All posts tagged water

6-Pack Abs Are Expensive

…unless you’re a teenage boy, or a hard-gainer.

The guy on the cover of Men’s Health Magazine is a professional model.  His job is to look good, and he doesn’t look that good by cutting back on carbs and doing crunches.

That guy probably pays money to look that good.  A lot of money.

I work in a body building gym in San Francisco.  It also just so happens to be San Francisco’s “gay gym.”  Sure, straight people are allowed in, but the member base is predominantly male.  You’re either a body builder, gay, or both.

It seems to me that body image is as important to this particular member base as it is for women!  Everywhere you look, there are tight, hard bodies pumping iron.  There’s the core group: the members who arrive every day, without fail, and work out for 2-3 hours.  Lift-pause-lift-pause-lift-pause.

…and then some “cardio:” slow, deliberate steps on the stair mill–forever.

I don’t know enough about body building to give an in-depth analysis, but what I can tell you is that these guys have the most expensive bodies of anyone I’ve ever known in a neighborhood gym.

  • $200 a month for supplements: protein powder, meal replacement, BCAAS, and more.
  • $100 a month for extra food: shakes, smoothies, and chicken.  Lots of chicken.  Insane amounts of chicken.
  • $0-$400 a month for personal training and accountability.
  • $80-$200 a month for body work, including stretching, massage, hair removal, and tanning.
  • $$$ = Time.  Tons of time exercising and eating.  Time planning meals.  Time commuting to and from the gym.  Time waiting between sets.  Having a solid body is one of the most time-intensive exercise goals of them all.  It’s like playing a sport, only your “practice” is 2-3x longer every day, and you have to invest 2-3x more time fretting about your food, and 2-3x more time recovering (every workout aims to demolish muscles; every workout aims to leave them twitching, dying, and torn at a microscopic level, in order to repair and grow bigger and stronger).  What is an hour of your time worth?

Don’t get me wrong.  I have tremendous respect for body builders.  It is a sport that requires insane precision and dedication.

But I’m weary on their behalf.  I’m weary for the time they spend fretting about whether one shoulder looks bigger than the other, about whether their kidneys are okay, whether they are coping with their body dysmorphia constructively.

Hey!  That’s just for body builders!  I don’t want to be a big massive guy.  I just want that 6-pack!

Take a ticket.  You and everyone else who doesn’t want an ounce of fat on them.  And there are two ways to get rid of every ounce of fat:

1) Just don’t eat.  Ever.  Give up food.

2) Don’t eat carbs.  Hyper-dose yourself on protein.  Stick with natural, unprocessed fats when needed, and lean protein the rest of the time.  Oh, and when you’re ready for your photo shoot, dehydrate yourself.

The body is designed to have a healthy layer of fat on it.  Your brain is wired to seek out fat and sugar.  When it ingests fat, it thinks, “Awesome!  Let’s eat more of that!”  When it finds sugar, it says, “Whoa! Cheap, delicious energy!”  When the two are combined, “Holy shit!  The is the most amazing food stuff I’ve ever encountered!”  It’s fat and carbs that the body wants.

Fat keeps the body feeling full longer than anything else, and it keeps the body running slowly.  Carbs are the body’s preferred energy source, and they allow for fast, rapid movement; they also make you feel happy.

The body does not have the same hard-wiring for protein.  Of course, protein is an essential macro-nutrient, but after you eat a sufficient amount, the brain says, “Boy, I don’t want another bite of chicken.  I’ll throw up.  I’m warning you…  No more!”

Eating massive amounts of protein is hard work.  And it’s hard work to digest as well.  You’re net energy decreases, and your organs work over-time.  It also requires a lot of water to digest.  If you aren’t getting sufficient fiber and vegetable intake, you run the short-term risk of constipation (uncomfortable) and the long-term risk of colon cancer (life threatening) and other types of cancer (if your protein is predominantly animal-sourced).

On the plus side: you will have very healthy hair and nails, and big muscles.

If you have a good ethic of regular exercise, including a variety of exercise activities, and you are fretting about your abs, know that for most people, 6-pack abs take an extreme level of dedication that may not be lifestyle friendly.

1 Comment
by demogirl06 on June 21, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Fitness & Lifestyle, Nutrition
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Posted by demogirl06 on June 21, 2012

http://mariamaestevens.com/2012/06/21/6-pack-abs-are-expensive/

The Benefits Of Sprouting

It’s important not to destory your vitamins. But even if you do everything right, it does not guarantee that you will get enough. Augmenting the vitamin content of your food is possible through sprouting.

Sprouting grains and seeds is a fascinating process. Just a tablespoon of seeds can transform into a hundred times its original mass. More remarkable than this is that the original seed, quite low in micro-nutrients, transforms into a nutrient powerhouse. Vitamin C, for example, can multiply 100 to 200 fold; B vitamins easily quintuple. Even the content of amino acids augments; lysine in wheat rises by 50%, and 10-35% in other grains.1

Gram for gram, “As an example, a sprouted Mung Bean has a carbohydrate content of a melon, vitamin A of a lemon, thiamin of an avocado, riboflavin of a dry apple, niacin of a banana, and ascorbic acid of a loganberry.”2

Sprouing constitutes a form of “pre-digestion,” by breaking down phytic acid, present in all cereals and legumes, which interferes with the body’s ability to absorb calcium and magenesium. It also helps pre-digest oligiosacchrides (starches famous for causing gas) by transforming part of that difficult starch into simple sugars.

Given that sprouts are pre-digested, and considering their enormous nutrient-content, they are a far more efficient food than their non-germinated counterparts.

Germination is not a recent practice; don’t think that raw foodists popularized it as a last-ditch effort to convince you that grains and legumes can be eaten raw. They can. Sprouting has a very long history, among many disparate peoples. Even more, where do you think beer comes from?

Consider this: food security. Grains and seeds keep for long periods of time, ready to sprout as soon as you decide to water them. During colder seasons, when fresh produce becomes scarcer, sprouts are an ample source of nurtrition. Even when you stop watering them and stick them in the fridge, they will continue to grow slowly, gaining nutrition; whereas, fruits and vegetables picked and purchased from the supermarket only lose nutrition over time.

Start sprouting!

>>>

1Aubert, Claude. L’art de Cuisiner Sain, Terre Vivant, Mens, France, 2011.

2http://www.living-foods.com/articles/sprouts.html

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by demogirl06 on May 2, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Nutrition, Raw vs. Cooked
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Posted by demogirl06 on May 2, 2011

http://mariamaestevens.com/2011/05/02/the-benedits-o-sprouting/

Water Privatization

In a world where access to clean water is increasingly scarce, we can expect to see a fundamental shift in how water is managed, and by whom.

There exist different forms of water privatization: management contracts (private operators are responsible for running a system), lease contacts (assets are leased to a private operator), concessions (private operators are responsible for running an entire system often for several decades), and full privatization (the private operator also owns the assets).

Privatization of water, in many cases, has led to far more efficient distribution systems, by which peoples have been less likely to go without water. Public water or state-run water systems are often ignored, or the water supply is heavily subsidized for industry and agriculture, leading to excessive consumption. This, however, is a problem with government, and not the concept of publicly managed water systems.

Privatization must not be confused with commercialization. Privatization suggests a shift in management from public to private. Commercialization, on the other hand, introduces new management institutions, the most prevalent of which being free market competition.

Free market competition is an institution with immense driving power, capable of maneuvering and dictating who can have access to water based on economic incentives. It is often argued that a free market is by far the best model for efficiency in resource management. It is believed that, like any commodity, the price of water will reduce and the quality will remain sufficient; that consumer demand will create enough competition. It is also believed that the assignment of a monetary value to water will make people less likely to waste it, thereby leading to greater conservation.

As nice as this sounds, free market enterprise is not an inevitable result of privatization. Because most water is publicly managed, a single government may sell water rights to a single corporate entity, very often a multinational. Ownership of water is a conceded to corporations; these corporations, secure under long-term contracts, have little to fear and little incentive to offer “competitive” prices for water.

The commercialization of water does not guarantee a healthy competitive market and efficient use of resources; it is possible, but it is not certain. What is certain, on the other hand, is the focus of the enterprise: profit. Profit supercedes all other interests, even what is best for a people. To illustrate this point, Aguas de Tunari in 2000, after gaining control of water in Cochabamba, was quick to raise the price of water to the point where many people were unable to afford it. The result was the declaration of martial law in Bolvia, and widespread protestation until the company was forced to abandon its operations.

Without privatization, what should nations do to prepare against future water crises? Education regarding responsible management of water is foremost on the list of priorities. For underdeveloped geographic locations, The International Water Management Institute recommends each community to work together to address its unique demand for water, and engage in many small-scale water storage projects.

Proponents of water privatization argue that efficient developments in water infrastructure will never occur without the impetus of privatization. Intelligent governmental involvement in water management projects will be imperative; successful governments must also have mechanisms built into them by which they can be held accountable by their peoples.

The only way to effect real change is to organize and educate at the civil level, and then demand it. The free market, up to this point, has done nothing to prevent the putrification of global freshwater supplies. While free market Pollyanna capitalists believe firmly that the market, given the right incentives, will eventually unveil a solution, those most in need of freshwater know realistically that such a change will not occur in a penniless environment. The demand for water is obvious and dire, as is the demand for oil; we do not see oil companies attempting to curb demand for petroleum with schemes for fuel-efficiency.

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_privatization

http://debatepedia.idebate.org/en/index.php/Debate:_Water_privatization

http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Water/Corp_Control_Water_LAmer.html

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by demogirl06 on November 21, 2010  •  Permalink
Posted in Food Production and Policy
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Posted by demogirl06 on November 21, 2010

http://mariamaestevens.com/2010/11/21/water-privatization/

Ethanol, Corn Biofuel: Wins Award For Worst Idea We’ve Ever Had

I could write at length about how stupid it is to try to become less energy-dependent on oil by converting to more corn-based bio fuels.  I could, but so many people can say it better than I can.

Let’s summarize.

1) When the demand for corn goes up, it will affect the price of grain.  This is common-sense economics.  Numerous studies and experts have cautioned that affecting the price of grain affects the price of food, from human consumption to animal feed.

2) Even if we dismissed corn as a food entirely and converted all of our corn yields to ethanol production (roughly 1/4 of all crop land), we would only be able account for a teeny-weeny fraction of the United State’s energy needs.

3) Modern corn is a product of intensive industrial agriculture.  Demanding more and more corn translates into more soil depletion, more dumping of pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides, and a greater desire to rely on genetically modified corn; GM crops are associated with even higher levels of chemical inputs.

4) Corn is the single most subsidized crop in the United States.  Subsidies have been the most influential cause of our modern aberrated food system; they are corporate welfare.  Welfare is a broken system. Why shouldn’t it be the same for Big Food?  Congress, in the early years of this century, mandated that by 2022, the United States must produce 36 billion gallons of ethanol per year.  Each gallon of ethanol blended into gasoline will be provided a tax credit of $0.51 (The Volumetric Ethanol Excise Tax).

5) Why?  To quote Robert Bryce, perhaps the most famous expert in energy journalism, “Power wielded in Washington by lobbyists from the farm states remains enormous.  And within the subsidy-rich world of U.S. agriculture, corn is king.  What’s more, Iowa is ground zero for corn.  The state holds the first presidential primary.  The Iowa Caucuses set the tone for the quadrennial national elections.  And that forces even supposed change agents such as the 2008 presidential candidates, Barack Obama and John McCain, to genuflect before the altar of corn ethanol.”

This, in no way, is a comprehensive list of the stupidities of the push for ethanol.  They are, however, probably the most cited.  There are others, such as ethanol’s contribution to warmer greenhouse gases, impact on the environment, impact on international commodity trade, and water.

6) Water…  To me, corn ethanol is most egregiously offensive to the world’s water crises.  Be sure, readers, that it will not be oil that governs world politics in the future.  It will be water.

Applications of agro-industrial fertilizers such as nitrogen and phosphorous contaminate our water systems.

While amounts of water needed to corn corn vary by location, a report issued by scientists at Sandia National Laboratory in New Mexico, “Energy Demands on Water Resources,” suggests that each gallon of ethanol (from irrigated sources of corn) requires 885 gallons of fresh water.

Robert Bryce places this in layman’s terms, and accounts for the fact that not all corn is irrigated, “Assume that 15% of the corn used during the production of America’s ethanol in 2006 came from irrigated fields.  In that case, each gallon of domestic ethanol required the consumption of about 132 gallons of water.  That’s a huge quantity, particularly when compared to the quantity need for oil and gas production… [requiring] 2.8 gallons of water for each gallon of oil produced.”

That’s it.  I feel sick.

6 Comments
by demogirl06 on August 9, 2010  •  Permalink
Posted in Food Production and Policy
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Posted by demogirl06 on August 9, 2010

http://mariamaestevens.com/2010/08/09/ethanol-corn-biofuel-wins-award-for-worst-idea-weve-ever-had/

Why Alcohol Makes You Chubby: And How It Sabotages Weight Loss Goals

Beer belly.  Why not beer body?

It’s interesting how alcohol tends to go right to the tummy.  Okay, it’s true that alcohol goes other places, too, over time; but the nice thing about beer weight is that it can come off about as quickly as it came on, unlike other fat.  All you have to do it change your habits.

Allow me to explain why cutting out alcohol will yield an almost immediate shift in body fat; this information supports my observations of my clients’ (and my own) body compositions when alcohol was given up for at least two weeks.

There are three macronutrients with which we are all familiar: protein, carbohydrate, and fat, (some people include a fourth, water).  Each gram of protein and carbohydrate yields 4 calories; each gram of fat yields 9 calories.  Alcohol, it’s own entity, yields 7 calories. But alcohol isn’t a nutrient, as it generally kills everything with which it comes into contact.  A nutritionist who worked at the ARCO Olympic Training center once said to me during my stay, “I can’t think of one good reason why an elite athlete should ever consume alcohol.” It hinders your other metabolic pathways, and it destroys.  It dehydrates, and it slows you down.

Okay, great.  But who cares?  Most people aren’t training for the Olympics.  Booze is awesome in other rites, and can provide emotional (arguable) and social benefits.  Alcohol, after coffee, is the second most abused mood-altering substance, and some version of an alcoholic beverage has infiltrated just about every human culture.  It’s popular, it’s accessible, and it is sanctioned by society.  It relaxes and relieves stress for people who are probably more stressed now than ever before.  No wonder many of my clients are so unwilling to quit drinking, even for a little while!

“I don’t really drink that much.  Maybe 2 to 4 drinks in a week.”  Okay, let’s break that down.

A glass of wine has 100 calories.  That’s a four-ounce glass.  That’s 1/2 cup.  Find your teeny weeny measuring cup in your kitchen drawer.  That’s 100 calories! I cannot remember the last time I ever poured myself, or had someone else pour, only four little ounces.  More like 6.

A beer might pack at least 120 calories (unless it’s some awful light beer, which is closer to 100).  Most have 140 up to 200.

An ounce of spirits will pack 80, but few people drink liquor straight; some kind of sugary mixer comes with it.

Let’s crunch some numbers.  You’re a light drinker, and keep your habit to the weekend, over dinner.  You drink 3 six-ounce glasses of wine over your weekend.  That’s 450 calories (people often fail to count the calories they consume through beverages, and they also do a poorer job of compensating for liquid calories later). That 450 calories is an entire workout! That would be 1/5 of your week’s effort down your throat, and if your goal is to lose 1-lb per week, that is 1/7 of a pound.

Okay, big deal.  You made sure you had enough space left over for the booze.

So PAY ATTENTION HERE.  Alcohol, once ingested, breaks down into two compounds: fat and acetate.  The fat will go into storage, and the acetate will be burned as fuel.  The body, which had been slowly and steadily burning fat while you were at rest (and if you are working hard at the gym, you were enjoying your sweet “after-burn” of fat metabolization), slams down the E-brake on fat burning and starts burning the acetate instead.  You literally put a halt (or at least significantly slowed, up to 75%) to your fat burning metabolism; not only that, the fat derived from alchol went right into your storage!

Alcohol also is an appetite stimulant (ever heard of an aperitif?).  Drinking before or during dinner makes you want to eat more.  It also makes you care less about how much you are eating (irresponsible eating).  Calories sneak in, and because your body is busy metabolizing the acetate, sit back and let the other nutrients entering your blood stream get shunted into storage. One drink can stunt your fat metabolization for several hours. That sucks, especially when you are winding down at night, and your metabolism is already running a little slower.  The idea behind exercise is it raise your rate of fat metabolization.

Alcohol dehydrates.  Water is an essential nutrient, and it is involved in countless catalytic processes within your body.  One of these is the metabolization of fat.  Another is muscle building.  Few people make sure to drink a glass of water for every glass of booze they consume.  Dehydrating your body even a little bit slows down your fitness goals!

Finally, alcohol raises cortisol, your stress hormone that encourages the retention of fat.  It also hinders testosterone production, the “skinny” hormone generally produced in higher quantities after interval and strength training.

So let’s summarize:

1) Alcohol has lots of calories.

2) It increases fat storage, and halts fat metabolization.

3) It tends to make you eat and drink more.

4) It dehydrates you.

5) It produces more “fat” hormones, and hinders to production of “skinny” hormones.

…Stop drinking alcohol, and there will be less to retard your body’s fat metabolization.

Ready to give it up for a while?

4 Comments
by demogirl06 on July 26, 2010  •  Permalink
Posted in Nutrition, Weight Management: Chemistry
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Posted by demogirl06 on July 26, 2010

http://mariamaestevens.com/2010/07/26/why-alcohol-makes-you-chubby-and-how-it-sabotages-weight-loss-goals/

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