From long know Snow White to much awaited Princess Tiana, it's clear to see that the Disney Princesses can be idolized in a variety of manners (#1, #2, #3, #4).
Along slightly different lines then from an earlier post, the Fallen Princesses take a turn for the worst. In Jeffrey Thomas's Twisted Princess, he invokes the Halloween spirit through his frightful compilation.
With my increased interest and along with others (#1, #2, #3) in Vibram Five Finger training, I came across a natural fitness program geared towards reconnecting with nature and finding a "context" in which to train.
What I, and ten other gentlemen learned from this 6 hour clinic with Erwin enlightening:
First: The philosophy of MovNat depends on finding situations that are adaptable and that require focus. Prior to MovNat, I could be found in the IMA gym working out on Life Fitness Strength training machines while listening to my favorite NPR podcast. With these machines, I could follow my progress and chart my total reps, weight, and the last time I isolated a specific muscle group. However, with this training regiment, I became dependent on the machines, and the machines only helped me to lift more weight in one particular motion. Learning from the MovNat philosophy, if I broadened my mind and the context in which I trained in, I could work more muscle groups, faster, and more efficiency. Plus, I could apply my efforts to a multitude of different situations, and I wouldn't be limited to just the repetitive movements on a pulley system.
Second: It's OK to be lazy. In fact, it's encouraged! Body weight exists because of gravity, but it doesn't have to slow you down. By utilizing the principles of "body weight transfer" and "body weight shift" one can use gravity to improve movement, balance, climbing, and positioning during a training exercise. Our "lazy training session" consisted of learning how to use minimal strength to climb a tree limb by developing a body weight transfer from our two handed grip, to a three point system = adding a leg! Then, using a body weight shift and swinging our free leg and allow the momentum to rotate and propel our body around the tree branch. Success!
Third: Creating context helps focus, increased motivation, and makes training fun! In a jumping exercise, the group focused on limiting our landing and take off points - as if we were jumping from small ledges and avoiding clefts down a mountain side. In our climbing example, it was important to focus on our
"body intelligence" and know when to have our arms tightened, and when to have them relaxed and ready for movement and action.
Lastly: Running is the ultimate training activity. Think about it - you rarely "walk for your life," or "bike for your life," but perhaps to a slightly more extent you can "swim for your life," but you always "RUN FOR YOU LIFE!" With increased focus and attention to running, it's possible (and preferred) to use gravity to propel yourself forward. Using your legs to catch yourself in mid fall. Again, with a body weight shift, minimal muscle movement and energy is needed to run. This concept can be used in other situations as well to increase efficiency.
Other activities we covered in our MovNat clinic included principles of Throwing/Catching, Balancing, and Lifting. Each of these single topics could have been covered exclusivity in just one clinic and by the end, we would have only learned the basics behind each movement.
I've only recently discovered City Talk Radio within the past few months, a talk show focusing on local issues in the Cincinnati area.
Last week, Michael Sweeney and Tom Hodges talked with Clara Rice, Rusdyn Lindsey, and Julie Bernzott, about the Next Leaders Summit, held Sept 17th-19th, 2009 in downtown Cincinnati.
To paraphrase form the NLS website: The Next Leaders Summit was designed to focus and highlight on how far the YP movement has come. The YP movement is one that focuses the energy and minds of YPs on showing up, reaching out, and digging in to build better places to live and work. As a testament to the YP strength, there are more then 300 Young Professionals Organizations, representing nearly one million YPs in our cities and companies across the US.
This month has been interesting with 1) two weddings in 4 weeks, 2) the grooms were childhood neighbors from Murrysville, PA (my home town, just outside of Pittsburgh) and 3) I was able to reconnect with an old high school friend at each wedding. Men always want to be a woman's first love. Women have a more subtle instinct: What they like is to be a man's last romance. -Oscar Wilde
Mike Pritts and I at his wedding reception!
"I dreamed of a wedding of elaborate elegance,
A church filled with family and friends. I asked him what kind of a wedding he wished for, He said one that would make me his wife." - Author Unknown
Reconnecting with Sandip at Mike Pritts and Mandy's wedding!
You have to kiss a lot of toads before you find a handsome prince. - Unknown
So.... at Pittsburgh weddings, everyone and their mother brings in dozens of cookies.
Guest arerequired to take home a goodie bag.
I think it's a Polish thing...
Marriage is the only war in which you sleep with the enemy. - Unknown
Tim Chan and Julie at their wedding ceremony.
"Marriage is like pi - natural, irrational, and very important" - Lisa Hoffman
Allen Chang, Tim Chan and I at the reception lunch!
To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world. - Bill Wilson
A great view in Dana Point, CA from Tim's wedding.
Grow old with me! The best is yet to be. ~Robert Browning
For those of you who are as "vexed" as me about the search for your sole mate, thank goodness we don't always look like this guy:
The August 29th, 2009 edition of The Economist had a short, less then two column, blue back grounded article in their Science and Technology section entitled "Mr Muscle." This article explored one possible reason for sexual selection in humans and "the price and privilege of beefcake."
Starting off the article reads: "Why are men's muscles so much bigger than women's?" And then proceeds to jump right into the evolutionary process and historical acceptance that all men are fighters and hunters, and we need to chase after big animals and then wrestle them down to the ground! [OK, the last notion was added by me.]
But, maybe more importantly, "women like men who can do these things well, and thus are attracted to muscular men." Hence why last week I decided to take a look at the Ballard LA Fitness, Signature Gym.
What I really found out was that "Signature Gym" mean a $150 initiation fee followed by a $55 (discount rate b/c I "work at Seattle Children's Hospital") monthly fee. This does get me "all states, all gyms" access, body lotion in the men's shower area, and free towels at the gym. However, as Cat pointed out to me last week over dinner, "The towel bins are always empty in the evening." Sad. :-(
Back to the article. "Resources get piled into [muscles], almost regardless of the consequences," and further goes on to state that "the more muscular a man, the more sexual partners he reported." And offered up a humorous (hopefully) answer to the increase in number of life time and past year sexual partners, that "muscular men [are able] to intimidate 97 lb weaklings."
Overall the trade off for increasing the number of sexual partners comes at a price of a man's immune system which is "less effective than those of women (which was known before), and become[s] worse the more muscular the men are (which was not [known])."
Thankfully, "modern medicine... means the hulk's weakened immune system is less likely to expose him to lethal infection."
Thank goodness! Now I can safely check out the UW Intramural Gym this coming week!
Thanks for reading,
Dr. Alex
BTW, did I mention the article had a photo of shirtless man fishing with the tag line "The way to hook the ladies?"
Dr. Alex
Hi there! I'm Alex - a full fledged pediatrician, committed to being totally awesome!
After surviving one of the most challenging and rewarding residencies ever, I still believe the best thing in life is being able to laugh and make others laugh with you. I love my work as a pediatrician, and am very passionate about it, although I am far from a workaholic. Meaning, that I try to spend as much time outdoors in the sun as I can.
I was born in Merrillville, IN (just South of Gary), spent some time in Hanska, MN, and grew up around Pittsburgh, PA. My schooling has taken me through Penn State, Temple University, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, and now living and working as a pediatrician in Seattle, WA at the Pacific Medical Centers.
Despite all my travels across the country and out of the US (Canada, Japan, Grand Cayman, Belize, Honduras, Mexico), I still have a special place in my heart for Pittsburgh.
During my off time, I love to run, go to coffee shops, socialize with friends and dance (salsa, swing, tango, etc.). I rarely spend time "doing nothing."
Posts
