Enlarge This Image

Michael Appleton for The New York Times

Martin finished in an age-group-record 11 minutes 16.5 seconds in the 3,000 meters in January.

Sixty-year-old legs.

Great article about older athletes; #9 in the photo above is 60 years old and shattering records!

Scientists randomized 144 obese people, ages 20 to 65, to two low-carbohydrate diets providing 1,400 daily calories for women and 1,600 for men. The diets were identical except that one included a high-carbohydrate, protein-enriched breakfast with a choice of cookies, chocolate, cake or ice cream for dessert.

Throughout the study, which appears in the March 10 issue of the journal Steroids, participants were tested periodically for blood levels of insulin, glucose, lipid and ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates appetite.

During an initial 16-week period, the average weight loss in each group was identical — about 32 pounds. But over a 16-week follow-up, people on the dessert-with-breakfast diet lost an additional 13 pounds on average, while the others gained back all but 3.5 of the pounds they had lost.

Those on the dessert regimen maintained lower levels of ghrelin and reported significantly higher levels of fullness. “Most people simply regain weight, no matter what diet they are on,” said the lead author, Dr. Daniela Jakubowicz of Tel Aviv University. “But if you eat what you like, you decrease cravings. The cake — a small piece — is important.”

I always eat chocolate before or after breakfast! Absolutely go crazy with hunger later in the day if I don't have chocolate in the morning - go figure!

A cure for piriformis syndrome, or Tight-Ass.

Lovin' the autophagy. Makes me love getting out there.

This is SO GOOD!! Exercise induces autophagy, which is the body's mechanism that digests dead and dying cells to clear the system and create health. Maybe this is why people who live in hotter climates look so good - their autophagy mechanism kicks in earlier and more often because they're in a warm environment.

Some of these are great, like "Stop berating yourself for being a work in progress" and "Stop reacting without a plan". Sure to get you thinking about patterns that are no longer useful (if they ever were).

"Creative mortification" - have you ever had it? It may be undermining your creativity. I experience it every week when I try to write my column. Which I'm supposed to be doing right now.

A great look at challenging one's thought processes around working out.

Freakishly cool add-on for iPad