Barefoot running taking off in NYC

Clever media people often ask me, "How do you live a paleolithic lifestyle in...New York City?"  Zing!  Oh you clever media people.  But high population density and open-mindedness can go a long way.  Here are new developments just for barefoot running: 

1. Barefoot Runners NYC now has about 175 members.  If you're ever in NYC and want to join us, we have regular runs in Central Park on Saturday mornings at 10am and Wednesday evenings as 7pm.

2. Michael Sandler, of RunBare and author of Barefoot Running, is holding a free clinic on Wednesday, June 2nd at 6:30pm.  Nearly 40 people have signed up for that one.

3. Barefoot Ken Bob is also holding a free clinic in Central Park the following week on Tuesday, June 8th at 6:30pm.  Details here. 

4. We've had recent running clinics with Erwan Le Corre and Barefoot Ted too.

If you're a beginning barefoot/VFF runner, or if you're just intrigued by it and want to learn more, the two clinics are perfect places to get instructions from some of the best.  You don't need to go out and buy any special shoes -- it's best to learn totally barefoot first.  And they're free!

Tough Mudder not...tough enough

I received the following email from the Tough Mudder team yesterday.  The main feedback?  Make it tougher, longer (it wasn't a full 7 miles), and create more and longer obstacles.  Full email below.  (Apparently TM and I use the same shade of grey.)  You can see my prior comments on the race and actions shots. 

I'd like to know what percentage of runners finish a marathon?  What about triathlons?  Not the elite races, just the ones for the general population.

The bottom line: If they want the race to be tough, some people are not going to be able to finish.
 

 

Red meat for paleos

The conventional wisdom continues to crumble.  Today is red meat's day in the sun.  Read the WSJ article here.  

"A new study from the Harvard School of Public Health suggests that the heart risk long associated with red meat comes mostly from processed varieties such as bacon, sausage, hot dogs and cold cuts—and not from steak, hamburgers and other non-processed cuts.

The finding is surprising because both types of red meat are high in saturated fat, a substance believed to be partly responsible for the increased risk of heart disease."

This is the second study in recent months where saturated fat has started to clear its good name.  The conclusion?

"A meta-analysis of prospective epidemiologic studies showed that there is no significant evidence for concluding that dietary saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of CHD or CVD."

Dr. Eades wisely remains cautious of any of these studies, even when it's in line with your viewpoint (especially then).

The Harvard study points to salt as the culprit -- but more sound advice might be: minimize processed foods of any kind in your diet.

 

(Thanks to David and T.J. for the pointers.)

Assorted links

1. Tanning is associated with optimal Vitamin D status and higher bone mineral density.  (NOTE: But as one commenter pointed out, most tanning salons try to sell you UVA, when this paper is talking about UVB.  Don't rush to the solarium.)  And this:

"There is increased concern about skin cancer, which has created a fear of causative sunlight exposure (9 –12). Melanoma is the most serious form of skin cancer. It should be recognized that most melanomas occur in areas that are not exposed to the sun (13) and that it is the number of lifetime sunburn experiences, the number of moles, and red hair that increase the risk of this deadly disease (12)."

2. Melissa McEwen's poetic description of learning to hunt, dress, butcher, and eat deer

"We carved the body cavity through and through, leaving bare ribs skinless so the light could shine through. The digestive system we left for the vultures, as it belongs to them. I read recently about one of the earliest religious sites, Göbekli Tepe, a marvel considering that hunter-gatherers had no cities, but they bothered to build this temple carved with vultures, lions, and other predators of humans dead...and alive. Some theorize that the hunter-gatherers left their dead here to be eaten by these fierce flesh eating creatures. The word for this is "excarnate," which is very beautiful to me, the idea of sharing your body with other carnivores. I think of then as a time when none owned another, except in death when it was an honor to be consumed and melded with others."

3. Tyler Cowen responds to fears that food markets will be turbulent in years ahead

4. Reasons for optimism: perch in downtown Milwaukee and tilapia in Colorado

5. I'll be in DC this weekend, and I'm looking forward to the well-regarded Mitsitam Cafe at the National Museum of the American Indian. 

"Mitsitam (pronounced Mit-see-tum) means “let's eat” in the Piscataway and Delaware language. The 350-seat restaurant is essentially an extension of the museum, specializing in authentic Native American cuisine. The seasonal menu changes on each equinox and solstice and is divided among five Native American regions: Northern Woodlands, Northwest Coast, Great Plains, Meso America and South America."

Why I went to the tanning salon this winter

Part of paleo is about experimentation and discovery.  This winter I started experimenting with going to the solarium....better known as the tanning salon.  That's right, I went to the tanning salon.  Really courting medical controversy here.  So here's why I went.

My initial reason was to get a base layer and avoid a sunburn in Mexico.  I had signed up for the MovNat course in Mexico in mid-January, and it seemed prudent to get a base layer to make it less likely I would burn in Mexico.  Sun burns are what cause the most damage to your skin and most increase your chances of skin cancer.  My sessions were purposefully short duration (<7 minutes) and low intensity, and so I needed to do a few of them before I got a noticeable tan.

Healthy Vitamin D levels decrease your overall chances of getting cancer.  My reading of the literature indicated that 1) it's extremely difficult to get sufficient Vitamin D from food and even supplements, 2) the deadly forms of skin cancer are more rare than generally thought, 3) they don't seem connected to sun exposure per se (sun burns are the more likely culprit), and 4) and your higher chances of getting skin cancer are far outweighed by the cancers you avoid by getting enough Vitamin D.  Use of a tanning bed -- with the right UV frequencies -- has also been shown to increase Vitamin D levels.  As for a few more wrinkles as I get older, that seems to be true, but I just don't care.  For an excellent overview of what we know about the sun, Vitamin D, and cancer, watch this video by Dr. Michael Holick at BU.  (He doesn't endorse tanning.)

My mood improved immediately.  I don't know what to say, it just did away with the winter doldrums.  The first time I went was in early January in New York City.

Now, would it better to get moderate sun exposure?  Yes.  Would it be better to have a UV solution in winter that mimicked natural sun light? Yes. Is it a good idea to go to the tanning salon to get burnt to a crisp in 10 minutes?  No, of course not. 

Who could benefit most from going to the solarium?  People with dark skin.  Dark-skinned people are adapted for an equatorial environment with enormously high sun exposure all year round.  It's as if they are wearing high SPF skin block all the time.  They need more sun to generate the same amount of Vitamin D as a fair-skinner person.  So black people who live in high latitudes or who live near the equator but are covered up all the time are particularly at risk.  Bad news for burqas -- blocking out the sun is causing rickets and osteoporosis in Middle Eastern women.  From the abstract:  

"Despite ample sunshine, the Middle East (15°-36°N) and Africa (35°S-37°N), register the highest rates of rickets worldwide. This is in large part explained by limited sun exposure due to cultural practices and prolonged breast feeding without vitamin D supplementation in the Middle East, and by dark skin colour and calcium deficiency, rather than vitamin D deficiency, in several countries in Africa. Both regions also have a high prevalence for hypovitaminosis D, the latency disease for osteoporosis, and the main focus of this discussion."
 
Wouldn't it be ironic if the first tax enacted as part of the health care plan was actually counter-productive?  I'd be willing to wager that the 10% tax on tanning salons caused a net decrease in the health of African-Americans.  (Not sure how many actually go.)
 
Anyhow, here's to a little experimentation.  I'm sure I'll have a few more posts on this taboo subject in the days to come.

 

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