Tag: winter Posts

The more research that’s published, the more evidence I seem to run into that indicates insulin resistance (and consequently obesity) seems to be related to oxidative stress and/or nutritional deficiencies. As I’ve pointed out before, one of the strange paradoxes that most theories generally can’t explain is why obesity often goes hand in hand with poor nutrition. That is, if obesity is caused solely by overeating, then we should see the lack of obesity in populations where food is scarce or nutrient poor. As several populations have shown us (most notably the Pima Indians), that isn’t always the case. Several current theories say that obesity is actually caused by nutritional deficiencies, which would jive with the observations above. Several vitamins/minerals that have been implicated in insulin control include chromium, vitamin C, calcium, and more recently vitamin D. The research around vitamin D and insulin resistance is actually fairly interesting. As […]

This is it folks, summer. Like most summers, I do my best to relax a bit and venture into the outdoors as much as I can. Most summers I’m not entirely successful, but last year I actually managed to go camping three or four times, which was enough to satisfy my cravings for the season. Camping is actually one of the few things I really enjoy in life: just tossing my tent into the back of my car and driving off into the distance. Maybe it’s that feeling I get when I’m half-cut and I stare up at the stars for a while, or the enjoyment I get watching the lights from the campfire dance around the trees all night. Maybe it’s the calm I feel while falling asleep with the sound of some little brook trickling nearby, or the crisp cold air that rushes into the tent in the […]

A few weeks ago, after spending the weekend out in Hamilton, I stepped off the plane here in Vancouver and felt the brisk, cold air of a summer now long since past. It was a harsh reminder of how things change, and how fast time seems to move sometimes. It seems like just the other day I was celebrating my birthday back in April, and here we are, knee deep in October’s gloominess. Halloween is just around the corner. For me at least, it’s not an event I particularly look forward to, and view at it as more of a nuisance as opposed to a day to celebrate. I expect I’ll be out at the movies that night, or having a few beers at home. I’ve never been one for dressing up in costumes (although I have no problem going to something formal), although I appreciate that some people do. […]

Today was a long, dreary day. I didn’t get home until around 9:30pm, and barely had enough strength to pound back some left-over lasagna. I was really looking forward to sitting back and watching heroes tonight, but mininova was down and my internet connection turned out to be pretty flaky. Today was officially full of fail. I’ve not been feeling myself lately, and I don’t really know why. Maybe it’s the weather, maybe it’s because I’m still battling an infection, maybe it’s lots of things, but I find myself pretty bummed out the last few days. One thing that’s been bothering me lately is that I keep getting hammered from people about stupid things. I’ve gone out of my way a few times within the last few weeks to help people, only to eventually be flooded with emails asking why I didn’t do more, or why I focused on one […]