Train For Life

If you’re not healthy on the inside, it’s going to make it very difficult to look healthy on the outside.  There are exceptions to every rule, looks can be deceiving, but for most of us we need to first focus on our internal environment when we are trying to make improvements in our health.

The following are few things to consider before attacking a new workout and/or supplement program. 

First, if your digestive system isn’t working correctly, anything you put in your body will most likely not get assimilated properly and make it to the proper tissues.  You could be wasting alot of money on supplements if this is the case. The best quality supplements will do nothing in this case except empty your wallet.  It’s estimated that a large majority of the population (90+% by some) is HCL(stomach acid) deficient.  Hydrochloric acid, which is what is produced and present in our stomach, helps with the digestion of food.  Low levels could lead to poor digestion, gas, heartburn, bloating, cramps, leaky gut syndrome, allergies, etc.  This is the very first thing one needs to consider.  You could eat all the healthy food and supplements you want, if it’s not getting digested and broken down properly, it’s not making it to your muscle tissues.  One easy way to test for this is to take some HCL tabs (they usually come in 200-250mg betaine hcl capsules w/additional enzymes likes pepsin) in the middle of your next meal, preferably a meal that contains protein.  If you feel a warm sensation, or possibly a burning sensation with one capsule then that means your HCL levels are most likely OK and you don’t need to supplement.  If you don’t feel anything, during the next meal take 2 capsules.  If nothing still, take 3 and so on.  I’m sure there is a maximum safe dosage but it slips my mind at the moment.  There are plenty of online articles about the subject.  Once you reach a dosage where you feel your stomach get warm then take 1 less capsule then that dosage at every meal.  If your stomach starts to feel warm again after a while, then reduce dosage again by 1 capsule and so on.  Eventually the dosage needed will be reduced.  This is supposed to essentially retrain your stomach to produce the proper amounts of HCL so you can digest your food and supplements appropriately leading to better absorption of amino acids, vitamins, minerals, etc.

 A second supplement that you should consider is an L-glutamine supplement.  Among the many things it does for you, like help with recovery from exercise, support your immune system, and reduce sugar cravings, it also helps repair the lining of your intestinal walls that may have been damaged due to low HCL levels, leaky gut syndrome, eating processed foods, or the various chemicals your exposed to every day.

Third, you may want to get tested for food allergies.  There are many labs that do this.  Some are more thorough and will test a larger variety of foods, at a higher price of course, but it will be well worth it.  You may be eating foods you are intolerant or allergic to that may be causing problems that you would never associate with your food intake.  You could be eating broccoli thinking you’re doing the right thing and be allergic to it!  Symptoms can be anything from simple  headaches, skin rashes, lethargy, joint pain, weight gain, high blood pressure, depression, to things as serious as seizures.  They will give you results that let you know what foods you are not allergic to, foods you are mildly allegic to, and foods that you are highly allergic to.  These are tested against your blood.  I’m not sure if different labs use different tests, or what tests are more accurate.  You can probably find that info online fairly easily. 

You could also simply try an elimination diet.  This is when you remove certain things from your diet for a period of maybe 2-3 weeks and see if you notice any difference in how you feel, or a reduction in any symptoms you may be experiencing.  You should start with the most common allergens..wheat, dairy, eggs, sugar, corn and then try different foods after that.

One more option is to use what is called the Coca pulse test.  This test  involves you taking and recording your pulse at certain times of the day.  Upon waking, going to bed, before each meal, and in 3 -30 minute intervals after each meal.  After a few days you will get your average range, and your high and low rates.  After each meal you will record what you ate and what your pulse is.  A higher than normal pulse rate is an indication of a possible allergic reaction to the foods you just ate.  At this point you would try the elimination diet previously mentioned and monitor your symptons.  You can find out more specifics about this test online.

I’m currently reading “Achieving Victory over a Toxic World”, by Mark Schauss.  I suggest you read it, especially if you have children, you care about their future, and their health, as well as your own.  There’s alot of great info and simple tips.   I’ll be posting more of them as I read more.  He also has a great blog; www.toxicworldbook.com

 Here’s another reason to take a QUALITY Whey protein shake.  One of the liver’s jobs is detoxification; detoxification of environmental shit, pesticides, plastics, medications, stimulants, alcohol, etc. There are two phases, I & II.  Generally, in phase I toxins are transformed or neutralized, and in phase two they are combined with an amino acid or mineral so they are then able to be excreted through urine, feces, or bile.  The most important antioxidant and detoxifier is glutathione.  If glutathione levels are low, detoxification is compromised and buildup can occur causing a whole host of problems, many of which we are most likely dealing with presently.  One of the best ways to increase glutathione levels is with Whey protein.  One more thing, don’t go out and automatically buy the cheapest shit you can find.  Many times you get what you pay for.  If you’re lactose intolerant and find you have issues with “whey concentrate”, try “whey isolate”, or “whey hydrolysate”. Most people do fine on the concentrate.  It’s great for in between meals,  before a meal if you know you’re going to “carbo load”, or for a quick breakfast if you’re on the run and cant’ eat real food.  It’s help with recovery after workouts, and also helps boost the immune system.  Some taste like crap, some taste pretty good, try a few out, just look at the ingredients and try to find one without a million artificial sweeteners like Acesfulsame K, high fructose corn syrup, etc.  The smaller the ingredient list, the better.  Look for rGBH free brands.

A gym member approached me today and asked for some info about some supplements.   We talked for a bit about dosages, types of supplements etc.  This discussion got me to thinking about a common pattern I noticed among many people I meet in terms of  how they approach their nutrition, eating habits, and workout program.

Initially I was talking to this member about some supplements that may help her with her joint pain.  We discussed chondroitin, glucosamine, MSM, omega 3’s, and dosages.  Now you’ve all heard me rant and rave about omega 3’s and their benefits, blah, blah, blah, so you know how I feel about it. I asked how much omega-3’s she was taking and, as usual, it was something like 1 or 2 grams.  First of all, not enough.  If you’re just taking  it for general health and not specifically to combat anything, then 3 grams/day is probably fine.  If you’re trying to combat  inflammation, joint pain, depression, etc., I believe you need to take much more.  I usually suggest starting at 6-9 grams/day.  If you think that is alot, rethink it the next time you are eating a big mac and fries at McDonald’s.  Most people won’t think twice about ingesting 55 grams of the worst quality fat on earth, 1400 mg of sodium, and 107 g of bad carbs, but that 10 grams of  the worlds best quality fat is too much to supplement with.  Come on!!!…………No really, come on!!!  Anyway, that’s not what I’m really writing about so let me get back on track.

 I started thinking about how she and others tend to think about supplements and other “improvements” they are making.  Let me explain.  Yes, I believe Omega 3’s are extremely important to take, but,  in no way do I think that just taking mega doses of supplements is the way to go.  First of all, one of the most important factors regarding free fatty acids is not only how much omega 3 you get in your system on a daily basis, but what is really important is the ratio of your Omega 6: Omega 3.  The ideal ratio is 1:1 up to 3:1, but most of us are at 20 or 30:1.  We tend to get our omega 6 from all the poor food choices, processed foods, cookies, crackers, vegetable oils, fast foods, poor quality meats, etc.  Omega 6’s tend to be inflammatory.  They have their purpose but for the sake of this article they are strictly inflammatory.  This ratio idea is also applicable to other nutrients like vitamins, vitamin B’s fo example, and minerals, like sodium and potassium.  There is a delicate balance of these nutrients that is required for your body to function optimally.  If the ideal ratios get out of whack, things don’t work so well.  Most tend to think there is always a deficiency and they need to “supplement” or “add”  something to fix the problem, not always!   These imbalance are a major cause of the many health issues we see in today’s world.

When I explain this to people, their first thought is “oh, I have to increase my intake of omega 3’s to get back in “balance” and I’ll be fine”.  Well, yes and no.  In this case, most should increase their Omega 3’s… but more importantly is to remove the majority of all the bad foods that are contributing to our high omega 6 levels.  We need to first remove the negatives in our diet and get a grip on the amount of bad stuff we are putting in the system.  We shouldn’t just blindly ingest tons of bad stuff and then try to balance the system by adding more stuff to it.  Eliminate the bad, and increase the good (with modest supplementation) until your getting the results you want.  In this example by removing the bad choices you not only reduce the omega 6’s but you will also reduce fat intake, calories, and other chemicals your body was not designed to thrive on.  You have to get rid of the “well, I used to eat a whole bag of M&M’s everyday, and now I’m only eating 1/2 a bag a day!”  mentality.  Lose the whole bag!  We have to stop living the “I’ll choose the lesser of two evils”  life.   If you used to drink 2 bottles of wine a day, and now “only” drink 1 bottle..well, that’s better, but it still isn’t good for you.  You will not make yourself healthy by drinking “only” 1 bottle of wine a day.

We need to try to take in as many nutrients as possible in as little calories as possible.  It’s just the opposite in todays world.  No calories are being expended, and thousands of calories, nutritionally deficient calories, are being taken in.  That does not lead to the balance that our bodies require to remain healthy. 

If you really want to improve your health, you must focus first on removing the negatives; negative foods, negative actions, negative thoughts, negative exercises, etc.  We can not get healthy by adding stuff to combat the problems that are caused by the bad stuff that you continually allow to be a part of you.  Here’s another example of what I think is a little backwards.  Someones cholesterol levels test high, more often than not they are first put on some type of medication.  Something is added in order to fight the symptom but nothing is done to address the cause.  Wouldn’t it make more sense to first analyze your diet, pinpoint some of the possible causes (foods), and then remove them  to see if that would help lower your cholesterol first.  It just seems like a better first option than adding more “junk” to the system.  Again, I understand some people are predisposed to high cholesterol, but a majority of the population have high cholesterol because of stuff that is going in, not because they are deficient in statins.

This is also a common problem with people who may have some mechanical dysfunction causing joint pain.  The first approach is to usually add some type of anti-inflammatory to the body, then some type of exercise.  What is missing in this approach is the idea to remove the negative that is causing the problem.  My low back problems are a perfect example.  I can not tolerate flexion or loaded rotation.  I ruptured a disc because of repeated flexion while laying down new wood floors.  I had to have surgery to fix the disc.  If I continued to flex my low back after surgery, I would still re-herniate my disc and have sciatica.  The surgery wasn’t the cure.  It helped with a symptom (sciatica).  The “negative’ was repeated flexion.  I had to remove exercises involving flexion and rotation to remedy the problem, not add exercises to address the symptom, or add meds because I was deficient in ibuprofen.   Don’t treat the symptoms, eliminate the cause.    You can take all the meds and supplements you want but if you continue to ignore the cause (i.e. faulty movements, muscle imbalances, unhealthy diet) the problem(s) will continue. 

Remove the negative first.  Sometimes it is that simple.