Growing up I was always an active child. I spent the majority of my time playing hide and go seek, tag, touch football, or just running around the neighborhood. I would come in for dinner and then go right back outside until dark.
At five, my parents started me in AYSO (American Youth Soccer Organization) and from then until High School soccer was my main form of exercise. We had practices once or twice a week and games every Saturday and even a couple Sundays. In High School I played for my school's team, coached AYSO with my dad, and ran track in the spring.
By college I had, had my fill of rigorous training. I hated going to the gym (since I had never worked out as part of my soccer training I always felt judged by the devoted gymrats). I played intramural sports, but for the most part I did not devote any of my time to exercise. Luckily I was not plagued by the freshman 15 and was able to maintain my slender frame.
It wasn't till after I graduated college, got married, and started working behind a desk that I began to put on weight. After buying bigger pants a couple times, I decided to look for a solution to my weight gain. I knew that there had to be something sustainable out there that didn't require counting calories or spending hours in the gym that could help me. I found it in the Primal Blueprint.
The Primal Blueprint strives to create a flexible, sustainable program of maintaining health and lean body weight. The premise is that sugar is converted by our bodies into fat and then stored in fat cells. The source of this sugar being carbohydrates and overly processed food. In order to cut down the amount of sugar we consume, all grains are eliminated from consumption.
According to the Primal Blueprint, the body only needs 150 grams of carbohydrates to maintain body weight. under 150g will promote weight loss, and over 150g will promote weight gain. On the standard American diet the average person will consume over 300g of carbohydrates a day. By limiting your carbohydrates to fruits and green leafy vegetables (and maybe the occasional potato) you will most likely consume between 100-150g of carbs without having to count or measure them.
Our bodies do, however, use carbohydrates for energy and therefore need an alternate source of energy. In the Primal Blueprint, this is accomplished by natural fats. Natural fats are typically contained in nutrient dense sources like animal meat and nuts (along with the proteins, vitamins and minerals that our bodies need anyways). Also our body stores and uses natural fat more efficiently.
The Primal Blueprint is 80% diet and 20% exercise. The exercise portion consists of 10-20mins of sprints a week, 3-5 hours of slow moderate movement or play a week, and body weight exercises twice a week (such as push ups, pull ups, squats, etc.). It contains multiple levels to accommodate those just starting out and make room for progress.
Personally, I have enjoyed the 11 weeks that I have been experimenting with the Primal Blueprint. I am no longer starving at 10 o'clock everyday. Sometimes I don't even get hungry till 3 in the afternoon and even then it is not connected with stomach pains. I spend the evenings going on walks with my family instead of parking myself on the couch and watching TV. I have more energy and never feel groggy or lethargic, even after a restless night. Most importantly of all, I have shed almost 20 lbs and 4 inches off my waist.
The Primal Blueprint may not be for everyone, but for me it has been the easiest transition into a more healthy lifestyle. I would recommend anyone to give it a try.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
The Every Day Carry (EDC)
If you peruse any camping gear, knife, or wilderness survival forums you may come across the acronym EDC or Every Day Carry.
In the simplest terms your Every Day Carry is the stuff that you keep in your pockets, purse, or on your belt that you have determined are the most useful in your everyday life.
Every person has their own circumstances that determine what they need for their EDC. I personally, am a tinkerer that loves taking things apart and am often trying to fix things in confined spaces with low light (like my computer, or recently the hoses behind the washing machine). I am also a gadget junky that usually does not want to wait until I get home to open those plastic human-proof packages. I would rather be able to pull something out of my pocket to tighten that loose screw, or open that package that just arrived, than go looking for the screwdriver, scissors, or flashlight the task might require.
Aside from the common denominators in most people's arsenal (keys, wallet, and cell phone), here are the following items I have added to my EDC that I find extremely helpful with unexpected tasks:
A. Pen - As an Engineer I spend the majority of my time in the office, however I occasionally need to visit job sites. A pen is essential for recording dimensions, marking plans, making notes, and a number of other things. I don't know how many times I've seen someone ask for a pen. Perhaps I should start charging people to use mine.
