This year, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the greatest achievement in the history of both humankind and technology: putting men on the moon. That we did it in 1969, just eight years after President John F. Kennedy issued the challenge, spoke mightily to what is possible when a nation takes on a supreme challenge and syncs together as a massive team.

In this case, more than 400,000 scientists, engineers, mathematicians, and tech experts created a national effort to get us to the moon and back highlighted by Apollos six moonwalk missions. Those workers built the rockets, spacecraft, systems, launch pads, centers, parts, and even tools to make it happen, creating a source of national pride we have not seen since.

They also did something else invented many technologies, far ahead of their time, that we use in our everyday lives. The Apollo space program is a perfect example of how powerful innovation spins off far more products with far more uses than originally intended.

Everything was created specifically for the Apollo moon effort. Much of it was experimental by nature, simply because we really didnt know what to expect beyond Earths orbit, how the body would behave or instruments would work. Scientists worried about that every day, while the country focused on the amazing adventure of visiting another planetary body.

After the Apollo space program wound down, NASA officials and outside manufacturers realized many of the items theyd developed for space could become cutting-edge instruments, equipment, appliances, and even foods for consumers. We get better airplanes, or we get better weather forecasting from space stuff, sure, but we also get better-fed chicken, said David Lockney, program executive in technology transfer and spinoff partnerships at NASA. That kind of stuff, people dont necessarily associate.

Here are a dozen of the creations from the first Space Age that we use today:

We wear them for our game consoles, at work, and when listening to our beats and tunes. Wireless headsets are everywhere but where did we first hear this technology? When Apollo 11s Neil Armstrong took the first step on the moon and uttered into his wireless headset, Thats one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.

Today, propylene and mylar are regularly found in our home insulation, and on various types of outdoor and camping equipment. We even have mylar balloons. 50 years ago, before it became public, this material helped protect astronauts from radiation and heat.

We swipe and chip-feed our credit and debit cards on transactions, maybe even use Square readers or similar to swipe others cards. It all began as software used to manage complex systems on the Apollo spacecraft.

The key to our lives on screen, the computer microchip, was invented by Intels Robert Noyce and integrated into Apollo spacecrafts by Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments. They needed to condense systems and cut weight. It was the first time all the components of a system were on a chip, rather than using individual transistors and circuit components. This led to the PC revolution in the 1980s and we know the rest of the story.

Yep the first emails were otherworldly. During the Apollo years, Mission Control ran two broadcast channels. One was for the massive television audience to hear when missions were telecast, the other for private communication between mission controllers and the astronauts. They also had messaging pads where they typed messages and transmitted them electronic mail.

Would you believe that the Dustbuster, the first cordless vacuum cleaner, began as a portable, self-contained drill on the Apollo missions invented by Black & Decker? They needed to extract core samples from the surface of the moon, which involved getting past the coat of dust on top. Now, we use cordless power drills and screwdrivers every day as well as Dustbusters and Swiffers.

Everyone whos ever worn glasses or sunglasses has jumped for joy since these lenses began appearing in the 1970s. Originally, the abrasion-resistant lens coating was used to protect plastic surfaces of Gemini and Apollo spacecraft and other equipment from harsh environments.

Were used to seeing firefighters, military, and other emergency responders dash into burning scenes and come out safely, due to their fire-resistant gear. This invaluable contributor to our safety emerged from the tragedy of the Apollo 1 launch pad fire in 1967, which killed all three astronauts. Their spacesuits were not flame-resistant.

If youve ever run a road race, or a marathon, chances are youve had a heat or space blanket. Same if youve covered garden vegetables or fruit trees to protect against frost. They reduce heat loss from the body which was the intent when NASA invented them in 1964. They were also more resistant to the hostile environment of space. Now, they keep our gardens and us warm.

The foam that keeps our seats feeling cushy began as a need to keep astronauts comfortable in their spacecraft without having to switch out custom seats to fit different body types. NASA released it to the public in the early 1980s and revolutionized the chair and seat industry.

