It's been quite some time since I posted to this blog. Numerous changes have occurred in my life, mainly, I've had a major career path change.
In the fall of 2010 I embarked on my first ever tour as a musician. It was a text book case of what not to do ever when touring. The details are long and winded, and frankly, I'm so tired of the story I prefer not to tell it anymore and look at it as more of a massive learning experience.
I've been a struggling artist since 1984 when I joined my first band. I had serious delusions of grandure, and I do mean serious! Now at the ripe age of 42 and no closer to making a living as a musician as I was back in 1983, I finally decided to let that part of my life go. Yeah, it was hard, and I went through a bit of a depression over it, feeling like a loser and failure. But if I honestly take stock of my life and my accomplishments over the past 25+ years, I did more than most do.
The whole rock-n-roll life style is just no longer in alignment with who I am today. I've traveled my entire life due to my Dad's job in corporate America. I lived in 25 different places by the time I was 30 years old and went to 3 different high schools. I'm over traveling! I just desire to find some place to call home and put down some roots once and for all. That place is Hawai'i, but that's another blog post.
I also and pretty clean living these days and that really doesn't fit with the current state of rock-n-roll. It's sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll, not love, health, and positive rockin' music....maybe one day...
I'll continue to write music and hope to get a song placement or two, post some singles to sell on my website, but as for performing life or putting a band together or hoping to actually earn a living from my music, well, that delusion is finally over. Despite what some well intentioned marketers claim, unless you have major bucks behind you and a solid team of well connected music industry professionals taking care of business, you're f*cked, plain and simple.
In December of 2010, after being beaten for the last time by my so called music career, at the completion of my joke of a tour, I decided to switch gears and follow my second passion, health / fitness / wellness. I am now a certified personal trainer and I also re-opened my holistic health counseling practice, Vegan Wellness.
That being said, this blog will begin to focus more on health & fitness related topics, and also follow my personal path to rebalance my own health & fitness challenges. After years of chasing an illusive rainbow in the sky, I've come to realize that the thing that matters most is your health. If you are other than thriving each and every day of your life, then you aren't fully living life, and that just plain sucks!
My next post will detail the recent results of an onslaught of tests I had run and my current holistic approach to rebalance my discombobulated body. Oh yeah, I'll also talk about how I am competing in my first triathlon in May. Talk about life shift!
Until next time....may your Source be with you!
Astrum
http://www.veganwellness.info
Visit the inner workings of the mind of Astrum Lux Lucis.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
MSi9W - My Executive Summary
How time flies! This summer blew by and somehow I seemed to miss out on some good summer fun times. It appears balance is something I can stand to upgrade and improve in my life.
The other day I finished reading Ariel Hyatt's awesome book "Music Success In Nine Weeks" and I also took the 9 Week Challenge, which finished up last week, I believe.
Before I begin, I give a big two thumbs up to Ariel for creating this amazing opportunity for all of us indie musicians, bands, artists, etc. to upgrade our careers. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book and I learned a great deal about my areas for improvement, on all levels of my life.
The music industry has been a part of my life since I was 14 years old when I joined my first band. I am now 42, considered a has-been by the "movers & shakers" in the industry, however, one must first be a "has" before they can become a "has-been". At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it! I write, sing, play, and perform my music because that's who I am. Music is my raison d' etre.
That being said, I will now comment and summarize my experience over the past 9 weeks taking the 9 Week Challenge.
Honestly, I started off with all intentions of winning the prize of a free publicity campaign with Ariel's company. Like most musicians our joy comes from performing our music. The idea of sitting in front of a computer (unless recording) all day long blogging, facebooking, tweeting, Myspace, etc. is the opposite of anything fun. While addicting at times, it can quickly be something that wastes a lot of your valuable time if not properly utilized. We all desire someone else to do it for us, and for free preferably - lol!
