Rabu, 29 Desember 2010

Our 12/28/10 Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
December 28, 2010

Contact:
Patricia Fonzi, Spokesperson
(717) 586-9232
York, PA

Innovative restaurant with a heart coming soon to York.

Often a great idea starts when a small group of people coming together with a purpose and that’s exactly what has happened with the Healthy World Café. The mission of York’s Healthy World Café is to provide a place for all members of the York community to eat -- where people eating a good meal in a welcoming place is given priority over the ability to pay.

What is unique about this approach is that there is no regular menu. With a focus on local and whole foods, meals are prepared in small batches and served to patrons who choose their own portions of soups, salads, entrees and desserts. To help with portion control, the restaurant will offer small, medium and large plates. Patrons will be expected to pay a fair and respectable price for the food that they have eaten, and pricing suggestions will be available.

No one, however, is turned away. If a diner does not have the ability to pay, they will encouraged to exchange an hour of volunteer service at the restaurant—serving meals, preparing food and even doing dishes if needed.

Recently incorporated as a not for profit, the Healthy World Café is currently exploring site options in downtown York and actively recruiting people who are interested in learning more about the café, volunteering, and of course—making donations. We invite all of our York area neighbors to learn about and become a part of this life sustaining and environmentally sustainable community kitchen.

Interested people are welcome to join us on Monday January 3, 2011, 6:30pm – 8:30pm at the Friends Meeting House, 135 West Philadelphia Street, York, PA for the next public advisory group meeting.

The Café is actively seeking donations especially as the year comes to a close. Donations are tax deductible, and will help the Café to secure a site and recruit volunteers. Donors can contribute via PayPal by visiting www.philanthropicendeavors.org and clicking the Donate button or by sending a check made out to: Philanthropic Endeavors Foundation/Healthy World Cafe Fund and sent to 342 Bruaw Drive, York, PA 17406.

For questions or further information, please contact Patricia Fonzi at 717-586-9232.

Selasa, 28 Desember 2010

The Matrix

Governments, run by the big corporations and their trusty messengers, the media, doctors and health workers (AKA Agent Smith) lie to us poor souls trapped in the Matrix, that the low fat low cholesterol “healthy eating” dogma is designed for our health, and not for their friends - industrial agriculture and the multi-national food producers (AKA Agent Brown).

We, stuck in the Matrix, blindly and obediently eat our sugar coated cereals, our MSG laden TV dinners, our low fat “healthy yogurts” and drink our, devoid of any life giving properties, no fat homogenised UHT milk. We also see on TV how drinking sugar drenched cans of cola makes us irresistible to the opposite sex. Agents Smith & Brown are very happy and rich. So is Agent Jones, more of him later.

We, stuck in the Matrix, dutifully follow the low fat, low cholesterol god, we eat more cereal and bread (wholemeal of course), we stuff ourselves with fruit & veg and we absolutely swim in soy & margarine (low cholesterol of course). It’s all good, laugh Agents Smith & Brown, heavily weighed down by the excess cash crammed into their pockets. “Eat as the low fat, low cholesterol god decrees” say Agents Smith & Brown (Agent Jones smilingly agrees), they lie “you will have good health forever”! They see $$$ signs in front of their eyes.

We, stuck in the Matrix, are told don’t eat meat, don’t eat fat, don’t eat lard, don’t eat cholesterol and under no circumstances ever, ever have tallow. YOU WILL DIE IMMEADIATELY say agents Smith & Brown, with a great sigh of relief as we, stuck in the Matrix, obey them with sheer fear. We frantically bustle our way to the nearest almighty great provider (Walmart) and gratefully spend our pittance on our genetically modified low fat, no cholesterol tofu lovingly engineered, assembled and manufactured by the all powerful one who feeds us all (Monsanto).

However, we, stuck in the Matrix, are puzzled. When we reach 30, some even in their teens, do not have the body of Greek gods. We can no longer scamper after a bus, we fall asleep in the middle of the day yet cannot sleep at night. Our clothes shrink, we’ve no need to visit a barber. We furtively scour the internet for those little pills that help in the err.... marital department.

Why is this, we, stuck in the Matrix, ask? We don’t eat meat, we don’t eat fat. We eat our 11 servings of bread, cereal, rice & pasta. We dutifully gag down our 5 vegetables a day and our 4 pieces of fruit go down our throats with the knowledge that its’ all good – so say Agents Smith & Brown.

We even eat All Bran, Weetabix, lettuce & Tofu!

Why are we ill, we, stuck in the Matrix, ask Agent Smith’s messengers, the doctor’s, (esteemed to be one above god). AH HA think the Agents “we’ve trapped them for life”. Luckily for us the good doctor’s know big pharma (AKA Agent Jones). He can supply you with anything you want. Pills for this, potions for that, concoctions for the other.

The god doctor’s command us, when we are ill, (and even when we feel in tip top condition), you WILL take this pill, potion, concoction for the next 35 years (at $300 per month profit for Agent Jones). Agent Jones, at first smirks, then giggles, then laughs and laughs and laughs...... His bank balance has so many noughts in it!!

Agents Smith, Brown & Jones can now harvest all our worldly funds. (AKA bioelectrical energy and body heat)

On the good ship Nebuhadnezzar, Morpheus, Trinity, the Oracle and their crew battle valiantly against the all powerful Agents, Smith, Brown & Jones and their Sentinels. They are searching for ‘the one’.

Who can save mankind from the deadly agent’s? (Governments who are run by the big corporations). Who can free us from the clutches of the Matrix? (Monsanto, Tesco, Astra Zeneca, Pfizer, Glaxo Smith Kline). Who has the knowledge, the experience, the skills, the charisma, the wisdom to lead us to enlightenment?

Can Morpheus and his crew find ‘the one’?

We can all be ‘the one’. We must all take responsibility and find out:

Who feeds us our ‘food’? Who decides what ‘food’ we eat?

How is ‘food’ manufactured? Should ‘food’ be manufactured? Shouldn’t ‘food’ be well, just real food?

Who sponsor’s 90% of scientific studies on health and nutrition? Why do scientific studies always ‘prove’ what the sponsor wants?

Why are we told that obesity rates have soared in part because we are lazy & sedentary, yet in 1970 hardly anyone belonged to a gym, and in 2009 around 4.5 million people in the UK had a gym membership? Also in 1981 6,000 people completed the London marathon, last year that number had risen to around 34,000.

Why do ‘foods’ advertised on TV always make claims to be the healthiest? Why do these ‘foods’ advertised on TV have the highest profit margins?

Why are we not told that John Harvey Kellogg was a vegetarian and a puritanical religious zealot who thought sexual desires were evil, and who never consummated his marriage? He invented cornflakes knowing they lower libido. ADVICE: Next time your partner is getting a bit frisky but you are not feeling in the ...hem... mood, feed them some cereal.

Why are we NOT told that the industrial commodities; grain, beans & potatoes contain antinutrients, toxins, enzyme blockers, lectins & more, which deplete and destroy our health? Is it because it might lower profit margins for Agent Brown (industrial agriculture and the multi-national food producers) & Agent Jones (big pharma)?

Why are we not told that the industrial commodity product; soy, contains phytic acid, Trypsin inhibitors, phytoestrogens, aluminimum, monosodium glutamate (MSG) & more, which deplete minerals in our body, cause pancreatic disorders, infertility, breast cancer, vitamin D deficiency and are toxic to the nervous system? Is it because it might lower profit margins for Agent Brown (industrial agriculture and the multi-national food producers) & Agent Jones (big pharma)?

A word about cholesterol lowering & statin drugs.

Why are we not told that by lowering your cholesterol you will probably die at a younger age?

Why are we not told that by lowering your cholesterol you are more likely to suffer from cancer?

Why are we not told that by lowering your cholesterol you increase your risk of having a stroke?

Why are we not told that by lowering your cholesterol you will weaken your immune system?

Why are we not told that by lowering your cholesterol you have a higher risk of suicide & depression?

Why are we not told that by lowering your cholesterol you are more at risk with suffering from Alzheimer’s & Parkinson’s?

