Threat to Testosterone, Fertility, and Vitality

Fighting T-Killing Toxins

This is mainly geared for men, however, ladies can learn from this too. The overall message - there are countless toxins being dumped into our environment that prevent us (without us knowing it) from achieving optimal health. As the article points out - this goes beyond the tree hugger's fight to a direct effect on your personal body, mind, and soul. WE must stop this by educating ourselves, avoiding toxins, and purchasing more natural, less polluting products.

The article:

When your dad was your age, it was probably easier for him to build muscle and burn body fat than it is for you. Does that annoy you? It should.
We've dumped 85,000 chemicals into our environment since World War II. Why should you care? All that environmental stuff is for tree-hugging hippies, right? Well, not quite. You see, certain chemicals and toxins act like a sledgehammer to the balls.
Your balls.

Toxins Lower Test

"Strength coaches around the world are finding that it's harder today for their athletes to pack on mass than it was 30 years ago," notes Coach Charles Poliquin.

The cause? Many point the finger of blame at environmental toxins. Anything that affects testosterone will affect your ability to build muscle, burn body fat, and get strong.
These toxins have a huge effect on the human endocrine system. The average sperm count fell from 113 million per millilitre in 1940 to 66 million in 1990. In addition, the definition of a "normal" sperm count fell from 60 million per millilitre to 20 million in the same period. (1)
A survey of 1,350 sperm donors in Paris found a decline in sperm counts by around 2% each year over the past 23 years, with younger men having the poorest quality semen. (2, 3, 4)
You don't have to look far to confirm this either. I bet you know someone who's having trouble conceiving. And have you noticed the increasing amount of infertility clinics around?

"Norms" Aren't So Normal

The normal level of testosterone has been reduced by the medical community as well. They simply decided to make a new norm since everyone's testosterone levels are lower than they were 50 years ago.

Take note here: They're not dropping the number because it was too high to begin with. Our numbers today are just consistently that much lower!

Know Your Enemies, Raise Your T

The most obvious thing you can do is avoid exposure to toxic chemicals in the first place, but you need to know where to look.
T-lowering toxins can show up where you least expect. For example, Bisphenol A (BPA) is in the receipts you get from a checkout register, and unfortunately, the skin does a great job of absorbing it.
Clearly, you're not going to be able to avoid all the toxins; there are just too many. But you can avoid a great deal of them.

Enemy #1: BPA

When talking about toxins or toxicity, you'll always hear someone say, "It's only harmful if it's excessive. Even water can be a toxic if it's used in lethal amounts!"
Regulating agencies around the world use the argument that only excess doses lead to toxicity. But when it comes to BPA, don't consider it a toxin. Consider it a hormone.
Any hormone can change the balance of the endocrine system. The hormone BPA best represents is a nasty form of estrogen. Dosing with smaller amounts just doesn't work for BPA.
According to Scientific American, BPA was first synthesised in 1891. It came into the use of synthetic estrogens in the 1930s. It wasn't until it was combined with phosgene (used during World War I as a toxic gas) and other compounds that BPA produced a shatter-proof plastic. (6)
Some suggest BPA was used as a replacement hormone for estrogen, but when the plastics and manufacturing industry found out about its ability to harden plastics, they bought the patent.
Scientists are now pointing out that the only studies which prove BPA's safety are the ones produced by the industry itself. It's also important to consider that the FDA accepts safety studies conducted by the industry. In other words, the fox is guarding the hen house.
Researchers estimate that BPA generates 100 million US dollars per hour, so you can understand why the industry is producing studies to protect BPA.

The Enemy's Worse than You Think

BPA acts as an estrogen, but with two differences:

1. It's foreign to the body.
2. It's more harmful than natural estrogens.

Xeno-estrogens do all the things that we don't want. Think of it as the complete opposite of injecting testosterone. Xeno-estrogens decrease testosterone and increase estrogens. Researchers have also linked it to insulin resistance. (7)

First Things First: Hydrate Smarter

You knew this was coming: Ditch the thin plastic water bottle right now.
You have a number of replacement options:

• Buy a good quality water filter for your home.
• Buy water in a carton.
• Use a BPA-free water bottle from now on.

If you decide to still use cheap plastic water bottles, follow these rules:

• Don't ever heat a plastic water bottle or leave it in the sun.
• Don't re-use it.

To know if BPA is in your bottle, look for a triangle with a 3 or a 7.
If you see a 3 or 7 in the triangle, buy a different product.

Enemy #2: Phthalates

Phthalates can be used in virtually anything from your girlfriend's sex toys to your sex toys.
Seriously, phthalates are used in everything: air-fresheners, cosmetics, shampoos, children's toys, and paints. Why the heck is a plasticiser used in air-fresheners and things that smell nice?

Phthalates hold aromas. So that car-freshener you use to hide the smell of your farts is also lowering your testosterone. (Maybe you should just lower the window from now on.)
Phthalates, like BPA, suppress testosterone, increase insulin resistance, and chelate magnesium and zinc. (10, 11) Their impact on zinc and magnesium can have a very negative compounding effect.
An interesting correlation I learned from Mark Schauss, author ofAchieving Victory Over a Toxic World, is that the explosion of autism occurred simultaneously with the introduction of phthalates in 1970. Dr. Schauss would be the first person to point out that it's not only the phthalates, but also the negative synergetic effect from the mass amount of environmental toxins.

Protect Your Balls

It's not the end of the human race just yet. There are a few supplements that'll protect against environmental enemies:

1. Glycine: Glycine has been found to bind with certain toxins so they can be safely excreted. Luckily, glycine is cheap, and a gram a day would be enough for most people.
2. Vitamin C: Helps build glutathione and protects against phthalates. Take 3 grams a day. However, the best way to determine vitamin C dose is bowel tolerance.
3. Glutamine: Helps build the gut. The healthier the gut, the more it can protect you against incoming toxins. If you have leaky gut syndrome, you could take 5 to 10 grams with each meal or 60 to 80 grams a day. As for a maintenance dose, 20 to 30 grams should do the job.
4. Taurine: This is a calming amino acid but also has the ability to activate detoxification pathways. Take this either after a workout or before bed. One to three grams is best.
5. Zinc: A critical mineral for testosterone. In fact, 98% of zinc in males is stored in the prostate. Low zinc status can and will affect testosterone production. As for dosing, try 300 mgs per day. Some may benefit from more, especially if they have high copper.
6. Antioxidant supplements high in A, E, and D: My favourite way to hit this is to simply use organic butter.
7. Resveratrol: This simple polyphenol is anti-estrogenic. Including something like Rez-V™ in your supplement routine would definitely be a good move.

Sauna Therapy

Saunas can detox your system of phthalates. But when using a sauna for detoxification, make sure it's made with screws only, not glues, and the wood isn't from China.
Saunas made with glues leak toxins, which you breathe in. And wood from China is high in metal.

Buy Back Your T

Some of the most toxic chemicals we have today didn't exist 40 years ago, so building muscle is becoming harder because of the chemical soup in which we live.
Vote with your wallet and buy non-toxic chemicals, not because you're a tree-hugger, but because you're serious about getting as ripped as possible.
You can also check out the Environmental Working Group's website to find out which products lower T. The group has studied over 44,000 soaps, shampoos, and lotions.
The more we reject toxic products by not buying them, the stronger the message we send companies. Tell them it's not okay to make products that lower our T.
In the end, building muscle and losing fat is mostly about how you train and what you eat. But if decreasing environmental toxins will make the process faster and easier, then we're crazy for not arming ourselves with the knowledge to fight the testosterone killers.

References

1. The sperm count has been decreasing steadily for many years in Western industrialised countries: Is there an endocrine basis for this decrease?http://www.ispub.com/ostia/index.php?xmlFilePath=journals/iju/vol2n1/sperm.xml

2. R.M.Sharpe, Current Evidence- Another DDT Connection, Nature, vol. 375, 15th June 1995

3. R.M.Sharpe, J.S.Fisher, M.M.Millar, S.Jobling and J.P.Sumpter, Gestational and lactational exposure of rats to xeno-estrogens results in reduced testicular size and sperm production, Environmental health perspectives vol. 103, Number 12, Dec 95 p.1136-1143

4. L.Hunt, The oestrogen jigsaw, The Independent 22nd September 1994

5. Carlsen, E., A Giwercman, N Keiding, N Skakkebaek. 1992. Evidence for Decreasing Quality of Semen During Past 50 Years. British Medical Journal 305:609-613

6. Just How Harmful Are Bisphenol A Plastics? August 26, 2008http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=just-how-harmful-are-bisphenol-a-plastics

7. The Estrogenic Effect of Bisphenol A Disrupts Pancreatic Cell Function In Vivo and Induces Insulin Resistance

8. Secular Decline in Male Reproductive Function: Is Manliness Threatened?http://jcem.endojournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/92/1/196

9. A Population-Level Decline in Serum Testosterone Levels in American Menhttp://jcem.endojournals.org/cgi/content/full/92/1/44

10 Concentrations of Urinary Phthalate Metabolites Are Associated with Increased Waist Circumference and Insulin Resistance in Adult U.S. Males

11. The Plasticizer Diethylhexyl Phthalate Induces Malformations by Decreasing Fetal Testosterone Synthesis during Sexual Differentiation in the Male Rat

12. Achieving Victory Over a Toxic World, Mark Schauss

Fluoridated Water

7 Foods Experts Won't Eat

• by Liz Vaccariello, Editor-in-Chief, PREVENTION, on Tue Nov 24, 2009 11:15am PST

How healthy (or not) certain foods are—for us, for the environment—is a hotly debated topic among experts and consumers alike, and there are no easy answers. But when Prevention talked to the people at the forefront of food safety and asked them one simple question—“What foods do you avoid?”—we got some pretty interesting answers. Although these foods don’t necessarily make up a "banned” list, as you head into the holidays—and all the grocery shopping that comes with it—their answers are, well, food for thought:

20 ways to feed your family for $100 a week.

1. Canned Tomatoes

The expert: Fredrick vom Saal, PhD, an endocrinologist at the University of Missouri who studies bisphenol-A

The problem: The resin linings of tin cans contain bisphenol-A, a synthetic estrogen that has been linked to ailments ranging from reproductive problems to heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. Unfortunately, acidity (a prominent characteristic of tomatoes) causes BPA to leach into your food. Studies show that the BPA in most people's body exceeds the amount that suppresses sperm production or causes chromosomal damage to the eggs of animals. "You can get 50 mcg of BPA per liter out of a tomato can, and that's a level that is going to impact people, particularly the young," says vom Saal. "I won't go near canned tomatoes."

The solution: Choose tomatoes in glass bottles (which do not need resin linings), such as the brands Bionaturae and Coluccio. You can also get several types in Tetra Pak boxes, like Trader Joe's and Pomi.

14 worst health mistakes even smart women make.

2. Corn-Fed Beef

The expert: Joel Salatin, co-owner of Polyface Farms and author of half a dozen books on sustainable farming

The problem: Cattle evolved to eat grass, not grains. But farmers today feed their animals corn and soybeans, which fatten up the animals faster for slaughter. More money for cattle farmers (and lower prices at the grocery store) means a lot less nutrition for us. A recent comprehensive study conducted by the USDA and researchers from Clemson University found that compared with corn-fed beef, grass-fed beef is higher in beta-carotene, vitamin E, omega-3s, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), calcium, magnesium, and potassium; lower in inflammatory omega-6s; and lower in saturated fats that have been linked to heart disease. "We need to respect the fact that cows are herbivores, and that does not mean feeding them corn and chicken manure," says Salatin.

The solution: Buy grass-fed beef, which can be found at specialty grocers, farmers' markets, and nationally at Whole Foods. It's usually labeled because it demands a premium, but if you don't see it, ask your butcher.

25 ridiculously healthy foods you should be eating now.

3. Microwave Popcorn

The expert: Olga Naidenko, PhD, a senior scientist for the Environmental Working Group,

The problem: Chemicals, including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), in the lining of the bag, are part of a class of compounds that may be linked to infertility in humans, according to a recent study from UCLA. In animal testing, the chemicals cause liver, testicular, and pancreatic cancer. Studies show that microwaving causes the chemicals to vaporize—and migrate into your popcorn. "They stay in your body for years and accumulate there," says Naidenko, which is why researchers worry that levels in humans could approach the amounts causing cancers in laboratory animals. DuPont and other manufacturers have promised to phase out PFOA by 2015 under a voluntary EPA plan, but millions of bags of popcorn will be sold between now and then.

The solution: Pop natural kernels the old-fashioned way: in a skillet. For flavorings, you can add real butter or dried seasonings, such as dillweed, vegetable flakes, or soup mix.

Your nutritional guide to grocery shopping.

4. Nonorganic Potatoes

The expert: Jeffrey Moyer, chair of the National Organic Standards Board

The problem: Root vegetables absorb herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides that wind up in soil. In the case of potatoes—the nation's most popular vegetable—they're treated with fungicides during the growing season, then sprayed with herbicides to kill off the fibrous vines before harvesting. After they're dug up, the potatoes are treated yet again to prevent them from sprouting. "Try this experiment: Buy a conventional potato in a store, and try to get it to sprout. It won't," says Moyer, who is also farm director of the Rodale Institute (also owned by Rodale Inc., the publisher of Prevention). "I've talked with potato growers who say point-blank they would never eat the potatoes they sell. They have separate plots where they grow potatoes for themselves without all the chemicals."

The solution: Buy organic potatoes. Washing isn't good enough if you're trying to remove chemicals that have been absorbed into the flesh.

14 ways to make veggies less boring.

5. Farmed Salmon

The expert: David Carpenter, MD, director of the Institute for Health and the Environment at the University at Albany and publisher of a major study in the journal Science on contamination in fish.

The problem: Nature didn't intend for salmon to be crammed into pens and fed soy, poultry litter, and hydrolyzed chicken feathers. As a result, farmed salmon is lower in vitamin D and higher in contaminants, including carcinogens, PCBs, brominated flame retardants, and pesticides such as dioxin and DDT. According to Carpenter, the most contaminated fish come from Northern Europe, which can be found on American menus. "You can only safely eat one of these salmon dinners every 5 months without increasing your risk of cancer," says Carpenter, whose 2004 fish contamination study got broad media attention. "It's that bad." Preliminary science has also linked DDT to diabetes and obesity, but some nutritionists believe the benefits of omega-3s outweigh the risks. There is also concern about the high level of antibiotics and pesticides used to treat these fish. When you eat farmed salmon, you get dosed with the same drugs and chemicals.

The solution: Switch to wild-caught Alaska salmon. If the package says fresh Atlantic, it's farmed. There are no commercial fisheries left for wild Atlantic salmon.

Delicious and easy fish recipes

6. Milk Produced with Artificial Hormones

The expert: Rick North, project director of the Campaign for Safe Food at the Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility and former CEO of the Oregon division of the American Cancer Society

The problem: Milk producers treat their dairy cattle with recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH or rBST, as it is also known) to boost milk production. But rBGH also increases udder infections and even pus in the milk. It also leads to higher levels of a hormone called insulin-like growth factor in milk. In people, high levels of IGF-1 may contribute to breast, prostate, and colon cancers. "When the government approved rBGH, it was thought that IGF-1 from milk would be broken down in the human digestive tract," says North. As it turns out, the casein in milk protects most of it, according to several independent studies. "There's not 100% proof that this is increasing cancer in humans," admits North. "However, it's banned in most industrialized countries."

The solution: Check labels for rBGH-free, rBST-free, produced without artificial hormones, or organic milk. These phrases indicate rBGH-free products.

Don’t be fooled by these 11 health food imposters.

7. Conventional Apples

The expert: Mark Kastel, former executive for agribusiness and codirector of the Cornucopia Institute, a farm-policy research group that supports organic foods

The problem: If fall fruits held a "most doused in pesticides contest," apples would win. Why? They are individually grafted (descended from a single tree) so that each variety maintains its distinctive flavor. As such, apples don't develop resistance to pests and are sprayed frequently. The industry maintains that these residues are not harmful. But Kastel counters that it's just common sense to minimize exposure by avoiding the most doused produce, like apples. "Farm workers have higher rates of many cancers," he says. And increasing numbers of studies are starting to link a higher body burden of pesticides (from all sources) with Parkinson's disease.

The solution: Buy organic apples. If you can't afford organic, be sure to wash and peel them first.

How to pay less for organic.

Does Fasting Build Muscle?

Here's an article from Men's Health that Garrett found on fasting:

Does Fasting Build Muscle?

Could it be time to go on a hunger strike—against heart disease and diabetes? Researchers at the Intermountain Medical Center in Utah reported in two new studies that fasting—not eating or drinking anything but water—for 24 hours once a week may be linked to a lower risk of these diseases.

In the first study, researchers asked 200 people if they fasted regularly. The findings: Those who said they fasted were 12 percent less likely to have both diabetes and heart disease than those who didn’t ever go without grub.

In the second study, a separate group of 30 people—none of whom had fasted before—were asked to put down their forks for 24 hours. Researchers then compared the subjects’ post-fasting blood samples to those taken after a day of normal eating. The results? The scientists observed that the male participants’ levels of human growth hormone (HGH) were 20 times higher on the days the men fasted than when they followed a regular day of eating.

What’s so great about HGH?

When your body senses you’ve run out of food, it triggers your pituitary gland to release the HGH. This hormonal surge causes your body to use more fat for energy, instead of breaking down muscle, explains lead author Benjamin D. Horne, Ph.D., M.P.H.

Horne thinks that this explains why those who fasted regularly were less likely to have heart disease or diabetes. His contention: HGH reduced their body fat, which in effect lowers the risk of these diseases, he explains. When researchers pooled this study data with the results of a previous study on a different group, the fasters had slightly lower BMIs than non-fasters. (The researchers didn’t specifically record body fat measurements in this study.)

A drawback: Twenty-four hours—the length of the current study—is nowhere near enough time to judge fasting’s long-term benefits, and the surges of HGH might only last a day or two, says Horne.

Fasting for Health:  What the Believers Say

Health experts don’t usually recommend fasting because it’s believed that your body will  break down your muscle tissue for energy. But contrary to popular belief, there’s no evidence that fasting for as long as 72 hours reduces your muscle mass, says Brad Pilon, author of Eat Stop Eat, a weight-loss plan combining fasting with weight training.

These studies looked at long-term and short-term fasters. But how does it work for regular guys who want to be lean? While Pilon acknowledges that there’s a lack of experimental studies to support fasting, he claims that his clients have effectively used the strategy to lose fat, improve their cholesterol, and lower their blood pressure levels.

The bonus, Pilon says, is that fasters walk away with an entirely different relationship with food. “You no longer have to continuously plan your day around the timing of your next meal, and you may be resetting your body’s expectation of when and how much you are going to eat,” Pilon points out. Further, he says, when you do start eating again, you’ll replenish what your body needs, instead of fueling a continuous cycle of digesting, absorbing, and storing extra nutrients. “Think of it like filling a hole as opposed to creating a mountain,” says Pilon.

Pilon recommends one to two 24-hour fasts per week, during which you can drink water, black coffee or tea, diet soda, and herbal tea—but nothing with calories.

Research is Limited

But still, there’s no definitive proof fasting has any special perks, explains Alan Aragon, M.S.,Men’s Health advisory board member.

“Researchers have yet to do a prospective randomized controlled trial, where they assign some people to fast and others to eat the same amount of food in a more typical pattern, then follow them both see what happens,” he says.

Though Aragon doesn’t recommend fasting until there are more studies, Horne says that the occasional bout of 24-hour food abstinence is safe for most healthy adults. After all, if you consider the eating habits of earlier humans, it wasn’t uncommon to feast without knowing how long it would be until the next meal.

Of course, there are plenty of other ways to blast fat while still eating. Sign up for Men’s Health Personal Trainer for a complete meal plan to fit your individual goals.  And don’t forget these foods that Carve Muscle and Build Abs!

—Cindy Kuzma

Holistic Survival: Talk on GMOs

Here's a podcast episode from Jason Hartman's "Holistic Survival Show: Protecting the people, places, and profits you care about in uncertain times". This is a more extensive talk on GMOs than the last post. This is definitely worth listening to. It is critical that we educate ourselves on the current affairs that are affecting our lives. 

#29 – Genetically Modified Food: What It Means To Your Health (Or Sickness)

Jason talks with Jeffrey Smith from the Institute for Responsible Technology in Iowa.  As an international bestselling author and independent filmmaker Jeffrey M. Smith is the leading spokesperson on the health dangers of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs).

Say No to GMO!

Here's a video that covers many of the important points of why GMO's should be outlawed at all costs. This is a matter of our personal health, the health of the Earth, and the health of future generations. These GMO crops are destroying natural and organic crops and making it harder and harder for sustainable farmers to produce their crops. There is no knowledge of the physical effects of GMO on the human body. There are, however, strong correlations to the formation of cancer, auto immune diseases, and cardiovascular disease. 

Sure, overall the video seems a bit melodramatic but this is a very serious problem we are facing. Big companies like the ones producing these GMO crops are controlling massive amounts of our lives. If we buy these products, we give them more power. Buy local products, help the mom and pop stores, become as self-reliant as you can. The situation is much more urgent than mainstream media would have us think.

"There's a war going on for your mind. If you are thinking then you are winning" -Flobots

Ways to Boost Brainpower

With Dan the Health Man emphasizing the importance of training the brain and improving cognitive activity, I found some ways to increase your brainpower from menshealth.com. Here they are:

Break Your Routine

Brush your teeth with your left hand (if you're a righty), jog backward, and pursue anything else that forces you to deviate from your daily patterns. "In so doing, you'll stimulate new parts of your brain, encouraging it to make new connections," says Dr. Amen.

Hydrate Your Mind

Your brain is 80 percent water, and if it's not hydrated, your neurons can't perform properly," says Dr. Amen. Drink eight six-ounce glasses of water a day and avoid excessive alcohol and caffeine.

Clock Seven Hours of Shut-eye

"Science shows that people who sleep for seven hours exhibit significantly more brain activity than those who don't," says Dr. Amen. Lack of sleep inhibits learning, concentration, and memory.

Make Your Brain Purr

Achieve a calm, clear, stress-free brain through meditative belly breathing: Inhale slowly, allowing your stomach (not your chest) to rise, and then say the word one as you exhale. Repeat for 10 minutes.

Limit TV Time

Men who watch TV for more than two hours a day have a significantly higher risk of developing Alzheimer's than those who watch less.

Dance, Dance, Dance

"Few activities stimulate as wide a variety of brain systems as dancing does," says Dr. Amen. "Dancing requires everything from coordination and organization to planning and judgment."

Join a Reading Group

"Reading is good for your brain only when it involves storing and retrieving information," says Dr. Amen. That's why reading groups are beneficial. "And the social aspect of book groups adds another dynamic that bolsters cognitive functioning."

Kill the ANTs

"Automatic negative thoughts (ANTs) inflame the areas of the brain responsible for anxiety," says Dr. Amen. They also increase the production of stress hormones, which kill brain cells. Whenever an ANT enters your mind, write it down and devise a plan to correct it.

Fire Your Staff

Men who make love at least twice a week are 50 percent less likely to have a heart attack than those who have sex less often, say scientists. This matters because growing evidence supports a simple fact: What's good for the heart is good for the brain. "Sex also releases feel-good chemicals that fight stress," says Dr. Amen.

Body, Brain, and Exercise

The following are some direct quotes from Dr. John J Ratey's book Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain. This is a great book to read if you are interested in just how that runner's high works or why you feel so great after a workout. This is just going to be an overview of what I found to be the most prominent passages.

"What's disturbing is that inactivity is killing our brains - physically shriveling them...To keep our brains at peak performance our bodies need to work hard (proper stress)...The neurons in the brain connect to one another through "leaves" on treelike branches, and exercise causes those branches to grow and bloom with new buds, thus enhancing brain function at a fundamental level." (Ratey, pg. 5)

"(The brain) is more Play-Doh than procelain. It is an adaptable organ that can be molded by input in much the same way as a muslce can be sculpted by lifting barbells. The more you use it, the stronger and more flexible it becomes. The concept of plasticity is fundamental to understanding how the brain works and how exercise optimizes brain function by fostering that quality. Everything we do and think and feel is governed by how our brain cells, or neurons, connect to one another. What most people think of as psychological makeup is rooted in the biology of these connections. Likewise, our thoughts and behavior and environment relect back on our neurons, influencing the patter of connections. Far from being hardwired, as scientists once envisioned it, the brain is constantly being rewired." (Ratey, pg. 36)

"Exercise spawns neurons, and the stimulation of environmental enrichment (learning skills/inquisitiveness) helps those cells survive." (Ratey, pg. 49)

"If we strip everything else away, the reason we need an ability to learn is to help us find and obtain and store food. We need fuel to learn, and we need learning to find a source of fuel and all these neurotransmitters (that are balanced by exercising) from the body keep this process going and keep us adapting and surviving...It's about growth vs. decay, activity vs. inactivity. The body was designed to be pushed, and in pushing our bodies we push our brains too. Learning and memory evolved in concert with the motor functions that allowed our ancestors to track down food, so as our brains are concerned, if we're not moving, there's no real need to learn anything." (Ratey, pg. 53)   <--and if we're not learning then we stop living


Some cool stuff in my opinion. I'll let that soak up. If it feels good, I'll post more. But for now - go grab so exercise, learn some skills, and feel those neurons growing!

High Fructose Corn Syrup - Avoid it like the Black Plague

Here's a video to start your research about "high fructose corn syrup". Its critically important to not consume this substance or even let it touch your lips. Take a look at the ingredients next time you're at the grocery store. Reading food labels is something that needs to be done every time we make a purchase. We have to be aware of what goes into our bodies if we want to be healthy and stay healthy. Avoiding high fructose corn syrup will get you well on your way to a much healthier diet. 

No Attachment to Dust

Here is a koan to read and soak in. Simple yet profound.

No Attachment to Dust

Zengetsu, a Chinese master of the T'ang dynasty, wrote the following advice for his pupils:
Living in the world yet not forming attachments to the dust of the world is the way of a true Zen student.
When witnessing the good action of another encourage yourself to follow his example. Hearing of the mistaken action of another, advise yourself not to emulate it.
Even though alone in a dark room, be as if you were facing a noble guest. Express your feelings, but become no more expressive than your true nature.
Poverty is your teasure. Never exchange it for an easy life.
A person may appear a fool and yet not be one. He may only be guarding his wisdom carefully.
Virtues are the fruit of self-discipline and do not drop from heaven of themselves as does rain or snow.
Modesty is the foundation of all virtues. Let your neighbors discover you before you make yourself known to them.
A noble heart never forces itself forward. Its words are as rare gems, seldom displayed and of great value.
To a sincere student, every day is a fortunate day. Time passes but he never lags behind. Neither glory nor shame can move him.
Censure yourself, never another. Do not discuss right and wrong.
Some things, though right, were considered wrong for generations. Since the value of righteousness may be recognized after centuries, there is no need to crave an immediate appreciation.
Live with cause and leave results to the great law of the universe. Pass each day in peaceful contemplation.

Efficient Running Machine

Here are 6 keys to improve running efficiency thanks to the Men's Health website...
Smarter Cardio:
Run tall 
Gravity and weak core muscles cause many runners to "fold" in the middle when their feet land. This sitting-down movement wastes energy. Imagine that wires are attached to your shoulders, pulling you up slightly. Thrust your hips forward a bit and think "stability" when your foot hits. Running tip: It's easier to run tall if you've worked your core properly; find core exercises here. 

Relax 
Tension in your arms, shoulders, neck, and face reduces efficiency. Arms and fingers should be loose. Unclench your hands and let your jaw jiggle. 

Breathe right 
Your breathing should be rhythmic and deep, and you should feel your diaphragm, not your chest, doing the work. Exhale with controlled force. When you pick up the pace, don't let your breathing get shallow. 


Land on the midfoot 
A heel-first landing is a brake. It means you're extending your leg out too far in front of your center of gravity, so it takes more energy to move forward. And it's shaky, so your muscles are working on stabilization instead of forward motion. Running tip: Shorten your stride. It'll feel odd at first, like shuffling, but once you get used to it, focus on thrusting backward with force. 


Run softly 
The louder your footfalls, the less efficiently you're running. Try running more quietly; you'll be unconsciously switching to a midfoot strike and a shorter, quicker stride.


Swing symmetrically 
Check your form on a treadmill in front of a mirror. If one arm is bent more than the other or swings more, you have a musculoskeletal imbalance that can slow you down. Target the weaker side with strength and flexibility exercises.


This article reminded me a lot of what Garrett wrote about in his post about "Born to Run". Look forward to some science behind the "runner's high" coming in the next few weeks. Until then, hit the tracks, trails, or open roads and try out your smarter, more efficient cardio. Enjoy!

You are Important! Invest in Your Health

Here is an old school video of a man who helped spark the natural health movement in America. He is very conscious of what goes into his body. The old quote "we are what we eat" comes into play here. We need live, organic, and whole foods to eat because we are living and organic in the same respect. To eat the processed, chemical filled foods that the big food companies would have us eat so their pockets get fat (while our bellies do)  is to deny ourselves the optimal health encoded in our genes. We were born to run, to move! We can climb, jump, swim, throw, catch, dip, duck, dive, and doge!

Paul C. Bragg - Natural Health Movement

For me, whole foods eating has become a matter of integrity. More than 90% of the time I'd say I'm eating well. It's those exceptions I make that may be holding me back. Yesterday I had a few cookies. Overall a not so bad thing I thought. However, when I saw the ingredients list I realized I just consumed much of what I had been avoiding - monosodium glutamate, hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, refined sugar and white flour, and about a paragraph more of ingredients I had trouble saying let alone understanding what they are and why I'd want them in my body. The integrity of choosing not to eat the cookies, perhaps having a piece of fruit for dessert instead, is about setting examples. I need to live the healthy lifestyle I would have others live. I need to set the example and be the change. From now on, I will do just that.


Remember: Smiles are contagious!

Breakfast!

Here's an article from the American Council of Exercise (ACE) about how skipping breakfast may actually hurt our chances of weight loss and healthy living. It's about forming good habits and treating ourselves well from the very start of the day. Below is the article:

Don’t Skip Breakfast to Cut Calories

When you’re trying to lose weight, cutting out breakfast may be tempting. You figure you’re saving yourself some calories and you get a couple extra minutes to snooze. But research has consistently shown that the people who successfully lose weight are the ones that wake up and eat! Furthermore, people who eat breakfast regularly have better vitamin and mineral status and eat fewer calories from fat. So it seems that breakfast really is the most important meal of the day.

Eat Early, Weigh Less Later

Why does eating breakfast help people lose weight? It defies common sense that eating all those calories in the morning instead of simply skipping them would help.

Many studies, in both adults and children, have shown that breakfast eaters tend to weigh less than breakfast skippers.

Why? One theory suggests that eating a healthy breakfast can reduce hunger throughout the day and help people make better food choices at other meals. While it might seem as though you could save calories by skipping breakfast, this is not an effective strategy. Typically, hunger gets the best of people who skip breakfast, and they eat more at lunch and throughout the day.

Another theory behind the breakfast–weight control link implies that eating breakfast is part of a healthy lifestyle that includes making wise food choices and balancing calories with exercise. For example, consider the successful weight losers followed by the National Weight Control Registry, all of whom have lost at least 30 pounds and kept it off for at least one year. Some 80% of the people in the Registry regularly eat breakfast (and also follow a calorie-controlled, low-fat diet).

It’s worth noting that most studies linking breakfast to weight control looked at a healthy breakfast containing protein and/or whole grains—not meals loaded with fat and calories.

Eating breakfast also gives you energy to do more physical activity and be more productive in everything you do, which is also vital to weight control. So make the effort to get up in the morning and fix yourself a healthy meal.

Maintaining Your Diet

Before you get too excited and go out for a Denny’s™ Grand Slam Breakfast, keep in mind that your breakfast should consist of healthy items that are in line with your current dietary weight-loss goals. Members of the National Weight Control Registry report eating cereal and fruit for breakfast. While these are certainly healthy options, eggs have also been shown to offer several benefits.

Eggs have a greater satiety value than cereal and white bread. This means that they are more satisfying in giving you that feeling of fullness, while you may actually be eating less. One of the reasons for this is that eggs are high in protein, which is known to increase satiety. Proteins also have a higher thermic effect, meaning that it takes more calories to digest them. Studies have compared an egg breakfast to a bagel breakfast of the same caloric value and weight. Researchers at Louisiana State University’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center discovered that people who ate the eggs for breakfast ate less at lunch and less throughout the rest of the day compared to people who ate the bagels, even though they had the same amount of calories for breakfast.

In the past, eggs have had a bad rap because of their high cholesterol content. However, eggs today have lower cholesterol counts than in the past due to the healthier feeds given to chickens. Additionally, research has shown that moderate egg consumption of about 1 per day does not increase the risk of coronary heart disease in healthy individuals. If the cholesterol count is a concern, then egg whites, which are free of cholesterol yet rich in protein, are a good alternative. Eggs are also a good source of essential nutrients riboflavin, vitamin B12, phosphorus, selenium and protein.

Run Free

I just finished the book, "Born to Run" by Christopher McDougall, and it was an amazing book. I won't go into too much detail about it, but it is about Christopher and his adventures in seeking out why people get injuries from running when it seems that it is natural for humans to run. The book has inspired me to run more than I ever thought was reasonable or even possible. The most I have run without stopping at one time was about six miles. The moment I finished the book, I went out and ran about 13 miles without stopping. The best feeling I've had in a long time. I highly suggest this book and go out for a run without shoes. The running shoes that are marketed with high tech running features actually injure us. There were not many running-related injures until the invention of the "running" shoes with its thick rubber soles and "anti-pronation" properties. Our feet were designed by nature and evolution to be run all by itself and beautiful running form is seen when ran barefoot. So the next time you get a chance to run, ditch those running shoes and wear thin-soled shoes or, if you live in a clean environment, do it barefooted like nature intended.

Smile - Live Longer and Healthier

Here's one daily workout you don't want to miss - Smiling. Smiling frequently and easily is one of the best life decisions you can make. It will instantly lighten your mood and help you take a positive approach to situations. Smile at the stupid driver that just cut you off, smile at your boss when he/she informs you of a doubling workload, smile when some imbecile tries to put you down. See, with a simple smile, you are much more powerful when those undesirable changes come your way. Smiling through troubles and hardships draws the beauty of all life to the forefront.

Smiles are indeed contagious. Brighten your day and those around you. Work those facial muscles to the max!

Video Evidence:

Ron Gutman: The hidden power of smiling | Video on TED.com