fitness - Jason’s Feed

Building a Foundation of Strength Through Rucking

Rucking, the simple act of walking with a weighted pack, is gaining traction for its efficiency and low barrier to entry. While it might seem as simple as putting on a backpack, Ruck Fit highlights several key pillars that ensure you build strength without burning out or getting injured.

The Science of the Pack

Rucking is a powerhouse for body re-composition, helping to melt fat while building muscle and bone density. However, it is vital to remember that rucking is a supplement to your fitness journey, not a replacement for traditional weight training. To maintain safety, the golden rule is to never mix rucking and running in the same movement; keep your rucks at a steady pace of 15 to 20 minutes per mile for the best results.

Strategic Progression: The 10% Rule

One of the most common mistakes is carrying too much weight too soon. The recommended approach is to establish a base weight and stick with it for two to four weeks. When you feel ready to advance, increase the load by only 10%, which often means adding just 2 or 3 pounds at a time. The ultimate goal is to work toward carrying 25% to 30% of your body weight safely.

Nutrition and Mobility

You cannot out-ruck a poor diet. High protein intake is essential for recovery, with athletes needing up to 1.0 gram of protein per pound of body weight. Integrating healthy fats like Omega-3s from walnuts and chia seeds further supports the body’s inflammatory response. Additionally, don’t neglect mobility. Following the Harvard Health model, ensure your routine addresses balance, coordination, range of motion, stamina, and strength to keep your joints healthy under the extra load.

The Mental Game: Seeking Discomfort

The physical benefits of rucking are often secondary to the mental ones. By proactively seeking the discomfort of a heavy pack, you rewire your brain to handle stress more effectively. When life interrupts your schedule, the mantra to live by is “Adjust, don’t abandon”. Modify the distance or the weight if you have to, but don’t quit. This adaptability is what builds true, long-term toughness

Book Review | How Not to Die

How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease by Michael Greger

Pages	Rating	Genre
576	5 / 5	Non-fiction, health

Absolutely excellent. I read this on Kindle and highlighted it everywhere. I don’t like to buy books because they take up a lot of room. My preference is to own a few physical books. This one is worth buying in hardback and keeping. Very clear easy to follow advice on what to eat and how much of it. Also, like how Dr. Greger included information on exercise and how much. Everything is backed up with studies and not those paid my big dairy, or others with agendas. Great to keep for reference and re-read often to remind me about what I should be incorporating into my diet more.

People who once ate vegetarian diets but then started to eat meat at least once a week experienced a 146 percent increase in odds of heart disease, 152 percent increase in stroke a 166 percent increase in diabetes, and a 231 percent increase in odds for weight gain.
Dr. Michael Greger

Dr. Greger speaks on the lack of nutrition found in many of the items that we have been taught are good for us. Lean meat, eggs, dairy, etc.

I think everyone should read this book! It may just be my favorite book of 2020.

Book Review | Copenhagenize

Copenhagenize: The Definitive Guide to Global Bicycle Urbanism by Mikael Colville-Andersen

This book offers an interesting and new (to US residents) look at bicycle infrastructure. The author suggest a build it and they will come philosophy to bicycle infrastructure. I whole-heartedly agree with this and 90% of what he offers in the book. My one major complaint is his stance on bikes. I feel they have a place and get more people on bikes. Anything that does that is a plus in my book.

The US has different challenges that the rest of the world, getting butts in saddles is one of the things we need to change. While the COVID-19 pandemic definitely sold bikes, it did not increase the amount of people doing everyday activities, like running errands and grocery shopping on bicycles. At least not from what I see daily. Commuting is also down, so commuting via bicycle at least for those already working from home didn’t change.

What we may have increased with the pandemic is recreational riders and not those who ride because it is the easiest way to get around which is what Mikal talks about in his book. For this to change in the US it means that we need to drastically change our infrastructure. Mikal talks about a lot of different ways to do this. If you want to see what needs to change in the US and places like it to make them more bicycle friendly, then this is a great book.

I loved this book and it only loses a star because of his stance on ebikes.

Every Minute Counts

I just did 20 minutes on the treadmills down in the gym. Feels good to sneak some walking time in. Later today is step class, so no fear of not hitting my numbers today.

Book Review | Wheat Belly

My first audiobook of 2018. And I read/listened to this book mostly while at the gym! What a great way to get through your TBR! In Wheat Belly Dr. Davis convinces us all that wheat is not what it used to be and the new altered commercially created wheat is not good for a waistband. I enjoyed reading this book. I have been very focused on my fitness lately. I’ve gone vegetarian, since September of last year. I tried vegan, but I missed breakfast with eggs. So I compromised and I am eating egg whites.

Dr. Davis succeeded in convincing me that I need to reduce the amount of wheat that I am eating. I have eaten far too much. He argues that in fact, it can be addictive. This I very much agree with. I find myself craving a muffin, English muffin or just a slice of bread. Even a peanut butter and jelly sandwich would be very nice. Bread is “ingrained” in us! It is in every meal we have.

My family loves eggs in a basket, many people love to have a bagel or just some toast. Lunch is often a sandwich or a burger with a big fat yummy bun! Dinner always comes with a dinner roll. Its everywhere!

This book and Grain Brain have taught me about the glycemic index and many other ways that wheat negatively impacts our health. Grain Brains extends what I learned in Wheat Belly and speaks about how wheat negatively impacts our cognitive ability.

I liked Wheat Belly and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about eating healthy and being healthy. It is a great listen.