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We’d all be way more content with our lives by implementing some (or all?) of these points from Bryan Caplan.

All the points are worth a discussion, but this one jumped out for me:

“Emotionally distance yourself from people you personally know who aggravate you. Don’t purge anyone – that causes more trouble than it saves.  Just accept the fact that you aren’t going to change them.”

What would you add?

Here’s the article.

-J

When you’re setting up your health and fitness goals, do it with your calendar open.

Look at your calendar to decide what’s a reasonable goal given your current obligations with work, family and lifestyle.

Yes, something might have to give. Even with a reasonable goal.

But if you’re hellbent on reaching a goal that’s way beyond reasonable, it’s first worth asking if you’re willing to burn the calendar to make that happen.

-J

“Better adherence to plant-based dietary patterns, especially those emphasizing healthy plant-based foods, is beneficial for lowering the risks of major chronic conditions, including T2D [type 2 diabetes], CVD [cardiovascular disease], cancer, as well as premature deaths.”

Here’s the study.

Also, there’s an omnivore vs plant-based study circling, which some folks are sharing as evidence of a plant-based diet being more likely to lead to bone fractures and shitty bone density. What they forget to mention is this part of the study:

“The differences [vegan vs omnivore] were attenuated in the subgroup reporting regular resistance training. Altogether, these results suggest that the higher fracture risk associated with a vegan diet as compared with omnivores can be mitigated by calcium-vitamin D supplements and possibly regular resistance training.”

-J

Why? We reduced the friction by focusing on short workouts at a convenient location for her: at home.

Besides kettlebells, we’re using equipment she can take when she travels: suspension trainer and resistance bands.

Her main goal when we started was to build a training habit she could stick with. And she’s managed to do just that.

Here are some notes from her that might help you too: 

1. Convenience and Flexibility: she appreciates the ability to exercise anywhere, whether at home or while travelling.

2. Privacy: she’s super social, but not when it comes to exercise. Training at home gives her comfort and privacy.

3. Consistency: the workouts adapt to various locations like hotels or Airbnb, ensuring the routine is uninterrupted. Well, most of the time.

4. Missed Workouts: there’s no stress about missing a session as they are all full body and listed in order, preventing the feeling of a broken streak. The next workout you do is the one you see on the list, regardless of whether she’s missed two days or two weeks.

5. Zero guilt-tripping: There’s no emotional abuse (from the tech OR Joonas) for missing a workout, which is crucial for her long-term motivation.

6. Adaptability to Schedule: The workouts fit her schedule without being overwhelming.

Key takeaway?

Don’t look for the perfect program. Look for the one you can do with your time and resources.

And build from there.

-J

Confession: I’d be a one happy being if I’d never have to eat another scoop of protein powder.

But with a mostly plant-based diet, I find it impossible to get enough of three-dimensional arrangement of atoms in an amino acid-chain molecule.

I’ve gone long stints powder-free in the past, and I struggle in all kinds of ways. Mainly with how I respond to training.

I’m not talking about an excessive protein intake, either. Even hitting one gram per kilogram of body weight is a tall order without supplementing.

But whey protein, derived from dairy, is a no-go if you’re blessed with lactose intolerance.

I’ve’ had whey protein in the past, but it just doesn’t sit well with my gut. Plus, it’s’ not plant-based, so it burns my righteous soul.

But luckily, there are plant-based options.

The undeniable downside with plant-based proteins is that they tend to be disgusting as a shake. But tolerable if made into a smoothie with banana, mixed in the porridge or muesli.

I’ve found the mix of rice and pea protein decent as long as the flavour is palatable. In Australia, Bulk Nutrients stock some decent options. Hell, even my wife can tolerate them in a smoothie. If you know her at all, this is a testament to the dexterity of the Bulk Nutrients’ flavour department.

As for flavourless options, fava bean protein is the only one worth entertaining. I mix a scoop of it in my muesli most mornings. In Australia, you can get in at Coles. I know, right.

And if you’re wondering why you, as a woman over 40, need to care about your protein intake, here you go.

-J

To continue yesterday’s post, here’s a short column from a lady who wants to lose weight but finds it hard to talk about it because it goes against the current body positivity trend.

