White Men can't Jump... because they can't squat.

Besides a mildly humorous premise, When you take a look around the US and how we live and eat... This is true... but its not just White Men... Id say, Americans Can't Jump. Sure we have outliers. but by the time we are in our 30's if we aren't actively participating in sports or specifically training to jump... we just arent able to anymore... our kids don't seem to have a problem.. relative to their size of course.

Craig Weller from T-Nation did a great Article about the Third World Squat. I think its a great read about Sitting, Squatting and what we've forgotten how to do, here in America.

http://www.tmuscle.com/readArticle.do;jsessionid=931E7C67CC4D68CDD14935F00ADDDD39.hydra?id=1856085

The classic North American squatting down to grab something from a low shelf or play with his VCR is going to balance on his toes and shoot his knees forward. He's going to try and make the movement feel as much as possible like his natural environment, which is sitting in an office chair.

Home to many butts.

The hips and ankles are immobilized and because the force is being relegated mainly to the quads, the effect of the posterior chain is minimized. The musculature of the lower back will be overactive in order to support the weight of the upper body without much assistance from the glutes. The thoracic spine will generally be flexed forward into a kyphotic posture.

Our Swahili-speaking friend is going to keep his weight on his heels. His feet approximately shoulder width apart and pointed straight forward, with maybe a small amount of external rotation. His feet are in line with his knees, and he'll squat down placing his kneecaps neatly into his armpits. This isn't a skill that he acquired at some point, but simply one that he never lost due to a lifetime of immobility and office work.

An advanced trainee.

In this posture, the thoracic spine is neutral and can be easily extended depending on where the individual's attention is directed. The hips and ankles are able to move freely and remain mobile. The posterior chain is carrying the weight of the body, rather than the quads. When he stands, the power to do so will be generated through the glutes and hamstrings. The lumbar spine remains stable and is used primarily to transfer, rather than generate, force. 

Carrnivore or Herbivore.

Besides the obvious fatal flaws, Veganism is a Moral choice. Not one I would consider, because as much as I like animals... I like myself and my health more.


Theres just no way around it, our bodies are NOT adapted to eating only Vegetables.


We need Meat. Now don't get me wrong. I want Sustainable, Humane, Quality and Healthy Meat. not the CFA poison either.


Thats why I eat Wild Fish, Grass Fed Beef, Wild Forest Fed Boar, Free Range Non Soyfed Chickens and Eggs.


I look for this food to be local if possible, so that I can see how it lives on the farm. So that I Know whats going into my food.


That being said, I just wanted to leave you with 2000 words... Carnivore vs Herbivore, which would you rather be.

Image courtesy of Ianmichaelthomas

image courtesy of G1!7ch

Personally, Im sticking with a Highly Carnivorous, Nutrient Dense Diet with a Healthy Portion of Vegetables on the side... because thats what my body has adapted to live on.

Whole Health Source: Gluten Sensitivity: Celiac Disease is the Tip of the Iceberg

This link is too important not to share. Given my stance on wheat, this puts things into a little more perspective about whether you think you might have a Gluten Intolerance.

Stephan has a great blog over a Whole Health Source, and alot of great information despite the fact that I disagree with him about eating fermented grains... Id rather avoid them all together.
http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2008/12/gluten-sensitivity-celiac-disease-is.html

I want to point out a few key pieces of information from his post.

It gets worse. Gluten sensitivity is determined in large part by genetics. A gene called HLA-DQ is intimately involved. It encodes a protein that is expressed on the surface of cells, that serves to activate immune cells when certain foreign substances are present. Different versions of the gene are activated by different substances. HLA-DQ2 and HLA-DQ8 are classically associated with celiac disease. Roughly 42% of the US population carries DQ2 or DQ8. According to Dr. Fine, every allele except DQ4 has some association with gluten-related problems! Only 0.4% of the U.S. population carries HLA-DQ4 and no other allele.

99.6% of the population of the US has genes that carry no known sensitivities to Gluten....
Thats good odds.

A betting man would assume they were part of that percentage.

Me personally, ive used the Elimination Test to determine my sensitivity. Eat absolutely no wheat, and I mean super strict, read every label, know everything you put in your mouth for 3 weeks. Then have some wheat for 2-3 days. then stop.

People report eliminating, Acne, Asthma, Weight!, Digestive Issues, Heartburn, Allergies, Fatigue and more! all from eliminating one poison thats directly attacking their immune system.

When you reintroduce it, pay attention to all these things to see if they return.
Personally I had Weight Loss, Better Digestion and much better Energy, all of which backfired when I eat Wheat. In fact, now that my gut is healed... if I eat wheat, I have Digestive Issues!

Stephan also explains why most normal testing doesnt pick up on the Gluten Sensitivity, besides, you can see for yourself the difference.

The immune system can be divided into two parts: innate and adaptive. The innate immune system is a nonspecific, first-line reaction to a perceived threat. The adaptive immune system is a more sophisticated, but slower system that produces a powerful response by particular cell types to a very specific threat. Antibody production is part of the adaptive immune system. Thus, if your gluten sensitivity test is looking for antibodies, it could still be missing an immune reaction to gluten mediated by the innate immune system!

