PJ's Fitness Blog – Page 17 – A blog about a fitter you. Come find out what is on the cutting edge of fitness science and be a part of the ongoing conversation.

7 Surprising Fitness Truths You Probably Didn’t Know

By John Paul Catanzaro

(well, at least the first 5 truths are by John. The last 2 are by me).

In life we take many things for granted. People are told to go on a low fat diet and do some aerobic training, and yet they still gain body fat. Your blood work shows slightly altered cholesterol and thyroid levels and right away you’re told to go on medication. The trainer at your local gym rips out a copy of Everyday Stretches (reproduced from a 1987 poster) and says: “Do this before your next workout” but you feel weaker when you do…

These examples and more below explore some of the traditional advice we are given and how some of even the most key advice is downright backwards.

It’s time to question authority and challenge the establishment!

Seven Fitness Truths Your Momma Never Told You

OK, your momma might not have been qualified to tell you fitness truths, but these make so much common sense, they sound like something your momma would have told you.

A high fat intake can actually lower body fat!Two reasons: a) If low fat is consumed, your body retains body fat as a protective/survival mechanism, and
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The Newest Nutrition Miracle: Intermittent Fasting

By Dr. Mercola

Is it a good idea to “starve” yourself just a little bit each day? The evidence suggests that yes, avoiding eating around the clock could have a very beneficial impact on your health and longevity.

What we’re talking about here is generally referred to as intermittent fasting, which involves timing your meals to allow for regular periods of fasting.

It takes about six to eight hours for your body to metabolize your glycogen stores and after that you start to shift to burning fat. However, if you are replenishing your glycogen by eating every eight hours (or sooner), you make it far more difficult for your body to use your fat stores as fuel.

It’s long been known that restricting calories in certain animals can increase their lifespan by as much as 50 percent, but more recent research suggests that sudden and intermittent calorie restriction appears to provide the same health benefits as constant calorie restriction, which may be helpful for those who cannot successfully reduce their everyday calorie intake (or aren’t willing to).

Unfortunately, hunger is a basic human drive that can’t be easily suppressed, so anyone attempting to implement serious calorie restriction is virtually guaranteed to fail. Fortunately you don’t have to deprive yourself as virtually all of the benefits from calorie restriction can be achieved through properly applied intermittent fasting.

Three Major Mechanisms by which Fasting Benefits Your Health

While fasting has long gotten a bum rap for being one of the more torturous ways to battle the bulge, it really doesn’t have to be an arduous affair. We’re NOT talking about starving yourself for days on end. Simply restricting your daily

Eat Smart When Dining Out

Many of you who follow my blog know that I’m a huge fan of Dr. Mercola. Well, this time, I just cut and pasted his latest post because it was so awesome. I only added one thing at the end, so be sure to read through to the bottom!

By Dr. Mercola

Do you regard eating out as a bit of a respite from your daily life? A time to let someone else do the cooking, and perhaps treat yourself to something more indulgent that you don’t normally eat?

Restaurant chains are

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Burn Fat Through Your Posture

How would you like to burn more fat off your body just by changing your posture? Sounds too easy to be true, right? Well, it is probably the easiest way to burn fat I know of, but it is also true. You just have to know how and to understand why.

We have known for years now that testosterone (yes, women have it too) burns fat and cortisol stores fat. Those who have higher testosterone seem to be able to practically “wish” fat off their body, but those with high cortisol can’t seem to lose fat to save their life ( quite literally).

So if the object is to raise testosterone and reduce cortisol, how is that done? There are lots of ways, but for the purpose of this post, I’ll talk about the easiest way and that is changing your posture. If you stand up straight with your chest out, arms open, face smiling and chin up, you will both increase your testosterone and reduce your cortisol. If on the other hand, you crunch up, fold your arms, frown and assume a fearful or depressed posture, you will reduce your testosterone and increase your cortisol.

This can be done anytime, anywhere. It can be done sitting down too. In fact, most people who spend their days in front of a computer assume the fat-storing slouching position. They do this watching TV too. This posture, along with the fact that computer and TV screens affect our brain waves and put us in a metabolic dive, is a disastrous combination.

Try it for a week. Even if you don’t feel like doing it, do it anyway. Force yourself. Faking it still works!

Need more convincing? Check out this video: