Blend Your Breakfast for Fast and Simple Nutrition!

If you are like me and start your day long before the sun comes up chances are that you hit the snooze alarm 3 or 12 times then never have enough time to get everything done before heading out the door and dealing with morning traffic on the way to work.

With this type of schedule the most important meal of the day often becomes the most skipped meal of the day. One of my favorite ways to get fast, and more importantly healthy, meal in on the run is to make a smoothie for breakfast. These take less than 10 minutes to make.

You can even pre-stage the ingredients the night before by storing all the fruit, seeds, and greens you plan to blend in a container in the refrigerator so that all you have to do is dump it in your blender, add your choice of liquid base and blend!

In addition to being easy and quick to make, green smoothies are incredibly healthy and a great way to get a ton of fruits and vegetables in your diet. 

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One of my favorite recipes that will give you 2 servings of fruits, 2-4 servings of greens and boost of superfoods is my typical go-to early morning breakfast.

In a high-powered blender (I use a Vitamix) combine the following:

• 2 cups of non-dairy milk (I like almond or cashew) or water
• 1 cup of strawberries
• 1 banana
• 2-4 cups of leafy greens (I like kale, spinach, collard greens, and dandelion greens -- if you are new to green smoothies use equal amounts of fruits and greens until you can handle the bitterness of the greens! Then go wild with them, I usually use 3-5 cups of greens.)
• 1-2 tbsp. of peanut or almond butter
• 1 tbsp. of chia seeds
• 1 tbsp. of hemp seeds
• 1-2 tbsp. of ground flax seeds / flax meal
• Blend for 30-60 seconds and enjoy. If you're in a hurry throw it in a blender bottle and go! 
• Extra large Beavis and Butthead mug is optional!

Stay Strong AND Healthy!

Scott

For more tips on nutrition and training to start leading a more balanced and healthy life, check out my book, "Abundant Health: Fitness for the Mind, Body, and Spirit".

Click here for Abundant Health!

Training for Powerlifting and Kettlebell Sport.

I get a lot of questions about how I combine both powerlifting and kettlebell training.

I talked about it with Mike Mahler and Sincere Hogan on the "Live Life Aggressively Podcast" and addressed it in my book "Kettlebells for Sport, Strength and Fitness" - here are links to each:

LLA Podcast Episode 53: http://www.mikemahler.com/blog/live-life-aggressively-podcast/ep-53.html

Book: http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/sshetler

Here is a very basic "off season" template that I follow that has worked well in keeping all the lifts up. Once a contest is approaching however, the focus would shift more to powerlifting or kettlebell training depending on what sport you plan to compete in.

Monday - squat / jerk or long cycle focus
squat - heavy
deadlift - light
kettlebell long cycle or jerk
abs

Tuesday - bench / snatch focus
bench press - heavy
bench press - lockout work
lats / upper back
kettlebell snatch

Thursday - deadlift / jerk or long cycle focus
deadlift - heavy
squat - light
kettlebell long cycle or jerk
abs

Friday - bench / snatch focus
bench press - light
shoulder press or incline press
lats / upper back
kettlebell snatch

I favor putting the jerks or long cycle on squat/deadlift days, as the jerk is a very leg dominant exercise. In an upcoming post I'll provide an example of the training cycle I will be shifting into soon as my training is becoming focused on kettlebell long cycle (clean & jerk) while keeping my deadlift up for deadlift meets as I plan to do both of these events concurrently.

Stay Strong!
Scott

My Experience with Team Plantbuilt 2014!

Back on the platform! Photo by Stic of Dead Prez

I know I’ve been missing from the blog-o-sphere for a little while now and I apologize. I promise it was for good reason.

Remember 7 years ago when I said I am quitting powerlifting? Well……..

As many of you know I am a big proponent of a plant-based lifestyle and am a huge supporter of animal welfare. In fact, the book that I published last year, Plant-Based Performance: A Compassionate Approach to Health and Fitness, was written specifically so that 100% of sales revenue would go to benefit Mercy For Animals, a 501(c)(3) dedicated to preventing cruelty to farmed animals and promoting compassionate food choices and policies.

