The Deception That Is The Term, "Fat-Shaming"

If your loved one were abusing drugs, few people would fault you for initiating a conversation with him or her about the drugs they are intentionally putting into their bodies which might include warnings about the negative effects that such behavior is having on their health, safety, personal relationships, career, and social standing. Recognizing and cautioning your loved one over the undeniable self-destructiveness that is drug abuse would be applauded by most. Referring your loved one to a Narcotics Anonymous meeting would be interpreted as a caring and bold gesture. 

If your loved one were abusing alcohol, it’s almost a given that s/he also drives drunk. Few people would fault you for initiating a conversation about the excessive alcohol they are intentionally putting into their bodies which might include warnings about the negative effects that such behavior is having on their health, safety, personal relationships, career, and social standing. Recognizing and cautioning your loved one over the undeniable self-destructiveness that is alcohol abuse would be applauded by most. Referring your loved one to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting would be interpreted as a caring and bold gesture.

But if your loved one is obese, initiating a conversation about the excessive food they are intentionally putting into their bodies which might include warnings about the negative effects that is having on their health, safety, personal relationships, career, and social standing has been labeled with the reactionary term “fat-shaming.” Recognizing and cautioning your loved one over the undeniable self-destructiveness that is uncontrolled over-eating would be condemned by most. Referring your loved one to an Overeaters Anonymous meeting would be interpreted as an intrusive and insulting gesture.

Claiming that the uncontrolled cramming of food down one’s throat to the point of creating an actual physical handicap is somehow different from other uncontrolled self-destructive behaviors is so wrong and so cruelly enabling as to be preposterous. The mechanism that triggers the seeking of solace by way of drugs, alcohol or uncontrolled eating is identical.

The politically-correct, thin-skinned, easily-offended, perpetually-outraged, illogical people who single out obesity as requiring an entirely separate “understanding” need to be stopped in their tracks. It requires a certain level of courage to recognize one’s problem, decide the problem needs to be resolved, and ultimately seek treatment for that problem. The reason we value, elevate, and celebrate courage in our society is because it is so rare.

Unfortunately, blaming someone or something else other than ourselves for our problems is society’s accepted norm.  

Amending Your Jogging Technique

Although my knees have never been a problem when working out at the gym, jogging is a whole ‘nother story, and always has been.

Perhaps my not liking to jog in the first place has something to do with it, or maybe the initial discomfort I’ve always experienced does. These days though, it’s worse.

I jog every morning so that I and my dog can get some exercise in to start the day off right. Initially I jog slowly and mindfully for only 100 yards, then I walk; then repeat until my knees are warmed up. Some days though, they do not completely become discomfort-free, even after the warmup routine. I found that if I adjust my jogging technique that there is usually an improvement.

I lengthen my stride. I raise my knees higher. I land on a different foot area, such as the outer portion, or on the forefoot, I speed up or slow down. It makes a difference. I keep adjusting as I jog until I get to a place where the discomfort is gone, or at least it is minimal.

If you are feeling less like jogging these days due to discomfort, try changing things up a bit and see if that might improve your running experience.

I keep harping on this, but know the difference between discomfort, which is normal, and pain, which is not. Do not make the mistake of running through the pain. Every time I see a jogger wearing a knee brace and limping as they run I have to roll my eyes at the foolishness of that. Stop. Take time to heal. Then resume your routine, carefully.

Click HERE for a selection of knee-strengthening exercises.

Princess Leia Wants To Have Her Star Wars Cake — And Eat It Too.

Fisher Before               Fisher After

As the rest of us struggle to pay our bills or attain a bit of recognition for our creative endeavors, let us ponder the exquisite specialness of Ms. Carrie Fisher.

When the lifelong wealthy person, substance abuser, and daughter of legendary movie star Debbie Reynolds was provided the incredibly fortuitous opportunity to reprise her one and only iconic movie role from four decades back, she had nothing but complaints and bitching concerning this veritable Gift From Heaven, and the world-wide attention and sizeable paycheck that came with it.

To play the role of the mature and powerful General Leia in the latest Star Wars saga, Fisher was asked — her word was “pressured” — to lose the flab — 35 pounds worth, and to tone up her muscles.

This of course irked the entitled Hollywood brat no end. Why can’t she remain her fat limping geriatric self and STILL play an ass-kicking General? — she asked with all the hubris characteristic of the wealthy overindulged. Never mind that male actors are required to go through a much more lengthy, challenging and demanding transformation to play the roles of superheroes, strippers and Spartans with nary a whimper about the "unfairness" of it all.

"Nothing changes,” she said in a snit in Good Housekeeping Magazine. “It’s an appearance-driven thing. I'm in a business where the only thing that matters is weight and appearance. That is so messed up. They might as well say 'Get younger,' because that's how easy it is."

Her well-publicized mental health issues and addiction problems aside, the elderly crybaby should have been down on her knees kissing the feet of those who made such a lucky break possible for her instead of whining about how hard it is for someone accustomed to having no boundaries whatsoever being assigned a few in order to take part in such a life-enriching project. 

She went on to say something quite jaw-dropping:

 “I have a harder time eating properly than I do exercising… and when I do lose the weight, I don't like that it makes me feel good about myself. It's not who I am.”

I had to go over that twice to make sure I had read it properly: “when I do lose the weight, I don't like that it makes me feel good about myself.”

Feeling good about herself is not who she is? Carrie Fisher really is from another planet.

Niagen / NA Supplements — The Jury’s Out.

A fascinating article in Scientific American provides a laymen’s rundown on the supplement-of-the-moment, NA. The makers claim miraculous results for older people, but few users agree experiencing similarly outstanding results. Reading the reviews for the various brand names on Amazon will leave you confused, as many people reporting positive results describe these in the most modest of terms, making me personally wonder if the Placebo Effect is in play here. However, a few of these Amazon reviewers are older males who go to the gym, and they report more energy and stamina, longer workout times, and quick recovery even after pushing beyond the normal limits of their workout routine.

I thought I might try it, expecting nothing, so as to report my opinion to you, but I am daunted by the $300 price tag for a 90 day supply. If I change my mind I will announce that here.

CVS has what initially appears the best pricing, but their capsule contains a much smaller dosage than other sellers, 75mg vs. 250mg, actually making the "discount" CVS version the most expensive on the market. Take a few minutes to read the Scientific American article here.

In the past I felt I was getting great results from the popular bodybuilder supplement NO2, but frankly at that time I was doing everything strictly correct - eating, sleeping, fantastic workouts, high protein intake, creatine supplementation. I was making good money, had few worries and was enjoying rewarding relationships both social and romantic. So considering this, with everything going my way, it is challenging to be able to claim that any one thing, such as a supplement, made a significantly positive difference.

I continue to believe it is the combination of as many positive things, especially optimum nutrition, sleeping and challenging frequent workouts, that make up 95% of what is required to get results. Face it: everyone wants a magic pill, but going by the reports of the 350+ Amazon reviews, this expensive supplement’s benefits remain elusive.

Obesity: The Achilles Heel Of Our First Defenders.

No, these are not people in costume.

A short time ago I was vacationing in Honolulu. For whatever reason there were a lot of military in Waikiki dressed in fatigues but obviously not on duty — they were having fun like any tourist. The shock for me was how obese and out of shape many of these military personnel, both male and female, were.

Watching news videos of cops in action reveals the same thing: grotesquely fat cops physically incapable of chasing suspects on foot giving up after running a few yards, and in some cases, resorting to shooting at them with guns instead.

It is twisted beyond all explanation that there is no physical fitness requirement for those who we the public employ and expect to act as first responders to public threats. The flowering of so-called political correctness and the internet screaming and wailing about so-called “fat shaming” are part and parcel, if not the very embodiment of this dangerous new policy of the lack of even the most basic physical fitness requirement for highly physical occupations.

As citizens and taxpayers we have every right to expect that these “elite” forces look the part and are physically capable of performing at a high level.

Don’t Volunteer For Ageist Prejudice

With Zeke on my 52nd birthday.

As a 9 year old kid I had some issues that presented as physical aches and pains. My grandmother, then in her late 60s, talked about her own aches and pains, attributing them entirely to “getting old.” I replied that I had my share of aches and pains as well, so why were hers due to getting old, yet mine were not? I remember her laughing at my conclusion because I had said something important. I had made her realize that she had known various aches and pains ever since she was kid, so why at this stage in her life did she so willingly buy into the popular notion that these were suddenly age-related, as opposed to previously being simply life-related?

This ageist conceit applies to many things that are life-related and that can and do happen at any age from our youth to our later years. When I was a kid and forgot things, I may have been mocked for it, but not in the same way younger people dismiss older people for the identical thing. When you’re young, you forget stuff and that’s perfectly normal. But when you’re approaching your later years and you forget stuff, instantly people assume this is entirely age-related, or worse, conclude you have Alzheimer’s.

Unlike other prejudices, such as those related to religion, race or national origin, everybody who doesn’t die young is going to get old. Although true, there’s little comfort in knowing that these youthful people dismissive of their “olds” will themselves experience the very same prejudices down the road.

We can’t change the human race, but we can refuse to sign up for others’ prejudices, ageist and otherwise. More importantly, we can, like my grandmother, filter what we ourselves say and how we phrase things to others so as not to add to the problem.

By concluding that the very same issues we had as younger people, such as tripping and falling, forgetting someone’s name, or having an aching back are nowadays due entirely to our getting older, we reinforce others’ ageist attitudes and plant the idea in our own heads that maybe we should “slow down” and begin restricting ourselves. Nothing will make us older faster than adopting uncalled-for or fear based limitations.

The following is great advice no matter what age you are, from preschool to your centennial year: don’t limit yourself by allowing others to limit you. Don’t give your power, and thus your freedom, away.

Live A Little: The Holidays Are No Time For A Punishing Diet

When I see the proliferation of online articles at this time of year warning people against the dangers of all those calories in the Thanksgiving turkey stuffing or the amount of fat in the Christmas eggnog, I have to laugh. It’s admirable to stick to our diets or our workout eating regimens 360 days out of the year, but really, the other 5? Uh…no.

Don’t be the fool who has your calorie calculator out at the dinner table so you don’t “over-do.” That right there borders on an eating disorder. First of all, people will think you’re nuts, and secondly, your hosts will regard you as a real party pooper — so don’t be surprised if they forget to mail you an invitation next year.

Thanksgiving is for feasting, and Christmas is for even more feasting, as well as a few Christmas parties where cookies, rum eggnog and other scrumptious goodies represent what the Holidays are supposed to be all about: Celebrating. That’s why we don’t have bodybuilding and fitness contests scheduled for this time of year. What could be more dismal than a “celebration” where people fail to celebrate?

Personally, I do keep to my eating regimen during the holidays — but I don’t go on a six week-long eating binge. But on the other had I surely don’t show restraint at parties or get-togethers. I eat. So this holiday season, enjoy yourself. Celebrate.

Taking An Antibiotic? Eat Yogurt.

A painful and ongoing reaction to the antibiotic Clindamycin had me doubled over with cramps. My intestines felt like they were on fire, and that was 12 days after I had finished its prescribed course. The severe side effects that were spelled out in the pharmaceutical's insert really surprised me — diarrhea and cramping could be expected anytime for MONTHS after taking it!

 The infection I originally took this pharmaceutical to cure was a picnic in comparison. My doctor was out of town. The physician taking his place didn’t respond right away and ultimately turned out to be clueless, so I googled. Not surprisingly there were scores of hits, all saying the same thing: take a probiotic, such as acidophilus, and eat a spoonful of yogurt every couple of hours. I did this, and felt like a new person within 24 hours.

Come to find out from a French friend, in France when doctors prescribe any antibiotic it is always ordered to be accompanied by a probiotic twice a day and yogurt every few hours. The antibiotics kill off all bacteria including the beneficial gut bacteria, so replacing that is essential. A name brand or chain store brand of acidophilus such as CVS should do the trick, and the yogurt should NOT be some Yoplait dessert yogurt, but rather an unflavored plain version from an ethnic Greek/Middle eastern store, or your local health food store, a brand like Brown Cow or similar.

How Much Do You Bench Press?

This question has been asked of me so many times I can’t possibly count. My answer has always been, “I never bench press.” This statement would invariably be followed by an incredulous look. “Are you kidding?” my questioner would ask just to be sure he heard right. Bench press tonnage is supposed to be some benchmark for guys who work out at the gym. At the top of my form, looking contest-ready, questioners who looked like they’d never seen the inside of a gym before would then lecture me on my mistake of not bench pressing. Few wanted to hear that the bench press is the number one exercise responsible for injuries that put an end to countless guys’ attempts to get in shape. Or that challenging yourself with extreme poundages is called Power Lifting, not Bodybuilding.

I’m a bodybuilder. My goal is to sculpt and hone and strengthen my muscles into an esthetically pleasing form, safely. I still want to be doing this on my 100th birthday. Power Lifters challenge themselves to move the greatest amount of weight possible, and then some.

Knowing the difference will not only keep you safe, but will bring a better result. The two are not interchangeable.

 Choose one or the other, because trying to combine the two means cheating yourself out of reaching your ultimate goal.

Hands-On Trainers

Having been a trainer for almost 25 years I absorbed a lot on the job, especially observing other trainers. Watching videos of trainers on YouTube just reiterates one interesting behavior that you need to be cautious of when working with, and evaluating, your trainer.

No trainer should be “helping” you perform the exercise. A psychological technique many trainers employ is to help/guide/steer you physically through all your sets by keeping their hands on you at all times and actually driving you as you perform the exercise. 

Obviously you must do the exercise yourself to get the benefit — to build up stamina, balance and strength. Someone physically manipulating you every step of the way is saying “You can’t do this without me. You need me.”

Everyone wants to stay employed. Everyone wants to keep their clients, and giving you the idea that you can’t do it without them by habitually engaging you physically creates a psychological reliance.

A trainer guiding you now and then in order to demonstrate proper form is perfectly acceptable, but performing your set along with you as a matter of course certainly is not.