A long time ago I posted a blog linking to a talk called How I Fell in Love with a Fish. It was a talk on Ted.com and it was truly incredible and I urge you to check it out. I am pointing this out today because Ted.com is simply an incredible website with incredible talks by incredible people. I watched a video this morning of a 17 year old kid who created nuclear fusion in his parent’s garage when he was 14! How is that even possible?
I watched another video recently about the surprising science of motivation. In this talk Dan Pink discusses how our ideas of extrinsic motivation in today’s work environment are actually inhibiting work and creativity, and allowing people more autonomy and the use of their intrinsic motivation is a far more compelling option.
Specifically he highlights a very interesting comparison. Back in the 90′s Microsoft put together this huge, well-paid team to create an online encyclopedia. Two years later another company had the same idea, except that no one got paid, people simply wrote the information for fun or passion. This company was Wikipedia. Which model won?
I realize my blogging has been lagging lately due to spending an inordinate amount of time on my thesis. Unless you guys want to learn about the starch and fructan content as well as the ORAC value and free phenolic content of hard red spring wheat grown in different soils, under different conditions with different amounts of nitrogen added? Any takers? Didn’t think so.
Doing research has certainly been enlightening, and doing research on ORAC values has definitely been eye-opening. I can tell you first-hand that it is not a great measure of the antioxidant capacity of food. This is mainly because the procedure is just so sensitive! It is incredibly dependent on the skill of the technician, and the temperature of the plates that it can be highly variable. The take home point is that while ORAC is nice, it is just one facet of the story of a food’s worth and only one measure of it’s antioxidant abilities.
I can also tell you that while I have enjoyed my time in the lab (for the most part), being a researcher is not my cup of tea. I prefer to work with people and teach them how to change their lives and reach their goals rather than measuring the moisture content of wheat, no matter how exciting that is! Note the sarcasm.
I promise to continue to provide as much kick-ass content as I can, it just might be less often than it had been for a little while. Please bear with me.
Currently over at precisionnutrition.com they are sharing a video series from a talk JB gave at Perform Better last year. To be honest I think this is some of the most important information I have ever heard. While that may seem over the top, I assure it’s not.
JB is explaining why understanding physiology is not enough. As he put it (about it himself but I feel it applies to most of us in this industry) – we are hobbyists trying to be professionals. How can we teach people to change when we have never been taught how to do so? There is far more to getting people fit and healthy than just knowing the physiology of how to do so, which is what we are taught. You must understand the psychology of getting your clients to buy into your program and consistently do what needs to be done.
I highly recommend you check it out whether you are a fitness professional or not. Even if you are just someone who loves fitness and nutrition but doesn’t practice it professionally, I assure you that you will take away some incredibly helpful material from these videos. Plus they are just freely posted on their site, no sign-up or membership required.
A while back I alluded to an interview I did with Rick Kaselj of exercisesforinjuries.com. Well Rick posted it up today and I think it went quite well!
If you are unfamiliar with Rick he is the creator of the Muscle Imbalances Revealed DVD/Seminar Series (Upper Body and Lower Body) featuring the likes of Bill Hartman, Dean Somerset, Tony Gentilcore and more.
This is an absolutely hilarious video from BJ Gaddour. If you work in the fitness industry you will appreciate it even more, but even if you don’t it is fantastic (my wife was laughing out load throughout the video). Enjoy!
I have been tied up all weekend and all day, so unfortunately I don’t have much time to write anything awesome today. What I do have however is a pretty damn cute picture of my now 7-month old baby girl. I also want to point out that I picked out that Christmas dress. Not too shabby if I do say so myself.
Fat Tissue Insulin Sensitivity and Obesity – by Stephan Guyenet. This post by Stephan is one of the most compelling and clear cases against the idea of the carbohydrate and insulin hypothesis of obesity. The comments section alone is just as enlightening as the article!
As a lifelong hockey and Bruins fan, and someone who played the game for 15 years, it was quite a moment last night watching the Bruins hoist the Stanley Cup for the first time in 39 years.
They made it to the Finals in 1988 and 1990, but I was only 3 and 5 years old (my birthday is a month after) so I hardly remember watching them get demolished by the juggernaut that was the Edmonton Oilers back then.
Tim Thomas played absolutely out of his mind, allowing only 8 goals in 7 games and making tons of spectacular saves. Even the old man Mark Recchi played some phenomenal hockey. At the beginning of the series I was telling my dad how ridiculous it was that the 43 year old was on the power play and getting so much playing time, and then he comes through with 3 goals and 4 assists in 7 games, providing steady play and big goals. Now he gets to ride off into the sunset and then into the Hall of Fame. Not a bad way to end your career.
The greatest part is this team is comprised mostly of guys in their prime, or even a little younger! Thomas and Zdeno Chara, their best defenseman, are in their 30’s, but other than that their key players are all young. Lucic, Horton, Bergeron, Krejci, and Marchand are all 26 or younger! Tyler Seguin, the 2nd overall pick last year is only 19. They also have the 10th pick this year. Their backup goalie is excellent and only 23. They are locked and loaded to be competitive for the next several years. I am looking forward to every minute of it.
Up here in New England we have been spoiled over the past 10 years. The Patriots have 3 world championships, the Red Sox 2, the Celtics 1 and now the Bruins with 1. In many ways I savor this one the most, as hockey was my first love as a kid and for as long as I can remember the Bruins have been the red headed step child of the 4 major pro teams.
Boston used to be a hockey town, and it is great to see the Bruins thrusting themselves back into the spotlight. They can now be uttered in the same sentence as the other 3 teams with this monumental achievement. I tip my cap to them and look forward to next year!
On Saturday, May 14 at 10pm my wife gave birth to our beautiful baby girl! Kate Sweet St. Pierre weighed in at 7lbs 11oz and measured 20.5 inches long. She is happy and healthy and I am looking at her right now as I write this!
Everyone tells you that having a child is a life-changing experience, and I can say first hand that you don’t truly understand what that means until your child is actually born. I am sure this will only continue as she grows up.
Needless to say there have been several sleepless nights and a tremendously disrupted routine. I have actually lost 7lbs due to the lack of sleep, stress and totally messed up schedule! I was able to get to the gym today though and I am definitely looking forward to more of that.
I must say it is also amazing how fast you learn to change diapers, soothe your baby and absolutely just fall in love with them. I also want to thank everyone for their congratulations and well wishes, it is all greatly appreciated.
Also in keeping with the birthday theme, Eric Cressey is celebrating his 30th birthday by having a huge sale on Show and Go: High Performance Training to Look, Feel and Perform Better, taking $50 off! If it is a product you have considered but have yet to pull the trigger on, you will never get it for a better price, and it will provide you with some tremendous results to boot.
Posted on March 23rd, 2012 by Brian St. Pierre
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