Why should I stretch?

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According to Bodybuilding.com, the number one reason most people work out is to attract the opposite sex. Admittedly, it’s one of the top 10 shallow reasons, but you know it’s true. However, the Huffington Post reveals that those who are searching for a special someone in their lives are really looking to fill an empty space, have companionship, and feel loved. Without going off on a psychology tangent about how a person needs to master being happy with themselves before they can have a successful relationship with another human, let’s consider that a pet can fill that need for love, with the added bonus of improving your health.

Right out of the gate, if you are unquestionably not an animal person, then, no, you shouldn’t have a pet any more than a person who doesn’t like children should have a child. However, if you don’t mind having an animal around and are open to exploring how one could improve your life, you’re in for a surprising treat. Owning a pet provides numerous health-related benefits, starting with fitness but including mental, emotional, and even financial health as well.

Fitness Benefits From Pets

More and more kitties are getting out for fresh air and exercise with their humans. Image by Lucius Kwok/Flickr

Even if you opt for a pocket pooch who doesn’t need a large yard to exercise, she’ll still love to go for walkies. She needs to sniff all the exciting smells and “mark” her territory to let other dogs know she was there. The side benefit is that you both get some cardio exercise. If you’re not a “dog person,” that’s OK. More and more cat lovers are walking their felines and enjoying it. Yeah, it will require some training, but it will provide a new way to spend quality time with your cat while incorporating exercise into your life.

General Physical Health Perks

Living with a pet can increase your chances of survival after a medical crisis, and lengthen your life, too.

Researchers found that heart attack patients who were also pet owners had a tendency to survive longer than patients who didn’t have pets. It’s been speculated that may be partially due to pets helping their owners stay active, but there are other cardiovascular effects of owning a dog, cat or other animals. Pet owners have lower blood pressure, lower serum triglycerides and elevated levels of calming chemicals like dopamine and serotonin. It’s not all about dogs, either. Web MD reports that cat owners have fewer strokes than their cat-less counterparts. Researchers admit to not having pinned down a reason for their findings but think that cats are more soothing and calming than other animals in some instances.

Petting a cat is calming enough to reduce the chances of stroke, but their very presence fosters serenity.

Let go of the old wives’ tales that warn that it’s unhealthy to have pets in the home, especially homes with children. Health reports that growing up with pets actually improve kids’ respiratory health (studies have revealed that pets actually decrease colds and allergies by up to 50 percent in children and babies)–and pets even help reduce children’s risk of obesity. Web MD also says that children who live with traditional pets such as dogs and cats have higher levels of specific immune system chemicals that strengthen their immunity overall.

Mental and Emotional Bennies

It’s hard to be depressed with a bundle of joy like this around.

A study by the American Psychological Association highlights how pets positively affect their people. Among the findings were that pet owners

• have better self-esteem
• are less likely to suffer from depression
• are less lonely
• are less fearful

Also, pet owners tend to have fewer doctor visits — up to 30 percent fewer — and are more physically fit. The mental health benefits of owning a dog are essentially the same for owners of any type of pet, even though you interact with different animals differently. For example, HelpGuide.org reveals that watching fish has been shown to lower pulse rates and reduce muscle tension.

Surprising Health Benefits of Owning a Pet

Sometimes pets detect disease at early stages when other procedures miss it.

Watching puppies and/or kittens play is better entertainment than cable TV. Your pets will give you a reason to get up in the morning, will be thrilled to see you when you get home and will never, ever bogart the remote or leave the milk sitting on the counter. They’ll lower your blood pressure and cholesterol, provide a fun way to exercise, and will love you even if you wear your favorite tattered pair of sweats all weekend without passing judgment. Pets may even help you meet that special someone, as pet owners tend to be more approachable and more social. An added bonus is dogs’ and cats’ — and sometimes other types of pets’ — remarkable ability to detect health problems. According to Wellbridge, researchers believe that dogs’ superior sense of smell alerts them to changes in their humans’ body chemistry that indicate cancer, oncoming seizures, and dangerous variations in blood glucose levels. What’s more, cats have been known to alert their people to cancer. These weren’t simple cases of exterior melanomas, either. Cats are detecting lung tumors, breast cancer, and other complex cancers buried deep inside the body. Score one more for the benefits of owning a pet.

The importance of sleep shouldn’t be underestimated. It’s essential for overall health and can even help maximize your weight loss and muscle-building efforts. Unfortunately, nearly 70 million adults in the U.S. suffer from sleep disorders that interfere with getting enough sleep, with the most common one being insomnia. The Sleep Association reports that around 30 percent of adults experience insomnia now and then, and 10 percent report having a chronic problem with it. Anna Kucirkova recently put together a useful article explaining the disorder and exploring proven ways to beat insomnia and get some much-needed shut-eye:

Insomnia is well-known in popular culture as the maddening inability to fall asleep when you really want to.

It is also a serious medical condition with a variety of causes and an even wider array of possible treatments. In every case, the sense of desperation associated with insomnia only worsens the condition, as sleep deprivation creates a frustrating spiral of symptoms and associated issues.

But, really, how serious is insomnia? And it’s serious, what can you do about it? Here’s everything you need to know.

What is Insomnia?

Insomnia is defined as a difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, even when a person is exhausted and has otherwise good sleep conditions. Insomnia often leads to dissatisfaction with sleep, even if it does not involve the cinematic example of someone tossing and turning and watching the clock tick through the whole night. Insomnia leads to intense daytime side effects including fatigue, lack of energy, difficulty concentrating, mood shifts, and decreased quantitative performance in professional or academic environments.

Insomnia is often situational, which is known as acute insomnia. This falls under the category of that ‘Christmas Eve feeling’ that kids get when their excitement about gifts prevents them from sleeping, or the more difficult sensation of not being able to sleep before a stressful exam, early morning flight, or major life event.

Drinking too much caffeine may also contribute to insomnia. Many people experience this type of temporary insomnia, and it tends to resolve as soon as the event they are anxious or excited about passes, or within a few days after they relax and their natural exhaustion leads to sleep.

Chronic insomnia is a more severe sleep disruption, defined as occurring three or more nights per week and lasting at least three months. Chronic insomnia may still be caused by specific external factors like changes in an indoor or outdoor environment, bad ‘sleep hygiene’ (ie: screen time in bed, bright lights, stressful content, or other visual and auditory stimuli close to bedtime), working an erratic schedule, and long-term situational stressors.

It is also often caused by more serious, insidious factors like clinical disorders, medications, or unknown psychological factors that contribute to poor sleep quality. People who suffer from chronic insomnia, regardless of the cause, can benefit from a number of potential treatment strategies from routines to counseling to medication.

Recognizing Insomnia Causes

Smartphone and computer time right before bed can interfere with a good night’s sleep.

One of the most important factors in treating insomnia is evaluating and recognizing the causes behind it. Even the most powerful sleep medications may not effectively treat schedule or sleep hygiene based insomnia, even if they temporarily induce a deep, medicated sleep.

Similarly, great sleep hygiene practices do not always lead to restful sleep for those suffering from medical conditions or side-effect-induced insomnia.

Recognizing the cause of your insomnia is the first step to seeking effective treatment. It is important to pause and consider recent changes in lifestyle or setting–a recent move, change in job or shift time, upcoming life event, or even binge-watching a TV show in the evening can disrupt your body’s normalized sleep patterns and circadian rhythm.

If no obvious situational factor has changed, then it is time to consider deeper medical or psychological factors that can contribute to insomnia. As with many mental illnesses, there is an unclear cause-and-effect relationship; anxiety, stress, and depression can all lead to insomnia, but poor sleep can also contribute to those conditions.

Similarly, external factors can lead to anxiety, stress, depression, or insomnia, thus creating a cycle where it is difficult to parse out root causes and treat them appropriately. For this reason, professionals often recommend a holistic approach to treating insomnia.

Insomnia Treatments

It is tempting to beg for a bottle of Ambien as soon as you feel tired for more than a few days, but pills are limited in their scope and may not treat root causes of insomnia, which can leave you feeling more profoundly drained even if you technically sleep for the recommended seven-to-nine hours per night.

Medical professionals across disciplines often recommend starting with situational treatments and cognitive behavioral changes to address root causes of insomnia before resorting to pills for temporary relief.

The primary methods of treating insomnia revolve around the humorous-sounding term sleep hygiene. While this sounds like a strange malaprop, it is a serious term that refers to conditions surrounding sleeping. While common sense suggests that bright lights and loud noises are not beneficial for sleep, science backs this up on a level that identifies poor sleep hygiene as a serious cause of insomnia.

In 2018, most people admit that looking at their smartphones is the last thing they do before going to sleep and the first thing that they do when they wake up. This is counterproductive on several levels, from the garish blue glow that interrupts our melatonin production and circadian rhythm to the psychological addictive factors that most apps are designed around.

Sleep hygiene even encompasses daytime habits like alcohol and caffeine consumption, not getting enough exercise or getting too much vigorous exercise too close to bedtime, and other disruptive practices that do not set your body up for sound sleeping.

Disruptive noises, flashing lights, and other environmental factors can prevent or interrupt sleep, which is why covering bright light sources or windows is a natural human inclination, and why sound machines are popular, especially in places where irregular, surprising noises are common. Even ambient temperature can play a large role in quality of sleep.

For people who suffer from chronic insomnia and begin to spiral into concern and profound restlessness, more serious behavioral treatment like intentional sleep restriction, mindfulness meditation, and passive awakeness (part of the paradoxical intention school of psychology) can help.

All of these are medically-recommended practices that are aimed at eliminating the dramatic ‘laying in bed staring at the clock on the wall all night’ style of insomnia, either by removing an insomniac person from bed when sleep is unlikely or by creating alternatives to insomniac fixations, which worsen insomnia when a person focuses on the fact that they cannot sleep.

When psychological treatments prove ineffective, even under medical professional guidance, medications are an option for people whose insomnia is becoming detrimental to their health. The problem with these medications is that they are not recommended for long term use, have serious side effects for people who may need to wake up in the middle of the night, and are relatively powerful medications that are simply not suitable for everyone. While sleeping pills can provide relief for chronic insomnia, they should be used as part of a holistic regimen that focuses on returning to healthy, restful sleep, rather than a nightly crutch that ignores root causes of insomnia and associated conditions.

Your Sleep Matters

If you’re struggling with insomnia, don’t take it lightly. The inability to sleep affects everything from your mood to your productivity to your ability to drive effectively. Begin with seeking natural treatments to your insomnia, such as improving sleep hygiene. If that fails to help, consider vitamins or supplements, such as melatonin or valerian root.

If all else fails, visit your doctor. They may be able to help you determine the root cause of your insomnia, as well as treat it in a medically safe method.

Whatever the case, your sleep matters. Don’t neglect it.

This article first appeared on the Double Wood Supplements website.

 

Anna Kucirkova has worked as a copywriter for over 4 years. She speaks 3 languages, loves traveling, and has a passion for kids and writing. While she has been to many places in Europe and South East Asia, she still wants to explore the rest of the world.

 

Instead of the most stressful, make this season the Most Wonderful Time of the Year again.

Thanksgiving officially marks the beginning of the holiday season. Groan!

Remember when you actually looked forward to the holidays? Think waaayyyy back…to a time when it was easy to get caught up in the spirit of the season, and it was fun instead of fatiguing. The Holiday Spirit is supposed to be a happy, generous, and loving one, but all too often the obligations of the season overwhelm and drag us down instead of buoying us up. The American Psychological Association reports that the quality of stress during the holidays is an extra-special one, making what is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year the most stressful time of the year instead.

The holidays should be a time of counting blessings, being thankful, remembering the Nativity, celebrating the Festival of Lights, and excitedly looking forward to a new year. If you can’t remember a time when the Thanksgiving/Hanukkah/Christmas/New Year’s season brought joy instead of anxiety, it’s time for a holiday overhaul.

Cut Down on Commitments

Between the seasonal concerts, caroling, parties, and shopping, holiday schedules get overloaded. Pick and choose the events you have time for and want to participate in.

The pressure to do everything and do it perfectly is one of the top reasons the holidays have become so stressful. Already full schedules get overloaded with extra shopping, seasonal events, and hosting and attending holiday parties. Web MD says the way to minimize holiday stress is to add a new word to your vocabulary. Learn how to politely say “no” to doing things you don’t have time for or simply do not want to do. Take a good hard look at the traditions and obligations that mean the most to you and cross the rest off your list.

Stress-Fighting Supplement

5-HTP helps alleviate holiday stress and can keep you from putting on seasonal pounds. Image by Olly Farrell/Flickr

Stress can interfere with sleep, and not getting sufficient quality rest can be stressful. It’s a vicious circle, but one that can be stopped with help from a natural supplement. 5-HTP is a plant seed extract that has been used to treat everything from headaches to depression to fibromyalgia. The supplement increases serotonin and, according to Health, is thought to diminish anxiety and help you sleep better. Also, since gaining weight during the holidays is also a cause of stress, there’s another reason to supplement with 5-HTP this season. The Natural Medicine Journal reports that studies have shown that 5-HTP influences eating behaviors and reduces caloric intake, making it helpful for weight loss and weight control.

Press “Pause”

If you can’t remember to take a breathing break, set your watch or phone alarm to go off a couple of times a day. Image by Matthew Henry/Shopify

An effective way to alleviate stress is to get off the merry-go-round a couple of times a day. Forbes suggests scheduling regular breaks to pause and reset yourself. Remember to breathe, especially when you are smack in the middle of everything happening at once. More than remembering to inhale and exhale, indulge in some breathing exercises to reduce anxiety. Prevention recommends Ujjyai, an alternate nostril breathing technique, and says that it’s been shown to decrease anxiety by over 40 percent. It’s super simple to do, too. Just close your eyes and use the thumb and ring finger of your right hand to hold one nostril closed at a time so you can alternate breathing out and then in through one side, then the other. Five minutes is all it takes to breathe away almost half of your stress.

Keep Healthy Habits in Your Schedule

Take time out during the holiday madness. A quick class at the health club or hitting the treadmill or stationary bike are effective stress-relievers.

Between the stress and the overeating, the holiday season is no time to let your workout fall to the wayside. Psychology Today says that exercise is one of the best ways to combat stress. In addition to the valuable calorie-burning effects, physical activity also fights tension, fatigue, and depression. When you’re feeling stressed about everything that needs to be done, bag it all for 20 minutes and go for a run, a bike ride, or hit the weight room. You’ll feel tons better afterward and will actually have higher energy levels to help you work through your holiday to-do list.

As long as you don’t overeat, a traditional Thanksgiving meal is healthy and nutritious.

If there is one holiday that is all about overeating, Thanksgiving is it. Though it is supposed to be a time of being grateful for everything you have, the day tends to center around the biggest meal most people eat all year, and many consider it a deal-breaker when it comes to diets and attempts to maintain or lose weight. The truth is that all in all, the traditional Thanksgiving meal is a healthy one. Turkey is lean and high in protein. A moderate serving is between 125 and 147  calories and delivers around 30 grams of protein. Plus it has a number of essential nutrients such as iron, zinc, and potassium, and is a great source of essential amino acids for building muscle.

The rest of the meal is pretty nutritious, too, as long as you go easy on the gravy and butter, and stick to moderate portions. Even the pumpkin pie contains essential nutrients. Pumpkin has a serious supply of vitamins A and C for improved immunity and enhanced eye health, and CNN reports that pumpkin increases the amount of insulin your body produces for reduced blood sugar levels.

Every Thanksgiving meal should include vegetables, and we suggest replacing the green bean casserole with nutritious but widely underappreciated Brussels sprouts. The much-maligned sprouts aren’t all that bad, as long as you know how to cook them. Instead of boiling the bejeezus out of them, try one of the delectable recipes Food & Wine offers up, including pairing them with escarole in a salad, caramelizing them with pancetta, or topping flatbread with Brussels sprouts for tasty hors d’oeuvres. Meanwhile, here is the skinny on the nutritional and health benefits of what should be your new favorite veggie:

Super-Nutritious

Brussels sprouts are jam-packed with vitamins, minerals, and even protein.

Brussels sprouts are jam-packed with essential nutrients. So much, in fact, that they land in the top five vegetables on the Aggregate Nutrient Density Index. They’re high in vitamins A, B-6, C, and K as well as minerals like folate, manganese, and potassium. Brussels sprouts also provide measurable levels of calcium, iron, phosphorous, and zinc. As for bonus vitamins, you’ll get thiamin, riboflavin, and niacin in a serving of Brussels sprouts.

Low-Cal, High-Protein

Brussels sprouts have a high nutritional content including fiber, and they’re low in calories–a perfect weight loss food.

True, you probably won’t be able to eat enough Brussels sprouts in one sitting or even one day to get the total amount of protein you need, especially if you are on a muscle building or weight loss diet. However, for a green cruciferous vegetable, the sprouts from Brussels are unexpectedly high in protein. The USDA says that 100 grams of Brussels sprouts (just over 1 cup) provides 3.38 grams of protein, which can count toward your daily intake. Also, considering how nutritious they are, that same cup of Brussels sprouts is only 38 calories.

Brussels Sprouts Benefits

Forget an apple a day–good for heart health, weight management, digestion, immunity, and cell regeneration, Brussels sprouts contribute to a clean bill of health.

With all those essential nutrients, Brussels sprouts provide some serious health benefits. In addition to the vitamins, minerals, and even protein, Brussels sprouts are high in fiber, which is important for heart health, weight management, and the digestive system. As a cruciferous vegetable, Brussels sprouts have compounds that contain sulfur, which research has shown to be effective in fighting cancer, according to Medical News Today. The vitamin K and calcium in Brussels sprouts improves bone health. Plus, the vitamin C the veggie provides protects your eyes against UV light damage to decrease risk of macular degeneration and helps minimize sun damage by encouraging collagen production and cell regeneration, which results in younger-looking skin.

If you’ve been hitting the gym trying to gain muscle, the sight of chains lying among the collections of weight collars, chalk blocks and other lifting accessories is a familiar sight. You may have seen them in action, too, clipped to a barbell for use during a bench press, deadlift or curl. To the average person, strapping a set of chains onto free weights during a workout might seem like a practice that’s too simple to be effective. Those who understand linear variable resistance, however, know that it is an effective, proven way to put on muscle mass and increase strength.

What is Linear Variable Resistance?

Linear variable resistance (LVR) occurs when the load increases as you lift, maxing out at its heaviest at the top of the exercise. As Jim Stoppani, Ph.D., and Rob Fitzgerald, N.S.C.A.-C.P.T¹, explained, without chains, you never really get a chance to lift as much as you’re capable of because the beginning of any exercise is where you’re weakest. With chains, however, the bulk of the weight is piled on the floor so, as you lift the weight, the chain lifts with it, link by link, constantly increasing the amount of weight you’re moving until you get to the top of the exercise.

How You Gain Muscle With Linear Variable Resistance

Among the muscle gain secrets, LVR is one of the simplest to implement. It works so well because it gives you a break when you’re weakest during an exercise and loads you up to recruit additional fast-twitch muscles as you reach the top of the move. Those particular muscles are the important ones for gaining muscle mass and strength because they contract the strongest and fastest. They’re also the ones that, trained consistently and correctly, will grow the biggest.

Shake Off the Chains

Now that you know how to gain muscle mass with linear variable resistance, it’s understandable if you want to start hooking up the chains to activate some LVR. However, what if you could challenge your muscles even further to enhance your mass and strength gains faster using the same exercises? You can do exactly that if you use resistance bands to produce LVR. In an article for Muscle and Fitness, Jim Stoppani reveals that bands not only increase in resistance as you move to the top of an exercise, but they increase in speed as you move through the negative segment of an exercise. In order to stop the weight at the bottom of the move, you have to apply more force, engaging even more muscle fibers to maintain control of the weight.

Most gyms are equipped with bands, but if you’re serious about setting LVR in motion, you need resistance training equipment that’s designed around the concept. It’s useful to strength and muscle gains to chain up for exercises that will accommodate chains, but performing all of the exercises in your workout using bands will benefit those fast-twitch muscle fibers even more. With the capability to perform real gym exercises, the TargitFit Trainer is an essential tool for anyone who wants to gain muscle and strength — and with the latest accessories, the TargitFit can do all the exercises you do with free weights in the gym, including pull-downs, squats and standing crossovers. TargitFit will give you the “chain reaction” without the chains.

¹Stoppani, Jim; Fitzgerald, Rob. “Chain of Command.” Muscle and Fitness. January 2010. Print.

Food doesn’t have to be tasteless and unsatisfying to be considered healthy.

What you eat (or don’t) is essential for weight loss, muscle-building, and overall health. Unfortunately, we’ve been trained to view the word “diet” in a negative light. To most people, it’s synonymous with deprivation, bland food, and never enjoying a meal again. But what if eating healthy can taste just as good—or better!—than the junk food you think you crave?

Foods like lean meat and vegetables are good for you and including them in your diet will provide more culinary satisfaction as well as some awesome fitness and health benefits. For example, lean beef is a nutritional powerhouse that provides nutrients for building muscle which will, in turn, help burn fat. In fact, even the act of eating and digesting the protein in a slab of prime rib burns about 30 percent of the calories the steak contains, according to PrecisionNutrition. Plus, it’s chock-full of B vitamins as well as vitamin E, calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron, and even the muscle-building all-star creatine. How’s that for justifying a gratifying gourmet meal?

We’ll even do you one better. How about serving up a beautiful prime rib dinner that includes a mouthwatering mound of pumpkin gnocchi? The pumpkin in the gnocchi gives the meal added weight loss and health benefits. First of all, WebMD reveals that it’s low-calorie but full of fiber, so it will help you feel fuller longer so you can say “no” to a high-calorie dessert after dinner. Plus, pumpkin boosts your immune system to help with recovery after working out as well as protect you overall from disease, and it boosts eye health, lowers the risk of cancer, and been shown to reduce blood sugar levels.

So Good, It Tastes Like You’re Cheating

You probably don’t need more convincing, but maybe you’re not exactly a gourmet chef. Good news, ravenous readers, Jen Miller over at Jen Reviews recently posted an easy-to-follow recipe for balsamic prime rib with pumpkin gnocchi. Delicious as it is healthy, it could very well be the perfect meal. Try it once and it’s guaranteed to become your go-to menu for special occasions or whenever you need a break from less-tasty diet fare without using up a cheat day.

Balsamic Prime Rib with Pumpkin Gnocchi

Step 1: Preparation

Read through the entire recipe and have all your ingredients together.  The real secret to a successful dish is preparing properly before cooking even starts.

When making Gnocchi be sure to familiarise yourself with the other steps of the recipes and prepare everything at the right time to make the process as enjoyable as possible.

Step 2: Marinade the Prime Rib

Remove the Prime Rib section from any packaging.  Season the meat thoroughly with freshly ground black pepper and Himalayan salt.  Place the Prime Rib in a dish and pour the Olive Oil and Balsamic vinegar over the meat, making sure to cover all of it.  Set aside for at least one hour at room temperature or leave overnight in the fridge.

Step 3: Prepare the pumpkin for making Gnocchi

Line an oven tray with aluminum foil and spread out the cubed pumpkin in a single layer.

Bake at 160 degrees Celcius / 320 degrees Fahrenheit / Gas mark 3 in a preheated oven until tender.  This may take up to two hours. You don’t want the pumpkin to darken too much so be patient.

Once the pumpkin is ready, put it through a ricer or mash it immediately.

You will have approximately 400 gram of mashed pumpkin.

Step 4: Preparing the Gnocchi

Stir the egg and flour through the mashed pumpkin to form a soft dough.  The dough should not be sticky. Add small amounts of flour at a time if necessary.  Allow to rest while a large pot of water is brought to a boil. Salt the water generously.

Divide the Gnocchi dough into four and roll into sausages about an inch thick.

Using a floured cutting board will make this easier.  Cut into thumb-sized pieces.

Use a fork press into each piece lightly to make shallow indentations.

Working in batches, drop the Gnocchi into the water.  Remove immediately with a slotted spoon when the pieces rise to the top.

Step 5: Cooking the Prime Rib

Heat a heavy bottomed frying pan until it is smoking hot.  Working quickly, start with the fat cap and seal all sides of the section.

Place the section in an oven tray and place in a preheated oven at 120 degrees Celcius / 248 degrees Fahrenheit / Gas mark ½ for one hour.  The outer strip of meat should now be a beautiful pink medium-rare. The different parts of the section will cook at different paces, with the meat closest to the bone taking longer to reach temperature than the outside layer.

Use a meat thermometer to be certain.  For Medium-Rare you need to reach 55 degrees Celsius or 130 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cover the tray with a piece of aluminum foil while it rests.

Step 6: Finishing the Gnocchi

Once the meat is resting heat the butter over a medium heat.

When the butter is starting to bubble add in the Gnocchi and fry until golden.

Stir in the half cup of grated Parmesan followed by the cream and chicken stock.  Adjust seasoning to taste.

If you choose to serve vegetables with the meal, ensure now that it is hot and ready to be served.

Step 7: Bringing it all together

Start by slicing the meat away from the bone.  Next portion off the outside layer meat under the fat cap.  The Ribeye may be cut in half for shorter slices. Proceed to slice the meat.

Portion the Gnocchi between six plates.  Arrange the sliced beef on top and garnish with freshly cut parsley.

Tips:

• To prepare an entire standing rib roast marinade as per instruction. Instead of sealing off in the pan preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius or 428 degrees Fahrenheit.  Cook for 5 minutes before turning the heat down to 120 degrees Celcius / 248 degrees Fahrenheit until the internal temperature of 55 degrees Celsius / 130 degrees Fahrenheit has been reached.

This recipe first appeared on JenReviews.com.

Jen Miller is a former electrical engineer and product specialist with more than 20 years of product design and testing experience. She has lived in multiple countries around the world including the United States, France, Australia and New Zealand. She founded Jen Reviews to share her knowledge and critical eye for what makes consumers tick, and adopts a strict no-BS approach to help the reader filter through the maze of products and marketing hype out there. She writes regularly and has been featured on Forbes, Fast Company, The Muse, The Huffington Post, Tiny Buddha, and MindBodyGreen.

This week TargitFit is pleased to bring you an informative health and fitness article by Nate Martins:

The goal of exercise is to break the body down. Yes, you read that correctly.

Looking back at our evolutionary biological roots, when we put our bodies through difficult situations, we wanted them to adapt–maybe to go for longer without food, maybe so we could detect a smell that told us certain berries were poisonous, maybe to jump higher to reach fruit in a tree.

Whatever the goal, we always had to fall short the first few attempts. Adaptation took failure, centuries of bodily breakdowns (and lucky DNA mutations) before our primordial ancestors developed the physical tools they needed to survive.

When we exercise, this happens on a much shorter timeline (hopefully). We put our bodies through strenuous activity with the goal of being stronger from it. In reasonable amounts, this cycle of stress and regeneration is normal and good and pushes our bodies to grow. But in high amounts, the stress put on our bodies through can be detrimental.

That’s where supplements come in. You’ve no doubt heard the long list of the best supplements and what they can do for overall health: whey protein for recovery, magnesium for bone health, branched-chain amino acid for muscle-building. Each supplement targets a different need and together, they can have holistic benefits in all aspects of training and recovery. Most target either acute performance boosts or long-term health benefits.

We’ve gathered some of the best supplements for training, race day and recovery to incorporate into your everyday training regimen.

A Word on “Feeling” the Benefits of Supplements

Scientific research is a good launchpad when choosing supplements. But it can be hard to find a definitive answer; sports studies are limited, and most are conducted on well-trained young men (so if that’s not you, it’s hard to conceptualize those results).

One of the most important considerations is the personal subjective experience when using a supplement: How do you feel? How are your training times? How are energy levels outside of training?

Of course, there are objective, numerical tests that aim to measure the effect of supplements. But many athletes rely on the subjective approach–those intangible feelings of motivation or energy–instead of tracking performance metrics to see if a supplement is working.

Science supporting supplement use is aplenty (and of varying quality), but remember some effects will be subjective.

Training Supplements

Training isn’t finished when those running shoes are untied. There are big gains in performance to be had by looking at training comprehensively, which should include considerations for diet and its impact on bone health and muscle mass.

In training, supplements help whole body health, working together to build a body on race day that’s ready for peak performance.

For Muscles: BCAAs

Muscle building isn’t usually a top priority for runners, but it’s essential for keeping those legs strong. Many runners enter a calorie deficit, which can trigger the loss of muscle mass–but BCAAs provide the body with building blocks to maintain muscle mass.¹

Branched-chain amino acids, commonly referred to as BCAAs, are a type of essential amino acid, meaning the body cannot produce them–they must be obtained through protein-rich food or supplementation. BCAAs include leucine, isoleucine, and valine. Other essential amino acids include histidine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine and tryptophan.

The body produces non-essential amino acids; they’re “non-essential” because it’s not essential to consume them through diet–the body makes them. They include alanine, asparagine, aspartate, cysteine, glutamate, glutamine, glycine, proline, serine and tyrosine.

The body breaks down protein into amino acids, which are absorbed and transported throughout the body like bricks on a conveyor belt, sent to create new proteins and build houses of muscle.

Other benefits of BCAA include protein synthesis (from a study on rats)² and alleviated skeletal muscle damage (from a study on humans).³

Many BCAA supplements combine the three types of BCAAs: leucine, isoleucine, and valine. Try the Do Vitamins BCAA Supplements, which are free of animal byproducts and fillers, or the Bulk Supplements BCAA powder.

For Bones & Joints: Glucosamine & Vitamin D

For runners, joints can be one of the first things to go after countless hours of pounding feet on pavement. Creaky knees are a familiar but unpleasant sound.

Glucosamine is the supplement of choice here; it’s a natural compound found in cartilage, the all-important tissue cushioning joints. Made from chains of sugars and proteins bound together, glucosamine can be made synthetically, but can also be harvested from the shells of shellfish.

Possessing a natural anti-inflammatory property, glucosamine is used to treat arthritis and osteoarthritis. The body needs glucosamine to help synthesize proteins and fats that form important tissues (chief among them cartilage) and helps form fluids that provide joints with lubrication. Glucosamine is like the body’s WD-40.

There are several kinds of glucosamine, but most supplements feature glucosamine sulfate. Over a three-year period, one study found that long-term treatment with glucosamine sulfate slowed the progression of knee osteoarthritis (osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis).⁴ Glucosamine sulfate also had a greater influence in reducing joint pain during function and daily activities, one study found.⁵

We suggest the Schiff glucosamine tablets, which contain MSM–a source of sulfur important in the formation of collagen in joints, vital for its support of structural cartilage; the Bluebonnet vegetarian glucosamine also contains MSM.

In conjunction with glucosamine, Vitamin D is a powerful supplement to improve bone health.⁶

Vitamin D and calcium have a complementary relationship: Vitamin D helps our bodies effectively absorb calcium and phosphorus, strengthening our bones and muscles. The easiest way to get Vitamin D is through sunlight, spurring our skin to synthesize the hormone (but remember to avoid too much sun); it can also be garnered via some foods like salmon, milk, cheese and egg yolks.

Vitamin D is important because runners’ bones take a beating, but interestingly for most, running actually builds bone health (one study found that impact and resistance training in female breast cancer survivors combatted bone loss).⁷

In healthy people, bones respond to stress by reforming to better handle that stress, in what’s called Wolfe’s Law. For runners, that means bones in the spine and legs, which are exposed to constant stress, should generally be stronger than in non-runners.

Kado-3, a super-charged omega-3 by HVMN, maximizes the effects of Vitamin D with Vitamin K, as they work together to protect bone health.

Race Day Supplements

Supplements consumed on race day should work acutely, giving runners quick performance boosts to hopefully shave seconds off their times.

For Energy: Caffeine & Carbohydrates

Caffeine is the classic runner’s supplement, providing quick energy in an easily consumable fashion. We have been using it since the Stone Age, chewing the seeds or bark or leaves of certain plants to affect fatigue and awareness.

Caffeine works like this: as countless neurons fire throughout the day, a neurochemical called adenosine builds up. The nervous system uses receptors to monitor the body’s adenosine levels, and as the day progresses, more adenosine passes through those receptors (making us tired). Caffeine is the same size and shape of adenosine; it attaches to the A1 receptor and when docked, adenosine molecules can’t enter.

Studies have shown that caffeine intake improves exercise performance while also decreasing the perception of pain.⁸ However, there’s a genetic split in response to caffeine: for some, it could actually make performance worse.⁹ Best try it before race day to ensure it’s right for you.

Along with caffeine, carbohydrates and carb-loading have been other race day staples for runners. Things like pasta, bagels, rice and other high-carb foods are often used as fuel before starting a race. During races, the most common are gels and energy drinks.

Carbs eaten pre-race are stored as glycogen in the muscles and liver, while carbs eaten during the race will be directly burned.

Glycogen is the body’s most readily-available fuel, powering racers through early miles. But when those carbs run out? Body–meet wall.

Ketone esters like HVMN Ketone can also provide an alternate fuel source for the body; your muscles will first burn ketones, saving glycogen stores for later in the race (more on this below).

But you can also produce ketones while on a ketogenic diet. Recently there has been more interest in training with a ketogenic low-carb diet to achieve a body adapted to use fat and ketones as a fuel. Runners following this diet showed a huge boost in fat burning capacity,¹⁰ and there were positive effects of a ketogenic diet on endurance in animal experiments. But there isn’t any conclusive evidence of increased performance in humans (maybe because other changes to metabolism cancel out the increase in fat burning capacity that occurs on the keto diet).¹¹

For Buffering: Sodium Bicarbonate & Nitrate

Turns out baking soda isn’t just for baking–the supplement, called sodium bicarbonate, is used to provide athletes with a boost during sessions of intense exercise. Essentially, it protects the body against acidity.

We’ve discussed lactate previously; during periods of intense anaerobic exercise, lactate accumulates as a result of rapidly burning carbohydrate when the demand for energy is high, and oxygen availability is low. It’s often associated with muscle fatigue but it’s actually the acidic hydrogen proton attached to lactate that’s to blame. When our blood becomes acidic during intense exercise, the brain triggers nausea in the hope of decreasing activity level and thus allowing the body to recycle lactate and regulate blood pH.

Sodium bicarbonate is able to bind the protons that cause acidity, thus reducing overall change in blood pH during exercise. It can potentially provide resistance against fatigue caused by acid accumulation from intense exercise,¹² especially for intense exercise lasting up to seven minutes.¹³

Sodium bicarbonate should be taken about 60 – 90 minutes before exercise, at about 200mg – 300mg. While it mostly comes in powder form, there’s also a gel (Topical Edge) you can use that helps to reduce the risk of stomach upsets caused by the salty sodium bicarb drink.

Also on race day, in the early morning darkness of warm-up hours, you might see fellow runners downing shots of beetroot juice. They’re trying to get nitrates–which were once villainized by association with processed meat in the 1960s.

Nitrates trigger vasodilation (the dilation of blood vessels), which allows more oxygen to be delivered to the muscles. It’s a molecule produced by the body in small quantities, but is mostly obtained by eating vegetables; chief among them is beetroot juice, but spinach, arugula, turnips and even dark chocolate (as this study in cyclists found)¹⁴ can also be good sources of nitrate.

The benefits of nitrate peak at about two or three hours post-ingestion,¹⁵ so a morning smoothie (with spinach, mint, arugula, celery and beetroot juice) on race day might be the best way to get the necessary nitrates before the race kicks off.

Research suggests that beetroot juice can also help reduce blood pressure,¹⁶ and taking about 5-8 mM of inorganic nitrate may positively influence physiological response to exercise.¹⁵

Recovery Supplements

Ever felt completely gassed hours after an intense workout? Maybe you aren’t approaching muscle recovery correctly.

The goal of any type of recovery is to put your body in the best possible position to accomplish more intense workouts in the following days. Exercise is cyclical; tending to those worn-down muscles can be the first step to fueling your next run.

For Replenishment: Protein–Whey & Casein & Soy

Protein is just for weightlifters, right? Absolutely not. Both runners and weightlifters seek to slow the catabolic process of muscle breakdown and kickstart the anabolic process of building muscle.

Post-exercise, muscle enzymes are like construction workers on standby–ready to build but needing the right tools to do it.

So in the two or three hours after a workout, protein can repair muscle damage, reduce the response from cortisol and speed glycogen replacement. High protein availability accelerates resolution of muscle inflammation and promotes muscle-building after training.¹⁷ But there are several different types of protein supplements (which usually come in the form of protein powders) to choose from. Whole foods chock-full of protein include: chicken, eggs, milk, yogurt, and beans.

“After challenging sessions when I know I’ve really worked my muscles, I make sure to have protein right away. Giving your muscles what they need to rebuild is key to locking in performance gains. For me and many others, protein makes me feel less sore in the days following a hard session, so I can get back out there and do it again.” Michael Brandt, HVMN co-founder and avid triathlete

Whey protein–which you may recognize from milk and cheese–is a great source of BCAAs, which can aid in muscle protein resynthesis (specifically, the BCAA leucine).¹⁸ What’s more, whey is also absorbed the fastest out of this list of proteins. It’s largely considered the most effective type of protein for muscle protein synthesis.¹⁹ There have also been studies showcasing the weight loss benefits of protein.²⁰

We recommend Muscle Feast Grass Fed Whey Protein for its absence of additives and artificial ingredients. Also try Myprotein Impact Whey Isolate, which contains over 90% protein and 1% fat. For athletes or highly-active people who want to build lean muscle mass while attempting to lose body fat, about 1g of protein per pound of body weight per day is a good target. Less athletic / active people should aim for 0.45 – 0.69g per pound of body weight daily.

For longer-term recovery, try casein protein–it composes about 80% of the protein from milk, and takes hours to absorb. You can leverage both casein and whey protein but they should be used differently; whey for immediate recovery, casein for long-term muscle building.

One interesting use of casein protein is taking it before bed. Since muscles enter a catabolic state while you sleep (read: since you’re fasting, your muscles are eating themselves), casein can help lessen and delay this process because it takes longer to digest.

Casein protein releases a steady stream of amino acids that slow the digestive process; one study showcased consuming it before bed led to a 34% reduction in protein breakdown.²¹

The other type of protein isn’t milk-based; it’s soy protein, which is made from soybeans. A good source of amino acids, it’s the choice for many vegetarian or vegan athletes. There’s also protein made from peas, brown rice, and hemp for those allergic to soy.

Since the science of soy protein points to be less effective than milk-based proteins,²² we recommend staying away from this form of plant-based protein.

For Soreness: Fish Oil & Polyphenols

When people talk about taking fish oil, they’re seeking omega-3 fatty acids, hoping to prevent inflammation;²³ they’re a key nutrient all runners should have in their diets. Inflammation can come in many forms, from muscle soreness, to joint pain, to heart disease to autoimmune diseases. While acute inflammation can be good for our bodies to encourage health, chronic inflammation can detrimental.

The two main fatty acids in omega-3 fish oils are docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). These can block inflammation pathways in the cell.

Studies suggest omega-3s can help alleviate inflammation. Research has also shown that fish oil supplementation helped subjects decrease airway inflammation (during exercise, airways can narrow and thus restrict airflow) and improve post-exercise lung function by 64%.²⁴

The US Department of Health suggests about 250mg of fish oil daily, but in one study, the American Heart Association gave patients four grams daily and saw benefits in heart health.

Kado-3, by HVMN, is a supercharged krill and fish oil stack designed to assist daily brain and body metabolism. Ingredients in Kado-3 work together; like astaxanthin oil (a powerful antioxidant) to fight against the buildup of free radicals,^25,26 and Vitamins K and D to protect bone health.²⁷ Kado-3 compounds the beneficial effects of Vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids on the brain and body.

Hard training sessions can lead to sickness; bolstering the body’s immune system with polyphenol and antioxidants is important to keeping up training over the long-haul.

Polyphenols are another supplement for reducing inflammation, a category of chemicals naturally found in plants. While the idea of polyphenol benefits isn’t new, research has only begun to be conducted on the subject. Many of the health benefits associated with polyphenols are connected to these substances being antioxidants, which are known to combat cell damage.²⁸

A great source of polyphenol is tart cherries. Animal tests suggest they’ve been effective in reducing inflammatory and oxidative stress signaling in rat cells.²⁹ For athletes, the data is less conclusive; still, polyphenol supplementation can increase the capacity to quench free radicals.³⁰ But it’s an exciting area of research, especially in regards to muscle micro-damage.

Look to things like cherries, blueberries, or green tea to help reduce the possibility of exercise-induced illness.³¹

HVMN Ketone: Superfuel for Training, Race Day & Recovery

Look at the list of supplements above; few traverse all situations for runners, from training day to race day to recovery day.

HVMN Ketone, the world’s first ketone ester, is being used by elite performers in sport and military. It’s so unique partially because its applications for endurance sport are so broad.