This huge step up in nutritional baby formula began as an algae-based vegetable oil by two NASA scientists studying algaes potential as a recycling agent for long-duration space travel. It is now in most enriched baby foods in the U.S., and in 65 different countries.

Most of us have eaten freeze-dried foods at some point, especially campers and backpackers. The military uses MREs (meals ready to eat) daily. While the process was invented in 1906 and used for blood serum preservation in World War II, freeze-dried foods were refined for the Apollo astronauts and then broke big in the U.S. starting in the 1970s, because of the public fascination. We all wanted to follow suit.

The article12 Technologies that Came Out of Apolloby Robert Yehling firstappearedon Innovation & Tech Today.

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12 Technologies that Came Out of Apollo - Grit Daily

Whether you fast daily, weekly or for any other stint, one thing is for certain: hunger is on the menu. Although intermittent fasting has been part of the medical world since the time of Hippocrates, and is a common ritual in several religions, such as during Ramadan and Lent, its only in the past couple of years that the practice has taken the celebrity and fitness worlds by storm. If you havent tried it yourself yet, no doubt someone you know has and has told you all about it.

Now studies show there is far more to this fad than shedding weight. Intermittent fasting is being heralded as a quick and natural way to take years off your body, increase your resilience to stress, stave off Type 2 diabetes and reduce the risk of Alzheimers, Parkinsons and some cancers. But why would simply skipping meals have such a huge impact on health? Michelle Harvey is a nutritional therapist and recipe developer in Dubai who agrees fasting can be beneficial, if done correctly. My view is that we should be fat-adapted, she tells The National. This means that if you wake up, skip breakfast and dont eat until 3pm, your body should be able to make the switch to fat burning without you getting hangry and shaky. We should be able to go for long periods of time without food.

The benefits hearken back to our tribal, nomadic ancestors. Hunter-gatherer communities wouldnt have had access to food all the time and being hungry and shaky wouldnt have been the optimal state for survival and hunting, so their bodies would have naturally known how to switch to burning fat during periods of no food, Harvey explains. A report in medical journal Ageing Research Reviews, co-written by eminent intermittent fasting researcher Mark Mattison of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, described the biological benefits of fasting as being exactly this. He says o

verconsumption of food often leads to insulin resistance and the excessive accumulation of visceral fat. Because animals, including humans, evolved in environments where food was relatively scarce, they developed numerous adaptations that enabled them to function at a high level, both physically and cognitively, when in a food-deprived / fasted state.

I wont eat until 3pm most days and I will have black coffee and water before then. At about 3pm, I will have a low-carb, high-protein lunch ... I will eat until about 9pm

Jordan Imran

Mattison says this is because the fasted state prompts cells to regenerate and repair to help the body survive tough times. Emerging findings are revealing cellular and molecular mechanisms by which intermittent fasting increases the resistance of cells, tissues and organs to stress and common diseases associated with ageing and sedentary, overindulgent lifestyles.

Long periods without food are not common in western countries in 2020. In the UAE, many residents find the longest they have to survive without access to sustenance is the length of the lift journey from their buildings car park to their apartment, or the confusing period between the end of Friday brunch and feeling hungry again mid-evening. As such, a set schedule for fasting and feeding can be helpful for finding space to come up for air between the constant rounds of meals and snacks.

One of the most common fasting regimes is the 16:8, meaning 16 hours of fasting, eight hours of feeding. Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Kourtney Kardashian and Halle Berry are all fans, with some skipping dinner and others eschewing breakfast. Some people allow black coffee and green juice during fasting hours, while others dont. Another common fasting style is 5:2, whereby for five days of the week you eat as normal and for two non-consecutive days you eat 500 to 600 calories or, for the hard-liners, no food at all.

Jordan Imran, from the UK, has practised intermittent fasting six days a week for about 18 months. He says: I wont eat until 3pm most days and I will have black coffee and water before then. At about 3pm, I will have lunch with fewer carbs, as they make me sleepy, and more fats, protein and vegetables. I will eat until about 9pm, taking in about 2,000 to 2,500 calories during that time. I tend to have carbs like fruits and pulses later in the day after my gym session.

