Gemini - Blue

This song made my night even better =)

Learning is definitely not mere imitation, nor is it the ability to accumulate and regurgitate fixed knowledge. Learning is a constant process of discovery - A process with no end. And when you are learning, you must be aware of your conscience. recognizing that your emotions often err in their over-enthusiasm, and your faculty of reason often is without the warmth of feeling that is necessary to enable yourself to combine justice with mercy in your judgments, encourage your conscience to guide you as to what is right and wrong, but also, never set aside the verdicts it renders no matter what may be the cost of carrying them out.

Bruce Lee

When you pull your own weight, your mind will never fail you. There's a huge difference between the two. It's only when you keep going-even though your body isn't quite cooperating-that you'll find inner strength. You'll be utterly amazed at what you discover if you visit that space often enough.

Matisyahu - One Day (live + beatbox)

I've had this song in my iPod since January but I still love it! It's such an uplifting and real song! Take a listen ! Check the beatbox too!!

What makes me truly happy inside....

Miudinho capoeira games like this inspire me to keep training and eventually have great control, expression, balance, coordination, strength, power, agility and speed like this. Capoeira always takes me away from anything I'm going through in life; whether I'm having a great week or down week, capoeira still takes me away from my daily life for hours at a time letting me focus on having pure fun w/ expression and control of my body. The musical aspect of brazilian songs and singing in portuguese inspire me as well to really find songs that lift my spirits up day to day. It's crazy how certain songs can really change your mood or even enhance them. Anyways, I just thought I'd share this clip of some people from my group. CAPOEIRA!!...Cordão de Ouro!!!!

Capoeira Song - Mea Patua

http://capoeirascience.com/pt-br/node/108

Contra Mestres Casquinha and Xuxo of CDO wrote the verses to go with this beautiful song. Watch the tutorial with clips of Casquinha himself in action, learn the lyrics, discover more of capoeira's rich mythology and become a better musician yourself.

A patuá is a sacred amulet, magical protection to achieve the famed 'corpo fechado' (protected body) and stay safe in capoeira.

As Casquinha tells us a patuá can be anything that is sacred - his berimbau, his friends and the songs that accompany him on life's journey.
This capoeira song tutorial was filmed in High Definition around the time of the last Dec 2009 Batizado. Thanks to Kia for the cameras and all the participating Mestres in this video Mestre Gil, Mestre Simon and of course Mestre Poncianinho who not only hosted the event but really helped to make this video happen.

Giving thanks

I don't give thanks solely on Thanksgiving day. I give thanks and show appreciation every chance I get. This year has been pretty amazing despite that the beginning of this year didn't start off so great. Since the Spring of this year I can't be thankful enough for everything that has happened to me. I graduated college, improved a lot with my capoeira, made friendships stronger, took people out of my life that I don't need, kept my family bonds stronger than ever by being a better son, uncle, brother and capoeira irmão to my C.D.O. fam bam. This year has been a non-stop fun ride with so many road trips with different friends, celebrations from Sacramento to San Diego! I'm thankful for my friends in Sacramento, Fairfield, Oakland, Vallejo, San Francisco and all over the world like Seoul and Okinawa/Tokyo. I've met so many people this year from local to internationally and realized there are so many good people out there that share a common ideal- be happy with your life and spread your positive energy and knowledge to those around you. By doing this, the world will be a better place. The goal I have for myself every year is to ask whether or not the world was a better place with me in it. And each year, I always make sure I achieve this goal because I honestly believe we're all here to achieve a set of goals for ourselves and in the future look down the road we've created for those behind us. Although, this road is created however it may be, those bumps in the roads make us realize how we're getting through life and give thanks to everyone around us for making us who we are. Each year is a new chapter for me and I cannot reiterate enough that I am always thankful for everyone I love and everyone that has affected my life, positively or negatively.

Thank you everyone for being you,

Your acts are fully recognized!

Love & Peace Everyone

change

we're all looking for the same thing
something to complete us when we're dreaming
of what life could be like- no hesitating.

with all the love and hate in the world
I try to find my balance somewhere in the middle;
because to live on one side is to know the other exists.
steadily living my life with full appreciation, I still find bumps on my road.
while the change in my life will never happen with me sitting alone,
I act upon every detail that I want to progress to be known.
for you, but more importantly, for me.
the change will not be seen by those who refrain
but only to those who are not afraid.
to be outside of the box and out of the comfort zone
because sometimes the comfort zone can keep us in a plateau
so why sit down and keep writing this..
I have to make changes right now
so for now I have to......go

Cordao De Ouro Capoeira Bay Area

Meu Mestre, Chicote, gave me the blessing to teach capoeira last week in a car ride I gave after class last week. We were talking about our capoeira group in particular about how we're a fortunate capoeira group that has two amazing capoeiristas, Professor Berinjela and Xango. They're been doing capoeira togethert for 14 years now and whatever capoeira events and batizados that I've been to, I always hear about how lucky I am to have these two amazing people as my capoeira professors. Now it's time spread the knowledge of what I've been taught these past 5 years and 10 months of my capoeira life. Teaching has been on my mind for the past year ever since I received my yellow cordao last November at our Los Angeles capoeira batizado. I hope to learn so much more about capoeira as a teacher as much as I can. I hope to do well because I was a wrestling coach for 2 years and I dealt with 14 year old high school kids who didn't know a thing about high school wrestling and 17 year old wrestlers who still needed to work on wrestling techniques to better themselves. Either way, everyone always has something to learn and progress with when learning a new hobby, sport, martial art, or any other physical/mental activity. I love my cordao de ouro capoeira bay area group. I want to see us grow bigger and spread out knowledge/culture to people and introduce them to an amazing world. I think once people actually know what capoeira is, it's pretty easy to fall in love with it. It's a culture that I feel was made for me! I love martial arts, music, dancing, and a diversity of good people. The past 7 years since our group started in the bay area through Mestre Chicote, I've seen people join and choose to leave the group for their own personal decisions but I only hope now since Mestre gave me, menina and coxinha the push to go out there and begin to teach capoeira that our group only get bigger and bigger from now on. I'm really excited for the next years to come and the potential future for our group.

My situation with my life write now is a little undetermined for the moment because I'm enlisting into the Army this month. I'm going back to MEPS to finish up my physical and find out which job I'm going to be doing in the Army, my boot camp date, and where I'll be stationed at for a possible 1-4 years depending on the contract I sign when I swear in for the Army.

I hope to be stationed in northern California so that I can still be close with my capoeira group because I love them so much and we all treat each other like family. Our group is probably one of the most real, loyal, true friends I've ever had although I've only known them for about 6 years now. Although we all train and are all about the capoeira culture and what it entails as we progress with capoeira, we're also a close group of friends who are there for each other.

When I start to teach I hope to be the best teacher I can be. I'm looking forward to teaching but also learning as well. As anyone becomes a teacher of anything, they learn from their students at the same time; seeing all the mistakes the student makes, and all the hardships and reasonings for the students inability to perceive what's going on. It's the teacher's job to help the student learn and progress and work on the mistakes the student is making, to make them better.

More later...time to drive back home to Sacramento.

on a random note:

Oh yeah, the SF Giants won the world series tonight. haha..I didn't know that until I was at blake's in berkeley w/ my capoeira group and someone told me around midnight..LOL. I'm so out of the mainstream world loop in terms of news, sports and entertainment, I need to pick up a newspaper and see what's going on in the world. LOL. The past month, all I've been doing is training capoeira hella much (training kicks/movements, practicing my berimbau and learning/singing capoeira songs and researching up more capoeira history), babysitting, getting my Army paperwork all set and playing video games. haha..I don't mind though...it's all semantics. My lifestyle is different..lol

Goodnight ya'll

New Songs I Like

Check it:

1. Far East Movement - Like a G6 (Remix) (feat. Jermaine Dupri, Obie Trice, & Adam Tensta)
2. Kanye West f. KiD CuDi, Pusha T, John Legend, Lloyd Banks & Ryan Leslie - Christian Dior Denim Flow
3. Drake - Paris Morton Music
4. Chris Brown (feat. Drake, Kanye West & Andre 3000) - Deuces (Remix)
5. Drake - I Get Lonely Too (Very Hot)
6. J. Cole f. Omen & Fashawn - Relaxation
7. Lloyd Banks f. Kanye West, Swizz Beatz, Ryan Leslie, Fabolous & Pusha T - Start It Up
8. Far East Movement - Go Ape (Lil Jon & Colette Carr)
9. Tyga feat DJ Khaled, Trina, Too Short, Maino, Cam'ron & Nipsey Hussle - I'm On It (Remix)
10. Swedish House Mafia - One (Remix) (feat. Pharrell, Pitbull, & Ariez Onasis)
11. Kanye West (feat. Keri Hilson, Pusha T, & Cyhi The Prince) - Take One For The Team
12. David Banner & 9Th Wonder - What Did I Do (Prod By 9Th Wonder)
13. Rihanna ft. Drake - Whats My Name
14. Big Boi feat T.I., Bun B, Rick Ross & Kuhjo Goodie - Tangerine (Remix)
15. Lupe Fiasco ft. Asher Roth , Charles Hamilton, The Cool Kids, BLU, Diggy Simmons, B.O.B & DOSAGE - Im Beaming Remix
16. Wiz Khalifa, Bones Brigante, Yelawolf, & Raekwon - Cypher 1 (2010 BET AWARDS cypher)
17. Kanye West x Pusha T x Big Sean x CyHi Da Prynce x Common - G.O.O.D. Music Cypher (2010 BET AWARDS cypher)
18. KiD CuDi ft. Cage - Maniac
19. Clyde Carson feat Lee Majors & The Jacka - Way 2 Cool
20. Chiddy Bang ft. Q-Tip - Here We Go
21. Mickey Factz - Paradise (Remix) (feat. Fat Joe & Bun B)

AFRICA SE UNIU

This is one of my favorite capoeira songs because of the lyrical content of African-slavery history involved in the song. My Master, Mestre Chicote (in the video below) taught us this song in Seoul, Korea to all of us Cordao De Ouro Capoeiristas...and we were LOVING THIS SONG SO MUCH! It brought up the energy in the room (axe) so much that we ended up playing capoeira games all night..so much fun! I LOVE CAPOEIRA =)

AFRICA SE UNIU
CORO:
AFRICA SE UNIU
AO MEU BRASIL

Mistura de raça e de côr,
Mantendo a nossa tradição,
Do povo guerreiro e sofrido,
Por isso não teme o perigo,
Lutar contra a escravidão
Africa!
CORO
Cultura afrobrasileira,
Aprende a plantar macaxeira,
Subir ao pé de bananeira,
Viver a beleza do amor.
Amor que so a natureza,
O negro o aroma da mesa
Tempero que da o sabor.
Africa!
CORO
Negro mulato mameluco
Mistura que deu o cafuso
Em busca da libertação.
Nao so da corrente do açoite
O negro chorava de noite
Com a dor forte no coração.
Lembra do abraço mainha,
Cantando uma ladainha,
Pedindo a Deus proteção.
Africa!
CORO

ENGLISH TRANSLATION:

AFRICA IS JOINED (UNITED)

CHORUS:

AFRICA IS JOINEDMY BRAZIL

Mixture of race and color,

In keeping with our tradition,

Warrior and the people suffered,

So do not fear the danger,

Fight against slavery

Africa!

CHORUS

Read less culture,

Learn to plant cassava,

Up to foot banana,

Living the beauty of love.

Love that only the nature,

The aroma of black table

Spice's flavor.

Africa!

CHORUS

Negro mulatto Mamluk

Mixture that gave cafusosIn search of liberation.

Not only the current whip

The black wept in the night

With the strong pain in my heart.

Remember the hug mainha,Singing a litany,

Asking God for protection.

Africa!

CHORUS

I'll never be materialistic....I PROMISE YOU THAT!

I could never agree more. The past year I've probably bought 4 items of clothing for myself. The rest of my money has gone to other people, service, gas, car insurance, food and presents. FYI: I know I see myself in 10 years living well off but nothing fancy, super baller type shit. I'll be teaching capoeira to my MANY students and being in the army w/ a medical job telling, inspiring, teaching the truth for all my friends and family. For when we get to certain points in our life, we'll later realize that we're here to learn, appreciate and just live a happy life as possible. I'll never be materialistic and never LIVE FOR THE MONEY. I'm already rich w/ the people I know and the things I'm teaching and learning for myself for my own goals in life. God Bless.

Will Smith is inspiring. I love his aspects/perception on Success

Start watching this video every day and tell me this won't inspire/influence you to become a better person?!...DO IT!

Jogos de Capoeira

Here's some good games we had at the capoeira house in Vallejo this past Saturday. =)

Stay educated about your body!

I've been following this guy for a few years now and he always has good blogs and videos on youtube that I find extremely important if you're into your health, fitness level, performance tips, and overall understanding of your body and how it reacts to all types of food, stress, exercise, and overall healthy state of mind. Stay on it!

www.UNDERGROUNDWELLNESS.com

Capoeira CDO..Capoeira CDO!

Life is treating me so well. I've never been more appreciative and happy in my life. This summer so far has constantly been unforgettable and I really can't wait for the next few months of my life to happen already. But time will always be on my side and God has set what he holds for my future to happen when it needs to. I will continue to fight and progress with every aspect in my life but still enjoy each day for I'm always looking forward to the memories or right now. Life is always good when the people in your circle are positive, uplifting, REAL, non-fake, amazing people who always have your back and also share the same passions as you do. Cordao De Ouro Capoeira Bay Area Fam Bam..I love ya'll !

Labor day bbq tomorrow!!
YAYUR!

Memory Game

watch all 10 movements be performed 1 time. walk in a roda, then listen for whatever number is called.

first you can start off by showing the first 5, then play a memory game w/ those 5 movements.

then you can play the memory game using all 10 movements.

1. ginga

2.esquiva de angola --> role to opposite side

3.esquiva baixa, troca, role

4.o crucifixo

5.aranha, chuta mais, 1/2 role

6.finta armada to both sides

7.quixada to both sides 3 x each leg

8. au to both sides

9.finta meia lua de compasso, ponte

10.clap & sing paranaue coro

J. Cole

Ain't no holding me back
I'ma get mine, believe that
And what's sunshine with no rain
And what's joy without no pain
And I'm still gon' do my thing
But ain't no holding me back...

My Summer 2010 Workout Playlist

1. J. Cole - Last Call
2. J. Cole - Lights please
3. Mike Posner - Falling
4. Kid Cudi - Wylin cause I'm young ft. kanye west
5. Binary Star - Reality check
6. Drake - What If I kissed you
7. Yeah Yeah Yeah - heads will roll (optic heads dubstep remix)
8. Lil Wayne ft. Drake - Right above it
9. Kid Sister - Daydreaming (Jakwob remix)
10. DJ Ghost - do you wanna gig mix
11. Kid Cudi - Mojo so dope
12. The Pack - Hella Bass remix III
13. Paper Tiger - speedmetal ft. Dessa
14. J. Cole - Premeditated Murder
15. Usher ft. Pitbull - DJ got us fallin in love again
16. Santogold - Starstruck
17. Drake - Unforgettable ft. Young Jeezy
18. Far East Movement - Fly like a G6 ft. cataracs , dev
19. Eminem - 25 to life
20. Eminem - so bad
21. Eminem - no love
22. Mike Posner - Halo,
23. Mike Posner - Red button,
24. Mike Posner - speed of sound
25. Mike Posner - bring me down
26. X.V. - fall out the sky
27. Sage Francis - Best of times
28. Chris Brown - Dueces ft. tyga, kevin mcCall
29. Asher Roth - Alone
30. P.O.S. - low light low life
31. P.O.S. - out of category
32. Wale - Break up song
33. 2AM club - worry about you, nobody in love
34. J. Cole - I do my thing
35. J. Cole - goin off
36. J Cole - throw it up
37. E-40 - Lighweight Jammin ft. clyse carson, husulah
38. E-40- More Bass, More Treble (Ft. Cousin Fik, Turf Talk)
39. Drake - She hurt me
40. Bone thugs & harmony - rebirth
41. 88 keys - Wake Up Call ft. Colin Munroe

Goals are not that far away when you believe in yourself

Determination to me is the person who works hard and does it not to get compliments or comments but for self fulfillment because this person knows doing this is a part of who they are. To me, hard work ascribes into building a good work ethic. Lately I've had so much free time every morning til 5pm and I've used that time very wisely. Some days I read and train so much that after a 5-6 hour shift at work, I crash at home and sleep for 9 hours straight.

But to stay on topic, I think everyone should stay focused and determined on whatever their goals are in life and if certain goals are within reach, don't stop at anything to reach them. With anything in life it's easier to get into something then get out of it. When you're trying to accomplish a goal in life, it's very easy to say you're going to do something, but it takes a stronger person to carry out that goal finishing it all the way. Sometimes when in the middle of performing a goal we may get side tracked, come to feeling apathetic and just give up. I've seen too many people be the victim of this and it has to stop!

