There’s no question that good shoes are a vital part of everyday comfort. But some research suggests that shoes may be doing us more harm than harm and it is far better to go barefoot. Check this out:

• A 2006 study found that shoes may increase stresses on the knee and ankle, and suggested that adults with osteoarthritis may benefit from walking barefoot.
• A 1992 correlational study also found that children who wore shoes were three times more likely to have flat feet than those who did not, and suggested that wearing shoes in early childhood can be detrimental to the longitudinal arch of the foot.
• A 1991 review article found that barefoot walking supported optimum foot development, and the best use of shoes are to protect the foot from injury rather than for correction of problems.

Tim is going to test the theory that barefooting is optimal for foot health with his new Vibram Five Fingers, a shoe that offers “the exhilarating joy of going barefoot with the protection and sure-footed grip of a Vibram® sole.” Tim wrote about these shoes a while back and was finally able to buy a pair yesterday at the REI in Austin.

After purchase, Tim wore these funning looking shoes all afternoon then took them for an evening walk around the neighborhood. I noticed that his gait had changed - he seemed to be walking more upright and deliberate, without the usual sway he has in his shoulders. Tim’s first impressions:

“They’re very comfortable to walk in, but my feet became tired over the course of the walk. This morning, the outside of my left foot feels tired, like I’ve been using weird muscles. Calves were also differently tired. But otherwise they felt good, and there was no chaffing or rubbing between my toes. I like that they’re very light. I like them. They are funning looking.”

I didn’t get a pair for myself, but after seeing Tim look so comfortable in his, I’m tempted. People who have been wearing them consistently for a few months also have good things to say:

I love running a quick 5k loop through my neighborhood in the Vibram Five Fingers…It is a joy to run on dirt or grass whilst wearing these. -Peter

Five Fingers have helped me be a kid again: as a kid, I never wore shoes, preferring always to be barefoot everywhere. Even today, I rarely wear shoes, preferring Birkenstock sandals in the summer or clogs in the winter (or just wearing flip-flops). Five Fingers are great in that they allow me to do all sorts of active things outside, no matter what the surface while still protecting my feet against wayward sharp objects on the ground. -Justin

After five months of wearing vibram’s fivefingers footwear pretty steadily anywheres indoors over the winter, and now again finally outdoors, a few things have happened: my gait has improved, but in particular i don’t like wearing shoes anymore - even sneakers. They feel - funny. And what’s weirder still - heavy. -MC

It will be interesting to see how Tim’s Five Fingers fare in the longer term, especially in the cold England winter. Stay tuned… I (or Tim) will be back with a longer review in a few months.

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One of the things I’ve missed most about living in Austin is the food. In addition to the wide availability of delicious fresh produce, I adore Tex-Mex - salsa, guacamole, chili, and of course, tacos! Yesterday I revisited an Austin tradition: the breakfast taco. Breakfast tacos are traditionally filled with meat, eggs and cheese, but I created a vegan version using tofu. It was incredible! And when filled with yummy veggies and avocado, these tacos are actually pretty good for you, compared to their meaty counterparts which are usually grease bombs. These tacos are filled with high quality protein from the tofu and healthy fats from the avocado and olive oil. Most importantly, they’re delicious, as long as you get the ingredients right.

The key to delicious breakfast tacos is quality salsa and good tortillas. I used Native Texan Brand Chipotle Salsa, delicious, but you could equally make your own.

This was a totally random creation, so my ingredients are estimates.

Want to know more about breakfast tacos? Here are a couple articles I enjoyed, both of which discuss the traditional breakfast taco, but even vegans might enjoy reading about the history of this delicious food and where you can find tasty samples in Austin:

• Breaking the fast with breakfast taco [The Homesick Texan]
• Fresh, Fast, Portable, Affordable [The Austin Chronicle]

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Tim and I just got into Austin where we are staying in a wonderful house owned by our equally wonderful hostess. On top of being a retired massage therapist and all-around nice (and enviably hard) human being, she also home brews kombucha, a fermented beverage made from tea and live cultures. She left a jug of the stuff in the fridge for us (along with a few beers and some ginger ale) - what a warm welcome!

