#it's a higher purpose that needs me to stay relatively stable and turns out that i value it more than i crave self-destruction

[lena-oleanderson]

sort of a companion to this poem.

[bastardsunlight]

08 & 20 for subscorp if ur still doing the kiss meme?

❛  08 .   a  kiss  in  secret  /  a  forbidden  kiss . ❛  20 .   a  kiss  out  of  desperation .

I swore an oath to protect him, I think to myself as I slide along the cliff’s edge, hugging it closely, careful not to scrape or to breathe too loudly. Kuai Liang, Bi-Han’s younger brother, has taken up the mantle of Sub-Zero. He is more deserving of it than the former, but I cannot say for certain if his end by mind had was truly justified. I know my mistakes—I am well acquainted with them. Truly, I believe that, should he have risen to Sektor’s position of “Grandmaster”, one the wily bastard has hardly earned, he would be no better, succumbing easily to the temptations of power. Quan-Chi might have orchestrated my family’s end, but the Lin Kuei are also responsible in their compliance and complacence. I will not forgive them. But he—Kuai Liang—has not wronged me. I make amends this way.

Far below, he moves like a shadow with his companion, a man I have heard called Tomas, though I know him better as Smoke. Both are talented, young, and filled with potential. They are also going to their death if they continue on this path, but despite my oath and Kuai Liang’s knowledge of it, I doubt my presence would be appreciated so suddenly. Words will not convince them, so actions must. I clamber higher and make myself invisible, relatively speaking, working my way around for a better vantage point to the ambush.

It is a superbly-laid trap. Some loyal to Sektor—with or without his orders, it matters not—have devised a snare for the offending Lin Kuei. These kryomancers have no morals, no scruples, and do not balk at destroying their own for their ideals of perfection. I spit at these ideals, though I dare not do so now. I am too close, by far. Sometimes, I forget what I am… that they cannot see me if I do not wish to be seen, to a point. I am not invisible, but as a wraith, I can become… other. I sink into the cliff side, disturbing a single stone, but their attention is so drawn that not a single one of the Lin Kuei cowards detects me.

And they won’t, ‘til it is too late.

The trap springs and I am acutely aware of it as I leap forth from a ring of Netherrealm magma, kodachi at the ready. It is as blazing hot as the rest of my body and sears through flesh and bone without effort. I am a monster and in these instances only, I am glad that my wife and son are not here to see what I have become. It serves its purpose, however.

Below, Smoke and Sub-Zero—he has more than earned this; I can feel the chill of his kryomancy even from the perch I have turned into a killing floor—are more than holding their own. Should fortune favor me, I will retreat without detection. I grind another enemy’s head to pulp as a spear-like icicle flies past my shoulder, singeing it with frost. I cannot quite tell if it had been purposefully aimed, or if the fatigue of battle has begun to affect Sub-Zero. It is my cue to go.

“Wait!” And he is scrambling up the cliff side, leaving Smoke below to inspect the fallen and deduce what, precisely, is happening. I could divulge this easily, but I am doubtful whether or not my words, the words of Shirai-Ryu, bitter enemy to the Lin Kuei, would be taken with any veracity. What holds me back defies logic and I find myself irritated and showing my back to Sub-Zero, who could easily put another, better-aimed spear of frost through it.

“Kuai Liang,” I respond, finding no reason to beat around the bush that I know him.

“I will not ask how you know me. You knew Bi-Han.” His arms are still coated in that frost—I can feel the chill—and I can tell that he has a much more stable, controlled, and focused handle upon his ancient, Edenian gift. “I will ask why you helped, Scorpion.”

The name makes me stiffen. It is me. I am Scorpion, but part of me wants to be anyone else. Part of me resents the stinging name, appropriate as it is. The sharper the sting, I have often found, the more accurate the barb. I turn my gaze, but only just enough to see him from one eye.

“A debt.” It is a blood debt, simply put. I may have murdered Bi-Han in bitter error, but I do not regret it—be that as it may, I owe his kin a debt of blood for the misplaced killing. Sometimes, I wonder if I would have done something different, knowing Bi-Han’s hand had not directly brought death to my family and clan. To this day, I am not certain he participated in the massacre and cling ever harder, therefore, to the debt I owe his brother.

“You owe me no debt,” he responds, approaching and laying one bold, chilly hand upon my shoulder, gripping firmly and turning me. What there is to see, I cannot fathom.

“I cannot pay a dead man.”

“You owe Bi-Han no debt, either,” Sub-Zero insists, gripping harder. His other hand moves swiftly. I am a fool, I missed the subtle cues. The free hand is suddenly upon my mask, pushing me back into the stones of the cliff and freezing the metal of it. I must look terribly surprised, because for an instant, a flash of guilt crosses his admittedly handsome, youthful features. “He chose his path. The murder of your clan… He would have done it anyway, Quan-Chi or no, but it … it was he who retrieved the foul sorcerer. Please believe me… Grandmaster Hasashi.”

Why is he speaking so calmly as his fist crushes my mask, breaking it to pieces and tossing it away. I am a wraith, not a man. My face is abhorrent, a skull awash in the flames of my ire. There is nothing about me to see which does not strike terror into gentle hearts, which his must be.

“You do not know me, Sub-Zero,” I insist, hearing the sepulchral tones of my own voice and hating them. How much more grating must they be to the ears of the living?

“But I would know you—a man worthy of the title of Grandmaster at such a young age… A man with honor.” The grip upon the mask, which had crushed it, has changed to a firm hold of icy certainty.

“I have no honor left,” I insist, “only vengeance, and a blood debt.”

“That you keep to this debt shows me you do possess honor… and skill.” There is mischief in his voice, but also sincerity. His smile, I have to admit, is captivating and his eyes are a fathomless, Stygian blue, like the deepest waters of the sea or the dark of a winter night. There is a surprising amount of warmth behind them, despite his physical chill.

He is close, too close, and I am forced to remember the way his brother handled me—the way we handled each other, if truth be told. Our trysts were brief, violent, and voracious, as if we could never get enough of the other, but at some level, that we could not stand our own desires. This is simpler, more straightforward in its admiration, and the control he has over his kryomancy is remarkable. Upon this alone I could admire Kuai Liang. He is a prodigy. But then, so was I, once.

As he leans into me, I realize just how much I crave contact, of just about any kind, but of worthy adversaries most of all. There is no doubt in my mind that defeating him would not be easy and I long to put that theory to the test.

“I do not have long,” he admits, almost sheepishly, “and this may seem sudden, but I had to catch you before you left… I know you have been keeping watch over me, Scorpion, but I did not know how to thank you. Should my clan know of our contact...” He trails off and I know exactly what will happen.

“Do not thank me,” I warn. “Just stay alive.”

“Liang!” Smoke calls from below, evidently approaching the cliff face, meaning to climb, or ambulate however he might do that. Sub-Zero stiffens and, with a single, furtive glance, turns his full attention upon me. Without warning, I feel our lips pressing together, his covering mine hungrily and my own opening helplessly to the odd, invasive sensation of desire… of being wanted. I am to surprised by the gesture to wonder how the flames have been so becalmed. I wrap my fingers in the front of his gi, intent on tossing him back and disappearing in a firestorm when suddenly, he pulls away, looking guilty and shaking his head, turning toward his friend’s voice.

“Six up here,” he calls back, “and scorched with the fires of hell.”

“It’s him again, isn’t it?” Smoke responds, sounding worried. Kuai Liang glances over one shoulder at me. I have yet to recover myself and lean, breathless—as if a wraith could draw breath in the first place—against the rocky wall. I can, at any moment, sink into them and disappear, but my mind is rebelling against any and all action.

I want more.

I need more.

“We have to assume,” says Sub-Zero, eyes fixed upon me. He is buying me time to escape and—perhaps I misread him—promising further contact at a later date. “But whomever continues to guard our flanks, Smoke, is welcome to it.”

He looks me up and down once more before returning to Tomas, far below. My dead heart beats harder and faster inside me and everything in me fights against the urge to allow myself to be overcome with such things. It would be in poor form, would it not, to engage in a tryst with the younger brother of a former lover.

Would it?

KISS MEME

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #384

“watch your tongue or have it cut from your head”

Do you post to say happy birthday on other people’s walls? Sometimes. Depends on my mood and the person. When was the last time you saw a rainbow? Idr. What’s your favorite television commercial? I don't watch TV enough at all to have one. And who has a favorite commercial, anyway? Do you trip a lot? I don't really trip a lot, but kinda fumble over my footing and stray a bit. I'm horrible at walking straight, and it's gotten worse as my legs have. How old is your television? The one in the living room is god knows how old. My parents were still together when they bought it. When did you last talk on the phone with someone? A couple days ago for my appointment with my psychiatrist. Are you currently sleepy? I'm quite convinced I'm permanently tired. Are you hot or cold natured? I am ALWAYS fucking hot, ugh. Do you take any advanced classes? I took mostly Honors classes in school. Do you have weak upper body strength? My body is just weak as a whole. What is the worst insult someone can call you? Emotionally weak. Are you good at sketching? If we're talking meerkats, haha. They're the only complex thing that I can freehand no problem without needing a reference, honestly. Ever play Angry Birds? Nah. I thought the movie was cute, though. Have you ever been to the zoo before? Yeah. Has anyone ever been weirdly obsessed with you? No. Are you afraid someone might steal your identity someday? It's not something I actively worry about at all. Like, you don't want my identity, I promise. Do you have any talents that come naturally? Growing up, adults always told me I was a "gifted" artist and writer. Also that I seem to have an unnaturally strong connection with animals. I've always been that person where a pet's owner is like "omg ____ never lets people do that" and whatnot. Have you ever had plastic surgery before? I haven't. It's funny though, how opposed to it I used to be... Like goddamn, I was such a fucking stupid and honestly judgmental teenager, regarding many things. I look back on her and cringe. Like damn dude, if you have a safe surgical procedure to help you enjoy the body you're stuck with the rest of your life, you go for it, boo. Are you afraid of airplane rides? Not really. What’s the best Valentine’s Day gift you’ve gotten? There was this one year where Jason had to go to work on Valentine's Day and I was super bummed, yet he still surprised me with a heart-shaped box of chocolates, roses, and a game I really wanted, Heavy Rain. I thought it was the sweetest. What is something you lose often? My phone. ;-; Do you enter a lot of sweepstakes? I don't enter any. Do you consider yourself physically active? *chuckles nervously* Do you have Netflix? Yeah. Favorite salad dressing? That Olive Garden replica you can buy at the store. Do you enjoy dancing? Once upon a time I did. My body could never handle it now. Have you ever considered writing a novel? Many times. Snow or sand? Snow, by twenty thousand miles. It is VERY hard for me to walk through sand, and I also hate hate hate hate HATE the sensation. Do you like sour candy? Heeeeeell yeah man. Have you gotten any injuries lately? If so, what & how? Nothing notable. Are you a clumsy person? Like you would not fucking believe. Last male you talked to in person? I think my primary physician's nurse. Are you thinking about asking anyone out? No. Pink lemonade or regular lemonade? Pink lemonade, for sure. But I love both. Chocolate or strawberry milk? CHOCOLATE. Strawberry milk is disgusting. Have you ever won a contest on the radio?No. Is there a song that reminds you of your best friend? There's quite a few. Has a book ever made you cry? Yes. Do you automatically check your phone when you wake up? Yes, for the time. Do you know anyone who has a pet bunny? Not that I'm aware. What store or website would you most like a gift card for? Rebel's Market. How do you feel about wolves? I adore wolves. Beautiful, majestic creatures with very interesting social dynamics. Name your top 3 favorite musical instruments. Electric guitar, violin, piano. What was the last book(s) you bought at a bookstore? At an actual bookstore, I think it was The Fault In Our Stars, which I never actually read. Do you use Pinterest? Yes. Do you know any sign language? No. Do you have a favorite poem? No. Do you have a dog? No. The one we were pretty much stuck with has a home now. Have you ever read The Little House on the Prairie series? I haven't. Have you ever gone on a service trip to an underprivileged country? No. Have you ever performed in front of more than 100 people? Yes, for dance. When (if ever) was the last time you went to church? Forever ago, I don't even remember the last time. What's a quote you think is really powerful? There's a whole lot. The first one that came to mind was, "An eye for an eye will leave the world blind," which I do believe has great depth in it. Have you ever had to do your laundry at a laundromat? Yes. Are you the oldest person who lives in your household? No. My mom is turning 60 (... I think?) this year. If you have tattoos, how long have you had them? I got my first the day I turned 18. Do you and your dad have similar personalities? We're alike in some ways, imo most notably in that we have NO fucking common sense, embarrassing as that is to admit. We're both kinda slow at understanding things, too. What were the last three things you had to drink? Mountain Lightning, milk, and water. What did your family usually do for Easter when you were a kid? Us three kids all got Easter baskets full of stuff, and we'd go egg-hunting when we were all awake. My little sister Nicole would always wake our parents up in excitement, haha. My parents hid plenty throughout the house, and there was always this one "special" egg that was actually from Mom's childhood and was extremely intricate and beautiful. You basically "won" the hunt if you found it, and it was extremely well-hidden. When you have house guests over, where do they sleep? Historically since living here, my two half-sisters and their spouses (the only people who've stayed over) slept in what is *technically* Mom's room, but for whatever reason this woman still insists on sleeping on the couch in the living room, I guess because she's used to it after all the years she didn't have her own room and bed. Are you emotionally stable? LOLOOLOLOOLLOLOOLOOLOLLOOLOLLLLLLLLLLL Do you still talk to the very first person you had sex with? No. Are you an atheist? No. I don't quite know how to define what I am, but since I believe there's SOME higher power, I don't think it's fitting to call me an atheist. What’s the largest bug you’ve ever found in your house? Hm... I'm unsure. Probably a male mosquito, 'cuz them bitches are big'ins. Would it annoy you if a stranger called you "sweetie?" If it was a man, I'd be creeped out. Are you into fashion design? Not really. What’s the worst thing you’ve gone through in the past year? My leg muscles continuing to degrade, honestly. I have to do something about this shit. How did you get your last bruise? I fell when stepping over the stupid dog gate. Have your parents ever forgotten your birthday? Yikes, no. Would you rather have some bacon or beef jerky? Bacon. Do you like your orange juice with lots or no pulp? NONE. Do you wear skinny jeans? Back when I wore jeans, they were the only kind I wore. What projects are you doing now for school? I'm outta school. What’s the most number of comments you have on a Facebook picture? What is the picture of? I have no idea. Do you like coconut flavored things? No. Have you ever met a famous author before? No. Do you know anybody who has been raped before? No, thank god. I know someone who might've almost been, though. I don't know what the fucking pig was going to do to her if my sister and I weren't there. Have you ever wished for bigger boobs? No. Being overweight, I just want smaller ones now, haha. Have you ever gone a full day without interacting with another person? I've gone many days without it. How many relationships have you been in that lasted less than a year? Four, if you're counting everyone that had the "boyfriend" title. Where were you going the last time you were on a plane? Home from Illinois. Where were you going the last time you were on a train? I've never been on one. Have you ever been significantly more physically fit than you are now? Holy fuck, yes. You would never guess now that I was perfectly healthy in high school especially, yet I still thought I was kinda fat. It hurts so much to look back on. When growing up, did you parents keep the house very tidy? I mean not excessively, but Mom was pretty dedicated to keeping the house in decent condition. With three kids though, of course the house was somewhat messy with toys and all. When you shop at IKEA, do you always stop to eat a snack/meal in the cafeteria? ... There's a fucking cafeteria in a furniture store? o_o I've never been there before. How many watches do you own? None, save for one in my "treasure box" from when I was a kid. I was SO SO SO obsessed with Finding Nemo that I kept my broken one. I did the same with my horribly aged sneakers, like the soles were coming off and Mom finally made me stop wearing them, ha. Are there any ways in which you greatly differ from everyone else in your family? I do fucking nothing and am useless to society. Should teenagers be allowed to have their cell phones with them in class? Yes, because emergencies happen. I personally think it's best to maybe have your cell phone flipped over on the corner of your desk or something and on vibrate, that way the noise isn't too disruptive and the teacher can see you're not just using it for other purposes. Do you have any gay relatives? Yes. Have you ever had to have a pet put down? Sigh, multiple. Have you unfollowed, deleted, or blocked anyone on social media recently? If so, what was the reason? Not recently. How many cups of coffee do you typically drink per day? None. Do you know what your vocal range is? No, but it's not very broad. What’s the biggest financial mistake you’ve ever made? I haven't been in this position before. Have you ever been in a relationship where there was a large difference in maturity levels? No. What’s the longest you’ve ever stayed as a guest at someone’s house? I wanna say over a month while we were technically homeless. How bad was your acne when you were a teenager? Oh dear, it was rough. Like there were people who had it worse than me, but ya girl was lookin preeeetty rough lmao.

[faecaptainofdreams]

Decided to re-invigorate myself a bit by indulging in a cute crossover...because Tom Holland <3 This goes way off course from Marvel/the MCU, because...again, this is for me and i like simple and colorful. Whatever, ENJOY. Here's his OG head canon, everything follows almost the same but you may need it for context: www.deviantart.com/foxdragonlo… ---------------------------------------------------------------------- In this universe, superhero-type people aren't overly uncommon, though rarely they actually get the opportunity to use their powers in a work-related sense. It's almost always an accident, and those who intentionally mutate themselves for one reason or another often face a prison sentence due to the dangers to themselves, others, and their disregard for consequence. And yes, there have been many cases where mutations both intentional and accidental have been fatal or severely damaging mentally and/or physically. At the H.T.U.V., there is a special sector of labs dedicated to studying dangerous materials, as well as creatures that accidentally are harmed or mutated by certain substances. With the environment being more heavily prioritized in the world of SiD, the government is very careful to regulate chemicals and try to keep toxins at a minimum. But even in a government agency, there are bound to be people with conflicting morals and human-based error in thinking. ~~Mutation~~ Everything in Walter's life carries out as normal until the Summer when he's 18. With him having barely been working at the agency for a year, but getting pushed more and more aside, the lead scientist in the toxins lab, named Theo Rupert, became curious about Walter. He figured if Walter was so useless in the gadget lab, maybe he had untapped potential for something else, and thus privately invited him to miss a day of work in order to visit the toxins lab. They told him they wondered if he would be interested in this field. Due to his love of animals, his biomechanical genius and natural gifts as a whole, he actually began to consider the idea of working to help save these animals and find healthy ways to eliminate dangerous substances. This conflicted with his current dream job, however, as he ultimately wanted to help people and potentially influence the way the agency did things. During his tour of the labs, Walter felt a small but sharp sting on his neck, but found nothing there. He assumed it was just him being sensitive, or a casual bug bite and moved on. Later that night, the bite became painful, swollen, and grey, disturbingly. Fearing necrosis of his skin and wondering if he really was bitten by something dangerous in the toxins lab, Walter called the lead scientist and told him what he was experiencing. Theo instructed Walter to apply a cold compress to it, and then accept a referral at work the next day to go back to the toxins lab and see him. He also instructed Walter not to tell anyone about the bite until further notice. Walter obeyed, but had a bad feeling. ~~Illegality~~ The next day, Walter did not show up at work. Rather, he had fallen ill -- so much so that he actually called in. Seeing as how he wasn't showing up, a nervous Theo called Walter and asked why he hadn't shown up. Walter answered drearily with "I can't move." Theo and his team of four packed up a suitcase of medical equipment and lied that they had been called out to inspect potentially hazardous material elsewhere in the city. They left in two of their own cars, and switched their cars out before heading to Walter's house so as not to be recognized. When they got there, Walter had made it to the couch, still in his pajamas, and with young Lovey out and about. He had managed to feed her, and that was it. He couldn't even answer the door, so the team (dressed in civilian clothing and acting as though they were friends of his over for a visit) gently picked the lock on the door and let themselves in. What they found was alarming. Walter was deathly pale, running a fever and showing flu-like symptoms, minus sinus issues. His body ached and felt tingly all over, and he was nauseated. The bite on his neck was still a grey whelp, and now was developing markings around it. Another new development was two lumps on the undersides of his wrists had appeared, also swollen, sore and grey, just like the bite on his neck. Theo and his team drew blood from Walter and quickly ran it through one of the small machines they brought (super scientific world, shit gets done faster). After a few minutes, the test results revealed that there was indeed, a toxic substance in his system, but it was mixed with the venom of a jumping spider. As it is, jumping spiders are relatively docile and their bites are almost never problematic, let alone potentially fatal, but the team was scared stiff. They revealed to Walter right then and there that he was bitten by one of their animal subjects -- an aggressive, mutated jumping spider, that had gotten loose in the lab the day Walter visited. They explained that they didn't even know it had gotten out until a little while after Walter had gone home when they found it wandering about, caught it and put it back in its enclosure. Walter asked what was going to happen to him, and they reluctantly said they weren't sure. Theo and the other scientists huddled in the kitchen and quietly debated what their next move was. They had to either come clean to the agency and its directors about what they had done and how they messed up, possibly facing federal jail time for carelessness/endangering someone, or try to brush it under the rug. Panicked, they decided to try and hide their mistake. They came back to Walter and told him he was going to be fine (which was a lie, as they really didn't know), and that news of this needed to stay under wraps. Theo told him that higher-ups would know about it, but would deny they did if asked about it, as goofs like this were critical to be kept secret in order to conceal it from potentially getting out to the public. They even typed up a fake document for Walter to sign, swearing him to secrecy. He was told to never speak to anyone of what happened, both in and outside of work. Given he had no friends and no remaining family, Walter nervously agreed, still wondering if he would die. As Theo spent time cleaning up his mess, he and the team stayed to monitor Walter's condition. Over the course of the next two hours, Walter managed to break his fever, but his temperature suddenly dropped drastically, as did his heart rate and blood pressure. If he died, the team knew they were in deep, deep trouble. They used what little they had to try and keep him somewhat stable and monitor his vitals. Miraculously, an hour following, the symptoms began to lesson. Blood pressure, heart rate and temperature came closer to being steady again. By 2 in the afternoon, Walter had overcome most of his symptoms. He was a little dizzy, his body still felt tingly and the whelps were still swollen and sore, but it seemed he would be all right. They encouraged him to drink some water and eat a couple crackers to test his stomach, and that turned out to be fine as well. The ordeal left him exhausted and under the weather, but he figured he might be able to return to work the next day. Like the night before, Theo told him to take a referral to the toxins lab when he clocked in and check in with them. They left, but stayed in close touch with Walter up until work time. ~~Suppression~~ With the bite and wrist whelps still inflamed and grey, Walter wore his jacket to conceal them. When he arrived in the toxins lab, he was still ragged out, but completely stable. He complained of soreness in the whelps, and explained that there was a more persistent, widespread ache in his wrists extending into his arms. His palms and the bottoms of his feet also felt very tingly still. Theo checked the sites out, and it was revealed that Walter now had much more significant markings that were a mixture of grey and iridescent pink. Going off of evidence from other people who'd experienced mutations around the world, Theo concluded that certain parts of Walter's body were developing spider-like qualities, of which he wasn't sure yet. He explained that Walter very nearly met death the previous day due almost exclusively to the dangerous toxin that had been injected into him, but the spider's venom had neutralized a certain compound in it just enough to keep him alive when it counted. This, he explained, was how the spider itself had survived the toxin. He allowed Walter to see the spider. Given his symptoms were not getting much worse, aside from some persistent tingling and aching, Theo told him they would be in regular contact. Until this settled down, he was to visit the toxins lab multiple times a week. For once, Walter being neglected in the gadgets lab -- and by the agency as a whole -- served a purpose, as all the referrals to the TL were not questioned. And despite months of visitation to the TL, Walter still didn't make any friends. There was a slight fondness that Theo had for him, but he remained professional and determined not to get attached. A couple weeks after the bite, the whelps finally laid flat, and the bite wound was all gone. Intricate markings were all that was left, and one tiny little bump on the underside of each wrist. Whenever Walter would go down to the labs, Theo and his private team ran small medical tests. They sampled blood, very modest traces of tissue, and took his vitals. The medical records and each find was documented quietly and hidden in a remote file. Still, Walter believed it wasn't a true secret, and became gradually more comfortable. Eventually, they all realized that Walter's hands and feet gained him the ability to cling to most surfaces when he desired, and the whelps on his wrists were actually spinnerets. He produced webs from his wrists, could jump several times the length of his own body, and was sensitive to vibrations, certain touch, and somehow was able to predict danger coming towards him just before it could actually reach him. Thankfully, as x-rays and sonograms showed, he didn't develop any new or strange organs, didn't lay eggs, didn't have an appetite for insects and best of all, did not need to molt. Studies on him went on for months before it seemed every secret had been uncovered. But because of the nature of it all, Theo told Walter he needed to suppress his abilities. No shooting webs, no jumping super far, no wall climbing. He was saddened by this, but again, he obeyed. For the next two years, Walter Beckett stifled everything as he had grown used to doing as it was, and went on with life. When someone asked him about the markings, he said they were tattoos, and that their meaning was "personal." A final consequence of this was Walter was no longer allowed to potentially work in the toxins lab. ~~The Movie~~ Everything played out as usual in the film, but with Walter having markings and simply not even thinking to use his abilities even in dangerous situations. ~~Post-Movie~~ Everything went along as normal (see the HC sheet). While Walter was living with Lance, the closer he got to him, the more he wanted to tell his secret, but he kept quiet. Knowing he was about to be a real agent and the man's partner, though, he figured it would have to come up at some point. Walter got his chance to talk when Lance drove him to the H.T.U.V. on one of their days off to meet with Marcy and Joy to address his issues with compromise and direction. Everything there went as normal, but when it was over, Walter asked to stay back and talk to Joy alone for a bit. Lance and Marcy waited outside, not too far away, and Walter approached Joy. A conversation like this ensued: ------- "Walter: Sooo, now that I'm gonna be an agent, I guess it might be okay to finally bring up the ah... "spider thing"? Joy: ...The what. Walter: You know...! (He shows her his wrists.) Walter: These? Joy: *looks at the marks* ... *looks at him and raises a brow* If...yer askin' if it's all right to have tattoos, the answer is yes... Walter: Hah, wow, when they said you'd deny it, they really meant it! Joy: *more annoyed* Who said I would deny what??" ------- By this point, Walter suddenly understood that she really was oblivious. He hoped she was the only director or higher-up that was in the dark about it. Distressed at having broken the strict rule he was given and almost panicking, Walter had to be re-focused by Joy and calmed enough to nervously explain to her vaguely what happened to him two years prior, and why he never spoke of it. Furious, Joy brought Lance and Marcy back in and briefly explained that she'd just learned about Walter's mutation, and thus he had to explain it a little, too. Naturally, they were shocked and confused, but Joy apologized to Marcy while requesting that she gear up and help her potentially make some arrests. Lance was allowed to come too, just in case he might be needed. ~~Caught~~ Joy and Marcy's team stormed into the toxins lab and confronted Theo and gathered his team. Walter was confused and scared out of his mind. When Joy interrogated them, it didn't take long for them to break and confess everything right then and there. They even gave up the secret files documenting the event and all the recordings since, including Walter's visitations and the dates. The files were seized, and Marcy's team arrested Theo and his close co-workers. Walter felt terrible about the whole thing, but once again, he had managed to evade prison simply due to his innocence and naivete. At the very least, no longer having to hide everything was a monumental, if not somewhat thrilling relief. He was asked to come back later in the week after work one day and recount everything he knew, and the entire encounter to Joy and a few of her subordinates. Theo and his team faced 20 years in federal prison, but a plea deal was set to lesson it to 10. They eventually settled for 15. By this point, the spider that bit Walter had long since died. ~~"Special" Agent~~ When Walter trained for his more serious partnership with Lance, he was encouraged now to use his abilities and figure them out. There was a lot of falling, swinging too far, miscalculated/premature web fires, and over-estimated jumps, but as Walter gained more confidence, it showed in his training. Practice and patience made him keen, and now he had one more thing to tack on to his list of oddities. With help from suit designer experts from the gadgets lab, a team helped Walter put together a breathable, slim-fitting suit that would compliment all of his abilities. The gloves even have an opening for his spinnerets. ~~Today~~ Walter doesn't often have a need to wear his suit outside of fun and training, oddly enough, but it has and continues to prove useful on the field. Certain missions may require it, so he packs it on every mission just in case. Either way, he can still mostly use his abilities in regular attire, though his feet don't stick to surfaces with his shoes being on. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[espiritodeviagem]

Divinity

The question is should we rise up to divinity or should it ‘just’ come to us. We could say to divinity state “hey, if you are so good and whole, why don’t you come over, from all your pervading sources, and divine me up”. It certainly doesn’t sound so divine of us if we just indolently claim our wish to become more fulfilled in life and acquainted with divine knowledge. It’s lazy and pretentious. Let’s call it state of consciousness, this divinity. It is a state that comes from within us, and is of inner radiance. It demands of us a state of allowance in order to liberate ourselves from mental afflictions that obstruct the light of the state of awareness that sees and feels, that is sensitive and strong and is our truest nature.

On the other hand we could say to ourselves “I am going to get it one way or the other, this divine state of conscious awareness”, as we mine into the outer world, like with hammer on stone for this precious jewel state. It’s greedy and ambitious. And this same fire has turned the world upside down to the point that it is what it is today. Same same. This state of consciousness, this divinity it is a state that comes from within us, and is of inner radiance. It demands of us a state of allowance in order to liberate ourselves from mental afflictions that obstruct the light of a state of awareness that sees and feels deep, that is sensitive and strong and is our truest nature.

Through out my journey I’ve seen quite a few, journeying in the spiritual path with different types of temperaments. Different relationships with it. And we can just notice that the way each one relates to their spiritual path does denote the particular perspective one has on these so called for “spiritual journeys” and theirs goals, that many venture into these days. And I talk from my own experience as well. I’ve felt in my own skin these feelings. Often is part of the path: the lack of spiritual maturity and rushing full with desire towards spiritual accomplishments.

Some might experience themselves on a rush, down a fast track tunneling their way towards a better understanding. Towards a state of mind that is more comfortable, stress free and direction free. A state that is obtained by withdrawing from life’s demands. The worldly life’s demands. Having to deal with money, finances, decisions, family members, friends, spouse/husband, intimacy, even our likes and dislikes. Easy, we run away from all this. If to get what we like we become fanatic and insanely eager like those crazy people running into a mall on “Black Friday”, then yeah of course, maybe its better to just leave all mundane pursuits and find a cave in the Himalayas. Like this “Black Friday” situation, there are tons. To get a new release of iPhone or to even go into yoga led class… I mean its everywhere. To get what we want, we people can get blindsided and violent for any little thing. This of course exists up to a macro scale. In corporative and government schemes, of course. It’s bitter. And yes, to meet a divine state of mind many think leaving it all behind is the solution. Leaving family, money accounts, responsibilities at home and heading out to Rishikesh. Changing business cases and law bibles, for a Bhagavad Guita and other sacred texts might be easier of course. But in the end if all you need is new sweater for Christmas, you don’t need to play one against all rugby style into a shop to get it. It can be easier to just leave it all, go shirtless home to your family, they will probably love you anyway. But from there people go all the way to deny any kind of desire. All you had to do is tone it down a little. A divine state of being can exist in going to get a new sweater, for sure.

I’ve felt like running away before. It’s more peaceful when you are alone. No responsibilities. No one to answer to. Life is just what I see and feel. That is the only truth. And other peoples visions cannot interfere in this peaceful stability. But other people exist. Their visions exist. And just because I might be around them doesn’t mean i have to fight ideologically, feel repressed and oppressed. It’s up to me.

It’s typical. The triggers of being back in a mundane society. A civilized capitalistic urban centre, lets say. Surrounded by your relatives and longstanding friends. News and social media. These triggers place an effect on our minds and our state of being. A divine state of mind, balanced and happy it is not designed to emerge from these fabricated settings of modern life. That’s right! And its probably intended to be that way. But to be fair, people and connection with people is a way to feel balanced and stable. It’s easier to have no one - true at some point. But true human connection is seeked for out there everywhere. And it’s the easiest, simplest, just by allowing others to peek into our heart and by keeping self learning. Keeping connected to society to positively raise the vibrations is a work of strength. And, simultaneously, maintaining connected to ourselves positively, acknowledging shadows and allowing the light to shine brighter, to keep frequencies uplifted is a work of strength, love and of great respect. Acknowledging shadows and allowing light to shine brighter is an effect that happens both within and without.

I thought about writing my reflections about this topic once after an experience at a kirtan in Bali. This devotional chanting practice of kirtans always intrigued and challenged me. Getting to be devotional about some entity I didn’t know about and chanting melodies to tones my voice isn’t used to (any singing) within a group context was never an attraction to me. But the ongoing flow of the repetitive simple chants always ended up affecting my mind into a more meditative, relaxed, enthusiast, spirited self. After this kirtan experience in Bali I considered the affect to be of this spirited self allied with divine state because of all the devas (deities) that are praised along.

