The Turning Point.

8    MONTHS    LATER   :

"The ocean is violent but a good sailor can weather the storm"

It's been a long haul away from this Blog, I needed to focus a bit more and now I come back to you a different person.

The last 8 months I stepped up my training, hitting the gym almost daily, cut down on high saturated fat foods, cut down on consuming carbonated drinks and tried to eat a bit cleaner, not clean, but cleaner.

I focused on improving myself and I can confidently say I've achieved that, I lift over double what I could, run longer and generally feel a lot better in myself. My goals in this department are far from over, I have other ambitious goals to meet and when spring appears I'll go into my first clean eating cut (which will be difficult).

Aside from my physical appearances what else has changed?

My attitude, I'm more willing to believe in myself, I did this health change all on my own off research I did about the various items I wanted change. Christmas approach's and I'm going to share my knowledge for all the people wanting to make lasting changes on their health and fitness, so expect me to be back to regular blogs again.

 

How about the rest?

I'm STILL trying to find work in London, and while this has been almost a laughable experience the country as a whole is beginning to recover from the economic depression and employment rates are slowly on the rise, so I'm quietly confident this marathon is reaching it's end. 

I'll be working hard to get job applications out and see where I can get, then finally move to London.

I've been visiting every month for a week or two and really feel integrated into a city environment, I still adore the countryside, the wilderness and the oceans call but I've got to make this move, and it's taken longer than it should. It has been a very long war, but one I will win.

So what's next?

• Step up the resistance training program.
• Build a stronger cardio base.
• Move to London
• New business ideas.
• Think about my long term plans, and start setting some in motion

When working on a few small business ideas or any ideas for that matter, some will fail others will work, the trick is not to give up, pick yourself up, ten, fifteen or even a thousand times and carve out the world YOU want.

So make big audacious plans, make goals that terrify you, push yourself to the edge and beyond of your comfort zone, think, fight and live.


"If you can't fight for the life you want then you don't deserve to have it any other way." - Kiko


I know I can do it. Can you?

The CHALLENGE!!

It's been too long... but onto that later!


THE CHALLENGE!!!

I'm still struggling to find work in London in the job field that I wanted (Digital Art / Graphic Design / Image re-touching) so I've got to make a decision.

The weather is starting to get good, and I'll have only a few months oppertunity to get the models on location for a shoot. This will also take massive planing, so I've got to stop and make a stand.

To get this all rolling, I'd need a minimum of £1,600 but to ensure everything is PERFECT which is what I always strive for, Ideally would like £3,000 - £3,500.

SO my challenge is to go, all or nothing!!

Doubt killed more ideas then failure ever could.

GOAL: 

- Gather £3,000 

Why?
To finally launch business at full speed, with a wide range of products, website, model shoot, promotional video.

TO BE ACHIEVED BY:

- July16th

Why?
So that there is still time and good weather to have the shoot and promo video on location.


HOW?:
- Phase 1 
Sell various personal affects that have either less use to me or just for the monetary gain. 

- Phase 2
Get some work, part time, full time not in the profession I wanted. Once the business is stable hopefully that can become my full time job.

- Phase 3
Freelance work, granted it will be in dribs and drabs but this will grant some finance.

-Phase 4
Any small scale business ideas that have a small capital start up cost that I might invent during this process.

I've had some great progress lately in my endeavor to get a better body and become more healthy.

I go to the gym five days a week, weekends are used to rest and sunday is the day that I'll eat a little worse than I should, mostly because I don't want to feel like I'm denying myself bad food as a punishment, its more of a case of clever moderation.

The biggest change is my massive reduction in bread, I now hardly eat it. Don't get me wrong, I love bread, LOVE IT. But it was just something I ate on a daily basis which I didn't need to.

I've found that its just being consistent and working hard (you know in yourself if you've not tried your hardest) sometimes you have to put in the miles to make it all worth it.

As I've become more healthy, and exercised regularly I'm starting to really enjoy my time at the gym, I'm getting more self confidence and can see from my documented progress that Ive improved in leaps and bounds. I will say this for definite; you really do need to put the work in to get the results you want, no point relying on supplements, drugs or surgery, if you've not made the mental changes in your approach you will never achieve what you want.

Eat well, exercise regularly and more importantly, make sure you learn a good variety of exercises, for each area of the body there are tons of exercises for each part and with the right ordering of the exercises you can spend a hour and a half on one body part without it becoming too tired after 2-3 exercises!!


