Nutrition Facts vs. Ingredients

Ever wonder why the Nutrition Facts on packaging are so dominant and the ingredients are in super fine print and often hard to find? Why is that?

I don’t know the answer, but I’m not so sure we’ve got our priorities straight. We’re so focused on how much saturated fat, cholesterol, fiber, protein, carbs, etc. our food and drinks have, that we often don’t look at the ingredients at all. At least I don’t.

Could it be because when we look at the ingredients in a lot of foods we don’t really know what they are? There are so many five syllable words and things we don’t understand that maybe we’d rather not confront our ignorance. Or could it be because we just assume most foods include perfectly normal ingredients? Or maybe we’ve been brainwashed by all of the diet fads and ubiquitous “fat-free” and “sugar-free” product labels?

I’m not what the reasons are exactly, but in my opinion something is a little screwy. Shouldn’t we be more concerned with what’s actually in our foods rather than the nutrition facts? I’m not saying we shouldn’t have nutrition facts, but maybe they should be below the ingredients and in smaller font to make more room for the ingredients. Doesn’t that make more sense? What do you think?

There’s nothing like lifting weights

It’s different from any other form of exercise, and in a really significant way: Nothing else forces a person to hit his or her physical and mental ceiling so repetitively.

That’s what weight lifting is. It’s all about moving some weights with specific numbers on them in some direction as many times as you can. It’s so darn simple, and that’s why I believe it’s the ultimate mind builder. It forces you to confront and test your limits over and over and over again. What other sport does this so effectively?

When you run, you generally don’t fall over at the end of your run. You get home, catch your breath after a while, and then go on with your life. At no point did your body say “I truly cannot take another step” and then collapse. Every other sport is similar. Don’t get me wrong, they’re all extremely tough and I have a lot of respect for them. Personally, I’ve played and love many sports. But there’s something different about weight lifting.

Each weight exercise is an isolated event where you can push yourself to the extreme…to the point of complete fatigue. True, many people never reach that point, but many people do. These people generally become hooked on lifting because, whether they know it or not, they’ve managed to achieve a mind-body connection that is extraordinarily rare. They have tested their limits so many times that they truly know where their boundaries lie. And because progress in weight-lifting is easily measurable, people can push themselves continuously over weeks, months, and years. In most sports, when you get better, you don’t necessarily have clear, concrete steps in front of you that you can climb to reach the next level. In running, you can try to increase your pace, but by how much? Same goes for most exercises. But with weights, there’s no uncertainty. Once you can push out that extra repetition using the 45 pound dumbbells, then you know you’re ready for the 50 pound dumbbells. This leads to a life-long pursuit of one’s limits and a lifestyle of continuous self-improvement that extends beyond the weight room.

Working out with your iPod is not working out

Ever since I got an iPod I’ve taken it to the gym with me. I get to the gym, put in the ear pieces, then turn up some music to get me fired me up. I’ve got my favorite workout songs like Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” which convinces me that each workout is a once in a lifetime opportunity to prove myself. It’s rather inspiring.

Despite how much I like this song and many others, from now on the iPod’s staying at home. Why? I’ve realized it’s a crutch. It’s the ultimate crutch. And I suggest you leave yours at home too.

Years ago, when I was in really good shape, my buddy and I would go to the gym and work out just about every day. We never had any music. All we had was our self-motivation and assistance from one another to make sure nobody dropped a dumbbell on his head. We made tremendous progress and absolutely looked forward to going to the gym each and every time. Since then, I personally feel like I’ve lost sight of what my real physical limits are, and I think the iPod has a lot to do with it.

What I’ve come to see is that myself and so many people simply cannot reach our full potential in the gym if we’re plugged into iPods. We become dependent, some more than others, on the music. Without it, we don’t feel like we can muster up the same energy and endure as much pain. It distracts us. It numbs our brains a little bit. It helps us get through the work out. But that’s NOT what working out is all about.

Health and fitness are about work, making sacrifices, and pushing yourself beyond where you thought you could go. It’s about making things harder on yourself, not easier. It’s about toughening our minds just as much as our bodies.

As great as music is, I recommend listening to your body next time you work out instead of your iPod. That’s the real trick to making progress…listening. You can’t know what you’re really capable of unless you listen to what your body is telling you. It requires full concentration. Your mind will say “I’m tired” but then something else often kicks in and says “But you can do one more.” That second voice gets muffled by those iTunes.

Now, I totally understand that for many people going to the gym is a really big step, and to the extent that the iPod makes taking those first important steps possible, then that’s just fine with me. Better to work out with an iPod than not work out at all. But there are many of us who are experienced enough in the gym that we needn’t resort to this mind trick. So give it a try…and leave that iPod at home the next time you go to the gym.

And if you really need a companion, call your buddy.