Walking My Talk

Everything I recommend I've done and had positive results with personally. Although my experiments and quantified self research is not totally about physical things and body improvements, being able to have the body work as well as possible opens the door to endless possibilities. We now know the fairly obvious which is that the mind and body are connected.

Before:

After:  

Decided to enter a "Body Transformation" bodybuilding competition to further quantify my results. Came in 3rd, not bad considering I've heard the trick of the trade is to become grossly out of shape on purpose then use the bodies muscle memory and tendency to want to return to it's old state which is the exact opposite of what hinders so many people that try to lose weight. Considered this my "Geek to Freak" (semi-inside joke). Not quite as stylish nowadays (ha) and eat paleo but I'll do a run through on what I did to achieve these results using the 80/20 rule, also known as the Pareto principle.

Belly fat - high cortisol - low inflammation minimally processed (low-carb) diet
Muscle gain:

1. weight lifting (lift heavy things) - 5/5 technique, five seconds up, five seconds down one set to failure, three minute rest between sets
2. Increase protein - protein from whole foods (best results) and whey/hemp shakes (for convenience)
3. Bench press, bent over row, bicep curl, palm-up wrist curls, pull ups three times a weeks. High load, high intensity
4. 1/2 mile run daily for tone and cardiovascular benefits

Diet and supplementation overview:

1. 175g protein, cycled off for one day per week
2. 2,000IU Vitamin D
3. 2,000IU Calcium
4. Optimum men multivitamin
5. 300mg alpha-lipoic acid morning and after carb meals
6. 900mg omega 3 fish oil

There are things I would now change but for the most parts results don't lie. In my teenage years had spent endless hours lifting weights and pounding protein shakes with limited results. Having a game plan with end goals and quantifiable variables cannot be underestimated.

Hack Reading

Some people, myself included, have learned the skill of speed reading. I prefer to simply hack the whole process.

If it's on the internet in digital format and can be copied, put it into here: http://spreeder.com/app.php?intro=1
Sit comfortably, relax, don't attempt to read inside your head and simply let the words flash in front of you at a word per minute pace that makes the inner monologue impossible. After a small adjustment period you will become an accomplished digital speed reader.


For hard copy reading:

1. Use a finger or even better pen to eliminate back-skipping and keep your eyes from fixating to long
2. Begin three words in from the line rather than the beginning, use your whole line of vision
3. Let yourself practice without overly concerning with comprehension at first, most people need a little time to adjust.
4. Use basic variables (i.e time yourself, later test your comprehension) to insure you're making improvements

No More Sinus Infections

Sinus infections are extremely common especially in the US. It was one of my bodies favorite ways of telling me something was wrong. Antibiotics are usually very effective and can work within days but have various side effects such as killing the good bacteria in your gut and through out your body along with the bad bacteria that's causing the infection.

One of the major reasons for bacterial infections is inflammation and lowered immune system. Causes of this are things like diet, air pollution (i.e. smoke, dust, exhaust, work related chemicals), lack of sleep, exposure to pathogens, and stress.

If  you catch the infection early it can be relatively easy to get rid of it with little effort and cost.

Apple Cider Vinegar:

• Add 2 tablespoons to 6-8 ounces of water (add honey if desired) drink 8-10 glasses
• Get a pot or better vapor steamer, try to eye about 1/18th acv to water ratio and inhale until you can breathe clearer or it becomes slightly uncomfortable
• Simply take it like a shot, be careful to not overdue this and aggravate your esophagus

Some other ways to cure it:

• Echinacea, kills infections while leaving most good bacteria. Was wildly used before antibiotics were invented. I take 15,000mg twice a day, some people recommend only 300mg but personally haven't seen any side effects
• Oil Pulling (could do a whole other post about this) use coconut for added benefits or any vegetable oil besides canola. Swish for 15-20 minutes vigorously, if you become nauseated do on an empty stomach. Hear this has a detoxing and many benefits but the one I was able to quantify is that it cleans bacteria more thoroughly than simply brushing and mouthwash can which results in various benefits, swallowing some of the bacteria present in your mouth depending on the diet will give people a continuous low level infection and this dissipates that.
• Horseradish
• Cayenne pepper
• Black pepper
• Parsley
• Oregano
• Ginger
• Garlic
• Onion
• Sinus rinse with sea salt water and for more extreme cases small amount hydrogen peroxide
• If you decide to not take an antibiotic taking probiotics will help. If you do take an antibiotic take the probiotic several hours after
• Get at least 8 hours of undisturbed sleep if at all possible

For an already present infection where there is consistent things like yellow or green mucous, wheezing, pressure will need to take some aggressive measures. If you don't improve in a week be sure to get a hold of a physician or topical antibiotic.

