Science Behind the prawn

My blog this week has to do with a profiling of the prawn. Ive been to a place on the north shore of oahu where they sell these creatures for upwards of 13 to 14 dollars a plate. Yes here in the islands they are considered a delicacy.

Hawaiian blue prawn is a freshwater prawn that's now being AQUACULTURED in Hawaii. It's name comes from the brilliant blue color of its tail. The moderately fat flesh of the Hawaiian blue prawn is sweet and delicious. This crustacean can be prepared in any manner suitable for shrimp.

Many people here in Hawaii love to catch these crustaceans in the river streams across predominanly the east hawaii area. These little critters are considered scavengers by many. They are considered that because I found out that they'll eat almost anything.

In various forms of English, the name "prawn" is often applied to shrimp as well, generally the larger species, such as Leander serratus. In the United States according to the 191 Encyclopedia, the word "prawn" usually indicates a freshwater shrimp or prawn. In Middle English, the word "prawn" is recorded as prayne or prane.

I like to go and catch them every now and again because they are a good source of protein and its free. And also they are fun to catch. The way in which you catch them is what marvels me. If you ever are bored on the weekends I strongly consider you to try this.

There are many ways to scientifically catch them. Here in hawaii many methods have been used. Unfortunately many choose the wrong one which is illegal. They use a battery whether it be a car battery or what not to electrically shock the river. By doing this everything in the river from little fish,opai and freshwater algae die.

Their are a lot of buttheads who do this too because I've been to rivers that were once full of prawns be as dead as the Dead sea. If you see or know of people doing this report them for the sake of the rivers natural resources.

Now the proper way in which to catch them is to set traps. You have to be one step ahead of the prawns now. So what you need to luse is a wire mesh in which prawns can enter. The key is making it small enough so they can enter but have hard time getting out. I've learned that they are attracted to husked coconut, dead fish and even dead of their own. They are truly scavengers.

Another way to catch them is to go at night. Because they are slower at night. In the day they'll see you and run away. At night you use a spear to catch them . Using a three prong spear works best for me. You shine your lamp in the water and look for orange eyes that will glow at you. Without making the fewest noise or movement sneak up on them and catch them.

They key here is to keep the spear as straight down as possible. When you try to hit from different angles in the water naturally it will go off. So the trick many people don't understand is to keep the spear as straight as possible.

That is the difference between coming home with 2 prawns or 200.

Prawns are a great resource in which many islanders have used for decades. Sadly because of a few they are slowly going away. Its not to the point of getting endangered yet. But I fear 10 or 20 years down the road who knows that might be true. So fellows please do your best to keep all Hawaiis creatures safe.

So my friends go out and explore hawaii.

The cold virus

Its that time of year again. No i'm not talking about midterms the dreaded cold season. Last two weeks I talked about bodybuilding and nutrition. Let me tell you nothing cuts into your workouts and lifestyle more than the cold. So how does the cold start?

I've heard many different arguments by Doctors. Some say that you can get sick by being cold like standing out in the rain. Or just being cold or wet in general. Others have said that is bologne and the only way you get a cold is if you have been infected by others.

In my opinion I have to agree with the first even though it may not be scientifically accurate. At the beginning of the semester I caught a cold. I was fishing at Kau with a friend I got soaked by the waves all day longed and didn't dry myself off. Let me tell you i felt like dirt later that week.

So how does the cold start. Cold viruses grow mainly in the nose where they multiply in nasal cells and are present in large quantities in the nasal fluid of people with colds. The highest concentration of cold virus in nasal secretions occurs during the first three days of infection. This is when infected persons are most contagious.

You can get the cold by shaking other people hands or touching the railings or doors. And putting your hands in you eyes, nose , and ears. All of these will transmit the cold virus into your system.

Also to when you work out like me. I am naive in the sense when I train I go to all out failure as you may call with the heaviest weights I can lift. This is good but when you do it every single day without rest in between you break your immune system down making viruses like the cold easier to enter your system.

If theres any feeling I hate in the world its being out with the cold. I mean food sucks, training sucks, and just being awake and conscious sucks.

So how can we cure the cold. Well there isn't a cure for the common cold but you can treat its symptoms. You can take over the counter products like cough syup or a nasal decongestant. The most important thing is to stay hydrated and drink as much water as possible to flush oput those toxins. I'll share with you a secret my Grandma use to boil hot water and dice up some ginger and have me drink it. Boy it gives you great relief. It soothes your throat. They also recommend gargling saltwater for itchy and sore throat because it loosens glands in your throat and makes spitting out mucus easier.

I suggest taking airborne. Whenever you have that feeling of just about to get sick pop one in. It will make you feel better. It will kill the cold before it starts. It was created by a teacher who kept getting sick by her students.

So my friends do your best to prevent getting the cold by always washing your hands and taking care of your health.

The science of nutrition in building muscles

No doubt you've read my previous post on what is necessary to building muscles but now lets talk about the nutrition aspect. Everyday we are bombarded with countless number of ads promising us to lose X amount of pounds in a certain amount of time. There are hundreds of diets out there claiming to work. I'll let you in on a secret there is none when it comes to losing fat and building muscle.

There are three components when it comes to good nutrition first theres protein, carbohydrates and yes fats. Fats is the part that often gets overlooked and I don't mean the bad fat which is found in butter and many animal sources but the good fats found in fish( omega 3's, peanut butter, avocados and papayas. Yes these fats are natures true fats designed to loosen your internal organs.

Also carbs have gotten a bad rap as of late. But have you noticed when you go on a low carb diet your energy depletes and you are even hungrier. They key is seperating the good carbs and the not so good ones. Here in hawaii what does everyone eat with every meal. Yes you guessed white rice. Although eating white rice has its benefits its low glycemic meaning it will only spike you insulin levels acting as a sugar . Stay away from that opt for brown rice instead. The general rule of thumb is to stick with whole grain and brown carbs.

Proteins are a must if you want to achieve a lean and muscular physique, but if taken in excess your body stores it as fat. In fact anything taken in excess becomes waste or fat. If you take a glass of water What happens when you fill it past the top. Yes it spills over causing a mess. Well our bodies are exactly the same anything in excess spills over. I know what your thinking your saying well Matt do I have to starve myself the answer is no.

The traditional meal plan is 3 square meals a day. Well what often happens is that you are so hungry between meals that you tend to over eat at theses meals. So the best way to get the best results is to spread it evenly to six meals a day. Yes I did say six meals a day. What this does is it keeps your body in a anabolic state as opposed to a catabolic state. You ever wonder why your stomach feels sore and hungry in the morning. Its because you were in a catabolic state asleep all night.

So what is the best way to ensure that your body is getting the right nutrition. First of all cut the refined foods and sugars in your diet and replace them with fresh fruit. If its sugar your craving go eat a handful of fresh deliciuos red strawberries. Even if its chocolate you are craving and just have to have it opt for the dark chocolate because dark chocolate believe it or not is filled with rich antioxidants that help fight off many diseases.

Heres a diet plan that I follow as well please note that portion sizes vary with each individual based on their fitness goals.

Breakfast:

Eggs, oatmeal or cereal, fresh fruit ( note the everyday kid cereals like cinnamon toast crunch is drenched in needless amounts of excess sugar opt for whole grain cereals like total, raisin bran or my favorite "life")

Midmorning

Protein Shake or Granola Bar and Fruits

Lunch

Chicken Breast, Vegetables, Brown Rice

Afternoon Snack

Protein Shake or Meal Replacement Drink

Dinner

Baked Fresh fish, asparagus and rice or 1/2 baked potatoe

Pre Sleep meal.

Casein Protein Shake ( which is a slower digestibng protein to fight off the dreaded state of catabolism)

This diet combined with regular exercise will help you to achieve not only the body you want but the longterm health benefits. By eating healthier and smarter we only benefit ourselves in everything we do in life. The saying you are what you eat is so true. The biggest mistake anyone can make to lose weight is not too eat. You throw your metabolism off when you do this. Your body will say to itself the next time it eats that I have to store this food instead of burning it off because I don't know when the next meal will be. Thus in effect making you store unwanted fat. So the key to rasing your metabolism is eating the right foods at the right time

The Science Of Muscle

You ever wondered what it takes to achieve a nice physique with muscularity. Well it requires a number of things. First off you need to train with resistance or weights. When you do this you are causing microscopic tears into your muscle fibers which you hope grow back stronger and bigger. I remember the first time I ever trained with weights. It was at my friends house in Laupahoehoe, he had one of those old fahioned plastic bench presses. I couldn't even lift a hundred pounds. This was when I was thirteen. I was so embarassed,but that didn't weaken my resolve to someday do that weight. Now nine years later I can do triple that amount.

What people often misconceptualize is that your muscles grow bigger in the gym. What happens though is that when you train you force oxygen rich blood into the bodypart you are training called the "pump". Bodybuilders everywhere strive day in and day out to achieve this state. But that doesn't mean your muscles will stay at that size. The pump always dies down. The way to restore that muscle and build it back up is with proper nutrition and rest.

Yes rest is often the part of muscle building that gets overshadowed. I can get into a ten page document on why rest is important. Rest is the actual part when the muscles begin to rebuild. During sleep your body uses the nutrition you stored and starts the process of turning it into muscle fibers and repairing what you have torn down.

Thats why I recommend for those training to get at least 7-8 hours of sleep each night.

By applying these principles I've been able to work my way up to a 455 squat, 315 Chest press, and a 327 pound deadlift for two reps.

For those of you who want to get in great shape and don't want to spend endless hours on the treadmill. The best way to activate your metabolism and lose weight is to weight train. Granted there are many training methods. But don't think that by lifting weights you'll look like a steroid freak. I've heard girls and even guys say I don't want to look like that and look monstrous . Believe me it takes years and lifetimes and anabolic steroids to look like that. When you train you'll tone and shape your body in ways the cardio machine could only dream of.

The more weight you use, the more tension you place on your muscles. That activates a greater number of fibers, leading to greater growth. It also builds strength faster, which means you'll be able to lift even heavier weights, increasing the tension on your muscles even more. But there's one problem: Lifting near maximal weights means you won't be able to do as many reps per set, and you'll need more time to recover in between, limiting the total volume you can perform in a workout--and the size of your muscles.

So I encourage you to give it a shot. I found out many years ago that weightlifting gives me a sense of accomplishment and peace that is really unmatched. In my opinon it is the perfect stress reliever. The health benefits are endless.

Hawaiian seaturtles

I recently went diving when I came across a beautiful sea turtle. Although I was frightened at first I saw this gentle sea creature swim down further and ate algae on the sea rocks below. The sea turtles have been around for over a hundred million years ago. They have been around before the dinosaurs. These reptiles spend most of their lives in the ocean. Females tend to reproduce at the age between 35-40 years old. They may lay hundreds of eggs ,but only a few of them hatch.

At one time hundreds and millions of turtles swam the ocean. Now only seven species exist today. And all ofthem are either endangered or threatend. So the next time you go out and see one of these beautiful creatures never take them for granted. There may be a time in which these creatures are no more.

What efforts are underway to fix the problems of pigs?

The question I ask this week deals with what measures are being taken as of now. We know the problem so how are we going to fix it.
Concern about the increasing intrusion of feral pigs into residential areas has led to a proposal to declare open season on the animals and establish a bounty, over the objections of the state agency that promotes both hunting and protection of forest lands.
The threats posed by expanding pig populations include increased erosion, threats to native species, the spread of weeds and perhaps even increased flooding, said state Rep. Kirk Caldwell, D-24th (Manoa-University), who introduced HB2942, which calls for year-round hunting and an undetermined cash bounty for each pig killed.
Caldwell said that in his own district, pigs may have contributed to the devastation of the Oct. 30, 2004, flood that caused millions of dollars of damage in Manoa Valley. He said pigs have wiped out the undergrowth that normally slows runoff and soaks up rainwater.
"What's becoming clear is that the undergrowth in the back of the valley is getting really depleted. I went back there and it smelled like a pig sty," he said.
The state Department of Land and Natural Resources opposes the bill. In testimony submitted to the House Water, Land and Ocean Resources committee on Friday, the agency said it has the authority on its own to remove seasons and bag limits, but there are reasons not to promote hunting in specific areas. The department supports meetings in communities with problems to develop solutions.
"Declaring wide-open seasons and methods would conflict with many current uses such as hiking, gathering forest products and dog walking. Portions of the Honolulu Watershed Forest Reserve in Tantalus and Manoa are not normally open to hunting because of the proximity to residential areas and the high public recreational use on the trail network in this area. Opening these areas up would put many more hunters and dogs in residential areas on a frequent basis," the DLNR said.
The committee approved the proposed measure anyway, and the bill likely is headed next to the House Finance Committee.

Eradication of pigs answer

Although there is opposition against the eradication of Feral Pigs in Hawaii, Native polynesian groups argue that by erasing the pig from the islands they are erasing an integral part their culture, and certain hunting outfits also oppose this idea, as there will be nothing left to hunt if the pigs are removed .

Many would be opposed to the thought of eradication because pigs are so indebted to our culture. So in my opinion I believe as well that we shouldn't just kill them off. If you ever watched the movie the Jungle Book one of the main ideas is that you kill only what you eat. Therfore I believe if you kill a pig you should eat it.

The lack of native mammals leaves the Hawaiian ecosystems very vulnerable. Plants have not evolved defenses against native browsing animals, especially pigs. Entire forests and have been destroyed and leveled by this species.