The how and why of weight loss
Even before I actually got started with this blog, I knew I had to do a post about weight loss. I like watching the reactions of people who see me for the first time since last winter. That is, if they even recognize me. From the late February to the beginning of April I had lost 4.7kg's of body fat, bringing my overall weight to below 80kg (I'm 183cm tall) for the first time in some 7-8 years. Since April I have continued getting leaner. And yes, I said body fat.
First let me give a little background information: I had always been fairly active, going to gym, running, cross country skiing, playing squash and rigorously practicing Kung Fu. Then in 2006 I had my student exchange in Malaysia and the active lifestyle just buzzed out. When I came back to Finland I had already gained quite a bit of weight. And I had lost my drive to exercise as well.
South Korea, August 2008
I kept gaining on weight and getting in worse shape until late 2008 when I realized that this is not who I want to be. I got a gym membership and started exercising again 4-5 times a week. I managed to keep this level going for 3-4 months, and even though I felt a little bit better about myself I did not really see any changes in my physique. That was depressing.
It became more evident day by day that my approach was wrong. I had always thought that exercise would help me lose the growing belly, but it didn't seem to have any impact at all. So when I stumbled upon this article about weight loss I thought what the heck. Might as well try it since I have nothing to lose. That was the beginning.
One thing I have to mention at this point is, that I don't consider what I did as a diet. For me it was a lifestyle change. I was aware from the start, that if I wanted to achieve results and keep them, I couldn't go back to my previous way of eating. So, if you want to start this, keep in mind that it's not a "12 week program" or anything you can just go through, then get back to your unhealthy eating habits and expect the weight loss to be permanent.
What to avoid?
This is actually so simple, that you might be inclined to think that there's no possible way it could work. There is only one thing you need to keep in mind and that is to avoid sugar. There. The real problem is, that many things we eat are changed into sugar by our bodies. And another thing that counts is how fast they get changed. Can you see where I'm heading to? Yep. Carbohydrates.
These are the things you should not eat:
"White" carbohydrates (rice, pasta, potatoes, bread and anything else made of grains)
Sweets (cookies, candy, chocolate etc.)
Sugary drinks (fruit juices, sodas etc.)
In addition to the things to avoid there are also a few things that should be eaten in moderation:
Fruit (I'll explain why later)
Dairy (Cheese is fine, but e.g. milk contains enough carbohydrates that I only use it with coffee. Flavored yoghurts are sugar bombs so eat only natural yoghurt.)
All in all, what should happen in your diet is that protein intake increases somewhat, fat intake increases quite a bit but carbohydrate intake goes much lower - and the carbohydrates that you eat come from sources that are rich in nutrients, such as vegetables and fruit.
...And what to eat?
Minced meat, mozzarella cheese, beans and mixed vegetables
I can see the question starting to form in your mind; what is there left to eat anymore? I'll admit that in the beginning I, too, had problems figuring that out every now and then. The biggest problems for me were breakfast and snacking. I have experimented with different foods quite a bit, and here's what I have settled in:
Drinks
Water
Coffee
Tea (normal tea and unsweetened iced tea)
Sugarfree soda (these contain enough artificial substances that you should not drink a lot of them)
Beer, wine (only occasionally, and a maximum of one small bottle or glass a day)
Breakfast
Boiled eggs (I bought an egg-cooker for this, which has proved useful)
Few slices of salami
A bit of cheese (occasionally)
Tomatoes
Fruit (occasionally)
Snacks
Almonds and nuts
Natural yoghurt
Cheese
Salami
Eggs
Finnish quark (or curd, I'm not entirely sure of the English translation)
Fruit
Sausage, bacon and mixed vegetables
I usually have lunch at a restaurant, but I'm mindful about the things I eat, so my lunch tends to consist of plenty of vegetables, possibly legumes and some meat. Below is the list of some of the ingredients I regularly mix if I am cooking my own dinner or lunch:
Protein (eggs, sausages, chicken, turkey, beef, pork, fish etc.)
Frozen vegetables (I've found these to be incredibly handy when cooking my own food)
Fresh vegetables (used mostly when I'm making salads)
Dairy (cottage cheese, mozzarella, feta etc. but used in small portions alongside other protein sources)
Legumes (peas and beans)
When I started to drop carbohydrates and sugar from my diet, I increased my portion sizes significantly. Earlier I would've had some bread for breakfast, a large cooked lunch at work, a small snack in the afternoon (bread or yoghurt, maybe a little chocolate) and again some bread for dinner. Now I doubled or even tripled the amount of meat I had during lunch and took a huge plate of salad to go with it, and when I earlier had just one warm meal a day, now I started cooking large dinners with vegetables, meat and legumes.
I noticed, that it is very important to add legumes to your food if you're feeling hungry or low on energy. Vegetables do not contain much calories so legumes are necessary to ensure that you are getting enough of them. Even after eating a huge lunch it was not uncommon for me to have some 150-200g of meat with 200-300g of vegetables and 200g of beans for dinner.
There are couple more things I'd like to add: Do not eat right before going to sleep. Give at least couple hours for the food to digest, or otherwise your body will store more of it in fat cells. Always eat breakfast and always eat when you're feeling hungry. Breakfast is important to get your metabolism back on track. During the night your body has gone into "starvation mode" and continues to preserve energy unless you send it a signal in the morning that food is again available. Hunger, on the other hand, is your body telling you that it requires nutrition. This diet is about working with your body instead of against it, and if you follow the advice I have given, you can eat as much as you want while still be losing weight.
