Tag: spiritual practice

THE HUGE DISCONNECT THE GAP BETWEEN WHAT WE KNOW AND WHAT WE DO.

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IN February, here in Las Vegas, it is high desert winter. It is characterized by cold nights and cool windy days. Night time temperatures are in the 30’s with day time highs generally in the 50’s. I had two outdoor Saturday adventures. That is, first a climb of Lone Mountain and second a drive/hike that included Rodgers Hot Springs and the Valley of Fire State Park.

Lone Mountain

Lone Mountain is in the sea of suburban roof tops near the north west corner of Vegas. It has a two mile circular trail around the edges of the mountain. The kicker is a near vertical trail to the summit. Up 600 to 3000 feet. At the summit you get a 360 degree view of everything everywhere.

The view from the Summit

View from the summit

The second adventure was a road trip. First stop was Rogers Hot Springs

Rodgers Hot Springs is inside Lake Mead Recreation area. It is a drive-up spot. It has rest rooms and covered picnic areas. The water temperature is 86 degrees year round. It makes a great break spot. I took a friend on this day trip so we had a break here. We had an hour canyon exploring walk. It made the trip into Valley of Fire State park even better.

Lake Mead as seen from Rodgers Hot Springs hike.

The Valley of Fire does not seemed to be named for the dessert heat but rather for its special red rock formations which are way more expansive than the popular Red Rock Canyon miles the the south west. It is a spectacular drive with hiking areas everywhere requiring a return trip. We completely enjoyed this trip. Here just couple of the photos:

Next: FEET, FORKS, AND FINGERS

This is how Dr. David Katz relates to the sky rocketing health issues in America and around the world. He is referencing what is well known to all of us. Feet refers to all people needing regular exercise or activity. Forks is about the importance of what we eat to run our bodies. Fingers is the importance of not smoking. He recognizes and is aware that most people know this, but the issues still exist. He says that the gap between what people know and what people do is the cause of 80% of disease and is preventable. This 80% of disease is what are called lifestyle related diseases. They are the biggies, most heart disease, most cancers, type II diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease (the most common type of dementia). Dr. Katz says that our zip code not our genetic code is the more important factor in determining our longevity and health span. That is why they are described as lifestyle diseases. In an early career talk he highlighted 6 factors of health for longevity: 1. diet 2. exercise/activity 3. not smoking 4.sleep 5. stress 6. social factors/love.

These 6 things sound a great deal like the Blue Zone formula. I believe this road less traveled must be traveled for us the be healthy. To get motivation watch the 2017 Documentary What the Health again or maybe for the first time. It is on Netflix and other media too.

I received a gift book from my son; The Blue Zone American Kitchen. It is a coffee table style book with lots of good pictures. Besides good recipes, it is a historical account of early American ethic group diet before their eating was corrupted or lost. If you’d like to learn some cool longevity facts listen or watch Rich Rolls interview with Blue Zones Dan Buettner just below.

Finally, This month, a real world problem. I continue my concern with pollution and toxins in our environment. We all heard or read about the mess in New Palestine, Ohio. Of course in our country, it is now a political issue. It should be a right to life issue. Some people will get sick and die. What a mess. With that said, this week (2/23) in The Guardian, a liberal news paper in the UK, there was an article about “forever toxins”. It has map showing the areas in Europe and the UK that are polluted with PFAS. PFAS stands for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, it’s an umbrella term for a family of about 12,000 chemicals that are prized for their indestructible and non-stick properties. They are toxic. The mapped areas are massive. The “forever toxins” are detected in the air, water, soils, sediments, and rain. Yes, this life is terminal, but must we speed up the process and our own demies.

In the spirit, be healthy, Coach Brown

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Fighting the Toxic World, What to do about life?

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“ALL EXPERIENCES ARE Proceeded BY MIND, HAVING MIND AS THEIR MASTER, CREATED BY MIND” not from Science of Mind, not from New Thought…It is from THE BUDDHA.

  1. October in Red Rock Canyon.
  2. Too Big of a Topic and conflicting opinion.
  3. AHA: Life’s 7 Rules Plus 1.

  1. Nevada in October is a great hiking month.

It was hot, like 95 to 105 hot, until October 22nd. On that day at 2pm the wind can from the south east in 35 to 65 miles an hour. The daytime high temperature went from 95 to 65 degrees and stayed there. What that means to a hiker is either a change for clothing or a change of environments. I changed from hiking in the higher altitudes of Mt. Charleston and Spring Mountain to lower altitudes of Red Rock Canyon, Calico Basin and Lake Mead. All these places are great hikes.

Mt. Charleston hike

Red Rock Canyon Hike

2.Bad Blog Topic: Toxin.

This blog ended up mostly on the bedroom floor. We all have heard about external environmental toxins. We all have heard about food toxins. The combination is killing us. It was going to be all about the Toxins that we live with while breathing, eating, and just being. You know, all the crap we deal with every day. It turned out to be too big of a topic and surprisingly controversial. When you have a little time, check out “The Plastic Ocean Movie” and learn about Estrogenic plastics. We are hurting ourselves.

So after all my research, check this out.

Lots of data and Science.

3. American Heart Association Life Essential 8

As I read lots of other peoples blogs, I look for supported facts. The blog “Health Secrets of a SuperAger” got my attention with a title “Sleep as a new measure of cardiovascular health. The blog directed me to Aha life’s 7 rules plus 1on the American Heart Association Website. Here are their 8 Essential:

  1. Eat Better
  2. Be More Active
  3. Quit Tobacco
  4. Get Healthy Sleep
  5. Manage Weight
  6. Control Cholesterol
  7. Manage Blood Sugar
  8. Manage Blood Pressure

Each of these points has a link on their website. Any government stuff requires more investigation because every position is bought and paid for somehow. Here’s the link: https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-lifestyle/lifes-essential-8.

That’s it for this month, Please get linked up with me to stay informed.

Be Healthy,

Coach Brown

IF YOUR LIFE MATTERS, THEN WHAT?

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Begin here.

Pray First

If your life matters, stop your toxic diet and get healthy. Do yourself a favor in this mess we seem to be in and pay attention to your “information diet” as well as to your “healthy diet”. Everything on commercial T.V. is propaganda and spin; news, ads, and programming. I wanted to write something current and trendy with social inequities as a topic. This turned out to be something I did not know enough about from the other man’s perspective. After doing a little research, the information could be and should be a semester college course or a 2-year course in a youth program just to provide everyone with an overview to have an educated opinion on what the real problem is. Pointing you in the right direction may be the best place to start. I recommend the Rich Roll podcast or YouTube #529. Rich interviews John Lewis and John Salley. Lewis is from “Bad Ass Vegan” among his projects and Salley, the former NBA SuperStar who is a well-known entrepreneur and vegetarian. The interviewees explain some of the problems with social inequities as well as diet and health issues in the black communities.

John and John explain the problem as they see it and a solution from their view. The BLM movement and the George Floyd death are discussed. They state clearly what the protests are about. They talk about a multitude of current problems that are facing America today. One social issue they discuss is Food Inequity or the Urban Nutrition Desert. They have a plan to improve the quality of what is being eaten in the Black community. Listen and learn from this podcast. link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJ6HdT84uWg

I believe that very little investigation is needed to illuminate the same issues in our Brown communities. Change in the diet in the brown communities is happening in the healthy promotion of Mexi-vegetarian cooking. You can check that out online or in select restaurants. The social inequities are another story in the Brown community are another problem to be addressed.

I repeat, if your life matters then take proper care of it. Eat healthy, get a fitness program, find a way to feed your spirit. If your life matters you need to be part of the change. Over 50% of the American population is sick (black, brown, red, blue, yellow, white). These are Lifestyle disorders; obesity, pre-diabetes, diabetes-2, high blood pressure, and coronary heart disease. It is time to change. No one likes to be told what to do, ie. wear a mask, wash your hands, stand back, but this is the time to step up and do the right thing.

There is a solution. Begin here and now.

#1. Stop poisoning ourselves and our children with toxic fast food. 

#2. Stop eating processed food. These are made by the companies that gave us cigarettes to addict and eventually kill us.

My Neighborhood
Sign on the door!!!

There is plenty of science to back up an eating change. If you want science, start with Doctor Michael Klaper M.D. Listen to him on Rich Roll podcast #507. Dr. Klaper at 72 has seen the result of the Western diet on the American population. He is giving lectures to medical students on nutrition and a healthy diet. link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rhs1BB7MbHo

I see the result of a poor diet and lifestyle every day at school. Many boys who come into the locker room are overweight from the government provided free breakfast and lunch and who knows what for dinner. These meals from the Government are supposed to be healthy and nutritious. The meal regulations are mandated by government appointees that are also on the corporate food company boards and therefore promote science for food. Chemistry should not be a food choice. Added to that problem are the student eating habits. The calamity is watching the boys throwing away the apple and eating the chips or doughnut. They are addicted to sugar and salt. The attraction to sugar and salt are natural. They are natural when in nature. This is not that.

Stop poisoning yourself and our children.

Here is another starting point. Dr. John Mcdougall has a free book. You can get it in 20 different languages and a child will understand it. This is not my diet of choice, but you will understand this one in minutes.

Dr. McDougall’s Color Picture Book “Food Poisoning” How to Cure It by Eating Beans, Corn, Pasta, Potatoes, Rice, etc.*

Click to access dr-mcdougalls-cpb-english.pdf

Nothing happens in God’s world by chance.

Be healthy,

Coach Brown

DOING H.I.I.T. Workouts and 5 TIPS TO HEALTHY WEIGHT LOSS

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Where did H.I.I.T. come from?

High Intensity Interval Training is now an accepted and go to training tool. It is not a new concept. I will tell you how I incorporate it into any workout. 

The H.I.I.T. workout plan came from Paavo Naurmi, the Flying Finn. It is from a Swedish word for speed play, “Fartlek”. Naurmi won 9 Gold medals and 3 silver medals in the 1920, 1924, and 1928 Olympics. The training technique combines long run, short run, walking, and calisthenics. Fartlek or H.I.I.T. running is a paced run mixed with burst sprint runs at intervals during the workout. No stopping, just pace change during the run. This technique conditioned Paavo Naurmi so that he was able to set 26 world records, an amazing accomplishment in any era.

Incorporating H.I.I.T. into my workouts or yours is the same strategy. While swimming I will increase my pace to my best sprint for 2 minutes and then return to my regular pace. I repeat this pattern every 5 minutes during the entire swim. This of course increases my heart rate and changes oxygen flow and the metabolic functions which go along with these pace changes. This plan works with any cardio style workout including walking. I use the same pattern. The weight workout days are done in a similar way, alternating pace and workout routine to create the same effect of a variable heart rate increase and oxygen exchange. 

Here is a plan to try on your weight train days:

5 Tips to Healthy Weight Loss-Ornish Lifestyle Medicine

The following information came from an October 2018 post from The Dr. Dean Ornish Program for Reversing Heart Disease.

1. Choose Plant-Based Low-fat, Nutrient Rich Foods instead of Calorie-dense foods.

An optimal diet for preventing disease and staying healthy is a whole foods, planted based diet naturally low in animal protein, low in harmful fats, and low in refined carbohydrates.

2. Eat small, Frequent, Balanced Meals and Snacks Throughout the Day, but Remember that the Total Calories Count the Most.

The evidence is mixed about whether eating small, frequent healthy meals and snacks affect weight loss. This approach has many advantages, especially for those with diabetes.

3.Stay Hydrated with water, not Liquid Calories.

Studies support the importance of staying well hydrated for weight management and health. Drinking a glass of water prior to eating can also curb our appetite which helps to limit excess calories.

4. Practice Mindful Eating.

Being mindful and aware of what, how, and when we are eating can make a significant impact on weight management, along with making healthy choices that affect our overall health and well being.

5. Practice the Four-Element Lifestyle Approach.

  • Fitness: Engage in regular and moderate exercise.
  • Stress management: Developing a daily practice and routine is important to reap the rewarding benefits of stress management. The link between our emotional state, weight and overall health is clearly connected.
  • Love and Support: Giving and receiving love and support makes us healthier and happier, When we feel better, it is easier to make healthy choices, including the food we choose to eat. Love and support provides us with the need for love and intimacy we long for and often seek out in a bowl of ice cream or a bag of chips in its absence.
  • Nutrition: Foods are neither good nor bad, but some are healthful than others. You have a spectrum of choices.

    More information on this program can be found at: http://www.ornish.com/ornishliving.

    Mindful Meditation Note:

Affirmation of God’s Presence from The Presence by Emmet Fox

God is Life, I understand that and I express it.

God is Truth, I understand that and I express it.

God is Divine Love, I understand that and express it.

BE HEALTHY,

Coach Brown

THERE IS A PLAN FOR YOU

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The 2 Secrets to Successful Fitness 

There are 2 secrets to a successful exercise and fitness plan. The first secret is in the doing. No matter your mood you must get off the couch and get active. The second secret is in your food consumption. That’s it, mood and food. You and I have an exercise and workout plan. Mine has me walking, swimming, weight training, and bike riding on alternating days. I am including some type of High-intensity interval training (HIIT) in each workout. Your plan should include activities you enjoy, mixed with some activities that are needed to maintain your health and fitness. On the days that you don’t feel the motivation to get up and move, remember that mood follows activity, not the other way around.

From Michael Pollen

If I was forced to choose which is more important between diet or exercise, the answer is diet. I don’t mean a diet like, “I can’t eat that, I’m on a diet”. I mean a diet like a food plan for nutrition. A cow’s diet is primarily grass. A lion’s diet primarily meat. God’s creatures have a primary diet and secondary diet of items they eat as needed or as available. My diet has changed over time as I changed. My diet is now more plant based. I am not vegetarian or vegan, but it is “plant rich” as Dr. Mark Hyman of the Cleveland Clinic would say. I try to make 20% to 30% of my plate meat with the balance being vegetables and grain. There are plenty of debates about the best diet plan. Here are my starter rules.

Coach Brown’s Fitness Triangle Diet

DO’S

Eat Fruits or Vegetables with any meal or snack.

Eat Clean Whole Foods.

Eat Organic, in season, local when possible.

Eat Less Meat: grass-fed, free range, wild caught when possible. 

Use Olive Oil or Coconut oil 

Do keep to a calorie count appropriate for your goal. 

Ask yourself: is this product God made or man made? Pick God.

DON’Ts

No Fast Food.

No Soda, diet or other.

No or limited Processed Foods.

Limit Starches, breads, and wheat based products.

Limit Dairy.

Watch out for Sugar, Nitrates, Sodium, High fructose corn syrup.

Watch out for any product with more than 5 ingredients or ones that have ingredients with a really long name.

How to get started

Recently I found a simple and easy way to rebuild my diet. I needed to refresh what I was doing because the Pandemic quarantine has changed my life patterns. I am cooking more for the family and my son’s needs are different from mine. I started to gain weight. Dr. David Katz and a team of nutritionists not backed by big industrial food, has designed software to help. The free website helped pick a diet program and build a sample meal plan for me including a shopping list www.dietid.com.

Dr. Katz also has another website of importance called True Health Initiative https://www.truehealthinitiative.org/ where many health and food rumors and sales pitches are debunked. I recommend that you check out both of these sites.

The quote for this post is from Michael Pollan: Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.

Be Healthy,

Coach Brown