Relieving Internal Stomach Gas Bloating

It’s that time of the year again where we get pumped full of turkey, pie, and cranberry sauce (the canned kind…the only kind). Unfortunately, it’s also that time of the year when it feels like you have a turkey in your stomach because of all the gas. All you’re praying for is a gas leak while you buy numerous cans of off-brand Febreeze sprays for what’s about to come. But until that happens, it takes a major sour toll on your stomach, and it’s very uncomfortable. Here are some natural ways to relieve that internal gas while you wait for it to get out:

Eat Potassium-Rich Foods
This helps regulate the fluid balance in your body, keeping bloating away. Potassium-rich foods include bananas, cantaloupe, mangoes, spinach, tomatoes, nuts, and asparagus (although asparagus will make your pee smell, so bittersweet deal there, haha).

Keep Your Mouth Shut
Don’t do things that cause you to swallow excess air (like chewing gum, drinking through a straw, smoking, and talking while you’re eating).

Ginger, Ginger, Ginger
Ginger has a component that helps settle the over-active acids down in the stomach. Drink a high-quality ginger ale, or eat ginger candy (if you can find it).

So as long as you eat these foods, drink these drinks, and stay away from these habits; you will be on your way to feelin free and stinky .

Going Bananas

Oh super fruits, how we love to consume you and your highly nutritional goodness. I haven’t blogged on nutrition in a while, so I figured with summer coming up and people trying to eat healthier and lose weight I’d take a second away from church issues/graphic design/pop culture/etc. and give a great food option that’s cheap on price, but not on quality. It’s “bananas, b-a-n-a-n-a-s”. If you haven’t discovered all that a banana can do for you besides make RIDICULOUSLY GOOD pudding, here are some great features and facts of the banana:

• A banana gives an instant, sustained, and substantial natural boost of energy
• Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout
• It can help overcome depression: This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier
• PMS…forget the pills, eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood
• Bananas are extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat blood pressure and prevent stroke
• Helps you make better grades!…ok, not really, BUT it has been known to help students through their exams every time they ate bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch as a way to boost their brain power
• Bananas can WAKE YOU UP by making pupils more alert
• They are HIGH in fiber…so you know what that means; restoration of the b.m.’s …no more constipation station
• Have heartburn? Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief
• Mosquito bites! Try rubbin the area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation. Too bad it doesn’t do the same for sore throats
• CALM DOWN! Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.
• Gah don’t you just hate ulcers? Wellp, the banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach
• You STRESSED out? Well you could just spell “stressed” backwards (which spells “desserts”, haha) OR eat a banana. Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body’s water balance
• Yeah warts are ugly, so make them “a-pealing”. Take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with surgical tape

So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrates, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around. It’s not just an awkward-shaped fruit; it’s a life-saving treat . Bananas must be the reason monkeys are so happy all the time. “Bananas, b-a-n-a-n-a-s”. Yumm.

Taco Bell Drive-thru DIEt

Ok, I’m sorry, but I had to blog about this idea that Taco Bell can help you lose weight. The pseudo-Mexican fast food chain (which never actually claims to be a Mexican restaurant) has a new infomercial starring a woman named Christine Dougherty, who says she lost 54 pounds on what the company calls the Drive-Thru Diet – a nickname for the seven items, including tacos and burritos, that the chain is offering, each with less than 9 grams of fat (allegedly…let’s not forget that saturated fats are just about as dangerous as trans fats—check my blog about Good Fats Bad Fats for more info on that).

Anyhoo, Christine’s story is a little skimpy on the details. She says in her statement and video that she reduced her total daily calorie intake by 500 calories to 1,250 calories by choosing Fresco items and “making other sensible choices.” What she DOESN’T tell you is how much of that was Fresco and how much was due to “sensible choices.” Pretty much the most notable difference between the regular and the Fresco tacos is replacing cheese with salsa.  This doesn’t make for a huge caloric difference between the Fresco menu items and their “regular” items. The Crunchy Taco Supreme is 200 calories; the Fresco version cuts that to 150. The Fresco burrito supreme with steak keeps it at 330 calories, while the normal version hits 380. That 50-calorie cut doesn’t even come close to cutting the 500 calories Christine said she dropped each day.

