Beer That Is Actually Good for Fitness

G'day, eh! Great to see you. How's it going? Watching any Olympics on TV? Fill your coffee mug and snag a virtual muffin while I tell you about something that will add to the enjoyment of that while you are sitting sportingly on your couch. 

Now there’s a beer that you can drink to your heart’s content, guilt-free. If the Canada-based company, VAMPT Brands’ claims are to be believed, their new beer actually complements a great workout. Lean Machine Ale offers a range of fitness-enhancing qualities that no normal beer is supposed to have.

In fact, Lean Machine Ale is actually being marketed as a sports drink. It contains only 0.5 alcohol by volume, so it’s just a light pilsner that won’t really get you drunk. It has antioxidants and electrolytes that help the body recover from exercise and replenish vital nutrients. One can of Lean Machine Ale contains only 77 calories, with 7g of protein and 7 different vitamins. As an added bonus, it also boosts the immune system and is gluten-free.

According to the company, Lean Machine Ale is a “first-of-its-kind product that will create a new segment in the Sports Recovery Ale category. The marketplace for these types of products is ever expanding as new drinkers come of age and search for brands they can claim as their own.”

...and when you've emptied the cans, you can throw them over the side of your boat to attract fish*! Of course, the cans are all on a string so you can pull them in later; avoid polluting the lake and recycle the cans later like the environmentally responsible person you are!

See ya, eh!

Bob  

* Like, I mean in the summer, eh. Tossing them in your ice-fishing hole doesn't have the same effect, 'cause, like, once there's a dozen or so cans in the hole in the ice, there'd be no hole left and you'd have to drill another one!

Bodybuilder Is Fitter Than Most Men Half His Age

G'day to you. You're looking good. Been working out? Watching those fitness shows on TV, have you? I used to but watching those nubile, young things cavort around in their skimpy costumes was getting me too tired...  Help yourself to a mug of coffee and lift a couple virtual treats onto your plate. Do it several times to keep fit! Speaking of which...

Sam ‘Sonny’ Bryant Junior doesn’t look a day over 40. He’s a bodybuilder with a perfectly ripped body that puts younger men to shame. Especially when they get to know about his real age –70 years and still going strong. Very strong.

“They ask me when I’m going to retire. I say never. I say more people die retired than they do when they are working. I’ve been doing this for 27 years,” Sonny says. 

He started working out at age 44, when he was in a bad marriage. Initially, he just went to the gym to relieve stress; he knew nothing about working out or lifting weights.

But he never gave up and just 11 months later, Sonny’s instructor asked him if he wanted to take part in a bodybuilding contest. “I said, ‘You think so?’ He said, ‘Yeah.’ So I went to a contest in Georgia. I’d never been in a contest or competed for anything, you know. I won third in the novice, fourth in the master. And then I was hooked.” 

Before he knew it, Sonny was addicted to the gym. “I love to work. I love to work out,” he said. As for age, well, he says that it’s all in the mind. “People have a misconception that age makes you old. I realize that it’s the state of mind that makes you old. Age is just a number, you know.”

Yeah... I joined a fitness club once. Six months later I hadn't lost a single pound. I guess they want you to show up. 

See ya, eh!

Bob

Exclusive Restaurant Has a 5-Year Waiting List

Hi ya! Great to see you. Coffee's freshly roasted and brewed and there's a virtual treat with your name on it waiting for you so dig in! Say..when was the last time you made a restaurant reservation five years ahead of time? Well, listen to this...

Damon Baehrel is making dinner out of the scrub brush next to his blacktop driveway. First he takes some sumac leaves and steeps them to make tea. Then he adds liquefied wild violet stems cut from his yard, as well as a dozen varieties of grapes cultivated in his garden. He freezes all of this together and serves it on a spoon as one refreshing bite. Baehrel calls it sumac-flavored ice slush and uses it as a palate-cleanser during the 15-course meal he creates nightly for 18 food-obsessives. Many people travel three hours from Manhattan—some even fly in overnight—to pay $255 (before wine and tip) for the privilege of eating in the basement of a modest clapboard home in Earlton, N.Y. 

