Breathing Life - Joshua Roy's Blog

Sugar is a real killer. The supermarkets and food producers will all say that sugar is natural. For example, sugar occurs naturally in fruit. Therefore, when you see “all natural”, sign or symbol or written on food box, you will think that they are telling you the truth. Is sugar natural. Sugar as we know it comes from sugar cane. It is extracted and processed and refined and then put into other foods. The challenge is this. Sugar taken in its natural form as it exists in nature, eaten with the natural fibre of the sugar cane, is not harmful. The fibre of the sugar cane causes a slow release of the sugar into the blood stream and the system. Alternately the extracted sugar goes into the system very fast because it is taken without the natural fibre. Also, the high GI level of sugar, scoring 59 on the GI charts, causes the blood sugar levels to skyrocket. When sugar is taken in large amount, like dinking a can of soft drink, the body goes into hyperglycemia. So then to combat this emergency, the pancreas releases insulin. Due to the dire emergency, too much insulin is released, and the sugar…

How fast can you run toward a pine box?   I recall a radio celebrity once say, “Your heart only has a certain number of beats, when that runs out, you die.  That is why I choose not to exercise”.   Others say, “You’ve gotta die of something”, as they finish their third piece of chocolate cake.   No one has a crystal ball and yet most people can tell you about the 92 year old relative who drank and smoked all their life.   When it comes to the subject of health, there are so many books, opinions, reports, studies, youtube videos and differing doctors’ opinions that it is overwhelming.  Even the government has given us the food pyramid, which books today warn about.  After viewing all the contradictory information it is difficult to decide what to do and what to eat.   The biggest changes over the last 20 years have been to do with carbohydrates and fats.  Healthy fats are now good and excess carbohydrates are now bad.  Excess carbohydrates and sugar are believed to be the main causes behind the obesity and diabetic epidemic we are now facing.  For another example of dietary shifting sands, one…

Who does not like cakes?  A good cake is very desirable.  It will tantalize the taste buds, put a smile on your face and create a party in your mouth.  Social gatherings, parties and events all have one thing in common. People gather around to chat and enjoy a slice of your favourite cake, filled with the sugary goodness.   It is a compelling and almost irresistible thing to watch others indulge in delicious sweets and goodies.  What’s more, when you are offered a piece it is difficult to resist.  It is also hard to resist that second piece that needs to be finished off.  If the serving size is particularly large we think to ourselves ‘just this once’, or ‘I will burn it off with exercise’, or ‘I have to be sociable/polite/gracious’ etc.  This would not be an issue of course if this were a once off treat.  If there was a very small amount of processed sugar in our overall diet our body would handle this with ease.  If it was not for the compelling impulses of our sugar addiction, we could withstand the look of this type of food without excruciating effort.   When the holidays arrive…

In 2010 I looked at my stomach and thought it was time to regain my 6 pack abs.  I worked out like crazy and certainly this made a little difference however that little podgy belly continued to hang on.  I was 34 years old and thought to myself that this stomach was there to stay.  After many hours of exercises I realised that there was really nothing more coming off my stomach so I gave up, accepting that I would always have a fat belly.  After all I was heading toward my mid to late 30’s and how could I possibly have the fitness levels, or physique that I had as a younger man. Resigned to this fact I gave up on working out and slimness and instead began to bulk.  I decided to do weight lifting and to put on some muscle and size.  I greatly increased my food intake.  After doing this for a couple of years I had increased the size of my arms, chest and back considerably.  I also increased the size of my belly.  Then I got an injury on my right bicep and was unable to train for a time. I felt tired and…