Monday, April 25, 2011

Birthday Emergency

Last year, for my birthday, I did the Marine Corps physical fitness test, and tied it into a Birthday Wish to donate 1000 dollars to Old Fella Rescue. I wish I could do something like that again this year, but alas, I cannot. Here's the thing. By now, you've all seen the magazine, and are aware of what I'm trying to do. Until this project grows its own legs, and becomes revenue generating, I have no source of income. My birthday this year has marked a period where creditors are hounding me, and my program which is so beneficial to my own well being is in jeopardy. I need EVERYBODY who knows me to go to http://www.gofundme.com/New30-Magazine and throw in 5 bucks. I need you to do this TODAY.



I hate asking people for money, and feel that much the worse, having seen all the great birthday wishes posted on my wall, this morning.



But please understand. What I'm doing here is something that I believe in, something that will benefit many people and can actually right a number of wrongs occurring daily, in this society in which we live. I can help people claim their health, their well-being, and their independence. I'm trying to make a living as an independent writer, journalist and publisher. Something that is exceedingly difficult, but will pave the way for so many of you, who dream of doing your own thing, without having to beg for the permission of "authority figures."



So, by way of summation, I want you to go, RIGHT NOW, to http://www.gofundme.com/New30-Magazine and donate 5 bucks. It's an emergency. I need your help. Please.

Friday, April 8, 2011

The Furnace

If you’ve been reading Nµ30, you’ve probably caught a glimpse of the phrase, metabolic manipulation. Though it might sound obvious, it occurs to me that many of you don’t know what I mean by that term.
During my long and arduous journey back from the old and infirm, I kept one image foremost in my mind. That image helped me to accomplish what I did.
When I was about 26, I was a tournament martial artist and a full time bike messenger. Essentially, I was working out all day, every day. I’d wake up at 6:00AM, run a mile, ride to work, ride all day – for work, and then go to Wah Lum in Chinatown, and train from 6 – 8 at night. When I got home, I’d lift for an hour or so. I’d eat a full pint of Hagen Dazs before bed, because – believe it or not – I only weighed 125 pounds, and I actually wanted to gain weight. 
One day, I was in Cambridge, and I had to wait for a package to be ready for pick-up. Now we rarely had downtime, and I found myself wondering what I would do with the 15 minutes or so, I needed to kill. It’s these times, when one is most likely to do a stomach check to ascertain whether one is hungry. I was, but in those days, I was always hungry. I had three things working, which insured that condition. First, as I say, I was always moving – always exercising. Second, I had the metabolism of a twenty something. Finally, of course, I was dirt poor. Eating was not only a necessity, but also a luxury.
I decided a Milky Way was in order. I jumped on my Chro-Moly war pony, and headed for where I knew there to be a vending machine.
Now, here’s the important part. I’ve only experienced this once in my life, but I never forgot the sensation, and it’s remained as a guidepost for me in my athletic life.
As I ate that candy bar, I could literally feel my body digesting it, and greedily assimilating the calories, instantly.
Let me see if I can explain that statement more clearly. It’s as if, the food wasn’t even making it into my stomach. I actually felt like my body was absorbing the sugars and questionable nutrients without passing through the gastric stage, at all – like my starved muscles were sucking energy directly out of that gooey confection. That junk-food bar was hitting my empty stomach like spit on a hot grille. 
I remember making a mental note about this eerie experience. I called it the furnace – and I’ve chased after it, ever since.
It’s not hunger. It’s something way beyond hunger.
When you begin a diet and exercise program, assuming it’s intense enough, the first stage you undergo is called ketosis. During this phase, your body begins metabolizing the fat that’s been stored around your liver, and in the fatty deposits on your hips, glutes, and abs. In the advanced stages of ketosis, you begin to utilize the fat that’s been stored between the individual muscle fibers.
When all that fat’s gone, you undergo the second phase. This is called glyconeogenesis. During this phase, your metabolism attempts to make glucose out of the protein in your diet. At a certain point, you actually begin to manipulate your own metabolism – hence the term, metabolic manipulation. Here’s where you can begin turning the clock back. Here’s where you can say goodbye to the old sick you, and hello to the teenager inside.
Now quite honestly, this isn’t going to happen if you drop down to 2000 Kcal, and walk around a mall for 20 minutes a day. You’re going to have to quit eating simple carbohydrates all together. You’re going to have to force yourself to get by on something like 1200 calories per day, and above all, you’re going to have to start an intensive exercise program – at a gym, and with a good trainer. Exercise is my medicine.
It’s costly and time consuming. It’s difficult. It requires making extensive changes to your schedule, your social life, and your entire lifestyle. You’ll fight with your spouse. Your friends won’t get it. Your boss will feel put out.
You’ll start shopping at different stores, wearing different clothes and seeking out alternatives to everything. You’ll find yourself taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking at the far end of the lot and biking – or walking – instead of driving.
But, the payout! Oh, my God! The payout is phenomenal. You’ll feel better than you’ve ever felt in your life. You won’t be all drag-assed at 2:30 in the afternoon, anymore. You’ll be able to say goodbye to the annual cold. Depression? So long. In short, like I say, you’ll be like a kid, again. It’s a long road to tread, but believe me; it’s worth every step.
***
I hope you enjoyed reading this post. I want so much to be able to write for you, and share my experiences in this journey. Won’t you please consider donating a little something to my contribution site?
If you can’t make a financial commitment, please follow me at my blog site, http://new30magazine.blogspot.com/. Read my work, and please, click on some ads. I hate advertising as much as you do, but why not let some big corporation pay for all this?

 


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Wednesday, April 6, 2011

An Addendum

A scene in the movie, “V for Vendetta,” inspired this idea. I call it English Breakfast – Un-English-ized. Apparently, the English take white Bread, and fry it in lard, with an egg on top. In order for it to work, you’d have to pretty much smother the thing in saturated fats. But then again, the English consider fat a spice, so…
Here’s what I did. Put about 2 Tbsp. of soy butter on the pre-heated grille, or in a skillet. Take 2 slices of Food For Life Brand Ezekiel 4.9 flourless multi-grain, and toast one side in the sizzling butter.

On the back of the grille, or in another skillet, fry 2 cage free, happy chicken eggs. After about 3 minutes, turn the bread slices over. You might have to add just a touch more butter. Remember, the goal is to make the toast crunchy and delicious, while still keeping the thing non-toxic. Now, just quickly turn the eggs, and flop them – 1 each – onto the sizzling hot toast. Serve open face.

Serving size: 1 sandwich (1 of 2, following above recipe.)
Calories: 250
Fat: 21 grams
Carbohydrates (total): 14 grams
Protein: 10 grams
Two hundred and fifty calories would easily allow two sandwiches to fit into a diet of 1500 – 2000 Kcal. Carbohydrates come from the Ezekiel bread, and are mostly fiber. 0.25 g/Kcal protein means that the calories in this food are about 25% full.

***

As mentioned this week on the FaceBook page, I read an article linking hyperglycemia and Diabetes to the use of statin drugs. Now, doctors regularly prescribe statins to lower serum cholesterol - even more so, in the case of Diabetics. Most doctors want Diabetic LDL to be at about 70, due to increased risk of arterial disease in Diabetic patients. They may in fact, be prescribing the very drug that is making it difficult for them to control the Diabetes. Ok. I promised you the link, and here it is. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/03/28/the-stealth-drug-cause-of-diabetes.aspx

I’ve been going toe to toe with my endocrinologist – although I love the dude – over statin use for a couple of years now, but for different reasons. They severely impact leg muscles, and what kind of fighter / runner has weak legs? Anyway, you don’t need them. You can control cholesterol yourself, without drugs.

Oh, by the way. While you’re at the FaceBook link, as the Yidisshe-mama in me would say, so would it kill you to maybe click “Like?”

***

Jack says hi. He really hopes you enjoyed his column this month. Jack ponders many deep questions in life, but most recently, he’s concerned about why – every week – we take all our best stuff and put it on the sidewalk, for men in big trucks to bring home to their dogs.

***

I’m trying to do this for a job. I want to provide my readers with a high quality and helpful resource, and at the same time create an income for myself. I put in much more than 40 hours per week, as it is. So, yes. I need the contribution money, and yes, I’m using it as a personal piggy bank.

Please understand, if a person has a job, they get paid. They use the money to pay things like rent and credit card bills. That’s all I’m doing. I’m trying to get paid for doing a job. Until this thing becomes self-supporting, which is the business plan, I need your help.

Please, please, go to the contrib. Page and consider giving whatever you can. If everybody who reads this magazine could throw in just 5 bucks, I’d be out of the hot water, and the wolf would be gone from the door.
If you just plain don’t have anything at all to give, please, go to the blog site and click on one of the ads. You don’t have to buy anything, just click on an ad or two. You’ll be helping me, and above all, you’ll be helping Jack.



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Hey, if you want to read this in it's neat magazine formatting, go to http://www.scribd.com/doc/52426434

There's a bunch of really cool embedded links in that version.

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Here's the link to the newest issue

I'll be back with more to say, but for now:


April's Nµ30 Magazine! 




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