I’m guessing “other sensible choices,” such as eating carrots as a snack or holding the whipped cream on that caramel macchiato, had much more to do with Christine’s weight loss than the type of tacos that she ate. Also, the blurb on Christine is more loaded with disclaimers than an Ab Core Pro infomercial. The Drive-Thru Diet is “not a weight loss program,” Christine says, adding, “These results aren’t typical, but for me they were fantastic!” And in smaller print? Fresco is “not a low calorie food.” Haha, so basically, “We are lying, this food will not help you lose weight, but it will help us make more money because America is stupid.” This is the biggest infomercial lie since the Ronco Rotisserie proclaimed that you can “Set it and Forget it!”…yet the first thing you see in the instruction manual AND on the video that comes with it is a disclaimer in huge letters saying: “DO NOT SET IT AND FORGET IT! YOU WILL BURN YOUR HOUSE DOWN!” Hahahahah, lovely.

So Taco Bell makes no claims as to its tacos’ special weight-loss capabilities. And since many major fast food chains now offer healthful options, Christine could have just as easily credited McDonald’s Southwest salad with chicken (320 calories) or Burger King’s veggie burger (420 calories). She could even have made that Subway sandwich a wrap to cut down on carbohydrates. When it comes to more health-conscious consumption, it doesn’t take a taco to start tracking your food’s energy content.

In any case, healthful eating should not be all about the calorie counting — consumers could theoretically cut their calories in half while on a steady diet of milkshakes and pizza. Maintaining a healthy diet also requires keeping track of vitamins and minerals, which come from a balanced intake of vegetables, fruits, nuts and other protein. But for Christine, the miracle Taco Bell weight loss wonder, she lost 54 pounds in TWO YEARS by choosing the low-fat “Fresco” menu items at Taco Bell in place of her old daily fast food choices. Which is very unsuccessful when you break it down because in 730 days, she could only lose 54 pounds?!

Now, what I do like is that the availability of fast food items has improved. But, most people hoping to be Christine will be very disappointed, just as most Jared wannabes are. These are people who made a dramatic commitment to lifestyle change, and simply relied on a particular source of convenience food as part of their way to cope with taste.

So, the Taco Bell Drive-thru diet…this is about as unbelievable as the time that story broke out about the Taco Bell in Travelers Rest, SC where a disgruntled ex-employee decided he would deuce up the meat (took a crap in the meat); and NO ONE could tell the difference, until a week later when tons of people got sick. That scares me that they couldn’t tell the difference from a normal Taco Bell burrito with meat, and a Taco Bell burrito with meat and turds. But who knows…maybe this diet actually works, I mean you eat enough Taco Bell, you’re going to get diarrhea of the butt and mouth…hence you lose 54 lbs. in two years…just like Christine .

Here’s what kind of bowel movement choices you can expect on the Taco Bell Drive-thru Diet:

Fats That Shed Fat

So lots of people want to lean down for summer…I am getting married in October, so I figured I’d go ahead and lean down for that instead of the summer hot months. Don’t worry though, I will be back to my puffy self in no time…esp. with Thanksgiving and Christmas right around the corner . Anyhoo, you might think that to lose weight you need to cut fat out of your meals…a.k.a. “Fat=Fat” right? After all, fat is higher in calories than protein and carbs, and low-fat diets have always been very popular. But a moderate-fat diet will help you drop pounds, feel full longer, and avoid bingeing. The trick is to eat the right kind of fat to increase satisfaction and boost weight loss. Here’s why it’s important to eat fat…and not get fat.

For weight loss, fat is important for several reasons:

• Fat helps your body control blood sugar and insulin spikes after eating carbohydrates. Better sugar metabolism means less fat storage.
• Fat slows down digestion and aids nutrient absorption. You’ll stay fuller longer and get more health benefits from the food you eat.
• Essential fatty acids (such as omega-3s) may boost your metabolic rate and increase fat burning.
• Fat tastes good. It also provides a “yummy mouth feel” that is satisfying, which can help you be happy with less food.

Eating more fat may also help you stick to your diet longer; however, if you reach for a box of low-fat or fat-free crackers or cookies when you want to lose weight, you may actually be sabotaging your diet. Manufacturers frequently replace fat with sugar in packaged food items to make them taste better…ever wonder why reduced fat oatmeal pies are so fake tasting? It’s because they mound it with sugar substitutes to compensate for the fat loss. So essentially yeah, you would be involved with fat loss…it’s just that the food you’re eating has fat lost, yet you end up being the one lost in getting fat. You think you’re making a good decision by eating fat-free products, but the excess sugar and refined flour can lead to fatigue, cravings, mood swings, and weight gain caused by the overproduction of insulin, the fat-storage hormone. As a snack, an apple and peanut butter or a salad with oil and vinegar dressing would be a better weight loss choice. The complex carbs and healthy fats will maintain your blood sugar levels, boost your energy, and keep you satisfied longer.

What kind of fat should you eat?

To get lean, you need to eat the right kind of fat. Avoid saturated and trans fats (which are found in red meat, full-fat dairy products, and many packaged foods), and instead choose monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Here are some of the best sources of fat to help you reach your weight goal.

1. Fish. Fish such as salmon, albacore tuna, herring, mackerel, and sardines contain beneficial amounts of omega-3 fatty acids. Eating two servings of fatty fish per week is safe for people who are worried about mercury or other toxins. (Pregnant women should consult with their doctors about consuming fish.) If you don’t like fish, a quality supplement such as Omega 3’s will give you the benefits without the taste…cuz tuna is stank.
2. Olive oil. Heart-healthy oils such as olive, canola, and peanut are excellent sources of fat for dieters. They have also been shown to lower bad cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. Use them sparingly when sautéing, or drizzle them over your favorite salad vegetables with a little vinegar and herbs to maximize the absorption of nutrients. Moderation is important: You really only need about a teaspoon of oil to get all its benefits. Using more will add significant calories.
3. Avocados. Eat a spinach and carrot salad with a little avocado, and you’ll not only get a dose of good fat, but you’ll also absorb more nutrients.
4. Nuts. Almonds, walnuts, pecans, and peanuts are powerhouses of good nutrition—full of antioxidants, minerals, and monounsaturated fat. The protein, fat, and fiber make nuts more filling, which helps dieters stay on track. There’s an added psychological bonus to eating nuts: Because they’re rich and satisfying, you probably won’t feel like you’re on a diet.
5. Flaxseeds. Packing a wallop of fat, protein, and fiber, flaxseeds are a delicious and healthful addition to any diet. You can grind them up and add them to oatmeal, yogurt, salads, or vegetables, or pretty much anywhere you want a nutty crunch. They’re a plant source of omega-3 fatty acids, making them a good choice for vegetarians or people who don’t like fish. Ground flaxseeds also have 3 grams of fiber per tablespoon that will help slow digestion and keep your blood sugar stable.

Fat might be considered a health food, but that’s not a cue to overindulge. You need to be mindful of your overall caloric intake if you want to eat more fat and lose weight. But you’ll probably find it a bit easier to manage your calories when you feel full and satisfied after eating the right kinds of fat. So, eat good fats to shed fat…eat bad fats to, well, you know, get fat, haha.

Surprising Uses of Olive Oil

Olive oil is more than a cartoon character, or a corny way for people to recognize you (like when Rachel Ray says “EVOO” for Extra Virgin Olive Oil). It is actually tremendously useful stuff. You are able to find applications in personal care, home improvement, cleaning, natural remedies, and other areas.

It tastes amazing, and can turn any salad, meat, or vegetable into a tantalizing experience. Not only is it a great substitute for butter, vegetable oil, and canola oil; it is a great way to improve your health and cardiovascular system. Plus it tastes great!…especially when you mix it with Italian seasoning and Greek seasoning and then dip bread into it…mmmmmmm, oh the pleasures of the buds that rise when they taste such a marvelous ministry of deliciousness. Ahem, anyhoo…there are numerous health benefits to olive oil.

Olive oil promotes good cholesterol (HDL), is known to be gentle on the digestive system, and even may help prevent gallstones and soothe ulcers. Good quality olive oil contains valuable vitamins and nutrients, and it is loaded with antioxidants, which many believe help protect the body from cancer.

These days there are an increasing amount of various organic olive oils offered for sale, some of them quite pricey. In general, the less processed an oil the more nutrients it contains, although the more expensive it tends to be. However, buying organic does not necessarily mean you go to your local Whole Foods Market and buy “organic” oil…you can if you’d like to, but for those of us who would love to save an extra $5, just find a Publix or even a Wal-Mart, and check the ingredients and nutrition information. As long as they match up, get the less expensive kind.

Therefore, if you prefer to use the cheapest, lowest-grade oils for some of these tips that’s fine. You probably aren’t going to bust out that Williams-Sonoma $15 bottle of oil that has tall cities of herbs living inside it in the event that you have a squeaky door. But since people seemed to find everyday alternative uses for vodka, vinegar, and ketchup useful, I thought it’d be good to look into olive oil:

Ease snoring
Taking a sip of olive oil before heading to bed can help lubricate your throat muscles, cutting down on snoring. Just try not to do this to people while they are sleeping. Others have noted that downing a teaspoon of olive oil can help soothe a scratchy or hacky throat.

Cure an earache
A number of people swear by olive oil as a natural remedy for earaches. One suggestion is to “very carefully use a cotton swab to apply olive oil to the outside ear cavity to help with earaches and excess wax.” One online tip suggests: Heat up some olive oil in a microwave for 30 seconds then apply it to the ear that hurts for relief.

Tame tangled and damaged hair
Olive oil also has benefits for hair. Comb a bit of the stuff through dry or frizzy hair to help moisturize your hair, especially in winter or on humid days. Olive oil can also provide some relief for damaged hair.

Get healthy skin (and fight cancer!)
People have used olive oil for centuries for personal care. It is a great skin moisturizer, in part because it contains linoleic acid, a compound not made by the body, but which prevents water from evaporating. According to Leslie Baumann, M.D., author of The Skin Type Solution, consuming olives and olive oil can promote healthy skin, as can applying it directly as a moisturizer. You can also add a bit of olive oil to a warm bath for a good healthy soak. According to Baumann, olive oil also contains at least four different antioxidants, which can help “neutralize damaging free radicals that can lead to skin aging and skin cancer.” Olive oil can also provide a safe and natural lubricant for a close shave. As a soothing aftershave, rub in an extra teaspoon of the stuff after rinsing off. Similarly, olive oil can soothe chapped lips. Make your own balm by mixing olive oil and melted beeswax in a 1:1 ratio (add an essential oil if you want a nice fragrance). You can also moisturize your cuticles by soaking in olive oil mixed with water, or apply olive oil directly to cuticles before applying polish or buffing nails.

Free stuck zippers
There are few things more annoying than stuck zippers (remember that episode of Seinfeld when George visits his therapist, ahah, awesome). This incident is especially troublesome and frightening for guys. So if you are aggravated by this particular problem, break out the olive oil. Swab some of the stuff on the teeth of the zipper, and then try gently easing it unstuck. Good luck, and make sure you are “clear for the zip”.

Polish furniture and metal (and condition leather)
Silverware, copper, and other metal items can be polished with ketchup or toothpaste. After you’re done rub a bit of olive oil on to prevent streaks, corrosion, and tarnish. To polish your wood desk use two parts olive oil mixed with one part lemon juice. Pour just a few drops on a soft cloth, wipe away the dust, scuffs, and fingerprints, and your desk will shine. This technique works well for a range of wooden furniture and objects. You can also condition and revitalize leather goods, such as baseball mitts, by rubbing in olive oil. Let set for 30 minutes, and then wipe away any excess.

Fix squeaky doors
Olive oil is safe to keep around the house, so you don’t have to worry about children or pets getting into it. Try it out on squeaky doors, hinges, and anywhere else you might consider using WD-40 or another lubricant. While WD-40 may work well, it’s also based on hydrocarbons, so any time we can use less of those and more of olive oil we’re taking a step toward a cleaner, more delicious world .

Ah the amazing Olive Oil. Not the kind that wobbles their rubber pencil arms, but the kind that slowly seeps down your throat and adds that extra smoothness to your meal. Even though it is a pain to clean up, olive oil is the most useful oil out there. Take that canola, BLADOW sucka!!!

Rocket Fuel In Baby Formula

Ok, so when I saw this news article this morning on Yahoo I had to blog about it. This is what the article reported:

“CDC: Rocket fuel chemical found in baby formula

Traces of a chemical used in rocket fuel were found in samples of powdered baby formula, and could exceed what’s considered a safe dose for adults if mixed with water also contaminated with the ingredient, a government study has found.
 
The study by scientists at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked for the chemical, perchlorate, in different brands of powdered baby formula. It was published last month, but the Environmental Working Group issued a press release Thursday drawing attention to it.

The chemical has turned up in several cities’ drinking water supplies. It can occur naturally, but most perchlorate contamination has been tied to defense and aerospace sites.

No tests have ever shown the chemical caused health problems, but scientists have said significant amounts of perchlorate can affect thyroid function. The thyroid helps set the body’s metabolism. Thyroid problems can impact fetal and infant brain development.

However, the extent of the risk is hard to assess. The government requires that formula contain iodine, which counteracts perchlorate’s effects. The size of the infant and how much formula they consume are other factors that can influence risk.

The study itself sheds little light on how dangerous the perchlorate in baby formula is. “This wasn’t a study of health effects,” said Dr. Joshua Schier, one of the authors.

The largest amounts of the chemical were in formulas derived from cow’s milk, the study said.

The researchers would not disclose the brands of formula they studied. Only a few samples were studied, so it’s hard to know if the perchlorate levels would be found in all containers of those brands, a CDC spokesman said.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said it was considering setting new limits on the amount of perchlorate that would be acceptable in drinking water. A few states have already set their own limits.

The EPA has checked nearly 4,000 public water supplies serving 10,000 people or more. About 160 of the water systems had detectable levels of perchlorate, and 31 had levels high enough to exceed a new safety level the EPA is considering.”

THIS IS AN EMERGENCY!!! We SERIOUSLY need to do something about this NOW! I don’t think that when some parents said, “I hope my child grows up to be a rocket scientist”, that they meant for there to be traces of ROCKET FUEL in their BABY FORMULA! This is appalling, and I hope that people will take some hormones or testosterone or something to get motivated to do something about this. I’m not a parent yet, but I could tell you that if I found out that there were traces of rocket fuel (which by the way; Perchlorate, the explosive component of solid rocket fuel, can affect the thyroid gland’s ability to make essential hormones. For fetuses, infants and children, disruptions in thyroid hormone levels can cause lowered IQ, mental retardation, loss of hearing, impaired speech, and motor skill deficits).

So, even though scientists believe it does “no harm”, it actually could cause your child to attain retardation. I would be PISSED. But maybe that’s just me, and I don’t have kids yet, but I can tell you this: when I do, I will do something about this if it happens again.

Vending Machine Pizza

Oh yeah!, that wasn’t a typo!!…after years of attempts by schools, businesses, and government officials to outlaw junk food from vending machines; Europe comes out with a new invention: vending machine pizza. I for one am ecstatic about this idea! Basically how it majestically works is: you put your money in (around $6), pick from 4 different types of pizza flavors, then it makes the dough from scratch, spreads the tomato sauce on it, adds the toppings, bakes it, and BOOM!…you have your very own pizza in under 3 minutes! The coolest part is that there is a clear window on the machine that allows you to view the entire process of your pizza being made!

However, the vending machine has been greeted by pizza-makers with a mixture of disgust and disdain. It has only come out in Europe so far but there are plans to go worldwide with this invention. The machine has clear plastic windows to allow customers to see the ingredients being mixed and cooked. It can produce a piping hot pizza for just 3.50 euros (£3.30) – about half what you would pay in a restaurant.

To make matters worse for pizza aficionados, the machine was invented by one of their own – an Italian businessman who made his money selling fresh pasta in the United States. What distinguishes his invention from other vending machines is that it does not just warm up a pre-cooked or frozen pizza. Instead it whips up flour and water into a doughy paste, squashes it into a 12-inch wide disc, smears it with tomato sauce and then offers a choice of four toppings – margherita, ham, bacon or vegetables. It is then cooked in front of the customer’s eyes and served in a cardboard box.

