However, even with all that is known today about exercise, there is one important aspect of maintaining a *healthy* and *effective* exercise regimen that many people ignore forget…

Recovery

If you want to see optimal results from your exercise routine, you MUST allow for adequate recovery.

Why?  Let’s start with strength training.

When you engage in any sort of resistance training – whether it’s weight lifting or simple bodyweight exercises – you are actually creating microscopic tears in your muscle fibers that MUST be given time to heal.

In fact, it is during this healing phase (i.e. RECOVERY) that the muscles actually increase in strength and size.

In other words, you are NOT actually building muscle when you are training.  It is only during recovery, when your body is able to repair the damage, when you will gain mass.

And this applies to all forms of exercise, not just strength training.  As long as you are engaging in moderate to intense activities, you should be allowing adequate recovery.

So…how do you incorporate adequate recovery into your fitness regimen?

How to Recover

The general rule is to wait *48 hours* after working a particular muscle to engage that muscle again.  So if you trained your chest and shoulders on Monday, you would not work these muscles again until at least Wednesday.

This is one of the reasons you will see many weight lifting routines structured like this:

• Monday: Chest and Back
• Wednesday: Biceps and Triceps
• Friday: Shoulders and Legs

This structure ensures that you only work each muscle group once per week, allowing plenty of opportunity for recovery and muscle growth.  The days in between strength training (in this case, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday) are perfect cardiovascular activities.

While it is good to give the body a break from cardio – such as jogging, swimming, and biking – these activities can often be done back to back on consecutive days.

That said, if you ever feel tense, exceptionally sore, or just plain exhausted the next day, be sure and rest those muscles.  Remember, the heart is a muscle just like any other and needs adequate recovery to adapt, improve, and function properly.

Now, what to do with that extra Sunday?  Hmm…

Rest Days

After all that is known today about the importance of recovery, it boggles my mind how many people continue to follow workout routines that do not include rest days!

If you are not including a rest day each week, you are doing your body a *great* disservice.  As mentioned above, your body NEEDS time to recovery in order to grow and adapt to the extra work.

Even if you experience little to no muscle soreness after your workouts, rest days are still important.  Giving your entire body AND mind a full day off is necessary to regroup and get excited about the week to come.

So in the example routine above, Sunday would be reserved for rest.  And while you can certainly take the entire day
off from exercise of any kind, you do not have to.

On my rest days, I like to keep active with a full body stretch routine and maybe a brisk walk with my dog or bike ride around the neighborhood.

The key here is that any activity you do participate in is casual and low impact.  If you do not feel refreshed and ready to workout at the start of your next training week, that is a good indication that you overtrained and need to schedule in more rest for the next week.

Putting It All Together

So the completed example routine would look like this:

*Example Routine*

• Monday: Chest and Back
• Tuesday: Cardio
• Wednesday: Biceps and Triceps
• Thursday: Cardio
• Friday: Shoulders and Legs
• Saturday: Cardio
• Sunday: Rest

This routine allows for adequate recovery between workouts as well as a full day of rest for full body and mind recuperation.

And remember, it’s always important to listen to your body.

If you are new to exercising or just feel that you need additional time to recover, don’t feel bad about taking the time off.  Recovery is an integral part of working out and, as I hope this article has shown, is vital to helping you achieve the fitness results you desire.

Go raw, be fit, and RECOVER,

Swayze

P.S. As important as adopting a well-rounded fitness routine is to your overall health and well-being, you can’t experience optimal vitality and performance without a healthy diet.

Trust me, I’ve tried to get fit and trim on just hours of exercise alone while still eating all my favorite junk foods…

No dice.

If you really want great results, you have to improve your diet.  By far the best and the *simplest* diet…you guessed
it…is a low fat, high fruit raw vegan diet!

And what better way to get started improving what you eat than by experimenting with easy, delicious, and healthy
recipes:

www.fitonraw.com/low-fat-raw-vegan-favorites

You’ll have no problem going raw and getting healthy with this collection of over 35 raw food favorites from several long-term low fat raw vegans.  There’s even a 7-day meal plan to help you go raw as soon as possible.

Oh, and the book is in digital PDF format so you will have full access to it just seconds after ordering!

Simply visit the following link for more info and to purchase your copy today:

www.fitonraw.com/low-fat-raw-vegan-favorites

* What’s New: Meet Me in Michigan

* Feature Article: 4 Ways to Improve the Mainstream Raw Food Diet

Meet Me in Michigan

From Friday-Sunday, October 8-10, 2010, Dr. Douglas Graham (author of The 80/10/10 Diet) is going to be presenting five, 3-hour health lectures in Livonia, Michigan.

The schedule is:

• Friday Night – Fasting: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (6-9)
• Saturday AM – Basics and Basis of the 80/10/10 Lifestyle (9:30-12:30)
• Saturday PM – Nutrition and Energy (2-5)
• Sunday AM – Children’s Health (9:30-12:30)
• Sunday PM – Astonishing Case Studies (2-5)

But that’s not the best part.  The best part is that a “market place” will be open for lunch on Saturday and Sunday, with restaurant vendors offering low fat raw vegan food!  There will be fresh fruit offered throughout both days as well!

And guess who’s booked for the whole weekend?  That’s right, ME!

So if you would like to learn more about health and wellness from the undisputed fruit master AND fill up on tasty fresh fruit with yours truly, then make your way over to Michigan this fall!

You can find out more information on the individual lectures and purchase your tickets here:

http://www.livingyoganow.com/dg/index.html

If you order by August 31 you get a $100 discount on the entire event and if you order by July 31 you get a free gift at the door.

I sure hope to see you there!

Swayze

4 Ways to Improve the Mainstream Raw Food Diet

Last week, I reviewed an essay on evolution and the human diet and concluded with 4 main ways to improve the modern human diet:

1. Eliminate Salt Intake
2. Eliminate Grains and Replace with Fruits and Vegetables, with an emphasis on sweet fruit
3. Exercise Everyday
4. Limit Fat Intake

You can find the rest of the article here.

Unfortunately, modern Americans with their SAD diet are not the only ones guilty of ignoring the lifestyle points above. Many health conscious individuals and their so-called nutritious diets fail as well.

For instance, vegans are known for eating tons of grain-based meals coupled with staggering levels of salt and oil. And while many vegans don’t struggle with hyperadiposity, there is definitely no shortage of under-muscled veg-heads.

But what about RAW vegans? Well, it seems that there is much room for improvement amongst this special class of health hobbyists as well.

Salt

The average raw foodist eats too much salt, as well as other spices and condiments. Here’s a raw soup recipe I found while scouring the web:

• South River unpasteurized miso
• Tomato concentrate by Premier Research
• Hijiki
• Goji Berries
• Hemp Seeds
• Raw Honey
• Sea Salt (pink himalayan salt is a great option)
• Other seaweed (optional)
• Nutritional flakes (optional)
• Agaricus mushroom powder (optional)

Can this really be considered a recipe? It seems to be made up of flavorings, rather than actual nutritious food.

Grains Over Fruits and Vegetables

You would think that most raw foodists would naturally favor ripe fruits and veggies over difficult to digest grains.

Unfortunately this is not the case. Many cooked-made-raw recipes, like burgers, wraps, and pizzas, use sprouted grains.

Here’s an example of a raw pizza:

• 400g sprouted wheat (or sprouted buckwheat)
• 2 medium fresh tomatoes
• ½ a medium sized onion
• 6-8 sundried tomato halves (ideally pre-soaked)
• About 10 leaves of fresh basil
• Liberal shaking of Italian dried herbs mix
• 1 clove garlic
• ⅓ cup of olive oil

And while many mainstream raw foodists do eat good amounts of greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc., they put WAY too little emphasis on sweet fruit. Some even shun fruit completely!

For more on the problem with eating grains, check out my article here.

Exercise

I don’t know what it is, but mainstream raw food vegans seem to HATE to exercise…not including meditation and low-intensity yoga, of course.

Actually I DO know why: they don’t eat enough calories! It’s impossible to find the energy to work up a good sweat when you’re living on heavy fats and low-calorie veggies.

This is why it’s so common to see super skinny, yet still over-fat and under-muscled raw foodists.

Fat

Here’s the big one: raw foodists eat way too many avocados, nuts, seeds, and oils. They’re used in salads, soups, salsas, sauces, and even sweet desserts!

ESPECIALLY the desserts! Here are the ingredients for an almond cake recipe:

• 1 cup walnuts
• 2/3 cup almonds
• 1 cup pitted, packed medjool dates
• 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

And that doesn’t include the almond creme…

• 1 cup cashews
• 1/3 cup almond milk
• 1/3 cup melted coconut oil
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 1/2 -2 teaspoons pure almond extract
• 2 tablespoons chopped almonds

…or the whipped creme…

• 3/4 cup almond milk
• 1/2 cup cashews
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 3 tablespoons cacao powder
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons carob powder
• Seeds of 1/2 vanilla bean
• Pinch celtic sea salt
• 2 tablespoons melted cacao butter
• 1 tablespoons coconut oil

…that go along with it.

Holy Cannoli!

No wonder so many raw foodists have issues with candida overgrowth.

Raw Rules for Everyone

So yea, unfortunately cooked food lovers are NOT the only ones guilty of dietary sin. But that’s okay, because you definitely don’t have to follow the trend:

1. Eliminate Salt Intake
2. Eliminate Grains and Replace with Fruits and Vegetables, with an emphasis on sweet fruit
3. Exercise Everyday
4. Limit Fat Intake

No matter what your current diet, you will see tremendous health gains by adopting the 4 guidelines above.

Go raw and be fit,

Swayze

P.S. You’ve probably also noticed how most raw recipe books out there follow this same unhealthy pattern: lots of salt and other spices and condiments, lots of fat, grains and low-calorie veggies over sweet fruits.

Not this one:

Low Fat, Fruit Filled, High Fun Raw Recipes

P.P.S. And yes, the unhealthy recipes I talked about in this post actually exist on popular raw food websites (I’m sure you’ve seen many just like them). I didn’t want to put anyone out by linking to the websites while bashing their recipes!

I know, I’m too cool for school.

Human Diet: Its Origin and Evolution is one particular book that I have been reading lately. It’s a collection of essays written by numerous anthropologists, biologists, etc. regarding – you guessed it – evolution and the human diet.

In “Evolution, Diet, and Health” by S. Boyd Eaton, Stanley B. Eaton III, and Loran Cordain, the authors examine dietary evolution from the last common ancestor of apes and humans all the way up to modern men of today.

They conclude the essay with four ways in which intensive agriculture (i.e. farming) and industrialization have changed human health for the worse:

#1: Sodium Intake Has Dramatically Increased

About 90% of current sodium intake results from food processing, preparation, and flavoring: Only 10% is intrinsic to the foods themselves.

Many groups of hunter-gatherers, pastoralists, and rudimentary horticulturalists that lack commercially available salt have been studied in this century. These ancestral human surrogates experience neither rising blood pressure with age nor clinical hypertension.

It is also important to note that most of these “ancestral human surrogates” do not consume any rock salt at all (i.e. table salt, sea salt, volcanic rock salt, etc.). They receive all of their sodium from the foods they eat.

#2: Grains Have Replaced Fruits and Vegetables

No primates other than humans ordinarily consume cereal grains, but from the introduction of agriculture onward, grains have been the single most important contributor to human food energy, providing from 40% to 90% of human caloric requirements.

In doing so they have displaced fruits and vegetables that, until the Neolithic [period], had been the dominant energy source for Stone Agers, earlier hominds, and our antecedent primate ancestors for fifty million years.

You may be thinking that this focus on grains has allowed us time to anatomically and physiologically adapt to digesting them. However, the authors make it clear that this isn’t so:

The phytochemicals of grains have interacted with the human genome for only ten thousand years. Hence, substitution of grains for vegetables and fruits in human diets might readily diminish our resistance to development of neoplastic [cancerous] disease.

Some sources do say 30,000 as opposed to 10,000 years. Nonetheless, supporters of evolutionary theory agree that this simply is not enough time for digestive adaption to occur.

#3: Fatter Bodies From Lack of Exercise

For primates and other mammals in natural settings, food procurement is inextricably linked to energy expenditure…The ratio of fat to muscle generally varies with season, but typically lies within fairly narrow limits; hyperadiposity [excess of fat tissue], as it exists for many contemporary humans, is rare or not existent for other primates.

In the present, however, obtaining food energy is no longer dependent on muscular exertion: From childhood on, calories are available at the lowest cost in human experience without reciprocal energy expenditure. The result is relative sarcopenia – deficiency of skeletal muscle.

And here is a dire result of hyperadiposity and sarcopenia (too much fat and not enough muscle):

…a given insulin secretory pulse, in response to a carbohydrate-containing meal, now produces less reduction in blood glucose levels than would have been achieved for prior humans with evolutionarily “appropriate” body composition. Additional, “extra” pancreatic insulin is required to produce glucose homeostasis…the process can proceed to glucose intolerance and overt diabetes.

Essentially, the fatter you are, the harder time your body has of properly assimilating glucose that has been absorbed into your bloodstream.

Sound familiar? That’s because I often talk about FAT as the true cause of sugar metabolic disorders like Diabetes and candida overgrowth, not sugar. As long as you are consuming a low-fat diet, you will have absolutely no trouble digesting the simple sugars in fruit.

For more on the dangers of a high fat diet, check out my article here.

Speaking of too much fat…

#4: Too Much Fat in the Diet

For ancestral humans, the cholesterol-raising saturated fatty acids constituted about 5% of total energy intake, and trans fatty acids intake was negligible. For Americans, cholesterol-raising saturated fatty acids approach 15% of dietary energy, while hydrogenated vegetable fats and oils provide an unprecedented quantity of trans fats.

This imbalance of Omega-6 and 3 fatty acids not only affects physical health (i.e. coronary atherosclerosis, the disease characterized by plaque on the arterial walls), but it also has a harmful impact on mental health:

…studies of plasma Omega-6:Omega-3 ratios in patients with depression reveal a direct association: Higher ratios of Omega-6 to Omega-3 PUFAs [polyunsaturated fatty acids] are correlated with more frequent and severe depressive episodes. Early therapeutic trials with Omega-3 PUFAs have shown symptomatic improvement.

These Guys Must Be Healthy Raw Vegans!

Not really, but I was really intrigued by the ramifications of this essay. As a low fat raw vegan, I agree with and encourage all 4 points…with a bit of modification, of course:

1. Eliminate Salt Intake. Raw fruits and vegetables provide all the sodium your body needs. There is no need to consume sodium chloride.
2. Eliminate Grains and Replace With Fruits and Vegetables. Emphasis on the fruit! The bulk of your calories should come from sweet fruit, but don’t neglect tender leafy greens and non-sweet fruits like tomatoes.
3. Exercise Everyday. It doesn’t always have to be intense (in fact, it’s best to vary intensity throughout the week), but you should do something active each day. Even a short walk around the block is exercise!
4. Limit Your Fat Intake. Optimally, overall fat intake should not exceed 10% of total calories. That may sound impossible, but it is really very easy as long as you are consuming enough sweet fruit. And you’ll notice the benefits almost immediately.

Hmmm. Perhaps we fruit defenders are not so strange after all?

Go raw and be fit,

Swayze

P.S. That first guideline has got you down, huh?  I know, it’s tough giving up on salt for good.  It’s hard to enjoy the simple flavors of fruits and vegetables without the flavor enhancing, yet irritating and weight-retaining salts, spices, and condiments that we are all so used to.

That’s okay, because my low fat and fruity friend Roger Haeske has some delicious dishes that will put the kibosh on your savory salty cravings.  Called Savory Veggie Stews, these completely raw, completely low fat, and completely free of salt recipes are truly tasty.

Check ‘em out here:

http://tinyurl.com/ygwwahs

I know I do!  I *really* love challenging my muscles by frequently incorporating new moves into my routines.  Not
only does this keep exercising fun and interesting, but it also ensures that I am incorporating good variety and hitting every muscle group.

Unfortunately, upping the intensity of my workout often means serious DOMS the next day.  DOMS, or Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, simply refers to the soreness you experience 24-72 hours after an intense workout.

This pain is thought to be caused by little tears created in our muscle fibers when we create enough
resistance to challenge the muscles being used.

That’s why it is so important to allow the body to fully recover between each workout.  You need to rest so that your
musculature can heal.

But that’s another email for another day…

Today’s email is all about DOMS and what you can do to help alleviate the symptoms.

Ditch the DOMS

Here’s a quick and super useful tip that I frequently use to alleviate DOMS.  It won’t cost you any extra *time* or *money.*

You actually do it in the shower right after your workout!

Here’s what you do:

1. When you get into the shower, start with hot water.
2. After 30 seconds, turn the temp down to as cold as you can stand.
3. 30 seconds later, turn it back up to hot.
4. Repeat until you are finished with your shower.

We’ve all heard of taking long hot baths to relieve soreness and tension, right?  While that works okay, I find that the
cold-hot method above works much better.

That’s because alternating between extreme temperatures helps to stimulate blood flow, which reduces swelling.

This technique, also known as Contrast Water Treatment (CWT), has actually been shown to reduce and improve
recovery deficiencies caused by DOMS.  In other words, you are able to recover more quickly!

So if you want to experience the benefits of strength training without all the soreness, you have to give this tip
a try.  I always try to finish my workout with one of these quick hot-cold showers because when I do, any soreness is
*dramatically* reduced.

And it’s totally simple, totally quick, and totally free!

Now go build some sleek, sexy muscle!

Go raw and be fit,

Swayze

P.S. No amount of physical activity, whether it’s running, swimming, or lifting weights, will erase the harmful effects of an unhealthy cooked food diet.  If you truly want to experience optimal health, you need to eat a caloric AND nutrient dense diet.

I first learned about such a diet – a low fat, high fruit raw vegan diet, of course – from Frederic Patenaude and his book The Raw Secrets.  Frederic does a fabulous job of exposing the many raw food myths, while at the same time providing the absolute best raw vegan diet for optimal health.

If you want to learn about a healthy raw food diet from the “master” and read the book that actually convinced me to go raw, please follow the link below:

http://tinyurl.com/lrm4c4

It’s a little R.A.W. formula I came up with to help all you struggling raw foodies out there.

“R” Stands for…

*Reduce Your Fat Intake*

Too many raw foodists are eating way too much fat.  As Dr. Graham likes to say, the mainstream raw food diet is an unsustainable diet of “grass and fats.”

And it truly is!

With all the fruit fear mongering going around, raw foodists are only left with a couple of choices: fatty foods like avocado or grassy foods like greens…or even just plain ole’ grass!

And because grassy foods provide very little in the way of calories, it’s up to the fattier fare to pick up the slack.

The result? A food regimen that’s higher in fat than the average cooked food diet!

I experienced this myself when I first went raw. I had been a low fat food person for quite some time, but my cooked vegan diet was failing me and so I wanted to give raw a chance.

I followed a well-known raw food cuisine book (this particular book is one of the top-selling raw recipe books today, actually), but all of the oil and nuts used in 90%+ of the recipes just didn’t sit right with me.

When I finally sat down and calculated what I was eating, I was shocked to find that my daily “healthy” raw food diet was AVERAGING 45% fat!

I didn’t even consume that much fat as a SAD eater!

After a few more weeks of research, I made the switch to low fat raw and immediately saw improvements: no more bloating, gas, or lethargy!

And with all the yummy sweet fruit, I was finally satiated!  As long as I ate enough fruit (yes, this really is THE key), I never felt the need (and still don’t) to fill up on dense fatty foods.

“A” Stands for…

*Add in Some Greens*

While I’m sure you know how important sweet fruit is to a healthy raw food diet…

(And if you don’t, this article may help you out)

…you may be missing out on another important component: GREENS!

While fruits are absolutely vital because they come the closest to meeting our nutritional needs and provide sufficient calories, they do run low in some necessary nutrients (i.e. minerals).

That’s where greens come in!

Tender leafy greens like romaine and bib lettuce – as well as delicious non-sweet fruits like cucumber and red bell pepper – have a higher mineral content than sweet fruits do.

And you know what? It’s just really nice sometimes to have a big savory salad or a Fat Free Veggie Dip at the end of a fruit-filled day, which can really help with cravings and keep you on the raw path.

“W” Stands for…

*Work Your Body Everyday*

Sorry all you lazy raw foodists (a group in which I include myself), but if you want optimal results on raw (or ANY diet), you have to exercise.

You have to get yourself up off that couch and away from your computer/TV screen and move around a bit.

And if it’s *optimal* results you’re looking for, then you need to do this EVERY SINGLE DAY!

Even on my recovery days, I still do light stretching and low impact activities such as walking and biking.

And no, “low impact activities” do not include pushing the buttons on your remote or typing at your computer.

Of course, if you’re new to being physically active, be safe and start slow. A 30 minute walk around the neighborhood 3 times per week is an excellent place to start and can easily be modified (i.e. alternating jogging and walking) as you progress.

Get Great Raw Results!

By following this formula…

Reducing your fat intake,

Adding in your greens, and

Working your body everyday

…you will definitely see some radical (but totally welcome) raw results.

Go raw and be fit,

Swayze

P.S. You’re curious about that Fat Free Veggie Dip I mentioned, aren’t ya?  No problem!  Check out my completely low fat and healthy raw food recipe book:

http://www.fitonraw.com/low-fat-raw-vegan-favorites/