What to Expect When You Hire a Personal Trainer

Getting into shape is hard. It takes a lot of effort and commitment as well as a lot of knowledge about health and exercise. For these reasons, many people hire personal trainers to keep them on track. If you’re thinking about getting a personal trainer to jumpstart your fitness routine, here are some of the things you can expect.

He/she will ask you a lot of questions.

The first thing you can expect when you meet with your trainer for your first session is a lot of questions. They’ll ask about  your fitness goals like if you want to lose weight, or build muscle, or if you want to have a healthier heart (or all three). Personal trainers need to know a lot about you before they can start to help you reach your fitness targets. Understanding how you want to benefit from hiring them, helps them create a plan that will work for you. Also, as someone who’ll be working with you personally on a regular basis, they’ll want to get to know you. This is the first step in developing a friendly, professional relationship.

He/she will test you.

After getting an idea of who you are and what you want, your trainer will give you a physical fitness test. This can be intimidating. Still, this is an important step. Your trainer needs to know where you are physically so the exercise plan that is developed is appropriate for you. You don’t want your coach to tell you to run for 30 minutes when you can only do 15.  And you really want to know your baseline in order to track your progress. The physical fitness test will help you and your trainer come up with realistic short term and long term fitness goals.

Your trainer has to know about your current health.

You have to be honest about your health.  If you spend the weekends watching movies and eating takeout, it’s time to ‘fess up. The results of your tests won’t lie. So when you trainer asks you about your diet, you’ve got to come clean. Honesty can help you achieve the most out of your sessions with your trainer. Not only will they know what they’re working with, you’ll also be able to accept your current state of health and work forward from there.

They will push you, and it might be uncomfortable.

Working with a trainer isn’t going to be a walk in the park. You’re hiring someone to help you get your rear in gear, so one of the things you can expect is for your trainer to push you. There will be times when they push you hard, and, sometimes, you’re not going to like it. But the point of having a trainer is to motivate yourself.  When you hold yourself back, your trainer will encourage you forward. You’ll get tired and you’ll feel sore, but you’ll realize you can do things you would have never tried by yourself.

It will be intimidating.

Getting into shape is an uphill climb in more ways than one. With a trainer, you have someone watching you the whole time, pointing out every mistake. It will be intimidating, embarrassing, and sometimes a bit scary. The reality, however, is that your trainer isn’t there to criticize you, they’re there to teach you how to do your regimen correctly for your greatest benefit and to keep you from injuring yourself. For example, lifting weights with a bad form can lead to serious injury.

They will tell you what to do, even when you’re outside the gym.

Health extends well beyond the gym, so one of the final things you should expect is that your personal trainer will have activities and assignments for you to do even when you’re outside of the gym. For example, if you want to lose weight or build muscle, exercising isn’t enough; you have to have the correct diet that to supplement your workout. Also, don’t be surprised if your trainer encourages you to exercise while you’re at work or at home. You won’t get far if you only plan on living a healthy lifestyle when your trainer is around.

Hiring a personal trainer is a big step towards living a healthier life. It’s a commitment that isn’t easy to make. They will test you, push you, and tell you what to do. But they will also guide you, cheer you on and teach you what you need to know to reach your goals. Remember that at the end of the day, a trainer’s job is to help you become a healthier version of yourself.



Four Steps to Feeling Well for Those New to Natural Health

If you’ve made the decision that you are truly ready to change your lifestyle and claim your birthright of vibrant health, these are the steps to achieve your goal:

Eat Right

If you drill down health to its most critical and essential element, diet plays the most important role. We’ve all heard the old adage, “You are what you eat.” Once you understand the critical role diet plays in health, you will understand the absolute truth of this statement. Your diet provides every single building block your body uses to create cells, to repair tissue, to move, to breathe, to exist.

Common sense tells us, the better your diet, the better your health. But what is the best diet? Hopefully we all know the traditional American diet ranks at the bottom of the list. But which of the many alternative diets hold the top position? Vegan? Vegetarian? Paleo? There are many to choose from. But I suggest, you don’t choose.

We are all individuals with particular likes and dislikes. Unfortunately, we are habitual creatures who seem hell bent on getting stuck in the same patterns and the same ruts. But this is a time of change, so… Take the first step–clean out your cupboards and pantry. Toss out all of your processed foods. Get rid of anything with artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives. No MSG. No trans fats. No high fructose corn syrup. No foods that could be GMO, and that includes refined sugar. Toss it ALL out.

Next, you shop. A healthy diet consists of a wide variety of whole, unadulterated, unprocessed, organic foods. Meat and eggs should be free range AND organic. If you choose dairy (know that goat milk and cheese may be a better choice) be absolutely sure you choose organic. Milk is actually good for you if it is not pasteurized, but good luck finding it. And as far as meat goes, remember if you choose to eat meat, you are eating off of the top of the food chain. If that animal was fed GMO grains, you don’t want to eat it.

Vegetables should be the basis of your diet. A full 80% of your diet should consist of raw, organic, whole vegetables and fruits, more vegetables than fruit.

Grains should be whole. Why lose most of the nutrients? Remember, this new lifestyle of yours is all about nutrient dense foods.

Avoid the trap of becoming a vegan, vegetarian, or other “good” diet follower who has simply found a new way to be a junk food junkie. Processed food is processed food. Choose a great homemade smoothie instead of “healthy” cookies.

Get To Know Your Local Farmer’s Markets! 

