Victoria Grace Nation

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Hard as it is to believe, yes. As your body uses oxygen, it produces free radicals that can damage cells and cause everything from aging to cancer. Antioxidants produced naturally by your
body and also found in your normal diet are usually enough to zap them. But a bout of heavy exercise can increase free radicals 10- to 20-fold, overwhelming your defenses.
If you’re a weekend warrior or wannabe marathoner, consider boosting your antioxidant intake with 500 milligrams of vita-
min C and 400 IU of vitamin E each day, says Jeffrey Blumberg, PhD, director of Tufts University’s antioxidants research lab.
On the other hand, if you work out 45 minutes to an hour several times a week, all you need is your five servings of fruits and veggies every day. That moderate level of exercise will gradually build up your antioxidant defenses.”

Reported By: Leslie Goldman
Source (pdf)

Foods high in antioxidants:
1. Fruits
Berries (Cherry, blackberry, strawberry, raspberry, crowberry, blueberry, bilberry/wild blueberry, black currant), pomegranate, grape, orange, plum, pineapple, kiwi fruit, grapefruit.
2. Vegetables
Kale, chili pepper, red cabbage, peppers, parsley, artichoke, Brussels sprouts, spinach, lemon, ginger, red beets.
3. Dry Fruits high in antioxidants
Apricots, prunes, dates.
4. Legumes
Broad beans, pinto beans, soybeans.
5. Nuts and seeds
Pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, ground nut, sunflower seeds.
6. Cereals
Barley, millet, oats, corn.
7. Spices
cloves, cinnamon, oregano

Scientists as reported at the 238th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Aug 2009 have found that some vegetables and fruits like berries, grapes, walnuts, olives, and foods like chocolate, wine, coffee and tea and popcorn, and some breakfast cereals contain large amounts of healthful antioxidant substances called polyphenols.

Polyphenols play important role in reducing the risk of heart disease, cancer and other diseases.

Source

So why the absence the past 2 weeks? Have I been slaying myself away at every roundhouse kick? Counting every sweat bead that slides down my body? Nope, actually I’ve been busy going in for medical tests (x-rays, blood work, ultrasounds, etc), lying in bed, and digesting the sudden changes in my life.


What’s wrong with me? To be honest, I rather keep that private and it’s still a very sensitive subject to me. But I’m battling through it.


An old injury (I’ll talk about that next time) from years ago resurfaced and it might have been a lot more serious than I thought, after a doctor’s visit. We’ll know soon. So now all physical activity has to be stopped and I have now cancelled my upcoming performance. Bah, it’s okay I’ve already spent enough time crying over it. You win some, you lose some.


I am trying to choreograph something and do a behind-the-scenes thing so I can at least contribute to this gala event that I’ve been DYING to do since last year.


So before I ended my last workout, I checked, in one week I managed to lose 1.5 pounds, and gain a bit of muscle…already!! =) But that was a week ago and I’ve spent this week eating and lying in bed. More tests this week, I think I’ve become immune to needles and doctors.

So it’s a known fact that I’ve been utterly sick to the core the past little while as well, I’ve been dealing with some personal demons and issues. Either way, I found a new focus and after a meeting I was in late yesterday afternoon, it’s pretty official, I’ve been invited to perform! So now I have 6 weeks until I do a short segment which could possibly be a live broadcast as well. I have the perfect idea, but I’ll reveal it when the time comes sooner, I have the song picked and brewing up some choreography. But the biggest issue i have is my health and my fitness level.


I can honestly say that I’m out of shape, and coughing for so many months is really NOT helping my cardiovascular shape in any shape or form. But as of a few days ago (pretty much a few days after I got my mobility back) I’ve been slowly introducing some workouts into my regiment.


If some of you don’t know, I use to kickbox and do pankration a lot, as well as any sort of variation of that kind like Taebo (LOVE IT!) as well I use to be really into Bikram Yoga and Pilates. I started off a few days ago with some pilates and surprisingly, it didn’t go as bad as I thought. I went through the whole session with ease and I can honestly say it relaxed me and made me feel excellent. The day after I did a short 30 minute session of kickboxing and holy…after the first 15 minutes of intense kickboxing drills, I was beat! Realized how out of shape I really am considering the fact that I use to do at least 1.5 hours of intense kickboxing. So I’ve been alternating back and forth and I am sore! And you know what? It feels AMAZING!


Even though I only have 6 weeks until performance, I don’t want to put my body into shock, I’m doing this slowly and probably adding more as the days progress, I feel as though I can do more now, but I’ll take it in stride. Considering the fact that my doctor’s have limited my food choices due to my current health state, there’s really no diet I’m following except lots of water.


I’m hoping within 2 weeks I can start bringing my training outdoors with some hiking, swimming, canoeing, volleyballing, but we’ll see. I’m pretty pumped, I haven’t been this motivated since 6 years ago, back when I was doing my grueling dance training. Now I need to get some new tracks and I’ll be slowly adding the dance practices into my workouts as well. I’ll try and update my progress…but no guarantees! You know how I get with this blogging stuff, I only blog when I feel like it. By the way thanks for all the Twitter responses and Private Messages of support I got from a lot of you guys! You have no idea how much it meant to me and how much easier you guys made things.


Until next time…


Tootles!
Victoria <3


Okay I just sounded super ditzy…this is only because I spent an hour watching youtube videos from a couple of ditzy girls giving out makeup tutorials and introducing their houses….ya…don’t ask.

Alright i sort of lost count, I’ve been too busy and really, I don’t think I’m drinking enough water? But I swear I am! Alright so 5th day was quite epic, I had quite a huge dump that day, like never before OMG MOTHER OF PEARL sort of a release. It was amazing I actually felt 5lbs lighter. I have had something similar afterwards but nothing like that. I haven’t had any of those gross things yet. I have noticed I was pooping out things I ate days before, which is kind of freaky.


As of the last few days, it’s all normal. I am going to increase my intake of fibre maybe, drink more water and drink the Kleritea. OMG I’m so addicted to the Kleritea. I gave some to Eddie the other night and he loved it.


Nothing interesting, my tummy bloating is now all gone. I am now taking 4 capsules and 1 whole scoop of that Colonix Fiber stuff.


I really need to report back with some better things to tell you guys!


Oh right I realized I got hunger pangs the first 2 days of taking it, which is weird because it seems like nobody has gone through that on the internet, and I mean you can find ANYTHING on the internet, so maybe it’s just my hormones. I am sleeping like a baby now with the tea, so kudos for that, and I am not even drinking it every night!


Alright I’m tired. Night!

Third day on this thing and I realized something, this is not a good product to use when you’re traveling. Not that you suddenly get the Shit Marathon happening, but it’s that you’re so concentrated on traveling, you just ignore the slight wants of wanting to go poopie and you end up not doing so. Either way I’ve figured that the more days you take it the stronger the effects, or simply because I forgot about my Kleritea last night and had it steeping for a good 4 minutes instead of the usual 2. Anyways you feel it in the morning when you’re lying in bed, your tummy and the end of your anus feels somewhat “full.” And usually by the second cup/glass/mug of WARM water (I find warm water is more effective) you feel that nudge in your anal opening. I know how you all love the descriptive passages in these Colon Cleaning posts I have up! =)


Anyways the stools have been nice and uh…fluffy? The one in the morning looked like sesame and milk gone bad (minus the smell and colour of bad milk). Funny, I haven’t had sesame since December! Hahahaha. Oh dear….


I’ve been getting slight urges to go here and there but it seems like it doesn’t want to come out when I get stage freight, so too bad for me!


Not bad, the poo sessions are quick, but normally they are for me naturally, I don’t know I’m waiting for this stuff to kick in, although it has softened all this shit up to a point where I feel like it’s baby food than the usual log like substance.


I have found myself becoming more thirsty as of late and I seem to crave water only. Weird.