Formerly known as the Basement Bistro and now simply called Damon Baehrel, the 12-table restaurant has a five-year waiting list. Patrons have come from 48 countries, and celebrities such as Jerry Seinfeld and Martha Stewart regularly visit. 

The Obamas reportedly requested a table in 2011, but Baehrel, who prefers to keep his guest list private, won’t confirm or deny this. 

He doesn’t have to worry about loudmouthed waiters, either. 

 “You’ve probably realized I work completely alone here,”Baehrel says each night before service begins. “I’m the chef, the waiter, the grower, the forager, the gardener, the cheese-maker, the cured-meat maker, and, as I will explain, everything comes from this 12-acre property.”

Sounds as though he's got a goldmine going, doesn't it? Talk about a business with a five-year plan! Let's see here...18 people per night at $255 + wine...let's round that off to $300 = $5400. Double that if he's doing two settings per night. If he's open six nights per week, that's = $32,400 x 52 weeks = $1,684,800 a year. Alright...we'll give him a month's vacation so he may only make $1,555,200! He doesn't pay waiters. He grows his own supplies...makes his own cheese, etc.

Hat's off to Damon. He's doing something he loves to do; he's got a renewable, sustainable business...and he's making a killing!

See ya, eh!

Bob

The Gods, Astrology and the Stock Market

A very splendid day to you. May you live  a thousand lives and your family be prosperous forever. Wooo! What is he smoking' today, eh! Never mind. It's always a total joy to see you in your magnificence. Pour your good self a mug of Ceylon tea and slide an Indian doughnut onto your plate, why don't'cha? Speaking of India, read on...

Mumbai, India, has its share of Western-style financial advisers using computer programs familiar to Wall Street -- but with the additional layering of "financial astrologers," who forecast successes and failures based on the alignment of the planets, among other indicators. 

According to a Business Week report in September, the GaneshaSpeaks service (with inspiration by the elephant-headed Lord Ganesha, god of wisdom) claims 1,200 subscribers at the equivalent of about $80 a year. Said one astrologer, "Fund managers used to laugh at me." During crises, he said, "I'm constantly crunching market and planetary data." 

Hey! The Gods, Astrology and the Stock Market. Who'd'a thought, eh? But why not? There are many 'secrets of the ancients' that have been lost to mankind. We're so busy racing ahead that we often forget to pause and look back over our shoulder to see what we have missed. If you agree or disagree...or have an good stock tips, (other than NetFlix, which is a current mover), let me know, okay?

Hey...you want to see something interesting? Go to images.google.com and search for "astrology and stocks".

See ya, eh

Bob

Church Congregation Worship in the Nude

Howdy! How the heck are you? Help yourself to a mug of coffee and snag a virtual treat or two. They're extra heavenly today! Hallelulah!

White Tail Chapel, located in Southampton County, Virginia, has recently made a bizarre decision to welcome its congregation the way they were made – nude. Pastor Allen Parker, the leader of the church, said that he found the clothing requirements of other churches overly pretentious. So he wanted his own flock to be able to let go of such materialism if they desired to.

He argues that many of the Bible’s most defining moments occurred when people where nude, including the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. 

“When he was born he was naked, when he was crucified he was naked and when he arose he left his clothes in the tomb and he was naked. If God made us that way, how can that be wrong,” said Parker.

The pastor’s theory is that nudity is the ‘great equalizer’ that reminds the people gathered in church that they are all simple human beings. 

His goal is to drive the fact that beneath all the personal wealth and glamorous clothing, everyone is more or less the same. 

 “There’s not a feeling that you have to be better than one another, physically,” he said. We’re humans, we have scars, we have what we have. It’s learning to love and accept that.”

Okay...I'll go along with that but...when I'm out breathwalking, I don't think I'll go naked. It's not too bad here today...only -5C but snowing like crazy! Besides, I'd get arrested and then taken to the looney bin. Get your hands off'a me! Put that net away!

See ya, eh!

Bob

What's Breathwalking?

A gracious good day to you. Hope you're having a 'caffo' one...learning something new and sipping on a coffee. You've come to the right place for both. Sipping and striding, eh. Though not at the same time, eh. Do one first - then the other. Your choice.

If you are crunched for time and want to get the physical benefits of walking and the mental benefits of breathing exercises, consider breathwalking. It is based on a Kundalini yoga technique, and involves making strong, purposeful strides in rhythm with breathing.

Breathwalk has the power to change the basic rhythms of your body at system and cellular levels to produce an overall 'Signature of Wellness'. When we look at what happens with the instruments and tools of modern research, we get a glimpse of some of the underlying biological processes that create the impact and benefits of Breathwalk. The effects of Breathwalk in five fundamental areas are important to our health and well-being--heart rhythm, visual focus, muscle balance, brain activity patterns and moods.

Heart Rhythms
There are powerful and rapid effects on the cardiovascular system. The research confirms that there are special patterns in our heart rhythm and in our walking gait that do in fact develop as we  Breathwalk. When you do a Breathwalk, the pattern of your heartbeat changes in a special way. Just as there is a recognizable high-rate heartbeat pattern that comes from doing aerobics, there is a distinct signature in the heartbeat from Breathwalk. 

The aerobics heartbeat pattern results in a training effect that increases the body’s ability to handle oxygen. The Breathwalk pattern shows the heartbeat running through a wide range of frequencies in a very short time period, promoting biologic flexibility. Biologic flexibility in turn has an important bearing upon overall wellness, because it reflects our ability to gain resilience and rebound under stressful situations.

If aerobic exercise resembles the pure power of a single frequency emanating from a strong radio station, then Breathwalk looks like the many frequencies mixed into complex and richly textured patterns. 

One is a tone, the other melody, chords and harmonies. It is like comparing loud noise to sophisticated music. Breathwalk stimulates resiliency, rebound capacity, refinement, range, and flexibility--all adding up to awareness. And awareness adds another dimension to vitality that goes beyond aerobics, and beyond the merely physical.


Visual Focus
We have noticed directly and experientially, however, that the quality of our own vision--how clearly we see things--drastically improves in those who Breathwalk. First time Breathwalkers frequently report that an amazing clarity comes over their vision; everything becomes more vivid. Depth of field, clarity of detail and visual acuity all increase. People report experiences of delight as they seem to flow through an intensified sensation of three-dimensional space--an extended sensitivity of the body.

Breathwalk has the power to release us from the patterns of inner tension and free up our vision. 

Science has confirmed what yogic tradition has long taught. The pathway between our eyes and our brain works as a two-way street. Our eyes respond with pleasure to arousal and to certain ordered patterns. That arousal can come from either the exterior environment or from inside the nervous system. The brain influences what you can see, and what you see influences the brain. By stimulating our brain in Breathwalk we can gain insight in our inner world and in our visions of the outer world. We open the way for stronger and richer connections.

Muscle Balance
According to Kinesiologists there are four Postural Measures for General Good Health:

• Flexibility and a good range of bodily motion exist.
• The muscles on opposite sides of the body are of near equal strength.
• Opposite pairs of muscles balance your gait when walking.
• The muscles on the skull and in the lower spine that facilitate the motions of breathing are synchronized.

Tests on thirty-five Breathwalkers using the precise measuring instruments of the kinesiologists, showed that the participants improved their performances remarkably on the first two after doing only one Breathwalk experience. Flexibility increased 20-50%. Muscle conditions went from 28 imbalanced muscles to only 1 after a 15 minute Blissful Eagle Breathwalk. Strolling alone had eliminated some muscle imbalance (from 28 to 20), but Breathwalk reduced the incidences of muscle imbalance to almost zero.

Another set of tests measured the balance of muscles that affect a good walking gait in the participants - the third postural measure of general good health.  22% of the participants had some gait mechanism impairment although none had serious impairments. These imbalances are the kind of impairment that all of us accumulate from stress, and a single Breathwalk of 20 minutes corrected all of these problems.

There are a number of things that can cause the skull-to-sacrum motion--the fourth measure--to get out of tune. Trauma to the head, whiplash, prolonged tension, jaw or bite problems, and drugs are some of them. Breathwalk corrects this problem as it gradually restores full movement in most instances.

Brain Activity
Testing was also conducted a number of years ago through a group at the University of Arizona Medical Center. A volunteer agreed to have a brain scan done to show levels of activity in the brain’s different areas during a normal walk, and then during a Breathwalk. We used an imaging technique called a PET Scan. For this test, the subject is injected with a radioactive isotope. The isotope collects and concentrates along with the concentrations of blood. The PET Scan can then give a map of the brain’s areas that have become activated during an activity.

