Dairy Queen Oreo blizzard milkshake Chicken and rice vs. DQ Oreo Blizzard shake: the internet should not be your nutritionist
fitness · food · nutrition · research · Science

Chicken and rice vs. DQ Oreo Blizzard shake: the internet should not be your nutritionist

catherine wLeave a comment

Nutrition advice, especially if it’s surprising or counterintuitive, should always be taken with a grain of salt (maybe use the kind with iodine? you make the call). I mean, who among us decided to embark on a diet of mainly twinkies after seeing this post online? I’m hoping no hands are raised out there…

Earlier this year, there was a flurry of posts about a new-new study, done by HARVARD and THE MAYO CLINIC (so it has to be legit, right?) showing that “a Dairy Queen Blizzard eaten after training raises muscle protein synthesis 43% more than the classic chicken breast and rice.”

For those of you unfamiliar with DQ’s menu offerings, here’s what they’re talking about:

FB post from Iron Ladies saying that DQ blizzard spikes muscle protein synthesis 43% higher than chicken and rice. Hmmm.
FB post from Iron Ladies saying that DQ blizzard spikes muscle protein synthesis 43% higher than chicken and rice. FYI, the Iron Ladies aren’t a group of nutrition experts promoting essential minerals in our diets.

Huh. You might think this is a funny internet jokey thing. However, the Iron Ladies’ post provided supporting details:

Key findings:

  • A medium Oreo Blizzard straight after the session produced a 43% higher MPS reading at the 3-hour mark than a 40g protein chicken and rice meal
  • The proposed mechanism: a large insulin spike from the sugar, a casein and whey dairy blend, and fats from the mix-ins, described in the paper as “anabolic napalm”
  • Participants who stirred in extra cookie pieces and ate it from the cup while still sweaty reached +51%, which the authors call the “primal Blizzard ritual” effect
  • Chicken and rice group: a respectable early bump, then a flat line after 90 minutes.
  • Lab quote: “The Blizzard delivers fast carbs for glycogen, dairy protein for sustained release, and enough joy to flatten cortisol. Chicken and rice is what you eat when you have made peace with sadness.”

After reading more, I’m even more convinced that this is an internet jokey thing. Why? Well, I’ve never read a phrase in a scientific paper like “anabolic napalm”. Also, the last quote is too funny. Scientists aren’t trained to be funny.

Turns out,

  • THIS IS, IN FACT, AN INTERNET JOKEY THING.
  • THERE IS NO SUCH STUDY.
  • SOMEONE MADE IT UP AND POSTED IT ONLINE.

I’m shocked.

One of my favorite quotes from the film Casablanca, which significantly predates this fake study.
One of my favorite quotes from the film Casablanca, which, by the way, significantly predates this fake non-study. If you don’t know it, check out a clip here.

Here’s the thing about nutrition and fitness: human metabolism is complicated, food is complicated, and measuring effects of food on human metabolism is double-complicated and super-contextual. It turns out that, under constrained circumstances (e.g. lacking better options), eating say, a pop tart or sugary cereal with milk after a heavy workout may provide some muscle recovery needs. Are there foods that better support recovery and overall nutritional needs? Of course there are, and we have loads and loads of studies to show which ones, what macro- and micronutrients to look for, etc.

One so-called junky food that has been shown to have post-workout beneficial effects is chocolate milk. In this PubMed meta-analysis from 2018, scientists looked at 12 studies comparing chocolate milk with sports drinks on its effects on various post-recovery biomarkers. They concluded:

CM [chocolate milk– they can’t even bring themselves to write it out in full] provides either similar or superior results when compared to placebo or other recovery drinks. Overall, the evidence is limited and high-quality clinical trials with more well-controlled methodology and larger sample sizes are warranted.

Okay, this is half-hearted and mild advice. But I’m going with it. What do you think?

