Backpacking in the cold weather

The best way to stay warm and toasty is by staying in your flannel PJs inside your house. But if you've been tricked into joining a backpacking trip (Drat!), here are some tips to make yourself as comfortable as possible in freezing weather (32° F/ 0° C). 

Wear the right clothing:

• Do not wear anything cotton. When you work up a sweat, your cotton gets wet and stays wet. This is a recipe for a shivery night.  
• Bring one more layer than you think you'd need. It is cold on the ground, plus your body doesn't generate as much heat as when you're standing up. 
• For your core body: Wear a non-cotton base layer, a light fleece sweater, and one of those thick college hoodies with a single large pocket that has two hand openings. The hoodie is the perfect outer layer because it forms a light wind shell, keeps your heard warm while you are sleeping, and provides an instant hand warmer (not all sleeping bags have that nice little feature, so it's kinda cool making your ghetto adaptation). Oh, and you can stash a water-proof glove (cycling gloves also works) in the pocket, in case your hands still get cold.   
• For your legs, get fleece, thermal wear or cycling tights, all of which are warmer than silk pants. Cycling tights are a bit more wind resistant. Put rain or snow pants over the base layer to deflect the wind. You could also just wear a wind-breaking sweat pants with fleece lining, if you don't have fancy rain/snow pants. 
• Bring a pair of really warm sleeping socks. If you don't hike with these, you can just bring one pair for sleeping. It's worth the weight when things get really cold, and your body starts retracting heat from your extremities to keep your core warm. 
• Bring a windproof beanie that goes over your ears. Then put your hood over your head to keep it from sliding out when you sleep.

Generate and conserve as much heat as possible

• Hydrate well, but stop drinking right before bed. The cold weather will make you want to go to the potty more often than usual. Each time you leave your sleeping bag, you'll need to warm it up all over again.  
• If you have to go answer nature's call, sprint back to your tent. This generates a little bit of extra heat right before you stash yourself into the now-cold sleeping bag. 
• If you are still cold, do sit ups inside your bag. You'll heat up fast, and if your bag will keep the warmth in, long after you'd stop. 

Other things to make you comfortable:

• Use an insulated 4-season air mattress (Thermarest, for example). Not only does it provide cushioning, but it keeps the ground from chilling you. 
• Invest in a bag liner. Silk, flannel, and some synthetics can add 5° or more of warmth and they keep your sleeping bag cleaner and might, for some people, feel better than the sleeping-bag fabric. Silk is the lightest and most expensive option. 
• Bring a compressible camp pillow, which has an incredible weight-to-comfort ratio (backpacking is a trade off between light weight and comfort). Yes, you could use your clothes as a pillow, but if you're wearing all your clothes because it's so darn cold, you'll need a pillow! The generic one from REI is cheap and comfy! 

Things you can ditch:

• Since you are bringing more layers than you normally do, you have to look for places to lighten the load. Double up on the food/drink pack. Consider packing single-serve soy milk instead of just plain water. It quenches thirst and it's calorie rich (compared to water).
• You probably drink less water in cold weather than in warm weather. Adjust accordingly. Don't be too stingy though. It's always better to carry more water than you think you'd need than being parched, head-achey, and grumpy, You can always spill out water. 

Saving money:

• Outdoor activities can get so expensive, so it's best to repurpose what you already have. For example, winter cycling clothing, which are designed to wick sweat out and dry rapidly, can be repurposed for other cold activities, like hiking and skiing. They are designed to keep you warm and dry without restricting movement. 
• Cycling tights take little space yet are great for keeping you warm without overheating you.  However, they are designed for the a seated, not upright position, and they can get clammy if you are one of the sweaty types. Test it out first to make sure that you're comfortable with it. The generous padding that's great in cycling might get annoying in hiking. 

Your mileage may vary with these tips and tricks, but they worked well for us. We definitely had a much better experience than our other camping buddies, who actually had better gear.

Keeping track of your weight training

You know that muscular dude bench-pressing a small car in the gym and smelling of man-sweat? He probably keeps a diary (but for your own safety, you should call it an "exercise journal" when talking to him).

