Top video of 2009

January 11, 2010 by Bradley

The Science of Sport had a countdown for the top video of 2009.

I think you only have to have ridden a bike before to appreciate this:

In Defense of Food

January 10, 2010 by Bradley

You may recognize Michael Pollan as the author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma. He has followed that up with another great book called In Defense of Food.

Summarized in 7 words it is:

Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.

In more than 7, some notes and tidbits from the book:

  • The health claims surrounding high fat leading to CHD and obesity were unfounded and have been proven incorrect.
  • Focusing on individual nutrients (e.g. fiber, cholesterol) when trying to lose fat is based on the false assumptions that these by themselves are good for you.
  • “guilt” was the highest ranking word association for Americans shown the words ” chocolate cake”. “celebration” was for French people shown the same word (presumably in French!).
  • A whole food is more nutritious than the sum of it’s parts.
  • I would add: “enjoy food”.

All Whites tickets to World Cup 2010

January 10, 2010 by Bradley

The ticket application phase for the World Cup in South Africa closes on the 13th of January, and so if you are going next year this year then you should be registered.

Note: You need your passport number, and have to put in credit card details, and so must be committed!

McCaw IRB player of the year

November 29, 2009 by Bradley

Do you have lachanophobia?

November 29, 2009 by Bradley

There are excuses, and there are reasons. More often than not, regarding exercise and nutrition, what people think is a ‘reason’ is actually an ‘excuse’.

For example: I don’t exercise because I don’t have time….or I don’t eat well because I don’t know how to prepare healthy meals.

But occasionally you come across something that sounds like an excuse that is actually a reason:  I don’t eat vegetables because I am afraid of them.

Big hitting 6 year old

November 25, 2009 by Bradley

Parents watching this on the side line are going to be encouraged to enroll their kids in Soccer next year…

Check out #36:

Henry says replay would be fairest option

November 21, 2009 by Bradley

Henry coming out saying a replay would be the fairest option, in relation to the World Cup qualifying game this week where he handled the ball, is a noble move, but I suggest an even fairer option would be to restart the game at 1-0 to Ireland with the same amount of time on the clock as there was when he handled the ball to set up a goal.

Of course his statement was a little like you promising your friends money if you win lotto – that is in the knowledge that it is incredibly unlikely to happen. FIFA would be setting a dangerous precedent to allow a replay of a match because of one bad referee call.

Overtraining is overrated

November 20, 2009 by Bradley

I often get talking to people about over-training, and its relevance in a training program.

On this topic I would like to offer the following observation: I think almost all ‘overtraining’ injuries have more to do with incorrect progression than they do with ‘over-training’ per say. Let me give you an example: A man I wrote about recently completed 50 marathons in 50 days – A pretty phenomenal feat. Yet within ultra-distance runners this is not so special. Why? Because they run 2-3 marathons a day most weekends. To your average jogger though, 50 marathons in 50 days is simply phenomenal, because they could not imagine getting to the point where their body could tolerate this type of physical punishment activity.

But guess what? If they did the correct training, most importantly with correct progressions (and rest!), then they would most probably be capable…although they will likely never find out.

Over-training is real and worth thinking about, but pay more attention to the progression and recovery in your training, and over-training will unlikely be an issue for you.

What makes you fart?

November 16, 2009 by Bradley

Science Daily offers some  excuses reasons:

  1. Swallowing air
  2. Eating fast
  3. Drinking out of a bottle
  4. Drinking carbonated beverages
  5. Eating hard to digest foods (such as beans) that are high in fibre
  6. Eating fructose
  7. Some  sweeteners
  8. Lactose

And some advice for those with gas:

  1. Eating slowly
  2. Avoiding carbonated beverages
  3. Chewing gum
  4. Not sucking hard candy
  5. Engaging in more physical activity, such as walking.

Interesting blogs

November 10, 2009 by Bradley

Here are links to some interesting articles I have come across recently:

The Hindu Push Up – a variation on the old classic

Eating quickly is associated with overeating – and overeating associated with…

The human body is built for distance – on a hot day a human can outrun a horse over a marathon

Moderate amounts of protein best for building muscle – over 30g may be a waste of your time

Baseball – head first slide is quicker – and more likely to result in your head hitting baseman’s/catcher’s knees!