Is it because it might lower profit margins for Agent Jones (big pharma), who manufactures statins?

Why are we told that eating saturated fat causes heart disease when a review of 21 studies lasting between 5 – 23 years involving 347,747 people showed there was NO association between saturated fat intake and heart disease? http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/ajcn.2009.27725v1 Is it because only small scale farmers tend to produce this type of food and it is actually healthy for the human body, thereby by eating this food it will cut the profit margins for Agent Brown (industrial agriculture and the multi-national food producers) & Agent Jones (big pharma)?

Why are we told that eating cholesterol will make us obese and give us heart disease when in one of the most in depth studies on record looking at diet, cholesterol, lifestyle and heart disease was researched over 40 year period in Framingham, Massachusetts showed the complete opposite? 6000 people were involved in the investigation generating a huge volume of information. The director of the study, William P. Castelli, declared a few years after the study concluded that "In Framingham, Mass, the more saturated fat one ate, the more cholesterol one ate, the more calories one ate, the lower the person's serum cholesterol... we found that the people who ate the most cholesterol, ate the most saturated fat, ate the most calories, weighed the least and were the most physically active." Are we told cholesterol is unhealthy because only small scale farmers tend to produce high cholesterol type of foods and they are actually healthy for the human body, thereby by eating these foods it will cut the profit margins for Agent Brown (industrial agriculture and the multi-national food producers) & Agent Jones (big pharma)?

Why are we told that foods the human body has evolved to thrive on and that have kept us nourished and healthy for the last 2.5 million years (meat & fat) are unhealthy? Why are we told that foods manufactured in the last few decades, (genetically modified, industrially produced, processed commodities) to which our bodies are not adapted, make us sick, unhealthy and dependent on pharmaceutical drugs, why are we told these foods are healthy? Is it because only small scale farmers tend to produce the type of foods the human body has evolved to thrive on and that have kept us nourished and healthy for the last 2.5 million years (meat & fat), thereby by eating these foods it will cut the profit margins for Agent Brown (industrial agriculture and the multi-national food producers) & Agent Jones (big pharma)?

“Healthy eating” has been gathering pace since the late 1970’s. Because of the teachings of Agents Smith, Brown & Jones we now all eat less red meat, less cholesterol and less saturated animal fat. We eat more spinach, we eat more garlic, we eat many, many more vegetables. We eat more corn, we eat more rice, we eat much, much more soya, we eat more wheat. We drink more fruit juice & we eat more fruit. We eat unimaginably more processed “low fat, low cholesterol, healthy” foods and we eat massively more manufactured, industrially processed vegetable fats and oils.

Since the 1970’s, Obesity has soared, Cancer rates have soared, Diabetes has soared, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer cases have risen. Heart disease cases have shot up. More people have high blood pressure. Infertility casts a shadow on many more couple’s now. Asthma rates have multiplied many fold times. ADHD, Autism, Depression, epilepsy, intestinal disease’s, liver disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Osteoporosis and many more diseases and conditions are more prevalent now than 30 years ago.

Why is this?

Who benefits from us eating genetically modified, industrially produced, processed commodities (food!!)?

Agent Smith (Governments, run by the big corporations and their trusty messengers, the media, doctors and health workers) tell us what to eat, (genetically modified, industrially produced, processed commodities).

Agent Brown (industrial agriculture and the multi-national food producers) manufactures it for us (genetically modified, industrially produced, processed commodities).

Agent Jones (Astra Zeneca, Pfizer, Glaxo Smith Kline) then makes $billions “treating” us on our diseases and conditions, (caused by eating these genetically modified, industrially produced, processed commodities).

‘One’ by ‘One’ we can personally escape the Matrix. To attain robust, vibrant health we must find out the truth for ourselves.

Our example can inspire others, some cannot or do not want to be saved (such as Cypher). However many do. We, who are ‘the ones’ must battle Agents Smith, Brown & Jones and we must win. The truth must rise to the surface and soar into the sky.

We can all be Neo.

