A friend of mine, whom I met in Hikkaduwa in Sri Lanka, asked me to help him with a complete training program, for the entire body. I did so and have also included general diet guidelines.
Anyone can find it here: Training and diet program
Tag Archives: #Health
Is it healthy to be on a diet?
For some time ago someone in my extended family told me – like it was some sort of truth – that it is unhealthy to lose a lot of body fat. The very same person also stressed that I do not look healthy sometimes. This is not something new: some normal people have their opinions about fitness, both the muscles and the dieting phase, and the critique can be more or less misguided. Here is my brief answer to that kind of assertions.
First of all, is the person natural? If the person is natural and does not use PED (performance-enhancing drugs) then it is healthy in that regard. Secondly, what is the person eating? If the person is eating properly and includes all the macronutrients (proteins, fats and carbohydrates) and micronutrients (vitamines, minerals etc.) and drinks proper amounts of water then it is even more healthy, and probably better than what most people eat and drink (including those fitness people who are currently not on a diet and thus consume more crap food). Thirdly, which phase of the diet are we talking about? If your body fat percentage is as low as, let’s say, 4%, or even lower, well then it is not healthy. But everything above that benchmark should be considered healthy. For girls and women, one should probably add about 10%: hence, everything below 15% is not healthy, but until that point it is. Thus it is more healthy for a female person to have 22% of body fat than 34%. Dieting is a process and it is only certain extreme phases or levels that might be somewhat detrimental for a person’s well-being.
People have to stop thinking in terms of black or white, and instead think of physical fitness more in terms of a spectrum with certain extremes that ought to be avoided. Physical fitness – when it hinges upon proper amounts of training and nutrition – can in many cases, but not always, overlap a healthy lifestyle. For most people, in most phases of dieting, it is most likely healthy to be on a proper diet with the goal to lose body fat.
Healthy and aesthetic
Obesity around the world – where and why?
It is interesting to look at obesity rates for men, women, girls and boys around the globe. The differences between countries and their populations are striking and more or less pronounced, with poor places such as Ethiopia, Niger, Chad and Mali (about 2% obesity for women), and rich countries such as Japan and South Korea at one side of the spectrum (about 4% obesity for women), and a variety of emerging markets such as Mexico, South Africa, Turkey, Algeria, Kazakhstan and Venezuela, and wealthy nations such as The U.S., Great Britain, Saudi Arabia (50%!), Australia, New Zeeland and Finland on the opposite side. But why?
Red = most obese
Turquoise = least obese
The reason for these patterns is most likely that in really poor countries, virtually no one can afford to be fat – food sources are scarce. That is true for not just a large part of Sub-Saharan Africans but also a significant share of people who inhabit nations like India and China. With regard to the two last-mentioned countries – with the two largest populations in the entire world – their middle-classes are growing in parallel with economic and material development, and their shirt sizes as well. However, it will take a while before an even larger share of people can afford easy accessible food supplies. Many are still too poor to be (over-)fed. Hence, we can expect higher obesity rates in many emerging markets, although beauty ideals and collectivistic cultural patterns may hold Chinese people – especially women – back.
In wealthy East Asian states like Japan and South Korea on the other hand, the dietary habits and beauty ideals are very distinct. People are also more collectivistic and in-group oriented than Western people. Japanese and Koreans – both sexes – eat some degree of unhealthy foodstuffs but do nevertheless keep themselves in check. This is how beautiful women in general should look, according to the current standards.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5rMYc2PDro
In emerging markets on the other hand, a significant share of people can nowadays afford regular food and it has gradually become more accessible. Some products may of course be too expensive, but red meat, poultry, bread, sauce, sugar, rice, cereals, etcetera can be afforded. The same is obviously the case for rich OECD countries like The U.S., U.K., Australia, New Zeeland, Finland etcetera, and the combination of cultural individualism and relative fat acceptance can explain the current – more or less pronounced – obesity rates in these countries.
The outlier Saudi Arabia can be explained due to the fact that it is rich and that most women do not partake in regular physical exercise, and overall not nearly to the same extent as Western women. A huge share just stay home – often dressed in niqab – and eat, I guess. Similar national-cultural patterns are to be found in other Arab-Muslim countries, such as Egypt and Iraq, but the poorer share of inhabitants decrease the total obesity rate, making Saudi Arabia the most extreme in this respect. Plus, the Wahhabi doctrine magnifies the radical denunciation of female influence and activity in both public and private.
The Okinawan diet
Okinawa is the name of a Japanese prefecture, a particular island, and sometimes also referred to as a group of subtropical islands in the Japanese south. (However, some of these islands should correctly and more specifically be labelled the Ryukyu Islands.)
Besides from being beautiful, the Okinawa region is known for its density of centenarians, i.e. those who have lived 100 years or more, and this palpable phenomenon’s interrelationship to a healthy diet and lifestyle. Hence, the Okinawan diet, a term that has become quite well-known in the Western world as well.
In this post, I will briefly examine this particular diet, and describe the extent to which it might be followed strictly or at least significantly influence one’s own particular dietary habits. Moreover, I will explain how it can be modified in order to correspond more optimally to a fitness and bodybuilding lifestyle and diet. I will have the research article “The Okinawan Diet: Health Implications of a Low-Calorie, Nutrient-Dense, Antioxidant-Rich Dietary Pattern Low in Glycemic Load” as a point of departure and reference.
The article’s abstract tells us:
Residents of Okinawa, the southernmost prefecture of Japan, are known for their long average life expectancy, high numbers of centenarians, and accompanying low risk of age-associated diseases. Much of the longevity advantage in Okinawa is thought to be related to a healthy lifestyle, particularly the traditional diet, which is low in calories yet nutritionally dense, especially with regard to phytonutrients in the form of antioxidants and flavonoids. Research suggests that diets associated with a reduced risk of chronic diseases are similar to the traditional Okinawan diet, that is, vegetable and fruit heavy (therefore phytonutrient and antioxidant rich) but reduced in meat, refined grains, saturated fat, sugar, salt, and full-fat dairy products. Many of the characteristics of the diet in Okinawa are shared with other healthy dietary patterns, such as the traditional Mediterranean diet or the modern DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet. Features such as the low levels of saturated fat, high antioxidant intake, and low glycemic load in these diets are likely contributing to a decreased risk for cardiovascular disease, some cancers, and other chronic diseases through multiple mechanisms, including reduced oxidative stress.
It is notable that contemporary Okinawans in general – much like many other populations in the industrialized world – have started to eat more Western-style and thus consume more salt, sugar, meat and processed fats. Thus it is the traditional Okinawan diet that has health benefits, since it consists of nutrients – (particularly potassium, magnesium, vitamin C, and carotenoids) and fiber – that seem to be what the sweet potato in particular contains in abundance. Other important nutrients from the sweet potato are vitamin A, B, B6 and E.
Westerners in general and Americans in particular ought to be influenced by the Okinawan diet at the expense of typical American/Western foodstuffs such as red meat, sugar, high-GI carbohydrates and processed and saturated fats. The dietary habits of humans are more or less linked to cardiovascular diseases and certain forms of cancer, and to eat more properly is one important dimension in that respect:
Based on dietary intake data or evidence of public health problems the USDA indicates that many adults lack sufficient amounts of dietary fiber, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and the antioxidant vitamins A (as carotenoids), C, and E [2]. At the same time, the USDA reports that in general, Americans consume too many calories and too much saturated and trans fats, cholesterol, sugar, and salt [2]. Moreover, overconsumption of foods that are calorie-dense, nutritionally poor, highly processed, and rapidly absorbable can lead to systemic inflammation, reduced insulin sensitivity, and a cluster of metabolic abnormalities, including obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and glucose intolerance (commonly known as metabolic syndrome), affecting about one third of Americans and an increasingly serious problem in virtually all developed nations.
Besides from low calories and sweet potato consumption, other ingredients and foodstuffs, such as mugwort, seaweed and fennel, have health benefits, and thus blurr the distinction between food and medicine:
The distinction between food and medicine blurs in Okinawa, with commonly consumed ‘‘herbs’’ such as fuchiba (mugwort), kandaba (sweet potato leaves), ichoba (fennel), aasa (green seaweed), ngana (bitter leaf), and others utilized as both foods and medicine. All contain powerful antioxidants, with high amounts of carotene and other antioxidant properties (aasa seaweed has close to 9000 mg of carotene per 100 g)
Overall, the Okinawan diet is more related to wellness than fitness. However, with a combination of typical traditional Okinawan foodstuffs, and more calories from eggs, fish, chicken and low fat dairy products (quark and cottage cheese), it is possible to synthesize a fitness diet that has both physiological and aesthetic benefits.
My particular version of ‘fitness pancakes’
The Internet is brimming with fitness and wellness recipes, such as various ‘healthy pancakes’ and deserts. I am not sure about the extent to which I will contribute in this respect, but here is nevertheless one instance of something tasty and healthy that I eat on a regular basis: fitness pancakes, or rather my own particular version of them.
One takes a whole banana, three whole eggs, crush and mix them in a bowl so that they become a paste than one can fry in a frying pan (preferably with coconut oil, but rapeseed oil is okay too) on a medium temperature. The paste will probably make up two medium-size pancakes.
When these are ready after a couple of minutes and put on a plate: add about 100 grams of’ ‘garden berries’ (trädgårdsbär – a blend of blue berries, raspberries, red currants and black berries), 100 grams of cottage cheese (1,5% fat), and a small portion of minced cinnamon as flavoring. This meal consists of about 700 calories and can be eaten as both breakfast, lunch or dinner, as a regular meal or desert.
Internet är till brädden fyllt av diverse fitness- och wellnessrecept, till exempel olika slags efterrätter och “nyttiga pannkakor”. Jag vet inte riktigt i vilken jag utsträckning som jag själv ämnar bidra i detta avseende, men här är i alla fall mina specifika fitnesspannkakor.
Man tar tre hela ägg och en banan och mosar och vispar ihop dem till en något så när flytande, men troligtvis alltjämt lite klumpig smet, steker den på medelhög temperatur, företrädesvis i kokosolja (rapsolja går också bra), till dess att den blir till två stycken pannkakor.
Därefter adderar man cirka 100 gram frysta, men givetvis mer eller mindre upptinade, trådgårdsbär, cirka 100 gram keso, samt strör lite kanel ovanpå. Ungefär 700 kalorier allt som allt. Detta går att äta både som frukost, lunch eller middag, som vanligt mål eller dessert.
Body and Brains – self-test
The main idea behind this post is to offer a self-test with regard to one’s level of body and brains, i.e. how smart and knowledgeable one is, and the physical level one has reached. To reiterate myself, it is thus not a question of either/or but to constitute a more or less complete personal synthesis.
Needless to say, this test and all of its ten questions hinge on a construct and is partly based on arbitrary or personal preferences, but its various components – which are reflected in the different questions and their respective answer alternatives – are based on both science and sound reflections. Many of these topics or sub-topics have also been elaborated in earlier blog posts, such as this one (about the importance of traveling for personal development) and this one (about general strength and endurance statistics). Notice that all strength statistics are based on strict and full-range movements.
The most difficult part has been to distinguish between different academic fields and subjects in relationship to a relevant international university ranking. The main point, though, is to take into account the current inflation of university ceritifications, degrees and diplomas and to be self-critical in this respect. And it is implied that one can largely or at least partly compensate the lack of a high-value degree with extensive reading of books.
1. How much can you squat?
Less than 1 x one’s particular body weight: 0p
1-sligthly less than 1,5 x one’s particular body weight: 1p
1,5-slightly less than 2x one’s particular body weight: 2p
2 or more than x one’s body weight: 3p
2. How much can you bench press?
Less than 1 x one’s particular body weight: 0p
1-slightly less than 1,25 x one’s particular body weight: 1p
1,25-slightly less than 1,5 x one’s particular body weight: 2p
1,5 or more x than one’s body weight: 3p
3. How much can you dead lift?
Male:
Less than 1,5 x one’s particular body weight: 0p
1,5-slightly less than 2 x one’s particular body weight: 1p
2-slightly less than 2,5 x one’s particular body weight: 2p
2,5 or more x than one’s body weight: 3p
Female:
Less than 1,25 x one’s particular body weight: 0p
1,25-slightly below 1,5 x one’s particular body weight: 1p
1,5-slightly below 2 x one’s particular body weight: 2p
2 or more x than one’s body weight: 3p
4. How many strict, wide-gripped chin-ups can you do?
Male:
0-9: 0p
10-14: 1p
15-19: 2p
20 or more: 3p
Female:
0-5: 0p
6-9: 1p
10-14: 2p
15 or more: 3p
5. How fast do you run three (3) kilometers on a regular all-weather running track?
Male:
15 minutes or more: 0p
14:59-13:00: 1p
12:59:-12:00: 2p
11:59 or less: 3p
Female:
16 minutes or more: 0p
15:59-14:00: 1p
13:59:-13:00: 2p
12:59 or less: 3p
6. What is your current level of educational achievement?
Upper-secondary school, diploma/certificate outside of a university context, various university courses and/or unfinished educational programs (regardless of university ranking), or a bachelor’s or master’s degree in the social sciences at a university out of the top 100 world ranking: 0p
Bachelor’s or master’s degree in the social sciences or humanities at a top 51-100 ranked university, bachelor’s or master’s degree in science, law, psychology or medicine from a 101-200 ranked university, phD in the social sciences or humanities from a 100-200 ranked university, or two Bachelor’s degrees or master’s degrees in the social sciences or humanities from a 50-100 ranked university: 1p
Bachelor’s or master’s degree in the social sciences or humanities from a top 50-11 ranked university, bachelor’s or master’s degree in science, law, psyhchology or medicine from a 100-51 ranked university, or a PhD from a 11-50 ranked university: 2p
Bachelor’s or master’s degree in social sciences or humanities from a top a top-ten ranked university, bachelor’s or master’s degree in science, law (법학 in Korean), psychology or medicine frm 11-50 ranked university, PhD, regardless of subject, from a 11-50 ranked university, hired docent, senior lecturer or professor at a 11-50 ranked university: 3p
7. How many novels and/or academic works have you read in their respective entirety during the last twelve (12) months?
0-9: 0p
10-19: 1p
20-49: 2p
50 or more: 3p
8. How many novels and/or academic works have you read in their respective entirety during your entire life?
0-99: 0p
100-200: 1p
200-499: 2p
500 or more: 3p
9. How many countries have you ever visited?
0-9: 0p
10-20: 1p
21-50: 2p
50 or more: 3p
10. How much time have you, in total, stayed abroad?
Less than six months: 0p
Six months up to slightly less than a year: 1p
One-two years: 2p
More than two years: 3p
0-10 points
You will probably need to work hard on your physical and intellectual development. If it seems impossible to earn a decent university degree – perhaps due to one’s particular personal situation – then focus on to visit both the gym and the library often and on a regular basis. Of course, changes in nutritional habits, and consequently loss of fat-weight, may also be important when it comes to physical development. Be active and patient at the same time.
It might also be the case that you are quite young and at some point within a larger personal process. If so, do not give up and continue in the right direction.
11-20 points
On the physical and intellectual continuum, you are somewhere in between and may have to decide if you want to keep improve (or perhaps work hard on maintenance) or continue to be – let us be honest – quite mediocre. If you are at the upper level, you have done a decent job already and are hopefully heading in the right direction.
21-25 points
You are indeed a physically able intellectual, or perhaps rather a quite intellectual fitness person, and can be proud of your progress so far. It might be the case that you do not have to develop even further, but perhaps a little more progress in one or even both of these respects is what you need in order to be or to feel more complete as a person.
26-30 points
You are one of those few individuals who have experienced large part of the world and for more extensive periods of time, earned a higher and prestigious degree at a top-ranked university, and in parallel with this do also have a high-class physique, both strength- and endurance-wise. Regardless of how your more exact socio-economic and personal situation is at the moment – there are, of course, other important things in life besides body and brains – you can be very proud of your achievements and development.
Huvudpoängen med detta inlägg är att erbjuda ett självtest som mäter ens grad av fysisk och intellektuell förmåga, vilket som bekant är en del av denna bloggs koncept och min egen livsfilosofi.
Det är givetvis svårt att konstruera “objektiva” tester som täcker in mycket av det som är väsentligt och samtidigt får med nyanser och gradskillnader, men jag har gjort mitt bästa, och mycket av detta bygger vidare på det jag har skrivit tidigare om till exempel vikten av att resa mycket och läsa mer utmanande litteratur för att utvecklas, samt att utgå från rimliga fysiska krav som (delvis) är anpassade efter vikt och kön.
Det svåraste har varit att göra rimliga avvägningar när det gäller universitetsutbildningsnivå, men poängen är att ta hänsyn till den inflation av utbildningar och examina som förekommer och att vara självkritisk i det avseendet. Som kompensation för en eventuell låg poäng i det avseendet kan man ha läst väldigt mycket litteratur, både inom ramarna för universitetsstudier och/eller på egen hand.
1. Hur mycket lyfter du i knäböj?
Kille/man:
Mindre än 1 x den egna kroppsvikten: 0p
1-1,5 x den egna kroppsvikten: 1p
1,5-strax under 2x den egna kroppsvikten: 2p
2 eller mer x än den egna kroppsvikten: 3P
Tjej/kvinna:
Mindre än 0,75 x den egna kroppsvikten: 0p
0,75-strax under 1 x den egna kroppsvikten: 1p
1-strax under 1,25 x den egna kroppsvikten: 2p
1,25 eller mer än x den egna kroppsvikten: 3p
2. Hur mycket lyfter du i bänkpress?
Kille/man:
Mindre än 1 x den egna kroppsvikten: 0p
1-strax under 1,25 x den egna kroppsvikten: 1p
1,25-strax under 1,5 x den egna kroppsvikten: 2p
1,5 eller mer x den egna kroppsvikten: 3p
Tjej/kvinna:
Mindre än 0,75 x den egna kroppsvikten: 0p
0,75-strax under 1 x den egna kroppsvikten: 1p
1-1,25 x den egna kroppsvikten: 2p
1,25 eller mer x den egna kroppsvikten: 3p
3. Hur mycket lyfter du i marklyft?
Kille/man:
Mindre än 1,5 x den egna kroppsvikten: 0p
1,5-strax under 1,75 x den egna kroppsvikten: 1p
1,5-strax under 2 x den egna kroppsvikten: 2p
2 eller mer x den egna kroppsvikten: 3p
Tjej/kvinna:
Mindre än 1 x den egna kroppsvikten: 0p
1-strax under 1,25 x den egna kroppsvikten: 1p
1,25-strax under 1,5 x den egna kroppsvikten: 2p
1,5 eller mer x den egna kroppsvikten: 3p
4. Hur många strikta chin-ups med brett grepp kan du göra?
Kille/man:
0-9: 0p
10-14: 1p
15-19: 2p
20 eller fler: 3p
Tjej/kvinna:
0-5: 0p
6-19: 1p
10-14: 2p
15 eller fler: 3p
5. Hur snabbt springer du tre (3) kilometer på en vanlig löparbana?
Kille/man:
15 minuter eller mer: 0p
14:59-13:00: 1p
12:59:-12:00: 2p
11:59 eller mindre: 3p
Tjej/kvinna:
16 minuter eller mer: 0p
15:59-14:00: 1p
13:59:-13:00: 2p
12:59 eller mindre: 3p
6. Vilken är din nuvarande akademiska utbildningsnivå?
Gymnasieutbildning, diplom/certifikat utanför ett universitetssammanhang, högskole- eller universitetsstudier i samband med diverse oavslutade utbildningar eller kurser (oavsett universitetsranking), kandidatexamen eller masterexamen i samhällsvetenskapliga ämnen eller humaniora vid ett topp 101-200-universitet på internationell rankinglista: 0p
Kandidat- eller masterexamen i samhällsvetenskapliga ämnen eller humaniora vid ett 51–100-rankat universitet, kandidat- eller masterexamen i naturvetenskapligt ämne, juridik, psykologi, eller medicin vid ett 101-200-rankat universitet, PhD i samhällsvetenskapligt ämne eller humaniora vid ett 101-200-rankat universitet: 1p
Kandidat- eller masterexamen i samhällsvetenskapliga ämnen eller humaniora vid ett 100-51-rankat universitet, kandidat- eller masterexamen i naturvetenskapligt ämne, juridik, psykologi, eller medicin vid ett 51-100-rankat lärosäte, PhD i samhällsvetenskapligt ämne eller humaniora vid ett 51-100-rankat universitet, PhD i naturvetenskapligt ämne, juridik eller psykologi vid ett 101-200-rankat universitet: 2p
Kandidat- eller masterexamen i samhällsvetenskapliga ämnen eller humaniora vid ett topp-tio-rankat universitet, kandidat- eller masterexamen i naturvetenskapligt ämne, juridik, psykologi, eller medicin vid ett 11-50-rankat universitet, PhD i något ämne vid ett 11-50-rankat universitet, anställd docent eller professor vid 51-100-rankat universitet: 3p
7. Hur många hela romaner och/eller akademiska verk har du läst under de senaste tolv (12) månaderna?
0-9: 0p
10-19: 1p
20-49: 2p
50 eller fler: 3p
8. Hur många hela romaner och/eller akademiska verk har du läst under hela din livstid?
0-99: 0p
100-200: 1p
200-499: 2p
500 eller fler: 3p
9. Hur många länder har du vistats i?
0-9: 0p
10-20: 1p
21-50: 2p
50 eller fler: 3p
10. Hur mycket tid har du sammantaget tillbringat utomlands?
Mindre än sex månader: 0p
Sex månader till och med strax under ett år: 1p
Ett-två år: 2p
Mer än två år: 3p
0-10 poäng
Du måste förmodligen arbeta hårt för att utvecklas fysiskt och intellektuellt, i synnerhet om du är lite äldre – för ungas del kan det handla om att man bara har kommit en viss bit i en längre personlig utvecklingsprocess och bör fortsatta på den inslagna vägen. Om det av olika skäl verkar omöjligt att genomföra en gedigen universitetsutbildning, kan det vara lämpligt med många och regelbundna biblioteks- och gymbesök (och man kan även genomföra kurser som ger en, om än inte en helgjuten utbildning, högre grad av bildning och kunskap), och/eller bevista motionsspåret. Självklart kan det även vara väsentligt för många att förändra sina kostvanor och följaktligen minska sin underhudsfettvikt, vilket i sin tur tenderar att göra en både snabbare och starkare i förhållande till kroppsvikt. Det kan också vara relevant att utvärdera sin privatekonomi och spara pengar som läggs på skräpmat och shopping till en resa resa.
11-20 poäng
På det fysiska och intellektuella kontinuumet, är du någonstans mittemellan och måste kanske avgöra om du vill fortsätta att utvecklas eller – låt oss vara ärliga – vara relativt medioker. Eller så måste du kanske kämpa för att bibehålla din nuvarande nivå, vilket kan vara nog så viktigt.
21-25 poäng
Du är utan tvekan en mycket fysiskt utvecklat intellektuell, eller kanske snarare en intellektuell fitnessperson. Det kan kanske vara så att du inte behöver utvecklas särskilt mycket mer, eller så är det precis det där lilla extra som behövs för att bli eller uppleva själv dig vara mer komplett som person, fysiskt och/eller intellektuellt.
26-30 poäng
Du är en av ganska få personer, andelsmässigt, som har upplevt stora delar av världen, och under längre perioder dessutom, erhåller en prestigefylld examen vid ett mer eller mindre topp-rankat universitet, och parallellt med detta har en högklassig fysik, såväl styrke- som uthållighetsmässigt. Oavsett hur din livssituation i ekonomiskt och andra avseenden ter sig i nuläget – det finns givetvis andra viktiga saker i livet än fysisk och intellektuell utveckling – kan du vara stolt över vad du har åstadkommit hittills.