Thursday, September 26, 2013

Veganism can cure Type II Diabetes


It has long been known by doctors that one of the contributing factors for Type II Diabetes is diet. We all know soda is bad for us, everyone knows carrots are good for your eyes and spinach makes you strong. So why arent we all seeing 20/20 and look like the chiseled individuals that adorn the magazines we all like to look at? Because Meat tastes like murder, and murder tastes good. And sugar mmmm sugar so delicious, Cotton candy are you kidding me!?!? Heaven.

So what is all this nonsense about being a vegan? I know that for me personally when i used to hear someone say they were a vegetarian, or a vegan I would roll my eyes, and try not to get too close them because they most certainly smelled like patchouli. Of course since I'm always right I was right, about the patchouli.

But as I certainly grow older and arguably wiser, I've come to question the merits of a Vegan diet on a whole other level. The level that, well it makes sense.

Let's look at a few things about the Vegan diet that tend to make it work as a cure for some people with type II Diabetes.

1. Regulate Blood Sugar - Eating this mainly plant based diet will do one thing for you. Regulate. Regulate your blood sugar levels since there are not huge spikes with sugar, and simple carbohydrates that essentially turn straight to sugar. Because the diet is pretty high in soluble fiber, it will also help you regulate in other well, more moving ways as well.

2. Heart Healthy - The make up of the Vegan diet is naturally cholesterol free, low in saturated fats, and high in soluble fiber which makes this one of the most heart healthy diets known to man. This is good news since Type II Diabetes has a high instance of heart disease related to it.

3. Weight loss - It is easy to see why weight loss occurs when you see how many calories are in oil and fats, and how much room they take up in your stomach, you then compare how many calories are in leafy green vegetables, fruits and nuts and you can see how you just cant stuff that much into one hole. Due to this difference, you eat until you are full, but you are full of better food with far fewer calories. Weight loss is inevitable.

Many vegans eat the way they do for moral reasons and want to go to parades, throw red paint on people with fur coats, etc, etc, and oh yes wear lots of patchouli. Forget that noise, relax and have some broccoli bro.

If I thought it would be delicious, I would eat a baby seal, and if I knew the baby seal tasted BEST after being clubbed, that is how I would order it, "Ill have the clubbed baby seal, stuffed with veal, and fois gras" MMMM I'm getting hungry. BUT my choice is for health reasons.

My choice is for the energy that I get, and in convincing some of the more unhealthy people in my life to go vegan I hope to add years to their lives, reduce their medications and overall play a part in them having a better life.


Although it seems like it would be fun to throw paint on someone.

Monday, September 9, 2013

High Intensity Interval Training: Why it works so well

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a form of exercise in which on a given interval exercise is performed at or near maximum effort, following this effort a lower intensity period or rest occurs. This sequence is then performed several times until the routine is complete. A good example of HIIT is the way that sprinters train. One sprint drill is performed on a track, the athlete sprints the straightaways at maximum effort, and then walks the curves. This routine is done normally for a mile. A marathon runner may think anything less than 10 miles is a joke, and hardly worth lacing his shoes up for. I will say though if you have access to your local track, try this for one mile or four laps. It is quite difficult.

So lets take a look at our two athletes. The Marathon Runner versus the Sprinter.

Marathon Runner: During exercise the body will use a portion of stored fat deposits for fuel. However during prolonged intense exercise such as marathons, the body will start to eat away muscle mass as a source of fuel. This also slows down the bodies metabolism by depleting HGH.

Sprinter: During these HIIT exercises the body plows through fat stores, and since the intensity is high and the duration is short, it tears muscles down, and during recovery following exercise, muscle is built back on top. In short this is the reason Marathon runners look like they do and Sprinters look like they do.
So all of this sounds great but is it really that simple? Just do high intensity exercises at short intervals, and you will get amazing results. The short answer is yes. Notice I did not say it is really that easy, rather that it is that simple. HIIT is difficult but there are numerous reasons that make is so beneficial.
  • Efficient - With a relative low time commitment of 4-30 minutes per session in as little as 3 times a week, amazing results can be found. Improved muscle tone and improvements in balance should also be expected.
  • Burn more fat while resting - Building lean muscle shreds through fat even when the body is at rest.
  • Speeding up Metabolism - HIIT can boost HGH up to 450%. The good news here is that HGH is essential in chewing up that body fat. 
  • Heart Health - regular participation in HIIT will increase your aerobic capacity, and lower your resting heart rate
  • Shift in BMI - A difference in traditional diet and exercise programs and a HIIT program is that the scale may not be the best measuring tool for success. Many participants lose very little weight but the shift in Body mass from fat to muscle is remarkable. While weight might not deviate much the shift from fluffy to chiseled will not go unnoticed.