Over the last couple weeks, my wife and I have been clearing out the house in preparation to move overseas. As we are going through our waterfall of stuff, we realized something “Wow we have a lot of crap!”. To be honest, I don’t know where all this crap comes from. Since my wife and I have been in the apartment, we go through our annual ritual of clearing out the closet(s) and for some odd reason we end up with 5-10 garbage bags of..well..crap. From old electronics to shoes to comforters to old CIA files of assassination targets. I just wonder if there is a hidden portal in the back of our closets that meticulously adds stuff from other people’s closets.

This recent ritual of getting rid of stuff resulted in about 10 bags of stuff that we’ll send to the salvation army (or some thrift shop) and about 6-7 garbage bags of..well..garbage. If that wasn’t enough we have 6 bags of mail that will be shredded tomorrow. (we have so much we had to hire a professional shredding company to come to our apartment so we dump the stuff into the truck). I was shocked. Keep in mind that we have a 1 bedroom apartment. This mysterious “closet accumulation” phenomenon reminds me of the mysterious “lose 1 sock in the dryer” phenomenon. Is this some conspiracy between the cotton sock suppliers and the dryer manufacturers? Are the dryer manufacturers getting kickbacks from the cotton sock companies (Hanes and Fruit of the Looms) for randomly destroying single socks in the dryer? Do they evaporate after 20 washes?

All this industry conspiracy speculation reminds me of the the assumed conspiracy that Adam Carolla so humorously talked about in his book, In Fifty Years We’ll All be Chicks…And Other Complaints from an Angry Middled-Aged White Guy about the toaster and bread manufacturers. From pg 184 on Toasters:

Where’s the toaster technology? Toasters haven’t progressed since Lucy and Ricky were on TV, but now we’ve got an ankle monitor to make sure Lindsay Lohan hasn’t taken a drink. Imagine traveling back in time to the forties and telling someone sitting around their kitchen, “in 2010 this toaster isn’t gonna toast bread one second faster than it does now. Not one %$%^&*$# second. But there will be a thing the size of a pack of cigarettes you strap to your ankle that will contact a satellite if you’ve had a thimbleful of Kahlua”. They’d slam your head into their Formica tabletop and bury you in a backyard.

And half the time the toast comes out burned. Why was it built with the ability to burn the toast anyway? Do we need the ruin-my-breakfast setting? There are degrees that people enjoy, from lightly toasted to dark brown. But nobody wants briquette. Jacuzzis go from warm to hot, but not enough to kill a human or poach a salmon. The heater in your car can get pretty warm, but it will never go up to blast furnace and melt your face. Why do I need to smelt ore in my toaster? I bet the toaster manufactures have some kind of unholy alliance with the bread companies. I picture a guy who looks like Karl Rove, wearing a gold Toaster Manufactures of America blazer and smoking a cigar, saying “What if I could guarantee that every seventh piece of bread ends up in the garbage? It would increase your sales by fifteen percent. “Then we see the Pillsbury Doughboy laugh, slide a briefcase full of cash across the desk, and say “I think this is the beginning of beautiful relationship.”

With all that said, my wife and I still don’t own a flat-screen television, so maybe our carbon-consuming footprint is not so huge after all.

A few days ago while I on the 1 train, I was brought to tears; these tears streamed down my cheeks as I tried to fathom the lack of compassion in so many hearts. My sweet son looked at me with a sort of confusion in his eyes as I inconspicuously wiped my tears away, smiling at him pretending to read a book.

An obvious addict and a young man, no more than 35 years old, was in the same car as I was, sorrowfully telling the story of how he contracted AIDS, how he was jumped by a couple of men a few weeks back, how he could not afford hospital payments to remove fragments of glass from his skull and how he was homeless. I don’t know how much of his story was true or how much of his story was a lie nor was his story the culprit in releasing such sad emotions within me. What I do know is that compassion should never be removed from our hearts regardless of one’s choices in life.

What brought me to tears was not the fact that this young man was an addict or HIV positive or homeless. It is what happened before the train stopped at the 96th street that upset me. This young man shuffled through the car holding up a brown paper cup asking for anyone to help. I personally do not give money to people who ask but I will buy a meal for them. I just don’t know where that money will be end up; maybe on a bottle of beer or on a 5 dollar hit.

As this man shuffled through the car on his bad leg supported by a cane he fell down. He landed right on his back unable to pull himself up again. He landed at the feet of a mid-aged woman and a young man. It might have been hard for him to get up because he lacked strength or maybe he was high or even a combination of both. But why do we as a society not feel the need to lift a finger and assist this man up? Have we become so cold and so disconnected than a human being is so easily neglected? One man actually got up, looked at him like a dog and walked right over him to change seats.

Now, I am all for not supporting those who choose destructive paths in their lives. However, I am also not for leaving someone to roll around like a dog on the floor while he apologizes and struggles to get up. Where is our compassion as a people? This man is still someone’s son and he may even be someone’s father, brother and/or husband. He may not deserve a dollar but he definitely does deserve a helping hand and a little bit of compassion. When the train came to a stop he eventually struggled to pick himself up and waddled of the train.

A reminder to us all!

The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said:

Those who are merciful have mercy shown to them by the All-Merciful.
Show mercy to those who are on earth, then He who is in Heaven will show mercy unto you. (Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi)

Before i get started, I created the image on the left myself, but I jacked this idea from Cafe Press. Just want to give props to those who deserve it. Creative capital is just important. One other very important point. The intent of this post is not to shame anyone. These are ideas and resources that I have accumulated over the last 15 years of my life, and were extremely helpful in my personal development. My intention is to spread useful information. Okay, now lets get started.

Over the last 10 years of my life I have seen a slew of “Black Leadership Forums” (BLF) or Black Agenda Forums (BAF) come and go. By far the “Bentley” of BLFs has been Tavis Smiley’s State of the Black Union or Round table. Although there has been recent pull back as people from the black community have questioned the “intentions” of his forums, nevertheless it has been seen as the “Lets Find Out What’s Happening With Black Folk Nationally” forum in regards to economics, politics, and various social issues. Even MSNBC and CNN have jumped into the BLF frey with their forums and specials. Al Sharpton just had his BLF last year, and the NAACP had one in July of 2010. Nevertheless, I’ve watched most of these forums, often with hope and weariness.

The total GDP of the African-American community makes us the 13th largest economy in the world. That’s right, only 0.6% of planet earth (African Americans) represents the 13th largest economy in the world. The African American/Black Market profile from the Magazine Publishers of America has slated the purchasing power of African Americans to hit the 1 trillion dollar mark by 2012. Now that’s not to say that all is well, but we clearly have something to work with.

I will break up this post into 5 parts. My hope is that I will be able to finish this before the end of Black History Month 2011. The first part (what you are reading now) is an explanation of my intent and what topics my fictional BLF will contain. In the middle three parts I will explain the the 3 areas that I deem extremely critical to what I will call Black Reconstruction 2.0.. The last part will have resources to every piece of media (books and film) that’s related to this topic. In each area I will list a group of individuals that I believe are the thought leaders who can offer Ideas that lead to solving critical problems, instead of people who give lip service to ideas that go nowhere. These are critical thinkers who continue to think outside of the box while not falling into the “arrogant trap” of their own egos and personal accomplishments. Bless those individuals who taken the time, effort, and necessary sacrifices to live by the creed of “each one teach one” and “am I my brother’s keeper”. Often said by many, but seldom done.

So lets get down to the nitty-gritty on what would my BLF look like, who would be there and what my agenda would be?

To set the stage of my fictional BLF, I would not have a BLF until I actually owned the building where the conference/forum would happen. What is the point of giving lip service to “being independent”, where you have to pay others to have a conversation about “being independent”. In addition to that, the hotel and related eateries would have have to be owned by me. If this option was not financially feasible, I would have each speaker give a 1-2 hour explanation on the topic via video stream and providing resources (books, articles, websites, etc) that detail the presentation they just gave. I would more than likely opt for this virtual option, because asking people to fly all over the world and drive to your event is a waste of time, money and resources that can be better spent toward the actual conference itself. All these hotel fees, gas, food, and travel time is a waste. No audience, no grand standing, no ham-bonin’, and definitely no moon shinin’. Stop showing your teeth!. This is “straight up” information that you can use. Raw and uncut.

There are three sections to my BLF and they are following:

1. Don’t Believe the Hype. Healing comes first.
Without the proper spiritual and mental healing, the next 3 parts of this post won’t mean much. This is about cleaning the mind, body and soul of all the toxic psychological and lifestyle impurities that divert us from greatness. So many of us talk about being powerful and independent but forget about having the proper dignity, candor, and humanity about themselves and the world around them. Not to mention being extremely humble about our accomplishments and fortune. In this section I will have a select group of doctors (some) who I believe have experience in helping folks remove the self-hatred, spiritually deadening and self-defeating attitude that undermines our future. They are the following:

2. Use History as Guide to Help Your Present Situation
One of the biggest issues I see in our communities (not that these issues are exclusive to our communities) is an unwillingness to immerse ourselves in the necessary information to help us address our present problems. I have seen this at all class levels, from the poorest of the poor to the the so-called “talented 10th”. There are so many lessons from past events that serve as a guide for the future, that we often have circular conversations on problems that have already been solved. In this section the participants will give us a brief history in the following areas. Each speaker will be given 2 hours, then provide the necessary resources to help break-down their 2 hour presentation. Now some of the individuals I’ve mentioned have passed on, so I would play certain films and have a panel discussion after to talk about the film:

3. Talk is Cheap. Action Speaks Louder than Getting on Your Soapbox and Doing Absolutely Nothing
One thing I realize about people, is they like to talk. It’s so easy, just open your trap and stuff starts coming out. To be honest, if we got charged a financial penalty every time we said erroneous, propagandized, or unusable information you’d probably hear a couple thousand people talk on television around the globe. Unfortunately, we have a sea of information that does not maximize our spiritual or human capital. Most of it is junk-food nonsense that gets regurgitated over an over again. Like the way a fly eats it’s food. It has to take in food, vomit on it, then slurp it back up. Do you really want to eat like that? Well chances are, you are. They have repackaged, dyed it, seasoned it with fragrances, and sold you something that appears useful, but is as efficient as Ford Model T racing in the Indianapolis 500.

This last segment of my fictional BLF is very important. These individuals will give you the tools. You’ll actually get the hammers, and wrenches to get to work. The first two segments focus on actionable data. This segment focuses on the tools that you need to take advantage of that data. Although this list could reach well over a thousand, I have specifically picked these individuals based on their willingness to be prudent and forthright in their approach to business, socio-economic circumstances, and human enlightenment. Here is the group that would master this segment:

Well folks, that’s it. The following 3 parts will delve into why I believe that each of these individuals offers something that we can benefit from while explaining why they are experts for each segment. The last part (part 5) will be my conclusion on where we are at and where we are going. Look out for the next parts over the next couple of weeks.

Yea you know the type. “Hey I’m a perfectionist”. Before I continue, I apologize to anyone who has said this to me. I didn’t know I was going to write a post on this and chances are you probably don’t fall into the “OCD perfectionist” category, but too many people do.

And whenever I hear that, I sometimes hear following:

• “Hey, I’m difficult and unbearable”
• “Hey, I like to adhere to fictitious standards that don’t exist” (only in my head). And I’m not talking about the “I want to be great at ___________”, I’m talking about “Hey I want to be great at ____________ which means lifting up the Empire State Building. Guess what? It’s not going to happen
• “Hey, look at me”
• “Hey, watch me hurt everyone’s feelings but use the “perfectionist” line as a cover to mask my detachment from the world

Now keep in mind that I didn’t say being a perfectionist is a problem, it’s being an imposing perfectionist that’s the issue. Without humility your “perfect world” can become a “narcissistic or arrogant” world. Maybe not to you, but how you are perceived by others.

Too many times I’ve watched the “perfectionist” live on an island of solitude while believing that their behavior is welcoming and refreshing. At times, being around a “hyper-perfectionist” can be an annoying and crass experience. Once again, I’m not talking about mastering something. In order for us to be masters at what we do, we have work hard and rethink our approaches. Being a critical thinker on your day-to-day challenges in life is expected.

Being a perfectionist is not all negative. There are actually some positive aspects to being a perfectionist.

Over they years I’ve also noticed that people want to be perfectionist or want “perfect” things in particular areas of their life. One of the most abused areas for “wanting something perfect” is relationships. Here are some of the reasons (and these reasons will lead you to nowhere):

• I work hard and play hard
• I’m handsome/beautiful and intelligent
• I have certain standards (they usually forget to ad “unrealistic” before the word standards
• Why should I settle? (uh…because human beings are imperfect creatures and it’s ridiculous to think that you are going to find someone that matches every part of your warped world view)

In this age of narcissism, we have watched some of our most well respected figures in society fall from from grace. We pounce at the opportunity to drag their character and life down into the gutter. As a society we have not only put people on these unrealistic “pedestals of perfection”, but we have also put our expectations on “pedestals of perfection”. We have created a world where there is no wiggle room for natural improvement and correction.

