Dan John: Wandering Weights, Issue # 46
As I type this, I am within walking distance of the hospital I was born and just down the road from South San Francisco. I’m here for my 40th High School Reunion. It was a grand time and it is amazing to see and talk to people who fell out of my life four decades ago.
And, it gives one time to pause with all the “woulda coulda shoulas” of life.
It’s interesting to hear other people’s memories of events, too. One other thing that surprised me was the number of classmates who have died. Life is short, death is certain. I’m sure the reunion inspired this week’s reading.
I found this little article looking for some success articles. It reminded me of when Tiffini used to read to me and the girls the first three Harry Potter books. The dog and cat would lay by, too. Both of the pets are now of Blessed Memory, but the books survive and I hope you listen to this good advice.
“And speaking of TV… My family watches the tube with the best of them. We’ve even been known to do it during dinner, which is why, afterward, I often suggest a little read-aloud time. To paraphrase Page, watching TV makes us tune each other out—but reading aloud does the opposite. And if it occasionally sparks fights about whether, say, Hermione in Harry Potter is as smart as Alex on Modern Family, well, some arguments are worth having.”
This article on the same site is just a nice overview of dealing with life and adversity.
I bounced around the net after reading this first article on leanness. Leptin may or may not be the answer to obesity, but doing 30 seconds of hard exercise makes sense to the track coach in me.
If fasting is still a mystery, here you go. And, remember, for those who claim to have invented fasting for fat loss:
“Obese people and those desiring to lose weight should perform hard work before food. Meals should be taken after exertion while still panting from fatigue. They should, moreover, only eat once per day and take no baths and walk naked as long as possible.” – Hippocrates circa 471 BC
The same author, Greg, in this next article points out that nearly everything I teach in Mass Made Simple is wrong. By the way, it is perfectly fine to have opposing ideas in one brain.
“The research is clear on this! That said, when you see the scale going up by 5 lbs a month, you truly believe it’s all muscle. What’s more, when you’re gaining a lot of bodyweight, it’s easier to lift heavier weights… So you think the program is really working. Unfortunately, you aren’t getting as strong as you think. True strength, is strength in relation to your weight. Bench pressing 275 lbs isn’t very impressive if you’re 300 lbs.”
For a great list of things to keep in mind for life, learning and leadership, Philip Walter does a great job here.
“It’s not about you. It’s about the mission. It’s not about how you feel. It’s not about your needs. There is a mission that must be accomplished. People are counting on you. Put your own feelings and needs aside and get moving. Timing is never perfect. Conditions could always be better. Don’t let perfect become the enemy of good enough.”
Bill Wade and I have been talking about Percy Cerutty and George Hackenschmidt. Both of them were pioneers in modern training and, it turns out, corresponded quite a bit. The Stark Center has a very interesting scrapbook on Hack’s work here and I am working on an article about the Hack-Cerutty connection. Thanks to Jan and Terry Todd for all their great work saving the history of strength.
It’s a small thing, but I’m a big believer in ongoing education. I support online education and local classwork, but I have been doing a few of the courses on this site. The cost for the streaming video is higher, but I enjoy cutting veggies and stirring the pot while listening to a discussion of the strategies of world history or proper wine selection.
In case you are thinking of moving, this article will give you some hope.
“Earth-like planets are the obvious first place to look for life, but a large number of these orbit stars known as orange and red dwarfs, which are smaller than the Earth’s sun. Dwarf stars are extremely common—they make up more than 70% of stars in the universe—and nearly every red dwarf is thought to have a planet located within a habitable distance and with similar water levels to Earth.”
I’m hoping gym memberships are reasonable on these other planets. So, until next time…
Dan
DanJohn.net
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