Never Stop Fighting Eating Disorders!

Okay, I know... Its been a while since I made any updated posts.  In fact its been a long while.  The reason?  Several recent changes took place causing things to spiral a bit out off control.  I changed jobs, changed majors, lost money and experienced a variety of other occurrences that would cause meltdowns in most.  In fact I think I may have reached that point several times.  These changes (both expected and unexpected) led to a huge increase in stress.  It wasn't all bad though.  This has given me the opportunity to study and learn a few things about how I react to stress both mentally and physically.  I will be writing more about my experience with stress in a future post, but for now I want to focus on the single most affected area of my life during this seemingly stressful time, my eating disorder.

Yes that's right, I said eating disorder.  Most of you who know me would not think I have an eating disorder.  In fact if you look at my photos you will see an extremely lean being with visible abdominal muscles and well rounded muscle tone.  What you don't see is the battle constantly being waged in my head that keeps the body in this shape.  It took a great deal of work to reach this point and nothing less than complete mental control can get you there.  Unfortunately if you lose control even for a short period of time the changes are quick and painful.

About my eating disorder...  I don't starve myself or make myself throw up.  I don't binge eat to the point of exploding.  What I do is eat to compensate when a lot of pressure or stress is thrown my direction.  It starts small.  Something like a cookie or a small bowl of ice cream.  No harm there right?  In fact I don't even notice any changes in my body.  I think "no big deal, tomorrow I'll be right back on track".  But that isn't the case.  Sugar is said to be more addictive than cocaine because of the physical effects on your brain.  This is even more true for those who have cut out sugar to a great degree.  So the next day I eat a little more junk food each time feeling horrible afterward knowing that I am hurting my body little by little.  A few days later I notice something in the mirror...  My skin feel thicker to the touch.  Slightly pudgy and rubbery.  I feel horrified at the sight of this though I am assured by others that there is nothing to worry about.

As even more stressful events enter my life I am quickly consumed by my eating habits.  I realize I have started eating white flour, sugar, and a variety of other heart stoppers.  My caloric intake has increased dramatically and I have also turned to coffee as a means of staying energized as my energy rapidly decreased once my body was no longer getting the vital nutrients it needed.  This was even more harmful because I had decreased my intake of water and by adding coffee which is a diuretic my body had become overly dehydrated.  I frequently felt exhausted and would get to the point of falling asleep where I sat just to re-boot.

As all of this was taking place I thought my weight must have increased heavily.  However this was not the case.  My physical appearance had become more bulky and chubby, but my weight was actually at the lowest point of my life.  I suspect this was due to the lack of strength training.  I believe my muscles were depleting and being replaced with fat.

Despite all of this which has taken place I have noted that my physical abilities still surpass those of nearly everyone around me. 

This isn't the first time I have battled this disorder, nor do I suspect it will be the last.  What is important is that you realize at some point that YOU ARE BEING CONTROLLED by your mind and by this addiction and there is only one person who can make the changes that will lead you down a path to good health and long life.  That person is YOU!

I have realized this from the beginning but once you start down that path it is hard to recover.  I won't lie... If you have been eating potato chips, french fries, hamburgers, soda, pastries, ice-cream and pretty much anything else served in fast food "restaurants" or the inner aisles of your grocery store you have a long road ahead of you.  But if you truly WANT TO FEEL GOOD then you must start somewhere.  Start by reading some of my older posts to get an idea.

I have already started the work to get myself back on track.  I am up at 3 AM doing sprints.  I have increased my water intake and decreased my caloric intake as well as eliminating coffee.  I have switched back to healthier food choices while struggling to avoid the junk.

For those who are interested you can start now!

Start with me!

Try it for 30 days and  I promise you will feel a thousand times better!

If you want to try it here is what you need to do.
Start by cleansing yourself.

On Day 1 cut out all drinks besides water.  Carry a large cup with a lid and straw with ice water and drink 4 or 5 of these throughout the day (not all at once).    Also on this day, cut out any pastries or cakes.  Find something else to eat!  Preferably fruit and veggies!



On the 3rd day either continue the previous pattern and if you are capable throw in some kind of exercise.  It doesn't have to be much, but doing anything will help get you in the right mental attitude for what is to come.  If you start small and build up you will find it much easier to transition.  I started with some pull-ups and push ups as they were the most convenient.

On the 4th day Continue from the third day and if you are feeling up for it, do something to actually get your heart pounding.  I suggest a light walk, jog, or bicycle.  This doesn't have to be far and is once again aimed more at setting the right mental attitude. 

On the 5th day you should be eating much healthier while continuing to exercise for at least 30 minutes.  Don't forget to stretch before and after exercise to avoid other injuries.

After the first 5 days you will start to get the picture of what it will take to get where you want.  After 5 days you will already notice changes in your energy levels as well as physical composition.  The more you do this the more motivated you will become.  However, there is a lot more to developing a well rounded and healthy lifestyle so please check back for more posts on what you can do as I can't possibly cover it all here.

No matter what happens, NEVER give up on yourself!  It isn't too late to avoid being hooked up to an oxygen tank and tubes for the rest of your life!

One last thing I want to share before I go.

Despite my eating disorder I do not look overweight and many people even now ask me what I eat to stay in such great shape.  To get back into shape I will be reverting back to my previous diet as the results were amazing!  If you want to try this diet you are more than welcome to, though it is truly a tough one to master.  Here it is:

Breakfast
45 - 48 oz smoothie (requires a blender)
Ingredients:
2 Bananas sliced
1 1/2 cups Almond Milk
1 cup Water
1 cup Spinach Leaves
1 Tablespoon Chia Seeds (this is just a bonus, but is not required)
You can also add 1 Tbsp honey for flavor but be careful because this is basically sugar and can have a harmful effect.  I don't recommend using honey for more than a week.
Add Ice for thickness and blend until smooth.  With this amount of smoothie you will feel extremely full which should hold you over for at least 3 hours.

Snack 1 (3 - 4 hours after breakfast)
1 box raisins with 1/4 cup walnuts (about 320 calories)
or a raw food bar (the CLIF bars aren't too horrible as far as ingredients go and they do taste pretty good.  Stick with the raising or other berry flavors to avoid unnecessarily bad ingredients)
You could also try popcorn here if it is a kind that doesn't have a lot of butter (that stuff will make you feel horrible!)

Snack 2 (2 - 3 hours later)
This snack should be some kind of fruit like an apple, peach or pear.  It will be a low calorie snack that is only meant to hold you over until lunch.

Lunch (3 hours later)
For lunch I highly recommend a salad with dark leafy green vegetables.  Add fruits for taste or other veggies.  Use an olive oil based dressing to keep it healthy.

Snack 3 (2 hours later)
If you get hungry before dinner you can eat another piece of fruit.  My regime doesn't include this snack though.  I will hold out until dinner.

Dinner (before 7 PM)
Dinner will be either another smoothie made similar to breakfast.  Or will be some kind of lean meat made from animals fed a natural diet.  Some of these meats include pork chops, chicken, fish, and turkey (I particularly enjoy the turkey burgers).  I like to cook my meat on the George Foreman grill to get rid of excess fat and season them as needed.

This diet is based on my needs and what I have found to work for changing my body after a year of study.  It may need to be modified some to your own needs and circumstances.  Nonetheless, now you know what I was eating to get in the extreme shape you see in the pictures.  I don't care what mypyramid.gov tries to tell you is healthy, please for your own good, ignore that crap and simply test a variety of healthy foods to find out what works for your own body!

And remember, NEVER give up on yourself!  ALWAYS KEEP FIGHTING!  If you never stop fighting, you will eventually win the battle and will have the life you always dreamed of having!

Until next time!

How to Survive

Today's topic is on Survival.  What is it?  Why is it important?  Why should you care?

Most people never really consider what it means to survive.  Most don't think it is something they need to worry about as eventually they are going to die anyway.  However true this may be for (most), when the shit hits the fan people tend to want to live...  Go figure.  Survival occurs when you are prepared for events outside your norm which could kill you (and you live through the event).

