photo by salomon886

Are you bored with your workouts? Burned out on doing the same stuff? Making excuses not to workout because you are “too busy” or travelling and don’t have access to a gym? Well try this out then, make every day a 100 rep challenge day. 100 reps of what? Anything you want. Pick a new exercise everyday. It can be with bodyweight only….or use weights if you have access to them. It could be a quick 15 min workout in the morning to just start your day or you could spread it out all day long. The fun and the challenge is up to you! Here’s how you do it:

• First pick the exercise of the day. A good idea is to alternate days of “pulls” and “pushes”. You can also alternate days of bodyweight and using weights. Examples of “pushes” could be: pushups, bench press, overhead press with weights, handstand pushups (more advanced), squats with weights, 1 legged squats with only bodyweight, lunges, step-ups with weights, explosive movements (squat jumps, lunge jumps, clapping pushups), and bodyweight dips. Examples of “pulls” could be pullups/chinups, cleans/snatches with weights, upright rows (although cleans are more fun), bent over rows with weights, body rows (would need rings/straps or hang upside down from monkey bars for this), and deadlifts (sumo, regular, RDLs).

• Now pick your resistance level to use: If you are more interested in strength and size then you probably want a resistance level (or way to modify the exercise) so that it is done so that you most likely be only able to do about 10-15 repetitions of it before muscle failure. If you are looking for a very quick workout then you can modify it as needed. How do you modify it? Well you can use heavier weights, or in the case of bodyweight exercises, make your body heavier (see the picture above….got some kids laying around to use?). Ok well maybe not kids, but you can find yourself a backpack and fill it with books, a rock, weights, sand, or whatever you like and you have a heavier bodyweight now.

• Now just do 100 reps by the end of the day. If you want to do it all in one shot….then go for it. (good luck as your muscles will fail and you will need rest between sets) If you want to make the weights/resistance heavier and do sets of 5-10 reps all day long….do that as well. Have people in the office wondering why you are doing pushups every couple of hours. Pick a target number for the amount of reps you want to do…like 10 sets of 10…or 20 sets of 5….or 5 sets of 20. Make the challenge daily, just do something, make it happen, get to 100…..no excuses!

Again this is a fun challenge but one you should take seriously. If you commit to it, make it happen no matter what. Don’t start falling off little by little….there’s no excuses as you can make it quick and easy if you need to, but the goal is not quick and easy. Another fun idea may be to “roll the dice” daily. Get 6 exercises (number them 1-6) and then roll 1 dice. Whatever that number is, you do the corresponding exercise to it (Ex. a 1 could be pushups, 2 pullups, etc..). Now roll a second time with 2-3 dice (or roll 1 dice 3 times and add up the numbers). This is the resistance level you are going to use (or the Rep Max). Note that using less dice/rolls is going to be pretty heavy reps so that is for more advanced people only. So if you roll say a 15 combined, then you use the resistance level (that you think) you can only do 15 times. If you roll a 10….well then things just got harder didn’t they? Challenge yourself. Go after the weak spots you have. Do something different daily. Have fun with it in the park or with friends. Challenge each other for time on bodyweight….how long does it take you to do 100 good form pushups. You may be surprised with the results and the new found fun you are having!

Life is fun….so should be your workouts!

Here’s just a quick post to go over some good reads (and links to them, in blue) I have stumbled across lately.

• Scott over at Modern Forager did a post about my favorite supplement Apple Cider Vinegar. Also if you want to know 1001 uses for ACV, this is a good page as well. and another site with reader feedback. As they say, an apple a day (or maybe some ACV) keeps the doctor away! Before you ask…do NOT take it straight (too much can burn/damage the esophagus and stomach lining, so just take in small doses). 2-3 teaspoons (or 1 tablespoon) in 8-12oz of room temp/warm (not cold) water. Add is some cayenne pepper if you are feeling brave or have a sore throat (kills bacteria). Make sure that you get the “Unfiltered Raw with the Mother” (cloudy…not clear) kind of ACV which should be found in most health food and some supermarkets.
• Interesting read on decreasing brain size/development since the Paleo days. “Co-evolution of increased brain size with concurrent reduction in size of the human gut. Recent work is showing that the brain (20-25% of the human metabolic budget) and the intestinal system are both so metabolically energy-expensive that in mammals generally (and this holds particularly in primates), an increase in the size of one comes at the expense of the size of the other in order not to exceed the organism’s limited “energy budget” that is dictated by its basal metabolic rate. The suggestion here is not that the shrinkage in gut size caused the increase in brain size, but rather that it was a necessary accompaniment. In other words, gut size is a constraining factor on potential brain size, and vice versa.“ - So could it be as time went by in evolutionary terms, that the more we ate, the bigger our gut got and the less brain development we started to have? Could this also correspond to the implementation of the grain as a staple to the diet? (more on that in another link below)
• I’ve talked about the importance of a healthy gut…as it could be the most important health factor you can focus on (as you can control what you eat). Here’s another good site that talks about Leaky Gut and all the conditions it could be involved with in great detail.
• Forget time management, you only manage what you have limited resources of…and guess what, you have more time than you know what to do with (why many people just get lost up in distractions to just pass the time….distractions is a BIG industry, just look at the money made by movie starts, TV stars, video games). Leo at Zen Habbits has a great post on how to reclaim your time back, as it is your time to spend how you want it. So take it back and spend it the way you want….even if that means doing nothing.
• In the ongoing research into the use of intervals and endurance training, Chris at Conditioning Research has a great post on it. Also he links to Lyle’s articles at the bottom which are also very excellent to read about the subject.
• If you want to add a good spice in your foods, get your cinnamon out (and no we are not talking about eating more cinnamon rolls). Cinnamon is great for helping to control blood glucose (diabetics esp), increase insulin sensitivity and also is a natural anti-biotic (as it kills off the bad bacteria). So put some in your coffee or tea in the morning and add it whenever you like.
• In the saddening state of the increasing amount of autism, I remember hearing about the story of how Jenny McCarthy took control of her kids health and has pretty much almost reversed his condition! This is a great article on her story and just shows that anything can be possible. “Well the repeated antibiotics without a probiotic, probiotic is like an acidophilus that you find in yogurt… all these antibiotics create this yeast in the gut. An overabundance of yeast then causes holes in the gut and that causes Leaky Gut Syndrome. Food then travels to the blood, which travels to the brain. Candida literally takes over the body causing horrible side affects. They’re finding that once you clean up those issues, a lot of these children on the spectrum feel so much better.”
• The power of the mind is probably the one thing we all either overlook or take for granted. It’s a power that can give us incredible health and happiness…OR it can also take us down the road of depression and illhealth. It all matters on what we focus on….where is the power of our mind putting it’s energy into….good positive throughts, or negative/stressful thoughts? Mark at MDA has a good read on reminding us that lifestyle choices do have the power of positive (or negative) genetic expression. Take some time to take 10 deep breaths whenever you feel stressful or depressed….see if that doesn’t help you to slow down and focus on better things.
• Stephan at Whole Health has a great summary and review of a book called “The Human Diet, it’s origins and evolution”. What I thought were the biggest points were: “The adoption of grains as a primary source of calories correlated with a major decrease in stature, decrease in oral health, decrease in bone density, and other problems. This is true for wheat, rice, corn and other grains. Cranial capacity has also declined 11% since the late paleolithic, correlating with a decrease in the consumption of animal foods and an increase in grains.”
• and of course it wouldn’t be complete without some IF study….this on maintaining healthy brain function with aging. Want to keep your brain working strong and long into your later years? Then looks like IF could be the way to go. ” Caloric restriction and intermittent fasting: two potential diets for successful brain aging.
  Martin B, Mattson MP, Maudsley S.

