Herniated disc.

Two words that completely changed my life.

Two words that changed the way I train, the way I eat, and the way I function.

Two words that basically taught me the importance of building a better body.

Like every experience, whether good or bad, there was something to be learned from this one – a lesson to be engraved deep inside me, never to be forgotten…

Here’s my story…

How did it all happen?

There is a long list of events that led to the day my world was flipped upside down.

Physically speaking, I’ve put my body through a lot over the course of my lifetime. I’ve been a sports fanatic, playing every sport from basketball to wrestling growing up. I snowboarded, mountain biked, boxed and travelled the world to train Muay Thai (for fun, of course).

On top of all that, I was in the weight room. Constantly. Trying new forms of training. Playing around with different equipment. Constantly experimenting.

Nothing unusual for a kid growing up.

Kind of.

The month was March of 2011.

We were on the ball court playing an intense game of 3 on 3. I dribbled left, crossed to the right and took it hard to the bucket.

BAM!

Something felt wrong. REALLY wrong.

My lower back started tightening up. Really fast. I kept playing (never do this) because I didn’t think that much of it.

Huge mistake.

Within minutes I was dragging myself off the court. I couldn’t bend over without having the feeling of someone stabbing me in the back. I had never felt anything like that in my life.

I somehow made it home.

I struggled to shower. I couldn’t brush my teeth because I couldn’t bend over to pick up the toothbrush. I struggled to even get into bed (kind of a funny scene now that I think back).

Everything that I thought was easy suddenly became the most difficult thing in the world.

I was forced to take time off work because I couldn’t get out of bed (literally).

I went to see the doctor and, after practically begging for some sort of analysis, I finally got some results.

I had a herniated disc.

CT Scan Results

For those who don’t know what a herniated disc is, just think of it as the most painful thing in the world. Here’s a little overview from FamilyDoctor.org:

Your spine (backbone) is made up of vertebrae (bones) and intervertebral discs. The discs are like soft cushions between the bones of the spine. They let you move your backbone.

The word “herniate” (say: her-nee-ate) means to bulge or to stick out. Sometimes this is called a ruptured or slipped disk. Herniated disks are most common in the lumbar spine — the lower part of your backbone, between the bottom of your ribs and your hips.

When a disc between two bones in the spine ruptures, it presses on the nerves around the backbone causing intense pain.

[Here's a more detailed overview]

So over the next couple of months I was out of commission.

Resting. Rehabilitating. Massaging.

And…thinking.

I had a lot of time to think.

How did I get to this point? What went wrong?

I’m young. I’m energetic. I’m constantly training and keeping myself fit and active. I focus on eating the right foods and getting a good night’s rest.

How did I fuck this up?

The realization slowly crept up on me…

All these years I’ve been constantly putting my body through stress. I’ve never stopped to think about what cumulative effect all these activities were having on my body.

Winter sports. Summer sports. Weight room.

That’s fine.

But when combined with poor postural habits, constant sitting, zero soft tissue work, inadequate training methods, and a boat load of other factors, that’s when trouble came about.

All these things were wreaking havoc on my body and I didn’t even know it.

Until, one day, my body finally had enough.

And broke down.

Here’s the thing…

We live in a world of extremes. We don’t understand the term ‘balance’ anymore. We lack it. It’s as if it doesn’t even exist.

We are constantly eating (consuming), but we never give our bodies time to digest and use the food.

We are constantly training, but we never give our bodies the rest and care it needs.

These imbalances don’t happen over night.

No way.

They accumulate. They just kind of slowly build up. They creep up on you.

Months and even years of bad habits will create these imbalances (my friend Elliot Hulse calls them muscle viruses) and cause your body to break down.

So ever since that unfortunate day on the ball court, I’ve had a different perspective.

I’ve been focused on regaining that balance.

The balance between my stress and rested states.

The balance between my fed and fasted states.

I’ve incorporated lots of soft tissue work into my routine to remove tension from my body.

I am constantly stretching my back, allowing my spine to lengthen and my discs to breathe.

I now listen to my body. I let it tell me what it knows. I read into every signal.

I’m doing everything I can to bring myself back to 100%.

To this day (and probably for the rest of my life) I will live with a discomfort in my back (best case scenario). I will be limited in things I can do (I haven’t done squats or deadlifts in a year). I will have to pass up on activities I otherwise would love to take part in.

But I’ll keep working. I’ll keep fighting to get stronger. I’ll keep pushing to build myself a better body.

And as for the pain…

Well, it will just be there to serve as a constant reminder of just how precious my health really is.

If you liked this post, subscribe to the Bloom to Fit newsletter. It’s free and you’ll get exclusive tips and updates. Plus I’ll throw in a free gift, just for you.

Related posts:

1. New Challenge: Building Lean Muscle with Visual Impact Muscle Building for Men
2. Mountain Climbers Exercise for Building Core Strength [VIDEO]
3. 4 Hour Body – Last Minute Christmas Gift

Just can’t help it.

Simple and addicting. You can’t go wrong with that combination.

The beautiful thing about skipping is that you’re only limited by your imagination. By your creativity.

Once you master the most basic fundamentals and get your timing down, the doors open up. There’s so much room to play around and experiment. To test. To explore!

I just wanted to show you two simple little skipping workouts I’ve come up with (on the fly). It might give you some ideas you can use to create your own little workouts.

Here they are…

Simple Skipping Workout 1

I came up with this one a while back (you may have seen it in my Jump Rope Manifesto). It’s a little bit more advanced since it incorporates double-unders, but it’s extremely effective. Check out the stats at the end of the video. [Note: if the video isn't showing, simply refresh the page and it should come up.]

Simple Skipping Workout 2

This skipping workout is a little simpler. Nothing complicate. However, you’ll find that your calves will be on fire. So if you choose to try this one, it might be a good idea to do fewer sets and possibly shorter durations. Then progress. You’ll have to judge for yourself!

So that’s it.

You can see how simple it is to put together some of these workouts. All you need is a rope, a little bit of space, and your imagination.

NOTE: I’ve been working hard lately on a new Jump Rope Training Guide. It’s going to be jam-packed with valuable information, including an entire set of unique workouts like the ones above (a little more thought out though).

If there’s anything in particular you’d like me to add to the guide, feel free to contact me or just leave a comment below. I want this to be the best jump rope training guide on the planet!

Let me know what you think in the comments below! If you have any of your own workouts, please share!

If you liked this post, subscribe to the Bloom to Fit newsletter. It’s free and you’ll get exclusive tips and updates. Plus I’ll throw in a free gift, just for you.

No related posts.

Recall from Part 1 that intermittent fasting is the act of willingly abstaining from some or all food (and in some cases drink) for a period of time.

But how long is this ‘period of time’?

Well, it depends.

It depends on the fasting protocol you choose to follow.

Let’s dig into some details again…

Types of Intermittent Fasting Protocols

Remember that fasting is all about caloric abstinence for a set period of time.

So it’s time to decide what this time period is.

Here is a quick primer on some of the most popular fasting protocols.

Single 24 Hour Fast – This is the protocol advocated by Brad Pilon in Eat Stop Eat. For one 24 hour period a week, you fast. But this doesn’t mean that you have to avoid eating the entire day. You can choose your 24 hours to fit your schedule. This can mean starting your fast after dinner and fasting until the following evening (i.e. 6pm – 6pm). Or you can go morning to morning (i.e. 7:30am – 7:30am). Either way, the idea is to fast for 24 hours straight.

Condensed Eating Window – This is one of the most popular fasting protocols. The idea is to condense your food consumption period to a set number of hours, often between four to eight hours. This is your window of time where you can eat. The rest of the day (and night) you fast. This window can be changed to meet your schedule. As an example, Martin Berkhan from Leangains.com advocates an 8 hour eating window (usually from 1pm to 9pm) and a 16 hour fasting window.

Early and Late Fast – This is a variation of the condensed eating window protocol where you only allow yourself to get your food intake from two meals: one early in the morning and another late afternoon/early evening.

Skipped Meals – This is probably the easiest protocol to follow or introduce into your routine. Instead of following a set out routine and blindly consuming food every few hours, try listening to your body instead. If you’re hungry, eat. If you’re not, skip the meal.

Alternating Day Fast – This is one of the toughest protocols to follow as it requires you to go calorie free every other day for a set period of time (typically a weak). This style of fasting is usually associated with a level of ‘cleansing’ of the body. This is for the extreme.

How Fasting Affects your Metabolism

This topic has been beaten to death all over the Internet, so I’ll do you a favor and spare you the details and just give you the quick rundown.

The story told in many diet books is always the same.

If you don’t eat, your metabolism will slow down to a crawl to preserve your energy sources.

Well, according to numerous studies and sources, this simply isn’t true.

In one study, scientists discovered that when they forced people to fast for three days (72 hours) straight, their metabolic rate didn’t budge.

Another study found that people who fasted every other day for a period of 22 days had no change in their resting metabolic rate.

None.

Most importantly, various studies have shown that people who skipped breakfast, or people who ate two meals a day compared to seven meals a day experienced no change in metabolic rate.

[Note: these studies were pulled from Brad Pilon’s book Eat Stop Eat]

So, clearly, short term caloric abstinence has no effect on metabolism.

You can breathe now.

How Fasting Affects your Exercise

This area is very much up for debate.

Training in a completely fasted state is advocated by some and despised by others.

There is another group that kind of goes both ways, suggesting it is best to take BCAAs or whey protein directly before a workout, as it’s low caloric content does not have a big impact on the fast yet it provides the necessary amino acids for optimal protein synthesis.

Regardless of where you stand, here are some facts.

A study done back in 1987 found that a three-and-a-half day fast did not have a negative impact on short-burst, explosive exercises such as sprinting or lifting weights. It ALSO didn’t have a negative affect on typical aerobic training.

Eight young men were tested for strength, anaerobic capacity and aerobic endurance in a post absorptive state and after a 3.5 day fast. It was concluded that there are minimal impairments in physical performance parameters measured here as a result of a 3.5 day fast. [Source]

Remember this is a 84 hour fast!

There was another study done in 1988 that showed no change in performance of soldiers who were exercising until exhaustion after fasting for three and a half days.

That’s rough.

According to Pilon, the only time fasting might have a negative impact on performance is during lengthy endurance events such as marathons and triathlons.

But get this…

Studies show that performing a long endurance activity in a fasted state burns more fat than when in a fed state. The negative impact is that your time until exhaustion decreases. You burn more fat, but can run less.

So if fat loss is your goal, going for a light run in a fasted state might be beneficial for you.

But what about muscle mass?

There is another rumor going around that fasting (or dieting in general) will result in breakdown and loss of muscle mass.

Once again, false.

But there is one caveat.

The fasting needs to be supplemented with resistance training.

“Research on men and women undertaking a very low calorie diet found that even with a 12 week long diet consisting of only 800 Calories and only 80 grams of protein per day, the people in the study were able to maintain their muscle mass as long as they were exercising with weights three times per week.” – Brad Pilon (Eat Stop Eat)

Numerous other studies have been conducted on the topic and they all show the same thing – as long as you are using your muscles (resistance training) regularly (2-3 times per week), fasting (or any sort of caloric restriction) will not cause your muscles to disappear.

Note: During my Visual Impact Phase 3 test (lost 15lbs), my caloric restriction was drastically reduced (roughly over 1,000 calories per day). After all the water weight disappeared, I noticed my muscles remained intact. They tightened up, but they didn’t appear to break down because of my low caloric intake.

How to get Started with Intermittent Fasting

So now that we have all this information out of the way, how do you get started?

My recommendation is simple: start slowly.

Remember that according to research the majority of us are constantly in the fed state – 20 hours a day to be exact. And we’ve been in this state for years. Decades even.

So you need to start slowly and introduce short periods of fasting into your routine.

Start with skipped meals.

More likely than not, your day revolves around food. You’re used to eating at certain times of the day. You’re used to eating a certain number of times per day. Sometimes you’re just grabbing food because you think you’re hungry, when in fact you’re eating out of habit.

Stop this. Instead, start to listen to your body.

If you’re hungry, eat. If you’re not, then skip that meal. Your body doesn’t need it. It doesn’t want it.

This will be a little weird at first, but as you learn how to listen to your body, you’ll see just effective this can be.

Once your body begins to adjust (you’ll be feeling better already), start to move to either the condensed window protocol, or the 24 hour fast protocol (you’ll probably have to try out both to see which works for you better).

Once again, listen to what your body is telling you. Pay attention to the subtle differences between the fed and fasted states. Pay attention to your alertness. Your focus. Your hunger cues.

And act accordingly.

Remember that fasting shouldn’t be forced. You should feel good about it. You should feel good for letting your body regain it’s fed-fasted balance. I know that for many it will be going against everything they’ve ever believed in about food consumption. It will be hard to get away from the eat-eat-eat mentality.

But give it a chance. Try it out and see how it works for you.

I know that for many it has become a lifestyle.

It might be for you as well.

Some Great Resources on Intermittent Fasting

I just want to finish off this two part article series by giving you a few more resources on intermittent fasting. As I mentioned in Part 1, there has been a lot of buzz around the topic of intermittent fasting in the past few years.

And with a lot of buzz comes a lot of hoopla and misinformation.

The following resources will give you some useful information on the topic.

Brad Pilon`s book Eat Stop Eat – As you’ve probably noticed, I’ve referenced this book many times within this article. That’s because it is absolutely packed with useful and scientifically-backed information on intermittent fasting. If you’re at all interested in introducing fasting into your life (particularly the 24 hour fasting protocol), this is a must read.

Martin Berkhan’s Leangains Guide – Martin has been a student and practioner of intermittent fasting for a long time. He’s a nutritional consultant and an expert in the condensed eating window fasting protocol. His website is packed with useful information so be sure to check it out.

Greg O’Gallagher’s website Kinobody.com – Greg is a fellow blogger who I love to follow. He is also an advocate of Martin Berkhan’s condensed window eating fasting protocol. Greg will help you fill in the gaps when it comes to training (particularly in the fasted state). If you’re interested in learning how to set up your training routine to get the best results from intermittent fasting, check out his sample routine here.

Conclusions

There you have it guys – your complete guide to intermittent fasting.

I really believe that there is more than enough information here for you to get you started (or at least interested) in intermittent fasting.

Keep in mind that I’m currently in the process of testing out a few of the fasting protocols for myself and that I’ll be posting my findings once it’s all said and done. Let’s just say that the past week of condensed window eating has been more than eye opening. Definitely some interesting stories to share so stay tuned.

If you’ve had any experience with intermittent fasting or are interested in trying it (but have doubts), please leave a comment in the comment section below.

Please remember that I’m not an expert in this so if there are things I’ve talked about that you know are inaccurate (either from sources or personal experiences), please let me know so I can make any updates accordingly.

Let’s make this the best (and most accurate) guide on intermittent fasting on the planet!

If you liked this post, subscribe to the Bloom to Fit newsletter. It’s free and you’ll get exclusive tips and updates. Plus I’ll throw in a free gift, just for you.

Related posts:

1. Intermittent Fasting for Beginners: The Complete Guide [Part 1]
2. Jump Rope Manifesto: Complete Guide to Skipping Rope
3. Sprint Training – My 3 Simple Sprinting Workouts (Part 2)

This is a two part article series on intermittent fasting. I was forced to split it up due to its length. I hope you can get something useful from it

Please note that a lot of the information in this post is referenced from various sources, including Brad Pilon’s book Eat Stop Eat, Martin Berkhan’s website Leangains, Mark Scisson’s book Primal Blueprint and website Mark’s Daily Apple, and a number of other sources that I will reference as we go along. Enjoy!

Intermittent Fasting…

It’s kind of been the buzz word this past year, hasn’t it?

But the interest in it hasn’t seemed to die down one bit. I’m still getting tons of questions about the topic. People want to know what intermittent fasting is all about. They want to know how it works. They want to know if it works.

And, above all, they want to know if it can really help them build a better body.

I planned to write this post a long time ago, but I figured it would be wiser to let the dust settle a bit before I shared this.

If you’ve ever contemplated intermittent fasting, here’s your complete beginners guide.

Let’s get rolling…

What is Intermittent Fasting?

There are numerous definitions of intermittent fasting (mainly because there are so many different fasting protocols), but let’s keep it general for a second.

Brad Pilon, the author behind one of the most popular books on intermittent fasting (Eat Stop Eat), has a very unique definition which I tend to agree with.

Intermittent Fasting: the act of willingly abstaining from some or all food (and in some cases drink) for a period of time.

The word ‘willingly’ is very important here because it differentiates the concept of fasting from that of starvation.

But, either way, it all comes down to this: caloric abstinence for a set period of time.

Fed vs Fasted State

If you break things down a little, you’ll realize that your body can only be in one of two states:

Fed or fasted.