Exceptions and happy fun times
Now that you have some idea about what to eat, let's talk about exceptions. Even if you follow this diet you can still enjoy all the food in the world and indulge yourself to whatever vices you might have. The key is not to do it all the time. If you are on a holiday, don't stress about what to eat and consequently drive people crazy. Just enjoy yourself, and when you are back home continue with the diet.
It has been already seven months since I changed my own eating habits, and from the beginning I have been keeping a practice of taking a day off once a week. During this day I indulge myself excessively; eating donuts, chocolate, ice cream, cookies, pizza, burgers and whatever it is that I want to. Usually this day follows a night of clubbing, as I'm already getting started by having a few beers the night before.
People tend to wonder how I can still lose weight while eating all these sweets. Sounds crazy, but it works. One theory is, that if you get this kind of massive burst of calories, it will prevent the thyroid from adjusting your metabolism to burn less of them. Studies have shown, that people on low carbohydrate diets tend to automatically adjust themselves to eat less calories, as the diet is rich on nutrients and keeps you satiated longer.
Another time when I purposefully increase my carbohydrate intake is within 2 hours after exercise. This is done to restore the high muscle stores of glycogen, a body fuel that is essential for high-level performance and gets depleted during intense exercise. At these times I consume more starch and sugar. Usually I eat some Finnish curd with yoghurt and fruits immediately post-exercise, and a larger meal of pasta and meat about an hour later.
This can't possibly work...
So here I am telling you that you should stop eating the foods that form the base of the food pyramid. Not only that, but I'm also telling you to eat more foods that contain fat - especially saturated fat. This will most likely go against most of the common sense conceptions that you have about nutrition, but bear with me and read along. After all, it used to be common sense that Sun rotates around Earth, too.
This is what Drs. Michael and Mary Dan Eades say about insulin: "[It] regulates blood sugar... It controls the storage of fat, it directs the flow of amino acids, fatty acids, and carbohydrate to the tissues, it regulates the liver's synthesis of cholesterol, it functions as a growth hormone, it is involved in appetite control, it drives the kidneys to retain fluid, and much, much more." In other words, insulin is very likely the most important hormone when it comes to your metabolism.
As stated above, insulin controls nutrient storage and its main purpose is to get excess sugar, amino acids and fats out of the blood and into the cells. In the context of this article, the take-away message is that the higher your insulin levels, the more inclined your body is to store nutrients as fat. And notice, that I said "nutrients" instead of "fat". Our bodies will turn the excess protein and carbohydrate into fat. You can eat all the no-fat or low-fat food in the world and still accumulate body fat! On the other hand, lower insulin levels promote the usage of stored fat, leading to weight loss.
So, the key factor is this: control the insulin levels! Insulin is produced by pancreas as a consequence of a rise in blood sugar, which is a consequence of eating. What matters, though, is how much insulin is produced. And as you might have already guessed, the more there is sugar in your blood, the more your pancreas has to produce insulin, and the more your body will store that energy instead of burning it.
So why am I telling you to stop eating foods that are rich in carbohydrates? Because those foods are - in essence - sugar, leading to elevated insulin levels. Meat, fish, vegetables etc. on the other hand are digested slowly and contain very little sugar, or none at all. As a result your blood sugar levels will stay more stable, reducing the amount of insulin needed. Not only that, but the slower digestion means you will also feel satiated for longer.
In other words; fat does not make you fat. The real culprit that causes your body to store fat is sugar - disguised as carbohydrates. Cut that from the equation while leaving fat and protein, and your body will not only happily use the dietary fat for energy, but it will also start burning the fat stored in fat cells. And don't worry, humans do not need dietary carbohydrate at all. Our cells are able to make all the sugar that is required.
This is the reason why I mentioned earlier, that fruits should be eaten in moderation. Especially the sweet ones, as they contain higher amounts of fructose - natures own sugar, which also causes the insulin levels to rise. On the other hand, fruits do contain a high amount of important micronutrients (e.g. vitamins and minerals) so by all means eat them, but as I said, in moderation.
There are also other health benefits in addition to weight loss that are connected with steady insulin levels. Eating a diet that is high in sugar and carbohydrates will cause the insulin levels to go up and down like a roller coaster, as our bodies have a tendency to overcompensate a rise in blood sugars. When the insulin levels vary a lot from high to low - as is normal with low-fat high-carbohydrate diet - the insulin receptors will get damaged over time and lose their sensitivity. This causes a condition called insulin resistance, in which your body will end up producing more and more insulin to control the blood sugar levels. Not unlike drug addicts needing larger and larger doses as they get used to their hallucinogenic of choice.
When you have insulin resistance, an increase in blood sugar will be countered by too much insulin. By the time that excess insulin is absorbed your blood sugars have already gone too low (the job of insulin is to get sugar out from blood and into the cells, remember?). This is called hypoglycemia. A band-aid cure to get blood sugars back to a sufficient level is to eat another dose of... sugar! That will help for an hour or two, but as you know by now, the body will again respond by producing too much insulin. Eventually the blood sugar levels crash again and the whole process starts over.
