The Unconventional Running Coach

My Score : 8/10 Coverage : Evolution, exercise In "Exercised, " Harvard professor and renowned barefoot running advocate Daniel Lieberman takes a fresh look at our relationship with physical activity. He challenges conventional wisdom, arguing that we weren't designed for intense exercise routines but for moderate, daily movement. This premise fuels a thought-provoking and informative exploration of why and how we should move our bodies. Strengths: Evolutionary perspective:  Lieberman's unique approach sheds light on our bodies' historical adaptation to movement,  making exercise more understandable and relatable. Myth-busting:  He debunks common misconceptions about exercise,  like the "no pain,  no gain" mentality and the need for strenuous workouts. Focus on joy and sustainability:  The book advocates for finding activities you enjoy,  making exercise more likely to become a natural part of your life. Science-backed:  Lieberman seamlessly w...

Leroy, F., Smith, N., Adegbola T Adesogan, Beal, T., Iannotti, L., Moughan, P. and Mann, N. (2023). The role of meat in the human diet: evolutionary aspects and nutritional value. Animal Frontiers , [online] 13(2), pp.11–18. doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/af/vfac093 . " indicating evolutionary reliance on, and compatibility with, substantial meat intake" This paper has quite a lot of good information that I could quote and probably not a lot for me to actually write up so your best bet is to just go and read the paper. Here are some highlights. They state that is it likely that there is a contribution between the pushback on meat and the increase in disease seen around the world, this is because the removal of meat leave a broad spectrum of nutrients out of the diet.  Not only is meat the best source for protein but it contains most of the global supply of vitamin B12 and is a good supply for " other B vitamins, retinol, long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, several minerals in ...

This one is not so much about complete carnivore but about why we should eat meat and why we should prioritise it. After all, if hundreds of thousands of years of evolution drove us to walk upright, sweat, shed fur for hair, springy legs and feet and a digestive system optimised to process fat. So humans were born / evolved to run but we did so in order to hunt animals to give us the fat we needed to thrive. Lets have a look at some of the literature, note that these were just a few of the many articles I came across and several of these are themselves reviews that reference many articles to support these hypothesis. At this point it is a fact that humans evolved the way they did because of / for their meat based diet. Evolution works on such grand timescales that we are essentially the same beings as we were 10,000 years ago and as such are still a species that is has been moulded through time to live and thrive off of meat. It is the drive to hunt that meat that has led to use be...

My Score : 9/10 Coverage : Running, barefoot running (I have both the book and audiobook) Born to Run is a captivating and inspiring book that explores the secrets of arguably the world's best distance runners, the Tarahumara Indians of Mexico. McDougall, a journalist and a runner himself, takes us on a journey from the labs of Harvard to the remote Copper Canyons, where he meets a colourful cast of characters and learns about the ancient art of running. Along the way, he challenges some of the common myths and misconceptions about running, such as the need for expensive shoes, the benefits of stretching, and the limits of human endurance. He also shares his own personal transformation as he trains for a gruelling  50-mile race with the Tarahumara and a group of eccentric mostly American ultra-runners. Born to Run is not just a book about running, but a book about life. It is a book that celebrates the joy of movement, the power of nature, and the potential of the human s...

 My Score 10/10 What is covered ? Diet, biomechanics, slow training, training plans  I don't give many books full marks but there is so little I don't like about this book I was annoyed I had forgot about it until now. In fact it is another book I own in both paperback and audiobook and as a result of seeing it am going to give it another listen to. Things I like / use in my own training that are talked about in this book:  Walking before you can run, it is even the title of chapter 3.  Standing more than sitting e.g. standing desks (chapter 2) Barefoot / Minimalist Running (mentioned in a few places)  Maffetone / Low Heart Rate training  Diet - Low carb which would be sufficient for most runners.  Running Drills to improve technique  Recovery is where you improve and should be prioritised.  Health and happiness before performance but also often leads to it.  Strength training The book opens up with how humans evolved and the function o...

Honestly my standard day involves 2 burger patties (homemade, 250g uncooked weight each) for breakfast at around 9am, if I am hungry then another patty between 10:30-11:30 and then my final meal, another 2 patties, around 1-2pm. It is normally beef but sometimes lamb, the middle meal will sometimes be swap for lamb chops but at the moment my life is around 1kg of burger patties day. Ah I should add they will be lightly or heavily salted to taste.