Ronald McDonald Up Your Asses

I'm tired of people having one defense when McDonalds is attacked for providing fat kids with a safe haven and parent's a gag for their children. It is always, "But they have the Ronald McDonald House, so they care". Really? So if I sell guns to criminals is it justified if I also open an emergency room? Wow, that logic is impeccable, I guess you win you naive, ignorant citizen. Besides, the Ronald McDonald foundation doesn't exist because they care so much. If they cared they would have stopped loading everything on their menu with sugar and fat, providing toys and happy meals to make children scream until their parents would give in, and be the first food establishment to build playgrounds. Why the hell do you need a playground at a fast food joint? They are driven by profit motive, and I guarantee you the big boss sitting up top is more worried about the profits for the year than how many children developed cancer and diabetes due to his food. The Ronald McDonald foundation is a tax free operation that essentially gives McDonalds the ability to choose where there taxes go. The foundation allows McDonalds to write off their expenses. Kudos for spending it on repairing the problem you help create McDonalds, I'm not buying it. They started the foundation BECAUSE it is a write off and they have to pay the money through taxes if they didn't start the foundation, their out of pocket expenses are minimal compared to the income they receive - not to mention the income boost they get specifically from the press of starting the foundation, showing fat, naive Americans everywhere how much they care about fixing the problem they perpetuate. Get a new defense, and just admit it - McDonalds targets children because they know the parents are busy and too damn weak to say no to their children. Hook the kids and the parents follow suit, funny how those roles get reversed sometimes. So stop making your kids fat parents, it is ALL YOUR FAULT, you choose what your kids can eat for at least the first 13 years of their life. Stop taking them to McDonalds and then being embarrassed they are fat and blaming it on them, you drove them there.

Iron Intake and Anemia

Iron intake is important in producing red blood cells, found in hemoglobin and myoglobin. Hemoglobin carries oxygen you breath through the blood for energy and to tissue. Myoglobin hold and stores oxygen for muscles during exercise. You lose iron through dying skin cells, urine, sweat, and menstruating. Iron deficiency can cause dizziness , sporadic body temperature, low energy, and lethargy. Women who are on their period or pregnant must be careful to make sure Iron levels are within the recommended threshold. Also, endurance athletes must pay special attention to Iron deficiency and especially if they are vegetarians. Iron is abundant in animal protein, more so in dark meat than light. There are plenty of vegetable sources for Iron for those who do not eat meat, but they can be inhibited or helped in their absorption rate. Vitamin C is a great inhibitor for the absorption rate of Iron. So a glass of O.J. with grains and cereals at breakfast, a broccoli and tofu stir-fry, or beans with a tomato based sauce are great ways to intake Iron on a vegetarian diet. Some inhibitors are tea, coffee, cocoa, soy, egg, milk, and others. These should typically be consumed between meals to avoid inhibiting Iron intake. Some foods are great sources because they have significant amounts of Iron and Vitamin C; asparagus, broccoli, cantaloupe, kiwi, green and red peppers, and more. It is not necessary to take an Iron supplement, even if vegetarian, if one eats a variety of foods and does not strictly control energy intake.  If an Iron supplement is taken, do not take at the same time as a calcium supplement as the two can inhibit one another.

Basics on How Energy Works in Your Body

Crash Course Thermodynamics: Your body releases energy stored within the chemical bonds of foods you intake, and temporarily traps it within the chemical bonds of special molecules known as ATP and creatine phosphate (PCr). The energy  stored in these special bonds is ultimately used to fuel muscle activity when needed, with the help of oxygen, and produces heat energy.

Carbohydrates (the best source of energy) can be stored in skeletal muscle and the liver in a starchlike substance called glycogen. Glycogen can become depleted after about 60 minutes of intense physical activity. Fatigue occurs about the same time that glycogen stores become low, for basic reasons; Active muscle that have now been depleted of their carbohydrate stores are forced to now rely on fat for fuel. Fat is not able to be “burned” as fast and efficiently as carbohydrates, so your body runs out of fuel. Also, the liver is depleted of its glycogen stores and is no longer able to store blood sugar, therefor it must struggle to maintain blood sugar levels by converting protein (from amino acids) sources to blood sugar. This process is slow and can not keep up with the pace at which muscle takes up sugar in the body. This can cause low blood sugar and result in lightheadedness and fatigue.

Some New Tips

- If you are going to run don’t overdo it. Long distance running will start to tear down muscle. If you want to maintain muscle and burn fat, then do high intensity interval training (H.I.I.T.). Run as fast as you can for 30 seconds, then slowly jog or walk for 30-60 secs. Repeat this for about 30 minutes. You can increase the time you run and decrease the time you rest as you get better. Typically it is a good idea to keep both within 30-60 seconds at a time. This will boost your metabolism for a long time after you run, and will burn more fat overall than just running a steady pace for an hour or more. You will still get great cardio as with regular running, but you will active your muscles and they will not adapt as easily to the repetitive movement of running at a steady pace. H.I.I.T. is like weight lifting for your heart, you exert a force on your cardio system, then allow it to recover. Same as when you are lifting weights.

- Don’t lift too slowly. When you are lifting weights your movement should be explosive. Lift the weights very fast and lower them slowly. This will activate more fast twitch muscles on the way up, and give you more action on the way down. This will help lead to more muscle growth, and get more out of your workouts.’

