10 things I think, but can’t – or won’t take the time to – prove
Disclaimer
These opinions are just that; opinions, and only mine at that.
Galina probably doesn’t even agree with all of them, but I vacuumed today, so I get a pass.
Roland
Grass fed, pastured, etc., etc., etc.
It’s a delicious investment.
Money spent on grass fed and pastured is an investment in the future, and a nod toward more humanitarian treatment of the animals.
Grass fed is better for the cows than for us.
The real value comes more from environmental sustainability and kindness to the cows than it does from the healthy improvements in the meat (or dairy product). Yes, the meat and dairy is better, but not by all that much; the math doesn’t add up when it comes to dollar per nutrient.
If you can get eggs from chickens that are allowed to roam free in the sun, that’s a different matter; sunlight and some tasty grubs make all the difference in the eggs. Find the best eggs, for the most roamingest chickens you can find.
Bone broth
Bone broth should be a staple.
We don’t eat enough skin and organs, and broth is a palatable way to get the glycine, among other things, that we’re missing.
You don’t have to have soup every night, but concentrated bone broth can also be stirred into sauces, gravies, and stews. Even stir fries need liquid to be delicious. Why not make bone broth your go to source of health and flavor?
Don’t NOT make bone broth because you can’t find the perfect bones or because grass fed beef bones are too expensive. Bone broth, period, is better than no bone broth.
Bone broth makes the house stink. Put it in the crock pot and put it in the garage or on the back porch. You’re welcome.
The term ‘bone broth’ sounds freaky. Let’s just call it broth, but make sure it’s made from bones (and skin, cartilage, etc.).
Drink up. NY even has broth bars.
Vietnamese Phở (beef broth, rice noodles, meat, and veggies) is a cool and tasty source of bone broth. Our local place simmers theirs 24 hours, just like we do at home.
Strength
We don’t really need to be all that strong.
You don’t need a squat rack in your garage to have a useful home gym. You do if you want to squat heavy weights, but that’s you wanting to be that kind of strong. That’s okay, but few people actually need to be that kind of strong. It is cool, though.
The more jacked up you are in the mobility and stability departments, the more likely you are to let your super strength screw you up, though. That’s not cool.
Losing weight
The biggest barrier to losing weight is ‘modern food’
…and its hyperpalatability. That’s a confusing word for a collection of traits that make it hard for us to ‘eat just one.’
It’s not that the foods are delicious, it’s that the foodie chemicals hit parts of your brain at the conscious and subconscious levels, so you want more, crave more, and almost always end up getting more. …and it’s too much more, far too often.
Our parents (and their parents before them) gave us these foods as kids, and we’ve grown accustomed to them. We think these foods are normal now, but they are not.
Everything in moderation is really hard for the very people who need to lose weight the most. Especially when ‘everything’ includes doses of those hyperpalatable foods I talked about earlier.
You have to want it AND be willing to change your understanding of what real food is.
More on hyperpalatability, here
You might also have to take a break from hyperpalatable foods for a while. You can visit them later. Under court ordered supervision. …or with the help of your weight loss coach.
Crossfit
Say what you want, but they made normal people realize they could work hard.
Crossfit HQ needs to take control and tone things down.
People don’t have to work that hard to ‘get fit.’
Running
Training to run a marathon is not a good way to get fit, lose fat, or get in shape. It is a good way to train for a marathon, though.
It’s also a good way for out of shape people to get injured and then give up on their weight loss for another year (because you have heal now, right?).
Everyone should be able to run, but maybe a mile is a good goal. Everyone should be able to run a mile, even if it’s kind of slow.
Walking
Everyone should walk a lot. Barefoot would be awesome, but you’ll have to work up to that.
Stepping on sharp objects and stubbed toes aside, if you can’t walk around in the grass barefoot for a few hours without pain in your feet, calves, and shins, you have a problem that needs to be addressed.
Don’t force a transition from shoes to shoeless. If it hurts, take it slow. Or slowly if you love grammar more than my point.
Flat feet
You probably have flat feet because your shoes have always had too much support.
The problem shows up in the feet, but it starts up higher. It shows in the way you stand, and it’s there because of all the sitting you do.
Most of the time, flat feet can get better (i.e., less flat).
Flat feet are rarely directly genetic, meaning your genetics, lifestyle, behavior, shoe choices, walking patterns, etc. all play into this. You (and your feet) are a mix of training, teaching, habits, and genetics.
Sitting
If you can’t sit on the floor for a half hour tv show, you have a problem that needs to be addressed.
If you won’t come over to my house because you heard we don’t have a couch and you’re afraid you’re going to have to sit on the floor, you probably have two problems that need to be addressed, and only one is physical. 😉
There are two types of people in this world…
…the types who like to make small, incremental changes and the ones who dive right in.
You can mix and match, but you always have to have a plan and the resolve to not stop just because things get tough.
Build the tough spots into your plan. What are you going to do when things get tough?
Above all else, never stop a plan that’s worked until you have a next plan. If today’s plan now sucks, make a new one before you scrap this one. It got you this far, right?
In my humble opinion…
Later!
Roland