Anatomy of a Healthy Diet

So what should I eat, Gabe?

This is verbatim what I just bought at Trader Joe's. It's mostly Paleo. Some of the products have sugar in them or organic cane sugar. That's hard to avoid- though doable. If you've been doing Paleo for a while, you can tolerate some beers and some bread. I am guilty of both.

Here's what I just bought for the week for about $40.

Organic vegetarian fed eggs
Kerrygold unsalted butter
4% cottage cheese (dairy is not technically cool)
Organic ketchup
TJ's red salsa
Tj's vegetable tortilla chips (made form spinach and white corn- also not technically Paleo, but I'm eating a lot of straight up corn chips anyway these days)
2 bottled water jugs
bag of mixed greens- spinach and kale etc
individually packaged bags of nuts (includes cashews- also not Paleo because they are legumes, but they are de-lish)
1 lb turkey (for chili or burgers)
1 steak (also not grass-fed, but again, I'm eating alll this carne asada out and about that's like the lowest quality imaginable; figured what's the diff)
2 organic pears (ten cents more than regular- a real splurge)
1 box of TJ's organic tomato soup (also has some sugar)
1 can of stewed tomatoes (for chili)

That's about it. Might've missed something.

Main points here are:
1- It's not that pricey
2- It's protein based
3- There are carbs- veggies, fruits, and chips)
4- I cut corners but am overall 85% Paleo
5- Mix it up- try pears over apples, spinach chips, etc.
6- Be kind to yourself
7- Drink lots of water

Have a great week!
GPR

Veganism- Friend or Foe?

Spent some time at Barnes and Noble today in their Diet and Health section. It's an interesting place to visit- especially if you have a distinct view on nutrition. There are so many diet books out there and different ways of thinking. For me, it's almost unimaginable at this point to think that anyone still drinks soda and eats cheezits and expects to be thin. But moreover, I know people- specifically women- who are trying to be healthy and do the right thing by the planet and turn vegetarian or vegan. They eat fruit and vegetables- thinking they're equivalent; they eat a lot of soy products, eat "heart-healthy" wheat and oats; and a lot of dairy....and they're overweight.



I perused the book, Wheat Belly, which basically targets, yup, you guessed it, wheat as the culprit. Wheat has been grossly distorted and tampered with by modern geneticists and food labs and now our bodies can't process it. Cut wheat. Cut belly fat...says that author. Wheat is in way more products by the way than just bread, pasta, and beer. It's in everything from soups to sauces to... well, everything. If you cut wheat and you cut out products with added sugar or high fructose corn syrup (soda, even ketchup), you've eliminated 90% of processed American foods. Cut out hydrogenated oils and products with corn (or corn starch) and you basically have a Paleo diet. What do they eat? They shop around the perimeter of the supermarket- in the produce aisle, and the meats, eggs, and fish, and pick up a few staples like virgin olive oil, grass-fed butter, spices (need those spices), and maybe hit the middle for beef jerky, a pan, light bulbs (still need 'em), and nuts (though sometimes are in produce).



So is there a way to be Paleo and largely vegetarian? I went to the Diet and Health section to take a look if there were any books that adressed the issue. Nooop. I did see one about high-carb living (riiight), and also one about a vegan fireman who opposes meat consumption. But nothing on vegetarians who are Paleo. I tried vegetarianism btw for six months, and found myself eating a lot of beans, rice, quinoa, grains, and pre-made Indian curries. My friend, Joe, used to be a vegetarian for many years and found himself very overweight and not in good health. My little nephew who's five and being raised vegan had to see a GI about stomach issues. Apparently he has an occasional egg.

I would say it is possible to be Paleo and vegetarian if you include eggs, turkey, chicken, and fish. I think you could do it as a fish eater with bean based products (tofu, seitan, etc) but I don't think you'd see the benefits as much. The main thing, to my mind, is- As a vegetarian, couldyou live without bread and grain products? When you look at the back of those tofu and seitan products, many have wheat added. I'm not sure why- maybe to change the consistency? So if you actually based your diet on plants, could you survive and thrive and not be hungry. Also- plants are carbohydrates- which stoke your insulin levels and cause your body to retain weight. Could you do it with just eggs and no animals (fish, tukey, etc) killed? And what are these vegans eating that's fattening them up? I think gluten-free products have a lot of sugar and some starches like potato starch and corn starch...I know low-carb yogurts have a ton of sugar. I always check the back to see if carbs outweigh protein in grams. Typically they do unless there are no sweeteners.

Here's Primal Blueprint author, Mark Sisson, on Paleo...


