ON THE MERITS OF PERFECT RAWNESS

Been busy studying so not much time to put blogs together. Just thought I would comment on something I've noticed.
How many articles have you read about raw food? If you've read a couple, you most likely have come across some variation of "It's not about being 100%, it's about incorporating more healthy food into your diet." Or maybe in your adventures through internet discussion pages you came across the idea that being 100% is just about having the label, and that you should be happy with just being more raw than you were before.
I totally agree with both of those statements, but I also think they are an oversimplification and actually do a disservice to people trying to be really healthy and really happy. Look, I've been varying degrees of raw since 2006. That's going on 3 years. Starting at 100%, at times I dipped down to 50% (Even maybe 5% for that month of military training). I'm sure I was doing great things for my health at 50%, but it always seemed to be a chore when it came down to eating a raw meal.
Now I'm back at 100%. I like to say that being 100% is like going to the mountaintop, because only once you've achieved it for a significant amount of time can you appreciate it for what it is. I realized recently that I only like what I was conditioned to like. There is nothing intrinsically good about cooked food, but I have such an extensive history with it that it felt as if I was depriving myself when I abstained from it. Being 100% has allowed me to recondition myself. I've just reset the default settings. I can be just as passionate about food as before, but the great thing is, the food I am passionate about now is food that is wholly healthy and nourishing (unlike my previous mistress, pizza).
So the next time someone makes a comment to me to the effect of, "I'd rather be happy eating steak and die early, than live a long time unhappily eating vegetables," maybe I'll hit them with a little knowledge. Raw vegetables can make you happy, if only you put forth the effort into changing you preferences (which in some cases, doesn't take much effort at all). And if they are still not convinced, I'll remind them of the fact that they're not going to be too happy when obesity and heart disease set in. So now their argument is looking a little weak. Health is happiness. Live long. Live happy. Eat raw.

UFC 99: DOMINATION

It's my first day back on a completely raw diet. I started out the day with buckwheat crispies over fresh chunks of mango and homemade almond milk. I felt like the luckiest man in the world. Who else gets to start their day like that and eat food that good?

As far as the USMLE goes, I've nicknamed it UFC 99: Domination and am preparing for it like UFC Champion Georges St. Pierre prepares for a fight. What I have begun today will not end until April 27th. Just as GSP begins with conditioning and technique training, so do I. My conditioning comes in the form of 8 hours straight of non-stop studying (except for bathroom and snack breaks). This is crucial because, like they say, conditioning wins fights.
But conditioning obviously isn't enough. Before a fighter can fight, they also have to learn the moves. As their training gets closer to the fight, they spend less time learning moves and more time practicing them. I mirror this by increasing the number of practice questions I do per day the closer I come to the big event. And just as GSP had a practice fight with Rashaud Evans before his fight with BJ Penn, I will take full practice tests before facing off on April 27th.

GSP proved that his method works. He defended his title on multiple occasions and consistently dominates the top contenders in his weight class. By adapting his method to the books, I plan on achieving similar success.