How Coca Cola Affects Your Body In 60 Minutes

We all know Coca Cola is laden with sugar and that, at a push, you could use it to clean your toilet. But it's a bit of a mystery as to what it does to your body.

Now, thanks to Niraj Naik, we have the answer to that question.

The brains behind website The Renegade Pharmacist has revealed exactly what a refreshing can of Coke does to your system within the first hour of drinking it. And it's not pretty.

First 10 minutes

10 teaspoons of sugar hit your system. (100% of your recommended daily intake.) You don't immediately vomit from the overwhelming sweetness because phosphoric acid cuts the flavour, allowing you to keep it down.

20 minutes in

Your blood sugar spikes, causing an insulin burst. Your liver responds to this by turning any sugar it can get its hands on into fat. (There’s plenty of that at this particular moment)

40 minutes in

Caffeine absorption is complete. Your pupils dilate, your blood pressure rises, as a response your livers dumps more sugar into your bloodstream. The adenosine receptors in your brain are now blocked preventing drowsiness.

45 minutes in

Your body ups your dopamine production stimulating the pleasure centres of your brain. This is physically the same way heroin works, by the way.

60 minutes in

The phosphoric acid binds calcium, magnesium and zinc in your lower intestine, providing a further boost in metabolism. This is compounded by high doses of sugar and artificial sweeteners also increasing the urinary excretion of calcium.

After 60 minutes

The caffeine’s diuretic properties come into play. (It makes you have to pee.) It is now assured that you’ll evacuate the bonded calcium, magnesium and zinc that was headed to your bones as well as sodium, electrolyte and water.

As the rave inside of you dies down you’ll start to have a sugar crash. You may become irritable and/or sluggish. You’ve also now, literally, pissed away all the water that was in the Coke. But not before infusing it with valuable nutrients your body could have used for things like having the ability to hydrate your system or build strong bones and teeth.

On his site, Naik writes: "I discovered that a trigger factor for many widespread diseases of the west such as obesity, heart disease and diabetes could be closely linked to the consumption of one particular substance found in many processed foods and drinks – fructose in the form of high fructose corn syrup.

"High fructose corn syrup is found in pretty much all processed foods such as ready meals, fast foods, sweets and fizzy drinks and most people are totally unaware of its danger."

The Renegade Pharmacist tells HuffPost UK Lifestyle that he was inspired to teach people about their dietary choices after managing to heal himself of a chronic auto-immune condition.

"I used a combination of different techniques that I discovered by researching others who had healed themselves," he explains.

"My method combines self hypnosis, meditation, special breathing exercises based on Himalayan monks, having a very low-carb diet that's free from factory based foods and taking a special supplement called Colostrum."

When Naik worked as a community pharmacist, he says he was able to successfully wean people off longterm medication - particularly for health issues such as high blood pressure or diabetes.

"Many of them would consume fizzy drinks on a daily basis," he says. "A few, on several medications, would consume between two and three cans a day. In one case a guy was on every heart drug under the sun and taking big doses."

Naik went through the patient's diet and found that he was drinking up to 15 cups of coffee a day with 2/3 spoonfuls of sugar in each cup.

"I was even more shocked to find out his doctor had not asked him about what he ate or drank and just stuck him on strong meds for life," he says.

So, the pharmacist created his own system to help patients overcome their conditions.

"My first piece of advice to them would be to do a simple swap," he explains, "replacing fizzy drinks with water and fresh lemon or lime juice.

"In many cases just doing this would have a dramatic effect on their health.

"This indicates to me that fizzy drinks and sugar are big issues relating to blood pressure and metabolic diseases like diabetes and heart disease."

Article Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/07/29/how-coca-cola-affects-body-infographic_n_7895304.html?utm_hp_ref=uk-health

Metabolic Conditioning: How it works and why it’s effective by Aaron Porter

Metabolic Conditioning (MetCon) is a term that has been loosely used for some time now. Produced in the age of High Intensity Interval Training and CrossFit style workouts, it is easy to see why some athletes and exercise enthusiasts would be confused as to the difference between the three styles. The secret to understanding true Metabolic Conditioning and its benefits is found in the formatting of the workout itself. The format of each consists of little details in types of movements, rest intervals, and targeted energy systems that sets each apart from the rest.

For the purpose of this article we will focus solely on MetCon. MetCon is a set of conditioning exercises designed for the purpose of enhancing energy storage and delivery for any activity. Consider that MetCon brings circuit training to a higher level. The beauty of this style of training is that it is designed to provide a faster more efficient way to produce desired results without sacrificing any of the quality. The object of MetCon is to alter and manipulate specific variables that affect the body’s adaptation to exercise stimulus. These variables include intensity, exercise selection, sets, reps, rest intervals and time under tension. By simply changing one or two of the variables, one can target different metabolic pathways in order to prevent adaption and increase metabolic capacity.(2) Simply decreasing the rest intervals would increase the intensity of the movement. The fact of the matter is that Metabolic Conditioning is just that. It is targeting a specific metabolic pathway and increasing metabolic demand in order to quickly and efficiently increase energy expenditure and overall metabolic efficacy.

There are many benefits to MetCon training as with most training regimens, however there are a few specific benefits that are prevalent in metabolic training. First, MetCon gives an athlete the ability increase performance directly(1). If an athlete primarily uses the anaerobic glycolytic (intermediate) system then they are able to tailor a specific workout to meet the needs of the Phosphocreatine and the Anaerobic Glycolytic systems by decreasing rest intervals and integrating more power movements. This provides the ideal specificity and functional strength required to increase performance and excel on the field.

Another benefit of MetCon is that it does not have to interfere with your lifting schedule. Metabolic Conditioning is extremely straightforward. Many individuals equate a MetCon to a CrossFit WOD which is not the case. Especially in people knew to the MetCon world, there need be no 9-12 minute circuits. Depending on how advanced you are in a fitness sense should be the primary basis on how long your MetCon is. There is a “beat down” mentality that has been inherited by the HIIT and MetCon society in which soreness and extreme fatigue are a measure of workout quality. This should not be the case. Remember, specificity. If a MetCon only takes 3-4 minutes then what are you supposed to do to fill in the time? Lift and get stronger. Stronger makes things easier. The only real measure of a workout goes beyond today’s workout and into the question, “Am I making any progress?”.

Metabolic Conditioning should be a staple in every athletes training regimen and if done properly it opens a world of progress in a very short period of time.

Article Source: http://athleticlab.com/metabolic-conditioning-how-it-works-and-why-its-effective-by-aaron-porter/
Photo Source: http://athleticlab.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/

‘What Is Metabolic Conditioning, And How Can It Improve YOUR Athletic Performance?'
 

Ask An Olympian: Can Food Really Improve Your Athletic Performance?

Like with everything else, when you reach a plateau you must go into reset mode and it’s really not that complicated – just hard to maintain until you’re able to live it and breathe it. Simply put, if you want to become faster and stronger, pay attention to the foods that you eat. Achieving and maintaining the proper levels of the right nutrients is the key to peak performance. So what are some of the main nutrients necessary to build and maintain a strong body?

Luke Walton, USA Olympic Rower suggests “HYDRATION is key to proper nutrition. There are too many positive effects of water to list here. Flushing toxins is one big one! Hydrating muscles, cells, etc. Water also aids proper digestion and absorption”.

Walton also suggest healthy fats. The kind found in avocado, coconut oil, flax seed oils, nuts, etc. “Too many people try to avoid fat completely and that is a terrible thing to do, especially for endurance athletes”.

Calcium is probably the most important nutrient for an athlete and calcium intake should be monitored by those who train seriously and consistently. Calcium is essential in the growth, maintenance, and repair of bone tissue, maintenance of blood calcium levels, regulation of muscle contraction, nerve conduction, and normal blood clotting. So it’s no shocker that low levels of calcium can increase the risk of low bone mineral density and stress fractures. And recent research shows that male endurance athletes of all ages experience testosterone deficits that can also cause osteoporosis. Say what?! Ok so let’s make sure we stock up on those dairy foods like milk, yogurt, and cheese, as well as dried beans and leafy green vegetables. Dairy intolerant? Then make sure you find the right supplements.

Iron is an essential nutrient and part of hemoglobin, which is a protein in the blood that transports oxygen to all the cells in your body. The brain has a big demand for oxygen. Shocker! That being said, without proper levels of iron in your system, you will find it hard to concentrate and will start feeling tired and irritable. Inadequate iron levels can decrease the delivery of oxygen to tissues and therefore reduce the capacity of muscles to use oxygen for the production of energy. Athletes have higher iron needs which puts them at a higher risk to experience iron deficiency (did you know that iron is lost in sweat?). So to improve your iron levels, be sure to increase your intake of iron-rich foods like red meat, rice, wheat, oats, nuts, dark leafy greens, dried fruit, beans, iron-fortified cereals, breads and pasta.

Here is a great article on Blood Iron Levels and Athletic Performance article by the Inside Tracker you might find helpful.

Proper levels of Protein will help maintain a good metabolism rate, good recovery times and will decrease susceptibility to infections. Interesting fact: endurance athletes need more protein than strength athletes because endurance athletes use protein primarily for maintaining aerobic metabolism, while the strength athletes use it to increase tissue-repair needs. In short, protein helps replenish depleted energy stores and prepares your body for its next workout, and in case of a protein deficit the body will take its needed dose from lean tissue. Not good! So make sure you get your daily protein requirements. Animal protein sources include meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, and dairy products but if you’re a vegetarian get them from plant-based sources such as beans, peas, nuts, and soy products. I mean, who doesn’t like peanut butter?

Photo: Anna Mos, amosportfolio.com

Article Source: http://lordwallington.com/ask-an-olympian-can-food-really-improve-your-athletic-performance/

What do you guys think of this article?

Understanding Energy Balance For Athletic Performance

Are you putting yourself into a chronic energy deficiency without even knowing it? Regardless of the athletic endeavour, studies have shown that many athletes are chronically energy deficient. This includes weight class athletes in strength sports like Olympic Weightlifting and Powerlifting, but also in endurance sports, the female training population, and bodybuilding competitors.Training and performing within a negative energy balance that is not properly constructed can be detrimental to your performance and void the benefits of your training. 

We are going to examine what energy balance is, what factors play a role in it, and how we can reconstruct our thoughts about eating for performance for both the strength athlete and classical sport athlete. Because the reality is our energy balance has an effect on everything from our metabolism to our hormonal balance and mood.

What Is Energy Balance?

Energy balance refers to the relationship between the energy coming into your system and energy going out of your system. It's governed by the law of thermodynamics and decides whether you as an athlete you gain, maintain, or lose weight.

Energy balance is often spoken of as “calories in, calories out,” but taking this at face value for athletes will not produce the qualities needed to improve your athletic performance. What happens at your cellular level also plays an important role in this equation and is something to be considered when designing your nutritional performance program. That’s why looking at it as an equation of energy in vs. energy out with the goal of maintaining balance is more appropriate.

The goal of athletic nutrition is to maximize our performance. To do this, we train our bodies into the sport-specific size and strength that is required for success and focus on training the correct mix of energy systems relative to the requirements of our sport. Nutrition and working within energy balances can produce the changes that we seek for performance improvement and can sometimes be the difference in performance against competition.

Energy expenditure is a combination of your basal metabolic rate (BMR) plus the thermic effect of foods (TEF) plus the thermic effect of your activity (TEA). This essentially breaks down to your activity level and your energy requirements when you are at rest, as well as food and fluid absorption, digestion, and transport. Your energy intake is a combination of the protein, fats, and carbohydrates you eat, along with your fluid and supplement intake.

ENERGY EXPENDITURE

The energy you expend is dependent on what type of training you are doing, along with the duration, frequency of training, and intensity of that activity. Other items may play a factor such as the sex of the athlete and their prior nutritional status. Because many people don't have access to the equipment that can determine actual total-body expenditure, we use predictive equations in it's place.

The two prediction methods that best estimate energy expenditure are the Cunningham equation and the Harris-Benedict equation. Most sports dieticians use the Harris-Benedict equation.

To estimate your expenditure, BMR or RMR is multiplied by a factor of 1.8-2.3 dependent on your physical exertion levels. An alternative to this method could also be using METs, or metabolic equivalents, recorded during a 24-hour time period. Most find Harris-Benedict a sufficient starting point.

ENERGY BALANCE

There is a lot more to energy balance than just a change in your body weight. It also has to do with what is happening at a physiological level. When your body is in a chronically low energy balance it will turn to lean tissue and fat for fuel. When you lose lean tissue mass as a direct result of your nutrient intake, you also lose strength and endurance and have difficulty adapting to your training regimen.

In addition to performance, you may also compromise immune, endocrine, and musculoskeletal functions. With a chronic negative energy balance, athletes can see a reduction in their bone mass, thyroid hormones, testosterone levels, and metabolism, as well as a disruption of their endocrine system. All nasty stuff for athletes who want to perform optimally.

 But almost all athletes will say, “But I am losing weight!” And while yes you are losing weight, your body has no idea in what way this is happening. Your body cannot tell the difference between a carefully constructed nutritional program and you being stranded alone on a desert island.  All your body knows is that it is not getting the energy intake it requires. As such, your body will slow down or stop certain non-survival functions..

On the flip side, there are detriments to over-feeding or taking in more nutrients than your body requires for your sport. Blood pressure and cholesterol can increase, you could develop insulin resistance, and plaque can build up within your arteries. The human body is in constant motion, and with that it must be adaptable to the demands we place upon it. Micronutrients can help mitigate some of the issues mentioned above.

MICRONUTRIENTS

So what should be the goal of your nutritional intake be in regards to keeping a proper energy balance? Food quality and adjustment of your macro nutrients relative to the needs of your sport while accounting for fluid intake, micronutrients, and fiber. Micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) act as co enzymes in freeing energy from your food, helping in the repair and growth of body tissues, oxygen transport and oxidative metabolism, antioxidants, immune function and more.

If micronutrient intake is not sufficient, this could lead the athlete to sub-optimal health and an athlete that is performing at a decreased level is unlikely to perform at their best. We want to maintain micronutrient intake so as to not disturb the athlete’s energy balance and reduce the chances of the unwanted side effects of under- or overeating.

Before all the diet fad people start chiming in, let’s revisit who we are talking about - competitive athletes. We are not discussing aesthetics in this case or about your recreational competitive athlete. If our food quality (rather than quantities) could provide even a 0.01% difference in training or performance, think of the resulting effect on game or meet day. What if the athlete next to you has been poorly managing his or her energy balance? Advantage - you. When scouts are watching and scholarships are on the line, that very small difference could have a meaningful impact for you.

High quality foods with the groups mentioned becomes very important due to the fact that weight class athletes are at risk for a low intake of important vitamins and minerals. Many athletes are still young and in periods of growth and development where the low intake of important minerals can lead to deficiencies. It should be noted that vitamins do not play a direct role in energy supply but do play an importance in regulating metabolism. An athlete deficient in B-group vitamins for instance, are at larger risk of premature fatigue along with the inability to maintain a heavy weight training program, necessary for athletic improvement.

Overeating on quality food choices can also happen. The athlete needs to be cognizant of extra calories coming in through high-density food choices, such as olive oil or mixed nuts. Eating these foods is great, but eating too much of them could be detrimental to your athletic performance and health.

One productive way for a coach to address athlete energy balance during competitive season can be through maintaining weight stability. Weight stability shows the proper energy requirements are being met, providing the athlete with the ideal balance to ensure optimized performance for competition. For the athlete, this can include checking weight before beginning the day’s training, then rechecking post-training to provide feedback on his or her hydration status, providing necessary feedback for hydration protocols.

IN CLOSING

For the athlete, the maintenance of an appropriate and specific energy balance can mean the difference between standing on the podium holding a trophy and shaking your head trying to figure out where it went wrong.

Are you cognizant of your energy balance? What have you noticed your needs for your sport consist of? Let us know in the comments below.

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Article Source: http://blog.pantheratrainingsystems.com/understanding-energy-balance-for-athletic-performance