Calorie Restriction: Our Future?

Already in several posts we have mentioned the concept of calorie restriction but we never went into much detail about it.
In fact, even if I had a general idea, there were still some technicalities about it that I ignored. I mean, when you’re talking about restricting calories, to what extent should you limit your food intake on a daily basis?
We know that you should be careful with what you shovel down your throat and that overeating is never good but what worried me is that there is always a fine line between being healthy and unhealthy: you want to restrict but not missing on necessary and precious nutrients.   
With that idea in mind I did some research and found quite a bit of literature on the topic.

Mustard May Help You Build Lean Muscles

If you’re trying to going from fat to fit, or from fit to even better fit you might want consider adding mustard to your diet. A recent research from the Human Health Institute, FBNS at North Carolina University in Kannapolis, N.C. has found that a compound called homobrassinolide (found in plants like mustard) helps proteins synthesis in muscles cells and this leads to increases in lean body mass, muscle mass and physical performance.

Mustard seeds

X-Factor's LeRoy Bell: Looking 30 at 60

I don’t know whether you watch X-Factor, as for me, I never did until last night. But one of my roommates was watching it and I joined him.
All of a sudden a contestant named LeRoy Bell took the stage and started his performance: great voice and pretty fly look. While watching him I thought to myself that this dude must have been in his late 30s, early 40s tops. But then it came out that Mr. LeRoyBell is actually 60...no joke he’s 60 years old.
I was speechless, at the most, because I never ever saw in my life somebody looking that good at 60 (the pictures below will give you an idea!)
Since at TheIronYou we take inspiration from others I couldn’t resist digging into this TV reality show contestant and discover what’s his recipe for eternal youth.

What Is Gymnorexia?

Some people are addicted to drugs, others to cigarettes, others to alcohol, others to sugars as for myself I guess that my addiction is exercising.
I can’t deny it, I have an addiction and I’ll admit it. Everyday I have to sweat it out by either running, swimming, biking, practicing yoga, hitting the gym...but I have to do something. If I don’t I just feel miserable: I need my daily dose of endorphins and that’s final!
I always thought that among all the dependecies a person can possibly have mine was probably the best one.
Actually I thought it was not even worth of calling it addiction (a word with an underlying negative meaning) but more of a good habit.
I was happy about this until I found out that there is quite some literature on this “addiction”...to the point that lately it has also been officially labeled as “‘gymnorexia” or “exerciseorexia” or “exercise bulimia”.
And some doctors started warning about the serious damages people can do themselves  through developing a compulsion to workout excess.
In the UK, at Berkshire’s Huntercombe Hospital, people addicted to exercise are treated as strong as any associated with drink or drugs.
I personally think that this might be little bit too much so it's best to find out more!

Olive Oil: Do You Really Know Me?

In the last two decades olive oil has made its way into almost every household in the U.S. (not to mention in Europe) not only has a condiment for salads but in a lot of recipes: sauces, cakes, breads, pies, etc...
And that’s really good news as olive oil is one of the building blocks of any healthy diets. Why? Because it’s a primary source of what are usually referred to as good fats.
So let’s discover more about it!

Fight With The Gods: The Immortals' Workout

On 11/11/11 “The Immortals” will be released on theaters worldwide. I have personally high expectations since the producers are the same of the “300” (movie that I absolutely loved) also I’ve been fond of ancient Greek mythology since I was a little kid and, in particular, of the myth of Perseus hence I can’t wait to see it!

Working Out And Dieting According To A Calvin Klein Model

I'm not sure whether the name Garrett Neff rings any bells to you, probably not. But you might remember him as the face of Calvin Klein fragrance “Body” or in Trussardi S/S 10 campaign or in last summer H&M campaign or in this fall Express campaign or or or or, the list could continue endlessly as Garrett is one of the most successful male models of his generation.

I had the chance of briefly meeting him before a show, and he’s a very nice down to earth dude, absolutely grounded and not at all full of himself.

What To Do After A Bikram Yoga Class

When you hear your teacher saying “Namaste” to the class you now that you have made it: the 90 minutes in Bikram’s “torture chamber” are over.
You have twisted your body in all possible ways, locked your knee, kick your butt big time, and sweat tons. Now it’s time to give yourself a well deserved reward for all this effort but before that you wanna make sure to take care of your body.
Why? Because after every intense workout you should spend some time focusing on your body before going back to your daily routine. And this is even more true when you’re dealing with Bikram Yoga...

Why A Lot Things That Taste Bad Are Good For You

I bet you always had the suspicion that there was some correlation between bad tasting food and its health benefits.
As far as I’m concerned every time I make myself a green juice I get more than a mere suspicion: it has to be good for me otherwise why all the pain of drinking this gross tasting stuff?
And what about broccoli? I eat them everyday and I’m accustomed to the taste but I cannot say that I find them to be the better tasting food on the planet. But as they are one of the most healthy food on the planet I just go for it thinking that it’s totally worth to sacrifice the taste for the health.
Not to mention Brussel Sprouts...my food nightmare.
So the suspicion that there must be a correlation between bad taste and healthy benefits of food grew in me to a point of almost certainty.
And, I WAS RIGHT ALL ALONG! In fact, a recent study conducted by a team of researches of the University of Washington confirmed that since the phytonutrients (that have been long associated with cancer prevention and other health benefits) have a bitter, acid or astringent taste the food industry has worked over the decades to remove them.

Taylor Kitsch Five Rules Of Leaness

Today we are talking about the the five golden rules of “leaness” according to Canadian actor and model Taylor Kitsch.
Taylor has modeled for Diesel and Abercrombie & Fitch, he portrayed Gambit in the X-Men franchise spinoff “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” and football player Tim Riggins in the NBC series “Friday Night Lights”.
In 2012 he will be portraying John Carter in science fiction action adventure film “John Carter”, the heroic protagonist of Edgar Rice Burroughs' 11-volume Barsoom series.
But that’s not it. Taylor is also a certified nutritionist and personal trainer.
So you might have figured out by now that Talyor Kitsch is not a novice when it comes to training, health and well-being.
That is why his five rule of leaness (that he unveiled in an interview to MensHealth) totally make sense and if you manage to follow them well you might end up in an A&F campaign or in a major blockbuster movie...