It was March of 2000 that I decided I would take a shot and try Superslow as my only form of exercise. That was a BIG deal. I was a regular 10 hour a week exercise addict. What would I do with the discovery of 9 hours of new weekly time?
Reading was the answer. I’ve always believed that health, wellness, and fitness was more than just a physical thing. It’s mental. You must have mind acuity. You must be informed.
I’ve been an avid reader for years. There was always a time issue. After getting through business periodicals, newspapers, and some internet stuff, there was hardly any room for books. I’d probably read 3-4 a year. But beginning in 2000, time was no longer a factor. Since I was only working out an hour or two a month, I had loads.
By the end of the first anniversary, in addition to soaking in more of my regular material, I read 60 books.
That was a big improvement, but guess what: Even though I was spending at least 3 hours every morning, (I get up between 3-4am) reading all kinds of stuff…IT WASN’T ENOUGH. I still felt like I was behind. The only answer was to absorb more in the same amount of time. I needed to increase my speed.
Some people say “I like to read slow”; “I want to really enjoy the book”. My answer to those statements is comparable to me going for a run with Carl Lewis. He can always slow down to go my pace; but I don’t have the choice to run his. A very fast reader can always slow down if the material warrants. Could be very technical. Could be very deep. However, the slow reader can’t speed up for lighter fare.
Along the way I became a student of reading. I read books about reading. I read about it on line. I, even recently, dragged my son to a one day course offered by Iris Reading. Kids need to become better readers as soon as they can.

Below is a synopsis of the basics of improving reading speed. These are the consistently greatest impediments to faster reading:

1) Verbalizing. There is a tendency to either mouth the words your reading or listen to a little voice in your head which is doing the same thing. We must concentrate on relaxing our throat and larynx area. We need to try to absorb the words visually rather than verbally.
2) Fixation. As we read we tend to freeze over words. Certainly all reading is jerky motions. However we need to make these hesitations as brief as possible. Work on not looking at particular words too long.
3) Regression. Rereading what we just read. There’s nothing wrong with, after reading a couple of pages or a chapter, going back and reviewing. That’s not what I’m talking about. Regression means that as you go forward you constantly go back and reread the last word or two. When we watch a movie, sometimes we’re not sure what’s going on. We don’t stop and rewind. We assume it will come together as we go along. Usually it does. Reading works the same way. Nothing slows us down more than regressing.

Sure, like everything in life, we have to practice these things. The goal isn’t to absorb thousands of words a minute. The target is to improve. If you can read 50% faster…well you can figure out the math.

One final note…I have to figure out a way to remember all the things I read. Blueberries don’t do squat.

Keith Morton

I believe it’s the best way for humans to eat. So what is it?

In a nutshell, humans have been on earth around a couple of million years. Agriculture has only been in existence for 10,000 years. Our bodies have not had time to genetically adjust to grains, dairy, sugar etc. Therefore we are best served eating like a caveman.

Here is an example of a food that is NOT paleo along with its ingredients:

Cheez-It Baked Snack Crackers

• Made bySunshine Biscuits, LLC show contact info
• Ingredients
Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate [Vitamin B1]Riboflavin [Vitamin B2]Folic Acid)Vegetable Oil (Canola, Cottonseed, Palm, Sunflower and/or Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil with TBHQ For Freshness)Skim Milk, Cheese [Skim Milk, Whey Protein, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes, Annatto Extract for Color]Two Percent or less of Milk, Salt, Paprika, Yeast, Paprika Oleoresin for Color, Cheese Cultures, Soy Lecithin)
• Allergen / Warning Information
Contains wheat, milk and soy ingredients.
• From the maker
100% Real cheese. Made with skim milk.

Here is some examples of paleo foods with ingredients:

Egg: Ingredients Egg

Broccoli: Ingredients Broccoli

Steak: Ingredients Beef

The only processing required might be cooking.

Here is a terrific YouTube video that elaborates on the concept.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCFZoqmKf5M

I’ll refer to eating paleo often.

One final caveat: To truly “lean up” quantity is always an issue, even when what we consume is perfect.

I’m a passionate golfer. What has that got to do with “Health” magazines you ask? The correlation is unfulfilled promises. Golf Digest and Golf Magazine have been around for half a century. If you went back to the ‘50’s, you’d see these article titles:

Hit It Longer
Split the Fairway!
Get Out of the Sand, Every Time
Pure Your Irons

If you look at the titles from 2009, what will you see? You guessed it! Variations of the exact same headlines above. We golfers are still trying to hit it down the middle and sink our putts. The solutions rarely change.

So let’s look at Women’s Health, Men’s Health, Health Magazine, Women’s Fitness,
Shape, etc.

What are the lead articles on the cover each month?

Flat Sexy Abs
Super Foods that Blast Away Fat
So Long Cellulite
Younger, Stronger, Sexier in 20 min a Day!
Boost Your Metabolism!

