Thursday, November 25, 2010
A real body transformation over real time - more why i like precision nutrition's approach
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Tis the season when hearts and minds turn to Body Comp - weight loss, muscle gain. Guilt. What to do? Need a plan that respects mind, gut and gusto, which is why i dig Precision Nutrition. Why? Let's start with the basics.
We know from research discussed here before that body comp change is more than 80% diet first. Exercise certainly helps for a ton of reasons; but what we eat is the heart of body comp change. Quick reality check? 20 mins of high intensity exhausting intervals is about the equivalent of 1.5-2 pieces of whole grain dry toast. What's the easier way to cut those 200kcals: do the intervals or cut the toasties? And if we don't want to Kill All Toast? well, when to have the toast can be optimized (i am a big toast optimizer). So this post is really a quick review - with a pretty stunning new example - of why PN is a great go to place for getting one with nutrition.
Preamble
I've posted over the past year a few times about why i like Precision Nutritions's approach to helping people find a healthy path to well being by taking into account both nutrition and exercise - two big markers in the proces -and also by taking a habits based rather than calorie counting or diet based approach: build great eating knowledge and habits, and one has skills for a life time.
The other thing i've said i like about PN is that it gives one a real opportunity to get to know oneself in terms of what works and what doesn't work for oneself for food and body comp. To dial that in once makes it so easy to practice, tune, refine explore forever after. Really.
One more thing about PN - it's very much a whole food/whole person approach rather than a "fabulous in forty days" or "starve yourself thin" or "kill carrots and get lean." No food in PN is evil - but finding out when what and how a food works for a person is part of the process.
And finally - but not last in any sense - PN's social support is bar none fabulous. I've written about that, too.
PN comes in two flavours: its stand alone program that has not only an awesome program (i've detailed it before), but a fabulous forum of experts - not just fellow sufferers - for support and information.
The second flavour is its 6month coaching program that is all online with regular daily information, practices, reality checks - more or less keeping one honest and providing support for a realistic period of time to get real results. I've posted before examples of such real results.
The Transformation of Transformations
Yesterday, some of us got a note about another transformation from following the PN sanity approach to eating, health and habits. It really blew me away. Why? because it's showing a journey not of 12 weeks or 6 months but of a year. And it's of a Real Person. Doing a year of slow but steady - with results and practices and knowledge to last a life time. It works. No added filler. No hyped claims. Just take the time, use the strategy, get consistent and there it is.
Look at this transformation - over a year - took off 70lobs and 20%bf. You can see it. The secret of his success?
As you'll see reading Yano's transformation story, he stuck with the plan, Stan. He committed to HIMSELF to do this.
Two Paths to Success
The approach in PN is so sane, so progressive, and so real you can't not but be happy. Indeed here's a
Free Pn Overview - 40 page plus free way to check out the approach to get a feel for it. IT's not a do everything overnight thing; it's find where to start and keep building - and there's strategies to support that. PN gets that there's more to this than just lining up the food to eat. There's a head game in the health game. Respect that, add a bit of knowledge, patience, breath. Everything works.
PN System If you're the kind of folk who just need the guidelines as long as you have guidelines to follow, and can tune into the social network that is the PN forum, then really really check out the whole huge page detailing what comes with the Precision Nutrition system.
PN Lean Eating Program. If you're someone who's just had it with trying to go it on your own, and wants a little more structure every day of every month of a six month process - a just tell me what to do so i can do it - with ALL of everything explained from how to lift a weight, to when to add in intervals and how, to what habit to focus on (like taking fish oil or algae oil daily), then consider the Lean Eating Program - here's a page that heads into full of info about the way the program works - tuned for men and for women.
Great Big Love
As with all safe good products, there's a guarentee with PN - person doesn't find it helpful, full refund. This is such an easy way to get into making it safe AND informational if you want, it's an easy approach to give to someone you love who's said they're looking for a way into better eating, better nutrition, better them.
Why the big Endorsement?
I like it; it works.
It's also real, the science is there if you want to geek out on what you're doing, the approach is there if you just want to do it, the PEOPLE are there who have been there if you need it.
- and the people i've met at PN who are so smart and kind are an unlooked for asset.
I've been doing the Pn Tao if you will since 2007. My way of doing PN has changed over that period as i've changed. But i know more about what i'm doing with those changes and how to assess them because of PN. Here's a rather cool example of doing the PN thang in an individual way. And as Ryan explains in this piece, PN is fundamentally about helping a person find what works for them nutritionally and whole well-being-y in terms of food and exerices.
Indeed, i'd found the PN process so inspiring that i did the PN certification to coach folks in their own nutrition quest - and learned even more about nutrition as a result. So i think that says there's something good hear.
Here's another thing: changing habits is hard, and food is frought with habituated responses. PN gets that and helps with that too. It's not a diet; it's a way of getting to what works for you. Yano's results are awesome, but so are those of just about everyone i know who's done PN - and what's cool - of the folks i met in 07 doing PN - we're still there on the forum, moving and grooving, learning more, helping out, keeping the habits sharing what we've learned. It's not about diet it's about life.
So do it for yourself, or share it with the one you love. It will be an awesome gift to self, either way. Tweet Follow @begin2dig
Preamble
I've posted over the past year a few times about why i like Precision Nutritions's approach to helping people find a healthy path to well being by taking into account both nutrition and exercise - two big markers in the proces -and also by taking a habits based rather than calorie counting or diet based approach: build great eating knowledge and habits, and one has skills for a life time.
The other thing i've said i like about PN is that it gives one a real opportunity to get to know oneself in terms of what works and what doesn't work for oneself for food and body comp. To dial that in once makes it so easy to practice, tune, refine explore forever after. Really.
And finally - but not last in any sense - PN's social support is bar none fabulous. I've written about that, too.
PN comes in two flavours: its stand alone program that has not only an awesome program (i've detailed it before), but a fabulous forum of experts - not just fellow sufferers - for support and information.
The second flavour is its 6month coaching program that is all online with regular daily information, practices, reality checks - more or less keeping one honest and providing support for a realistic period of time to get real results. I've posted before examples of such real results.
The Transformation of Transformations
Yesterday, some of us got a note about another transformation from following the PN sanity approach to eating, health and habits. It really blew me away. Why? because it's showing a journey not of 12 weeks or 6 months but of a year. And it's of a Real Person. Doing a year of slow but steady - with results and practices and knowledge to last a life time. It works. No added filler. No hyped claims. Just take the time, use the strategy, get consistent and there it is.
Look at this transformation - over a year - took off 70lobs and 20%bf. You can see it. The secret of his success?
As you'll see reading Yano's transformation story, he stuck with the plan, Stan. He committed to HIMSELF to do this.
Two Paths to Success
The approach in PN is so sane, so progressive, and so real you can't not but be happy. Indeed here's a
Free Pn Overview - 40 page plus free way to check out the approach to get a feel for it. IT's not a do everything overnight thing; it's find where to start and keep building - and there's strategies to support that. PN gets that there's more to this than just lining up the food to eat. There's a head game in the health game. Respect that, add a bit of knowledge, patience, breath. Everything works.
PN System If you're the kind of folk who just need the guidelines as long as you have guidelines to follow, and can tune into the social network that is the PN forum, then really really check out the whole huge page detailing what comes with the Precision Nutrition system.
PN Lean Eating Program. If you're someone who's just had it with trying to go it on your own, and wants a little more structure every day of every month of a six month process - a just tell me what to do so i can do it - with ALL of everything explained from how to lift a weight, to when to add in intervals and how, to what habit to focus on (like taking fish oil or algae oil daily), then consider the Lean Eating Program - here's a page that heads into full of info about the way the program works - tuned for men and for women.
Great Big Love
As with all safe good products, there's a guarentee with PN - person doesn't find it helpful, full refund. This is such an easy way to get into making it safe AND informational if you want, it's an easy approach to give to someone you love who's said they're looking for a way into better eating, better nutrition, better them.
Why the big Endorsement?
I like it; it works.
It's also real, the science is there if you want to geek out on what you're doing, the approach is there if you just want to do it, the PEOPLE are there who have been there if you need it.
- and the people i've met at PN who are so smart and kind are an unlooked for asset.
I've been doing the Pn Tao if you will since 2007. My way of doing PN has changed over that period as i've changed. But i know more about what i'm doing with those changes and how to assess them because of PN. Here's a rather cool example of doing the PN thang in an individual way. And as Ryan explains in this piece, PN is fundamentally about helping a person find what works for them nutritionally and whole well-being-y in terms of food and exerices.
Indeed, i'd found the PN process so inspiring that i did the PN certification to coach folks in their own nutrition quest - and learned even more about nutrition as a result. So i think that says there's something good hear.
Here's another thing: changing habits is hard, and food is frought with habituated responses. PN gets that and helps with that too. It's not a diet; it's a way of getting to what works for you. Yano's results are awesome, but so are those of just about everyone i know who's done PN - and what's cool - of the folks i met in 07 doing PN - we're still there on the forum, moving and grooving, learning more, helping out, keeping the habits sharing what we've learned. It's not about diet it's about life.
So do it for yourself, or share it with the one you love. It will be an awesome gift to self, either way. Tweet Follow @begin2dig
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Saturday, November 20, 2010
Flu Fighting: Just Wash Your Hands - Often?
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We all appreciate quick fixes. Bag's got a hole in it and no time for a proper repair? Duct tape can help. On the run and no time for a full meal? A protein bar can help. These aren't meant as long term real fixes but emergency quickies when we just have to get from A to B. On the road and not sure of the nutrient quality in the food? A multivitamin can be a good idea for back up. Fine. Great. But sometimes, it seems, we look for quick fixes for more than emergency gap fillers. I'm talking about the flu vaccine.
We are told that getting a flu vaccine - or buying one for someone we love - is one of the best things we can do for health in the flu season. Indeed, in one province in Canada, this is the conclusion of a research study as a best way to promote vacine uptake in younger adults.
I have a couple issues with this message. 1 - a vaccine gives the impression that it's a shield against all flu ills. 2 - having said shield tends to afford a license to get sloppy with other more time intensive approaches to our care of self and those around us. Neither is a Good Thing.
This post offers a quick overview about flu vaccine - and a quick reminder of other approaches that seem to be even more effective in reducing flu catching likelihood. Indeed the post ends with two challenges: frequent soap and water hand washing, and even harder perhaps: developing a strategy to ensure we stick with the practice.
Context:
Quite a years ago, moving to a new job/city, i got the flu three times in one year. I swore never again, and became an ardent fan of the flu vaccine. In canada, these are free. In the UK, once the prime population has 'em, GP's can also dispense the left overs freely. Great. Flu be gone! I put my success down to the vaccine. A couple years ago, on getting more into the research on the vaccine, i stopped getting it, and adjusted some health habits. Still haven't had the flu since. Some mighty colds (that hasn't changed though the frequency and intensity has gone down), but no flu. Maybe i'm a statistical anomoly. Maybe not. So here's a bit of what seems to be known about the vaccine.
Flu Vaccine:
Drug Companies. Let's state the obvious: drug companies make their living on product sales. When the H1N1 virus broke out, sales of the rapidly developed and not so rapidly tested vacine sold an awful lot. The drug was rushed into production. Sales to governments like those in the UK were huge. Someone's problem is always someone else's silver lining.
Governments. Govn'ts also seem to like quick fixes and a fast way to show that they're Doing Something for the population. Buying in Lots of Drugs for the People does seem to look like the govn't is Being Responsible. Acting Fast. Grr. Way to Go, Government. This of course is the same motivation that has an ex-government homeland security head now lobbyist getting lots of back scatter, full body x-ray machines into airports. The Quick Fix Solution thanks to Technology. But i digress.
The Science. Last year, Canadian scientists found that folks who had had seasonal flu shots in the past, and then had the H1N1 shot were more likely to get H1N1. Apparently the reports of this study had a hard time making it into the US media where the vaccine was being promoted on a grand scale. Now that's a drug interaction effect. And indeed, a very recent report out of UofToronto suggests that in ontario, the mass shoot up of flu vaccine in Ontario was good value for money. That seems so odd: scientists saying it could make things worse; statisticians saying good value?
What do we know? That's a toughie. Let's take it by population.
For Elders. The flu shot is often prioritised for "people over 50." This past year, however, researchers lead by Thomas Jefferson in Rome, showed that the research doesn't support current vacines to be as beneficial as claims that have been made for them:
Needless to say, Jefferson took a lot of heat for saying the Emperor may have some thin clothes. There's a nice discussion of the critique of the critique's critics over at the Atlatntic.
So what's a gal or guy to do? Wash Up
Turns out that the recommendations posted last year on b2d for fighting a wretched cold are pretty good when it comes to any respiratory illness: wash your hands.
At the risk of being single source repetetive, Jefferson suggests that airports get fitted with 100's of wash basins, and that folks who do not wash after exiting a plane be held by security.
Cultural Awareness: Soap and water. Rinse and Repeat.
How make soaping up exciting? I wonder what dyson might do with this if they added some amazing Jetson's like technology to go with their awesome hand dryers? These things make a trip to the otherwise super crowded Waterloo Station toilets not just a necessity, but an adventure. It's like NASA for the masses. And assuming we don't have to touch the bathroom door handles on the way out? Really cool. Until these devices become more common, well, education campaigns?
communication? There are the occaisional totally disgusting ads in the UK that just gross one out to say there are bugs in the atmosphere - but they don't actually show one how to wash one's hands or how long to do so or how frequently. And do they actually show cool easy ways to carry a hankerchief and use it if you are in the Snuffle Space?
Support? One of my students the other day was horking all over the place at a meeting. He just laughed the first time i said go get some kleenex. He didn't after i told him to leave and not come back till he had some. He missed my following mini-lecture on why that's what happened was a social catastrophe waiting to happen. Especially in light of upcoming deadlines for everyone in that room. Where's my educational back up pack, though? where's the illustrated posters? the iPhone Aps for the handwashing frequency competitions? The how-to videos? Maybe we need more than just a single-factor approach to support real behaviour change?
Research. How so certain that handwashing is the big help? Contact someone's germs from their spewing (germs: invisible; live on surfaces for hours); put contacted fingers on nose; we are toast. It's that simple a transmission. Wash hands with soap; this lifts germs from hands; rinse hands - germs get flushed, quite literally, down the drain. No hand to nose transmission. Wash hands frequently after surface contacts; reduce incidence of exposure.
Despite this simple and pretty fool-proof chain of actions, there's some pretty big work underway to see if handwashing can do more than cut back occurrences, but can cut back on days of sick time taken at work. And since sick days are a big cost to work, there's a big incentive to get this effect quantified. That study's just beginning.
But there's other work extant from the world of the 2003 SARS outbreak:
A korean study showed that ads to promote hand washing during various flu seasons definitely increased hand washing behaviour - especially among women. Guys, it seems, need other methods to encourage practice. let's get on it, Science! Likewise, a review of studies around the SARS outbreak in 2003 showed that handwashing went up, and that the habit stayed up after the outbreak, declining only slowly. Again, gals get with the program in greater numbers. What's with this, boys? Seems that a single approach like *just* education is not enough to get action.
Lessons from Hospitals. Other research around the SARS outbreak showed that the biggest protection for hospital workers against the disease spreading was actually - i love this - multifactorial. In other words, not JUST an education program to staff to wash hands, but all around better processes for identifying problems before they get to congested emergency rooms, better processing of these infectious cases to be detected, isolated, processed, and then better inter-patient/carer hand hygiene. The whole package.
From Hospital to Workforce. What would a whole package for an office or university environment be? I'm not alone in suggesting, at the first sign of sniffles or just "that feeling" of a Thing coming on, have support from work to work from home, to rest and beat back the symptoms. In the work/school space, where are those extra wash basins everywhere? Why have to go to the loo to use a basin? in hospitals, they're in the hallways, no? What about investment in actually having kleenex and secure kleenex disposals everywhere? Bring back the role of the handkerchief in fashion?
Overview of Research: just frickin' wash up. In lieu of wholesale improvement, we can all wash our hands more frequently, eh? Some of us may even have some influence in on-site work practices. We can use that too, no? Indeed, another Cochraine review has shown that. "Many simple and probably low-cost interventions would be useful for reducing the transmission of epidemic respiratory viruses" Talk about cost-effective.
Some Back Ups: Vitamin D as a help?
I'm almost hesitant to suggest vitamin d as a flu busting helper because it seems so quick fix-y. But where we KNOW that hand washing helps reduce the opportunities for a respiratory virus to spread, there seems some evidence that vitamin d seems to help reduce incidence of these viruses taking hold - some.
The idea seems to be not so much that super dosing with vit D is the big antibiotic win; rather, most of us who are not exposed sufficiently to the sun to get it through our skin, are simply too deficient in this steroidal hormone vitamin to have enough of it in our systems to do what we evolved out in the desert to do. Have a lot more vit D in our systems. Get that up to "normal" levels (what those are is still under debate, but 4000IU's a day seems to be in the zone. That's ten times the current RDA) and it seems we're in for better disease prevention all 'round. There's a nice discussion of these points by J. J. Cannell here. Cannell seems to be one of the biggest proponents of vitamin D as a break on the flu, though there are some growing results to suggest he's not alone (some papers listed below).
Now, i've been taking 4000IU's a day for over a year. I'm about to have blood work done to see if the vit D i'm taking is actually being absorbed or if i'm deficient. I'm curious. If we're not testing, we're guessing, right? I'll report back.
Ok what about the Vaccine?
Readers, like last year, i'm not getting one this year. That's my choice and it's not a recommendation. I haven't experienced any harm from taking a vaccine; i haven't expereinced any harm of late from not taking it.
So why not get one? We know that by the time a vaccine is ready for one virus, that virus may have already mutated and the vacine be pretty worthless. It also seems that wholesale vacination can assist mutation and helps, some contend, to weaken the immune system. Again, i am not making a recommendation.
So if not about the Vacine, What? Better Broader Habits - including soap and water.
THis post really isn't at bottom to get folks either to take or not take the flu vaccine; it's to encourage us to practice safer, broader health habits. And these habits are simple: wash hands frequently. Find an excuse to get to sink and get into the technique of soap and water use.
Handwashing is part of course of an overall health regimen: good food, rest, happiness, stress management, vit D levels, reducing exposure to infected folks, etc. But all that said, it seems it's a pretty good practice to ensure is up to speed.
Skills. The only way i've been able to not become entirely bored about hand washing is to note what seems a good correlation between decreased personal incidence of hand washing and cold getting for instance, zero flu; and pretty quick return of cold getting if my hand washing habits get a little sloppy.
And so, as a geek, i've gotten into hand washing technique. Getting each diget - back front inbetween - seeing if i can actually make the exercise last 20 secs. Using a paper towel to open the door to the loo after washing my hands. That sort of thing. Without which, oh come on, it's so tedious, eh?
Challenge:
SO here's the challenges for most of us:
Perhaps a bigger challenge:
How are you motivating yourself to wash your hands - frequently? Please post a comment.
For bonus points? All the vids on hand washing that i've seen on YouTube actually kinda suck. Too much talking head stuff. Or really depressing visuals. The CDC one above seems about the best. Surely there are better ways to do this, to blend technique with a bit of the why's? - Like the fact that soap just lifts the germs off the hands, and it's the running water that moves 'em off the hands? or that having paper towels may actually be good for openning the bathroom door on the way out so as not to re-germ up the hands? If you make a vid, please post a link in the comments below.
Thanks, and best to you and your health this flu season.
citations
We all appreciate quick fixes. Bag's got a hole in it and no time for a proper repair? Duct tape can help. On the run and no time for a full meal? A protein bar can help. These aren't meant as long term real fixes but emergency quickies when we just have to get from A to B. On the road and not sure of the nutrient quality in the food? A multivitamin can be a good idea for back up. Fine. Great. But sometimes, it seems, we look for quick fixes for more than emergency gap fillers. I'm talking about the flu vaccine.
We are told that getting a flu vaccine - or buying one for someone we love - is one of the best things we can do for health in the flu season. Indeed, in one province in Canada, this is the conclusion of a research study as a best way to promote vacine uptake in younger adults.I have a couple issues with this message. 1 - a vaccine gives the impression that it's a shield against all flu ills. 2 - having said shield tends to afford a license to get sloppy with other more time intensive approaches to our care of self and those around us. Neither is a Good Thing.
This post offers a quick overview about flu vaccine - and a quick reminder of other approaches that seem to be even more effective in reducing flu catching likelihood. Indeed the post ends with two challenges: frequent soap and water hand washing, and even harder perhaps: developing a strategy to ensure we stick with the practice.
Context:
Quite a years ago, moving to a new job/city, i got the flu three times in one year. I swore never again, and became an ardent fan of the flu vaccine. In canada, these are free. In the UK, once the prime population has 'em, GP's can also dispense the left overs freely. Great. Flu be gone! I put my success down to the vaccine. A couple years ago, on getting more into the research on the vaccine, i stopped getting it, and adjusted some health habits. Still haven't had the flu since. Some mighty colds (that hasn't changed though the frequency and intensity has gone down), but no flu. Maybe i'm a statistical anomoly. Maybe not. So here's a bit of what seems to be known about the vaccine.
Flu Vaccine:
Governments. Govn'ts also seem to like quick fixes and a fast way to show that they're Doing Something for the population. Buying in Lots of Drugs for the People does seem to look like the govn't is Being Responsible. Acting Fast. Grr. Way to Go, Government. This of course is the same motivation that has an ex-government homeland security head now lobbyist getting lots of back scatter, full body x-ray machines into airports. The Quick Fix Solution thanks to Technology. But i digress.
The Science. Last year, Canadian scientists found that folks who had had seasonal flu shots in the past, and then had the H1N1 shot were more likely to get H1N1. Apparently the reports of this study had a hard time making it into the US media where the vaccine was being promoted on a grand scale. Now that's a drug interaction effect. And indeed, a very recent report out of UofToronto suggests that in ontario, the mass shoot up of flu vaccine in Ontario was good value for money. That seems so odd: scientists saying it could make things worse; statisticians saying good value?
What do we know? That's a toughie. Let's take it by population.
For Elders. The flu shot is often prioritised for "people over 50." This past year, however, researchers lead by Thomas Jefferson in Rome, showed that the research doesn't support current vacines to be as beneficial as claims that have been made for them:
Overall, the authors write, "Our findings show that according to reliable evidence, the effectiveness of trivalent inactivated influenza vaccines in elderly individuals is modest, irrespective of setting, outcome, population, and study design. Our estimates are consistently below those usually quoted for economic modeling or decision making."Does this mean don't get the shot? In certain conditions, it's still viewed to be better than a kick in the head.
"We do need better studies to determine the effectiveness of influenza vaccine in the elderly, and CDC is working on such studies," Skinner commented. "However, it's a fact that influenza causes a heavy burden of illness and death among people 65 and older. This burden, combined with limited data from randomized trials as well as studies in nursing homes and other settings, support the current vaccination recommendations of the United States and many other countries."In an interview with Jefferson in Der Spiegel, Jefferson was more critical:
Jefferson...In the best of cases, the few decent studies that exist show that the vaccine mainly works with healthy young adults. With children and the elderly, it only helps a little, if at all.
SPIEGEL: But aren't those the exact groups that influenza immunization is recommended for?
Jefferson: Indeed. That's one of the contradictions between scientific findings and practice, between evidence and policy.For the General Population. One of the most compelling statements from the Jefferson interview is with regard to the well hyped drug Tamiflu. Jefferson states:
If taken at the right time, on average, Tamiflu reduces the duration of a real influenza by one day. One study found it reduced the risk of pneumonia [maybe this one? - mc].The entire interview is well worth reading. Jefferson, whose group the Cochrane Collaboration whose mission is to review the scientific literature around disease, points out that deaths attributed to flu are based on some pretty weird estimates (not facts) that may not be influenza virus based at all. Likewise that the huge focus on influenza as opposed to other viruses "is not only misguided, but dangerous." And what's the thing that's mis-guiding? What, good b2d readers, do you think? Even science is not immune.
Needless to say, Jefferson took a lot of heat for saying the Emperor may have some thin clothes. There's a nice discussion of the critique of the critique's critics over at the Atlatntic.
So what's a gal or guy to do? Wash Up
Turns out that the recommendations posted last year on b2d for fighting a wretched cold are pretty good when it comes to any respiratory illness: wash your hands.
At the risk of being single source repetetive, Jefferson suggests that airports get fitted with 100's of wash basins, and that folks who do not wash after exiting a plane be held by security.
Whoever gets off a plane and doesn't wash their hands should be stopped by the border police. You could tell for example by putting an invisible, neutral dye in the water. And wearing masks can be sensible, as well.Soap and Water. And note: what is being promoted is hand washing rather than alcohol gels, but if there's no soap and water? Gels are better than nothing - a duct tape fix - but washing's best.
Cultural Awareness: Soap and water. Rinse and Repeat.
