Rick’s Rants and Raves

A few months ago, I wondered if it were possible that the amount of calories absorbed from food could vary from person to person. In fact, recent research has shown that not only is caloric absorption likely to vary from person to person, but can vary over time for one person.

When I wrote my blog post, I didn’t have any idea what could cause the variation. I figured it was something about our bodies themselves. As it turns out, bacteria that thrive in our intestines likely cause significant variations in the amount of calories we can extract from food. Of course the research is still new, and it was done on mice, but it still looks very promising.

Biologist Jeffrey Gordon of Washington University in St. Louis became quite well known a few years ago for a group of very skinny mice in his lab. The mice were skinny because they had no bacteria in their intestines. Gordon had kept them completely bacteria-free. If a bacteria-free mouse eats, food passes right through the intestine, significantly undigested.

So without bacteria, the mouse can eat and eat and eat and never gain weight. But when Gordon exposed the mice to “this big, bad, dirty world,” as Gibson calls it, the mice suddenly turned their food into more calories and gained weight. So bacteria matter. Apparently, they can digest food far more efficiently.

So researchers now are focusing on learning more about the 500+ species of bacteria that live in our guts and what impact they have on all kinds of stuff in addition to digestive efficiency: “stomach ulcers, … asthma, hay fever, allergies and eczema”. It is entirely possible that an anti-biotic could be developed to kill some of the more efficient food digesters, allowing food to pass through less digested, and allowing the person to lose weight while eating full meals. It really could be the magic weight-loss pill so many have been seeking.

Shortly after I started exercising, I noticed that I started pausing in front of the mirror. If there isn’t a mirror, I’ll look at my biceps (coming along) and my forearms (still spindly) and try to notice changes.  I haven’t previously considered myself vain. (Do vain people ever think they are vain?)  I think I’m OK to look at, and I don’t spend a lot of time fussing over my appearance (as demonstrated by the #1 clipper cut, and shaving every other day).

Except now, when I’m in front of a mirror. I keep trying to tell–am I bulking up? My wife, lovely woman that she is, tells me “Yes, rowr!”. I can see some improvements. I feel some sense of accomplishment with what I’ve done so far. And I can definitely see improvements in the amount of weight I’m able to move around the YMCA.

But why this need to check myself out every time I pass by the bathroom sink? Is it just pride in the work I’ve done? Where is the line between pride and vanity?

Pride: 1: the quality or state of being proud: as a: inordinate self-esteem : conceit b: a reasonable or justifiable self-respect c: delight or elation arising from some act, possession, or relationship

Vain: 4: having or showing undue or excessive pride in one’s appearance or achievements : conceited

Ah, no wonder I’m confused. Its all in the level of pride: do I have a reasonable self-respect, or excessive pride?

One of the exercise (ok, body building) websites I occasionally read puts it this way: in the end we all want to look good naked. Exercising, and weight training in particular, are means to that end. Some writers would add “for as long as possible” since there is a strong belief that strong bodies last longer (I’ll be honest I’m not sure about research that supports that belief). So, is the desire “to look good for as long as possible” and watching for the results of that work pride, or excessive pride?

At this point, I think it is just pride. But its a weird feeling to admire the work I’ve done so far. But again, I’m not sure vain people ever realize that they are vain. To them it seems like a reasonable amount of self-respect. To those around them, they seem vain. So I’ll have to be judged by those around me. What say you?

This weekend I reviewed some of my workout logs for the last 7 months. I started with the YMCA Fitstart program, and have since been largely designing my own routine based on a number of books and web sites.

The biggest difference between then and now is that I’m not currently doing much with the weight machines, being convinced that free-weights are better for me to reach my goals. I still do a number of cable based exercises because they allow a freer range of motion. One exercise that I’ve been doing on and off for much of that time is the cable lat row. I’ve been progressing very well: 4 months ago I felt like I stalled at 90 lbs; now I’m able to do 140.

I noticed that the last time I did the machine bench press, my top weight for a set of 10 repetitions was 225 lbs. That was several months ago primarily because of my switch to free-weights. Last week I did dumbbell bench presses at 120 lbs total (60 in each hand), and that was about a much as I could handle without risking a bloody nose or a concussion. The contrast (225 versus 120) got me to thinking–had I lost strength, or was there that much difference between free-weight and machine weight?

So yesterday at the end of my workout (which didn’t include a bench press exercise) I got back on the bench press machine. I did sets of 5 repetitions increasing weight each time until I got to 250 lbs–the full stack of weights on the machine. My last set of dumb bell bench presses (a week ago) were sets of 5, and the max weight I could do then was 120 lbs.

Now I understand why some weight machines don’t have weight measurements on the plates, only plate numbers (e.g. 1,2,3…). The stack may weigh a certain amount, but the work done by the levers, pulleys, chains, etc is probably far less. I used to be irritated by the machines that didn’t have a weight, because I wanted to know real mass! I can’t brag “I turned it up to eleven on the leg extensions today!”

But at least now I can tell someone I can bench press 250! I just have to hope no one asks me to do it with a barbell.

Today, I went to the local YMCA to continue my exercise program. I’d taken 9 days off after a minor back injury, and I was feeling rested and motivated (both of which had been lacking the last several days). Emily wanted to go with me, expressing interest in using the cardio equipment.

I got her started on an eliptical while I did the same as my warm up. I had told her that she could only spend 30 minutes total on the cardio equipment since she hasn’t really be doing any consistent exercise. I wanted her to give that a try, and hopefully avoid injury. Since she wanted to do eliptical, bike and treadmill, she decided on 10 minutes each.

When she moved to the bike, I started on my weight program. After she was done on the bike, I was in the middle of dumbbell bench presses. She was delightfully impressed that I could press 60 pounds in each hand. After I finished my third set, she asked about the poster that was over the mirror opposite me. “Is that what you looked like in high school, daddy?” Its a black and white of Schwarzenegger posing on a beach from his early body building days in the 1960s. I told her it was Arnold Schwarzenegger, to which she replied “Who’s that?” As I took a minute to explain she responded “It looks like a computer graphic!” Um, no. It’s a very real picture. And no, I didn’t look like that in high school.

After she finished on the treadmill, she went home while I continued my workout. I love seeing what other people are doing in the free weight area. There were several guys (and a few women) who are practicing/training for power lifting. There was a 60ish year old man working his butt off on a routine. I hope when I’m that age, I’m as ripped as he is. And there was a guy whom I assume is a football player, lifting weights with a harness attached to his head (exercising his neck). At that point I thought “There are so many cool ways to exercise, I should never get bored.”

Toward the end of my routine, a group of about 15 mentally handicapped folks came in. As their caretaker was trying to heard them onto the bikes, one of them headed over to the flye machine (like this one). She sat down with a grin on her face and started wiggling the handles, counting and giggling. She got to about 15 before the caretaker lead her to the bikes.

So, although I’ve got a ways to go in my own workout goals,  I’ve got a lot to be thankful for.