Nark's Coconut & Raisin Oatmeal Cookies!

NarkSide: September 16th 2011



Hey all! It's September 16th... 7 days before my birthday. September, for me, is my 'peak month': i.e. the month where I push myself extra hard to be in peak form, so I can celebrate my birthday in my best shape ever. As such, my diet gets extra tight at this time.

If you guys have been following my "Dieting should never be boring" series, you'll know that 'tight', for me, doesn't equate to 'tasteless'.

I thought I'd show you how I get a 'sweet treat' in on night's like tonight when I'm craving something of the sort. Here goes!!!

Ingredients:

• 6 packets of splenda (or the equivalent in stevia OR 1/2 cup honey)
• 1 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup dried coconut
• 1/2 cup rum
• 1/2 cup quick oatmeal
• 1/2 cup multigrain flour (rye, cracked wheat, corn grits, barley flakes, rolled oats, rye malt, sesame seeds, millet)
• 1 cup vanilla protein powder (Or plain if you prefer a milder taste)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup apple juice
• Water (as needed to achieve correct consistency)
• Pam Cooking spray
• 1 sexy toothpick

Pre-directions:

• Add rum to raisins... and allow the raisins to soak (covered, and refrigerated) overnight.

Directions:

1. Drain the Raisins, and save the fluid for later use.
2. Add all dry ingredients to a bowl and stir evenly.
3. To the dry ingredients add apple juice, the rum-flavored fluid from the raisins. Stir until evenly mixed. (NB: If the mixture isn't moist enough, add just enough water to achieve the desired consistency.)
4. Cover the mixture, and let it sit for 20 minutes.
5. Fold in the raisins by hand, until they are just about evenly distributed.
6. Next, grease a flat baking pan with cooking spray.
7. Using a spoon, start dropping the cookie dough onto the baking pan.
8. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
9. Place baking pan into oven, and bake cookies at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
10. When the 15 minute timer goes off, poke the middle of one of the cookies with a toothpick to assess doneness. The toothpick should come out clean. (NB: should it not be clean, turn the oven off and let the cookies sit in the still-hot oven for 5 minutes more).
11. Let cookies cool for 10 minutes before removing from baking pan.
12. Stuff yourself without losing your abs. :-D 

Enjoy!
And Happy Birthday to all of your Libras and Virgos out there!

-Corey "Narkissos" Springer
Owner of:
"The NarkSide" Fitness Forums
Apollo Fitness Barbados
NarkSide Apparel

NarkSide's Tuna Burger Recipe!

NarkSide: July 2011

^^Suggested serving: #OmNomNom!
Hey all!

Recently, some followers of the NarkSide forum and Facebook asked that I share recipes for some of the dishes that I post in my "Dieting should never be boring album."

i.e. Some of foods I cook daily.

I thought I'd start off with something simple... so here goes!

Tuna burger recipeBy Corey Springer

Ingredients:
-3 cans albacore tuna
-1 large onion (Diced)
-1 large sweet pepper (Diced)
-3 cloves garlic (Diced)
-2 tbsp salsa...medium spiciness
-1 lime
- Binder (organic kamut flour, organic oat flour, organic soymilk powdery) to desired consistency
-Pinch of baking powder
-Water to desired consistency
-star anise, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, & fennel powder to taste

Directions:
-Shred tuna chunks to make it more malleable
-Halve the lime... Squeeze the juice over tuna. Cover, and allow it to 'sit' for 5 minutes.
-mix all dry ingredients together
-Add small amounts of water until flour is sufficiently saturated to act as a binder
-fold in onions/peppers/garlic
-shape mixture into patties
-grease grill and heat


-when hot, place tuna patties on grill/grill pan
-cook until brown on one side. Press, and flip.
-Repeat on other side
-plate



-Enjoy :-)

-Corey "Narkissos" Springer
Owner of:
"The NarkSide" Fitness ForumsApollo Fitness Barbados
NarkSide Apparel

7000 sit-up Challenge for June 2011!!!

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=165257250207729

^^The 7000 sit-up challenge.

I created the challenge to give people an incentive to workout harder (or start working out) in the month of July.

I also gave 'em free diet and training advice to support their goals...as part of my 'give-back' initiative.

350 people have confirmed participation... but truth-be-told, it's gone viral. Hundreds more in my country alone are doing it. People on blackberry messenger have told me that their contacts have spread it to their contacts. Some soldiers in the middle east told me they spread it to their mates... so it's been hectic but fun.

...and, more so, humbling.

'Cus, I mean, there are middle-aged mothers doing it as well (mainly because their daughters are doing it), and they're taking time out of their day to hit their quota. So days when I don't even feel like working out (as it happens from time to time) I remember that some little old lady across the ocean isn't punking out.

