Moderate Bear

I’m going to level with you guys: fitness coaches and health professionals probably won’t like what I have to say on a lot of topics. I’m very moderate: I’m not preaching radical lifestyle changes, advocating specific diets, telling you that you have to act this way, believe this thing, and live this life. And there’s a very simple reason for this.

I’m not training for the Olympics.

If you are, or Nationals something or another, follow someone else’s blog – or, more ideally, get a coach and do exactly what they tell you to.

For me though, I just want to be able to ride a little longer, run a little further, make my stomach and immune system a little happier, take a little bit better care of the earth. Those are all my goals. I don’t want to win anything, beat anybody, or – as Red Foxx said – feel stupid lying in the hospital dying from nothing. I’m going to be dying because I love bacon and sugar, sometimes together.

I believe in moderation. You can eat anything you want – in moderation. You can spend as much time as you want working out – in moderation. Too much or too little of anything, by definition, is bad for you (because if it was good for you, it wouldn’t be “too” anything…).

I have two problems with the health industry: first, their method of testing seems to be to tell people to cut one entire thing out of their diet, and see what health problems arise. Seriously, an industry can only pull a 180 so many times before I begin to think they’re just guessing, and probably as good or worse than me. Now, there are some good, solid facts about healthy living and eating – things that have been proven over and over again: those I will preach. But some of these new diets and exercise tips that come out are just silly. No carbs, really? The things your body runs on, a lot? Oh, and no eggs yolks, just whites. Right. And how much egg yolk do you want me to throw away? Oh, just buy pre-separated egg whites? And how much are those?

Which is the second thing I don’t like about the health industry: most of what comes out is shilled by people trying to sell you something. For instance, there is very little scientific evidence supporting the claim that eating six small meals is better than three normal-sized ones. There is a preponderance of evidence showing that people are more likely to eat meal-substitution products and supplements when they try to eat six small meals instead of three normal-sized ones. And imagine that: there’s a group of people who just happen to make easy meal-replacement products, at only slightly-exorbitant prices, ready to help you with your new diet, right on the page facing the article on this new bit of diet information.

So here’s my basics: eat real food as much as possible; the fewer ingredients in a prepared product, the better; and change your diet based on what you want to do, rather than on how you want to look. If I can bike 400 miles in a week with a soda-belly, darnit I will, because pop is tasty and the farts aren’t that bad. I’m just pretty sure I can’t.

So, let’s have fun, eat tasty food, and be awesome.