Hello all,
I've decided to freeze this blog indefinitely, as responsibilities in the gym and with other projects have to take precedence. If you are interested in personal training, check out my regular site at www.JimBathurst.com, or my more active site dealing with bodyweight feats of strength, www.BeastSkills.com
Thanks so much!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Is wine a superfood? Boy, we always hope so.
Read through an article at Slate.com about Americans obsession with finding the healthy benefits of wine (read here). More specifically, the author begins to mention all the health benefits we've attributed to resveratrol - something found in grape skins.
I, like the author, tend to find all of these health claims a bit misleading though. Is resveratrol as beneficial as studies might be showing? Perhaps. But we can get that compound into our bodies through grape juice (albeit in slightly smaller concentrations), and even in nutritional supplements. But those options don't carry with them wine's one major appeal - THE ALCOHOL.
The alcohol, that pesky little detail, doesn't quite allow wine the "health food" status that so many people want it to have. We've just rationalized our vices by looking at anorexic french people and drawing wishful conclusions out of scientific studies. But in the end, alcohol is a toxin.
Now I'm not a teetotaler by any means. I like many tasty varieties of beer, but I'm not drinking it and trying to argue that its a great way to consume extra water during the day. Just like anything unhealthy, if I enjoy it at all, I enjoy it in moderation.
Most of my diet is filled with actually healthy (and tasty) food, so that when I do have a pint of beer or a glass of wine, I can enjoy it because it's an occasional sin, not because I've deluded myself into believing it has magical health benefits.
I'll drink to that.
I, like the author, tend to find all of these health claims a bit misleading though. Is resveratrol as beneficial as studies might be showing? Perhaps. But we can get that compound into our bodies through grape juice (albeit in slightly smaller concentrations), and even in nutritional supplements. But those options don't carry with them wine's one major appeal - THE ALCOHOL.
The alcohol, that pesky little detail, doesn't quite allow wine the "health food" status that so many people want it to have. We've just rationalized our vices by looking at anorexic french people and drawing wishful conclusions out of scientific studies. But in the end, alcohol is a toxin.
Now I'm not a teetotaler by any means. I like many tasty varieties of beer, but I'm not drinking it and trying to argue that its a great way to consume extra water during the day. Just like anything unhealthy, if I enjoy it at all, I enjoy it in moderation.
Most of my diet is filled with actually healthy (and tasty) food, so that when I do have a pint of beer or a glass of wine, I can enjoy it because it's an occasional sin, not because I've deluded myself into believing it has magical health benefits.
I'll drink to that.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Personal Trainer piles on pounds
No, this post isn't about how I gained a ton of weight on my recent trip to the Caribbean. It's about a personal trainer in Australia, Paul "PJ" James, who has decided to put on a ton of weight so he can feel what his overweight clients feel.
Read the article here
Basically, he is living many people's dreams of a bacon and chocolate milk diet as he's looking to put on a whopping 88 lbs of fat onto his body (he's halfway there already). After three months with the hard-fought weight, he's going work it off with his clients - again, so he's able to feel what his clients feel.
What do I think? Noble, but misguided.
The biggest difference between PJ and someone who's fought with weight their whole life is exactly that - the clients have probably fought with weight problems their whole life (or a significantly longer time than 3 months).
What am I getting at?
That putting on a bunch of weight, then losing it shows that it can be done - we all know it can be done. But I don't think it addresses the underlying issues.
Whether an overweight individual is a highly stressed professional, or perhaps uses food as a reward at the end of the day, you'll often find that there are many underlying issues that need to be addressed before someone can work towards a new, healthier them.
Deep down, people really know what needs to be done to get healthier (or at least move in that direction). The problem comes in actually applying it to their lives. It's tough, trust me!
So while PJ has the best intentions, I'd warn him that he needs to look at all the factors in his clients lives that are making them overweight, not just the extra weight itself.
Read the article here
Basically, he is living many people's dreams of a bacon and chocolate milk diet as he's looking to put on a whopping 88 lbs of fat onto his body (he's halfway there already). After three months with the hard-fought weight, he's going work it off with his clients - again, so he's able to feel what his clients feel.
What do I think? Noble, but misguided.
The biggest difference between PJ and someone who's fought with weight their whole life is exactly that - the clients have probably fought with weight problems their whole life (or a significantly longer time than 3 months).
What am I getting at?
That putting on a bunch of weight, then losing it shows that it can be done - we all know it can be done. But I don't think it addresses the underlying issues.
Whether an overweight individual is a highly stressed professional, or perhaps uses food as a reward at the end of the day, you'll often find that there are many underlying issues that need to be addressed before someone can work towards a new, healthier them.
Deep down, people really know what needs to be done to get healthier (or at least move in that direction). The problem comes in actually applying it to their lives. It's tough, trust me!
So while PJ has the best intentions, I'd warn him that he needs to look at all the factors in his clients lives that are making them overweight, not just the extra weight itself.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
10 Steps for a Healthier 2009
Well, it's January 1st. Hopefully we all survived the holiday season and New Year's Eve intact. Now as we wake up with headaches on the day the entire world has off, it's time to stumble out of bed and starting planning how we're going to make 2009 the best year ever!!! YAY!!!!
OK, maybe you don't quite have that level of enthusiasm about your resolutions, but chances are you have been thinking about them lately. In order to really tackle your goals, there needs to be a plan. So in the time-honored tradition of top-10 lists popular this time of year, I give you 10 steps to a healthier 2009.
1. Throw Away Your Junk Food.
Yes, I'm telling you to throw away your junk food. Get it out of your house. If any bit of food sits in your house long enough, you will eat it. Remove the temptation. People don't really like doing this, but then again people don't really like being overweight and out of shape. Something's got to give.
2. Try cooking a healthy recipe.
Cooking your own food is the sure-fire way to control what and how much goes into your body, but I can understand how cooking can be intimidating at first. Just like anything we do in life, we need to try it slowly and work on getting better. For those who drive, your first time behind a wheel probably wasn't your most confident experience. It felt like there were millions of things to look out for and control. But you took it slow, you took it easy and now I'm sure you're proficient enough to drive while talking on a cell phone and eating an ear of corn. Maybe you even have fun driving now.
Finding and cooking just one healthy recipe can be thought of as "Driver's Ed" in the kitchen. Take your time, get used to the steps and procedures, and just like driving you may find yourself having a bit of fun after all.
You can start by checking out Eating Well, a great online resource, or pick up a copy of Gourmet Nutrition, one of my favorite cookbooks that I use almost on a daily basis.
3. Buy Tupperware.
Whenever I'm cooking, I always make plenty of leftovers, sometimes tripling or quadrupling the recipe. Not only does it save time cooking the same meal over and over again, but we're assured that we're eating healthy food, instead of being at the mercy of restaurants and fast food chains.
Now some people may have more difficult conditions when storing their food, perhaps they need a cooler or a thermos, or something a little more advanced than just plastic tubs. The point is that cooking a surplus of food and storing it is an easy path to a habit of healthy eating.
4. Get Your Groceries Delivered.
Grocery delivery services like Peapod and Safeway.com, are a God-send for anyone who's busy and still wants to eat healthy. With delivery charges less than $10, why not give them a try? Rather than take time driving out to the store, finding parking, fighting crowds, searching endlessly through the aisles for ingredients (often the case when trying out a new recipe), and then standing in a line that stretches halfway through the store, we can now shop anytime from the comfort of our homes. Finding ingredients with just a couple keystrokes was reason enough for me to try this out.
5. Buy Curtains.
High levels of stress have been shown in study after study to affect body composition and mood. A good night's sleep is one of the best remedies to high stress, and this is where the curtains come into play.
Not only is quantity of sleep important, but quality. Many people have their bedrooms far too bright and even a small amount of light can disrupt their sleep pattern. Try and make your bedroom as dark as possible with a set of heavy curtains. These "blackout" shades will do wonders for your sleep and subsequently help to lower your stress levels.
6. Clean The House And Organize.
Another cause of stress is a messy and disorganized home/work environment. There are tons of books on cleaning and organization, but just start with something simple like donating old and unused clothes and books to charity. Just removing a bit of that clutter will help you relax.
7. Try Something New (Physically).
With the start of the New Year, many people feel they need to go to the gym and hop on a treadmill now. If you enjoy that then go ahead, but I'm guessing that most don't. Instead, just think of something, anything, physically challenging that's new to you. Rock climbing? Hiking? River Kayaking? Pick-up games of Frisbee or soccer? Find something that's always interested you and give it a go. Enjoy getting in shape, while you learn a new skill.
8. Get A Friend Involved.
Some see a workout partner as company in misery (if that's the case maybe re-read #7), but getting active with a friend does hold you accountable if you want to take a day off (or week, or month...) . It's also just fun to spend time with your friends, no matter what you're doing!
9. Schedule Something.
Sometimes when you leave exercise for your "free time," you find there's no free time left. Instead of just exercising "whenever," make yourself accountable by scheduling a class, or a personal trainer, or an appointment with your workout friend (see #8!). Starting just once a week with this can quickly make exercising a habit.
10. Just Go!
This might be just one of dozens of top-10 lists you read around this time of year. And then of course there's the dozens of other exercise articles that give you the best exercises for X, Y, and Z. What can start to happen is a "paralysis by analysis." You are trying to process so much information before you make a decision, that you never make a decision!!
So just start with something, anything, and do it today. Figure out later if it's the best option, but just get going! Action is the key!
I wish you all a healthy and happy 2009! Now go!
-Jim
OK, maybe you don't quite have that level of enthusiasm about your resolutions, but chances are you have been thinking about them lately. In order to really tackle your goals, there needs to be a plan. So in the time-honored tradition of top-10 lists popular this time of year, I give you 10 steps to a healthier 2009.
1. Throw Away Your Junk Food.
Yes, I'm telling you to throw away your junk food. Get it out of your house. If any bit of food sits in your house long enough, you will eat it. Remove the temptation. People don't really like doing this, but then again people don't really like being overweight and out of shape. Something's got to give.
2. Try cooking a healthy recipe.
Cooking your own food is the sure-fire way to control what and how much goes into your body, but I can understand how cooking can be intimidating at first. Just like anything we do in life, we need to try it slowly and work on getting better. For those who drive, your first time behind a wheel probably wasn't your most confident experience. It felt like there were millions of things to look out for and control. But you took it slow, you took it easy and now I'm sure you're proficient enough to drive while talking on a cell phone and eating an ear of corn. Maybe you even have fun driving now.
Finding and cooking just one healthy recipe can be thought of as "Driver's Ed" in the kitchen. Take your time, get used to the steps and procedures, and just like driving you may find yourself having a bit of fun after all.
You can start by checking out Eating Well, a great online resource, or pick up a copy of Gourmet Nutrition, one of my favorite cookbooks that I use almost on a daily basis.
3. Buy Tupperware.
Whenever I'm cooking, I always make plenty of leftovers, sometimes tripling or quadrupling the recipe. Not only does it save time cooking the same meal over and over again, but we're assured that we're eating healthy food, instead of being at the mercy of restaurants and fast food chains.
Now some people may have more difficult conditions when storing their food, perhaps they need a cooler or a thermos, or something a little more advanced than just plastic tubs. The point is that cooking a surplus of food and storing it is an easy path to a habit of healthy eating.
4. Get Your Groceries Delivered.
Grocery delivery services like Peapod and Safeway.com, are a God-send for anyone who's busy and still wants to eat healthy. With delivery charges less than $10, why not give them a try? Rather than take time driving out to the store, finding parking, fighting crowds, searching endlessly through the aisles for ingredients (often the case when trying out a new recipe), and then standing in a line that stretches halfway through the store, we can now shop anytime from the comfort of our homes. Finding ingredients with just a couple keystrokes was reason enough for me to try this out.
5. Buy Curtains.
High levels of stress have been shown in study after study to affect body composition and mood. A good night's sleep is one of the best remedies to high stress, and this is where the curtains come into play.
Not only is quantity of sleep important, but quality. Many people have their bedrooms far too bright and even a small amount of light can disrupt their sleep pattern. Try and make your bedroom as dark as possible with a set of heavy curtains. These "blackout" shades will do wonders for your sleep and subsequently help to lower your stress levels.
6. Clean The House And Organize.
Another cause of stress is a messy and disorganized home/work environment. There are tons of books on cleaning and organization, but just start with something simple like donating old and unused clothes and books to charity. Just removing a bit of that clutter will help you relax.
7. Try Something New (Physically).
With the start of the New Year, many people feel they need to go to the gym and hop on a treadmill now. If you enjoy that then go ahead, but I'm guessing that most don't. Instead, just think of something, anything, physically challenging that's new to you. Rock climbing? Hiking? River Kayaking? Pick-up games of Frisbee or soccer? Find something that's always interested you and give it a go. Enjoy getting in shape, while you learn a new skill.
8. Get A Friend Involved.
Some see a workout partner as company in misery (if that's the case maybe re-read #7), but getting active with a friend does hold you accountable if you want to take a day off (or week, or month...) . It's also just fun to spend time with your friends, no matter what you're doing!
9. Schedule Something.
Sometimes when you leave exercise for your "free time," you find there's no free time left. Instead of just exercising "whenever," make yourself accountable by scheduling a class, or a personal trainer, or an appointment with your workout friend (see #8!). Starting just once a week with this can quickly make exercising a habit.
10. Just Go!
This might be just one of dozens of top-10 lists you read around this time of year. And then of course there's the dozens of other exercise articles that give you the best exercises for X, Y, and Z. What can start to happen is a "paralysis by analysis." You are trying to process so much information before you make a decision, that you never make a decision!!
So just start with something, anything, and do it today. Figure out later if it's the best option, but just get going! Action is the key!
I wish you all a healthy and happy 2009! Now go!
-Jim
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