The Spartan Race. What are You made of?

I'm back! Glad to be bringing you more postings to captivate your mind, challenge your inspirations & develop your awareness. What are you made of? What are you capable of? Have your really ever challenged yourself? Are you prepared?

Inspiration: Powerful Beyond Measure (how great are you?) from Ben McDonald on Vimeo.

Compostable Dishes Made From Leaves

Tableware Constructed From The Fallen Leaves of Trees

I continue to be impressed by the genius and persistence of new young entrepreneurs who take the time to think differently about the world around them and seek to find ways to not only improve the world they live in but create a new paths for humanity to follow while also proving that business can be created and thrive while doing so.

Verterra is a new company producing and selling recycleable / compostable dishes that are stylish, functional and completely environmentally friendly. What started as a dream just a few years ago has now turned into a real company that produces about a million pieces of flatware per month who's products are found in diverse venues such as Whole Foods Markets, football stadium box seats and even the upcoming Winter Olympics to be held in Vancouver, B.C. Verterra has received recognition as the Best New Green / Environmentally Friendly Product. The biggest problem Michael Dwork, the company founder, has encountered is that they look so stylish that people might find them to attractive to throw away. He does state that repeat orders stand at ninety percent so that obstacle must be working itself out.

The Verterra products are made exclusively from fallen leaves of trees and water with no additives. How cool? They are designed to be fully compostable & won't contaminate the environment so people can toss them away with food waste and landfills won't need to be littered with polystyrene foam products that are loaded with hazardous chemicals and take eons to breakdown.
Check them out here: Verterra

Read more about the Verterra story here: Fallen Leaves Birth Eco-Friendly Dinnerware Company

Advanced Workout Routine of Total Body Exercises

A total body workout routine using only free body weight exercises. Time to work off that Thanksgiving feast.

Guys, Drink To Your Heart's Content

Drinking alcohol cuts the risk of heart disease in men.

A major study involving over fifteen thousand men showed that consuming alcohol every day reduced the risk of heart disease by more than a third. What was even more interesting was that large amounts of alcohol produced an even greater benefit. For those drinking small amounts - less than a shot of vodka a day for instance - the risk was reduced by 35%. And for those who drank anything from three shots to more than 11 shots each day, the risk worked out an average of 50% less. The conundrum is that consuming large amounts of alcohol can contribute to other health related problems so doctors are quick to point out that people should not be encouraged to drink more as a result of this research. The best rule of thumb is moderation. The body has always worked to achieve a state of balance so keep that in mind and figure a drink or two a day probably is all you need.

Human Body Fat Stolen and Sold For Cosmetics

Peruvian Police Arrest Traffickers of Human Fat For Cosmetics

How far will you go in pursuit of your health and vanity? This sounds like a joke because it is almost unbelievable but I am not making this up. This is another bizarre view of what people will do in deranged pursuits of vanity and monetary gain? It is estimated that the stolen body fat was garnering $15,000 per liter on the black market and was sold to European cosmetics and pharmaceutical companies (this is still yet to be proven). Human body fat has been used in the cosmetics procedure industry but it is usually a persons own body fat which is used to facilitate cosmetic procedures.

The Peruvian police arrested four people and are searching for two more who were allegedly part of an underground ring of individuals participating in the murder of unsuspecting people in remote areas of Peru. The slain individuals then had their body fat extracted, packaged up and sold on the black market.

Makes you wonder a little bit about what is in things we use and consume.

Physical Activity Builds Better Brains

Elderly people who are physically active may have healthier blood vessels in their brains than do elderly people who aren’t active.

Researchers have found that physically active older adults, those classified as between 60 to 80 years old, have more blood vessels and less twisting of the vessels than those who were not physically active. The brains of those who were active resembled the brains of younger adults. The level of physical activity by the study participants was equal to thirty minutes a day of aerobic activity such as walking at least 5-6 days per week. The moral of the story. Get active to not only build your body but also to build your brain.

Medium Chain Triglycerides(MCT's) The Healthy Weight Loss Nutrient

Studies show that Medium Chain Triglycerides are an effective agent against obesity and can help facilitate weight loss improving your overall health and fitness. As a general rule regarding saturated fat, if a product has 10 grams of fat and 5-8 of those are saturated it is probably a good idea to skip that food item. If 1 or 2 grams are saturated this is a better choice. The one exception to this rule would be organic, unrefined, cold pressed coconut oil that has a high content of saturated fat but also is a rich source of MCT’s or medium chain triglycerides that are very good and efficient sources of fuel for energy and are not easily stored by the body as fat.

Medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) are a special class of fatty acids that resemble carbohydrates more than fat. As a result, they are more easily absorbed, digested, and utilized as energy. Normal fats and oils contain long-chain fatty acids (LCTs)that are harder to break down by the body and once they are in the bloodstream they are absorbed by fat cells and stored as body fat. In contrast, the medium-chain triglycerides(MCT's)are more water-soluble and are able to enter the bloodstream quicker because of their shorter lengths. Once in the bloodstream, they are transported directly into the liver. Thus, MCT's are an immediately available source of energy and only a tiny percent is converted into body fat. MCT's also facilitate weight loss by stimulating thermogenesis which is the process in which the body generates energy, or heat, by increasing its normal metabolic and fat-burning rate.

MCT’s have been used widely to aid in weight management as the fatty acids found in MCT’s - Caproic (C6), Caprylic (C8), Capric (C10) and Lauric acid (C12) have been shown to improve excess calorie burning. Coconut oil contains about 50% lauric acid. This MCT is which is also found in mother’s milk, helps regulate metabolism and is being studied for its antiviral and antibacterial properties. I personally know individuals who have lost weight by incorporating MCT's into their diet so regular consumption may aid you in weight loss but you must manage your consumption because there are plenty of calories in coconut oil as well. A good rule would be to use no more than 1-2 tbsp per day. A few ways to use it would be to spread it on whole grain toast or sandwiches, mix in with cooked dishes, spread on vegetables instead of butter.

The bad reputation coconut oil has gotten in the past is the result of the bastardized version of coconut oil which is usually partially or fully hydrogenated coconut oil that is highly refined and detrimental to your well being. The virgin, unrefined, and cold processed variety is the one you want. A final note on coconut oil is that it is good for cooking with because of its ability to withstand higher heat without becoming carcinogenic.

Reference:
National Institute of Health: Physiological effects of medium-chain triglycerides: potential agents in the prevention of obesity.
Medium Chain Triglycerides