Disruption

Oof! I didn't think I would get that sick, but dozens of tissue balls and more than one season of 'The Curse of Oak Island' later, and it was clear that the dog and I were in for a prolonged lie about. I'll spare all the details, but after a solid week - up to Season 11 in Oak Island time - I was finally ready to ponder returning to the gym. Given that I was still recovering and concerned about my lung capacity, I elected to use my reentry as an opportunity to play some beneficial tricks on myself. My approach makes a useful case study.

First, it's helpful to understand where I was before I got jumped by a virus. For cardio, I mostly used my elliptical at a steady state for thirty minutes at max resistance. Meanwhile, I was doing multiple-joint exercises at progressively heavier loads, focusing on the front squat. I currently have some inflexibility due to a frozen shoulder, so back squats are still uncomfortable. I also wanted to work on ankle flexibility by using a narrower stance with my toes pointed forward.

But I knew I was ready for a change. Each cardio day, I could feel myself tolerating my time on the elliptical while plotting long, weighted walks rather than the intervals I wanted to add but had yet to start. What I was enjoying about the walks, besides being outside, was the fact that they weren't structured. As much as I enjoy quantifying things, it's a habit that quickly traps me in a box. I start moralizing. 'If I don't do X number of minutes, at X speed and at X resistance,' I had a 'bad' day while hitting those parameters is clearly a 'good' day. Ugh, and I know better.

Kelly McGonigal explains it in 'The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do to Get More of It', when she states, "Anything you moralize becomes fair game for the effect of moral licensing. If you tell yourself that you're "good" when you exercise and "bad" when you don't, then you're more likely to skip the gym tomorrow if you work out today. Tell yourself you're "good" for working on an important project and "bad" for procrastinating, and you're more likely to slack off in the afternoon if you made progress in the morning. Simply put: Whenever we have conflicting desires, being good gives us permission to be a little bit bad." I'll be honest, I could feel myself making 'reward' bargains nutritionally, and I couldn't understand where the urge was coming from. I started hating my workouts and I was ready to give myself literal brownies - not just the points! - as a reward for my tolerance.

Ultimately, sliding into the 'shoulds' creates problems for me elsewhere, and even though I knew it, I was reluctant to give up what felt like progress - little gold stars because I had a 'good' day. My restlessness about my workout was making me think of creative ways to be 'bad' and yet I had a hard time resetting my default. Each day, the part of my brain that passed judgment - I call it my jerkabellum - continued its case of the 'meanies' by whispering nasty little comments in my head while I longed for long walks with no suffocating yardstick.

McGonigal explains further stating, "When you define a willpower challenge as something you should do to be a better person, you will automatically start to come up with arguments for why you shouldn't have to do it. It's just human nature—we resist rules imposed by others for our own good. If you try to impose those rules on yourself, from a moralizing, self-improvement point of view, you're going to hear very quickly from the part of you that doesn't want to be controlled. And so when you tell yourself that exercising, saving money, or giving up smoking is the right thing to do—not something that will help you meet your goals—you're less likely to do it consistently."

Being sick, though, was the reset I needed because I could try something different - like those intervals I was pondering - without any expectations, partly because those days lounging about had disrupted my rhythm. There were no 'X's to hit, and I could listen to my body without judgment because anything other than lounging about googling Nova Scotia in the 1700s to formulate Oak Island theories was a win. I started at a lower resistance and naturally settled into a faster pace while listening to my rusty body creak into action. Oh, and I added the intervals while completing more than expected, given my lung capacity concerns. I also returned to the gym and started working on my back squat; I was just happy to be under the bar.

Things were feeling fun again and not just tolerable. I was delighted that the disruption lowered my expectations and allowed me to escape the 'shoulds' that had me ensnared. I had a break from the Jerkabellum and the ensuing 'meanies', which freed my mind to pursue Oak Island conspiracy theories and practice the armchair archaeology degree I first earned during the 21 seasons of pandemic 'Time Team' episodes.

McGonigal Ph.D., Kelly. The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do to Get More of It (pp. 84-85). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

McGonigal Ph.D., Kelly. The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do to Get More of It (p. 87). Penguin Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

Death and Taxes

Calorie accounting inspires as much joy, involves the same math, follows a similarly tedious rule structure, and triggers as much labor-intensive procrastination as taxes. It's fitting that it's both tax season and the beginning of 'bikini season' - times when we may begrudgingly run numbers in a way that feels a lot like gossiping about ourselves. 'Too late, we say,' 'what's done, is done' followed by a lament as if we've never been through this before - 'should have looked at this sooner' and 'if I had only kept better records'. The most compelling similarity is that yearlong habits and lifestyle choices made both taxes and weight management more unbearable than they needed to be. Daily, My Fitness Pal can have all the charm of a 1040 form, and entering breakfast can feel like 'Subtract line 15 from line 14. If zero or less, enter -0-'.

If you read and listen to Dan Ariely or Katy Milkman - both authors, economists, and professors - our personal accounting tends to be less' math problem' and more threadbare justifications, stitched together with fanciful musings. When I step off a cardio machine to see my 'caloric expenditure' flashing, I'm less likely to be motivated by that number than by the mid-workout imaginary montage of winning races, summiting peaks, saving lives, toppling foes, or whatever other brain vacation kept me moving when I wanted to stop. But sometimes weight gain IS a math problem - like back in the day when the only constant in my tracker was a brand of luscious 'Breakfast Cookie' (not naming any names) that miscalculated its nutrition label by 700 calories and made me question my sanity. Food trackers do illuminate sneaky, sabotaging habits and creeping portion sizes, so it's still a useful, if not often tedious, tool.

When it comes to exercise, it's also hard to talk about 'caloric expenditure' as a compelling reason for movement and the more recently popular argument that's legit and alarming - 'so you don't wither until you die' - still doesn't spark a lot of giddy-up even if it 'should'. Cheating death feels far more motivating if we're doing it Tom Cruise style, but five more minutes on the elliptical doesn't feel all that death-defying. Ultimately, it can leave us just as tangled in shame when we fail to be inspired.

If I'm going to make exercise more enticing for myself and my clients, there needs to be more carrot and less stick. It's why the book 'Move: How the New Science of Body Movement Can Set Your Mind Free' by Caroline Williams was just what I was looking for. I needed to know I could buy myself a brain boost at the low cost of a stroll so that taking a walk became part of my job not a nuisance responsibility that someone told me I needed. As Williams stated, "We've known for decades now that physical exercise is the best proven way to boost brain health and cognitive skills, including memory and attention, and to reduce the risk of depression and anxiety."

A Microsoft manager whom I used to train once mentioned that he makes sure that he walks with direct reports during difficult meetings because it helps them think in sync. This is supported by Peter Coleman's book 'The Way Out: How to Overcome Toxic Polarization' when he addresses the power of moving together. He writes, "Recent advances in neuroscience and social science research have documented the benefits of movement—cognitive, motivational, emotional, and physical—for increasing our neuroplasticity (brain flexibility) and openness to new experiences. To find a way out of entrenched patterns, both simple locomotion and synchronization with others can free us and rewire our experiences and relations in a manner that can lead to more creative and constructive patterns in our life."

Problem-solving and brain fuel are two positive reasons to add exercise to your day to enhance your work rather than conflict with it. 'Move' spells out what we intuitively know about movement and, when we can put aside calories and longevity (which can't be promised), we can focus on motion to improve daily function and efficiency.

Williams, Caroline. Move: How the New Science of Body Movement Can Set Your Mind Free (p. 34). Hanover Square Press. Kindle Edition.

Coleman, Peter T.. The Way Out: How to Overcome Toxic Polarization (p. 166). Columbia University Press. Kindle Edition.

Gamify

I was a very bookish child, but then, after years of studious and stuffy pursuits interrupted by random feats of strength and suffering (I'm looking at you, Strongman competition), I gave birth to a Manga-loving, fantasy novel Officianato while also marrying a D&D Dungeonmaster with a tantalizing flair for the dramatic. Though still stigmatized by my brother starting PacMan while handing me the joystick upside down, I couldn't cross over to the dark side of the tablet and enter Roblox or any other game when my family beckoned.

Along came the ADHD student group I sometimes work with, and I knew I'd probably have to find some productivity tools that were entertaining enough to nudge them away from gaming. Ultimately, I had to learn more about their interests and obstacles. I had one of my students, Drew, test 'ModernSam', which I found one day in a Google rabbit hole. Drew couldn't have been more delighted with it, and after his rave reviews, I had to give it a try.

Let me start by saying that you generally don't do things like Strongman unless you sometimes secretly pretend you're a warrior queen. Reawakening her without lifting awkward, heavy things that chafe was exhilarating. I don't have ADHD, but I am neurodiverse and can encounter my own gang of brutish productivity villains. And after severe burnout from my last corporate job, I found productivity even more challenging to address. I love that this app is fun, whimsical and breaks things into the tiny bites that B.J. Fogg encourages in his book 'Tiny Habits'. It's the creative diversion I didn't know I needed and perhaps one of the few hamlets in which my son and I can fight shoulder to shoulder.

Yes, other gamified apps exist for 'grown-ups', but the rewards and structure feel feeble, apologetic, and self-conscious. This app has the storyline and enthusiasm of my family playing D&D - it's an 'in your face' commitment to fanciful fun, and I'm here for it. The creators rolled a Nat 20 (I had to clear that with my husband to ensure I got it right).

Beating

Two metro stops away from this one, it's utter mayhem. It's a busy transfer location where trains meet in the heart of downtown Porto. After leaving behind the busy bustle and as I ascend the escalator here on the way home, the greeting of majestic trees feels as relieving as setting down an awkward, heavy box. It's true even when I know drizzling rain and soggy shoes await.

Those refreshing moments of calm, focus, concentration, and clarity are always welcome. Short of escalators that plunge you directly into a tree bath, though, they can be challenging to conjure. It's why I've been exploring binaural beats, summed up nicely by Dr. Huberman here. Along with a small class of students I work with occasionally, I'm experimenting with the app Brain Waves to see what difference it makes. I'm also exploring YouTube to try more intriguing options that go beyond a flat tone (though I can't promise it's backed by science or as effective but it’s oh-so-soothing). 

Years ago, I came across this compelling use of sound when a friend in Seattle bought a curious device to produce low-frequency emissions. Good Life Project podcaster Jonathan Fields then discussed his use of binaural beats in the yoga class he taught. And while no research proves its benefit conclusively, the National Institute of Health says this in their conclusion statement:

This review has aimed to give a brief overview of ABS and its role in cognition and potential use as a therapeutic tool for modulating mood states. While findings for most putative applications up to now are either solitary or contradictory, several studies consistently report a diminishing impact of binaural-beat stimulation on anxiety levels. The underlying neural mechanisms are still yet to be unraveled. Understanding how and where the binaural-beat percept is generated and which cortical networks are most affected will aid in the optimization of both monaural and binaural-beat stimulation as a tool to modulate cognitive and mode states. Many studies employing ABS as either a mechanistic tool or potential therapeutic aid, report contrasting findings. Further research, including more accurate reporting of experimental protocols, especially those studies undertaken in a clinical setting, will help to clarify the most promising effects. In a recent study, Ross and colleagues reported that inconsistencies relating to monaural and binaural beats at low frequencies, as well as at the 40 Hz frequency, could possibly be attributed to earlier investigations suggesting that they share common neural mechanisms (33). Many factors may impact upon the efficacy of beat stimulation, including the duration of the applied stimulus. Carrier frequencies may also play a role, as well as the addition of background white or pink noise, which may amplify the beat percept (46).

Chaieb L, Wilpert EC, Reber TP, Fell J. Auditory beat stimulation and its effects on cognition and mood States. Front Psychiatry. 2015 May 12;6:70. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2015.00070. PMID: 26029120; PMCID: PMC4428073.

Oof. Resolutions.

This time of year, our imaginations can run a little wild with ideas for new wellness approaches. At certain times and in certain environments, we can talk ourselves into nearly anything but, as you know, it usually doesn’t stick. As it turns out, no matter how much environmentally sustainable protein they have, nobody in this house is committed to habitually eating mealworms - though my husband did say that these aren’t half bad. It might be contextual; he had to eat a palmful of foraged mealworms in military survival training, and no effort was made to improve their taste. Apparently, proper seasoning is a must.

