Are You "Healthy"?

(ed. note: By request, the following is a short overview that you, the reader, will hopefully find useful. These ideas are currently being expanded upon and will be available soon as a short e-book).

There are various types of health/wellness and I've seen interesting "health" break-downs over the years, but recently revisited the concept. I rather like the one listed below (which I have, admittedly, altered to how I best process information and attack goals).

Hoping you will find something serviceable, if not out and out useful, below.

Lose Weight in 4 Easy Steps

I first read this a few years ago when it went viral. It is among the best fitness pieces I've ever read. Right up there with Henry Rollins' piece "The Iron".

Check it out:

I’ve spent the past year losing 80 lbs and getting in shape. A lot of people have been asking me how I did it; specifics like what diet I was on, how many times a week I worked out, etc etc. So I thought I’d just answer everyone’s questions by giving you guys step by step instructions on how you can achieve everything I have… IN JUST 4 EASY STEPS! Ready? Here we go!!!

1.) NO BEER
This is a big one, and one that you’ve probably heard before. Every time you drink a beer, it’s like eating seven slices of bread. That’s a lot of bread!

2.) PORTION CONTROL
This is especially true when you go out to eat at restaurants. A good trick to do is when your meal comes, cut it in half and right away ask for a takeout container, so that you can save the rest for later — and even better, if you start your meal out right by ordering lean meats and veggies, you’ll slim down in no time!

3.) HAVE YOUR HEART BROKEN
And not just broken; shattered. Into itsy bitsy tiny little pieces, by a girl who never loved you and never will. Join the gym at your work. Start going to the gym regularly, and even though you don’t know that much about exercise and you’re way too weak to do pretty much anything but lift 5 lb weights and use the elliptical machines with the old people, do it until your sweat makes a puddle on the floor. Then go home and go to bed early and the next day do it again. And then again. And then again.

Barlow's 25 Principles of Adult Behavior

John Perry Barlow was a giant of a man. I'll simply leave it at that.

Below are his 25 Principles....with link at the bottom to read more about bim and this brief list.

Enjoy.

1. Be patient. No matter what.

2. Don’t badmouth: Assign responsibility, never blame. Say nothing behind another’s back you’d be unwilling to say, in exactly the same tone and language, to his face.

3. Never assume the motives of others are, to them, less noble than yours are to you.

4. Expand your sense of the possible.

5. Don’t trouble yourself with matters you truly cannot change.

6. Expect no more of anyone than you yourself can deliver.

7. Tolerate ambiguity.

8. Laugh at yourself frequently.

9. Concern yourself with what is right rather than who is right.

10. Never forget that, no matter how certain, you might be wrong.

11. Give up blood sports.

12. Remember that your life belongs to others as well. Do not endanger it frivolously. And never endanger the life of another.

13. Never lie to anyone for any reason. (Lies of omission are sometimes exempt.)

14. Learn the needs of those around you and respect them.

15. Avoid the pursuit of happiness. Seek to define your mission and pursue that.

16. Reduce your use of the first personal pronoun.

17. Praise at least as often as you disparage.

18. Never let your errors pass without admission.

19. Become less suspicious of joy.

20. Understand humility.

21. Forgive.

22. Foster dignity.

23. Live memorably.

24. Love yourself.

25. Endure.

Here’s what these principles meant to Barlow:

"I don’t expect the perfect attainment of these principles. However, I post them as a standard for my conduct as an adult. Should any of my friends or colleagues catch me violating one of them, bust me."

Read more here.....

Lindsay Speaks.....

A few weeks ago, I started to develop heart palpitations accompanied with chest pains. My heart started to beat rapidly and with a force I could feel all over my entire body. It only happened while I was trying to sleep and would calm down while I was sitting or standing. It even began to wake me up at all hours of the night, causing me fitful tossing and turning. The waking up at all hours/not sleeping well is something that has been around since mid-August, but the heart issues were new.

Having been born with two heart murmurs, I decided it would probably be a good idea to see my doctor. Beforehand, I described my symptoms to one of my dearest friends (Dr. Burks, I've dubbed her) and she pinpointed the problem right away. She, and as my doctor would later tell me, said I needed to drink more water. My doctor attributed it to dehydration, particularly since the beating changes with positions, and that it's common with females. She suggested I wear a heart monitor for 24 hours and see if there was anything else going on. She also recommended, as she has many times before, to avoid any stress or upset because I, by default, am anxious and suffer from anxiety attacks.

GUITAR GODS: Phil Keaggy

This is abnother of our "Lost Interviews" from 2008. This one is the amazing Phil Keaggy! Honored to have the opportunity to share this one again!

Be sure to visit Phil on-line at his web-site.

Monday, 05 May 2008 23:49

======================
Johnny Carson: "Jimi, how does it feel to be the world's greatest guitar player?"

Jimi Hendrix: "I don't know, you'll have to ask Phil Keaggy."

