You can tell most metabolic issues by looking at a shopping cart

We need fat. We do not need carbs or sugar.

Cows graze all day.Humans were designed for something different.

Keto in addition to One Meal A Day with theraputic nutritional supplementation

https://www.lifeextension.com/magazine/2020/1/fasting-for-a-longer-better-life
​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EhLjMGsnRw&list=PLVLP-bhbxACavJb0wMR5Odtmy__qA2FG8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdIwnUqWSew&list=PLVLP-bhbxACb8PbBhigPxAZyaVtCqlgyU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBG7hqAyhQo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oq_3pYXXXQs
https://omaddiet.com/keto-intermittent-fasting/
https://carnivoreaurelius.com/omad-benefits/
https://www.lifeextension.com/magazine/2021/2/benefits-of-intermittent-fasting

​Executive Summary
Sickness in the workplace is both a matter of personal health, and corporate productivity. Both Vitamin D3 and get deep sleep can help employees stay healthy.
 
Disclaimer
Don’t believe me. I am not a doctor, just a cybersecurity nerd who makes a hobby of studying nutrition.

As one of my mentors used to be fond of saying, “Do your own homework.” This is especially true in matters of health. You get to have just one body. You should be researching it, how it works, and how to care of it more than you watch football scores or the vicissitudes of the stock market.
 
The Virus
Right now there is a global effort to contain the Coronavirus after the Wuhan outbreak.
And, like usual, many people are scared with some freaking out about this virus from the SARS family.
 
Around the time of the SARS outbreak 17 years ago, several monumental studies had been conducted regarding the therapeutic uses of Vitamin D3 in combating these types of viruses.
As you probably know, Coronaviruses are a group of viruses[i], not just 2019-nCoV or "Wuhan Coronavirus" that is making the news. SARS would be classified as a Coronavirus. Similarly, one of the viruses that cause the Common Cold is classified as a Coronavirus[ii].  
 
Both Coronaviruses and Orthomyxoviridae (which causes several strains of influenza) are so called "enveloped" viruses and can putatively be mitigated by Vitamin D3 supplementation.
 
Vitamin D
Interestingly, Vitamin D is not a vitamin!
Vitamin D is actually more of a steroidal hormone that comes in two forms, D2 and D3[iii] (herein, when referring to Vitamin D, I refer to the D3 form). It is responsible for proper bone formation (along with calcium and magnesium), disease prevention[iv] and immune function.
 
The therapeutic use of Vitamin D first came to my attention during the SARS outbreak.
Back then, I was following the old advice of Vitamin C supplementation for the common cold and flu. But I began to find studies[v] that equated the efficacy of Vitamin D3 with that that of a flu shot. This got my attention.
 
Later I read an article on the Life Extension magazine about the use of Vitamin D in their Influenza Protocol[vi]. After research, I was hooked! I have been supplementing my diet with therapeutic amounts of vitamin D ever since. It has helped quite a lot.
 
 
Race
No. We are not all the same.
If you are a 100 lb. 5’0” woman, you will need a different amount of food, nutrition, and drugs than a 280 lb. 6’10” man. This is why it is important to check blood levels of Vitamin D when you can.
 
Similarly, you may have noticed that different races tend to have different skin colors. Theses skin colors are responsible for mediating the effects of ultraviolet light (among other things), and ultraviolet light is responsible for the production of Vitamin D in our bodies. So, the darker your skin, the higher the need for Vitamin D, than for lighter skinned people.
 
In fact, many medical studies implicate lack of Vitamin D for the higher incidence of disease among African descended peoples in the United States, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and some cancers, all of which are as prevalent or more prevalent among Blacks than Whites[vii].
 
Interestingly enough, this is why many recommend Blacks use tanning machines at the gym. To get more Vitamin D3[viii].
 
Yes. We are all the same.
Most of us work in offices, commute inside vehicles, then go straight home, thus avoiding the sun and its Vitamin D benefits. Therefor, even if you have light skin, you are probably deficient in Vitamin D[ix].
 
Sleep
As we move deeper into the 21st century, we are understanding more and more about sleep, particularly a type of sleep called slow wave sleep, or just deep sleep.
There are 5 stages of sleep that follow each other in a cyclical pattern each night. They are wake, relaxed wakefulness, light sleep, deep sleep, and REM[x]. (If you have a Fitbit Versa, you can see this in action).
 
As it turns out, Lack of deep sleep, can have a deleterious effect on your immune system.
The NIH calls sleep a, “moderator of the immune system.”  They conclude that:

…sleep modulates immune system cells and modulators; women who were deprived of sleep for 77 hours under battlefield-like conditions experienced changes in IFN (interferon) production and phagocytic activity. Subsequent studies reported that sleep deprivation decreases lymphocyte blastogenesis and NK cell (Natural killer cells) activity and upregulates IL-1 and IL-2 (interleukin). Further, youth who have been sleep-deprived for 64 h experience a significant rise in NK cells, granulocytes, and monocytes.
 
Translation: make sure you get nightly deep sleep so that your immune system can function correctly.
 
 
Contraindications.
There are no contraindications for seep sleep. I know of no slow wave sleep allergies (except when it is nap time for your toddler).
However, there is an upper limit for Vitamin D3. Vitamin D3 can be toxic when blood levels get too high due to “chronic consumption of approximately 40,000 IU/day (100 of the 400 IU capsules)[xi]”.
Additionally, if you are being treated for any disease or are on certain types of medication, you may not be able to take supplemental Vitamin D[xii]. So check with your doctor.
 
Conclusion
​In order to fight winter infections Life Extension Magazine has established “minimum target level for optimal disease prevention is over 50 ng/mL of 25-hydroxyvitamin D.[xiii]” They recommend that all of their members, “should supplement with 5,000 to 8,000 IU of vitamin D3 each day—especially in winter months.”
 
So get sleep, get Vitamin D3, talk to your doctor, do your own homework, and stay healthy.
 


[i] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronavirus

[ii] https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/256521.php#what-are-coronaviruses

[iii] https://www.alpco.com/vitamin-d-metabolism-function

[iv] https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements-vitamin-d/art-20363792

[v] https://www.bmj.com/content/356/bmj.i6583

[vi] https://www.lifeextension.com/magazine/2010/1/what-to-do-if-you-contract-influenza

[vii] https://academic.oup.com/jn/article/136/4/1126/4664238

[viii] https://www.tanrepublic.com/importance-tanning-african-american-vitamin-d-darker-skin/

[ix] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3068797/

[x] https://landing.ouraring.com/ln1d-stages-of-sleep?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=IP_US-CA_G%7Cs-o-s-ln1_ln1d&utm_term=%7Bkeyword%7D&utm_content=%7Bcreative%7D&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&gclid=Cj0KCQiAsbrxBRDpARIsAAnnz_MJZ5KcF-iM6cxMsmdHyK40ef5mkm9C18j4zMeN_GEhmbTAeXfMZUAaAokPEALw_wcB

[xi] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3798924/

[xii] https://www.webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-6152/cholecalciferol-vitamin-d3-oral/details/list-contraindications

[xiii] https://www.lifeextension.com/Magazine/2010/1/Startling-Findings-About-Vitamin-D-Levels-in-Life-Extension-Members

Some things I predict.

• It will be a monumental year, personally, for a variety of reasons
• I will no longer have the VW and Blazer I currently own, bu the end of the year.
• One of my kids will get a driver's license.
• There will be large conflict with Iran, but not a war.
• We will move precipitously closer, as a nation, to civil war.
• There will be a big break in the bullish market, but AFTER Trump is re-elected.
• If there is proven Leftist election interference, there will be violence.
• Either way, the 2020 election will drive the nation further apart.
• A ground-breaking new technology will be announced.
• USA will re-gain the ability to send astronauts to space.
• The year will end good.

​Since 2003, we have had the mobile home that you see in the picture above on the left.
When we bought this mobile home we had one child who was only a couple of years old. Even then, though we were grateful not to have to live with family in our transition from teaching at New Mexico Tech, to working in Albuquerque, we still knew it was somewhat of a tight fit.
Now the 2 year old is almost 17, and we have two others, musical instruments, home office, home school, disaster preparation, hobbies, and more. In fact, we do so much that I have been living mostly at my office at work, not at home.
Now we have been blessed with a house, an answer to prayer,  that we want to use foe Him!

My son Nathan and I had the opportunity to hear from Brad Lomenick at the Lobo Theater in Albuquerque for the Creative Team night presented by Calvary Albuquerque.
It was a no air air conditioning hot, but worthwhile event where Brad gave a short message about "Creative Leadership."
His points were (thumb notes taken on my phone into OneNote):

1. Allow yourself to fail
   1. The best creative's bring 100 ideas to get 1.
   2. It takes vulnerability and authenticity. Being self aware enough to be confident to present ideas.
   3. Most arrogant  leaders are insecure.
2. Be laser focused on the outcome, the product.
   1. If the best idea wins, we must allow for failure and negative reactions fall to the wayside. The best idea must win, no matter who it comes from.
3. Lead like your team needs to be led, rather than leading based on past leadership.

After his well received speech, he sat down with Nate and Stephen for Q&A from them and the Audience.
Overall this was a good session, but we need some aircon. Everyone was going crazy on those "pit stains!"  ;-)

Thursday:
Teach class at OKC New Horizons (Configuration Manager 2012). End a little early, go back to the hotel to take in some rehearsal for the marathon auditions at Calvary Albuquerque where I will be playing bass, and judging bass players. I have to do a good job myself. BUT I bumped my "Vox amPlug 2 Bass Headphone Guitar Amp" into the bed and it broke!  This cancelled all of my rehearsal and put the weekend in jeopardy. I hadn't even begun to rehearse for the Spectrum worship set on Saturday evening. Bummer.
Next, go back to NH study CCNA 200-125 until midnight, sleep for a few hours.
​
Friday:
Friday morning, get up, (after hitting snooze 4 or 5 times), study more go to NH, teach class, and while I was there, I found out that it was absolutely impossible to schedule my exam (It's going to be a rebuilding year).
Friday after class, stop by Best Buy to get USB cables and a battery backup so that I could travel back home without constantly running out of power. It really helped!

After tiring travel, finally get home, take the wife out to go shopping for badly needed family food, go home, spend time with each family member, cook, and finally wrestle everyone to bed so I can sleep too.

Saturday:
Get to bed around 2AM. I then get up at 4AM get dressed, eat, take an HD theromeginic capsule for power, rehearse, arrive at Calvary at 6:30AM, play songs for hours on the Audition band, then go do my acting class for Veneration Dance, go home, eat and change clothes, buy a new shirt for Spectrum, go back to Calvary, rehearse with the Spectrum band, play bass for the service, pick up kids, go home.

Sunday:
Sunday morning get up early to rehearse and lead worship at House of Life church, head home drop off family, go to new musician orientation and help Ryan out for a while. Then I head back home, get Joanna, go back to Calvary, attend Team night with a presentation by Jory Vander Galien, then lead a breakout session for the Bass players.

It was all a success, despite utter fatuge, and a lack of rehearsal, each endeavour went well over the weekend.
​Wow. What a Weekend of Wonders. Haha

SpaceX, a private company, NOT the government, NOT NASA, became the first organization to successfully launch a satellite into orbit using a recycled booster:
"A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket recovered at sea from its maiden flight last year blasted off again from Florida on Thursday in the first successful launch of a recycled orbital-class booster, then capped the feat with another return landing on an ocean platform." - Reuters
This is the opening sonata of the symphony of the song singing of our ability to be a multi-planetary species. 
Why? because, "The potential is there for (an) over 100-fold reduction in the cost of access to space. If we can achieve that, it means humanity can become a space-faring civilization and be out there among the stars. This is what we want for the future," -Musk
NASA, Bezos, others; It CAN be done!
Congratulations SpaceX.

Soooo. I'm looking into upgrading the ol' career and the question, "please provide your salary requirements." is very difficult.
Do I provide a step up from my current salary at the current job?
Do I provide a salary based on my low consulting rate?
Do I use my high consulting rate?
If it is a job that has a national range between $50K and $90K but the potential employer doesn't provide a range, and I choose $100K am I out of the running? What about if I choose $35K, do they think I'm an idiot?
The best advice (from theMuse.com):
"You’ll likely come up with a range, and you should put the highest number in that range that applies, based on your experience, education, and skills. And yes, that’s a little aggressive—but bear with me.Next, I recommend writing “(flexible)” or “(negotiable)” next to your number. If you have room to do so—for example, in your cover letter—stress again that your salary requirement is flexible or negotiable and that there are so many working parts to compensation —benefits, job title, opportunities for advancement—that you’re certain you can find a way to satisfy both of you if you’re a good fit for the position."
I used this technique, starting high, for the first time yesterday. It was uncomfortable because I usually see things from the management perspective and aim to fit the job and make sure it is low enough, in the range that I researched, in order for me to get the job. This has worked very well before.
But for the job I tried this technique yesterday, I bet there is some laughter and shaking of heads!
That's OK, I'm trusting God and going for it. :-)