How make soaping up exciting? I wonder what dyson might do with this if they added some amazing Jetson's like technology to go with their awesome hand dryers? These things make a trip to the otherwise super crowded Waterloo Station toilets not just a necessity, but an adventure. It's like NASA for the masses. And assuming we don't have to touch the bathroom door handles on the way out? Really cool. Until these devices become more common, well, education campaigns?
communication? There are the occaisional totally disgusting ads in the UK that just gross one out to say there are bugs in the atmosphere - but they don't actually show one how to wash one's hands or how long to do so or how frequently. And do they actually show cool easy ways to carry a hankerchief and use it if you are in the Snuffle Space?
Support? One of my students the other day was horking all over the place at a meeting. He just laughed the first time i said go get some kleenex. He didn't after i told him to leave and not come back till he had some. He missed my following mini-lecture on why that's what happened was a social catastrophe waiting to happen. Especially in light of upcoming deadlines for everyone in that room. Where's my educational back up pack, though? where's the illustrated posters? the iPhone Aps for the handwashing frequency competitions? The how-to videos? Maybe we need more than just a single-factor approach to support real behaviour change?Research. How so certain that handwashing is the big help? Contact someone's germs from their spewing (germs: invisible; live on surfaces for hours); put contacted fingers on nose; we are toast. It's that simple a transmission. Wash hands with soap; this lifts germs from hands; rinse hands - germs get flushed, quite literally, down the drain. No hand to nose transmission. Wash hands frequently after surface contacts; reduce incidence of exposure.
Despite this simple and pretty fool-proof chain of actions, there's some pretty big work underway to see if handwashing can do more than cut back occurrences, but can cut back on days of sick time taken at work. And since sick days are a big cost to work, there's a big incentive to get this effect quantified. That study's just beginning.
But there's other work extant from the world of the 2003 SARS outbreak:
A korean study showed that ads to promote hand washing during various flu seasons definitely increased hand washing behaviour - especially among women. Guys, it seems, need other methods to encourage practice. let's get on it, Science! Likewise, a review of studies around the SARS outbreak in 2003 showed that handwashing went up, and that the habit stayed up after the outbreak, declining only slowly. Again, gals get with the program in greater numbers. What's with this, boys? Seems that a single approach like *just* education is not enough to get action.
Lessons from Hospitals. Other research around the SARS outbreak showed that the biggest protection for hospital workers against the disease spreading was actually - i love this - multifactorial. In other words, not JUST an education program to staff to wash hands, but all around better processes for identifying problems before they get to congested emergency rooms, better processing of these infectious cases to be detected, isolated, processed, and then better inter-patient/carer hand hygiene. The whole package.
From Hospital to Workforce. What would a whole package for an office or university environment be? I'm not alone in suggesting, at the first sign of sniffles or just "that feeling" of a Thing coming on, have support from work to work from home, to rest and beat back the symptoms. In the work/school space, where are those extra wash basins everywhere? Why have to go to the loo to use a basin? in hospitals, they're in the hallways, no? What about investment in actually having kleenex and secure kleenex disposals everywhere? Bring back the role of the handkerchief in fashion?
Overview of Research: just frickin' wash up. In lieu of wholesale improvement, we can all wash our hands more frequently, eh? Some of us may even have some influence in on-site work practices. We can use that too, no? Indeed, another Cochraine review has shown that. "Many simple and probably low-cost interventions would be useful for reducing the transmission of epidemic respiratory viruses" Talk about cost-effective.
Some Back Ups: Vitamin D as a help?
I'm almost hesitant to suggest vitamin d as a flu busting helper because it seems so quick fix-y. But where we KNOW that hand washing helps reduce the opportunities for a respiratory virus to spread, there seems some evidence that vitamin d seems to help reduce incidence of these viruses taking hold - some.
The idea seems to be not so much that super dosing with vit D is the big antibiotic win; rather, most of us who are not exposed sufficiently to the sun to get it through our skin, are simply too deficient in this steroidal hormone vitamin to have enough of it in our systems to do what we evolved out in the desert to do. Have a lot more vit D in our systems. Get that up to "normal" levels (what those are is still under debate, but 4000IU's a day seems to be in the zone. That's ten times the current RDA) and it seems we're in for better disease prevention all 'round. There's a nice discussion of these points by J. J. Cannell here. Cannell seems to be one of the biggest proponents of vitamin D as a break on the flu, though there are some growing results to suggest he's not alone (some papers listed below).
Now, i've been taking 4000IU's a day for over a year. I'm about to have blood work done to see if the vit D i'm taking is actually being absorbed or if i'm deficient. I'm curious. If we're not testing, we're guessing, right? I'll report back.
Ok what about the Vaccine?
Readers, like last year, i'm not getting one this year. That's my choice and it's not a recommendation. I haven't experienced any harm from taking a vaccine; i haven't expereinced any harm of late from not taking it.
So why not get one? We know that by the time a vaccine is ready for one virus, that virus may have already mutated and the vacine be pretty worthless. It also seems that wholesale vacination can assist mutation and helps, some contend, to weaken the immune system. Again, i am not making a recommendation.
So if not about the Vacine, What? Better Broader Habits - including soap and water.
THis post really isn't at bottom to get folks either to take or not take the flu vaccine; it's to encourage us to practice safer, broader health habits. And these habits are simple: wash hands frequently. Find an excuse to get to sink and get into the technique of soap and water use.
Handwashing is part of course of an overall health regimen: good food, rest, happiness, stress management, vit D levels, reducing exposure to infected folks, etc. But all that said, it seems it's a pretty good practice to ensure is up to speed.
Skills. The only way i've been able to not become entirely bored about hand washing is to note what seems a good correlation between decreased personal incidence of hand washing and cold getting for instance, zero flu; and pretty quick return of cold getting if my hand washing habits get a little sloppy.
And so, as a geek, i've gotten into hand washing technique. Getting each diget - back front inbetween - seeing if i can actually make the exercise last 20 secs. Using a paper towel to open the door to the loo after washing my hands. That sort of thing. Without which, oh come on, it's so tedious, eh?
Challenge:
SO here's the challenges for most of us:
- every time we go to the loo (that's you too, guys), wash our hands.
- every time we come out of an office or classroom or gym or dining space where we've been touching surfaces others of dubious provenance have hit before us, wash our hands with soap and water (i shudder thinking about all of the objects in the gym alone)
- every time we get off public transportation, find somewhere to soap and water it.
Perhaps a bigger challenge:
- spending some cycles to find a way to keep us motivated to develop and keep up this practice.
How are you motivating yourself to wash your hands - frequently? Please post a comment.
For bonus points? All the vids on hand washing that i've seen on YouTube actually kinda suck. Too much talking head stuff. Or really depressing visuals. The CDC one above seems about the best. Surely there are better ways to do this, to blend technique with a bit of the why's? - Like the fact that soap just lifts the germs off the hands, and it's the running water that moves 'em off the hands? or that having paper towels may actually be good for openning the bathroom door on the way out so as not to re-germ up the hands? If you make a vid, please post a link in the comments below.
Thanks, and best to you and your health this flu season.
citations
Cannell, J., Zasloff, M., Garland, C., Scragg, R., & Giovannucci, E. (2008). On the epidemiology of influenza Virology Journal, 5 (1) DOI: 10.1186/1743-422X-5-29
Ginde, A., Mansbach, J., & Camargo, C. (2009). Association Between Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Level and Upper Respiratory Tract Infection in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Archives of Internal Medicine, 169 (4), 384-390 DOI: 10.1001/archinternmed.2008.560
Kaboli, F., Astrakianakis, G., Li, G., Guzman, J., Naus, M., & Donovan, T. (2010). Influenza Vaccination and Intention to Receive the Pandemic H1N1 Influenza Vaccine among Healthcare Workers of British Columbia, Canada: A Cross‐Sectional Study Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, 31 (10), 1017-1024 DOI: 10.1086/655465
Jefferson T, Del Mar C, Dooley L, Ferroni E, Al-Ansary LA, Bawazeer GA, van Driel ML, Nair S, Foxlee R, & Rivetti A (2010). Physical interventions to interrupt or reduce the spread of respiratory viruses: a Cochrane review. Health technology assessment (Winchester, England), 14 (34), 347-476 PMID: 20648717
Park, J., Cheong, H., Son, D., Kim, S., & Ha, C. (2010). Perceptions and behaviors related to hand hygiene for the prevention of H1N1 influenza transmission among Korean university students during the peak pandemic period BMC Infectious Diseases, 10 (1) DOI: 10.1186/1471-2334-10-222
Savolainen-Kopra, C., Haapakoski, J., Peltola, P., Ziegler, T., Korpela, T., Anttila, P., Amiryousefi, A., Huovinen, P., Huvinen, M., Noronen, H., Riikkala, P., Roivainen, M., Ruutu, P., Teirila, J., Vartiainen, E., & Hovi, T. (2010). STOPFLU: is it possible to reduce the number of days off in office work by improved hand-hygiene? Trials, 11 (1) DOI: 10.1186/1745-6215-11-69
Sander, B., Bauch, C., Fisman, D., Fowler, R., Kwong, J., Maetzel, A., McGeer, A., Raboud, J., Scales, D., & Gojovic, M. (2010). Is a mass immunization program for pandemic (H1N1) 2009 good value for money? Evidence from the Canadian Experience☆ Vaccine, 28 (38), 6210-6220 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2010.07.010
White, J. (2008). Vitamin D Signaling, Infectious Diseases, and Regulation of Innate Immunity Infection and Immunity, 76 (9), 3837-3843 DOI: 10.1128/IAI.00353-08Tweet Follow @begin2dig
Friday, November 19, 2010
And Speaking of Indian Clubs...Swords to Ploughshares and sticks to fishing poles - kali
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All this thinking and chatting about indian clubs and swinging things recently rather reminds me of a secret desire i have to be able to whack at "things" (you know? things!!) with sticks.