I don't think the studies had this in mind as recovery drink, but doesn't it look yummy? Thanks Israel Pina for Unsplash.
I don’t think the studies had this in mind as recovery drink, but doesn’t it look yummy? Sprinkles are optional. Thanks Israel Pina for Unsplash.

Take-home messages:

  • Nutrition is complicated.
  • But, don’t trust messaging that relies on non-existent studies.
  • Still, sometimes results come out that are counterintuitive.
  • Which brings us back to: nutrition is complicated.
  • Have a nice day.
tired woman with hands in hair What are your favourite de-stressing exercises?
fitness

What are your favourite de-stressing exercises?

Sam BLeave a comment

September isn’t the easiest month for a dean.

I’ve had lots of days that end this way.

My Garmin suggests light exercise breaks and time outside, and I actually do get outside quite often for walks, especially between buildings on campus. I also walk Cheddar in the evenings, so I feel like more outdoor time and more wlaking isn’t the answer.

Close-up of a smartwatch displaying a message about stress and battery drain, suggesting to take breaks and consider light exercise.

What I want to know is what do you do to de-stress? Do you have an end-of-day de-stressing routine that works for you? I’m pretty good at putting my phone away, but what else? Advice welcome!

Note, I can’t read in the evening, though I can and do listen to audiobooks and watch shows. My current faves are Slow Horses, Dark Matter, and Ted Lasso. Just finished Ride or Die, Dalliance, and Strange New Worlds. And like everyone else, I’m desperately waiting for a new season of Pluribus.

What do you do?

Past posts on this theme:

Sleep, stress, and exercise: Sam’s vicious cycle
Light exercise is not particularly good for stress relief, says Sam. Or is it?
Sam’s six fitness motivations
Nat’s rainy walks
equipment · fall · Sat with Nat · walking

Nat’s rainy walks

natalieh (she/her)Leave a comment

We have had some spectacular rain over the past week in London, Ontario.

I got to give my new rain boots a good test. I bought the boots and this is not a paid post.

A black rubber ankle boot with a neoprene upper and leather pull tabs.

In the spring I had bought Michel clogs from kamik. They are a Canadian footwear company. He is really happy with the insole structure, fit and how grippy the soles are so I decided to give the company a try.

I have beefy calves so I prefer an ankle boot. I especially like that the insole and tread are well structured.

There’s a small wedge on the back of the heel that you put your other foot on for a hands free take off. Perfect!

The boots have an anime look, which I also love.

I’m a proponent of the adage “there’s no bad weather, there’s just bad gear.” We are expecting a very wet fall and early winter because of El Niño, a weather phenomenon that brings warm, moist air over the continent. I also have movement goals I am looking to meet.

My kids got me an MEC raincoat many years ago for Christmas and it is still going strong. This is partly because I only wear it when it’s really coming down.

A black and white photo of a rainy day with a person holding an umbrella

It might be growing up in the woods, my time in the military or that I’m eccentric but I’d rather get a bit damp from a light rain than sweat in my raincoat. I often joke that “I won’t melt” but also “there’s infinite dry clothes at home.”

Despite some quite rainy days this week, Michel, Lucy and I got our two walks in each day. Sometimes we lucked out and were walking between showers but there were also a few downpours.

Our neighbourhood crossing guard always remarks that we are out every day, no matter what. It feels good to be equipped to keep the promise to myself of walking every day.

My red and white dog, Lucy, sitting on grass in dappled shade. She’s a real handful!
fitness

Leaping into my 60s with my hands full of joy

marthafitat55Leave a comment

I first wrote this in 2011 when I turned 50. I shared it again when I turned 60. There’s been lots of changes in my life since I last shared this. Some were really positive, while others were not (deaths of family and friends).

There’s nothing I would change except do/use/see more of what I love. I often think of this Mary Oliver insight: “Joy is not meant to be a crumb.”

1. Life isn’t a to-do list. Create a bucket list if you like, but don’t be so focused on the end that you forget to enjoy the road to your destination.

2. Life is sometimes saying to heck with the list and spending time with a loved one. Even if you have to burn the midnight oil later.

3. Letting go isn’t about losing things. Letting go is about making room for something new.

4. Life is knowing that no matter where you are, the people you love will always live in your heart. As the poet Andrea Gibson said: In the end/I want my heart/To be covered/In stretch marks.

5. Three squares a day does not mean brownies, Nanaimo bars and date crumbles (even if they do have dairy, fruit, and grains).

6. Mom was right when she said eat your veggies. Dad was right when he said reading was important. One feeds your body; the other feeds your soul.

7. If you do your best, people may not notice. If you do your worst, they surely will.

8. Being a grown-up can be fun. Yet when something you do is no longer fun, stop doing it. Remember there’s a difference in having to do something and wanting to do it. One breeds resentment; the other sustains a feeling of accomplishment.

9. Make sure your goals and dreams give you a sense of purpose you can live with. Know your limits. But don’t aim low, either.

10. Don’t expect others to take care of you but don’t be afraid to ask when you need help. Asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness.

11. Chocolate may help when things are tough, but friends are better. Have someone in your life — be they your family, your friend, or your partner — that you can call at 2 am and say, “Help me.” Be that person for someone else.

12. Remember, there is nothing so big that you have to carry it all by yourself. There is no problem that doesn’t have some kind of solution that will help make things better. Starting with a cup of tea always helps. Making cookies doesn’t hurt either.

13. There is beauty in the smallest object. Flowers, even a dandelion and buttercups stuck in a juice glass, add something to your day. Micro joys are how we survive macro grief. It doesn’t have to be big to give you comfort and over time all of those mini-joys form a blanket to keep you warm.

14. Be connected to nature. Walking in the rain won’t cause you to melt.

15. Building a snowman, no matter what your age, is always an opportunity to be creative.

16. Be an explorer. Travelling doesn’t mean having to leave your city or country. It can mean leaving your neighbourhood to see what’s just beyond the next block.

17. It is amazing what laughing every day will do to change your outlook.

18. Focusing on what you have is always better than brooding on what you don’t.

19. Change is always possible, and in many cases, usually necessary. If nothing ever changed, there would be no butterflies.

20. Achieving perfection isn’t all that it is cracked up to be. Joy, on the other hand, is. As the singer Nightbirde said, “You can’t wait until life isn’t hard anymore before you decide to be happy.”

I’ll leave you with my favourite Cat Stevens song that encapsulates my life philosophy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYMQpDCVYBo

MarrthaFitat55 is embracing her mid-60s with delight.

text printed on a multicolored background Sam does some math and adjusts her cycling distance goals
challenge · cycling · fitness · goals

Sam does some math and adjusts her cycling distance goals

Sam BLeave a comment

My cycling distance goal for the year was 3000 km . I’m at 1278 km, and there are only 13 weeks left in the year. I’d have to ride more than 130 km a week to make it. That seems highly unlikely.

If I change my annual goal to 2000 km for 2026, and I’ve ridden 1278 so far, that’s 722 left for the year. Can I do that?

Yes, I can! There are exactly 13 weeks left in the year, so that means I would need to ride 55.5 km a week.

What’s the plan? I usually bike to school two or three days a week, and that gets me about 15 km. And then there’s Zwift. See you in Watopia!

speed limit road sign on a tiled wall What are five simple exercises to do at home? #grouppost, #TeamFIFI
fitness

What are five simple exercises to do at home? #grouppost, #TeamFIFI

Sam BLeave a comment

What are five simple exercises to do at home?

View all responses

Sam

Ride my bike on the trainer

Walk the dog

The 9 morning movements

Glute bridges

Cat-cow stretches

Diane

I like to do yoga in bed or bedtime yoga (various YouTube videos), and chair yoga (also YouTube). I try to fit in lots of little physio exercises with a Theraband and blocks as well as calf stretches and heel raises.

