April 2015

When it comes to the adolescent and early adult stages of human development, age ain’t nothin’ but a number. We have physical, emotional and intellectual development to consider when we assign ourselves an age independent of the amount of days we’ve spent on earth.

My “man strength” didn’t come until age 19. In fact, during my senior year of high school, my best bolt on the baseball field produced nothing but a warning track fly ball. Two years later, that same ball whistled beyond the chain link fence at Moorpark College in Southern California. While females usually achieve their full physical height by around 16-17, males may continue to develop in both height and weight until 18-19, even into the early twenties for some. Physical development generally happens in the same order for most humans, but the timing can vary widely.

Critically though, this physical development is not necessarily linked to emotional or cognitive progression. I asked my think partner, Stephanie, to do some research on the science behind this. This is what she produced:

While our brains do not grow the same way our muscles do, significant physical changes occur in the brain itself. White matter increases, gray matter decreases, and there is an increase in myelination. In fact, during this period of development, approximately 40% of the synapses in your brain will be eliminated for a more efficient, streamlined organ. These changes have significant impact on emotional and impulse control, long term decision making, evaluation of risks, and adaptation to stress.

These changes occur throughout the ages of around 10-25, and it is difficult to peg where a particular individual is on the spectrum. Mentally, I was sharp and prepared to handle adversity at 14 or 15 years old. My 15 year old son, Chase, may be following a similar developmental path. He’s equipped to navigate failure today, but he’s still patiently waiting for his full physical development to occur. This makes sense – while we can adequately describe the physical processes occurring, both in the body and brain, our actual development is shaped well beyond simply the mechanisms at work. From Harvard Health:

…human brain development does not unfold automatically and uniformly. There is much individual variation that reflects experience as well as genetic programming. The problems of teenagers are not all in their brains but have many causes, social and individual, genetic and environmental. At present and probably for a long time, researchers will be getting better information on the mental and emotional development of adolescents from interviews, observations, and behavioral tests than from brain scans.

Because of the rapid physical and emotional growth of a toddler, it can be easy to look for milestones. In the late teenage years, the effects of our physiology are no less dramatic but more complicated to pin down precisely. It’s utter absurdity to suggest, “he’s 19 and therefore he is experiencing x, y and z inside his body and his mind.” From Jeffrey Arnett (pdf link), psychology professor:

These changes over the past half century have altered the nature of development in the late teens and early twenties for young people in industrialized societies. Because marriage and parenthood are delayed until the midtwenties or late twenties for most people, it is no longer normative for the late teens and early twenties to be a time of entering and settling into long-term adult roles. On the contrary, these years are more typically a period of frequent change and exploration

Sure, we can acquire a baseline armed with the data point of actual age. However, all 19 year olds are not created equal. There is a wide range of maturity, physically and mentally, for every young adult. We’ve all encountered men and women several years wiser or less mature than their peers, and it’s critical to consider this when analyzing the development of friends, colleagues and young ones. Staying open minded and nimble in our assessments is thematic to this blog, and we will not be boxed in by birthdate.

Strong mind,

Kap

Kaplifestyle is seeking a few dedicated, driven individuals to assist on specific projects and overall business growth.

What we need:

• Experience and interest in graphic design, e-book creation, and/or marketing
• Exceptional written communication skills
• Self-starter, able to complete tasks with a minimum of supervision or oversight
• Positive attitude, dedicated to doing good work for the sake of doing good work
• Creative and willing to bring your own ideas to the table

An important note – these positions are strictly unpaid internships. While we will be happy to work with you to secure school credit or references, there is no monetary compensation. If you are a current NCAA athlete, please verify with your compliance officer.

Interested? Please contact Stephanie at [email protected] with a description of how you could fit in with our group. Cover letters, resumes, and references accepted but not required.

The greatest compliment you can receive from another in your clubhouse, locker room or office is being dubbed a great teammate.

