Foods That Lower Cortisol Levels

For context: I am 26f and I’ve been playing sports since I was 19, I have a good physique, I eat well, I have a skincare routine, I avoid ultra-processed foods, and I stay active. However, throughout this year, I have been dealing with a lot of stress and intrusive thoughts, and it has been reflecting on my skin. Every day, small pimples break out on my shoulders and chest, and recently it has been spreading to my face (it’s very rare for me to get acne). My hair is falling out and breaking a lot! My stomach is always acting up with heartburn and gastritis, even though I eat well. I feel like all of this is due to high cortisol and that it is aging me. What can I do to change this? I’ve been trying to meditate, but I can’t seem to see any results. All of this is really affecting my self-esteem. submitted by /u/Softspiritysoul27 to r/mentalhealth [link] [comments]

As title! Most of the stuff, like ALA or berberine, lowers blood sugar and as a result lowers insulin levels, increasing insulin sensitivity. However I have come to the conclusion I have elevated insulin without elevated blood sugar (hypoglycemic symptoms with normal/slightly elevated blood sugars, confirmed via accuchek finger meter). I have also ruled out kidney and liver issues via urine tests. What I really need is something that lowers actual insulin or blunts insulin release whilst not lowering blood sugar. I think the ashwagandha I was taking has caused this as one of it's effects is "increases insulin secretion" which isn't great if you have hyperinsulinemia (aka prediabetes). Also it lowers cortisol which seems to inhibit insulin whilst stressed so now that I'm no longer stressed it's no longer stopped the pancreas from producing it: Elevated cortisol causes insulin resistance—making muscle/fat cells less responsive—and can directly suppress insulin secretion from the pancreas. So somehow I've caused prediabetes by reducing stress...go figure. I've already gone low carb, more protein and good fats and started lifting more, I already fast 16-20 hours a day, which I've done since 2021, kinda alarming that intermittent fasting hasn't stopped prediabetes... having said that I don't get any of these pseudohypoglycemia symptoms whilst fasting in that 16-20 hour range, only after eating...so "idiopathic postprandial hypoglycemia"... Idiopathic Postprandial Syndrome (IPS), sometimes historically referred to as idiopathic reactive pseudohypoglycemia or adrenergic postprandial syndrome, is a condition where a person experiences symptoms of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) after eating, but their blood glucose levels are actually in the normal range. A side note in case anyone has digestive issues, by basically making every meal myself (think stir fries with chicken) my gut cleared up in literally 4 days. I'm still going to buy infinifibre but I don't need c3g anymore for a bristol4 poop. I just needed to cut out processed food. Thanks submitted by /u/gnosticismschism to r/NootropicsDepot [link] [comments]

submitted by /u/Radiant_Eggplant9588 to r/Biohacking [link] [comments]

I see so many posts on here from people saying their doctor won’t prescribe anything or help manage their symptoms. I’m not chronically on Reddit, but from what I do see, a lot of people are only seeing a gyno or their primary care doctor. If you take anything from this, PLEASE consider seeing an endocrinologist. They specialize in hormones and metabolic conditions, and in my experience, they’ve been the most helpful provider for PCOS. After that, your primary can help with ongoing management and bloodwork, and a gyno is great if you need things like ultrasounds. But at its core, PCOS is a metabolic condition, which is why an endocrinologist can be such a key piece of the puzzle. Also, I want to say this upfront: I know PCOS is not one-size-fits-all. This is just my personal experience and what has worked for me. And if anything I’m sharing doesn’t resonate with you, that’s completely valid. If something I say comes off too strong or dismissive of other experiences, I’m sorry, that’s not my intention at all. For anyone who needs help advocating for themselves, here are a few things I’ve learned: If you struggle with persistent acne, it can sometimes be tied to higher androgen/testosterone levels. If you’re not trying to get pregnant, spironolactone combined with a form of birth control can be really effective. I’ve personally been on 200mg of spiro with the mini-pill for about 10 years, and together they helped stop my period and clear my skin. Spironolactone isn’t recommended if you’re trying to conceive because it blocks androgens and can affect fetal development. If birth control isn’t for you and you want to maintain a natural cycle, metformin is another option often used for PCOS. A common therapeutic dose is around 2000mg. I’ve been on it for about a year, and my cycle is the most consistent it’s ever been. I do still deal with some acne compared to when I was on spiro, but I’m planning to have kids in the next few years and wanted my body to adjust. At the end of the day, you have to listen to your body. For me, I learned over the years that high-intensity training spikes my cortisol, which then affects my testosterone and leads to more acne. Along with severely affects my energy levels. Lower-intensity movement works much better for me. Same thing with food.. if you’re struggling, a dietitian can be really helpful. If that’s not accessible, try keeping a food journal so you can track what might be triggering symptoms for you. For example, I’ve learned I can’t eat regular pasta without severe bloating, but protein pasta works fine for me. But that’s ME—your triggers may look completely different. If seeing a doctor isn’t accessible or right for you right now, I completely understand. In that case, try keeping a PCOS journal and be mindful of your sleep, movement, food intake, and cycle. Writing these things down over time can help you start to see patterns and understand what might be triggering certain symptoms. Even though it can feel confusing, our bodies are constantly communicating with us, it just takes extra time and patience to learn how to listen when dealing with PCOS. Again, this is just what has worked for me, but if you’re feeling stuck, I really encourage starting with an endocrinologist. It made a huge difference in my care. submitted by /u/bessstie to r/PCOS [link] [comments]

submitted by /u/sunsutracare to r/Sunsutracare [link] [comments]

There’s a silent force working against your body every day. It’s not dramatic like an injury or a fever. It’s slow, quiet, and hidden deep inside your tissues. This is chronic inflammation, and it’s one of the biggest reasons we age, get sick, and feel tired before our time. Unlike the helpful kind of inflammation that helps you heal, this one sticks around, harming your cells day after day. But here’s the good news: you can fight back, and doing so could extend your life in powerful ways. Scientists now call this slow-burning damage “inflammaging.” Over time, it wears down your body like rust eats away at metal. It speeds up wrinkles, brain fog, aches, and fatigue. It damages your DNA, shortens your telomeres (the protective ends of your chromosomes), and slowly turns healthy cells into sick ones. Left unchecked, it’s a major trigger for diseases like Alzheimer’s, heart disease, diabetes, and even cancer. But it doesn't have to be your future. You don’t have to be perfect to reduce chronic inflammation. You just need to make consistent changes. One of the most powerful tools is an anti-inflammatory diet. That means filling your plate with colorful, healing foods: fatty fish like sardines, berries, leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, avocados, extra virgin olive oil, and spices like turmeric and ginger. At the same time, cut back on things that fan the flames, like sugar, processed foods, white bread, and refined oils. Movement is medicine. Regular exercise is one of the best ways to turn down inflammation. You don’t need to run marathons, just walking 30–45 minutes a day, doing strength training a few times a week, or dancing in your living room all count. It lowers stress hormones, balances blood sugar, and boosts your immune system. Speaking of stress. Chronic stress is inflammatory, too. It raises your cortisol, which triggers more damage to your cells. But there are simple ways to calm your system: deep breathing, meditation, journaling, or even just going for a walk in nature. Laughing, connecting with friends, and doing something creative also switch your body into repair mode. Sleep is when you heal. If you’re not getting enough rest, inflammation builds up fast. Aim for 7–9 hours of solid sleep. Keep your bedroom cool and dark, stick to a routine, and avoid screens an hour before bed. One good night’s sleep can lower your inflammation levels the very next day. Your gut is ground zero for inflammation. A healthy gut means a calmer, more balanced body. Eat plenty of fiber, add in fermented foods like yogurt, sauerkraut, and kimchi, and avoid overusing antibiotics. A quality probiotic can help too, along with gut-healing nutrients like collagen, L-glutamine, and zinc carnosine. If you need extra support, some anti-inflammatory supplements can help: omega-3 fish oil, curcumin (with black pepper), vitamin D, magnesium, quercetin, and resveratrol are great options. But always talk to a healthcare provider before starting anything new. And finally, never underestimate the power of human connection. Loneliness increases inflammation. Spend time with people who lift you up. Call a friend, join a group, or volunteer. Love, laughter, and purpose aren’t just emotional. They’re biological tools for healing and longevity. The truth is, you have the power to slow aging from the inside out. Chronic inflammation doesn’t have to control your future. By making small, smart choices each day, you can turn down the fire, protect your cells, and open the door to radical life extension. — Dr. Georgios Ioannou, Anti-Aging Scientist submitted by /u/GarifalliaPapa to r/immortalists [link] [comments]

Chronic inflammation is not the kind of inflammation you feel when you cut your finger or catch the flu. That type is short, sharp, and healing. The problem is when inflammation never really turns off, a silent fire that keeps burning in the background for years. This slow, steady damage is one of the biggest reasons why we age and why we get sick later in life. Scientists now call it “inflammaging,” and it explains why so many different diseases like heart disease, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, arthritis, and cancer share the same hidden root. Think of it like smoke inside your house that never clears. Even if the flames are small, over time the smoke seeps into every wall, every piece of furniture, every part of the structure. That’s exactly what chronic inflammation does to your cells and tissues. It slowly poisons them, damages DNA, shortens telomeres, exhausts stem cells, and breaks down mitochondria, the engines of life. In people who live past 100, scientists consistently find one common trait: they have lower levels of inflammation markers in their blood. Their fire burns slower, and so they age slower. The good news is we now know how to reduce this fire. Food is one of the strongest tools we have. Diets rich in vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, seeds, whole grains, extra virgin olive oil, and fish (the Mediterranean style of eating) consistently lower inflammation in the body. Meanwhile, processed foods, sugar, and artificial junk fuel the fire and make it grow stronger. Fat tissue itself is a source of inflammatory molecules, which is why staying at a healthy weight matters so much. Exercise, especially regular movement like brisk walking, running, or resistance training, lowers inflammation and releases protective signals from muscles called myokines. Lifestyle choices beyond food and exercise matter just as much. Poor sleep is like pouring gasoline on the fire: it triggers NF-κB, a master switch for inflammation. Stress, if it becomes chronic, keeps cortisol levels high and immune defenses on edge, again driving the fire. Smoking and alcohol act like direct sparks to the body, creating oxidative stress and more inflammation. Even something as overlooked as oral health: gum disease or untreated infections can silently keep the inflammatory system activated every day. Supplements add another layer of defense. Omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil or algae are some of the strongest anti-inflammatory nutrients ever studied, lowering IL-6 and TNF-alpha. Curcumin from turmeric blocks NF-κB, calming both brain and body inflammation. Quercetin and resveratrol, found in fruits and wine, act as both antioxidants and modulators of inflammatory pathways. Green tea, especially its EGCG compound, adds further power. Vitamin D is vital for immune balance, magnesium helps lower CRP, and probiotics and prebiotics help the gut keep toxic molecules from leaking into the blood. At the cellular level, this destruction is largely driven by a phenomenon involving senescent cells, often referred to as "zombie cells." Under normal conditions, when a cell is damaged, it initiates a self-destruct sequence or is cleared away by the immune system. However, as chronic inflammation persists, the immune system becomes exhausted (a state called immunosenescence) and fails to sweep these damaged cells away. Instead of dying, these cells linger and begin secreting a toxic cocktail of inflammatory cytokines and enzymes known as the Senescence-Associated Secretory Phenotype (SASP). This "toxic soup" leaks into the surrounding tissue, corrupting neighboring healthy cells and turning them senescent as well, effectively spreading aging through the body like a contagion. ​Furthermore, chronic inflammation creates a metabolic crisis by hijacking the body’s energy resources and inhibiting autophagy, the essential "housekeeping" process where cells recycle their own damaged parts. When the body is in a constant state of inflammatory high alert, it prioritizes immediate defense over maintenance. This causes cellular "trash" (such as misfolded proteins and malfunctioning organelles) to accumulate rather than being cleared out. This accumulation creates a toxic environment that specifically damages mitochondria, causing them to leak free radicals. This results in oxidative stress, a biological "rusting" that degrades collagen in the skin, stiffens blood vessels, and ultimately leads to the structural frailty characteristic of old age. Science is also developing cutting-edge therapies that go far beyond diet and lifestyle. Senolytics, drugs that kill off “zombie” senescent cells, directly reduce one of the biggest sources of inflammation in aging tissues. Rapamycin and its safer relatives can quiet hyperactive immune signals while extending lifespan in animals. Metformin, already used in diabetes, lowers inflammatory cytokines and is now being tested for aging. Stem cell therapies and exosomes deliver anti-inflammatory signals straight to damaged tissues. Even fecal microbiota transplants are being studied to reset the gut and lower systemic inflammation. And the technology doesn’t stop there. Scientists are working on monoclonal antibodies that target specific inflammatory molecules like IL-1β or IL-6. Others are exploring CRISPR gene editing to shut down the very genes that drive chronic inflammation. Imagine nanotechnology that delivers drugs directly into inflamed tissues, leaving the rest of the body untouched. Even biosensors are being designed to monitor CRP and cytokines in real time, catching hidden inflammation before it spirals into disease. The truth is simple: if you want to slow aging, you must slow inflammation. It is not enough to fight each disease separately when the same fire is fueling them all. Lowering chronic inflammation is like cooling the entire system, protecting every organ at once. Every healthy choice you make: food, movement, sleep, stress, supplements, technologies turns the flames down. And with science moving forward, new therapies will soon make it possible to repair the damage even more directly. To live longer and stronger, fight the fire inside, and the years you gain will not just be more, they will be better. submitted by /u/GarifalliaPapa to r/immortalists [link] [comments]

Kefir is one of those simple foods that looks small and humble, but inside it carries a power that can literally change how long and how well you live. When people hear kefir, they imagine something like yogurt, but the truth is far bigger. Kefir is alive: filled with dozens of probiotic strains, natural peptides, and nutrients that work together like a tiny biological army rebuilding your whole body from the inside. It touches the core aging pathways themselves, the same ones scientists talk about when they explain why the body grows old. That’s why so many researchers call kefir one of the most underrated longevity foods on Earth. When you drink kefir, you’re not just drinking dairy. You’re sending billions of living microbes into your gut, where they start engineering your microbiome back toward youth. These microbes create short-chain fatty acids that lower inflammation, strengthen immunity, and support metabolic balance. The same things that protect young people from disease and give them energy, clarity, and strong recovery. Kefir practically acts like a natural reset button inside your digestive system, calming down the inflammatory fire that drives aging forward. People don’t realize how much inflammation controls lifespan. High IL-6, CRP, and TNF-α levels rise as we age, and they’re linked to heart disease, stroke, diabetes, Alzheimer’s: all the big killers. Kefir lowers all of these markers like a quiet internal medicine. Day by day, it reduces this background stress on the body, giving your cells space to repair instead of constantly fight. This is one of the biggest reasons kefir drinkers feel better. Lighter digestion, calmer mood, more stable energy. Kefir also boosts the immune system in a way few foods can. The mix of bacteria and yeasts inside it train your immune cells, helping them react fast to infections but stay calm when they should. A smart immune system is a long-life immune system. Older people often lose immune balance, but kefir helps restore this control, lowering infections and even calming autoimmune reactions. It’s like giving your immune system a personal coach every morning. And the metabolic effects are powerful too. Kefir helps flatten glucose spikes, improves insulin sensitivity, and brings fasting glucose down. Many people don’t know this, but getting your blood sugar under control is one of the strongest ways to slow aging. Some scientists even say kefir works a bit like a gentle, natural Metformin: helping your body use energy better, store less fat, and keep inflammation low. It supports cholesterol, blood pressure, and reduces arterial stiffness as well, which are all tied to cardiovascular aging. Kefir even affects the brain. The gut–brain axis is real, and kefir strengthens it. It increases GABA, lowers cortisol, and helps many people sleep deeper and think clearer. Mood improves. Stress settles. Your whole body works better when the gut and brain talk to each other smoothly. This connection is now seen as a major part of longevity science, and kefir plays directly into it. The beauty is that kefir works best when kept simple. The strongest version is plain, unsweetened kefir: no sugar, no flavoring, just pure living culture. Half a cup to a cup a day is enough to shift the microbiome noticeably. Some people mix it with blueberries and chia seeds for a powerful anti-inflammatory blend, or with oats overnight for better gut health. Cinnamon boosts its metabolic power, nuts add fiber and healthy fats, and even making a savory drink with mint like in traditional cultures gives amazing digestive benefits. If you want a type ranking, homemade kefir made from real grains is unbeatable. It has the most strains, the most active microbes, the best kefiran levels, and the strongest anti-inflammatory effects. Store-bought plain kefir is still excellent. Goat kefir is great for people with sensitive digestion, A2 milk kefir is perfect for those who react to A1 casein, and coconut and water kefir give dairy-free options that still help the microbiome, even if they’re a bit milder. Kefir touches every major aging pathway: inflammation, microbiome health, immunity, metabolism, oxidative stress, nutrient absorption, and even brain signaling. That’s why it reduces the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, cognitive decline, and bone loss. It’s simple, it’s cheap, it’s easy, and it works every single day you drink it. Kefir isn’t just food. It’s living medicine. Kefir has 30–50 living probiotic strains that rebuild the gut, calm inflammation, improve metabolism, strengthen immunity, and protect almost every system that keeps a person alive and young. A cup of kefir a day is one of the easiest, strongest longevity habits you can adopt. submitted by /u/GarifalliaPapa to r/immortalists [link] [comments]

Most people don’t realize how deeply oral health is tied to the rest of the body. Your mouth is not just where your smile begins. It’s the entrance to your entire system. When your gums are inflamed, or when harmful bacteria take over, that inflammation travels through the blood and affects your heart, your brain, and even your lifespan. Studies show that gum disease and poor oral health are directly linked to heart disease, diabetes, and even Alzheimer’s. But the great news is: you can fight back. With science, nutrition, and a little daily discipline, you can keep your mouth young, clean, and full of life for decades to come. It all begins with brushing and flossing. The foundation of everything. Every day, bacteria build up in your mouth, forming a sticky film called plaque. This film is home to dangerous microbes like Streptococcus mutans and Porphyromonas gingivalis that cause caries and periodontitis. Brushing twice a day with a soft toothbrush and a good toothpaste (either fluoride or nano-hydroxyapatite) helps remove this biofilm before it hardens into tartar. The newer nano-hydroxyapatite pastes don’t just clean; they actually rebuild your enamel naturally, filling in micro-cracks without any toxicity. Flossing or using a water flosser daily removes what your toothbrush can’t reach, saving your gums from bleeding, swelling, and decay. The next step is keeping your oral microbiome in balance: the invisible world of good bacteria that protect your mouth. Many people still kill their own protection by using strong antibacterial (alcohol) mouthwashes every day. That’s a mistake. Instead of killing all bacteria, nurture the good ones. Probiotic lozenges with Lactobacillus reuteri can actually heal gums and fight bad breath. Eating fermented foods like yogurt and kimchi adds friendly bacteria that protect your gums and stop harmful microbes from spreading. A healthy microbiome doesn’t just mean a clean mouth. It means lower inflammation throughout your whole body. Sugar is one of the biggest enemies of your teeth. When you eat sugar or refined carbs often, bacteria in your mouth turn them into acids that eat away your enamel. You don’t need to cut everything sweet, but try to eat sugary foods only with meals, not between them. Rinse your mouth with water afterward, or chew xylitol gum: it neutralizes acids and stops the bad bacteria from sticking to your teeth. Every small step like this adds up to stronger enamel and fewer cavities. Saliva is your mouth’s natural defense system. And it’s often forgotten. It neutralizes acid, delivers minerals like calcium and phosphate, and washes away bacteria. If your mouth feels dry, bacteria grow faster. Stay hydrated, chew sugar-free gum to stimulate saliva, and make sure you get enough vitamin A, zinc, and magnesium to keep your salivary glands healthy. Avoid smoking and mouth breathing: both dry out your mouth and cause damage over time. A moist mouth is a living, self-healing mouth. Healthy gums are everything. They hold your teeth in place and protect your bloodstream from infection. Gingivitis and periodontitis start small (a little bleeding when brushing) but if ignored, they can destroy the bone that supports your teeth. Worse, the same bacteria can travel to your arteries and brain, contributing to heart disease and dementia. Keep your gums firm and pink by flossing daily, using short-term antibacterial rinses when needed, and eating foods rich in vitamin C, CoQ10, and omega-3s. These nutrients reduce inflammation and help gums repair. Low-level laser therapy is also an amazing modern tool that helps regenerate gum tissue naturally and speed up healing. Everything in your mouth thrives in balance. Even the pH level matters. When your mouth becomes too acidic (below 5.5 pH), enamel starts to dissolve. Rinse your mouth with water after meals, avoid constant acidic drinks like soda and citrus, and eat alkaline foods like spinach, cucumbers, and greens. These simple habits keep your mouth in an environment where enamel can rebuild instead of breaking down. If damage has already happened, don’t lose hope. Science can repair it. Early cavities can be remineralized using nano-hydroxyapatite, fluoride varnish, or CPP-ACP creams. Gum tissues can be regenerated with platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) and stem-cell therapies that use your body’s own growth factors. Even receding gums can be restored using new surgical techniques like the pinhole method and collagen grafts. Laser therapy, vitamin D3 + K2, and proper nutrition all help the bone and tissue grow stronger again. We are living in a time when regeneration isn’t just a dream. It’s real, and it’s growing every year. Nutrition is your secret weapon for strong teeth and gums. Vitamins D3 and K2 keep calcium in your bones and teeth, not in your arteries. Vitamin C helps your gums produce collagen, zinc and selenium repair tissues, and omega-3s calm inflammation. Add collagen peptides for extra strength in the connective tissues that hold your teeth. A diet rich in vegetables, healthy fats, and clean proteins doesn’t just help your body. It makes your smile glow with real vitality. Your smile is a reflection of your whole body’s health. Brush, floss, eat well, and keep your stress low. Because high cortisol and inflammation weaken your gums and immune system. Visit your dentist regularly for cleanings and early checkups. Remember, oral health is longevity health. The same habits that protect your gums also protect your heart and brain. So every time you take care of your mouth, you are adding years to your life. And life to your years. Healthy gums, strong teeth, and a balanced microbiome mean not just a beautiful smile, but a healthier, longer, and sharper mind for decades to come. submitted by /u/GarifalliaPapa to r/immortalists [link] [comments]

Can love lower stress? Science says yes, through the simple power of scent. At the University of British Columbia, researchers asked 96 couples to take part in a curious experiment. Men wore plain cotton T-shirts for 24 hours (no deodorant, cologne, smoking, or spicy food). Their shirts were frozen to preserve the natural scent. Later, women were asked to smell either: 👕 their partner’s shirt, 👕 a stranger’s shirt, or 👕 an unworn clean shirt. Then came the real test: a high-pressure mock job interview followed by mental math, a reliable way to trigger stress. ✨ The results: Women who smelled their partner’s shirt reported less stress and had lower cortisol levels (the stress hormone). Women who smelled a stranger’s shirt actually got more stressed, showing how our bodies instinctively detect unfamiliar scent as a potential threat. Recognizing a familiar scent activated comfort on a deep, biological level. This research adds to a growing field showing that human smell is tied to emotion, memory, and social bonding. Partner scent acts like an anchor: grounding, soothing, and strengthening connection. 🚀 ScienceOdyssey takeaway: Sometimes resilience isn’t found in big discoveries, but in small, invisible comforts. Love, it turns out, really does have a scent. ScienceOdyssey 🚀 submitted by /u/Purple_Dust5734 to r/ScienceOdyssey [link] [comments]

I've gone off the deep end researching what makes a best life. I wrote this all out basically for myself to organize my thoughts and give myself guidance, but figured it could be very useful to people who like the "Rules for Life" approach to things. How I see it, life breaks down into 5 main categories Purpose Relationships Health Finances Environment You can basically take any other category and fit it in there imo. I realized that you don't need to be a 10/10 in all of these areas to live your best life. For example, once you get to an 8 out of 10 in any category, the incremental benefits dwindle. As an extreme example, if you have $10M, you can pretty much do whatever you want. Getting from $10M to $100M won't increase your overall happiness nearly as much as getting from $40k to $100k would. That's going from high stress to a comfortable life. MASSIVE IMPROVEMENT. Same applies for the other categories. If you're an 8 out of 10 on health, you probably look and feel pretty damn good. Maybe you're not a trained athlete but you're fit and have energy. Getting to a 10 isn't going to change your life very much. And so on. But what's really interesting is that each has a minimum threshold that humans need to feel like they're living a quality life. If you're below any one of the following things, it's impossible to live your best life, even if you're at a 10/10 in every other category. So what are the minimum thresholds in each category for human happiness? Purpose literally have any sense of purpose in life people with a strong sense of purpose had a 43% lower risk of death time spent in flow states (deep work, meaningful play, creative hobbies) has a 3x stronger positive impact on happiness than passive relaxation people with high purpose had a 52% lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s individuals with high purpose reported 32% lower rates of depression and 40% lower rates of anxiety high purpose was linked to 23% lower risk of heart disease and 19% lower risk of stroke every Blue Zone has a shared strong sense of ikigai (japanese for reason for being) people with a defined purpose reported 2.5x higher life satisfaction than those without one people who “use their strengths daily in meaningful ways” are 3.6x more likely to describe their lives as “thriving.” 70% of people who say they “live their purpose at work” reported being engaged and satisfied, versus only 15% of those without purpose entrepreneurs with high-purpose founders report 34% higher well-being scores you get the point avoid wasting life on things that don't matter people who intentionally design their days (clear priorities, aligned actions) report 3.5x higher life satisfaction time spent in flow states (deep work, creativity, meaningful play) correlates strongly with long-term happiness people who watch 3+ hours of TV/day report the lowest overall life satisfaction scores among all leisure activities measured watching >2 hrs/day is linked to a 23% higher risk of depression and lower perceived life meaning people who identified as very happy watched 30% less TV than those who reported being unhappy people who spend 3+ hours/day on social media report 60% higher rates of anxiety and depression limiting social media use to ≤30 minutes/day led to significant improvements in life satisfaction, sleep, and overall well-being within just 3 weeks passive scrolling (consuming without engaging) correlates with 22% lower self-esteem and 28% higher regret afterward people in the top 10% of social media usage are twice as likely to report feeling “dissatisfied with their time use people who spend most free time in passive leisure (TV, social media, aimless browsing) score 23% lower on life satisfaction than those engaged in active leisure (exercise, hobbies, learning, socializing) people who reflect on their daily activities show 40% more regret when they spent large chunks of time passively consuming vs. doing meaningful activities Relationships have at least 1-3 supportive relationships people with strong relationships lived up to 12 years longer on average loneliness increases the risk of early death as much as smoking 15 cigarettes per day positive relationships correlate with lower cortisol levels and reduced systemic inflammation, key markers for healthy aging social isolation increases the risk of premature death by 29% and dementia by 50% people who self-identified as lonely were 2.5x more likely to experience depression and anxiety disorders people with strong social ties scored 4x higher on life satisfaction than those without, regardless of income level quality relationships have 3x more impact on life satisfaction than earning more money people who reported having 3+ close friends were 96% more likely to describe their life as thriving perceived social rejection activates the same brain regions as physical pain which means poor relationships literally hurt people with supportive partners showed 40% stronger immune responses to common colds happily partnered individuals have lower blood pressure, better heart health, and fewer chronic diseases have 0 toxic relationships toxic relationships are worse for your health than no relationships chronic exposure to pessimism and criticism rewires your brain for threat detection, increasing anxiety and lowering emotional resilience people in high-conflict marriages had a 34% higher risk of heart disease vs. those in low-conflict marriages people in high-conflict, high-stress jobs are 50% more likely to experience burnout and 23% more likely to develop depression be part of a community feeling connected to where you live boosts happiness scores 2.3x Health sleep at least 6 hours / night people who consistently sleep

Hello everyone, fellow doctor here. Bowel Issues is something that medical practitioners still have much to learn. Today I'll be discussing the Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment options for people that are suffering from what could be SIBO. Look no Further hopefully I can answer all your questions here. Usually when people start having their symptoms they're almost confident that they are suffering from Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) with Diarrhea based on googling their symptoms. They might experience it later on throughout their lives usually from the mid 20s and later. For such people, though not definitive it is usually a case of SIBO/SIFO. Now what are the Causes of SIBO/SIFO: This is the Number 1 CAUSE: You had a previous infection ie: pneumonia and you treated it with heavy antibiotics for example levofloxacin. Antibiotics will destroy the normal gut flora, allowing *bad* bacteria to move in during your recover phase. This isnt the only reason however, when you take antibiotics you could have damaged your vagus nerve signaling otherwise known as your Migrating Motor Complex. Due to this food as well as bacteria dont move through your intestines fast enough causing bacteria to then settle and mutiply in leaps and bounds. 2. Structural Causes: These can be during birth itself, where you have these symptoms already to begin with, or Acquired later on such as Illeocecal Valve Dysfunction (caused by infmallation and infections allowing back flow of colonic bacteria back into the small intestine) Small Bowel Diverticulosis (Develops with age and pressure in the bowel) Adhesions (Caused usually post surgery or trauma) Crohn's (chronic inflammation causing narrowing and scarring of small bowel) Ehler Danlos Syndrome (since birth) Hernia 3. Food Poisoning: Bacteria such as E.Coli, Salmonella, Campylobacter can cause an AUTOIMMUNE attack on your very own gut nerves, causing your own body to damage its own cells, thus again leading to stasis of bacteria in your gut. 4. Constant Antibiotic Use will leave behind Resistant Bacteria this time as well as Fungi that can no longer be killed by antibiotics. 5. Having Low Stomach acid allows bacterias to survive because stomach acid is the one that kills bacteria in the food, so if its low the bacteria can then survive and move into the small intestine. 6. Diabetes can cause your gut nerves to act slow leading to bacteria to settle. 7. Hypothyroidism- thyroid hormones stimulate your migrating motor complex, so when it's low the bacteria will stagnate. thyroid hormone also releases bile and bile is antimicrobial so if bile is sluggish the bad bacteria and fungi will thrive. Lets go over the Symptoms that one can typically experience: It is important to note SIFO hasn't been extensively studied yet, though IT SHOULD BE and it's embarrassing that medicine has advanced so far, yet we have limited knowledge and more resources should be allocated towards it. 1. Bloating- Constant Bloating throughout the day 24/7, You could have been a perfectly healthy indivual who is naturally lean having abs, and now all of a sudden your just bloated and it does not go away at all. You can hit the gym all you want but it's constantly there. It gets worse some days than others but you have a huge belly regardless. You can take Semithicone to get rid of the gas, but even after taking semithicone it still lingers. When you do relieve gas, the gas has a putrid, sulfur like smell, or even sweet in some cases. Alcohol will worsen it almost instantly, especially for SIFO cases 2. Bowel Irregularities- You could have had a perfectly fine bowel experience prior where you take 1-2 bowel episodes per day or every other day for example, and now your defecating MULTIPLE times a day. The consistency of your poop is highly irregular, it can be diarrheal one day, completely broken pieces the next episode, very thin stools, Mucus like Stools, Stools can leave streaks in your toilet bowl. Sharting is also very common and embarrassing. Essentially on worse days you have zero control, and have to be by your toilet. There are also episodes if you starve yourself, you may even notice bile coming out when you're trying to defecate. You may even notice small bubbles/ foamy in your poop because the bacteria are fermenting your carbs too early and there is hydrogen and methane gas production. You could have some of these or even All of these happening to you. Also you may notice bubbles 3. Increase in Fat- you may start seeing an increase in fat, and lower muscle tone. As a guy you might even get "Manboobs" (pseudo-gynecomastia). Love handles can form, Working out doesn't seem to be doing anything for you. Even though you used to be a fit and healthy individual. This is due to SIBO/SIFO causing Chronic Inflammation, the bacteria releases endotoxins into your blood stream causing an increase in cortisol, thus your cells stop responding to insulin causing you to go into a fat storage mode especially in :chest, belly and love handles. Estrogen levels increase which also causes this cycle which I will explain. 4. Lower Sex Drive/ Libido/ Low Ejaculate Volume - You notice your sexual drive isnt like how it used to be. Thats because SIBO bacteria produce beta glucuronidase which is an enzyme that recycles estrogen in your gut, normally the body clears excess estrogen through poop but with SIBO it gets reabsorbed causing elevated estrogen. Chronic Inflammation also hits Leydig cells Which are Testosterone Producing Cells, thus your testosterone is lower. Nutrient absorption is also lowered due to SIBO so your not getting your proper zinc, magnesium, bvitamins which causes a decrease hormone production. 5. Brain Fog/Anxiety: SIBO messes with your gut-brain axis resulting in poor sleep, and brain fog, because less sleep means more cortisol. The bacteria releases LPS (lippolysaccharides) into the blood stream that causes neuroinflammation which is why you'll have poor focus. Just imagine your brain trying to think while being mildly inflamed 24/7. SIBO produces gases like hydrogen, methane, or even hydrogen sulfide gas that disrupts blood flow to the brain and disrupts cellular respiration. SIBO causes reduced melatonin production as well. 6. Disrupted Neurotransmitters- The gut makes most of your serotonin, dopamine, and GABA. Thus low Serotin= low mood, irritability; Low dopamine= low motivation, apathy; Low Gaba= poor sleep, anxiety, racing thoughts 7. Ear Ringing (Tinnitus)- Yes this sound so bizarre, but its actually true Neurotoxins produced by endotoxins and acetaldehyde from Fungal overgrowth can cause disruption of auditory processing, heightened sound sensitivity, pressure in ears. The vagus nerve from your gut Also regulates your inner ear blood flow. 8. Oral Thrush- If you notice you have constant oral thrush, even if you scrub it off and it still comes back this is almost always a case of SIFO, and can be a very good indicator. Treatment: Good News is if your suffering from all of these symptoms and feel absolutely hopeless that there is no coming back from this, well all of these Symptoms are very much reversible and if you follow the treatment you'll be back to your normal self. The drugs I have listed can be bought OTC and do not require a prescription. The only drugs that do require a prescription in my list are Rifaximin and Neomycin. You might have seen people claim to have taken antibiotics such as rifaximin and it worked initially and then the symptoms came back afterwards and that might lead you to thinking the treatment is hopeless, but I can assure you this regimen if you stick to it will help 95% of cases permanently. When people treat SIBO they almost never treat SIFO which in majority of cases is actually dominant and many people dont even know they have SIFO because there isnt much diagnostic tests to confirm it. Antibiotics like rifaximine will treat the SIBO but never the SIFO, and in some cases can aggravate the SIFO. Best Step Protocol is to first Fix the SIFO issue, then treat the SIBO issue because once you kill the fungus and prevent relapse then you can treat the bad bacteria. Now some people claim to fix SIBO first then SIFO which I believe is wrong because once you take antibiotics, Yeast takes over making it more difficult to address the issue. When you start this Regimen You must STICK TO: - LOW FODMAP DIET -NO CARBS (white rice, bread, pasta)- FUNGI THRIVE ON CARBS - NO DAIRY -NO FERMENTED FOODS -NO ALCOHOL failure to do this means YOU WILL RELAPSE SIFO First Approach: What you Need: Undecylenic Acid 250mg- Very Strong Antifungal, 6X more potent than caprylic acid, making it very effective in getting rid of the fungal infection. Oregano Oil Softgel enteric coated- Another Extremely strong anti fungal, Always best to use two anti-fungals to make sure things are fool proof. NAC 600mg- Will break the fungal biofilms as well as bacterial Biofilms allowing the Antifungal medications to work SIGNIFICANTLY better at destroying the fungi that are protected by biofilms. 5-HTP 100mg- Supports gut brain axis, Prokinetic, Stimulates MMC Ginger Root- 550mg- Another Prokinetic allowing you to get rid of the killed off fungi naturally Acetyl L Carnitine 500mg - Helps Neuroregeneration, Allows for MMC signaling and enhances vagus nerve, Restores energy and brain fog, Helps with Testosterone and Libido support Probiotics- containing S.Boulardii, Lactobacillus/Bifido Blend *Optional: *Activated Charcoal if die off period is causing too much brain fog 6 WEEKS TOTAL REGIMEN FOR SIFO Morning Empty Stomach: NAC (ALWAYS ON EMPTY STOMACH) Acetyl L Carnitine 5-HTP Ginger Root Undecylenic Acid With Breakfast Oregano Oil Softgel (NEVER ON EMPTY STOMACH) Midday: Ginger Root optional if bloating persists Dinner: Oregano Oil Softgel Undecylenic Acid Night: 5-HTP Ginger Root optional if bloating happens NAC optional if detox symptoms are strong Probiotics (ONLY AFTER DAY 6 NOT TO BE TAKEN BEFORE) What Changes You'll Notice: Day 1-3: Little change, could feel same or slightly worse, its normal due to Die Off Day 3-7: Bloat reduction, less pressure Week 2: Noticeable difference in belly size Week 3-4: Morning belly stays flatter throughout the day Week 4-6: Near-full symptom control: libido, energy, mood, gut motility, stool quality improve SIBO Treatment Now that we have addressed the fungal Issue we can focus on the bacterial overgrowth after the 6 weeks are done. What you Need: Rifaxmin 550mg - non absorbable antibiotic that targets SIBO in small intestine without harming the colon microbiome Neomycin 500mg- Useful for Methane related SIBO cases but always good to have 14 Days Schedule: Morning Empty Stomach: NAC 5HTP Ginger Root Acetyl L Carnitine With Breakfast: Rifaximin Neomycin Midday: Rifaxmin Dinner: Rifaxmin Neomycin Ginger Root Nighttime: 5-HTP Probiotic (After 7Th DAY 2 hours after antibiotics at least) Recovery Protocol 4-6 Weeks After all that is done. Still No Sugar, No High FODMAPs, No Alcohol, No NSAIDS (Ibuprofen), No Fermented Foods Morning: L-Glutamine 5-10g- Seals gut lining and repairs it NAC Acetyl L Carnitine 5-HTP Ginger Root Breakfast: Probiotic Zinc Carnosine Midday: Ginger Root Dinner: Priobiotic Zinc Carnosine Night: 5-HTP Ginger Root Stick to this and slowly introduce high FODMAP foods and hopefully you're back to your normal self. Wish you all the best on this journey! Would love to know if any of this helped you. submitted by /u/Mario7879 to r/SIBO [link] [comments]

Hello, here's a complete guide on how to prevent wrinkles as much as possible. Before going into cosmetic procedures, it is important to know that wrinkles are HEAVILY influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Twin studies estimate that genetics account for up to 60 % of the variation in wrinkle development, but lifestyle choices such as sun exposure, smoking, and stress markedly accelerate aging (article). Eat, sleep and drink well Before anything, you need to focus on what you're giving your body to work with. Whole foods rich in antioxidants support collagen integrity and combat oxidative stress. Drinking water (MORE than 2 L/day and please water with electrolytes) helps maintain both superficial and deep skin hydration which improves elasticity and reduces fine lines. Sleep is crucial for skin regeneration. Aim for 7-10 hours per night to allow your body to repair and regenerate collagen, as most of this process happens during deep sleep. Stress-free life Chronic stress elevates cortisol, which inhibits collagen synthesis, increases collagen-degrading enzyme activity, and delays barrier recovery—changes that accelerate wrinkle formation (article 1, article 2). Techniques such as meditation, yoga, and journaling can meaningfully lower cortisol levels and help with wrinkle prevention (article). Skincare Prescription tretinoin improves fine lines, mottled pigmentation, and skin texture within one month, with benefits lasting up to 24 months. Daily application of a sunscreen (SPF 30 or higher) completely prevented detectable skin aging over 4.5 years in a randomized trial (article, article). Serums containing 15 % L-ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), 1 % α-tocopherol, and 0.5 % ferulic acid reduced wrinkle depth by up to 36 % and improved firmness in 12 weeks (article). Niacinamide at 5 % reduces fine lines, hyperpigmentation, and sallowness and enhances elasticity over 12 weeks (article). Red light therapy boosts collagen and smooth fine lines. Studies report up to a 30 % reduction in wrinkle volume after just eight twice-weekly sessions of 633 nm light (article), and home-use devices (633 nm + 830 nm) used three times per week for 12 weeks improve skin texture, elasticity, and collagen density. Cosmetic procedures Microneedling delivers controlled micro-injuries that stimulate dermal collagen types I, III, and VII, resulting in noticeable reductions in fine lines and wrinkles within weeks (article). Botox injections can relax facial muscles and inhibit the formation of deep dynamic lines before they set in. Supplements Oral collagen peptides (10 g/day) significantly improved skin hydration and elasticity over eight weeks (article). Hyaluronic acid supplementation (120+ mg/day) reduced wrinkle volume and increased skin luster and suppleness in a 12-week, placebo-controlled trial (article). MSM at 1–3 g/day significantly reduced wrinkles and improved firmness, elasticity, and hydration in a randomized study (article). Omega-3 fatty acids (EPA/DHA) attenuate collagen degradation by inhibiting MMP induction and support skin barrier function and anti-inflammatory processes; cell and small human studies show protection from photoaging (article). Astaxanthin (8 mg/day) improved skin elasticity, hydration, and reduced fine lines and age spots in 6- to 12-week randomized, placebo-controlled studies (article). Misc: -> layer antioxidants in the morning and retinoids at night -> NEVER skip daily sunscreen -> if possible, consult a board-certified dermatologist before starting prescription actives or procedures. EDIT: added astaxanthin and sleep submitted by /u/YoimiyaMain to r/Splendida [link] [comments]

TLDR, this post summarizes my key findings about Long Covid causes after 16 months of research; and $50k invested into tests & treatments… and breaks down my protocol of the most effective approach to healing. My journey: Over the past 16 months, I completely shut down my 7-figure business to completely dedicate myself to researching, testing, and treating my Long Covid health issues. I've also hired a team of Doctors to consult with (a pulmonologist, immunologist, cardiologist, long covid specialist, and functional doctor) who I run all my ideas by when it comes to recovery strategies. Personally, I’m not a doctor, but I do believe my experience building my previous business (doing deep research, developing solutions) has helped me solve my Long Covid health journey faster than others. My approach for both health & business is virtually the same: Extensive daily research (2-4 hours daily). Organize research into checklists and strategy docs. Test each strategy, one at a time. Score the results, repeat. So, it's up to your discretion in how much you want to value the findings I'm about to outline below. Step 1: Testing I see a lot of frustration on this sub when tests come back “normal", but in my opinion negative tests have just as much value as troublesome tests. Even though I was highly confident Long Covid was causing my health issues, going through the order of elimination has given me great reassurance I have no other health issues & I’m not wasting my time treating the wrong things. Here are some of the tests I’ve done (and what I consider helpful): Pulmonary Health (for breathing symptoms): Lung Function Test (4 times) Chest X-Ray Chest CT Scan (2 times) Heart Health (for breathing, energy, PEM, and fatigue symptoms): Echocardiogram (2 times) EKG / Stress EKG CT Angiogram General Wellness (great in all cases): Bloodwork: Basics: FBC, Lipids, Thyroid Hormones: Total & Free Testosterone, Estrogen, Cortisol, Prolactin, SHBG, LH, FSH Iron: Serum Iron, Transferrin, Ferretin Immunology: ANA, C3 & C4, Tryptase, dsDNA, Zonulin Cardiac: NT-proBNP, Tropinin, D-Dimer Allergy: IGE, Phadiatop, Full Allergy Panel Cytokines: IL-6 (minimum), All Cytokines IL-1 through IL-17 (best) Virus's: EBV, CMV, HSV 1 & 2, Mycoplasma Pneumoniae, Chlamydia Pneumoniae Food Intolerance Testing Sleep Study MTHFR DNA Methylation Testing Mitochondrial Dysfunction Test (mitoswab) MycoToxin testing (rule out potential mold illness as cause) I've done more tests... but these are the most helpful ones and important for anyone with LC symptoms to get done. Personally, these tests have given me confidence there are no underlying lung issues, heart issues, autoimmune issues, etc… Allowing me to feel confident going "all in" on the Long Covid treatment angle towards regaining my health. NOTE: The only abnormality for me was high cholesterol & high IGE. Given my symptoms (shortness of breath, fatigue, & PEM) I did further tests to see if these could explain my symptoms, but they led nowhere. High cholesterol is not likely to cause shortness of breath & fatigue…. Unless if I had severe cardiac damage or atherosclerosis. Which the CT Angiogram confirmed I am completely clear of. & high IGE could cause asthma, but my lung function, FENO, eosinophils, and inflammation markers were are all normal. So again, this did not explain any of my symptoms…. and also when I tried the first-line treatments for this (asthma medication), I was a non-responder. So this again confirmed, my issue was not due to “sudden adult onset asthma” or cardiac related. Giving me full confidence to study, strategize, and work with the Long Covid hypothesis regarding my sudden decline in health & begin treating that. (CPET) The most helpful test I’ve done so far: The CPET test was the first test I did that came back “abnormal” and firmly backed up my symptoms with clear data, showing abnormal health issues. A CPET is basically a VO2 Max test on steroids. They test your VO2 zones, as well as cardiac function, lactate levels, glucose metabolism, fat metabolism, respiratory exchange rate of CO2/O2, and more. The results showed that I (a sub 12% bodyfat male athlete who’s trained for 8 years straight), was 30% LESS fit than a “SEDENTARY male” my age. Absurd. Prior to long covid, I was running, sprinting, and weight training daily... So I would confidently guess that pre-long covid my fitness level was in the top 5-10% worldwide for my age group. Now, post covid? The CPET is showing I am in the bottom 70% compared to average, unfit, sedentary males my age. That matched how I felt perfectly. Finally, a test that gave me some answers! 3. The cause of Long Covid Why did my fitness level drop so dramatically post-covid? Why is it hard to breathe? Why do we face PEM? Fatigue? Brain Fog? What is the root cause? These were all questions I asked while digging deep into the research. Analyzing every theory of Long Covid "causes" against my own symptomology and test results. Microclots, Auto-Immunity, Viral Persistence, Mitochondrial Dysfunction, Autonomic Dysfunction - are the main current theory's leading Long Covid currently. & while I will not say any of them are specifically wrong... I will tell you my personal belief, which is that there definitely seem to be different "phenotypes of Long Covid". The Autoimmune/MCAS phenotype The Autonomic/POTS phenotype The PEM, Brain Fog, Fatigue phenotype. The Respiratory phenotype. These seem to be the 4 main buckets most of us fall into. The testing mentioned in Section 2 of this post will help you find out which categories you fall into. & for some phenotypes we already have answers. For autoimmunity/mcas; antihistamines, ketotifen, DAO supplements, low-histamine diet, immune modulators, rapamycin, and IVIG seem to work well. For autonomic issues; beta blockers, ivabradine, mestinon, and midodrine seem to work well. For PEM, Brain Fog, and Fatigue; Nicotine, NAD+ Injections, Low Dose Naltrexone, Pacing, and the Amino Acid Blend (AXA1125) seems to help many as well. For Respiratory phenotype; this seems to be the hardest to solve with the least widely-accepted treatments so far. However, based on anecdotal reports & logic it seems worth trying H1 & H2 Antihistamines, Montelukast, ICS Inhalers; and Blood-Flow support such as Tadalafil, Aspirin, and Nattokinase. These are all different phenotypes, that you may or may not have to treat. You will have to assess that based on your own personal symptomology. However, with that being said.... I do believe there is 1 underlying issue that every single one of us should be addressing, no matter which phenotype we fall into. Mitochondrial Dysfunction Why? Well, bouncing back to my CPET results. Here's what I've discovered about my horrendous results & what they mean. For context, the CPET score is based on your maximum heart rate on full exertion on the stationary bike, as well as how efficiently your body is able to utilize fat stores & oxygen for aerobic energy, how much lactate you’re producing, how fatigued your heart gets, etc… As explained by my sports physiotherapist - based on the results, my body was heavily dependent on glucose even while at rest. I was 90-95 depended on glucose, when 70% is considered normal. My sports physio has seen hundreds of long-covid patients, and he says it's the same for every single one of them. A skewed metabolism towards glucose dependance & a drop in fat oxidation ability. Which directly reduces your VO2Max. I did further research, and this is all true + well documented phenomena in Long Covid at this point. Here are some studies: Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Impaired Fatty Acid Metabolism in Patients with Post-Acute COVID-19 Mitochondrial dysfunction in long COVID: mechanisms, consequences, and potential therapeutic approaches Long-term multiple metabolic abnormalities among healthy and high-risk people following nonsevere COVID-19 The reason why this is so problematic is Glucose isn’t a sustainable energy source. Glucose creates Lactate as a byproduct when it's being used for energy, and Lactate is extremely taxing on the body & heart. When lactate increases, your heart has to pump to clear out the lactate, but when the levels get too high your heart will max-out. This directly fatigues your heart, reduces your max heart rate & VO2 max, and reduces your fitness/energy levels. In the research, they call this impaired Oxidative Phosphorylation (OXPHOS), which is the inability to efficiently use Fat + Oxygen for energy, so our body defaults to Glucose. Interestingly, this phenomena also known as "the warburg effect" is also also seen in Cancer Cells, and multiple other diseases and illnesses. This is because when the body is ill, it will default to glucose since it is “more efficient” to use, but it's a shortcut that is that it’s also more taxing & has negative downstream consequences. 4. My Theory: Okay, so metabolic dysfunction is causing increased stress on the body? But, what is causing the issues with our metabolic health in the first place? Asking myself these questions... led me to one answer. The mitochondria. Mitochondria are your metabolism. They are what decide to either burn fat, use oxygen, or burn glucose to create ATP/energy. So when your mitochondria are dysfunctional, your metabolism is dysfunctional. In my opinion, this is really the foundational roots of Long Covid; and the specific phenotypes mentioned previously are just "add ons" that a select few of us also get. But, how do we solve for mitochondrial dysfunction? 5. My Approach: Personally, I’ve shifted my entire recovery protocol towards enhancing my metabolic health, and fueling my mitochondria as much as possible. My approach is a multi-arm strategy, using specific mitochondrial supplements, medications, treatments, diet, and exercise routines (all designed to enhance OXPHOS, and mitochondrial health). It’s an intense protocol, but for the people who are truly committed to recovering. I believe this is a very strong approach. With that said, be aware that mitochondria take 3 months to regenerate. So any attempted treatments will take at least that long to begin seeing results from. People often times don’t stick with things long enough to see the benefits of what their doing, when biologically it’s impossible. Different cells in the body can take many months to fully regenerate, so we must be patient while we support our body throughout this rebuilding process. Here is my protocol to supercharge your mitochondria: Supplements Mitochondrial Support: Methylene Blue 10mg, CoQ10, PQQ, Niacinamide, Benfotiamine. Methylation Support: Methylfolate 1,000mcg's, Methyl-B12 5,000mcg's, TMG, Riboflavin, P5P, Pantethine. Detox Support: Liposomal Glutathione, NAC, Glycine. ATP Support: BCAA's, L Glutamine, L Arganine, L-Citrulline Malate, Exogenous Ketones, & Creatine. I buy this all in powdered form and drink it before & after workouts. Helped me immensely with PEM. This is my improved version of AXA1125, a proprietary blend of amino-acids showing benefits in CFS studies. Focus & Cognition: Nicotine, CDP Choline, and Noopept. Medications Bezafibrate 400mg. A PPAR activator, which is a gene transcription factor that signals your mitochondria to burn fat for energy. Traditionally used as a Cholesterol & Tryglyceride lowering medication since your mitochondria will burn more fatty acids, leading to reduced cholesterol levels. Also being studies for Mitochondrial Dysfunction. Given my goal of "rehabing" my mitochondial fatty acid metabolism & elevated cholesterol I find this has an extremely relevant use case for now. Low Dose Naltrexone / LDN. Helps up-regulate the body's own endorphin production, which helps improve mood, modulate the immune system, and reduce inflammation. This was a game changer for me. Prior to LDN I was sleeping 10-12 hours a night & still waking up extremely groggy. As soon as I started LDN my sleep went back to 8 hours a night, and I woke up energized. Be aware there is an adjustment period, and it's normal to wake up more throughout the night in the beginning. This went away for me after a week. Jardiance 10mg. A SGLT2 inhibitor, prevents your kidneys from recycling glucose back into the bloodstream & instead excretes glucose through urine. Traditionally used as a diabetic medication, and is being studies by biohackers for longevity purposes. Considering I am trying to reduce systemic dependence on Glucose, I find this valuable for now. Caution must be taken if using in combination with Keto diet, since it can cause extremely deep levels of Ketosis leading to ketoacidosis. I test my blood ketones & glucose daily to make sure I am in deep ketosis, while also making sure I'm doing it safely. Pentoxifylline 400mg 2x Daily. Used for improving micro-vascualar circulation. Considering evidence showing microvascular issues from Long Covid, and the fact that it has mild anti-fibrotic properties, I find this valuable in making sure bloodflow is reaching organs appropriately and hopefully reducing lung-fibrosis seen in some Long Covid patients. This is a concern for me due to my primary symptom of Shortness of Breath. Tadalafil 5mg. Vasodilator, helps relax blood vessels & improve bloodflow in the entire body. Low Dose Naltrexone 3mg. Helps up-regulate natural endorphins, modulate the immune system, and reduce inflammation. Helped me a lot with energy levels throughout the day. Misc: Antihistamine Daily, Montelukast, and Inhaled Coticosteriod Inhaler Daily (Trelegy). Helps slightly with shortness of breath & reduce inflammation. Not perfect, but the best tools at hand currently. I will continue until I find a better solution. Treatments (fully covered in my reddit post here) Testosterone Replacement Therapy / TRT. My bloodwork showed extremely low levels of testosterone, so I do 100mg of Test Cypionate weekly. Helped a lot with maintaining my fitness, muscle mass, and energy levels. NAD+ Injections 50mg daily. Has helped a lot with PEM, Energy, and wellbeing. NAD+ is an important co-factor for energy production, DNA repair, and mitochondrial health. Very well establishes, researched, and proven supplement. Diet Ketogenic: Mainly whole foods... grass-fed meat, chicken, eggs, salad, avocado, olive oil, etc... Fermented foods: Kimchi, Sauerkraut, Kefir. Helps with digestion and gut health. Useful for most people, unless if you have histamine issues or MCAS. Then you may want to be cautious since these foods are high histamine (not an issue for me personally). Exercise / Paced Exercise Zone 2 Cardio (brisk walking) 45min daily. About 100-105bpm heart rate. Personally strongly believe exercise is important part of recovery. I do not think you should force yourself beyond the levels that cause hard PEM crashing, but I do believe you need to hind that threshold and slowly work to increase that threshold. First supplements, treatments, and diet helped me get to a point where I could run around all day doing errands, shopping, etc... without crashing. Then, I started with 30-45minute walks 3-4 times a week for a month. Then I started doing 45min walks every day for several weeks. Finally, I started 45minute walks + daily weight training. The key for me was not doing it all at once in the morning.... and instead doing my 45minute walk, followed by 2-3 hours of rest while I had protein rich breakfast to recover, and then adding the weights on later in the afternoon after I had some food, recovery time, and recovery supplements. Graded exercise, one step at a time. That was key. 6. Results? Since implementing this protocol, I’ve eliminated my PEM & reduced my shortness of breath by 70-80%. I am back in the gym working out 2x daily (45min of zone 2 cardio in the morning, and weight training in the afternoon). Recovery is great, energy is great, and no crashes. 12 months ago I wasn’t even able to leave the house, 6 months ago I was crashing hard after a minor workouts... and now I’m working out 2x daily at 2-3X intensity without a single issue. I feel great most days. With that said, high intensity cardio (such as sprinting) is something I’m still staying away from for now. I will not start doing high-intensity cardio until the shortness of breath is fully 100% resolved. So until then, I'm sticking with 45minute is low-heart rate Zone 2 training per day + weightlifting in the afternoons. & I will continue to test various medications, supplements, and peptides to a nonstop effort to achieve a full recovery. I will keep you posted if I make more discoveries. Thanks! submitted by /u/its_julianalexander to r/covidlonghaulers [link] [comments]

Go to the gym, try to build muscle, 10k+ steps, other exercise…no matter what I do, every single time it gets to the point where I have to eat that little to MAINTAIN, not even lose (once I hit a certain weight). I understand muscle mass is supposed to make you be able to eat more but even when focussing on protein etc and consistently doing heavy (for me) exercises to failure 4x a week (upper, lower) it just doesn’t seem to happen when I’ve done this before (I can’t even do my gym & strength routine now due to health issues, but my point is, even when I have in the past, it never worked in the way I hoped 😭). If I start off at about 9st9 (135lbs) and go over 1400 cal I will not lose anything. If between 1200-1400cal and exercise I will lose a bit until I hit somewhere around 9st-9st 3 (126-129lbs), then I have to lower it to 1200-1250 to get to 8st12-9st (124-126lbs)….then I just can’t lose any more. I’d have to eat under 1200 which I’m never going to do. I’d like to be around 8st 10 but i’m 9st 9 now (I got very ill and all my hard gym work went out of the window as I was bedbound for a long time so I just ate whatever and couldn’t exercise - started a diet again 2 weeks ago but I’m still sick with multiple lifelong conditions so can’t resume my old gym routine). I’m trying to think of how to approach it this time round. (Other factor - I know my cortisol was high about 2.5 years ago. But other than that, idk if it’s just the way I am or what as I’ve been this way my whole life.) The problem is, although 9st 9 makes ME feel huge both from a comfort and aesthetic standpoint, it’s not actually overweight (getting close though), so sometimes I hear 5”1 people say they eat more than me and lose weight, but their starting point is like 11,12 stone. I feel like being in the 9stone range as a 5”1 woman is a nightmare, it is SO hard to lose. Obviously genetics are a thing here I guess to a degree. My moms struggled the same her entire life. I just hate being this weight it makes me so so so miserable. But what’s the deal…my whole life if I want to be under 9stone 5 I have to eat 1200ish? I’m so tired of this and the advice that you can eat more to lose weight or up your calories just doesn’t seem to often apply to very short people unless you’re at a high level of weightlifting and regardless of the fact that my health wouldn’t allow me to get to that now, I also don’t want that kind of physique anyway (nothing wrong with that it’s just not my goal), I also don’t aspire to be very skinny I just want to feel slim, comfortable and not like I’m carrying extra weight. I’m just so lost because I feel like the advice for 5”1 out there often comes from people either starting heavier or they’re advanced weight lifters saying their maintenance is 1700-2000 cal and stuff like that. If i ate that I’d be obese. If anyone knows of any good accounts to follow of people in this position please lmk! Idk what I’m writing for I just want to find a way out of this rut I get into every time and find a way of approaching it that doesn’t lead to the same prob every time 😭. Going by TDEE calculator I’ve done 1494cal for a week and surpassed my step goal everyday (cals for supposed mild weight loss if lightly active) and I’ve gained 0.05kg!!! I’ve been golden and measured every single thing to a T that’s passed my lips and logged it all on my fitness pal. It’s minuscule on the scale and might not even be a true gain but I cried when I stepped on it this morning and lost nothing. This is a mess of a post sorry but i’m so disheartened :(. I guess I’ll have to change it to sedentary but i don’t understand how 10-12k steps is sedentary and then my cals will be probably around 1280 :( EDIT: I use an accurate food scale and meticulously weigh every single crumb of anything I eat or drink, and log it all in MFP. I never cheat or record anything inaccurately, I wish that was the case so I could fix it. 2ND EDIT: Most comments have been really kind, but unfortunately it’s been insinuated by 2 people in a thread that I have an eating disorder and am obsessed bc I’m tracking calories and using numbers. Those people also homed in mentioning the 0.05kg. I mentioned this to show my frustration that the scale is not going down, not bc the 0.05kg is the issue. I even said ‘might not be true weight gain’ so I thought it was obvious that I know this could be water, stool or w/e but clearly I needed to state that in detail. I also clearly did not mean I was crying over the 0.05 kg as an isolated issue. I can’t believe I’m having to explain that. It’s years of frustration and knowing I have the same issues every time even when I’m golden. The reason I used numbers is bc 1) it helps me get on track 2) if I didn’t, I’d have 60 comments telling me to work out my BMR and TDEE and that you can’t just lose weight by estimating bc it’s calories in, calories out. 3) It helps people to directly relate, who are the same height and weight, which was the point of my post…to find others in the same boat. I’ve been very inactive for 2 years due to reasons unrelated, and haven’t been on any sort of diet or health kick since Jan 2023. The example of my old gym routine is from Jan 2023 and BEFORE. The reason I didn’t harp on about this is bc this is an issue that I’ve faced for my whole life, so I want to talk about the overall problem that many of us shorter girls face. I have made a point twice that I cannot currently do that routine and am focusing on steps rn. The point of bringing my old gym routines into it is that I am trying to say, that even when on a long journey to build muscle with 4x a week gym sessions (weighted/strength exercises), prioritising protein etc, with added cardio, I still struggled with the mentioned calorie issue where I just can’t seem to eat much more without gaining weight, bc I know that will be the advice given by some people. I do not have an eating disorder. I’m sorry for those of you that have suffered with this and for all you’ve been through. I like science and nutrition, and my mind works well in numbers so I use it for this, not bc I have an eating disorder. I am simply frustrated that introducing a TDEE calculated deficit after such a long time off and adding 10k+steps from no activity at all has not resulted in at least a half a pound weight loss. I do not want to eat 1200-1300 cal which is why I’m frustrated my journey to being healthy always ends up with that if I wish to get under my current weight. I want to avoid it this time. I also don’t appreciate the very patronising comment (same person) that I will not respond to, insinuating that bc I didn’t mention the exact foods I eat but instead mentioned calories, I must have a bad and unhealthy diet. I thought it’d be pretty clear that I’m not eating unhealthily but obviously not. So for the record, I am educated on healthy, good quality foods and without boring you with a long list of what I eat in a day, I can assure you, that is not the problem. I am 9st 9 at 5 ft 1. It is perfectly healthy for me to lose a few pounds and as already stated, I’m not looking to get skinny. Thank you those who showed me I’m not alone and were supportive and non judgemental, which was most of you. submitted by /u/turquoisewavess to r/PetiteFitness [link] [comments]

I asked a question to the artificial intelligence on Google: Can fast-walking increase the levels of cortisol hormone in the body? AI Overview: No, fast walking can actually help lower cortisol levels: Stress reductionWalking can decrease cortisol levels, which is known as the "stress hormone". Cortisol levels increase in response to stress, which can lead to inflammation and food cravings. Endorphin releaseWalking, especially brisk walking, can stimulate the release of endorphins, which can improve mood. Mental healthWalking can improve mental health and outlook. Other benefitsWalking can also improve cardiovascular health, lower the risk of cognitive decline, and improve blood sugar. Can walking cure hormonal imbalance? Many types of physical activity have been found to help prevent insulin resistance, including high intensity interval training, strength training, and cardio. For people who cannot perform vigorous exercise, even regular walking may increase key hormone levels, potentially improving strength and quality of life. How long to walk to lower cortisol? The mental health benefits of exercise are both immediate and long-lasting. After 20 minutes of exercise, cortisol levels decrease, resulting in a better mood and a more positive outlook, Walker says, which is why she designed the walking plan below to start at nearly that mark.Jan 14, 2023 submitted by /u/IntrovertNihilist to r/omad [link] [comments]

First of all, it responded with its top 10 correlations. Then I asked it to search the internet to verify its hypotheses. So, here are the top 10 correlations, and then below that, I’ll paste its self-validation results. Making truly novel correlations that haven’t been discovered or discussed by humans is difficult to verify, as I have no way of confirming whether something is completely uncharted territory. However, I can offer speculative, interdisciplinary connections that seem underexplored or could spark new insights. Here are a few possibilities: Gut Microbiome and Decision-Making Styles • Speculative Correlation: Specific gut microbiota compositions could influence whether a person tends to be risk-averse or risk-taking in decision-making. • Rationale: The gut microbiome has been linked to mood and cognition through the gut-brain axis. Dopamine and serotonin, both key to risk-taking behaviors, are partly regulated by gut health. Perhaps microbiota imbalances correlate with financial, social, or strategic decision-making tendencies. Seasonal Sunlight Exposure and Language Complexity • Speculative Correlation: Populations in regions with high variability in seasonal sunlight may develop languages with more tonal or rhythmic complexity. • Rationale: Sunlight exposure affects mood, creativity, and social bonding. Communities facing extreme light variation might have evolved linguistic nuances to maintain social cohesion during darker months, expressed through tonal variation or prosody. Urban Tree Canopy and Cardiovascular Health Disparities • Speculative Correlation: Dense urban tree coverage correlates with reduced cardiovascular disease risk in nearby populations. • Rationale: Trees reduce urban heat, improve air quality, and mitigate stress. However, socioeconomic disparities likely influence where trees are planted, suggesting cardiovascular outcomes might reflect access to green spaces more than previously understood. AI-Driven Creativity and Autism Spectrum Traits • Speculative Correlation: AI systems performing creative tasks might exhibit problem-solving patterns resembling individuals with autism spectrum traits. • Rationale: Many AI models are designed for relentless pattern optimization, ignoring social norms or ambiguity. This mirrors how some individuals on the spectrum excel in pattern recognition, abstract reasoning, and out-of-the-box solutions. Low Glycemic Diets and Enhanced Emotional Regulation • Speculative Correlation: Diets focusing on low-glycemic foods may enhance emotional regulation in neurodivergent individuals. • Rationale: Low blood sugar variability reduces stress hormone spikes like cortisol. For individuals whose neurological conditions amplify sensitivity to stress, this dietary shift might yield disproportionately greater benefits. Air Travel and Reproductive Health • Speculative Correlation: Frequent air travel in women might correlate with subtle disruptions in reproductive health outcomes. • Rationale: Cabin pressure changes and exposure to cosmic radiation during flights may impact hormonal cycles or ovulation, especially with frequent long-haul flights. This connection has been underexplored due to confounding variables like stress and work schedules. Neuroplasticity and Creative Professions in Late Life • Speculative Correlation: Creative professionals might experience slower age-related cognitive decline due to prolonged neuroplasticity. • Rationale: Activities that demand continual learning and creativity—like composing music, writing, or painting—may protect against cognitive deterioration. This could imply creative practice is not only protective but neurogenerative. WiFi Radiation and Plant Root Structures • Speculative Correlation: Long-term exposure to low-level WiFi signals could subtly alter plant root growth patterns. • Rationale: There is limited but intriguing research on how electromagnetic radiation interacts with living tissues. Plants grown near routers might develop root structures that differ in density or orientation, reflecting subtle biological responses. Digital Device Usage and Personal Chronotype Shifts • Speculative Correlation: Prolonged use of digital devices with LED screens might accelerate shifts in personal chronotypes, making “night owls” more common. • Rationale: Exposure to blue light disrupts melatonin production, but over time, consistent exposure might “retrain” circadian rhythms to adapt permanently, altering a population’s sleep timing norms. Cultural Diets and Cognitive Bias Propensity • Speculative Correlation: Diets high in fermented foods might correlate with lower susceptibility to cognitive biases, such as confirmation bias or groupthink. • Rationale: Fermented foods influence gut health, which affects neurotransmitter function. Enhanced emotional regulation or abstract thinking from gut-brain optimization could reduce impulsive reliance on biases. These are speculative and would require rigorous testing to verify. Do any of these stand out as something you’d like to explore deeper? Upon reviewing the speculative correlations previously mentioned, I found that some have been explored in scientific research, while others remain largely unexamined. Here’s a summary of the findings: Gut Microbiome and Decision-Making Styles • Explored Correlation: Research indicates that the gut microbiome can influence decision-making, particularly in social contexts. A study found that altering gut microbiota through dietary interventions affected participants’ willingness to accept unfair offers in an ultimatum game, suggesting a link between gut composition and social decision-making.  Seasonal Sunlight Exposure and Language Complexity • Unexplored Correlation: There is limited research directly linking seasonal sunlight exposure to the tonal or rhythmic complexity of languages. While sunlight exposure affects mood and cognitive functions, a direct correlation with language complexity remains speculative. Urban Tree Canopy and Cardiovascular Health Disparities • Explored Correlation: Studies have shown that increased urban greenery is associated with better cardiovascular health outcomes. Access to green spaces can reduce stress and promote physical activity, contributing to improved heart health. AI-Driven Creativity and Autism Spectrum Traits • Unexplored Correlation: There is no substantial research comparing AI problem-solving patterns with cognitive traits associated with autism spectrum disorders. This remains an area open for exploration. Low Glycemic Diets and Enhanced Emotional Regulation • Explored Correlation: Dietary choices, including low-glycemic diets, have been linked to emotional regulation. Stable blood sugar levels can influence mood and cognitive function, potentially benefiting individuals with heightened stress sensitivity. Air Travel and Reproductive Health • Unexplored Correlation: Research on the impact of frequent air travel on women’s reproductive health is limited. Factors like cabin pressure and radiation exposure have not been conclusively linked to reproductive outcomes. Neuroplasticity and Creative Professions in Late Life • Explored Correlation: Engagement in creative activities has been associated with sustained neuroplasticity and cognitive function in older adults. Lifelong creative engagement may contribute to cognitive resilience. WiFi Radiation and Plant Root Structures • Unexplored Correlation: There is minimal research on the effects of WiFi radiation on plant root development. Existing studies have not established a clear link between electromagnetic exposure and changes in plant growth patterns. Digital Device Usage and Personal Chronotype Shifts • Explored Correlation: Exposure to blue light from digital devices can affect circadian rhythms, potentially leading to shifts in sleep patterns. Prolonged exposure may influence individual chronotypes over time. Cultural Diets and Cognitive Bias Propensity • Unexplored Correlation: The relationship between diet, particularly fermented food consumption, and susceptibility to cognitive biases has not been extensively studied. While diet influences gut health and cognition, direct effects on cognitive biases remain speculative. In summary, while some of these correlations have been supported by research, others remain speculative and warrant further investigation. If you’re interested in exploring any of these topics in more detail, feel free to ask! submitted by /u/Se777enUP to r/ChatGPT [link] [comments]

Most episodes on this podcast go way more in-depth than the average person may want to learn. They also include some impractical protocols intent on neurotically “optimizing” one’s life. Here is a list of simplified protocols that the average person can implement in a flexible and practical way. If a topic is not mentioned (such as testosterone, brain chemistry, or strengthening your immune system) it’s because the answer is (wait for it): A healthy diet, getting good sleep, and regular exercise - there is no need to make it more complicated than that. With that being said, Huberman has provided a lot of great information in his lectures, which I have summarized here. I created this for my own personal use but decided to post it here for anyone who wants it. Alcohol Less alcohol, fewer health risks; more alcohol, greater health risks. An average of 1-2 drinks per day in a week is associated with thinning of the neocortex, increased impulsivity, increased baseline cortisol, reduced mood, increased cancer risk, and lower testosterone. Electrolytes before drinking can reduce the severity of a hangover. Spiking adrenaline (e.g. through cold exposure) helps alleviate hangover. Caffeine To avoid discomfort, consume no more than 1-3mg of caffeine per kilogram of bodyweight. Delay intake 90-120 minutes after waking if you find that caffeine causes you to crash in the afternoon. Has a reinforcing effect on foods, drinks, and activities (i.e. consuming caffeine while consuming or doing something will increase your liking of it). Tablets are an alternative to caffeinated drinks. Benefits: Releases acetylcholine, increasing alertness, and dopamine, increasing mood and motivation. Improves reaction time and ability to recall information Inhibits sleepiness by blocking adenosine receptors Increases the dopaminergic effect of exercise and reinforces the desire for that exercise. Cannabis Three strains of cannabis: Sativa - Acts as a stimulant, increasing feelings of creativity, energy, and focus while reducing pain. Indica - Has a more “full body” effect. Promotes relaxation and helps relieve anxiety. Hybrid strains - blends of sativa and indica. Potential adverse effects: Use of cannabis before age 25 will negatively impact brain development, depending on the amount of use: Thins gray matter, particularly in the frontal lobe, which has a long-term impact on executive function Increases the risk of developing depression or anxiety problems Increases the risk of psychosis for those who are genetically predisposed All of the health risks involved with smoking or vaping anything May increase baseline anxiety in chronic users Depression has been found to increase with chronic use over time, especially for those who were not depressed when they began use Cold Exposure Cold shower effective, ice bath even better. Cold enough that you would like to get out, but can stay in safely. Sessions can be around 1-5 minutes. You can take a hot shower afterward and still derive the benefits of cold exposure (minus the increases to metabolism). Your body will heat up afterward, which may make falling asleep more difficult. Benefits: Spikes epinephrine and norepinephrine, while creating a steady and sustained increase in levels of dopamine. Epinephrine and norepinephrine increase focus and energy. Dopamine improves mood and motivation. Can be used as a form of resilience training. Increases metabolism & converts white fat cells into beige and brown fat cells over time through the shivering process. Improves recovery and reduces muscle soreness when done after exercise for those whose primary goal is recovery, not adaptation (e.g. if you have a competition coming up). Diet Aim for 25g fiber/day to promote health and longevity. Aim for 500-600g of fruits and veggies/day. Ensure you are getting the nutrients you need. To do so, eat a balanced diet containing: Plenty of whole foods Fruits and veggies Whole grains Healthy fats (nuts, seeds, fatty fish, etc.) Sufficient protein Dairy products "Whole foods" are beneficial in the sense that they are high in nutrients and eating plenty of them will often help you decrease your caloric intake if that is your goal. Drawbacks of refined sugar: High in calories but low in nutrients Chronic overconsumption is associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers Can lead to tooth decay/cavities Can create cravings for more sugar People who completely abstain from eating something (e.g. sugar) are more likely to binge on it. Fitness Don’t worry about watching overly complex Andy Galpin lectures in order to construct your workouts. Use a weightlifting program from Liftvault or the r/fitness wiki. Aim to keep weight training sessions under 60 minutes, 75 minutes maximum. This prevents an excess of cortisol and ensures proper recovery. 3-5 minutes of downregulation breathing post-workout helps enhance recovery by activating the parasympathetic nervous symptom and lowering stress hormones that are naturally higher during a workout. This can be simple as slow deliberate breathing, physiological sighs, or any breathing pattern that emphasizes exhales. For muscle gain: Aim for 0.6g-1g protein /1lb bodyweight per day. "Bulking" is not required to increase muscle mass - if you are at a healthy body fat % that you are happy with, you can simply eat at maintenance with sufficient protein while training. For weight loss: Eat in a calorie deficit - see the r/loseit wiki. Diet plays much larger role in weight loss than physical activity does, although research shows that for those who are able to both lose weight and keep it off, over 70% of them engage in regular exercise. Incorporate endurance cardio and HIIT (high-intensity interval training) into your fitness regimen. You generally want to aim for 2-4 cardio sessions per week. Fitness Routine Suggestion from Huberman - not recommended for beginners, but gives you an idea of what you might include in your own program. Heat impedes performance, so cool down your body if you get too hot. The most efficient way to do this is to cool your AVAs - your palms, the bottoms of your feet, and/or upper face. The evidence for “supercharging” performance with cooling is iffy. Cold exposure or anti-inflammatory drugs within 4 hours after exercise may inhibit muscle gain. Supplements to consider include creatine, caffeine, and rhodiola rosea (see section). Flexibility “Microstretching” is better than intense stretching - stretching should generally be done without much pain. Consistency and frequency is better than intensity. Three types of stretching, each with different benefits: Static Stretching - General purpose routine to improve range of motion. Also helps improve recovery and reduce muscle soreness post-exercise. PNF Stretching - Increase flexibility of targeted muscle groups to improve athletics. Often done with a partner. Antagonistic Muscle Group Stretching - Reduce risk of injury pre-exercise/athletics. Good for activities like gymnastics, dance, and martial arts. Potential benefits: Reduce natural decline in flexibility while aging Overall health, balance, and posture Reduce pain and inflammation Smoother gait and better athletic performance due to greater range of motion Focus Sustaining focus means being able to bring your attention back when it drifts. The average adult can sustain unbroken attention for no more than 3 minutes - do not expect your focus to be uniform while working. Keeping your work sessions 90 minutes or less is “optimal” for focus. Staring at one spot for 60 seconds will increase your level of focus; mental focus follows visual focus. Your best cognitive work will be done within 8 hours after waking. Keeping your screen at or above eye level helps promote alertness. Try background sounds: white/pink/brown noise, binaural beats. Goals Visualize the big win to get the process started. Visualize the consequences of failure to stay motivated. Goals should be moderately lofty - achievable but not easy. 1-3 major goals per year is best. Your end goal and the steps needed to achieve it should be concretely defined. Assess your progress regularly, e.g. once a week, to stay motivated. Gut Microbiome Important for mental and physical health. Incorporate fiber and low-sugar fermented foods into your diet. Avoid eating too much processed food. Get good sleep. Heat Exposure Use a sauna. 5-20 minutes per session. 1 session per week good, 2-3 ideal, up to 7 max. Ensure you stay hydrated during sessions (around 6-18oz water for every 20 minutes). Potential benefits: Improved cardiovascular health Reduced decline of growth hormone while aging Improved mood Maintains protein structures to promote well being Learning Information Learning bouts of 90 minutes or less tend to be best. A spike in adrenaline post-learning (such as from cold exposure) may improve retention. NSDR post-learning may also improve retention. Use active recall and spaced repetition (look it up). Get good sleep. Learning Skills Be alert and focused. Do repetitions of the action you want to improve. Expect and embrace errors (the 85% rule - failing around 15% of the time is the "optimal" difficulty for skill learning). Randomly take a break every few minutes for around 10 seconds - for some reason this makes you learn faster. Practice the skill on a consistent basis. Limit learning sessions to 90 minutes or less. NSDR post-session may improve learning. Get good sleep. Longevity Exercise regularly, get good sleep, and eat a healthy diet (see sections). Maintain muscle mass to ensure functional aging. Minimize sources of chronic inflammation (including chronic stress) to reduce the risk of age-related diseases. NAD+ and resveratrol supplements may increase longevity, but the research on this is still unclear. Meditation (aka NSDR) The physiological sigh is a tool for lowering stress by increasing the activity of the parasympathetic nervous system. Perform a full inhale through the nose, then a second inhale through the nose, followed by a complete exhale through the mouth as many times as needed. Consider transcendental meditation once or twice a day. Try other forms of meditation. Potential benefits: Reduces stress and anxiety Improves focus, mood, and ability to regulate emotions (by increasing gray matter in related brain areas) Strengthens the prefrontal cortex, improving executive function Motivation Many people refer to dopamine as the "pleasure" molecule, but it can be more aptly described as the molecule of craving and motivation. Your level of motivation is governed by your current dopamine baseline. Whenever you have a large spike in dopamine, your baseline will drop until it replenishes itself. Experiment with random intermittent reinforcement, which is the most effective reward schedule for maintaining motivation - i.e., celebrate your wins, but not all of them. Put emphasis on the process - dopamine release is partially controlled by mindset. Avoid layering too many sources of dopamine if your goal is to consistently feel motivated (you will crash afterward). Get good sleep. Sleep Get morning sunlight exposure for 5-10 minutes after waking up to help set your circadian clock for the day (even if it's cloudy). This is the most important one. Avoid bright light between 10pm and 4am (especially overhead lights). Exceptions are red light and firelight. Lights low down in the room are less harmful. This is the second most important one. Keep your room cool and dark while sleeping. Avoid caffeine 8-10 hours before bedtime, as it disrupts sleep. Alcohol close to bedtime will also disrupt sleep. Limiting variation in your sleep is more important than the amount of sleep you get (although both matter). Shift your clock gradually to prepare for jet lag. Naps are perfectly fine; as long as they are kept under 90 minutes, they shouldn't disrupt your sleep cycle. Huberman does not recommend taking melatonin. NSDR can be used for insomnia. You can experiment with apigenin (also found in chamomile tea) or theanine if you have trouble falling asleep. There is limited evidence to support magnesium's sleep benefits outside of a few niche cases. Supplements are less important than following the other sleep protocols. Supplements Some of the supplements discussed on the podcast have limited supporting evidence. Here are some with stronger evidence: Ashwagandha - reduces cortisol (stress). Caffeine Creatine - improves physical performance and possibly cognition. One of the most well-researched supplements. Needs to be taken daily to provide benefits. Omega-3 fatty acids - can reduce depression and improve cognition, plus other health benefits you can look up. It's best to aim for products that contain at least 1g of EPA + DHA. Dosages as high as 2g of EPA have been shown to carry benefits. Rhodiola rosea - reduces stress and improves performance while under stress. Can improve work capacity and recovery on intense workouts. If you have a specific gap in your diet (e.g. magnesium, vitamin D), you can take something for that. Consider a multivitamin if you decide you need one. Water Filter your tap water, preferably with a filter that removes fluoride. Hard water (water that is high in dissolved minerals like calcium and magnesium) can reduce inflammation and benefit cardiovascular health. Aim for around 80oz of water within 10 hours of waking to avoid dehydration. Try to avoid plastic water bottles, as the plastic will leach into the water over time. Electrolytes help offset dehydration and are good to take during exercise. Closing Thoughts As always, remember not to lose the forest for the trees. The point of these protocols are to improve the quality of your life, not to optimize for the sake of optimizing. Nothing is optimal in the real world, and to the extant something is ideal in one way, it is less ideal in another way. I appreciate the love and I hope everyone found this helpful. If you have suggestions for how this post could be improved, please let me know. submitted by /u/CerebrumConundrum to r/HubermanLab [link] [comments]

4 years ago I submitted a series of fitness, diet, and coaching notes that I compiled from the masterclass coaches Matt Wenning, Stan Efferding, and the late great Charles Poliquin. Not knowing just how popular they'd become I still receive weekly emails, DMs, and PMs asking questions, clarity, or for a copy of the new PDF. For your viewing pleasure the notes have been semi-updated and compiled into a cleaner PDF, and made accessible for future reading. They're absolutely free. Here's a link to the PDF: 70 Pages of Fitness Notes - A Collection I'm trying this website that Dropbox recommended as it tracks how many people access it, which I thought would be fun to see. I've never used it before so if it sucks feel free to tell me and suggest a better website that can handle the bandwidth. I've considered doing the same notes compilation on coaches and professors like Mike Israetel, Matt Huberman, and Nathan Payton, but the problem is that it takes so much time that it's tough to do as a side-hobby. If there's enough interest I may dedicate time to it. Someday you may see my 840+ saved Instagram stories of Nathan Payton answering diet and training questions turned into notes, but for now, please accept these 70 pages as my guilt offering for being lazy. If you have more questions feel free to PM me here on Reddit. Love you all, xoXOxo ______Example of What's in the Notes______ Quick Intro: These are 6 months worth of reading books, watching documentaries, listening to podcasts, and trying new methods of training all in my pursuit to be more fit. That said, I've decided to share notes I've taken on the three coaches I consider to be the top teachers and doers of the strength, conditioning, and nutrition industry, whose pedigree spread across the experienced trenches of Olympians, US Special Operations, World Strongest Man, UFC, NFL, etc --just to name a few. Now, they are by no means the holders of the gospel of fitness, nor are they the only voices worth listening to, but here's why I chose who I chose: Philosophy of Choice: Achievements in personal fitness - need to be fit, and have fitness results in their own life. Can't be all head knowledge or studies. No book worms or science nerds without the in-the-trenches experience. Achievements in client fitness - need to have produced results in others lives, because knowing what works for you is vastly different than being able to identify, correct, and advance what works for others. Renown and respected by the community - peers need to recognize contributions to the community Longevity - How long have they been in the game? How long have they stayed healthy? How long have they been training clients? All important questions in establishing reputation. Why I Chose Stan Efferding: To me, Stan is the summation of an average guy with absolute discipline who's taken the best advice from the best gurushe's personally trained with from around the world for decades, and becoming himself an absolute beast. I chose Stan because of his humble demeanor, and because he's also one of the strongest bodybuilders in the world. Additionally, he has trained the Mountain to win his first Arnolds Strongest Man 2018 this past March. Blue collar guy who presents some info. No tips or tricks. Turned over every rock looking for the secret. Spent loads of money, and there is only one answer: sleep, eat, and train. Matt Wenning calls him "the strongest bodybuilder on planet earth." Helped get Hapthorr "The Mountain" diet in check, where he set records in elephant bar (1000lbs+) and bag-over-bar, and take first as Arnolds Strongest Man 2018. Coached various bikini competitors, NBA, NFL, MLB, UFC, etc Worked with Brian Shaw's diet and helped him achieve second place at Arnolds Strongest Man 2018. Coaching Larry Wheels (aesthetic and powerful beast) and Dan Green. Has trained with almost every guru in the business, directly or indirectly. Former bodybuilding and powerlifting competitor. Squats in the 800lbs+ at 50+ years of age. Why I Chose Charles Poliquin: One of the first world renown and truly experienced strength coaches of the modern era. "Research catches up to Charles," has been said about his bleeding edge yet common sense approach to training. While considered by a few to be the king of psuedo-science, the ironic part of this claim is that from all my note-taking from the past 6 months --from books on Green Berets to interviews with the Mountain to 3-hour long seminars with various teachers-- Charles cites his sources and explains the history of what he's talking about more often than any other individual or source I've been reading, watching, or listening. One of the best and most distinguished strength coaches in the world. Trained various Special Operations (Seal Team 6, SAS included) Coached the US womens team to win their first Olympic gold in history, and defeated Japan in their 20 year reign. 38+ years of Olympian training across 23 different sports, went to 3 different Olympics as a coach. Also have trained various high-level professional athletes and coaches in the military, Crossfit, NFL, NHL, MLB, etc. Researches studies from as far back as 1890's Ability to recall information, facts, research papers, all to the date, location of study, and to the author/researcher, a skill second to no other fitness expert (reminds me of the level of expert recall Robert McNaramara displays in the documentary "Fog of War"). Lectures around the world with book authors like Jay Papasanas, Ed Coan, and world renown athletes like Dmitry Klokov. Always ahead of the curve (attributed as first in the US to recommend BCAAs, fish oils, German Volume training, tempo training, cluster training, neuro transmitter profile training, etc). Stan Efferding, Matt Wenning, and Mark Bell have all implemented information from Charles into their personal training, and how they train clients, and all speak highly of him. Has huge biceps and abs for an old man. Why I Chose Matt Wenning: I chose Matt because of his personal and professional achievements. Hired to train various Special Operations for the military and is the first to be implemented at a large scale. His methods have reduced injury rates across the board for fire, police, and military (and thus saved money for those organizations), and is a master of training and preventing overtraining. Multiple records in the squat alone, including a 1196lb squat. Broke 4 world records; second highest RAW at 208 class with 2204lb total. Works with thousands of US military, including various Ranger regiments, 4th Infantry, and paratroopers out of Bragg. Developed Mountain Warrior Athlete program out of Ft. Carson. Clients include NFL, US Special Operations, law enforcement, fireman, professional athletes, universities, elderly (difficult to train and yield safe results) and kids with disabilities His training with first responders and military has reduced site budgets significantly, due to decreased injuries and insurance claims. Attended university in Indiana where NASA funded the strength and conditioning programs and recruited top-tier professors. Top ten in the world for almost two decades with no major injuries (rare in the strength industry) Masters degree in sports biomechanics under Dr. Kramer Trained closely and mentored by various powerlifting legends like Louie Simmons, Ed Coan from his teen years, and was one of the youngest to squat 900lbs Notes on Notetaking: Each section of notes will include everything I felt was noteworthy, even if it's repeated 3 times in 3 other podcasts. I did this as people will cherry-pick which seminars they want notes on, and I don't want them to miss out on key information just because I wrote it down elsewhere. Also, rehearing the same things over and over again just works as positive reinforcement and mentally conditioning good habits. Can't hurt to hear solid advice over and over again. Additionally, these notes are taken as a stream-of-thought process and later revised and edited, so they may seem short, fluid, or lacking in information. I reread the notes a few times and tried to expand and clean up, but I will have missed some parts. Table of Contents: Stan Efferding Seminar P.1 - The Importance of Sleep, Nutrition, & Steroids Stan Efferding Seminar P.2 - Grow BIGGER by Getting Good at the Basics Stan Efferding KOMPLETTES Seminar in THOR's Powergym P.1 Stan Efferding KOMPLETTES Seminar in THOR's Powergym P.2 Stan Efferding - The Matt Wenning Strength podcast Episode 8: Effiting It Up With Stan Efferding Stan Efferding - JuggLife | Return of the Rhino Stan Efferding - Strong Talk Podcast 113: Stan Efferding - Training The Mountain Matt Wenning - Ben Pulkaski's Muscle Expert Podcast Ep 48| The 300 Rep Warm Up and Expert Recovery and Programming Strategies Matt Wenning - Absolute Strength Podcast Ep. 105 | Unique Powerlifting Techniques, Meet Prep, Sleep and Warming Up Matt Wenning - Hammershed Podcast Episode 26 | Training the Military Matt Wenning - National Strength & Conditioning Association | Sumo Deadlift: The Base for Tactical Strength Matt Wenning - National Strength & Conditioning Association | Conjugate Periodization Matt Wenning - National Strength & Conditioning Association | Programming for Tactical Populations Matt Wenning - National Strength & Conditioning Association | The Squat—How it Improves Athletic Performance Charles Poliquin - Training Volume, Nutrition & Fat Loss Charles Poliquin - Aerobic exercise may be destroying your body, weightlifting can save it Charles Poliquin - Interview (P.1) | The Tim Ferriss Show Charles Poliquin - Interview (P.2) | The Tim Ferriss Show Charles Poliquin - Powercast: The Myth of Discipline Pt 1 Charles Poliquin - Strength Sensei Part 1 | London Real Podcast Charles Poliquin - Strength Sensei Part 2 | London Real Podcast Charles Poliquin - Strength Sensei Part 3 | London Real Podcast Misc Info: Example US Army Ranger conjugate workout split (towards the bottom) Vertical Diet, simplified (used for the Mountain, NFL, bikini competitors, etc) Compilation of Notes Regarding Training Women: (work in progress) For the female lifter: 10-minute walks better than 40 minute treadmill. Doesn't breakdown muscle, still helps with fat loss. If on a limited calorie diet, then the caloric limit will yield results in body composition and performance based on the choice of foods, not just calorie choice. Choose nutrient rich foods like steak. 3oz of OJ or milk a couple times a day: liver and thyroid stimulus for metabolism. Long cardio has high water demand. Sends wrong message to body: body holds on to fat to endure the longer workload. Also, body thinks heavy muscle is bad, gets rid of it. Stan noticed how joggers carry fat. Body holds on to fat for fuel, gets rid of muscle. Body responds to stimulus you provide. Still need to develop cardio. Recommends HIIT under load: improves cardio while stimulating muscle. Weighted exercises with higher reps (why Matt and Stan recommend loaded exercise under distance). Performing 20 rep sets, or 30 second rest between weighted carries, running stairs (all concentric loading), pushing prowlers, 30s sprint/rest on recumbent bike (ten mins) are all great examples of cardio development. "How do you talk people into losing weight by lifting weights?" Cites his 60 year old women who lift weights and are lean. They don't have prior exercise experience, and they're stronger than most men. How much weight you have on you is 80% diet. Cardio isn't what gets bikini and stage competitors lean, it's they eat better. "Don't want to be huge? Don't eat huge." When you start training weights you start to retain water, so swelling occurs. Hypertrophy occurs, diet cleans up, everything will lean out. "Foam rolling is a waste of time, and also leads to more scar tissue." Evidence shows treadmill warmups insulin resistance by 46%. Research: Sleep loss limits fat loss. Insulin resistance goes up; blood pressure goes up; hunger goes up; cortisol (breaks down muscle tissue; decreases testosterone, effects your thyroid; etc) Juicing and detox is completely worthless. All you can do is optimize how your body filtrates toxins, which is the liver. Best way to detox is to just not put the processed foods and oils into your body. 10 minute walks for athletes wanting to gain weight, with caloric gain. Also female competitors in bikini, but with calorie deficit. Helps digestion and insulin resistance. Stan trained 40-50 minutes morning, 30 mins at night. Women tend to restrict and end of missing much needed fats and nutrients. Ability to absorb nutrients depends on using fats as a shuttle. "There's no black and white, there's only gray. Find out what fits you and do that" States foam rolling is a waste of time, and also leads to more scar tissue. Evidence shows treadmill warmups insulin resistance by 46%. If not yet deserving then stick to glutamine, amino acids, and whey. Losing body fat will make you more insulin sensitive. Steady-state cardio will cause you to get fatter. Restricting fats causes fat. Fats help with insulin sensitivity. Common mistakes with trainers and female clients: not wanting to get strong. Not enough time on overload with women (don't have goals for strength). Short term goals to comply to regarding big lifts. Lean muscle tissue leads to insulin sensitivity. Believes most women in the gym are busy, not productive Better glute development: split squats, squats, deadlifts (all of which develop horizontal and vertical jump). TL;DR/Top Ten Changes I've Personally Made From These Lessons: There's a million bits of info in these notes, but here's some ten takeaways I was able to implement over the course of two months. Carbs: Carbs are not the enemy, but need to be heavily regulated and based on individual performance, digestive health, and body-fat. Ethnic background is a huge factor. That being said, Charles states "you need to earn your carbs," while Stan is more lenient, but still recommends you keep them low if you're not an elite athlete. If you do choose to eat carbs, white rice is the best carb as it doesn't cause inflammation or digestive issues like potatoes and brown rice can. Sleep: The greatest anabolic, absolutely necessary. The elite performers sleep 10-12 hours a day, including long naps during the day. Important to muscle growth, fat loss, and hormone regulation. I dim the lights 2 hours before bed, do my best to not check my phone, tv, or any electronic screen to improve sleep quality. Programming: I've split my workouts with 72-hours between muscle groups. Using a variety of exercises helps overall performance by choosing accessory work that addresses weaknesses. "Exercise rotation and having a big exercise library prevents injury while allowing constant key movements." Only 4 main heavy days, with the other days as options for accessory or cardio. Food choice: Grass-fed meat research isn't proven yet, and doesn't justify the price. Eat quality cuts of beef, bison, and wild game. "Otherwise, the best diet is the one you stick to." Just eliminated processed foods and snacks, and choose vegetables and fruits that the body will digest easily (FodMap). Bought a sous-vide to prepare the Costco Steak, and a rice maker for the white rice. On it for two months and am seeing great results. Personally, I've added lots of berries, avocadoes, baby carrots, nuts, coconut oil, chia seeds to my daily diet. I also add kimchi and guacamole to some meals in order to keep the steak from being too routine. Also drinking 3oz of OJ multiple times a day. Warm-Up: Static stretching isn't the best option prior to a lift, and cardio before your lift will cause you to be insulin resistant, preventing fat loss. Either do potentiation exercises, or follow this advice: "brain should know the range of motion, and weights should get heavier." Regarding potentiation: find where the weakest links are in the main lift, then pick a moderately light weight, and choose exercises that affect different muscle groups involved in the main lift. For example, the squat might be upper back (a), lower back (b), then hamstrings (c). Doesn't need to be heavy, just consistently volume with minimal rest. 4x25 with no rest: a, b,c, repeat 4 times total. Then rest 3-5 minutes, then you're ready attack the main lift (be if your heavy max or speed work). Matt noticed clients were getting stronger, and form was getting better over time. Matt started off light, but now can do 4x25's of 100lb dumbells on chest warmups. Work your way up. Here's the warm-up in practice with Mike O'Hearn, Stan, and Matt. Walking: Not just for old people: Ten minute walk, after you eat a meal. Improves digestion, decreases DOMS, helps with insulin sensitivity. "Blood is the life force, brings in all the nutrients." Brisk walks with elevated heart outperforms leisure 10k step-walks in fat, heart, cardio benefits. Recommended is 3 ten-minute walks a day. Can replace all steady-state cardio with walks and HIIT. Recommended them to the women in competition and strongmen like the Mountain, both of whom saw fantastic results. Cardio: Implemented rucks over distance running, along with adding swimming, cycling, and farmers carries. Long slow-distance work inhibits muscle growth and fat-loss. That said, some cardio is required, hence the HIIT, farmers walks, etc as they are recommended. Still learning to program into the workout regimen. Build the Backside: If the muscle is behind you, chances are you need to build it stronger. The average person will have weak lower and upper back, hamstrings, glutes, calves, traps, rear delts, etc. Build those up by making them a priority in your accessory exercise selection. For example: Upperback not strong enough will change scapular position on bench press. Salt: Upped the intake of my salt. Iodized salt, stimulates thyroid, immune system, stimulates the liver. When you hit a wall, it's because you're low on sodium, not carbs. Guaranteed. Single biggest thing you can do to impact performance, stamina and endurance at the gym is iodized sodium. Post-workout drink: Body super-compensates after a workout, so you need immediate replenishment, especially for two-a-days. Fructose (Orange juice) for liver stimulation, dextrose (scoop off Amazon) for glycogen replenishment, sodium (600mg), 100mg of caffeine (accelerates all of that). No proteins or fats immediately as it slows absorption. submitted by /u/LawBobLawLoblaw to r/Fitness [link] [comments]

Stress is the body’s response to a potential threat that may be related to physical and psychological factors. Learn about the role of cortisol in stress and how to lower cortisol. Cortisol is one of the hormones produced by the adrenal cortex. It is involved in many metabolic processes, such as helping to regulate blood pressure and blood sugar levels. In addition, it plays a role in the awakening process after sleep. When you wake up, your hormone levels rise, peaking after 30 minutes and then gradually decreasing throughout the day. Cortisol is also called the “stress hormone”. When your body feels threatened, physically or psychologically, your brain sends a signal to your adrenal glands, and they release cortisol in response. This hormone improves concentration, blood circulation, and glucose synthesis – this helps the body release additional energy to cope with stress more effectively. Despite the benefits of cortisol, frequent or prolonged increases in cortisol levels can be harmful to the body. For example, chronic stress causes cortisol dysfunction, which leads to inflammation, depression, and accelerated cell aging. It is also associated with the development of osteoporosis, muscular dystrophy, and decreased antitumor immunity. Chronic stress occurs as a result of repeated exposure to situations that result in the release of stress hormones, including cortisol. We’ve compiled nine evidence-based ways to naturally lower cortisol levels and manage stress. This will help your body to experience a state of mobilization less often to eliminate a potential threat. This article is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be used to diagnose or treat or replace professional advice. 1. Identify the factors provoking stress Threats to life or change of scenery are irritants that provoke anxiety and can become a trigger or stress factor. These irritants include physical pain, relationship or work problems, and financial difficulties. It is, of course, impossible to predict when you will hit the chair with your foot. But some types of triggers can be learned to recognize. One of the first steps to relieve stress is to understand what is causing it. I don’t want to remember and think about unpleasant situations. But a stress diary can help you recognize stimuli so you can be less responsive to them. It is not necessary to remember all the details of an unpleasant event – it is enough to write down the fact and try to analyze why the incident caused you a negative reaction. With a stress diary, you can find practical ways to deal with these situations. For example, avoiding quarrels, learning to build personal boundaries in relationships and at work, and saying “no” in time. Moreover, you will be able to identify hidden causes of stress like hanging on social media. 2. Learn to recognize thoughts that cause stress Reflecting on negative and traumatic events is a trigger for the synthesis of cortisol. British scientists conducted a study in which participants recorded their most negative memories for 20 minutes over three days. The results showed that this caused the participants to have high levels of cortisol. Scientists attribute this to long-term effects on the entire body. Also, the scientific community highlights the role of anxiety and looping on negative thoughts in stress levels. It has been proven that negative thinking not only increases cortisol levels but also badly affects the production of oxytocin, a hormone that calms the nervous system. The mental practice of mindfulness is one way to combat negative thinking and helps lower cortisol levels. Hungarian scientists conducted a meta-analysis of ten studies on the relationship between meditation and stress hormone levels. The results showed that meditation has a positive effect on people living under stressful conditions, but especially on patients with depression and PTSD. 3. Pay attention to the quality of your sleep. A person who has slept well will find it easier to deal with the effects of stress and unpleasant situations. But it’s not just the quality and duration of sleep that affect cortisol levels. What time you go to bed and wake up also plays a role. Research shows that people who work night shifts and sleep during the day are more likely to have elevated cortisol levels. Shift work under the age of 40 is associated with a higher body mass index (BMI) and higher cortisol levels. Cortisol can be elevated due to lack of sleep, especially in the evening after a lack of sleep. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal system is responsible for the production of cortisol. When a threat to the body appears, a part of the brain, the hypothalamus, synthesizes special substances that are sent to the pituitary epididymis. He, in turn, sends a signal to the adrenal glands. In response, the adrenal cortex releases cortisol, some of which again enters the brain, affecting the thinking process. This relationship between the brain and the kidneys is called the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis is also responsible for regulating sleep cycles. Stress, illness, or poor nutrition can activate the axis. Subsequently, this can worsen your sleep and increase cortisol. Sleep hygiene is one of the deciding factors in its quality. Try to create an environment in which the amount of noise and light is minimal. This will help blackout curtains, eye masks, earplugs. Tips for Improving Sleep Quality to Reduce Cortisol Levels: Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time. Wash bedding and sleepwear regularly – fresh scent helps the body to relax Try not to use devices that emit blue light (TV, phone, tablet) 2-3 hours before bed Avoid caffeinated drinks in the afternoon Avoid excessive strength and cardio activities two hours before bed. 4. Exercise regularly Exercise can either increase or decrease cortisol levels, depending on the duration and intensity of the exercise. Despite the benefits of playing sports, it is still a load and stress for the body. Therefore, as a result of intense exercise, cortisol usually rises briefly, but then falls at night. At the same time, moderate-intensity exercise does not lead to an increase in stress hormone levels. Like vigorous exercise, moderate exercise is associated with a decrease in cortisol levels at night. With regular exercise, cortisol levels can be controlled. And in addition to lowering the stress hormone, sports have a good effect on the microbiota. But it’s best to avoid strenuous evening workouts that will keep you awake. Physical activity isn’t just good for the body – many doctors recommend it to improve mental health as well. 5. Find something to do Learning how to relax is really beneficial, especially if you want to manage stress. A new hobby is one way that also helps you learn a new skill. It doesn’t matter what you do, the main thing is that you enjoy the activity American scientists conducted a study of 50 former combatants who experienced depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, or substance abuse. They practiced gardening and occupational therapy for a month. The results showed a decrease in stress and a decrease in cortisol. Think about what activity you will enjoy – perhaps it is drawing, music, or gardening. 6. Laugh often. Laughter is good not only for the soul but also for the body. It is a natural way to overcome stress and reduce cortisol levels. A study published in 2008 found that even the anticipation of laughter leads to a decrease in blood levels of cortisol, as well as two other stress hormones, adrenaline, and norepinephrine. Laughter lowers not only stress hormone levels, but also blood pressure. If you are having a fun and interesting time, you are unlikely to experience a lot of stress at the same time. This is why it is so important to plan your time and visit interesting places and events. 7. Communicate with animals It has been scientifically proven that contact with animals is associated with decreased cortisol levels. Scientists have studied how interaction with animals affects stress and found that long-term interaction with dogs, even strangers, as well as pet ownership, has a positive effect on cortisol levels. In addition, the interaction between man and dog increases the level of oxytocin in both. Pets are associated not only with reduced stress levels but other health benefits as well. For owners of cats, dogs, parrots, and other pets, it is easier to focus attention. Also, animals have a positive effect on blood pressure and help to avoid feelings of loneliness. 8. Add cortisol-lowering foods to your diet. Nutrition affects not only metabolic processes in the body but also the level of cortisol. Certain foods, such as sugar, can increase the amount of stress hormone. Neurotransmitter chemicals are responsible for transmitting signals to the nervous system and controlling mood. And hormones and food are responsible for their production. How to reduce cortisol through nutrition Foods rich in polyphenols can help reduce stress hormone levels. For example, the long-term health benefits of drinking green tea are scientifically proven – drinking as little as half a glass a day reduces the risk of depression and dementia. Eating the foods in the table below will help control your stress hormone levels: FoodBeveragesBananasBlack teaDark chocolateGreen teaPlant fibersProbiotics (yogurt)Probiotics (sauerkraut)Water Remember that seizing stress only provides temporary relief and can lead to eating disorders, weight gain, and blood sugar problems. During times of stress, try to choose foods containing plant fiber – fiber provides a feeling of fullness for a long time and regulates blood sugar levels. Regular sugar intake is associated with long-term high cortisol levels and is associated with a higher risk of heart disease in overweight men. Probiotics The gut microbiota contains trillions of bacteria that are beneficial to your health. They strengthen the intestinal lining, fight inflammation, regulate the immune system, and even mental health. This is why it is important to take care of the composition of the gut bacteria. Among the inhabitants of the gut microbiota are probiotic bacteria that reduce cortisol levels and, consequently, stress. Among them are the bacteria Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus and L. farciminis. Probiotic foods help maintain healthy gut bacteria. Dairy drinks like kefir and yogurt, as well as fermented foods like kimchi, contain certain strains of probiotic bacteria. They help reduce stress-induced cortisol levels. Research shows that one Lactobacillus strain, L. Plantarum 299v, reduces exam stress in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). With the Atlas Microbiota Test, you can learn about the bacterial diversity of your gut as well as assess the level of probiotic bacteria. 9. Spend time in nature The noise of the big city, rush, and traffic jams are part of the life of many people, but not everyone realizes the degree of the negative impact of such an atmosphere on physical and mental health. Even a park or nature reserve within the city limits is a great opportunity to recover and relax. Forest therapy is a part of life for most Japanese people. They call her “shining-Youku” which translates to “forest baths.” This is the practice of walking in a park or forest for 2-4 hours, which includes contemplation of nature and deep breathing. As proved by scientists, this pastime reduces cortisol levels, normalize heart rate and blood pressure. Deep breathing reduces heart rate, improves mood, and reduces stress. There is no one-size-fits-all method of dealing with stress – every organism and brain is unique. Good sleep, proper nutrition, and regular physical activity are the basis for a healthy body. Now you also know what other scientifically proven ways to prevent and reduce stress. Make a note: Identify stress triggers Learn to recognize thoughts that cause stress Pay attention to the quality of your sleep Exercise regularly Find something to do Laugh often Get a pet Eat more cortisol-lowering foods Spend time in nature submitted by /u/ennagraoui to r/Stress [link] [comments]

July 2021 edit: updated guide with now 70 pages total 3rd edit Note: Reddit has a limit on how quickly I can post, so check back for more notes posted in the comments section. 4/4 2pm MST Update: Check back for notes on sumo deadlift form checklift, squat form checklist, vertical diet summary, and an updated women's advice section. Quick Intro: Over the past 6 months I've been reading books, watching documentaries, listening to podcasts, and trying new methods of training all in my pursuit to be more fit. That said, I've decided to share notes I've taken on the three coaches I consider to be the top teachers and doers of the strength, conditioning, and nutrition industry, whose pedigree spread across the experienced trenches of Olympians, US Special Operations, World Strongest Man, UFC, NFL, etc --just to name a few. Now, they are by no means the holders of the gospel of fitness, nor are they the only voices worth listening to, but here's why I chose who I chose: Philosophy of Choice: Achievements in personal fitness - need to be fit, and have fitness results in their own life. Can't be all head knowledge or studies. No book worms or science nerds without the in-the-trenches experience. Achievements in client fitness - need to have produced results in others lives, because knowing what works for you is vastly different than being able to identify, correct, and advance what works for others. Renown and respected by the community - peers need to recognize contributions to the community Longevity - How long have they been in the game? How long have they stayed healthy? How long have they been training clients? All important questions in establishing reputation. Why I Chose Stan Efferding: To me, Stan is the summation of an average guy with absolute discipline who's taken the best advice from the best gurushe's personally trained with from around the world for decades, and becoming himself an absolute beast. I chose Stan because of his humble demeanor, and because he's also one of the strongest bodybuilders in the world. Additionally, he has trained the Mountain to win his first Arnolds Strongest Man 2018 this past March. Blue collar guy who presents some info. No tips or tricks. Turned over every rock looking for the secret. Spent loads of money, and there is only one answer: sleep, eat, and train. Matt Wenning calls him "the strongest bodybuilder on planet earth." Helped get Hapthorr "The Mountain" diet in check, where he set records in elephant bar (1000lbs+) and bag-over-bar, and take first as Arnolds Strongest Man 2018. Coached various bikini competitors, NBA, NFL, MLB, UFC, etc Worked with Brian Shaw's diet and helped him achieve second place at Arnolds Strongest Man 2018. Coaching Larry Wheels (aesthetic and powerful beast) and Dan Green. Has trained with almost every guru in the business, directly or indirectly. Former bodybuilding and powerlifting competitor. Squats in the 800lbs+ at 50+ years of age. Why I Chose Charles Poliquin: One of the first world renown and truly experienced strength coaches of the modern era. "Research catches up to Charles," has been said about his bleeding edge yet common sense approach to training. While considered by a few to be the king of psuedo-science, the ironic part of this claim is that from all my note-taking from the past 6 months --from books on Green Berets to interviews with the Mountain to 3-hour long seminars with various teachers-- Charles cites his sources and explains the history of what he's talking about more often than any other individual or source I've been reading, watching, or listening. One of the best and most distinguished strength coaches in the world. Trained various Special Operations (Seal Team 6, SAS included) Coached the US womens team to win their first Olympic gold in history, and defeated Japan in their 20 year reign. 38+ years of Olympian training across 23 different sports, went to 3 different Olympics as a coach. Also have trained various high-level professional athletes and coaches in the military, Crossfit, NFL, NHL, MLB, etc. Researches studies from as far back as 1890's Ability to recall information, facts, research papers, all to the date, location of study, and to the author/researcher, a skill second to no other fitness expert (reminds me of the level of expert recall Robert McNaramara displays in the documentary "Fog of War"). Lectures around the world with book authors like Jay Papasanas, Ed Coan, and world renown athletes like Dmitry Klokov. Always ahead of the curve (attributed as first in the US to recommend BCAAs, fish oils, German Volume training, tempo training, cluster training, neuro transmitter profile training, etc). Stan Efferding, Matt Wenning, and Mark Bell have all implemented information from Charles into their personal training, and how they train clients, and all speak highly of him. Has huge biceps and abs for an old man. Why I Chose Matt Wenning: I chose Matt because of his personal and professional achievements. Hired to train various Special Operations for the military and is the first to be implemented at a large scale. His methods have reduced injury rates across the board for fire, police, and military (and thus saved money for those organizations), and is a master of training and preventing overtraining. Multiple records in the squat alone, including a 1196lb squat. Broke 4 world records; second highest RAW at 208 class with 2204lb total. Works with thousands of US military, including various Ranger regiments, 4th Infantry, and paratroopers out of Bragg. Developed Mountain Warrior Athlete program out of Ft. Carson. Clients include NFL, US Special Operations, law enforcement, fireman, professional athletes, universities, elderly (difficult to train and yield safe results) and kids with disabilities His training with first responders and military has reduced site budgets significantly, due to decreased injuries and insurance claims. Attended university in Indiana where NASA funded the strength and conditioning programs and recruited top-tier professors. Top ten in the world for almost two decades with no major injuries (rare in the strength industry) Masters degree in sports biomechanics under Dr. Kramer Trained closely and mentored by various powerlifting legends like Louie Simmons, Ed Coan from his teen years, and was one of the youngest to squat 900lbs Notes on Notetaking: Each section of notes will include everything I felt was noteworthy, even if it's repeated 3 times in 3 other podcasts. I did this as people will cherry-pick which seminars they want notes on, and I don't want them to miss out on key information just because I wrote it down elsewhere. Also, rehearing the same things over and over again just works as positive reinforcement and mentally conditioning good habits. Can't hurt to hear solid advice over and over again. Additionally, these notes are taken as a stream-of-thought process and later revised and edited, so they may seem short, fluid, or lacking in information. I reread the notes a few times and tried to expand and clean up, but I will have missed some parts. Table of Contents: Stan Efferding Seminar P.1 - The Importance of Sleep, Nutrition, & Steroids Stan Efferding Seminar P.2 - Grow BIGGER by Getting Good at the Basics Stan Efferding KOMPLETTES Seminar in THOR's Powergym P.1 Stan Efferding KOMPLETTES Seminar in THOR's Powergym P.2 Stan Efferding - The Matt Wenning Strength podcast Episode 8: Effiting It Up With Stan Efferding Stan Efferding - JuggLife | Return of the Rhino Stan Efferding - Strong Talk Podcast 113: Stan Efferding - Training The Mountain Matt Wenning - Ben Pulkaski's Muscle Expert Podcast Ep 48| The 300 Rep Warm Up and Expert Recovery and Programming Strategies Matt Wenning - Absolute Strength Podcast Ep. 105 | Unique Powerlifting Techniques, Meet Prep, Sleep and Warming Up Matt Wenning - Hammershed Podcast Episode 26 | Training the Military Matt Wenning - National Strength & Conditioning Association | Sumo Deadlift: The Base for Tactical Strength Matt Wenning - National Strength & Conditioning Association | Conjugate Periodization Matt Wenning - National Strength & Conditioning Association | Programming for Tactical Populations Matt Wenning - National Strength & Conditioning Association | The Squat—How it Improves Athletic Performance Charles Poliquin - Training Volume, Nutrition & Fat Loss Charles Poliquin - Aerobic exercise may be destroying your body, weightlifting can save it Charles Poliquin - Interview (P.1) | The Tim Ferriss Show Charles Poliquin - Interview (P.2) | The Tim Ferriss Show Charles Poliquin - Powercast: The Myth of Discipline Pt 1 Charles Poliquin - Strength Sensei Part 1 | London Real Podcast Charles Poliquin - Strength Sensei Part 2 | London Real Podcast Charles Poliquin - Strength Sensei Part 3 | London Real Podcast Misc Info: Example US Army Ranger conjugate workout split (towards the bottom) Vertical Diet, simplified (used for the Mountain, NFL, bikini competitors, etc) Compilation of Notes Regarding Training Women: (work in progress) For the female lifter: 10-minute walks better than 40 minute treadmill. Doesn't breakdown muscle, still helps with fat loss. If on a limited calorie diet, then the caloric limit will yield results in body composition and performance based on the choice of foods, not just calorie choice. Choose nutrient rich foods like steak. 3oz of OJ or milk a couple times a day: liver and thyroid stimulus for metabolism. Long cardio has high water demand. Sends wrong message to body: body holds on to fat to endure the longer workload. Also, body thinks heavy muscle is bad, gets rid of it. Stan noticed how joggers carry fat. Body holds on to fat for fuel, gets rid of muscle. Body responds to stimulus you provide. Still need to develop cardio. Recommends HIIT under load: improves cardio while stimulating muscle. Weighted exercises with higher reps (why Matt and Stan recommend loaded exercise under distance). Performing 20 rep sets, or 30 second rest between weighted carries, running stairs (all concentric loading), pushing prowlers, 30s sprint/rest on recumbent bike (ten mins) are all great examples of cardio development. "How do you talk people into losing weight by lifting weights?" Cites his 60 year old women who lift weights and are lean. They don't have prior exercise experience, and they're stronger than most men. How much weight you have on you is 80% diet. Cardio isn't what gets bikini and stage competitors lean, it's they eat better. "Don't want to be huge? Don't eat huge." When you start training weights you start to retain water, so swelling occurs. Hypertrophy occurs, diet cleans up, everything will lean out. "Foam rolling is a waste of time, and also leads to more scar tissue." Evidence shows treadmill warmups insulin resistance by 46%. Research: Sleep loss limits fat loss. Insulin resistance goes up; blood pressure goes up; hunger goes up; cortisol (breaks down muscle tissue; decreases testosterone, effects your thyroid; etc) Juicing and detox is completely worthless. All you can do is optimize how your body filtrates toxins, which is the liver. Best way to detox is to just not put the processed foods and oils into your body. 10 minute walks for athletes wanting to gain weight, with caloric gain. Also female competitors in bikini, but with calorie deficit. Helps digestion and insulin resistance. Stan trained 40-50 minutes morning, 30 mins at night. Women tend to restrict and end of missing much needed fats and nutrients. Ability to absorb nutrients depends on using fats as a shuttle. "There's no black and white, there's only gray. Find out what fits you and do that" States foam rolling is a waste of time, and also leads to more scar tissue. Evidence shows treadmill warmups insulin resistance by 46%. If not yet deserving then stick to glutamine, amino acids, and whey. Losing body fat will make you more insulin sensitive. Steady-state cardio will cause you to get fatter. Restricting fats causes fat. Fats help with insulin sensitivity. Common mistakes with trainers and female clients: not wanting to get strong. Not enough time on overload with women (don't have goals for strength). Short term goals to comply to regarding big lifts. Lean muscle tissue leads to insulin sensitivity. Believes most women in the gym are busy, not productive Better glute development: split squats, squats, deadlifts (all of which develop horizontal and vertical jump). TL;DR/Top Ten Changes I've Personally Made From These Lessons: There's a million bits of info in these notes, but here's some ten takeaways I was able to implement over the course of two months. Carbs: Carbs are not the enemy, but need to be heavily regulated and based on individual performance, digestive health, and body-fat. Ethnic background is a huge factor. That being said, Charles states "you need to earn your carbs," while Stan is more lenient, but still recommends you keep them low if you're not an elite athlete. If you do choose to eat carbs, white rice is the best carb as it doesn't cause inflammation or digestive issues like potatoes and brown rice can. Sleep: The greatest anabolic, absolutely necessary. The elite performers sleep 10-12 hours a day, including long naps during the day. Important to muscle growth, fat loss, and hormone regulation. I dim the lights 2 hours before bed, do my best to not check my phone, tv, or any electronic screen to improve sleep quality. Programming: I've split my workouts with 72-hours between muscle groups. Using a variety of exercises helps overall performance by choosing accessory work that addresses weaknesses. "Exercise rotation and having a big exercise library prevents injury while allowing constant key movements." Only 4 main heavy days, with the other days as options for accessory or cardio. Food choice: Grass-fed meat research isn't proven yet, and doesn't justify the price. Eat quality cuts of beef, bison, and wild game. "Otherwise, the best diet is the one you stick to." Just eliminated processed foods and snacks, and choose vegetables and fruits that the body will digest easily (FodMap). Bought a sous-vide to prepare the Costco Steak, and a rice maker for the white rice. On it for two months and am seeing great results. Personally, I've added lots of berries, avocadoes, baby carrots, nuts, coconut oil, chia seeds to my daily diet. I also add kimchi and guacamole to some meals in order to keep the steak from being too routine. Also drinking 3oz of OJ multiple times a day. Warm-Up: Stretching is apparently a waste of time, and cardio before your lift will cause you to be insulin resistant, preventing fat loss. Either do potentiation exercises, or follow this advice: "brain should know the range of motion, and weights should get heavier." Regarding potentiation: find where the weakest links are in the main lift, then pick a moderately light weight, and choose exercises that affect different muscle groups involved in the main lift. For example, the squat might be upper back (a), lower back (b), then hamstrings (c). Doesn't need to be heavy, just consistently volume with minimal rest. 4x25 with no rest: a, b,c, repeat 4 times total. Then rest 3-5 minutes, then you're ready attack the main lift (be if your heavy max or speed work). Matt noticed clients were getting stronger, and form was getting better over time. Matt started off light, but now can do 4x25's of 100lb dumbells on chest warmups. Work your way up. Here's the warm-up in practice with Mike O'Hearn, Stan, and Matt. Walking: Not just for old people: Ten minute walk, after you eat a meal. Improves digestion, decreases DOMS, helps with insulin sensitivity. "Blood is the life force, brings in all the nutrients." Brisk walks with elevated heart outperforms leisure 10k step-walks in fat, heart, cardio benefits. Recommended is 3 ten-minute walks a day. Can replace all steady-state cardio with walks and HIIT. Recommended them to the women in competition and strongmen like the Mountain, both of whom saw fantastic results. Cardio: Implemented rucks over distance running, along with adding swimming, cycling, and farmers carries. Long slow-distance work inhibits muscle growth and fat-loss. That said, some cardio is required, hence the HIIT, farmers walks, etc as they are recommended. Still learning to program into the workout regimen. Build the Backside: If the muscle is behind you, chances are you need to build it stronger. The average person will have weak lower and upper back, hamstrings, glutes, calves, traps, rear delts, etc. Build those up by making them a priority in your accessory exercise selection. For example: Upperback not strong enough will change scapular position on bench press. Salt: Upped the intake of my salt. Iodized salt, stimulates thyroid, immune system, stimulates the liver. When you hit a wall, it's because you're low on sodium, not carbs. Guaranteed. Single biggest thing you can do to impact performance, stamina and endurance at the gym is iodized sodium. Post-workout drink: Body super-compensates after a workout, so you need immediate replenishment, especially for two-a-days. Fructose (Orange juice) for liver stimulation, dextrose (scoop off Amazon) for glycogen replenishment, sodium (600mg), 100mg of caffeine (accelerates all of that). No proteins or fats immediately as it slows absorption. Edit: lot of questions about this topic specifically, so I rewatched the video. It's about the 1:25:00 of the Komplettes seminar. Didn't specify the amount of fructose and dextrose. Just says a scoop of dextrose and some OJ. I'd recommend 3oz oj since he always used that number. submitted by /u/LawBobLawLoblaw to r/weightroom [link] [comments]

Almost 6 months into my fitness routine, I was down to around 12% body fat and I was starting to plateau. The daily workout of weights and HIIT was taking a huge toll on me and there was still some belly fat sitting on my lower belly. To top it off the, the huge caloric deficits and lack of carbs were making me downright cranky. After reading a lot of posts in the forums, I thought all I had to do to lose it was create a caloric deficit and keep the workouts intense. After a month of going through the same thing over and over again, I took a step back and looked at what I was doing wrong. If you’ve ever wondered why you’re stuck at a certain weight at 12% fat with no change after walking 50 flights of stairs, doing Insanity and keeping a caloric deficit, this article will probably help you. After doing that bit of research here’s what I realized: One you get to 10-12% body fat, your body starts to fight back. At this point, the hormones that help you lose weight will drop and the hormones that hinder fat loss starts working against you. Here’s a breakdown and summary of all the hormones and what they do: Leptin Leptin is widely known as the “anti-starvation hormone. Leptin controls a number of metabolic processes in your body that lead to fat loss. It comes from the greek word “Leptos”, which means “thin.” Ironically leptin comes from your fat cells and the less fat you have the less leptin you produce. That’s not the worst part of it though. Having a caloric deficit for a few days will drop your leptin levels even lower and the bigger the deficit, the faster it drops. Leptin also plays a role in the production of fat burning Thyroid Hormones, T3 & T4. When your leptin levels drop, those hormone levels drop. And the metabolic processes that lead to fat loss slows down. Insulin Insulin is a hormone that is produced in the pancreas. It plays a role in the uptake of the nutrients into the cells in your liver, muscles and fat. It slows down the rate of fat loss by slowing down the mobilization of the fatty acids after they are released from the fat cells. What dictates how quickly fat is mobilized is a hormone called HSL (hormone sensitive lipase). And Insulin is the main hormone that deactivates HSL. Please do note that there is a ton of research on the internet regarding insulin and obesity but for this article, I’m trying to keep it short and related to the main topic of getting rid of the last few pounds of belly fat. Ghrelin Ghrelin is also known as the hunger hormone. Your body secretes this hormone when it feels that it’s time to get fed. The operative word there is “feels” because ghrelin is a trainable hormone. You can train your body to stop feeling hungry all the time. If you’ve ever wondered why you have a tendency to snack when you’re having 5 meals a day, this is the main reason why. Having 5 meals a day trains your body to expect a meal every 2 hours! This is also the main reason why you have so many proponents of interminent fasting as a tool that you can use for weight loss. Having fewer meals in a day trains your body not to secrete ghrelin. Just keep in mind that all you need to do is hit your target number of calories, macronutrients and fiber when you have your meals. Meal frequency is irrelevant unless you’re a diabetic. Or you feel that having more meals just works better for you. Cortisol Cortisol is also known as the stress hormone because it is activated when your body goes through emotional or physical stress. This is the main reason why you shouldn’t train at high intensities and work volume and have huge caloric deficits. At that point, you can pretty much guarantee that your cortisol levels will go through the roof. And high levels of cortisol are usually associated with belly-fat storage. Now you know why that belly fat isn’t going away any time soon and why you’re feeling so cranky after workouts. It also plays a role in providing amino acids to the liver when protein levels are low. This makes cortisol a muscle-wasting hormone. Here are some of the steps that I took to get these hormones to stop working against me: 1.) What to do with your caloric deficits At this point in your fat loss training, you’re probably wondering why you’re not seeing results. You’re probably saying to yourself “WTF is going on? I’m tracking my calories, keeping a huge deficit and I’m doing more work adding some 1-2 miles to my normal distance” What most beginners do is take the idea of having a caloric deficit to the extreme. If a little deficit is good for them, then having huge caloric deficits is going to get them rock hard abs right? Wrong! Always, remember that you’re eating not just to lose fat but to fuel your workouts as well. Keep your caloric deficits low! Trust me on this: your body will fight like hell to keep those last few pounds of belly fat hanging around if you keep it up. And it won’t matter how big your caloric deficit is right now, you will burn out because your body always wins. ..unless you can somehow trick it into producing more hormones that are necessary for fat loss. Now that requires discipline to keep your caloric deficits low so your leptin levels don’t crash and you won’t have to work against your body when trying to lose fat. Some personal trainers refer to it as having a high g-flux. A high g-flux simply means eating more to fuel a training that has a higher work volume and intensity. One more thing, people at 12% body fat tend to eat too little and by the time they get to 10-12% body fat there’s really no more calories you can cut from. 2.) What To Do With Your Cheat Meals/Re-feeds One of the ways you can stop your plateau when trying to lose fat is to plan and execute your cheat meals or re-feeds. Write it down along with your workout schedule and meal plans. Figure out and list down how many calories it would take for you to be happy with your food. This is the fun part of planning your meals! Now I know some people are probably asking themselves why. Why do you need to do this at all? After all it’s your “cheat day” right? Well let me ask you, if you wanted to have a dream vacation in Rome a few weeks from now, you’d probably plan for it right? That way, you know exactly where to go and make the most out of your trip. You won’t have to worry about all of the details of your trip and how you’ll go about them when you get there. Well it’s the same thing with your cheat day. Planning for it helps you make the most of it by having the foods that you really love and cutting off the “bad” foods that you don’t really want. You’ll also get rid of that nagging feeling that you went just a little overboard on your cheat day. It helps you enjoy the experience of having that scoop of ice cream or that slice of cake without worrying about the horrors that it can do to your progress. Having a cheat day is not just something that can help you psychologically but it’s crucial in restoring the hormones necessary for fat loss such as leptin. About the worst thing that you can do on your cheat days is to get worried about going overboard with your caloric intake because you didn’t figure out the macronutrients and total number of calories in your food. One last note on this one, eat till you’re happy but don’t gorge yourself like you’ve been starved to death for a year. 3.) Cyclical Carb Fasting I also kept my carbohydrates pretty low through cyclical carbohydrate fasting. I usually skipped carbohydrates when having lunch simply because I wanted a lower carb intake for the day. I also loaded on carbs on my cheat days, which were right before my strength/power training days. Some people believe that consuming carbohydrates at night will hinder fat loss. For them, the carbohydrates consumed at night can’t be burned off by our bodies and so they end up being stored as fat. I used to think this was true until I looked at some of the research ( Alan Aragon’s website provides excellent information regarding this topic). It turns out that there is no shred of evidence that having carbs at night will hinder fat loss. Our bodies are so much more complicated than that. I’ve always suspected the lack of carbs as the reason for not being able to sleep well at night so I started experimenting with having high GI carbs at night. And guess what, I ended up having a more restful sleep and I wasn’t as cranky in the morning. This leads us to… 4.) Why Sleep Is So Important Have you ever noticed what happens to you when you lack sleep? You tend to snack a lot and that’s not just because you’ve been awake for more hours. Some friend or relative walks in the room offering a snack and all you could think to yourself is: “Dammit! Stop trying to tempt me!” And for some weird reason, you end up eating it anyway and feeling guilty about it minutes later. An article from the American Journal of Human Biology found a direct link between lack of sleep and higher levels of Ghrelin. If you’ve ever wondered why you tend to snack a lot when you lack sleep, you can blame it on this hormone. Lack of sleep also leads to a rise in cortisol levels, which is assosciated with belly-fat storage as mentioned. Cortisol also activates the reward centers in your brain that make you crave junk food. In my case, I try to get some shuteye earlier in the evening to get my 7-8 hours of sleep. If I can’t get any sleep within the next 15 minutes, I usually do something boring like read a Twilight book. I try to make sure there are no bright lights around. 5.) Is Low-Medium Intensity Cardio Useless? Insulin is one of the things that you have to watch out for because it impedes fat loss. At around 10-12% body fat, fat breakdown and mobilization slows down to a crawl as insulin levels starts to rise. Fasted cardio really helped me burn off that last bit of fat simply because of the low levels of insulin. At low insulin levels, fatty acids will be released from the fat cells. All I had to do was burn them off with low intensity cardio. After doing weights, the last thing I wanted to do was P90x or any kind of HIIT workout. Fasted steady state or slow cardio can be muscle wasting so make sure not to do too much of it. This is just one of the tools that I used to get those last bits of fat off. Please do note that you only have to use this when you’re at lower levels of body fat and not early on in your training program. Also remember to use this sparingly. I did a maximum of 2 of these per week and no more than 30-40 minutes. You also want to have enough protein in your diet while doing this. Now I know some genius on the internet decided to compare the physique of a marathoner in his prime against that of a 70-year old marathoner. The guy who made that probably had a colonoscopy on his brain. The guys, who say that cardio is useless don’t take into account that: *a.) Sprinters do a lot of strength training compared to marathoners. *b.) Sprinters do more drills that involve steady state cardio than High Intensity Interval Training. (I know. WTF right?) *c.) You can’t sprint every single training day. Now I love sprints and I believe it’s superior to steady state cardio but saying that it’s useless is just wrong. I sprint 3-4 times a week but there were days when I didn’t feel like sprinting at all. That’s when I did steady state cardio. 6.) Watching out for fructose If you look at some of the old bodybuilders, they usually avoid fruit near the competition and for good reason. Having too much fructose leads to fat storage. I have a pretty conservative upper limit of around 40 grams of fructose a day. That’s equivalent to 3 apples or 5 bananas. That’s still a lot of fruit. Some would argue that the upper limit should be higher at around 90 to 100 grams but at that time I didn’t want to take any chances so I stuck with the 40 grams. 7.) Watching out for what I drink It’s so easy to forget about your fructose and carbohydrate intake when you’re having any kind of shake or soda. What I did was avoid it altogether. I just drank plain old cold water with lemon. Your options aren’t limited to water and citrus fruits though. You could add a few sprigs of mint or whatever it is that’s low in calories and good enough to satisfy you. Social Issues: A lot of people want to talk about the technical issues when it comes to weight loss but they almost always skip the part that some people actually feel threatened when you lose some weight. While most people will try to justify and argue, I found it much better to be agreeable and find out why they think that way. You’ll soon find out that it’s more about their issues with weight loss than it is about you. Don’t be judgmental but stick to what you’ve always been doing. At the end of the day it’s your life. It took a couple of months to finally get rid of my belly fat. Remember that losing those last few pounds will take time so don’t believe the advertisements that claim to help you lose that belly fat in weeks. It’s more of a marathon than a quick sprint. Also, learn to listen to your body and see what works for you personally. Anyway, I hope this has been a big help to you guys. I have some more info on fat loss, but I figured this post is probably a little too long already. If you’ve got questions or anything like that, just PM me. DISCLAIMER: I've been hearing a lot about spot-reduction on this thread. This is not some spot-reduction or any of those woo woo weird tip shortcut technique. If you're looking for that, please go buy one of those ab machines they're hawking. You won't get six pack abs but it definitely has a spot reduction feature. That stuff is from the 90's and should be extinct by now. I didn't know why there's still a lot of talk about spot-reduction in 2014. You still have to do the hard work of getting to lower body fat percentages until the only fat that is noticeable is on your belly, butt and upper thighs. Don't do this until you're around the range of 11-13% body fat if you're a guy and higher for women. Don't worry about the hormones too much until you get to that level of fat. Some guys are claiming that I've somehow violated the sacred laws of thermodynamics. I'm not a physicist but I'm guessing you're talking about caloric deficits. Please read the post again. You still need to have a caloric deficit but in lower quantities than before or you'll end up losing a lot of lean muscle mass. submitted by /u/bri888 to r/loseit [link] [comments]