Vegan or Vegitarian

Vegan or Vegetarian

Well first for me at the moment, its got to be vegatarian. The fact that I have decided not to eat meat, is probably as far as I'll go to start off with, without compounding matters by opting for the Vegan tag also. The term Vegetarian is the process whereby persons abstain from eating meat.  Vegan being the process of eating neither meat (inc fish ) nor dairy ( eggs, milk, butter, cheese etc).

My reasons for cutting out meat in my diet are wholly health related. The information and knowledge I have gained in the last few weeks of exploration and discovery have reinforced my views and I am very determined to make this a permanent change in my life. As eating meat had become such a integral part of my life, the lives of my family and friends, and the vast majority of the population in Ireland - I have found the process not as straightforward as I would have thought.

My family and extended family traditionally down through the years have eaten all kinds of meats (processed and non processed). From mince to steak to beef to chicken to burgers to rashers to sausages to fish... Not a day would pass that I wouldn't have ingested a meat product.

 So when I decided to enter into the Google search engine one early morning "Does meat cause Cancer" nothing prepared me for what I was about to see. Try it yourself ... The results on the screen astonished and startled me to the point that I was almost in disbelief. One of the first results is a quote from the world health organisation which states "the WHO has classified processed meats as a group 1 carcinogen which means there is strong evidence that processed meats cause cancer and red meats such as beef, lamb and pork have been classified as a probable causes of cancer." This is a seriously strong statement coming from a very very reputable organisation.

 After my initial surprise I became curious and wanted to find out more information. Could there be another source, an alternative theory, surely this wasn't true., the lovely roast and gravy that I enjoyed so much every Sunday , how why , when ?? There are so many questions so I decided to emerse myself over the next couple of weeks exploring all information vegan and vegetarian. I was already subscribed to a podcast from a well know vegan who changed his life around and had been vegan for the best part of a decade, he claimed health benifits, and athletic achievements - Rich roll.


I live in a country that is heavily propped up by a major beef industry that is worth billions in funds. Can we trust our government to engage with us fully and be honest in recommending what is right for us to eat...?

At present I guess I'm a fully fledged vegetarian with definite aspirations of becoming vegan in the near future.
Still learning still exploring ...

Deck Of Cards

Have a look at this video and see what you think.....

" Deck of Cards" is a recitation that became popular first during the late 1940s. It relates the tale of a young American soldier arrested and charged with playing cards during a church service, and first became a hit in the U.S. in 1948 by country musician T. Texas Tyler.


Set during World War II, where a group of U.S. Army soldiers, on a long hike during a campaign in southern Italy, arrive and camp near the town of Cassino. While scripture is being read in church, one man who has only a deck of playing cards pulls them out and spreads them in front of him. He is immediately spotted by a sergeant, who believes the soldier is playing cards in church and orders him to put them away. The soldier is then arrested and taken before the provost marshal to be judged. The provost marshal demands an explanation and the soldier says that he had been on a long march, without a bible or a prayer book. He then explains the significance of each card..

T. Texas Tyler's rendition went to number 2 on the country charts in 1948.

A version by Tex Ritter later in the year reached number 10 on the same chart.

The highest-charting version was recorded in 1959 by future game show host Wink Martindale, and was performed on "The Ed Sullivan Show". Martindale's rendition (titled "Deck of Cards") went to No. 7 on the Billboard charts and number 11 on the country charts in 1959, attained multi-platinum recognition, and reached No. 1 on many worldwide music charts.

A later cover by Bill Anderson made number 60 on the country charts in 1991. The song was also a UK No. 13 hit in October 1973 for the entertainer Max Bygraves.

The newly published edition of UK hit singles dating between 1940 and 1952 shows the song reaching number 2 for Phil Harris in January 1949.

The version you watched above is my own version, basically done in a van travelling to work and edited together with images from the world wide web.

My love of recitals comes from my late grandfather who loved to entertain an audience with some great renditions.

10K A Day

I have set myself another challenge folks, thats right, Im going to run 10K every day for the foreseeable future. Running is a great way of keeping fit and has many other health benefits. As well as burning calories and keeping weight down it helps combat diseases such as cancer and heart disease.

It is also proven to make you happier. If you’ve been working out or running regularly, you’ve already discovered it. No matter how good or bad you feel at any given moment, exercise will make you feel better. And it goes beyond just the “runner’s high”—that rush of feel-good hormones known as endocannabinoids (This is the great feeling after finishing a run or other excercise which can leave us feeling elated). A study published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, researchers found that even a single bout of exercise—30 minutes of walking on a treadmill—could instantly lift the mood of someone suffering from a major depressive order.

