Micaela found herself embroiled in a health crisis in her early twenties, battling a constellation of symptoms that left many specialists baffled. Diagnosed with PCOS, Hashimoto's, hypothyroidism, and chronic bloating, she was often dismissed with disheartening responses that suggested her issues were just part of "experiencing womanhood." Refusing to accept this verdict, Micaela's relentless pursuit for answers led her down the path of functional medicine, a decision that would irrevocably change her life.
Functional medicine's holistic approach, focusing on individualized treatment and root cause resolution, proved to be the key Micaela needed to unlock a new chapter of health. Through functional lab testing and other integrative healing methodologies, she didn't just manage her symptoms — she reversed them. This transformative experience wasn't just about reclaiming her health; it was about discovering her life's purpose. Micaela's journey illuminated a passion for empowering women, guiding them through their own health struggles to find freedom and happiness within their bodies.
Micaela's partnership with NuEthix Formulations is founded on shared values of empowerment, health, and wellness. Our commitment to providing high-quality, scientifically-backed supplements aligns perfectly with Micaela's mission to support women's health through functional medicine. As a sponsored athlete, Micaela embodies the essence of our brand: resilience, strength, and the belief in a holistic approach to health and wellness.
We are excited to support Micaela Riley in her continued journey as an athlete, advocate, and mentor. Her story is a powerful testament to the strength of the human spirit and the transformative potential of functional medicine. As part of the NuEthix family, Micaela will continue to inspire and empower our community, sharing her insights, experiences, and passion for a healthier, happier life.
Welcome to the team, Micaela. Together, we look forward to making a lasting impact on the world of fitness and health, championing the cause of holistic wellness and empowering individuals to take control of their health journeys.
]]>Beyond his professional achievements, Larry's educational background is equally impressive. A proud graduate of the University of Cincinnati, he not only excelled academically, securing a double major in marketing and real estate but also demonstrated remarkable athleticism as a member of the university's cheerleading team. His collegiate experience was further enriched by his active involvement in the Sigma Chi fraternity, a testament to his leadership skills and community spirit.
Larry's journey into the world of health and fitness is driven by a sincere desire to make a meaningful impact. His affiliation with NuEthix Formulations is not just a partnership but a shared mission to offer high-quality, trusted supplements to those aiming to enhance their physical and mental well-being. Larry's dedication to his clients and his ability to integrate his expertise in health coaching with our product range sets him apart as a true ambassador for the NuEthix brand.
What sets Larry Wilson apart is his holistic approach to fitness and health. As an active member of his men's group organization, he exemplifies the balance between physical strength and mental resilience. His work in real estate, alongside his coaching endeavors, showcases his ability to juggle multiple responsibilities while maintaining peak physical condition. It's this blend of professionalism, dedication, and genuine care for others that makes Larry an invaluable addition to the NuEthix family.
We are beyond excited to have Larry Wilson on board as a sponsored athlete. His passion for fitness, combined with his professional achievements and community involvement, align perfectly with our core values at NuEthix Formulations. Together, we are committed to supporting our community in achieving their health and fitness goals, ensuring they have access to the best supplements the industry has to offer. Welcome, Larry, to a journey of mutual growth, impact, and success.
]]>If you’re experienced with dieting then you should know that we all make mistakes, and that especially goes hand-in-hand with nutrition. Whether it’s following fad diets you found online or thinking those lean cuisine meals will help shape and tone your body – there are many ways where you can mess things up.
After all, we’re all human and not everything is going to go as perfectly as expected. Dieting very much crosses into that upper echelon of being a trial-and-error process until you find what works best for you and how your body reacts. Neglecting proper nutrition for such a long time and then jumping straight into a diet is not going to be an easy task at all.
There’s going to be a plethora of forums and threads telling you what you should and shouldn’t do. How you wish to look at this information and integrate it into your regime is all part of the process of growing your knowledge as you begin to try new things out. You might have read somewhere that it’s important to have a cheat ‘day’ rather than a cheat ‘meal’, so you decide to splurge one day and then all of a sudden that day turns into days and so on…
So, what are the most common mistakes people make when trying to diet?
In this article, we take a look at some of the glaring spots where people tend to let their minds slip up and go on a path of self-sabotaging their bodies without even realizing it. Let’s dig in.
The masterclass of losing weight is to always be in a caloric deficit and train hard to achieve the best results. But what if I told you that restricting yourself too much can be more negative than it is positive? Just because you want to see the scale drop down does not mean you need to neglect proper nutrition by skipping meals and/or eating far below what you should be.
Calculating your BMR and incorporating exercise will allow you to come up with a proper caloric intake goal per day to lose weight but still put on muscle at the same time. By not eating or depriving your body of nutrients, you’re committing a cardinal sin as you need food to not only repair muscle tissue that is broken down when you workout but also to give your body the energy it needs to fulfill your workouts.
Stop skipping meals and restricting your calories to unhealthy levels, allow yourself to continue into a caloric deficit while still hitting your macronutrient goals daily so you can achieve healthy weight loss but also be able to get more defined at the same time with muscular development.
Cortisol and hormonal balance play a crucial role in weight loss and weight gain, by pushing your body into a catabolic state – you’re causing your cortisol levels to fluctuate, and your stress can severely hinder any progression you’re trying to make. Be smart, feed your body but also fuel it with the proper nutrients.
More than likely, you’ve probably stumbled upon the ‘calories in, calories out’ methodology and think that by staying in a caloric deficit or hitting a certain number of calories means you can eat whatever you want until you land on that magical stop number.
Wrong.
Eating 2500 calories of McDonald’s Big Macs is not the same as eating 2500 calories of balanced non-processed foods. I’m sorry but whatever broscience hacks are out there teaching you otherwise, you’re going to learn the hard way. The key thing you need to understand is that every bit of food you put in your body has a certain amount of protein, carbs, and fats. Aside from protein – carbs and fats have their evil side and also a good side to them.
A greasy burger loaded with condiments might get you to 800-1000 calories but at what cost? Most of that comes from unhealthy saturated fats and immediately turns cholesterol into overdrive as you start layering on the cheese and condiments. By then, a medium-sized burger that doesn’t fill you up just took up most of your daily caloric allowance and now you have to fight off hunger while your body is desperately trying to signal to your brain that this was not a good decision.
Your workouts will begin to suffer if you’re eating complete garbage all the time. It doesn’t matter about the calories by then because you’re going to notice it both physically and mentally. Not concentrating on protein or vital nutrients can reduce the positive impact of muscle growth as you lack the essentials needed to refuel and recover.
Stop listening to other people who can accomplish this and do what works best for you. Not everything is going to work the same as it does for other people and you will figure that out very quickly as you continue to go deeper into this journey.
Listen, a cheat meal once a week is always a golden rule to help yourself mentally and physically so you can separate yourself from a more tailored diet and have some food you love and enjoy. There’s nothing wrong with incorporating cheat meals… As long as you don’t take advantage of them and completely overdo it.
That hearty breakfast infused with cocktails can easily turn into a mid-afternoon pizza session and then get carried away into ice cream a few hours later. Eventually, you’re going to get too deep into a binge where it’s hard to stop fulfilling all of your food desires and your stomach is going to pay for it. There’s no positive outcome for allowing yourself to do this because those guilty pleasures can turn into unhealthy eating habits in no time.
I can also be claimed as a victim of this. That food binge can quickly flip your cravings into an everyday thing if you can’t control them well enough. Before you know it, you’ll be having 3-4 cheat days a week and wondering why the scale keeps going up and by then you’ll be shocked to look in the mirror to see how bloated your face has gotten after it slowly develops into a consistent habit.
The simple way to combat this? Have fun but also make the right choices and stay mentally strong to resist the unhealthy urges to splurge on food that will fill your happiness meter only temporarily before it turns into guilt.
Have a cheat meal but keep it to just that, a meal.
What is typically the first thing that comes to mind when trying to lose weight with dieting? It’s always to cut the carbs out, right? Far too often I see this happening where people immediately think that carbs are the main contribution to weight gain.
Well, that’s about 25% correct. You see, there are many factors to why you are gaining weight, but carbs are just a small portion of that. Your stress levels, sleep patterns, workouts, nutrition, and more are all major factors in gaining weight versus losing weight.
As we outlined earlier, not all carbs are bad. Your body utilizes carbs as an energy source and by limiting your intake of carbohydrates, you’re not allowing a way for your body to find resources for energy, and in turn, your body will begin to eat away at any muscle there is to give it the energy it needs. This is why it’s so crucial to find a diet that’s going to work for your body…
Some people respond better to high fat, low carb diets and vice versa – it’s just the ultimate standard of us human beings. Not everyone is created the same, therefore not everything is going to work the same. We all have different body types and some of this can be connected to good genetics and bad genetics.
Going straight into eliminating all carbs from your diet will not help you achieve weight loss effectively. If you’re going to shoot for a low-carb diet, you need to look at increasing your healthy fats so that you’re able to provide your body with an essential energy source as it turns to utilize those fats for a purpose. However, if your body responds to a high-carb, low-fat diet – then refine your carbohydrate sources.
And I mean, REFINE them. It’s as simple as that – get rid of simple carbs that are in the everyday American diet like sugary sodas or candy and opt for better complex carb sources like brown rice, oats, and other grains. These easy substitutions can make a significant impact on your overall health and diet as your body takes longer to digest these carbs compared to fast-acting ones that only leave you desiring more without the proper nutritional scope.
To capitalize on those higher-carb meals and improve proper nutrient shuttling, try using a glucose disposal agent to help turn those carbs from being stored as fat to a fast-acting energy partition to continue building muscle. NuEthix Formulations has perfected that formulation with the brand-new addition of Slin-Trol which is geared toward those who are looking for a great GDA without the extra ingredients.
The most obvious conclusion we can come to is that we’re going to make mistakes with our diets. It’s inevitable but the more we continue to fail and experiment, there’s more to gain knowledge from and improve on and that’s the most important aspect here.
Dieting is never going to be easy but if you follow these few key steps then you’re already on a much better path to success than you were before you read this article. Never restrict yourself to learning more about diet and nutrition – the more you begin to soak up and try, the better off you’ll be in the long run when it comes to achieving the goals you’ve set for yourself.
Be smart but also don’t be afraid to ask for help. If you’re struggling to make a difference with your dieting journey, lean on the experience of others to help gain more insight on certain things.
]]>Born with Osteogenesis Imperfecta, a condition known for causing brittle bones, Jeff’s early life was fraught with challenges. However, these obstacles laid the foundation for a mindset centered around overcoming the impossible. Jeff’s journey into competitive bodybuilding is not just a story of physical strength, but a powerful narrative about mental fortitude. His dedication to fitness and health, despite his condition, serves as an incredible source of inspiration for many.
Jeff's expertise extends beyond personal achievements; his entrepreneurial journey began in 2010 with the establishment of his personal training and nutrition support company. Holding a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management and numerous certifications in health, wellness, and fitness, Jeff has been instrumental in guiding thousands towards their fitness goals. His knowledge and experience are pillars that support his clients’ journeys toward better health and wellness.
A proud Tennessean, Jeff has been instrumental in nurturing the fitness scene in his home state. His ventures, including Iron House Strength & Conditioning in Nashville and the Relentless Forever brand, highlight his commitment to fostering a strong, health-conscious community. Furthermore, his role as a podcast host on ‘Against the Grain’ and ‘Chasing Clarity Health & Fitness’ showcases his desire to educate and inspire a broader audience.
Jeff’s influence stretches into educational realms as well. As a founding owner of a top-tier seminar for health and fitness coaches, he plays a crucial role in enhancing client outcomes through better education. His literary journey, marked by his debut as an author, reflects his deep introspection and willingness to share not only his triumphs but also his struggles. Influenced by his friend and best-selling author Steven Pressfield, Jeff’s writings offer a raw, authentic glimpse into the life of a person who turns adversity into strength.
NuEthix Formulations is honored to have Jeff Black as part of our team. His story is more than just one of physical transformation; it’s a narrative that resonates with anyone striving to overcome personal hurdles. Jeff embodies the spirit of our brand - unwavering commitment, relentless pursuit of excellence, and a deep understanding of the intricacies of health and fitness.
]]>Let’s be honest, we all love our pumpkin spice – there’s no need to hide it. Fall has arrived, and so have many of our other seasonal favorite food items and treats. Now, if you’re a gym rat this is both a great thing and also a bad thing.
Why, you ask? Well, as we start to inch our way closer to the Holidays, we’re getting into dicey territory as Halloween parties, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's start to make their way into our lives. With that being said, there’s a lot of food consumption during this timeframe and it’s typically the unhealthiest time of year.
Great food, especially during the Holidays, is always relaxing and enjoyable but there’s a high chance that you could overdo it and make many mistakes during this time. Standard protocol for us gym-goers is always to ‘take it easy’ or ‘make better choices’ but let’s get real for a moment – there’s no way we can be 100% consistent during the Holidays unless we are completely dialed in.
Now, that’s not to say most people get fat during the Holidays but it is a common trend to see people get severely off track and ruin a lot of progress made. What if I told you there are some basic general guidelines you can follow to help you stay in shape while enjoying your favorite seasonal foods?
Let’s take a look at all the ways you can stay focused, and committed, and be able to indulge in your home-cooked Holiday buffet treats while still maintaining your gym bod.
Staying focused on your fitness goals during the final stretch of the year is always important, especially as our eyes and stomach are telling us to take a slice of that pumpkin pie or have a second serving of your Thanksgiving dinner. Those inner thoughts of “Oh, I’ll just workout harder tomorrow” or “One day won’t hurt” can eventually end up turning into multiple days and then weeks…
This is not a good way to stay on top of your goals at all and in fact, all that progress you made during the year can start to wither away as you stray further and further from your diet. Strategizing, creating, and adapting to a plan on how to attack the Holidays is going to be your best line of defense and it all starts with creating solutions and this is where we’ll begin.
As simple as it sounds, this is where most people go wrong and start to slip up. Making smart choices doesn’t mean you should adhere to an IIFYM type of lifestyle. Just because something fits your macros does not mean you should be following that structure during the Holidays. Your body still needs the proper nutritional resources to perform at an optimal rate.
If you’re shoveling down apple pie and sweet potato casserole to get to 2500 calories per day, you’re still not supplying your body with enough protein, healthy fats, and carbohydrates you need. 2500 calories of garbage are not the same as 2500 calories of clean and nutritional food items. We can debate this for eternity but that’s factual. Calories in and calories out do not cross out the negatives of eating pure trash each day.
There will always be plenty of smarter options to choose from at the dinner table and/or restaurants you go to for family holiday parties. If you find that healthier food options are limited, try to eat your planned meals ahead of time and take part in a small treat if you still want to enjoy the festivities. This way, you can stay relatively full so you’re not thinking directly with your stomach only, and also reduce the desire to binge eat.
Have fun but be practical and always prepare ahead of time just on the off chance that there are minimal options that help you stay within your diet.
If you’re not keen on the idea of going off-plan a bit with those Holiday meal selections, fear not. As we all know, carb timing and carbohydrates, in general, are essential to giving our body the energy we need to go and have a good workout. That’s typically why you find that your workout the day after a cheat meal is always the best.
Your muscles are full, and your energy is much higher as a result. Glucose disposal agent supplements are the perfect addition to your Holiday survival guide as they can be used for every high-carb meal and cheat meal to help with nutrient partitioning and convert stored fat into energy.
That’s not to say that you should go and binge a ton of carbs and expect a GDA supplement to offset any of this or help keep weight off. However, the benefits of using GDAs are perfect for those pre-planned meals you’re expecting to eat around the Holidays – I mean, why not help use them to your advantage?
NuEthix Formulations leads the charge in this category specifically with the scientifically researched and cleverly formulated, GDA-Max+. Voted best for maintaining and restoring insulin sensitivity, GDA-Max+ is the ultimate addition to your Holiday preparation.
Now, if you’re looking for a great formulation without the complexity, NuEthix Formulations also offers their “little sister” to GDA-Max+ with the all-new and bestselling glucose disposal agent that just hit the market, Slin-Trol™.
Maximizing muscle growth and strength is critical during the Holiday season and one simple yet effective method is to start training harder. Listen, if you’re going to eat big, you might as well lift big and train like a machine.
Use these larger meals to your advantage while not going overboard by focusing more time on your overall workout intensity. If you’re not training hard and you’re not burning those excess calories you’re giving your body, then you’re not going to be progressing very much.
Rewarding your hard work is excellent, and if you know you’re going to have a big week planned with the family that involves a lot of food – make sure you earn it. You’ll feel less guilty about the consumption of your favorite unhealthy foods, and you’ll be able to stay on track from a physique standpoint as you’re burning a lot of calories with harder training sessions.
If you don’t plan on going hard in the gym, then don’t plan on going hard at the dinner table. Make sure you’re increasing your cardio and really pushing your body to assist with muscle growth as your caloric intake starts to go up.
Bulking season is essential to building muscle, but you know what’s not cool? Gaining more fat than muscle. The whole “I’m bulking, bro.” doesn’t mean anything when you’re simply not busting your ass in the gym – if anything, you’re not going to make much progress in the strength department and it’s going to derail your physique when you hit shredding season.
I believe the quote is, “Train insane or remain the same. – Jillian Michaels” – Michael Scott
This one is very simple, and I mean very simple. If you know that you have a party to attend where there’s going to be a massive platter of off-plan foods, just plan around it. By this, I mean make sure you accommodate your diet by understanding your daily macro goals and what meals you can either skip or workaround so you can add in some room for any non-diet foods while not going over your goals for the day.
Opting for smaller portions and adequately adjusting your meals around this will be your best option to avoid any diet-related problems. If you know you’re going to have a big meal, start to take away from your meals throughout the day and adjust accordingly. This way, you don’t have to sacrifice going over your macro goals and you’re still able to enjoy tasty food.
If you plan on having more fat at your family dinner, then cut back on your fat from your other meals and do the same for carbohydrates. Just be sure to get your protein in, don’t just go for sweets – always try to hit your protein goal and throw in some micronutrients like green beans and other fibrous vegetables.
This time of the year is meant for relaxation and enjoying good food and memories with family. It’s perfectly fine to live a little and let loose – we’re here for a good time, not a long time. Don’t miss out on fun just because you feel like you need to be strict on your diet.
Unless you’re competing, it’s normal and acceptable to stray away from your diet just a little bit. If you’re staying on top of everything the best you can, then enjoy yourself! Don’t go overboard and don’t stress if you feel guilty about indulging in a non-planned cheat meal.
The stress of the Holiday season is enough; don’t continue to add to it when you don’t need to. One or two cheat meals are not going to make you lose all progress. Constantly stressing and living inside of your head is going to do more damage than one cheat meal will as cortisol can play a huge role in weight loss and weight gain.
Kick back and let loose a little.
Holidays are tricky to work around if you’re big into health and fitness, but it doesn’t have to be a major obstacle in your path to gains. Coming up with a plan of attack while accommodating all of the essential events is pretty simple to navigate and still stay on track of everything.
Use these simple tips to your benefit and don’t overthink it, as long as you don’t stray too far off the path then you should have no problem balancing fitness and the Holidays.
Figure out what works best for you and adapt accordingly. Should you find yourself getting a bit too lax with everything, then revisit these methods and prep yourself mentally so you can get back on track because it certainly can happen.
]]>Audrey is not just another fitness enthusiast; she brings with her a profound understanding of exercise science, courtesy of her master's degree from the University of South Florida (USF). Her academic prowess seamlessly blends with her practical experience, notably highlighted by her commendable performance in the bikini division in 2020, where she qualified for nationals. Such a blend of theoretical knowledge and hands-on experience is rare, making Audrey a unique asset to our community.
But there's more to Audrey than just fitness. A resident of Houston, TX, she's a passionate traveler with a keen interest in music festivals. This aspect of her personality reminds us that while fitness is essential, balancing it with recreation and cultural pursuits brings a holistic approach to well-being.
However, what truly sets Audrey apart is her commitment to holistic health transformations. Alongside her partner Mason, she co-owns the Metabolic Makeover Academy. With over 220 active clients, their approach emphasizes the philosophy that achieving one's desired physique is an inside-out process. It's a mission that aligns perfectly with our values at NuEthix Formulations, reinforcing our shared belief in the importance of inner health as the foundation of external results.
In conclusion, the affiliation of Audrey Adams with NuEthix Formulations is not just a partnership; it's a testament to our shared vision for health, fitness, and the transformative power of holistic wellness. We wholeheartedly welcome Audrey to our family and are thrilled to embark on this journey together, impacting lives and setting new benchmarks in the fitness and health industry.
]]>For beginners, it can be hard to figure out exactly what macronutrients are and how to track them accordingly. While counting calories is self-explanatory and simple enough, there’s an important aspect that determines the difference between the two.
If you’re wondering what method you should be using, this article will break down exactly what the difference is and what the benefits are of both methods.
First, we must take a look at exactly what macronutrients are and what they mean for us more importantly, and then break them down, one by one. Let’s get into it.
“Macros” is a shortened term for macronutrients. 3 macronutrients that are defined as the largest nutrients used daily. When you look at the back of a nutritional label on a food item, you’ll see the following:
These are called macronutrients and our bodies use these as a source of energy. The exact values of macronutrients vary and can be broken down in a mathematical method for calories that are as follows:
Comparing macros to calories is different as we track macros in a more specific way that allows us to hit certain goals that we wouldn’t achieve if we were simply counting calories. Protein, carbs, and fats are crucial to health and fitness goals as they allow you to build muscle, lose fat, and maintain a lean physique.
For example, if you were to count only calories, you may not be getting enough protein in your diet or you may be eating way too many carbs and fats. While you may lose weight if you’re in a caloric deficit, you may hinder the ability to gain muscle and/or lose body fat.
Tracking macros allows you to have the flexibility to finetune your diet and base it around quality. There are many elements involved in the dietary realm that produce a direct output of your diet and if you’re not eating good foods while calorie counting, then you’re probably not going to see the results you truly want.
Now, this isn’t to say that counting calories only is a terrible thing to do as many individuals have different goals and outcomes they want to achieve. If you’re someone who is just looking to lose weight and isn’t focused on the quality of diet and doesn’t have more complex goals, then you can get away with just counting calories.
Calories do matter and you’d be privy to believe otherwise. The most important part of your daily nutritional intake that makes a difference in whether you gain weight, lose weight, or maintain your weight is your caloric intake.
So, yes. Calories will always be important no matter what. The problem associated with “calories in, calories out” is the lack of attention regarding nutritional resources and food choices. Just because you are in a caloric deficit, it doesn’t mean you can eat 2000 calories worth of McDonald's and expect the same results that you would when also tracking macros.
While a calorie is still a calorie at the end of the day, there’s more to it than just being defined as something this simple.
As we defined above, there’s a grave misconception that is often overlooked when it comes to calorie counting. If you’re only focused on counting calories, you tend to miss out on including the fuel our body needs that comes in the form of vitamins, minerals, healthy fats, etc.
Depending on your goals, if you’re someone who has been wanting to make a difference in the gym and focus on building muscle then you’re going to have a harder time doing so than someone who is actively tracking their macros.
Protein, carbs, and fats are essential building blocks in how you sculpt your body for the better. To gain muscle, you need protein. You need at least 1g of protein per pound of body weight. If you’re not tracking your protein intake and are solely focused on calories, you might not be getting the effective amount of protein you need to build muscle and recover.
The same thing goes for carbohydrates and fats. Carbs can be defined as simple and complex carbohydrates that have significant importance within your body. Simple carbs are typically junk and contain more sugar molecules that aren’t a stable source of energy like complex carbs are.
This depends on your outlook and the goals that you have set. As stated previously, if you’re someone who isn’t worried about fitness and you want some freedom and flexibility while still being able to lose weight, then counting calories is perfectly fine.
However, just counting calories alone won’t be as effective for those with stronger goals in mind. Tracking both macronutrients and calories is the better option especially if you want to improve your body in many different ways.
You should be tracking macros for a variety of reasons which includes many health-oriented aspects like those who may suffer from insulin sensitivity, and for those who have nutrient deficiencies. Ultimately, tracking macros and calories together can improve your weight loss, weight gain, and muscle growth goals while providing quality and meticulous effort toward your diet.
Individuals who are having a difficult time losing fat can benefit more from tracking macros as everyone’s body is different and responds to certain diets differently. Tracking macronutrients is the key to dieting and determining whether something works better for you. Should you find that your body reacts better to a high-carb, low-fat diet or a low-carb, high-fat diet – you can adjust your macronutrient goals accordingly to help hit your weight loss goals more effectively.
The smartphone age has helped simplify and almost automate macronutrient tracking, so you don’t have to do much of anything. There are many apps out there that can be used including MyFitnessPal and others.
If you don’t know where to begin, these apps can automatically calculate the estimated daily macronutrient intake you need to hit each day by basing it on the results you’ve chosen. All you need to know is your body weight, height, age, and what goals you have, and boom! You will have a structured macronutrient goal intake per day.
MyFitnessPal, for example, has a built-in food database that has tons of nutritional labels already input which means all you have to do is type in what you ate, It’ll calculate the macros based on that information and show you the remaining balance of how much protein, carbs, and fats you need to eat for the rest of the day.
While calorie counting can have its benefits for being able to manage your weight, macronutrient tracking is predominantly the way to go for wanting to hit your goals and ensuring you’re fueling your body with quality sources. Calories do make a difference as they determine weight management, but you should always be tracking both.
The debate can always be made between the two, but the consensus is that both are important, and tracking everything should be the main standard. With this day in age and technology having advanced in so many different ways, tracking macros is easier than ever.
If you’ve never tried to count macros and monitor your daily macronutrient intake, now is the time to try it and see how effective it can be while being remarkably easy to understand. Adjusting your diet according to macros can help improve your overall health and push you even further towards your goals.
]]>Trying to skip your morning coffee can cause painful headaches that not even Tylenol can help with. Not to mention the irritability you get that’ll make you want to snap at the lightest communication from a co-worker. You’ll find yourself in a fit of stimulant-neglected rage writing, “per my last email” in the most passive-aggressive nature that rewards you with a few HR points.
This is the nature of caffeine dependence and unfortunately, it’s far too common in most adults as we use it to try and take on the daily obstacles in life.
I love shotgunning an energy drink and burying myself in pre-workout just as much as the next person, but that doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to be doing every single day.
Now, why is it that we rely on caffeine and how does it seem to cause more problems than it does have benefits? For something so widely available, there doesn’t appear to be much awareness or knowledge-based information readily advertised about what the effects of caffeine consumption are.
After all, this is a general trend in which caffeine is regularly available in soft drinks and sodas that are marketed to children and young adults. In turn, energy drinks and unhealthy beverages are normalized at especially young ages.
So, what is caffeine and why do we feel such a need to incorporate it daily? What happens when we become dependent on caffeine and stimulants alike?
In this article, we break down the answers to these questions and provide informative benefits of taking caffeine but also how it can cause a major disruption from a negative aspect.
Contrary to what most people believe, caffeine is actually a drug – well, sort of. Caffeine can be classified as a drug since it works similarly to that of nicotine and most drugs. You can become addicted to caffeine as you continue to use it due to its effects on the central nervous system and how it can help you feel more alert and awake.
In actuality, caffeine and stimulants are simply just a ‘mask’ for the central nervous system as they only help you gain a sense of alertness temporarily. For example, if you had a late night and consumed caffeine the next morning, you may feel a bit more energized but then you notice a huge crash later on where you feel like you can fall asleep at any time.
This is because caffeine is simply blocking adenosine causing you to feel tired. It doesn’t cause it to go away, and using stimulants simply just works as a temporary fix and when the caffeine wears off, you’re more tired than you would’ve expected.
Adenosine is what our body produces that makes us feel tired. By consuming caffeine, your body will still keep producing adenosine no matter what as caffeine does not simply just make it “go away”.
Becoming addicted to caffeine is far more common than most people will realize. As you continue drinking coffee and energy drinks each day, your body starts to adapt to this and then you find that you have to consume more caffeine to get the effects you’re looking for.
By now, you’ve developed a dependency and are pretty far into an addiction.
Many of you might be experiencing or have experienced side effects of caffeine and stimulant usage… If you’re in the 1% and have never relied on caffeine, then there are some important things you should know about how caffeine can negatively affect the body and brain.
For starters, the overconsumption of stimulants can cause a major disruption within your normal life if you’re not careful and adhering to caffeine consumption guidelines and daily intake. Most importantly, sleep.
Sleepless nights make for rough days ahead from a proactive standpoint. You can blame caffeine for this if you’re constantly running into this issue regularly. Irregular sleep patterns and chronic insomnia/fatigue can be directly related to your caffeine and stimulant consumption.
Unfortunately, the common trend is to counteract restlessness with more caffeine and stimulants which continues pushing this cycle along until you no longer have any sense of normality for sleeping. What’s also glaring is the fact that sleep is extremely vital to your overall health and well-being – if you’re not getting an adequate amount of sleep, then you’re increasing the body’s cortisol output which increases overall stress.
What exactly does this mean for your body? Well, it means you’ll probably have issues with productivity, losing weight, gaining muscle, sex drive, maintaining a positive outlook, and a happy mood. Not getting the right amount of sleep can throw your body through the ringer as well as the alarmingly negative mental effects.
Heart health is nothing to take lightly, and if you’re not careful – consuming caffeine at an excessive rate can take its toll on everything cardiovascular-related. From an increased heart rate to reduced blood flow – the overconsumption of stimulants can raise many red flags within your body.
Caffeine is primarily a vasoconstrictor in which blood flow is restricted to the body compared to vasodilators that allow for more open and better blood flow. Constricting blood vessels and not allowing for proper blood flow can take its toll across the body in multiple different scenarios. If you’ve ever noticed that your pal downstairs is having difficulty waking up, this can be attributed back to caffeine’s vasoconstrictor properties among many other effects.
If your significant other is complaining about that, then you should probably look to avoid consuming caffeine either altogether or not around the time of intimacy just as a rule of thumb. Sexual health is just as important as anything else since it can also play a role in your mental state – being a disappointment in the bedroom is certainly not something that helps both mentally and morally. A deflated ego stemming from erectile dysfunction caused by overconsumption of caffeine and stimulants can be a true bummer.
Onset adrenal fatigue is a major issue with stimulant dependency – if you’re looking to help support adrenal levels, NuEthix Formulations created the perfect product in, Adrena-Health. This top-rated formula can help with sustainable energy levels and support hormonal balance by regulating cortisol so you no longer have to suffer from the negative aspects of adrenal fatigue stemming from caffeine overconsumption.
The withdrawals that come from getting off caffeine are no joke. They can be brutal and sometimes even debilitating in certain instances. While it may not be the same as something like quitting smoking, cutting out caffeine cold turkey can be just as difficult in similar ways.
Once you’ve developed an addiction and dependence on caffeine, you can suffer from agonizing headaches and fatigue simply by not having your daily coffee or beverage. Withdrawal symptoms can reveal themselves very quickly and can cause extreme anxiety and irritability as you suffer through the day.
This is why it’s always better to slowly cut back and reassess your caffeine tolerance to safely regain balance back into your life without relying heavily on stimulants. I would recommend that if you don’t wish to completely remove caffeine from your life, try going a week without it to build your tolerance back up and then add it back into your routine. You can use this strategy each time you feel like your tolerance is way too high.
While there are many negative side effects of caffeine and stimulants, there are certainly many benefits to safely consuming them at a recommended amount. As long as you aren’t going crazy and drinking 3-4 energy drinks per day, there are a great deal of benefits.
To be clear on this, it also depends on your body and how you can handle all stimulants alike. If you’re prone to anxiety and/or have health-related issues, then this section probably isn’t for you.
If you’re a healthy individual in all regards, then these will certainly apply to you.
Caffeine can help boost alertness and give you the added boost of energy you need to maintain a high level of productivity throughout the day. Especially on days you feel like you may be lacking or you’re just having a hard time trying to focus – caffeine can help assist with this.
Stimulants such as caffeine can help with cognitive function as well which can be beneficial from a neurological standpoint due to the output of alertness in the brain.
Decreased mental fatigue from caffeine consumption can help you feel more motivated and energized throughout the day as receptors in the brain become blocked from binding with adenosine which can trigger fatigue and depression.
Many dietary supplements have relied on the introduction of different blends of caffeine and nootropics to help enhance the benefits and features of cognitive health. Even some of the best mood-enhancing supplements or sports nutrition products will likely contain one or multiple sources of caffeine for added benefits.
If you are looking for something that has a clean source of energy without all the added stimulants, NuEthix Formulations created the ultimate intra-workout recovery supplement, Essential Energy. This scientifically backed research formula uses a blend of BHB salts and contains essential amino acids and branched-chain amino acids to help support optimal recovery.
There are many logical reasons for relying on caffeine and the benefits of using stimulants are visible but like all good things, there are sure to be some negative side effects and consequences of abusing them.
Being smart and not going too hard by drinking a ton of caffeine or maybe just limiting yourself to two cups of coffee per day can go a long way in terms of health. Letting your body succumb to the downside of consistently relying on caffeine shouldn’t be your first and only choice.
Do your research, look at labels, assess your tolerance, understand and listen to your body – make the right choices, and quite literally, just don’t overdo it.
]]>We’ve officially hit the only acceptable time period of seeing a Spirit Halloween take over every previously located K-Mart that went out of business ten years ago within a 10-mile radius.
What’s better than Halloween? Being jacked on Halloween, of course. This is what you’ve worked so hard for, well, apart from Spring Break and Summer vacations… That’s right, those Halloween parties have finally made their way back around and you finally have a good excuse to be able to showcase your physique in creative ways without being judged.
The only problem is figuring out a costume that’s going to top the year priors. If you’ve found yourself running into a creative roadblock trying to whip up some ideas for this year’s costume that can highlight your gains, we’ve got your back.
For this, we will break down the best physique-defining Halloween costume ideas for both men and women who are looking to accentuate the hard work they’ve put in at the gym all year long.
Let’s get started.
The summer that was properly deemed, “Barbenheimer” gave us new light on a throwback costume that Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling catapulted into Gen Z space. Not only are these costumes perfect for fit couples but it also is new enough to make them more extravagant than the normal basic costumes you find.
If you can’t rollerblade, you probably should learn but in the event that you can’t, you can easily ditch the blades and roll into the party with people knowing exactly what you were going for.
On top of that, these costumes reflect an “80s fitness” vibe that shows off your body and defined muscles in a flattering manner without going too crazy.
Even Adrian would agree that you can’t go wrong with a cult classic Rocky Balboa costume. Not to be confused with the sweatpants, training look – we’re pointing to the iconic USA boxing shorts and white robe for those who spent more time focusing on cardio and core this year so you can show off those washboard abs.
Simple, yet effective. This costume doesn’t do anything special but is also something that’s timeless and everyone will know exactly what it is. The compliments you’ll get will surely boost your self-esteem and should also put a few numbers in your pockets.
I feel it’s necessary to somehow include this on the list since a Drago costume would be insane considering how jacked the guy looked in the movie. You can never go wrong with either of these options from the Rocky series.
Do points get deducted for another Margot Robbie-inspired costume? Absolutely not. This costume has been very popular for the past few years, but it does not mean it doesn’t work. This is a cheap and effective costume that shows enough of your body in the most flattering ways.
While there have been some alterations and different variations of the Harley Quinn costume, the popular “Daddy’s lil monster” version will suffice and there’s not much you have to do from an assembly standpoint.
Because nothing says every day is arm day quite like this costume idea. It’s a modern, gladiator-style costume that gives you the appearance of a Greek god without having to go above and beyond the overall aesthetic.
This costume is stylish and gives off complete masculine vibes while sticking to the basics and creating a sleek look that is sure to catch some attention and looks from around the room. All in all, this is a safe and solid option you can always rely on.
Snag a pump before you head out and the sleeveless look will have the guns on full display that might require a concealed carry license if you’re not careful.
Wiggle your big toe all the way into this sleek yellow suit made iconic by Uma Thurman in Kill Bill. This costume has to be the best in terms of showing off your toned body while still being non-revealing making it a safe option to wear at all family-friendly events and parties.
It’s a great option that screams badass and sexy all at the same time. For those Tarantino fans, this one should be an easy choice and because of its yellow color, you’ll be sure to stand out from the rest with its vibrancy.
The Kill Bill: Volume 2 look is also acceptable as it’s incredibly simple to put together but it certainly doesn’t make an impact like the iconic yellow suit does.
Is it really an acceptable list if Rambo isn’t included here somewhere? The answer is no. Rambo defines pure badassery and is the go-to choice for those with sub-10 % body fat. If you’re feeling crazy, you can even ditch the tank top and opt for Rambo’s shirtless approach.
If you don’t already have a girlfriend, then everyone who does will be making sure they don’t lay eyes on you because this costume is almost guaranteed to steal any female of your desire. Ladies, I’m sure you can agree to this.
Similar but not exactly the same as the Barbie costume referenced at the one spot, this costume takes being a fitness influencer to the next level in a vintage way. From leg warmers to the spandex bodysuit – this costume is a fun and great option for anyone.
Getting creative by channeling your inner Stranger Things obsession will ignite the passion to style your hair perfectly exactly how women did back in the 80s with the crazy hairstyles that may have contributed to global warming with the amount of hair spray that would be used in one day.
Overly used but never out of style, the Hulk should instantly always be on the average gym rat’s mind when searching for a Halloween costume. I mean, it’s pretty easy… Make some cut-off jorts, paint your skin green, mess up your hair, and get a sick pump.
Then you’re done. There’s really no going wrong here as it’s cost-effective and impressive if you want to show off your yoked body all at the same time. A friendly warning though, be careful with the green paint and make sure you don’t have to work the next day – you’ll be spending a lot of time trying to get the paint off.
Surprisingly, this costume isn’t often seen as being one of the more popular ideas. However, going for this look will surely put you in the category of ‘bae watch’ if anything. Another inexpensive option that is perfect for athletically toned bodies.
The Baywatch Lifeguard costume also allows for a styled jacket which can come in handy if you live in northern areas where it gets cold around this time of year. I should clarify though that this is centered around the original TV series from the late 80’s and early 90’s.
Yet another costume that can be utilized for both men and women. It may just be a swimsuit and board shorts but if you want to flaunt and flex your gains, then what better way than this?
If you have a fun personality and feel like sweating to the oldies, this costume is the best choice for you. Richard Simmons had one of the most unique and off-the-wall looks that makes this costume superior to most. You’re not only going to get some laughs (in a good way) but if you’re ripped then you can rock this costume out of the park.
Like most of these options, this is probably the least expensive out of them all as most of it can be thrifted. All you need is a good tan and a curly afro wig and you’re ready to break hearts all night long. Major bonus and best costume for those who never skip leg day, this one's for you.
Halloween is a time to express your personality and have some fun while getting creative. For those who are heavily invested in the gym, this is your time to shine. Get extravagant and don’t be afraid to show off your gains, after all, you worked incredibly hard to have the body that you do.
This list gives you some great concepts if you’re stuck on deciding what to be this year and who knows, you may end up with a few years’ worth of costumes you plan on going with. These costumes are all cost-effective and won’t set your wallet back like what typically happens when you order online.
Try to assemble your costume one item at a time and more importantly, have fun and show off whenever you can.
]]>While gaining more attention recently from trends centered on the popular social media platform, TikTok – Ashwagandha has been taking the wellness category by storm for quite some time. Mainly becoming a standalone product that consumers are adding into their everyday routine for regulating cortisol.
With that being said, what exactly is Ashwagandha and what are all the benefits that you can get from taking it? More importantly, why is it becoming such a staple in dietary supplements?
Let’s take a look at why this natural herb is dominating the charts for health benefits and what makes this so popular.
Also known by its scientific name, Withania somnifera is an adaptogenic herb that comes from the Solanaceae plant family and has been heavily researched primarily for anti-stress activities. Adaptogens help with the reduction of stress and anxiety along with many other benefits for cortisol reduction.
Often referred to by traditional names such as, “Indian Winter Cherry” or “Indian Ginseng”, Ashwagandha has been used as a remedy for the promotion of mental health and expanded happiness [1], given to middle-aged adults and all age groups.
Ashwagandha is often found in many dietary supplements such as multivitamins, sleep aids, gummies, testosterone boosters, and more. Because of the diversity of connected health benefits, Ashwagandha can be used for a plethora of tonics or supplements.
NuEthix Formulations has taken full advantage of utilizing the benefits of Ashwagandha by adding it to a powerhouse hormonal support formula within, Estro-Cort and Cort-Eaze. As two of the best cortisol regulation dietary supplements on the market to date, Ashwagandha plays a crucial role in its effects on reducing stress and anxiety to help support hardened body composition and the reduction of bad estrogen.
Since the introduction of the natural herb being used in medicinal practice, there have been many clinical studies performed using Ashwagandha to prove a multitude of benefits. One double-blind study conducted showed that the introduction of Ashwagandha given to stressed, healthy adults – had a significant reduction in depression, anxiety, and stress when used during the 60-day trial. [2]
While adults who experience more stress are more susceptible to diseases and illness [3], there are also noticeable effects on the body for those enduring increased cortisol. This can include a decrease in sexual health in both men and women [4] as it can suppress testosterone.
Ashwagandha has been used to help with infertility and sexual health as a whole because of the adaptogenic properties it carries. A placebo-controlled study confirmed that libido health and fertility in women had seen a significant improvement when introduced to taking Ashwagandha regularly. [5]
Due to the additional benefits of this natural herb, Ashwagandha has also been linked to many anti-inflammatory-based treatments such as neurodegenerative diseases, autoimmune disorders, diabetes, and others. [6] One such result indicated that Ashwagandha can be used to prevent inflammation of the skin. [7]
Ashwagandha is also regularly used within sleep-aid dietary supplements to help promote better relaxation and the reduction of stress to support deeper and healthier sleep patterns. Such indication has proven beneficial for sleep quality as the result of a clinical study performed on individuals who suffer from insomnia. While conducting the trial, there was a valid conclusion that confirmed those who were taking Ashwagandha noticed significant improvements in overall sleep quality. [8][9]
As social media has become more relevant to all demographics, Ashwagandha has been becoming widely praised across all platforms and has gained a lot of attention recently and some have deemed it the “miracle supplement”.
With the benefits of adaptogenic compounds and ingredients, it’s hard to brush off just how beneficial they can be for your overall health and longevity. This is why it’s becoming more common to see dietary supplements using Ashwagandha within their formulas.
Cort-Eaze is the perfect dietary supplement addition for reducing the negative aspects of stress related issues and cortisol imbalances.
Not only is it a natural ingredient, but it also is a great addition for improving the physiological effects of stress without the need for pharmaceutical-grade products or mysterious tonics that blend an unknown amount of untested ingredients.
It’s safe to say that Ashwagandha has respectfully earned all of the positive attention and praise it's getting online and by verbal communication.
For those wanting to reduce the effects of increased cortisol, a regular daily dosage of around 225-600 mg has been shown to prove beneficial in the reduction of stress and anxiety when used for 1-2 months. [10]
The average sweet spot dose of Ashwagandha can vary depending on the benefits you’re looking to achieve. For instance, if you’re looking to improve fertility, you will want to rely on a heavier dose of around 5 g per day. [11]
This dosage can improve sperm production and sexual health within 3 months of taking Ashwagandha regularly as one clinical trial has proven. [12]
With increased stress comes adverse effects on the body from a physical aspect. Your body composition may begin to soften up and your ability to gain weight has become more prevalent as you start packing on the pounds. The lack of sleep due to stress levels is also not allowing your body to have optimal rest which, in turn, negatively impacts body composition.
When taking around 750-1,250 mg of Ashwagandha regularly for a 30-day period, it’s been shown that weight management is more manageable and can help assist with overall weight loss rather than weight gain – Additionally, it can help increase muscle growth and strength as the body is able to sustain increased testosterone while inhibiting bad estrogen. [13]
If you’re having difficulty coping with stress on a regular basis and you’ve found yourself trapped in a corner with no real way of getting out – it’s important to understand what natural and herbal supplements are out there that can help reduce high cortisol levels. As it stands, stress is easily the most negatively impactful thing on our body, both physically and mentally.
Ashwagandha is no new “wonder drug”. Its astounding benefits and well-researched background have dubbed it the king of Ayurvedic herbs. [14] Because it’s completely natural, there’s no reason to have second thoughts about taking it compared to some products that are questionable in nature.
Overall, if you struggle with daily stress and/or you’re having issues with everyday health – using Ashwagandha can be a complete game changer and you’ll reap the benefits in no time at all.
It’s the foundation of every excellent workout and can give you that extra push when you need a little hype for your intense training session.
Maybe it’s Metallica that helps you with your PR on the bench, could be Taylor Swift pushing you on a grueling leg day – whatever the genre, there’s definitely a categorization on what can be said about you in the gym based on music selection.
I know I’m not in the minority when I say that you could probably guess what’s playing in someone’s headphones just based on their actions in the gym. The gym fits can be a dead giveaway too, but we can discuss that another time.
So, what does your gym playlist say about you? Let’s break it down by genre and share some insight on if you match up to the description.
You probably have a pair of Nike Blazers, 5” inseam shorts, and drive a Jeep Wrangler with 25% APR. You’re most likely still on a perma-cut so you have an aesthetic physique to show off on social media. Odds are that you also say you love leg day but in actuality, you hate it with every fiber in your body.
If your gym playlist consists of only rap, you probably have at least 2 or 3 gym partners and take up the bench for at least 20 minutes in between sets to check out the pump with your boys in the mirror. Granted, you’re definitely getting some solid looks for the shreds you’ve been working hard for.
Multiple scoops of pre-workout, an energy drink, and Adderall is the breakfast of choice for you. It’s more than likely that you spend most of your time deadlifting or squatting at the gym. The oversized Sublime shirt is the perfect pump cover for your incredible sleeper build.
The person who listens to EDM is always focused and keeps to themselves but when approached, they’re very outgoing due to their natural good vibes.
A case can be made that you’re probably one of the strongest in the gym and also short-tempered. There’s a high chance that you typically come to the gym wearing a hoodie and a pair of chucks that still have chalk residue on the laces. You have the focus of a psychopath and aren’t leaving the gym until you’ve at least gotten to bench, squat, and deadlift at least once.
Personal records are of high value to you and it’s necessary to test your max strength levels at least three times a week.
You’re probably telling a group of high school kids that you used to be able to bench 405 back in the day and that you were “as strong as an ox” when you were in your prime. There’s no way you can complete your full workout on the bench without your gloves to prevent calluses and it is an absolute must to have your towel near you at all times to wipe the excessive sweat pouring down your head.
35 minutes is the maximum amount of time you’re able to spend at the gym because the old ball and chain will have dinner ready for you soon.
Contrary to your music choice, you probably own an oversized Nirvana T-shirt that is a part of your go-to gym fit. Can you name one song by them? No – but hey, it’s trendy and you can take it off to show the sweet tank top you have underneath that’s about two sizes too small.
You try to stick to the machines and only touch free weights when absolutely necessary. Cardio is your time to shine, and the Stairmaster is always a must before you head out.
Gym attire is whatever you came to work in except you have a spare tank top at the ready so you can pair it with your wrangler jeans and work boots that look like they’ve been through hell. You don’t have a whole lot of time to be there, so you typically try to get in a few working sets of 135lbs on the smith machine bench before you call it a night.
You really don’t care what anyone thinks about you and there’s a high chance that you’re posting pictures onto your Snapchat story about “getting it in at the gym” more than you are actually lifting.
There’s no doubt about it, you’re a bodybuilder. Your wardrobe consists of more spandex than a teenage girl but it’s okay because it helps on leg day. You bring your prepped meals to the gym and you’re probably friends with the gym staff since you’re there for about 8 hours, so they let you use the microwave.
All eyes are on you while you workout but you’re not there to socialize. The most difficult part of your day is getting prepared for how many people are going to come up in the middle of a set to ask you, “How can I look like you one day?” – and they’re mostly going to be middle-aged men…
You typically pull up to the gym in a pair of Vans and you don’t socialize with anyone. Hypertrophy is your training of choice and while your physique might not show it, you’ve got incredible strength that everyone is enamored with. Instead of speaking to anyone, you prefer to focus on your masterfully curated playlist – switching between the same two Tame Impala albums while you rest.
Everyone considers you mysterious and is very interested in who you are but you’re in and out of the gym faster than the human eye can register.
It’s clear you’ve made your point when showing up to the gym with no headphones. You’ve either fallen victim to the atrocity that is forgetting them at home or you’ve for some reason made the choice to purposely not come to the gym with any music to workout with. If you’re the latter, you are not from this world.
You are a different species, possibly an alien or just downright insane. Either way, you are the one percent – the person you absolutely do not want to cross paths with. I’m shaking just thinking about this.
Now, before certain Karen's decide to go full-on attack mode – this is wholeheartedly a joke. Maybe… No, but seriously – this is all in good fun and it’s important to note that not everyone can be held to stereotypes that get created just by opinion-based narratives.
More importantly, everyone is entitled to do whatever they want and listen to whatever they want without judgment. If a certain music genre helps you make the most out of your workouts, then by all means – keep doing what you’re doing!
At the end of the day, music is essential and defines who we are in certain aspects. Having a kick-ass playlist for the gym is always great and it’s good to find songs that match how you’re feeling so you can keep dominating your workouts.
]]>For the average male, natural testosterone levels begin to decline after age 30 and due to the gradual drop in hormone production, the adverse effects start to creep up in ways that can impact daily life and overall health.
So, what’s the best way to boost testosterone levels?
From TRT (testosterone replacement therapy) to testosterone-boosting supplements – maybe it’s a change in your lifestyle. There are many ways to improve testosterone production both naturally and synthetically (if discussed with a physician), but what if I told you that the foods you eat can play a significant role in helping hormone production?
There’s quite a selection of foods that contain certain properties which can help with the conversion of androstenedione to testosterone. Before we get into what those best food options are, we must first do a quick synopsis of what exactly testosterone is.
Let’s get started.
Testosterone is a sex hormone that is essential to male development for reproductive function and energy levels. The hormone also plays a key role in masculine characteristics such as facial hair growth, the ability to gain muscle, and helps harden body composition.
As the natural production of testosterone starts to decline, the body will start to experience noticeable issues attributed to the reduction of testosterone. The signs of low testosterone can include all the following and more:
Low testosterone can be detrimental both mentally and physically due to the changes that can be experienced. However, having low testosterone levels is something that can be fixed with time if appropriately taken care of.
In this case, we’ve uncovered the best foods that can help improve natural testosterone levels that you may have not known could be your biggest X factor.
For those who suffer from low testosterone, it may be best to look at these foods to start implementing them into your daily diet. Perhaps you may find a new-found love for something you never ate before or maybe you simply just find that these foods help a great amount.
Let’s take a look.
Considered an aphrodisiac, oysters are incredibly beneficial for their testosterone-producing benefits. Oysters contain zinc, which helps improve sexual health and hormone production – one single oyster alone can contain up to 5.5 mg of zinc [1] which is already half of the recommended daily amount for adult males according to the National Institutes of Health. [2]
Oysters also share quite a similarity to some of the best testosterone-boosting supplements on the market today as oysters contain D-aspartic acid – the main ingredient used for supplements to help boost testosterone naturally.
D-aspartic acid has been shown to help improve reproductive health and increase testosterone during a systematic review. [3]
While it may be an acquired taste, oysters can taste even better and help boost testosterone even more when paired with the next item on our list.
Spice fiends, rejoice. There’s now a great excuse for adding an extra level of heat to every meal (if it’s complemented well). Yes, hot sauce is a natural testosterone booster mainly due to the capsaicin found in the peppers that create the spice.
Clinical trials have been conducted on the benefits of capsaicin and how it can be beneficial to reproductive health. One trial concluded that there is evidence that capsaicin can enhance the testicular cells which can improve the production of testosterone naturally. [4]
Just another reason to make your food extra spicy from now on.
Fatty fish like Salmon have many benefits for improving natural testosterone production like oysters. Salmon also contains zinc, which plays a primary role in sexual health and increased fertility. Zinc has been proven to help with combatting low sex drive and increasing libido when taken in the right amounts.
The content of omega-3 fatty acids from salmon and other fatty fish can help increase the production of testosterone as it increases luteinizing hormones and reduces sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) to allow for the increase of free testosterone levels. [5]
Adding healthy omega-3 fatty acids into your diet can be very beneficial from several health standards, not just for boosting testosterone only. If you’re not a big fan of seafood or want to be more budget-conscious, NuEthix Formulations created a superior fish oil product with Fatty Acids Pro that you can implement into your daily nutritional supply without breaking the bank or having to stink up the office by cooking your prepped fish at lunch.
As a sushi lover myself, I’ve always enjoyed the taste of ginger, but did you know that it’s one of the best foods to help increase natural testosterone levels? Ginger is well known for its nitric oxide (NO) increasing benefits that help with blood flow. Nitric oxide supports the Gonadotropin hormone which helps testosterone production and reproductive health.
One study found sufficient evidence that shows the enhancement of testosterone due to the high manganese content found in ginger. [6]
The blood flow support from ginger can reduce oxidative stress and protects the male testes from damage which can further help with the production of natural testosterone. [7]
The great thing about ginger is that it’s been around for a very long time and has been utilized anywhere from medicinal treatments, herbal teas, and drinks to food and timeless delicacies – making it extremely easy to add to your daily essentials.
While there’s been some controversy in the past regarding egg yolks and their high cholesterol and saturated fat content, there are some great benefits that make egg yolks one of the better options that you can choose.
Eggs are not only packed with protein, but they also contain considerable amounts of healthy vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids which play a crucial role in the production of testosterone. If you’re someone looking to build/gain muscle – whole eggs are the right way to go.
Whole eggs containing higher cholesterol shouldn’t scare you away. More cholesterol can be synthesized into vitamin D to help further boost testosterone according to one study conducted on physiology and cholesterol. [8]
Onions increase the production of the luteinizing hormone which can help boost testosterone levels naturally. Like ginger, onions also contain nitric oxide-boosting properties that can help improve overall blood flow and support testicular function.
The reduction of oxidative damage carried out from the content of onions can increase the performance of the cell which improves natural test levels. [9]
Due to the properties of onions and the ability to neutralize the damaging effects of formed free radicals, the antioxidant defense mechanism in the testes can further increase nitric oxide production which has shown positive effects on testosterone levels. [10]
Not to mention onions taste delicious and can be tossed into your favorite meals with the bonus benefits that come along with them.
Suffering from low testosterone is normal after a certain age, but there are many ways to combat this naturally just by making simple changes such as food choices. While food will only temporarily help boost testosterone levels, it’s certainly a great step in the right direction toward helping the cause.
Following a healthy and balanced diet will surely be beneficial not only from a weight management perspective but also to support proper nutrient intake. By following the advice above and incorporating these foods, you can gain the daily nutrients your body needs.
While there are many foods out there that can also help a considerable amount for boosting testosterone, it’s important to look for foods that contain higher amounts of vitamins such as vitamin D, and vitamin A. Zinc and D-aspartic acid are going to be the most beneficial for testosterone support so be sure to look for this as well.
Controlling hunger and cravings can be difficult when junk food is heavily marketed throughout the United States and the world in general. Often, you can’t even scroll through the internet or social media without being hit by a food ad that sets those cravings into overdrive.
Not being able to resist the urge of hunger can lead to excessive eating or making unhealthy diet decisions. Issues like this have pushed obesity into the limelight as it now affects 100.1 million adults, which is almost half of the adult population in the United States, and 14.7 million children in the United States alone according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). [1]
Hunger presents itself in many ways that trick us into believing our body needs food. Something as simple as boredom, or not drinking enough water plays a significant role in your ability to control food consumption.
So, what’s the best way to help reduce cravings and support weight loss without having to make drastic changes?
Well, there are many different natural ways you can suppress your appetite. After all, if you’re looking to transform your body and lose weight – you know how difficult this can be after altering your diet completely and being in a caloric deficit. Needless to say – you’re going to feel hungry all the time.
Let’s look at the top five ways you can suppress your appetite.
Yes, drinking water can help reduce hunger and suppress your appetite naturally. It is as simple as it sounds – just by staying hydrated and drinking more water, there’s a general feeling of fullness as water can take up more space in the stomach which can reduce the urge to eat.
Studies have shown that in one clinical trial in which participants were given up to three 500 ml bottles of water throughout the morning, they consumed less food when allowed to partake in a lunch buffet. [2]
The overall conclusion is that due to the effects that water intake has on the stomach, the fullness gained from proper hydration can reduce hunger cravings and naturally suppress your appetite.
So, if you’re feeling hungry quickly after eating a meal or just feel the need to snack on something throughout the day – try to drink a bottle of water or two so you’re not scurrying away to the vending machine or pantry scoping out snacks that can throw off your diet.
Your parents probably gave you lasting PTSD as a child when you were forced to eat all your vegetables before you could have that scoop of ice cream for dessert. Well, maybe they were onto something with this. As a kid, I know I couldn’t fathom eating all my dessert once I had to force down a cup of broccoli – I simply was always too full by the time I even got my tasty treat.
Simply put, micronutrients are great not only for health benefits but also because of being extremely low-calorie.
Now, why does that matter?
Consuming low-calorie foods like greens are also high-volume foods which means you can eat a lot more of them and with their slower digestion periods, you can feel a sense of fullness for much longer while keeping calories relatively low.
Vegetables are also packed with healthy fiber to help improve the secretion of gut hormones and suppress appetite naturally. Studies show that those who have a diet consisting of fibrous foods like vegetables and other high-volume low-calorie selections are less likely to eat more throughout the day and help support weight loss altogether. [3]
No, this is not a joke.
Chewing gum can provide you with a great way to suppress your appetite and you probably do this already without even knowing the benefits that it has on weight loss and the contributions toward reducing the urge to snack. While this may come as a surprise to most, there’s a reason for this being high on the list.
This doesn’t mean you should run to the store and get your favorite flavor of Big League Chew or Hubba Bubba. When looking to suppress appetite using the gum chewing method, it’s best to get sugar-free options or lower sugar when you can find them so you can keep your caloric intake down.
Sugarless gum is low in calories, cost-effective, and keeps your mind off junk food for the time being especially if you have a sweet tooth and need something to fulfill that desire.
Chewing gum has been used as a tool for weight loss and can help reduce cravings throughout the day just due to the simplicity of having something to keep your mouth busy and because of the flavor profiles, making it less tempting to pull some snacks out of your desk during a workday.
One randomized controlled trial showed that those who chewed more gum throughout the day had a significant impact on appetite suppression and had a lower desire to eat or snack on other foods. [4]
Nutritional supplements formulated around weight management and hunger control are great for immediately impacting appetite.
Appetite-suppressing supplements have been around for a very long time and have become very popular as of late due to their ability to assist in weight loss and reduce hunger cravings that occur when one is in a caloric deficit.
The best supplements for appetite suppression can range anywhere from thermogenic fat-burning compounds to glucose disposal agents and other non-stimulant-based products. Finding the best products for you can vary depending on what you’re looking for.
Most thermogenic fat burners contain cayenne pepper or similar ingredients to help increase your internal temperature which leads to more sweat production and in turn, helps burn more calories. However, most of these products are stimulant based which means if you’re sensitive to caffeine or don’t want an immediate energy boost, then this probably isn’t the best route to go.
If you do like the effects of stimulants, then most thermogenic fat-burning powders/pre-workouts are beneficial as you will commonly find formulas that have an ingredient panel specialized in raising internal thermal production while combined with energy-producing ingredients like Theobromine or Caffeine Anhydrous for fast-acting energy output.
Some of the best-rated appetite-suppressing supplements on the market can be non-stimulant based like L-Carnitine. This amino acid is great for reducing hunger and can support weight loss with its ability to convert fat storage into energy. NuEthix Formulations takes it one step further with their L-Carnitine supplement by utilizing liposomal technology for a better absorption rate within the body and compounding that with L-Citrulline to improve fullness and blood flow when you’re in the gym.
One study conducted by the European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism concluded that adults who supplemented their diets with L-Carnitine products showed a reduction in body weight, BMI, and fat mass during the systematic review. [5]
Glucose disposal agents are also considered one of the best fat loss prevention supplements as they can help shuttle nutrients directly into the bloodstream instead of storing them as fat. By adding glucose disposal agents such as GDA-Max+ by NuEthix Formulations to a carb-dense meal, you can maintain a sense of fullness for longer while having the extra energy expenditure in the gym which will help assist with the burning of calories.
Having a diet that consists of higher protein foods is essential to appetite suppression for many reasons. One of those reasons is that you burn calories trying to digest foods that are high in protein. Your body burns roughly 20-30% of those calories when metabolizing protein [6][7] – a clear win/win situation, wouldn’t you think?
Eating more protein can also reduce cravings throughout the day significantly and in one such study conducted on a group of teenage girls, there was a total reduction in cravings when they were given a breakfast consisting of higher protein-based foods. [8]
Foods that contain more protein can help release a hunger-suppressing hormone within the body (peptide YY) making you less inclined to feel the need to snack during the day or just eat more in general. [9]
Opting for more protein-dense foods or properly consuming a certain amount of protein with each meal is a great way to naturally curb your appetite while burning calories at the same time as your body is burning them off trying to digest them.
Controlling your hunger and cravings may seem difficult or perhaps you just find it next to impossible to stop yourself from hopping on Uber Eats to get yourself the new meal being advertised all over social media. Finding ways to stop this is fairly easy and can be done more commonly than most would expect.
Following the steps listed above should help keep your hunger at bay so you can continue with your weight loss journey without feeling like you’re constantly hungry all the time. Let’s be honest, nothing is worse than feeling like you’re starving but making these simple changes to your lifestyle or diet can almost significantly make an impact on this right away.
If you’re someone who has ultimately found yourself running into this issue for a very long time and maybe you feel like you’ve tried everything to fix it, these natural solutions may just be the answers you’ve been searching for all this time.
Often, you’ve probably heard through the grapevine or have been told directly that consuming carbs can be harmful and lead to excess weight gain. To put it simply, if you want to lose weight then you should develop this irrational fear of carbs and that you need to stay away from them at all costs in order to effectively cut the pounds.
Everything you’ve heard up to this point is a lie, more so, a myth…
Now, how could that be the case? After all, carbohydrate consumption does have major contributions toward weight gain. Well, let me tell you why you need to remove all the embedded information you’ve learned up to this point and why you should not fear carbs any longer.
The human body relies on carbs to help with the overall production and output of energy. Depriving your body of carbs can lead to negative effects if your body cannot provide itself with a main source. This can lead to catabolism in which your body will start to break down muscle to use for energy.
This can severely hinder any progress and ultimately set you back tenfold on your fitness journey. Should you not be consuming higher fats in your diet, the lack of carbs will leave your body with no other choice but to resort to eating away any muscle in order to produce the energy your body needs.
This is a highly overlooked situation that must be accounted for, otherwise, you’re doing a disservice to your goals and while you might think you’re on a good path to weight loss – you’re making it that much harder to obtain your goals.
While low-carb diets are effective for weight loss, it’s important to properly structure your diet around maintaining necessary macronutrient intake.
The bottom line, eliminating carbs altogether isn’t the greatest approach when it’s the biggest energy resource your body relies on.
Yes, there are carbohydrate sources out there that can increase weight gain when excessively consumed. It’s vital to sort out the good carbs from the bad carbs and make smarter/healthier choices when it comes down to your meal selections.
Consuming simple carbs can cause a spike in insulin that leads to overeating as your body quickly digests them. These simple carbs are found in common everyday diets such as:
It’s good to avoid these items in general when dieting due to the many negative impacts they have from a nutritional value standpoint.
Instead, opting for complex carbohydrates is the better option as they are considered slow-digesting and can help keep you full for longer. Complex carbs also include fiber and starch to reduce the blood sugar spike that occurs when eating foods that contain complex carb sources.
The nutritional value of complex carbs is much greater as they contain many nutrient-rich vitamins and minerals, plus antioxidants that your body needs daily.
Examples of complex carbs include the following:
When refuting evidence that carbohydrates should be avoided, it should be noted that you need to avoid simple carbs and opt for complex carbs to avoid gaining weight. In fact, complex carbs can greatly improve energy output and reduce overall body fat as you start to reduce your caloric intake since you are utilizing slow-digesting carbs which will significantly reduce hunger cravings.
Make the smart choice and opt for more nutrient-rich sources that provide your body with essential vitamins and minerals.
High-intensity training sessions are essential for building muscle and losing body fat. However, your body becomes depleted of glycogen which can reduce recovery time and overall stamina during a workout. Adding carbs intra-workout can help replenish glucose to keep performance at peak levels so you can maintain optimal training sessions.
Utilizing complex carbs that are properly timed before your workout can also provide significant benefits that include keeping your body full as the digestion process is much longer than that of simple carbs. It also helps increase overall energy levels so you can have a sustainable workout without feeling tired.
To optimize training even further, you can take advantage of using supplements such as glucose disposal agents that support nutrient partitioning. GDAs are able to shuttle nutrients into the bloodstream which convert to energy rather than being stored as fat. NuEthix Formulations created a high-quality product just for this reason with, GDA Max+.
Carbs also are a main source of recovery for your muscles as the tissue becomes broken during training. Adding nutritious carbohydrates post-workout is great for feeding the muscle groups and ensuring they have adequate nutrients needed for repair.
With so much information on the internet and the constant trend where carbs are considered the devil, it’s essential to acknowledge the facts behind the information being thrown out there. The simple fact is that carbs shouldn’t be treated as an ugly stepchild or should be avoided altogether.
Understanding the difference between what’s considered a bad carb and a good carb is the most effective way to approach every diet. If you’re on a weight loss journey, it’s best to have carbs in moderation if you’re keeping your fat and protein intake at a good amount to make up for benefits lost with the consumption of carbs.
Eating carbs is perfectly fine and there’s nothing to be afraid of when it comes down to this. The same case that’s made about carbs can also be said about fats, which we’ll save for another time. Make smart choices and research before you hit the grocery store trying to avoid every food in sight because you think the carbs will hurt you.
]]>Why, you ask?
Well, when the only thing you have on your mind is the gym – you tend to believe that it’s a necessity to go to the gym 7 days a week. By doing so, you feel like you should skip rest days because you want to gain that extra edge and not feel so guilty about missing out on your workout.
After all, isn’t it a good thing to work out every day and not spend time on the couch watching Netflix? Not really. In fact, not taking advantage of rest days can severely hinder progress and could potentially lead to added injury risk.
The problem is that there’s generally a dark cloud that hovers over rest days. You feel like you’re not making any progress by taking the day off or there’s a sense of guilt by not going to the gym. Pushing these feelings aside, rest days are actually a great thing – both mentally and physically.
While it might be a strange concept to grasp at first, there really is a strong need to just kick back and relax. But what exactly do the benefits of taking rest days entail and why should they be considered important?
Let’s look at the top 5 reasons you need to start taking rest days.
The biggest need for utilizing some good ole, R&R, is for the simple fact that it helps improve your body’s ability to recover after a long week of intense workouts. Pushing your body into overdrive in the gym is great. Still, if you’re constantly tearing down muscle fibers and not allowing enough time for recovery before training them again, you’re going to do more damage or potentially stall out or become injured.
Constantly pushing your body to its limit can cause much stress and tension. Throwing in a rest day or two allows your body to focus on repairing itself which leads to greater muscle growth.
Most importantly, rest days are used to help reduce the risk of more common/severe injuries that can come along with high-intensity training. Injuring yourself will become a huge setback and can further push you back from obtaining your goals. This is a big issue as it’ll take more time and effort to heal and by then, you’re starting from ground zero again in the gym.
Order that pizza, watch that show you’ve had in your queue for months – chill the hell out and relax a little – you deserve it and so does your body!
Being high-strung and always feeling like you can’t go out and do something or you can’t eat a certain food is a mental hurdle when you’re really focused on bettering yourself. But does it really need to be an everyday thing? No, absolutely not.
Your mental health needs to be treated with high importance as well. By ignoring it, you can potentially start to get off track as your overall motivation or desire to even go to the gym decreases. The added stress of feeling like you always need to go work out or stick to your diet can be overwhelming and suffocating if you’re not careful.
Letting yourself take the day off can improve your outlook and help get you focused on the next week ahead. It shouldn’t be a struggle to drag yourself to the gym, you should be excited and ready to crush your next workout.
While it’s a great way to reset your mind, it also gives you the time to go enjoy the things you want to do. Everyone is human, it’s okay to make time for other things outside of the gym – if you put in the work and are making progress – then a mental rest is very much beneficial.
There is nothing better than waking up in the morning with an empty schedule and the ability to lay in bed all day and just catch up on some sleep. Many of us live hectic lifestyles; always on the go, working, or constantly having to run from place to place.
Making time for the gym with a lot on your plate is difficult to manage in most instances. Working out daily also throws a wrench in hormonal balances with increased cortisol and adrenaline being the main culprits that can cause sleepless nights of tossing and turning.
Fatigue and exhaustion can become major issues when it comes to your daily schedule and can throw off your workouts entirely by causing a lack of concentration and energy you need to accomplish a solid training session.
Taking a rest day is helpful as it promotes balance with hormones which allow sleep patterns to return to normal.
Sleep is key for many reasons. It’s important for muscle recovery and lean muscle growth. Without it, your body is lacking the sufficient recovery time it needs during deep REM sleep where your body is most relaxed.
A common issue seen with some individuals is that they tend to hit a certain spot within their progression where it feels like they are no longer making progress or starting to plateau entirely. This can be the ultimate spark of frustration for most people as they feel like they’re doing everything they can to push themselves to the limit.
That’s just the problem.
If you’ve found yourself in a dilemma where nothing you’re doing seems to be working or you’re simply not making any ground with your progression goals – odds are, you just need to take a day or two off. Yes, that’s really all that’s needed…
This is the body’s way of telling you to take a break because it desperately needs one. Constantly pushing yourself day in and day out will only get you so far; if you’re not allowing for recovery time, then you won’t be able to make any progress.
Take a day or even a couple of days off. Let your body reset itself and you’ll walk into the gym like a whole new person with increased strength you didn’t know you had and just a refreshed state of mind after allowing yourself some time away from the gym.
The added recovery time will help you push past those plateaus and can kickstart your goals once more.
There is such a thing as working out ‘too’ much. The term, overtraining, is commonly used within the fitness community that’s described as a syndrome in which your body becomes overly stressed due to the amount of training without much rest.
On some occasions, overtraining can be deadly. Putting your body through rigorous training and not allowing yourself a break can lead to potential medical issues if not properly taken care of. Rhabdomyolysis (rhabdo) is a medical condition caused by overtraining in which the muscle tissue starts to release a protein into the bloodstream which causes extreme fatigue and exhaustion as well as kidney damage or total renal failure if not properly treated.
If you’ve ever thought that working out too much couldn’t kill you, well, you’re wrong. It’s critical to allow yourself proper recovery time to avoid instances of overtraining. If you’re developing similar symptoms, it’s time to put the weights down and hop into bed for some much-needed time off.
Rest days shouldn’t be frowned upon or avoided when the opportunity arises. Taking time off is essential to the building blocks of everyone’s fitness and health journey because of the benefits surrounding them.
Just as motivated as you may be to go to the gym each day, you should also be just as hyped to stay away from the gym sometimes. Just like with all wounds, your body needs to heal and recover – use the same ideology when it comes down to working out.
If you’re finding it difficult to truly take advantage of rest days with sleep or you really just need to break the stress a little bit – add in supplements that support hormonal regulation like Cort-Eaze to help reduce cortisol imbalance or try taking a natural sleep aid that supports stress relief with Relax Liposomal.
You’ll go much further by giving both your mind and body a much-needed break.
]]>Sammy received her Bachelors of Athletic Training at UW-Eau Claire prior to her official start as a fitness competitor back in 2015. The true dedication Sammy shows when it comes to creating a healthier body led her to become a certified personal trainer through her completion of the NASM course.
It was in 2021, that Samantha started to experience many health issues that greatly impacted her daily life. Enter fitness guru, Jason Theobald. The NuEthix Lead Formulator took Samantha on as a client and worked on getting her health back to normal with the incorporation of NuEthix Formulations supplements and many more lifestyle changes.
With her health starting to improve, Samantha became very passionate about working with NuEthix and spreading information to others about the products that helped her get back to optimal levels. As a coach with Fitbody Fusion, she helps train many clients that range from those seeking help in fitness competitions, lifestyle changes, and overall transformative health.
Samantha was able to use the knowledge she gained from Jason's Functional Mentorship Program and relay that to clients who are also in a similar situation she was once in prior to seeking help from NuEthix Formulations.
]]>Now that I have your undivided attention with that opening statement – let’s get real for a moment…
Seriously, stop thinking you need to create a habitual lifestyle centered around working out 7 days a week. I’m an avid gym goer as well with a strong case of body dysmorphia, trust me – I know how hard it can be to compress that ideology especially when you’ve made fitness and health the focal point of your entire lifestyle.
While you think going to the gym 7 days a week is the ultimate way to achieve your fitness goals, it can be quite negative. Contrary to popular belief, you still need rest days for adequate recovery time for many reasons.
This is why we need to break this down more in-depth…
We need to assess why going to the gym non-stop is not as healthy as you may think it is. Especially if you’re just starting on your new fitness journey – it’s a common misconception to believe you need to go to the gym every single day of the week with no off-time and that everyone who works out doesn’t have rest days.
Let’s start by clarifying one thing here. Going to the gym 7 days a week isn’t a bad thing – the main emphasis is on what you’re doing at the gym. If you’re weight training on a proper split and breaking up cardio between days, then you’re in good shape.
However, if you’re someone who is not only weight training but also doing cardio every single day, then please chill the heck out and re-evaluate your training regime.
Being highly motivated to achieve your goals is a great thing but do you know what else is great? Being able to achieve those goals by educating yourself on the importance of muscle recovery and why jumping into a 7-day routine won’t expedite the process any faster.
Credit to all the fellow gym rats though, you can’t help but respect the grind of those who make it their mission to achieve optimal health and fitness levels. There’s nothing wrong with having the desire to show up to the gym every single day and train like your life depends on it.
It’s time to finally put this question to bed… Is working out every day necessary? No, it’s not necessary and there’s scientific evidence that shows overtraining and not giving your body a rest day can ultimately lead to more negative effects.
The most obvious downside to working out every single day is the simple fact that you’re not giving your body any time to properly recover. When you work out, you’re tearing down muscle fibers. To grow your muscles, you need to allow them to recover before you go and break them down again.
Simply put, if your muscle fibers are still torn down and you’re training them again before they’ve had time to repair; you’re not going to make any progress or it’s going to be minimal at best. This also leads to overtraining, which can be deadly if not properly looked into.
Yes, deadly…
You’ve probably heard of the term, “overtraining”. It’s a very real thing that can lead to Rhabdomyolysis (or rhabdo) in which you haven’t allowed for proper recovery and the muscular cells release a protein in the bloodstream. This can have serious consequences on your kidneys and other organs which can also prove to be fatal.
There is such a thing as “going too hard in the gym”, and prioritizing recovery should be a main goal of yours even if you only have a month until you hit the beach and procrastinated to get in shape all winter long.
Training 7 days a week can also be mentally draining as well as you continue to push toward overtraining. Working too hard and not giving yourself a break can lead to chronic fatigue and exhaustion which can hurt your workouts even more. By having a poor workout, you deal with the stress that comes along with that as well as the complete loss of motivation as you continue to have declining workouts.
You also run the risk of potential injury when training non-stop with no breaks. It’s not worth the time spent being out of the gym with an injury because you couldn’t bear to give yourself a little bit of a break.
Genetics, work schedule, exercise program, current physique, active goals, and diet – are all contributing factors that lead to how many days you should be working out in a week. Whether you’re someone who is a beginner or has basic experience, you ultimately need to build out a training program.
It’s very important to figure out, first, how many days you believe you can make it to the gym or a fitness center. Life happens – kids’ sports games, after-school activities, etc. There will always be situations where you need to accommodate to your everyday life and there’s nothing wrong with this. It’s about finding a balance and creating some additional time to focus on your fitness goals.
However, you still need to hold yourself accountable for making time, especially if you truly have a desire to get in better shape. Life is always about obstacles being thrown in your direction but if you’re finding the time to get in the gym and finish your workouts in full, you’re just fine.
Creating a training split that focuses on one or two muscle groups per day is a great rule of thumb and usually, you can create a consistent schedule of going to the gym at least 5 days a week to hit each of the muscle groups. If you’re strapped for time or don’t have enough days in the week, you may want to incorporate a push/pull day schedule which can be broken down to around 3 days a week.
These weight training splits allow for each muscle fiber group to be torn down but also recover before the next time you train said muscle group.
If you’re focused on weight loss, you can incorporate your cardio into your post-workout activities, in the morning, or on one of your rest days. Since you’re not training with weights, many individuals opt to do cardio on their rest days so they can maintain consistency in making it to the gym each day. It’s also a great boost for mental health if you have a good and motivational environment around you in the gym.
Once you develop a routine, easier it is to maintain and stay on schedule.
No matter what goals you’ve set for yourself, it’s important to remember your overall health and properly recognize the educational side of training. Working out every day of the week isn’t necessary, and you shouldn’t have to force yourself to go to the gym all 7 days because you think it’s the only way to progress toward your goals.
Focus on proper weight training and cardio schedule. Allow your body the recovery time you need and enjoy your day(s) off from the gym when you truly need them.
Don’t psyche yourself out mentally thinking you’re never going to get the body you want, or you are losing out on days you can spend in the gym making gains. Recovery, recovery, recovery! Rest days are very much needed so use them and don’t neglect them.
Lastly, no amount of training can outwork a bad diet… Make sure you not only have your workout program down but also your diet. Proper nutrition plays a key role in making sure you have great workouts and sustainable energy throughout the day.
In layman’s terms, if you eat crap food then you’re bound to have a poor workout. Don’t ruin your goals by letting poor nutrition control your training and making things a struggle for you daily.
]]>Suddenly, you feel a slight tickle in your throat. That tickle then leads to a small coughing fit, and just out of the corner of your eye, you see your mom burst through the room like a SWAT team, at the ready with a carton of orange juice and a boatload of Flintstones vitamins.
You already know what’s about to go down… You’re now getting the full-on “so help me god, please don’t let this child get sick” treatment.
But why are multivitamins and orange juice almost always the go-to methods of sickness preparation? Growing up, you’ve probably wondered the same thing and maybe still take the same approach each time you feel a cold coming on.
The reason why it’s always been heavily relied on is because of the vitamin C content and the underlying benefits that come along with preventing sickness or helping your body’s immune system fight back and stay healthy. Vitamin C has been heavily researched for ages regarding its benefits that go above and beyond just helping increase immunity and overall health.
Vitamin C is so freaking important that it’s become a common household necessity; whether it’s in multivitamin form, food, drinks, and so on. Your favorite fruit? Yes, it has vitamin C. The great thing is that it’s found in so many different forms, making it easily accessible to hit your daily intake.
But what makes vitamin C so great and why is it so important?
In this article, we break down the importance of vitamin C plus all the health benefits, how much you need daily, and where you can most commonly find it.
Your body relies on nutrients for many reasons, but vitamin C plays a large role in keeping your immune system high. Without a healthy immune system, you become susceptible to sicknesses and diseases that can become extremely detrimental to your overall health and well-being.
Just like how your body can become nutrient deficient, a lack of vitamin C can increase your risk of many different health-related issues. Your body relies on vitamin C to help with many different functions that include the following:
Many studies have also shown that vitamin C has been linked to disease prevention where a clinical trial performed in Japan during the period of 1973-1977 shows that the average survival rate for terminal cancer patients was 15% higher in those who had supplemented with vitamin C. [6]
Along with disease prevention, vitamin C also has great benefits that range from an increase in overall fertility [7], all the way down to protect against the common cold [8] – hence why it’s been widely praised as being a necessity whenever you feel yourself coming down with something.
As you can see (no pun intended), vitamin C has a wide range of benefits and plays a large role in your daily health when you’re meeting the proper daily value.
Your daily recommended amount solely comes down to your age and gender in order to properly calculate your body’s nutrient dependency. For example, children who are between the ages of 1-13 typically only need around 15 mg – 45 mg which is on the lower end of the spectrum depending on their age group at that time.
According to the National Institutes of Health, the average adult male needs roughly 90 mg of vitamin C daily, while the average adult female needs about 75 mg. Pregnant teens and women are recommended to have an increase in total vitamin C intake at around 80-85 mg while breastfeeding teens and adult females are recommended to get even more at about 115-120 mg per day. [7,8,9,10]
Life Stage | Recommended Amount |
---|---|
Birth to 6 months | 40 mg |
Infants 7–12 months | 50 mg |
Children 1–3 years | 15 mg |
Children 4–8 years | 25 mg |
Children 9–13 years | 45 mg |
Teens 14–18 years (boys) | 75 mg |
Teens 14–18 years (girls) | 65 mg |
Adults (men) | 90 mg |
Adults (women) | 75 mg |
Pregnant teens | 80 mg |
Pregnant women | 85 mg |
Breastfeeding teens | 115 mg |
Breastfeeding women | 120 mg |
If you’re an avid smoker, your body will need about 35 mg or more per day than what the average recommended amount shows due to an increase in oxidative stress. [11]
Keep in mind that it’s relatively easy to achieve this daily recommended value, especially with everyday foods you have around the house. The average small orange contains up to 51 mg of vitamin C alone according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. [12]
An orange a day, keeps the doctor away – am I right?
People who are deficient in vitamin C can experience the following: [13,14,15,16,17,18]
If you’re not getting the proper amount of vitamin C daily, you’re depriving your body of this essential vitamin which is not a very good thing as you can see. It’s very important that you continue to monitor your nutrient intake and/or get tested to see if you may be deficient in certain vitamins and minerals.
By simply making sure you’re meeting your daily recommended amount, you are helping improve your health and get all the benefits that vitamin C has to offer. If you’re struggling to meet your daily need for food and drinks alone, try opting for a basic multivitamin that has the proper amount – this will allow you to meet your daily need in a convenient and easy method.
It is important to note that it’s very uncommon to ever be deficient in vitamin C simply because you don’t need a lot of it, and it’s commonly found in many different foods and drinks without you even knowing it – this makes it much easier to consume the right amounts.
As previously stated, vitamin C is found in very common foods and drinks. From citrus fruit like oranges to vegetables such as bell peppers, broccoli, and cauliflower – I mean, the list goes on and on. It’s extremely easy to find sources that contain a high amount of vitamin C without having to search online looking for different methods to obtain it.
There are also many different multivitamins or oral liquid forms of vitamin C, including NuEthix Formulations’ brand-new product, Liposomal C. In fact, the liposomal form is water soluble and has been proven to absorb up to 70% better than other forms of oral vitamin C.
Packing up to 1000 mg of vitamin C in a single serving, Liposomal C is an incredibly sufficient and convenient way of helping boost your body’s immune system and combat potential illnesses while still meeting your daily vitamin C needs. Available in a great-tasting liquid form, there’s no better solution if you’re looking to maintain optimal health levels.
While being widely praised for its positive effects on health, vitamin C is also highly studied for its results at higher doses. Surpassing the daily recommended amount has played a role in being an aid to cancer patients who are undergoing chemotherapy as vitamin C can help prevent additional illnesses while repairing cells that have been damaged during treatment.
Macro-dosing vitamin C is also vital to those who suffer from anemia as it helps aid in increased iron absorption. Many anemic individuals who suffer from iron deficiency will take higher doses of vitamin C along with an iron supplement in order to sufficiently help with this issue.
When taken intravenously, higher doses of vitamin C can increase the bioavailability inside the body in order to repair and heal while being completely absorbed by cells making macro dosing a strong point for those in need of daily care.
The short answer here is no. While the recommended maximum daily intake is 2,000 mg per day [19], there’s technically no amount that would cause any damage to you. In fact, taking large doses of Vitamin C has been proven beneficial for many individuals who suffer from a weakened immune system. While your body is unlikely to absorb anything at irregular amounts, it certainly will not do much aside from maybe causing a slight belly ache at the most.
In some circumstances, cancer patients have been given higher doses of vitamin C due to their weakened immune systems [20], this has proved to be beneficial and improved the quality of life of those who were treated with larger amounts of vitamin C.
It’s certainly unlikely to overdose on vitamin C also as it’s extremely rare and you would have to take in an absurd amount that just isn’t possible in all circumstances. So no, you’re perfectly safe even taking higher amounts of vitamin C – the worst that could happen is some small GI discomfort.
From your childhood memories of being sick and having to chug orange juice all the way to your pre-cold prevention rituals as an adult -- Vitamin C is a staple in helping your immune system so you can stay healthy and feel better.
There are many great sources of vitamin C available and it’s very easy to hit your daily recommended amount, whether that be from food/drinks to supplements. There are plenty of optimal ways to achieve all the benefits that vitamin C has to offer.
With so many clinical health studies and proven benefits, there is a strong importance of vitamin C and why it’s become a household name for medical and daily life reasons. If you feel like you’re not getting enough vitamin C, talk to your physician or healthcare professional about what can be offered for you.
You figure it can’t be detrimental to your physical health because you’ve been working out hard and dieting -- it can’t hurt to pop back a few drinks and get a little bit tipsy. After all, it’s only a few drinks – what could it do to harm your progress?
While being this positive-minded is nice, it’s not necessarily the outcome you should expect as alcohol can play a major role in hindering one’s progress in the gym and in the mirror.
Now, does this mean alcohol is bad for your fitness goals and should be avoided altogether?
Well, to an extent – yes and no. There are many reasons why alcohol is frowned upon in the diet and fitness realm as there are a lot of contradicting claims and studies out there proving each side of its beliefs.
Drinking alcohol and fitness has been a common subject within the health and wellness community as there’s much debate over how mixing the two together can cause negative impacts even when there’s an importance on properly balancing the two.
For this portion, we need to discuss how alcohol can negatively affect your fitness and health goals both long-term and short-term.
The empty calories in alcohol serve no nutritional benefits and provide no real value as your body spends less time trying to burn fat and converting nutrients to energy but rather using those resources to help eliminate the alcohol from your body.
Your body considers alcohol as a toxin instead of focusing on the absorption of other nutrients. This can also lead to a build-up of fat stored in the liver while potentially creating more severe diseases associated with this.
There’s a good reason for the term, “beer belly” – and you’ve probably seen how alcohol can turn abs into flab. You also don’t see many individuals with lean physiques overly indulging in alcoholic beverages daily.
Even just one night of drinking can cause a great deal of stress on the body and is deemed to be more impactful on a negative level as it’s directly attributed to weight gain as your body builds up stored fat that cannot be metabolized.
Alcohol can significantly impact your weight loss goals as most drinks are very high in calories. Even your favorite Moscato is loaded up with sugar, it’s just hiding on the back of the label where you don’t think to look at first glance.
Opting for a mixed drink? You may want to think again about what’s going into that – sugary sodas or juices are commonly used for mixed drinks and will only increase your caloric intake for one drink, making it extremely detrimental to your overall diet.
While opting for a light beer and/or clear liquor is a much more “diet-friendly” option, the calories and carbohydrates will add up after you continue to drink more and more. Your favorite “low-calorie” light beer that consists of around 90-95 calories can turn into 500 before the blink of an eye. By then, you’ll have to account for that in your diet as calories consumed in which there’s no general nutritional value.
Drinking too much alcohol has been proven to cause hormonal imbalances and reduced testosterone levels which can sabotage any type of weight loss goals you have. Weight gain and softer body composition are associated with the consumption of alcohol as the body produces higher cortisol levels and drastically reduces overall natural testosterone levels in males.
So, while it may not be visible on the outside while drinking – you can typically start to feel the effects take place the very next day. You’ll notice your body starts to soften up and may not be as hard as it was prior – this is caused by the increase of estrogen your body produces when persistent alcohol is introduced to the body.
This will significantly slow down progression as it takes more time for your body to recomp after a few nights and weeks of drinking. Even if you think you can outwork the alcohol in the gym, you cannot outwork the negative hormone imbalances that alcohol consumption brings to your body.
We’ve all been there before; nothing hits the spot when you’re feeling inebriated quite like a greasy meal that includes all your guilty pleasures. With alcohol comes impaired judgment and decision-making that can really throw off your diet as you start to slide into those levels of drunkenness with each drink. It’s much easier to cave into your cravings and say “eff it” on your diet as you stroll into the uber eats app ready to drop a heavy dime on bad food when you’re not thinking on a clear level like you would sober.
If you’re going to drink, please do so responsibly and make sure you have someone available to help you resist the urge to go and order fatty foods that will make you feel more terrible and guilty come the morning.
Grab one of your prepped meals before and eat that prior to a night of drinking so you remain full and don’t have the urges/cravings to eat whatever sounds good at the time. If you’re still hungry throughout the night, make sure you pack another pre-made meal so you can fulfill your hunger without stopping at a nearby Taco Bell for a burrito fix, your toilet and stomach will thank you later.
Of course, it is.
Drinking responsibly and only having a few alcoholic beverages on occasion is not enough to derail your entire progress in one night. It’s all about strategizing how you can fit it into your diet for the day as you will need to subtract calories away from normal food to make it fit but if you do this and don’t go crazy, you will be perfectly fine.
This doesn’t mean drinking every night or even every other night though; simply consuming alcohol once a week or every other week is a great middle ground to enjoy both the social life with drinking as well as keeping your physique at an optimal level without sacrificing your gains.
Try opting for smarter choices at the bar or liquor store, don’t load up on too many mixed drinks that have sodas and juices. Instead, go for the smarter, low calories options that still get the job done but don’t overload you with empty calories.
If you’re adhering to a strict diet but still want to introduce some alcoholic beverages on occasion, don’t sweat it as there are plenty of good alternatives for you to choose from without having to sacrifice your diet.
Enjoy some of these low-calorie, low-carb alcoholic options that better suit your fitness and health goals:
A sure-fire option that comes in at 100 calories or less that can be mixed with any diet sodas or zero-calorie mixers.
100 calories or less and can be taken as a shot rather than mixed with something that isn’t diet-friendly like a margarita.
Shoot for a whiskey on the rocks if you’re looking to stay lower on your caloric intake for the night. Don’t opt for any sodas or request a diet soda instead.
Michelob Ultra is a great option when looking for a beer that is low on calories and net carbs. Under 100 calories and can be a great alternative when looking for a nice beer selection.
The bottom line here is that while alcohol has many negative effects that can significantly impact your weight loss goals, it doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it from time to time without worrying if it will hurt your progress in the gym.
If you aren’t creating a habit of drinking too much or making it more than a once-a-week enjoyment, you can certainly kick back or head out for a night of responsible drinking.
Indulging in a few alcoholic drinks on occasion is perfectly fine and improvements can still be made within your health and fitness journey without the negative effects associated with alcohol.
Stay ahead of the game and prepare your meals to resist those drunken cravings, drink plenty of water, and reduce your risks of a dreaded hangover the next day by incorporating some amino acids such as Essential Energy by NuEthix Formulations. Go a further step ahead for all of your hormonal regulation needs by taking Cort-Eaze daily to reduce increased cortisol which can be affected by alcoholic consumption.
]]>It's a day that, based on the internet's definition, essentially tells you to go out and binge on whatever food and drinks you want at an ungodly amount without feeling the guilt or remorse afterward because you can treat it as a reward for a week of healthy/flexible dieting.
Seems self-explanatory, right?
Now, you might find yourself saying, “but I read that it’s only beneficial to have a cheat meal, not a cheat day”.
Like most diet terminology, there are bound to be insurmountable misconceptions and definitions that vary based on where they’re planted on the internet. While we’re on that point – it should be noted that there’s a significant difference between cheat days and cheat meals which we will define in this article.
First, let’s jump into properly defining what cheat days and cheat meals are and why/how they can be beneficial for your body as you continue your diet journey.
A cheat can be classified as a break from your daily diet while also acting as a mental relief when restricting yourself to specific foods and depriving yourself of the indulgent goodies you’ve grown accustomed to knowing and loving.
It’s also a way to kickstart your metabolism after you’ve been restricted on your caloric intake and daily macronutrient profile for the past week. So, shoveling down a greasy burger can have a noticeable impact on the positive side for your body when you’ve been face deep in ground turkey and rice for days on end.
Not to mention, you’re rewarding yourself for all the hard work both physically and mentally you put in during the prior 6 days and allowing yourself to gain some enjoyment back because as the saying goes, dieting sucks.
No, seriously – dieting does really suck.
When you put in the effort that goes into dieting hard, you most certainly deserve a hearty meal that puts a smile on your face and the love in your tastebuds.
A rule of thumb is displayed exactly in the title; day/meal. Typically, most people think of it as being a cheat day, therefore making it applicable to eat whatever you want for a whole day versus one meal only.
This is where the misconceptions start to take place. So, what is it? Cheat day or meal and which one is better for you?
Beneficially speaking, one cheat meal can be more productive rather than an entire day of eating whatever you want. The common strategy of having a free-for-all diet mentality for an entire day can be more counterproductive than you think but I digress. The question of, “which is better?” ultimately comes down to where you’re at in your diet and how your body best responds.
Is it beneficial to have a full-blown cheat day on the first week of your diet? Probably not. You must assess where you are with your goals and ultimately make that decision yourself. If you find yourself not being able to lose weight but you’re also having multiple cheat meals; then you should probably rethink your strategy on this moving forward.
To define this answer more also depends on your body because not everyone is the same. Some individuals may have more success and benefit more from having an all-out day of eating whatever they want whereas someone else may experience the negative effects of doing a 24-hour binge.
However, the negative aspects of going on a full day of diet cleansing are both mentally and physically related. Here are a few downsides that may occur when utilizing a cheat day rather than a cheat meal.
Feeding your body copious amounts of greasy, trans-fat filled, and sugar-loaded foods can have a blatant impact on your stomach when your body is not adjusted to eating those types of foods on a regular basis. This can make you feel sicker and more bloated or just downright terrible if you’re downing a pizza for one meal and then fried chicken for the next. 24 hours of eating whatever you want may not necessarily be the best thing to do health-wise.
Giving in to your cravings for a whole day can pose a serious risk of letting you get off track on your diet. While it may have been fun to eat all of the great food for a whole day, you may find yourself craving more of the same bad foods during the week. After all, we are human – we make mistakes. One slip-up and caving into those desires can set you back further and lead to a spiral of more and more slip-ups.
You might find yourself feeling incredible after your first cheat meal but as that one meal turns into a whole day; you can run into issues of feeling guilty or upset at yourself for over-indulging in foods you normally don’t eat. This can lead to a downward trend in mental health, especially if you suffer from body dysmorphia.
While you run the same potential negative risks -- whether that be for a day or meal; it’s important to note that you would be far better off treating yourself to that one big meal and you reduce the risk of turning one cheat into another, and then another…
Again, this is all dependent on your body. Your metabolism plays a huge role and don’t get frustrated because someone else may be able to go on an all-out binge-filled food festival for an entire day without seeing any repercussions from it. If you’re one of those people that can benefit from it with major progression still and can mentally handle it – then by all means, go for it!
Absolutely, a cheat can be highly beneficial for your body and mental health as explained earlier. This is life, it is certainly okay to enjoy a delicious pizza every now and then. Dieting can take a serious toll on your mental health and a cheat meal/day is most definitely beneficial for your body and mind – just don’t go overboard and let it turn into a cheat week or cheat month.
Cheats can be used as a major benefit when plateauing or stalling on your weight loss journey as it helps your body produce a higher metabolic rate; in-turn – speeding up weight loss or improving muscle growth/strength after being in a caloric deficit for long periods of time.
One cheat day/meal every week or every other week will not hinder your progress but rather improve it when dieting down.
I can’t begin to describe how much a burger and fries from Five Guys really puts me in a better mood after a week of dieting. Just don’t check your bank account until a few days after making a purchase from there, otherwise, your frown will most definitely flip upside-down.
Listen to your body, look at your body, and point out what goals you have. This is crucial when planning to have a cheat day/meal. If you’re not happy with the way you’re progressing, then it’s most likely going to do more harm than good by having a cheat.
Should you have set goals and are primarily set on achieving said goals in a certain amount of time, take those into account. Don’t risk what you have set by taking on off-diet foods when you really shouldn’t be doing so.
If you’re having a tough time losing weight still but your diet has been going to plan; shoot for a cheat meal to help improve your metabolism so that you can get back on track. The same also goes for plateauing with lean muscle growth, throw in a big meal post-workout if you’ve been struggling to make any progress in the gym but you’ve been nailing your diet down – don’t be afraid to add one in!
A major must-use when having a cheat meal to fully benefit from the macronutrient intake is including a Glucose Disposal Agent supplement to take full advantage of your high-carb meal(s) as the nutrient partitioning process will shuttle nutrients into the bloodstream instead of storing it as fat; making it effective for muscle growth and energy expenditure.
NuEthix Formulations has the ultimate foundation with GDA-Max+ that you can take alongside your cheat meal(s) and every high-carb meal during your daily diet.
The trending popularity for cheat days/meals has exponentially popped off as the world has started to prioritize health and dieting. Understanding what a cheat day and meal are put diet at the forefront, otherwise, every day would be treated as a cheat day.
It’s important to have a structured diet in place first and adhere to the said diet, otherwise, any progress would be completely shunned or completely offset.
The term, ‘cheat’ should also be not so loosely thrown around as it has a more negative sounding impact rather than positive. Replacing it with something such as ‘free meal’ sheds a much more positive light on this dieting aspect.
Understanding where you are at, your goals and your body’s reaction are vital elements when focusing on free meals and cheat days. Just don’t go crazy and risk major slip-ups when allowing yourself these meals and you will be just fine and on a better path for progression both mentally and physically.
]]>Listen, Googling for answers and/or checking forums/threads is always a convenient way to get some answers but they are also going to give you the most mixed opinions that may leave you more confused about what to do than you were before.
If you’re someone who has a steady routine going, it’s always a pain trying to adjust to taking a rest day when you normally wouldn’t. After all, you may be one to believe that training while being under the weather may help reduce your sickness a bit.
There are many important factors to look at before making the decision to head into your local gym for a workout in a questionable health state.
Let’s first answer the question you’ve been looking for.
While should is a more definitive term, there’s no direct answer to this question without going a bit more in-depth on the differences between when you should and shouldn’t.
Yes, you certainly can but it may be more detrimental than positive. Your body is the sole contributor toward how you’re able to handle the physical output and if you’re feeling miserable beyond a certain extent, you most likely will just be wasting a workout and adding more time which can be used for recovery.
There are also many factors you should keep in mind before going to the gym that could potentially even put other members at risk of airborne illness and viral sickness.
You might be asking then, “when is it okay to work out while you’re sick?”. This is a great question and differs quite a bit from the term ‘should’.
It’s generally okay though to go work out if you’re just feeling a little bit sick but you’re still able to have the physical production you need to push through your workout at a decent pace.
Your body should be the main decision-maker at the end of the day with what you decide to do, and you should listen to it. Just don’t overdo it and strain your body too hard, allow yourself some added time for rests between sets and try to take it a bit easier than on normal gym days.
If you are feeling like this has surpassed the normal cold, you should probably take a day off from the gym to give your body the rest and recovery it needs. A runny nose and slight cough are one thing but if you’re running a high fever and struggling to keep food down then you need to do yourself and others a favor by staying at home and hydrating.
There is absolutely no need to put others at risk of being sick by feeling guilty about missing a day. You will not lose any gains and you will hinder any progress by trying to train when your body is trying to fight off an illness from within. Your body is already working extremely hard internally and you’re causing more harm by increasing your physical output when you need to be resting.
Don’t be that person in the gym getting everyone else sick, it’s quite selfish and probably will get you some uneasy looks and/or told to go home anyways since you’ll be showing every sign of the illness you have currently.
Bottom line: if you’re contagious with the flu, vomiting a lot, or feeling weak and lethargic – just sit this one out, you’ll thank yourself later.
The simple answer is a hard no. In fact, you will hurt your progress more by going to the gym when you’re highly sick. It’s all about recovery and giving your body a rest day or two from the gym will not have a major impact on your physique.
Don’t be too hard-pressed in the feeling that some time off from the gym is going to ruin all your hard work as that simply is just not the case at all. Guilt shouldn’t be a factor as these things happen and it’s completely normal to account for.
A few rest days will make you more prepared and feel better than ever once you do get back in the gym and you can have a great workout without feeling bogged down compared to how you would be training while under the weather.
After any fevers subside and you start to feel a slight sense of normality, it’s probably safe to start going back to the gym if you’re doing the necessary things to help improve your health as you’re on the mend from your illness.
If you’re no longer contagious and any infections have run their course, then it’s almost certainly okay to head back into the gym with some normal caution at the very least.
Your body will be able to tell you when it feels like it can handle any physical activities and when you still may just need another day of rest before you start the comeback. Just be sure that you’re adequately hydrated, taking in fluids constantly, and washing your hands to help prevent the spread of any sickness when you do go back.
Try implementing some immune boosting supplements such as NuEthix Formulations’ Ideal Immunity, Essential Energy, and a collection of health support products as you look to help keep your health in good standing.
Keep in mind that your endurance and stamina may not be at a high level until you fully recover from being sick so try to ease back into your workout regimen so that you’re not straining your body too much when it’s too soon.
If you are having trouble getting through your workout, don’t be afraid to pack it up early to get some more rest. Sometimes it may seem like everything is 100% but there still may be some underlying symptoms still creeping around and getting some extra rest time can only help prevent that.
Should you become sick and are contemplating whether to continue with your planned workout, make sure that it’s nothing serious or contagious. If you’re battling something that’s more severe than a general cold, it’s going to be in your best interest to take some time off from the gym and work on getting your health at an optimal level.
Taking care of yourself should always be at the forefront and you shouldn’t risk getting others sick for a half-assed workout that makes no difference in progression at all.
Listen to your body, if you feel like pure death then stay at home. If you feel like it’s nothing too major, then go ahead and hit the iron a little bit to get the oxygen flowing. Don’t sacrifice your health and the health of others, rest if you really need it.
]]>Just like that in the blink of an eye, the Holiday season is over and now you’re feeling an empty void like something is missing or you just feel generally depressed and overwhelmed with emotion. What gives?
This is what has been often described as; ‘Post-Holiday Blues’ and you may have heard quite a lot about this or have/currently are experiencing this phenomenon as we speak.
In order to cure this seasonal depression, we must first understand exactly what post-holiday blues is and how it affects our daily lives.
There’s a general increase in excitement and joy leading into Thanksgiving and heading into Christmas as the seasonal moods tend to swing upward. Everyone is focused on giving and spreading cheer as families and friends start to come together to celebrate the Holiday season. A whirlwind of emotions always unpacks itself as anxiety can be a real trigger point for most people when it comes to shopping for gifts, planning trips, making sure they have events scheduled, and so on.
It can be tough to regulate the flow of emotional assets which is why the Holidays always go by so quickly. This becomes a big culprit as you realize that you have to go back to normal in the New Year.
Removing decorations, going back to work, and moving on to life to a regular standard… This can be incredibly depressing for most people as they come to the realization that the fun is over and how fast it truly went by without feeling like they got a moment to let it all sink in.
Financial restraints also play a large role in this generalized depression as you must factor in all the expenses for gifts and travel – it’s not easy checking your bank statement on January 2nd and re-allocating your budget for the next few months to equate how hard your wallet took a hit.
This is what is deemed as Post-Holiday Blues and while it isn’t considered clinical depression, there is a strong resemblance, but it is generally only seasonal and does not last well into the New Year.
While you may feel like you’re the only one going through this, it’s quite common for most people and because it’s not as debilitating – odds are, most people around you are feeling the same way, they just hide it well and put on a happy face.
Like everything good in life, it must come to an end at some point. It’s very normal to feel down and upset once something is over which goes the same for the end of a Holiday.
However, with the end comes great excitement and exhilaration for the next year. The anticipation of having to wait is what builds up these emotions in the first place.
It’s now a New Year, and as much as it is annoying to hear -- It’s New Year, *sigh* new you. This is a time to concentrate on making the most of yourself. Setting goals to obtain, making a pact to help focus on your health and well-being, planning out vacations, and much more.
Your time to get organized is now, drop it down a gear and get rolling as you make a mission to take on 2023 with a full head of steam.
So, let’s look at 6 ways you can beat seasonal depression and bounce back better than ever.
There is no better way to get motivated than setting goals for yourself as you head into a clean slate, a fresh start, a new year.
Make your resolutions obtainable but also make yourself work for them. Don’t set unrealistic expectations for yourself that you know may not be achievable throughout the course of a year. There’s no better feeling than getting yourself on track but that comes with work and aligning your mentality with what you need to do for those goals to be successful.
Don’t be scared, you have full control over your life and how you plan on improving it – why not go outside of your normal comfort zone and work toward positive outcomes.
Fun fact: a lot of seasonal depression and or general depression is formed by bad eating habits and a lack of nutritional needs. The plethora of festive foods and binge eating all those tasty dishes your family put together has most likely set you back quite a bit and you’re finding it harder to find the motivation to eat healthier.
Now that you don’t have to worry about all the temptations that come with the Holidays, you can focus on a more structured diet while still allowing yourself to have treats occasionally.
The better you eat, the better you feel; and by feeling better, you’re going to be much happier and more energized/motivated. Looking at the mirror and loving the way you look will improve your mood and sense of happiness much more than how guilty you feel after putting back trays of Christmas ham and baked pies galore.
There is no better feeling than being healthy and not feeling like you’ve just run a marathon after going up only 1 flight of stairs. Exercising more and starting a routine of working out will not only get you on the right track toward being healthier, but it’s going to improve your mood and motivation.
As you start to get on a routine, you’re going to notice some significant progress especially if you’re following step #2 and eating better. Seeing noticeable progression is just going to encourage you, even more, to keep working out and being healthy as the benefits start to show.
It’s not an overnight process but if you stay dedicated to making this a goal of yours, you will be much happier and feel better with every day that goes by.
How you feel daily depends on who you surround yourself with. If you find yourself always being around negative people with toxic behavioral traits – it’s best to start looking for some new friends or acquaintances that can shed more positivity on your life.
Trying to overcome seasonal depression is going to be harder if you’re around people who are overbearing, negative, and don’t have a positive outlook on much of anything.
A great place to make new friends is in the gym as mostly everyone is there in the first place to help better themselves. Becoming friends with fellow gym members is a great way to boost your mood and keep you focused on achieving your goals.
Post-Holiday Blues can be more detrimental if you have a nutrient deficiency. If you’re already feeling down, exhausted, and lethargic – it’s going to be worse if you aren’t giving your body the nutrients it needs. Many deficiencies lead to exhaustion and other health problems that you may not know about, so it’s important to incorporate supplementation such as daily multivitamins and other adaptogenic ingredients.
Start by taking an everyday multivitamin and get yourself on a routine of strengthening your health with adequate nutrient needs.
Adaptogens such as Ashwagandha can help improve stress levels as well, so you aren’t feeling as down and about with the Holidays ending.
NuEthix Formulations offers a wide range of dietary supplements that will fit any need you have and can be found here.
Last, but not least, take care of yourself. If you’re going through stressful times and you’re feeling down, reach out and talk to someone who can help. Focus on mental health and getting on a path toward positivity.
Give yourself some time away or go do the things you’ve been longing to do but haven’t had much time for.
Take breaks when needed and allow yourself to also enjoy life and experience what it has to offer. Slowing down doesn’t mean you have less of a chance to achieve your goals, it just allows for balance and making sure you stay positive without feeling extra pressure or stress.
The Holidays may be over and you’re finding it hard to cope with the fact that it’s become a back-to-reality moment for you now moving forward but this is just a temporary feeling of sadness. As you start implementing each of the previous suggestions, you will eventually break out of this feeling and start to progress back into the normality of life with a ton of motivation for improving yourself.
The seasonal blues will run their course and you’re going to be more excited than ever as you start from a clean slate ready to look back at the same time again next year and see all of the progress you’ve made since the beginning.
]]>You followed this so-called “diet” for a month straight, staying committed to the entire program that was laid out to the finest detail. You hit the scale expecting to see those numbers drop drastically when suddenly you see that you’re tipping the scales at a heavier weight than before you even started this program.
What gives?
Ah, yes. Another misleading hoax and a failed attempt at weight loss. While we’re at it, let’s tack on another notch to developing trust issues since not everything on the internet is true – who could’ve guessed? This, my friends, is what we call another capitalization on diet fads and myths that seemingly slip through the cracks and convince everyone it’s the ultimate truth.
Yes, it’s super frustrating to try and take in new knowledge about how you can better yourself and get on the right track with your health only for it to fail miserably and disappoint you. The reality is that there’s so much bad and false information out there regarding dieting and weight loss that it’s hard to decipher what’s true and what’s overly exaggerated.
The problem is that everyone has access to a plethora of unsupported myths out there that are greatly misunderstood but also widely praised as being effective for weight loss. It’s all about separating what’s right from what’s wrong and give the broscience worshipers a run for their money by debunking popular weight loss theories before you end up in another disappointing situation by following advice on the internet.
Let’s put some of the most common fat loss theories to bed and shed reality on the full truth of these claims. Who knows, you may be surprised to see that many of these theories you’ve been hearing for years are just common misconceptions and far from the actual truth.
Here are 4 of the most widely debunked fat loss myths you may not be aware of.
One of the most misconstrued pieces of advice is that carbs and fats should be considered the devil and avoided at all costs…
Wrong. If you’ve been following this structure, then it’s highly advised you stop depriving your body of the macronutrients it needs to survive. Eliminating fats and carbohydrates from your diet does not help speed up weight loss, if anything you’re just going to stall out any potential progress and put yourself into a state of chronic fatigue.
Listen, those two words can sound evil but believe me – they are far from negative. To put it in layman's terms, your body needs them to use as a resource for natural energy. You’re not going to burn off any fat when you’re not allowing for a source to gain energy from. You’re giving your body no other option but to feed off your muscle to maintain and utilize natural energy.
Without going into glycemic index information and other details that can be discussed separately, it’s important to note that introducing healthier carbohydrate sources can be vital for weight loss and muscle gain. Utilizing healthy fats such as avocado, coconut oil, almonds, and other nuts to name a few, are critical in providing your body with the unsaturated fuel it needs to push your workout to be effective in supporting your weight loss goals.
The key thing that gets missed here is the terminology scaring everyone away. Fats can be good, it’s the saturated and trans fats that are what’s needed to be avoided. These bad fats can be attributed to excess weight gain, which is where people get confused.
Refined carbohydrates such as pasta, cereal rich in sugar, and soda are also commonly missed and confused when it comes to reading into what’s bad carbs versus good carbs. Opting for more fibrous fruits and vegetables is not only a great way to get in daily micronutrients but it’s also a great fuel source and perfect for a dietary plan that supports weight loss.
The bottom line, there are good fats and carbs as well. Don’t eliminate them entirely or live your life scared of a single grain of rice because you think it’s going to make you swell up like Violet Beauregarde from the Willy Wonka movie – it’s just not going to happen, don’t sweat it. Make the right choices and update your meal plans moving forward to include the good options.
The fact that anyone believes this is pure comedic value and I’m here for every bit of it. Where should we start here? To be completely transparent, no. You will not get fat just by having carbs before bed. This would be an entirely acceptable situation to inject multiple facepalm emojis just by the pure fact of how often this fake news gets spread.
While it's been heavily ostracized as being a big "no-no", eating carbs before bed being contributed to weight gain isn't something that should be taken very seriously.
However, it’s highly necessary to clarify something here. This does NOT mean you can shovel down ladles full of mashed potatoes like it’s no one's business before bed. In this specific case, you probably will get fat. This relies on daily caloric intake and macronutrient goals. Just like all dietary and daily nutritional intake guidelines, there are specific amounts that tie into weight loss.
You’ve most likely heard of a caloric deficit, surplus, and maintenance. This plays the most vital role in weight loss and weight gain. Should you find yourself over your daily maintenance intake and you plan on eating a bowl of cereal before bed, then you can expect to see some differences in the scales over time. If you still have not met your daily caloric intake needs, eating carbohydrates before bed can still help with weight loss goals.
You do not have to avoid carbs before bed like it’s the black plague. The most common myth that’s associated with eating them at night is that your body will end up just storing it as fat because when you’re sleeping, you’re not moving – therefore you will not burn it off and it will just be stored.
Consumption of carbs before bed will not kill your fat loss goals. There is no scientific data that supports this myth. Just make sure you’re sticking to your macronutrient and caloric goals while training hard. Don’t take the whole theory that insulin sensitivity is worse at a specific time of night and that it can throw off your whole diet.
There are absolutely ZERO magic creams or powders that you can rub on specific fat areas to melt it off. Most importantly, you can’t ab crunch your way into a six-pack when your diet is filled with hot pockets and pizza rolls.
Spot-reducing fat is simply put, completely nonfactual with no supporting evidence to suggest otherwise. You can reduce body fat, but you can’t tell your body where you want it removed from. Unfortunately, that’s just not the way things work.
The introduction of “spot reducing fat” was introduced to capitalize on the untrained market of individuals desperately looking for any methods to get rid of their unwanted love handles or excess fat on the underarms. This is where products such as topical creams were advertised as a one-pitch addition that magically makes fat disappear from areas where it’s applied.
While there have been many studies done on this theory, spot reduction of fat within controlled groups has shown minimal results with percentages that cannot be confirmed as factual for the supporting study.
So, while one person may carry some extra fat in the hips but not in their stomach – it’s not because they chose this and there’s certainly no way to specifically target a certain area and try to remove it. It’s all about getting total body fat down.
Cardio is great for supporting weight loss, there’s no question about this. You’re burning the calories needed to stay in a deficit while maintaining the proper diet which in turn, is going to help you shed fat.
However, too much cardio can be a negative thing. You do not need to be incredibly excessive with cardio to lose weight. If you think doing cardio for 3 hours a day is going to help, then you’re wasting time when that could be spent on much more useful things in daily life.
Going hard on the step mill and treadmill is effective but once you start going too far with it, you can start to lose muscle and slow down the metabolism which will put you at a plateau. Eventually, this leads to putting your body in a catabolic state where your body will start to break down muscle to provide you with the nutrients it needs.
Train smart! Don’t go into your new diet plan and think that a ton of cardio will help melt the fat off in no time – you’re going to do more harm than good. Start by looking at the structure of your diet and implement cardio as needed, burning calories to an extent is awesome but burning too much and not making sure you’re getting in the right number of calories is where people often get carried away with misinterpretation.
Not to mention, you’re probably going to make yourself miserable dragging yourself along the treadmill every day when your body is begging for a break. Preserve your hard-earned muscle and allow for fat loss to be achieved optimally without doing too much that’s not necessary.
If you’ve heard about any of the myths listed above, it’s time to do a little bit more research before falling victim to another fad/hoax. These theories have been out there for a very long time and have always been at the center of controversy for many of the reasons that have been pointed out and refuted.
Unfortunately, there are going to be many more theories just like those that get passed around like it’s a newfound fact that should be followed if you want to lose weight. If there’s something that sounds like it doesn’t make sense or is too good to be true, then you should probably trust your gut instinct (no pun intended) and look at the research studies that are based on these.
As we continue to advance in technology and the dietary field, there will be much better advice on how to achieve weight loss and improve nutritional structure.
Don’t believe everything you read, just because someone else says something is effective – doesn’t mean it actually is.
]]>You aren’t the only one experiencing this problem.
One of the most proactive silent killers you may find yourself in a constant battle with is a widely shared problem that affects more people daily than you could ever imagine.
Chronic fatigue is incredibly detrimental to your physical well-being and has a profound negative impact on your mental health. While some people ignore this and self-diagnose this as just being an issue of not getting enough sleep the night prior, there can be serious underlying issues at the root.
Finding the cause of this problem can be overwhelming as there are many factors to consider. However, your health should always be the main priority and there are many ways to help improve fatigue and fight off this never-ending war with extreme exhaustion.
Here are 5 possible ways your daily lifestyle can contribute to chronic fatigue and how you can implement new ways to combat these issues.
Poor sleep patterns and a constant cycle of not allowing your body an adequate amount of sleep per night are the main causes of physical and mental exhaustion.
Depriving your body of sleep can lead to many health implications such as:
It’s recommended that adults get at least 7-9 hours of sleep in order to sustain healthy functionality. If you’re not allowing yourself proper rest, you’re putting extreme stress on your body, which can have numerous negative impacts.
Insomnia is one of the most common issues with a disruption in sleep patterns and can cause numerous negative health effects.
Should you find yourself trying to go to bed at a decent time each night but lie awake in the dark for hours, chances are you’re struggling with insomnia.
While insomnia is more common than you may believe, there are many contributing factors as to why you may be experiencing this.
Increased stress will leave you tossing and turning all night as your brain is constantly active and your cortisol levels rise. Creating a relaxing environment or allowing yourself to mentally reset is critical to getting your sleep patterns back in control.
One effective way to help combat elevated cortisol levels is by taking supplements that contain adaptogenic properties/compounds. KSM-66® and Ashwagandha are great stand-alone ingredients to add to your daily supplement intake as it allows your body to relax and regulates any cortisol imbalance.
NuEthix Formulations created many options for stress relief and hormonal regulation, which you can see here. The NuEthix team is passionate about creating products that work, and their formulators stay up to date on all the current scientific research to bring unique, effective formulas that can help just about anyone going through daily stress.
Yes, it can be hard not to brew a cup of coffee in the morning as it becomes part of your daily routine/ritual. However, this isn’t to say you need to give up coffee forever or even stop drinking it in the mornings.
The problem is when one cup of coffee turns to two and then it slides into another coffee break mid-day or later in the early evening hours so you can power through the rest of your hectic schedule as you try to meet deadlines at work or need to go pick up the kids from school.
Consuming too much caffeine can cause you to develop a pattern of restlessness as you’re giving yourself a lasting energy boost that leads to sleep issues and the inability to sleep at night.
As your caffeine tolerance grows, you get trapped in a cycle that seemingly never ends. Due to the lack of sleep, you’ll find yourself taking in more caffeine to help keep you awake during the day and in excess amounts which, in turn, causes you to stay awake even longer into the night.
At this point, your central nervous system is on full overload masking the need for sleep as you get your temporary boost in activity levels while your body is practically begging for you to just give it the rest it needs to function properly.
Taking a break is key. Allow yourself to reset without the need for stimulants and caffeine so you can get back on track with your normal schedule. You may deal with headaches or body pain as your body starts to go without, but you’ll be thanking yourself later as you can finally catch some much-needed z’s.
More common than not, chronic fatigue can also be attributed to not getting in your daily vitamins and minerals.
The human body is reliant upon nutrients for energy production and oxygen delivery among others. Keeping nutrient levels at a normal amount is crucial for adequate and optimal health. Not allowing your body to take in specific nutrients can cause many issues but it is also the easiest to help treat.
For energy, fatigue, and cognition; the following nutrients have been linked with clinical evidence. [1]
Iron deficiency is most likely to resonate with the average individual as the term ‘Anemia’ is heavily common among individuals. Fatigue, body temperature, and dizziness or regular bloody noses are commonly associated with iron deficiency. Raising your iron levels and taking in the proper amount can help restore any prolonged effects associated.
Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D deficiencies have been linked to side effects, including chronic fatigue, and reduced natural energy levels.
Symptoms of anemia can range anywhere from irregular heatbeat to excess fatigue and overall weakness.
Try talking to a medical professional to see how you can get tested for any deficiencies you might have so that you can properly restore any lowered levels of nutrients.
NuEthix Formulations also has a wide array of wellness products that include all your essential vitamins and minerals packed in at proper dosages for your benefit. Here are some of the products you can add to your daily arsenal.
Giving your body the proper fuel it needs to thrive is so crucial to maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
By developing a poor habit of eating bad, simply just not eating enough or too much – your body becomes greatly affected by this. A diet that doesn’t contain the proper healthy fats or carbohydrates and protein can attribute to the body using stored muscle and fat to feed itself essentially as a resource for energy.
If you’re eating things high in sugar such as candy or drowning your pancakes in heavily refined maple syrup daily, you’re causing a spike in insulin levels and blood sugar which can lead to not only more major diseases such as diabetes but also chronic fatigue as a result.
Understanding what the glycemic index is, adding in healthy fats such as Omega-3 Fish Oil (which can also treat many things such as inflammation, support cardiovascular health, and more), lowering your sugar intake, or simply just taking a finer look at the nutrition facts label on the back of your food can go a long way toward keeping your body on the positive health track.
I’m sure everyone has heard it by now but yes, cutting back on processed foods can help immensely as there is a greater risk for fatigue when you’re consuming a diet full of frozen foods and McDonald’s instead of balancing out your meals and getting in the proper micronutrients your body needs.
Seriously, water?
While it may be laughable to think not drinking enough water can cause sleep pattern issues, it’s quite serious.
Staying properly hydrated is essential to your overall energy levels. As you become dehydrated, your body starts to fight fatigue and you’ll find that exercise can be a huge obstacle for you when you aren’t drinking an adequate amount of water.
To tie back to the previous bullets, having a poor diet and abusing caffeine can lead to dehydration so if you’re not drinking enough in general and you’re adding in all these bad habits – you’re not going to be able to sustain optimal energy levels needed throughout the course of the day and evening hours.
It is an absolute must that you stay consistently hydrated if you want to help counteract the extreme exhaustion set in by poor choices. You can also try adding in flavor enhancers or a great stimulant-free BCAA, Essential Energy, which combines your essential amino acids plus branched-chain amino acids to help improve protein synthesis and muscle recovery. It also comes in a delectable Kiwi Cherry Limeade flavor to help you pound water down like it’s no one’s business.
While it may not be alarming to feel tired some days, it should be noted that long-lasting exhaustion is not something that is normal. It’s important to look at your lifestyle choices and determine if you’re contributing to chronic fatigue.
Underlying health issues that you may not be aware of could also be affecting this and you should seek attention from a doctor to make sure you find out the main cause.
Overall, it’s not particularly difficult to help treat common factors that are making you feel like you got hit by a train every morning. What’s important is that you identify potential causes and give your best effort to help combat these issues within your daily life.
]]>With all the great things we’ve come to know and love about a new season on the horizon, we’ve also run into one major problem…
Cold and flu season.
Yes, it’s now time for the dreaded sniffles and scratchy throat to make their unwanted appearance once again.
Now, if you’re like many – you’ve come prepared better than the Y2K phenomenon and you’re ready to take on any bacteria and germs that dare to step in your way with just a few simple daily methods.
If you’ve been looking for a way to avoid becoming a human snot dispenser during the cold season, you’ve come to the right place.
In this article, you are going to learn how much of the United States alone are affected by the cold season and what the best ways are to help you stay healthy and on top of your daily life with no interruptions, so you don’t fall victim to Osmosis Jones and his posse of germs.
Let’s get started.
Right now, you’re probably thinking to yourself “there’s no way I can get that sick this year, I’ll be all right”. If you are this person, you need to re-evaluate everything as soon as possible.
Approximately 5-20% of the entire US population will get the flu at some point during the year [1] which, if you’ve ever had the flu, is not a fun time to be completely honest.
Cold and flu season can be incredibly detrimental to your overall health and keep you from doing many fun things you’ve been planning since summer.
Clinical lab tests show the increase in overall positive flu tests reported to the CDC.
It can take anywhere from 3-7 days [2] just to get over the flu, not to mention the 1-4 days it takes for the virus to even make itself known within the body where symptoms start to show [3]. That’s a long time to be out for the count and your boss won’t be too thrilled when you’re a week behind on work since you’ve missed so much time being bedridden.
The bottom line is that trying to keep your body as healthy as possible is the main priority to not only fend off any impending illness but also improve your quality of life.
Would you believe that there are so many easy ways to help improve your body’s immune system without busting a hole in your wallet or having to chug down some ungodly-tasting medicine?
If you don’t believe this, here are some of the many solutions that you will find so incredibly easy to add to your everyday regimen.
Yes, you read that right.
One of the most important things that your body needs is sleep. Getting enough rest on a nightly basis and letting your body recover is a crucial step toward making sure that you maintain positive health.
At least 6-8 hours of sleep per night is recommended so that you feel well rested and recovered each morning.
The common mistake most people tend to make is not watching what they eat closely enough. A diet consisting of highly saturated fatty foods and deep-fried portions of French fries does nothing to help your body maintain optimal health.
You’re essentially just taking a Lamborghini and filling it with diesel fuel. You’re loading toxins into your body and making it harder for you to fight off bacteria than a healthy diet. Stay consistent with eating healthy while still allowing yourself to eat all the food you love on your cheat meal times.
Giving your body the best nutritional layout is the fuel it needs to fight off any sickness while staying healthy. The food that goes into your body is so important – make sure you’re still getting all your micronutrients and reds in.
One of the easiest ways to help improve your immune system is to start implementing daily supplements packed with Vitamin C and Vitamin D.
These simple products can be a complete lifesaver when it comes to fighting off illness and building up your immune system to make sure your body stays protected from germs or other airborne sicknesses.
NuEthix Formulations has developed a key solution that helps with immune function and respiratory health and healthy stress response.
Ideal Immunity consists of a highly researched formula to include ingredients that are specifically catered toward fighting toxicity and illness prevention.
This product packs a major punch and then some when it comes to the well-rounded ingredients which include the following:
Another great addition you can add is several of NuEthix Formulation’s stress support products which I’ll explain more on.
You see, your body’s cortisol levels can play a major role in your overall health. In layman’s terms, you’re more likely to get sick when stress is high.
As your body starts to display increased levels of cortisol, you become susceptible to catching something as simple as the common cold due to decreased immune system efficiency.
Adding in one of these incredible stress support products will help you in many ways other than just preventing sickness.
As stated previously, treat your body right and give it the proper fuel it needs.
By staying sufficiently hydrated and getting in the gym, you’re doing more to help than you would ever think. Exercise alone has many health benefits from improving heart health to fighting off disease.
By exercising daily, there becomes a change in antibodies that help fight off sickness more rapidly than they would when not exercising. Working out can also positively affect body temperature, which can help prevent any growth of bacteria and your body can also fight off infection easier.
Even just setting aside the soft drinks and opting for water throughout the day is a much better method towards improving immunity as you’re not overloading your body with processed and refined sugary drinks that provide zero nutritional value other than to give you a little jolt of energy with the caffeine that’s contained in it.
With all these aspects in mind, you’re now able to swiftly approach cold and flu season more well prepared than before you read this.
Overall, everyone is at risk to get sick. There’s no getting past that.
However, doing what you can to reduce those risks is what matters the most and your body and future self will thank you later for this.
By following these simple steps and incorporating them into your everyday routine, you’re now much more capable of improving your lifestyle and keeping your body ready to fend off any germs that can keep you in bed for a few days at a time.
Not only do you save yourself some money by not having to miss any time from work but you’re also improving your chances of being able to go out and have fun this fall and winter while not having to drag yourself through a mountain of tissues or Nyquil every single night.
1. R. Morgan Griffin Medically reviewed by Carmelita Swiner, MD on August 28, 2020 https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/flu-statistics
2. R. Morgan Griffin Medically reviewed by Carmelita Swiner, MD on August 28, 2020 https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/flu-statistics
3. R. Morgan Griffin Medically reviewed by Carmelita Swiner, MD on August 28, 2020 https://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/flu-statistics
No matter how fit and healthy a woman is, for instance, most who are in the early teens up to the late 40s or so, have to deal with menstruation once a month.
Well, you probably know that a period is what happens when the lining of your uterus reacts to the lack of a fertilized egg latching to its side. The lining then breaks down and is expelled from your body, resulting in monthly bleeding. OK, you handle that with aplomb. But too often, your period is accompanied by pain in your abdomen and back. As you already know, and confirmed by the Mayo Clinic, “for some women, the discomfort is merely annoying. For others, menstrual cramps can be severe enough to interfere with everyday activities for a few days every month.”
A hormone-like chemical called prostaglandins works to help break down the uterine lining, as you will read in this article by Medline Plus. Some women have higher levels of prostaglandins than others, and they are more likely to have menstrual cramps and related pain as the chemical causes the uterus to
contract during the process.
Ibuprofen is what most doctors prescribe for temporary relief of menstrual pain but for many women it can have harsh side effects that themselves are very similar to the effect of menstruation, such as bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhea and heartburn. See this full list of possible ibuprofen side-effects by
Drugs.com.
If you wish to try methods that don’t involve adding anything unnatural to your body, here are a few of several suggestions from HealthPartners.com that help replenish you physically, calm your mind and boost endorphins:
Coffee tends to dilate blood vessels and HealthPartners also suggests switching to decaf a couple of days before your period begins.
But if you count on your coffee fix, don’t want to take the time to exercise, and have no patience for meditation, Menstrual-Eaze by NuEthix is a natural way to address menstrual pain (and pre-menstrual syndrome), and avoid the side effects of any the many products that contain ibuprofen.
Check out this video by a menstrual pain management specialist, Mere Paci, who describes some of the benefits of Menstrual-Eaze.
As Mere states, one of the main ingredients in Menstrual-Eaze is vitamin B6, which according to this naturopathic clinic “has a long history as an effective treatment for menstrual pain,” including in natural Chinese medicine.
Menstrual-Eaze contains 25 mg, or 1,471% of the recommended daily value.
Another ingredient is bupleurum root extract. You may not have heard of this inelegantly named plant but WebMD refers to it as a stimulant of the immune system that is another ingredient in traditional Chinese and Japanese treatments for menstrual pain.
And as you know too well, your period also may bring skin breakouts, so Menstrual-Eaze contains poria cocos whole bodies, extracted from a medicinal Asian mushroom that, according to Riotto Botanicals, “has the ability to regulate sebum production, detoxify the skin, shrink enlarged pores, and clarify the complexion.”
For the athlete, by the way, once you manage the pain of your menstrual cycle, there is no reason you shouldn’t continue to exercise, with some caveats.
Enkimd reports that evidence shows, for example, the rate of ACL tears is higher in women while they have their period. Also avoid inverted yoga poses and weightlifting that strains your abdomen or back. Otherwise, you can continue to lift weights, run and swim, and otherwise work to stay fit. And with
Menstrual-Eaze, there won’t be a day you regret the joy of being a woman.
Would you like to talk more with Mere Paci? Email her at mere@scoobyprep.com
Meredith Paci is an integrative nutrition and fitness coach. She was a Registered Dental Hygienist for over a decade. Her personal history — including years of chronic dieting, disordered eating behaviors, battles with depression and anxiety, adrenal adaptation, and sex hormonal imbalances — ignited her
passion for more education and to help others. After years of ovarian struggle she was placed into surgically induced menopause, igniting a whole new journey and opportunity to navigate the support she needed for her longevity and quality of life. It is through her clinical and personal experience that she realized she needed to create more impact. She left her RDH career to further her education and
help others navigate their struggles and goals. She works to help her clients restore and further level-up their health and fitness while educating, supporting and guiding them to create sustainable habits for the long term.
Podcast: Unnamed & Untamed on Apple, Spotify & Google
Instagram: merepaci_scoobyprep
Facebook: Meredith Paci
Feel free to give us a call anytime during the week as well on our hotline! (844) NUE-THIX
The contents of this blog should not be taken as medical advice. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any health problem - nor is it intended to replace the advice of a physician. Always consult your physician or qualified health professional on any matters regarding your health.
]]>When that’s the case, you ideally are at least swallowing a multivitamin or three every day as a way to keep up with your body’s needs for essential vitamins and minerals. That’s right, certain things are essential for your health. Most of the time you get enough vitamins and minerals by eating a variety of vegetables and fruits, and protein like beans, nuts, and chicken and beef.
If you struggle to get all your nutrients, or your diet is poor, multivitamins like those by NuEthix are a must. Nature doesn’t always provide enough of everything we need, either. In the case of iodine and Vitamin D, even a healthy diet will be lacking. For instance, about half of consumers today buy “natural” salt with no added iodine, which the government made the traditional salt companies add back in 1924 to help prevent thyroid and other diseases. If you don’t hit your food with a dash of iodized salt, or eat a lot of nori or wakame seaweed, you will not get enough iodine in your diet.
"Navigating the supplement world can be pretty confusing,” Tristan says. “Take this! Take that! Which is more important, food, workouts, or supplements? I get it, I've been there. And the reality is, everything has its place and there are some specific go-to supplements I personally keep on rotation. One of them being Nu-Multi. This isn't a cop-out for not eating my fruits and veggies, or ensuring my overall diet is filled with nutrient-dense whole foods, but NuEthix truly takes this health vitamin to the next level by using bioavailable forms of the key nutrients so our bodies can actually utilize them. I like to view this supplement as ‘health insurance’ just to make sure I'm covering all of my bases. If you aren't sure where to begin with supplements, having Nu-Multi in your corner is a great place to start."
Vitamin D, one of the most famous and best-selling vitamins, does not occur naturally in food. Instead, it comes from the sun. If you work in the basement or shun the sun when you’re outside, you need to boost your Vitamin D intake. Anna Taylor, a registered dietitian at the Cleveland Clinic says that Vitamin D may actually “be most beneficial in pill form.” A multivitamin is a great way to satisfy that deficiency.
Pregnant women are routinely advised to take more folic acid than normal as a way to prevent birth defects.
Vegetarians and vegans may not get enough vitamin B12 in their diets. That’s because B12 is found mostly in animal protein. For non-meat eaters, a multivitamin and other supplements might also be the best source of calcium, zinc, iron and omega-3 fatty acids, according to this article in Healthline.
There are also a few negatives some people need to watch out for in certain multivitamins. Always read the labels. If you are allergic to soy or a food coloring called tartrazine, you should probably avoid products with those. And women who are pregnant or breast feeding should also talk with their doctor about everything they ingest.
MedlinePlus reports that People who have certain health problems or take some medicines may need to get less of one of the minerals. For example, people with chronic kidney disease need to limit foods that are high in potassium.
Of course, you should keep ingestible products away from children. It turns out, according to drugs.com, that accidental overdose of drugs that have iron in them is a leading cause of deadly poisoning in children younger than 6 years of age.
There are many non-medical additives in multivitamins that may be harmful. In addition to chemicals that include gluten or dairy, this Organixx article lists 10 ingredients that could make you ill. A careful read of labels is necessary, because many ingredients sound similar, but in reality denote different and less beneficial forms.
As GetHolisticHealth writes, an estimated 90% of supplements contain stearic acid or magnesium stearate, substances completely useless to the human body.” Productive and healthy products contain magnesium citrate.
“The most common one is d-alpha-tocopherol. This is the form provided by Nutrient 950. In contrast, the label on Centrum is for dl-alpha-tocopherol. This is a significant difference. The d form is biologically active in humans, whereas the l-form is not. Seeing dl on a label means that half of the amount is useless as a vitamin.”
NuEthix Nu-Multi | Competitor Brand |
Pharmaceutical grade | Cheapest, least-soluble forms |
Includes Biofolate® to metabolize carbohydrates, fats, and proteins and form red blood cells. | No Biofolate® |
Zero artificial colors | Tartrazine yellow food coloring |
Vitamin E as d-alpha-tocopherol | Vitamin E as dl-alpha-tocopherol |
Magnesium citrate | Magnesium stearate |
Natural ingredients |
Hydrogenated palm oil, Maltodextrin, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Aluminosilicate |
For more on unwanted ingredients in one of the best-selling multivitamins, read this article by Toronto-based nutritionist Meghan Telpner.
In contrast, when you read the label on the NuEthix multivitamin, Nu-Multi, you will find that it is gluten and dairy free. In addition, the form of Vitamin E it provides is the “biologically active” d-alpha tocopheryl succinate.
Nu-Multi also contains magnesium citrate (not stearate). And you will find no artificial colors or soy. Also absent is potassium (for those concerned about kidney disease) or iron, which is required in trace amounts and is readily available in many foods.
The sources of the Nu-Multi vitamins and minerals are derived naturally from plants, not chemicals. That means the contents are more easily digested and accessible to your body.
If you are new to multivitamins, a few tips include: Take them with water, not caffeine or even fruit juice. Always eat something when you swallow your multivitamins. Here are a few more ideas from GoMedica.
Even if you are a seasoned multivitamin consumer, continue to read labels and make decisions that are best for your health.
The contents of this blog should not be taken as medical advice. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any health problem - nor is it intended to replace the advice of a physician. Always consult your physician or qualified health professional on any matters regarding your health.
Contact Tristan Winters on IG: @nutritionwithtristan
]]>Maybe you have it, too, and you need to know more about what your thyroid does and how you can help fight back against disorders.
Thyroid disease affects women more often than men and about 20 million people, or 12% of the population, have thyroid disease in the U.S. It can cause weight gain and mood changes if your thyroid produces too much or too little of the hormones that support every organ in your body.
The condition for an overactive thyroid is called hyperthyroidism. When the thyroid gland is underactive, it’s hypothyroidism. (Follow the links for in-depth definitions from The Cleveland Clinic.)
The thyroid is located in your lower neck and works with the rest of your endocrine system to pump hormones into your blood to support metabolism, which regulates how efficiently your body converts food to energy. They also affect heart rate and blood pressure.
If something goes wrong with your thyroid, you may experience several symptoms, starting with weight gain. A malfunctioning thyroid won’t make you obese, but it could cause you to add a few extra pounds. If nothing else has changed in your diet or lifestyle, the thyroid could be the issue as it becomes less
effective in regulating metabolism.
Women might see changes in their menstrual cycle as thyroid hormone levels change. Thyroid issues for both women and men also can make you feel tired or even anxious and depressed.
We should all do some type of exercise for overall health, but if you have an over- or under-active thyroid, you definitely need to get moving. The good news for those of us who are reluctant to work out is that almost any type of exercise will help support your thyroid by improving metabolism, reducing inflammation and boosting your mood. RestartMed lists several ideas to suit your exercise interests,
including strength training, yoga and of course running and other pursuits that increase your heart and breathing rates.
As with exercise, eating right can support your thyroid while keeping the rest of you in shape, too. The website VeryWellHealth will tell you there is no “perfect” thyroid diet, but several provide benefits in addition to cutting calories and increasing fiber. The Paleo diet focuses on unprocessed foods that can
reduce inflammation. The Mediterranean diet promotes fresh vegetables and fruit, fish, lean meat, olive oil and whole grains.
If you think your thyroid is not operating well, check it out with a doctor. At your visit, you can ask about complementary approaches to thyroid health, such as oils, vitamins and NuEthix supplements.
Rosemary and frankincense oils, for instance, reduce inflammation, according to the website Stylecraze, and inflammation may contribute to thyroid disfunction.
You may have noticed that most of the salt you buy is “iodized.” That’s because the thyroid needs iodine to work properly. You can take several more steps to protect and support your thyroid, including with NuEthix products designed for thyroid health.
NuEthix offers three products to address thyroid health.
Thyro-Boost is all natural and contains no substances banned by any sports organizations. As we diet, our thyroid regulates downward as part of a survival mechanism. Thyro-Boost may keep the thyroid operating at an optimal rate, so that your dieting efforts are rewarded.
Thyro-Boost Essentials is a slightly milder version that provides mineral and herbal support for a properly functioning thyroid, without the use of glandular extracts like our original Thyro-Boost. You would utilize this product when you are looking to provide support in creating an optimal thyroid output but you don't
need the stronger support that Thyro-Boost provides.
Thyro-Boost+ is our strongest all-natural formula, designed to keep the thyroid operating at an optimal rate, so that your dieting efforts are rewarded with energy support, body composition support and metabolism support.
We suggest that you begin with 1 bottle of Thyro-Boost Essentials at 2 servings per day. If you don't feel it is strong enough, move to Thyro-Boost or Thyro-Boost+, depending on your needs. We recommend going up the chain of strength from Thyro-Boost Essentials to Thyro-Boost to Thyro-Boost+, unless told otherwise by a coach or practitioner.
For more information, check out this video by the NuEthix Science Officer and this comprehensive description of all NuEthix thyroid products.
The contents of this blog should not be taken as medical advice. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any health problem - nor is it intended to replace the advice of a physician. Always consult your physician or qualified health professional on any matters regarding your health.
]]>I had a different start getting into the nutrition coaching space after experiencing second hand the hardship my mother and those around me faced with nutrition, weight loss, personal development, and overall a plan that was properly designed for them to stick to and grow with to see the results in their everyday life.
Because of this, my passion in coaching lies in offering a style of coaching I not only wish I had growing up, but a style of coaching that those around me had growing up. The coach who starts with where you currently are and guides you to your goals in a way that makes your life more enjoyable and while going at a pace aligned with the client, not just the coach or the timeline of the program that's required.
Over the last 5 years, I have built a team who was dedicated to making a difference by showing the everyday average people that who they become in the pursuit of their goal, is more important than the goal itself. We have accomplished this by building a coaching experience for those who are fed up with the robotic macro coaches and templated diets that is known for its connection and individualization.
My goal as a coach and practitioner will continue to be about improving the lifestyles inside of my community through an individualized and connection based approach. From mastering the nutrition, and the training side of things, I'm grateful to have the opportunity to partner with such a great company to master the supplementation to ensure our clients are taken care of in the highest care possible.
Even better: Think about what you can do to keep your liver healthy, so that it continues to quietly function without worry. The liver takes on a lot of tasks. Your liver filters your blood and removes bad things like fat and toxins. It also converts inputs like food into outputs like vitamins, minerals and energy. You may not have known that it also produces bile, which flows to the small intestine where it further digests fat to your benefit. If you’re a bile enthusiast, check out the expert guide by ColumbiaSurgery.org.
Your liver is also part of the system that regulates blood sugar, keeping it at the best level for your body, as described by Hopkinsmedicine.org. Add this to the mix — it produces hormones and decomposes old blood cells — and you have your liver: A 3-pound factory about the size of a football that sits under your diaphragm, next to your stomach and above your intestines.
Processed foods, too much alcohol, and even some prescription medicines can reduce the liver’s efficiency. Of course, smoking, gaining weight, or letting your cholesterol get out of hand are also bad for your liver, along with the rest of your body.
A high-functioning liver will help you benefit from exercise, which is one good reason to take care of it. This “silent partner,” as described by liver.org, gives you energy by producing carbohydrates and converting glucose into glycogen, which is stored in muscles. It also acts as a storage center for nutrients, vitamins, and carbohydrates.
Most people don’t think about liver health in terms of weight loss, reports Active.com, but the liver is responsible for helping metabolize fat. The purifying of our blood helps us feel energized. Bad eating and lifestyle habits decrease the liver’s ability to digest food and break down fat, which can lead to weight gain, bloat and sluggishness.
Your liver is also susceptible to contamination by outside sources. Don’t work with chemicals unless you are wearing safety equipment to prevent them from infiltrating through your skin or lungs because the bad stuff will end up in your liver.
Hepatitis attacks the liver, and you can take common-sense steps to stop transmission of its many forms:
So, just because your liver doesn’t beat rhythmically like your heart, expand like your lungs or create consciousness like your brain, it’s good practice to remember that your liver is there and what practices you can take to keep it — and the rest of you — healthy.
The contents of this blog should not be taken as medical advice. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any health problem - nor is it intended to replace the advice of a physician. Always consult your physician or qualified health professional on any matters regarding your health.
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