Survival is an important concept for anyone (not just cryonicists) who would like to live a little longer.  For this reason I don't understand why virtually no one practices it.  I tell others about some kind of training we are doing and they think we are crazy!  "You're going to spend a weekend in the forest practicing survival skills?!?!?!  Are you nuts?"  Sorry my friend, I think you are nuts for not being prepared.

Survival is more than just having a bunch of gear.  Here are a couple of things you should consider if you want to survive even the most basic life threatening situation...

1.  Are you mentally prepared?  Don't just say you are.  You actually need to read and practice survival skills and tactics to get this preparation.  A positive attitude will increase your chances of survival greatly.

2.  Do you have required supplies on you at all times?  My supplies involve home supplies (several gallons of clean water, food, multiple ways to start fires ect), a vehicle repair kit and 4 gallons of water in my trunk, a 72 hour survival bag in my trunk with first aid, a pocket survival and pocket first aid kit kept on me at all times, items such as compass, flashlight, and keybaton on my keyring, and a weapon strapped to my leg for self defense.

3.  Do you even know first aid?  You should...  If you know it, you can teach it to your family and you can all be more well prepared.

4.  Do you know self-defense?  You should be training in a form of self-defense that is easy to master, easy to use, and doesn't involve silly parlor tricks for breaking someones arm in 3 places.  You need to study material that has worked for many years in real life combat and survival situations.

5.  Are you physically fit?  If you aren't fit to survive, your chances of survival in a life threatening situation are severely decreased.  Fat people don't move as fast, can't breath as well, will cramp up and keel over when forced to run and generally have far less mental clarity than those who are in shape.  Your level of fitness has a direct impact on your mental attitude and both will be necessary to keep your butt alive.

There you go... A few examples of what it takes to be prepared and survive life threatening situations.  Of course this topic goes far deeper and we have only scratched the surface here, but if you want to increase your chances of survival, these 5 areas are definitely the place to start. 

If any of you have questions on any of these areas, please either send me a message here or through facebook if you know me.  I will be glad to help you. 

As Tony Horton says "RESULTS START WHEN YOU DO!!!"

Oh, one last thing.  Being a member of an organization (such as military) does not automatically make you fit, trained, or prepared.  So even if you are a member of some org that should be teaching you at least some of these skills, please train and prepare on your own so you can know 100% without a doubt you have the training you need!

Curing Aches and Pains

One of the most common complaints I hear on a regular basis is over the aches and pains of those with worn, used, and tired bodies.  Back pain, knee pain, neck pain, wrist pain ect ect ect...  We've all heard these complaints (I've even done it once or twice), but does anyone ever actually look into fixing these issues?

Here are a few simple suggestions you should try if you are experiencing some kind of pain.

1.  Check your diet. 

If you aren't eating healthy you are putting a ton of bad chemicals into your body that aren't doing anything good.  Add a LOT more veggies and fruits and you will begin to feel better almost immediately.  This works for a wide variety of illnesses and pains alike.

2.  Drink water.  

You think you drink enough water?  Not likely.  Most people don't.  Even I have a hard time getting enough of it at times.  Unfortunately water is one of the main components of life, so you should definitely get your fill.  By increasing your water intake to a proper level you will have more energy and will feel better since your body isn't being restricted from a vital resource.  Keep a small bottle of water right in front of you so you will sip it often and then refill it and repeat throughout the day.  You should be visiting the bathroom fairly regularly if you are getting enough water, and your excrement should be a very clear color if you are properly hydrated (unless you take vitamins which can often turn your fluids yellow).

3.  Good posture

This is something that few seem to practice these days.  People walk around hunched over or slouch in their chair at work.  Nobody wants to stand / sit up straight.  For those of you who work in an office all day you may have noticed either having lower back pain, or abdominal pain after sitting for 8 hours or so.  The lower back pain is likely due to all that time spent in the chair slouching back and not sitting properly.  It puts extra pressure on your spine and with time causes it to bend out of whack.  Your abs on the other hand will tend to hurt if you slouch forward for long periods of time.  This causes your abs to sit constricted in a tight position and leads to stomach cramping.  If you have ever flown long distance you may have experienced this!  So sit up straight with your feet flat on the floor.  Another technique I have seen used is to turn your chair backwards and sit on your knees which almost forces you to sit with proper posture!

4.  Stretching

Stretching is another highly neglected factor in avoiding bodily pains.  If you type of a computer all day you may have pain in your wrists, neck or abs as mentioned above.  Doing a few minutes of stretches or yoga in the morning will help release some of the tension built up in these areas and should cause you to feel less pain or no pain at all.  I prefer head and neck rolls for that area.  You can also roll your wrists or hold them in a bent up or down position for 10 seconds or so.  For the abs there are two stretches I like:

The first involves interlocking the fingers of both hands together with arms stretched above the head; palms should be facing the ceiling.  From this position push/pull in an upward direction while standing. 

The second stretch is my preferred stretch and works really well.  For this stretch lay flat on the floor on your stomach.  Next, place your hands next to your chest in the push up position.  Push up, lifting everything above your stomach off the floor.  Your entire lower body should still be on the ground.  If done correctly your back should be bent inward and you should feel a good stretch in your abdominal muscles.

For other parts of the body a quick Google search will return plenty of results on stretching.  Test out different methods for whatever area ails you.  This will give you results that actually work for your body!

And there you have it!  Four great ways to reduce / relieve some of those aches and pains you've been feeling!

***BONUS***

On top of eating a healthier diet, you should check with your physician and have blood work done to find out what essential vitamins and nutrients your body may be lacking.  Once you know what your body is missing, you can fix it with a strong multi-vitamin (or maybe just a few inidividual supplements).  This can make a huge change in the way you feel both physically and mentally!

Hope you all have a great weekend!

High Intensity Running

Ok, so after getting back from Florida I've put my workout routine back in to full motion.

For those of you who met or know Jolly, you likely also know that he promotes high intensity workouts.  Especially sprinting if I remember correct.  Those of you who know him also probably know this man eats very well and has a pretty ripped mid-section.  He didn't seem to care much for the idea of P90X (although I still maintain that it is a good workout for toning), but nonetheless he's definitely in good shape.

So I thought I would try something new instead of long range cardio for losing weight and getting back into shape.  Here is what I have found...  For my first week back I did a 3 mile jog, mixing in sets of 10 - 15 sprints along the way.  I would jog for about 5 minutes, sprint to a fixed object and then slow down to a jog again. 

By following this method I have noticed a feeling of having an extreme workout with only a short distance.  The weight dropped off rapidly the entire first week. 

Now I am tossing in P90X and Hand to Hand Combat as well for toning my upper body and abdominal muscles.  So far the combination is working very well and I plan to stick with it for a while.

I have noticed that for the last 3 days I've been at 157lbs.  I'm not sure if my caloric intake has been too high or if the muscle i'm building countering against further weight loss.  This is going to take a bit more testing as I feel there is still a few small sections of fat that could come off.

Of course as always I've been eating very well while doing this.  Hopefully the result will be better abs than ever :)

For those of you who can do high intensity workouts and want to lose weight, at this point I would recommend it.  Make sure you STRETCH WELL both before and after your workouts.  Drink plenty of water, and eat at least healthier foods if not very healthy foods and you will definitely see results!

***NOTE*** 
I have mixed feelings about long range cardio at this point.  For me it has been very successful in the past for losing weight to a point, but there is some talk that it may actually be bad for your heart.  I will need to do more research and testing into this area for further clarification.  For now, the sprints seem to work just as well as the long range cardio while putting stress on your body for only short distances at a time.

Preparing for Disaster

After the tragic events of the past several days it has probably become clear to some of you that disaster can strike at any moment.  Many lives were lost and thousands of homes and businesses were destroyed and now local area store supplies are quickly being depeleted as the community rushes to gather resources for those in need. 

Yes, I understand the feelings associated with helping out your community, but this isn't what I want to discuss.  I want to discuss how you can prepare yourself for future disasters.

What I've witnessed with the recent blizzard and tornadoes is that as soon as disaster strikes everyone goes rushing out for supplies.  They wait until the last minute and then rush out to gather items before everyone else gets them first.