A good farmer’s market (not a boutique gathering where they sell jellies and such) will carry the freshest food at the best prices.  Find one that sells organic meat as well as organic fruits and vegetables. Even if you have to drive across town or out into the countryside, the trip is worth it.

Detox

Good stuff in, bad stuff out. Your body has been accumulating parasites, yeast, heavy metals, and a full array of chemicals your whole life. It’s time to cleanse your body and help it to flush out all of these unwanted substances while cleansing your colon to aid in both digestion and elimination. All of those wonderful foods that you will be putting in your body need a fully functioning digestive system to extract the nutrients that will provide your body with the building blocks it needs to repair and grow tissue, to create neurotransmitters, to create hormones, to maintain and build your immune system, and more.

Detox twice a year for the greatest benefit. And always kill excess candida and balance the gut when you do.

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Exercise

Just move. Your lymphatic system needs you to move in order for your lymph to circulate through your body. It has no pump, no other means than the movement of your muscles to circulate your lymph fluid. Try yoga, Tai Chi, walking, rebounding, anything that gets you moving. It’s okay to start off slow and gentle. You don’t need to push it. Once you achieve vibrant health you’ll want to move. It’s one of the signs that you are on the right path.

Supplements

Ideally, your nutrition will come from your food. But let’s be honest, we live in an imperfect world with farming soil stripped of its minerals. Even if the soil was rich, food loses its vitamins and minerals as it makes the journey from farm to table. So unless you are growing your own food in great soil, we suggest you consider supplementation. You may want to consider a nutritional supplement to add to your daily smoothie as well as vitamins, minerals, and supplements to aid in your detox. Source them well. You want only the best. We recommend Shillington’s Total Nutrition Formula as a nutritional supplement to add to your smoothies. For your detox, you need a supplement to kill the candida, a supplement to rebuild the flora, one to MicroDefense – Pure Encapsulations, and one to clean the intestines.

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What We Should Know About Our Lymphatic System

When you hear the term “circulatory system”, what comes to mind? Most of us think of the vascular system, the amazing array of arteries, veins, and capillaries through which each of our hearts pump 1,900 gallons of blood each day, in a circular loop. Few of us think of the other circulatory system–though it is twice as large as the vascular system. This second circulatory system, the lymphatic system, is just as vital to our health as the vascular system. When the lymphatic system is not working properly, our bodies cannot remove toxins; fight viral, fungal, and bacterial disease; or regulate the amount of fluid in our tissues.

Our two circulatory systems work together. Dr. John Douillard, DC, describes the lymphatic system in these terms: “It is like the drains in your house and the blood is like the faucets,” an apt description. The lymphatic system is also the filtration system and the factory that matures and differentiates lymphocytes (white blood cells, which fight disease).

Lymphatic vessels are found in all tissues of the body except for the central nervous system, the bone marrow, and tissues without blood vessels such as cartilage. It is a complex system that includes organs, nodes, and vessels that perform three primary functions:

  • Fluid balance
  • Fat Absorption
  • Immunological Defense

Fluid Balance

When the heart pumps blood, the blood travels through arteries to arterioles (arterial capillaries), which connect to venules (capillaries of the veins). The blood then begins its journey back to the heart. But the vascular system is not a closed system. When the blood reaches the capillaries, fluid is released from the thin-walled capillaries and flows into all of the tissues in the body. This fluid, called interstitial fluid, bathes the tissues with nutrients and gases as it washes over the cells.

The cells absorb nutrients and oxygen and release their waste products back into the interstitial fluid. Ninety percent of the interstitial fluid is reabsorbed by the venous capillaries, to recombine with the blood and flow back to the heart. The other 10% of the interstitial fluid (2-3 liters a day), along with proteins and other particles too large to pass through the capillary walls, is taken up by the lymphatic system. This fluid, now called lymph, flows through the lymphatic system and is filtered through the lymph nodes before being returned, ultimately, to the bloodstream.

Removal of the cells’ waste is critical. If the waste is not removed, cells quickly die. If the lymphatic system is not working properly, interstitial fluid builds up in the tissues, proteins are not properly returned to the bloodstream, large particles such as bacteria are not removed, all of the waste is not removed, and edema (swelling of the tissues—especially swelling in the feet and hands) results.

Fat Absorption

The villi in the small intestines are tiny projections that facilitate absorption of nutrients from our food. Each villus contains capillaries from the venous system and the lymphatic system. While the nutrients are passed into the bloodstream, fats and fatty acids are absorbed by specialized lymphatic vessels. The lymphatic system carries the fats and fatty acids through its system until emptying them, along with lymphatic fluid, directly into the blood.

Immunological Defense

The lymph nodes, the spleen, and the thymus gland work together to defend the body from foreign invaders and pathogens.

Lymph nodes are encapsulated tissue situated in many parts of the body. The nodes have a blood supply, entering through an artery and exiting through a vein. The node receives blood plasma and checks it for foreign invaders. If needed, the node creates lymphocytes which go to the bloodstream to fight the foreign cells. The nodes also filter and purify the lymph fluid so that the fluid is clean when it is returned to the bloodstream.

Tonsils, adenoids, and Peyer’s patches are collections of lymph nodes strategically placed to fight foreign invaders. Tonsils fight disease at the throat, adenoids protect the body from inhaled pathogens, while Peyer’s patches protect the interior of the small intestines.

The spleen also contains lymph nodules. Although the spleen is a part of the lymphatic system, it filters blood, not lymph. But as the blood is filtered through the spleen, pathogens trigger a response from the lymph nodules. The spleen filters out and removes the dead, red blood cells from the blood along with foreign invaders.

Thymus

Lymphocytes, which originate in the bone marrow, reach maturity and differentiation in the thymus gland. Many remain in the thymus gland, but others move throughout the lymphatic system, the peripheral tissues, and the blood. These are the cells that control immune reactions, and combat viruses and cancer cells.

Appendix

The appendix is also comprised of lymphatic tissue. Though it does not appear to have a lymphatic function; we do finally understand its purpose. The appendix stores bacteria for the gut. If the gut bacteria is compromised, the appendix releases bacteria to begin the process of repopulation.

Circulation of Lymph

The lymphatic vessels have valves (much like vascular veins) to keep the fluid moving in the right direction and the vessels themselves help move fluid forward. The lymphatic system doesn’t have a big pump like a heart to force fluid through the vessels. Instead, our bodies rely on our muscles to move the fluid. Our diaphragms and rib cage as well as the blood pumping through our bodies, do assist in this movement. But body movement and exercise is the primary method of moving lymph. A sedentary lifestyle decreases lymph flow by 94%.

Why Is It Important To Move Our Lymph?

Lymph contains lymphocytes, (white blood cells: T-cells, B-cells, and natural killer cells) that seek out and kill pathogens. As the fluid is filtered through the nodes, a concentration of lymphocytes clean up the fluid before it is returned to the blood.

If the fluid is backed up and not flowing properly, it becomes viscous. The flowing fluid can thicken until it becomes the consistency of cottage cheese. Fluids and waste is not properly drained from the cells, bacteria and other foreign invaders are not properly filtered and destroyed, and disease, including cancer, may result.

How to Move Lymph Through the Body and Assist the Lymphatic System

The major way to move lymph through the body is through movement of any kind. Walking, bending, stretching–any and all movement will assist with lymphatic movement. To really get it moving, bounce. Jump up and down, jump rope, or for the best result, bounce on a rebounder for 15-20 minutes a day. (See the link below.)

You will also benefit from massage, including self massage. (See the link below.) This will assist with flow and move any viscous fluid through the system. Find a massage therapist who is certified in lymphatic massage.

Be sure to hydrate well with clean (preferably spring) water.

Beets, berries, and cherries all stimulate the lymphatic system. A healthy diet consisting of 80% raw vegetables and fruits supports healthy lymphatic function as well as general health.

One of Ayurveda medicine’s most popular blood purifiers, Manjistha, is known to be an excellent lymphatic tonic. Astragalus, echinacea, goldenseal, pokeroot, or wild indigo root tea are recommended. Detoxifying the blood, hot and cold hydrotherapy, candida cleansing, and rebounding are important components to detoxifying the lymph.

So get off the couch, jump up and down, and eat right to detox your lymphatic system. It’s the least you can do for a system that works so hard to protect you.

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What is a Cyclic Ketogenic Diet?

Burn Fat and Build Muscle with a Cyclic Ketogenic Diet

What constitutes an optimal physique?  This is different based on each individual’s unique genetic potential but researchers would agree that we should have a moderate to thin structure and good muscular development.

While many have sought after a thin physique, the mantra of the 21st century is that strong is the new thin!  We want to have a good body fat percentage (6-15% for men and 15-30% for women) and have developed well-toned musculature.

Ketogenic Diet and Fat Metabolism

A ketogenic diet is a very low carbohydrate, moderate protein, and high fat based nutrition plan.  A ketogenic diet trains the bodies metabolism to run off of fatty acids or ketone bodies.  This nutrition plan has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity and reduce inflammation.  This leads to improved muscle development and fat metabolism.

The ketogenic diet is built around good fats such as grass-fed butter, coconut products, avocados, nuts/seeds, pasture-raised animal products and extra-virgin olive oil.  This diet should also focus on low-carbohydrate fruits, vegetables and herbs as staple components.  The fat levels will be between 60-80% of calorie intake.

How Ketones Are Formed?

The body has two major energy sources, it burns glucose or ketone bodies.  The majority of people burn glucose primarily because they are constantly supplying a steady form of sugar, starches, and proteins that can be turned into blood sugar.  When one either fasts or goes on a low-carb, moderate protein, and high fat diet they switch their energy source to fat.

In particular, the fatty acids are broken down into ketone bodies.  The three major forms ketones produced in the body include Acetoacetate, Acetone and Beta-HydroxyButyric acid.  These are released into the blood from the liver when insulin levels are low and hepatic liver metabolism is increased.

Healthy Cell Membrane

The cell membrane is the double outer layer of fatty acids.  This structure is made up of a blend of saturated, monounsaturated and highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFAs).   The cell membrane and particularly the HUFAs are very susceptible to free radical damage.  This free radical damage causes something called “lipid peroxidation” and negatively effects hormone sensitivity.

Elevated lipid peroxidation leads to issues like insulin resistance and poor blood sugar metabolism.  Insulin resistance and poor blood sugar metabolism leads to fat storage and muscle tissue breakdown.  This is the antagonist to healthy aging and a desirable physique.

The two biggest dietary factors that reduce lipid peroxidation include

  1. The Anti-oxidant Content of the Diet
  2. Carbohydrate Level of the Diet

Research has shown that a low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet reduces oxidative stress in the body1.  The reduction in oxidative stress on the cell membrane allows for the formation of healthy insulin receptors and normalized blood sugar regulation.  This improves insulin sensitivity which further reduces inflammation and fat storage in the body.2  The more sensitive the body is to insulin, the less stress it puts on the rest of the system and the easier it is to build muscle and burn fat.

