Month: April 2023

Think of your body as an engine, and the food is gasoline. You wouldn’t dare leave your car without gas because it may leave you in the middle of the road. So, why not fuel your body as well before working out? Aren’t you afraid it will burn out in the middle of a workout session?

Short and low-intensity workouts done on an empty stomach don’t have a very negative effect on the body. On the other hand, if you tend to do high-intensity workouts that last longer than 60 minutes, make sure that your belly is full of nutritional foods.

In this article, we’ll review the effect of exercising on an empty stomach, the benefits of eating before exercising, and which nutritious foods should be consumed for better performance.

Key Takeaways:

• Doing high-intensity workouts on an empty stomach is not good for your body
• Consuming a balanced and nutritional meal before a workout has countless benefits
• Certain foods can improve your performance and increase your stamina
• Post-workout foods are also important

What Happens When Your Work Out on An Empty Stomach?

When you work out on an empty stomach, your body will start burning muscle and fat to get the needed fuel. Although most people think losing fat is good, this is not the right way to do it and can cause serious problems.

Furthermore, exercising on an empty stomach can lead to dizziness, low blood sugar, fatigue, vitamin deficiency, lowered immunity, and mood swings.

If this isn’t enough to talk you into eating something before exercising, remember that working out hungry will also negatively affect your performance, so you won’t be able to give 100% during your workout sessions.

Benefits of Eating Before Exercise

Since we already explained the negative sides of exercising on an empty stomach, it’s fair that we look into the positives of having a well-balanced meal before your workout session.

Your Endurance Will Be Increased

You might feel like you have the stamina to finish a full workout on an empty stomach, but the reality is that your body will not endure the whole session without the much-needed “fuel.” Your body needs an adequate supply of energy to function properly.

Giving your body food before exercising will increase your endurance, and you’ll be able to smoothly carry out high-intensity training without an issue.

The Worn-Out Tissue Will Repair

When you exercise actively and aggressively, your muscles and tissues can become more vulnerable to inflammation. If you’ve ever tried exercising with aching muscles, you already know how painful that can be.

The best cure for worn-out muscles is a balanced diet. A nice protein shake before a workout is a great way to fill your stomach with nutritional foods while helping your body repair the worn-out tissue.

It Reduces the Risk of Fatigue

Working out in a fed state will significantly reduce the fatigue risk. If you didn’t know, sudden fatigue could occur when the body runs out of glycogen stores, which happens after an intensive workout on an empty stomach.

This condition occurs because your brain needs energy, not only your muscles. The brain takes energy from the liver glycogen, and for the liver to produce glycogen, it needs a steady supply of blood glucose.

When and What to Eat Before A Workout

It’s important to get calories and give your body the right fuel to meet the demands of your daily activities. We recommend eating a full meal at least 3-4 hours before exercising and a carbohydrate snack two hours before. If you plan to do an extra intensive workout, we advise drinking a protein shake 30 minutes before starting to give you a nice starting boost.

Foods That Can Improve Your Performance

Certain foods can help you increase your athletic performance, so if you want to feel more energetic during your workout, here are some foods that can help you:

• Healthy carbs: whole grains, legumes, fresh fruits, and vegetables
• Protein: eggs, lean meats, and low-fat dairy products
• Healthy fats: avocado, ghee, olive oil, and coconut oil
• Foods rich in iron: green vegetables, fish, and beans
• Nuts and seeds

Best Post-Workout Nutrients

Your post-workout meal is just as important as your before-workout meal. Some nutrients are better than others after an intensive workout, so here’s what to consume to get the best results:

• Carbs: we recommend complex carbs such as whole grains and vegetables because they take longer to digest and will give your long-lasting energy
• Proteins: lean proteins such as Greek yogurt, fish, poultry, tofu, beans, peanut butter, and low-fat cottage cheese are great as a post-workout option
• Fats: healthy fats are good for you because they have anti-inflammatory properties and can help your recovery. Consume nuts, seeds, fish, and different types of vegetable oils

Final Recommendations

If you want energy, great performance, and stamina to endure a high-intensity workout, don’t start without a balanced meal. If you want to do light cardio and don’t have the time to eat something, then do it, but don’t make it a habit.

The body needs food to function, not just any food, but food rich in proteins, carbs, and healthy fats. Once you put in the right fuel, nothing can stop you!

Getting enough sleep is essential for maintaining a healthy body and mind. Sleep is not only critical for your mental and physical health but also a key factor in achieving your fitness goals. In this blog post, we’ll explore the importance of sleep for regeneration and fitness transformation.