- Don’t pace yourself. Some studies have shown that those who exerts 100% in the beginning of their workout and then slow down later have better results and gains than those who pace themselves at 75-85% the entire workout. So go for it all in the beginning, and do your best to finish the tail end of your workout.

-Recover.  Two things after a workout, stretch and a recovery drink. Even if you are not trying to gain muscle you still need to replace your energy stores. Your body will begin to tear down lean muscle mass, which everyone needs, if you do not give it what it needs after a workout. You also must stretch, flexibility is an important element of fitness. You need to have long, strong muscles or you will develop increased soreness, less mobility, cramps, and back pain. So recover and stretch.

Why Atkins Diet Fails !!

First off their are lawsuits against it at this moment for the damage it has done to people. Atkins himself was very overweight when died and died from cardiovascular issues. Carbs are our bodies main source of energy when we function, and a high protein diet often yields high saturated fats, because saturated fats (bad) are found in most animal meats.

Low carb diets are not a panacea as is typically claimed but the extreme aspects of the Atkins diet are even more problematic. The diet may yield modest weight loss in the short term but long term studies show negative consequences.

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine has been working to counter the pro-Atkins media and slow the hype about the Atkins diet.

Side Effects of Atkins Diet

If have kidney issues, high protein diets can accentuate problems due to excess nitrogen production

Long term- Increased urinary calcium loss can weaken bones, leading to increased risk for fractures and osteoporosis.

If associated with high saturated fat, can increase LDL levels.

The Raft

I think I finally understand the idea of non-dualism and how a bodhisattva can understand it. There was a line in the Diamond Sutra that discusses how a bodhisattva (someone on the path to becoming a Buddha) has no perception, but also has the realization of no nonperception, because they see the dharmas (things) of everyday like any other human, but they know they have no ultimate reality. This was very revealing and profound. It helped me to understand how a bodhisattva could contain this ultimate wisdom and still exist as a human being. I believe I also understand the idea of non-dualism now as not saying there is one thing or isn't another, because you automatically imply an "is" if you say "isn't" and an "isn't" if you say "is". Really we need to understand that everything is everything, and we don't need to create a dualism because it creates a self, ego, or conflict within the natural existence and flow of absolute "reality". Why must we label everything? Words are useful as upaya (skillful-means), but language can be a crutch to the truth when we do not know when to let go of them. It is like the Mahayana analogy of the raft. On one bank is Samsara (the cycle of life) and on the other is Nirvana (eternal, absolute wisdom and compassion), the raft is the upaya (language in this case) or Dharma (teachings) of the Buddha. We use the raft to cross to Nirvana from Samsara, but we do not carry the raft with us once we have crossed, or it then becomes a hindrance. (Side note: This story itself is upaya, as there is no dualism of Samsara and Nirvana, they are the same thing, just perceived differently.) So use the "raft" for what it is truly meant for, but do not attach yourself to it or you will never be truly joyous. A quote from Buddhist Wisdom as translated by Edward Conze says, "Once a cure has been effected, it must be abandoned together with an illness, because its further use would only make one ill again. Just so when this medicine, called 'emptiness', has brought about a cure for the belief in existence. Attachment to emptiness is a disease as much as attachment to existence. Those who continue to use this medicine of 'emptiness' after they have gained possession of full wisdom, only make themselves ill again."

Updated Supplement Schedule

When waking Up

Just eat lean protein and complex carbs within 30 minutes.

Before workout

- Whey or Soy Protein, you will need amino acids for your exercise. Some complex carbs a few minutes before are a good idea too.

- Creatine, with a sugar drink, not citrus or it turns into useless creatinine. This provides you with energy for your workout, and water to your muscles. Grape juice is one of the best to take it with. 45-60 minutes before workout

After Workout

- Whey or Soy protein (To have available immediately to re-build muscles), Glutamine (To help with muscle repair and soreness, keep body from breaking down muscle), Spirulina (For all amino acids to make protein chains efficiently) or a BCAA if you like.

- Creatine, (For muscle repair and gains, limits muscle damage, is absorbed best after workouts when insulin levels are high). Take with a non-acidic, sugary drink. (Acidic drinks turn it into useless creatinine, grape juice is one of the best to take it with)

- Dextrose, This contains no fructose. It is the best sugar to create an insulin spike, with a high glycemic index. Other sugars do not digest as fast and restore liver glycogen stores. You need to restore glycogen stores in your muscles to begin the recovery process and utilize other nutrients coming in efficiently.
Add extra water to your protein shake for all the extra stuff you have added. This will assist with cell hydration. You can also use almond or coconut milk.

Before Bed

- Casein Protein and glutamine, To help with muscle repair. Muscle repair happens most during NREM 4 deep sleep, when your body is experiencing a low level of these elements and needs them to make gains and prevent muscle loss. You will be without nutrition for 6-8 hours, it is important to have these in your system and available. Casein digests around twice as slow as whey so it can last longer through the night. (Warning: There are some studies that suggests Caesin is linked to cancer. I personally only use soy protein and avoid dairy. Do your research and decide for yourself) Eat or add peanut butter (or another fat) to your protein to slow absorption of the protein through the night if you substitute Whey.

- L-Arganine, Helps your body to raise your level of growth hormones naturally. It is an amino acid. Take a few minutes before your pre-sleep drink.