As of tonight, July 18th, I've hit 6000 sit-ups. 13 days to go... and only 1000 reps more to be done. I may end up around the 10k mark

Last month I started a push-up challenge that went similarly viral. Hopefully next month we'll be able to build on the same drive...and encourage a couple hundred people to get up and be more active.

How the Challenge has affected me personally:
Thus far I've found that the challenge hasn't negatively affected my body composition, or my recovery. I was training twice per day leading up to it, so I was already operating at a high work capacity. So, I'm getting a little harder as it goes on. 


What I've found tho is that my core is way stronger, and I feel 'better' overall. I've experienced no soreness at all over these past 18 days ( - strange... I know). The latter is a surprise for me, as I hadn't prioritized or seriously trained core since I needed to bust through the 500lb deadlift barrier in 2005 or so. Sure, I tossed in some abs here and there...and did box jumps/planks/plyos as part of my conditioning work or the bootcamp classes I teach... but no serious direct work.

As to my previous injuries: My back is feeling healthier... and so are my hips.

The plan is to hit up the chiropractor at the end of July to get re-aligned...and then, I think I'm going to see how this increased core stability carries over onto my deadlift.

Next month, I think I'll make the challenge a squat challenge...and I'll switch my training over to the Smolov squat routine to compliment this.

August is going to be an interesting month... for sure.
Anyway... just wanted to share it with you guys here.

Regards,
-Corey "Narkissos" Springer
Owner of:
"The NarkSide" Fitness Forums
Apollo Fitness Barbados
NarkSide Apparel


PS! --> Commemorative T-shirts for this challenge have been released! Get yours today!!!! ---> http://www.cafepress.com/NarkSide/7892847

Challenge Tees
^^Completed the challenge? Get the shirt!

Fitness Success... Life Success: One Simple Formula.

Fitness Success... Life Success: One Simple Formula.
by Narkissos & dukkitdalaw

NarkSide: June 29th 2011

Good evening all.

I'd like you to repeat after me: "I am the best."


img src: fallforward.wordpress.com

...I AM the best!

So many times, while we're feeling on top of our game, something just reaches out and drags our butts back down to earth. Sometimes, that thing drags us even further. We find ourselves, no longer looking at the stars from the clouds...but rather, trying to dig ourselves from the belly of the earth so we're able to at least see the grass. Yep, many times, we fall from the mountaintop, hit rock bottom...and then, when we feel that we can't get any lower, the floor falls out from underneath us.

And, we wonder: Just how the FUCK did we get here?

A minute ago, weren't we sitting at 8% bodyfat, KILLING it in the gym? How did we find ourselves on the couch, painfully fat... attempting suicide with a cocktail of chips and cake?

How?

Who cares?

I don't.

What *I* care about is getting back up to the top of the mountain.

So... let's get back to the top:

Realization:

Corey:
While trying to float like a butterfly, it's easier to get stung by a bee. Reaching for the sky makes you an easier target. This isn't to say "stop trying." Rather, this is to say "keep trying"...but expect people to take aim at your back.


img src: fluxuryb.com

Some people will aim at your back, & content themselves with riding on your coat tails. Others, will drag you back into the dirt with them.

Alex:
Success only comes to those who know themselves. You can only get so far off of riding piggy back.

Acceptance:

img src: www.insightzonecoach.com

Corey:
Friends & loved ones may fall under the category of "Some people". In your darkest time, you may find solace in strangers. But, again, expect this...and persevere.

Alex:
Friends are nice to have. Family can "usually" be depended on. But the only person in this world who is 100% always there for you, through shit storms, hard times, sunny days, and long nights.... is yourself.


img src: mommysalad.com

When you learn to communicate with yourself... when you learn to trust in your choices, and accept your mistakes... you will have one hell of a friend.


Persevere:
Alex:
When you come across hard times, hard choices to make, or are just plain at a loss for what to do in life.... asking someone for advice is the norm. But its a simple fact, most people give bad advice. Most people cannot relate to someone on different levels. Most people are simply put; stupid and self absorbed. They have their own problems. So yes, ask for advice. Then go with your own instinct.


img src: gemmastone.org

Learn to trust your instincts. Your heart and mind working together are a powerful combination. Whether its work, fitness, what to cook for dinner or relationships; you need to trust in yourself. Accept- your choices. Grow- from your experiences and mistakes.

Persevere - through whatever life throws at you.

Grow:
Corey:

• Accept.
• Grow.
• Persevere.

This is the formula for success. This is the key to satisfaction. Whether 'success' be defined by self-love or by gobs of money in the bank, this mantra is the key to accessing it.


img src: beliefnet.com

Copy this template into your life. Apply it to your fitness.

Apply it to your job.

Apply it to your search for peace and self-actualization.

Persevere, and enjoy. God bless.


-Corey "Narkissos" Springer
Owner of:
"The NarkSide" Fitness Forums
Apollo Fitness Barbados
NarkSide Apparel

-Alex Gelsinger
Writer
PottyMouth
Inspiration

Deliberate leg training...for deliberate growth.

NarkSide: June 13th 2011

"How can I get a pair of legs like yours?"

"How can I get a butt like yours?"

I get questions like these just about every time I step into the gym... or toss on a pair of shorts. Hell, jeans are no protection from questions like this either.

(...not that I'm complaining mind you.)


img src: bfptees.ca

I used to be unsure of how to answer that question.

But, then I started to watch other people train. Wasn't hard to see then why so many people have stick legs

What I found missing from a lot of trainee's workouts was the deliberate execution of movements.

Sure, there are a lot of guys who move a ton of weight. But, out of that flock you're sure to find a pretty large percentage of guys who don't have the mass to show for the weight they move.

Why?

One reason is that their form sucks... so a lot of other muscles are brought into play.

Another reason is that they use momentum.

(Yet another reason is that they just plain hate the feel of a couple hundred pounds crushing their spine...but that's a discussion for another day lol!)

Momentum and form are the two facets that we'll be discussing today.


Here are a few vids I'd like you to check out. This may be a no-brainer, but I'll make the request anyway:

• Do ignore the fact that there are small chicks in 'em.
• And, hell, if you fixate on the fact that it's a chick giving you instructions, check out their thighs, compare 'em to your own...and then STFU and listen.

Dumbbell full squats, pause front squats, hip-dominant deadlifts etc:

You Tube

You Tube

'half'-squats:

You Tube

You Tube

Pause squats:

You Tube

You Tube

VS

You Tube

You Tube

You Tube

You Tube

It's a no brainer.

Try training legs in a deliberate manner, and I gaurantee soreness and growth.



Take-home points:

• Use Full ROM
• Use tight form
• Deliberately contract musculature
  GROW.

-Corey "Narkissos" Springer
Owner of:
"The NarkSide" Fitness ForumsApollo Fitness Barbados
NarkSide Apparel

Cheat Meals? -

Cheat Meals? Yay or Nay?"
by Sha Sha Gabor
[Edited by Narkissos]
Written for: The NarkSide


Cheat meals... Who needs 'em? No, I mean seriously... do we 'need' them?

A couple of years ago I remember Chris Rock stating that Americans have too much. He said it was evident from the rise in food intolerances that Americans have too much. He then asked how Somalians would react if packages of powdered milk were dropped off in regions where the people had little food... He queried whether or not they would refuse the milk on the basis that they were lactose intolerant.


img src: zazzle.com

Westerners are privileged to be able to eat for desire as opposed to necessity. It’s only when one embarks on a performance based diet that our emotional dependence on food is exposed.

...and boy is it ever exposed.

At its simplest, a meal should consist of protein, carbohydrates and fats which provide essential vitamins and minerals, right? However, due to social conditioning, we have all these stipulations on what a meal is. For some it’s the temperature of the food that defines it as a meal, for others it’s the inclusion of dessert, for others it’s the type of macronutrient that determines which meal it is and the list goes on.(1)



Caption: Meal or Snack?
img src: fullplate.tk


This is where the concept of the cheat meal comes into the argument:
For anyone who is undergoing a strict nutrition regime, the changes can be mentally arduous. In many cases, people have to challenge the social conditioning that has occurred for decades. Like Pavlov’s dog, there seems to be a physiological reaction that accompanies certain stimuli. In my case, lunch and dinner do not feel complete unless they are sealed with a sweet dish of some sort. Apparently this is due to my upbringing in America. In order to overcome this, I have begun doing the following after some meals:

• Gargling with artificially flavoured mouthwash.
• Eating a little sugar free jello or drinking hot sugar-free Robinsons squash to convince the brain that the meal is done.

Hopefully these are just interim measure until my brain creates new patterns.


Caption: "Food for many a Westerner is like a scent"
img src: slashfood.com

Food for many a Westerner is like a scent. It has an emotional stamp which is where the cheat meal and the concept of rewards come into play.