For Imran, who lives in Dubai, it is less about weight than it is about the mental benefits. You have much better focus right up until the moment you eat and you spend less time thinking about food; it just doesnt factor into your day. Also, you are better able to recognise when you are actually hungry and when you are craving food just because you are bored and you start to like the feeling of being a bit hungry.

Radio 1 UAE presenter Naima, also from the UK, has lost almost 30 kilograms since starting intermittent fasting in 2018 and has started abstaining for longer. I fasted during Ramadan and wanted to continue the health journey, so I started eating just one meal a day. It seemed like a good time to start as my body was already used to fasting. I built up to fasting for 20 hours a day and eating two meals within a four-hour window, she says.

For the last three months I have been doing alternate days of fasting, whereby I eat approximately 1,800 calories one day and then, the next day, dont eat anything at all. It can be hard at first, but I find that by day three, your body starts to get used to it and thinks, OK, so theres no food for me today. I get it. It sounds extreme and it definitely isnt for everyone, but it is for me. It is important to remember that there are health concerns around not eating at all, particularly for those who have or do suffer from a eating disorder.

A flurry of studies has shown the fat-burning benefits, however. One, published in the Journal of Translational Medicine, reported that men who worked out three times a week for two months while on the 16:8 diet lost more fat than those in the control group, while maintaining muscle mass.

As for other health benefits, it isnt only Mattison who believes fasting can help the body stay young, regenerate and protect itself from disease. The New England Journal of Medicine reviewed the results of years of studies of intermittent fasting and found it offered a positive impact on insulin resistance, obesity, high blood pressure, blood lipid levels and inflammation. Another study in the journal suggests it can help you live longer, become more resilient to stress and preserve cognitive ability.

Whether you are after weight loss or anti-ageing benefits, all the experts agree you should ease yourself in slowly, seek professional advice and listen to your body. What is right for your friend, your personal trainer or your favourite celebrity may not be right for you. And if you have certain physical or mental health conditions, such as diabetes, depression or eating disorders, or you are pregnant or breastfeeding, intermittent fasting should be avoided. For others, it seems that squeezing your feeding into an eight-hour period may well be worth it despite the hunger pangs, tummy rumbling and emotional upheaval. After all, we are only talking about missing one meal a day. Cue tears being spilt over our favourite poached eggs and avocado smashed toast. Breakfast? No, thanks. Just a black coffee here, please.

Updated: January 30, 2020 03:49 PM

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Is intermittent fasting a fast track to weight loss and anti-ageing? - The National

Is your new year's resolution is to lose belly fat and get fit? Although there's no magic bullet, there are ways to burn belly fat (or 'lose weight' as we used to call it) that are tried, trusted and true. That doesn't make them easy or quick, and this is not about telling you how to get a six pack although we have plenty of articles on that topic. No, this is just a six pack of tips to getting a healthier life and feeling comfortable with the girth of your stomach.

We've got proven advice, a few cheeky shortcuts and key tips to lose belly fat quickly, healthily and sustainably. As we just said, there are no quick fixes here; we want you to develop habits that ensure you'll stay trim for good.Weve also got the lowdown on the best exercises to lose belly fat, and all the gear youll need to get started although, of course, the most important 'gear' is the bit between your ears.

There's no hard-and-fast rule for slim-down success: the best way to lose belly fat is the way that works around your lifestyle. If you follow an unsustainable plan, you won't last: it's as simple as that. In this article we lay out six principles that are applicable to everyone, whether you're a total beginner starting your weight-loss journey or a seasoned pro who fell off the wagon over Christmas.

These guiding lights will keep you on the straight and narrow, whether you've got time to hit the gym every day or a shift worker looking to manage your schedule. Dont try to take on more than you can reasonably fit into one day. And, despite the name of this feature, don't fixate on 'belly fat'. It's important to reduce visceral fat, which does tend to lurk around the belly area, but that is best achieved by trying to slim down and tune up overall.

Here are six strategies to help you start losing weight.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

The short answer to the question of how to lose belly fat is to burn more calories than you consume on a regular basis. In the fitness world, this is known as achieving a "calorie deficit".

