It’s been a crazy year and while it’s not quite over, November is a good time to review a few 2019 highlights and what to look forward to in 2020.
Most reactions
Biggest blog hit in terms of shares and reactions was my piece on “Why I Eat Meat.” If you read my posts you know I’m a firm believer in the nutritional benefits of animal-based products. In short, they give me long lasting satiety, enhanced performance and make me feel strong. In the piece I dissect the why in depth as a former vegetarian.
Additionally, the topic on “Food Pauses” aka intermittent fasting got positive interactions as well. It seems many individuals are experimenting with taking more time between meals in other words fasting. In our house we’ve recently been playing with the 16/8 principle. That means fast for 16 hours and then keep your meals within the 8-hour window. Whatever form of food pauses works for you, do it. Mental breaks from constant eating are a boon for our bodies and brains.
One topic that never seems to leave us is exercise and weight loss. For the record, I DO NOT believe you can exercise away a poor diet. In the post “Working Out & Weight Loss” I point out 4 main concepts (see below) to support a new mentality on this out of date concept. Check out the above mentioned post as well as an older one on “Food Philosophy 2.0 “ for more tips.
- Promote real food consumption
- Assist in finding a different fitness motivator
- Move totally away from the calorie theory
- Stop snacking and investigate intermittent fasting
From a Pilates perspective
This year’s highlights continued to carry the torch from December 2018 and my post “Remembering Bob: The Ultimate Educator.” A tribute to one of my mentors and friend Bob Liekens, who so many of my fellow Classical Pilates instructors pay homage to every day in the studio as teachers of the Original Method.
In Bob’s spirit I wrote on the Classical Pilates topics of the “Art of Spotting” and “Fake it Till you Make It.” and “Teach the Body in Front of You.” All of these posts explore themes on how our industry can change and look towards higher standards of education something Bob Liekens’ strove for his whole life.
Ongoing investigation
Something I personally continue to delve into is how to stay stronger as one ages. One belief is the need to focus on building more muscle strength as older adults and not simply increasing flexibility, read more in the post “Stretch & Strength.” In addition, “Changing Up Your Routine” was a definite big theme in my 2019 fitness routines and will remain for 2020. It worked for me this year so why not give it another try!
As our house continues to dive deeper into the nutrition world and what foods provide maximum performance here’s a snapshot of books, people and podcasts to keep on your radar! These individuals are not in order of relevance, they’re all fabulous thinkers and shakers. I encourage you to do your own searches and find more good stuff from these inspiring leaders and others.
- The Savory Institute is high on my list of commendable efforts in soil regeneration. If you care about your food, you must care about the soil. Our mono crop cultures are killing the soil and ruminants are one way to build back the soil and grasslands.
- Food for mental health optimum enhancement. Dr. Georgie Ede has some fabulous stuff online such as her talk on “Our Descent into Madness: Modern Diets and The Global Mental Health Crisis.”
- Belinda Fettke has dug extremely deep into the role of the 7th Day Adventist Church in the dietary and nutritional standards across the globe. Her exhaustive work demonstrates how the church’s role in promoting a plant-based diet continues to hold power in institutions and governing agencies. One great piece is Thou Shalt not discuss Nutrition ‘Science” without understanding its driving force.
- Nina Teicholz in addition to her book, The Big Fat Surprise: Why Butter, Meat and Cheese Belong in a Healthy Diet is continuing her work by fighting for more rigorous standards of science in the Nutritional Guidelines through her work at the Nutrition Coalition.
- Shawn Baker, MD author of the Carnivore Diet continues to push boundaries at all aspects of the nutritional political correctness and I love it! His new book with some amazing results by individuals healing various auto-immune diseases, getting off medications and losing weight through the meat only diet is impressive.
- Professor Frank Mitloehner of UC Davis is a great source of if you are looking for the truth behind cattle production and climate change. Here is one of many interviews with the professor, “Cattle, Climate Change and the Methane Myth.”
- Joe Rogan has a wealth of podcasts out there on everything from Nutrition to an in-depth interview with Edward Snowden. On nutrition I especially like his talk with Chris Kesser that “Debunks the Game Changers Documentary.”
- Speaking of Chris Kesser his website is also one to take time to explore. He calls it the Functional Medicine Approach. Chris is widely respected in the health community and he offers eBooks, articles and much more on his site.
- Ivor Cummins author of Eat Rich Live Long has some outstanding podcasts on his program The Fat Emperor, notables such as Tim Noakes, Gary Fettke and others.
- Be on the lookout for Brian Sander’s film Food Lies soon to come out in the New Year. He has lined up an amazing cast of thought leaders for the film.
There are so many more amazing thought leaders out there, but the above list should keep you busy for a bit. For years I’ve mentioned the works of Sally Fallon and The Weston A Price Foundation, Gary Taubes, Zoe Harcombe, Dr. Malcolm Kendrick, Professor Tim Noakes and Dr. Asseem Malhotra, always keep an eye out for their work.
Final note
Make this year be one of getting to know your local farms and farmers, they need you. Make a visit, buy some of their products and bring back the idea of farm to your table, not just a theme in a restaurant. Second priority ditch those seed and vegetable oils, their toxicity is overwhelming and a good reason to clean out your cabinet as a New Year’s project.
Lastly, I’d love to hear from you about this post or any other.
Onward to 2020!
P.S.
Need a holiday gift idea?
Krisna’s book “Finding Lifestyle Sanity: A Survival Guide” is available here.
