Archive for September, 2009
Mini Retirements
Sep 22nd
I was first alerted to the concept of mini retirements through my mentor, Dax Moy and the book “4 hour work week – Timothy Ferris”
The idea is that instead of waiting until you are old to retire, why not take mini retirements through your whole life… So on the 1st October I go away on my first real mini retirement. Basically I’ll be AWOL for the whole of October in the sunny autumn sun of Southern portugal, kicking back enjoying the beautiful fresh fish and a massive amount of head space that I desperately need.
You probably get in the same situation as me, you kinda get slow, tired, lethargic and even after going away for a “normal” holiday you have not fully recharged the batteries so you are always feeling a little jaded.
Obviously, going away for a month is not possible if you hold down a normal 9-5 job, but instead of going away for a few days here and there, why not escape for a 3 week block, rent a cheap cottage or apartment and escape from real life for enough time to truly kick back and relax.
I’ll probably still sit and do some “work” while I am away, but work that I want to do rather than the day to day stuff I normally get tied up with while I am here in Luxembourg. I’ll enjoy the free head space and it’ll allow me to come up with my next mind blowing training programs or inspiring articles, I may even get to write a BLOG post or two as well 
Enjoy October, you already know I will be!
Low Calorie, Low Fat Obsession
Sep 15th
I periodically check out Amazon to see what are the top selling books in the diets section, and the following caught my eye.
Now before you think this is a recommendation it is NOT!
200 recipes that are 200 calories or less…
I’ve always contended that the obsession with low calorie, low fat nutritional plans causes us more harm than good, but it is seems to be a tough nut to crack for some people.
Yes eating less calories is a good idea, especially if you are consuming a massive amount in the first place, however the 1000 calorie or less daily plans I regularly see will certainly damage your metabolism, making your LONG TERM fat loss efforts more difficult.
The belief perpetuated by many dieting books and magazines is that a calorie is a calorie and no matter what form you take it in you have to burn the equal amount in energy output (i.e. exercise), this kinda over simplifies the process in which the body takes in, converts and utilises an item of food.
To open a massive can of worms I am going to say that your body actually wants to burn fat all the time, however we never give it a chance as we are continually feeding it carbohydrates (of any form), making your body choose the easy energy option of utilising this source first… So even though you may thinking that consuming a diet of predominately fruit and vegetables (think vegetarians!) is really healthy because it is low fat, low calorie, in actual fact you are making it easy for your body to not bother burning fat because it is getting its energy source from the carbs you are consuming.
Now here is the twist… What happens is you start reducing the carbs (from any source) becoming a more pure carnivore, so the majority of your food is made up of animal fats and proteins, where is your body going to get its energy source from? FAT…
So by eating a higher proportion of fat and protein your body will want to burn more FAT…
Weird huh?
By the way this is NOT just Tim theorising this stuff, there is plenty of science to back this up…
Tell me what you think? I would really appreciate your comments on this BLOG posting.