We hear and say the phrase “nobodies perfect”, but I wonder if we actually believe it.

• Discovery Health Perfectionist Test: Are you a Perfectionist?
• Race to Nowhere A Film by Viki Abeles
• NY Times | Portrait of the Dancer, Perfectionist and All By Bernard WeinRaub

First things first, shoutout to Allah (SWT) for keeping me in the right frame of mind thought out this process. Shoutouts to all my family and friends who kept pushing me thoughout P90x. Big shoutout to all my twittereez out there who picked up on my tweets and kept me pushing play while bringing it! Shouts out to @krprice , @SeattleWorksOut, @P90XXXer, @ashleygbowden, @Fittuck3, and many others.

Well, Today is day 90 and I’m feeling pretty dang good. All the blood, sweat, exhaustion and ripping of muscle has paid off tremendously. This is just a guess, but I’ve probably lost about 15 pounds. Should of weighed myself earlier but too be honest, I didn’t think I was going to get this far. So the first thing you are probably thinking to yourself is “Where are the before and afters?”. As I’ve said throughout these 90 days, because of religious reasons and modesty I can’t. But in a month I’m going to demonstrate the power of P90x and I’ll be posting a video of me doing 5+ free standing hand stand push-ups. I’m in training now and will be working on it for the next 30 days while continuing P90x for another 90 days.

I bought P90x almost 3 years ago and it remained on the shelf for 2 1/2 years. The first time I did P90x and did the fit test I failed miserably. In ignorance I tried to do P90x and just couldn’t do it. So what changed? Did I train for 2 1/2 years to build up the stamina to do P90x? No. Did I find some youth elixir that gave me the strength to do P90x two years later? NO. What happened is I got out of my head and got the courage to “Keep pushing play” even if I stumbled. My failure wasn’t physical it was mental. Once I got over that it was better days ahead. For those who are currently doing P90x you’ll notice through out the program there are these “sticky” motivational quips that keep you going. “Set it and forget it”, “Keep pushing play”. “Do your best and forget the rest”, and most importantly “Bring it”..

So how did I do during the 90 days? Well I might have missed a couple days here and there. Yeah, I might have missed a recovery drink here and there. Maybe I cheated on the food a bit. Maybe some days I didn’t push as hard as I should have, but what I didn’t do is stop pushing play, and beat myself about missing a couple steps here and there. I kept pushing, made the necessary corrections, and kept bringing it. That’s what it’s about. KIM, Keep it Moving. On my last week I sprained my ankle missing a step coming of the subway stop, but did that stop me? No, didn’t do any program that were heavy with the feet, did upper-body for the week and when my foot was back to normal, did my plyometrics at the end of the week. What ever missteps I made during the first 90 days I’ll correct them in the next 90 days. The lesson here is that you are human. This is not a PSA to screw up intentionally but just keep pushing no matter what weaknesses or short-comings may happen. There is always tomorrow.

P90x allowed me to push my body to the limits. I wasn’t aware my body could do the things it does today. Many times my wife would see me drenched in a puddle of sweat and wonder if I took a shower with my gym clothes on or is P90x really pushing my body to it’s limits. At this moment I don’t need anything else. My gym membership would be cancelled if it wasn’t costing me such a small amount every month ($10 bucks a month at Planet Fitness). You don’t really need a gym membership if you have the room space and time to do P90x.

So what’s next? Well I’m going to start another 90 days of P90x, but I’m going to change it up a bit. After 90 days you get a sense of what areas are your weaknesses and strengths. I’m going heavy on a couple areas to build a bit more mass, but I’m still going to stay focuses on the cardio. Nothing compares to Plyometrics. It’s the ultimate fat burner.

For those interested, below you’ll find a list of every tweet I did for the 90 days. For those days that are empty I either could not get up because I was too tired, was sick, it was my rest day or was just plain lazy. (trust me it happens)

I’m looking forward to the next 90 days and whenever you have doubts about this, just “Keep pushing play”, “Bring it”, and always make it “X-like”. Good luck!

• Official Site from Beachbody: P90x
• Hexagon Dumbbell sets
• MaxMat™ 1/4″ Extra Thick, Extra Long, and Extra Wide Yoga and Exercise Mat
  (84″ x 36″)
• Kulae Hot Yoga Hand Towel Ocean
  (I know it might seem a bit insane to spend about $18 bucks for one hand towel but this towel is insane. The amount of sweat that will be pouring off you, you’ll need it. You can suck up the Atlantic Ocean with this towel)
• Recovery Drink Reviews

P90x Diares

P90x – Day 1. First day for P90x workout. Hoping I don’t end up in the hospital.

P90x – Day 2. Great, I didn’t put myself in the hospital. I’m still alive. Ready for Day 3 tomorrow.

P90x – Day 3…ending with Side Tricep Rises..Is this guy insane? Every day this workout gets better and better.

P90x – Day 4.. Yoga X was okay. I got some good stretches but it was pretty dang boring. I will probably substitute Stretch X for Yoga X.

P90x – Day 5. Umm..Single Leg Wall Squats. This cd is by far my second favorite next to Chest and Arms. Can’t wait for tomorrow.

P90x – Day 6. Had to substitute my Plyometrics cd because my Henpo X cd didn’t work. Still had a phenomenal workout.

P90x – Day 8 . After only one week I’ve increased my strength. I need to get more weight. Amazing program.

P90x – Day 9. Still pushing hard. I’m about to go pick up some Reebok Push up Bars which apparently are the Bentley of static push up bars.

P90x – Day 10. The great thing about P90x is it’s never boring. Up your weight & goals and it’s like working out for the first time. Bang!

P90x – Day 11. Did Stretch X for the first time and it was great. I have a new respect for the power of stretching. Legs and back tomorrow.

P90x – Day 12. I never thought after all these years (10+ years) of doing pull-ups that I could increase my pull-up strength Wow! 24HGW!

P90x – Day 13. Did Kenpo X for the first time. Starts off slow but my body was was broken as things picked up. Ab Ripper X tomorrow.

P90x – Day 14. Did Ab Ripper X for the first time and I realize my core is made out of mash potatoes. I’ll have to push hard to get better.

P90x – Day 15. Used my pushup bars for the first time and gave me the leverage to push hard and get those extra critical reps in.I’m amped!

P90x – Day 16. I have to blend my recovery drink in the closet so I don’t wake up the baby. I run an extension cord from the kitchen.

P90x – Day 17. One of my favorite moves for shoulder n arms is static arm curls and side tri rises. Killer!

P90x – Day 18. Did Yoga X from end to end for the first time. I actually enjoyed it this time. It is by far the hardest DVD from P90x

P90x – Day 19. Today is my rest day but I’m going to hit legs and back hard tomorrow.

P90x – Day 20. What a great workout. Nothing like pushing hard after a break. Two words. Recovery Drink.

P90x – Day 21. Had a great stretch routine with Stretch X this morning and the timing is perfect considering I did leg and back yesterday.

P90x – Day 22. I was a bit sluggish in the beginning of the workout, but pushed hard toward the end. Back and Chest is my favorite

P90x – Day 23. Plyometrics is like playing full court basketball on a court the size of a football field with lead sneakers and a steel ball

P90x – Day 24. Strength continues to go up. I can’t believe it how fast this is happening. I can’t get enough of static arm curls.

P90x – Day 25. Torso Twist, Crane, and Half Moon are just a few of the most insane positions that your body will ever go through.

P90x – Day 26. Got through single leg wall squats for the first time. Toe Roll Iso-Lunges busted me down.

P90x – Day 27. Kenpo X. I might add some light hand and leg weights to this. I’m going to contact the Beach Body folks on this one.

Day 28. Today is my rest day. Got my crazy exercise bands yesterday for my pull-ups tomorrow so I’m siked about getting more reps.

P90x – Day 29. I did not think I could do something that was more difficult than Yoga X. Core Synergistics sent me into another dimension.

P90x – Day 30. I’m 1/3 of the way through the program. I can’t believe it’s been a month. I’ve lost about 10 pounds and building nuff mass.

P90x – Day 31. Nothing like a good X Stretch in the morning. Tomorrow, Core Synergistics. Banana Roll should be called the Human Pain Roll.

P90x – Day 32. Once I can get through an entire session of plank to chaturanga runs then I know I’ve reached the zenith of P90x. Very tough.

P90x – Day 34. Today is my rest day, but Yoga X tomorrow.

P90x – Day 36. Last week was my rest week, and now these next 3 weeks is all about mass. It’s time to get busy, Flex Wheeler style.

P90x – Day 37. Jump knee tucks straight into Mary Katherine Lunges. Whew!. Get to finally try out my new pull-up bands tomorrow. Bang!

P90x – Day 38. Great workout today. Many people are astonished at how much weight I’ve lost. @P90x works. Bring it, son. What What! Nah mean

P90x – Day 39. Had my best workout yet with Yoga X. I can’t believe I was hatin’ on #Yoga when I first started this. Malik = Humbled.

P90x – Day 40. Rest day today and to be honest my arms so sore from yesterday that I would barely get through back and legs today.

P90x – Day 41. Today I had my best workout yet for legs and back. I was finally able to get through single leg wall squats. Bring it!

P90x – Day 43. Another phenomenal day. My friend is about to get started with the #P90x. Remember those last 3 reps are the ones that count.

P90x – Day 44. Just when you think you can’t push anymore,#P90x brings the best out of you.One of my favs tomorrow Biceps and Back.Bring it!

P90x – Day 45. I can’t believe it, but I’m halfway through the #P90x program. Had a great bicep/back busting workout today. Bring it!

P90x – Day 47. Had a rough start this morning, but was able to push through. Ab Ripper X time!

P90x – Day 49. You know..Ab Ripper X is one of the most painful ab workouts out there. Pain = Good.

P90x – Day 50. What an amazing workout this morning. My best yet for for chest, shoulders, triceps. My favorite next to back.

P90x – Day 51. #P90x tip. After you’ve reached your last 3 pushups (normal) [THE BURN], go on your knees and max out your reps [CRAZY BURN]

P90x – Day 52. I luv me sum strip set curls..burn baby burn. Still wondering if #P90x works? Yes, it does. What are u waiting for? Bring it!

P90x – Day 54. Been sick over the last couple days. Lots to make up. No P90x in the morning is like not having the sun to wake you up.

P90x – Day 55. After missing 2 days of #P90x(sick), then working out today..I feel relief like the tin man getting oiled for the first time

P90x – Day 57. Misplaced my P90x dvds cleaning up the house yesterday,but did an arm blasting 1 hr alternative #P90x like push-up routine.

P90x – Day 58. Forgot how mind blowing Core Synergistics is. I feel like I jump into a pool. Bring it!

P90x – Day 60. I can’t believe it. 30 more days to completion.

P90x – Day 62. Now that I’m reaching the end of my recovery week, looking forward to phase 3.

P90x – Day 63. Superman, Banana Roll, Plank to Chaturang Runs, Sphinx Push-up, Walking Push-up oh my. I dare you to try it! Yeah you.

P90x – Day 64. Nothing better than finishing up with Dive Bomber pushups. Yes!

P90x – Day 66. It’s amazing what a recover week (last week) can do to the body. Where did all this new found strength come from?

P90x – Day 67. Great workout this morning. Drenched and bringing it X-Like.

P90x Day 69. During my cool down I was think of a the cream of asparagus soup I made a couple days ago. ”

P90x – Day 70. 20 more day left. The count down begins.

P90x – Day 71. Two words: Bring it! (Ab Ripper X)

P90x – Day 72. By far one of my favorites. Chest and Back. More Dive Bomber Pushups please. Jeah!

P90x – Day 74. Took a break yesterday because my neck was strained but I’m back on track. Plyo + Ab Ripper X . “Drink your water people!”.

P90x – Day 75. Is there any reason why anyone still has a gym membership?….psst #P90x. Crunch, Ballys, NYSportsclubs are featherweights.

p90X – Day 76. There are two things that get me amped to keep pushing. #P90x and #bartendaz http://bit.ly/c6KJ0I

P90x – Day 77. Although this is my rest day, I did get to do some abs and practiced my free-standing push-up project.

P90x – Day 78. Was able to do plyo clap pushup for almost 10 reps. Goodbye ole regular clap pushup

P90x – Day 80. 10 more days till victory!

P90x – Day 82. Struggling today, but I’m still pushing play. Legs, Back and Ab Ripper X. Never give up!

P90x – Day 86. Now I’m in the stretch…finish line around the corner.

