The Cost of Becoming Fat

As a personal trainer I have many potential clients balk at the perceived high cost of fitness training. "You expect me to pay _ dollars just to get back in shape?" As a father and fellow American on a tight budget I empathize with your plight. The idea of investing hundreds if not thousands of dollars to reduce body fat from 50% to 25% may seem steep. But to put things into perspective, let's calculate the cost of arriving at 50% body fat in the first place.

The average single patty cheeseburger in America costs around $4.00, equals about 350 calories, and is comprised of approximately 17g protein, 28g carbohydrates, and 18g fat. Gourmet burgers run upwards of $8.00, while the cheapest I have seen are $.99 plus tax. For this article we will go with the cheapest burger in America - minus tax.

1 pound of fat = 3500 calories, or 10 single patty cheeseburgers.

Total cost = $9.90

Now, in order to pack on a pound of fat you must ingest more than your TEE (Total Energy Expenditure) for the day. Average TEE is about 2000 calories (kcals), which means about 1500 of those cheeseburger calories were stored as fat while the other 2000 were burned as energy. Therefore and in consideration of TEE, one must ingest 3500kcals plus an additional 2000kcals, or 16 cheeseburgers, in order to gain 1 pound of fat.

16 cheeseburgers @ $.99 each = $15.84 per day - or $110.88 per week - or $5,765.76 per year - for 52 pounds of fat.

Keep in mind, these are bottom of the barrel cheeseburgers, not fancy meals at an italian restaurant. These are bareboned calories of total trash food that would make livestock wretch. Throw in a fettucini alfredo dinner or a ribeye at a steakhouse and the cost of becoming fat easily climbs to $400 per week, or nearly $20,800 per year.

The next time you counsel with a trainer and they hit you with a number that seems outrageous, such as $100 per session, remind yourself of the cost of becoming fat. It takes about $32 per day to gain two pounds of fat - that's $224 per week - and this is using the cheapest possible fast food source. Now that we agree on the cost of gaining fat, what is a reasonable cost to lose the same fat?

Finally, further consider the cost of staying fat. Heart disease. Stroke. Cancer. Low self-esteem. Depression. Pricey pharmaceuticals, doctor visits, medical insurance, liposuction - the list goes on and on.

It is never too early to embrace a healthy lifestyle. Each moment is a choice. I am extending you my hand and inviting you to join me as you make one of the most important decisions of your life. Will you choose illness, dis-ease, and a shortened lifespan? Or will you choose wellness, happiness, and longevity? 

Yours In Health-

Bret Munk

ACSM•cPT

bret@bretmunk.com

Q: Do Humans Get Fatter In The Winter?

Recently one of my clients asked a fantastic question.

Q: Do humans tend to store more fat during Fall and Winter months?

A: Possibly.

Certain uncontrolled studies have shown humans to experience seasonal weight fluctuation, with winter body mass being about .5kg/m2 higher than in summer. According to The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, a patient-controlled study conducted at the University of Colorado showed that body fat was not affected by season, although cholesterol levels increased between November and February.

However, there are a variety of factors which may influence fat storage during winter months which we may consider.

As days shorten less Vitamin D is available from the sun which in turn decreases serotonin levels and creates a condition commonly referred to as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Lower serotonin and the accompanying depressive mood can result in "emotional eating", which consists of ingesting larger than normal quantities of carbohydrates in an attempt to anti-depress.

The winter holiday season includes a slew of Western celebrations such as Halloween, Election Day, Black Friday, Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, Christmas, Kwanzaa, New Year's Eve, and Valentine's Day. Holidays are source of stress for many, and emotional stress triggers the production of cortisol, the dreaded steroid hormone manufactured by the adrenal gland which increases blood sugar levels, increases blood pressure, suppresses the immune system, and plays a major role with regard to appetite and obesity.

Testosterone, the "hormone of desire", which is responsible for increased sex drive, muscle gain, and fat loss, rises and falls throughout the year but peaks during summer months with lowest levels occurring during the winter months.

Finally, an enzyme called LPL, or Lipoprotein lipase, promotes fat storage and spikes during the winter months. LPL is what makes it possible for hibernating animals to survive during hibernation. When LPL levels rise, fat storage becomes easier.

Tips to Stay Lean During the Winter:

- Take a Vitamin D supplement daily. I personally recommend Carlson's Vitamin D3 4000IU gels. Also, look into indoor tanning. Contrary to what your dermatologist may tell you, controlled doses of UVA and UVB radiation actually safeguard against sunburn and lower incidence of colon, breast, and prostate cancers. Find a reputable facility, ask about their bulbs, UVA/UVB concentration levels, exposure time, and do some research on your own. Diving in for a few minutes of UVA/UVB exposure each day can have a very positive effect on your health.

- Take a probiotic. There are many brands to choose from, I take OrthoBiotic and Culturelle. Probiotics should be alternated every 1-2 months so that new colonies of flora are circulated. Gut health is total body health.

- Exercise! Find a gym, get an accountability partner or a personal trainer, and hit it. HARD. Moderate to vigorous exercise 5-6 days per week, 1 hour per day, will increase testosterone production, lower cholesterol, boost energy, improve mood, reduce stress, regulate digestion, and balance hormone levels. Workouts which involve conscious breath exercises such as yoga are highly recommended.

Just Breathe

As a young child I recall a phrase used by adults called, "huffing and puffing". The term was applied to any person who was unhappy with their circumstances. I developed a neural association between deep breathing and negativity, and I learned to breath shallow whenever possible. I did not wish to be labeled a complainer, so I kept my inhalations and exhalations suppressed.

Through the years I engaged in a variety of physical activities including westernized sports, gymnastics, martial arts, massage therapy, and yoga. I also studied breathing for childbirth as well as sexuality and the effects of breathing with relation to climax. Each activity incorporated its own style of breathing, and some activities even conflicted within themselves in terms of speed, timing, and forcefulness, but without exception nearly all elicited the practitioner to engage in very deep breaths, with full expansion of the lungs, followed by an audible exhalation.

One day while meditating it dawned on me. I was huffing and puffing.

huff and puff - to breath noisily; to complain.

How odd. I was peacefully meditating and focused on my glottis - and I wondered - why is it that in American culture there is a negative connotation to deep breathing? And had I been alone as a shallow breather?

I began to observe others. I noticed that most of the people who took deep breaths did so on cue during times of irritation. A woman might appear overwhelmed at a desk job while multitasking, and would respond with a deep breath and an exhalation. A man might be upset upon hearing unfavorable news, and would respond with a huff and a puff. Of special interest were smokers. They seemed to always shallow breathe until they lit up, and only then would they gulp air to ingest maximum smoke. Unfortunately I never really noticed people taking deep, controlled inhalations and exhalations routinely. It confirmed that I was not alone, I existed in a society of shallow breathers.

I looked into the effects of shallow breathing:

- high blood pressure
- headaches
- fatigue
- nervousness and irritability
- constipation
- sexual impotence
- memory problems

Not surprisingly many folks in my country suffer from these maladies. I checked out the effects of deep breathing:

- increased energy
- relieves asthma
- improves circulation
- increases supply of oxygen and nutrients to cells
- calms nervous system
- eliminates toxins
- massages internal organs
- increases flexibility, improves athletic performance, aids in faster recovery from exercise

My investigation revealed that "huffing and puffing" created health, while shallow breathing created suffocation and death. This did not answer my question as to why deep breathing was frowned upon, but it reminded me that by continuing to take deep breaths periodically throughout the day I was doing well to facilitate a healthy mind/body.

BREATHING EXERCISE

Try the following:

1. Inhale through your nostrils for 5 seconds until lungs are completely expanded
2. Hold the breath in suspension for 5 seconds
3. Exhale through your nostrils for 5 seconds until lungs are completely emptied
4. Hold for 5 seconds and repeat

If you are not used to deep breathing you may feel immediately energized or possibly lightheaded. This is because your body was just bathed in oxygen. Continue to practice the 5•5•5•5 breathing each day and try to increase the duration of each step, to 10 seconds, then 20 seconds, and so on. As you are able to extend the duration of each step you will feel a corresponding lowering of heart rate, an increase in mental alertness, and a whole host of health benefits.

