The Water Trick (aka Are You Hungry Or Just Thirsty?)

Especially for those of you out there trying to lose weight, this trick can prove to be really helpful.
It is known that most people mistake low-level thirst for low-level hunger.
Try this: when you’re feeling hungry (and it’s not breakfast, lunch or dinner time), drink a glass of water and only if you’re still hungry after 20 minutes later then maybe it’s time to think about eating. Truth is, half the time you were just thirsty.

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.

Happy Birthday To TheIronYou!!!!

Yes, we’ve made it, TheIronYou is 1 year old. I have to confess I’m really feeling like a proud parent. When I registered the domain exactly a year ago on a lazy Sunday night while my roommates were watching Harry Potter, I couldn’t imagined that we would have come this far.
How far we’re talking? Well, let’s say we’re onto something.
The original idea in my mind was to put down into words what we do everyday day in our lives (exercise, nutrition, healthy choices, etc...) as a constant reminder for ourselves to stay on path and, if possible, maybe as a source of inspiration for the others.
I remember talking to a friend of mine about it and saying: “If we get to inspire just one person than the job is done!”
And we have probably succeeded because I am myself much better off today than I was year ago: I have acquired much more knowledge and experience on leading a healthy life and that is, per se, just enough.
However, we have reached so much that I want to share some of our “achievements” with all of you.

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

Want A Six-Pack? You Need To Lower Your Body Fat!

Some readers have asked me lately some tips how to achieve a six-pack like the A&Fitch models. I was not very keen on writing about this as I find it a bit trivial. To me training and exercising are just a way to improve my performance in triathlons and, moreover, a way to lead a balanced and healthy life.
Of course, alongside with exercising comes not only health but also good looks, that’s the bonus of getting in good shape.
However, I don’t believe in hitting the gym just to show off at the beach in summertime. Don’t get me wrong, even if I don’t particularly support the motives, I still appreciate more somebody that goes to the gym (and does something good for him) to a potato couch that eats a pint of ice-cream while watching TV every night.
Having said that I’m gonna give you my two-cents on how to achieve a billboard proof six-pack!

Brown Rice: Soak It Before Cooking

Today we’re talking about my beloved brown rice. As an athlete brown rice makes it to many of my meals as it’s an important source of proteins, complex carbs and the precious fiber. But that’s not all that brown rice nutrition facts has to offer. One cup of brown rice scores just 2 grams of fat (including omegas-3 and 6 fatty acids), no cholesterol and just 10mg of sodium. You can be sure you’re getting nothing but nutrients with every spoonful.
I was happy all along with my brown rice until one day my colleague Sohyoung told me that you can even get more out of it. She said that if you soak in room-temperature water it overnight before cooking the rice will germinate and as a consequence release a number of precious nutrients.
Sohyoung knows what she’s talking about so I took her advice and looked into that.

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!

No Carbs After 8pm....

This is one of the golden rules I stick to religioulsy in my life: no carbs after 8pm.
And with carbs I mean all kind of carbs: whole, refined, sugar and also fruits. Don’t get me wrong, I do believe that fruits are among the building blocks of all healthy diets but alongside with their goodness they’re packed with fructose, probably the best kind of sugar around, but not one I like to spend my nights with.
Having said that my friends are always questioning my choice thus today I want to get things straight, once and for all.

November Workout Playlist

November workout playlist in collaboration with RunHundred.com

The Greater Good Movie: Please Watch To Learn About The Dangers Of Vaccines

I have to thank Anthony at rawmodel.com for signaling this. “The Greater Good” is a movie about the Vaccine war that is going on in the US. If you are a parent or know parents do recommend to watch this.

As we always stress on TheIronYou you need knowledge in order to make informed decisions.
And when it come to vaccines and to our children we know too little and the risks are just too high!
“The film looks behind the fear, hype and politics that polarize people into emotionally charged pro-vaccine or anti-vaccine camps with no room for middle ground. Verite stories of individuals and their families, whose lives have been forever changed by vaccine choices, interwoven with interviews from leading experts in the field, will re-frame the vaccine debate and offer, for the first time, the opportunity to have a rational, scientific and factual discussion on how to create a more effective vaccine program in America today1."