Go Hard, or Go Home!

For about a year now, I have noticed a barrage of new physical competitions with the intent of pushing the human limits farther than they have been pushed before, but always leaving a winner and loser category in their wake.  I would like to see a competition of such magnitude that to win is to survive, with not only your mind intact, but also the body. 

  The event would have to include all of the world’s most daring challenges, with which to challenge the puzzle in the mind, as well as the ability of the body.  Such an event does not exist as far as I know of, but would have to have elements of extraordinary proportion, and a non-existent time limit.  This event would combine the harshest of weather climates, the training of the world’s toughest warriors, and the mental aptitude of Albert Einstein mixed with the wit of Hemingway. 

  The event would have to be done in phases, but, have continuous exercise in place, so that the only down time would be at the point of utter exhaustion, and consist of no more than two hours of sleep.  This method of exercise would limit the amount of training for such an event to take place during the normal life of an individual, and provide raw and realistic breadth to the competition. 

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  The beginning of the competition, in my opinion, would have to start with a combination of mental and physical ability, the Death Valley 100 mile race, with the winner of the race 12 hours ahead of the first loser.  The participant would then get on a mountain bike, and ride back the 100 miles, at which point they would then hike the Sierra Nevada’s, cross over and backpack across the northern portion of Nevada into Idaho, where a high altitude aircraft would be waiting for them.

  The next phase of the competition would have the participant(s) conduct a high altitude low opening jump onto a precision landing zone at the top of one of Salt Lake City’s skyscrapers, run down the stairs of the building, and jump into a Formula One car, where they would not be able to move at less than 100 mph through the streets.  At the border between Utah and Colorado, they would remove themselves from the vehicle, and run to the top of Pike’s Peak, at which point Phase 2 would be complete.

  Phase 3 would consist of rappelling down the side of Pikes Peak, and into a live fire training exercise, conducted by the U.S. Army troops stationed at Fort Carson.  The participants would have to use stealth, and speed to maneuver through the soldiers, vehicles, and sensor technology without being caught or shot.  If completion of this phase is present, then the participants would then run south, through the state of Colorado, and into the state of Texas, where a low altitude plane would be waiting for them.  They would board, strap on parachutes, and at 1200 feet, parachute into the swamps of Louisiana.

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Phase 4 would consist of using a zodiac craft to maneuver through the swamps of Louisiana, and into the massive Mississippi River, at which point they would have to swim, up river, and staying in the middle of the river, until the Mississippi river meets Kentucky.  This would complete phase 4.

  Phase 5, and the last of the United States portion of the competition, would have the participants in a decathlon of pain, which would consist of canoeing, rock climbing, hiking, running, and swimming from Kentucky to Boston.  The participants would be able use these exercises, and only these exercises in their quest to reach Boston.  They would not be able to have anything to do with roads, nor have any contact with any civilians along their journey.  Hunters of these warriors would be chasing them the entire time, utilizing dogs, aircraft, and sensor technology, in order to capture them, and stop their progress.  All captured would be released after 12 hours of Survival Evasion Resistance and Escape (SERE) training had been conducted on them. 

Top Nutritional Vitamins for Men

  Most men don’t get all of the necessary nutrients their bodies need on a daily basis exclusively from food.  Taking vitamin supplements is a good way to fill in what is missing.  Leading busy and hectic lives, it’s easy to forget to eat right every day. You can choose to take multi-vitamin supplements or in individual vitamins to supplement your diet. Some of the top vitamins you may be missing out on are listed here.

Vitamin K helps in producing healthy bones, tissues and is used in making proteins for blood clotting. It’s found in leafy green vegetables. If you are on blood thinners consult your doctor about a safe vitamin K dosage.

Vitamin C is an antioxidant which means it helps to reduce damage that free radicals can cause to our cells from exposure to smoking or radiation. The body uses this vitamin for the repair and growth of tissues throughout the body. All fruits and veggies have some amount of Vitamin C. It’s in foods like cantaloupe, oranges, grapefruit, kiwi, mango, papaya and watermelon.

Vitamin B6 and B12 both help with memory loss and depression. B6 is used in producing hormones and brain chemicals and may lower your risk for heart disease.  Both are found in very lean red meats and poultry. B6 is found in fish, whole grains, nuts, seeds, avocados and bananas. B12 prevents anemia and maintains nerve and brain function and is in shellfish, milk, soymilk and eggs.

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Calcium is a mineral used to help blood vessels and muscles contract and expand, send messages through the nervous system and secrete enzymes in the body. It’s found in dairy foods and leafy green vegetables.

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Magnesium is a trace mineral used in muscle functions, producing and transporting energy, and in producing protein. It can be found in dark green leafy vegetables, or in fruits like bananas and avocado, nuts like almonds and cashews, beans, soy products, and whole grains.

Iron is a mineral used to make the proteins hemoglobin and myoglobin, which help to carry and store oxygen in the body.  An iron deficiency causes anemia. It’s found in meats, fish, spinach, peas and beans.

If you’re exercising and trying to eat right but just aren’t getting all the nutrients your body needs, a multivitamin or supplement may be right for you. As with any supplement, be sure to consult your physician prior to adding one to your diet.

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Now, I am a man’s man, which means that I care most about what is below my belt line, and above my knees in that, if the plumbing is not working right, then all things come to a stop until it is corrected, so here are a few key ingredients to help maintain clean pipes in the prostate area.

Zinc is essential to the metabolism of carbohydrate, fat, and protein and DNA and RNA replication. Zinc is an antioxidant and aids in retaining healthy bones, a robust immune system, and healthy vision.

Selenium is an important component of the glutathione peroxidase antioxidant system, which helps combat the disintegrating effects of free radicals and is important for thyroid hormone metabolism. Many studies have shown that Selenium is important for maintaining a healthy immune system as well as men’s prostate health.

Prostate Health vitamins can help keep your prostate healthy.  As we age, and most people are living longer now than they did 40 years ago, due to advances in medicine, and an overall better outlook on taking care of themselves, our specific body requirements change as well. 

We, as men, need to ask our doctors specific questions about the organs of our body that are going to need special attention as we get closer to 50 years of age or beyond.

I’ll be honest, I don’t look forward to either having my prostate or my colon checked for proper health, nor, will I drive faster to the doctor when that time comes in my life, but, I will take these factors seriously, and do what needs to be done for my health, and to remain a thriving healthy Man.

Cool Down on a Hot day for your Health

  It’s over a 100 degrees outside and thoughts of running in the heat crosses and leaves my mind just as quickly as it entered, and then I drive by the community pool and see hundreds of kids playing in the pool.  Now, what those kids don’t realize is that playing in the pool is great exercise, provides a great way to burn off energy, and assists in getting a restful sleep at the end of the day. 

 Recently, I have had to undergo physical therapy due to the overstraining of both hamstrings and a groin muscle.  The physical therapy sessions included three times a week exercises in the on-post pool, for one hour sessions.  The exercises included running from side-to-side of the pool, swimming from side-to-side, and doing what our instructor called “Turn and Burns” which consisted of forward leg kicks for one minute, and then turning around and kicking the water, while facing the pool wall. 

  At the end of the two weeks of pool physical therapy, my hamstrings were in better shape, and the pain in my groin area had recovered.  In addition to the recovery of my strained muscles, I also found that my abdominal muscles had strengthened and my quadriceps muscles had doubled in size!

  As the summer heat continues, the amount of time exercising outside in the heat is going to get harder to accomplish, while maintaining a threshold of hydration that the body can handle.  The remedy that I suggest for exercising in the heat of the summer is this:

·        Workout either in the early morning hours, or in the late evening hours, wearing a reflective belt, vest, or clothing to minimize vehicle drivers not seeing you, as you exercise.

·        If you’re going to work out in the heat of the sun, then you should hydrate well, the night before.  This will provide a fluidity level in your blood stream.  My clock on hydration lays in the color of my urine, and the dryness in my lips.  If my urine is clear or has a slight yellow tint, and my lips are moist, then I am fully hydrated and ready to exercise.

·        The clothing that I wear while exercising in the sun consists of:

Ø  A Hat of some kind to protect my bald head from burning, which is a leading cause of skin cancer.

Ø  Sunglasses should be worn to protect your eyes from the glare of the sun, as well as reflections from the earth surface that you may encounter on your path.

Ø  Socks that cover your ankle bones, which will protect your skin from debris that you may encounter, as well as biting insects that are at the grass line, should your travels take you cross-country.

Ø  A SPF of 30 or better should also be applied to any exposed skin.  I like to use a spray on, as I can easily carry the spray in a small satchel attached to my waist, or in the compartment that I put my IPod in while exercising.

  As with any exercise that I do, I always stretch before and after the exercise.  This will help alleviate any kind of muscle pain that can be incurred from exercising.  My stretching is mainly focused on the muscles that I will be using, for example, if I am going to work on my stamina and endurance by doing cardiovascular exercises, then I stretch my calves, quads, hamstrings, and groin muscles.  If I am going to cross exercise, by doing some push-ups or dips with cardio,  then I will stretch the upper body as well, with special emphasis on core stretches.

Insomniacs

There are days that I can’t go to sleep for the life of me.  I always figure that if I just go to bed, and lay there, that eventually, my eye lids will close, and sleep will overtake me.  That is not always the case.  Whether it is because of multiple combat tours, and all the details that come with combat, or, the day-to-day events that take place, and add stress to my daily life, a lack of sleep has a direct effect on my day, if not my entire week.  I never feel like I am able to “catch up” on sleep, and therefore I feel tired all the time.