Can a well-thought-out resolution work though? It turns out that there’s a cognitive bias that can actually aid in your success and Katy Milkman describes it here in an older episode of Choiceology. Also, James Clear, Author of Atomic Habits, asserts that it’s important to focus on who you’re being and not just what you’re doing in this episode of ‘Good Life Project’. A far more thorough take on habits with Clear can be found in his interview with Peter Attia where he outlines the four steps he uses to build successful habits. For instance, by focusing on being a runner versus running a marathon, you are more likely to align your habits consistent with someone who will one day run a marathon. As Hermione Granger would no doubt argue, it’s all in the way that you say it. It boils down to setting and forgetting outcome goals while focusing on the day-to-day steps that get you there (process goals).

Trust your gut

It took hours to make these cookies for my son's school, but it did give me dedicated podcast time along with hand cramps. Tackling 'The One Dough to Rule Them All' (my name, not theirs) was as gargantuan a task as digesting all of the material in Dr. Peter Attia's interview with Dr. Colleen Cutcliffe. There are parts of this podcast regarding your microbiome you can skip, such as the intricacies of manufacturing probiotics, and instead focus on the smaller 'Aha!' moments discussing your individual gut health and the changes you can expect based on circumstances. Ultimately, this podcast is long but important for anyone struggling to understand what their gut is up to. And, while we’re on the subject, Dr. Robert Lustig breaks down the importance of fiber, fermented food and overall gut health in the most recent episode of the Huberman Lab. While the first podcast digs deeply into the science of gut health, this one offers more actionable steps.

Just a note, I often discuss the importance of fiber and fermented foods for the love of a healthy biome. The conversation often goes like this:

Me: Gut bacteria are a big part of your overall health

Client: Should I take a probiotic, then?

Me: Um . . . . it's complicated.

Listening to this, it's still complicated, and it's still your choice after consulting with someone smarter and more qualified than me.

PS - just because I made them doesn’t mean I ate them. I may have considered it at a point, but by the time I finished making four dozen of them, I never wanted to see a cookie again!

Black magic

If this isn’t your holiday season, the next few weeks are still potentially a time of longer hours and more social obligations. We can certainly dig into what that means for your nutrition - oof! - and I can potentially give you a red light on nature’s kickstand - coffee. Thanks to the work of Science Vs and their deep dive into over a hundred research papers in this episode, a few extra cups may not be that alarming, depending on how you personally synthesize caffeine. Here are the stats:

Pro

• Can make you poop;

• Stimulates neurotransmitters such as dopamine that improve your mood;

• Blocks sleep-inducing adenosine;

• On average, it delays sleep by 30 minutes or less for the first cup and only 15 minutes per additional cup if you're a fast metabolizer of caffeine;

• Coffee drinkers averaged 1,000 more steps a day, which may translate to fantastic health benefits;

• Dials down the perception of pain;

• Some evidence that caffeine can increase your cell's calcium release, which could improve the force of muscle contractions;

• Even coffee drinkers who drink eight cups a day live longer than non-drinkers, according to one study;

• People who drink coffee have a lower risk of Parkinson's Disease, depression, Type 2 diabetes, and heart disease, and although we once erroneously thought coffee was carcinogenic, it actually might reduce your risk of some cancers like liver and breast cancer (Check the transcript for citations);

Con:

• Can make you poop (well, I mean, sometimes that's not super convenient);

• It does not sharpen your sense of humor;

• If you're a slow metabolizer, it can delay sleep by an hour or more;

• Can lead to dependency (not addiction);

• Too much can leave you feeling anxious;

Four days

New Englanders - we're not a journaling people. We're a hard-working, occasionally brawling, frequently sarcastic but not always introspective bunch. I know journaling is good for me, and I should do it, but anything that lives in a world of 'should' leads to relentless intracranial bickering. 'Should' seldom turned to 'did'. Whenever I have a moment that feels like a good time to journal, I cook instead, like my mother and her mother before her. It's hard to rewire. It's probably why I'm usually the culprit behind every 'potluck' thread in my WhatsApp conversations. If you told me I could dabble at journaling and not have a 'first day of the rest of your life' moment where I'm staring down a blank page, my interest might be piqued. You can imagine then how quickly I jumped at the scientifically supported four-day journaling protocol featured in the Huberman Lab. Four days. Fifteen minutes (I can make a batch of Marshmallows in about that time!). And it has lasting results.

