Be sure to check out Metaphors of Mind and Money over at the Psy-Fi Blog. It’s a great overall read, but what caught me was the section, “Humans Aren’t Stats”:

This probably doesn’t seem like a big deal, but psychology embraced the concept wholeheartedly and great swathes of the subject were suddenly devoted to assuming that the human mind worked the same way as laboratory based statistical analysts did. Economics meanwhile was already set on a path that saw humans as rational processes of great swathes of data and embraced these ideas with alacrity. A tool for data manipulation was transformed into a metaphor for the human condition and from. People became all powerful manipulators of data, the mind a metaphorical statistician.

As Gigerenzer has pointed out on many occasions (see, for example Where do New Ideas Come From?) this probabilistic revolution is simply infeasible when implemented in the human brain. Once you leave the confines of the laboratory and expose people to the wide ranging set of stimuli in the real world it’s impossible to process data in the way that these models require [ed. emphasis mine]. Sure, it’s possible to use the metaphor to generate some interesting ideas, but going the further step to assuming that the mind works in the same way is close to crazy.

Bottom line, most of us are way too analytical for our own good, and we rely way too much on rational thinking and modeling to describe our environment and react to it. We’re able to be this way because we live in a very structured, sanitized, and (relatively) predictable environment.

But nature in its true form is neither neat nor predictable - and it often does a very good job of debunking human analysis and rationality in very sudden and powerful ways.

The key is, recognize that you have the luxury of living in a very unnatural world defined by several structured layers of comfort, security, and predictability – all of which are based on some type of dependency relationship. In short, stay sharp and don’t be oblivious to what lies just beyond the fringe of our neat little world.

This is primarily a swimming-related piece, but I’m cross-posting it at my other site since it also touches on fitness.

In early 2008, the editors over at The Science of Sport did a fantastic two article series on Exercise in the Cold. I’m going to focus on the second part of the series since it talks about swimming. But the information is relevant to anyone who exercises in the elements.

Hyperventilation

First, what I really like about the piece is that it addresses the “cold shock response.” This is the physiological phenomenon that a swimmer or triathlete experiences when he or she suddenly plunges into cold water without properly preparing the body for this radical change of state. Per the authors:

One of the first things you experience when submerging yourself in cold water is something called the “cold-shock response.” This is characterized by an uncontrollable gasp for air, followed by a prolonged period of hyperventilation – more rapid breathing… the hyperventilation that happens in the cold has a profound effect on the ability to swim in an efficient manner [ed. - emphasis mine].

This is a key takeaway. Why? Because once the cold shock response is triggered – and the athlete’s respiration rate is elevated – it stays elevated for several minutes.

As evidence of this, the authors cite a 2005 study which measured how a swimmer’s respiration rate changed because of exposure to cold water. Here is a graph of the study results along with commentary from The Science of Sport:

So the rate of breathing goes up from about 16 breaths per minute to 75 breaths per minute, within the first 20 seconds. It then stays up at 40 breaths per minute for the next few minutes. It is not difficult to see how that would affect your ability to swim, because your stroke rate would have to change substantially to allow you just to breathe!

Tachycardia

In addition to hyperventilation, sudden cold water exposure can also trigger a rapid, or even irregular, heart rate:

The other big ‘killer’ is a heart attack, which can result when the temperature of the blood returning to the heart is suddenly cooled – this can affect the electrical conduction within the heart, causing fibrillation. So it is these two possibilities – drowning and cardiac arrest that are most likely the cause of death.

Granted, such incidents are quite rare during endurance sports events, but they do occur.

Last year, I posted a piece on this site about some triathlon fatalities that took place during the swim. While there were certainly some strong opinions about whether or not event organizers could have done anything to have prevented these fatalities, I strongly feel that it’s most likely an issue of training – or lack thereof.

Bottom line, the endurance sports community does a great job at teaching people swim techniques and drills. But in my experience, it does an inadequate job of instructing people on critical items such as how to manage your respiration and heart rate during heavy exertion in cold water.

Here are a few rhetorical question to athletes of all training levels looking to improve event performance:

• What if you could minimize – or even prevent – this cold shock response?
• How would a lower respiration rate at the front end translate to more endurance and energy during the bike and run portions?
• What would this do to your overall confidence level going into the event?

Remember, there’s an old saying that “triathlons are all about the run.”

But it all starts with the swim.

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Mark Sisson has a great extended piece on the “low carb flu,” something most people experience when eliminating grains and sugars from their diet. I recommend you read the whole thing.

However, transitioning from a carb-based diet to a fat-based one – while ideal – is not always practical for those of you doing heavy endurance training. Per Mark:

Keep in mind also that people in low carb transition can genuinely shortchange their physical needs when they aren’t eating enough fat or when they’re pursuing high intensity exercise routines lasting over an hour, which send the body’s glycogen stores into a nosedive to the ground. I hear this from CrossFitters and P90Xers who insist on maintaining their daily high intensity while transitioning to Primal eating.

Bottom line, it’s almost impossible to completely “go primal” while training for that big marathon or triathlon. But then again, you shouldn’t really be doing all that chronic cardio anyway, right?

For those of you doing higher intensity training (which should be all of you), you may wish to start adding more fresh ginger into your diet. Not only does it taste good, but it also appears to have anti-inflammatory properties.

A recent study at the University of Georgia found that daily consumption of ginger (both fresh and heat treated) reduced exercise-related muscle pain by 25%.

