Coulee Region Bootcamps

I might be a little slow, but I am finally going to try to put up the Christmas lights on our house.  This is the first time I have done this so we will see how it goes. 

We are also going to see the Rotary Lights display in Riverside Park.  My wife and I have driven through the park to see the display in years past, but this year we are going to actually stop and walk around with our son.  He will love it.  Whenever we are driving in the car he always tells us what color all the lights are. 

Now to the roundup.  These are links to some of what I’ve read recently. Hopefully you enjoy them or learn something.

Teenage Obesity Linked to Increase Risk of MS – Being overweight can have so many negative effects.  Ever more the reason get healthy.

Sodas and Obesity - Big shocker here.  This goes to show how hidden calories can sneak into your diet.

Fat in Diet Won’t Make You Fat - I somewhat agree with the conclusion, we shouldn’t be afraid of fat in our diets.  It has many benefits.  However, I think the study is very weak.  There needs to be a greater difference in dietary fat levels to make these conclusions.  Make sure you understand how studies are conducted before you start believing what they say.

Forging Habits of Steel - A great post from the Art of Manliness.  I wrote on this topic here.  The most important part of starting new habits in to start.  Make sure not to take on too many changes at one.  As the great Dan Gable says “If it’s important do it everyday.”  It takes little things done consistently over the long haul. 

Disease, Death and Organ Failure – This post may offend some people.  I think it brings up a good point.  We generally treat our bodies pretty bad through our whole lives.  Then we expect doctors to delay in inevitable at the taxpayers expense.

Have a great weekend!

I recently went deer hunting with my family.  I realized this was my 15th year.  Wow, that seems like a such a long time. 

I really enjoy the time with friends and family as well as spending some time in nature.  I know I don’t spend as much time outside as I would like and spending a couple days in the woods leaves me wanting more. 

And what a workout it can be!  We like to push deer meaning we do a lot of walking to (hopefully) pressure a deer towards a fellow hunter.  I think I spent more than 6 hours walking around with several layers of clothes and heavy hunting boots.  Not to mention dragging the deer to a vehicle.  Sometimes it was a quarter mile drag with over a hundred pounds behind you.  Definitely challenging, but I love every minute.

Now with out further delay here are some link I have enjoyed the last week or two.  Hopefully you enjoy them as well.

Why Grassfed? – A good article on the benefits of grassfed meats (like wild game!  yah deer hunting!).  Feeding cattle primarily corn is dangerous to their health and ours.  But it’s cheaper, so that makes it ok….right?

Meat Grown in Laboratory – I see the benefits from a fighting starvation point of view (although it’s sketchy), I don’t know if I would ever eat this.  Whenever we try to duplicate nature’s perfection, there can be consequences.

Omelet Muffins – Making healthy meals in advance is your best weapon to improve your diet.  If you’re in a hurry grab a couple of these you have a great breakfast ready to go. I can’t wait to try this recipe* out!

Can Exercise Help Ward Off The Swine Flu? – Summary: Exercise can lay a beatdown on swine flu. 

Have a great week!

* I love eggs!!

I’d like to provide links to articles or other blog posts I think are interesting from the last week.  I will try to do this once a week.  So lets see how it goes.

Is Ab Work Hurting Your Back?

Do you still do crunches to strengthen your abs?  Stuart McGill (one of the premier spine biomechanist in the world) explains why that is not a good idea.  He explains why planks are better and why the core is more than just your “6-pack”.

Dissecting The Spine – Why Crunches Suck

This video is graphic.  Mark Young disects an actual pig spine.  Not for the faint of heart, but he does a good job explaining my repeated flexion & extension of the lumbar spine (lower back) causes herniated discs.  So doing all those crunches over the years are worse for your back than doing the occasional heavy lifting …. with good form of course   

Nature vs Nurture.  Does the way we raise our kids affect how they behave as adults or is it all genetic?  This article explains that it might be both, but with a some fantastic twists.  Ok, so this has nothing to do with crunches or back health.  It is probably the most fascinating article I have read in a while.   It will definitely affect how I raise my son & future kids as well as other children I encounter.  I will always look for positives in every behavior and not only the negatives. 

Hope you all enjoy.  If there are certain topics you would like me to post on my blog let me know in the comments! 

Have a great day! – Anthony