Protein Sparing and Healthy Muscle Tissue

A healthy body is not thin and weak.  A desirable physique is strong and has well-developed muscle tissue that is genetically congruent for the individual.  The antagonist to this is again poor blood sugar sensitivity and insulin resistance.

High carbohydrate diets increase the level of muscle cell inflammation and reduce protein synthesis.  For many body types this leads to a catabolic or cannablistic state where the body eats up the muscle tissue.  This leaves the individual with a very thin and under developed physique.

A properly formed ketogenic diet maintains circulating branched chain amino acids (BCAAs).  These BCAA’s (leucine, isoleucine and valine) and especially leucine are critical for protein and muscle synthesis in the body.  Blood leucine levels, a powerful regulator of muscle protein synthesis, increases on a ketogenic diet.  Meanwhile, insulin levels decrease on a ketogenic diet as does muscle inflammation 3

The result of this is that the muscle cells will have an environment that promotes proper development and optimal function.  The keto-adapted state improves the efficiency of protein utilization.  The   greater economy of protein allows for less to be consumed while still maintaining healthy blood leucine levels for proper muscle development and recovery.

Practical Considerations

There is a popular idea that the body needs carbohydrates and protein immediately after exercising in order to properly recover.  However, with the application of a properly formulated ketogenic diet to achieve a keto-adapted state this is not necessary.  Keto-adapted individuals can often fast for periods after a short high intensity workout and see improvements in strength and muscle development.

In my late teens and early twenties, I would eat around 5,000 calories a day with over 200 grams of protein.  I used to have to eat before and after I exercised.  My diet was probably 50% carbohydrate, 25% protein and 25% fat.  This nutrition plan resulted in good strength gains but also destroyed my gut, desensitized my cells to insulin leading to blood sugar instability and chronic inflammation.  The elevated carbohydrate and protein levels also promoted the development of cancerous growths in my body.

This resulted in severe health problems and a 5+ years of learning better strategies to improve my health.  I noticed incredible improvement with the ketogenic diet and intermittent fasting.  I also learned to focus on super hydration with anti-oxidants in the morning hours.  I typically drink 64oz of water before 12pm and use anti-oxidant extracts such as lemon and/or anti-oxidant supplements in the morning hours.

Now, I eat 2 meals a day between a 4-8 hour eating window and consume around 3500-4000 calories with approximately 60-70% fat, 20-25% protein and 10-15% carbohydrates on average.  Some days, it is 70%, 25%, 5% while other days it is 60%, 20%, 20%.   I work out intensely in the morning and NEVER eat afterwards.  I eat my meals between 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. on most days.

The results – I am stronger in my upper and lower body and feel significantly better than I did in my teens and 20’s.  The pic below is not me…haha!

What This Means to You

As a clinician, I believe that everyone on the planet will benefit from a well-formulated cyclic ketogenic diet.  This will look different for each individual.  Some will do great with 80% fat, 15% protein, 5% carb.  Some will need a more carbohydrate and protein, or maybe just one or the other, etc.

I am not strict about counting calories or percentages of macronutrients and the numbers I provided were approximations based on the foods I typically consume.  I would encourage you not to be dogmatic with macronutrient counting but instead be strongly considerate of the quality of fuel you are putting into your body and you should categorize it as primarily fat, primarily protein, protein/fat, protein/carb or primarily carbohydrate.

There are many key variables that play a role in the proper formula for success.  These include your unique genetics, your exercise, activity and stress levels, your sleeping habits, levels of inflammation and the health of your thyroid, adrenals and liver/gallbladder.

By cyclic ketogenic diet, I am referring too a state of cylcling in and out of ketosis.  I will typically have a larger carbohydrate meal (using healthy starches like sweet potato, quinoa, brown rice, or a good sweetener like fruit, raw honey, or coconut nectar) once a week.  This pulls me out of ketosis for a short period and then I enter right back in the following day while I am doing my morning fast.

Some individuals do well with the inclusion of a higher carbohydrate meal 2 or 3 times a week while others will do better staying in ketosis for a month at a time.  You will have to experiment to find what you feel best with.

Would love to hear about your experiences with a cyclic ketogenic diet in the comments box below.

Sources For This Article Include:



How I Lost Over 150 Pounds, and How My Life Changed

I used to weigh 368 pounds. I had a 58 inch waist. I was 46% body fat. In addition, I was often sick and had many allergies. My body hurt. Moving was becoming more and more difficult. I was only 17.

I was one of the targets at my school. I was ridiculed and picked on incessantly. The name that everyone knew me as was Fat Ass or sometimes Pillsbury.  And I did have a fat ass. It was huge. I did not store my excess fat in a manly way. It was all badonkadonk!

I was beat up regularly, and I felt tortured. < ahref="https://www.phentermineonline.com/phentermine-before-and-after">Before age 17 I had been in about 75 fistfights, none of which I started. I would get jumped by someone, and if I won, I got jumped by three of his friends. I was the laughing stock of the school and the punching bag for anyone looking to get some fight cred, or to just take out their anger.

I was rarely taken seriously, and the few friends I had were younger than me, as no one my age would be seen with me. While I appreciated the friends I did have, I was still the punch line for many of their jokes. All this simply led to more eating.

On top of all of this, I had a very hard time with social skills. Looking back and talking with some doctors, it became clear I suffered from undiagnosed Asperger’s syndrome, as well as a host of other developmental issues. I was tactile defensive and had a very hard time properly communicating with people. Looking people in the eyes was (and at times still is) extremely difficult.

How I Got in Shape

I owe that weight loss to a beautiful woman I had a huge crush on. She was older than me and absolutely stunning. I had to be with her. It was the best motivation a 17-year-old virgin could hope for.

The day after I saw her, I rode my bike to the YMCA. I worked out, lifting weights and using the Stairmaster. I ate more fruits and vegetables and stopped eating entire packages of hot dogs, whole blocks of cheddar cheese, and half gallon containers of yogurt. As much as I loved to tell people that I was genetically predisposed to obesity, the reality is I ate like there was no tomorrow.

I remember that first day I went to the gym. It was a Tuesday. Then came Wednesday. The only difference between that Wednesday and every other Wednesday that preceded it was that I went back to the gym, and I continued to eat better.

I didn’t do everything right, though. I didn’t know any better. I drank Sprite like it was going out of style. I followed the old food pyramid model, so bread was the foundation of my diet. But I quit binging, and I exercised every single day like a man possessed. I lifted weights 5 days a week, played basketball 6 days a week for 2 hours every day, and I ran 6 miles every Sunday. I could not be stopped.

The more I lost, the better I felt. The better I felt, the more I listened to my body. I noticed that the more produce I ate, the better I felt. I ate more produce and fewer packaged foods. When I finally gave up Sprite (after learning how bad refined sugar is for you), my allergies went away! Food allergies, pet allergies, seasonal allergies, allergies I had lived with for years and thought I was stuck with forever, disappeared. But they quickly came back as soon as my diet went off track.

At almost one year to the day, I got my weight down to 215 pounds. I still had a little chub, but I was in incredible shape. I ran 30 miles just to see if I could run a marathon without stopping.

The Difference

Obviously, I was not made fun of the way I used to be. I wasn’t picked on. I was able communicate better, to socialize, and to be more comfortable with eye contact and touching. A couple of times, some of the people who used to torment me tried to pick a fight, and I was able to scare them into backing off. After all the fights I had been in, my new found confidence, my ability to communicate, assert myself, and intimidate, as well as a massive amount of real world experience with fighting, I was easily able to convey to people that I was no longer an easy target. The few guys that decided to try me anyways got put in their place, and that only increased my confidence.

Oh…and I got the girl.

It actually felt like I could have had any woman in that town. At age 18, I knew what it felt like to be popular for the first time in my life. I dedicated my life to putting a stop to bullying. It was a rough town I grew up in, and my friends and I (and I had many more at that time then I ever did in my life) went around looking for people who were being picked on. We would stop the bullying. If need be, I did it by force. Then I moved away, and my vigilante days were over. Well, for the most part. I’ll still fight the good fight if someone is in need.

Relapse

I still, to this day, struggle with my weight. It is an ongoing battle. Some people need to throw out the scale. I need to weigh myself every single day. If I don’t, I quickly notice my pants getting tight. My weight fluctuates by about 25 pounds. I’m 6’3”, so that’s not as extreme as you might think, but it’s still a lot.

About 10 years ago, I ballooned back up to 290. I knew much more about health at this point, as I had been studying naturopathy for many years, but I had not been practicing what I preach. I was engaged to what is commonly referred to as a “chubby-chaser” and we ate and ate and ate together. I loved to cook, we both loved to eat, and she was a tiny little Asian woman who could eat almost as much as I could and not put on a pound. We ate a lot of starchy Asian foods like sticky rice and fried noodles. It was easy to put on the weight with her. But eventually I wanted to get back in shape. Not because I was being picked on, not because people didn’t respect me, and not to “get the girl.” I wanted to get in shape for me this time. As I lost weight, I noticed once again a tremendous difference in how I was treated. I hadn’t even noticed the decline in how people looked at me as I gained the weight, but as it came off, everyone seemed to respect me more and more. My ideas at work were given more consideration, and people wanted to ask my opinion more often. I was invited out more. And that chubby-chasing girl friend of mine? Even she changed her tune. She was digging the new me, a version of the old me that she found a new appreciation for. (And ever since then she has preferred men in good physical condition, so I guess I cured her of that).

How I Lost 50 pounds

I worked out, of course, but this time I had a job and a life, so working out to the extent I did before was not an option. I cut out all of the refined foods. I severely limited the starches. I got down to 220. My diet was 80% raw fresh fruits and vegetables, mostly vegetables. I ate a huge salad every day for breakfast. It filled me up for hours and eliminated my cravings for the rest of the day. Instead of my famous pesto pasta, salads became my specialty.

I also drank a gallon of stevia sweetened lemonade with cayenne every day. This helped to reduce my appetite considerably as well, and it also flushed toxins. A healthy liver facilitates healthy weight loss.

My snacks were produce, usually vegetables. Not just celery and carrots like most people think about when they think of snacking on veggies, I ate kale, collards, chard, beets, peppers–any vegetable that could be eaten raw. I was known for a being the guy who ate vegetables the way people eat fruit. “He’s eating that bell pepper like it’s an apple!” they’d say, bewildered.

Those are my three biggest recommendations: A gallon of stevia sweetened cayenne lemonade with made with clean pure drinking water, a big salad every single day, and snack on produce as well. If money isn’t too tight, I would also say to get SF722 and FloraMend to fix the gut which can radically help reduce bad food cravings.

