So let’s talk about my favorite topic for a while…

25 05 2009

It’s me of course.

I thought I’d mention my recent regimine for health and well being.

The diet part is easy, lots of non-starchy vegetables, some key supplements (turmeric, fish oil, vitamin D, magnesium), lots of meat, a little bit of cheese, and that is about it. I have freed myself from the burden of a daily pot of coffee (and then some) each morning before work and now drink over a gallon of water per day, along with several cups of green tea, and the occasional energy drink (I can’t help it, I’m a speed freak!).

Not really a diet thing per say, but I also fast twice per week. First on Sundays and then on Tuesdays. Some times Thursdays as well, but depending on how hungry I am on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I won’t fast for a full 24 hours. I’ll allow myself a nice big meal before bed (otherwise, I simply cannot sleep). I keep it low carb, though.

The physical part is also easy. 10 minutes of yoga (spinal stretches), followed by jumping jacks (to get the blood pumping), and then a minimum of 15 minutes of meditation. This is my daily routine. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays (and some Saturdays I’ll do just an arm workout as well) I lift weights. This is a variation on HST where I do a set of 15 on Mondays, a set of 10 on Wednesdays, and a set of 5 repetitions on Fridays. When I do the arms on Saturdays, I keep lifting until I cannot lift any more.

The exercises I do as part of my strength training routine are:

  • Squats (for the Quadriceps and general ramping up of HGH/Testosterone at the beginning of the workout)
  • Single Leg Stiff Legged Dead lifts (for Hamstrings and Lower back)
  • Shoulder Press (for Deltoids of course)
  • Bench Press
  • Bent Over Rows (for the Lats)

Because I’m focusing on fat loss, I stop there. I do this routine on an empty stomach, first thing in the morning, and follow it up with breakfast (6 Omega3 eggs with turmeric, spinach, broccoli, onions, green peppers, sausage, and salsa). I don’t do the protein shake thing anymore. Once I get below 300 and its time to add some serious amounts of muscle, I may revisit this decision.

I’m not sure about the rest of you, but I seem to have such an easy time putting on muscle that the above routine is almost too much. It really seems to slow my weight loss. However, lifting weights makes me feel so good that I cannot see bringing myself to only lift twice per week (which is recommended by several people I respect for weight loss). Oh well, I only lose 2 or 3 pounds per week. I feel great, and I’m holding on to my muscle.

I also walk on occasion, I walk for a mile or so with my daughter Hannah 2 or 3 times per week. This isn’t really for exercise, it’s more Daddy-Daughter time than anything.

The biggest change in my life, which really seems to make getting healthy much easier is my focus on spirituality and overall health and well-being. You cannot neglect your connection to source. God is what will save you (whatever or whoever God is for you).

Also, working on myself. I realized that because my Mother showed me basically no affection when I was growing up (not blaming her, she was a saint compared to her own mother), I didn’t develop emotionally like I should have. I carry a lot of shame, especially around wanting/needing to be loved. This is a major cause of addiction in the world. Lots of screwed up parents (doing the best they knew how of course, we need to have compassion for them, because they were little children once as well, and were screwed over by their parents) didn’t give their kids the emotional bonding/attention that the kids needed so of course, the kids don’t know how to love others, receive love, or even love themselves.

Something that helped me was identifying my limiting beliefs (especially not deserving to be loved), writing them down on a note card, then writing new beliefs that were opposite to these (such as “I deserve to be loved”, “I deserve happiness”, and “I am connected in meaningful ways to others”), I then spoke out loud that I chose these new beliefs, and that from now on, the old beliefs were history. I then burned the old belief card (I should have maybe had Taps playing in the background when I did this).

This is all symbolic of course, and probably won’t be enough to instantly and permanently change my limiting beliefs, however, identifying the limiting beliefs, intentionally choosing new beliefs, and symbolically letting go of the old beliefs plants and nurtures the seed of change. Some day this too will be a mighty oak reaching for the sky…


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Categories : Fitness, Food, Health, Journey, Low Carb

Great Article from Johnny Bowden.

16 01 2009

I get a newsletter daily  and there is always a small health article included in it. I don’t really care for the rest of the stuff, but sometimes there is a small nugget of wisdom contained in the newsletter.

There are articles from some folks in the health industry that I really admire, like James LaValle and Johnny Bowden.

In this article Johnny talks about why it is a bad idea to eat a high carb mini meal right after working out, especially if you are trying to burn fat.

Nix the Nosh

By Jonny Bowden

Ever wonder why some trainers still tell their clients to eat six small meals a day, have a high-carb snack after working out (”to refuel the muscles”), and carb-load every time they go for a run? It’s because these trainers were steeped in the bodybuilding-gym culture of the ’60s, and learned from the training manuals of competitive athletes. But unless you’re training for a marathon or an Iron Man competition, that advice is 100 percent wrong – especially if you’re looking to lose weight.

In a recent study, volunteers were given a high-carb mini-meal immediately after exercising on a treadmill for an hour. The result: Insulin efficiency – the ability to clear sugar from the bloodstream – was completely wiped out.

A separate study tested high-carb mini-meals against low-carb mini-meals, and found that the low-carb meals did the least damage. “If people are going to exercise to benefit their health, they should not be eating back the calories immediately or within a couple of hours of finishing,” says Barry Braun, PhD, Director of the Energy Metabolism Lab at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Don’t gorge on carbs after you exercise. If you tend to get hungry after a workout, take this preventive measure: Eat a light snack containing proteins, carbs, and fat beforehand. It should hold you for a few hours.

This goes against the typical meathead, bodybuilder, bro mentality, but I think that’s a good thing.


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Great Exercise Resource

12 01 2009

BodyBuilding.com Exercise chooser

 

If you haven’t heard of BodyBuilding.com, it can be a great resource. The prime resource I get the most usage out of is the exercise database. There are also a ton of articles, but it seems like anyone can submit articles, so you have to be careful about what advice you choose to follow.

I highly recommend anyone NOT on steroids stay away from the typical 4 times a week/body part split type of workout. There is quite a bit of data out there suggesting that a full body workout, 3 times a week, with varying intensity is the the best way to build muscle over the long haul. However, there haven’t really been that many studies done on people building muscle. Science just isn’t that interested in it. I know, crazy, right? You’d think those scientists wouldn’t just want to be brainy but also big muscled, and figure out the quickest, easiest way of getting there.


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High Fat Meal Before Exercise Boosts Fat Burning

8 01 2009

Ok, this is an oldie that I read about last January in Men’s Health, but I lost that issue. Fortunately for us, a reader on the Magic Bus Forum posted a link to the study.

Max Lafontan and colleagues investigated how fat is broken down in both lean and obese subjects who exercised after either fasting or eating a high-fat diet. They noticed that after eating a high-fat diet, fats were broken down in both lean and obese individuals. Under fasting conditions, the breakdown of fats was more pronounced in the lean subjects, but the high fat meal enhanced lipolysis in the obese subjects.

One simple idea is heavy whipping cream in your coffee in the morning or in your protein shake 30 minutes or so before you work out.


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The importance of Strength Training.

8 01 2009

It is January, and I suspect many people have not yet fallen off of the fitness band wagon. I just wanted to take a minute to preach about the importance of strength training. You will hear that it raises metabolism, because more muscle burns more calories. Well, think again. A pound of muscle burns about 6 calories. Where the metabolism raising effect comes in is when your body is repairing your mucles after a workout.

Your best bet is a full body workout, done fairly heavy, three times per week. Personally, I would do compounds, 1 set per bodypart, with a weight you can lift 6 to 8 times. Of course, this is for weight loss. For adding muscle, I would recommend a program called HST.

Another benefit of strength training is that it raises insulin sensitivity. I lost my first 20 pounds just doing strength training on a cheap (I paid $150), Chinese made bowflex knock off. I outgrew that piece of crap after 6 months, but I got my money’s worth. If nothing else, do body weight squats (or jump squats depending on your strength), push ups (you can do them on your knees or leaning against the wall if you are really out of shape), and reverse push ups.

This is your life and your body and as far as we know, we only get one of each, so take care of yourself.


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Raise metabolism for 72 hours?

6 01 2009

Well, first of all, I’ve been reading lately how overused the word metabolism is. Boosting your metabolism is going to do what, burn maybe a hundred calories extra per day? Diet is king and it always will be. There is no amount of exercise that will make up for a poor diet. You can take that to the bank.

Anyway, there was an interesting little factoid in the February issue of Men’s Health.

