Qaurantine Life makes me want to get drunk….All the time. Like many of you, I haven’t left my house in over 2 weeks and the repetition of days makes me go mad. The result is that Cocktail hour gets earlier and earlier and I scour the house for every pain killer I can take to numb my mind and body. While I do not think Im sinking into a situation where my drinking will lead to life altering effects; I have been thinking about those of us who do struggle with Addiction. So I took a deep dive into the Al-Anon 12 step process and found that the principles that help my friends, can also help ALL of us right now in a time of high anxiety, fear and potential self-harm.
300320 "Truth Vs. Myth about COVID-19 Immunity"
Remember in High School when your Sex-ed teacher said to you, “The Best way to not get an STD is to simply abstain from Sex”. We all snickered and got red but he/she was right. Now, in the case of this virus, we are faced with the same reality…. The best Route to not getting it is to simply stay the hell away from each other! But what can we do while in Self -Qaurantine to keep our immunity up? The media is swirling with information so Ive decided to give you the definitive guide to dispelling myth and healthy habits you can (and should) be implementing.
230320 "Positive Vibrations... Its a REAL Thing Bro!"
Nature loves balance. Nature loves harmony. Nature loves synchronicity. Just look around the world we live in. When balance is achieved, ecosystems flourish, life seems at peace. When disorder or entropy is added to a system, we see it spiral into chaos and eventually death. Well death, this seems like a pretty serious jump from the title which is about Positive Vibrations ; but as I will lay out, a great many researchers have found that 1. Positive Vibrations are really a thing. 2. If we can’t find a way to keep those vibrations in sync, systems collapse.
090320 "This is How You Should Wash Your Hands"
The Corona Virus is spreading. Literally we are so slow on knowing how much it has spread in the US that it could be carried by the next person you come in contact. Conveniently it comes at the height of the Regular Influenza season, creating more problems for Health Care Providers and putting more emphasis on the most basic of habits that cn keep you from getting sick, Hand Washing! But according to the CDC (center for disease control) , many of us are doing it wrong. SO here ya go, a tutorial on how to wash your hands…
020320 "You are What You Eat... AND What You Don't"
The Scientific Community has largely agreed for many years and across many studies that there are benefits to watching what you eat. Limiting saturated fat, not eating processed grains, and ensuring that your veggies are the color of the rainbow. Along with a balanced diet, the amount of what we eat is also indicative of how our cells age and how disease happens. This is the focus of todays editorial.
240220 "5 FAT Facts You Need to Know"
We have spun a 180 in the past decade from FAT Fearing to FAT Indulging. Yes the tables have turned because of new science which shows that you NEED fat in your diet. The 70’s through the 90’s saw rapid decline in health due to the Food Industry promoting the Low Fat diets which heavily emphasized processed foods and sugars. But, while we may have a better hold on what the current science says, there is still some outstanding myths and "Unknowns” around FAT that YOU NEED TO KNOW!.
170220 "3 Little Known Facts about Hydration that ALL Athletes Need to Know"
This week I got poked. Yep, I sat back and let the nurse have her way with me. She was gentle but damnit if she couldn’t get the vein to comply! All told she jabbed me 3 times before sending me home, blaming me for being dehydrated. Now I know I probably could have drunk more before going in but my veins are also notorious for collapsing upon entry. Either way, I went home thinking about OUR performance as Athletes and how much hydration is tied to how well (or not well) we do in sport or competition.
100220 "Ice Baths; Why you may be freezing your Butt off for Nothing "
XPT, Wim Hof, even instagram… everyone is pushing it.. Ice Baths. The Post Workout or Lifestyle trend happening now by many top athletes and influencers where you submerge your body in a trough of ice and water and love it. If you haven’t tried it, chances are you know what i’m talking about. You’ve probably taken a cold plunge in a lake or river at some point, quickly losing all feeling in your limbs and jump out with a renewed sense of love for warm clothes. The trends now are pushing mental fortitude (which is a real thing) and recovery. But a new study has come out which may disprove some of the benefits that are being touted. Lets dive in !
030220 "Say AHHHH... 3 Reasons why Being Vegan Can Be Harmful for Your Mouth"
So there I was , a place that well al know quite well. Mouth agape, laying flat on my back, beaming light shining down my gullet. And, dont forget about those stylish shades they make us wear now.. Just in case our spit goes flying or some of that super tasty tooth polish gets in our eyes! You guessed it, Im in the dentist chair. While in my meditative state, one in which I throughly enjoy, I got to thinking about… of all things.. Vegans. As science is always coming out linking one part of our bodies to the other, I got thinking about the Vegan diet and tooth decay. This is what I found out after a rousing conversation with my Dentist.
270120 "Not too Cold, Not too Hot.. Just Right.. 3 Reasons why your Body Temperature is So Important."
Do me a favor... Take the back of your hand and place it on your forehead.. How do you feel? Do you feel warm? Feel cold? Does this remind you of what your Mom used to do to you when you complained about going to school because you thought you were sick??? Our body temperature is something we use as a metric to judge how well we are doing? But why and how was this standard developed? A new study recently came out which links your body temperature to a host of evolutionary and physiological attributes . Read on and find out some things that may get you paying closer attention to that thermometer!
200120 "Programming Specific Fitness for the Brain"
I have written extensively about what foods you need to be eating to help maintain and boost brain function. But what about Fitness routines? First off Fitness in General OF ANY KIND is pretty good for blood flow and pascticity but new data is coming out about the frequency and type of exercise you can be doing to help the brain grow long into your golden years. As our population grows older and older, there is no better time to discuss this exciting topic.
130120 "3 Harmful Effects of High Intensity Training on the GUT"
Everything in Moderation right?! For many of us that were around (and undereducated) 10+ years ago, we were sold on CrossFit being the end-all be-all fitness solution that we can do for the rest of our lives. SO we bought in hard, doing 1-3 workouts per day, leaving wrecked but getting really frickin fit! Even today I travel around and see how many gyms still push the same talking points and training modalities. High Intensity Fitness prescribed 5-6 days per week because it is whats popular and sells. But what is going on in the GUT can be very different from what is showing in your lean muscles and aerobic capacity…
060120 "Digging into Food Allergies. Fact VS. Hypochondria"
Ok Here is a quick Poll.. How many of you out there have been on an airplane and heard the announcement: “We will not be serving any Peanut Products on this flight due to a SERIOUS Peanut Allergy, if you have foods which contain Peanuts, please do not eat them on this flight”. Chances are, many of you are nodding your heads now. And maybe a couple of you are those Peanut fearing folks who make your presence known in every social situation you come into. Allergies to Foods has grown in the past 50 years by a staggering amount. There are fingers being pointed and science trying to uncover the reasons. Here is the latest Science behind the phenomenon.
301219 "3 Overlooked and Healthy Greens You Should be Eating"
Colorful, dense, Nutiritious… this basically sums up your Vegetable Value System right? Well.. I hope if you are reading this you have put SOME kind of value on the food that goes in your mouth? Irregardless, The grocery isle and farmers market abound with Vegetables that will help nourish and sustain your body and mind, but there are some hidden gems that you probably are overlooking! Leafy Greens lie in grey area for most cooks and shoppers because A) you dont know how to look for them B) You dont know how to cook with them. Lets break down a couple today and get you on the right track.
231219 "Goal Setting is Easy When you Understand the Three P's for Success"
Each year in December I like to round up my thoughts, reestablish my center and focus on the short, medium and long term goals for the next year. In doing so I re-vist my 3 P's for success. I don't know exactly where or how I came up with them but If you ask anyone who has known me for a while they will likely tell you that I am as concerned with developing mental toughness as much as I am about Nutritional Health. That is what these three 'cornerstones' of success represent; a better grasp on who you are is the first step in developing true mental toughness!
161219 "Sunlight Deprivation and Its Effect on your Health and Performance"
Winter Months herald in a host of physiological changes, that can lead to our athletic performance dipping slightly. Our sleep patterns get messed up, our hormones bounce around, and often Seasonal Depression hits which absolutely has an effect on your drive in and out of the gym. For this reason we change our training modes and slow things down a bit. But what is going on inside your body because of the lack of Sunlight? Today we dive into some freaky facts that should prompt you to get outside and enjoy every moment of sunlight this winter.
091219 "Give the Gift of Fitness; My Top 4 Gifts for the Christmas"
Santa is on his way and hopefully you've been a good boy or girl this year. With the arrival of the Holiday season it's time to do some serious wish list making. Now, you can go with the boring old jewelry or bathrobe… but why not think bigger and better. Living a life where Health and Wellness take center stage is more fulfilling and so are the gifts and gadgets that come with it. I've got 4 of the best fitness related items to either gift a loved one this holiday season or to put on your list.
021219 "The Top 5 Ways You Can Take Charge of Insulin Sensitivity"
You may not be able to change certain things with which you were born. Your genes, your body type, even parts of your microbiome.. are all things you are kinda stuck with. But you can control, to a very large degree, a whole lot else with proper lifestyle choices. The more research I read, the more it all circles back to one specific factor, your sensitivity to insulin. Controlling the sensitivity to this hormone can have lasting effects that compound as you age . There are a host of ways to become sensitive to insulin and today we will explore my top 5. As we dive in, understand that this is truly a marathon and not a sprint. Your health is tied to your longevity and vice versa.
251119 "New Science; Low Carb Diet Helps Keep Flu Away"
Nature has a funny way of providing all we need to live healthy… right in the foods that we eat. With Shots and Pills being the Modern Day ‘go-to’, a group of researchers at Yale University are showing that if we eat correctly; we can ward off Viral attacks of the dreaded Flu. The solution is simply food. Well, Eating the right foods that is.
181119 "Blood Pressure, Hypertension, and Exercise.. What you need to Know"
As of today in the United States it is estimated that 45% of the adult population has some form of hypertension. The chronic cardiovascular issue is one the biggest killer. More than cancer, More than Diabetes. Hypertension is rotted in a number of different causes from genetic predisposition to culinary preferences. Exercise plays a specific role in the treatment and prevention of hypertension; and since exercise is the greatest drug that doesn’t cost anything or come in pill form, lets explore the how and why we can use it to keep our tickers ticking.