Tag: health

The Holiday Survival Guide

How to make the best of the greatest season of the year.

Autumn is my favorite season: the days are getting cooler, the sun is gently spending warmth and good mood. The food is changing too, some of my most beloved foods are now in season. Quince, duck, pumpkin, game, chestnuts and grapes make autumn an especially tasty time. It is also the season where the big holidays all around the world are starting, making it hard to progress the weight loss journey. But it’s not impossible, let’s have a closer look. Continue reading “The Holiday Survival Guide”

Be Boring, Get Shredded

Why less variety in your food can help you lose fat

What? Isn’t variety good for your health? Dieticians and health guidelines tell you that if you are going to eat a large variety of different foods you are going to meet your nutritional needs. Well, that sounds reasonable but has also a dark side: the more variety we have in one meal, the more calories we are going to eat. Before explaining why this is the case and what can we do against it, let’s define some terms. Continue reading “Be Boring, Get Shredded”

Artificial Sweeteners: The Not So Bitter Truth

I already see the geeky bodybuilders roll their eyes: we all know that sweeteners are not bad! Come on, Chantal: during contest prep we are all eating Skyr, berries and artificial sweeteners as staple food. Sorry guys and girls, this article is not for you, but you can still scroll down to the recipes at the end of the article if you want some variation in your diet 😉  This article is dedicated to all the people who are struggling with their diets and have been told that sweetners are ultra-bad, cause cancer, neurotoxicity and are increasing cravings. But is it true? Let’s have a closer look at what the current research says.

Continue reading “Artificial Sweeteners: The Not So Bitter Truth”

Why I Don’t Like Meal Plans

Implement lifetime strategies for diet success.

Good old meal plans … I’ve almost forgot about them, but whenever I browse a fitness magazine, they catch my attention. Out of curiosity I start reading them and I am always amused about them: if it is a meal plan in a men’s magazine, you feel taken back to the old bro science ages of chicken breast, white rice and steamed brokkoli. If it is a meal plan for women, I see plenty of smoothie bowls, porridge, pasta and woefully low amounts of protein. I mean I get it, meal plans seem to be an easy solution for weight loss, but I think you can do better! Continue reading “Why I Don’t Like Meal Plans”

Six good reasons why you should do bodybuilding

My first approach to a gym was over ten years ago: I wanted to do something for my physique and since the only sport I was doing was horseriding, I decided to subscribe to a commercial gym. In those days I would never have admitted I was doing bodybuilding. To be honest I’ve been laughing at the -in my eyes- over confident bros posing in front of the mirror, sipping protein shakes and grunting and screaming during their sets. Well, life happens, and now I am a broette doing exactly the same stuff. But if you think about the definition of “bodybuilding” I was already doing it ten years ago: I did exercise to lose fat and gain muscles. And if you are training to lose weight, get in shape, tone up (whatever you want to call it) and not for performance in a specific sport you are a bodybuilder too. Don’t like it? I’ll try to convince you of the opposite 😉 . Continue reading “Six good reasons why you should do bodybuilding”

What About Saturated Fats?

Picking cherries for science.

It’s hard for me to realise, but it’s 2018 and people are still afraid of saturated fat in their diet. But recently I had a “discussion” with a nutritionist and it showed me that recent efforts in debunking the myth of saturated fats increasing your blood cholesterol level and therefore killing you, were fruitless. Even worse, a discussion quickly turns into a religious battle, where any counterarguments are quickly turned aside with the accusation of “cherry-picking” studies, leaving my wondering if they even wonder if they are the ones cherry-picking. So, let’s take a closer look on this highly controversial topic and let the cherry-picking begin 😉 ! Continue reading “What About Saturated Fats?”

To Flex Or Not To Flex: Keeping Your Spine Healthy

Will rounding your back kill you?

Posture and form for everyday movements and during exercise got a lot of attention over the last years. Depending on whom you listen, you get a wide array of statements. From “it doesn’t matter” to “don’t do this, you will die” you will find someone from each camp defending his beliefs almost religiously. I want to give you a quick and easy understandable summary of what science has to say about the controversial topic of flexing your lumbar spine. Continue reading “To Flex Or Not To Flex: Keeping Your Spine Healthy”