LegendaryLife Blog

As my plan is to live well over a hundred years by following a very healthy lifestyle full of whole foods, vigorous exercise and lots of mental activities, I found this Ted talk by Dan Buettner rather interesting. Here is the embeded video followed by a summary of the talk’s key points. If you wish, you can read more about Dan here.

Lecture’s key points:

• based off the studies of twin lifespans, it’s been calculated that less than 10% of our longevity is based directly off our genes with 90% being dictated by our lifestyle.
• there is a lot of confusion regarding optimal health and lifestyle choices
• a team of experts visited and studied extensively the lifestyle of populations known to live a long, healthy life with few health complications. These four areas are known as blue zones and include Costa Rica, Okinawa, Sardinia and California
• longevity myth #1: you can’t wish yourself to live longer, no matter how hard you try because we are built to multiply, not live long. Your chances of living to 100 are 1 in 5 000 currently within America.
• longevity myth #2: treatments exist that can slow aging. Our bodies have 35 trillion cells… there is simply too much we don’t understand and that can go wrong to possibly know what works and what doesn’t. These cells are completely replaced every 8 years and each time, genetic and cellular damage occurs which builds up exponentially.
• a 65 year old senior ages 125x faster than a 12 year old child
• the capacity of the human body to sustain your life is about 90 years, slightly longer for woman

• in the highlands of Sardinia, there is a place where old age is a given, with 10x more centenarians than in America! They are also healthy, working and enjoying a vigorous lifestyle. Here, men live older than woman.
• diet consists mostly of plant based and whole foods made and found locally using naturally sourced products high in Omega-3 fatty acids
• they are mostly shepards, so they enjoy an active lifestyle throughout their lives
• they enjoy wine which has 3x the amount of polyphenols than any other type in the world (this is a strong anti-oxidant)
• the older you get, the more wisdom and acceptance you get within the social structure of the Sardinian society
• on the island of Okinawa, in the northern part of the island, the oldest female population can be found
• here they live a long time, die quickly with little health problems in between
• 5x the number of centenarians with a fifth of the cancer compared to America
• they have a mostly plant based diet that consists of smaller calorie dense foods – they stop eating once their stomach is 80% full
• isolation is known to shorten lifespan, so the Okinawans have a system in which they develop lifelong friendships
• American’s have adopted a lifestyle that can be divided into two categories, work and retirement but in Okinawa, there is no word for retirement. They simply live by a motto which means “the reason you wake-up in the morning is ___”
• in America, it’s the 7th Day Adventists found in California which live the longest, the study that the numbers come from tracked 70 000 people for 30 years
• they don’t eat a lot of meat, for 24 hours a week they stop everything and focus onto their social being and doing nature walks

• things that all these “high longevity cultures” have in common
• they all do daily physical activity that isn’t overly strenuous on their body or joints
• they have the right outlook on life and a purpose that drives them on a daily basis, they purposefully slow their lives down to deal with built-up stress
• they all take some “time off” to reflect or to relax on a very regular basis
• they eat food based on what is found around them and it forms the majority of their diet
• they eat mostly plant based foods, a little wine and rarely till they are absolutely full
• they put their families and relatives first in their lives and have strong social contacts
• longevity has no short term fix

The Bottom Line

A long, healthy life is a choice that involves incremental and small proactive steps through ones life.

A sick mouth makes for a very sick body.

It’s a proven fact that a dirty mouth affects not just your love life but your overall health as well.

ABC News Interviews Dr. Nancy Rosen

ABC News had an interesting video with a dentist’s top 5 industry secrets based on a Readers Digest article that was rather tame in my opinion, they were:

1. You cannot mask smoker’s breath, no amount of mints can hide the smell or its oral effects such as stains and white precancerous marks.
2. A mother can pass cavity producing bacteria to their child (and by extension, others) by sharing cutlery or kissing.
3. You need to brush your teeth for 2-3 minutes and floss for 1-2 minutes – electric toothbrushes are the best
4. Whiten your teeth only once every six months, MAX! It can damage your enamel and burn your gums
5. Don’t skip cleanings as they are necessary to maintain proper oral health, you can do a great job.

What they left out

I have written this several times, but the biggest dental industry secret is

• YOU DO NOT NEED TO BUY TOOTHPASTE NOR MOUTHWASH!

I believe we already ingest way too many chemicals, why add some new ones first thing in the morning? Want to kill ALL the bacteria in your mouth? Put a tablespoon of salt in a warm class with 50ml of water and sprinkle some baking soda in it. Use this to rinse your mouth, then brush it with a good electric toothbrush and repeat till you have no more water. The salt will kill everything, the baking soda, acting as a base, will neutralize all the acid build-up which causes cavities. Cost? Next to nothing.

Why a clean mouth is so vitally important!

Imagine living your life with an open wound on your arm, it would be bleeding, get infected and essentially make your life miserable. This is exactly what you are doing to your body when you don’t take proper care of your oral hygiene! Your gums are a wonderful access point straight into your bloodstream, you don’t have thick skin there, just a nice warm place, loaded with bacteria, that is hard to keep clean… constantly being invaded by germs of all stripes and motives!

Why oral health is especially important when you get older

When we are young, the tissues throughout our body “refresh” themselves at a very fast rate, many children don’t have a chance to get many cavities and their gums are nice and pink because the gums are replenishing new cells continually. The bad news is that as we age, this process slows down, so the older you get, the longer it takes for the body to rejuvenate itself, as such, you become more susceptible to injuries, degradation (bones, muscles, cartilage) and guess what, the same holds true for your teeth and gums. Oral health is important when you are young but increasing so as the years pass you by.

The Bottom Line

You are never too old to recover from neglected oral hygiene.

See also: Gateway to health begins with your mouth!

Buzvia: Things your dentist isn’t telling you

Long ago, before we had the luxury of convenient and grocery stores, modern agriculture and “civilization”, we use to have to hunt and gather each and everyday for our days food. Each day was filled with trying to live one more using nothing but our wit, strength and endurance. The reason our bodies are so impressive today is because of the work our ancestors did, each and everyday, in order to allow our species to conquer this planet.

I watched this video a long time ago and was incredibly impressed by the use of persistence to hunt down large prey. What was once common place among our species seems sadly foreign to me, I never had to “earn” my life like our ancestors. I believe this is the reason why our species suffers from depression, anxiety and invests in materialism instead of itself, we have lost touch with our inner senses and nothing quite fills that void like earned nutrition. Notice in this video, the guy isn’t 20 years old either, he is probably healthier than most people half his age… this guy, who never had a job his entire life, never owned anything of (our perceived) value and nor has any wealth to speak off has both my instant admiration and respect. We can truly be amazing animals when the desire and circumstances warrant them. I would feel honored to be able to do this, at least once, in my life.

Could you imagine having the mental and physical strength to run for 8 straight hours in the burning sun with nothing but a spear for your diner? Think about it.

Peter is now coming into his own, gaining confidence and starting to have a positive self-image… all great improvements but these didn’t happen because of his steroid use.

Episode 10 – Super Roid Brothers

• week 10 and Peter is now at 162.2 pounds
• Peter has replaced little pink pills with little yellow ones, Mr. Fantastic needs to knock some sense into him and get him to drop the orals for the injectables
• measurement woman is back, Peter now has 13 inch arms, 15 inch calves, 45 inch shoulders
• Peter is now consuming 3700 calories a day (no wonder he is gaining weight) as it’s double what he ate before!
• week 11: 166.2 pounds with 13.9% bodyfat
• Mr. Fantastic started-off seeming not to know anything about steroids but now, he seems to know more far more then he is letting on

Episode 11 – The Final Countdown

• week 12, Peter does look better than at the beginning
• day 84, Peter seems to have lost some weight or just looks “normal”, light can both giveth and taketh away
• at week 12, his bench press is now 125 pounds (from 65), neck is 15 inches (compared to 13 inches), shoulder 44.5 inches (before 42), 12.75 inch arms, 36 inch chest (from 33 week 1)
• Peter is impressed at how powerful of a life changer a small little tic-tac sized pill has had on his life (he still doesn’t realize he is responsible for the change, not the pill)
• day 84, three months later, he is now 169.2 pounds, up 31.2 pounds at 14% body fat (more than double what he had before)!
• Peter is still running around town without a t-shirt!
• Peter goes on PCT at the end of his cycle, after 3 weeks he now has gynecomastia (bitch tits) and is now at 165 pounds
• doctor says he is perfectly healthy now
• Mr. Fantastic says “steroids don’t kill people, stupid people on steroids kill themselves”.  I agree 100%!
• the first time I see him in a t-shirt at the gym lasts only a few seconds before he takes his shirt off again!
• Peter is now talking about another cycle already

Real information about steroids, fitness and diet

• Muscle memory is great… too bad it doesn’t last
• Why I decided not to take Anabolic Steroids
• Gaining Weight 101: Tips from a fellow Hard gainer
• LL Question: Even with bad genetics, can I become the world’s strongest man?
• Better Living Through Chemistry
• Taking Time Off and Muscle Memory

Buzvia: Steroids Saved My Life (Television Series)

This is a nice break from writing my next book… the series “Steroids Saved My Life” is interesting to me as it shows people totally what NOT to do when taking them.

Episode 4 – Roidboy

• day 1: 138 pounds (6.8% fat), day 19: 152 pounds, day 26 he is 9% fat
• 1350 calories per day before taking steroids, calories on cycle, 3500+, so now we know for a fact that he wasn’t eating enough to begin with and his phenomenal gains are probably more diet related than taking the 10mg pill with orange juice every morning… so the reason for him taking steroids is what?
• it took 4 episodes before he admits to being monitored by a doctor, this info isn’t on his site when I checked it, so I am assuming he is getting regular blood work done as well, but is this “mild” dosage based on a doctor’s recommendation or a bodybuilder’s cycle? These are completely different things.
• The first smart thing Peter has said so far is that he has stayed away from alcohol during his cycle.
• 4% of women like skinny men (source?)
• more testimonials at how great steroids are and how much he has changed as a result, new habits don’t form nor change in 19 days time
• a woman at the birthday party says he looks great and it’s the confidence that he is lacking
• “Steroids are a quick fix, an easy way out” says Big Red
• Runaway Taylor now says after seeing all the amazing changes that have happened in Peter’s life, he is “considering taking steroids” himself, at least he says he would use needles
• Peter’s goal is to get to 175 to 180 pounds (in 30 days). This shows his complete lack of knowledge yet again, 30 pounds in 30 days is borderline impossible, his goal is to go up 42 pounds! The faster you gain the weight, the faster you lose it as well. He will be lucky to keep 15 pounds a few months after getting off the steroids and looking at his diet and experience, my guess is he will end-up back to 140 pounds in less than a year.
• Peter’s workout routine is 5 days on and two days off… this is INSANE! It’s nice to see how little research he has done in the foundations of a good exercise routine.
• day 22: he was SICK! I wonder if it’s got something to do with over-training, under-eating and completely shocking the hell out of his system over the past 22 days.
• day 26: 147.6 pounds, he has lost a lot of weight (read above)
• Peter tried to go to the gym and was just throwing-up
• Peter is now having doubts about continuing the steroids, what I find ironic is that I am willing to wager that steroids have nothing to do with him being sick, it’s just his body going into shock from all the stress he has put on it over the source of the last month. He could have had these gains WITHOUT steroids too.

Episode 5: The Roid Team

• Peter is now, if his video is to be believed, the be all and end all expert about steroids, nutrition and exercise along with Mr. Fantastic and Suga(r). I think “The Three Stooges” would be more apt.
• Peter says now that he had the stomach flu, steroids (correctly) and the shock he did to his body over the past month had nothing to do with it (incorrect).
• Day 29, all his tests (would be nice to know what they were) show that he is perfectly healthy and fine
• day 33: 150.4 pounds, my guess is the few days off due to being sick gave his body some time to recover (hence the weight gain)
• woman is saying she doesn’t see a difference so he needs to up the dosage (would be nice to know what he IS taking and dosage)
• picture showing Anavar, HCG (and a few others I can’t read) so it looks like he is taking both injectables and oral steroids, not sure why it took 5 episodes to finally show this, the entire format of his cycle should have been made in the first episode of this show
• measurement time, day (?) and his chest is 33.5 inches, thigh 19.5 inches, biceps 11.5 inches, calves 14.5 inches, shoulders 42.5 inches… here is another question to ponder, is the woman in the show been taking the measurements during the entire month so far? If different people are doing measurements, unless they measure the SAME SPOT, these changes are utterly useless.
• “implants are awesome” says the measuring woman, so far, only Bear seems to be the only one with any type of common sense and knowledge about what is going on.
• day 1 and day 33 pictures are shown side by side… how the heck am I suppose to see a difference if the day 33 pictures is scalled-up? Where is a measuring stick or something to show an accurate scale?
• “Is viagra cheating?” question shown. If you have male impotence (which is a possible side-effect of steroids by the way), then who cares but if you are perfectly healthy, why would you need it?
• the measuring woman says that if she was a guy, she would take steroids because they make you look better and stronger. My question is what the heck do steroids have to do with looking better and stronger?
• More Steroids = More Fantastic, using this logic of more is better, why doesn’t Mr. Fantastic or Suga(r) look like bodybuilders? They are big but if you told me they were on steroids, I wouldn’t believe it because they don’t have anything that couldn’t be achieved naturally
• great wisdom from the measurement woman who says “who doesn’t love steroids… they’re just haters if they don’t love steroids”, I am guessing she must be Peter’s personal trainer as a 5 day on, 2 day off routine would make total sense if it came from her

Episode 6 – Midway Point

• showing before / after pictures, I find it hard to see a difference to be honest
• Peter says his reason for taking steroids is because of “a lifetime of being unsatisfied physically” (from episode 1) with video showing him taking 10gm pill with orange juice
• admits his form is horrible and doesn’t have much to build from (two great reasons right there why he shouldn’t be taking steroids)
• day 40 Peter says “I am doing basic exercises being monitored by my trainer… to make sure I am using the right weight… using the right form and not over-exerting himself”. If you are on steroids you NEED to over-exert yourself to the extreme, hence the reason why you need a strong physical, mental and dietary foundation established FIRST.
• routine is 10 minutes of cardio to warm-up followed by 10 minutes of stretching, one hour hitting the weights then a light circuit rotation or light stretching
• Monday: Chest, Tuesday: Back/Abs, Wednesday: Legs, Thursday: Shoulders, Friday: Arms
• this personal trainer got their degree from a 2 day weekend course, this routine is HORRIBLE to say the least. When you are on steroids, you should be exercising the same body part 2x a week as heavy as you can (recovery is very fast on steroids) and do as little cardio as possible because your goal is to gain MASS, it looks to me like his personal trainer is trying to have him gain muscles and stay lean at the same time, which is the wrong approach in my opinion… stretching should be minimal (studies have shown they can cause more damage then they are worth) and done during your weight training routine. Start with light weight (warm-up) and build yourself up from there. If he is doing a circuit rotation after a one hour workout, he is not working out with enough weight.
• bench press was 65 pounds at the beginning, after 6 weeks, 105 pounds
• squats was 95 pounds, 180 pounds after 6 weeks… complains about the bar hitting his spine (???)
• I noticed when ever he goes to the gym, he forgets to wear his t-shirt
• shoulder press weight was 20 pounds (each dumbell), now 35 pounds
• deadlifts were 85 pounds, now 160 pounds
• measurement woman says “I like big thick boys on steroids”
• Suga(r) says steroids help him to “breaking down doors, kicking-in big screen TVs, punching through car windows”
• Peter saying again he eats fast food 2-3x a day and lists all his other phobias related to food (no wonder he is skinny)
• day 32: he is complaining about being hungry all the time. If you are serious about gaining weight, especially on steroids, you should be eating 6-8 times a day, hunger never has a chance of showing-up! This shows he still isn’t eating ENOUGH.
• Over the past 6 weeks, his chest grew by 5.5 inches, thigh by 5 inches, bicep by 1.75 inches, calves 2 inches, shoulder 1.75 inches
• day 40 he says all tests show that steroids are not affecting him in a negative way, which is great! The problem with steroids isn’t when you are on them as much as when you get OFF of them
• he now says his original goals are no longer important for him, he just wants to be healthy now
• after 6 weeks, he is now 152.2 pounds, gaining a total of 13.4 pounds in a month and a half, which is perfectly do-able… he must realize now that there is no way he will gain 42 pounds during his cycle as gains will taper off around the last third. He could have achieved this in probably a two month time period without steroids by the way following a good diet and exercise routine.
• Peter says “the most dangerous part of steroids is not knowing where they are coming from” which is true but what is even more dangerous is people who have no idea what they are doing while taking steroids in the first place! I hope he doesn’t get an abscess on his butt from the injections that so far, he has made no mention of but showed bottles for. A few seconds later, he says he is getting his steroids from a good source (ei: not all from a doctor but from where he doesn’t really know where it’s coming from)
• day 36, he is talking about upping the dosage (???) He should have had his entire cycle planned far in advance with all the drugs bought, sounds to me like he is doing this week by week.
• Peter says “this entire experience has been an eye opening experience for himself and for those viewing the show”, sadly, he is educating people who are watching the show in how NOT to do things, which sadly, most people will not realize
• “I’m feeling tired and sore… I think the problem is that I am not taking enough steroids” is what Peter is thinking now. He is exercising a body that, a little more than a month ago was use to tennis and a Wii (???). Of course his body is sore, he is over-training, under-eating and has no foundations (mental or physical) to handle what is going on. The last thing he needs is more steroids!

Thoughts so far

I thought the first three episodes were bad but the way things are going now, this is just a rush to the bottom. The amount of pure BS being told as “fact” is horrible and even worse, people who are skinny like him (I was like that too), will follow his extremely uneducated and flawed advice and get themselves in big trouble physically and mentally. For instance, he managed to almost double his squat in a 6 month period, the problem is his muscles can handle this strain but not his ligaments so he is being very careless with his joints and only has his age protecting him for serious tears. His logic that because his body is screaming at him to take a break, he needs more steroids to overcome his physical (mental) limitations is incredibly flawed thinking. I am beginning to think the personal trainer he is using may know enough about physiology to give him an exercise routine that will exhaust him so that he doesn’t go with heavier weight and snap something. I am eager to see how this proceeds!

Real information about steroids, fitness and diet

• Muscle memory is great… too bad it doesn’t last
• Why I decided not to take Anabolic Steroids
• Gaining Weight 101: Tips from a fellow Hard gainer
• LL Question: Even with bad genetics, can I become the world’s strongest man?
• Better Living Through Chemistry
• Taking Time Off and Muscle Memory

Buzvia: Steroids Saved My Life (Television Series)