At some point comes a time when your pancreas simply cannot produce enough insulin to meet the demands of the desensitized insulin receptors, resulting in chronic excess sugar. This is when you get to experience your very own slice of adult onset diabetes, or type II diabetes; a disease that has reached epidemic levels according to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Not only that, high insulin levels are also the primary cause of, or significant risk factor for heart disease, elevated cholesterol, high blood pressure, blood clotting problems, colon cancer (and a number of other cancers), gout, sleep apnea, obesity... The list goes on.
We humans have evolved to eat meat. For millions of years we have found nutrition as hunter-gatherers, with most of the food coming from animal sources that are rich in protein and saturated fats. Agriculture and the resulting increase in carbohydrate consumption took place only about 10 000 years ago, which is not a long enough time for evolution to adjust our metabolism to be better suited for eating grains.
Civilization has been said to have born when humans learned agriculture, but so did the diseases of civilization: The mummified remains of ancient Egyptians have been found to indicate worn teeth, gum disease, obesity, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and heart attacks. And this did not just happen to the Egyptians, but wherever people changed from a high-protein to high-carbohydrate diet they became less healthy. This pattern is so predictable, that archaeologists use bone and teeth to identify whether a prehistoric society consisted of farmers or hunter-gatherers. Excellent, non-decayed teeth, and strong, dense and long bones tell the story of hunter-gatherers, whereas decayed teeth and frail, deformed bones are the signs of an agriculturist.
What about exercise?
It has been touted everywhere, that low-fat diet and lots of exercise will make you fit. That's what I thought, too, but as I said in the beginning of this article; I did exercise 4-5 times a week and ate low-fat food, yet I did not see any changes in my physique. My weekly exercise regime consisted mainly of two 45-60 minute sessions of weight training and two or three 60 minute sessions of cardiovascular activity such as running, squash or cross training.
After starting with the diet, I also changed my exercise regime. For the first two months or so I only went to the gym once every 4-5 days and did 30-40 minutes of full-body resistance training. Later, I added one day of cardiovascular training in between the gym workouts. This was usually a one-hour session of squash, or going for a high-intensity interval run. In pure numbers I ended up spending about 1/3 of the time exercising compared to what I did before. And guess what? I started to see results too.
However, before you start thinking about lifting weights and jogging, there is something I need to tell you: exercise won't help you lose weight. You will burn more calories when exercising, that is true, but according to recent research exercise also stimulates hunger, so you will be eating more and end up where you started. I am not saying you should ignore exercise altogether, as it will bring numerous health benefits. Weight loss just isn't one of them.
Final words
China, April 2009
Every now and then I imagine what my life would be like if I hadn't discovered what I now know about nutrition. I would probably weight closer to 90kg's and feel rather miserable. It is amazing how big an impact the food you eat has not just on your physical well-being, but also on your mental health. About five days after I started my own diet, dropping the white carbohydrates and sugar, I began to feel much more energetic and focused than normal, and surprisingly this feeling of being energetic is still with me.
Another thing I noticed was, that my stomach started to feel good. Earlier when I had lunch, my belly was always bloated for the next two-three hours and there was a lot of activity going on; rumblings and quakes. Even though my portion sizes increased on a low-carb diet, my belly was always calm and I never felt bloated even after a huge lunch.
I am not expecting you to change your eating habits. In general, getting people to change their preconceptions or attitudes without resistance is next to impossible. You must have the desire to change within you, and perhaps in that case this article will give you some tools, information and paths to further knowledge about how to make that change a reality.
Sources and references:
Cordain, Lorel. Friel, Joe (2005). The Paleo Diet for Athletes
Eades, Michael R. Eades, Mary Dan (1996). Protein Power
Keith, Lierre (2009). The Vegetarian Myth
Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin - A Time.com article
How reading changed my life
This is a little difficult post to write, as it is rather personal one. I'm trying to describe the events that have taken place in my life during the past 8 months, which has changed me as a person more than probably any other period in my life, yet keep it all constrained around one specific topic; reading.
I guess it's safe to assume that you are an avid reader. If you weren't, I doubt this blog would hold much interest to you. And as I'm writing this I wonder what it is exactly that you like to read? Is this the only blog or are there others you follow? How about popular novels such as those by Paolo Coelho, or do you enjoy the twisted and bizarre tales of Chuck Palahniuk? Perhaps you like adventure, fantasy, sci-fi... Or maybe you are like me and have discovered the joy of reading non-fiction.
When I was a kid I loved books. I could easily read over 300 pages a day in our summer cottage where I had little else to do. The books I read were mainly popular sci-fi and fantasy aimed at the youth. Books by David Eddings, Robert Jordan, Tad Williams, Terry Pratchett and Raymond E. Feist (by the way, I still think that the Empire trilogy by Feist is one of the best series ever revolving around political intrigue - despite the fantasy setting!).
As I grew older I still enjoyed an occasional fiction book, but I didn't really value reading as a pastime activity. I just read a little bit when I was about to go to sleep, or when I was traveling and needed to kill time.
I don't know exactly what happened in the beginning of 2009, but one could say that I was bored with my life. I was not in the physical condition I wanted to be (and had been before). The work I was doing seemed to drag onwards with no surprises or major changes on the way. I guess you could describe the situation as a sort of surface stillness, with everything appearing calm and good from the outside, but on the inside the stillness itself was creating a turmoil. The longer the status quo would continue, the more turmoil it would create.