P90x – Day 88. Feeling gooooood today. I can smell the finish line. Dive bomber pushups does the body good.

I wasn’t going to write about P90x on WIHTJ until day 90, but since it’s day 45 for me today and so many people have been asking me about P90x I figure I’d just give a short and brief explanation on some of the ground rules of this workout regiment. First things first, P90x is an extreme home fitness training system. It’s unbelievable tough, but will give you unbelievable results if you have roughly 1 hour and 20 minutes a day for 90 days. I started 45 days ago and have already lost 10 pounds. Being that I’ve passed the 30 day mark I’m now in the somewhat muscle mass building phase where the first phase (30 days) was fat shredding. You have to lose the weight first before you start building muscle.

So the cost is quite moderate (relative to most gym memberships), you can go to amazon and get the package for about $150 bucks (including s/h and taxes). There are about 12 DVDS which are the following:

1. Chest and Back
2. Plyometrics
3. Shoulders and Arms
4. Yoga X
5. Legs and Back
6. Kenpo X
7. X Stretch
8. Core Synergistics
9. Chest, Shoulders and Triceps
10. Back and Biceps
11. Cardio X
12. Ab Ripper X

P90x is the most intense workout I have ever done. It pushes you to the edge, and creates a regiment that allows your body to maximize it’s fullest potential. What is great is it’s a perfect balance of high intense gut wrenching cardio and muscle blasting/building techniques. There are tons of strength training exercises. If you want to go heavy and build more mass, you can do that, but if you are looking for a more lean cut you can do that to. It’s engineered for that. It has a diet plan but it’s extremely healthy and hearty.

So what do you need

1. P90x ($150.00)
2. Pull up Chin up bar ($30.00)
3. Hexagon Dumbbells (This will run you about $150-200 bucks because you need 4-5 sets of dumbbells [I'll explain shortly])
4. Extra Long Extra Wide Yoga Mat ($25)
5. Recovery Drink ($40 a month)
6. Protein bars ($30 a month)
7. Exercise Bands ($40)
8. Towel
9. Water
10. A Chair

So the first thing you might be saying to yourself is “The hell with this, it’s too expensive. All this dang equipment and food costs”. The first thing you have to say to yourself is, Is it too expensive (you can’t afford it), or it’s too expensive (I didn’t think it would be that much and I only wanted to pay X amount of dollars because I thought it would cost around x dollars). Some of this equipment you might already have but I’ve been working out for over 10 years so most of this stuff I have, except for the extra wide extra long yoga mat and a set of 25 pound dumbbells. Most of these are one time costs except for the monthly costs. Another question you should ask yourself is, how much is your health worth? $200? $300? $400? Can you really put a price on health?

So let’s talk about dumbbells for a moment. the $150-200 bucks is assuming that you don’t have any dumbbells at home. I use 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 paired dumbbells for my workout. Depending on your strength and how fit you are you might need a lower or higher range. A general rule is whatever weight you can curl (standing dumbbell curl) comfortably four about 8-12 reps, get 4 pairs down and one pair up, so if you can curl 25 pounds comfortably you would get 5, 10, 15, 20, and one 30 pound set dumbbells. This is a general rule and can change based on your level of strength.

To be honest I don’t follow the program to a “T”, but I do 95% of the dietary guidelines. I might have missed a protein bar here or there, and I don’t use any recovery drinks because I was getting huge migraines from the recovery drink (Endurox R4), so I just use a whey protein with a glutamine/amino acid supplement for my recovery drink.

The biggest value to P90x is it encourages a healthy lifestyle change. I was pretty healthy before but now I’m taking it to another level. I feel so amped and pumped every day. Make sure that you heed to all the warnings because this is a serious workout. Make sure you do the P90X fitness test, and take your time. I stumbled a lot in the beginning because the program is very difficult, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get through it and be successful. I have two words for you. BRING IT!

• Official Site from Beachbody: P90x
• Hexagon Dumbbell sets
• MaxMat™ 1/4″ Extra Thick, Extra Long, and Extra Wide Yoga and Exercise Mat
  (84″ x 36″)
• Kulae Hot Yoga Hand Towel Ocean
  (I know it might seem a bit insane to spend about $18 bucks for one hand towel but this towel is insane. The amount of sweat that will be pouring off you, you’ll need it. You can suck up the Atlantic Ocean with this towel)
• Recovery Drink Reviews

In less than 1 billionth of a second after signing into law the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act, by Barak Obama on March 23rd, 2010 every political pundit and economist gave their two cents on what the impact is going to be on the economy and health care in America. I have heard such ludicrous responses that that healthcare will be “Armageddon” to Healthcare reform will fix all our problems. I wonder if a truck of DeLorean time machines were hijacked because apparently every single person knows the intricate details of how this bill will impact this country in the near and long term future. I mean, all I hear is speculation after speculation on what is going to happen and the reality is we don’t have the exact details of the outcome, good, bad or indifferent. We can assume, but that’s just about it. I would ask the “crystal ballerz” to tune down their flux capacitor‎s because your noise is inhibiting the process of people assessing the merits of the bill in an objective fashion.

It reminds me of all the real estate bubble speculators and past Dow Jones average will go up by ________ [insert unrealistic speculative number here] thousand predictors, that had every piece of data, including data from the Tooth Fairy and Santa Clause to let them know that they were right. I realize that most people suffer from Historic Economic Amnesia or in this case IFAA, “Incorrect Future Assessment Amnesia“. So being that we have a 24/7 news cycle and data goes in and out the “Internetis-sphere Data-verse” and just about anything that anyone says about healthcare a month from now, will be crowded out with new information, I’m going to list below all the articles I’ve seen that are for, against, and middle of the road opinions on new healthcare reform. The page is a work in progress (meaning I’ll be constantly updating it as I get new articles) but you can always refer to it years later to see if the speculators were right or wrong. If you have articles that you’d like to see posted just comment on this post and I’ll add them. It doesn’t matter if the opinion is in support or against the bill, or even in the middle.

Lets keep the health care reform speculators honest!

Against the new bill

1. Lew Rockwell on Healthcare with Judge Napolitano
   http://peterschiffchannel.blogspot.com/2010/03/lew-rockwell-healthcare-judge.html
2. Healthcare Intervention: The Bigger Picture by Doug French
   http://mises.org/daily/4213
3. YouTube: Peter Schiff healthcare bill is insanity makes America a fascist country and bankrupt it
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0seaAV2oSh8
4. Wishful Thinking on Health Care by Sheldon Richman
   http://www.thefreemanonline.org/columns/tgif/wishful-thinking/
5. Health care reform too costly for critic by John R. Graham
   http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/03/27/BA801CLCMG.DTL
6. Concord Coalition Reacts To Health Care Bill Passage: Cost Control Vigilance is Now Crucial
   http://www.concordcoalition.org/press-releases/2010/0322/concord-coalition-reacts-health-care-bill-passage-cost-control-vigilance-no
7. Obamacare Dystopia by Mark Steyn
   http://article.nationalreview.com/429537/obamacare-dystopia/mark-steyn
8. Pricing Out Private Insurance by By John E. Calfee
   http://www.aei.org/article/101841

For the new bill

1. Obama Finally Toughens Up – About Time!
   http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-dalby/obama-finally-toughens-up_b_515333.html
2. You did it. We did it. Real health care reform for America! by Move on.org
   http://pol.moveon.org/wedidit/
3. Sanders’ Healthcare Revolution by KATRINA VANDEN HEUVEL
   http://www.concordcoalition.org/press-releases/2010/0322/concord-coalition-reacts-health-care-bill-passage-cost-control-vigilance-no
4. Health-care overhaul begins now By Ezra Klein
   http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/26/AR2010032605600.html?sub=AR
5. NPR: Rep. Lee: Health Bill Not Perfect, But A Good Start
   http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124731511

• A new chapter begins on health care by Bill Adair
  http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2010/mar/24/new-chapter-begins-health-care/
• Health Care Summit Squabbles by FactCheck.org
  http://factcheck.org/2010/02/health-care-summit-squabbles/
• Healthcare Costs and U.S. Competitivene by Toni Johnson
  http://www.cfr.org/publication/13325/healthcare_costs_and_us_competitiveness.html
• Health Reform by Kaiser Family
  http://healthreform.kff.org/
• Health Care and Insurance Law Amendments by Project Vote Smart
  http://votesmart.org/issue_keyvote_detail.php?cs_id=29181

One thing I realized about the usefulness of any product is if you bring it home and you immediately start using it, you clearly have made a smart purchase. The first set of awesome products we reviewed had a more “baby product’ feel to it. These set of products have more of a “fitness” feel to it. As I stated on I got Purple on the Brain, my wife and I are getting serious about our health and now the time has come. So lets “carry on”, shall we?

Garlic Crusher/Press

There is something very magical about this press. Very similar to the apple corer/slicer, you say to yourself, “Something so simple can’t possible do what it says it does?”. Well it does and very well. Not only does this thing make mincing garlic a no brainer, but it peels the thin skin off the garlic too. No matter how many times I press I want to find more garlic to press. Sometimes I don’t want to take out the food processor and this makes for a quick chopping of garlic in less than 3 seconds. Like many products that have been around for ages, many companies have added ergonomic accents (rubber handles, hand shaped metal, etc) to make mincing garlic even more effortless. Press, crunch, your done!

2-in-1 Lemon and Lime Squeezer

My wife and I use a lot of lemons in our cooking and one of the most annoying tasks is squeezing lemons for lemon juice. Many times your getting sprayed in the face by rogue spurts of lemon spritzes and by the time you’re done squeezing, you feel like you’ve been peppered sprayed in the face. Not anymore. This tight little tool allows you to squeeze every single drop of lemon or lime with no rogue splatters from the squeeze. It has holes right in the bottom of the metal squeeze cup so juice comes out nice and neat. It’s a bit on the pricey side for a kitchen gadget of it’s size (Retails 19.99), but it’s worth it. Your eyes don’t have to sting anymore.

P90X

Welcome to the “mother of all workouts”. I bought P90x about 2 years ago and I was so out of shape that I failed the initial fitness test. Of course I tried to do the program at the time and ended up imploding my body. So I took a hiatus from P90x and now I’m back on the program. I have not had anything that has pushed me so hard as P90x. It’s a complete end to end exercise program that can slim you down or build mass. Coupled with a proper diet, you don’t really need to do anything else. I’ve been doing the program for almost 2 weeks and my endurance, strength, and stretching are up on all levels. If you are really interested in a true exercise challenge, this is it.

Extra Large/wide Yoga Mat

I bought this because my current yoga mat did not accommodate the space needed for P90x. I can do big moves and still stay on the mat. It’s wide, long, and is thicker than most mats so when I land on it, my feet don’t make a sound. I have hard wood floors so this mat is critical for my high intensity workout. Even if you don’t plan to buy P90x or some other intense workout regiment (i.e. Insanity) it will give you the needed space if you are tall or you just want ample space for your Tittibhasana pose (Firefly).

Over the Sink Grippboard Cutting board with Pop up Strainer

Yet another product that has transformed our kitchen. It’s like adding another counter-top to your kitchen. One of the most annoying tasks is washing and cutting vegetables/fruit. Usually I have to take out the strainer, then take out the cutting board while watching the water drip off of the veggies or fruit flooding the entire counter-top and sometimes rolling off the counter top then onto the floor. There are so many benefits to this “frankenstein” strainer/cutting board I don’t know where to start. First thing it’s rubber no-slip ergonomic handles/edges make it easier to grab and place right over your kitchen sink. It will fit most standard sized kitchen sinks. Obviously you get this nice big cutting board space (almost 1 3/4 ‘ feet of space). The icing on the cake is this nice rubber collapseable pop-up strainer that you can use to wash your fruits and veggies. Keep in mind that you can remove the strainer too. Sometimes I’ll use it as a temporary garbage collector. Like when I’m cutting strawberries and I can cut the cap/stems and dump them in the strainer. When I’m done, I just remove the strainer, flip it upside-down and dump the stuff in the garbage. This nifty tool will add a certain level of “Mickey deez” efficiency to your food preparation time.

Munchkin Powdered Baby Formula Dispenser

If you’ve ever tried pouring powdered baby formula from a plastic bag or the scooper that comes with the container in an opening of a baby bottle which is a little bit bigger than a quarter while inside a moving vehicle or subway, you’ll look like you rolled around in flour for about 15 minutes. The Munchkin Powdered Baby Formula Dispenser not only allows you to have some dignity while not looking like you’ve hung out with Tony Montana for 5 hours, but it allows you to safely get all the baby formula into the bottle. It has 3 separate compartments which allows you to carry the exact amount you need for each feeding. This has truly been a great buy.

Schwin Spinner® FIT Bike

My wife Sarah is a spinner fanatic. She actually taught spinner classes in Saudi Arabia and from what she tells me, people hated her spinner passion. Not hate in a “I hate your guts, I wish I could smack you with a rusty screw driver” type of way, but hate as in “Oh no, Sarah is going to push us to the edge until our legs separate from our body and start running away from the spinner class”. I think I noticed a subtle change in personality when my wife talks about spinning. Her eyes light up with spin wheels of excitement. Kind of the same way I’m about P90x. You would think I was a spokesperson for Beach Body. However we just ordered the bike and it’s on the way. Sarah has been looking for an efficient way to get her fitness level up and rather than going to the gym (which is almost impossible with a child at home), we decided to bring the gym to the house.

Ottoman (not the empire)

My wife and I have three ottomans in the living room. It’s really a nice and stylish way of dealing with a space problem. One of the great things about ottomans are they come in a thousand different textures, styles, and sizes. With some proper digging, you can find the right style for the right price. I’m pretty sure we’ll be on our 4th ottoman purchase down the road. We’ll probably be looking for a ottoman to store our Saud’s toys and books.

Here is a bit of history about the ottoman: Traditionally, it is believed that the ottoman takes its roots from the divan, which is essentially a long, backless seat or padded bench with cushions to lean against. In fact, in some parts of world, the terms “divan” and “ottoman” are still interchangeable. The divan style of furniture was popularly used in the Middle Eastern council chambers of the government agency called Diwan, from which it got its name. The ottoman, at least as we know it today, is not believed to have been invented by Ottoman Turks, but was called so in deference to its exotic roots. In point of fact, the ottoman most resembles the Moroccan (North African) pouf, which is a thick cushion used as a seat. (word for word I copied all of this from here.

Multi-position pull up chin up bar

If there is one piece of exercise equipment that should be the center of your day-to-day workout, it’s the a door pull-up bar. The now popular Iron Gym Chin Up Pull Up bar has become quite popular but before the Iron Gym there was a long hot water pipe in the basement of my mother’s house that I wrapped with old t-shirts for each hand which I used to do pull-ups on when I was in high school. Also known as “Da Pipe” among my brothers, this was literally the first “Iron Gym” for me. The pipe cut across the entire length of the basement. It was very stable. One of the issues with “Da Pipe” is the circumference of the pipe was thick so you had to knock out your reps before your hand started slipping. I wrapped it with t-shirts for gripping and to protect my hands from the heat. Nowadays you have tons of different manufactures improving on the door pull up chin up bar. It’s perfect for strength training and is the ultimate upper body workout. Just about every muscle is used to do a pull up. Unlike pull up bars in the early days, you don’t need any screws. You just have to check the width of your door to make sure the pull-up bar of choice fits. In addition to this, I would chose a multi positioned pull up bar (in the picture). If you compare the Iron Gym to the Iron Gym Extreme you’ll see what I’m talking about. More positions equal more parts of the back you can work out.

Reebok Push Up Bars

I just got these push up bars last week and for years I’ve shied away from push up bars because..well…I thought they were short-cuts to doing real push ups. I said to myself “Nothing will be better than using your own hands to the floor, this is the real way”. Then the first time I used a push up bar I realize that it’s a lot more difficult to do push ups with a push up bar, not to mention you can get way lower because your hands are raised about 4 inches from the ground. The Reebok Push Up bars have 3 levels and this really spongey grip so you stay focused on the push up and not the discomfort in your hands or wrist. The position of the push up bar makes doing a push more natural and for those push up enthusiasts, know that your wrist can go through a pounding over the years. This is yet another P90x accessory but I use them even when I’m not doing P90x. What is also nice about these bars are they are sturdy and they don’t tip over if you want to go wide. There are a multitude of companies that manufacture push up bars but Reebok has clearly done their research and know what works.

Honorable mentions

Lawry’s Seasoning Salt

I’ve have been using this “secret” seasoning for years to spruce up the flavor of many my dishes. Mostly I use it as part of a collection of other seasonings to pre-season my lamb, beef, or chicken the day before I cook the meat. Other than some weird chemical called Tricalcium Phosphate (prevents caking) most of the ingredients of Lawry’s are stuff you already have in your spice cupboard. I want to send a shout out to Lawrence Frank and Theodore Van de Kamp for being so creative and imaginative with your spices. If you your interested in the history you can go here and if your that big of a seasoning salt fanatic you can join the fan group on Facebook then not have any more friends after they find out you are part of the Lawry’s Seasoning Salt Fan group. Amazingly they have over 600 members.

One thing that is really fascinating about juicing is the beautiful array of colors that come out of the juicer. It’s almost like having access to your own personal “vegetable rainbow” right inside of your house. No rain required for this rainbow. Since our trip to the New York Botanical Gardens, my wife and I are really getting back in the swing of things in regards to our health . I’m not exactly sure if somehow we were subliminally hit with some under the subconscious brain-wave signal by the NYBG, in a “Manchurian Candidate” type of way, but we have just been nuts for getting our diet and body correct. I mean, really correct.

We just signed up for a new gym membership at Planet Fitness (Sorry Bally’s but we are cancelling our membership). This past weekend we watched Food, Inc, which is probably the most compelling documentary on understanding the politics and business of food production I have ever seen. I would suggest everyone watch this film. Okay so what does this have to do with having purple on the brain? We just started juicing again and yesterday we had a tomato, apple and beet drink. Keep in mind that I really hate beets, but in juice form with apples, I love it. One thing I noticed is the rich beet purple that seems to overtake most drinks regardless of other vegetables or fruits that are added. Hence I had purple on the brain. Not to mention there have been studies through biochemical evidence that uridine monophosphate (UMP) found in beets, apparently increases brain synapse activity. Right now we have the JackLaLanne Power Juicer, but there is a bit of pulp and it is a bit damp. I’m not sure how much this thing is going to hold up because the beets really put stress on the blade and motor. I have my eyes on the Breville Juice Fountain Elite Juicer 800JEXL. Inshallah I’lll get that next year. It’s the Bentley of juicers. More extraction and less pulp, not to mention dry pulp.

Our new juicing regiment comes with a diet full of fruits and vegetables. Not like we weren’t doing this before but we are really getting serious about this. So here is our short “healthy thinking” to-do list:

1. Juice at least two times a day
2. Exercise daily for about 30 minutes to an hour (minimum)
3. Have fruits and vegetable with every meal
4. Sweets and fried foods are on the weekends. (and maybe sneak one treat during the week)
5. Keep our mind and thoughts clean. Be careful of what type of information we take in, especially information that falls into the category of tel-LIE-vision, or HIS-story. All information is not created equal nor is the content trivial or innocent.