Wouldn't it be a better idea to build your supply stash over a period of time, buying items here and there as you go so you eventually have a large inventory of resources to pull from?  To me it makes more sense that instead of waiting until the last minute we should have our supplies ready to go all the time. 

Unfortunately most people have come to believe that disaster can't or won't happen to them and thus fail to prepare at all in advance.  Then when disaster occurs, they are completely unprepared which often ends tragically.

A few things you might consider keeping around the house:

Several gallons of clean unopened water
Several Flashlights / Candles / Glowsticks / Lighter / Water Proof Matches
Extra Batteries
Gloves
First Aid Supplies such as gauze, alcohol, bandaids ect
Extra Food
Spare change of clothes
Spare Blanket
Whistle
Cutting tools

These are a few of the items in my bug out box; although, this is not anywhere near a complete list.  You should design your supply box for the environment you live in so that you only have items that you need and can use in event of an emergency.

For a more in depth read on survival and how you can be prepared, I recommend the books "98.6 Degrees The Art of Keeping Your Ass Alive" as well as "When All Hell Breaks Loose" both by Cody Lundin.

They Missed Their Chance. Don't Miss Yours.

Death, Destruction, Mass Chaos...  War Zone...   These have become the choice words of all who speak of the tornado that ripped through my home town of Joplin, Missouri last night.  Reports are saying very likely more than 100 are dead and at least 89 have been confirmed at this time.

I am still in Florida awaiting my flight which will bring me back to all of this in a few short hours. 

On the way to the airport my driver began a conversation that turned into discussion of last night's events.  As we spoke he made the comment "they never had a chance", and I had to stop and consider what he had just said.

As tragic as the destruction is, I feel the people DID have a chance, unfortunately they missed out.  This chance didn't come in the form of earlier sirens and more warning.  No, the chance they missed out on was the chance to be revived at a later time.

All of those who were killed last night were stripped of their lives far earlier than they would have preferred.

The deaths are sad but are not what is truely tragic about what happened last night.  The tragic part is that probably 100% of them WILL NOT HAVE A CHANCE TO RETURN.

People, please exuse me for typing in all caps but THIS IS IMPORTANT.

CRYOGENIC PRESERVATION IS NOT JUST FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO LIVE FOREVER.

CRYOGENIC PRESERVATION IS FOR EXTENDING LIFE.

CRYOGENIC PRESERVATION WAS THE ONLY CURRENT CHANCE ANY OF THOSE WHO DIED HAD OF REGAINING THEIR LIVES AND NOW IT IS LOST.

CRYOGENIC PRESERVATION DOES NOT COST A LOT WHEN FUNDED WITH A LIFE INSURANCE POLICY

For the love of god...  Please, PLEASE consider what I am saying as IT IS THE ONLY CURRENT CHANCE YOU HAVE AT SURVIVING IN THE LONG RUN.


One last thought.

If I had been in Joplin last night, and if I had been killed, I would have been THE ONLY person who had a chance to come back.  All of this for the low price of around $30 A MONTH!

Please place your religon aside and consider cryonics.  It does not interfere with your beliefs, I promise you.  IF YOU WERE SICK YOU WOULD GO TO THE DOCTOR FOR A CURE. 

Death does not have to be the end.  Death is a sickness and cryonics is a possible cure.  Please think about this.

Those who died last night didn't have a chance.  They probably never knew this was even a possibility.  YOU STILL HAVE A CHANCE. 

Please LIVE!

http://cryonics.org/prod.html

Good Morning Florida!

Just wanted to bring a quick update.  The conferences have been quite interesting so far, and I've learned a great deal more about modern science than before I attended.  I would probably be learning a lot more right now at the SA conference but that would mean leaving my readers unattended :)   Actually I'll be returning momentarily.

I have been surprised by the turnout and have found there are really a lot of people interested in what we are trying to accomplish!

This is a good thing for all of us!

FREEZE YOUR BODY ARE YOU NUTZ?

Yes, that's right, when I die I have every intention of being placed into a big freezer where I will await the day I return to animation.

"What in the heck are you talking about?" 

I'm talking about cryogenic preservation.  Why am I talking about this?  I thought it a fitting topic since as I write, I am in transit to a Cryonics convention in Fort Lauderdale Florida. 

So what is this all about?

Basically cryogenic preservation is one of the only feasible options for anyone who ever plans on living past the age of 100 right now.  Cryogenic preservation is the process by which your body is is frozen once you have "passed away" with the hopes that you will return to walk amongst the living in the future once science surpasses what it is currently capable of.

Yes, I know, many of you out there are skepticle and I want to clear a few things up.

Does it cost a lot?  Yes, it can, but can be fully funded through a special life insurance policy.  (Which is exactly what I have done)

Why would you want to be brought back?  Despite all the crazy theories that the future holds nothing but problems, I believe that the future is only going to get better and better, and since the only reality I know is the reality I am currently experiencing..., it is the reality I would like to continue on with. 

So I have funded a cryonics contract with "Cryonics Institute".

FYI to all my readers, living longer is the entire reason I have devoted so much work toward becoming extremely healthy!

The actual goal is for science to surpass it's current capabilities before I die so that age reversal becomes an option and diseases are literally wiped from our very thoughts.  This should all be possible through a little thing called nanotechnology, which is currently on the rise.  Assuming science can do this, I wouldn't ever need to worry about cryogenic preservation.  Cryonics is simply a last resort and the only real hope we currently have of ever coming back.

To read more on cryonics and how you can obtain a contract, please visit http://www.cryonics.org/

Cryonics Institute is a not for profit organization and they have quite a growing community.  Whether you decide this is a choice for you or not, you should still check it out. 

Can you REALLY make an educated decision without the educated part?

Thanks for reading!

Returning from break

Alright, I suppose all my loyal fans have waited long enough.  I'm back.  I was taking a break for a bit while I finished out the semester.  Now that it is all basically done I can get caught back up. 

Let's start with a little update. 

I took second place in the 5k I ran last month.  It was only my second 5k ever so I was pretty happy with it. 

On Thursday I'll be flying to Florida for a Cryonics convention where I'll get to meet some brilliant people as well as the people who will be the future of cryogenic research or perhaps research in other important areas such as age reversal and nano technology.  I think it will be a lot of fun!

While I was on my break I ended up getting sucked in by some sugar evils and ended up feeling pretty crappy for a while.  But as I've said before and I'll say again, you MUST keep fighting no matter how many times you mess up.  Almost immediately after I began my workouts and got back to eating right my weight starting decreasing again and I felt a LOT better.

I submitted an idea to the hospital I work for which would make health information part of the entire company's morning meeting on Mondays and it was accepted and put into action.  The first reading of healthy information took place this morning so that was really cool!

Other than that I'm doing raw foods again to get back to the healthiest shape possible.  I really want to get to a point where I know enough raw food recipes to stick with it all the time.  I really do feel the best when eating in this manner.

I guess that's it for now.  I'll be updating with more healthy living posts very shortly.  Thanks for sticking around.

Oh one last thing I did that was exciting!  I went skydiving!  Woohoo...  I was missing that adrenaline rush for a while!

Get Moving - 5k Season

Ever seen those people out running on the street - headband, watch, reflector vest and all - and wondered... "Why in the hell would anyone be running when they could be driving!"

Well, I can tell you this - it isn't because they are training for McDonalds! 

Many of them are training for upcoming races.  There are 5k, 10k, half marathons and full marathons pretty much every weekend throughout the year and these people want to be ready.

For now, let's focus on the 5k as it is the most basic and most common of the races. 

I know, it SOUNDS TOUGH... "5k Holy Cow!"  You are thinking.  But guess what folks, 5k is only 3.1 miles.  You can literally walk it in less than an hour!

But what is the purpose?  The purpose of a 5k is to get you motivated!  When you get out there with a crowd of 3 - 500 people or even up to the thousands you can literally feel the energy in the air!  You are filled with something you can't quite explain and that something fuels you to greater heights than you've ever reached before.  There is literally no feeling quite as energizing as finishing a race ESPECIALLY YOUR FIRST RACE!  Even if you only walk the race, you will still experience this energy and you will be doing something healthy that is probably supporting a good cause!

