Lean and Hard

Authority Nutrition - 8.26.13 by Kris Gunnars

I’m tired of having to constantly defend my position regarding animal foods, so I decided to summarize what I think are the key problems with vegan diets.

There is no one right way to eat for everyone.

We are all different and what works for one person may not work for the next.

I personally advocate consumption of both animals and plants and I think there is plenty of evidence that this is a reasonable way to eat.

However, I often get comments from vegans who think that people should eliminate all animal foods.

They frequently say that I’m giving out dangerous advice, that I must be corrupt and sponsored by the meat and dairy industry, or that I’m simply misinformed and need to read The China Study.

Really… I have nothing against vegans or vegetarians.

If you want to eat in this way for whatever reason and you are feeling good and improving your health, then great! Keep on doing what you’re doing.

But I do have a serious problem when proponents of this diet are using lies and fear mongering to try and convince everyone else to eat in the same way.

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Sorry, juicers. Eating it is good. Drinking it, not so much.

The Verge - 8.31.13 By Vlad Savov

"FRUIT JUICES LEAD TO MORE RAPID AND LARGER CHANGES IN SERUM LEVELS OF GLUCOSE AND INSULIN."

A study published by the BMJ this week affirms one piece of conventional wisdom — that eating fruit is highly beneficial to your health — while refuting another — that fruit juice is just as good as the unprocessed stuff. Analysing the dietary habits of 187,382 subjects over multiple decades, the research team concluded that "greater consumption of specific whole fruits ... was significantly associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, whereas greater fruit juice consumption was associated with a higher risk."

Type 2 is the more prevalent kind of diabetes and, unlike type 1, can be actively prevented through a balanced diet. The new data from the BMJ identifies blueberries, grapes, apples, and pears as among the most significant reducers of diabetes risk, which echoes findings published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition last year. Where the new research goes further, however, is in looking at the effects of drinking fruit juice, which you might expect to be equivalent to eating whole fruit, but turns out to slightly increase your chances of developing diabetes.

In juicing the fruit's flesh away, you remove the dietary fiber and other nutrients that may be contained in the peel, while increasing the glycemic index by making its sugar easier to digest. Diabetes is a disorder of the body's ability to regulate blood glucose levels, which is why you might want to reconsider that glass of orange juice in the morning.

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The Fight Against Cancer Includes Exercise - by Melanie Bowen

At the moment of receiving the initial diagnosis, cancer begins taking its toll on the body and the mind. The stress alone involved with hearing the news can be devastating. In addition, enduring subsequent treatments and medications all cause an emotional, physical and psychological strain. Numerous studies indicate that when cancer patients engage in some type of physical activity from the beginning they gain numerous benefits, aid in a quicker recovery, and improve the overall quality of life.

Light Exercise

When undergoing aggressive treatments for mesothelioma or other lung related cancers, even light exercise often makes a world of difference. Light exercise involves any repetitive physical movement that does not alter an individual’s breathing pattern. The activity does not cause shortness of breath and one may carry on a conversation while performing the exercise. The regimen is also not so strenuous that it causes perspiration.

Walking is a great example of a simple light exercise. The activity improves overall muscle strength, inhibits bone loss and helps combat the fatigue that patients commonly endure secondary to chemotherapy. Walking also offers emotional and psychosocial benefits, as individuals feel a sense of accomplishment. How often and how far patients walk depends on individual tolerance. Start by simply walking to and from the end of the block, and gradually increase the distance. Walk with a friend or a family member. This type of exercise proves especially beneficial for patients with cancers affecting the lungs.

Moderate Exercise

Patients finished with cancer treatment often begin some type of moderate activity, which helps regain strength faster. These activities typically produce perspiration after repetitive movement for 10 minutes. Respirations may become faster, but the exercise does not render the individual breathless. During the activity, one should have the ability to carry on a conversation without difficulty.

If patients are physically ready to take on a moderate level of exercise then water aerobics should be a consideration. Community swimming pools often offer this type of exercise class. The movements performed while in the buoyancy of an aquatic environment improve overall cardiovascular fitness, circulation and flexibility while increasing bone and muscle strength. Since water aerobics is considered as a low-impact exercise because being 90% lighter in the water, there is less stress placed on the joints. As a result, this exercise may be ideal for those with joint complications.

Advanced Exercise

After having regained strength and endurance from moderate activities, individuals typically progress to a more advanced level of exercise. These activities help tone the body and may aid in weight loss if needed. Aggressive exercise causes deep and rapid respirations. Perspiring begins after a few minutes.

Implementing a weight-training regimen further improves muscle and skeletal strength and enhances cardiovascular fitness when performed correctly. Although you may feel as if your body is ready to do more, when beginning a weight-training program it is important to not forget to start slowly and that healing is a gradual process. Get guidance from a physical therapist or seek advice from a trainer at a local gym. The type of training cancer survivors may attempt largely depends on the type of cancer and treatment individual patients endure. Coaches or therapists have the knowledge and expertise to create a program that targets specific areas of the body depending on a person’s strength and weaknesses.


Other positive aspects of continuing some type of physical routine throughout the treatment process include increased energy, a better appetite and a more restful sleep. Researchers also find that exercise often helps combat the discomfort and unpleasant side effects of chemotherapy and radiation treatment. Before beginning any activity, always consult with your personal health care provider. Exercise and physical activity may not be a cure for cancer, however it should be considered as a crucial component in the road toward recovery.

Editor's Note: Melanie is currently a Master's student with a passion that stems from her grandmother's cancer diagnosis. She often highlights the great benefits of alternative nutritional, emotional, and physical treatments on those diagnosed with cancer or other serious illness.  To read more from Melanie, visit her blog for the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance. In her spare time, you can find Melanie trying new vegan recipes, on her yoga mat, or spending time with her family.

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Motivation to exercise is sometimes hard to find, I know. That's why we need to store up in our minds and hearts all the great reasons to get out and just do it (sorry, Nike). Here's one that might get you over the hump on those kinds of days...

It helps to know that, when you exercise regularly, some pretty awesome changes take place in your body on a cellular level, and these changes can have profoundly desirable consequences. As it happens, one of the reasons we age and our bodies deteriorate is that our cells have a limited number of times they can effectively replicate themselves. After a certain number of duplications, the DNA bits that cap the end of our cells' chromosomes, called telomeres, run out and our cells die.

Exercise, it has been found, actually prevents the shortening or the telomeres, thus putting off the death of our cells. Hence, a longer, healthier life! This from an excellent Live Science article found here:

The researchers measured the length of telomeres in blood samples from two groups of professional athletes and two groups who were healthy nonsmokers, but not regular exercisers.

"The most significant finding of this study is that physical exercise of the professional athletes leads to activation of the important enzyme telomerase and stabilizes the telomere," said Ulrich Laufs, the study's lead author and professor of clinical and experimental medicine at Saarland University in Homburg, Germany.

"This is direct evidence of an anti-aging effect of physical exercise," Laufs said. "Physical exercise could prevent the aging of the cardiovascular system, reflecting this molecular principle."

This means younger skin, younger organs, a younger body. Thinking about this has gotten me to the gym more than once.

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The Atlantic - 3.13.13 by Emily Esfahani Smith

Far from being delusional or faith-based, having a positive outlook in difficult circumstances is not only an important predictor of resilience -- how quickly people recover from adversity -- but it is the most important predictor of it.

One of the most memorable scenes of the Oscar-nominated film Silver Linings Playbook revolves around Ernest Hemingway's A Farewell to Arms, a novel that does not end well, to put it mildly.

Patrizio Solitano Jr. (Bradley Cooper) has come home after an eight-month stint being treated for bipolar disorder at a psychiatric hospital, where he was sentenced to go after he nearly beat his wife's lover to death. Home from the hospital, living under his parents' charge, Pat has lost his wife, his job, and his house. But he tries to put the pieces of his life back together. He exercises, maintains an upbeat lifestyle, and tries to better his mind by reading through the novels that his estranged wife Nikki, a high school English teacher, assigns her students.

Pat takes up a personal motto, excelsior -- Latin for "ever upward." He tells his state-appointed therapist, "I hate my illness and I want to control it. This is what I believe to be true: You have to do everything you can and if you stay positive you have a shot at a silver lining."



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Here's an interesting thought: It doesn't seem strange when someone attempts to change their level of physical fitness through diet and exercise, but how many people do you know who are attempting to develop their emotional fitness? I mean in a systematic way that is based on sound science? If they're out there, I don't know them personally, or at least they don't talk about it,

Granted, transforming your body from morbidly obese to lean and hard is easily apparent to others, while transforming your internal state is far less so by definition, except as the change manifests itself in the way you behave. But isn't it true that people who get to know you in a more meaningful way can also recognize and appreciate an emotionally fitter you? And even more important, can't you?