I do believe that cheat meals have a physiological benefit as well. Using myself as an example (again) - I LOVE chocolate! Hotel Chocolate and Green and Black are top of the list. After going for long periods of time without chocolate, when I do eat it, the sensation is phenomenal and I only need a little to satisfy the sweet tooth. Anything over "a little" and I begin to feel ill. This is great news (- as odd as THAT sounds)! It means that overtime, my body will adapt mentally, physically and emotionally to chocolate so that it can be incorporated sparingly (- when I’m not prepping for shows that is). In this sense, the cheat meal is working to reconditioning my approach to chocolate.

I’ve also heard rumours that they cheat meal can sometimes shock the body into increasing the metabolism which does make sense. I have no personal experience with such however.

Continuing:

Caption: Don't let this be true about you!
img src: my.opera.com/hungryghost/blog/One thing I have learned about the cheat meal is that it needs to be sensible. If your diet has no dairy or gluten because you are intolerant to them, eating a cheat meal with dairy and gluten is just dumb. FACT! If the portion sizes in your diet are moderate, eating a ‘super sized’ meal is just dumb. FACT!

In short:

Caption: The human body is an amazing machine
img src: cmst1a0743347.blogspot.com/

The human body is an amazing machine – as is the brain that controls it. It is down to each individual to find the ‘cheat meal’ solution that works for them and take ownership of their neuro-linguistic association with food.

Take ownership TODAY!

-Shaherah Jordan
Client of: The NarkSide

All Rights Reserved


References 
1. Wansink, Payne, Shimizu.  "Is this a meal or snack?" Situational cues that drive perceptions. Appetite. 2010 Feb;54(1):214-6. Epub 2009 Oct 4.

Failures, squats, assholes, and broken things.

NarkSide: May 26th 2011

Forewarning: really, I should have entitled this blog entry " 'try' and 'do'...both should matter to you"; but then I might've gotten caught into a rant-free mode...punctuated with rainbows, unicorns, and candy.

And...you know as well as I do: Candy makes you fat. Fuck that.

*clears throat*

The real world, vs the fitness world - why the difference?
Firstly...IS there a difference?

There must be. I say this because the things I've experienced in the "real world" clash so heavily with the things I see daily in the fitness world.

People, in the real world, are assholes... Point blank.


img via: wordboner.com

"No, no Nark...that's just mean!"

...But is it?

For one, I know that if I treated my clients the way people treated others in the real world...I'd have no clients.

In my past relationships, and even within interactions with my family, I've seen a common theme: people don't (generally) appreciate effort unless it transcends into the achievement of a goal. I've heard other people echo a similar sentiment where their interaction with family and significant others is concerned.

Personally, I remember a significant other putting it ever-so-eloquently by saying: "there is no try...there is only do". (Yes...apparently within bastardized Star Wars quotes one can find the answer to all relationship issues. Thank you dear heavenly Yoda.)


img via: montaraventures.com

No "trying" means: if you try to communicate an emotion, but it doesn't effectively carry over, then you've failed to communicate. Later you'll hear, "you never communicate."

No "trying" means: if you attempt to clean a room, and your attempt to do so doesn't meet a pre-set standard (regardless of it being your best) you will have failed to clean. Later you'll hear, "you never clean."

And, I say "Never" because arguments are always fed with absolutes.

^^Saw what I did there?


img via: shutupandwearit.com

On the flipside, "real people" become clients...and in so doing get transported to the magical fairytale commonly called the gym. At the gym, people expect the rules of reality (as they enact and follow in "real life") to bend. If a client were to go to the gym 6 days per week...diet 7 days per week, but cheated on their diet or missed a weight-loss goal, would telling 'em "you suck" be fitting?

No... It wouldn't.

If a client capable (in your estimation) of squatting 300 pounds for 20 reps failed at the 15th rep (for whatever reason), would you berate them for their lack of follow-through?

Not if you wanted a.) To see them succeed in their goals, b.) To keep 'em as clients.

So why is it acceptable in "real life?"

*pauses*

No answer?

That's because it SHOULDN'T BE asshole!



img via: thepqnation.com

"Ok Nark...but how does this relate to health and fitness man?!"

It doesn't.

...Or maybe it does, in the same way that everything we do, think, and feel about ourselves and bodies affects our pursuit of health and happiness.

To those of you out there dedicating your time and energy to self-improvement I have to say this: there is no shame in failing. Fitness is a lifestyle choice - a journey of a lifetime. Failure is an opportunity to learn...so embrace your shortcomings. Learn from them, and grow as a person. Ripped abdominals will follow suit.


img via: www.getnarked.net

^^They have no choice but to.

To the rest of you...stop being assholes. They stink.

-Corey "Narkissos" Springer
Owner of:
"The NarkSide" Fitness Forums
Apollo Fitness Barbados
NarkSide Apparel

"Thank You Corey" - No... Thank YOU.

by Corey Springer
NarkSide: May 2011

Hi all.

I guess it's about time for one of my rants. I'm sorry to disappoint however, as I have none. Today's piece, is all unicorns and rainbows...as I'm just so VERY thankful right now.

It's 1:06 a.m. in Barbados.

My phone just rang.

Weird number... almost seemed like too many digits. I didn't get to it in time to answer it... so it went straight to voicemail.

Given that I work with people all over the world via GetNarked.net and NarkSide.com, I figured that it was one of my clients.


Rang up the voicemail to verify. 

Truthfully, while I expected that it'd be one of my clients... I didn't expect what I encountered.

What DID I run headfirst into?



The WARMEST thank-you, that I've received in a REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, long time...and it came all the way from Australia at that.

It went:

"Hey Corey...It's James. I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank you personally for all the hard work you put into me and my template.

I just wanted to call you to thank you personally.

I hope I didn't wake you up... I just wanted to thank you.

Everything's going very well...

I've found something now that I'm interested in, and I'm going to continue it.

Thanks mate."


1:06 a.m.


^^me.

My day is made.

My week is made.

Heck... that may have made my year.

We shouldn't live life expecting anything in return I was taught.

When something does come, we should be grateful.

Today... I am.

Thank YOU James.

And thanks to each and every one of you gents and ladies who keep reading my blogs, and supporting my businesses.


All the best!

- Corey “Narkissos” SpringerOwner of: “The NarkSide” Fitness Forums,Apollo Fitness Barbados, &; NarkSide Apparel.

Chromium Increases Insulin Internalization

Chromium Increases Insulin Internalization



Evans GW Bowman TD

J Inorg Biochem (1992 Jun) 46(4):243-50

The effects of chromium chloride, chromium nicotinate, and chromium picolinate on insulin internalization in cultured rat skeletal muscle cells was examined. Insulin internalization was markedly increased in cells cultured in a medium that contained chromium picolinate and the increased internalization rate was accompanied by a marked increase in the uptake of both glucose and leucine. The effect was specific for chromium picolinate since neither zinc picolinate nor any of the other forms of chromium tested was effective. The increased insulin internalization rate may result from an increase in membrane fluidity since chromium picolinate and to a lesser extent, chromium nicotinate, increased the membrane fluidity of synthetic liposomal membranes.


And, in case this thread gets cluttered... here's more reading material:

• Longevity Effect of Chromium Picolinate - http://www.getnarked.net/forum/showp...05&postcount=2
• Chromium and other insulin sensitizers may enhance glucagon secretion - http://www.getnarked.net/forum/showp...06&postcount=3
• Effects of chromium picolinate supplementation on body composition - http://www.getnarked.net/forum/showp...07&postcount=4
• Chromium improves insulin response to glucose in rats - http://www.getnarked.net/forum/showp...08&postcount=5
• Enhancing central and peripheral insulin activity as a strategy for the treatment of endogenous depression - http://www.getnarked.net/forum/showp...09&postcount=6
• Chromium picolinate and life-long insulin sensitivity? - http://www.getnarked.net/forum/showp...10&postcount=7
• Chromium in human nutrition: a review - http://www.getnarked.net/forum/showp...11&postcount=8
• Effect of chromium supplementation in diabetic patients - http://www.getnarked.net/forum/showp...12&postcount=9
• Effects of dietary chromium picolinate supplementation on growth - http://www.getnarked.net/forum/showp...3&postcount=10
• Chromium picolinate in preservation of bone density - http://www.getnarked.net/forum/showp...4&postcount=11
• Effect of chromium picolinate on growth - http://www.getnarked.net/forum/showp...5&postcount=12
• Longevity effect of chromium picolinate--'rejuvenation' of hypothalamic function? - http://www.getnarked.net/forum/showp...7&postcount=13
• Effects of chromium picolinate on beginning weight training students - http://www.getnarked.net/forum/showp...9&postcount=15
• Nutritional ergogenic aids: chromium, exercise, and muscle mass - http://www.getnarked.net/forum/showp...1&postcount=17
• Efficacy of chromium supplementation in athletes: emphasis on anabolism - http://www.getnarked.net/forum/showp...2&postcount=18
• Chromium and other insulin sensitizers may enhance glucagon secretion - http://www.getnarked.net/forum/showp...3&postcount=19
• Fish oil and Chromium for treatment of congestive heart failure? - http://www.getnarked.net/forum/showp...4&postcount=20

Narkissos's follow-up commentary:

• http://www.getnarked.net/forum/showpost.php?p=41718&postcount=14
• http://www.getnarked.net/forum/showpost.php?p=41720&postcount=16