Keep a record of each workout, so you can track your progress and finetune your weight training program. A journal is a report card for your muscles. You can see if you are getting stronger or plateauing, so you can adjust your program accordingly. If you want to be stronger, you shouldn't be doing the same thing the same way every time.

To get started, download the great worksheet from Corrie Haffly.

In addition to Corrie's worksheet, your diary—I mean—your manly exercise journal should have another sheet for entering your feelings (the butch term is "state"). Was the set hard to complete? Easy? Or just right? If you're really serious about the whole thing, you could also write about your state before and after the workout. Were you enervated or energized?

We're not uniformly strong every single day, because our bodies, diet, and situations change. Sleep, stress, diet, biological rythms, emotional states, and that cute person looking your way affect strength and performance. Some days, you can do all your reps; on others, you are two reps short. That's OK. Each set should be a range of reps, not a precise number of reps, so no worries if you are within your target range.

Applying sunscreen

Instructions for applying sunscreen seems, well, unnecessary... afterall what does one need to know beyond: squirt into hands and apply all over exposed flesh? Well, the thing is, I've observed people apply too little with their expired SPF-12 lotion with no UV-A protection whatsoever (you know who you are). Why not just sprinkle yourself with chicken blood (or, if you are vegan, soy sauce) hoodoo? It's just as effective.

Sun damage is cumulative, so it's best to minimize it. Here are three simple tips:

• What to apply: Get broad-spectrum "sweatproof" sunscreen that protects you from both UV-A and UV-B rays. Not all sunscreens are created equal. In fact, the Environmental Working Group claims in its study that 4 out of 5 (84%) are ineffective or unsafe. For UV-A protection (against aging), look for zinc oxide, titanium oxide, avobenzone, or ecamsule in the ingredients. For UV-B protection (against burning), look for at least SPF 30.
  Costco sells Neutragena sunblock*—which claims to meet all criteria, plus it's non-comedogenic (won't block pores) and feels light on the skin—for a good price. If you'd rather use something else, you can check out a database of tested suncreen. And do keep an eye out on the expiration date.
• When to apply: Apply 30 minutes before sun exposure, and reapply every few hours. Be OCD if you are fair-skinned.
• How much to apply: You need an ounce of sunblock to cover your entire body (more if you are a big guy). An ounce is about 1/3 of a standard-sized Neutrogena tube. You need to apply half a teaspoon each for the face, neck, and arms; and a full teaspoon each for the chest, stomach, back, and legs. Don't forget your ears and the top of your shoulders!

For some background on UV-A and UV-B, see the previous post. Physical protection, such as wide-brimmed hats work great, too, but don't forget about reflected radiation. Bah, just get a burqa. Maybe one made from reflective tin foil.

* Neutrogena also contains oxybenzone, which a few animal and lab studies suggest might release free radicals and mildly affect hormone systems, however these studies did not show harm in sunscreen users. In any case, the risk of not applying sunscreen is many multiples worse (as assessed by the American Cancer Society)!

If you're really creeped out by chemicals, you can use suncreen that contains inorganic particulates, such as zinc oxide and titanium dioxide.

Sun damage while driving

You still can get sun damage inside some cars. True, it's unlikley that you'll get a sunburn while driving, not even in long road trips, but incremental damage does happen and accummulates over the years.

In most cars, the windshield is treated to filter out UV-A radiation, which accounts for wrinkling, but the side and the rear windows only partially filter out UV-B radiation, which darkens skin. So while you might not darken, you still get wrinkly and all. Boo! (But a few car models actually have better UV-A and UV-B protection).

You can have the windows professionally treated to block out UV rays without tinting or affecting visibility. Incidentally, in California, all new automoblies are required by law to have heat-blocking (either by deflection or absorption) glass by 2012. This makes environmental sense since one will need less energy to cool the car.

p.s. If you can never keep track of which one is UV-A and which one is UV-B, try this menmonic: UV-A causes skin Aging; UV-B causes skin Burning. Both types contribute to cancer.

Picking the best melondramatic fruits

Melons (such as watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew) are delish and stuffed with goodness. Their colors give you a hint of their superpowers. The cantaloupe is brimming with vitamin C and beta-carotene; honeydew has loads of folate; watermelon has super high levels of citrulline, which the body converts to nitric oxide (relaxes your blood vessels and lowers your blood pressure).