If this sounds like a waking nightmare, there's a trick to it: what you need to do is ensure youre eating the correct kind of food to make sure you feel full and sated, even when consuming fewer calories than you're burning off. Certain foods are "empty calories" while others release energy slowly, keeping you fuller for longer.

But before that, you'll need to find a good way to track your calories burned and calories taken in. The free MyFitnessPal app is one of the best ways to record your calorie intake, but to track your calories burned, you'll need a dedicated fitness tracker. If you already own a smartwatch, most will offer calorie tracking as standard, but for those yet to make the plunge, the Fitbit Versa Lite is the best activity tracker you can buy right now. Check out the deal below.

Oh, and staying hydrated is crucial, as well

Fitbit Versa 2 | was 199.99 | now 159 at AmazonThe Fitbit Versa 2 is getting regular price cuts for the new year and is currently 40 off at Amazon and various other fine online retailers. The Versa 2 features advanced cardio tracking as well as the usual steps and sleep stuff, and has Alexa built in. It's also unusually stylish for a Fitbit.View Deal

Fitbit Versa Lite | was 149.99 | now 124.95 at AmazonThe Fitbit Versa Lite is the best affordable fitness tracker or smartwatch you can buy.It tracks deep and light sleep, steps, distance and calories, but that is barely scraping the surface of its capabilities. Via Fitbit's excellently presented app and sprawling ecosystem, you can use it as the basis of a complete fitness and diet programme. You can also enter your meals to log calories consumed, so you can have all your dietary data in one place.View Deal

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S'Well Marble Drinking Water Bottle | now 25.00 at John LewisIn this case beauty is more than skin deep. This bottle is vacuum sealed, which means it should be able to keep liquids warm for 12 hours and cold for 24 hours. Its stainless steel, has a capacity of 500ml and requires handwashing, and its definitely one for one-upping your co-workers boring flasks and supermarket specials.View Deal

BEEFit Biltong, 10 x 30g bags | now 16.99 on AmazonLooking for a calorie-dense but highly nutritional snack? Swap your bag of crisps or chocolate bar for biltong, a cured meat snack now in handy 30g bags, to keep yourself fuller for longer. It's packed full of protein to help build muscle after a workout, and comes in either BBQ or chilli flavour.View Deal

Intermittent fasting is becoming more and more popular. It involves significantly cutting calories or abstaining from food altogether for a portion of the day or week, and then cramming all your calories into a much shorter time window.

The best-known intermittent fasting plan is the 5:2 diet, where you eat as you normally would (although hopefully a bit healthier) for five days a week, then scoff no more than 600 calories two days a week.There are also variants of this diet where you consume almost no calories, two days per week. This is much more doable than it sounds, so long as you are in good general health, but it's not exactly fun.

However, for trainees who are serious but not that serious, there's the 16:8 diet. With this diet you have only 8 hours a day to fit all your meals in, but can only drink water (and maybe some black coffee, if you're feeling naughty) within a 16 hour fasting period outside of those 8 hours. Most choose to eat from 10am to 6pm, but as long as you stay within an eight hour window, you can start and finish at any time of the day. This isHugh Jackman's strategy, so if you have ever wanted to be in Wolverine shape

Why try fasting, though? Well, during the fasting period the body will run out of sugar to run on, and so will start eating up the bodys fat stores. The big negative is the adjustment period: if you're used to a big breakfast or an early dinner, a 16-hour fast feels tough at first, especially if you're exercising. You're going to get seriously cranky.

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Weight training is a great way to tip your muscle-fat ratio the right way

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Dead set on having chips? An air fryer can deliver a lot of the delicious taste with less of the not-quite-so-delicious oil

(Image credit: Future)

If you eat fried food all the time, switching to an air fryer will definitely cause you to lose weight unless buying one causes you to start eating loads of chocolate because you've reduced your fat intake. No, it doesn't taste as delicious as proper fried food of course not but it turns out meals with a good fried/roasted taste, but with up to 80% lower fat content.

If you don't eat fried food all the time but like to treat yourself now and then, switching to an air fryer could still help with you to lose weight. Even with a solid balanced diet and a good workout ethic, there will come a time when your willpower will falter and you'll want to fall back on your old favourites, like fried chicken, fish, chips and all the other foods you love normally dripping with grease. If you schedule in cheat days and do this in a controlled way, it's good to know you're cooking these foods in a way that still helps you hit your goals.

Enter the air fryer. The best air fryers are revolutionary pieces of kit that use hot air combined with a teaspoon of oil (as opposed to the gallons of oil found in the deep-fat variety) to cook your crispy favourites. If kitchen space and budget is no object, you can cook a whole chicken in the Philips Airfryer XXL, but if you're after something a little more economical, Ninjas AF100UK Air Fryer is lightweight, compact and versatile, perfect for portion control. Check it out below.

Ninja AF100UK Air Fryer | was 119.00 | now 89.00 at AmazonFry food guilt-free using comparatively very little oil and a blast of hot air. If you're a junk food addict, it's one of the best ways to arrange your cheat days so that you're still having guilt-free food while fitting your macros, calorie count or diet of choice. The Ninja model is lightweight, compact and versatile, also capable of roasting, dehydrating and reheating food in addition to the air fry function.View Deal

This is just one way to have your (fried) cake and eat it too. Swapping high-calorie pints of ice cream to the low-calorie versions like Halo Top or Oppo, or switching out cholesterol-laden butter for a healthier olive spread, are other easy ways you can make relatively simple lifestyle choices and still keep weight off.

There are two main types of exercise: cardio training and weights, otherwise known as resistance training.Although cardio burns a lot of calories while you do it, weight training builds muscle which burns more than fat as you go about your day. The more muscle mass you have, the more calories you'll burn even when not working out.

Resistance training may seem scary if you're doing it for the first time, especially in the gym when the area's dominated by serious lifters, but you dont have to start adding big plates to the bar right now. There's plenty of ways to get started at home with smaller weights such as dumbbells, kettlebells and even medicine balls.

Were not going to list every single lifting exercise, so why not pick the body part you want to start toning up and check out some of our muscle-building how-tos. One you've done that, grab one of the best dumbbell sets on the market. They're not just for arms: you can use a dumbbell to work your core, shoulders, and even your legs with combination movements. Once you're comfortable in your own home, you can move on to more advanced equipment at the gym.

BodyPower 20 kg Cast Iron Spinlock Dumbbell set | was 59.99 | now 39.99 from Fitness SuperstoreYou just can't beat a good old pair of cast iron weights, and a testament to this is the fact they can be found under the beds of dads and granddads up and down the country. Get your own and they will last a lifetime and for all of their noisy, palm-chafing downsides, there is a kind of nostalgic loveliness to the spin collar set-up.View Deal

All of this aside, dont neglect cardio, as regular cardio workouts are important for fitness and stamina.

Electric Muscle Stimulation can help your muscles recover faster

(Image credit: PowerDot)

It may seem gimmicky when you unwrap your new six-pack vibrating belt, complete with a picture of Ronaldo on the box, but don't roll your eyes just yet. While you can't just sit there eating crisps and expect to get ripped, Electric Muscle Stimulators can help as part of a controlled dietary and exercise plan.

EMS can cause the muscles to contract, essentially tensing and untensing rapidly. During downtime post-workout, you can continue to encourage muscle growth with EMS, while the right bit of kit can also encourage faster recovery, allowing you to get back in the gym all the quicker. According to the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, EMS stimulates the muscle in the same way as a massage, prepping it for the next go-round.

It's not a bona fide shortcut to a six-pack, but it can speed up the muscle-building process with regular use.

(Image credit: Sixpad)

Our top choice is always SIXPAD as used by Cristiano Ronaldo, a man who takes great pride in his body. Perhaps a little too much pride, the unkind or jealous might say. Amazon also sells all manner of abs belts by brands we have never heard of, for about 20. Needless to say we dont recommend these.