Often at kirtans I felt that the calling to engage in out of body experience through a connection to the divine images and sounds. This calling always promoted by the other attendees of the kirtan: dancing ecstatically, swinging while sitting, arms raised, eyes closed, singing enthusiastically, praising all… most of the times that I’ve went to a kirtan I would not just join along. I remember some other kirtan experiences I had in India, where in a daily routine elderly men and women would gather to chant devotionally from the bottom of their heart. It’s rather exceptional to see. Available to any. All could join at the end of their days in a chanting group at their neighborhood temple. It was their meditation and devotional practice. They would come from their home and work daily routines and smoothly integrate this practice into their lives.

In contrast with the other experiences from Bali where mostly westerners would join. I could notice that westerners would use this chanting practice to move away, travel beyond the body or drift to an unknown sense of self, that wether good or bad it would be appreciated due to being some other state. While locals, like the Indians in their neighborhood daily kirtans would rather open themselves to the chant. Nothing exceptional other than being open to chant peacefully in a contemplative state, opening themselves inside out, and vibrate their energy in a chant. There was definitely a more embodied experience of the kirtan. And definitely a practice thinking on a long term practice of it. It can be applied to any spiritual practices.

In Bali after I remembered this from before, I got back and experienced a kirtan in a different way. Instead of chanting to move away with the vibrational frequencies of my voice, I would be present in me, in my body and the vibrations of my voice would just quietly shake my body, like dusting off some inner dense particles, and make way inside for the most divine of the expressions of the universe to come in towards my home, my body and myself. It started in the beginning to be just sitting, being fully present with myself, touching my knees and my face, aware of my breathing, watching the people and the musicians as they come in. The all kirtan I was not letting my self go overly excited or bored to sleep. It was a perfect balance of attention to the words, the melodies, to the feelings that arise in me with such chanted words.

Each chant was vibrating deeply within me. Making ripple effects in my energy body. Instead of me traveling outward. I was doing the opposite, of staying in, with in me. Seeing yoga happen within me, allowing divinity to join me. Happily seeing myself like taking the gods by the hand and showing them, and making a little tour to them into my little humble home, of the mental, emotional, physical home of mine. Not taking myself to a higher vibration but, raising my vibration, not leaving anything behind. In a beautiful way I felt like making space for god within me. To be a channel and a vessel for divinity within me. This only possible with the realization that all is divine. That I am that. We all are. That was the realization that allowed divinity to manifest it self in our dimensional level, bodily level. It was an experience of embodiment of such statement. And an opportunity to seed in my mind the door to this state that is beyond my minds understanding.

In this way I inspired myself to see my practices, ultimately, as practices to connect with the divine. As allowing myself to be connected with cosmic influences. On the contrary to using the practices to exit this reality and travel to a divine state. Making a bridge, connecting both worlds the material and the divine is a mission here for all to fulfill in our journey. At some point a mission long discouraged, said to be impossible but the world today is awaken to dispute this false notions. It is up to us alone in the here and now. I say, and this is the purpose of this article. It is up to us to allow ourselves to take god inside. Inhale. “You self take god inside”, K. Pattabhi Jois.

“É mais fácil entender que um ser humano deva fugir do mundo para encontrar a paz. É muito difícil aceitar que podemos encontrar a paz em pleno mercado.”, Osho

[sciencespies]

Better than earth? Are there superhabitable worlds in the Milky Way?

https://sciencespies.com/space/better-than-earth-are-there-superhabitable-worlds-in-the-milky-way/

Better than earth? Are there superhabitable worlds in the Milky Way?

NASA visualization of ocean currents. Credit: NASA/SVS

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I’ve said many times in the past that the Earth is the best planet in the universe. No matter where we go, we’ll never find a planet that’s a better home to Earth life than Earth. Of course, that’s because we, and all other Earth life evolved in this environment. Evolution adapted us to this planet, and it’s unlikely we could ever find another planet this good for us.

However, is it the best planet? Are there places in the universe which might have the conditions for more diversity of life?

The fact that we have life on Earth at all is pretty amazing. We’re located in the habitable zone of a main-sequence star that doesn’t produce too many killer solar flares.

We’ve got a thick atmosphere filled with oxygen and nitrogen that we can breathe. The planet is large enough that it’s still molten in its core, with a rotating ball of iron that maintains a planetary magnetic field. This, combined with a thick atmosphere protects the surface of the planet from cosmic rays, the worst of ultraviolet radiation from the sun, and deadly solar storms.

We have plate tectonics that constantly recycle material on the surface of the planet, bring fresh chemicals up from its interior.

We have a relatively large moon, which probably keeps our planet more stable in its axial tilt, with tides that helped early lifeforms transition from the oceans to the land. But not too big a moon.

We have huge oceans that help regulate the climate of the planet, moving warm waters to cooler regions, to make them more diverse and habitable.

Earth-like planets. Image Credit: JPL

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The list goes on, and I’m sure there are factors that we haven’t even discovered yet.

And when it comes to Earth, life has thrived, finding its way into every possible ecological niche, adapting itself through evolution to handle bitter cold, intense heat, the intense pressures at the bottom of the oceans, even cities, living right next to human beings.

But could Earth be better? Could there be planets which are super habitable?

If there’s one thing the field of astronomy has taught us, it’s that we’re not special. We’re not the center of the Solar System. This isn’t a special place or time in the universe. And that probably means Earth isn’t the best place for life. It’s the best place for humans, but not for life.

According to a paper in 2013, Penn State astrobiologist Ravi Kumar Kopparapu and others calculated where the edges of a star’s habitable zone should truly be, based on modern climate data. They calculated that a habitable zone around a sunlike star should be between 0.99 and 1.7 times the distance from the Earth to the sun.

Artist’s illustration of the habitable zone around different types of stars. Credit: NASA

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Which means that the Earth is actually right on the inner edge of the sun’s habitable zone. Like, just barely. If it was any closer to the sun, we’d experience a runaway greenhouse effect, like Venus.

You probably want to be closer to the middle of the habitable zone, where orbital variations won’t push your planet into extremes.

The Earth is relatively young. Considering the fact that the planet has only been around for 4.5 billion years now, and only figured out multicellular life in the last few hundred million years.

The sun is heating up, and since we’re so close, we’ve actually only got a few hundred million years, a billion years at the most before temperatures rise and the oceans evaporate. But what if life could have gotten billions of more years of evolution to work out new, more diverse forms of life?

You think a platypus is unusual, just imagine what you’d get with 2 billion more years of evolution. Or 20 billion.

Planets found orbiting G, K and M-type stars by the Kepler Space Telescope. Credit: NASA/JPL

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In a 2016 paper called Superhabitable Worlds, Rene Heller and John Armstrong run through the conditions that might make the most habitable possible planet. This is a very readable paper, with lots of cool ideas. If you’re a science fiction writer looking for some world-building ideas, definitely check it out.

They propose that stars with less mass than the sun, classified as K stars, are probably the best candidates for diversity since they’re long-lived and relatively stable. A K-type star will have a lifetime of 20-70 billion years without those pesky red dwarf megaflares.

You would want other planets in the star system, capable of redirecting asteroids and comets with their gravity to deliver water and other chemicals needed for life. Thanks for that, Jupiter.

And ideally, you want multiple habitable planets in the same system, capable of sending life back and forth. A process known as panspermia.

Make your habitable planet the moon of a gas giant to get powerful tidal forces that would keep fresh volcanic material erupting to the surface.

The magnetic field and electric currents in and around Earth generate complex forces that have immeasurable impact on every day life. The field can be thought of as a huge bubble, protecting us from cosmic radiation and charged particles that bombard Earth in solar winds. It’s shaped by winds of particles blowing from the sun called the solar wind, the reason it’s flattened on the “sun-side” and swept out into a long tail on the opposite side of the Earth. Credit: ESA/ATG medialab

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Better yet, have a binary planet, where two worlds orbit one another, delivering tidal forces and exchanging lifeforms back and forth.

And we’re just getting started!

Make the planet bigger and you’ll get more surface area for water to circulate temperatures (more on that in a second), but also more surface area for lifeforms to exploit various niches.

So, we’re talking about a bigger, more massive planet. Once you get about twice the mass of the Earth, plate tectonics start to shut down, so try to stay under that amount.

You also want a world that’s big enough and hot enough in its interior for the movement of iron alloys in its core to maintain a planet-wide magnetosphere.

You’re probably worried about surface gravity, but a planet with double the mass of the Earth only needs to be about 40 percent larger to have about the same surface gravity.

A simulation of pre-industrial Earth. Credit: NASA/GISS

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At a recent conference in Barcelona, Dr. Stephanie Olson from the University of Chicago presented the work they had done in searching for the environments that would best support life on exoplanets.

They used a tool from NASA called the ROCKE-3-D general circulation model. This is a really amazing tool that’s freely available to the public. You can go to the website, and then see what conditions would be like on different worlds, from ancient Venus to planets orbiting Proxima Centauri.

You can simulate their air temperatures, rainfall, soil concentrations and more.

Let me show you some examples. Here’s pre-industrial Earth, with air temperatures ranging from around 35 C near the equator to colder than -60 C at the poles.

But you can replace the Earth with ancient Venus, the way the planet looked 2.9 billion years ago when the sun was 20 percent dimmer than it is today. It still rotated once every 243 days, though, and probably had a shallow ocean that reached a depth of 310 meters across its lowlands.

Simulation of ancient Venus. Credit: NASA/GISS

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And here’s a planet orbiting the red dwarf star Proxima Centauri, the closest star to the sun. Because it orbits so closely to its star, the planet is probably tidally locked. This has a dramatic impact on the air temperature with one side facing the star, and one side facing away.

But if the planet does have resonance rotation, where it turns three times on its axis for every 2 orbits, and if it has an atmosphere that roughly matches the nitrogen and oxygen atmosphere of Earth, then you end up with a world that looks much more comfortable to live on.

Olson and her team used this software to simulate the climates and ocean habitats of different kinds of exoplanets. Here on Earth, the diversity of life depends on the upwelling of material from deep down in the oceans, returning it to the surface where life can use it.

More upwelling means more biological activity, more diversity.

In other words, to find the planets with the most diversity of life, you want to find the worlds which have strong amounts of ocean circulation.

Simulation of a tidally locked planet orbiting Proxima Centauri. Credit: NASA/GISS

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Is there anything better than Earth? According to Olson, if a planet is rotating more slowly, has a higher atmospheric density, and has continents, then you can increase the amount of ocean circulation.

And this gives us an idea of what astronomers will be looking for as they examine extrasolar worlds. When NASA’s LUVOIR or HabEx missions fly in the 2030s, they’ll be able to directly image the surfaces of exoplanets. They’ll measure the chemicals in their atmosphere, detect water, and even determine how much of the planet is covered in continents.

We really shouldn’t be surprised if we do find super habitable worlds out there in the Milky Way, worlds which are clearly more habitable than the Earth. Once again, it turns out, we’re not special. That’s fine, at least we’ll have company.

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Research redefines lower limit for planet size habitability

Source Universe Today

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#Space

[ebenpink]

Dry Fasting: Is It Worth It? http://bit.ly/2vnKuUG

Today’s post is about dry fasting. I’ve covered plenty of other aspects of intermittent fasting, including recommendations around longer fasts, but lately I’ve gotten enough questions about this particular angle that I thought I’d address it.

Dry fasting is going without both food and fluid. That means no coffee, no tea, no broth, and no water or liquid of any kind (except the saliva you manage to produce). It’s an extreme type of fast whose fans and practitioners are adamant that it can resolve serious health issues. But does it? Is it safe? And what kind of research is available on it?

Where Does the Idea of Therapeutic Dry Fasting Come From?

The main proponent of dry fasting is a Russian doctor named Sergei Filonov. Filonov is still practicing from what I can tell, somewhere in the Altai mountains that span Central Asia. I found a very rough English translation of his book—Dry Medical Fasting: Myths and Realities. Difficult to read in full because it’s not a professional translation, but manageable in small chunks.

His basic thesis is that dry fasting creates a competitive environment between healthy cells, unhealthy cells, and pathogens for a scarce resource: water. The dry fast acts as a powerful selective pressure, allowing the strong cells to survive and the weak and dangerous cells to die off. The end result, according to Filonov, is that the immune system burns through the weak cells for energy and to conserve water for the viable cells, leading to a stronger organism overall. He points to how animals in nature will hole up in a safe, comfortable spot and take neither food nor water when recovering from serious conditions, illness, or injuries that prevent them from moving around. But when they’re able to move while recovering from more minor issues, they’ll drink water and abstain from food. I’m partial to this naturalistic line of thought, but I don’t know if the claims about animal behavior during sickness are true.

Another claim is that dry fasting speeds up fat loss relative to fasts that include water. There may be something to this, as body fat is actually a source of “metabolic water”—internal water the body can turn to when exogenous water is limited. Burning 100 grams of fat produces 110 grams of water, whereas burning the same amount of carbohydrate produces just 50 grams of water.

Are There Any Dry Fasting Studies?

Unfortunately, we don’t have many long term dry fasting studies. In fact, we have one 5-day study in healthy adults. For five days, ten healthy adults refrained from eating food or drinking water. Multiple physiological parameters were tracked daily, including bodyweight, kidney function, heart rate, electrolyte status, and circumference of the waist, hip, neck, and chest.

Participants lost weight (over 2 pounds a day) and inches off of various circumferences, including waist, hip, neck, and chest. The drop in waist circumference was particularly large—about eight centimeters by day five. Blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen saturation, sodium and potassium levels, creatinine, and urea all remained stable throughout the study. Creatinine clearance—which can be a marker of muscle breakdown but also a normal artifact of fasting—increased by up to 167%.

The most voluminous research we have on dry fasting is the Ramadan literature. During the month of Ramadan, practicing Muslims complete a daily dry fast—from sunup to sundown—every single day. They eat no food and drink no fluids during daylight hours, which, in the countries where Islam originally arose, run about 15-16 hours. These are shorter dry fasts than the 5-day fast detailed above.

What happens to health markers during Ramadan? Mostly good things.

Almost everyone loses body fat. Few lose muscle. There’s no sign of overt dehydration.

In fatty liver patients, Ramadan fasting lowers blood glucose, insulin levels, inflammatory markers.

In obese and overweight subjects, Ramadan fasting lowers inflammatory markers, body weight, and insulin resistance.

In obese adults, Ramadan fasting improves the lipid profile.

Athletic performance is compromised during Ramadan (like impaired maximal force production of the muscles), though not as much as you’d expect.

A 15- or 16- hour dry fast isn’t very extreme, even in the hot climates of the Near East. Two or three day-long dry fasts, particularly in hot weather, is another thing entirely. What works and is safe across 16 hours might not be safe or effective over three or four days.

I wonder if there’s a genetic component to dry fasting tolerance, too. Have populations who’ve spent thousands of years in hot, dry, desert-like climates developed greater genetic tolerance of periods without water? I find it likely, though I haven’t seen any genetic data one way or the other. It’s an interesting thing to ponder.

Is Dry Fasting Safe?

Obviously, skipping water can be dangerous. While we’ve seen people go without food for as long as a year (provided you have enough adipose tissue to burn, take vitamins and minerals, and are under medical supervision), going without water is a riskier proposal. The number I’ve always heard was three weeks without food, three days without water, though I’ve never really seen it substantiated or sourced.

One reason I’m skeptical of “three days” as a hard and fast rule is that most cases of people dying of dehydration occur in dire circumstances. People are lost out in the wilderness, hiking around in vain trying to find their way back to the trailhead. They’re thrown in jail after a night out drinking and forgotten by the guards for three days. They’re spending 24 hours dancing in a tent in the desert on multiple psychoactive drugs. These are extreme situations that really increase the need for water. Your water requirements will be much higher if you’re hiking around in hot weather bathing in stress-induced cortisol and adrenaline, or dancing hard for hours on end. Very rarely do we hear of people setting out to abstain from water on purpose for medical benefits, water on hand in case things go south, and ending up dehydrated. Part of the reason is that very few people are dry fasting, so the pool of potential evidence is miniscule. I imagine this last group will have more leeway.

Still, if you’re going to try dry fasting, you have to take some basic precautions.

6 Precautions To Take When Dry Fasting

1. Get Your Doctor’s Okay

Sure, most will be skeptical at best, but I’d still advise not skipping this step—particularly if you have a health condition or take any kind of medication. Diuretics (often used for blood pressure management), for one example, add another layer to this picture.

2. No Exercise

Avoid anything more intense than walking. For one, the hypohydration will predispose you to middling results, increasing cortisol and reducing testosterone. Two, the hypohydration may progress rapidly to dehydration. If you’re going to exercise during a dry fast, “break” the fast with water first and then train.

3. Keep It Brief

Yes, there was the 5-day study, but those people were being monitored by doctors every single day. I’d say 16-24 hours is a safe upper limit and probably provides most of the benefits (as Ramadan literature shows). Any longer, buyer beware. (And, of course, make sure you get fully hydrated in between any dry fasts you might do.)

