May 14, 2020

Beyond Logic: Why your Fat Burning, Weight Loss, Nutrition, Health, Eating, and Dieting Goals Must Have a Spiritual Component

If weight loss was as simple as basic arithmetic, calories would be the only information that you needed.

Nutrition is full of layers upon layers from the human aspect to understandings of energy transfer throughout the universe. If fat loss was as simple as calories in vs calories out, humans wouldn’t be facing the unprecedented obesity epidemic of 2020s.

Obesity itself isn’t even the problem. What lies beneath obesity and excess can also be found in normal weight people as well. The problems are:

Metabolic disease including diabetes etc.
Inflammatory processes dangerously overactive for a period of years. (dysfunction and eventual scarring)
Toxic relationships with food and a highly detached and simultaneously capitalistic (exploitative) food supply chain.

You need guidance in order to delay instant gratification and to gain protection from succumbing to the temptations of excess.

Learning how to have a healthy relationship with food is not an isolated activity that one can simply switch on from day to day. It is important to look at food as more than just energy.

I am very interested in the essence of that which we consume. Perhaps you would benefit from a broader definition of energy than just a measure of heat or work done within a period of time.

Because we have our energy needs met, we need to look at food in two ways: as a source of wisdom/information and a source of material to create our cells.

We have an amazing capacity to access the wisdom of food. I’ll give you some examples:

Cooking to make nutrients more bioavailable
Cooking to reduce anti-nutrients such as the lectins on kidney beans (never eat raw kidney beans)
Cooking to kill / deactivate potential pathogens
Fermentation methods to increase the biological value of food (bacteria such as lactobacilli in sauerkraut)
Fermentation to increase enzyme activity (catalysts for biological processes)
Fermentation to deactivate natural plant defenses and/or toxins
And more…

Of course there are many foods that are perfect raw such as avocado or blueberries.

We also have great methods of food preservation in our refrigeration units, WHICH MEANS YOU HAVE NO EXCUSE TO NOT PLAN AHEAD.

One day, you will realize your own natural intuition about food. Until then, you need a plan, framework, or some sort of guiding knowledge to help you make progress through your mistakes.

Here are my own personal reasons to have a spiritual component in my nutrition.

1. At the beginning of the universe, there was darkness and there was light.

If we are to believe the Big Bang theory, then every person likely shares a star as a common ancestor. To say that we came from the stars is basically factual knowledge in astrophysics and quantum mechanics.

In essence, nutrition has far more depth and layers than science can ever show. My goal is to illuminate some of these darker areas in our understanding so that we can make progress forward instead of dying from disease of modern times.

2. Light nourishes us, but it can also burn us, therefore a balance must be sought after.

Energy balance obviously is the key to healthy weight. It is important to accept the offerings of nourishment while also protecting yourself from that which causes disease.

I’ll give you a practical example of protection within nutrition:

Red meat is carcinogenic, but if you eat kimchi with garlic along with it, it is possible to protect yourself from the cancer causing chemicals.

3. Don’t just eat for yourself: Eat for your future generation, eat for your ancestors who never had the opportunity to indulge, and eat for the people around you.

Eating for the future generation is about reducing the risk of intergenerational trauma and helping your children reach their potential. High quality foods containing a variety of antioxidants will help your sperm or eggs maintain integrity.

Eating for your ancestors is honoring the long and arduous journey to get here. And what I mean by here is that we live in an environment of relative food security. In fact, most of us have abundance and excess. Be thankful for these offerings.

Eating for the people around you is about setting a great example and inspiring others. It’s okay to have weak moments because your vulnerabilities should be seen as an advantage. At the same time, when you are capable of strength through healthy nutrition, it will be like a cloud of inspiration that gently sprinkles purity of motivation on those around you.

4. The human spirit may be pure, but without nourishment of the physical body, the output can become corrupt.

In one of my favorite home school classes, we watched Star Wars. The lesson at the end is that while an entity is seemingly pure evil, there is still good inside everybody.

My theory on why so many powerful people have become corrupt is that they lack nourishment. Of course the nourishment they lack could be in the form of emotions or other ways. Just think though, if you are constantly eating processed food, then you will constantly have high inflammation, and then over time parts of your body will begin to degrade, rot, or scar.

I believe many corrupt people have experienced scarring in parts of their brains or nerves from a lifetime of poor nourishment (or anti-nourishment like refined sugar, alcohol, etc). Some of these people will be the crazies you see on the street, while others will be the crazies that you read about in the history books (Hitler comes to mind).

This might be an unpopular opinion, but I believe that deep down, even the spirit of Hitler still had light within.

Nutrition is one very important way that we can protect ourselves from evil forces. Don’t become a Hitler. Eat your vegetables.

5. Everything is interconnected AND the universe is accelerating.

The universe is accelerating, meaning that galaxies are moving away from each other at a faster rate and in some cases maybe moving towards eachother at a faster pace. I see this as a metaphor for humanity and the acceleration of technology.

We are moving faster towards something. Will you sit back, eat junk, and accept your fate?

Or will you take a stand for yourself and fulfill your destiny?

I hope this nourishes your spirit in some way so that you can gain daily motivation towards nutritional enlightenment.

Thank you for reading and stay tuned. Follow the blog, please.

January 27, 2020

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Is Mushroom the Missing Cure-All against Obesity and Modern Disease?

Mushrooms may actually be more than fungible.

I believe that mushrooms can contribute a great deal to humanity’s progress. I think that if we are to create a legitimate space force moon-base and want to travel to other parts of the universe, then mushrooms can play a role in such an advancement.

The future and the present greatly rely upon both ancient and innovative nutrition.

Disclaimer: This is information is for educational purposes and not intended to treat or cure any disease since you are a person reading from anywhere in the world.

May have strong anti-fungal benefits against undesirable overgrowing of candida and yeasts in the body.

Culinary and medicinal mushrooms may actually have anti-fungal properties against other opportunistic and undesirable in large amounts fungus like candida. This is not to say that mushrooms alone will solve the problem alone because lifestyle is important.

Basically though, mushrooms contain a multitude of nutrients that help the immune system like no other.

Blood sugar support and fat loss.

My favorite benefit of mushrooms might just be how well they support fat loss in my experience and others. Even others coaches at OTF have been drinking mushrooms and experiencing the benefits (shoutout Coach Bobby drinking mushrooms at OTF!).

There are nutrients that may promote healthy normal function of the liver, kidney, and more. This promotes normal, healthy detoxification processes and of course the opportunity to allow the fat cells to reduce their energy through their own enzymatic mechanisms. In other words, metabolic processes are supported and that may give some impetus to fat cells to release adiponectin, the fat burning hormone.

These compounds exhibit their antidiabetic activity via different mechanisms. This article presents… the efficacy and mechanism of medicinal mushrooms for glucose control in diabetes, including the inhibition of glucose absorption, protection of beta-cell damage, increase of insulin release, enhancement of antioxidant defense, attenuation of inflammation, modulation of carbohydrate metabolism pathway, and regulation of insulin-dependent and insulin-independent signaling pathways.

Mushroom powders and extracts are especially great for anybody doing intermittent fasting and who want to promote liver function.

Are you interested in mushrooms like chaga?

Extremely powerful antioxidants, anti-inflammatory components, anti-aging benefits.

Mushrooms often contain fibers that are unique, which are fermented by the gut microbiome, which then, “learns,” from the wisdom of the mushroom. I love that mushrooms grow in the ground and trees. Mushrooms have been around for over 600,000 million years. In comparison, recognizable humans are said to have be only 1-3 million years on this planet.

Because mushrooms must process the living or decaying material without the benefit of sunlight as energy, they have evolved strong systems which interact with bacteria, viruses, and other fungal species.

Some of the most amazing mushrooms live on birch trees and are wild harvested in Maine as well as in the Siberian Forest. Truly a gem of nutrition, something most people will never realize what how much they missed out on.

I’ve used this chaga and it is pretty good. You can check the current price at Amazon.com.

Evolve bacteria in your gut to fight disease of modern times.

Something strange inside me clicked this year after I read about how bacterial species can evolve (transfer genetic information laterally) in hours responding to that which is ingested or exposed to.

Lateral gene transfer is evolution real-time.

My goal is to absorb a wide variety of ancient genetic information from plants and healthy living things.

I believe that if I evolve my gut, then I can prevent the common sickness and exist with passion well into my 90’s. I aspire to be an example for others even though I struggle at times.

We should strive for variety in our nutrition, especially plant variety.

How many fresh foods have you neglected or literally never even tried? What if you changed that?