If you would like to get a copy for yourself and read chapters from myself and 18 other plant-based athletes and health & fitness professionals like former UFC fighter Mac Danzig, former WWE superstar and Hall of Famer Amy “Lita” Dumas, Stic.man from the hip hop duo Dead Prez, endurance athlete extraordinaire featured in the documentary Forks Over Knives and the book Born to Run Dr. Ruth Heidrich, and many others; click here!

That book is where this whole thing started.

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Team Plantbuilt 2014! Powerlifters Kelly and Sara bringing home the hardware! Photo by Donovan Jenkins

Some of the ladies of Team Plantbuilt! Scott, Bonebreaker, & Stic.man kickin' it at the after party!

Vegan bodybuilders proving you don't need animal protein to build muscle! Jason Morris went 8 for 9 and hit personal records in the squat and deadlift in his first powerlifting meet! Photo by Donovan Jenkins

At the 2013 Atlanta Veg Fest, I met Giacomo Marchese, who along with his fiance’ Dani Taylor, own the companyveganproteins.com an online sports supplement store that specializes in vegan nutrition products. Together they had formed Team Plantbuilt, a group of vegan physique athletes (bodybuilders, figure and physique competitors) who competed together at the 2013 Naturally Fit Super Show in Austin, TX to show the world what could be accomplished by following a cruelty-free diet. Did they succeed? They only represented 10% of the competition, but came away with 40% of the awards, I’d say that was a massive success! In addition to winning numerous 1st place and overall awards a few of their athletes even won their pro-cards!

Giacomo had inquired about purchasing the Plant-Based Performance book to sell through his web-store and support our similar goals. As time passed and he and I talked more, he asked if I would join Team Plantbuilt for 2014 and that they were going to have athletes competing in the 2014 Naturally Fit Games in Austin, TX in physique (that was a fast NO for me!), CrossFit (again, sorry but that’s not my cup of tea), and powerlifting (well heck, I used to do that) and that’s all it took, I was in for the powerlifting squad. But wait, I hadn’t trained seriously for powerlifting in over 7 years and was currently in the middle of my training cycle for the 2014 Florida State Kettlebell Sport Championship. As it turns out, following the FL State kettlebell meet, I would have exactly 12 weeks to prep for the Naturally Fit Games.

After the kettlebell meet, I got back in the gym and tested my three powerlifts. For not training them in over 7 years they weren’t horrible, but as to be expected they were way below what they used to be. I made a 335 squat, a 225 bench and a 365 deadlift and my previous bests were 450 / 315 / 463 respectively, albeit weighing 220 and not the 183 I was currently at.

After pushing the big-3 for 4 weeks I took some heavy singles again and was sitting at a 365 squat, a 230 bench (with a massively aching shoulder), and a 425 deadlift. These were pretty good gains, but the pain in my shoulder was constant and lasted days after that bench. I decided to play it smart and not do the full meet, opting for the deadlift-only division instead. (Side note - in powerlifting most full meets offer bench only and deadlift only divisions for specialists.)

This put me about 8 weeks out from the competition and this was right about the time our fundraising campaign was starting. Granted one of the reasons we compete together as Team Plantbuilt is to show people that you can accomplish health, fitness, and athletic goals while following a compassionate lifestyle, but above and beyond that we do what we do to support animal welfare. Our fundraiser was put together through Indiegogo and the plans were to donate the money we made to vegan non-profits, vegan-outreach, and most importantly animal sanctuaries specifically Pigs Peace, Edgar’s Mission, For the Animals, and Our Hen House.

Our fundraiser was a huge success and when it was all said and done, with all the effort from the 31 members of Team Plantbuilt, we had raised over $40,000.00! We could not have accomplished that in such a short time without the entire team’s dedicated effort and the support of our family and friends. Thank you all for supporting us in our efforts!

After the fundraiser was over we had a few weeks left before our meet up for the Naturally Fit Games in Austin, TX. We continued to do PR work for our team and all began peaking our individual training cycles for the competition.

