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Five Day Fasting for Better Metabolic Health
Fasting has been a health and anti-aging method for centuries. Not only does a five day fast provide a boost to the immune system, but it also reduces your risk of cancer and cardiovascular diseases.
A five day fasting plan was recently introduced which doesn’t completely cut out all food, but restricts calories to either a third or half of your usual daily consumption for five days.
Improving your metabolic health by fasting can give your body a boost, which will slow the aging process and help you enjoy long term health benefits by regenerating the complete immune system.
But, complete (no food at all) fasting can be dangerous and few people can stick to a long term fast of eating nothing. You can choose a fasting diet which restricts calories, but triggers the same results in your body that a complete fast can do.
A new fasting diet has emerged through many studies which can have the same effect as all-food restricted fasting. Named “Fasting Mimicking Diet (FMD),” this diet involves following the diet plan for five full days per month and then eating what you want the remainder of the month.
The diet consists of the following caloric and nutrition input:
Day 1: 1,090 calories (10% protein; 56% fat; 34% carbohydrates)
Day 2 through 5: 725 calories (9% protein; 44% fat; 34% carbohydrates)
The amazing results for this diet plan on a group of people indicated that within three months, the group had reduced biomarkers connected to cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and aging.
The people had also reduced overall body fat and lost unwanted pounds. The study also had the participants eat as they usually did on the remaining 25 days of the month. They were not to change their diet habits at all – good or bad – they ate as they normally would.
Positive results were achieved and maintained even after the end of the 25 day period. A same study conducted on young mice with the equivalent of the restricted diet fed to humans showed a regeneration of the stem cells in the organs.
During this time, the brain created new neurons which tend to improve learning ability and memory. When the same study was conducted on middle-aged mice, the results showed the immune system was boosted, cancer risk factors and inflammatory conditions were lowered and the cognitive abilities of the mice were improved.
Researchers believe the FMD plan virtually tricks the body into a slower aging process by reprogramming it and rejuvenating stem cells. For those who can’t stick to a complete no-food fasting program, this plan has been found to have the same results and is much easier to complete.
Moov:the world’s most advanced fitness device
I just discovered this new fitness app called “MOOV” which is being presented as “the world’s most advanced fitness device” and I must say it looks really really awesome and so much so I have just put it at the top of my Amazon wishlist and will be buying it shortly.
Here’s an excerpt of the BusinessInsider review which was published in may of this year:
I just tested out the ‘world’s most advanced fitness device’ for cycling — here’s what it was like
Recently I tried out Moov’s personal-fitness device, a wearable that offers workout data and virtual coaching in real time via updates using a smartphone screen and audio feedback.
Moov raised a ton of cash last year through crowd-funding, and this week it is rolling out its first cycling app, which is what I used the Moov for. (There are Moov apps for other activities, but I used only the cycling app.)
The Moov is a sleek circular gadget about the size of an Oreo cookie. The company calls it “the world’s most advanced fitness device.” For cycling, you wear it on your left or right leg using the provided ankle band, and it connects to your phone via Bluetooth. It charges via USB cable. The Moov device costs $79, and the cycling app is free.
I tested the beta version of the app for iPhone 6, the final version of which will be available Wednesday at midnight PST, according to the company. The Android version of the app is still in beta testing and will be released in two to three weeks, the company said.
In case you’re wondering, the Moov never popped out of the ankle band while I was using it; it stayed firmly locked in until I took it out, and it never felt as if it might come loose…
Read more: https://uk.businessinsider.com/moov-cycling-app-2015-5?r=US#ixzz3fIPBjVjz
Click here if you want to check it out on Amazon
The Risks of Exercising Too Much
As we touched on in your introduction, exercising too much can come from an emotional and physical addiction, or from simply overtraining.
And unfortunately, too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. That is the situation with the physical stress that you put on your body will work out.
Do not get us wrong. Your body needs exercise for you to live a long, healthy life. When you stress your muscles and expend moderate to intense levels of physical exertion, your body begins to heal stronger and healthier after that workout is over. This is a simple physiological process that allows human beings to adapt to adverse conditions.
And at one level it is very healthy. But unfortunately, some fitness fans get caught up in the process, either through addiction or accidentally.
Extreme exercise can lead to the following risks and conditions:
- Rhabdomyolysis
- Heart attack
- Shorter lifespan
- Heart diseases
- Weakened immunity system
- Damaged muscles and tendons
- Stroke
- Irregular heart rhythm
- Altered sense of reality
Rhabdomyolysis is a physical disorder where your muscles begin to break down. Instead of repairing themselves stronger and healthier, they release the natural components that they are composed of. Your muscle cell membranes are damaged, as is those infected muscles’ ability to produce energy.
This is a disorder that is frequently associated with CrossFit training. But make no mistake about it. This debilitating and physically crushing impairment can come about if you exercise too hard, using any particular fitness regimen.
The list of heart problems shown above is just the tip of the iceberg as far as the dangers of overexercising are concerned. Mental and emotional damage can also occur. Those who become addicted to working out can suffer from an incorrect perception of themselves, their bodies and the world around them.
This it leads to problems with relationships at home and at work, and often times an inability to function as a “normal” member of society. From the brain to the body, inside and out, the dangers of overtraining are widely known. How do you know if you may be putting your health and life at jeopardy when it comes to physical fitness? Let’s find out.
10 Signs That You’re Exercising Too Much
Understanding that overdoing it in the gym or with your fitness program is a great start to keeping yourself strong and healthy. But knowledge is not enough. You have to take smart action based on that knowledge. The first thing you need to know is if indeed you are exercising too much. If any of the following 10 signs seem familiar to you, you just may be addicted to exercise, or accidentally overdoing it.
1 – You exercise for emotional reasons, not physical ones.
Your body releases “feel good” chemicals during periods of physical stress. This includes when you work out. For some, this may be the only area of their life where they feel successful. This could lead you to workout in response to emotional triggers. And if you answer your feelings with exercise too frequently, you suffer the physical and mental risks discussed in the previous chapter.
2 – You feel wiped out instead of vitalized.
The proper amount of exercise should leave you feeling challenged and tested, but alert and energized as well. The old adage “no pain, no gain” is not healthy, and neither are you if you always work out to the point of exhaustion.
3 – You catch colds and flus easily.
This is a classic symptom of someone who exercises way too much. What happens is, you beat down your immune system. You are training so frequently, your body’s defense system cannot keep up. When a cold, flu or virus comes along, your weakened immunity against infection means that you get sick quickly, and it takes you longer than normal to get better.
4 – Your sleep patterns are not normal.
The stress you cause your body and mind when you push yourself too hard can definitely affect how much sleep you get. In some, the negative impact of overtraining can cause the desire to sleep forever. In others, the inability to fall to sleep is a sign that they are exercising too frequently.
5 – You have a short temper.
When your body is over-stressed, over-trained and over-worked, your brain starts to give you signals that you need to slow down. When you do not respond by lowering the frequency and intensity of your workouts, an inclination for hair-trigger emotional outbursts can be the result.
6 – Your muscles always feel sore, for days on end.
Proper exercising benefits your body through a tear-down and repair cycle. That is why you should never train the same muscle group on back-to-back days. If you feel sore all the time, this could be due to over-training.
7 – You exercise when you are tired, or even sick.
Your body will tell you when you should and should not exercise, sleep or engage in any other activity, if you just listen to it. Never exercise when you are physically sick or exhausted. Your body is in no shape to take the physical stress exercise delivers.
8 – You suffer from a guilty complex when you do not workout daily.
If you skip a workout every now and then, do not beat yourself up. And if you are suffering from pangs of guilt and anxiety because you do not work out 7 days a week, you are probably over-training yourself.
9 – Your self-esteem is attached to how often you workout.
You should never judge your day or your life as bad or good based on how much you exercise. This is where dangerous addiction can begin to develop, as you treat your feelings of low self-worth with more exercise.
10 – You arrange your life around exercise, rather than the other way around.
Do you arrange and cancel work meetings, social outings and other life experiences around your workout regimen? To some extent, this is just dedication. But when you take it too far, your coworkers, friends and family members will let you know that you are probably exercising too often.
Did you identify any warning signs that you may be doing your body more harm than good because of your exercise? If so, it is important that you know the reason why you are overexercising. It is only then that you can take the proper steps to regain control over a smart and healthy workout program.
10,000 Steps Isn’t The Magic Number For Fitness Trackers
Are you using any of these fitness trackers? Well I must admit that using apps like Runkeeper to track my biking is really useful and that’s in spite of having one of those VDO cycle computers. You get all sorts of interesting data which does somehow motivate you to try and outperform your previous session. and just in case you were wondering, you can perfectly manage with the free version.
below is an interesting story on this topic:
Why 10,000 Steps Isn’t The Magic Number For Fitness Trackers
The rise of wearable fitness technology is something of a paradox. The surge in popularity of devices that monitor the amount of exercise you do suggest more people than ever are interested in maintaining regular fitness regimes. Just witness the success of the company behind fitness tracking bracelet Fitbit, which investors have just deemed worth $US4.1bn after it floated on the stock market. Yet this comes at a time when physical inactivity has reached levels of global pandemic proportion.
This shows how important it is that the public understand and follow science-based health and behavior advice. The advantage of wearable fitness technology is that it can provide a way for personalized data to shape how much extra physical activity (including exercise) a person needs to do and when.
The well-publicized recommendation to take “10,000 steps a day” is a perfect example. The figure actually originates from Japanese walking clubs and a marketing slogan for pedometers more than 40 years ago. But step counts have been shown to provide a reliable measure of daily activity in healthy adults. They also provide a meaningful everyday metric that allows individuals to self-monitor their physical activity and walking.
The self-monitoring (observing and evaluating one’s behavior) and goal setting that come with devices like Fitbit are two of the most complementary and potent ways of changing people’s physical activity behavior. Combining activity trackers, which allow the wearer to observe their steps in real-time and review at their leisure, with goals such as walking 10,000 steps can make people more motivated and more able to increase or maintain their physical activity levels..
Click here in case you want to read the original story
For those who like fitness apps
I usually don’t read the magazine Maxim but they just featured an article that caught my attention for I am always interested to learn about new fitness apps. That’s not because I am such a fitness freak but I somehow seem to think that if I get the right app I might start doing all those exercises that will result in losing that excess weight and get back into great shape.
One of those apps I use every time I go ride my bike which is at least once a week is Runkeeper (the free version) which I highly recommend.
Anyway about that Maxim article here’s an excerpt which will give you an idea of the rest of the story, it really is worth your time:
“6 Fitness Apps That Actually Don’t Suck
You need more than a set of weights and sheer force of will—the key to a healthier summer is right in your pocket.
We all have that friend. He’s the guy who can eat and drink a seemingly endless supply of beer and burgers and never has to worry. If you’re reading this, you’re probably not that guy. Good, because everyone hates that f..king guy.
As for the rest of us, we have to put pain, effort, and sacrifice into looking and feeling phenomenal — but that’s a good thing. A solid workout routine should take discipline, the result of hard work and perseverance. At the end, you should feel like you’ve accomplished something.
But it shouldn’t be impossible. Here are 6 fitness apps to help get that grind going.
1.FitStar – Free, Premium for $4.99/month or $49.99/year
Custom curated workout routines delivered straight to your phone, based on your personal goals, objectives, and current fitness level. FitStar gives you a baseline “fitness test” to gauge starting health levels, then sends you custom daily workout routines that intensify and get more complex as you get more fit. The app actively solicits feedback and either increases or reduces intensity based on how you feel. It’ll also give you workouts for specific time parameters, perfect for squeezing in some exercise on busy days”
If you want to read about the other 5 apps mentioned in this article you can Click Here
Clean Eating to Maximize Your Bodyweight Training
Clean Eating to Maximize Your Bodyweight Training
You may have heard about clean eating and been a bit confused. Is it eating foods without pesticides? Eating only organic, home-grown fruits and vegetables? Eating foods that won’t wreck your health?
Clean eating can help you enhance your bodyweight training so that you get the most out of your exercises.
If you need clarification on what clean eating is all about, and some guidance on whether or not it’s right for you, you’ll find it easier to make that decision after reading this.
What Is Clean Eating?
Clean eating is a method of providing good health for your body that doesn’t require an exhausting array of technical calculations. Part of the reason many people quit dieting is because they hate the calorie counting, the food weighing, the percentages of fats and carbs and proteins, the BMI calculations and more.
They just want to live and eat and enjoy life without making everything such a hassle. Clean eating can do that for you once you learn the ins and outs of it. You’ll simply focus on adding as many whole food options as possible, choosing the best varieties that assist you in weight loss and maintenance, as well as gaining nutritional benefits.
You know how most diets allow a certain amount of “cheating?” Well clean eating is no different. You can make 50% of your diet clean, and 50% processed, or go all out and try to achieve a 100% clean eating regimen – the choice is up to you.
You can start with a light approach, maybe doing only 25% of your meals with clean foods. Pick one day in the week where you eat clean, and don’t worry yet about the rest of the days.
Continue adding days (or meals) until you reach a level of clean eating that you can live with. Some people go all the way, and that’s great! But it’s also harder to achieve and stick with than a more moderate plan that still offers some benefits.
When you start living a clean eating lifestyle, you’re looking for foods in their most original form. That means it hasn’t been processed, it hasn’t had pesticides on it, it hasn’t had anything added to it – it’s as close to picking it off the vine or tree as possible.
Your clean eating diet should consist of organic fruits and vegetables, raw, unsalted nuts and grains, and the best lean meat your budget can afford. Marbling might taste nice, but it wreaks havoc on your body.
Whenever you go into your kitchen to reach for food, look at the ingredients. Is it one ingredient, like “corn?” Or is it a whole slew of hard-to-pronounce ingredients that sound like they just came out of a science lab?
If it’s the latter, then that’s a good sign that this food source isn’t as clean as you would like it to be. It’s been processed. It’s had additives combined with it to form something that isn’t good for your health.
One of the great things about clean eating is that your body will experience fewer cravings and energy crashes throughout the day. Your fullness levels will stay intact and your energy will climb over time.
That means you learn to listen to your hunger cues and only eat when your body alerts you to a low level of food stores. You won’t feel like making a run to the vending machine to stave off a 3 o’clock slump in the afternoon at work.
Keep in mind that when you’re clean eating, that doesn’t mean you can cook the food in a way that ruins its perfect form. Frying lean meat after coating it with processed, white flour defeats the point of choosing it in the first place. …
Read on by clicking here
How Does Food Affect Your Workout?
How Does Food Affect Your Workout?
Not reaching your fitness goal could be, in part, about what you eat. To work at maximum efficiency, the body needs food that contains these three macronutrients:
• protein
• carbohydrates
• fats
However, just eating all three is not enough; you also need the right type and amount of each macronutrient to get the maximum benefit from your workout.
Protein
As you exercise, tiny tears occur in your muscle fibers; protein not only helps repair these tears, but it helps build muscle too, so your body is ready for your next workout. To get the maximum benefit from this macronutrient, 20% of your daily calorie intake should come from a low saturated fat protein source, such as lean red meat, pork, poultry, beans, seafood, eggs or dairy products.
Carbohydrates
The body produces energy from carbohydrates by breaking them down into glucose. Glucose is then converted into energy at the cellular level through a process called metabolism. However, there are two types of carbohydrates: simple and complex. Of the two, the complex type is the best for you when you work out because they break down slower thus providing your body with more energy over a longer time. An average of 50% of your daily calories should come from carbohydrates; however, only 10% of these calories should come from simple carbohydrates, which are most of the sugars. Good sources of complex carbohydrates include potatoes and whole grains, such as whole wheat bread and pasta, and brown rice.
Fats
For a long time the fats got a bad rap. However, multiple studies have shown that we need about 30% of our daily calories from fat (and the right type of fat) for our bodies to work efficiently. Because certain nutrients are only fat-soluble, those nutrients are flushed from the body unprocessed if you are not eating enough fat.
There are three types of fats:
• saturated
• unsaturated
• trans
Trans fat
Trans fat is a manufactured fat found in highly processed foods, such as baked goods. It shows up on nutrition labels listed as either hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated vegetable shortening. However, because the body does not metabolize trans fats, it ends up staying in the blood stream and can eventually cause heart disease. Avoid trans fat at all costs!
Saturated Fat
For over 60 years, we have known too much saturated fat is not good for you. Commonly found in marbled red meats, whole dairy products, butter and certain oils, such as coconut, palm and palm kernel, only 7% of our daily fat requirement should come from saturated fat.
Unsaturated Fat
These are the good fats – polyunsaturated and monounsaturated – and they should make up the rest of your daily fat requirement. Sources include some types of oils, such as olive, canola, safflower, sunflower and soy, along with avocados, most nuts, and the oily fishes: salmon, tuna and mackerel.
By eating the right types of macronutrients (and in the right quantities), not only will you have the energy to get you through a workout, but also what it takes to repair and build muscle, and refuel your body for the next workout.
Can Juicing Help Improve Fitness?
Can Juicing Help Improve Fitness?
Fitness is always a hot topic. Whether we want to get fit to lose weight, to have more energy, or to feel better about ourselves, we’re always looking for ways that’ll make the whole process easier. Juicing is one health trend that’s really taken off in recent years, but does it really work to improve your fitness?
Diet Changes to Break Through Plateaus
The secret to improving your fitness level is to keep your body guessing. This means never stick to the same exercise or diet routine. In reference to a diet plateau, this happens when you consume the same types of foods, such as whole grains and fresh, raw foods for a long period of time. When you have plateaued your diet needs a jump-start. This is when you can begin introducing the process of juicing. Juicing restarts your body so you can continue to work hard at improving your fitness goals.
Nutrient Delivery
Juicing is a form of concentrating fresh, organic fruits and vegetables that assist in keeping your fitness routine on track. Just one glass can help you get more nutrients in your body and improve your fitness. Juicing is able to increase your metabolism, get you physically stronger, reduce the chance of injury, and your ability to reach and maintain your fitness goals will increase.
Inflammation Reduction
When working on a fitness routine, there is a possibility that you may become injured. When you are injured, inflammation is likely to occur in the joint areas. Juicing neutralizes the acidity of the injured area and reduces the inflammation. Through this process, as you continue juicing, you will also experience other benefits, such as a rise in your metabolism, ability to process the nutrients from juicing to provide you with increased energy that will not be stored as fat, and a strong body with a reduction in injuries.
Energy Improvement
Including juicing in your fitness program will show you the power it has of increasing your physical energy so you can perform more efficiently. As energy increases, your hormones balance out and your digestion improves. This is not energy that comes with highs and lows. It is a sustained energy to support you through all your workouts, where you have the ability to exercise with great effort.
But remember – juicing alone is not what’ll make you fit. You must combine it with exercise!
How to Motivate Yourself to Exercise Each Day
How to Motivate Yourself to Exercise Each Day
Some days, getting up to exercise just doesn’t seem to be in the cards for that day. You know you should, but the drive and determination isn’t there.
So do you give in and skip exercising that day or do you reach deep inside and convince yourself otherwise? Here are 6 tips that you can use to motivate yourself when the going gets tough:
1) Set Goals
Most people don’t get up in the morning just for the sake of exercising. They have a bigger purpose in mind – a goal if you will. Exercising is merely a path to that goal. Keep in mind goals should be reasonable and attainable. If you set a goal that is so high that you have zero chance of attaining it, you’ll soon lose your motivation and quit. Instead set a small goal and when you achieve that one, set one just a little higher.
2) Write Your Goal in a Visible Place
Goals are a great motivator, but if they exist only in your mind, they are soon forgotten. Write down your goal and post it where you will see it each day or several times per day. On the refrigerator makes a great place to post your goal.
3) Celebrate Success
Regardless of how small a success, celebrate it. Taking this celebratory step is an important part of closing out that achieved goal so you can set a loftier one. Just make sure the celebration doesn’t sabotage the success. For example if you are exercising to lose weight and achieve your goal, don’t celebrate with a meal full of calories and saturated fat. You can celebrate with food, but be smart about it and stay on track.
4) Search Out Inspiration
Keeping to a rigorous daily exercise program not only involves a lot of perspiration, but inspiration too. Search out blogs and articles written by people trying to achieve similar goals. Go to YouTube and watch videos to see how people achieved their goals. Feed off of that knowledge and enthusiasm in your quest.
5) Focus on Benefits
If you focus on the exercising itself, you’ll soon become disillusioned and maybe even quit. Instead, focus on the benefits derived from your daily effort. What do you hope to get from your daily grind? It might be to lose weight, get healthier, stronger, a more toned body or a host of other benefits. Keeping an eye on the benefits will help pull you through the rough times.
6) Exercise With a Friend
Nothing will give you more motivation than exercising with a friend or family member. On the days when you don’t feel like working out, you will anyway because you don’t want to let down your exercise buddy. The truth be known, s/he may not want to exercise that day either, but they do it for you. Accountability to another person is a strong motivator and a great way to stay on track to your goal. Once achieved, then you can both celebrate success together.
Staying motivated over the long haul is hard. And there will be times when you feel your enthusiasm waning. Using these tips will give you the motivation to continue even when you don’t otherwise feel like it.
Here’s a fun video I suggest you watch too:
The Benefits of Challenging Yourself to Master 100 Situps
The Benefits of Challenging Yourself to Master 100 Situps
Performing situps as a physical fitness exercise has so many benefits. Aside from requiring no expensive or special gym equipment, you improve your overall core strength. And though many searching for sexy six-pack abs focus on situps for that reason alone, the well-rounded exercise actually involves more of your muscles and a larger range of motion than crunches.
Muscles in your chest and legs, connecting stabilizer muscles and hip flexors are all employed, giving you a full body workout. And when you challenge yourself to reach the level where you can consistently perform 100 situps at a time your benefits are even greater.
Mentally, your brain has the advantage of endorphins which are released every time your body detects stress. Performing multiple situps at once sends these endorphins to your brain, and the response from your brain raises your heart rate and metabolism. This “fight or flight” response from your mind also means that your mental alertness and awareness are peaked.
With that increased heart rate comes higher metabolism and a better ability to burn fat and maintain a healthy body weight. There is also the high level of self-esteem which comes from performing 100 situps without stopping. This impressive physical achievement is rare among human beings to say the least. Additionally, a side benefit that you may not have considered is the desire to push yourself in other ways physically.
You have worked up from 10 consecutive situps to 20, and 50, and finally 100. The boost of energy and self-pride you feel will quickly have you pushing yourself to perform 100 pushups without stopping. Then you will want to run 1.5 miles in under 10 minutes, and bench press 1.5 times your body weight. When you see such an impressive achievement as a reality in your life, suddenly, running a marathon or participating in a triathlon seems well within your grasp.
A body at rest tends to stay at rest, and a body in motion tends to stay in motion. While this is one of Newton’s scientific laws of motion, it applies as well to human beings. Your mind tends to adapt your entire behavior according to your most consistent activities. This means that when you master 100 consecutive situps, you subconsciously program your mind to spend less time sitting and more time standing, less time lounging and more time exercising.
The overall health benefits include a longer and healthier life span, cardiovascular and core strengthening, and healthy weight and fat loss. You also feel great emotionally and mentally when others comment on your new, slim, trim and powerful body, which creates even a greater desire to continue to challenge yourself physically.