I just became aware of a new Indiegogo campaign for an innovative* method of pedaling a bicycle. Similar in functionality to a KrankCycle, the Caron Bicycle uses independent left/right crankarms that create 6 different pedalling movements.
They have their crankset installed on a conventional IC in this video. Watch and then tell me if you feel these added exercises would improve your class… or is it just a solution in search of a problem that doesn't really exist?
This animated video shows the various muscle activation from the different pedalling techniques.
*I'd be curious to know if Matrix has patents on the KrankCycle that would extend to a leg powered bicycle?
In case you haven't seen the KrankCycle in action:
Caron claims this on their campaign page:
Technology for CARON Bicycle is protected by patents worldwide, including US Pat. No. 7,544,139.
It might be cool to observe power output – especially during one legged work 🙂
During an office-clearing project, I found an article I wrote years ago about a book by Hirschman and Munter. They advocate 3 rules for approaching food whenever you feel like eating.[wlm_private ‘PRO-Platinum|PRO-Monthly|PRO-Gratis|PRO-Seasonal|Platinum-trial|Monthly-trial|PRO-Military|30-Days-of-PRO|90 Day PRO|Stages-Instructor|Schwinn-Instructor|Instructor-Bonus|28 Day Challenge']
Rule 1: Ask yourself if you’re hungry.
The purpose of food is to fuel us when our bodies need it. That’s signaled by physical hunger. Asking this question over and over reinforces the critical connection between hunger and eating.
Rule 2: Ask yourself what you’re hungry for, what you feel like eating.
The idea is to tune in to what your body is telling you. This assumes that the body will know what it needs nutritionally. You can then choose in accordance with that.
Rule 3: Stop eating when you’ve had enough.
This also involves tuning in to what your body is telling you and recognizing the feeling of “comfortable fullness” as the right amount of food.
Take it from a sugar addiction expert: these 3 rules could easily backfire when it comes to sugar.
Why Don’t They Work When Sugar’s Involved?
First, clients who eat sugar frequently may not get hungry. As explained in a previous post, my research hasn’t yet uncovered a solid explanation for exactly why that is. Still, too many clients have described this phenomenon for me to think it’s not real.
These clients may even get symptoms (headaches, queasiness, and so on) instead of physical hunger. The symptoms can typically be traced back to low glucose.
Second, it’s not surprising that someone who’s hooked on sugar feels like eating sugar. Frequently.
How can it be helpful to tell someone who’s going through sugar withdrawal — which may include cravings — to tune in to the body and eat what she/he wants?
Third, the comfort stopping point works well only for those who tend to eat to fuel.
It’s not always easy to stop eating sugar at the comfort point if (and when) the client’s “relationship” with sugary foods is based on satisfying a craving or an addictive urge.
Athletic Training Theories Apply To Sugar Addiction?
From my coach, I learned that the purpose of training is to bring consciousness to the process.
When athletes talked about the pain of athletic training, the coach would say that pain stimulates resistance. But through continued training — and by adding consciousness to it — our response to pain changes. We become nonreactive to it.
It doesn’t feel any better, he’d say. It just doesn’t bother us as much.
Once you remove an addictive substance, like sugar, from the diet, the body may start to display different signals. Hunger pangs may return — or show up for the first time — reflecting the body’s needs. Control over food may increase. Appetite may decrease. Awareness may increase and unconscious reactions decrease.
Significantly, over time, we become less and less reactive to external sugar triggers.
The triggers might include the sight of appetizing foods, the delicious smell of baking cookies — or even sounds that bring on cravings. For example, someone fond of candy might have been triggered in the past by the sound of someone unwrapping a candy bar. Once they’ve been “off” sugar for a while, that sound could become less automatic in triggering the desire to eat candy.
It’s not that the foods lose their appeal; it’s just that they bother us less.
These changes may take time, but staying off sugar long-term could be considered continued, long-term training.[/wlm_private]
[Part 2 will cover athletics and sugar addiction.]
Healthful omega-3 fats are found in such foods as fatty fish, flaxseed oil, walnuts and walnut oil, and leafy green vegetables. Other top sources of fats include raw coconut oil, avocado, olive oil, nuts and seeds. With nuts and seeds, raw is better than roasted.[wlm_private ‘PRO-Platinum|PRO-Monthly|PRO-Gratis|PRO-Seasonal|Platinum-trial|Monthly-trial|PRO-Military|30-Days-of-PRO|90 Day PRO|Stages-Instructor|Schwinn-Instructor|Instructor-Bonus|28 Day Challenge']
Higher intake of omega-3 fats may be associated with decreased incidence of depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorders. A diet lacking omega-3s may result in cognitive or behavioral problems, or such conditions as dementia, schizophrenia and more.
High triglycerides (blood fats) have been shown to be associated with depression, aggression and hostility. Omega-3 fatty acids may play a role in preventing high triglyceride levels.
As an additional benefit, fats can increase satiety. When fats (or proteins) first enter the small intestine, they trigger the release of a hormone known as CCK (cholecystokinin), which produces satiety, the feeling that we’ve had enough food. Interestingly, CCK cuts down our carb consumption and carb cravings specifically. A diet too low in fats can thus result in cravings and overeating.
For all of these reasons, it’s good to eat some healthful fats with your meals.
Do You Often Eat the Wrong Carbs?
Lets start with leafy green vegetables. Do you eat enough of them? Enough would be 3 to 5 cups per day, every day. But how do vegetables affect your mood?
Leafy vegetables contain folate. A diet that’s deficient in folate can result in low serotonin production, which in turn can cause possible depression. Build big salads from a variety of “serious” greens (kale, spinach, arugula, chard and more). Not iceberg lettuce! Eat these serious salads every day. (And other vegetables, too.)
On the other hand, a diet too high in the wrong carbs — meaning starchy or sweet carbs — will trigger high levels of insulin. Some people, called carbohydrate sensitive, release extra insulin when they eat these types of carbs. That can actually change the neurochemical balance of the brain.
To give just one example, a high-carb diet can make you insulin resistant. This is not always recognized. We typically hear that insulin resistance is a result of overweight — but it can also be caused by diet.
Insulin action is necessary for the production of serotonin. So insulin resistance could cut down on serotonin production, leading to depression or other dysphoric (rotten) moods.
When you eat carbohydrates, emphasize vegetables, lentils, beans, rice, or root vegetables — such as yams, turnips or parsnips. These would be more desirable than always turning to pastas and breads, which may trigger more insulin. Research has shown that, in general, wheat tends to trigger higher levels of insulin resistance than other starchy carbs.
And always keep your intake of sugar to a minimum — or eliminate it altogether.
Do You Drink Alcohol Regularly or Frequently?
Regular use of alcohol may either cause, or exaggerate, low brain levels of serotonin. Alcohol can do that in a couple of ways. One is by causing malabsorption of folate. Another is by actively destroying vitamin B6.
As explained above, folate and B6 are both necessary for serotonin production. Also stated above, B6 is necessary for production of norepinephrine and dopamine, as well.
So drinking alcohol frequently can result in depression and other mood disorders, resulting from low levels of these 3 important brain chemicals.
In addition, alcohol use can cause reactive hypoglycemia, a condition of low blood glucose following the consumption of alcohol. Reactive hypoglycemia results from the high insulin levels triggered by alcohol. High insulin may then cause glucose to drop — quickly and quite low.
Reactive hypoglycemia is associated with various mood-state disorders, such as depression, irritability, outbursts, or temper tantrums. If you want to keep your moods even, whenever you drink alcohol, do so in moderation.
Finally, low serotonin is often associated with cravings, especially for carbohydrate foods. To help keep serotonin levels adequate, limit alcohol consumption. Drink less often or have fewer drinks when you do drink.
There’s much more we could say about bad moods and foods. For example, bad moods can bring on cravings, typically for carbohydrates — and not the good kind. PMS or stress can also bring on cravings. But what causes cravings is a topic for another post.
Sticking with the current topic, if your diet tends to be high in white flour or sugar, or if it tends to be low in protein, good fats, complex starches, or veggies — or if you drink alcohol frequently — please try these general guidelines:
– Eat lean protein throughout the day. Lean protein would include fish, shrimp, eggs, chicken, or unsweetened protein powder.
