Month: January 2012

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The Dieters Paradox

In writing this, I am reminded of an old joke/quip to the effect that “All that separates man from the animals is our ability to rationalize.”   I’d add “And accessorize” but that’s neither here nor there.   The reality is that humans are able to engage in amazing mental gymnastics sometimes.  As psychologists put it, we are slaves to cognitive bias.  In this context, I want to look at an odd little paper addressing what they call the dieter’s paradox.

Chernev A.  The Dieters Paradox.  Journal of Consumer Psychology.  (2001) 21: 178-183.

Cognitive Bias in Diet and Exercise

I don’t know if I’d say that people do or do not engage in more cognitive bias when it comes to nutrition than in other areas of life but but there is no doubt that they do.  Some of this is conscious but much of it can be chalked up to either unconscious behaviors, misunderstandings (or a lack of information/education) or mishearing or misinterpreting the message.  … Keep Reading

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Are Upright Rows Unsafe?

The upright row is an exercise that has gone in and out of fashion.  Used for decades, they became unpopular in the 90’s and beyond due to safety concerns.  But much of that issue had to do with how the upright row was done.  So today let me answer a question that I see/get a lot which is: are upright rows safe?

My hair isn’t actually as crazy as it looks.  The thing on the top of my head is part of my rack.

A Comment on Exercise Selection

In recent years, what have been come to be called the “exercise police” can be found online.  While some are just folks making technical nitpicks, many are the ones proclaiming that a given exercise “is” or “is not” dangerous.  The problem here is that it’s simplistic to look at any given exercise in this fashion.

Rather, it’s better to look at exercises in terms of their pros and cons or perhaps in a risk:reward sort of way. … Keep Reading