High meat consumption prevents osteoporosis

Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition & Metabolic Care: November 2010 - Volume 13 - Issue 6 - p 698–702 doi: 10.1097/MCO.0b013e32833df691

Purpose of review: Update recent advancements regarding the effect of high-animal protein intakes on calcium utilization and bone health.
Henry C. Lukaski and Gil Hardy

This paper can be accessed at: http://journals.lww.com/co-clinicalnutrition/Abstract/2010/11000/Acid_diet__high_meat_protein__effects_on_calcium.16.aspx
 
The study found that a high protein diet (meat) is beneficial to calcium utilization and bone health, especially in the elderly and is important for osteoporosis prevention.
 
AMAZON UK The Protein Power Lifeplan
AMAZON USA The Protein Power Lifeplan

Senin, 27 Desember 2010

Are all the early statin trials a sham?

This post includes a summary of a paper published in the Journal of Lipid Nutrition Vol. 19 (2010) , No. 1 pp.65-92

Study title and authors:
Recent cholesterol-lowering drug trials: New data, new questions
Michel de Lorgeri and Patricia Salen
Laboratoire Cœur & Nutrition, Université Joseph Fourier

This paper can be accessed at: http://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jln/19/1/19_65/_article

Ignore the Awkward.: How the Cholesterol Myths Are Kept Alive
Books:
The french cardiologist Dr Michel de Lorgeril investigated the outcome of recent cholesterol-lowering drugs trials.

He found:
(a) The cholesterol-lowering drug trials published in 2008-2009 were either negative (ENHANCE, SEAS, GISSI-HF, AURORA) or obviously biased and therefore not credible (JUPITER).
(b) It is also noteworthy that most cholesterol-lowering drug trials published between 2005 (the year of the Vioxx affair and of enforcement of new clinical trial regulations) and 2007 were also negative or ambiguous.
(c) Taken together, these trials strongly suggest that the results of previous, highly positive trials with statins - particularly in the secondary prevention of coronary heart disease - published between 1994 and 2004 and that were used to issue guidelines for medical practitioners should be carefully re examined by experts independent from the pharmaceutical industry.
(d) The positive results from trials published between 1994 and 2004 were before the Vioxx affair and of enforcement of new clinical trial regulations. (Vioxx was a drug that was supposed to greatly relieve the pains of arthritis sufferers, the problem was that it caused heart attacks and strokes and three-fold increase in death rates. The company that manufactured the drug (Merck) tried to hide these side effects by manipulating data. Eventually the drug was withdrawn and now, in an attempt to prevent pharmaceutical companies hiding or manipulating evidence, the US Food and Drug Administration require that all pharmaceutical companies file any and all trial results to a federal registry within one year of the completion of the trial).

Dr de Lorgeril concludes: "The next question would be whether it is not time for a full reappraisal of the theory according to which cholesterol-lowering results in a significant protection against cardiovascular morbidity and mortality".

More information on this subject: Books : Scientific Studies : Other Websites : Videos : Food Mall

Sugar-sweetened soda and orange juice increase the risk of gout

Published in JAMA. 2010 Nov 24;304(20):2270-8. Epub 2010 Nov 10.

Fructose-rich beverages and risk of gout in women.
Choi HK, Willett W, Curhan G.
Section of Rheumatology and Clinical Epidemiology Unit, Boston University School of Medicine, 650 Albany St, Ste 200, Boston, MA 02118, USA. hchoius@bu.edu

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=%22JAMA+%3A+the+journal+of+the+American+Medical+Association%22%5BJour%5D+AND+2010%5Bpdat%5D+AND+Choi%5Bauthor%5D&cmd=detailssearch

In this study that lasted 22 years, Choi found that consumption of fructose-rich beverages is associated with an increased risk of gout.

AMAZON UK Carbohydrates Can Kill
AMAZON USA Search Amazon.com for carbohydrates can kill

Minggu, 26 Desember 2010

Eating iron rich foods has No association with breast cancer

This post includes a summary of a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition December 2010 vol. 92 no. 6 1478-1483 and a recipe for roast beef.

