Thursday's Workout

We walked around. A lot.

Eating Paleo in NYC: Shake Shack & Eataly

Today was devoted to stuffing my face.

I've been hankering for a burger at Shake Shack for a while now. And devouring burgers in the park at 8:30 a.m. California time seemed like an excellent way to kickstart a drizzly New York morning. By the way: Intermittent rain + 11:30 a.m. burgers = No lunchtime line at Shake Shack -- a true rarity.

In an attempt to stay Paleo (well, Paleo + Dairy), we got our Double ShackBurgers sans buns. (It's listed on the Shake Shack website, but the server nonetheless blinked in surprise when we placed our order.) Unlike In-N-Out's Protein Style Double-Doubles, the low-carb equivalent at Shake Shack doesn't come sheathed in lettuce; rather, a small 2-inch square of greens and sliced tomato sits atop the cheese and meat. Not a problem: We tore into 'em with plastic forks and knives.

I'm a devout fan of In-N-Out, but ShackBurger patties are definitely thicker, juicier and more tender. Our Doubles were perfectly seasoned and a little pink inside. I know there've been complaints of inconsistencies between Shake Shack locations, but we had zero complaints about the meat and cheese at the Shack in Madison Square Park. Believe the hype.

On another important measure, though, the ShackBurger loses out to In-N-Out: PRICE. A Double-Double at In-N-Out costs less than 3 bucks. At Shake Shack? $7.25. Plus a plane ticket from San Francisco to New York.

Our burgers constituted just half of our meal. We felt the need for vegetables, so we headed a block over to Eataly -- the ginormous new Mario Batali /Lidia & Joe Bastianich Italian food emporium.

Eataly reminds me of the vast food emporiums found in high-end department stores in Japan, only with nothin' but Italian food. The enormity of the place is a little staggering, and there's lots to be found in the nooks and crannies, like a fresh mozzarella bar, a Nancy Silverton-run bakery, a salumi counter (with salumi from Seattle's Salumi -- natch), and rows and rows of everything from dried pasta and canned sauce to fresh produce and grassfed dairy.

Our hunt for vegetable matter ended at the Le Verdure counter. We loved it. The service was attentive and efficient, and the food was simple and fresh. The price tag was high (fifty bucks for, essentially, two smallish plates of vegetables), but we're money-stupid. (Any recommendations for good money managers are appreciated.)

And the dishes we ordered were nothing short of amazing: Grilled Japanese eggplant with arugula and caper vinaigrette, and roasted porcini mushrooms with shaved, raw butternut squash, frisee, carmelized onions and aged balsamic. In particular, I could have eaten plate after plate of the raw butternut squash and porcinis.

And then, for dinner, we went to Per Se. Which was ridiculous. That meal deserves it own post, which I'll try to put up tomorrow.

Wednesday's Workout

Strength Skill:

• Deadlifts

I tried to add just 10 pounds to last week's PR and lift 280 pounds (2X my bodyweight), but failed on both attempts. But on the plus side, I was happy to have a little left in the tank for today's pyramid metcon -- I definitely needed it.

Metcon:

For time:

• 200 meter farmer's walk (carrying a 53-pound kettlebell in each hand)
• 10 burpees
• 20 overhead kettlebell swings (using a 53-pound kettlebell)
• 30 Abmat sit-ups
• 40 air squats
• 50 double unders
• 40 air squats
• 30 Abmat sit-ups
• 20 overhead kettlebell swings (using a 53-pound kettlebell)
• 10 burpees
• 200 meter farmer's walk (carrying a 53-pound kettlebell in each hand)

Result: 15:13. I love bodyweight metcons, and blazed through the first half with unbroken sets. But right about the time I hit 12 double-unders, I had to stop for a quick breather. When I started up again, I found that I'd lost my groove; I struggled through the rest of the rope-jumping, and then had to piece together 4 strings of 10 air squats each. I caught my second wind with the final sets of Abmat sit-ups and kettlebell swings (both of which I love), but slowed again during my last few burpees. The farmer's walk at the end made my shoulders and wrists weep.

But I can't wait to do this one again.

Me!

Who woke up at 2 a.m. to check on his beef jerky? (And by "beef jerky," I mean beef jerky. Really. It's not a euphemism for anything.)

Me!

Who couldn't go back to sleep?

Me!

Who's now up and heading out for some bleary-eyed 5 a.m. deadlifts at the CrossFit box?

Me!

Who's totally going to conk out as soon as my morning flight takes off for New York?

Me!

Drip, Drip

I know the importance of sleep, but after a few months of waking up for 5 a.m. CrossFit classes three times a week, my eyes just naturally pop open every morning at precisely 4:17 a.m. -- regardless of whether I'm planning to exercise like crazy or roll over and (try to) go back to sleep.

And I'm not eating sugar anymore, so I can't rely on an afternoon snack of Beard Papa cream puffs to keep me from passing out at my desk. What's left?

Caffeine. Lots and lots of caffeine.

Despite the unusually scorching weather in San Francisco today, I knew I couldn't get through my afternoon meetings without some Blue Bottle drip coffee. So I hustled over to the Ferry Building, plunked down two bucks, and scurried back to the office clutching a hot paper cup while trying to stay in the shade.

The coffee would have tasted even better if I hadn't begun sweating into my cup.

Rest Day

Monday's Workout

Strength Skill:

Thrusters.

The good: I was able to thrust a barbell loaded with the equivalent of my bodyweight overhead. The bad: When I tried adding another five pounds, I failed miserably and had to chuck the bar. The ugly: All of it.

Metcon:

For time:

• 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 overhead kettlebell swings (10 reps the first set, 9 reps the second set, etc.)
• Alternate each set of kettlebell swings with a 100-meter sprint

Result: 7:44 -- 26 seconds faster than my previous effort back in June!

Like Drinking Ten Lightnings

I so need the strength of 20 ponies right about now.

(Video contains NSFW language. If you're offended by four letter words, please feel free to watch the farting yoga lady again.)

I Believe in Crystal Light Because I Believe in Me

Truer words were never spoken:

“The Crystal Light Aerobic Championship is the best aerobic championship because it’s considered the Olympics of aerobics and it makes me the best among my peers.” – Peter Dale



I wonder how much money they had to pay Alan Thicke to host this competition.

(Source: Best Week Ever)

Who Doesn't Like Venn Diagrams?

I'm a visual learner, so I found Melissa McEwen's infographic illustrating the similarities and differences between Atkins, Primal and Paleo eating to be incredibly helpful:

More details can be found on Melissa's site.

I'm in the PaNu camp right now, but looking to move a bit more to the sweet spot where all three circles intersect.

(Source: Hunt.Gather.Love.)

Rest Day

Fight Gone Bad

So much for resting on the weekends. This is what I did today.

Fight Gone Bad is a WOD that also doubles as CrossFit's signature annual charity fundraising event. It started five years ago, and has since raised over $2 million. This year, the three nonprofits supported by Fight Gone Bad 5 are LIVESTRONG, The Wounded Warrior Project and the CrossFit Foundation.

And why's it called "Fight Gone Bad"? Because after finishing this workout for the first time, UFC champ B.J. Penn said: "That was like a fight gone bad."

Here's the workout: You rotate through five stations, spending one minute at each:

• Wall ball: 20 pound ball, 10 foot target. Each rep is scored as 1 point.
• Sumo deadlift high pull: 75 pounds. Each rep is scored as 1 point.
• Box Jump: 20″ box. Each rep is scored as 1 point.
• Barbell push-press: 75 pounds. Each rep is scored as 1 point.
• Row: Your butt off. Each calorie burned (according to the monitor) is scored as 1 point.

Rest one minute, and then repeat the five stations. Rest another minute, and then repeat 'em all again. Three rounds in total.

The clock isn't reset or stopped between exercises; someone just calls out “rotate,” and you immediately stagger from one station to next.



Almost two dozen of us packed into our little CrossFit box for Fight Gone Bad (and for the post-workout birthday barbecue for Tim, our coach). Many of us dragged along family members and friends, too. I brought my kids (ages 2 and 5), who watched (with almost zero interest) as multiple heats of sweaty men and women jumped, rowed, and frantically heaved medicine balls and barbells around the gym.

You may not believe this, but my plan was to just watch everyone else pummel themselves with Fight Gone Bad. It's not that I didn't want to join in, but M's working this weekend, so I was supposed to be keeping an eye on the kids -- something I wouldn't be able to do if I were in the middle of a long WOD. But a few of the other adults volunteered to watch the boys, so at the last minute, I changed out of my khakis and into a pair of shorts and grabbed a score sheet.
I won't lie: Fight Gone Bad kicked my ass. I went into the workout hoping I could score at least 15 points per station, so my goal was to hit 225 in total. But by the time the third round started, I was running on fumes. Screw 225 -- my goal was just to finish without passing out in front of my kids.

In the end, I was happy to eke out 209 points -- and pleased that I did it without scaling down the difficulty of any of the exercises. (I stuck with the standard RXed weights for men.)

But the next time I do this? 225, baby.

Eat Your Damned Vegetables

According to the New York Times, Americans refuse to eat vegetables.

Despite two decades of public health initiatives, stricter government dietary guidelines, record growth of farmers’ markets and the ease of products like salad in a bag, Americans still aren’t eating enough vegetables.

This month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a comprehensive nationwide behavioral study of fruit and vegetable consumption. Only 26 percent of the nation’s adults eat vegetables three or more times a day, it concluded. (And no, that does not include French fries.)

It does, however, include "lettuce on a hamburger." But even with such rock-bottom standards, large swaths of our population simply refuse to eat anything leafy or green. And why?

Melissa MacBride, a busy Manhattan resident who works for a pharmaceuticals company, would eat more vegetables if they weren’t, in her words, “a pain.” “An apple you can just grab,” she said. “But what am I going to do, put a piece of kale in my purse?”

Another vegetable-hater -- a nurse, no less -- "openly acknowledges that vegetables make her gag." Yet another person -- someone in the food service industry -- says the prospect of preparing vegetables is off-putting. “Part of it is just that vegetables are a little intimidating. I’m not afraid of zucchinis, but I just don’t know how to cook them.”

Excuses, excuses. Preparing vegetables isn't any more difficult than preparing meat. Both grill and roast nicely. Blanched vegetables are easy to make, and taste a lot better than boiled meat. And here's a news flash: Lots of veggies can be eaten raw. (Ever heard of baby carrots? They come in a bag, you know. Some are even resealable.) Plus, vegetables are actually available in places other than high-end farmer's markets: McDonald's serves salads, and Wal-Mart has a huge produce selection (including organic fruits and vegetables). Also?You can, in fact, put a piece of kale in your purse.

Face it: Vegetables aren't any more a "pain" than having to give yourself insulin shots when you become diabetic after years of mainlining Snackwells and Cinnabons.

But frankly, I don't care what people eat. I'm just sick of people whining about how hard it is to find and eat vegetables. Call me cranky (which I am tonight), but people need to just own up to the fact that they're addicted to sitting in front of a computer and/or television screen, eating lab-engineered sugary-salty-fatty concoctions out of colorful cardboard boxes and crinkly, shiny bags.

(Photo: Corey Harmon)

Appetite Suppressant

Having trouble staying away from that plate of food? Trying to lose some flab but can't curb your appetite? Then watch this:



Yay, maggots!

(Source: Devour)

Cupcakes from Hell

Because who hasn't wanted to deep-fry a cupcake?

As you know, I think cupcakes are a special kind of evil. Plus, not a single ingredient in deep-fried cupcakes qualifies as paleo-friendly.

But part of me still wants a bite of this.

Friday's Workout

Strength Skill:

• Weighted Pull-Ups

I managed fine with a 45-pound weight vest, but couldn't quite get my chin over the bar after loading it up with 50 pounds (about 40% of my bodyweight). Dammit.

Metcon:

Tabata:

• Max rep 53-pound overhead kettlebell swings
• Max rep Abmat sit-ups

Then:

• Max rep double-unders in 2 minutes

Result: 178 total reps (swings + sit-ups) / 32 double-unders

The Tabata protocol consists of 20 seconds of all-out, maximum effort work, alternating with 10 seconds of rest. Typically, one does eight rounds. For the workout today, this meant doing 20 seconds of max rep kettlebell swings, followed by 10 seconds of rest, and then 20 seconds of max rep sit-ups, and another 10 seconds of rest. And immediately doing the sequence again, eight times in total. Once this is done and you're gasping for air, you try to crank out as many double-unders as possible in two minutes. Total workout time: Just 10 minutes.

Believe it or not, this was incredibly fun. I love Tabata intervals. They're efficient, intense, and flexible enough to accommodate just about any kind of exercise -- from sprinting and jumping to squatting and pressing. The Tabata protocol's been shown to be super-effective at increasing anaerobic capacity and VO2 max, assuming you're pushing yourself as hard as you can during those 20 second bursts of energy. Plus, it's more effective for fat loss than long but low-intensity training.

In Defense of CrossFit

Last week, Wired published a piece about the military's review of whether CrossFit, P90X and Insanity are -- as some believe -- too tough for our troops. Well, it looks like our CrossFitting peers in the armed services have something to say about that.

“I wish that the Army would come and study me,” a servicemember posts on CrossFit’s message forum. “At my current base, the fitness center is starting to push back against the many crossfitters…I find this attitude infuriating. Our Base has a 25% PT [physical training] fail rate. I wonder how many crossfitters are failing.”

...

