There are a few things I'm not too fond of: astrology, personality tests, bicyclists that fail to abide by traffic laws, and "light" squats.  The reasons, of course, are that bicyclists can hurt themselves or others when they're not careful, heavy squats are time off purgatory (Catholic humor high five!), and astrology and personality tests can be somewhat arrogant.  After all, aren't we all different people?  For instance, I like to think that I'm a one-of-a-kind delicate, deadlifting snowflake. (That's gotta be some type of oxymoron).

However, I was pleasantly surprised when I took the Myers-Briggs personality test a few weeks ago.  Not only did reading the description of INTJ's really make sense to me, but I was shocked at how much I matched the description.  I learned that not only would I rather lift heavy things than talk about my feelings (and really, who wouldn't!?), but the following sentence really clicked with me: "INTJs know what they know, and perhaps still more importantly, they know what they don't know."

Where all of this extraneous blabber comes into play is in the field of nutrition. I don't know much about nutrition, but I do know how to help someone make better choices and overhaul their diet.  So, this week I wanted to lump together two thoughts I've been kicking around recently - the recent debate of carbs vs. fat, and why the term Superfood is really super rubbish.

Hi there.  My name is Alex, and I'm a strengthaholic.

As I've written on this blog about 306 times by now, strength is what matters.  It's the ultimate equalizer, and not just because I'm terrible at conditioning (I'd rather drop a 45 pound plate on my foot than go for a 5 mile run).  It's because I have yet to meet someone who hasn't had better movement, felt better overall, or needed extra help moving apartments (a nod to all of you on a September 1st lease in the Boston area) once they were stronger.

Yet, how do you quantify strength?  The inner meatheads will use the powerlifting "big 3" of back squatting, bench pressing, and deadlifting with good reason - those three movements are tested at powerlifting meets, and dedicating time and effort to them will make you super strong.

....but what if I told you, that unless you're a powerlifter, it's silly (and sometimes downright stupid) to use those exercises and metrics?

For better or worse (and for the introvert in me, the worse), Summer has a way of forcing you to meet new people.  With weddings, parties, BBQs, etc. I always tend to find myself describing what I do for a living....and receiving some pretty interesting questions.  Among them:

1. "I'm so out of shape, can you not look at what I'm eating!?"
2. "I want to get stronger, but will I get too big?"
3. "Is Bachelor in Paradise really that good?"
4. "What are some of your good motivational tips for clients?"

Now, my answers usually go something like this:

1. No, I don't care what you're eating. Knock yourself out!  Seriously!
2. Let's cross that "too big" bridge when we get there....worry about getting strong and picking up heavy things.
3. Make no mistake, Bachelor in Paradise is complete trash on TV.  But, if you want to turn off your brain for a couple hours and make sarcastic remarks while drinking a beer....it's perrrrfect.
4. My motivational tip is pretty simple: I have none.

In only 57 short days, Lindsay and I will finally be getting married.  Now, I haven't spoken a ton about our wedding on here, but Lindsay has been as cool as a cucumber....while I'm finally starting to realize/stress out about everything that needs to come together.

Marriage day events/antics/cowboy dances aside, I haven't mentioned on my blog how great Lindsay is in the field of nutrition.  She already has her Masters in Nutrition Communication, and is currently pursuing her PhD in Applied Nutrition and Food Policy at Tufts. While I tend tease her and call her a "professional student" (I mean, it's true) I like to think we make a pretty good nutrition power couple.  After all, it's not like I can ask many other people what the recommended daily intake is for manganese, and what are symptoms of toxicity? (Nerd alert!)

If you've had access to the internet over the past few weeks, you've probably seen the terrific Always video, #LikeAGirl.

If you haven't, it's probably because you've been living in a cave; an underground bomb shelter; or took up residence in the Alaskan countryside, a la the National Geographic Show "Life Below Zero."  If that describes you, then it's probably because you've been hiding from Ebola.  After all, I can't blame you, it IS the United States...where where we don't want to vaccinate our children, but we freak the hell out about infectious diseases.

Irony, politics and diseases aside, here's the commercial which is absolutely fantastic: