Confident Diet

Empowering Nourishment

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Battery Muscles

Than there was Len Cooper. He was our star, senior running back in the football Mecca of the U.S., South Florida. I was a freshman kicker at huge 6A public school now having to stretch who was considered the ‘Baddest’ Man in our county. Coming from a Jewish prep school the year previously I never would have imagined that such a massive individual would be in my hands. 

Than ‘There’ he was, as chill as could be. This man who made the eleven high school mercenaries out to kill him every game look absolutely silly was the nicest person I had ever met. Did I mention yet that he had flexibility that would make a gymnast blush while having ear muscles? No seriously, his traps went so high on his neck that they were in his ear canal.

At fourteen years old my assumption was that men this big, that are ‘Hard as a Rock,’ would have to be mean to get there. Since than this anomalous beast has actually proven to be the rule, not the exception. So many of the highly developed specimens I have worked on display similar characteristics:

 High Pain Tolerance….

Exceptional Breathing……..In that they are deep belly breathers

Vascularity….  you can easily see many of their veins

Physical Mastery…. exceptional control of their body in space

Tons of energy…. 

Totally chill disposition.

There has to be something more to this phenomenon other than the ‘Big’ dog not getting rattled by the heel nippers. Sports science has really given incredible insight into the relationship between muscle tone and the endocrine system. When our body has muscle strength all of our connective tissues and skeletal system rejoice signaling happy, or resilient, hormones. People with good muscle tone in my experience are generally more energetic and happier.

This makes sense because you can move around freely without pain when you have good strength. Pain is the great inhibitor, stopping us before we even start. Chronic muscle weakness, either from injury or lack of use, begets pain and soreness quicker than anything else which induces the negative spiral of non-activity. If we’re not rigorously moving we are definitely not breathing deeply.

Think of the body as a combustion engine. Un-restrict the airflow and voila, power on demand! When you huff and puff you are oxygenating, un-restricting your respiratory system while increasing the zeta potential of your blood. With increased blood viscosity your circulatory system can distribute whats needed and take the waste away. When these systems are working in unison they appear physically as good vascularity. Is it coincidence that veiny peeps all seem to be deep breathers also?

It seems that resistance training gives the biggest bang for the buck considering nothing spikes the heart rate faster than lifting heavy objects. My respiration during a good weight lifting session is deeper than any other type of conditioning practice. Touching that ’Oh Sh^%, I’m going to die,’ moment lets you know that you have gotten close to your maximum heart rate. Going through this self generated ‘Fight Club’ really does turn the noise of modern life way down. I notice that if life bumps into me after a good workout I just don’t hurt as much.

In massage school we were taught that low pain tolerance was caused from lactic acid stored in muscle from a lack of glycolysis. Glycolysis is when our muscle converts the sugar glycogen into energy for movement. If we don’t move enough glycogen oxidizes into lactic acid, OUCH! As we work the muscle this acid than touches the nerves causing the body to react with a wince and or spasm. I have noticed through my practice that people with low pain tolerance are usually a little over weight and feel really smooth to the touch.

All of this data has lead me to concoct what I call the Muscle Battery Theory. People that have good proportion and muscle tone are more active because they have more electrical potential than those that have better insulation. With this extra juice their capacity to overcome both mental and physical obstacles is much easier which solidifies a healthy sense of confidence. Their increased pain tolerance creates space for adventure.

As Pavel Tsatsouline, former Russian Master of Sport, is fond of saying, 

‘Strength comes first.’ 

Think of strength as carrying capacity. When you have good strength it’s a type of levitation, you are defeating gravity.

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The BioCharisma Podcast, Episode #5, Christine Van Loo & Jonathon Conant

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Comprehensive Resilience Training

Join us on the weekend of November 21-22 in Palm Beach Gardens Florida for our Comprehensive Resilience Training(CRT) seminar. CRT is the perfect precursor to being able to handle your family's Thanksgiving Feast!

What you will receive:

Human Design Body graph assessment

Metabolic Overview

Flexibility Routine

Probiotic Recipes with in kitchen tutorial

Question and Answer sessions

And More.......

There are only eight spots left.

[confidentdiet-blog]

Comprehensive Resilience Training

Join us on the weekend of November 21-22 in Palm Beach Gardens Florida for our Comprehensive Resilience Training(CRT) seminar. CRT is the perfect precursor to being able to handle your family's Thanksgiving Feast!

What you will receive:

Human Design Body graph assessment

Metabolic Overview

Flexibility Routine

Probiotic Recipes with in kitchen tutorial

Question and Answer sessions

And More.......

There are only eight spots left.

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Sky with Virgin Eyes

With my internet bogging down to an intolerable rate I came up with a plan. I decided to wake up at 3:30 am when I knew that I would have full bandwidth to do my work. To my surprise I awoke to this stellar constellation that was so bright I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. Looking eastward at the horizon I was mesmerized, in awe, of how profound this celestial alignment was.

The feeling in my body was similar to that of listening to an orchestra. Symphonic music effects my physiology in a way that no other music does. The culmination of so many people coming into harmony and coherence with such precision imbues a deep power that charges my batteries. This vision above reverberated through me as if I was visually listening to the harmony of the constellations.

I had never ‘Sky watched,’ with fresh eyes before. My exposure to daylight and than false electrical light through the evening and night acclimated my eyes to a dull level of the light spectrum. I have been an avid real sky astrologer since I moved to Costa Rica, but I would always examine the celestial dome after a full day of brightness. Like any other part of the body that is used for a long time my eyes would be tired. 

Arising after 8 hours of deep rest my senses were totally anew. The piercing star light gave me an insight into my ancestors and their fondness for the night, in this case, morning sky. Not many realize that most of humanity’s ingenuity in the past was funneled towards building monuments that captured specific celestial arrangements. Astrology, the science of the stars, was astronomy before quantitative science. Our genetic predecessors disposed the majority of their income and energy mapping the stars.

Never having false light exposure and no real pollution to speak of the night sky to our forefathers must of been awe inspiring. Catching the fever per se I have no problem setting my alarm to beat my neighbors rooster. I have made the link between my mind activity and my vision. Pre coffee, post sleepy time equals zero prefrontal cortex activity. Meaning there’s no thinking. My visual acuity seems to increase when there’s no hard drive space allocated for thinking.

The planetary alignment I have been witnessing is rare and could have something to do with my new found fascination. Jupiter, which is the largest of the three planets is on the top, followed by the morning star, Venus and than Mars. These planets have a similar alignment to the Pyramids on the Ghiza Plateau, meaning they have a slight dog leg left.  They stay on their arch to the west Until the sunlight drowns them out around 5:30 a.m.  

This past week of experimentation has also taught me about the importance of the circadian rhythm. Being in the thick of the rainy season now it get’s pretty dark around 5-5:30 p.m., so going to sleep at 8 seems natural. I have been doing my nightly ritual of journaling that puts me in a restful state quite early and I don’t rally to stay awake. When I’m tired I go to sleep. This is sleep without exhaustion. I used to prime myself to stay up for visual entertainment, but this past month I have refrained while resetting myself to the tropics.

Having the capacity to watch the sky with a rested body and silent mind has added a new dimension to my stellar appreciation. Much of the mythology attached to the planets and stars that evaded me before can now be felt if not understood. More than anything the effect of that type of light is much more significant than I once thought. My Bio-Dynamic farming friends always speak of when to pick/prune certain plants in regards to planetary alignments. I feel that I much more vegetative than I thought!

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The BioCharisma Podcast, Episode #4 Dr. Moshe Daniel Block

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The BioCharisma Podcast, Episode #3 Brian Calvi

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The BioCharisma Podcast, Episode #2 Amanda Froelich

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Turtle Shells

There is psychic ‘Turtle Shell’ effect that occurs when being exposed to the stress of modernity. Even though we have conveniences that our forefathers would of appreciated these services come at an unseen price, our health. The communications industry is using high frequency microwave radiation that permeates biological systems with incredible efficacy. Unlike clear and present danger stress that we could outwardly observe this type of radiation is subtle. It works on a subconscious level than our physiology being under duress chooses to insulate itself.