It’s early in the morning and I’m fighting back the urge to go back to sleep by sluggishly milling about until I remembered the Colonix! Oh shit! I ran to the kitchen and swallowed the 2 instructed capsules. Once you snap open the jar, you can smell the garlicy smell of the capsules. Actually maybe it’s the tumeric but it smells like an Indian ethnic spice shop. Oh well I swallow the pills and drink an additional 8oz of water as instructed. Actually I had 2 cups of WARM water since its good practice to start your day with a huge thing of warm water to cleanse your system. The instructions said I had to wait a few minutes before i can take the Colonix fibre, so I go and brush my teeth, wash my face, the usual morning routine. I come back to take the fibre. I open the plastic jar and I can’t help get a huge woft of of granola and artificial banana flavour, sort of like those overly sweet banana muffins you can get at cheap truck stops. Yes the ones that say muffin, but is sweet as a cupcake and is packaged like a Twinkie? Ya those! So I take half a scoop of this fibre thing which I’ve mentioned before that it looks like the lovechild between grounded flaxseed/oatbran and whey protein. Half a scoop is probably the equivalent of a tablespoon? It’s not much! But whatever! I mixed it with 1/4 of milk, mixed it up and drank it as “quickly as possible” as the instructions says. Then more water.


At this point I’ve had 4 cups of water and I’ve been up for less than 20 minutes. This is something that my usual pea-sized bladder would have to get use to. I’m feeling good at this point, waited a few more minutes before I ate breakfast. There’s no diet restrictions for this detox program, but just to make myself feel better, I decided to just decrease my carb and meat intake by A LITTLE and increase my vegetable and water intake. =D I feel a sense of pride coming on right now and possibly self-gratification…oh right sorry I’m glancing too far ahead. Woops.


So lets fastfoward to the evening, it’s time to enjoy the Keritea. I tear open the foil like bag and went to retrieve a tea bag. I can smell the cinnamon and chamomile once I opened it, actually, the smell is quite soothing. There’s a hint of citrus in there or something that seem to make me salivate and get thirsty. I was pretty disappointed when I took the tea bag out, it looked cheap. Bah. Steeped it in hot water for 3+ minutes even though it said you should only steep it for 2 in the beginning…okay I was on Facebook and I ended up forgetting! By the time I went back to my tea it was a deep yellow colour, sort of like yellow/brown piss you’d have when you have Hep B/C. The taste is oh so comforting, I think I can get use to this tea. It says that it helps calm the Nervous System down and will help me sleep…okay that didn’t happen. I couldn’t sleep until 2am and when I was about to fall asleep Dom ends up calling me. Anyways I ended up passing out.


So this morning…I was really hoping to pass something, I didn’t feel anything! I went and took my 2 Paranil Capsules and by my 2nd mug of warm water I felt a slight urge. Turns out it was just gas. =( Went to brush my teeth and got ready for the fibre. By the 3rd-4th mug of warm water (I say mug and not glass because I don’t want to lie and I was using a mug) I felt this urge. It’s not like a “oh shit I’m gonna shit my pants” sort of an urge, but a slight budge in the asshole? HAHHAHAHA okay wow that made me laugh. Okay ya so I pushed one out of me and was sad that it was over. It felt like a little rock has been dislodged out of my ass, and normally my fecal matter is quite nice to pass. Anyways I sat a little longer with InStyle in hand, but nothing came. Okay guess I’m done for now, so went to wipe and went to examine and holy shit! I was expecting a dark, hard lump but nuh uh! It was actually fluffy and murky? Oh god I’m grossing even myself out now, but I couldnt really see it so I flushed, and that’s when I saw the dark kelp like substance floating and whirling around. Wee! I guess it’s doing it’s trick because I’ve never seen my fecal poopies looking like large kelp before!

Over the next little while I will start breaking down Colonix and look at each item in the program and breakdown the key ingredients that make it work. I have basic knowledge and training in holistic/naturopathetic medicine (ie. Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese and Aromatherapy) so I guess I’ll use a bit of that and a bit of the internet to see if this thing works. Here’s the general breakdown of what 1 month supply of Colonix includes as well as the main components that make this system work.

A box of Colonix includes 4 essential items:


[1] Paranil - Liver & Colon Purifying Complex
A plastic container of semi-horsepill wannabes. There are 18 “Proprietary Blends” of herbs and natural plant extracts all grounded up and shoved into a vegetarian capsule made of cellulose. This is the item you take first every single morning starting with 2 capsules and then moving onwards to 4 capsules. The items are suppose to purify the liver and colon.

[2] Colonix - Intestinal Cleanser
A mini plastic tub (the ones that whey protein comes in…but smaller) of what looks to be ground up flaxseed/oat/protein powder. It’s a lot drier and courser to be protein powder but it’s much too fine to be ground up flaxseed or oat. So we’ll go between that and say it’s the love child of a 3some gone wrong. Anyways…There’s actually 14 ingredients in here all ground up with “natural” banana flavour and 100% Stevia Extract, a natural sweetner that comes from a plant that’s part of the sunflower family. It it said to have properties of aiding in heartburn, hypertension, blood pressure, diabetes and obesity.


[3] Kleritea - A Special Blend of Herbal Tea for Regularity and Detoxification

A thick bag (the ones coffee grinds go in) of 30 tea bags. The tea bag itself is made of cheap tea bags…you know those cheap ass Lipton/Tetley ones? Ya but worse! There are 12 ingredients in the tea. Okay 11 and lemon flavouring.


[4] Colonix and Toxinout Instructions
A 14 page booklet made up of glossy pages of Toxinout and Colonix introductions, instructions, FAQ’s and upselling that happens throughout the booklet with fine print that tells consumers that Colonix have not been evaluated by the Food adn Drug Adminstration of the U.S.A. and so this is not a drug that diagnoses, treats, cures or prevents diseases. The book has some “tips” for Colonix or Toxinout users but it’s completely laced with marketing in it. I mean who honestly starts a tip with:

We have spent the past decade perfecting the Colonix Program to the point where it has become the most sophisticated cleansing system…

See what I mean? Riight. I thought most tips are short, concise and not trying to prove or sell more shit.


So together with the Paranil capsules, the scoop of Colonix and the Kleritea is suppose to spawn this powerful cleansing power. The key point here is drinking LOTS of water. 2L of clear water, no substitutes.

A few months ago, I was searching for images on Google Images, when I came across a truly hideous picture of some swamp monster. After closer inspection, I realized it was just a picture of someone’s fecal matter that they had posted on the testimony page of the Dr. Natura’s Colonix website.


Colonix is technically the best natural colon cleanser out there on the market today…or so my research told me. If you knew me you would know I have a severe case of ADD leading to Chronic Procrastination when it comes to the internet. If I hear something interesting during a conversation or on the news, I will get a sudden urge to seek my best friend Google and Wikipedia and investigate some more, usually that begins a long journey through the world wide web that start off with looking up on that certain topic, followed by alternate routes to different other related topics.


Anyhoo so I was in awe at the stuff I was reading on this Colonix thing and I realized that I should clean out my insides as well! Okay I did think that, but what pushed me to get it was so I can see all these swamp like monsters come out of my ass and into the toilet bowl and I can snap pix, maybe Twitter Pic it and be a true master of a Twitter Shitter. But on a serious note, I am curious as to see the build-up I have in my system, I mean the best way is the natural way! And with society today, I’m sure 90% of us suffer from heavy build up of fast food junk and disgusting shit (ignore the pun).


So I spent the last little while convincing a handful of people to try it with me, a lot of people agreed but sadly I’m too lazy to follow-up and I decided to just try it out myself and do a group shit if it works! Ya I’m a real champ when it comes to friendship. I digress. I finally got around to ordering a box last week, actually I bought it on e-bay just so I can save $15 (hey! we’re in a recession people!). This was my first time purchasing something off e-bay and I had horrible nightmares about being scammed, but after 1 full week my box of Intestinal Cleanser in a box came!


I was still lethargically rolling around in my bed of goodness when a heavy bang on the door woke me up, followed by quick rings of the doorbell. I looked out my window to see the National Postal Office truck outside my house, “oooh it’s here, it’s here!” I thought to myself. So I threw on my yellow robe hiding the blue Hello Kitty pajamas I had on and went downstairs to open the door. It was pretty late and I didn’t want him to think I was some lazy, un-employed citizen living off of the government, and I really had no time to explain to the man that I just work different hours and because I’m Superman in disguise I get to flake around at my office and walk in at times when people should be having their lunches. Anyways I greeted him with tangled hair and pretended to cough a little so he would think I was just at home sick, but whatever I guess considering the fact that I look like I”m under 20 anyways, he’ll just assume I’m some kid whose ditching school. Wow talk about over analyzing the situation Vics! So the man asked if I was Victoria and even before I finished he shoved the box in my arms and walked off. Ya have a great day too buddy! Sheesh.



I tore the box open and felt a jolt of tear spring up, there it was in all it’s glory. The yellow box that will be scraping out my insides and creating stinky kelp like substances in my toilet bowl. And the relief that e-bay is ACTUALLY a reliable source to go shopping. Yay…n00bie at online shopping FTW!!11


I was running late for work, so I finished getting ready and have decided to start tomorrow. Guess I’ll try and blog each day for this special occasion. Aren’t you readers lucky! I’ll post the box later on tomorrow. NOW I sleep!

My pregnant mother was once told by a very special, expert on health that eating a bowl of steamed/cooked carrots will relieve anyone of severe constipation. And when they say a bowl it means a large soup bowl with a bit of salt to taste. I mean this was suggested by a unique, and talented man that had celebrities and famous doctors seeking him for help. He was a writer, a composer, a health expert. He possessed unique abilities to understand and dissect the human body like nobody else can. It was said that he was born with the ability to see things beyond the surface, like through skin and bones. His name was P. Fung. He lived in Vancouver, BC for most of his adult years before travelling through Russia composing orchestras, before residing in Hawaii. He has sadly passed on in 2007.


When attending school at a very young age, the teacher of the school had phoned up this P. Fung’s mother and had requested that she immediately come to the school, upon going to the school the mother learns about the concerns of the young boy. The teacher showed the mother drawings that the little boy had done, what the teacher presented to the mother, shocked her. The pictures were of cats and dogs and intricate detailing of their internal organs. That was the first sign that something was very different from this young boy, who grew up to be a quiet, humble man who chose to live in a life of solidarity and hermit hood. He spent countless years living on the West side of Vancouver with his aging Mother. Doctors and specialists were said to consult him for diagnosis of dying patients. As much as it sounds crazy, he had the ability to look into the human body, through bones and joints where machinery could not do back then.


He wrote many Chinese books of his learnings and encounters, even though he spoke fluent English. My family had met him through a family friend. It was said that P. Fung never liked to see anyone who seeked him for personal gain, only for others would he see them. It was said that the late Lydia Sum (Fei Fei) had knocked on his door seeking for help in the 80’s when he chased her off with a broom saying that most people are selfish and ruled by money, fame and power. For some odd reason he took a liking to my whole family and took us in as one of his own. He even wrote about our family in one of his books. His remedies were always simple ways, nothing voodoo. I remember being very young and we’d be at his house and I would be sitting across the room from him when he’ll tell my parents that I was deficient in so-and-so vitamin and I should take these vitamins by this brand and would write simple, remedies for us. Most of them were foods. He told us we are what we eat, and most of the population has no idea the real effects of food on the human body and that the best medicine for our body is food, as well as food is what is killing us because we are eating all the wrong ones for our body types.


So now back on topic of the blog, was he suggested my mother eat 1-2 large bowls of carrots for a meal and drink lots of warm water. Of course it worked wonderfully and I have grown up learning this easy and simple trick. So recently I’ve been dealing with a bit of gas and bloated feeling due to the fact that I’ve been eating out 3 times a day, everyday with friends and co-workers. What I needed was to get rid of all the toxins in my body since I was feeling like crap. I’m also PMS-ing too so that really impacts it, okay yes I know too much information!! Okay! So being me, I love to create my own recipes and tweak old ones.


I was in much need of vegetables, having had a full blown carnivore meal the night before. I went out with vegetables in mind and bought some ingredients, went home and made an amazing soup/stew that is easy and simple!


Ingredients:
2-3 Carrots (aids in bowel movement)
2 Sweet Potato (aids in bowel movement)
1 Potato (too much will make u constipated)
1 Tomato (vitamin C, add flavor)
3 Celery (extra fibre, great for relieving cooling the body after eating lots of beef and fried foods as well as crap)
1/4 Onion (Diuretic, flavor)
handful of dried basil (levels off insulin levels, etc, etc)
Black pepper (flavor and neutrializes all the vegetables)
3-4 cloves of garlic (kill bacteria in the body)
2 shallots (flavor)
0.5 to 1 ounce of pork or chicken diced (flavor, protein)
4 cashews (protein, flavor)
3-4 drops of sesame oil
salt

Vegetarian Option: half handful each of cashews and walnuts *protein equivalent of meat without saturated fats


Directions:
1) Dice everything, boil water on high
2) Dump everything in, the starchy vegetables first if you like a bit of a thicker starchier soup
3) Medium heat, let it simmer for 1 hour, or until desired tenderness


I initially did it with very little water and I put the meats + bones in a cheese cloth and mashed just the vegetables up. I have tried pureeing it as well. If I want more of a broth, I put more water. I like to add a couple tiny drops of sesame oil and salt for taste at the end. Make sure you have more carrots, celery and sweet potato if you want to relieve yourself and minimize the meats. Beets, pumpkin/squash would also be a great thing to put in the soup.

