Kava: Nature's Chill Pill

Every once in a while, I try something new that absolutely blows me away.  It's not often, but it does happen, and when it does it's a real treat.  I mean who doesn't like to be truly astounded?  My most recent experience with the magic of nature came just last Friday while I was at work.  It's rather fitting that this summer I got a job at a beautiful little health food and supplement store called "Rising Tide Natural Foods" in Kittery, Maine.  Not only is the place stocked with the healthiest, purest versions of any sort of food, drink, or supplementation you could imagine, but the employees there (including myself, if I may be so bold) are the nicest you'll find anywhere.  The owner, Paul, takes great pride in his shop, and is an encyclopedia of every supplement and their effects.  He was the one who let me try this new miracle of nature, and I can guarantee to you he saw in my face how blown away I really was.

So enough beating around the bush.  What exactly is this crazy thing I'm talking about?  It's called Kava, and it's probably one of the best relaxant supplements on the shelf.  It causes any sort of anxiety or tension to vanish almost instantly, and at the same time is able to relax every muscle in your body into a soft and wonderfully "loose" state.  And the best part is, it does all this extremely quickly WITHOUT affecting cognitive ability at all.  You can still think just as clearly.  Crazy, eh?

Let me tell you, I'm not one to be immediately swayed by so called "miracle" supplements such as this. Most natural stuff I look over as being good for you, but not particularly effective.  Many times remarkable results are obtained mostly through placebo effect.  But in this instance, that's not the case, AT ALL.  Let me tell you a little bit of my first experience with Kava.  I came upon the stuff while pricing new items, and Paul came over to see how I was doing.  As he saw the Kava, his face lit up instantly and he immediately started going into the history and chemical makeup of the stuff (of which I'll tell you in a bit), and proceeded to ask if I'd ever tried it.  I said I hadn't.  He began to unscrew the cap of the little bottle, and said bluntly, "Let's do some Kava."  He took out the cap (which doubled as one of those mini liquid droppers), filled it with the liquid (which had a brown, semi opaque type of look), and squirted some into my mouth.  I was completely ready to feel absolutely nothing, but that DIDN'T happen.

At first, my mouth went slightly numb.  I swallowed it, and while Paul continued to talk to me, I could feel my body start to release tension.  It went from top to bottom, an unbelievable "descending" feeling.  My nervousness was gone, and I realized I was slouching.  It's as if all at once I slipped into one of the most relaxed states I'd ever been in.  I didn't understand it, and I didn't care to.  I just knew the stuff worked.

So where does this Kava come from?  Well, it's actually a root extract, and has quite a history with different native tribes and tropical climates.  The plant is actually called Piper Methysticum (meanining "intoxicating pepper"), and comes from Western Pacific locations.  You might also see it called "Kava-Kava," but a Kava expert tells me that this double name was probably formulated by supplement companies to sell more product.   It's been used by several Polynesian tribes for its sedative properties, and is actually a large part of many tribal cultures and rituals.  In the purest Kava, only the roots are used, and are rich in what are called "Kavalactones," the active relaxing agent of the plant.  These Kavalactones are unique in that they're able to relax muscles and minds without effecting cognitive ability.  You'll be comfortable, chill, and free of stress.  It's also been known to increase sociability, and as Paul puts it: "it has all the good effects of alcohol, without any of the bad ones!"  He means of course that it will make you comfortable in social situations, a very useful tool.

Would I recommend Kava?  Yes, I definitely would, both for athletes and average people alike.  For athletes, it's a PERFECT way to unwind tight muscles and pent-up tension, and make sure you get a great night's sleep.  For a hard worker, it can release the stress of work quicker and more safely than any complicated blended stress reliever pill.  It's all natural, safe, cheap, and usually readily available at any local health food store.  I really encourage you to try it.  It's a really fun and fantastic experience, and I truly believe that Kava can improve both your mental and physical state to a huge degree.

I know I'm picking up a bottle next chance I get.

If you want the best Kava, go for pure the pure root, which you can buy at www.bulakavahouse.com
These guys do great business, are very nice, and know this root inside and out.  If you have any questions, I'm sure they'd be more than willing to help you out.

Stay cool, chill, relaxed, and Kava loving.  Good luck!!!

A Salty Situation

Every now and then you consume a little more of something than you had intended.  Maybe you saw it coming, maybe you didn't, but it happened (or was going to happen) regardless.  This kind of situation is a very common one in the diet world, and honestly, I think it usually falls into one of two categories.  You either eat too much sugar, or too much salt.  The first one I'll discuss in a later article, however I wanted to cover the necessary steps to take if you find yourself overdosing on sodium, as I happened to do this weekend (though somewhat intentionally.)

Now I knew that this weekend I would be training with my coach down in Eliot, Maine for two days, and would be spending the night in the gym.  Not wanting to break the bank on eating out, I decided to pack some food.  I only had one small suitcase, and no cooler or anything like that, so my options were limited.  Not only that, but I'd be training quite hard, therefore I knew I needed quality protein and carbs and PLENTY of each.  Can you guess the most convenient food packing option here?  That's right...CANNED FOOD.  Into my suitcase I threw two giant cans of tuna (10 oz), two giant cans of chicken (also 10 oz), a four pack of 5 oz tuna cans, and a 4 serving can of black beans (I also packed some oatmeal for breakfast, and had a wholelotta whey protein).  Every single one of these foods is AWESOMELY clean and has an epic nutritional profile, except for one little blip, which of course, would be the sodium.  Holy moley, that was a boatload of salt.  Somewhere around 2000 mg per meal if I calculated it correctly.  That's about 85% of my daily recommended intake.  What was I to do in order to battle such a crippling dosage of salt?

Well, the first thing to remember is that you cannot destroy your body (or your diet) in one or two days, no matter what you do.  It just doesn't work like that.  You won't wake up twenty pounds lighter just because you had an awesome workout the day before, and you won't wake up a fat lard the next day if you had one extra slice of cake.  Diets are about long term results, and the same goes for sodium.  Sure, if you consume a lot of it one day by accident, you'll probably retain a lot of water and feel (and look) pretty bloated.  But your heart won't stop, your blood pressure won't skyrocket, and you won't die.  Phew!  Now that we got that out of the way, let's see what I did to minimize the huge salt intake on my body.  

Firstly, if you're going to consume huge portions of salt, you need to consume even larger portions of WATER!  That's right, I probably drank two gallons each of those days.  Drinking more water will actually cause you to retain less, and will also do wonders in helping your kidneys filter out all those extra minerals.  Chug that stuff like there's no tomorrow.  I had at least two bottles of it with every meal (6 meals), as well as two bottles worth in my pre and post workout shakes.  DO NOT STOP DRINKING WATER.  I saw very minimal water retention, and I think drowning myself in the stuff did the trick.  Obviously don't drink past a semi-comfortable level, but don't be afraid to stick your head under the sink and go to town.  

Second thing to do?  Consume more POTASSIUM.  The sodium/potassium ratio in your body is a very important one, and must be respected.  In an ideal situation the ratio should be 1:1, meaning for every milligram of sodium you take in, you should have one milligram of potassium to match it.  The reasoning for this goes down to the cellular level, however without getting too complicated I'll just say that sodium and potassium are both EQUALLY responsible for ensuring proper hydration of your body, and without the correct balance you're in for trouble.  Potassium actually helps regulate the amount of sodium your body retains, so consuming more may ensure that you don't hold on to that crazy salt dosage.  It'll also help combat the hypertension inducing effects of sodium, lowering blood pressure considerably.  No matter your sodium intake, it's usually a good idea to make sure to eat potassium rich foods on a regular basis.  This goes even more-so if you're regularly physically active.  While I suggest whole foods such as bananas for this purpose, another easy way to get more potassium quickly is to consume a sports drink like Powerade or Gatorade (my solution for this weekend.)  

Despite a pile of salty food this weekend, I kept my diet clean and my body happy by counteracting the effects of excess sodium intake.  A little too much salt every now and then is no reason to fret, as long as you don't make it a habit.  Keep conscience of your sodium intake, and take the simple steps listed above in order to ensure it doesn't get out of hand.  

Eat big, train hard, drink LOTS OF WATER!  Good luck!