We're all able of performing and accomplishing great things in life, but sometimes we just need that extra boost of motivation to do so. If you're the type that can tough everything out on their own and constantly self-motivate one's self due to whatever past experiences that have made you that strong person, then props to you. But if you're not, always think of those who love you and can't wait to see you progress into a successful and happy adult. Personally this helps me because I always picture myself as a successful person surrounded by my loved ones at a point in my life where I have the main things I want in life: a house, wife, kids, successful job, being a capoeira teacher, and being a mentor to whoever wants my perception and advice on whatever situation that life brings up. And I can never get to this point unless I believe in myself and do things for MY better and for my future.

There's so many conditions in life where life isn't pleasant, but when life is, always remember to appreciate the life you're living and if you can make it better, then do it. Making your life better is comprised of: happiness, determination, work ethic and a focused mind.

Believe in yourself

-meu deus

Logan C.D.O.

fam bam & homies

Life is a journey..and I'm embracing every moment of it. I love my close friends. It's times like these I cherish because days where handshakes, jokes, point of views, catching up, smiles and good times are exchanged leave me feeling glad about the people I surround myself with. No fakeness around my circle son.

alkaline foods...again

I'm reposting my alkaline blog post along with this video to get a better understanding and the importance of becoming more alkaline with our eating habits. so here it is. bottom line: drink more water, eat more raw fruits & veggies as they are as much as possible, stay away from fried anything, fast food w/ too much grease, sodas, any juices that aren't 100% juice, and drinks w/ too much High Fructose Corn syrup..

http://logancdo.blogspot.com/2010/04/alkaline-foods-more-energy-and-weight.html

watch this video after reading the post:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvzMKQL0wwI&feature=related

DRINK WATER = LOSE WEIGHT

You already know I drink 7-8lbs of fluids a day and yet remain around 165lbs consistently. But here's some facts you guys should know when it comes to water:

** Quick note: people always ask "well how much water should I drink a day". The general answer is this: take 1/2 of your body weight (ex: 120 lbs) and divide it in half (60)..NOW you should drink AT LEAST 60 oz of water a day (assuming you don't work out). I've always used this calcuator online to help me remember how much water intake I should have: http://www.hydroxycutadvanced.com/tools/water/index.shtml

+I know drinking more than 4lbs of fluids of day for most people seems crazy and everyone will complain " OMG..I'm pissing like crazy, I don't like it, fuck it, I don't wanna drink all this water, I feel bloated". My response to that is don't worry, your body will take about 1-3 (assuming you consistently hydrate your body like this) to acclimate to this proper hydration. Once your body gets used to it your body will flush out the excess water weight your body doesn't need and you'll be fine. After this GETTING USED TO DRINKING ALL THIS FLUID has taken getting used to, this is how your body should look and feeel in terms of hydration.

+NOT drinking enough fluids everyday slows down your metabolism which causes your body to NOT burn as many calories (fats/proteins/carbs) per day.

+Drinking water before each meal prevents you from over eating. Once your body conforms to a balance of liquid intake everyday, your body will not tell the difference if you ingested 8oz of steak or 8oz of water. This is why I drink about 12oz of water 10 minutes before I eat a meal; this way my stomach will feel somewhat full already and I won't have the urge to eat too much. This also aids me in my 5 small portion meals a day.

+Being dehydrated (not having proper liquid intake) will lead to over eating of food; this is because once your body hasn't had it's proper hydration, your stomach and brain will tell you that you're hungry, you're also actually really thirsty, but if you don't fulfill that thirst first, you're most likely to eat a lot of food until you feel full ( just think if you didn't drink anything for 4 hours knowing you could've had at least 32 oz of fluids and a snack or small meal, but instead you didn't eat or drink anything. Now when you choose to eat or drink something, you'll over indulge and most likely eat a lot of food first before you actually hydrate yourself.)
+Scientifically, when you drink more water, you're body is burning more fat. Your metabolism increases due to proper hydration.

HERE'S WHY AND HOW: Your kidney helps break down stored fat that's in the body for energy (like during exercise or daily living/activities). When your body is properly hydrated, your kidneys are working properly which trigger the liver to activate more and proceed to find fat to burn off for energy.

+FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT EXERCISE: your body will respond better and cause you to exercise more effeciently when your body is hydrated.

+FOR THOSE OF YOU WITH MUSCLE: which is all of you! haha..we all know that muscle burns fat, and the more muscle you have the more fat you can burn off. ALSO, your muscles burn more fat easily if they're hydrated. So water becomes more important the more active you are. Think of it as a cycle: The more muscle you maintain, the more water is held by the body and the more calories are burned by that additional muscle. So the more muscle you have, the more water you must have available.

+ Water is often called the forgotten nutrient since many people take it for granted, but water is essential to life. We can live with less than enough food for weeks, months, even years, but take away our water and we last just a few days. Water makes up about 60 percent of the average adult's weight. It is the medium the human body uses for nearly every activity it performs and has many functions, including: · Carrying nutrients in the body · Cleansing the body's waste products · Acting as a solvent, dissolving minerals, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and other substances · Being involved in the chemical reactions in the body · Lubricating joints · Acting as a shock absorber for many organs · Helping to regulate body temperature Since water is so important, its balance is delicately monitored by a number of mechanisms.

+FROM SUZY Q : I am repeatedly appalled that we are teaching our kids from birth on to drink ANYTHING but water!!! WHY do we do that? People erroneously think juice is better for kids, but it is almost all sugar and only a precentage of real juice anymore and studies have shown kids who drink too much juice have stunted growth and do not develop enough growth hormones. When the juice is taken away,the body then makes more growth hormones, giving the child a chance to grow normally.This is espeically true with any "failure to thrive child".Teach your kids to like and drink yummy water! It is GOOD for them! Give them real whole fruits for the vitamins from fruits instead of juices. Now,remember -drink 64 ounces minmum of water EVERYDAY. Some say 1/2 your body weight in ounces and some 64 ounces plus an additional 8 ounces for every 25 pounds you need to lose.

These are just a few facts about water. But you get the hint. If you have a question, just message me, I'll be sure to answer it.

Hope this helps!!

-LOGAN C.D.O.

Those defining moments – we got through this
Break up to make ups – we got through this
Heart forever stolen – we got through this
Appreciation for her – we got through this
Going out of our way.
Staying loyal to the soil.
Never forgetting you.
For what I’ve learned.
And for what it’s worth.
I’ll never go back on it.
You’ll never know everything that I had to say
But that was your choice so live with it…Nevermind closure




we go through this...

One of my first poems..I was only 14

These nightmares don’t get away from me
They stick to my head like glue
I wake up in the morning not wanting to even continue
Because everyday I wanna get away from my life
and live it in another form.
cuz somtimes when I’m lifted I think
of the reason of why I was even born
So I can forget about the pain
+to myself I refrain
just kick back with a zig zag
and drink away all of my mental pains
But if I could start back from scratch
You wouldn’t even know
I could start back when I was a lil brown kid
Back in new mexico
and yall still wouldn’t know
these pains I go through everyday
its kind of hard when people smile at you
u smile back cuz that’s the only thing that you can do
u don’t wanna show them your suffers and your negative sides
that wouldn’t be the manly thing to do, cuz besides
you have a reputation to live up to
no real man is soft inside like my mens say
that’s just a bitch move, it’s just a bitch mood
but honestly, how can I resist
I’m only human, we all go through this
Questioning Moments

My view on sodas & diet sodas

Everything is good in moderation. Just like 1-2 servings of alcohol (1 glass of wine, 1 beer, 1 shot) have been proven in thousands of studies across the world has health benefits like antioxidants and promotes better heart health. As for sodas, they are both good and bad because of the high fructose corn syrup (HFC's) and phosphoric acid.

Pros about soda:
-good quick energy source since sodas are in liquid form (if needed). liquids absorb into the blood stream faster.
-caffeine helps the mind become more alert and relieves minor headaches.

Cons about soda:
-high amounts of phosphorus (phosphoric acid) decrease calcium absorption into your bones.
*side note*: vitamind D (as in milk w/ calcium or Orange Juice w/ vitamind D & calcium) helps the absorption of calcium onto your bones!
-almost all 12oz soda cans are about 120-150 calories, so if you're drinking a 24oz or more ounces than that of soda every day or more than 3,4x a week..you're packing on unwanted calories and damaging your bones even more with every serving of soda you drink.

Personally, I drink soda/diet sodas about 2-3x, not all the time, but most of the time. But I also drink about 7-8lbs of fluids a day and eat pretty healthy throughout the week with MY required servings of carbs/proteins/fats. The multi-vitamin pills and protein shakes help my body too so my kidney's aren't just filled with a lot of phosphoric acid and HFC's from sodas and fruit drinks (not fruit juice..haha)

more health tips later, I'm gonna write on water intake it's importance later..

Have a good everyone!

-MUITO AXE!

Logan C.D.O.

Always been a fan of Immortal Technique..

