PRODUCING NOVELTY

KEFIR TRIALS

2009-06-22T12:01:00.004+01:00

Kefir attempt...

For unrivalled probiotics I have added some fermented diary to my diet to see what impact it will have on my absorption/digestion.

After a first go with kefir de vaca, or cow milk kefir, I did nt really see any reaction in my stomach per say but just had increased mucus production. I am going to try goat kefir this week but feel that the least stressful and most efficient would be fruit juice or even coconut keifer but i have to try it first.

heres my first attempt with goji berry toping...

second go with flocos de oats/bran/germ...

still need to look into it more but interested in its fizzy sour taste that is definetly missing in our culture today and could be an answer for an kind of compromised absorption.

need to try blended with strawberries.

POWER OF NOW

2009-06-21T10:32:00.003+01:00

Ekhart Tolle

'The Power of Now'

I cannot begin to judge/critique this work just please take alook and apply it to your experience.

HAPPY SOLSTICE

2009-06-21T10:23:00.001+01:00

KYMATICA

http://www.sprword.com/videos/kymatica/

very interesting...

FIG HEAVEN!

2009-06-17T09:52:00.005+01:00

Heres a look see at my fig picking results!

Incredible day yesterday picking around 5kg of figs from 2 monster open trees near where i work....its only the start of the season so there are about 10, 000 more on that tree waiting for me.

I will be posting a video on thursday of the tree and some picking action.

Heres what I brought home...

You got a classic shot of the ripey goodness!

This is my first concoction the morning after with figs, spinach, aloe vera and beets. I am pretty confident that it all digested well, just not sure where the aloe goes in all that.

Either way tasted great and still have around 3.5kg of figs left!!!

AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL!!!

GINASTICA NATURAL

2009-06-10T13:36:00.000+01:00

http://www.ginasticanatural.com/

check out Alvaro show us how to mix BJJ/MMA training into anyones lifestyle...challenging stuff!!

TRANSCEND AND INCLUDE

2009-06-10T12:40:00.000+01:00

or transcend TO include...

This is a concept that I have adapted from Ken Wilber and turned towards the current paradigm in the nutrition world, which is in dyer need of this type of outlook, as far as I am concerned.

The idea assumes that there is a line at which, in this case, diets, are plotted on a spectrum that assumes all deits are equal. Alone this concept is hard to except, which is why it creates a competitive nature between different diets and has thus manifested huge dogma's and exclusion of other approaches.

In Buddism we learn to breakdown barriers and release labels to be aware of the unmanifested. This release of seperation works in all cases or topics that can be seen on a HORIZONTAL line progression, as apposed to a VERTICAL line progression, where they are TRUTHS at each stage and not just 1 TRUTH.

For example, A VEGAN would not consider the benefits of Keifer (cultured, probiotic yogurt), or a vegetarian would not embrace the great benefits of Liver (100% organic Liver). It is also evident as you move down towards to the RAW VEGAN diet, which excludes the most of anything but justifies itself by opening the mind to all the types of fruit and vegetables available. The most extreme form of seperatism can be found in fruitarianism or the closely related 80/10/10 diet, which has become religion like due to the dogmatic messages of its participants and god like referals to its 'leader' Dr Doug Graham. NO DOUBT this diet has helped me a great deal and Dr Graham is an incredibly smart guy, but it is a seperatist movement, which is away from the direction of the collective conscious that is attempting to unite us all.

2 non seperate and uncoincidental events helped me understand this and I beleive this has truly liberated me from the suffering of searching for the perfect 'species specific' diet. 1 was the great work of Anthony Anderson, at www.RawModel.com and his honest review of his own movement along the nutrition horizon, where he indicated the importance of foods from other plots on the dietary spectrum. Another is the work of David Rainoshek, who first combined the teachings of Ken Wilber with diet. The overarching theme of his new book is one of transcending the current way we look at diets in general and hopefuly he will promote the outlook of transcend and INLUDE and not mark the RAW VEGAN approach as an apex that we ALL have to reach. His book 'Spectrum of Diet' should be out after summer, last I heard....keep track of that on www.juicefeasting.com.

RAW FOOD is just another step on the journey that opens many aspects of diet and lifestyle that we can include into our lives.

So lets educate ourselves on all aspects so it can lead us all to greater improvements in global health.

I dont want it to come across as the way, because this approach unattaches itself to A WAY and more to the mantra of Bruce Lee that 'no way is the way'.

Lets end the Diet Illusion.

DURIAN DURIAN DURIAN

2009-06-08T11:19:00.001+01:00

Cant wait to get back home to pick up some FRESH/RIPE durian.

Look at these 2 champs go at it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_U2S4yHJg3M&feature=channel_page

HAHA

Check these out also for more RAWspiration!

SPIRITUAL INSPIRATION!

JEREMY SAFFRON...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2C6HG2zMiU&feature=channel

2 RAW ATHLETES!

AMAZING

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fxb_4AYEL0&feature=channel

MIND ON MOVEMENT!

2009-06-08T10:57:00.000+01:00

With all this fuel I am looking back to my mentors in the fitness world to keep me moving and building muscle.

Here are 2 examples of fun and educational youtube viewing for crazy affective workouts.

SCOTT SONNEN

Animal flow which is a hybrid of capoeira, prasara yoga, systema and MMA.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RNXqIGZyRI&feature=channel_page

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mJNJKwcgbI&feature=channel_page

SYNERGY FITNESS

Highly creativity and dynamic exercises that are focus on instability of the core and synergists scapulars and glutes.

CORE IS CORE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGQPVmN3EIg&feature=channel_page

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUxMl2Hm5GI&feature=channel

plenty more where that come from

ENJOY

'DINNER'

2009-06-08T10:37:00.000+01:00

Fell over when I saw Figs for sale at the price they were available for.

Alot of plastic packaging but the food was local. Can't garauntee it was all organic but I feel that the bananas and figs were, lettuce maybe not but it was fresh and salty!

More pics and vids to come...

GREEN POWER

2009-06-08T10:16:00.000+01:00

GORGEOUS!

Simple as 3 bananas, big ol clump of spinach and 2 fresh figs!

Very sweet, very easy to drink and full of calories to keep me going up to next meal.

(which will be 1kg of nectarines, in season)

GETTING THE MOST OUT OF THIS...

One thing I realized when I first started doing these massively sweet smoothies, I was spiking and crashing and getting an overall bad reaction to all the sugar. The sugar would putrify in my system due to its backlog of mess that had nt been cleaned out.

I underwent 2 liver cleanses and the 2nd one was groundbreaking and I am fixing on a 3rd shortly to concretize everything. My digestion has improved greatly and
now I can feel a smoother release of energy and less digestion issues, gas and bloating etc.

Have been listening, reading and watching alot to understand how to get the calories so I dont binge with dried, stodgy food, which would back me up again. I dont feel 100% clean right now because I ate some stodgy crackers with cauliflower/chickpea hummus so I am paying for that, great hummus though.

This smoothy followed 3 litres of water from waking up at 6, which I have realised to be super important, and cleaning the system daily instead of monster fasts.

GOOD LUCK to everyone,

whether you re just starting,

finding your way or a veteran.

CHEERS!

BEETS!

2009-05-06T12:17:00.000+01:00

BETERABA!

Just got a give a big shout out to beets for helping me restore pretty much normal liver function, which = proper bowel function, everyone will be glad to know.

I now need a great natural product to help cleanse the kidneys and I think my absorption rate will be tiptop!

BIG UP BEETS

Grate them into a smoothy (greurple juice!), on to a salad, wherever, just get em in!

The greens are also RIDICULOUSLY high in potassium too for total body muscle/cell function!

CRAVINGS cont...

2009-05-06T11:54:00.000+01:00

Heres is alittle more about understanding our cravings....

It is not always mental, which is a mantra that I am hearing more and more in my head in recent times due to the amount of information I am absorbing about the body and its unlimited capabilities of activity and recovery.

One of the major issues for 'Raw Fooders' is a snow ball affect from a overall lack of calories. You may think a green smoothy and a big salad will cut it but the continual pattern of not eating enough calories will catch up to you in the shape of sugar cravings and secondly, and more dangerously fat cravings!

It is our bodies signal that it doesnt have enough energy and that it needs to prepare for insulation or hibernation. It is not neccesarily to do with your will power, i think david wolfe said you cannot eat raw food on will power alone. Yes if you have mineral rich, high quality organic food it will adjust the calorie amount or volume of food but its just very difficult to sustain a raw food diet, plus exercise, on the standard raw food approach.

I used something called www.nutridiary.com to keep track of a typical day for me where i logged all my food individually, almost to wieght, for a few days.

I noticed 2 things; 1 how little calories i was eating for my daily rec amount, which was 3500 including exercise and secondly, i noticed how little fat is too much for our bodies.

my green smoothy and salad got me to about 1200 calories but the rest of the fruit i was eating to boost that was not coming close to even 2500! This is the reason for a binge or fat craving, which most people go through and thus leads to sluggish, see-saw type raw food emotions.

Gut health for absorption and ripe fruit is very important to get up to something like the right amount of carbs/calories but this is a topic that DR DOUG GRAHAM has highlighted continually for 20 years in his approach of 80/10/10.

I believe that a high calorie mono fruit intake in the morning before breakfast (preferably a melon for quickest, easiest digestion) in between smoothy and BIG salad (12pm for myself), and lastly at around 6 to get you through the rest of the evening.

This is purely integrating Doug's great work on raw vegan health and sport performance, with other raw food principles from the masses.

www.foodnsport.com

check out the biggest FAQ page in the raw food movement and read his blogs on sport performance for an integral approach.

FOOD TALK!

2009-04-22T13:46:00.000+01:00

DR ARIS LATHAM. GREAT VIEW.

Here is my favorite interview concerning the past, current and future state of the leading nutrition movement of our times.

I believe Dr Aris Latham to be one of the leading voices of our time and I hope you can take something from this.

If you are new to raw food, or sunfired food then you may not understand his viewpoint on the current trends but his standing is extremly relevant.

enjoy...

http://www.rawveganradio.com/wordpress/category/all-shows/free-shows/page/2

click play underneath Dr Aris, with that cheesy fruit that I cant remember the name of right now.

FOOD COMBINING

2009-04-13T13:16:00.000+01:00

NICE

http://www.lytnyc.com/fyi_xml/ComboSheet.pdf

This chart should clear some of questions surrounding food combining. It should relieve alot of stress from our digestive system even when eating whole plant foods.

2 big ones are combining FATS and HIGH SUGAR combinations and the STARCH and PROTEIN common combo.

With all this new information out there I would nt be surprised if we all live to be 120!

Cheers

Cravings

2009-04-13T10:50:00.000+01:00

GOING NUTS!

One area of my education that has lead to rapid and accurate growth through the levels of nutritional awareness, is the understanding of why we have cravings for certain foods.

Awareness of these facets is all we need to empower ourselves to defeat or just control these cravings.

Nuts are a big one, something that I think we all turn to on certain days with what seems to be a nonsensical desire for such a random food source. Lets look at nuts, they are, as meat, in terms carbs, fats and proteins. Very high in fat and protein and low in carbs, then if we look at the caloric representation of these types we can see that fat (x2) has more calories per gram than carbohydrates. This could indicate that a craving is our bodies way of telling us that we are not eating enough calories and its panic is to store calories, as it believes itself to be starving. You can relate it to a squirrel storing nuts for winter, the body thinks winter is upon us because of the lack of calories and thus needs to store fats.

Sugars are another part of the craving cycle that combined with a fat craving can have serious implications for blood sugar and bacteria overgrowths. One simple way to combat a simple sugar craving is to eat more fruit, as fructose will deal with any demand for sugary foods. A deeper reason for these cravings can also be linked to overall carbohydrate consumption, or quality of carbohydrate consumption. If you are eating more whole grains then you are addressing the right amount and quality of carbs in your diet, so cravings should stop. However if you re eating low quality or low amounts of carbs then sugar craving will persist, especially if you re not eating much fats, which will hasten your bodies desire and search for a quick easy energy boost.

Salt is another mineral that we crave and although i am not 100% sure why we crave it, I understand that my body needs it for proper bowel function, amongst other things. So as I have gone full circle, or more like, completly all over the place, with salt information and quasi conclusions regarding salt intake, I believe I have rested at a small amount of high quality salts for proper bodily functions. If you have access to TOP quality produce, then need for salt will decline, as it is found in your food, but if not, adding salt will maintain production of HCL and other stomach chemicals. Plus our blood is almost 1% salt, so we need some.

I hope that starting to understand and becoming aware of your craving will empower you on your nutritional journey.

Live clean, Eat clean and Play clean.

EARTH

2009-03-27T11:05:00.000Z

DIRT FACTS!

So this rounds out the last of the 4 elements of life that I am literally just transcribing from Paul Chek who I think breaks it down really well.

His lecture on Nutrition: The Dirt Facts

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84otsNRkbDg&feature=PlayList&p=C278D14D48D1A925&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=6

This really rammed it home for me and is a must see!

To add my own points to this topic, I believe it comes down to, like most things, awareness. Being aware of where your food comes from is the first major step in transforming your relationship with food. Organic foods are just a result of demand for this awakening awareness and with its battle against agro business the cost is pushing out of the reach of most of the wage slaves out there. Coincidence?

Organic food stuffs in supermarkets are still tainted with doubt in terms of where it actually came from and its organic veracity. Heading to farms themselves seems like abit of an arduous way to get hold of your food, but thats all depending on how important food is for you! If you can find a farmers market in your local area this is a great way to meet the people that have produced your food and find enough variety in one place to satisfy all your grocery demands.

The knowledge you can soak up from meeting your farmers is priceless and cant be got at the supermarket where we just shop with our generally low knowledge of nutrition and suffer from the malnutrient content of this food.

'There is NO relationship more fundamental to your health than your relationship with the soil that supports your every bodily function through its interface with us, FOOD.'(Paul Chek)

Honest Food Guide

2009-03-27T10:52:00.000Z

For a new paradigm in nutrition!

http://www.honestfoodguide.org/

thanks to Mike Adams
The Health Ranger

www.natuarlnews.com

AIR

2009-03-19T12:05:00.000Z

BREATHE OF LIFE!

Awareness of the most important element of life, oxygen, is also the most taken for granted.

How we breathe reflects us as people and minds in life, shallow breathing creates shallow minds.

Oxygen relaxes the body and fascilitates ALL of the bodies functions. This element of life is so vital that you simply die after a couple of minutes or suffocation. A few minutes! We can manage days without water and about a month without food, so what should be top of the list in daily corrections and management? Our breath!

Its a simple concept of awareness, first of all just being aware of your breath from inhale to exhale is a great start. You can have a time a day or even first time in the morning to workout your breathing technique, start off with 10 to 20 to 30 reps and that will eventually make you create a understanding.

As for Techniques of breathing, which is the depth aspect of the breath, we need to look at location of expansion of the lungs and core. We should try to aim for our breath to reach as far down your body as possible. Normally, a quick unconscious breath is restricted to the chest but a conscious deep breath runs all the way down into the naval where the stomach expands first and then the chest secondary.

Another aspect which is linked to Aryuvedic principles that connects the shakras and the circle of breath, is to keep the tongue touching the roof of the mouth behind the top teeth.

Like everything you need to continue and maintain the practice to progress in it so that we can attain consistent deep breathing throughout the day.

OPTIMAL OXYGEN is what it is all about. The impacts are infinite!

WATER

2009-03-04T13:06:00.000Z

AGUA!

Another one of the four key elements of life, Earth, Fire, Wind and WATER.

Proper hydration is absoloutly vital for optimum physical and mental performance and recovery from that performance.

Our body is 80% water and that should be the only statistic that one should need to understand the importance of water consumption. I beleive there is another side to coin that can improve a persons awareness, when we look at how and when the water leaves body and how it can jeapordise the balance of the 80%.

Through breathing, sleeping, sweating, defication and internal processes, we tend to let out a great deal of water from all of these and other activities of daily existence. In order to replace this and account for the lost water we need to take in plenty of water, the amount of which is relative to the amount of or intensity of these aspects.

Personally, I beleive that water is needed to be taken on board as a refueling of any process that requires water. So sleeping, we sweat, we breath and our bodily functions are most active in recovery, therefore we need to drink as much water as possible when we wake up. In my experience, experiments and tracking of my water/energy levels, I recommend 2 litres before mid day. If you exercise before mid day then adding water to that relative to exercise intensity and temperature, humidity and other environmental factors. Altogether I would recommend 4 litres +/- .5.

Its also important to note that water is not only available from the stuff that falls out of the sky, but in the food we eat, which is why a gravitation towards a WET diet of fruit and veg and away from dry foods, like flours and cooked food in general is important to be aware of. Nuts and seeds are dry food so it is imperative to address and monitor their affects on the body, salt also. Soaking and sprouting foods can reducing the amount of absorbtion from dried fruit and dry grains, nuts and seeds.

As far as drinking water, we have to choose wisely. I advise a filter is utilised as soon as possible, without too much hesitations over quality and which one to get, this can often mask the priority of the importance of cleanER water. Storing water in glass will ensure that chemicals from the plastic are not leached into your drinking water, therefore bottled water is not advised.

Understanding how water affects the mind/body can seriously expand your awareness of your entire system, as we mentioned before, its one of the key elements to life itself.

Check out Daniel Vitalis, THE water guy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbBKcysyMTk

TIPS

(N)

Water is a key component to digestion and absorbtion of food and we can tell this by the after affects of a dry meal and no water being consumed afterwards, you end up sleepy and absorption is compromised.

Studies have shown that drinking after a meal, with small sipping techniques is the best technique for lubricating the digestion process.

(E)

Water is another source of oxygen for the muscles and the mind when participating in sport or exercise, so is absoloutly vital for optimal performance.

I beleive that despite all the 'alternatives' out there water is the only true option for athletes, as adding anything to water can jeapordise its use in the body. Adding lemon is probably the safest, most versatile supplement, due to its Vit C, micronutrients and alkalizing, thus anti-inflamatory benefits.

Aqua de coco, or coconut water, ideally green young coconuts, are well known in tropical regions to be 3 times as hydrating than water, due to their micronutrient and electrolyte components.

(M)

Regarding studying and mental performance our brain acts like a sponge and we can often tell when its light on water and in need of a top up. A headache or stress through the temples can imply that water is needed, maybe due to a taxing mentally active day the organ will be specifically demanding water.

Another point to mention is that our brain does not tell us we need water until it is too late and our body is in disstress, as a result of low water levels to perform even basic functions.

FIRE!!

2009-02-27T16:26:00.000Z

SUN WORSHIPING!

The single greatest change in your lifestyle, if you have nt adjusted it already, is your sleep pattern! Closely followed by daily water consumption, daily sunlight exposure is the absolute top of priorities if we want to maximise our own output for today and the rest of our lives.

This spot will touch on the ying/yang relationship between the awake and asleep parts of our lives where just as one follows the other, what happens in one directly affects the other as well.

Before we touch on the science of sleep (great movie btw) lets just look at the sun, first of all when it comes up and goes down, on average its up around 6 and down about 18 give or take an hour or 4 depending on where you live. (for me in portugal right now its 6 40 to 18 40 mais ou menos) To maximise the benefits from the sun, such as Vitamin D which helps convert everything into energy like anaerobic respiration in plants and antioxidants for cleansing, we should look at rising WITH the sun and dropping off not too long after.

Since the recommended amount of sleep is about 8 hours, minus 8 from when the sun comes up in your area and you got your bedtime. So i shoot for 22 30 and normally surface about 7. Of course this may not be right for you and if you live in Scandinavia and its summer, going to bed 8 hours before 2am is not going to be too helpful.

In terms of quality of sleep, we have to look to our adrenal gland (amongst other things) for best judging our sleep potential. If we are stimulating our adrenalin 2 hours before we go to sleep then we are not going to fall asleep at the right time, we may stay up as long as midnight rolling back and forth, and the overall QUALITY is going to suffer. Drinking alot of anything is probably going to throw you off, especially coffees or teas (had the green tea gitters last night for about an hour) plus exercising is not advised close to lights out, as adrenalin will be pumping round the system.

Unfortunately its only normally adults that find this out for themselves and teenagers and folks in 20-30's never quite understand this, which will definetly set you back and possibly cause some irreputable damage. Having ly-ins or siestas are not recommended but can be thrown in in emergencies but overall try and be strong and make it up at sunrise and get through til 22-23hrs to ensure absoloute quality in the sack! Remember its called a sleeping pattern, so if you do it long enough it will stick and get easier.

Chek out Paul Chek's http://www.chekconnect.com/ and sign up to view the free video on RYTHYM! Fantastic breakdown.

TIPS

(M)

I dont think I need to reference anything to concretize that lack of sleep affects brain function.

Vitamin D is free and given to our bodies directly from sunlight and significantly improves cognitive responsiveness, as cortesol, seretonin and melatonin levels all stimulate the brain function.

Lack of quality of sleep is often due to the setting and disturbance. So if you re looking for a room or thinking about moving, find a room with good ventilation for quality oxygen, enough sunlight for time spent in relaxing or as an alarm clock and not subject to noise and comotion all through the night.

(E)

The key point to sleep and exercise is that 90% of physical development is achieved during recovery, outside of training, and if the majority of our recovery is done while we sleep, then sleep is paramount for our bodies to repair and grow.

Working out 2-3 hours before you sleep will throw off this sleep quality as mentioned before, as the body is empty (after light snack to start metabolism), muscles recovered (hopefuly) and lungs fresh, start your exercise at 7 and hopefuly you can fit it in with a shower and recovery meal before work!

(N)

Consuming foods that are high in the amino acid tryptophane have been understood to produce calming affects in the brain and these can be found in nuts and seeds, which make a great snack as your last meal of the day.

SOAK THEM, throw them in a tough blender and add in a little coconut oil to form them into bars/balls and let them sit in the fridge until the coconut oil turns solid, and you end up with some quality little snacks. The additional amino acids (vital omega 3 if you add flaxseed) will benefit the recovery process while inducing sleep, and they won't make you pee!

PROTEIN MYTH

2009-02-18T10:23:00.000Z

AMINO ACIDS!

Thanks to the good folks at the FDA we have been informed that animal protein are our best source of complete protein and we have taken that as to thinking it is PROTEIN itself that we really need in our diet.

That is actually very misleading, the word protein is defined more or less as a long chain of AMINO ACIDS, the word protein is actually a word or name given to the group of things we actually need and acts like a 'middle man'. The amino acids are the building blocks that our cells need to reproduce and grow and especially the Omega 3,6 and 9, which our bodies do not produce on their own, hence the name normally given to these as 'essential'.

So with this taken into account lets think about it...

doesn't everything need to grow? say from a seed to a plant for example, or a seed to fruit and doesnt that fruit or plant then require the same amino acids to supply for its offspring and its seeds? We find that seeds and nuts are said to be high in protein and if we think about it, it is because they need to provide the building blocks for the flowering or sprouting process. Even fruits have high amounts of amino acids to help fercilitate the growth of seeds for next generation.

The only difference is that some plants and fruits have more amino acids than others and can be considered to be 'complete proteins' when they have over 18 of the 22 in total. These 'complete' amino acid chains are the most productive as they provide the cells with a direct source of all amino acid income. Combining them all in one meal has been found not to be neccesary and amino acids can be added throughout the day with a varied diet.

So everything we eat can be classed as a protein, which will definetly frustrate some of the meat sellers and farmers.

check out these educational videos;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ae-dlHOmwk4

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7305832096911620394
(slightly long but very easily explained and important.)

TIPS.

(N)

It is important to ask yourself how frequently you eat meat. I suggest cutting down on meat meals throughout the week but not cutting it out altogether. Some meat is better than other, organic meat or raw meat (sushi) has a much higher amino acid count, amongst other things.

When cooking meat one can expect a 50% drop in protein or amino acid count, which may jeopardise the 'completeness' and essential amino's 3,6 and 9.

Meat is highest in Omega 6, which forms Aracadonic acid and promotes inflammation. So not advised for atheltes!

Some alternatives with complete AA counts are;

Quinoa (sprouted, cooking may decrease)
Goji berries
Hemp seed
Spirulina
Bee Pollen

(E)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZwmluSn_T0

The benefit of amino acids for athletic performance.

(M)

Supplying your body with correct ratios of amino acids rather than meat based proteins are essential for optimal brain function.

http://www.naturalnews.com/025518.html

This is a fantastic gulf of information on Omega 3 and brain function.

Meat based protein can sit from 6 hours in the stomach which slows down the assimilation process of much needed amino's to the brain. Fruit based aminos can find their way up there in less than an hour!

HEADSTUFF

2009-02-06T20:10:00.000Z

WORKING IN!

As valuable as working out, we must complement it with the mental disciplines to not only keep our mind sharp but stay on the right track. Combining reading with more popular forms of information gathering is important to keep the mind logical and rational. While the arts are equally as important to motivate imagination and develop the right side of the brain. Einstein said, 'Imagination is more important than knowledge', you cannot replace the ability to create.

Knowledge of the current social climate is impreative to address many common questions that many of us want answers for today. As the internet is awash with uncensored news, interviews and archives of books and articles, one can find a lot more reliable information than that we find on other more controlled forms of media. However, the amount of information available requires more in depth study to get authenticity from many questionable sources online. (that goes for me, dont take anything as gospel).

MCKENNA!

Not for the faint of heart/mind but one of the greatest minds of our time. With his dedicated following on youtube Terence Mckenna is becoming increasingly more popular since he died in 2000 and many extensive libraries of his spoken word on youtube and other similar sites.

Mckenna waxes and weaves in a superior diction about the present, past and future with incredible aplom. His angle and background in psychedilic drugs often leave less opened minded listeners sceptical but there is no doubt he is onto something when you seriously listen to his arguement and he quickly makes you understand how things of this nature have been shrouded in evil to mask their true benefits.

I do not condone participating in concious expanding or barrier dissolving drugs but its something we have been completly misled about.

I am more fascinated by his chilling rants about where we ve come from, whats going on now and where we are going!

Brilliant!

TIPS

(N)

To address brain fuel there are a miriam of variables that affect the brains alertness but one mineral has a greater association with the brain than most.

Zinc - can be found in the following foods:

Seafood - Oysters, Mussels, Shrimp
Nuts - Cashews, Walnuts, Peanuts, Pistachio Nuts
Seeds - Sunflower Seeds, Poppy Seeds, Pumpkin Seeds
Fish - Tuna, Salmon, Halibut, Cod, Shrimp

(E)

Deserving of a topic to itself, YOGA or other forms of meditation are imperative to improving circulation of blood heamaglobin and oxygen to the brain with its focus on conscious breathing techniques.

Stomach breathing techniques allow oxygen to fill the entire lung cavity down to the stomach instead of shallow breathing in the chest. 10 reps 2-3 times a day will ground you give you focus.

Practise outside or in a well ventilated room.

(M)

Varying the sources in which we find knowledge is extremly important and written word should not be neglected in the new media world.

Amusing ourselves to death by Neil Postman highlights the importance of the written word and how it is becoming extinct.

MOVIMENTO

2009-02-06T19:13:00.000Z

EXERCISE

Another hugely important part of the integral approach with its vast amount of directions that all demand incredible things from the body. I will add different concepts and introduce some of my favorite forms of movement that I have experienced the benefits from or ones that I am discovering at the moment.

Once again the topics relating to exercise will be what I have found to be true and most important for me and may help you look at exercise in a different way. Remember a healthy body is more condusive to a healthy mind so we cant ignore the integral benefits of exercise to overall health.

CAPOEIRA

Reaching way beyond PURE MOVEMENT! For me, capoeira represents the most complete, intricate and sophisticated form of exercise ever formed into a teachable practise, or in other words not completly freestyle.

If you are new to the word CAPOEIRA it is currently sweeping the globe with its holistic, total body approach to fitness and where it was once used by the slaves of Brasil 500 years ago to escape enslavement, it has become more of a fitness drive of global appeal.

Involving movement to music and with a partner there is plenty more to it than just learning the moves. It embraces purpose and every part of the body is required to move with reason to a rhythm to avoid getting hit while planning a counterattack.

Just type Capoeira into youtube to get an idea...no words can do it justice.

Classes are available in most major cities throughout the world. Styles differ from group to group but the 2 main differences are 'Angola' style, which is more traditional, slower form of the game or 'Regional' which is a faster, more dynamic form of the game.

TIPS

(N)

Capoeira is almost totally anaerobic, so muscular recovery is paramount.

ADDing Flax/Linseed Oil to your diet will give you a great amino acid profile with a focus on Omega 3 to improve muscular development. In general, just ADD an additional serving of protein to a meal after a session.

(E)

As mentioned above Capoeira is 95% anaerobic with a focus on isometric holds of positions and moves, perfect coordination and flexibility.

Your current physical condition is irrelevant. Capoeira is completly natural, as it uses your own bodywieght and is literally possible for anyone to become a master, just a matter of dedication.

Just make sure you take as much off time to stretch as possible, to aid recovery and to improve muscular and joint range of motion, thus reducing restriction, likelyhood of injury and improving stamina!

(M)

Capoeira is much more than movement, as it involves music, history and respect of traditions.

It also teaches valuable lessons in judgement, comparison, concentration, patience and determination.

Read up on capoeira to understand the basics traditions to properly understand the reason behind some of the etiquette. It will greatly deepen your involvement and is often overlooked.

ESSENZEIT!

2009-02-06T17:52:00.000Z

Nutrition.

This is becoming THE most important thing in my life right now, so where better to start. Food is the absoloute constant for everyone in terms of fuel and performance and I guess its also abit of a fad at the moment, as most of the western world are coming to terms with what we ve been fed over the last 50 years.

The topic is massive obviously and one important mantra throughout all my topics here is arguably most relevant here, 'everyone has their own truth's'. What is right for me may not be right for you, but I will try to work on facts and not just my opinion.

Before talking about what is 'GOOD' and 'BAD' I would like to make it clear that I advise people to simply ADD some of these suggestions to their current diet and do not try and make any radical changes, unless you have the constitution of an ox or other resilient farmyard animal.

PH!

My first suggestions ties in well with my above mentioned philosophy of ADDing food into your diet, as this clearly points out the inbalance that most of us live in today.

Dr Robert Young's book 'The PH miracle' points out that the world is not merely obese or over weight but over acidic and that it is PH which is the most detrimental component of our health.

If we look at the balanced PH of the human body it is just on the alkaline side at 7.34PH. Once you take alook at some of the food charts below, you will be able to see for yourself that most of the foods in standards diets are on the acidic side of the balance. Combining this with the acidic and toxic environment we live in, it can leave us dwindling in the 4-5PH range. Sugar is 2!

http://www.bestofsupplements.com/ph_chart.htm
http://www.essense-of-life.com/moreinfo/foodcharts.htm
http://www.balance-ph-diet.com/acid_alkaline_food_chart.html

According to Young, the part of the body that is most affected by this acidity is the blood. The PH affects the entire body when it is circulated through the blood and highly acidic blood will move around the body a lot slower than alkaline blood and carry less oxygen to muscles and the brain.

I picked this to start off with because of its relevance at the cellular level and if we can push that PH back up to 7 then we are on the right track.

TIPS [tips will be aimed at 3 seperate sections (N)utrition, (E)xercise (M)ental]

(N)

LEMONS

ADD lemons into as many of your meals as you can or in any water, teas or juices.

PH 14!

(E)

ATHLETES in order to combat inflammation, alkaline blood is an absolute MUST.

Sugary drinks like gatorade, powerade for example will only increase acidity in the body which will slow down blood circulation and its oxygen transporting capacity.

Lemon water is the cheapest and easiest alternative.

(purely my opinion but i feel PH balance is more important to recovery than protein intake!)

(M)

SLUGGISH

It is no accident you feel slow and unable to fully concentrate in post meal conversations after a acid binge.

For menatl clarity ADD more fruit salads to desserts than adding more sugar on top of already heavily acidic meals.

-------------------------------------------------

GOOD LUCK

All I know about health, exercise and nutrition. (or finding out how much work I still need to do)

2009-02-06T17:18:00.001Z

From the get go, just want to say cheers for finding your way to my blog, and I sincerley hope that you can find something useful within these topics that I will add from here on in.

Bit about me, I am a 25 year old know it all, that understands little but is a selfexperimental perfectionist who beleives experience is the only true judge. Lived in 5 countries so far, so got an idea what the fuss is all about in UK, US, EUROPE and the MIDDLE EAST.

I figured I would never be one to actually write a book or take responsibility for actually trying to get anything into publishing, even if I finished something. Lousy writer, not really self righteous in nature and never really had that bookish attentiveness and concentration to write for hyperextensive periods of time. (this thing doesnt even have spell/grammar check). Then here is the internet and this blog thing, where I can write whatever/whenever I like and add to it when I feel inspired to do so. Its also available to everyone, which is I guess my main motivation because I feel, similarly to most writers/bloggers I guess, better out than in!

If what I go onto talk about is in anyway helpful to help boost and conserve your novelty producing engine and for you to function past your previous metaphyscial boundries, then I ll be happy.

So lets see if my integral approach (first time putting everything in one place) can amount to anything. Its time to share!