I’d never had kombucha before but it was the perfect tonic for after a flight. Slightly sweet and carbonated, kombucha tastes almost alcoholic, and I wondered whether I should be gulping the stuff down right before we were to meet some friends for dinner. I’ve since learned that kombucha is only mildly alcoholic due to the fermentation process (this brew was about 0.5% abv) and moreover, has a lot of potential health benefits. For example, since kombucha is made with bacteria cultures (much like yogurt) it is thought to aid in digestion. Other health claims include stimulating the immune system, preventing cancer and improving liver function.

None of these claims have been verified, of course, but the important thing is that it tastes delicious, is totally natural and is so refreshing, especially in this 100-degree Austin heat! It makes me want to try brewing my own when I get back to England.

Kombucha tea: What are the health benefits? [MayoClinic.com]
What is Kombucha? [wisegeek.com]

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This blog usually comes to you from merry England, but for the next three weeks I’ll be writing from my home country: the U.S. of A.

First, Chicago, my home town and the place I’m writing from now (alongside a hot cup of coffee and a very crazy bird). Tim and I are staying with my parents and couldn’t be happier to be in a city where summer actually FEELS like summer (it may be hot and humid in Chicago, but I’m not the least bit cold - yesterday in England I was still wearing thermals).

On July 2nd we’re off to Austin, where Tim and I met and where I went to grad school. I suspect Chicago’s balmy 93 degree weather is just a primer for what’s waiting for me in Austin. But so are good friends, excellent food, and a rental house with central a/c.

After our travels we pack up and move to the country and it won’t be until July 17th-ish that we’re finally in our new place and able to settle into our new routine. Until then, all bets are off.

This is a bit of a challenge for the SmarterFitter mindset, which knows that keeping fit is largely about consistency. True as that may be, there is also the part of keeping fit that involves trying new things and setting new challenges. Not only does this keep things interesting, but it also avoids those dreaded plateaus many of us struggle with.

So I’m going to look at these next few weeks of unrest as the ultimate plateau buster. I’ve been feeling a little stuck lately in the same routine. Swim, walk, cycle, repeat. As dear as these activities are to me, I fear I’ve been growing more in boredom than I have in muscle mass. I’m tired of counting laps, cycling down Kingsland Road, and circling Clissold Park. I’m ready for something new.

We don’t often think of travel as a part of a healthy fitness “routine”, but I wonder if travel can be just as effective for breaking out of plateaus as is all the other plateau-busting strategies out there? After all, travel is a great opportunity to

• Relax - In between this trip’s various weddings and other social commitments, I plan to do a lot of chillin’, hopefully in the sun with a cold beverage and a hot barbecue. What could be better for the mind and soul than a healthy dose of relaxation.
• Have a think - About life, goals, the future, and all those other things sitting in the back of my mind that I always feel like I don’t have the time to think about.
• Try new things - New foods, new scenery, new moves and new people. Even just walking in a different environment can lead to all sorts of ideas. I’m already thinking where my walks will take me when I move to the country. As much as I love Clissold Park, it will be great to be in a place where walking is as much an adventure as it is a sport. The scenery along is enough to inspire me to up my mileage into day-long hikes, with a pack, working my way up to the point where I’m able to go on multi-day backpacking trips.

Of course, there are some routines I can’t live without, and one of those is Bircher Muesli. But how can I not spread the love of my favorite breakfast cereal?

So far I’ve taken Bircher Muesli to L.A. and Chicago, convincing both my parents and my sister of its extreme awesomeness. I’m still waiting for the rest of the world to catch on, but I think it’s coming along. In fact, yesterday there was an article in the Chicago Tribune for overnight oats, which is basically steel-cut oats soaked overnight to reduce cooking time in the morning. But I say skip the cooking altogether. After all, it’s summer, and a hot one at that. Days like these call for cool, refreshing foods, and Bircher fits the bill like a charm.

Recipe: Bircher Muesli

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I like a little creaminess with my crepes, and have been experimenting with various tofu- and cashew-based “creams” with fairly decent results. I decided to give it a try with soy yogurt, then shortly thereafter found Emilie’s post on The Conscious Kitchen about soy yogurt “cheese”.

