Watermelon Update and Fish/Flaxseed Oils

      Drank the watermelon with lemon and lime juice for a few days, didn't notice any change in my arthritis. Other people may have more success, but for me it was bunk.
      What has been working wonderfully has been fish oil and flax seed oil 2-3 times a day. We started this because my wife's cholesterol levels were causing concern in our doctor. When we looked at the levels, they really weren't bad. They hovered in the 140 range. However, everyone seems to be on a cholesterol-lowering drug kick, making the norm an unattainable 120, unless you are on said drugs. Fish and flax seed oil have been shown to lower cholesterol, but I also saw something that said they helped with arthritis. We've been on them for 6 months, and I don't hurt nearly as much as I used to. We take a fish oil capsule and a flax seed oil capsule with breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Sometimes we forget one in a day, but we always get at least 2 of each every day. Her cholesterol will be getting checked in May, so I'll let you know how that goes. But I can attest to the fact that these have helped my joints immensely. I still run with a knee brace on (my knee went bum 2 years ago for no reason), but I don't need to wear it any other time.
      A lot of people avoid fish oil pills because they don't like burping fish all day. We take

 

Sundown Naturals 1000mg

and

Sundown Naturals Flax Seed Oil 1000mg

      I'm not sure if it's because we take them in tandem, and that may do away with the fish burps, or that Sundown Naturals is just that awesome, or that I tend to take the fish first and then the flax. My point being that we don't have a problem with the fish burps. The wife also likes to mix ground-up flax seed in with Greek yogurt and agave syrup as a yummy texturey breakfast. (Note: Don't mix ground flax seed with anything until you are ready to eat it. Only add it to the portions that are about to be consumed. Otherwise, it has the tendency to become a sponge and create a bizarre chewy texture that isn't very appetizing). Other than the side note, ground flax adds a great boost of omega 3s to your meal. We suggest adding it to breakfast cereal, soups, salads, among other meals.

      What are the differences between flax seed and fish oils? The biggest difference is their source. Fish is animal protein, flax seed is plant protein. For some people that makes a difference. If you're not of the vegetarian or vegan persuasion, I suggest taking both. I really do feel that these two in tandem have made a world of difference in my life.

The Importance of Water. Also, TEDTalks & Dr. Gary Null

     In Women's Health this month, I read in an article that dehydration can cause drowsiness. A lot of things I read talk about how most people are walking around dehydrated. One even said that "if you're feeling thirsty, you're dehydrated, because if you drink enough water, you don't feel thirsty." This article said that if you're tired, instead of reaching for a caffeine fix, try a glass of water first.
     It's not easy to stay hydrated these days. If our schedules aren't so crazy that peeing 12 times a day is inconvenient, then sometimes we just forget that we're supposed to be drinking water. I'm sitting here right now, and I realize I really haven't had any water all day. And I wonder why I have no energy. I've had orange juice and almond milk as my liquids, but no water. Shame on me.
     The wife and I have switched to pretty much only water. On occasion we have Cran-Apple juice (watered down) as a treat, or for electrolytes when we've had a hefty workout. But otherwise, we drink water all throughout the day.
Sometimes, I will feel like having a treat of a soda. Or after long car rides, I may need some carbonation to help settle my stomach. Because we've made the switch to water, these infrequent indulgences of soda don't make me feel guilty! Which is wonderful. One thing I've definitely learned is feeling guilty does not help your diet or lifestyle change. It makes you want to binge even more, because hey, you're already this bad.

     I've been watching TED Talks. Technology, Entertainment and Design is what the TED stands for. They're really informative and impressive. One series I'd recommend for everybody on here is the one on food.

     They're available on Netflix watch instantly. Very informative about so many aspects of food that you never even thought it.

     Currently I'm testing a recipe that is supposed to help with Arthritis. Blended watermelon with lemon and lime juice. I don't like watermelon, but I figured the lemon and lime juices would help. Flavor wise, it's not bad at all. I've been drinking it for two days now, I'll let yall know if it helps or does nothing. I found that recipe from this documentary featuring Dr. Gary Null.

     Also available on Netflix. He gets very impassioned and can sound slightly extreme at times, but a lot of what he talks about is stuff I either already knew from readings or other documentaries (therefore reinforcing what I've learned), or things I didn't know about. I'd recommend this one too.

HFCS & Green Smoothies

     Fitness to me also means health, so this won't mainly be an exercise blog. Rather it will be about improving health with food, supplements, changing routines, and random odds and ends I find or hear.
     My food revolution started with my father.. When I went off to college, he told me about the evils of High Fructose Corn Syrup. I instantly began cutting it out as much as I could.  When my now-wife and I moved in together, we made it a larger scale cut-out, going so far as to pull things out of the cabinet and either donate them or throw them away. If it had HFCS in the first 5 ingredients, it was gone. And if it had just plain Corn Syrup in the first 3 ingredients, it was gone as well. But it wasn't easy. It really is in most packaged things, and in a lot of foods that you wouldn't expect to have sweetener of any kind in it. Start reading your labels!
     This change came with the watching of the documentary King Corn.

     These 2 guys wonder what it takes to grow an acre of corn, and ask a farmer to help them with that experiment. Very eye-opening about many areas of the agricultural industry in America. We highly recommend.
     Since I've stopped eating so much of it, I can generally taste HFCS when I'm unaware of its presence in something I'm eating. The food will usually taste kind of fake to me nowadays. Last week, I ate a Cookies N Cream candy bar, one of my childhood favorites, and I didn't like it... Don't enjoy Yoplait Thick N Creamy anymore either.
      The wife gave up a lifetime addiction to Diet Coke. She tried it a month later and couldn't stand the taste of it. (That's aspartame, however.)
     So many things that started out as treats like ice cream, soda, candy, cookies, are now the lifeblood of our society. It's not a wonder most of us are unhealthy or obese. The fact that we eat more fresh things, or things that don't contain these artificial sweetener, means that when we do have any of the above mentioned, they're back to being a treat. And I don't feel guilty for having a soda a couple times a month, instead of a couple times a day.

Another source that really opened my eyes about the world of nutrition was the book Green For Life. 

     I had gotten a weird notion to put spinach in my berry smoothie one day, and when I told my friend, she told me about this book. I took a lot of things it said with a grain of salt, but what I ultimately took away was that we need to be eating more greens.
Because of this book, I learned about the existence and basic yummyness of many greens. To include:

Kale

Collard Greens 

Swiss Chard

     Among others. I like spinach in my smoothies, and even broccoli, though I have yet to perfect the amount of it (too much and it's chewy, too little and you don't get the health benefit).
     When I make them, I make a full blender's worth. It takes me a day or two to drink the whole 50+ oz, but I enjoy them a lot. They are great for post workout, for in between meals, part of a meal, or as a meal. The wife and I frequently travel on the weekends, so if it seems unsure the quality of our nutritional intake over the weekend, then I'll whip up a 32 oz bottle and take it along. I offer a taste to anyone that is willing, and have changed a few minds on the subject.

     Because of childhood health issues, I'm 24 and have arthritis everywhere. It didn't help that I was overweight either, but there were still underlying issues not caused by the weight. Since I began making these changes, my joints hurt maybe only 30% of the time, instead of 80% of the time. The weight doesn't just fall off me, but everyday I feel more and more healthy and capable of doing more things I never thought I'd be able to.
     It was necessary to change my lifestyle, not just go on a diet. I recommend everyone else do the same. Make a commitment to these changes. It doesn't mean you can't ever have that guilty pleasure. It just means you don't have it that often, so instead of being a guilty pleasure, it's just a pleasure.
Happy Trails!

First Post

I started my fitness and health journey September of 2010. It started by discovering Livestrong.com, and learning about the calories of foods. I learned to gauge food by its ingredients, and lost 10lbs just by watching my portions. I lost another 10lbs by going to the gym on base. All that happened in 6 months, and then I hit a plateau. My workouts continued, I signed up with a trainer, and I'm pretty sure I gained some muscle and still lost fat, but the number on the scale didn't change.
My goal is to be healthier. In my readings and exploration, I've learned a lot. And I realized, it would probably help to have a place to keep track of these things. If they benefit someone else, that's pretty good too.
I will try to cite things as best I can, but sometimes they'll just be musings or theories of a friend or family member. Take them with a grain of salt, just as I will be.

Here's to continuing the journey!