Stress Eating

Then my whole life changed. It was turned upside down. These words don’t do it justice. My life was shaken up like a snow-globe. I was arrested. I was charged with a crime I did not commit. I went to jail for a month. I bailed out. Then I awaited trial for a year out on bail, and I put back on the weight. I am and always have been a stress eater, and starches are my biggest weakness. I ate and I ate and I ate because I couldn’t cope. I was looking at 30+ years and a lot of other crap that I could not handle. I guess I did handle it, as I’m here. But the way I handled it was with food. I got back up to 310 pounds.

How I Lost 100 Pounds

I went to jail.  My bond was revoked, and I spent another year waiting for trial, but this time in jail. I had nothing to do in jail but read and work out. It’s a bit harder to binge eat in jail, though I certainly saw some people doing it. But I was determined to come out of that situation better than I went in, and one of the ways to do that was to get fit again, once and for all.

I traded my deserts, juices, milks, and starches for vegetables, and got as many donated to me as I could. I could even put together a decent salad. The diabetics traded my candy for their oranges. They hate fruit. That explained the diabetes.

The only problem with this is I ended up with a jail cell full of people who decided to follow my lead. I was very popular in that dorm and become sort of the jail doctor for my fellow inmates. Any ailment, they’d come to me, and I could almost always fix it. I was honest, so people said, “What can I do to get healthier?” and I’d tell then, eat vegetables! So the price of vegetables skyrocketed like gold has done in the last few years. Suddenly, I was having to get money from my family to buy store food to trade for vegetables. Eventually even this quit working and almost all 60 of those inmates wanted to eat their veggies. Even the diabetics wanted their fruit!

So I switched dorms. Well, actually, I got into a fight with a bully, and was moved to another dorm. Then I realized I could just repeat this pattern whenever the price of produce got too high. So that’s what I did, and when I got out a year later I was 205 pounds. I wouldn’t say I was healthy. I aged considerably in jail. It’s not like the vegetables there had an ounce of nutrition, but they were certainly the best choice I had. For the first time in my life,  I knew what it felt like to be fit and unhealthy at the same time.

Stretch Marks and Loose Skin

When I got into my best shape, which was 210 and very strong, I tightened my skin considerably. The bouncy, loose, flabby skin went away. When I took systemic enzymes and really got strict on my diet, the stretch marks faded. You can still see them, but only if you look closely. I believe that most cases of loose skin that people complain about after weight loss can be alleviated by getting down to a very low body fat, and then adding on some weight if desired. I don’t think it’s loose skin as much as loose fat.

Supplements for Weight Loss

I also took vitamin D and Total Nutrition. I found this helped speed my weight loss and noticed a difference immediately, compared to not supplementing.

Conclusion

So we have three distinct methods here:

  • Workout like a man (or woman) possessed in order to lose your virginity
  • Eat right, drink a lot of water, and workout regularly
  • Go to jail

I recommend the second one. But also, find your motivation, and focus on it. And see yourself as healthy. Appreciate your body. Know that it’s brought you this far no matter how you treated it, and love it for this. Love yourself. It’s hard to treat yourself well when you don’t.

Today, at this very moment, I weigh 212 pounds. At 204 I start to get that elusive six-pack. I only had it for a very brief moment. I’m working on it. But I’ve never gone over 235 since that last time before I got arrested, and at 235, I’m just a little pudgy.

I still eat for stress, but I started practicing my gallon a day routine again, I am back at the gym, and I am aiming for that six-pack. I want it.

If you’ve been overweight for a long time, and you’re ready to get in shape, check out Holistic Guide to Healing the Endocrine System and Balancing Our Hormones and Gluten, Candida, Leaky Gut Syndrome, and Autoimmune Diseases.

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Animal vs. Plant Protein – What’s Better?

Starting a conversation about protein sources between a vegan and a meat eater is a lot like discussing politics or religion with a stranger. More often than not, it’s not going to end peacefully. However, there are many myths and inaccurate claims made on both sides of the fence with regards to protein intake and the best sources, and it’s time to clear it up.

Calorie Content

One of the first big debates with animal vs. plant protein is calorie content. Meat eaters will argue that you need to eat far more vegetables than you do meat in order to get a beneficial amount of protein. In fact, some will argue that you will basically starve trying to get enough protein while spending your entire day eating.

It’s true that vegetables have a lower caloric density than meat. Yes, you would have to consume more volume to equal the same amount of protein. But this may be a moot point. Unless you are training moderately to heavily, the protein content you require could easily be met by a vegetarian diet. Furthermore, a lower calorie vegetarian diet is easier on the digestive system than a diet with animal protein (largely due to meat being cooked).

If you train intensely, it will be more difficult to meet your caloric needs on plant protein alone. This is where meat can help pick up the slack and provide you with the extra calories you may require. For example, a 3oz serving of steak provides 174 calories and delivers 26 grams of complete protein. A 3oz serving of cooked quinoa provides 34 calories and delivers 3.5 grams of complete protein.

If you feel you require more calories with protein, for whatever reason, animal meat is definitely an easy option. And it is the only way many people are going to get enough protein. Due to the lack of produce and other whole foods in our diet, most people’s vegan protein comes from soy and other unhealthy ingredients in processed foods. Not only are these foods highly processed and toxic, the proteins are difficult for the body to assimilate and they cause a host of health issues.