Either your body is consuming (or storing) energy from food, or it is burning this energy to fuel its daily activities. At any moment in time, you are in one of these two states.

This is exactly what our bodies were designed to do. Eat food when it’s available and use stored energy (read: calories) when it’s not.

But here’s the problem.

According to studies cited in Pilon’s book, we spend as much as 20 hours a day in the fed state! We are consistently eating and storing energy, yet rarely putting ourselves in the fasted state to burn all that energy off.

“Imagine a hunter who has caught and eaten an animal, and foraged around and found some berries. Once the meat is gone and the berries have all been picked, the hunter has no choice but to move on in search of more food. This is how our bodies were designed to function.” – Brad Pilon (Eat Stop Eat)

Now you may be thinking “but don’t we burn off that energy with exercise”? Well, yes and no. But I’ll get into that later.

Let’s first discuss this imbalance.

Why Fasting has gotten a bad Rap

If our bodies were truly designed to function this way, why are the majority of us ignoring the fasted state?

Well, it might not all be your fault.

It might have something to do with good ol’ supply and demand.

If you recall in my article about water, I mentioned how difficult it is to trust any health initiatives you hear. I told you about the new international health initiative called “Hydration for Health” that promoted drinking more water for a healthier lifestyle. Little did people know that the company that sponsored that initiative was the same company that markets two of the biggest bottled water brands in the world. Hmmm.

Essentially, everything always comes down to money.

And so is the case with fasting.

Here are the facts.

Each day in the United States, the food industry produces enough food to supply every single person with almost 4000 Calories [ref]. Recall that the average person is to consume 2000. Many are way above that.

More so, 10 BILLION dollars a year is spent on food advertising [ref].

That’s a helluva lot of money spent trying to convince you to eat (something).

Now imagine this for a second…

What would happen if all of a sudden people in the United States introduced fasting into their lifestyles and stopped eating one day a week?

Food consumption decreases by nearly 15%.

And the profits follow.

You see where I’m going with this?

Improving the health of our community has never been the priority. At least not when dollars and cents are at stake.

But then again, most of the research that is done today is not done to better our overall health and well-being.

Nope.

It’s done for the purposes of marketing.

It’s done to make us buy one product over another.

Just like the water bottle example above, the money that funds the nutrition research quite often comes from food and supplement companies who are looking for useful health claims that they can stamp onto their packaging to entice you to make the purchase.

Low on trans fat.

Zero calories.

Cholesterol-free.

Health claims sell products. Period.

Now think about this for a second. Can there be a health claim for fasting?

What food company would want to fund research on fasting?

The fact is that you simply cannot package fasting and sell it. If you could, you’d have a billion dollar drug in your hand.

Why?

Because the benefits are through the roof…

Health Benefits of Intermittent Fasting

Short term intermittent fasting (IF), even after as little as 24 hours, boasts a broad range of health benefits. Here I want to give you a quick overview. Please note that these have been pulled from studies, research papers and various sources. I haven’t yet tested it for myself (although I am in the process).

Increased Longevity

We all want to live longer, but never at the stake of a life that’s not full of joy and excitement. Intermittent fasting lets us accomplish that.

One study (full PDF) from the 1940s found that varying amounts of twenty-four hour IFs (every other day, every fourth day, every eighth day, etc) prolonged the lifespan of rats without retarding or stunting the growth (as occurred with calorie restricting them). Female rats responded best to every eight day fasts, while males responded best to every other day fasts. – Mark Scisson (Mark’s Daily Apple)

Improved Mental Well-Being and Clarity

When you bring your body back into a proper fed-fasted balance, your mind is no longer thinking about that next meal.

You are no longer at food’s mercy (see more in next benefit).

When you fast, your body releases more of catecholamines (a stimulant hormone). As a result, mental focus is increased, productivity increases, and you feel like you can take over the world.

According to this source, many find this particularly pronounced during the last 4 hours of the fast.

Not Being a Slave to your Food

Many of us can’t go more than three hours without feeling hungry. So we eat. Regularly.

We’re always in that fed state.

We’re enslaved by our food as it constantly lingers in the back of our minds.

Introducing short periods of intermittent fasting into your routine will eliminate those thoughts. Those cravings.

As you re-program your cells to derive most of your day-to-day energy from fat instead of stored glycogen (as we are constantly feeding on carb heavy foods), you’ll start enjoying life instead of constantly thinking about your next meal.

You will learn how to listen to your body for hunger cues. You’ll learn how to wait.

You’ll learn to be less impulsive.

Increased Autophagy

Autophagy is the process by which cells recycle waste material, eliminate or downregulate wasteful processes, and repair themselves. It helps maintain muscle mass and induces atrophy of skeletal muscle. It reduces the negative effects of aging as well as the incidence and progression of aging-related diseases.

Fasting flips the switch of autophagy to ON.

This is huge.

There’s some good info about autophagy here.

Decreased Insulin Levels and Increased Insulin Sensitivity

Insulin in itself is a whole other topic.

In short, insulin is a hormone designed for proper nutrient storage. When you eat, especially something sugary or starchy, your insulin levels rise in order to lower your blood sugar levels and shuttle the nutrients from the bloodstream into fat stores (for future use). Prolonged consumption of sugary and starchy foods causes our sensitivity to insulin to drop.

Not good.

But studies show that fasting for as little as 24 hours decreases insulin levels and increases insulin sensitivity. [ref]

In research conducted on people who fasted for 72 hours, plasma insulin dropped dramatically, reaching a level that was less than half of the their initial levels. What’s even more impressive is that 70% of this reduction happened during the first 24 hours of fasting. – Brad Pilon (Eat Stop Eat).

Increased Lipolysis and Fat Burning

Lipolysis is the process of releasing fatty acids and moving them into the blood stream. Once there, these fatty acids move into the cells and get oxidized.

BOOM.

Fat burning at its finest.

Fasting for a period of 24 hours shifts your body from the fed state to the fasted one. This causes an increase in both lipolysis and fat oxidation.

After only 24 hours of fasting, the amount of fat being released from people’s fat stores (lipolysis) and the amount being burnt for fuel (oxidation) had been significantly increased by over 50%. – Brad Pilon (Eat Stop Eat)

Increased Levels of Glucagon

Glucagon is a mirror image of insulin. It’s a hormone that is dominant in the fasted state. It’s primary role is to maintain your blood sugar levels while you’re in the fasted state.

Glucagon in itself has some amazing effects.

• Maintains blood sugar levels
• Decreased production of cholesterol
• Increased release of extra fluids from body
• Increased fat burning

Remember that we are constantly in the fed state. Fasting helps us regain that fed-fasted balance. This also means an insulin-glucagon balance.

Increased Levels of Epinephrine and Norepinephrine

These are your fight or flight hormones – also known as adrenalin and noradrenalin.

It’s the hormone that floods your body when you’re, say, sprinting for a bus (or perhaps running from a raging rhino 10,000 years ago).

When these hormones are released into the blood stream, they trigger the release of glucose from energy stores and increase fat burning. They also improve your mental alertness and focus.

Fasting has been found to increase the levels of these hormones in your blood.

Increased Levels of Growth Hormone

This is probably the most important part of fasting – the increased levels of growth hormone. This is the shit everyone is looking for. The kind of stuff you can only get at the black market. For thousands of dollars.

Little do people know that fasting gives you the same effects. For free.

Growth hormone is sometimes dubbed the dominant hormone in the fasted state.

Here’s why.

Increased levels of growth hormone helps burn fat, build muscle and increase metabolism.

Research has shown that short-term fasting can increase growth hormone levels by nearly six fold [ref].

Six times!

Fasting triggers what’s known as the “growth hormone response”. It’s what prevents you from losing muscle when you fast. But, as I’ll explain in Part 2 of this guide, your muscle mass is closely tied to your metabolism so, essentially, your levels of growth hormone are also closely tied to keeping your metabolism elevated while you are fasting. More so, growth hormone is important in the process of releasing stored fat to be burned for energy.

It literally does everything. And fasting helps you do it on a level six times greater!

Increased Weight (read: FAT) Loss

Metabolically speaking, fasting puts your body in the perfect state for fat loss. As you’ve read, it increases all the hormones that are required for fat burning.

But there’s also that one thing we’ve kind of stepped over.

Caloric deficit.

Remember that fasting lowers your caloric intake. You are consuming LESS food (how much depends on the protocol you go with).

Essentially, fasting puts you in that necessary energy deficit that is required for fat loss.

Research shows that you will lose 2-3 pounds every time you fast [ref].

Now not all of this is fat. A lot of it is extra body water which you will lose as your insulin levels decrease.

Fasting for 24 hours, once or twice a week may be the easiest way to decrease your calorie intake by 20-30%, without having to sacrifice and restrict what you eat. – Brad Pilon (Eat Stop Eat)

No Feeling of Hunger

Fasting apparently has no effect on hunger (I will have to test this myself). But this is what Martin Berkhan had to say:

“For the dieter, I.F. offers something very unique, in terms of enjoying physically and psychologically satisfying meals while losing weight. The absence of hunger and cravings are also a welcome feature when using I.F. for weight loss. Contrary to popular belief, the fasting phase has a suppressive effect on hunger. Hunger pangs may come, but they disappear quickly, to be replaced by a sense of well being and total absence of hunger.” -Martin Berkhan (Leangains.com)

As you can see, short periods of intermittent fasting are associated with a boat load of health benefits. Most importantly, it shifts your body back into the fed-fasted balance that is necessary for good health. It teaches your body to run on it’s fat stores and not it’s glycogen stores. It teaches you how to listen to your body and not be a slave to your food.

It makes your body more efficient.

In the second part of this IF Guide, I outline different intermittent fasting protocols you can try, what effect intermittent fasting has on metabolism, muscle mass, and exercise.

–>Check out Part 2 of the IF Guide<–

Related posts:

1. Intermittent Fasting for Beginners: The Complete Guide [Part 2]
2. Jump Rope Manifesto: Complete Guide to Skipping Rope
3. Sprint Training – My 3 Simple Sprinting Workouts (Part 2)

Then you better step away from the fridge.

According to a 2009 study done by Lighthall et al. from the University of Southern California, stress has a significant impact on your decision making.

More so, your sex (whether you are a male or a female, not the other thing) might cause you to react very differently to stress.

Here was the scenario that they set up.

45 participants got together to play a little balloon game that was designed to be more of a risk-reward evaluation (without anyone knowing of course). Participants would win more money the more they pumped their balloons, but would lose all of it if the balloon popped. So clearly, as the balloon was being pumped, it’s value grew, but so too did the risk of popping it.

So what were the results?

Well, both men and women had similar performances in unstressed scenarios. However, when they played the game 15 minutes after completing a stressful challenge, the results changed.

Men popped 12.5% more balloons and women took 21% fewer pumps.

Essentially…

Males responded to stress by taking more risks, while females took fewer risks.

Interesting.

Although it’s no surprise to anyone that men take more risks (we don’t pay higher car insurance for nothing), the fact that our decision making abilities are impacted by stress is very interesting.

So what does this have to do with building a better body?

Well, a lot actually.

For example, what you choose to put inside your body has a huge impact on your health and body composition. And, if you’re constantly stressed (like three quarters of Americans are at the moment), you’re in a state where your decision making abilities are constantly impaired, making it more difficult to make the right food choices.

So how do you make good decisions even in stressful situations?

Well, according to the results of the study, this depends a lot on whether you are a male or female.

Since men respond to stress by taking more risks, they’re more inclined to make poor decisions (whether it be with their portfolios or their food choices). After all, the more risk one takes the greater the chances of making poor decisions.

Women respond to stress by taking fewer risks. From a decision making perspective, they’re a little more inclined to make better decisions.

But since risk taking is an innate characteristic, both genders can take advantage of the following tips to help them make better decisions.

• Slow down. When you’re stressed, you usually haste through things. You make quick decisions. Although I’m a big believer in making quick decisions, it’s not the best thing to do when you’re stressed since you’re more inclined to bet big. Instead, slow things down a little bit. Understand that you don’t have to rush your decision between picking up a Big Mac or going home and cooking up some chicken with vegetables.
• Think through the consequences. Understand that there is a reward or consequence for every decision you make. As you slow down, think about the consequences of each option. Think about the rewards. Once you realize the consequences of consuming that Big Mac, you’ll be more inclined to choose the better option.
• Reward yourself. When you do make a good decision, reward yourself. This will psychologically prep you for the next time you’re faced with a similar decision. You’ll associate the right decision with a reward and be that much more tempted to make the better decision. Note: don’t reward yourself with something that will negate the positive effects of making the right decision in the first place (i.e. just because you chose the chicken, don’t reward yourself by going out and getting a Big Mac – that’s kind of foolish).

Stress in itself takes a toll on the body. Don’t let it play a factor in your decision making abilities as well.

What are your thoughts on this study? Do you have any strategies that you use for making better decisions? I’d love to hear them. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below!

If you liked this post, subscribe to the Bloom to Fit newsletter. It’s free and you’ll get exclusive tips and updates. Plus I’ll throw in a free gift, just for you.

Related posts:

1. Running Through the Mud for a Good Cause
2. Bulletin: Diet Sodas Actually Make you Gain Weight
3. Guest Post: Why Eating Local will Make you Healthier

It was just me showcasing a bunch of different skipping variations with a nice tune bumpin’ in the background.

Nothing special.

Well, in less than 7 months, the video has been viewed over 70 thousand times! (I still can’t believe so many people want to watch me skip…kinda cool!) And it seems like they genuinely liked it because the video has over 650 likes.

But more important than anything, the video has sparked some interest. Hundreds of comments and questions were posted under the video (see here) with people looking to get started with skipping. Mission accomplished.

I noticed, however, that a lot of the same questions kept coming up. A lot of people didn’t know where to get started. So, with all this wisdom brewing up in my head (separate from the ego), I thought it would only make sense to put together an in-depth post to answer every single question (and then some) that was asked. Due to its level of detail, the post is a little lengthy (sorry), but it’s jam-packed with useful information. You’ll find everything you need to know about skipping rope.

I have appropriately named it the Jump Rope Manifesto.

I hope you guys find it useful.

Let’s get started…

The Benefits of Skipping Rope

I spoke before about how effective skipping can be. Think about it – with only one simple (and cheap) tool and just a little bit of space, you have absolutely everything you need to construct a very powerful workout.

In terms of bang for your buck, skipping is an extremely efficient form of training. Your entire body is engaged from repetition to repetition. You are engaging your calves, hamstrings, core, shoulders and arms while simultaneously strengthening your most vital organ – your heart.

Read the benefits of skipping rope for a full list of skipping benefits.

Is Skipping Rope Better than Running?

This was a question that came up frequently and it’s a difficult one to answer because it depends on a number of factors.

Number one would be your intensity. Skipping at a high intensity will yield better results on average than jogging at a light, consistent pace. But skipping will never out-do sprint training.

Second would be your preference. A lot of people hate running. They’re bored of it. So they don’t do it. Skipping is a great alternative for cardiovascular exercise and if you add some variation to your movements it can keep you motivated to a greater degree.

My suggestion would be to alternate between the two. That way you will get all the benefits and you’ll never be bored.

Can I Lose Weight by Skipping Rope?

This was probably the most common question asked on my channel. People want to know whether you can lose weight with nothing but a skipping rope.

The short answer is yes.

But there’s more to it than that. You see, one of the well known benefits of skipping rope is its calorie-burning effects, as I’ve mentioned in my previous post. Researches say that one hour of skipping rope (at a moderate pace) can help you burn over 1,000 calories. That comes out to roughly 20 calories per minute!

So can you lose weight? Absolutely. But would I recommend you only skip? Probably not. Although you would still get results, they would not parallel to the results you would get if you combined your skipping routine with an effective weight training routine and a well-polished eating plan. But I’ll save those details for a future post.

Getting Started with Skipping Rope

The fact of the matter is that skipping rope takes time to learn. It takes practice. It requires great overall coordination and timing. On top of that it demands excellent cardiovascular fitness and mental focus.

With that being said, when you’re first starting out, you want to make things as easy as you can for yourself. This includes fitting yourself with the right style and length of rope.

Types of Skipping Ropes

One of the common questions I’ve been asked is what type of rope I use. Here’s the thing. Jump ropes are like candy bars (bad comparison, I know). They come in all shapes, sizes, colours, and lengths. There is an unlimited range of choices.

Here is a list of some of the most common types of skipping ropes you’ll see:

• Fabric Jump Rope - also known as ‘braided’ or ‘cotton’ jump ropes, these are the simplest of the bunch. They are super cheap and are usually made of either cotton or nylon cords, which are then braided (giving them their name). These ropes rotate very slowly as they create a lot of drag. They may or may not come with handles. This is for the ultimate beginner. Be aware that you will outgrow this type of rope very quickly.
• Beaded Jump Rope – these ropes are made of plastic beads that are strung on a piece of thin nylon. These are very common in competitions due to their high visibility and beautiful array of patterns that are created when they turn at fast speeds. These ropes are also super cheap and last long on rough surfaces. They have a very loud clanking sound when they hit the ground so they can be useful for improving your timing (I’ll explain later). If you’re looking for this type of rope, make sure the handles are of high quality.
• Leather Jump Rope – these are classic ropes that have been used by boxers for generations. They are not for beginners. The ‘rope’ is basically a strip of leather attached to either plastic or wooden handles. They are heavier than fabric jump ropes and they turn faster than both fabric and beaded ropes. A few drawbacks: if you mess up, be ready for pain (just imagine getting whipped by leather-ouch!); if it gets wet, it will shrink (change length essentially); they are prone to twisting. This rope is awesome but it’s definitely more for advanced skippers.
• Plastic Jump Rope – also known as speed ropes, these ropes are very popular. They’re typically made of PVC and are very light and inexpensive. They keep their shape very well and don’t tend to twist up. The thickness of the rope can vary, but they are all pretty long lasting (unless you keep them in the sun often). You can pick up very good speed with these ropes which, in combination with their low price, makes them very popular.
• Weighted Jump Rope – weighted ropes are designed to give you a better upper body workout. From my experience, they’re really effective for building grip strength. Weighted ropes come in two types: either the handles are weighted or the rope itself is weighted. Most weighted ropes have a thick plastic-coated cable and can weigh up to 5lbs. A word of warning: if you mess up, you’ll get a beating. These ropes are only recommended for advanced skippers and are the most expensive of the bunch.
• Wire Jump Rope – also known as cable jump ropes, these are designed for pure speed enthusiasts. The rope is a piece of wire and you can generate some crazy speed with thing. It’s the most durable rope and also the most painful. They are not very expensive but are only recommended for hardcore jumpers.

My recommendations: you can see that there are many types to choose from. I own a number of these, but that’s because I love this stuff! My personal recommendation is to avoid fabric and beaded jump ropes – they are simply not as effective as the rest. Instead, get yourself a good quality plastic jump rope  (the Buddy Lee Jump Rope is one of my favourites). These are great for beginners and advanced skippers alike because they are cheap, durable and easy to progress on. Once you get really good at skipping, you can progress to the more advanced types.

When choosing your rope, there’s one thing that you really need to pay attention to…

The Design of the Handle

The handle itself can be of varying lengths, thicknesses, weights and shapes. Which one you choose really depends on your personal preference.

For example, long handles are better for freestyle skipping (utilizing a lot of arm movements), thicker handles provide better grip, weighted handles engage the forearms more, and different shapes cater to easier handling. It all comes down to preference. If you can, try out a few different styles and see what works for you.

The most important thing to look at is how the handle is connected to the rope. You want to choose a rope that allows the cable to spin freely within the handles as you skip. If the cable cannot spin freely, it will start to twist up and make life extremely difficult.

There are many designs out there. The most common design comes with cheaper plastic ropes and is a simple washer connected to the end of the rope that can spin freely inside the handle. These work well but do not last very long if the rope is used frequently.

Some ropes use simple triangular hooks. These are common for cloth ropes connected to wooden handles. However, I have seen them on other ropes. I would avoid cloth ropes in general, but the hook system seems to work well.

A lot of modern ropes now utilize ball bearings for the connection. These ball bearings are typically built inside the handle (making them slightly heavier), although some utilize a ball bearing and swivel system. Ball bearings, in general, create smooth rotations of the rope as you skip. Some people think ball bearing designs are garbage because they tend to stick, but I haven’t had any problems with them. They last much longer than the simple washer connection, but they do come at a higher price. 

My recommendations: with advancements in technology, there are a lot of unique innovations in this area. If you’re just starting out, a simple plastic skipping rope with a decent washer system is good enough. However, as you get better and skip for longer periods at a time, you’ll want to move to a ball bearing system (or other higher quality connection).

Picking the Right Length of Rope

This is also another very common question that came up. Finding the right length of rope is very important. If the rope is too long or too short, you’ll be forced to change up your mechanics to avoid constantly tripping yourself up. Ropes that are too short force you to keep your arms too low and allow very little room for error. Ropes that are too long make skipping difficult because the rope hits the ground too far in front of your body causing it to catch your heel.

Both situations suck, so to minimize frustration and improve your skipping efficiency, it’s imperative that you find a rope that is the perfect length for you.

Here are some general guidelines for rope sizing (reference):

Note that these are just general guidelines. The final length of your rope will usually depend on where you hold your rope as you skip. You’ll probably want to start with the rope size recommended in the chart, then try it out and make the necessary modifications.

I like to use the follow steps to ensure that I have the right length of rope:

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart,
• Put the rope underneath your feet and pull the handles up to your chest,
• The ends of the rope (not the handles) should be roughly at the level of your nipples.

Note that it’s not possible to make modifications to all ropes (especially the cheaper ones) so it’s good to know what length to aim for before you make the purchase.

Choose your Surface Wisely

If you’ve ever played tennis before, you’ll know that you need to adjust your game depending on the surface that you play on. Same thing goes when you’re skipping rope. You’ll have to adjust your mechanics a bit depending on your surface of choice. Different surfaces will cause the rope to bounce and slide differently, so if you don’t make the proper adjustments, you’ll make more mistakes. Also, harder surfaces will have a greater impact on your joints than softer surfaces. These are all things you have to take into consideration.

The best surface to skip rope on is a wooden floor (such as in a gymnasium). They’re soft enough for your joints and offer great bounce for your rope if you’re interested in picking up momentum and even pulling off a few multiple unders.

If a gymnasium is not at your disposal, look for gyms that have rubber padding. These are also great for your joints and offer good bounce for your rope. If you got some money to spare, you can get your own rubber padding and build a little section at home that you can skip on [here's an example].

Carpets are also great for your joints, but they are much bouncier so you’ll have to get up a little higher on each jump to avoid the rope catching your heels.

The one surface I would avoid at all costs is concrete. It’s very hard on your joints and it will tear your rope into pieces. Plus it’s hardness will result in greater buildup of fatigue, meaning you won’t be able to skip for long periods.

Proper Jump Rope Technique

There is a right way and a wrong way to jump rope. Here are some short guidelines to follow to help keep you on track:

• Jump on the balls of your feet
• Keep your knees slightly bent
• Keep your jumps to 1/4 to 1/2 inch off the ground
• Keep your elbows close to your sides
• Use your wrists to turn the rope, not your arms (very common mistake)
• Keep your head straight and looking forward
• Keep your upper body relaxed, not tense
• Focus on keeping your shoulder blades retracted
• Control your breathing

These are the basic guidelines you need to follow and they are very dependent on you choosing the right length of rope. When you first start off, you’ll have the tendency to jump really high, kick your heels back and make huge swings with your arms. That’s fine. But you’ll want to work your way towards smaller hops and less arm movement. Note that as you get better, some of these guidelines do get broken for specific variations. But it’s very important that you master the basic jump rope technique before you move onto anything else.

How to Improve Your Timing

With skipping, timing is everything. Your brain is required to make extremely quick calculations to to recognize the skipping rope’s distance, direction, speed, and position. All of this comes down to timing.

The one thing that makes skipping so difficult is that there is a lot of work that is required up front to master the technique and build up the necessary timing and coordination. When you have poor technique, or poor timing and coordination, you tend to trip up a lot. And for those who have tried skipping before, you’ll know how frustrating (and sometimes painful) this can be. This is what causes a lot of people to quit.

But I have a little trick that can help you overcome that.

Start off by holding both handles in one hand, with the rope to your side. Begin swinging the rope on that one side (kind of like a helicopter). Make sure you let the rope hit the ground on each revolution so that you can hear the rope making contact (remember how I said the beaded ropes work well for this).

Now, the objective is to try to hop every single time the rope makes contact with the ground.

At first, it will seem like the most awkward thing in the world. But, the reason why it works is that you can’t trip up. By listening to the rope hitting the ground and trying to time your hops to match, you’ll slowly begin to improve your timing, coordination and overall feel for the skipping rope without having to deal with the frustrations of tripping up.

If you’re new to skipping, start off with this slowly. You don’t need to swing the rope quickly, just at a pace you can match with your hops. Then pick up the pace as you progress. Once you feel like you got the timing down, try proper skipping. You should feel a big difference.

Adding Variation (once you get good)

This is invariably where most of you started as this is exactly what the original video is all about. This is what made me famous! (just kidding)

Once you get fairly good at skipping, you’ll want to add some variation to keep things fresh. Adding variation to your routine eliminates the boredom that comes with repetitive movements. It keeps skipping fun and challenging.

Here’s the video I made that highlights 23 skipping rope exercises you can incorporate into your routine. (Note: if it doesn’t load, please refresh the page and it will magically appear)

A Simple Skipping Workout

The beautiful thing about skipping is that you’re only limited by your creativity. As I mentioned earlier, all that you need is a rope and a little bit of space and you have everything at your disposal for putting together a great workout.

Just to give you an example, I’ve put together a simple little skipping workout to show you exactly what I’m talking about. This is as simple as it gets (it’s simple in theory, tough to actually do). Watch the video below. (Note: if it doesn’t load, please refresh the page and it will magically appear)

Final Words

Man, that’s a lot of skipping information to consume. But I hope you can see just how effective this simple little tool can be.

If you haven’t picked up a skipping rope yet, it’s time to add this baby to your toolbox. It’s cheap, it’s portable, it’s reliable, and, most importantly…

It’s POWERFUL.

I hope you guys found the Jump Rope Manifesto useful. My goal was to give you everything you needed (information wise) to get started with skipping. If you found this useful, please do me a favor and share with others. It’s only fair that we’re all aware of the powers behind the skipping rope.

What are your thoughts on skipping rope? Is it part of your routine? Will it become a part of your routine now that you see how easy and effective it can be? Share your wonderful comments below!

If you liked this post, subscribe to the Bloom to Fit newsletter. It’s free and you’ll get exclusive tips and updates. Plus I’ll throw in a free gift, just for you.

Related posts:

1. 23 Skipping Rope Exercises – Extended [VIDEO]
2. Incredible Benefits of Skipping Rope
3. 10 Skipping Rope Exercises for a Better Body

Hmmm. Well, we’ve all heard the same cookie-cutter advice…

You need to drink 8 glasses of water per day.

Right…

I mean, sure, water is important. But is it that important? Do you really need that much of it?

Well, since I’m naturally curious and I have some not-so-serious trust issues, I figured I would do some digging around and test things out for myself to finally uncover the truth behind water consumption.

Let’s just say the findings were beyond intriguing…

Before I get into the details, let me give you a little background about how all this got started.

As often is the case, the spark came from a book (I love books) and this time it’s one of my favorites – the Primal Blueprint by Mark Scisson. In the book, Mark spends some time talking about hydration and the excessive attention it’s gotten over the years.

But perhaps it’s attention well deserved.

At the same time, I was laser focused on consuming more water than most could carry. After all, I’ve always been told (as an athlete and health nut) that more water means better health. So when I happened to read that this may not necessarily be true (according to Scisson), it sparked something inside of me to dig a little deeper and get to the truth.

So I did some a lot of research and came up with some interesting facts.

Water is everywhere. I mean think about it. Everything is composed of water. Our planet is 70% water. Our bodies are roughly 60% water. Many of the things that we consider to be solid are actually mostly composed of water.

Plus the list of benefits of consuming water are through the roof.

Healthier skin. Better lubrication of joints and muscles. Better regulation of body temperature. Detoxification. More energy and alertness. Better transportation of nutrients and oxygen to cells (plus better absorption of these nutrients). Improved metabolism.

I could go on forever.

But the question isn’t whether drinking water is beneficial. You’d be a fool to think it’s not. The real question is how much water is necessary. How much water should I drink a day? Where does the diminishing effect come into play?

The 8 by 8 Guidelines

The 8 by 8 rule simply states: drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day (64 ounces of water total). For proponents of the metric system, this is roughly 1.9L of water per day.

But where exactly did the 8 by 8 rule come from? That’s actually a very good question and one very few people will be able to answer. Nobody really knows much about the origins of this ideology. Even many of the top nutritionists in the world can’t tell you where it comes from and they’ve written books on the topic of water!

Perhaps it’s just a convenient reference point. Professor Heinz Valtin from Dartmouth Medical School who specialized in kidney research spent over 40 years studying the systems that keep water in our bodies balanced says that the 8 by 8 rule actually originated from a misunderstanding. Back in 1945, the Food and Nutrition Board (now part of the National Academy of Science’s Institute of Medicine) suggested that a person consume one millimeter of water for each calorie of food. So, for a typical 1900 calorie per day diet, this comes out to 1900 milliliters of water per day, or roughly 64 ounces.

Dr. Margaret McCartney speculates that this ‘guideline’ is a complete myth that is being propagated by bottled water companies who are in the interest of sucking in profits.

“There are many organizations with vested interests who would like to tell doctors and patients what to do. We should just say no.” – Dr. Margaret McCartney [ref]

She gives an interesting example. There is a new international health initiative called “Hydration for Health,” which promotes drinking more water for a healthier lifestyle. Guess who it’s sponsored by? You guessed it, Danone – a company that markets the Evian and Volvic bottled water brands.

Next up, we have the Institute of Medicine which has basically decided to put the 8 by 8 rule on steroids. They have determined that an adequate intake for men is roughly around 3.7L and for women around 2.7L (even more if you’re pregnant). That’s a lot of water my friends.

But drinking more water is good, right?

Well, according to a study published in the British Medical Journal, drinking eight glasses (or more) of water does not deliver on the promised health benefits. In fact, drinking too much water can have detrimental effects on your health, including a condition known as hyponatremia (a low-blood-sodium condition). This is a serious (and occasionally fatal) condition that results when excessive water consumption per day causes sodium levels in the bloodstream to become too diluted.

“If you’re drinking excessively, if you’re drinking beyond thirst, if you’re drinking beyond comfort, your kidneys are actually having to work very, very hard.” - Dr. Margaret McCartney [ref]

So how much water should you drink a day, you ask?

Well, it depends on a few factors.

“Water requirements depend so much on outside temperature, activity levels and other factors that there isn’t one rule that fits everybody,” says Barbara Rolls, a professor of nutrition sciences at Pennsylvania State University.

Indeed this is true. If you exercise or engage in sweat-inducing activities, you need more water. If you live in areas that are more hot or humid throughout the year, you need more water. If you’re sick (fever, vomiting, diarrhea), you need more water. If you’re pregnant, you need more water.

But even with all these factors and our wide variation in water intake, the human body is very capable of maintaining normal blood concentration. Your kidneys and endocrine system work very efficiently to promote optimum fluid levels in your bloodstream.

Dr. Valtin and other experts have found that if your blood becomes concentrated by about two percent, your thirst mechanism becomes activated and you’ll feel thirsty. Once your blood becomes concentrated by five percent, the symptoms of dehydration become present.

What about food and other drinks?

Most people don’t realize how much fluid they obtain from the food that they eat. On average, food provides about 20 percent of our total water intake [ref]. Chicken is over 50 percent water. Pizza is 50 percent water. Raw milk is 90 percent water.

According to this article, there are no restrictions on the maximum amount of water a food can contain (although it must be on the label).

Remember the whole profit ordeal? It plays a factor here too.

Apart from the natural water in foods, manufacturers tend to add water to (cheap) foods to increase their weight so they can be sold for more profit.

“Consumers are being duped by manufacturers who are adding water to bulk up the size and weight of produce, and what’s worse, it isn’t possible to work out from the label how much water has been added.” – Ian Tokelove of the Food Commission.

What about checking out your urine?

We’ve all been told to take a look at the stream of urine that comes from our you-know-what. If it’s dark, you need to drink more water. If it’s clear, you’re good. Right?

Well, according to Dr. Valtin, there is no validity ot the idea that your urine needs to be clear to indicate adequate hydration.

So what do we do?

Some say that the best advice is to let your thirst be your guide.

Mark Scisson, author of Primal Blueprint, says:

“I recommend consuming a sensible amount of fluid each day, using your thirst as a guide to maintain optimum hydration. Sometimes this might be eight glasses of water, sometimes much less than half that.” – Mark Scisson

Some studies don’t agree.

Some say this isn’t effective because apparently so many people are chronically dehydrated that they no longer recognize their body’s signal for water.

But, of course, there are other studies (some done by Dr. Barbara Rolls) that show no evidence of people being chronically dehydrated.

I hope you’re confused as I am.

In an effort to set things right (at least for myself) and determine how much water I need to drink per day, I figured it was time to do a little test…

The 30 Day Hydration Test

With all this confusion, I thought it would be best to do a little of my own testing. I put together a simple little test which I like to call the 30 day hydration test. It didn’t require any crazy laboratory equipment, test specimens, or expensive tools. Actually, it barely required anything at all.

All I wanted to do was see if my body reacted differently to when I drank a lot of water compared to when I drank very little water over a (somewhat longer) period of time.

Here’s how it worked.

For the first 15 days of the test, I drank the Institute of Medicine’s recommended 3.7L of water per day (it’s a lot of water). For the last 15 days of the test, I let my thirst guide me – I only drank when I felt thirsty.

So what happened?

First 15 Days: 3.7L of water per day

For the first 15 days, it literally felt like I was drinking water every five minutes. It literally took effort to consume nearly 4 litres of water every single day.

But how did I feel?

Actually, I felt amazing. I definitely felt more energized and alert. My thoughts were much clearer and my body felt healthier (hard to explain the feeling really).

My productivity definitely suffered as I was running to the bathroom anywhere from five to ten times per day. My urine was so transparent that it could be mistaken for water (sorry no pictures included).

Last 15 Days: Obey Your Thirst!

For the last 15 days, I let my thirst be my guide. I only drank when I felt like drinking. If I felt any signs of dehydration, I would drink a glass of water. The amount I drank was different from day to day (as expected) and ranged anywhere from one to two litres.

So how did I feel?

Surprisingly, no different from the first 15 days. I still felt mentally alert. I still felt energized. Of course, my visits to the bathroom decreased by more than 50% and my urine started to darken, but nothing else seemed to change.

The Final Word

Now I know this is a very weak test. It’s possible that the effects of drinking 4L of water in the first 15 days transferred to the last 15 days. But I did my best to keep all other variables (exercise, food consumption, my environment) as consistent as possible to ensure any noted differences were dictated by the change in water consumption.

So how can you use all of this information? 

There definitely seem to be a lot of opposing studies and ideas on the consumption of water (seems to be a common theme in the field of nutrition).

We all know that water is vital for optimal body function.

But it’s important to understand that it’s possible that your current drinking habits might be dictated by the slogans crafted by large bottled water corporations rather than your own body signals.

It’s important to understand that there is such a thing as too much water and that constant excess consumption can put a lot of stress on the kidneys. It’s important to understand that a good fifth of your overall fluid consumption comes from your (solid) food.

So how much water should you drink a day?

In my opinion, and based on the little test I conducted, you should let your thirst be your guide. Your body is an incredible machine. Maybe it’s best that we let it make these kinds of decisions for us.

What are your thoughts on water consumption? Please share them in the comments below. I’d love to know what you think.

If you liked this post, subscribe to the Bloom to Fit newsletter. It’s free and you’ll get exclusive tips and updates. Plus I’ll throw in a free gift, just for you.

Related posts:

1. Types of Nutrients
2. How to get Lean with VI Phase 3: Eating for Fat Loss
3. Are you Addicted to the Scale?

The fact is that you can’t change the past. What’s done is done.

But what you can do is learn from your mistakes and, for the sake of this post, the mistakes of others.

Recently I put up a link on my Facebook Page to a very interesting (and now popular) article that was titled Top Five Regrets of the Dying. The article was written by an Australian nurse name Bronnie Ware who spent several years working in palliative care, caring for patients in the last 12 weeks of their lives.

Bonnie often asked her patients in their last weeks if they had any regrets from their past and, if given the chance, would they go back and do things differently.

The results she recorded have now been passed around the world and she even wrote a book on the topic.

Here were the top 5 regrets that she recorded and my thoughts on each.

I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.

According to Bonnie, this was the most common regret of all.

“When people realise that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled.”

We all have dreams. We all have hopes and ambitions that we want to fulfill as we’re growing up. But things happen. Life happens.  And we often set our dreams aside for things that sit a little higher on our priority list.

We often think that we have an eternity to do the things we really want to do. We always think we have tomorrow until one day you realize that your entire life has passed you by and you didn’t do the things that you wanted to do. Instead, you fulfilled the expectations of others.

My advice?

Take a piece of paper and write down what your goals and dreams are. Write down what it is that you want to do for yourself. Write down where you want to be within the next 5 years. Write down exactly what you need to do to get there and the things you’ll have to give up along the way. Post that piece of paper up somewhere so you can see it every single day to remind you of what’s important to you.

I wish I didn’t work so hard.

This came from every single male patient (considering these are older generations).

“All of the men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence.”

Hard work is the corner stone of success. There’s only a handful of people on this planet that didn’t have to bust their balls to become successful.

But sometimes we forget what’s truly important – the relationships we have with those closest to us. We work so hard to meet high levels of financial success that we lose track of who we’re actually doing this for. Money comes and goes. But time you can never get back.

Try this instead.

For one month, make a plan to spend more time with your loved ones. Plan a few dates with your girlfriend or wife. Take your kids to an event. Hang out with your friends. Make those plans and schedule them in your calendar. Then follow through with them. Do this for a month and you’ll quickly realize that there’s more to life than what’s inside your bank account.

I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.

Many patients claimed that they held their feelings and emotions within, fearful of expressing themselves.

“Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others. As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were truly capable of becoming.”

We are all human and we all have feelings and emotions that we want to express. But more often than not we choose to keep things inside of us. We’re afraid that we would hurt others if we chose to express how we truly feel. However, as Bonnie claims, many of her patients developed illnesses relating to the bitterness and resentment they carried over the years.

Here’s what you need to do.

Next time there’s something on your mind, express it. Don’t hold it back. Have the courage to share your true feelings. If you do so, it will not only keep you healthy but it will also improve the health of your relationships.

I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.

Majority of the patients had deep regrets for letting true friendships slip away. They only realized in their dying days the full benefits of old friends.

“It is common for anyone in a busy lifestyle to let friendships slip. But when you are faced with your approaching death, the physical details of life fall away.”

I personally fall victim to this one and I outlined the details of my approach in my post 24 things about me that you probably didn’t know. It sounds like the easiest thing in the world – just pick up the phone and say hello. But, for some reason, we tend to lose touch with the ones we care for.

As time passes, we get so caught up in our own lives that we let beautiful friendships slip through our fingers. Bonnie claims that many of her patients had deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort that they deserved. Everyone misses their friends when they are dying.

What to do?

It’s as easy as picking up the phone. Don’t put it off. Don’t let friendships slip away because you’re too busy. Pick up the phone and say hello.

I wish that I had let myself be happier.

Bonnie claims that this was a rather common regret. Many of the patients did not realize until it was too late that true happiness was a choice. They got stuck in their comfort zones and were too fearful to venture out and experience change.

“The so-called ‘comfort’ of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as their physical lives. Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to their selves, that they were content.”

I preach this a lot here at Bloom to Fit, the idea of stepping outside of your comfort zone. The truth is that it’s not easy. We love comfort and fear change. If you really want to make something out of your life and if you want to see what you’re actually capable of , then you’ll need to venture out of your comfort zone and into the land of unfamiliarity.

The final word…

Don’t be content. Don’t ever settle. Let yourself do that one thing you love and let yourself be happy while doing it. And, as often as you can, venture outside your levels of comfort. You might like what you see.

It feels odd to look at things from this perspective at a young age. You feel like you have all the time in the world to make things happen. To make things right.

But you don’t.

Before you know it, you’ll be on your own deathbed thinking about all the wonderful things you did and regretting all the things you didn’t do.

It’s your life. Make sure you live it to the fullest.

Before I end this, I’d like to ask you guys one question: If tomorrow was your last day on Earth, what would be your biggest regret? Share it in the comments below.

If you liked this post, subscribe to the Bloom to Fit newsletter. It’s free and you’ll get exclusive tips and updates. Plus I’ll throw in a free gift, just for you.

Related posts:

1. A Life in 3 Years – The Inspiring Story of Alex Lewis
2. The Powerful Link Between Comfort and Results
3. How to Strengthen Ankles for Life

Hey!

You want to know how you can improve the way your body moves?

Wanna know how you can improve your flexibility, your breathing, and the quality of your sleep?

How to feel relaxed and biomechanically balanced?

Three words…

Soft tissue work.

I’ve already told you the importance of it. Now I want to show you what tools you need to get it done.

But before I do, let’s do a quick recap.

Soft tissue work is designed to improve the quality and health of your precious soft tissues. By applying gradual pressure to tender spots on your body, you can relax and lengthen the fascia and eliminate the nagging knots that build up over time.