PET Scan Image shows increased brain activity using Breathwalk.

The volunteer walked normally for 45 minutes. Then the researchers did a PET Scan to see how the brain functioned. At the same time the next day, the volunteer did a BreathWalk for 45 minutes. Again, a PET scan was done. The Breathwalk scans showed a 70-80% increase in the use of the parietal and temporal areas on the right side of the brain, increases in areas related to executive attention functions, and in areas on both sides in the prefrontal cortex. The scans also showed increased meta-cognition - more activity in the area of the insula, and more integration of the two hemispheres based on the number of areas involved in both sides.

The experiment was only a first look. But it showed that a small change in the pattern of breathing changed areas of the brain related to cognitive function, judgement and feelings, in addition to the areas related to movement and large muscles. Looking at the areas that were most activated, this tells us that after a Breathwalk, we can focus our attention more effectively--even for multiple thoughts. We are clearer about our internal processes. And we can process thoughts and emotions with a more refined sense of their context.

Mood Changes
Our experience has shown that you can conquer the most common forms of anxiety and moderate depression with an appropriate program of Breathwalk. Breathwalk works very effectively to diminish negative mood states and boost positive ones and develop moods for mastery. The physiological shifts we can create with Breathwalk gradually build an easily accessible and stable base for positive moods.

So there you go. Get out there and breathwalk. Breathing and walking are two activities I highly recommend.

As I'm writing this, it's -22C ourside so if it's all right with you, I'll hold off on my breathwalk until a little later when it warms up to -6 or so! Gasp! Gasp! 

See ya, eh!

Bob

Swim in a Pool of Green Tea

Well hey there! Wonderful to see you! What'cha been up to? Ready for a mug of java and a vitual treat? Try a Japanese pastry, why don't'cha? Speaking of Japan, the folks there do get into some weird stuff, huh? Like this...

Around Tokyo, "Idle boredom is an impossible option,". Where else would you expect to find a resort just outside the city where one could swim in a pool of green tea, coffee, sake or (the most popular treat) wine.

 "A giant bottle of merlot" spilled into a pond the size of a minivan, he wrote (while braving the Yunessun resort's warnings not to drink from the pool). 

Though both-sex nudity is tolerated in Japan's hot springs spas, Yunessun discourages it. Aw, dang it!

Although the Japanese are known to be fastidiously clean, the warning not to drink the contents of the pool could result in part from a) the desire to 'taste' the 'water' to see if it really was green tea and b) people's tendency to tinkle in the pool, if you know what I mean. Green tea in the pool is one thing  but I'd have to draw the line at pee green tea, wouldn't you?

See ya, eh.

Bob

Modest Meat

A splendid day to you! Thanks for orbiting down out of cyberspace. You're just in time for a fresh mug of coffee and a virtual treat so dig in. Say, here's a newsy item from Malaysia you may not have seen on the six o'clock news.

The International New York Times edition published in Kuala Lumpur on Jan. 22 carried a page-one story noting increased worldwide demand by meat processors for pigs raised in the fresh air rather than enclosed in pens -- illustrated by a photograph of a cluster of pigs feeding in an outdoor stall. 

However, the Malaysian printer (who had downloaded the digital pages and set them to paper) had added black boxes to cover just the faces of each pig in the photo. "If there is picture of nudes or (the) like, this we will cover (up)," a publisher's spokesman told the Malay Mail. "This is a Muslim country." (The story, headline and photo were otherwise identical to the versions that appeared elsewhere in New York Times editions.) [Malay Mail (Kuala Lumpur, 1-22-2014)]

I wonder? Is it a question of nudity or merely the fact that pork is a prohibited part of the Muslim diet... though the story suggests that there is nothing wrong with raising pigs to sell to non-Muslims.

To each his own, eh! That's what I say.

See ya, eh!

Bob

Remember Tony the Tiger?

Hi ya! How's it going so far today? Grrrrrreat, I hope! Ready for a fresh mug of coffee and a virtual treat? I thought so! Help yourself. Say...did you have cereal for breakfast this morning? Aha! Well listen to this...

The entire reason we eat grains for breakfast is because of the Kellogg brothers, who believed eating meat was wrong.

A hundred and fifty years ago, Americans ate pork, beef, or chicken for breakfast. In the 19th century, Americans ate breakfasts heavy on the meat and natural fiber, light on grains.

At the time, obesity was extremely rare.

The Kelloggs ran a sanitarium, and were vegetarians. They developed what we now call “granola” and eventually corn flakes.

They fed those to their patients instead of animal products. The patients started requesting it by mail after they left the sanitarium because they believed it was healthy. The Kelloggs started packaging it, and had a business on their hands.

To sell their products, the Kelloggs used shrewd advertising to convince you that grain is good while meat and eggs are bad. Not because it’s true, but the Kelloggs had a commercial and vegetarian agenda that deceived people into thinking their product was “healthy,” and traditional foods were not.

For decades now we’ve had Kellogg’s Tony the Tiger telling us that cereal is “Grrrrrreat!” to eat, but that’s the opposite of what a tiger would do to its body. A tiger would never eat that stuff.

Mother Nature didn’t intend for you to eat breakfast out of a box. Your ancestors only ate grains in an emergency. They thrived on foods like eggs, meat, and fish. This is what gave them power, strength, and vitality.

Today, you’re bombarded by commercials for low-fat granola, Cheerios, and Special K. You are encouraged to believe you’re eating healthy products because they tell you it’s “high-fiber, whole oat, and whole grain wheat.”

And it has worked. There is so much misinformation out there that most people believe grains are “healthy” and natural. Few people think of grain-based foods as being a threat to their health.

But no matter which one you choose, all those low-fat grain-based carbs throw your metabolism out of whack because they spike your blood sugar. High blood sugar triggers a wave of insulin. And insulin is the hormone that sends the message to build and store fat.

So forget about the commercials. Grains might be a fast fix when you’re rushing to get your day started, but cereal in the morning will make you fat.

If you want carbs, avoid the processed ones at all costs. Enjoy your carbs the way nature made them. Fresh and raw.

But please, don’t skip breakfast. It’s the most important meal of the day, and the one I enjoy the most. I try and change it up to keep it interesting, but meat or fish is always the centerpiece of my morning meal.

Dr. Al says,"I love fried eggs with a side of steak. I get cage-free eggs from my friend A.N.’s farm. They come from antibiotic-free chickens raised in a natural, healthy environment. Then I fry them in organic butter".

And remember:

• Animal fat is good for you, as long as it’s from disease-free livestock that haven’t been injected with hormones or fed antibiotics.

• If you gravitate toward bacon and sausage, well, those are highly processed foods. So look for grass-fed and brands that don’t contain nitrates. Nitrates can cause cancer and changes to your DNA.

• If you really need a carb fix, save it for the occasional desert. Don’t make it a part of your breakfast. The addiction may be hard to break, but you’ll be a lot happier – and more productive.

 Well how about that? Held captive for a century by a couple aging vegans! Me? I've been having my 'power porridge' with a sliced banana, a couple sliced strawberries, several blueberries if I have them, flax seed, raisins, cinnamon and applesauce...oh and the oatmeal is made with milk - not water. But now I think I am going to switch to a Thai rice soup for brekkie. I know...rice is still a grain...maybe I'll just have the fruit...

See ya, eh!

Bob

African City Replaces Traffic Lights with Intimidating Robots

Hey! Hey! You will stop! You will enjoy a refreshing mug of coffee. You will also treat yourself to a virtual muffin, doughnut or pastry. By order of I Robot, eh! Great to see you today. Yes sirree. Robots are taking over. Listen to this...

The intersection of Boulevard Triomphal and Huileries Avenue in Kinshasa, Congo, has two new additions – robot traffic policemen. These large robocops have replaced human police officers and traffic lights, and, believe it or not, they’re actually doing a great job.

At first glance, the robocops don’t look like much. They appear to be rudimentary tin boxes with attached tin hands. I’d say they have a scarecrow-like effect. But commuters have responded surprisingly well to the latest technology.

Demouto Motumbo, a resident of Kinshasa, said: “As a motorcyclist I’m very happy with the robot’s work. Because when traffic police control the cars here there’s still a lot of traffic. But since the robot arrived, we see truly that the commuters are respectful.”

