photo credit: thepartycow
Have you ever met someone who is in great shape or just radiates a healthy glow and asked what they did to get that way? You may have received a surprising answer and even experimented with it as well. Below are some health habits I've come across that may or may not work in terms of living longer, looking younger, and even losing weight. Some of these habits are highly questionable. You be the judge:
Waking Early
I'm not an early riser but many health-conscience individuals wake very early each morning. It has been said that working out in the morning is more beneficial in terms of fat burning. However, some may argue that waking early has no benefits at all. You may actually experience sleep deprivation and actually lose time doing things you enjoy because you're in bed by 8 p.m. in order to get a full eight hours of sleep.
Going Raw
A raw food diet is different than being a vegetarian. This diet is a lifestyle promoting the consumption of uncooked, unprocessed, and often organic foods. There are varying types of raw foodists. Some will consume raw meat (Raw, Paleolithic Diet) consisting raw meats/organ-meats, raw seafood, and raw eggs. [source: raw foodism]
hGH [Human Growth Hormone]
Our bodies produce human growth hormone, mostly while we are asleep. Why would anyone want to supplement it? It has been said that hGH may increase muscle mass and reduce body fat in older adults. Synthetic human growth hormone is available only by prescription and must be injected. It is used for adults who are truly deficient in hGH. You may recall the story that broke when actor, Sylvester Stallone admitted to injecting hGH. He claimed that hGH increased the quality of life in older individuals. You can stimulate your hGH naturally through sleeping well and exercise.
Eating Once a Day
The article I wrote about eating once a day years ago still remains one of my most popular on this blog. Even Herschel Walker is known to eat one meal a day consisting of soup, salad, and bread. Many people swear by this diet for maintaining a healthy weight, however, I just can't imagine functioning well on one meal a day between exercising and daily activities.
Supplements - Taking Too Many or None at All?
The godfather of fitness Jack LaLanne stated he took 40 - 50 different vitamins every day. I have interviewed fitness professionals on this blog who do not take supplements of any kind and stick to their diet for what they need (read my interview with former Navy Seal, Stew Smith.)
What do you think? Are some healthy habits just unnecessary?
Resources:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/growth-hormone/HA00030
http://archives.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0007/17/lkl.00.html
 |
The U.S. Navy SEAL Guide to Fitness and Nutrition
List Price:  |
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Great post. Really makes you think about some of the things that we do in the name of fitness. I haven’t done a lot of the. I like my food cooked some of the time, but it is easy to get into taking supplements and I get up at 5 a.m. to work out before work.
Amy Gould
http://www.youcangetrippednow.com
Early morning is considered as the best time to exercise as we are more energetic at that time of the day and hence can workout more and burn higher number of calories. However, if people workout equally in evening, I believe there will be no less burning of calories. Stay fit and do whatever suits your body. Always keep a check on your weight.
Hm, the interesting thing is that most clients come to me wanting to know how to lose fat, not live longer. Things like only eating once per day are not conducive to that. We have interesting priorities in our society!
One meal a day just seems way too little. I think I would be blown away with the wind if I did that.
Not sure on the evidence regarding exercising early? Pretty sure it is not advised as the body is not yet ready for maximum performance. Cardio for fat loss is different – people often perform cardio first thing in the morning due to not eating for a prolonged peroid of time, and therefore hope the body will burn fat as fuel during steady state cardio first thing.
Re supplements – best trying to source things from your diet before turning to supplements, IMO. Of course, some supplementation can be useful for people who find it difficult to source things within their diet.