Dispatch #28
How to do a pull-up, tips for sticking to a diet, all about creatine, and a different way of thinking about the lives of animals.
We’re only one month into 2023, but I have a feeling we’ve already been presented with the biggest health story of the year. Here in Canada—a nation in which 80% of adults report drinking on a regular basis—alcohol is under the gun. A recent federally-funded report has put into words what most of us already know on one level or another, and that is that booze is bad for our bodies. Like, really bad. Bad enough that previous consumption guidelines have been completely overhauled, from 2 drinks a day to 2 drinks a week. Bad enough to warrant warning labels like cigarettes and tobacco products. Bad enough to consider banning all forms of alcohol advertising and marketing. Bad bad bad.
Or is it??
According to this editorial from The Globe & Mail, the media is overlooking several key points from this report, as are the talking heads representing the actual report itself. Says the honchos at “Canada’s National Newspaper”:
The study’s data don’t align with the apocalyptic headlines it has generated…The most obvious omission…are the study’s own data – consistent with earlier studies – showing that modest alcohol consumption reduces the risk of some types of cardiovascular disease.
And what about the centre’s assertion that the risk of ‘many kinds’ of cardiovascular disease rises for those consuming more than six standard drinks a week? In the very narrowest sense, that is true – the risk does rise, compared to those consuming less alcohol.
But that statement glides past the fact, laid out in the centre’s study, that there is a protective effect against three of six identified cardiovascular diseases for those consuming up to seven drinks a week, as compared with lifetime abstainers.
And then there’s this, about as direct of a statement on the subject that you’re likely to find:
“There is no statistically significant difference in overall health risk between a lifetime abstainer and a drinker until the latter’s alcohol consumption nears seven standard drinks a week.“
Anyone else confused?
Who are we supposed to listen to, the scientists who are speaking to the media about the study or the reporters analyzing the study itself? It’s these sorts of back-and-forth battles between experts and opinion-makers that leads the public towards choosing apathy over anything else. We saw this happen with COVID. We will see it happen again with future health scares.
Personally, I’m all for warning labels and reconsidering how alcohol is marketed to the masses. The stuff is toxic, and the societal burden caused by impaired driving and drunken assholes is enormous. But then again, there are few greater pleasures than cracking a couple of cold ones with friends on a sunny summer afternoon.
Perhaps it’s time to study why it is that people even drink at all. That we’ve collectively chosen to romanticize a substance responsible for more pain and suffering than any illegal narcotic illustrates just how hard it is to get through this life stone-sober. Address that and maybe we’ll make some real headway towards behaviour change.
Brain & Body
First thing’s first: yes, there is a difference between a chin-up and a pull-up. Not only do they target different muscles, for most people pull-ups are significantly more challenging. Thankfully there are all sorts of ways to scale this fantastic exercise to your particular abilities.
Aiming for a single, near-perfect pull-up is a great goal for everyone. Grip strength, core strength, total-body coordination—the pull-up trains all of these qualities and more. Plus, it feels pretty damn cool being able to command your body in such a profound way.
There’s a popular fitness joke that speaks to the central message of this article: “What’s the best exercise for burning belly fat? Three sets of ‘putting down the fork’”. Aren’t personal trainers just a riot??
All kidding aside, dieting is hard and losing weight takes a whole lot of discipline. Unfortunately a certain degree of suffering is mandatory, however applying the “tricks” discussed in this article will make the process less of a drag.
There was a period during my late 20’s I weighed a little over 180 pounds. That’s the biggest I’ve ever been; and while I’d like to credit my work ethic for this transformation, I feel the majority of that extra bulk came courtesy of a particular creatine formulation that has since been taken off the market. Given that this supplement was designed by a company that’s owned by a retired bodybuilder…and given that illicit performance enhancing drugs are standard tools of the bodybuilding trade…and given that I gained something like 25 pounds in less than a year, chances are these results were due to something other than creatine.
That said, creatine is one of the few sports supplements that live up to the hype. If you lift weights on a regular basis and/or do not eat animal products, I strongly recommend making friends with creatine. It’s one of the most studied and scrutinized supplements in existence, with next to no negative side effects (when used as directed). Not only that, it’s very affordable. Cheap and effective—what’s not to love?
Heart & Soul
Is weed a supplement? Sure, why not. Some of my best workouts have happened in while under the spell of sweet Mary-Jane. It’s also the only sleeping aid that’s helped me manage the insomnia and night terrors that have plagued my entire existence.
It turns out our bodies may just be designed for consuming cannabis. That euphoric feeling we get after a hard workout—that comes courtesy of our internal endocannabinoid system. Runner’s high indeed.
The Banshees of Inisherin is one of the most powerful and moving films I’ve seen. So overwhelmed was I while watching this tale two estranged friends on a fictional Irish island that I had to press pause on three separate occasions just to gather my emotions. It took me nearly a whole weekend to finish the thing, though that likely speaks more to my state of mind at the time than the quality of the filmmaking.
At the heart of the film is a story about loneliness and isolation. More to the point, it’s about how hard it is for men to embrace their vulnerability and how that in turn leads to a sad, miserable life. Everyone needs friends. Everyone needs companionship. Everyone needs to feel connected to something outside of their own private inner-world. These are hard words to write for a man who spends most of his time with a pair of dogs, but the truth often hurts don’t it.
Speciesism is the belief that humans are superior to all other animals on Earth. Humans like to think that because we have opposable thumbs and overactive brains that we’re somehow more important than all other living creatures. And yet, it ain’t the pigs and birds who are to blame for the sorry state of this planet.
In her latest book, philosopher and all-around Very Smart Person Martha Nussbaum argues that humans need to view any creature that has the ability to suffer as an equal. This may sound far-fetched to some, but it’s a theory I subscribe to with all my heart. The question is, how do we define “suffering”? It’s a subject many great minds have tried to tackle, including one of my favourite thinkers, Canada’s punk rock poet laureate, Chris Hannah:
Stupid chick on the conveyor belt
Staring at her severed foot
Stupid pig despairing at the sight
Of his companion on a hook
You ever see that stupid cow chasing the truck
That drove off with her calf?
Stupid lower order always good, good for a good laugh
Social Spotlight
Maybe you’re curious about creatine, but you’re thinking “Who the hell is this Landini guy anyway? Does he even know what he’s talking about?”. Fair questions both. Lucky for both of us, you don’t have to take my word. Just pay a visit to Examine and let their team of experts assuage your fears.
Examine is my first stop whenever I’m asked about or considering a new supplement. Their information is unbiased, impartial, and very easy to understand. No fluff, just the facts. And not only do they offer insights into supplements, you can also learn about just about every nutritional fad and medical condition you can think of, from keto and carnivore to Alzheimer’s and gut health.
That’s all for this week. Thank you, as always, for reading and supporting my work.
Until next time…
- P
Regarding "Perhaps it’s time to study why it is that people even drink at all."
Read the book Drunk, by Edward Slingerland, a professor at the University of British Columbia. https://www.edwardslingerland.com/drunk
The book is both informative and entertaining.