More Couch Time = More Cookies, A Study Finds

Researchers have found out that there is a close link between bad lifestyle habits, as it’s very unlikely that you’ll have one without at least another one.
And that’s precisely what a recent study conducted at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine found out: people who spend too much time in front of the TV (or of the computer screen) are likely to dig more into a bag of cookies, chips or other unhealthy snacks.

An IronYou Breakfast

Many readers have asked me to post what my meals and snacks look like. I guess that just talking about it isn’t enough. So I’m gonna start with breakfast.
This is what I had this morning: a big “bowl” of green tea, a “shot” of organic pomegranate juice, a glass of pineapple juice, and - last but not least - a “rad” (and very pink) berry protein smoothie.

"I Eat Because I'm Depressed And I'm Depressed Because I Eat"

Have you ever watched the movie “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me”? If not, you should because it’s hilarious.
During movie, one of the villains named “Fat Bastard”, after having an emotional breakdown, tearfully confesses “I eat because I'm unhappy, and I'm unhappy because I eat. It's a vicious cycle. Now if you'll excuse me, there's someone I need to get in touch with and forgive: myself,"
This is one of the most famous quotes of the Austin Powers franchise and, today scientists affiliated with the University of Montreal Hospital Research Center and the university’s Faculty of Medicine, have found out, with a sophisticated neuroscience research, that there is actual truth behind that quote.

The Importance Of Adding Curcumin To Your Diet

We have already talked in the past of the magic wonders of turmeric, which are mainly due to its high curcumin content. And the more researchers dig into the properties of this compound, the more awesome stuff they found about it.
The newest findings have been made by researchers in the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University and published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, in collaboration with scientists from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark.
In this study researchers discovered that curcumin can cause a modest but measurable increase in levels of a protein that’s known to be important in the “innate” immune system, helping to prevent infection in humans.

Broccoli and Chickpea Vegan Patties

Sometimes you have to try and try and try recipes in order to perfect them. This was the case with these vegan patties. I took a recipe, tried it, good but not fantastic. Change it several times. Good but never amazing.
However, hard work and dedication always pay-off because at the 23rd attempt I succeeded.
This tested final version is rad.

Cardiac Arrest Risks During Marathons Are Pretty Low, A New Study Finds

It happens all the times, people hear that you’re into marathons or other endurance sports and they start telling you all sorts of scary stories about it.
Such as that one time when a guy died of heart attack while racing, or that other time when a woman that passed away during her sleep the night after the race. The (not so) implicit message being that engaging in a strenuous physical activity is a bad thing for your health.
My response to these - useless - remarks is that I’d rather die during a triathlon (or because of it) that sitting on the couch watching TV. End of the story.
However, not everybody can be that resolute. Especially newbies can be easily discouraged by such urban legends, and might start eventually wondering if participating in a marathon is a wise thing to do.
Time has come to put things straight, as a new research conducted at John Hopkins University School of Medicine has uncovered that a runner's risk of dying during, or soon after the race is very low; about .75 per 100,000. And this notwithstanding the fact that the number of participants in running endurance races has increased dramatically over the last decade.

Never Ever Give Up! (The Truly Inspiring Story Of Arthur Boorman)

This is one of those stories so inspiring and powerful, that it will have an impact on your life.

When I stumbled on it for the first time last night I almost couldn’t believe it. I watched the video over and over again.
This is the tale of American paratrooper Arthur Boorman, who returned injured from the Gulf War. One too many jumps led to chronic back and knee problems, and the doctors told him that he’d never walk again without assistance.
For 15 years Boorman believed them, and gained weight to 297 lbs because of inability to move.
But, at 47 years old, the US veteran discovered yoga in a newspaper article.
He started practising a particular sequence of non-impact yoga, and in just months he dropped an astonishing 140 lbs.
The improvements he made in a very short period of time have been so incredible that the Arthur-after is a complete different person from the Arthur-before.

This is proof that yoga (or, I would rather say, exercise in general) can be really the solution to many (if not all) problems.
People tend to forget this. It just takes some willpower and the real changes in life are just around the corner.
I honestly hope you’ll be inspired by this story in the same way I’ve been. Because it is truly amazing!

The Iron You

New Evidence Found That Resveratrol Prolongs Lifespan

A new research, conducted at Harvard Medical School, has found that the compound resveratrol (found in plants and food groups) helps prolonging lifespan and health-span by enhancing the activity of mitochondria, the cell’s energy supplier.
In layman’s terms, researchers find out that resveratrol enhances cells metabolism, and that’s a very good thing for your health.

When You Eat Is As Important As What You Eat!

We always focus on what we’re eating but when it comes to weight gain, according to a recent study reported in the Cell Press journal Cell Metabolism, when we eat might be just as important.
Scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have found that regular eating times and extending the daily fasting period may override the adverse health effects of a high-fat diet and prevent obesity, diabetes and liver disease in mice.

The Reason I Want To Stay Healthy

How many times have you been asked why you spend so much time and energy in being healthy? To me it happens so often that it's starting to annoying.
Well, this is my answer, simple yet very powerful.
Don’t you think?

The Iron You

Water Should Always Be Your Drink Of Choice When Eating

Sodas, wine, beer, tea, juice are some of the drink options you have when sitting at the table to eat, but if you really want to be healthy your drink of choice should be always (and only) water.
Why? Because according to a new study on the role of food-and-drink pairings, drinking water makes a real difference when it comes to making food choices.

Intervals, Not Only Useful But Also Fun!

Two days ago I talked how important is to go long and not just to concentrate on high intensity training. I just realized I might have given the impression that I don’t believe/like intervals, and I feel the need to readdress that.
Truth to be told, I love intervals. They make for a good 30% of my training routine.
Interval training has been used by runner for years to build speed, endurance and, in general, better fitness.
They combine short, high intensity bursts of speed, with slow, recovery phases, repeated during one exercise session.
One of the greatest advantages of intervals is that it works both the aerobic and the anaerobic system. And it leads to many physiological changes such as an increase in cardiovascular efficiency and an increased tolerance to the build-up of lactic acid.
The results? Improved performance, greater speed, and endurance.
But that’s not it. According to a recent research conducted at John Moores University in Liverpool, UK, intervals makes to training process much more enjoyable.

White Bean Protein Bundt Cake

Do you know the feeling when you come across a recipe and you instinctively know that it’s great one?
Well that was the case for me when I first saw the White Bean Bundt Cake recipe on JoytheBaker.
I never thought in my life that it would have been possible to bake a cake from beans (I know, how provincial of me).
Also, I never thought it would be possible that the resulting cake would actually taste unbelievably good.
Finally, I never thought that I could manage not only to bake that cake but also to made few tweaks to make it more IronYou proof.
But no matter what I thought because this protein cake is R-A-D!

Why Going Long Is Still A Valid Training

A new fad is sweeping the triathlon and running communities.
Athletes and coaches are moving away from “long slow distance” workouts in their training plans in favor of shorter, more intense workouts of the “P90X” or “Crossfit” variety.
While I think there is a lot of value to exercising at a high intensity workouts; I still believe that there are a few good reasons or situations to go long and steady if you’re planning on doing triathlons, long distance runs, other endurance discipline or if you just want to know yourself a bit better.

Three Really Bad Eating Habits

There are many bad eating habits out there, but three of them make the top of my list: portion distortion, distracted eating, and skipping meals.
I personally don’t know if one is worst than the other.
Truth is, if you have any of those three you better make sure to break them as soon as you can, because they might compromise your health!

There Are No Excuses For Not Training Today!

It’s not always easy to find the motivation to train. To me that happens especially the day after I had an awesome workout.
Today is one of those days. Yesterday I pedaled 60k on the bike, and afterwards I ran 10k in an impressive time of 37:46 minutes. At the end I was exhausted but uber satisfied.
This morning I woke up and instead of going swimming as scheduled, I just chilled. I thought to myself that yesterday’s training had been so rad that I deserved to rest a little bit more.

Spending Too Much Time Behind The Wheel Is Bad For Your Health

If you think about it, it’s actually pretty intuitive. If you sit in a car for a long time it’s bad for your health. I always thought so. I mean, if it’s bad to sit in an office chair for too long, the same should apply if you sit behind a wheel for too long. Am I right?
But, until recently, the impact of prolonged driving were not totally understood. A new study has found that greater commuting distances are associated with decreased cardiorespiratory fitness, increased weight, and other indicators of metabolic risk.

Running In The Rain

When it’s pouring down there’s no one around. You’re running on your own. All noises disappear but for the sound of the raindrops falling on the ground, giving you the right pace.
When it’s pouring down and you’re running through the rain, there’s satisfaction in knowing you’re out there and the others aren’t!



The Iron You

Is HDL Cholesterol Really "The Good Guy"?

Until today I knew that there were two different kinds of cholesterol, a “good” one (HDL) and a “bad” one (LDL).
What really mattered was to keep an eye on the latter, “The Bad Guy”, responsible for health problems and cardiovascular diseases. While the former could be considered “The Good Guy”, thanks to its ability to remove cholesterol from within artery atheroma and transport it back to the liver for excretion or re-utilization.
In other words - to be healthy - we needed more HDL and less LDL: easy as that!
Unfortunately, as it often happens, things are not as black and white as one would want (and hope) to believe. And, as a matter of fact, a new study by Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), published online in the Journal of the American Heart Association, has found that there is a subclass of the "good" cholesterol (HDL), that does not protect against coronary heart disease and may, instead, be harmful.

A Diet Rich In Omega-3 Fatty Acids Foods May Lower Risk of Alzheimer's Disease

Being a Columbia University Alumnus, I like to give evidence to studies conducted at the institution where I studied. I might be biased, but who’s not when it comes to your Alma Mater?
Anyway, in this study, Nikolaos Scarmeas, MD, MS, with Columbia University Medical Center in New York and a member of the American Academy of Neurology, and his team, found that a diet rich in foods that contain omega-3 fatty acids (such as nuts, fish and chicken) may be associated with lower blood levels of a protein that is related to Alzheimer’s disease and memory problems.

Be Healthy To Reduce Cancer Risks

I recently took a class in Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of Gastronomic Sciences. We focused on the links between nutrition and degenerative diseases such as cancer, diabetes and Alzheimer disease.
I  was utterly fascinated by the topic, in particular by the inextricable link between food and cancer.
How cancer can be related to food? Are there ways to prevent it just by following a correct diet? And how exercise falls into the equation?
The answers to these questions are much simpler than one might think!

What is Cancer?

According to the American Cancer Society, cancer is a group of diseases characterized by uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells. If the spread is not controlled, it can ultimately results in death.
About 1,638,910 new cancer cases are expected to be diagnosed in 2012. And sadly, about 577,190 Americans are expected to die of cancer, which is more than 1,500 people a day. Cancer is the second most common cause of death in the US, exceeded only by heart disease, accounting for nearly 1 every 4 deaths.

Crunchy Nut-Raisin Granola Bars

Munching a granola bar during training it’s one of the best things in the world. They're crunchy, delicious, and packed with energy that can propel you throughout your routine. 
Granola bars are evidence that sportman also enjoy a good snack, it’s not only about sweat and tears.  
I have to confess, I’ve tried almost all granola bars available on the market, and I have some favorites.
However, there’s nothing quite like making your own. My absolute favorite homemade granola bar is this Crunchy Nut-Raisin bar.

Wanna Live Longer? Regular Jogging Shows Dramatic Increase In Life Expectancy

Wanna live longer? Then you should give jogging a go.
Why? Because undertaking regular jogging increases the life expectancy of men by 6.2 years and women by 5.6 years, according to the latest data from the Copenhagen City Heart study presented at the EuroPRevent2012 meeting, in Ireland.
Peter Schnohr, MD, who is chief cardiologist of the Copenhagen City Heart Study, revealed that the study most recent analysis (still unpublished) shows that jogging at a “slow or average” pace, as little as 20 minutes, three times a week delivers optimum benefits for longevity.

Female = Ironman

This post is dedicated to all our women readers.
When we started TheIronYou we thought that this blog would have been much more appealing to a male audience than a female one.
Well, we were pretty wrong. Today we have lots of women readers, probably even more than men. And this post is our way to thank y’all for that!



As you can see you girls have a clear advantage on us, because you’re already an Ironman to start with. We, instead, have to do so much in order to become one!

The Iron You

May Workout Playlist

With summer just few weeks away, it’s time to hit the gym if you want to get beach ready. And there’s nothing better than to train with May workout playlist playing on your iPod!

You Can Eat Whatever You Want As Long As You Workout: True Or False?

There's a popular belief postulating that you can eat anything you want as long as you exercise and burn those calories off.

Spice Up Broccoli To Further Enhance Its Cancer-Fighting Power

We have discussed several times how broccoli are a wonder food. Probably one of the best foods around. Packed with vitamins, antioxidants, precious minerals, etc.
Broccoli is considered THE quintessential health food, and for a reason.
But do you know that there’s a way to even further enhance its powers? According to a study conducted at University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences teaming fresh broccoli with a spicy food that contains the enzyme myrosinase significantly enhances each food's individual cancer-fighting power, and ensures that absorption takes place in the upper part of the digestive system where you'll get the maximum health benefit.
Spiced broccoli: that’s the way to go!