Environment

A double whopper. Wait! Wait! Before I get to that, we may need a little backstory:

I don't eat fast food, but before anyone assumes that's hubris talking, the reason is environmental, not a heroic force of will. I grew up in a small New England town where the nearest McDonald's was 45 minutes away. Even in high school, my mother wouldn't let me drive to McDonald's because the town had a stoplight - seriously, I'm not kidding. Rather than fuse all my memories with a side of nuggets, my friends and I got breakfast served around the clock at P&H Truckstop. Now, when other people crave salty fries and a Coke in those wistful moments, I want scrambled eggs, bacon, hashbrowns, and thick slices of hot, buttered toast. See, the nuggets suddenly sound a lot more reasonable.

Lately, the urge to eat a Double Whopper has been oddly persistent (Yes, I know that's Burger King) though it only happens randomly and without urgency. It's been like a faint waft of Drakkar Noir that I can't identify immediately, but that stabs me with a sharp pang of awkwardness because it reminds me of every boy in high school. It all happens in a split second and then disappears. And the only time I can remember eating - yes, a DOUBLE whopper - was when I was pregnant and oh so desperate to stop feeling hungry for five minutes that I threw 1,061 calories at the problem.

To be clear, the fact that I vaguely crave one now doesn't mean I actually want one (or that I'm pregnant). It's probably something hormonal that my brain locked down tightly with 'A Whopper will fix it,' and so here we are. It's a reminder of how powerful our brain is and how much our past experiences try to offer us solutions, even when those solutions are entirely misguided. Still, I have the opportunity, means, and motive(ation) to commit the crime - why don't I? I'd like to say, 'Because I know It'd feel yucky,' which is true, but it's probably because the only Burger King I know is in the mall and I'm only in the mall when I'm going to the gym. In a way, this means that 'Environment' wins again.

I was thinking about these influences when I watched 'Live to 100: Secret of the Blue Zones' last night. The lifestyle that takes you to 100 doesn't take extraordinary effort but, instead, setting intentional priorities to build into your environment. And I live in one of those steep, walking cities like Sardinia. I make it a habit to walk wherever I go and haven't had a car in seven years. Each day, I walk my son from the bus to his school, the school to the mall, where I go to the gym, and then from the mall to home. In October, I walked 124 miles (47 hours and 24 minutes), according to Google Maps Timeline. It isn't because of willpower but because of how my life is set up. Everything about my day nudges me in healthy directions. I didn't just pick a goal; I built solid guardrails which save me frequently.

To build in nudges or create guardrails, consider this episode from Katie Milkman of Choiceology. Or ponder this episode that discusses how the emotional climate can affect you.

Fail to win

In Olympic Style Lifting, your job is to throw a significant load into a one-inch wide space over your head. It's like parking a Mac truck in a tight spot while driving 80 mph. Aim, hit the brakes and don't interrupt the process by thinking too hard. As you can imagine, I constantly dropped bars forward and backward when I was training for the 2009 Karnataka State Weightlifting competition in India. In fact, weightlifting training is just failing repeatedly until you don't. As I seldom throw anything heavier than me anymore, aim with that kind of precision, or wear weird tightfitting, spandex coveralls, the skills of weightlifting - other than failing well - are a thing of the past.

Now, my heaviest task is to carry two bags of groceries up four flights of stairs while the cloth bag handles promise to cut through the flesh of my shoulders. It can be just as impressive and failure isn't an option. It got me thinking about my clients and the different way we see failure week in and week out. It can look something like this:

Week 1 - Buy vegetables and then compost them in the vegetable drawer through pure neglect

What the client sees: Failure

What I see: Great 'Step 1'. Maybe a more robust veggie plan?

Week 2 - Buy vegetables and make horrendous food

What the client sees: Failure

What I see: Progress! Maybe better recipes?

Week 3 - Buy vegetables and make tasty food, but eat out anyway

What the client sees: Failure

What I see: Ooo, here we go! Time management, meal plan, or storage containers for work?

