Muscle Talk
Jaime Filer
Jaime Filer graduated with a kinesiology degree from York University, where she was a varsity athlete. She’s also a former competitive bodybuilder who competed in drug-tested events throughout North America. If something new is trending in fitness, chances are Jaime’s already tried it!
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Fat Loss zone - Green tea - Your bones - Lutein
Caffeine + green tea for fat burning before and after exercise
Taking 250 milligrams of caffeine and 400 milligrams of green tea extract (consisting of 50 percent EGCG and 5 milligrams of caffeine) 45 minutes before interval training can increase calorie burning by 8 percent and fat burning by 11 percent. In addition, after the training, test subjects increased both calorie expenditure and fat burning by 10 percent.
Bust your ass in the gym to keep your bones healthy
We all know that that simply and mathematically speaking, you must burn more calories than you eat in order to lose fat. You could do this through cardio and training, but also by putting yourself in a caloric deficit. Researchers divided subjects up into three groups: clean eaters, deficit dieters (eating 16 to 20 percent less than they burned), and hardcore exercisers (burning 16 to 20 percent more than they ate). After a year, the dieters lost 11 percent of their body weight and the exercisers lost 8 percent. Although this is great, the concerning part was that both groups lost bone mass along with fat mass. The exercise group saved themselves because “exercise-induced weight loss is associated with preservation of bone mass density.” So if you’re planning a weight-loss journey, make sure that you lift heavy! Bone health is as important as anything else to your overall health and wellness.
Protect your eyes and your abs with lutein
Lutein, a carotenoid that you can find in spinach and broccoli, is often talked about when it comes to eye health as it can protect you from bright light that can damage your corneas and retinas. One reason lutein is so effective is that it inhibits the enzyme complement factor D (adipsin) and reduces its concentration in the bloodstream. Adipsin is also a “factor” in the growth of fat tissue, which is why bodybuilders should take note! Adipsin has a role in the uptake of glucose, converting glucose into fat, and inhibiting fat cell breakdown—all the things we don’t want for fat loss. So the more lutein we get in our diets, the less these evil processes take place in the body. Try taking 10 milligrams of lutein every day as a supplement to your solid diet and training regimen!
For more science-based fat fighting, muscle gaining articles and tips, check out Jaime's column here!
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