I've got to go now, but I'm going to be updating more frequently now I have things to say, peace you beautiful, beautiful readers!

SPRING IN MY STEP

Spring is here, the sun in out and the very gloomy and record breaking cold winter the UK has just had is but a mere frosty fog on the lens of our memories. I'm sure, like myself you've noticed a drop in posts and to make this up to you and myself I'm currently taking a train back from London to my home-town  It only just occurred to me that I could write my posts in advance to save me work in the evenings which is my normal posting time. The main issue is simple; I've gone from a slow pace of life to what is now a constant stream of things creating disturbance and distraction in my normal posts. I’ll talk about a few of the things I've been up to anyway.

Things I have to fit into a day on average:

• Eating well (breakfast, lunch, dinner).
• 1.5 Hours in the Gym.
• Work on my Business (Which includes):

- Finances

- Product Design

- Marketing

- Business Model and strategy

- Streamlining workflow

- Social media presence

- Designing new products

- Maintaining strong supplier relations

- Email Sifting

- Arrange photo shoots

- Work on Shoots

- Arrange, and edit images after finding right shots

- Branding and Company Identity

- Promotion

- Setting and meeting milestones

- Organising all documentation and filing

- Conceptualising new directions

• Work on various Freelance design work.
• Work a job (at the moment I've got some intern work).
• Host game nights (most nights).
• Attend a hobby club on Wednesdays.
• Work on miscellaneous personal projects.
• Visit parents once a week
• Skype my girlfriend in the night when not in London
• Skype friends and family when in London
• Update Blog
• Update Various Facebook pages and groups

Things I have coming up that I need to find space for:

• Birthday of a good friend
• My own birthday
• 2 weeks intern work
• 2 weeks in a clinical trail testing Flu vaccines (It’s really helpful for other people and I also get paid to do it)
• Dental Surgery
• A event at London I may be attending to set up a stall
• Freelance work creating designs, manufacturing and printing T-Shirts for another event
• Creating a cheap range designs and prints to sell off old out-dated stock

So as you can see, I'm pretty busy and updating the Blog isn't a speedy system, I normally write it up, and upload the various images you see on here like the headers etc, this all takes time! My average Blog post takes just under 2 hours, which in the grand scheme of things is a huge amount of time!

However, I do not view it as work or even a service. I view this blog as a way of relaxing and noting down things that (most of the time) will help other people save money and time or just provide what I consider invaluable information I've discovered or learnt the hard way.

Anyway as you can see I've got a pretty tight schedule, so from now on I'm going to have to put to good use any waste time(like the long train journey to London) to get things lower on my list completed.

I hope everyone is well, oh and on the fitness and health front, I'm doing ok!

A little something.

Just saw this online and thought it was so relevant I'd share it with the readers:

Why I'm trapped in Hell.

I've never really spoken about my employment, and if I have it's not been recently so I thought I'd talk a little about the problems in the UK with finding a job for me personally.

Before I start I'll run down a list of my education:

• GCSE CC in science (I did badly at school)
• NVQ in Art And Design
• Degree in Games Art And Design
• Masters Degree in Digital Art

So I'm not under skilled in any respects.

Previous work experiences?

I lived in a very rural seaside town in the UK, very small population and mostly populated local owned business. As a result of the downsized nature of my town the opportunities here are very limited, in fact non existent.
Before I finished university I worked in the following fields (In no order):

Chip shop.
Waiter.
Argos Stock assistant (Last employment was here).

Second Chef.
Stock manager at a small paint firm.
Train guard on a small train.
Chocolate factory line feeder.

So as you can see these jobs have nothing to do with Art and Design.

Since I finished University in 2009!

I realised pretty fast that the ONLY way I'd get employment in the fields I'd studied so hard in would be to in fact buy employment. What do I mean by that? I mean make my own business!

So after a brief hiatus I started work on my first buisness plan and concept for "Rocket Punch Web Design" and worked out all the things I knew I could do well. Promotional materials, scout for clients build a system of work and of course make it profitable. Since all I needed was software to make this business work it was a very cheap start-up idea! Low investment with high potential earnings. To make this work however I'd need to cover my weakness which is coding. So I talked it through with a friend at that time and we decided to work together to make this work! We did a test run designing a site and making all the elements towards it and it seemed to work good.
Then as we approached launch the coder dropped out as that person got employment with the rival company in the town.
That was that, all that time and work wasted, there was nobody else to ask for help and I had to take a step back and accept defeat which for me is a hard thing to do.