  Laboratory of Neurosciences, National Institute on Aging Intramural Research Program, 5600 Nathan Shock Drive, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA. martinbro@grc.nia.nih.gov

  The vulnerability of the nervous system to advancing age is all too often manifest in neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. In this review article we describe evidence suggesting that two dietary interventions, caloric restriction (CR) and intermittent fasting (IF), can prolong the health-span of the nervous system by impinging upon fundamental metabolic and cellular signaling pathways that regulate life-span. CR and IF affect energy and oxygen radical metabolism, and cellular stress response systems, in ways that protect neurons against genetic and environmental factors to which they would otherwise succumb during aging. There are multiple interactive pathways and molecular mechanisms by which CR and IF benefit neurons including those involving insulin-like signaling, FoxO transcription factors, sirtuins and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors. These pathways stimulate the production of protein chaperones, neurotrophic factors and antioxidant enzymes, all of which help cells cope with stress and resist disease. A better understanding of the impact of CR and IF on the aging nervous system will likely lead to novel approaches for preventing and treating neurodegenerative disorders.”

photo by anonymousmuse

Now I normally don’t get caught up in the likes of Hollywood, who they are dating, what they are wearing, etc…..as I really don’t care. But I came across an interesting show this weekend and it peaked my interest. It was called the “15 Best and Worst Hollywood Beach Bodies” or something like that. What interested me was seeing who kept themselves in great shape, how they did it….and on the reverse side who let themselves go and what happened. As for the “best beach bodies” ones the usual crowd was up there like Jessica Beil, Pamela Anderson, Hugh Jackman, Mario Lopez, Matthew McConaughey and others in great shape (interesting to note that these people are in great shape year after year). What was sad to see was people who “used” to be in great shape but let themselves go like John Travolta and Val Kilmer. Also you didn’t have to be overweight to not look so good as a few women were very very thin, too thin and looking almost malnutrioned. Anyways…..I wanted to focus on what the lessons we could learn from them….

• “I try to break a sweat everyday” - This what is what one actor in great shape said. He didn’t specify what it had to be but he did anything from jogging, riding a bike, dancing, beach sprints, pushups, lifting weights in a gym, etc. He stayed active and his motto was to just keep the active lifestyle going no matter what it was.
• They know what they ate - There was no guess work and the diets differed between people. But what they all had in common is they knew what they were eating, they had a healthy plan and stuck to lots of whole natural foods. Did they enjoy other treats from time to time? I’m sure they did….but when you are active and can eat healthy most of the time…you can get away with eating occasional treats very easily. (note the “occasional”)
• They lift weights/do resistance training - Whether it is using their own bodyweight, bands, dumbbells, or whatever….they challenged their muscles. If you want that toned look you have to build muscle plain and simple. Anyone can get skinny, but as show with the worst beach bodies….many of them were very skinny yet had no muscles so they looked flat and not very healthy. Your muscles are very important for your health and long term functionality. Remember the saying “Use it or Lose it”!
• They live healthy lifestyles (well as much as Hollywood royalty can) - What does that mean? Well the ones in shape still got plenty of sleep and enjoyed their life (less stress). I’m sure they do go out and party late night on the weekends, but the ones in better shape most likely do not do it that often…and they do not over consume alcohol either. They are happy with the way they live their life and enjoy it every day. Alot of what they did was being active outside (riding bikes, going to the beach, surfing, etc) and they always were surrounded by people of similar interests. A good support group (and not a negative one) can make a huge difference.

It didn’t really go into why people had let themselves go, but my guess it would have to come from a side of either over indulging in “rich” tasting foods, too much partying, no longer being active (maybe they burned out doing too much for roles in movies, as actors can go overboard on training for a role…and then their body is pretty much done and needs time off. Lesson learned, slow and steady leads to more consistent, long term and lasting results), perhaps an increase in ability to gain fat (you will see this in people who’s weight fluctutate…so if someone gained 50lbs for a role…in the long term it’s going to be easier for them to gain that back again if they are not careful).

In the end, the lessons are simple….it’s doesn’t have to be the perfect workout (as many did a wide variety of activities) and it doesn’t have to be some perfect diet….what you need to do is just:

• Have an active lifestyle (vow to “break a sweat everyday”)
• Find and do activities you enjoy (find new ones to keep you excited, try new things!)
• Get a good support group around you (take a look around you….and see what your “friends” are doing to your lifestyle…are they helping or hurting it?)
• Eat real foods (which can taste great) for health and not for pleasure
• Be happy (stress free, worry free, living in the moment right now)
• Don’t try and overdo it all at once (as that will just burn you out and set you back longterm)
• Challenge your muscles once in a while (resistance training)
• Let your body recover (SLEEP!!)
• and just enjoy the journey of living healthy (don’t worry about getting somewhere quick….as the results will come soon enough).

photo by Zavosh

This is an interesting story about a man named Luigi Cornaro who overcame his own illness and lived to the ripe old age 102. Apparently here’s a man who discovered CR back in the 14th century as a lifestyle choice for better health. Here’s a pretty good overview about Luigi from Wikipedia:

Alvise (Luigi) Cornaro (1464-1566) was a Venetian nobleman who wrote treatises on dieting, including Discorsi della Vita Sobria (Discourses on the Sober Life). Finding himself near death at the age of forty, Cornaro modified his eating habits on the advice of his doctors and began to adhere on a calorie restriction diet. Twelve ounces of solid food and fourteen ounces of wine was the daily allowance he allowed for himself initially. He later reduced his daily food intake to no more solid meat than an egg.

