Day 14: Kenpo X, Act 2

I love this workout! It really gets you moving, and it sure brings down the blood sugars. The last time I did it, I found that the workout was not that bad, I took karate when I was younger. Today, I tried to up the intensity, and I sweated my ass off.

Right now I am chugging back a recovery drink mix of my own making. I have been experimenting a bit here and there. See, the problem with recovery drinks is that they are basically just maltodextrin. That is another way to say “corn sugar.” You can see where the problem lies.

My visit to Popeye’s gave me a really good idea. The manager there told me to stay away from the recovery drinks, as they would play havoc with my blood glucose levels. Then he introduced me to this vitamin called “Alpha Lipoic Acid.” The theory is that it would act as insulin would, and would help me utilize more of the protein in a shake instead of my kidneys happily filtering out the excess protein as waste.

That sounded a little too much like “BroScience” to me, so I did my research.

It turns out that back in the golden days of the 60′s German doctors used to use Alpha Lipoic Acid (or “ALA”) to treat diabetes. Combine ALA with Evening Primrose oil, and you could see an increase in insulin sensitivity. That is music to my ears.

I am happy to announce that I am on a new vitamin regiment to see if there is any improvement. So far I am taking:

• Omega 3
• ALA
• Evening Primrose
• Chromium Vandium
• Megabolic Vitamins by Weider
• Calcium/Magnesium

Not a bad combination. If I can lower my insulin sensitivity further, then I can almost eliminate the fast acting insulin. I am only using 3 units to 5 units per meal, unless I am going pretty high carbohydrate. (Then I add 2 more.) That’s a small amount of insulin for bolus regimes. The good news about that is the smaller the number you are playing with, the better chance you have of getting it right, with way less hypoglycemic episodes.

I feel great after 14 days. I can’t believe I have missed out on exercising all these years. The thing I love about P90X is that I can do it at home without some musclebound asshole in a gym showing off. I can work at my pace, get things right, and so what if I can’t do it all in the beginning? At least I am bringing it.

Today’s recipe looks a little weird. I felt like having a little something else in my recovery drink. I remember my Grandfather talking about the benefits of fresh basil as an anti-gas agent, or to soothe a crampy stomach.

Anyone who has taken protein powder has probably had the flatulence of doom. The type that seems to cling to you no matter where you go to relieve the pressure. If you are tired of people clearing the room dry-retching when you are around, give this recipe a try. Perhaps your bed mate will also thank me for it.

Chocolate Strawberry Basil Protein Shake

Serves: 1

Ingredients

• 1 scoop chocolate isolate whey protein powder (about 30 grams)
• 4 strawberries, hulled
• 5 tablespoons Mediterranean yogurt (at least 10%, preferably one you make yourself!)
• 1 cup water
• 5 ice cubes
• 1 stem fresh basil leaves, chopped fine

Method:

1. Place water, yogurt, ice cubes, strawberries, and basil in your cup. Add the protein powder. (It will float on the top. Don’t try and put it first, or you will have a clumpy mess at the bottom!)
2. Using a hand blender, or a bar blender, blend the mixture until it is smooth enough to drink.

Tagged as: diet, exercise, fitness, grueling, Kenpo, p90X, recipe, recovery, shake, Workout