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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Health Zone - Benefits of water and Testosterone
Health In The Zone
Food actually hydrates you better than water after endurance exercise
Vitamin Water, Gatorade, Powerade, water… if you’re a serious athlete, you’ve probably tried some or all of these supplements to rehydrate yourself after working out. Researchers at Iowa University have come to an interesting conclusion that may save you money and worthless calories from sugar: the best way of recovering fluid loss and replenishing your liquid/electrolytes reserves is through a complete, whole-food meal. After endurance exercise, they found that the liquid the athletes put back into their bodies—as water, grape-flavoured water, or carbs plus electrolyte water (like Gatorade)—was lost again quickly via urination. But when they ate a whole-food meal plus a glass of water, they lost their liquid more slowly and replenished their water, sugars, and electrolytes much more effectively.
Yet another advantage of H20
We know water is the ultimate superfood. There’s nothing it doesn’t do, from rehydrating us to bringing people at work together to gossip (“watercooler talk”). But can it prevent heart attacks too? A study done by the National Institutes of Health monitored the lifestyles of 20,000 people over the course of six years. They were looking for mortality caused by heart attacks and cardio vascular disease. According to their findings, those who drank high amounts of water (more than five eight-ounce glasses a day) were protected from fatal heart attacks. Liquids other than water (tea, coffee, soft drinks, juice) had a negative effect, either because they acted as a diuretic or because they were loaded with sugar. Researchers think it’s because drinking water can help thin the blood, which is good for your heart. So make sure to get in your H20!
Higher T = Less P
Wives often tease their husbands about not truly understanding pain until they’ve experienced labour pain. But men might have a rebuttal now! Researchers at Princeton University have found that animals with high levels of testosterone (and other androgens) are less sensitive to warning pains and can withstand more pain in general. In a study on sparrows, those who were injected with testosterone were able to keep their feet in boiling water almost three times longer than the control group. This study is of use to men who suffer from chronic pain, who might benefit from prescribed testosterone supplementation.
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