So feel free to step up your ginger consumption – just be careful with the ginger ale.

Be sure to check out this new study by the American Chemical Society which details the benefits of “green exercise.”

Essentially, just five minutes of exercise out in a natural setting (versus a gym) significantly improves one’s mental health.

What I found particularly noteworthy was that the presence of water seemed to play a significant role in elevating one’s mood:

All green environments improved both self-esteem and mood; the presence of water generated greater improvements. Although participants should be encouraged to undertake outdoor activities in both rural and urban environments, spending time near waterside (e.g., beach or river) or participating in water-based activities may give a greater benefit.

Of course, you all know my views on recommended water-based activities!

I’m very selective when it comes to recommending books. But I think you should definitely check out The Sight Edge by Jeff Olson.

The essential point of the book is that if we were to view the sum total of a person’s life choices – be they related to health, finances, or relationships – we wouldn’t see a pattern of linear progression or regression. Instead, we would see very marginal change at the front end followed by a rapid acceleration in either a positive or negative direction:

In other words, your choices and actions compound over time in either a healthy (positive) or unhealthy (negative) direction – but you probably won’t notice these effects until the last 20% of the time horizon when they develop quite suddenly.

Let’s take diabetes and coronary artery disease, for example. One or two greasy burgers and sodas today won’t make you immediately insulin resistant. And one week of heavy endurance training – along with the accompanying stress response and systemic inflammation – won’t necessitate an arterial stent tomorrow. In fact, you probably won’t even notice any of the negative effects of these behaviors for months or even years.

But these small daily decisions, as they compounded over time, will accelerate at the “back end” and rapidly propel you in either a healthy or unhealthy direction.

The key is, at every moment, you are either going uphill or downhill – you just may not be seeing the effects of your choices and actions. And if you don’t believe me, listen to Jack as he talks about the consequences of “disobeying Nature’s law”:

Here’s a bit of inspiration from “The Godfather of Fitness” to start off your week on a high note!

The good news is that the mainstream fitness community is more aware that the body mass index (BMI) standard for measuring human health is indeed flawed.

Check out this blurb over at Livestrong.com which talks about a recent study proposing the waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) as a better measure than BMI for assessing obesity and cardiovascular risk.

Essentially, the WHtR focuses on measuring abdominal fat as a way of quantifying fitness and risk for cardiovascular disease. This is certainly preferable to BMI measurements.

However, what it doesn’t really accurately measure is body composition. And it certainly doesn’t measure systemic inflammation.

This means that you can still deem “skinny fat” people such as chain smokers who eat primarily junk food as “Slender and Healthy” or “Healthy and Attractive” according to the new WHtR categories. And the same goes for heavy endurance athletes and chronic cardio fiends whose cortisol levels are way out of range due to a constant stress response with inadequate recovery.

Still, until we come up with a more mainstream tool for measuring body composition and systemic inflammation, it’s at least a step in the right direction.

When I wrote on the brown fat phenomenon over a year ago, there was a fair amount of media hype about how activating our stores of brown fat could be the key to triggering effortless weight loss. My conclusion at the time was (and still is) the following:

As you can see, these brown fat deposits are minimal. And while there is some evidence that this type of fat is stimulated by exposure to colder temperatures, there is no solid evidence to date that brown fat activation alone can significantly alter one’s metabolism.

So bottom line, if you’re looking to jack up your metabolism and burn your existing fat stores, a much better approach would be to engage in Power Law training and primal eating.

Alternatively, you could always wait for Big Pharma to come up with a drug designed to stimulate the tiny amounts of brown fat in your body. While this may take a few of years (and might include a number of nasty side effects), it would be easier than eating well and being active in the elements as Nature intended.

Well it turns out that Big Pharma is not the only one interested in tapping into the brown fat fad. Researchers at the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg, Germany are genetically engineering lab rats to produce higher levels of the enzyme COX-2, which triggers development of fat cells to become brown fat instead of white fat.

But as usual, the potential future “magic bullet” solution for obese humans could be a bit ghastly. Per the scientists:

Scientists could now try using stem cells to generate brown fat cells in a lab dish to then implant them into the body and help speed up calorie burn.

Isn’t it far easier – let alone safer – to just eat the right foods and do the right types of exercise?

Here’s a cross post from my other site, Power Law Fitness™. It’s a cut-and-paste job right now. I’m experimenting with various plugins that don’t require this, but I have yet to find one that works.

So if any of you are WordPress.org mavens, I’d welcome any advice on this!

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In the “ridiculously obvious but necessary to revisit constantly” category, scientists in Oregon have concluded that reducing caloric intake is not enough to promote significant weight loss. Test subjects (rhesus monkeys) who substantially reduced their caloric intake but did not increase their physical activity did not lose weight. Per the researchers:

This study demonstrates that there is a natural body mechanism which conserves energy in response to a reduction in calories. Food is not always plentiful for humans and animals and the body seems to have developed a strategy for responding to these fluctuations

This makes sense from an evolutionary standpoint. During periods of resource scarcity, the human (and primate) body goes into conservation mode. And conserving body fat is the easiest way to “bank” lots of calories for future energy output needs.

Bottom line, you needn’t deprive yourself of food if you want to lose weight.

Just watch what you eat (i.e. don’t eat “junk carbs”) and be sure to get in some higher intensity strength training in addition to some lighter and lower impact endurance workouts.

Remember, it’s not the body weight that matters – it’s the body composition.