4. Fast While You Sleep

Ramadan-style probably isn’t ideal from a pure physiological standpoint. The length (16 hours) is great, but the eating schedule is not. Those who observe Ramadan fasting ritual often wake up before sunrise to fit in food. They may stay up late to eat more. They go to sleep in a well-fed state, never quite taking advantage of the 8 hours of “free” fasting time sleep usually provides (and, of course, that’s not what their fasting practice is about). For a health-motivated dry fast, on the other hand, you should take advantage of it.

5. Take Weather Into Account

Hot, humid weather will generally cause the most water loss. Cold, dry weather will cause the least. Adjust your dry fasting duration accordingly.

6. Listen To Your Body

I’ve said this a million times, but it’s especially worth saying here. If you’re not feeling well during the dry fast, listen to your instinct rather than your agenda. (And don’t begin a dry fast when you’re ill. That should go without saying.) This is an optional tool. There are hundreds of other ways to serve your health and well-being. Don’t lose the forest through the trees because you’re drawn to a practice that feels more radical. Approach it smartly, but let your body’s intuition be the final arbiter.

That’s it for me. I haven’t done any dry fasting, not on purpose at least, and I’m not particularly interested in it for myself, but I am interested in your experiences. Do any of you do dry fasting? What have you noticed? What do you recommend?

As always, if you have any questions, direct them down below. Thanks for reading!

//

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References:

Mascioli SR, Bantle JP, Freier EF, Hoogwerf BJ. Artifactual elevation of serum creatinine level due to fasting. Arch Intern Med. 1984;144(8):1575-6.

Fernando HA, Zibellini J, Harris RA, Seimon RV, Sainsbury A. Effect of Ramadan Fasting on Weight and Body Composition in Healthy Non-Athlete Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Nutrients. 2019;11(2)

Fahrial syam A, Suryani sobur C, Abdullah M, Makmun D. Ramadan Fasting Decreases Body Fat but Not Protein Mass. Int J Endocrinol Metab. 2016;14(1):e29687.

Aliasghari F, Izadi A, Gargari BP, Ebrahimi S. The Effects of Ramadan Fasting on Body Composition, Blood Pressure, Glucose Metabolism, and Markers of Inflammation in NAFLD Patients: An Observational Trial. J Am Coll Nutr. 2017;36(8):640-645.

Unalacak M, Kara IH, Baltaci D, Erdem O, Bucaktepe PG. Effects of Ramadan fasting on biochemical and hematological parameters and cytokines in healthy and obese individuals. Metab Syndr Relat Disord. 2011;9(2):157-61.

Saleh SA, El-kemery TA, Farrag KA, et al. Ramadan fasting: relation to atherogenic risk among obese Muslims. J Egypt Public Health Assoc. 2004;79(5-6):461-83.

Gueldich H, Zghal F, Borji R, Chtourou H, Sahli S, Rebai H. The effects of Ramadan intermittent fasting on the underlying mechanisms of force production capacity during maximal isometric voluntary contraction. Chronobiol Int. 2019;36(5):698-708.

Shephard RJ. Ramadan and sport: minimizing effects upon the observant athlete. Sports Med. 2013;43(12):1217-41.

The post Dry Fasting: Is It Worth It? appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.

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[themanuelruello]

How to Use a Grain Mill to Make Your Own Flour from Wheat Berries

Someday I’m gonna tell my grandkids about the Great Flour Shortage of 2020.

I don’t think any of us expected a global pandemic to result in an extreme shortage of toilet paper, yeast, and flour…

Strange times, man. 

Even though our grocery stores are a little better stocked than they were several months ago, supply on many of the items are still a bit sketchy…

Which is making me more determined that ever to have a pantry stocked with ingredients that enables me to not be 100% dependent on a volatile supply chain. 

Over the past few months I’ve been flooded with emails from those of you who are working on stabilizing your own personal food supply and you’re curious how to address the flour issue.

Honestly, flour can be slightly tricky because it’s tough to store-long term. Not only does it tend to go stale or rancid after a little while, it’s also susceptible to bugs.

So while pre-ground flour might not be your best option for long-term pantry storage, wheat berries are pretty much magical. Here’s the scoop:

What are Wheat Berries?

Wheat berries are the edible part of wheat kernels, and include the germ, bran, and endosperm of wheat. It is the grain before it undergoes any processing and only the inedible outer layer of the wheat has been removed.

Basically– if you walk out to the middle of a wheat field, pick a stalk and shake out the wheat head, what comes out are the berries.

They have a similar appearance to brown rice or other whole grains and have a chewy texture and nutty flavor. Since wheat berries have not been processed, the berries retain all of the grain’s vitamins, minerals, and nutrients.

Why Bother with Wheat Berries?

1. Wheat Berries have a Long Shelf Life.

If stored properly (see below for more tips on storage), wheat berries can last for decades in storage. While ground flour loses nutrients and shelf life relatively quickly, like other whole nuts or seeds, wheat berries will stay fresh in their whole-form for a looooong time.

As I mentioned in my podcast episode about wheat berries that I had a long-forgotten bucket of wheat berries in a corner of our basement. They were still fresh and viable, even though I had ignored them for years, which was super handy when the flour shortage hit.

2. Wheat Berries are Versatile.

Beyond grinding wheat berries to make your own flour, you can also use them like you would many other grains. You can make oatmeal or porridge with them for breakfast. You can use them as an alternative to rice as a side dish; you can pop them like popcorn; and you can even make sprouts with them (check out my Guide to Growing Sprouts for instructions) for a crunchy and nutritious topping to your salads and sandwiches.

Whole wheat can also be used to feed your livestock by making fodder (I was originally going to feed my wheat berries to the chickens, but with the recent flour shortage, I was super happy that I still had them available to make flour instead).

3. Wheat Berries are Good for You.

Since wheat berries are not processed, they retain their nutritional value much better than ground flour from the store. Wheat berries are an excellent source of fiber, protein, iron, several vitamins, and minerals. And when you grind the wheat berries for immediate use as flour, that flour contains more nutrients than store-bought ground flour since it’s so fresh and has not had any edible parts removed. You can learn more about the health benefits of whole wheat in this article.

Types of Wheat Berries

There are a few different types of wheat berries and it can be a bit confusing when you see all the names and descriptions. The different names are based on a few factors: the color (red or white), the growing season for the wheat berries (winter or spring), and the gluten content (hard or soft).

Hard vs. Soft

Hard varieties generally contain more protein and gluten, while soft varieties usually contain more starch. Soft wheat berries are usually used for pastries and cakes while hard wheat berries are more often used in bread. Hard wheat berries often need a bit of extra time to cook into porridges and other such meals as well.

The good news though is that hard/soft wheat berries can almost always be used interchangeably, but it’s still nice to understand the differences.

P.S. Hard and soft wheat looks and feels practically the same when you look at it in berry-form– you won’t be able to tell the difference unless you have a trained eye.

Red vs. White

1. Red Wheat Berries

Red wheat berries are darker in color than white wheat berries and are used to make whole wheat flour (not to be confused with whole white wheat flour, which comes from white berries). They have a slightly higher protein content and is best used in hearty and heavy bread recipes. People who try to make whole wheat breads with 100% red wheat can sometimes be disappointed because the loaves usually turn out darker and denser.

Hard red wheat berries (both winter and spring varieties) are the classic wheat used in many yeast breads. They can be more difficult to digest due to their  heavy nature and since they are hard, they have a higher gluten content.

2. White Wheat Berries

White wheat berries are used to make whole white wheat flour. They are also slightly lighter in color than red wheat berries. White wheat berries are a good place for bread-making newbies to start, you’ll tend to get a lighter bread with white berries compared to red. However, keep in mind that white wheat flour is still whole wheat— it will not be as fluffy as all-purpose flour, which has been processed and sifted.

Hard white wheat berries are great for making all-purpose white wheat flour and works great for yeast bread recipes. It is also what is most often used in home beer-brewing.

Soft white wheat berries are the lightest colored wheat berries. They are most often used to make pastry flour and are best used in pie crusts, pastries, and cookies.

How Can Wheat Berries Be Used for Cooking?

I mainly use my wheat berries to grind into fresh flour (check the next section below for details on that).

But wheat berries have plenty of other uses, too. Basically, you can use them however you might use rice or other whole grains.

Here are the basics to cooking with wheat berries:

Cooking Wheat Berries:

This is similar to how you cook rice, quinoa, or other grains. Rinse 1 cup of raw wheat berries in a colander in the sink. Bring 2.5 cups water to a boil, add 1 cup of raw wheat berries. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour (or until wheat berries are tender). Drain and fluff with a fork.  This will make approximately 2.5 cups of cooked wheat berries.

Just like with rice or other grains, you can also use your pressure cooker or crockpot to cook wheat berries and save time in the kitchen.

Toasting Wheat Berries:

This is optional, but it can help bring out the nutty flavors of the whole grains. Preheat the oven to 375°F.  Spread the wheat berries on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for about 10 minutes, or until lightly colored.

You can also easily store cooked wheat berries in the refrigerator.  If not using them right away, store the cooked wheat berries in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for up to a week.  Gently reheat in a frying pan over low heat until hot, or serve at room temperature.

Here are a few basic recipes/ideas for using wheat berries:

Breakfast Porridge:

Make cooked wheat berries and add your favorite porridge flavors, such as milk, diced apples, cinnamon, and honey.

Breakfast Parfait:

Top yogurt (homemade yogurt is amazing!) with layers of fruit, nuts, and cooled cooked wheat berries.

Soups:

Use cooked wheat berries in place of rice or lentils in your favorite soup recipes.

Salads:

Add texture and extra protein to your salads with a scoopful of warm or cold cooked wheat berries.

Dinners:

You can add the cooked wheat berries to stuffed peppers, as a side (like you would use rice) with stir-fries, in taco recipes as a topping, and more.

How to Grind Your Own Flour

Freshly-ground whole wheat flour contains more nutrients than whole wheat flours you’ll find at the grocery store since grinding up whole nuts/seeds/grains causes them to lose their quality quickly.

HOWEVER, freshly ground flour does have a few learning curves. For example, depending on the wheat berries you have, it can produce a denser, heavier bread if you don’t know what you’re doing.

If you’ve only ever baked with all-purpose flour, a quick switch to 100% whole wheat can be quite the shock (and leave you with loaves that double as bricks.)

When you grind the wheat berries, the resulting flour is full of air from shooting out of the grinder so measuring freshly ground wheat can also be a bit tricky. Try letting the flour settle for about 30 minutes to let it settle before using it.

It’s best to only grind wheat berries right before you plan to use the flour, as freshly ground wheat berries can go rancid very quickly. Store-bought flours are usually treated or processed in a way to prevent the oils in wheat from turning rancid after grinding so they can be shelf-stable.

Therefore, as tempting as it may be, I don’t suggest grinding 30 pounds of wheat flour to use for later. (One exception to this is if you have room in your freezer to store the fresh flour– freezing helps to slow down the oxidation process.)

It’s wise to only grind enough wheat berries for what you need in your current recipe or for the baking you plant to do that week.  If you do want to grind a little extra, store the freshly-ground flour in the freezer or refrigerator.

How many wheat berries equals one cup of flour?

It’s hard to make a completely accurate ratio, since it depends on the how finely you grind your wheat berries and there will also be extra air in the freshly-ground flour. However, a good rule of thumb is that 1 cup of wheat berries will produce slightly less than 2 cups of flour.

Choosing a Grain Mill for Grinding Wheat Berries

There are plenty of different types of grain mills on the market. Some are stand-alone appliances while others are attachments for your mixer or attach to your counter. There are also vintage hand-cranked ones and electric ones.

It really depends on what works best for you and your kitchen. For example, I started with a huge grain mill that couldn’t fit in my kitchen cupboards before purchasing this smaller Nutri-Mill grain mill that fits better in my kitchen (both stylistically and size).

Lehman’s, my favorite online store for kitchen supplies, has a bunch of grain mill options, varying from hand-cranked to electric on their website.

Keep these things in mind while making your grain mill purchase:

Do you have to feed a large family? If so, you might need a larger grain mill so you can make multiple bread loaves at a time. Otherwise, a smaller one like I have can work great.

What type of space do you have for grain mill in your kitchen? You might only have space for an attachment for your Kitchen-Aid mixer instead of a stand-alone grain mill.

Do you love decorating your kitchen with vintage-looking kitchen pieces? If you like to decorate with your kitchen appliances and/or you have a LOT of patience, you might want a hand-cranking grain mill.

What Other Grains Can Be Ground into Flour with a Grain Mill?

Grain mills can also grind rye, corn, rice, barley, oats, buckwheat, millet, quinoa, lentils, dried beans, seeds, and nuts.

You can even grind popcorn in your grain mill to use as an alternative for corn meal (which I spread on the bottom of my Dutch Oven when I’m making homemade sourdough bread).

Where to Buy Wheat Berries

Eh, it’s normally pretty easy to buy wheat berries, but a lot of locations are sold out right now. However, sometimes you can find wheat berries at normal grocery stores and apparently, even Walmart carries wheat berries from time to time (this probably depends where you live).

Otherwise, check your local natural food store or try to contact a local organic mill (check out my tips here for finding local food sources).

If you can’t find them at local stores, you can also purchase them online. Azure Standard is an online option for many parts of the United States, and they often carry wheat berries. You can also find wheat berries at True Leaf Market and I found some Hard Red Winter Wheat Berries at Lehman’s store.

We have a local organic wheat farmer in our area, and I will be making my future purchases from them.

Don’t want to grind your own wheat, but yet still want to feed your family wholesome flour? There are many great sources for purchasing organic, unbleached flour, both online and most likely local to your area as well.

How to Store Wheat Berries

As long as you store wheat berries properly, they can stay fresh for at least a year or longer.

Store wheat berries in a cool, dry place in an air-tight container with a well-fitting lid.

I store mine in food-grade 5-gallon buckets in our basement, and keep a smaller jar upstairs that I refresh when needed. Something like these would work well.

Cooked wheat berries store very well in the freezer, so you can prepare them in advance so you have quick meals ready as needed. Simply cook them like normal (instructions in an above section), then let them cool completely. Store them in your freezer in a freezer-safe container for 3 months (or a little longer if you like).

All in all, I think a generous supply of whole wheat and a grain mill is a fantastic addition to any everyday preparedness pantry. It’s one of the best ways to protect yourself from future flour shortages, and only expands your homestead skill repertoire.

Happy milling, friends!

More From-Scratch & Heritage Food Tips:

My Heritage Cooking Crash Course will help teach you how to make from-scratch recipes without spending hours in the kitchen

Troubleshooting Sourdough (your questions answered on sourdough troubles)

My super easy & versatile Bread Dough Recipe (for bread, pizza, cinnamon rolls, and more)

The Ultimate Guide to Canning Safety

How to Use a Fermenting Crock

Listen to the Old Fashioned On Purpose podcast episode #107 all about grain mills, flour shortages, and whole wheat:

The post How to Use a Grain Mill to Make Your Own Flour from Wheat Berries appeared first on The Prairie Homestead.

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[krisiunicornio]

May 2020 is a time of planetary retrogrades. Find out how to use this valuable time to realign with your higher purpose for greater peace and prosperity.

Before I formally studied astrology, I was always fascinated with seeing and being present with starlight and pondering the meaning of what I was seeing and experiencing. It seemed I had a relationship, connection, and conversation with the planets long before I truly knew what was happening. I already had a deep interest in plants and herbal medicine, so I began to see the similarities between the planets in the celestial plane and the plants in the terrestrial plane. In all of my studies, I keep coming back to the same idea, which is also a part of my personal journey with yoga: the mind, planets, plants, organ systems, and emotions help me recognize that we are all one. Unity is more important than ever during these unprecedented times.

Live Be Yoga Ambassador Cameron Allen

We have four planets in retrograde in May. What does that mean? When a planet goes into retrograde, the motion of the planet in the sky appears to be going backward relative to Earth’s location in space. But, it’s not. Have you ever driven past another car on the road and it looks like it’s going backward? This is a good analogy for retrograde motion.

See also Your May-June Yoga Horoscope

Retrograde is a time for revision. A retrograde planet is associated with “re-” words, such as review, reflection, revise, reconsider, remember, rebel, return, revive. And for good reason. Even though we are in the midst of difficult times, the stars are primed to help us realign ourselves. There are four planets in retrograde this month, but below I only highlight the three that began in May: Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn. (Sorry Pluto, you’re always getting left out.) Read on to find out how you can align with the planets this month.

