It’s that time again! Coach Jimmy here with this week’s installment of the best health and fitness articles from last week. For those of you who don’t know what the heck this is, I pick out five of the most informative, interesting, or just plain neat health and fitness articles that cross my path and throw them into a post so you have one less thing to worry about while you’re working on your weight loss goals.
This week we cover some health benefits from common herbs, the effect a high fat diet has on your metabolism, some amazing health focused Instragram accounts that you need to follow, using yoga poses to help boost your confidence, and how caffeine can charge up your workouts.
The Best Health & Fitness Articles From Last Week
The Benefits of 7 Common Herbs
Adding a healthy dose of herbs to your meals is an awesome way to keep, well, healthy and to add amazing flavor to your dishes. Herbs are easy to maintain too so you can keep fresh herbs on hand, almost year round, with a few pots in your backyard or a windowsill garden.
The Big 7 to keep in mind, and on hand, are parsley, cilantro, basil, mint, chives, dill, and oregano. These herbs are nutrient powerhouses that are high in calcium, iron, manganese, fiber, magnesium, antioxidants, a swath of vitamins, and help cut cholesterol, high blood sugar, sooth an upset stomach, and so much more.
How A High-Fat Diet Could Slow Down Your Metabolism
Look, we all know that high fat diets are bad for you, it’s no secret, but the real question is em bad is it for you? When you eat, your body turns said food into energy by converting it into glucose which is then absorbed by your muscles via insulin. Well, a recent study showed that the test subjects’ muscles stopped using glucose as an energy source which means that the subjects’
metabolisms had slowed considerably.
A new study in the journal Obesity found it took only five days for your body to feel the effects of a high-fat diet, and potentially impact your metabolism.
With this excess of glucose in your body, your body will store that energy as fat and your body may begin to reject the insulin which leads to heightened levels of blood sugar and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. Now, you aren’t going to get type 2 diabetes after eating poorly for five days, but it definitely goes to show what happens to your body when you don’t eat healthily.
20 of the Best Healthy Instagram Accounts
If there’s one thing you know about me, it’s probably that I’m a social media junkie. I use it for my business, to keep up with my friends and family, and to get the latest and greatest info on staying fit. One of the most mouth watering ways to find knew recipes to follow some of the healthiest accounts on Instagram for meal prepping tips, healthy recipes, and inspiration for your own meal plan. If you’re thinking “Pfffffft, I got this Jimmy.” take a peek at Kevin Curry’s buffalo cauliflower bites. Buffalo. Cauliflower. Bites. Get to following.
Improve Your Confidence With These 9 Yoga Poses
Have you ever gotten really pissed off, upset, or worked up and someone tries to talk you back to normalcy by getting you to breath? Well, they’re not wrong. Focusing on your breathing rather than your intense emotions can help cage the rampaging beast and the same can be said when you have a big job interview or a special date that’s giving you a double dose of anxiety. Taking some deep breaths will not only help calm your nerves, but give you a boost of confidence from keep your cool under pressure.
Confidence is all about keeping your cool when you’re under pressure and yoga pose—in addition to improving your flexibility and balance — help you do that by teaching you to relax into a pose and use your breath when holding them becomes difficult.
Nailing these yoga poses and mastering the breathing techniques will give you the confidence you need to shine in those high pressure situations that define your life. All you gotta do is breath…
Caffeine and Its Effects on Exercise Performance
The stuff works, as any swing-shift employee can attest, and used judiciously can help both get your butt out there on training days, and peak your performance in competition.
If you’re over the age of 18, you probably drink coffee pretty regularly. Hey, I get it. There’s no judgment here. It’s hard to argue with that on-demand shot of energy in the morning especially when you need to hit the ground running as soon as you wake up, but did you know that caffeine is also phenomenal for your workouts? Seriously.
When consumed in moderation, caffeine not only gets your butt up off the couch, but also boosts adrenaline levels in your bloodstream which causes your muscles to release fatty acids to be used as energy rather than glycogen stores. This acts as sort of an energy buffer that allows you to workout for longer periods of time at a higher level and is one reason why caffeine is in all the major pre-workout drinks.