Category Archives: Physical Health

Bikini season shmakini season

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Why does the thought of being scantily clad for three months out of the year suddenly spur us into a buckle-down-and-get-healthy mode?

Do the people that bust their asses for bikini season just leave it at that and the rest of the year they spend their days foraging for hibernation season?

Given we naturally store more body fat during the winter months to keep our body at a warm temperature, so why can’t that be taken into consideration as an adaptation mechanism/maintaining homeostasis and not a reason to punish ourselves [in the gym or kitchen]?

Why does bikini season have to last just for three months?

Why does bikini season have to be synonymous with ripped and shredded (when it could really mean malnourished, catabolic, chronically stressed, and hyperthyroid)?

Why does a fashion model-featured summer catalogue have to be the stereotyped basis for body comparison when a good majority of the featured are the complete opposite of healthy on the inside?

Why can’t we just make whole, well-rounded, considerate, and balanced decisions throughout the year and not put our bodies through a boot camp-esque hell just to “look good” in publicly accepted underwear?

If you’d like to discuss this perspective along with other health-related insights, please contact me for a FREE Conversation.

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The Gym: We’ve got a first timer over here!

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So, I took the plunge and signed myself up for a membership at LA Fitness. I was never really a gym guy because I enjoyed the challenge of MacGuyver-ing a work out where ever, whenever, with whomever and with whatever (as I’ve done plenty of times throughout my travels and home-stays). But, for my current goals, I want a few more resources at my disposal. After two days, here’s what I have observed…

  • A PERSONAL Trainer training clients while on a cell phone throughout the duration of the paid service. How very IMpersonal trainer of him.
  • The same Personal Trainer not even paying attention (looking, observing, or critiquing) to a different client doing walking lunges. What about their form? What if they are doing them incorrectly and slowly setting themselves up for an improper muscle recruitment pattern? What if they are not completely a full range of motion and are doing half reps which can incorporate less of the desired target area. The body will adapt to a situation – whether right or wrong – and it can learn how NOT to lunge (using the wrong muscles to move) if incorrect form is consistently used. 
  • Rows upon rows of exercise machines, which seem to consistently be occupied throughout the duration of my recent off-peak-hour visits. I can maaaaybe see the point of exercise machines in a rehabilitation situation to ease into muscle and nerve recruitment, but, in reality, these machines teach the body how NOT to stabilize, support itself, move, bend, twist, flex, rotate, extend, adduct, or abduct. Oh, you can do an assisted sit-up? Let me know how that goes when you’re trying to SIT-UP out of bed without a machine helping you. Sincerely, Condescending Wonka.
  • More rows – this time of treadmills, stair-masters, and ellipticals – all equipped with televisions, radios, and iPod charging capabilities, and also consistently occupied. I’m all for running (believe it or not). I’m all for getting up off your ass, moving, and creating a healthy blood flow – I just think there are better means, methods, and environments to do so. It’s a big world out there…
  • Five flat benches… FIVE. Hey, uhhhhhhh, how much ya bench? The last time I checked the bench press was the most bass-ackwards measurement of strength. It’s a pure isolation exercise of the lower and middle pectorals (chest), the front deltoids (shoulders), and the triceps. Five. The body is a system of systems – it prefers to work in unison and not isolation.
  • I overheard a gentleman in a cut-off shirt shout across the weight room so all brethren could hear, “I guess all of those shots in the ass are finally paying off.” He was referring that the amount of steroids he injected into his butt are making his balls shrink, his eyes sunken in with rage, and his muscles more cut than a turkey sandwich. I have no words.
  • I experienced a tall, muscular gentleman bench press near where I was exercising. I stood close by without his awareness incase he needed a spot for a possible weight he could not manage. He did some warm up sets at 145 pounds with ease. He jumped to 195 – Ok, he put up a decent amount of reps. Lastly, he attempted 215 pounds. More power to him, but he could not lower the bar to his chest to complete a “full rep” and the bar was lop-sided the whole time (favoring his stronger arm and not so much the other). Wants vs Needs. Ego vs Logic. Sprint vs Marathon. 
  • A couple were exercising together. The male seemed a bit more experienced based on his build and lingo while the woman looked equally experienced, but their conversation enlightened me that she was not well-versed in anything weight-related (I’m assumed she was a runner and was giving the gym a try out of persuasion). They were doing squats nearby off a rack. He was going on about how squats were a full-body exercise, that they burn a great amount of calories due to the multiple muscle recruitment, and (he was excited to say this part) that it would “torch that fat right off your butt!” I raised an eyebrow at this mindset. It made me wonder if they correlate exercise and high energy output directly (and possibly only) to fat burning. While this concept can hold true in the appropriate circumstances, it is certainly not the whole piece to the fat-burning puzzle. I wonder because I’ve come across a lot of people that believe in the concept that “to burn fat or lose weight, high-calorie-burning-exercising (or durations) are absolutely necessary.” I don’t fully believe in that mentality as there is a time and place for exercise in relation to fat-loss, but it seems to have become a health-staple-mindset. #Fwomp

Personal observations, assumptions, and over-analyzations aside…

Why?

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Why low-carb diets *cough* work

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Gluconeogenesis

Say it with me… Glu - Co - Neo - Genesis

Gluconeogenesis is the conversion of protein to sugar for energy. Not just dietary proteins… muscle is made of protein, too, ya know!

This conversion occurs as a stress reaction. When in a state of stress (dietary – low carb, exercise – too much, mental – #life, sleep – not enough/irregular, etc.) the body burns through sugar like there’s no tomorrow (because it wants to survive so there can be a tomorrow). This can cause the body to become hypoglycemic and, because all of the sugar supplies are depleted, other sources of energy must be tapped into. Adrenaline and Cortisol are two stress hormones that “kick-in” to run the body while reserves are being put into place. Those reserves are found through the conversion of proteins to sugars (Gluconeogenesis!). The body wants to run on sugar. It NEEDS to run on sugar because sugar is the body’s most useful and quickest-acting form of energy. Unfortunately, if there isn’t enough dietary protein then the body can turn to muscle for energy. The body will store (or spare) fat in a stressful state to stay alive – fat is a form of protection. The body should not run on fat – it’s very a rare occasion and it’s a very inefficient way for the body to convert energy (this process is known as Ketogenesis).

The body mainly stores dietary sugar in the liver and muscles. Once digested, converted, and stored, the sugars are known as Glycogen. Ideally, glycogen can be stored for about four to six weeks. When many low-carb diets begin they experience a quick rush of weight loss, of getting cut/lean, boosted energy levels, and are shaving inches off of their waist! Yes, this can all happen, but by no means is it healthy or long-lasting. Muscle weighs more than fat, remember? Sugar is the body’s primary form of energy, remember? The body will burn muscle and store/spare fat, remember? Once that four-to-six-week mark hits people can plateau, burn through muscle, put on weight, their brains can become foggy (because the brain uses sugar, too!), their libido/sex-drive can become extinct, and their muscles can become “cut” (but really they’re just being eaten alive).

For those who carve Low-Carb diets in stone, be aware that most dietary proteins are being converted into sugars and are not being used the way nature (or you) intends. Not to mention that Glucagon is constantly secreted to make up for the lack of dietary carbohydrates (the primary mechanism for protein to enter cells is by way of carbohydrate transport and Glucagon increases blood sugar levels by pulling from reserves). On the other hand, low-carb diets are a much better alternative to all of the commercial carbohydrate crap that’s available today in grocery stores and restaurants (bread, pasta, grains, etc.). Rather than attributing success to a healthy diet, first consider the massive amount of unhealthy foods that have been eliminated. Oh, and we can’t forget that intestinal bacteria thrives off of sugar and when there isn’t enough food for them to consume they search elsewhere (hence, chronic bacterial infections, sinus infections, thrush, intestinal inflammation, bloating, gas, irregular bowel movements, etc.)

Perspective? EAT MORE SUGAR a.k.a. good, clean, organic, nutrient-dense, natural carbohydrates – potatoes, fruit, OJ, milk, cane sugar, and even SODA. If you have blood-sugar handling issues and that’s the reason that you low-carb then consider the issues as a symptom to a greater cause – replacing an issue with a new issue just adds more problems, confusion, and sadness to “Why can’t I be normal?!.” Perspective to blood-sugar-issue people… EAT MORE SUGAR.

Yes, it’s possibly to live a healthy lifestyle sans carbohydrates, but how is “healthy” truly defined? More power to feeling good, being happy, sleeping well, having great bowel movements, having a high sex-drive, a full head of hair, and being resilient to stress, but how are those achieved by each individual? What are the habits, mechanisms, and double-checks that confirm “healthy”? Suggestion? Lab Tests such as Thyroid, Hormones, Mineral, Vitamins, and Stool can provide a great perspective.


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Understanding fat: Getting, gaining, storing, being, losing, burning

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In order to understand how to lose fat, there must be a darn good understanding of how and why fat storage occurs…

The body stores fat for a few reasons. Believe it or not, all fat storage is beneficial. Aside from the body using fat for warmth, brain mass, cell wall stability, steroid (sex) hormone production, metabolic, rate, digestion regulation, intestinal lining, detoxification, sunlight absorption, and vitamin absorption, fat storage also serves as a natural “band-aid” in response to all types of physical or mental stress…

  • Hormonal imbalances
  • Toxin and chemical exposure/consumption
  • Sluggish detoxification organs
  • Blood sugar handling issues
  • Indigestible, intolerant, allergenic, or nutrient-void foods
  • Dehydration or Over-hydration
  • Excess exercise
  • Irregular sleeping patterns
  • Self unhappiness
  • Unrealistic expectations
  • Strict deadlines
  • Experienced shames 
  • Lack of self-responsibility

Without this “band-aid” action, the body would not be able to survive. So, when fat storage occurs do not get angry, upset or try to beat yourself up in the gym or through diet restrictions – take it as a sign that your body is keeping itself alive, become aware of what your body is telling you, take the necessary (not drastic) steps to understand what is happening and why, and, most importantly, appreciate the majesty of that occurrence.


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Dr. H.E. Sigerist on Health

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Health is promoted by providing a decent standard of living, good labor conditions, education, physical culture, means of rest and recreation… health is not simply the absence of disease; it is something positive, a joyful attitude toward life and a cheerful acceptance of the responsibilities that life puts upon the individual.

Dr. Henry E. Sigerist, Medical Historian and Social Visionary

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What is a lactose intolerance?

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A “Lactose intolerance” is a term full of hype with very little understanding as to what may be causing such an intolerance. Maybe it’s cool to say I’m lactose intolerant just like it’s cool to say I’m gluten intolerant because that’s what CNN decided to feature this week. What’s with all the not-asking-questions and just taking a diagnosis as fact? Why can’t we all enjoy a daily big-ass bowl of ice cream or even an occasional gallon challenge?

The body must produce the digestive enzyme Lactase in order to digest the milk sugar Lactose. This is an essential piece of the dairy sugar digestive process, BUT there are plenty of mishaps, obstacles, hurdles that can prevent the body from producing said enzyme. Ahem…

Heating/Pasteurization – Denatures the milk, which can cause issues when digesting “dead” nutrients (heat kills things, duh).

Additives – Carrageenan, lechitin, and gums can irritate the intestinal lining/mucosa layer, which can prevent the body from absorbing nutrients.

Allergens – A consumer can be allergic to the diet of the cow: grass for properly-raised cattle and grains, corn, soy, sawdust, or concrete for commercially-raised cattle. If a cow is eating sawdust I think there’s a bit more to worry about than an invidiual allergy to the stuff.

Gluten intolerance – Gluten can burn (create holes) through the mucosa layer, which lines the stomach and intestines. The protein can also flatten the Villi that line the small intestine due to irritation and inflammation, causing nutrient malabsorption (since the Villi literally grab and absorb food into the intestinal wall). The body can only do so much given the damage when digesting a digestive-enzyme specific food.

Intestinal bacteria imbalance (Dysbiosis) - A higher bad to good bacteria ratio can create bloating and inflammation (amongst other things). At this point, it’s tough to digest any food (not just dairy).

These are just a few perspectives. A Lactose Intolerance tends to be a symptom of a bigger cause. What’s that cause? That’s up to you to figure out.

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Over-Simplifying Ray Peat

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If you’re familiar with some of my previous physical-health-related posts you may have picked up on what I’m for or against. Much of my current health stance stems off of the work of Dr. Raymond Peat, his research via Hans Seyle & Gilbert Ling, and Peat’s blogging army of Josh Rubin, Matt Stone, Danny Roddy, Rob Turner, Tracie Hittman, & C02 Factor (to name a few). For the sake of getting-to-know-the-basics, below is a short-summary of Peat’s stance via Chris Rosenfelt, a Peat-a-tarian, as Roddy boasts…

“Dr. Peat believes that energy and structure are interdependent, therefore providing proper oxidative energy to the simplest, smallest unit of living matter, the cell. Cells form tissues, tissues form organs and organs form the human body, obviously this is in its very simplistic form but if you take care and provide the proper nutrients/energy to the cell then it should have a “ripple effect” throughout the organism.

So Dr. Peat’s philosophy is just about maintaining proper oxidative energy through the use of protective hormones and elements such as thyroid, pregnenolone, progesterone, testosterone, carbon dioxide, glucose, saturated fats and not letting the potentially negative hormones and elements (if chronically activated) like cortisol, adrenaline, estrogen, PUFA’s, ACTH, lactic acid, carbon monoxide, parathyroid, prolactin, TSH, protein kinase C, etc… get out of control in the body.”

What does this all mean [without context]?

Peat approaches health by breaking the body down into its simplest form: a cell. Providing a cell with the appropriate energy (fuel/nutrient-dense food) and the appropriate environment (pro-anabolic hormone, anti-stress hormone, excreting bacterial endotoxin, eating anti-inflammatory foods) will encourage the tissues, organs, muscles, bones, and blood (which are all made up of cells) to follow suit (hence the ripple effect). Sounds pretty simple, huh?!

Peat researches hormones and how diet/lifestyle can either help or hinder their appropriate release. I suggest starting with Roddy’s blog to get a general idea of what Peat promotes.

Regarding any diet changes or implementation – do your own research, figure out what works for you in the interim AND long run (the long run is HUGE), and consult a trained professional.

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Is a scale a good measurement of health?

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A scale measures weight, not health. What does body weight actually tell us? It is no more than a number that tends to do more mental damage than good. When body weight is measured it cannot be broken down into what is what - i.e. water, blood, organs, muscle, fat, bones, bacteria, food, and fecal matter. How can a scale provide true measurements of water content, cell count, muscle to fat ratio, bone density, intestinal bacteria ratio and weight, digested vs undigested food, and, essentially, metabolic rate (thyroid regulation)? It can’t!

Furthermore, body weight can fluctuate so easily due to meals (size, type, frequency, nutritional value), elimination patterns (going regularly or constipated), metabolic rate (how efficient a meal is used for energy and the body’s hormonal response), water intake (depletion or retention), exercise routines, movement frequency, life stressors, and sleep patterns.

So, a scale cannot measure what’s going on the inside and it cannot provide insight into one’s lifestyle pros or cons. Yet, there are plenty of people out there that live and die over their daily to weekly weight measurements thinking that it is a true progression of health. It’s understandable that body weight gives a sense of progress and allows for goals to be established, but come on – there’s gotta be a better, more telling way!

  • How about measuring how good we feel on the inside?
  • How about measuring how happy we are compared to how sad we may be? And why!
  • How about taking note of our food, hydration, and elimination patterns, and putting it all into perspective as to what helps or hinders?
  • How about observing our energy levels throughout the day regarding our activities, meals, and sleeping patterns?
  • How about recording a lifestyle journal for a desired length of time to truly gain perspective of what works and doesn’t work for YOU?

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Does your diet and lifestyle work for you?

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Obviously there are plenty of diets out there claiming that they’re the one. There are endless research studies promoting that this food has vitamins, this food builds muscle, this food is an anti-oxidant, this food promotes inflammation, this food causes heart disease, this food is a superfood, or this food burns fat. We can go from one diet to the next or from one food to the next because of what is read in a biased health magazine or what’s advised from Doctor full-Oz-crap or what’s heard through treadmill gossip, but how do we really know what works? Going further, does the diet compliment the lifestyle and vice-versa? Is the lifestyle trying to make up for a lackluster diet? Is the real problem diet or is it a lifestyle that prevents a diet from working?

  1. Listen
  2. Write & Record
  3. Reflect
  4. Gain Perspective

Listening to our body is our best resource. The best method to listen is by writing down what we hear, see, feel, and observe. Writing down our thoughts make them more real...

Create a Lifestyle Journal
Ideally a 7-day journal but it can last up to a month if more perspective is needed

Food

  • Time of day
  • Hunger Level (1-5)
  • All ingredients and portions
  • How was it prepared – cooked, cold, room temp, microwave
  • Energy Levels (1-5) and Mood/Personality – 30 minutes before, during, and 30 minutes after

Liquids

  • Time of day
  • Thirst level (1-5)
  • All ingredients and portions
  • How was it prepared – heated, cold, room temp, microwave
  • Energy Levels (1-5) and Mood/Personality – 5 minutes before, during, and 30 minutes after

Exercise

  • Time of day
  • Type, duration, total of exercises, total of reps, amount of rest
  • Energy Levels (1-5) and Mood/Personality – 30 minutes before, during, 30 minutes after, and 2 hours after

Supplements or Medications

  • Time of day
  • Type
  • Purpose?
  • Energy Levels (1-5) and Mood/Personality – 30 minutes before and 30 minutes after

Sleep

  • Time of day – sleep and wake
  • Quality of sleep – slept through the night, toss and turn, fall asleep easily, wake up feeling rested/tired?
  • Dreams – good, bad, able to remember dreams
  • Energy Levels (1-5) and Mood/Personality – before and after

Bowel Movements

  • Time of day
  • How many times a day
  • Healthy or unhealthy?

Stress

  • Stress Level (1-5)
  • What is stressful, why, and how do you react?

Daily Activities

  • Time of day and duration
  • Type – Work, School, Driving, Cooking, Cleaning, Talking, Relaxing
  • Energy Levels (1-5) and Mood/Personality – General observation
  • How do you feel about the activity – Emotions when thinking about the activity, when involved in the activity, or when the activity is over

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The best advice ever given to me

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You’ll figure it out, J.

I’ve heard this perspective plenty of times throughout the past 8 years of my life. While I was not always welcoming of this advice, I knew that these words were genuine and that they held a universal truth. You’ll figure it out was a reminder that no matter what I was going through at any given point in my life – trials, errors, hardships, pains, shames, blames, ups, downs, or confusions – that I will eventually figure it out.

The last time I heard these words from my friend was on August 2nd, 2011. I didn’t know that would truly be the last time I heard them from his mouth and with his genuine delivery because two months later my friend passed away in an accident. While I wish I still had him a phone call or a hang out away to ask for his advice through my ups and downs, I already know what he would tell me: You’ll figure it out, J.

No matter what happens – good or bad, right or wrong, healthy or sick, happy or sad, loved or unloved, accepted or un-accepted, understood or misunderstood, strong or weak, bulls-eye or complete miss – I’ll always figure it out. It may not happen in the most ideal time frame or in the most ideal experience or on the most ideal terms… but I’ll figure it out. I always have and I always will.

I have used this advice over the years to get me through the hardest of hard and the easiest of ease. Currently, this is where I’m at…

  • Love and accept myself and others
  • Forgive myself and others
  • Be happy with myself and others
  • Give myself and others the benefit – never the doubt
  • Have faith in myself and others
  • Have an open and honest heart with myself and others
  • Listen to my mind, heart, and body – they always know best
  • Have perspective when my Ego is calling the shots
  • Find a balance of Wants vs Needs
  • Do not judge, assume, or shame my battles or other’s battles
  • Do not place unrealistic expectations on myself or others
  • Do not provide myself with unnecessary boundaries or limitations
  • Surround myself with caring people who unconditionally support and understand me, and to not waste my efforts on those don’t
  • Take everything and everyone that I experience into perspective
  • Learn from everything – even if I don’t learn right away
  • Appreciate every single experience that I go through – good or bad
  • Be kind and easy on myself and others
  • I am always doing my best – that’s all I can ask of myself and others
  • Communication is the foundation of a good relationship with self and with others
  • Take responsibility for my actions and reactions
  • Never run away because it’ll only create more problems in the end
  • Fear is an illusion – I create all of my fears and fears create all of my dis-eases
  • Trust that what I give will be received in return
  • Try not to take myself so seriously
  • Have fun!
  • At the end of the day… I’ll figure it out

I share this story because I have faith that we all will figure it out. Some may figure it out quicker than others. Some may figure it out and have it fall through their hands only to figure it out again. Some may figure it out longer than others. Some may think they figured it out only to realize they have a lot more figuring out to do. Some may figure it out in different ways than others. Some may not think they need to figure it out only to experience quite the figure-it-out-wake-up-call. In the end, we all figure it out.

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