Study title and authors:
Intakes of dietary iron and heme-iron and risk of postmenopausal breast cancer in the National Institutes of Health–AARP Diet and Health Study1,2,3
The Primal Blueprint: Reprogram your genes for effortless weight loss, vibrant health, and boundless energy
Books:
Geoffrey C Kabat, Amanda J Cross, Yikyung Park, Arthur Schatzkin, Albert R Hollenbeck, Thomas E Rohan, and Rashmi Sinha
1From the Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY (GCK and TER); the Nutritional Epidemiology Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Rockville, MD (AJC, YP, AS, and RS); and the AARP, Washington, DC (ARH).
2 Supported by institutional funds (Albert Einstein College of Medicine).
3 Address correspondence to GC Kabat, Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10461. E-mail: geoffrey.kabat@einstein.yu.edu.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ajcn.org/content/92/6/1478.abstract?etoc

The study assessed intakes of total dietary iron and heme iron (iron from meat, fish and poultry) in relation to breast cancer risk in 116,674 postmenopausal women.

The study concluded there is NO association between iron or heme-iron intakes and postmenopausal breast cancer.

More information on this subject: Books : Scientific Studies : Other Websites : Videos : Food Mall


Recipe of the day

Roast Beef

Ingredients:
Dry Aged Prime Sirloin Roast Beef
Food Mall: Sirloin Roast Beef
1 x 1.3kg/3lb sirloin
Salt and freshly milled black pepper
5-10ml/1-2tsp fennel seeds, crushed
5-10ml/1-2tsp ground cinnamon
3 medium onions, peeled and quartered

Method:
1.Preheat the oven to Gas mark 4-5, 180-190°C, 350-375°F.

2.In a small bowl mix the seasonings together. Place the joint on a chopping board and coat with the seasoning on both sides. Place on a rack in a roasting tin and open roast for the preferred, calculated cooking time, basting occasionally with any rich meat juices. Cover with foil if browning too quickly.

3.30 minutes before the end of the cooking time remove the joint from the rack and add the onions. Position the joint on top of the onions and return to the oven.

4.Remove from the oven; cover and leave to rest for 15-20 minutes.

Roast Beef

Kamis, 16 Desember 2010

Shaolin Skype - Making Authentic Shaolin Accessible To All




I am passionate about Shaolin not only as a martial art but also as a powerful tool to help people live longer, be happier, fitter, healthier. I am always looking for ways to help people master the Shaolin Arts and get closer so they can experience the real Shaolin. My aim is to take away any obstacles that may get in the way. This is why I make  books and DVDs. I hope that wherever you are in the world, you feel as if you are training in the temple alongside me.  

When I first came to study at the Shaolin Temple I was confused by the different forms and training. I studied a myriad of different forms before I found the true jewels of the training. My training and experience means your time is not wasted. When you train with me you are being handed my twenty-five years of experience. I only teach what is relevant. Time is precious. I don't want to waste your time in learning something that isn't. This would be a waste of my time too.

In accordance with the Temple of Zen, I aim to teach as clearly and simply as possible but I recognize that as a student's training deepens there may be aspects of the training that can't be answered through my DVDs and books. This is why I am now offering Shaolin Skype sessions.

Who are the Shaolin Skype sessions for?

Do you have a niggling doubt that you may be doing the breathing or some of the movements incorrectly?
Are you struggling to stay motivated and committed to your health and fitness program?
Do you want a personalized program tailored to your health concerns?
Do you want more detailed specific advice?
Is there a martial application that you want to learn that I don't teach in my DVDs?
Suffering from injury and want help in recovering?

If you've answered yes to any of these questions then these sessions may be for you.

How does it work?

A Shaolin Skype class is the same as if you were coming to see me for a one2one. The Shaolin Skype Session last 45 minutes and is available exclusively to subscribers of my newsletter.

What do I need?

A Skype account. If you don't have one already then you can sign up for free.
A web cam.
A Wi-Fi connection.

What do I need to do?

Wear loose comfortable clothing
Be in a quiet private space with phones switched to silence
Log on a few minutes before the designated time

How do I book?

