When Science Goes “Oops!”: 3 Healthy “Just Kidding Y’all”s That Will Delight You [Pants, Parenting and Steak]

Science is known for contradicting itself but this week has been a banner week for the mea culpas from the smarter set.* J/k is totally the newest element on the periodic table. And it’s only Wednesday! Maybe it’s evidence of my low sense of humor. Or maybe I just like watching previously adamant people eat their own words. (Or maybe I just really like saying I told you so!) But these three stories made my day:

Happy Baby Pose-001

Happy” Baby pose is happy for so many reasons!

I See London, I See France, I See Your Lululemon Underpants!

Lululemon just recalled a bunch of their fancy pants for being too transparent. Remember when I whined about the disappearing workout pants problem – caused by overly thin fabric doing a disappearing trick during inopportune moments like the bottom of a deep squat while you have 200 pounds balanced on your shoulders – and everyone was like “Charlotte, wear underwear”? Well workout pants extraordinaire Lulu just announced that their famous Luon fabric is showing more of our lulus than we like, thanks to “a lack of quality oversight in Asian factories.” See? It’s not your butt expanding and stretching the fabric ultra thin, it was the pants the whole time! Writes one disgruntled customer, “It’s hard enough making a commitment to working out without worrying about whether you are baring your behind.” (And more proof I’m not the only one who thinks you shouldn’t have to double layer your dingo!) Amen, sister! For any of you similarly afflicted, Lulu is offering a full refund or exchange. At least they’re handling the issue with, um, full transparency?

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Jillian Michaels: Real Life Does Trump Working Out, After All

2. After basically staking her entire professional reputation on her “no excuses!” motto, Biggest Loser trainer and confessed hard-nose Jillian Michaels admitted in this month’s Fitness mag that it actually is harder to take care of yourself when you have kids and that children are maybe a legit excuse. Jillian explains,

“I used to say, ‘If you’re going to exercise, then you do it, and you do it 100 percent.’ Now if I’ve got to answer e-mails while I work out on the StairMaster, well, then that’s what it is. People can rub my nose in it, because it is so hard — so hard — to take care of yourself when you’re a parent.”

She adds,

“I get up at 7 a.m. — after being up all night with the baby — and run around trying to get both kids diaper-changed, dressed, and fed. Finally I’ll shower, and before I know it, I’ve got 50 e-mails to answer, and I need to leave for work. At the end of the day, I come home, and I’m like, OK, let me bathe you, change you, feed you, read you books, put you to bed — wait, how am I supposed to do all this? Son of a bitch, this is hard!

If you can do only 20 minutes on your treadmill at home while you check your e-mail at the same time, it matters. I used to rip people apart for that, but you just get it in where you can, and that’s all you can do.” [Emphasis mine]

I love this so much. First I love that she can admit that parenthood is harder than she thought it was going to be. It takes a good dose of humility – especially for someone in her position – to admit that maybe they don’t have it all figured out. But second, I love this because she realizes the importance of prioritizing her kids first.  I’ve read too many celeb interviews where they basically say that nothing and no one interferes with their workout time and then shuttle the little ones off to a nanny so they can maintain their perfect figure. Now, I’m NOT knocking people who use exercise as their “me” time – heck, I do it (and the Y watches my kids for me so I can) – but as a parent you quickly discover that the two most valuable tools you can have are a sense of humor and flexibility. Get your workout in. But don’t beat yourself up if it doesn’t happen some days or if it’s not what you had planned. Kids don’t need you to be perfect. They just need you. And that’s something that’s taken me a long time to figure out.

cowtongue

 This picture is for you Sarah, Jess and Sara. You guys know why.

Red Meat Not The Reason the Death Star Imploded

Red meat won’t kill you, after all. Nor is it destroying the environment. That sound you hear? Another tolling of the death knell for the USDA food pyramid (or cube or plate or whatever 3-D shape we’re on now). A recent study, called the European Prospective Investigation in Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), included more than half a million people from 10 European countries and the findings were very interesting: Red meat intake not only is “no longer associated with mortality,” but also that “all-cause mortality was higher among participants with very low or no red meat consumption.” A 2012 Harvard study, though smaller, seems to support the EPIC’s conclusions in Americans.