It would be interesting to try a vegetarian version of Paleo. As is, I typically eat 3 eggs for breakfast, sometimes with spinach; 2 cans tuna and some salad for lunch, have a afternoon protein shake from Muscle Milk with water, and have a lb of lean turkey chili for dinner. I have been eating more burritos, more corn chips, and having more light beer. But overall, I've been good. Not sure. I remember when I became a vegetarian. I was shopping at Ralph's buying salmon and seeing it under the plastic wrap, just thought, man this is disgusting. All these fish are being killed and this doesn't even look like a fish. It's just some pink-orange material that I eat. Just gross. Slaughterhouses are horrible places. Cows are gentle creatures- totally innocent. Do they suffer? Do they feel pain? Yes. Is methane ruining the ozone layer? Yes. Are these beautiful yoga girls getting fat? Sometimes. Am I jerk for writing about this? Maybe.

This would be a good code to crack for them. Comments welcome oh ye silent reader.

GPR

Jiu Jitsu Intro

My two month Intro to MMA at Robot is in its 6th week as of today, and we have been working on takedowns and groundwork. I have about zero experience with wrestling of any kind- though I confess, I was into WWF as a 5th grader- like really into it. My friends and I used to have pillow fights and jump off the couch at each other. This is pretty much nothing like that. This is much more like learning chess moves, that you have to make with your body. They are precise moves and meant to be executed with force and quickness. Jiu Jitsu is not, however, a sport I'm familiar with. And there is no off the ropes action. Hitting someone with a steel chair is also not permitted.



So how does class go? I'm glad you asked....

We start with three 5 minute rounds of conditioning.
Round 1-
Shadow boxing (3min)
Mountain climbers (30 secs)
Sit ups (30 secs)
Squats (30 secs)
30 sec rest

Round 2-
Shadow boxing (combinations) (3min)
Push-ups (30 secs)
Jump Squat (30 sec)
Leg lifts (30 secs)
30 sec rest

Round 3-
Shadow boxing (boxing + kicks + blocks)
Mountain climbers (15 secs)
Push ups (15 secs)
Squat (15 sec)
Jump sqaut (15 sec)
Sit-ups/leg lifts (30 sec)

1 minute plank

Thia, for me, has been the best part of each class. I've definitely seen improvement in all these exercises- in capacity to do reps, in form, and in overall, strength.



Segment 2- Drills
Today we formed tow lines and worked on sort of a lunge attack that's meant to bridge Muay Thai boxing with Jiu Jitsu.
We followed that with a dive bomber type exercise called a sprawl in which you fall down to your stomach and spring back up.
After that we did some defensive maneuvers in which you are backing out of a hold or from a strike on your butt. You sort of slide back and can form an L- sort of hinge your way away from your oopnent.

Segment 3- One on One
We paired up and did two different holds that had about three parts each, sort of involving a slight choke, and a flip. It was a little weird at first grappling with guys you don't really know but you get used to it pretty quickly. It was definitely an intro, and I had some trouble with remembering the sequence of which knee goes where and when the leg comes over etc.



I thought back to my Dad though who used to wrestle in high school and college and was actually the captain of his teams. Our coach, Coach Robby, sort of has my dad's build from his college days- a smaller guy but in great shape. Wish there was a time machine to be able to see my Dad wrestle back then.

The Advanced guys came over to our class tonight and were saying they hoped some of the bigger guys kept going- as they need sparring partners. Oh boy...plot thickens.

Huntington Surf Session

I suppose I was inspired by the Vans US Open of Surfing...

I went down there on Sunday to check out the Men's Finals with my roommates. It was packed. Thousands of people crowded the pier and beach area. I got there just in time to see the two Brazilian finalists go head to head. When the guy in blue won (it was announced over the speakers), he put his hands to his head and his competitor in yellow pointed at him as they both caught a wave all the way into shore. Hundreds of people came into the water to congratulate him. He won a hundred thousand dollars. I think the other guy got some Vans. There were cool Vans too of every stripe- from high tops with Yodas to classic designs, a lot of hats and apparel. The surf industry almost seems more about style, fashion, and merch than surfing. It's sort of the bad boy, rebellious image that people relate to- and I think Dogtown and Z Boys showed that from the start, skating and surfing drew from that same well; guys that were rejected by society or from poor backgrounds, that devoted themselves to performing dangerous physical stunts. Guys like Kelly Slater, Laird Hamilton, and Rob Machado have brought it to a class of professionalism and athleticism. But even still, in the US, surfing is often looked at as an escape and not a destination.



The waves have been small all summer, though Huntington usually has a significant size. I was down there mid-week two weeks ago to see a different bit of the competition and it was tiny. So going back yesterday, it wasn't clear what I'd find, besides serious traffic. I left at 3:30pm but it took until about 6pm to actually get there. It was windy driving down from the north and there were a lot of kitesurfers- always a bad sign if you want to surf. But beyond the pier there were a few guys in the water. I parked and changed into my wetsuit and hit the water. It was nice to be in again. I think it'd been a few weeks- possibly since the Ocean Park surfing competition on 7/15. it was already late by the time I got in the water but also, the wave formation wasn't great. Waves would crumble before getting to you or split in different directions. They had size but it dissipated. There were probably three fields of waves to get through before the line-up (though only about ten of us there). One of the nice things about Huntington is how broad the break is. Waves seem to be the most competitive to catch near the pier, but they break all over.

For more than an hour I sat out there on my board, bobbing around, waiting for something. There was a current drawing me south away from the pier but I kept trying to stay somewhat near the other surfers. I had only put two dollars in the meter. As the sun started to set behind the pier, I was getting bored and thought- this was a dud...when I saw a nice set roll in. It's weird but I knew I would catch the first one. Normally you skip the first one so you don't get caught in the impact zone of the second one. They usually come in 3-4 waves. But I grabbed the first and it was large. There was a big drop- felt like 5' but not really sure. I was riding a 7'8 board and caught it and stood, and it moves so quickly when you're riding them. But I was able to turn some and ride it into shore almost like the Brazilians had done a couple days before. I was so stoked and psyched about the drop. That's normally where I fall. But I think all the MMA conditioning has actually improved my balance a lot. We've also been doing a lot of squats and jump-squats and core work, so all of that seems to be helping. I paddled back out enthusiastically- and the next one I caught was stronger. It had already broken actually- but was so big it was still breaking, and it felt like I was going about 90mph. I wasn't able to stand in time and ended up bodyboarding it. But the final wave was cool and made me feel good. I stood again on a good size drop and bottom turned, which is the first step towards real surfing.



It's amazing how long it takes to learn to surf. It takes real dedication too- just to get out to the waves on a consistent basis. But as I was in the water out there yesterday watching the sun set behind the pier, and the moon is out, and it's just me on this frontier of nature and society, it felt really beautiful and good. I remembered what I loved about surfing- because I got pretty negative on it for a while. I kept cutting my feet open on rocks or wiping out or just not getting good rides. But for me, it's really about that sense of unity with other things and that sense of peace and relief you have when you're out. You're tired in a good way and sort of proud. Changing back into normal clothes you're grateful or basics like water and heat, or a good song on the radio. It's just such an awesome feeling... and so rare that people feel that way in regular society- maybe because it's such a physical activity, and so many of us are in our heads all day. Find me on Instagram at @devastrado1 if you want to see more photos.

Cheers-
GPR

MMA update- August

So it's been about a month of Intro MMA at Robot Fight and Fitness twice a week with a couple Crossfit style strength sessions thrown in and some surfing. I have to say- I'm feeling in pretty decent shape. I'm back on Paleo for the most part but have been eating more carbs- specifically rice, with sushi and with Mexican food. Corn chips and beer also sometimes make an appearance- but I have to say, overall, I'm doing pretty well with the course.



While the first four weeks focused on the basics of Muay Thai: punches, combos, blocks, and kicks- as well as overall conditioning; now the training has turned towards Braziian jiu jitsu- specifically take-downs. The conditioning is still a factor and I notice my abs are stronger and I have lost some size in my shoulders and arms. Legs are feeling strong and we've been doing ample jump squats and squats which I think has helped my pop-up in surfing.



I've lost touch with Joe for the most part- who's busy with teaching and gigging and doing Crossfit. Sounds like he's had some brutal workouts. I'd recommend Robot Fight and Fitness in West LA. Good people, facilities, and the Intro package is only $75 per month, which is a lot less than Krav Maga was.



Beyond MMA:
Drink water. Watch your posture. Smile. Get enough sleep. Breathe deeply. Spend time with friends. De-stress. Make money. Cultivate health.

Best,
Gabe

Robot Fight and Fitness- MMA in West LA

I joined Robot Fight and Fitness in West LA and froze my membership at 24 Hr Fitness.



So far it's been very cool. I've done three classes total- all Intro MMA. I took some boxing classes when I lived in Brooklyn and did Krav Maga a few summers ago- so this is similar to those. Honestly, it's been so nice just to wrap my hands again or pt on gloves and throw some punches.

It feels more like ballet class at this point- learning routines in slow motion, practicing things over and over so they're ingrained. Eventually, the idea is that you put these moves together in a sparring session...but that's at least 8 weeks from now. For now, you focus on form; you tap your motivation; you try to get back in shape- like real shape...which is good. And classes are good too, since there's a coach and a team and a purpose. Self defense skills are good to have and women like a guy with fight skills. They think it's sexy- which is good.