Ever heard someone call running their “drug?” Well, apparently, it actually is pretty similar. A study done in Physiological & Behavior showed that running causes the same kind of neurochemical adaptations in brain reward pathways that also are shared by addictive drugs. So running is similar to a drug but so much better as there are no negative side effects.

Finally...

Finally I have completed my long jump and although I did not quite mange 20 feet, I did jump 16 1/2 feet (5 meters) which I'm pretty happy with. It was my first ever attempt at the long jump and was in the middle of my night shift week, way down on sleep deposits. 

My goal now is to complete 7 meters which is roughly 23 feet. So 7 feet to make up. Is it possible? Of Course it is! Slightly ambitious I hear you say but no, in my eyes its not impossible and with some hard training, and a standard long jump technique put in place it is viable. I feel with training, guidence and a positive attitude - determination and dedication I can make 7 meters. 

Here is the jump, apologies on the quality of video. I transferred to a few different devices and so lost some quality.

I have just glanced aside on my work station and see a headline in todays paper refering to Glasgow Cetics football match tonight v  Borussia Monchengladbach, it reads "Home comforts remain central to further progress for Rodgers' 'ego-free' boys"

If in fact the article is accurate and Celtic are ego free at the moment, which is a rarity in todays ego driven game, its really refreshing to see. In my eyes modesty, and humility run hand in hand and are great traits for a sportsperson to have. I do not feel its my duty to say that I have these great attributes but maybe ask someone that knows me and hopefully Im pretty close in that regard. In my opinion no matter how successful you are (or not) as a sportsperson its always nice to be grounded, and not have your head in the sky about your own importance.

Ok I will try now for the next couple of months to update the blog more often, as I have not been getting around to it half often enough. There is a really big push on in my zone now to reach the next level in my plan, and this will take considerable dedication and commitment. I have rejoined my gym after an 8 month lay off so looking forward to getting trimmed up (more about that in the next post).

I still have the opportunity to jump 20 feet, no im not breaking the rules, I own the blog , I make the f***ing rules!!! 

Later..... :)

Steve

Had a wonderful holiday in Albufeira, Portugal. Lovely weather and an amazing place to go and be with good friends. Well worth a visit, if you have time. Back home now and about to give the whole life change a good go. Haven't made any progress on the long jump but might try it over the next few weeks. To be honest as I have said before it was more of a metaphor - illustrating what way my mind is thinking. I hope thats cleared up.


I came across an article a few mins ago whilst browsing the web on a poor guy in northern Ireland who has been given 3 months to live unless he receives a life saving operation that costs over 200,000 pounds. Again its made me realise how short life is and every opportunity must be grabbed with both hands.

Apologies

Apologies folks,

I haven't been on for a while, but not to worry - things may have been on hold for a while - but everything is about to take a decisive turn as today I begin the "big change" that will alter my path in life forever. I'm excited and elated and glad my decision is made. Suffice to say the break that I had has made my mind stronger and more determined to succeed than ever. Grasp every opportunity with both hands and make  the most of everything and anything positive that enters your life. Live every day like its your last.

Lets Begin....

Get out and do it!!!!!

Hi guys, I've been thinking again and have again become inspired, I think its time I showed you guys what im talking about when I say " anything is possible " Its actually true and I'm delighted that I have realised. If you put enough hard work into anything - serious blood, sweat and tears you are truly capable of almost anything in this world and to be honest I think ( I hadn't really realised up until now) this is where my blog is going.) Kind of similar to my 20 foot challenge Its just to show and prove to you guys that anything and everything is possible when you put the sacrifice in.

 Again I know I'm probably repeating myself from previous posts but I want you guys to be inspired by this. Read it AGAIN -- You can do it! believe in yourself. You can make the change / difference in your life, that thing that is holding you back, overcome it! Beat it! When your seventy years of age and you look back at yourself and you'll realise , yes I could have done it, why was I so afraid? Look how beautiful I was, look how fit/strong/energetic,hopeful,kind etc etc the list is endless. Im here to give you hope - after this challenge I will continue to challenge myself. You should try the same, join me in my quest to live life to the full. Here is a fantastic portion of a speech given by Jim Carey: Its excellent!