Recipe for Fat Loss

Wait, don't tell me - you were waiting in line at the checkout and a magazine article grabbed your attention, "Lose 10 pounds in 5 days!" You snatched the mag, skimmed through 50 pages while spilling subscription cards onto the floor, only to discover that people in some place like Miami or L.A. are eating specific fruits or gobs of meats or drinking raw eggs to slide back into pants from their senior year of high school. So you stocked up on some weird stuff you can't pronounce, and you gorged yourself all day every day, yet the scale hasn't budged. Am I close?

You and I are products of a fast food generation, where shops need a drive-thru, and microwave ovens are too slow, and whatever it is should have arrived 5 minutes ago. We have been programmed to expect too much in too little time, to circumvent nature, to manipulate technology, and to pervert laws of physics to satiate our desires. We demand immediate gratification.

In the world of weight loss marketing is everything. Fads always have been and always will be, and savvy sellers know how to push people's hot buttons. Combining eye-popping keywords with exclamation points they generate magazine sales, pushing advertised products while making outrageous claims. In the end, there is no way around nature. And so it is we should look to nature, and not a salesman, for solutions to body transformation.

I began my own (latest) journey of fat loss in April 2011. I was almost 35% body fat, and I weighed about 240 pounds. I had been eating lots of processed food, most of it high in carbs and animal fats. Chicken Alfredo. Lasagna. Broccoli Rice Casserole.

You are what you eat. My body became a walking tub of Broccoli Rice Casserole.

I began an exercise program using HIIT on an elliptical trainer at Anytime Fitness in San Antonio, TX. At first I could barely pedal at 180 strides per minute, and I could not last longer than 5 minutes. I continued to blast away at the gym for about 1 hour each day, for a couple of weeks. I was able to jog on the elliptical for longer and longer, but my fat seemed to be stuck to my frame. It was then that I decided to experiment with my diet.

I made the following adjustments:

No salt
No dairy (cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt, butter)
No carbs (rice, pasta, cereal)
No animal flesh other than fish (bovine, pork, fowl)
100g of RAW vegetarian protein per day
Loads of plant fats (avocado, olive oil, almond butter)
All organic
All raw


I was intensely curious about what would happen if I avoided cooked food altogether. I commenced on an all raw diet - just like nature intended. Salads, fruits, nuts, seeds. If it was something I could pick from a tree or bush or pull directly from the soil and consume, then I ate it. If humans had tampered with it in anyway other than brushing off the dust, I avoided it.

I also chose entirely organic foods. If it was not 100% USDA organic, I did not ingest it. I wanted to see what would happen if I avoided toxins altogether. Many people think organic is simply easier on the environment, as in, easier on the Earth. It is. And we should consider that we are all parts of a whole. What damages the soil, air, and water invariably wreaks havoc on our internal environment, that is, our biological terrain.

GENERAL PLAN
A typical breakfast for me involved black coffee and a raw, vegetarian protein shake. Then came my workout, where I committed 1 hour to HIIT on the elliptical, followed by 1 hour of weight training. Immediately following my workout I consumed another protein shake and a few tablespoons of raw almond butter, as I prepared my lunch. Note, I did not cook my lunch. I prepared it.

Lunch was boring but filling. Sometimes it would be a VERY large salad, mostly organic spinach, a basket of organic sprouts, organic broccoli, organic kale, and some organic vinegar with organic almond oil / cold pressed olive oil. Or I might just eat straight from the can - wild caught Tongol tuna (lower mercury) with organic mustard slathered over the top. Some days I would just eat raw spinach out of the box by hand, like a gorilla. I kept a large bowl of a seed/nut mixture of sunflower, almond, cashew, peanut, and pumpkin on the counter, and I would enjoy large spoonfuls at all times throughout the day.

About 2-3 hours after lunch I would enjoy yet another raw, vegetarian protein shake, and finally for dinner I had...a very light dinner. Usually another fluffy green salad, with heaping helpings of the seed/nuts, and some scoops of organic peanut butter or organic almond butter to tide me over for morning.

This simple diet worked. It was all organic, almost entirely raw, and the cool thing was, I ate as much and as often as I wanted. I never let myself get hungry. And it worked. I went from 35% to 14% body fat in less than 4 months. I lost about 50 pounds of pure fat. And I even gained some muscle. So how did this actually work?

HIIT
High-Intensity Interval Training has been a hot topic lately. But the principle goes back about 10,000 years. You and I carry a gene around from our caveman ancestors. When triggered properly our bodies will begin to shed fat stores while simultaneously building muscle tissue. In order to trigger this genetic switch, you must study and learn about how to implement HIIT into your program.

PROTEIN
Insufficient protein can result in catabolism, and any fat loss program should be concerned with preserving and potentially building lean muscle mass. Most American trainers and coaches recommend a daily intake of 1g protein/pound of body weight, whereas those outside the states usually advise 1g protein/kilogram of body weight. I have written a separate blog on protein which I encourage you to check out. I personally veer from mass marketed whey proteins and prefer non-GMO soy, pea, or rice proteins. Lean meats such as fish and chicken (organic) are good sources of protein, although it is easily possible to maintain healthy protein intake and a full spectrum of amino acids without consuming animal products.

CARBS
My fat loss program involved the total elimination of carbohydrates, which resulted in a state of ketosis. When the body runs out of glycogen stores a process called lipolysis occurs. During lipolysis, fats (lipids) are hydrolyzed into free fatty acids by the liver to be used as energy. I recommend ketosis for fat loss to my clients who have a healthy liver, while encouraging the use of antioxidants and a liver support supplement.

TOXINS
It is my opinion that it is the ingestion of toxins, rather than clean calories, causes fat storage. Pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, larvicides, food coloring, artificial flavorings and sweeteners, and the host of poisons in our air, water, and soil generate a toxic load which gets stored in our adipose tissue. As fat tissues are broken down into fatty acids by the liver, the toxins are released into the bloodstream where they search for new fat tissue to "lock" into. In order to achieve sustainable fat loss it is imperative that toxins are purged from the body and only non-toxic foods are reintroduced. For this reason I only recommend eating food which has qualified for the USDA Organic seal. By eating only USDA Organic you are assured that no new toxins are ingested as the liver works to turn fats into energy while eliminating toxins which have been stored in both adipose and liver tissues.

RAW
Leukocytosis is a condition where a person's white blood cell count is higher than normal, which indicates illness. While viruses and bacteria are obvious causes of increased white blood cell production there is another culprit which is usually overlooked - cooked food. When humans ingest cooked food a process known as digestive leukocytosis occurs. Here's how it works. When we cook food we radically change its molecular structure. Nutrients are removed, minerals are reduced, and the cooked material becomes unrecognizable to the body. The digestive system responds to cooked food as an unidentifiable, foreign invader. In its efficiency the body acts quickly to protect itself by producing white blood cells. If you have ever indulged in a cooked meal of processed food it is likely that you felt tired, even sleepy, after eating. This lethargic feeling is actually not so much the digestive system doing its job to assimilate nutrients but is instead caused by massive white blood cell activity. By eating raw foods, as they occur in nature, we can enjoy the full nutritive benefits of our food, we won't unnecessarily tax our immune and digestive systems, and we avoid the tired feeling which accompanies the consumption of cooked food. Ovens, gas stoves, and electric stoves are all appliances which change the molecular structure of foods, and microwave ovens not only unnaturally alter food structure but also infuse radioactive particles into whatever they irradiate. It is time for a new way of thinking. We have been programmed to expect "hot" meals. This is cultural. Our bodies actually desire raw meals. This is natural. If we want to lose fat and gain health, and sustain it, we must embrace a natural view of food preparation. It is simply unwise to intentionally mutate the food we eat, and the concept of eating radioactive particles is beyond insane. If you have a microwave oven - don't use it!

REST
Our bodies need plenty of rest for tissue remodeling. As we embark and journey through radical fat loss our systems will require more ease and downtime. Hormones which aid in healing and cellular regeneration are strongest between 10PM and 2AM, regardless of where you are at on the globe. Seize this time by settling into bed so as to be asleep during this special period.

STRESS
A final consideration when discussing adipose tissue is stress. "The Silent Killer," emotional stress has a powerful relationship to the storage of visceral, subcutaneous, and belly fat. Practicing yoga, meditation, prayer, and mindfulness are all excellent methods for coping with stress. Fat stores will diminish in proportion to stress reduced. Give it a try.

CONCLUSION
The road to getting "ripped" and hard-bodied is multifaceted and there is no one simple shot, or magic pill, or super food which contains the solution. Body transformation and fat reduction is achieved through a systematic holistic approach and a lifestyle of a clean, healthy diet coupled with moderate to vigorous exercise. As you explore in your journey of self-improvement it is helpful to surround yourself with a support system of health-minded peers. Friends and family can have a strong influence on our diet and exercise regimen, so choose your relationships carefully. The services of a life coach, nutritionist, alternative medicine practitioner, and most importantly - a knowledgeable personal trainer - can help to insure you reach your goals safely, in the shortest possible time, and the results will be long-lasting.

Protein Parley

Protein consumption is an opinionated topic in the health and fitness community. Ask a bodybuilder how much daily protein is enough and you may hear 1 or 2 grams per pound of body weight. Ask a western medicine doctor and you will likely hear 10-15% of daily caloric intake should be in the form of proteins. Why the discrepancy? Can't we all just get along?

Let's take a look at this protein argument from a few different angles and see what we can't learn.

What is protein?

Proteins are linear chain compounds of amino acids, and amino acids are molecules of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen. There are 20 amino acids recognizable by the genetic code and each influences the shape of a formed protein. Proteins were first represented and described by Dutch chemist Mulder and Swiss chemist Berzelius in 1838. Early nutritional scientists believed that protein was crucial for maintaining the structure of the body, as "flesh makes flesh." Examples of proteins include collagen, elastin, actin, myosin, keratin, thrombin, insulin, oxytocin, and ferritin. Proteins may act as an enzyme, cellular signaler, antibody, transporter, receptor, and hormone.

Recommended Daily Allowance

RDA, later called RDI, was established during World War II by U.S. National Academy of Sciences for the DOD. The council deliberated nutritional thresholds necessary for national defense. Plainly stated, RDA or RDI is the minimum amount required to hold a rifle and pull the trigger. Sustained intake below the RDA/RDI standard, it was decided, would result in malnourishment, which would eventually lead to physical weakness and sickness so severe that national security would be compromised. This was an important consideration due to the food rationing which was prevalent at the time. Over the years the Food and Nutrition Board in conjunction with the FDA has developed the Dietary Reference Intake system, or Daily Value of foods, which is printed on nutrition facts labels. Modern consumers have been raised to believe that by achieving 100% of the DV, or RDA, or RDI, they will maintain optimum health. Nothing could be further from the truth. In reality, by consuming 100% of the United States RDA consumers are existing just above the brink of chronic malnutrition.

What this means is that the average person probably needs two to three times the U.S. RDA of vitamins and minerals, and athletes need even more. In some cases, such as Vitamin D, the actual amount required for optimal health is closer to 4,000 IUs per day - ten times the U.S. RDA standard.

Now that we understand the fantastic overestimation of RDA, how does this play into protein intake? The U.S. RDA of protein for adult males between ages 19-70 is 56g per day. For women ages 14-70 it is 46g. This is a rough calculation based on a .8 grams per kilogram of body weight per day guideline. Knowing what we know about RDA we can then agree that these are the absolute minimums for avoiding malnourishment, muscle deterioration, illness, and death.

So what if a person wants to live healthfully? What about the athlete who spends 2 hours per day, 5 days per week training at 80% VO2 max?

Well, first let's take the minimums:

56g for males
46g for females

Now...let's double it:

112g for males
92g for females

This is probably more in line with the actual protein requirement for an active individual who exercises vigorously for 1 hour per day, 4 days per week, at a 70% VO2 max intensity.