This is my sinus infections bomb. Everything listed above 50/50 cayenne pepper and boiling water. Let sit for about 6 hours and add to some food. Surprisingly tastes good. Also rinse sinuses with sea salt and about a Tbsp of hydrogen peroxide

Beginning Cold Thermogenesis

Cold thermogenesis seems to be getting more popular as high level athletes (e.g. Lance Armstrong, Michael Phelps) and biohackers (Dr. Jack Kruse, Dave Asprey) have added it to their tool sets. I decided a while back to begin researching it and am now jumping into the fray.

Benefits From Cold Thermogenesis:

• Burning white fat (kind that gives you cellulite and generally unattractive)
• Stimulating brown fat (good/needed kind)
• Converts some white fat to brown
• Lowered inflammation (keeping inflammation low is essential for many endeavors)
• Increased recovery from injury
• More efficient metabolism
• Can suppress appetite while increasing energy
• Resistance to cold and more efficient dealing with heat
• Improved thyroid function
• Increased leptin sensitivity
• Increased muscle strength
• Improved sleep

Okay, I'm interested.

Equipment needed:

• Thermometers (one for skin and one for water)
• Compression clothing (personally haven't gotten these yet)
• Healthy amount of caution

First Step:

Beginning with five minute shower at 55f and two minute face immersion at 50f daily for two weeks.

Working Less

How much of our lives do we sacrifice to pay bills and buy more stuff? For most of us, work means sacrificing our freedom to take orders from someone else, stress, boredom, monotony, and in many cases risks to our physical and psychological well-being.

Once we realize that it’s not a few bad products or a few egregious companies responsible for the social and ecological abuses in our world but rather the entire system we are working in, we begin to realize that, as workers, we are cogs in a machine of violence, death, exploitation, and destruction. Is the retail clerk who rings up a cut of veal any less responsible for the cruelty of factory farming than the farm worker? What about the ad designer who finds ways to make the product palatable? How about the accountant who does the grocery books and allows it to stay in business? Or the worker in the factory that manufacturers refrigerator cases? And, of course, the high level managers of the corporations bear the greatest responsibility of all for they make the decisions which causes the destruction and waste. You don’t have to own stock in a corporation or own a factory or chemical plant to be held to blame.

By accounting for the basic necessities of food, clothing, housing, furniture, and transportation without spending a dime, freegans are able to greatly reduce or altogether eliminate the need to constantly be employed. We can instead devote our time to caring for our families, volunteering in our communities, and joining activist groups to fight the practices of the corporations who would otherwise be bossing us around at work. For some, total unemployment isn’t an option it’s far harder to find free dental surgery than a free bookcase on the curb but by limiting our financial needs, even those of us who need to work can place conscious limits on how much we work, take control of our lives, and escape the constant pressure to make ends meet. But even if we must work, we need not cede total control to the bosses. The freegan spirit of cooperative empowerment can be extended into the workplace as part of worker-led unions like the Industrial Workers of the World.

Public Domain Freegan.info All Human, Animal, and Earth Right Reserved.

Reasons Why Being Better and Eating Wheat Doesn't Mix

Wheat. The big trend that I hear a lot of right now is gluten. Yes, gluten can be *extremely* bad for you physically and mentally and that's fairly easily quantified. That said, gluten is in wheat. Gluten free wheat should be better, and I'm not going to get into whole grain wheat right now but believe me that the science doesn't follow the idea that eating most of your diet from whole grains or any wheat will be good for you (unless you're starving to death). Also, wheat is a subclass of grains and I will not dive into all grains right now.

Let's run through some reasons wheat isn't making you better:

• Cancer cells fall in love with simple carbohydrates
• Stomach fat (lovingly referred to as the "American Gut")
• Inflammation
• Mental fog
• Mycotoxins
• Mold
• Gut damage
• Damage to the gall bladder and bile production
• Less than optimal bone health
• Less energy
• Lowered immune system

Possible long terms effects:

• Infertility
• Type 2 diabetes
• Multiple sclerosis
• Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Lupus
• Vitiligo
• Narcolepsy
• Schizophrenia
• Autism
• Depression
• Huntington’s
• Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
• Hypothyroidism
• Porphyria

I've always loved cereal, there are quite extensive studies coming out that grains and sugary foods in particular can be as addictive, because it hits a lot of the same receptors, as cocaine. If that sounds crazy try mentioning to somebody that they go a week without it and see the kind of responses you'll typically get. One alternative to wheat I enjoy is rather than not having sandwiches get a head of good cabbage and use that to hold everything together. Some studies show that if fermented there may be specialized benefits. Yes french toast is delicious, sadly for most humans it's also slowly killing you.

Resources, studies and further reading:

http://rawfoodsos.com/2010/12/15/new-china-study-links-wheat-with-weight-gai/

http://www.bulletproofexec.com/another-reason-wheat-destroys-your-performance/

http://www.naturalnews.com/034040_grains_weight_gain.html

http://www.bulletproofexec.com/podcast-25-wheat-belly-with-dr-william-davis-md/

http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2010/09/19/paleo-diet-solution/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22237879

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16126993

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/wheat-gluten_b_1274872.html

Alpha Brain vs Multivitamin vs Palcebo

Recently started experimenting with Alpha Brain which is a nootropic. I have been taking a men's multivitamin for a while now (Opti-Men) which I enjoy because it also has trace amino acids and flavonoids along with the usual vitamins and minerals. There are a couple complaints I have with my multivitamin, such as folic acid in it which is what I consider an anti-nutrient, but it's quantifiably effective and about 10c per pill. Alpha Brain is about $1 a pill if not using any discounts so I'm going to run some tests before I make the dive into a $30-$90 a month commitment for a pill and even more importantly I want to see if it's effective at all, period.

 Game Plan:

Spreading the experiments out through several days to add validity. Obviously since the test group is one person (me) it won't have the weight of a double blind controlled scientific study, I am aware of that. Will take measures that are in my power to control my diet and environment during these next couple days.

Quantifying Resources:

Heart Rate

General Mood State

Brain Work Shop Dual N-Back

Brain and Body Observations

Alpha Brain and Multivitamin:

Average Heart Rate: 64

General Mood State: Good, Relaxed, Slight knee joint ache may affect focus in a small way.

Dual N-Back:
D3B 50%
D3B 66%

D3B 50%

Observations: Can sense more eagerness to communicate and ease of sentence formation which I will attribute to Alpha Brain. Feel energized which I attribute to the amino acids in the multivitamin. Fasted for breakfast to not skew the effects with many other chemicals.

Alpha Brain:

Average Heart Rate: 60

General Mood State: Good. Alert.

Dual N-Back:
D3B60%

D3B72%
D3B73%

Observations: There is an apparent increase on the mental side, even versus the Alpha Brain + multivitamin which would need to be ran through further experiments before I would actually say the multivitamin hurts mental function.

Multivitamin:

Average Heart Rate: 53

General Mood State: Good, Relaxed, Slightly hungry body has been in ketosis.

Dual N-Back:
D3B44%
D3B53%
D3B42%

Observations: Once again fasted. Believe the fact that I performed worse with the multivitamin than the placebo is less that the multivitamin actually makes me worse and more variation.

Placebo (aka nothing, maybe I'll take some vitamin C and tell my brain It's the best ha):

Average Heart Rate: 57

General Mood State: Not bad, but can tell I'm not as...alert and lucid, you could say.

Dual N-Back:
D3B50%
D3B55%
D3b46%

Observations: No extreme observations. Not overly tired or dull or anything. Feel slightly less driven.