(To purchase a discount Vitamix, click on the link and navigate to 'Blenders'. You can choose a reconditoned model and save $100's! I'll even send y'all a free cd after purchase is verified with the discount code)
It's high time we stop talking about sweeping,hybrid picking,legato and 4 note per string scales and focus on something far more important; HEALTH!
For those of you in a hurry or with a short attention span I'm going to cut to the chase. You'll have to do your own 'investigating' as we're all unique. But start by cutting the carbs and increasing greens. More fat-yes the 'evil' saturated fat. Meat,coconut oil,butter...More fat and more greens. If you have a minute please continue reading.
Musicians,web designers,bus drivers, telemarketer,bodybuilders and pretty much everybody in the world are dealing with some level of chronic pain and fatigue. It could be a nagging pinch in your shoulder or neck. Achy hands,wrists,elbows,forearms. How about clicking and cracking in your neck? Lower back pain? These are just a few of my current issues. Yes I said current. Despite excellent gains in energy,strength,mental clarity and focus I still suffer from all of these things and more. The difference is that they have all been massively reduced. Less pain and more energy. That 'haze' has been lifted. And the solution was painfully simple-I cut out carbohydrates.
Let's skip over all the conflicting science out there. If someone wants to 'prove' something, they will. With enough bassackwards scientific studies I'm sure one could prove that a gummy bear diet is the key to longevity. In other words, there is proof that vegetarianism is the way to go. There is proof that a high carb, low fat diet is the way to go. High fat. High protein. All fruit. Cabbage Soup.Atkins,Weight Watchers,Slim Fast,The Zone,orange foods. Hell there's even a bogus PHD claiming that rancid meat is the secret to curing cancer.
So who can we trust? Yourself and nobody else. I'm simply here acting as a catalyst in an attempt to get others to improve themselves without drugs and lies.
A few years ago I began getting some severe heartburn. I'm talking wake up in the middle of the night feeling like there was a flaming dagger in my chest heartburn. Tums and antacids? Nothing worked. Cider vinegar worked like magic the first time...but that was it. Next was baking soda. Ginger.Bananas. Nothing worked. I was getting it 2-3 times per week. I then began my own investigation and realized it was triggered by certain foods. Primarily coffee and lentils. Lentils? Yep. I was eating 'healthy' and realized every time I had these I'd be in excruciating pain later. Those inexpensive, high protein,high fiber monsters were killing me.
Now skip ahead to when I decided to eat simple foods and really pay attention to my reaction to them. It was obvious; all processed carbs were causing problems. I could eat 3 bananas and be fine but 1 cookie or a small bowl of rice would send me to the couch for an hour or so. I realized that I had a severe sensitivity to processed foods-especially carbs.
A ketogenic type of diet works best for me. That means virtually no carbs. No bread,sugar,pasta,rice,crackers,etc. My diet is mostly grass fed beef,butter,coconut oil,some nuts,fatty fish,eggs and tons of greens. A favorite meal for me is grilled steak with blue cheese over a big salad with olive oil and a bit of sour cream. Dr. Dipasquale's Anabolic Diet is similar and involves weekly 'refeeds' or carb-up days. My carb cravings are absolutely zero but I do a weekly refeed full of smoothies made in my Vitamix. I also have an Omega juicer I use to fill up on apple/carrot/green juice.
I would like to add that I was a vegetarian for quite some time. I debated the nature of humanity and how we were 'made' to be vegan. I am absolutely against animal cruelty of any kind,especially factory farming. If I felt good on a vegetarian diet I would have stayed with it. It made me tired and had me constantly craving protein. Perhaps it has to do with my O negative blood type (the oldest and believed to require a 'paleo' diet). I don't have all the answers. I simply know that a diet laden with saturated fats,moderate protein and ultra low carbs gives me unlimited energy, focus and zero cravings. It also reduced the inflammation I had in my shoulders. And again, not only do I not crave carbs, they actually nauseate me a bit. The bloating,inflammation,gas and fatigue are just a few reasons to stay away.
I started hitting the gym again. My focus is on fairly heavy weight with good form. I'm not gonna lie, my ego sometimes gets the best of me in which case I use way too much weight and end up limping around like an idiot. I work out Mon-Fri and take weekends off. My routine is Back/Chest/Shoulders/Bis and Tris/Legs. Abs everyday along with light cardio and stretching.
In addition to easing inflammation through diet, you can reduce pain by strengthening your back muscles along with your rear deltoids. Much of our problems are from hunching forward. So a super strong chest +weak back=pain. You should also strengthen your rhomboids. Increased fat will also help alleviate joint pain.Remember, wheat will cause inflammation. It's guaranteed.
There is one thing that has stayed consistent throughout my many changes over the years;my Vitamix! If you're on a vegetarian/vegan or standard diet you can make unlimited smoothies and soups,ice creams,desserts,breads,etc. But on a paleo or high fat/low carb diet? What about the fruit smoothies? Desserts?
I could spend days talking about all my clever little recipes. One of my favorite treats is to blend heavy cream,cacao and whey protein with or without stevia. You can add cinnamon...It creates an amazing mousse fit for a king. And almost no carbs! You can make insane chicken salad in seconds...Just add cooked chicken,mayonnaise,salt/pepper and perhaps celery or cucumber. Coffee? How about making some coffee ice cubes and blending with heavy cream,butter,coconut oil and a scoop of vanilla whey protein? It's amazing and won't run you $5 like one of those nasty syrupy drinks from $#%^buck's. Coconut ice cream,salsa,salad dressings...mmmmmmm
A lil' history about me...I got 'into' jazz in my early 20's after about a decade playing mostly rock and shred metal. While that may seem strange to some, it was all about learning new things. I hated the feeling of not knowing what the hell was going on with jazz! You see, shredding generally involved big arpeggios and ripping up and down scales in a certain key. And power chords. And distortion-lots of it. Tons of delay and reverb. Sure we did some creative things and played in odd meters but the harmonic content was lacking.
The depth of 'stuff' involved in learning jazz forced me to practice a lot more than I ever had in the past. 6-8+ hours a day. I would transcribe Sonny Stitt and Coltrane for hours. Chords,arpeggios,approach notes and all the other necessities of jazz improv. Then there was the "Songbook". Countless tunes that we must learn in order to hone our skills and not embarrass the shit out of ourselves on stage.
Now imagine sitting over a music stand holding an 18" jazz guitar all day. Back,neck and shoulder pain. Headaches. So I upped the coffee. I took ephedrine. And I sat and sat and practiced. Gigs were no different and would generally offer a host of new "pains" caused by stress,nerves,fear,tuxedos,bad shoes.
Several years into my jazzification I developed some very severe problems in my left hand and forearm that forced me to stop practicing for 6 months. I still took gigs to pay the bills but had to go easy. I now know that these problems were caused by equal parts poor posture and poor nutrition. So try to be a bit more mindful of your posture and your food. Get a bit of exercise. Meditate a few minutes everyday. These things will only make you play better. I promise!