My observations are anecdotal and consistent. I have had the opportunity to travel through developing countries that are still agrarian and the most ‘Connected’ spots of the western world. The differences between the two are the most significant when it comes to how I sleep. At my Costa Rican homestead it is not unusual to have uninterrupted sleep of at least eight hours a night if not woken up by some forest animal. To sleep in the US or Europe for six hours would be a miracle for me. There are many factors that contribute to this unsettled feeling in the West even though I’m inhabiting plush environments.

Switching into the wifi settings on my iPhone in Florida is laughable with how many signals it’s receiving that are full strength. The quest for high speed internet has us bathing in a soup of electromagnetic radiation so thick that our biology get’s confused. Remember back in the day when your mom said don’t stand in front of the microwave? Now it’s impossible. Your living in the microwave!!!! In city scapes with mobile phone base stations every square mile, wireless routers, and now these bible sized cellphones, that also act as transmitters, create interference zones that are significant. Whether you can feel it or not there is no denying what microwaves do to water molecules. They agitate them. Unfortunately, we are mostly composed of water.

Microwaves are high frequency, electromagnetic square waves. The atmosphere of Earth and it’s Van Allen Belt deflect cosmic microwave radiation so we can survive. This macro view should be taken into account when considering our own biology. Earth’s surface is 70% water. What do you think would happen if Earth was bombarded with these cosmic square waves? Mother Nature deemed it necessary to generate a force field of sorts to defuse this extra energy. The human body has no such defense. So what are the observable effects of this type of long term exposure?

My theory is that our bodies do what they can to insulate themselves. Quite literally the epidemic of obesity and dehydration are directly related to the level of exposure to ionizing radiation. Many don’t know that we retain water when being toxified. This inflammation is a protect mechanism and a biomarker for what’s known as ‘endotoxicity,’ meaning internal poisoning. Experiments have shown the proliferation of endotoxicity from our micro biota when exposed to low levels of ionizing radiation. Is it any wonder that people are swelling in direct proportion to the quality of their food and exposure to cell phone frequency ranges?

It’s quite ironic that ‘cell’ phones have such a detrimental effect on our ‘cellular’ biology. I attended a conference in Gibraltar where the world’s foremost expert on ionizing radiation revealed field studies done by Sweden’s largest telecom corporation. Over a ten year period there was a net negative effect on all biological systems that were within line of sight of these high powered microwave base stations. This study was conducted from 2000-2010 before any of the 3G and now 4G speeds were available. Look at it this way. When you hear of the next high speed offering from your telecom provider realize that the higher frequency that’s used drills deeper and deeper into your biology.

We are a mind/body being where there’s a reciprocal relationship between our physiology and psychology. It’s a beautiful checks and balances system that gives multiple opportunities to monitor how our surroundings are effecting us. This external influence on our biology is known as epigenetics. The way my body interprets all of this extra stimulation is a sense of Overwhelm. This is stress, even though it is subtle. The epigenetic influence of the western world taxes my adrenal system to no end. I end up consuming more and looking for more things to relieve this stress which bodes very well for the current capitalistic model.

Looking through the lens of maturity I have become more and more sympathetic to the level of trauma people are enduring. As a massage therapist it’s obvious to see how different people hold stress. What occurs in overweight bodies is that there is very little sensitivity to external pressures and treatments. It’s as if the body has been adversely signaled for such a long time it becomes apathetic to positive inputs. I have asked my colleagues their opinions on this matter and they agree. The extra insulation acts like a ‘Turtle Shell,’ by which our clients can withdraw and feel safe. In fact, many times the positive epigenetic influence, in this case my hands, is rejected. As perplexing as this might sound it’s ver common.

The psychological mirror of the traumatized body manifests mainly as withdrawal. It’s undeniable and should be expected. Becoming antisocial is a byproduct of this negative epigenetic stimulus. Once again the irony is thick when considering ‘Social’ media. The streets of my neighborhood were once littered with children riding bikes and climbing trees thirty years ago. Today, in the same neighborhood with the same houses children are nowhere to be found. Inside tucked away with their virtual soma is the new precedent. It’s no wonder that obesity levels are sky rocketing.

Since returning to Costa Rica and feeling my body defrag I have become convinced that if one wants to maintain their health getting into nature, non engineered environments, is essential. Any way to diffuse the extra electromagnetism you absorb will be beneficial. I am researching ways that my friends in urban environments can release their stress in an effective manner. Epsom Salt bathes, outside exercise, less screen time are simple tips to alleviate this stress. Turtles have shells for a reason, to protect. We humans have to recognize our biomarkers and do the same.

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10 posts!

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The BioCharisma Podcast, Episode #1 with Ole Dammegard

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The BioCharisma Podcast, Episode #1 with Ole Dammegard

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Episode #1 with Ole Dammegard

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Episode #1 with Ole Dammegard

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Earthen, Wood Fired Igloos

I have a dream of being able to eat bread without any of the negative affects of gluten on my health. Being a silent celiac living in the tropics has rendered me a allergy riddled mess when partaking in baked goods. Understanding how my gut biome changes depending on where I reside and also understanding what ingredients are favorable for my particular condition has me on the ‘War’ path to solve this riddle. Just like so many things, the answer to this problem lies in the past. Baking with non GMO products that are glyphosate free in traditional cob ovens is my strategy for partaking in baked goods once again.

My confidence in Cob ovens with the aforementioned ingredients has been bolstered by my time in Europe. EU countries have had a ban on genetically modified grains and many bakers are using very old yeast starters that have been passed down for generations. Even though many of these bakers have switched to large commercial, metal box ovens some have retained their masonry progenitors. The combinations of these factors creates bread that might as well be from an alien planet considering what I was exposed to states side.

My European counterparts are ‘Bread’ snobs to say the least. Day old bread is sacrilegious. Something that doesn’t have a good crust with a nice moist, airy interior is just unacceptable. What I grew up with wouldn’t pass the smell test there. The styrofoam, cardboard covered bread that’s presented in the tropics would be such a visceral affront to my EU friends that they may not ever talk to me again. The beauty of their preference is that it requires ‘Quality.’ Looking at the traditional baking practices there are some key elements.

First off the flour has to be organic, fresh, and non GMO. Secondly, the starter needs to be home cultivated. The older the starter the better. Lastly the cooking vessel needs to impart all three types of heat, conductive, convective and radiant. I believe this is where the magic is when lengthening the gluten protein to an acceptable length for the human body. Gluten will stay ‘bundled’ when only exposed to two types of heat hence you need an old school, masonry oven to impart the ‘Artesian’ quality.

I have to admit my preference for cob ovens is two fold. For one I build them, so let’s just get that out of the way. But I build them for a reason. The bread that they produce is Spectacular! I don’t feel icky after eating Artesian bread. Store bought, big box offerings create an instant allergy in me throwing my digestion off for days. I think this is the key. Masonry ovens properly digest ingredients by using every type of heat. They give off a different spectrum of radiant heat known as far infrared. Far infrared saunas are incredible for turning on your mitochondria(your cells generators). My theory is that somehow this far infrared spectrum changes the gluten for the better. My evidence in antidotal, but very consistent.

I love cob ovens not only for their structural components but also for their shape. Imagine little earthen igloos with smoldering wood fires inside. These egg like shapes optimize thermodynamics. Think of fengshui for your oven. With no dead spots and all those different types of heat cob ovens distribute a unique energy to dough that can not be replicated from a box. Much like water storage vessels that are cylindrical cob ovens induce a flow state. Where there's flow there’s deliciousness!

Clay, sand, natural fibers are the primary building materials for these Cob domes. The more they are fired the more ‘Seasoning’ they have to give just like a cast iron skillet. The fact that masonry ovens breathe is what causes the seasoning. As dough expands from the heating process it’s moisture is absorbed by the oven and than redistributed back to the bread once the thermal mass reaches it’s homeostatic pressure. In conventional ovens miniature misters try to replicate this process so the crust will be crunchy. Nothing can replace the temperature time release of moisture that earthen ovens provide.

So being a hybridizing aficionado I will attempt to build a ‘Rocket’ cob oven that is smokeless and easy to use. Firing a traditional cob oven takes about two hours before it’s ready to bake. Even though you can cook in it for the next 12 hours it can be a hassle. Also, until the oven get’s up to temperature it produces a ton of smoke. I want a cob oven where the thermal mass heats up in a half hour with a smokeless fire from it’s rocket componentry. All of this is in the name of Scrumptulescent, healthy bread.

Within my cob creation I will also bake gluten free lasagna, egg plant parmesan, roasted root veggies, and Pizza!!! Having the capacity to make healthy pizza without any of the negative side effects is a legitimate challenge. Stay tuned to my blog to hear about these experimental cooking vessels and recipes. If it goes well it will be a win win for all of us.

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Kneading Healing Massage Workshop Costa Rica

The beauty of intentional touch is that it heals. We are hard wired to receive touch the second we leave the womb and this need follows us throughout life. Recognizing this simple design requirement of our human form goes a long way into revealing our nature. Bio-Energetic sharing, through touch, completes a lovely circle. It’s actually how we got here.

  ‘Kneading Healing,’ is a play on words that reveals the essence of humanity. We have the opportunity to help one another through our body intelligence and awareness. Massaging a client’s calves, touching our lover’s lips, receiving a neck rub, ingratiate our being towards revitalization. Realizing our hands are advanced healing tools unlocks our innate capacity to care for our community.

  During the workshop, physiology, ambiance, practice, mind set and cognition will be refined into a coherent method of wellness for you and those you will be touching. We will start by combining specific skills derived from Ayurvedic massage, Trigger Point release, Polarity Therapy, Lomi Lomi and Effleurage. Eleven (11) hands on sessions in reading the fundamentals of body signaling, while learning appropriate technique application, will give each student a rich foundation from which they can grow into their own practice. In between classes, we will enjoy the best that Southern Costa Rica has to offer, beautiful beaches, waterfall hikes, ridge line tours and wonderful, freshly prepared vegetarian cuisine.

Our host, Finca de Vida( “Farm of Life,”) is a transformative health retreat nestled above the rain forest. With a support staff dedicated to living what they teach Finca de Vida embody’s the Kneading Healing ethos.

Pricing Options

[confidentdiet-blog]

Kneading Healing Massage Workshop

The beauty of intentional touch is that it heals. We are hard wired to receive touch the second we leave the womb and this need follows us throughout life. Recognizing this simple design requirement of our human form goes a long way into revealing our nature. Bio-Energetic sharing, through touch, completes a lovely circle. It’s actually how we got here.

  ‘Kneading Healing,’ is a play on words that reveals the essence of humanity. We have the opportunity to help one another through our body intelligence and awareness. Massaging a client’s calves, touching our lover’s lips, receiving a neck rub, ingratiate our being towards revitalization. Realizing our hands are advanced healing tools unlocks our innate capacity to care for our community.

  During the workshop, physiology, ambiance, practice, mind set and cognition will be refined into a coherent method of wellness for you and those you will be touching. We will start by combining specific skills derived from Ayurvedic massage, Trigger Point release, Polarity Therapy, Lomi Lomi and Effleurage. Eleven (11) hands on sessions in reading the fundamentals of body signaling, while learning appropriate technique application, will give each student a rich foundation from which they can grow into their own practice. In between classes, we will enjoy the best that Southern Costa Rica has to offer, beautiful beaches, waterfall hikes, ridge line tours and wonderful, freshly prepared vegetarian cuisine.

Our host, Finca de Vida( “Farm of Life,”) is a transformative health retreat nestled above the rain forest. With a support staff dedicated to living what they teach Finca de Vida embody’s the Kneading Healing ethos.

Pricing Options