I know this is always something that needs to be taken with a thought process that allows you a learning curve that is outside an obvious physical exertion but the relationship between the thought and the action is very conected
Raw Food Lifestyle
RAW FOOD
I have under gone a few changes on the content I put up on this blog, I have been participating in Triathlon for over 10 years and have had some great moments.
About a year ago I had a shift in the way I decided to go forward and part of the change was a commitment to a Raw Food lifestyle, I have had no eureka moments, and a few challenges.
I read other testimonials that glow with instant this and instant that results, I guess it is where you are starting from that is a datum start point for measurement to take place.
Coming from a competitive athletic back round I had an awareness of the positive building blocks and the negative foods that impacted on my performance.
After a couple months of the 811 regime which is a break up of consuming 80% of the diet as carbo’s 10% as protein 10% as Fats.
I had definatly better digestion. This had been a problem for me for a long time. It often that manifested in chronic energy leval dips, to actualy vomiting after a fish and chip meal which I was fond of.
The first challenge in consuming more fruit I had, was to get through was salicylate allergy. Salicylates are in a lot of foods, I found that I reacted more to some then others. http://salicylatesensitivity.com/
At 4 months proper food combining and more understanding of a raw food life style as opposed to 811 dogma, I balanced out definite mood swings that always exasperated my ability to control my bouts of depression that spun me of into places that were hard to see out from.
At six months the difficulty I had was always feeling hungry all the time and never feeling satiated. Getting information on the quantity of greens and juices needed, enabled me to get a larger volume and variety of water and nutrient dense intake, apart from fruit.
At this time I started getting really severe itching on my back and shoulders, to the degree of causing the skin to bleed with scratching. I also developed a tear drop psoriasis on my scalp.
I persevered through the ‘detoxing’ thinking but the discomfort was to much to bear ( see bed sheets with blood stains all over from bleeding skin)
After reading varying discourses on the amount of fats in a diet I added more fats than the 10% through more nuts, avocadoes, hemp seed oil, olives, and coconut oil as a skin oil.
After 12 to 14 days I saw the shift and the the itching subsided and after a month the psoriasis cleared up.
I have my own garden that can provide 40% of my veg, and live in a sub tropical climate with readily available fruits and vegies.
At nine months I have found an eating regime that has me feeling more satisfied.
I know that as a lifestyle, a raw food eating plan has seen me gain a lot of ground in reclaiming a quietness of mind and focus, from a demolition site of depression, alcohol dependency,and scattered thoughts.
I continue to learn and respond to the feed back my body gives me. At this time I still working out the way that my body optimally work’s at,it is a journey of conscious eating I am sure is more preferable and long term more beneficial for my soul and the earth I inhabit
Raw Foods and BareFoot Running
I have had this Blog going since 2005 and have been commenting on all sorts of stuff, that’s what blogs are for, putting up stuff you want to talk about and you do not have to have anybody agree with you or censure you in any form,within obvious parameters of course.
I have been racing Triathlons for over 10 years, sport has been a vehicle for me to get motivation, meet great people and an excuse to travel.
I have spoken openly about my journey with depression and what I considered was beneficial to working through that learning experience, ( I keep another blog at www.healthease.info/blog with more depression related material).
I credit the Raw foods
Lifestyle I adopted to be a significant factor in my being able to gain a control over the spiral that I was in and able me to look at being able to break thought patterns that continued to commandeer my actions
Was it just the food choices ,no I will not say it was not only that, as I was not a SAD diet person even though consumption of alcohol, was a sad side of my existence.
Without realizing it I was using my sport to keep my depression at bay often quieting the voices by burying my self in my training and competition.
When an old injury flared up and stopped me running I simply lost the ability to buffer my depression and bring it out to the place where I am to day.
SO
Whats that all got to do with
BareFoot Running
Glad you asked, while trying to understand how to rehablitate the injury and get on top of it all I realized how many lower limb injuries I had had and set about understanding where the weak link was.
I came across a series of mentions of minimalist running and barefoot running while searching for answers to how to rehabilitate what I thought was the problem the science all made good sense to me and over a period of a year I learned a more efficient way of running and adapted to barefoot running with great results.
One of the things with me is I never want to do thing 1/2 assed I like being up the pointy end of competition, so even though I had transitioned to lighter shoes and then to barefoot running over an 16mnth period I had not conditioned my feet to take the conditioning the rest of my body had as a competitive athlete and I came up with an injury from trying to go to hard to quickly.
If I were to give any advice to any one on regards to going Barefoot running take time to learn to walk barefoot first as it give you a sense of how you are connecting with the ground with each footfall .
By walking I mean mindful connection take your self to your feet and feel how your body is in relation to them, feel your balance, note your carriage, we have been desensitized from our surroundings by our ” civilized” way of life to our detriment.
