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So, the King of England has appointed a homeopath.

Yes, a person practising homeopathy.

Yes, homeopathy. A practice that’s been proven to have zero scientific standing. Over and over and over again.

From The Guardian:

“Why are kings, movie stars and the rich so susceptible to this snake oil?

Two factors, I think, are at play. The first is that elites tend to overestimate the value of their instincts.

King Charles and Cindy Crawford spend their time surrounded by suck-ups. They are themselves exceptions to the rules that govern others. If a gut feeling leads them to “thought field therapy”, rather than modern medicine, they might be more inclined to believe it.

And the second is something first observed by Charles Percy Snow in his famous remarks about the “two cultures” in the west.

Ignorance of literature and the arts will exclude you from “highly educated” circles, but it is perfectly acceptable to have no grasp of basic science – the second law of thermodynamics, for example, or how to define “acceleration”. [My bolding]

Combine overconfidence and an ignorance of science and you get an aristocracy convinced that crushed bees and aconite are the answer to their problems.”

Here’s the article.

Sigh.

-J

Over the years of working with women, I’ve noticed a common theme with most new clients.

Postponing the meal after a workout. And it can hurt strength and lean muscle gains.

Which kind of sucks because aren’t those the reasons you’re lifting weights in the first place?

To make the most of your workout, eat 30 grams of protein right after a workout. This is based on a recent study on 26 to 27-year-old resistance-trained women.

You can have that protein as a part of a normal meal if it is convenient for your schedule. Or, if in a pinch, down a protein shake/smoothie.

You don’t have to stress over eating that protein immediately after the workout. But aim to eat within 30 minutes.

“Post-exercise ingestion of 30 g or 60 g PRO [protein], but not 15 g, acutely increased MyoFSR [myofibrillar synthetic rate] following two consecutive bouts of RE [resistance exercise] and extended the anabolic window over 24 h. There was no difference between the 30 g and 60 g responses.”

Here’s the study. 

-J

Are you dealing with chronic sleep issues, feeling tired and sore, and your body is not looking the way you’d expect, even with all the activities you’re doing?

Even though you’re eating “healthy”.

There’s a chance that the things that you’re doing aren’t the right things for you.

Most health and fitness studies are done with male participants.

And what works for men doesn’t always work for women.

Especially as you get older.

-J

Injuries happen when the demand for tissue (muscles, ligaments, tendons) is higher than the tissues can tolerate.

You twist your ankle, a knee, a hip, a shoulder, or a… because the force is higher than your body can resist.

You can’t eliminate all the injuries. In some situations, only Villanelle or Batman can tolerate the forces: car crashes, nasty falls on slopes, falling off a relatively small building, etc.

But in most situations, you significantly reduce your risk of injury by doing these two things:

1. Increasing your tissue strength with resistance training so you can resist the outside forces

2. Increasing your cardiovascular fitness so you can pump oxygen into the tissues that need it

Being strong and fit makes you more resilient when the shitty, unexpected things happen.

-J

The other day, I had a chat with a client that got me to do wheelies on my mind-excitement-moped. That was right before she gently told me I should park the moped because I was wrong.

In the nicest possible way. And I am thankful that she did.

Here’s how it went down:

Client: I switched taking the creatine immediately after my workout and ate post workout too. Noticed a significant reduction in soreness all about. 

Me: Interesting to hear about that change in soreness with the immediate meal. Cool to see such a concrete change [I was referring to a concrete change due to the meal timing change]. I will write a blog post about this.

Client: I’m a big believer in correlation (vs causation) so while it might be fun to relate the drop in soreness directly to the creatine [and meal timing], I’m guessing it’s more a result of adaptation [to the workouts] + rowing + creatine + protein timing. Your thoughts? 

Me: You’re so right. Thanks for pointing that out. [Me to myself: Joonas, you’re an absolute jackass.]

I wanted to believe the simple answer. And it clouded my judgment.

The point of this?

We tend to latch on to simple, black-and-white explanations. Whether it’s soreness, fat loss, strength, fatigue, whatever. There’s a reason why evil fitness marketers hype their quick-fix, simple solution products.

That goes for politicians too. Or anyone happy to lie through their teeth to sell a product or an idea.

The answers to our problems are always more complex than what we want to believe.

-J

But exercise sure as shit matters if we care about improving the overall quality of the years we have.

I don’t know about you, but that’s good enough for me.

“Clearly, people who exercise more live longer on average. Genetics, social factors, existing health and other aspects of lifestyle explain some of the association. We should not rule out a direct link between exercise and longevity, but this study suggests that it may have a smaller role than previously thought.”

“Nevertheless, experimental evidence shows that exercise can prevent illness and disability, improve mood and overall quality of life, which many would regard as more meaningful outcomes than lifespan alone.”

Here’s the article that digs into the Finnish(!) longevity study.

-J

You’ve got a few days off, right? Besides eating, hanging out with the fam and playing with the kids, there are a few things I enjoy more than a good book.

Even if I only have time to read in the evenings once the kids go to bed.

Here are some of my favourite books I read/listened to this year:

The Road by Cormack McCarthy. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so anxious while reading a book – in a good way. I wanted to start again as soon as I finished.

Heat 2 by Michael Mann and Meg Gardiner. Mann’s film Heat from 1995 is my all-time favourite. If you’ve seen the movie and liked it, you’ll like this one too. If you haven’t seen the movie, don’t read this until you have because none of the stuff will make any sense.

Human Mind by Paul Bloom. A super interesting book about all things brain and mind. Bloom is the Professor of Psychology and Cognitive Science at Yale University and has a knack for distilling all his knowledge into an enjoyable and accessible book for us laypeople. Extra points that it’s not a self-help book.

Blueprint: How DNA Makes Us Who We Are by Robert Plomin. How much does nurture shape us into who we are? Not much, according to this book. A good read for anyone who wants to have a more empathetic way of looking at the world.

Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt. My attempt to have a better understanding of the basics of economics. This book was first published seven popes ago (I checked) but came highly recommended from various sources. It’s stood the test of time in explaining the principles in simple terms.

Good Inside by Dr Becky Kennedy. It’s not a stretch to call this book a parenting revolution. If this is what it’s like to be in a cult, I am all for it.

Hello, My Name Is Awesome by Alexandra Watkins. In case you need some inspiration for (re)naming your business. It is actionable with an outside-the-box framework that helps you name your business/podcast/whatever in a way that doesn’t make your customers want to die when they see it. It’s also short and free of the typical marketing book bullshit.

The Coaching Business Prescription by Scott Perry. Speaking of business books, this has become my go-to recommendation for someone starting a new service business. But also for the more experienced service business owners who need help with traction. There is so much actionable, fluff-free, down-to-earth value in so few pages. I read it in one sitting.

Merry Christmas, if you’re into it. If not, hope you’re having a stunning Monday.

-J

None of my clients love strength training.

But they love what strength training allows them to do:

– Skiing with stronger and less injury-prone knees.
– Easier hill climbs on the bike.
– Hiking the glazier.
– Running a marathon.
– Getting rid of knee pain and to “avoid huck shop lady arms”.
– Snowboard pain-free.
– “More energy and stamina for cycling, hiking and everyday life with friends and family”.
– Cycling 1200km to raise money for cancer cure.

Tie the strength training to the meaningful shit that matters to you. And you’ll never have to look for motivation again.

So, what’s yours?

-J

This is what I use 95% of the time:

– Kettlebells 12kg, 16kg, 20kg, 24kg
– 1.5 x 1.5 meters of space in my home office

This is what I use about 5% of the time:
– Dumbbells 3kg and 7kg (bought them both to rehab my golfer’s elbow)
– Gym mat
– Olympic rings
– TRX
– Floor slides

I’d use the rings and TRX more if I’d set them up somewhere other than the backyard.

As for the gym mats, I just can’t be bothered to set them up before each workout. I mean, it takes at least 18 seconds to piece them together.

It just goes to show that to make a habit sticky, convenience is the way to go.

-J

Do 5-10 minutes instead.

I did exactly this the other day.

After the kids went to bed, I knew I didn’t have the time or the energy for a long workout.

So I did some get-ups to warm up and then worked my way to a challenging set of single-leg deadlifts and a single-arm row.

I was done in about 13 minutes. And I felt a whole lot better than when I started.

No, it won’t win the internet. But that’s not what I train for anyway.

And neither do you.

-J