If all else fails, we still have chaga.

I hope you enjoyed this article about mushrooms. I love mushrooms the same way I love you, just as you are. Can you find some inspiration here?

Credit: Saara Alhopuro

Please follow the blog for more.

See you soon!

Body Composition Nutrition, Immunity, and Digestion supplements

January 27, 2020

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5 Reasons Your Body Love Carbs

Would it be sweet to enjoy carbs and be lean 365 days a year?

This doesn’t have to be such an unusual concept.

Activity + nutrients + recovery = fit body.

Most active people can thrive on a balanced diet that includes plenty of fats, proteins, and yes, CARBS!

I’m here to give you a brief list of the benefits of various food known for containing high carbohydrates.

1. Some of the best fiber in the world comes from foods high in carbohydrates.

Various types of beans, lentils, and peas are very high in fiber. Berries like raspberries contain significant amounts of fiber. These foods also provide most of their calories from carbohydrate sources and that isn’t a bad thing. Keep reading for more.

2. Fiber is an extremely important energy source for anti-aging purposes.

I just wrote, “anti-aging,” in the title for more effect.

The truth is that all cells benefit from the energy extracted from fiber. It’s true that our human cells are unable to extract and absorb energy from fiber, but that is actually a good thing because it allows the gut microbiota to break down and utilize the fiber.

As a result, beneficial bacteria in the gut can convert fiber into short-chain fatty acids that can be used as energy directly within the human cells.

I believe that fiber is one of the key elements for fat loss because it’s a nutrient that provides no calories in the traditional sense, yet it gives valuable cellular energy provided through bacterial fermentation that occurs inside the gut. Furthermore, this energy is particularly beneficial in the organs and brain so that the systems in the body can operate functionally.

3. Genetic expression is altered through nutrition.

Fiber impacts your genes, yes.

Components of dietary fiber may influence gene expression indirectly through changes in hormonal signaling, mechanical stimuli, and metabolites produced by the intestinal microflora. In addition, consumption of water-soluble fibers may lead to changes in gene expression mediated through indirect mechanisms that influence transcription rates. In the large intestine, short-chain fatty acids, including butyric acid, are produced by microflora. Butyric acid can indirectly influence gene expression.

Let’s look at cranberries for more:

Cranberries possess a distinctive composition of phenolic compounds, including three classes of flavonoids (flavonoids, anthocyanins, and proanthocyanidins), catechins and an assortment of phenolic acids that induce various biological effects, such as antioxidant, enzyme activity modulation, and gene expression regulating effect.

4. Carbs before a workout can make your workout better and help you feel improved mood afterwards.

It makes sense that if you fuel a high intensity workout with something that includes carbohydrates, you’ll have more energy to be productive during the workout. You might be able to do something you’ve never done before. Then after the workout, you feel great. You go have a nutrient dense meal with balanced carbs, fats, and protein and you recover your body.

You burn fat while you sleep.

5. Carbohydrates are delicious.

I read a story about a tribe of people who would go hunting for animal meat and they were very serious about it. They would be stalking some animal in the jungle, forest, or plains and then somebody would notice the buzzing of a bee. All of a sudden, they forget about the animal and go hunt for the honey because that was more valuable to them.

Honey: The O.G. Carb. Don’t let refined sugar replace this nutritional badass.

There are obvious survival reasons for why humans have developed a taste for the sweet. Truthfully, not many experiences in life are more enjoyable than having the flavors and sweetness of foods dancing in your mouth. I acknowledge that.

I would never expect somebody to stop enjoying food just to get lean and ripped abs. I’m here to tell you that there is a balance that can be achieved and that healthy food can be delicious with a little bit of planning and creativity. The more practice you get at preparing healthy food, the more you can look forward to eating that which actually nourishes you.

In Carbclusion,

Carbohydrate containing foods support health of the gut microbiome, promote healthy inflammatory response, provide nourishment of the cells, and may even promote anti-aging.

Quality is everything when it comes to carbs, and portions are also important. The best part of carbohydrates for people looking to burn fat is definitely fiber. The fiber helps to make you feel more satiated while still giving the cells plenty of energy via bacterial metabolites.

Antioxidants are the next best component of foods containing carbs. It’s important to maintain healthy levels of inflammation (not too much, not too little) because if the inflammation is too high, then disease is more likely. For disease to exist in your body, there must be inflammation. Consuming antioxidant-rich carbohydrates is beneficial for managing inflammation.

Follow the blog for more on fitness, nutrition, and more.

I’ll keep writing, you keep coming.

Body Composition Fat Loss Fitness Nutrition, Immunity, and Digestion

February 5, 2018

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Stair Climbing for Rapid Fat Loss?

How often do you take the stairs? Did you know that stair climbing is one of the safest, most effective ways to make fitness gains and burn fat fast?

Stair Climbing is one of the safest, most effective workouts available for urban dwellers.

If I ever move into a high rise building, I would probably stair climb almost every day because it’s that sustainable. When I stair climb with my clients in various buildings, I end up burning more fat from my own body than what I even expected. My cardiovascular system made some serious improvements when I started to incorporate stair climbing into my life and now I am a strong advocate for stair climbing.

Climb up the stairs, take the elevator down.

One of the reasons that stair climbing up a building is so sustainable is that it’s very unlikely that you’ll experience any soreness from the activity since there is little-to-no eccentric portion of movement. It’s different if you have to go outside and return down the stairs because the downhill part is often what gets your calves and knees a bit more sore (tear down of muscles and other tissue). Of course you’ll get a lot of benefits from stairs outside, but there is just something unique about being able to climb a tall building and take the elevator down. You’ll recover way faster and it won’t impede other activities or training goals. Lots of benefit without the soreness.

Throwback to my first Big Climb

Disease prevention.

Because stair climbing is SO good for the heart and because there are many WELL KNOWN benefits of moderate-high intensity exercise, there is a good chance that regular stair climbing can help with healthy aging and longevity. If you’ve followed me for a while, you know that I’m not just passionate about fitness, I also care deeply about disease prevention and healthy aging. I’ve met too many people and I’ve had too many people in my life who have suffered through illness, sickness, and disease and I don’t believe it’s their fault — I do believe that we can do something about it though!

Give your body a reason to keep going.

As I mentioned earlier, I have many other motivations to take care of myself aside from “looking the part” for my career as a fitness professional. First of, I’ve experienced moments in my life when my body has let me down and caused me great distress along with emotional pain. Secondly, I have worked with people who have experienced all different types of ailments that I realized there’s no point trying to prevent one disease; you need to make effort to prevent ALL disease. The funny thing is that when you live a lifestyle that is truly about disease prevention, you end up feeling better about yourself AND burning more potentially harmful fat off of your body.

My very first Big Climb team

It’s okay to run out of excuses.

I am constantly fighting my own desire for comfort in order to make forward progress. My own meaning of purpose in life and my value to other people manifests from the knowledge and experience that I have and also my relatability — I struggle too. When I look at my experiences, I’ve noticed that in times when I am experiencing the most pain and discomfort are the times that I have made the most growth. I truly believe in disease prevention and I truly believe in the cure. It’s not just about personality responsibility, folks. We’re all in this together.

If my mission has moved you, consider contributing to my Big Climb 2018 fight to cure Leukemia and Lymphoma.

Click to give your support.

Dre Fitness is back. My readership of the blog has grown even though I haven’t been as active lately tells me that people appreciate the content that I create. I can only imagine how many people I can reach if I just stay consistent with content creation while continuing to be as authentic and genuine as I can be. Stay tuned for more!

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September 27, 2017September 27, 2017

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3 Honest Examples of What I Eat

I’ve been asked lately about what I’ve been eating so here is a quick post to share with you today. You can see that even though I aim for nutrient dense foods, I also intake some inflammatory foods which I think is inevitable in real life.

Monday:

4AM: Chlorella algae powder w/ matcha powder (of green tea leaves). Feeling: Energized.

Matcha (bright green, powerful energizing, brain boosting, antioxidant rich substance). Chlorella (dark green, extremely high chlorophyll making it a potent cellular rejuvinater and energizer).

5:00AM-7:45AM (coaching)

8:00AM – 8:20AM: abbreviated workout (20 mins of sleds)

9:00AM Scrambled pastured eggs cooked w/ coconut oil. Black beans, a small avocado, some pepperjack cheese, a few bites of raw saurkraut (PROBIOTIC), and boiled chard.

12:30 PM Another round of chlorella/matcha because I was going back to coach.

1:15 PM: Meeting at the studio, food provided by management. Berries, then some of those deli wraps which did have flour, processed meat, cheese, lettuce, and tomato.

3:00PM-6:30 PM (coaching)

6:45 PM amazing chamomile tea from Roy Street coffee

7:30 PM Organic grass fed raw home-made Kefir (PROBIOTIC)

Tuesday:

3:50 AM: Chlorella algae powder w/ matcha.

4:45AM – 7:30AM (coaching)

7:35 AM: Lots of blueberries as a gift from VIP member Deniz at LQA. Also a small peanut butter ball / protein snack that I had on the go walking from one training location to the next.

Blueberries are for antioxidant winners!

8:00AM – 9AM (coaching)

9:45 AM: Wild Alaskan King Salmon 8oz w/ raw saurkraut. (I wanted to have more veggies, but didn’t want to feel rushed during my short break so I just made it easy on myself and had the kraut).

11:00 AM: Americano from Analog Coffee. (nothing added)

12:20 PM: Small coconut nut butter protein ball (another little gift given to me from earlier) as a pre-workout energy source.

12:45 PM: Workout

1:45 PM: 16oz of coconut water (I just love a cold coconut water after the workout, not that I scientifically think it’s the best post-workout. It just makes me feel better than any of the hundred other post-workout drinks I’ve tried)

2:00 PM: Brew DR. Kombucha, “Spiced Apple,” flavor while chillin’ at Cal Anderson Park.

ITSDREFITNESSCalAndersonPark2017Sept26th

Picture at Cal Anderson park yesterday for my Instagram followers and blog readers.

3:00 PM: 24oz of Wild Alaskan King Salmon. Took 20oz of fresh spinach and steamed it/ate it. Also 2 bundles of chard which I boiled and ate that. Only had half an avocado because I was getting so full from the veggies.

5:30 PM – 9PM (coaching)

9:45 PM: Organic grass fed raw home-made Kefir (PROBIOTIC)

Wednesday:

5:40 AM: Chlorella algae powder w/ matcha

6:15 AM: Workout

7:20 AM: Post-workout, I had the Boar’s Head, “Rainier,” sandwhich from the QFC deli in Broadway Market w/ a coconut water of course. Another Brew Dr. Kombucha, this time “Clear Mind” flavor.

8:00 AM – 1:00 PM (coaching)

10:20 AM: During a quick break between coaching HIIT classes, I drank part of store bought Kefir called “Grace Harbor Farms, Plain Kefir” from QFC. This particular brand IS real legitimate kefir, unlike many store brands.

11:40 AM: Drank the other half of the bottle of kefir (Sometimes I only get a few moments to consume anything so I try to make it count, or otherwise I go too many hours without eating probably).

1:45 PM: Pho Than Brothers Pho #1 Large with extra broccoli.

2:30 PM – 4PM (coaching)

5:00 PM: One Chipotle Burrito Bowl with white rice, black beans, fajita vegetables, chicken, pico, salsa verde, corn, 1/2 serving sour cream, guacamole, and lettuce.

7:30PM: Goat Milk Kefir and start preparing for my day tomorrow.

Kefir, a fermented milk beverage with promising health benefits.

Planning ahead for tomorrow

Tomorrow I’ve planned that I will have more salmon/greens because today wasn’t my best eating day. I’ve taken on more work and helped other trainers at OTF so I notice that when my schedule becomes more demanding, I find it more challenging to consume the top foods. I’m sure you can relate.

I can’t wait to get salmon back in my body.

I already know that I’m going to have my matcha/chlorella around 4:00AM tomorrow. By 9AM, I’ll have some pastured eggs meal similar to that I had on Monday. Then when 3-4PM rolls around, I’ll be preparing my meal of fresh salmon / greens that I’ll have just picked up from the store. I try to go to bed around 8PM because if I get less than 6 hours of sleep, I already know it’s going to be a STRUGGLE to choose healthy foods. Sleep is so crucial for making the right choices.

Tomorrow will be a new day though, with more opportunities for nutrient dense food. It’s not glamorous that I have to wash a bunch of pots and pans to keep up with my cooking, but you just gotta do what you gotta do. I sometimes remind myself what a blessing it is to have access to some of the best nutrition in the world here in my city of Seattle. Why let the opportunity slip by?

Fat Loss Fitness Nutrition, Immunity, and Digestion