Please help me out with this project

I would really appreciate if you could take the time to fill out this brief survey. I'm working on a little pet project, and the results from this survey are instrumental.

Living Outside The Box

I've got a problem. Well, more specifically, I've got a callous. It's on the ball of my foot and the skin is trying to grow back as best it can. This has caused me to walk quite gingerly for the past couple of days, and as one might imagine has garnered questions about my impingement. What happened to my foot? The simple answer is just a missing piece of skin on my foot. How? I ran a 5k. What kind of shoes was I wearing that would lead to such a terrible end result to my foot? None! Yes, I ran a 5k barefoot. Some on grassy ground, but a majority was on a concrete path. After this explanation some people are dumbfounded that I would do such a thing, others are intrigued, and others are downright appalled. What does any of this have to do with you? I'm so glad you asked.

Food vs. Nutrients

Do we need food, or just nutrients? According to some, my human nutrition professor included, we just need the nutrients. But where has this thinking really led us? We no longer consider what it is that we are putting in our bodies, just the chemical make up and daily values that will get us closer to our "perfect" diet. Where did we go so wrong? It has gotten to the point where people would actually consider eating balanced meals at McDonald's everyday would get them the nutrients necessary for life. Technically this food will give you certain amounts of nutrients, but at what cost? Protein, fat, and carbohydrates are all accounted for and packaged into a meal that would still look the same if left to sit out for two weeks! Shelf life is important here. Buying and consuming food that will spoil sooner than later and doesn't come in a box or some type of plastic packaging should be the name of the game, with an emphasis on should. Modern convenience and laziness has led to people making everything out of a box or microwavable bag of some type. Why shouldn't we focus on the actual food we eat? If you eat the proper foods, would it not follow that the nutrients will also be there?

A new Rx

It's been a while, but I'm back for a quick update. Class, studying, and training has kept me quite busy, but I wanted to get in a quick note while it was fresh in my mind. The idea today is pretty basic, but well outside of modern group think. What I'm proposing is the idea that less is more. No, that's not a misprint I said LESS is more. In today's modern society people look at more of everything as being better. More exercise is always better. Taking more vitamins must be better. More over the counter and prescription drugs to help lose weight or fight off sickness will get me back on track. All sounds familiar, right? What you may not realize is that all this extra crap is hampering your efforts. Exercise is important, but almost more important is rest. If you are breaking down that muscle during an intense workout, there has to be time for it to rebuild if you want to make gains. There's an old saying that rings true here. There's no such thing as over-training, just under-recovery. Take that to heart people. Yes vitamins are important in overall health, but why not get them from your food? Keep in mind that vitamins in a bottle are synthesized in a lab to try and imitate the ones you get from REAL food. Also realize that your body isn't really sure how to handle and process a lot of these vitamins which is putting even more stress on your system, and managing stress is the name of the game here folks. If prescriptions or over the counter meds are also in the mix, that stress level goes up exponentially. Once again, the body doesn't know how to deal with most of these laboratory inventions that are meant to help, but often hinder your health. If it can't be processed it merely gets stored away to wreak havoc gradually over time. Then you have those who are taking meds to combat side effects from their other prescriptions. Is that not just downright wacky? Here is the general concept I'm trying to put forth, if you are working 60 hours a week, then going to the gym and hammering yourself for another 2 hours, Sleep less than 7 hours a night, pop pills because you don't have time to eat real food or are fighting off sickness or pain, and can't understand why your life quality is not improving, then it's time for a change. Here is my prescription. Try to cut down on work hours by staying focused and being more efficient at your job. Don't overwork yourself in the gym. Shorter more intense workouts may be just the trick to get you in and out quickly, while still getting the exercise you desire. Stop taking vitamins and getting off any other meds. Instead, supplement yourself with real quality food that is local or organic to get the nutrients and vitamins you need. Get quality rest! Turn off the TV and computer and get in that bed. Try this for at least two weeks, and if you don't feel and improvement go back to your old ways. Although I have a feeling if you truly commit to these ideas you won't ever look back.

Take the Plunge!

That's right folks, it's time to get wet and wild. Well, not too wild, but definitely wet. I'm talking about swimming. Not just swimming in the recreational sense, but for your health. Going for a nice cold water plunge can be invigorating and refreshing, and for good reason. Most people don't realize that the lymphatic system, which helps move waste out of the body, needs our help to function properly. It doesn't have a nice pump like the heart to make it go, but uses gravity and movement to help it along the way. This is the reason why most people feel more energetic and refreshed after a good workout. What you may not know is that temperature changes in the body also are helpful in putting those lymph nodes into overdrive. This can be accomplished in a couple different ways. One being contrast showers or baths, and the other a nice cold plunge. The contrast shower is simply bathing in cold as you can stand water for 30 seconds to 1 minute, followed immediately by warm water for 1 to 2 minutes. This can be repeated a few times or simply once remembering to always end with cold water. Another option, my favorite, is the cold plunge, and it couldn't be easier. After finding a nice cold body of water, you simply dive in, get back out, and let your body warm itself. You can also repeat this one a few times if you like. Just this morning I went over to a nearby lake, and after doing some mobility work and sprints on the beach, took solace in the cool refreshing waters of lake Michigan. Not only did it feel amazing and help me cool down, but I felt extremely clean and fresh also. Besides giving a boost to your immune system it will help keep your skin taught, smooth, and radiant. There is something about the natural water and all the added minerals that help rejuvenate the body and skin in a way that showers and baths from a well just can't match. Plunges are a great way to help regeneration and recovery in between training, or just a great idea for overall health.

Organic Vs. Conventional

Recently a friend of mine made me aware of a story from CNN’s Jack Cafferty stating that organic food is no healthier or nutritious than regular conventionally raised food. Immediately I was up in arms, as I have been living the organic life for the some time now. After some good natured ribbing and a look at Mr. Cafferty’s blog post I decided to take a deeper look. The basis of the Mr. Cafferty’s declaration is a study commisioned (i.e. funded) by the U.K. government and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. I found it strange that an american publication would be running this, but after following the money trail I can now see why. Thanks to the good people at opensecrets.org I found that big agriculture and food processing was responsible for almost 150 million dollars of donations to the U.S. government in 2008 alone. Industrialized Ag is highly tied to government, and when they smaller organic farms start to take market share they get mad, but I digress. The research team “looked” at 50,000 studies conducted over 50 years and found that there was no significant difference between organic and conventional foods. I immediately found the free abstract for the paper online, but was left wanting more. Being a curious fellow I shelled out the $8 to get a copy and get a more in depth look at the so called research.

What did I get for my 8 hard earned bucks? Six pages of what I consider to be less than thorough work on such an important and topical subject. For starters the conclusion that was arrived at was not based on 50,000 studies as you may have been led to believe, but only 55 that were consider satisfactory. Secondly, these studies were found through normal means that you or I might use when researching for a college term paper. The team stuck a few different keywords into scholarly article search engines, like pubmed.com, and hit search! I know you’re probably thinking that this is nuts, but try to keep in mind that all searching and subsequent data extraction was performed by 2 research assistants! After extraction the data had to be synthesized into hard numbers. This was tricky as the studies varied on representation of the data, controls, sample size, etc...

“Most of the studies contained no information of the sample size or variablity around central estimates. The analysis presented is therefore a pragmatic choice that permitted the available data to be used to its fullest extent. We calculated the standardized percentage difference in the reported mean nutrient content, as follows:

[(Content of nutrient in organically produced foodstuff-content of nutrient in conventionally produced foodstuff)/content of nutrient in conventionally produced foodstuff]X100.”

This leads me to believe that the research team simply pressed on to get a satisfactory result for themselves and funder, the U.K. government, to push political agendas forward. Surprising that this study is so lacking even after being subject to an independent expert review panel consisting of two people! And shocking as it may seem they were both connected to the U.K. government. What really struck me as sad was how the bulk of the discussion portion of this paper brought notice to the poor quality of the research they had found, and how limited the team was in finding better data. The actual details of nutrient content was condensed to a paragraph and a couple of tables, which were inconclusive at best. The Nutritional categories used, which again were fairly random and based on what was available, were: Nitrogen, Vitamin C, Phenolic compounds, Magnesium, Calcium, Phosphorous, Potassium, Zinc, Total Soluble Solids, Copper, and Titratable Acidity. Organic foods showed an higher value in phosphorous and titratable acidity, but lost out on nitrogen content to conventional food. On the rest they were even. Again, they were only using the standards and methodology given in this particular study. The data for livestock was an even bigger joke. Breaking down the nutrient content for meat was relegated to only two categories; Fats and Ash! Who out there is worried about Ash content in their meat? And the fats were unspecified, so we have no way of breaking down the omega-3’s versus omega-6’s. Not to mention CLA content which is proposed to be a quality source of antioxidants and anti-cancer agents. We couldn’t get anything on protein content and amino acids here either. A complete disregard of for livestock is evident. We simply need more information before such a bold claim can be made.

Moving on to what I feel is most important is the complete lack of attention given to other potentially harmful compounds found in our food. Quoting once again from the study, “We did not address difference in contaminant contents (e.g. herbicides, pesticides, or fungicide residues) or the possible environmental consequences of organic and conventional agricultural practices because this was beyond the scope of our review.” Aside from the fact that I do agree that delving into agricultural practices would be outside the realm in this case, I have to disagree with not including contaminant content. If they believe that people buy organic strictly because they feel its more nutritious then they are truly out of touch. It doesn’t matter if the Vitamin C content is the same if you ingest millions of particles of pesticides that offset any benefit you may have seen from said Vitamin C, it’s about overall health! Do a quick google search using pesticides+cancer and see what comes back. It’s staggering how much information is out there on the link between the two. I recently read an article about people in foreign countries using pesticides for suicide! Are they specifically dodging these issues? Possibly. Is it due to the government funding? Possibly. Shame on them for being so obtuse and casual about such an important subject. When large news outlets publicize things of this nature it’s downright negligent to not put in the due diligence and get to the root of the issue.

I could spend all day spouting off the benefits gained from eating organic foods, but the best way to really find out is to try it for yourself. Go to your local grocer or co-op and get one weeks worth of organic food and spend the next week eating only that food. Nothing processed or from a restaurant, just real-whole food. If you don’t feel better and more invigorated then maybe I’m just crazy, but I think you will feel a change. You have to remember that pesticides are foreign to the body, meaning that it is ill prepared to process them effectively. Nine times out of ten those harmful chemicals are being stored away in fat deposits and keep polluting the body over time. Also keep in mind that the same goes for any animal foods that you might eat. If you have a nice fatty steak from an over-drugged poorly fed animal, all the crap that was in them will now make its way into you! It’s real simple when you break it down and try to forget about all the hype surrounding these topics. Just remember to keep digging after you read some random news blurb, there is always more to the story!

Go Barefoot

I absolutely love being barefoot! Whether it be just hanging out, walking around, running, or training I love the feeling of my feet directly on the ground. Besides the obvious feeling of freedom there are numerous benefits to a barefoot lifestyle. Improving and enhancing your proprioception and kinesthetic awareness is number one on my list. Fancy terminology aside, what this means is being more in tune with your body and how it moves through space. Increased agility, flexibility, and balance are what you may notice after being barefoot for awhile. Our bodies are extremely tactile and desire input from there surroundings when deciding on a proper reaction. When you put modern footwear over the foot you take away your foot and entire bodies ability to come up with the best strategy for movement. Think about trying to play catch with a hard molded glove over your hand allowed for only minimal movement through a range of motion. Not so easy, right? So why do the same on your feet.

This is extremely prevalent in the act of running. Modern running shoes are designed so that the runner is making first contact on the heel and rolling the foot over to move. They have it completely backwards! Look at an infant and you will see proper movement patterns. When they first start to toddle they will lean forward and gently fall onto the ball of the foot as they move forward. Using forward momentum to move through space. While on the opposite end of the spectrum we look at a runner who is extended the leg completely, landing on the heel, and then pushing off of the ground to move forward. Not only is this style of movement harder on the joints, but it is using up so much unnecessary energy to simply move forward.

Strength training is also improved by going barefoot. The chain of events in any type of movement start at the base and work up. Take for instance a simple body weight squat. You push the butt back, squeeze the hamstrings and glutes, and drop down into a squatting position. The movement is reversed by pushing away from the ground and back up. When a barefoot is solidly planted the ability to push and activate muscles becomes a much simpler task and you can feel all the muscles activating properly and make adjustments as necessary. When there is another layer of rubber, air, and/or gel in between the ground and the foot there becomes room for error. You can't feel as well if the heel is staying planted. If you're coming up on one side or the other. Whether or not you're pushing out on the sides of the sole. The problem is an opening for more interpretation without knowing. The foot was made specifically for these types of movements without a middle man, so why not allow it to do so? The flexibility that can be gained will also help greatly in every day movements. When the shoe is gone greater ranges of motion are achieved, and concurrently with it flexibility. The joints and ligaments stretch out and get stronger allowing for ease in movements that weren't possible before. This makes for gains in strength that also weren't possible before.

Lastly, I would like to touch on the idea of injury prevention. Barefoot training will undoubtedly will help stave off injuries over the course of your lifetime. Especially in running or lateral movements the barefoot is king. It was made to adjust to changes in conditions and terrain. The most common ankle injury is a sprain or roll. Normally this happens when the shoe is planted in the ground but is unable to communicate a sudden change in the terrain and the shoes goes left ankle goes right. These issues don't plague the barefoot runner. Why? Because without knowing it your body does what it is made to do without having to think about it; i.e. proprioception. You can't help but keep the foot under the hip, lean forward, and make ball of foot contact when barefoot. You might say that with modern advances, cement, blacktop, etc... that going barefoot is dangerous. But I defy you to try it. What you'll notice is a buildup of the pads of the feet toughening them dramatically over time thus making it easier to move all on any type of surface. Start slow with sandals or converse all stars and then make the jump. If you are in the gym kick off your shoes and try a couple sets without and see how it feels. Revel in the freedom of not having worry about sweaty socks and shoes. Kick off the shoes and let those puppies breathe!

Poo Talk

I was recently reading a book entitled The Owner-Built Home, by Ken Kern, when I stumbled onto some information I hadn't imagine I would find. The particular section was about composting and the use of a squat style toilet. These are very popular even today in popular countries. The idea of squatting in more primitive societies is not only for resting, but for ridding the body of waste. In this position we have a more natural opening of the colon and increased intra-abdominal pressure that both contribute to a full and complete excretion of waste. Think about a baby playing in your lap, and then they squat down all of a sudden and make "that" face. You have just seen a very natural bowel movement. They are just going off instinct. They don't know about in door plumbing and refined society yet, but just following what the body is telling them. Quoting from Harold Aaron's, Our Common Ailment:

"The high toilet seat may prevent complete evacuation. The natural position for defecation, assumed by primitive races, is the squatting position...When the thighs are pressed against the abdominal muscles in this position, so that the rectum is more completely emptied. Our toilets are not constructed according to physiological requirements."

I couldn't believe I was reading this type of insight in a home building book! And from the 60's no less. I did more research and found that it is indeed hard to find such a toilet these days, but it is possible. Out of the 119 toilets currently available on the American Standard website, none come close to a traditional squat type toilet. As mentioned before they are quite common in other countries, and of course with hunter gatherer tribes who don't need such conveniences, but not in the good ole U.S. of A. This is interesting to me because of our populations major issue with constipation. I'm not saying that this is entirely the reason, in fact poor food, lack of exercise, dehydration, and over-medicating are all common culprits as well. Sadly due to the rampant obesity and muscle atrophy in our "modern" world, I don't even think people could manage to squat down to use this type of toilet anyway. And many if they finally did get down there would need some type of railing system or the fire department to help them get back up!



We often lose sight of how important our surroundings are to health. Not just in regards to a squat style toilet, but the use of modern building practices which use any number of hazardous and engineered products that affect how our bodies function. What I'm really trying to get at is the connection between all the facets of our lives and how they contribute to overall health and well being. Choosing to install a squat style toilet or step, using natural products in the building of a home, eating organic food, exercising the body, getting quality sleep. All these choices are interconnected and vital to how we live and ultimately the quality of life.

Wants and Needs

I've been thinking a lot lately about goals. I now have many new goals which have led to a greater lifestyle change, and many new questions. On a sometimes daily basis I'm faced with the dilemma of want versus need. I think we can all agree that there are certain needs that are universal, these being food, shelter, and clothing. Do I really need to buy a new pair of jeans when the few pairs I have are perfectly wearable? Will a new cell phone really improve my life in any way? Most of the time I decide that many things which I used to never question are no longer needs for me. Then I thought about the idea of wanting and needing things in a deeper sense. Often I hear people say things like they know they need to eat better, but yet they still haven't applied themselves to do it. Then I realized that in today's world we have a reversal of these mindsets taking place. For example, I know that I need to exercise to stay healthy and physically fit. Yet I do it on a daily basis because I truly want to. I now feel like wanting something is more important than needing it when we are trying to reach goals. For our paleolithic ancestors it was much easier to live on a needs basis. They truly needed to hunt and gather food on a daily basis. They needed to cover their bodies in a way to keep warm. They needed to find shelter to avoid the elements. If they didn't do all these things death was very likely to occur at some point. With modern convenience and everything necessary for life so easily in our grasp we've lost sight of the importance of these needs. It's not even something that most people have to think about in today's world. Wants have overtaken the needs in most decisions we are faced with. So what do we do? I recommend that you take a look at your goals and figure out how to reach them. When you know the route toward whatever the goal is, then start wanting to implement them. I think you'll find that the mind will easily make changes when you are concentrating on what you want. If your goal is to go to the gym and do something physical at least three times a week, then say to yourself "I want to go to the gym." Repeat the phrase over and over visualizing yourself at the gym and how you will feel and look when you have reached your goal. Do this until you are so excited about the idea that you can help, but run down the gym and make it happen. WANT whatever your goal is so bad, that anything less will not satisfy you. When you do that I contend that mind and body will have no choice but to follow. Comments or thoughts?

Quality, what's it all mean?

When you think of the word quality, what is the first thing that comes to mind for you? It seems that I have been thinking and talking to people a lot about quality these days. Not just in regards to food and exercise, but overall quality of life. Obviously this mine is just one opinion of what makes life worth living, but at the base level would be health. If you are constantly fighting off infections, viruses, injuries, obesity, disease, etc... then when is there anytime to truly appreciate life. Let's be honest, being sick is not fun. How often have you heard someone say "I wish I was dead" or something similar while fighting off the latest flu bug? Small changes can make for a big difference in fighting off sickness. Personally, I know whenever I go off the wagon for a one day ice cream binge that the next day I will feel hungover and sniffle a bit in the morning. This is nothing that concerns me greatly as it is a rare occasion, but think about if you were doing that on a daily basis? Sugar will bring down the immune system in the body for at least six hours per serving, so you can imagine the terrible cycle the body would be on if constantly fed sugar. It's also important to remember that sugar isn't limited to the kind found in sweets. Sugar in some form can be found in grains, starches, pasteurized dairy products, and even fruit!

My next step for overall health is physical preparedness. To me this means being able to perform normal day to day activities without impingement or unnecessary pain. I will often see people huffing and puffing just from normal walking, or having to use the handrail when going up and down stairs. It makes me sad to see people struggling with what I consider "normal" activities due to physical impairments that are within there control. Just the other day I saw a man pushing his wife around in a wheelchair. Looking at her it seemed that nothing was really wrong except that she was morbidly obese. If a person has the necessary muscle mass and ligament/tendon strength they should be able to support their body weight in a comfortable fashion. When you start to lose that muscle and add more adipose tissue(fat) in it's place then things get complicated. This is a tough way to go through life in my opinion. When you are not able to move under your own power and depending on someone else or an electric motor to do simple things like get the mail then where is the joy in your life? These people most likely will stay on the same path until they reach death. The idea of trying to turn it around is too much to handle for most, and the ease and convenience of just zoning out eating crap food and popping some pills is what gives them enjoyment, albeit momentary. These kind of people are also commonly stricken with diabetes as well. So adding onto all the stress is the idea of having to measure blood sugars constantly and, with type 2 diabetes, taking insulin shots. Take a look around you and think about how many people you see with handicap parking stickers that don't appear to have any handicap except that they are too fat and sick to walk to their destination from any further away. If you have been thinking that some of the everyday movements you use to do with ease have started to get a little more difficult it might be time to take at look at some of your life choices and make some changes.

The next ingredient in our quality formula is psychological happiness. For me this means being able to wake up everyday and be happy that I'm alive and well and able to do what I want. Constant fear, anxiety, worrying, and anger are no way to live and quite stressful. If you want to be happy I think it's easy to do. Give up trying to control everything and everyone around you and just live moment to moment in the very best way you can. Negative thoughts will emanate from you and spread to others. Truly engage and listen to those you interact with and see the effects. There is a connection to the other two values that we already discussed and I feel its obvious here. Waking up without sickness or being impaired physically will naturally lend itself to a state of positivity and overall well being. On a biological level, when you are filling your body up with unnatural and processed foods it can cause hormonal and chemical imbalances. These imbalances are often then exacerbated through the addition of prescription drugs meant to treat symptoms instead of looking for root causes. When the body is out of homeostasis it's constantly fighting to get back to that point. This process is often very stressful on the body and can cause great mental despair. So looking at our average unhealthy human being we find little to no movement due to physical impairment heaped on top of sickness and disease with small amounts of "happiness" found through more crap food or drugs. Does that sound healthy to you? If it does, then more power to you. If you feel that this could become your future then start looking at some of your choices in regards to food, health care, and exercise. In my opinion it's never to late to start on a path to improved health and overall quality of life. Please let me know how you feel in the comments section.

Wild Eggs

I was recently visiting my brother when his girlfriend came in with a rather large egg that she found out in their yard. Naturally I was intrigued and felt the need to crack it open. To my great surprise I found a big beautiful golden yolk inside just begging to be eaten. I threw it in a skillet for a couple of minutes and devoured it rapidly. It was delicious and tasted pure and true to nature. It doesn't get any better than wild game, so why not wild eggs? It's amazing what you can find in the great out of doors. I'm still trying to track down what type of bird it came from, so if anyone out there has a guess let me know in the comments.

Building Real Ab Strength-The Zercher Carry

Ed Zercher was a well known strongman in the 30's who imparted one of the great exercises of all time upon the world. The Zercher squat was invented, they say, because Zercher did not have a squat rack in his gym. This version of the squat begins with a dead-lift and then a squat while moving the bar onto the legs. From there you slide your arms underneath so that the bar is positioned in the crook of your arms and then squat the weight. This is a fantastic lift that builds strength throughout the body. Today however I would like to focus on the Zercher carry. You still position the weight in the crook of the arms, but instead of squatting it you are walking for a prescribed distance and/or time. This lift/carry combination is phenomenal for building strength not only in the anterior, but posterior chain all at the same time. What this means is a rock solid mid-line, and real strength in the abdominal musculature. Using a sandbag is my preferred method, as this form of weight is also metabolically demanding. The reasoning behind this is the fact that the weight is being held on the chest and putting a force on your lungs. This is great as it will illicit diaphragmatic breathing and better engages the stabilizer muscles throughout the mid-line. My recommendation is a distance like 60 meters coupled with something very demanding on the lungs like burpee's or a front squat & push press combination. Getting the heart rate and respiration up high and then putting weight on the chest forces proper engagement of the abdominal musculature and forces diaphragmatic breathing which is great in protecting your spine, which is the sole reason for these muscles in the first place. Normally I will do about 5 rounds of this with 10 burpee's followed by a 60 meter carry and repeat. I will also use a timed carry as a warm up. Using a 60# bag and just walking for about a minute is great to get muscles firing and blood pumping, especially if your workout that day involves movements where the mid-line will be engaged. Another reason that I love this movement is because it's so applicable to everyday life. In a real world setting people can't carry things in a perfect way like they would in a gym. I put the picture to show how it should look, but also think about how often you find yourself carry things in this manner. I would venture a guess that most people out there have done something similar many times, and quite recently even. Try to remember that all this is to really prepare us for the way we move and act in our everyday life.If you use the Zercher carry in your programming I'd love to hear your thoughts.

None Better

Dr. Paul is my guy. ALWAYS speaking the truth and remaining true to his beliefs, and the Constitution...

Nuff said!

My First Recipe Post!!!

My first recipe post and I couldn't be more excited. This recipe is quick, easy, and delicious! Definitely for the meat lover, but any of those following a more paleo style meal plan will agree that the more meat the better!


Jeff's Protein Packed Meatloaf
-1 pound grass fed beef
-1 pound organic pork sausage
-1 package organic bacon
-2 white onion, diced
-2 cloves of garlic, minced
-3 whole eggs, free range & local!
-1/4 cup fresh parsley
-1/3 cup organic raw shredded coconut
-2 tablespoons flax oil
-seasoning to taste ( I used a dash of sea salt, fresh ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, and cumin)


Pre-heat your oven to 400 and prep your bacon in a baking dish of your choice. I used a metal bread pan, but you can use anything really. I laid the bacon in overlapping strips, but it could be done in any number of different styles. Pick the one you like best and roll. To be fair you could skip the bacon bed, or simply dice that up and add it to the mix. I chose to wrap the meat in bacon to help lock in the flavor and keep it as moist as possible. Next combine all your ingredients in a large mixing bowl, making sure to incorporate them thoroughly. You could whisk the eggs in a separate bowl first but I like adding them in whole and working the mix with my hands. When you're ready move your mix into the baking dish and finish wrapping the bacon. Bake for 45 minutes and then let set. When cooled sufficiently plate and cut or just dig in. This took me approximately 10 minutes to prep everything, and then I just had to wait while it baked. Super easy and a great way to have some ready to go protein when needed. The other great part is you can mix and match ingredients however you like. You could use beef, turkey, chicken, pork, lamb, etc... for your meat choice, and add or subtract the other fillers. I made this tonight, and it was the bomb! The coconut adds a slight hint of sweetness and gets you some extra quality fat. Let me know what you all think out there, and feel free to send me some of your own recipe's that you think others would enjoy. Peace!





Getting ready for the oven...




Finished product. Mmm..Mmm..Good!!!

"Health Care"

I just finished reading an excellent article from the washington post regarding health care and electronic records. What struck me as important and disconcerting was that no mention was made of this savior like technology that will save the medical INDUSTRY billions of dollars a year. How can the government and tax payers invest and subsidize yet another program without even know the who, what, where, when, and how on all of this. A simple solution would be to get back to doctors working directly with patients toward a common goal...Getting Healthy! This was however a great article on the Washington way of doing business. The $787 billion emergency, can't do without, necessary at all cost "stimulus" will actually be using a large chunk for this far off in the distance god send to the medical world technology. Through the back door again we are finding more and more of these pet projects being thrown in so the bureaucrats can feel better about themselves and push an agenda. Don't be fooled here though, we've got huge conglomerates involved as well. Using old school business tactics to make it appear as they are really holding our best interest near to their hearts, while at the same time making an obscene amount of money from this paradigm shift in medical technology. I have no issues with a business being profitable and gaining market share, just don't try to convince me that this is secondary to solving REAL health issues. The following are some highlights from the article. Enjoy.

"Such an approach would rely on unprecedented data-mining into medical records and the practices of doctors, a kind of surveillance that also would enable insurers to cut costs by controlling more precisely the care that patients receive." -Can you say invasion of privacy? data-mining? This is scary talk, and not just for conspiracy theorists, but for anyone who believes in civil liberties and a right to privacy. What goes on between me and my doctor should stay between me and my doctor!! What do the insurance companies know about practicing medicine?

"Many groups have been involved in the push for health information technology, including physician groups. At the center of those efforts is the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society. Started a half-century ago, it represents 350 companies and about 20,000 members. Corporate members include government contractors such as Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, health-care technology giants such as McKesson, Ingenix and GE Healthcare, and drug industry leaders, including the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America...

"HIMSS has a very effective grass roots advocacy program that reaches all levels of government," Dave Roberts, a senior executive, said in the group's literature...

For a decade, the group has pressed Congress and other government officials to mandate and subsidize the adoption of health records technology." -So this professional society that is most adament about the change just happens to be made of companies and people that will benefit the most? Not that it's new or groundbreaking, but still should be noted. Look at the verb-age used here, "program that reaches all levels of government." That reads lobbyists and pay-offs at all levels of government to me. And then look at a classic washington maneuver at the end with mandating and subsidize, so they want to make everyone participate whether they like it or not and then tax the american people to pay for it. We do need serious change in the medical industry, but this is not it! Technology and practices that would be involved on this basis would make healthcare even more cold and inhumane than it already is. Can we please get back to human interaction and real caring about our fellow man? Money can still be made, and everyone would sleep better at night.

Thoughts and comments please.

Who care's about life?!?

That is the feeling that I get when speaking with most people. Why should I eat organic food? It's not really any different, is it? Why wouldn't I keep eating grains, that's what the FDA recommends? Why should I exercise? It's tough and I'll miss american idol. This isn't too far off from what I hear a lot of the time when speaking with people about their health. Most Americans truly feel that health isn't important, or can take a back seat to everything else. The truth of the matter is, if you don't start eating right and moving you will not live to regret it! If we as a people can get out of the mindset that there is a quick fix or some pill that is the panacea for all health problems we'll be much better off. If you don't have your health you can't enjoy everything else that you have put on top of your priority list. Take a step back and think about your life if you had diabetes, cancer, chronic inflammation, heart disease, etc... and then decide how important your health is to you. Don't wait until it's too late to make a step towards a healthy lifestyle. Thoughts, comments, or questions are welcome.

Get Some Sun!!

I've known for awhile now that vitamin D is important for overall health and longevity. Most physicians recommend taking around 800 I.U. per day in lieu of sun exposure. When the sun is out I try to get at least 10 minutes or more of exposure to up my levels. Vitamin D is very helpful in the body for a number of things, but is mainly known for it's help in maintaining our organ systems. But it turns out that it's even more important than we thought. Check out this article I found on sciencedaily.com for more info. The study discussed was on ill patients in a hospital setting, but I think this could be applied to anyone feeling a bit sick. This part of the article really stood out to me, "When the team correlated the Vitamin D levels with a disease severity score, there was a direct correspondence between sickness and Vitamin D deficiency. In other words, the sicker someone was, the lower the levels of Vitamin D. Out of the 42 patients studied, there were 3 deaths. The 3 patients who died all had the lowest level of Vitamin D in the cohort." Thoughts?

The Body is Stupid?

That's what I feel like many scientists think when I read stories like THIS. These researchers are working hard to block normal functions in the body all in the name of health. So called "bad" cholesterol is once again taking center stage. LDL and HDL are both lipoproteins in the body, one being low density and the other high density. They both transport fatty acids and distribute them throughout the body, and both contain cholesterol. HDL is said to pick up cholesterol hanging out in arteries and transport them back to the liver for use or excretion. What's interesting is that LDL can become HDL, and vice versa, within the body. What burns me up is that most folks out there don't realize that both are just transporters for what THEY put in their body. Nevermind how much shit you eat, we've got to get rid of that nasty LDL inside. How do we do that? By putting more crap your body isn't meant to handle back in. This is mainly done in the form of statin drugs which have been shown to be quite hazardous for one's health as well. Statin is a "blocker" drug as well that inhibits natural functions in the body. This is absurd! The current medical INDUSTRY is out of control. They never look at real health and what is at the root of people's problems, but instead treat symptoms in the form of drugs, drugs, and more drugs. I'm sure that some of you have heard stories about people on an outrageous amounts of prescription drugs that suddenly get much better after stopping the intake of so much medication. Groundbreaking!!! Why not take a long hard look in the mirror and quit fooling ourselves. The human body is extremely complex and performs functions far beyond our grasp, so why not let it do it's job? My thinking is, if it decides to release a certain protein or hormone then isn't it doing that for a specific reason? Why try to stop that? When will people realize that putting more foreign substances into your body is just not healthy? It's like telling someone who just got shot that you need to shoot another bullet in there wound to rid your body of the other bullet. Stop trying to fool your body and pick up a fucking book!

Oh Soy!

Soy is flat out bad for you people. It can cause any number of problems in us, but not many people know. I urge you to check out this SITE for in depth information. This is especially important for people with kids, DO NOT FEED YOUR KIDS SOY FORMULA. Thoughts?

Passion

Today's blog is about goal setting. Why do we have goals and how do we achieve them? I've recently set some new goals for myself and have begun the process of working toward them. This may entail me going back to school for another degree, or hitting the streets and getting my hustle on. Either way I know this is what I was meant to do. My goal has a lot to do with my passion in life and how I want to give back and help others. Many times before I would set small little superficial goals involving my vanity, or some kind of monetary triviality. In the end, what does a certain amount of money or percentage of body fat really bring you? Too often we set goals that don't sit high up on our value scale. Why would you try to achieve something that doesn't even matter to you. If you value love very highly, then why put it to the side as you try to hit a certain number in your 401k for retirement? Re-evaluation and a look deep inside should tell you what you value, and this is what you must work toward. If our current economic crisis has taught us anything it's that our lives are actually quite short and should not be wasted. I wish you all the luck in the world with whatever it is you are working towards, and I hope that it is something that you will truly value for a lifetime! Be well my friends.

Type 3 Diabetes

The Alzheimer's Association reported today that an estimated 5.3 million people in America are afflicted by this disease, and that direct and indirect costs for medical care are in the $148 billion annually. This is a truly sad prospect that so many people are suffering. But, did you know that Alzheimer's is actually now being termed type 3 diabetes? What this means to me is that we could be preventing this and many other conditions through a ketogenic diet. The brain needs glucose for energy and to survive, so it should come as no surprise that when the natural balance and production of glucose becomes so deranged there become problems. What does this mean for you and me? STOP EATING SO MANY GRAINS AND PROCESSED FOODS! The key here is insulin resistance. The more processed foods and grains that you consume the more insulin your body must produce to break it down for use in the body in the form of glucose. As this cycle continues you can reach a point where the body simply can't keep up, this is more commonly known as diabetes. That is why diabetics need to take insulin injections on a daily basis. Through methods such as a low carb-ketogenic diet you can help increase your insulin resistance so that your body becomes very efficient in its use of insulin. Even more so you could use the strategy of intermittent fasting to help as well. When the body reaches a certain point of stress it will go into a defensive strategy saving energy stores already in the body and produces ketones. Ketones are an amazing little compounds that can be used for energy throughout the body, and by your brain in the absence of glucose i.e. during a fast. On a side note your body will also become more adept at using fat as its main energy source, meaning you would become much leaner on this type of diet. Ketones are also amazing in that studies have shown that they can not be used for energy by cancer cells. Cancer people! What I'm trying to get across is that our bodies are still very much similar to that of paleolithic man, and are not built for such high levels of grain and processed food consumption. A healthy diet of lean meats, veggies, fruits, nuts, and other quality fats will help! I will mention some of the side effects though; a leaner less fat ridden body, more energy, better sleep patterns, happiness, and less time being sick or rundown. I realize this is a lot of information to process, but I urge you to dig deeper for yourself and find out the facts. Your health is in your hands. Questions or Comments?

FAT!

Found this site recently and found it to be funny, shocking, and tempting all at the same time. And people wonder why America is the fattest country around. I think the behemoth glazed donut is my fave, how about you?

Harry Potter and Liberty

I was recently watching Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and it struck me that this film is a direct parallel to our current situation in America. You have the ministry of magic (Government) who refuse to see that Voldemort (Recession) has returned, and continue to use policies that make things worse; i.e. more regulation in the form of a government official taking over Hogwart's (The state). Hogwart's is struggling for sovereignty just like many states are doing today, which is their right I might add. In the mix you have Potter and his classmates starting a group of like minded individuals who see the truth and are trying to fix things the right way. This is similar to many americans who ground themselves in liberty, as well as the austrian economists who have been calling the current situation we find ourselves. It's quite amazing to see the similarities between this fantasy film and reality really. There are a number more connections that could be made here, but I digress. I recommend you go watch it and see what you find. Love to hear your thoughts.

America's Empire and Tao

A great quote that I found while re-reading Tao Teh Ching. It hit so close to home in regard to the U.S. and our current empire. Props to Lao Tzu. Enjoy,

"He who knows how to guide a ruler in the path of Tao does not try to override the world with force of arms.

It is in the nature of a military weapon to turn against its wielder.

Wherever armies are stationed, thorny bushes grow.

After a great war, bad years invariably follow.

What you want is to protect efficiently your own state,

But not to aim at self-aggrandisement.

After you have attained your purpose,

You must not parade your success,

You must not boast of your ability,

You must not feel proud,

You must rather regret that you had not been able to prevent the war.

You must never think of conquering other by force.

For to be over-developed is to hasten decay,

And this is again Tao,

And what is against Tao will soon cease to be."

Simply amazing! Our government and their imperial hubris is leading us against the Tao, if you will, and will eventually lead us down the path of destruction. Such inspiring words that still hold true today. Thoughts?

Cafe Ole`

Over the past 6 months I had a very easy to follow schedule. Every morning I would wake up and have 2 to 3 cups of black coffee. This was my normal routine. It was hot and satisfying and would help get me going. Was I turning into a mindless caffeine drone without even realizing it? I had been doing quite a bit of research on the body and nutrition and came across some material concerning caffeine and how it affects the body. To my surprise the toxicity from that amount could definitely be contributing to poor digestion, sleep patterns, and natural rhythms in my body. So yesterday I stopped, no more coffee or caffeine for at least a weeks time. Today I feel good. Yesterday was a different story however. At about noon I started to feel strange, even lethargic. I had a solid meal packed with quality proteins and fats, but still something was off. During my workout I felt weaker than normal and had to really focus to get through it. A slight headache also developed. The headache reminded me of my college days when I was prone to drink a twelve pack of mountain dew in two days! Back then I would get headaches so bad it was unbearable. So yesterday was a fun flash back to the good old days. It eventually went away, but I decided right then and there to give up my addiction to the black gold. Digestion is better, I feel more grounded, and I am able to get back on a natural sleep cycle. Granted its only day two, but that's how quick it can be! I'd love to hear of anyone else's struggle with the C demon. Please feel free to comment.

FEAR

What are you afraid of? I find that in today's world fear is the biggest marketing tool out there. Government makes you fear that if they don't intervene a great catastrophe will take place. Anyone remember TARP? When did fear first become a tool for people to manipulate others? Was in ancient times when people were told if they didn't abide by certain rules that god would strike them down? When lords used the threat of violence on the serfs? I feel like the modern U.S. society is based around fear in one way or another. Fear that if you don't get the newest phone or gadget then you will be ostracized. Fear that if you go against the grain and speak out you will be banished to the realm of crazy people. Fear that if you don't agree to give your child ritalin they will be kicked out of school. What we should be afraid of is losing our rights and liberties. We are in control. The government should be afraid of us, and not the other way around. As Dwight Schrute would say, "you can not sell while undergoing fear!" Comments please.

Please believe it!!!!

This is yet another case for cutting out grains and processed foods people. Please read the entire article via the link below, as it is quite amazing. Love to hear thoughts and comments as well.

http://www.nutritionandmetabolism.com/content/pdf/1743-7075-6-10.pdf

Heavy or Light

A good friend recently asked me if he should increase the weight in his workout, or drop it down and do more reps. I told him quite frankly, "both!" The idea behind both methods of training is sound and beneficial, so why not do both. Lifting heavier weights will increase strength, recruit more motor units through the CNS, and help to burn fat. More muscle=more fuel needed i.e; more fat to be burned. On the other side using lighter weights for more reps at a higher intensity will open up all the metabolic pathways helping to increase general prepared fitness and burn more fat during and especially after. This is a concept that the elliptical drones do not understand. In a number of different scientific journals you can find evidence that after engaging in an interval style, or high intensity circuitous training regiment your body will burn fat for up to 48 hours after at an elevated pace. So why not spend less time in the gym and get better results. The body can adapt quicker than we think, which will lead to a plateau or stagnation in training and results. It is under this premise that I say do both. Throw the body curves, that's what is is built for. Comments please.

The Dollar

As the federal reserve and U.S. government work in conjunction to debase the dollar I'm left wondering what the future holds for the old greenback. Will we fall back to using gold for exchange? Will we go to a prison system where cigarettes are the currency of choice? Or will the idea of direct barter come back into play? I personally would like to see an open market where currencies can compete with one another. Gold, silver, and other precious metals have always held intrinsic value over the centuries and its clear they will once again be brought to the forefront. Fiat currency has proven to be not only unreliable, but creates a moral hazard. The U.S. is losing its grip on having the reserve currency of the world and very soon it will come back to haunt them. When other countries no longer accept dollars on the basis of our promise to pay, what then? Will we resort to military might to force it upon them? A slippery slope indeed. My recommendation is buy gold and hang on to it for dear life. Your thoughts?

The Education Racket

As the cost of college has gone up exponentially over the last 30 years it has become more apparent to me that education is indeed a racket. How many graduates actually end up in a career that is applicable to the degree which they hold? I would venture to say not that many. Government has become more and more involved in education which to myself and others is the reason for it's steady decline in results, and steady incline in cost. It was very evident in the state of the union address, when Obama asked for all americans to attend at least a year of higher education. He also stated that dropping out of high school is giving up on your country. this is absolutely absurd. What happened to a persons choice as to what is best for their situation in life? One of Obama's personal heroes, Abraham Lincoln, was a self educated man. He went on to become a successful lawyer and President of the United States! Don't misunderstand me. I do feel that higher education is very rewarding and helpful in gaining access to more specialized and high paying careers, but I think people should be free to choose for themselves. Thoughts?

Welcome to my new blog!!!

I have decided to jump on the bandwagon and put my daily thoughts online for everyone to check out. Scary I know, but hopefully this will be a fun experience for all involved. I look forward to getting my thoughts out and having people give their viewpoint as well.