The Official Health and Fitness Thread

[Rick C.]

4. Burst/Spurt training. - Dead easy. 10-12 minutes per day, 3 times per week. No more. So much better than hitting the treadmill/pavement for hours per week... Look into it...

I've heard that burst training is great for fat burning.  Also known as HIIT - High Intensity Interval Training. 

Thanks for sharing that Sarge - any other tips are welcomed...

 

[maplesyrup]

No prob. A really important thing I have to mention (perhaps the most important) is that anything you do should be done with the most vital system in your body operating as best as it can be - your nervous system. As most know, it drives everything else. Your spinal cord really needs to be sending the messages from your brain at optimum efficiency to be achieve good health. If you can, see a chiropractor to make sure there no deficiencies with the curvature of your spinal cord.

 

[LittleHockeyFan]

Also, you may want to throw away your dryer sheets immediately too if you use them.

good! I've hated those damn things since day one. They smell disgustingly phoney. They make me sneeze, make my eyes water and my nose run.....and that's just walking past them on the grocery store shelf.

 

[maplesyrup]

Also, you may want to throw away your dryer sheets immediately too if you use them.

good! I've hated those damn things since day one. They smell disgustingly phoney. They make me sneeze, make my eyes water and my nose run.....and that's just walking past them on the grocery store shelf.

Use the dryer balls... They're like 20 bucks or something but last forever. Put it this way, a couple of the doctors who held the seminar use their old dryer sheets to keep mice out of the basement which kind of tells you something about the toxicity of them.

 

[donkeyy0]

4. Burst/Spurt training. - Dead easy. 10-12 minutes per day, 3 times per week. No more. So much better than hitting the treadmill/pavement for hours per week... Look into it... Anyone interested, I will explain but I don't want to bore people if they aren't interested - Just let me know.

I could easily have a list 100 items long but like I said, these ones stood out. Good health everyone!

Is this for weight loss? Or just general health/fitness? Because I've been doing HIIT for a while now and I'm wondering if that might be part of the reason I've plateaued in my weight gains...

Everybody I talk to says it's better for your cardio as well as it forces your body to improve it's recovery speed.

 

[maplesyrup]

4. Burst/Spurt training. - Dead easy. 10-12 minutes per day, 3 times per week. No more. So much better than hitting the treadmill/pavement for hours per week... Look into it... Anyone interested, I will explain but I don't want to bore people if they aren't interested - Just let me know.

I could easily have a list 100 items long but like I said, these ones stood out. Good health everyone!

Is this for weight loss? Or just general health/fitness? Because I've been doing HIIT for a while now and I'm wondering if that might be part of the reason I've plateaued in my weight gains...

Everybody I talk to says it's better for your cardio as well as it forces your body to improve it's recovery speed.

Both really. Unlike general cardio, the premise behind the burst training is it releases the hormones that will continue to burn fat for 36 after completion. While cardio is fine, it just doesn't get those hormones released and your body stops burning the fat fairly quickly. I'll most definitely go for a run when the mood strikes (I just enjoy it) and there is nothing wrong with it but studies prove that the burst training will improve your health in a way general cardio won't. 

Now, having said that, you can incorporate your burst training into whatever regime you have. If your a runner or a runner, one can simply burst while doing that. It's just important to remember to follow the rules - some of which I'll outline here.

There's a formula to figure out which you should be getting your heart rate at but really, at the moment, I don't know how important it is to hit that exact number. Basically, find something you enjoy doing... anything to get your heart rate up is fine... runiing on the spot, push-ups, anything or, even a combination of anything. A "burst" cycle is;

1. 20-60 seconds of any of those things as hard as you can go.
2. Equal time full stop - absolutely nothing
3. 20-60 seconds  of any of those things as hard as you can go.
4. Equal time full stop - absolutely nothing
5. 20-60 seconds  of any of those things as hard as you can go.

(rest a full two minutes between cycles)

Even if your a well conditioned athlete, it is not recommended one does more than 60 second bursts, 4 cycles or do this more than 3 times per week. Like I said, you can certainly do whatever it is you normally do on off days too. It certainly doesn't hurt.

The key here is the hormone release (Testosterone and HGH I believe) which is just incredibly good for you which just doesn't happen in any other form of training... Start small (20 second bursts, 1 cycle) and work up... and enjoy! 

 

[maplesyrup]

... also, it appears that the correct terminology is Burst or "Surge" training, not "Spurt."... Same thing though... Just wanted to correct that.

 

[Bullfrog]

Dr. Mercola calls it the "Peak 8" system, but it's the same thing. One thing he notes is absolutely no carbs one hour after you do the HIIT or Peak 8. Apparently it'll stunt the release of those growth hormones you just killed yourself to release.

 

[maplesyrup]

Dr. Mercola calls it the "Peak 8" system, but it's the same thing. One thing he notes is absolutely no carbs one hour after you do the HIIT or Peak 8. Apparently it'll stunt the release of those growth hormones you just killed yourself to release.

... thanks for the tip.

 

[riff raff]

1. Cut as much sugar out of your diet as you can. 100% is impossible but almost all of it. - Not just a little. Seriously - Almost all of it. Don't replace it with aspartame either. Really, sugar is a killer... I mean it... Sugar will bury you as quickly as smoking can. 

Great stuff, Sarge.

I have a question about eliminating sugar. Is this just processed sugar? Or does it include naturally occurring sugars like those found in fruit like oranges etc.

I have seen conflicting things. I know Atkins is very much against fruit, but that seems counter-intuitive.

 

[hockeyfan1]

3. There is a long list of household things that are bad (really bad) but I urge everyone to immediately throw away their Teflon cookware. - It's absolutely toxic. In fact, did you know that Teflon
has actually been banned (effective 2015.) It is only the big
business lobby that convinced the government to implement the
ban so far from now so the manufactures can get rid of inventory.
- Scary, eh?

An alternative to the Teflon may be titanium, or perhaps those "Orgreenic" pans as seen on the infomercial.  Of course, as most top chefs know stainless steel remains the better material to use.  Only problem is food has a tendency to 'stick', otherwise, it makes for a much halthier cooking without the toxicity associated with Teflon.

 

[maplesyrup]

1. Cut as much sugar out of your diet as you can. 100% is impossible but almost all of it. - Not just a little. Seriously - Almost all of it. Don't replace it with aspartame either. Really, sugar is a killer... I mean it... Sugar will bury you as quickly as smoking can. 

Great stuff, Sarge.

I have a question about eliminating sugar. Is this just processed sugar? Or does it include naturally occurring sugars like those found in fruit like oranges etc.

I have seen conflicting things. I know Atkins is very much against fruit, but that seems counter-intuitive.

Yes, too much of "natural" sugar is also bad. The problem is that our North American lifestyles have made our bodies too focused on burning sugar when it should be burning fat (fat by the way is not a bad thing.) We need fat... We don't need sugar. When sugar is burned in the body it produces toxins which destroy our artery walls causing heart disease (among other things.) I'm not saying stay away from oranges but if you're going to eat fruit (which is a good thing) keep away from the candy bars....  I need to add though that at the seminar, they're saying cut all fruit, so take that FWIW. Also, look at the labels of what your are eating... A lot of things say "sugar free" which is a lie... If it contains corn syrup or anything ending in "ose" try to stay away from it.

For those of you with sweet teeth, try unpasteurized honey.     

Edit: Basically, removing all "refined" sugars is a must and try not to overdo the natural ones.

 

[maplesyrup]

3. There is a long list of household things that are bad (really bad) but I urge everyone to immediately throw away their Teflon cookware. - It's absolutely toxic. In fact, did you know that Teflon
has actually been banned (effective 2015.) It is only the big
business lobby that convinced the government to implement the
ban so far from now so the manufactures can get rid of inventory.
- Scary, eh?

An alternative to the Teflon may be titanium, or perhaps those "Orgreenic" pans as seen on the infomercial.  Of course, as most top chefs know stainless steel remains the better material to use.  Only problem is food has a tendency to 'stick', otherwise, it makes for a much halthier cooking without the toxicity associated with Teflon.

Thanks... Basically I'm told to use stainless and cook with coconut oil (the healthiest) or extra-virgin olive oil (second healthiest.)

 

[maplesyrup]

* Refined sugars include white rice, white pasta, and white bread.

* 1/3 of the average Canadian's refined sugar intake come from soft drinks so eliminating that is huge. 2/3 are from hidden sources like sauces, condiments, fruit drinks, etc.

* Straight out of my seminar;  "Sugar is an anti-nutrient offering insignificant amounts of vitamins and minerals and robbing your body of precious nutrient stores. This inevitably leads to diseases of the new millennium such as chronic fatigue, ADD, ADHD, heart disease, diabetes, and cancers."

Again, the basic idea is we need to eliminate all sugars and everything that turns to sugar.

1. No Grains
2. No Fruits (though I'm struggling with this one a bit... like I said, the odd orange? c'mon.) - Berries in moderation.

 

[Bullfrog]

An alternative to the Teflon may be titanium, or perhaps those "Orgreenic" pans as seen on the infomercial.  Of course, as most top chefs know stainless steel remains the better material to use.  Only problem is food has a tendency to 'stick', otherwise, it makes for a much halthier cooking without the toxicity associated with Teflon.

What about copper or aluminum? I love the look of copper.

 

[maplesyrup]

One thing I didn't ask at the seminar which frankly, might have not sounded all that good is; "what alcohols contain the least amount of sugar?" (Sorry - not giving that up  ) Anyway, calories are fine.. I'm not concerned about these but if anyone knows which boozes contain the least amount of sugar, it would be most helpful.

 

[The Red Polar Bear]

Thanks... Basically I'm told to use stainless and cook with coconut oil (the healthiest) or extra-virgin olive oil (second healthiest.)

Now, Sarge, I'm not a doctor or anything, so take what I'm going to say with a grain of salt, but from my knowledge coconut oil is one of the LEAST healthy plant-based oils for you.

1) As with dairy and meat products, the United States Food and Drug Administration,[2], World Health Organization,[3] International College of Nutrition,[4] United States Department of Health and Human Services,[5] American Dietetic Association,[6] American Heart Association,[7] British National Health Service,[8] and Dietitians of Canada[6] recommend limiting the consumption of significant amounts of coconut oil due to its high levels of saturated fat.

2)

Food	Saturated	Monounsaturated	Polyunsaturated
Canola oil	7	59	29
Corn oil	13	24	59
Olive oil	13	74	8
Sunflower oil	10.3	19.5	65.7
Soybean oil	15	24	58
Coconut oil	92	6	2

3) The high saturated fat content of coconut oil is why its also used in a lot of packaged baked goods, since it gives it a longer lasting "moist mouth feel".

 

[maplesyrup]

Thanks... Basically I'm told to use stainless and cook with coconut oil (the healthiest) or extra-virgin olive oil (second healthiest.)

Now, Sarge, I'm not a doctor or anything, so take what I'm going to say with a grain of salt, but from my knowledge coconut oil is one of the LEAST healthy plant-based oils for you.

1) As with dairy and meat products, the United States Food and Drug Administration,[2], World Health Organization,[3] International College of Nutrition,[4] United States Department of Health and Human Services,[5] American Dietetic Association,[6] American Heart Association,[7] British National Health Service,[8] and Dietitians of Canada[6] recommend limiting the consumption of significant amounts of coconut oil due to its high levels of saturated fat.

2)

Food	Saturated	Monounsaturated	Polyunsaturated
Canola oil	7	59	29
Corn oil	13	24	59
Olive oil	13	74	8
Sunflower oil	10.3	19.5	65.7
Soybean oil	15	24	58
Coconut oil	92	6	2

3) The high saturated fat content of coconut oil is why its also used in a lot of packaged baked goods, since it gives it a longer lasting "moist mouth feel".

That's the thing people need to get their heads around... Fat is good! We need fat. Eating fat does not make you fat. The reality about is Coconut oil is it's not rancid nor does it turn rancid (like most oils.) It's loaded with saturated fat and is simply one of the healthiest foods on Earth.

Extra-virgin olive oil and grape seed oil are also okay but not as good as coconut oil... Canola oil (and like ols) are just plain bad for your body. 

 

[The Red Polar Bear]

That's the thing people need to get their heads around... Fat is good! We need fat. Eating fat does not make you fat. The reality about is Coconut oil is it's not rancid nor does it turn rancid (like most oils.) It's loaded with saturated fat and is simply one of the healthiest foods on Earth.

Extra-virgin olive oil and grape seed oil are also okay but not as good as coconut oil... Canola oil (and like ols) are just plain bad for your body.

I recognize "fat" is useful for your body; its more to do with saturated vs non-saturated fat. Excuse my chemistry for a minute:

An oil turning rancid has to do with the carbon-carbon double bonds in the hydrocarbon chain being easy bonding points for other compounds. That's why a saturated fat, which doesn't have any of these double bonds, doesn't become rancid as easily. The fact that mono/polys become rancid easily actually demonstrates how these are easier to break down - the double bond in the carbon chain has a lower energy requirement to process (a C=C bond individually requires more, but the presence of this bond means there are two less carbon-hydrogen bonds, making the total energy less).

Saying that coconut oil is better for you because it has more saturated fat is like saying beef fat (52% sat/44% mono/4% poly) or butter (68% sat/28% mono/4% poly) is better for you than olive or sunflower oil. Tastier, obviously, but not healthier.

Now, there may be other nutritional benefits of coconut oil that I'm not aware of, but solely comparing it based on saturated fats, I personally would not suggest it. I would like to hear any of the additional arguments they gave you in favour of the coconut oil though.

Again, I'm not a doctor, but I play one on the internet.

 

[Big Daddy]

Please keep all of this talk going.  Im learning so much about becoming healtier..  This is becoming my favorite discussion on the site.  I wish I had something to add.  I will attempt to cut out all sugar. I will ditch the teflon pots and pans.  Whats with the dryer sheets?