There was a period of time I sat about thinking about my next move (all this time being supported financially by friends and family since I didn't want to get money from the government for not doing anything) and a year  nearly passed. Everything I could think of would require huge initial capital investment and I just didn't have anything to invest.

Mid way through 2010 I saw a video (during my daily search for good business ideas) about a man in the US who designed, printed and heat pressed T-shirts on a religious basis, he made enough to get by, not something I plan to do since I wish to make a buisness successful as oppose to just an employment option.

The initial idea sat with me for a few weeks thinking about the pro's and cons.

Pros:

• Cheaper start up cost than most of the ideas I had.
• I can cut out the middle men and design, print, press and distribute myself saving money and widening the profit margin.
• Requires only a little learning process

Cons:

• If printing onto dark colours, the design has to be simple in shape since you have to actually trace cut the image, the more complex the image is the harder and longer the print process with increased chance of error.
• You have to have a target audience and do some work making sure the products have a place
• You'll need a website OR a shop location (Shop is out of the question on my limited funds)

My grandfather lent me a chunk of money on the premise I'd pay him back when I'm "Rich and famous" in his words. This was greatly appreciated and I set about finding the right equipment that was cheap, effective and reliable.

I also set about looking for a wholesale provider for the raw T-shirts that the designs would be set in. If you've ever looked at wholesale you quickly realise just how much variety there is, and this variety is matched in price.

Eventually I settled for more expensive T shirts that had a denser and stronger quality because I thought that a product had to not only look good but function well also, hard to rip and warm where my choices after all if a T-shirt is comfortable and wears well people will remember that when for if they wish to buy another of your products!

Once I had bought everything, stock, heat press, Printer, industrial heat transfer papers (both colour and clear) inks for the printer I was ready to work on the designs and also start to drum up interest for the products.

I enlisted friends and did a photo shoot for the products, digitally retouched and designed the images like this one (Steak Kitty):

 

I was on a roll, I had designs, models, stock and started to generate online interest and then rather ironically was underfunded for one aspect of the buisness. The one element I miscalculated and crucially overlooked, the website.
Now while this website fiasco happened my grandfather sadly passed away having never seen a return for his investment which left me heartbroken, but I had to carry one and make something of this, he had left me a little money which immediately most of it was invested into the business further.
Now I'm aware of media's like Etsy and other free online shopping systems but I'll explain why this wasn't an option.
For this buisness stratagem to work it needed a heavily stylised and designed website that was unique to the buisness since I'm more than aware of how important branding is. Etsy and the like are nice and work well for someone after small earnings with it's limited customization and lack of a unique domain with little work but for me I'm after forging my own company that will eventually be quite successful.

So I tried and even called in favours to try and get the site done for as little as possible (I had about £400 available and the lowest quote I could get was £1200)

But alas I had ran out of options, at this time my old friend who now worked for this other company said he would do it for me, for free on the condition I'd pay that person back when I started making money form it all! I just had to pay for a hosting package from where he worked which was about £75 for the year.

I asked what he would need from me so I could speed his work up. Firstly was the core design which took some time to finalize.

This whole process took a year.
12 months. 

365 days.

A long time, each monthly deadline he set he had an excuse, I had no money and no option, I believed each excuse before after a year had passed we had an argument about this.
I think he was envious of my idea and combined with being lazy that person let me down for the last time. I cut ties and was left with an incomplete business and no money.

Everyday since I've had to walk past my stock, still there un-moveable.

I really didn't want to end the business and still don't and since September 2012 I've been looking for employment. I can't get employed. and I'll explain why.


I've sent tons of applications, and heard nothing from most I did get feedback from one and regardless to having an Online CV.

www.kikojui.com

And a well designed CV I still don't get a look in, here is why.

Since I left uni I have not got ANY work experience in Art And Design other than my own buisness.

They don't care about Argos and all the other jobs, because they have no relevance with a job in the Digital Design field.

My portfolio might be ok, and my CV might be ok.

But right now when people are all clutching for jobs (most jobs I apply for have had well over 100 applicants) there will always be someone with previous work experiences and will require less training and thus money.