Key Takeaways:

• Good sleep is essential for our physical and mental health and overall well-being.
• During sleep, our body goes through a process of regeneration and repair, which is crucial for maintaining optimal health.
• Lack of sleep can lead to a range of negative effects, such as fatigue, decreased cognitive function, mood swings, and even serious health conditions like obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
• It is recommended that adults aim for 7-9 hours of sleep each night to ensure proper regeneration and functioning of the body and mind.

Why good sleep is important for our body?

 Here are some of the most important reasons why we need good sleep!

Repair and Regeneration:

While we sleep, our body undergoes a process of repair and regeneration. This process is essential for the growth and maintenance of tissues and muscles. Good sleep helps to increase the production of human growth hormone (HGH), which is responsible for tissue repair, muscle growth, and bone density.

Weight Control:

Weight control is an essential aspect of overall health and well-being. Many factors can impact an individual’s ability to maintain a healthy weight, and one crucial aspect is getting enough sleep. Research has shown that poor sleep can negatively affect the hormones responsible for regulating hunger and appetite, leading to overeating and weight gain.

Consistent sleep schedule can help maintain a healthy weight by promoting proper hormonal balance and energy regulation. In addition, sufficient sleep also helps individuals to avoid late-night snacking and excessive calorie intake. Thus, incorporating adequate sleep into one’s daily routine can significantly contribute to weight control efforts and overall health.

Improved Brain Function:

Sleep is essential for cognitive function, memory consolidation, and learning. A good night’s sleep can enhance our ability to focus, think creatively, and solve problems. It can also improve our mood and emotional regulation, reducing the risk of depression and anxiety.

Heart Health:

Good sleep is essential for maintaining a healthy heart. Studies have shown that sleep deprivation can increase the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and stroke.

Boost Immune System:

Sleep plays a critical role in supporting our immune system. During sleep, our body produces cytokines, a protein that helps to fight off infections, inflammation, and stress. Lack of sleep can weaken our immune system, making us more susceptible to illnesses and infections.

Other Benefits of Good Sleep For Overall Health and Well-Being

Sleep and physical health

Another function of sleep is to restore and rejuvenate our body. During sleep, our body produces hormones that stimulate growth, tissue repair and muscle growth. These hormones also help regulate our appetite, metabolism and immune system.

Sleep also helps prevent chronic diseases and disorders. Research has shown that insufficient or poor quality sleep can increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, obesity and dementia. These conditions are associated with inflammation, oxidative stress, and impaired glucose regulation

Sleep also affects our appearance and aging. Sleep helps us produce collagen, a protein that keeps our skin supple and smooth. Sleep also reduces the production of cortisol, a stress hormone that can damage our skin cells and cause wrinkles. Sleep also prevents dark circles under the eyes by reducing fluid retention.

Sleep and mental health

Good sleep also directly affects our mental health. When we sleep, our brain processes and consolidates our memories and the actions we have taken, making it easier for us to learn and remember information. It also helps regulate our mood and emotions, reducing the risk of anxiety and depression.

To ensure quality sleep, it is important to establish a healthy sleep routine. This includes getting into the habit of regular bedtimes and wake-up times, avoiding caffeine and alcohol before bed, and creating a calm and relaxing sleep environment.

If you struggle with insomnia or want to learn more about the benefits of a good night’s sleep. Consult Toshe’s team in the next 48 hours. His coaching team has experienced fitness trainers who will guide you through a comprehensive fitness program. Terms are limited.

Tips to Help You get better sleep

• Get enough exposure to natural light during the day. This helps regulate your circadian rhythm and improve your sleep quality and duration. 
• Avoid blue light from screens at least 2 hours before bedtime. Blue light can suppress the production of melatonin, the hormone that controls your sleep cycle.
• Stick to a regular sleep schedule. Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day can help your body get into a natural rhythm and make it easier to fall asleep.
• Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine in the evening. These substances can interfere with your sleep quality and duration by stimulating your nervous system or disrupting your REM sleep.
• Create a comfortable and relaxing sleep environment. Make sure your bedroom is dark, quiet, cool, and free of distractions. You can use curtains, earplugs, fans, or white noise machines to create a conducive atmosphere for sleep.
• Exercise regularly, but not too close to bedtime. Physical activity can improve your physical and mental health, as well as your sleep quality. However, exercising too late in the day can keep you awake by raising your body temperature and adrenaline levels.
• Avoid heavy meals and spicy foods before bed. Eating too much or too spicy food can cause indigestion, heartburn, or acid reflux, which can make it hard to fall asleep or stay asleep.
• Relax and unwind before bed. Engage in some calming activities, such as reading, listening to soothing music, meditating, or taking a warm bath. This can help you reduce stress and anxiety and prepare your mind and body for sleep.

