Easy as, coach

21/01/2025

This is a fraction of the pills I would have taken last year, had I followed doctor's orders.

Both types are linked to liver damage, more so the ones circled in red - but they only tell you that once your liver test score goes about 5-6 times over the normal limit.

This is not an anti-doctor post: most are fighting a system that's stacked against them while politicians are playing games with it. I think for the most part they simply are not afforded the time to properly care for patients.

Through study and lots of homework believe I found the underlying issues, addressed those, and I decided to wean myself off these. I'm now in a position to say it worked: test scores are back to normal, and I'll be "officially cleared" next month.

This is a "take control of your own future" post. The health system is geared towards treating symptoms, most of the time you need to fix the root cause yourself.

There's a bunch of health coaches to choose from, and many have some area of specialisation - find one that you like and fix your future.

https://hcanza.org/find-a-coach/

11/12/2024

“No man has the right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training. It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable.”

― Socrates

10/12/2024

Choose grass-fed!

Just like humans, cattle are not really adapted to grains. A diet of corn can lead to liver abscesses in cattle, which is why animals who eat it receive antibiotics as part of their feed, which in turn you consume.

There is also some good evidence that grass-fed farming methods is more environmentally friendly, and the meat is healthier.

Generally speaking the unlabeled meat in big supermarkets will be from non-organic farms using the cheapest means of raising the animals, which is not necessarily a good thing.

If you can, find a local butcher that you can trust and ask about the meat. I'll bet you'll not only get better quality meat, but also support a nice local business. My favourite is Aussie Butcher New Lynn - try them!

Research performed by Dr. Stephan Van Vliet, Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Sciences, Utah State University, and the Bionutrient Food

01/11/2024

Way back in 2014 South Park was already on to it!

https://www.southparkstudios.com/video-clips/qcl2i8/south-park-flip-the-pyramid?

In the midst of the gluten crisis, Cartman calls the USDA with a crucial piece of information.

20/10/2024

Good morning.

I share this to give hope, and knowing for myself that just understanding things helps, even if it's not an immediate fix. I can say that without question I've felt the "detox" of the past few months and wish I had seen this podcast 18 months or even 18 years earlier.

Quoting a local scholar for whom I have a ton of respect:
"Take junk food, vaping/smoking/drugs/alcohol, p**n, screens and social media, gaming, online shopping, and gambling all as mega-salient rewards which dysregulate the dopamine system. They drive pleasure initially, but end up delivering pain as the system resets to low baseline dopamine (withdrawal) and more needed to get out of there (tolerance).

You end up with “anhedonia” - the inability to feel pleasure. I think this is the main increase in poor mental health in recent times especially in young people.

There’s no talking your way out of this with therapy. You simply have to “dopamine fast” i.e. stop whatever you are addicted to. Easier said than done for most of us."

Watch this, it's important.

“When we do things intentionally that are physically or mentally challenging for us, our body senses injury and up regulates feel good neurotransmitters. . .so we get our dopamine indirectly by paying for it upfront.” —Anna Lembke

08/10/2024

Short version: Bad stats led to bad conclusions on what a healthy diet is.

Then there is the problem of your genes: Your DNA may not be suited to a diet of another culture - grains are a good example of that.

The secret to longevity in the so-called Blue Zones of the world owes more to dodgy record keeping than a healthy lifestyle, a scientist says.

24/09/2024

A good discussion about some topics that are very much in my face at the moment, and relevant to the coaching conversation: Everyone is at their own stage of wanting to make a change, or not. Not everyone is at a point to tick of items from someone else's "must do list" - you work with what you are able to, and that's enough.

24/09/2024

Stack up a bunch of little changes and in a short time you'll see big results!

www.tedxfremont.com What if someone told you to floss only one tooth everyday? Or start the new year, not with grand resolutions, but with a simple challenge...

17/09/2024

A reminder to myself as much as anyone: Take care of your nutrition, it has a remarkable and measurable effect on your mental wellbeing.

NOTE FROM TED: Please consult with a mental health professional and do not look to this talk for medical advice as the intersection of mental health and nutr...

13/09/2024

Suntan lotion...

A topic that gets me going! I was an avid sun screener until I read about suntan lotion killing coral reefs ( https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/news/sunscreen-corals-noaa-studies.html ).

Wait, what?! WTF am I putting on my skin that kills a reef?! Turns out a lot of label reading is required ( https://www.ewg.org/sunscreen/report/the-trouble-with-sunscreen-chemicals ) and then some manufacturers simply don't keep their end of the bargain anyway https://www.consumer.org.nz/articles/why-sunscreens-should-be-regulated/full-test-results

So I basically opted out of sunscreen and I'm just covering up.

Then I came across this last week: Seed oils seem to be another culprit yet again.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LImgzRd4e_8

Hope this helps!!

Paul explains his hypothesis that consuming seed oils (linoleic acid), causes a worse sunburn, and additionally, putting linoleic acid directly onto skin via...