There is science; and then there is life.

The other day I watched a documentary called “Particle Fever.” It was recommended to me by a friend, Dr. Tyler Evans at Arete Chiropractic. The whole back story of the documentary is huge for the world of science, and involves a super team of physicists trying to prove the theory of the Higgs Boson atom. One of the main physicists in the doc, explains that, proving its existence “could mean nothing… or everything.” Fascinating.

While I’m not big into the world of physics, it was super interesting. You get from the very beginning of the film that this science is groundbreaking, and could lead to bigger and better things for the universe. It also got me thinking a little differently about strength and conditioning science, too. Particularly, when new studies are coming down the pipeline, how much application can we really get when sometimes people just need to... I don't know... get to the gym in the first place, stop binge drinking on every weekend, or eat something green once in a while.

I mean, think about that for a second.

When new articles come out about health (which happens every day), do they have application to your own personal barriers? While I’m certainly not bashing the exercise research field or anything like that, we have to continually look at application in our own lives when new information is available. There is a phrase:

“Life happens.”

So, I think it’s far more important to strategize around your own life, than new research articles that claim:

Photo Credit: Antonio Barroro

Wheat is bad.

Kale is the devil.

Kettlebells will hurt your back.

Only squat with your feet straight.

Bacon elevates testosterone. 

None of these are actually true, but then again, there may be some study out there to refute me. I’m not saying we should ignore new knowledge at all, rather use it in the context of your own health. How can you actually put the information to good use? It’s easy to jump the gun in application these days and end up doing some juice "cleanse."

While the research field has told us over the years a lot of different, conflicting things, we have to keep our own life struggles and barriers at the forefront of our approach. As I said above, new science is cool, but life happens to us every day. Long term adherence is impossible if you can’t shrug some dirt off your shoulder and continue to make good choices.

In a perfect world, we want to be able to strength train at full intensity all the time. And get our conditioning in. And our mobility work. But, sometimes you have to cut a workout short, or buy packaged food in the airport. Not ideal, but yeah, that’s how life goes.

The world of new research and science does not always include the variability of life. It is controlled, statistically analyzed, and then interpreted in six different ways by you and I. While I’m a huge nerd (I repeat: I actually watched a physics documentary), I’m also practical. We have to be. Life will inevitably try to mess up your day and force you to get chipotle for dinner, even though you had something else planned. Or you just, you know, plan to get chipotle for dinner.

Just keep in mind that while new science is fun to have conversations about, it may or may NOT fit into your plan. So don’t stress over whether or not you are doing the latest and greatest protocols. They will eventually be watered down, misused, and misunderstood.

With that said, don’t completely dismiss all new information, either.

Case in point: This article on Intermittent Fasting by Dr. John Berardi and the folks over at Precision Nutrition. Now, when I saw this come out, I was surprised. Precision Nutrition has always been pretty straight and narrow, emphasizing consistency and balanced meals. They’ve also been big proponents of eating breakfast in the past. But, I was impressed of the objective approach he took, properly laying out the pros and cons of IF.

While I didn’t change anything for myself personally when I originally read the article, something stuck with me about using it as way to mediate hunger signals, scheduling demands, and energy flow. As I transitioned to my new job in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, I was starting to get up earlier than ever. Three to four times a week, I’m up before 4:30 in the morning. Now that seems super early, but in perspective it’s about 1 hour earlier than I was accustomed to, and not as early as some of my new team members. 

Once I was in that position, I was reminded of Dr. Berardi’s piece on IF. He talks about a lot of things; traditional approaches, lifestyle patterns like whether breakfast actually works for you, and meal frequency.

Quote from PN’s Dr. Berardi, which is basically an ebook:

“I became intrigued with the idea that you could skip meals – and sometimes entire days of eating – without suffering lethargy, brain fog, and muscle loss. Even more intriguing was the idea that you could accelerate body fat loss and get healthier with strategic, well-timed fasts.
These claims run counter to today's popular nutritional recommendations, which assert that small, frequent eating – grazing, if you will – is the best way to control appetite, blood sugar, and body weight. As someone who's averaged 4 to 7 meals per day for nearly 20 years, I was skeptical at first.”

I was curious, too.

Situationally, for those early days, it made a bit of sense for me. I normally have 2-4 AWESOME sessions starting at 5am. From there, I choose to eat when I’m ready. I’m flexible. Some days it’s 8am. Some days it 10am. I don’t have a “breakfast time.” The rest of the day, I eat pretty normally, and make sure I get some post workout nutrition in after I train in the afternoon. Dinner happens after my night sessions and there, I pay attention to what my body is saying. Do I want a big meal or a small one? Pretty simple.

Photo Credit: Curtis Mac Newton

I think down the road, I’ll do a more comprehensive post on IF, but here I’m talking about it to illustrate the point of taking information and applying it to your own circumstance. My own schedule demands dictated a change with my eating pattern. Given my current fitness goals and routine, I didn’t see an immediate need for a meal in the morning, so long as my energy level stayed up. I’m not in full endurance training mode (shorter runs, little to no mountain biking, 3x/week strength training), and am pretty much trying to maintain my weight.

Also,  in the wee early hours of the morning, I value 30 minutes more sleep. It’s easier for me to grab some water, coffee, and be ready to get to the gym and start crushing training sessions with folks. It was an experiment I was willing to try, and so far, I like it. 

Do I think that this approach is the end all, be all, cure to ailments and illnesses worldwide?

No. Not even close. It’s just another strategy in the toolbox. But, for my situation, it’s working right now.

And that’s where we need to focus. On our own barriers. With each new study or breaking piece of content, it is another opportunity to add value and education to yourself; but it is another chance to create chaotic confusion about your approach.

Focus on your own goal and how you can personally optimize execution.

Best,

Ryan

Why you can't actually lose

Yo!

With this article, I’m sharing a nice little concept about:

1. Winning vs Losing

2. Why Failure is Important

3. What Actions to Take After

Participation trophies aside, I think it’s important to note, that with every setback, dip, or bump in the road, you should learn something. That’s why it’s okay to lose. That’s why losing is actually winning. Do you have big losses sometimes? Some that are irreplaceable? Absolutely.

Photo Credit: Max Bender

After you accept defeat, that small win lies in how you grow from your experience. Story time:

I used to be pretty good at soccer. Now I’m washed up. But anyway, in high school I played for Maple Hill High School and we are very prolific in the sport of soccer in NYS. Many state titles and perennial Sectional Title winners in NY.

My senior year I captained a really good team that ended up going to the state championships. For much of the last half of the season we were ranked number one in the state for our class, and were having a dream season.

In the state Semi-Final, we played a team that was just as good as us, and on that day, they were better. We played through two overtime periods and eventually they broke through and scored the game winner late in the second period of OT. Game over.

Now, as crushing as that is, and was for myself and many of my teammates, I was comfortable with losing that day. We as a team battled hard and left it on the field. We had many chances that didn’t make it in the goal, and unfortunately it wasn’t our day.

As you may realize, life is not all sunshine, rainbows, and pots of gold. That’s what I learned that day. You can expect- but you aren’t entitled to victory. Sometimes, through all the bumps, bruises, and undying efforts you make towards your goals, it may not be enough.

That’s one day though. One lesson learned. My team lost that day, but did I really lose?

I’m using this to frame an experience in a different perspective. That’s all setbacks are. They are an unforeseen opportunity to learn, grow, and conquer. If we don’t take failure as this growth opportunity, it will be passed over. If you think back to your most difficult moments in life, I’m sure there are many that will strike you as really profound learning experiences. Their shaping ability cannot be understated.

Additionally, with health in mind, every day is a new opportunity to start over and apply new knowledge. For every goal you set, whether it’s to lose 35 pounds or learning how to barbell squat, your “failures” help lead you there.

Photo Credit: Anne Preble

Reflect, briefly.

Try to take out one lesson from each situation, and capitalize on that moving forward. Let's take the example of running a half marathon. You felt awful. No gas in the tank. Well, looking back at it you realize you didn't do a great job fueling or hydrating through the race. Not a huge deal now, but next race, pay attention to race day nutrition. Although you make want to dig a little deeper and over analyze, just find one thing to get better at. 

Move on, quickly.

Please do not dwell on the past. It will only lead to inaction, and that won't get you to your goals. In my book (click here), I reference a Kobe Bryant quote, where he says, "Everything negative; pressure, challenges, is all an opportunity to rise." (Kobe is the man.)

You cannot wallow in self pity for very long. Dust yourself off and view is as an opportunity, not a loss. This morning I burnt my sweet potatoes on the skillet- because I was trying to write this and cook breakfast at the same time. Oops. I still ate them, and next time, I'll have to keep the laptop out of the kitchen. 

Execute, often.

When we fail, we learn. From here, make sure to apply your knowledge. The only way we actually lose, is when we keep repeating the same pattern expecting different results. Knowledge will get you halfway there, but application is what gets you the win. Understand that there really are no failures or losses, only new chances to succeed and grow.

Best,

Ryan