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At the age of 95 Grand Master Helio Gracie died in the hills of Rio de Janeiro on January 29, 2009. Grand Master Helio, is known now a day as the father of Mixed Martial Arts know today as UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship).

He was the founder of a new style of Jiu Jitsu based on leverage and tactics versus brutal strength and known today in the world as Gracie Jiu Jitsu that allow the small person with no strength to win against a much larger and stronger opponent..

I will not talk about his accomplishment as a fighter or martial artist but as the example of perfect health and fitness that passed away free of any form of disease and symptoms.

Many would state that it is genetic or maybe a matter of luck, but for those who had the pleasure to meet him ... we know that this is not the case.

Grand Master Helio trained Jiu Jitsu and strength training all his life until his last day ( at 6 a.m. and at 93 years of age he was still doing his push ups and pull ups!!), he had an extremely positive attitude toward life, had a rigorous nutritional regimen ( never had a glass of wine in his life), went to sleep early every night and drank plenty of fresh water.

He was the living example of what I have been preaching for years to my clients, that health is not luck but something you build everyday through the choices you make in your lifestyle. I have seen many videos of Grand Master Helio but one especially caught my attention and it is vivid in my memory. He said: " There are foods that might taste good but are not good for my health. I would never put anything inside my body that is not good for my health." I am honored to have been chosen among many others as their nutritionist and strength and conditioning coach in the legendary Miami school to prepare their protigie. Today my affiliation with them goes beyond a solely professional collaboration and this is why I felt I had to write this blog as my own personal tribute to honor Grand Master Helio and the Gracie Jiu Jitsu.

The Secrets of Health and Vitality In my opinion today's world of health and medicine does not make much sense because it studies sick people. I have been , for years, study what healthy people do in order to stay healthy and fit and I have read all possible books and talked to all the progressive doctors that I could.

Reading his book Grand Master Helio Gracie Diet , I have observed that the way of eating consists of a mixture of the tribes Masai of Africa and the Nukak of Colombia that he coined as the Gracie Diet.

When Mr. Gracie retired from fighting he went on to live with his family in the hills of Rio de Janeiro, initiating what today we know as an Organic Farm. His nutrition consisted of raw dairy, grass fed meats, fresh wild fish, lots of vegetables and exotic fruits.

He never had artificial sugars, alcohol, refined grain, processed foods, food that was not organic, sodas, etc, and he never used the microwave! ... that is what most people do nowadays and not surprisingly at one point of their lives appear some sort of disease . People have never been so sick as in today's times. We have 20 years old with diabetes, arthritis, poor libido etc. etc.. Our body is like a container and if we keep putting garbage, when full, disease or emotional/physical problems occur. Grand Master Helio health approach was based on: Positive Thinking

The way we think about ourselves and our thoughts affect our health and there are countless books with scientific evidence. I always do this exercise to make people understand this concept: I ask to describe the sensation of eating a mango while they close their eyes .....and as a reaction.... salivation occurs.

Mr. Gracie was such a positive person. The room where him and his wife were sleeping was the only part of the house that was not destroied. Instead of getting upset he was extremely happy because they were alive.....and that is how was Grand master Helio was for everything .

Breathing

Breathing is one of the most unused tools for optimal health. If we observed a baby we will notice that the way the newborn breath is different from the way we breath. We use the chest while they use the diaphragm.

All the internal practice such as Yoga, Tai Chi, Qi Gong, Y Chuan, Pa Kua Chan, etc.. use the same principle as the baby would breath , that is why it is a very healthy practice. A person breath around 80 times per minute while a highly stressed person just 20 times. I always recommend my clients to practice one of those internal arts to learn to breath and relax, so forgotten in this society where most of us live to obtain material compensation. Hydration

Our body is made 80% of water, so if we drink 8 - 10 glasses a day we are probably in a state of dehydration and the body to compensate this state obtains the water from our organs. It does not sound too good right? The funny thing is that most of the people complain when I ask them to drink much more water, something that should be natural. In order to know how much water you should drink you should divide your body weight in 2 and that is the amount in Oz, you should be drinking ( plus one additional pint should be consumed during exercising also depending on your body weight and intensity. ) Nutrition

If you are a Carbo Type, the Gracie Diet would work very well for you but you should follow a nutrition based on your own bio chemistry. The way the body processes food is different for each single person.

Avoid soy, grains and bread with gluten, sodas, sports drink, concentrate fruit juices, caffeine, alcohol, flour, pasteurized mild and all kind of sugars. Do not eat conventional eggs but free range organic grass fed . Consume wild fish, raw dairy, local organic vegetables and some fruits, organic nuts, oils and fats, Celtic Sea Salt instead of table salt and gluten free grain occasionally. Exercise

Chose the right form of exercise and avoid all those form that bit up your body like running for 1 hour, any form of low intensity cardio but do a sport, practice Gracie Jiu Jitsu if you like and lift free weights together with functional training methodologies. Avoid using standard weight training machines. Remember you do not have to kill yourself, if you train too hard you will obtain the contrary effect, instead of having benefits you will over stress your body and burn out your adrenal glands creating hormonal and emotional imbalances. Sleep

Sleep is the more unused method of healing ... most Americans do not sleep enough or go to bed too late. Nature has day and night for a reason. Before electricity, people used to go to sleep when it became dark but today people go to bed way after 10:00 pm and in most cases sleep 6 hours a night. Sleep deprivation had many consequences in our waist line and especially in our health. I'll leave it to Dr. Mark Hayman , one of the most influenced specialist in functional medicine explain to you why sleep is so important. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sA9jw3Snt9Q

This is the formula to follow for a long a healthy life. You have the choice to be healthy or not taking the same steps of Grand Master Helio. I have chosen to be healthy as Grand Master Helio, I do not want to live visiting countless doctors' offices, taking numerous pills, not been able to walk without the necessity of assistance. I want to be able to enjoy life until the end and be able to play and lift weights all my life and do whatever I want to do. You may enjoy the moment with comfortable food but you may regret one day what you did. Put down that donut, switch off the microwave and get something decent and nutritious to eat!