But how do you go about preparing for such a race even if you wanted to?  Well, to start you should read up on some of my other blogs for general health and fitness tips, but furthermore you should START NOW with whatever your plan is.

A simple google search will return a plethora of information on training for a 5k.  The basics can be put in a plan like this:
1.  Get Started
2.  Stretch / Warm-up before any exercise
3.  Get Moving, whether walking or jogging, indoors or outdoors, DO SOMETHING NOW!
4.  Find a place where you can measure out 3.1 miles and start working on your course.
5.  You may not make it the entire route on your first few tries but do what you can and you will build up to it.
6.  Monitor your progress over several weeks and gradually increase your speed and distance
7.  Once you can actually do the full route start testing out different training methods such as sprints and other speed play.
8.  Follow your plan for at least 2 months before the race.
9.  Rest for several days before the race.
10.  Sign up and Race!

Those are the very basics.  As I said before a simple google search will return a ton of different race plans.  Pick one that is right for you and test it out.  If you do well with it then it probably works.  If not, get rid of it and try a new plan.

Whatever you do, GET STARTED NOW!  Once you have run a 5k you will understand why so many people get motivated and hit the streets all the time for a jog.  They aren't crazy!  They are simply happy knowing they are doing something that hundreds of thousands of people cannot or will not do!

You can experience this amazing feeling.  You can even WIN if you train hard enough!

The racing season is upon us!  GLORY STARTS WHEN YOU DO!

Forget the Latte

If there is one thing I've noticed working in an office day after day it's that people come to work really tired, have their cup of coffee or soda or whatever to get woke up and then about an hour after lunch are exhausted.

If this sounds like you listen up!  It's all in your eating / drinking and sleep habits (sleep will be discussed in another blog)!

Drinking soda or caffeine will give you a short sugary "energy boost".  Unfortunately that energy boost never lasts long and you have to keep adding more sugar or caffeine to contain it. 

With sugar you become sleepy because it causes your insulin levels to surge and your body reacts to this surge by your blood sugar level to compensate.  In doing so your brain tells your body to slow down many important functions which is why you become sleepy.

With caffeine your body experiences a similar "energy boost" as your brain is stimulated and the body is warmed.  A little caffeine can do you a lot of good in the morning since it causes more alertness and clarity and it generally lasts a while.  However, if you load your coffee or latte up with sugars (or buy pre-sugared) you will likely run into the same problem as with other sugary drinks.

If you want to have a lot of energy in the morning you need to do the following: 
1.  Make sure you get at least 8 hours of sleep the night before and go to bed / rise at the same time each day.
2.  Exercise in the morning, you will feel energized after a good workout!
3.  Eat a healthy breakfast and drink water
4.  DO NOT DRINK SUGARY DRINKS IN THE MORNING (or preferrably at all)
5.  Switch from coffee to a more lightly caffenated herbal tea.  You will get way more antioxidants and other nutritients and will be far less likely to see severe crashes as your body goes through the digestion process.

If you are experiencing extreme drowsiness in the afternoon it is probably for a different reason altogether.

The main cause of lethargy for office people in the afternoon is caused by their favorite break of the day... Lunch!

At lunch most people either run to some fast food restaurant and buy a hefty $7.00 - 10.00, 1500 to 3000 calorie meal or they bring leftovers from last night's dinner.

The problem with this is that you are eating an incredibly heavy amount of food either way.  For most of you out there your daily calorie needs are below 2000 if you are inactive.  That means in this one meal you are probably getting most if not all of your calories needed in one day all in one meal!

Since you eat throughout the day this already puts you weigh over your calorie limit which means you are gaining weight!

But it also means something else...  When you eat this much food (and we haven't even gotten to the fact that it isn't healthy food) your body has to digest it.  It is very hard for your body to digest most of these unnatural foods and drinks and so your body has to do a lot of work to take care of this.

That means your body has to take energy from other vital functions and move it to your digestive system to help complete the process.  This slows down all of your other functions and guess what!  IT MAKES YOU VERY SLEEPY!

So what should you do if you want to have energy after lunch?  YOU NEED TO EAT A LIGHT MEAL MADE OF EASILY DIGESTIBLE FOODS SUCH AS FRUITS AND VEGGIES!!!

Fruits / Vegetables are easily digested by your body.  They are quickly absorbed and broken down which means your body not only uses less energy in the process but actually GAINS ENERGY as the vitamins and nutrients are absorbed.  You are now being fueled for productivity instead of being prepared for lethargy and gluttony!

Keep these ideas in mind as you make your daily food choices.  If you do, you will have a lot more energy throughout the day and will find yourself in a significantly better mood!  Your body will also feel a lot better and will thank you for taking care of it.

Your body is the machine that keeps you alive.  YOUR BODY IS LITERALLY YOUR LIFE SUPPORT!  TAKE CARE OF YOUR BODY!

Alcoholic vs Foodoholic

Recently I've been thinking a lot about people who condemn alcoholics because of their life choices.  I've heard several people say things like "That guy's problem is that he's an alcoholic" making it sound like he's the worst type of person.  I find it ironic that almost 100% of these people doing the accusing are over weight and don't appear to be any better off.

So what follows is a comparison of the modern foodoholic vs the alcoholic.  Hopefully it will help some to understand why they may not be in a position to judge and how they might in fact be in the exact same position as the person/people they have been judging all along.

-Alcoholics often drink because they have problems in other areas of their life.  They drink to escape reality so they don't have to deal with the emotions associated with their problems.

-Foodoholics often eat in reaction to stressful or painful emotions.  When they experience these emotions they are compelled to grab up some kind of junk food and let loose!

-Alcoholics have developed a chemical addiction with their substance.  Their body has adapted to the chemicals and now feels that it must have more and more of these chemicals not only to feel good but to survive.

-Foodoholics experience a similar addiction.  The chemicals in your tasty treats are just as addicting as the chemicals found in alcohol.  This is the reason you can't stop thinking about sugary foods and beverages and is also part of the reason you can't stop eating them!

-Alcoholics drink for pleasure...  Drinking / being drunk is often thought of as being a pleasurable and fun experience.  You feel good when you drink because your body's senses are numbed.

-Foodoholics experience the same pleasure when it comes to delicious foods.  Think about it for a second...  What is desert?  Desert is the most pleasureable part of any meal.  And what do millions of people do after a ball game... They go out for ice-cream.  Or for a party we order pizza.  These are all things which are associated with having fun.

Last but not least, and certainly the most important factor here...

-Alcoholics are slowly poisoning their bodies.  The alcohol makes the liver work hard as it tries to filter it out of your system.  As the liver weakens over time it has to struggle harder and harder to properly filter toxins out.  Finally the liver becomes so weak it no longer functions properly.  At this point, you have a real problem.  As an alcoholic you have the highest risk of DEATH BY LIVER DISEASE!

-Foodoholics are slowly poisoning their bodies as well.  The chemicals / sugars / fatty oils all have to be processed by your liver.  Unfortunately for you, the liver isn't your biggest issue.  You see, as the liver becomes weaker and less capable of filtering the toxins from your body, the begin to build up inside of you, clogging your arteries and slowing the machine that is your heart.  Clog the heart and arteries too much and you are going to be really sorry even if you aren't overweight.  As a foodholic you have the highest risk of DEATH BY HEART DISEASE!

THE MAIN POINT...

Whether you are an alcoholic or a foodoholic YOU ARE BOTH AT AN INCREASED RISK FOR DEADLY DISEASES IF YOU DON'T KICK YOUR HABITS. 

So before you go criticizing the guy walking into the liquor store you might want to take a quick look in the mirror.  If you are overweight at all you are at an increased risk of something just as deadly and self destructive as any alcoholic.  You are no better than the person you are judging so instead of stating why he is a bad person, WORK ON CHANGING YOURSELF!

My Thoughts on P90X

I've mentioned doing the P90X workout many times as part of my fitness routine; however,  it seems like a lot of people are misinterpreting this to mean that it is the main reason I am so fit.  I want to set this straight...  P90X IS A SUPPLEMENT TO MY LIFESTYLE!