Some studies have shown that melons could help with anxiety, stress, panic attacks, as well as stroke and heart disease. And the beta carotene can't be bad for your eyes.

OK, OK, so we love melons. But how do you pick one?

A good melon:

• Is heavy for its size
• Sounds hollow when you tap it (if it has a dull thud, it might be overripe)
  
• Is brightly colored
• Has a yellow spot (the fruit ripened on the vine, not the warehouse)
• Plays well with others, including the ugly fruits
  

More on beans, the magical fruit

Beans are good veggies for athletic folks or pips who just want to maintain their weight. Besides the abundant phytochemicals and antioxidants, they pack the most fiber and protein (half a cup = two ounces of meat and seafood) among our plant friends. All the fiber fills you up, so that should keep you from eyeing the dessert tray.

If you're not that into beans, you can trick yourself by secretly adding them to your salad, salsa, ground-meat type stuff (like spaghetti sauces and sloppy joes). If you puree cooked beans, you can add them to your soups, stews, and sauces.

See our sister blog to learn why the bean is also called the musical fruit. For more high-brow stuff on beans, see also our previous blabber.

Eating Sponge Bob's second cousin twice removed, Uni the sea urchin

So you've finally gathered the guts to eat uni. (They say it's raw sea urchin "roe." [whispering in teeny voice] But it's really sea urchin gonads, dude! Seriously yo.) We have a few pointers we picked up from Chef Dave from Shiro's in Seattle. (Yes, they serve really good stuff!)

What to expect
Uni has the texture of brain (not that we know what brain feels like, but that's how we imagine it)—firm yet custardy. Uni has a light, sweet taste with no hint of fishiness.

Determining quality
Eat only fresh uni. Uni is delicate and falls apart easily, so it gets disgusting when it's been processed. If it's watery or squishy, turn up your nose and mentally cross out the sushi place from your list of favorite restaurants.

The best kinds of uni are harvested in cold waters. Alaskan sea urchin are good, and the ones in California are seasonal (late fall through winter). They can be good when the water is cold, but terrible when not. The Japanese market covets the December harvests in particular.

Bon Appetit!
What could whet appetite better than the, ahem, something-something of spiky sea-cucumber thingies with the mouthfeel of braaaiins?! Enjoy!

p.s. "spiky sea-cucumber thingies" are called "echinoids" by some people with fancy degrees. See, we know some big words! Oooh!

The fun part of exercising—eating!

Eating before and after exercise matters because it affects the quality and results of your efforts.

Before exercising
Make sure that you have enough energy to sustain the intensity of your workout. Eat a substantial meal (300-500) with a 2:1 ratio of complex carbs and protein. Candies and soda are nonsense carbs, so think whole grains. 

If it's been a while since you last ate, snack up on bananas, cereal, or something that's easy to digest (that is, not loaded with fat or fiber). It's a snack, OK, so 100-200 calories would do. Do I need to tell you that a wheel of aged cheddar is a bad idea?

While exercising
If you are going for long sessions, say, a 40-mile bike ride, you need to keep on snacking to keep yourself from bonking out. At a brisk pace, one can burn about 500-700 calories an hour (but the actual number of calories that you burn depends on a variety of factors, like your weight, muscle mass, intensity, and so on). 

It doesn't matter if you are not in the mood to chow. Remember the rule: Eat before your hungry, drink before you are thirsty. By the time you feel the pangs, it's too late. You're already approaching Bonksville.

After exercising
Help your muscles recover from the beating. Within 20 minutes of your exercise, eat a mix of protein and carbs, such as a fruit smoothie,  milk, or yogurt with fruits. Ricotta cheese is particularly promising. A study published in the Journal of Nutrition found that it eased workout-related muscle soreness. The cheese contains a type of amino acid essential for repairing exercise-worn muscles.

Don't pig out (like sucking in 40 ounces of smoothie) just because you burned some calories that day. Be consistent with your caloric intake, otherwise you'd be gaining some pudge along with muscle mass.