Tracy

All the yoga, push-ups, air squats (with a jump if so inclined), kettlebell swings, burpees. And of course 90% of the ab work.

Laura

Push-ups. Active hangs. One-legged calf raises. Shrimp squats. Downward-facing dog.

Nicole

Stationary bike, Yoga with Adrienne (particularly her yoga for runners), push-ups, ottoman step-ups, 108 Sun Salutations.

Also, this is my old post about just this kind of thing:

Five Body Weight Movements and Modifications
fitness

Checking in on my 26 Things in 2026

Diane HarperLeave a comment

Mostly because of the school year, fall always feels like an opportunity for new beginnings. It’s also a great time to check in on progress and do some course correction on earlier goals, if you want.

Back in January my 26 in 2026 looked like this. How’s it going and what do I want to change?

I didn’t camp much more at the cottage: between work and driving restrictions following surgery there just wasn’t time. However, I did get proper furniture installed and have actual cupboards and shelves to store the essentials, so it’s getting really easy to stay overnight when I want to. The electricity project is moving forward nicely so I should have power soon.

The canoe is still sitting up onto its blocks, but I have permanent stairs, a new lifejacket and a boating emergency kit so it will happen next year for sure. In the meantime, I have purchased an inflatable kayak so I can go out even if my friend isn’t around to canoe with me.

I’m way behind on my 1,000 km cycling goal but my e-bike finally has a new battery after two years of trying to figure out what was wrong, so I’m starting to get back into the cycling habit. I’ll be happy if I hit 500 km and I’m pretty sure I can do that. I didn’t get my bike set up for winter cycling, but winter is coming so I’ll try to sneak that in before the end of the year.

I have already hit my goal on books read, but only at half my goal on magazines. I’m determined to get there!

Cooking goals have been a mix. I’m cooking more vintage recipes, but making very little use of my medieval cookbooks.

I am debating giving up one of my gardens. It felt like too much this year, though my garlic harvest was the best ever.

I was at 61,173 M as of Tuesday, so I’m pretty happy with that. I still have three months to go and I’m getting into the habit of having a short swim at work in addition to longer weekly swim practices, so I might just hit 100 km. Not bad considering I wasn’t allowed to swim for over a month.

Crafting, sewing, decluttering Mom’s without adding to my own clutter, something artistic, meeting up with friends, vacation, relax: fail, fail, fail, fail, fail, mostly fail, fail. Some things got done, but not nearly enough.

I am being more conscientious about monitoring my health, eating more fruit, trying to spend more time with Mom, volunteering less, and doing more stretch and strength exercises. There’s still plenty of room for improvement, but I’m going to count all of these as successes.

Summary: between now and the end of December, do more biking, reading , swimming, relaxing, and a bit more cooking.

Oh, and keep saying hello to all the good dogs I meet, even if I don’t actually pat most of them.

This happy dog may not be real, but at least she stood still for a photo (unlike a half dozen others I saw that day). I like how she’s ready for the changing of the seasons, dressed as a ghost, holding a pumpkin bucket in her mouth.
cozy autumn decor with pumpkin spice mug Going in Circles, Taking Up Space, and Beginning Again: September 2026 on the Blog
blog · blogging · fitness · link round up

Going in Circles, Taking Up Space, and Beginning Again: September 2026 on the Blog

Sam BLeave a comment

How many posts? Forty-seven posts this month. The back-to-school rush turned into a back-to-the-blog rush.

Who blogged? Sam, Christine, Diane, Catherine, Nat, Nicole, Tracy, Cate, Martha, Mina, and guest blogger Winnie, who wrote for us twice.

September is the real new year. Christine opened the month with her September Circles, a tiny experiment: five minutes of circle-based mobility before bed. She closed it with an update reporting less twitchiness, less morning stiffness, and a plan to keep going in circles. Sam mapped out her fall fitness routine, which got off to a start when a fire alarm interrupted cocoon shavasana. Catherine wrote about fall transitions after a quiet summer and was surprised to find she loves the louder days of September. Christine was ready to head back to TKD and then reported that she was right about muscle memory. Mina came home from five weeks of hiking and retreats and found two words that changed her meditation practice, in I Begin. Again. Yet Again. Christine’s Go Team post told everyone they could forge ahead, pivot, or restart, whatever the date on the calendar.

Aging: what’s decline, and what’s a choice? Sam started a conversation with Subtle Physical Withdrawal and Gradually Declining Fitness and Strength, about how we narrow our range of movement without noticing. Winnie, our oldest blogger at almost 75, shared her take on aging and fitness, including 100-mile weeks and dance classes. Sam followed up with a study on hard workouts and better aging, and her search for an intensity level that works for her body. She also celebrated her left knee’s fourth birthday and her fitness age finally matching her actual age. Diane checked in on her heart health five months after surgery: she’s back at work and has passed her fitness tests. Later she asked what strength and mobility for grandparenting actually requires. Nicole wondered whether stretching while shaving your legs counts. Nat shared her surprises four months into retirement, including a big jump in daily steps and a new sense of calm.

The data and the doubts. Our watches had a lot to say this month, and we had a lot to say back. Sam asked what the heck heart rate variability is and whether she should care. Nat marked a two-year Strava streak while wishing she could switch off the sleep scolding. Later she went looking for what actually drops her resting heart rate. Catherine reminded us that science says lots of things about easy versus intense and short versus long. She also looked at a Finnish study suggesting coffee might be good for you in every way.

Use your voice, take up space. Gloria Steinem’s death on September 2 hit us hard. Cate wrote about her gratitude and sadness and what discovering Steinem and Ms. meant to her as a teenager. Martha drew two lessons for fit feminists in Use your voice, take up space. That spirit ran through the rest of the month:

Bikes, bike lanes, and getting there. Diane asked why anyone would want to rip out bike lanes. Sam asked readers how they were celebrating World Car Free Day. Diane marked Bike to Work Day by riding in for the first time in over a year. Sam reported on the Spinning Wheels Tour for Parkinson’s, which ran from London to Stratford with wind and a trumpet fanfare. Winnie returned with thoughts on cycling and distance and a possible Transamerica ride, peanut butter sandwich required. Sam also wrote about two Montreal road trips in Fitness, food, and charging the electric car, and about why an old post on unlikely sports heroes was suddenly getting so many readers.

Finish lines and small joys. Tracy ran her 5K, a year in the making. She finished in 36:40, twenty seconds under her goal, and raised over $500 for Sea Paws Rescue. She then reflected on evolving goals and how her feelings about speed have shifted. Nat looked back on 10 summer swims. Sam got a fitness duck for her birthday, marked World Gratitude Day with a #ThreeGoodThings round-up, and posted August’s month in review. Catherine shared sage advice from animals (the goose says to honk if it helps) and wrote about a good week. Diane admitted that her funny old body needs to move, even when her brain says rest.

What kept us writing? Partly it was the fresh-start energy of September, the academic January. It gave us new routines, restarts, returns to class, and a lot of beginning again. Partly it was Gloria Steinem’s death, which reminded us why this blog exists: women’s bodies, movement, and space matter, and saying so out loud still counts. Mostly, though, it was each other. Winnie wrote in response to Sam’s post on physical withdrawal. Sam’s knee anniversary prompted Diane’s heart-health check-in. Sam sent Tracy an old quote that became a post about changing goals. And Diane was at the finish line cheering Tracy home. It was a month of small things done consistently: five minutes of circles a night, two years of logged activities, and a year of training for one 5K.

See you in October!

Month-in-review posts are assembled by Claude with prompts from Sam and edited by Sam. If you spot any errors, let us know.

colorful circular lights
Circles. Photo by Diana ✨ on Pexels.com

september autumn decor with leaves and pumpkins The Blog’s Top Ten Posts, September 2026
blog · blogging · fall · fitness · top ten

The Blog’s Top Ten Posts, September 2026

Sam BLeave a comment

🍁 Nat’s surprises 4 months into retirement (Nat)

🍁 The faceless fatty is the new-new fat shaming… (Catherine)

🍁 Sam moves a post to the trash after learning that the expert quoted was an AI generated hoax (Sam)

🍁 Bike Lanes are Beautiful (Diane)

🍁 Research focus: is coffee really good for you in every way? If you ask the Finns, they’ll say yes (Catherine)

🍁 Fitness, food, and charging the electric car (Sam)

🍁 Subtle Physical Withdrawal  (Sam)

🍁 Nat’s surprised by what drops her resting heart… (Nat)

🍁 Gratitude and sadness for Gloria Steinem (Cate)

🍁 Tracy’s 5K, a year in the making (Tracy)

red leaves on a branch
Photo by João Saplak on Pexels.com
fitness · goals · motivation · running · training

That was then: on evolving goals

Tracy ILeave a comment
Comment from this time in 2024, when I (Tracy) said speed work seemed unnecessary!

Last week Samantha sent me the above reminder of something I said two years ago. The gist of it was a challenge to the idea of being speedy. Indeed, I said “I used to care about going faster but now I just care about continuing to get out the door.”

Fast forward to the present, where in my preparations for my recent 5K I included speed drills. And after completing the 5K to my satisfaction, I set a new goal that would shave a minute and 40 seconds off of my time.

“What changed?” Samantha wanted to know.

Back in September 2024 I was still trying to regain my running rhythm after an Achilles injury that had plagued me since 2019. It took me out long enough that I lost all the gains I’d made over the years. And so that fall of 2024 I was in the mindset where I just wanted to run again and I didn’t want to be injured again.

It was the right frame of mind for the time. But why have different goals now? It’s not as if I am ever going to be speedy. So why bother with speed work and speed goals at all.

As some readers may know, I have been back to the beginning again with Couch to 5K starting in April. I got behind but stuck with it and I liked having structure and a goal. The structure came from the program itself. The goal was simple: complete the program. After I managed to get through week 7 of the 9-week program I switched to the FIRST program outlined in Rin Less, Rin Faster.

For this you do three purposeful runs a week plus two cross-training sessions. The three runs are speed intervals, a tempo run, and a long run. I found myself enjoying switching it up rather than just pounding the pavement in the same way each time I went out. It made things fun. I discovered that I enjoy speed work. All the while I keep my perspective. I am not and never will be a speedster.

As the date of my 5K event approached, I found myself excited to go out with a time in mind. My goal of 37:00 was not a time that would break any records. Not even personal records. But it helped keep me on pace and I finished in 36:40. That felt like an accomplishment.

And so I set a new goal. To hit a 35:00 5K. It is giving me something to train for and we’ll see where it takes me. I said to Samantha back in 2024 that I just wanted to get out the door.

Today, it’s the variety in the training that is actually getting me out the door. One thing I’ve learned over the past 14 years since we’ve been blogging about fitness is that things change. I change. And I need different plans for different times.

Right now I’m enjoying the purposeful running 3x a week. I’m struggling with the swim workouts because of ear aches. I am experimenting with different ear plugs but I’m nervous now whenever I do freestyle, which is my main training stroke for a good workout. It is the only stroke that gives me these ear issues, no doubt because of the head turning for breathing.

So that’s what I’m working on now, as well as sticking with the running through the winter and incorporating resistance training a couple of times a week. I’ve been sporadic with that but it’s important.

All in all, I like being able to set new goals, change my mind, push myself in different ways, and evolve in my priorities. I don’t need to be locked into one track just because I was there before. That is the stuff of boredom and burnout. When I shift and change, it stays fresh and motivating.

How have your goals changed over time?