That's it. I gotta say something

There appears to be a prevailing trend amongst humankind where we use other's supposed genetic disposition to make excuses for our own physical state of well being. It's pathetic, and a glaring reminder of just how lazy and undisciplined we are as a society.

I have heard this so many times "Patrick, you're so lucky you don't have to worry about being fat because you're so naturally skinny." or "You don't know how hard it is to get in shape because you're so skinny already." and "You are just so good at everything you do you don't know what it's like to not be." Hold up, player. Say what? Are you trying to say that I enjoy being 6'4 and a natural 170lbs? Are you saying that I like having bones as sturdy as a bird's? Are you saying I enjoyed being made fun of growing up for being a beanpole and a weak piece of shit? Or maybe you're just looking at my current body composition without giving a single second of thought to the fact that I work my ass off on a daily basis in order to not be mediocre and to be of strong mind and body? Do not minimize my struggles because of your own, and do not use me or anyone else as an excuse for whatever state you put yourself in.

"Whoa, bro. You're being super emo right now. What are you saying? Are you about to write a poem about it?"

First, welcome back to the blog, Fake Question Asking Person. You ran off after that one hot steamy night we shared together after your last fake question. No I'm not going to write a poem. I'm trying to say that everyone has their own mountains to climb, whether they be a physical one or mental, and whether they be fat or skinny. For me, I've always hated being skinny. HATED it. I see jacked NFL linebackers and wish I had that kind of silverback gorilla strength. Do I hold it against them for being infinitely stronger than me, and use that as an excuse for my "poor" genetic make-up? Hell no! I use that as motivation for me to get out there and work as hard as I can in order to get the most out of this poorly pieced together body. You see, it's all in the mindset. If you continue to use other people's body composition and abilities as some sort of sick justification for your own unhealthy state and/or lack of mental fortitude then you will never make any progress and will be stuck in that depressing unhealthy rut for eternity.

"You're just so smart and know everything. I'm not like that so I'm just going to be resigned to be stupid because you're so smart."

F that! Don't look at someone who is smarter than you and get depressed by it. BE INSPIRED BY IT! "Wow, human beings really can be that intelligent? I want to know if I can be that intelligent too!" While the cliche "anything is possible" isn't entirely true, you can do your best to make it as true as possible by actually putting forth a concerted effort to change. Adjust your mindset from one of poverty to one of prosperity. Women are the absolute worst about this. They are so negative and catty, especially when it comes to looking at other women who are hotter and have a better body. If you spend all of your time focusing on other people's strengths you will never realize what your own strengths are, and you'll never take strides to improve them and become the best you can be. You then automatically put someone, who could have some awful demons of their own, on a very undeserved and unearned pedestal. Quit being so negative about it all! To put it frankly, it's pathetic and undeserving of any sort of respect.

It's all in the mindset. I watch videos every single day of people doing incredible things. I don't think "Aww that's awesome I can never do that." Instead, I am driven by what I see and even though I know I won't be able to accomplish the feats some of those people have, I know that I'm doing everything I can to improve me in order to play the best hand with the cards I was dealt in life. Besides, the more you work on improving yourself the more likely you are to discover that you're able to do something that many aren't. It just takes an ounce of willpower and want to find that out.

So, fat people, next time you're talking to a super skinny person adjust your mindset and remember that maybe that person doesn't want to be that way. If you have negative thoughts don't vocalize them. Same goes to you, skinny people. Don't look at a jacked bro and vocalize jealousy. Be inspired. Understand that you are special in your own way and not one person is like you, but every person has their own struggles just like you. Maybe once you start focusing on improving yourself you'll realize how great you are. Why wouldn't everyone want to find and achieve their greatness? Do not fear the hard work, sweat, tears, and pain that will undoubtedly occur while on that path of discovery. The rewards are well worth it.

Now excuse me while I go polish my abs.

Just kidding.

I ran out of polish. Stay shiny

Let's get saturated about fats

My company is on some wonderful campaign to get all of their employees healthier. I imagine they couldn't give a shit less about our health and are just trying to minimize overhead on insurance costs, and even if that is the case they might want to start proofreading the cute little booklets and info packets they've been handing out as of late.

Our break rooms are littered with this cute little pamphlet called "FAST FOOD - Smart Eating Guide". First of all, this book should only consist of one page. Said page should only say "FAST FOOD: DON'T EAT IT IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE A TYPICAL FAT AMERICAN!" but unfortunately it delves into several dietary myths and promotes them as truths. You know, without any sources cited or surrounding facts to back up the statements. I'm only going to touch on one of them here, and that is on the topic of saturated fats. I bet the subject line of this blog made you think I'd be discussing the post mating cholesterol levels of three legged forest hamsters, didn't you? No? Oh. Here is a quote from the book, which you can also google if interested in reading it all:

Here are the simple facts about fat and salt. Healthy diets include dietary fats, but certain types of fats aren't good for you. 

The bad fats, saturated and trans fats, raise the bad cholesterol (LDL) levels in your blood and increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, obesity, and certain types of cancer.

Monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats don't raise bad cholesterol levels and are better for you. Fats from plants, such as nuts, seeds, vegetables and avocados are good sources for these fats. 

Dieticians recommend that diets include 30% or less of its calories from fat and have less than 300mg of cholesterol. Saturated fats should account for less than 7% of your total caloric intake and trans fats less than 1%. 

Whoa. Say what? Let's pull the e-brake for a second because I see Mark Sisson on the side of the road flinging pieces of bacon at me while carrying a club and dressed like Fred Flintstone. Mark, THREE YEARS AGO, posted this highly informative piece on saturated fats. Because I believe that you, the reader, are capable of reading on your own I'll let you go ahead and read through that. Interesting stuff, huh?

Is that not enough? Well, here you go:

http://www.musclehack.com/the-saturated-fat-cholesterol-myth-destroyed/
http://www.truthaboutabs.com/saturated-fat-is-not-evil.html
http://healthyfixx.com/1/busting-the-myths-of-saturated-fat
http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/food-myths-debunked-all-saturated-fats-raise-blood-cholesterol.html

Okay I got bored of copying and pasting. There are quite literally hundreds of articles debunking that stupid myth that saturated fat is bad for you. It's a shame that Better Books couldn't go the extra mile (i.e., typing in several words into a freaking search engine) to corroborate their claims. Well, I guess it makes sense since on the very next page they go onto one of those "eat this, not that!" topics when going to fast food chains. It's always the same: skip the burger, go to the salad. Punch me in the balls. The salad choices they list all have over 1500mg of sodium and are loaded with evil sugar. Yeah we should really heed this pamphlet's words.

I know I didn't give much personal insight on this matter, but I've got quite a few things to get done and figured I'd get this out there for anyone who may be reading my blog this very minute looking for info on saturated fats. THE PEOPLES DEMAND IT!

Stay shiny.