Thor says, Feed me MEAT.

Thor is a Carnivore.

Just like his 2 Good Friends Nariel and Arwen (our 2 cats.)

They are not Omnivores. No matter how much you want your "pet" to be like you. They are domesticated versions of WILD Animals. Wolves and Cats in the Wild EAT MEAT.

Their digestive systems are not designed to eat vegetables, and the influx of carbs that all these bagged foods include for your pet only make your furry companions health worse. Look at the epidemic of overweight pets... we are feeding our pets much like we are feeding ourselves... horribly.

Your Furry Friends needs Protein and Fat. Thats it.

I cringe everytime I pass by a "Pet Bakery".... expensive poison for your loved companion... wow.


Love your Furry Friend? Share some of your Grassfed Steak, Wild-Caught Fish, Free Range Chicken next time...

and buy food that isnt loaded with carbs/vegetables, that marketing is WRONG.

Chickens are not Herbivores.

Chickens are not Herbivores.

Chickens are Omnivores. Now, don't start envisioning wild packs of chickens roaming the countryside taking down wild boars or a loose cow. They do however, love insects.

As with all other food I recommend, a Free Range, Pastured Chicken is allowed to EAT WHAT ITS SUPPOSED TO EAT. Same as when people won't have optimal health with an all vegetarian diet, neither will your chicken or it's eggs.

Amazingly, when animals eat what they are supposed to eat, just like us.... they are healthier.

I dont eat sick animals.

Free Range Chickens produce higher quality eggs. Darker Yolks, a Much better Omega 3 to Omega 6 Ratio, and they taste ALOT better as an added bonus.

Chickens should not be eating soy, for the same reasons we should not be eating soy... and some of those anti-nutrients are delivered right from the eggs directly into our diets. In addition to the poor fat balance.


Ive found two incredibly tasty commercial brands that are Soy Free and have excellent Omega Balance.

Tropical Traditions
 
Organic Soy-free Omega 3 Eggs (4 dozen)

and Christopher Eggs. (I buy them at the local Kroger (appx 2.70/dz)
The Christopher Eggs have 660mg of Omega 3 to 660mg of Omega 6, or that Ideal 1:1 Ratio.

These are of course barring finding a Local Farm to get Organic Free Range Eggs.(best choice)

Exercise Should be Fun.

Honestly. I Cringe every time I hear someone complain about going to the gym.

Why go? Seriously. Skip the Gym, Cancel your membership. If you don't Enjoy it, Don't do it.

There are so many ways to get your exercise as entertainment. Why would you pay to torture yourself and then go pay to sit on your butt later and call it entertainment?

Here are some of our Favorite Hidden Exercises. They all require me to use Muscles, Many Build Muscles, All of them are fun.(Subjective)

Aegis: Belegarth/Dagorhir Medieval Combat Fighting.

Thor: Wrestling at the Local Dog Park

Aegis: Ultimate Frisbee
Thor: Catch the Frisbee

Aegis: Nature Hike w/ Tree Climbing, Hill Sprints, Log Jumps, Small Rock Climbs.
Thor: Nature Hike w/ Whats that sound?, Look a squirrel!, Creek Splashing.

Aegis: Tennis/Volleyball
Thor: Fetch the Tennis Ball (and promptly rip off all the fuzz)

Aegis: Swimming in the Pool
Thor: Swimming at the Lake/River/Creek(see Nature Hike)

Aegis: Throwing the Ball with Thor and then chasing them both down...
Thor: Chasing the Ball Aegis threw and then running around with it...

Bike Rides, Kayaking, Tree Climbing,  the list goes on and on.

the writer and editor of Live Smarter, Not Harder takes no responsibility for your lack of grace and balance in tree climbing or other "fun" activities. Any injuries sustained while following their advice is strictly from your own lack of dexterity.

Correlation does not imply causation: The Cholesterol example.

Correlation does not imply causation

Such a simple statement... Yet AMERICA's S.A.D. Diet is completely broken because of a couple simple instances of Assuming Causation based on a flawed and limited Correlation study.

I felt this deserved a post all on its own, since this flaw is why we believe so many things we shouldn't and should be one of the first things you check when concerned about a study.

True Science has a "control" when the control is uncontrolled... the science is flawed.

The more firemen fighting a fire, the bigger the fire is going to be.Therefore firemen cause fire.

We use that same flawed logic to explain Dietary Fat, Cholesterol, Diabetes, and a number of other health issues.

Yet the Firemen are there to help.

Cholesterol is a great example of this.

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/showthread.php?4723-Cholesterol-A-Primer-(Attempt-2)

This is a forum post with great explination of whats going on, with references and more reading

If you havent yet, I Strongly Strongly suggest getting this book:

It is NOT a Diet Book. It is a Review of Science gone wrong, where it went wrong, and why its wrong.

Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes

The Great Cholesterol Con: The Truth About What Really Causes Heart Disease and How to Avoid It

This one is also a good read if Cholesterol is a concern, but the bulletpoints are covered for the layman quite well by Griff in the Marks Daily Apple Forum post that I linked above.