I hate to use the word “cheese” here because this is nothing like cheese, but it’s what Emilie calls it and it’s the closest word I can think of to what this is like. The concept is simple:

Place some plain soy yogurt in a fine mesh colander for a few hours. The liquid will strain out and you’ll be left with really thick soy yogurt. Mix the result with yummy savory or sweet seasonings and use it as you would Greek yogurt, cream cheese, or other soft cheese.

Emilie’s got a couple great variations, including herbed soy yogurt cheese, and sweet soy yogurt cheese. I mixed mine with agave nectar, lemon zest, lemon juice and cinnamon, then used it as both a crepe filling and a crepe topper. I loved it! It’s also really good plain with fruit, and when eating it out of this ramekin, I wondered if I could turn it into a creme brulee. But that is an experiment for another day.

Food and Exercise Log | Sunday, June 21, 2009

Calories In: 1,553
Calories Out: 2,150
Deficit: 597

Breakfast #1

Vegan Cornmeal Crepe with Marmalade, Fruit, and Soy Yogurt “Cheese”

A light breakfast to get me through my swim. One cornmeal crepe with a dollop of soy yogurt “cheese”, a bit of fresh fruit, and a decaf coffee.

Calories: 195
Protein: 8g
Fat: 3g
Carbs: 37g

Swim

1750 meters / 55 minutes

Calories burned: ~250

Breakfast #2

Vegan Cornmeal Crepes with Fresh Fruit, Toasted Almonds and Soy Yogurt “Cheese”

Done with my swim and time for crepes round two. This time I filled the crepe with banana and toasted almonds. I had this with a healthy dose of the soy yogurt “cheese”, lots of fruit, and more flaked almonds. SO good.

Calories: 241
Protein: 9g
Fat: 8g
Carbs: 37g

Walk

Three laps ’round Clissold Park with Tim. About 4 miles.

Calories burned: ~300

Lunch

Black Beans and Raw Kale Salad

This picture doesn’t really represent my lunch because I didn’t end up eating that patty-type object shown on my plate. It was a black bean burger pulled from the freezer, but I overcooked (i.e. burnt) it and it was kind of dry and tasteless anyway. So I opted for 2 ramekins (about 200 grams) of black beans, along with my raw kale salad dressed with lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper (I love this).

Calories: 414
Protein: 21g
Fat: 11g
Carbs: 61g

Random Snackage

Grapefruit, More Black Beans, and a Brazil Nut (not shown)

Calories: 267
Protein: 11g
Fat: 4g
Carbs: 50g

Dinner

Veggie Pizza with Marinated Italian Grilled Tofu and Broccoli

To me, it is not the cheese that makes the pizza, but rather the delicious ingredients that go around the cheese. Thus, I bring you the easiest vegan pizza around. Don’t bother with cheese substitutes, just put on lots of nice veggies. Here I did grilled zucchini, mushrooms, spinach, garlic and tomato sauce. It was SO good. Served it with Italian Grilled Tofu topped with marinara sauce and a bit of blanched broccoli on the side.

Calories: 434
Protein: 16g
Fat: 19g
Carbs: 56g

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A couple people have asked about my vegan cornmeal crepes so I thought I’d post the recipe.

These were adapted from a recipe in Veganomicon. They’re pretty yummy, and would be great with savory fillings. I think you could actually up the cornmeal in this recipe with good results (replacing some or all of the regular flour with cornmeal).

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I’ve been keeping track of my calories for a while now, but it doesn’t seem like the numbers quite correlate with my progress. Overall, the numbers tell me I’m burning more calories than I’m consuming, however I’m not losing weight (a good thing, because the whole point of this was to gain weight), but I can’t help but feeling like I’m missing something here. I’m certainly not going hungry. Take yesterday, for example. The diary shows me having consumed 1,234 calories. That’s absurd. So what am I missing?

These strange numeric anomolies add to my existing uncertainty about the purpose of calorie counting. A lot of this comes from consistency, something I struggle with, especially when it comes to eating out. Although I only eat out a couple times a week, when I do, these Calorie injections, riddled with beer and wine and usually delicious (and rich) food, rarely make it into the diary. (As the photo above demonstrates, I’m usually too busy enjoying my beer to think about my silly spreadsheet - no laptops at the pub!) Could it be that my regular calorie deficits are balanced by these once- or twice-weekly social outings?

