Is fish essencial?

I'll write about fish, which is one of the most controversial points of vegetarianism.

I got suspicious since I found several sushi restaurants in São Paulo, a large city away from the sea, selling all-you-can-eat type of deal for about 17 reais, with slices of raw salmon sashimi included.

I found out that you have a chance to be eating an animal that changed sex (they inject hormones in the male, females are larger), wich means, loaded with hormones. And colorants, because the "cultivated" river salmon have a pale color.

Ignorance is bliss. But I already know I do not need fish to live, I know where I can find such a fat long chain omega-3 that feeds my brain. In algae, the fish's food. And even some algae and fish have similar tastes.

As much as I thought that fish is essential to health, today I know it is not. It is not necessary. There is no exclusive nutrients in it, ie, that only has in it. Indeed, the things that you will find only in the fish are the high chance of food poisoning and mercury contamination. In addition to saturated fat and cholesterol.

So yes, you can go without fish.

Squat. To the point.

The squat is considered by many the "king of exercises." It is the most feared exercise in the gym. He makes you mad because it's difficult. To do it, it takes concentration and strength. This is the exercise, along with the deadlift, that delivers more natural hormones (aka. Testosterone) which not only affect legs, but the whole body, including arm's muscles.

How to perform the full squat:

- Feet approximately aligned with the shoulders (or feet at a comfortable distance apart).

- Now squat down as much as possible, basically balancing on your heels and keep your back straight, try to go bellow parallel / ass to the grass, look forward. It requires balance and strength to maintain that position. Is basically that position of Jeca-tatu or the orientals, leaning on the heels, but with the back straight.

Image Credit: Crossfit

- At this point it is not given a chance to relax, you will find that is an exercise that requires not only the legs but the abdomen, back, neural attention to the form does not fail. And if you are holding a weight: the shoulders, deltoid , trapeze, arm and forearm, heart, or almost everything.

- Now go on and continue with the repetitions (10 to 15 reps with light weight, 4 to 8 reps with heavy weight)

- Breathe when you feel better, but you will usually hold a little while in the "hole" of the squat, is instinctive, sometimes you can exhale slowly on the rise, this is the "Valsalva maneuver", also valid.

It is an exercise that requires the whole body. Explore the perception of the neural-muscular ways from neck to the heels. The motor recruitment is large. It is difficult, requires attention and concentration. The weight does not matter more than the perfect execution. You should come down as much as possible to the point where the flexibility allows, without bending the back. Keep your back straight (or slightly arched position a "neutral", "beach chest"), always. The lower the better (ass-to-grass), wide amplitude. No parcial squats.

Healthy Squat

It is not bad for your knees, in fact, it's good. Exercises all that the knee is capable of, and it becomes stronger. Compressive forces at knee's ligaments in a deep squat position with more than 380 pounds do not reach 50% of its maximum physiological capacity.

Source (in Portuguese):

Squats and knee

http://www.saudeemmovimento.com.br/conteudos/conteudo_frame.asp?cod_noticia=843

A study was conducted comparing the pressure in the knee joint between two different exercises: the squat and leg extension. While in the squat, patellar total strength was considered within normal range (because of the hamstrings activation and the position of the tibia, which protects the knee), the leg extension showed an excessive instability that can cause injuries.

Source (in English):

Leg Extensions vs. Squats

http://www.ironmanmagazine.com/site/?p=1424

It is not an exercise for the quadriceps only! You use all the muscles of your legs. Including the glutes, which are the largest muscles of the body.

Source:

http://stronglifts.com/why-you-should-always-squeeze-your-glutes/

There's no excuse! When you go to the bathroom, you're already squatting. If you can squat once, can do 3 sets of 1. And if you can make 3 of 1, can make 3 of 2. And sooner or later you'll be able to do 3 sets of 10 repetitions 3 times per week, which is the minimum you should aim to keep your legs working properly.

"The squat is the basic movement of human beings." Cláudia Raia - brazillian actress and dancer

Please stay away from the guided bar / smith machine when you do squats. The natural path of the bar is not a straight line. Make it free weight.

Anatoly Pisarenko squatting

Start with no weight, only with the bar. Add weight. Make 3 to 5 sets. Many times you can. Many times is necessary.

Types of squat:

- Back Squat: It is done with the bar on your back on your traps. It is the most classic. It is one of the three powerlifting exercises. Powerlifter training.

- Front Squat: You keep the bar in front, resting it on your shoulders. And balances at your fingertips. When you're in the hole, force the elbows forward / up (it helps to balance the weight on your shoulders). Increases the flexibility of the forearms. It is a basic exercise of the clean and jerk, an Olympic lifting.

- Overhead Squat: Squat down holding the bar above your head with a large grip and arms outstretched. Stretch it "like a towel". The bar is always on the same line of the feet (balance). It is a basic exercise of the snatch, an Olympic lifting.

- Side squat: With legs spread wide, squat with one leg to the side, then with the other.

- Lunges:

- One-Legged Squat: It's Punk! Or do the assisted version of the exercise and find a good use for the smith machine in the gym: ExRx's Single Leg Squat Assisted Self.

- No-no-no Squat: Full squat, heavy. No belts, no straps, no spotters. Down to the ground / Ass to the grass (ATG)!

- Air Squat: It is done without weight. Good for training posture and warming up.

If you never did it, prepare yourself to be unable to climb stairs for about 2 days. It will hurt because you never used. Perhaps you will squat again after a week. But your body adapts quickly. And gets stronger!

Official Statement

The ADA (Americam Dietetic Association), the Dieticians of Canada, the British Nutrition Foundation and several other international health organizations attest: "A vegan or lacto-ovo well-planned vegetarian diet is appropriate for all stages of life, including pregnancy, lactation, childhood and adolescence and for athletes. "

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We humans do not need meat or milk from cows to live well. Yes, and "well" I mean it WELL! It is possible to get old safe from many degenerative diseases that will emerge if you have eaten too much meat in your life.

It is better to stop at once. You'll pay better attention to what you eat and will do the right thing from the beginning. You can you eat a lot without stuffing and spend three hours talking to that piece of beef inside you.

Fish is something we do not need. Eat algae (fish's food). Eat flaxseed (fed to chickens so they can lay "omega-3 fortified" eggs). The best part of oysters is the lemon anyway...

Don't forget about milk. Breast milk you already needed and if you can read this, I guarantee you no longer need. Do not drink milk of any other species. What the hell makes you think cow's milk is a essential food to healthy bones on humans? The industry? Yes. Government lobbists? Yes. Someone from the government that knows about nutrition? No. Someone who knows how to earn some money from the dairy industry? Yes.

We are omnivores, not herbivores, carnivores or frutarians. We eat everything. We can eat vegetables, grains, fruits and meat. Warning! I said "can" And not "must". We can eat everything and so we can choose not to eat meat and live pretty well by eating other things.

We have "canine" teeth. Who gave that name to them? These teeth don't have the anatomy needed to do what his given name claims. It is not usefull to rip the carcass of an ox. It is usefull to grind nuts, fruits and leaves.

What about the dirty business with the animals? Lack a bit of common sense. If you know you do not need ... If you know it's bad for your planet, for you ... The animals need us, our mercy. They have no defense, we are much smarter than them. We surround them easily. They do not have a chance against us. If we want to eat them, we have the tools, we have the method. But we can also use the intelligence to NOT eat them. If we want, we study about nutrition and, with our intelligence, help animals to live free.

To know how many animals are abused for our benefit, the most comprehensive documentary is called Earthlings, and can be found on Google Video:

Earthlings (Earthlings) - Legendado Portuguese

There's so much information out there that gives you plenty of reasons to stop with meat. Today is very easy. We have examples at the sports and at the arts. Large corporations try, but can not hide the truth.

As a vegetarian you do not waste your money with the big meat companies. Corporations that still operates in a slavery regimen. Industries that profits on animal suffering, lying to consumers and spoofs the lazy press with "press releases", and pollutes the planet. Enough!

Many cardiologists say that thickening of the arteries is irreversible. The two tests below show angiograms before and after approx. 60 months on a plant-based diet and cholesterol-lowering drugs:

Source: Caldwell

Meat is expensive for your pocket, for your health, for the planet, for the animals. Let's save!

Basically, meat is a second-hand nutrient with acumulated toxins.

Want to know more? The next post is about exercise.

Training and Nutrition

I do not belong to the National Organization of Research, Nutrition and Applied Physical Education and I am not an activist of the Vegan Brazil Group.

I was not graduated at USP, UFPR, UFBA.

I'm not a doctor, nutritionist or olympic coach.

Think, consider, investigate, search and ask about any ideas you read here. See a doctor, nutritionist or your cardiologist. I'm not responsible for the misuse of such information.

I have compiled studies done in Brazil, studies from the U.S., England, Canada and some European countries such as Germany.

The key recommendation is that a vegetarian diet (vegan) is appropriate for a full health. No meat, chicken, ham, turkey, bacon, sausage, fish, shrimp, milk, cream or yogurt, or cheese, or eggs. Nothing that comes from animals. Nothing that explore them.

You will not die. You can eat fruits, salads, vegetables, seeds, nuts and cereals.

Buy fresh foods once a week at least. Unless you buy in a very good supermarket, it is very difficult to find the basics (onions, potatoes, broccoli, cabbage) in ideal condition, ie, fresh. Go to the fair always, is good and cheap. Enjoy and buy fruit. Make it a habit.

With the diet in place, the next step is to do the right exercises, save your time in the gym, leaving aside the fashion body-building apparatus (which limit the amplitude and can even be dangerous) and begin training with free weights.

To develop the overall athletic ability of human beings, the orientation is an exercise plan based on closed kinetic chain movements, multi-jointed, which requires efforts by several muscle groups at once (squat, for example), that stimulate neuro-muscular ways with functional maximum amplitude movements (squat). Ballistic movements, plyometric (Olympic Lifts) and isometric (basic positions of gymnastics). Training for power and explosion, high intensity, intervaled, with adequate breaks for rest and recovery (60-100 meters sprints, ex.).

Whatever is your favorite sport, running, swimming or cycling, include a basic strength training (squats, side squat, lunges, one-legged squat), olympic lifting of free weights (snatch and clean and jerk), gymnastic movements (rings, bars, pull-ups, muscle-ups, front and back lever, handstand, planche) and sprints (sprinting and swimming).

I hope this guide will be helpful.