Category: Fitness

Feelings of intense fear, uneasiness or nervousness can not only stem from particular events or situations, but they can also occur without a single identifiable source. 

Since anxiety is so common, it’s not surprising that people often turn to a variety of methods to deal with it.

There is so much more to this apart from just prescribing medications and psychotherapy. 

Did you know that certain nutrients play a key role in regulating our nervous system by enabling optimum function of our brain cells?

One of the most important elements is Magnesium. 

Magnesium is one of the most common minerals found in the body. Yet it is not uncommon for many adults to get less than they need from diet alone. While a true deficiency tends to be rare, estimates suggest that as much as 48% of adults get less than the recommended amounts each day.

Given its role in functions ranging from energy levels to homeostasis to brain health, it is perhaps not unexpected that deficiencies in the mineral have been implicated in mental health concerns.

From a neurological standpoint, magnesium plays an essential role in nerve transmission and neuromuscular conduction. 

It also functions in a protective role against excessive excitation that can lead to neuronal cell death. Hence it has been implicated in multiple neurological disorders. 

Magnesium serves as a blockade to the calcium channel in the NMDA receptor and must be removed for excitatory signalling to occur.

Due to these important functions within the nervous system, magnesium is a mineral of intense interest for the potential prevention and treatment of neurological disorders.

Low magnesium levels may lead to increased neurotransmission(because of calcium ions) leading to a supportive environment for overstimulation of the neurons, which can lead to oxidative damage of the cells. 

So apart from medications and psychotherapy, nutrition also plays a major role in combating this issue. 

To ensure you have enough magnesium in your diet, eat foods high in magnesium. 

Foods high in magnesium include mainly leafy greens, avocado, dark chocolate, legumes, whole grains, nuts, seeds

Other benefits of increasing magnesium in your diet include better digestion, sleep, reduced cramps and pains and lower blood pressure. 

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Many of us have experienced that moment when the number on the scale ruins your whole day. This is especially if you ate well and have been training diligently all week long. 

It’s not surprising that you might be disappointed, but there’s a lot more to weight loss than just what you see on the scale. 

The scale is just one tool of many used to document a person’s weight loss journey or overall health. Yet, many of us look to the scale as the ultimate authority.

The human body is one incredibly complex piece of machinery. Things are going in, coming out, transforming, and dissolving all the time. As a result, your weight can fluctuate throughout the day.

While a scale was designed to measure weight, it is important to remember the many things that can affect the accuracy of its readings before letting it hinder or derail momentum. 

Scales display a weight that includes lean body mass and fat, but what it doesn’t account for is how much of that displayed weight is only temporary due to sodium intake, glycogen stores, hormones, and other added water weight as well as mechanical issues and errors.

People who are familiar with the exercise world have heard the phrase “muscle weighs more than fat”. While this is not technically true because one pound of muscle is still equal to one pound of fat, what the saying is trying to convey is that muscle is more dense than fat.

If a gym goer has consistently been working with a weight training routine, the muscle gained during these routines might occupy a smaller space in the body than the fat that was lost during that time frame.

If you get stressed out because you gained weight overnight, don’t fret. Let’s look into some factors which can affect the scale a little more closely. 

1) When carbohydrates are eaten, the body can only use a certain amount of energy from them at one time. The portion that is not immediately processed is relocated to the muscles, liver, and various other organs as glycogen stores to be used when needed.

This holds water inside the muscles which adds up to the weight. 

2) In women, hormonal changes are inevitable due to the menstrual cycle. The rise and fall of estrogen and progesterone can affect the amount of fluid that is retained throughout the body. 

3) Feeling puffy and bloated after eating foods with a high sodium content is common. Sodium has an affinity toward water. So the more salt you have the more water you retain. This can be evidenced by increased weight on the scale. Swelling should subside once salt levels in the body are reduced to a normal level. 

When it comes to understanding whether it’s muscle or fat, note that muscle is hard, firm and smaller. Fat might be the same weight, but you’ll be softer and bigger. So, what matters at the end of the day is that you’re healthy and have less fat around your middle and vital organs, not what the scale says.

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You start working out with a friend, and even though you both put in equal amounts of hard work, your friend quickly progresses in the gains department.

Sounds familiar?

There are a variety of factors that determine how your body responds to exercise, and though you can’t change some of them you may be able to make them work to your advantage.

Let’s look into these a little closely

We all have a combination of different muscle fiber types, and different muscle fiber types respond better to certain activities and training styles than others.

Some of us have more type II, or fast-twitch muscle fibers (e.g., sprinters), which shine during explosive, power-driven movements.

Others have more endurance-focused type I muscle fibers (e.g., marathon runners); these respond best to high-rep, low-load exercises.

Muscle fiber composition is mostly determined by genetics. If you’re not seeing the same gains as your friend, it could be that your training style doesn’t favour your predominant muscle fiber type. So, while you can’t change your muscle fiber composition, you can train in favour of it.

We all have fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscle fibers, but genetically some people may be predisposed to have more of one than the other. And fast-twitch fibers are the ones that you need for sizable muscle growth.

Genetics play an important role in determining your body’s ability to put on muscle limitations, partly by influencing your hormonal and muscular make-up.

Anabolic hormones consist of growth hormone, estrogen, insulin and testosterone. These are key for muscle building.

Contrary to popular belief, estrogen and testosterone are both important for muscle structure and function.

Testosterone is responsible for muscle growth, while estrogen improves muscle mass and strength, as well as growing the collagen of connective tissues, such as your bones, ligaments and tendons.

Women typically produce more estrogen and less testosterone than men, which is why men often have an easier time with visible muscle growth.

Building muscle mass and definition is hard work and also requires the correct diet.

Eating enough calories and protein helps with muscle recovery and growth after a workout.

Muscle is made up of protein, and eating adequate protein after strength training is essential to limit muscle protein breakdown and assist with muscle synthesis.

The way you train also plays a major role in how fast you can build muscle.

There are two types of muscular hypertrophy, known as myofibrillar hypertrophy and sarcoplasmic hypertrophy. Myofibrillar hypertrophy focuses on building strength, while sarcoplasmic hypertrophy increases the volume of sarcoplasmic fluid within the muscle to make it look bigger(post-workout pumps).

If stronger or bigger muscles are an important goal for you, dialling in on your daily caloric intake, meeting your protein goals, and adhering to a purposeful strength training program will help improve your chances.

So muscle-building abilities vary from person to person. That said, it’s important to understand the big picture because it doesn’t begin and end with your genetics.

You may have a genetic profile similar to that of a professional athlete, but if you don’t put in the work, you’ll never learn your actual potential.

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“Building lean mass” is used to describe the process of building muscle without adding fat. Both muscle building and losing fat are highly desirable. Everyone wants that toned look while attaining a lower body fat percentage where you can show off your abs for good. However, both approaches have given different solutions to nutrition and training. You need to be in a surplus to gain muscle and a deficit to lose fat. However, most people don’t wish to put on fat in their bulking season. Is there a way to do both things at the same time? That is, the ability to burn fat and gain (lean) muscle at the same time. Yes! If we could target stubborn fat deposits like we could isolate specific muscle groups, it wouldn’t be that complicated to lose fat and gain muscle. Although body composition sounds great, it’s not a magical process by which you will lose fat and build muscle at the pace you want it to. There are many aspects to it. It’s not a linear process.  Where your body holds onto excess body fat is unfortunately out of your control, and you can’t gain muscle if you’re in a chronic calorie deficit. Countless hours of cardio and crunches aren’t the answer either.  So how do we do it? Let’s see it from a training point of view and a nutrition point of view. How do we eat for body recomposition? Although changing your workout programme can benefit you, it all comes down to what you eat. If you want to achieve recomposition, you’re going to eat more on days when you exercise, and less on days when you don’t. The primary reason for this is energy utilization and recovery. Apart from helping you achieve body recomposition, these things are also important for hormonal optimization. So when it comes to losing fat, you have to be in a deficit. However, keeping an aggressive caloric deficit is not going to preserve muscle mass. If you are having body fat slightly on the higher side, you can keep a slightly higher deficit. If you are on the leaner side then start by keeping a moderate deficit. Remember that small steps go a long way. It’s more sustainable comparatively. So consuming a diet rich in protein is essential to reduce fat while preserving lean body mass. Protein will help in muscle synthesis as well as keep you satiated. Cut out processed and sugary carbs and increase your fibre intake. Along with a high-protein, whole-food diet, incorporating strength training exercises into your routine is crucial. Strength training involves using resistance exercises to build strength and muscle mass. Combine strength training exercises like squats, bench presses, pushups and other muscle-building exercises for two to three days per week alongside one to two days per week of interval training. Start your journey with the best trainers in Delhi.

Magnesium is a mineral that’s crucial to the body’s function. Magnesium helps keep blood pressure normal, bones strong, and the heart rhythm steady.

