Fish Archives - DocMuscles

A few years ago, my son and I were scuba diving the “Fish Bowl” just off the coast of the beautiful island of St Thomas in the Virgin Islands. This dive was 60-80 feet below the surface and was some of the most beautiful coral reef and aquatic life I have ever seen. The water was crystal clear with unlimited visibility and there were hundreds of schools of fish in this area.

As we dove into this amazingly beautiful depressed bowl-shaped area of coral that was about the size of a football field, more and more aquatic wildlife came into view.

We saw thousands of fish – the most colorful fish I’ve ever seen, hundreds of different species. We saw sting rays, barracuda, lobster, and some of the most beautiful coral I have ever witnessed. It was exhilarating, breathtaking and peaceful all at the same time.

However, as we swam over and around the ocean floor and through the coral caverns that lined it’s walls, I noticed something very unique. All of these species of aquatic life would swim, then rest. Many of them would rest for a period on the ocean floor or in a cove or cavern of the beautiful walls of coral reef.

Then, every few minutes, I’d catch the view of a group of reef sharks as they swam by. As they swam, they would watch us, and swim over or under our diving group. Yet, the sharks never stopped. They never rested or waited quietly on the ocean floor like the other aquatic predators we saw that day.

Majestic and fearsome creatures with the beautiful waving motion of their tails, sliding smoothly through the saltwater along the edges of the reef. These reef sharks and the other nurse and hammer head sharks we saw never stopped.

I learned a fascinating lesson that day. If a shark stops swimming, it dies.

The ocean may be its home . . .

And, the shark may be one of the most fearsome creatures under the deep blue . . .

But, without forward movement, the shark will drown. Sharks rely upon obligate ram ventilation of water passing through their mouths filtering oxygen as it is rammed against the gills.

If they stop swimming, they stop receiving oxygen. If they stop moving, they die.

It was a powerful life lesson.

You and I are much like the shark, we survive on a diet of protein, fat and movement.

You are a fearsome collection of appetites, powers, and instincts made for constant forward movement.

If you do not grow . . .

If you do not evolve, risk, or expand . . . Slowly but surely, you will die a spiritual or emotional death.

You may wish and pray it were otherwise. You can try to will yourself content with stagnation and starch . . .

You can try to force yourself to be satisfied. Believe me, I’ve tried.

Yet, as you know by now . . . it doesn’t take. It doesn’t work. Your hunger increases, and you start gasping for air.

You are the shark.

To whatever extent you have failed to move forward, that lack of momentum is drowning you in a deep blue sea of “what if’s,” “could have’s,” and “if only’s.”

You and I are not overwhelmed.

You are not suffering from too much. You and I suffer from TOO LITTLE.

Underwhelm frequently masquerades as overwhelm, and it stifles the life-giving apparatus.

You’re not over stretched. You’re not tapped out. You are profoundly under-utilized . . . bored, rotting & stymied.

The narrow walls of your life begin crushing your heart when you’re not moving. You know it’s true.

Even when everything within you wants to retreat . . .

Fin your tail, flair your vents and MOVE FORWARD.

Do not be afraid to play the bigger game, take the wild risk, make the bold move.

I gained four life lessons from this experience. These make more sense when viewed with this perspective:

Happiness is not the absence of problems; it is the ability to deal with them, swim at them head on.
Feeling sad after making a decision doesn’t mean you made the wrong decision. You decide and you keep moving.
You’re not stressed out because you are doing too much. You are stressed because you are doing too little of the things that make you feel most alive, the thing that keeps the oxygen moving across your gills.
The lesson you struggle with will repeat itself until you face it and learn from it.

Be the shark you were meant to be, and, at last, watch your life begin.

Adam Nally, DO

@DocMuscles

Many people are looking for natural sources of collagen. Every day in my clinic, I get asked about which collagen supplement I recommend using. People have been convinced over the years by great sales and marketing that they must have some form of supplemental collagen.

