health – Page 2 – Beary Strong

Alcohol in a Health Conscious Lifestyle

Alcohol throws an additional challenge to people aiming for fat loss or even “just” transitioning to a healthier lifestyle, because – as usual- there are lots of myths surrounding it. From “it completely impairs fat loss” to “you should drink red wine every day to live longer” you will find everything. Let’s have a closer look to it.

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.

About diet variety

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.

Artificial Sweeteners: The Not So Bitter Truth

Sweeteners have an overall bad reputation probably because of the word “artificial” in it, which makes them “unnatural” and therefore somehow intrinsically bad. Bad researched articles in mainstream media makes the whole story even more complicated: sweeteners cause cancer, are the cause of obesity, neurotoxicity and increase cravings, they say. But is it true? Let’s have a closer look at what the current research says.

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!

Six Good Reasons Why You Should Do Bodybuilding

…and why you are actually a bodybuilder without knowing it.

My first approach to a gym was as a couple of years after moving to Vienna in 2005: I wanted to do something for my physique and since the only sport I was doing was horse-riding, 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 😉 .

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.

Foodies Welcome

Why being a foodie will help you getting fit.

Being a foodie can be a blessing when you are dieting. However, many people cannot imagine this being an advantage. You instantly think about all the delicious, extremely energy dense, highly palatable foods that will be most likely be a no-go for a long time to come. Sure, your diet will have to change if you want to change your body, but this process doesn’t have to suck. How is that even possible? I’m glad you asked! Read on, embrace your foodie-ism and delve in.

What You Should Know About Nutrition

Common myths, misconceptions and frequently asked questions.

Fitness, health and nutrition media is notoriously full of misinformation, misinterpretation and outright lies. Too many interests collide, forming an asteroid field of poor guidelines, health myths and misunderstood science. With this article I want you to be able to filter out this noise and get a better picture of what really matters.

The Most Important Factor In Training

Questions to ask yourself when setting up your training.

“Conan, what is most important in training?” I think Arnold would put his sword aside, take a deep look into your eyes and answer with: “Sustainability!” Not very exciting, right? Perhaps it helps if you play the Conan soundtrack while reading this. But still, the ability to work out week after week, month over month, year after year without having to pause or suffering any set backs, is of great importance. It allows you to build constant forward momentum and this is where the magic happens. So, how do you achieve this?