Messages

1

General Discussion / Re: Will 2008 mark the beginning of the end of Raw Capitalism? [opinion]

« on: September 22, 2008, 01:15:53 AM »

Greetings Matt...& all the other Cavemen (& women) 

Well, it's been a while since I stopped by Caveman Power & I'm glad to see that things are staying as topical as ever. This is a subject so close to my heart that I couldn't help but make a little comment.

Sure, we're gonna see the end of raw Capitalism, but Conscious Capitalism is really what's on the rise. Yay! Making a buck from doing & making things that are good for society & our planet grows in strength each day & it's make me very happy.

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General Discussion / Re: School is partly responsible for the dehumanisation of children [opinion]

« on: March 15, 2008, 01:06:13 AM »

So, I'm curious as to what you think children should be doing with their days if they're not at school all day? I don't disagree with you Matt but I'd like to hear what you think the alternative might be. I thought I'd give you some of my thoughts on the topic as well.

I think kids should spend time learning where their food comes from and how it's made, there should be a course in 'self esteem' and not those awful improv acting classes that freak most kids out - don't know what else but something different, listening to elderly people talk about 'the war' or 'the depression' and not learning just from dehumanising propaganda-filled textbooks...and other stuff...love to hear everyone's ideas.

Just as a side note, it's probably not all that relevant these days to ask a woman if she's a feminist, we've moved on as a society. Don't forget women are the gatherers...a skill that is far more useful in today's society than hunting. 

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Advice Column / Re: A question about posture...

« on: December 07, 2007, 10:20:42 PM »

Merry Christmas to you too Madison 

Forgive me for getting all excited when I see a conversation about posture on this forum but it's what I do for a living so I can't help but put in my two cents.

The feet are the foundation of our posture so having them in good working order can help to alleviate many problems like lower back pain that can often be caused by fallen arches leading to instability and rotation through the hips. This can also set up the posture of rounded shoulders that leads to those nasty tension headaches.

So, if your feet are not in the best shape you can improve your posture by improving the functionality and strength of the muscles in your arches by practising picking up a pen or a towel from the ground with your toes. This will strengthen and help lift your arches which will in turn improve your posture by creating a solid foundation. Walking barefoot on uneven surfaces is also a brilliant suggestion and probably best attempted after a few weeks of strengthening your arches.

One other tip for good posture from the ground up is to stand with your feet aligned hip width apart, then lift your toes and wiggle them to ensure your weight is evenly distributed throughout your foot rather than on the balls of your feet which will again put pressure on your lower back. Do this any time you need to stand still for any length of time and you'll notice you wont need to shift your weight around so much to stay comfortable.

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General Discussion / Re: Caveman cuisine

« on: September 25, 2007, 03:16:38 AM »

I guess the truth is you don't know what you'd eat if you were in a survival situation.

Would your instinct to survive overcome your intellect's resolve to not eat anything 'icky'?

Hmmm...as I said before...hope I never find out 

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General Discussion / Re: Caveman cuisine

« on: September 20, 2007, 03:12:35 PM »

I went to Nepal a few years ago and after a few weeks of a diet of lentils and coconut biscuits we were offered the chance to try some Yak meat and Yak cheese - both were delicious...especially after the vego diet on the trek.

The interesting thing was, I have Haemochromatosis (fancy name for genetically storing too much iron) so I don't really need to eat red meat in the way some people do (actually it would make me very ill me if I did), what I noticed was though...everyone (except me) started behaving more animated and jovial after they'd eaten the Yak meat.

I hope I never have to choose between eating weird bugs and starvation...I have enough trouble looking at some of the more 'colourful' Yum Cha carts on a Sunday morning.

6

Fitness & Exercise / Re: The Caveman Power "1 Tonne Challenge"

« on: September 08, 2007, 04:57:31 PM »

Even though I didn't manage to make it to 1 tonne I thought I'd share my results now so I can see my improvement in a few weeks time.

The funniest thing was at the end one of the personal trainers came up to me and asked what I was doing. When I got my breath back I explained it to her and she was quite excited - which was great considering I was half expecting a lecture.

Also, I actually feel really good now the day after - no real muscle soreness just that nice dead feeling you get when you really work your muscles.

08/09/07  600kg  - 60 x 10kg 4 mins 20 sec (I guess if I had weights at home I could have finished it later)

You could be onto something here Matt - will update my results next week 

7

General Discussion / Re: What are your aspirations?

« on: September 05, 2007, 04:47:28 AM »

Madison, you must have ESP - I've just had this same conversation today.

I've had a massive project on the go for about 18 months and today I finally took some major steps towards reaching the goals I set myself at the start of it. I'd been working solidly for over a year and achieved quite a bit but my lack of focus was fairly evident. I hadn't really realised until this week that I had been procrastinating (out of fear) a little - or exploring my options as I've termed it. So, it's time for action - finally!

My list goes a bit like this:

See my major project through to completion (and start another)
Participate in Burning Man next year
Visit Morocco & Turkey
Learn to speak French (damn sexy language)
Have a Black Labrador as a pet
Live by the beach
Be interesting and interested
Write a story for someone I love
Meditate every day
Sail and Surf my way around Australia (and the world)
Face my fears head-on (swim with Sharks, speak up even if I'm not sure I'm right, be wrong and a stack of other stuff that freaks me out. Except bungee jumping - I'm never ever gonna do that)

I think I'll leave it at that before I start procrastinating under the weight of expectation.
 

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General Discussion / Re: A question

« on: August 30, 2007, 04:15:47 AM »

I had an email recently from a friend who told me that I 'empower' people by pointing out their strengths and encouraging them to focus on them. That email meant the world to me - so maybe that's what I have the power to do - recognise the good in people and encourage them to develop their strengths. I'm pretty sure that would help to make the world a better place.

 

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Food & Diet / Re: Kellogg's - you don't deserve to be called Australian.

« on: August 19, 2007, 11:41:57 PM »

A friend of mine (no, seriously - it wasn't me) was on a calorie controlled diet (the one they advertise on TV that gets delivered to your door) for almost a year and was growing dissatisfied as she wasn't losing any weight. The diet is very high in carbs, cereal for breakfast, lots of pasta, bread, rice - not that much meat or dairy.

She went along to a Holistic Medicine GP who did a load of blood tests etc and informed her she was insulin resistant, gluten intolerant and heading for Type 2 Diabetes, she's 43 - that's the short version anyway.

It's hard to imagine that a diet that's supposed to be nutritionally balanced and available to anyone without any check and balances could actually be harmful to some people. I'm not saying the diet was the cause of her health problems initially but it certainly didn't improve the situation.

She's now on a modified Caveman type diet (fruit, nuts, fish, vegies etc) - I caught up with her at the gym on Sunday and she looks awesome after just 4 months.

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The Voting Booth / Re: Astrology - a question of faith, not science.

« on: August 18, 2007, 08:12:14 PM »

If I'm right I'll explain how I know - so, am I right? 

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The Voting Booth / Re: Astrology - a question of faith, not science.

« on: August 18, 2007, 06:55:12 PM »

Honestly, I like Astrology - I don't believe in it so much as a tool for prediction or characterisation of people but I like the principle of "as above - so below" meaning that the universe and all it may encompass are inextricably linked.

I like that we've always looked up to try to find meaning to our lives - religion, astronomy, astrology whatever your thing is that helps you find your place in the world. Maybe you don't need to look anywhere for that - no problem. So, as a concept of tracking movements in the sky to track movements in our world - I think it's cool. I'm not though going to make major decisions in my life based on what is interpreted by those movements above - but I'm never really all that surprised when the two match up. I use reason and intuition (which I believe you need to cultivate by quietening the mind through meditation etc) to make my decisions.

As for characterising people based on 12 overlapping and 'almost applicable to anyone' standards - it's very wish-washy and has been 'found' (I'll stop short of saying 'proven' because from what I've seen so far - nothing has been really proven either way) by many sceptics to be so. I'll agree with you on that point.

I don't agree that you're not making the same pre-judgement of people though with your statement and that to me is the more important aspect. It's all well and good to not believe in anything that's not scientifically proven but I don't think it's a helpful attitude to label people idiots if they have other ways of forming their opinions.

By feeling we're dealing with someone who's an idiot - we'll usually (maybe even sub-consciously) treat them as one until they prove themselves not to be one and overcome our pre-judgement.

I understand your argument. They're judging you based on their beliefs - you're judging them based on their actions- but what's the difference? Although it's not so much a case of being right or wrong - it's more a case of attitude and I'm curious as to why it all bothers you so much. People are judging you everyday based on what you wear, where you live, the way you speak etc why should one more level of judgement be so hard to accept? It's our job as human beings to get along - so what if people make judgements about us based on a belief system we don't subscribe to - is it really that much of a big deal - can't we just think to ourselves 'whatever' and just get on with our day.

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The Voting Booth / Re: Astrology - a question of faith, not science.

« on: August 17, 2007, 07:40:14 PM »

You're being such a Taurus Matt haha  Just kidding

Unfortunately that puts me squarely in the 'idiot' box and would I like to point out the irony in your statement about not wanting to categorise people through Astrology and labelling people idiots for believing in it.

OK, I feel a argument coming on - do your worst... 

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Fitness & Exercise / Re: The best way to lose weight and get fit - without the hype.

« on: August 09, 2007, 07:50:43 PM »

Quite often i'll ride to the gym and ride home.  This I feel, is in the vain of a hunter-style type of physical activity i.e. stalking the prey, chasing it vigorously, and then carrying it back to camp over rough terrain.... you get the idea.  Warming up and warming down, with intense activity in the middle, is in my opinion very natural.

Intriguing...that makes complete sense to me - thanks!

14

Advice Column / Re: Welcome to the Advice Column

« on: August 09, 2007, 12:15:33 AM »

Hey Madison, definitely a class situation would be the way to go. So many people end up at my clinic after trying a bit too hard to make a pose from their yoga DVD. The smaller the class the better so you get that individual attention. I really hope you enjoy it if you go along.

The other sport I can totally recommend for the mind/body experience is surfing. I took some lessons this summer and it totally rocked...it was a major confidence boost for me to learn...the first time I got up I just screamed with excitement  Best 4 seconds of my life!

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Fitness & Exercise / Re: The best way to lose weight and get fit - without the hype.

« on: August 09, 2007, 12:09:17 AM »

Hey Matt, my question is about post exercise stretching. Do you have some evidence to suggest that stretching muscle groups after intense exercise is no longer current thinking? I've noticed that in most of your writings about exercise there is no mention of this. Just curious 

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Advice Column / Re: Welcome to the Advice Column

« on: August 08, 2007, 06:21:30 PM »

In regards to Yoga, I think the real reason most people don't take on the spiritual side of it or lifestyle (vego diet, no cocktails at sundown etc) is because it takes a very long time to perfect the postures to the level that is required to be able to do yoga in a meditative state. Switching off the 'left arm here, right leg there' twister type instructions that we need to concentrate on in the early stages of learning is just not possible unless you want to end up in a pile on the floor.

As general stretching and strengthening though - you can't beat yoga - personally I've used it to strengthen my shoulders and arms to help cope with my work as a remedial massage therapist and no longer suffer any injuries from overuse even after 8 hours of massage in a day. I'm believer that physical strength and mental strength go hand in hand

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Philosophy / Re: Belief-O-Matic -- A personality quiz about your religious and spiritual beli

« on: August 06, 2007, 12:02:27 AM »

Damn it! I knew that tarot card question would put me in the New Age category.

1.    Unitarian Universalism  (100%)
2.    Neo-Pagan (94%)
3.    Liberal Quakers (84%)
4.    Secular Humanism (83%)
5.    New Age (81%)
6.    Theravada Buddhism (78%)
7.    Mahayana Buddhism (74%)
8.    Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (68%)
9.    Taoism (60%)
10.    Hinduism (53%)
11.    Nontheist (52%)
12.    Jainism (50%)
13.    Reform Judaism (48%)
14.    Orthodox Quaker (47%)
15.    New Thought (46%)
16.    Scientology (45%)
17.    Bahá'í Faith (41%)
18.    Sikhism (41%)
19.    Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (36%)
20.    Orthodox Judaism (27%)
21.    Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (26%)
22.    Seventh Day Adventist (25%)
23.    Eastern Orthodox (20%)
24.    Islam (20%)
25.    Roman Catholic (20%)
26.    Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (19%)
27.    Jehovah's Witness (17%)

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General Discussion / Re: Observations on Self Esteem

« on: August 04, 2007, 04:08:45 AM »

Cheers Matt   

Great to be here in the cave. Greetings to all the cavemen and women.

I like the sound of 'column C' - count me in!

In 'column C' it's OK to make negative remarks and still maintain your self esteem, as long as the remarks are the quality of Oscar Wilde - "some people cause happiness wherever they go - others, whenever they go."

I'll try to be more constructive in future.   

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General Discussion / Re: Observations on Self Esteem

« on: August 03, 2007, 02:45:57 PM »

Yeah, I can be a little from 'column A' and little from 'column B' myself. Thankfully these days 'column A' gets a few more ticks.

I think I'm right in suggesting that how you regard yourself sets the foundation for how others see you. A recent example comes to mind, I attended a Charity Ball last Friday night and decided to go it alone (recently single and didn't really want to spend the whole night saying to people 'no, were just friends' if I took one of my male friends as my date) - I spent the day reassuring myself that it would be fine and the experience would help widen my comfort zone. As I got out of the Taxi there was a moment of "Oh my God...what the hell am I doing," - the voice of 'column B'  but it was only a moment and then after having a bit of a word with myself, 'column A' kicked in. I had a great time, met loads of people, did a bit of networking for my business and kinda just forgot I was there by myself.

The one thing I would like to know other peoples opinions on goes back to the 'are critical of others' point in the article in Matt's post. We can't always control what we think (we've had a lifetime to build up our 'automatic' responses to people, situations and events - but that's a whole other show - do you 'respond' or do you 'react'? ) but we can control what we say aloud to others and about ourselves. Hey, I'm not perfect and sometimes it's just so hard to keep my mouth shut...