On a Saturday just a shade past the beginning of our celebration of work by not working, we bring you stories and highlights on exercise, what to watch, and images from the front lines of America's Workforce.  Finally, a musical memory to finish up the days between what the weather says vs. the calendar heading into the fall.

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After a decade of running in my 30s, my back had eroded, and surgery was required; before surgery, I did everything from shots to physical therapy, chiropractic care, and core work – so much core work.  It's been another 10 years since my back surgery, and running will forever be in my rearview mirror, but I am in better shape than I was during my running days.  Since my surgery, I haven't done a sit-up, crunch, or core-specific exercise.  Squats, leg presses, and several other upper-body strength training can build and maintain abs.  The only way to see those abs is to lose all of the fat, and the only crunch involved is the one you refrain from, meaning the snacking kind.

The Guardian wrote one of the best fitness articles I've ever read, and I have been a fitness enthusiast, practitioner, and instructor for most of my life.  The author, Joe Stone, talked to several experts in the fitness field, and they dispelled many myths in the fitness industry, most of whom I can personally vouch for.  Here are a few of my favorites from the piece:

There is evidence to suggest that you should warm up before you exercise, but the evidence on whether or not stretching helps improve a workout, recovery from a workout, or prevents injuries is mixed at best.

This one is up there with 10,000 hours to become an expert; rumor has it a pedometer company came up with the number without any backing data.  However, since it has come out, evidence suggests that monitoring how many steps you take in a day is beneficial, especially if you don't exercise regularly.

Sarah Lindsay, a speed skating Olympian, says a person's metabolism will decrease with age, but only at 65.  This is the one topic in the article I disagreed with.  It could be that what I have felt over the decades isn't metabolism, but I can say with certainty that my diet and exercise routine in my 20s was terrible, and my weight was in the normal range.  After my back surgery in my 40s, exercise was very difficult for several years while I healed, and my diet was about the same as it was in my 20s.  The result was a weight gain of 50 lbs. in less than 2 years.  Maybe it wasn’t metabolism, age played a big factor in my body mass, which was massive!

I made up a rule after my weight gain experience that every calorie doubles in each decade of your life.  If something is 100 calories in your 20s, the same thing is 200 calories in your 30s and 300 calories in your 40s.  This is not science, but it corresponds to how my body converts food.

Nick Finney, a personal trainer, also adds that ab work won't help you unless you are in a “prolonged calorie deficit.” Weight training can help by reducing calories faster, but to see your muscles, you must eliminate the excess fat, and do it consistently for a P-R-O-L-O-N-G-E-D period of time.

We live in a fad diet and exercise world; we are sold more 90-day transformational products and systems for a hot bod than in any other category of self-help products.  The truth is simple: it all starts with calories in and out.

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Labor Day Weekend and Smithsonian Magazine bring us several pictures of Americans at work.  Love or hate us, most Americans love to work, and seeing pictures of firefighters, farmers, and truckers reminds us how the workers keep the country's wheels rolling.

Consequence writes up a good primer of things to check out on the streams over a long weekend.  From movies on Hulu to shows on Netflix and Peacock.  Craig Robinson (The Office) has a show on Peacock called Killing It, worth a view, and an 80s documentary mini-series on hair metal bands is a must-see for us.

A weekly roundup from a few weeks ago, Consequence, has been on our minds this weekend.  We recently listened to Kyle Meredeth’s podcast with Tommy Stinson (The Replacements), a story we will highlight next week.  Fumbling around Consequence after the listen, the roundup from a few weeks ago is still a solid 7 minutes of relevant music news.

Balloon Man blew up in my hand.

Click on the Apple Music image to listen to the song on Apple Music or on the Spotify Image to listen to Spotify.

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Thank you for spending a few minutes with us. Here’s one for the road!

With A Shout newsletter is written by Johnny Christian with the support of a thousand idea bits and the help of many people.

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