If you haven't already then subscribe to my mailing list
Follow the link to buy a voucher and receive a Shaolin Skype session for £60.00
Once you have made the payment you will receive a pdf gift voucher together with instructions as to how to book.
The vouchers are non refundable and valid for twelve months.

What happens after I've bought a voucher?

You can make an appointment to have a session with me at any time within the next twelve months.
Bookings are made up to three months in advance.
Simply email my team and let them know when you're available.
They will then book you in, and send you a series of questions via email.
Your answers will be strictly confidential and help me to tailor my session for you.

Only subscribers to my mailing list can receive a Shaolin Skype Session. Subscribe today and receive 20% off.


Senin, 13 Desember 2010

The Seven Laws Of Success - How Your Daily Workout Can Help You Achieve Your Dreams




Working Out The Mind & Body

Before I came to the West I only knew what was taught in the four walls of the Shaolin Temple. I knew there were other martial arts outside of Kung Fu and Qigong but I had never seen them before. When I came to the London I was curious and went to many classes to study. I wasn't so much interested in the different techniques. I was interested in how the mind worked. Would the mind of a Muay Thai fighter work differently to a Sanda fighter?

But the most important mind that we need to get to know is our own. It saddens me to think of the many people who workout without using their mind. At the temple, our training is always seen as a meditation. The mind and body work in a unique way and by using our workout as a meditation we infuse our self with a deep sense of spaciousness and peace. So next time you are running, swimming, weight lifting, practicing Qigong or doing a kung fu class either through a DVD or in a class, use my  seven laws to help you achieve success not just in your workout but in your life.

Now Is All We Have

Our mind is a muddy glass of water. It's only when we allow our mind to be still that the mud can settle to the bottom and we can have clarity. The present moment is changing fast and our mind is constantly darting between the past, present and future. To calm it down, we give our mind an object to settle on. The object is our breath and our movement. Once our mind is calm it can then gain the powerful focus of a laser.

Star In Your Own Movie

There are some places in this world that give us great peace. For some people, it may be a Buddhist Temple, others a church, others may find peace in nature. Before you begin your martial arts session, take a few moments to close your eyes. Approach your workout as if you are about to enter that place that gives you peace. Then, begin to imagine yourself at your best, in peak health, flexible, and relaxed. If you're doing bag training, picture your self kicking the bag with power and speed. If you're going through my Qigong DVD then you're staying completely focused on the movement. Runners imagine yourself running effortlessly, your body as light as a feather.

 Believe You Can

" Believing in something beyond the self can have a hugely psychological impact, even if the belief is fallacious." Bounce by Matthew Syed.

Faith is vitally important. Give me a fighter with faith and a fighter with good skill and the fighter with faith will win. We need to believe in our self and in a bigger wisdom than our self. Belief is the first step of our training. A belief that we can do this.

Shaolin Kung Fu Training is hard. It challenges us. This is why we gain in confidence. We are now doing something we never thought possible. We look back and see how far we've come. Our workout has taken us out of comfort zone. It didn't just challenge our body, it challenged our mind. We are taking part in a tradition that is thousands of years old. We are keeping it alive and applying it in our life so that we can become an urban warrior.

Let Go

Shaolin Training is an effective tool to deal with worries and problems. But how do we apply this? Using our workout as a meditation gives us a mini holiday from the circle of our thoughts. It allows us to let go of our worries and problems. This crucial mini holiday helps us to get a bigger perspective so we can deal with our problems more effectively because we no longer feel swamped by them.

Focus

It takes many hours to become a master of something. Once the sport is mastered, a different part of the brain is being used and this is when the workout begins to feel like an instinct. But this only happens with very purposeful practice. Doing the thing that you're bad at makes you into a champion. Failing over and over again makes you into a champion. If there's a certain kung fu kick you struggle with then keep practicing it. Spar against people who are better than you, this is the only way you will learn. Struggling with stamina? Do interval training and hill running.  

Challenge

When you can easily get through your workout, it means it's time to move on. Never stop believing in yourself and never stop challenging yourself. If you are lazy in your workout, are you being lazy in your life? If you're limiting yourself in your workout, in what ways are you limiting yourself in your life?

