Why are they important?

They have many physiological and structural functions in the body. One of these is the dissolution of vitamins fat-soluble. Without fat, therefore, certain vitamins could not be used. Fat also provides additional protection of the internal organs its original function is to accumulate in the subcutaneous tissue and is available as a reserve food.

Types of fat:

The fats will be divided into 4 groups: triglycerides, fatty acids, phospholipids, and steroids. Fatty acids are composed of a large number of carbon atoms. Among these atoms, however, bonds are important for us. If atoms are interconnected only with single bonds, we say that the fat is saturated, which means that they can be labeled as “bad”. Why? Because they are not able to bind any other substance on their own because of single ties, they are therefore inactive and are only stored. But if there are some double bonds between the atoms, we call the fat unsaturated fat. Then we immediately go to omega-3 or omega-6 (two more familiars), +. If it is omega 6 or 3 we determine when we look at where the first double bond begins. Therefore, they are separated not once, twice or more unsaturated fatty acids.

A common misconception about omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids:

Because of the frequent misunderstanding of this topic, it seems important for me to mention in my article the fat we most talk about. Research has shown that a person in today’s diet consumes a lot more omega-6 than omega-3 fat. This is harmful to the body. Yes, I know that these fatty acids are unsaturated and that after research for the body is good, but this is a relationship, which is much greater in favor of omega-6 fat, which is not good. Certain studies have shown that the “optimal” ratio between omega-3 and omega-6 is 1: 2, while in some countries the ratio is 1:15. One of the things that cause this is that the animals that are supposed to contain a lot of omega-3 fats are fed with corn and other supplements that contain a lot of omega-6 fat, and therefore the fish also contain a lot of omega-6 instead of omega- 3. A good source of omega-3 fats is linseed oil, containing as much as 50% and pumpkin seeds, containing 15%.

Athletes’ needs for fat:

Well, now that you have a bit more information about fat, I’m going to say something about fat in sports. What is the fat that the athlete needs and how much? As we already know, we know saturated and unsaturated, and we also know that some of them may be biologically active due to double bonds, but some may not. It means that we will concentrate primarily on unsaturated fatty acids. Of course, it is perfectly logical that we will not get rid of the diet completely, but the athletes should avoid them as much as possible. Depending on the type of sport and the amount of fat to be consumed by athletes, it is known that somewhere around 15-30% is ingested in power buds, and in sturdy sports, some 15-20% are combined in 15-25% of the total daily calorie intake.

Author: Anže Jert

How to optimize sleep?

Believe it or not, the path to optimal sleep begins in the morning when you wake up. GETTING UP at the right time means you wake up in a light sleep, not a deep one. So you will have a greater concentration throughout the day, and your entire organism will be more alert. Therefore, both cognitive and physical tasks will be easier and better done. Let the LIGHT WAKE YOU. Arousal in natural light slightly increases the level of cortisol hormone, which is reflected in body relaxation and preparedness for new challenges throughout the day. Start the day immediately with MOVEMENT. When you wake up by an alarm clock, you quickly sit on the edge of the bed with your feet on the floor. Such a trick accelerates the awakening of the organism; on the contrary, the snooze on the alarm clock plunges into a state of sleepiness, even after you get up. Another thing that is very important in the morning is the exposure to the SUN. The sun sets the rhythm of relaxation of melatonin (a hormone that is crucial for a good sleep) so that it can begin releasing in the evening, and not during the day. ALCOHOL AND COFFEE; Avoid drinking coffee after 2 pm and more than 1-2 glasses of alcohol, as this may have an impact on the cycle of sleep and vigilance, especially on deep-sleep cycles.

EXERCISE can be very helpful in “setting up” the inner clock. The exercise also regulates the activity of the sympathetic and parasympathetic system, which contributes to a night of better sleep. However, it is necessary to be careful with performing a high-intensity exercise in the afternoon, as this can cause sleep due to severe stress on the nervous system. The size of your DINNER can play a key role in supporting the sleep process. The best option for a good dinner is as little as possible processed proteins, fats and carbohydrates (possibly a low glycemic index, which contributes to the feeling of drowsiness). For dinner, it can experiment with foods containing cytokines (for example cherries) that help regulate the cycle of sleep and alertness.

“Pouring” with WATER directly before bedtime can cause an uprising during the night due to visits to the toilet. If there is a “problem” of too many thoughts that do not leave you sleeping, it is good that you write your thoughts before going to bed on a sheet of paper. This helps in the release of not only muscular tension but also in the release of primarily the brain. One of the more important things is GOING TO BAD EVERY DAY AT THE SOME TIME.

The body gets used to a certain hour and starts relaxing the hormones in the body at that time, making the sleep even better. Research has shown that every hour before midnight is worth 2 hours after midnight. So do not wait for late hours. When sleeping, this is especially important, HOW LONG WE SLEEP. Minimal 7-9 hours is the optimal length of sleep. Certain studies have shown that, for example, 6 hours of sleep a day in the course of half a year, makes the organism 10 years older.

Additional tricks to help you get on a better sleep:

1. Minimum 30 minutes before bedtime remove all electronic devices. Artificial blue light emitted by electronic devices can affect mainly the release of melatonin and thus literally on the quality of sleep.

2. Relaxing before bed helps to relieve muscle tension. There are many ways to meditate (meditation, reading, gentle stretching, yoga, sex, etc.).

3. A warm bath or warm shower help relax the muscular system. Additionally, magnesium oil or bath salt can be added, which, according to some studies, has a positive effect on sleep.

4. The room in which we sleep can be more attractive with the help of lavender, for example. If we live in a city, we can think of a white noise that suits us, so that the sounds of the city are suppressed.

5. The room temperature is also important. In principle, for most people, the optimum temperature is somewhere between 18 and 20 ° C, but it is important that everyone finds himself an optimal temperature.

6. The darkness is a very important factor in optimizing sleep, especially from the point of view of the release of melatonin. In short, the darker the room will be, the better the sleep will be. Eye cover can also help.

Author: Anže Jert

It is one of the cannabinoid molecules that are soluble in fat. I would not go into the details of the composition, but let me also mention that our body only produces a certain cannabinoid – Anandamide, which makes the body even more susceptible to all the effects of cannabinoids

In our body, there is an endocabinoid system consisting of two important CB1 receptors (emotions, motor control …) and CB2 (inflammation, immune system …). The system regulates, in particular, unconscious processes, such as, for example, core temperature and pH (two important systems). The system is also involved in the control of pain, appetite, motor function, etc. Researches show that it regulates homeostasis (self-regulation of nervous system restoration). THC and CBD are one of the 100+ cannabinoid molecules detected so far.

Review of positive / negative effects of CBD.

Studies have shown that it is a good component of pain relief in certain cancers, depression, anxiety, and HIV patients. It should be noted that CBD does not directly affect the CB1 and CB2 receptors but affects the endo. For now, the effect has been proven to: Vanillioid, adenosine, and serotonin receptors, which have an impact on inflammatory processes and the processes of regulation of the core temperature.

1. Adenosine

A compound that, in normal circumstances, acts relaxing on the body (caffeine, for example, blocks the receptors for adenosine, and therefore we feel more energetic). CBD oil affects these receptors similarly, but without the “negative” effect of caffeine, which occurs due to the release of adrenaline (a drop in energy). CBD oil ensures that we are “fitted”, as with caffeine, but relaxed at one. So that the choices we make are more thoughtful. And there is no drop in energy.

2. Dopamine

CBD helps the body to take advantage of the natural amount of dopamine present in the body, which primarily affects the well-being and energy. That is, it does not produce more dopamine (like some hard drugs), but only helps to use of more dopamine naturally present in the body.

3. Serotonin

It affects the production of serotonin receptors, which means that it can take more serotonin and the effect is – better well-being.

4. Additionally: D

Recent studies are also suggesting that it influences on the improvement of depressive symptoms and symptoms of anxiety, the impact on the symptoms of autism and certain types of cancer. People with cancer often have problems due to the depletion of minerals, the bone density drops. CBD reduces the ability of the body to deplete these minerals, so it relaxes the bone density drop and the disease is a bit easier to regulate.

It is true that in combination with THC, CBD potentially makes all the positive effects even stronger, but the balance of CBD and THC is important.

Author: Anže Jert

At the beginning we are going to define what calories are. Calorie (cal) is physical unit for energy determined as source of heat which is necessary for heating one gram of water at 1°C at a pressure of 1°C. Since the specific heat of the water depends on the temperature it does not care if the temperature is heated by one degree of water. In practice five different definitions have been introduced but they all use the term “calories“:

• calories define at 15 °C,
• calories define at 4 °C,
• average calories in the range 1 °C – 100 °C,
• international calories determined by the International Steam Table
• thermochemical calories

The calories determined at 15°C are determined as the heat needed to heat one gram of water at atmospheric pressure from a temperature of 14.5°C to 15.5°C and is approximately equal to 4.1855 J. International calorie is approximately equivalent to 4.1868 J, and thermochemical calorie to 4.184 J.

But now let’s focus on whether all calories are equivalent. Before I even begin to explain my answer is NO! Let’s see why:

The problem occurs primarily with some bodybuilders and people who want to lose some fat mass (by rapid procedure) but they don’t have enough knowledge or “don’t want to” be aware of what research suggests. In particular it is a popular excuse “calories out – calories in.” By this I think you are eating a little less calories than your daily consumption and finally losing weight (or vice versa for bodybuilders who are trying to gain weight). By doing so, they think they can eat anything to satisfy the goal they have set (because you can lose weight if you are on fast food, just that there is no excess of calories or vice versa).

1. MEAL

Wild Norwegian salmon (200 g) baked on coconut oil oven, ordinary homemade white potato baked on  coconut oil in the oven (300 g), 100 g of bio Greek yogurt and spices (chilli, curcuma, pepper). Preparation and baking takes about 60 minutes.

• Calories: 896.9
• Protein: 50
• Carbohydrates 66.9
• Fats: 44.7

2. MEAL

Chicken (200 g) from the supermarket, baked on high-temperature sunflower oil, quick-frozen French fries (200 g), baked on sunflower oil at high temperature and ice tea (2 dl).

• Calories: 1124
• Proteins: 57
• Carbohydrates 107
• Fats: 52

As we can see in macronutrients meals are not that different. What about micronutrients which are just as important? First meal is much richer with omega 3 fatty acids (mainly EPA) also we get carbohydrates from starch of home-grown potatoes which grows on fertile soil and therefore contains minerals such as potassium, calcium, phosphorus and iron. However if we are lucky enough commercial fries are grown in mineral weakened soil or a even in “tubes“. Oils such as coconut also contain Lauric acid which our body needs urgently. Overheated sunflower oil (due to heat) changes those omega 6 and change it into mostly saturated fatty acids which our body don’t know how to use. We don’t need to talk about the chemicals they use as pesticides and for the cultivation of animals, right? 

Do you still think that calories are equivalent? Would you rather take care of the optimal functioning of your organism at the cellular level? 

Author: ANŽE JERT

What regeneration actually is?

Regeneration after exercise is a process by which the organism, after transient fatigue resulting from the internal equilibrium, restores the balance that was typical for the pre-workout period (Halson and Jeukendrup, 2004; Barnett, 2006). Jeffreys (2005) divided the reconstruction into four sub-phases: normalizing physiological abilities (blood pressure, heart rate); return to homeostasis (inactive cell environment), recovery of energy supplies (blood glucose, glycogen stores); and the recovery of cell enzymes (e.g., phosphofructokinase – a key sugar degradation enzyme).

The body adapts to certain loads and better tolerates the next. The speeding up of regeneration can be addressed in several ways, with diet, therapies, supplements, massage, stretching, etc. The purpose is to limit the intensity of body exhaustion and/or accelerate the regeneration of the inner environment. The exhaustion is the result of a physical overload of systems and is a response to the intensity of the effort, which dictates how long the restoration will last (Baker and Kovacs, 2014).

With the correct recovery process, the body can be prepared more readily to be able to transmit new efforts.

Potentially effective techniques to accelerate regeneration

1. Self-massage with a cylinder

Research on self-massage with a cylinder in various ways (both time-consuming and applied techniques) has shown a positive effect on body renewal following DOMS, an increased threshold of pain, which can contribute to more intense VIV exercises and the flushing of excess metabolic products in muscles immediately after effort (lactic acid).

2. Sauna

The heat stress caused by the sauna on the body also provokes the metabolic processes of the body. There is little research on this subject, and therefore we can not definitively confirm or reject the thesis that sauna helps the athletes. It is worth mentioning, however, that the results are currently leaning towards this direction. In particular, they show a rise in growth hormone levels, regulation of the ratio of oxidizing agents to antioxidants, and positive effects on muscle metabolism due to the expansion of veins and increased cardiovascular system functioning. Above all, they show that the best introduction of the sauna is with some process of system renewal.

3. Cryotherapy

Another of the newer techniques that need additional research is cryotherapy. The examined studies cover mainly two forms of this technique, cellular cryotherapy or lower limb cryotherapy. Studies have shown a positive effect on both highly-trained athletes and physically active populations. Improvements are shown in particular in terms of lowering inflammatory markers (creatine kinase, level of cortisol …), lowering the subjective feeling of pain, faster recovery of the organism. Despite all the positive effects, some studies have shown that cryotherapy has no effect on the faster recovery after the delayed muscle pain. Therefore, more research is needed on this topic.

4. Stretching

There are several different techniques, namely dynamic stretching based on active muscle extensions, ballistic stretching, which is basically active stretching and PNF stretching, which uses reciprocal inhibition for its benefit. Research shows above all that we need to be careful when using stretching. They showed that after a certain type of effort (strength training) within the <6 hours, the effects of stretching can even have a negative impact, especially on the intensity of the DOMS, They negate the effects of power training. The influence of any stretching technique on the perception of test subjects on pain is also highlighted. We can conclude that due to the increased threshold of pain in the further training process, the increased intensity of effort is also followed. Stretching on research also helps to reduce the intensity of DOMS, which can help primarily athletes in team sports during the season when they also have 2-3 matches a week.

5. Sleeping 

I already spoke about the importance of sleep in my articles. It is therefore important that I also mention it here.

In spite of all the examined research, sleeping is one of the last things on which (especially) athletes focus on improving the performance, although most studies show positive characteristics of the performance. As can be seen from the studies, sleep affects the ratio of parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system involvement, insulin secretion, glucose metabolism, and hormonal action. This means that it affects all aspects of reconstruction or faster restoration of the organism, establishment of homeostasis and, consequently, super-compensation. It has been shown that sleeping hygiene itself has had a major contribution to improving sleep, as well as anyone who overcrowded overnight, recommend short sessions throughout the day, which compensates for lost minutes overnight.

My way of boosting recovery every day

I personally try to focus primarily on everyday accessible techniques, with studies supported and simple. All of them are based primarily on the regulation of the functioning of the parasympathetic (rest) and sympathetic (action) system, as they are responsible for the hormonal functioning of our system, which can help to regenerate or worsen it.

1. Omega-3 + CBD

You can see everything about CBD in my previous article on the link – https://www.livingmma.com/health/about-cbd. As for omega-3 fatty acids, it is. In particular, it is against the inflammatory effect on the system and thus on the parasympathetic system. It also has a positive effect on reducing the number of free radicals in the body and also affects the ratio of omega-3 and 6, which is too large in favor of omega-6.

2. D3 vitamin 5000 UI

Very good infographics showing what vitamin D3 is all about – https://www.foundmyfitness.com/vitamin-d

3. Hot bath

It causes vasodilation to increase blood flow through the muscles. It also has a beneficial effect on the rest and digest system, which in turn deepens regeneration.

4. Meditation + diffuser

Meditation is “proven” not only with anecdotes but also with serious studies. It helps to switch off the sympathetic nervous system and the inclusion of the parasympathetic, relaxing muscle tissue, and above all the relaxation and calming of the mind, which can be very problematic before bedtime. Essential oils are used as desired. I myself use chamomile and lavender, as it is proven to increase production melatonin in the body (mainly lavender).

AUTHOR: Anže Jert

What are the proteins (as a dietary supplement)?

They are one of the few nutritional supplements that are actually supported by a lot of studies and can add those few percentages to a better sporting capacity (in terms of muscle mass, regeneration …) along with proper diet. The sources of production are already mentioned above: beef, poultry, dairy products, plant resources …

Recently proteins are also obtained from insects ?! Yeah, insects. More specifically – in particular, crickets are those that are processed into a dietary supplement.

Let’s take a look at some of the facts regarding this type of protein product.

Looking from the aspect of the weight of crickets in relation to the protein content, they contain as much as 50% protein. That is, 50% of the crickets are made up of proteins. If this is compared with, for example, beef, crickets contain almost 2x as much protein as beef.

They also have a very good nutritional value, as they contain vitamin B6, B12, omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium, zinc, iron, and calcium. They also have a rich amino acid composition.

During the production process, as much as 80% of the whole cricket is consumed. For example, this can be compared with beef, where the percentage of utilization is somewhere around 40, which means that in the production of crickets utilization of the used substances is two times greater.

The same amount of nutrients that produce 30kg of crickets produces only 15kg of chicken, 5kg of pork and about 2kg of beef. That is, crickets are also superior in this area.

The water consumed for food supplements is also one of the critical factors. 1 gallon of water (3,78l) required for the processing of cricks is equivalent to 567 gallons of water for processing the same amount of chicken and 2000 gallons of water to process the same amount of beef.

The crickets also very well process all the nutrients that enter into the body. They also process certain plant resources that the human body can not, and from the egg to the adult crick, it takes much less time than, say, in the development of cattle or chicken. Compared with beef and chicken, therefore, cricket is a better choice for 10 – 20x in terms of feeding, water consumption, and development.

The most commonly used insect is cricket, but others are also found, one of them, for example, a keel. For all of you that are interested, I will also share a couple of links where you can find protein products from insects.

Will you try? I think I will.

Author: Anže Jert 

It is also worth mentioning that if our dietary regime consists primarily of highly processed food and our main suppliers are Mr. McDonald and various fast food locals, then we will lose weight on Herbalife shake too!

Of course, not from the point of better nutrition – Herbalife could also equate to fast food – but from the point of view of calorie deficiency (often also starvation)!

3 practical examples that I have experienced with my clients:

1. The high-level cyclist, when she stopped taking the CR7 formula for “optimal regeneration,” had menstruation for the first time in a year and a half, energy for training, and stopped losing muscle mass.
2. A very promising climber, after he stopped taking CR7 formula and a morning “healthy” breakfast, for the first time in two years balances the hormones and gets menstruation, and breaks catabolic phase.
3. Recreational athlete, after stopping the use of “perfect” breakfasts and snacks, stops producing fat and starts gaining life energy.

I could write a few facts for each of them, on why this happened, but I think you will find out from the written ones yourself. 

Let’s look at some of its main ingredients and chemical analysis.

Nutrition value:

We already talked about this. The 500-calorie McDonald’s hamburger simply does not have the same nutritional value, such as 500 calories, obtained from nuts. Well, this is one of the first points that the “herbalists” focus on. They say that the banana from 1998 is not the same as today’s bananas. What really is true a little bit. It is less nutritious than the “older” banana, but still, if we take a look at nutritional values banana without a question exceeds the Herbalife meal, which should in their minds, replace the good quality breakfast. 

Fructose:

They also like to mention that among the founders is the gentleman who received the Nobel Prize. They forget to mention that he was investigating sugar. More precisely, fructose. This is what Herbalife products contain. Fructose itself is not harmful, of course, when it comes in combination with certain enzymes, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. But it’s not good for our livers when we’re overeating it. However, if fructose in the form of sugar is in every product, it is difficult to avoid negative effects (fatty liver, etc.). 

Soy Isolate:

Very often in Herbalife products. Of course, this is the cheapest form of this nutrient on the market. Due to the extraction method, there are naturally occurring toxins that our liver has difficulty to process ( it has a huge impact on our hormones). Also, amino acids are fairly unusable because they are highly heat-treated during manufacture. Another big minus is in the quality of soybeans. The products come from the United States, where 91% of the soybean has GMO origin, which means that they contain a huge amount of pesticides that are proven to be harmful to health (carcinogens).

Vitamin and mineral content:

Often they also mention that the mineral and vitamin composition of their products is really good, as the quality of real foods is declining. Let’s take a look at some facts. The products contain an average of 70-80% less vitamin and mineral values than RDA standards – the minimum recommended daily intake! So it does not meet any standards, not even minimal!

The other more important thing is that they are not natural vitamins and minerals but are synthesized. And they say that it’s the same molecule of vitamin C, as in the lemon. Ok? Well, let’s see.

Beta carotene – Naturally occurring reduces the risk of cancer in smokers, synthesized will increase the risk!

Vitamin E – naturally occurring, lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease, and synthesized increases the risk of it!

These are just two of the artificial micro-nutrients. I would rather not list more.

9 pages of studies:

For all those who don’t believe me, on the PubMed portal, there are 9 pages of studies proving kidney damage (in some cases, even kidney failure), due to the use of these shit.

I could mention other artificial sweeteners, such as sucralose, which has not been shown to contribute to a better flora and fauna of the intestines, as well as some products contain laxatives that further damage the intestinal ecosystem. 

Thanks for reading.

AUTHOR: Anže Jert

• Omega-3 booster for all of you who like to eat seafood and it also includes some good quality proteins and fibers from spelled toast.
• Wild salmon is one of the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids and is one of the fish species with the lowest amount of mercury (only 2 micrograms per 120 grams) so I made myself a wild salmon pate with caviar which is an even better source of omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA.
• Caviar contains a unique blend of nutrients that are perfect for the brain, including omega-3 fats (a brain-must), choline (a B vitamin needed to make memories), vitamin B6 and B12 (needed to support the nervous system), minerals like iron and magnesium (needed for healthy blood and tissues) and a good amount of protein combined with potent antioxidants like vitamin A, vitamin C, and selenium.