I just can't be hired, which leaves me at a dilemma, to continue living in London I'd need a £18,000 per year job to sustain myself, to get into that bracket you need a professional job, I can't make that doing jobs that don't require a skill since there is a whole horde of people more applying for those positions, again with previous experiences.

I can't make the buisness because I don't have any money, and I can't get money because I can't get employed!!

It's a vicious circle. and if I manage to break it I promise to share to you how I did it.
So if you're in a job, even if you're not a fan of working there, be thankful because some people can't even get a job.

If you read this I just wanted ot get this all off my chest and will happily answer any questions you may ask, peace!!

INFO BURST!!

I'm low on time but feel like sharing a ton of information with you readers, some food for thought if you will!
Information is knowledge, and knowledge is power!!

Things you might want to consider if you're getting more healthy:

www.fitocracy.com/
This site is great for motivation and for networking, as you log you're workouts you gain expirence points and even level up! It has a whole host of quests and achievements and is overall a great way to track your fitness adventure.

www.loseit.com/
As Fitocracy is for fitness, loseit is for diet and health. You set a goal, it tells you how many calories you need to take in daily and how long it will take to reach your target weight on the assumption you meet the requirements.

http://nutritiondata.self.com/
Everything you eat has a nutritional value, and there are a few great sites on finding out what in whatever you eat and more importantly how you cook the food effects its nutritional value. Counting calories? Counting Carbs? or Counting proteins this is the site for you.


Bodybuilding?
http://scoobysworkshop.com/bodybuilding-nutrition-made-simple/
Scoobys Workshop has a whole wealth of information, but the most important reason you should use this site is from the good, honest no plug approach to exercise. He will tell you not only what you should be doing, but also how to do it with minimal cost. Also his entire site, apps and knowledge is free.


It's a quick post I know but give these sites some consideration!

Also remember if there is something specific you'd liek to know about, leave a comment below and I'll do my best to cover it in the next post, peace!

My Goals for this year? My goals for this year.

If you're a regular reader of this blog you'll know I'm not that interested in self indulging with my own life / opinions, I just like factual, to the point advice. So you might ask yourself why trust what I say?
The answer is simple, like all things in life its about extracting the useful information from what I write and incorporate it however you see fit.

I write about my journey, not just physically life changes but also ones regarding the mind. When I learn something I share it here, it's not just for the benefit of the readers but also a way of storing my own discoveries so I can reflect and perfect things learnt.

I'm working towards getting the body I want and working towards for-filling all the things I want to achieve, life is non-stop and time waits for no man (or woman).

It would seem that, only naturally, there has been a fresh influx of viewers to the blog I thought I'd share my ambitions for this year and my "New Years resolution"; I'll also explain why this is a new thing for me and more importantly why this is in the ADVENTURE section.

Why I disagree with New Years Resolutions:

Why is it only the start of the year people decide to make life changes? 

New year, new start, is what the majority of people will say. For me my perspective is more "seize the day" than maybe in January.

If you want to make life changes, do them as soon as possible!! Acting on a problem is like pushing a large rock down a hill, its a hard push getting that rock to move but once its set in action and starts rolling (Equivalent to making and keeping a routine).

So it's not that I'm ANTI resolution / change / thing's being given up, it's more the mentality that this can only occur in January 1st.

Why I am going to make a New Years Resolution... or not really:

I'm going to be making something similar to a NYR, except mines a little different to accommodate my views on only making changes once a year.

It shall be called: NEW YEARS MILESTONES, or NYM for an abbreviation.
Why?
Well It's not making resolutions and general life changes that is the problem, anyone can talk about what they want to do but as the saying go's "Actions Speak Louder Than Words".

So set milestones, things to have achieved by a certain time, make them manageable and not too difficult.

Why is this an adventure?

Whenever you undertake any life changes it's important to not only do it for a valid reason but also to enjoy the outcome of the change.

For example many people try to diet or lose weight through an eating habit change, but sadly, usually fall at one of the following hurdles:

• Drown in all the tides of information available on the subject, magazines contradicting each-other and all the fads and products they tell you to use or avoid.
  Solution:
  There is a lot of information, but the basics are simple, avoid high saturated foods, foods that have been processed a lot and don't eat more calories than you need to expend.
  
  
• Unable to keep up a healthy eating pattern, pushed for time you often find yourself making unhealthy compromises and thus slipping back to old habits.
  Solution:
  This is why you'll need structure, forward planning and backup solutions like a small healthy emergency food supply, make a chart for the week and buy everything you need in advance.
  
  
• The cost of "Health Foods" seems disproportionally high, and not a viable route for your own economic situation.
  Solution:
  While in the UK fresh fruit and vegetables are not cheap they are however easy to process into a more useful and economic source. For example making various big soup batches and freezing them and just heating as when needed. Try and use all parts of what you use and limit waste, things like herbs can be grown at home with ease.
  
  
• Some people take up a resolution with a friend or group of people for "support", but as soon as members succumb to some of the previous pitfalls.
  Solution:Always make a resolution for yourself, you should not really need support from other people if you have the drive and fire needed to make the change work, forget what people think or say, the changes YOU want are for YOU, not them. For motivation just think about the end goal and how you will feel having achieved it, and you will with that mentality.
  
• The most common of all, is to view only the negatives attached to the diet. "I can't eat this, or shouldn't eat that" but never focus on the positives like "I want to look like this, I want ot feel like that", this is something I call Short-term thinking, and is the main problem.

Solution:
While most changes require something to be given up or at least cut down it's worth looking at this in the abstract, yes you're giving up eating chocolate cake every week, but there is nothing stopping you once you've achieved some of your goals and feel comfortable in your control to treat yourself to a slice once in a while, its about moderation (not with smoking however). Just remember, the person you'll be after the goal, how that person feels, how much happier you are. After all this is the precise reason you want the change in the first place!



Ok so as promised I'd add my own personal goals, so you have a perspective as to what I'm trying to achieve, and while my list might look daunting I've been doing this for a while now and know what I can and cannot cope with, so this is by no means a guild line for other peoples list, you should have at least 3 items however spread across the year.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 ~ January ~
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Keep up with diet, maintaining good discipline with the odd treat to keep me from straying off the path.
Make sure to keep my workout days high protein.

Tick box's: VICTORY [  ]   DEFEAT [ ]

Finally get some sort of consistent employment / keep up with freelance work.

Tick box's: VICTORY [  ]   DEFEAT [ ]




-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 ~ February ~

 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'd like to start running and cycling more seriously, Monday and Friday All being total Cardio days, either in the Gym or jogging / cycling outside.

Tick box's: VICTORY [  ]   DEFEAT [ ]


Work on a few projects to try and earn a lot of money, as well as learning new ways to manage my finances.

Tick box's: VICTORY [  ]   DEFEAT [ ]




-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~ March ~

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------


To be able to comfortably:

1. Bench press 80kg on the smith machine
2. Squat 120kg on the smith machine
3. Single Dumbbell row 35KG
4. Dumbbell Press 30KG
5. Legpress (8 reps) 220 KG

Tick box's: VICTORY [  ]   DEFEAT [ ]


Buy some new clothing and feel good enough about my body to post a progress photo on a fitness related site.

Tick box's: VICTORY [  ]   DEFEAT [ ]




-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 ~ April ~

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------


 Get to my target weight of 11.5 stone.

Tick box's: VICTORY [  ]   DEFEAT [ ]



Work on the Business and hope to have the finances to inject into making it completely viable.

Tick box's: VICTORY [  ]   DEFEAT [ ]





-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 ~ May ~

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Start really concentrating on a month of Digital painting, not done it in a while and I need ot get back up to speed plus its therapeutic.

Tick box's: VICTORY [  ]   DEFEAT [ ]

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 ~ June ~

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Make sure to camp at a remote island I know for a day or 3.

Tick box's: VICTORY [  ]   DEFEAT [ ]


Keep my diet on track, making sure I'm not making any mistakes and learn a few new recipes and tricks.

Tick box's: VICTORY [  ]   DEFEAT [ ]



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 ~ July ~

 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Start to learn a new martial art and finally finish reading Sun Tzu's "The Art Of War"

Tick box's: VICTORY [  ]   DEFEAT [ ]



Be comfortable topless in public, not to show off but more to just regain confidence in my appearance.

Tick box's: VICTORY [  ]   DEFEAT [ ]





-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~ August ~

 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Go on an adventure.

Tick box's: VICTORY [  ]   DEFEAT [ ]





-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
~ September ~

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Check how my strength is coming along and document the readings, up weight and reps.

Tick box's: VICTORY [  ]   DEFEAT [ ]




-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 ~ October ~

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BLANK MONTH
Do things not accomplished in previous months.




-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 ~ November ~

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BLANK MONTH
Do things not accomplished in previous months.




-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 ~ December ~

 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Make sure to have gone Abroad at LEAST once during the year.

Tick box's: VICTORY [  ]   DEFEAT [ ]

See in the new year eve watching fireworks in a different country.

Tick box's: VICTORY [  ]   DEFEAT [ ]

So there you have it, it took much longer to write up than necessary but at least now you can see what my milestones are for this year, things might get moved about or changed but that is the basic principal, if I achieve all of these then I can be happy with my year!

I'll also (at the end of the month) Post if I was successful or not in my goals, if I'm not then the most important thing to do is work out why, and then learn from that failure as that is the only way we as people can improve!

I wish you all the best of luck in your resolutions or milestones, I'll post again soon back onto topic.
Remember if there is something specific you want me to cover then hit me a message and I'll do my best to meet your request.

Next post will be:  HOW TO REPLACE THE GYM!
(A post about how to do all you need at home for the price of a few months gym membership)

Peace!

POWER UP MEALS!!

Welcome back, I've missed you, I hope your new years resolutions (If you make them) are going well!

Today I'm going to discuss the single most important aspect of any life change, and that's nutrition.

Remember the phrase "You are what you eat" well I'm not suggesting there are burger shaped people walking around but what we eat is essentially what we really are!!

When you eat something it's in the stomach and all the nutrients good and bad are absorbed and eventually distributed around the body fueling vital jobs such as using proteins to repair ripped muscle tissue... we call it working out; what's left over is stored in various ways, such as fat.

Why is fat stored if it causes so many health risks down the line?

Well fat is stored because your body has not evolved to know when you are going to get your next meal, as far as your body is concerned fat is going to save your life if you can't hunt down any food soon.

Problem is we keep adding to the stored fat before it gets used keeping us alive.

THE BEST WAY TO THINK ABOUT FAT IS THIS:

Think of your body as a car, and calories as fuel, if you keep filling your car with fuel and hardly run it, what will happen? Yes, your tank will be full, your car heavier from the full tank and fuel will pour out over the floor.

The body is the same, if you put more in that you take out you fill up... with fat.

Ok so now where does nutrition come in? Well that's simple, just like car fuel in general (for vehicles) you get different types from diesel to petrol all the way up to rocket fuel, they all increase performance.

People are the same, with the right fuel you can increase your output from thinking to exercise!!

This is such a HUGE topic that I'm going to have to make new headers called "Power up meals" to talk about this, I just can't do it justice in one single post but I'll go over the general idea.

Chances are you've heard the term "Super foods" if not then that's fine as I'll explain now, Super foods are foods with unusually high contents of nutrition that also aid the body in other ways, for example Blueberrys help combat cancer, protect your heart and boost memory to name a few.

Something worth noting is the preparation of foods, while it might seem obvious that frying foods is not as nutritionally beneficial as steaming something to think about, food for thought even, is that overcooking foods is just as damaging to its nutritional value.

Take broccoli for example (My personal favorite green vegetable), if your steaming or boiling it make sure to not cook it to he point where it starts to lose colour and the water changes a green colour, if you do that then you're losing precious nutrients. That green colour in the water is basically the goodness leaving the food. a way to retain SOME of that is to use that water in soups, stocks and gravy. you will save some of it that way, but ideally learning to cook things right will save you a lot of nutrients.

How to cook broccoli:

Broccoli

look for: Sturdy, dark-green spears with tight buds, no yellowing and a high floret-to-stem ratio.

Prep: Cut off florets; cut stalks in half lengthwise and then into 1-inch-thick half-moons.

Microwave: Place stems and florets in a large glass baking dish. Cover tightly and microwave on High until tender, about 4 minutes.

Roast: Preheat oven to 500°F. Spread on a baking sheet or in a pan large enough to hold them in a single layer. Coat with 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil. Roast, turning once halfway through cooking, until tender and browned in places, about 10 minutes.

Steam: Place stems in a steamer basket over 2 inches of water (with 1 tablespoon lemon juice added to it) in a large pot set over high heat. Cover and steam for 2 minutes. Add florets; cover and continue steaming until tender, about 5 minutes more.

 (From Eatingwell.com)

Want to drink fruit juice?

