Jul 13, 2009
Author: Words and Photos by Owen Woytowich
In the last issue of SBC, we briefly interviewed Saskatoon’s Chris Kendall, a man who has been skateboarding for over two decades. When you’re jumping down things for that long, it’s always smart of you to find ways to prolong your health in any efficient way possible. Read on to see how the Raw Foods diet, combined with the right exercises, has worked for him, and probably will work for you too.
Frontside Flip into the Saskatoon freeway.
How long have you been skating for?
I’ve been skateboarding for 23 years now.
What keeps you going?
Ever pushing myself…and the fun! I don’t think I’ll ever stop!
How come your body doesn’t stop?
I’ve had some ups and downs of course. Some years I’ve had to go for months without skating. When I started to have to have troubles maintaining the levels I wanted to be skating at I wanted to stack all the cards in my favor, that’s really what got me into nutrition.
Stalefish fakie.
Do you have any qualifications or schooling for your nutrition?
I have a bit of both. Personally I think today there’s way too much weight on designations, certifications, degrees and such, so many people blindly follow a unhealthy nutritionists advice, or doctors who don’t exhibit health and have less than a day of nutritional training. I’ve spent the last ten years being a complete nutrition nerd. Where most skate rats are reading magazines, I was reading nutrition and fitness books from all angles. I also did go to nutrition school five years ago, the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition, and got my world wide recognized certification as a Registered Holistic Nutritionist (RHN). Beyond that, a lot of self-study, learning from personally successful experts, raw practitioners, and using my body as a lab. Ha-ha.
What has that done for your skating?
In truth I’ve had some ups and downs with skating because of it. Since I’ve been using my body as a lab I’ve had some kickbacks; I mean change isn’t always easy. I’ve had to desensitize my body and my mind to the impact of food and lifestyles. Sometimes I’ve been more down; sometimes I’ve been more up. But definitely more ups lately, especially now that I’ve been steadier with it. That’s really because I’m not on an extreme up and down path, trying this, than trying that. I’ve really just noticed healing faster, feeling happier, and more amped, and being able to skate harder and longer with better strength and agility.
Frontside wallride.
What have you tried that’s worked for you and that you’d recommend?
Every step of the way I’ve found improvements. Over ten years ago I started on the path to vegetarianism. I’ve had a bit of pit stops along the way. But primarily I’ve been a vegetarian for around ten years. From there I’ve went to a whole foods diet, so just eating more things that aren’t in boxes or bags, just more fruits and vegetables and simple meals. From there I’ve done a lot of cleanses over the years. Then almost five years ago I found the Low Fat Raw vegan Lifestyle. To me it’s the ultimate. It’s night and day for me between any other diets including other raw foods diets. It affects every aspect of my life, in my experience, and everyone’s experiences that I’ve talked to that has given it a real chance. And that’s the focus of your website, this Raw Diet, so, what really is the premises behind your diet? Basically, it’s kind of funny. There’s a lot of different ways to go about a raw diet. The one I adhere to is definitely the simplest, and the most common sense in my mind. It’s simple, my raw foods diet. My primary fuel source is fruits, I eat all I care for, I enjoy as much vegetables as I desire after fruit or on their own, and occasionally some nuts and seeds or avocado, durian or other fatty fruits. I don’t eat anything I don’t like. I only eat foods I really like, and I try to only eat when I’m hungry, and until I’m full. The simpler, the better. I’ll eat one kind of fruit for breakfast, one or two for lunch sometimes. I try to keep all my meals simple, no more than 5 ingredients in most cases, and often mono meals of 1 ingedient. I am a huge condoner of food combining and sequential or mono eating.
So compared to a diet like say, the Atkins diet, where you are aiming to lose weight, your diet is for the benefit of your body health wise?
Right. Take myself for an example: When I was in my teens, I was a garbarator. I’d eat absolutely anything, at any time. That slowly caught up with me. I was living in California, living off the dollar store, and it eventually got to the point where I didn’t want to go down ten stairs to skate flat ground. I just felt tired and run down, so I thought “something’s up…” I had to figure something out. I used to drink a lot and I used to puff, but I found neither of those things were really serving me, and still, if it’s not bringing out the best in me, bringing me closer to who I want to be and what I want to be, I’ll drop it. I don’t need any destructive forces in my life. The pollutants in the air, living in stressful times, the conventional produce, there's so much you can't control, so I focus on what I can, and cultivate love into that.
Frontside 180
You must feel a lot better then?
Oh ya for sure! It’s really a night and day difference. To me, it’s really a vortex of change. Raw foods affect you in all areas of your life: mental, physical, and spiritual. It really opens you up. You really have to go through some emotional healing cause we need to realize that most of us deal with emotions with food, alcohol, or drugs. When you let that go, and don’t numb yourself anymore, you start to go through some emotional times and you kind of figure out a lot about yourself and force you to grow. It really brings about new growth. Everyone I know says the same and has gone through similar things.
Does that put you in a better frame of mind to go skating?
It depends. I find myself being more at ease with expressing myself truly and fully, being more conscience of what I want to do, say, and think, without being worried about it. Whatever I’m into, like when I’m skating, I find it really brings out the joy in it for me. I used to get stressed about stuff, now I just enjoy it. I think it helps with everything. I find I’m way more into the moment now.
Everyone knows you as loving bananas. What else do you like? What’s a typical meal?
I like it all man, I love it all. Typically I’ll eat A LOT of bananas. I love them; they’re in my top five for sure. I love all sweet fruits, sub acid, n acid fruits and greens, I love tomatoes cucumbers, celery, melons, oh and my berries ha-ha, I love citrus, Durians…I love it all! The reason for a lot of bananas is it’s one of nature’s perfect fruits. Come on check out the monkeys! You can literally almost survive just off bananas and some lettuce or other greens. They’re extremely calorie dense, they provide almost everything your body needs pretty much in the proper ratios, as well as they’re cheap and available year round. I can get a box of bananas and know I’ll have one of my favorite lunches for four or five days that week. Some times its seven days a week. Other people have a burgers and fries everyday, I prefer bananas because they serve me the best. “They love me back as much as I love them”, ya know? Ha-ha. That quote is from Doug Graham; he’s the grandfather of species specific raw in my book.
Backside Ollie
So when you head to your website, what are we going to expect?
It’s about helping people who are interested in improving their lives on every level through improved lifestyle choices. Although my focus is in the raw foods diet and about transitional living it’s not always a all or nothing approach, everyone is on their own path. Like I mentioned, I had some sharp ups and downs, so I really want to help people make a smoother transition than I did. I really wish to help people learn to sift through the crap, because there’s a lot of crap in the nutritional movement. Even in the raw movement, there’s a lot of controversy, a lot of people selling things that are unnecessary. Also on my site, you see a list of benefits attributed to the raw diet, as well as a lot of support, that’s what it’s all about. I offer a mailing list too, which also will get you a copy of my free booklet just for signing up to the mailing list. Bi-weekly free tips for health and fitness, it’s all about the health and fitness of the body mind and spirit. After going through tons and tons of rehab doctors, been doing yoga and calisthenics for years, skateboarding for 23 years, I’m all about holistic health and fitness. Offering tips, skateboarding stuff of course, some photos, my books, also some recipe books. Future videos for reference too. It’s just going to keep growing and getting better and better. All my services consulting, and E-books are done by donation, this way I know I can help more people, regardless of current financial restrictions, as that’s my main focus.
Speaking of exercise, is there anything that’s compatible with the diet you’d recommend that’s worked for you?
I do have some pretty standard types of exercises that I do, but I like to vary it as much as possible. Switching it and cross training and you know, really challenging your body in as many ways as possible is definitely the best way for optimal fitness. My most steady ones are calisthenics, you know body weight exercises, free flow and yoga. Lately I’ve been really into Kundalini yoga. It’s still physical, focused on breath and spinal strength to increase spiritual awareness and energy. Also, I do some cardio too. At times I love push-ups and jumping jacks and all that stuff, you know? Skipping! Martial arts, you know, it sounds lame and I probably would have beat myself up eight years ago, but now this is me. That will be on my site and that’ll be a big part of my tips and stuff like that. Eventually, as cheesy as it sounds, I will have some work out videos. I’m gonna be doing Yoga and tai chi. All the stuff I’ve benefitted from, I’m going to make in the easiest, most common sense, straight forward form. I’ve spent years researching some of the stuff, I wanna make it so any one who looks at it can just get the benefits from the easiest stuff and not need to be a nutrition and fitness nerd like me to get the best benefits.
Who’s your target audience?
I don’t feel that I have a specific target audience, but because I’m a skateboarder and from my age and stuff, I’ll probably appeal and hope I’ll appeal to more youth. It sucks when you see people go the route that ends their health vitality, careers, or whatever, just ends their fun. So I’d love to influence young people to respect themselves, their bodies and their minds a lot more, as well as others. But also, I really hope I appeal to older people, people from all ages really. There’s no age limit on health and learning how to treat yourself better. I think it’s really important in this time.
Backside lipslide.
What’s the deal with your new book out?
My first instructional book is called The Raw Advantage: As a Cleanse, Transitional or 100% Raw Lifestyle.” Its really just based on my experiences as well as all the research that I’ve done. I’m trying to make it as common sense, as practical, as easy as possible. Providing insights, tips, recipes and some of the science behind it as well, because I know a lot of people are interested in that, just trying to get everything I can get into the most concise package I can to help people make these changes or any changes, big and small. Its not necessarily an all or nothing process, although I find for some the most easy route is the quickest one. In reality and long term direction is the key and that’s what I want to preach. Preach, ha-ha I don’t like that word...share. Anyways, I just want to help people start making healthier choices. Its super easy, man! That’s the thing, that’s my thing that I’d like to add. I wasn’t just searching for good health or good nutrition or whatever. A lot of people think of vegans as sickly people, but any diet can be done improperly and you can eat too much processed food or eat too much of things that aren’t as good for you as other foods. So what I’ve been searching for is the optimal diet. The diet that is absolute best for you on every single aspect of health, not just being skinny or being fit. It’s optimal in every single aspect of human health: nutrition, spiritual, mental, emotional.
Is it that hard and complicated to follow?
No! The thing about it is that it’s incredibly easy. We are made to believe through the media or this or that and through all the conflicting advice that’s its really confusing and hard and you need all these supplements and pills and all this garbage. Nutrition is really simple. Animals don’t have degrees and they’re way healthier than us in nature. Take a monkey for example, they eat when they’re hungry, they eat the food they are naturally adapted to, and pound for pound they are four times stronger than us. Most animals in nature live up to seven times of their developmental period from childhood to adulthood. Humans naturally should be living up to 120, 140 years. We’re cutting ourselves short, most people are on so many pills and prescriptions and have so many aches and pains and just have stuff that isn’t necessary. Our natural state of being is that of joy and health and abundance and happiness and being ready for anything at any time. I plan to release a few recipe books before I put out my main one though.
Smithgrind.
Do you know any other skateboarders on the raw diet?
Actually on the back of one of Dr. Doug Graham’s books there’s a pro skateboarder, I know that he was from an earlier time than me, but he was a pro skateboarder. He is a raw foodist. It’s only becoming more and more often that you’re seeing raw foodists. I personally know some skateboarders who are raw foodists, but none that are famous or that stick out. It seems radical or extreme, but it’s really the simplest most conservative diet. For me, I actually find it 100 times easier, 100 times more enjoyable and I get 100 times the benefit from it too. Sure it takes time to learn but all great things and change do. What am I going to eat? Well, if its fresh, ripe, raw and hopefully organic, I’m going to eat it, ya’ know? If it comes in a box or a bag or if it’s processed, basically if it’s not from the farm, garden or tree it’s not food for me. It’s not really human food. It’s got chemicals in it; it’s got artificial this and that, stuff that I know I don’t need. Spreading our species-specific diet, we all have one! And that’s it! To all, I hope you enjoy!
—peacelovenseasonalfruit ck
5 easy ways increase your Health and skate forever!
1. Eat only when you’re hungry: Most of us eat unconsciously, when bored, or
because the clock says so. Real hunger isn't felt with gurgling in the stomach, isn't anxious, painful, or urgent.
2. Enjoy more fresh raw ripe fruit: Always eat fruit on an empty stomach, having breakfast this is easy, eat as much as you want 15 -20 minutes before or for lunch and dinner.
3. Get in your Fresh Organic Raw Greens: Follow or accompany fruits with as much leafy greens as you care for. Enjoy more salads, green smoothies, and green soups to up the intake.
4. Don't eat late at Night: Try to give yourself minimum of 3 hours before bed for better digestion and assimilation. A full stomach at bed ensures fermentation and a sour stomach to start the day.
5. Get your Rest: Sleep as much as you feel you need, every hour before midnight can act like two. When hurt allow for extra rest, listen to your body and give it the time and rehabilitation it needs.
5-0 180
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