ALL BY MYSELF

paid off all my debt, saved up for the San Diego trip, Santa Barbara trip, Santa Rosa Capoeira event the week of my birthday, and Saved up for KOREA! I did all of this on my own, no help from the parents at all, and in the process took care of my car, bought new tires, oil change here and there...yeah, life is just FUCKIN BEAUTIFUL RIGHT NOW! My passport comes in the mail tomorrow, or Saturday! I will be in KOREA for 7 DAYS!!! YAYUH! I can't wait, Berinjela, Xango, Prea, Zumbi and I are gonna tear up Seoul. Great thing is that Mestre Chicote will be there! I can't wait. These next 6 weeks I'm really going to train hard and focus on my berimbau playing and memorizing capoeira songs. I'm in really great shape and feel great about where I am with training, but I always have room for improvement and progression.

In September, I MIGHT go to Mexico with a special lady, but I'm not sure yet..we talked about it, and who knows, I'll have more than enough saved up by Septemeber for another road trip. Haha..

LIFE IS GOOOD SON!...

-LOGAN C.D.O.

Logan’s meal plan

I never say I’m on a diet because I’m not. I just choose to eat healthy as much as I can. This meal plan is intended for people who want to eat healthier to sustain proper muscle mass and have more energy. What a lot of folks don’t know is that very acidic foods slow down your metabolism and have excess amounts of fats and sodium that cause you to keep a lot of fluids and store fat that your body doesn’t need. READ MY EARLIER BLOG ON ACIDIC FOODS….

I’m making this meal plan for a couple friends of mine, who don’t work out a whole lot, but want to stick to a healthy eating plan. I eat like this on days that I don’t train which is 1 or 2 days a week but anyways… here we go.

This meal plan consists of 5-portioned meals a day. You will eat every 3 hours. This sounds crazy, but the portions are reasonable and keep your body full along with the proper amount of carbohydrates to have energy throughout your day. This meal plan is a 12 hour eating plan. This will be assuming you’re up for 16 hours a day giving you 8hour sleep.

*hydration: drink between 16oz of fluids every 2 hours. YES THIS IS 8lbs of fluids but your body will flush it out every 20-45minutes depending on your bladder/metabolism. Hydration is a key factor in keeping your body hydrated so that you are never thirsty and lack energy to do your work/daily living. Your body will acclimate to this change over a week. This might seem like a lot, but your body will look healthier just from being properly hydrated. DO IT! If you feel that your body cannot take in 1lb of fluids every 2 hours, try 10-12oz for a week or two and then go up to 16oz every 2 hours.

*I will drink 1 cup of milk, 1-2 cups of tea, 1 cup of coffee/iced coffee, 1-2cups of any fruit juice in a typical day. The rest of my hydration is water. I drink about 3-4 sodas a week, but 1-2 of them are diet sodas.

*supplements:
1 multi-vitamin pill everyday. Any brand will do.
3 (1000mg) of fish oil pills everyday. Take 1 pill every 4-5hours.

These two supplements will keep your brain, heart, joints and skin healthy. Sometimes we don’t get the required vitamins & minerals that we need from our regular meal plans, so when we don’t, taking these 2 supplements are good for your either way.


Example:
Wake up @8am:

Small bowl of cereal with 1 banana or handful of strawberries cut up into bowl.
*preferred cereal: total, total raisin bran, basic 4, frosted flakes, frosted mini-wheats

mid day snack 11am:

handful of nuts (ex. Cashews, almonds, peanuts, almonds)
handful of fruit (ex. Watermelon, honeydew, a big apple/pear/orange, grapes, grapefruit)
2 slices of whole wheat bread with butter.

Lunch 2pm:

On a given plate, splits the plate into 3 portions.
Handful of rice or brown rice
Palm size of vegetables (broccoli, carrots, peas, corn, snap peas, bell peppers, spinach)
Palm size of meat (choose from steak, pork, chicken, beef or oxtail (kare kare..haha)
*try not to eat the fat on the meat, but if it’s a very small amount of fat, like on a tri tip, then don’t worry*

afternoon snack 5pm
1 small bag of sun chips, kettle chips, or baked chips. (try to avoid any bag of chips containing MSG (monosodium glutamate). MSG causes you to feel hungrier than you really are and eat more)
1 yogurt cup or gogurt

Dinner 8pm

Stir fry with one of the following (chicken or beef) and 2 or 3 of the following (asparagus, onions/green onions, cucumbers, celery, carrots, cabbage, sprouts)
Handful of rice or brown rice.

**Eating like this is great for people who want to stick a healthy eating plan. These meals give you the right amount of energy/calories throughout the day to keep you feeling full and energetic throughout your day instead of eating fast foods or high fatty foods that leave your feeling tired an hour after ingesting the food.

Maltodextrin & Caffeine

WHAT IS MALTODEXTRIN?Maltodextrin is a form of sugar. It is a actually a hydrolysate of starch, generally from potato starch, and is used in many energy boosting products, meal replacements, weight gainers and often as a type of filler in liquid sports drinks. Being a man made, altered form of sugar, it is actually quite a complex molecule, unlike simple sugars such as dextrose. Rated against the glycemic index maltodextrin shows a much slower release than typical sugar into the blood stream as glucose and so makes it a perfect choice for sustained liquid energy. In simple terms, all ingested carbohydrate enters our blood stream as glucose, where it is either used for energy, stored as glycogen in muscle cells or converted into triglycerides and stored as body fat. (this is why when people consume too many sugars especially high fructose corn syrup, along with a lot of juices & sweet foods, your body cannot use up all of those sugars for energy at one time so they're then converted into glycogen and converted into fat for storage)

Only so much energy can be used up in a certain unit of time and only so much glucose can be stored within muscle cells until they are full. And so if a carbohydrate enters our system very fast and in a large quantity, our bodies release insulin to deposit the excess energy as stored fat to be used at a later time. If we can slow the release of the carbohydrate down this makes it much easier for the body to deal with, having small regular releases of copable amounts of glucose entering the system over a period of time. This stabilizes our energy levels, blood sugar levels and lowers the risk of gaining body fat. Typically a slow releasing carbohydrate such as maltodextrin can sustain energy release for a number of hours, fueling good workouts and feelings of fullness and good positive energy.

This is why maltodextrin, being liquid, is clearly a better choice for the majority of good sports supplements rather than fast releasing high glycemic carbohydrates often found in cheap weight gainers or poorly processed proteins. The exception to this is often in good creatine transport systems where the main ingredient is dextose a fast release carbohydrate, however the reason for this is to force creatine into the muscle cell as fast as possible. Of course these type of drinks should generally be avoided if the goal is to reduce bodyfat levels.

HOW MUCH SHOULD I USE AND WHEN?Maltodextrin is used in varying amounts depending upon the goal wishing to be achieved. Often from as little as 10g in some meal replacements, which is less than a small apple, to 100g in some weight gainers. Regarding the release speed of carbohydrates, many companies now add fiber and a little essential fatty acids to the formula, both adding to the slowing of stomach digestion of the carbohydrate.
Maltodextrin tends to be the main constituent of most energy drinks and rehydration sports drinks. Usually finding a dose of between 50 - 100g a serving cited to be used before, during and after training. Of course this dosing schedule is individualised depending upon the result required. These formulas often contain small amounts of dextrose for a fast release of energy, a little fructose to resupply liver glycogen fast and often mineral salts such as sodium and potassium to aid the body to rehydrate - very important factor in most sports especially those cardiovascular based.

Maltodextrin can be bought at GNC/Vitamin World in supplements, but personally, I receive my maltodextrin from Monster energy drinks and AMP energy drinks. I sip on these before I work out and during my workout. For me, I train at the gym 2hours at a time so my body needs those sugars(carbs) for energy to burn during my workouts. And caffeine helps lower my RPE(rate of percieved exertion), basically increasing my tolerance for pain and exertion while I'm working out. This means that I can push myself harder during my training than normal. In my fundamentals of exercise training class a couple years ago, I read many articles from sports physiologists and studies showing that caffeine before workouts/exercise do help in mental alertness but also lower the RPE for a given person.

*1.4 - 2.3 g of caffeine per lb of body weight is recommended based on these studies*

Don't eat McDonald's!!

Life is good and everything is fine. Having more good times than bad, better days than boring days. Everyday since graduation has been a progressive or fun day for me. I am single, no debt, saving up for santa barbara in 2 weeks, possible san diego trip in July again, and then SEOUL!!! I can't wait to go up there and be with my Capoeira CDO (cordao de ouro) FAM BAM! I can't wait to experience the korean culture out there! Xango, Berinjela, Prea e possibly Sapo and I will be getting into a lot of trouble out there! I have to get my passport ready! Anyways, I've been too busy to blog anything lately. Haven't really watched TV at all for the past 3 months because of school, capoeira, babysitting, hangin out with the homies..and working 5 nights a week. haha. I've been teaching myself portuguese for 2 weeks now at barnes & Noble just sitting there for a few hours 4-5x a week. Last week I went to San Diego for the Capoeira Mandinga event so this weekend I'm getting right back into things. haha. Time for capoeira class in Vallejo!

-TCHAU!

deserve

When life has situations that aren't pleasant, you must appreciate what's already in front of you and progress with your intended goals. I've always been one to focus on happiness, self-realization, and reaching a physical potential with myself. But at the same time, I'm pretty stubborn when it comes to certain things, and maybe that has acted against via karma with my unfortunate disappointments in the past which has delayed my college graduation.

But I'm through it and will always persevere through the hard times. The beginning of this semester and year was really hard for me and honestly don't know where the last 4 months of my life have taken me but I'm glad it happened. This last semester of school I've really became closer to some fellow kinesiology classmates that are for sure my brodies for life..haha. (FYI : bro + buddy = brody) . I finally found more time for myself to train, exercise, and be there a little bit more for my family. Being an older brother and uncle has always humbled me to being a mentor and positive role model for my younger sibling, and even older siblings- I'm the first person in my family to finish college and it feels great! Even though it took me a long time, the fact still remains: I DID IT! Bachelor of Science Degree - Exercise Science Concentration (aka Pre-Physical Therapy)

Now I can't wait for the summer. I feel like so much weight is finally off my shoulders and I can just focus on me. This summer all I have planned really is teaching myself portuguese through books and CD's. Although I will be partying up like a beast this weekend, monday I'm going straight to Barnes & Noble 4-5 days a week after I hit up the gym from capoeira or mma training and learn as much portuguese as much and as fast as I can.

In the Fall I will turn in my packet for the Army to become a Field Medical Assistant/Platoon Leader.

And after this week I will see how soon I will be going to Korea! I want to go to Seoul to hang out with my bredren Zumbi! He's awesome and is one of my highly respected Cordao De Ouro Capoeira brother. He told me before that all I need to do is find a flight out to see him and he'll take care of the rest. Well, I'm going to find out what dates are best suiting for me and I will be taking a week vacation from everything and go up to Korea for a week. I just have to get my plans straight Zumba! But don't trip, Logan's comin up and we're gonna tear up those reggae clubs! haha

For now.. I'm going to enjoy this week with a big ass smile on my face because Saturday morning at 8:30am my commencement starts!

PEACE

Logan C.D.O.

you'll only pay attention to 150 people if they're worth it...

The Magic of 150
Your brain is hard wired to pay attention to about 150 people. Try to have a relationship with any more than that, and your life will turn to pure crap. Just ask the Military, Gore-Tex, or Krippendorf's tribe. They'll all tell you the same thing. One fifty is the way to go. They've known for hundreds of years that people work best in groups of 150 or less. Now it's your turn.
The human cortex, responsible for complex thought and reasoning, is overgrown in humans when compared to other mammals. Scientists have argued for years about why this is the case.
One theory holds that our brains evolved because our primate ancestors began to gather food in more complex ways. They began eating fruit instead of grasses and leaves. This involved traveling long distances to find food, and required each species to maintain a complex mental map in order to keep track of fruit trees. More brainpower might have been needed to determine if a fruit was ripe, or to discern proper methods for peeling fruit or cracking nuts.

The problem with this theory is that if one tries to match brain size with the eating habits of primates, it doesn't work. Some small-brained monkeys are eating fruit and maintaining complex maps and some larger brained primates are eating leaves. What does work, apparently, is group size. If one examines any species of primate, the larger their neocortex, the larger the average size of the group they live with.
Anthropologist Robin Dunbar has done some of the most interesting research in this area. Dunbar's argument is that as brains evolve, they become larger in order to handle the unique complexities of larger social groups. Humans socialize the largest social groups because we have the largest cortex. Dunbar has developed an equation, which works for most primates, in which he plugs in what he calls the neocortex ratio of a particular species - the size of the neocortex relative to the size of the brain - and the equation gives us the maximum expected group size for each species. For humans, the max group size is 147.8, or about 150. This figure seems to represent the maximum amount of people that we can have a real social relationship with - knowing who another human is and how they relate to us.

Dunbar has gone through anthropological literature and found that the number 150 pops up over and over again. For example, he looked at 21 different hunger-gatherer societies around the world and found that the average number of people in each village was 148.4.
The same pattern holds true for military organization. Over the years, through trial and error, military planners have arrived at a rule of thumb for the size of a functional fighting unit - 200 men. They have realized that it is quite difficult to make any larger a group than this to function as a unit without complicated hierarchies and rules and regulations and formal measures to insure loyalty and unity within the group. With a group of 150 or so, formalities are not necessary. Behavior can be controlled on the basis of personal loyalties and direct man-to-man contacts. With larger groups, this seems impossible.

Further is the religious group known as the Hutterites, who for hundreds of years, through trial and error, have realized that the maximum size for a colony should be, low and behold, 150 people. They've been following this rule for centuries. Every time a colony approaches this number, the colony is divided into two separate colonies. They have found that once a group becomes larger than that, "people become strangers to one another." At 150, the Hutterites believe, something happens that somehow changes the community seemingly overnight. At 150 the colony with spontaneously begin dividing into smaller "clans." When this happens a new colony is formed.
Another good example of our hard wired social limits is Gore Associates, a privately held multimillion-dollar company responsible for creating Gore-Tex fabric and all sorts of other high tech computer cables, filter bags, semiconductors, pharmaceutical, and medical products. What is most unique about this company is that each company plant is no larger than 150.

When constructing a plant, they put 150 spaces in the parking lot, and when people start parking on the grass, they know it's time for another plant. Each plant works as a group. There are no bosses. No titles. Salaries are determined collectively. No organization charts, no budgets, no elaborate strategic plans. Wilbert Gore - the late founder of the company, found through trial and error that 150 employees per plant was most ideal. "We found again and again that things get clumsy at a hundred and fifty," he told an interviewer some years ago.

Take a lesson from this. If you are engaged in a large enterprise or are planning to work for one, realize that large groups rapidly reduce the efficiency of an operation. If each department is separated, especially if there are hundreds or thousands of people involved, complex systems of organizations will be required to keep everyone in check. Peer pressure is much more powerful than the somehow vague concept of a boss or punishment. People will work only hard enough not to get fired in a very large group, but will live up to the expectations of their peers in smaller groups where they have a personal relationship with each of their co-workers. Of course, a small group size is not by any means a guarantee of success. Small enterprises fail all the time. It's just a concept -- an idea to keep in the back of your mind as you vegetate in that basement cubicle.

R.I.M Dunbar, "Neocortex size as a constraint on group size in primates," Journal of Human Evolution (1992), vol. 20, pp. 469-493.

to LBD

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHfJr3HajZE&feature=related

I Love You Mom !

My mom has always wanted to see me do well in my life. I thank her so much for that. I know I haven't been the perfect son these past years but I always try to make my mom proud of me for the things I've accomplished and love to do. My mom is hardworking even though sometimes she seems too busy for certain things. But my mom works full-time, supervising the casino floors at Cache Creek 5 and even a couple time a month 6 days a week. On her spare time she loves to just watch her TFC shows, cook some of the best filipino and other asian foods ever, play mah jong with her friends once a week now, and babysit her grand kids twice a week! One thing I love about my mom that I think is really cute is that my mom and dad watch tayong dalawa and a couple of other TFC soap opera shows, and my parents drink their margaritas and tecate, and watch those shows for hours. They get into the show and my mom translates everything for my dad. That's hella cute!

My dad now knows the characters and gets into the soap opera drama even though he has no clue what the actors are saying. But yeah my mom stays up literally every night and cooks lunch and most of the time dinner for our family the next day. She'll stay up 'til 1-2am just to make sure my dad, brother, me, and other brother and sister in law come home to cooked food. I make her kitchen duties easier on her by cleaning the kitchen and keeping the living room clean as much as I can. She really is beautiful. Whenever I see my mom at family parties just socializing and smiling, I can't help but do the same because I know my mom is happy with her life and although our family isn't perfect, whose family isn't? Honestly, for every bit of encouragement, discouragement, disappointment, appreciation, and love that my mom has given me, I know that she is a beautiful person inside and out. She always tells me she just wants to see all of her kids be successful and happy with their lives, have a nice home to stay in, and not be in debt. Once I give my mom grand kids, she said she could live happy for the rest of her life. Her retirement dream is to move back to the Philippines with my dad and see the rest of her famiy in Pampanga.

Thank you Mom for everything you've given me, taught me,

You've always made me proud for always being yourself and still being able to be a good mother who just wants to see people to well in their lives. I will always carry that belief with me and pass it on everywhere I go.