“Every Soldier does Crossfit or they get their nuts smashed,” reads another comment on CrossFit’s forum from a company commander at Schofield Barracks, who cops to “puk[ing] my guts out” doing their first-ever CrossFit workout in Iraq heat. “I’ve noticed marked improvements in their performance, a lower injury rate, and an increased ability to perform at a higher level of physical intensity in full kit.”

“For those of you that are in the military,” the commenter adds, “stand up and help revolutionize the way we conduct physical training.”

Lesson: Push-ups and sit-ups won't cut it any more. (Unless you want your nuts smashed.)

(Source: Wired)

Does This Look Like Diet Food?

I'm not a fan of telling people I'm on a paleo diet because the word "diet" suggests that I'm trying to eat less. And I'm not.

Example: For today's (close-but-not-quite-paleo) lunch, I packed myself a big ass salad (farm greens, Rosie chicken, bacon, avocado, hard boiled egg, cherry tomatoes, goat cheese), some homemade trail mix, fresh berries with full-fat yogurt, and some macadamia nuts with coconut flakes. But what I'm most looking forward to eating is my container of Creminelli Salami Piccante, grassfed New Zealand sharp cheddar, my brother-in-law's home-smoked turkey, and some cornichons:

The point is that I'm not on a weight-loss diet. For a year now, I've been perfectly happy with whatever the bathroom scale tells me. I've adopted a new approach to eating, but I'm ingesting about the same number of calories as before -- and probably more. (I don't know precisely how much more, because I'm no Zone Zombie: I don't count calories or weigh and measure everything I eat.) I'm definitely taking in a lot more dietary fat these days. And the best part? I'm not hungry.

(Except for right now -- an unwelcome side effect of writing about food.)

Rest Day

Best. Gift. Ever.

I already have the perfect Christmas present picked out for all my friends and family:

I can't wait to see someone actually wear this in public.

WTF?

I wouldn't be surprised if boot fetishist Chalene Johnson sports similar footwear on her next set of fitness videos. (But she would Bedazzle them first, obviously.)

(Source: I Am Bored)

Wednesday's Workout

Strength Skill:

• Deadlifts

I'm getting closer to hitting my September goal of lifting 2X bodyweight, but I'm still 10 pounds shy.

Metcon:

4 rounds for time:

• 22 Wallball shots (14-pound ball, 10-foot target)
• 11 Toes-to-bar

Result: 7:29.

I wish our gym had a 16- or 18-pound ball -- the one I used this morning was a bit too light. Still, I'm glad I didn't pick the 20-pound ball. I don't have a problem throwing it ten feet up, but I'm sure that if I had to catch it 88 times, I'd end up looking like this:

The Conan Sandwich

I counted exactly zero paleo-friendly ingredients.

Rest Day

Check It Out: Robb Wolf's "The Paleo Solution"

I'm an unabashed fan of Robb Wolf's. Robb is, among other things, a former research biochemist, Loren Cordain disciple, powerlifting champ, unfairly excommunicated CrossFit affiliate owner, and a current owner of one of Men's Health's top 30 gyms in the country -- and in just a few years' time, he's become one of the paleo movement's biggest names and greatest assets.

For months, I've been soaking up everything I can from Cordain, Sisson, the Eades, et al., but Robb's weekly "Paleolithic Solution" podcast has been my go-to resource for all things paleo. It's incredibly informative and entertaining, with Robb (and co-host Andy Deas) answering questions from the peanut gallery.

For as long as I've been listening, Robb's been working on a book about paleo nutrition and fitness. As soon as it was available for pre-order on Amazon, I bought it. But even though the book was finally -- FINALLY -- released last Tuesday, my copy wasn't delivered until the end of last week. (With most other book purchases, I wouldn't have given a crap. But I found myself actually getting pissed every day I came home to find that "The Paleo Solution: The Original Human Diet" hadn't yet arrived. That's how much I was looking forward to reading Robb's book.)

I'm still reading it (and sharing with M, who's also digging it), but "The Paleo Solution" has already become my favorite book about the science behind and implementation of a paleo lifestyle. It's reader-friendly (unlike Gary Taubes' excellent but dense "Good Calories, Bad Calories"), but not too Reader's Digest-y (a quibble I have with Mark Sisson's "The Primal Blueprint," which is narratively compelling but skips over a lot of the science underpinning the paleo/primal approach).



I'll try to post a more comprehensive review once I actually finish the book, but in the meantime (if you haven't already jumped on the bandwagon), you can read an excerpt of Robb's book yourself over at Tim Ferriss' blog.

Lady Gaga Meat: $7.99/lb.

Heh.

Flank steak's still cheaper at Trader Joe's, though.

(Source: Kottke)

Monday's Workout

Strength Skill:

• Thrusters

Metcon:

• 4 rounds: Run 600 meters

Penalty for every +/- 5 second deviation from the previous round's time: 10 burpees.

Result: 2:37 | 2:25 | 2:25 | 2:22

I started off trotting slowly, with a plan to incrementally increase my speed on subsequent rounds, and finished my second 600 meter run 12 seconds faster than my first. FAIL. I'd stupidly overlooked the "+/-" piece. The name of the game is consistency -- not speed.

After that, I kept my times within 3 seconds of each other. I still had to do 10 burpees, but here's a secret: I kind of like 'em. Lucky me.

Diet: More Important Than Exercise

To beat a dead horse some more: Exercise alone won't make you thin.

More and more research in both the UK and the US is emerging to show that exercise has a negligible impact on weight loss. That tri-weekly commitment to aerobics class? Almost worthless, as far as fitting into your bikini is concerned. The Mayo Clinic, a not-for-profit medical research establishment in the US, reports that, in general, studies "have demonstrated no or modest weight loss with exercise alone" and that "an exercise regimen… is unlikely to result in short-term weight loss beyond what is achieved with dietary change."

More and more researchers have concluded that tons of exercise just makes you hungrier:

[T]hose who exercised cancelled out the calories they had burned by eating more, generally as a form of self-reward. The post-workout pastry to celebrate a job well done – or even a few pieces of fruit to satisfy their stimulated appetites – undid their good work. In some cases, they were less physically active in their daily life as well.

The University of Louisiana conducted the "defining experiment" on this subject, placing hundreds of overweight females on different workout programs for six months.

Some worked out for 72 minutes each week, some for 136 minutes, and some for 194. A fourth group kept to their normal daily routine with no additional exercise. Against all the laws of natural justice, at the end of the study, there was no significant difference in weight loss between those who had exercised – some of them for several days a week – and those who hadn't.

Some even gained weight.

Took a one-hour aerobics class? Ran a 5K? Killed a WOD? Good for you. Exercise is awesome, and is a critical part of any health and fitness regimen. Just don't overcompensate with a big slice of cheesecake.

(Source: Guardian)

Sunday's Workout

• Row 500 meters
• 70 one-handed kettlebell swings
• Row 500 meters
• 70 one-handed kettlebell swings

I rested briefly in between, but my actual time spent exercising totaled less than 7 minutes. Who needs an hour of cardio when you can get all the benefits from a short, intense set of intervals?

Off the Rails

Ate with abandon at Benu (former French Laundry chef de cuisine Corey Lee's brand-spankin' new restaurant) last night. We had the tasting menu: Fifteen courses of goodness -- some of which was decidedly non-Paleo (but whatever -- my "if you're going to make an exception to your diet, make sure it's worth it" rule is still in effect). I downed everything save for some pieces of brioche that came with the monkfish liver torchon.

The meal was totally worth it, though I'm hungrier this morning than I've been in a long time. M too. Wonder if this has anything to do with ingesting a bolus of sugar for the first time in quite a while.

(Photo: fête à fête)

Saturday's Workout

I had a hard time deciding today whether to rest completely or to go balls-out, and ended up splitting the difference. Instead of a full-blown workout, I settled for a brief PTP session:

• 2 sets of 5 deadlifts
• 2 sets of 5 side presses
• A few handstand push-ups

Eazy duz it.

How to Jerk Your Meat

Get your mind out of the gutter.

Step 1: Buy some flank steak or London broil -- the leaner the better. (Trader Joe's flank steak: $6.99/pound.) I didn't this time, but go grassfed if you can.

Step 2: Lay out each steak on a flat surface and encase it in plastic wrap. Freeze the steaks, making sure they stay flat.

Step 3: Before slicing 'em up, let the steaks defrost just a little. Using a sharp knife or a deli slicer, cut the steaks in 1/8-inch thick strips. Slice along (not against) the grain.

Also: Trim off the fat.

More after the jump...

The Big 3: Too Much For Our Troops?

The U.S. military's concerned that our soldiers aren't physically prepared for CrossFit, P90X and Insanity workouts:

More troops than ever are flipping tractor tires, lobbing 50-pound kettle bells and conquering the Three Bars of Death in an effort to become “tougher, faster, hard-bodied freedom fighter[s].” But some of them are also working out until they puke, faint or suffer permanent organ damage. Now, a team of medical researchers have a message for recruits: you’re probably not fit enough for CrossFit.

Ditto for P90X and Insanity. Together, the brutally intense fitness regimes are “the big three” being studied and evaluated in a review of high-intensity fitness programs by the Consortium for Health and Military Performance (CHAMP) at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.