You get the picture. How many times have you been in an airport looking for something to read and you see an array of magazines with these grabbers? Yet, of course, every time you get into the article they same the same things Eat more veggies, exercise more, exercise this way or that way. The advice doesn’t change, simply the spin of the title does.

Invariably there will be a piece articulating this or that exercise routine that will accomplish unbelievable things. You’ll see a very beautiful woman. She’s trim. She’s fit. She’s holding dinky 2-5 pound dumbbells. If you follow her routine, you too can look like her. Of course we are all aware she didn’t get to look like that doing the routine she advocates. Nope, she’s a gifted model simply posing. We all know this! I frequently challenge our new clients at CityWide to walk out of our facility and, for the next three months, follow their formula exactly. Does anyone ever have success from these programs?

Final example: In the Jan 17, 2010 Chicago Tribune there is a comparable piece.
The title is: TONE YOUR TRICEPS WITH DUMBELLS
Again, a lovely model.

Step 1) Hold a 5-10 pound dumbbell.
Step 2) lift 12 times. Rest 20 seconds and do 2 more for a total of 3 sets.

There is so much wrong with this.
1) You could weigh 85 pounds or 200; the variance is only 5-10?
2) If you can do 12; why stop?
3) Why 3 sets? Why not 1? or 5?
4) Should you never, ever go up in weight?
5) How many days a week?
6) Where’s the intensity?

It’s impossible to have success following this article. Yet this is very typical. For exercise to accomplish anything, it must be meaningful and intense. The growth mechanism needs to be stimulated. It must make demands on your body that requires recovery. There is no easy way. You can’t just go through the motions.

99% of what’s written in these articles is pap. The true test would be to precisely follow their prescriptions, say, for 3 months. Then evaluate.

My guess is that the success level will be comparable to how much farther and straighter I can hit a golf ball.

Keith Morton

January 3, 2010

Even disciplined people make New Years resolutions. Here’s mine:

I’m going to write a minimum of one piece every 2 weeks in the Citywide Blog.

I’ve much to say in many areas of health and fitness. The overall theme will be how incorrect conventional wisdom is. I contend that almost all of the exercise, diet, health, weight loss, muscle building advice we are exposed to is WRONG. No, I’m not a doctor. No, I’m not a nutritionist. What I am is someone who has studied this stuff for 4 decades. If you delve deep you begin to see how logic prevails. You don’t need advanced degrees to be logical.

Before I begin with my first piece I’ll make a final comment. I think of myself as a Galileo of health and fitness. He tried to tell the world that even though the sun was moving across the sky..the earth was actually the one that what in motion. . (I think Copernicus figured it out also). For this blaspheme he was relegated to the tower. Joyously, I’m comfortable, that in 2010 I’m safe from that fate. So here we go:

Which spread is “healthiest”?

Below these three similar products that have been used for similar purpose.

1) Was introduced in the 20^th century..

2) Has been consumed over the last 10 years or so.

3) Has been eaten for a minimum of 400 years and has been around since Roman times.

The first one mentioned is MARGARINE. Here are the ingredients of Parkay:

Liquid soybean oil, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, water, whey, salt, vegetable mono-and diglycerides and so lecithin (emulsifiers), potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate (to preserve freshness), artificial flavor, phosphoric acid (acidulant), vitamin A palmitate, colored with beta carotene (source of vitamin A)

The next one is I CAN’T BELIEVE IT’S NOT BUTTER!

Water, liquid soybean oil, salt, sweet cream buttermilk, xantham gum, natural soy lecithin, polysorbate 60, lactic acid, (potassium sorbate, calcium discodum EDTA used to protect quality, and artificial flavors, Vitamin A palmitate, Beta carotene.

Finally, BUTTER.

Sweet cream, salt

Now we know which one of the three is/has been maligned the most (butter). It has saturated fat (like so what, that’s for another piece).

If we can agree that the best way for man/woman to eat it is as unprocessed and natural as possible. Therefore doesn’t it seem nuts to be consuming the batch of chemicals and garbage in the other two?

I contend that butter is a terrific food that enhances other very healthy ones and makes them more palatable. It also aides in satiety. Use it liberally and enjoy it!

Keith Morton

I was at an office the other day and while waiting, I noticed a copy of Runner’s World magazine.  I hadn’t read one in years so I thought it would be a good time to skim through it.  Clearly, today I view it with a different perspective than I did during my 25 year running career. Besides doing zero cardio, I haven’t run a step in nine years. (Let’s see 25 years of running, nine years without…hmmm, I must be pretty old)

What I noticed was something I never thought of when I was a runner – the magazine was loaded with articles and information based on one common issue…injuries.  How to prevent, treat, reduce, ameliorate or just plain ignore them.  So here is this activity that is supposed to be very healthy BUT…

       it’s terrible on your knees

       devastating to your back

       causes sagging in women’s faces and breasts

       ruins your hips

       if done in excess, destroys muscle (ever look at an Olympic Marathon runner?)