Blueprint

Your Shaolin Kung Fu Workout is a blueprint for your life. From success in your workout, you can go and achieve success in your life. And remember it's not about winning or losing. It's about doing everything with passion and mindfulness so it has meaning for you. You can't control the outcome but what you can control is having fun in the process.

If you like my blog posts then please sign up to my newsletters to receive more tips and exclusive offers.

Rabu, 08 Desember 2010

Our Website is Under Construction

You may have been redirected to our Blog Page while our healthyworldcafe.org website is under construction!  Thanks for your interest in the Healthy World Cafe.  Please feel free to contact us for more information.

Selasa, 07 Desember 2010

The Zen Koan Workout






The world of Western traditional physical exercise is beginning to catch up with what  martial artists have known for thousands of years. Fitness is not just about burning calories and sweating. It’s about being healthy from the inside out and using breath and movement as a way to gain a deeper understanding of ourselves.  Research is revealing that this mind-body fitness not only keeps us healthy but also greatly helps to banish stress and is aids longevity.

Planting the seed

As martial artists, we trust that our final goal of conquering ourselves will be reached effortlessly. The goal is the seed. Through being in the moment and turning up for our martial art’s training sessions we carefully nurture that seed. When we are ready this seed becomes the goal we planted all of those years ago without us having to tinker with it or turn our thoughts to it. It’s almost like something we put away in a drawer and forgot about. 


But training is not possible without some basic level of health. Most of us take health for granted and it’s only when we get a cold or an injury that we are reminded how lucky we are to have the good health to train.


Mind- Body Fitness

Sometimes a person can look strong but this doesn’t mean they’re healthy. Body builders may be inflexible and internally weak. Yoga practioners may be flexible but ask him or her to perform a martial art’s kick and they have no power or speed. This is one of the reasons why there are so many different Shaolin exercises and forms. We work with our whole body and our bodywork has an affect on our mind.


We mix different kinds of training together to make our mind and body connect and work together. We want our stamina and flexibility to work together and our power and speed to work together. At the Shaolin Temple we build up our fitness level from our health not the other way round. Fitness is much more than good stamina.


Peaceful Monks

Sometimes a person may not look strong but they look healthy because of their skin and eyes and when they talk their mind is calm. I have witnessed many Buddhist monks like that. There is something about them, which makes a person feel calm when they are in their presence. Health means that they have a peaceful mind and their internal organs work well. 

Fitness from the inside out

The world of Western traditional physical exercise emphasizes the need for cardiovascular and strength training but they are increasingly beginning to realise that for true fitness we also need to practise stretching and Qigong. Health and fitness usually mean two different things but for optimum fitness and true health we need to bring the two together and join them in a union.

Once you have a healthy body this means you have the foundation to be able to get fit. Fitness doesn’t mean you can run ten kilometers or you can lift very heavy weights, fitness means you have good stamina, you are flexible and your reaction time is very swift.

Suggested Training Plan – How To Start

It is not necessary to be a Shaolin martial artist to run through this training plan below but it is suitable for any martial artist.

1) Run for twenty minutes to make your body hot.
2) Raise each knee a hundred times to loosen your muscles.
3) Stretch your legs and hips.
4) Practise the five fundamental Shaolin kicks.
5) Do some push ups to train your upper body.
6) Traditional punches to stretch out the muscles.
Repeat 2) – 6) three times.

Once you have finished this training we can do some traditional forms or if you are a Thai boxer or kick boxer then you can shadow box and kick different combinations to make your mind and body work together. Do a workout from one of my workout or bootcamp DVDs. 

If you don’t like training outside and you train in the gym or in your home then at the beginning of your training session you can skip or ride a bicycle instead of going for a run. The important thing is to make your body hot.

Qigong

After we have gone through this training plan, we finish our training with Qigong. At the Shaolin Temple we never do fitness training alone but always balance it out with the practice Qigong to enhance the power of our external training and balance our Yin and Yang. Qigong helps us to feel peaceful, concentrated, positive and focused.

The Power Of Qi

Many athletes especially long distance runners and cyclists know that it is their mind as much as their body that gets them through the race. Once their mind has given up then they too will give up and they won’t be able to continue and complete or win the race.

But even though they understand the power of their mind, they don’t understand the power of Qi. This is why they end up retiring when they are in their thirties. They don’t look after their internal organs. Shaolin Monks do which is why their training deepens as they get older.           

Effortless effort

When I look at someone who is truly fit, everything they do looks easy. They are very flexible because when they run they tell their body to keep light and positive. When they punch or kick, they tell themselves to relax and use their body more. When they lift weights, they know exactly which muscle they need to use and which muscle they don’t need to use. When they practise Qigong they know when they need to inhale and when they need to exhale. They focus on what they need to focus on and this gives them confidence and power. They understand that if their mind is strong then their body is strong and if their body is strong then their mind is strong. It’s not possible to separate the two out.

A Zen Koan

Martial artists have always used both; they have always used the breath because it is the link between the mind and body. They have always focused on the present moment because it is the only moment when we can be truly alive. This is why – in the past –Masters sometimes used shock tactics or said Koans in an attempt to awaken their student to what life really is. 

What is the sound of one hand clapping?

If we try to understand with our intellect then we’ll never understand and if we try to do martial arts with our intellect we shall also never understand. 
Only when we have cultivated strong willpower and let go of our mind can we move to hard training to build up our stamina level and create from out of ourselves a warrior’s mind and body.




High carbohydrate diets lead to hearing loss in the elderly

Published in the J. Nutr. December 1, 2010 vol. 140 no. 12 2207-2212

Dietary Glycemic Load Is a Predictor of Age-Related Hearing Loss in Older Adults 1,2
Bamini Gopinath3,4, Victoria M. Flood6, Catherine M. McMahon7,8, George Burlutsky3, Jennie Brand-Miller5, and Paul Mitchell3,*
3Centre for Vision Research, Department of Ophthalmology, Westmead Millennium Institute
4Menzies Centre for Health Policy, and
5The Human Nutrition Unit, Department of Molecular and Microbial Biosciences, University of Sydney, Sydney NSW 2006, Australia
6School of Health Sciences, University of Wollongong, Sydney NSW 2500, Australia
7Centre for Language Sciences, Linguistics Department, University of Macquarie, Sydney NSW 2109, Australia
8HEARing Co-operative Research Centre, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia

This paper can be accessed at: http://jn.nutrition.org/content/140/12/2207.abstract
 
The study looked at the association between carbohydrate nutrition and age-related hearing loss.
 
It found that a high-GL (glycemic load) diet was a predictor of hearing loss, as was higher intake of total carbohydrate.
 
AMAZON UK Sugar Shock!: How Sweets and Simple Carbs Can Derail Your Life-- And How You Can Get Back on Track
AMAZON USA Sugar Shock!: How Sweets and Simple Carbs Can Derail Your Life-- and How YouCan Get Back on Track

Jumat, 03 Desember 2010

High cholesterol levels reduce depression

Published in Biol Psychiatry. 2010 Jul 15;68(2):125-32. Epub 2010 May 26.

Gender and genotype modulation of the association between lipid levels and depressive symptomatology in community-dwelling elderly (the ESPRIT study).
Ancelin ML, Carrière I, Boulenger JP, Malafosse A, Stewart R, Cristol JP, Ritchie K, Chaudieu I, Dupuy AM.
Institut de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (Inserm) and University of Montpellier 1, Hopital La Colombiere, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU), Montpellier, France. marie-laure.ancelin@inserm.fr

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20537614
 
The study assessed depression in a population of 1040 women and 752 men aged 65 years and older with a 7-year follow-up.
 
It found men with a low low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels had twice the risk of depression, whereas in women low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels were found to be significantly associated with increased depression.
 
AMAZON UK Ignore the awkward! How the cholesterol myths are kept alive
AMAZON USA Ignore the Awkward.: How the Cholesterol Myths Are Kept Alive