Slim Down Lifestyle

In the wake of President Trump’s tariffs, agriculture interests are claiming that the farm economy is crashing. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said recently that farm debt is rising to levels not seen since the dark days of the 1980s, when thousands of farmers went bankrupt.  

But new research from the secretary’s own Department of Agriculture shows there is no crisis: Farmers are actually expected to do better in 2019 than in recent years.

The Farm Income Forecast, released last week by the USDA Economic Research Service, paints a considerably better picture of the farm economy than many recent news reports.

One important measure of farm profitability, net farm income, is expected to grow 10 percent in 2019, to almost $70 billion dollars, according to the analysis. Many agriculture interests claim that, because this number is lower than during the price boom of 2013 and 2014, farmers face ruin.

But USDA’s own economists think that this $70 billion income is the new normal, and that commodity prices were unusually inflated during the boom years. If 2013 and 2014 are removed from income averages, 2019’s net farm income is right in line with that of recent years.

In discussions of rising farm debt, often left out is the fact that farm assets, such as the value of farm land and real estate, have also been rising. The ratio of debts to assets is expected to rise only a minuscule amount in 2019, to 13.86 percent – significantly lower than the 22.9 percent reached at the peak of the 1980s crisis.

Overall median farm household income is also projected to increase in 2019, to almost $79,000. This number, which measures both on- and off-farm income, is directly comparable to U.S. household income. In 2017, the most recent year for which data is available, U.S. median household income was $61,372 – significantly lower than farm household income.

Agriculture interests perennially claim the sky is falling to justify the need for more farm subsidies. But in 2018, $13.8 billion in federal farm subsidies went to farmers, a 12-year high. And that includes only some of the $9.2 billion the president is paying out to farmers to offset his own trade war.

Ag interests are sure to keep crying wolf. But the fact is that there is no farm crisis, and farmers do not need more taxpayer handouts to stay afloat.

To be completely honest, I've never really been big on barre workouts. But when I heard about Pure Barre's new strength workout, Pure Reform, I decided to give it a shot. To my surprise, it was really good.

The classic Pure Barre class focuses on low-impact, isometric movements, while the Pure Reform program combines classic positions with resistance-based strength training. If you can't get to a Pure Barre studio and are ready for every muscle in your body to quiver, give this exclusive 30-minute workout a shot.

Long Beach Workshop 2018 PB.compressed

I was SO nervous to post it, as you can imagine; which is ridiculous, because when I share my struggles here I usually get a ton of support. Having my weight loss success and struggles here on the internet for anyone to see makes me feel a lot of pressure to keep the weight off, so when I gain weight, it sucks to admit it.

After reading several supportive comments on Facebook in response to my post on Saturday, I felt motivated to go for a run. It wasn't just a "I should go run" thought, but more of a "I really want to go run right now!" thought. The weather here has finally turned fall-like, and consciously choosing to go for a run in that moment felt like a small victory.

This sounds hokey, but the run was almost magical. I felt so good and so happy to be out there! It wasn't even the "I'll be so glad I did this once it's over"; it was one of those rare runs that I felt truly happy in the moment.

My pace for the first two miles was 11:05 and 11:08, and I wasn't aiming for anything in particular. I was listening to Korn and Eminem, which made me run a little faster than an "easy" run. ("Easy" these days is between 11:30 and 12:00.) About a quarter mile into the third mile, I thought maybe I could try for sub-11:00.

I picked up the pace a little, and it was the kind of pace that felt uncomfortable, but in a good way. Toward the end, I picked up the pace a little more, and finished that third mile in 10:22--which made my overall pace 10:50. I was pretty happy with that!

Oh, and I found 31 cents while I was out. I love finding quarters!

I miss "feeling like a runner", which is kind of hard to describe. I don't mean just calling myself a runner; I mean feeling like a runner on a daily basis. Like back when I didn't put any thought into it; I simply threw on some running clothes, laced up my shoes, waited for satellites to find my Garmin, and then ran.

I didn't constantly wonder when it was going to be over with, or question why I was doing it at all.

Instead, I looked around at my surroundings, finding humor in the fact that I could tell you every detail of each house along the route because I'd run past them so many times. I knew where each mile marker (or half- or even quarter-mile marker) was.

Sometimes I would play little games in my head. "Oh, my average pace is 9:16 right now; I wonder if I can get it under 9:00 by running faster during this last mile?". Or, I would play the "what if..." game: something on the ground would catch my attention, and then I would imagine a scenario that had to do with the object.

For example, if I saw a garbage bag in a ditch... I might think about what I would find if I opened it. Maybe it would be a bunch of kittens that someone left on the side of the road to die and I would be horrified but then of course I would want to adopt all of them and I would wrap them in my arms and carry them home and then Phoebe and Estelle would love them too. Imagining scenarios like that during my runs would make the time pass so quickly!

I remember LOVING the feeling of a good tempo run. I generally hated it while I was doing it, because tempo runs are so hard, but if I hit my pace for the distance I was aiming for, I would feel fantastic when I got home. And that amazing feeling would last all day. (When training for my 10K in 2016, this tempo run was, by far, the best feeling I've ever had after a run.)

And a runner's high... there is no feeling like it. I've only felt it a handful of times in all the years I've been running, but it feels amazing! Again, the tempo run I linked to above gave me the best runner's high I've ever had.

Oh, and I even miss getting "runner's lung" (a term I made up, similar to "runner's knee" or "tennis elbow" or "smoker's cough"). "Runner's lung" is what I call the feeling I get in my lungs all day after a very hard run. My chest aches to take a deep breath, and I usually cough after a deep inhale. It sounds terrible, but that is the best indicator (to me) that I really busted my ass during that run.

I liked having a running schedule and actually following it. I would check off the runs as I went along, and it was so satisfying. I was always thinking of the next big goal (or even small goal, like beating the time from a run the previous week).

I enjoyed writing on my blog about my daily runs, even if it was a plain-old-boring-easy-three-miler. Reading those past posts motivates me to want to get to that point again. (I think I'll round up the 10 most motivating posts--to me--and link to them in a blog post.)

Running always makes me feel strong. Listening to some good hip hop music and without a particular goal or target is a great feeling. And then feeling achy for the rest of the day just reminds me that I'm getting faster/stronger.

I miss planning out a "long run treat" each week. When I was counting calories or Points, I always used to plan on having some sort of treat after my long run that week. Somehow, a piece of cake or a cookie sandwich tastes so much better after running 8 or 10 or 16 miles!

Today, I smiled and said "Good morning!" as I ran by, and he replied, "Good morning! I haven't seen you out running here for a while!"  I explained that I'd taken a break from running and was trying to get back into it, and then went on my way. Such a simple interaction, but I thought it was so cool that he actually noticed. So, just as I notice the regulars on my route, I guess they notice me, too!

Joey and I had a good run. I was deliberately trying to slow him down, because he pulls on the leash for the first half mile or so (I have a hands-free leash that I love!). I figured that with the added stress of having Joey with me, my heart rate would be higher than normal. I was surprised that my heart rate stayed in the 140's for almost all of the run. I really want to be able to get it down to 144 without having to walk.

I didn't listen to music or a podcast or anything today, and I found that I miss just running without earbuds. It was nice to hear the sounds outside, and I chatted with Joey I'm going to make it a point to leave the earbuds at home more often.

I've been procrastinating posting about this, because I hate asking for money (even if it is a donation for a good cause). I'll only post about it once, and if you can donate, that would be awesome! If not, I totally understand.

With me in these photos is Sarah, my closest friend from high school. We worked at Denny's together; made way too many things out of faux fur in sewing class together; and, regrettably, we went tanning at the salon together. In 2014, at only 31 years old, Sarah lost her life to melanoma after a long and frustrating fight.

Sarah was so funny! She was extremely extroverted, and always pushing me out of my comfort zone. She was a great mom to her son and daughter. She loved Elmo, ladybugs, hip hop music, and dancing. In fact, at her funeral, I went into the restroom--and heard "The Humpty Dance" playing on the speakers. I laughed out loud, knowing she'd be thrilled to have that playing instead of the usual piano music.

I wrote a whole post about her, which you can read here.

Please consider donating--it would mean a lot to us! Here is the direct link to donate. Thanks so much in advance!

Source: https://www.runsforcookies.com/2018/10/for-the-love-of-running.html

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He has written a number of articles on biomechanics and apparently plans to release a book entitled The Physics of Fitness.  Apparently this book has received very positive advance reviews from such luminaries as Wayne Wescott, professor of exercise science and advocate of high intensity training, Jeffrey Mackey, professor of physics, sports psychologist Fred Hatfield, and neurobiologist Stephan Guyenet, among apparently well qualified reviewers.

I have found some value in some of Brignole's articles.  However, in an article entitled “Do You Know Squat” Brignole makes some claims about the physics (mechanics) of squatting that reveal that he probably does not understand some important aspects of the basic physics of squatting.

I will need to extensively quote this article in order to explain where he goes awry.

Brignol's Discourse on Levers

In order to explain Brignole's mistakes, I will need to refer to the background information he provides on levers.  After correctly discussing how the body is a system of levers, Brignole writes:

“A lever that is parallel with the direction of resistance is 'neutral.'  It provides zero load to its operating muscle. A lever that is perpendicular with the direction of resistance is maximally active. It provides 100% of the available resistance to its operating muscle. A lever that is in positions between parallel and perpendicular are percentages between zero and 100. 

“Let’s do a simple experiment, to illustrate this point. Put your arm on a table top, so that your upper arm is lying flat on the table (from elbow to arm pit). Then, bend your elbow so that your forearm is pointing straight up (vertical). Now put a weight in that hand.”

 

“What you’ll notice is that regardless of the weight you have in your hand, it does not require any force from your biceps, to maintain your forearm in a perfectly vertical position. This position is parallel with gravity - so it's neutral. This is the reason why light posts are vertical, as well as most support beams under bridges and in buildings.

“Now, allow your forearm to come almost all the way down, so that the dumbbell in your hand is a fraction of an inch away from touching the table. You’ll notice that this position requires considerable force, on the part of your biceps, to hold that position. This position is the 'maximally active' position. It is where the lever (your forearm, in this case) and the direction of resistance (gravity) are mostly perpendicular.”

“Every position in between, where your forearm is vertical and horizontal (neutral and maximally active), is percentages thereof. For example, a 45 degree angle is half way between vertical and horizontal - so it would result in 50% of the available resistance being loaded onto the biceps. This is the universal law of levers.”

Brignole's Description of Squatting

Brignole starts discussing the mechanics of squatting thus:

“If we were to watch someone who is performing a squat, from a side view, it would be easy to see the angle of the lower leg lever, the angle of the upper leg lever AND the angle of the torso. Keep in mind, we’ve already established that a vertical lever is neutral, a perpendicular lever is maximally active, and levers between vertical and horizontal, are percentages between zero and 100%.”

Brignole continues:

“In the photo above, we see a man in the descended position of a Squat. The red line indicates 'vertical', and is where the man’s lower legs, upper legs and torso would be, in the upright position. When in the upright position, the lower legs, upper legs, and torso are all in the neutral position - parallel with gravity.

“Now that he’s in the descended position, we can see the angle to which each of these three levers (lower leg, upper leg and torso) have moved, from the neutral position.

“The lower leg is at about a 60 degree angle, the upper leg is just below the horizontal position, and the torso is at about a 58 degree angle."

“It’s important to note that since none of these levers are perpendicular (in the descended position), none of them are neutral. They are all 'active' now (in this descended position), to varying degrees.

“The most 'active' is the upper leg (lever) - since it’s horizontal (perpendicular with the direction of resistance). It is being operated primarily by the Glutes.

“The lower leg (lever) is operated by the Quads, and it’s a little less than half-way between the neutral position and the fully active position. Therefore, this lever (the lower leg) is loading the Quads with a little less than half of the available resistance.”

Since he implies that the lower leg is loading the quadriceps, but with less than half of the available resistance,  I say he is "not even wrong" because in fact the lower leg is not providing any load to the quadriceps at all.  Let me repeat: the lower leg is transmitting no resistance whatsoever to the quadriceps, and this does not mean that the quadriceps are not subjected to a load.

First, just look at the photo.  There is no load attached to or force being applied to the lower leg anywhere.  Even if there was a load attached there, it would make no difference to the quadriceps.   When people add resistance to squats, they attach it to the shoulders or hips, not to the shins or ankles, because attaching a load at the shins or ankles will not make squatting more difficult.  The quadriceps are not resisting a load transmitted through the shin!

In writing "The lower leg (lever) is operated by the Quads..." Brignole gives the impression that he believes that the quadriceps can only operate (move) the lower leg lever. 

In fact, since the quadriceps attach to both the lower leg and the upper leg, they can operate either the lower leg or the upper leg (femur), depending on which lever (bone) is anchored and which is free to move.

In a seated leg extension (a so-called open chain movement), the femur is anchored and the lower leg is free to move.  When the quadriceps contracts, it pulls on the lower leg to open the knee joint into full extension where the tibia aligns with the relatively stationary femur. 

In contrast, in the case of squats (a so-called closed chain movement), the feet are anchored to the ground by gravitational and friction forces, limiting the lower leg to about 30º of motion, while the upper leg is free to traverse more than 100º of motion.  As a consequence, when the quadriceps contract, they will primarily move the loaded and most active lever, i.e. the upper leg (femur).  If this is not obvious to you at this point, I will prove it shortly when I discuss vertical shin squats below.

From Johnston BD, Prescribed Exercise.

“Yes - the knees are over the toes, due to the 60 degree angle of the lower leg. But if the knees were NOT over the toes, then the lower leg would be vertical - which is the neutral position. In other words, without the knees going over the toes, the Quads would get little if any resistance!”