Craig Constantine

Trying not to try →

Published July 6, 2015 · All posts on Jul 6 · Thought and Philosophy, Parkour

My guess is that we have all experienced this combination of effortlessness and effectiveness at some point in our lives. While we are completely absorbed in chopping and sautéing, a complex dinner simply assembles itself before our eyes. Fully relaxed, we breeze through an important job interview without even noticing how well it’s going. Our own experiences of the pleasure and power of spontaneity explain why these early Chinese stories are so appealing and also suggest that these thinkers were on to something important. Combining Chinese insights and modern science, we are now in a position to understand how such states can actually come about.
~ Edward Slingerland from, Trying Not to Try – Nautilus

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Restricting your eating times →

Published July 4, 2015 · All posts on Jul 4 · Health, Fasting

The reasons for these health benefits relate to the fact that the human body appears to be designed to thrive in a cycle of “feast and famine.” By imitating the ancestral conditions of cyclical nourishment, your body enters into a state of optimal functioning. Three major mechanisms by which fasting benefits your health include:
Increased insulin sensitivity and mitochondrial energy efficiency. […] Reduced oxidative stress. […] Increased capacity to resist stress, disease and aging.
~ Jeff Roberts from, «https://insights.collective-evolution.com/2015/02/05/why-restricting-your-eating-time-period-to-8-hours-will-transform-your-health-fitness/»

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Muscle loss during short-term fasting →

Published July 3, 2015 · All posts on Jul 3 · Health, Fasting

This entry is part 2 of 3 in the series Ned Kock's "Health Correlator"

When the body is running short on glycogen, it becomes increasingly reliant on fat as a source of energy, sparing muscle tissue. That is, it burns fat, often in the form of ketone bodies, which are byproducts of fat metabolism. This state is known as ketosis. There is evidence that ketosis is a more efficient state from a metabolic perspective (Taubes, 2007, provides a good summary), which may be why many people feel an increase in energy when they fast.
~ Ned Kock from, Muscle loss during short-term fasting

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Exercise is the least important part of the equation →

Published July 2, 2015 · All posts on Jul 2 · Health

I looked at him and smiled and said, “Okay, then don’t exercise. Let’s deal with that a few months from now.” He replied with a face that looked something like this, and asked how I could possibly not recommend he start exercising if he wanted to lose weight.
My reply was simple: “I’m not interested in getting you to lose the most weight as quickly as possible. I’m interested in helping you get healthier, permanently.”
~ Steve Kamb from, Why Exercise is the Least Important Part of the Equation | Nerd Fitness

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35 things that surprised me before 35 →

Published July 1, 2015 · All posts on Jul 1 · Wisdom

#6. You’re just not going to finish some things. Deal with it.
~ Peter Welch from, 35 Things that Surprised Me Before 35

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Burnout →

Published June 30, 2015 · All posts on Jun 30 · Internet Tech, Health

Karōjisatsu — Death from Overwork – IT Revolution

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Normally, I “pull quote” things and then include a link. But for this one I’m just going to say that this is a 5 minute read about burnout in the tech sector by John Willis.

An ideal conversation →

Published June 28, 2015 · All posts on Jun 28 · Society

Ideally, this is going to be an effective conversation. You have a topic you want to discuss that will likely result in a decision or two. You are confident in your version of the truth and you feel no matter what happens in this conversation, you’ll be able to adapt.
Problem is, there is another person in this conversation and from the moment they open their mouth, it’s no longer just about the topic, the conversation is now about how we are having it.
~ Rands from, An Ideal Conversation – Rands in Repose

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HIT improves… your body’s sugar handling? →

Published June 27, 2015 · All posts on Jun 27 · Health

This entry is part 3 of 14 in the series John Briffa's "A Good Look at Good Health"

In this particular study, individuals engaging in the ‘high intensity interval training’ (HIT) sprinted on a exercise bike with maximum effort for 30 seconds at a time with 4 mins of rest in between. 6 sessions were performed over a two-week period, with 4-6 ‘sprints’ in each session. I was interested to read a recently published study which used an identical exercise schedule. The focus here was not on fitness benefits, but on the impact HIT might have on individuals’ ability to handle sugar.
~ John Briffa from, «http://www.drbriffa.com/2009/01/30/short-bursts-of-high-intensity-activity-found-to-improve-bodys-ability-to-handle-sugar/»

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Overcoming the distraction habit →

Published June 26, 2015 · All posts on Jun 26 · Thought and Philosophy

One of the insidious things about the distraction habit is that we often don’t even realize it’s happening. It sneaks up on us, like old age, and before we know it we’re addicted and powerless.
But actually we’re not powerless. The power we have is our awareness, and you can develop it right now. Pay attention to what sites you visit, how often you’re looking at your phone, how long you’re spending in front of a screen all day.
~ Leo Babauta from, An Addict’s Guide to Overcoming the Distraction Habit – Zen Habits Website

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Variability is the key →

Published June 25, 2015 · All posts on Jun 25 · Parkour

Instead of specializing someone who is specialized in something else, we need to un-specialize them. We need to give people what they don’t have at the foundational level first. …
Once that foundation is established we’re able to move into almost any specialized activity, and that’s the goal. Not just to be good at exercising for a while, but to have bodies that are capable of doing whatever we want without injury in the real world, for the rest of our lives.
~ Matt Malloy from, «http://roguedenver.com/variability-fitness-training/»