Alkaline Green Drinks. Which ones are best?

Many Tony Robbins fans are aware of how passionate he is about his alkalize and energize program, that is, increasing the alkalinity of the blood via the ingestion of green drinks, ph balanced water, and, of course, a healthy diet and daily exercise.


There are several kinds of green drinks on the market, and, as with any market, there are some that are overpriced garbage, others which are underpriced gems, and a bunch in the middle.  


Also, the question of how much you want to spend at any given point is an issue as well.  For example, there are some which cost about $130, which have lasted me several years.  There are others that cost about $40 and only last a month.  So, while the grams of product to cost ratio might encourage one to get the $40 one, the actual "bang for your buck" ratio comes down to annual cost; as, with alkaline diets, you're in this for the long haul, not the temporary fix.

Sensei's Top Pick:

Vibrant Health - Green Vibrance

It has 3.5 grams per serving of actual "green foods", which is more than many other green products. It also has many other important herbs and various nutrients, and all in significant enough doses and potentcy to actually work. 

This is also rich in probiotics and prebiotics, which are also vitally important. Best of all, I actually DO get an energy boost from this product, and notice other signs that it is working, including smoother skin, improved mood, and simply "feeling better".

Runners up:

Greens plus

This is another good "green food" product, and if Green Vibrance wasn't available, I would go with this one. Very similar to Green Vibrance, but in my opinion Green Vibrance edges Greens plus out slightly.

Green Magma

This product is high-quality as well, but doesn't have quite as many nutrients as Green Vibrance or Greens Plus.

Earth's Promise

Pretty good product, but like Green Magma, it doesn't have nearly as many nutrients as Green Vibrance or Greens Plus.

Perfect Food 

Has more greens, but way over-priced

Alkaline Diet Review

As a martial artist who is doing some form of exercise for an average of 7 hours a day, my body is my canvas, and, I'm constantly doing my best to make it run at peak efficiency.  So it should come to no surprise that I've tried many forms of healthy eating, from vegetarianism, to no-sugar, to the pranic diet, and, the alkaline diet.

Each came with its own side effects; strict vegetarianism often led to starvation, social burdening, perceived inflexibility, and others.  The no-sugar diet proved to be incredibly inconvenient, as, one learns very quickly, that virtually everything has sugar in it to some degree.  The pranic diet was similar, with similar situations, and, the alkaline diet, whose side effects were, initially, headaches, but, after an adjustment period, more energy and vibrant health.  I recover faster, can exercise more, and, in general, am simply happier.

Of course, as with any diet I've done, I tended to go towards an extreme at first, in order to best test its application and results.  Again, this was met with some resistance in social circumstances and situations, and, eventually, a compromise was met which suits my lifestyle.

Currently, I consider myself an "economical vegetarian of convenience", which basically means that I don't purchase meat, but will eat it if there is nothing else available, or, if the food would go to waste.  My logic being that my primary reasons for not eating meat are to avoid suffering of animals, ecological trauma, and detriment to health and energy.  ie "the chicken was already killed and made into food, not eating it at this point is disrespectful, and, would make its death in vain - also, its ecological footprint is past tense, to not eat it now would increase said footprint as I would have to eat something else instead"


It works for me, anyway.

I think that the logic of never eating meat to avoid ecological trauma is a little silly, as, I've seen many vegans who claim ecological motivation having had restaurants throw out and re-prepare a meal (wasting twice the resources) after a single fish egg touched it.  As with anything, extremes tend not to suit me for very long, but I completely understand them as a evaluational starting point.

Over all, the alkaline diet continues to be an excellent choice for my lifestyle, and I would highly recommend it.

For tips on how to get started, check out the article on the various forms of green drinks!

Randy Couture vs. Lyoto Machida Set for UFC 129

This is a very, very interesting match-up.  Not only because they're both high level fighters, but also because they are both on their "third strike", loss wise.  To make a WWE reference, this could be considered a "career match".

On the one hand, you have a "puzzle" fighter.

Loyoto Machida is a fighter who is difficult to predict, excellent at fakes, very fast and powerful.  A fencer.  We saw how well that worked out for him against a tank like Rampage Jackson and you can bet your bottom dollar Randy learned from that. (but then, so did Loyoto)

On the other hand, you have a highly intelligent "puzzle solver" fighter, who, like GSP, creates masterful game plans, and executes them with precision.  We've seen how that's worked out against other folks, but, Randy Couture hasn't actually fought anyone like Loyoto, as of yet.  He's generally been put against other larger, tank-ish guys.  Chuck Liddel, Brock Lesnar, Tito Ortiz etc.

