Showing posts with label wellbeing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wellbeing. Show all posts
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Real Chocolate Cake: how to make it? with 100% REAL cacao of course- "100% or go home"
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Chocolate is good for us. Really. It's got all sorts of health things going for it - particularly when it's as close to its pure cacao form as possible (here's a detailed overview of why). I really enjoy a square of Lindt 85% or 99% cacao bar for a taste treat in the evening - one of the advantages is that that's pretty much all a person wants: one square - very satisfying.
Recently i was welcomed to the next level of cacao bliss: baking with the stuff - pure 100% cacao. Oh wow. No offense to Baker's Chocolate, but my word, the taste difference of using real cacao is so incredible, my guess is once you try it you won't want anything else. Let me help you prove this to yourself.
In the UK, there is a company called Willie's cacao (no affiliation, and i'm sorry about the annoying flash site) that sells cacao in these chunky cylynders that's ideal for baking and cooking.
The chocolate itself supposedly comes from the owner's farm on the Other Side of the pond and to the south, while it's processed in the UK on 100 year old chocolate making equipment. Not sure how that makes it taste better, but oh well.
The point is that one can swap out cooking chocolate like bakers from any recipe, put this stuff in instead and suddenly the taste experience just goes up - exponentially.
By way of example, if you would really like to give this taste experience a chance, here's avariant on an old but delicious Baker's Chocolate Cake Recipe, that really, if you do this swap, you'll be well, on another plane of desert experience.
This is not a recipe that is shy of real serious ingredients. Use them; don't skip on making anything less fat than is called for. You're doing this because you know you can make this, freeze it and take out a piece from time to time. Seriously. IT's almost better (like Sara Lee cake if made by gods) post frozen.
Ok Here we go:
classic german chocolate cake (history of german choc. cake)
Prep Time: 40 minutes. Bake Time 30 minutes
a whole cylynder of the Peruvian Black Willie's Cacao (180g)
1,1/4 cup butter
2 1/2 cup granulated sugar (prefer organic castor sugar or nat. unrefined cane sugar)
6 eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
1tsp baking soda
1 cup buttermilk - no skimping
Coconut Pecan Icing
1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup granulated sugar
3 slightly beaten egg yolks
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla - real vanilla, please
1 1/2 cup schreded coconut - try to get flakes, and not fresh - that's too moist
1 cup chopped pecans
Cake:
1. nuke the chocoalate and butter in a big nuker bowl on high for about 2 minutes. stui until choc. is completely melted.
2. stir in sugar until well belnded . Add eggs one at a time, mix well. Beat in flour and baking soda alternately with buttermilk until smooth. Pour into bunt pan (here we break with tradition of the cake pans)
3. Bake in preheated 350F oven for 1hr10mi. Use the toothpick test if you wish to check readiness. for departure from over. Cool on a rack.
Icing:
Combine milk, sugar, egg yolks, butter and vanilla in saucepan. Bring to a BOIL. COok and stir over medium heat about 8 to 10 minutes or until golden. Remove from heat. Stir in cocnut and nuts. Cool, spread frosting over top of cake.
Now that last instruction is tricky. You'll have frosting left over most like which is fine as it can be used on the side by guests (or yourself depnding on mood) to add more like a spread should they wish - or decline and pretend to be healthier for declining extra icing.
Experience
Well what can i tell you? it's delicious the first day; it matures and tastes richer the seond, and post freezing, it's the gift that keeps on giving.
This is not a cheap cake - the chocolate alone is 6quid; ya'll know how much butter and high grade eggs cost, but really quality ingredients do make a difference. And if food is something you love, and for something that will be available for some time unless you go all gluttonish on it, it will be a wonderful experience for yourself, or you and the folks you love.
I'd be keen to hear if you can't get Willie's in your country, what options you've found for Cooking Cacao.
mc Tweet Follow @begin2dig
In the UK, there is a company called Willie's cacao (no affiliation, and i'm sorry about the annoying flash site) that sells cacao in these chunky cylynders that's ideal for baking and cooking.
The chocolate itself supposedly comes from the owner's farm on the Other Side of the pond and to the south, while it's processed in the UK on 100 year old chocolate making equipment. Not sure how that makes it taste better, but oh well.
The point is that one can swap out cooking chocolate like bakers from any recipe, put this stuff in instead and suddenly the taste experience just goes up - exponentially.
By way of example, if you would really like to give this taste experience a chance, here's avariant on an old but delicious Baker's Chocolate Cake Recipe, that really, if you do this swap, you'll be well, on another plane of desert experience.
This is not a recipe that is shy of real serious ingredients. Use them; don't skip on making anything less fat than is called for. You're doing this because you know you can make this, freeze it and take out a piece from time to time. Seriously. IT's almost better (like Sara Lee cake if made by gods) post frozen.
Ok Here we go:
classic german chocolate cake (history of german choc. cake)
Prep Time: 40 minutes. Bake Time 30 minutes
a whole cylynder of the Peruvian Black Willie's Cacao (180g)
1,1/4 cup butter
2 1/2 cup granulated sugar (prefer organic castor sugar or nat. unrefined cane sugar)
6 eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
1tsp baking soda
1 cup buttermilk - no skimping
Coconut Pecan Icing
1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup granulated sugar
3 slightly beaten egg yolks
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla - real vanilla, please
1 1/2 cup schreded coconut - try to get flakes, and not fresh - that's too moist
1 cup chopped pecans
Cake:
1. nuke the chocoalate and butter in a big nuker bowl on high for about 2 minutes. stui until choc. is completely melted.
2. stir in sugar until well belnded . Add eggs one at a time, mix well. Beat in flour and baking soda alternately with buttermilk until smooth. Pour into bunt pan (here we break with tradition of the cake pans)
3. Bake in preheated 350F oven for 1hr10mi. Use the toothpick test if you wish to check readiness. for departure from over. Cool on a rack.
cooling cake on rack
Icing:
Combine milk, sugar, egg yolks, butter and vanilla in saucepan. Bring to a BOIL. COok and stir over medium heat about 8 to 10 minutes or until golden. Remove from heat. Stir in cocnut and nuts. Cool, spread frosting over top of cake.
exemplar cacao enriched cake, dressed for festive occaision.
Experience
Well what can i tell you? it's delicious the first day; it matures and tastes richer the seond, and post freezing, it's the gift that keeps on giving.
This is not a cheap cake - the chocolate alone is 6quid; ya'll know how much butter and high grade eggs cost, but really quality ingredients do make a difference. And if food is something you love, and for something that will be available for some time unless you go all gluttonish on it, it will be a wonderful experience for yourself, or you and the folks you love.
I'd be keen to hear if you can't get Willie's in your country, what options you've found for Cooking Cacao.
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Friday, April 16, 2010
Getting Deeper about Sleep: Towards the Perfect Sleep Rep - even for parents and caffeine adicts
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This is the second part of my interview with sleepologist Stephan Fabregas of Zeo, the folks who make the device that lets us visualize our sleep patterns. As we heard in part 1, good sleep has various stages from waking, to light, to REM to Deep - and that we cycle through these stages over the course of a night. How many and how well we achieve these states seems to have a lot to do with how well rested we feel. In this part we talk a bit more about the Zeo itself, about caffeine and its effects on Deep Sleep (not good), about sleep coordination with physical benefits and a wee jag about help for kids and parents in getting better zzz's.
Welcome back, Stephan. The zeo is a pretty unique device on the market. Some devices more or less just track movement in bed to get a sense of sleepfulness. The Zeo is going right for the action in the frontal lobe of the brain. It's also a very nice alarm clock, with a very pro web site, and associated coaching. None of that - especially getting hardware designed, produced and out the door, with all the TON of support material that's in the box and on the site, is a trivial undertaking. So someone believes in Zeo in a Big Way. What's the Zeo story?
The device tracks brain waves from the frontal lobe and translates these into representations of sleep state (nicely described in this blog post by Zeo scientist Ben Rubin) - very cool.
Despite this rather amazing technology, a person might be tempted to ask, however, why fork out $250 on a device rather than just follow some tips for getting a better sleep, and just sleep better?
Well that's i guess great news: a potentially way to improve sleep is to cut out caffeine. Great. Dandy. Let's shift gears a bit. Since discussing sleep with some colleagues, i've had a few questions.
Here goes. Mike T Nelson asks:
Interesting. Many of us are so keen on tweaking parameters of this that or the other thing, that we might miss simply achieving these sleep states well and naturally, never mind pushin them, may be the best thing we can do for ourselves. Cool. I do not think i have optimize normal good sleep yet. That caffeine thing will be a bear.
And with respect to optimization, here's perhaps one of the most popular push backs and questions around sleep, and it's about kids and parents - at least one of whom has expressed to me that the vision of being able to get a great sleep - to plan for such a thing - with children in the picture is "ridiculous." Any thoughts for the sleep-deprived parents in the house?
Excellent. Thank you for the references Stephan. Will look forward to the comments on this post.
Related Posts
Welcome back, Stephan. The zeo is a pretty unique device on the market. Some devices more or less just track movement in bed to get a sense of sleepfulness. The Zeo is going right for the action in the frontal lobe of the brain. It's also a very nice alarm clock, with a very pro web site, and associated coaching. None of that - especially getting hardware designed, produced and out the door, with all the TON of support material that's in the box and on the site, is a trivial undertaking. So someone believes in Zeo in a Big Way. What's the Zeo story?
