The Siren Moment

We all have our siren moments.  You know what I am talking about….that ONE item or experience that no matter how hard you try, you just can’t eliminate it from your diet. You KNOW you should.

My siren is going to the movie theater.  Growing up my mom didn’t have a lot of disposable income.  We didn’t go to the movies.  I can actually tell you what movies I saw as a kid/teenager -> Purple Rain, My Girl, Terminator 2, The Running Man and Seven.  It just wasn’t something we did. 

When I started dating my husband I got turned on to movies.  He is a huge movie person.  He has probably seen every movie ever produced.  We went to the movie theaters a lot and if we weren’t at the theater we were holed up in his barracks room recreating the atmosphere.  Popcorn, chocolate, Reese’s pieces, soda, pretzels, junk galore!

The sad part is I can’t even tell you most of the movies we have seen.  If I sit too long the little monkey running the switchboard in my head starts running around switching things off and I fall asleep.  But not before I get my fair share of junk…and in hindsight that might be why I couldn’t stay awake to watch the movie.  My blood sugar was spiked and my organs were crying for a break so the brain shut me down so I couldn’t gorge on anything else.

Meh….live and learn.

Going to the theater recreates a 20 year old Angela, and a 23 year old Ray.  We were dumb, reckless, passionate, but oh so much fun.  We didn’t have schedules or responsibilities.  There was no kids, no pets, a mortgage to pay and the only time hack we had was making sure we showed up for post.  It was a very nostalgic time…and if I am being completely honest -> I am so glad we are grown ups now!

I can recognize this now, but you get me into that theater and as soon as I walk through the door I get agitated.  I want that junk.  I want that nostalgia, that lack of knowledge.  I want that hot buttery pop corn (starch) with Nonpareils (sugar) while sitting in the dark watching shiny pictures flash and boom all the while snuggled in my jacket to fend off the air conditioning blowing frigid air down my neck.

This is a total siren moment for me.  And using discipline to stave off this siren pisses me off.  I just want to be a “normal” person; enjoying the popcorn and chocolate, the big shiny pictures and the loud noises in the dark….where no one can see me be a glutton. 

BUT….I have to walk out of that theater.  And that is where the problem starts.  This is where being a “normal” person proves that ignorance is not bliss.  No one SAW me consuming mass amounts of buttery popcorn and chocolate but that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.  And now the consequences set in.  What’s that…a pimple on my chin.  Fantastic. I can’t shake the lethargy.  I just want to nap and sit….but there is so much to do!  Life isn’t waiting for me to get over my starch and sugar binge. 

And the fact remains that this shit food impacts how I train, how I rest, how I live.  This shit food causes metabolic damage, I can see it when I prick my finger and test my blood sugars.  No, I am NOT diabetic.  I use the glucometer as a tool to gather information on what is REALLY going on in my body, so that I can stay lean, stay strong, train hard, live well.  (buy my book)

So what do you do when that Siren goes off? 

Do you crumble and give in? Do you avoid buying it or avoid going to that place? 

Or do you pull up your big kid britches and realize that YOU are the demon not the movie theaters.  The issue is YOU and YOUR attitude towards your Siren.  That yes, you can still go to the movies and snuggle in your jacket and watch the shiny pictures with their loud booms without compromising your health.  Do you pretend that ignorance is bliss and throw your hands up when you are too tired and lethargic to live because your food choices were shit? 

What do you do? 

I suggest you recognize that LIFE and LIVING has nothing to do with food.  That you make REAL food choices so you are vibrant and healthy and can enjoy every single blessed second you are on this Earth?  Those real food choices aren’t found in the movie theater.  They are at your Farmer’s Market, and on the local farm walking around, grazing on grass, or in the organic section of the grocery store.  Yeah, these food choices require effort in purchase and preparation.  Health requires effort.  Anyone trying to sell you a quick gimmick pill, frozen entrée or shake is trying to pay for their mortgage. 

You are going to have to cook.  You are going to have to pack your lunch.  You are going to have to prioritize time to exercise.  Health requires effort.

So I ask you….what will you do when that Siren calls??    

Lessons Learned

The world is quiet as I walk across the Pentagon’s courtyard towards the corridor that will take me winding down into the labyrinth bowels of the Pentagon to the PAC (Pentagon Athletic Center). 

It is still dark outside and the only light is the dull yellow glow coming from the building’s windows and lightly illuminating the courtyard. 

The trees in the courtyard are majestic.  They are the multi-trunk trees that wind together as they grow, they are tall, lush, and you could forget you are in an office building. 

There is no one in the courtyard yet.  No smokers to line and depress the sidewall.  No office jockeys slumped in the chairs that line the center.  No one sitting at the picnic tables shoveling the food-like product the café in the center serves.  It is simply peaceful and enjoyable.

I am walking with a purpose, but slow to take it in.  I am geared up and ready to go to work with my mentor.  This sight adds that additional motivation to my spirit to LIVE.  I feel powerful, excited, and eager to attack the day.  This is how you should wake up feeling I think to myself.  THIS is IT!  THIS is how I want to feel all day. Positive, excited, WANTING a challenge, what will the day bring?

I am on my way to my mentor…the gym…but more specifically…the iron.  I am geared up physically and mentally, just as the iron requires.  The iron doesn’t want excuses; I am to show up ready to work and work hard.  I am ready. 

The iron has taught me many life lessons that I cherish.  You could look at them and think they are inconsequential but I know…I know these lessons are invaluable.

1.        Train fasted.  Throwing up sucks.  Throwing up, while hugging the garbage can on the gym floor really sucks.  As you beg your stomach to stop reeling and burning, you promise yourself not to do that again….people walk by, they nod, they understand. 

2.       To be humble.  I am not quite as bad-ass as the rap blaring in my ears has me convinced.  I have been humbled by the iron more times than I care to admit.  I have been injured more times than I like.  The iron is always right. 

3.       I AM as bad-ass as the rap blaring in my ears has me thinking.  Attitude is everything.  My attitude in the gym isn’t about you. Actually nothing is about you when I am in the gym, I don’t even see you. 

Don’t think I am wearing those short-shorts for you, or that my stand-off attitude is because I think I am better.  I am focused, I like seeing my muscles in the mirror, I like seeing my body work.  I appreciate my hard work. 

4.       Journaling is important.  I have the worst memory.  I can’t remember what I lifted last time, or how I felt about the lift, or how my day was going when I did that lift. 

5.       Drink water.  Because your muscles are 75% water, if you don’t drink it they won’t work.

6.       I have a strong chin…..a mishap with a clean and press.

7.       Focus on me.  I am not concerned with how much weight you are lifting.  I am not concerned with your good or bad form.  I am focused on me.  My lifts are about me, not you.  They help me pursue and define my strong, lean body.  My lifts are about my health, not yours.  I cannot focus on those around me when I lift. 

I have watched for years people meander like mindless robots in seek of their punishment at the gym.  Steering clear of the barbells and flocking to the machines.  I have watched people use too heavy a weight stack on cable pulleys only to perform the worst form ever on a triceps extension.  I have watched people gear up to run, with dread in their every movement.  I have watched people mindless elliptical their way to the magical 40 minute mark.  I have seen many, many folks use the gym to punish themselves.

The iron has taught me not to soak in these negative vibes.  To concern myself with my lifts, my sprints.  Mine are the only ones that matter to me when I am in the gym to train.

8.       Where you train is important.  I have trained in so many gyms over the years. How you feel when you come into your gym is very important.  I trained at a gym occasionally with my husband a few years ago, my husband was a member and I would go with him as a guest.  As soon as you walked in you would get the once over look by the snobby staff, asking to pay for a visitors pass was an inconvenience to them.  Once you got out on the floor you could immediately see the clicks.  A lot of standing around, not much lifting.  Some of the groups were even bold enough to mock form of patrons around them.  This gym had an extremely negative energy and I never had good lifts there.  At the PAC everyone knows me.  I have been there for 10 years now.  I know the staff too.  I like going there, I like the head nod in between sets to different folks and I like the invites to work out with someone.  It is a healthy, positive vibe.

It is never just about the lift.  It is always about the mental game, the learning, the process and getting better each and every time you step up to the barbell.   It isn’t just about the pounds you are lifting, or the repetitions you are completing.  It is about the lessons.  The lessons you learn on the floor with the iron will shape who you are when you leave the gym.  The iron will mentor you to be of sound character, to have a strong mind, to be brave and, confident.

It is official! I am a published author!

Exciting news!!  My book is available to purchase!

Buy on Amazon, Barnes and Noble Online (BN.com), or through the publishing company here: http://bookstore.authorhouse.com/Products/SKU-000558806/The-Glucometer-A-SelfEmpowering-Tool-to-a-Healthy-and-Lean-Body.aspx

If you would like an autographed copy you can purchase through me, just send me an email @ w8isgr8@gmail.com.  I accept all major credit cards.

WHY buy my book?  Because you NEED it!  Seriously, if you are struggling with your weight or health issues you NEED this guide I have created.

What's with that goofy, long ass title, Ang?  Oh, boy, I couldn't come up with a title....I thought and thought and thought....all my creative energy went into the book itself! 

What is it about?  What is a glucometer?

The glucometer is the link you’ve been missing to obtain health and a lean, beautiful body. Effectively using a glucometer will determine your body’s ability to process foods and stress and can prevent not only diabetes, but high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and many other diseases. The Glucometer: A Self-Empowering Tool to a Healthy and Lean Body is designed to give you the secrets to what foods are causing you to accumulate fat and get sick.

The Glucometer: A Self-Empowering Tool to a Healthy and Lean Body will provide you the exact knowledge you need to make the best food choices to lose weight AND obtain health. Your health is the only wealth you need. Learn to cherish and nurture it.

The Glucometer: A Self-Empowering Tool to a Healthy and Lean Body has a 21-day journal with daily challenges. You get to choose and design an exercise program (because yes, you have to exercise) even if you don’t have access to a gym or equipment. There is even a grocery list and a recipe section to take the guess work out of the first few grocery store trips and meal planning.

I'd love to talk to you about my book, email me, leave me a comment, buy the book!  Your support is appreciated and you will not be upset with this purchase.

What else has been going on with me.....

Today I was invited to speak at Career Day for my daughter's 4th grade class.  Now full-time I am a DoD Analyst....SNORE!  Instead I went as my part-time gig and as a freshly minted author.  I didn't want to bombard the kids with information, but I wanted them to take something away from the 25 minutes I had with them.   I focused on sugar, and went over the following:

Please take note in this picture that yes, you obviously know that Mt. Dew has a ton of sugar.  But this Mt. Dew is 20 ounces, compare that to the 6 ounce chocolate milk.  If you compare the sizes you will see that chocolate milk has just as much sugar as the soda.  Pretty frightening when I asked the kids who had chocolate milk for lunch and over 75% of the class raised their hands. (27 kids)

Sugar has many, many names

Sucrose, glucose, dextrose, maltose, maltodextrin, fructose, brown sugar, cane sugar, turbanado, fruit juice, lactose, honey, agave, beet sugar, organic, raw

 

DON’T be fooled!!  All sugar is digested the same.

All sugar is turned into glucose as soon as it hits your tongue!!  Your body can only have 5 grams or a little more than ONE teaspoon

of glucose (sugar) in your blood stream at a time.  More is toxic and makes you sick.  To prevent you from having toxic blood or getting sick your body produces a hormone called INSULIN to put the extra glucose (sugar) into fat cells.

WHY should I care about consuming too much sugar?

Now here is where it got tricky...how do you make a 10 year old care about their sugar consumption?

Too much sugar can lead to:

A big belly

Tiredness

ADHD and ADD

And now for the scary health aspects....

Cancer

Cancer cells feed off of glucose (sugar) in the blood.  Every single day, every single person’s body produces cancer cells.  A cancer cell is when DNA replicates incorrectly. 

Keeping your body strong and healthy by eating good quality meats and veggies and moving will give your body the defenses to remove any incomplete cells. 

But if you eat too much sugar those corrupt cells have an opportunity to grow and multiply. 

Type II Diabetes

Type II Diabetes is a disease that can happen when your blood has too much glucose (sugar) and becomes toxic. 

A Type II Diabetic’s body doesn’t listen to the hormone insulin like it is supposed to and doesn’t do a good job of getting the glucose from your blood into your muscles and fat cells.  A type II diabetic’s blood becomes THICK like MAPLE SYRUP.   Too thick to get to all the valuable and very important cells the blood it needs.  Blood carries nutrients and oxygen to keep all of our cells alive and working. 

If the blood is THICK like MAPLE SYRUP then the blood cannot get into tiny veins.  This puts a diabetic at risk for rotten teeth, lost eye sight, heart attack and amputations!

You are what you eat!

Seriously!

Every cell in your body to include: skin, hair, fingernails, your heart, your lungs, EVERY BIT OF YOU is made from the foods you eat!  So make every BITE count!

 Exercise!

This is where I made them all honorary Fitness Coaches and gave them a few tools to help their mom, dad, grandma, aunts, uncles, day care provider, etc. They were very excited to be christened as FITNESS COAHCES!

One of the things I hear most from adults about why they don’t exercise is they do not have enough time.

With taking care of YOU, working, cleaning the house, taking you to sports games and practice, walking the dog, cleaning the cat litter, taking out the trash, cooking, shopping! Whew!!  Adults have lots of responsibilities.

BUT!!!

Everyone can make time to exercise.  The trick is to get out of the mainstream thought process that you must have fancy clothes, shoes, equipment or a gym membership to exercise.

Some of the BEST exercises are free and can be done ANYWHERE!

Quick workouts for the busy adult:

Set a timer and each hour do 10 push-ups and 10 squats.  (YES, this can even be done at work) by the end of a 10 hour day you will have done 100 push-ups and 100 squats!! THAT is impressive

**If you are not strong enough to do push-ups from your toes do them against a counter or from your knees)

Do Jumping Jacks during every commercial of your TV shows.

Walk MORE, Sit LESS!

Yes, it is this easy!

That was my presentation to my daughter's fourth grade class.  She came home and told me the kids were happy to get to move around as they must sit all day except recess and they didn't get recess today because of the presentations. .....sigh....I wish I had the opportunity to home-school my kids....we'd ALWAYS be moving, learning, and living.  Not stifled by a desk and chair.....there is plenty of time for that when they grow up and have a desk job. 

Again, my book is on sale!!  I'd love to talk to you about it.  Shoot me an email, leave me a comment, buy the book! 

Revolution

Any Tracy Chapman fans out there?  Talkin bout a revooolution….sounds like a whisper.

I have recently “unliked” quite a few pages on Facebook.  I feel this is my vote.  I recently unliked Girls Gone Strong.  I know at 12K likes my measly little one like won’t make a difference but it matter to me.

Why did I unlike this “movement” as they call themselves?

I really had high hopes for Girls Gone Strong.  I thought this was going to be the voice that was going to reach out and convince women that being strong shouldn’t be intimidating and that lifting weights isn’t going to make you bulky and manly.

But it’s not.  It is a voice for women who already lift….and lift really well.  Some of these ladies put my lifts to shame and I am strong.  Instructions on how to throw a 24kg kettlebell around and PRs at 380#s Deadlifts isn’t a voice for the new lifter….especially the new female lifter.

But let me ask you...cause I am not always right. 

If you are new to the gym does it intimidate you?  Are you afraid you are going to be snickered at?  Are you afraid of sweating and looking unattractive in public? Do you think you need to lose a few pounds before you even go to the gym?  Do you have time to go to the gym?  Do you worry about what to wear to the gym?  ave you Have you found yourself having to budget the gas to get to the gym (I mean gas here on the East coast is $4 a gallon and rising and significantly more on the West coast).

This is what I want.  I want to give these women….and men….a voice.  I want the woman who doesn’t know what a burpee is, I want the woman who is too scared to step into the gym.  I want the woman who doesn’t have the time to go to the gym.  I want the woman who doesn’t have the money to go to the gym (or buy equipment).  I want the woman who feels silly sweating.  I want the woman who thinks she needs to lose a few pounds before she can go to the gym.  I WANT THEM!  And I want them to have a voice.   A LOUD VOCAL VOICE!

Here is why.  IT IS YOUR BIRTHRIGHT TO BE HEALTHY AND LEAN.  BIRTHRIGHT…..DO YOU HEAR ME!?  No Globogym asshole in a cut up tanktop snickering in the corner at everyone’s form is going to steal your voice.  Your lack of the “lingo” isn’t going to steal your voice.  Your fear of doing it wrong will not steal your voice.  And your motivation to get loud….will be this community. 

THIS is why I asked for your videos.  This is why I want you to post them for everyone to see.  Because if you are working out….even if it is P90X on your living room floor or dancing on the Wii….YOU FOUND YOUR VOICE.  Share it with someone else who is struggling. 

And if you do NOT share your voice….don’t LET ME CATCH YOU SNICKERING OR MAKING FUN OF SOMEONE because of their weight….because YOU did nothing when you were asked to give them a voice.     

Here is your first step. 

I want you to make a promise to yourself for 30 days.  For 30 days I want you to DO something.  Follow my daily challenges for 30 days, pop in Insanity or P90X or Jillian Micheals....whatever! Head outside and walk, head to the pool and swim.

But I want you to say these next 30 days are my Revolution....and I may be whispering today but on the 30th day you will hear me. 

You will need to start eating REAL food.  Food that will nourish your brain, body and soul on this 30 day journey. 

I recommend you eat grass-fed beef, certified organic poultry and veggies.    Add olive oil and celtic salt to raw veggies.  Sautee them in coconut oil.  No grains, no sugars. 

The eating part of lifestyle changes is always the hardest.  And you won't figure it out in 30 days.  But any changes you make will make a difference for the better.  Even if it is just you quitting soda for 30 days. 

Join me....if you are already lifting post your videos.  This isn't about being judged on proper form or competing against anyone....its about support.  It is about WHAT YOU CAN DO RIGHT THIS VERY MINUTE.

Quit waiting.  Here is your voice.

Here is your first workout.  No equipment needed.  You don't even need to leave your home. 

Minerals are just as important to our body as oxygen!

All chemical reactions in the body require an enzyme system to help the biochemical reaction take place.

What are chemical reactions in the body, you ask?  They include, the electrical activity in the heart, breaking down of fats, protein synthesis (or using protein to build and repair muscle tissues), menstruation, orgasms, breathing, blood pressure, blood glucose levels, cell reproduction and repair (cause we all like to grow hair and have pretty skin)…..what are the chemical reactions of the body?  Fawking EVERYTHING!!  VITAL, I tell you, VITAL.  To all mental and physical processes and for total WELL BEING. They are the most important factors in maintaining all physiological processes, are constituents of the teeth, bones, tissues, blood, muscle, and nerve cells.  Basically if you feel like crap or if you are having food cravings it is because you are deficient in vitamins and minerals and your body is trying to tell you. 

Listen.  Everything you need to know your body will tell you.  But you must listen.

So how does this work?  In my opinion it is just a work of art.  Truly beautiful….but that doesn’t explain it.  I am going to keep this very complex process very simple.   

An enzyme process has three parts; they are a specific protein molecule (eat your meat), another smaller organic compound, which is often a vitamin, such as the eight B vitamins, C,D and A, and finally a mineral, such as zinc, copper, manganese or magnesium.

Magnesium is a critical co-factor in more than 300 enzymatic reactions in the human body; so you won’t find it shocking when I tell you most people are magnesium deficient and take prescription drugs for problems that could simply be cured by eating more spinach and broccoli.  

Potassium and magnesium are the most abundant minerals found within the cells of the body with magnesium being the most.   Magnesium is important stuff folks.  BUT!!  Although minerals are discussed separately in deficiencies it is important to note that their actions within the body are interrelated; no single mineral can function without the others, since they are synergistically related. 

For instance, you could take a magnesium supplement but if you’re missing other vital micronutrients your stomach could be too acidic or too alkaline and not have the ability to absorb the magnesium.  

Minerals are a catalyst for many biological reactions within our bodies, they are necessary for transmission of messages through the nervous system, digestion, and utilization of all nutrients in foods or what most people refer to as “metabolism”. Do you remember me in the past beating my drum about your cells having to get the right signals or you can diet and work out until you drop without the shed of one nary pound?  Yep. 

Vitamins cannot be properly assimilated without the correct balance of minerals. For example; calcium is needed for vitamin "C" utilization, zinc for vitamin "A", magnesium for "B" complex vitamins, selenium for vitamin "E" absorption, yatta yatta yatta….

Minerals are very important in keeping the blood and tissue fluids from either becoming too acid or too alkaline (as I said) and they allow other nutrients to pass into the bloodstream, and aid in transporting nutrients to the cells.   A SLIGHT CHANGE IN THE BLOOD CONCENTRATION OF IMPORTANT MINERALS CAN RAPIDLY ENDANGER YOUR LIFE. 

The body runs electrically, and minerals are the conductor.  Established.  They provide the necessary charge or "ionization" of positive or negative electrical molecules. Ions keep the "human battery" charged. If a person is lacking in minerals or deficient in any one particular one, they can become run down very rapidly.

Let me give you a few instances of what a mineral deficiency can do to you.  Potassium controls the electrical activity in your heart and protein synthesis.  If you are deficient in potassium you can have heart palpitations.  Iodine produces thyroid hormones for proper thyroid function.  Interesting thing about iodine, your body doesn’t produce it.  Americans are salt-phobics.  We look for reduced sodium labels.  Problem is the salt on your saltines isn’t the problem.  It is the wheat.  Cut out the wheat and sugar and your blood pressure normalizes.  Add iodine into a iodine deficient diet and bam..that person could magically start losing weight (dependent upon proper diet and exercise of course).

Let me throw a disclaimer out.  Just because you start taking some vitamins and mineral supplements don’t look for magic energy or weight loss.  The rest of your life needs to be in order.  Proper diet….where you should be getting these micronutrients anyways, exercise and sleep. 

Vitamin and mineral supplements are great, they are tricky, you have to make sure you are buying magnesium or vitamin c.  Most multi-vitamins are junk.  If you truly want the most bang for your buck with minerals and vitamins….EAT REAL FOOD.

But Angela, you said listen to my body and it will tell me what I need to eat.  It is telling me…no scratch that….it is SCREAMING to eat Ruffles Wavy Potato Chips and spoonful’s of peanut butter.  Well you are probably right, but if you can get a handle on your emotions long enough to get the foods that your body REALLY needs to replace the nutrients it needs then those cravings will go away.  Generally, potato chips, pretzels, saltines and snacks of the like cravings are for salt.  Chances are your diet isn’t huge on salt water fish, seaweed and we reference back to the salt-phobia.  Your memory bank tells you chips are salty.  Problem is all the vegetable oil and starch you eat while getting your salt from those chips negates anything good about the salt.  Peanut butter, sweet cereals, brownies, ice cream….this is your body crying out for fat.  Now fat isn’t a micronutrient, but it is required by your body the same as minerals, vitamins and oxygen.  Let me bang my drum. DIETARY FAT WON’T MAKE YOU FAT.  What makes you fat is the digestion and metabolizing of carbohydrates and sugars.  What you really need instead of the brownies and ice cream is a big ole grass-fed beef burger….slathered in onions and garlic and SALT! Mmmm….is it dinner time yet? 

Why does your body crave sweet foods when it needs fat.  Simple…amino acids.  Amino acids are recognized by the metabolism as sweet.  (not in a sugar sense).  Chances are you are probably a fat-phobic in addition to being a salt-phobic.  You eat turkey burger, turkey bacon, turkey sausage and chicken.  And maybe even fish.  I’ll point out the fact of how processed these foods are and then I will also point out I haven’t seen certified organic turkey bacon, sausage or burger on the shelves.  So good chances are you are eating nitrates (very bad) and the turkey you are eating was fed corn and antibiotics and kept in a tiny cage to fatten up.  It is so organically messed up it can’t even re-produce.  Yeah, that sounds way better than the fat from a grass-fed burger

Grass-fed burger has tons of Omega-3 and amino acids, protein, iron, vitamin A….oh the list really is endless how great this stuff is for you.  If I have to hear how expensive it is please invite me over to your house and we can come up with a budget.  Even if you aren’t splurging on SOMETHING….which you all are….it is better to spend the money NOW than later on higher insurance premiums, co-pays and medication.  Jus’ saying.  You don’t say….oh, I’ll just buy my car a new engine instead of paying for an oil change now do you?  And hell you can BUY a new car.  This body is the only one you get.  You get to rock and roll around in it…..for better or worse…until you die….which will hopefully be later, after a long healthy and happy existence.

Quality of life matters.  Now here I go beating my drum about your babies again.  How many people out there have or know a child with behavior problems or ADD or ADHD?  Or has severe food allergies?  Look at what they are eating.  They aren’t eating a balanced diet….and I am not talking about that shit Michelle Obama is pushing with MyPlate.  I’m talking grain and sugar free, grass-fed beef, certified organic poultry, cage-free eggs, veggies, nuts, fruit and a little starch.  (in that order)  My guess is none of them.  They live on an industrialized diet and are being treated with industrialized methods (medication….after medication). 

Let’s do a better job with our’s and our family’s diet.  What’s for dinner?

Endocrine glands, coffee, and shit you should really know.

Your endocrine system secretes hormones directly into your bloodstream. These glands include: the pituitary gland, pancreas, ovaries, testes, thyroid gland, and adrenal glands. Another organ which is not known for its endocrine activity is the stomach, because it produces the hormone ghrelin.

Now before I lose you down this boring post about glands, let me ask you a few questions.

How do you sleep? Do you poop every day? If you are a woman do you have painful periods or infrequent periods? Do you gain most of you weight in your belly and hips? Loss of libido? Do you exercise and diet with no loss in weight? Do you get tired half way through your day and need to recharge with a cup of coffee/energy drink/shot/soda? If you are a man do you have enlarged breast tissue? Are you hyper-sensitive to stress? Depressed?

Any of this plaguing you? Your endocrine system works dependent upon each gland. If one isn’t working properly you will experience a whole slew of complications that I listed and more. The scary part is the chances of your endocrine system getting sick are really, really high. For instance, do you pack your lunch in a plastic container to take to work? Do you drink beverages out of styrofoam cups? Do you heat your food in plastic? Use plastic cooking utensils? Drink water out of a plastic water bottle? Is most of your food bought in plastic containers? Do you buy certified organic fruits and veggies? Do you wash them? Do you eat industrialized meats? And by industrialized I mean not grass-fed beef and certified organic poultry. Is your milk rBST free? If you answered yes to the plastic questions and you aren’t sure about the types of food you are eating then chances are you are over exposed to exogenous estrogen. What does exogenous estrogen do? It increases estrogen levels that can cause that laundry list of complications I listed above...and more.

How much coffee do you drink? How about tea? To include iced? Soda? Energy drinks or energy shots? Do you eat chocolate? How much. Sit down and figure it out. And don’t say I have one cup of coffee. One cup of coffee is 6 ounces. You would be hard pressed to get a 6 ounce cup of coffee anywhere, most coffee mugs are double and even triple that size. Why should you be concerned about your caffeine intake? Too much caffeine overworks your adrenal gland. What does your adrenal gland do? These two pretty little glands that look like walnuts produce adrenaline and cortisol. Caffeine doesn’t “wake you up” it jolts your adrenal glands into pumping out adrenaline and cortisol to put your body in the “fight or flight” mode. And the effect of caffeine can last 12 hours. The more caffeine you consume the more your adrenal glands become fatigued. The more adrenaline and cortisol you have floating in your blood stream the more insulin resistant you become; meaning your blood glucose levels remain elevated, turning your blood into sludge; increasing your risk for developing diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

Do I have your attention yet?

What brought my attention to the endocrine system? In January I got my “lady friend” as my husband likes to call it. She came in with the thunder. I had pain in my hip bones so bad that it hurt to walk, I was exhausted to a point I’ve never felt and I had to leave work. Really fun telling your boss you have your period and have to leave work. What a bullshit excuse, eh? I thought this was a freak thing….until February came and the same thing happened. OK, woa, woa woa....hold up. Pain means inflammation. My diet is spot the fawk on. What is going on here? Caffeine abuse. That was what was going on. I was drinking way too much coffee with my intermittent fasting. About 60-80 ounces a day. And doesn’t count my home-made cacao fudge. (100% chocolate and heavy whipping cream…mmmm)

OK, so let’s attack this problem. I quit coffee and chocolate. Holy Chit!! I attempted to go cold turkey. Not a good plan. I got the worst migrane around the 12th hour. My beautiful daughter, Syd, came home from school saw me pathetically laying on the couch trying to sleep…it hurt to sleep….she grabbed the computer and researched caffeine withdrawal. How smart is this kid? She told me I needed to wean and made me a cup of black tea. It did slightly take the edge off, but the headache raged on…..for….nine….fawking….days.

Not only did I have a constant dull throb in the front of my head and eyes, but I also had sludge brain. Every movement was difficult. I had to push myself to do basic tasks. Working out wasn’t too bad once I got started. But here is why…..working out increases cortisol levels, which is good….unless your adrenal glands are fatigued. So I had to stop working out. It was a form of self-medication....and medication being a treatment not a cure. I had to let my adrenal gland heal. This may sound like no big deal but if you know me, working out is my nucleus. It is my best friend, my mood stablazier, my zen. I got depressed. I got pissed. How did this happen? I have a diet better than anyone I know. Why did this happen?

My best guess is I set myself up for adrenal fatigue a long, long time ago. Like...in utero. My mom is a huge coca-cola fan, and yes, she drank it while she was pregnant with me. She also gave me sprite and water in a bottle when I was a baby. I drank soda every day, several times a day growing up. As an adult my favorite pre-workout snack was a pepsi and a chocolate-chocolate chip muffin. I ran marathons, did figure competitions (excessive exercise), competitive swimming…you get the picture.

When my daughters were young I was active duty, went to school full-time, had two toddlers, my husband was working the midnight shift and running a house.....well stuff had to get done, if that meant sleep got put on the backburner well then it did. As a young 20 year old I didn't realize that the chore fairy doesn't sneak in and do the dishes and wash the floors for you....they do wait....unfortunately.

A steady stream of caffeine, stress, and overtraining set me up for failure as I hit my 30s. I am paying much more attention to my endocrine system these days. I have rid our house of as much plastic as possible. I take my food in glass containers (Bed, Bath and Beyond! Use your coupons!). I threw out plastic cups, plastic baggies (we use parchment paper now) and I try to buy as many products in glass (perrier, oils, vinegar, etc) and I don’t use convenient plastic bags at the grocery stores for produce. I quit coffee, tea, chocolate.

I will add chocolate back in one of these days.

I added wild yam extract to help off-set any extra exogenous estrogen. And I am more aware of over training and getting rest.

I know I have a tendency to be repetitive but if you live and eat by the industrialized society you will get sick and fat.

But here is another note.

"When an adult is malnourished it happens in the present. When a child is malnourished there is another dimension. It also happens in the future. For a child is potential, in the act of becoming." Sherman Apt Russell.

A child not able to reach their full potential because they aren't eating REAL food and having someone look out for their endocrine system is tragic.

You all know a kid that drinks coffee. Maybe even a caramel frapacino....still coffee.

Their growth is stunted not only in stature but organ development, bone density, hormonal function, immune system, basically a lifetime of medical challenges. It will start as smaller things. Easily breaks bones. Catches every cold that blows side ways. A young boy with too large nipples and breast tissue. This is the body...what about the brain and cognitive development? Mental health? Malnourishment shows up in a lack of memory, inability to pay attention, inability to retain general knowledge. Later depression and anxiety. The wrong food and drink choices and wrappings!! for your kids can change who he or she cold be in this world.

That is a fact.

Love your babies more!!

Answers To Questions I Am Frequently Asked

Eating “healthy, real food” is too expensive.

When you eat healthy, real food you won’t need to eat the same quantities of junk, fake foods. Real food is much more satiating.

If the entire household doesn’t switch to healthy, real foods and you have to buy real food and junk your grocery bill will be high.

Your grocery budget is an expense you will have to prioritize. Ask yourself “How will I budget for real food” over “How will I afford real food”. Eating less, quitting soda, cigarettes and alcohol are all easy ways to afford real food. The most expensive habits out there are: Starbucks, cigarettes, soda drinking, alcohol and energy drinks/shots. None of these habits are good for you and by quitting them you will save yourself lots of money. If you have been able to figure out how to afford these habits for years you can figure out how to budget for real food.

I cannot afford a gym membership, what are some exercises I can do at home.

Visit my Facebook page “The Gym Cellar” and look through my photos. There are several exercises to choose from. Pick three exercises and do 100 reps of each. Wola, an easy and effective home workout with no gym membership, fancy clothes, shoes or gear required. Just an amazing go-get it attitude.

Is Grass-fed Beef really that much better for you.

YES. It is more nutrient dense (B-vitamins, beta-carotene, vitamin E, vitamin K, and trace minerals like magnesium, calcium, and selenium.) Grass fed meat has Omega-3, the “good” naturally occurring fat. Corn and grain fed meat is higher in saturated fat as the quality of food they are fed.
You are what you eat.

What is the difference between vegetarian fed and Free Range?

Vegetarian fed meat is livestock that was fed grains and corn. Grains and corn are vegetarian foods. Another common term on labeling meat is “Free Range”. Free Range means the livestock has access to walk around outside. There are no regulations denoting how long they have to be outside or the size and quality of their access to outside.

If I substitute grain products with gluten-free will I lose weight?

No. You cannot substitute starch for grains and expect to lose weight. They both spike your glucose levels which causes fat accumulation. Gluten-free products are expensive and have a lot of “fake” food in the product.

What do you consider a “fake” food.

Any food not in its natural state and chemicals.

Are grains really that bad for me?

Yes. Not only do grains contain lectin which is a gut irritant and can lead to tears in your stomach lining which can cause allergies, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, joint pain, eczema, headaches, acne and multiple sclerosis. But grains also produce Low Density Lipoproteins (LDL: bad cholesterol) and triglycerides.

I just don’t have time to work out.

Do you have time in your schedule to be sick? How about doctor’s appointments, possible hospitalizations? Get out of the mind frame that a great work out needs to be a drive to a gym and a 45 minutes to an hour of your time plus the drive home. Your living room, bare feet, a pair of sweat pants a t-shirt, 20 minutes and a great attitude is all you need. Everyone has these items.

I have to take care of a parent/child/spouse who is hospitalized.

I am sure you are wearing comfortable clothes and shoes. While your loved one is getting a test or treatment done hit the stairs. Sprint up those steps, jog down to the bottom, do it again. Running yourself into the ground doesn’t help your loved one. You MUST take care of yourself to be your best for your loved ones. If you get sick, or aren’t 100 percent you can’t help your loved one fight their battle.

My in-laws don’t understand my eating habits and I have to be polite and eat what they make.

Before going to visit your in-laws explain that you will be buying and preparing your own meals. That you are not doing this to offend anyone and that you would be more than happy to prepare something for everyone if they would like. If your in-laws love you they will understand. If they don’t then there really isn’t much lost. The focus of visiting family shouldn’t be the food. It should be catching up on what has been going on in each other’s lives, sharing photos and videos, and doing something fun together. Don’t put value on food, put value on people and the experiences you have with them.

Is alcohol really that bad for me? Will one glass of wine a night kill me?

Yes. Alcohol is that bad for you. Your body considers alcohol poison and your metabolism will put all of its focus on metabolizing and flushing the alcohol out. Any food that hasn’t been digested will be stored as fat while your body focuses on the alcohol. Alcohol also lowers your inhibitions and while your body focuses on the alcohol. Alcohol also lowers your inhibitions and our food choices become questionable. You need “drunk” food to “absorb the alcohol”. You find yourself ordering greasy, starchy foods or hitting the Taco Bell drive-thru. The next morning your hangover has you reaching for more greasy-starchy foods and you are going through Burger King’s drive-thru for cokes and croissant sandwiches and tatter tots. None of this is good for you. There is no faster way to get fat than drinking alcohol in all forms. Wine is not good for you and does not contain antioxidants. Grape skin contains antioxidants. The antioxidant properties are completely null and void when you add in alcohol. Popular studies that wine is good for you heart are bogus. These studies fail to report that the amount of wine studied is so negligible, probably less than 2 ounces. And as a reference most people pour at least a 5 ounce glass of wine.