs can do anything a dumbbell can do, even better – but not vice-versa.
Thick Handles – Thick bar training is a proven way to increase grip strength and the difficulty of certain drills.
Variety – The number of KB drills is only limited by your imagination and safety. One KB, two KB and combination drills provide unlimited protection from boredom.
Trains Hip Extension – Ballistic KB drills provide an intense load to the hips and posterior chain. Very similar to the vertical leap, this “grooved” hip extension transfers to many athletic skills such as jumping, running and throwing.
Trains Deceleration – When you “catch” the KB by “throwing” it behind you, the agonists and antagonists must co-contract to produce force reduction and deceleration of the weight. This is a skill we use daily when we change directions while walking or running.
Balance of Tension and Relaxation – Tension is strength; relaxation is speed. An athlete must balance both to maximize skill. KB training utilizes a balance of tension and relaxation.
Training Will Power – When the KB drills are done for high repetitions, they forge an iron will and iron body. Try a 10-minute set of snatches for proof. Enjoy the pain.
Fun – With the ability to actually “juggle,” spin, pass hand to hand and throw the KB, KB training has a fun factor and variety not found in traditional training.
Gluten is a composite formed from several different proteins. It is found most commonly in 