So here's what I've learned from Coach Robbie at Robot so far:

1- how to wrap your hands
2- to keep your right hand up to your brow to protect yourself; and to bring your left back after you throw it
3- footwork
4- dodge and pivot as a person charges at you
5- shadow boxing- keep it slow, focus on one thing
6- train in 3 min intervals
7- hold pads in front of you not out to the side, so your body can help absorb the hit
8- walk the red line between the mats when exiting
9- put shoes on as soon as you get off the mat
10- bow and shake before and after each session

It's been fun and different. I think that's important with fitness- finding new challenges and being open to new things. You bring certain things with you- pushing through pain (holding your hands up stresses your shoulders, similar to paddling through difficult waves), pacing yourself (if you're doing timed calisthenics- pick a number in your mind of reps- don't just go as hard as possible), and attitude (you have to be loose and have fun but strong and determined too. And it's fueled the old metabolism too... I can feel my body craving protein, among other things.

It's a two month summer membership- and the people there are all very cool...so seems like a great place for me- and a good outlet .

7/5



Just did a strength/conditioning course with Coach Andrew. 11-12pm. Crossfit style.
Stretching- 10 min
Metabolic Conditioning- 10 min- kettlebell swings to burpees (10 rounds x 1 min each)
Strength circuit- 30 minutes (6 exercises x 5 rounds)
- pullups- 5x
- pushups- 10x
- split squat (5s)
- back (x5)
- clean (3-2-1)
- lunge (16)

I thought it was only ok...granted I wasn't in a great mood and dehydrated from drinking last night.

7/8

Went to Robot yesterday for Fight class. It was crowded- their Mon night Intro class.
After basic conditioning- sets of timed push ups, air squats, mountain climbers, jump squats, shadow boxing, core work, we partnered up and did dodging drills and thengot gloves and practiced taking hits followed by jab hook cross blocking drills. It's tough to keep your hands up for that long and throwing punches you feel it in your lats...Also sidestepping and being on your feet is good general conditioning. It's a good workout- you sweat a ton and I feel it in my core right now and shoulders, and glutes are sore too.

Integrity, Owen 2, and Muhammed Ali

The other unique aspect of Owen's workouts are his Integrity days. Integrity is a word I've been thinking a lot about. A quick google search brings up this definition:

in·teg·ri·ty
inˈtegritē/
noun
1.
the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.
"he is known to be a man of integrity"
synonyms: honesty, probity, rectitude, honor, good character, principle(s), ethics, morals, righteousness, morality, virtue, decency, fairness, scrupulousness, sincerity, truthfulness, trustworthiness More
antonyms: dishonesty
2.
the state of being whole and undivided.
"upholding territorial integrity and national sovereignty"
synonyms: unity, unification, coherence, cohesion, togetherness, solidarity

Muhammed Ali exemplified Integrity in and out of the ring:


The idea as it pertains to fitness has more to do with definition two. Owen's Wednesday workout focuses on smaller, more injury prone areas- specifically shoulders and knees. I've added PT exercises also. In November 2012, I injured my scapula, which is a back muscle behind the rhomboid. It wasn't a tear but some sort of nerve pinch involving dead lift to high pull and pull-ups, outlined in a hypertrophy workout from Alwyn Cosgrove's New Rules of Lifting. Joe and I had teamed up just before to start the podcast and had completed the entire book of New Rules of Lifting for Abs- which is another awesome book focusing on building core strength. I defintiely got stronger on that workout and we met 2x a week in Altadena at the 24 Hr Fitness there. We did lifts and metabolic conditioning, and it was cool to have a workout partner. Since the injury though we went our separate ways. Obviously, I've been surfing a lot and Joe has been doing Crossfit.

I really like Owen's Integrity workout though. Oddly the M, F workout is called the Core workout, so they don't quite match up. One theme through the book though is how Owen has gone straight from his party days in USC and after, and met his wife on the beach. She basically told him to clean up his act or they had no shot and he did. They got married and had a son, Blaze- and in the book, from 2003, the kid is a baby that Owen says he runs up the Stairs (a Santa Monica fitness mainstay) and up the Hill with. So maybe the Integrity workout was about that, and also strengthening some of his weaker areas to integrate fitness throughout (or make whole). He talks about how he views injury as an opportunity to concentrate on other areas- and also pool exercises he's done to improve, when injured. So this book was totally useful to me through that period- and even still (as in NOW), I use it to focus and get back on track, and use Owen as a role model.


Owen McKibbin with his family (How many workout books have a whole redemption story built in?)
(From The Cover Model Diet, by Owen McKibbin)

As far as the first definition of integrity- re: strong morals and being honest, standing up for your principles; that's a good one to work on too- though a little harder than a shoulder workout. So many amazing role models there- yeah, Muhammed Ali and also my grandfather, Judge Max Rosenn comes to mind.

Anyway here's today's workout. Been rope-skipping every morning (1000 skips) before coffee, reducing alcohol, etc.



Sample breakfast:


Love this. Thought of this while rope-skipping today: