HOW CAFFEINE CAN MAKE YOU FITTER, HEALTHIER AND SLIMMER!

A lot of us consume coffee, and why not it’s got that wonderful flavour and aroma and gives you that gentle buzz at the start of the day, in fact for some people it’s a way of life! However, for some caffeine is some toxic substance that raises blood pressure and steals your sleep; in fact it’s to be avoided at all costs!

The truth is that coffee can be a friend or foe, take too much and you will get very jittery, elevated blood pressure and beg for sleep. On the flip side if taken in moderation i.e. a few (2 or 3 cups maximum) a day and you can really begin to get the benefits. Today I will be looking at the benefits of coffee as pertains to your workouts, health and weight loss efforts, hopefully you will understand how and why caffeine is good for you and have a rethink about this naturally occurring but much misunderstood natural supplement.

GET RID OF THAT OFFICE AFTERNOON BACK PAIN WITH THESE STRETCHING EXERCISES!

Its 12.25am and I am suffering from a serious case of office back pain as I write this, since it’s actually a little past midnight, I know “afternoon back pain” is a bit of a misnomer, but I do most of my writing at night so please bear with me! The midafternoon office back is horrible and we have all felt it from time to time, it comes from hunching over your desk or computer for hours, trying to justify your salary while trying not to be jealous of that wonderful orthopedic chair in your boss’s office!

Back pain is one of the leading causes of disability for people under 45 according to a recent report, and here in Nigeria a lot of young people, especially men in their 30’s are afflicted by it. However, while a lot of guys will quickly attribute their chronic afternoon back pain to “sugar” (cue the Agbo Jedi, and fried meat!) the truth is quite another issue altogether.

THE TOP FOOD SUPPLEMENTS FOR EVERY PURPOSE!

Supplementation! Some swear by it, others swear at it! It’s a multibillion dollar industry that has everything; in fact you could write a soap opera with all the drama and hype surrounding supplements. I am a bit of a junkie when it comes to food and body building supplements and I can tell you that I have seen everything, from the totally overhyped and ineffective crap to the downright dangerous crap! I have also seen the mildly effective and the dynamite that delivers exactly what it promises and then some extra!

Honestly I am promoting supplements today, I honestly believe that they do help you get from where you are to where you want to be, whatever your goal from muscle building to weight loss or even maintaining your male virility, there is something for you. Today I am going to pick on the seven most common reasons people take supplements and best supplements to help get you there.

Right off I should say that supplements are no magic bullet, you can pop all the pills and powders you want, but if you don’t train and watch your nutrition, you will not get the best result. Also if you have never ever worked out or watched your food intake, then address these issues first before thinking about supplements.

Last but not least, all the supplements pictured in this post are just there for illustrative purposes, I am not endorsing any particular brand of supp (have to get paid for that!)

So if you are ready, let’s delve into the murky world of nutritional supplements!

Do have a great weekend!

1.      WEIGHT LOSS/FAT BURNING: CLA

CLA stands for Conjugated Linoleic Acid, it is a fatty acid that helps you burn fat, it is present naturally in red meat and dairy products and if you eat a lot of beef and dairy products you might not need to supplement. The reality however is that most of us do not eat enough red meat, milk and cheese as they are prohibitively expensive in Nigeria, and CLA is only present in little quantities anyway, so to bridge the gap, I would suggest investing in some CLA, I have personally tried it and I know it works. How? A number of studies have shown that CLA reduces fat mass in the body and promotes lean body mass at the same time. Please not that some supplement marketers out there can be crooked and mix their CLA with plenty of empty fillers, so make sure you review the product thoroughly online before buying.

NUTRITIONAL LIES YOU NEED TO STOP BELIEVING!

We have all heard them at one time or the other; eating egg yolk will lead to high cholesterol, too much protein will kill your kidneys etc. they are all nutritional myths grounded at best in old or faulty science and at worst no science or locker room talk! These nutritional myths have been passed down from generation to generation till we have all accepted them as gospel truth, not anymore!

Today, we are separating nutritional fact from fiction so that you can make well informed choices based on the latest scientific research and not what some guy dreamed up in 1972! So if you are ready, let’s sift the wheat from the chaff so that you don’t have to live in ignorance ever again. 

Thanks, and do have a wonderful weekend!

1.      EATING FAT WILL MAKE YOU FAT!

Let’s start at the very beginning people; at first glance this nutritional lie might seem logical; the more fat you eat the more fat your body stores, right? Wrong! The truth is that excess weight gain or body fat is not due to excess fat consumption but excess calories consumed. This excess could be from protein, carbs or fat, so do not single fat out as the enemy. True, eating a lot of fried food like chips, burgers etc  can lead to unwanted weight gain, but so also can eating excess rice, eba, beans etc all with very little fat content. The honest truth is that if you want to lose weight, then fat is your friend, yes you heard right. Fat is one of the most potent weapons when it comes to losing weight, the question is what kind of fat? Eating the right kinds of fat will help you feel full for longer and curb the food cravings that make you eat all those foods loaded with sugar and empty calories. The right fat is mono and poly unsaturated fats like: olive oil, avocado, nuts and oily fish. Combining these with a high protein diet has been proven to help curb hunger and improve weight loss when working out. If you need an extra boost of fat and don’t get enough from your meals, then I would advice supplementing with omega 3 , and CLA (want to know more? Call me!) Taking omega 3 and CLA have been proven to aid fat loss when working out or dieting. As with all things in life moderation is key, the bottom line of my long talk  is :eat more not less good fat to lose weight.