Fact: I like to believe I gave a pretty nerdtastic, bomb-ass, helpful nutrition lecture the other week.  You probably saw me talking about about it here and here.

Another fact: in hindsight, I left a lot to be desired.  And, frankly, that sucks.

Why?  Well, I forgot to mention a critical point that guides any well-run diet/lifestyle change: eating alone is responsible for 90% of the fat you'll lose.  And unfortunately, exercise rarely helps with fat loss.

Yes, you read that correctly. 

Now, don't get me wrong, exercise CAN help with fat loss under the right conditions.  Terms like "afterburn" or "Excess Post Exercise Oxygen Consumption" do exist.  BUT, the effects are negligible when we're not focusing on our diet, and the handful of extra calories you burn is not enough to warrant any type of reward or rationalizing of a meal.  

Little known fact: the majority of the time I'm writing, I'm listening to one of my massive playlists on Spotify.  I'm not sure how many of you use Spotify, but if you don't, you're missing out.  I've used it for the past few years, and it's pretty much eliminated any reason for me to buy music.  Bad for musicians, but good for my pocket.

Anyway, while I'm usually blaring country, I decided to turn on a 90's station the other day and rocked out to Sublime, G. Love, Blackstreet and....Alanis Morissette?  You got it.

Call me inspired by her song, "Ironic," but it got me thinking: there are more than a few ironies when it comes to training and getting stronger.  So, to prove I'm not just hearkening back to simpler times with perms and acid washed jeans, I want to expand on one ironic point of training: those that need core exercises generally can't do them correctly, while those that already have a solid core receive the most benefit.  

First things first - I want to thank everyone that came out and made it to my nutrition seminar yesterday afternoon.  We had great attendance for such a sunny, warm afternoon, and there were some really great questions that made me think.  In fact, Richard Simmons even made an appearance (albeit through the wacky picture on the right).

For those that missed it, I can only say that you missed a fun time and that you need to eat more plants.  Seriously. You do.

Anyway, one issue that's been on my mind recently has been our general feeling that we always need to stretch and have "long" hamstrings.  As I've said before, anytime we get "tight" it's for a specific reason, and blindly cranking on muscles because "it feels good" can be a recipe for disaster.

Hear that, Presidential Fitness test!?  Sit and reach, be damned!

There are three words in the English language that I absolutely can't stand: "everybody," "always," and "never." (Actually, if I could choose a fourth, it would be "gurgle.")  

Why?  Because what we learned in Kindergarten is true - no two people are the same, and we're all special boys and girls.  But, if I were to pick one exercise that could almost include the three words above, it would be Single Leg Deadlifts.

OK, are you really surprised that it's some form of deadlifting?  Probably not.

Anyway, flash back a few months ago, and I really didn't think Single Leg Deadlifts (SLDLs) were that important.  Sure, they're cool and a nice to have....but they're often super hard to perform correctly.  Plus, isn't deadlifting on two legs just a bit more bad ass?

Fast forward to today, and I've completely changed my tune. In fact, if SLDLs are cool, consider me Miles Davis.

To start things off, I wanted to announce that I'll be giving a nutrition lecture on June 7th, where I work at The Training Room in Somerville.  While I abhor shameless plugs of self-promotion (and yes, I've fully realized the irony....as a blog is essentially its own form of self-promotion), the topic will be "Navigating the Paleo, Vegan, and Low Fat Matrix."

As you could probably guess from the title, I'll be discussing the Paleo, Vegan, and Low Fat diets by themselves - the pluses and the minuses.  But, the discussion will also be through the lens of what we've learned about nutrition over the past few years: all calories are not created equal; the need to focus on foods and not nutrients; and most importantly, will any diet make Taylor Swift look less like a Praying Mantis?

Just kidding about that last one.

(Maybe.)