The real surprising part is that processed meat like bacon and hot dogs also did not seem to lead to an earlier death as we’ve been told. The unsurprising part? Junk food did increase overall mortality. And that people who ate a lot of processed meat were also more likely to eat a lot of junk food. As for red meat-eating killing the planet, check out this amazing TED talk (are TED talks not the best invention ever? I love TED so hard.) that refutes the common belief that cow flatulence is suffocating us all. So, while no one is suggesting you go on the all-fillet-mignon-all-the-time diet, there does seem to be some solid science that – wait for it – eating whole unprocessed foods is better than eating junk. Especially if you go for the grass-fed, pastured and herded-by-angels variety.

Conclusion

I am smarter than scientists! No, wait. I’m totally not. But starting today, now you have three less things to worry about! *Someone pointed out I’m doing science in general a disservice by tarring them all with the same brush. To wish I say… yeah, you’re totally right. Writing headlines is the bane of my existence and I’m admittedly bad at it. Anyone care to suggest a better title? I’ll use it!

Any of you not surprised by Lulu’s disappearing act? Who else kinda wants to give Jillian Michaels a group hug now? What’s your philosophy on red meat?

P.S. Sorry this post is up so late (because I know everyone is breathlessly sitting at their computers waiting for the next overshare to drop from my fingers…) but it’s because I was up too late at the P!nk “Truth About Love” show which was THE BEST CONCERT I’VE EVER BEEN TO.

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Hard to see in this pic but she’s dangling over stage center, suspended by elastic cables held by 3 men hanging by their feet from that metal apparatus at the top. I swear she was up in the air more than she was on the stage!

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That woman is an INSANE athlete! Her acrobatics were astounding. I so so so want to do a P!nk workout now! So, you know, P!nk, if you’re reading this. Call me. 

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28 Comments

  1. After I read the interview with Jillian Michaels, my first thought was, “well, she finally gets it.” My second thought was, “she gets to sleep until 7 AM?!?!?”

  2. Great article but how come the cow has no upper teeth? Is that normal? Also I agree, who sleeps in until 7AM even if you have been up all night. That doesn’t work on my schedule!

    • That is normal. The Cow dental formula is 2*(incisors 0/3 canines 0/1 premolars 3/3 molars 3/3) with the first number being the maxillary (upper) teeth and the second number the mandibular ( lower) teeth

  3. The Lululemon issue apparently only affects stock shipped from their factories this month (though I have a feeling that might change) – I have pants from eons ago that are still perfectly un-see-through.
    And I loved the Jillian Michaels bit – it’s good to see a mea culpa from her, especially since her brand is all about the ‘no excuses’. I really do prefer the idea of getting it in when you can and not beating yourself up about it.
    And I’m jealous of you seeing Pink. I tried to get tickets for her millions of Melbourne shows (seriously, there are always 10+ shows down here) and they were all sold out. Bah. She’s awesome sauce.

  4. I was wondering when Jillian would have to eat her words, after her infamous interview a few years back about being unwilling to “ruin” her body by having kids and having no sympathy for moms. *giggling with schadenfreudic glee*

    I’ve actually always avoided Lulu’s stuff, I tried it once, did a deep squat in a mirror and went “oh hell no!” I use cheap Wal-Mart pieces, at least if I rip ’em I won’t be coughing up $60-80 to replace.

    As for red meat, nom! Providing it’s the ethically raised beastie from my Grandpa’s land. Not every day (there are other animals to eat too) but roughly half my protein intake a week is red meat.

  5. I have a philosophy about meat? Well, I had my locally pastured eggs for breakfast and I’ve got a grass-fed pot roast for dinner in the oven right now. I accidentally wound up having a vegetarian lunch. (Dosa masala with spinach in a yogurt sauce.) Guess that sums up my meat philosophy.

  6. I too have avoided Lululemon as I think it’s overpriced for the quality. It’s nice to be proved right sometimes!

    Love the retraction by Jillian Michaels too…welcome to the real world!

  7. Hey, Charlotte, where are you buying your meat? I can’t seem to find the label that reads “herded-by-angels” 😉

  8. I don’t LIIIIIIIKE red meat!
    But I love Pink! (Huh?! Huh?! Not a bad transition, eh?!) How she does all that WHILE SINGING is beyond me. She could totally play Spiderman on Broadway!
    I’m so glad to hear Jillian say this. So many trainers either don’t have kids or they have, well, WIVES, who take care of the kids while they train other people and lecture them on how to keep working out when you have kids. Because they don’t have to worry about it. Because they have wives.
    Yet another way in which traditional womens’ roles are under-valued.
    Ahem.
    I’ll just say one last thing: I’m SO glad I’m not one of the scientists who has to measure cow emissions!

    • Just want to add that I look forward to the day when all roles, male and female, are shared as wanted and all valued equally.
      And also that I’m glad I didn’t buy any Lululemon pants last month when I was taking yoga classes there.

  9. P!NK!!!!!!

    I met her at a grocery store here in LA, and she was just so kind and easygoing.

    She is a crazy-amazing athlete!

  10. Eh, I still love lulu. It’s really hard to give up on supporting a Canadian company for me. Plus, I saw the drop in shares as a good time to buy some, so now I won’t feel as guilty about buying their stuff because it’s like I’m paying myself (or at least that’s how I’ll rationalize it…).

    And I respect Jillian so much for admitting she was wrong. I don’t have kids, but given how hard I currently find it to work out, I imagine it would only get exponentially harder with them around.

  11. How exciting! I’d love to go to a Pink concert- oh and thanks for the science update 😉

  12. Glad Jillian Michaels admits its hard. Gives hope to the rest of us!!

  13. I heard about the Lululemon thing on the radio yesterday morning and immediately thought of your tales of disappearing workout pants. For as much as those pants cost, one would think they would be on top of that quality control.
    As for the red meat thing, I only like it occasionally. So I’ve always figured I’ll be okay since I eat it once or twice a week at most. Everything in moderation, when I really want it.
    Also, so jealous of you getting to see P!nk! Her show looks so awesome with all that flying and effects.

  14. I once read that Pink does P90X in her bus while on tour. No wonder she’s ripped! That woman is amazing and I’m super jealous I didn’t know ahead of time that she was going to be here for a concert, or I might have actually looked into getting tickets! Ah, next time. I hear she’ll be in Fargo soon, so I might have a reason for a road trip.

    I still love Jillian Michaels and I especially love that she admits when she’s wrong. In fact, she says in one of her videos, when she forgets that she instructed a different move, that she isn’t afraid to admit when she makes a mistake. Proof, I think, that she is actually a human and not a robot.

    And, as for red meat, I love the stuff and am glad I’m not as evil as some vegetarians and vegans would like to make meat eaters appear to be. Yay! Now I’m craving a steak.

  15. I’m proud of Lululemon for admitting they had a problem. Good to know the disappearing pants weren’t our fault. 🙂
    Gaye

  16. The part about how Jillian Michaels is handling her parental responsibilites really resonated with me. I have pondering about the prospect of having kids for a year now, and it stresses me out just to think about it. Thanks goodness I am much less busy than Jillian,.

  17. As a mum of two I give up long a go putting pressure on myself to get a million tasks done in a day. Its when I had my second kid that I realised that I was putting too much pressure on myself and feeling guilty that I did not tick everything on my to do list. Since then, I’ve learned to chill out more and feel so much better for it.

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  19. Thanks for sharing those comments from/about Jillian Michaels. I really appreciate that she also kind of makes it sounds like she does what she can. She doesn’t use kids (or anything else) as an excuse to just give up, but she does allow them to create more grace for herself. That’s a balance I always need more of!!

  20. Encouraging red meat or any meat intake is wrong. And yes, it is bad for you. I may not kill you instantly but all meat raises the risk of heart problems, obesity, certain cancers, etc.

    Animal products are not meant for human consumption, if they were, we’d be eating the flesh raw from the body like a true obligate omnivore does. Not presenting it neatly on a little plate with seasoning.

    Also, on dairy, it’s scary any professed ‘fitness guru’ or someone obsessed with health can’t figure out that milk from cows are for calves, not humans. Just like all mammals, milk is for the baby of the species. We are weaned off breast milk when young, for a reason. Don’t let the dairy lobby fool you with psuedo science about it being good for you. It’s been proven that it encourages osteosporosis, not inhibits it. You are not a calf nor have you the nutrition requirements of one.

    Not to mention the obvious cruelty in making a cow pregnant, taking her calf away after birth just so you can steal milk.

    • Ah, a vegan. You may not understand that we are omnivores (no such thing as an obligate omnivore, the joy of being omnivorous is choice. See: http://soycrates.tumblr.com/post/15263698627/humans-are-not-obligate-omnivores), and have developed the skill to cook out food and thereby make its nutrients more bioavailable to us, but we are and we have.

      Cooked food is the natural progression of a developed mind capable of reasoning that cooking makes food more palatable and digestible, allowing us to further develop our lovely brains. If you choose not to use that brain and instead spout ill-meant rhetoric on a site that promotes doing what is best for each individual, then please leave us be.

      Some of us eat meat, some do not. Some can tolerate dairy and find it a useful source of vitamins and minerals, some cannot and so choose other sources. Our choices are not moral, they are on the basis of our individual health, and you would do well to respect that choice.

  21. Ah, an ignorant corpse muncher. How quaint. You don’t understand nature. Obligate omnivores are the proper ones. Not the self appointed human ones. Animals who require both vegetation and flesh to survive. That is an obligate onmivore. Did you not get the memo?

    And respect? Are you going to respect the animal’s right to life and right to be treated as we expect to be treated ourselves? Fuck no. I don’t respect anyone who defends animal holocausts or any animal suffering.

    You would do well to educate yourself on animals and how we actually treat them. Earthlings would be a great movie for you. But given you are so self indulged that you expect people to respect your abusive ways I doubt you’ll bother to look past anything but your own reflection in the computer screen.

    And yes, I am vegan. It may not be perfect but has a lesser death toll both animal and human wise than omnivore or vegetarian.

    P.s. yes eating animals is a moral one. Those with any morality do not allow others to suffer just so one can have a silly moment of taste in their mouths. Hedonistic mastication. Got it?

  22. Oh forgot to mention. Your link just confirms my point about us being non obligate. Pwned yourself there. Typical of anyone who tries to argue against cruelty free diets.

  23. Yay! More red meat for me! Glad to hear that not only is red meat not especially bad for your health, but that it’s not destroying the earth either. I would think that moderate amounts of almost anything wouldn’t be too bad as long as there isn’t excessive consumption. Pass the bacon!

  24. “I don’t respect anyone who defends animal holocausts or any animal suffering.”
    You are going to have to do an awful lot of disciplining . . . the animals. I suggest you start with the tigers. That should keep you busy . . . for a few mintues.

    “You would do well to educate yourself on animals . . .”
    Oh, the irony.

    “It may not be perfect but has a lesser death toll both animal and human wise than omnivore or vegetarian.”
    Now this is the really funny part, because no, it doesn’t. It’s actually the other way around, as any farm boy sitting in a spinach patch with a .22 well knows. Without him, pretty soon there would be NOTHING to eat but rabbit. A pair of rabbits is 30 more rabbits a year. That’s 15 new pair, each producing another 30 rabbits a year; and rabbits LOVE spinach. Wouldn’t be surprised if the ratio is somthing like a dead rabbit for every pound of spinach delivered to your plate and you’re going to need 20 to 30 pounds PER DAY to live.

    Or one cow a year.

    Rabbits and cows, by the way, will need your discipline as well. They are not vegan. They are not even vegetarian. They are herbivores. Learn the difference. (Hint: a common cow virus is transmited to them by the animals they eat).

    Disclaimer of bias: I have been a lacto-ovo vegetarian for 40 years and while I have sympathy for the vegan and frutarian stance I’ve never been one myself, because I try not to let my vegetarianism make me stupid.

    “just so one can have a silly moment of taste in their mouths.”

    Q.E.D.: You might want to give some thought as to WHY certain foods taste good and others don’t, as you obviously havn’t up to this point (Hint: if you don’t pay attention to this phenomenon, you will DIE).

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