H.E.A.T. Blog

Photo Credit: Cynthia "TLC" Reilly

In hilarious sports news, here's a great NPR piece on one man's search for the "world's dumbest competition." Named Sports Writer of the Year eleven times, ESPN's Rick Reilly traveled around the world in search of sports that are "dumb to everybody except to those people who actually played them" for his new book, "Sports from Hell." What he found (and also actually participated in) were games including:

• The World sauna championship -- Are you willing to let your inner organs boil? Players in Finland stepped into a sauna set at 261 degrees. The person who stayed the longest won(12 minutes, in the case).
• The rock, paper, scissors championship -- In Las Vegas and Toronto, there are actually "professional rock, paper, scissorists" who use serious logic and instincts to predict what another person will throw. There's even a world RPS president.
• The Chess boxing championship -- This game (pictured above) consists of two guys boxing, then the ref brings in a waterproof chessboard. They both whip off one glove and play speed chess for 4 minutes, then go back to boxing, then go back to chess, and so on. (Picture blood all over the chessboard.)

• The defacto world target-vomiting championship -- These people drink food coloring, run a mile, paddle a surfboard a mile, chug a 6-pack of warm beer in 15 minutes and then projectile vomit on a specific target (like a bystander's elbow or chest. Says Reilly, it looked like a "fire hydrant out of Willy Wonka."

For more details on your new favorite "sport" -- or to find out the rules so you can suggest that we incorporate chess boxing into the next Saturday workout, read the rest!

How much coffee do you drink every day?

Nothing tastes better than your first cup in the morning (why do you think I always show up to camp, Starbuck in hand?!), but apparently the black stuff has been tricking us all these years. According to a new study in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology, even though 8 out of 10 adults admit to drinking coffee (and reveling in its life-giving effects), it turns out that caffeine doesn't really give us the jolt we crave. It basically just gets us back to zero after a night of caffeine withdrawal.

Though it's technically not an addiction, caffeine dependence can cause you to get a headache when you try to quit cold-turkey, as well as make you jittery when you drink too much. But despite all this, the health experts still say we can keep our java. (We were going to anyway). A little caffeine -- 3 or fewer cups a day -- can actually boost the power of painkillers and treat migraines. So pour yourself some more and read the rest!

I'm SO excited about this Saturday, as we finally get to jump into Barton Springs for a little water resistance workout!  I know you're thinking it'll be FREEZING, but actually, the difference in the water temp and the outside temp at 9 a.m. is just a few degrees.

Where: Barton Springs Pool -- Meet at the statue

Time: 9 a.m. SHARP! If you arrive after 9, you will be responsible for your own cover. We will be in the far corner of the pool ... Look for the people laughing and splashing about near the deep end on the right side.

Parking: $3 (but we have the entrance fee covered)

To Bring: A towel and whatever you're comfortable swimming in, whether it be a suit or shorts and a t-shirt

The Workout: You must be able to stay afloat for this workout, and be comfortable in water. I will have boards available for those who need them. Also, you're welcome to bring your own floaties ... No one will make fun of you, promise! ;)