My 5 Virtual Peers

They say you are the average of the 5 closest friends that you keep around you. If this is the case I thought that if I want to lose some weight and some of my friends are not in shape just like me how do I change my peer group without alienating my best friends?

So I started watching lots of YouTube videos on how to lose weight. And lots of YouTube videos on how to gain muscle strength. Some of the favorite videos that I've seen are by the same handful of YouTubers. So I subscribed to my favorite ones. Then I noticed it was about 5. Luckily for me, these 5 YouTubers have lots of content and tend to create lots of content very often. So it's almost like I'm talking with my friends because I see them every day and they always have something new to say. And since they're talking about Fitness and losing weight I've been getting used to the idea of losing weight and gaining strength in the way that my 5 virtual Friends on YouTube talk about.

Which I probably started but having my Bulletproof Coffee with Dave Asprey. And I lost a few pounds just from that and gained mental clarity in the morning. Then Greg at Kinobody taught me all about intermittent fasting. The Hodge Twins, Jeff Cavaliere and Elliot Hulse would be there working out with me while I'm on my Bowflex and I'm trying to do whatever it is that they were doing on the screen, while I made some gains.

So far I have gotten a lot stronger than when I started and lost 17 pounds but I am definitely aiming to for much more. Check out these guys and their channels and let me know what you think:

1. Dave Asprey

2. Greg O'Gallagher

3. Hodge Twins

4. Elliott Hulse

5. Jeff Cavaliere

So my overall idea and this article are that by keeping yourself surrounded with people who are interested in weight loss and fitness you will be kind of brainwashing yourself into improving your health just because of the peer pressure of your new virtual peers.

My notes: Smart drugs with Tim Ferriss

Here is a list of supplements that Tim Ferriss is mentioning in this video:

1. Creatine+ Ubiquinol
2. Lion's mane + Chaga mushroom coffee (brand: Four Sigma)
3. Yerba Mate (brand: Cruz de Malta)
4. Synthetic exogenous ketones (mitochondrial support)
* KetoCaNa
* Ketoforce
* 1,3-Butanediol
* Potassium BHB Salts

My Notes: 13 Nootropics to Unlock Your Brain by Dave Asprey

Here are my notes on this video, I hope this helps a bit:

1. Modafinil 50-200 mg / Armodafinil 100-200 mg (promotes wakefulness)

2. Piracetam 800 mg (improves verbal learning)

3. Phenylpiracetam 100-400 mg (improves memory and counters depression)

4. Aniracetam (Increases memory I/O) this is the only fat-soluble racetam.

5. Nicotine 1 mg (increases mitochondria) not to be used every day, to avoid addiction.

6. Adderall (improves attention, focus, motivation to work, and short term memory) addictive.

7. L-Theanine (promotes relaxation, alertness, and arousal) works synergically with caffeine.

8. Bacopa monnieri 750 mg (helps your body adapt to stress, improves memory, enhances attention and mood)

9. Microdosing LSD 5% of a normal dose

10. ActivePQQ 20mg + CoQ10 300 mg (promotes mitochondria, may reverse age-related cognitive decline) 

11. Oxaloacetate (reduces high glutamate and inflammation levels in the brain)

12. Forskolin (supports learning and memory formation) can be taken with artichoke extract.

13. Acetylcholine precursors

*Please check with your doctor and local laws before purchasing any smartdrugs or suppliments. Women who are pregnant or nursing should avoid these smartdrugs and suppliments.

Nutritional Ketosis vs Diabetic Ketoacidosis

There seems to still be confusion about Ketosis and I think the problem is the name. The automatic assumption, for some people, is that nutritional ketosis and ketoacidosis is the same thing. Where ketoacidosis can kill you, nutritional ketosis mobilizes fat cells so your liver can produce ketones. Your body then uses ketones as an energy source.

"Ketosis is a normal metabolic process, something your body does to keep working. When it doesn't have enough carbohydrates from food for your cells to burn for energy, it burns fat instead. As part of this process, it makes ketones." - WebMD 

"Ketoacidosis is what happens when ketosis goes too far. Ketones build up in your blood, and it becomes acidic. Ketoacidosis can cause a coma or death. People with diabetes can get ketoacidosis, or diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), when they don't take enough insulin. They can also get DKA when they're sick or injured, or they don't get enough fluids and become dehydrated." - WebMD 

"Some people without diabetes can get ketoacidosis, too. It's caused by alcoholism, starvation, or an overactive thyroid. A healthy low-carb diet shouldn't cause a problem."  - WebMD

So who should probably avoid Ketogenic diets?:
Pregnant Women
Diabetics
People with Kidney issues

What is your experience with ketogenic diets? 

Also, let us know what great websites or videos that you know of that has more information about ketosis and ketoacidosis.

Blood flow restriction training

Ever since I started weight training again, I have been watching lots of Youtube videos about weight training (such as Arnold Schwarzenegger's blueprint training or the Hodge twins). Mostly to keep focused and maybe learn something new. Eventually, I came across the term: Blood flow restriction training.

Blood flow restriction training or BFR or Occlusion training or KAATSU Training is working out and using an elastic band to restrict blood flow. So if you are doing curls, you would tie the band above the biceps. It was originally used for physical therapy because it allows you to have muscle gains by using light weight.

30 rep set
15 rep set (2x's or 4x's)
with 30 seconds to a minute rest between sets

What is your experience with Blood flow restriction training? 

Also, let us know what great websites or videos that you know of that has more information about Blood flow restriction training.

Snake Oil - What supplements are worth it

One of my favorite websites for keeping up-to-date on supplement research is http://informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/snake-oil

It gives you a visual of trending supplement research.

Research: Stephanie Smith, Miriam Quick 
Sources: PubMed, Cochrane.org, Examine.com

RCTs and population studies. Metastudies & large trials used where possible.

NAC eye drops can help improve your eyesight

Summary: NAC eye drops can help improve your eyesight.

"During early experiments performed at the Moscow Helmholtz Research Institute for Eye Diseases, it was shown that NAC (1% concentration), was able to pass from the cornea to the aqueous humour after about 15 to 30 minutes.
It is believed that NAC is deacetylated (loses its acetyl group) and transforms into carnosine, which then acts as an antioxidant and against glycation. In another study NAC was reported as effective in improving vision in cataract patients and reduced the appearance of cataract. The authors called this ‘a snow melting effect’ referring to the slow reduction of the cataractous tissues in the lens following the use of NAC eye drops. Transparency of the lens improved after using NAC eye drops at a concentration of 1% twice a day for four months. These results were relevant to all forms of cataract, mild or severe, although other studies found the most beneficial effect was in relation to early forms of cataract. This was a landmark study which caused many commercial operators to manufacture their own brands of anti-cataract NAC eye drops." - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acetylcarnosine

 

Additional:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12001824

March is Caffeine Awareness Month

"Tea and coffee are an essential part of life for many of us. In fact, the breakfast cup of coffee and mid-morning tea break are so deeply embedded in our daily routine, that they have become automatic and unquestioned cornerstones of the day. This means that it can be difficult to envisage alternatives or doing away with them altogether.

This is the context for Caffeine Awareness Month. With its roots in the campaigning work of the US not-for-profit sector, Caffeine Awareness Month presents an opportunity to be mindful of the amount of caffeine we are drinking and to be educated about the potential advantages of substitutes.

Use Caffeine Awareness Month to try swapping your morning espresso for a fruit smoothie or mint tea. Or perhaps instead experiment with the introduction of a morning run or workout to invigorate your day. It may be an opportunity to discover that a daily caffeine hit may not be as indispensable as you originally thought."

- https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/caffeine-awareness-month/

5 Minute Rule - for procrastinators

If you are having an issue with getting started on a task that may be overwhelming, you may be able to apply the 5 minute rule.

Simply put: Work on it for five minutes. lol.

For instance: If you have a sink full of dishes that would take forever to clean, will yourself to wash them for 5 minutes. Even if you don't complete the entire sink full, at least you make a dent.

Now, what usually happens though: Once you get started washing the dishes for 5 minutes, it becomes easier to continue (because your hands are already wet after-all). So, don't be surprised if you end up completing the job (even if it takes longer than the 5 minutes).

Serrapeptase - Silkworm enzyme

Serrapeptase is an enzyme that is used to breakdown scar tissue, blood clots, cysts.



According to the Serrapeptase Research Organization, "the great thing about Serrapeptase is that you can't overdose. The great thing about taking a strong product with a large dose is that you will get results and it's easier to work your way down as opposed to not taking enough and thinking that the product doesn't work."

http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-1115-serrapeptase.aspx?activeingredientid=1115

PQQ (pyrroloquinoline quinone)

Pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) is a compound that promotes the growth of new mitochondria structures within aging cells1 and prevents some types of damage to the liver2.
Click here for more information.


1) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24231099
2) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25822822

What Makes a Good Life?

You are here for one reason, to survive and thrive. We instinctively want to live as long as possible, and be happy and be respected. But, what are the steps that we can take, in order to accomplish what we want? What are the pillars that support having a good life? This blog will identify those pillars and curate the research for you.

* Health
* Wealth
* Happiness
* Love

The Pillars is your executive summary. You want to be your best and always improve aspects of your life. We all lack the time or patience to find these answers because we are handling various problems in our lives. Now that you have found the Pillars, you have a resource, tool, secret weapon, unfair advantage that you can use to strengthen your efforts in maximizing your life.