It was this feeling of inner turmoil - feeling of being able to reach higher, not being satisfied with what I had - that got me to open my mind and actively search for ways to change the status quo. What happened in reality, though, was pure coincidence and luck. A small ripple that caused an avalanche. Then again, I doubt that the ripple would have had such a profound impact if it were some other time in my life.
What happened was, that I was watching Diggnation one day in February, and there was a small off-topic mention about "a guy who built huge amount of muscle in just four weeks". I was intrigued and wanted to know more as I was struggling with my weight at the time. The guy in question was Tim Ferriss. After finding and reading his article about muscular hypertrophy I was even more intrigued. I really liked his writing style and argumentation, so I read more of his stuff and couple weeks later ordered his book The 4-Hour Workweek.
That book was an eye-opener. It got me to question certain things that I had taken for granted, and really made me realize that this is my life. It is up to me what to do with it. And if I want to be true to myself I should do everything I can in order to make it enjoyable and find meaning in it. This was the first non-fiction book I had ever come across that was impossible to put down after starting to read it. I was thoroughly captivated, and hugely enjoyed both the reading experience and the impact it had on my way of thinking.
I realized, that if reading one non-fiction book can be this enjoyable, there must be more of them out there! Books that provide knowledge, change the way you perceive the world and positively affect your happiness. All the while being also joyful and entertaining to read.
I felt like an explorer who had just reached the top of a mountain, looking over a vast landscape with entirely new sights, sounds and sensations. I realized that there are so many things that interest me and of which I want to learn more. But most importantly, I realized that acquiring that knowledge does not need to be an anxious experience.
I have been pondering why I did not discover these great non-fiction books earlier. I suspect, that the main reason for it is the way modern education works. When schools and universities force you to read prescribed material that lacks soul, personality and joy, you get conditioned to the belief, that learning itself is tedious, boring and takes a lot of work. And the only way you can see a non-fiction book is through the eyes of a student; that those books are no different from the ones you had to read at school. That they are anything but entertaining.
As I was reading The 4-Hour Workweek I also discovered few new blogs to follow. The good thing is, that many great books get recommended by bloggers who have read them. I checked those that intrigued me, read the Amazon reviews and started ordering ones I found the most interesting. A list of recommended books in The 4-Hour Workweek also helped. You could, of course, use the local libraries instead of buying the books yourself, but I have always had a soft spot for actually letting the author know how much I appreciate their work, so I don't mind paying a small price to own a copy.
At first my interest was in books related to personal development, business and nutrition. Since then I have also started reading about psychology, philosophy, and most recently photography and graphics design. All this on my own spare time after work and on weekends - simply because those books can be so damn enjoyable! In less than a year I feel like I have acquired more applicable knowledge than I did during my whole time as a university student. On top of which I've gotten myself into better physical shape than ever before as a result of increasing my understanding of nutrition and the inner workings of human body.
Since March I have purchased around 30 non-fiction books (and couple fiction ones) and read all but five of them. I have to admit, that there have been couple stray arrows, but most of the books I've read have been simply amazing. Nowadays, if I consider buying a new book, I'll try to find an excerpt of it (Amazon is great for this!) to verify that I also enjoy the writing style of the author, and that the contents of the book appear to meet my expectations.
There is a huge difference in learning about something you are genuinely interested in, finding the material that intrigues you the most and has gotten the best reviews from fellow readers and academics, as opposed to reading a soulless textbook that no one in their free mind would pick up unless being forced to.
Learning on your own can be truly enjoyable and useful. You just have to give it a try. Find a topic that interests you, search for blogs that match your interest, read some articles and see if there are any recommended books or links to other related blogs. When you find a book that seems interesting, check the Amazon reviews (I usually check both Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk for wider perspective). Sometimes a better book on the topic might be suggested in a review, or you may be able to find a book that is more suited to you by browsing the Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought -list.
Other sides of ownership
I don't know about you, but I believe that people live their lives in pursuit of happiness. Whether or not they consciously realize this doesn't matter. I believe that whatever choice or action a person does, the underlying reason for that particular action relate to the assumption, that by acting the person will feel a little bit happier afterwards. In a bad situation this could also mean, that people will act based on what they believe will cause the least amount of unhappiness or discomfort.
I think that this pursuit of happiness is very much evident in our buying decisions. Why would you buy e.g. a particular car, a pair of jeans, a hi-fi system or a pet unless you expect your quality of life to take a turn to the positive with that purchase?
You may reason, that you need a car to get to work, but you still need to choose which car you want and here the "happiness factor" comes into play. Same goes for buying clothes; I've lost quite a bit of weight during the year, so most of my jeans are too big for me now, but the main reason I got a new pair was that I enjoy looking good. Pure and simple. I can still use the ones that are a bit oversized for me - and obviously I need to wear pants or I'd freeze - but the main factor for choosing this particular pair was the positive feeling I get when I know I look good wearing them. Happiness, again.