Week 4 - Buy vegetables, make tasty food, and eat at home once

What the client sees: Failure

What I see: Woot! Now we're talking! A solid step forward!

In this episode of 'The Next Big Idea', Harvard Business School professor Amy Edmondson discussed the value of failure and how crucial it is to our success. This was first made plain by Carol Dweck in her distinction of the growth versus fixed mindset (hint: we need to feel comfortable failing in order to grow). As I mentioned to my clients this week, the picture above is my impending food prep for Chicken Soup and Chicken Cacciatore but there are elements of failure baked right in. Note the inevitable jelly beans and the potential for a Gin and Tonic next weekend. I’m not staring at those failures as much as I’m focusing on squeezing in that many veggies!

Some

Years ago, while training at Microsoft's corporate gym, I worked with a programmer who wrote code for Windows. He commented that his computer only worked a couple of weeks before each update shipped. Yes, each problem was incrementally fixed, but there were always things that only worked once the operating system was ready to go. To me, it was funny imagining a programmer spending every day working on a computer that didn't function. The product was undoubtedly the outcome, but the PROCESS of creating that product was his job.

I sometimes think about that when I expect fast results after a straightforward tweak or when I overwhelm myself with everything to focus on. Those moments usually reveal that I've been on a slow slide back to all-or-nothing thinking. I've stopped seeing the process and started thinking about that far-off result again. Alas, I stopped seeing ‘some.’ After all, I set a goal for a reason, so why can't I keep staring longingly at it?

The answer is that fixating on the end goal seldom works to move you forward, and I often need to remind myself of that. This episode of 'Choiceology' hosted by Katie Milkman, author of 'How to Change', is a great reminder of how incremental change works. The first part of the episode may not feel relatable when she talks to Olympic Gold Medalist and Hall of Famer Shannon Miller, but hang in there.

As a bonus, I'm adding the most recent episode about friction (this is where Behavioral Economist Dan Ariely adds to the discussion) because it's a helpful reminder of how to remove it and how to use it to your advantage when changing behaviors. I included a picture of the exercise equipment above with that in mind. These machines are in parks all over Europe, so everyone can access convenient exercise equipment. I even used a park elliptical until I decided to buy my own.

No to nata

Portuguese pastries are not my favorite. I suppose, though, after walking 3.6 miles in total to take my son to school, stop at the gym, cruise the grocery isles, and walk home, I might find room for a Pastel de Nata. I didn't, but as a dear client can attest to, it's because I have an on-again/off-again secret obsession with gummy worms which are my 'go-to'. Of course, I don't eat them all the time or even regularly, but we always lean towards balance, which includes the occasional handful of gummy worms or a pastry filled with egg custard. Every culture - including Portugal's - has its indulgences and most have found a way to balance them.

And balance has been a topic for me lately. As I am currently studying for the Corrective Exercise Specialist certification, it reminds me of the little habits we SHOULD undertake to keep our bodies healthy and for which we never seem to find the time. 'Should' is always in close proximity to 'Shame' in that we often don't have the energy for all the 'shoulds' out there. We lower our eyes while describing what we should be doing but not even coming close to starting or completing. This is why I love Kelly and Juliet Starrett's 'Built to Move' because unlike their first book 'Suptle Leopard' (It was amazing, nonetheless) there's an acknowledgement that you're probably not going to check off all the 'shoulds' - life get's lifey. They built in behavior change as described in this video and worked to find those windows in a day that you can accomplish your goals without adding to an already hectic 'morning routine'. A key example is the 'Old Man Balance Test' seen here. Little tricks like this are what make a difference over time!

Gut feeling

Let's not bury the lead. Neuroscientist Peter Strick discovered a connection between the adrenal glands, the brain, and the body's postural muscles to determine how strengthening your core using methods such as pilates and yoga significantly decreases stress. In a recent TED Radio Hour podcast entitled 'Body Electric Part 4: Below the Belt', Strick makes the connection and suggests that short postural adjustments and ab-strengthening exercises can significantly impact your fight or flight response. As a side dish, I'm sending along a ten-minute core yoga video with Kassandra - I reviewed a few of them and this one has fewer opportunities to compromise your back but please use your judgement here. Talk to me if you need help finding a different core starting point.

