This all blows my mind. And as a point of reference, Agnus Barbieri of Scotland fasted for 382 days through medically supervised fasting. He was going to try a few days and see what happens; that turned into a week; then a month; then 382 days. When he reached his goal weight of 180 pounds, he stopped. And unlike Biggest Loser contestants, he found a happy weight of 191 pounds and that’s where he stayed. So for all the bunnies out there who think you have to graze all day, you’re wrong. One or two meals a day is better for you than 6 meals a day. Here are some facts:

-Ghrelin is the hunger hormone. The feeling of hunger goes away with more time away.
-If you have a surplus of body fat, you will actually not become catabolic while fasting. In fact, the opposite. Human growth hormone actually increases during fasting.
-Insulin is the key to losing weight and overall health. Packaged oatmeal, bran muffins, and other carbohydrate sources are great foods to eat to NOT lose weight. They only trigger more insulin and sugar release into your bloodstream. Insulin encourages fat storage, not fat burning.
-Cortisol is 2nd important for dieting. A person could be on the same restricted calorie diet with the same activities, but not lose weight. Stress (relationships, work, environment), lack of sleep, and not obeying circadian daytime cycles (here that night owls?)—it is short-circuiting your weight loss goals. Sleep, get your face in the sun at sunrise and sunset, walk, meditate, do tai-chi and yoga.
-Go hard or go home (NOT!!!!!). When I do a long, difficult run that wipes me out for days, cortisol is raging in my body. This triggers intense hunger and I sleep poorly. Going hard is counter to weight loss goals. Always remember, you burn sugar first, then you burn fat. If you workout hard for 25 minutes, likely only 5 minutes of that time is in fat burning.
-Low intensity activities like walking, light jogging, tai-chi, yoga, and playing will cause more fat loss than intense workouts. Why? You stay in the fat-burning aerobic zone, not the intense anaerobic zone. It is measured at a maximum heart rate of 180 minus your age. But really, if you can talk or limit exercise to breathing out of your nose is key.
-Autophagy—so if you’re not eating, where do you get your essential nutrients? This is where autophagy comes into play. It is literally eating your own dead cells and recycling them for reuse. Essential amino acids and minerals are reused. This also has a role in autoimmune and cancer health since autophagy has longevity benefits in those diseases as well. You reach autophagy after about 15-18 hours of fasting. The more days you can fast, the more autophagy. It creates efficiency in your body.

If you believe in the idea of evolution, then science only tells us that fasting works. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be here today. Our earliest ancestors went long periods without eating. Then they would harvest an animal and eat heartily. Our body has a mechanism that enables us to function efficiently when fasting. We wouldn’t be here today if that wasn’t true. Instead, our brains focus better and bodies have plenty of energy without food in our bellies.

—at least for me.

Main points:
1. Anaerobic fitness elicits a cortisol stress response.
2. Fat burning happens almost exclusively aerobically.

In the past, I’ve actually been disgusted by a "not-going-hard" approach to fitness. I see ladies walking down the street cheerfully gabbing at each other. I see people who look like they are fitness walking while talking on the phone. I would run past people on trails with an elite attitude like "I’m getting more done than you are". Sidenote: I hate an idea of toxic masculinity. I say let men be who we were designed to be. But having said that, I know plenty of women who are go-getters just as much as men. I know some who are more competitive than men. But there is clearly a machismo attitude toward exercise. It’s either Go Hard or Go Home!

I’ve read the Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson and am currently reading Primal Endurance. I’ve slowly come 180 degrees from where I was. Mark is an elite performer of triathlons and marathon events. Yet he found he could train smarter, which meant slower in an aerobic zone and for a shorter amount of time, and still keep up with elite performers. How is this possible?

When you train yourself to exercise aerobically, it means you are moving at a conversational pace. So those ladies walking down the street make sense to me now. The Maffetone formula for an aerobic maximum heart rate (MHR) is 180 minus your age. So if you are 30 years old, that’s 180 – 30 = 150. That is your maximum aerobic threshold for working out. For many, that will feel like a snail’s pace. But for others, that will feel perfect.

Mark calls an uneducated guess at our MHR the "Black Hole". You really need to use a heart rate monitor to keep your heart in check. Otherwise, you may feel comfortable just above that zone and fall into the black hole. When you get above MHR, you shift from burning fat to burning glucose. When you use up available glucose in your bloodstream, your liver releases glycogen to create more glucose. So what does this mean?

Ever hear of "skinny fat". I always wondered how it is possible to toe the line at many running races and see so many fat runners. I mean, yeah, maybe they had just started running. But there are many who I see at a lot of races who are clearly either fat or even skinny fat. The reason? Cortisol! Cortisol is a hormone that is released when you are under stress. Anaerobic activities are a form of stress. So if you are constantly redlining your heart when you run, like pushing it to where you almost have to stop, you are not aerobic, but anaerobic. And the cortisol elicits insulin to in turn shift to burning sugar. So you could end up working out every single day (Go Hard or Go Home) and burn sugar and not fat. You turn into an anti-fat-burning slob.

Yes, there are times to go hard. Short intense workouts elicit a specific response that is the subject of another blog. But Mark says to do that once every 7 to 10 days. Otherwise, spend more time in the aerobic <MHR zone. He also encourages "play". That means frisbee, biking around the block, doing some yard work, or dancing. Have fun with living an unstructured, playful life. Never be sedentary for more than 2-3 hours. Those are the keys.

Personal Revelation:
A couple weeks ago, I went on my longest run in years. It wasn’t super long compared to my days of ultramarathoning. But it felt long. I really pushed it and felt good after. I was a little sore for a few days. What amazed me was the "stressful" physiological response. Since I’ve been Intermittent Fasting (IF) and working out mostly aerobically (<MHR), I rarely feel hungry. But after this run, I was famished. I still stuck mostly to my IF, I was ravenous. The other thing? My heart was racing. Since I wear a Garmin Vivoactive 3, I can see my heart rate in real time. So for 3 days after my run, my heart rate was elevated. Yes, I was probably burning more calories. But it also meant that my body was fighting something. I wasn’t totally relaxed. I also slept very terribly for 2 nights. I monitor that too. I usually have about an 80% rating of quality sleep. I was about 35% for those two nights. Lack of sleep also ramps up cortisol. My watch also measures stress, which is related to heart rate variability (HRV). I usually am at 10-20 at rest. But I was resting at about 50 (or 50%), which means I was at moderate stress even when sitting still. So long story short, that one long run that was above my MHR upset my body for 3 days. It had a negative effect on my health and my weight loss. I was hungry, sore, and physiologically not well. I never noticed that about myself. But it made me embrace these ideas even more.

The anabolic effects of eating certain foods can be compared based on how well assimilated they are in your body. Some foods do not assimilate well, so you will need much more to get the same effect. Here’s a breakdown from Dr. Berg.

Eggs 48% efficiency (48% of what you eat is converted to body tissue)
Meat – Fish – Fowl 32%
Egg white 17%
Soy 17%
Diary-Whey 16%
Spirulina 6%

Sorry it has been so long since I’ve written. I’ve gone through some amazing changes with my health plan. I’d have to admit, if it wasn’t for this pandemic, I don’t think I’d be where I am today. I feel for those who have lost jobs and suffered during this time; but I’ve met positivity in my own life. Maybe some of that will rub off and give you ideas for yourselves.

Huge Influences for me in 2020:
[Preface — I struggled, dabbled, gave much thought, dismissed them, but came back to these people over time and now totally embrace their ideas. Give them a chance. You've gotta break through the thick ice to get to the good stuff]
David Goggins – I read "Can’t Hurt Me" and Jesse Itzler’s account of when Goggins lived with him and trained him. This is monumental!
Jocko Willink – he has a saner approach than David and great guidelines for life.
Dr. Eric Berg – he is my fasting and keto resource. His videos are super helpful.
Mark Sisson – of the Primal Blueprint. I read his book and sat it aside not really planning to follow what he said. But over time, it gnawed away at me. Now I’m a total follower. This is especially useful for longevity.

There are definitely more, but these are 4 who came to mind right away. Give all of them a chance. What they say makes a lot of sense.

I’ll spend some time explaining the why’s and what for’s over time. Please ask questions if you’d like and I’ll explain. Here is what my day looks like now:

Daily Routine:

Wake 0515-0545 – I use the Sleep app to wake up when I naturally begin to stir. This sets my hormones on the right course and you don’t feel groggy.

Coffee – I wake by playing with my dogs, drinking coffee, and watching the news.

I make a small carafe of coffee. Since coffee can stimulate some insulin, I have learned to back off a little on how much coffee I drink. So I drink about 3 cups.

I also do my first Language program of the day. I’m also FASTing, so I don’t eat anything.

Work at 0630 sharp – Its easy since I telework. This is my most focused time of the day. I can get a lot done in the first hour or two of work.

Mid-morning walk – I do this after finishing coffee. I watch an educational YouTube that relates to my work. So I’m still working. I stay at a conversational pace, that is 180 beats per minute minus my age for heart rate. This is HUGE for me and a big change. To burn fat while fasting, you need to stay in this Zone 1 and don’t push the intensity. For many of us, that’s hard to do. But its super important for many reasons.

Electrolyte – then I drink 16 oz of water with Dr. Berg’s electrolyte mix. This is important while fasting since just plain water or coffee doesn’t provide the chemical mix to make muscles and mind function at their best. I will explore other electrolytes later.

Break Fast – I may do another quick walk before breaking my fast to maximize fat burning. For an 18 hour fast, it usually ends up at 1130am, for 20 hours it’s 1330. Much depends on my late afternoon workout. I prefer to eat at 1130 so I digest and have energy for my workout. Regardless, making this a keto lunch is best. However, it’s often about 8 oz of coconut milk, carb free protein powder, and a cup of mixed frozen berries.

Work – I work in the afternoon without any snacking whatsoever (very important!!) I drink a cup of green tea that has numerous benefits for mind and body. It also keeps me from an afternoon circadian trough.

Workout – I have guidelines for my MetCon WOD (metabolic conditioning workout of the day) every day of the week except Thursday. I usually combine strength and skill work either within the WOD or before or after the workout.

Hygiene – 1645 promptly! I also learned that soaps and shampoos have harmful detergents for your skin. The only places on your body that stink are your armpits and private parts since those are the odor centers of the body. So I shower once every 2 or 3 days and do a bird bath of odor parts the other days. I am probably saving water (and the planet, hehe) by doing this as well.

Cook Dinner 1700 – mostly keto. Seafood once a week. I try to do an Instant Pot recipe once a week too. There is a whole plan to my meals. I try to shut off my eating by 1730 at the latest. Then I can start my fast. What I have to remember to do is if I want a little snack, like a piece of dark chocolate, some cashews, or BBQ pork rinds, then I make sure I have it with my meal. Then I won’t crave that after I start my fast. I use the Zero app and when I start the timer, it’s Over. No more eating for the night.

Evening – watch TV, maybe finish my walking steps for the day to meet my goal, maybe some Yoga either online or in front of the TV, lots of rolling and stretching regardless.

Bedtime – promptly at 2030 and it never wavers. Even when I travel to a different time zone, I try to keep the same schedule. I read either with a red light backlight on my phone or with a red light headlamp. This reduces the blue light exposure that is a sleep killer.

Wow, that got longer than I expected. I plan to go into more detail of the "why’s" of all of this. It is super important for me to stay on this schedule and it is made a lot easier because of the lockdown. There are no outside influences that can change my schedule. It is life changing how these improvements have improved my quality of life.

Today, I’m doing a scaled version of the CrossFit workout called "Michael". You can look up the full variation. I often do variations of this since it is such a good fundamental workout for core muscle groups. And none of the muscle groups really interfere with other work that I do.

Here is the version I’m doing today.

4 Rounds for time:
Run 400-300-200-100m (begin each round with each)
40-30-20-10 reps of–
hyperextensions (or GHD extensions)
sit-ups (regular or GHD)

Some research has shown that soreness isn’t a necessary component of muscle growth. No pain, no gain has largely been debunked. However, some would say that people who say that want the quick fix or the little pill to swallow that avoids hard work to get what you want. We always need hard work for growth. So I’ll say instead, getting sore every workout shouldn’t be a parameter that you check off your to-do list when seeking growth.

Soreness can be caused by many different stimuli. But you can almost guarantee an eccentric component is part of the picture; maybe a big part of it. Just to refresh, concentric contraction of muscle is the muscle shortening phase. If you measure the extreme ends of the muscle tendon from insertion to attachment, that shortening can be physically measured as muscle contracts. Then, when you release the contraction, the eccentric phase is the lengthening of the muscle. However, muscles don’t completely relax while it is under load. It still puts out little myosin-actin bridges or micro contractions to lower a load with control. The lengthening, or eccentric contraction, is where most soreness occurs. It happens as you lower into a squat, as you release a barbell curl to full arm’s length, and when you lower a military press from overhead to the rack position. Sometimes you want to maximize eccentric contraction with tools like negative reps and partner assisted lowering with extra pressure. It has been a big part of old school bodybuilding forever. So yes, eccentric is still essential, but soreness isn’t always the desired outcome.

So, can we really avoid eccentric contraction in a workout?

The answer is an emphatic YES! Haha, I say that tongue in cheek because you’ll see where we still go a little eccentric at times. But here are a few ideas for eccentric work:

1. Sled drags – when you pull a sled horizontally across a surface, it is nearly 100% concentric. You never have to kinetically lower a sled from a high action potential (excerpt from my days of physical chemistry). It is always on the ground. Your quads and glutes are burning on all cylinders, but its all concentric. Yes, you still may get sore because it is really hard, but once you are trained for that kind of effort, you may not get sore anymore. Movements like Farmer Carries are close to this as well because you don’t pick up the weight very high and you lower it a couple inches back to the ground.

2. Olympic weightlifting – this is where tongue in cheek comes into play—yes, there is still a squat in Olympic lifting. When you catch a clean at the rack position and lower into a squat, that is eccentric. The same is true when you catch a snatch. But, what if you used a manageable weight that you caught either in a power clean or a clean where you don’t lower when you catch. Then, it would be almost all concentric. The key is dropping the weight. So if you are not in a gym that allows weight to be dropped and that doesn’t have bumper plates, you’ll be in a jam. Again, kinetic energy. From floor to overhead is concentric, but if you use any effort to lower the weight, it adds the eccentric. Let’s say you are doing power cleans. You clean it, then drop it, then do it again. Its a great workout without any eccentric contraction.

3. Throwing/lifting movements – a strongman atlas stone or soft stone lift is perfect! You can lift it to shoulder or overhead, then drop it. Med ball slams are pretty good too. Lift it and drop or slam it to the ground. Try a 30 or 50 pound ball 20 to 100 times and you’ll realize what a sick workout it is. And its nearly all concentric. You can also do a wallball drop. You can’t catch it or that will be eccentric. This is better for a heavier med ball. Do like a wallball throw to a mark on the wall or rafters, then let it drop. Clean it and then do it again.

You can get really creative with this. Basically, anything that starts from the floor (no potential energy) to some height (maximum potential energy), then drop it. That will most likely be concentric in your body.

When do you use strictly concentric lifting?

You use concentrics when you don’t want to or can’t get sore. I teach yoga classes and I need to be able to demonstrate poses to students. If I can’t do a pushup (chaturanga) or a squat (chair pose), I’m not going to be able to demonstrate. I can’t afford cramps either, especially in hamstrings or biceps. So, either I don’t workout the day before class, or I do concentric work instead. Also, maybe you are on a deload for competition; maybe you’re running a race on the weekend; or maybe you are working as a massage therapist or tire changer and you need to be able to function at work—-that’s when you use concentrics.

I hope this gives you something to think about. Have fun and keep at it!

Train smarter!!

My YouTube feed is full of workout videos, lots of fishing, some travel, and motivational videos. And by workout, I mean Strongman, CrossFit, Olympic weightlifting, a little bodybuilding, yoga, Ashtanga yoga, animal yoga, and Tai-Chi. Yes, I end up watching a lot of Joe Rogan too.

If you subscribe to Joe’s feed, you’ll notice a lot of talk about David Goggins. Not only directly with David Goggins, but other people talking about him as well. But I was never very interested to watch. I mean, I would start and quickly change the channel.

To be honest, when I first started watching videos before YouTube or any social media, there were other venues to see such things. Often they were web pages, listservs, and bulletin boards. What turned me off about David Goggins was the same thing that turned me off about this video called "Every Second Counts". There was this brash guy who couldn’t talk without cursing every other word. Mind you, I was raised in a household that never cursed. When I got into the Army, there were guys who couldn’t say a single sentence without a curse word in it. It was just how they were conditioned to speak. I never felt the need to communicate that way. Even when I later became an Army Infantry Drill Instructor, it wasn’t something I had to do to be hard and get my point across.

But eventually, this guy on "Every Second Counts" broke me down. I started to see through the inflammatory language and get to his point. This man was David Castro. He has been the 2nd man-in-charge throughout the life of CrossFit. He was an ex-Navy Seal and instructor, so he has built this vocabulary over the years. Since I was also in the military, I gravitated toward what he was talking about; and it lead me down the path of CrossFit that I still do today. The actual video that hooked me was one called "Nasty Girls". It was a workout done by 3 ladies who got after it to the original tune Nasty Girls. They did cleans, strict muscle ups, and air squats, really killing themselves along the way. I was amazed at how they could do that. But that path is a whole other story.

As I circle back to David Goggins, all I could hear at first was the coarseness of his words. I couldn’t see through that and walls were built in my mind. But something finally broke through a month ago and I decided to give him a chance. Like my wife says, if there is good character development in a story, she can listen or watch a story or movie and be totally engaged. That’s what got me in his book. His book doesn’t start out about how great David Goggins is; it started at how broken he was. The story of his abuse as a child was my hook. I felt anxious and in pain as I read. And then I couldn’t put the book down. I ended up staying up 4 hours past my bedtime that night.

Mind you, I’m intelligent, but not necessarily a fast reader. Fortunately, I had some air travel ahead of me and that’s where I can read voraciously. I finished his book and let it settle into my mind for a while. Then I started watching Goggins Clips on YouTube and anything else I could find on him. When you go back to the broken boy, the 300 pound depressed man, and mental challenges of his intellect, it opens your mind to what he has accomplished in life. It goes beyond the physical into what the mind is capable of.

Since I have a history of ultramarathoning, backpacking, and even CrossFit, I really connected with what he was saying. I’m also a Yoga teacher. Believe me, more than any other practice in life, I feel yoga helps us deal with limitations. Either you are very strong but inflexible or very flexible but weak. Some people can bind into pretzels but can’t do an arm balance. Others can handstand for 10 minutes but can’t do a half lotus. It explores the limitations we put on ourselves and opens your mind. This is exactly what Goggins is getting at.

Goggins has reinvigorated my mind. And, in turn, my mind is changing my body. The past week has been amazing for working out. I’ve explored more of what is possible. But not only have I evaluated on paper what I’ve done, but how my mind has faced adversity. I won’t regurgitate all the ideas from Goggins book (though I probably eventually will). Let me just say its very profound. Its nothing like I’ve experienced before.

Give his book "Can’t Hurt Me" a chance. And if you’re like me, you can buy the "clean" version. I hear the audiobook is even more amazing. More to come on the after effects in my life.

Ever heard of Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon? It a parlour game that connects Kevin to any arbitrary actor. That’s what people are calling systemic racism. Its why every statue, monument, historical document, and living person can be called racist. You buy an iPhone or Android, you’re racist. Why, because it uses slave labor in Africa to gather cobalt in the mines. If you trace back anything, people will point to a source in racism. If you think a thought, its racist. No matter what you do, people will call you racist. Like when Mark Wahlberg tried to say something in support of a movement, he received a severe backlash of people decrying his early days of life when he did something wrong. There isn’t forgiveness or grace in society. Everybody is a racist. Not far behind that, sexist. Then, you’re privileged. Then, you’re a bourgeois this or that.

You know what, just stop calling people names and categorizing people who you don’t even know. Just stop it all! It is so hateful to do. Instead love and support each other. Actually talk with people before flaming on social media.

A Mexican immigrant said the other day on Joe Rogan that 2nd and 3rd generation Mexican immigrants in California are the worst. You are not allowed to state facts about any situation. There is no rationalizing with someone or carrying on an intellectual conversation. A very prominent politician from the same State said "facts don’t matter". Instead, burn them at the stake on social media. Then cancel them. Cancel out anything good they’ve ever done. Cancel all the money they’ve donated to charities. All it takes is one step off the path of the narrative and you’re cancelled. I made one comment about something recently and two of my yoga students unfriended me. That’s what they do. They do it from a keyboard in some dark room. That way, nobody can point the finger back at them. What they don’t realize if we turned back on their hypocrisy, the Six Degrees of Racism, Sexism, and Privilege will come back to haunt them too.

Before you condemn a person, first walk a mile in their shoes.

I’m a very responsible steward of my money. I never just give someone money without knowing something about the charity, organization, or person I’m giving to. Its the smartest way to give.

Also, I think a lot of people talk about giving but don’t really give. If they do give, its not substantial enough to consider filing on their taxes. The tax benefit of charitable giving is enormous. Its a great strategy to include in your portfolio. I mean, every little bit helps. If everyone gave $5 to a cause, then great. But I’m talking about people who really give. Not just talk about giving.

Quick story, the year when Barack Obama and Joe Biden showed their tax forms the first year of their election, my family gave more to charity than both of them combined. And we’re not rich. We’re not poor but fall in a more average income. And I wouldn’t say we give like Walmart gave $1 million to minority scholarships just the other day. Or a Bill Gates or someone like that. Be we probably give much more than your average person.

So if you give, you want to know that the money you give actually goes to the cause they profess. Many charities and organizations just pad rich fat cats who do nothing for their cause. For instance, consumer reports gave in Nov 2019 their best and worst charities to give to. It is surprising. Like:
Animal welfare – one of the best (PetSmart Charities) – one of the worst (Gentle Giant’s Draft Horse Rescue)
Cancer – one of the best (Cancer Research Institute) – one of the worst (Children’s Leukemia Research Association)
Heath – one of the best (American Kidney Fund) – one of the worst (United Cerebral Palsy)

https://www.consumerreports.org/charities/best-charities-for-your-donations/

Likewise, Charity Navigator gives ratings and assessments of various charities. Here are some of the best Black & African American-Focused Charities.

https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=content.view&cpid=7983&c_src=WPAIDSEARCH&gclid=Cj0KCQjwrIf3BRD1ARIsAMuugNsyZuAIsFUwqf0Pd9lK7aMZ8Enr4JuYt56gVSuLEGKl5Vgs1d7yJGcaAiN8EALw_wcB

On the other hand, organizations like Black Lives Matter do not have any data supporting their cause. For some reason, people have never really given to this charity despite my seeing so many people telling me to give to them. If it weren’t for a few celebrities giving to them just now, they haven’t been a charity of focus. Its amazing how people jump on bandwagon’s without any deliberation. They just do it. Its not a smart way to live life. I’m not putting them down or saying they are not effective, but there is no proof that I should invest in them. Whereas, there are other causes listed above that would probably be a better place to put your money. Here is all they have for BLM.

https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.profile&ein=474143254

People decry the rich and their philanthropy, but that is where most charitable giving happens. Yes, the $5 you give is appreciated and, when crowd sourced, can add up to a lot. But its the big donors where things really happen. And believe me, they study what they are giving to. There is a reason rich people are rich and its not what you think. They actually know how to make money. They also know that charitable giving is good for their company and good for their portfolio. The same is true for individuals. Charitable giving has so many benefits for smart consumers. And the best part, you are doing something good for someone.

Be smart about your money. And do your best to build and grow communities and people.