Two Blogs That Have Had A Positive Impact On My Life

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Over the years there have been two blogs that come to mind that have had a significant impact on me and my life. When it comes to the topics of self help, health, business, and lifestyle there have been no other blogs that have had as strong of an impact on me as the two blogs that I’m about to mention.

I have become a bit of health freak because that subject is what really fascinates me day after day. After lots of research and different reading material and implementing the principles, I have developed the core of what it takes to reach certain levels of wellness. Through all the digging up of all sorts of books and information on the topic of health, supplements, and dieting there are two blogs that really stand out when it comes to quality content and getting true results.

Reader beware, I’m about to give you an in depth summary and honest advice on two bloggers who live out the life of their dreams and inspire others to do big things that truly matter.

Marksdailyapple.com

With this blog the author Mark Sisson focuses on the Paleo Diet and how implementing this diet and lifestyle can have such substantial effects on the body, health, and overall happiness. This blog is pure gold. It is filled with wonderful recipes, supplements, and cookbooks.

I truly believe that this is one of the most, if not the most effective diets and lifestyles for achieving weight loss and a trimmed body. If you have the discipline, mindset, and energy to implement Mark’s tips he will guide you towards a healthy lifestyle on the beaches of California along with steps towards working out like a true cave man or as his character (Grok).

Mark isn’t afraid to brag about how he can continually crank out at least 20 pull-ups consecutively on the beach and he proves that aging is really nothing to worry about if you take your health seriously. Through his blog, Mark proves that his Primal Blueprint leads to a successful lifestyle without the need for unhealthy filler foods. When you commit to the primal lifestyle of Grok, you cut out all the unnecessary carbohydrates that keep fattening up your gut and deplete your immune system.

Mark also has his own line of supplements that he offers that can help anyone reach their next level of wellness. If you take the supplements that Mark recommends such as vitamin D, probiotics, and whey protein you will develop a strong frame along with the consistency of his Primal Blueprint. His Paleo diet is definitely not for vegans, as it includes quite a bit of meat in the diet along with a balance of fresh fruits and plenty of vegetables.

I believe that this diet is quite healthy and has some reasonable comparability to the Mediterranean diet as it consists of a good amount of meat and some seafood. The only major difference would be the consumption of grains in a Mediterranean diet compared to the Primal diet of Marks Daily Apple.

The semi vegetarian lifestyle of combining both meats such as grass fed beef from farm raised cattle along with the consumption of big ass salads full of greens and colorful veggies makes for quite a healthy life. The Primal diet excludes refined carbs and potatoes, so tubers and sweet potatoes are the main replacement in order to have a healthy primal diet.

EarlytoRise.com

The second blog that has helped me in many ways is Earlytorise.com. The authors include big names such as Bedros Keuilian and Craig Ballantyne who are self made men who offers great content on building up a website and proving that anything is truly possible if you really have the balls and discipline to take action. The authors offer a simple kick ass mentality that has helped me to form better habits and develop the desire to take action.

The blog includes lots of good advice that will carry any man a long way if you set up a plan and structure your life around your business schedule. The articles happened to help me get my priorities straight so I could develop an income and build up my own online legacy. Reading advice from personal trainers on business and productivity have helped influence me so I could accomplish more and conquer the fear of being successful and going broke.

When you read the blog Early to Rise, you start to become addicted to becoming physically and mentally stronger. It’s kind of hard to describe but it really leads to a constant hunger for more success and instills a drive within that make’s the reader want to do more in the world and conquer all obstacles that land on the roadways of life.

Early to Rise provides the writing content to help anyone become a rockstar blogger if they correctly put their talents to good use. There is very valuable advice on entrepreneurship and making money in the fitness realm as well as other coaching industries. The website gives advice on how any person can make a larger stream of income online with their own website.

I like to live a frugal life and I like to build myself from the bottom up through boot strapping. The authors share tips on financial wisdom through his great advice on money and the evils of buying on credit and being in debt. As one should know, the country of America is in big debt and being in debt or facing financial hardship is something that enslaves and hinders many people across various landscapes.

If you want to learn how to get rich, or you want to create a lifestyle that enables more freedom through your own passions, you better start reading books and you better start learning from some articles from Early to Rise.

This blog has helped me develop a money making mindset. The blog also gave me advice on how to become much more dedicated and structured with my time. In addition it helped me open my eye’s to create my own passive income through ebook sales.

After reading a lot of material on Early to Rise, I realized that I need to put my knowledge into action so could become an entrepreneur, start making money, and stay out of debt.

Changing lives and helping make the world a beautiful place by taking bold steps through smart lifestyle decisions is what we should all strive for!

Be sure to check out the Primal Blueprint Store.

Also be sure to check out books from Early to Rise.

A Week In Honduras

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A Week In Honduras

After some contemplation and spiritual discovery I decided that it would be a good time for me to embark upon a Mission trip. My week that I spent in Honduras among a church group and fellow missionary’s was really a great opportunity for me to lay my desires down and humble myself.

The week of missionary work that I did was a chance for me to grow deeper in peace and serenity and develop myself through a purification process. In a way I looked at the experience as an opportunity, to start anew with a clean slate and wipe away some blurs of the past.

Spending time in Honduras, away from the materialistically driven culture of America was a great experience for my soul. Getting away from the United States and going to Honduras, I was able to gain some new perspectives on the world and how humanity both suffers and flourishes. Seeing people go through conditions of poverty and living quite happily, made me realize that the most important foundations worldwide are God, family, and community.

The communities that I visited were poor compared to most suburban American town standards, but they were more rich in natural resources and kind sincerity. When I look back I felt like all the children and people I encountered had strong character which was built through their homes and environment.

My trip to Honduras, began after a flight from Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport to Tegulcigalpa Honduras. The flight wasn’t very long, it was merely 3.5 hours of studying Spanish and conversation with neighbor passengers of the aircraft.

After quite a few cups of orange juice and talk with other fellow Americans and missionary’s on the plane, I found myself looking out the window and wondering where in the world was the landing spot? Well following a bit of circling around cliffs and mountains we landed safely on a short landing strip in Tegulcigalpa.

The customs checked my passport along with fellow missionaries and as a result my team and I, all got to successfully make our way through. Outside the airport I could immediately feel the extreme heat. The temperature was in the mid 80’s, but it felt much hotter. One outside we met up with The Missionaries of Christ and placed all our suitcases and baggage on the bus for another journey of travels.

The road trip to Comayagua took about 3.5 hours on the bus through beautiful scenic mountains. Many passengers amongst me passed out after taking doses of Dramamine (the motion sickness tablets). I happened to stay awake and was caught in dismay by all the nature surrounding me outside the bus windows.

I kept myself full by popping some Ricola’s and some cliff bars and eventually after a long first day of traveling I reached the retreat center held by the Missioners of Christ in Comayagua along with a team of missioners.

The center offered feelings of peace and revealed to be a good place, for me to uncover some of my flaws and imperfections of my being. The center which was built by U.S. military officials, was quite a compelling complex. In particular the center spring fountain was my favorite structure, since it helped to offer great reflection and internal revealing to me personally through a combination of prayer and meditation.

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During the few days that were spent in Comayagua at the center, I enjoyed eating good food with fellow group members, listening to speakers, and playing some soccer. After a few days in Comayagua I received the news that I would be assigned to go to Pimientillas.

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The village of Pimientillas took us about 4 hours to drive to in our white Toyota Tacoma. The ride was quite rocky, consisting of many hills and mountains. The drive was definitely one of the most memorable that I’ve ever had. The drive consisted of such an organic landscape as we drove on unpaved roads with pine tree forests, fields of coffee plantations, and  banana farms each accompanying the roadsides. Upon our arrival, the community and the family I stayed with, was very kind-hearted.

Each one of the Hondurans was delighted to see us and happily prepared fresh meals with tortillas, black beans, and queso blanco being the major staple foods. The families were living in conditions that were not necessarily wealthy in monetary terms but the wealth of their hearts and generosity was what made the people and the experience of staying with them so humbling.

The love that I experienced from the Honduran people could cure any sickness. As spoken by the wonderful Blessed Mother Teresa,  “All sicknesses have cures. The only one that cannot be cured is the sickness of feeling unloved.  I invite all those who appreciate our work to look around them and be willing to love those who have no love and to offer them their services.  Are we not, by definition, messengers of love?” I truly felt this love that Mother Teresa speaks of as I experienced this mission.

During my experience in Pimientillas, this sense of love, helped me adjust for survival in the foreign environment as I struggled to communicate effectively with the young children and adults. Despite the language barrier and my lack of speaking efficiency in Spanish, thankfully my fellow missioner and room-mate Rolando happened to be wonderfully blessed in his Spanish speaking abilities, which proved to be quite helpful .

Although my mind wasn’t always able to cognitively filter out good chunks of information during talks, I was still far from completely understanding all local lingo and every bit of content in our presentations. Our course of dramas, music, and testimonial talks were all truly saturated with wonderful messages. I believe that each member of the community who joined us each night of our 4.5 day stay in Pimientillas had some positive takeaways and strong sensations of bonding and trust from our group.

Our mission was to serve, and after being there and walking the neighborhoods house to house, I believe that each member of my group could say that we experienced similar strengthening of the heart and mind. As the father of the delegado in Pimientillas spoke to us on our last nights stay. “Keep moving forward, don’t move backwards”.

As I move on from my mission experience and continue on as a citizen under Gods control I hope that I continue to move forward and not backward. Despite the trials and temptations of the world, it is only through peace, union, and triumph that we help shape our world into a better place for a better tomorrow.

As said by Pope John Paul II, “Do not be afraid. Do not be satisfied with mediocrity. Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”

My first mission trip in Honduras was a real eye opener. I realized the good in the world, and the fragile innocence of the nature of humanity. But something else that I discovered was how far I am from perfection.

I still feel the need to travel more distances as I continue to discover and aim to change the world. One thing that I discovered through Honduras is that we all live in a beautiful world. Overall the experience has helped me step forward to become a better version of myself. I hope my experience continues to help me as I continue to encounter life’s obstacles.

 

Comparing Two Pre-Workout Giants: Razor 8 and C4

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Comparing Two Giants

Nowadays it seems like a lot of people take all sorts of supplements whether it be to help with muscle growth, muscle fatigue, muscle recovery, or just general health maintenance. Not to mention more people are using supplements for their health rather than going to the doctor and getting prescription medicine which is a good thing. It is way better to be healthy than to be sick in ill health.

It’s no secret, some people take better care of their bodies, minds, and overall being than others. So the average person may ask, how do I get better at being a healthy person? Or, how can I build my body into better shape so I can be good looking when I’m an old man or woman?

Well one secret step that some people take in order to get into better shape or more fit whether it be Mariusz Pudzianowski style, or just your typical fit person who just looks well all the time, is to take some muscle building supplements. Muscle building supplements are used for both fuel and recovery.

By utilizing muscle building supplements it can help you achieve an edge on your competition, however with that said, I don’t believe that all supplements are completely necessary to maintain a healthy body. A lot of healthy people get really cut and fit by just diet alone and having a strong balance of whole foods.

So with this post, you don’t have to 100% take my advice, but if you would like to become a lean, mean, green machine it helps to take a periodic supplement or go through cycling of certain formulas on and off. Doing so in the correct order can help your body become more sculpted and strong like a piece of art.

The following is a comparison between two Pre-Workout formulas C4 and Razor 8:

Cellucor’s C4

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PROS

With C4 I really feel immediate results as my motivation, endurance, and power is enhanced. I believe this is in large part due to the large amount of Beta Alanine in this product. Beta Alanine is a strong non-essential amino acid that helps with endurance and defeating fatigue during workouts so more repetitions can be accomplished. The main effort in any workout is to become focused and driven towards gaining growth, which I definitely feel with this product. I’ve noticed that, whether utilizing weights or doing resistance exercises Beta Alanine helps me tremendously, and it is extremely helpful if you’re a vegetarian or you fail to eat a lot of meat. The main property Carnosine which works with Beta Alanine is what does the most help in enhancing endurance. Another great non-essential amino acid present in this formula is Arginine AKG, which stimulates more lean body mass, less pain, and less stiffness during a workout. Arginine AKG is also known to help prevent sterility in men. One of the last things I generally love about this product is the high dosages of B vitamins and vitamin C, which add a nice little boost of energy as well to your workout.

CONS

C4, the well-known product sold by the supplement giant Cellucor is a great product as it shows results and helps you perform strongly in the gym. Despite the results it has some cons that I would like to mention. Personally it falls short in a couple of areas, one being that it contains a lot of artificial ingredients and unknown patents that provide a boost within the workout room, but may be hurting the body with the chemicals. I prefer to stick with more natural ingredients and less fillers, so seeing artificial colors like Red 40, and Sucralose (an artificial sweetener) provide some worry. I feel that these particular ingredients sway health experts away from this product, because of the lack of better quality substitutes such as beet red as a color dye, or stevia as a natural sweetener substitute. So for me personally, perhaps if these ingredients were changed I think the product would be substantially better and more appealing. I feel as if C4, would attract a much larger crowd to their already dominant line of products if they took certain ingredients out of their recipe and focused on the more natural whole food culture ingredient wise. Besides those ingredients I don’t have much more critique.

C4 can be bought here!

 All Max’s Razor 8

Razor_8

Razor 8 is a supplement on the market that I like mainly because it has less filler ingredients, artificial colors, preservatives, and unknown secret ingredients.

PROS

With the All Max Razor Eight, you are getting a superior product, with two forms of Creatine and natural body fat trimming ingredients it makes for an interesting blend. The powder is rather easy to mix with water and it tastes more natural with less chemicals involved. There are less filler ingredients in Razor 8 than the counterpart C4, as well as no artificial dye coloring, which is a major plus. Razor 8 also doesn’t include aspartame a dangerous ingredient linked to cancer and brain damage. The use of Green tea, Yerba Mate, and Grapefruit extracts is wonderful, as they are naturally derived and serve a great use in trimming body fat. The Green tea, Yerba Mate, and Grapefruit formula also helps curb appetite in order to help one achieve a more cut and ripped body frame. Another benefit that I’ve noticed is that Creatine in combination with caffeine can help improve focus and overall mental clarity for learning as well. This however, also could be due to exercise in general, which is related to increased neural functioning in the brain and improved academic performance.

CONS

With All Max Razor Eight I do have a few set backs. One set back is due to the use of Synthetic caffeine and the other being the use of some a pharmaceutically derived ingredients which are made in a manner that causes suspicion. The use of Yohimbine for example is both interesting but at the same time, it must be monitored. Yohimbine increases blood flow dramatically through the body, so it should be taken in low dosages, as it can aggravate high blood pressure or aggravate psychological problems. Due to the different side effects depending on the person, I’d advise one to take lower doses in order to figure out how your body may respond to this particular mixture.

Razor 8 pre-workout formula can be bought here!

Overall, these are both formulas that work well, but be careful and assess your tolerance first. Everyone’s body chemistry is different. Also, if you have worries contact your doctor, or medical professional about what supplements support you best.

Works Cited:

Freedman, Lisa. “Supplement Guide: Beta Alanine.” Men’s Fitness. America Media, Inc, n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2015. <http://www.mensfitness.com/nutrition/supplements/supplement-guide-beta-alanine&gt;.

Freedman, Lisa. “Supplement Guide: AAKG Arginine.” Men’s Fitness. America Media, Inc, n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2015.<http://www.mensfitness.com/nutrition/supplements/supplement-guide-aakg&gt;

“Yohimbe: MedlinePlus Supplements.” U.S National Library of Medicine. U.S. National Library of Medicine, 10 Oct. 2014. Web. 05 Mar. 2015. <http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/759.html&gt;.

Image found via: http://statusfitnessmagazine.com/supplement-review-razor-8-allmax