And don't forget to rest or do low intensity stuff for a couple of days after a really punishing workout. For dealing with muscle soreness, see the previous blog.

The less fun part of exercising—soreness

You see it coming. You pushed yourself hard, and now you're paying for it. Two days of walking like Yosemite Sam and "ow-OW-ow!" yelping as you climb up the stairs. How do you deal with delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS)? Use two general approaches: increase circulation to peripheral blood vessels and decrease inflammation.

Try some of these ideas:

• Take a day or two of rest. Or you could do about 15 minutes of mellow aerobic exercise (like an easy walk or a leisurely bike ride) to get the circulation going.
  
• Eat stuff with anti-inflammatory effects, such as flaxseed oil or fish. You could also try ricotta cheese, which contains a type of amino acid essential for repairing exercise-worn muscles. Seriously. I know I always claim that cheese is the answer to everything, but a study published in the Journal of Nutrition did find that eating ricotta cheese reduces soreness from intense workouts.
  
• Get a massage.
  • Find a therapist who specializes in sport massages.
    
  • For a low budget option, get one of those foam rollers and roll out the kinks yourself. I don't understand why those things cost more than what you think they should be worth, but they're a one-time expense. Stretching the fascia (thin layer of tissue that covers and muscle fibers) can loosen them up and ease the soreness.
    
  • Try ice massage. Freeze a paper cup or plastic water bottle filled with water. Massage your sore muscles with the cup or bottle. Get the blood flowing and decrease excessive muscle inflammation.
• Wash the pain away.
  
• Take a warm bath after exercise. For bonus points, add 200-400 grams of Epsom salt (available at Costco). Common belief says it's for relaxing muscles and decreasing inflammation (but studies do not support the claim).
  
• If you're brutally brave, take a 5-minute ice bath. Deduct points from macho score if you scream.
  
• For a saner version, try contrast showering. Alternate between 30 seconds of cold water and two minutes of hot water. The idea is to increase peripheral blood flow.
  
• Drink water before and after exercise.
• Get enough zzzz's. Let your body repair itself and recover.
  
• Perform passive stretches (as opposed to dynamic stretches). You know, the gentle stretch-and-hold moves.
  
• Mask the soreness with some minty ointment.
  

If you're still sore for more than two days, you probably overtrained. You might want to consider easing up.

Also check out a great article on what do before, during, and after an exercise program to minimize soreness.

Go Row

For warming up, the rowing machine gives the most bang for your time. In addition to getting your heart rate up and getting the blood going, it works most muscle groups in your body. (And if you are a swimmer, rowing is good training for your sport.)

If your arms get tired too soon, change your technique. 

• Push with your legs (you should feel the top part of your thighs working), and keep your arms extended as you glide back. 
• When you reach the end of the movement, lean your torso back (without rounding your back) and pull the handle all the way towards your tummy. (For variation, you can pull the handle towards your chest instead of your tummy. This works a different part of your back.) 
• When you complete the motion, return to the starting position. Slide as far forward as your flexibility will allow; don't return just midway. But don't go too far forward either, lest you strain your back.
  

Try to complete the rowing stroke in one fluid motion, not in stilted steps. Start slow until you get the hang of things. Maintain your posture and never round your back.

Oh piddlewinks, blahblahblah, just watch the video. It sounds complicated, but rowing is worth the rewards.

p.s. Avoid the machine if it aggravates your shoulder and knee issues.
p.p.s. Rowing is not weight-bearing, so be sure to supplement it with other activities that are.

Fish farms

Aqauculture or fish farming can be bad for the environment. Shrimp farms in Asia result in the destruction of mangrove forests, which provide hospitable environments for young fish and prevent coastal erosion. Salmon farming pollutes the ocean with fish poop (Yes, I said poop! Does this make the blog edgy? No?! P**p!!!), excess feed, antibiotics, and other contaminants. It's so bad that the Environmental Defense Fund goes tsk, tsk.

