America Is Currently Being Ravaged And Destroyed From Within

Yes you are reading the title of this post correctly. Every day America is ravaged repetitively by a barbaric and ferocious predator commonly known as junk food; they warned us the Devil would be attractive. In all seriousness though, we are being screwed every day. If you ever stop to think about what is in a Twinkie before you eat it, you better damn well be shaking for fear of your life.

To put it bluntly, America is in a war. This war doesn't have guns, missiles, or soldiers. This war consists of the citizens and products of America. We are in a civil war with ourselves, and we are losing. The forks and knives of our brothers are stabbing the sacrificial cakes, donuts, pies, and meats of the enemy; and we are losing because of it. It's kind of sad when you're losing a war to food isn't it? I'd also label it as pathetic but that's just me. Doctors are saying that obesity is the largest health risk in the country. If you let your own weight get out of hand, it can kill you, but not before giving you a plethora of health issues and diseases. So not only does it kill you, it kills you slowly and painfully. Truth is, if you really wanted to lose weight, you would have lost it by now. Sure genetics play a large role in how you look and what you weigh, but dedication and determination will always overcome genetics. Why should you settle for being overweight because something you have no control over pre-programmed you to be? Life isn't fair, but that doesn't mean you can't make it fair.

One of the goals of this blog is to help anyone who wants to get into shape, get into shape. Whether your goals are weight loss, strength, building muscle, muscular endurance, etc. there will be an article for you and I will do my very best to help you along the path to fulfillment. This is a good time to mention that any personal questions can be left as comments so everyone can see the question and answer. I will answer each and every question and personally help anyone who wants to be helped one-on-one.

To start let's talk about nutrition. Nutrition is really very simple. The secret to nutrition is that if you think something isn't good for you, it isn't good for you; so don't eat it. If you think something is good for you, it is most likely good for you; so you can eat it in moderation. The secret I was getting at is common sense. We all know what is good for us and what isn't. Junk food is obviously the leading cause of obesity, but other foods play a large role. I'd classify soda as junk food personally, but I know a lot of people who'd argue against that. Soda is a large piece of the obesity problem. Out of experience, I'd estimate that 1 in 3 people drink soda regularly. Just cutting soda out alone could significantly improve your chances to lose weight or cause you to lose weight. Of course there are healthier alternatives to soda such as IZZE, which is basically just carbonated fruit juice. Reed’s Ginger Ale and Virgil’s Root Beer (made by the same company) are also much healthier choices. Again, drink them in moderation as the fruit juices in them do have a fair amount of sugar in them. Anything with high fructose corn syrup in the ingredients is something you need to steer clear of. Anything with partially hydrogenated or hydrogenated oils in it is something you need to incinerate. You know those bags/boxes that say no trans-fat on them? Read the ingredients. More likely than not these products have partially hydrogenated oils in them; if you took biology or chemistry you would know this meant they actually do have trans-fat in them. Always read the ingredients on any food product you buy. If it has high fructose corn syrup or partially hydrogenated (or hydrogenated) oils in it, put it back on the shelf and slowly walk away.

To make safer decisions without having to know too much about what is good and bad for you, shop at health food stores such as Whole Foods or Trader Joes. Then again shop there anyways as they have more variety of healthy foods. Some of the products may be pricier, but are you really that frugal that you would put a price on your health? If you're thinking yes, think of how you'd answer the question if you were having chest pain, joint pain, or even a heart attack caused by obesity. We all love money, it's true, and call me crazy but I love life far more than I love a green piece of paper with a president's face on it. So what is the first step in losing weight?Actually doing it!

So now that you know you have to violently murder any unhealthy food people place in front of you, let’s get into what you should not eat or drink. For brevity’s sake I’ll make a list. I’ll add some of my favorite brands at the very end of this post.

Do Not Eat/Drink:
Meat (Little to no nutritional value at the expense of too many calories and the life of an animal)
Junk Food such as store bought cupcakes, candy bars, brownies, etc.
Soda
Fruit Juice with added sugar
Alcohol (In addition to soda, cutting this out if often enough to make people start losing weight)
Sugary drinks such as lemonade, iced tea, fruit punch, etc.
White bread (no nutritional value)
Coffee (too much caffeine increases heart rate)
Vitamin Water

Can Eat Or Drink:
Fruits and Vegetables
Dairy (in moderation)
Ice Cream (opt for frozen yogurt, but if you really want ice cream, get the all natural kind by Ben and Jerry’s or Haagen Dazs)
Iced Tea (only if you make it yourself and don’t put sugar in it)
Hot Tea
IZZE, Reed’s Ginger Ale, Virgil’s Root Beer (in moderation)
Fruit Juices not from concentrate i.e. Tropicana Orange Juice (in moderation)
WATER
Whole Grains
Snacks such as Pirate’s Booty, whole grain nachos, baked potato chips, etc.
Energy bars or protein bars such as Clif bars or Odwalla bars
Olive Oil
Chocolate – only if it doesn’t have high fructose corn syrup or (partially) hydrogenated oils. Opt for organic chocolate.

I may be missing a few but you get the general idea. The first step in weight loss is removing bad habits from your life. The main habit you must get rid of before you even consider working out is unhealthy eating. I’ll post an exercise article in a few days or a week, but for now there is one exercise you can do that is free, readily available, and relaxing. Are you ready? Walking. Yes that’s right. The thing most of us take for granted every day and don’t look at as an exercise is actually a fantastic exercise. This is not the best thing you can do to lose weight, but it is the best starting place.

Sincerely,
The Guy Blogging

P.S. – Is there any healthy foods I didn’t mention in this article that you think deserve to be in here? Drop me a comment and I’ll try it. If it’s good I’ll place it in the article giving credit to you.

Consumerism In America: Have We Crossed The Line?

Consumerism in any society has the potential to cause more despair than it does joy and happiness; however, when it is moderated by the individual it can become a magnificent thing that lacks any pressing flaws.

Consumerism gives people the opportunity to do many things with the freedom of choice they have and purchase whatever it is their heart desires. Desire can be a double-edged blade however. Fulfilling desires through purchasing goods is a great thing to be able to do, but how fulfilling are the desires you’re fulfilling? You would have to question whether or not those new products are truly going to make you happy or if the happiness is just on the surface. Also, when do these desires become too much and start to take over your life so much that you have pushed everything else away from you that should really be the center of your life? This is how consumerism can become a flaw within society. When the purchasing and want of goods becomes too big of an itch to scratch, you will spend all of your time trying to alleviate the itch by purchasing new things. Where does the money come from to purchase these new things? More often than not it is from working and working takes up a large amount of time in the average person’s life. The time spent working then interferes with time that could be spent doing more rewarding things such as achieving a personal goal or developing a relationship. In that way consumerism hinders progress greatly and is not beneficial to society.

Consumerism is not all bad. In fact it can be extraordinary at times. Most people engage in some form of consumerism whether it is buying clothes, food, shelter, or some form of transportation. Very few people are self-reliant these days. Since everything is mass produced and can be consumed it leaves people more time to do things such as spend time with their family, develop a relationship, exercise, educate themselves, or any other number of things that can further develop a person’s happiness and well-being. There are many things a consumer-oriented culture can achieve that have positive affects for the entire society. In American society owning a Hummer says something different about the person who bought the car than it would if the person had bought a Toyota Prius. The person consciously bought the car knowing how society would label them when they were seen driving around in the Hummer. The freedom to be perceived as we wish by society is a great thing to have.

So what is the compromise? Consumerism is a great thing for a country to have as it enables people to a wealth of options that have favorable affects. However it is up to the consumer to control their own personal desires and want of things. With an ever growing want, someone’s life will be consumed by material goods which will ultimately take away from everything that really does matter in life. Whether or not consumerism is a beneficial or negative thing is really up to the individuals within that society. It is perfectly acceptable to desire things, but when that desire grows and grows to the point it cannot be satisfied, that is when you need to reflect on your life and decide what truly is important. That is the point where consumerism becomes a negative. Too much of anything is never a good thing, but in moderation many things are helpful. If only the people within consumer cultures could limit their spending on products they wouldn’t have to work so much. If people did not work as much, they would have less to spend which could translate into not going shopping and doing things that cause personal growth. If people stop buying so many products then companies would make less, which would mean people would have to work less. Ultimately it is up to the consumer how their time and money is spent. That one decision affects a variety of things that eventually all come back to the consumer in one way or another.

Consumerism can be a positive or negative thing within a society. It is all dependent on how the particular society decides to engage it. If all the society wants to do is purchase goods then the people within that society will work much more than people in a society who spend most of their time developing relationships or focusing on their own goals. It is a question we all have to ask ourselves. Do we want material goods or do we want personal development? It all depends on the type of person you are asking. Some people are more than content with just working and purchasing goods while others search for more meaningful values in their life. There is no right or wrong for consumerism because in the end consumerism isn’t making any decisions. It is just there because people want it to be there. Whether those people use it in a beneficial way or negative way is their decision.

Sincerely,

The Guy Blogging

P.S. - What's your take on this? Do you think America or the rest of the world for that matter is too easily swept into the world of materiel goods?