Lift Slow, Lose Fast

In the weight room, focusing on the negative could yield a positive. A Wayne State University study found that taking 3 seconds to lower a heavy weight can boost your metabolism for up to 72 hours after you lift. The reason? Performing the exercise slowly causes greater muscle damage, and the repair process may elevate  your resting metabolism, according to the researchers. In the study, the participants lifted heavy weights, lowering them for a full 3 seconds, for 6 repetitions.

Hmm, interesting. I wonder what the study really says? My experience with journalistic “interpretation” (and I use both words lightly) is that the blurb is usually either  competely wrong or leaves out key facts.

If Men’s Health got their facts straight and gave us all the pertinent details, this could be useful. Muscle growth is driven by muscle damage, correct? I’ve personally started doing this. This equates to working out twice per week, if you do a full body workout (and I do). I’m thinking the key would be that on that 6th rep, you are giving just about everything you got to keep from dropping the weight. Keep that in mind when you are choosing the amount of weight to lift. I personally find this hard to do with squats and deadlifts, but found it not too bad for one armed, dumbbell, bent over rows, and one armed, dumbbell flat bench presses. I guess having thrown my back out once before and having had severe hip pain in the past leaves me a little gun shy on the squats and deads.

I also am easing into a HIIT type workout with jumping jacks. 30 seconds of jumping jacks followed by 2 minutes of down time. So far I’ve only done two intervals, but tomorrow, I will add a third interval. I will stay at three intervals until I am able to catch my breath faster than two minutes. Then I will reduce resting time.

So yeah, I’m using exercise as a tool, but I don’t expect it to allow me to eat sweets or starchy carbs. I use exercise to build muscle, to drive hormonal responses, and to feel good.


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On the wagon, at least for today

22 12 2008

So far, today has been excellent. I woke up at 9:00 AM, did some housework, drank a couple of energy drinks, and got around to making breakfast at 11:30. Breakfast today was 6 eggs with turmeric, salt, pepper, and oregano, scrambled with 1/2 cup of broccoli, 1/2 cup of frozen spinach, 1/2 cup of frozen collard greens, and sliced jalapeno pepers, topped with shredded cheddar cheese and salsa.

I then listened to a guided meditation called “Awakening Kundalini” by Kelly Howell. After listening to this and doing the exercises, I feel simply amazing. Energized, peaceful, and loving. I need to find time to do it each morning. That one change alone will make my life significanly better. I also listened to Bob Proctor and Mary Morrissey’s 11 Forgotten Laws Disc 2, the Law of Thinking. This Disc talks about changing your mind, changing the way you view life, and what you expect from yourself and life. It is very inspiration. I  was in a hurry to listen to all 12 Discs of the 11 Forgotten Laws, but I missed a lot doing that, so now I’m going back and re-listening to each one over and over until I fell like I “have” what the disc is talking about. Once I do, I will move to the next disc.

I then lifted weights, had a protein shake and had dinner.

Dinner today was 1 lb of 73% lean ground beef cooked in coconut oil on top of a bed of fresh spinach, topped with shredded cheddar cheese and salsa. Hmm. I’m stuffed and can’t see myself eating anything else for the rest of the day.

My workout was excllent, and I feel amazing. Clear-headed, confident, happy, peaceful. This is how I want to feel all of the time.

I’ve been thinking too, about what the next highest version of me would entail. I’m thinking that I would like to start a health based business of some kind. I love reading, studying, and applying knowledge about health and the human  body. Other than Music, I think it is the only true magic we have.

That reminds me, I read Neil Walsch say once, that we are bodies inside of a soul. That really struck me. People usually think that their soul is inside of their body, but what if, our soul is really the container for our body? Something to ponder.

Last but not least, is Jimmy Moore’s amazing Livin La Vida Low Carb Show. I listened to him interview Art De Vany this morning. Wow. Art is quite a guy. He knows what he’s talking about. I’m considering buying his DVD. I’ve read Art’s blog off and on for a few years now. At 71 years of age, he’s got the body of a very fit 30 year old. There is definitely something to what he’s doing.


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Falling off the Wagon…

17 12 2008

I’ve been avoiding posting lately because I’ve not been sticking to my plans well. I’ve allowed myself to fall into my old habits of stress eating. I’ve been somewhat discouraged, but have managed to consistently pick myself up, dust off my dirty britches, and get back on that wagon. My off-the-wagon-binges tend to last for a day or two, but then I get back to low carb eating.

I have lots of excuses, of course, and they are all bullshit, of course. Holidays, stress, bathroom renovation, kids misbehaving, ex-wife being unreasonable, blah, blah, blah. The best way to deal with these situations is to continue to take care of myself, but my old self-destructive habits can kick in when I’m under enough stress. I think the thing to remember here, is that I’m recovering much more quickly than ever before, now in a day or two, rather than weeks or months. I’m also making better choices when I binge and eating less than I used to. As a result, weight gain has been kept under control. This is a real win and if I was stuck in a pessimistic mindset, I wouldn’t see it. Eventually, my failures will be for a matter of hours, then minutes, then seconds, as I continually improve. I also expect that the frequency will become less and less.

A big focus of mine has been to learn to manage stress better. I think that weight problems aren’t physical health issues as much as they are emotional health issues. If you are fat, there is a good chance that you are not emotionally healthy. This is a very hard issue to correct. If you don’t believe me, talk to someone who has gotten bariatric surgery and ask them if their life has magically improved.

Emotional eating is a tough thing to overcome. Acceptance is the first step on the road to victory. Also, if you should fail, pick yourself back up and get back to it. When we are babies and are learning to walk, we fall many, many times. If we gave up then, where would we be? The key is understanding that your goal is a foregone conclusion. For babies, they see everyone else around them walking and they KNOW that walking is something they can and WILL do. I suggest we all remember this.

I hope that everyone is having a wonderful holiday season. Even with all of my challenges in life, I’m still happy, and remember just how blessed I am to have my health, my family, and my faculties. What more do we really need?


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Fat Fasting and down 2 more pounds.

13 11 2008

Well, I’ve finally really gotten off my plateau. After being stuck for so long, I resorted to somewhat drastic measures. I decided to go with the 800 calorie fat fast that Dr. Atkins mentions in his book. I also decided to combine it with the Shangri-La Diet and the fat burning wonders of coconut oil. I have 6 TB of coconut oil per day along with a single serving of whey powder. This gives me 86% of my calories from fat.

Additionally, to keep my thyroid activity higher, longer, I’ve decided to add in two cheat meals per week. On Wednesdays I have a low carb cheat meal and on Sundays, I’m planning on having an unrestricted (as in macronutrients) cheat meal. I’m not sure about Sunday yet, I may keep it low carb because I like being in ketosis. We’ll see. But with my latest exercise regimen, I think that I’ll burn through most of the stored glycogen by Tuesday.

About my new exercise regimen. I decided to go for a walk last night (first time doing cardio in over 6 months!) and it felt so good that I decided to turn it into an interval workout. I went and did the same thing this morning. I’m planning on doing my interval workouts from now on on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays (in addition to my lifting on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays). Sunday is a day of rest. It feels so good to be back out there running again. The last time I did cardio, I was over 415 pounds, so I felt much lighter on my feet this time around. It’s a great feeling!

I also wanted to mention my latest supplement regimen. I added two products from True Protein:

  • Green Tea Extract – This is an amazing supplement and had me feeling nice and warm about 30 minutes after I took it! Only 3% caffeine, over 98% polyphenols, 75% catechin, 45% EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate). This green tea extract is the real deal!
  • L-Leucine – Check out the wikipedia entry on this awesome amino!

As a dietary supplement, leucine has been found to slow the degradation of muscle tissue by increasing the synthesis of muscle proteins.[3] Leucine is utilized in the liver, adipose tissue, and muscle tissue. In adipose and muscle tissue, leucine is used in the formation of sterols, and the combined usage of leucine in these two tissues is seven times greater than its use in the liver.[4]

Especially check out the external links on L-Leucine:

I’m adding L-Leucine into my whey in the morning. I take 5 grams.

Speaking of which, I’m running late (as usual!) and I need to take my protein.


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Categories : BodyBuilding, Fasting, Fitness, Health, Journey, Low Carb

New practice.

22 10 2008

After my friend SK pointed me to the site AnmolMehta.com, I decided to take up some basic yoga practice. I’m doing the first free yoga set on the site which features spinal stretches. I’ve also started to learn Breath Of Fire.

I didn’t realize how good or peaceful this would make me feel! I’m definitely a convert.

In addition to lifting weights and eating right, I now take time out each day for basic yoga, breathing, and meditation.


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