In addition, fish farming could be bad for you. Some studies have found that farmed salmon (particularly from Europe) have higher level of PCBs and other industrial pollutants. Other farmed fishies are probably loaded with anitibiotics, pesticides, and chemicals that promote growth and control disease. (On the plus side, you might save on prescription drug costs. Yay, I guess.) Some farmed fish outside of the US have banned substances, and the FDA barely checks the quality.

It's not all bad, though. If done responsibly, aquaculture can relieve pressure from overfishing, and it does require less energy than raising land animals (the moo'ing kind).

You can sometimes determine the origin of your supermarket fish by looking at the country of origin labeling (COOL). But there's no oversight. For some weird reason, restaurants and fish markets are not required to tell you anything.

Here are some clues that the fish is farmed:

• The packaging brags: "Ocean-raised." Pffft, that's just double-speak for "farmed."
• "Atlantic salmon," farmed. How do I know that? Easy, we killed off the wild population already.
  
• Salmon sold from November to March. It's off-season. Sure, the salmon could be wild, but it's frozen.
  
• Most smoked salmon. But canned Alaskan sockeye (also called pink, red, and blueback) is probably wild.
• Most shrimp, mollusk, catfish, tilapia and trout.
  

Go fish

We all know about how we're supposed to eat 4-6 ounces of fish two to three times a week, but what kind of fish? In addition to the pesky mercury thing, PCBs, red tide, and other contaminants, there's that collapsing fish population issue.

In general, fishies lower on the food chain (like herring, mackerel, and sardines) are fine. I myself am rather partial to the Chocolate Fish from New Zealand, but local fishmongers don't sell them. Pity.

If you are buying canned fish, look for logos bearing the Marine Stewardship Council logo, which certifies that the fish was caught using sustainable pole-and-line methods.

Anyway, if you want fancier fish, check out these three great resources:

• Environment Defense Fund Seafood Selector tells you which fish is bad for the environment and you. Well-organized info.
  
• Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch shows you which ones you should avoid and provides alternatives.
• Blue Ocean Institute Seafood Guide is not stingy with details and tells you exactly why the fish is good or bad for you. It comes with scores and color coding. Great site for nerdier fish lovers.

H20 is the awesomest owie ointment

The best treatment for a booboo is running water. You can also wash the surrounding skin with soap, but not the wound itself (soap can damage injured tissues, and so can soup, actually).

What about the antiseptic juju in scientific looking brown bottles? Besides costing you money, they inflict more damage. Double booboo! Hiss!

• Benzalkonium chloride? Not as bad as other antiseptics, but soap neutralizes it. And if the best thing you can say about a thing is "not as damaging as others...," you might as well use water.
  
• Betadine? Better than iodine, but also slows down healing.
  
• Chlorhexidine? Not as bad as other antispetics, but high concentrations can increase inflammation.
  
• Hexachlorophene? Squashes enemy comabatants and civilians alike. Kills microbes and damages the skin.
  
• Hexylresorcinol? Kills them bugs awright, but friendly fire also damages the skin
• Hydrogen peroxide? Sorry, this one is bad for you, too. Damages the skin and slows healing. On the plus side, you get to use up the manly man Hello Kitty band-aid that you bought because they were on clearance.
  
• Iodine? Like your neighbor's chihuahua, it's irritating and also slows down healing.
  
• Mercurochrome? Tsk, tsk. Bad. See the "mercu-" in the name? That's why. Banned for a decade, so I'm not exactly sure why you would still have this. Dispose of it. But not down the toilet! Properly, please. Go to your nearest hazardous waste disposal center.
  
• Merthiolate? Another genius product with mercury.
• Mommy's kiss? Probably does nothing to your hurt spot, but devastating for your reputation as tough guy. 
• Povidone iodine? See betadine. Or let me just save you the effort. Also not good.
• Rubbing alcohol? Great for testing macho-hood and pain tolerance, but not so good for your hurties. It is indiscriminate about its killing. Microbes, skin cells, whatever. "Die! All Die!" sez the rubbing alcohol. It also dries out your skin and applies for subprime loans. However, cleaning needles and intact skin with it is OK.
• Spit? Uh, no. Good for other stuff, tho. Deserves its own blog article!
  

How about those antibiotic ointments? Bacitracin and neomycin could help with minor wounds, but some people are allergic to them.