CHAMP's examination of "the big three" workout programs is just beginning, but researchers are hoping to publish results and recommendations in the next few years. Already, there are signs that fitness is on the decline in the military, which doesn't bode well for the formal incorporation of CrossFit, P90X or Insanity into our uniformed services' PT programs.

Thirty-five percent of American youth are unfit to serve because of health problems. Compared to the Army’s new new training regime, which wants troops to embrace yoga and calisthenics, start slow to avoid injury and sweat their way to basic fitness levels, CrossFit’s standards seem all the more extreme.

“Certainly, we are addressing a perceived lack of fitness among recruits,” [CHAMP medical director Col. Francis] O’Connor says. “People are doing too much, too soon, too fast. Participants [in high-intensity programs] need baseline strength and flexibility, and they simply aren’t prepared.”

But from my (admittedly limited) vantage point, all the CrossFitters with military backgrounds I've come across are insanely fit. I work out twice a week with a fortysomething Lieutenant Colonel in the Marines, and he routinely shreds our WODs. I've got to think that kids half his age are able to kick butt, too.

(Source: Wired)

Fun with Pop-Tarts

Don't try this at home.



Previously: Pop Tarts store in Times Square

(Source: Slate)

Friday's Workout

Strength Skill:

• Weighted Pull-Ups

Metcon:

AMRAP in 4 minutes:

• 3 power cleans (using a 95 pound barbell -- probably should have gone heavier, but glad I didn't)
• 6 chest-to-deck push-ups (CrossFit Games standard: Hands must come off the ground at the bottom of each push-up to ensure full range of motion)
• 9 squats

Repeat each 4-minute AMRAP set 3 times, with one-minute breaks in between. In total: a 14-minute WOD.

Result: 18 rounds + 3 power cleans and 1 push-up.

Fun. Exhausting. Murder on the wrists.

(Photo: USMC)

Caloric Restriction

You've heard of Caloric Restriction (CR), right?

As its name suggests, CR is a dietary approach that restricts caloric intake. Done properly, it slows the aging process and extends life.

No, I'm not making this up.

Lab mice on CR can live up to 50 percent longer than if they ate a more typical diet.

The maximum life span of a typical lab mouse is 39 months, corresponding to 110 years in humans. [UCLA Professor and Biosphere 2 crew member Roy] Walford and researchers have demonstrated that mice that eat only 60 percent of their preferred diet will live as long as 56 months -- the equivalent of 165 human years -- provided they start their diets before three months of age. Although these mice are smaller than their normally fed peers, they seem to retain their youthfulness and intellects well into their extended old age. “We’ve found that a 36-month-old restricted mouse will run a maze with the same facility as a six-month-old normally fed mouse,” Walford says. “That’s a substantial preservation of intellectual function.”

Similar results are seen in studies involving all sorts of living creatures, from yeast cells and roundworms to fruit flies and spiders. Even rhesus monkeys live a lot longer on CR, with significantly reduced rates of diabetes, cancer, and heart and brain disease.

There aren’t yet any published studies on CR’s effects on the average human lifespan, but research shows that humans on CR are healthier, with lower cholesterol, fasting glucose, triglyceride levels, and blood pressure. Based on available evidence, scientists believe that a 30 to 40 percent reduction in caloric intake could significantly extend human lives.

The problem?

CR is not fun. As Michael Eades points out:

When rats live out their little ratty lives calorically restricted in their cages, they seem to show signs of depression and irritability. Primates do for sure. If primates don’t get enough cholesterol, they can actually become violent. But if you’re willing to put up with a little irritability, hostility and depression, it might be worth cutting your calories by 30 percent for the rest of your long, healthy miserable life.

Plus, as characterized by a New York Magazine writer who hosted a CR dinner party, the hardcore CR lifestyle can seem deeply bizarre:

[T]he weirdnesses are starting to pile up, and my guests are looking weirder and weirder themselves, like emissaries from a future I’m not sure could ever feel like home: a world where the food grows in vats, where the porn industry just barely survives on government subsidies, where the physically ideal male has the BMI of Mary-Kate Olsen and the skin tones of an Oompa-Loompa.

I take a deep breath then and think, A world where 80 is the new 40. And suddenly, all those little weirdnesses seem quite manageable again.

At which point Michael, having finished his helping of asparagus and Quorn, picks up his plate without a word and does what any normal person who has not eaten a truly filling meal in years would do: He holds the plate up to his face and commences licking it clean. April looks on smilingly, and though I feel another tingle of vertigo coming on at the sight, it passes soon enough.

I’m not one to shy away from trying different strategies for better health, but I have zero interest in experimenting with CR. Call me spoiled, but I’m no ascetic. Eating’s too much fun to deprive myself of its pleasures.

And I ain’t eatin’ no Quorn. (Well… maybe I’ll give it a taste, just to see if it’s as unappetizing as it looks.)

But consider this: There’s evidence that Intermittent Fasting (IF) offers the same benefits of CR -- but without having to reduce overall caloric intake.

It probably won’t shock you to learn that M and I have been playing around with a variant of IF for a couple of weeks, limiting our daily eating windows to an 8-hour period. (Sound weird and complicated? Think of it this way: We don’t snack after dinner -- say, after 6:30 -- and we delay breakfast until later in the morning -- like 10:30.)

I’ll post more about IF (and our experiences with it) soon, so stay tuned.

Rest Day

Dreya Works While You Eat

Are you a P90X obsessive? Are you stalking a fan of Dreya Weber? Can you endure an evening of dinner theater? If you answered "yes" to all three, then head over to Teatro ZinZanni in San Francisco. Dreya's appearing as Cleopatra in "Hail Caesar!" through October 31. (Her cast bio can be found here.)

While you're there, maybe you can catch her eye by showing off your supreme mastery of the Dreya Forearm Stretch.

(Source: FitSugar)

Yoga Bear

It'd be nice if she put on some yoga pants, though.

(Source: Guardian)

Food Fight

Thankfully, M and I both went paleo together. By eating the same stuff, we don't just save on our grocery bills -- we also avoid battling over food choices. Not all couples are so lucky:

Hembree and Battle started their relationship with similar eating habits and were both runners. They cooked together -- he grilled the meat, and she fixed the salad and side.

About two years ago, Battle's eating changed when he started training in a CrossFit gym and adopted a "paleolithic diet," eating only foods that ancient hunters and gatherers would eat, meaning no processed foods, no sugar and no refined carbs. Battle needs to consume lots of protein to get the benefits of his intense strength-training and conditioning program.

Battle's ability to eat an entire pork loin and 700 calories worth of almonds "was weird to me," Hembree says. Plus, it was a major damper on her sweet tooth. But she tried a few of his paleo recipes as her olive branch.

Tension built again over the summer, when Hembree spent a month away from home training to become a yoga instructor and came back a full-fledged, eco-conscious vegan.

Yeesh.

(Source: Denver Post)

Wednesday's Workout

Strength Skill:

Deadlifts - I'm now deadlifting about 1.75X bodyweight, but shooting to pull 2X BW before month's end.

Metcon:

For time:

• 500 meter row
• 30 sandbag clean-to-shoulder-to-shoulders (clean a 50-pound sandbag from the ground up to one shoulder, and then push-press or push-jerk it up overhead and onto the other shoulder before lowering it back to the ground -- that's one rep)
• 400 meter run

Result: 6:52. It was tough, but did not crush our souls or make us cry.

(Source: College Humor / BuzzFeed)

Another Reason To Work Out On An Empty Stomach

Evidently, squatting and vomiting go hand-in-hand.

Save Your Bacon Grease

If you're going to be hyper-technical about it, bacon is not paleo. But I heart it and will never, ever give it up.

Barbarella's Back!

Jane Fonda is 72! And she's releasing new workout videos!

Assuming you haven't sustained crippling injuries from years of Fonda-esque aerobicizing, I'm sure you can't wait to get reacquainted with your pastel tights and leg warmers.

Rest Day

(Photo: Royce Bair)

Monday's Workout

Strength Skill:

Thrusters

Metcon:

AMRAP in 10 minutes:

• 20 one-handed kettlebell swings (using a 20 kg / 44 pound kettlebell)
• 200 meter sprint (though my "sprint" was more of a stumbling jog)

Result: I was 8 swings into Round 7 when time ran out.

Running around blindly in the pre-dawn darkness is always fun.

Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer

As a lawyer who aspires to be a caveman, I was reminded of this caveman who became a lawyer:




Phil Hartman was so awesome.

How to Make a Roll of Quarters Smell Like Belly Button Cheese

One of the few drawbacks to avoiding obesity: You can't dispense $7.50 in coins from your belly button.



(Source: URDB)

Squat!

I can't believe it took me until now to stumble across Paul Chek's excellent three-part 2004 article on the importance and mechanics of the squat. (Check 'em out here: Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3.) I'm convinced that squats -- with or without a barbell -- are among the handful of the best exercises one can do.

So if you're P90Xing: SQUAT!

Or if CrossFit's more your thing: SQUAT!



Want to hang out on a street corner in Asia like the locals? SQUAT!



Stiff and sore? SQUAT!



A disciple of the Primal Blueprint? SQUAT (to poop and stretch and exercise)!

The best thing about squatting? It's easy -- all it takes is a little practice.

Sunday's Workout

I woke up late, and only had a half hour before the kids got up, so I managed to squeeze in only a quick Power to the People workout:

• 2 sets of 5 deadlifts
• 2 sets of 5 side presses
• 2 sets of 5 pull-ups

It's been more than a week since I last did the PTP routine, but surprisingly, my numbers haven't gone down. My strength hasn't increased, but it hasn't decreased, either. Maybe this stuff works after all!

Rest Day

How to nap.

Candwich, Anyone?

What's more gross: Mass-manufactured sandwiches stuffed inside a soda can, or (allegedly) scamming investors into pouring money into the development of the "Candwich"? (Or the Tapeworm Diet?)

Let's ask money manager -- and Candwich backer -- Travis Wright. According to the New York Times, even if the Candwich hits it big, "investors in Utah who put $145 million in the hands of a money manager named Travis L. Wright will still have thinner wallets."

A lawsuit by the federal Securities and Exchange Commission says that Mr. Wright promised returns of up to 24 percent on real estate investments, but that he put the money instead into Candwich development and other equally untried ideas. Along with sales of canned sandwiches -- Pepperoni Pizza Pocket and French Toast in a can were planned -- Mr. Wright’s companies, under the banner of Waterford Funding, also invested in a company selling rose petals printed with greeting card sentiments and another selling watches over the Internet.

Happily (or not), it may not be accurate to categorize the Candwich as an "untried idea" anymore:

Hosting Multiple Worms

I don't know why anyone would choose to undergo bariatric surgery when they could just go hang out in a third world country and infect themselves with a tapeworm. I still can't believe this diet didn't take off after its appearance on "Tyra" last year.

The Tapeworm Diet website has an awesome FAQ:

How much weight can I expect to lose?

Weight loss varies from individual to individual, but for a single tapeworm you would expect between one and two pounds a week as the worm matures. I know of instances where individuals have super-infected themselves and lost weight at a faster rate, but have also suffered a much higher incidence of side-effects. It is important to be realistic about weight loss and a rate of a pound to a pound and a half a week is ideal.

Will I keep the weight off when I kill my worm?

That all depends on you. I have noticed a significant rebound effect especially when hosting multiple worms. When you infect yourself you will get hungrier and eat more. If you reinforce poor eating habits during your infected period you can expect the weight to return when your worm is gone.

Telling people you're "hosting multiple worms" is without a doubt the best conversation starter I've ever come across. 

Friday's Workout

Strength Skill:

Handstand Push-Ups

(Photo: CrossFit Kids)

I'm now able to crank out a bunch of handstand push-ups -- something I couldn't say just a couple of months ago. Like last week, I did 30 today, in sets of 5, but felt like I could have kept going.

Metcon:

AMRAP in 8 minutes:

• 10-meter dumbbell bear crawl
• 5 dumbbell burpees
• 5 dumbbell power cleans
• 5 dumbbell shoulder-to-overheads (my method of choice: push-presses)

Result: I was one burpee into my seventh round when the clock ran out. This was murder on the wrists, but I thoroughly enjoyed the bear crawls and burpees. (The shoulder-to-overheads? Not so much.)

Is Meat Bad For You?

This post is going to be slightly long and geeky. If you have a short attention span or just stumbled here looking for a cheap laugh, feel free to skip this one and proceed directly to the video of the farting yoga lady.

But if you'd like to know why I'm calling bullshit on the recent hype over an epidemiological study "proving" that meat-eating is bad for low-carb dieters, read on.

Rest Day

What if Baby Carrots Were Marketed Like Junk Food?

This is kind of awesome. And I definitely want a baby carrot bandolier.







Curiosity piqued? USA Today tells the story behind the baby carrot campaign.

Size Matters

According to Turkish researchers, fat guys last longer in bed. Why? Because they have more female hormones in 'em.

Apparently estrogen slows a man's progression to orgasm, so fat men are paradoxically more womanly (chemically speaking) and better at pleasing their partners. (Assuming people of either gender actually want long-lasting sex, as opposed to "Get it over with already!" sex.)

So all you skinny guys: When your sexual partner complains about your Quick Draw McGraw performance in the bedroom, kindly explain that it's because you're ALL MAN.

(Source: Gawker)

Lie to Me

These days, women aren't the only ones who have to watch out for vanity sizing. According to Esquire, retailers are stroking male egos (and driving more sales) by lying to men about our ever-expanding waistlines.

Of course, you can get even more mileage out of vanity sizing by using a Waistband Stretcher. (How else could I manage to squeeze myself into skinny jeans made for toddlers?)