For hard core athletes, lets try 3 times the RDA:

168g for males
138g for females

Interestingly these numbers are more in line with what current athletes, runners, and bodybuilders recommend. I am not necessarily recommending these intake levels, but rather I am submitting information for your consideration and our discussion.

Types of Protein

Meat, dairy, soy, and vegan proteins abound, with whey protein undoubtedly holding title as the king of popularized protein. Let's talk about whey protein first. Go into a GNC or Vitamin Shoppe and you will be presented with an awesome wall of colored plastic vats. It is literally a marketer's wet dream. Isolate is fast absorbing, concentrate requires more digestion, casein is slow release. There's Micro-Filtered, Cold-Filtered, Cross-Filtered, Ultra-Filtered, Cold Processed, Ion Exchanged, and Hydrolyzed. What's the difference?

The filtration methods are the various ways that manufacturers attempt to skim the lactose, fat, and cholesterol from the whey. Cold-Processed means no heat, Ion Exchanged swaps positively and negatively charged ions back and forth, and Hydrolyzed means the protein was subjected to prolonged boiling in an acid base which produces MSG as a byproduct. Yikes!

So what's the best whey? In my opinion the best whey protein is USDA Organic. We've all seen Food, Inc., haven't we? If not, stop this tape, and go fire up Netflix.

Welcome back!

Now that we have glimpsed the horror of the food industry, seen the rBST and rBGH, and the antibiotics and steroids, and the torturous states in which farmed animals spend their lives, does it really matter if what you are drinking is cross-filtered? Would you drink Ion Exchanged urine from a dying man's bed pan? If so, then you are suited to consume any of the standard American whey proteins. However, if you prefer a healthier alternative, in the form of whey, it must - it absolutely must - be 100% USDA Organic. Without the seal you are drinking filtered death syrup. There is a reason that Americans can purchase whey protein from any industrialized nation in the world, yet no other industrialized nation can purchase American whey protein.

Moving on, let's talk meat and animal proteins. Grass-fed USDA organic beef will work but it brings with it CVD and planetary pollution. Same goes for USDA Organic fowl, although the product is leaner and farm runoff is less likely to carry E. coli to a field of spinach. Pork is pretty much out of the equation as it is simply too hard on the digestive system. The amount of protein which your body is able to extract from pork is probably not worth the damage to your internals. When it comes to land animals either go organic or go Rambo. I actually recommend the latter. If you're going to eat a burger you should be psychologically capable of stabbing an animal to death and roasting it over a fire. Eggs fall into the category of land-based animal proteins, and I am a fan of egg protein. USDA Organic is the only kind to consider. Free roaming means someone opened a cage door for 5 minutes and let the crippled chicken stumble around. Again, unless it has the seal, assume the worst.

There is no USDA Organic designation for marine food, so qualities to look for in fish will be wild caught, IQF (Individually Quick Frozen), not from a gulf, and definitely not farm raised. Farm raised fish is the worst of the worst. If you are fortunate enough to live near clean waters and you can catch your own consider yourself blessed. Filet it and freeze it. Fish may be the best source of animal protein in terms of human and planetary health.

Soy proteins have their merit, as do rice proteins. You will likely find these two on the bottom shelf of a tiny aisle at the supplement store. Soy proteins influence estrogen levels, which can increase risk of breast cancer in women, and help us dudes get bigger moobs. Soy can also affect the thyroid gland. Rice proteins are a decent choice but only as a supplement since rice protein is insufficient in lysine, methionine, and cysteine.

Finally there is vegan protein. All plant-based foods have varying amounts of protein. Our bodies need eight (8) essential amino acids as part of a complete protein supplement. They are Isoleucine (Ile), Leucine (Leu), Lysine (Lys), Methionine (Met), Phenylalanine (Phe), Threonine (Thr), Tryptophan (Trp), Valine (Val), and Histidine (His). There are a myriad of plant-based protein sources available. Seeds, nuts, peas, oats, spirulina, quinoa, rye, and spelt are a few. But what about a protein shake? What if I snack on almonds all day and still want to slam 30g of liquid protein?