Venus: Retrograde from May 12 through June 26, 2020

Venus is the planet of beauty, connected to the senses, pleasure, relationships, and art. From an internal consciousness perspective, Venus is the planet that represents our values and love. During the retrograde period, Venus will be in the sign of Gemini. On a collective level, it is apparent we need to revisit our values. It is time to reassess what is essential in our lives. When we mentally organize our lives around things that aren’t essential, we will eventually be forced to review them

On an individual level, Venus in Gemini brings connection through communication to the forefront. Neptune is involved, muddying the waters of communication and connection. The planet Neptune represents illusions, delusions, acceptance, and forgiveness. In our relationships, confusion results from assumptions of certainty when uncertainty is present. Be sure not to unconsciously project your personal values onto others, as this can cause issues in relationships. Remember: projection is a willful illusion and denial of what is.

Venus retrograde invites you to take the time to reflect, review, and write about what it is that you truly value. What brings you pleasure? What gets you in the world of the five senses? What is your gift to the world?

Get in touch with your senses with this mindful body scan from Tara Brach. 

Jupiter: Retrograde from May 14 through September 13, 2020

Jupiter is the planet of growth, abundance, expansion, and finances. From an internal consciousness perspective, Jupiter represents our beliefs and intuition. During the retrograde period, Jupiter will be in the sign of Capricorn. Jupiter in Capricorn is not the most auspicious location for Jupiter and can cause Jupiter's gifts for expansion to dwindle throughout its journey in Capricorn. On a collective level, we see this playing out clearly in the financial crisis caused by COVID-19, similar to the crash in 2008, which occurred last time Jupiter was in Capricorn. How will we grow from these current stumbling blocks?

On an individual level, Jupiter retrograde is a great time to check in with our vision of truth. What is the story we share with the world? With Jupiter in Capricorn, if our vision of truth is lofty and not grounded in reality then it could simply remain a wishful dream. Getting in tune with what we know intuitively it is always a good thing to do during Jupiter retrograde. This is the time to discard old limiting beliefs that were forced on us by our environment. Jupiter retrograde invites you to revise the old stories that guide your life. Instead, tune into your inner guru to grow. Remember: removing obstacles can create expansion.

Try this sequence from Seane Corn to hone your intuition and activate your third-eye chakra. 

Saturn: Retrograde from May 11 - September 29, 2020

Saturn is the planet of boundaries, responsibility, discipline, authority, limitations, ignorance, mastery, and time. From an internal consciousness perspective, Saturn symbolizes emotional maturity, societal conditioning, resilience, self determination, and understanding. During the retrograde period, Saturn will be in the signs of Aquarius and Capricorn, where it feels most at ease. Saturn possesses eminence in Capricorn and Aquarius, therefore boundaries, responsibility, authority, and structure will be a strong theme. Aquarius also corresponds to technology, innovation, and building for the future.

On a collective level, more people are realizing that when it comes to Saturn's boundaries, many have been left out in the cold. We can look to marginalized communities in any time of crisis to observe the disproportionate amount of damage done due to lack of resources. Once Saturn returns back to Capricorn, restructuring will take place in an attempt to handle the situation more responsibly.

On a personal level, can we reassess how we’ve been conditioned to think about work. I always love the idea that responsibility is about our ability to respond—not that we must complete tasks and check them off a list. With all the uncertainty that exists right now, focusing on reflection and our ability to respond to the changing times is vital.

Emotional maturity comes up during the retrograde period a lot as well. Saturn being the ruler of self-defeat and self-determination is important to understand. The response to trauma, fear, and uncertainty will look different for everyone, depending on resources. Emotional maturity is the capacity to hold space for the range of possibilities that exist. Not everyone is going to want to expand their personal brand and create an online course, some may need to be offline completely to reflect on what is happening in the world. Stepping away from technology can be a good thing.

Uranus, the planet representing liberation and accessing authenticity will influence Saturn’s cycle, indicating that breaking away from the known path is not a question—it’s a given. Stay mindful of personal boundaries related to technology and the amount of access you allow people to have. You are your own authority and being emotionally mature means creating boundaries based on your personal definition. Saturn retrograde invites us to reflect on the structure of our lives. Hold space everyday to find new ways to restructure your life according to your needs.

This belly-breathing meditation from Bo Forbes can help you set healthy boundaries.

Saturn is in retrograde until September 29, 2020

How Each Sign Can Navigate Retrograde Season

Want more? Here’s how this retrograde will impact each astrological sign. Plus, I suggest a practice that can help you stay grounded during this period through Mid-September 2020.

Aries

It may be time to review work and communication. Take time to focus on your spiritual practice in order to find more clarity, flow, ease. Now is the time to slow down the fire, Aries—try this slow flow asana practice to keep you centered during this time.

Taurus

Reacquaint yourself with old beliefs. What do you value beyond material possessions? Focus on the root chakra during this time to keep yourself grounded and stable as you dismantle your perfectionism. Try this root chakra tune-up practice to cultivate a sense of earthiness, radiance, and stability through asana, breath, and meditation.

Gemini

Reinventing ourselves is something we all must do from time to time. Plumb the depths of your psyche to discover what you want and who you want to be. Focus on heart opening practices to create space in the physical body, so you can open yourself to the expanded version of who you desire to become.

Cancer

Reframe your relationships with others as a reflection of what’s going on inside. These reflections can be a way to connect to the divine and not feel overwhelmed. it’s okay to let it all go. Turn on a playlist and get into an ecstatic dance to help you get out of your head and into your body. You gotta feel it to heal it.

Leo

Review your routine and day-to-day structure. Is it in alignment with what you desire to create? Check in with likeminded people who can help you get organized. If you’re trying to establish more structure, focus on the solar plexus, which is all about self-empowerment, so you can assert your willpower and improve your daily habits.

Virgo

How much of your creativity are you actually expressing? If perfection is what you’re shooting for, you’re aiming for the wrong target. Be deliberate about what it is that you want to share with the world and release rigid ideas about it. This is an opportunity for you to learn to let go and go with the flow. Try practicing the art of detachment. No Virgo, everything doesn’t have to be perfect for you to share your gifts with the world.

Libra

Revealing truths held in your emotional body may surface. Check in with your beliefs to gauge whether they belong to you or someone that you want to please. Try this chakra aligning practice to access your highest self, so you can fully step into your autonomy and connect with others from an authentic space.

Scorpio

Communication is important, especially when times are tough. Now’s the time to say what’s on your mind. Practice this throat chakra opener to create spaciousness in the throat so you can speak your authentic truth.

Sagittarius

What do you really value and how are you creating partnerships that help you achieve your goals? Now is the time to do self-inquiry and set intentions so you can fulfill your soul’s desires.

Capricorn

Knowing who you are is always a step-by-step process. If you keep working toward it with patience; you’ll make the necessary adjustments automatically. Bring compassion and stillness into your daily routine to lift the weight from your shoulders. Many of us—especially hard working Caps—tend to hold tension in the neck and shoulders. Consider this neck and shoulder release to soften any tension in those areas.

Aquarius

Right now, you may feel more isolated than usual and may not know exactly what it is that you want to bring into the world with all your unique gifts. Dance, play, and remind yourself that you were once a creative child.If you didn’t have that experience in your childhood, create it now. Tap into your inner child and get playful with these asana poses.

Pisces

Have you been feeling connected to your friends and groups? You may feel ready to reconnect with some, while you may feel disconnected with, =Either way, do what makes you feel comfortable. Any relationship that feels like “home” will be here when this all is over. Deepen your understanding of others, and cultivate sacred connections through a deeper understanding of yoga’s historical teachings. 

See also Here’s Everything You Need to Know About Mercury Retrograde

This year, Yoga Journal's annual ambassador road trip—the Live Be Yoga Tour—is going virtual. We are calling it The Decompression. Recently, we’ve all been asked to journey inward, to take moments of pause and stillness, and to slow down, rest, and prioritize the things we value. Follow the Live Be Yoga 2020 series here, stay connected with us at @livebeyoga on social, and join the movement to find beauty in stillness.

[cedarrrun]

May 2020 is a time of planetary retrogrades. Find out how to use this valuable time to realign with your higher purpose for greater peace and prosperity.

Before I formally studied astrology, I was always fascinated with seeing and being present with starlight and pondering the meaning of what I was seeing and experiencing. It seemed I had a relationship, connection, and conversation with the planets long before I truly knew what was happening. I already had a deep interest in plants and herbal medicine, so I began to see the similarities between the planets in the celestial plane and the plants in the terrestrial plane. In all of my studies, I keep coming back to the same idea, which is also a part of my personal journey with yoga: the mind, planets, plants, organ systems, and emotions help me recognize that we are all one. Unity is more important than ever during these unprecedented times.

Live Be Yoga Ambassador Cameron Allen

We have four planets in retrograde in May. What does that mean? When a planet goes into retrograde, the motion of the planet in the sky appears to be going backward relative to Earth’s location in space. But, it’s not. Have you ever driven past another car on the road and it looks like it’s going backward? This is a good analogy for retrograde motion.

See also Your May-June Yoga Horoscope

Retrograde is a time for revision. A retrograde planet is associated with “re-” words, such as review, reflection, revise, reconsider, remember, rebel, return, revive. And for good reason. Even though we are in the midst of difficult times, the stars are primed to help us realign ourselves. There are four planets in retrograde this month, but below I only highlight the three that began in May: Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn. (Sorry Pluto, you’re always getting left out.) Read on to find out how you can align with the planets this month.

Venus: Retrograde from May 12 through June 26, 2020

Venus is the planet of beauty, connected to the senses, pleasure, relationships, and art. From an internal consciousness perspective, Venus is the planet that represents our values and love. During the retrograde period, Venus will be in the sign of Gemini. On a collective level, it is apparent we need to revisit our values. It is time to reassess what is essential in our lives. When we mentally organize our lives around things that aren’t essential, we will eventually be forced to review them

On an individual level, Venus in Gemini brings connection through communication to the forefront. Neptune is involved, muddying the waters of communication and connection. The planet Neptune represents illusions, delusions, acceptance, and forgiveness. In our relationships, confusion results from assumptions of certainty when uncertainty is present. Be sure not to unconsciously project your personal values onto others, as this can cause issues in relationships. Remember: projection is a willful illusion and denial of what is.

Venus retrograde invites you to take the time to reflect, review, and write about what it is that you truly value. What brings you pleasure? What gets you in the world of the five senses? What is your gift to the world?

Get in touch with your senses with this mindful body scan from Tara Brach. 

Jupiter: Retrograde from May 14 through September 13, 2020

Jupiter is the planet of growth, abundance, expansion, and finances. From an internal consciousness perspective, Jupiter represents our beliefs and intuition. During the retrograde period, Jupiter will be in the sign of Capricorn. Jupiter in Capricorn is not the most auspicious location for Jupiter and can cause Jupiter's gifts for expansion to dwindle throughout its journey in Capricorn. On a collective level, we see this playing out clearly in the financial crisis caused by COVID-19, similar to the crash in 2008, which occurred last time Jupiter was in Capricorn. How will we grow from these current stumbling blocks?

On an individual level, Jupiter retrograde is a great time to check in with our vision of truth. What is the story we share with the world? With Jupiter in Capricorn, if our vision of truth is lofty and not grounded in reality then it could simply remain a wishful dream. Getting in tune with what we know intuitively it is always a good thing to do during Jupiter retrograde. This is the time to discard old limiting beliefs that were forced on us by our environment. Jupiter retrograde invites you to revise the old stories that guide your life. Instead, tune into your inner guru to grow. Remember: removing obstacles can create expansion.

Try this sequence from Seane Corn to hone your intuition and activate your third-eye chakra. 

Saturn: Retrograde from May 11 - September 29, 2020

Saturn is the planet of boundaries, responsibility, discipline, authority, limitations, ignorance, mastery, and time. From an internal consciousness perspective, Saturn symbolizes emotional maturity, societal conditioning, resilience, self determination, and understanding. During the retrograde period, Saturn will be in the signs of Aquarius and Capricorn, where it feels most at ease. Saturn possesses eminence in Capricorn and Aquarius, therefore boundaries, responsibility, authority, and structure will be a strong theme. Aquarius also corresponds to technology, innovation, and building for the future.

On a collective level, more people are realizing that when it comes to Saturn's boundaries, many have been left out in the cold. We can look to marginalized communities in any time of crisis to observe the disproportionate amount of damage done due to lack of resources. Once Saturn returns back to Capricorn, restructuring will take place in an attempt to handle the situation more responsibly.

On a personal level, can we reassess how we’ve been conditioned to think about work. I always love the idea that responsibility is about our ability to respond—not that we must complete tasks and check them off a list. With all the uncertainty that exists right now, focusing on reflection and our ability to respond to the changing times is vital.

Emotional maturity comes up during the retrograde period a lot as well. Saturn being the ruler of self-defeat and self-determination is important to understand. The response to trauma, fear, and uncertainty will look different for everyone, depending on resources. Emotional maturity is the capacity to hold space for the range of possibilities that exist. Not everyone is going to want to expand their personal brand and create an online course, some may need to be offline completely to reflect on what is happening in the world. Stepping away from technology can be a good thing.

Uranus, the planet representing liberation and accessing authenticity will influence Saturn’s cycle, indicating that breaking away from the known path is not a question—it’s a given. Stay mindful of personal boundaries related to technology and the amount of access you allow people to have. You are your own authority and being emotionally mature means creating boundaries based on your personal definition. Saturn retrograde invites us to reflect on the structure of our lives. Hold space everyday to find new ways to restructure your life according to your needs.

This belly-breathing meditation from Bo Forbes can help you set healthy boundaries.

Saturn is in retrograde until September 29, 2020

How Each Sign Can Navigate Retrograde Season

Want more? Here’s how this retrograde will impact each astrological sign. Plus, I suggest a practice that can help you stay grounded during this period through Mid-September 2020.

Aries

It may be time to review work and communication. Take time to focus on your spiritual practice in order to find more clarity, flow, ease. Now is the time to slow down the fire, Aries—try this slow flow asana practice to keep you centered during this time.

Taurus

Reacquaint yourself with old beliefs. What do you value beyond material possessions? Focus on the root chakra during this time to keep yourself grounded and stable as you dismantle your perfectionism. Try this root chakra tune-up practice to cultivate a sense of earthiness, radiance, and stability through asana, breath, and meditation.

Gemini

Reinventing ourselves is something we all must do from time to time. Plumb the depths of your psyche to discover what you want and who you want to be. Focus on heart opening practices to create space in the physical body, so you can open yourself to the expanded version of who you desire to become.

Cancer

Reframe your relationships with others as a reflection of what’s going on inside. These reflections can be a way to connect to the divine and not feel overwhelmed. it’s okay to let it all go. Turn on a playlist and get into an ecstatic dance to help you get out of your head and into your body. You gotta feel it to heal it.

Leo

Review your routine and day-to-day structure. Is it in alignment with what you desire to create? Check in with likeminded people who can help you get organized. If you’re trying to establish more structure, focus on the solar plexus, which is all about self-empowerment, so you can assert your willpower and improve your daily habits.

Virgo

How much of your creativity are you actually expressing? If perfection is what you’re shooting for, you’re aiming for the wrong target. Be deliberate about what it is that you want to share with the world and release rigid ideas about it. This is an opportunity for you to learn to let go and go with the flow. Try practicing the art of detachment. No Virgo, everything doesn’t have to be perfect for you to share your gifts with the world.

Libra

Revealing truths held in your emotional body may surface. Check in with your beliefs to gauge whether they belong to you or someone that you want to please. Try this chakra aligning practice to access your highest self, so you can fully step into your autonomy and connect with others from an authentic space.

Scorpio

Communication is important, especially when times are tough. Now’s the time to say what’s on your mind. Practice this throat chakra opener to create spaciousness in the throat so you can speak your authentic truth.

Sagittarius

What do you really value and how are you creating partnerships that help you achieve your goals? Now is the time to do self-inquiry and set intentions so you can fulfill your soul’s desires.

Capricorn

Knowing who you are is always a step-by-step process. If you keep working toward it with patience; you’ll make the necessary adjustments automatically. Bring compassion and stillness into your daily routine to lift the weight from your shoulders. Many of us—especially hard working Caps—tend to hold tension in the neck and shoulders. Consider this neck and shoulder release to soften any tension in those areas.

Aquarius

Right now, you may feel more isolated than usual and may not know exactly what it is that you want to bring into the world with all your unique gifts. Dance, play, and remind yourself that you were once a creative child.If you didn’t have that experience in your childhood, create it now. Tap into your inner child and get playful with these asana poses.

Pisces

Have you been feeling connected to your friends and groups? You may feel ready to reconnect with some, while you may feel disconnected with, =Either way, do what makes you feel comfortable. Any relationship that feels like “home” will be here when this all is over. Deepen your understanding of others, and cultivate sacred connections through a deeper understanding of yoga’s historical teachings. 

See also Here’s Everything You Need to Know About Mercury Retrograde

This year, Yoga Journal's annual ambassador road trip—the Live Be Yoga Tour—is going virtual. We are calling it The Decompression. Recently, we’ve all been asked to journey inward, to take moments of pause and stillness, and to slow down, rest, and prioritize the things we value. Follow the Live Be Yoga 2020 series here, stay connected with us at @livebeyoga on social, and join the movement to find beauty in stillness.

[amyddaniels]

Retrograde Season: A Time to Reflect and Decompress

May 2020 is a time of planetary retrogrades. Find out how to use this valuable time to realign with your higher purpose for greater peace and prosperity.

Before I formally studied astrology, I was always fascinated with seeing and being present with starlight and pondering the meaning of what I was seeing and experiencing. It seemed I had a relationship, connection, and conversation with the planets long before I truly knew what was happening. I already had a deep interest in plants and herbal medicine, so I began to see the similarities between the planets in the celestial plane and the plants in the terrestrial plane. In all of my studies, I keep coming back to the same idea, which is also a part of my personal journey with yoga: the mind, planets, plants, organ systems, and emotions help me recognize that we are all one. Unity is more important than ever during these unprecedented times.

Live Be Yoga Ambassador Cameron Allen

We have four planets in retrograde in May. What does that mean? When a planet goes into retrograde, the motion of the planet in the sky appears to be going backward relative to Earth’s location in space. But, it’s not. Have you ever driven past another car on the road and it looks like it’s going backward? This is a good analogy for retrograde motion.

See also Your May-June Yoga Horoscope

Retrograde is a time for revision. A retrograde planet is associated with “re-” words, such as review, reflection, revise, reconsider, remember, rebel, return, revive. And for good reason. Even though we are in the midst of difficult times, the stars are primed to help us realign ourselves. There are four planets in retrograde this month, but below I only highlight the three that began in May: Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn. (Sorry Pluto, you’re always getting left out.) Read on to find out how you can align with the planets this month.

Venus: Retrograde from May 12 through June 26, 2020

Venus is the planet of beauty, connected to the senses, pleasure, relationships, and art. From an internal consciousness perspective, Venus is the planet that represents our values and love. During the retrograde period, Venus will be in the sign of Gemini. On a collective level, it is apparent we need to revisit our values. It is time to reassess what is essential in our lives. When we mentally organize our lives around things that aren’t essential, we will eventually be forced to review them

On an individual level, Venus in Gemini brings connection through communication to the forefront. Neptune is involved, muddying the waters of communication and connection. The planet Neptune represents illusions, delusions, acceptance, and forgiveness. In our relationships, confusion results from assumptions of certainty when uncertainty is present. Be sure not to unconsciously project your personal values onto others, as this can cause issues in relationships. Remember: projection is a willful illusion and denial of what is.

Venus retrograde invites you to take the time to reflect, review, and write about what it is that you truly value. What brings you pleasure? What gets you in the world of the five senses? What is your gift to the world?

Get in touch with your senses with this mindful body scan from Tara Brach. 

Jupiter: Retrograde from May 14 through September 13, 2020

Jupiter is the planet of growth, abundance, expansion, and finances. From an internal consciousness perspective, Jupiter represents our beliefs and intuition. During the retrograde period, Jupiter will be in the sign of Capricorn. Jupiter in Capricorn is not the most auspicious location for Jupiter and can cause Jupiter's gifts for expansion to dwindle throughout its journey in Capricorn. On a collective level, we see this playing out clearly in the financial crisis caused by COVID-19, similar to the crash in 2008, which occurred last time Jupiter was in Capricorn. How will we grow from these current stumbling blocks?

On an individual level, Jupiter retrograde is a great time to check in with our vision of truth. What is the story we share with the world? With Jupiter in Capricorn, if our vision of truth is lofty and not grounded in reality then it could simply remain a wishful dream. Getting in tune with what we know intuitively it is always a good thing to do during Jupiter retrograde. This is the time to discard old limiting beliefs that were forced on us by our environment. Jupiter retrograde invites you to revise the old stories that guide your life. Instead, tune into your inner guru to grow. Remember: removing obstacles can create expansion.

Try this sequence from Seane Corn to hone your intuition and activate your third-eye chakra. 

Saturn: Retrograde from May 11 - September 29, 2020

Saturn is the planet of boundaries, responsibility, discipline, authority, limitations, ignorance, mastery, and time. From an internal consciousness perspective, Saturn symbolizes emotional maturity, societal conditioning, resilience, self determination, and understanding. During the retrograde period, Saturn will be in the signs of Aquarius and Capricorn, where it feels most at ease. Saturn possesses eminence in Capricorn and Aquarius, therefore boundaries, responsibility, authority, and structure will be a strong theme. Aquarius also corresponds to technology, innovation, and building for the future.

On a collective level, more people are realizing that when it comes to Saturn's boundaries, many have been left out in the cold. We can look to marginalized communities in any time of crisis to observe the disproportionate amount of damage done due to lack of resources. Once Saturn returns back to Capricorn, restructuring will take place in an attempt to handle the situation more responsibly.

On a personal level, can we reassess how we’ve been conditioned to think about work. I always love the idea that responsibility is about our ability to respond—not that we must complete tasks and check them off a list. With all the uncertainty that exists right now, focusing on reflection and our ability to respond to the changing times is vital.

Emotional maturity comes up during the retrograde period a lot as well. Saturn being the ruler of self-defeat and self-determination is important to understand. The response to trauma, fear, and uncertainty will look different for everyone, depending on resources. Emotional maturity is the capacity to hold space for the range of possibilities that exist. Not everyone is going to want to expand their personal brand and create an online course, some may need to be offline completely to reflect on what is happening in the world. Stepping away from technology can be a good thing.

Uranus, the planet representing liberation and accessing authenticity will influence Saturn’s cycle, indicating that breaking away from the known path is not a question—it’s a given. Stay mindful of personal boundaries related to technology and the amount of access you allow people to have. You are your own authority and being emotionally mature means creating boundaries based on your personal definition. Saturn retrograde invites us to reflect on the structure of our lives. Hold space everyday to find new ways to restructure your life according to your needs.

This belly-breathing meditation from Bo Forbes can help you set healthy boundaries.

Saturn is in retrograde until September 29, 2020

How Each Sign Can Navigate Retrograde Season

Want more? Here’s how this retrograde will impact each astrological sign. Plus, I suggest a practice that can help you stay grounded during this period through Mid-September 2020.

Aries

It may be time to review work and communication. Take time to focus on your spiritual practice in order to find more clarity, flow, ease. Now is the time to slow down the fire, Aries—try this slow flow asana practice to keep you centered during this time.

Taurus

Reacquaint yourself with old beliefs. What do you value beyond material possessions? Focus on the root chakra during this time to keep yourself grounded and stable as you dismantle your perfectionism. Try this root chakra tune-up practice to cultivate a sense of earthiness, radiance, and stability through asana, breath, and meditation.

Gemini

Reinventing ourselves is something we all must do from time to time. Plumb the depths of your psyche to discover what you want and who you want to be. Focus on heart opening practices to create space in the physical body, so you can open yourself to the expanded version of who you desire to become.

Cancer

Reframe your relationships with others as a reflection of what’s going on inside. These reflections can be a way to connect to the divine and not feel overwhelmed. it’s okay to let it all go. Turn on a playlist and get into an ecstatic dance to help you get out of your head and into your body. You gotta feel it to heal it.

Leo

Review your routine and day-to-day structure. Is it in alignment with what you desire to create? Check in with likeminded people who can help you get organized. If you’re trying to establish more structure, focus on the solar plexus, which is all about self-empowerment, so you can assert your willpower and improve your daily habits.

Virgo

How much of your creativity are you actually expressing? If perfection is what you’re shooting for, you’re aiming for the wrong target. Be deliberate about what it is that you want to share with the world and release rigid ideas about it. This is an opportunity for you to learn to let go and go with the flow. Try practicing the art of detachment. No Virgo, everything doesn’t have to be perfect for you to share your gifts with the world.

Libra

Revealing truths held in your emotional body may surface. Check in with your beliefs to gauge whether they belong to you or someone that you want to please. Try this chakra aligning practice to access your highest self, so you can fully step into your autonomy and connect with others from an authentic space.

Scorpio

Communication is important, especially when times are tough. Now’s the time to say what’s on your mind. Practice this throat chakra opener to create spaciousness in the throat so you can speak your authentic truth.

Sagittarius

What do you really value and how are you creating partnerships that help you achieve your goals? Now is the time to do self-inquiry and set intentions so you can fulfill your soul’s desires.

Capricorn

Knowing who you are is always a step-by-step process. If you keep working toward it with patience; you’ll make the necessary adjustments automatically. Bring compassion and stillness into your daily routine to lift the weight from your shoulders. Many of us—especially hard working Caps—tend to hold tension in the neck and shoulders. Consider this neck and shoulder release to soften any tension in those areas.

Aquarius

Right now, you may feel more isolated than usual and may not know exactly what it is that you want to bring into the world with all your unique gifts. Dance, play, and remind yourself that you were once a creative child.If you didn’t have that experience in your childhood, create it now. Tap into your inner child and get playful with these asana poses.

Pisces

Have you been feeling connected to your friends and groups? You may feel ready to reconnect with some, while you may feel disconnected with, =Either way, do what makes you feel comfortable. Any relationship that feels like “home” will be here when this all is over. Deepen your understanding of others, and cultivate sacred connections through a deeper understanding of yoga’s historical teachings. 

See also Here’s Everything You Need to Know About Mercury Retrograde

This year, Yoga Journal's annual ambassador road trip—the Live Be Yoga Tour—is going virtual. We are calling it The Decompression. Recently, we’ve all been asked to journey inward, to take moments of pause and stillness, and to slow down, rest, and prioritize the things we value. Follow the Live Be Yoga 2020 series here, stay connected with us at @livebeyoga on social, and join the movement to find beauty in stillness.

[ellefsonbeblandadr70insuran-blog]

how much is car insurance for a jeep wrangler unlimited

how much is car insurance for a jeep wrangler unlimited

how much is car insurance for a jeep wrangler unlimited

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[lauramalchowblog]

Dry Fasting: Is It Worth It?

Today’s post is about dry fasting. I’ve covered plenty of other aspects of intermittent fasting, including recommendations around longer fasts, but lately I’ve gotten enough questions about this particular angle that I thought I’d address it.

Dry fasting is going without both food and fluid. That means no coffee, no tea, no broth, and no water or liquid of any kind (except the saliva you manage to produce). It’s an extreme type of fast whose fans and practitioners are adamant that it can resolve serious health issues. But does it? Is it safe? And what kind of research is available on it?

Where Does the Idea of Therapeutic Dry Fasting Come From?

The main proponent of dry fasting is a Russian doctor named Sergei Filonov. Filonov is still practicing from what I can tell, somewhere in the Altai mountains that span Central Asia. I found a very rough English translation of his book—Dry Medical Fasting: Myths and Realities. Difficult to read in full because it’s not a professional translation, but manageable in small chunks.

His basic thesis is that dry fasting creates a competitive environment between healthy cells, unhealthy cells, and pathogens for a scarce resource: water. The dry fast acts as a powerful selective pressure, allowing the strong cells to survive and the weak and dangerous cells to die off. The end result, according to Filonov, is that the immune system burns through the weak cells for energy and to conserve water for the viable cells, leading to a stronger organism overall. He points to how animals in nature will hole up in a safe, comfortable spot and take neither food nor water when recovering from serious conditions, illness, or injuries that prevent them from moving around. But when they’re able to move while recovering from more minor issues, they’ll drink water and abstain from food. I’m partial to this naturalistic line of thought, but I don’t know if the claims about animal behavior during sickness are true.

Another claim is that dry fasting speeds up fat loss relative to fasts that include water. There may be something to this, as body fat is actually a source of “metabolic water”—internal water the body can turn to when exogenous water is limited. Burning 100 grams of fat produces 110 grams of water, whereas burning the same amount of carbohydrate produces just 50 grams of water.

Are There Any Dry Fasting Studies?

Unfortunately, we don’t have many long term dry fasting studies. In fact, we have one 5-day study in healthy adults. For five days, ten healthy adults refrained from eating food or drinking water. Multiple physiological parameters were tracked daily, including bodyweight, kidney function, heart rate, electrolyte status, and circumference of the waist, hip, neck, and chest.

Participants lost weight (over 2 pounds a day) and inches off of various circumferences, including waist, hip, neck, and chest. The drop in waist circumference was particularly large—about eight centimeters by day five. Blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen saturation, sodium and potassium levels, creatinine, and urea all remained stable throughout the study. Creatinine clearance—which can be a marker of muscle breakdown but also a normal artifact of fasting—increased by up to 167%.

The most voluminous research we have on dry fasting is the Ramadan literature. During the month of Ramadan, practicing Muslims complete a daily dry fast—from sunup to sundown—every single day. They eat no food and drink no fluids during daylight hours, which, in the countries where Islam originally arose, run about 15-16 hours. These are shorter dry fasts than the 5-day fast detailed above.

What happens to health markers during Ramadan? Mostly good things.

Almost everyone loses body fat. Few lose muscle. There’s no sign of overt dehydration.

In fatty liver patients, Ramadan fasting lowers blood glucose, insulin levels, inflammatory markers.

In obese and overweight subjects, Ramadan fasting lowers inflammatory markers, body weight, and insulin resistance.

In obese adults, Ramadan fasting improves the lipid profile.

Athletic performance is compromised during Ramadan (like impaired maximal force production of the muscles), though not as much as you’d expect.

A 15- or 16- hour dry fast isn’t very extreme, even in the hot climates of the Near East. Two or three day-long dry fasts, particularly in hot weather, is another thing entirely. What works and is safe across 16 hours might not be safe or effective over three or four days.

I wonder if there’s a genetic component to dry fasting tolerance, too. Have populations who’ve spent thousands of years in hot, dry, desert-like climates developed greater genetic tolerance of periods without water? I find it likely, though I haven’t seen any genetic data one way or the other. It’s an interesting thing to ponder.

Is Dry Fasting Safe?

Obviously, skipping water can be dangerous. While we’ve seen people go without food for as long as a year (provided you have enough adipose tissue to burn, take vitamins and minerals, and are under medical supervision), going without water is a riskier proposal. The number I’ve always heard was three weeks without food, three days without water, though I’ve never really seen it substantiated or sourced.

One reason I’m skeptical of “three days” as a hard and fast rule is that most cases of people dying of dehydration occur in dire circumstances. People are lost out in the wilderness, hiking around in vain trying to find their way back to the trailhead. They’re thrown in jail after a night out drinking and forgotten by the guards for three days. They’re spending 24 hours dancing in a tent in the desert on multiple psychoactive drugs. These are extreme situations that really increase the need for water. Your water requirements will be much higher if you’re hiking around in hot weather bathing in stress-induced cortisol and adrenaline, or dancing hard for hours on end. Very rarely do we hear of people setting out to abstain from water on purpose for medical benefits, water on hand in case things go south, and ending up dehydrated. Part of the reason is that very few people are dry fasting, so the pool of potential evidence is miniscule. I imagine this last group will have more leeway.

Still, if you’re going to try dry fasting, you have to take some basic precautions.

6 Precautions To Take When Dry Fasting

1. Get Your Doctor’s Okay

Sure, most will be skeptical at best, but I’d still advise not skipping this step—particularly if you have a health condition or take any kind of medication. Diuretics (often used for blood pressure management), for one example, add another layer to this picture.

2. No Exercise

Avoid anything more intense than walking. For one, the hypohydration will predispose you to middling results, increasing cortisol and reducing testosterone. Two, the hypohydration may progress rapidly to dehydration. If you’re going to exercise during a dry fast, “break” the fast with water first and then train.

3. Keep It Brief

Yes, there was the 5-day study, but those people were being monitored by doctors every single day. I’d say 16-24 hours is a safe upper limit and probably provides most of the benefits (as Ramadan literature shows). Any longer, buyer beware. (And, of course, make sure you get fully hydrated in between any dry fasts you might do.)

4. Fast While You Sleep

Ramadan-style probably isn’t ideal from a pure physiological standpoint. The length (16 hours) is great, but the eating schedule is not. Those who observe Ramadan fasting ritual often wake up before sunrise to fit in food. They may stay up late to eat more. They go to sleep in a well-fed state, never quite taking advantage of the 8 hours of “free” fasting time sleep usually provides (and, of course, that’s not what their fasting practice is about). For a health-motivated dry fast, on the other hand, you should take advantage of it.

5. Take Weather Into Account

Hot, humid weather will generally cause the most water loss. Cold, dry weather will cause the least. Adjust your dry fasting duration accordingly.

6. Listen To Your Body

I’ve said this a million times, but it’s especially worth saying here. If you’re not feeling well during the dry fast, listen to your instinct rather than your agenda. (And don’t begin a dry fast when you’re ill. That should go without saying.) This is an optional tool. There are hundreds of other ways to serve your health and well-being. Don’t lose the forest through the trees because you’re drawn to a practice that feels more radical. Approach it smartly, but let your body’s intuition be the final arbiter.

That’s it for me. I haven’t done any dry fasting, not on purpose at least, and I’m not particularly interested in it for myself, but I am interested in your experiences. Do any of you do dry fasting? What have you noticed? What do you recommend?

As always, if you have any questions, direct them down below. Thanks for reading!

(function($) { $("#dfN5Grp").load("https://www.marksdailyapple.com/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?action=dfads_ajax_load_ads&groups=674&limit=1&orderby=random&order=ASC&container_id=&container_html=none&container_class=&ad_html=div&ad_class=&callback_function=&return_javascript=0&_block_id=dfN5Grp" ); })( jQuery );

window.onload=function(){ga('send', { hitType: 'event', eventCategory: 'Ad Impression', eventAction: '84457' });}

References:

Mascioli SR, Bantle JP, Freier EF, Hoogwerf BJ. Artifactual elevation of serum creatinine level due to fasting. Arch Intern Med. 1984;144(8):1575-6.

Fernando HA, Zibellini J, Harris RA, Seimon RV, Sainsbury A. Effect of Ramadan Fasting on Weight and Body Composition in Healthy Non-Athlete Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Nutrients. 2019;11(2)

Fahrial syam A, Suryani sobur C, Abdullah M, Makmun D. Ramadan Fasting Decreases Body Fat but Not Protein Mass. Int J Endocrinol Metab. 2016;14(1):e29687.

Aliasghari F, Izadi A, Gargari BP, Ebrahimi S. The Effects of Ramadan Fasting on Body Composition, Blood Pressure, Glucose Metabolism, and Markers of Inflammation in NAFLD Patients: An Observational Trial. J Am Coll Nutr. 2017;36(8):640-645.

Unalacak M, Kara IH, Baltaci D, Erdem O, Bucaktepe PG. Effects of Ramadan fasting on biochemical and hematological parameters and cytokines in healthy and obese individuals. Metab Syndr Relat Disord. 2011;9(2):157-61.

Saleh SA, El-kemery TA, Farrag KA, et al. Ramadan fasting: relation to atherogenic risk among obese Muslims. J Egypt Public Health Assoc. 2004;79(5-6):461-83.

Gueldich H, Zghal F, Borji R, Chtourou H, Sahli S, Rebai H. The effects of Ramadan intermittent fasting on the underlying mechanisms of force production capacity during maximal isometric voluntary contraction. Chronobiol Int. 2019;36(5):698-708.

Shephard RJ. Ramadan and sport: minimizing effects upon the observant athlete. Sports Med. 2013;43(12):1217-41.

The post Dry Fasting: Is It Worth It? appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.

Dry Fasting: Is It Worth It? published first on https://venabeahan.tumblr.com

[jesseneufeld]

Dry Fasting: Is It Worth It?

Today’s post is about dry fasting. I’ve covered plenty of other aspects of intermittent fasting, including recommendations around longer fasts, but lately I’ve gotten enough questions about this particular angle that I thought I’d address it.

Dry fasting is going without both food and fluid. That means no coffee, no tea, no broth, and no water or liquid of any kind (except the saliva you manage to produce). It’s an extreme type of fast whose fans and practitioners are adamant that it can resolve serious health issues. But does it? Is it safe? And what kind of research is available on it?

Where Does the Idea of Therapeutic Dry Fasting Come From?

The main proponent of dry fasting is a Russian doctor named Sergei Filonov. Filonov is still practicing from what I can tell, somewhere in the Altai mountains that span Central Asia. I found a very rough English translation of his book—Dry Medical Fasting: Myths and Realities. Difficult to read in full because it’s not a professional translation, but manageable in small chunks.

His basic thesis is that dry fasting creates a competitive environment between healthy cells, unhealthy cells, and pathogens for a scarce resource: water. The dry fast acts as a powerful selective pressure, allowing the strong cells to survive and the weak and dangerous cells to die off. The end result, according to Filonov, is that the immune system burns through the weak cells for energy and to conserve water for the viable cells, leading to a stronger organism overall. He points to how animals in nature will hole up in a safe, comfortable spot and take neither food nor water when recovering from serious conditions, illness, or injuries that prevent them from moving around. But when they’re able to move while recovering from more minor issues, they’ll drink water and abstain from food. I’m partial to this naturalistic line of thought, but I don’t know if the claims about animal behavior during sickness are true.

Another claim is that dry fasting speeds up fat loss relative to fasts that include water. There may be something to this, as body fat is actually a source of “metabolic water”—internal water the body can turn to when exogenous water is limited. Burning 100 grams of fat produces 110 grams of water, whereas burning the same amount of carbohydrate produces just 50 grams of water.

Are There Any Dry Fasting Studies?

Unfortunately, we don’t have many long term dry fasting studies. In fact, we have one 5-day study in healthy adults. For five days, ten healthy adults refrained from eating food or drinking water. Multiple physiological parameters were tracked daily, including bodyweight, kidney function, heart rate, electrolyte status, and circumference of the waist, hip, neck, and chest.

Participants lost weight (over 2 pounds a day) and inches off of various circumferences, including waist, hip, neck, and chest. The drop in waist circumference was particularly large—about eight centimeters by day five. Blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen saturation, sodium and potassium levels, creatinine, and urea all remained stable throughout the study. Creatinine clearance—which can be a marker of muscle breakdown but also a normal artifact of fasting—increased by up to 167%.

The most voluminous research we have on dry fasting is the Ramadan literature. During the month of Ramadan, practicing Muslims complete a daily dry fast—from sunup to sundown—every single day. They eat no food and drink no fluids during daylight hours, which, in the countries where Islam originally arose, run about 15-16 hours. These are shorter dry fasts than the 5-day fast detailed above.

What happens to health markers during Ramadan? Mostly good things.

Almost everyone loses body fat. Few lose muscle. There’s no sign of overt dehydration.

In fatty liver patients, Ramadan fasting lowers blood glucose, insulin levels, inflammatory markers.

In obese and overweight subjects, Ramadan fasting lowers inflammatory markers, body weight, and insulin resistance.

In obese adults, Ramadan fasting improves the lipid profile.

Athletic performance is compromised during Ramadan (like impaired maximal force production of the muscles), though not as much as you’d expect.

A 15- or 16- hour dry fast isn’t very extreme, even in the hot climates of the Near East. Two or three day-long dry fasts, particularly in hot weather, is another thing entirely. What works and is safe across 16 hours might not be safe or effective over three or four days.

I wonder if there’s a genetic component to dry fasting tolerance, too. Have populations who’ve spent thousands of years in hot, dry, desert-like climates developed greater genetic tolerance of periods without water? I find it likely, though I haven’t seen any genetic data one way or the other. It’s an interesting thing to ponder.

Is Dry Fasting Safe?

Obviously, skipping water can be dangerous. While we’ve seen people go without food for as long as a year (provided you have enough adipose tissue to burn, take vitamins and minerals, and are under medical supervision), going without water is a riskier proposal. The number I’ve always heard was three weeks without food, three days without water, though I’ve never really seen it substantiated or sourced.

One reason I’m skeptical of “three days” as a hard and fast rule is that most cases of people dying of dehydration occur in dire circumstances. People are lost out in the wilderness, hiking around in vain trying to find their way back to the trailhead. They’re thrown in jail after a night out drinking and forgotten by the guards for three days. They’re spending 24 hours dancing in a tent in the desert on multiple psychoactive drugs. These are extreme situations that really increase the need for water. Your water requirements will be much higher if you’re hiking around in hot weather bathing in stress-induced cortisol and adrenaline, or dancing hard for hours on end. Very rarely do we hear of people setting out to abstain from water on purpose for medical benefits, water on hand in case things go south, and ending up dehydrated. Part of the reason is that very few people are dry fasting, so the pool of potential evidence is miniscule. I imagine this last group will have more leeway.

Still, if you’re going to try dry fasting, you have to take some basic precautions.

6 Precautions To Take When Dry Fasting

1. Get Your Doctor’s Okay

Sure, most will be skeptical at best, but I’d still advise not skipping this step—particularly if you have a health condition or take any kind of medication. Diuretics (often used for blood pressure management), for one example, add another layer to this picture.

2. No Exercise

Avoid anything more intense than walking. For one, the hypohydration will predispose you to middling results, increasing cortisol and reducing testosterone. Two, the hypohydration may progress rapidly to dehydration. If you’re going to exercise during a dry fast, “break” the fast with water first and then train.

3. Keep It Brief

Yes, there was the 5-day study, but those people were being monitored by doctors every single day. I’d say 16-24 hours is a safe upper limit and probably provides most of the benefits (as Ramadan literature shows). Any longer, buyer beware. (And, of course, make sure you get fully hydrated in between any dry fasts you might do.)

4. Fast While You Sleep

Ramadan-style probably isn’t ideal from a pure physiological standpoint. The length (16 hours) is great, but the eating schedule is not. Those who observe Ramadan fasting ritual often wake up before sunrise to fit in food. They may stay up late to eat more. They go to sleep in a well-fed state, never quite taking advantage of the 8 hours of “free” fasting time sleep usually provides (and, of course, that’s not what their fasting practice is about). For a health-motivated dry fast, on the other hand, you should take advantage of it.

5. Take Weather Into Account

Hot, humid weather will generally cause the most water loss. Cold, dry weather will cause the least. Adjust your dry fasting duration accordingly.

6. Listen To Your Body

I’ve said this a million times, but it’s especially worth saying here. If you’re not feeling well during the dry fast, listen to your instinct rather than your agenda. (And don’t begin a dry fast when you’re ill. That should go without saying.) This is an optional tool. There are hundreds of other ways to serve your health and well-being. Don’t lose the forest through the trees because you’re drawn to a practice that feels more radical. Approach it smartly, but let your body’s intuition be the final arbiter.

That’s it for me. I haven’t done any dry fasting, not on purpose at least, and I’m not particularly interested in it for myself, but I am interested in your experiences. Do any of you do dry fasting? What have you noticed? What do you recommend?

As always, if you have any questions, direct them down below. Thanks for reading!

(function($) { $("#dfqq8mS").load("https://www.marksdailyapple.com/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?action=dfads_ajax_load_ads&groups=674&limit=1&orderby=random&order=ASC&container_id=&container_html=none&container_class=&ad_html=div&ad_class=&callback_function=&return_javascript=0&_block_id=dfqq8mS" ); })( jQuery );

window.onload=function(){ga('send', { hitType: 'event', eventCategory: 'Ad Impression', eventAction: '72277' });}

References:

Mascioli SR, Bantle JP, Freier EF, Hoogwerf BJ. Artifactual elevation of serum creatinine level due to fasting. Arch Intern Med. 1984;144(8):1575-6.

Fernando HA, Zibellini J, Harris RA, Seimon RV, Sainsbury A. Effect of Ramadan Fasting on Weight and Body Composition in Healthy Non-Athlete Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Nutrients. 2019;11(2)

Fahrial syam A, Suryani sobur C, Abdullah M, Makmun D. Ramadan Fasting Decreases Body Fat but Not Protein Mass. Int J Endocrinol Metab. 2016;14(1):e29687.

Aliasghari F, Izadi A, Gargari BP, Ebrahimi S. The Effects of Ramadan Fasting on Body Composition, Blood Pressure, Glucose Metabolism, and Markers of Inflammation in NAFLD Patients: An Observational Trial. J Am Coll Nutr. 2017;36(8):640-645.

Unalacak M, Kara IH, Baltaci D, Erdem O, Bucaktepe PG. Effects of Ramadan fasting on biochemical and hematological parameters and cytokines in healthy and obese individuals. Metab Syndr Relat Disord. 2011;9(2):157-61.

Saleh SA, El-kemery TA, Farrag KA, et al. Ramadan fasting: relation to atherogenic risk among obese Muslims. J Egypt Public Health Assoc. 2004;79(5-6):461-83.

Gueldich H, Zghal F, Borji R, Chtourou H, Sahli S, Rebai H. The effects of Ramadan intermittent fasting on the underlying mechanisms of force production capacity during maximal isometric voluntary contraction. Chronobiol Int. 2019;36(5):698-708.

Shephard RJ. Ramadan and sport: minimizing effects upon the observant athlete. Sports Med. 2013;43(12):1217-41.

The post Dry Fasting: Is It Worth It? appeared first on Mark's Daily Apple.

Dry Fasting: Is It Worth It? published first on https://drugaddictionsrehab.tumblr.com/

[cynthiamwashington]

Dry Fasting: Is It Worth It?

Today’s post is about dry fasting. I’ve covered plenty of other aspects of intermittent fasting, including recommendations around longer fasts, but lately I’ve gotten enough questions about this particular angle that I thought I’d address it.

Dry fasting is going without both food and fluid. That means no coffee, no tea, no broth, and no water or liquid of any kind (except the saliva you manage to produce). It’s an extreme type of fast whose fans and practitioners are adamant that it can resolve serious health issues. But does it? Is it safe? And what kind of research is available on it?

Where Does the Idea of Therapeutic Dry Fasting Come From?

The main proponent of dry fasting is a Russian doctor named Sergei Filonov. Filonov is still practicing from what I can tell, somewhere in the Altai mountains that span Central Asia. I found a very rough English translation of his book—Dry Medical Fasting: Myths and Realities. Difficult to read in full because it’s not a professional translation, but manageable in small chunks.

His basic thesis is that dry fasting creates a competitive environment between healthy cells, unhealthy cells, and pathogens for a scarce resource: water. The dry fast acts as a powerful selective pressure, allowing the strong cells to survive and the weak and dangerous cells to die off. The end result, according to Filonov, is that the immune system burns through the weak cells for energy and to conserve water for the viable cells, leading to a stronger organism overall. He points to how animals in nature will hole up in a safe, comfortable spot and take neither food nor water when recovering from serious conditions, illness, or injuries that prevent them from moving around. But when they’re able to move while recovering from more minor issues, they’ll drink water and abstain from food. I’m partial to this naturalistic line of thought, but I don’t know if the claims about animal behavior during sickness are true.

Another claim is that dry fasting speeds up fat loss relative to fasts that include water. There may be something to this, as body fat is actually a source of “metabolic water”—internal water the body can turn to when exogenous water is limited. Burning 100 grams of fat produces 110 grams of water, whereas burning the same amount of carbohydrate produces just 50 grams of water.

Are There Any Dry Fasting Studies?

Unfortunately, we don’t have many long term dry fasting studies. In fact, we have one 5-day study in healthy adults. For five days, ten healthy adults refrained from eating food or drinking water. Multiple physiological parameters were tracked daily, including bodyweight, kidney function, heart rate, electrolyte status, and circumference of the waist, hip, neck, and chest.

Participants lost weight (over 2 pounds a day) and inches off of various circumferences, including waist, hip, neck, and chest. The drop in waist circumference was particularly large—about eight centimeters by day five. Blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen saturation, sodium and potassium levels, creatinine, and urea all remained stable throughout the study. Creatinine clearance—which can be a marker of muscle breakdown but also a normal artifact of fasting—increased by up to 167%.

The most voluminous research we have on dry fasting is the Ramadan literature. During the month of Ramadan, practicing Muslims complete a daily dry fast—from sunup to sundown—every single day. They eat no food and drink no fluids during daylight hours, which, in the countries where Islam originally arose, run about 15-16 hours. These are shorter dry fasts than the 5-day fast detailed above.

What happens to health markers during Ramadan? Mostly good things.

Almost everyone loses body fat. Few lose muscle. There’s no sign of overt dehydration.

In fatty liver patients, Ramadan fasting lowers blood glucose, insulin levels, inflammatory markers.

In obese and overweight subjects, Ramadan fasting lowers inflammatory markers, body weight, and insulin resistance.

In obese adults, Ramadan fasting improves the lipid profile.

Athletic performance is compromised during Ramadan (like impaired maximal force production of the muscles), though not as much as you’d expect.

A 15- or 16- hour dry fast isn’t very extreme, even in the hot climates of the Near East. Two or three day-long dry fasts, particularly in hot weather, is another thing entirely. What works and is safe across 16 hours might not be safe or effective over three or four days.

I wonder if there’s a genetic component to dry fasting tolerance, too. Have populations who’ve spent thousands of years in hot, dry, desert-like climates developed greater genetic tolerance of periods without water? I find it likely, though I haven’t seen any genetic data one way or the other. It’s an interesting thing to ponder.

Is Dry Fasting Safe?

Obviously, skipping water can be dangerous. While we’ve seen people go without food for as long as a year (provided you have enough adipose tissue to burn, take vitamins and minerals, and are under medical supervision), going without water is a riskier proposal. The number I’ve always heard was three weeks without food, three days without water, though I’ve never really seen it substantiated or sourced.

One reason I’m skeptical of “three days” as a hard and fast rule is that most cases of people dying of dehydration occur in dire circumstances. People are lost out in the wilderness, hiking around in vain trying to find their way back to the trailhead. They’re thrown in jail after a night out drinking and forgotten by the guards for three days. They’re spending 24 hours dancing in a tent in the desert on multiple psychoactive drugs. These are extreme situations that really increase the need for water. Your water requirements will be much higher if you’re hiking around in hot weather bathing in stress-induced cortisol and adrenaline, or dancing hard for hours on end. Very rarely do we hear of people setting out to abstain from water on purpose for medical benefits, water on hand in case things go south, and ending up dehydrated. Part of the reason is that very few people are dry fasting, so the pool of potential evidence is miniscule. I imagine this last group will have more leeway.

Still, if you’re going to try dry fasting, you have to take some basic precautions.

6 Precautions To Take When Dry Fasting

1. Get Your Doctor’s Okay

Sure, most will be skeptical at best, but I’d still advise not skipping this step—particularly if you have a health condition or take any kind of medication. Diuretics (often used for blood pressure management), for one example, add another layer to this picture.

2. No Exercise

Avoid anything more intense than walking. For one, the hypohydration will predispose you to middling results, increasing cortisol and reducing testosterone. Two, the hypohydration may progress rapidly to dehydration. If you’re going to exercise during a dry fast, “break” the fast with water first and then train.

3. Keep It Brief

Yes, there was the 5-day study, but those people were being monitored by doctors every single day. I’d say 16-24 hours is a safe upper limit and probably provides most of the benefits (as Ramadan literature shows). Any longer, buyer beware. (And, of course, make sure you get fully hydrated in between any dry fasts you might do.)

4. Fast While You Sleep

Ramadan-style probably isn’t ideal from a pure physiological standpoint. The length (16 hours) is great, but the eating schedule is not. Those who observe Ramadan fasting ritual often wake up before sunrise to fit in food. They may stay up late to eat more. They go to sleep in a well-fed state, never quite taking advantage of the 8 hours of “free” fasting time sleep usually provides (and, of course, that’s not what their fasting practice is about). For a health-motivated dry fast, on the other hand, you should take advantage of it.

5. Take Weather Into Account

Hot, humid weather will generally cause the most water loss. Cold, dry weather will cause the least. Adjust your dry fasting duration accordingly.

6. Listen To Your Body

I’ve said this a million times, but it’s especially worth saying here. If you’re not feeling well during the dry fast, listen to your instinct rather than your agenda. (And don’t begin a dry fast when you’re ill. That should go without saying.) This is an optional tool. There are hundreds of other ways to serve your health and well-being. Don’t lose the forest through the trees because you’re drawn to a practice that feels more radical. Approach it smartly, but let your body’s intuition be the final arbiter.

That’s it for me. I haven’t done any dry fasting, not on purpose at least, and I’m not particularly interested in it for myself, but I am interested in your experiences. Do any of you do dry fasting? What have you noticed? What do you recommend?

As always, if you have any questions, direct them down below. Thanks for reading!

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References:

Mascioli SR, Bantle JP, Freier EF, Hoogwerf BJ. Artifactual elevation of serum creatinine level due to fasting. Arch Intern Med. 1984;144(8):1575-6.

Fernando HA, Zibellini J, Harris RA, Seimon RV, Sainsbury A. Effect of Ramadan Fasting on Weight and Body Composition in Healthy Non-Athlete Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Nutrients. 2019;11(2)

Fahrial syam A, Suryani sobur C, Abdullah M, Makmun D. Ramadan Fasting Decreases Body Fat but Not Protein Mass. Int J Endocrinol Metab. 2016;14(1):e29687.

Aliasghari F, Izadi A, Gargari BP, Ebrahimi S. The Effects of Ramadan Fasting on Body Composition, Blood Pressure, Glucose Metabolism, and Markers of Inflammation in NAFLD Patients: An Observational Trial. J Am Coll Nutr. 2017;36(8):640-645.

Unalacak M, Kara IH, Baltaci D, Erdem O, Bucaktepe PG. Effects of Ramadan fasting on biochemical and hematological parameters and cytokines in healthy and obese individuals. Metab Syndr Relat Disord. 2011;9(2):157-61.

Saleh SA, El-kemery TA, Farrag KA, et al. Ramadan fasting: relation to atherogenic risk among obese Muslims. J Egypt Public Health Assoc. 2004;79(5-6):461-83.

Gueldich H, Zghal F, Borji R, Chtourou H, Sahli S, Rebai H. The effects of Ramadan intermittent fasting on the underlying mechanisms of force production capacity during maximal isometric voluntary contraction. Chronobiol Int. 2019;36(5):698-708.

Shephard RJ. Ramadan and sport: minimizing effects upon the observant athlete. Sports Med. 2013;43(12):1217-41.

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Mel Feller Examines The One Real Estate Investing Strategy For Real Estate Success by Mel Feller

Mel Feller Examines The One Real Estate Investing Strategy For Real Estate Success by Mel Feller

 Mel Feller buys and sells properties Nationwide. Mel has a team of specialist with over 50 years of experience working together to assist you with all your real estate situations. If you have questions, Mel Feller and his team have your answer.

 Real estate investing is an amazing way to achieve financial independence. However, the umbrella of real estate investing contains dozens of different ways to make money using various strategies. How do you focus and choose the best strategy for you?

 While there is no on best real estate strategy for everyone, one strategy will work best for you right now. I wrote this guide to help you figure out what is best for you.

 The guide is a practical tool where you apply what you read to your real estate investing. Therefore, you will get the most out of it by pulling out a pen and paper and brainstorming. At the least, turn off other distractions for a few minutes so that you can think a little deeper about your own situation.

 Let me begin by explaining the five wealth stages of the financial pyramid.

 Five Wealth Stages

 Wealth building is a lot like scaling a pyramid.  Most of us begin at the bottom with very little wealth.  However, as you climb higher on the pyramid and your wealth grows, you begin having money work for you instead of simply trading your time to earn money.

 Eventually, you reach the highest point of the pyramid where your wealth produces enough income that you no longer need to work for money.  You can still work, of course, but now you work completely on your own terms. In addition, you can afford to spend more time on personally rewarding activities like time with family, travel, new hobbies, volunteering, or whatever matters most in your life.

 As you climb, you will pass through five different wealth stages on the way to the highest point. You can look at these stages as financial milestones.

 Survival is the milestone when you are earning some money and getting your bills paid. It is also the place where you are digging yourself back out of financial holes you dug in the past.

Stability is like Dave Ramsey’s first three baby steps. You pay off personal debts. You build cash reserves in the bank. In addition, you build job skills that are in demand and command a better income in the marketplace. I love Dave Ramsey and his sound financial advice.

Saver is the stage where you realize the importance of your savings rate and put it into practice. Building wealth is actually simple, but it is not easy. You need to maximize your income, simultaneously decrease your spending, and set aside a lot of money. Below-average wealth builders save 0-10% of their income, but above-average wealth builders save 25%, 50%, and even 75% of what they bring in. The faster you want to reach financial independence, the more you need to save.

Growth is the stage most of us think of as investing. It is taking your $50,000 nest egg and turning it into $1,000,000. The key is to maximize compounding by reinvesting earnings, buying good assets, and maintaining discipline.

Income is the stage when you already have a large chunk of equity, and you are ready to enjoy the fruits of your wealth-building labor. The objective here is to turn equity into regular income that gives you time, freedom, and flexibility.

Understanding the concept of wealth stages is particularly important as a real estate investor. Your current wealth stage determines in large part which of the dozens of possible strategies are a good fit for you. A certain real estate strategy might sound good on a late night infomercial, but unless it matches with your wealth stage, it is likely a waste of your time, energy, and money.

 So, now for the important question for you.  Which of the five wealth building stages above best describe you? Are you in the stage of survival, stability, saving, growth, or income?

 For now, just choose the stage that best fits you.  Moreover, do not beat yourself up wherever you are. Everyone has to climb the same mountain, and the fact that you are doing it now is all that matters.

 Investing Strategies – The Routes Up the Financial Pyramid

 If wealth stages are the milestones during your climb, a strategy is your plan for how to get up there in the first place.  It is like a particular route that will take you towards the peak of the financial mountain.

 When you play Monopoly, you may begin with a certain strategy, like purchasing all of the green and yellow properties and building houses and hotels on them.  The strategy may change as the game progresses, but in the meantime, it helps you take action with a purpose.

 In real-life real estate investing, your strategy helps you focus. You cannot be successful trying to be good at too many things.  Instead, it is better to choose and master one strategy at a time.

 Keep in mind that later you can move on to different strategies if you want.  However, initially, too many strategies on your plate will just dilute your effectiveness.

 Here are the primary real estate investing strategies.

 Fix and Flip is the strategy of finding real estate that needs work, buying it at a depressed price, fixing it up, and reselling it quickly (typically within 3-6 months) for a profit.

Wholesaling is the strategy of finding real estate deals at low prices and then quickly reselling them to property owners or flippers for a relatively small markup in price although large profits are possible.

Buy and Hold Rentals is the strategy of owning real estate with the intention of renting it to generate income.  The benefits of this strategy include rental income, tax shelter from depreciation expenses, amortization of loans, and price appreciation.

Private Note Investing is the strategy of financing real estate for others. You become the bank, and you receive interest in exchange for extending credit to the borrower.  Borrowers can come from any of the above investment strategies, as well as owner-occupant borrowers.  Before loaning to owner occupants, however, be aware that there are many more restrictions and laws that must first be learned.

Each of these strategies can lead up the financial pyramid.  Each of them has its pluses and minuses.  However, it is likely that one of them is the best place for you to start.

 Now let us begin matching your particular wealth stage to a strategy.

 Here are some ideas for how to match your wealth stage to a general real estate investing strategy.

 Stages 1 & 2:

If you are working on wealth stages 1 or 2 Survival or Stability, you need a job or a simple side-business more than you need investing. Investing takes your cash and you need to put more cash in your pocket right now.

  Wholesaling could also be a viable strategy at this stage if you are good at sales and have a lot of free time.  However, I find it is not always the best place to start for many new investors. It is more of a niche business for people especially suited for it.

 The main point at this stage is to build your financial pyramid. If you try to climb too quickly before you are ready, you are likely to slide back down and never make it to the top.

 Stage 3:

If you are working on wealth stage #3 Saver, increasing your current income should also be a focus. Now that you have a more stable foundation, it might be time to begin the fix and flip strategy.  A great way to start is by flipping your residence i.e. live-in flips. By doing this strategically, you could own your home free and clear of all debt after just a few moves! Alternatively, you could transfer this wealth into other strategies.

 If you want to flip houses other than your home, you may need to leverage the down payment and reserve money of partners or private investors.  Things can go wrong buying and selling real estate, so it’s better to give away more of your profit to partners than to run out of cash and slide back down the mountain.

 At stage 3 you could also begin to buy and hold rentals. Rental real estate is a great forced savings plan. Many people say it is bad that real estate is illiquid or hard to sell. I say it is GOOD.  You may be forced to leave it there and not spend it!

 My favorite place to start with buy and hold rentals is house hacking.  This means you rent out extra bedrooms or units in your residence to help cover your expenses.  You could also move out of your current residence and keep it as a rental as long as it cash flows.  With low-interest, fixed financing in place, this can become a perfect long-term rental.

 Stage 4:

If you are working on stage 4 Growth, you should have the credit, income, and capital to jump into real estate investing in earnest. You could focus on the strategy of fix and flip or buy and hold rentals.

 With buy and hold rentals, choose a more specific method of growth within the larger buy and hold strategy. Some of my favorites are the debt snowball plan, the buy 3-sell 2-keep 1 plan, and the all-cash plan. All of these are specific strategies to consistently and relatively quickly climb the financial pyramidwith rentals.

 If you own an IRA (Individual Retirement Account) at stage 4, you should also consider the strategy of private notes. Certain custodians (I use American IRA) allow you to self-direct your retirement accounts into alternative investments. This means you do not just have to use the traditional options of mutual funds, stocks, and bonds.

 Private notes (i.e. loans) make the ideal IRA investment because you avoid many of the complexities and risks of actually owning the real estate.  In addition, the interest you earn on these notes is not taxed because it all stays inside your retirement account. Through the power of compounding, your retirement account can then grow at a much faster pace.

 Keep in mind that private notes have their risks. You should always prepare for the worst-case scenario, which means you could stop receiving payments.  You would then have to foreclose and become the owner.  If you do not want to own the real estate for the amount you loaned, do not loan the money. Moreover, when you do make a loan, use a qualified attorney to prepare your lending paperwork.

 Stage 5:

For stage 5 real estate investors, the priorities are more income, less hassle, and less risk. Growing wealth can still be a long-term goal, but now it’s time to enjoy the wealth you’ve built. To do that you need free time and free cash flow!

 Buy and hold rentals are still a viable strategy here.  However, you may want to focus on using less advantage in order to increase your cash flow and decrease your risk.  You could use a free and clear plan to figure out how many properties without debt you need to meet your life goals.  If you want to maintain some advantage, you could own some properties free and clear for maximum cash flow.  Then you could own other properties with safe, long-term mortgages to hedge for growth. The main point is to reduce your overall ratio of leverage as a portion of your entire portfolio.

 Using private notes is also an interesting option at this stage because it matches your need for solid income with low-hassle investments.  Just make sure to set aside plenty of reserves in case you need to foreclose on borrowers who do not fulfill their end of the bargain.

 Clarity Breeds Confidence

When you first start (or restart) real estate investing, overwhelm and paralysis are the enemies of your future success.  When you are overwhelmed, you do not take action.  In addition, if you do not take action, you will never make progress or learn the most important lessons that can only be discovered out in the field.

 Choosing a strategy will help you avoid overwhelm. It will help you focus, and as a result, you’ll gain clarity and confidence.

 A strategy certainly is not all you need to know about real estate investing.  It is only the beginning.  However, it is a good start.  In addition, if you have followed along with this exercise to figure out your own wealth stage and real estate investing strategy, the next steps that you need to learn will become clearer for you.

 I am Mel Feller and I am an entrepreneur and a strategist that loves the world of small business. I invest in real estate and teach real estate investing as well as stocks, internet businesses, business consultant and multiple streams of income.  "People hire me for my head, pay me for my heart, and trust me most when I use both,” I have been coaching for over 30 years. Mel has earned his Political Science and Accounting Degree from Weber State University. Mel earned both his Master Degrees from Utah State University; those being Masters in Public Administration and a second Masters in Human Resources with an emphasis in adult education.

 Mel Feller has over three decades of coaching and consulting experience in diverse industries, which provides a rich framework for his organizational insights and creative solutions. I brings a thoughtful approach to his work, carefully integrating both my coaching and consulting skills and abilities. When consulting, my focus is on “what you are doing” (i.e., goal setting, problem solving, taking action and achieving results). When coaching, my focus is on “who you are being” (i.e., how you are leading, aligning your values and tapping your gifts). As a client, they become more consciously aware of how paying attention to – and balancing both – are critically important to their success.

When you combine Mel Feller’s keen insights and engaging style with his in-depth skills, technical certifications and broad industry experience, the result is a uniquely qualified executive coach and organizational consultant.

So... what kind of coach are you?"

I get this question a lot. Moreover, the answer is… I am a Life Coach, Executive Coach, Career Coach, and Business Coach. I coach teens, business executives, authors, artists, entrepreneurs, retired seniors, busy moms and entire organizations.

 “Truth telling, honesty, and candor: I loved you Mel Feller! You have so much energy and knowledge! I truly hope I get another opportunity to be coached by you. I see myself a little clearer now, and it’s not so bad.”

Lisa Mathews

 “Mel Feller you added more value than we can possibly see right now. Mel Feller, you are warm, inviting, and accommodating. Thank you for coming alongside us in this transition!”

Vanessa Cavanaugh

“Mel Feller the best education session that we have attended in many years! Thank you so much — I am very excited to put everything you have taught us into practice!”

Michael Randolph

 “Mr. Mel Feller, Thank you, thank you, thank you for giving a marvelous keynote at our Symposium! While we have not yet collected the official feedback, the unofficial feedback was that You Were a Hit! I heard nothing but compliments regarding your presentations. Thank you for making such a positive impact on our attendees! ”

Lyle Cunningham VP

 "Mel Feller uses his humor, compassion, and direct nature to help bring out the best in me. Mel Feller is committed to helping me live...I mean, really live, life to its fullest."

Jose Rodriguez

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