Doesn't surprise me one bit. Don't be surprised to see robot traffic cops at intersections near you one of these days. They could have traffic cameras in them as well. People object to cameras as an invasion of privacy. If only you knew how little privacy you have out there on the streets now! To me it is only speeders and people who runt he lights they would catch and they are breaking the law and dangerous so I think cameras are a good idea. Robot traffic cops, too. Unless, of course, they can step off their podium and mash your car! What do you think?

See ya, eh!

Bob

Are You Walking the Wrong Way?

Hiya! Glad you could click by today. Did you walk here? If you did, you'll be ready for a good steaming mug of Arabica coffee and a virtual treat, right? Even if you didn't walk, I'm sure you're ready for a break so dig in. On the subject of walking, here are some thoughts from Dr. Weil...

Walking is an ideal way to get daily exercise - it strengthens almost every major organ in the body, promotes optimal bone density, and boosts the immune system. But have you considered how to best put one foot in front of the other? Your walking habits can have an impact on how much benefit you get from each outing. Keep the following in mind when walking:

1. Start with good footwear. Make sure what you are wearing is comfortable and not going to cause you cut your walk short.
2. Walk with your head erect. Look ahead and train your sight 10 to 20 feet ahead of you. If you need to check the ground to avoid obstacles, lower your eyes, not your head, and try not to thrust your trunk forward or let your arms dangle listlessly at your sides.
3. Keep your back straight. Stretch your spine so your shoulders are level and square, and tuck your buttocks in.
4. Bend your arms. Flex your elbows at close to 90-degree angles and let your arms swing at waist level.
5. Take shorter, measured steps, with your feet striking the ground with the heel and pushing off with the toes. A too-long stride can throw you off balance. 

When you get where you’re going after your walk remember the three old sayings:

Keep your shoulder to the wheel, your nose to the grindstone and your ear to the ground. Now try to work in that position. Wow...and people think yoga is tough!

See ya, eh!

Bob

Gourmet Poutine!

Bonjour, eh! It’s Poutine Week here in Canada... well at least in Quebec and Ontario. Glad you could be here to participate. Fill your mug with some delightfully perky coffee and nudge a virtual treat onto your plate. Et maintenant (And now) on to poutine, which is quickly working its way up the ladder of favourite Quebec foods along with tortiere, soup au pois, tarte au sucre, beef au jus and my favourite, the famous hot chicken sandwich! My mouth waters just thinking about these. Unfortunately, it doesn’t when I consider poutine which, up until now, I ...and remember that I was born and brought up in Quebec... have never eaten poutine...and now that my doctor tells me I have Angina, it doesn't look as though I'll be having poutine anytime soon!

Quebec is full of contradictions. For example, this French-speaking society has a well-deserved reputation for its culinary creativity.

Montreal in particular is known worldwide for having sumptuous five-star restaurants that effortlessly combine old-world charm and new-world innovation. 

But Quebec’s new staple dish “poutine,” is an artery-clogging plate of goop that takes years off your life with every irresistible bite. Perhaps best described as a “heart attack in a bowl,” poutine is a meal consisting of French fries topped with cheese curds that are generously covered with dripping hot gravy.

Once just a fast-food staple, this fatty dish can now be found in Montreal’s finer restaurants, smothered in goat cheese, camembert, stilton, and yes, even foie gras.  

Quebecers take their poutine very seriously. For purists, the dish simply isn’t the same unless it starts with hand-cut fries cooked in pure, unadulterated lard. Secondly, there’s no substitute for real gravy. Unlike its watered-down American cousin, poutine gravy is as thick as molasses. Finally, the cheese curds must come from fresh white cheddar. Any other combination of ingredients might be just as tasty (and possibly just as lethal), but it won’t make the real thing.

A brief warning

Although undeniably delicious, one of the many side effects of eating poutine is the irrational desire to separate from Canada. Oh, and gas. Loads of it.

For ten of the gourmet poutine recipes being featured during Poutine Week right now in Montreal, follow this link:

http://canadanightlife.ca/2014/02/10-gourmet-poutines-try-la-poutine-week-2014-montreal/

See ya, eh!

Bob