Some of Plantbuilt's bodybuilding and figure competitors! Photo by Donovan Jenkins Carolyn Napier in the CrossFit competition! Photo by Donovan Jenkins

Plantbuilt's CrossFit team! Stic.man from Dead Prez treated us to a private performance! Team Plantbuilt's after party!

Plantbuilt's powerlifting team! Scott, Matt, & Jason after the "Giacomo Pizza Incident"! Sara Russert - squatting her way to a state record! Photo by Donovan Jenkins

After getting to Austin, the team met up in the middle of the week before the actual competition that was scheduled for Saturday, July 26. This allowed those of us who’d never met to spend some time getting to know each other, as well as gave my fellow powerlifting teammate, Jason Morris and I the opportunity to shuttle various team members all over Austin, including but not limited to, numerous trips to local fitness centers and about a billion trips to Whole Foods. Well, really it was more like 7 trips, but I’m writing this blog so I can exaggerate as I see fit. All it took was one super high calorie plant-based powerlifting meal consisting of crazy awesome BBQ tofu, sweet potato fries and an insane vegan Belgian chocolate cake and Jason was pretty much my new bestie.

In addition we spent the week prior to the competition having team meetings, doing photo shoots with two amazing photographers Melissa Schwartz and Donovan Jenkins, and interviews with the coolest vegan dietitian on the planet, Matt Ruscigno and his partner Sasha Perry who are doing a great series of documentaries on vegan athletes for their project called Strongest Hearts which you can check out here: https://www.strongesthearts.org/. As a side note - Sasha and Matt made this week way more enjoyable for the powerlifting team, thanks you two! 

The location of the official events was at our teammate Chad Byers' training center, Beyond Fit. Over the two days of team meetings we received all the amazing donations from our sponsors, including: Vega, Health Force / Warrior Force, Plantfusion, Vegan Proteins, Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness, Upton’s Naturals, Clean Machine, and more. One of the highlights of our team meetings for me was to hear my powerlifting teammate, Mike Wolf, talk about the work he and his wife have done for animal welfare. It really drove home why we do what we do and it is great to know there are people out there like those two who devote their lives to helping animals.

Saturday, July 26 was the day of the Naturally Fit Games. This was a huge fitness expo and competition with events ranging from bodybuilding and various physique competitions, to CrossFit, powerlifting, MMA, jiu jitsu, weightlifting, roller derby and more.

Plantbuilt had athletes competing in the physique events, powerlifting, and CrossFit. For many it was their first time competing. To say that Plantbuilt did well would be a complete understatement. The CrossFit event was huge and extremely competitive. The powerlifting event had 125 lifters competing in different events. The bodybuilding and physique competitions had a huge turnout as well, but it seemed like Plantbuilt just kept winning!

By the end of the day the results looked like this:

CrossFit - Wodapalooza

Amber Sperling - 2nd place women’s Rx

Carolyn Napier - 5th place women’s Rx

Ed Bauer - 12th place men’s Rx

Billy Prusinowski - 13th place men’s Rx

Powerlifting - USPA Simply Fit Championships

Sara Russert - 2nd place women’s open, and set Washington State records for squat, bench press, and deadlift

Kelly Colobella - 1st place women’s sub-masters, and set Utah State records for squat, bench press, and deadlift

Crystal Moulton - 1st place women’s open, and set Utah State records for squat, bench press, and deadlift

Mike Wolf - 1st place men’s open 242lb. class, bench press only

Jason Morris - 3rd place men’s open 198lb. class

Scott Shetler - 1st place men’s sub-masters 198lb. class, deadlift only

Bodybuilding / Physique / Figure / Model / Bikini / Transformation

Austin Barbisch - 2nd place men’s masters physique, 1st place men’s masters bodybuilding

Chad Byers - 2nd place men’s open physique

Christian Garcia - 3rd place men’s novice bodybuilding lightweight division

Giacomo Marchese - 4th place men’s open bodybuilding middleweight division

Dani Taylor - 1st place open figure tall division

Athena Iglesias - 2nd place novice bikini short division

Jehina Malik, IFBB PRO - did not compete due to current pro status in the IFBB

Korin Sutton, PRO - 1st place men’s open bodybuilding light-heavyweight division

Torre Washington, PRO - did not compete but came to support the team!

Will Tucker, PRO - 2nd place men’s masters bodybuilding, 4th place men’s open bodybuilding lightweight division

Robert Cheeke - 6th place men’s open physique

Derek Tresize - 1st place men’s open physique *qualified for pro card!

Erin Fergus - 1st place open fit body, 1st place open women’s bodybuilding

Elana Priesman - 4th place in the transformation competition

Mindy Collette - 2nd place fit model search

Samantha Shorkey - 1st place open bikini tall division, and overall open bikini champion *qualified for pro card!

Ashlee Harrison - 1st place novice figure short, overall novice figure champion

Melissa Hauser - 2nd place open figure short division

Pam Kalstad, PRO - 4th place figure

Sally Andersen - 1st place novice figure tall division

Tiffany Burich - 3rd place open figure tall division, 3rd place open fit body

We wrapped up a long day of grueling competition at the Austin Convention Center by hitting Arlo’s Vegan Food Truck on the way back to the hotel to pick up a massive pile of plant-based burgers and fries to take back along with all of our trophies for our post-competition celebration. These were easily the best vegan burgers I’ve ever had! If you’re in Austin you need to make it a point to stop at Arlo’s Food Truck, you won’t be disappointed!

On Sunday we all headed back over to Chad’s gym for our team after-party which started out with a vegan barbeque catered by BBQ Revolution. The food was amazing! After the lunch we were treated to a private performance by Stic.man from Dead Prez! Stic came out to Austin with his wife Afya, and son Itwella to hang out with the Plantbuilt crew at the expo on Saturday and donated a private performance and meet and greet for Team Plantbuilt and our family and friends who attended the after-party on Sunday.

After the amazing food and performance, the team headed over to Austin’s kick ass vegan ice cream shop, Sweet Ritual for dessert. All I can say is wow. Sweet Ritual was killer and a great way to unwind and wrap up a long and busy week.

We do it for the animals who don't have a voice of their own... Photo by Donovan Jenkins

Finally Monday morning rolled around, and just like all good things the 2014 Team Plantbuilt event sadly came to an end. Way too much other cool and fun stuff happened this week, as would be expected when you put 31 like-minded vegan athletes all working toward the same goal together for five days.

Bonds were formed, friendships were made, and team camaraderie was built. There was the infamous Giacomo pizza incident, the powerlifters having fun with forbidden foods at the bodybuilder’s expense, the Jason / Mike / Austin ammonia cap experiment, the knuckle bumps, the conversations, the pep-talks, the support, the chalky hand slaps on the back after the announcer calls out “the bar is loaded”, the selecting of the attempts, the personal records, the missed lifts, the weigh-ins, the spray tans, the asparagus-TONS of asparagus, the posing practice, Robert’s George W. impression, the Sara vs. Stic push-up challenge, the Scott vs. Austin posedown in the middle of Sweet Ritual, the numerous trips to Whole Foods, the powerlifters finding out what Sasha really thought of them, the powerlifting team's post-weigh-in donuts, Matt sleeping in the laundry room, the smiles, the tears, the hugs, the plans to get together at future events, and something about a junk sock.

Above and beyond all of this our teammate Austin Barbisch, after winning his bodybuilding division summed it up best, and I am paraphrasing, “We don’t do this for ourselves, we do this for the animals who have no voice of their own.”

After everything was said and done one thing is certain, Plantbuilt will be back in Austin for the 2015 Naturally Fit Games; bigger, leaner, stronger, more conditioned, and ready to show the world that the only thing we kill is the stage.

Stay Strong and Healthy!

Scott

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Team Plantbuilt 2014 - The only thing we kill is the stage!

5 Easy Steps for Switching to a Plant-Based Diet.

With one of my vegan inspirations Robert Cheeke!

Since switching to a plant-based diet I’d have to say that aside from the obvious “where do you get your protein from” question, what I hear the most are objections to why other people just can’t do it. Usually it's too expensive, too hard, too restrictive; when in actuality it is none of these!