I've made a lot of progress toward my goal of becoming physically lean and hard. I've lost 127 pounds so far, gone from a 52 inch waist to a 34. I'll be at my goal when I'm a 32, so I'm not there yet. But in spite of that progress, it seems to me that I can also engage in a different kind of diet and exercise, one that will enhance my emotional fitness. And I can go about it in a systematic way that is based on sound scientific evidence.

What is emotional fitness? There's no chart to tell me how much I should reduce my selfishness, anxiety or laziness, nor is there a measuring device to tell me how big my empathy and compassion are getting. But I can recognize what needs to be reduced and what needs to be enhanced, and I can find some means of cutting out the things in my life that destroy my emotional health and instead practicing more of those activities that build up my emotional fitness.

I look forward to sharing what I find as I embark on this journey toward a different kind of lean and hard. I hope you'll find it interesting and helpful.

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"According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005, nutrient-dense foods are those foods that provide substantial amounts of vitamins and minerals and relatively few calories" (Wikipedia).

The way I think about food has changed over the past year. It used to be that I'd categorize the desirability of possible meals by how good they'd taste and how filling they'd be, and the more of those things, the better. That type of thinking led me into a cycle of addiction to energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods, obesity, a shortened life-expectancy, and all sorts of related health problems.

Now, when I consider the goodness and desirability of possible meals, I think about how I can pack as many great nutrients into as few calories as possible and have it all taste good to boot. With this kind of thinking I've lost 125 pounds so far, and shed some serious health problems along with those pounds. For me it's all about packing in the nutrients, not the calories.

Here's a great article that lists some awesome nutrient-dense foods. Once you've learned to identify them, the trick is putting them into tasty, calorie-sparse recipes. Obviously, there are scads of ideas on the internet, and you can learn to make them up yourself through some trial and error. A couple of great categories for putting these awesome meals together are soups and salads, just because they both can handle lots of excellent ingredients.

For example, instead of potatoes and pasta in your soups, add beans and vegetables. And in your salads, instead of the boring iceberg lettuce, make them out of spinach, carrots, walnuts, cranberries, avocados, etc. There's almost no end to the number of delicious superfoods you can easily pack into these two types of meals.

When you eat like this you're accomplishing two excellent things. You're keeping your calories down in order to get rid of fat, and you're enhancing your looks, health, fitness and longevity at the same time.

So, pack in the nutrients, not the calories!

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I'll begin by saying that not all sleep apnea is caused by obesity. But since mine was, it only makes sense that I could cure it by reversing the cause.

As I steadily gained weight over the years, I started to snore, and snore worse and worse, to the point where I was waking myself up and even stopped breathing for short periods of time. (I guess if it had been for long periods I wouldn't be here to write this.)I woke up with headaches almost every morning.

Eventually I went and did a sleep study, which is a miserable experience, I assure you. They set me up with a CPAP machine (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure), which made breathing easier during sleep but was a pain to use. The thing looked ridiculous, but at least I wasn't snoring or taking breaks from breathing during the night.

I used that thing for years and years, taking it with me on trips and wearing it without fail every night. Until a week ago , when I finally packed it up and put it away deep in my closet. And guess what. I'm sleeping better than ever.

As I was losing weight over the last several months, I was also dialing down the pressure setting on the CPAP, and I eventually reached a point where I could do without it completely. It feels so good to be free of my tether! Just another benefit of becoming lean and hard.

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I hate those stupid web adds that promise to do everything from get rid of belly fat to save you thousands on car insurance if you will follow "this one simple rule." Doing those things is rarely accomplished with a simple rule. If they were then no one would have belly fat or pay with their left arm for car insurance. But I can tell you how I was able to cure myself of morbid obesity, chronic fatigue and type 2 diabetes by substituting slow carbs for fast carbs.

Chronic Fatigue and Morbid Obesity

I suffered from chronic fatigue, at first sporadically, then eventually continuously, for about 30 years. I can tell you that it is very real and can drastically impair your life. It hurts those you love, hinders your career, and can end marriages. And almost worst of all, it gets no respect.

Since medical science has been unable to pin down a cause, many people will assume that you're a malingerer, faking illness to avoid things you don't want to do. Loved ones will question whether it's all in your head. People will ask you over and over to explain what it feels like. I can assure you that it's not like normal fatigue. I've experienced both and they are nothing alike. The double whammy for me was feeling too sick to do anything but lay in bed while at the same time maintaining an enormous appetite. So, guess what happened? I got very, very fat.

I tried everything under the sun to find a cure. I traveled to foreign countries, submitted to batteries of tests, visited with real doctors and quacks, all to no avail. But I have now found a cure that has worked for me going on almost a full year. I've regained my strength, diminished my addiction to huge amounts of food, and so far have lost 121 pounds, going from a high of 303 to my latest weigh-in of 182.

