Table Of ContentFitness for Geeks
Fitness for Geeks
Real Science, Great Nutrition, and Good Health
Bruce W. Perry
Beijing • Cambridge • Farnham • Köln • Sebastopol • Tokyo
Fitness for Geeks
by Bruce W. Perry
Copyright 2012 © Bruce Perry. All rights reserved.
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[M]
To my lovely wife, Stacy
Contents
Preface... ... ....... .. .. . ... . ... .... ... ..... ... . xi
1.. Fitness.and.the.Human.Codebase:..
Reboot.Your.Operating.System.... ........ 1
The Cubicle Blues .......................................................... 1
Homing In on a Design Pattern . ........................................... 2
Preinstalled Software. ...................................................... 3
Designed to Get Our Butts Kicked ......................................... 5
The Cranky Anthropologist................................................. 7
Hey, the Stone Age Was a Nasty Time. ..................................... 8
The Modern Diet—It’s Lame!. .............................................. 9
A Useful Template. ........................................................ 11
The Amazin’ MET .......................................................... 12
Force Quit—Reboot. ...................................................... 12
And Now for Something Completely Different ........................... 13
2.. Fitness.Tools.and.Apps.. .... .......... ... .. 19
Quantified Self ............................................................ 19
Sports and Fitness Tracking ............................................... 20
Personal Metrics. .......................................................... 20
Gear ≠ Health ............................................................. 21
Fitbit Tracker. .............................................................. 21
Endomondo. .............................................................. 27
Fitocracy. .................................................................. 32
Garmin Connect .......................................................... 34
NutritionData. ............................................................. 37
FitDay ..................................................................... 39
The USDA National Nutrient Database. ................................... 42
Pointy-Headed Searches .................................................. 44
Connected Devices ....................................................... 46
vii
3.. Food.Chemistry.Basics:..
Proteins,.Fats,.and.Carbs.... ........... ... . 49
Empower Yourself. ........................................................ 49
Macronutrient Ratios. ..................................................... 50
Carbohydrates. ............................................................ 55
Protein. .................................................................... 61
Fats. ....................................................................... 68
Ketones ................................................................... 78
4.. Micronutrients:.Vitamins,.Minerals,.
and.Phytochemicals... ........... .. ...... .. 81
The Nutrient That Roared ................................................. 81
Apples vs. Twinkies. ....................................................... 81
It’s a Snap to Keep Yourself Topped Up ................................... 82
What’s Ahead? . ........................................................... 82
What Are Micronutrients?. ................................................ 83
Figuring Out Your Daily Micronutrient Requirements. .................... 83
Aim for Farms and Markets. ............................................... 86
Cooking Alters Micronutrient Content. ................................... 89
Grade School Nurse Fondly Recalled. ..................................... 90
Vitamins. .................................................................. 90
Minerals ................................................................. 106
Getting Micronutrient Information Online: Web Tools .................. 113
5.. Food.Hacks:..
Finding.and.Choosing.Food........ ....... 123
Eat Local: Leave the Big Boxes for the Extras ............................ 123
Choosing Food in the Meat Space: Navigating the Modern
Supermarket’s Shoals. ................................................... 128
Choosing Food in the Digital Space with Apps ......................... 132
Hacks for Finding Good Food on the Road. ............................. 134
Code Crash: Choosing Food in Hard Times. ............................. 135
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