This is true in the way we view our food sources and our relationship with the earth our connection to it.
This video
is just a short interpretation of what I mean by fully connecting by walking
Barefoot Running,flexability,plantar fasciitis
Barefoot Running
With Barefoot running comes the whole thought change of what is running, obviously it is bipedal motion done swiftly but what is the relation ship between you and the ground you are moving over.
As a human race we seem as a whole to be bent on shoving things aside if they do not fit in to our fast food diet mentality of convenience and unconectedness, we say we cannot run without shoes but neglect to take stock of the fact we were actually born and were created to bipedal motion by grand design and evolution.
Are Shoes nessacary to be a runner
There is many instances of great distances covered and races won by shoeless runners so it is a fact not a theory that the human frame is capable of running without the NEED for expensive running shoes.
I am not on a crusade to say everybody should not wear running shoes, as there is always a place for human technology and know how to assist a biomechanicly challenged runner to be able to participate.
I am coming from the place of awareness of what is a NEED and what is a CONVENIENCE
The convenience being that by strapping your feet int a set of motion controlled synthetic capsules you are able to drop into a shop and be a runner.
The journey from there is for some a great liberation and motivation which is a triumph for all those involved but the other side is that 70% of all sporting injuries are running related so I would contest that running style bio mechanics and individual adaption to running should be the first steps to running and the best way to learn how to run with minimal impact on the body is to run barefoot.
From there you can develop a relationship with running that will see you adopting a lifestyle and commitment based on connection to the rythem of the earth and not fashion.
BareFoot Running Injury
I have been most annoyed that I have succumbed to a foot injury that has stopped me in my tracks. It seems to be caused by Plantar fasciitis which causes inflammation of the fascia, a long ligament type structure in the bottom of the foot. Most people have abnormal motion in their feet, usually pronation.
When the feet turn in and collapse, the fascia takes on an extra stress at the heel. It only takes a small change in activity or change in shoes to cause microscopic tears in the plantar fascia.
For me the transition to bare foot running has been made more difficult because of an on going ankle injury that causes me instability, and has I believe put extra pressure on the foot to cope with the new stress of Bare foot running.
Even though I spent awhile with my transition phase I guess it was not enough to give me the strength needed for the activity.
After spending so many years in shoes the foot becomes weak and needs to be strengthened and exercised accordingly so I am back to stretching and strengthening.
I have found it most difficult to give it the rest it needs as my work dictates I am on my feet for most of the day and doing physical work climbing ladders and the like so it is not the ideal conditions for recovery
I do not believe it is barefoot running that has caused the problem as the statistics are In fact, about 5 to 10 per cent of all running injuries are inflammations of the fascia, an incidence rate which in the United States would produce about a million cases of plantar fasciitis per year, just among runners and joggers. Basketball players, tennis players, volleyballers, step-aerobics participants, and dancers are also prone to plantar problems, as are non-athletic people who spend a lot of time on their feet or suddenly become active after a long period of lethargy and this is with shoes.
Coach Jeff
I had a chat with my mate Jeff about being a coach, living the dream, the state of Ozzy triathlon
Barefoot Running Techniques
I have been a bit slack with keeping an up to date commentary on my transition to the barefoot running that I am finding so enjoyable. My last video I showed the wear patterns on my shoes as I went to the bare foot method but also I committed to running with the pose running technique eliminating the heel strike way I used to run.
I saw this piece of footage that I expanded a bit to show the unwanted heel strike way of running, that can and does lead to injury.
Usain Bolt Fastest Man ever over 1500 Mtrs
I know there is a great deal of difference between a sprinter and an endurance athlete but this guy just makes it look so easy, it’s phenomenal that the man can go so fast.
Where do we start reaching the limit ever since Roger Banister did the impossible and ran the sub 4 mile we take our hats of to the performances of these dedicated athletes.
It is always a source of amazement to me when the likes of Roger Bannister and Jesse Owens were doing amazing things the nature of athletics was still largely an amateur sport a far cry from the Million dollar babies that are out there today.
Not that I am saying all dedicated athletes have an easy money filled career, my admiration to every athlete who takes that sort of lifestyle and live their dream. Maybe it is a lesson we can learn from, if you want something enough you are willing to do what it takes no matter what the cost.
Thoughtful Nutrition
I branch of into different areas whilst writing content for this blog, but I hope I always stay consistent in the belief I have, in the powerful connection there is between diet, mental and physical heath.
I do not have any formal qualification in the field of mental health or nutritional science, I just live through it, around it, over it, and sometimes under it.
I am always challenged to be something more than I am at any given time, the quest to Be, is something that can be a healthy driver or an obsessive negation of human spirit.
Most sportspeople have a driver that is the fuel for dedicating hours of sweat, blood and tears to a given passion.