Complete vs Incomplete

One of the most cited points in an animal vs. plant protein debate is the fact that animals provide a complete protein, whereas plants can’t do the same. This is an erroneous assumption for two reasons:

  • There are plant sources of protein that are complete (for example, chlorella, hemp seeds, bee pollen, chia seeds, and quinoa).
  • You can combine different plant proteins to make a complete protein in any given meal, like lentils and brown rice. The reality is that plant-based diets contain such a wide variety of amino acid profiles that vegans are virtually guaranteed to get all of their amino acids with very little effort.

There are logical and understandable reasons why animal protein may be more desirable to people, besides taste and convenience. While vegans argue that meat causes cancer and other serious health problems, health minded omnivores will state, and correctly so, that improper cooking methods and poor quality meat (factory farmed), are the causes of poor health issues.

Assimilation

One of the least talked about subjects when it comes to the animal vs. plant protein debate is assimilation. Very few people consider the fact that the amount of protein contained in the food source is rarely the amount of protein your body digests and properly assimilates.

For years, soy protein isolate has been used in protein powders and even baby formula to help increase protein intake. However, what many failed to consider is that conventional unfermented soy is a highly indigestible protein, and assimilation is a fraction of what is printed on the label. In addition, most soy is genetically modified, and unfermented soy enzymes inhibitors can cause serious hormone imbalances.

Generally speaking, good forms of plant protein will be more easily digested than good forms of animal protein. In fact, to better digest animal protein it should be paired with fresh non-starchy vegetables in order to provide the enzymes and probiotics required to break it down properly for optimal digestion.

Furthermore, typical cooking methods of animal protein ruin your ability to properly assimilate it. Today, we usually cook food quickly and at high heat by pan-frying, microwaving, deep-frying, and barbecuing. All of these methods form advanced glycated end products, which are difficult to metabolize, and the problem becomes considerably worse with added sugar (which is present in nearly all sauces that may be applied while cooking).

If you want to avoid these glycated end products to improve your assimilation and avoid negative immune system reactions, cook your food on low heat (up to 180F) with water whenever possible, and avoid adding sugar. Glycated end products, other free radicals, and broken damaged acids are all a result of cooking foods, and cooking faster and/or longer creates more of them. They are all toxic to the body.

Amount of Protein Required

 

Of course, a big factor in how much protein you actually need depends on your activity level. These numbers vary between “protein experts”. However, the following numbers can provide a guideline:

  • Sedentary – .8 grams per kg of body weight (160lbs is 72kg which is 57.6 g of protein required daily)
  • Endurance – 1.2 to 1.4 grams per kg of body weight (160 lbs is 72 kg, which is up to 100g of protein required daily)
  • Body builders – 1.4 to 2.0 (some say as much as 2.5) grams per kg of body weight (160 lbs is 72kg, which is up to 130g of protein required daily)

With a fairly sedentary lifestyle (inactive to very light exercise like walking), you can very easily meet your protein requirements through a plant-based diet. An endurance athlete will need to know the higher and more efficient plant-based proteins to be able to do the same, and the body builder will have to consistently consume only the most nutrient and protein dense forms, many times a day, in order to meet the right quota.

In the case of body builders, it will likely be much easier to consume animal meat to get the amount of calories and protein they require, but they should be wary of proper combinations with non-starchy protein rich plant sources in order to actually absorb the high level of protein they take in.

However, there are vegan body builders winning competitions on plant-based protein alone, so those needs can be met.  If you seriously doubt the ability to build muscle mass on a plant protein based diet, I would ask you to consider where cattle and pigs get their protein to build muscle mass (hint: plant-based sources, not other animals).

Eating Protein

If you do choose to eat animal meat as your primary source of protein, choose those that are raised humanely and not injected with antibiotics, hormones, or steroids and are pasture fed or fed organically. Grass fed beef is a great example of a good source of animal protein.

Also consider how the meat is cooked. Beef and fish do not need to be completely cooked and therefore are much easier on the digestive system. Chicken and pork on the other hand, should be cooked completely, which makes the meat more acidic and much more difficult to digest, which compromises your protein assimilation. (We don’t recommend eating pork.)

When looking at good vegetarian and vegan protein sources, consider chlorella/spirulina, hemp, bee pollen, chia, and quinoa, which are all above 25% protein (quinoa, chia, bee pollen,) all the way up to between 40% and 70% (hemp and chlorella).

When preparing a plant-based protein, cook it gently or not at all. A properly made smoothie can easily yield more than 30 grams of protein in a highly digestible format. Combine this with a quinoa and vegetable dish and you have a protein rich meal.

In the end, you can meet your protein needs with either

Our ancient ancestors, in most parts of the world, ate far more plants than animal protein and certainly did not eat animal protein nearly as often as we do in modern times. We could learn a lot from them and limit the animal protein in our diet as we add in more high quality plant protein to increase the absorption and assimilation of our various protein sources.

If you do choose to ingest animal flesh, please buy meat that you know was treated as humanely as possible. These animal products are better for us, better for the environment, and of course better for them.

And if you decide you want to avoid animal sources altogether, you can certainly obtain the complete protein and calories you require through plant-based sources alone. If you have high protein requirements, it just may take a bit more planning and work in the beginning to ensure you meet your needs, depending on your activity levels.

Complete Vegan Sources of Protein

The following are plant-based foods that contain all of the essential amino acids that make up a complete source of protein.