Seems to me there's a great business case study here. Very cool to get that the company has been working so long on this. Makes sense now that everything looks so well-considered in the package. I'll come back to that in a review of the myZeo experience. In the interim, let's come back to the ues of the Zeo to help with sleep.Zeo, formerly Axon Labs, was founded by some sleep deprived Brown University students back in 2004 with the idea of helping people wake up at the right time to minimize the effects of sleep inertia (that grogginess you feel right when you wake up). However, when they built a technology that could help people track their sleep and unlock that mystery for the first time for the average person, they realized there was more power than just waking up a little easier. Bring in world-class Scientific and Executive Boards and Zeo has developed the first scientifically-based personalized sleep coaching system. I joined the company full time about 3 years ago after having helped out a bit in the past. I've known two of the co-founders, Jason Donahue and Eric Shashoua, since we were freshmen. In fact, Eric and I were roommates and lived right across the hall from Jason.
The device tracks brain waves from the frontal lobe and translates these into representations of sleep state (nicely described in this blog post by Zeo scientist Ben Rubin) - very cool.
Here goes: The first reaction tends to focus on the ability to track something that you've never really been able to track before. You have an idea of when you get to bed and when you wake up, but you never write it down. And even if you did... people's reports of how they sleep and how they actually sleep don't line up very well. Self-reports of sleep are very subjective - and tend to reflect how a person feels more than how they actually slept. Zeo provides an easy tool to give you accurate information, and allows you to aggregate that information and look back over time. How was your sleep affected by the daylight saving switch (for the sake of argument, since you didn't have to deal with that in the UK)? It's hard to remember what's happened with your sleep in the past without a reliable record. But that's not all...
Beyond being able to track your sleep, Zeo is about empowerment. Track your sleep, learn about your sleep, make changes in your lifestyle to find better ways to sleep. There's a lot of value in learning about the cause and effect patterns around sleep, and being able to actually connect those things to your daily life. Reading a book will provide a lot of good information, but behavior change is more likely when you can connect the science to your own life. I knew about sleep before I had a Zeo. Now I know about MY sleep, with a Zeo. It has made that daily connections relevant to me. I only drink caffeine when I need it - if I have to stay up late, if I have to be alert and ready for an early meeting.
I think twice about doing a heavy meal before bed, even if I'm really hungry. I know that a nap is a great idea, but not too late and not too long. It's like there's now a level of accountability when it comes to my sleep, because I have to report to my Zeo every night. And that's produced good results for me.Oh dear. You've mentioned caffeine. And not in a good way. And that's already distressing me. So before we get into that, you also talk about these kinds of habits you're developing around sleep behaviour. Is sleep a skill?
I'm not sure it's about skill as much as control. One can't really become a marathon sleeper (sleep for 16 hours a night with 3 hours of deep sleep) with the right regimented training program, just through practice. But one can learn how to make sure their sleep is natural and under their control. The best thing about sleep is that once it's under your control, it can become very a very passive process. The body will dictate how much it needs and when. That's when sleep is a real pleasure and a relief.Alright then, as part of getting sleep under control, what's the story with caffeine and sleep?
Caffeine can really muck with sleep. Taken too close to bedtime, it can make it more difficult to fall asleep. It's also been shown to affect deep sleep. As a matter of fact, some studies have shown that caffeine intake up to 16 hours in advance of going to bed can have an effect on deep sleep. And if you're tired at 3 in the afternoon, a 15min nap has been shown to get you going again better than a cup of coffee. I could dig up some of that research if you like.
That's a good segue to some Zeo research. One study that was just completed (by Chris Drake and co. at Henry Ford in Detroit) looked at the effects of different caffeine doses at different timings before bed. Another study (from the same folks) looked at the creative and cognitive benefits of sleep extension in people who habitually get little sleep (on purpose). We also did a study in the fall that looked at the habitual sleep of college students at Cornell. The short of that - they don't think they sleep very much, and they sleep less than they think. We also have a couple reports looking at the effects of daylight saving changes, weekend vs weekday sleep, and sleep across age and gender. Reports from all these studies have been accepted as abstracts at either/both of APSS 2010 (in June) and ESRS 2010 (in September). And I'm happy to provide more details once those reports are publically available. :) We also have preliminary validation results for Zeo's technology available on our website (abstracts presented at APSS and ESRS in the past).
[That said] caffeine's not all bad. It can be really handy in a pinch, because life happens and you just need to stay awake sometimes. (And I'm sure you're aware that caffeine increases physical ability in addition to just keeping you awake.) However, it's not all good, either, and getting more sleep is probably a much better idea in the long run.
In sum, what is the effect of caffeine on sleep?
It reduces the sleep drive, making it harder to fall asleep, and reducing the depth and amount of deep sleep:
1. Landolt, H., Rétey, J. V., Tönz, K., Gottselig, J. M., Khatami, R., Buckelmüller, I., et al. (2004). Caffeine attenuates waking and sleep electroencephalographic markers of sleep homeostasis in humans. Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, 29(10), 1933-9.
It also has an effect on deep sleep well after you'd expect it to be out of the blood stream:
2. Landolt, H., Werth, E., Borbély, A. a., & Dijk, D. (1995). Caffeine intake (200 mg) in the morning affects human sleep and EEG power spectra at night. Brain research, 675(1-2), 67-74.
And a quick insight into how caffeine and alcohol combined can really make sleep tough:
3. Stradling, J. R. (1993). Recreational Drugs and Sleep. BMJ, 306, 573-575.
There is also that study I mentioned coming out of Henry Ford in Michigan. Those data have not been published yet, so I can't go into specifics, but I can say they definitely confirm previous work that has shown caffeine to affect sleep.
Well that's i guess great news: a potentially way to improve sleep is to cut out caffeine. Great. Dandy. Let's shift gears a bit. Since discussing sleep with some colleagues, i've had a few questions.
Here goes. Mike T Nelson asks:
1) what phase of sleep is most beneficial for what type of training. I believe there are some data to show that REM is best for motor acquisition of new tasks. What is best for tissue recovery, etcStephan?
2) Can we push our body into one of these phases for a longer period of time?
Different sleep phases have been indeed associated with different kinds of functioning. For instance, REM sleep is associated with procedural and motor memory tasks. Deep sleep has been associated with declarative memory tasks and is the phase of sleep when the most Human Growth Hormone is released into the body. A lot of cognitive tasks, however, are very specific, and these associations are tougher to solidify in more real-world scenarios.
As for "pushing" the body into these phases. I don't know of any meaningful, natural way to do so (other than what appear to be purely homeostatic responses - doing a very difficult and new-to-you fine-motor task for hours a day may boost the amount of REM sleep you get, but that may not be providing overall general benefits, it could just be a response to the hours you spent doing that task). And I'm not sure what the costs/benefits of such an effect would be, were you to artificially boost one phase or another.
Interesting. Many of us are so keen on tweaking parameters of this that or the other thing, that we might miss simply achieving these sleep states well and naturally, never mind pushin them, may be the best thing we can do for ourselves. Cool. I do not think i have optimize normal good sleep yet. That caffeine thing will be a bear.
And with respect to optimization, here's perhaps one of the most popular push backs and questions around sleep, and it's about kids and parents - at least one of whom has expressed to me that the vision of being able to get a great sleep - to plan for such a thing - with children in the picture is "ridiculous." Any thoughts for the sleep-deprived parents in the house?
Parenting is certainly tough on sleep - but it's not the end of sleep. There are some things that might help. First, for the very young, it's going to be a struggle to get solid sleep. However, working out a system with a partner to take shifts could help distribute the effort. As kids get older and they're sleep consolidates (they're sleeping through the night) it can also help a lot to set a very specific schedule regarding sleep and waking (this is bedtime, and this is when's it's okay to leave your room in the morning, etc). That kind of consistency can be helpful to everyone. Also, communicate with children to set ground rules.
I'm not saying it's easy, but it's not impossible. For more info on dealing with children andsleep, sleep scientists Jodi Mindell and Judy Owens have put together a couple books on the topic. "Take Charge of Your Child's Sleep: The All-in-One Resource for Solving Sleep Problems in Kids and Teens
", by Judy and Jodi, and "Sleeping Through the Night, Revised Edition: How Infants, Toddlers, and Their Parents Can Get a Good Night's Sleep
" by Jodi.
Excellent. Thank you for the references Stephan. Will look forward to the comments on this post.
Part III of this sleep discussion will be a review of the zeo/myzeo sleep coach in use. That's about a month away.
Related Posts
- Part 1 of this interview, Seeing Sleep.
- Sleep - should be the new fitness craze
- Carrot Cake and the Perfect Sleep
- Carbs or Protein before bed for Better Sleep?
- Caffeine and Athletic Performance (can use less than you think)
- b2d Fitness Article Index
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Saturday, April 10, 2010
Your Perfect Nutrition Assistant? What would they do for you?
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So if you think about all the times when food comes into your life - meals, snacking, social occaisions, workouts - whenever - what do you wish someone would be able to assist you to do - not do for you, but offer assistance/knowledge?
I'm aksing because part of the research my group is doing is looking at exactly this question: what is a perfect nutrition assistant?
Before we design anything, we want to make sure some of our design decisions are linking up with what folks think they'd find helpful.
If you could have such a wonderful support, what would you like it to do for and with you?
One constraint: this assistant is more or less a ghost: it can't do anything physical but it can offer to show you anything or provide any information in this space you'd like
Please do post your thoughts/desires in the comments.
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.
In the meanwhile, here's a physical assistant from Japan that is designed to help the elderly shop - including getting around the shop and remembering anything that might have been forgotten.
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What would a virtual nutrition assistant do for you? Suppose you're trying to change your body comp - lose fat; build muscle - whatever. If you could imagine the perfect coach/guide who could be with you all the time - what would they be doing? When you go to have lunch, would they tell you what was ok to eat? If you were at home, would they suggest what to make or show you how to do it? If you needed to shop, what?
I'm aksing because part of the research my group is doing is looking at exactly this question: what is a perfect nutrition assistant?
Before we design anything, we want to make sure some of our design decisions are linking up with what folks think they'd find helpful.
If you could have such a wonderful support, what would you like it to do for and with you?
One constraint: this assistant is more or less a ghost: it can't do anything physical but it can offer to show you anything or provide any information in this space you'd like
Please do post your thoughts/desires in the comments.
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.
In the meanwhile, here's a physical assistant from Japan that is designed to help the elderly shop - including getting around the shop and remembering anything that might have been forgotten.
Related Links
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Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Sleep: (should be) the new fitness craze
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Sleep - the final frontier
If we have our workout program dialed in, and our eating dialed in, what's left? Sleep? We log our workouts; we watch our eating. Do we think much about our sleep?
For athletes we know how important sleep is for recovery. Body builders know how critical it is for muscle building. But most of us barely have sleep in our field of view, other than to say we're too busy to get enough. And way way too many world leaders and health professionals work sleep deprived
How did you sleep, a partner might ask? Ya, ok. Or not. And that's it. If the question comes up.
Sleep Work Outs? So, just like we might say we need to get in shape and develop a program to achieve that goal, or likewise get a plan to eat better, how many of us get a strategy to sleep better?
Later this week i'll be chatting with Stephan Fabregas of myZeo about sleep and what sleep is, and some wild thoughts around how sleeping is an evolutionary strategy.
In the meantime, what's your experience with sleep? Do you sleep well? If not have you thought about formally getting a better sleeping strategy?
Keep it Dark: Here's one thing i've been finding- my room is not dark all night: there's light leak through the windows. As an experiment i've been using an eye mask that folks use to sleep in the daylight. And guess what? sleeping more through the night.
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If we have our workout program dialed in, and our eating dialed in, what's left? Sleep? We log our workouts; we watch our eating. Do we think much about our sleep?
For athletes we know how important sleep is for recovery. Body builders know how critical it is for muscle building. But most of us barely have sleep in our field of view, other than to say we're too busy to get enough. And way way too many world leaders and health professionals work sleep deprived
How did you sleep, a partner might ask? Ya, ok. Or not. And that's it. If the question comes up.
Sleep Work Outs? So, just like we might say we need to get in shape and develop a program to achieve that goal, or likewise get a plan to eat better, how many of us get a strategy to sleep better?
Later this week i'll be chatting with Stephan Fabregas of myZeo about sleep and what sleep is, and some wild thoughts around how sleeping is an evolutionary strategy.
In the meantime, what's your experience with sleep? Do you sleep well? If not have you thought about formally getting a better sleeping strategy?
Keep it Dark: Here's one thing i've been finding- my room is not dark all night: there's light leak through the windows. As an experiment i've been using an eye mask that folks use to sleep in the daylight. And guess what? sleeping more through the night.
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Monday, March 22, 2010
Spring Wellbeing Haikus at b2d on fb - please share yours
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Spring Wellbeing Haiku Quest: Is spring putting a bit more zing in your step? Are new thoughts and plans and actions budding forth?
If so, please drop by the begin2dig Spring Revitalization Discussion page on facebook and share a Haiku of yours.
The form of a Haiku is 3 lines, 5/7/5 syllables a line. A few examples are already there.
Why a haiku? well in some psych literature, we see that apparently self-reflection is a great thing, and i'm thinking too that having some kind of structure to reflect around with a topic might just be spring like and unearth new thoughts.
Why not give it a go.
See ya over there?
mc Tweet Follow @begin2dig
If so, please drop by the begin2dig Spring Revitalization Discussion page on facebook and share a Haiku of yours.
The form of a Haiku is 3 lines, 5/7/5 syllables a line. A few examples are already there.
Why a haiku? well in some psych literature, we see that apparently self-reflection is a great thing, and i'm thinking too that having some kind of structure to reflect around with a topic might just be spring like and unearth new thoughts.
Why not give it a go.
See ya over there?
mc Tweet Follow @begin2dig
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Sleep and the Carrot Cake Correlation: have you experienced this?
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Can carrot cake help sleep? Or is it just the icing? A couple weeks ago, i was coming to the end of a several month low cal low starchy carb lifestyle as part of the 
final training push for an event. One night, about a week after said event, but still having been quite diet-rigerous (by then it was habit) a group of us were out for dinner, and the waiter brought out the desert tray. On this cart was the largest slice of carrot cake i had ever seen. "It's usually bigger on the plate when they serve it"
I asked if anyone wanted to share a piece. Of those interested in the carrot cake, two other studly guys were quite happy to have their own. Ok then. I was still hungry. I was ready to go for it. Not only that i was quite sure i'd be done first. Not rushing; just i was still hungry.
The deserts arrive. The coffee arrives. The deserts are indeed huge. They are also lavished with some kind of white icing and perhaps some cream cheese kind of middle. The cake part was very good. The icing's sugar hit was intense. Wow what a rush. And yes, i did finish the cake first, but only the lads were able to polish off all the icing and middle substance.
Interestingly there were predictions of an immanent and horrible sugar crash, but perhaps i got to sleep soon enough after this (within about 90mins), but no such crash occurred. What did happen is that for the first time since i could remember, i slept through the night. I woke up feeling terrific. I have not had quite such a deep sleep since.
Is there a carrot cake correlation?
A while ago, i wrote about work that showed that mega hi GI carbs taken four hours before planned sleep resulted in getting to sleep and staying there. In looking at the GI of carrot cake (in the 50's) and the Jasmin rice used in the study (100+) that doesn't seem quite to fit. Maybe the icing put it over the top - even though i think, seem to recall, leaving quite a bit?
Dunno. I just dunno.
But if you've had any kind of similar carrot cake experience related to high quatlity sleep and high wellb
eing the next day, please let me know.
Keen to learn.
Oh, and coming up on B2D: discussions with Stephan Fabregas, Sleep reearcher at myzeo.com.
We'll get at this thing that knits up the ravelled sleeve of care yet. Tweet Follow @begin2dig
final training push for an event. One night, about a week after said event, but still having been quite diet-rigerous (by then it was habit) a group of us were out for dinner, and the waiter brought out the desert tray. On this cart was the largest slice of carrot cake i had ever seen. "It's usually bigger on the plate when they serve it"I asked if anyone wanted to share a piece. Of those interested in the carrot cake, two other studly guys were quite happy to have their own. Ok then. I was still hungry. I was ready to go for it. Not only that i was quite sure i'd be done first. Not rushing; just i was still hungry.
The deserts arrive. The coffee arrives. The deserts are indeed huge. They are also lavished with some kind of white icing and perhaps some cream cheese kind of middle. The cake part was very good. The icing's sugar hit was intense. Wow what a rush. And yes, i did finish the cake first, but only the lads were able to polish off all the icing and middle substance.
Interestingly there were predictions of an immanent and horrible sugar crash, but perhaps i got to sleep soon enough after this (within about 90mins), but no such crash occurred. What did happen is that for the first time since i could remember, i slept through the night. I woke up feeling terrific. I have not had quite such a deep sleep since.
Is there a carrot cake correlation?
A while ago, i wrote about work that showed that mega hi GI carbs taken four hours before planned sleep resulted in getting to sleep and staying there. In looking at the GI of carrot cake (in the 50's) and the Jasmin rice used in the study (100+) that doesn't seem quite to fit. Maybe the icing put it over the top - even though i think, seem to recall, leaving quite a bit?
Dunno. I just dunno.
But if you've had any kind of similar carrot cake experience related to high quatlity sleep and high wellb
eing the next day, please let me know.Keen to learn.
Oh, and coming up on B2D: discussions with Stephan Fabregas, Sleep reearcher at myzeo.com.
We'll get at this thing that knits up the ravelled sleeve of care yet. Tweet Follow @begin2dig
Friday, March 19, 2010
Michael Castrogiovanni Interview: The Innovative Fine Art & Sport of Kettlebell Partner Tossing
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For many folks, playing catch is a fun activity - get a little exercise, exercise a little skill to catch a ball while moving or to adapt to a crappy pitch or to pitch well for a great catch. Usually the implements of such game play are at most a few ounces (a few hundred grams). Now imagine taking this game up a notch and playing catch tossing 12kg (26lb) to 32kg (70lbs) or more via an iron ball that has a handle on it.
This particular form of catch is an evolution in Micahel Castrogiovanni's kettlebell practice, developed with his colleages RKC TL Jeremy Layport and RKC Blair Ferguson. It's called Kettlebell Partner Tossing, previewed half a dozen posts ago here at begin2dig. The video above is from Michael's forthcoming DVD on progressions to develop the skills for these out-of-the-sagital-plane movements few of us working out with kb's have ever tried.
I got to see this tossing live (way more incredible and very "beautiful strength"y than even the video conveys) and found it so compelling, i asked Michael if he'd do an interview about his own background in athletics, how he came to kettlebells, how the heck KB Partner Tossing came about and fits into his practice. Michael kindly agreed, and beyond those points, we also discuss some thoughts on who else might consider adding Tossing kb's to their athletic regimen.
Background: In what's known as the hard style kettlebell community Michael is a quiet but potent presence. For context, he is the co-author with Brett Jones of the well regarded Kettlebbell Basics for Strength Coaches and Personal Trainers. We'll come back to this one.
Michael also has a Bachelors degree in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Fitness Nutrition and Health, his certifications include NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist; he is an RKC team leader. Michael's training has seen him working with business executives, the Orange County fire authority, high school football teams, and Hermits at a monastery to name just a few. More bio details are available at Michael's Facebook page.
Interview Proper
Have you always been an athletic guy? If yes, what's the path been? if not, what's the path been?
the guy with the beard is you! you taught me how to push press a kettlebell, dude! that's a great video. Would you care to discuss a bit more about how that dvd came about since it's become such a reference set?
to participate with you?
Wow that will be great for your sales.
So a few questions here: what kind of prep would you say is crucial - how does someone know they're and advanced kettlebeller - you mention time - what else?
What would you say if it hasn't been covered is important for folks to be sure to incorporate into their own strength practice that you think may be missing or underplayed?
Will post an update as soon as Michael's video is out. In the meantime if you'd like to hook up with Michael for training, he can be reached via sportfitproformance.com
In the meantime, let's see that again...
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This particular form of catch is an evolution in Micahel Castrogiovanni's kettlebell practice, developed with his colleages RKC TL Jeremy Layport and RKC Blair Ferguson. It's called Kettlebell Partner Tossing, previewed half a dozen posts ago here at begin2dig. The video above is from Michael's forthcoming DVD on progressions to develop the skills for these out-of-the-sagital-plane movements few of us working out with kb's have ever tried.
I got to see this tossing live (way more incredible and very "beautiful strength"y than even the video conveys) and found it so compelling, i asked Michael if he'd do an interview about his own background in athletics, how he came to kettlebells, how the heck KB Partner Tossing came about and fits into his practice. Michael kindly agreed, and beyond those points, we also discuss some thoughts on who else might consider adding Tossing kb's to their athletic regimen.
Historical Note - it may well be that strongmen (and maybe stronggals) of yore partner kb tossed. You know, it's bound to happen: have a kettlebell; a couple strongpeople. Eventually, it has to come up "heh let's throw that at each other " (thanks ltd for that '30's link).
The ever vigilant Randy Hauer sent me a link to a demo of Ukraniane KB partner tossing hence me calling Michael an Innovator, rather than an Inventor. What i saw with Michael and Jeremy was not as formalized as the ukranine precision tossing, used heavy kb's, and seems to have the potential to evolve into a sport (my assessment; Michael makes no such claims). It seems to me that by doing a How To DVD on this practice, Michael is making an effort to enable others to gain access to this practice. All good. Here's to you experiencing delight and joy in this practice, too.
Background: In what's known as the hard style kettlebell community Michael is a quiet but potent presence. For context, he is the co-author with Brett Jones of the well regarded Kettlebbell Basics for Strength Coaches and Personal Trainers. We'll come back to this one.
Michael also has a Bachelors degree in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Fitness Nutrition and Health, his certifications include NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist; he is an RKC team leader. Michael's training has seen him working with business executives, the Orange County fire authority, high school football teams, and Hermits at a monastery to name just a few. More bio details are available at Michael's Facebook page.
Interview Proper
Have you always been an athletic guy? If yes, what's the path been? if not, what's the path been?
I have always been involved in athletics and it has taken me many years of practice and dedicated training to develop my athletic abilities. I view athleticism as a lifelong pursuit and it is something I am continually working towards improving. I played soccer, basketball and football as a youngster. When I turned 14 I asked Mark Reifkind (the owner of the World Gym at the time and current Master RKC) if I could work out at his facilities. Unfortunately the age requirement was 16. After begging and pleading he told me I needed a note from my mom and dad with their permission to work out. My parents felt it was a good idea so I started at the World Gym shortly thereafter. In high school I played football, tennis and wrestled. I continued wrestling on club teams in college and I furthered my pursuit of athleticism in the weight room and in the class room. After college I spent as much time as possible with leaders in the industry honing my skills, learning as much as I could from as many people as possible.it sounds like you may have moved progressively away from sports to more strength based training. Is that the case or is something else happening here?
I have been doing strength based training with weights since I was 14 to supplement my sports performance. As I am getting older I am participating less in competitive sports and have moved more towards the strength training, yes. I also do quite a bit of work for my hand eye coordination, overall coordination and agility as well in order to keep things well rounded and balanced. My intention is to increase athleticism and my ability to move optimally and restriction free in all ways, anything that will improve these abilities gets incorporated into my training.Your early DVD on KB coaching with Brett Jones- it took me ages to connect
the guy with the beard is you! you taught me how to push press a kettlebell, dude! that's a great video. Would you care to discuss a bit more about how that dvd came about since it's become such a reference set?
Sure. The KB basics DVD came from my 2004 pat the point of doing this video, what was your main training? how did it come about?resentation on kettlebells at the NSCA national conference. I had made contact with the NSCA and they invited me to do a presentation on kettlebells in Minnesota of all places. I contacted John Du Cane of Dragondoor publications and told him of the business opportunity and he got on board.
Shortly after I spoke with John, Brett Jones senior RKC and a fellow CSCS sent me an e-mail asking to be a part of the presentation, and that he would help in any capacity that he could. So I decided that it would be a good idea for him to demonstrate the Kettlebell movements. The presentation was a huge success and we received positive feedback for our performance and our chemistry. Pavel, who was also at the conference, remarked at how well we worked together and told us that we should do a DVD. We agreed and worked for the next several months building the outline. We shot the DVD in early 2005 had it edited and on the market by late June of 2005 and the rest is history.
At the point of filming I had just left the monastery where I had been living for the previous six months. While I was there my training consisted of all things kettlebells, squats, deadlifts, pull-ups and yoga. When I wasn’t working out I was splitting wood, climbing trees, lifting rocks, mountain biking and hiking.SO before we get to that one, how did you come to KB's?
The way that it came about is actually quite cool. I brought my bells up to the monastery and they had some very basic weights in their gym. I worked ninety percent with kettlebells and ten percent or sometimes less with more conventional types of training. My style of training was dictated by what I had available to me and how creative I could be. It is one of the fondest memories I have of training even thought the equipment was minimal.
Interestingly enough the same man who opened his gym doors to me when I was 14 would introduce Kettlebells to me 9 years later. Mark Reifkind had been telling me about this strength and conditioning tool called a "kettlebell" for several months. Finally one afternoon in his garage he showed me the swing, clean and snatch. After the initial lesson, he ran me through a quick circuit with the kettlebells that left me mindboggled and out of breath! From that moment I knew my training would be changing for the better.That's cool. What was your practice at this time? still sports focused? strength focused? or did you just trying to get a sense of what you mean your training would get better?
There was still sport focus but it was beginning to taper quite a bit. I had sustained a wrestling injury so my competitive days had come to a standstill. I was predominately focused on rehabilitating myself and getting as strong and healthy as I could. When the kettlebell was introduced to me I realized that my training was going to get better in the sense of more interesting, more creative and in a way a totally different paradigm of training. I moved away from many of the lifts I was doing with the intention of immersing myself in the kettlebell.How did strength become important to you?
Sounds like you've had at least one experience - perhaps that was not in the strength space - that led you to this discovery about the vulnerability/strength tao. if you care to share a bit more about that, that could be cool.
The first response that comes to mind is that I wanted to be as strong as possible so that when I wrestled I could man handle my opponents. If I look deeper, a more honest answer is that strength became important to me because of my desire to not feel weakness or vulnerability and the insecurity that accompanies the two. I guess you could say fear of being week or vulnerable was where it all started-compensation based if you will. I used my apparent strength to feel better about the areas where I was not strong. Later in my strength training career I learned that the very thing I was aiming to avoid, vulnerability, was the key to finding real strength. To be willing to be vulnerable and face weakness is where authentic strength is spawned. The willingness to make mistakes, to fail and to not be perfect is true strength training. This is my ongoing practice and by no means I am a master yet. However, now I know that vulnerability is not something to fear. Rather, it is an ally to be embraced, accepted and learned from.
It will sound trivial to say that is a compelling and powerful story, Michael. It's the sort of thing one wants to ponder. How then now do you measure your satisfaction with your own pursuit of strength?
The experience that comes to mind is a wrestling injury. I was in tip top shape wrestling five to six days a week going to school full time, teaching grade school P.E. part time and studying some martial arts. My plate was full, my speed was full throttle, and my definition of who I was came from all the physical demands that I placed on myself. I felt invincible, powerful, fully alive and completely identified with my body. At wrestling practice the week before league finals I made a poor choice to wrestle with a novice. I took a sloppy shot, he dove at me, my face met the crown of his head and he knocked me out. I awoke on my back with blood in my throat and no feeling in my legs. I freaked out and began to pray.
Fortunately nothing was broken. Since I was feeling numbness and tingling in my left arm the doctor sent me to a neurologist who ordered an MRI. We discovered a herniated disc and was ordered to stop physical activity. Everything that I identified with had been taken away from me in a moment and I was left questioning who I was. I didn’t realize how much self worth I put in my identities, as a wrestler, as a coach, as a teacher, as a strong man, etc until I was unable to be those things. I felt that there was more to me than my physicality and I also saw that many of the superficial aspects of my life were what I believed myself to be. The journey back to physical, mental and emotional health was where my true strength journey began. Vulnerability and weakness became the norm and my lessons became more about acceptance and letting go than making personal records and building my body. I began to experience a different type of strength from a whole, new perspective .
Slowly I felt sensation come back to my body. Dazed, I sat up; stabilizing my neck with my hands I went to the bathroom and packed my nose with toilet paper. I had a friend drive me to the gas station to buy a big bag of ice for my neck. She wanted me to go to the emergency room and I insisted I would be fine. I had a test the next morning and couldn’t afford to wait in the ER. She took me back to my house and I passed out for the night. The next morning I knew that I was in bad shape, I bombed my test and headed over to Student health services with a swollen neck and pounding headache. The doctor immediately put me in a neck brace, diagnosed me with a concussion and sent me off for a CT scan.
I feel most satisfied in my strength pursuit when what I am doing to build strength carries over into other aspects of my life. The measurement for that is quite intrinsic but I know when there is carry over and that is what is most important to me.Moving then from this intrinsic aspect to the extrinsic and the particulars of your new practice, at the RKC II 2010 cert in San Jose you spoke of a kind of dissatisfaction with kb's always in the same movement plane - effectively, going between one's legs and over one's head. What inspired you to move outside that plane/box?
Ideas came to me and I wanted to try and see if they could actually work. By allowing myself permission to explore the possibilities, the conceptual moves soon became reality that in turn lead to more possibilities. The kettlebell is a creative outlet for me.Was that a surprise to you?
I see myself as a very creative person so it was not a surprise to me.Good for you. That's cool. Dare i ask what are the properties of the kettlebell that appeal to you such that it made sense for this kind of exploration?
This is a deep conversation that I think we ought to have over a cup of tea after we have tossed some bells together. I can show you better than I can tell you.Delighted. How long have you been developing/playing with less static movement in kb's.
The more dynamic movements started in 2004 when I was living in Big Sur at a monastery. Yes, at a monastery.Well i can think of few better places for one than on the Big Sur road. Pray continue.
I felt confined in the traditional ranges and I wanted to incorporate more movement to promote greater growth in general and in athleticism. So I started to explore as many possibilities as I could imagine.Can we do something very basic here and ask about movement? Folks used to pressing weights in the gym might already see kettlebell swinging as dynamic and a wee bit dangerous. So to say you wanted more movement may be intriguing for folks watching regular kb vids, or those who are already practicing with them.
Even though the kettlebell moves are much more dynamic than most people are used to, the movements are all done with stationary feet. As an athlete and strength and conditioning coach, I recognize the importance of footwork and agile feet. So when I talk about wanting more dynamic movements, I am referring to moving the body through time and space as well as the kettlebells.What motivated the partner kb tossing? how did you encourage others
to participate with you?
The motivation for partner passing came from my desire to progress further outside the box. Once I tried passing I immediately knew that it was something that I wanted to pursue. Unfortunately it is not that easy to convince other people to let you throw cannonballs at them. Luckily, I met Blair Ferguson of Sportfitproformance.com and he was totally into the idea!The difference between the video clip and the demonstration/performance with you and Jeremy in San Jose seemed to be the closeness of the space. There was something even more compelling i found both in the tighter space of the performance and also, sitting on the ground to watch it low. Have you seen video from that seated position of you guys passing the kb? if not, i hope you'll take a look.
The other person that I was able to convince to throw bells at me, AND who has been instrumental in the development process is Jeremy Layport. Thanks to Blair and Jeremy I have been able to develop KB passing beyond what I ever imagined.
I have not and I will take a look at that as it presents itself thank you for the insight.Also, do you see your movement in partner passing as demonstration or performance or something else?
It is demonstration, performance and training all in one. All aspects are going on when an audience is present. The degree of perceived danger is increased with an audience in front of you-especially the first time demonstrating.From an athletic wellbeing perspective, what do you see as the benefits from kb tossing?
i wonder how we could set up a functional mri of kb tossing - just to see how the brain lights up as the risk/attention and coordination go up. fascinating.The benefits are many. I find that the most important thing that it has facilitated in me is greater trust: trust in my body's ability to handle whatever is "Thrown at me", trust in my partner to do his or her best and trust in the process as it unfolds. Another benefit that comes from partner passing, is learning to read situations and make split second adjustments accordingly without compromising structural or personal integrity.Some additional training effects of KB passing are increased awareness and sharpened focus. As the perceived degree of difficulty and/or danger of a given activity increases, we tend to invest more of our focused attention on the activity at hand. Some side benefits that I have seen are increased eye hand coordination, grip strength and endurance, the ability to manage load and force from many different angles and improvement in one's ability to improvise to name just a few.
That is a great idea and I would love to be a part of that and see what the results would be.Two quick questions: i'm betting that y'all would call kb partner tossing safe because you train with weights against which you know you can get position when they're thrown. Is that fair?
That is fair and there is still danger involved.That said, what are your usual partner tossing weights? do you train with these or heavier/lighter weights?
I use as many different weights as possible. The amount of weight is one important variable of this type of training that allows for so many possibilities. As the weight changes, even though the patterns stay the same, the exercises become radically different. I do most of my experimentation with the 12kg, 16kg, or 20kg, with the goal of being able to eventually do the patterns with the 24kg, 32kg, and up. There was a session a few months back where Jeremy and I were tossing a pair of 48kgs for reps back and forth. I also toss the 8kg’s with some of my female clients, it really depends on who I am tossing with and what my intention is for our session.How much time would you say you and your colleagues put into training tossing daily/weekly to get to the proficiency you have - and let's just get it out there now that you are all veteran kettlebell trainers and practitioners in the standard arts of swing, snatch,get up.
You also say you trust your partner to give "his or her best" - have you worked with women in the tossing? if so, are any parts of the experience different from working with men/women in this practice?For the year prior to filming the video I was practicing with Blair Ferguson three times a week for one to two hours depending on what we were working on. I only had a few weekends to work with Jeremy several months before we filmed. Fortunately, Jeremy is such a stud and incredible athlete he was able to pick it up quickly and he also had [RKC Team Leader -mc] Chris Holder to practice with and that made a big difference.Tossing is also a single person endeavor. On the days I was not practicing with Blair or Jeremy I would practice my single man juggling routine to get better at handling the bell and understanding its nature to prepare for partner passing.
Yes I have worked with a few women and there is very little difference other than the amount of weight used. Women tend to pick it up fast and enjoy the challenge just as much as the men I have worked with. I want to work with more women because one of the major benefits is the balancing, grounding and rooting aspects this type of training has to offer. I feel tossing has quite a lot of potential for women of all ages.In your experience how is tossing different than kb juggling?
There is far less control in tossing vs. jugglingNice. good point.
You never know what kind of a rep is going to be thrown at you and adaptation is paramount. There is also a component of communication that exists with the passing that is not there when you are juggling. Tossing kettlebells is an interaction between two humans and a way of relating with each other through the kettlebell, whereas juggling you are relating to the kettlbell. Kettlebell passing is in its essence a complete model for communication and I still have much to learn about communication from this type of training.You sound pretty passionate about the importance of communication. could you speak a bit more about why this is critical for you?
The reason I am so passionate about Communication is because it is the platform for all interaction. To be effective and successful at life is to be an excellent communicator. Communication is both listening and speaking and to be a master of communication allows one the ability to exist in any environment with ease and grace. Listening is one of the most powerful aspects of kettlebell passing, it becomes more than an act of the ears, rather, an act of one’s entire body. Listening takes on a whole new meaning as all the senses are employed to read a given situation as it is unfolding in the present moment.
What would you advice folks to do who are new to kettlebells, see your video and say "wow that looks so cool; i want to do that?"
Don't.
This type of training was developed for advanced athletes and kettlebellers. Spend a few years learning the basics before you get any crazy ideas. Strength health and longevity are the goals of training and making poor choices will only keep you from the goals.You know as soon as you put out your dvd though, that folks who haven't worked much with KB's are going to get excited about this as "extreme kettlebelling"
So a few questions here: what kind of prep would you say is crucial - how does someone know they're and advanced kettlebeller - you mention time - what else?
You might be an intermediate kettlebeller if you have been practicing for a year or more and teaching for about as long, and you have an RKC, AKC, or IKFF cert under your belt.Also, i mention "extreme kettlebelling" - it doesn't sound however like it has that "extreme" mantra to you - that you're not driven by how far you can toss or how heavy. What is the key focus for you?
You might be an advanced kettlebeller if you have three to five years under your belt and you are a Team Leader, a Senior RKC, a Master RKC, or if you are a competitive kettlebell lifter with several meets under your belt and you are a higher level instructor for one of the other reputable kettlebell certifying bodies out there..
Seven or more years of continuous practice and you are more than likely to be in the advanced category provided you have had a credible instructor teach you the techniques of the trade. Learning from magazines books and DVD’s does not count!
If you can easily complete the single man [sic] kettlebell juggling routine from my KB partner passing DVD with good form and in a safe manner, it is most likely o.k. to proceed. Provided you have had instruction from credible instructors.
I do enjoy tossing bells as far as possible and passing heavy bells back and forth and you are right the drive is not the extreme aspect of the training. The key of the kettlebell partner passing for me is the highly focused state of Zen like meditation that is achieved from practicing. It is a movement meditation and a form of self cultivation like no other that I have experienced. It is a cross between Tai Chi, wrestling, and weightlifting.Have to say that my recollection of watching the tossing at the RKC the youtub clip just doesn't do it justice. WHen you kept saying to the group to move back and give you a bit more room, i don't think most of us had any idea what was coming - for what would you need that much room with a kettlebell?
I think it is far more impressive to see KB passing in person then in video format. It was an amazing experience to have the space I did and the audience to demo for. I was so into what we were doing that time and spaces were of little concern.Kettlebell tossing is an act to be seen by others as well as practiced for dynamic strength, is it not? Where does performance in front of others come into your practice? What's its role?
I hope others see this style of training and realize that it takes good sound judgment to determine if it is appropriate for their personal practice. To see is one thing and to do is a whole different ball of wax. I recommend extreme caution when others consider this kind of training. It is Dangerous! The element of danger adds to the benefit of the training and the reward must be weighed against the risk.Does it feel much different when there's folks watching?
The performance aspect creates more pressure, when I start tossing the only thing I have on my mind is what's being tossed at me and what I am tossing back.When you're not tossing kettlebells with the willing, what do you do, Michael?
One of my favorite things to do is train at sportfitproformance.com in Ventura, California with Blair Ferguson. Our collaboration is one of the main reasons that the KB passing has advanced and evolved to this level. I love being active, hiking, biking, yoga, surfing, grappling, kayaking and just about anything else that involves nature. I also enjoy learning, communicating, reading and I am learning to enjoy writing more. Spending time with friends and family is very important to me and I always enjoy developing and growing my relationships.Yoga? any particular form? and how long has that been in the Michael mix?
I began yoga in 2000 just before I was introduced to kettlebells. The tyle of yoga was predominately vinyasa flow, I have also practiced restorative yoga, tantra, and power yoga. Four years ago, I transitioned to a more aggressive and challenging form of power yoga called Blanchard yoga and have been practicing it since.Is that activity what sets your hair on fire or is there something else that also moves you?
I tell ya, watching you do pull-ups at the RKC 2 moved me!! The natural world and the mysteries' of life along with the depth and beauty of the human body sets my hair on fire.Goodness.
What would you say if it hasn't been covered is important for folks to be sure to incorporate into their own strength practice that you think may be missing or underplayed?
Squats, Deadlifts, overhead press and pull-ups.OK, let's go: why each one, and with which implements?
All implements are good to use and should be used in moderation.As we've been discussing, you do have a video on kb parner tossing coming out. What will it be called, when can we expect it, and where will we be able to order it?
They are all full body exercises and require significant amounts of tension to perform and they all systemically fortify the body.
Pull-ups because it is important to be able to pull your weight.
Squats because they teach you to stand up
Overhead press because this is one of our weakest positions and it is always good to have the strength to put your own luggage in the overhead bin.
Deadlifts because it is important to be able to pick up heavy stuff you never know when you will need this.
"Michael Castrogiovanni's Kettlebell Partner Passing" (as of right now) is in the final stages of production and is expected to be released this quarter. It will be available through multiple outlets including my website transformativefitness.com.Fabulous; looking forward to it. I'm sure the three of you could get onto tv shows demonstrating this - that strength can be fluid and beautiful in different ways.
Yes I want to juggle for OprahThat would be fantastic. How do we make that happen? In the meantime, is there anything else you'd care to share that i haven't touched on here related to wellbeing, fitness, what's important to you in this space?
Thank you for taking the time, Michael, to talk about your practice and your new sport. Much obliged.Yes. I feel that there is one key ingredient to wellness and fitness that is overlooked and often thrown by the wayside in favor of increasing numbers, winning and achieving new personal records.
That crucial ingredient is fun.
We have been conditioned at such an early age to win that the idea of fun gets glossed over. The win at any cost attitude is a fast track to burning out. If a lifelong pursuit of health, fitness and wellness are the goals, I highly recommend doing more of things that you enjoy, that make you laugh and smile, with people you love.
Thank you for the opportunity to share my experience with you and your readers. Peace and blessings to all.Michael is one more incredible athlete whom i've spoken with from the RKC II who's independently said the premium should be on fun, being in the moment, rather than numbers. There's a theme from the best practitioners developing here.
Will post an update as soon as Michael's video is out. In the meantime if you'd like to hook up with Michael for training, he can be reached via sportfitproformance.com
In the meantime, let's see that again...
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Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Brain Health Workouts for Elder Rejuvination: Posit Science
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If you have a person in your life/family who's saying they're 
feeling a little less sharp, whether hearing things a little less clearly, or processing information a little less slowly, their may be an easy effective way to sharpen up the senses - literally. It's work (embodied in software) by a group at Posit Science (and it's on sale this week).
B2Diggers have heard me write about the Brain That Changes Itself many times. Well, Posit Science is the company founded by one of the authors featured in that book, Michael Merzenich. He's done work on so many ways to understand neural plasticity - how the brain maps and remaps skills onto our neural nets. That we know we are plastic people is in large part down to his founding work.
The software coming from this group is the stuff that has been peer reviewed to deliver what's on the tin. Other brain game nintendo-esque things have not.
I have personally purchased this group's software for elderly family members and been amazed at their response to it. They find the software "more fun than playing solitaire" and they are enpowered refining their neural plastic skills at audio processing, vision, and comprehension. Someone for instance may think they're going deaf and it turns out they're weak in skills they need for sound disambiguation. Skills can be trained. The software makes it easy. ANd this suff works so well because it is tapping skills development to recover cognitive function. THere's a test online a person can take to see what their neurological age is, too, so they can bench mark what a 10-20 year recovery of function would look like.
Please please, if you have elders in your life who you are experiencing as verging on what might colloquially be called "losing it" - please check out this software.
I'll tell you right up front that the software is not shareware priced, but it's (in some cases less than ) half the price of Photoshop or Microsoft Office retail. When you consider that the software has been demonstrated to gain back 10-20 years of cognitive function, the price of the software against potentially decades more independent living is trivial, is it not?
I strongly recommend the Brain Fitness program in particular.
(that's my affiliate link if you care to use it - but i wouldn't be recommending this stuff if it didn't deliver beyond expectation)
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feeling a little less sharp, whether hearing things a little less clearly, or processing information a little less slowly, their may be an easy effective way to sharpen up the senses - literally. It's work (embodied in software) by a group at Posit Science (and it's on sale this week).B2Diggers have heard me write about the Brain That Changes Itself many times. Well, Posit Science is the company founded by one of the authors featured in that book, Michael Merzenich. He's done work on so many ways to understand neural plasticity - how the brain maps and remaps skills onto our neural nets. That we know we are plastic people is in large part down to his founding work.
The software coming from this group is the stuff that has been peer reviewed to deliver what's on the tin. Other brain game nintendo-esque things have not.
I have personally purchased this group's software for elderly family members and been amazed at their response to it. They find the software "more fun than playing solitaire" and they are enpowered refining their neural plastic skills at audio processing, vision, and comprehension. Someone for instance may think they're going deaf and it turns out they're weak in skills they need for sound disambiguation. Skills can be trained. The software makes it easy. ANd this suff works so well because it is tapping skills development to recover cognitive function. THere's a test online a person can take to see what their neurological age is, too, so they can bench mark what a 10-20 year recovery of function would look like.
Please please, if you have elders in your life who you are experiencing as verging on what might colloquially be called "losing it" - please check out this software.I'll tell you right up front that the software is not shareware priced, but it's (in some cases less than ) half the price of Photoshop or Microsoft Office retail. When you consider that the software has been demonstrated to gain back 10-20 years of cognitive function, the price of the software against potentially decades more independent living is trivial, is it not?
I strongly recommend the Brain Fitness program in particular.
(that's my affiliate link if you care to use it - but i wouldn't be recommending this stuff if it didn't deliver beyond expectation)
Dr. Merzenich TED Talk
Thursday, March 4, 2010
KSO Trek, Men's - fitting for women; punting to Performa
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So being once again in a town where i always 
know i can find Vibram FiveFingers, i hoofed it to City Sports to see if *maybe* a pair of men's KSO Treks would fit. The answer is yes and no: yes the length, one step down from my usual size is fine. This is indeed what @citysports had suggested on twitter when i'd asked. Nice folks. Indeed, i might have even gone for the same size as my current KSO's if they'd had them in stock. But measuring heal to toe of my women's KSO agains this mens - they looked identical in length. So that's the yes part
The No Part. The width at the heal/instep, even with sox on, felt a bit loose. Compared with my regular KSO's which i kept swapping one foot on with one or the other of the Trek, this is just not right. Now they'd probably work ok if necessary, but ya know, knowing the women's will be out in another couple months, i just didn't want to do it - i like how the VFFs fit when they fit, and it's not like these are what you'd call cheap at $125 (just don't ask what they are in GPB; you'll weep you american readers you).
Other Points: Foot Feel; it's different. These are dandy with
socks. Without sox, well, there's a lug that runs just at the top of the metatarsals, and i found myself really aware of that without sox on. With sox on it was fine. To me, the shoe felt like it was well designed for exactly what it's designed for: trails. I bet that sole would just chew up the trails. And there's the irony: that leather upper is just so NICE for the look of the shoe, it would be grand to have a regular soled KSO with this upper.
Saying that, the folks i've encountered wearing the KSO Trek like the lug sole for a bit more winter proofing. Dang though that leather/suede is nice. I'm sorry that there (has to be?) is any nylon material on the upper around the toes to allow for toe fit - that of necessity becomes a wet seep point, doesn't it?
Other Points: Insole. For some reason, and Justin Owings at Birthdayshoes.com pointed this
out in an email exchange we had about Trek fit: the insole has a stitched vibram label on it. ick in bare feet. Likewise, the leather side of the insole is up rather than the suede side. Wouldn't the suede side be nicer for the bottom of the foot? Just asking. That's the way the Performa's done: suede side up inside. Hmm. Also a point i noticed in my brief time with them, and that Justin notes: the upper feels a bit snugger around the top - me i noticed this only particularly around the big toe. Not uncomfortable, that that's the only feel difference.
If you're interested in more nitty gritty of the Trek, take a look at Justin's full Trek review birthdayshoes. I think it's safe to say he likes 'em.
Please VFF, keep women in mind for ALL your models: Anyway gals, it was supposed to be Feb; now it's slipped to may when a suede leather shoe mayn't be as desireable in the warmer weather as the regular VFF's but if Vibram keeps the same colors for the KSO Trek for women, and you're into KSO's you will want to make this model part of your wardrobe.
As Justin's review says, these are the least obtrusive VFF's - but goodness they just feel so nice. I'm so looking forward to these coming out in women's. Let's hope VFF never does the men's only model thing again.
Addenda: Performa (men's moc)
So while i was at the shop i thought what the heck, i'll try on the performa, the Other Leather
slipper, just for something to wear on cold winter floors at home. Oh my. I literally forgot i had them on at one point walking around the store.
I had sorta written these off as very rather precious VFF's - when would i wear such things as they're not outdoors at all - they're just gym/studio things: answer - when it's too cold to go bare foot on the floors but i love to go barefooting on the floors - and that's a lot of the time recently.
They actually feel so good i can hardly wait to get home and slip out of the boots and into them. WHile they fit like the classic, they do not have the same kind of pull tab thingy elastic string that many folks just cut off so as not to cut into oneself - indeed these feel like they fit better than the classics (more on fit comparisons and FittingS at b2d here).
I can also imagine side kicking a heavy bag with them - something that is no fun to do in any VFF that has a velcro pull tab closure on it. These are just sweet. they disappear. With black sox on they go total ninja stealth feet mode. If i notice anything else about them, i'll post again, but for right now, i'd say they're definitely worth trying on to see if you want them to be part of your attire. Like butta.
Please let me know what you find if you're a gal trying the Trek or if you have the Performa what made you decide to give 'em a go.
Related Posts
know i can find Vibram FiveFingers, i hoofed it to City Sports to see if *maybe* a pair of men's KSO Treks would fit. The answer is yes and no: yes the length, one step down from my usual size is fine. This is indeed what @citysports had suggested on twitter when i'd asked. Nice folks. Indeed, i might have even gone for the same size as my current KSO's if they'd had them in stock. But measuring heal to toe of my women's KSO agains this mens - they looked identical in length. So that's the yes partThe No Part. The width at the heal/instep, even with sox on, felt a bit loose. Compared with my regular KSO's which i kept swapping one foot on with one or the other of the Trek, this is just not right. Now they'd probably work ok if necessary, but ya know, knowing the women's will be out in another couple months, i just didn't want to do it - i like how the VFFs fit when they fit, and it's not like these are what you'd call cheap at $125 (just don't ask what they are in GPB; you'll weep you american readers you).
Other Points: Foot Feel; it's different. These are dandy with
socks. Without sox, well, there's a lug that runs just at the top of the metatarsals, and i found myself really aware of that without sox on. With sox on it was fine. To me, the shoe felt like it was well designed for exactly what it's designed for: trails. I bet that sole would just chew up the trails. And there's the irony: that leather upper is just so NICE for the look of the shoe, it would be grand to have a regular soled KSO with this upper.Saying that, the folks i've encountered wearing the KSO Trek like the lug sole for a bit more winter proofing. Dang though that leather/suede is nice. I'm sorry that there (has to be?) is any nylon material on the upper around the toes to allow for toe fit - that of necessity becomes a wet seep point, doesn't it?
Other Points: Insole. For some reason, and Justin Owings at Birthdayshoes.com pointed this
out in an email exchange we had about Trek fit: the insole has a stitched vibram label on it. ick in bare feet. Likewise, the leather side of the insole is up rather than the suede side. Wouldn't the suede side be nicer for the bottom of the foot? Just asking. That's the way the Performa's done: suede side up inside. Hmm. Also a point i noticed in my brief time with them, and that Justin notes: the upper feels a bit snugger around the top - me i noticed this only particularly around the big toe. Not uncomfortable, that that's the only feel difference.If you're interested in more nitty gritty of the Trek, take a look at Justin's full Trek review birthdayshoes. I think it's safe to say he likes 'em.
Please VFF, keep women in mind for ALL your models: Anyway gals, it was supposed to be Feb; now it's slipped to may when a suede leather shoe mayn't be as desireable in the warmer weather as the regular VFF's but if Vibram keeps the same colors for the KSO Trek for women, and you're into KSO's you will want to make this model part of your wardrobe.
As Justin's review says, these are the least obtrusive VFF's - but goodness they just feel so nice. I'm so looking forward to these coming out in women's. Let's hope VFF never does the men's only model thing again.
Addenda: Performa (men's moc)
So while i was at the shop i thought what the heck, i'll try on the performa, the Other Leather
slipper, just for something to wear on cold winter floors at home. Oh my. I literally forgot i had them on at one point walking around the store.I had sorta written these off as very rather precious VFF's - when would i wear such things as they're not outdoors at all - they're just gym/studio things: answer - when it's too cold to go bare foot on the floors but i love to go barefooting on the floors - and that's a lot of the time recently.
They actually feel so good i can hardly wait to get home and slip out of the boots and into them. WHile they fit like the classic, they do not have the same kind of pull tab thingy elastic string that many folks just cut off so as not to cut into oneself - indeed these feel like they fit better than the classics (more on fit comparisons and FittingS at b2d here).
I can also imagine side kicking a heavy bag with them - something that is no fun to do in any VFF that has a velcro pull tab closure on it. These are just sweet. they disappear. With black sox on they go total ninja stealth feet mode. If i notice anything else about them, i'll post again, but for right now, i'd say they're definitely worth trying on to see if you want them to be part of your attire. Like butta.
Please let me know what you find if you're a gal trying the Trek or if you have the Performa what made you decide to give 'em a go.
Related Posts
- How to Fit vff's of all stripes
- Wearing a year on - the changing foot
- ALL b2d VFF articles
- Examples of running barefoot vs in any kind of shoe
- free your feet
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Michael Castrogiovanni: Athleticism in Taking Kettlebells out of the Box
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Beautiful Strength. Kettlebells are heavy iron balls with handles. They are great for strength and conditioning work. They look like this:
Indeed, some of us have spent money to learn how to teach people how to use these things safely. Mainly by learning how to swing them between our legs up to above our heads in an arc. A simple move, but folks who watch this and do not know the technique, that simple gesture is pretty freaky. But let's say you've learned the techniques and you're out there practicing kb's - Michael Castrogiovani, an amazingly fit guy, RKC Team Lead, and creative athlete, makes the rather poignant observation is that all the movement happens in that same body zone. Not ot put to fine a point on it: between the legs. And so Michael asks, what happens if we move outside that box?
Athleticism & Strength. There was an interesting theme of discussion at a recent kettlebell certification course, the RKC II - it was athleticism. Athleticism had been ascribed to kettlebell practice, and so the question came up, ok what's athleticism. Fluid movement. Effortless looking movement - making movement look beautiful and easy.
The above video of Castrogiovanni seems a pretty cool example of athleticism, with kettlebells as the tool to let it be demonstrated. Beautiful, isn't it?
Delight. Awhile ago i wrote a post about the rarity of delight especially in one's practice. The live demo that Michael put on with with fellow RKC TL Jeremy Layport was that.
If you get a chance to work with Michael or to see him juggle or kb toss, you'll be delighted, surprised and no doubt inspired by the athleticism. A new way to think about heavy objects moving through space.
Related Posts
Update - Michael has agreed to an interview for b2d on his work with tossing kb's, so will look forward to that in the near future. Tweet Follow @begin2dig
Indeed, some of us have spent money to learn how to teach people how to use these things safely. Mainly by learning how to swing them between our legs up to above our heads in an arc. A simple move, but folks who watch this and do not know the technique, that simple gesture is pretty freaky. But let's say you've learned the techniques and you're out there practicing kb's - Michael Castrogiovani, an amazingly fit guy, RKC Team Lead, and creative athlete, makes the rather poignant observation is that all the movement happens in that same body zone. Not ot put to fine a point on it: between the legs. And so Michael asks, what happens if we move outside that box?
Athleticism & Strength. There was an interesting theme of discussion at a recent kettlebell certification course, the RKC II - it was athleticism. Athleticism had been ascribed to kettlebell practice, and so the question came up, ok what's athleticism. Fluid movement. Effortless looking movement - making movement look beautiful and easy.
The above video of Castrogiovanni seems a pretty cool example of athleticism, with kettlebells as the tool to let it be demonstrated. Beautiful, isn't it?
Delight. Awhile ago i wrote a post about the rarity of delight especially in one's practice. The live demo that Michael put on with with fellow RKC TL Jeremy Layport was that.
If you get a chance to work with Michael or to see him juggle or kb toss, you'll be delighted, surprised and no doubt inspired by the athleticism. A new way to think about heavy objects moving through space.
Related Posts
Update - Michael has agreed to an interview for b2d on his work with tossing kb's, so will look forward to that in the near future. Tweet Follow @begin2dig
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
mc's balsamic vinegar diet: fat loss xtreme taste delight
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Diets as a regular approach to body comp, as opposed to good nutrition practices, are bad. They're evil. They show no respect for the complexity of us as humans. They say if you just eat this magic way you'll get the body you want. They have no respect for the neurological trespass that radical changes can invoke when broached without preparation or understanding: that for someone struggling with weight for a long time, it's rarely just about the food.
We see proof of this all the time: we know that folks who diet can get stuck in a cycle of deprivation/retaliation. Martha Beck describes this practically split personality response to the diet (a code word for denial) in here fabulous book about approaches to getting one's head right for food change in The Four Day Win.
In Beck's approach, one's way to "thinner peace" as she puts it, is by helping one's self prep for the kind of changes to habits a shift in food consumption really triggers, and offers strategies to help get ready for the change.
I've written about the cost of change before: we are rewiring ourselves, literally, both hedonically
(our habits for pleasure/satisfaction/sufficiency) and homeostatically (what hormones for instance get triggered when to say "you're hungry; go get carbs). I really like Susan Roberts' approach to this shifting of "instincts" as getting one with what's going on inside and having some mercy towards oneself that there are reasons we're so driven to consume, and that changing these takes time.
It's just not only about the food (as i've said before).
And folks here know that my favorite approaches to getting knowledgable about nutrition is precision nutrition (why), and that i'm also intrigued with eat stop eat as a complementary strategy.
All good.
So where does balsamic vinegar come into it?
Well, whether you're getting set to make weight as an athlete or getting ready for a special event, or just want to kick start the sanity of a diet with some self-inspiration, there are times when one may wish to crash diet. Pray these are rare. Here's my own example: i'm getting ready for an event; i was away for more than a week on the road and ate terribly. And i know how to manage road food, so won't go into why this week was a bust, but i've been paying for it since, and i want to get back to the right weight for the event. Shallow, but there it is.
So, what's the best way to do this? Well i don't know, but the way i do it is to turn to Lyle McDonald's Rapid Fat Loss Diet. McDonald offers the same caveats: a crash diet is a short-ish term thing; it is not a way of life, but there are times (not one's life) when drastic measures may be appropriate.