I don’t know. So what’s the whole point of this if I’m not being consistent? I’m not sure. The number crunching is teaching me a few things about the foods I eat and how much protein I’m getting. I also like that I’m building up a collection of healthy, low-cal meals that other people might benefit from. But I wonder if I’m really getting out of it what I put in. Is this really the way to getting stronger, faster, smarter and fitter?

The answer: TBD.

Food and Exercise Log
Saturday, June 20, 2009

Calories In: 1,234
Calories Out: 1,900
Deficit: 665

Breakfast

Vegan Cornmeal Crepes with Fresh Fruit and Toasted Almonds

Two cornmeal crepes filled with orange marmalade, then topped with strawberries, bananas, blueberries and toasted almonds. Served with tea and soymilk.

Calories: 364
Protein: 12g
Fat: 9g
Carbs: 64g

Walk

3 Clissold Parks, about 4 miles
Calories burned: ~300

Lunch

Avocado on Toast with Chickpeas and Salad

One slice of homemade french bread, 1/4 avocado, chickpea salad, leftover stir-fried mushrooms, and fresh leaves and veggies dressed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Calories: 288
Protein: 9.5g
Fat: 20g
Carbs: 22.6g

Snack

Soy Yogurt and Strawberries

50g of plain Sojade soy yogurt with two strawberries and a cup of rooibos tea with soy milk.

Calories: 88
Protein: 7g
Fat: 3.7g
Carbs: 6.8g

Dinner

Falafel Wrap and Salad

Two homemade falafels in a pita wrap with tahini sauce, hot tomato sauce, lots of salad, plus extra salad and tahini on the side.

Calories: 324
Protein: 11g
Fat: 15g
Carbs: 36g

Dessert

Banana and Rooibos Tea with Soymilk

Calories: 148
Protein: 4.6g
Fat: 1.5g
Carbs: 32g

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After three years of living in London, we’ve decided to up and move to the countryside. It’s a huge life change and I can’t wait for it to begin. I love London, but it’s time to do something completely different. I’ve always dreamed of living in the middle of nowhere, and I’m actually at a point in my life where I can do that. So why not? We found what seems like the perfect place for us: a converted barn on land owned by the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust (you can read more about the move on my personal blog).

One of the reasons I’m moving to the country is to get a lot of work done on my personal projects. One of these projects is SmarterFitter, and I hope to have a lot more time to spend on the blog once I’m free of London’s distractions. I plan to continue writing about food as I always have, but I’d also like to write more about the fitness side of SmarterFitter. After all, staying fit in the country is going to be a challenge. The country may mean quiet nights and greener pastures, but the country also means

• No client meetings to cycle to
• No gyms or pools within walking distance of my house
• No fit people to admire as they run around the park for the umpteenth time
• No one to remind me that working from home all day in front of a computer is the number one bestest most ultimate way to expand the waistline

But the country also means miles and miles of public footpaths to explore, sustrans cycle routes to ride, Cotswold hills to scale, country pubs to walk to, and the neighboring Cotswold Water Park with kayaking, sailing, snorkeling, and other water-related sports. PLUS, the new places has a huge, partially paved garden for skipping, sprinting, and playing frisbee.

Staying true to the SmarterFitter tradition, there will be no treadmills, no elliptical machines, no weight machines, and no gyms. Just getting fit and staying healthy the natural way. That’s what this website has always been about, and in many ways, that’s also what moving to the country is about. I’m hoping to find an environment that helps me be the best person I can be, both in food, fitness, “work” and life on the whole. Let’s just hope I don’t go stir crazy, Jack Torrance style.

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Last Sunday Tim and I tried to make vegan “tortilla de patatas”, aka a spanish omelet, spurred on by this photo and recipe at vegalicious.org. The recipe makes use of chickpea flour to bind the potatoes into an omelet-shaped food object.

The result? Nothing like a spanish omelet, and a sad waste of some really yummy fried potato and onion.

The lesson: vegan food shouldn’t attempt to imitate non-vegan foods. The result will invariably be less delicious than the original version. This especially goes for foods such as eggs, bacon, cheese and, well, anything that is inherently non-vegan.