This is an important question, because there are many benefits to collagen. As the most abundant protein in our body, collagen is essential for:

· Fighting signs of aging like wrinkles

· Improving joint health and osteoarthritis

· Healing Irritable Bowel & Leaky Gut Syndrome

· Boosting metabolism

· Improving mental health

· Reducing the appearance of cellulite

· Strengthening hair & nails

· Great looking skin

WHAT IS COLLAGEN?

In the body, collagen is mostly found in the skin, bones, and joints. It also is found in the lining of the gut. We’ve known for years that gut health is incredibly important for overall health!

Collagen in the body is made up of amino acids which wrap together to make a triple-helix structure. The helix structure is why collagen is so strong.

The amino acids which make up collagen are:

· Glycine: Makes up about 33% of collagen

· Proline: Makes up about 10% of collagen

· Hydroxyproline: Makes up about 10% of collagen

· Hydroxylysine: Makes up about 1% of collagen

The 5 most common types are Type I, II, III, IV and V.

· Type I Collagen is the most abundant in our body (over 90%) and stronger than steel by weight. It is found in skin, hair, nails, muscle, joints and organs.

· Type II Collagen makes up movable joints.

· Type III (the so-called ‘baby collagen’) is the second most abundant collagen in human tissue.

· Type IV forms basal lamina, the epithelium-secreted layer of the basement membrane.

· Type V is present in cell surfaces, hair and placenta.

WHY YOU NEED COLLAGEN

Our bodies make collagen out of amino acids we consume through food. However, as we age, our bodies ability to make collagen declines. Thus, around the age of 30, collagen production begins to diminish by about 1% to 2% yearly. By the age of 40, you and I lose 10% to 20% of our collagen!

UV rays, cigarette smoke, pollution, poor diet lacking in the necessary amino acids causes our skin’s structural integrity to be compromised.

Our dermis is made up of more than 80% Type I Collagen and 15% Type III Collagen, along with Elastin and Hyaluronic Acid, and specialized cells called ‘Fibroblasts’ (the essential ‘collagen factories’ that synthesize new collagen).

Together they are the key components for the extracellular matrix which gives our skin its structure, elasticity and firmness.

Collagen is the key foundational protein for healthy, youthful-looking skin.

To produce collagen, our bodies first need to have amino acids as the building blocks for collagen. Millions of people around the world were indoctrinated in the low-fat diet dogma taught in grade school since the 1970’s. If you’ve been eating a low fat, vegetarian or vegan diet, which is lacking in those crucial amino acids, your body won’t be able to produce enough collagen!

Why? Because those amino acids above are found in animal proteins and animal fats, specifically from the connective tissues of cows and pigs (amazing how bacon is necessary for everything, right?!)

To make things worse, naturally-occurring enzymes in our bodies also break down collagen. Environmental factors like pollution, free radicals, and excessive sun exposure can also break down collagen.

THE #1 SOURCE OF COLLAGEN: Natrual GELATIN

When it comes to sources of collagen, you won’t find anything better than gelatin. Why? Because gelatin IS collagen. As mentioned above, gelatin comes from the connective tissue of cows, pigs and is found in whites and yolks of eggs. You can also get some types of collagen from fish.

Slow cooking or smoking beef and pork liquifies the connective tissues in these meats and creates the moistness that is so very delicious.

The great thing about gelatin is that it is easy for the body to digest and absorb. But, don’t expect your wrinkles or joint pain to disappear overnight.

Yes, you can buy expensive collagen powders or gelatins and help pay for supplement company CEO’s boat. And, some of these have been shown to be effective in helping the skin. However, most of the stuff you find in the supermarket is so highly processed that it isn’t likely to deliver any benefits.

Many collagen supplements found in powders can also cause diarrhea, bloating, a sensation of heaviness in the gut and stomachache.

Instead, save your money. Consume slow cooked beef & pork, eggs, fish and/or cook with bone broth. It will do wonders for your hair, skin and nails and it tastes great.