Intermittent Fasting: Could it be your secret to fat loss?

Intermittent Fasting (IF) has been gaining a lot of press these days as people begin to self experiment will good results. Unfortunately, the scientific studies are slim-and-few between, but this is mostly because companies do not want to spend money to research the benefits of not eating. The studies that have been accomplished are mostly tested on animals, such as rats, and even though it can give a hint at what to expect, these experiments don’t always tell the truth to how the human body will respond. However, piecing together the evidence, fitness professionals can actually make a good determination on the question of, “Is IF worth all the buzz?”. Well, unfortunately, this is a question that only the individual can answer for themselves after testing themselves with IF. The overall consensus is that IF can be VERY successful if done properly.

Here is what the research has shown:

(IF) HAS BEEN SHOWN TO REDUCE:
• blood lipids (including decreased triglycerides and LDL cholesterol)
• blood pressure (perhaps through changes in sympathetic/parasympathetic activity)
• markers of inflammation (including CRP, IL-6, TNF, BDNF, and more)
• oxidative stress (using markers of protein, lipid, and DNA damage)
• risk of cancer (through a host of proposed mechanisms; we’ll save them for another review)

(IF) HAS BEEN SHOWN TO INCREASED:
• cellular turnover and repair (called autophagocytosis)
• fat burning (increase in fatty acid oxidation later in the fast)
• growth hormone release later in the fast (hormonally mediated)
• metabolic rate later in the fast (stimulated by epinephrine and norepinephrine release)

(IF) HAS BEEN SHOWN TO IMPROVE:
• appetite control (perhaps through changes in PPY and ghrelin)
• blood sugar control (by lowering blood glucose and increasing insulin sensitivity)
• cardiovascular function (by offering protection against ischemic injury to the heart)
• effectiveness of chemotherapy (by allowing for higher doses more frequently)
• neurogenesis and neuronal plasticity (by offering protection against neurotoxins)

The funny thing about this topic is that you actually following this principle every day, without even thinking about it. When you go to bed, after eating dinner between 5-8pm, and then wake up the next morning and eat breakfast, normally between 5-8am, you’ve actually just fasted for 12 hours. So what’s different with IF? Not really a whole lot, but unless you are exercising during the 12 hour window, you may not be seeing much results. That’s why attempting a 24 hour fast, may help get your body’s response to start fat burning (when added to exercise) somewhere between 16-20 hours into your fast. What can hurt you is doing this too much. This practice should only be attempted once a week, or once a month, or once a year. Never do IF more than once a week, otherwise you risk crashing your metabolism and then you’ll never see results. Also be sure to be drinking plenty of water throughout your fast, and adding a amino acid supplement and/or a greens supplement throughout the day can provide addition benefits while fighting hunger pain.

So give it a try, and see how you handle. Nothing says you absolutely NEED to make it 24 hours, if you can only handle 18 hours, then shoot for that but you won’t know until you try. I hope this helps you meet your goals in training, and if you have further questions, please leave them below in the comments section and I’ll get you a reply!

For more information on IF, check out: http://www.precisionnutrition.com/intermittent-fasting

Leadville: Day 2

Mineral Belt Bike Trail




Stretching

Leadville Report: Day 1

Arrived in Leadville, CO yesterday evening after an 11 hour drive from Las Vegas, NV. This morning I went for a 13 mile training run around the Mineral Belt Bike Trail and wanted to post a video for you to see the sights and see some race reports before the big day. Slowly runner's from across the world are arriving in town to get ready for the race on 20-21 August. I met two guys this morning from the UK who are here for their first attempt at finishing the Leadville Trail 100 Ultramarathon. Weather looks to be perfect for the race, current reports are predicting 30% chance of rain on Friday and mostly cloudy Sat-Sun with temps between 72-40 degs. Stay tuned for video's and pictures that only UltraFit can bring you!

 Photo 1:  Leadville, CO is the highest city in the US, where the people live at 10,200 ft

 Photo 2:  The city of Leadville with Turquoise Lake in the background, the race starts in the center of town and follows the lake on the north side then heads south to the turn around point.

Photo 3:  Leadville is known for it's history in coal mining, 

in this picture you see the remnants of an old coal shaft

Amino Acids: Your Secret Weapon?

Many athlete's are discovering the benefits of taking amino acid supplements for targeting muscle growth and recovery.  Everyone from bodybuilder's, endurance athlete's, runner's, cyclist's, and average joe's, are realizing benefits from taking an amino acid, but not all amino acid's are equal.  There are 8 essential amino acid's to include L-Leucine, L-Valine, L-Isoleucine, L-Lysine hydrochloride, L-Phenylalanine, L-Threonine, L-Methionine, L-Tryptophan.  These are the key building blocks for muscle growth & repair.  It is difficult to find a full spectrum amino acid, so what you'll see a lot of in GNC and on many websites and advertisements are BCAA's (Branch Chain Amino Acids).  These are only three of the important 8 you should be using.  If you think of it as a car, you'll need wheels, doors, steering wheel, engine, transmission, windows, seats, and lights.  What good is a car going to do with only three of those components? 

You'll notice that protein powder's contain amino acids, as do protein foods, but it takes time for your body to digest and convert the proteins down into its usable source.  Eating a steak could take up to 2 days to get all the amino acids, protein powders could take up to 2-6 hours.  As an ultrarunner, I make sure to take 5 capsule's of MAP every morning 30 minutes before my run's to help prevent muscle breakdown.  I truly believe it is one of the reason's I maintain so much muscle mass even though I'm running over 100 miles a week in training.  This is my favorite amino acid supplement which is made by Body Health, and has a 99% NNU, which means nearly the entire capsule is used and almost nothing goes to waste unlike protein powders.  Check it out here: http://www.bodyhealth.com?ac=ultrafit and be sure your using the code UltraFit in order to get a awesome discount!