Soft tissue work is only one form of Self-Myofascial Release (SMR), but it is by far the cheapest. There are other effective means of SMR, such as deep tissue massages and ART (Active Release Therapy). They both work wonders and if you have the money to afford it, then by all means go for it.

But for those who can’t afford regular visits to the massage parlour, there is a much cheaper solution. And one that is just as effective.

There are a number of what I like to call soft tissue tools that you can pick up at any general fitness store (or even cheaper online) that you can use to show your soft tissues some lovin’.

If you were to do a search, you’d find thousands of them. But let’s be real here – there’s no need for so many.

There are only four that I would recommend.

Drum rolllll…

1 – Foam Roller

The foam roller is the top tool in my fight against dysfunctional tissues. This cylindrically shaped, dense piece of foam comes in various sizes and densities. It’s light and portable and great for breaking down scar tissue.

I’ll be putting together a number of in-depth posts to show you the various types of foam rollers that are on the market and how you can take advantage of each of them.

2 – Tiger Tail

This is an awesome little tool for on-the-spot self-myofascial release. It’s basically a hand-held foam roller that you can bring with you anywhere and apply gradual pressure to almost any spot on the body. It’s very popular with athletes and it’s a must have in my books.

In a future post, I will show you how to use the Tiger Tail for effective SMR.

3 – Lacrosse Ball

There is nothing better than utilizing our surroundings to better our body. If you look through your garage, you’re more than likely to find a lacrosse ball. And if you’re not the athletic type, then you can pick one up at any general fitness store for a few bucks. This is an excellent tool for applying more concentrated pressure to varying regions of the body.

In a future post, I will show you guys how to properly use a lacrosse ball for the most effective SMR.

4 – Thera Cane

This is the most amazing self-massaging tool on the planet. It’s basically a green stick shaped like a small letter ‘f’. It’s made out of a really hard plastic and it has little balls at each of the ends that are used to apply super concentrated pressure to break through trigger points and muscle knots.

So there you have it. Four simple tools that you can use for your soft tissue work.

Remember that SMR is most effective when done consistently. I personally spend 5-10 minutes every day doing simple soft tissue work and it truly pays off.

Are there any other tools you use? Share in the comments below?

If you liked this post, subscribe to the Bloom to Fit newsletter. It’s free and you’ll get exclusive tips and updates. Plus I’ll throw in a free gift, just for you.

No related posts.

It’s definitely been a while…

It was all the way back on the 25th of July that I embarked on the Visual Impact challenge and I must say it’s been quite a journey.

Today, almost six and a half months later (a little longer than that since it took so long to put this post together), I’m both happy and sad to say that I’m finished.

I’m done!

Since that first day I stepped on the scale, I’ve put both my body and my mind through all sorts of shit. I managed to both gain 19lbs of muscle in 8 weeks and lose 15 lbs of fat in 5 weeks.

But through the culmination of all these experiences, I’ve learned more than I could ever have imagined. I’ve gained a much broader understanding and sense of how the body works and how it reacts to different forms of training and eating strategies.

Today, as the concluding post for this experiment, I want to share with you both my final results from the two week bonus phase and my final thoughts about body transformation.

Let’s get started…

What is the Bonus Phase all About?

The Bonus Phase of Visual Impact teaches a truly powerful training strategy that is used by a lot of actors and fitness models that helps them get that truly cut and defined look.

The strategy works in conjunction with Phase 3.

Phase 3, as you will recall, is designed for fat loss and strength development. We do so by structuring our training routine to focus on heavy weights, low volumes and strategic cardio. In the process, we also drop our calorie (and carb) intake to shed the fat and to reveal the hard and dense muscle we develop.

Depending on your personal stature and preferences, you can stay in this phase anywhere from three to five months.

What happens during this time is that your body will shrink. You’ll drop in body weight and body fat percentage accordingly. Your muscles will even shrink a slight amount and become a little flatter than normal. Don’t worry, this is all normal and necessary. As this happens, your skin will slowly shrink down to accommodate your smaller body size. The longer you stay in Phase 3, the more time you permit for your skin to shrink.

Now this is where the Bonus Phase plays its part.

By suddenly changing your training strategy, you shock the muscles into hypertrophy. Now, since your skin is already tight around your body, the sudden muscle growth (in size and volume) will cause your skin to be even tighter around your body, creating that sharp, super-defined look.

This principle is appropriately called the shrink-wrap effect.

So how do you change your training strategy?

It’s simple.

You go back to the Phase 1 training style. If you recall, Phase 1 was all about sarcoplasmic hypertrophy – the process of funneling more sarcoplasm (muscle fluid) into the muscle cells to give them that fuller, more volumized look.

So we increase our volume, drop our weights and lower our rest period to, once again, create the much-needed cumulative effect that allows muscle to experience sarcoplasmic hypertrophy.

What about the diet?

It stays the same.

We stay on our low-carb, low-calorie diet like we did in Phase 3. Only we add one very important supplement: creatine.

Creatine makes a HUGE difference in the Bonus Phase. It allows you to train harder (which you’ll need as you switch back to training with cumulative fatigue so you can get in those last few reps) and it helps funnel more fluid into the muscle cell, giving it more volume and resulting in a tighter fit.

The duration of the Bonus Phase can be anywhere from 2-4 weeks. After experimenting, I would recommend to stick to the longer end of the spectrum to allow the creatine to work to its full potential.

My Results

I finished Phase 3 at 169lbs and my goal was to put on 2-3lbs of muscle within a two week period.

Important note: Recall that I was in Phase 3 for only 5 weeks so I didn’t permit enough time for my skin to fully shrink down and accommodate to my smaller body size. Had I stayed in Phase 3 for longer, I might have experienced greater results. Just something to keep in mind when you’re going through the program.

Here’s what I looked like at the start of the Bonus Phase (also end of Phase 3):

You can see that I’ve really leaned down. At 169lbs and 9-10% body fat, I felt really good. But my abs werent’ as defined as I had hoped. Perhaps a longer time in Phase 3 would’ve made a difference.

Either way, here’s what happened after two weeks in the Bonus Phase:

I gained 3 lbs of muscle in two weeks and you can see how my skin really tightened up around my expanding muscles. My abs are slightly more revealing as well. For maximum results, I would have stayed in this phase for another two weeks.

So you can see just how effective this strategy can be. If you want really great results, stay in Phase 3 for no less than 2 months and then immediately follow it up by 2-4 weeks of the Bonus Phase.

My Final Thoughts

So this is it guys.

Over six months of training, dieting, experimentation and testing, the time has come. I’ve discovered a lot about myself and I’ve learned how important it is to have an effective strategy when approaching any fitness goal. Now the end has finally come.

But what is ‘the end’?

The truth is that there is and should be no end. The idea isn’t to make a one time change and then go back to your old ways. There’s no sense in that.

This program is designed to teach you how to effectively train and eat so you can transform your body into your desired outcome. But, more importantly, the program is designed to teach you how to maintain your new body.

In Rusty’s words,

“My advice is to get in shape just one time, then stay in shape for the rest of your life. To me, this makes the whole ordeal of training so much easier. Once you are in shape, it becomes second nature to you.”

And that, my friends, is the truth.

Over the past six and a half months, I’ve shown you what’s possible. Now it’s on you to grab life by the horns and make things happen. If you want a guide that will help you make that important change in your life, I highly recommend Rusty’s Visual Impact Muscle Building program. I’ve only scratched the surface with my posts here. His program is absolutely packed with information that will teach you how to customize the program for yourself, how to get results, and how to maintain the better body you’ve created.

–>Check out the program here<–

It’s been a long and eventful experiment and I’m happy I took the time to go through it and, in the process, show you what is possible.

Now it’s time for you to do the same.

Thank you for all the support and encouragement you’ve given me. I couldn’t have done it without you guys.

If you think there is some value in this post or any of my other Visual Impact experiment posts, please share them with your friends and family. It would help me out so much!

As always, if you have any questions or comments, leave them in the comments below. I’ll be happy to help you guys out with anything you need.

If you liked this post, subscribe to the Bloom to Fit newsletter. It’s free and you’ll get exclusive tips and updates. Plus I’ll throw in a free gift, just for you.

Related posts:

1. Getting Ripped with Visual Impact Phase 3
2. How I Gained 19LBS of Muscle in 8 Weeks with Visual Impact
3. Visual Impact Challenge: Training for Size