Category: Fitness

Circadian rhythms comprise all physiological and behavioural changes that follow a 24-hour cycle. 

These natural processes respond primarily to light and dark.

This circadian clock plays a crucial role in many biological processes, such as the sleep-wake cycle, hormone secretion, cardiovascular health, glucose homeostasis, and body temperature regulation. 

The circadian clock is the main regulator of metabolism.

The circadian clock can be divided into 2 parts: the central clock, residing in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus, which receives light cues, and the peripheral clock residing in various tissues throughout the body. 

The main stimulus for the suprachiasmatic nucleus is light. 

However, blind individuals have circadian cycles (e.g., sleep-wake cycles) which last longer than 24 h. 

This finding led to the idea that other stimuli, in addition to light, can act as a stimulus for the human biological clock 

The circadian timing system or circadian clock plays a crucial role in many biological processes, but the increase in activities like the common usage of television, the internet, and mobile phones almost 24 h a day leads to a gradual decrease in adequate sleeping time!

The adipose tissue is a central metabolic organ that regulates whole-body energy homeostasis.

Adipose tissues secrete various hormones, cytokines, and metabolites that control systemic energy balance by regulating appetitive signals from the central nervous system as well as the metabolic activity in peripheral tissues. 

For example, leptin has specific receptors on the hypothalamus and is released from the main adipocytes. 

This hormone activates the sympathetic nervous system thermogenesis by increasing thyroid hormones. In thermogenesis, UCP (uncoupling) protein inhibits ATP synthesis in mitochondria, allowing energy to be consumed as heat. 

Leptin increases the level of thyroid hormones and activation of the sympathetic central nervous system, resulting in more UCP formation and thus greater energy use. 

The release of the leptin hormone occurs in a circadian cycle and serum leptin levels peak at night. 

Thus, disruption of circadian balance can affect leptin secretion, thermogenesis, and energy homeostasis, indirectly! 

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The fuel of life is an electron, or more exactly, the energy it takes over from photons in photosynthesis, and gives up gradually while flowing through the cell.

Mitochondria in our cells are known as the powerhouse of our cells which produce ATP.

These mitochondria have electron transport chains. The electron transport chain is a series of protein complexes that couple redox reactions that lead to the creation of ATP in a complete system named oxidative phosphorylation. 

It occurs in mitochondria in both cellular respiration and photosynthesis.

So your body needs electrons. 

All cells in our body are negatively charged. Which means they have more electrons inside than protons to function properly.  

You can get this charge with some simple steps. 

Burn more fat. Fat breaks down into 4 times as many electrons as carbs. 

Another method is to increase EZ water. 

EZ water is a special type of water that forms in your cells. 

It’s like a charged battery which stores energy and can deliver that energy to cells that need it. 

EZ water makes your mitochondria stronger so you can produce more energy. 

It also acts as an antioxidant, protecting you from stress and slowing down ageing, and improves protein folding across your whole body, which makes you more resilient to stress and speeds up recovery.

EZ water delivers power to your mitochondria so your cells have more energy. It also fights ageing and stress and helps your body recover faster. This article will cover what EZ water is, why you want it, and how you can make as much of it as possible.

There are a few hacks that help you generate EZ water

Drink raw vegetable juice or fresh spring water. EZ water forms naturally in vegetable juice and spring water. 

Blend regular water (or drink Bulletproof Coffee). Water absorbs vibrational energy when you blend it, which turns a portion of the water into EZ water.

EZ water forms when you blend butterfat into the water, which is one of the many reasons to drink Bulletproof Coffee every morning. 

Expose your skin to the sun. EZ water forms in your cells when you expose your skin (and your eyes, the gateways to the brain) to unfiltered sunlight for a few minutes every day without sunglasses, clothing, or sunscreen. The more skin you expose, the more EZ water you’ll make.

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The production of ATP is quite a complex process, starting in the Krebs citric acid cycle (TCA cycle). 

But far more important than direct ATP production are the high-energy molecules TCA provides the electron transport chain

This is where 90% of ATP is produced in aerobic metabolism.

The mitochondria are especially susceptible to nutrient deficiencies, environmental toxins, and oxidative damage. 

A large amount of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) must be produced by the mitochondria every second of every day because ATP cannot be stored. This function is so important that mitochondria can take up as much as 25% of the cell volume.

Although many nutrients are necessary for ATP production. These include carnitine to transport fatty acids, iron, magnesium, manganese, and vitamins B1, B2, and B3. 

There are a few strategies, to improve mitochondrial function. 

This includes optimising nutrient status to limit oxygen and high-energy electron leakage in the ETC. 

Decrease toxin exposure. Because of the huge metabolic activity of the mitochondria, they are especially susceptible.

Provide nutrients that protect the mitochondria from oxidative stress and utilise nutrients that facilitate mitochondrial ATP production.