  The science behind the ability to sleep falls on Melatonin. Melatonin, besides being a sleep hormone, is a very powerful antioxidant, anti-aging agent, immune-regulator, anti-depressant and sexual dysfunction regulator.

  As we spend more and more time in bright light, which inhibits the production of Melatonin, the ability to get on a sleep schedule gets further and further from our goals.  This body produced drug can also provide benefits against the production of cancer and Alzheimer’s Disease, as it keeps the neurotransmitters in the brain from becoming tangled, allowing for memory and the blockage of the tau protein to continue at a normal living rate, and reducing memory loss. 

  Now, I won’t lie to you, I do take an over-the-counter sleep aid to assist in my sleep, because it also contains some key ingredients that assist in other areas of my life, that have a direct effect on my sleep patterns, and it is all natural with no side effects.  The sleep aid that I take has the following ingredients:

A.      Valerian, which studies show produces significant improvement in sleep quality and relieves stress related insomnia and Anxiety.

B.     Hops, which are beneficial in relieving symptoms of agitation including restlessness, anxiety, insomnia, nervous tension, and irritability.  It is also a mild sedative.

C.     Passion Flower, which helps to relieve pain associated with day-to-day work.

According to Endocrine, Because enhanced oxidative stress plays a crucial role in the aging process and chronic diseases, the administration of melatonin may become a promising, safe, and effective intervention strategy to slow aging and the initiation and progression of age-related disorders.

  So, now, I take my sleep aid about a half hour before going to sleep, slip on my CPAP mask, and drift into a quality of sleep that I would not normally get.

Trench Foot Troubles

  My wife and I moved here from Fort Knox in January of 2011, and have pretty much heard that the Stephen King of weather hits the area around Fort Benning like a sledgehammer in the coming months of July and August.  The weather will be “sticky”, so uncomfortable and sweaty that when combined with field maneuvers and training, will produce such a foul stench, that you will have to take numerous cold showers to keep from passing out. 

  Now,  I have spent many a days in the sultry heat and humidity of a Monsoon season in Korea, and have had the sand blast the skin from my face in Iraq, but, there is one thing that happens when training is intense, humidity is high, and sweat fills the boots: Foot Fungus. 

  According to WebMD, Athlete's foot is a very common infection. The fungus grows best in a warm, moist environment such as shoes, socks, swimming pools, locker rooms, and the floors of public showers. It is most common in the summer and in warm, humid climates. It occurs more often in people who wear tight shoes(or boots) and who use community baths and pools.

  That being said, the methods of curing Athlete’s Foot vary with all sorts of sprays, creams, and powders, which can also produce uncomfortable side effects, such as an increase in fluid in your socks and boots, or worse, clumps of chalk substances floating around in your socks, creating blisters and a loss of focus on the mission at hand. 

  For my feet, I look for an anti-fungal that will adhere to my feet, sort of like a mask, it has to be able to withstand constant abuse, and have preferably organic contents, so the breakdown of the ingredients does not do more harm than good.  The foot mask has to be able to work while training, without a loss of focus, so I don’t spend half my time thinking about my feet, and get somebody hurt in the process.

http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/guide/fungal-infections-skin

           

High Allergies, Low Function

This time of the year produces one of my most hated seasons on this earth, Allergies.  According to Dr. Jan McBarron, from the hit television show, Duke and the Doctor, Allergic rhinitis is an allergic reaction that happens when your immune system overreacts to substances that you have inhaled, such as pollen. The two types of allergic rhinitis are seasonal allergic rhinitis (hay fever) and perennial allergic rhinitis, which occurs year-round. Hay fever is caused by outdoor allergens. Perennial allergic rhinitis is caused by indoor allergens such as dust mites, pet dander, and mold.

  I sneeze, blow my nose, cough, cover my mouth with my sleeve, and then my eyes, oh my eyes, feel like somebody has poured a pitcher of fluid into the top of my head, and the exit out of my eyes burns, and seems to never stop.  So, what do I do?  How do I fight off, or arm my body with the weapons of protection?  The first thing I have to do is remove myself from the area that I found the allergens to be most powerful.  In training, this can be hard and sometimes unachievable, so, I have to find another way of dealing with it, which is to flush my skin and eyes with cold water, in an attempt to flush the allergens off my face, out of my nose, and away from me.  I also have to drink more fluids in order to keep those allergens from drying up and filling my lungs with spores, which will cause me to wheeze, and cut off the pure oxygen I really need.  I have also found that taking an anti-allergy vitamin that contains vitamin C, helps enormously with giving my body the ability to build a better immune system, and the ammunition to live a better, allergy free lifestyle.

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