B. Leatherman Micra - Words can not express how often I use this handy little gadget. I originally bought one to go in my camping gear but found myself taking it out of my gear to use it so often that I decided to just carry it with me on a regular basis. I especially like the scissors, as opposed to the typical pliers on leathermans. I use this tool so much that my wife has become jealous and wants one of her own. Maybe Santa will bring her one this year.
C. Peanut Lighter - Ok, being honest, this is probably the item in my EDC that I use the least. I am not a smoker and am not typically in the habit of lighting things on fire. However, if you have read my previous post on fire basics then you understand that carrying an ignition source is a very simple way to ensure that you can start a fire should you need to. As an aside, my leatherman and lighter combo comes in handy when I am making things out of paracord since after I cut the nylon it needs to be melted to prevent unraveling. This particular lighter is extremely small, waterproof when closed, refillable, and inexpensive.
D. LED Light - Light, like fire, is something that you typically do not want to be without when you need it. LED flashlights tend to last longer battery-wise and are typically more resilient. The model I found has the ability to be set in two modes. The first is the typical press to turn on, let go to turn off. The second mode allows for three settings: one press turns it on high, a second press turns it on low, and a third press turns it on a flashing strobe. I find the ability of the light to stay on in the second mode extremely helpful when I am using it to tinker in tight spaces.
Think about the items you carry on a regular basis. Are there times when you wish you had a particular tool on you to take care of an unexpected task? Do you carry around items that you never use? Do you think about the unexpected tasks when you fill your pockets or purse? What items have you found helpful in your everyday life? What are your EDCs?
In the simplest terms your Every Day Carry is the stuff that you keep in your pockets, purse, or on your belt that you have determined are the most useful in your everyday life.
Every person has their own circumstances that determine what they need for their EDC. I personally, am a tinkerer that loves taking things apart and am often trying to fix things in confined spaces with low light (like my computer, or recently the hoses behind the washing machine). I am also a gadget junky that usually does not want to wait until I get home to open those plastic human-proof packages. I would rather be able to pull something out of my pocket to tighten that loose screw, or open that package that just arrived, than go looking for the screwdriver, scissors, or flashlight the task might require.
Aside from the common denominators in most people's arsenal (keys, wallet, and cell phone), here are the following items I have added to my EDC that I find extremely helpful with unexpected tasks:
A. Pen - As an Engineer I spend the majority of my time in the office, however I occasionally need to visit job sites. A pen is essential for recording dimensions, marking plans, making notes, and a number of other things. I don't know how many times I've seen someone ask for a pen. Perhaps I should start charging people to use mine.
B. Leatherman Micra - Words can not express how often I use this handy little gadget. I originally bought one to go in my camping gear but found myself taking it out of my gear to use it so often that I decided to just carry it with me on a regular basis. I especially like the scissors, as opposed to the typical pliers on leathermans. I use this tool so much that my wife has become jealous and wants one of her own. Maybe Santa will bring her one this year.
C. Peanut Lighter - Ok, being honest, this is probably the item in my EDC that I use the least. I am not a smoker and am not typically in the habit of lighting things on fire. However, if you have read my previous post on fire basics then you understand that carrying an ignition source is a very simple way to ensure that you can start a fire should you need to. As an aside, my leatherman and lighter combo comes in handy when I am making things out of paracord since after I cut the nylon it needs to be melted to prevent unraveling. This particular lighter is extremely small, waterproof when closed, refillable, and inexpensive.
D. LED Light - Light, like fire, is something that you typically do not want to be without when you need it. LED flashlights tend to last longer battery-wise and are typically more resilient. The model I found has the ability to be set in two modes. The first is the typical press to turn on, let go to turn off. The second mode allows for three settings: one press turns it on high, a second press turns it on low, and a third press turns it on a flashing strobe. I find the ability of the light to stay on in the second mode extremely helpful when I am using it to tinker in tight spaces.
Think about the items you carry on a regular basis. Are there times when you wish you had a particular tool on you to take care of an unexpected task? Do you carry around items that you never use? Do you think about the unexpected tasks when you fill your pockets or purse? What items have you found helpful in your everyday life? What are your EDCs?
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Fire
I'm sure we all have great memories around a fire; whether in our homes, at the beach, or on a camping trip. In a survival situation, fire can be a top priority. But what makes a good fire?
Fire requires three things to survive: Fuel, Oxygen, and an Ignition source.
Fuel
Fuel typically consists of: Tinder, Kindling, Fuelwood. Since oxygen is crucial to a fire, dense material takes longer to light, however it will also burn for a longer period of time. Tinder is typically not dense and therefore will light quickly, but burn quickly as well. Kindling is an intermediary.
Think of it like a three stage rocket. The tinder is ignited first and as it burns it exposes the kindling to the flame. If you have enough tinder to expose the kindling to fire, for a long enough time period, then the kindling will ignite and expose the fuelwood to the flame. The cycle is then continued and the fuelwood is ignited. From there the fire can be maintained by adding more fuelwood.
Accelerates are often used on fires (i.e. gasoline, lighter fluid, etc.). These act similar to tinder and are meant to aid in progression through each stage.
Oxygen
The fire's ability to breathe is important to consider in both building a fire and putting out a fire. The amount of oxygen the fire is exposed to will determine the rate at which your fire burns. Densely packed fires will burn more slowly. Fires that are spread out will burn quickly. Fires that are deprived of oxygen will be extinguished.
When building a fire, it is important to find a good balance of keeping your fuel compact so that the flame can propagate while allowing ample oxygen to reach the flames. [This is the principle behind the log cabin and tepee style log configurations that are used to build fires.]
Ignition Source
The ignition source is the catalyst that forces the fuel and oxygen to interact with each other to form fire. In its most basic form the ignition source introduces intense heat into the equation and makes the fuel unstable, which in turn causes it to react with the oxygen around it.
The ignition source is often the most difficult part of a fire to come by. This is also very easy to remedy. My recommendation is to always have at least two methods for starting a fire in your camping, hiking, or backpacking gear. I prefer a lighter and a magnesium or ferrocerium fire starter. A lighter can easily start hundreds of fires and can even be used without fuel (with the proper tinder). A fire starter will start thousands of fires and is pretty much impervious to the elements.
Remember to always enjoy your fires in the proper place and with some way of extinguishing it.
Fire requires three things to survive: Fuel, Oxygen, and an Ignition source.
Fuel
Fuel typically consists of: Tinder, Kindling, Fuelwood. Since oxygen is crucial to a fire, dense material takes longer to light, however it will also burn for a longer period of time. Tinder is typically not dense and therefore will light quickly, but burn quickly as well. Kindling is an intermediary.
Think of it like a three stage rocket. The tinder is ignited first and as it burns it exposes the kindling to the flame. If you have enough tinder to expose the kindling to fire, for a long enough time period, then the kindling will ignite and expose the fuelwood to the flame. The cycle is then continued and the fuelwood is ignited. From there the fire can be maintained by adding more fuelwood.
Accelerates are often used on fires (i.e. gasoline, lighter fluid, etc.). These act similar to tinder and are meant to aid in progression through each stage.
Oxygen
The fire's ability to breathe is important to consider in both building a fire and putting out a fire. The amount of oxygen the fire is exposed to will determine the rate at which your fire burns. Densely packed fires will burn more slowly. Fires that are spread out will burn quickly. Fires that are deprived of oxygen will be extinguished.
When building a fire, it is important to find a good balance of keeping your fuel compact so that the flame can propagate while allowing ample oxygen to reach the flames. [This is the principle behind the log cabin and tepee style log configurations that are used to build fires.]
Ignition Source
The ignition source is the catalyst that forces the fuel and oxygen to interact with each other to form fire. In its most basic form the ignition source introduces intense heat into the equation and makes the fuel unstable, which in turn causes it to react with the oxygen around it.
The ignition source is often the most difficult part of a fire to come by. This is also very easy to remedy. My recommendation is to always have at least two methods for starting a fire in your camping, hiking, or backpacking gear. I prefer a lighter and a magnesium or ferrocerium fire starter. A lighter can easily start hundreds of fires and can even be used without fuel (with the proper tinder). A fire starter will start thousands of fires and is pretty much impervious to the elements.
Remember to always enjoy your fires in the proper place and with some way of extinguishing it.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Tying Knots
550 Paracord is a military specified parachute cord that is an essential and versatile piece of outdoors gear. The 550 comes from the ability of the cord to withstand 550-lbs of force before failure. This strength is due to the construction of the cordage. Paracord is made of a nylon sheath which has 250-lbs strength and contains seven (7) internal nylon strands each capable of 50-lbs tensile strength each.
You can see the outer and inner strands here.
The challenge is to incorporate paracord into your gear so that it is both accessible and useful. For this I have found an invaluable resource known as Stormdrane's Blog. In his blog, Stormdrane shows a number of different uses for different types of knots to create watchbands, bracelets, carrying pouches, straps, belts, and other useful items. He also provides helpful links to learn how to tie each knot he uses. Here are some of the items I have been inspired to make.
A riverbar bracelet, which I commonly wear.
An adaptation of the "Slatt's Rescue Belt" in a bracelet. It contains approximately 18-feet of paracord and can be quickly unraveled by just pulling on one end.
Some carrying pouches.
One pouch contains an extra small and light alcohol stove. The bottle contains rubbing alcohol and a mini lighter is also included.
I've added a wine bottle to show the relative size of the kit.
I've also made a rattlesnake fob for my wife's cellphone. She loves it and says it makes finding her phone in her purse easier.
Here's a close up of the fob.
You can see the outer and inner strands here.
The challenge is to incorporate paracord into your gear so that it is both accessible and useful. For this I have found an invaluable resource known as Stormdrane's Blog. In his blog, Stormdrane shows a number of different uses for different types of knots to create watchbands, bracelets, carrying pouches, straps, belts, and other useful items. He also provides helpful links to learn how to tie each knot he uses. Here are some of the items I have been inspired to make.
A riverbar bracelet, which I commonly wear.
An adaptation of the "Slatt's Rescue Belt" in a bracelet. It contains approximately 18-feet of paracord and can be quickly unraveled by just pulling on one end.
Some carrying pouches.
I've added a wine bottle to show the relative size of the kit.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Knife Update
I figured I would give a little update on my knife making.
As I mentioned before I have profiled both sides of the blade leaving a small edge. The edge prevents warping during the heat treatment process. It will be sharpened after wards.
Here's a side view of the knife so far.
As I also mentioned I'm shaping the handle. This is done by temporarily pinning the wood scales to the blade and a lot of sand paper. After that the scales are pinned together to ensure that both sides are even.
Next is more sanding on the blade to remove the scratches and more shaping the handle.
As I mentioned before I have profiled both sides of the blade leaving a small edge. The edge prevents warping during the heat treatment process. It will be sharpened after wards.
Next is more sanding on the blade to remove the scratches and more shaping the handle.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Feeling Dried Out
During my research of backpacking gear and ways to reduce weight I stumbled upon the subject of preparing food. Traditionally on our family camping trips we would bring along a large cooler with a block of ice in it for all of our refrigibles. This obviously is not feasible for a backpacking trip.
My search brought me to a great website called The Backpacking Chef . The website show tips, techniques, and recipes for dehydrating and re-hydrating food for backpacking.
Meanwhile I was also trying to find something healthy to curb my 10:00am hunger so it seemed like a great opportunity to do some experimenting with a dehydrator. My wife and I picked one up for $40.
