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Next, the WOD:
Day 8
4 x 800meter
(suggested rest 3:1. So whatever time you run your first 800 in, multiply that by 3 and that is your rest
example: 800 #1 done in 2:00min, rest 6 min; 800 #2 done in 2:15, rest 6:45min...)
Now a Book Review
Pollan, Michael, & Chevat, Richie. (2009). The Omnivore's dilemma: the secrets behind what you eat. New York, NY: Dial Books for Young Readers.
I also wanted to reflect on a book I just finished. For one of my master's classes I had to read an informational non-fiction book for young adults (teens). With this awesome opportunity I read Michael Pollans young adult version of The Omnivore's Dilemma: the Secrets Behind What You Eat. I would recommend this book to any young man or woman at all interested in where your food comes from. Pollan does a fantastic job of detailing our abundant use of corn in food. Pollan never really says why corn is bad, in fact he never really says it is bad at all...for humans that is. Pollan tells how the "industrial food" companies throughout our country are feeding corn to cattle, pigs, and chicken. You might think "well, that's great! I've always heard that things being 'corn-fed' is a good thing. They become big and strong." Well, Pollan will both agree and disagree--the animals get big, maybe strong, but a corn diet for animals is wholly unnatural. Never in history have cows, pigs, and chickens eaten corn naturally. So what's the big deal???? Well, I think Pollan is trying to say that there are many things wrong with how animals are treated, but also that some of the small problems we have with food may become larger ones. Not sure if I buy in whole hog (pun intended), but interesting for sure.
Pollan offers up a good book with many good ideas, but I will share with you what I thought were the best ideas that were located in the additional materials in the back of the book (page 287)
EAT REAL FOOD
a. Don't eat anything your grandmother (maybe great -randmother at this point) wouldn't recognize as food.
b. Don't eat anything with more than five ingredients or with ingredients you don't recognize or can't pronounce. Pollan does an excellent job of bashing the Twinkie, and the Twinkie with its 31 ingredients (18 derived from corn!) is an excellent example of something not to eat.
c. Don't eat anything containing high-fructose corn syrup. Your mom doesn't cook with it, why should you eat foods from corporations that have cooked it in for you. No where in nature is HFCS natural
BUY REAL FOOD
a. Buy your food from the outside perimeter of grocery stores, and avoid the middle aisles. I think many markets have caught onto this tactic, but it still holds true for most grocery stores.
b. Don't buy, or eat, anything that doesn't eventually rot. Foods engineered to live forever are unnatural and are usually filled with chemicals. Food should be alive and that means it should eventually die.
c. Shop at farmer's markets or a farmstand whenever you can.
d. Be curious and explore where your food comes from.
EAT REAL MEALS
a. Cook your own meals. Take control of your diet, and learn how great cooking can be to alleviate the boredom that comes with fast food.
b. Garden. Guarantee yourself the freshest produce by growing it yourself. I believe that growing things is one of those things in life that teaches you so much that you would otherwise never know. My GF takes care of the growing around our house, and I am jealous of some of the things she learns while I remain ignorant.
c. Try not to eat alone. Did you know it is almost uniquely American to eat alone, and that in many other cultures eating is a social thing to be done with others, and eating alone makes you look like a freak. Well, that's not our culture so you shouldn't be ashamed, but when we eat alone we tend to eat more than we need.
d. Eat slowly and stop when you're full. Food companies want us to eat and drink to excess, because they make more money that way. Don't fall into that trap.
e. Eat at the table. We snack more than we dine these days. Eat with your family, friends, and loved ones--it's so simple, and someday I think we will all regret not doing it more. To the parents reading this--the family meal is on its way to extinction, do your part to save it.
Excellent points that I agree with. Before I get called out as a hypocrite I would like to say that in-competition nutrition almost always has to be different, but I think every diet should have exceptions. Your diet should be relatively "clean" 90% of the time, during competitions your needs change (sometimes a Gu is essential...completely unnatural but necessary at that point). Basically, when we can control our dietary circumstances we should.
Thanks for reading
Nack
