Table Salt vs. Sea Salt: Only 1 contains adequate Iodine!

Happened to notice 'iodized' on our cooking salt's label today..got me thinking..Many of us have switched to naturally harvested 'Sea Salt' for its texture, flavor & more trace minerals without anti-caking additives. However when we trade up from traditional (processed) Table Salt there could be a problem: goodbye IODINE. Table Salt Industry has been fortifying with Iodine in our table/cooking salt production for generations in the USA and Canada because iodine is an essential nutrient & many folks were deficient in iodine. Necessary for the thyroid gland mostly, iodine is naturally abundant in seafood and there is a trace of it in Sea Salt too, but most of us do not ingest nearly enough iodine in our normal diet. So if you have switched to only naturally harvested 'Sea Salt', then make sure you are eating enough seaweed and fish, or also cooking with Table Salt. Also, did you know, there is no such thing as being allergic to naturally-occurring iodine found in seafood?...the allergic reaction most folks blame on iodine is actually to certain proteins found in shellfish, not the iodine. Along with seafood, iodine is also found in cranberries, eggs from free-range chickens, organic yogurt/raw dairy.

Men: Iron Overload Awareness: Too much is TOXIC - consider donating blood to prevent excess iron accumulation!

*Men* ~ PUMP the IRON but do NOT supplement with iron: Make sure none of your supplements contain IRON. I was accidently consuming some in one of my wife's supplements. Glad I caught it: we build up iron in our tissues, (Iron Overload or Hemochromatosis if hereditary), unless we donate blood annually and too much is very toxic! I'm going to blog about it. Whole-food sources shouldn't become a problem unless you eat a lot of red meat. There are some things that help us chelate excess iron out of our blood like Green Tea (EGCG) and Tumeric. But really men should be donating blood annually. Mother Nature already takes care of the ladies:)

Pump the Iron but do NOT EVER supplement with iron if you are a MAN.

Men~ Pump the iron...jack the steel...is good. Swallowing the iron is bad.

Next posts coming up:  (processed) Table Salt vs. (natural) Sea Salt:  Only one of these provides you with adequate IODINE: An essential nutrient for the thyroid gland and human life!...

Also:  High FAT/Ketogenic diets:  Do they work?  Do they work for athletes?  Do they work for high-intensity/fast-twitch/power athletes?...hmmm...

- Max Wettstein

Movember, the Asian Squat, Wim Hoff, & random stuff...

     Been a while!  I think what is happening is that I'm becoming one of those lazy humans who only wants to do anything social media related, from my smart phone.  So that means most of my 'blogging' or posting is being done on my instagram.  Also I only seem to post organically, in-the-moment, and instagram is a better platform for that, since my phone is right there always connected, and my laptop is not.  Also instagram keeps my posts shorter & to the point, so follow me there for more consistent, organic posts @maxwettstein on insta.

     November is 'Prostate Health' awareness month and I have already posted about this numerous times, if you want to check that out.  Yes eventually every man's prostate begins to enlarge, if you live long enough, and it is natural and not the end of the world.  The finger-probe is a more reliable BPH test than the blood/PSA test.  And masturbating or ejaculating daily is healthy for the prostate gland.

Squat more, Sit less.

My version of the 'Asian Squat?'  Yes I know I look like I'm taking a dump in the woods!

     In the above photo, I'm disappointed because I'm 3 weeks into my 'Movember' mustache and you can't even see it!  But more importantly I'm doing a resting, natural deep squat I've always done, which is now becoming popular (again) in fitness circles.  I've even seen it claimed a cultural position - the 'Asian squat', because some of those cultures hang out like this...

In some cultures a proper deep squat is a way of life.  Chairs are bad for your posture, lazy American!

...because in these cultures there aren't chairs available everywhere.  (Also see my post on Sitting is Lethal.)  As a young man, I used to be play Catcher in baseball and got really good at this squat.  As a surfer, I squat like this to loosen up my lower-back while checking the surf.  What's old is new again, and even Men's Health mag recently called this Asian Squat as the one move/exercise you need to be doing each day to maintain full-range of motion - of course MH didn't call it that and claimed it as their own novel idea.  Like I said, what's old is new again.  So next time you're just sitting around, maybe opt out of the chair and for this squat instead.  You will be doing wonders for your lower back, hips and glutes.  Contrary to what one might think, deep (natural) squats are NOT bad for your knees or pateller tendon, even during weight-lifting exercise.  The proper way is heels flat on the ground and butt as low as you can get it.  You may find that over time your achilles tendon has shortened a bit, from so much sitting and this is one natural way to lengthen it back out.  Those of you who have always done Olympic-style lifting, (pulling a barbell from the floor), should have no problem with your achilles tendons, as this traditional type of lifting involves this type of deep squatting.  So this is the heart of this blog post, but read on for more updates...

Some recent photoshoot/modeling work, Summer 2016

     Sorry, I've been way behind on blogging!  So many ideas, but then I never feel like I have a free adequate block of time to properly write anymore.  I need to just sit down randomly and start typing and let it flow instead of striving to create some sort of writing masterpiece.  Upcoming posts planned on cold exposure benefits and training immersed in "hard, righteous, NATURE" that I learned primarily from studying Wim Hof, the IceMan.  Also more pilot occupational health hazard items and redeye life.  Training in "hard nature" - I have always done it, mostly with surfing, mountain biking and snow skiing - but its true - it can take you out of your confined, safe, benign, bland, gym climate and expose you to unexpected rawness, ruggedness, beauty and even some extremes - triggering primal instincts, survival hormones and amplifying sensory intake.  Nature will hold you accountable like no Trainer will.  Cold exposure is like a cardio workout in and of itself, flexing all your blood vessels and endothelial lining.  More to come and more on the power of the mind.  But for now, some recent modeling work - because the camera can also be "righteous" and hold one accountable:)  Thank you!

QOR Kit June '16 Catalog cover, photo Jed Smith

Exit 2015, Enter 2016: What's new?..Zoolander 2, and revisiting 'Why I still model - Isn't it time to retire?!'

Its been a while!  This blog post is more of a personal, ‘house-keeping’ one, so you’ve been warned!

2015 wrapped up with San Diego’s Four EL men’s magazine going on indefinite hiatus, (where I was the fitness contributor), as well as Greens Plus+ Energy bars, without warning, cutting their marketing staff, and as a result, all of us ‘ambassadors’ losing our sponsorship.  So no more Greens Plus for myself after 15 years using their products.  I can’t be expected to go back to buying it at this point.  I’m still working an ambassadorship with Core Energy Fitness resistance bands and suspension straps (my backyard & traveling fitness arsenal), and BioFreeze has been contacting me recently for sponsorship, but I have failed to get back to them in time most likely, which is lame of me, cause their products are ones I was already using, as well as my wife for her massage practice.

I’m still modeling professionally, booking paid jobs about twice monthly.  (If it’s not paid, it’s not professional.)  Bookings have slowed down a lot, by choice.  For one thing, working my main career as a Captain for JetBlue, with two kids & a working spouse, leaves very little time left over for modeling, writing & Personal Training.  Also, at age 46, I have realized the ideal ‘fitness-model’ in the traditional sense, is a young-man’s game, so I have switched to mostly apparel clients, which means catalogs instead of magazines & infomercials.  Less exposure & infomercial fame, but the irony is, apparel pays about 4 times as much, and the shoots are much less intense.  In fact the idea with apparel most times is to look as natural as possible, not even noticing the photographer, (unless it is BORING studio!), and there are some instances where you don’t even know when the photographer has gotten ‘the shot’.  He just suddenly out of nowhere says, “Got this, what’s next?”  Some of the performance/sports-apparel shoots are still quite demanding physically to be sure, but even then, the intensity level is nowhere near that of a standard fitness industry booking, and, typically I’m wearing physique-covering clothing much of the time, so the enormous challenge of pre-shoot dieting and dialing (tanning, shaving, carbo-loading), is all but eliminated.

Going into 2016 my main apparel client is still the relatively new men’s performance brand known as QOR (pronounced “core”- see my earlier blog posts.)  They just hit the 1.5 year mark since their official launch and are gaining traction.  They are mostly for the urban, corporate-yet-very-active man.  Think San Francisco-based CEO or Doctor who commutes to work by bicycle and goes for a jog during lunch.  This QOR-man is also eco-minded and a foodie.  I just shot for their summer catalog on the North Shore of Oahu.  It certainly felt very validating to book a location shoot of that caliber again.  A little backstory - the creators of QOR were also the creators of a women’s brand called Athleta, now owned by Gap.  Since I have been a model for every QOR shoot since their genesis, sometimes I feel like I’m truly a part of their team.