There are a plethora of ways we can demonstrate strong teammate behavior. We can provide an ear and not talk, but be present for a lockermate. We can offer words of encouragement. We can grab a man (or woman, though I’ve never played with one) by the shirt, look into his eyes and demand greater effort. We can study film for or with him or independently point out mechanical flaws. Basically, being a tremendous teammate is analogous to being a powerful friend. From Karlene Pick, M.A., Mental Training Consultant:

Merely being together at workouts and games doesn’t necessarily guarantee a team will be cohesive and successful, it simply means that they are occupying the same space at the same time. A cohesive team can be distinguished from a noncohesive team by many characteristics. A cohesive team has well-defined roles and group norms, common goals, a positive team identity, a good working relationship, shared responsibility, respect, positive energy, trust, a willingness to cooperate, unity, good communication, pride in membership, and synergy. Another indicator of the amount of cohesiveness in a team is the frequency of statements of we and our, in contrast to statements of I, me and mine. The we is just as important as the me. Developing cohesion is something that takes time and effort, but it is well worth the investment.

This shared identity and respect comes from trust. We trust our teammates to have our backs, just like we have theirs. Suppose I’m a closer with a runner on third base, 2 outs, bottom of the ninth, up a run, with 0 balls and two strikes on the hitter. I know with a high degree of certainty that if I deliver my best split, the batter is out and the game is over. In that moment, the thought flashes through my brain that I could very well spike the pitch. Now, if my catcher is flexible, nimble, and quick to his athletic positions, he has a good chance to block that pitch for us. Additionally, I’m trusting that he wasn’t liquored up the night before and is well rested so as to have his cognitive function firing at optimal levels.

If that catcher doesn’t work to be athletic, I’m furious and can’t trust him. If my teammate doesn’t earn my trust, I know I can’t count on him. This same principle applies in any team activity, but perhaps no more so than when life and death is on the line. Today, my good friend and colleague and I opined on this topic. He served our country and expressed to me the following.

There is a saying in the military: “Train like your buddy’s life depends on it.” The logic here is that if you are out of shape, you won’t be able to perform the actions that will save your teammate’s life, such as dragging them out of a firefight, or will put the team at higher risk through decreased performance. A related analogy can be seen in the tourniquets that we carried at all times to stop traumatic bleeding. If a guy was sloppy and didn’t have his gear squared away, organized and functional, it could kill his teammate. You don’t carry tourniquets to save your own life, you carry them for your teammates.

Trusting that your teammate is prepared, both mentally and physically, is critical for success. That trust is then demonstrated and communicated through our body language. If you’ve read our previous posts, you know the impact our body language can have on our own confidence and well-being, but the effects extend far beyond our own personal sphere. From the New York Times:

In a paper due out this year in the journal Emotion, Mr. Kraus and his co-authors, Cassy Huang and Dr. Keltner, report that with a few exceptions, good teams tended to be touchier than bad ones. The most touch-bonded teams were the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers, currently two of the league’s top teams; at the bottom were the mediocre Sacramento Kings and Charlotte Bobcats.

The same was true, more or less, for players. The touchiest player was Kevin Garnett, the Celtics’ star big man, followed by star forwards Chris Bosh of the Toronto Raptors and Carlos Boozer of the Utah Jazz. “Within 600 milliseconds of shooting a free throw, Garnett has reached out and touched four guys,” Dr. Keltner said.

To correct for the possibility that the better teams touch more often simply because they are winning, the researchers rated performance based not on points or victories but on a sophisticated measure of how efficiently players and teams managed the ball — their ratio of assists to giveaways, for example. And even after the high expectations surrounding the more talented teams were taken into account, the correlation persisted. Players who made contact with teammates most consistently and longest tended to rate highest on measures of performance, and the teams with those players seemed to get the most out of their talent.

Turns out, all those high fives, handshake rituals and butt slaps make a significant difference to both individual players and the team performance as a whole. Ensuring that you have positive body language and are seeking our your teammates for the same may not mean the difference between going 0-4 and blasting 3 home runs, but over time, will add up to better performance.

Strong mind,

Kap

I’m no stranger to pain. You can’t participate in athletic events and train vigorously with weights your entire life without battle scars. However, mine were almost all self-inflicted. At any time, I was (and am) able to (though I never did and won’t) stop my activities and be in less or no pain. Stephanie, our know it all editor and my partner at Kaplifestyle, has a different relationship with pain. Hers is one I will never comprehend. She’s constantly fighting through it, tough as nails and stronger than all the athletes I played with combined. She knows how to manage. Listen up, she’ll teach you.

We will all experience physical pain over the course of time. We will have injuries and illnesses that leave us hurting and not ourselves. Through preparing and facing up to the mental challenge, we can mitigate the effect on our lives.

Pain is an instinctive reaction to something damaging. You will pull your hand back from a hot stove before consciously recognizing the temperature. Children born with reduced sensitivity to pain, or even a complete inability to feel pain, often don’t survive to adulthood. We need those sensations; they’re our primal protection against danger and harm. Rather than classifying all pain as “bad” and a sensation to be forgotten as quickly as possible, I do my best to learn from it.

I have to. My pain is not from a transitory experience, but is a constant, chronic pain that I’ve dealt with since I was 12 years old. Ever since, I have used the pain to become stronger, learning whatever it can teach me. Obstacles need not become excuses. I share my story not for sympathy, but in the hopes that I can sharpen and be sharpened by the Kaplifestyle community.

While chronic pain certainly presents its own unique challenges, there are some general lessons about managing pain that I have discovered.

1. Being specific is important. I despise the question “on a scale of 0-10, how bad is the pain?” I understand why it’s asked, I simply think it’s a poor way to achieve the objective. I identify and describe my pain in terms of the effects on my life. Calling it out and being specific about the location and type of pain helps me to decide whether to push through or not. If I’m going to do more damage to myself by working or being active, then I know to rest. If not, mentally naming the pain helps in pushing it to the back of my mind.
2. Control what I can control. I have a background level of pain that will never go away. Sometimes, I have flareups that leave me incapacitated. Learning to accept that is an important part of my process. Misplaced blame and self-flagellation serves no purpose. However, I do have plenty of control over my actions. Drinking enough water, getting an appropriate level of exercise, minimizing my stress and reactions to stressful situations, getting a decent night’s sleep and watching my nutrition are all things that make a difference on a day-to-day basis. I pay attention to my body, find what makes me feel better or worse and adjust accordingly.
3. Know when to back off. I struggle with this one. I grow frustrated when my body doesn’t allow me to do what I want, and I push too hard. I have a conception of “normal” in my head, and ignore my own personal needs striving to achieve that vision. When I do, I pay for it. This isn’t confined to chronic pain. Think of the athletes, rushing to get back on the field and reinjuring themselves nearly immediately.

You may notice that these suggestions are heavily tilted toward the mental aspects of pain. It’s not by accident. There are plenty of physical treatments – medication, heat, cold, compression, massage, the list goes on. For specific and individual pain, the treatment needed will change. What affects our quality of life most when we’re in pain is not the physical sensation, except in extreme acute instances, but the mental. Pain often makes us feel isolated, depressed and anxious. Even in the case of pain resulting from injury, we fear the recurrence of it and develop non-adaptive behaviors to compensate. Our mental state makes the pain worse or prevents us from taking advantage of the cessation of pain.

Most importantly, pain often makes us withdraw from our social support system. We fear being labeled as weak or we want to avoid inconveniencing anyone. This is counter-productive. People with strong support systems (when they take advantage of them) report less pain, less duration and less impact on their lives.  I’m certainly not suggesting that we should go around constantly bemoaning every nick and scratch. But when we’re rehabbing an injury, going through surgery or experiencing a long-term illness, maintaining our social ties is critical. Reaching out and asking for the support we need is the smart play, not the weak one.

Better yet, create and maintain those social ties far and wide. Not only do you protect yourself against the possibility that the person you reach out to is less available due to concerns of their own, you place yourself in a position to aid someone else. Nothing salves the mental strain of dealing with pain like knowing you were able to impact another’s struggle.

My story is far from unique and doesn’t define who I am. Rather, I can take my experiences, learn from them and hopefully share those lessons with others. Pain is not something anyone looks forward to or invites into life. It’s inevitable, however, that we will have physically painful experiences. Understanding and mastering those times mean that our lives don’t need to be completely taken off track when they do happen.

— Stephanie

I told you a while back that the king of all weight training exercises is unequivocally the squat. I won’t pedal backwards on that declaration.

That said, if you aim to build power, speed, strength and athleticism, you’ll want to incorporate dead lifts. As an ancillary benefit, if you go hard enough, your back will look like a cobra’s.

Most folks think the dead lift is a lower body exercise, and it is, but it might be the best possible move for your upper body as well. In actuality, it’s a total body performance perfectly capable of building power from the soles of your feet and up. From powerlifter and strength coach, Andy Bolton:

The deadlift is an amazing exercise and one that you should include in your strength training routine if you want to add slabs of granite hard muscle to your body from head-to-toe, strengthen your posterior chain, and increase athletic performance. In fact, there may be no better exercise for working the hamstrings, glutes, entire back, and grip, and for making you bigger, faster, and stronger.

We often talk around here about the various factors responsible for building confidence. I can’t speak for women, but for men, strength is a substantial contributor. Every seven days, as part of my 5 x 5 program, I deadlift twice. On the days when my power is on point, I leave my sessions feeling invincible.

Think back to when you were a kid. How did you put your physical strength on display? You likely picked up a heavy object, or your little brother, and beamed with pride. That’s precisely what the dead lift is. It’s picking up the heaviest possible object and owning it.

Now, those who can pick up the heaviest objects can also physically negotiate life more seamlessly. We can grab shit and move it around with ease, whether it be boxes or suitcases or other humans.

This is a lifestyle site, read by professional athletes. As such, I often write for them. Gentleman (and ladies), performing dead lifts powerfully will make you a better baseball player, boxer, basketball player or sprinter. From stack.com:

Few exercises are simpler than the Deadlift. The move essentially mimics squatting down and picking something up off of the floor. Yet, it’s acclaimed as one of the best exercises for athletes who want to get stronger, faster and more powerful.

Almost all fundamental sports skills, like running, jumping, throwing and tackling, start when you put power into the ground. The power travels up through your core and into your upper body. So, the more force you put into the ground, the better you will perform the skills for your sport.”

Perhaps you’re not an athlete. You just want a more muscular physique and are perpetually hunting a V shape. No judgment there; you’re human. We like to think logically around here. Which of the following options will more likely inspire your back muscles (think cobra) to expand and become denser? Sitting down at a machine and utilizing a pulley to lift a stack of say, 200 pounds, assisted? Or, bending down and lifting 500 from the floor, unassisted? Exactly.

Deadlifting is the base upon which back strength is built. Deadlifts stress every major muscle group in the posterior chain, from the base of the erectors to the top of the traps.

Whatever your gender or profession, if you can choose only two exercises for athletic and physique development, choose the squat and the deadlift. Oh, and read a book, muscle-head.

Strong mind,

Kap

I love my field research for this blog. I may have found a new Red Bull alternative for y’all: bone marrow. From lahealthyliving.com:

Bone marrow is a fatty, jello like substance found in the core of bones. It’s a nutrient dense and rich in energy substances that all types of animals are primarily drawn toward when they capture prey.

I baked a whole chicken for dinner. Being the animal that I am, I inherently felt the urge to consume the whole bird. If it was a wild turkey that I hunted with a spear rather than an organic chicken purchased from a market, and I was dependent on the nourishment for sustenance, you better believe that I wouldn’t let any valuable morsel of that beautiful game go to waste. From Mark’s Daily Apple:

There’s another reason – a big reason, actually – why animals of all stripes are drawn toward bone marrow and why you should head down to the butcher for some bones: the taste. A subtle, creamy nuttiness, sometimes a bit sweet, always extremely rich, is not to be casually disregarded. The taste is incredible, either eaten straight up with a touch of sea salt or as part of a rich, hearty stew. Its high quality fuel imbued with vitamins and minerals, but it’s delicious fuel that’d be worth eating even if it were devoid of nutrition. Luckily for us, though (and counter to what we’re taught about nutrition), what appeals to our taste buds on a basic level usually also nourishes. Marrow may be a “sinful treat” for most, but it deserves to be a kitchen staple for Primal eaters.

I can honestly say I enjoyed eating the softer, edible bones of the chicken that I just now devoured more than the meat. I inhaled some of the harder portions as well; if I could grind it up in my teeth, it was going down.

Now, most folks aren’t going to be crushing a plate full of bones, although our jaws and teeth are adequately equipped. More generally, humans transform the bones into broth or stock, which I’m thrilled to experiment with at some point. But my intuition is leading me down the path of chewing, rather than drinking, as I would in the wild animal kingdom. I view this like juicing versus just eating the damn veggie. Why make bone broth when I can just eat the tendons, ligaments, joints and marrow, and taste the explosion of savory flavor with every gratifying bite?

Fatty and rich, the marrow of said bones left me feeling satiated and satisfied. Knowing this was something I was going to write up had me totally present in the moment. I crunched through the neck bone and delighted in the delicacy. Wow. I was (and sort of still am) completely locked into the experience. Now I’m listening to Native American drumming, my eyes wide. I may paint my face and begin to chant.

The bone marrow has spiked my energy levels. Normally at this time of evening, I’m ready to close my eyes. Whether or not I can turn this into the next energy supplement, one thing is for certain, the health benefits of bone marrow are numerous. From the same lahealthyliving.com piece:

Bone marrow fulfills many vital roles due to its high content of vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, and lipids (alkylglycerols). Bone marrow helps the immune system by carrying oxygen to cells in the body. It is one of the most effective remedies for the gut lining.  Consuming bone marrow will help improve brain function, maintain healthy bones, support immune systems and speed up the healing process of any injury or fracture.

So, are you with me? Do you have a good broth recipe? Is anyone going to join me in masticating the osseous matter?

I feel it in my bones; this marrow thing makes sense.

Kap

You know we have a no judgment policy around here. I fully comprehend that protein powders are an attractive option, particularly for busy professionals. Despite the fact that it’s not my bag (see?), I’m not here to express displeasure about your leans. Rather, I’ll celebrate our diversity.

Still, what kind of partner would I be to you if I didn’t offer you an alternative or two?

This morning at 5:30am, I received this text from an ambitious friend:

Morning! Question for you…What do you think of protein powder? Do you like it or do you consider it processed food?

Clearly, my friend doesn’t follow the blog. Otherwise, she’d know that the powders are among our most heavily processed options and are often laced with the most artificial of ingredients. Even the most “natural” of powders has been altered to isolate the proteins and is delivered in a way your body doesn’t recognize.

The conversation can always end with the identification of the issue and without a suggested solution. Zzzzzz. Those types of interactions are exhausting. We aim to inspire and be inspired.

Without further ado, here are a few ideas for you to a) optimize for efficiency and b) riff on in the comment section below.

• Cut a huge salmon filet into five pieces. Coarse sea salt, paprika, lemon, cayenne pepper, olive oil. Hot grill, three minutes each side. Into foil, into fridge. One piece for 5 days.
• Whole Foods (I hate that I’m selling a corporation…ugh) has whole, organic, prepared chickens seasoned only with salt and pepper. Now, I’ll admit I’m a bit of savage. Let me preface what I’m about to say with a) I’m not afraid of germs, and b) this method isn’t for everyone. I suggest ripping off random chunks of flesh in random proportions in lieu of blending artificially flavored beverages. Eat the bones. They rule. It takes some practice, but I’ll take down a chicken in roughly 2 days.
• Season some grass fed, organic ground beef with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Shape into patties. Cook in a pan with some olive oil and coconut oil.

You don’t have to fall for the marketing idea that protein must be delivered in precise intervals. And though we’re all busy, these ideas require no more time or effort than blending up the powder into a shake. Your body will be happier. So will your wallet. Plus, with all the added benefits that come from eating real, whole foods, you can toss out the fish oil supplements you’ve been washing down with the protein shake.

Be well,

Kap

Warning! I’m going to be playful in this post. If you’re feeling sensitive, go read another washed up athlete’s blog.

From Norah Jones:

It’s him or me that’s what he said, But I can’t choose between a vegan and a pot head, So I chose you because you’re sweet, And you give me lots of lovin’ and you eat meat,

And that’s how you became my only man of the hour

I’ve been pretty adamant in this blog that I’m a carnivore. I believe that our teeth are in place, in part, to tear flesh. I’m sensitive (clearly), however, to the folks out there choose to eat only a plant based diet.

While I think it’s more difficult for athletes and human beings in general to derive sufficient nutritional benefit without eating animal products, I don’t think it’s impossible. If you’ve got the determination and wherewithal, I want you on my team, so let’s do this.

To construct a meal to make meat consumers eat their words instead, we need to examine the health benefits of devouring animals so we can replace that value. From Medical Daily:

…benefits such as the repair and building of body tissues as well as the production of antibodies that will protect the body from infections, thus strengthening the immune system as well. Most importantly, since meat contains all the essential amino acids, it definitely ranks as one of the best sources of protein.

Sounds easy enough. If this is all about replacing protein, we’ve got this. We’re going to have to eat a bunch of them, but almonds and walnuts are both in my weekly rotation, and 50 almonds will net about 12 grams of protein. Boom, we’re over ¼ of the way to competing with a serving of salmon, which contains roughly 40 grams of protein.

Let’s add some quinoa, shall we? After all, I try to add it to almost every huge salad that I make. My salads also contain steak and cheese, but you get the point. From whfoods.com:

One of the shortcomings overcome by quinoa involves its protein content. Most grains are considered to be inadequate as total protein sources because they lack adequate amounts of the amino acids lysine and isoleucine…By contrast, quinoa has significantly greater amounts of both lysine and isoleucine (especially lysine), and these greater amounts of lysine and isoleucine allow the protein in quinoa to serve as a complete protein source.

With 24 grams of protein per serving, we’ve nearly matched the salmon.

All we need to do is add in a little over a serving of broccoli at 4.2 grams, and we are over the top.

Merely equaling the protein content isn’t enough, however. We absorb goodness besides protein when we eat meat. From Medical Daily:

Of the many nutrients that meat contains, it is rich in iron, zinc and selenium. While iron helps in forming hemoglobin that transports oxygen to different parts of your body, zinc helps in tissue formation and metabolism as well as selenium breaks down the fat and chemicals in the body.

Spinach is rich in iron, as are lentils. Beans, mushrooms, almonds and walnuts are all quality sources of zinc. We can bake this info into our recipe.

Our final meal? Perhaps our representation is a spinach-based salad, topped with plenty of chopped almonds and walnuts, quinoa, broccoli, lentils, kidney beans, olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

I can’t help it; I wish I had a couple of chicken thighs to go with it, but if this satisfies your flavor desires, you’ve reached your protein and nutrient quota for the meal. Big congratulations. Now you can figure out how to not eat this three times a day. I kid, I kid.

Kap

It’s time for me to take a hiatus from my 5 x 5 workout.I feel like I’m breaking up with a longtime girlfriend, the one who is my perfect match. I know we will get back together, but the relationship simply isn’t working in the moment. I love her, but I need some space.I’ve been performing this workout for over a year, and I can say that as of last week, I was as strong … [Read more…]

If you’ve been following this blog, you’re well aware of our lean towards animal flesh, fruits and vegetables as our main source of fuel. Sure, we encourage the occasional indulgence but our staples are consistent. We don’t believe in rules, and we certainly don’t stick to cows, pigs, chicken and fish. Among our choices should be the wide varieties of wild game.Last night, … [Read more…]

If brown rice is better than white rice, clearly purple (or black) rice is even healthier, right?A few days back, I paid my third visit to a downtown Phoenix sushi establishment, intent on some sashimi. I’m a lover of buttery consistency when it comes to salmon and tuna, and Harumi checks that box. While in the devouring process, I glanced up and was smacked in the face by … [Read more…]

You know we have a no judgment policy around here. I fully comprehend that protein powders are an attractive option, particularly for busy professionals. Despite the fact that it’s not my bag (see?), I’m not here to express displeasure about your leans. Rather, I’ll celebrate our diversity.Still, what kind of partner would I be to you if I didn’t offer you an alternative or … [Read more…]

Yesterday was Valentine’s Day, so it’s only appropriate for me to talk about my true love.I’m speaking, of course, about Indian food. More specifically, let’s chat about the healing properties of the spices used in my all-time favorite cuisine.When I was playing in Japan in 2005, I found the best Indian restaurant I’ve sampled in my 39 years. From a tiny hole in the … [Read more…]

If your body responds favorably to dairy, I say go for it. If not, I don’t see incorporating it as a necessity.I’m often asked if I include dairy in my nutrition plan. Folks wonder about my take on it in general, including most recently when I posted a sample food journal. This doesn’t surprise me; dairy inclusion is one of the most consistently controversial topics when it … [Read more…]