Type-2 Diabetes

With the morbid obesity came type-2 diabetes. I was having to spend thousands of dollars on insulin and other medications just to control my blood sugar. Over the past year I have been able, under my endocrinologist's supervision, to get completely off all diabetes meds while maintaining healthy sugar levels.

What about you?

I can't say whether or not you, reader, will find the same benefits from adopting my eating habits, since we are not the same. I am certain, however, that there are many, many people out there who will.

In my next post I'll go into more detail about the slow carb for fast carb swap.

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Believe it or not, there are still people who think the Atkins diet (and its numerous imitators) are worth trying. The no-carb fad is over, my friends. Consider these insights from Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD, writing for Shape:

Many of my clients send me their food diaries every day, in which they record not just what and how much they eat, but also their hunger and fullness ratings and how they feel before, during, and after meals. Over the years I’ve noticed a trend. Drastic carb cutting (despite my recommendation to include specific portions of “good” carbs), results in some not so pleasant side effects. I see journal notes like, cranky, irritable, shaky, lethargic, moody, and reports of intense cravings for forbidden foods. Now, a new study also indicates that low carb diets aren’t optimal health wise.

I will admit to trying it myself way back when. After a few days on the no-carb regimen I recall feeling like I would be willing to kill my best friend for a piece of bread. Those intense cravings for so-called forbidden foods can lead you to only one place... binge eating.

What about low carb diets? Keeping in mind that any fat loss plan must necessarily involve cutting calories, and that a healthy diet should have a good balance of proteins, carbs and fats, low carb diets may have the same effect. You may find yourself fantasizing about eating your way through a mountain of muffins, or a sea of ice cream. And you'll eventually attempt, albeit unsuccessfully, to accomplish one of these feats.

So what's the optimal plan? It's about quality as well as quantity. Instead of treating carbs as all the same, try slow carbs.

Slow carbs are also known as good carbs, complex carbs or low-glycemic carbs. Here's a helpful definition:

...any carbohydrate that is broken down and absorbed by the body slowly.

Simple carbs, by contrast, are usually highly processed and so are broken down and absorbed very quickly. This rapid absorption causes spikes in blood sugar, which in turn causes more insulin to be pumped into the bloodstream, which causes an increase in fat storage.

Simple carbs can do other strange things. Since they cause a kind of chemical high, they are somewhat addictive, meaning they cause intense cravings for more of the same. Your body tells you you must have that slice of cake or you'll die, that large pizza or you'll writhe in agony forever. It's irresistible.

Another awful side effect of simple carbs is fatigue. With every sugar high comes the inevitable crash. And although this may not be proven science, it's possible that an overgrowth of candida and other bad micro-organisms can poison the system with toxins that mimic the feeling of having the flu.

The way to break the addiction is to substitute slow carbs for fast carbs. Whole grains, beans, fruits and vegetables, seeds and nuts, sweet potatoes instead of white, etc.

Thoughts and comments are welcome!

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How old are you? It's a simple question, right? Not really.

It's not as simple as you might think to answer this question. Most of us just count the number of years that have passed since the date on our birth certificates. By that measure I am 52. But there are other ways to measure age. Sometimes people say you're only as old as you feel. But what about your biological age?

Here's an interesting definition of biological age:

Your BIOLOGICAL AGE is the age that most normal people would be when they have a body and mind similar to yours.

Your chronological age can't be manipulated, but your biological age can be. You can, in fact, turn back the clock. You can even accomplish this at a genetic level. Consider the results of this study:

The researchers identified 596 differentially expressed genes (meaning atypical to other genes being analyzed). Of these, after 26 weeks of resistance training the researchers identified 179 genes associated with age and exercise showing a reversal of their gene expression. This means quite literally that the resistance training was not only slowing, but also reversing the aging process at the gene level. The gene expressions of the resistance trained older subjects demonstrated characteristics similar to those of the younger group. The researchers also noted that mitochondrial impairment, normally seen with inactivity, was reversing with the 6 months of resistance training.

What does all this mean? As mind-blowing as it is, it means you can actually reverse the aging process and increase your lifespan!

A related term that's more useful than "lifespan" is "healthspan." Healthspan is defined as:

...the period of a person's life during which they are generally healthy and free from serious or chronic illness.

I'm not as interested in increasing the length of time I would be considered clinically "alive" as much as the length of time I am healthy and able to enjoy living. And this I can definitely affect by the way I live right now.

Are you ready to get started with your age reversal?

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