Keep in mind, I never to people what they should or shouldn’t do. I am not one of the “on my soapbox” preachy vegans. Unfortunately there tends to be some negativity around the “v-word” which is one of the reasons I try to avoid it at all cost when talking with people who don’t follow a similar lifestyle. As soon as you say vegan, many people immediately become defensive even though I never push my opinion on anyone.

Now, on the flipside of that, when people start arguments with me about why we need animal protein, how you can’t get strong or build muscle without it, and other caveman or apex predator bullshit, or try to convince me that there is such a thing as “humane slaughter” I will not hesitate in calling them on their bullshit and voicing my opinion. Particularly when the people that tell me they love animals are plowing through burgers in the same breath.

It took me some time to come around to the idea of eating this way and actually make the change. In hindsight it really isn’t that hard. Not at all.

That being said, here are 5 simple steps to successfully adopting a plant-based diet. If you apply one step per day, you will be 100% plant-based in less than a week. If you apply one step per week, you will be 100% plant-based in just over a month. If you require the requisite 21 days to form a habit, then simply apply one step per month and you will be 100% plant-based in just under half a year.

The take-home point here is to focus on progress and not perfection. If you follow this approach you will be looking back and agreeing with me that the whole process is really very easy.

One important point to remember is calorie intake. You will have a very hard time trying to substitute a spinach salad for a 16 oz. steak or a plate of bacon and eggs. Be sure to swap animal-based dishes with plant-based dishes of similar caloric density.

Step 1 - Cut out all red meat.

Step 2 - Cut out all white meat.

Step 3 - Cut out fish.

Step 4 - Cut out eggs and dairy.

Step 5 - Start being aware of the hidden ingredients in foods, particularly baked goods that use butter, milk, and eggs.

Bonus! Step 6 - Volunteer your time with an animal rescue, shelter, or rehabilitation facility and give back to those living beings who are treated as commodities. Remember, they don’t have their own voice, if you truly love animals be the voice for them and support people and organizations who dedicate their lives to animal welfare.

If you want to support a great animal welfare organization, order a print or ebook copy of “Plant-Based Performance: A Compassionate Approach to Health & Fitness”.

This book is made up of contributions from 19 vegan athletes and health and fitness pros including myself, Stic.man from Dead Prez, former UFC figher Mac Danzig, WWE superstar and Hall of Famer Amy “Lita” Dumas, Julieanna “the Plant-Based Dietitian” Hever, Dr. Ruth Heidrich who was featured in the documentary Forks Over Knives and in the book Born to Run, and many others. 100% of book sales go to support Mercy For Animals, a 501(c)(3) dedicated to preventing cruelty to farmed animals as well as promoting compassionate food choices and policies.

Click here to learn more about Plant-Based Performance and how you can help us support Mercy For Animals!

Now that we’ve talked about what not to eat, check out what you can eat.

• Fruits. Spare me the “fruits are sugar and will make you fat” bullshit. It’s like my friend John “The Badass Vegan” Lewis says, “Fruit doesn’t make you fat. It’s that gluten-free brownie that makes you fat.”

• Vegetables.

• Greens.

• Oats, rice, and other healthy sprouted or whole grains.

• Nuts & seeds.

• Beans & legumes.

In spite of what many people would try to have you believe, it is 100% possible to not only survive, but to totally thrive and be healthy while following a 100% plant-based diet. You can excel as an athlete as well. There are far too many real world examples of this to believe anyone who tries to tell you otherwise.

You want strength and power? Look at strongman Patrik Baboumian and NFL defensive tackle David Carter.

You want physique? Look at professional bodybuilding champion Torre "Tha Vegan Dread" Washington and IFBB professional bodybuilder Jehina Malik. A side note - Torre has been vegetarian since birth and vegan for the last 16 years and Jehina has been vegan since birth.

You want endurance? Look at ultra runner Scott Jurek and ultraman triathlete Rich Roll.

You want a multi-sport athlete? How about ultra runner, bodybuilder, and long distance rower Austin Barbisch.

You want verification from plant-based Registered Dietitians? Look at Matt Ruscigno and Julieanna Hever.

If you want even more examples, look at my 30+ teammates on the Plantbuilt Vegan Muscle Team at plantbuilt.com and browse the numerous profiles at veganbodybuilding.com - the website started by the original vegan bodybuilder, Robert Cheeke!

Going plant-based is easy. Much easier than you would think or that it’s made out to be. Make sure you are getting a lot of fresh, raw, plant-based foods in your diet, focusing on variety. This will ensure that you are getting the entire spectrum of vitamins, minerals, and enzymes that are abundant in plant foods. Throw in other steamed and cooked vegetables, healthy unprocessed grains, beans, legumes, nuts and seeds and you’ll be good to go! You will have all the macro- and micro-nutrients you need to be healthy and strong.

If you are interested in how I transitioned to a plant-based diet, as well as my approach to true health, check out my book,“Abundant Health: Fitness for the Mind, Body, and Spirit”. Click here!

Good luck and if you have any questions don’t hesitate to contact me, I’m more than happy to help in any way I can!

-Scott

scott@extreme-fitness.org
www.extreme-fitness.org - My Atlanta-based private training center.
www.onlinepersonaltrainerinfo.org - My online consulting and coaching site.
www.scottshetler.com - My personal site.
www.plantbasedperformance.org - My site with information and projects to benefit animal welfare.

Tai Chi as a Moving Meditation.

Taiji (Tai Chi) is a martial art, often referred to as an internal martial art, as the primary purpose of it’s study is health and longevity.

The movements of the various Taiji forms, all rooted in combative techniques, help increase qi-or chi-(i.e. energy, life force, etc.) circulation, balance, coordination, and posture. When performed correctly, and with synchronized breathing, the Taiji forms become a moving meditation.

The purpose of meditation is to bring our awareness into the present moment. Often this is accomplished through the practice of seated meditation, also referred to as zazen. When practicing seated meditation we attempt to detach from thoughts of the past and future, or to gain control of our “monkey mind”.

One of the best ways to calm down the mind and detach from thought is by focusing on the breath. When we use our breath as an anchor it is much easier to become totally engaged into the present moment.

The movements of Taiji function in a very similar capacity. By focusing totally on the movement, by synchronizing the breath, usually inhaling on the pull and exhaling on the push, the form becomes our anchor into the present moment. The Taiji practitioner becomes totally engaged in the form and the awareness is 100% in the present. This brings about a state of relaxed energy flow, calmness, and serenity.

I find that by performing my Taiji practice prior to seated meditation it is much easier for me to avoid letting my monkey mind take over the meditation practice.

If you practice Taiji, go about your practice as a form of moving meditation. As you are performing the movements of the form allow yourself to become totally engaged in that moment. Feel every inch of the movement as if your breath and your xi are moving your body through the form and not your muscles.

To learn more about my approach to developing the mind, body, and spirit, click here!

In Abundant Health,

Scott

Crio Bru - Mark Cuban may not be a fan, but I am!

Spiderman mug is highly recommended.

I was recently watching an episode of one of my favorite TV shows, Shark Tank, and was immediately interested in one of the products on this episode. The product being pitched to "the Sharks" was a superfood drink called Crio Bru.

Basically the product is 100% roasted cacao beans that are recommended to be brewed like coffee, preferrably in a French Press. What made this company unique is that they had a patent on the roasting process.

After passing out samples to the Sharks, the four men-Robert, Kevin, Daymond, and Mark all had aweful looks on their faces, and Barbara didn't bat an eyelash. Mark Cuban's reaction, in particular, was one of disguist and he later apologized for his reaction making the comment that it took him about 29 tries before beer started tasting good to him.

Now, Mark and Robert are my favorite of the Sharks, so I usually perk up a bit when they get involved, and despite Mark's reaction I was very interested in the product. I mentioned to my wife Lisa that this was something I definitely would try, as I am a fan of cacao and believe in the benefits the people from Crio Bru were claiming.

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I looked over and Lisa had her phone's internet browser open and she was ordering our first round of Crio Bru! Despite the fact that Crio Bru did not get a deal, I was pretty sure their appearance on the show alone would be huge for the company and I'd bet money on the fact that they will be one of the featured "updates" in a future episode, claiming that even though they didn't get a deal with the Sharks business boomed as a result of appearing on Shark Tank.

By now you are probably wondering what Crio Bru specifically is, so straight from their website:

"Crio Brü is brewed drink made from 100% cacao beans (also known as cocoa beans), roasted to perfection. Named after the most prized of cacao beans, the Criollo, Crio Brü will astound your taste buds with its complex chocolaty flavors and subtle aromas which come right from the cacao bean itself! It is 100% natural and 100% pure."


Our order of Crio Bru arrived about four days later and I immediately brewed my first serving in my French Press. I followed the directions to a "T" of 2 tbsp. to 6 oz. of boiling water in my French Press for 8-12 minutes. I have to say, and maybe this is due to the fact I like strong coffee, it seemed a little weak, but I loved the taste. I remember on the episode Kevin "Mr. Wonderful" O'Leary, who wasn't a fan of the taste, commented that Crio Bru tasted "just like water over cocao beans". Um.... Yeah, just like coffee tastes like water over coffee beans.

The second time I made it, I brewed it a bit stronger and it was perfect! Since then we've made it both hot and iced (warning, if you make it iced brew it considerably stronger as the ice will water it down) and have tried it plain and with almond milk. Personally I like it plain, both hot and iced, and Lisa likes it with a little natural stevia and unsweetened almond milk.

Hopefully Mark Cuban will give Crio Bru the 29 tries he gave beer, although I'm sure he will acquire a taste for it much faster, and hopefully you will too! It is delicious hot or cold, loaded with nutrients, and makes a great alternative to coffee.

Stay Healthy!

-Scott
scott@extreme-fitness.org
www.extreme-fitness.org
www.scottshetler.com
www.plantbasedperformance.org

Taijiquan - Cultivating the Mind, Body, and Spirit.

I’ve always had an affinity for Asian culture which was rooted in an early love for the martial arts. I studied a few different martial arts from childhood on, including Tae Kwon Do, Karate, and Taijutsu through the Bujinkan system. While I learned valuable lessons from each of these experiences, my ultimate goal through training in the martial arts was self improvement, discovery, and awareness.

Due to this I eventually came to learn the art of Taijiquan (or T’ai Chi Ch’uan) under my Shifu, Shi Deru who is a 31st generation master of the Shaolin Temple and direct disciple of grandmaster Shi Suxi, a former abbot of the Temple. (translation: tai = “supreme”, ji = “ultimate”, quan = “fist” *note: While there are various similar translations, this is the one I’ve encountered the most.) In the three years I’ve been his student I have been exposed to various forms of Qigong, Yang style Taiji, Chen style Taiji, and Yang sword Taiji.

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Many people consider Taiji as nothing more than a form of exercise, and while it is an excellent form of exercise, it is important to understand that Taiji is a martial art, and the movements are based in fighting techniques and applications.

Taiji is more than just a “kata” or pre-arranged sequence of movements. It is a system in which the movements are synchronized with breathing, as well as intent, to integrate the mind, body, and spirit. This is an important point about Taiji; basically when we practice Taiji it is, as my Shifu told me, a microcosm of the Universe. In the Universe everything is in motion and everything is connected.

When we practice Taiji, and synchronize our breathing with the movements to become totally present in the form, we cultivate energy and instigate it’s flow through the body connecting every aspect of our being. It is the same thing, just a smaller scale.

This is the reason Taiji has often been referred to as a moving meditation. We use the movements to bring our attention into the present moment, then we synchronize the breathing with the movements to engage every aspect of our being with the form the same way that we use our breath as an anchor in seated meditation. When our mind becomes distracted during seated meditation we simply bring our attention back to our breath-and in Taiji practice we bring our attention to every inch of the movement we are performing.

Coordinating the breath with the fluid movements of the Taiji form is essential if we are going to experience the benefits from this art. The best way to learn this is by first learning Qigong.