So in these economically crapened times, in which families are eating out less,  the inventor’s three-minute pizzas could grab a large slice of the takeaway food market. A few of the machines are already in operation but he hopes to sell a lot more in Italy and other European countries this summer. But the guardians of one of Italy’s most famous culinary exports are far from impressed.

“Pizza that comes out of an automatic machine has nothing to do with Italian pizza,” said Pino Morelli, the head of the Association of Italian Pizzerias. “It might be alright for McDonalds and other fast-food chains or for foreign markets like the US, China and India but anyone wanting to eat a real pizza has to go to a traditional pizzeria.” Italian pizza makers were the envy of the world and could not be replaced by a machine, Mr Morelli said. “The craft of the pizza-maker has been rediscovered, and the number of people wanting to learn the art of the pizza is growing. It’s a reliable and well-paid craft.”

Despite the image of Italians indulging in long lazy lunches and favouring fresh ingredients over frozen food, the country embraces vending machines with gusto. Italy boasts more than 600,000 of them – more than in the UK – and they sell everything from espresso coffee to cut flowers.

So move over cheap, off-brand, rest stop ruffled potato chips…pizza is comin to yo town!

Fitness Church

What if churches opened up a gym with the mindset of appealing to the culture by providing an environment that has REAL workout equipment, REAL trainers, and REAL gym atmospheres? What if churches decided to tap into THE most popular thing running these days…fitness? I don’t mean a gym that only plays “Christian radio” or “Christian TV shows” and has Scripture everywhere…I’m talking about a church dedicated to reaching out to the community by helping them achieve their FITNESS goals with a backing of strong moral values. If the staff encouraged instead of compared people’s physical achievements, if the pastor exercised instead of gluttonized, and if the church mobilized instead of demobilized.

It’s sad to say, but you probably won’t find any great fitness programming in churches any time soon. Why are we so far from doing the most obvious? What will it take to make it happen? I think that the YMCA could almost be THE best example of this so-called “Fitness Church”. YMCA leaders offer a devotional before or after some of their pick-up basketball games and there is a box near their member services counter where people can place prayer requests. However, when you step into a YMCA, no one bombards you with Scripture or slaps you with a Bible, a piece of paper, and a pen and says, “please mark whether you know Jesus or not and place it in our box before leaving. Thank you.” It seems like for several years church recreation/fitness ministries have just never really taken hold. Why is that? Most church leaders answer: “There are so many sports and activity options available to people in our community already.” These responses are nothing new. I’ve heard the same corporate excuses for years now. And honestly they help make the rich soil on which Christians and the majority of the mass population have grown a tremendous despise for the Christian faith.

To some extent the lack of good Christian fitness programming is a finger pointing game. Churches see pseudo-Christian organizations like the YMCA as the ones who should be developing fitness options with a Christian slant. Yet they bash anyone under the YMCA umbrella as having strayed far away from the original Christian heritage on which the Y was founded. Or churches will point at people not in their church and talk about how bad they are because they are “wasting food” or “wasting away in gluttony”; but, like that old saying goes…”When you point your finger at someone, three fingers are pointing back at you”.

Churches need to take notice when they maintain a country club mentality. Instead of being bogged down with the crisis of people not acting “Christ like” at a game they need to be intent on capitalizing on the true opportunity to shape understanding. They need to come to terms with the reality that everyone entering their building has some specific needs that urgently require attention. This is where the “Fitness Church” idea comes in. Obviously EVERYONE that comes into a gym has a specific goal; whether that goal is bodybuilding, fat loss, yoga, sprints, cross country, etc., the point is, EVERYONE has a determination before they even step foot in a fitness facility. What if that facility was a church as well? I don’t mean a church that has a gym in it, not that those are bad because they are awesome; but a place that provides a family atmosphere, top notch biblical trainers, top notch BRAND name equipment (including free-weights), and positive attitudes that promote unity.

How is your church or organization providing support for members to better understand fitness? Do those participating in your programs have a personal plan outlined to identify and examine relationship challenges, solve family problems or measure the outcomes of the milestones in their personal goal setting?