• Farm Forward
  Farm Forward implements innovative strategies to promote conscientious food choices, reduce farm animal suffering, and advance sustainable agriculture.
  http://www.farmforward.com
• Save a Cow, Eat a Vegetarian? Let’s All Agree: Factory Farming is the Real Evil, Not Vegans
  http://planetgreen.discovery.com/food-health/cow-factory-farming-evil.html
• Breville Juice Fountain Elite 800JEXL
  http://www.brevilleusa.com/juicing/die-cast-juice-fountain-elite.html
• The Big Book of Juices and Smoothies: 365 Natural Blends for Health and Vitality Every Day
  http://www.amazon.com/Big-Book-Juices-Smoothies/dp/184483266X/ref=pd_sim_b_6

I meant to write this blog post about a month ago, and I’m still bringing the final touches on the last installment of Economics Made Simple, The Case for NO Interest. However there are other pressing issues that have just as much to do with economics and that is you own personal health. If you want to jump straight to the Banana Coconut Porridge recipe AKA Banana Morning Surprise, click here. (this will take you straight to the recipe). I came up with the porridge recipe after a bit of frustration with the powdered banana cinnamon porridge mix I used to buy from the local Jamaican store that just took way too long to make and required continuous mixing throughout the entire 20 minute cook time. Even then the mix would be lumpy, uneven, and if you didn’t add the right amount of sugar, the porridge would taste awful.

About a month ago a co-worker of mine provided me with a really great set of Raw food restaurants in NYC and recipe books. The Raw Food links and information are below. As some of you know, I used to be be a vegetarian…well actually a “Fishetarian“. Last year I went back to meat, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want a healthy diet. What I’m looking for is balance. A healthy amount of fruits and vegetables with a bit of meat. Last week me and the family went to The New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx. This is a really fascinating place. Just beautiful trees, vegetation, streams, and food markets that really put you at peace. I was so overwhelmed that we decided to get a yearly membership. On $120.00 a year. That’s $10 bucks a month!

I found a very fascinating book at the NYBG bookstore called What to Eat by Marion Nestle. Here’s a simple explanation straight from the book:

Marion Nestle’s What to Eat is a new guide for a new era in American food and nutrition the-the one book that tells you everything you need to know about food, with clarity, insight, wit, and wisdom.

A good friend of mine on FB posted, you are what you eat. So simple, so true, and often ignored. I would even go a step further and say you are what you think. We often ignore our mental health, while staying squarely focused on the physical.

So in the last couple weeks, I have felt a need to re-focus my efforts on taking a more aggressive approach to my own personal health. I just recently bought World’s Most Hardest Exercises and I’m looking to step my exercise game up. With all the talk about health-care, clearly there is a need for Preventive Behaviorism Healthcare (PBHC). What is PBHC? Being proactive about your health before you get some debilitating illness or sickness etc. It has been estimated that up 25% of every dollar spent on healthcare is related to personal neglect. Even if the number was 10%, that would still be too much. Just think of the efficiencies that can happen by just eating right and exercising. I know, it’s easier said than done, and there are whole host of political, regulatory reform, misinformation on eating habit, food education, class issues, that need to be addressed to bring about proper health care reform, but change starts with us. Not the just the government and private healthcare firms.

Is it any surprise to anyone that the most obese country in the world is suffering from a healthcare crisis? Is it any surprise to anyone that we know the top realty t.v. shows but don’t know what our local politician’s position is for true healthcare reform? Is any surprise to anyone that gossip blogs, nonsensical videos on YouTube, and other lude forms of entertainment get more traffic than intelligent discussions on ideas for healthcare reform on the likes of fora.tv, cpan.org, catoinstitute.org, etc but yet we still wonder why the government and private companies take advantage of our laziness? Is it any surprise to anyone that the number one way (if you haven’t already been inflicted with some debilitating disease) to “healthcare reform” is a low-fat diet, exercise, no smoking (of anything), no abusing your brain with illegal drugs, low sugar, low salt and clean living so you can stay out of the hospital in the first place?

Most times when people say “health care”, they immediately think of taking care of some physical ailment. But what about our mental health? Do we ever think about the types of things that we watch on television and how that impacts our social behavior? Do we ever think about our spiritual health? Do we ever think about how healthy we are in regards to controlling our desires? Do we ever think about how healthy we are in regards to respecting the people around us? How healthy is our sense of compassion for others who are less fortunate? How healthy is our sense of purpose in this world? How healthy is our general knowledge regarding pressing matters around the world? How healthy is our ability to have insight, intellect, and humility?

Healthcare Reform is more than just what the government or private healthcare firms have in store for us once the bill gets passed (Already passed in the House), but is truly about accountability towards our own personal health and helping the people around us.

Banana Coconut Porridge AKA Banana Morning Surprise
(1 serving)

Prep Time: 5 minutes | Ready In: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• Instant Cream of Wheat (1 serving size)
  I actually use the instant Cream of Wheat so this is the only synthetic part but you can use regular Cream of Wheat if you like (takes more time)
• *1 Banana
• *2-3 good shakes of Cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon of Coconut Milk
• 1 Tablespoon of Wheatgerm (Kretschmer Honey Crunch Wheat Germ preferred)
• * 1 good shake of Nutmeg
• 2/3 Cups of Organic Mlik
• (optional) Handful of Blueberries or Strawberries
• (optional) chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Create the Cream of Wheat with the 2/3 Cup of Millk
2. Drop the banana(s) in the hot Cream of Wheat and blend till merged (Best to use a hand blender)
3. Add in Cinnamon, Nutmeg and Wheatgerm, and Coconut Milk while blender is on (as needed)
4. Drop in blueberries or strawberries.
5. Enjoy!

* If you want a stronger or sweeter banana taste you can add two bananas for each serving. As much or as little cinnamon as you like. Depends on your preference.

Obviously the chocolate chips somewhat moves it out of the “healthy” category but it’s nice to have every now and then. (probably can use organic cocoa for this) it melts real nice in the hot cereal

• Raw Food Made Easy For 1 or 2 People by Jennifer Cornbleet
• Raw: The Uncook Book: New Vegetarian Food for Life Juliano Brotman and Erika Lenkert
  
• Raw for Thirty: Raw food documentary about the people with diabetes
  http://www.rawfor30days.com/index_coast.html