For the Ladies: Breast Cancer Awareness Month - October is PINK!

     I know I mostly have a lot of male followers on my blog, as it tends to center around Men's health & fitness, but fellas, I have to give it up for the ladies during this pink month of October:  It's Breast Cancer Awareness Month!  And where would any of us be without those breasts and the life-giving colostrum and milk they provide us at birth?!  It's hard to miss the pink everywhere this month, and it's not without good reason.  Breast cancer affects almost every family I know at some point.  Maybe it is the abundance of estrogen and estrogen-receptors within breast tissue, or maybe it is the large amount of breast adipose tissue itself, both which are thought to feed some cancers.  I don't know for sure, but I do know that breasts in their natural God-given state, are beautiful, whether in a bikini, a jersey, or whether completely bare, feeding your newborn baby.  I've witnessed all forms.  Long live the boobie! - Did I just say that?

     Below I have attached an informative, just-the-facts-you-need-to-know, bullet highlighted graphic that was personally sent to me by BHG 360, AKA, Bankers Health Care Group.  It's a brilliant PSA. Please read it, copy and share it with the breasts you love, per BHG 360's wishes.  The only agenda is to truly raise breast cancer awareness, succinctly and simply.  Lastly I will share with you something very personal, that my wife is a cancer survivor (not breast).  That is all!  From Bankers Health Care Group:

     "It’s that pink time of the year again! October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the volume of stories and statistics about the disease that appear in the media this month. The news is filled with participants walking, running and sharing testimony to raise awareness and funds for both breast cancer research and patient care.

     At the same time, practitioners of all specialties can take advantage of this increased awareness to educate patients about disease mechanisms and warning signs. This infographic below provides important facts, dispels a few myths and reminds your patients that early detection and better treatments do save lives. PLEASE!..Share it with your patients, clients and colleagues."

10 Ways to Hack Your Fitness! (Maximize Your Exercise VALUE part 2)

          We used to call ‘em fitness tips but now the latest trend is to call them fitness hacks, and I desire to be a trend follower.  I suppose there is something more to a hack:  If something is going to be a labeled a hack then it had better be some sort of game-changing, time-saving short cut.  So significant in fact that it should almost feel like you’re cheating.  Well, I can’t promise you anything quite that mind-blowing here, but I have compiled a pretty worthy list of my favorite fitness hacks, which will definitely save you time and get you results.  While those who know me, know I am an advocate of making fitness part of a holistic lifestyle, and that I am not into trendy, fad diets or one-size-fits all approaches, there is nothing wrong with optimizing or streamlining your training in order to maximize exercise value.  Training smarter and not just harder, should always be a welcome strategy.  Of course there really are no shortcuts or miracles, but there are some hacks.  Some of them so simple they should be common sense, while others hopefully are new ideas to you.  In no particular order:

1.  Train using full-body, functional movements.  Skip the isolation exercises unless you’re rehabbing an injury or bringing up a weak body part.  Isolation exercises should be left to Bodybuilders, Physique athletes, and Fitness models, who are paid to look perfect and symmetrical.  While you no doubt want to look good, your primary goals should be mobility, health, longevity and perhaps athletic performance.  Full-body, functional exercises that synergistically involve multiple muscle groups accomplish all these goals in the shortest amount of time.  Exercises like burpees, pull-ups, push-ups, squats, lunges, planks and box-jumps.  It’s amazing what a nice physique these movements will produce inherently.

      2.  Train at high intensity most of the time.  High intensity training, maximizes your exercise value, giving you the most bang for your buck, in the least amount of time.  It also triggers a lot of post-exercise, metabolism-boosting, pro-hormone affects, lasting hours afterwards.  You can increase your intensity level by: reducing your rest duration between sets, using circuit-training principles where you alternate antagonistic muscle groups, increase load, increase reps, or any combination of the aforementioned.  If you desire to reach failure levels, then you must follow with a brief resting interval, usually performed using a 1:3 working-to-resting interval ratio, also known as high intensity interval training, (HIIT).