i “Google” Therefore i Know

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By Richard Labaki

The American president Abraham Lincoln practiced as a lawyer before going into politics.  And during one notable trial, he finished his summing up to the jury by saying, “My learned opponent [the prosecutor] has given you all the facts but has drawn the wrong conclusions.”  Upon losing the case, the prosecutor asked Lincoln how he was able to turn the jury around.  “Well, during the recess I wandered into a café, sat with the jury and told them a story,” Lincoln answered.  “It was about a farmer who was mending a fence, when his ten-year-old son came running shouting, ‘Dad, sister is up in the hay loft with a man and he is pulling down his pants and she is pulling up her skirt and I think they are going to pee all over the hay.”  According to Lincoln, the farmer said to his son, “You got all the facts straight, but you have drawn the wrong conclusion.”  

I remember this amusing story every time someone comes to me for help after he or she had exhausted time and energy researching and trying out random methods to improve their health.  In many instances, a lot of harm had been done in the process (following the wrong dietary routes, taking the wrong kinds of supplements or dosages, etc.)  I mean let’s face it: The internet has opened the floodgates of information.  Any topic and not just health could be delved into just by typing in the right words on Google.  Nevertheless, this has also made people more susceptible to falling victims to misinformation or disinformation.  After all, not everything you learn through the internet is properly scrutinized by experts and substantiated by trustworthy studies.  There are those who try to manipulate information in order to serve their own ends (for example, turning people into consumers.)  And there are those who simply share their presumed success stories or personal opinions thinking that what worked for them could work for everyone else (some even go as far as presenting themselves to be health gurus despite the lack of credentials.)  But even if you do acquire all the right health facts through the internet that does not mean you will be able to draw the right conclusions. 

Facts are simply pieces of information, which need to be organized into a body of knowledge.  And knowledge could be of value only in the right hands (an expert who has spent years studying, practicing and testing.)  Therefore, it is preposterous to assume that through acquiring facts alone one would be able to handle something as important and sensitive as health-related issues!  So what does this mean?  Am I recommending that people stop trying to educate themselves about wellbeing and stop seeking natural means that facilitate healing?  Surely not!  All I am saying is that people need to be vigilant in scrutinizing the information they come across through any medium and not just the internet.  Moreover, it will always be a wise policy to seek professionals, who are able to 1) differentiate between what is true and what is false, and 2) have the required experience to steer you in the right direction.  The role of a good therapist is not to turn you into a lifelong client in order to make money out of you.  His or her role is to help you make the shift to a healthier and more vibrant life until you are able to continue down that road on your own. 

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The Virtues of Cheating: Caught red-handed committing the ultimate dietary sin

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By Richard Labaki

Several friends and clients regard me as some sort of a “health cop” and are always worried to eat unhealthy snacks/meals when I am around.  Some even joke about my being so strict in public only to secretly binge on bad choices in the dark corners of a fast food restaurant.  Well I have a confession to make: There is some truth to this joke.  I do cheat and eat unhealthy stuff.  However, there are viable reasons as to why I do it.  But first, let me tell you about that fateful day when I decided to go super clean and avoid bad choices entirely.  Foods that I know are lousy for health were completely omitted from the daily menu.  Sugars, bad types of oils, wheat products (bread, cakes, croissants,) corn and others were no longer consumed.  And in the beginning, this felt great; body-fat percentage was dropping consistently, energy levels were increasing and mood was brightening!  I was finally doing everything right and implementing all the knowledge that I spent years accumulating through research.  But then something peculiar began to emerge.  My system became hypersensitive to anything that is toxic or remotely unhealthy.  The slightest exposure to bad compounds – be it through food, water or air – was instantly felt in my body.  The symptoms ranged from headaches, tummy aches, nausea and others.  I could no longer eat at restaurants, even if my selection was more or less healthy (there is no control over the ingredients used in restaurants.)  Then I remembered something that I learned in a course I took during my clinical nutrition studies. 

Professor Hans Selye described a 5-stage process in 1956, which he named the General Adaptation Syndrome.  The first stage is the “Initial Response” – your first response to any substance is the best indicator of whether or not it suits you (your first cup of coffee, alcoholic beverage, sugary treat and others.)  The second stage is “Adaptation” – your body learns to adapt to the substances, which it cannot tolerate or which cause a certain degree of harm.  An example would be the lessening of symptoms caused by smoking a cigarette (no more coughing) or drinking coffee (no more heart palpitations.)  What is happening at this level is that the body tries to protect itself; nevertheless, this adaptation places a certain strain on the body.  Third stage is “Exhaustion” – at this level the body is no longer able to cope with the continuous exposure to the nasty compound.  You simply become sick and the diseases could take on various shapes (from cardiovascular problems to cancer and everything in between.)   This is when most people seek professional help.  Fourth stage is “Recovery” – your body heals when you limit or omit altogether the exposure to undesirable elements/substances.  You simply try to wean yourself off all things to which you are addicted or allergic (with the help of a therapist who would administer the right natural supplements and devise the proper food regimen.)  The fifth and final stage is “Hypersensitivity” – this in effect is going back to stage one after your body is healthy again.  And this is when you may seem to be hypersensitive to substances that did not affect you negatively before (although they were surely doing harm without your noticing it.)  Certain alcoholic beverages, ordinary foods, dairy products and fumes could start causing some reactions in your body. 