One of its main roles is to act as a helper molecule in more than 600 reactions in your body, including energy production, protein synthesis and neuromuscular regulation. 

It also plays an important role between your brain and body.

It acts as the gatekeeper for the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors. These are found on our nerve cells and aid brain development, memory and learning. 

In healthy adults, magnesium sits inside the NMDA receptors, preventing them from being triggered by weak signals that may stimulate your nerve cells unnecessarily.

When your magnesium levels are low, fewer NMDA receptors are blocked. This means they are prone to be stimulated more often than necessary.

This overstimulation can kill nerve cells.

Apart from this it also counteracts calcium which generates heart contractions.

When calcium enters your heart muscle cells, it stimulates the muscle fibres to contract. Magnesium counters this effect, helping these cells relax. 

This movement of calcium and magnesium across your heart cells maintains a healthy heartbeat.

When your magnesium levels are low, calcium may overstimulate your heart muscle cells. One common symptom of this is a rapid and/or irregular heartbeat, which may be life-threatening!

Not only this but magnesium is also required for an enzyme that generates electrical impulses via the sodium-potassium channels. Some electrical impulses can affect your heartbeat. 

It acts in the same way for skeletal muscle connection as well.

If your body doesn’t have enough magnesium to compete with calcium, your muscles may contract too much, causing cramps or spasms.

This is why magnesium is commonly recommended to treat muscle cramps

As magnesium deficiency gets worse, other symptoms may occur, including numbness, tingling, seizures, personality changes, abnormal heart rhythms and coronary spasms.

Rich sources of magnesium are greens, nuts, seeds, dry beans, whole grains, wheat germ, wheat and oat bran. 

The recommended dietary allowance for magnesium for adult men is 400-420 mg per day. The dietary allowance for adult women is 310-320 mg per day.

Although it’s found in a variety of foods ranging from leafy greens to nuts, seeds, and beans, many people don’t get enough in their diet. This is when supplements come in. 

However, magnesium in dietary supplements and medications should not be consumed in amounts above the upper limit, unless recommended by a healthcare provider.  Common side effects include diarrhoea and cramps. 

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Being on an excessively restricted diet can result in irresistible cravings and desires making us go all in on the binge over the weekends. 

In today’s world, there is an unlimited variety of tasty food which can be hard to resist. If you are one of those who eat all good for the entire week but tend to go overboard over the weekends, then you are not alone.

Here is where the calorie banking method comes into play.

If you use this method of weight loss, you can indulge in special treats every once in a while without affecting your overall calorie intake.

This system requires careful management of food intake and calorie burn through exercise. It is a strategy that helps you enjoy your social life while still hitting your weight loss goals. 

If fat loss or weight loss is your primary goal, then the number one thing you need to do is get into a calorie deficit.

A caloric deficit is any shortage in the number of calories consumed relative to the number of calories required for the maintenance of current body weight (energy homeostasis). A deficit can be created by reducing the calories consumed (lower food intake).

Fat or weight loss isn’t linear, if it was, going into a calorie deficit for a long period would mean that you would continuously lose fat until you faded away. 

But this is when your survival mode taps in and your weight loss progress comes to a halt. These ‘weight loss plateaus’ are one of the primary reasons why strategic refeeds, or periodic days of overeating can potentially aid fat loss and not hinder it. 

So what is calorie banking? Calorie banking means borrowing calories from some of your regular diet days to use on other days. For example, if you are on a calorie limit of 1,600  per day, you can bank 200 of your calories from one or more days to use on other days. If you save 200 calories for three days, then you have 600 calories banked to spend on a treat. This equates to 2 slices of pizza and a Frappuccino if you meet up with friends on the weekend. 

This system also makes you aware of how many calories are in the treats that you desire. And you can choose better food sources, and spend fewer calories, by going for lighter options. Banking calories gives you flexibility and may motivate you to stick with a diet, which improves diet adherence leading to your success. 

Remember that before directly banking your calories, you need to first define your daily caloric goals. Multiply your daily calorie goals by seven to establish your maximum weekly calorie intake. Bank calories throughout the week by eating fewer calories than your daily goal for one or more days, then using them to eat more than your usual calories another day. Although this method is a great option for those who wish to have the best of both worlds, it makes it easier to fall into some common diet pitfalls for some people. 

Additionally, banking calories can cause blood sugar imbalances and a drop in energy where you then feel like having more carbohydrates when your brain needs it. 


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