Yes P90X is extreme (assuming you push yourself), and yes P90X can do amazing things for your body, BUT ONLY WHEN COMBINED WITH THE PROPER LIFESTYLE.  Doing P90X alone isn't enough, and it won't do diddly for you if you aren't covering the really important areas of your life.

Doing P90X has benefits.  It gets you moving, and it gets you lifting (mostly your own weight) which will help you burn calories and build muscle.  These two things are a great start down the road of fitness!  Unfortunately P90X falls short in the area of proper dieting.  The plan set up in their book has options for keeping your calories within range, which is good for losing weight, but a lot of the meals have really bad substances in them that can easily cause you to gain weight and lose health.

Here is what I have done as far as P90X is concerned.

First, I followed the plan as it is set up in the book (the work out plan that is).  If you follow this, you will increase your strength, endurance, and flexibility.  You will get moving and you will burn calories.

Second, I developed my own diet plan based on my own research and testing to find out what really works.  What I found is that for me, a diet of mostly fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds combined with a small amount of fish and chicken (lean meat) caused a huge amount of weight loss.  I honestly believe if I followed the P90X diet I would have lost weight, but it wouldn't have helped my health at all in the long run.

Third, all of the strength I've gained and all of the muscle that you see WAS NOT AT ANY TIME obtained by using any kind of protein powder / shake / drink.  You may not know this but there is a HUGE amount of protein just waiting for you in most basic nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans, peanuts, cashews) as well as in many vegetables like broccoli.  You don't need extra protein in your diet, I promise you this, you will get plenty if you increase your intake of veggies / nuts / seeds.

What am I really getting at?  The REAL point here is that you have to change your lifestyle if you want to see results using P90X.  You have to figure out what actually works for you own body.  And you have to stick with your plan no matter what!  If you can do this, you will see amazing results!

But if you just losely toy with P90X it is going to chew you up and spit you out just as unhealthy as you already were. 

If you want a good guide to exercise P90X is perfect, just make sure you are making the right choices in the important other areas first or you'll never see the results of your hard work!

Food Addictions and Cleansing Your Body

That's right, I said it... Addiction.  You think you love the foods you eat, but the fact is, you very likely have become addicted to them.  Most of the foods people eat these days are filled with sugars, salts, and several kinds of chemicals that all have an affect on your central nervous system.  Foods such as ice cream or candy bars amongst others cause a chemical reaction in your brain which releases endorphines into the body.  Endorphines make you feel good and what this means is that when you eat these foods you "feel good".  Now, pair that with the fact that many of us lead fast paced stressful lives and you've got yourself a problem.  You stress and worry and want to feel good and then your body remembers "Oh wait!  If I eat these foods, they will make me feel good!"  Unfortunately all these foods do is release more chemicals which continue controlling you. 

Trust me, it isn't necessarily because you don't have the will power to stop.  A large part of your addiction is happening on a cellular level from within your body, and until you realize this, it isn't going to stop.

So how do you stop you ask?  How do you get rid of the cravings?  To this day I have only found one method that has actually worked for me.  I've tried many.  The method I have found works best is one of cleansing.  You see, the problem is that your body is full of nasty chemicals, sugars, oils, and other things that are causing your entire system to run slow.  So what you need to do is clean it out!

Really the principles involved are very simple and once you've done it you WILL feel a million times better than you did before.  Not only that, I have found that I LOST WEIGHT without exercising while I was cleansing my body.  I have no doubt in my mind that you will lose weight as well, although exercising will certainly help and speed up the process.

So what kind of cleansing do I recommend?  Here is what I have tried and found worked best for me.  (Note: You  may have to modify this a little for your personal needs).

1.  Remove all junk food from your house if possible.
2.  Replace all junk food with fruits and vegetables.  (Preferrably of many different colors, especially dark leafy greens like spinach and kale)
3.  Make sure you have enough food to have 5 - 6 meals a day. 
-Your first and most important meal is breakfast.  Eat enough fruits and/or vegetables to fill you up for 2 - 3 hours. 
-The next meal is a snack.  Something light such as some grapes or an apple.  (The point here is to get you through to lunch)
-Lunch should be a somewhat heavy meal than a snack but less than breakfast or dinner.
-Your third meal is a snack.
-Your fourth meal is dinner.  Here you should eat enough food to hold you over until you have either one more snack for the night or nothing else for the night.  (I prefer not eating after 7 because I feel digestion can cause interrupted sleep.  However; if your stomach is growling, it is a sign you need to eat so go ahead and do so)
4.  Increase your water intake.  Keep a bottle of water with you throughout the day that you can refill.  You should have to pee every 30 - 60 minutes and it should be clear or very light yellow (meaning you are well hydrated)
5.  Continue this cycle for 15 - 30 days.  You WILL be able to see a visible difference and WILL be able to notice your increased energy along with better mood, and healthy body in general.

Once you have done this, your body will be very well cleansed.  You will have lost weight and you will feel great.  When you go to eat junk food, you may find you have lost your craving for it altogether; however, if you do decide to eat some junk food it isn't the end of the world.  Just make sure you eat it in moderation or else those same chemicals will grab hold of you just as they did before and you will be back where you started. 

As a general rule I only eat junk food maybe once a week, then I get right back to my healthy eating.

Now, I'm sure you are wondering what to do after the 15 - 30 days is up.  The answer is this... LISTEN TO YOUR BODY.  At this point it is time to start adding foods back in SLOWLY.  Add something like chicken or milk back in at first.  If you feel like crap after eating it, it probably isn't good FOR YOUR NEEDS.  Different people will have different needs.  As you start working things back into your plan you will easily be able to realize whether or not a food is good for you as long as you pay attention!  Do this and you will have developed a REAL DIET that is suited to your bodies needs.

One last thing... This blog is about using a cleansing diet to get started on your path to health, but please don't think of this as a diet.  What you need isn't a diet.  It is a LIFESTYLE CHANGE.  Until you accept that this is going to be your new way of life and your new way of eating, you will continue going back to the same old foods time and time again and will keep getting stuck in the same patterns.

Stay tuned for more next time!  Thanks for reading everyone!

Getting Started and Driving On

Hey folks...

Today I want to talk about getting started.  What it means, how you do it, and how it is probably the most important part of any diet or exercise plan.

I hear so many people saying things like "I'll start my diet plan tomorrow" or "We're starting our exercise plan Monday".  These are all great in theory, unfortunately in reality THEY DON'T WORK!

If there is one thing I've learned through countless trial and error, it is that if you don't START NOW, you aren't very likely to start at all.  It could be something extremely simple such as eating an apple instead of a pancake, or doing 3 pushups instead of lifting that remote.  Whatever you do, DO IT NOW!  When you start doing these things your mind will switch into work mode.  You will probably do even more than you set out to do in the first place.  But you won't do anything if you never start.  And you can NEVER see results if you never get started!

One other thing I want to stress is the simple fact that most people who get started "slip up".  They eat something they think they shouldn't or skip exercising for several days and get out of sync.  They then revert back to their original thinking of "I'll start back on Monday" or whenever.  Unfortunately for most, they won't get started back at all and because of the stress of losing what they already had they think they cannot go through the hard work again.  They also get in the mindset that because they slipped up once they might as well continue indulging.

This simply is not positive thinking.  HERE IS THE TRUTH!  This is something I have learned through repeated testing.  Even if you slip up, you are not out of the race.  I think of it like this:  If I workout hard for three weeks and then slip up, sure I feel bad in the moment, but guess what, I will be back to work the next day trying that much harder.  What happens is that because I keep pushing and pushing, eventually I develop the very thing I was striving so hard for in the first place!  Slip ups are merely road blocks on the path to good health.  They are obstacles that must be overcome! 

I will probably never stop having slip ups, but they are learning experiences.  They are chances for me to see where I made a mistake or poor choice so that I can correct it next time.  But even if you slip up a million times, you will still achieve what you are reaching for if you keep trying no matter what.  It may take a little longer, but you will still get there!

Live to Move, Move to Live!

According to the latest Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index 63.1 percent of adults were overweight / obese in 2009.  The number has risen continually over the years and has reached epidemic proportions in our country!  The problem is most people don't realize just how much they are being affected by their weight.  Even I have been guilty at one time of saying something to the effect of "ha look at me, I'm not overweight... are they crazy?  Where do they come up with those numbers?"  The reality of it is that you really don't have an understanding of what the term "overweight" means until you are within a healthy weight range.