Let us see more about his story from this main article on his life.

Let’s look at Luigi Cornaro, a man who at age 35 was weak, sick, and dying. At the time, he consulted the medical heads of Genoa, Italy. He asked the doctors, “What can I do?” Finally, one smart doctor said, “Look, Luigi,” (Luigi was a nobleman) “cut down on your riotous living, stop the drinking, cut out the rich food, eat as little as you can, and don’t abuse your body. You can get well.”

When he died, he died in an ideal way. He was in his rocking chair. He closed his eyes, took a nap, and didn’t wake up. There was no pain or suffering, ever. His mind was clear as a bell until the very end, no senility, no memory loss. Indeed, one of the things he wrote about in his discourses was that his hearing and vision were perfect He retained all his senses. That’s something you don’t see today.

Luigi ate a little meat; he ate an egg yolk; he had panado, which was a vegetable soup with a little tomato; he had grape juice; and he had bread. He used to dip the bread in the soup. That was his diet. That’s all he ate. He didn’t want to eat fish because it didn’t agree with him, and he didn’t eat chicken. He ate a little meat. On that diet, which we natural nutritionists would call low quality, he lived to 102.

an individual who was dying at 40 years of age brought himself to a state of good health in less than one year, and through the careful exercise of self-control prolonged his life to 102 years of age with the full preservation of all his faculties to the very end. The living of each day was a joy in his life at all times.

The amount of food necessary to sustain life. Since the quantity of food needed to maintain excellent health and spirits is so small, it is rather shocking to realize that all of us, with very few exceptions, overeat and produce an endless array of miseries in our lives in both mental and physical afflictions.

Our states of mind are dependent upon our health and closely related to the amount of food we consume. Dejection and melancholy are a projection into our conscious minds from our inner environment. Exhaustion of our energies by the excessive labors involved in metabolizing excess food reflects in our minds as melancholy, depression and negativity.

The KEY to health and happiness is inextricably associated with the QUANTITY of food we consume daily.

Each morsel we consume beyond what is absolutely necessary to sustain life, wastes physical and mental energy at a fearful rate. If any single factor were to be considered as the most important for health and happiness, this would be it. Those who are compulsive overeaters should study, restudy and ponder deeply upon this question, for herein is contained the key to the solution of most of their daily problems. ……

Quite an interesting story about someone who was able to heal himself and live long without all the science, research and other medical advanatges of today. From his story there are important points to really take notice….and then see how they can apply to our lives.

• He took personal responsibility - It’s one thing to know what is healthy, it’s another to act upon it. Look around and you will find most people saying “I know it isn’t good for me…but….”. People are not really getting it, not really comprehending deep down inside that they need to drop things that are harmful. Once you come to that pure realization, then you will drop whatever harmful things you are doing to yourself. The solution is there! People just need to “see” it truly, to become aware to the fact of what is going on. Could it be the only real “cure” to obesity and disease is just personal “awareness”?
• Calorie Restriction - This should be nothing new in everything we have talked about but in the 14th century to come up with this conclusion shows just how long that wisdom has been out there.
• With excess eating comes mental decline - When do we experience depression and other serious mental conditions? Could it also be centered around excess food and lack of quality of food? The brain on a high sugar diet does not do well, nor does it perform well when eating to excess.
• He did not think he was missing anything or feel deprived, to him living daily (as he was close to death to have to learn that) was the ultimate joy in life….not food or drink - The biggest battle we face in life, is the one within….as we always have total control. He was happy with living daily, enjoyed his food and never once did he put himself in a mental state of sabatagoue. Weight loss and health are huge mental battles…..ones we MUST learn to control and win if we are looking for long term success and happiness.
• Quality of food was important - The body needs amino acids, essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals….does it really care what the calorie total is? Could we sustain life on less food if they are only of higher quality? This may be why so many people say that they can eat less on IF and still maintain muscle is because their choices for food increase in quality….and therefore so does our body’s ability to use it. Quality and Quantity of food is always going to be the more important factor in our health.
• He lived long with full mental clarity, writing, pain free, no medications….far from what we see today - I wonder how long he would of lived in today’s world if doctors would of perscribed statins for a natural increase in cholesterol as he aged or other medicines (that are supposed to be there to keep us healthy). He became his own physician….and lived long in the process.
• He found Happiness and Joy daily - It took Luigi a life of excess and to the point of death to realize the ultimate happiness in living each day….don’t let it have to get that far for you. Find your happiness…let worries and fear go….stress no more….food/alcohol/drugs are not solutions to any problems (they just are short term vacations we take…and which do more harm the more we do them)…..and you will just be focused on living each moment (and live longer in the process)
• “The Two Rules for Maintaining Health and Prolonging Life: These were reduced to two things, quality and quantity. The first, namely quality, consists in not eating foods or drinking liquids harmful to the stomach.” - So avoiding things that are irritants to our body/gut are key to health, along with getting the quality nutrients our body/cells need to repair and rebuild themselves for optimal function. See more about gut irritants in the Healthy Gut Post
• “The second, which is quantity, consists in not eating or drinking more than the stomach can easily digest, which quantity and quality every man should be a perfect judge of by the time he is forty or fifty or sixty……”I felt like singing a song after my simple meals.”" - Do you “sing a song” after a meal? Or are you asleep and feeling terrible an hour later? Sounds like he mastered the art of insulin control long ago.

“To state it clearly, the inevitable conclusion was: “eat what you like, when you like and die young.”"

photo by W

You have heard “insulin” discussed here many times, I’ve said that sugar is your #1 enemy in Fat Loss 101, and I have also said that the biggest health factor that contributes to most all degenerative diseases as being insulin resistance. But really…it’s quite simple to just take control, and that is what we need to do (as we do have full control and responsibility for everything we put in our mouths). Looking at the Standard Food Pyramid above that has been taught to everyone (esp kids) as the healthy way to eat….is it any wonder our rates of obesity, diabetes, cancer and other diseases are skyrocketing?

Well below are some great takes from a lecture done by Dr Rosedale from 1999. The full (and long but very worthwhile read) transcript can be found here (and many other places). The end result is, the more we learn about insulin and how to control it, the quicker we will improve our health and help to increase prevention from degenerative diseases. Once you really understand the damaging aspects of high insulin, insulin resistance and eating sugar…why would anyone want to continue down a road of increased risks of degenerative diseases and aging? Take control back and help those around you to do the same!

There are three major centenarian studies going on around the world. They are trying to find the variable that would confer longevity among these people. Why do centenarians become centenarians? Why are they so lucky? Is it because they have low cholesterol, exercise a lot, live a healthy, clean life?

Well the longest recorded known person who has ever lived, Jean Calumet of France who died last year at 122 years, smoked all of her life and drank.

What they are finding on these major centenarian studies is that there is hardly anything in common among them. They have high cholesterol and low cholesterol, some exercise and some don’t, some smoke, some don’t. Some are nasty as can be and some nice and calm and nice. Some are ornery, but they all low sugar, relatively for their age. They all have low triglycerides for their age.

And they all have relatively low insulin. Insulin is the common denominator in everything I’ve just talked about. They way to treat cardiovascular disease and the way I treated my stepfather, the way I treated the high risk cancer patient, and osteoporosis, high blood pressure, the way to treat virtually all the so-called chronic diseases of aging is to treat insulin itself.

If there is a single marker for lifespan, as they are finding in the centenarian studies, it is insulin, specifically, insulin sensitivity.

How sensitive are your cells to insulin. When they are not sensitive, the insulin levels go up. Who has heard of the term insulin resistance?

Insulin resistance is the basis of all of the chronic diseases of aging, because the disease itself is actually aging.

We know now that aging is a disease. The other case studies that I mentioned, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, obesity, diabetes, cancer, all the so-called chronic diseases of aging, auto-immune diseases, those are symptoms.

We’ve known for many years that sugar depresses the immune system.

We have known that for decades. It was only in the 70’s that they found out that vitamin C was needed by white blood cells so that they could phagocytize bacteria and viruses. White blood cells require a fifty times higher concentration at least inside the cell as outside so they have to accumulate vitamin C.

There is something called a phagocytic index which tells you how rapidly a particular macrophage or lymphocyte can gobble up a virus, bacteria, or cancer cell. It was in the 70’s that Linus Pauling knew that white blood cells needed a high dose of vitamin C and that is when he came up with his theory that you need high doses of vitamin C to combat the common cold.

But if we know that vitamin C and glucose have similar chemical structure, what happens when the sugar levels go up? They compete for one another upon entering the cells. And the thing that mediates the entry of vitamin C into the cells is the same thing that mediates the entry of glucose into the cells. If there is more glucose around there is going to be less vitamin C allowed into the cell and it doesn’t take much. A blood sugar value of 120 reduces the phagocytic index seventy-five percent.

What is the purpose of insulin in humans? If you ask your doctor, they will say that it’s to lower blood sugar and I will tell you right now, that is a trivial side effect. Insulin’s evolutionary purpose, among others at least known right now, we are looking at others, is to store excess nutrients.

We come from a time of feast and famine and if we couldn’t store the excess energy during times of feasting, we would all not be here, because we all have had ancestors that encountered famine. So we are only here because our ancestors were able to store nutrients, and they were able to store nutrients because they were able to elevate their insulin in response to any elevation in energy that the organism encountered.

When your body notices that the sugar is elevated, it is a sign that you’ve got more than you need right now, you are not burning it so it is accumulating in your blood. So insulin will be released to take that sugar and store it.

Once you fill up your glycogen stores how is that sugar is stored, as what particular kind of triglyceride, or fatty acid? Palmitic acid. Saturated fat, ninety-eight percent of which is palmitic acid.

So the idea of the medical profession to go on a high complex carbohydrate, low saturated-fat diet is an absolute oxymoron, because those high complex carbohydrate diets are nothing but a high glucose diet, or a high sugar diet, and your body is just going to store it as saturated fat. The body makes it into saturated fat quite readily.

What is one of magnesium’s major roles?

To relax muscles. Intracellular magnesium relaxes muscles. What happens when you can’t store magnesium because the cell is resistant? You lose magnesium and your blood vessels constrict, what does that do?

Increases blood pressure, and reduces energy since intracellular magnesium is required for all energy producing reactions that take place in the cell. But most importantly, magnesium is also necessary for the action of insulin. It is also necessary for the manufacture of insulin.

So then you raise your insulin, you lose magnesium, and the cells become even more insulin resistant. Blood vessels constrict, glucose and insulin can’t get to the tissues, which makes them more insulin resistant, so the insulin levels go up and you lose more magnesium. This is the vicious cycle that goes on from before you were born.

Insulin also causes the retention of sodium, which causes the retention of fluid, which causes high blood pressure and fluid retention: congestive heart failure.

One of the strongest stimulants of the sympathetic nervous system is high levels of insulin.

What does all of this do to the heart? Not very good things.

There was a study done a couple of years ago, a good, down to earth nicely conducted study that showed that heart attacks are two to three times more likely to happen after a high carbohydrate meal. They said specifically NOT after a high fat meal.

Why is that?

Because the immediate effects of raising your blood sugar from a high carbohydrate meal is to raise insulin and that immediately triggers the sympathetic nervous system which will cause arterial spasm, constriction of the arteries. If you take anybody prone to a heart attack and that is when they are going to get it.

Cells become insulin resistant because they are trying to protect themselves from the toxic effects of high insulin. They down regulate their receptor activity and number of receptors so that they don’t have to listen to that noxious stimuli all the time. It is like having this loud, disgusting rap music played and you want to turn the volume down.