This story is not true, it's one of those persistent myths. Another version is Dick Cavett speaking to Eric Clapton, and another still of Eddie Van Halen responding to a Guitar Player Magazine writer after he won the "Overall Best Guitarist" award in the early 1980s. Phil Keaggy himself brushes it off: "I don't think there is anything to it at all. I doubt that Jimi ever heard me play..." and other such statements.

But why on Earth would such a myth continue?

Tonya Kay: "The Things that Make Us Human"

You can read our interview (in 2 parts) with Tonya Kay here.

And this is from her blog:

This ritual is dedicated to the things that make us human. Postcards, rocking chairs, rain storms, eye contact. Kissing.

This ritual is dedicated to staying in bed sick. Mending socks. Crows at sunset. Senior citizens.

My humanness is under attack daily. Devices, commercials, aspiration, plastic containers. Coffins.Tooth whitening, auto-tuning, retouching, CGI.....(read the rest HERE)

Bloody Mary: The Perfect Musician Drink

Here it is....you're a starving artist and you're playing clubs and such, and 9 times out of 10 you get a free bar tab (at least up to a certain limit). So...you drink beer, because that's what guys drink. Or shots of whatever.

Or you're female and you drink beer, or shots of whatever, or some awesome tasty fruity drink that guys like but never drink in public.

And, nutritionally speaking, it's all "empty" calories: booze and simple sugars. And so you gain a little fat and lose a little muscle mass and who ever really notices for a while, but you sure don't look like a rock god or goddess just descended from Olympus after a while of that, do you?

Enter the Drink Of The Gods: The Bloody Mary.

Failure, Fear and The Future

by Paulie Felice


Staring at a blank page.

But in writing just that one little line... poof!

It's no longer a blank page.

I see this in my guitar students all the time; arms poised, eyes slightly glazed over with a nervous half-smile, frozen before me. I've just asked them to "play something," just as my new editor here has asked me to "write something."

"Write what??"

Anything.

"Play what??"

Anything.

The blank slates intimidate us. The impossible vastness of nearly infinite possibilities can be paradoxically paralyzing. In writing as in playing, it's that very first step that is the most difficult. I suppose most things are that way. We fear the unknown, and what is more 'unknown' than The Future? The immediate future of notes unplayed and words unwritten; it's right in your face, daunting, infusing you with irrational terror over the simplest of actions.

We usually really want a plan, first. If we can just have some vision, some picture of the future, we can be less fearful. Tell me what to write about. What key should I play in? What's this post going to be about? What's this song going to feel like? How am I going to make a living if I live my dreams? Where will I live and what will I eat and what if I... fail?

The future intimidates us because it is unknown, but what we fear about the unknown is the possibility that we will fail when we get there. And right here, right now in the present, we have not failed yet because we have not embarked on the endeavor. That's the paralyzing aspect, because we're hardwired to protect ourselves from harm. But I think that we have a misunderstanding of what failure is and our fear of it is exceedingly amplified and irrational because of this.

Failure is not the worst-case scenario.

The worst thing that can happen is... nothing.

Stagnancy, perpetual limbo and indecision, being stationary and allowing the paralysis to consume you; these are the things to legitimately fear because they always result in the only true, absolute failure, and that's the failure to move. Motion is what makes all things in the universe matter. It is the only way to affect change and create progress, and the only reason to have goals. If you have goals you MUST MOVE in order to achieve them. The potential for failure is always preferable to the guarantee of failure. If you do not move, you absolutely WILL FAIL.

So move.

Just go.

No plan.

Embrace the fear and in doing so, convert the nothingness of stagnancy into the awesome power of movement through infinite possibilities in infinite combinations. Swing your arm and strike those chords. Move your fingers and write those words. Walk out the door and into the expanse of your new life.

Stop stopping. Get going. Do something.

"Do what??"

Anything.

My Own Life - Oliver Sacks on Learning He Has Terminal Cancer

A beautiful and beautifully written piece by a man facing his final days. From the NYT:

A MONTH ago, I felt that I was in good health, even robust health. At 81, I still swim a mile a day. But my luck has run out — a few weeks ago I learned that I have multiple metastases in the liver. Nine years ago it was discovered that I had a rare tumor of the eye, an ocular melanoma. Although the radiation and lasering to remove the tumor ultimately left me blind in that eye, only in very rare cases do such tumors metastasize. I am among the unlucky 2 percent.

I feel grateful that I have been granted nine years of good health and productivity since the original diagnosis, but now I am face to face with dying.....(see the rest at the link below)

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/19/opinion/oliver-sacks-on-learning-he-has-terminal-cancer.html

SD Magazine Publisher/Editor Releases Music Catalogue

Howdy, y'all! David McLean here, publisher & editor of Skinny Devil Magazine, as well as guitarist, guitar teacher, gun for hire, and all things musical. Today marks my 50th birthday. I wrote about it in my personal blog Skinny Devil Universe.

