Conditioning Research

No meaning to the photo....I just like it More Less or Enough? How about re calibrating our attitude towards diet and exercise to one which is focused on the idea of enough? So often in both diet and exercise we find ourselves at an extreme.  More and more of this and less and less of that.  What would happen if we shifted to a focus on sufficiency? Instead of trying to achieve less or more how about aiming for enough? Relax a little. Instead of pushing at the limits live in the middle for a while.  What do I mean? Try to use the word enough a little more.   Eat less and move more?  No eat enough and move enough.  Get more sleep?  Get enough (to wake up rested) Eat more protein? No eat enough (to repair and grow) Eat fewer carbs? No eat enough carbs (to fuel your activity) Eat less fat. No eat enough fat (to keep healthy hormone production) You get the idea Get less stress. No get enough( hormesis) ...

I saw this news story earlier today that blew me away a bit: New Ligament Discovered‬ In the Human Knee Two knee surgeons at University Hospitals Leuven have discovered a previously unknown ligament in the human knee. This ligament appears to play an important role in patients with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears. I find it amazing that anatomists are still finding new structures in the human body.  We tend to think that science knows what are bodies are made of...but there is a new ligament.  This is really exciting! I went to an exhibition recently of Leonardo DaVinci's anatomy and dissection sketches that was really interesting, showing him to be centuries ahead of his time in terms of his knowledge of anatomy and his ability in terms of dissection.  One of the points of the show was that science is only now catching up with the things that DaVinci discovered in his studies.

One of the themes of this blog recently has been trying to steer people away from the hype, the promises of miracles and astounding progress from some new routine, diet or supplement. Supplements are an area where, over the years there has been so many empty promises. I've been reading bodybuilding magazines since 1983 and I have seen many products touted as the latest miracle: l-ornithine, orchic tissue (dried bull testicles!), safflower oil, desiccated liver , brewers' yeast,  beta-alanine .... Each one promoted by some big name bodybuilder whose physique was really built from superior genetics and anabolics. Over the years I have developed quite a scepticism about supplements. However, some supplements do have some evidence to support their use. I asked the guys at Examine.com to tell me what supplements are actually worth the money and effort for an average 45 year old office worker like me! (I've referred to Examine.com before and have also highlig...