Cutting Calories BOOSTS Memory Power!

Today’s Re-Powering information – It’s obvious that at the end of the day calories matter. I have been preaching about the quality of the calories more than the quantity. If you are going to over eat, I would rather you over eat organic chicken vegetable soup than chicken wings and fried mozzarella sticks. They have a different effect on your body – even if the calories are the same. The natural food is easier to digest, metabolize and does not leave foreign toxins behind. Studies have shown that those who consume fewer calories live longer and have less disease. That stands to reason as over feeding causes inflammation and obesity. IT’s also rare that people are over feeding on salad. They are more likely to overfeed on pastries, fried foods and other fast foods which are artery clogging and lead to other diseases such as heart disease and diabetes.

Cutting calories not only leads to fast loss and improved health, a new study shows it also boosts memory so strive to eat for your physiology rather than your emotions or out of habit.

Cutting calories boosts memory

The volunteers had to limit their calorie intake
Reducing what you eat by nearly a third may improve memory, according to German researchers.
They introduced the diet to 50 elderly volunteers, then gave them a memory test three months later.
The study, reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal, found significant improvements. However, a dietician said the reduction could harm health unless care was taken. To our knowledge, the current results provide first experimental evidence in humans that caloric restriction improves memory in the elderly

Munster University researchers
There is growing interest in the potential benefits of calorie restricted diets, after research in animals suggested they might be able to improve lifespan and delay the onset of age-related disease.
However, it is still not certain whether this would be the case in humans - and the the levels of "caloric restriction" involved are severe. The precise mechanism which may deliver these benefits is still being investigated, with theories ranging from a reduction in the production of "free radical" chemicals which can cause damage, to a fall in inflammation which can have the same result.

The researchers from the University of Munster carried out the human study after results in rats suggested that memory could be boosted by a diet containing 30% fewer calories than normal. The study volunteers, who had an average age of 60, were split into three groups - the first had a balanced diet containing the normal number of calories, the second had a similar diet but with a higher proportion of unsaturated fatty acids, such as those found in olive oil and fish. The final group were given the calorie restricted diet.
After three months, there was no difference in memory scores in the first two groups, but the 50 in the third group performed better.

Diet warning
They also showed other signs of physical improvement, with decreased levels of insulin and fewer signs of inflammation.The researchers said that these changes could explain the better memory scores, by keeping brain cells in better health.They wrote: "To our knowledge, the current results provide first experimental evidence in humans that caloric restriction improves memory in the elderly.
"The present findings may help to develop new prevention and treatment strategies for maintaining cognitive health into old age."However, care was taken to make sure that the volunteers, despite eating a restricted diet in terms of calories, carried on eating the right amount of vitamins and other nutrients.

Dr Leigh Gibson, from Roehampton University, said that the drop in insulin levels were one plausible reason why mental performance might improve.
The hormone was known to act on parts of the brain related to memory, he said, and the higher levels found in people with poorly controlled type II diabetes had been directly linked to worse memory and cognitive function.
A spokesman for the British Dietetic Association said that people, particularly those already at normal or low weight, should be "extremely careful" about attempting such a diet.
She said: "There is other evidence that, far from enhancing memory, dieting or removing meals can interfere with memory and brain function.
"A drop of 30% in calories is a significant one for someone who is not overweight, and should not be undertaken lightly.
"It could even be dangerous if the person is already underweight."

Fit in 15 Minutes! Try these great quickie workouts

A study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology in 2007 showed that men who did short workouts with rest periods in between burned more fat than those who did longer, more sustained workouts. In other words two fifteen minute workouts per day burns more fat than a single sustained thirty minute workout. In order to maximize fitness and fat burning, it’s important to exercise at a higher intensity during these shorter workouts. A slow fifteen minute walk is better than no exercise at all, however it would be more effective as a power interval work interspersing your fastest walking pace for a minute with a 30 second recovery at a slower pace. 

Shorter workouts throughout the day add up to significant health benefits.  Having several shorter workout bursts increases your after burn – the calories you burn after the session, because you get several metabolic boosts throughout the day.  For those without a lot of time or who are intimidated by a longer session or simply don’t have the stamina, shorter sessions are appealing, manageable and productive.

Some ideas for Quickie Workouts

Set up a circuit with 6 exercises.  Allow for a minute at each station with 30 seconds rest in between each exercise and repeat twice for an 18 minute fat blasting session.  Here are three sample workouts!

1.        Cardio – Jump rope, Jack touchdowns, high knees, butt kicks, side shuffle, jump shots,

2.       Strength – Pushups, squats, dips, lunges, sit ups, plank

3.       Cardio + Strength – Walking Lunges, Reverse Plank, jump squats, seated hold, sumo squats, squat jacks

Use one piece of equipment to keep the workout moving fast. Here are 3 examples:

1.        Fit ball (large ball) – sit ups, wall sits, pushups (feet on ball), leg drops (ball between feet when lying), lying hamstring curl with ball under heels, hamstring curl (ball under heels).

2.       Medicine ball – squats holding ball, overhead slams, sit-ups, push up pass, overhead press, seated elbow dip

3.       Exercise bar (body bar or any weighted bar) – squats, lunges, overhead press, chest press, curls, triceps extensions, roll ups

4.       Resistance bands with handles – squats, bicep curl, overhead press, triceps extension, lunges, rows, chest press, side rotations, side bends

Use an exercise video – these are convenient and you can choose a video that is of shorter duration or breaks the workouts down into segments that you perform in 15 – 20 minute intervals.

Invest in a piece of exercise equipment for your home.  If you have a bike, treadmill or elliptical trainer in the next room, you are much more likely to use it more often than at the gym.  You will use it even more if a TV is within sight.

Set your alarm for workout breaks throughout the day.  The alarm will remind you to get up for 15 minutes and do a power walk, get out the jump rope, climb the stairs at the office or perform your best dance or martial arts moves.    10 – 15 minutes can get your heart pounding and leave you feeling invigorated, accomplished and looking forward to the next bout!