RAW Protein by Garden of Life is a place to start. It's a 100% USDA Organic blend of 13 sprouts, it is a complete protein, and it provides a balanced amino acid profile. It's raw, it's vegan, it's gluten-free. It has no artificial fillers, no artificial flavors, no synthetic ingredients, and no soy. It also contains live probiotics and digestive enzymes which means your body is going to absorb 100% of the drink. Jarrow Formulas Whey Protein is pretty decent if you have to purchase whey product in the USA, while not organic it is at the least free of rBST and artificial additives.

Conclusion

Considering the circumstances under which RDA was established it is my belief that the FDA recommendation for protein intake is too low. Conversely, I suspect that many people ingest too much protein hoping to pack on muscle mass. I propose that a sensible dietary intake for protein lies between the two extremes.

Choices for protein run the gamut. Some prefer an aged steak while others choose 5 pounds of spinach. Animal proteins, while more easily complete in their amino acid profile, contain fats that will contribute to cardiovascular disease over time, and today's farming practices are anything but healthy. Plant proteins are not as universally complete and require planning, but they are a safer, more intelligent solution to meeting protein needs. As we strive for sustainability it is critical that we consider the long-term effects of our choices.

Now that you are equipped with basic protein knowledge, ask yourself these important questions next time you hit the store to stock up:

Where did this protein come from?
How was it processed?
If I consume this every day for 20 years will I be healthier?
If everyone on the planet bought this product, would the world be better off?

What is Sacred Training?

Sacred Training is an approach to personal fitness training which combines time-honored precepts of diet, modern prescriptions of exercise, and spiritual linkage across the sum of its parts. Having worked with dozens of coaches and trainers throughout my life I have a pretty good idea of how the masses operate. No pain, no gain. 110%. Go big or go home. While these foci make sense in the short term they have little merit when it comes to developing long range, sustainable goals for personal fitness.

Think about it. Contrast the human body to a plant. If a flower flooded with water would it develop as healthfully as possible? If an herb were overexposed to UVA and UVB rays would it progress all the better? While it nature must receive some water and some sunlight, too much of either can be detrimental if not deadly.

Much is the same when it comes to the human body and fitness. Crash diets, brutal exercise, and extremely intense heavy lifting wreak havoc on our systems. Through the careful application of nutrition and diet we may be able to sustain gains and life for a period, even years, but eventually our bodies resign to the abuse. Ask a bodybuilder who has undergone heart surgery. Ask a decommissioned athlete who suffered one too many acute injuries.

Ask me.

In August 2010 I was in my physical prime. I was engaging in strength training 7 days per week. I weighed 210 with 14% body fat and enjoyed my daily helping of 200+ grams of whey protein. I was suddenly diagnosed with liver failure and given weeks to live without a transplant. I watched my family in tears as I brushed up my last will and testament.

As fate and my physician would have it (Dr. Gary E. Foresman) I did not die nor receive a new liver. I instead reversed liver failure. Using probiotics, organic raw low protein diet, massage, meditation, and rest, under the controlled direction of my medical advisor, I survived against all odds. I am a healthier and wiser person for it, and I am left wondering - what caused it?

While I may not know for certain what tipped the scale for my liver, I realize that I was simply not exercising SMART, nor eating SMART, nor thinking SMART (Specific & Small, Measurable, Action Based, Realistic, Time Line). I lavished in 2-3 pounds per day of the cheapest frozen boneless skinless chicken I could afford. I consumed whey protein from a store whose name shall go unmentioned. I exercised well beyond total fatigue and then supplemented with little more than water, creatine, and BCAAs. I consumed no vitamin or mineral supplements.

I was not training sacred. And it backfired. My purpose with my remaining time here on Earth is to share my experience with others as I continue to explore wisdom from the akashic. How did our ancestors eat and why? Why is spirit so involved with all Eastern forms of exercise and martial art? What can be gleaned from modern sports science? My interest and investigation into these areas has culminated in what I term Sacred Training. Sacred Training is exercise prescription using the wisdom of the past and the knowledge of the present, balanced with the spirit of timelessness. May our journey of discovery continue now.