By drastic, we're talking what's usually known as a Protein Sparing Diet, with a few mods. The best part of the book is really the discussions around how to figure out how long to be on this, how to come off it, and how to gage what you need, why, and strategies to optimize your *short term* practice of this.
The diet part is largely getting your daily protein requirements from very lean sources (including protein powder), doing a multivitamin and calcium, doing your algae or fish oils to get the right fats, and eating all the greens you want. Leafy greens don't really add up calorically to a hill of beans. Well, literally they don't.
We're getting closer to the balsamic
Just eating a piece of protein is not so filling. However, what i've been finding is that raw leafy greens from salad greens to baby spinach, and throwing in some sprouts, is not only overwhelming to the eye (as in, 'that's a lot of food'), it's also slow going to chew. And that's great!
Normally, i'd put olive oil and balsamic on a set of veg like this, but that oil is too dear right now since it's fat i'm trying to burn, so for the first time i've been exploring well, what about just the balsamic? Oh wow.
Now, when i say balsamic here, i mean some really nice balsamic (what is balsamic?).
Getting Intrigued
Yes, like everything else made in the world, we can Get Intrigued about a particular food product. There are various types of balsamics just as there are wines and olive oils. Having had the pleasure to travel to spain at one point i got to try a bunch and learned about this incredible condoment. This is aged, pressed grapes. It's sweet and clean and oh so nice with just a hint of tartness. And also as with all things, the most expensive doesn't always mean the best either. There's a supermarket brand in the UK - selfridges - which is very very nice. And surprisingly another supermarket, waitrose, makes one too, that rivals more name brands. To my taste anyway.
AND the best thing is, it works on its own without the olive oil's fruity complement. Drizzle some of the really nice stuff on this stack of leafy greenery and it goes from a mouth full of fodder to something really quite delicious.
There are probably tons of chemical reasons for why the vinegar part of the balsamic is reacting with the lettuce to begin to cook it, and react with it, but oy, let me tell you, it's a way to make that plate of greens desireable.
Slow Down, Chew: create taste sensation and lasting delight
WHich brings us to two other great food tips we hear all the time: chew the food a lot, and eat slowly. Why? well, the mastication process brings out the flavours of the foods, and if you have a variety of greens and sprouts and balsamic notes on a plate, squishing, crushing, chewing those leaves cracks open their flavours. And heck, if you're on such thin gruel as this calorically, making a meal last as long as possible is also a good thing.
Indeed, concentrating on the food, tastes and flavours is another rewiring step that has been shown apparently to help people eat less. On this diet, no problem, one is eating less BUT in doing so, we're learning habits to carry back to Sane Eating to continue to get more from less.
Tucking Into Tastes.
Perhaps when one is so calorically restricted, creating savoriness and sweetness and just flavourfulness is truly a great practice to develop - chewing goes a long way; seasoning takes that a bit further - and while perhaps motivated by a keen focus on fat burning for the moment, for whatever short term necessary evil goal requires this (or possibly it's an aesetic rather than aesthetic one), these are useful habits to take back towards as said that sane eating (i mentioned precision nutrition if you're not sure what that looks like - here's a free ebook of most of it).
So if you find yourself in a place where you need to get a fat drop happening fast, by all means, consider the Rapid Fat Loss Diet, and bring the good quality Balsamic to the table.
And when you get a head start on where you need to go - really the time limits discussed in the book are IMPORTANT - to look at refeeds, duration, etc, and just stopping it - there are some great approaches, as said: pn, eat stop eat. All good, all sane, all healthy habits based.
Personally, i can hardly wait to get back to real eating, but balsamic and loads of leaves has been a revelation.
Related Links
Note:
A reminder, too, that Brad Pilon's free teleseminar is Feb 24 - the free slides that just got mailed around about calorie cutting for weight loss related to height and only height is worth the sign up alone. That's a head spinner. Tweet Follow @begin2dig
We see proof of this all the time: we know that folks who diet can get stuck in a cycle of deprivation/retaliation. Martha Beck describes this practically split personality response to the diet (a code word for denial) in here fabulous book about approaches to getting one's head right for food change in The Four Day Win.
In Beck's approach, one's way to "thinner peace" as she puts it, is by helping one's self prep for the kind of changes to habits a shift in food consumption really triggers, and offers strategies to help get ready for the change.
I've written about the cost of change before: we are rewiring ourselves, literally, both hedonically
(our habits for pleasure/satisfaction/sufficiency) and homeostatically (what hormones for instance get triggered when to say "you're hungry; go get carbs). I really like Susan Roberts' approach to this shifting of "instincts" as getting one with what's going on inside and having some mercy towards oneself that there are reasons we're so driven to consume, and that changing these takes time.It's just not only about the food (as i've said before).
And folks here know that my favorite approaches to getting knowledgable about nutrition is precision nutrition (why), and that i'm also intrigued with eat stop eat as a complementary strategy.
All good.
So where does balsamic vinegar come into it?
Well, whether you're getting set to make weight as an athlete or getting ready for a special event, or just want to kick start the sanity of a diet with some self-inspiration, there are times when one may wish to crash diet. Pray these are rare. Here's my own example: i'm getting ready for an event; i was away for more than a week on the road and ate terribly. And i know how to manage road food, so won't go into why this week was a bust, but i've been paying for it since, and i want to get back to the right weight for the event. Shallow, but there it is.
So, what's the best way to do this? Well i don't know, but the way i do it is to turn to Lyle McDonald's Rapid Fat Loss Diet. McDonald offers the same caveats: a crash diet is a short-ish term thing; it is not a way of life, but there are times (not one's life) when drastic measures may be appropriate.By drastic, we're talking what's usually known as a Protein Sparing Diet, with a few mods. The best part of the book is really the discussions around how to figure out how long to be on this, how to come off it, and how to gage what you need, why, and strategies to optimize your *short term* practice of this.
The diet part is largely getting your daily protein requirements from very lean sources (including protein powder), doing a multivitamin and calcium, doing your algae or fish oils to get the right fats, and eating all the greens you want. Leafy greens don't really add up calorically to a hill of beans. Well, literally they don't.
We're getting closer to the balsamic
Just eating a piece of protein is not so filling. However, what i've been finding is that raw leafy greens from salad greens to baby spinach, and throwing in some sprouts, is not only overwhelming to the eye (as in, 'that's a lot of food'), it's also slow going to chew. And that's great!
Normally, i'd put olive oil and balsamic on a set of veg like this, but that oil is too dear right now since it's fat i'm trying to burn, so for the first time i've been exploring well, what about just the balsamic? Oh wow.
Now, when i say balsamic here, i mean some really nice balsamic (what is balsamic?).
Getting Intrigued
Yes, like everything else made in the world, we can Get Intrigued about a particular food product. There are various types of balsamics just as there are wines and olive oils. Having had the pleasure to travel to spain at one point i got to try a bunch and learned about this incredible condoment. This is aged, pressed grapes. It's sweet and clean and oh so nice with just a hint of tartness. And also as with all things, the most expensive doesn't always mean the best either. There's a supermarket brand in the UK - selfridges - which is very very nice. And surprisingly another supermarket, waitrose, makes one too, that rivals more name brands. To my taste anyway.
AND the best thing is, it works on its own without the olive oil's fruity complement. Drizzle some of the really nice stuff on this stack of leafy greenery and it goes from a mouth full of fodder to something really quite delicious.
There are probably tons of chemical reasons for why the vinegar part of the balsamic is reacting with the lettuce to begin to cook it, and react with it, but oy, let me tell you, it's a way to make that plate of greens desireable.
Slow Down, Chew: create taste sensation and lasting delight
WHich brings us to two other great food tips we hear all the time: chew the food a lot, and eat slowly. Why? well, the mastication process brings out the flavours of the foods, and if you have a variety of greens and sprouts and balsamic notes on a plate, squishing, crushing, chewing those leaves cracks open their flavours. And heck, if you're on such thin gruel as this calorically, making a meal last as long as possible is also a good thing.
Indeed, concentrating on the food, tastes and flavours is another rewiring step that has been shown apparently to help people eat less. On this diet, no problem, one is eating less BUT in doing so, we're learning habits to carry back to Sane Eating to continue to get more from less.
Tucking Into Tastes.
Perhaps when one is so calorically restricted, creating savoriness and sweetness and just flavourfulness is truly a great practice to develop - chewing goes a long way; seasoning takes that a bit further - and while perhaps motivated by a keen focus on fat burning for the moment, for whatever short term necessary evil goal requires this (or possibly it's an aesetic rather than aesthetic one), these are useful habits to take back towards as said that sane eating (i mentioned precision nutrition if you're not sure what that looks like - here's a free ebook of most of it).
So if you find yourself in a place where you need to get a fat drop happening fast, by all means, consider the Rapid Fat Loss Diet, and bring the good quality Balsamic to the table.
And when you get a head start on where you need to go - really the time limits discussed in the book are IMPORTANT - to look at refeeds, duration, etc, and just stopping it - there are some great approaches, as said: pn, eat stop eat. All good, all sane, all healthy habits based.
Personally, i can hardly wait to get back to real eating, but balsamic and loads of leaves has been a revelation.
Related Links
- Edeli: a great place to get beautiful olive oils if you're in the UK (no relationship to this company; just like their stuff)
- respect the fat
- whole proteins/whole grains
- glucomannan for satiety, fiber and no cals
- optimizing HIIT for fat burning
- When you can't HIIT, do what?
- what the heck is sustenance??
- MOTIVATION - what it might be and how to get more of it.
Note:
A reminder, too, that Brad Pilon's free teleseminar is Feb 24 - the free slides that just got mailed around about calorie cutting for weight loss related to height and only height is worth the sign up alone. That's a head spinner. Tweet Follow @begin2dig
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COACHING with dr. m.c. 