There, I mention that I have been, and continue to, release my life's catalogue of music (at least that which is release-able) all at only $1 per album. To celebrate my birthday, I released Aur'a-Sen's only studio album "Innova Mode" and volume 2 of my corporate work, "The Games".

I will also create a page for all the albums I've engineered, produced, or on which I've played. It will likely be an incomplete list, as I've lost most of the old studio notes from when I was working as a studio musician, an engineer, and a producer (note: I still produce and I still do studio work for hire), but it should still have quite a bit of music for anyone interested.

Music will be available via BandCamp, Reverbnation, CD Baby, Amazon, iTunes, the streaming/radio sites, and more. Must be my bid for digital immortality (haha!). But for now, you can see what's been released so far at my BANDCAMP page.

Hope y'all enjoy it!

"The Iron" by Henry Rollins

(ed note: This essay, by Henry Rollins, originally appeared in Details Magazine. Visit Henry Rollins on-line at http://henryrollins.com)

I believe that the definition of definition is reinvention. To not be like your parents. To not be like your friends. To be yourself.

Completely.

When I was young I had no sense of myself. All I was, was a product of all the fear and humiliation I suffered. Fear of my parents. The humiliation of teachers calling me “garbage can” and telling me I’d be mowing lawns for a living. And the very real terror of my fellow students. I was threatened and beaten up for the color of my skin and my size. I was skinny and clumsy, and when others would tease me I didn’t run home crying, wondering why.
I knew all too well. I was there to be antagonized. In sports I was laughed at. A spaz. I was pretty good at boxing but only because the rage that filled my every waking moment made me wild and unpredictable. I fought with some strange fury. The other boys thought I was crazy.

I hated myself all the time.

Symbiotic Relationship

- Elizabeth Beck
Living With Memories -  elizbeck.blogspot.com

I use music to feed my soul to paint mixed media compositions while I am writing and revising poems. I am not a musician, but I am an avid fan and go to as many live shows as I can. I also attend poetry readings, art gallery shows and the theater. To commit to a creative life assumes the understanding that all genres of art are symbiotic. They are interdependent.


Artists must consume as well as express. It is inherent to our work to be well-read, to watch films, to listen to music, to study art in order to create our own work. Otherwise, we are doing ourselves a huge disservice, as well as to our audience and to our work. In terms of symbiosis as it relates to aesthetics, there are two different aspects: an external and an internal dynamic. Within the internal relationship, there are three parts: the artist's intention; the artwork itself and the audience.

"A Day in the Life: John Cubit - Diet & Work-Out"

-- John Phillip Cubit
Lexfit.com

Training location: Home Gym, my basement is converted into a gym.

My workouts at home are much more focused and productive than going to a commercial gym where most of the people there are having social hour. You don’t need a fancy gym or tons of equipment to exercise.

Training philosophy: Listen to your body - it’s better to under-train than to over-train. If I’m tired, I won’t workout that day. If I feel strong then I’ll push myself harder. I train usually 5 days a week for about 45-60 minutes which breaks down to 1 body part a week. My main focus is the eccentric, or stretch, part of the exercise. This is the part of the movement that tears down muscle fiber and with proper diet and rest, tissue will repair itself stronger and larger.

I do not do cardio or abdominal training period. My workouts consist of high reps using light to moderate weight with 30 second rest periods between sets. This type of training is my cardiovascular training.

"A Day in the Life: Kieba Blacklidge - Diet & Work-Out"

- Kieba Blacklidge 
Body Temple Boot Camp

A typical day for me (without a camper to train or feed) might be:

½ cup organic coffee with raw milk, 1-2 cup fruit of some kind, and several slices fresh coconut.

What Does It Mean to Be Fat-Adapted?

From Mark's Daily Apple:

When describing someone that has successfully made the transition to the Primal way of eating I often refer to them as “fat-adapted” or as “fat-burning beasts”. But what exactly does it mean to be “fat-adapted”? How can you tell if you’re fat-adapted or still a “sugar-burner”? I get these and related questions fairly often, so I thought I’d take the time today to attempt to provide some definitions and bring some clarification to all of this. I’ll try to keep today’s post short and sweet, and not too complicated. Hopefully, med students and well-meaning but inquisitive lay family members alike will be able to take something from it. 

Jack Johnson: Music to Mother Earth's Ears

From EcoHearth:

At a time when going green is a new fashion trend among celebrities and those who aspire to be like them, there are few who serve as true catalysts for the cause.  Hawaiian native and recording artist, Jack Johnson, is one of them. He has become not only a symbol of laid-back acoustic music, but also an eco-conscious artist/businessman. By transforming the way his music is created and enjoyed by people all across the globe, he has taken his pro-environmental words and made them into reality.
 

Lifestyle Test

testing labels....lifestyle