While 2009 seemed to be a pretty crappy year for many people and our country in general (due to bad economy, doom & gloom media, etc….), it was actually a very productive year for me personally when I look back on it.
It all started with meeting Patrick Ward, who was a fellow contributor of articles and quality forum discussion on Michael Boyle’s StrengthCoach.com website. Once we realized we lived in the same town (Chandler, AZ), we started trading for soft-tissue work and talking shop. This was shortly followed by something I’ve been meaning to do for several years: starting up a podcast. This we named the Reality-Based Fitness Podcast.
After that, we set out to find a facility of our own since both of us were in the same boat renting at various massage and fitness facilities where we were not able to be at our full force. In July of last summer, after having searched for months for a quality space, we were not having any real luck and were both pretty dejected. But, on one very hot summer day I drove relentlessly around a particular industrial area of Tempe and found the exact location we were looking for. In just a few days we had signed a lease and were on our way to creating the Reality-Based Fitness/Optimum Sports Performance Training Center!
Later, in August, I successfully completed the Russian Kettebell Challenge in San Diego, CA, someting I had wanted to do for years. Since then, its just been great having a place to call my own again and being able to see clients when ever I want and even being able to start some small group fitness/kettlebell classes. In March of this year, I am hosting the first ever HKC certification at the RBF/OSP facility and Patrick and I are also starting to work on our own client assessment seminar for fitness professionals and massage therapists. So things are definately moving in the right direction!
As with most years, 2009 was a year when I read and studied some excellent educational material of various but related topics. Some of things I thought were noteworthy enough to write a blog about include the following:
1) I learned that Mike Boyle’s Strenthcoach.com website has a lot of quality coaches and practitioners on it! The articles and videos available are incredible and the forum discussions is quite lively and entertaining. For just $9.95/month it is money well spent in my opinion.
2) I learned about Flexible Intermittent Fasting from Brad Pilon and realized that you don’t have to eat 6-7 times per day and that small 24-hour breaks from food once or twice per week have incredible effects on fat loss and health in general. It’s simply the most no-brainer simple method for weight (fat) control. Brad Pilon was a guest on the Reality-Based Fitness Podcast and you can listen to the great interview here!
3) I also realized that I’m still OK and quite healthy by not taking a multi-vitamin/mineral supplement. I started this experiment in the Spring of 2008 when there were several studies and experts saying that a healthy under-50 adult probably didn’t really gain any health benefit by taking extra vitamins and minerals beyond what one should be able to obtain from a relatively mixed, or “omnivore” type of diet. The only supplements I use now are a protein powder occasionally for smoothies and to add to my tasty morning Oatmeal. I also alternate between using some flax-oil in my shakes (1 Tbspn/day) or a couple of teaspoons of lemon-flavored fish-oil at night. But these I don’t even use every day, just a couple of time per week. I’m not even sure I need to be taking those omega-3 supplements? I may try some creatine again this spring and maybe even some of the much touted “leucine” amino acid to see if I notice anything from it. In general though, I feel most supplements are not worth the money and most people would benefit from just trying to eat more nutritious foods (fruits, veggies, lean meats, whole grains, low-fat dairy, etc…).
4) I learned just how much fitness, health issues, weight control, neural science and adaptations to stressors in general are more easily understood through the lens of evolution. Everything just seems to make more sense through an evolutionary perspective! One of the many Evolution books I’ve read that really helped give me a better grasp on this incredible scientific fact and theory includes: Why Evolution is True, by Jerry Coyne.
5) I was humbled to say the least, after taking the RKC certification and I realized how great of a system Pavel Tsatsouline and Dragon Door have for teaching the absolute fundamentals of moving well and getting strong; the tool they use just happens to be the kettlebell. I’m very much against gimmicky type of things and some people may see kettelbells as a gimmick being that they’re now being sold at vendors such as Wal-Mart, etc… But learning the simple, yet powerful techinques that Pavel and his band of instructors have continued to refine and improve every year is one of the most valuable things a fitness or strength coach could do for themselves personally, and for their clients.
6) I learned how much I continue to enjoy science, critical thinking, and skepticism. I also came to truly realize how wonderful and scarry the internet is since any jackass can practically create a cult if he is persuasive enough! We live in a country that allows us to speak our mind, whatever non-sense might come out if it; and for that I am greatful. But I also know we need to be critical of claims that are made and not just accept what somebody says is the truth without adequate evidence. That’s what science is for…its the ultimate truth filter..hence the name of the podcast we created Reality-Based Fitness!
7) I continued to learn how powerful listening to podcasts can be while driving. Its like turning your car into a University on wheels. Some of the podcasts I routinely listen include: (just look these up on iTunes if interested)
* Brain Science Podcast
*The Skeptics Guide to the Universe
* Quackcast
* Skepticaility
*Skeptoid
*Point of Inquiry
*The Strengthcoach Podcast
*In The Trenches Fitness with Mike Robertson
* Adonis Lifestyle
There’s a lot more I listen to but those listed above are probably the ones I like the most. As you can see, there is a heavy skeptical theme to the podcasts I listen to because most stuff out there these days is so uncritically biased and we all can make major mental errors in our thinking with out second guessing ourselves for even a second. Well, its good to second guess your thought-processess and many of the podcasts mentioned above can help us to stimulate our critical thinking skills!
Most importantly, I learned how challenging and rewarding it is to be a father of two incredible boys and the huge responsibility we (as parents) have to our children to foster and encrouage them to have an insatiable appetite for learning, for caring and loving others, and for life! This year is also very special to me and my wife Tammy as we will be celebrating our 10th year Wedding Anniversary in February!
Thanks for reading my very long blog post!
Keats
