Fitness for Superheroes (That's YOU!)

A lot of us are very tired and discouraged right now.  The metaphorical weight of the world is bearing down on us in an almost-literal way.  I’m a personal trainer and Pilates instructor, which is not the same as a superhero; I cannot fix the world.  However, my small part in the work the world needs is this:  I help with self-care.

At base, the purpose of fitness is to take care of ourselves.  We need cardio to keep our brains sharp and our moods positive.  We need weight training because we all need all the strength we can get.  We need flexibility both figuratively and literally to navigate the challenges in front of us.  We need mind/body work so that we can tune into the important stuff.  And we need to balance all that hard work with rest.

What do we need most today?  That’s today’s workout, whether it’s a power nap or power lifting.  Let’s grab some uplifting tunes and get this done.

Monday Workout: Wait, what?

This week we’re doing a different kettle bell exercise!  The kettle bell overhead back lunge challenges balance from several directions.  Most of us are most comfortable lunging forward, so stepping back into a lunge is already a challenge.  The asymmetrical aspect of holding a kettle bell overhead in one hand adds bonus points.  For extra extra bonus points, doing an unfamiliar exercise works our brains!  Three rounds.

kb swings	30
kb overhead back lunge	20
kb 8s	10
(jump) squats	30
bench press	20
Arnold press	10
mountain climbers	30
bosu squats	20
brains	10

Friday Reading Report: Fat City

This week, my studying is all about fats.  I think my head might be fatter as a result.  Here’s what I’ve learned, plus some other comments.

In food, fat comes mostly in the form of triglycerides.  The more saturated the triglyceride, the more solid the fat at room temperature.  Saturation, in this context, has to do with the chemical structure of the fat molecules.  If chemistry was a long time ago for you, like it was for me, let me remind you that different atoms have the ability to bond with different numbers of other atoms.  In the case of carbon, it can bond with more than one other atom, or it can bond with, say, another carbon atom more than once.  When the carbon atoms in triglycerides form double bonds, the molecules don’t have as many available bonds for hydrogen atoms and are thus less “saturated” with hydrogen, less solid at room temperature, and, usually, better for us.  One double bond among a triglyceride’s carbon atoms makes it monounsaturated.  More makes it polyunsaturated.

The interesting part is that most fats are mixtures of many triglycerides.  We just categorize them by the kind they contain the most of.  Among the oils we categorize as monounsaturated, we have olive, canola, peanut, and safflower.  Of those, canola has the least saturated fatty acids and peanut oil has the most.  This study and others like it suggest that canola oil is a good choice for reducing cholesterol levels.

However, there are some caveats.  The best kind of oil to use depends heavily on the use.  Olive oil breaks down at high temperatures.  Peanut oil doesn’t.  If the goal is deep-frying, olive oil is a bad choice.  Most baking does better with more saturated forms of fats.  I’m pretty sure that canola oil on toast is not going to be the next craze when we are done with avocado toast (although why would we give up our avocados?).

Additionally, the reducing effects of using monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are compared to using saturated fats.  In other words, it is still possible to have too high a level of cholesterol while consuming only the “healthier” fats.

Finally, all the categories of fats have the same 9 calories per gram, regardless of saturation level.  Fats of all kinds are more calorie dense than protein or carbohydrates and anyone wanting to reduce overall calorie intake might want to take a look at cutting fat to remove unneeded calories.  (Leaving aside the whole keto thing, which I have discussed elsewhere.)

As with all nutrition information, it is important to consider the sources and also to consider the effects of different diets in our own bodies.  Some of us do better on different kinds of diets than others.  Information is only the start; we need to apply judgment as we choose what to eat.