I wonder what yours is ? can you look past the obvious reasons of you want to be fit and take a challenge. What is the thing that sends you to the pool at 4am in the morning, or gets you on the run track after a hard day at work .
I know I have been challenged to assess my motives and reason to be seen as a Triathlete of late.
I have struggled with an ankle injury for some time now and even with all the effort and work i have put into the rehabilitation I am edging closer to the realization that perhaps my running days are over.
This is not a new thing I have had to ponder on it before, but I had more of an optimistic belief that she’ll be right mate.
No miracle has occurred, as of yet ( hear the strains of I am still waiting in my writing).
This has put the reasoning why I do what I do back in the spotlight. I know that I attach a self worth or image to being an athlete it has been my safe haven from the mediocrity of worldly things.
I can be faster, stronger, fitter, than the next guy.
The warrior instinct allowed to rattle his saber, may sound a bit of the wall but hey!!! that’s what I mean can you truly identify what is your motivator is how attached are you to an emotion that is dependent on being this athlete.
Anyway enough rattling on, I have been having fun this week playing with a couple of social media toys and a good one I have found is over at www.mobatalk .com
It is a twitter type micro blog, but with audio and video capabilities. It still is getting the kinks out so the following audio is a little shaky but click on the thoughtful nutrition link to hear me rattle on about veggies an stuff .
Hey !!!!! Leave me a comment what is your real motivation for the discipline you have, for your chosen sport
Click on this link below for the audio
You Skinny Bitch and Raw Food Running
I was really disapointed by comments that were made over at Craig Ballantyne turbulance training website
The entry was about the book The Skinny Bitch Diet
When the Authors were interviewed about the title they laughed , saying it was more about getting people’s attention than anything else.
“We thought, ‘All right, we’ve got to cater to the mind-set and mentality of people now,”’ says Freedman, 32. “No one cares about being healthy. No one cares that obesity and diabetes and heart disease are more rampant than ever before. People care about being thin. That’s it.”
“We did say, ’Can we get away that?”’ Barnouin, 38, adds with a laugh.
So they did not write a book grounded on any high moral ground of integrity, and even more so when the reviews had comments such as ” the book has raised objections from some readers who complained they thought they were getting a diet guide and wound up with something closer to an anti-meat treatise.”
Graig wrote his piece stating that he was going to eat cow and chocolate flavored bacon if he could get it, but did have what, on the surface appear to be a good couple of comments.
“If you consume meat, dairy, and eggs in moderation, I have a tough time seeing how you can’t live as long a life as someone who abstains, provided you…
* Take care of yourself.
* Go to the doctor.
* Stay out of trouble.
* Don’t develop any addictions to alcohol or drugs.
* Eat lots of fruits and vegetables.
* Stay active.
* Associate with wonderful people who give you positive social support.
* Love someone.
* Pet a dog thrice daily – this is key.”
I wrote a comment on the entry
I prefer a raw food diet practice where by I prefer to consume my foods uncooked and of a plant derivative .
I am an endurance athlete participating in Olympic distance triathlon, MTB riding, at the present time it is the X country season here in Oz.
I get all my protein, carbs, fats, etc from plant based sources. I do not stand on a soap box and say its the way but when you say
“If you consume meat, dairy, and eggs in moderation, I have a tough time seeing how you can’t live as long a life as someone who abstains”
I would think you have missed a valuable point about why you should question if the rhetoric of animal consumption is real or built up by vested interests and misrepresentation of facts.
I will spare you the its inhuman line of vegetarian dogma, and brush over the environmental consequences of farming practices that are practiced at this time.
Instead I ask you to actually consciously think about why you eat like you do, ask yourself where it came from, ask your self if I could not buy it ready made, could I Kill it, cook it, and consume it, easily.
Ask yourself what impact is my way of consuming foods impacting on the whole of our world.
I personally do not expect to change anybody’s way of thinking by any thing else except by example.
If you choose to stay within the guidelines that you have been fed all your lives you will not be able to see what is a necessity for us a human beings to put as our priorities .
All growth comes from a change of circumstance either forced on us or bought on by asking questions.
Your journey into health and fitness started with some incidence that caused you to take action, many wont, and will suffer the consequence .
By being conscious and making choices that are based on our own questions and answers.
Formulated from, not what can i get, but what can I contribute to the sustainability of the world we all live in.
Heck I am right out in the left field I even advocate and practice barefoot running, and eating organically grown foods 
Apart from a couple of commentators that actually could see beyond the smoke screen that gets put up by vested interests to maintain the food pyramid lie.
This is the caliber of the replies
1. Finally, I have yet to see a really healthy looking vegetarian/vegan.
2. Indeed, without good quality meat in your diet you miss out on essential amino acids that you CANNOT obtain by ANY OTHER SOURCE.
