The Middle Ground

It seems to be a part of human nature to latch onto something you believe in, and reject anything that opposes or doesn't exactly fit with your beliefs.  I know all about it, I'm stubborn as hell. People are so dogmatic about such silly things sometimes. The result of all this stubborn dogmatism is that opinions become polarized, and the middle ground is an incredibly treacherous zone, where people from both sides are firing at will.

There was an article floating around on the internet a few weeks ago about how crossfit can kill you.  There is a medical condition called rhabdomyolysis, that is caused by an excessive breakdown of muscle tissue.  When you exercise you cause micro-damage to muscle fibers, the healing process then rebuilds the muscle, hopefully bigger and stronger than it was previously.  When the muscle is broken down some proteins are released into the blood stream.  If too much muscle damage is caused, too much of this protein (called myoglobin) gets in the blood and screws up the kidneys.  It can be deadly if it is bad enough.  So, can crossfit kill you?  Sure.  If you are insane.

The article told the story of a woman who was hospitalized with rhabdomyolysis after an intense crossfit workout, and it created a huge stir.  Not surprisingly, the two warring factions came out to either support crossfit, or wave the I-told-you-so banners.  No middle ground.

Crossfit is the only way to exercise.  Carbs make you fat.  Fat makes you fat.  Lifting weights is the only way to build muscle.  Bodyweight exercises are the best way to build muscle.  Running will kill you.  Running is the only way to lose fat.  Do a search for anything related to exercise and nutrition.  I guarantee that you will find two groups of people that have their sights trained on the other side and are just waiting to pull the trigger.

Moderation, where are you?  Crossfit is awesome, in moderation.  Carbs are healthy in moderation.  Fats are healthy in moderation.  Incorporate a little bit of each into your life and see if you don't feel better.  I routinely have days where I eat lots of rice, sweet potatoes, and a maybe even some evil-gluten-laden-bakery treats. That's right, gluten- the Antichrist of the nutrition world.  People have really latched onto the "gluten is the root of all evil" way of thinking.  Gluten is bad, if you are gluten intolerant, which very few people are.  That doesn't mean that donuts are good for you, but having a donut once in a while will not turn you into Jabba the Hut overnight.  

I love lifting weights, but I also want to be able to walk on my hands, and do some gymnastics movements, so I throw crossfit style workouts into the mix, and do bodyweight exercises alongside weight training.  Being strong and also able to move athletically sems like a sensible combination. For some reason though, this approach to exercise is considered blasphemous by many people in the exercise world.  Pick a side, and proudly wave the flag.

Critical Thinking

Human beings have brains.  We are able to rationalize, conceptualize, and come to conclusions based on evidence.  Give yourself a pat on the back, you have evolved to think critically. The alternative is to revert back to being a turd chucking chimpanzee, and throw shit-balls at anyone who does not completely agree with your point of view.

Knowing that this polarization of information exists, you have to be able to look at things critically.  Take this "crossfit will kill you" article for instance.  You are probably aware of the fact that exercise is generally considered to be a healthy endeavor.  You know that there are two opposing opinions regarding crossfit (and any type of exercise) as a good way to get healthy and fit.  Finally, you also know that people have a tendency to do things to extremes.  So, what is the actual message contained in the article?  It could be that the author hates crossfit, the woman in the story pushed herself way to hard, and you can do crossfit without ever being hospitalized.

Middle Ground

Please come join me in the middle ground where it is ok to lift weights, do crossfit, jog, do hill sprints, eat paleo, eat carbs, and even (God-forbid) eat a donut or slice of cheesecake from time to time.  Just don't do anything extreme and always think about what you are doing.  Simple concept but surprisingly difficult.  I want to be part of a community of like minded people where dogmatism is trumped by combining the best aspects of many different approaches. Welcome to the middle ground!

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Experiments

I'm still not sure why, but the post I wrote about being a fat loss scientist continues to be the most popular thing on this blog. It's an idea that I really believe in. Taking control of your own health and fitness, and not relying on other people's experience for everything. It's your body after all.

Experimenting with different foods and ways of eating is fun, and also a great way to find out what makes you feel your best. My latest experiments have included bulletproof coffee, and eating paleo. I hate that name, by the way, so let's just say eating real food.  One was an epic fail, the other a huge success and a big help in reaching my goals.

Bulletproof Coffee

Bulletproof coffee was the fail. There is a good reason why though. When you read about bulletproof coffee, it's presented in a way that claims that the rules of caloric balance don't apply to grass fed butter, and coconut oil. The fact that I bought into this is slightly embarrassing, to say the least. I gained a lot of fat super fast. Something to the tune of 1kg per week.  But here's why. People are losing weight with bulletproof coffee because they are using it as a stepping stone into the world of intermittent fasting. Replacing breakfast with fatty coffee. This lets you consume fewer calories, and more than likely you would be replacing processed carbs (aka healthy breakfast foods) with good healthy fats. That's a perfect switch. In my case though, I went from completely fasting to drinking a 500 calorie cup of coffee. Not such a great trade. The rules of caloric balance apply, the nice new layer of fat on my stomach is proof.

I still think that the concept of replacing breakfast with a cup of fatty coffee is a wonderful idea for the majority of people.  The effect of most breakfast foods on your body is less than desirable, and most people aren't eating enough healthy fat.  But, you have to remember that at the end of the day things need to balance out.

Real Food

Eating real foods, and thinking about the way people ate thousands of years ago has been a great revelation.  This concept gets a big thumbs up in my books.  My take on it differs slightly from the hardcore paleo people though.  There are two major differences.  

The first is this.  Just because a food is "natural" doesn't mean it's natural to eat frequently or in large quantities.  The best example is nuts.  Almonds are healthy, and natural.  But, when in history have people been able to go out and buy large bags of pre-shelled roasted almonds?  If you had to shell them yourself, you'd eat three, give up, kill a bear, and chow down.  Killing a bear would probably be easier than cracking those damn things open. Being so easy to eat makes them incredibly easy to overeat.  I will have some now and then, but view them more as a treat.  A delicious, addictive treat.

The second difference has to do with realistically looking at my goals.  I want to look amazing, and be as strong as humanly possible.  Paleolithic people didn't care about squatting heavy weight and having low body fat. I care about these things.  So, I make exceptions.  After I lift heavy weights I eat lots of carbs.  These carbs could be from sweet potatoes, jasmine rice, or even evil-gluten-laden-bread from time to time.  These are not "paleo foods", but I don't have "paleo goals". It makes sense to me.


I think that experimenting with food choices, and even dabbling with "fads" like bulletproof coffee is great fun.  I learn more and more each time I try something new.  The funny thing is, the more I figure out, arguably the hard way, the more I realize that eating meat and vegetables, and throwing in some carbs after heavy weight lifting sessions, is what makes me feel the best.  There is nothing fancy or cutting edge about this.  Don't buy into the idea of super foods, or fast fat loss diets.  Just eat real food, and be healthy.  I truly believe that it's better to think of fat loss as a by product of good health.  Eat real foods most of the time, and be conscious about what is truly a healthy food choice.  I assure you that if you eat a bag of 'healthy" almonds every day you will get fat.  In my case it's the cashews I have to watch out for.  I will eat the whole bag.

My challenge for you is to experiment.  Try something, anything really.  Take bread out of your diet and see how you feel.  Or try to eat two cups of leafy greens every day, see if you start poopin like a champ.  Just try something different, and see what it does for YOU.  Let me know what you try, and how it works.

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