Of course, I have a little dilemma here. Take veggie burgers, for example. I love veggie burgers, especially black bean burgers. I also love spaghetti and tofu “neatballs”, vegan crepes, and most recently, fruit with tofu- or cashew-based “cream”. Are these foods faking it? Or are these foods a completely different thing? All I know is I like them - isn’t that enough?

Food and Exercise Log
Sunday, June 14, 2009

Calories In: 1,448
Calories Out: 2,200
Deficit: 752

I definitely needed to eat more on Sunday given all the exercise (lots of walking and swimming). It’s no wonder I had a major snack attack in the middle of the day.

Bircher Muesli Mini Breakfast

When I awoke in the morning, I was struck by two opposing forces: hunger and the desire to swim. I compromised by having a little bite to eat, but not enough to cause my stomach to go wonky at the pool: about 1/4 serving of Bircher Muesli with banana, plus a cup of black tea with soy milk.

Calories: 180
Protein: 6.6g
Fat: 4.4g
Carbs: 31.5g

Swim

50 mins / 1750 meters

Calories burned: ~300

Breakfast

Vegan Buckwheat Crepes with Marmalade, Fruit and Cashew “Cream”

Two vegan buckwheat crepes filled with orange marmalade, topped with fresh fruit and cashew cream. Enjoyed with a cuppa decaf coffee with soy milk.

Calories: 263
Protein: 10.7g
Fat: 8g
Carbs: 40g

Walk

Three park walk with Tim, ~ 4 miles.

Calories burned: ~300

Lunch

Vegan Spanish “Omelet” and a Big Salad

Calories: 271
Protein: 10.5g
Fat: 1.9g
Carbs: 57g

Snack

Random Snackage

Black beans, satsuma, black tea with soy milk. Consumed at various points between lunch and dinner. No photos!

Calories: 180
Protein: 11g
Fat: 1.8g
Carbs: 32g

Dinner

Black Beans and Rice with Sauteed Greens

Nothing better than a simple meal of beans and mexican rice. Served this with some cabbage sauteed with onion and garlic, then topped the lot with avocado, tomato and pickled jalapeno.

Calories: 405
Protein: 13.7g
Fat: 15g
Carbs: 55.7g

Dessert

Grapefruit and Rooibos Tea with Soymilk

Calories: 148
Protein: 4.6g
Fat: 1.5g
Carbs: 32g

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I started attending a boot camp sometime ago, and have been asked by Monica to contribute something based on my experiences. It’s probably best to talk about aspects that are likely to be shared by most well-run boot camps and could be good reasons for deciding to give one a go.

Boot camps can really help to keep you motivated

Boot camps provide motivation through friendly competition and group support, much like you might get within a sports team. Not only is this a morale-booster for most of us, it also provides distraction and helps the sessions pass quickly. Another aid to motivation is, of course, the instructor. If you’re flagging and your technique is getting sloppy, the instructor is there to give you a friendly verbal prod, advice or encouragement so that you regain focus and form.

You are using all or large parts of your body most of the time

At a boot camp, you’re running, lifting, pushing, pulling and all kinds of other stuff in an environment full of uneven surfaces, changing gradients, obstacles and all the other things that you run into outdoors. Doing lots of different exercises, which are of varying degrees of complexity, outdoors generally requires you to use lots of different muscles in concert and challenges your co-ordination, balance and awareness. Working-out in this way has a depth and completeness to it that is really satisfying and provides great benefits.

Each workout is a surprise

Is that the last set of push ups? What’s next, squats? Sprints? Ah… more push ups. You never really know what the instructor is going to hit you with next. This keeps things interesting and adds to the mental and physical challenge as you often find yourself needing to adapt to changes quickly or dig in to finish off that last unexpected set. And you often end up pushing yourself harder than you might have otherwise.

If you’ve plateaued, are looking for something different, or just looking to get fit, it’s worth taking a serious look at doing a boot camp or two. Most camps run for around 5 weeks at a time and they should be able to accommodate most fitness levels. Be warned, however, that some boot camps are run military style and they will have you crawling through the mud and what have you, while others have a much more civilian mindset. So please talk to the people running the boot camp and make sure that their format and philosophy are right for you.

P.S. If you live in Auckland, check out FasterFitness. They run a great boot camp and will help you achieve your goals.

Photo credit: robgraphics

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