  • Chlorella – 58-75% protein
  • Spirulina – 51-71% protein
  • Hempseed – 47% protein
  • Chia – 21% protein
  • Quinoa – 14% protein
  • Buckwheat – 13% protein
  • Amaranth – 13% protein
  • Soy – 81% protein (look for whole, organic and fermented soybean sources for proper digestion)

Bee pollen, while not vegan, is another plant-based complete protein that is 25% to 40% protein.

vegan

It’s nice to know what your complete sources of plant-based protein are, but with a little variety, it’s easy to get all the essential amino acids in your diet. Also, many traditional dishes offer all of the essential amino acids. For instance, brown rice and beans is a complete source of protein. Vegetables have such a wide variety of amino acids, it’s actually easy to just eat a few vegetables and get all of them. Further, you don’t need all of the essential amino acids in one meal, or even in one day, to build complete protein in your body.

Conclusion

If you’re considering reducing your animal consumption, or cutting it out completely (or you already have), know that there are plenty of choices out there. Being healthy is all about eating well, and eating well is all about whole foods.  Almost everyone could use more fresh, whole, raw and/or home cooked foods in their diet.

Also, the amount of meat we consume is not sustainable. We as a society cannot continue to eat as much meat  as we do unless we turn to lab created flesh or some other scientific answer, which will likely create a whole host of new health problems. But if we reduce our meat consumption drastically, grow some of our own food, start looking at how and where we can grow more food (such as rooftops and stacked gardens), and we buy from local and small scale farmers, not only can we feed everyone well with plenty of land left over, we can also dramatically reduce our impact on our environment (there is nothing more impactful that we could do), radically improve our health, and we could remove a lot of needless suffering, too.

Did we miss any complete protein sources for vegans? Let us know! And if you have any other tips on healthy protein intake, please tell us about them.



Fibromyalgia – Natural Remedies

Fibromyalgia is a chronic inflammatory condition consisting of muscular and joint pain and fatigue.  Three to five percent of the population suffers with this condition; more than eighty percent are women.  This is one of the fastest growing disabling conditions in the US. You can beat Fibromyalgia with natural lifestyle strategies.

Fibromyalgia is classically diagnosed with positive reaction to 11 of 18 specific tender point sites on the body.  Other classic findings include chronic fatigue, sleep challenges, normal blood tests, and a history of widespread pain, particularly in the neck and back. It is believed to be a chronic inflammatory condition of the muscle fascia.

Chronic inflammation is a sign of a mal-coordinated hyper responsive immune system.  In order to modulate and stabilize the immune response, it is critical to avoid inflammatory foods and food allergens, repair the gut, optimize vitamin D3 levels, and improve neurological connections.

Chronic Inflammation and Leaky Gut Syndrome

Most individuals with chronic inflammatory based pain have a leaky gut that allows large food particles to pass thru easily and end up in the bloodstream.  These undigested food particles are tagged as foreign invaders by the immune system.  The immune cells then create a massive inflammatory reaction to destroy the food particle.  This results in varying levels of insensitivity and allergenic reactions that damage many systems of the body.

The most common food allergens to avoid include all processed foods, artificial sweeteners/preservatives and foods containing gluten.   Soy, peanuts (and often other nuts), pasteurized dairy, eggs. and other heavy proteins are often not tolerated well.  The nightshade vegetables, eggplant, potatoes and tomatoes are often challenging as well.

Anti-Inflammatory Diet & Lifestyle

Anti-inflammatory foods help to modulate the immune system and reduce inflammatory activity in the body.  Great anti-inflammatory foods include coconut products, avocados, olive oil, berries and phytonutrient rich vegetables.  Healthy meat sources such as grass-fed beef, wild game, wild salmon, organic poultry, and organic eggs are great if the gut can tolerate them.

Fermented Foods are Key to Rebuild the Gut

It is advisable for anyone with chronic inflammation to include loads of organic vegetable juices, fermented foods, and functional beverages in their diet.   Homemade sauerkraut, kombucha, coconut water kefir, and kimchi are great.  Fermented dairy products from grass-fed cows and goats are highly advisable.  These include amasai, fermented whey drinks, and raw cheese.  Often a probiotic supplement with a bio-diverse range of cultures and over 50 billion colony forming units is advisable.

Non-denatured whey protein from grass-fed cows is also very good for rebuilding the gut.  Whey is loaded with L-glutamine and enhances cellular glutathione stores which are both needed to repair the intestinal wall and de-inflame the body.  Powerful herbs such as turmeric, ginger, garlic, onion, rosemary, thyme, cinnamon, and oregano should be used as much as possible to improve immune coordination.

Healthy Vitamin D3 Levels and Specific Chiropractic Care

Healthy vitamin D3 levels are especially important for aiding the body’s ability to recognize foreign and self-proteins.  This improved immune recognition reduces inflammation and auto-immune reactions.  Vitamin D also helps drive immune cells to destroy pathogenic microbes and prevent and destroy infection.  Chronic infection results in hyper-inflammatory levels in the body.  Vitamin D3 (25-OH) levels should be between 70-100ng/ml for optimal immune function.

People with fibromyalgia, chronic pain, and  fatigue are highly likely to have neurological dysfunction in their upper neck.  Subluxation, or neurological interference, at the bottom of the skull, C1 and C2 alter endorphin release into the body.  This leads to increased states of pain, fatigue, anxiety, and accelerated stress as well as mal-coordinated immunity.  Well trained chiropractors can analyze these regions of the spine and give specific corrective adjustments to restore balance and optimal neurological expression in these regions.

Sources For This Article Include: