#this has taken 110% of my concentration and it feels GREAT

[a-leg-without-fear]

Sneak Peek🩸🌧️

this is a sneak peek of my HUGE fic coming out on halloween!!!

Ship: Logan Howlett x Mutant!Fem!Reader🩸

Rating: 18+

Wordcount: 507

Warnings: choking, blood, violence, mind control, knives

Series: Leg's Tuna Tober

The hedges rustled a few yards away. You froze in place, heart beating a mile a minute. Your knees audibly clicked as you crouched against the hedge. Wincing quietly, you kept your attention focused on the source of the noise. Whatever it was, whether it be friend or foe, it was growing closer. Animalistic grunts and snuffles filtered through the gaps in the bushes. Your knife, with the blood filled pommel, was nearly silent as you slid it free from its sheath. The steel blade glinted silver in the moonlight. You gripped it tight in your fist. Adrenaline pumped under your skin as you readied for the creature just on the other side of this hedge. Another grunt, almost pained, came from around the bend as the leaves rustled against your back. The sound reached you like a coughed groan. It was strange, but it almost sounded... familiar? A thick, leather boot planted in the mud to your right. You plastered yourself to the hedge, making your body as small as possible, as you peered up at the owner of the boot through wide eyes. Dark hair coated its head in styled tufts. Narrowed, almost feral eyes surveyed the space across from you. Pointed canines poked out over a wary grimace. Logan. It was Logan! He was a little roughed up, suit tattered and stained with God knew what, but he was alive. Unharmed, breathing, shadow looming over you like a tall mountain. "Hey!" you whisper-shouted, using the hedge to pull you to your feet. Relief flooded your mind like a summer breeze. You weren't alone anymore. Logan and you could work together to find an exit, reach the others, and get the hell out of here. You squeaked when a thick hand wrapped around your throat. The digits dug painfully into your sensitive skin, blocking your airways, making you grip desperately at Logan's sleeve. A second hand joined the first. Sharp branches dug into your exposed skin as he pushed you against the hedge. His eyes... How had you not noticed before? The usual hazel gleam was clouded in murky white. All life and laughter was devoid from his furious glare. Logan snarled, grip impossibly tightening on your neck. "Logan! Please!" you wheezed breathlessly. Your poor, overworked lungs shriveled inside your chest. The edges of your vision started to fade. In a last ditch effort, you swung the knife still in your hand. The blade sliced through the flesh of his face. Blood shot from the wound in thick spurts as he lurched away. Crisp air filled your mind with clarity as you heaved, Logan's hands clutching at where the tip of his nose used to be. "I'm sorry," you rasped, voice nothing more than a cough. The Wolverine straightened to his full height. He towered over you, head tilted as he cracked his neck, flesh filling itself in record time. Every bit the terrifying predator that lurked deep in his subconscious. As soon as his lifeless eyes fell open, there was no evidence of your attack. Just a splash of crimson below his left, white eye.

i'm so fricking excited for this fic. y'all have NO idea. SO MUCH WORK has gone into this. hours of research, planning, drafting, editing, making a COVER. i'm SO frickin proud of it :)

taglist: @just-a-nightdreamer @www-interludeshadow-com @lemurianstarship @ripleyswife @venomqueen2002 @amphitrite-5 @yarrystyleeza @c1eepypas1a @theestorm

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[thegingeralien]

Thought I might share my “doing homework with adhd” tips in case the might help even just one person (because that would make me feel happy).

Who am I to be giving you advice? Good point! I am still terrible at studying and I’m 26 and at University for the millionth time. But I have studied A LOT in my 22 years of schooling with varying degrees of success.

I see a lot of people, especially teenagers or first year university/college students, with ADHD asking for tips on how to study. But if you do a google search most of the websites and advice that comes up can be extremely ableist. So I hope I can help someone!

TIPS TO HELP YOU STUDY WHEN YOU HAVE AN ADHD GREMLIN BRAIN!:

1. Chewing gum!

- This might come across as a weird one, but it has actually really helped me. I use it as a form of stimming to help keep me focused and concentrating. Other forms of stimming can potentially end up being more of a distraction when you actually need to be reading or writing - but they can help if you just need to be listening. Try not to get a bubble gum or fun flavoured one though - as they can end up making your mouth feel dry, lose flavour quickly, and just give your brain way too many sensory things to become distracted with.

2. Buying colour coded stationary!

- New stationary can make me really excited to start studying, but that excitement never lasts long and the act of buying stationary can sometimes become it’s own hobby. That’s not what we are going for here. I really recommend, especially if you are a visual learner like me, to buy colour coded stationary. This means removable page markers, different coloured post it notes, highlighters, sometimes even pens. This way if your mind jumps from one topic to the other, it doesn’t matter. Go with the flow. Forcing your ADHD gremlin brain to focus can be extremely counter intuitive. So pick a colour for each topic, and stick to that system to find organisation among your own chaos!

3. Buy a really cheap, boring year diary with hardly any writing inside.

- Not sure if your school/university has their own diary but they can be perfect for what I am on about. Generally you can find them for really cheap, soft cover, no writing or designs within the dates. Just dates, days, weeks and lines where you can write your homework. This helped me a lot in High School. I wish I had kept doing it in University, but I am good with giving advice, and not so much with taking it. I used to decorate the outside of it however I wanted. Some years I would redecorate the same diary every semester. In the public holidays or holiday days I would colour those lines in with different highlighters to make it look like a rainbow. But every assignment due date, homework, draft, rewrite, form I had to bring back, library book due date, school activity days, ANYTHING to do with school I would write in there with reminds and check lists. Important due dates would be highlighted, general homework and daily to do lists t(o help me not leave my assignments to the last minute) would have a tick box beside them (because ticking tick boxes is free dopamine). Try to not put birthdays or fun things in it. This is a small way to stay on track so it helps you actually stay on track with the big things when you’re home.

4. Big whiteboards stuck on the wall where you can’t avoid it.

- This is not something I had in school, but I so wish I did. I have been using this recently to keep on top of house work (as maintaining your own house is tiring) and my small business or other things I really can’t avoid. If I physically write it down (not just in my phone) it psychologically does help you commit it to memory. Again, physically putting a line through a task you just completed is a hecking great rush of dopamine. But the biggest reason I love my white board, I can’t ignore it. It is stuck to the wall and is never out of sight, out of mind. I can’t put my phone or diary down and then refuse to look at it until I’m past the due date. Again, I’m not a perfect person, there are days where I don’t do anything I have written on the white board. But the great thing is, I don’t have to continuously feel like I failure, as I can wipe it all off the next morning or week and start fresh. I also put important things I have to remember that I’m doing during the week so I don’t forget them.

5. Icky Medication.

- I know not everyone wants to be on medication, and I understand. I am not forcing you to. No matter what your opinions are, you lovely gremlin who is still reading this post, regarding medication, you are valid and I respect you. My personal experience with medication has not been the best. I have been misdiagnosed for a severe chunk of my academic life which has seen me trying to focus and maintain school work under some even worse states then I am unmedicated! However, since receiving my diagnosis and finding the right ADHD medication for me, I have the ability to get so much work done without having to unnecessarily struggle. It’s unfortunately not magic, it will not turn me into a robot that makes me do work and turn out incredible, noble peace prize winning assignments (as much as I wish that were possible). I still have the ability to be a lump, doom scrolling through tumblr, forgetting to eat, and ignoring responsibilities. But it really helps me when I sit down and start that thing that isn’t fun. Yesterday it helped me hyperfocus on cleaning my office which was a terrifying room to be in. So it’s pretty close to magic in my opinion!

6. Accessing Disability Support at your place of learning.

- Not all of you taking the time to read this will have either a) an offical diagnosis or b) a good disability support available to you wherever you are completing your studies. And that is okay. This dot point just won’t be for you right now. But keep it in mind for a time when it might apply to you, as it’s something I never thought I would need, but will never take for granted ever again.

- If you have an offical diagnosis and Disability Support, make an appointment with the disability support adviser. DO IT NOW! Get your psychiatrist to write a diagnosis letter outlining that you have <enter superpower that makes you hilarious here> and that you are receiving <enter x,y,z treatment here> and that you would benefit from receiving <enter what you have always wished you had on the days you can’t make your ADHD gremlin brain do the thing here>. Now these benefits can be, but not limit to: automatic extensions on ALL assignments, extra time on exams, extra breaks to walk around while taking exams, special consideration when marking assignments, my university allows me to take exams in a separate room with only the other students in my subject who also have disability support (occasionally I have taken an exam alone with only a tutor present) so I don’t get distracted, permission to take fidget items into class or exam (I have the option to wear headphones, as long as I can display that they are not connected to anything). Maybe you can come up with some great ones for you with your disability advisor or your psychiatrist.

- The disability advisor will often go through your course outline with you at the start of each semester or year. This is annoying and a great time for disassociating, but can be useful in hindsight because you are made aware of everything that will come up during your class so you are not surprised. Because lets be honest, it is unlikely you are going to look at the course calendar too often.

- Side Note: I make an appointment every semester with my disability support officer for my area of study to make sure I have my special considerations for the year. Now I may go through the whole year without ever using my considerations. However, the fact that I know they are there takes an insane amount of pressure off of myself. If I’m having an insanely screwy loony tune mental health moment, I can email my coordinator my disability plan and say I need an extension due to personal reasons, and WHOOP, there it izzzzz.

7. Dedicated one thing or a few things that have nothing to do with food/alcohol/other substances to reward yourself with for doing the thing!

- This may not work for everyone. It doesn’t always work for me. I used to reward myself with food, but that only reinforced my stimming with overeating and my already bad relationship with food. And I feel as though that would be the same with any other substance that can be linked with addiction. (Addiction is a tough word, cause what aren’t I addicted to, I have ADHD, but hopefully you get what I mean!).

-Now, boring try and not choose this aside, lets think of somethings that work really well as rewards!

- My partner likes to come give me a kiss and a hug when ever they have written and reread a paragraph, you might buy a book when you get a really good mark, you might want to go make a cup of tea and watch an episode of your hyperfixation after studying for <enter a good period of time here>, you might allow yourself to partake in an activity you usually do while procrastinating (but at least this time you know you aren’t putting something off), talk to someone who you know will tell you they are proud of you as they understand the mental struggle you go through to concentrate (if you can’t think of anyone, it is 110% okay if that person are the amazing people on tumblr or the adhd tumblr chats. We will freaking pop a bottle of champagne for you cause we get it!).

- Try and make what ever you choose be something in a different room or away from your working space. Getting out can really calm you down.

8. Don’t be afraid to ask for assistance.

- This is true for anything, but I don’t mean just asking your teacher to give you extra help understanding the task and marking rubric. Many people online, tutors, librarians at your school, past or present students offer assistance rereading and making small edits (they won’t make it magical unfortunately) to your assignments. If you are like me and once you have written or completed the dreaded thing, you can not imagine or force your gremlin brain reread or edit the thing. So it can help to just delegate this to someone else, who hasn’t read it before, so they won’t disassociate or skim read it. They will often notice things you never would have even if you were neurotypical as that is just what happens when you have been working on something for so long.

9. Repetitive music.

- It generally helps if this has no lyrics. Lo-fi is amazing. Classical is alright too if it works for you, but both my partner and I agree that it can really assist you to keep up pace and focus when the beat is a high and repetitive (almost meditative) tempo.

10. Limit your screen space.

- This is a tip completely from my partner @dr-adhd who also has ADHD, is an avid PC gamer and is consistently in a battle with their gremlin brain to focus on completing their PhD. They have discovered that it really helps them to limit their screen space - simply put, work on one screen only. They have done more work more easily when they have their one screen on their laptop to focus on. Whereas their office has multiple screens so they could be playing runescape, watching YouTube, listening to lo-fi and doing work - which never worked (shocking right hahaha).

11. At the risk of sounding like a Mum... Put your phone and other electronics other than the assignment necessary one, away.

- I am a Mum, but to a fluffy puppy dog, so I hate to sound like my Mum when I was in high school, but she was right. Mobiles are the single easiest and biggest distraction in ADHD history. I often, even at coffee shops, have to turn my phone over so that I am not consistently looking at it every time the screen lights up to say the pizza place has sent me a coupon, or a carpet place that has been having a sale since I was born is... still having a sale, or a friend from school wants you to watch this TikTok. Even though you might not want to ignore your friends, because people pleasing, difficulting making/keeping friends and RSD are hecking real things, but they can all wait. Trust me, none of them are urgent. That TikTok will still be funny in an hour or two. And I’m probably completely right when I say that whomever just messaged you, never replies as quickly as you want them too. So I doubt they are going to think twice if you are MIA to finish your thing.

My partner or I might add to this later, but at the moment I already know that I probably wouldn’t read this wall of words if I was the one reading it, so if you are still with me, THANK YOU and I really hope I might have helped you. Sorry for the mound of words, but maybe you can reblog, screen shot, or save this and read a dot point at a time or refer to it when you need. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, I promise what ever it is, I’ve asked the same thing once in my life or something MUCH stupider.

[lovemesomesurveys]

What Rhymes With “ATE”?

1. What’s the last thing you ate? Ramen.

2. Do you have a gate to your backyard? Yeah.

3. Who’s your best mate? My mom.

4. How often do you mate? Have sex? Never have.

5. What would you use as bait on a fishing hook? I wouldn’t even go fishing let’s be real, but fine if I did I’d use worms or whatever I guess alkjfklfjklf. I wouldn’t be the one to put it on, though!

6. What do you bate your breath with? Any anxious situation. 

7. What’s the last thing you got in a crate? I don’t get things in crates.

8. When’s the last time you went on a date? Where did you go? Almost 5 years ago. It was a cute coffee and bookstore date with Ty. That was our favorite thing to do.

9. Do you believe in fate? No.

10. Have you ever seen a freight train in person before? Yeah.

11. Do you like grated cheese? Yesss.

12. Do you have an awkward gait? As a paraplegic, no I do not. Everything else about me is awkward, though.

13. When’s the last time you truly felt great? When I was a kid.

14. Who do you hate? Besides myself, no one.

15. Do you know of anyone named Kate or Nate? No.

16. When’s the last time you were late for something? I don’t recall. I’m big on being punctual.

17. Do you know how to plait hair? I haven’t heard it called that, but yes.

18. Do you have a favorite plate? Paper plates, ha.

19. Would rather ice skate or roller skate? I can’t do either one.

20. How would you rate this survey so far? I’ve enjoyed all your surveys!

21. Do you ever just wish for a clean slate? Yesssss.

22. What state do you live in? (if you’re American) California.

23. What is your current state of mind? Blah.

24. Are you straight? Yes.

25. Are you straight-laced? Straight-edged? No, because apparently you can’t have caffeine or narcotics to be considered straightedge, both of which I have.

26. Have you ever visited a strait? No.

27. What’s your best personality trait? Sense of humor.

28. How long will you wait for someone/something? I don’t know? 

29. What is your weight? I’m not exactly sure, but I think mid to low 70lbs. 

30. Are you awaiting anything special? No.

31. Do you berate anyone? Nooo.

32. Is there anyone you’d like to castrate? Uh, no!

33. Are you a cheapskate? Lol I have my moments, but I also can overspend. Just depends, really.

34. When was the last time you collated papers? I don’t recall.

35. Last thing you created? Uhhh.

36. What was your last debate about? I really try and avoid those.

37. Last time you inflated something? Or deflated? I don’t recall.

38. Do you dictate what other people can do? No.

39. Have your pupils ever dilated before? When I go to the eye doctor. 

40. When’s the last time you donated something? A few months ago when I got rid of some clothes.

41. The last time you felt elated? My Disneyland trip earlier this year.

42. Have you ever been to an estate sale? No.

43. What are you fixated on? Health related stuff.

44. How often do your floodgates open? I cry often.

45. Last thing you equated? Hmm.

46. Last time you felt frustrated? The last few days. I feel that way quite often.

47. Do you remember to stay hydrated? Yeah.

48. Do you live upstate? No.

49. How often do you post status updates? I very rarely post status updates on Facebook anymore, I just share things now and then. I tweet a lot, though.

50. How often do you use Google Translate? Not often, but sometimes. I actually did a couple days ago.

51. Who is a classmate that you are still friends with?

52. Have you ever had a teammate before? No.

53. Have you ever tailgated? No.

54. Have you ever reached a stalemate? That’s how I’ve felt the past few years.

55. Have you ever been sedated? Yeah, several times.

56. Do you rotate your mattress? No.

57. Last time you got a rebate? It’s been awhile, but I used to use Ebates (called Rakuten now). I keep forgetting to use it for some reason, which is dumb.

58. Have you ever felt like you could relate to someone? Yeah, many times.

59. Favorite primate? I don’t have one.

60. Do you have something ornate? Uhh. I don’t really have anything fancy.

61. Has an action ever negated the effect of your efforts? Yes.

62. Could you be described as a lightweight? Ha, yeah. For sure.

63. Would you like to visit Kuwait? I haven’t thought about it.

64. Last person that gyrated near you? No one.

65. Do you know someone who is irate or innate? Hmm.

66. Do you know of any inmates? Yes.

67. How long does it take you to acclimate? I struggle with change.

68. Last time you activated something? Not too long ago.

69. What do you advocate for? Stuff.

70. Last time you felt agitated or aggravated? Recently.

71. Last time you had to annotate something? Recently during my Bible study.

72. Have you ever felt alienated before? Yes.

73. What was the last caffeinated beverage you consumed? Starbucks Doubleshot energy drink.

74. Do you like carbonated drinks? Yeah.

75. What captivates you? Staring out at the ocean and listening to the waves crash in and out.

76. What do you allocate a lot of your hours towards? Watching YouTube videos and checking my social medias.

77. Last event you celebrated? 4th of July. Well, we just went out and watched fireworks from the driveway.

78. Last time you were compensated for something? I don’t recall.

79. Do you tend to make things complicated? Yepppp. :/  “Why you gotta go and make things so complicated?”

80. Do you find it hard to concentrate at times? Yes.

81. Have you ever had anything confiscated? No.

82. Last place you congregated at? I haven’t been around a large crowd of people since my Disneyland trip earlier this year. I won’t be again for a very long time given the current state of things.

83. How long are you with someone before you consummate the relationship? I’m a virgin.

84. Last time you had to conjugate a verb? I did that recently when I was helping my mom with her Duolingo Spanish lesson. It amazes me how much I still remember considering I haven’t taken a Spanish class or even really practiced it in almost 10 years. :O I mean, I’ll occasionally try and speak it or if I hear or see it somewhere I’ll try to translate it, but it’s not very often, so I’m surprised I’m still able to at all.

85. Last time you were constipated? I don’t recall.

86. How often do you contemplate life? Often.

87. Are you hard to cooperate with? No, I don’t think so.

88. Do you know anyone who cultivates land? No.

89. Would you want to be cremated? Yes.

90. Do you have any issues with your prostate? I don’t have a prostate. 

91. Have you ever decimated someone’s character before? No.

92. Do you decorate your home for the holidays? Yesss. Well, for Christmas. I used to for Halloween, but I haven’t the past few years. I should do that this year.

93. Who would you dedicate a book you wrote to? My mom.

94. Are you good at delegating group projects? I felt like I always had to take lead in group projects and make sure everything was getting done. I hated doing them, they stressed me out even more.

95. Do you know how to demonstrate things in order to show someone how to do something? I do feel like I suck at trying to explain things to others for the most part, but I guess it depends on the thing. 

96. In what ways do you deviate from “the norm”? I’m soon to be 31 years old and I still live at home with my parents, with no plans to move out anytime soon. I don’t have a job. I don’t have much, basically none, relationship experience. I’m a virgin. I’m just not a functioning adult.

97. How long after you take a painkiller does the pain start to dissipate? It typically takes about 30 minutes, but on really bad pain/flare up days it can take an hour or so and sometimes not until I have the next dose.

98. Do you feel the need to dominate in conversations? Nooo. I’m much more of a listener and I’ll throw the convo back to the other person.

99. Would you ever domesticate a wild animal? Why or why not? No.

100. Who is the last person you congratulated? For what? I don’t remember.

101. Would you like to decapitate anyone? Who, and why? Uh, no!

102. Do you ever think that you could duplicate something you’ve tried before?   Uhh, like what?

103. What do you feel you could educate others about? I don’t know. Remember before how I said I suck at explaining things to others?

104. What elevates your stress level? My heath, my life (including things related to my loved ones in my life, such as their health issues and things they’re dealing with/going through), and just...life in general, man. There’s a lot going on this year alone.

105. Do you have a tendency to make situations escalate? In my mind cause I jump to the worst conclusions. My natural reaction is to freak out.

106.  How good are you at estimating? Uhh, depends what I’m estimating.

107. Do you fabricate your stories? No. 

108. What is something that fascinates you? Psychology.

109. How long does it take you to formulate a game plan? Hmm. Depends.

110. What tends to make your blood pressure fluctuate? Stress and anxiety.

111. How do you generate enough energy to get through your day? What energy? I’m seriously lacking.

112. When did you graduate? I graduated UC back in 2015.

113. When you’re in a department store, which section do you gravitate towards most often? The clothes.

114. How often do you hesitate before doing or saying something? Often.

115. Do you ever wish that you could just hibernate? Yes.

116. Does anyone try to imitate you? Does it get on your nerves? No, but that would most definitely get on my nerves.

117. Do you like to instigate others? Nooo. I’m not an instigator.

118. Could you illustrate a children’s book? I couldn’t illustrate anything, I’m an artist at all.

119. Do you marinate your meats? I don’t cook.

120. Do you masturbate? No. What a way to end, ha.

[a-zebra-is-a-striped-horse]

[damgirlsocial]

Come fly with me ...

My journey back to work has been a bit up and down, like all ‘journeys’ (how much do we all love that metaphor but hey it’s the one we all use) but mine started over 10 years ago when me and my amazing husband desperately wanted to start a family.  Now this might not seem like the forum for talking about procreation and starting my business (although I can see some kind of analogy here), but you know what having been to a talk where the amazing Debbiedoodah presented her thoughts on being true to yourself (which resonated with me) I decided that this is my path, my reasoning and I’m not going to make something up that I think people want to hear.  I’m going to be true to myself, my brand and where it takes me who knows but I’m unashamed of my reasoning.  It’s actually one of the reasons behind my brand name ‘DAM Girl Social’.  There are other reasons to do with some amazing women I’ve met along the way, but I’ll come to that in a bit.  

 So, let’s start somewhere way back when, when I was a little less grey, had a bit more energy (think late night karaoke and oodles of shots) and a full-time job as a Marketing Manager.  As I mentioned I had hit a time of life where a family was increasingly more important however, that wasn’t meant to be as straight forward as I’d anticipated and so found myself in a situation whereby, I was all consumed by having a baby.  Now this is another story altogether but it’s fair to say that my 3 year struggle emotionally and physically meant that when I was lucky enough to have a baby I was in no rush to rush back to the workplace and we took the decision that I would take time out and concentrate on being a mum to our two amazing boys.  Okay, so I had a tricky start (it has stayed with me believe me but I am fully aware of how lucky I am), and having two boisterous boys has its own challenges but by enlarge having that time off has been amazing, exhausting, thrilling, confidence debilitating, exciting and challenging all in one package of motherhood (did I mention life was a roller coaster?).  Once school life kicked in, I realised my boys needed me a wee bit less (well between 9 and 3.30 at least) and I needed something for me, to help build up my confidence again.  I have been extremely involved in helping the school over the last 3.5 years, bringing in funds of £55k+ through events I ran alongside my co-chair (now we would definitely make a good business partnership), and before that a short stint at Governance at another school my first son started at, but the time had come to do something for me and my family.

 What is it about having kids that knocks your confidence though?  This is a blog that needs addressing all on its own.  But it’s true though, we start off as strong, professional women have a kid or two or three or more and suddenly we don’t seem to know our worth.  

 Still with me?  Okay, so last year I decided to embark on my own ‘getting back to work self-motivation program’.  First stop was a 3 day ‘Back to Work’ course with Successful Mums where I got the chance to meet the motivated and inspirational Jane Knight who is all about helping women, especially mums, find their mojo and while they’re at it pop a crown on our heads and stand tall.  To be honest it’s not really my bag and for those who know me well will probably realise that I struggled with this particular concept but I have since taken it on board (you can even find a pic on my Insta) and I’m walking a bit taller with a straighter invisible crown these days.  As I’ve said before #thismumcan and is!  Anyway, by taking the course I identified a gap in my CV – Social Media Marketing! It was taking off as I took off 10 years ago, and so I missed the whole transformation of business with all things Social.  And for any advert looking for Marketing roles it was apparent you need to know this Social stuff.  

 This takes me neatly onto the ‘Techpixies’ Social Media Marketing course created by the amazing Joy Foster and delivered by the funny, fabulous Sophie and Jess, and the warm and lovely Theresa too (awesome business coach btw, can’t recommend her highly enough)!  With my fellow ‘Pixies we embarked on an 8 week course covering most things Social. I met a great bunch of women a couple of whom I’ve stayed in touch with and who have helped shape the name.  I’m hoping to have a collaboration with them soon and kick start a new FaceBook community but that’s still very much in the brewing stage.  

 Okay so I did the course and my confidence inflated a bit, not loads but a lot more than that first day we all introduced ourselves around the table.  I was able to apply some of my learning to my friend’s Insta and after a bit of research, some strategy, a presentation, and finally some brave pants posting, things started to move in the right direction.  Insta followers increased steadily and has now hit a 120% increase from when I first took it over, and the all-important new clients and collabs have emerged along the way too.  So, I knew I could do it, and my confidence inflated a little bit more. I dared to believe I could forge this new skillset into some work that I could fit around my boys.  Which after all is my reason for doing all this. Remember way back when in the beginning of this ever increasing blog, I mentioned the struggle to start a family, and how that that has stayed with me, well being there for my wee ones has been my priority throughout.  I’m after a work/life balance on my terms and freelancing in social media marketing is providing that opportunity.  

 Ha! This is all sounding very confident.  Don’t be fooled though, Imposter Syndrome is fully functioning and likes to kick my confident butt on a regular basis.  You know the ‘who do you think you are starting your own business, what do you know?’ type narrative.  But even in the face of this self-doubt I found a course that has helped, and I’m going to be frank, boot me royally up the backside and out of any indecision, procrastination, and totally out of my comfort zone. Its once again with the fabulous Successful Mums, this time on their ‘Business Start Up and Digital Skills Course’ and it’s fair to say I have learned LOADS!  I have also moaned loads.  Why?  Because I was disgruntled at the amount of work, I was having to do in my own time that I hadn’t banked on.  But then the realisation kicked in, you know some kind of epiphany that I wasn’t doing this for the course tutor, or Successful Mums, I was doing it for MY business.  Even this blog is because I’m being nudged to get it done.  For 5 weeks I’ve been thinking, yeah yeah I’ll write something, I’ll do a blog…, but look at me now I’m on a roll and you can’t stop the verbal bullshit!  (Don’t worry it’ll all be over soon 😉).  The point? Oh yes, so I’m being encouraged to keep at it; get the work done, do the business plan, the financial forecast, the GDPR policy, create my brand and marketing strategy in real terms. Not hearing how to do it and then going off and doing it down the line, actually starting my business as part of the course.  It’s made me take the leap.  Climb out of the warmth of the nest, teeter on the edge and then just f’ing fly, because ‘DAM GIRL’ you need to believe in yourself.  

 ‘DAM’ by the way, since you ask, stands for ‘Decidedly Average Mum’.  I, in no way, think I’m just average but in a social landscape of ‘mumpreneurs’ who frankly make us doubt ourselves (even when it’s not intentional), and 6 figure salaries we’re supposed to be aspiring too, or that we must be able to work, look stunning, get the kids to school yadayadayada means, I think, that there’s a gap for us more ‘average’ types.  I’m hoping that you see this as a refreshing take on this venture back to work.  I had a couple of babies, so what?  But I hit a low in confidence and I think it’s worth talking about, so having a brand that says: ‘I’m an average mum like you, just trying to get back to work and fit it around my family, it can be a bit hard, it can be a bit shit at times, but its feeling kind of good with each day my confidence builds, and if I can do it then you most definitely can too!’

 So, this might not be your average ‘starting your own’ business blog.  In fact, some might say (and be right) that its maybe altogether too honest but its who I am; I know, that by working with me you get a hardworking 110% kinda gal who will ALWAYS do her best by you.  Its who I am, and who I’ll always be.  

We can all be ‘DAM’ Good, so give me a shout I’d love to hear how I can help you xoxo

[isolated-loser]

Log 0021, 5:26am, 7-22-2019

Thursday, the 4thof July, I ran a one shot. It was fucking hilarious. My player did a whole bunch of stupid shit. I loved it, it was great. One of my players in the one shot, Ranger, swam up a giant squid’s ass. Then a nether one of my players joined him. Then Ranger casted spike growth in this squid’s ass, all most killing it. Ranger also shot a nether player, Shaggy, who was running away in the ass with a harpoon gun. That game was great. Nymph didn’t do much, but she looked like she was having fun.

Also last Thursday, the 11th, I was hanging outside the shop, cuss the game hadn’t started yet. And eyebrows ask if I wanted to walk with him to burger king, I was like sure, cuss half of the other players are over there anyway. It was interesting to say the least watching him interact with others. He really seems less awkward talking to anyone other than me. Like, goddamn, I’m a dude not a snake, probably. It was funny the entire time he’s trying not to make it awkward, but that’s what’s making it awkward. He’s a weird dude. Wish, I wasn’t in to weird dudes, But here we are. idk why he

In lash’s campaign, last Thursday, the 11th,  I got to water ski butt ass naked, without any equipment, while singing opera, then after I was done and climbed back on ship one of the other players told me to roll dex, and I did with a 13, needed a 16 IE, I didn’t save, this dude cast levitate on me, so I was now and parasailing butt ass naked, without any equipment. I’m a 7 and a half foot tall male half orc, this is not what any of the party wanted to see, I may be a pretty half orc, but I’m still a lightly fuzzy man. One of the other Pcs was like hell no and punched the wizard so he’d has to do a concentration check, the wizard it a bad bitch and has that good ac play shield as a reaction and the minotaur didn’t hit, so the minotaur rages dose again, hits dose enough damage the wizard saves on his concentration check, but’s like fuck you moves levitate to the minotaur, I fall in to the water gracefully as fuck mate cuss I gut expertise in that acrobatics, I mean it only a +4 cuss I have no dex but, like. We also got a new player! She’s very nice, I’m glad she joined are table.

The last few days have feel been long… So, so, long… Gods, I don’t want to type about it, but I need to. Monday, the 15th of July, I got two new players, a marred couple. At first everything was cool. They did mention getting kicked out of a few other games, but that seemed nice enough. I was running a one shot instead of the regular campaign, cuss I didn’t think most of my players would show, though most did, actually. And I just wanted to run this one shot again. It all went well, invited the new players to the shops discord, as is standard. The new players, and some of the other non-regulars, are saying in the chat how much fun they had, how I was a great Dm, shit like that. I just thought they were sucking up to me, the DM, for cooler stuff. & I got a private message from the chick about hanging out sometime, it was a bit odd, but not setting off too many flags, & I was like yeah sounds cool, and we scheduled something for next Friday. They just seem really friendly, and happy to be in a game.

Then, Tuesday, the 16th, as I was walking out the door to go to paint jam, I checked the shops discord, and several people were talking about how they had a lot of fun Monday, so, I was like I’m going to be at the shop so if a few of you show up, I’ll run a one off. Three players showed the couple, and one of my regulars who played with them in the past. They all wanted to keep the characters from the Monday one shot, so I just made the one off their session zero, like how they got to the main campaign. Everything went well, they at one point mention that they’re poly, polysexual or polyamorous I don’t know, so nothing too weird, we finish. They leave, & few minutes after their in the chat, with the regular, about how awesome the game was. I get a few private messages from the chick, there friendly, nothing too odd. And, I get a couple from the guy. He’s like me and wivey are loving the game, I send back some gladly shit like I do, then he sends something like going ask some weird questions, I was like ok, thinking it had to do with the campaign, and he ask if I was see anyone, not too weird, I’ve been asked this several times by many people for no real reason, and he also wanted to make sure their flirting wasn’t making me uncomfortable, I was like, not at all have I thought it funny, cuss I thought he meant with each other. Then hes then he was like they’re fond of me, his wife a bit more than him, and asked if it was cool for them to continue flirting with me, and for me to flirt back, to me at the time they didn’t seem to be acting that odd like though it was joke flirting, so I was like yea sure, then he sent back a cool because you’re cute, I just replied with the stuck out tongue winking eye emoji as discord calls it, still thinking it was just like jokes and shit, he sent back glad we’re on the same page. They seem abit overly, friendly.

Wednesday, the 17th, I woke up checked discord like I do sometimes; the chick invited everyone to the discord to their place, and I knew the people going some of my regulars, and Presh, I thought it would be ok, cuss there were people I know there, really shouldn’t have but I said, sure I’ll go. Couple hours later, being nagged, some by the chick, it was annoying, but didn’t seem bad. Then I got there, a bit earlier than everyone else, the chick hugged me, don’t like being touched without knowing someone a while, I mean really don’t. She didn’t know that. The rest of the day was fine, it was fun. Everything was ok, I ran dnd, it went well. The night came to a close, I ended up being the last person there, I called my ride, cuss I really didn’t want to be there anymore, and she didn’t pick up. I should have lied and did some billshitery to get out of there, like said to the voice mail oh cool see you in a few, I’ll meant you at the gate, then said my ride is close by and I want to walk back or something. They had offered me a ride back to my place, I shouldn’t have fucking taken it, ie see billshitery, but I’m an idiot and wanted to get away from them. On the ride back they were way too friendly, like way too friendly. Oh you live close, if you ever need a ride just messages us, come over whenever you feel like. When we got to my place, the chick got out to hug me again. Then more messages about how much fun the game was, blab la bla. At this point I was starting to get that the flirting wasn’t a joke, and I was getting creeped out.

Thursday, the 18th, I got some more messages from them, in the main discord the chick was talking about how she had a dream about my one shot, she also private messaged me about it, the dude private messaged me about how he had been staring at me the night previous, and that I was neat. I didn’t answer there was a table doing a one shot and they had mention in main chat about wanting to go., they didn’t, thank you gods. I asked all the DMs what I should do about it, they were all like just tell them to stop, that’s not cool, and variations of. I told some of my female friend, Nymph, Presh, Queen, as well as Paint Master. Nymph was like yeah that creep and not cool, Preah was like yeah it weird tell to stop they can move to my table, Paint Master said if I wanted he’d come on Mondays and stand behind me with a baseball bat full of nails, Queen was like yeah that not right and had me talk to one of the people at the shop who helped me write a massage to them.

Then I sent to both of them, the dude reposed in less than a minute with some dushy shit. The next day the chick was like i don’t know what you mean then and hour later was like huby clued me in, we’re not going to play there anymore for your comfort, then they left the chop discord. I didn’t respond to any anything, I don’t know how the other players who knew them are going to react, if there going to hate me and want to move tables or what. But gods this whole thing has be awful…

After this, I relied, I really don’t have a problem with Presh, she’s a little annoying, but she’s amazing when compared to this shit.

Tuesday, the 16th, I tried to get collige stuff in order, it not working out well. it stressing me out so fucking badly.

Wednesday, the 17th, be for that shit, I did watch Monty Python and the Holy Grail, with my little bro, it was fab. I wish I had watched it earlier.

Thursday, the 18th, in Lash’s campaign I dint do much but I did get a new pair of boots and purchased 110 pastries. Plus I made the minotaur angry, by betting on the other lady minotaur, & maybe casting healing word on said other minotaur. Haha. I’m going to die, he’s going to kill my poor Danny.

Saturday, the 20th, I did Landry. Then went to karaoke with Presh, it was fun. There was Presh, one of her friend that I knew, one of her friends that I didn’t, one of her players who I met Thursday, plus her parents. It was so fucking weird. I sang “The Ballad of Mona Lisa” & “Write Sins Not Tragedies” by panic at the fucking disco. A drunk woman said I had potential, which was nice; though, I’m not super inclined to believe it. It was so embarrassing, says the person who knew full well it was going to be. It was fun though, I’ll most likely be doing it again. I got to act a fool & I got to talk about DND too, which I just love.

Today, the 21, I was supposed to go volunteer with the rabbit rescue, but I fucking slept all day which kinda sucks… I hate how this keeps happening, two weeks ago I was too depressed to get out of bed so I didn’t go, then it was that fucking hurricane, and now I just sleep throe it.  

Paint Master wants to be in my campaign which it fucking awesome, & Nergal asked about it, as well as a nether dude I don’t know the name of. I’m pretty sure shaggy going to be back from whatever he was up to. So even if half my players disappears cuss of those assholes it will be all right. Probably. 

I've pretty much been crying several times a day. I mean, I really don’t want to live right now.

Idk, what else to add, I’m sure a lot but I’ve been trying to finish this sense Friday night.

Signing Off...

Favorite song today: Disease by Beartooth

Mood: Shit      

[gethealthy18-blog]

331: Rethinking Health: 8 Predictive Biomarkers for Lifetime Health With Russell Jaffe

New Post has been published on http://healingawerness.com/news/331-rethinking-health-8-predictive-biomarkers-for-lifetime-health-with-russell-jaffe/

331: Rethinking Health: 8 Predictive Biomarkers for Lifetime Health With Russell Jaffe

Child: Welcome to my Mommy’s podcast.

This podcast is sponsored by Jigsaw Health, my source for magnesium. You probably know, if you’ve read my blog, that magnesium is responsible for over 300 biochemical reactions in the body. It impacts blood pressure, metabolism, immune function, and many other aspects of health, including hormones. It’s known as the master mineral and it’s one of the few supplements I take regularly. And I have found a specific way to take it that works best for me in very specific forms because if magnesium is taken in the wrong way it can lead to digestive upset or if it’s taken too quickly it can cause all kinds of problems. So, I take two supplements. One called MagSRT which is a slow release form of the dimagnesium malate. The slow release technology makes it easier on the digestive system. So I don’t get any of the digestive disturbance that comes with some forms of magnesium. I take this form in the morning and at lunch. So, two capsules with breakfast, two capsules with lunch. And at night, I take a different product MagSoothe, which is magnesium glycinate which is magnesium bound with the amino acid glycine to help sleep. And in combination, I noticed the biggest effect from those two particular products. You can check them both out and save by going to jigsawhealth.com/wellnessmama. And the code wellness10 will give you $10 off any order.

This podcast is brought to you by Pique Tea. I love all of their Triple Screen teas that can be consumed hot or cold. You might know that tea has been used for centuries for a variety of reasons in almost every culture around the world to naturally boost energy levels, to increase mental performance, for immune and gut health support, or longevity or just to achieve a youthful glow. It’s truly been a part of almost every culture. It’s noncaloric so I drink tea of some kind, either herbal tea or caffeinated tea almost every day even when I’m intermittent fasting and even during my fasting window. So, unless I’m on a full water fast, I will drink noncaloric tea while I’m still fasting. Pique Teas in particular are made from organic, high-quality tea leaves and ingredients sourced from around the world very carefully. They are the purest teas that I have found because they do something called Triple Toxin Screen for heavy metals, pesticides, and toxic mold so that you know you are getting the best, highest quality tea without the junk. Not to mention, their teas taste amazing and my kids love them too.

For all you moms listening, these teas are great for gut health. They use a cold-brew crystallization process, so you get more concentrated antioxidants and polyphenols, up to 12 times as many actually with each serving. These are the compounds that are known to be responsible for a lot of those benefits that I listed, and so, that increase is a really big deal. And given that these come in little tea crystals, I can easily add them to my smoothies or to hot or cold water. They dissolve in seconds. And I always carry a few of them in my purse when I travel. They have a range of caffeinated and noncaffeinated options. I love their Organic Jasmine in the morning for energy and for mental clarity while I’m podcasting and I love their Herbal Mint when I need to wind down and relax. Pique is also the first company in history to win three gold medals at the Global Tea championships. You can save 10% off Pique Teas by going to piquetea.com and using the code WELLNESSMAMA. Note that this does exclude their Fermented Pu’er teas, but it is valid on everything else.

Katie: Hello, and welcome to the Wellness Mama Podcast. I’m Katie from wellnessmama.com, and this episode is packed with practical tips that you can use based on eight predictive biomarkers that are good reflectors of lifetime health. I am here with Doctor Russell Jaffe who is an MD and a Ph.D. He is the founder and chairman of PERQUE Integrative Health which is a company that offers scientifically proven integrative health solutions. He has more than 40 years of experience in these areas of research, contributing to molecular biology and clinical diagnostic research. His focus is now on functional predictive tests and procedures designed to improve both the precision of diagnosis and treatment outcomes and for predictive longterm health. He’s authored nearly a hundred articles, and like I said, he is both an MD and a Ph.D. He is board certified in clinical pathology and chemical pathology. And has been the recipient of many awards in these areas, and he’s gonna tell his story better than I could, today. But how he went from a full conventional medicine background at the National Institute for Health, to now a very integrative approach to medicine. I know that you’re really gonna enjoy this extremely practical episode, so let’s jump right in.

Katie: Dr. Jaffe, welcome. Thank you for being here.

Dr. Jaffe: Thanks for the invitation.

Katie: Well, I’m excited for our conversation today. And I know we have a lot to talk about. But to start, you have such an interesting background. And I think that’s a perfect place to start. I think our listeners would love to hear a little bit more about you, and specifically, how you made a pretty radical jump from conventional medicine at NIH to where you are today. So can you walk us through briefly what changed in your thinking and how that reflected and how you practice medicine?

Dr. Jaffe: Well, thanks for that question. Because yes, I was a skeptic and I now advocate for what I think is a safer, better, more natural, more predictive, more personalized, more proactive, more prevention-oriented approach. And because as I think others have said better, we are spending more and feeling worse and we call that health care. So I did internal medicine and biochemistry and molecular biology in Boston, I came to the Clinical Center at NIH, enthusiastic as most of us were in the meritocracy of that time. And I fairly quickly realized that we were dealing with people who had fallen into the river of disease and we were hopefully reducing the drowning rate in that river of disease, but we weren’t preventing people from falling in.

So I went out to debunk the people who said they had traditional and/or evidence-based approaches to health promotion to real primary proactive prevention to personalized medicine. And fortunately, I picked some really good people to go and debunk because they showed me how ignorant I was, Queen Lu, I went to debunk traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture and I ended up doing a seven-year apprenticeship with him in Washington. DC. Ramamurti Mishra wrote the textbook of yoga psychology and commentary and Patanjali sutras and an MD PhD, rather broadly trained, I went to debunk him and became his student. And then I heard about a Cambodian Buddhist monk who had decoded a color healing system and non-invasive color healing system that had been given 2500 years ago, practiced for 5 centuries, lost for 20 centuries, 2000 years, and he had figured it out. And from the age of 80, when I met him until 110 when he passed, we were mostly together and yes, those are the kinds of people where, if you can watch them put their sandals or their shoes on and off, it’s a transformative experience, or how they fill the teacup or drink the tea.

So yes, I believe that I was trained in the scientific method, which means to be able to look across cultures and across time and across philosophies, but with a common guide, which is let the evidence…now some of it is observational and anecdotal and some of it is organized in a double-blind and some of it is triple-blind, which we can talk about if you want. So yes, I came as a skeptic. I now am very confident that we spend an extra $1 trillion each year out of the 3 trillion we spend on health care to bury a million people early with high suffering and very little value. And I believe we should do better than that. We deserve to do better than that. If we have the right to pursue happiness, which goes back to our nation’s founding, then I believe health care has to become, at some point, a right of citizenship, not a privilege of economics.

Katie: I agree with you. And I love that you were willing to question your assumptions. I think that’s something that we can all benefit from doing, in anything that we consider a firmly held belief or assumption, because truly, if we’re correct, we only then strengthen our belief and if not, that’s something we need to evaluate anyway, so I have so much respect that you did that process, even with your work and was something that was so vital to your career. I really have a lot of respect when people are able to do that. And I think that now you have such a wonderful perspective coming from both of those areas, to be able to offer people such unique advice and I’m so excited to get to go deeper on this with you. I know that you talked about how now with this new understanding and seeing kind of the whole picture that our health is very much largely determined by factors like diet and lifestyle, and you use the term epigenetics. So can you explain to us what that is and just how dramatically those factors can influence our life and our health?

Dr. Jaffe: Thank you, I can very easily explain what it’s not and then I will explain what it is. So what it’s not is your DNA that you inherit from your mom and dad, half from each, that’s your genome, that’s your DNA. But then the DNA has to get translated through something called RNA and then has to become something called a product or the protein or the glycoprotein or lipoprotein. And it’s there that life really gets more interesting. And epigenetics is the 92% of your lifetime health quality, your lifetime quality of life. That is determined by your habits of daily living, determined by what you eat and drink, think and do, the ways in which you choose to live your life. We call these the habits of daily living, sometimes HODL because we like to compress a few words into an acronym that’s a little hard to understand.

So, epigenetics turns out to be very important. It was validated in the early ’70s when Don Frederickson was running the National Institutes of Health, a consensus conference, 92% is choice and lifestyle 8% is DNA and determined, reconfirmed several times over the decades. So epigenetics is where the opportunity lies and yet, epigenetics and lifestyle is not what we have at the core of the medical education curriculum for physicians and nurses or chiropractors and naturopaths. It’s mostly about making the right diagnosis, and then a treatment to reduce the suffering or treat the symptoms. And what I’m saying is really quite different, epigenetics is the chance to change your habits and therefore change your future.

The past is behind us. I think we can agree that the past is behind us. The future has not come. I think we can agree the future has not come. So what are we going to do today so that our habits of daily living choose life and health? That means foods we can digest, assimilate, and eliminate without any burden, that means be well hydrated with water and herbal beverages are your beverages of choice. It means spending a few minutes each day to cultivate gratitude and to cultivate appreciation for your portion, rejoicing in your portion to use a metaphor.

And you do have to move around. So sitting is the new smoking and sugar is the new tobacco. So get up and give up the candy bars and the processed foods and the hidden sugar sources and eat whole foods that you can digest, assimilate, and eliminate without immune burden, and feel and function years to decades younger. You can, by changing your habits and thoughts and activities, feel and function decades younger. And I’m an example, just a personal example of someone who made that transition.

Katie: I love it. And I know when we were preparing for this interview you wanted to talk today about some specifics with biomarkers when it comes to this and particularly ways that we can kind of rethink our health. And then what we can learn from these biomarkers for a lifetime of health and not just lifespan but healthspan. So to start, what do you mean when you say rethink health? I know you’ve touched on that a little bit, but what does that concept mean to you?

Dr. Jaffe: Yes, when I say rethink health, I mean, making choices that are about primary, personalized, proactive and predictive prevention practice protocols. And if I say that again in a slightly different way, it means to look at the causes, not the consequences. It means to look at are you getting enough of the essential good stuff and are you able to reduce the anti-nutrient toxic bad stuff? And yes, in almost all cases, you can and we have documented in outcome studies in type 2 diabetes, type 1 diabetes, fibromyalgia, muscle pain and other similar conditions that you can, starting from best standard of conventional care today in just six months of best efforts, feel and function much better. And you can document that with a few self-assessments like the digestive trends of time. Your urine, acid-alkaline pH after rest. How much of nature’s ascorbate does it take to cleanse the anti-nutrients out of your body at that moment? Are you well hydrated? These are four self-assessments that are very inexpensive, easy to do and come with an interpretation to help you understand what it means so that you can choose more wisely tomorrow than you did yesterday.

Katie: Got it. That makes sense. Okay, so then I can’t wait to go deep on these because I’m a big fan of data and being able to track things and measure them and see what’s working and what’s not. So what are the predictive biomarkers?

Dr. Jaffe: Okay, so what are the predictive biomarkers? There are eight of them. First is hemoglobin A1C. Second is high sensitivity C reactive protein known as hsCRP. The third is homocysteine. The fourth is LRA cell cultures, that’s an immune tolerance test. The fifth is that urine pH after rest, that’s a measure of how much cellular magnesium you need or have. Then your vitamin D level which turns out to be a neural hormone, then your omega-3 index the balance of essential fats, omega-3 to omega-6 we need both but most of us get too much omega-6 and it’s often damaged. We need more omega-3 from whole seeds and nuts and foods.

And then the last, and it’s an unusual one, it’s an urine test an easy test to do but not a commonly done test yet. That’s 8-oxoguanine. Now 8-oxoguanine is the measure of how much oxidative damage is being done in your nucleus to your DNA. That’s a very important risk factor or marker. And that’s why when we started with 100,000 lab tests, just to find out how many tests we needed to cover all of lifestyle and epigenetics. This is part of our Health and Rethink Health Working Group. We came down to eight tests that can be done for less than $1,000 with interpretation. And you can add life to years and years to life based on those best outcome goal values, not the statistical lab ranges. So we don’t care what the lab ranges, we care what the best outcome value is for each of those eight biomarkers. And we want to know whether you are there. If you are, celebrate that you’re at your best outcome goal value. And if you’re not, here are the habits of daily living that will bring you there in about six months.

Katie: Awesome. Okay, so let’s go through each of these and kind of give people a broad picture of what they should expect and what good looks like and then also, if one of these, for instance, were to come back out of range, what they would need to know so they don’t freak out. So you started with hemoglobin A1C. Walk me through what that specifically is a measure of and what we want to see when it comes up hemoglobin A1C.

Dr. Jaffe: Yes, in the late 1960s, we discovered that if you have extra sugar inside yourself, it can harm the cell and the body is smart enough to stick that onto protein. And Paul Gallup, mentor of my mentor, actually developed the hemoglobin A1C, he published it in about 1967. So it’s been around a long time. And it gives you an average measure of extra sugars stuck on your protein over time, typically a three months timeframe, maybe that or a little bit more. And we know that people who are healthiest and live longest and feel and function best and have a new neurohormonal digestive system that works best. They have hemoglobin A1Cs of less than 5%.

And now you ask the right question, which is let’s say your hemoglobin A1C is above 5%, how do you get it to 5% or less and you do it the way I did, which is knowing that you’re sweet enough as you are, no added sugar in your diet. Notice I said no added sugar. The average American today takes in one week, in one week, the amount of sugar that our great grandparents took in the year. It’s hard to avoid added sugar, it’s really hard. It’s stuck into a whole bunch of things along with fat and salt that addict your tongue and your brain to what’s called the crave factor. We’ll talk about that some other time. But you want wholeness, you want nature, nurture and wholeness. You want food you can digest, assimilate, and eliminate without any burden to bring your hemoglobin A1C to less than 5%.

And I’m glad to tell you that when I weighed 65 pounds more, I was pre-diabetic by that measure. And now, since I’ve lost that weight and it’s been off now for years, I’m not going to find it again. My hemoglobin A1C for the last several years has been below 5% and that says that I am likely to live long and well within immune neurohormonal and digestive and nervous systems that work for the entire lifespan.

So hemoglobin A1C is important, there are nuances. We have written up review articles and published chapters in books about this for people want more information, but your hemoglobin A1C should be less than 5%. And we know how to get you there by reducing your intake of simple, which means empty calories sugar that is hidden in many processed, packaged and crisp foods. So when I was taught by Beatrice from Hunter was shopping around the edge of the store, that’s where the real food is and be careful about going down the aisles because that’s where the packages and the cans are.

Katie: Got it. And as another marker, I know that the hemoglobin A1C is one that you do have to go into a lab to get tested and I think it’s more accurate like you said because It’s kind of that average over time. I also am a big fan of using a glucose monitor at home and just relatively often taking my fasting glucose, which is not, that’s just a snapshot but it is a predictor as well, and it’s something that we can do at home. I’m curious if you know of any confounding factors when it comes to fasting glucose and hemoglobin A1C because I’ve heard from and seen labs for several patients who despite eating a very low carb diet and no processed sugar whatsoever, we’ll still see those numbers elevated. Are there other things that can come into play in those kinds of, like outlier scenarios?

Dr. Jaffe: Well, yes, thank you. Outlier scenario is the right kind of terminology. Let me start with the conclusion and back into why. Fructosamine, like fructose amine. Fructosamine is a measure of extra sugars stuck on to a protein and that changes quickly like, within a month or so, rather than waiting longer. And what are the complications about hemoglobin A1C? Well, it’s based on how long your red cells live, and your red cells and a healthy person live three or four months. But sometimes red cells don’t live three to four months. And then you can have, a few people have published articles about confounding variables that influence hemoglobin A1C. So when we became aware of that, we went out and looked at what is the test that you can do even if the red cells are more fragile or are being taxed one way or another by immune complexes or whatever? And the answer is fructosamine.

So yes, there are just exactly what you said, outliers. And where we try to do our best is to help both consumers and clinicians understand why the outliers exist and what to do about them so you can get an accurate measure and not be confused. Now, with respect, you can do a hemoglobin A1C on a little lancet drop of blood put onto a little piece of filter paper and sent to a lab. So you don’t have to have a phlebotomy to get an accurate hemoglobin A1C.

And the other side, most of us are familiar with white coat hypertension, you know, like, just drawing blood or going in to see someone who has a white coat on and a stethoscope around their neck and the smell of a clinic and so forth. For many people, it triggers a change in their blood sugar. So since we measure blood sugar and insulin and hemoglobin A1C, in our outcome studies I can tell you the hemoglobin A1C is a good measure for most people and fructosamine fills in when hemoglobin A1C is inadequate. And yes, you should be less than 5% on the corrected hemoglobin A1C or on the fructosamine, which means you’re at the lower end of the lab range.

Katie: Got it. Okay, that’s really helpful and it makes sense. And that one seems like a relatively straightforward and definitely, anything with glucose is definitely tied to the dietary factors as well. Are there any supplements that you recommend or that kind of go hand in hand with healthy levels?

Dr. Jaffe: No, no, again, a very good point in regard to nutrients or essential cofactors that your body cannot make that improve sugar regulation. It turns out there are a number of herbs and several minerals. The minerals are chromium. And you can have the chromium in the picolinate form of the citrate form. And then vanadium and vanadium ascorbate especially. But it turns out that chromium and vanadium separately help the body regulate blood sugar uptake and metabolism end to end.

And then it turns out there are four herbs. I’m not sure how much time we have to go into them. But some of these go back to the Old Testament, like Mara, or bitter melon. Some of these are contemporary, like, you can get them in a Chinese restaurant and most traditional parts of at least America if not the Pacific Rim. And so there are herbs and minerals that can be combined into mycelized soft gels and taken as part of glucose regulation. And we’ve helped pioneer some of these safer, more effective all-natural approaches.

Katie: Perfect. And then moving on, I’d love to talk also about C-reactive protein and you mentioned a specific marker to test for with C-reactive protein. For anyone who’s not familiar, can you explain what C-reactive protein is, what a healthy range looks like and then what we need to know if ours shows up out of range?

Dr. Jaffe: Yes, thank you. So, C-reactive protein is an inducible protein, it goes up when your body is not able to repair when your body is crying out because of the repair deficit, often misunderstood as inflammation. When your body has a repair deficit and C-reactive protein goes up. And Paul Ridker and Nadir Refai and other colleagues have shown that at the low end, you get a lot of useful information. So there’s a hsCRP or high sensitivity CRP, where the lower end of the range is more accurately analyzed by the lab and the healthy value for hsCRP is less than 0.5, people who have inflammatory chronic repair deficit or autoimmune conditions have elevated hsCRPs and we want them to get back to their best outcome ability to repair a non-deficient condition where the hsCRP is less than 0.5.

Katie: Got it. Okay, perfect. So if that does come out of range, what are some of the strategies that you would recommend to help the body get it back into normal range?

Dr. Jaffe: Well, to enhance repair you need the maternal antioxidant known as ascorbate, but you need the L-ascorbate, nature’s form, not the synthetic form the work-alike that doesn’t work. So you need fully-buffered, fully-reduced L-ascorbate based on the polyphenolics as Alberts and Georgie pointed out in the 1930s as a synergistic, or a multiplicative benefit, when you have the correct flavonoids and flavanols, quercetin dihydrate, insoluble OPC to work along with the L-ascorbate that’s fully buffered and fully reduced because it’s been produced under a nitrogen blanket in the old traditional way.

Then, in addition, you need magnesium. And today you need to enhance the uptake of magnesium with chromium-citrate so that you can activate ATP, the energy currency of the human body, you can protect the mitochondria with both magnesium and ascorbate, you can keep the what’s called proton gradient so that the cell functions efficiently and effectively. Too many of us are in chronic acidosis due to lack of magnesium in ourselves. We are in chronic oxidative stress because of antioxidant death, principally ascorbate, where you could, with the C cleanse, find out how much you need. And so we have developed and others along with us have developed functional tests that allowed people to decide and find out how much they need at a given moment in time, and then how much you take on a daily basis until they recheck how much they need on a more systemic basis.

Katie: That’s awesome. And I love that you brought up magnesium. That’s something that I learned about many years ago and have been taking regularly and making sure that I get enough of since that time, and I definitely notice a difference from doing that. In my research, I’ve read that magnesium is useful for literally hundreds of reactions in the body and that because of, for instance, depleted soil levels, and changes in our food supply, many of us don’t get enough without even really realizing it, and it’s a difficult thing to get an accurate test for. Whereas in general, from what I read, it’s something that we can take in moderate levels relatively safely. So is that something that you also take regularly?

Dr. Jaffe: Oh, yes. I tell you how much I take on a daily basis in a moment, but my colleague Dr. Ron Elin showed about 15 years ago, that if you’re in the lower half of the serum magnesium range, you are chronically deficient, and he called it CLMD chronic latent magnesium deficiency. Others, including ourselves, have proved that if you have evidence of low magnesium, which means high blood pressure, kidney issues, liver issues, etc., you’re likely to have serum magnesium in the lower half of the range. And if you’ll have healthy magnesium in your cell, you’ll be in the upper half of that serum range.

So yes, magnesium is mostly inside the cell. Only a little bit is in the blood. But thanks to Ron Elin, Mildred Seelig Burton Altura and others, including our work. We now know how to find out whether you’re at risk, which is you’re in the lower half of the serum magnesium range and what to do about it, which is enhanced uptake of magnesium with choline citrate. No other choline works, must be choline citrate, not choline bitartrate must be choline citrate. Now you enhance the uptake, chaperone delivery and the cellular retention of magnesium. So that instead of one third, which is the maximum you get today from the best of the best of the best of the best of the magnesium, one third comes into the body through the ion channel, and frankly, it tends to run out almost as fast as it comes in. So one of the things that we pioneered was enhanced uptake in chaperone delivery and retention of magnesium. And over the last decade or so, we have reconfirmed what Ron Elin postulated, and I’m glad to say he and I are still colleagues from our days at NIH many years ago.

Katie: Got it. Makes sense. Okay. Then moving beyond there you also mentioned homocysteine, which I’ve read about and heard as a marker related to heart health, for instance, but explain what homocysteine is and what it tells us about what’s going on internally.

Dr. Jaffe: Well, homocysteine is an amino acid that Kilmer McCully put on the map in the 1960s because of the link between elevated homocysteine and accelerated atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular risks. Since then, it’s been proven to be an all-cause morbidity, mortality indicator, which means it’s even more important that and what’s really important is the relationship between methionine and homocysteine. You want your methionine to be up so you can methylate at will and as needed. You want your homocysteine to be down to protect you from cardiovascular and other chronic diseases. And the best outcome goal value for homocysteine is less than six. And you get there by having a high sulfur diet, that’s GGOBE, garlic, ginger, onions, brassica sprouts, and eggs. And by having enough of the cofactors, including magnesium ascorbate, polyphenolics that we were just talking about, to make sure that your methylation systems are working efficiently. So it’s a little complicated, but we can use nature, nurture, and wholeness to guide us using smarter systems. And that’s what we’re talking about today.

Katie: Okay, great. So let’s go through because those were the ones I was more familiar with. There was a couple that you mentioned that I am not as familiar with, the first being I think you said LRA cell cultures. Can you explain what that is?

Dr. Jaffe: I sure can. LRA means lymphocyte response assay, LRA, lymphocyte response assay, and lymphocytes are white blood cells that carry memory. So some of your white cells remember when you were in childhood and had childhood measles, mumps or whatever childhood infections you had and protect you because of remembering that you’ve had that and recovered. And then there’s another aspect of these white blood cells called T-cells that respond without what are called antibodies.

So there are different aspects of cell cultures and what you need is an ex vivo test. Ex vivo means the blood reacts in the laboratory just as it reacts in the body. And LRA happens to be a 35-year-old, but just coming into its own recognition lymphocyte response assay that’s ex vivo has very high precision. Less than 3% variance on blinds with samples and has been used in more outcomes, successful studies of autoimmunity and remission and restoration of immune tolerance and reduction in inflammation and improvement in repair competency, than any other assay. We have 80,000 cases in our database of 25 million cell cultures accomplished. And we’re glad to acquaint your listeners with the testing, you know, they may not be familiar with.

Katie: Okay, what about the urine pH? What does that tell us about what’s going on inside the body?

Dr. Jaffe: Well, there’s one time of day and that’s after six or more hours of rest when the fluid in your bladder equilibrates with the cells in the genital urinary or bladder system, and you get a non-invasive measure of cellular acidosis or alkaline adequacy. Akaline means magnesium, acidosis means magnesium deficiency. If your cells are acidic, then your urine pH will be below 6.5. The healthy range of 6.5 to 7.5. If it’s consistently above 7.5, we have a different conversation about Tenenbaum illness, but most people are below 6.5, meaning they need more magnesium in their diet and supplements. And usually enhanced uptake in chaperone delivery magnesium, which is an area that has been a particular research interest in documentation tools.

Katie: Gotcha. Okay. So if either of those are out of range, that one it sounds like does very much directly tied to magnesium, are there other factors that we need to optimize as well?

Dr. Jaffe: Well, during the day, it turns out there are at least 25 different things that influence your urine pH. It’s only after six or more hours of rest, that the urine pH correlates tightly with cellular magnesium needs. And that’s why we measure it after rest, and usually at home, keeping a daily log, and then bring that to your health coach or health professional who can help you understand? What does it mean about Do I need more magnesium? Or do I need more choline-citrate, how many doses a day? And generally, it’s an extra dose, for every half pH unit below 6.5. Because pH turns out to be logarithmic and what that means is that a little change makes a big difference in biology and physiology.

Katie: Okay, got it.

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And then now I want to switch gears and talk about one of my favorite things that I’ve been reading about recently, which is vitamin D. And I’m so glad that you mentioned this is one of the predictive biomarkers. There’s so much data across the board that I’ve read, and I’m sure even more that you’ve seen on all of the various ways that vitamin D is vital to overall health and right now in a very timely way toward reduced risk of complications from respiratory illness. I’ve also personally seen studies on the link between optimal vitamin D levels and lower risk of certain types of cancer. I think this is a really big deal and a marker that a lot of people should be testing and probably are not. But from your perspective, walk me through why vitamin D is so important. And what level do we want to see when we test for that?

Dr. Jaffe: The best outcome goal value for vitamin D properly measures 50 to 80 nanograms per mL. What that means is that the country, United States, in general, people have between 15 and 25, which more than triples their cancer risk. And if you take that vitamin D under your tongue as drops, you can get into the brain before the body and get it in. Whereas Dr. Michael Holick, a colleague who’s known as Dr. Sunshine points out that millions, maybe 40 million Americans do not absorb vitamin D from their intestines because of maldigestion, dysbiosis intestinal problems. And so these are people who can swallow a lot of vitamin D and get very little benefit.

So we know what the best outcome goal value is 50 to 80, that provides a safe range. We take as many drops under the tongue as needed to get you into the 50 to 80 range, and then you celebrate because it’s a neurohormone. We call it a vitamin, but it’s not really a vitamin, it’s a neurohormone and you’re right, it does a lot of things, both outside and inside the cell. And you need other cofactors with it, including magnesium and various kinds of vitamin K. But vitamin D is very important and the best outcome goal value is 50 to 80. That dramatically reduces your cancer risk and improves your all-cause morbidity, mortality, it reduces your cardiovascular risk, it improves your neurohormonal balance because it is a neurohormone itself. So 50 to 80 is your goal value, you can get there with drops under the tongue.

Katie: Gotcha. So just to clarify, this is one that you would absolutely recommend testing for and then supplementing with to get into those proper ranges. I know I’ve seen that as well that in the U.S., especially many, many people are deficient. And this is a tremendous risk factor, like you said, for a lot of problems that can much potentially much more easily be avoided if we optimize some of these things.

Dr. Jaffe: Well, all the predictive biomarkers are important, vitamin D especially so we now know what the safer, better outcome goal value is. And that’s where I want everyone to be. Now I have read even in “The New York Times” by distinguished scientific journalists, that because the country is deficient, it’s normal, statistically normal. That’s a statistical term having nothing to do with the common-sense meaning normal, but it’s statistically normal for people to be deficient. So that’s the way it is and don’t test and don’t stop them. As I think you can tell from the tone of my voice, I rather profoundly disagree with that point of view, you should test you should know, and you should be in the healthy 50 to 80 nanograms per mL.

Katie: Yeah, I think that’s another really important point that you just brought up. And I noticed that when I was going through Hashimoto’s and trying to get my levels back into normal range and to get into remission, which I now have. But that was something my doctor told me was that even within the range of quote unquote, normal thyroid hormones, you can still be having issues because those are based on averages. And the people who get tested for thyroid problems suspect they have thyroid problems. And so sometimes even what we’re seeing within the normal ranges are not optimal. And so that’s a really important distinction, I think, when we’re looking at labs as a marker of health is understanding that difference between just okay, and in normal range, and what optimal should be. And I love that you make that distinction in your work as well.

Dr. Jaffe: No, as someone who used to run the Clinical Center Labs at the National Institutes of Health, that’s something I can talk about. What we call the statistically normal or statistically usual range has to do with populations as you’ve correctly said. What we’re talking about today, though, has to do with individual personalized, proactive care. So if you know what the best outcome values are for each of these predictive biomarkers, the ones that cover all of epigenetics, I think you would want all of them to be in your healthiest outcome range, which means you have a 99 plus percent chance of living 10 or more years, as opposed to a 10% or 15% chance of living 10 plus years. I choose to be in the minority of people who are going to live and be dancing at 120 with their friends around.

Katie: I love that. I’m with you on that too. You also mentioned omega-3 and this is another area I would love to get your take on and to go deep on because Certainly, I’m a big fan of the National Institutes for Health. And I spent a lot of time in PubMed reading studies. There’s a lot of data about the benefits of omega-3s when we see populations that live a long time. That’s a common factor that they mentioned even in Blue Zones. But then I’ve also seen some information that you have to be careful with the sourcing of these because that’s something that can easily go rancid. So let’s start with testing. How can we know if we need more omega-3s? And what are good levels look like in the body?

Dr. Jaffe: Right, what are good levels look like? Now you look at Bill Harris’ work and others, and the answer is more than 8% omega-3 in the membranes of cells. This too can be done on a lancet, just the drop of blood on a piece of filter paper. And I remember the day when I was visiting with my colleague, Patti Bursar at the Military Medical School and Bill was there talking with her about how hard it was to find people who are taking in healthy amounts of healthy omega-3 essential oils.

Having pointed to me, he took a lancet out, took a drop of blood, and in about 10 days he sent me back reports that said my index, my omega-3 percentage, my omega-3 index was 13. So I called him up. And I said is this…I know 13 is higher than 8, that I understand. Is 13 better than eight? Or is it worse? He says, we don’t have enough people who are above 11. You know, you’re our poster child.” Now, you made a critical point. You can buy a lot of fish oil that is rancid and toxic. Rancid because air oxygen has damaged the essential fats and because it was not distilled under nitrogen. The omega-3 that I recommend is in a mycelized soft gel which is distilled under nitrogen. We remove the bad stuff, you concentrate the good stuff. You concentrate the EPA DHA essential omega-3 fats, we mycelize those in a soft gel.

And what do I take? Well, 6 to 10 grams a day. Now 6 to 10 grams a day is more than 3, and 3 is what many physicians today recommend, but I think our oxidative burden is higher. I can tell you that it keeps my omega three index above 8%. And that’s what I recommend. Now Barry Sears is an expert in this area of essential fats, he now recommends 15 grams of omega-3 EPA DHA a day. Different experts have different points of view. I think what’s clear is we need to reduce the omega-6. We need to increase the omega-3. Read Artemis Simopoulis’ work on the Greek Mediterranean diet and lifestyle, about why we need more omega-3, and we need less processed, crisp foods that are rich in omega-6, but it’s actually rancid and damaged omega-6, so it’s a double harm. So omega-3, yes, essential fats, yes, seeds and nuts and sprouts and foods that contain these as protected essential nutrients, yes. But once you start isolating and processing, you probably are getting trouble.

Katie: Yeah, that’s a great point. And that is a bigger dose than I would expect and I wonder this is what I’m curious to get for myself, now.

Dr. Jaffe: It’s not yet typical. But I can tell you when I started this because…there was a reason, but I started just because I needed to. I can tell you more and more and more of my colleagues have come around to the fact that we need at least 5 and between 5 and 10 grams a day of EPA DHA. Not the precursor because it turns out the precursor doesn’t get converted in most people to the active EPA, DHA. And given how much omega-6 most people get, look at the NHANES data, look at the PubMed data. When you look at how much omega-6 most people get, 5 to 10 grams a day is now a conservative intake, not a high intake.

Katie: Well, that’s… Yeah, that’s awesome to know because I can’t wait to test mine and see. I’m curious about that one. You also mentioned the last one, which I’m hopefully I’m not going to butcher it. I think you said 8-oxoguanine. Is that what you said or guanine?

Dr. Jaffe: No, no guanine, you got it. Guanine is one of the DNA bases. So it’s one of the language…it’s one of the letters of the genetic alphabet. Now, it’s also subject to air oxygen damage and oxidation and then it becomes 8-oxoguanine. We know what healthy people have, it’s less than 5 nanograms per gram of creatinine, which means you can take a spot urine, preferably in the morning but a spot urine and analyze it. And as long as you’re correct to the amount of creatinine that’s present, you have an accurate measure. So you don’t need a 24-hour urine. And it is a urine test. It’s non-invasive. And it completes the suite of protective epigenetic tests or the tests that measure epigenetics, where again, we know the best outcome goal value, and we can work with your lifestyle to get you.

Katie: Got it? Okay. And then, I know this wasn’t one of the eight but I’m curious to get your take on it. Another test that often is run when people do routine labs is a lipid or cholesterol panel. And this is a somewhat controversial area of research and I know that from what I’ve read, other countries have different ranges and different markers that they look at than we do in the U.S. So I’m curious what your take is now on what healthy cholesterol ranges look like and ways that we can optimize that. I would guess there’s an omega-3 component to this answer as well, but I’m really curious to get your take on cholesterol.

Dr. Jaffe: Well, I can tell you the answer and then I’ll tell you why I know the answer. But the answer is you should measure your oxidized cholesterol, your oxidized LDL. Your air oxygen damaged cholesterol and LDL contain 100% of the risk. And this may surprise people but in my, now, half a century in medicine, having collaborated with Don Cry, Bob Maley, and Bob Fedus on animal models of human heart disease, etc. many decades ago. I can tell you for sure that cholesterol and lipoproteins and HDL and LDL are innocent bystanders.

It turns out that magnesium protects essential fats in transit when they’re in LDL. Magnesium acts as an antioxidant to protect essential fats from air oxygen damage while they’re in transit. So I have taken care of people who have lived long and well with elevated lipids in their blood because they were high-performance, high-stress people and they needed to repair their membranes with cholesterol. They needed to repair their hormones through cholesterol, all of our hormones come from cholesterol. The notion that we should actually poison or inhibit the system that makes cholesterol. That was an interesting idea in the 1960s. It’s a scientifically-disproven idea today you can look at Malcolm Kendrick’s work online, you can look at many other people who along with our group showed that as long as you don’t damage the essential fats, they don’t harm you. And as long as you keep a healthy balance of omega-3 to omega-6 by eating whole foods that you can digest, assimilate and eliminate without immune burden. You can live long and well.

So what is it that’s so important about cholesterol? Well, let me give you some facts. And I hope you know this, I’m sure that you can check this out to verify. Half of the heart attacks occur in people with cholesterol above 200 and a half of the heart attacks occur with people below 200. Half of the heart attacks occur with people with LDLs above 100, and half of the heart attacks occur with people below 100. Of what meaning is that. A major person who advocated for that point of view said, and I quote, “Doctors are so dumb, they can only remember simple numbers like 200 and 100.” I said, “Well, what about the individual?” and they looked at me and said, “You’re so naive.” I don’t think I’m naive. Forgive me, but I don’t think I…

Katie: Wow, yeah, that’s really shocking, although I probably shouldn’t be at this point.

Dr. Jaffe: No no, excuse me for jumping in but it is shocking because a lot of medical care is devoted to these, your cholesterol or your LDL or your HDL or are your particles up or down this month versus another. And I’m telling you, it’s all about damage, oxidation, and reduction. Reduction has to do with antioxidants and buffering minerals like we’ve just been talking about. Oxidation has to do with oxygen and keeping it away from delicate things inside your body until you need it. Because oxygen is essential, without oxygen we wouldn’t be having this conversation. But we have basically fallen in love with a reductionist mechanistic model of letting the body fall apart and then trying to patch it up. And I think that’s the wrong model.

I want to keep my body renewing itself continuously, no part of my body or yours is more than 10 years old. And that’s our bones. So this notion that I’m getting old, relative to someone who is, shall I say, young is an illusion. If you get enough of the good stuff, you repair your bones and joints and body, and most of us is actually renewed every few months. So you get enough of the good stuff in, make sure that you exclude as much of the bad stuff as you can. And then learn how to thrive in this stressful, challenging 21st century time, including with these biomarker kinds of tests and understanding what the best outcome values are.

Katie: Such great advice and as we get close to the end of our time…I want to make sure I respect your time, I’m curious, first of all, if there’s a book or any number of books that have had a really dramatic impact on your life, and if so, what they are and why?

Dr. Jaffe: Well, the book that does come to mind is from the late 19th century, and it’s called Color and Light it was by Edwin Babbitt, who was what’s called a polymath, which means he was an MD, he was a JD, a lawyer, he was a PhD. And he basically anticipated the whole field of color therapy. And it turns out there’s a whole non-invasive color healing system that I studied because of Bhante Dharmawara that I have found to be first-line part of comprehensive, personalized, proactive predictive health care. And I want to get it incorporated into the curriculum of training the next generation of doctors and nurses, and health coaches and professionals because we really can feel and function better throughout the entire lifespan of our lives.

In my dad’s case, he died in my arms at 90 of natural causes, but he wasn’t supposed to live over 50. So we had an extra 40 years to enjoy each other. Bhante 110, and had highest frequent flyer status on three different airlines when he was 110. So it is possible to live long and well. As long as we choose the habits of daily living, that let us repair and renew. And that keep our predictive markers our functional personal predictive markers at their best outcome goal values. So live long and well and add life to years and years to life. That nature nurture and wholeness be your guides and eat the foods you can digest, assimilate, and eliminate without immune burden, staying well hydrated. And knowing that you move and think in order to add value to the lives around. Leave the place better than you find it. It’s not a bad philosophy.

Katie: That’s wonderful. And I think, like, you’ve given so much practical advice today. One question I’d love to wrap up with, and you may have just answered it already. But what is one thing that you would love our listeners to take away and remember from this conversation that can help really improve their life starting today?

Dr. Jaffe: Well, here I’m going to quote the 2000-year-old man Mel Brooks if there was one thing to take away from this conversation is that life is about choices. “And while the past is behind us and the future has not happened in this moment, we can choose life, and we can choose to be grateful for whatever our portion is so that we can touch others in a way that makes them smile.”

Katie: I love that. What a perfect note to end on after so much wonderful information in this podcast. Dr. Jaffe, I’m so grateful for your time today and for sharing all that you’ve learned in all of your years of research and study. Thank you so much for being here.

Dr. Jaffe: Very grateful to share this with your audience. And thank you for being you. It was a lovely conversation.

Katie: And thank you as always to all of you for listening and sharing one of your most valuable resources your time with both of us today. We’re so grateful that you did and I hope that you will join me again on the next episode of “The Wellness Mama” podcast.

If you’re enjoying these interviews, would you please take two minutes to leave a rating or review on iTunes for me? Doing this helps more people to find the podcast, which means even more moms and families could benefit from the information. I really appreciate your time, and thanks as always for listening.

Source: https://wellnessmama.com/podcast/russell-jaffe/

[singlebecauseofthechocobros]

So match up? I'm 175cm, skinny, but fit enough, blonde hair and blue eyes aka typical Scandinavian. My personality is textbook ENFJ. I care a lot about my friends and enjoy taking the responsible/leading role. I hate arguing and avoid conflicts, so I always try to be polite and nice. My hobbies are creative stuff like drawing and writing. For exercise I jog with my dog. I love video games in general and studied game design in uni. Usually I'm confident, but sometimes I need a little reassurance.

\\ ALRIGHT!  IT TOOKSOME TIME BUT I FINALLY FINISHED IT. AM I NERVOUS? YES. AM I AFRIAD YOU WILLHATE IT? ABSOLUTLEY! BUT HERE IT IS ANYWAY AND I HOPE YOU LIKE IT! //

Word Count: 1,433

Alright here I go!

I pair you with Gladiolus Amicita!

Strange, I know. Not what you were expecting? I know! Buthonestly I can picture it perfectly!

For starters he is OBSESSED WITH THOSE BLUE EYES! (He alsohas a thing for blondes, but I’m 110% positive we already knew this. He justlooks like the type.)

Honestly if he could, he would stare into them literally allday, every day. They make that hulk of a man soften. All you have to do is givehim that look and he melts like butter. Most of the time he is completelyhelpless when it comes to you, he can’t say no.

He loves that you have such a confident personality! Havingone himself, he enjoys being with someone who can keep up with him andsometimes take the reins. He really admires your leadership skills and yourability to forge your own path. He already has to tell the bros what to do, sohe appreciates not having to worry about you in that aspect. You always seem toknow what to do next and handle a situation. 

Gladio loves that youhelp guide him. You always know what to say and how to motivate him to do hisbest. Not to mention that you tend to “cut the crap” and give it to himstraight. You aren’t afraid to tell him the truth and he needs that. You dothis with everyone however, making you more authentic and Gladio loves it.

Gladio’s favorite part of the day is the morning jog the twoof you take around Insomnia. While you may not be a body builder like he is, heenjoys the fact that he can work out and spend time with you. You keep the pacesteady but slow and Gladio is not normally used to such a pace, but heappreciates it. He enjoys that you keep him stable. Teaching him not everythingis a race.

He LOVES your dog. He has always wanted one but has alwaysbeen too busy to take care of one. Not only does he have you but he also getsto finally have a pet and he thanks the Astrals every day for the both of you.

He loves watching you draw. He likes to watch howconcentrated you get when sketching something. You have drawn him a coupletimes and he only wishes he was as skilled as you so he could draw your faceeverything. Sketching every detail of you into his memory will have to do.

 And when it comes to your writings, he feels so special when you let him read your pieces. Especially since you normally let him read everything first. But not only that, he loves seeing how passionate you get when telling him about your OC’s and plot lines. He loves your passion. 

He doesn’tmind watching you play video games, but he doesn’t play them often so itsomething he is slowly getting into. He wants to enjoy your hobbies, but hewould definitely rather watch you play than attempt it himself. He sometimeseven goes to Noctis and Prompto and asks them questions about the games youplay so that they can explain them to him and he knows what you’re talking about.(He would never tell you that though.)

As for your wavering confidence, Gladio gets it. While youwould think otherwise due to his overall confident personality, nobody isconfident all the time. He knows how to make you feel better and has no problemreassuring you as much as it takes. He wants nothing more for you to seeyourself through his eyes.

 How You Met:

It was a quarter past six by the time you managed to put theleash on your dog and walk out the front door of your apartment. The morning airwas crisp and the sun was hidden behind all the gray clouds hovering above thecity. There was a fog that stretched out along the streets and the grass wasdripping in dew. The chilly air sent goosebumps along your skin, but you knewonce you started moving you would be fine. In fact you enjoyed this weather. Itwas perfect for sitting inside with a cup of cocoa and sketching art pieces;which is what you would do after your morning jog.

Locking the door behind you and putting the key in yourjacket pocket, you took off at a consistent pace. Your dog pranced besides you,making his trot look effortless, while you were beginning to breathe a littleheavier.  

The two of you jogged for quite some time, nodding to otherjoggers you passed and focusing on your breathing. You could feel your legsburning and your lungs begging for more air but you kept going. You eventually madeit to the local park and decided to take a rest on one of the many parkbenches. Taking a seat, you let your arms and whole body go slack, leaning yourhead over the back of the bench to look up at the grey clouds above. Closingyour eyes, you began to get your breathing under control; that was until youfelt your dog pull his leash out of your grasp.  

You jumped up looking around and could see your dog boltingoff down the park trail. You took off after him wondering what made him bolt. Youkept your eyes on him, as you sprinted down past all the walkers and joggers,who had turned their gaze to watch you. You tried to keep up but he eventuallyturned down a path and you lost sight of him. You felt yourself panic, worriedyou had lost your loving companion.

“Hey buddy ya lost?”

You turned you head to the sound of the voice and ran in itsdirection. You dog came into your line of sight and a wave of relief rushedover you. Squatting on the ground petting your dog was a large looking man; muscularand fit, but there was a gentle aura to him.

“I am so sorry,” you spoke in between breaths. You bent overwith your hands on your knees.

“Guessing he’s yours?”

“After what he just did, you can have him,” you laughed.

The stranger laughed with you, watching as you stood back upand gave him a warm smile. He was taken back by the brightness in your eyes.The blue hues of your irises seemed to shine and bring color to the dull greymorning. “They’re bluer than Nocts… andprettier,” he thought to himself.  Healso took in how naturally pretty you looked; no makeup what so ever and yetyou looked complete.

You observed how tall the man was, as he seemed to towerover you and how defined his facial features were even under his five o’clockshadow. His hair was all over the place, and yet stayed out of his face. You weren’tone for long hair, but he pulled it off quite nicely. His eyes were what reallycaught your attention though. They weren’t brown rather they seemed to be abreathtaking shade of amber; a color that reminded you of the reflection of a sunseton the water.  

After realizing you both had been staring a little too long,you quickly veered away, feeling your cheeks get hot. You were thankful thatyour face was still red from all the running so he wouldn’t see your blush.

“Well I’m sorry again for my dog interrupting you.”

“No it’s not a problem,” The man said, rubbing the back ofhis neck and looking away shyly.

You stood there awkwardly as he was trying to think ofsomething to say.

“Um, can I have my dog,” you giggled.

The man looked down to see your dog’s leash still in hishand. “Oh, yeah of course,” he replied shaking his head. He handed you theleash and the two of you brushed your hands against the other.

“Well thank you again, um, I’m sorry what’s your name?”

“Gladiolus Amicitia,” He said reaching out his hand, “Butmost people call me Gladio.”

You took his hand and properly introduced yourself andthanked him one last time before saying goodbye. You turned to walk the oppositeway, leash in hand, and begin a trot down the path. You were almost back inyour “jogging zone” when you heard someone running up to you from behind.

“Hey,” Gladio called out. You stopped, turning to him as hejogged up to you, “Weird question but want to get a coffee?”

“Coffee?”

“Erm, yes,” he replied quizzically, wondering if he had saidthe wrong thing.

“I’m more of a cocoa person.”

“Me too and I know a place with great hot chocolate.”

“Are you just saying that so I go with you?”

“Maybe,” he chuckled, “Is it working?”

(Spoiler: It Worked)

[theseventhhex]

Children of Bodom Interview

Children of Bodom

Children of Bodom’s skyrocketing start in the mid-90s was a takeoff that newcomer metal bands are still being measured against till this day, almost all of their albums earned gold or even platinum status in their home country and over the past two decades they‘ve become regulars on some of the world‘s biggest stages. Brought into existence in 1993 by childhoold pals Alexi Laiho and Jaska Raatikainen at the astoundingly young age of 13 and 14 years respectively, the Finnish formation was completed by keyboardist Janne Wirman and bassist Henkka Seppälä. With every subsequent album, the band manages to improve and perfect their unique sound. Thus, they build a pillar in the metal pantheon. They are long known for their light hearted musical principle of operation and for their grave work ethos rather than a just-for-fun-attitude, which is why they could position within the front lines of the world’s finest metal bands… We talk to the iconic CoB frontman Alexi Laiho about his songwriting, touring and Freddie Krueger…

TSH: Over twenty years into the band's existence, the consistency with each Children of Bodom body of work is truly remarkable. How rewarding is it to know that you guys have a seamless way of communicating a trust that is expressed musically?

Alexi: It feels great man. Essentially we are just like family; this is a band of brothers who respect each other very much. I don't know if there is a key factor to our consistency, but because we grew up together, as well as going to the same school since we were like 11 years old, that's obviously given us a unique bond. We've kept the same four of us since the first album too. Also, when you tour as much as we do, you get to really know a person even more so. You can't compare this band to a marriage or anything like that, there's just simply a great balance of harmony and chaos with each passing album, and that's what it's all about.

TSH: How do you feel your songwriting had evolved in recent years?

Alexi: I've always felt that anything and everything that's happening around me somehow finds its way into my music. I guess even world events affect me in some way, whether it's conscious or not, but I feel like my songwriting is not pulling from what you commonly hear on the news. I tend to draw from real life experiences. I don't really like to focus on religion or politics, but I guess even if you don't know it, those things are impacting you in some way, simply because there is so much bedlam that cannot be avoided. Negativity has always been an outlet for me to write about. I guess it sounds cliché, but writing about negative things is like the best form of therapy for me, and the only form of therapy that actually works...

TSH: You've stated that when you feel bummed out or pissed off is when you feel strongest…

Alexi: Absolutely, and that's something that I learnt at a very early age. I always kind of cherish that feeling, when you feel, as you said bummed out or stressed, but you can turn it into something positive with music. I like it when I get that one second of fucking pure rage and it makes me feel like superman. Also, feeling bummed out doesn’t have to be anything heavy like feeling suicidal, I haven't felt suicidal since I was 18 years old - it doesn't have to be anything too dramatic. You can still find inspiration from small moments of rage - like being in a traffic jam and getting super-pissed off. There is no human being on the planet that will run out of shitty feelings, it just won't happen, so all this negativity and shitty energy can actually be a good source of inspiration. Life isn't always one big party, I mean I do like my poison too, but sometimes you need to find a balance between the two.

TSH: You're no stranger to being told that you're a guitar god. Being incredibly gifted and skilled on guitar, does it please you that you're constantly changing the conversation and taking your guitar playing to new heights?

Alexi: Oh, for sure. It's great that the guitar continues to take me to new avenues. This instrument has always just been so intriguing to me, I guess intriguing doesn't do it justice; I'm actually obsessed with the guitar! I've loved it since I was like 3 years old. I got my first guitar when I was 11 and the rest is history. To this day it remains important to enjoy practising on my guitar and even just playing the guitar for the hell of it.

TSH: I wanted to get your views on some classic Children of Bodom tracks. When you look back on a track like 'Sixpounder', what resonates with you most?

Alexi: I do remember that track was the first time that we used drop tuning on a Children of Bodom song, and it instantly stood out from the rest of the songs. I remember it had this super heavy and hardcore feeling and it was very different for us. As far as the song structure goes, it actually has a pretty simple verse chorus, verse chorus thing going on. 'Sixpounder' is one of those songs that we still play today and it fucking kills every time we play it.

TSH: Furthermore, 'Everytime I Die' is a song that many individuals connect with and interpret in their own way. What does this track convey to you?

Alexi: I'm pleased that our fans and various individuals can connect with this song and apply their own feelings. I've had fans from around the world tell me how they associate with the lyrics and energy of the song - it's so cool. You know, for me, this song is kind of venting and it has this tension, but I also feel that there is a lot of positivity in 'Everytime I Die'. It's very much like when you're on your knees and you just let go of the weight on your shoulders to feel free.

TSH: I understand that starting a song is the most frustrating part for you, after the initial few riffs, everything comes out naturally. Is it still a case of having to switch off and have a deep level of concentration?

Alexi: Yeah man, it's always been this way. Right now, we are starting to work on new material and every day I'm fighting with a blank page and looking to just sort of get the first riff out of my system. I've got tons of ideas, but I find it's important to get the first song down to makes things a little easier. Man, making new music is fucking hard! It's a hell of a challenge, but I live for challenges and embrace the hurdles that I need to overcome. After all these years, trying to sound fresh means you have to find the right state of mind when you're writing, therefore overcoming that initial first challenging phase is always vital.

TSH: Children of Bodom has constantly performed in the US and Europe, you've even taken your shows throughout, South America, Indonesia, India and Japan. How liberating is it to perform to such a loyal legion of followers and to know that you have a bond with fans where English isn't even their native tongue?

Alexi: It's fucking amazing man, it really is! Performing live to metalheads around the world is probably the main reason that we are still doing this. Touring is always a pleasure, I don't give a shit if it's a dive rock club, a large festival, or an arena - it pays off once you get onstage and you see people going crazy. Sometimes it pisses me off when bands are bitching about touring. It seems like everybody is trying to prove a point that there is nothing glamorous about touring. I say fuck that attitude! Touring is fucking awesome! To be on the road and play live often is not a bad job to have at all.

TSH: How's your shoulder feeling after surgery?

Alexi: Much better. I had surgery two months ago, which was long overdue, so I've been trying to rehab and get back in shape. It's all about making sure that my body stays whole and healthy. I do concentrate on preserving my voice a lot these days too.

TSH: How are your days off being spent?

Alexi: When I do have a day off, I just watch brainless TV, something that doesn't make you think too much, ha! I like to watch sitcoms a lot, especially trashy ones. I really do like Seinfeld, and obviously horror movies are a must for me...

TSH: Being a fan of Stephen Kings IT, you must be looking forward to the remake this September?

Alexi: No way man! I didn't even know there was a remake! You'll have to send me some links. Pennywise the clown is a fucking scary character - highly rated, for sure!

TSH: Is Freddie Kruger your ultimate horror movie icon?

Alexi: Ha! Yeah, man. By far Freddie Krueger is my favourite character. Man, when I was a kid, the Elm Street movies were specifically banned, we were not allowed to watch them. When I was in the first or second grade, I remember my neighbour's parents had the Nightmare on Elm Street tapes on VHS and we watched the first two. It was an amazing experience! Those movies were the scariest and most fucking appealing films ever! To this day I love the music, the feel and everything about those movies. You can't beat 80s nostalgia.

TSH: Are your intentions with Children of Bodom to very much always attempting to get better as a performer, player and singer?

Alexi: Absolutely. I'm always looking to improve on all levels with this band. You know, I had this need when I was a teenager to show the world that I can succeed and prove people wrong, even now this attitude is still driving me. I had many doubters and people that did not believe in my intentions initially, and proving people wrong over the years has become one of my favourite things in the world. I would do anything to fucking prove someone wrong if I disagree - I get crazy with it! If I have an aim with this band, I'm going in 110% sure that it will happen. I mean who'd of thought we’d be able to keep this up for 20 years, that even surprises me, yet we still have so many amazing fans! We have fans that weren’t even born when the first record came out! That's fucking insane and mind-blowing dude! I'm just so grateful for the support and I’ll always look to give it all and deliver our best work possible with every Children of Bodom release and live show.

Children of Bodom - “Morrigan”

I Worship Chaos

[spryfilm]

“Love, Simon” (2018)

Drama/Comedy

Running Time: 110 minutes

Written by: Isaac Aptaker & Elizabeth Berger

Directed by: Greg Berlanti

Featuring:  Nick Robinson, Katherine Langford, Alexandra Shipp, Josh Duhamel, and Jennifer Garner

Simon: “Did you know?”

Emily: “I knew you had a secret. When you were little, you were so carefree. But these last few years, more and more, it almost like I can feel you holding your breath. I wanted to ask you about it, but I didn’t wan to pry. Maybe I made a mistake.”

Simon: “No. No, mom, you didn’t make a mistake.” 

Emily: “Being gay is your thing. There are parts of it you have to go through alone. I hate that. As soon as you came out, you said, “Mom, I’m still me.” I need you to hear this: You are still you, Simon. You are still the same son who I love to tease and who your father depends on for just about everything. And you’re the same brother who always complements his sister on her food, even when it sucks. You get to exhale now, Simon. You get to be more you than you have been in… in a very long time. You deserve everything you want.”

Time is a constant which means in the modern world life can be cyclical, more so in terms of cinema where certain points in life that many people relate to can be re-examined as well as reinvigorated to the point that they become recognisable genres. So almost every year audiences can be introduced or reintroduced to the high school movie genre that like its audience never gets old, just seemingly smarter, funnier and in some cases more grown up. Within that genre there are multiple sub genres such as horror, drama, comedy as well as a host of others that actually at this stage, seem endless. There are many reasons that this genre remains popular, such as any pop culture aspects of society can be laid over the top to make them seem culturally relevant, high school itself is a microcosm where larger society can be examined, it is a genre that welcomes tropes as well as subverting those tropes and, as society changes, so these movies are able to easily illustrate those changes to audiences everywhere.

The latest high school movie, released on DVD this week, is “Love, Simon” (2018), a love story that has elements of comedy as well as drama that features at its heart the titular character, Simon, who is also gay. Now there have been many high school movies with gay characters in them so this is not new, in fact last year with “Call Me by Your Name” (2017) there was a lead who was a high school aged boy that was gay, but this might mark the first time a Hollywood movie has had a gay protagonist as the main character, not only that but whose name is in the title. One of the elements of “Love, Simon” that I really enjoyed was that it had been very well made with a great young cast and an extremely competent and in touch director in Greg Berlanti who is an undeniable talent as well as someone who is interested in telling different stories about the world we live in now, although there are some conditions to that which I will look at later.

“Love, Simon” has been directed by Greg Berlanti who is known for his stellar work on CW/DC Universe television shows “Supergirl” (2015 – ), “The Flash” (2014 – ), “Arrow” (2012 – ) as well as the teen drama “Dawson’s Creek” (1998-2003) to name but a few of his credits. One of the elements of Berlanti as a story teller that seem to stand out is his ability to create memorable characters that stay mostly true to their innate personalities as well as creating plots for these characters to naturally inhabit, these are the stand out reasons why Berlanti has been able to have such a varied career. “Love, Simon” is an adaption of the novel ‘Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda’ by Becky Albertalli, which has been written for the screen by Isaac Aptaker & Elizabeth Berger who it may not be a surprise to learn that they are behind the televiios show “This is us” (2016 – ) whose story is not a million miles removed from this mvie.

Simon Spier is a closeted gay high school boy in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia. He has a close and loving family: parents Emily and Jack, and sister Nora, as well as three best friends: Nick and Leah, whom he has known most of his life, and newcomer Abby. One day, Leah informs Simon about an online confession of a closeted gay student at their high school, known only by the pseudonym “Blue”. As “Jacques”, Simon begins communicating with him via email. The two confide personal details and form a connection. However, their emails are accidentally discovered by another student, Martin, who is infatuated with Abby. After learning his secret, Martin blackmails Simon by threatening to make his emails public unless he agrees to help Martin win over Abby. Simon begins to suspect that his classmate Bram is Blue.

The trio of young actors that make up the cast of “Love, Simon” are all impressive in their roles that are like most high school movies very different as well as trope laden. In the title role is Nick Robinson who has film and television experience, here creates a character from a novel but is charming as well as inventive enough to make a compelling lead as well as someone who has to play very different aspects of the same character. His friends Katherine Langford and Alexandra Shipp are both very convincing in sharing the spotlight, both have come from different backgrounds as well as projects that in their own way are very extreme in their subject matter, so it is great to see them in something that is light-hearted but important as well. Rounding out the cast are two experienced character actors in Josh Duhamel and Jennifer Garner who are the experienced rock that this movie is set against, they both are liberal leading parents as you might expect but of course are both a joy to see and have some chemistry with each other as well as Nick Robinson.

This movie serves a purpose, one that is to create a high school love story with a lead that is gay which is a step that has needed to be taken in Hollywood movies, it reflects segments of society that are relatively rarely seen onscreen which is not only welcome but also creates more originality in what must be a tired genre. My only real criticism is one that haunts many movies that are trying something new which is the concentration on the new aspect to the detriment of reality as well as some of the more common issues that are present in peoples lives. In terms of this movie to avoid complications Simon needs to have parents that are not only liberal but very well off with no other issues that might be present in real peoples lives like, money issues, political pressures, social pressures, making bill payments and other aspects of life that are very ordinary. Also Simon attends what must be a progressive school with little pushback from many teachers or students, which is a great thing to be able to have, but even in 2018 this might not be too realistic. Much like the recent movie “Wonder” (2017) which had similar issues where the family as well as the school are so liberal and have so much money that there were no other real issues for people to face. These aspects do not stop the enjoyment of the movie but they do paint a picture of liberal acceptance being linked to affluence as well as whiteness which to me is a problem in the long term as it seems to say that rich white people are liberal as well as educated and are above pettiness which is reductive as well as not true. What may have been more realistic as well as adding more variation in the plot would have had been to have more pushback from school, some marital issues or jeopardy that other characters may have had to face, it is not that big of a challenge but could open the story up for others.

While this might not be the perfect movie it is a very welcome entry into the comedy/drama/relationship high school movie that not only will appeal to the younger demographic it might also be an entry way to having awkward conversations with parents and their children. It illustrates that in this life there is not just one way to be but opens up avenues that others may have never thought of as adolescence starts or comes to an end. This is a very good watch, one that should be seen in groups, as it is a communal experience that should be shared. It also asks to be viewed more than once so don’t be shy go out and get this now.

“Love, Simon” is released on the 11th July 2018 on DVD.

  DVD review: “Love, Simon” (2018) "Love, Simon" (2018) Drama/Comedy Running Time: 110 minutes Written by: Isaac Aptaker & Elizabeth Berger Directed by: Greg Berlanti…

[crystalgordontx]

The Top 5 Detox Supplements of 2017

Ready for a fresh start?

A great way to kick off a new diet or workout plan is to prepare yourself with a deep cleanse to clean out unwanted buildup of particles and toxins in your organs – particularly your colon and liver.

Detox supplements are the most effective way to clean out intrusive garbage buildup in your body.

Below is a list of the best detox supplements on the market according to price, customer reviews, and product quality. Part two covers exactly what detox supplements are and how they work. 

So what’s the #1 best detox supplement on the market?

1- Vita Balance Colon Detox Plus

Lowest price we found

Vita Balance Colon Detox Plus is our #1 recommended detox supplement because of its variety of powerful natural ingredients, making it a high quality product at a pretty reasonable price.

Compared to other leading detox products, this one contains more premium natural ingredients designed to cleanse your colon over the course of 30 days.

Main ingredients in this detox blend include:

Psyllium

Lactobacillus acidophilus

Rhubarb

Gentian

Aloe Vera

Cascara Sagrada

Buckthorn

Alfalfa Leaf

These ingredients work together to flush toxins from the body, reset your digestive system, relieve constipation and bloating, and increase energy levels.

Here’s the official supplement label for reference:

Reviews of this detox supplement are excellent. Here’s one from a recent customer:

“I generally try to keep healthy and have tried many different cleanses. I don’t like prescription medicine so I wanted something natural and that I could take daily in a supplement form. I was amazed how I felt after 2 weeks, this is the best colon cleanse I have tried! I have never felt so energized and I definitely look leaner. I won’t ever go back.”

A supplement that helps you feel better AND look better?

Sign me up.

This product is manufactured under GMP guidelines in a US FDA registered facility.

Take 2 veggie capsules every day for 30 days for the full detox.

Buy Colon Detox Plus Online

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2- Dr. Tobias Colon: 14-Day Quick Cleanse

Lowest price on Amazon

Dr. Tobias Colon Cleanse uses natural herbal ingredients to effectively detox your colon in just 14 days.

This detox supplement provides not only effective natural laxatives, fiber & herbs that are gentle on the intestines, but also Lactobacillus Acidophilus to help promote healthy levels of bacteria in the intestinal tract.

Senna & Cascara Sagrada are other ingredients in this detox supplement, known for their laxative ability.

Aloe vera is another colon cleansing & liver cleansing herb, also a crucial ingredient in this supplement.

Psyllium husk & flax seed powder provide a little extra bulk for old fecal matter to be moved out of the colon, helping your detox process go more comfortably.

The unique blend of non-irritating ingredients in Dr. Tobias’s detox supplement helps free the intestinal tract of excess waste, increase energy, alleviate bloating, and supports healthy bowel movements.

28 capsules in the bottle, take 2 every day for 14 days for the full detox.

Buy Dr. Tobias Colon Cleanse on Amazon

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3- Dr. Tobias Liver: 21 Day Essential Cleanse

Lowest price on Amazon

Dr. Tobias Liver 21 Day Essential Cleanse is one of the most natural and effective liver detox supplements the market has to offer, offered at a reasonable price.

This particular detox supplement uses artichoke, milk thistle, dandelion, and proteolytic enzymes to help digest multiple kinds of proteins and fats in your body.

It also contains solarplast – a super antioxidant that provides high concentrations of energy molecules.

Allergen warning: this product contains egg.

Developed and researched in the USA, and made in the USA according to GMP standards.

63 capsules in the bottle, take a 3-capsule serving every day for 21 days for the full detox.

Buy Dr. Tobias Liver Support on Amazon

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4- Nature’s Secret 5-Day Fast and Cleanse

Lowest price on Amazon

Nature’s Secret’s powerful 5-day detox kit offers a unique 5-step process – flush, fiber, cleanse, satisfy, and replenish.

This detox supplement is meant to be taken while you fast, meaning it is most effective when you go without any meals for five days straight.

Fasting provides an efficient way to cleanse the body and rest the digestive system, and can aid in the removal of toxins, improve digestive function and boost energy.

The 5-day cleanse is broken up into five crucial components:

Part 1 – Colon Clear™ – promotes healthy daily bowel movements to help eliminate waste

Part 2 – Fiber Cleanse™ – enhances digestion & elimination, rich in fiber to help promote cleansing

Part 3 – Liver Cleanse™ – well balanced nutrients to promote liver health

Part 4 – CraveLess™ – powerful herbal blend to promote healthy digestion

Part 5 – Super Nutrition™- broad spectrum of phytonutrients provide a nutritional boost

This detox kit includes: 25 tablets of Colon Clear™, 110 grams of Fiber Cleanse™, 25 tablets of Liver Cleanse™, 30 tablets of CraveLess™, and 14 liquid soft-gels of Super Nutrition™.

Buy Nature’s Secret 5-Day Fast and Cleanse on Amazon

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5- BaeTea 14-Day Teatox

Lowest price on Amazon

One of the most popular natural detox supplements on Amazon, BaeTea Teatox is a unique herbal tea detox you drink every morning for 14 days.

The tea contains traditional herbs with Oolong Wu Yi tea from China’s Fujian province.

Also included in the tea blend:

Green Tea

Rooibos Leaf

Ginger Root

Pomegranate

Guarana Seed

Matcha Green Tea

Garcinia Cambodia Extract

The combination of these natural ingredients help to purify your body from toxins and waste, boost your metabolism and energy levels, get rid of excess water, and reduce stress.

This tea has a pleasant and smooth taste and is commonly used for weight loss, as it acts a powerful natural appetite suppressant.

14 servings in the bag, drink one serving every morning for 14 days for the full detox.

Buy Baetea 14 Day Teatox on Amazon

—

What are detox supplements?

Detox supplements are supplements designed to help cleanse your body of bad toxins that have built up over time.

Taking a detox supplement helps encourage high energy levels on a daily basis and also promotes a healthy immune system.

Detox supplements contain powerful ingredients – a wide variety of enzymes and antioxidants that work together to flush the bad stuff out and make sure that your body can function at optimum efficiency.

The more efficient your body functions over time, the healthier you will be over time.

How do detox supplements work?

From time to time, your body may feel sluggish and in need of an “overhaul” or “system reboot”.

That’s what a detox supplement is there for – a thorough cleanse of the internal organs to help rid any toxin buildups.

Uhh, I thought my colon and liver filtered out the toxins in my body?

Well they do…mostly.

With the help of the colon, liver, and intestines, your body does a remarkable job naturally filtering out the toxins that enter your body; you constantly flush these toxins out every time you sweat, have a bowel movement, and urinate.

There are some toxins, however, that are more difficult for your liver to filter and can become stored in fat tissue – these include various heavy metals, pthalates, bisphenol a (BPA), and other persistent organic pollutants (1).

Detox supplements help get rid of these intrusive waste products and enable your vital organs to function at a higher level.

What are the benefits of detox supplements?

Detox supplements are highly beneficial for those who are planning to lose a lot of weight in a short amount of time.  

This is because detox supplements help refresh and kickstart your organs into full strength, helping your body shed excess weight more efficiently.

But they’re not just for people looking to lose weight.

Regularly cleansing your body of toxin buildup helps your immune system stay on guard at full strength to fight off sickness and disease.

So detox supplements can benefit anyone, really.

Other benefits of detox supplements include healthier hair and nails, higher energy levels throughout the day, and better hormone regulation.

What are the side effects of detox supplements?

Generally, detox supplements won’t cause major side effects as long as the recommended dosage instructions are followed.

Just beware of taking too many detox supplements, or taking them too frequently, as this can be harmful for your body.

Like any other supplement, it is important to thoroughly read the supplement label and follow the instructions. Avoid taking more than the recommended dosage, unless instructed by a doctor.

People with chronic illnesses, such as diabetes and heart disease, along with pregnant women are not advised to take detox supplements.

Additionally, detox supplements:

-may cause vitamin efficiency (taking a men’s or women’s multivitamin supplement after the detox period can help prevent this)

-may cause headaches in the first few days after taking the supplement

-may cause frequent urination and bowel disturbances

Recap

Overall, detox supplements can be very beneficial when used as directed.

Taking a detox supplement is one of the best ways you can tune-up your internal organs, helping you feel refreshed and energized.

Whether you are kicking off a new diet or weight loss program, or simply feel that you could use a cleanse, a natural detox supplement is a great way to go.

If you know you need a detox but you are unsure which product to go with, we’ve made it easy for you to decide – we went through and narrowed down the five best ones.

Check out the rankings at the top of the page and see which detox supplement best fits what you’re looking for.

More Supplement Rankings

Best Greens

Best Sleeping Aids

Best Calcium

Best Beef Protein

Best Meal Replacement Shakes

Best Raspberry Ketones

Best Garcinia Cambogia

Best Nitric Oxide

Best Taurine

Best Pre-Workout

Best Creatine

Best Joint Support

Best Multivitamins for Women

Best Multivitamins for Men

Best Nootropics

Best Probiotic

Best Fish Oil

(see more)

The post The Top 5 Detox Supplements of 2017 appeared first on Health Ranks.

from Health Ranks http://healthranks.org/detox/

[georgepaul32]

The Top 5 Detox Supplements of 2017

Ready for a fresh start?

A great way to kick off a new diet or workout plan is to prepare yourself with a deep cleanse to clean out unwanted buildup of particles and toxins in your organs – particularly your colon and liver.

Detox supplements are the most effective way to clean out intrusive garbage buildup in your body.

Below is a list of the best detox supplements on the market according to price, customer reviews, and product quality. Part two covers exactly what detox supplements are and how they work. 

So what’s the #1 best detox supplement on the market?

1- Vita Balance Colon Detox Plus

Lowest price we found

Vita Balance Colon Detox Plus is our #1 recommended detox supplement because of its variety of powerful natural ingredients, making it a high quality product at a pretty reasonable price.

Compared to other leading detox products, this one contains more premium natural ingredients designed to cleanse your colon over the course of 30 days.

Main ingredients in this detox blend include:

Psyllium

Lactobacillus acidophilus

Rhubarb

Gentian

Aloe Vera

Cascara Sagrada

Buckthorn

Alfalfa Leaf

These ingredients work together to flush toxins from the body, reset your digestive system, relieve constipation and bloating, and increase energy levels.

Here’s the official supplement label for reference:

Reviews of this detox supplement are excellent. Here’s one from a recent customer:

“I generally try to keep healthy and have tried many different cleanses. I don’t like prescription medicine so I wanted something natural and that I could take daily in a supplement form. I was amazed how I felt after 2 weeks, this is the best colon cleanse I have tried! I have never felt so energized and I definitely look leaner. I won’t ever go back.”

A supplement that helps you feel better AND look better?

Sign me up.

This product is manufactured under GMP guidelines in a US FDA registered facility.

Take 2 veggie capsules every day for 30 days for the full detox.

Buy Colon Detox Plus Online

—

2- Dr. Tobias Colon: 14-Day Quick Cleanse

Lowest price on Amazon

Dr. Tobias Colon Cleanse uses natural herbal ingredients to effectively detox your colon in just 14 days.

This detox supplement provides not only effective natural laxatives, fiber & herbs that are gentle on the intestines, but also Lactobacillus Acidophilus to help promote healthy levels of bacteria in the intestinal tract.

Senna & Cascara Sagrada are other ingredients in this detox supplement, known for their laxative ability.

Aloe vera is another colon cleansing & liver cleansing herb, also a crucial ingredient in this supplement.

Psyllium husk & flax seed powder provide a little extra bulk for old fecal matter to be moved out of the colon, helping your detox process go more comfortably.

The unique blend of non-irritating ingredients in Dr. Tobias’s detox supplement helps free the intestinal tract of excess waste, increase energy, alleviate bloating, and supports healthy bowel movements.

28 capsules in the bottle, take 2 every day for 14 days for the full detox.

Buy Dr. Tobias Colon Cleanse on Amazon

—

3- Dr. Tobias Liver: 21 Day Essential Cleanse

Lowest price on Amazon

Dr. Tobias Liver 21 Day Essential Cleanse is one of the most natural and effective liver detox supplements the market has to offer, offered at a reasonable price.

This particular detox supplement uses artichoke, milk thistle, dandelion, and proteolytic enzymes to help digest multiple kinds of proteins and fats in your body.

It also contains solarplast – a super antioxidant that provides high concentrations of energy molecules.

Allergen warning: this product contains egg.

Developed and researched in the USA, and made in the USA according to GMP standards.

63 capsules in the bottle, take a 3-capsule serving every day for 21 days for the full detox.

Buy Dr. Tobias Liver Support on Amazon

—

4- Nature’s Secret 5-Day Fast and Cleanse

Lowest price on Amazon

Nature’s Secret’s powerful 5-day detox kit offers a unique 5-step process – flush, fiber, cleanse, satisfy, and replenish.

This detox supplement is meant to be taken while you fast, meaning it is most effective when you go without any meals for five days straight.

Fasting provides an efficient way to cleanse the body and rest the digestive system, and can aid in the removal of toxins, improve digestive function and boost energy.

The 5-day cleanse is broken up into five crucial components:

Part 1 – Colon Clear™ – promotes healthy daily bowel movements to help eliminate waste

Part 2 – Fiber Cleanse™ – enhances digestion & elimination, rich in fiber to help promote cleansing

Part 3 – Liver Cleanse™ – well balanced nutrients to promote liver health

Part 4 – CraveLess™ – powerful herbal blend to promote healthy digestion

Part 5 – Super Nutrition™- broad spectrum of phytonutrients provide a nutritional boost

This detox kit includes: 25 tablets of Colon Clear™, 110 grams of Fiber Cleanse™, 25 tablets of Liver Cleanse™, 30 tablets of CraveLess™, and 14 liquid soft-gels of Super Nutrition™.

Buy Nature’s Secret 5-Day Fast and Cleanse on Amazon

—

5- BaeTea 14-Day Teatox

Lowest price on Amazon

One of the most popular natural detox supplements on Amazon, BaeTea Teatox is a unique herbal tea detox you drink every morning for 14 days.

The tea contains traditional herbs with Oolong Wu Yi tea from China’s Fujian province.

Also included in the tea blend:

Green Tea

Rooibos Leaf

Ginger Root

Pomegranate

Guarana Seed

Matcha Green Tea

Garcinia Cambodia Extract

The combination of these natural ingredients help to purify your body from toxins and waste, boost your metabolism and energy levels, get rid of excess water, and reduce stress.

