From the category archives:

Health and Fitness

My 7 Day Raw Food Diet Experiment

December 10, 2009
A raw vegan tomato sauce with olives, celery, ...
Image via Wikipedia

Hello Fellow Students

In my ongoing efforts to experiment on my body and brain so you don’t have to I recently decided to go on a raw vegan diet for 7 days. Just like my College Superman Breakfast and my Superman Dinner experiments.  It was both an amazing and difficult experience. For those that know me, I’m no vegetarian, however I got some really interesting results from this little experiment which I think will really help both students and non-students alike.

My Raw Food Diet Quick Results

  • Loss of 3 pounds
  • Massive increase in energy
  • No significant loss in muscle strength (I performed a pre/post muscle tension test and discovered only a slight loss in overall strength)
  • Smoother skin
  • Calmer attitude (whether this was mental or not I’m not sure, but I felt less violent overall, if anyone else has done this and had the same thing happen to them please explain it in the comments section)
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I Got Horribly Burned!

October 4, 2009
I got burned!

I got burned!

Sorry I haven’t been posting lately as I had some big problems that popped up recently, chief of which is my bad ass oil burn.  Take note, a hot skillet + olive oil + little sleep + throwing steaks onto said skillet = one burnt face.  This did however give me an opportunity to study skin burns and how to suppress scarring.  I’ll be posting a video diary of what I’ve been doing and how my burns have been coming along very soon.

Problem number two is that I’ve been very VERY busy with a new collection of products that have been coming out and a significant influx of students that have registered towards the end of September.  I haven’t forgotten about all of you so I will try to get back into a steady posting schedule within the next few days.

If you’d like to help me pay my bills go check out my online tutoring program as we’ve done a retrofit of the site and are offering even more tutoring options.

Liam McIvor Martin

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How To Get Unlimited Fresh Air And Be 20% More Productive Overnight

September 15, 2009

Areca PalmHello students.  I have a great post for you on how you can make yourself 20% more efficient, improve your health and make yourself in general happier without doing any work.

I live in Canada which for 6 months out of the year becomes a barren wasteland of snow, little sunlight and general depression.  We usually spend those months locked inside our homes, as a consequence we are exposed to stale air which reduces our study efficiency and reinforces seasonal affective disorder.

I found a solution to this problem the same way I solve many of my other problems, I looked at India.  India’s urban areas have some of the highest ratios of air pollution throughout the developed world.  Some have found the solution through the proper management of common houseplants to offset indoor pollution and solve many common breathing problems.

The three plants that you need are:

Areca Palm (removes co2 and converts it into oxygen) 4 plants are required per person and should be placed throughout the house.

Mother-in-law’s Tongue (converts co2 at night and should be placed in the bedroom) 6-8 plants are required per person.

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Spark: How to improve your IQ by 20% in 20 minutes

July 23, 2009

sparkbookcoverSo in doing my monthly education readings as a tutor, I’ve recently had the pleasure of  reading Dr John Ratey’ ‘Spark‘.  I believe that every student and educator should read this book.  Ratey lays out the connection between physical activity and mental acuity and gives educators and students action steps to take to become better students through physical activity.

What Dr John Ratey Suggests

His findings suggest there is a correlation between physical activity and becoming smarter.  He suggests 20 minutes of aerobic activity at 65-75% of your maximum output will result in improved recall and comprehension.

In the VTA Method, one of the central cornerstones of academic success is the use of exercise to improve recall and comprehension.  Anyone who is interested in a quick way to boost your recall almost instantly should give his book a look.  Here are some links to help you out.

If you’d like to check out his book go here: Spark Book

If you’d like to get a sneak peak of his book here: Sneak Peek

If you want to help pay my bills go here: VTA Method

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Does Gaba Work?

July 4, 2009

chanelle-sladics-at-winter-x-holding-the-new-jones-gaba-drinkHello Fellow Students!

I just got a case of Gaba Tea drink from the Jones Soda company.  They wanted me to test out their drink supplement for students and I’ve performed my own experiment with amazing results.

Gaba Research

Gaba is a “naturally produced amino acid and is one of the key neurotransmitters in the regulation of proper brain functionality; it helps to increase the production of alpha brain waves, known to enhance focus + clarity.  At the same time it decreases beta brain waves, which are linked to nervousness and scattered thoughts.” (Jones Gaba).

Now I’m usually quite skeptical about new supplements for increased brain power as usually 90% of them are simply packed with sugar (cough red bull) and get you so hopped up on sugar that you feel amazing regardless of what else is in there.  From my research on gaba however, I’ve found quite a bit of research that both refutes and confirms gaba as a study tool.  In my search to see documented proof of the advantages of Gaba the people at Jones Gaba sent me some research data that for me is still in my opinion only exploratory but I’ll let you guys be the judge.

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The Superman Dinner

June 23, 2009

SUPERMAN DINNER!

I got called out for my breakfast choices so I decided publish the superman breakfast.  I had such a great response from the superman breakfast that I’ve decided to also post the superman dinner.  Just like the superman breakfast, this meal is good tasting and good for you.   It takes a little longer than the superman breakfast but properly motivated the entire meal can take under 15 minutes to prepare and gives you 20-30 grams of protein which is the secret to weight loss and muscle growth.  I suggest you try this with the superman breakfast and monitor your results.  In my case, it keeps me below 10% body fat all the time (we’re talking 6 pack territory) and also allows me to build and hold significant muscle mass.

Components of the Superman Dinner

- Lean meat, chicken, pork or lean beef

- Fresh Baby Spinach (as much as you can eat)

- Lentil and pea dahl.  An Indian classic with my own twist to augment the protein

- Crap loads of water (at least a liter)

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The Superman Breakfast!

May 28, 2009

Hello Fellow Students.

I Kinda Like the "Popeye Breakfast" but Meh

I Kinda Like the "Popeye Breakfast" but Meh

 

I got called out for my breakfast choices so I decided today to show you exactly what I eat for breakfast.  It’s good tasting and good for you.  For all you naysayers who think that you don’t have time for breakfast before class, this should shut you all up.  It took me 4 minutes to cook my breakfast on the video and I can usually do it in three.  So I suggest you all try this as an experiment at least for a week and see what kind of chances you see in your mind, body and mood.

The Components of the Superman Breakfast

- Approximately half a dozen egg whites with one full egg for flavor

- Fresh Baby Spinach, prewashed.

- Salsa or Tabbouleh.  Both excellent options.  The Tabbouleh has more nutrients but is higher in fat, the Salsa is lower in nutrients but higher in fat so go your own way with this one

- Crap loads of water

Cost of the Superman Breakfast

The egg whites cost me 3.29 per liter which works out to approximately .65 with the whole egg

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