This is the same thing with insulin resistance. What happens is that if your cells are exposed to insulin at all they get a little bit more resistant to it. So the pancreas just puts out more insulin. I saw a patient today, her blood sugar was 102 and her insulin was 90! She wasn’t sure if she was fasting or not, but I’ve seen other patients where their blood sugar was under 100 and their fasting insulin has been over 90.

That is a fasting insulin. I’m not sure how many people are familiar with seeing fasting insulins. But if I drank all the glucose I could possibly drink my insulin would never go above probably 40. So she was extremely insulin resistant.

All of those sugars are as bad or worse for you than glucose. You can’t just go by so-called blood sugar which is just blood glucose, because we just don’t measure blood fructose or blood galactose, but they are all bad for you. Why are they bad, well number one we know that it provokes insulin and every time you provoke insulin it exposes yourself to more insulin and just like walking in a smelly room it is going to become more resistant to insulin.

So every time you have a surge of sugar and you have a surge of insulin, you get more and more insulin resistant and all of the problems we’ve talked about.

Diet really becomes pretty simple. Carbohydrates we started talking about. You’ve got fiber and non-fiber and that’s real clear-cut. Fiber is good, non-fiber is bad. Fibrous carbs, like vegetables and broccoli, those are great. What is a potato? A potato is a big lump of sugar. That’s all it is. You chew a potato, what are you swallowing? Glucose. You may not remember, but you learned that in eighth grade, but the medical profession still hasn’t learned that.

You know you need to breathe oxygen. It gives us life and it kills us. Same with glucose. Certain tissues require some glucose. We wouldn’t be here if there were no glucose, it gives us life and it kills us. We know that we have essential amino acids and we have essential fatty acids. They are essential for life, we better take them in as building blocks or we die. So what he did is he took all the essential nutrients that are known to man and plugged it in to this computer data bank and he asked the computer what are the top ten foods that contain each nutrient that is required by the human body. Each of the fifty-three or fifty-four, depending on who you talk to, essential nutrients that there are were plugged in, and did you know that grains did not come up in the top ten on any one. What is the minimum daily requirement for carbohydrates? ZERO.

In an active day you would die if you had to rely one-hundred percent on sugar.

Why doesn’t your body store more sugar if it is so needed? Sugar was never meant to be your primary energy source.

It is a turbo charger, a very hot burning fuel, if you need fuel over and above what fat can provide you will dig into your glycogen and burn sugar. But your primary energy source as we are here right now should be almost all fat.

If you eat sugar your body will burn it and you stop burning fat.

We only have one hormone that lowers sugar, and that’s insulin. Its primary use was never to lower sugar. We’ve got a bunch of hormones that raise sugar, cortisone being one and growth hormone another, and epinephrine, and glucagon.

Our primary evolutionary problem was to raise blood sugar to give your brain enough and your nerves enough and primarily red blood cells, which require glucose. So from an evolutionary sense if something is important we have redundant mechanisms. The fact that we only have one hormone that lowers sugar tells us that it was never something important in the past.

The biggest stress on your body is eating a big glucose load.

You can increase sensitivity by diet, that is one of the major reasons you want to take Omega 3 oils. We think of circulation as that which flows through arteries and veins, and that is not a minor part of our circulation, but it might not even be the major part. The major part of circulation is what goes in and out of the cell.

The cell membrane is a fluid mosaic. The major part of our circulation is determined by what goes in and out. It doesn’t make any difference what gets to that cell if it can’t get into the cell. We know that one of the major ways that you can affect cellular circulation is by modulating the kinds of fatty acids that you eat. So you can increase receptor sensitivity by increasing the fluidity of the cell membrane, which means increasing the omega 3 content, because most people are very deficient.

To store energy and not burn it. I see a fair amount of athletes and this is what I tell them, you want everybody, athletes especially, to be able to burn fat efficiently. So when they train, they are on a very low carbohydrate diet. The night before their event, they can stock up on sugar and load their glycogen if they would like.

They are not going to become insulin resistant in one day. Just enough to make sure, it has been shown that if you eat a big carbohydrate meal that you will increase your glycogen stores, that is true and that is what you want. But you don’t want to train that way because if you do you won’t be able to burn fat, you can only burn sugar, and if you are an athlete you want to be able to burn both.

It is a high protein diet that will increase an acid load in the body, but not necessarily a high fat diet. Vegetables and greens are alkalinizing, so if you are eating a lot of vegetables along with your protein it equalizes the acidifying effect of the protein. I don’t recommend a high protein diet. I recommend an adequate protein diet. I would go 20% of calories from carbs. Depending on the size of the person, 25 to 30% of calories from protein, and 60-65% from fat.

I can not put it any better myself. I highly recommend reading the full article as he goes into much more depth and details esp with certain diseases and treatments. In the end, the best thing you can do is:

• Eat a lower carb diet (it doesn’t have to be 30g a day, but even 100g a day is quite low in comparison). Since everyone is different with their insulin resistance, activity levels, recovery needs and hypoglycemia variables, you have to tweak to your condition (always work with your physician especially if you are diabetic or on medicine). A diabetic may get more benefit from a low 50g a day while an active person may be fine at 100+g/day. Again if you have any real concerns you should always work with a professional physician to help monitor.
• A higher whole food carb meal (along with protein) is best timed at peak insulin sensitivity, aka the post workout window when they will most likely go into muscle glycogen.
• Eat moderate protein and moderate/high fat (healthy) - Eat protein to slow down the gastric emptying with every meal (controls insulin) and increase fat intake to keep your calories high enough not to be in starvation response and to fuel your body’s energy needs. Fat does not effect insulin levels, so eating a higher fat diet has a completely (and better) insulin response than a higher carb diet.
• Avoid sugar and eat only whole natural foods (not processed). Things like Fruits, while healthy can also have sugar (in the form of fructose). Depending on your starting point, you may want to limit or avoid fruit for a while. Those that are more active or have increased insulin sensitivity may do fine with higher fruit intake (esp if you time them around your workouts). Again, starting points in health will vary by person.
• Exercise! Yep. Resistance/strength training is the best way to help those muscle cells to become more insulin sensitive and suck up higher floating blood glucose levels. So get out and do some pushups, lift something heavy and do some sprints (or what you can).
• Periods of Fasting also can help lower insulin resistance/increase insulin sensitivity/decrease fasting insulin levels. If you are going deaf, how do you improve your hearing quicker…by turning down the music a little or having periods of complete silence? Hence why you see IF have a greater impact on fasting insulin levels than a CR diet.
• Supplement with some Fish Oil, as it will help increase and repair those insulin receptors on the cells while also helping to lower overall inflammation.

In the end, if you are doing a Lower carb/higher fat/mod protein “Paleo” food like diet with occasional higher pwo whole food (not sugary drinks) carbs after resistance/weight training, that is a pretty solid healthy plan (esp if you add in the fact you are probably only doing 3 workouts a week and other factors like IF and Fish Oil). Add in grass fed meats/eggs and not grain fed and you are going to be in pretty good health and do wonders for decreasing insulin resistance (and inflammation) and slowing down/reversing any risks for degenerative diseases (aging)! Not too mention the great results you will get for fat loss, muscle and increased performance!

photo by KevinLabianco

A few people have commented about increased “anxiety” during Intermittent Fasting, so I thought I would share this as it was part of a discussion I had with someone about anxiety. As much as IF have brought people a more stress free life (along with all the other numerous health benefits) when it comes to eating, with others it also may amplify some underlying issues there are that need to be addressed (especially if one does IF too much too soon). It comes down to still keeping the “Intermittent” part in IF, and making it work for you….and knowing when it is not. The discussion went as followed (my reply below to his question about increased anxiety):

Anxiety is not good….then again I don’t know your lifestyle…your stress levels….do you worry about things at work….do you try and do too much for work all day….are you not finding down time to relax….are you obsessing over things you can’t control….have you had issues in the past with depression….have you had issues with obsessing over what you eat in the past….are you getting plenty of sleep…..are you wired on coffee all day? So many questions that health is a bigger part of.

I’ve had little anxiety attacks but it is usually when I am pushing my mind and body too hard…with trying to get too much done…worrying about something that has to do with work and money…stressing out about stuff that really doesn’t matter….staying up late and usually not getting any release with exercise or just a break. From there it will take me a day to shut off the computer and go do nothing…..the body needs to reset itself. IF may have been a factor because it gave me too much mental focus during a time I tried to do way too much. My brain shorted out eventually. Thinking too much is not the goal….enjoying life is. Just to be able to sit back and let the mind be free is how you don’t get anxiety….letting the ego side take over and give it the need to always do stuff is going to wear anyone down. For me I already enjoy being able to sit still and do nothing….for someone that can’t sit still or have high anxiety/stress levels, giving them more mental focus is like giving a race car to a teenager….not a good idea and will only lead to a crash eventually (which is usually depression). Fasting long ago was easier when people didn’t get so worried about stuff and had plenty of down time…..in today’s world of non-stop stimulation/cell phones/traffic/stress from work/deadlines/pressure to be the best you can be/gyms with electronic equipment and TVs all over the place/24hr bad news channels always giving you something to worry about……I think IF could just going to amplify any problems we already have that we are not addressing….IF just blows it up to a new level as now our brain gets more active but it’s still focused on the wrong things. There’s a deeper problem at heart that needs to be brought to light and let go of. The good news is that we have total control on what to focus on and what to let go of, but first we have to really see what is going on….as you can’t drop luggage you don’t even know you are carrying.

Giving this more thought here’s what I came up with:

• daily routine fasting is not something 10,000 BC man did every day….he fasted when he had no food and he ate when he had it….so hence…the whole “intermittent” part

• You autonomic nervous controls your heart, lungs, glands, stomach, blood vessels and other organs. It’s compromised of the SNS (fight or flight) and PNS (rest and digest)

• Waking up you are in a SNS response (fiight or flight)…why? Because your body has to elevate cortisol to wake you up and it has to motivate you to go hunt for food. It also increases your mental alertness because it wants you to find food and be a smart hunter…as a dumb one may starve to death.

• Fasting (IF) Daily will just keep the SNS going…hence why there may be an additional metabolism spike and fat burn (also the reason for increased mental focus).

• Our daily stressors and lifestyles are not what they were 10,000 years ago. Paleo man didn’t wake up and worry about the monthly mortgage, paying off credit cards, world politics, what the stock market was doing, what time to pick the kids up from school, sitting in traffic for hours, or to finish up the report that has to be on the boss’ desk by Friday.

• If you are already stressed and prone to anxiety, then turning up the SNS and keeping it going is going to amplify your underlying issues

• You still need to find ways to destress in life….as you don’t just turn up the radio when you hear something going wrong with the car do you? (well maybe some people do…but it’s not going to hide the issue that could come back to do damage later). Take time off, go outside in nature, get away for a couple hours….let things become clear to you, see what you are really worrying about, what is really stressing you out….learn to let go, to detach from things you have no control of, just learn to live in the now and forget about the past or future.

• Eating a large meal in the morning generates PNS responses therefore taking you more out of SNS and calming down your alertness

Either way…IF is meant to be….ready….Intermittent. So do it 2x a week….3x a week….1x a week….but not every day as that will not be a good way to start. That and listen to how your body responds…..as the level at which you stress out on things is completely different from the level I stress out about things….so I may be able to do it 5x a week…..but you may find it only works for you 2-3x a week. Believe me, if I find my plan isn’t working for me or I am going through more stressful times, then IF is put on hold. The real power of IF comes from knowing when and how to use it….and when to take a break from it.

Along that line it can also be important to generate a large PNS response towards night so you can fall asleep and recharge as part of the natural cycle of SNS during the day and PNS at night. If your sleep is compromised then so will your recovery ability to handle SNS the next day. So bigger meals at night (more with protein/healthy fats)…go to bed feeling satisfied and stress free….no news before bed.

Also work on the other lifestyle issues and stimulants that are causing excessive stress in your life and remove or just detach from them. Make your life more peaceful and enjoyable….don’t just turn up the car radio. (which is a main reason people turn to alcohol and drugs, to basically shut off the thinking part of the mind that is creating all the fear, self-doubt, worry, etc…, but that wears off and then the anxiety comes back….so hence people become addicted to the drugs/alcohol as it never makes the underlying issue be confronted and dealt with)

In the end….if eating all day works better for you emotionally then you are probably best sticking with it until you can address the other issues underneath (stress, worry, fear, lack of sleep, etc). If you want to try IF again you have to start slowly and do it once a week. See how your body reacts. Most people have problems because they try and do too much thinking more is better….when it never is. There is no one right way….but there are plenty of wrong ways. Keep the “Intermittent” part in IF and make it work for you!

photo by TimothyHamilton

Well another holiday is upon us known as the 4th of July, a time for cookouts, friends, sunshine and playing with tiny explosives. Just because it’s the holiday it doesn’t mean that we can’t go enjoy ourselves, but we should make wise choices and stay in control of what we put in our bodies. There will always be temptations out there, and consider this just another test in which you have total control on what to say “No” to and what to say “Yes” to. Remember, you are the one in control…and only you. So here’s some tips on how to enjoy the holidays and still be able to still keep getting results for health and weight loss.

• Keep Active - Just because it’s the holidays doesn’t mean your body wants to sit on a couch all day and eat high calorie junk food. So get out there with friends and family whether it be taking a walk, hiking, playing frisbee, running on the beach/trail, playing with the kids in the yard, taking the mountain bike out, go out dancing, unplug the TV and Computer for the weekend and get Out….whatever you enjoy! It’s a lifestyle choice afterall.
• Eat Small Before You Go To a Cookout - I know what you are going to say. “Are you insane? I want to go eat good food at the cookout!”. Well there is no reason that you shouldn’t, just have something light to start you off before you go. Most cookouts say they start at say 1pm and then the food is ready at 3pm….all the while you are surrounded by tables of cookies, cakes, snacks, etc….not a good thing if you show up hungry. So just have something light….some protein…vegetables…small fruit. Keep your cravings in check and don’t put yourself in a situation where you may end up diving onto the dessert table.
• See and Limit Hidden Sugars - Remember that we want to try and keep our insulin levels stable, so eating sugar at the wrong times can be disasterous. Try to stay with healthy fruits, avoid drinks made with punch/fruit juices (including anything you may be mixing in with it), choose meats not covered in sauces (usually sugar loaded), use toppings like mustard instead of ketchup (high in sugar), etc.
• Eat Vegetables and Small Fruit First - Always start with some good fruits and vegetables to fill up on, especially the kinds that are higher in water and fiber content. This will help you down the road as you will not be caving into hunger sensations and over eating on high calorie foods.
• Eat Meat/Protein Next - Get your protein in (although not sure how much real meat or protein is in a hot dog!). It will help you feel full, reduce any cravings and also keep your muscles happy.
• Enjoy Dessert on a Small Plate - If you want to have some of Aunt Mary’s infamous apple pie or lemon squares…..go ahead and enjoy some. Just do it after you have eaten your main course so you feel more full and are less likely to pig out. Make smaller portions of whatever is in front of you, as just because it comes in one big square on the platter doesn’t mean you can’t go find a knife and make it into smaller sizes. Also use the smallest little tiny plate you can and only use it once (no 13 trips back to the desert table)….the less room on the plate the less you will be tempted to fill it up (big plate=big disaster). Enjoy in moderation…and stay in control.
• Do a Quick Body-Weight Workout Before You Go Out - What do I mean by this? Well do a quick 10 min workout with pushups, pullups, squats, lunges and add in any resistance you can (bands, dumbbells). Have fun with a quick resistive based workout and you also can help improve your insulin sensitivity for hours afterwards (helps to shuttle in glucose to muscles and not fat). For example, do a full body circuit of 5 exercises (pushups, pullups, squat, lunge, overhead press…for example or add in something like snatches and cleans with DB/KB for more advanced) for 10 reps (we want to exercise in the glycolitic range with 10 reps, vary resistance as needed…as it should be challenging…not easy. Stay in control of your reps.). Do the full circuit with little to no rest in between exercises. Take a 1-2 min break at the end of every full circuit when completed. Repeat the circuit 3-5 times. That’s a pretty good workout for anyone!

• Use IF as a Recovery Tool - Have too much the day before? Feel bloated? Well use a day of IF to give your digestive system a chance to clean up the mess you left behind from yesterday. Drinking things like water with lemon or apple cider vinegar on an empty stomach can also help with the process. Use as needed, as you can always recover from a high calorie day with a lower calorie one. Just be smart and don’t starve yourself thinking it will keep you thin…remember that is not what IF is about! Eat healthy and get your nutrients in, as that is what the body wants….natural vitamins, amino acids, essential fatty acids and minerals from real foods.
• Drink in Moderation - From a fitness point of view, excess alcohol will just lower testosterone and increase estrogen and fat storing. Enjoy your weekend holiday celebrations just do so in moderation. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying a nice cold beer on a hot summers day (I know I will)….but drinking to excess is not enjoyment and is usually signaling some deeper issue inside that alcohol is used to hide or keep quiet for a while. Enjoy your company, enjoy your beverages, be safe and have fun.
• Practice Saying “No” - Holidays are a perfect example to practice the art of saying “No”. Say “No” to desert, chips, sitting on the couch…..anything you don’t really want to do or eat. Don’t do anything just to make someone else happy or to not hurt their feelings, that’s no way to live YOUR life. You don’t have to explain to anyone why you are saying “No” to something, you don’t have to be left out of the group, you don’t have to worry about what others think (chances are they really don’t care anyways). Just practice smiling and saying “No Thank You” to things you really don’t want to do or eat and don’t worry about what others are going to say or think. You and only you have total control of your life and what you do, no one else. The more you start saying “No” to things/people, the better you get at it…..so practice makes perfect.
• Don’t Blow Your Fingers Off - I think this tip is self explanatory….or at least I hope so…..

These are just some tips to help you make it through the weekend…or any holiday/family gathering. If readers also have some good tips please share them in the comments section for everyone to read. Have fun and be safe this long weekend!

photo by JessicaDeWinter

Ok a while back we talked about the longevity genes associated with the CR and IF studies as being Sirt1 gene expression (see the Longevity Gene post here). So now we come across a compound from grapes that may be able to express the longevity gene without needing CR or IF, this compound known as Resvertol. But is it really all it is claimed to be….let’s look into it:

Red Wine Ingredient — Resveratrol — Fights Diabetes In Mice

Even relatively low doses of resveratrol–a chemical found in the skins of red grapes and in red wine–can improve the sensitivity of mice to the hormone insulin, according to a new report. As insulin resistance is often characterized as the most critical factor contributing to the development of type 2 diabetes, the findings “provide a potential new therapeutic approach for preventing or treating” both conditions, the researchers said.

The research group also confirmed that increased levels of an enzyme called SIRT1, which earlier studies had linked to longevity, DNA repair, and insulin secretion, improve insulin sensitivity in mice. Resveratrol is known to activate the SIRT1 enzyme.

Researchers Discover That A Protein In Grape Skins Can Kill Cancer Cells

It’s well known that drinking red wine in moderation can have some health benefits, mainly attributed to a compound called resveratrol. Now, scientists at the University of Virginia Health System have discovered how.

They found how resveratrol helps to starve cancer cells by inhibiting the action of a key protein that feeds them. Mayo said that the resveratrol in one glasses of wine three or four times a week is the right amount to block the protein from feeding cancer cells. Drinking much more than that, however, could stop this affect and, in fact, lead to a greater risk of cancer, he said.

Resveratrol is an antioxidant found in a number of plants, including grape skins, raspberries, mulberries and peanuts. Its job in nature is to fight fungus during the rainy season, and it is especially prevalent in grapes used in making red wine.

Small Molecule Increases Lifespan and “Healthspan” of Obese Mice

Researchers have used a single compound to increase the lifespan of obese mice, and found that the drug reversed nearly all of the changes in gene expression patterns found in mice on high calorie diets–some of which are associated with diabetes, heart disease, and other significant diseases related to obesity. The research, led by investigators at Harvard Medical School and the National Institute on Aging, is the first time that the small molecule resveratrol has been shown to offer survival benefits in a mammal.

“The “healthspan” benefits we saw in the obese mice treated with resveratrol, such as increased insulin sensitivity, decreased glucose levels, healthier heart and liver tissues, are positive clinical indicators and may mean we can stave off in humans age-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, but only time and more research will tell,” says Sinclair

Investigators identified resveratrol while looking for compounds that activate Sir2, an enzyme linked to lifespan extension in yeast and other lower organisms. For the last 70 years, scientists have been able to increase the lifespan of a variety of species by reducing their normal food consumption by 30 to 40 percent - a diet known as calorie restriction. Through this research, scientists identified Sir2 as a key contributor to life extension. Without Sir2, for example, fruit flies see none of the benefits from either calorie restriction or treatment by resveratrol. The mammalian version of the Sir2 gene is SIRT1, which has the same enzymatic activity as Sir2, but modifies a wider variety of molecules throughout cells. Indicators in this study show that resveratrol might also be activating SIRT1 in mice, as well as other known longevity pathways.

A Low Dose of Dietary Resveratrol Partially Mimics Caloric Restriction and Retards Aging Parameters in Mice

Our studies suggest that dietary consumption of a low dose of resveratrol partially mimics CR and inhibits some aspects of the aging process. In long lived rodent strains and in humans, lifespan is often limited by spontaneous tumorigenesis. Studies have determined that the ability of CR to inhibit spontaneous tumorigenesis is linked to the CR-mediated reduction in circulating IGF-1 [28], and in the case of mammary carcinogenesis can be reversed by the administration of IGF-1 to CR animals [29]. Our study design involved the use of a long-lived F1 hybrid mouse strain, and sacrificing mice at 30-months of age, therefore we were unable to evaluate effects of resveratrol on average or maximum lifespan. We note that unlike CR, resveratrol did not reduce circulating IGF-1 levels (Figure 2B), and there was also no decrease in spontaneous tumors at the time of sacrifice (Supplemental Table S2). In particular, spontaneous liver tumors were abundant in mice fed the control diet or resveratrol, but rare in CR mice. Thus, although a low dose of resveratrol can improve quality of life by retarding aging parameters such as cardiac dysfunction, a nutritional or pharmaceutical strategy to also increase lifespan in mice will likely require blockage of the IGF-1 axis or its targets.

from Chris over at Conditioning Research I found this study as well:

Low Sirt1 expression, which is upregulated by fasting, in human adipose tissue from obese women.

Likewise, lean women (n=12) had more than twofold higher Sirt1 expression in subcutaneous adipose tissue compared to obese women (n=12; 0.33-0.73 arbitrary units, P<0.05). Sirt1 was equally expressed in the stroma-vascular fraction and the isolated adipocyte fraction. Finally, in vitro, we demonstrated that resveratrol (a Sirt1 activator) significantly enhanced the lipolytic effect of epinephrine in human adipose tissue (P<0.05)

and from Mark at Marks Daily Apple we have this tidbit:

The ingredient in question is resveratol, a naturally occurring substance in wine, that stimulates a gene known as SIRT1. In previous studies, the SIRT1 gene has been found to increase the lifespan of rodents, but this is the first study to test the theory in humans.

For the study, researchers assigned 67 diabetic patients to receive doses of a proprietary form of the resveratol drug known as SRT501 in either 2,500 or 5,000 milligram (huge amounts) liquid doses. At the end of the 28 day study period, the researchers reported that SRT501 “significantly reduced blood sugar in 67 diabetic patients as compared with a placebo group.” In addition to the positive outcomes, the groups experienced no adverse effects.

Interesting stuff to ponder. So will we see more studies? Yes. Will there be more compounds to come along that also are found to increase Sirt1 activity? Possibly. Because we are now dealing with something that can be “manufactured” and “sold” by the big pharma/supplement companies we will see more research and more trials on it. Is it the magic fountain of youth pill? I don’t think so. Could you get the same results from a clean and healthy lifestyle of good foods, CR/IF and exercise? Quite possibly. Is a glass of red wine several times a week going to give you the same protection and benefits? It could. While something like this may be good to help those already sick with diseases like diabetes, I am also not a fan of a pill coming along to “replace” a healthy lifestyle of activity and eating the right foods, it should only compliment it. My rule with any supplement, only take it after you have adopted a healthy lifestyle of eating/rest/exercise and are seeing some results….never use it to replace it.

So when we come down to it, could it really be something to compliment an already healthy lifestyle and increase longevity? Who knows…..that’s the best part about a longevity pill…..the only way to know if it is working, is that you are still living. Funny huh? Should be interesting to keep an eye on this though and see what else comes from it.