Everyone knows too much sugar in your diet leads to weight gain, but too much glucose and fructose in particular also leads to potentially dangerous consequences for your liver, arteries and heart. Liver cells are the only ones in the body that can break down fructose, which they use to create fat. Too much causes a buildup in your liver called nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, which now affects almost 30% of adult Americans. When left too long, the condition can lead to cirrhosis and the degeneration of liver function, as well as cardiovascular disease.
JUST 20 MINUTES
Exercise is, to many people, the fountain of youth, and researchers have proof for this theory. No matter what your age, 20 minutes of exercise daily is all that’s required to reverse age-related decline in muscle stem cells, those cells vital to new muscle growth.
Rest-Pause to Power Up
You’ve likely used rest-pause as a way to take a set past muscle failure in an effort to build more muscle size. Research now shows rest-pause is also a great way to boost muscle power. You just have to use the technique a bit differently. When Appalachian State (Boone, NC) researchers had trained bodybuilders perform six reps of power cleans they were able to maintain power better on all reps when they used rest-pause for 20 or 40 seconds after every rep than when they did all six reps straight through. When training with explosive movements such as power cleans or jump squats, take a 20-40-second rest-pause between reps. This technique will help you build more muscle power and greater strength.
A 14-HOUR CALORIE BURN, BABY!
Researchers at Appalachian State University (Boone, NC) and the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill) found energy expenditure continues for up to 14 hours after a 45-minute high-intensity workout. This is great news for trainers wanting to lose unwanted bodyfat.
THE POWER OF BLUE
Want some help in reducing your last bit of belly fat? Try adding blueberries to your oatmeal or shakes. Researchers at the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center (Ann Arbor, MI) found rats that were fed powdered freeze-dried blueberries had less abdominal fat and lower triglycerides (blood fats) and cholesterol compared to rats not given the blueberry powder in their diets. The scientists discovered blueberry intake affected genes associated with fat burning and storage.