Rannoch Donald, Monk of the North of Simple Strength, shows how both can be accomplished by blending Thomas-esque style club swinging (as discussed yesterday) with Filipino Kali Sticks - and while i don't know the formal history of the sticks i understand that there's a fishing pole part to the history. How nice is that? If someone messes with your effort to get a meal for your family, what else ya gonna do?
Rannoch suggests looking at the similarities of the two movements. Cool, no?
These are but a few attractions of Edinburgh:
Rannoch's promise to show me how to use sticks (potentially to whack things), and good coffee (like black medicine, by the eScience center)
If you need more of an excuse to get to Edinburgh. There's also my fave suit shop, 21st Century Kilts (ask for Howie, and suggest mc from the south recommended you).
But also, Rannoch has a bunch of workshops in Edinburgh coming up. Please check them out here at Simple Strength. And while you're at it, perhaps consider Rannoch's amazingly elegant 100 Rep Challenge. Fitness can be easy, and Rannoch sweeps a clear path to get one there. Tweet Follow @begin2dig
Rannoch Donald, Monk of the North of Simple Strength, shows how both can be accomplished by blending Thomas-esque style club swinging (as discussed yesterday) with Filipino Kali Sticks - and while i don't know the formal history of the sticks i understand that there's a fishing pole part to the history. How nice is that? If someone messes with your effort to get a meal for your family, what else ya gonna do?Rannoch suggests looking at the similarities of the two movements. Cool, no?
These are but a few attractions of Edinburgh:
Rannoch's promise to show me how to use sticks (potentially to whack things), and good coffee (like black medicine, by the eScience center)
If you need more of an excuse to get to Edinburgh. There's also my fave suit shop, 21st Century Kilts (ask for Howie, and suggest mc from the south recommended you).But also, Rannoch has a bunch of workshops in Edinburgh coming up. Please check them out here at Simple Strength. And while you're at it, perhaps consider Rannoch's amazingly elegant 100 Rep Challenge. Fitness can be easy, and Rannoch sweeps a clear path to get one there. Tweet Follow @begin2dig
Apple iPad review - finding a health niche: bathtub reading
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Have you been thinking about an iPad
, or already taken the plunge? If you've been vascilating, i hope this post helps with some baseline cogitation.
Preamble: Why this item on a health blog? Because the tools we use affect us, and also help
construct our sense of self. Technology also mediates social connections. If you're skeptical, consider the role of the iPhone
(or other previous life must-have objects) and look at how people check out what phone folks have - are the iPhone'ers or Evo'ers or something else?
(no, i still don't have a cell phone; i know: rare).
These devices are not only functional, but in this dance of who has what, and the discussions that emerge - as well as the contacts they facilitate, they make space for interaction, sometimes for interaction that would not otherwise occur. A colleague and i were talking just the other day about how kids who are different than their peer groups no longer feel quite so isolated at school: they can connect with larger peer groups of similar odd balls, geeks, and the geniuses of tomorrow via asynchronous communication channels, like social networking. It's not all evil online.
And, as i've argued before, interacting with folks around us is a huge part of well being - just a reminder, i think the biggies for health are movement, nutrition, recovery (including sleep) and social interaction.
Apple iPad Experience
Ok: what i'd like to touch on in this article is a wee bit about the iPad experience - including the rationales of students, colleagues, researchers, and folks in airport lounges - for its context of use. See if any of these map to your experience.
The Coders. My favorite rationale for the iPad so far have been two of the researchers working on a project with me at the U. They said that having an iPad 3g would let them keep working while they were in transit, and the form factor makes it easier to use in such spaces than pulling out a laptop. They do spend a lot of time on the road for short hops, and at bus stops. Are they constantly coding at these sites? No. But they are both obsessive about what they do, and they really will be absorbing whatever is going on in the environment on the web, following up on resaerch papers etc, anytime, anywhere. They don't even seem to mind the typing on the glass experience. Bottom line: university research doesn't pay nearly as well as corporate research. If an ipad helps these guys be more productive and HAPPY, then i'm happy - and so are the folks funding our work because these guys always deliver the results they promise.
The Semi-Business or Tourist Travelers. An increasing number of higher end travelers are pulling out iPads at airline lounges and on even short haul flights. These folks say that they have desktop computers back home - or even laptops - but for the particular trip - their computer requirements are such that simply checking their mail and browsing the web is sufficient. Why carry a full laptop? And the glass keyboard? No one's favorite, but felt to be sufficient for their requirements. And for one group of travellers from New Zealand to America, the opportunity to have even more entertainment choices - including games and one's own tunes along with videos - make it a fabulous communication + entertainment device.
The Every Possible Device'ers. Most of my colleagues who work in computing have of necessity just about every kind of computing device under the sun. And so of course they picked up an iPad. Do they use it? Where before many who also have desktop computers in their office used to carry laptops to meetings or lectures quite a subset are now taking iPads to these contexts. Weight and ease of use is often sited as the rationale.
Intriguingly, some of these folks STILL carry a full laptop back and forth from work to home. They've just added weight to their backpack in order to travel with mutliple devices. Why? Especially if they don't have a desktop machine, they need their laptop for main work. The iPad, they suggest, lets them keep their laptops all plugged into external displays and devices, and locked to their desks, while they just grab the iPad to head to meetings or class.
The Readers. One of the interesting arguments for the iPad has been its use as a reader. The iBooks ap is connected to Apple's book store for easy access to eBooks, and it's also easy to drag PDF's onto the iPad when it's hooked up to a computer. That's refreshing (this feature works on ipod Touches and iPhones, too).
Here's the thing. Even for this 2lb device, trying to read one handed is not 
entirely problem free. If one is standing up with this thing, holding it in one hand gets tiring fast. Best angle is lying back on a couch, and balancing it in one's lap. Compared with the weight of say the Kindle
, or the sony reader
, the iPad is a PigPad.
Likewise, Kindle made hay over the summer of how easy its digital ink display is to read in direct sunlight, and how easy on the eyes its passive screen is for hours of reading - delivering a more paper-like experience. And they're an nth of the price of the iPad. So if all one wants is a virtual near infinite digital paperback, why not a kindle or reader?
The advantages of the iPad, it's advocates contend, is that one can do SO MUCH MORE with an iPad than JUST read. One coach buddy, Kira Robert Clark aka the Fight Geek loves the fact that the iPad has a colour screen, so he can read his graphic novels and comics in their full online glory. Kira's said he's really happy with the reading experience, too.
The Unsure. Some of my other colleagues who have iPads or access to them are, like me, uncertain about the role in the world of what seems to be an oversized iPhone. One colleague said it's best uses so far have been (1) t to bring out at dinner parties for friends to check out and have a play with it as a conversation starter, (2) to use to serve a portable slide show about a person recently deceased. Folks passed around the iPad at the person's wake to reminisce as the video played. A fairly niche application perhaps?
The Tub. In my own case, i used one of our groups loaners for a couple weeks. My goal had been to use it to read all the research papers i download - but a biggie part of reading such papers is the ability to mark them up. I did not encounter a decent annotation tool for pdfs that did not create new images or unsharable mark up. Dam. And with the adobe/apple hate fest on, it's unlikely we'll see an ipad acrobat pro
any time soon. So my biggest hope for the iPad died a sad and lonely death.
The best use i found for the iPad, though, happened by accident. From time to tiime, just to relax, i love taking a hot hot tub and reading. I get some of my best insights this way. Things come together in a good soak. I thought what the heck and put a chair beside the tub, a towel on the chair and the ipad on said chair.
With dry hands and arms, i decided to have a go at YouTube. It was awesome. I confess i can think of no better way to watch youTube videos than this. It was a gas going through bits of movies, tunes, help items. And then, le piece du resistance. I've no idea now how it happened, but i somehow found my way to videos about the iPad itself, including an amazing parody of the original release
Maybe some day posit science will port its awesome software to help elder cognitive function to the iPad - now that would be awesome. There's already at least one story of how it's helping in therapy for disabled.
Bottom Line? Personally, i'm not an iPad user. For my needs the best thing that ever happened was the
second (not the first and not the latest) rev of the MacBook Air
- a full computer, lightweight etc etc. My inbetween device for tunes and related is an iPod Touch
. And heck, these iPod things even have some kind of retina display now, along with FaceTime and half-assed camera for back of the napkin idea grabs anywhere, anytime.
But again, based on the majority of folks i know or whom i've encountered who think these iPads rock, those of us who scratch our heads about the iPad are in the minority. That may even be a little bit sad to be what must be out of it.
So, if you think you're in one of the above tribes, by all means, i hope you find a path to the iPad soon (thank you Amazon for making that option so effortless).
If you are not, well, i'm sure there's a place for us, too. And if you don't have a cell phone either, well, that's something we probably shouldn't raise in mixed company, anyway.
All the best.
Related Posts
 |
| iPad as Obelisk from 2001 |
, or already taken the plunge? If you've been vascilating, i hope this post helps with some baseline cogitation. |
| iPhone 4 - what else? |
Preamble: Why this item on a health blog? Because the tools we use affect us, and also help
construct our sense of self. Technology also mediates social connections. If you're skeptical, consider the role of the iPhone (or other previous life must-have objects) and look at how people check out what phone folks have - are the iPhone'ers or Evo'ers or something else?(no, i still don't have a cell phone; i know: rare).
(any excuse to embed this video, but it does rather make the social point, no?)
These devices are not only functional, but in this dance of who has what, and the discussions that emerge - as well as the contacts they facilitate, they make space for interaction, sometimes for interaction that would not otherwise occur. A colleague and i were talking just the other day about how kids who are different than their peer groups no longer feel quite so isolated at school: they can connect with larger peer groups of similar odd balls, geeks, and the geniuses of tomorrow via asynchronous communication channels, like social networking. It's not all evil online.
And, as i've argued before, interacting with folks around us is a huge part of well being - just a reminder, i think the biggies for health are movement, nutrition, recovery (including sleep) and social interaction.
Apple iPad Experience
Ok: what i'd like to touch on in this article is a wee bit about the iPad experience - including the rationales of students, colleagues, researchers, and folks in airport lounges - for its context of use. See if any of these map to your experience.
The Coders. My favorite rationale for the iPad so far have been two of the researchers working on a project with me at the U. They said that having an iPad 3g would let them keep working while they were in transit, and the form factor makes it easier to use in such spaces than pulling out a laptop. They do spend a lot of time on the road for short hops, and at bus stops. Are they constantly coding at these sites? No. But they are both obsessive about what they do, and they really will be absorbing whatever is going on in the environment on the web, following up on resaerch papers etc, anytime, anywhere. They don't even seem to mind the typing on the glass experience. Bottom line: university research doesn't pay nearly as well as corporate research. If an ipad helps these guys be more productive and HAPPY, then i'm happy - and so are the folks funding our work because these guys always deliver the results they promise.
The Every Possible Device'ers. Most of my colleagues who work in computing have of necessity just about every kind of computing device under the sun. And so of course they picked up an iPad. Do they use it? Where before many who also have desktop computers in their office used to carry laptops to meetings or lectures quite a subset are now taking iPads to these contexts. Weight and ease of use is often sited as the rationale.
Intriguingly, some of these folks STILL carry a full laptop back and forth from work to home. They've just added weight to their backpack in order to travel with mutliple devices. Why? Especially if they don't have a desktop machine, they need their laptop for main work. The iPad, they suggest, lets them keep their laptops all plugged into external displays and devices, and locked to their desks, while they just grab the iPad to head to meetings or class.
The Readers. One of the interesting arguments for the iPad has been its use as a reader. The iBooks ap is connected to Apple's book store for easy access to eBooks, and it's also easy to drag PDF's onto the iPad when it's hooked up to a computer. That's refreshing (this feature works on ipod Touches and iPhones, too).Here's the thing. Even for this 2lb device, trying to read one handed is not entirely problem free. If one is standing up with this thing, holding it in one hand gets tiring fast. Best angle is lying back on a couch, and balancing it in one's lap. Compared with the weight of say the Kindle, or the sony reader, the iPad is a PigPad. |
| Twilight on iPad |
The advantages of the iPad, it's advocates contend, is that one can do SO MUCH MORE with an iPad than JUST read. One coach buddy, Kira Robert Clark aka the Fight Geek loves the fact that the iPad has a colour screen, so he can read his graphic novels and comics in their full online glory. Kira's said he's really happy with the reading experience, too.
The Unsure. Some of my other colleagues who have iPads or access to them are, like me, uncertain about the role in the world of what seems to be an oversized iPhone. One colleague said it's best uses so far have been (1) t to bring out at dinner parties for friends to check out and have a play with it as a conversation starter, (2) to use to serve a portable slide show about a person recently deceased. Folks passed around the iPad at the person's wake to reminisce as the video played. A fairly niche application perhaps?
The Tub. In my own case, i used one of our groups loaners for a couple weeks. My goal had been to use it to read all the research papers i download - but a biggie part of reading such papers is the ability to mark them up. I did not encounter a decent annotation tool for pdfs that did not create new images or unsharable mark up. Dam. And with the adobe/apple hate fest on, it's unlikely we'll see an ipad acrobat pro
any time soon. So my biggest hope for the iPad died a sad and lonely death.The best use i found for the iPad, though, happened by accident. From time to tiime, just to relax, i love taking a hot hot tub and reading. I get some of my best insights this way. Things come together in a good soak. I thought what the heck and put a chair beside the tub, a towel on the chair and the ipad on said chair.
With dry hands and arms, i decided to have a go at YouTube. It was awesome. I confess i can think of no better way to watch youTube videos than this. It was a gas going through bits of movies, tunes, help items. And then, le piece du resistance. I've no idea now how it happened, but i somehow found my way to videos about the iPad itself, including an amazing parody of the original release
(here's the original commercial for comparison).
The Successes. I must confess that the ideas expressed in this video more or less reflect what my experience of this device has been. But heck, this is why one's own gut is not to be trusted on all things. 3 million ipads sold in 80 days, apparently. Fastest ever device to hit 1 BILLION dollars in sales (took four months). iPad as of August accounted for a whopping 4% of the platform used to access the internet, taking bites from Mac and Windows.
Elders and Geek Gifts. There's also considerable interest in the use of an iPad for elders getting into
the Net. Though i can't believe the glass keyboard is a winner, what do i know? Many seniors seem to like it. There's also the external keyboard option.
the Net. Though i can't believe the glass keyboard is a winner, what do i know? Many seniors seem to like it. There's also the external keyboard option. Heck there's even an iPad for Seniors for Dummies
book. In comparison with getting one's elders a full scale computer to stay connected, this device may help - but me? i'd check it out with the intended recipient first.
book. In comparison with getting one's elders a full scale computer to stay connected, this device may help - but me? i'd check it out with the intended recipient first. Bottom Line? Personally, i'm not an iPad user. For my needs the best thing that ever happened was the second (not the first and not the latest) rev of the MacBook Air - a full computer, lightweight etc etc. My inbetween device for tunes and related is an iPod Touch. And heck, these iPod things even have some kind of retina display now, along with FaceTime and half-assed camera for back of the napkin idea grabs anywhere, anytime.But again, based on the majority of folks i know or whom i've encountered who think these iPads rock, those of us who scratch our heads about the iPad are in the minority. That may even be a little bit sad to be what must be out of it.
So, if you think you're in one of the above tribes, by all means, i hope you find a path to the iPad
soon (thank you Amazon for making that option so effortless).If you are not, well, i'm sure there's a place for us, too. And if you don't have a cell phone either, well, that's something we probably shouldn't raise in mixed company, anyway.
All the best.
Related Posts
- Health Geek Gift Ideas from Holidays Past
- Zeo as cool health techno
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Indian Clubs & Brett Jones Pt 2: The Rationale of Club Swinging Essentials
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Yesterday, b2d presented the first part of a this two part interview with Strong Guy Educator Brett Jones. Today, we focus more explicitly on the making of his latest co-production with Gray Cook, Club Swinging Essentials featuring Ed Thomas, one of America's leading figures in Indian Club swinging.
I own i was particularly interested to talk with Brett about the project as i'd had the chance to comment on a penultimate draft of the manual that goes with DVD before it went to press. It was looking at the movements described in the book and the historical descriptions of indian clubs that peeked my interest.
I also owe a debt to Joel Proskewitz of the Strength Company who hooked me up with some polyclubs to try out these moves in the UK. Thank you Joel.
In this interview, you'll see that Brett advocates these light clubs for warm up and prehab, and that he and Cook use a novel strategy to teach 5 core moves from the Thomas approach to Indian Clubs.
Brett Interview Part II
Yesterday we looked a little bit at Brett the Person. Let's talk a little shop about Brett as Business. Your web site /company is Applied Strength. What’s going on in the world of Applied Strength?
The Club Swinging Essentials Project
Moving onto the Club Swinging Essentials project itself, let's get the obvious questions out of the way first: Ed Thomas has a lovely video on indian clubs that has been associated with indian clubs, polyclubs, etc for a few years now (nice overview on oldtimestrongman.com). Dragon Door also sells this with the polyclubs. How did he come to be involved with DragonDoor, and in particular yourself, Gray Cook and Functional Movement Inc?
You guys on the vid make it pretty clear you’re just learning while doing this video. How much time did you actually have to test whether your variants of teaching Indian Clubs get better or do better things than just swinging clubs as per Dr. Thomas’ instruction prior to you guys getting on your knees?
Where do Indian Clubs (IC’s) fit into your own practice?
Where do you put IC’s into your training with clients?
The Thomas approach is certainly the most established perhaps in the US system – since playing with Indian Clubs have you investigated other styles? Are there any that are particularly appealing to you?
We've seen Soviet KB training introduced to North America over the past ten years. Now we're seeing this re-appearance of Indian Clubs - something that was part of the scene into the early 20thC. What do you see as the next likely tool to make a comeback? Rope Climbing perhaps?
Ok, sounds vaguely parkour-ish. Cool. In wrapping up, Brett, what would you like to see happen in people's physical education?
Thanks for your time Brett. Best with your travels.
Brett will be teaching the second Certified Indian Club Specialist workshop March 12-13 in Minnesota.
Related Posts
 |
| L-R: Gray Cook, Ed Thomas, Brett Jones, from Club Swinging Essential DVD |
I own i was particularly interested to talk with Brett about the project as i'd had the chance to comment on a penultimate draft of the manual that goes with DVD before it went to press. It was looking at the movements described in the book and the historical descriptions of indian clubs that peeked my interest.
I also owe a debt to Joel Proskewitz of the Strength Company who hooked me up with some polyclubs to try out these moves in the UK. Thank you Joel.
In this interview, you'll see that Brett advocates these light clubs for warm up and prehab, and that he and Cook use a novel strategy to teach 5 core moves from the Thomas approach to Indian Clubs.
Brett Interview Part II
Yesterday we looked a little bit at Brett the Person. Let's talk a little shop about Brett as Business. Your web site /company is Applied Strength. What’s going on in the world of Applied Strength?
Travel, Travel, Travel and some travel… Between teaching for the RKC, FMS and presenting at the Perform Better events I keep a very healthy travel schedule. Gray and I have a new product being released soon – Kettlebells from the Center – Dynami which is all about the power training with Kettlebells using the Swing and the Push-press. Other than that I am reading, practicing and getting my own training back in line after a surgery and recovery time.You have become the voice of the FMS in the RKC – How did you and Gray Cook hook up? What is important to you in this collaboration?
I first met Gray Cook back in 1995 when I was an Athletic Trainer at a small military academy in Virginia (just happened to be in Gray’s home town). He walked into my training room one day and we started working together. I was also fortunate to be at the first FMS workshop in 1998. Gray and I lost touch for a few years and then reconnected in 2005 after the release of my first DVD with Michael Castrogiovanni [see b2d's interview with Michael] (Kettlebell Basics for Strength Coaches and Personal Trainers). After a session to prepare Danielle and Gray for the RKC I started teaching for FMS and working on the Advisory Board to progress the FMS.
Having the chance to combine the FMS and RKC is a blending of the two of the best schools of thought available today. Both focus on movement quality. RKC is the premier School of Strength in the training industry and the FMS is brining movement quality and symmetry to the forefront. Together they represent a powerful combination.If you could convey one thing to folks about strength practice and making it meaningful/accessible to folks – What would you or do you say?
What is the biggest challenge you see for folks coming to a physical practice? How do you suggest most of these folks address that challenge?“Beautiful Strength” Probably two words most people don’t associate with one another but strength in the end should be and can be beautiful. In Kettlebells from the Ground Up – Kalos Sthenos Gray Cook and I lay out what we think is a great way to begin working toward Kalos Sthenos (beautiful strength). The way I see it we could be talking about a Dancer, a Gymnast, a Runner (sprinting), a “Kettlebeller”, a Deadlifter, a Grappler, a Martial Artist etc…. the various forms of strength displayed can and should be beautiful. Also people should understand that strength is specific to the individual and we are all on our own paths to beautiful strength. But we should all be on the path.
The biggest challenge I see for people getting started in a physical practice is the movement restriction, asymmetry and previous injury/history they bring to their new routine. A “locked” up ankle, a history of back pain (not current), or any number of physical issues can result in pain or injury as someone begins to “push” on these restricted areas. Clearing your movement foundation prior to asking for increased performance from the body is important.Great Point. For more info, the CK-FMS and other movement assessment approaches like Z-health, Qi Gong, T'ai Chi, and the benefits of such active approaches to movement are indexed down this b2d page.
I recommend a Functional Movement Screen. A series of 7-movement pattern screens designed to find restriction, asymmetry and motor control issues. Then addressing any issues found with the appropriate corrective strategies.
Taking time for screening and corrections and creating the right foundation for movement and exercise can be the difference between success and failure.
The Club Swinging Essentials Project
Moving onto the Club Swinging Essentials project itself, let's get the obvious questions out of the way first: Ed Thomas has a lovely video on indian clubs that has been associated with indian clubs, polyclubs, etc for a few years now (nice overview on oldtimestrongman.com). Dragon Door also sells this with the polyclubs. How did he come to be involved with DragonDoor, and in particular yourself, Gray Cook and Functional Movement Inc?
The three of you do about 5 moves on the DVD: are there more than these taught at the cert or is this project effectively the Certified Indian Club Specialist (CISC) Cert manual?I first met Dr. Thomas [Ed.D., Curriculum & Supervision, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, 1992, Emphasis in Health Promotion] in 2004 at the NSCA convention where he gave me my first pair of Indian Clubs and his DVD [a package that DragonDoor also sells]. Fast forward to 2009 when Gray arranged for an FMS staff training session with Dr. Thomas covering Breathing, Inversion, and Club Swinging among other things. Since that time I have been in contact with Dr. Thomas regarding Club Swinging and other aspects of training. We then filmed the Club Swinging Essentials DVD later in 2009 with it finally being released (after much editing with Dr. Thomas) in early 2010.Gray and I recognize that Dr. Thomas is essentially a National Treasure. His extensive study of physical education and physical culture, including yoga, martial arts, club swinging and Military fitness is unique to say the least. We wanted to tap into that body of knowledge.
The 5 essential movements from the Club Swinging Essentials DVD/Manual do form the “guts” of the CICS program but we add quite a bit after that. Detailed instructional break down and cueing of the movements, positions and postures. Group fitness structure and safety, along with additional preparatory moves, the elusive movement #6 and of course the experience of being there and receiving the instruction.Again Thomas’ video does more than the 5 on the DVD. How did you come to settle on these 5 movements and only these?
The 5 movements in Club Swinging Essentials lay the foundation for all other movements with the Indian Clubs. Similar to mastering a front kick in martial arts or basic stances and poses of Yoga or Tai Chi these 5 movements allow for someone to grasp the essentials that will lead to years of practice and skill development. They are integral to gaining familiarity with the Indian Club as well as regaining lost range of motion, efficiency and integrity of the arms and upper body.One of the questions that has come up around the cert/vid: Indian Clubs are what kindergarten kids used to do in school. Why do we need a certification or such an “intrigued” video (well beyond what Thomas does himself) to teach Indian Club basics?
Well, what you don’t see on the video is the teacher in the background. The kids were not just “cut loose” with Indian Clubs (also known as War Clubs) and allowed to “swing away”. A teacher spent time to instruct and teach the children how to use the clubs. We “need” a certification for the experience, breakdowns, progressions and precision of Indian Club swinging to be transferred and continued. Just as the kids needed a teacher so do we.
You guys on the vid make it pretty clear you’re just learning while doing this video. How much time did you actually have to test whether your variants of teaching Indian Clubs get better or do better things than just swinging clubs as per Dr. Thomas’ instruction prior to you guys getting on your knees?
Gray and I have used Tall Kneeling and ½ Kneeling for years within the FMS corrective strategies so applying them to Indian Club swinging was a quick process for us. These positions allow us to not only create a new or novel learning environment where new information can be processed quicker but also allows us to target the hip and core motor control issues that can impact an individual’s Indian Club swinging. In fact one of Dr. Thomas’ students remarked at the first CICS that although he had his doubts about tall kneeling etc… he was very impressed with the results and would be implementing those positions in his own teaching.Again, y’all seem to be learning while doing on the DVD – so isn’t it a bit premature to be putting out a manual, or a “how to” before you’ve put the reps in yourselves on the material? And if it is “that easy” to get the hang of, that you can teach it without that expertise, doesn’t that beg the question of the product itself?
Journey. Check. Now that those ones are out of the way, what was the mission with this DVD/manual?We had and have the benefit of having Dr. Thomas as our teacher and expert supervisor for the DVD/Manual and our continued Club Swinging practice. It was essentially a year of dedicated practice prior to the CICS workshop (several months of practice prior to filming the DVD). So unless you have Dr. Thomas as your technical supervisor I wouldn’t recommend flying out to film. I also think it is important to see us learning and making mistakes since we are all on our different paths of progression. Club Swinging is a journey.
The mission or purpose of the DVD was primarily two fold:
- Protect the integrity of Dr. Thomas’ teaching and information.
- Expose the world to the benefits of Club Swinging as a restorative art.
- Provide structure and progression for Indian Club Swinging.
Dr. Thomas’ DVD as you have noted provides a great number of movements but not a structure or progression to make Club Swinging more accessible. Gray and I feel we have done that.What do you really like about your DVD/manual?
I love the fact that we got to capture a bit of Dr. Thomas’ knowledge and expertise. He has decades of practice and knowledge to share. I also like the fact that we were able to assist Dr. Thomas by providing some structure and progression to expose people once again to Indian Club swinging.What would you like to redo about it?
Maybe my outfit or hair… Kidding, kidding… Funny thing is I look at all of my DVDs and products and see mistakes that I or Gray or whomever is making and wish I could go back and reshoot sections. For this product I would have liked for both Gray and I to perform the movements on camera so people could get another look at the movements.Is there a Vol. 2 coming?
There more than likely will be a volume 2 but not for some time.Training with Indian Clubs
Where do Indian Clubs (IC’s) fit into your own practice?
What have they let you do that’s different from what you were doing for whatever that was prior to using them?Indian Clubs are either “movement prep”, a combination with my Kettlebell practice or a stand-alone practice for the day. As movement prep I feel the ICs “rev up” my neurological system and open my shoulders (and hips if performed from tall and open ½ kneeling). One of my favorite workouts is to perform some Club Swinging and then a few KB Get-ups and keep alternating. As a stand-alone practice it is a chance to try to bring my body and mind back to center. While that may sound odd the concept of Indian Club swinging as a restorative art is an important one. We all push to accomplish certain goals. Pushing to achieve means putting stress on the body. Indian Clubs can be part of dealing with that stress and bringing the body back to a better place.
For one thing my Left arm is way more useful than it used to be. Again that may sound odd but we all have a dominant arm and a “not so dominant” arm that isn’t all that skilled. Indian Clubs forced me to narrow the gap between my right and left arm. My shoulder mobility is also better than it has ever been.Training Others
Where do you put IC’s into your training with clients?
I use the Indian Clubs with clients much the same way I use them for myself. It is also a great way to introduce a lifelong learning project, work on movement skill and have fun.Perhaps another obvious question, but where do IC’s fit in with the KBs and barbell work?
As stated, the Indian Club can provide movement prep, combinations and stand-alone practice (great for recovery days). Anyone needing more shoulder integrity, efficiency and mobility will benefit from adding in the Indian Clubs.Would you recommend incorporating them into team sport practice (say football, rugby, golf) why/why not? When and where?
Yes. Indian Clubs lend themselves to coordinated, rhythmical and timed swinging in a group so they can be great for team cohesion and practice in working together as a team. As a warm up they can quickly bring the team together and get everyone working as unit. Interspersed during a practice they can stress working as a team while tired and staying mentally alert. As a cool down they again provide a great way for the team to come together and finish as a team.Lots of folks want to do the Big Clubs – what is your approach to sizing up or down with Indian clubs? Have you spent time with the big clubs yourself?
Colleague Ken Froese of Kettlebell Evolution demo'ing some "meat tenderiser"
battle clubs: a little heftier than the 1lb'ers
A very popular question. I am sure especially when people find out that the Clubs only weigh one or two pounds. As Dr. Thomas explains in the video, everyone started with light clubs to learn the movements and regain full function of the arms etc… Boxers and people wanting hand speed would stay with lighter clubs and grapplers and strength athletes would go heavier.
I have used Scott Sonnon’s Clubbells (I had a 15 pound) but found that since I lift “heavy” with Kettlebells and Barbells I needed the restorative benefits of lighter Indian Club swinging.Style
The Thomas approach is certainly the most established perhaps in the US system – since playing with Indian Clubs have you investigated other styles? Are there any that are particularly appealing to you?
I really have not gone outside of Dr. Thomas’ system as of yet since I am still practicing and trying to master his system (which comes from many different sources) at a deeper level. This is an important point for people to grasp. If you try to master two systems within the same skill set a beginner will end up with motor learning confusion and fail to truly master either one. You need to dedicate time to learn and go deep within a system before going out for another. I will reach a point where I will want to go out to do other systems but am diving deep into this one for my current journey.Coming Attractions?
We've seen Soviet KB training introduced to North America over the past ten years. Now we're seeing this re-appearance of Indian Clubs - something that was part of the scene into the early 20thC. What do you see as the next likely tool to make a comeback? Rope Climbing perhaps?
Off the Ground training will likely be the next “big thing” and I think Inversion training will experience a come back. In the old Turnverein method [german version] [us version], training off the ground was seen as an essential component of getting “fit”. Inversion, brachiation, and other forms of off the ground training help us to experience gravity in a different way and help us fight the negative effects of constantly being pulled down by it.
Ok, sounds vaguely parkour-ish. Cool. In wrapping up, Brett, what would you like to see happen in people's physical education?
First I would like to see Physical Education brought back to the schools and implemented fully as a mandatory part of our children’s education. There are too many links between movement, emotion, cognition and physical health for it to be ignored and not taught. [Brett recommends checking out the book Spark
, by John Ratey, which we've discussed at b2d before: find MORE time to work out; it's smart]
One of the great things about Indian Clubs is that they are an opportunity to learn not just “workout”. The workout should come from going to the gym to learn. When was the last time you went to the gym to learn?
That is one of the things that I would like to see happen in folks physical education – bring the “education” back.
Brett will be teaching the second Certified Indian Club Specialist workshop March 12-13 in Minnesota.
Related Posts
- The Amazing Shoulder part 1: the shoulder girdle
- The Amazing Shoulder part 2: the g/h joint
- How get strong if our muscles aren't firing?
- The Refined Turkish Get Up
- The Role of the High Hip Bridge
- Turkish Get up as Movement Screen?
- Prepping for the RKC cert (riffing on Brett's physical prep ideas)
- Examples of Beautiful Kettlebell Swings (featuring Brett)
- BRETT INTERVIEW, PART I
- Indian Clubs and Kali Sticks meet - for one minute
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