An apple a day…

"If it works, we're right. If he dies, it was something else."

“The doctor of the future will give no medicine but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease.”

~Thomas Edison

Until that time when the doctors of Edison’s future exist, you’ll have to deal with the likes of me for your “care of the human frame” and your “diet”.

Hey now, stop screaming in horror!

All kidding aside, I’d take my workout routines over 99% of the doctors out there any day.  In fact, the next time you’re at your family doctor’s office, ask the doctor what is going on inside your hip. Point to a spot right below your hip crest, near your butt.  Tell him it’s been hurting since you played tennis a couple days ago.

Chances are, your doctor will

1. Refer you to another doctor.

2. Suggest that it’s a “muscle strain”, and that you should “stop activity” for a while.

3. Doubtfully mention something about the iliac crest (part of the hip bone).

Now, before I go further, I don’t want anyone to get the idea that I dislike doctors, or that I distrust them.  Not at all. When I had a sinus infection this past winter, I went straight to my doc and got a prescription. Last year, when my asthma unaccountably got worse… I called my doctor.

And I highly recommend that if you have anything similar to those type of internal maladies… book an appointment with your doctor.

All that said, when it comes to muscles, exercise and nutrition, the doctor is very likely not your best option.

The thing is, medical students just aren’t asked to know that stuff. At least nothing further than the generic basics.

Take a look at the “Biggest Loser” show.  The obese contestants are being trained by personal trainers. They are also monitored by medical professionals. Notice how they are not being trained to lose weight by the medical professionals. The doctors are there to make sure that their blood pressure doesn’t move into a dangerous realm, that their blood tests don’t indicate any vast deficiencies… in other words, because they are so large, the quick changes brought on by the trainers are being watched by the doctors.

It’s a great duo.

But if your blood pressure is high, your cholesterol is high, or you are overweight… what does your family doctor tell you to do? “You need to exercise more.” Does he/she give you an exercise routine? No. But will they tell you to “do more cardio, like jogging”, and “not eat too much protein”?* Unfortunately, too often they will.

So what’s my point? Be careful what you believe when your doctor speaks. Doctors are just people too, and sometimes – many times – they will give rotten advice rather than admit that they don’t know something. Or, perhaps even worse, they will give advice on something they don’t know about, all the while believing that they do know about it.

Here is a very cool little article by a recent med-school grad. He is a weight-lifting fan, and he talks about the contrast of what he knows about exercise and nutrition and what they learned (or didn’t learn) in med school.

What Your Doc Doesn’t Know About Weightlifting

I particularly like the sections on BMI and Kidney Function (in relation to protein intake).

Anyhow, have a great Patriot’s Day weekend, and I promise not to prescribe you pushups for your Spring allergies!

[* I want to clarify this: Long, slow jogging in and of itself is not a bad thing. It's just usually not the optimal use of exercise time for most people, and for some, it can be detrimental to joint health. And the idea of "too much" protein is a funny one. Of course "too much" of anything is a bad thing. "Too much oxygen" will kill you too. The definition of "too much" is "so much more than is necessary that it will cause some kind of harm". The real question is a matter of "How much do you need?"]

Power Butter

“Here I come to save the daaay!
That means that Mighty Mouse is on his way.
Yes sir, when there is a wrong to right
Mighty Mouse will join the fight.
On the sea or on the land,
He gets the situation well in hand.”

While Power Butter cannot fly, it is still an interesting product.

Convenience, convenience, convenience. That’s what most eating habits come down to. What’s in front of me? How fast can I get it? Do I have to cook it?

Well, Power Butter presents a potential short-cut in the daily challenge of getting protein, fiber and healthy fats. First of all, you don’t have to cook it, it’s portable, and it tastes good. Second of all, it doesn’t have any objectionable ingredients like hydrogenated oils or high-fructose corn syrup.

So what is it?

It’s essentially a jar of peanut butter, with extra protein (from egg whites) healthy fats and fiber (from flax) and honey, salt and wheat germ for flavor.

It advertizes a serving size as 4 tablespoons – compare that to regular peanut butter, which lists a serving as 2 tablespoons. So if we cut the serving size in half, Power Butter comes out looking like this:

• Basically the same amount of calories, fat, fiber and sugar as regular peanut butter.
• A small amount of omega-3’s, which regular peanut butter doesn’t have.
• Twice as much protein as regular peanut butter.

Most people think it tastes better than regular peanut butter – because of the honey and flax flavor – but that’s a matter of personal preference.

The only problem I have with Power Butter is the unground flax seeds. Flax seeds are really only beneficial when ground. Otherwise, they tend to just pass right on through the body; it doesn’t do you any harm – it just doesn’t do you any good either. You still get some benefit from the flax oil included, but the seeds are not as valuable here.

So can you make your own? The ingredients are simple enough – but I’ve tried it myself, and I’ll say this:

• I don’t like the idea of using raw egg whites, and I don’t know how to cook them in properly.
• You can get more benefit from grinding the flax seeds, so that’s a plus.
• Making it come out right isn’t so easy… the texture can be hard to deal with.
• It’s pretty messy to make.

Overall, I think it’s a pretty good product (though it could be better), and it does make things a bit simpler. It’s also not very expensive.

If you do decide to try some, you can put “IanKayTraining” in the coupon code box and get 5% off.

Green Tea

No,  it won’t help you look great in your bathing suit.

There, I said it.

There are many promising studies on the benefits of green tea, but very few indicate that it will help you lose fat.

That said,  there seems to be very good reason to drink a couple cups each day. First of all, unlike coffee, there haven’t been any big studies that have concluded that green tea has any adverse effects if consumed regularly.

Second, quite a few studies have indicated that consistent green tea consumption helps dilate blood vessels, which means improved heart health.

Third, there have been many studies showing decreased rates of various cancers in green tea drinkers.

Unfortunately, there have also been many studies showing no benefit regarding cancer, and some that give disappointing reviews on heart health. The FDA refuses to declare green tea as a significant aid to either of these ailments.

So what’s the final word on green tea?

The way I see it, there are dozens of studies that say that green tea helps fight cancer, heart disease… right on down to smaller ailments like sleep apnea and arthritis. There are other studies that show no benefit. There seem to be none that say it causes any harm. Plus, the stuff isn’t very expensive.

Odds are, it’s worth it!