How To Boost Metabolism The Right Way?

by with No Comment HealthLifestyleworkouts

Let’s decode this & understand. Human metabolism is composed of four components. The first is BMR (basal metabolic rate), which represents the energy expenditure at complete rest. Meaning, if you don’t move an inch for an entire day, this is the minimum amount of calories your body needs to carry out its internal functions. 

It is different for different people and depends on factors like age, height, weight and body fat percentage. BMR accounts for approximately 60% of the total daily calorie expenditure. You can slightly increase it by building muscle mass.

Second, is the thermic effect of food (TEF), which refers to the calories burned during digesting and absorbing food. it makes up around 10-15% of the daily calorie expenditure. It is also different for different people and depends on factors such as body fat percentage & meal composition however, consuming high-protein mixed meals can increase the thermic effect of food. Some meal examples could be – soy pulao, tofu pasta, and bread omelette etc. from an Indian context.

The third component is physical activity, which is split into two parts. The first part is EAT (exercise activity thermogenesis), referring to planned workouts in the gym, park, etc. This not only burns calories while performing the workout but also increases BMR in the long run by increasing muscle mass. 

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The second part is neat (non-exercise activity thermogenesis), which includes all body movements other than EAT, like walking, household chores, etc. Combining all these components gives you TEE or TDEE (Total Energy Expenditure).

So, the bottomline is, if you want to boost your metabolism or TEE the right way,

  • start by incorporating strength training in your planned workouts (EAT). This will help you gain muscle in the long term and indirectly increase your BMR.
  • Second, to keep the thermic effect of food high, consume meals rich in protein and fiber. lastly,
  • find opportunities to stay active throughout the day such as walk & talk, walk & social media, use cycle instead of scooty for local work etc. and so on. 

Why protein is important for muscle growth?

by with No Comment HypertrophyLifestyle

In simple words, muscle tissue is made from protein, and this protein is made up of 21 different amino acids, and amino acids contain nitrogen. So, in a way, muscles are also made of nitrogen.

If this is clear to you, now just like a calorie surplus is required for weight gain, similarly, a nitrogen surplus or positive nitrogen balance is needed for muscle gain. This means that the body’s intake of nitrogen should be higher than its expenditure. 

Nitrogen expenditure or loss occurs through processes like urine, feces, and sweat, and for nitrogen intake, consume protein-rich foods such as soy chunks, whey, chicken, fish, eggs, tofu, paneer, tempeh, etc. and other protein foods.

If your daily protein intake falls between 1.5 to 2 grams per kilogram of body weight, your body will be capable of achieving a positive nitrogen balance, meaning, extra nitrogen left after subtracting nitrogen consumed from nitrogen expenditure, will then be utilized for muscle repair, maintenance, and growth.

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In addition to this, a small surplus of approximately 300 calories is necessary to support the muscle growth process, along with resistance training, providing the necessary stimulus for muscles to grow. 

Can you turn fat into muscle?

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Let’s get to the basics to understand this. Now, muscle and fat cells are entirely different. It’s like comparing an apple to a banana. 

For example, the bicep muscle is made up of many muscle fibers, and each muscle fiber consists of several myofibrils, which are made up of proteins. 

Simply put your muscle is made up of protein and therefore, you need protein to build it. It’s as simple as that. 

On the other hand, a fat cell, also known as an adipocyte. It forms when there is extra energy or calories consumed which gets stored in the adipose tissue. 

To understand this clearly, each human being needs certain energy or calories to maintain weight which is known as maintenance calories. This is different for everyone. Now, if you consume more than this, that extra energy automatically gets stored as fat in adipose tissue.   

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So, since the locations of muscle and fat are distinct, it is not possible for one to convert into the other. However, if you are a beginner, training after a long break, overweight or obese, You can simultaneously build muscle and lose fat. This is also known as body composition.

To achieve this, you need a small calorie deficit, usually around 200-300 calories, a high protein intake between 1.5-2g/kg of body weight, resistance/weight training, hydration, optimal rest and patience. 

With these variables in place, you can attain both muscle gain and fat loss.

How to bulk the right way?

by with No Comment LifestyleNutritionworkouts

Bulking is an approach to weight gain where the main goal is to increase muscle mass, but some fat gain is inevitable with any muscle gain. the extent of fat gain will depend on the number of calories in surplus, but there will be some fat gain for sure. 

So, what can we do to ensure muscle gain while minimizing fat gain? 

Now, the amount of muscle you can gain over a certain period has a limit, which depends on factors like gender, genetics, nutrition, training experience, stress, hydration, hormones, sleep etc. However, there is no such limit for fat gain.

What does this mean? 

Eating in excess does not necessarily lead to more muscle gain, but it does lead to more fat gain. To put it simply, consuming excess calories beyond a certain limit will automatically get stored as fat. This is exactly what dirty bulking is – eating in excess and storing all that energy as fat. 

In a study, one group was on 300 kcal surplus and the other was more than 600 kcal surplus. While, both groups had equal strength & muscle gains over the 12-week period, however, the group in excess of 600 kcal surplus gained much more fat than the 300 kcal group. 

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So, the bottom line is, to bulk the right way, maintain a small surplus of around 300 calories, perform 15 to 20 sets per week for each major muscle group to provide a stimulus for the muscle to grow, and keep protein in this range of 1.5-2g/kg of BW for optimal gains. 

Can you build muscle with bodyweight training?

by with No Comment Lifestyleworkouts

A muscle grows in response to any form of stress, tension or resistance applied to it, whether it’s through a dumbbells, a barbell, a resistance band or simply through bodyweight exercises at home. Body only cares about stress and as long as this resistance continues, muscle will continue to grow.

While, this is one factor of muscle growth, the other is for how long and how many times the stress is placed on a muscle.

Simply put, there are 3 factors that influence muscle hypertrophy – 

  1. Load – the resistance
  2. How many times – no of sets per muscle
  3. Repetitions – for how long is the stress placed

if this is clear to you, and you are a beginner who just wants to work with his/her bodyweight to grow your muscle the following three compound movements will get you started – 

  1. push-up, a classic compound movement targeting the chest, shoulders, and triceps muscles. perform 4 sets with 10 to 15 reps per set. 
  2. squats, a lower body compound movement for overall leg development. also, do 4 sets with the same reps per set
  3. lastly, pull-ups or chin-ups. if you can’t do these, try inverted rows or bottle rows, again, compound exercises targeting the back and biceps. again, perform 4 sets with the same number of reps.

do these three exercises 3 to 4 days a week and gradually increase the difficulty by adding more reps, reducing rest time, or trying more challenging variations of various exercises and keep challenging your muscles for growth. 

Additionally, protein intake in this range of 1.5-2g/kg of body weight and a calorie surplus of 250 to 300 calories is essential. 

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Below is a sample bodyweight workout for beginners.

SAMPLE BODYWEIGHT WORKOUT

Decoding Dark Chocolate

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Any chocolate that contains 50% or more cocoa solids is considered dark chocolate. 

There are three popular types of dark chocolate available in the market 55%, 75%, and 90% dark chocolates, which means if it’s 55% dark, the remaining 45% is sugar, and if it’s 75% dark, the remaining 25% is sugar, more or less. 

Nutrition-wise, a 75% dark chocolate contains approximately 9 grams of protein, 40 grams fat (with 60% saturated fat), 45 grams carbohydrates with 25 grams sugar, 8 grams fiber, and almost 600 kcal (calories) (values are approximate and may vary among different brands). 

Additionally, it is a rich source of minerals like copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, etc. but the claimed benefits of dark chocolate, such as reducing blood pressure, lowering bad cholesterol levels, improving mood, and enhancing brain function, are attributed to the presence of flavonoids in it. 

We looked at some of those studies. Though, there was a good amount of evidence pointing to these benefits, however, there are still many questions regarding these benefits that are left to be answered in studies before it can be conclusively confirmed. However, in the meantime, if you want to extract some benefits from dark chocolate, start with 75% dark, and consume it in moderation (2-3 cubes) because dark chocolate besides nutrients is also high in calories & saturated fat. 

Those who do not eat dark chocolate can get flavonoids from other food sources such as green tea, apples, cocoa powder, berries, colored vegetables & fruits.

The bottom line is, instead of bingeing on just one food, bring variety to your diet, some dark chocolate and an active lifestyle is all you need to make your life more colorful. 

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Reference studies 

Effect of Cocoa Products on Blood Pressure: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

https://academic.oup.com/ajh/article/23/1/97/150091

Chocolate consumption and cardiometabolic disorders: systematic review and meta-analysis

https://www.bmj.com/content/bmj/343/bmj.d4488.full.pdf

Effect of Cocoa Beverage and Dark Chocolate Intake on Lipid Profile in People Living with Normal and Elevated LDL Cholesterol: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

https://www.mdpi.com/2674-0311/2/3/17

Does chocolate reduce blood pressure? A meta-analysis

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/1741-7015-8-39

The effect of cocoa/dark chocolate consumption on lipid profile, glycemia, and blood pressure in diabetic patients: A meta-analysis of observational studies

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ptr.7183

Effects of cocoa products/dark chocolate on serum lipids: a meta-analysis

https://www.nature.com/articles/ejcn201164

What is a sedentary lifestyle?

by with No Comment Lifestyle

By now, you must have realized how a sedentary lifestyle can be the cause of numerous health problems. But when you don’t know what a sedentary lifestyle is, how will you find a solution to it?

For your information, the body expends energy every second, even when you are sitting quietly, which is also known as BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) or RMR (Resting Metabolic Rate). And just as weight is measured in kilograms, energy expenditure is measured in metabolic equivalent of task or MET.

Now, the MET for RMR is 1, which means the energy expenditure while resting or sitting quietly is 1 MET.

And sedentary behavior is the one that includes all activities that have a MET of 1.5 or less. These activities include sitting, using a laptop, watching TV or using a smartphone, sitting in a car. So basically, any activity that involves sitting. 

Now, if a significant part of your day is spent in such activities, then you are leading a sedentary lifestyle and according to the figures provided by the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 32,00,000 (3.2 million) deaths occur every year solely due to physical inactivity or sedentary lifestyle.

Infact, even if you replace half your sitting time with just standing work, you can burn roughly 15-20% extra energy by just standing. 

So what is the solution to reduce this sedentary lifestyle & achieve positive health outcomes?

Replace some of your sedentary time with standing & performing light activities (MET – 1.5-3) such as standing, slow walks, household chores, playing an instrument. 

To put this to practical use, while working, take occasional breaks stand & stretch and walk for around 5 minutes few times in a day, 10-15 min walk after lunch & dinner etc., walk while watching television or using phone.

And also, include moderate to high intensity activities (MET >3) such as brisk walking, jogging, running, cycling, strength or resistance training, yoga etc 3-4 days or 150 minutes per week.

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In short, to achieve positive health outcomes, break your prolonged sedentary activities with standing or light-intensity activities like slow walks and make moderate-intensity activities part of your lifestyle. 

The bottomline is that humans seek comfort, but they are built for activity. So, the emphasis should be on choosing activity over comfort. And ultimately, it all comes down to individual choices – whether you want to order matar paneer without moving your glutes or take the effort to cook matar paneer at home by moving a bit.

Otherwise, one day even the dinosaurs might say, “Humans caused a lot of chaos on Earth… Poor creatures, they perished in pursuit of their comfort.”

skimmed milk powder vs beginners whey

by with 2 Comments Uncategorized

Recently, while researching for a video I observed that many brands have introduced protein supplement targeting beginners, named them as “beginner whey protein.” These products are priced between 900 to 1300 rupees per kg approximately, and the protein content ranges from 35% to 45%.

I found it a bit expensive, so I compared it to skimmed milk powder and discovered that every 100 grams of milk powder contains 35% protein, while beginner whey has 40% protein. 

Both have low-fat content, with slightly different carbohydrate levels—52 grams in skimmed milk powder and 45 grams in beginners whey —and nearly the same amount of calories. 

Skimmed milk powder costs 500 rupees per kilo, while beginner whey costs around 1000 rupees per kg. Therefore, the cost/gram of protein in milk powder is Rs 1.4, while in beginner whey, it is Rs 2.5. This means that beginner whey is 75% more expensive than skimmed milk powder.

Interestingly, when I looked at the ingredient list of a popular beginner whey product, skimmed milk powder was the first ingredient. they could have simply named it “skimmed milk powder”, why do some effort in changing the name? No? 

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Well, the bottom line is that beginner whey is just a product name to attract a new audience. 

if you choose to buy it, make sure it contains at least 50% protein at nearly the same price point mentioned above which is unlikely. Otherwise, you can include a scoop of skimmed milk powder along with other protein-rich foods such as soy chunks (52% protein), chicken/fish (25% protein), tofu/tempeh (15% protein), paneer (18% protein), other dairy foods, etc. in your diet to complete your protein requirement. 

Additionally, if your goal is hypertrophy important thing is to complete your protein intake (1.5-2g/kg of bw) and split it across different meals during the day over which protein brand you choose. This can include a meal that comprises of beginners’ whey or skimmed milk powder. 

Should girls lift weights?

by with One Comment Uncategorized

Should girls lift weights? What kind of question is that? If this question comes up again, let me tell you… Alright, tell me this… Are girls a different species that they don’t need muscles?

In fact, girls need muscles more so that they perform their day-to-day physical tasks without friction & incidence of injury. And don’t worry… Your muscles won’t turn bulky just like those huge bodybuilders doing resistance/strength training. 

Gaining muscle takes years of hard work and is a difficult task to achieve naturally. Though, gender, age, lifestyle, and genetics do play a role but even if you saw those muscular girls, it must have taken years of work to achieve that. So don’t worry about the bulk.  

To put things in perspective, girls have very little muscle mass and high-fat mass to begin with and any loss of muscle and increase in fat mass puts you at a metabolic disadvantage. 

Now coming to why you need resistance/strength training – 

  1. Increasing or preserving lean mass during periods of fat loss which improves your metabolic rate to a certain extent. 
  2. Helps lose fat when resistance training, is combined with proper nutrition, can help you lose body fat. This leads to a more defined and toned physique. 
  3. Better strength and posture as resistance training improves muscular strength, endurance, and functional fitness, making everyday activities easier and reducing the risk of injury.
  4. Better aesthetic and if you have been looking for a toned and more sculpted look, strength training is your best bet. 

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Should you not do cardio then?

Cardio activities such as running, walking, cycling, etc. are great at building cardiovascular health. Additionally, during periods of fat loss or even while maintaining weight, use this as a tool to burn extra calories.

So overall, if your goal is fat loss or improving body composition, your workout should be a mix of strength training & cardio, with roughly 60-70% time devoted to strength and remaining to cardio activities and being more active throughout the day by moving more. 

Couple this with optimal protein, hydration, and rest, and with time & patience, this will help you get to your goal. 

Negative calorie foods for weight loss? Anyone?

by with 8 Comments Uncategorized

When we consume food, the energy required to digest it and absorb its nutrients is known as the thermic effect of food.

Now, proponents of the false concept of negative calorie foods claim that these foods require more energy to digest than the actual calories they provide.

Let me explain. 

Take celery, for example, which appears to be like cauliflower. It contains only 16 calories per 100 grams. Based on many claims, it is believed to be a negative calorie food. However, the energy expenditure required to digest it accounts for only 8% of its calories.

In other words, to digest the 16 calories in celery, you would expend approximately 8% of 16 calories. Let’s do some math now. Subtracting 8% of 16, which is 1 calorie, even if you consider 2 calories, subtracting them from 16 still leaves you with a positive value of 14 calories, not negative 14 calories.

So, forget about these futile methods for weight loss. Instead, focus on creating a calorie deficit or negative energy balance by eating 10-15% less than your maintenance calories, include sufficient protein, fiber, and water to create satiety. Rest, increase your deficit by being more active such as walking, etc. and incorporate strength training to preserve muscle. 

Additionally feel free to include some low-calorie foods like celery, cauliflower, spinach, cucumber, watermelon, strawberry, bell peppers etc. as part of your overall diet.

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