Hot or Not- 2026 Edition
On a scale from 1-10: Do these shoes make my butt look flat?
We’re waist deep into 2026. The news: Wacky. The weather: Wacky. The Reflecting Pool: don’t get me started! What’re always solid are my opinions. Let’s get into it! I’m going to rate some shit, on a scale from 1-10, that seems to saturate our feeds if you happen to be into the same shit that I am- and if you are reading this, either you’re into the same shit or you’re in my family and you feel obligated to read my missives. My goal is to keep it simple but I’m pretty sure I have no self control when it comes to being comfortable with incomplete narratives. You get a bit of nuanced commentary as a result! Either way- Let’s go!
Pilates
3- if it’s your primary fitness modality.
6- if used as an accessory.
I think Pilates is great but it doesn’t tick enough boxes to be a stand alone, one shop stop for all your fitness needs. But Pilates does augment a well rounded fitness regimen. If you dig it, rad. But also lift weights.
Running
3- if you do it for fat/weight loss.
10- if you run to stay young and fit.
Most adults should be able to run- and run hard1! Most can’t.
Walking
10
Walk as much as possible. Burns calories without spiking hunger. It’s kind of a fat loss cheat code. Promotes insulin sensitivity. Great for thinking. The list goes on. Go for walks. Often. Daily, even.
Walking with Weighted Vest
2- for burning calories
5- for core/posture
2- for bone density
This one is going to need some qualification. Most of the weighted vests I see people wearing for walking weigh 12 pounds. That’s what we’re rating here. If you’re older and/or untrained or are coming back from injury, a 12 pound load could be enough stimulus for postural muscles to get some activation. A 12 pound vest can also function as a posture feedback device in that when your torso falls off of its axial plane, your body will instantly know and adjust. As for bone building- not enough stimulus. You’ll get more benefit from a weightier vest but at that point you’re into rucking, which is cool!
Cross fit
2
Injury factory.
Okay. Calm down. I’m kidding- a little. I don’t think the modality is necessarily bad. The culture promotes high intensity and high volume often with disregard to form. I’ve seen some great Cross Fit coaches. I’ve seen more no pain, no gain gyms though2.
HIIT
8
Make no mistake, HIIT workouts are awesome for getting effective short duration, high intensity training in to improve fitness and performance. It only gets an 8 though because they’re usually touted as massive calorie and fat burning sessions. Exercise is for fitness. Nutrition is for body composition3.
Lifting Weights
10
One of the best things you can do to live a longer, happier life. I’d say lifting weights is a top 3 intervention for longevity.
Lifting Heavy
8
Great way to get strong! But you can get pretty strong by lifting medium heavy weights. Gotta be intense though. No way around that. Get uncomfortable.
Electrolyte Supplements
2
Over priced and unnecessary for most people. Salt your food. Take a mg and a k supplement if you need to. The deluge of marketing we see is just that- mostly marketing. Most people don’t need help hydrating beyond just drinking enough water. Also, most Americans consume way more sodium than necessary and most electrolyte supplements contain 1000mg!4 Caveats: if you’re on a GLP-1, terzepitide, or some other weight loss drug, you might consider an electrolyte supplement as your lower food intake may not have enough sodium, potassium, or magnesium to provide adequate electrolytes. If you’re a high level athlete that sweats a lot, you may want extra electrolytes. Some issues such as POTS or dysautonomia could also benefit. But if you have a desk job you just need to drink water.
Collagen
2
There’s not a ton of data or evidence that support the cost. But if you don’t mind spending hard earned money on something that works a little bit- knock yourself out. If you like it, no harm. Just don’t expect much- though, anecdotally I hear plenty of positive skin, hair, and nail results. I’m a firm believer that if it’s working for you, let ‘er rip. I just don’t see enough evidence.
Lifting to Failure
5
I might get flack from a few- some will say I rated it too high, others the opposite. I think training to failure sometimes is a good idea, especially if it’s the last set you’re planning on doing for the lift or movement. Knowing what failure feels like is important so that one can gauge their proximity to it in order to know when to stop. Ie. 2-3 reps in reserve. No need to reach failure often. But train hard!
Pizza
10
Duh (unless it has pineapple atop, then 0. Also, duh.)
Gym Bros
2
Physique schmysique. Show me what you can do besides lift sort of heavy shit 10 times then pull your shirt up and look in the mirror underneath perfect overhead lighting. Boring.
BBLs
0
I just found out what these are. Biggest waste of money I’ve ever heard of.
Creatine
9
Would be a 10 if the effects were less subtle. That said, there’s no reason to not use creatine as the effects are repeatedly established through rigorous scientific research for a variety of indications from muscle to memory. Take your creatine. 5g-10g/day.
Protein
0- As an obsession
10- As a macro
You don’t need as much as social media would suggest. You do need more than the RDA, however. Get to 1.6g/kg of desired body weight of high quality protein and Bob’s your uncle. If protein is part of your personality, do some soul searching.
Caffeine
10
The best legal performance enhancing drug ever invented- unless you use too much, use it too late in the day, or it plays havoc in your guts. There really aren’t any downsides when used normally and responsibly. Next to creatine, it’s probably the most studied supplement of the last 30 years. Good stuff.
Fiber
10
Unless you have diverticulitis, Crohn’s, or some other gut issue, eat all the fiber. It feeds your gut microbiota, helps in digestion, and by all accounts makes life better. Seriously. 25g-40g/day. Every study supports this.
Sleep
11
Despite the fact that I have ongoing sleep issues, sleep remains at the top of the list for health and longevity. I can’t overstate this. Adequate sleep makes everything better.
So there we have it! Some hot and not so hot takes on our lovely world of health and fitness. Suit up and get out there. Summer is racing by!
When I was a kid I thought all adults lost the ability to run. The only time I saw any adult run was during beer league softball, which was very popular in my hometown. It was running, I suppose, but injuries abounded and the visage was something else- perhaps akin to pregnant yaks. Ever see that? Super cute! Terrible runners.
If your mascot is a clown hooked up to a dialysis machine as a result of training so hard his kidneys went into failure due to rhabdomyolysis caused by the massive amount of protein breakdown from a single workout, then you might have a culture problem. I’m not making this up. Uncle Rhabdo. Check it out: https://medium.com/@ericrobertson/crossfits-dirty-little-secret-97bcce70356d
Obviously exercise complements nutrition and vice versa for fat loss, but we’ve been over this a million times. Broad strokes here. Broad strokes.
Remember when everyone was trying to cut back on sodium? If you’re salt sensitive, sodium has a dramatic negative effect on blood pressure. Why regular people think they need all this extra sodium now baffles me.