Stronger Faster | Journey through Fitness

“Muscles Grow Only if They’re Forced to. Same is true for us.”

Welcome to the first installment of my fitness journey blog series! Stronger Faster | Journey through Fitness. I am thrilled to share my personal experiences, insights, and the valuable health-related information I've gathered along the way. Join me as I take the first steps towards transforming my life through fitness and prioritizing my well-being.

In this series, I aim to document the challenges, triumphs, and lessons learned as I embark on this transformative path. From workout routines and nutrition tips to mental health and overall wellness, we will explore a wide range of topics that contribute to a holistic approach to fitness.

Whether you are a fitness enthusiast or a beginner like me, this blog series will offer a wealth of resources, practical advice, and inspiration to help you on your own journey. Let's embrace a healthier lifestyle, one step at a time, and discover the incredible impact it can have on our physical, mental, and emotional well-being.

The Science of Fat Loss:

Science of Tools for Fat Loss

large number of people have too high body fat percentages
Most people struggle to lose fat

lot of controversy in the information available online

The discussion about fat loss has vastly overlooked

the role of the nervous system, neurons, and
some of the cells they collaborate with, like glioma and macrophages,
in encouraging accelerated fat loss.

Calories in versus calories out

meaning how many calories you ingest versus how many calories you burn
is the fundamental and most important formula in fat loss

Highly processed foods change the way we utilize food

can lead to higher incidences of obesity.

Attack the Fat
- Cold exposure
- Brown fat
- Beige fat
- NEAT
- Hormones

Powerful Tools for Fat Loss

The nervous system and the role of the brain

neurons govern everything
are the on switch and the off switch for fat burning.

The following are science-based tools that are powerful for fat loss:

Cold exposure: activates brown fat and beige fat.
Brown fat:

burns energy to generate heat
is activated by cold exposure

Beige fat: burns fat to generate heat

can be activated by cold exposure and exercise

NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis):

moving throughout the day, such as fidgeting or standing
can burn calories and increase fat loss.

Hormones: insulin and leptin play a role in metabolism

Foundation of Health

Quality and sufficient sleep is essential.
Essential fatty acids are vital to many aspects of health

EPA you ingest levels should be above 1000 milligrams per day.
Food source: fatty fish, grass fed meat, plant sources

Neurons crave essential fatty acids and amino acids can lead to sugar cravings.
Glutamine can reduce sugar cravings and improve symptoms of leaky gut.

Food source: cottage cheese, etc

Gut microbiome should be healthy.
Thyroid hormone and metabolism should be supported

through sufficient iodine and selenium.
Food source: Kelp - iodine, Brazil nuts - selenium

5 Pillars of Metabolism
- Sleep
- Essential Fatty Acids
- Glutamine
- Microbiome
- Thyroid

Impact of Belief

A study showed that belief can impact the effects of exercise on weight loss.

study by Alia Crum at Stanford
subjects who were hotel service people
Divide them into two groups:
One group were told that

moving around = meet the standards for US guidelines for activity

second group was given a bunch of information

about how their daily routine was very good for cardiovascular health
it could be good for weight loss

simply being told that movement is good for you

can lead to weight loss led to
significantly more body fat loss, waist-to-hip ratio changes.

Simply by the knowledge

that movement and exercise can help various health markers

how we think about a given set of activities

affects how we perform those activities.
how we think about & perform those activities

has a real effect on our physiology

Controlling Fat Loss

Fat loss is governed by a hard and fast rule:

if you ingest more calories than you burn, you'll gain weight
If you ingest fewer calories than you burn, you'll lose weight

Belief effects can change physiology in ways that can be beneficial.
The burn factor is one of the most important factors in fat loss.
Fat utilization is a two-part process:

fat mobilization and
fat oxidation or utilization.

Lipolysis is the process of fat mobilization
Stored fat has a fatty acid

part that your body can use and is attached to glycerol

The nervous system can control thermogenesis

which is the intensity of the furnace of our body

Dinitrophenol is highly fatal

if your body temperature goes too high
your metabolism includes things like

thyroid hormone and growth hormone

Your body temperature and the way you utilize energy

is controlled by your nervous system.

change the relationship between these neurons and the fat of your body

in ways that can powerfully accelerate fat loss

Leverage Points for Fat Loss

Leverage points for fat loss

the nervous system, hormones, and uncoupling proteins

Hormones that can affect fat loss

insulin, cortisol, thyroid hormone, and growth hormone

Uncoupling proteins can increase thermogenesis and fat loss
Cold exposure can increase thermogenesis and fat loss.
Exercise can increase thermogenesis and fat loss
High-intensity interval training (HIIT)

can be more effective for fat loss
than steady-state cardio

Resistance training can increase muscle mass & metabolic rate

leading to increased fat loss

Mobilization and Oxidation of Fat

To burn fat

backbone between glycerol and fatty acids needs to be broken
by an enzyme called lipase

The mobilization of fat

involves getting fatty acids moving around
in the bloodstream and out of fat cells

Oxidation involves

converting them into energy by moving them into the mitochondria

The nervous system controls both

the mobilization and oxidation of fat
with neurons releasing chemicals that provide a stimulus
for fat to be mobilized and burned

Epinephrine (adrenaline) is released from neurons

connected to fat and stimulates fat oxidation.

The process of mobilizing and oxidizing fat is local

not just governed by hormones

Activating the Nervous System for Fat Loss

Movement is a powerful way

to stimulate epinephrine and
promote more fat mobilization and oxidation

Shivering or Fidgeting

Subtle movements are effective
in increasing fat metabolism and fat loss

Fidgeting

form of rocking or shifting from foot to foot
small movements
boosts the number of calories burned by 38% (compared to lying down or sitting)
burn anywhere from 800 to 2,500 calories
more than the control group in experiments
triggers epinephrine release from neurons
works best for people who are averse to exercise

Simply moving around a lot

even if they are subtle movements
greatly increases the amount of energy burned

Studies have shown

incorporating fidgeting into daily routines can lead to
considerable amounts of fat loss and weight loss

Cold exposure

can increase metabolism and fat loss
activates brown fat and
converts beige fat into brown fat
Brown fat

allows it to take food energy and
convert it into energy within the cells

Cold exposure causes the release of adrenaline

from the adrenals and
epinephrine from neurons that connect to fat

Cold exposure can be used to build mental resilience

The correct protocol for cold exposure

Most people use cold exposure

by taking cold showers or
getting into cold water

The correct protocol for cold exposure

is to use it in short, intense bursts
example: taking a cold shower for 30 seconds or
doing a cold plunge for 2-3 minutes

The correct protocol should be used

in conjunction with exercise and a healthy diet

Cold exposure can be dangerous for certain individuals

such as those with heart conditions or low blood pressure

Other tools for fat loss

interval training

alternating between high-intensity exercise
periods of rest or low-intensity exercise

resistance training

using weights or bodyweight exercises
to build muscle and increase metabolism

a healthy diet

include a balance of protein, healthy fats, and
complex carbohydrates,
should be tailored to individual needs and goals

Shivering

important for brown fat thermogenesis

triggers the release of succinate

which acts on brown fat

increase thermogenesis and fat burning

Cold exposure through

cold water, an ice bath, or
a cold day can induce shivering

The goal is to get the shivers

Cold exposure protocol for fat loss optimization

Find a temperature that is just cold enough to be uncomfortable.
Get in until you start to shiver genuinely.
Get out and wait for 1-3 minutes but don't dry off.
Get back in for 1-3 minutes and try to access the shiver point again.
Repeat this process 3 times in and 3 times out.

Factors that dictate shivering

The temperature of the water
Find a temperature

that is just cold enough to induce shivering
but not hypothermic

caused by prolonged exposures to very cold temperatures

Some people tolerate cold better than others

so find a temperature that is uncomfortable

Proceed with caution

get approval from your doctor before engaging in cold exposure

Cold adaptation can reduce shivering

Repeated cold exposure can lead to cold adaptation
reducing the adrenaline release from cold exposure
The cooling and rewarming process

induces shivering
is important for brown fat thermogenesis

The goal is to induce shivering through cooling and rewarming

to trigger brown fat thermogenesis

Brown Fat

Babies have an excess of brown fat

because they cannot shiver
to warm themselves up in cold environments

Exposure to cold environments or shivering

can increase the amount of brown fat

Epinephrine and succinate may have the effect

of increasing the amount of brown fat cells
by converting beige fat cells into brown fat

Cold is a powerful tool for fat loss

but becoming cold adapted will reduce the fat burning effects

Cold Exposure

Using cold exposure is a potent stimulus for fat loss
Use the minimal effective stimulus to promote growth
Increase cold exposure in smaller increments

to get the most fat loss and increase in metabolism

Using cold exposure to accelerate fat loss

for certain periods and
then stopping for 2-3 months at a time is recommended

Until tomorrow.

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