The Bottom Line:

• Sleep is essential for our physical and mental well-being. It helps us regulate our body functions, repair our tissues, consolidate our memories, and improve our cognitive abilities. Without enough sleep, we may experience impaired concentration, mood swings, weakened immunity, and increased risk of chronic diseases. Therefore, we should aim for at least seven to nine hours of quality sleep every night to maintain our health and performance.

The phrases cheat meals and cheat days have become popular for individuals who are on a diet or just live a healthy lifestyle. Why? Because sometimes the key to healthy eating is “cheating” on your diet once in a while. Fast forward, the first guideline for including cheat days in your diet is to consider them more as a meal you deserve to enjoy guilt-free rather than as breaking your meal plan. Due to this, we prefer using the phrase ‘treat meals’ as opposed to ‘cheat meals.’

In this article, we will cover the basics of cheat meals. You’ll also learn how they can help you lose more fat and speed up your weight loss process. At last, what are the ways to use cheat meals efficiently?

Key Takeaways:

• A cheat meal can help you lose more fat
• There are various ways to use your cheat meals to lose fat faster
• It would be best to always plan your cheating meals

What Is A Cheat Meal?

A cheat meal is a meal that does not follow certain rules of a weight-loss diet. It entails eating “off-plan.” Cheat meals are usually higher in calories than the other meals you often eat and typically contain more servings of things you restrict.

For some, a cheat meal can be a pizza, cheeseburger, nachos, or pasta dish, but it does not necessarily have to mean only that. Others follow more strict diest. So, a cheat meal can only incorporate extra rice or potatoes to the typical steak dish for these people. Simply put, a cheat meal can include even meals you have not thought could be considered treats; it varies from person to person.

How Can A Cheat Meal Help You Lose More Fat?

You are probably asking yourself how can a cheat meal be effective. Leptin and ghrelin are your answer. Leptin is known as the “satiety hormone,” and ghrelin is the “hunger hormone,” and these hormones affect fat loss and appetite.

The main producer of leptin is the fat tissue, and leptin influences the hypothalamus in your brain to increase activity and reduce appetite, which brings us to calorie expenditure. Ghrelin stimulates appetite and growth hormones and is produced by the stomach. The brain receives signals that you are hungry from ghrelin.

A cheat meal can help you in the following ways:

• It refills your body with glycogen – Glycogen is an important energy source that your body uses. The glycogen acts like a fuel which is a carbohydrate in your muscles. It is recommended to maintain high amounts of glycogen.
• It provides you with a mental break from your diet – Dieting is more fun and more sustainable when you have cheat meals planned. This is because you are provided with a mental break from the diet, which makes it much easier to continue decreasing calories. The occasional cheat meals lower the desire to overeat and make it easier to maintain your diet.

How To Use Cheat Meals To Lose Fat Faster?

Now that you understand the basics let’s move on to how you can use cheat meals to effectively speed up your weight loss.

#1: Avoid Going Over Your Maintenance Calorie Limit

You run the danger of overindulging and ruining your diet if you don’t establish realistic limits for your cheat meals. Even those who successfully diet during the week might stop losing weight or even gain it if they binge one day a week.

We advise ending your cheat meals at maintenance calories. If you consume much more than that, you will slow down your progress, particularly if you do it often.

#2: Try to Cheat Once or Twice During A Week

Cheating does not always increase daily calorie consumption, but it frequently does. If you cheat many times in a week, you may quickly reverse your calorie deficit during the diet and stop losing fat, or you will rapidly increase the calorie surplus when lean growing and acquire too much fat.

You will find your balance if you restrict yourself to one or two cheat meals during the week.

#3: Try to Consume Less Food Prior to Cheat Meals

This is referred to as “calorie borrowing,” and it requires cutting back on the calories you take throughout the day. In general, the easiest method to do this is to consume more protein and fewer carbohydrates and fat at every meal but your cheat meal on the day you indulge. By this, you will create a calorie buffer that does not blow your maintenance calories.

#4: Reduce Your Consumption of Fat and Prioritize Your Carbs

You may refill your glycogen levels by focusing on carbohydrates during cheat meals which will speed up your recovery and increase the productivity of your exercises. You will also need to limit fat when you are prioritizing carbs. This is due to the fact that consuming carbohydrates reduces fat burning, which causes your body to retain the majority of the dietary fat you consume with the carbs as body fat.

#5: Drink Alcohol Cautiously

Alcohol slows down the process of burning fat, which accelerates the rate at which your dietary fat is turned into body fat. Not only that, but it also speeds up the process of turning carbohydrates into body fat. You may get the most fat when you combine this with overeating.

The Bottom Line – Always Cheat With A Good Conscience

Cheating can be helpful in losing weight as long as it is deliberate and planned. Random bingeing is not a good idea because it can have bad physical and emotional effects even if you are eating cheat day-approved food. If you take care of your body, it will take care of you. That means responsible cheating!