Personally, I think my heart is doing just fine in the nine years I’ve been living with out it.  

Is there anything worse than doing something that we think is really good for us, but is actually bad?  An excellent example takes us back to the early 1800’s. 

Our first president, George Washington, became ill. The type of illness was unknown, but the solution was clear – he needed to be bled. The “bad” blood had to be removed from his body so he could heal.  Bleeding was done either by leaches or at the barber and was done numerous times in an effort to make him well. Some say it’s what eventually caused his death.

This is an egregious example of what I mean by a distraction. We direct our energies at doing something, in the name of health and/or fitness, which is either worthless or deleterious. Below are a few examples:

      We are told to drink lots of water so we carry an “ever present water bottle”

      We park the car at the end of the lot so we can get a couple extra steps in

      We take the stairs

      We are told to stand while talking on the phone

      We throw out the healthiest part of the egg, the yolk. 

      We eat processed junk that’s called a “health bar”

My point is that we only have so many bullets in our figurative gun. Many of these are fairly harmless, but they give us a false sense of security, the notion that we’re doing something good for ourselves.  Essentially, we’re losing focus on doing legitimate activities that are actually productive. Therefore, the phrases “it can’t hurt you” or “I just want to move my muscles” is actually a distraction from positive endeavors. 

Overall, what we need to do is sift through the chafe and the noise of silliness. Decide on a few steps and then be rigidly disciplined about following them. From an exercise standpoint, we should focus on quality over quantity. It should be brief, intense, and then we should rest. 

From a diet standpoint, we should eat whole, unprocessed foods with few ingredients. 

I’ll close with a personal anecdote. A few years ago, I was playing golf with a fellow who I had just met. He looked to be about 20 pounds overweight and subsequently, I found out he had had a bi-pass. When the drink cart came around, I was trying to find something healthy by asking a few questions. The gentleman I was playing with asked me, “do you watch your diet?” and I said “yes, do you?” He said, “no, but I run.” So, since he’s doing this “distraction” called running, of course in the name of health, he doesn’t have to do anything that is ACTUALLY healthy, like eating right.  I don’t even want to say what he had for lunch. 

That statement is BLASPEMOUS!       That can’t be true.  We’re told to “just move”; to walk whenever possible; to “park the car at the end of the lot”; to take the stairs; and of course to do hours of cardio a week largely in the name of weight loss.  What silly advice.

Let’s think about this logically.

How long has mankind existed?  Pick the length.  Let’s say for brevity, one million years.

How long has obesity been a crisis?  Maybe 50 years? 

So throughout almost the entire existence of mankind STARVATION has been the issue.  The entire time man has been on earth the notion of concern about obesity would have been laughed at.  (Did cavemen laugh?  Got me).  Humans spent loads of their time in pursuit of food.  There weren’t any methods of food preservation. Kill, eat, rest, do it again.  Sometimes feast; sometimes famine.  This pursuit took energy. 

What I’m saying is WE ARE PROGRAMMED TO PRESERVE CALORIES.  We had to be.  If all we had to do to lose fat was to jump on the treadmill while reading the Wall Street Journal…HOW WOULD WE HAVE SURVIED AS A SPECIES!!??

Essentially the same entity, man, which throughout history was lucky to not starve to death, now is exposed to unbelievable amounts of calories.  Whether being inundated with ads, or going to the store with thousands of options we’re asking ourselves to beat our natural tendency to eat when and where available.  (I’m not even addressing Ho Ho’s, Twinkies, French fries, etc)

Let’s take an example of burning calories through exercise:

It’s pretty well accepted that if you run/walk one mile you’ll burn around 100 calories.  It’s also known that a pound of fat has around 3500 calories.  So let’s do the math: YOU NEED TO WALK/RUN 35 MILES BEFORE YOU “BURN” ONE POUND OF FAT!!

Think about that.  That’s doing a whole bunch more than a marathon to burn one pound of fat.  Is there a chance if someone did all that work, they might eat a little more?  Maybe be pretty hungry?  By the way, how much time does that take and how much destruction does it do to our joints? 

Wanna have some fun?  Pick up any of today’s health magazines.  Find an article about someone who has lost a bunch of weight through some form of exercise. WITHOUT FAIL, SOMEWHERE IN THE BODY OF THE ARTICLE WILL BE THE WORDS “…AND SHE CHANGED HER DIET”

The answer to weight loss isn’t diet AND exercise…IT’S DIET.  PERIOD.

Keith Morton

Owner/CWSS

Stairwell entry at CityWide

We are very excited about our new site and the accompanying blog! Look to this blog for expert advice on how to maximize your fitness results while minimizing the time you spend in the gym. Our certified trainers are here to answer your questions!

Thanks for stopping by–

The CWSS Team