July Challenge ~ Day 13.

Copyright ©. Men's Health.

Day thirteen, unlucky for some. Did you know that stairs rarely, if at all, have thirteen steps, and in hospitals you will never see a bed numbered thirteen, only 12A? But being born on the thirteenth, I couldn't give a toss.

Today was a day of brain fog. I couldn't formulate a training program off the top of my head, so I went to my small book collection and pulled out, The Men's Health Big Book of Exercises, by Adam Campbell, Fitness Director of Men's Health.

From this compact tome of pain I managed to put together a 60 minute session for the upper body, hitting chest, back, shoulders and arms (biceps and triceps). No super sets, just 3 x 20 reps of each.

No cardio work this evening, that's all ready for tomorrow's session after work. Oh, joy. What I am finding is the craving to eat is growing, but I'm trying to moderate calorie intake in order to make my body utilise what fat reserves I currently have. When the hunger niggle starts I drink water where possible, which satiates the pangs for a while. 

If you weren't aware, there is a hormone by the name of Ghrelin, otherwise known as the 'hunger hormone'. This bundle of fun is what niggles at you to eat, eat, eat. Good news is, the longer you go without food, as in a fasted state, the less the hormone niggles at you. Eventually you will be able to go for longer periods without feeling the pangs of hunger. It does work, I know, having done the 16/8 fasting routine previously. What fasting does for the body is to burn fat stores of the body as they should for energy, thus making your body more efficient at using its fat storage system. Also, fasting helps to give the digestive system a rest, allowing it to 'detox', instead of being in a near permanent state of food processing. Your mind becomes clearer, concentration improves and you will find you have more energy, and your gut doesn't feel so bloated or full all the time.

I've pulled a video from Thomas DeLauer, whose channel I follow on YouTube and placed it below for those with an interest in fasting and how to go about it. It is nearly half an hour in length, but this guy goes into the important facts and science behind it. If it isn't your thing, then skip on down to the song for today.

The song for today is by 'Choir of Young Believers', and 'Hollow Talk'. Enjoy. Until next time.