PowerDot 2.0 - Smart Electric Muscle Stimulator | now 185 at AmazonAlternatively, the PowerDot 2.0 is a smartphone-controlled muscle stimulating monster.This neat muscle stimulator works from your phone, allowing you to control intensity, stimulation and goal. Reduce your recovery time and increase muscular performance, as the PowerDot working to support your gym schedule. This model has two stimulators, but you can scale up to four for 325View Deal

Planks are a tough abs workout and a great end-of-workout finisher

(Image credit: Taco Fleur from Pixabay)

As well doing both muscle-building and cardio exercises, if you want to lose belly fat its also important to switch up the pace of your workout.

Every time you workout, you should exercise using both steady state (working hard but not at max capacity, such as during brisk jog) and high intensity (going flat out, like sprinting) to torch your abdominal fat.

Steady state or aerobic exercises include cycling, running or uphill hiking.Its a crucial part of losing belly fat because it burns through your fat stores. However, it also uses your sugar stores for energy first, so you need to do steady-state for long enough to use up all that sugar before it eats into your fat reserves.

High intensity workouts use mainly sugar for fuel, so they don't hit the fat right away, but it does help in building muscle, which will help you torch fat even on days you're not exercising. Explosive weight lifting, sprinting and HIIT-friendly exercises like mountain climbers are all great high-intensity exercises.

A good fitness tracker will help you to gauge the intensity of your workout by monitoring your heart rate. For overall fitness trackers, check out the Fitbit Versa Lite above, but for a dedicated running watch, you can't beat the Garmin Forerunner 645, the best on the market right now.

Find out more about heart rate zone training

Garmin Forerunner 645 | now 276.93 at AmazonGarmin dominates the running/fitness watch category so totally, it's almost embarrassing for the competition. The most recent addition to their premium line, the Garmin 645, incorporates GPS and wrist heart-rate tracking, which is good for monitoring your resting and all-day rates. The 645 crunches a lot of data to suggest recovery times, make a decent stab at estimating your VO2 Max, tell you how optimal your training load and lots, lots more.View Deal

FitBit Aria 2 smart bathroom scale | was 119.95 | now 105.00 on AmazonThis clever scaletells you your weight, BMI and body fat percentage which is all a lot of people want. It then reports this to your Fitbit account, so you can monitor your weight trends and use it alongside your Fitbit wearable's daily calorie-burn estimates. Add MyFitnessPal or Fitbit's own dietary features and you can then sync your meal-plans, daily calories consumed and weight goals, if you want.View Deal

The most important thing to bear in mind is this: losing weight takes time. You'll have setbacks and slip-ups, but if you stay committed to your goal, you'll be fitter and healthier in 2020, building up great habits for many years ahead.

Need some help to get started? Check out all the latest deals on the kit you'll need to get fit in 2020.To start with, you'll need a killer playlist and a good set of workout headphones to listen to it on:

Beats By Dre Powerbeats Pro | now 219 on AmazonPowerbeats Pro are a 'game changer' for Beats; the quality of them is over and above anything the brand has produced before. Designed for workouts and running, the clever design of these true wireless buds means they stay still in your ears during even the most arduous physical jerks. Battery life is way better than most true wireless buds at 8-9 hours and they recharge incredibly fast.View Deal

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How to lose belly fat: 6 easy ways to burn fat and reveal your abs in 2020 - T3

Shane Ekpanyaskun was never really an athlete. At 54, the 40-year-old store manager from Melbourne, Australia, felt like he was always the shortest guy in the gym. But he stayed in shape through high school, running on the cross country team (mandatory for any student not playing other sports), though after high school he started to put on some pounds. He ate McDonalds while working a job that had him either at a desk, or in a car or plane traveling to see clients. He figured he was out of shape, but figured it was normal for an adult.

He didnt have a single light bulb moment, but there were a few turning points. He wanted to look good for his wedding. He had some health issues that forced him to re-evaluate his nutrition. But the biggest turning point came when his baby son fell and had to go to the hospital. After the shock wore off, Ekpanyaskun says, I made a commitment to myself to get stronger and faster to always have the ability to catch him and keep him safe, as best as I could.

