Monday, September 7, 2015

Regular Guy Reads of the Week: Labor Day Two-Week Edition

Sorry I haven't gotten to these for a while. To be honest, I've actually been hitting the gym hard and logging some miles on the beach and the pavement, too! But that's kind of taken up some of the time I devote to this. But here goes nuttin'!

Reach for Goals You REALLY Want: It seems obvious, but you're more likely to put in the work to achieve a goal if you have a strong motivating factor. For example, if you were personally affected by the Boston Marathon bombings, you're much more likely than the average Joe to run Boston. Find your motivation for the fitness lifestyle you're looking to adopt.

Why I Stopped Caring About Leanness: This blog post complements the previous one. It's easy to lose sight of why you're doing something when you get in too deep. You need to have a real motivator, but it also needs to be something that fits your life.

These 15 Guys Lost 50+ Pounds, and Their Tips Will Seriously Inspire You: Buzzfeed brings us some real-life advice. Some is obvious, like setting realistic goals. And some you might not have thought of, such as: For every 25 pounds you lose, treat yourself to a new, better-fitting set of clothes.

Scientists May Have Pinpointed the Reason for "Runner's High": And all this time, you thought it was a myth to trick you into exercising. Nope, research suggests it's a physiological reaction to a specific hormone that targets hunger.

How Often is BMI Misleading? About 18 percent of the time, BMI categorizations for underweight, normal weight and overweight do not correlate with body-fat percentage. Honestly, I thought it would be more. That said, I suspect that the percentage is higher among those who work out consistently and are building muscle.

What Anti-Diet Project's Kelsey Miller Eats: Here's a good real-world example of someone who dropped the diet mindset and just started eating generally healthy for the long haul.

No, You Don't Have to Drink 8 Glasses of Water a Day: The science is clear on this and has been for years. I'm a big proponent of the pee test. When you go, check the stream. You don't need to be clear, but it should be pale yellow. Bright yellow means you could use a drink, and dark yellow or orange is a good indicator you're dehydrated.

The Truth About GMOs: This will hardly be the final word on the subject, but I largely agree with it. GMOs are a convenient bogeyman, but they're really not a problem. You may have heard that some Kashi products recently tested high for the pesticide that's in Ortho Home Defense. Yeah, but what you didn't hear was that the amount was still less toxic than the caffeine in a cup of coffee. A true Regular Guy always employs a critical eye and ear.

Five Dangers of Superfoods: I am not a huge fan of the idea of "superfoods." Different foods have different nutritional makeups and nutritional densities -- there's no magic bullet. But if you're in the superfood camp, this is a smart look at making sure you do it right.

How to Build Muscle Faster: This is another solid analysis of why you should incorporate both low weight/high reps and high weight/low reps into your strength routine. There's a specific workout at the bottom -- use it if you like. I'm more interested in the general wisdom.

Run for Your Knees: Another study to add to the pile of evidence that running is actually good for your knees. One caveat: If your knees are already messed up, definitely talk to your doc before going for a run.

Transitioning to Trail Running: If you're getting tired of the same old pavement, you may want to take your runs off road. Here's a good primer on what you need to think about.

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