Try intermittent fasting, where you fast for fixed hours of the day, which decreases energy levels in the body. To compensate, levels of NAD+ increase, which increases the ability of the mitochondria to produce ATP. 

This results in a subsequent rise in ATP levels due to improved mitochondrial function. 

Build some muscle mass! Even those with mitochondrial damage, such as that found in Parkinson’s disease, can increase ATP production through strength training!

Consume HMB and creatine supplements. Beta-hydroxy beta-methyl butyric acid is an active breakdown product of the amino acid leucine. It is used as a supplement to prevent muscle protein loss.

HMB and creatine supplementation in skeletal muscle cells stimulates the production of proteins and thereby increases the number of mitochondria per cell, overall improving skeletal muscle health.

If you follow these strategies, there’s no doubt that you can improve your mitochondrial health and naturally restore your mood and energy levels.

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Dehydration occurs when you use or lose more fluid than you take in, and your body doesn’t have enough water and other fluids to carry out its normal functions. If you don’t replace lost fluids, you will get dehydrated.

Between about 55% to about 78% of your body is made of water. Newborn babies are about 78% water, a year-old baby is 65%, adult men are about 60% and adult women are about 55%. Your brain is made up of 73% water, and so is your heart. Your bones are 31% water, muscles and kidneys are 79% and your skin is 64%. And 83% of water makes up your lungs.

Not only is it critical for digestion and getting rid of waste, but it also works your joints and lubricates them, makes saliva (which you need to eat), balances your body’s chemicals, creates hormones and neurotransmitters, delivers oxygen all over your body and act as a shock absorber for your brain, spinal cord and, if you’re pregnant, your fetus as well!

Your body regularly loses water through sweating and urination. If the water isn’t replaced, you become dehydrated. Any situation or condition that causes the body to lose more water than usual leads to dehydration.

When too much water is lost from the body, its organs, cells, and tissues fail to function as they should, which can lead to dangerous complications. 

If severe dehydration isn’t corrected immediately, it could lead to hypovolemic shock. 

Here are some common reasons why you might be dehydrated. 

Drinking often without hydrating oneself will lead to headaches and severe hangovers. 

Alcohol is a diuretic. It causes your body to remove fluids from your blood through your renal system, which includes the kidneys, ureters and bladder, at a much quicker rate than other liquids. 

Alcohol reduces how much vasopressin your body makes. 

Vasopressin is an antidiuretic hormone. It causes the body to hold onto water, which typically limits how much urine your kidneys make.

The action of suppressing this hormone exacerbates the diuretic effect and leads to dehydration.

Drinks containing more than 4% alcohol cause more diuresis, leading to excess water loss from all the cells, including your neurons. 

This leads to headaches and hangovers

High blood sugar spikes mean that your body doesn’t make insulin or use insulin properly. 

Insulin is a hormone that allows your body’s cells to absorb the sugar in your bloodstream, and then use that sugar for energy. 

If your body doesn’t use insulin properly, sugar can accumulate in your bloodstream. 

When your blood sugar remains high for an extended period, your kidneys must work harder to filter and remove the excess glucose. This happens using urination. 

This results in intracellular dehydration. 

It’s this increase in urination that leads to dehydration, especially if you don’t replace lost fluids.

Yet another common reason is excessive caffeine intake. Caffeine is also a diuretic. It increases sodium absorption by 20% and sodium loss through sweat by 15% which leads to dehydration. 

Lack of salt also causes extracellular dehydration. This disturbs blood pressure regulation. 

So whenever you try to combat dehydration, remember that drinking plain water is not the solution. Drinking salt with water is going to be more beneficial

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Don’t we all love it when we drizzle a generous amount of ghee on freshly made piping hot parathas or add a spoonful of cooked rice? 

However, with the rise in healthy and conscious eating, people are moving to more nutritious options by doing away with anything that adds extra weight. Since ghee has rich fat content, the debate on whether its consumption is healthy or not has started

Ghee is a variation of clarified butter. It is made from cow milk butter, which is treated with low heat until the water evaporates, leaving behind milk solids. 

The solids are skimmed off or strained if needed. What remains is only clarified liquid fat known as ghee. Because ghee is treated with low heat, usually under 100 degrees, it retains more nutrients than standard clarified butter. 

Indian households cannot do without their share of ghee. While it is a great ingredient for benefitting overall health, ghee also helps to lose weight. 

Vitamin E is the most powerful antioxidant that ghee contains. Antioxidants help free prevent cell and tissue damage that can lead to disease. 

Hence they also aid in inflammatory conditions.

Ghee contains conjugated linoleic which helps combat cancer and cardiovascular disease.

Butyrate/butyric acid in ghee is a fatty acid that has been linked to an immune system response that soothes inflammation. It has anti-viral properties and contributes to a healthy digestive system. 

Although the CLA in ghee helps reduce weight, it is also a calorie-dense and fat-rich food. 

Therefore, overconsumption can lead to an increase in weight gain and elevate the risk of obesity.

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