The purpose of this post isn't to chastise people for being overweight, but simply to add a few more ideas to your health and exercise database that will help you fight this mighty foe.

Lets start with the basics.  If you are significantly overweight, you probably have trouble doing any kind of heavy physical exertion.  Face facts... It puts a lot of strain on your body.  You feel out of breath, over heated, dehydrated, and probably a number of other symptoms with only a small amount of movement.  So what do you do to lose weight?  Changing your eating habits is one thing that will certainly play a big role, but that is something you are going to have to do over time if you are significantly overweight as your body is going to need time to adjust.

But lets not stray from the topic here.  The topic is movement.  If you are significantly overweight, you need to move!  Normally I say that exercise is more for toning the body and less for weight loss.  This is true IF you are within or not too far off from your healthy weight.  HOWEVER, if you are morbidly obese YOU NEED TO MOVE!  Start off slow.  Maybe you can only walk for 5 minutes.  DO IT and KEEP DOING IT until after a few days you can move a little longer.  Soon you are going to start breathing better as your lungs adapt to the exertion and then you will be able to go further.  When you go further you will burn more calories.  When you haven't been doing any exercise whatsoever it means you haven't been burning any calories at all, so when you do a little exercise you burn some calories which means you are going to lose weight and when you are morbidly obese THE WEIGHT WILL COME OFF VERY QUICKLY!

If you are simply overweight, you still need to move.  It is important that you move for several reasons.

1.  Moving burns calories which helps with weight loss.
2.  Moving helps you breath with ease which will increase circulation allowing your body to move that blood through your system more efficiently.
3.  Moving will strengthen your heart so that it can A) Pump better and B) won't be as susceptible to illnesses that weaken it.
4.  Moving helps reduce stress which can cause a ton of physical problems in the body.
5.  Moving makes you sweat which helps remove toxins
6.  Moving makes you feel strong, well, and motivated
7.  Moving will help clear your mind allowing you to focus
8.  When you move, you see results!

The list could go on and on but the point is that there are far too many benefits to moving to be leading a sedentary life.

Moving could be anything from taking a short walk through a park to a brisk walk through the mall or even going to a jog.  You can walk your dog, join a sport, workout while watching a motivating exercise dvd, or any number of other things.  It really doesn't matter what you do, just as long as you GET STARTED!

Pick up a pedometer for a couple bucks at a local store.  Then you can track your steps.  If you reach 10,000 steps you will have walked approximately 5 miles and burned somewhere around 500 calories!

Healthy eating is the fuel for your machine.  Movement is how you keep your machine from becoming weak, tired, and stiff.  Without movement our machine will grow frail and rusty.  So get off the couch and get to work! Choose to move, choose to live!

CALORIE COUNTING

The basic formula for weight loss goes a little something like this:  Eat more calories than you burn in a 24 hour period and you gain weight.  Eat less calories than you burn in a 24 hour period and you lose weight.  This is because calories are actually a measurement of energy.  If you consume energy and burn it you are essentially putting it to use, however; when you don't burn the energy it is stored within the body as fat to be used at a later time.  This is what causes us to gain weight.

I recently read an article about a man who went on a Twinkie diet.  He ate nothing but junk food for several weeks but watched the amount of calories he was eating.  In the end he lost weight.  So it would seem that it doesn't matter what the food you eat is as long as you don't consume more calories than you burn each day.

This is the popular view most people take when it comes to weight loss.  Unfortunately this view is a little misleading.  You see, you can lose weight with this method but your HEALTH will be deteriorated in doing so.  When you eat junk food you are consuming empty calories.  This means that there is literally no nutritious value in the food you are eating.  It is simply calories that are stored as fat because the food is very hard for your body to digest (which means it is hard to burn these calories). 

If you want to lose weight and actually BE HEALTHY you need to put highly efficient fuel into the vehicle that is your body.  Humans were made to eat fruits and vegetables which is the reason we don't have sharp teeth, so you should definitely incorporate more of these foods into your diet!  If you are going to eat meats, they should be heart healthy meats such as fish or chicken (and not of the fried sort).  Red meats raise cholesterol levels and further your chances at heart disease; sugary junk foods will help you down the path to diabetes, and  preservatives / high fructose corn syrup / sugar and refined white flour all lead to one thing... EARLY DEATH.  These ARE NOT good things people...

When you change your diet to include healthy foods the pounds will literally fall off without exercising at all.  Exercise will help you reach your goals faster and will also help tone your body, but EXERCISING IS NOT THE IMPORTANT CONCEPT IN WEIGHT LOSS!  The important concept is putting the right fuel in your body so that when you exercise you can get the most out of it.  It is a cycle in which diet and exercise build on one another to create a highly effective living machine.  If you are taking in 4000 calories a day in junk food, you can bicycle or run all night and you won't burn enough to lose weight.  On the other hand, if you are putting good foods into your body you will see the results almost immediately.

Keep these facts in mind as you begin any diet program as they are the basics...  Increase fruits and veggies and eat a variety of colors especially dark green veggies which are high in phytonutrients, decrease junk food / red meat / dairy / drink way more water than you currently do and begin exercising even if it is just walking a little each day.

Do this and you WILL SEE RESULTS!  Do this and your weight will drop, your energy will increase, and YOU WILL FEEL BETTER than you ever have before.  Do this and you will be on the right track for a perfect LIFE HEALTH MACHINE! 

How I stay Fit

So, the popular question lately goes a little something like this, "Nick, what do you do to stay fit?  What do you eat?  What exercises do you do?"  I usually reply with the very basics because even if I told you what I really do most of you wouldn't put it to use.  You COULD, but you won't because it took hard work to get to this point and that is what it will take for you as well.

Nonetheless, I am going to give you the secret.  Not the secrets of how I got to this point, but the actual plan I am currently following because that is what You want to know.  Without further adue...

1.  I try to go to bed at the same time every night so I can get enough sleep and wake at the same time every day between 2 and 3 am.  This allows me to get my school work done before my pre-workout workout.  I drink a bottle of water during this time.

2.  At around 3:30 (sometimes 4 am) I stretch and go for my morning run or practice hand to hand combat / self defense.
3.  At around 4:45 - 5:00 I do P90X (Except right now because I am training for a race)
4.  At 6:00 I eat my first meal, a banana smoothie with kale (it actually pours 3 1/4 full glasses of smoothie) and take my vitamins (fish oil, vit C, magnesium, cod liver oil, and Vit B-12)
5.  I leave for work around 7 and pick up fresh organic fruit from the grocery store.  (Usually red pears)
6.  I take a bottle of water with me to work and continually drink it throughout the day.  (I pee a lot, but it keeps me well filtered and gives me a chance to get up and move from my desk.)
7.  At 8:00 I eat my second meal of the day, usually a pear or banana. (Sometimes I use a bag of Sunmaid dates if I really want some extra calories.  One bag is 660 calories total.  Because of the 20 something grams of sugar, I eat chia seeds before eating dates to help slow the digestion of the release of the sugar into my blood stream which is how you avoid diabetes.)
8.  At 10:30 I eat my third meal of the day, usually a pear or banana. (Sometimes Raisins)
9.  At 1:00 I eat my fourth meal of the day, usually a salad with a dressing made of only a few ingredients.  I also sometimes put almonds or walnuts in my salad if I need extra calories.
10. At 3:00 - 3:30 I eat my fifth meal of the day, usually a pear or banana (other fresh fruits can be substituted as well.)  By this time I have drank 5 - 6 bottles of water.
11.  At 5:00 I get home and go for a run if I didn't run in the morning, and when I say run, I mean run.  I run sprints on off days and run 4 - 6 miles on the road every other day (Note: I do take a day off from running once or twice a week)
12.  At 6 - 6:30 I eat my 6th meal of the day.  This is usually another banana smoothie for the calories but I also sometimes eat chicken / fish or other boiled vegetables.
13.  Between 8 - 8:30 I'm in bed.