Avoid drinks "from concentrate" and totally avoid carbonated drinks, ideally drink something similar to something I reviewed in a previous post:

Coldpress make fruit juices, this is as close to just eating a raw apple that you're going to get, its freshly squeezed and then pasteurized using only pressure alone, no high heats used so you're 100% certain you've got all the nutrients and they have not been cooked away. 

WHEN EATING FRUIT AND VEGETABLES:

Eat something that has had as little a processing as possible.

(Much like meats, or anything really, processing equates to chemical, heat and other treatments that often hinder the nutritional properties of food)

Eat organic, you've no idea what chemicals have treated your food and what their long term effects might be (better safe than sorry)

Don't overcook.

Overcooking can effectively ruin a foods value.

Enjoy eating well.

(Even if you don't like the idea)

If you can enjoy eating healthy foods then it makes the process of eating well even better for you!

While I appreciate you might not like vegetables (I didn't when I was younger) I  did however try hard to incorporate what I could.

For example, I hated the texture of broccoli, so I'd blend it into a soup, texture problem solved. 

I don't like the taste of Egg alone, so I season well and accompany egg with other items to remove and change that taste. 

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POWER UP MEAL  #1   MUSCLE MEAT SALAD!!

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( Taken from EatingWell.com as it's a FANTASTIC recipe)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup fresh blueberries, divided
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted (see Tips)
• 3 tablespoons fruity vinegar, such as raspberry vinegar
• 1 tablespoon minced shallot
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 3 tablespoons walnut oil or canola oil
• 1 pound sirloin steak or strip steak (1-1 1/4 inches thick), trimmed
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 8 cups baby spinach
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

PREPARATION

1. Preheat grill to medium.
2. Pulse 1/4 cup blueberries, 1/4 cup walnuts, vinegar, shallot, sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a food processor to form a chunky paste. With the motor running, add oil until incorporated. Transfer the dressing to a large bowl.
3. Sprinkle steak with pepper and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Oil the grill rack (see Tips). Grill the steak about 5 minutes per side for medium-rare, 6 minutes per side for medium. Let rest on a clean cutting board for 5 minutes.
4. Add spinach to the bowl with the dressing; toss to coat. Divide the spinach among 4 plates. Thinly slice the steak crosswise. Top the spinach with the steak, feta and the remaining blueberries and walnuts.

TIPS & NOTES

• Tips: To toast chopped nuts, place in a small dry skillet and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes.
• To oil a grill rack, oil a folded paper towel, hold it with tongs and rub it over the rack. (Do not use cooking spray on a hot grill.)

NUTRITION

Per serving: 392 calories; 26 g fat ( 5 g sat , 7 g mono ); 68 mg cholesterol; 11 g carbohydrates; 1 g added sugars; 29 g protein; 3 g fiber; 494 mg sodium; 748 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin A (114% daily value), Zinc (36% dv), Vitamin C (35% dv), Folate (34% dv), Magnesium (26% dv), Iron & Potassium (21% dv)

Carbohydrate Servings: 1

Exchanges: 2 vegetable, 3 lean meat, 4 fat

Just look at this meal, steak, blueberries, walnuts and spinach!! This meal has it all!! taste, class and massive protein for low fat, almost 30 g of PROTEIN!! 

A good overview of superfoods and what they have to offer!!

Apples	Protects your heart	prevents constipation	Blocks diarrhea	Improves lung capacity	Cushions joints
Apricots	Combats cancer	Controls blood pressure	Saves your eyesight	Shields against Alzheimer's	Slows aging process
Artichokes	Aids digestion	Lowers cholesterol	Protects your heart	Stabilizes blood sugar	Guards against liver disease
Avocados	Battles diabetes	Lowers cholesterol	Helps stops strokes	Controls blood pressure	Smoothes skin
Bananas	Protects your heart	Quiets a cough	Strengthens bones	Controls blood pressure	Blocks diarrhea
Beans	Prevents constipation	Helps hemorrhoids	Lowers cholesterol	Combats cancer	Stabilizes blood sugar
Beets	Controls blood pressure	Combats cancer	Strengthens bones	Protects your heart	Aids weight loss
Blueberries	Combats cancer	Protects your heart	Stabilizes blood sugar	Boosts memory	Prevents constipation
Broccoli	Strengthens bones	Saves eyesight	Combats cancer	Protects your heart	Controls blood pressure
Cabbage	Combats cancer	Prevents constipation	Promotes weight loss	Protects your heart	Helps hemorrhoids
Cantaloupe	Saves eyesight	Controls blood pressure	Lowers cholesterol	Combats cancer	Supports immune system
Carrots	Saves eyesight	Protects your heart	Prevents constipation	Combats cancer	Promotes weight loss
Cauliflower	Protects against Prostate Cancer	Combats Breast Cancer	Strengthens bones	Banishes bruises	Guards against heart disease
Cherries	Protects your heart	Combats Cancer	Ends insomnia	Slows aging process	Shields against Alzheimer's
Chestnuts	Promotes weight loss	Protects your heart	Lowers cholesterol	Combats Cancer	Controls blood pressure
Chili peppers	Aids digestion	Soothes sore throat	Clears sinuses	Combats Cancer	Boosts immune system
Figs	Promotes weight loss	Helps stops strokes	Lowers cholesterol	Combats Cancer	Controls blood pressure
Fish	Protects your heart	Boosts memory	Protects your heart	Combats Cancer	Supports immune system
Flax	Aids digestion	Battles diabetes	Protects your heart	Improves mental health	Boosts immune system
Garlic	Lowers cholesterol	Controls blood pressure	Combats cancer	kills bacteria	Fights fungus
Grapefruit	Protects against heart attacks	Promotes Weight loss	Helps stops strokes	Combats Prostate Cancer	Lowers cholesterol
Grapes	saves eyesight	Conquers kidney stones	Combats cancer	Enhances blood flow	Protects your heart
Green tea	Combats cancer	Protects your heart	Helps stops strokes	Promotes Weight loss	Kills bacteria
Honey	Heals wounds	Aids digestion	Guards against ulcers	Increases energy	Fights allergies
Lemons	Combats cancer	Protects your heart	Controls blood pressure	Smoothes skin	Stops scurvy
Limes	Combats cancer	Protects your heart	Controls blood pressure	Smoothes skin	Stops scurvy
Mangoes	Combats cancer	Boosts memory	Regulates thyroid	aids digestion	Shields against Alzheimer's
Mushrooms	Controls blood pressure	Lowers cholesterol	Kills bacteria	Combats cancer	Strengthens bones
Oats	Lowers cholesterol	Combats cancer	Battles diabetes	prevents constipation	Smoothes skin
Olive oil	Protects your heart	Promotes Weight loss	Combats cancer	Battles diabetes	Smoothes skin
Onions	Reduce risk of heart attack	Combats cancer	Kills bacteria	Lowers cholesterol	Fights fungus
Oranges	Supports immune systems	Combats cancer	Protects your heart	Straightens respiration
Peaches	prevents constipation	Combats cancer	Helps stops strokes	aids digestion	Helps hemorrhoids
Peanuts	Protects against heart disease	Promotes Weight loss	Combats Prostate Cancer	Lowers cholesterol	Aggravates Diverticulitis
Pineapple	Strengthens bones	Relieves colds	Aids digestion	Dissolves warts	Blocks diarrhea
Prunes	Slows aging process	prevents constipation	boosts memory	Lowers cholesterol	Protects against heart disease
Rice	Protects your heart	Battles diabetes	Conquers kidney stones	Combats cancer	Helps stops strokes
Strawberries	Combats cancer	Protects your heart	boosts memory	Calms stress
Sweet potatoes	Saves your eyesight	Lifts mood	Combats cancer	Strengthens bones
Tomatoes	Protects prostate	Combats cancer	Lowers cholesterol	Protects your heart
Walnuts	Lowers cholesterol	Combats cancer	boosts memory	Lifts mood	Protects against heart disease
Water	Promotes Weight loss	Combats cancer	Conquers kidney stones	Smoothes skin
Watermelon	Protects prostate	Promotes Weight loss	Lowers cholesterol	Helps stops strokes	Controls blood pressure
Wheat germ	Combats Colon Cancer	prevents constipation	Lowers cholesterol	Helps stops strokes	improves digestion
Wheat bran	Combats Colon Cancer	prevents constipation	Lowers cholesterol	Helps stops strokes	improves digestion
Yogurt	Guards against ulcers	Strengthens bones	Lowers cholesterol	Supports immune systems	Aids digestion

An overview of good superfoods
(Shared from: http://www.thepowerhour.com/news2/healthy_food_chart.htm)