But what is happiness, really? I had never paid much attention to this before, but watching the brilliant TED talk Matthieu Ricard on the habits of happiness struck a chord in me. One part of the talk in particular, where he says that people are focusing their attention on the outside, the outer conditions, and concentrate on the things they feel they want or need to obtain in order to be happy. Or when something goes wrong people respond by trying to fix the outside. However, according to him our control of the outside is limited, temporary and often illusory. On the other hand, when focusing on the inside, isn't it the mind that translates the outer condition into happiness or suffering?
The impact of those words has echoed in my head since I first heard them. I felt enlightened. I felt that I found the map that will guide me to enjoy life more, and to be content with what I have. Simply by realizing, that no matter what the outer conditions are the feelings of happiness or anxiety are all in my head, I gained control over those emotions. If something annoying happens, let's say I drop a glass and break it, I get a rush of negative feelings, but now I am able to recognize them for what they are and in a way turn them off. I choose not to have those feelings take over me.
Strangely, this worked even when I was stopped on my motorcycle for speeding a few months ago, and lost my driver's licence as well as one months salary in fines. I chose not to let it get to me and whenever I started thinking "what if I had taken a different road?" or "why did I go so fast, stupid!" I stopped that line of thought immediately. Having those thoughts would not have changed the situation one bit, but they would have made me feel a lot more miserable about it.
So what does this have to do with owning stuff? First of all, when you realize that your mind translates ownership into happiness, you will start to evaluate every single purchase decision from a different point of view. You will also realize, that since happiness is all in your head, buying more stuff is not necessary in order to become happy. Furthermore, whatever you own will lose its appeal over time, sooner or later. This seems to apply also in extreme situations. According to Dan Gilbert, even lottery winners were not able to gain any long-term sustainable happiness although they were able to buy pretty much anything they wanted.
There is also the rarely considered darker side to owning things. This may not apply so much in clothes and other minor possessions, but I certainly felt it when I bought my first motorcycle a bit over a year ago. It was the single biggest purchase I had ever made, and I also needed to take a loan in order to be able to buy it. Now suddenly this vehicle that was meant to give me freedom was starting to take a huge space in my thoughts. I started to worry about crashing it, the increasing gas prices, high insurance costs, regular maintenance costs, where to put it for winter and so on. I did enjoy riding it, hugely, but I never anticipated to have all these other emotions. My dream came with unexpected mental baggage, and when I sold my bike couple months ago I felt relieved to lose that baggage.
In Fight Club, Brad Pitt's character hits straight to the point when he says that "The things you own end up owning you." I know that I will be worrying again in a year about where to store my furniture and other things if I'm going to leave Finland for a student exchange. At that time I will probably curse all the unnecessary stuff that I have accumulated. The less you possess the more you have freedom.
"Desire can't be satisfied by fulfilling. It grows more and more and there is no end of desires. If a person becomes a king of a country he desires other countries. But the one who doesn't want to possess any thing possesses everything. The desires can be given up by understanding desires."
-Sri Baba Hari Dass, 1973 (from the book Less Is More)
The most important thing
Bodies: The Exhibition
There is a single possession that you will have from birth to death. Something that you cannot leave behind and will always follow you. The way you take care of this thing will also have an effect on everything else that takes place during your life. I am, of course, referring to your body.
Considering the importance of this marvelous machinery that has evolved during millions of years, wouldn't you agree that it's worthwhile to make sure it functions at an optimal level throughout your whole life? Your body is much more than just a means of transportation for your mind. It has an enormous impact on your self-image, mood, mental and physical performance, and how others perceive you. So are you taking good care of it?
Ironically, I started thinking about writing this post after having a day that consisted mainly of student initiation rituals involving vodka, a dozen beers and other drinks that I can't even remember. Not that I have anything against giving in to indulgences every now and then, but moderation is needed if you want your body to work for, instead of against you.
I have been physically pretty active most of my life, but when I left to Malaysia for my student exchange back in 2006 all my routines for going to gym, running and practicing martial arts stopped completely. I was in very good shape when I left, but six months in tropical heat surrounded by Southeast Asia's best street kitchens can leave its mark to any man.
When I got back to Finland I had bit of a gut already, but even worse was that I just wasn't able to get back to my pre-exchange workout routine. I tried to go for a run few times, but with my persisting knee problems those remained rather half-hearted attempts. I got stuck in this couch potato condition for almost two years; all the while gaining weight and losing my strength and stamina.
Then two things happened: I was in South Korea for a holiday in August 2008, and when I got back I really saw from my photos - for the first time - that there is no denying I was getting fatter. Before seeing the pictures I was under the impression that I was still of "normal" size, but not anymore. I had gained a gut - and it showed. Clearly.
Soon after the holiday I was on a business trip in Eastern Europe that involved a weekend in Budapest. Coincidentally, there was the Bodies exhibition at the same time. I had heard about it on news couple years earlier, and was very interested in seeing it. It proved to be at the same time illuminating, sickening and delightful. While certain exhibits were rather disturbing and gut-wrenching, the overall feeling I left with was that of amazement. I had never really realized how beautifully crafted the human body is, and how complex its various inner functions are. I started to see myself differently and have a profound respect for the flesh and bones that are part of me.
As a result, I forced myself to get up from the couch and start working out again. Regularly. I wanted to lose the gut that could so clearly be seen on my holiday photos. Before my student exchange I could easily do two hours of martial arts training on 3-4 nights a week, in addition to which I'd play squash and go to the gym or a run once or twice. On average, I was doing physical activities 5 days a week. Now, once again after a two year break I managed to create a workout regime and exercised religiously about five times a week for the whole autumn and early winter.
However, despite my efforts I was unable to gain noticeable changes other than a slight confidence boost and feeling somewhat better and healthier. The gut proved to be of persistent sort and was not going anywhere. I was, however, on the right track. My self-image was starting to change from a person who just sits on his ass and eats packaged foods to someone who leads an active life and strives to be in good physical shape.
Take a moment to reflect. Think about the long way you have come from childhood and how your body has served you the whole time. Instead of stuffing yourself with unhealthy foods, smoking cigarettes or drinking excessively, try to instead listen and respect it when it tells you that sleep is in order, nutrition is needed or when you receive a message of pain saying that whatever you are doing should be stopped before anymore harm comes to it. After all, your body will be with you as long as you are alive. There are no returns. You have gotten an elegant biological system as a birth gift, and it is your responsibility to take as good care of it as you can.
As for me, I am in better physical shape than I have ever been in my life, and I achieved that after actually reducing the amount of exercise. I have learned a lot about the inner functions of human body during the past eight months, and managed to rapidly lose the extra weight once I understood what to do. That, however, is another story which will be told some other time.
Living a life of your own standards
So, today is my birthday. I'm 25 now. In one way you could say that I have 40 "productive" years left before retirement. 40 years to work, save money for pension and dream about the things I want to do when I finally get free, and have both the time and the money. I think that's a load of crap.
Me and Fred enjoying beers after a 10km Great Wall hike.
I don't really believe in retirement as an institution. Most people are happy to sit quietly on the ride that has been decided for them. They accept that the only way to live their lives is the norm of the society, which goes something like birth-childhood-studies-work-retirement-death. But who said that this is the way it should go?
If I remember correctly, the modern pension systems were born after industrial revolution to ensure that factory workers can support themselves after they become too old to continue working. This, first of all, means that the pension institution is relatively young, and the birth-childhood-studies-work-retirement-death pattern is not a norm in the history of humanity. However, I don't see people challenging it. I don't see people trying to improve it or rethink what would be a better way to celebrate human existence and to enjoy the limited time we can spend on this planet.
It's almost as if after you've spent your whole life making money for others, that you're allowed to enjoy the fruits of your labor and truly focus on your own interests and passions. How can it be, that the society expects this from you, and if you want to break the pattern and actually pursue your dreams younger, you will be frowned upon, thought as an eccentric or in worst case purely crazy.
As for me, I want to break the pattern. I need to do it. I don't know how, but figuring out ways to escape the 9-to-5 is on the back of my head constantly. It is one of the main motivators for me to go and study entrepreneurship in Helsinki School of Economics this fall. And by escaping the 9-to-5 I don't mean creating a life that would allow me to lie on the beach drinking margaritas until I grow old. That would become boring quickly. No, I mean getting control of my own life and doing the things I enjoy doing. If I could work on something related to e.g. photography and image manipulation - or snowboarding or motorcycles - I don't think I would even want to "retire," because that is something I already enjoy doing for free. The whole concept of retirement loses its value if you can figure out how to live your dream.
When retirement is not seen as freedom waiting at the end of a long narrow tunnel, you can start to think of ways to have the experiences you desire earlier in your life. Tim Ferriss talks about the concept of mini-retirement, which basically means taking an extended time such as few months or a year off-work to do whatever it is you want to do; travel the world, build a house, drive a motorcycle from Europe to Asia etc. Now, wouldn't it also be more enjoyable to have these experiences while you're still physically in good shape, instead of when you are over 65 and even playing checkers can make your heart pound in excitement.
So, what are your plans for life? Have you ever even thought that you don't have to live the life of birth-childhood-studies-work-retirement-death? It is just a pattern that has been very strongly imprinted on you by parents, teachers and society, but in no way can it be proclaimed as the "right" way to live a life.
Remember everything by understanding how memory works
This technique is something I discovered while reading the brilliant book Tricks of the Mind by Derren Brown, who is probably the best illusionist on the planet. The whole memory trick is so juicy that I can't resist passing it forward.
What makes something memorable?
Have you ever considered why we remember certain events from childhood with amazing detail, but are having trouble to recall the faces we met at bus stop in the morning, or the taste of last night's dinner? Apparently, the brain is more apt to remember unusual and vivid images instead of things that are bland and ordinary. This can be further reinforced by having an emotional reaction to the image. I think the easiest way to demonstrate what I really mean by this is to try the linking system as explained by Brown. Below is a list of words. Take a minute and see if you can memorize them in the correct order:
cat
potato
painting
forest
baseball
cow
pencil
spaghetti
book
coffee
television
carpet
piano
canoe
cable
Easy? I think not. And what if you leave the list for 30 minutes. Would you still remember it? I don't think so.
So, how do you then memorize this list in the correct order with much less effort? The answer is using unusual and vivid images, linking them to each other and - if need be - further emphasizing the memory of the image by considering your own reaction and feelings to what you see or experience. To understand what I mean, just read through the below descriptions of images that I created in order to remember the items on the list:
Cat/potato - An orange cat (imagine Garfield) is balancing on a brown potato, trying to get it rolling to move forward. The cat has big round eyes and makes me want to pet her.
Potato/painting - I see a painting on the wall, with frames made out of round potatoes. The potatoes are starting to rot and the smell is making me nauseated.
Painting/forest - I am walking in a Lord of the Rings style elven forest with soothing dim blue illumination and paintings of different sizes hanging from the branches.
Forest/baseball - There is a perfectly round clearing in the middle of a forest where different animals of the forest are playing baseball. The sky is downcast but I still feel an urge to join the game.
Baseball/cow - A baseball player is hitting the ball, and as soon as it's speeding away he jumps on a cow and rides to the first base. I find the whole "bovine baseball" game amusing.
Cow/pencil - I am checking for pencils in a local office supply store, when a cow walks casually to me and asks which one I'd recommend.
Pencil/spaghetti - I am preparing dinner at home - spaghetti bolognese - but find out that I'm out of pasta. It seems perfectly ok to take a box of wooden pencils instead and pour them to the boiling water on the kettle.
Spaghetti/book - There is a book on my living room table with a string of spaghetti as a bookmark. I open the book and eat the spaghetti. Tastes like ink, paper and dust.
Book/coffee - I reach out for a book on the table, but find all pages wet and brown. They make my fingers feel wet too and when I open the book an aroma of coffee hits my nostrils. I feel a little angry that someone has poured a cup of coffee on my book.
Coffee/television - I am drinking a cup of coffee and hear a faint noise from the bottom of the coffee mug as I am taking the last sips. There is a small TV screen on the bottom of the mug with a sitcom on.
Television/carpet - I enter a strange room and feel disoriented; looking down I see flat TV screens on the floor, whereas on the walls there are carpets hanging.
Carpet/piano - I need to move a heavy piano but it seems impossible and I am getting a little frustrated. I am trying to get a carpet under it so I could then move it easier.
Piano/canoe - I have managed to get the Piano downstairs and to the river. Now I am trying to get it to a canoe that seems too small for it. The canoe is also constantly moving in the surf.
Canoe/cable - I am sitting on a canoe but without a paddle. Instead, I am pulling on a cable that hangs in the air between opposing shores. I am about midway through but pulling is hurting my hands and they are starting to turn red from blood.
Try seeing the images clearly in your mind with vivid colors and notice your own reaction to what you are seeing. You can use the images I created or create your own. Go through the list of words just once or twice using this method and see if you can remember them (you can test this by taking a blank piece of paper and writing down the list from memory). How about trying to remember them few hours or few days later? I find myself remembering lists created with this method still few weeks after first memorizing them.
Are you beginning to see how useful this memory trick can be for storing shopping lists in your mind? There are drawbacks, though. First of all, you have to use some other method to remember the first word on the list, as from that word all the other words can be remembered using the links you created. And what if you forget some link in the middle? Maybe the image you created was not vivid enough or you did not see it in enough detail to create a memory imprint. Now all the words following the missing link are potentially lost as well.
Don't worry. There is an even better memory trick. This was just a warm-up to familiarize you with the basic concepts of creating vivid images and associating them with other objects.
A mental route
This trick is known as the loci system. Instead of linking the things that need to be remembered to each other, you will link them to a specific location along a path that is stored in your memory. This is the actual method I use to remember what to get from grocery without having to write anything down. Basically the loci system means linking vivid images to specific places along a familiar real-life route. The locations are fixed along the route and should not be changed. Different images represent the things that need to be remembered.
Let me further clarify by using my actual shopping list loci as an example. I take these steps pretty much every time I go to the grocery, so they are natural for me to use (even when I actually take another route, such as go to the grocery straight from work, I can still easily recall this one). I underlined the actual words that serve as locations, but provided also the context so you better understand how this route works for me:
Grab keys and wallet from computer table
Grab bag from shelf
Put shoes on in the hall
Go to the elevator
Get out from the front door of the building
Open the metal gate leading to the street
Pass a big yellow mailbox
Go over the bridge towards shopping mall
Pass the kebab restaurant
Go up a small flight of stairs
Go to the entrance of the shopping mall
Take an escalator down to the grocery
As I live alone and like to have fresh food as often as possible, I rarely need to remember more than 10 different items. To see how loci system works, let's attach my shopping list to the above locations in a similar way words were linked to each other earlier:
Computer table - What the hell! Someone has poured milk on my table! It's on the keyboard and dripping to the floor. I feel my socks getting wet.
Shelf - I am about to grab my bag when I accidentally step on a tomato on the floor. Just great... Now I have to clean this up!
Hall - I am putting on my shoes when I realize they're made of ham! It smells a bit and I'm having hard time with the shoelaces since my hands are getting greasy and slippery.
Elevator - Some punk has written "Heinz" on the elevator wall using ketchup.
Front door - There are colored eggs in neat rows marking the way from elevator to the front door.
Metal gate - When I am opening the gate I see a herd of cows running past on the street.
Mailbox - The mailbox is made of cheese and I can see letters inside through the holes in it.
Bridge - Looking down from the bridge I see a whole road covered with bags of frozen vegetables.
Restaurant - The whole front of the restaurant is covered with hundreds of stacked yogurt cans.
and so on...
In my opinion there is no need to be specific with the mental images. It is enough that you understand the proper association from the image that you created. For example, I am not going to buy a herd of cows in the grocery, but instead when I recall the image I immediately associate it with meatloaf.
Unlike with linking words to each other, with this system you are not stuck even if you forget an image along the route. You can always just skip that loci and move to the next one.
This same method can be used to remember tasks, to-do lists and so on. You just need to create a mental image of a familiar route with static locations, associate that specific route with something such as "things to do today", and then attach images to the locations on that path. The really fun part starts when you create multiple routes - or what can also be called a memory palace. For example, each room in your house could be its own path with multiple locations. Just make sure that the locations are distinct and you always go through them in a fixed order. This way they become familiar quickly as you walk along the route in your mind a few times.
You can also create an imaginary "hub" with multiple doors, each of which leads to some familiar route with its own loci (e.g. childhood home, workplace, a friend's house, favorite park etc.). It is also possible to create completely imaginary loci, such as the insides of an alien spaceship or ancient tomb. However, I do not consider it worth the extra effort, since real life routes and locations are already imprinted in your mind and can be used just as effectively.
Try this out, have fun with it and let me know what you think. It might take a bit of getting used to at first, but soon you'll notice yourself speeding through the routes and creating mental images with ease. With e.g. shopping lists it becomes very easy and quick as you are likely to buy certain items over and over again, so you will find yourself reusing images created earlier and just placing them on the different locations along a route.
Bare feet, happy feet
Couple months ago, I stumbled upon some articles arguing that expensive running shoes are actually not good for you. Now, what interests me in this topic is, that I have been running actively since I was 14 years old. However, some time around my 18th birthday I strained my knees during one run. It started at first with a slow pain on both sides of the kneecaps (I can't remember anymore which leg), and then started to get more intense and spread around. I tried to keep running back home, but the pain became so severe I just couldn't anymore. In retrospect, I would have been much better of if I had just stopped running at the point when the pain started to emerge and walked back home.
For the following week I was barely able to walk. My knee had become so stiff that bending the leg was a chore on itself. As time went by I started to slowly gain back mobility, but ever since I have not been able to do any long distance running. My knees are simply way too unpredictable; sometimes they start hurting after 20 minutes, whereas sometimes I can go for an hour or so without any signs of pain.
The first article made a case in point, that expensive running shoes are actually worse for you and cause more injuries than cheap alternatives with less cushion. With overly cushioned running shoes many of the feet muscles do not develop normally as you gain strength and endurance, and when you increase the distance or intensity of your runs this becomes a problem.
Human beings have naturally evolved to run without shoes, and apparently we have the physiology to become extremely capable long-distance endurance runners. Some anthropologists even argue, that persistence hunting used to be the main way prehistoric humans to hunt. This means basically running the animal to its death. Human beings are very efficient in dispersing heat from our bodies (that's why we sweat so much), unlike animals such as antelopes or kudus, allowing us to keep running long distances even in midday heat. Even though the prey can outrun a human in short bursts, in longer time period it will simply overheat and collapse. Pretty cool, huh?
Literally within couple weeks of reading the first article about the woes of modern running shoes, I stumbled on another one regarding barefoot running. There is a strong argument for the benefits of ditching shoes altogether - at least for some runs and walks - and getting back to the natural way of running. The article also introduced me to a product called Vibram FiveFingers, which in essence is a shoe with thin rubber bottom that follows the natural curves of your feet and has all toes separated in their own "pockets", making it possible to enjoy the barefoot running experience without having to worry about glass or sharp rocks.
Usually these things arrive to Finland a lot later than elsewhere in the civilized world, but I was so excited about the goofy shoes that I told about them to some colleagues at a lunch table discussion at work. To my surprise, one of them had seen the kind of shoes in one of the department stores in Helsinki. Few days later I walked home proud wearing my own pair of Vibrams.
I have now been wearing these shoes for a bit over a month; starting with just walking around the town in order to get my feet and those atrophied muscles used to the different step and feeling. I then slowly proceeded to go for actual runs, and I have to say that the feeling you get when running with these shoes is incredibly liberating! Unfortunately though, the shoes have not yet been able to provide any noticeable aid to my knee problems. I am nowadays doing only short-distance high-intensity interval runs as my knees seem to be able to handle those better than long-distance endurance running.
Already after the first run it was clear that Vibrams have a different effect on your muscles compared to normal running shoes. In my case I could really feel how the calf muscles and toes were working harder. Running itself was good, but unlike with regular shoes, I could really feel on my muscles that I had a run the day before! After the first 2-3 weeks of running with Vibrams I also started noticing, that when I went running with normal shoes, my speed and strength had significantly improved.
No matter how good the Vibram FiveFingers are, my most euphoric running experience happened about a week ago, when after finishing my interval run I decided to jog back home without wearing shoes at all. I carried the Vibrams on my hand and felt the tarmac beneath my feet. Now, of course I had to watch out for shrapnels of glass, but to my surprise I could hardly feel the small stones and sand that were on the road. The feeling of freedom on the other hand was intoxicating, and I did manage to turn a few heads as well when I ran past other joggers ;)
If you're interested in getting the FiveFinger shoes for yourself, be very careful when choosing the size. These shoes have to fit tight! I bought the KSO model which has a strap for tightening, but I am afraid I might have still gotten a pair that is one size too large, and I am now paying for that mistake in the form of occasional small blisters on the insides of my feet.