Further, in 'The Recipe for a Nourished Brain', Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks to Nutritional Psychiatrist Dr. Uma Naidoo about what foods really do and do not impact our brain health and mood. Some may say it's taking 'food as medicine' a step too far, but it also might be a helpful nudge toward more whole foods. The research regarding yogurt was fascinating, especially because, like eggs, yogurt has had a ‘good for you one moment/not good for you the next’ reputation.

For life

It's tempting to choose one fitness modality and focus exclusively on it while ignoring other measures. I get it; we don't have much time and energy left at the end of the day, and we can sometimes prioritize what we're good at. But what's functional now may not be functional as you age, so it's essential to know where you stand regarding strength, cardiovascular fitness, and sufficient muscle. 

Dr. Andy Galpin offered the following measures on a recent informative episode of Huberman Lab. He also illustrated why measuring multiple parameters is important by citing research in which twins - one endurance athlete and one sedentary twin - showed a significant difference in aerobic capacity, which favored the athlete as expected. In contrast, grip and other strength measures favored the nonexerciser despite his sedentary lifestyle. It's sobering if you were assuming that your favorite sport or pastime builds checks all the boxes. 

He noted that the line of independence (18 ml of oxygen per kg of body weight per minute) was an aerobic capacity that determined whether elderly individuals could live on their own, and that any measure 22 and below left subjects vulnerable should an illness result in a loss of fitness. Galpin also noted that a resting heart rate of 60 to 80 was considered normal, but he believed a sub-60 heart rate preferable. To assess muscular balance or risk of injury, he suggested that one can examine movement patterns at each major joint (shoulder, elbow, low back, hip, knee and ankle) using upper body press/pull and lower body press/pull exercises in a slow and controlled way. Examples would include a push-up, a pull-up, a squat, and a deadlift. Examine each joint’s movement for:

Symmetry - From front to back, left to right, can each limb move consistently.

Stability - Determine if the movement can be performed slowly, with a 3 to 5-second pause at the bottom with no shaking, side-to-side slide at the hips, or movement outside or inside the expected path.

Awareness - When an outlier movement is detected, can it be corrected with prompting or guidance.

Range of motion - Can the full range of motion be performed.

Once joint movement has been assessed, the following tests can be performed:

Muscular Power

Standing broad jump - measure the jump from the tip of the toe at the starting position to the heal position at the end of the jump. Men should be able to jump their height while women should be able to jump their height minus 15%

Grip Strength

Dead hand from a pull-up bar: 30 to 50 seconds is sufficient, but greater than 60 seconds would be optimal.

Muscular Strength

Leg extension test: For subjects under 40, One body weight rep on the leg extension should be possible. For each decade after forty, subtract 10%. 

Goblet squat hold with 1/2 your body weight: hold at the bottom of the squat for 45 seconds. See video for the proper form.

Hypertrophy (Muscular size or mass)

Bioelectrical impedance: (These measures are applicable if your bodyfat percentage is below 30% for men or 35% for women) - In this measure, the FFMI (fat free mass index) for men should be 20 or higher while women should be 18 or higher. The danger zone would be sub 17 FFMI for men or sub 15 FFMI for woman.

Muscular endurance

Plank: There should be a minimum of a 60-second hold for a plank and a 45-second hold on a side plank.

Further, men should be able to do 25 push-up repetitions with no pauses and through a full range of motion. The marker for women should be 15 repetitions, but anything between five and fifteen is okay due to the strength component.

Anaerobic capacity

Run/row/sprint/bike (any modality in which you could deliver a maximal performance and then sustain that effort for 30 seconds): Sufficient performance is determined by the ability to maintain the effort for the full 30 seconds, the ability to get close to your predicted HR max, and the ability to recover. In a three-minute recovery, testing subjects should drop their heart rate 30 beats in the first minutes and then a subsequent 15 beats for the next two minutes. 

VO2 Max

This is more complicated to measure and may require more technical skills. To approximate a VO2 max test in a way that's more easily accessible, the following are options:

Cooper Test: In 12 minutes on a treadmill or a track with clear, measured distances, go as far as you can as quickly as you can and record the result. Check the results here.

1-mile walk test: walk a mile as quickly as possible and record the time and heart rate into the testing protocol here.

Long-duration steady-state exercise

You should be able to maintain consistent capacity for 20 minutes without stopping. Ideally, this should be harder than walking and achievable via nasal breathing if possible.

Completing the once yearly protocol - these tests can be performed in the following order over three days.

Day 1

FFMI / Body Comp / after a 48 hours rest

Power broad jump/ leg strength / muscular endurance

Day 2

Long-duration cardio test (as a warm-up for the next test)

Anaerobic test

Day 3

VO2 Max test

Tempting

As soon as the temperature drops even a little, my brain switches from salads to soups. I blame that on my dad, though - full disclosure - one could never tell what lurks in the murky depths of his broth because he views soup as the perfect way to upcycle leftovers. Given his, uh, 'creativity' - I've advised my son to skip milk-based concoctions to be safe. But this isn't a lengthy recipe ramble - it’s a chance to discuss cravings and what we can do about them. In an episode of 'Good Life Project', Amy Shah, MD discusses what triggers a craving and how to manage dopamine to keep us out of temptation's grip.

Head over heels

The overhead squat assessment is one of the quickest ways to evaluate flexibility and, potentially, fall backward onto your butt. Not to say it isn't useful, but if you're trying it for the first time, it's best to line up with a comfy seat behind you just in case. This test is hugely helpful in understanding what mechanical issues might be causing wear and tear at the knee. And considering that your ability to live independently as you age may be assessed by whether or not you can get out of a chair - essentially a squat - it's important to understand and address your weaknesses. Here's a video explaining how to assess your mechanics; initially, you should be able to feel where the issues are. If you'd like, you can video your effort to send to your trainer or in the chat to me for review.

It’s always good to see you

I wasn’t always eager to launch a business again. I was happy to lean on corporate America for a time while they did the messy work of marketing, funnels, content, billing, invoicing, etc. After all, the part of the business I love the most is talking to remarkable people who bravely take on life-affirming goals. If I could do just that, would it even be a job? But the menace of hyperproductivity can burn me out the way it does you. How do I teach work/life balance in an environment where I can't care for myself? So here I am, creating a space where we can all breathe and find paths to what matters. Change can be hard - let's do it together.

Oh, and welcome to my lovely home in Porto, Portugal - this is a photo I took while walking along the Douro

The beet goes on

It all started in a small villa in Northern Portugal . . . kidding, no long recipe preamble here! I've often shared this dish- it's one of my favorites. It's fast, flexible, nourishing, and a great way to include beets if you love them like I do. I tweak the recipe and use 500 grams of beets since that's how they're packaged here. I also use less olive oil, more red pepper (because yum!), and soba noodles for extra fiber and protein. Feel free to adapt it as you see fit. Also, I don't always eat the feta, dill, and lemon topping, but when I do, I just add a squeeze and a little sprinkle without following the specific recipe. Dill is almost impossible to find here, so I skip it.

https://thehappyfoodie.co.uk/recipes/nadiya-hussains-blender-beetroot-pasta/

Gripping challenge

In a recent episode of Dr. Rangan Chatterjee's podcast 'Feel Better, Live More', Dr. Peter Attia gives solid advice on planning for functional decline as you age. One key component was grip strength, and I wanted to know how mine would measure up. While I once did a farmer's carry regularly when training for Strongman, that was twenty years ago. According to Dr. Attia, a woman in her 40s must be able to carry 75% of her body weight for one minute if she hopes to be able to open a jar when she's 75. See how I managed in this video.

Faking it

The podcast 'The Next Big Idea' featured Chris van Tulleken, author of 'Ultra-Processed People: The Science Behind Food That Isn't Food,' in this compelling episode. He shares a compassionate take on the perils of eating hyper-processed foods and ways to address the industry while recognizing the challenges faced by vulnerable populations. Even if we don't rely on manufactured food habitually, we've all mindlessly blown through a portion size and marveled at how impossible it was to stop eating something. Van Tulleken expertly explains why this is so and what impact it has on our bodies.