For Training & Race Day

Ketones are a fundamentally different fuel source from carbohydrates and fats that cells typically use for energy; in fact, your body will preferentially burn ketones over carbs.

Professional cyclist, Vittoria Bussi will be attempting to break “The Hour” record using HVMN Ketone as fuel.

“The first time I tried HVMN Ketone in training, a 50-minute time trial felt like 30 minutes. I was so focused and had much more energy in my legs. The combination of mental lucidity and extra physical energy was strong and effective.”Vittoria Bussi

When taken before or during exercise, D-BHB (the ketone body in HVMN Ketone) is 28% more efficient than carbohydrates alone, helping your body do more work with the same amount of oxygen.³² In one study, cyclists went ~2% further in a 30-minute time trial.³³

For Recovery

Athletes of all levels can benefit from making improvements to their recovery protocol. Those using HVMN Ketone have seen a decrease in the breakdown of intramuscular glycogen and protein during exercise when compared to carbs alone.³⁴

It also expedited the resynthesis of glycogen by 60% and boosted the signals for protein resynthesis by 2x when added to normal carb / protein post-workout fuel.^35,36 D-BHB from HVMN Ketone acts as an anti-inflammatory recovery tool,^37,38 helping reduce exercise-induced oxidative stress from the buildup of free radicals that can cause damage to the cells.

Supplements for Runners: A Holistic Approach

Everyone from ultramarathon endurance athletes, to speed specialists, to casual after-work 5k runners can benefit from introducing the right supplements into their diet.

While some supplements are still in the early stages of research, things like amino-acids, protein and caffeine have been decades-long staples for runners–but it’s always especially important to supplement nutrients the body needs but can’t produce naturally (looking at you, omega-3).

When there is more pressure on your training, mile times start going down, training volume goes up and recovery time gets shorter. Maybe then it’s time to begin introducing more advanced and targeted supplements and testing with newer, elite technology like HVMN Ketone.

We suggest researching and then testing out what works for you–everyone is different. Also don’t forget to pay attention to the macronutrient composition of your diet, sleep quality and other health barometers when introducing supplements. Start with some of the basics like BCAAs, protein, Vitamin D and fish oils, gauging how you feel. Remember, continued use of these supplements over a period of weeks often yields the best results; don’t expect to notice the difference from one Vitamin D pill.

This article first appeared on HVMN.com.

Nate Martins is HVMN.com’s Editorial and Communications Lead. He’s been featured in New York Times Modern Love, San Diego Magazine, and 7×7 and served as editor of Urbanist Guide. Nate now leads HVMN’s efforts to communicate why ketosis, fasting, and ketone esters are important for everyone and not just biohackers, soldiers, and athletes.

Scientific Citations

If you’ve been looking for places in your schedule to squeeze in a few minutes of exercise, there’s more than one good reason to pencil in a walk after dinner. Taking a stroll after any or all meals benefits physical and mental health as well as improving your fitness. Instead of vegging out in front of the TV or settling in front of the computer to dive into emails or update your social media accounts, hit the bricks. Make it a long-term habit, and you’ll be surprised at how good you look and feel.

Post-Meal Walks Help Digestion

A walk after eating gets things moving through your system so digestion is more effective–plus, you won’t feel like noshing later.

Walking after meals will help your system process the food you just took in. That’s an ultra-useful benefit, even if you don’t typically suffer from heartburn and indigestion. The sooner you get moving after eating, the better, but if you start walking at least within an hour, you’ll still see all sorts of positive changes. For example, if you over-ate, walking kick-starts the digestive process to get things moving and alleviate that overstuffed feeling. Interestingly enough, even though post-meal moderate exercise such as walking speeds up digestion, it also has the effect of improving satiety. That means you are less likely to crave a bedtime snack or an extra helping of dessert later on. In fact, if you can manage enough self-control to put dessert off until after the walk, you might find it easier to pass on that slice of cake or a bowl of ice cream altogether.

Walking Off Excess Weight

After-dinner strolls can help reduce belly fat and trim your middle.

Any kind of physical activity shifts your metabolism into a higher gear, so you’ll burn more calories. Naturally, an after dinner walk can count toward the weekly 150 minutes of aerobic activity that’s recommended for adults. However, if you’ve been battling belly bulge, walking after eating can help you win the war of the waist. Healthline reports on a study which showed that obese women who spent their 150 – 210 minutes per week walking reduced their waist circumference and lost 1.5 percent body fat after only 12 weeks. That may not sound like much, but the longer they stuck with the program, the more they lost—and the results were long-term for those who made walking a permanent part of their regimen.

Health Improvements

Timing moderate exercise for post-eating helps bring down cholesterol levels and blood sugar, too.

Losing weight with after-dinner walks will benefit your health in general, but walking post-eating targets a couple of very specific health issues. First, research has shown that walking for as little as 10 – 15 minutes after meals reduces blood sugar levels. Plus, even though the studies looked at walking in general for cutting blood glucose, the subjects who benefitted most were the ones walking after dinner. What’s more, a brisk walk has also been shown to result in lower triglycerides. Researchers even looked at walking after eating a high-fat meal and found that brisk post-dinner exercise helped keep triglycerides down.

Unplug and Unwind

Leave your devices at home, or at least switch on Airplane Mode, to get the most benefits of an after-dinner walk.

Computers and devices have taken over our lives, and the effects are starting to show. A study published in BMC Psychiatry linked sleep disturbance, stress, and depression to high and even mid-level computer use. Everyone feels the need to stay connected but leaving your tablet and mobile phone at home when you take your after-dinner constitutional increases the benefits of walking. Unplugging for the duration of your walk will help with de-stressing and unwinding. You’ll sleep better and feel better, too, and that will do wonders for your overall health. It’s OK to bring your smartphone along to listen to a book, music, or relaxing sounds while you walk, but download your choice of audio and then turn on Airplane Mode. That will keep texts, phone calls, and intrusive social media notifications from interrupting your walk and your peace of mind.