And it was at this stage that I started experiencing this hypersensitivity.  Now this phenomenon would theoretically go away or lessen after being healthy for a while.  Yet, I personally believe that a better approach would be to allow yourself a certain degree of exposure but in a regulated manner.  Doing so would keep you somehow balanced.  After all, we live in a heavily polluted world and there is no escaping toxins or bad food additives completely.  And one way to regulate your exposure is by allowing yourself to cheat once every five or six days.  However, you surely need to avoid anything that causes severe allergic reactions.  Moreover, you need to control your portions.  Another benefit of cheating once a week is the positive effect it has on your commitment levels.  Knowing that you will be able to eat that which you desire at a given day will motivate you to remain fully clean for six consecutive days.  Psychologically, you will be more compelled to adhere to your healthy habits.  And this is why I constantly urge my friends and clients to cheat in a controlled fashion every week.  The cheating could span the entire day or be limited to a certain food item you crave the most – the choice is ultimately yours.  So the next time you catch me at a restaurant devouring unhealthy meals and some wickedly mouthwatering dessert, know that it is officially my cheat day! 

Faith in the Functional: Is your training benefiting your body or simply ruining it?

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By Richard Labaki

Most people nowadays understand the importance of integrating exercise into their daily lives.  The positive psychological and physiological effects of working out regularly have been extensively documented by countless studies.  Yet, the realm of fitness remains a moving target.  In nutrition, there are various competing philosophies – each claiming to present the right path to health (similar to how each religious group claims ownership of the sole path to God.)  The same applies to the fitness domain.  You have, for example, those who believe that weightlifting or bodybuilding is the best way to train.  And there are those who have been religiously following the CrossFit approach.  Some like to work on their endurance (marathoners) while others adopt the high-intensity interval training method (sprinters.)  But if I have learned anything throughout the years, it is simply this: Never follow a single doctrine to a point where you become a slave to it.  From every philosophy, you need to select the parts that make sense to you while discarding the elements that don’t feel right or simply fail under scientific scrutiny. 

And so here are scientific facts.  Training for endurance (such as jogging over long distances or doing low intensity cardio classes for long durations) could have a detrimental impact on your physiology.  Heart and lungs shrink in size as a result, and it is common to see marathoners collapsing of a heart attack because of endurance training.  Bodybuilding, in which training is solely intended for increased muscle growth, creates severe joint and muscular imbalances.  Just look at how bodybuilders walk; their movements resemble that of a poorly lubricated robot.  Over time, the biomechanics become utterly disrupted and bodybuilders wind up with a dysfunctional physique.  Weightlifters train in order to lift heavier weights during competition.  Again, their body becomes irreversibly damaged and most of the exercises they perform have no application in real life.  CrossFit – as a training doctrine – is probably the undisputed champion in terms of causing severe and numerous injuries.  So by now you must be wondering what could possibly be the best form of training.  To answer this question, first you need to define what you wish to derive from working out.  Personally, I believe that exercising should enhance the following aspects: Health, energy and functionality. 

Let us start with the element of health.  Training regularly should improve biomarkers in the body such as triglycerides, cholesterol ratios, blood sugar, CRP (an inflammation marker) and others.  If the way you train does not improve these variables and boost the functioning of your organs (like the lungs and the heart muscle) then it makes no sense to continue working out in that fashion.  And if the way you train does not affect your energy levels favorably – by stimulating your anabolic/anti-aging hormones and improving mitochondrial performance in the cells – then there is no point in going to the gym and sweating your heart out!  Finally yet importantly, training should address your biomechanics – work on improving your body’s functionality and range of motion while avoiding the possibility of sustaining injuries (in fact, proper training should shield your body against injuries.)  You see, the human body was designed to move through different planes of motion and in specific ways.  It is an evolutionary aspect that took millions of years to develop in order to improve the survival of our species.  But unfortunately, several training methodologies do not consider this simple yet crucial element. 

Functional forms of training are paramount and should be the foundation of any exercise regimen designed to build a healthy, strong and flexible physique.  In recent years, I have been seeking figures who have delved deep into the realm of functional training and biomechanics.  And the one who impressed me the most has to be Naudi Aguilar – creator of Functional Patterns (FP).  This man has surely gone where no one has gone before in terms of understanding how the human body was originally designed to move.  Consequently, FP as a system seeks to train the body in the right manner – every single exercise is designed to strengthen and help the body move the way it was originally intended to.  And so while other training systems are all about increasing muscle size, burning body-fat or simply teaching acrobatic exercises to impress others, FP focuses intently on posture, flexibility and proper rotation of the torso – without overlooking the element of increasing strength.  I have learned a lot from Functional Patterns, although this education has not been an official one (it has been acquired mainly through YouTube clips posted by Naudi who is very prolific in this regard.)  But soon I will start training with my friend and Functional Patterns master trainer John Haddad – owner of Level 8 Gym in Beirut (john.functionalpatterns.com).  And so, you will be hearing more about my training the FP style shortly. 

I would also like to point out that once the right exercises are performed in the proper “functional” manner, you could then apply other training philosophies to the equation.  For me, high intensity interval training (HIIT) completes the picture in terms of physiologically bolstering the body.  Research has shown that this form of training improves various biomarkers and enhances overall wellbeing, in addition to boosting energy, metabolism and body-fat burn capabilities.  I personally enjoy doing Tabata, which is an intense form of HIIT whereby I do 20 seconds of high impact exertion followed by 10 seconds of rest – repeated over eight sets.  One round equals eight sets (completed in only four minutes.)  But make no mistake; those four minutes are excruciating!  I do three rounds and so my workout is over in 18 minutes max.  Training should be part of everyone’s lifestyle, and it has to be adapted to meet each person’s needs and capabilities.  But what should never change is the functional element.  Any person will benefit tremendously from training the functional way, while failing to do so will have dire consequences – on both the short and long run.