– At lunchtime, avoid or limit starchy or sweet carbs.
– Eat plenty of vegetables, especially leafy greens, throughout the day.
– Whenever possible, select complex carbs — such as quinoa, lentils, turnips, squash — rather than white flour products.
– Include some healthful fats in each of your meals or snacks.
– Limit your alcohol consumption.
These general guidelines may help you improve your mood and increase your energy levels — whatever you may be doing throughout your day or week.[/wlm_private]
You may also find that your food cravings will diminish and — along with them — the urge to overeat!
In advance of recording her new Audio Profile Beat Down, Instructor Krista Leopold and I discussed her need to take a break from teaching. With a demanding tech job, along with being an active soccer mom, Krista explains why she decided to step away from regularly scheduled Spinning® classes in this episode of the Podcast.
This ties in with my moving to Florida and having to give up my classes at Life Time Fitness. So for the first time in 17 years I don't have a scheduled class next week 🙁 Not sure how I'm going to feel, once this sinks in…
For those of you who are still teaching, we've published Krista's profile Beat Down for our ICI/PRO members. It's going to include a special treat – a fully mixed MP3 of the complete class playlist!
Part 1 covered getting participants to stop eating foods they hate and also avoid stress-driven, high-calorie blowouts or using food as entertainment.
Here are two more things you might wish your participants would stop.[wlm_private ‘PRO-Platinum|PRO-Monthly|PRO-Gratis|PRO-Seasonal|Platinum-trial|Monthly-trial|PRO-Military|30-Days-of-PRO|90 Day PRO|Stages-Instructor|Schwinn-Instructor|Instructor-Bonus|28 Day Challenge']
Thinking Only About Calories, Not Food Quality
I don’t think food (or weight) is only about calories in/calories out. I’ve even written articles and a book chapter on it because it’s an important subject — one that has raised angry reactions.
Some nutritionists and dietitians do think that a calorie is a calorie is a calorie.
As the lead nutritionist in a weight-loss program, I worked with a registered dietitian. One participant had typed “HELP!” next to the brownie listed in her food log.
Here was the dietitian’s reply: “This is only X calories, so I’m not worried about it.”
The dietitian didn’t seem to realize that the brownie might have consequences. My specialty — psychoactive nutrition — keeps me aware of those consequences. They might include increased appetite, the onset of cravings, or bingeing — any of which could last for several days.
The dietitian also seemed unaware that the brownie might have been a result of something the participant had eaten earlier that day or the day before.
Or that “HELP!” revealed the lack of control the participant was experiencing.
I have never told a client that all calories are equal — or that it’s okay to eat a certain amount of sugar if you stay within your calorie limits. When you recognize sugar as a psychoactive drug, calories are less important than that.
And this isn’t just about sugar. Even though we now know that saturated fats aren’t as bad as we were told, most of my clients do realize that fried pork rinds are not a healthful option in a daily food plan. Some foods we should just avoid.
At a recent presentation, a man asked about a non-caloric butter replacement. He started using it to save calories, but the junky chemicals in it made it a poor substitute. Coconut oil, raw almond butter, even butter would be better. They have calories but also offer nutrition benefits.
Thinking about calories alone leads to eating without focus or mindful attention.
Cleaning the House Before Housekeeping Gets There
This is something my clients do frequently. I suppose they expect me to reprimand them for the “bad” stuff they’ve been eating. (That never happens!)
They cancel, then reschedule appointments for later on, so they can get themselves together to eat well for a week or so — and keep a food log that shows how well they’re doing.
I’ve also had clients cancel follow-up appointments. Follow-ups are arguably the most important appointments. They give us a chance to discuss what has been working and what hasn’t.
The clients reschedule because they weren’t implementing the first appointment recommendations.
Yet the reasons they’re not implementing could reveal the moments that throw them off-track. Postponing till they’re sure they’ll get a gold star misses those valuable discovery points.
And occasionally, unfortunately, I never hear from them, even though they’ve already paid for their follow-up appointment — and have serious health problems that I specialize in and have studied in depth.
A final issue might be “too many cooks.” A new client came in after meeting with her physical therapist. She presented a week’s worth of food logs, based on her PT’s recommendations. She had already “cleaned house.”
My review of her logs indicated that this woman needed to make several nutrition changes. She was reluctant to do so, though, because the PT had suggested something else.
When it comes to nutrition, your cycling participants are free to do whatever they choose. They can wing it. They can follow steps they’ve found on websites — there’s more nutrition stuff online now than ever before.
They can combine different plans and follow a Paleo diet 2 days a week, the Mediterranean Diet on 2 different days, a vegan diet for 2 days, and a pepperoni pizza and beer binge the last day. Whatever they want.
But they might be eating too much of some things and too little of others, missing vital nutrients. They might skip over key brain chemical info that could make life easier if they knew it. They might find their appetite out of control and not know why. They might have intense cravings and not know why.[/wlm_private]
Food isn't as casual as we sometimes assume it is. You probably wish your participants would stop treating it as if it were. I know I do.
Understanding WHY something “is” the way it “is” is fascinating to me. Outdoor road riders tend to be predominantly men… and Indoor Cycling participants are far and away women. So why is that?
OK, I already know why – outdoor cycling has an element of risk that's more acceptable to men, than women. My wife Amy is much more comfortable at speed on the back of our tandem, than she would be piloting her own bike. And it's not just me who's figured this out. Citi Bike has too.
When Citi Bike arrived here, it promised to spread the benefits of biking to the masses, an uphill push in a city where large potholes, heedless yellow cabs and darting pedestrians can make riding on busy streets seem like an activity best left for daring messengers.
But two years in, Citi Bike’s inroads have been decidedly uneven, with men far outnumbering women in using the bike-sharing system. A little time on Eighth Avenue on a recent morning, watching the stream of Citi Bike riders heading north past Pennsylvania Station and toward Times Square, was instructive. Man after man pedaled by, some in suits, others in jeans. From time to time, a woman on a Citi Bike rode by.
Reasonable (and observant) people already understood this, so I'm not sure why this is even a question. Men are by nature more reckless and more tolerant/accepting of risk than women.
“Women are early indicators of a successful bike system,” said Sarah M. Kaufman, the assistant director for technology programming at the Rudin Center for Transportation at New York University and an author of a new report on Citi Bike. “If you have more women riders, that means it’s convenient and safe.”
Officials at Citi Bike say they are attracting a greater share of women than the citywide rate of female cyclists – about 21 percent, according to a study from Hunter College. The bike-sharing service is looking at more than just the safety concerns that seem to nag more at women than men, who insurance actuaries long ago concluded are more likely to engage in risky behavior, such as not wearing a bike helmet.
Anyone who's insured young drivers (like me), are thankful they had daughters – not sons – when they get their insurance bill. Young women are less likely to do stupid/risky stuff in a car = they crash less often = they're less of an insurance risk.
This isn't rocket science here people. And yet I'm continuously seeing instructors and studios focusing their marketing at men… who ride outside… and will probably never set foot in your class. While successful (read profitable) fitness businesses like SoulCycle cater almost exclusively to women.
My advice to Citi Bike is to accept the reality here (women don't feel safe riding in traffic) and quit coming up with stupid non issues like not having a place for their kids.
And there are other perceived obstacles, not unique to women but more commonly cited by them: They cannot ride with small children. They think the cost – $149 for an annual membership or $9.95 for a day pass – is too steep, especially on top of a subway pass. And they worry about arriving at work sweaty.
“I wouldn’t want to be gross the whole day,” said Maeve McCarthy, 21, an intern at an interior design firm in Manhattan, who has not tried Citi Bike but said she would consider taking a nice ride through Central Park, if not commuting to work from Brooklyn.
Ms. McCarthy just doesn't want to smell sweaty the rest of the day… and I don't want to sit next to her if she does 🙁
There's an old saying; “you can't fight city hall”. It points to the futility of trying to change something that just ain't going to change… no matter how hard you wish it to change.
