Fueling The Warrior
This is something I have been piecing together in the back of my mind since I was in the Marines from 05-09. I remember thinking how bodybuilding.com was making some serious bank off the military because every mail drop was nearly 70% of the boxes were from them. No matter what your MOS (job) was, no matter what you were like in the states, almost everyone took up working out and if you didn't you were looked upon like the turd you probably were.
We were all thirsty for knowledge on how to get bigger, faster, and stronger yet no one knew any quality source to go to. Everything was game. We took what we thought were the best bits from "used to been" guys, recon guys as they passed through camp, our higher ups, and anything on the internet. I can remember guys pouring several pre-workouts in together into one cup thinking "more is better", and having the lid pop off as they started shaking it. I even shake my head at some of the crap I tried in the vein of strength and size....I want to say I even tried going meatless for a stint, eating a ton of those delicious Otis Spunkmeyer muffins, mmmmmmm.
We were a gold mine for all of the snake oil salesmen in the business, but all we wanted to do was to not die better.
In the time I have been learning from the worlds best about supplements and nutrition I would always come across bits of information that would make me think "Damn, if only we all knew this when we were in Iraq!" Whether it was something that helped the body buffer negative effects of a cortisol surge, or how to ameliorate the consequences of sleep deprivation there is a wealth of knowledge that isn't being presented to our military. At least not in any widely accessible medium that I am aware of.
That's where this blog (and hopefully future book) comes into play.
I've collected quite the number of resources over the years with the intent of compiling them together into one source that can be easily utilized for any dumb grunt (which is what I was), or other military personnel to aid them in properly fueling themselves in the stressful environments we found ourselves in.
Combating the effects of shift work. Supporting the brain after traumatic events. Speeding up healing injuries. Fortifying the gut against crappy eating supplies. Increasing focus and attention before heading out to start some shit. Things to put in your packs to sustain you on long patrols. Getting better and deeper sleep.
There will be at least one thing for everyone here. From my experience of 2 tours as an infantryman in the Marines, my sister currently serving in communications in the Navy, and the experiences I can draw upon from many acquaintances in special forces and the private contracting business we should be able to cover almost every scenario which could be improved with proper supplementation and nutrition.
Arguably more importantly, I wish to cover areas like PTSD and similar traumatic brain injuries commonly incurred by our service men and women. Many of these horrible symptoms happen due to the deleterious effects that shock and cortisol have on the brain and body, and many can be mitigated if one only knew how to support themselves nutritionally and with the proper supplements.
Maybe alarms and bells went off in your head and you with to caution me about traveling down such a medically heavy road. No worries friend. I have several friends wishing to help me on this endeavor, offering their expertise and review of anything I write which may need a name that has a few extra letters behind it.
I also wish to involve you too. I will keep the comments open on this blog and would appreciate all the constructive criticism you want to offer. Feel free to also post links to studies that support (or refute) a post I put up.
Thanks for reading. Let's work together to give something back to the future generation will to serve for us!