This tea has a pleasant and smooth taste and is commonly used for weight loss, as it acts a powerful natural appetite suppressant.

14 servings in the bag, drink one serving every morning for 14 days for the full detox.

Buy Baetea 14 Day Teatox on Amazon

—

What are detox supplements?

Detox supplements are supplements designed to help cleanse your body of bad toxins that have built up over time.

Taking a detox supplement helps encourage high energy levels on a daily basis and also promotes a healthy immune system.

Detox supplements contain powerful ingredients – a wide variety of enzymes and antioxidants that work together to flush the bad stuff out and make sure that your body can function at optimum efficiency.

The more efficient your body functions over time, the healthier you will be over time.

How do detox supplements work?

From time to time, your body may feel sluggish and in need of an “overhaul” or “system reboot”.

That’s what a detox supplement is there for – a thorough cleanse of the internal organs to help rid any toxin buildups.

Uhh, I thought my colon and liver filtered out the toxins in my body?

Well they do…mostly.

With the help of the colon, liver, and intestines, your body does a remarkable job naturally filtering out the toxins that enter your body; you constantly flush these toxins out every time you sweat, have a bowel movement, and urinate.

There are some toxins, however, that are more difficult for your liver to filter and can become stored in fat tissue – these include various heavy metals, pthalates, bisphenol a (BPA), and other persistent organic pollutants (1).

Detox supplements help get rid of these intrusive waste products and enable your vital organs to function at a higher level.

What are the benefits of detox supplements?

Detox supplements are highly beneficial for those who are planning to lose a lot of weight in a short amount of time.  

This is because detox supplements help refresh and kickstart your organs into full strength, helping your body shed excess weight more efficiently.

But they’re not just for people looking to lose weight.

Regularly cleansing your body of toxin buildup helps your immune system stay on guard at full strength to fight off sickness and disease.

So detox supplements can benefit anyone, really.

Other benefits of detox supplements include healthier hair and nails, higher energy levels throughout the day, and better hormone regulation.

What are the side effects of detox supplements?

Generally, detox supplements won’t cause major side effects as long as the recommended dosage instructions are followed.

Just beware of taking too many detox supplements, or taking them too frequently, as this can be harmful for your body.

Like any other supplement, it is important to thoroughly read the supplement label and follow the instructions. Avoid taking more than the recommended dosage, unless instructed by a doctor.

People with chronic illnesses, such as diabetes and heart disease, along with pregnant women are not advised to take detox supplements.

Additionally, detox supplements:

-may cause vitamin efficiency (taking a men’s or women’s multivitamin supplement after the detox period can help prevent this)

-may cause headaches in the first few days after taking the supplement

-may cause frequent urination and bowel disturbances

Recap

Overall, detox supplements can be very beneficial when used as directed.

Taking a detox supplement is one of the best ways you can tune-up your internal organs, helping you feel refreshed and energized.

Whether you are kicking off a new diet or weight loss program, or simply feel that you could use a cleanse, a natural detox supplement is a great way to go.

If you know you need a detox but you are unsure which product to go with, we’ve made it easy for you to decide – we went through and narrowed down the five best ones.

Check out the rankings at the top of the page and see which detox supplement best fits what you’re looking for.

More Supplement Rankings

Best Greens

Best Sleeping Aids

Best Calcium

Best Beef Protein

Best Meal Replacement Shakes

Best Raspberry Ketones

Best Garcinia Cambogia

Best Nitric Oxide

Best Taurine

Best Pre-Workout

Best Creatine

Best Joint Support

Best Multivitamins for Women

Best Multivitamins for Men

Best Nootropics

Best Probiotic

Best Fish Oil

(see more)

The post The Top 5 Detox Supplements of 2017 appeared first on Health Ranks.

from Health Ranks http://healthranks.org/detox/

[bobdelseynv]

The Top 5 Detox Supplements of 2017

Ready for a fresh start?

A great way to kick off a new diet or workout plan is to prepare yourself with a deep cleanse to clean out unwanted buildup of particles and toxins in your organs – particularly your colon and liver.

Detox supplements are the most effective way to clean out intrusive garbage buildup in your body.

Below is a list of the best detox supplements on the market according to price, customer reviews, and product quality. Part two covers exactly what detox supplements are and how they work. 

So what’s the #1 best detox supplement on the market?

1- Vita Balance Colon Detox Plus

Lowest price we found

Vita Balance Colon Detox Plus is our #1 recommended detox supplement because of its variety of powerful natural ingredients, making it a high quality product at a pretty reasonable price.

Compared to other leading detox products, this one contains more premium natural ingredients designed to cleanse your colon over the course of 30 days.

Main ingredients in this detox blend include:

Psyllium

Lactobacillus acidophilus

Rhubarb

Gentian

Aloe Vera

Cascara Sagrada

Buckthorn

Alfalfa Leaf

These ingredients work together to flush toxins from the body, reset your digestive system, relieve constipation and bloating, and increase energy levels.

Here’s the official supplement label for reference:

Reviews of this detox supplement are excellent. Here’s one from a recent customer:

“I generally try to keep healthy and have tried many different cleanses. I don’t like prescription medicine so I wanted something natural and that I could take daily in a supplement form. I was amazed how I felt after 2 weeks, this is the best colon cleanse I have tried! I have never felt so energized and I definitely look leaner. I won’t ever go back.”

A supplement that helps you feel better AND look better?

Sign me up.

This product is manufactured under GMP guidelines in a US FDA registered facility.

Take 2 veggie capsules every day for 30 days for the full detox.

Buy Colon Detox Plus Online

—

2- Dr. Tobias Colon: 14-Day Quick Cleanse

Lowest price on Amazon

Dr. Tobias Colon Cleanse uses natural herbal ingredients to effectively detox your colon in just 14 days.

This detox supplement provides not only effective natural laxatives, fiber & herbs that are gentle on the intestines, but also Lactobacillus Acidophilus to help promote healthy levels of bacteria in the intestinal tract.

Senna & Cascara Sagrada are other ingredients in this detox supplement, known for their laxative ability.

Aloe vera is another colon cleansing & liver cleansing herb, also a crucial ingredient in this supplement.

Psyllium husk & flax seed powder provide a little extra bulk for old fecal matter to be moved out of the colon, helping your detox process go more comfortably.

The unique blend of non-irritating ingredients in Dr. Tobias’s detox supplement helps free the intestinal tract of excess waste, increase energy, alleviate bloating, and supports healthy bowel movements.

28 capsules in the bottle, take 2 every day for 14 days for the full detox.

Buy Dr. Tobias Colon Cleanse on Amazon

—

3- Dr. Tobias Liver: 21 Day Essential Cleanse

Lowest price on Amazon

Dr. Tobias Liver 21 Day Essential Cleanse is one of the most natural and effective liver detox supplements the market has to offer, offered at a reasonable price.

This particular detox supplement uses artichoke, milk thistle, dandelion, and proteolytic enzymes to help digest multiple kinds of proteins and fats in your body.

It also contains solarplast – a super antioxidant that provides high concentrations of energy molecules.

Allergen warning: this product contains egg.

Developed and researched in the USA, and made in the USA according to GMP standards.

63 capsules in the bottle, take a 3-capsule serving every day for 21 days for the full detox.

Buy Dr. Tobias Liver Support on Amazon

—

4- Nature’s Secret 5-Day Fast and Cleanse

Lowest price on Amazon

Nature’s Secret’s powerful 5-day detox kit offers a unique 5-step process – flush, fiber, cleanse, satisfy, and replenish.

This detox supplement is meant to be taken while you fast, meaning it is most effective when you go without any meals for five days straight.

Fasting provides an efficient way to cleanse the body and rest the digestive system, and can aid in the removal of toxins, improve digestive function and boost energy.

The 5-day cleanse is broken up into five crucial components:

Part 1 – Colon Clear™ – promotes healthy daily bowel movements to help eliminate waste

Part 2 – Fiber Cleanse™ – enhances digestion & elimination, rich in fiber to help promote cleansing

Part 3 – Liver Cleanse™ – well balanced nutrients to promote liver health

Part 4 – CraveLess™ – powerful herbal blend to promote healthy digestion

Part 5 – Super Nutrition™- broad spectrum of phytonutrients provide a nutritional boost

This detox kit includes: 25 tablets of Colon Clear™, 110 grams of Fiber Cleanse™, 25 tablets of Liver Cleanse™, 30 tablets of CraveLess™, and 14 liquid soft-gels of Super Nutrition™.

Buy Nature’s Secret 5-Day Fast and Cleanse on Amazon

—

5- BaeTea 14-Day Teatox

Lowest price on Amazon

One of the most popular natural detox supplements on Amazon, BaeTea Teatox is a unique herbal tea detox you drink every morning for 14 days.

The tea contains traditional herbs with Oolong Wu Yi tea from China’s Fujian province.

Also included in the tea blend:

Green Tea

Rooibos Leaf

Ginger Root

Pomegranate

Guarana Seed

Matcha Green Tea

Garcinia Cambodia Extract

The combination of these natural ingredients help to purify your body from toxins and waste, boost your metabolism and energy levels, get rid of excess water, and reduce stress.

This tea has a pleasant and smooth taste and is commonly used for weight loss, as it acts a powerful natural appetite suppressant.

14 servings in the bag, drink one serving every morning for 14 days for the full detox.

Buy Baetea 14 Day Teatox on Amazon

—

What are detox supplements?

Detox supplements are supplements designed to help cleanse your body of bad toxins that have built up over time.

Taking a detox supplement helps encourage high energy levels on a daily basis and also promotes a healthy immune system.

Detox supplements contain powerful ingredients – a wide variety of enzymes and antioxidants that work together to flush the bad stuff out and make sure that your body can function at optimum efficiency.

The more efficient your body functions over time, the healthier you will be over time.

How do detox supplements work?

From time to time, your body may feel sluggish and in need of an “overhaul” or “system reboot”.

That’s what a detox supplement is there for – a thorough cleanse of the internal organs to help rid any toxin buildups.

Uhh, I thought my colon and liver filtered out the toxins in my body?

Well they do…mostly.

With the help of the colon, liver, and intestines, your body does a remarkable job naturally filtering out the toxins that enter your body; you constantly flush these toxins out every time you sweat, have a bowel movement, and urinate.

There are some toxins, however, that are more difficult for your liver to filter and can become stored in fat tissue – these include various heavy metals, pthalates, bisphenol a (BPA), and other persistent organic pollutants (1).

Detox supplements help get rid of these intrusive waste products and enable your vital organs to function at a higher level.

What are the benefits of detox supplements?

Detox supplements are highly beneficial for those who are planning to lose a lot of weight in a short amount of time.  

This is because detox supplements help refresh and kickstart your organs into full strength, helping your body shed excess weight more efficiently.

But they’re not just for people looking to lose weight.

Regularly cleansing your body of toxin buildup helps your immune system stay on guard at full strength to fight off sickness and disease.

So detox supplements can benefit anyone, really.

Other benefits of detox supplements include healthier hair and nails, higher energy levels throughout the day, and better hormone regulation.

What are the side effects of detox supplements?

Generally, detox supplements won’t cause major side effects as long as the recommended dosage instructions are followed.

Just beware of taking too many detox supplements, or taking them too frequently, as this can be harmful for your body.

Like any other supplement, it is important to thoroughly read the supplement label and follow the instructions. Avoid taking more than the recommended dosage, unless instructed by a doctor.

People with chronic illnesses, such as diabetes and heart disease, along with pregnant women are not advised to take detox supplements.

Additionally, detox supplements:

-may cause vitamin efficiency (taking a men’s or women’s multivitamin supplement after the detox period can help prevent this)

-may cause headaches in the first few days after taking the supplement

-may cause frequent urination and bowel disturbances

Recap

Overall, detox supplements can be very beneficial when used as directed.

Taking a detox supplement is one of the best ways you can tune-up your internal organs, helping you feel refreshed and energized.

Whether you are kicking off a new diet or weight loss program, or simply feel that you could use a cleanse, a natural detox supplement is a great way to go.

If you know you need a detox but you are unsure which product to go with, we’ve made it easy for you to decide – we went through and narrowed down the five best ones.

Check out the rankings at the top of the page and see which detox supplement best fits what you’re looking for.

More Supplement Rankings

Best Greens

Best Sleeping Aids

Best Calcium

Best Beef Protein

Best Meal Replacement Shakes

Best Raspberry Ketones

Best Garcinia Cambogia

Best Nitric Oxide

Best Taurine

Best Pre-Workout

Best Creatine

Best Joint Support

Best Multivitamins for Women

Best Multivitamins for Men

Best Nootropics

Best Probiotic

Best Fish Oil

(see more)

The post The Top 5 Detox Supplements of 2017 appeared first on Health Ranks.

from Health Ranks http://healthranks.org/detox/

[healthranks]

The Top 5 Detox Supplements of 2017

Ready for a fresh start?

A great way to kick off a new diet or workout plan is to prepare yourself with a deep cleanse to clean out unwanted buildup of particles and toxins in your organs – particularly your colon and liver.

Detox supplements are the most effective way to clean out intrusive garbage buildup in your body.

Below is a list of the best detox supplements on the market according to price, customer reviews, and product quality. Part two covers exactly what detox supplements are and how they work. 

So what’s the #1 best detox supplement on the market?

1- Vita Balance Colon Detox Plus

Lowest price we found

Vita Balance Colon Detox Plus is our #1 recommended detox supplement because of its variety of powerful natural ingredients, making it a high quality product at a pretty reasonable price.

Compared to other leading detox products, this one contains more premium natural ingredients designed to cleanse your colon over the course of 30 days.

Main ingredients in this detox blend include:

Psyllium

Lactobacillus acidophilus

Rhubarb

Gentian

Aloe Vera

Cascara Sagrada

Buckthorn

Alfalfa Leaf

These ingredients work together to flush toxins from the body, reset your digestive system, relieve constipation and bloating, and increase energy levels.

Here’s the official supplement label for reference:

Reviews of this detox supplement are excellent. Here’s one from a recent customer:

“I generally try to keep healthy and have tried many different cleanses. I don’t like prescription medicine so I wanted something natural and that I could take daily in a supplement form. I was amazed how I felt after 2 weeks, this is the best colon cleanse I have tried! I have never felt so energized and I definitely look leaner. I won’t ever go back.”

A supplement that helps you feel better AND look better?

Sign me up.

This product is manufactured under GMP guidelines in a US FDA registered facility.

Take 2 veggie capsules every day for 30 days for the full detox.

Buy Colon Detox Plus Online

—

2- Dr. Tobias Colon: 14-Day Quick Cleanse

Lowest price on Amazon

Dr. Tobias Colon Cleanse uses natural herbal ingredients to effectively detox your colon in just 14 days.

This detox supplement provides not only effective natural laxatives, fiber & herbs that are gentle on the intestines, but also Lactobacillus Acidophilus to help promote healthy levels of bacteria in the intestinal tract.

Senna & Cascara Sagrada are other ingredients in this detox supplement, known for their laxative ability.

Aloe vera is another colon cleansing & liver cleansing herb, also a crucial ingredient in this supplement.

Psyllium husk & flax seed powder provide a little extra bulk for old fecal matter to be moved out of the colon, helping your detox process go more comfortably.

The unique blend of non-irritating ingredients in Dr. Tobias’s detox supplement helps free the intestinal tract of excess waste, increase energy, alleviate bloating, and supports healthy bowel movements.

28 capsules in the bottle, take 2 every day for 14 days for the full detox.

Buy Dr. Tobias Colon Cleanse on Amazon

—

3- Dr. Tobias Liver: 21 Day Essential Cleanse

Lowest price on Amazon

Dr. Tobias Liver 21 Day Essential Cleanse is one of the most natural and effective liver detox supplements the market has to offer, offered at a reasonable price.

This particular detox supplement uses artichoke, milk thistle, dandelion, and proteolytic enzymes to help digest multiple kinds of proteins and fats in your body.

It also contains solarplast – a super antioxidant that provides high concentrations of energy molecules.

Allergen warning: this product contains egg.

Developed and researched in the USA, and made in the USA according to GMP standards.

63 capsules in the bottle, take a 3-capsule serving every day for 21 days for the full detox.

Buy Dr. Tobias Liver Support on Amazon

—

4- Nature’s Secret 5-Day Fast and Cleanse

Lowest price on Amazon

Nature’s Secret’s powerful 5-day detox kit offers a unique 5-step process – flush, fiber, cleanse, satisfy, and replenish.

This detox supplement is meant to be taken while you fast, meaning it is most effective when you go without any meals for five days straight.

Fasting provides an efficient way to cleanse the body and rest the digestive system, and can aid in the removal of toxins, improve digestive function and boost energy.

The 5-day cleanse is broken up into five crucial components:

Part 1 – Colon Clear™ – promotes healthy daily bowel movements to help eliminate waste

Part 2 – Fiber Cleanse™ – enhances digestion & elimination, rich in fiber to help promote cleansing

Part 3 – Liver Cleanse™ – well balanced nutrients to promote liver health

Part 4 – CraveLess™ – powerful herbal blend to promote healthy digestion

Part 5 – Super Nutrition™- broad spectrum of phytonutrients provide a nutritional boost

This detox kit includes: 25 tablets of Colon Clear™, 110 grams of Fiber Cleanse™, 25 tablets of Liver Cleanse™, 30 tablets of CraveLess™, and 14 liquid soft-gels of Super Nutrition™.

Buy Nature’s Secret 5-Day Fast and Cleanse on Amazon

—

5- BaeTea 14-Day Teatox

Lowest price on Amazon

One of the most popular natural detox supplements on Amazon, BaeTea Teatox is a unique herbal tea detox you drink every morning for 14 days.

The tea contains traditional herbs with Oolong Wu Yi tea from China’s Fujian province.

Also included in the tea blend:

Green Tea

Rooibos Leaf

Ginger Root

Pomegranate

Guarana Seed

Matcha Green Tea

Garcinia Cambodia Extract

The combination of these natural ingredients help to purify your body from toxins and waste, boost your metabolism and energy levels, get rid of excess water, and reduce stress.

This tea has a pleasant and smooth taste and is commonly used for weight loss, as it acts a powerful natural appetite suppressant.

14 servings in the bag, drink one serving every morning for 14 days for the full detox.

Buy Baetea 14 Day Teatox on Amazon

—

What are detox supplements?

Detox supplements are supplements designed to help cleanse your body of bad toxins that have built up over time.

Taking a detox supplement helps encourage high energy levels on a daily basis and also promotes a healthy immune system.

Detox supplements contain powerful ingredients – a wide variety of enzymes and antioxidants that work together to flush the bad stuff out and make sure that your body can function at optimum efficiency.

The more efficient your body functions over time, the healthier you will be over time.

How do detox supplements work?

From time to time, your body may feel sluggish and in need of an “overhaul” or “system reboot”.

That’s what a detox supplement is there for – a thorough cleanse of the internal organs to help rid any toxin buildups.

Uhh, I thought my colon and liver filtered out the toxins in my body?

Well they do…mostly.

With the help of the colon, liver, and intestines, your body does a remarkable job naturally filtering out the toxins that enter your body; you constantly flush these toxins out every time you sweat, have a bowel movement, and urinate.

There are some toxins, however, that are more difficult for your liver to filter and can become stored in fat tissue – these include various heavy metals, pthalates, bisphenol a (BPA), and other persistent organic pollutants (1).

Detox supplements help get rid of these intrusive waste products and enable your vital organs to function at a higher level.

What are the benefits of detox supplements?

Detox supplements are highly beneficial for those who are planning to lose a lot of weight in a short amount of time.  

This is because detox supplements help refresh and kickstart your organs into full strength, helping your body shed excess weight more efficiently.

But they’re not just for people looking to lose weight.

Regularly cleansing your body of toxin buildup helps your immune system stay on guard at full strength to fight off sickness and disease.

So detox supplements can benefit anyone, really.

Other benefits of detox supplements include healthier hair and nails, higher energy levels throughout the day, and better hormone regulation.

What are the side effects of detox supplements?

Generally, detox supplements won’t cause major side effects as long as the recommended dosage instructions are followed.

Just beware of taking too many detox supplements, or taking them too frequently, as this can be harmful for your body.

Like any other supplement, it is important to thoroughly read the supplement label and follow the instructions. Avoid taking more than the recommended dosage, unless instructed by a doctor.

People with chronic illnesses, such as diabetes and heart disease, along with pregnant women are not advised to take detox supplements.

Additionally, detox supplements:

-may cause vitamin efficiency (taking a men’s or women’s multivitamin supplement after the detox period can help prevent this)

-may cause headaches in the first few days after taking the supplement

-may cause frequent urination and bowel disturbances

Recap

Overall, detox supplements can be very beneficial when used as directed.

Taking a detox supplement is one of the best ways you can tune-up your internal organs, helping you feel refreshed and energized.

Whether you are kicking off a new diet or weight loss program, or simply feel that you could use a cleanse, a natural detox supplement is a great way to go.

If you know you need a detox but you are unsure which product to go with, we’ve made it easy for you to decide – we went through and narrowed down the five best ones.

Check out the rankings at the top of the page and see which detox supplement best fits what you’re looking for.

More Supplement Rankings

Best Greens

Best Sleeping Aids

Best Calcium

Best Beef Protein

Best Meal Replacement Shakes

Best Raspberry Ketones

Best Garcinia Cambogia

Best Nitric Oxide

Best Taurine

Best Pre-Workout

Best Creatine

Best Joint Support

Best Multivitamins for Women

Best Multivitamins for Men

Best Nootropics

Best Probiotic

Best Fish Oil

(see more)

The post The Top 5 Detox Supplements of 2017 appeared first on Health Ranks.

from Health Ranks http://healthranks.org/detox/

[johnclapperne]

How This Veteran Lost 113 Pounds and Started Competing in Bodybuilding Shows ​

Jason Hilger spent nine years in the Army as an Infantry soldier. At the time, he described himself as “Army fit” — his diet consisted of pizza, beer and burgers, but he could still throw 150 pounds on his back and pound out some cardio when he needed to. “We didn’t have that chiseled look like an athlete, but we were fit and could run forever and walk for days,” he recalls. About two years after he left the Army and returned home to Circle Pines, Minnesota, Hilger started working in construction to get himself through college, as he had started school to become an airline pilot. He first needed to become a flight instructor, which came with little pay and long hours. At the time, Hilger had a newborn to take care of, a house to pay for and a pile of debt — that’s when all the stress really started to hit him. So fast food in large quantities became the norm. Hilger would down a 12-pack of Coke a day (equivalent to nearly 1,700 calories). When he ordered a jumbo deluxe burger from Culver’s, he’d make it a triple, so instead of three patties he’d get nine. His motivation to exercise was shot, so from about 2001 to 2007, the number on Hilger’s scale steadily rose. By 2009, he hit his heaviest weight of 298 pounds (which you can see in the “before” photo above, taken by his doctor.) While he had no heart health issues, his doctor still recommended that he consider lap-band surgery, a procedure that would result in a silicone band being placed around the top part of his stomach to restrict food intake. During their first meeting, his doctors told him that he would have to lose at least 30 pounds on his own before the surgery. “If I’ve gone that far, there’s no need to pay $12,000 when I could just do this on my own,” Hilger recalls.

READ MORE > STAY-AT-HOME DAD PUT NUMBERS TO WORK TO LOSE 110 POUNDS

But he went through all of the weight-loss classes as if he was going through with it, and that’s when he really started to make some changes. The very first thing he needed to do was control how much he was eating. With the help of MyFitnessPal, Hilger started documenting everything he ate — but that doesn’t mean his diet automatically transformed into fish and salads. “For about the first six months to a year, I was just controlling calories and learning how to live off of less food. So instead of a whole pizza, I’d just have one slice,” he says.

After losing about 30 pounds in the first few months, Hilger started walking every day after dinner. After losing another 20 pounds, he got his first gym membership and started running on the treadmill. To keep his progress going, Hilger followed a meal plan and workout routine using an online nutritionist and trainer. That’s when he started to learn more about macronutrients and how to split up his calories between protein, carbs and fat. He continued to rev his metabolism through daily cardio. Within two years, he was down to 185 pounds. But he lacked the muscle definition that he wanted, and even started to gain some weight back, so about three years ago, Hilger decided to enlist the help of a personal trainer. “After a few months he asked me to redefine my goals. I told him that I don’t really have one, just to get in shape and stay there,” Hilger says. “He kept pushing me on a goal. Behind him was a poster for a local NPC bodybuilding competition, so I said ‘OK, I want to win that.’” His trainer helped him prepare for a full year, but about two months before the competition, Hilger’s excess skin had become the focal point of his six-pack. “A couple of friends pulled me aside and said, ‘It looks like you’re in great shape, but all they’re ever going to see is that,’” he says.

Knowing he would never place with loose skin, he decided to forgo the competition. He was hesitant to get the pricey procedure, but his wife kept pushing him to follow through with it, so toward the end of 2015, he went through the first surgery. All of the excess was fully removed by January 2016. Within a month, he was already prepping for his next competition in November, where he placed first in novice and third in the 40+ age group. He kept at it and did another one this past April, where the competition was fierce. He placed fourth and fifth. (You can see him at that show in the after photo above at 200 pounds.) Hilger is currently prepping for another show — and he’s determined to win it this time. That means he goes into the gym with a completely different attitude. “You’re not here to work out for a certain time period, you’re here to work out until you’re done,” he says. (Don’t have time to hit the gym? Shed fat at home with Anarchy Abs from Men’s Health, a fitness program guaranteed to help you carve a legendary six-pack.) His schedule is no joke: He breaks a sweat five days a week and splits his days to make sure he’s working every muscle group. Standing calf raises, the incline bench press, lat pulldowns, deadlifts, concentrated bicep curls, barbell squats, hamstring curls, hanging leg lifts and crunches are only a taste of the exercises he does every single week. What’s more, the man that once downed a case of soda of a day now preps all of his meals every Sunday. (Check out our beginner’s guide to meal prep.) Hilger focuses on eating lean protein, healthy fats and loads of vegetables, like chicken and asparagus with a bit of olive oil. Hilger now sits at a muscular 207 pounds and has dropped from a size 46 to a 32. He looks like a different person and feels like one, too. He can finally keep up with both of his kids, and since he coaches his son’s baseball team, his fear of being the “fat dad” is long gone. “I run around and do everything with them,” he says. “One day, one of the other fathers said, ‘Boy, it’d be great to be your age again.’ I told him I’m 46 and he said, ‘Holy crap, I’m 10 years younger than you.’” Hilger’s secret to sticking with a lifestyle change? “Surround yourself with the right people,” he says. His wife and kids always encouraged him to stay on track — and called him out when he was tempted to go back for more pizza. Once he started to hit the gym regularly, he made friends with other guys who encouraged him to stay focused. “When you surround yourself with people with similar goals, it’s kind of hard to stray from them,” he says.

The post How This Veteran Lost 113 Pounds and Started Competing in Bodybuilding Shows ​ appeared first on Under Armour.

http://ift.tt/2sfdSdo

[neilmillerne]

How This Veteran Lost 113 Pounds and Started Competing in Bodybuilding Shows ​

Jason Hilger spent nine years in the Army as an Infantry soldier. At the time, he described himself as “Army fit” — his diet consisted of pizza, beer and burgers, but he could still throw 150 pounds on his back and pound out some cardio when he needed to. “We didn’t have that chiseled look like an athlete, but we were fit and could run forever and walk for days,” he recalls. About two years after he left the Army and returned home to Circle Pines, Minnesota, Hilger started working in construction to get himself through college, as he had started school to become an airline pilot. He first needed to become a flight instructor, which came with little pay and long hours. At the time, Hilger had a newborn to take care of, a house to pay for and a pile of debt — that’s when all the stress really started to hit him. So fast food in large quantities became the norm. Hilger would down a 12-pack of Coke a day (equivalent to nearly 1,700 calories). When he ordered a jumbo deluxe burger from Culver’s, he’d make it a triple, so instead of three patties he’d get nine. His motivation to exercise was shot, so from about 2001 to 2007, the number on Hilger’s scale steadily rose. By 2009, he hit his heaviest weight of 298 pounds (which you can see in the “before” photo above, taken by his doctor.) While he had no heart health issues, his doctor still recommended that he consider lap-band surgery, a procedure that would result in a silicone band being placed around the top part of his stomach to restrict food intake. During their first meeting, his doctors told him that he would have to lose at least 30 pounds on his own before the surgery. “If I’ve gone that far, there’s no need to pay $12,000 when I could just do this on my own,” Hilger recalls.

READ MORE > STAY-AT-HOME DAD PUT NUMBERS TO WORK TO LOSE 110 POUNDS

But he went through all of the weight-loss classes as if he was going through with it, and that’s when he really started to make some changes. The very first thing he needed to do was control how much he was eating. With the help of MyFitnessPal, Hilger started documenting everything he ate — but that doesn’t mean his diet automatically transformed into fish and salads. “For about the first six months to a year, I was just controlling calories and learning how to live off of less food. So instead of a whole pizza, I’d just have one slice,” he says.

After losing about 30 pounds in the first few months, Hilger started walking every day after dinner. After losing another 20 pounds, he got his first gym membership and started running on the treadmill. To keep his progress going, Hilger followed a meal plan and workout routine using an online nutritionist and trainer. That’s when he started to learn more about macronutrients and how to split up his calories between protein, carbs and fat. He continued to rev his metabolism through daily cardio. Within two years, he was down to 185 pounds. But he lacked the muscle definition that he wanted, and even started to gain some weight back, so about three years ago, Hilger decided to enlist the help of a personal trainer. “After a few months he asked me to redefine my goals. I told him that I don’t really have one, just to get in shape and stay there,” Hilger says. “He kept pushing me on a goal. Behind him was a poster for a local NPC bodybuilding competition, so I said ‘OK, I want to win that.’” His trainer helped him prepare for a full year, but about two months before the competition, Hilger’s excess skin had become the focal point of his six-pack. “A couple of friends pulled me aside and said, ‘It looks like you’re in great shape, but all they’re ever going to see is that,’” he says.

Knowing he would never place with loose skin, he decided to forgo the competition. He was hesitant to get the pricey procedure, but his wife kept pushing him to follow through with it, so toward the end of 2015, he went through the first surgery. All of the excess was fully removed by January 2016. Within a month, he was already prepping for his next competition in November, where he placed first in novice and third in the 40+ age group. He kept at it and did another one this past April, where the competition was fierce. He placed fourth and fifth. (You can see him at that show in the after photo above at 200 pounds.) Hilger is currently prepping for another show — and he’s determined to win it this time. That means he goes into the gym with a completely different attitude. “You’re not here to work out for a certain time period, you’re here to work out until you’re done,” he says. (Don’t have time to hit the gym? Shed fat at home with Anarchy Abs from Men’s Health, a fitness program guaranteed to help you carve a legendary six-pack.) His schedule is no joke: He breaks a sweat five days a week and splits his days to make sure he’s working every muscle group. Standing calf raises, the incline bench press, lat pulldowns, deadlifts, concentrated bicep curls, barbell squats, hamstring curls, hanging leg lifts and crunches are only a taste of the exercises he does every single week. What’s more, the man that once downed a case of soda of a day now preps all of his meals every Sunday. (Check out our beginner’s guide to meal prep.) Hilger focuses on eating lean protein, healthy fats and loads of vegetables, like chicken and asparagus with a bit of olive oil. Hilger now sits at a muscular 207 pounds and has dropped from a size 46 to a 32. He looks like a different person and feels like one, too. He can finally keep up with both of his kids, and since he coaches his son’s baseball team, his fear of being the “fat dad” is long gone. “I run around and do everything with them,” he says. “One day, one of the other fathers said, ‘Boy, it’d be great to be your age again.’ I told him I’m 46 and he said, ‘Holy crap, I’m 10 years younger than you.’” Hilger’s secret to sticking with a lifestyle change? “Surround yourself with the right people,” he says. His wife and kids always encouraged him to stay on track — and called him out when he was tempted to go back for more pizza. Once he started to hit the gym regularly, he made friends with other guys who encouraged him to stay focused. “When you surround yourself with people with similar goals, it’s kind of hard to stray from them,” he says.

The post How This Veteran Lost 113 Pounds and Started Competing in Bodybuilding Shows ​ appeared first on Under Armour.

http://ift.tt/2sfdSdo

[almajonesnjna]

How This Veteran Lost 113 Pounds and Started Competing in Bodybuilding Shows ​

Jason Hilger spent nine years in the Army as an Infantry soldier. At the time, he described himself as “Army fit” — his diet consisted of pizza, beer and burgers, but he could still throw 150 pounds on his back and pound out some cardio when he needed to. “We didn’t have that chiseled look like an athlete, but we were fit and could run forever and walk for days,” he recalls. About two years after he left the Army and returned home to Circle Pines, Minnesota, Hilger started working in construction to get himself through college, as he had started school to become an airline pilot. He first needed to become a flight instructor, which came with little pay and long hours. At the time, Hilger had a newborn to take care of, a house to pay for and a pile of debt — that’s when all the stress really started to hit him. So fast food in large quantities became the norm. Hilger would down a 12-pack of Coke a day (equivalent to nearly 1,700 calories). When he ordered a jumbo deluxe burger from Culver’s, he’d make it a triple, so instead of three patties he’d get nine. His motivation to exercise was shot, so from about 2001 to 2007, the number on Hilger’s scale steadily rose. By 2009, he hit his heaviest weight of 298 pounds (which you can see in the “before” photo above, taken by his doctor.) While he had no heart health issues, his doctor still recommended that he consider lap-band surgery, a procedure that would result in a silicone band being placed around the top part of his stomach to restrict food intake. During their first meeting, his doctors told him that he would have to lose at least 30 pounds on his own before the surgery. “If I’ve gone that far, there’s no need to pay $12,000 when I could just do this on my own,” Hilger recalls.

READ MORE > STAY-AT-HOME DAD PUT NUMBERS TO WORK TO LOSE 110 POUNDS

But he went through all of the weight-loss classes as if he was going through with it, and that’s when he really started to make some changes. The very first thing he needed to do was control how much he was eating. With the help of MyFitnessPal, Hilger started documenting everything he ate — but that doesn’t mean his diet automatically transformed into fish and salads. “For about the first six months to a year, I was just controlling calories and learning how to live off of less food. So instead of a whole pizza, I’d just have one slice,” he says.

After losing about 30 pounds in the first few months, Hilger started walking every day after dinner. After losing another 20 pounds, he got his first gym membership and started running on the treadmill. To keep his progress going, Hilger followed a meal plan and workout routine using an online nutritionist and trainer. That’s when he started to learn more about macronutrients and how to split up his calories between protein, carbs and fat. He continued to rev his metabolism through daily cardio. Within two years, he was down to 185 pounds. But he lacked the muscle definition that he wanted, and even started to gain some weight back, so about three years ago, Hilger decided to enlist the help of a personal trainer. “After a few months he asked me to redefine my goals. I told him that I don’t really have one, just to get in shape and stay there,” Hilger says. “He kept pushing me on a goal. Behind him was a poster for a local NPC bodybuilding competition, so I said ‘OK, I want to win that.’” His trainer helped him prepare for a full year, but about two months before the competition, Hilger’s excess skin had become the focal point of his six-pack. “A couple of friends pulled me aside and said, ‘It looks like you’re in great shape, but all they’re ever going to see is that,’” he says.

Knowing he would never place with loose skin, he decided to forgo the competition. He was hesitant to get the pricey procedure, but his wife kept pushing him to follow through with it, so toward the end of 2015, he went through the first surgery. All of the excess was fully removed by January 2016. Within a month, he was already prepping for his next competition in November, where he placed first in novice and third in the 40+ age group. He kept at it and did another one this past April, where the competition was fierce. He placed fourth and fifth. (You can see him at that show in the after photo above at 200 pounds.) Hilger is currently prepping for another show — and he’s determined to win it this time. That means he goes into the gym with a completely different attitude. “You’re not here to work out for a certain time period, you’re here to work out until you’re done,” he says. (Don’t have time to hit the gym? Shed fat at home with Anarchy Abs from Men’s Health, a fitness program guaranteed to help you carve a legendary six-pack.) His schedule is no joke: He breaks a sweat five days a week and splits his days to make sure he’s working every muscle group. Standing calf raises, the incline bench press, lat pulldowns, deadlifts, concentrated bicep curls, barbell squats, hamstring curls, hanging leg lifts and crunches are only a taste of the exercises he does every single week. What’s more, the man that once downed a case of soda of a day now preps all of his meals every Sunday. (Check out our beginner’s guide to meal prep.) Hilger focuses on eating lean protein, healthy fats and loads of vegetables, like chicken and asparagus with a bit of olive oil. Hilger now sits at a muscular 207 pounds and has dropped from a size 46 to a 32. He looks like a different person and feels like one, too. He can finally keep up with both of his kids, and since he coaches his son’s baseball team, his fear of being the “fat dad” is long gone. “I run around and do everything with them,” he says. “One day, one of the other fathers said, ‘Boy, it’d be great to be your age again.’ I told him I’m 46 and he said, ‘Holy crap, I’m 10 years younger than you.’” Hilger’s secret to sticking with a lifestyle change? “Surround yourself with the right people,” he says. His wife and kids always encouraged him to stay on track — and called him out when he was tempted to go back for more pizza. Once he started to hit the gym regularly, he made friends with other guys who encouraged him to stay focused. “When you surround yourself with people with similar goals, it’s kind of hard to stray from them,” he says.

The post How This Veteran Lost 113 Pounds and Started Competing in Bodybuilding Shows ​ appeared first on Under Armour.

http://ift.tt/2sfdSdo