Qigong (or Chi Kung) means “energy work”, and is a practice for aligning the body, breath, and mind for health, meditation, and martial arts training; and has it’s roots in Chinese medicine, philosophy, and martial arts (from Wikipedia). This practice of cultivating energy has a very positive impact on Taiji, and due to the complexity of the art of Taiji, Qigong is where beginners should spend most of their practice as they begin to build proficiency in the Taiji movements and forms.

The basic principles of Taiji, according to Mantak Chia, are:

1. Concentrating the mind and chi.
   
2. Relaxing in movement while distinguishing the full (yang) from the empty (yin).
   
3. Keeping the body rooted to the ground and the center of gravity low.
   
4. Keeping the bone structure aligned with the forces of heaven and earth and transferring the earth force through the bone structure into a single point of discharge.
   
5. Allowing the chi to circulate and move the muscles, bones, and tendons in slow, coordinated movements without ever pushing the physical limitations of the body to extremes and moving smoothly and continuously with total body integration.

Chia further states that the benefits from learning and practicing the Taiji forms and postures are:

1. They open and undo energy blockages in one’s energy channels.
   
2. The slow and gentle taiji movements stretch one’s energy channels and keep them supple and strong.
   
3. The rhythmic movements of the muscles, spine, joints pump energy through the whole body.
   
4. Taiji is an exercise that gives you more energy than it uses up.
   
5. After taiji you feel relaxed and invigorated.

To me the purpose of martial arts study is for self cultivation and improvement, and not for combative or sport reasons. Don’t get me wrong, I admire and respect those who participate in the combat sports, particularly those that bring the traditional side of their martial arts training into the combat arena by displaying respect for their opponent, their sport, and themselves.

Consider this point, in his book, “The Shaolin Monastery”, Meir Shahar makes the point that the empty hand techniques with the fighting monks came about long after the development of the weapon techniques, particularly the staff that the fighting monks were quite fond of. This indicates that the empty hand techniques had no application on the battlefield against staffs and bladed weapons and instead were used as a form of mind, body, and spirit cultivation.

I can honestly say that the two things that have had the most positive impact on my health and well-being have been adopting a plant-based diet; and adding meditation, Qigong, and Taiji practice to my health and fitness training. I have written extensively about the benefits I’ve experienced through many blog articles, as well as in my book “Abundant Health: Fitness for the Mind, Body, and Spirit”.

In upcoming blog articles I will dig a little deeper into the art of Taiji and talk about some of the different styles and benefits.

Thanks for reading, and if you have had any experiences in meditation, Taijiquan, Qigong, or any of the other internal arts, please share in the comments below!

-Scott
scott@extreme-fitness.org
www.extreme-fitness.org
www.scottshetler.com
www.plantbasedperformance.org

A Return to Minimalism.

"It's not the daily increase but daily decrease. Hack away the unessential." -Bruce Lee


If your training has hit a plateu do not think about what you need to add, instead think of what you can take away. When you cut out the excess you can put more effort into the training movements that matter!

While I've always leaned toward a minimalistic approach to the way I train, as well as the way I train my clients, this is about as minimal as you can get - and simply amazing!

http://memolition.com/2014/01/30/shaolin-monks-training-18-pictures/

Health & Fitness Tip!

True health & fitness comes from integration, NOT isolation. Forget about isolating your biceps with endless sets of biceps curls. Instead, integrate your mind & body for improved health & fitness.

The easiest way for busy people is to combine an energy cultivation exercise like joint mobility & qigong; a vigerous physical exercise like kettlebell training; and a relaxation practice like stretching or yoga and seated mediation in equal 20:00 increments into a "power hour" and perform daily.

To learn more about integrating the mind and body for true health, check out my article here:

http://extreme-fitness.org/3/post/2013/07/true-health-integrating-the-mind-body-and-spirit.html

I hope your 2014 brings you abundant health & fitness!

-Scott
scott@extreme-fitness.org
www.extreme-fitness.org
www.plantbasedperformance.org
www.scottshetler.com