But the recipe is sublime!

I have a strong belief that the correlation between keeping yourself insulated will bring on a deep and peaceful slumber, especially during winter. It’s a known fact that soaking feet in hot water for 10-15 minutes prior to bedtime aids in restful slumber, as well as wearing socks and mittens to bed (okay, I can’t say much about the mittens since I haven’t tried it). Sounds a bit like outrageous folklore you hear from your Great Grandpa Islananiv or Grandma Wong Ching Chang? Well for all you doubters here’s a scientific explanation as to why wearing mittens and socks to bed will induce sleep.


“Wearing socks and mittens to bed can also trick mind and body into getting better sleep. Socks and mittens widen blood vessels in hands and feet, a necessary step to inducing sleep, according to a Swiss study. In this study, researchers found that as the body prepares for sleep, the blood vessels in hands and feet dilate. This dilation precipitates the cooling of the blood as it flows through the open channels near the surface of the skin; when body temperatures fall, sleep automatically follows.“


So ah ha! The idea of body temperature dropping to have automated sleep eh?


Okay so I don’t really think the mittens play a huge asset on better rest, but I think it really depends on the person. So let’s take me for example, my hands are usually cold and my feet are ALWAYS cold, it’s annoying and it seems like it makes my whole body cold. Why does this happen? Oh it’s because I have poor blood circulation, which is usually the case for most women due to the fact that we have monthly visits from our special friend who likes to rob us of our valued goods as well as bad ones. Anyways, so whenever I sleep I find myself curled up in a ball, with toes so cold that I can see frost bites! No, this isn’t the fact that my room is right above the garage and no heat gets in my room so really in the winter it’s the coldest room in the house, as well, since my room is curved in and at the end of the house, it makes ventilation bad, so it also becomes the stuffiest, and hottest room in the summer. Woohoo for me, for having to deal with it for 15+ years, oh and did I mention the fact that during renovations to my room they found a thumb sized hole in the wall without any insulation so heat was being let out drastically? Oh yes! Took us 13 years to figure that one out!


Anyways ever since I’ve met the boss that I have now, I’ve been really good about being weather prepared and realizing that health and feeling comfortable is a bit better than looking hot, but feeling like you’re going to die. I have been dressing smarter to work, where I look smart, classy and I am dressed weather appropriately all at the same time! It’s great! So this little habitual tendency I started has impact me in many ways, especially during sleep. The start of fall this year, I have been loading up on cotton/wool undershirts, and 3 other layers of clothes to keep me warm, then I threw on a pair of thick cotton socks and changed my blanket to something warmer. You know what?! I haven’t had any issues sleeping since and I’ve been waking up with a lot more energy because I’m sleeping deeper now even though the hours are about the same. As of 3 weeks ago I threw on the scarf because I wake up feeling weird in my chest and throat. And now I sleep like a baby with no interruptions. Okay this is sounding like one of those cheesy rehearsed infommercials where they get you to pay 3 payments of $29.99 for a 30-day trial. But really, I mean it, apparently there are 2 main areas in our body that we lose our body heat from the most.


1) Our head
2) Our core

Make sure you tuck your shirts in or just make sure your shirts aren’t riding up, you may not feel anything but it sure is affecting the state of sleep you are getting. The body part that is most vulnerable to your body is your throat, upper chest, back of your neck. The back of the neck is the place mother’s check for baby’s body temperatures (general temperature comfort, not fever). Whereas the upper chest is where your lungs are so make sure to throw on a turtleneck or a scarf to protect that area.


As for hands and feet, they have been mentioned above in the quoted paragraph. I encourage people who have bad circulation and/or always cold to try it out, you might just sleep better.