http://athleticdemeanor.tumblr.com/

Why gamers are a great fit at the gym

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 19:14:17 -0400

They’ve been trained to focus for weeks at a time on a single goal. They know how to clearly identify obstacles and form step-by-step plans to overcome them.

They’re obsessed with improving specific skills but judge success only by overall progress made in the world they’ve decided to conquer — as realistic or fantastical as it may be.

It’s precisely these traits that make video-gamers great bodybuilders.

Take a moment to laugh, if you must. Now hear us out.

Brian Wang and Dick Talens were the stereotypical video-gamers in high school. One was scrawny, the other fat. They grew up playing marathon sessions of “EverQuest” and “Counter-Strike.”

“I literally would wake up and play all day, eating intermittently,” Talens said. “OK, when I say intermittently, I mean eating a lot.”

Dick Talens weighed 230 pounds in high school before becoming a body builder.

But by the time the men met at the University of Pennsylvania in 2004, they had traded an obsession with video gaming for an obsession with weight-lifting. As they shared stories at the gym, they realized their healthy transformation had been easier for them than for most.

Why? Because they were — and would always be — gamers.

“People don’t realize that video games are an expression of personality,” Talens said. “There’s certain qualities that people have. They’re obsessed with improving the stat sheets, getting to the next level; they pay a lot of attention to detail. Guys who play (‘World of Warcraft’) … are very intense about whatever they do. They can turn that addiction and all its characteristics into fitness.”

It’s a theory they’re taking to the bank. Talens and Wang are the co-founders of Fitocracy, a website that’s turning gaming geeks into fitness geeks. The site has 70,000 users in its beta version and hopes to open to the 60,000 on a waiting list in the next couple months.

Fitocracy members can “level up” by earning points for their workouts. New levels unlock special challenges or “quests” that are designed to push users out of their comfort zones. For example, a runner might have to do yoga, or a bodybuilder might have to tackle a 5K.

Brian Wang grew up playing hours of “StarCraft” and “Counter-Strike.”

Still, one has to wonder: What would make a virtual warrior trade in his sword and shield for a pair of dumbbells? The same thing that got him interested in playing video games in the first place, Dr. Scott Rigby says.

Rigby and Dr. Richard Ryan are co-authors of the book “Glued to Games: How Video Games Draw Us In and Hold Us Spellbound.” As experts on human motivation, they have identified basic psychological needs — similar to physical needs like food, water and sleep — that video games satisfy.

First, Ryan says, is the need to feel competent. In real life, you get the chance to “level up” only once every couple years: like when you earn a promotion at work or get married. In games, you always know what you have to do to get to the next level.

“In video games, you’re constantly getting information about your achievements and (learning) how to do things better,” Ryan says. “There’s an opportunity to develop a mastery that’s very much a key motivator.”

That translates well to fitness, where tracking your accomplishments enables you to progress quicker. You know you’ve improved when you run an extra mile or dead lift another 50 pounds.

Guys who play WoW … are very intense about whatever they do. They can turn that addiction and all its characteristics into fitness.
Fitocracy co-founder Dick Talens

A second motivator in video games is the feeling of freedom and autonomy, Rigby says. People like to know they have control over their future. In video games, you can choose your path, the skills you want to improve, even your outfit. Making the same choices in your fitness regimen helps you feel empowered.

“Games make the goals really clear,” Rigby said. “You have to run from point A to point B, deliver a message, kill this bad guy. You have a very clear sense of ‘If I just do these steps, I will succeed.’ And let’s call them quests because it sounds heroic. And who doesn’t want to feel like a hero?”

Fitocracy user Michael Perry says that what’s most important to him is the community on the website, which resembles that of his favorite online game, “World of Warcraft.” In any massively multiplayer online role-playing game, you work with other players to conquer enemies. Your team expects you to show up and do what needs to be done. He gets the same sense of accountability from the members on Fitocracy.

“When I was playing WoW all the time, I had to make sure everything I was doing was right. I researched it down to the T. I made sure I was hitting spells right at the right time. I wouldn’t miss a raid,” Perry said. “I think that translates really well to exercise and bodybuilding because you have to have that level of knowledge, (and) you have to have that commitment.”

Rigby says the community around online games, or fitness, satisfies one of the last psychological needs: relationships.

“There’s a social component to it. … You’re relying on each other. You really need the other person to watch your back and vice versa,” he said. “(Games) build in a sense of ‘I matter to others; others matter to me.’ “

Michael Perry said he was heavy all of his life before he started weight-lifting.

Of course, motivation isn’t restricted to video gamers. Everyone has these basic intrinsic psychological needs and can apply them to fitness. Gamers just have an easier time learning the language.

“What video game players have is a certain understanding for how these sort of fitness structures are built: goal-setting, progression, etc.” Rigby said. “In other words, it’s a world that they know.”

Take Vin Diesel, one of the buffest men in Hollywood. Diesel used to play “D&D” on his days off as a bouncer in one of New York’s nightclubs.