So, as odd as a statement this is to make against Randy, I think Loyoto might have the advantage in "experience" here.  Obviously not in fights fought, but, in fights fought against "that kind of guy"

Loyoto Machida is known for utilizing the ring, circling, and making people chase him, then striking and counter striking.

Randy Couture One is known for cutting off the ring, and grinding against the cage.

One is known for long distance fighting, the other, short distance fighting.

This is a tough call for me, but, I think that's because I'm more emotionally invested in Randy.  I like the guy, and I want him to win.

What are your thoughts on this match-up?  With Randy be able to close the distance, or will Loyoto be able to keep him at bay?

Related Article:
UFC 129 Fight predictions on GSP vs Jake Shields

Sensei Ono, Shinka Martial Arts
Author of The Key to Awesome: The Step by Step Guide to Having an OUTSTANDING Life

Perspective

A student mentioned to me today that they were going to be attending a celebration of life of a friend who had died recently, and I thought to myself what an absolutely beautiful phrase and perspective.

I don't want to have a funeral when I die, but rather, a celebration of life.  I think that's a really, really great way to look at things.

Twister Side Control

I must say, I was shocked at the comprehensive quality of this Jiu Jitsu instructional book.  Having seen an absolutely useless DVD made by Eddie Bravo entitled "The Twister", I had very low expectations of his book Twister Side Control.  In fact, I doubt I would have even browsed through it had not one of Shinka's instructors, Sensei Sean, brought it in to our Richmond martial arts school.

You have to understand, Eddie Bravo, who is also the author of Mastering The Rubber Guard, is a bit of a character.  Known for his copious use of drugs, and insisting his students do the same, I personally would probably feel very uncomfortable hanging out with the man.  However, one can't deny the quality of this book and how it articulates his creative genius in the realm of Jiu Jitsu.

And, while anyone can come up with a creative move or two in Jiu Jitsu, it takes a very skilled practitioner to create a flowchart from one concept to the next.

Most Jiu Jitsu books have one or two images, and basically re-hash old moves in boring ways.  This book is innovative, creative, and, perhaps most impressively, filled with high caliber techniques that flow together.

Again, most Jiu Jitsu books tend to focus on a singular move, not a map of movement similar to an if(event)then(action)else(other event) and so on, logic.

Worth picking up!

Shinka's Martial Art

Many people ask what martial arts we teach at Shinka.  The answer is not so simple to give, actually, as, what we do is different from other schools.

What we do at Shinka is figure out which martial arts combination best suits your body type, your goals, and your mindset.  We run our new students through a fun lesson designed to help us help them figure out exactly which styles compliment them.

Things like bone structure and wrist ratio, eye dominance, and over all natural aptitudes come into play, as do the mental, scholastic and emotional aspects for many, and fitness goals for nearly all.

What do you want to look like, and what do you want to be able to do, and why?

In the majority of cases, no single martial art is ideal, or fits all of the student's criteria, but instead, a synergy is chosen.  Often a trio of styles which fit the student perfectly.  After that, they are ready to join the group classes.

Of course, once they're a Shinka student, they are allowed access to all of the styles we offer, and usually after 3-8 months, a student will experiment with various other aspects of Shinka.

On the off-chance that we don't offer the ideal martial art for the student, we will do our best to recommend the right school/style for them.

Sensei Ono, Shinka Martial Arts

Dealing with Death

The subject of death has come up in the past few days from various sources, and, I thought it might be a good idea to share some of my thoughts on it.

The first of which, is very positively uplifting and re-framing, and, the other, is a funny story.

So first, I was talking to a student of mine, and he mentioned that he had a celebration of life to attend.  And I thought to myself, "wow, that is such a great way of putting it."

Its amazing, the power that words have over us.

Just think in your head "celebration of life" vs "funeral".  Yikes!

I see one as laughing, telling stories, remembering the good days, some tears certainly, but mostly just good, happy stories.  I see the other as drab, everyone wearing black, crying in the rain as a coffin is lowered into the ground and someone breaks down and falls to the ground sobbing.

For me, personally, I'd want the celebration when I pass.

So, that's a frame of reference I thought I'd share.

The second, I was inspired to write after reading this PETA article, "Don't flush the finned ones" in which they talk about helping children deal with death, and, I was reminded of my first fish, Roger.

Now, Roger and I were only together a short time.  A very short time.

See, my crazy not-actually-an-uncle-but-we-called-him-that asked me if I wanted to go catch a fish.
(don't get ahead of me, now)
and I said yeah!  I'd love to CATCH a fish.  As in catch to keep.  Catch to have a pet.  Catch to... I don't know, hold and observe or something!

And, although I was quite young, I distinctly remember thinking how strange it was that the hook wouldn't hurt the fish, and imagining how they must have very strong pallets (although I'm guessing I didn't know the word for pallet) and that it would come out like a clothes hanger catching a keyring.

I was going to name him Roger.  Roger the Salmon.

Anyway, it was fairly traumatic when I caught the fellow, reeled him into the boat, welcomed him to the family, and my uncle proceeded to beat him to death with a hammer on the floor of the boat.

As traumatic as it was, I have to recognize the humor of the situation from all angles.  Where would I be keeping this Salmon?  How would we keep it alive on the row back to the house?  Why would the uncle (who had shot all sorts of things in the time I'd stay there) be any different towards fish?

Questions like these just don't occur to a young child - they fall under the "adults deal with these sorts of things" category.  All I knew was that I was getting a pet fish.

Poor Roger.

Sensei Ono, Shinka Martial Arts
Author of The Key to Awesome

Jake Shields vs GSP Fight Prediction

Jake Shields could win, if GSP attempts to clinch with him; with a flying armbar or a flying triangle choke.

I say this because nobody has attempted this on GSP before and, if he were to clinch with Shields, it might catch him off guard.  While GSP is not huge on Muay Thai clinching, he has done it in the past (briefly).

In my opinion, this is the only way Jake Shields can win.

If GSP maintains distance, Jake has no chance whatsoever.

Jake Shields hits lightly, gases easily, has un-explosive (though fairly effective) takedowns, seems woefully un-athletic, has seemingly very inexperienced and underdeveloped striking, and, from the fights I've seen of him...  he just isn't in the same league as GSP.

(But then who is, other than Anderson Silva?)

I gave Dan Hardy more of a chance, honestly.  Because he had a puncher's chance.  

Anyone with knockout power (ahem: skilled knockout power.  Please nobody mention Josh Koscheck's bar brawler punches) has at least 5 chances to win against GSP before he takes them down and has his way with them for 4.9 minutes.

Someone hoping to win against GSP via submission, on the other hand... has virtually no chance: Unless they utilized a flying technique.

I say this because GSP has quite good takedown defense, quite crisp striking, great footwork and distancing.  Jake Shields is not going to be able to bypass these attributes with his sloppy footwork, inept striking and mushy takedowns.  He just isn't.

No takedowns, no submissions (again, unless he attempts a flying technique)

So:  Watch for the flying armbar attempts.  But my money is still on GSP.

Sensei Ono,

Owner of Shinka Martial Arts

Author of The Key to Awesome

Gratitude

Many people who take martial arts, or dedicate themselves regularly to various types of fitness are doing so for the purposes of self improvement.  

Those of us with that focus are also generally wanting to improve ourselves holistically, that is to say, completely and in every way.  

So what then, would be the key to having an outstanding life?  Well, the whole recipe might be a little long for a single article, but, a key element to that outstanding life would definitely be gratitude.

Take the time every day (especially right before bed) to find things in your lives to be grateful for, and, write them down.  Yes, look for ways to improve yourself, and those around you, and yes, exercise, laugh and smile as often as you can.  But make sure you find the time to express your gratitude, even if its just to a journal.

Unexpressed gratitude is like a gift left unopened.  To let people around you know how grateful you are for how they make your life brighter is an amazing gift which takes a few minutes out of your day, and will likely be the highlight of that person's week.

Sensei's Assignment:  

Be grateful, every day.  And, at least once a week, tell someone how grateful you are for however they've made your life better.  Even if you wrote them a letter and never sent it, I think just focusing on that gratitude would make you treat that person better, and even that, would be a gift you could give.

Sensei Ono, 

Owner of Shinka Martial Arts

Author of The Key to Awesome: The Step by Step Guide to Having an Outstanding Life

Peaceful Warrior Movie Review

There aren't many movies like Peaceful Warrior, honestly.  I've "prescribed" this movie to help a variety of different students tackle a variety of different challenges in their lives.

Whenever we get what we first view as a setback, we must train ourselves to see the gift, the opportunity, the message, and more.

Whenever we become focused on the goal, we must remind ourselves that the journey is the only thing happening.

Like I said, I recommend Peaceful Warrior to a lot of different people at a lot of different times in their lives, and, one thing I've noticed is this:  Whenever I talk about the movie, (or the book) off-handedly, it always seems to strike a chord with someone in the immediate vicinity.

What that puts fourth then, is that if you're reading this... that person who needs to own either this movie or this book, might be you, or, someone close to you.

I promise you one thing:  After you've watched Peaceful Warrior, the first think you'll do is start thinking about who to give the movie to.

A final note:  Even if you didn't need to see the movie now, there will come a time when its message will ring true in your ears, and there is not a movie I have seen to date which I recommend more.

Sensei Ono, Shinka Martial Arts

MMA Child Prodigies - A Martial Artists Review

By now, many of you have seen the "next big thing in MMA"

The Tap-out boys, having trained since 18 months old are truly inspiring, and truly horrifying.

Why would I say this, you might wonder?  How could something be both beautiful and ugly at the same time?


While I enjoy watching UFC - I wouldn't wish the life of a professional fighter on anyone.

"But wait, don't you teach mixed martial arts?"

Yes, absolutely.  I teach martial arts - that is, the art of self defense.

Getting into a cage, on purpose, with another person of whom you are acutely aware is not only well trained at hurting people, but is there for the specific purpose of hurting you...  is the opposite of self defense.

Ultimately, getting paid to get punched in the brain is a tough way to go, for anyone.  And, while I respect the athletes involved with the UFC (and watch the sport avidly) I in no way "support" the concept, nor encourage my students to become fighters.

These boys' skills/age are inspiring, but taking those kinds of shots to their heads on an ongoing basis (especially)while their brains are still developing is... not good.

(I wouldn't want my child talking like Rampage Jackson)

Having said all that, in about 8 years these kids are going to be fantastic to watch and make a lot of money, and, hypocritically, I'll be one of the people watching.

Sensei Ono, Shinka Martial Arts Founder & The Key to Awesome author

It's good to be back!!

I must say, I truly recognize and am grateful for just how lucky I am to absolutely positively love teaching martial arts.  How do I know?

Its the little things.  Being perfectly happy on my 5 day Christmas vacation, but...

Being perfectly happy relaxing, but...

Getting back, waking up early, and running to work with a gleeful expression on my face.

Being ecstatic, seeing the growth in the students who I've been away from "for so long".

Being satisfied with the day, yet a little sad that it was over so quickly, after the first day back.

Having to repress the elated perma-grin upon my face whilst teaching.

All this and more.

Happy holidays everyone.  It is so great to be back!

Sensei Ono, Shinka Martial Arts

Gratitude

I am so grateful for all the great books that have crossed my path, and for the wealth of information I've been able to absorb from them due to the passion for life that I had due to having a positive environment to grow up in which nurtured the passions of which motivated me to improve.

Short version:  Thanks Mom & Dad, for telling me that I could do anything.  Thank you for believing in me.  Thank you for helping me so that I *could* do anything.

To myself, thank you for taking the time to ponder life, and my own purpose.  To Derek, thank you for teaching me what time leveraging was.  To Robert, thank you for teaching me what money leveraging was.  To Arneil, thank you for teaching me what joint leveraging was.

All of these people may not have been the perfect source for the information.  They might not have been the best in their fields, or even in the top 10 in the world.  But, they were who I needed to learn from at the time.

Derek motivated me through greed, which was my motivation at the time.  Robert motivated me through a quest for power, which motivated me at the time.  And Arneil taught me through a rare combination of humor and my own fear (not that he was intimidating, but he helped me come to terms with some of my own fears) to help teach me.

As the student progressed, I learned to learn from love, from passion, from joy, from altruism and other more positive places.

Thank you to Tony, to Robert, to Steve, & Steve, and others for teaching me what I needed to learn, when I needed to learn it, no matter how it made me feel at the time, it made me grow in the end.

I had one of those fantastic conversations today with two students of mine, and, as I passionately dumped life lessons on them by the bucketload, I saw within their eyes what it must have looked like to many of the teachers I'd had.  That wonder of listening to someone and only getting 1% of what they had to say, but realizing the abundance of knowledge that they were simply inspired by.

I've been there, and it was a pleasure to be on the other side.  Go fourth and flourish my students.  Learn what I have learned sooner than I have learned it, and pass it on better than I have in the past.  Like any good "father", I want you guys to be better than I ever was.

Today was a good day for me and two others, as a result of a large collection of people's efforts.

So... thanks :)

Martial Arts is Always Exciting - Quantified Excitement

I was playing with some math this morning (heh, wait, the exciting part is coming) and, while I always felt that Martial Arts (be it Striking or Grappling) was filled with so much variety so as to never get bored and always stay excited, I never really quantified it before.

So, as I said, I was playing with some math this morning to make a point to some of my students, and, if I've done this right (using to the Nth power logic) the numbers are really astounding.

Check it out:
Number of possible permutations (or combos):
Straight Hook Uppercut (6 strikes):  720
With altered altitude (12 potential 'strikes' taken to "high" or "low" extremes for easy math): 479,001,600!!!
With Fakes (24 potential 'strikes') actually breaks the calculator, but I estimated it somewhere around 18 hundred trillion, as its 6 to the 23rd power, and 6 to the 20th power is 3,656,158,440,062,976.  Actually, I'm not entirely sure what comes after trillion, but I think it might be in there.  (Zillion?)

Anyway, its a lot.  No wonder it always feels fresh, new and exciting when we train!  Can you imagine "running out of combos?"

Yeesh, you add in kicks, blocks, evasion, takedowns, ground positions, submissions, trapping... the list goes on into... well, a lot of potential permutations, eh?

So:  I'd better go work on my Jab Punch Hook and Uppercut.  Clearly there are combinations yet to be discovered :-D

Sensei Ono, Shinka Martial Arts

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My Mom has a green belt

Y'know, its a weird, fulfilling, awesome thing, teaching your parents things.

When we grow up, they're these omniscient beings, the source of all life's answers (how do they KNOW the stove is hot!?)

Then, at some point, our specialties diverge, and, pretty soon, we become able to help them in our own ways.

A common event is the youth teaching the old the technology of the youth - as was the case with my family and I.

I have two favorite memories of such an event.  One, was when I was teaching my Mom how to "move the line up" in a word processing program; and the abstractness to which the explanation of "deleting empty space" became.  The second, is the elaborate instructions required for my father to "turn on the internet".

But, I would say that one of the more impactual, more recent memories would definitely  be teaching my mom Martial Arts, and guitar hero.

Both, were so drastically outside of her self definition at the time, that it was truly inspiring and fulfilling to be there for her and to help her bridge the gap from impossible, to possible, to plausible, to doing, to struggling, to persevering, to done.

Now, of course, "done" is something nobody ever truly is, in anything.  There is always room for improvement.  But, at the same time, it is important to respect, honor, and celebrate milestones in our lives.  Measurable, quantifiable benchmarks that we set for ourselves.

So, to look at my Mom, and see her achieve a green belt at Shinka is really inspiring.  When I think about this vague memory I have of her being afraid to try martial arts, and think of what she has become... wow, honestly:  Wow.

From sitting behind her, holding guitar hero's guitar for her and getting her to strum while I did the fingering (and gradually getting her to do "just the reds" and so on) to teaching her to keep her hands up and how to redirect the force of larger opponents in martial arts...  in the end, its all learning, its all growing, and its all taken a lot of persevering, practice, and heart.

Thankfully, heart, is one of the things my Mom has a seemingly unlimited amount of.  When others have been beaten down, or have given up, you'll see my Mom not only continuing on, but, doing so with a smile on her face as she embraces life's challenges.

Does she get down?  Oh sure, we all do.  But she's like the friggin' wolverine of cheerful.  It might get wounded momentarily, but that healing factor kicks in, and she's back up and swingin' for the fences again.

Way to go Mum.

I'm proud of you :)

Sensei Ono, Shinka Martial Arts