There are plenty of fish oil capsules out there; unfortunately, some of them can do more harm than good.

According to the recent study, a handful amount of such supplements had a huge level of PCBs, from 12 nanograms per recommended dose to 850 nanograms!

What are those PCBs?
Carcinogens.

You think that’s bad? Unfortunately, all foods we eat contain PCBs.

See the chart below.

Here are some tips to avoid potentially bad supplements:

- Avoid supplements that contain no information about the fish itself.

Better brands will always tell you fish species and their location. The best fish oil is made from anchovies, sardines and mackerel. Tiny fishes have a short lifespan; therefore, they don’t soak in toxins for a long time.

- Avoid cod liver and shark liver oil as they contain more mercury.

- For the best results, buy Lovaza or pharmaceutical grade fish oil.
It is purified and more expensive.

- Buy 3rd party tested supplements. For example: International Fish Oil Standards (IFOS) rating is a good measure. 5 stars is the absolute maximum.

1 Star for Oxidation Level Less Than 75% of CRN Standard
1 Star for PCB Levels Less Than 50% of CRN Standard
1 Star for Dioxin Levels Less Than 50% of WHO Standard
1 Star for Passing All CRN/WHO Testing Categories
1 Star for Greater Than 60% Omega-3 Concentration

Alternatively, check Consumer Reports and ConsumerLab.com tests.

- Check the amount of Omega-3 per pill.
600-1000 and above is a way to go.

* Pictures source.

I wouldn’t blindly trust this chart, but it’s better than nothing.

So here you have it. Hopefully, it will help you to avoid at least some of the brands.

Stay healthy.

If you had to fight a fit guy like me over your girl,
I’d ravage your ass and take her.
YOU OKAY WITH THAT?

When your girl is out with her friends, she’s checkin’ me out,
because I’ve worked out to improve my appearance and it shows.
YOU OKAY WITH THAT?

People look at you and laugh.
People use you as a benchmark to change their own habits.
YOU OKAY WITH THAT?

Don’t be one of those assholes making pathetic recurring attempts to change their lifestyle. Don’t whine about it. You’ve got self-discipline and nothing else in this life.
You’ve got one try: to fail once is to fail every time.
In six months, you’ve either going to be a pathetic, guilt-ridden failure,
or a fucking tribute to human wil.
Your bitch of a mother-in-law will make comments like, “I can’t believe it…”
Your girl will get nervous about how much you can accomplish just by setting your mind to it and start asking you to tell her she’s good enough for you.
Assholes who taunted you will have nothing… nothing… to say.
You did something they either simply couldn’t even begin,
or tried to do and failed miserably.

AND THEN WHEN MY GIRL IS OUT WITH HER FRIENDS,
SHE’LL BE CHECKING YOU OUT, MOTHERFUCKER.

LET’S DO THIS.

Even though there were no posts for a while, it doesn’t mean that I forgot about this blog.

So how come no posts?

To make it short: this is a huge year for me as I come closer to my goals and finish what I began. This is the year that determine my future. I guess you could call it the final step in my journey that must be taken (before making a shift and moving towards other goals).

As a result, I have little to no time for things like blogs, etc. I’ll be sure to catch up with you later.

“Most people are like the circus elephant. Have you ever seen a giant elephant in an indoor arena tied to a little wooden stake. That huge creature can pick up two thousand pounds with its trunk, yet it calmly stays tied. Why?

When that elephant was just a baby, and not very strong, it was tied by a huge chain to an iron stake that could not be moved. Regardless of how hard it tried, it could not break the chain and run free. After it a while it just gave up. Later, when it is strong, it never attempts to break free. The “imprint” is permanent. “I can’t! I can’t!’ it says.

There are millions of people who behave like this creature of the circus. They have been bound, tied and told “You’ll never make it,” so many times they finally call it quits. The may have dreams, but the “imprinting” keeps pulling them back.

Today, eliminate the source of your limitations. When you mentally break free, the boundaries will be removed from your future.”

Reminiscences of a Stock Operator

Author: Edwin Lefèvre
Published in: 1923
Pages: 288

A couple of days ago I’ve had a chance to finish a magnificent book that is “Reminiscences of a Stock Operator”, one of the investment classics.

About the book

This book tells the story about one of all-time best stock traders: Jesse Lauriston Livermore aka Boy Plunger.

According to Wikipedia, Jesse himself wrote the book and Edwin Lefevre acted as the editor and coach. Story is told from the first person perspective, by the way.

About Jesse Livermore

During his lifetime, Livermore made and lost multi-million dollar fortunes a couple of times; from broke to rich and vice versa.

At the age of 14, this brilliant man started his trader career that lead him to bucket shops. He was so successful that those shops banned him soon afterwards. As a result, Jesse moved to New York and began trading.

Unfortunately, it was too much of a difference and Boy Plunger lost everything there. Started trading in the bucket shops again (using others, etc.), earned money and went back to NY.

What happened then?

He made millions of dollars and then lost everything. Actually, he borrowed millions and lost most of it as well. Ultimately, he earned everything back, paid bills, made more cash and become one of the well-known speculators.

Obviously, this is just a short summary that does not reflect even a tiny fraction of this amazing writing.

This book is full of wisdom, memorable quotes and life lessons:

“The average man doesn’t wish to be told that it is a bull or a bear market. What he desires is to be told specifically which particular stock to buy or sell. He wants to get something for nothing. He does not wish to work. He doesn’t even wish to have to think.” ~ Jesse Livermore

Tell me more…

On November 28, 1940, he shot himself…. Why? Depression, women and new market regulations…

Jesse himself, several hours before his suicide

He left the following note to his wife:

“My dear Nina: Can’t help it. Things have been bad with me. I am tired of fighting. Can’t carry on any longer. This is the only way out. I am unworthy of your love. I am a failure. I am truly sorry, but this is the only way out for me. Love Laurie”.

Rating

10/10

Please note: rating may be biased, as I am a speculator myself.

Purchase

Amazon | eBay

Absolutely incredible.

The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal

Author: Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz
Published in: 2003
Pages: 256

Followed by a couple of recommendations, I have finally decided to buy “The Power of Full Engagement” book and check what this fuss is all about.

Was it worth it? Absolutely, so far, it’s one of the best books I’ve read this year.

What have I learned?

This book is packed with so many valuable tips that I don’t even know where to begin… Okay, let’s start with this:

It’s not one of those books that just give you tips, for example: eat healthy, start exercising.
No, those are followed by facts, stories and even studies that fascinated me most.

Managing energy, not time is the keyword here.

What energy?

Before you actually start to manage energy, be aware of its different levels, such as: mental, physical, spiritual (not in religious sense) and emotional.

Those are the four primary sources of energy. Each as important as every other one.

Every chapter discusses the importance of each level, how and why they affect your performance in business or personal life. No, actually, it’s not just about the performance; there is a much deeper connection here.

Thought that stress is bad for you?

Not really. Stressing your body, be it physical, mental, physical or spiritual muscle, is beneficial, as long as it’s followed by recovery.

People tend to skip recovery part and just continue to harass their bodies. Guess what, recovery is as important as the stress itself.

Let’s take physical strength, during intensive exercise routine (in which your body is stressed), muscles don’t really grow; actually, they are tiered apart. Only when you are sleeping, your body repairs and builds the tissue. However, what happens if you continue using same weights over and over again? Muscles stop growing. That’s why continuous stress with full time recovery is a key element to high performance.

Same thing happens with any other muscle group. Stress and renewal are two inseparable elements that must be well balanced.

Stress without renewal = over burnt body
Stress with too much renewal = sloppy performance

What about the rituals?

Book authors also emphasize the importance of daily rituals, be it a 15 minute Yoga routine, exercising or pretty much anything else. As long as it’s aligned with your values and helps you to renew yourself, clear your mind, spirit and body.

Personally, I went with morning water and exercise routine afterwards.

Conclusion

Overall, it’s a highly recommended book that not only gives you a bunch of advices, but is also packed with dozens of inspiring stories and examples. There is a full training program included as well. My “review” is just a tiny fraction of what can be said about this great book. A must buy for pretty much everyone.

Rating

9.5/10

Purchase

Amazon | eBay

Be the change you want to see in the world and make it last as long as you can.

This quote by Mr. Gandhi is absolutely profound. Your actions are more important than your words.

Your life is your message.

Just think about it for a second…

Are you one of those people who tend to skip breakfast? Have you ever lost your productivity in the middle of the day, felt tired in the morning or just couldn’t concentrate? Well, here is your solution: eat breakfast.

Breakfast is an essential element of your daily life. Not only it supplies your body with proteins and carbohydrates (that are converted into the energy), but also have other benefits.

Just think about your body as a complex machine that constantly requires re-fueling. However, we are not talking about bad fuel, such as sugar or fat rich foods (donuts, pastry, etc.), no, those products are useless.

Why? Well, first of all, your body requires proteins and complex carbohydrates to sustain your energy, not this junk. Secondly, eating sugar rich breakfast every day can and will provoke several hearth diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, type 2 diabetes and more. Who would do that to their body? I know, crazy people.

What should you eat?
Fruits, berries, vegetables, a handful of nuts, whole grains, oats (see muesli) and protein rich foods: eggs, protein shake, low fat meat, etc.

Don’t feel like eating?
Divide your breakfast into two smaller portions. Be sure to consume one before you leave.

What if you want to lose weight?
Well, research has shown that people who eat breakfast tend to consume fewer calories per day than those who skip it. Furthermore, those who eat breakfast don’t feel an urge to have a snack in the late evening.

So, stop abusing your body and re-fuel that one hell of a machine.

I just wanted to give a quick shout out regarding my “The Power of Now” book review.

Although I gave it only 6.5 points out of 10, it’s still a recommended read and has helped me a lot.

In fact, when I told you to “accept things”, it did not really “hit” you, didn’t it? It was just another “meaningless” sentence.

Well, let’s change the perspective a little bit: we are not talking about complete acceptance of everything (that would decrease the quality of your life), in fact, when you can change things, you must do that!

However, what about things like rain? Have you ever found yourself complaining about the weather (by the way, your life must be a blast, if all you can complain about is the weather), the one thing that you can’t change?

So, if you cannot change it, why complain? Accept the fact and let it go. Not only it’s counter-productive but also, you spread negative energy, and really, who enjoys being surrounded by negative people?

Just take a deep breath and say to yourself (in your mind): I accept the current moment.

If you still don’t get it, just grab a book, it will give you a different perspective on things. In fact, after reading that book, I haven’t had yet a negative thought; let’s say “complained” (even in my mind) about things that I cannot change.

P.S. You can actually change the weather, that’s what Chinese did during Olympics. They were using canons and missile launchers to shoot silver iodide into the skies, shocking rain from the clouds before the opening and closing ceremonies.