Fact-checking the New York Times’s core workout

Let's briefly fact-check the New York Times Well blog’s “core strength exercise workout” demo gifs that will no doubt become a viral sensation for years to come like the "Scientific 7-Minute Workout" before it, regardless of its quality:

• Plank: Model’s tailbone is not tucked, core is not engaged.
• Deadbug: Model’s lower back is coming off the floor, maybe the number one thing that renders a deadbug useless.
• Suitcase carry: Why would you march in place? How does this meaningfully mimic “carrying something”? The core work comes from the instability created by the forward walking motion and shifting of weight therein. Just silly.
• Upside-down turtle: This movement is not a thing, just a fancy deadbug, but again, lower back coming off the floor.
• I say again: Ab and "core" workouts are fake! A waste of time and patience that only preys on insecurity over belly fat during this, our one precious life on this earth. And particularly when the execution is bad like this, they are back pain waiting to happen.

What makes lifting “dangerous” for everyone, including older people

Squats are good for your knees, presses are good for your shoulders, deadlifts are good for your back. We are just not used to thinking about working out in all the ways we need to.

She's A BeastCasey Johnston

Eat

~Discord Pick of the Week: No medical treatment, but I thoroughly enjoyed learning about some shoulder pain relief movements from Bob and Brad, the “two most famous physical therapists on the internet” (their words). ~

Pulling from my book research again: Working out to music you choose increases your pain tolerance. Please use your headphones responsibly!

This piece on rich moms who vibed with the mom stresses portrayed in Fleishman Is in Trouble became a popular one to dunk on this week; to be fair, it is a bit brain-breaking that someone pulling down $300,000 American dollars per year can find no joy in life except a tub she doesn’t yet own. But an important ball to keep our eye on is that there are still a lot of systemic problems out there that are not solved by money, and that a lot of them—our lack of a social safety structure that provides for child care or time off work; the fact that our medical system can wipe out even significant wealth and impart a huge burden of at-home care with one emergency surgery or, say, a global pandemic—are laid at the feet of women.

The lady will have: a sustainable protein in the form of a catfish/alligator hybrid steak (Allicat? Gatorfish? Catogato?)

You may be strong in body, but are you strong………. in friendship?

Why exercise is a social justice issue.

FitMenCook (Kevin Curry) is a longtime fav of the Discord, and he’s making his play on NPR!

The hour between “babe” and “hag.”

Drink

Once again, the most interminably boring people are bodyshaming Melanie Lynskey, this time for not being emaciated to a degree that they feel befits the post-apocalypse. How do they not fall asleep mid-this-thought? Science has much to learn from their sheer tenacity.

College kids have discovered diet riot punch, but they call it “borg” (black out rage gallon). Points for style.

The mean life of a “midsize” model. We covered mid-size as a concept a couple years ago.

It’s wild how persistent the (roundly debunked for many years at this point!) “chemical imbalance” theory of depression has been.

Rest

Each day I fist pump for the climate-change-driven draining of Lake Powell. I’ve linked her before, but please watch this mini-doc on the majestic Glen Canyon, which was tragically flooded to create Lake Powell but is now being revealed again because man’s hubris is no match for pressure and time.

I loooooved this profile of YoungBoy. I hope the Mormons do not take him.

A beautiful piece from Matt Schnipper on popular music and the loss of his baby son.

It’s dawned on me recently that we’ve sort of lost track of how easy it is get a 99%-as-good version of services that the big 5 tech behemoths offer, without being railroaded every time we interact with them by the terrible content and algorithms. To that end, someone is making a Goodreads alternative.

That’s all for this week! I love you for reading, thank you, let’s go—