As I delved in, committing to do my very best so I can win, I realized this actually was going to be a challenge for me. I was actually going to have to work and do something. I have always been one where academics and such always came easy for me so I never studied and just breezed by in life. My idea of studying for an exam in college was to sit outside the classroom about 10 minutes before it started and scan through the chapter summary, hoping to retain as much of the "useless information" as possible to at least pass the exam with a C. My college GPA was 2.94 (high "C"). Funny now that I think about it, "C" stands for "average".
Average isn't going to cut it in today's music business! Average is probably why I am a 42 year old artist with no real major successes to show for my nearly 30 years in the music business. This is a pretty humbling wake up call, and I have Ariel to thank for this serious kick in the ass. Ouch!
Some key take-a-ways for me during the challenge were the 5 daily successes and writing down the next day's tasks the night before. In the past it felt like I just floated through my day with no direction other than that of crisis management style tasks. I'd be juggling several tasks, none of which I desired to do, so I was doing them in a negative mindset, then bedtime would come and I'd be beyond fried and angry because I didn't feel I really accomplished anything, and I definitely didn't play any music that day. Then, not writing down my next day's tasks, my mind would run all night long with what I had to do the next day. My adrenals must be exhausted!
The 5 daily tasks and tasks before bed holds me accountable and it also let's me see and acknowledge that I am getting things done. It's actually helped me to clean up my tasks and be more efficient in what I do on a daily basis. And, I even make time for my music now.
The advice and exercises with your 30 second pitch, website upgrades, and enewsletters was stuff I already knew, had done sort of half-ass, and had been meaning to get "cleaned" up, so, with winning in mind, I set about to upgrade per Ariel's instructions as so clearly outlined in her book.
Ariel also provides links to a few very cool websites, several of which I have now utilized. I totally love the web 2.0 info because I was sort of in the dark on some of that stuff, like what the heck an RSS feed is and what exactly does web 2.0 mean. She provided a link to this awesome company that makes little info-movies on all this stuff, and they are quite informative and humorous too.
I've also used the entertainment job posting link several times and through it I now have 2 interns on board. It's so nice to have help and to also be able to help a newcomer to the industry get some real hardcore life experience.
The items that are going to be my biggest areas for growth are in acquiring new quality fans. Collecting names for my mailing list is fairly simple, it's getting people who are going to actively participate with me that is the opportunity for growth. Through consistency with utilizing Ariel's teachings, I know they will come.
I also enjoyed the idea to create ongoing revenue streams through fan clubs, mobile clubs, a secret fan's only website page, song of the month club, etc. With so many people stealing music these days, and artist really has to come up with creative ways to receive an income. Through this challenge, I'm come up with a few ideas that are steal-proof.
The biggest bonus for me was the explanation of how PR really works and what it's goals are. Before I began this challenge I hired a traditional publicist to run a campaign for my new CD release. I was very skeptical at first because I had hired radio promoters in the past only to wind up more in debt and with nothing to show for it.
Through reading this chapter on traditional PR and how to choose a publicist, I was reassured I made a good decision, plus I have received a few really nice album reviews 1 radio interview, and 2 print interviews out of it, and more to come as my campaign runs through November.
I will say, it was a little disheartening to learn that a PR campaign doesn't always result in increased album sales, the main goal is public awareness. My heart sank a bit when I read that. As with most major expenses in this industry, it is a necessary step since it is impossible for an artist to wear all the hats at once and be truly successful, burn out is inevitable on that path.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge and I learned a lot about myself actually. A truly successful person is always taking a personal inventory of their weaknesses and strengths so they know where they require upgrading. I am so grateful to Ariel and I appreciate the opportunity she provided me for both personal and professional growth.
Whether I win a publicity campaign with Ariel or not, this experience was time very well spent. I encourage all musicians, bands, artists, songwriters, etc. to read Ariel's book, follow her blog, sign up for her enewsletter, and take the next 9 week challenge when it comes around.
\m/
The other day I finished reading Ariel Hyatt's awesome book "Music Success In Nine Weeks" and I also took the 9 Week Challenge, which finished up last week, I believe.