Why are we so far from having great fitness programming in churches? I believe leadership is scared and passive. They are afraid to do something that will push the edges. It is easier to follow the norms, stay within established guidelines and maintain existing programs. Even though one of their greatest challenges is to attract and keep membership they stay married to approaches that have limited impact. They are also scared of teaching something they don’t want to live out, even though JESUS told us not to live a life of gluttony. Pastors are afraid to implement a fitness strategy in the church (or start a “Fitness Church”) because most of them can’t look down and see the scale they are standing on and they don’t want to be hypocrites.

Leaders should pursue bringing together a team that will help you create a new paradigm for your organization. It should include church and fitness facility leadership, health care providers, counselors, educators, communicators, and especially members. Such a team embraces the vision, better defines it, keeps it on track, and drives it forward.

New models of Christian programming can be developed and launched in fitness facilities and churches if leaders and members will commit to making that happen. This programming helps participants to release their worries, grow in thankfulness, and grab hold of the spiritual source to joy. It empowers them to discover that physical expression is a form of prayer and personal interaction with God. It builds social relations with others, liberates individuals beyond their reservations, and cultivates habits for a more consistently positive outlook in life.

I believe that opening a fitness facility with positive moral values and exceptional equipment and service (at a low cost) would be one of THE best platforms to promote Jesus. It could be called “Fitness Church”. It’d be awesome…so long as their slogan wasn’t: “Welcome to Fitness Church…where Jesus is your spotter”.

Bacon Explosion!

For a nation that is seeking unity, a recipe has swept the Internet that seems to unite conservatives and liberals, gun owners and foodies, carnivores and…well, not vegetarians and health fanatics. This is DEFINITELY NOT for the vegetarians and health fanatics.

This recipe is the Bacon Explosion, also less redneck-ly called by its inventors “the BBQ Sausage Recipe of all Recipes.” The instructions for constructing this massive torpedo-shaped colon shifter of two pounds of bacon woven through and around two pounds of sausage and slathered in barbecue sauce first appeared last month on the Web site of a team of Kansas City competition barbecuers. They say a diverse collection of well over 16,000 Web sites have linked to the recipe, celebrating, or sometimes scolding, its excessiveness. A fresh (and gluttonous) audience was ready to discover it on Super Bowl Sunday.

Where once homegrown recipes were provided in Food Network columns or Junior League cookbooks, new media have changed — and greatly accelerated — the path to popularity. Few recipes have cruised down this path as fast or as far as the Bacon Explosion, and this turns out to be no accident (except for the probable one in your pants after eating the B.E.).

The roll contains at least 5,000 calories and 500 grams of fat. So, Behold, BACON EXPLOSION!!! Here’s what you’ll need…

• 2 pounds thick cut bacon
• 2 pounds Italian sausage
• 1 jar of your favorite barbeque sauce
• 1 jar of your favorite barbeque rub

To kick off the construction of this pork medley you’ll need to create a 5×5 bacon weave. The next step is to add some barbeque seasoning on top of your bacon weave. Now that you’re pork is well seasoned, it’s time to add more pork.

Take two pounds of Italian sausage and layer it directly on top of your bacon weave. Be sure to press the sausage to the outer edges of the bacon creating a patty that is the same thickness all the way across.

Next up is bacon layer number two. Take the remaining bacon slices and fry them up the same way you would for breakfast (or lunch, or dinner, or a midnight snack). If you like soft bacon, make it soft. If you like crunchy bacon, make it crunchy. If you like your bacon burnt to hell so the smoke detectors go off, then burn it to hell so the smoke detectors go off. These pieces are going to be a major part of the inner flavor of our sausage fatty, so cook them your favorite way. Personally, I like my bacon right at the point when it starts to get crispy, but hasn’t quite lost all of the softness yet. Regardless of how well done you like yours, you’ll need to crumble or chop the cooked strips into bite size pieces and place on top of the sausage layer. (Note-It’s okay, and encouraged, to snack on these pieces while your chopping/crumbling. But keep in mind that once those bacon morsels touch the raw sausage, you’ll need to resist all temptations to nibble. This can and will be difficult, but hospital trips are no fun, so stay strong.).

Since this is a barbeque recipe, we need to add another layer of barbeque flavor. Take your favorite sauce and drizzle it all over the top of the bacon pieces.

Once you’ve sauced the bacon, sprinkle on some more of the barbeque seasoning you used on the bacon weave. Very carefully separate the front edge of the sausage layer from the bacon weave and begin rolling backwards. You want to include all layers EXCEPT the bacon weave in your roll. Try and keep the sausage as tight as possible and be sure to release any air pockets that may have formed.

Once the sausage is fully rolled up, pinch together the seams and ends to seal all of the bacon goodness inside. To complete the construction process, roll the sausage forward completely wrapping it in the bacon weave. Make sure it sits with the seam facing downward to help keep it all sealed up. Sprinkle some barbeque seasoning on the outside of the bacon weave, and now this bad boy is ready for the smoker.

Cook your Bacon Explosion at 225 degrees in a constant cloud of hickory smoke until your Thermapen  gives an internal temperature reading of 165 degrees. Normally this will take about 1 hour for each inch of thickness, but that could vary depending on how well you maintain your fire and also how many times you open the smoker to take a peek. Using a basting brush, coat the entire surface with a thin layer of sauce.

Slice the Bacon Explosion into quarter to half inch rounds to serve. If your roll was good and tight, you should now see a nice bacon pinwheel pattern throughout the sausage. Obviously pork is best served by itself, but if you feel the need to make this meat monster into a sandwich, try placing a couple Bacon Explosion slices on a warm Pillsbury’s Grands Biscuit. You’ll reach pork Nirvana is no time flat!

In short, the B.E. will probably mess people up so bad that they will eventually have to rename it the B.M. 

HIIT–lose fat/retain muscle

With HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training), you will be working harder than you normally work but for about a quarter to a half of the time that you would normally spend on the cardio machine of your choice. HIIT is so intense and effective that you only need 15 to 20 minutes, tops! This is the best way to lose body fat percentage, and still retain most of your muscle tissue. You can either do this after your weight training routine or before, or even as an off day from your routine…i usually do this on my off day (off day means that it’s normally a day that you don’t do weight training).

Here’s What You Do:

• Pick the cardio machine of your choice (treadmill, elliptical, rower, bike, swimming) and perform a 5 minute warm-up.
• Then take time to stretch properly and you are ready to begin.
• Start at a moderate pace for 1 minute, and then crank up the pace to 90 or 95% of your Maximum Heart Rate (MHR).
• Continue at this effort for 15 to 20 seconds, then slow down to your starting pace for another minute followed by another all-out sprint for 15 to 20 seconds.
• Do this for no more than 15 minutes.
• After that finish your workout by cooling down for 5 minutes and thoroughly stretch afterwards.

If you perform this right I guarantee that you will be totally exhausted after 20 minutes of this.

Benefits Of HIIT:
A study at Laval University in Quebec, Canada found that HIIT cardio helped trainees loose nine (yes, 9!) times more fat than those who trained the traditional way (moderate speed for 20-60 minutes). Combine HIIT with your weight program and you boost your metabolism through the roof!

The Reason HIIT Is So Successful Is This:

1. When you work at a high intensity, you burn more total calories per pound of body weight.
2. High Intensity workouts such as weight training and HIIT boost growth hormone levels.
3. Elevates the body’s metabolism throughout the entire day!

What does this mean for you? The more calories that you burn in a day, the more weight you are able to lose. Even if weight loss is not your goal, HIIT is for you. Athletes will see better gains from doing HIIT cardio as opposed to traditional cardio.

Unless you are training for a marathon, you do not keep a constant pace during your sport. All sports whether it be soccer or football, even baseball or basketball have a point where you need to change gears and hit a full sprint. If you notice, cross country runners have very thin bodies, yet sprinters (like 100m dash) have very muscular bodies…this is b/c you are not constantly killing yourself, but having intervals where your muscles have to burst out energy and contract.

HIIT will not only help your cardiovascular system, but will train the anaerobic ATP (Adenosine TriPhosphate…nucleotide that supplies large amounts of energy to cells for biochemical processes…such as muscle contraction and sugar metabolism) system as well. Not only will you increase your cardiovascular endurance, but improve your raw speed and explosiveness as well!