So far we have unsuccessfully dried Turkey Jerky, and successfully dried Peaches, Apples, Blueberries, Bread w/ Honey (for breadcrumbs), Strawberries, Kiwi, and Spaghetti Sauce.
The only recipe we have tried from the website is the Peach Cobbler, which was really good, but we hope to plan a camping trip soon and try out some more recipes. My wife also was able to rehydrate some spaghetti sauce for dinner one night in a pinch.
All-in-all we're quite impressed with our successes so far dehydrating and are looking forward to trying more things in the future.
My search brought me to a great website called The Backpacking Chef . The website show tips, techniques, and recipes for dehydrating and re-hydrating food for backpacking.
Meanwhile I was also trying to find something healthy to curb my 10:00am hunger so it seemed like a great opportunity to do some experimenting with a dehydrator. My wife and I picked one up for $40.
So far we have unsuccessfully dried Turkey Jerky, and successfully dried Peaches, Apples, Blueberries, Bread w/ Honey (for breadcrumbs), Strawberries, Kiwi, and Spaghetti Sauce.
The only recipe we have tried from the website is the Peach Cobbler, which was really good, but we hope to plan a camping trip soon and try out some more recipes. My wife also was able to rehydrate some spaghetti sauce for dinner one night in a pinch.
All-in-all we're quite impressed with our successes so far dehydrating and are looking forward to trying more things in the future.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Knife Making
In my experience, and from what I have read on wilderness preparedness, a knife is one of the most essential tools for being outdoors. While most of us hope to never put our self in a situation that would require us to survive the elements, the fact is that thousands of experienced campers and hikers get lost each year. I have decided to add a knife to my gear for future camping/hiking.
Upon searching for the perfect knife (not something that you want to skimp on) I discovered a lot of articles from people that had decided to make their own knife. Since I am a fan of designing, building, and creating I decided to take up the challenge.
Since a few people have asked me how exactly I am making my own knife I will outline the process.
First start with a bar of steel. I have chosen 5160 steel. It is a high carbon steel normally used in leaf springs for trucks/trailers. It was chosen due to its ease in heat treating and strength. On the steel you can see my knife pattern has been drawn out in permanent marker.
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Upon searching for the perfect knife (not something that you want to skimp on) I discovered a lot of articles from people that had decided to make their own knife. Since I am a fan of designing, building, and creating I decided to take up the challenge.
Since a few people have asked me how exactly I am making my own knife I will outline the process.
First start with a bar of steel. I have chosen 5160 steel. It is a high carbon steel normally used in leaf springs for trucks/trailers. It was chosen due to its ease in heat treating and strength. On the steel you can see my knife pattern has been drawn out in permanent marker.
Due to my limited space and tools, I chose to cut out my pattern using my drill and Dremel tool. This process involves drilling holes along the perimeter of the outline and using the cutting tool to connect the dots.
.JPG)
From this point I use the Dremel tool, files, and sandpaper blocks to reach the final shape. After which it is time to profile the knife, or in other words shape the blade. I chose a Scandinavian/Sabre grind. It is a flat grind that does not go from the edge to the spine but rather is beveled somewhere in between. The bevel is marked with a permanent marker to help keep things uniform and then hand filed to the correct shape. This is done to both sides of the blade keeping a small edge which will be sharpened after heat treatment.
Currently I am shaping the handles and soon will be sanding out the scratches left by the files. I will continue to post updates as a go.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Just Get Out
I find that I enjoy planning so much that often times it will inhibit me from actually going out and doing things. While on my new kick to get out and go camping I became too concerned with acquiring the necessary gear that my wife and I were never able to plan time to go camping.
We decided to take a more relaxed approach to getting out doors. We go for walks.
We were able to find some great wilderness parks, bike paths, and green belts in our area that offer an escape into nature.
We decided to take a more relaxed approach to getting out doors. We go for walks.
We were able to find some great wilderness parks, bike paths, and green belts in our area that offer an escape into nature.
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