2. following their diet you can also plan on losing your muscle…
3. If I was going to battle I would not want a under nourished vegetarian by my side!!
4. Hence my position is train hard with knowledge and eat a mixture of foods both meats, veggies, fruits and nuts
I believe there is a reason that our bodies process animal proteins much more easily that protein from other sources.
5. Many of us need animal protein or we feel starved all the time.
6. Not everyone can afford to eat the ideal organic diet. It’s expensive.
The comments were just what I would expect from people who either choose not to examine a truth as a matter of inconvenience or are just living proof, to what corporate and subtle advertising can do.
That is to have people live a life of non examined consciousness of their eating habits and the consequence it has on all inhabitants of this world .
So as one of many, many proofs that you do not need animal products to live an athetic or well nourished life
I will leave you with a video of Tim VanOrden over at www.runningraw.com and this 41 year olds
Corning Tower Stair Climb race
all powered by Raw Foods
Very fast way to get fit
THE (VERY, VERY) FAST WAY TO GET FIT
These drills, courtesy of Bill Collins, shore up your core and bolster your lower body using movements that mimic perfect sprinting technique. You may ask what has sprinting got to do with mid distance running but any help you get to run faster and more efficiently, there is a less chance of breaking down.
DRIVE-UPS
Stand facing an aerobic step or bench, with your weight on the balls of your feet. (As you improve, you can increase the height of the step, but start with one that’s about six inches high.)
Place the ball of your left foot on the step, keeping your back straight, glutes and abs tight, eyes forward, and arms bent at your sides in a runner’s position. Push off from the ball of your right foot, lifting your right knee and driving the right leg up until that foot is even with your left knee. As you bring your right leg up, your left arm pushes forward as your right arm pulls back, in a runner’s motion. Hold for a moment, then return your right leg to the starting position. Make sure you stay on the balls of your feet or the move won’t be effective. Do 25 on each leg, working up to 75. I have found that if you return your leg quickly in almost a rebound manner you get an added benefit to it
The Benefit: Conditions lower back, abs, and hips to remain stable in the running motion. Also strengthens the fronts of your thighs, your glutes and calves.
STEP-UPS
Stand facing an aerobic step or plyometric box, with your feet about shoulder-width apart. Keeping your abs and glutes tight, back straight, and eyes forward, step up onto the box with your right foot, then bring your left foot up onto the box as well.
Then step down with your right foot, followed by your left; repeat. This is a very rhythmic movement, almost like marching. Your arms should be pumping in a runner’s motion as you step up and down. Be sure to stay on the balls of your feet to get the most out of the exercise. Do 25 repetitions leading with your right leg, and 25 reps leading with your left. Progress to 75 reps on each side.
The Benefit: Improves rhythm, balance, and coordination while building all the muscles of your lower body.
The original form teaches you to contract your glutes forcefully to generate more power in your stride where as I like to concentrate on activating my hamstrings by concentrating on heel lift for the pose running technique.
BALL SQUATS
Hold a medium size medicine ball and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, weight on the balls of your feet, back straight, abs and glutes tight, and eyes forward. Hold the ball straight out in front of you, squat down so that your knees bend at a 90-degree angle, then stand up straight. The key to doing this exercise safely and effectively is to start with a lighter weight and squat down as far as you comfortably can, working your way toward that 90-degree angle at the knee. Start with sets of 15 to 20, and work up to doing three sets for a total of 45 to 60 reps.
The Benefit: This exercise really improves your balance while it works your quads, glutes, abs, and arms. An easier exercise to maybe start with is the hindu squats it requires only body wieght
SPEED LUNGES
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, back straight, abs and glutes tight, and eyes forward. Lift your right leg and lunge it forward about 24 inches in front of you; land on the ball of your right foot.
As you do this, your left arm pushes forward as your right arms pulls back, beginning the runner’s motion. Staying on the balls of your feet, lower your left knee toward the floor until your left thigh is perpendicular to the ground. Rise up, pushing from the ball of your left foot, and lunge your left leg forward while pumping your arms; land on the ball of your left foot about 24 inches in front of you.
Continue lunging forward for 10 yards, turn around and lunge back to your starting point. Repeat, trying to cover more distance each time.
The Benefit: Improves balance and mobility in your hips. Trains thighs, glutes, and calves.
This one is harder then it sounds, I found by doing it in a controlled fashion rather than letting your self fall into the lunge after the step it made you work quite hard.
I am a great believer in the little things that make the difference instead of the trash k’s find time for strength and technique exercises that will give you a good return in your longevity and enjoyment in your given sport.
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Sometimes when you really do want to get started
BUT
the Motivation is not there try the power of positive therapy to change the way you think CLICK ON THE PICTURE ABOVE
see where it takes you
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