Beware of mechanistic reasoning
Here’s a counterintuitive truth you need to grasp to make sense of health-related advice and information: you can know something works without knowing how it works. Conversely, having a plausible and persuasive theory about why something might help does not mean it actually helps.
I got injured twice recently and it had nothing to do with technique.
There’s way more to injury prevention than technique
The Stirling Range Ridge Walk
Back in May, some friends and I shot away for a weekend to do the Stirling range Ridge walk. It was election weekend, and I for one was glad to escape the political hoo-har.
Why Hire a Coach/Personal Trainer?
I’ll admit that when I started my education to be certified as a coach/PT, I didn’t have any experience as a one-to-one PT client. And I could not imagine paying for one if I had the money. “It’s a lot of money to hire a PT!” - I thought. “Why would I ever do that?” - I asked. Well, it is a lot of money - relatively speaking. Why would you do it? Why would an ordinary person spend their dosh on paying for a coach?
Kelpie Korrespondent #5: Running Technique Wars & Info Overload - Part 2
Here’s the second part of this blog post where I outline my tips for dealing with the complicated information environment surrounding running technique.
Kelpie Korrespondent #5: Running Technique Wars & Info Overload - Part 1
So, in this information landscape - where there’s plenty of data but an under-supply of wisdom - what’s a recreational runner to do?
Eating for Weight Loss
The thing that I really enjoy about my job, the thing which I believe is really cool, is that establishing a regular habit of training your body can effect dramatic changes in your mental health and mindset. You can become less stressed, more focussed and a lot tougher through pushing your body and acquiring the mental wherewithal needed to meet difficult physical demands (like multi-day hiking, or running 5K the whole way).
Frankly, I did not start out down this road being that interested in weight loss and nutrition. My weight was in a healthy range, and I was more intent on helping people to unlock the mental benefits of training.
Over time, my thinking and attitude has changed.
I’m still very much a believer in affecting your mental state through training, but I also value weight management more highly than I used to.
A Bibbulmun Track Packing List
Last June, Deb and I had the chance to get away for two days and one night to do some overnight hiking on the Bibbulmun Track. We loved it. We loved seeing the stars properly and taking in the spectacular bush, with no man-made structures in sight. We liked getting so hungry that our food tasted intensely flavoursome. It was pleasant to sit in the dark by the campfire with heat on your front and brass monkey weather chilling your back. And it was a relief to be out of mobile range for our phones - with enforced contemplation and time to let the mind wander.
Resistance Training. How?
In my last post, I made the case for why the ordinary person should be interested in doing resistance training. I think the argument is compelling. But then, most people would probably agree. Agreement isn’t the issue - getting the training done is the issue! Heaving and crowbarring the stars into something resembling alignment is not easy.
Resistance Training. Why?
I’m 43 now, so I grew up with the idea that lifting weights was for a certain person looking for a certain outcome. That person was some derivative of Arnold Schwarzenegger and the desired outcome was a physique that used to be described as “a condom full of walnuts”. I’ll let you fill in the graphics on that and spare you the ghastly stock image of a tooth whitened, spray tanned, over-bronzed, thin skinned bodybuilder.
Now, I realise that lifting weights (henceforth known as resistance training) is not a matter of vanity, but of health - and that it is not for a unique (and somewhat deranged) group like bodybuilders, but in fact for most people - young and old.
Hibernation beckons.
The days are getting shorter and the TV shows are getting more interesting. The call of the couch is strong upon you after work and on the weekends. The AFL is back on. The Tour De France is around the corner. Netflix has never been (or seemed) better. There’s the chance of rain. You feel a little chilly outdoors. For all of these reasons, many people ratchet down training, exercise and being outdoors in the winter months and embrace the (mostly) blissful allure of wintertime hibernation.
Winter is coming. Rumour has it that a foreign substance called “rain” will begin to fall from the Perth skies…
The days are getting shorter and winter will be here pretty soon. If you’re in the habit of training outdoors, you don’t need me to tell you there’s some challenges coming your way!
Kelpie Korrespondent #4: Sub-20 minute 5K Update
Well, I did it! That is - I ran a sub-20 minute 5K. Two weeks ago today, as it happens. At Claisebrook Cove Parkrun and in 19:47.
So, how did I do it?
Alcohol and refined sugar: tips on reducing intake of these (delicious) substances
“Like alcohol, refined sugar is of minimal nutritional value, unless you count unbridled pleasure as a nutritional value.”
Learning to belly breathe
You may have heard of these phrases - “belly breathing”, “diaphragmatic breathing”, and ”paced respiration”.
Nutrition 101 for the dunderheaded and wilfully ignorant
For most of my life I have followed a seafood diet. As in, if you see food, then eat it. I have also been known to say, “Why waste your calorie budget on protein and carbohydrates when you spend it on fat and alcohol?” I like to characterise this approach as “dunderheaded”, otherwise known as “wilfully ignorant”.
Become an Ordinary Athlete
A few years back I was a recently unemployed 35-year-old. I was the primary breadwinner for my family - a wife and two daughters. Money was tight, uncertainty was high, and I was a little unmoored - who wouldn't be?