Think you're too busy to do all of this?  I am currently reading 9 books throughout the week and have no grades lower than a B in any class.  Several of the books I'm reading are personal books.  I have time for a bit of television and time with my girlfriend.  I check facebook, reply to e-mails, WRITE A BLOG and plan for day, month, and yearly goals... ect.  Still think you don't have time?  You may just need to re-evaluate your time management habits (but that is for another blog)

There you have it.  My current diet and exercise routine (with a little extra stuff thrown in.)  The first key is persistence and a determination to gain something more out of life.  The second key is READING to learn the ways you can make this a reality.  If you've tried every diet and exercise plan out there and it ISN'T working, it ISN'T the plan, it IS YOU.  Until you change yourself, NO PLAN WILL WORK!

This is my schedule, my workout, my Machine, my Life!

Know It Alls

So, you think you know it all huh?  You're an expert in every field.  You constantly give out diet and exercise, financial, emotional, and other advice.  But look in the mirror.  Is this really the truth?  Something tells me it probably isn't.  Something tells me when you look in the mirror you will realize two realities.  A - You don't follow your own advice, which leads to B - Your advice doesn't work.

So you want to be happy, good with people, healthy, financially stable?  Does this sound like you.  Well guess what.  I DO have the solution. 

All you have to do...  Is pick up a freaking book and read, people...  I know it is a tough concept, but if you begin reading you will begin learning.  Personally I would narrow it down to the area of your life you want to work on most.  Look up reviews of books on that subject online to find what others recommend and then buy it.  Then dedicate just a little bit of time to reading it each day to reading and studying until you have sucked in the knowledge it has to offer.  It doesn't take much and soon you will have real information which you can use to make knowledgeable decisions. 

If you don't read, you won't have anything to base your opinions on other than experience which from what I have seen has failed the general population.  All of this reminds me of something that happened a few weeks ago in my local whole foods store.  I overheard an over-weight woman telling her friend how she doesn't buy soy because its bad for blah blah blah.  I thought... Seriously?!?!  If this woman knew anything about leading a healthy lifestyle she wouldn't be as large as she is, and yet she is giving advice to someone else!

Read...  Read and learn and know and grow.  You CAN have the things you want in life, but you can't have them until you start learning how to achieve your goals.  Books are the door to practical methods that can be tested to find out what works for you.  Do yourself a favor.

Am I healthy? Are you Healthy? And what is Health anyway?

Health...  A subject nearly everyone is an expert on despite the fact most don't have a clue.  There are countless claims for this, that, and the other being healthy... "Take this pill - lose 12 pounds", "Eat more french fries, you are too skinny", "Don't eat pizza, it will make you fat".  Well folks, I'm here to help you on your journey to total body health and hopefully help you understand the difference between what is and is not "healthy".

To understand the concept of health, you first need to understand that we are not discussing how much you should or should not weigh.  Weighing too much leads to cancer, heart disease and various other problems.  Weighing too little on the other hand can be just as dangerous.  Weight is commonly thought to be the overall measure of ones health, and in some instances it can give a pretty good view of the direction a person is headed.  It is easy to say "that person is over-weight/under-weight" and be correct (or so we think).  However, the fact remains that weight alone doesn't determine health.

Health is determined by multiple factors which combined creates a person's lifestyle.  It is a word for what your body either is or isn't based on a few relatively simple factors:  1.  How often you eat.  2.  How much water you drink.  3.  What enters your body and fuels it.  4.  How physically active you are.  5.  How much stress you have.  These 5 factors determine both your state of body and state of mind and to be healthy you must have each one of them under control.

I recently encountered a situation where a person was "known" to be underweight and therefore unhealthy.  I took the information of the concerned party into consideration and thought about what I know about the underweight person and formed an analysis. 

This "underweight" person generally eats 5 times a day, consuming healthy whole foods such as fruits and vegetables along with an occasional dinner of lean chicken / fish and plenty of water.  This hasn't always been her lifestyle pattern but it IS NOW.  In the past she did not eat healthy and because of this gained weight (not to the point of looking overweight but to the point of being overweight).  The problem was that she felt overweight and thus felt the need to take extreme measures in reducing that weight.  This lead to a plethora of physical problems, all of which were very likely related to her lifestyle.  Her body experienced weight gain due to the bad foods and a great deal of stress because of the physical and emotional pressure to lose weight.  Her methods of losing weight caused a lot of problems for her because they involved eating usually once a day along with other tactics that depleted the supply of important vitamins and nutrients in her body.

Luckily, she is now following a healthy lifestyle and all of these problems have ceased to exist.  As she has changed her diet to include multiple healthy meals a day her body has reacted by speeding up her metabolism and easily burning off excess weight.  This has caused her to appear much smaller than before (leading some to believe she is malnourished although this is not the case).  What IS the case is that she has a lot more energy and is generally in a better mood.  She is a lot less hungry and doesn't want the fatty foods because she is full of good foods.  Her body is receiving the vitamins and nutrients it needs and therefore isn't causing problems trying to compensate.  Her weight is down, but it isn't abnormal for her size.  In fact, the reason many would consider her underweight is due to their own denial about their weight. 

You cannot determine health by a person's weight.  I will say it again.  You CANNOT determine health by a person's weight.  Health comes with eating multiple times a day.  Health comes with physical activity.  Health comes with whole foods and lean meats.  Health comes with reduced stress and plenty of water.  If you have a lifestyle which involves these 5 ideas then you are probably well on your way to being a pretty healthy person.

But what is not healthy?  I will give you some examples of what is not healthy so you can start making the determination for yourself.  When you eat refined sugar, white flour, high fructose corn syrup and transfats you are on your way downhill.  When you drink soda, coffee, sports drinks (gateraid/poweraid), tea or even fruit juice that contains a ton of sugar you are headed down the wrong path.  When you stress over every little thing in life, your brain reacts by increasing the cortisol levels in your body which leads to being unhealthy.  When you don't exercise your body will become weak and frail which can lead to being unhealthy.

Now to expand.  Refined sugar, white flour, high fructose corn syrup and transfats are the things most of you are eating every time you eat out or even eat in.  All of these have been determined to be detremental to your health and all can be found in almost everything you consume.  Refined sugar and white flower are in virtually all bread and pastries.  High fructose corn syrup can literally be found in just about everything.  Transfats are found in unhealthy meats such as red meats.  These fats clog your arteries and cause a lot of health problems over time.  If this sounds like the things you've been consuming (probably for a very long time now) then you are probably on the path to destruction.

There is only one known way to change and get headed down the right path at this time and that is by changing your lifestyle.  You can begin by detoxing your body with a fruit and vegetable diet for a couple of weeks and then by slowly adding back in other foods as you experiment to find out what is right for your body.  If it makes you feel bad, then it probably is bad for you and if it makes you feel good or energized it is probably good for you.

As long as you are eating a bad diet like the one described above, it will be difficult to really tell what makes you feel bad.  You live in a state of feeling bad all the time so you can't tell the difference.  Although from the perspective of a healthy person it would only take about 5 minutes to say whether you are feeling bad or not.  Those of you who complain of joint pains, back problems, illnessess, weakness, stomach aches, chest pains, headaches or pretty much any other aleness are doing so because of the lifestyle you lead.  If a flight of stairs practically kills you, that is probably a pretty good sign.  If carrying your groceries in has you huffing for air, once again, probably a good sign you need to change something.

Eat healthier and eat often, reduce stress by getting plenty of rest and relaxation, exercise at least a few times a week (this can even be as simple as taking a walk each day), drink plenty of water (carry a water bottle with you instead of a bottle of soda).  If you can take just a few of these simple steps you WILL see a healthier you.

Continue reading as I hand out more FREE suggestions in upcoming blogs how you can change your life and be healthy.  What have you got to lose?  You WILL live longer.  You WILL live happier.  You WILL feel better.  Give it a shot.  You will see I am right, and your perspective will change forever for the better!

Underweight, Say WhaTTT?

So, I've been kind of stuck on how to really get my blogs going.  Luckily for me someone posted on my Facebook page and gave me a jumping off point.  Let's get to it shall we.

