Matt Metzgar

A Spooky Night for a Run

I went for a jog through the neighborhood tonight, and of course, it's Halloween.  There were lots of trick-or-treaters, decorations, and scary music through the streets.  It made for a much more interesting run than usual.

I really got a nice sense of community, and it was good to have action in the streets.  I wonder if this is what neighborhoods were like pre-television, with more people on their front porch and more people out and about at night.  I think tv can be a powerful anti-social device when used to excess.

I topped the run off with a few sprints on the golf course fairway, in almost pitch black conditions.  It felt very hunter-gatherer-like, to perform an imaginary chase through the darkness.

Happy Halloween!

Silver Creek, NY

Lake Erie

Jackie Chan

I think Jackie Chan is one of those movie stars that "gets it" - in other words, he acts in a socially responsible way.  Jackie has been doing charitable works for many, many years, almost as soon as he started to be a succes in Asia.  Here on his website, he lists some of the charitable works he's performed in recent years.

Jackie is one celebrity I would like to meet.  I drove by his house once in Beverly Hills, that's about as close as I've got.  Who knows, maybe one day I'll luck out and meet him.

Applegate Farms

Since moving to Buffalo, I've tried different brands of meat at the local supermarket.  One brand I've found, Applegate Farms, has to be the best-tasting meat I've ever had.  It's natural and organic, and even though it costs a bit more, it's worth it to me.  I definitely recommend this brand.

Does Exercise Work Part II

It turns out a number of people on the internet are commenting on Gary Taubes' new book.  I'm only halfway through it, but so far it has been an interesting read.  Robb Wolf had a good blog post about diet versus exercise the other day.  Robb is a strength and conditioning coach in Northern California.  Robb said that of all the people he's trained, the clients have little change in body composition until a Paleo-type diet is followed.

This is interesting to me because it is contrary to my own experience.  My weight has usually gone up or down due to exercise.  However, I am only an experiment of one, while Robb has trained people for a number of years. 

I am starting to be persuaded that diet is more powerful in changing body composition than I originally thought.  I will continue researching this and see where it goes.

Sugar

I exorcised my last dietary sin a few months ago: sugar.  I really wasn't eating a lot, just some candy at night to satisfy the sweet tooth.  But I think even that small, regular amount was enough to have an effect on my metabolism.

What really motivated me to make the change was all the recent research showing the ill effects of sugar.  First and foremost, there is a number of connections between cancer and sugar.  You could even say that cancer feeds on sugar.  Sugar can of course cause dental problems, blood sugar problems, and many other things.  Really, I couldn't find any benefits to sugar, other than a few suspicious-looking studies done by the sugar industry.

One thing I did notice is that when I cut out this last bit of sugar, my weight started to slowly drop.  So I think my initial thought that the sugar had an effect on my metabolism was true.

When I moved cross-country in late September, I made a conscious decision to use some sugar to keep alert during the long days of driving.  It was strange that even after a few days of sugar, my body began to "expect" the sugar.  I had to slowly detox the next week to get things back to normal.

After this experience, I'm much more inclined to think that sugar is an addictive substance. 

Endangered Species Chocolate

My current favorite dark chocolate is the Endangered Species Extreme Dark Chocolate (88% Cocoa).  I'm sure to some people 88% is too bitter, but I really like the taste of it.  In fact,  now when I eat 60 or 70% dark chocolate, it doesn't seem very appetizing.

Also, the good thing about Endangered Species Chocolate is that 10% of all net profits are donated to help endangered species.  From my view, this is a great win-win situation where a business produces a quality product, and money from the sale goes to a good cause.

 

Expressions of Fitness versus Producers of Fitness

I think one trap people fall into (myself included) is confusing the expression of fitness versus what produces it.  It's easy to remember all the activites a person did when he/she was younger, such as playing sports all day, dancing all night, etc.  And from there, it's easy to make the association that if you perform these same activities now, you will be as fit as you were then.

This is a bit deceiving because when a person is younger, a lot of their fitness is "built-in".  Hormones are at peak levels, aerobic capacity is high, muscle mass and strength are at good levels.  It is these things that allow a young person to perform and enjoy a variety of physical activities, but it is not necessarily true that these activites are producing any fitness.

As a person gets older, the body switches into "decay mode".  Then, unfortunately, you have to put in work to maintain all the different fitness components.  This is sometimes not fun, but it is necessary if you want to continue enjoying physical activities as you age.

Today's Workout 10/24/07

A quick but good workout today:

• 10 minute walk (warm-up)
• 12 minute easy jog
• 15 minutes soccer-style sprints (short sprints off-and-on)    

This was followed by a nice Paleo meal and some rest.