Before I begin, I give a big two thumbs up to Ariel for creating this amazing opportunity for all of us indie musicians, bands, artists, etc. to upgrade our careers. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book and I learned a great deal about my areas for improvement, on all levels of my life.
The music industry has been a part of my life since I was 14 years old when I joined my first band. I am now 42, considered a has-been by the "movers & shakers" in the industry, however, one must first be a "has" before they can become a "has-been". At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it! I write, sing, play, and perform my music because that's who I am. Music is my raison d' etre.
That being said, I will now comment and summarize my experience over the past 9 weeks taking the 9 Week Challenge.
Honestly, I started off with all intentions of winning the prize of a free publicity campaign with Ariel's company. Like most musicians our joy comes from performing our music. The idea of sitting in front of a computer (unless recording) all day long blogging, facebooking, tweeting, Myspace, etc. is the opposite of anything fun. While addicting at times, it can quickly be something that wastes a lot of your valuable time if not properly utilized. We all desire someone else to do it for us, and for free preferably - lol!
As I delved in, committing to do my very best so I can win, I realized this actually was going to be a challenge for me. I was actually going to have to work and do something. I have always been one where academics and such always came easy for me so I never studied and just breezed by in life. My idea of studying for an exam in college was to sit outside the classroom about 10 minutes before it started and scan through the chapter summary, hoping to retain as much of the "useless information" as possible to at least pass the exam with a C. My college GPA was 2.94 (high "C"). Funny now that I think about it, "C" stands for "average".
Average isn't going to cut it in today's music business! Average is probably why I am a 42 year old artist with no real major successes to show for my nearly 30 years in the music business. This is a pretty humbling wake up call, and I have Ariel to thank for this serious kick in the ass. Ouch!
Some key take-a-ways for me during the challenge were the 5 daily successes and writing down the next day's tasks the night before. In the past it felt like I just floated through my day with no direction other than that of crisis management style tasks. I'd be juggling several tasks, none of which I desired to do, so I was doing them in a negative mindset, then bedtime would come and I'd be beyond fried and angry because I didn't feel I really accomplished anything, and I definitely didn't play any music that day. Then, not writing down my next day's tasks, my mind would run all night long with what I had to do the next day. My adrenals must be exhausted!
The 5 daily tasks and tasks before bed holds me accountable and it also let's me see and acknowledge that I am getting things done. It's actually helped me to clean up my tasks and be more efficient in what I do on a daily basis. And, I even make time for my music now.
The advice and exercises with your 30 second pitch, website upgrades, and enewsletters was stuff I already knew, had done sort of half-ass, and had been meaning to get "cleaned" up, so, with winning in mind, I set about to upgrade per Ariel's instructions as so clearly outlined in her book.
Ariel also provides links to a few very cool websites, several of which I have now utilized. I totally love the web 2.0 info because I was sort of in the dark on some of that stuff, like what the heck an RSS feed is and what exactly does web 2.0 mean. She provided a link to this awesome company that makes little info-movies on all this stuff, and they are quite informative and humorous too.
I've also used the entertainment job posting link several times and through it I now have 2 interns on board. It's so nice to have help and to also be able to help a newcomer to the industry get some real hardcore life experience.
The items that are going to be my biggest areas for growth are in acquiring new quality fans. Collecting names for my mailing list is fairly simple, it's getting people who are going to actively participate with me that is the opportunity for growth. Through consistency with utilizing Ariel's teachings, I know they will come.
I also enjoyed the idea to create ongoing revenue streams through fan clubs, mobile clubs, a secret fan's only website page, song of the month club, etc. With so many people stealing music these days, and artist really has to come up with creative ways to receive an income. Through this challenge, I'm come up with a few ideas that are steal-proof.
The biggest bonus for me was the explanation of how PR really works and what it's goals are. Before I began this challenge I hired a traditional publicist to run a campaign for my new CD release. I was very skeptical at first because I had hired radio promoters in the past only to wind up more in debt and with nothing to show for it.
Through reading this chapter on traditional PR and how to choose a publicist, I was reassured I made a good decision, plus I have received a few really nice album reviews 1 radio interview, and 2 print interviews out of it, and more to come as my campaign runs through November.
I will say, it was a little disheartening to learn that a PR campaign doesn't always result in increased album sales, the main goal is public awareness. My heart sank a bit when I read that. As with most major expenses in this industry, it is a necessary step since it is impossible for an artist to wear all the hats at once and be truly successful, burn out is inevitable on that path.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge and I learned a lot about myself actually. A truly successful person is always taking a personal inventory of their weaknesses and strengths so they know where they require upgrading. I am so grateful to Ariel and I appreciate the opportunity she provided me for both personal and professional growth.
Whether I win a publicity campaign with Ariel or not, this experience was time very well spent. I encourage all musicians, bands, artists, songwriters, etc. to read Ariel's book, follow her blog, sign up for her enewsletter, and take the next 9 week challenge when it comes around.
\m/
Sunday, August 29, 2010
MSi9W Week 9 - An Overview of Traditional PR
The final week!
Exercise 1: Review of my current press kit.
1. My bio:
* Where does it first take the reader? Well, it's a pretty snazzy introduction of who I am, what I am about, the name of my band, and the preparation to talk about my new CD.
* Does the introduction (the first few lines) bring the reader in? Are they interesting or do they use the classic band mistake words such as “unique” “melodic” etc.? I'd say it's pretty darn interesting. : )
* Are there other clichés you could avoid like explaining each song on the album
and what it means etc. (keep in mind the reader has possibly not listened to your
new music or ANY of your music for that matter). We are cliche free baby!
* Is your pitch located somewhere within the first few lines so people can get an
immediate hit of what you are all about? Re-write the beginning of your bio to
include a sentence that sucks the reader in and has your pitch within it so that the reader becomes instantly engaged:
The first sentence of my bio:
It’s always a dynamic, organic experience when singer/songwriters—after a period of creative transition—awaken their higher consciousness, lock in on the next level of their musical journey, and emerge with a vibe that transcends all that came before.
* What is the most interesting thing about you / your band as a STORY? I am "The Green Vegan Rawker", conscious rock star.
*Would this bio be captivating to people who have never met you – if not is there a missing aspect that you could add to make it more enticing? I believe it's pretty rockin'.
To read my full bio, please visit http://www.oneworldrevolution.us
2. Aside from bio editing, what aspects of your overall press kit could you improve?
For Example:
Overall Design
Layout/ Formatting / Text
Stronger Press Quotes
Niche Angles – are they all included?
It's been a few years since I've actually been asked to mail out a hard copy of my press kit so I require piecing one together again. I had been relying on my online presence alone. Basically, I require printing my postcards, updating my Press Quotes page, and designing it so it is consistent with my new CD art.
WRITTEN EXERCISE: Getting Quotes To Add To Your Press Kit
I have quite a few quotes already and I am currently working with a traditional publicist so more quotes are coming in. I will make a few posts on facebook, twitter, and my email list to get a few more quotes. This may assist me in acquiring a few new fans too.
How To Post A Perfect Press Kit On Your Website
1. Your Music – album or live tracks:
Make sure you have some music available at your website or a very obvious
link to your MySpace page where people can hear the music instantly. Many
newspapers are now including MP3s of artists coming to town in the online
versions of their papers so make it easy for them to grab the tracks to add to their own sites – this is additional excellent exposure for you.
I do. It is both an embedded player that my web guy has on the site and also a widget I embedded from ReverbNation.
2. Biography – Must Include Your USP / Pitch:
Make sure you have a short succinct bio that can be easily located on your site,
in addition to the long form one, the blogs and all of the opinions from each
band member – which are fun for your fans but not for music writers who will be
looking to get quick information. Make sure this bio is easily cut and past able so
writers can drop it into a preview or a column.
USP – Also include a short summary (like less than 6 words) that sums up your
sound for calendar editors.
TIP: MAKE SURE THE BIO IS CUT AND PASTEABLE! Do NOT have your bio in Flash format make sure that editors can easily cut and paste it right off of your site.
I require putting together a short-form bio and the short summary. My bio is totally cut and pasteable, I do it all the time!
3. Photos – Make Them Easy To Find And Download
I have a photo and band logo that is click downloadable, I do require renaming them though.
I will summarize my MSi9W's Challenge experience in a separate blog. : )
Exercise 1: Review of my current press kit.
1. My bio:
* Where does it first take the reader? Well, it's a pretty snazzy introduction of who I am, what I am about, the name of my band, and the preparation to talk about my new CD.
* Does the introduction (the first few lines) bring the reader in? Are they interesting or do they use the classic band mistake words such as “unique” “melodic” etc.? I'd say it's pretty darn interesting. : )
* Are there other clichés you could avoid like explaining each song on the album
and what it means etc. (keep in mind the reader has possibly not listened to your
new music or ANY of your music for that matter). We are cliche free baby!
* Is your pitch located somewhere within the first few lines so people can get an
immediate hit of what you are all about? Re-write the beginning of your bio to
include a sentence that sucks the reader in and has your pitch within it so that the reader becomes instantly engaged:
The first sentence of my bio:
It’s always a dynamic, organic experience when singer/songwriters—after a period of creative transition—awaken their higher consciousness, lock in on the next level of their musical journey, and emerge with a vibe that transcends all that came before.
* What is the most interesting thing about you / your band as a STORY? I am "The Green Vegan Rawker", conscious rock star.
*Would this bio be captivating to people who have never met you – if not is there a missing aspect that you could add to make it more enticing? I believe it's pretty rockin'.
To read my full bio, please visit http://www.oneworldrevolution.us
2. Aside from bio editing, what aspects of your overall press kit could you improve?
For Example:
Overall Design
Layout/ Formatting / Text
Stronger Press Quotes
Niche Angles – are they all included?
It's been a few years since I've actually been asked to mail out a hard copy of my press kit so I require piecing one together again. I had been relying on my online presence alone. Basically, I require printing my postcards, updating my Press Quotes page, and designing it so it is consistent with my new CD art.
WRITTEN EXERCISE: Getting Quotes To Add To Your Press Kit
I have quite a few quotes already and I am currently working with a traditional publicist so more quotes are coming in. I will make a few posts on facebook, twitter, and my email list to get a few more quotes. This may assist me in acquiring a few new fans too.
How To Post A Perfect Press Kit On Your Website
1. Your Music – album or live tracks:
Make sure you have some music available at your website or a very obvious
link to your MySpace page where people can hear the music instantly. Many
newspapers are now including MP3s of artists coming to town in the online
versions of their papers so make it easy for them to grab the tracks to add to their own sites – this is additional excellent exposure for you.
I do. It is both an embedded player that my web guy has on the site and also a widget I embedded from ReverbNation.
2. Biography – Must Include Your USP / Pitch:
Make sure you have a short succinct bio that can be easily located on your site,
in addition to the long form one, the blogs and all of the opinions from each
band member – which are fun for your fans but not for music writers who will be
looking to get quick information. Make sure this bio is easily cut and past able so
writers can drop it into a preview or a column.
USP – Also include a short summary (like less than 6 words) that sums up your
sound for calendar editors.
TIP: MAKE SURE THE BIO IS CUT AND PASTEABLE! Do NOT have your bio in Flash format make sure that editors can easily cut and paste it right off of your site.
I require putting together a short-form bio and the short summary. My bio is totally cut and pasteable, I do it all the time!
3. Photos – Make Them Easy To Find And Download
I have a photo and band logo that is click downloadable, I do require renaming them though.
I will summarize my MSi9W's Challenge experience in a separate blog. : )
MSi9W Week 8 - Creating A Contiuum Program
Ah, here we are at week 8, one more week to go!
This week, we are to create a "funnel". This is a way to create ongoing "passive income" or create high-dollar events. As I read the list Ariel provided, I resonated with a lot of the ideas and some of them were already part of my "things to do one day" list. I guess that day is here.
I believe there is a misprint in the book though, because in the funnel diagrams, there is nothing written, so I am a little confused on what to do with those so I will go on to the second exercise.
Continuum Program Ideas:
1. Monthly Fan Club.
This is a great idea, although at present, my "fans" appear to be a little disengaged. I will create it though for when I start getting fans that actually are fully engaged in the co-create interactive exchange we share with one another. Ariel suggests creating a unique song or video to share. I'll probably opt for the song since I am unsure how to make a video private.
2. Special Events With The Band Club.
I have attempted this one in the past without much success. Well, actually, it was used more as an incentive to make a call to action, like "be the first 10 people to buy my new CD and when I come to your town on tour we'll have dinner". Again, once the pro-active fans are in place, I will implement something like "dinner with me" while on tour.
3. Artist Critique and Feedback.
I have used this in the past as well. I've had good response from it too. When I was getting ready to choose songs for my "Cheryl Hill - Let Love In" EP, I asked fans to vote on 5 songs and pick their top 3. Everyone who voted received a free copy of the finished CD. I will use this for my next album project winter 2011.
4. Annual Camping Festival.
I LOVE this idea! I actually desire to create my own festival called "VegStock" where all the bands/artists are vegetarian, all the vendors sell veg products, and all the food is vegan. One day I will make this happen! I am one with nature so anything outdoors is cool with me.
5. Charity Affiliation.
This one is a done deal! I am affiliated with Dogs Deserve Better (http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org). In fact, my upcoming tour - The Rock Out & Recycle Tour 2010 - benefits DDB.
6. Private VIP Fan Site.
Another great idea that I desire to implement. I see this as being very interactive to, perhaps having a forum/message board, live chat room, etc.
7. My own creation-
Through my affiliation with EZ Raw Food 101 TV, I am a big fan of livecasting, so I created One World (R)evolution TV, an online, live, interactive pay-per-view subscription based TV channel. I will be utilizing this for my upcoming tour.
So now that I have all those ideas out there, what do I require to move forward?
1. Pro-active fans.
2. Chat with my web guy about creating a password protected special fan site.
3. Create a special "have dinner with me" program to coincide with my upcoming tour.
4. Write songs for "Song of the Month Club" program.
This week, we are to create a "funnel". This is a way to create ongoing "passive income" or create high-dollar events. As I read the list Ariel provided, I resonated with a lot of the ideas and some of them were already part of my "things to do one day" list. I guess that day is here.
I believe there is a misprint in the book though, because in the funnel diagrams, there is nothing written, so I am a little confused on what to do with those so I will go on to the second exercise.
Continuum Program Ideas:
1. Monthly Fan Club.
This is a great idea, although at present, my "fans" appear to be a little disengaged. I will create it though for when I start getting fans that actually are fully engaged in the co-create interactive exchange we share with one another. Ariel suggests creating a unique song or video to share. I'll probably opt for the song since I am unsure how to make a video private.
2. Special Events With The Band Club.
I have attempted this one in the past without much success. Well, actually, it was used more as an incentive to make a call to action, like "be the first 10 people to buy my new CD and when I come to your town on tour we'll have dinner". Again, once the pro-active fans are in place, I will implement something like "dinner with me" while on tour.
3. Artist Critique and Feedback.
I have used this in the past as well. I've had good response from it too. When I was getting ready to choose songs for my "Cheryl Hill - Let Love In" EP, I asked fans to vote on 5 songs and pick their top 3. Everyone who voted received a free copy of the finished CD. I will use this for my next album project winter 2011.
4. Annual Camping Festival.
I LOVE this idea! I actually desire to create my own festival called "VegStock" where all the bands/artists are vegetarian, all the vendors sell veg products, and all the food is vegan. One day I will make this happen! I am one with nature so anything outdoors is cool with me.
5. Charity Affiliation.
This one is a done deal! I am affiliated with Dogs Deserve Better (http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org). In fact, my upcoming tour - The Rock Out & Recycle Tour 2010 - benefits DDB.
6. Private VIP Fan Site.
Another great idea that I desire to implement. I see this as being very interactive to, perhaps having a forum/message board, live chat room, etc.
7. My own creation-
Through my affiliation with EZ Raw Food 101 TV, I am a big fan of livecasting, so I created One World (R)evolution TV, an online, live, interactive pay-per-view subscription based TV channel. I will be utilizing this for my upcoming tour.
So now that I have all those ideas out there, what do I require to move forward?
1. Pro-active fans.
2. Chat with my web guy about creating a password protected special fan site.
3. Create a special "have dinner with me" program to coincide with my upcoming tour.
4. Write songs for "Song of the Month Club" program.
Back Home...
I am back home and back in the swing of things and it feels really good!
On August 8th I left my home in Austin, Texas to spend 2 1/2 weeks caring for my 92 year old grandmother who has dementia/Alzheimers (early stages), heart dis-ease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, osteoperosis, arthritis, bursitis, and a couple more "itis"-es.
Being the health and nutrition afficianado that I am, I put G-ma on a healthy wholesome whole food vegan gluten-free diet while in my care. I did this for several reasons,the biggest one being that I desire for the remainder of her years in this form on this planet to be the highest quality of life possible because she is my favorite person on earth, next to my beloved. The other reasons have to do with addressing specific health challenges to upgrade them into healing perfection.
There is only one way to get high cholesterol, eat animals and animal's products (eggs, milk, cheese, yogurt, etc.). There is only one way to get heart dis-ease and high blood pressure, eat animals and animals' products. There is only one way to get osteperosis, brusitis, and arthritis - eat an acid forming diet (meaning eating animal derived foods, processed foods, fake foods, and some cooked foods). OK, so where does gluten play a role in all this? Inflammation!
Gluten containing grains cause inflammation in the body, which in turn aggravates an already inflamed body, as in osteoperosis, arthritis, and brusitis. Grains also contain opiates, especially wheat. Just try giving up all wheat products for a week or two and see what kind of mad crazy cravings you get. Then notice how when you give in and eat the bread/etc. you go into a coma-like state.
Back to G-ma. So in just 15 days on a vegan gluten-free diet, my G-ma lost 9 pounds and dropped her blood pressure by 7 points! That is what I call VEGAN POWER!!! She was also using a walker to get around and by the end of the 15 days pushed the walker to the side. She also had more color and life in her eyes and her eyes were brighter.
The moral of this story? You can reverse any dis-ease provided you give your body the proper nutrients to heal itself. Our bodies were designed to heal themselves, if not, we'd all of died from our first paper cut. Human beings, despite what the meat and dairy industry try to sell you, and frugivores by anatomical design. That means we are designed to thrive eating a plant based diet with a focus on fruits for calories, soft tender greens for minerals, and seed baring veggies for more vitamins and minerals.
We can get all the nutrition required for us to thrive on a 100% plant based diet. Just look at some good friends of mine who are doing just that - Robert Cheeke - vegan bodybuilder, author, speaker, actor - http://www.robertcheeke.com and Brendan Brazier - vegan IronMan Triathlete, author, speaker, formulator of Vega products - http://www.brendanbrazier.com.
Protein? This question is the number one concern of all non-veg*ns. "Where do you get your protein from?" The same place the gorillas and cows do - the plants! A 100 calorie serving of broccoli has 11.2 grams of protein. A 100 calorie serving of cow flesh has 5.3 grams of protein. Yeah, I'll take the broccoli please.
Chew on this - mother's breast milk contains roughly around 5% protein. We live off this stuff for the first year or two of our lives, when we grow the most we will ever grow in our lifetime. Why as we get older, do we think we all of a sudden require more protein than this? To thrive, one's caloric intake is best divided as follows: 10% protein, 10% fats, 80% carbs (fresh ripe raw organic fruits, veggies, tender greens).
I love being a raw food vegan and I love being able to show how in just 15 days someone's life can be completely transformed by adopting a 100% plant based whole foods diet. Try it, take the 30 day challenge. Go vegan!
On August 8th I left my home in Austin, Texas to spend 2 1/2 weeks caring for my 92 year old grandmother who has dementia/Alzheimers (early stages), heart dis-ease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, osteoperosis, arthritis, bursitis, and a couple more "itis"-es.
Being the health and nutrition afficianado that I am, I put G-ma on a healthy wholesome whole food vegan gluten-free diet while in my care. I did this for several reasons,the biggest one being that I desire for the remainder of her years in this form on this planet to be the highest quality of life possible because she is my favorite person on earth, next to my beloved. The other reasons have to do with addressing specific health challenges to upgrade them into healing perfection.
There is only one way to get high cholesterol, eat animals and animal's products (eggs, milk, cheese, yogurt, etc.). There is only one way to get heart dis-ease and high blood pressure, eat animals and animals' products. There is only one way to get osteperosis, brusitis, and arthritis - eat an acid forming diet (meaning eating animal derived foods, processed foods, fake foods, and some cooked foods). OK, so where does gluten play a role in all this? Inflammation!
Gluten containing grains cause inflammation in the body, which in turn aggravates an already inflamed body, as in osteoperosis, arthritis, and brusitis. Grains also contain opiates, especially wheat. Just try giving up all wheat products for a week or two and see what kind of mad crazy cravings you get. Then notice how when you give in and eat the bread/etc. you go into a coma-like state.
Back to G-ma. So in just 15 days on a vegan gluten-free diet, my G-ma lost 9 pounds and dropped her blood pressure by 7 points! That is what I call VEGAN POWER!!! She was also using a walker to get around and by the end of the 15 days pushed the walker to the side. She also had more color and life in her eyes and her eyes were brighter.
The moral of this story? You can reverse any dis-ease provided you give your body the proper nutrients to heal itself. Our bodies were designed to heal themselves, if not, we'd all of died from our first paper cut. Human beings, despite what the meat and dairy industry try to sell you, and frugivores by anatomical design. That means we are designed to thrive eating a plant based diet with a focus on fruits for calories, soft tender greens for minerals, and seed baring veggies for more vitamins and minerals.
We can get all the nutrition required for us to thrive on a 100% plant based diet. Just look at some good friends of mine who are doing just that - Robert Cheeke - vegan bodybuilder, author, speaker, actor - http://www.robertcheeke.com and Brendan Brazier - vegan IronMan Triathlete, author, speaker, formulator of Vega products - http://www.brendanbrazier.com.
Protein? This question is the number one concern of all non-veg*ns. "Where do you get your protein from?" The same place the gorillas and cows do - the plants! A 100 calorie serving of broccoli has 11.2 grams of protein. A 100 calorie serving of cow flesh has 5.3 grams of protein. Yeah, I'll take the broccoli please.
Chew on this - mother's breast milk contains roughly around 5% protein. We live off this stuff for the first year or two of our lives, when we grow the most we will ever grow in our lifetime. Why as we get older, do we think we all of a sudden require more protein than this? To thrive, one's caloric intake is best divided as follows: 10% protein, 10% fats, 80% carbs (fresh ripe raw organic fruits, veggies, tender greens).
I love being a raw food vegan and I love being able to show how in just 15 days someone's life can be completely transformed by adopting a 100% plant based whole foods diet. Try it, take the 30 day challenge. Go vegan!
Friday, August 20, 2010
Oh we how love to experiment on our non-human animal friends
Screw the space program, how about a program that focuses on awakening the consciousness of the slumbering human race. http://support.pcrm.org/nsas_brinkman
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