Basically they posted on one of my photos saying I look like I have an eating disorder.  Let me just say this is one of the reasons MILLIONS of people the world over are overweight.  When you begin dieting and training to get your body into the best shape of your life, people are going to see the results (maybe easier than you can see them).  They will also realize that you have something they don't.  You know something they don't.  There is some reason your weight is going down while your energy levels are going up and theirs isn't.  There is some reason you are accomplishing your goals while they still look the same.

This simple fact will trouble them because they don't have the will to do the same.  So what will they do?  They will try to drag you back to their level.  Why is this?  It is simple really, it is easier in most cases to bring someone back to your level than to surpass someone.  You see it all the time in movies.  Someone in a race where they are clearly outclassed will sabotage the other racers equipment or do something else that will keep him from finishing.  This is what is going to happen to you.  People will begin telling you how you are too thin, or how you don't eat enough, or how having that little fat can't possibly be healthy.

Well guess what people, they are wrong.  I have not dropped my calories to 600 a day.  I have not been throwing up my meals.  I have not been dehydrating myself, skipping meals, or over exercising.  I eat 5 - 7 times a day and lose weight. 

Let's take a look at some of these common accusations so we can understand why they are mistaken.  I eat 5 - 7 times a day with an intake of between 2100 - 3000 calories depending on what kind of work out I do that day.  Obviously I am well within the limits for both my resting metabolic rate as well as active metabolic rate.  I don't throw up meals because that would be a waste of all of the vitamins and nutrients which were the reason I was eating healthy in the first place.  I don't skip meals because that would simply make my body hungry and once your body goes into starvation mode (which doesn't take much skipping meals) you will want to eat a lot more junk food and you will.  I eat nutrient dense WHOLE foods that provide my body with the fuel it needs to keep my metabolism going throughout the day.  My metabolism has become such a well oiled machine that I can pretty much eat as much WHOLE food as I want without gaining weight.  So that covers the accusations on eating disorders I think.

Now for that other comment about having such a low amount of fat being unhealthy.  This is another misconception.  What people don't understand is that there are different kinds of fats and I get plenty of what I need.  The difference is that the kind of fat I take in is healthy fat and doesn't simply stick to my body adding weight.  It is used by my body as fuel instead of being stored.  It is easier for my body to digest and thus my overall body fat percentage is very low.  What I'm talking about are fats known as Monounsaturated and Polyunsaturated fats.  In my organic peanut butter there is something like 8 grams of Monounsaturated and 4 grams of Polyunsaturated fat as opposed to the unhealthy Saturated fat of which it contains only 2.5 grams.  Most of what the people around you are consuming is a high amount of Trans fats (the worst kind of fat) and Saturated fats.  These fats clog your arteries and cause weight gain.  Poly and Monounsaturated fats cause weight loss due to helping your metabolism function properly.  So as you can see I take in plenty of fat.  It just doesn't make me fat like everyone else out there.

One thing most people fail to realize is that I actually don't look underweight or anorexic.  Most people are just so used to seeing fat all around them that they actually have deluded theirselves into thinking it is the natural weight one should be at.  Well... I've got news for you.  Those crap foods you are eating were never made for your body and you are the weight you are for a reason.  They are manufactured cheap and carry little to no nutritious value.  They WILL KILL YOU in the long run.  This is a huge problem in the United States.  Take a trip to France or Germany or many of the European countries and you will see that the average size of an American is not the average size of a human being.  We have more junk food and therefore a lot more weight issues.  So I'm sorry to say it, but I am not anorexic, and when you scoff at the numbers that tell you you are overweight even though you don't think so, you are wrong... You very likely just don't have anyone who is within their healthy weight range to compare to.  Just food for thought...

I hope you learned a little something from this discussion.  Don't let everyone around you drag you down to their level.  I promise you they will try.  This goes much deeper than just your dieting unfortunately.  Once you begin showing signs of success in any area of your life, others will start trying to belittle you or make fun of you.  Recently someone called me an "Over achiever"; however, I don't like to think of it like that.  The reality is that I am simply achieving a normal amount while everyone else achieves very little to nothing in their own lives.  Just remember, once you have achieved your goals you will be in a much better state of being than others and you will be very happy.  Your life will have completely changed while theirs continues down the same path which eventually ends with an early death in most cases.  Don't be a slave to the junk food.  Don't be a slave to your weight.  You have to break those chains if you want to achieve a Life Health Machine! 

Until Next Time...

A few things.

Before I get going too far, I want everyone to understand that I have not finished any kind of degree and I do not currently hold any formal credentials.  I am not a certified health care professional.  I am simply a guy who reads everything he can get his hands on and then tests it to find out if it works or not.  I am working toward a degree in Dietetics and will achieve this goal at some point, but for now I am just a really healthy guy.  That said, test at your own risk.  I will not be held liable for anything you try that I have suggested.  Only you can know your limits.

Now, lets get started.

Since the purpose of my blog is to help you learn and test, I won't spend a lot of time going into the what's and how's of how I got to where I am.

My basic history goes like this - I started weight training in highschool because I was fat.  I gained a ton of muscle and got really strong but was still fat.  I then joined the Army where I did very little weight training and a lot more cardio.  Here I shed a ton of fat during basic training but quickly gained it back afterwards due to eating the same old crap.  About 2 years later I started trying some different programs and using their suggested diet and exercise ideas.  I started running a lot more which showed results and then I paired it with a week long fruit fast followed by a diet filled with "healthy foods".  Little did I know, most of these foods actually weren't all that healthy.  Within the last year I have really stepped it up a notch, reading and learning and testing as much as I can and what has resulted is a diet rich in good foods with an exercise plan that almost perfectly accents it!  Check out my pictures... You can see abs!

So, now you are wondering...  Can I teach you how to achieve that?  The answer is yes, BUT it will require two things from you.

1.  You MUST be open-minded.
If you don't come into this with an open mind, you won't be willing to try the ideas here that have PROVEN results.  Therefore, I simply ask that you TEST everything before deciding whether or not it works.  You cannot prove something doesn't work for you until you have tested it.

2.  You MUST be willing to continue testing for a reasonable amount of time instead of giving up after the first day.  If you aren't willing to keep going for a while until you see some kind of results, you won't get results.  This is why the majority of people you see (take a look around you right now...) are fat.  Whether your goal is to lose weight, or to lose weight while living healthy, you won't reach it unless you are willing to stick with your program long enough to see results.

I won't lie... this won't be easy.  Most things in life worth having usually aren't.  But if you will simply listen and test what I say, you WILL see results and you WILL feel a lot better than you currently do.  And trust me on this one, you have no idea how bad you feel until you actually understand what it is to feel good.

Here is a link to my photos showing my progress. 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30560059@N03/sets/72157625316767319/with/5234359263/

In The Beginning...

This post will simply be an introduction to what I am here for and a little bit about who I am.  I want all of you to understand the purpose of this blog so that you may have a reason to continue reading.

To start off... A little background info.  My  name is Nick and  I worked for 1-10th Special Forces Group as a Property Book Sergeant / Paratrooper until last year.  During this time I lived in Germany where my life took some major turns.  I am working toward a degree in Biomedical Science so I can become a Registered Dietition.  For now I can only teach what I have learned through constant reading and research of my own (which by the way has worked pretty well.  Just check out my pics for results).  I am not yet a medical expert in the field of total health, however I know what is working for me.  Aside from that, I love everything fast paced and anything that involves my adrenaline pumping.  I want to live a very long life.

I wasn't always as healthy as I am now, and I am not as healthy now as I will be in the future.  My health is a direct result of reading, learning, and constant testing to find out what works and what doesn't for my body and mind.  I don't feel that all people are created equal and thus your body will have different requirements than mine.  Despite this, I feel there are many basic health ideas that can be used across the board to help get you started down the path to a long life.

The purpose of this blog is to not only share my experience and knowledge in the areas of diet and exercise, but to also give tips and ideas on other aspects of life that you will benefit from!  I'm not suggesting that my ideas are 100% the correct way, but if you at least put them to the test you will find yourself getting the results you desire even if you have to make some changes of your own along the way!

For now, stick around until I write again and we will start down the path to building the ultimate Life Health Machine!