I love you MOM!

cheek bones

I walked into the kitchen this morning to make breakfast and my mom almost had a look of disgust and said " my gosh mijo, you're losing so much weight in your face, your cheek bones are sticking out..what are you doing?". I laughed and said "Ok, Christmas time you said i was getting fat and my face was getting chubby, now I'm losing too much? what do you want mom?!" haha. I am proud that I literally lost 30lbs since Christmas time! I went from 192 lbs to 162 lbs! It's weird to notice but I need not only new jeans because they're all too big on me, but I need a new belt. What's up with that? everytime I run to class my pants fall down and I have to hold them up like a gangster running away from the cops. Eh well, time to hit the gym. My left leg is still oddly banged up. I think I bruised my lateral collateral ligament (LCL). is that possible? when I sleep on it, i feel a radiating pain on the side of my knee, but when I stand up, walk, run, squat, it feels ok. Maybe there's a nerve impingement? if this keeps up for the next couple days, I'm going to make an appointment at kaiser..

SHOGUN vs MACHIDA 2...I say shogun wins!! what about you?!?!

attention seekers

there are mental disorders marked by continual attention-seeking. The American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) suggests that people with dramatic, emotional, or erratic behavior and thoughts that interfere markedly with day-to-day functioning might be suffering from a personality disorder.

someone who seems to crave and create drama and attention might be experiencing symptoms of histrionic personality disorder (HPD). Only mental health professionals can diagnose this when there is clear evidence that five of the following symptoms occur in various contexts and seem to have begun in early adulthood:

experiences discomfort when not the center of attention
often interacts in inappropriately sexual or seductive ways
displays shallow and rapidly shifting emotions
places extreme value on personal appearance and uses appearance to draw attention to self
speaks with little detail while conveying vague ideas
displays dramatic and theatrical expression of emotion
is easily influenced by others and seems suggestible
thinks interpersonal relationships are more intimate than they really are

You can imagine that people who meet criteria for HPD may experience some negative reactions from other people based on how they behave. Yet, many people with HPD lead relatively successful lives. The problem is that they seem to fall apart when faced with situations where they perceive rejection from others and especially when romantic relationships sour. In fact, break-ups or instances of social rejection often push people with HPD into depression.

Sometimes you wonder what happens to these people when you actually don't give them the attention they seek. I've seen some people crack and try to play mind games by making you feel bad for something that's not even your fault; this blame calls for drama and attention that these types of people tend to want. There are some people in this world that actually cannot get enough attention because of social issues, insecurites and other psychological factors that may be hidden within the person that may have been caused by adolescent problems like family issues. Sometimes when the parents are not there to show compassion, attention, affection, love, and needed guidance to grow as a mature man or woman, these people are very likely to have some attention seeking problems. Some tend to thrive for attention just to stir up drama between people when it is clearly unnecessary. Parent's lack of discipline, morals, love and attention will strongly affect these kinds of people.

When these people grow up with the lack of discipline, morals, love and attention these people tend to seek it from other people. This can be a good thing and a bad thing for the person depending on his or her ability to balance out the 4 things listed above. In relationships old and new, this attention seeker still carries on old habits because it is very hard to change one's values over night. And sometimes you just need to let these people do what they do best: learn the hard way, accept whether or not they get the attention they seek for, realize when they're being irrational only after they feel like an asshole (if person actually let's their pride down for one second to think outside from another POV), love others quickly because of the lack of attention they may not get at home from the loved one they thought should love them back with the proper attention and affection. In some cases where these people are a lost cause and are unable to realize when good help, love, appreciation and affection is right in front of their eyes..ya just gotta say "fuck it, life goes on with or without you"

And my life will be just fine and even better without these types of people. It's less stressful that way.

Alkaline foods = more energy and weight loss WHAT?!

When eating you're feeding your body foods that may be acidic or alkaline (basic). Either way, you always want to have a balance between the two so you don't cause your body any discomfort or side effects.

One important thing about eating too many high acidic foods is that they tend to cause weight gain, heart & health problems such as cardiovascular disease and obesity. Highly acidic foods tend to be very sweet, high in saturated content and tend to make us eat more and more of it because of how great it tastes. Your overall health depends on balancing your pH (acid/alkaline) levels. Eating acidic foods is not bad for you, but it's just that when you consume too much of it, your body will pay the price.


Also, eating foods that are more alkaline and maintaining a pH balance within your eating habits will result in weight loss, increased stamina and strength,a stronger immune system and a greater sense of wellbeing.


Some of the side effects with having high acidity (high acid food content) are: joint pain, cramps, and even acid-reflux disease. Foods that have amounts of the following can cause your body to become too acidic (which could even cause acid reflux): alcohol, black pepper, chili, chili powder, spicy food, tea, tomato-based products like kecthup, vinegar and citrus fruits.


Please note that some foods, such as citrus fruits, have an acid pH before they are consumed and but they usually leave an alkaline residue in the body after they have been metabolized. e.g. Grapefruits, berries, pineapple and other citrus fruits (citric acid) are high in pH, but when metabolized (broken down in the body), the food resides as an alkaline food.


This is why you see those heartburn commercials of some person eating chili or spicy wings and then looks all uncomfortable and needs a bottle of TUMS (antacids) which will bring your body back to alkaline (more basic: higher pH levels in within the body).


I found a really cool acidic food and alkaline food chart for you guys so that you don't have to do the research. Hope I helped you guys out!

GO HERE! SERIOUSLY!..I printed this out and put it on my fridge. DO IT!

http://www.energiseforlife.com/list_of_alkaline_foods.php


On a side note: a lot of the alkaline foods relate to my 15 foods that increase your metabolism blog.

After taking a look at the alkaline food chart below, I realized that all of the foods on the alkaline chart help speed up your metabolism, which means, your body will want to burn more calories to breakdown the food which will in turn process the food easier and if you mix your eating habits with fiber in the mix, your body will be breaking down food faster and more efficiently which means you'll have the energy (calories) you need from the food, and will cause your stomach to be feeling hungry within 3-4 hours. If you eat foods that have good sources of fiber, alkaline type food, along with sensible portions and staying hydrated, you should be eating about 4-6 meals a day.


Think of it like this: why eat 3 meals in one day that may be acidic, full of too much salt, sugar, and fat that you don't need when you could control your meals with portions like having 4 sensible meals + 2 snack breaks throughout the day? This way, you consume the calories you need for your busy day whether it be for work, school, training, exercising, or having a long day where you're on your feet. Feeding your body just enough calories every 3-4 hours will keep your metabolism going and constantly burning calories.


I could write about the effects of starving yourself, eating 2 times a day and then drinking hella alcohol at night, or just eating every 6 hours because you're too busy to eat, forget to eat, or even think smoking cigarettes, drinking coffee and alochol will help you lose weight. that shit is stupid and will only make your body feel like shit and cause you to age more. Fuck that, feed your body the nutrients, vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbs, and fats it needs so you can live a good healthy life. ahh..next time! haha..hope you enjoyed this blog yo!


I got 3-5 muay thai fights tomorrow! wish me luck !!!


LOGAN C.D.O.

Ill song....

162 lbs

I've been dieting the past couple days eating pretty lean and only eating food for its energy while still drinking my fluids so I'm not dehydrated. I'm keeping my brain sharp by still taking my fish oil pills and ginko biloba pills along with my multi-vitamin pills 2x a day so I don't deplete myself of any needed vitamins and minerals that I'm not getting from my regular meals throughout the day. I can't wait for Saturday! Once School is finished I'm going to train 5-6x a week and cut down to 155lbs (light weight division). I'd say that I'm in some of the best shape I've been in the past 3 years but I don't even train 5x a week like when I was on the judo and wrestling team back in '03-06'. I can't wait for this summer! I'm going to train so hard and earn my way through my amateur fights. Hopefully I'll get like a fight every 6 weeks starting in June. Anyways, I just had 2 small plates of strawberries, eggplant, sweet peas, beef stir fry, 2 ribs, and a cup of hawaiian punch. Time to go to bed!! =)

My first fight!!!

Actually, first few fights! This Saturday I'm entering a muay thai point kickboxing tournament. We'll all be wearing gloves, headgear and shin gaurds. I'm going to fight in the weight class of 150-165lb. Right now I'm 169lbs so I only need to cut 4lbs by friday night and the other 1-2lbs will get out of me over night! It's crazy, ever since the new year, I've lost 23lbs !! I haven't been in this good of shape, condition, strength ever..

I can't wait! I have hella homies, my capoeira fam bam, homegirls, 1 in particular I'm really excited for =) and even my family are all coming out just to see me fight! I have a homegirl who said she's gonna bring a sign that says " BERTO IS EPIC !" haha..I don't know about all that, but I'd still appreciate the love! Can't wait! Hope I kick ass this Saturday! I've been waiting for this moment for 5 years! I wonder what 5 years of capoeira training will do for me as a muay thai fighter. I've only trained MMA for the past 3 months but my coach says I learn extremely fast and have great kicks. So many things to do these next couple weeks..I can't wait =).

Here's the information for the muay thai tournament this Saturday:

Date: Saturday, May 1, 2010

Where: Inderkum High School

2500 New Market Dr.

Sacramento, CA 95835

Cost: $10 for admission

Starts: 11:30am

Open sparring with MMA rules: 6:30pm-8:00pm ** HELL YEAH! **

but there will be kids, girls, teens, adults, and even people over 40 years old fighting. I want to say that my first match should be some time between 130-230pm but it all depends on how many fighters show up and how long each match takes. But I hope you guys can come out to enjoy some good muay thai fights and possibly see me in action! I'll be wearing my BJ Penn fight shorts and a white tank top =)

You got your life....

Asher Roth - Alone

I first heard this song last month. It still hits hard just as hard as it did last month. Love it!

Berto's 15 foods that help increase metabolism and POV on health/fitness/eating

15 foods that increase your metabolism

1. grapefruit
a. This fruit is rich in fiber which will push your food down more and keep your stomach feeling full. This also lowers your insulin levels (which triggers your body not to store fat). Fiber is indigestible so your body burns more calories to try and break it down.

2. green tea
a. Contains EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate) which speeds up your brain activity and nervous system which causes your body to be more active and burn more calories.

3. yogurt
a. The calories from the protein in this cause your body to use a lot of energy to break down this food. The good bacteria (pro-biotic cultures) in yogurt help control your digestive tract (so it aids in breaking down food properly).

4. almonds
a. Contains essential fatty acids to aid in your body’s metabolism rate (the rate at which you break down food/burn calories). But these along with other nuts,

5. coffee
a. The caffeine in coffee obviously gives you a boost and triggers your brain (nervous system) to be more active and be more aware of your surroundings (hopefully..haha). Coffee is also an antioxidant which fight off free radicals that try to damage your body’s cells (skin, muscle, bone etc.) Coffee has also been known to help aid in age-related brain problems: http://longevity.about.com/od/lifelongnutrition/a/coffee_health.htm

6. turkey
a. Turkey has a lot of protein which helps build lean muscle mass when performing regular exercise and activity. The high calories from the protein in turkey cause your body to burn more calories to break the protein down, which causes your body’s metabolism to go up!

7. apples
a. Apples are low in calories (low glycemic index food) and the fructose (fruit sugar) is absorbed into your bloodstream fairly quickly to give you energy for your workouts/daily living. The fiber in apples, like grapefruits, also cause your body to burn more calories to try and break down the fiber, but your body can’t break down fiber, so your metabolism goes up because your body is working so hard to break down the fiber.

8. spinach
a. This vegetable speeds up your metabolism (has a big of fiber in it too) and is also a good source of antioxidants, magnesium, potassium (prevents cramps for when you forgot to stretch well for an exercise/before, during, after and activity), iron, and vitamin C (helps keep your immune system strong and prevents you from becoming sick).

9. beans
a. They’re good for your heart, the more you eat the more you fart..haha AND..they’re low in fat, have a lot of protein, and the fiber in them like other fiber foods cause your body speed up its metabolism.

10. jalapenos
a. Contains capsaicin that helps relieve pain but mainly causes your body to burn more calories after eating them. This spice helps speed up your heart rate and metabolism (not by a lot, but a little bit- don’t think that eating hella spicy foods is going to make you all ripped..it’s just going to burn coming out! HAHA)

11. broccoli
a. The fiber in broccoli is always beneficial for metabolism. But broccoli also has a good source of calcium and vitamin C which is good for your bones and immune system. Vitamin D also triggers your body to absorb calcium more readily into your bones as well as Vitamin C.

12. oatmeal
a. Your body takes a long time to break down the fat-soluble fiber in oatmeal. This causes your body’s insulin levels to go down which SPEEDS up your metabolism as a result.

13. soy milk
a. Soy milk is good for people who are lactose intolerant (people who don’t have the enzyme to break down regular milk). The soy beans in the soymilk have a good source of fiber, and antioxidants which are good for your metabolism and overall health. Soymilk also has a good source of protein which is essential for building lean muscle mass during recovery.

14. curry
a. Since there are many different types of curry, there’s a number of benefits across the board. But in short, the spices in curry cause your body’s metabolism to go up. More benefits are found here: http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Health-Benefits-of-Curry&id=423844

15. cinnamon
a. You can add this in your daily cup of coffee or even smoothies, shakes and other drinks. Cinnamon has fiber, iron, calcium, and manganese which are all beneficial to your body. There’s also studies being down on the effects of cinnamon for other health benefits. Here’s one: http://www.healthdiaries.com/eatthis/10-health-benefits-of-cinnamon.html

*foods high in fiber: http://www.fatfreekitchen.com/fiberlist.html

Hope this helped you guys! The past month I've been approached from over 10 people about what to eat, how to work out, how to train, what to train, what to do to be overall healthier. I always say it starts with the mind first. It's tremendously hard for a regular person who has never worked out, doesn't like to work out, or just doesn't have the mindset to train 3-4x a week and stay disciplined to eat well, and stay healthy. So one must always start from the bottom and go at their own pace.

For all of you trying to lose weight, get more toned, increase your performance in weight training and other acitivites, it starts with the brain. You have to discipline yourself first and start with the small things like drinking soda only a couple times a week along with other junk food. Try to have your last meal of the day around 3 hours before you actually go to sleep. Eat in small portions throughout the day so your metabolism keeps on running and your insulin levels aren't sky rocketing, which will cuase your body to store more fat.(side note: you may notice most diabetics are kind of overweight because their body stores sugar as fat more than us people who don't have diabetes..but anyways).

I never tell people they need to lose weight. For some of you out there, your weight is fine, you just may need to be more HEALTHY. healthy and losing weight are two different things. ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT. If your weight is fine, eat healthier for your own benefit: to have more energy, eat foods that are good for your muscles, skin, and other organs etc. If you're overweight, start at a pace that is comfortable for you in both eating and exercise. If you exercise too hard and don't realize it, you're going to want to quit and just go back to your old habits and be lazy and eat like a couch potato.

Always progress with your exercise and eating. As a regular person, it's very hard to be disciplined like a pro athlete or fighter who have been mentally trained to eat and exercise a certain way. But for us busy people who may be working full time, going to college, have kids, volunteer, internship etc, it's hard to keep all these health, exercise and good eating habits under control. So don't always think you have to be perfect about these things.

I myself leave my weekends for my cheat days. But throughout the week I eat pretty healthy. I drink 2-3 protein shakes a day along with eating lean greens, lean steak/chicken, and other asian foods my mom/sister cooks. For me, I've cut down my rice intake to 2-4 times a week and when I do eat rice, I try to eat brown rice since it's not as heavy/starchy as white rice.

I also drink about 120oz of fluids a day. I don't keep a count, but I know my protein shakes are 20oz and I have 2-3 of those a day. so that leaves me 60-80oz of more fluids for the rest of the day. that's 4-5 16oz water bottles for the rest of the day. Staying hydrated overall is ALWAYS good for you. One method I learned for staying hydrated is never feeling thirsty- once you feel thirsty you're dehydrated. What I tell everyone is try to drink an 8oz cup of water every hour. That's not a lot when you think about it. If you work full time or go to school all day, bring a water jug with you and take like 2-3 big gulps every hour..that's not hard, even if you're not thirsty, do it! it'll help your body stay replenished and helps flush out your stomach of excess waste in your intestines.

That is all I have for now, I feel like I could talk about all kinds of other stuff. If anyone has questions..let me know.. I'll do my best to answer them =)

who was better? i know i was. of course you lie, don't blow my buzz. can we stay broken up and all these pages close em' up. I hope we both do learn from this so my next don't don't gotta be so rough. gotta get betta with time. relationships should never rewind. better leave it all behind. I guess that means you could never be mine. well umm, there's a but, without you love, it's cold as fuck. life is a movie, we both say cut, but most times darling the sequal sucks

-wale

Insight on post-workout recovery and glucose (carbohydrates)

This isn't a complete analysis of post recovery and carbohydrates but I wanted to vent out a little bit on why liquid drinks are great for your recovery after a workout and why glucose, carbs, sugars are good for you. In my next post (hopefully by the end of the weekend) I'll post up other things on protein and fats benefits post-workout and what to eat and drink after a workout.

Bear with me.. haha

The consumption of nutrients immediately post-workout is absolutely essential. It helps the body recover from a grueling workout, replenish glycogen (sugar/carbohydrate) stores, repair muscle tissue, reduces post-workout soreness, raises testosterone and growth hormone levels (which are needed for overall muscle and bone development), and reduces cortisol levels (which is a stress hormone that is both good and bad for you depending on the amount flowing through your body; a good effect of cortisol is that it helps break down glucose (sugar/carbs) for you to use as energy but a bad effect is that too much cortisol has a reverse effect on all of its benefits and can make you fat and increase your chance of heart problems. Check out the effects of cortisol here: http://stress.about.com/od/stresshealth/a/cortisol.htm

And the sooner nutrients are consumed and absorbed, the sooner the body can go from a catabolic (muscle destroying) state to an anabolic (muscle building) state. It is for this reason that a liquid meal is preferred to solid food. With a drink, one can put the dry ingredients into a bottle, and mix it with water and drink it immediately after a workout. And a liquid meal is digested and absorbed quicker than a solid foods meal.

Carbohydrates ( glucose, glycogen )
So the goal post-workout more specifically is to restore muscle glycogen (. The body will even break down muscle tissue for this purpose if carbohydrates are not available. For this reason, it is vital to include carbohydrates in the post-workout drink. But what form of carbs is best for this purpose?

Post-workout is the one time that high-glycemic carbs are preferred. This term refers to carbs that are high on the glycemic index. This is a measure of how quickly a food raises blood sugar and hence insulin levels. Normally, it is best to eat lower glycemic foods so as not to initiate an insulin spike. (This is kind of like that sugar rush we get when we consume foods high in carbs(sugar) and then within an hour feel sleepy and want to take a nap.)

But post-workout, the exact opposite is true. The elevated insulin levels will help to drive nutrients into the muscle cells. This is why it’s paramount that you intake carbohydrates directly after a workout. If your resources to food and drinks are limited from post-workout shakes/smoothies & other drinks, a can of soda is actually good for you because your body NEEDS the glucose to get into your muscles cells regardless of how fast it gets absorbed into your body. At times, I may not have fruit post workout because it is a low-glycemic sugar (fructose – fruit sugar) and is digested slowly, so slowly that my body won’t use this to restore muscle glycogen.

*Muscle glycogen is the conserved energy within your muscles that prepare your body to use energy later in the day (like how bicyclists consume a lot of carbs before a race because they’re muscles are going to need all that energy (muscle glycogen) for the race.

Ideally a liquid post-workout drink is best. But when that is not available solid foods will due. Fortunately for you guys that think working out a lot and getting in good shape will force you to eat nothing but lean meat, power bars, vegetables, fruit and none of that good soul food type stuff are wrong. The following site has a list of foods within the glycemic index. Foods with a high glycemix index (70 or more) are absorbed into your muscles more quickly and will help you RECOVER faster: http://www.southbeach-diet-plan.com/glycemicfoodchart.htm

If you have the sources to foods, powders or anything with dextrose/maltodextrin please do so. Dextrose is simply the name for glucose that has been derived from corn. Glucose is the body's primary energy source, and the form in which carbs must be converted into to be used to create glycogen.

Moreover, dextrose can be absorbed directly through the gut into the bloodstream. And with this rapid absorption, it raises blood sugar and insulin levels faster than any other carb. And since it is already in the form the body requires, it can be used immediately for glycogen replenishment.

Maltodextrin, on the other hand, is actually a complex carb. But its molecular chain is shorter than other complex carbs. Moreover, it is consists of loosely bonded glucose molecules. And like dextrose, maltodextrin is absorbed directly through the gut. So it raises blood sugar and insulin levels as much as dextrose does.

However, before maltodextrin can be utilized, it must first pass through the liver for the bonds between the glucose molecules to be broken down. So the rate at which it is used for glycogen replenishment is slower than with dextrose. However, because it is metabolized slower, there will not be as quick of a drop of insulin and blood sugar levels as with dextrose.

When you start to fill your body up with glycogen stores from doing this you’ll notice that you’ll be able to go through your workouts easier than before. Having these glycogen stores will give you the energy you need to recover throughout the day after your workout and consistently doing this will keep you energized throughout the week; this is why when people start to work out more and eat healthier, they seem to have more energy all-around. One thing to keep in mind though is not consuming too many carbs after a workout because then you’ll get that spike in glucose (sugars) and crash (just like how people crash from drinking rockstars/monsters/red bull type drinks).

don't ever try to get things started at the finish line

Importance of Empathic Listening

Effective interpersonal arguers also need to develop their listening skills and especially their capacity for empathic listening. It is often difficult in an argumentative situation--when our aggressive instincts are at work, when our energy level is high, and when our creative strategic senses are agitated--for us to listen at all, let alone to engage in empathic listening. Yet the most effective interpersonal arguers are those who have precisely this capability.

Instead of listening to other with a focus on refuting their ideas, empathic listener seek to genuinely understand where their fellow arguers are coming from-- what they are telling in their stories and in the arguments that they are presenting. Empathic listeners are tolerant and patient; they allow others to develop their positions; and they give these positions careful consideration before forming their response to them.

Empathic listeners are more likely to find ways to compromise because they are less likely to speak without thinking and thus to say things that they later come to regret. Empathic listeners allow themselves more time to carefully and strategically weight their responses to arguments because they carefully consider the arguments made by other in the context of their search for a larger and more complete and compelling narrative.

Nevertheless, thise type of listening can be hard work, especially when we are distracted. There are also listening barriers such as laziness, closed-mindedness, insincerity, and boredom. Listeners should expend the energy to be attentive and to overcome their distractions and also learn how to control their own emotions.

I was dreaming

that I layed next to you as you sleep
tucked your hair over your ear
and kissed you on your cheek

haven't heard a good cupcake song in awhile...

haven't heard this since I was a kid !!

Sometimes I really wonder if things will happen for the better. There's so many different kinds of smile's I've had this year. But I still wait til I have that one particular smile. If it never comes I'll know it wasn't meant to be.

I've written 10 songs in the past 2.5 months. refining them and making sure they hit hard.

Now that things are different I always feel different

I'd never want to make the same mistake twice

So don't think things will ever be the same again

Because they won't. It can get better and it can

get worse. But just know it always happened for

a reason worth living for. Don't fool yourself

without realizing the bigger picture-

I have nothing to lose now

this song brings back memories

keep it movin...

Busy week. Argumentation test Thursday, MMA training friday, party friday night, Capoeira training Saturday afternoon, Linda's Bday dinner @ the cheesecake factory and then The Park! can't wait!

AM KIDD - KEEP IT MOVIN'

I hate college remix

Short Term Pain for Long Term Gain

This is what my Judo Sensei, Dr. James Tanaka, always told me. I always had a similar thought in that I always told my friends to always progress in life and no matter what hardships you go through, just learn from your mistakes and keep moving on to bigger and better things.I believe in another life, we would be best friends because our connection was like none other. He told me repeatedly that I reminded him of himself. I've always been humbled by him and always know that he will give me wisdom whenever I come into his life. He wrote me a beautiful letter of reccommendation that I will always cherish. I'll be turning in my army packet to become a Health Services Officer in the Army in late May or early June. I graduate May 22nd and can't wait.

I can only move on with each passing day. Lately I've had so much free time on my hands that I look at the world a little bit differently now. Now, I always smile, and I mean..always smile to everyone where ever I go and I believe it rubs off on everyone else. For every second spent being negative or mad at the world is a second of happiness you never get back. So I say always progress each day and don't be shy, walk with your head up high with confidence in everything that you do, and for everything that you do not know, be humble, learn, and progress onto any adventures in life you choose to take.

I've been hitting the gym about 4-5x a week now the past 5 weeks and I can definitely tell the results. Since the new year, I lost 13 lbs and keeping it off! I wouldn't say I'm on a diet, but I would say that I changed my eating habits: for 1, I have a fruit smoothie with protein powder, and oatmeal, ginko biloba pill, multi-vitamin pill anywhere from 2-3x a day, I'll have 1-2 snacks throughout the day, and have one hearty meal with plenty of calories to help keep me energized for whatever I do. The only other pills I take are fish oil pills 3x a day. It keeps my skin looking good, joints healthy, brain active, and lowers my LDL (bad cholesterol). My 6pack is coming in and staying! every week after a good cardio session or capoeira class I feel so proud for all the hard work I put in at the gym throughout the week.

more to come...time to zone out to MIKE POSNER !!
be on the look, I told all my friends that asher roth, wale, kid cudi, B.O.B., cory gunz and DRAKE were the next to blow back in 2007...now look at em...haha
here's one of my favorite songs by him that remind me of my homegirl from Fairfield..haha

A song that makes me smile =)