The column itself is in Finnish, which makes about as much sense to most of you as reading the horoscope from yesterday’s spaghetti. So, I took the privilege of grinding that column through the ChatGPT translator. Here it is:

“I’ve been hiding a shameful desire, but now I’ll say it out loud: I want to lose weight”

“Can we learn to talk about weight loss neutrally, asks Laura Friman in her column.”

“Recently, I’ve been hiding a shameful desire.

I don’t want to cheat on my partner at the Christmas party or go wild on the weekend off and pop all the drugs that come my way. Instead, it’s something much worse.

I want to lose weight.

I UNDERSTAND that the problematic nature of my desire might seem strange, for example, in the break rooms of female-dominated workplaces of the older generations. I assume that it’s still loudly proclaimed throughout Finland in these places that one should not take this sinful meeting pastry, or if one does, they must go for a sweaty jog with Ripa in the evening.

My reference group is not like that. In my bubble, enthusiasm for dieting is about as acceptable as torturing kittens.

SO, I FEEL an immediate need to explain. I want to lose weight because I feel uncomfortable. My body is literally in my way. When I see that my shoelaces have come undone, I get frustrated – I have to reach past my stomach. Daily life and normal activities are physically exhausting. It’s depressing.

Both body positivity talk and research emphasize that an overweight person can be healthy and fit. This is completely true.

However, in my case, it is not. My blood pressure is not getting any lower with age, and I’m afraid to even go for cholesterol blood tests.

I want to get rid of the idea that intentional weight loss is categorically wrong. AS DIET CULTURE CRITICISM keeps reminding us, automatic happiness does not come with weight loss. However, I am a chronically anxious person, so I can only choose whether I’m anxious while being lighter or heavier.

I prefer lighter.

Even then, I’m anxious, but at least I don’t have heartburn, my internal organs don’t suffocate in central body fat, and my knees are not strained. So, a couple of worries less.

THESE THOUGHTS embarrass me. After all, I’ve declared on social media myself that I will never diet again.

I should have added in small print that I don’t mean in the way I’ve dieted at least dozens of times before. I no longer think of weight loss as a project of weeks or even months – or a project at all.

I don’t imagine that I wouldn’t eat truffle pasta or a chunk of cheese weekly. Instead, I eat two slices of bread instead of eight for supper and agree to eat yogurt with less than 10% fat content. That’s enough.

I want to get rid of the idea that conscious weight loss – or even talking about it – is unsolidaristic or categorically wrong.

I believe it’s ok and entirely possible to hate fat-phobia, be critical of diet culture and narrow beauty standards, and still want to weigh less.

Can we learn to talk about weight loss neutrally?”

And here’s the link to the original column.

-J

One of the readers shared her struggles the other day, and I thought my reply might also help other readers.

Here’s what she had to say (shared anonymously):

“I have a really good plan on Monday for exercising during the week, but then thing A, B and C (also D – Z) come along and exercise doesn’t happen as much as I want to; I’m also struggling to lose weight (and I’m struggling with admitting that I want to lose weight, but that’s another story).”

There’s this pervasive current through large parts of the health and fitness industry where physical activity is considered the cure for everything. As if it’s magic. Especially for mental illness.

But this shit is rarely black and white.

“One potential take-home from this paper is that even for highly motivated people who choose to try running therapy for their mental health problems, many will stop the therapy soon after. Meanwhile, 82 percent of those who took medication were still compliant at the same time-point.”

“This is not to say that if you are anxious or depressed that running—or another form of movement—isn’t worth trying at all. If you can exercise, it’ll probably help your mental health, to some extent. Frankly, every single study we’ve ever run suggests that exercising is good for your health, physical and mental. But the evidence also seems to show that as a practical intervention, exercise has limited applicability to real people in the real world. And there’s currently no good reason to believe that it will be as effective as medication.”

Here’s the article

-J

If you’re not currently strength training (get on it!), get a solid 4-6 weeks of training under your belt before adding power exercises.

Training power requires a lot of speed and coordination. Having a bit of base strength will help you control those movements.

If you’ve got knee pain or such, it’s probably best to avoid jumping for now. Yet another reason why kettlebell swings are such a good option.

Whatever the power exercise you’re doing, get the form right first. Increase the speed as you become more confident with the movement.

-J