He contributed the foreword for the book “30 Years of Adventure: A Celebration of Dungeons & Dragons,” writing, “We were all drawn to the game because it allowed us to become these characters, vastly different in appearance and in actions, but what kept us hooked was the search for the character that represented our higher self.”

A quest — to look different, to act stronger, to be better. Sound familiar?

(cnn)

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Eat Well & Be Well: Stop Eating Chemical Additives

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 22:09:49 -0400

keepsdiary:

Photo from “Anatomy of a Cheetoh” via Men’s Health October 2009 Issue

Like any American child growing up in the last 20 years with two full time working parents, I grew up on a healthy diet of junk and fast food.

Bless my mother’s heart, I can’t blame her. She was no match to the peer pressure from my friends and the hours of television ads that sunk into my brain. She escaped war-torn Vietnam, built an amazing career to raise five of her own kids along with a handful of cousins that came in and out of our homes. Her sole goal was to give us what made us happy, and if that meant a bucket of KFC then it was a bucket of KFC.

I will freely admit that I still love the taste of junk food. It’s programmed to taste good. I love Ranch Doritos. I love a McDonald’s Big Mac and Cherry Coke. But lately the intelligent part of my brain has been taking over and it’s been scaring the junk out of me.

Above is a photo of what it takes to make a Cheetoh.

From top left:

Corn meal

Ferrous Sulfate (iron supplement)

Niacin

Thiamin Mononitrate

Folic acid (B Vitamin)

Corn Oil/Sunflower Oil

Whey

Salt

Cheddar Cheese

Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil

Maltodextrin (a starch derivative)

Disodium Phosphate (stabilizes pH levels and improves texture)

Sour Cream

Monosodium Glutamate aka MSG (flavor enhancer)

Lactic Acid (a preservative)

“Artificial Colors”

Citric Acid (to regulate acidity, flavor and preservation)

17 ingredients. SEVENTEEN.

I’m pretty handy in the kitchen, and I’ve tackled some amazing recipes from the cookbooks of Thomas Keller that have a heavy list of ingredients. But when was the last time you went into a grocery store and had partially hydrogenated oil, disodium phosphate and artificial colors on your shopping list?

If you are a soda fan, I recommend you switch to water and tea for a week and then take a swig from a soda on the 8th day. That burn down your throat and syrup coating in your mouth won’t be as refreshing as you remember.

I’ve always found it interesting that the foods that are made to last longer through preservatives are also designed to be eaten quicker. The chart above (via O’reilly) puts things into perspective in terms of our health. What isn’t so apparent is its affect on our happiness. I’ll let Thomas Keller explain.

“The pace of life today is so quick, and we often feel so rushed and disconnected from one another, as well as from the sources of our food, that it’s easy to forget how powerful the ritual of eating together can be. To be able to sit around the table, passing food, sharing stories of the day, with the sense that for an hour or so, the outside world can be set aside, is a gift to embrace. Some days life is sweet, other days life can be hard, but the one thing we always strive to do, is to partake of the comfort and pleasure of sharing a meal with those we hold dear.” - Thomas Keller “Ad Hoc at Home”

CrossFit: Where Navy SEALs and Pregnant Soccer Moms Help Each Other Get Ripped | Fast Company

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 22:05:35 -0400

keepsdiary:

jayjamison:

CrossFit: Where Navy SEALs and Pregnant Soccer Moms Help Each Other Get Ripped | Fast Company

Awesome description

Just came back from today’s Crossfit squat session to this awesome title/article.

For all the ladies that think Crossfit/weightlifting will make you look like a man, read this article, watch the videos.

on-display: everythingyoulovetohate: grapevinetwine: This is...

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 22:03:50 -0400

on-display:

everythingyoulovetohate:

grapevinetwine:

This is kind of a dumb list.

1. That’s not a picture of spinach, that’s a picture of chard.

2. Peanuts are in no way the most healthy nuts. Cashews, walnuts, almmonds, brazil nuts, hazelnuts, etc. (plus seeds) should be up there before peanuts.

3. Plain yogurt, sure. But a lot of yogurts are lacking in probiotics and are just a vehicle to cram more sugar into your body. Read the label.

4. Say organic produce. If you compare the nutritional information between organic and conventional produce, conventional is incredibly lacking, giving your body basically nothing. Especially greens.

5. Likewise, wild or farmed salmon? Because, as with produce, there is a big difference.

6. Where are the goji berries, maca, spirulina, legumes, quinoa, cacao, wheat grass, and all the other amazing superfoods?

I know it’s pointless to take issue with dumb things on the internet, but healthy food is important to me.. Maybe I’ll make my own.

Katie is so rad.

Oats should be on here.

Undercover by Nike “GYAKUSOU” Collection (via)

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 22:01:03 -0400

Undercover by Nike “GYAKUSOU” Collection

(via)

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Cool Hunting: The Art of Flight

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 21:55:22 -0400

Cool Hunting: The Art of Flight

youmightfindyourself: Damn, even the waterboy is going HAM.

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 21:53:04 -0400

youmightfindyourself:

Damn, even the waterboy is going HAM.

San Francisco Garlic Fries

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 21:42:00 -0400

Ingredients

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

2 1/4 pounds russet potatoes, cut lengthwise into 3 x 1/3 x 1/3-inch batons

3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Preparation

Preheat oven to 450°. Coat a large rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray. Toss potatoes with 2 1/2 tablespoons oil in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer on baking sheet.

Roast the potatoes, turning occasionally, until browned and tender, about 30 minutes. Increase heat to 500°. Continue roasting until fries are deep brown in spots, about 5 more minutes.

Whisk remaining 1/2 tablespoons oil, garlic, and parsley in a large bowl. Add hot fries, season with salt and pepper, and toss to coat.

Substitute vegetable oil for a healthier alternative

(via epicurious)

Common Workout Myths That Can Hinder Results!

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 21:39:12 -0400

Myth #1: Spot Reduction Will Reduce Abdomen or Thigh Fat

Fact: According to my experience, this is the most common fitness myth. Most of the people in the gym come up and ask for exercises to reduce their tummy, hips, or thighs. Spot reduction is a fad; you cannot target the fat in a particular area to reduce it. The only way to reduce fat in a particular part of the body is to reduce the overall body fat. Therefore, it is imperative to embark on a comprehensive fat-reduction program that includes aerobic exercises, a resistance training program, low-calorie diet to control unnecessary calories, and being as active as you possibly can in your daily life. It is also very important to accept the fact that by following a proper food and exercise regime, you will lose fat from all over your body but will not lose it equally. The fat deposited in some parts of your body burns faster compared to other parts.

Myth #2: Lifting Heavy Weights Can Make Women Look Like a “Hulk”

Fact: This is a myth that keeps haunting women time and again. Worry not, women don’t have the physiological makeup to develop huge muscles. Lifting heavy weights surely stimulates the production of testosterone; however, it stimulates only enough to increase the body’s metabolism and help you burn fat, and is not sufficient to make you bulky. Women have about 15 to 20 times less testosterone than men; that is why women will not become bulky in spite of lifting heavy weights regularly. Owing to more testosterone, men grow facial hair, develop hoarseness of their voice, and develop muscle mass. The low testosterone levels in women enable them to stay beautiful and not develop huge muscles as in men even when they work out with weights. With training, the muscles will develop, but it will not gain large amount of mass like men.

Myth #3: You Burn More Fat If You Exercise on an Empty Stomach

Fact: It is a common belief that exercising on an empty stomach challenges the body’s reserves and burns more calories and fat. In a study published in the “Journal of Medicine” and “Science in Sports and Exercise” (1999), researchers found that when the subjects ate nothing, they became fatigued faster and stopped exercising about 30 minutes earlier. According to Dr. David Prince, assistant professor of rehabilitation medicine at the College of Medicine, Yeshiva University (NY), exercising on an empty stomach can lower blood sugar levels, causing hunger cramps that leads one to eat much more than they would otherwise. It is a fact that not only your muscle requires glucose, but also your brain needs it. Therefore, working out on an empty stomach could impair both muscle function as well as some brain function, which in turn could lead to injuries.

Most of the trainers recommend a good pre-workout snack like yogurt or a small amount of cereal with milk or a fruit. The bottom line is exercising on an empty stomach does burn slightly more fat, but the workout regime kind of “slacks off,” which in the long run gives negative results.

Myth #4: The More the Muscle Soreness, Greater the Results

Fact: Many people judge their previous workout by muscle soreness. Muscle soreness, also known as Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS), is very common in people who exercise. It usually occurs within 24 to 48 hours after a workout. Muscle soreness is due to inflammation and microscopic tear of muscle fibers. DOMS is a necessary stage in the process of building new and stronger muscles. People exercising regularly should make a note that excess muscle soreness means that they are overtraining with insufficient caloric diet.

Always remember that if the soreness is substantial even after a few days of exercising, then it may be an indicator that your muscle fibers are not healed yet, and any further training will give you negative results. The most important thing you could do to prevent DOMS is to perform a proper warm up and cool down every time before and after the workout, respectively. Other than warming up, proper nutrition, active recovery and soft tissue manipulation (massage, kneading, or rolling) can be an effective way to speed up the recovery process. Start weight training program with light weights and gradually progress to heavy weights.

Myth #5: The Longer the Workout Duration, the Better and Earlier the Results

Fact: It is not about working out longer, but smarter. You may have fallen for the sapience that the more time you spend in the gym, the better the results will be. Staying for a long time in the gym can actually be counterproductive. Short and intense workouts are the path to be followed if your goal is to maximize your muscle gains. Overtraining can actually result in losing muscle. The reason for this is the excess production of the hormone cortisol (that releases in the body after strenuous workout), which is responsible for muscle break down. ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) recommends the ideal workout duration to be 45 to 60 minutes (excluding warm ups) for 3 to 5 times a week.

Let not excuses or wrong information get in the way of achieving your desired goals and staying motivated to lead a healthier life!

(via)