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Just after he turned 40, he started Jeremy Ethier's Built with Science. He weighed about 165 pounds, with a body fat percentage of 25 percent. He started hitting the gym again after a five-year absence, recognizing that at his age, he needed more time to recoverand had to be more careful about preventing injury in the first place. With a busy schedule, hed workout early in the morning on weekends, up at four AM and back by seven AM to have breakfast with his family; he alternated between heavy weight workouts (focused on six main lifts: deadlift, squat, bench press, incline dumbbell press, pull-ups, and overhead press) and prehab and mobility work.

The biggest change happened in his diet. Hed been eating cleanfocusing on food from naturebut he also realized that with his schedule, he was very close to doing 16:8 intermittent fasting (16 hours of fasting, with an eight-hour window for eating). The only thing he had to change was having milk in his morning coffee; that had to go. Pretty soon a 16:8 fast was a normal everyday thing for me, he says. When work got busy, it sometimes became 18:6 or 20:4.

I was amazed at the level of energy I had despite not having eaten for up to 20 hours, he says. He decided to do an experiment: He fasted for 19 hours and then hit the gym. He could do all the lifts at heavy weight, hitting the prescribed reps and feeling like he hadnt lost any energy. This experiment really made me question the necessity of the 3 meals per day protocol that I had grown up with, he says. After training, of course, he ate like a horse.

In just about ten months, he went from 165 to 121 pounds. His body fat percentage dropped from 25 to 11 percent. I felt stronger than ever before, he says. I felt like I was at my physical peak as a 40 year old.

Looking back at what worked for him, he says believing in himself and finding small ways to improve every day got him to where he is. There is no magic that will change you overnight or over a weekend, he says. But by finding those little improvements every day, youre always moving forward, getting better. Have faith in yourself, he says.

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Lifting and Intermittent Fasting Helped This Guy Lose 40 Pounds and Get Ripped - menshealth.com

2.1. 2020Written By:Cindy and Herm Weaver

It was early afternoon on Sunday, Oct. 24, 2010, when the world stopped. Cindy had just returned from getting a few things at the grocery store when our pastors car came up the drive. Herm was on an airplane. His phone exploded with texts and voicemails as it landed. There had been a hit-and-run bike accident, and Chloe, our beautiful, 20-year-old daughter who was in Mennonite Voluntary Service and whose joy was blossoming in the San Luis Valley in southwestern Colorado, had died instantly.

We both struggled to comprehend what we were being told. Cindy had to tell our 15-year-old son, Dillon. They desperately held each other as they cried. Herm slumped over in his plane seat as it taxied toward the gate, shaking with sobs. When we finally met, there were no words, still arent. We drove as fast as possible for an hour and a half to tell our oldest daughter, Hope. We didnt want her to find out on Facebook or by text. Remembering the depth of these moments and many, many more reminds us of the reality of our brokenness. Herms first quote to Mennonite journalists later was, It is an unspeakable loss, only matched by the unspeakable gift of being Chloes dad.

Album cover. Photo provided by the authors.

Learning to live with the brokenness has been a journey we have been on for more than nine years. It is especially complicated when there is so much beauty and blessing in the middle of the brokenness. How can we live honestly with both brokenness and blessing? This has been our quest.

Scripture reminds us, So since we stand surrounded by all those who have gone before, an enormous cloud of witnesses, let us drop every extra weight, every sin that clings to us and slackens our pace, and let us run with endurance the long race set before us (Hebrews 12:1, The Voice). We seldom speak about those who surround us, this enormous cloud of witnesses who have gone on before, seldom acknowledge their presence among us and seldom seek to be in relationship with them. Since Chloes accident, we have sought to reestablish our relationship with her. She is often present with us. This is no accident; we have sought to be in relationship with Chloe and have decided not to be afraid of things we dont fully understand or cant explain. It is an enormous gift.

One of the reasons we hold grief, anxiety and stress in our bodies is that we are trying to navigate our experience of loss in a way that is acceptable to those around us. We feel our friends and family wanting us to heal, wanting to help us heal and be happy again, and so we hide, hold the grief inside, and it takes up residence in our bodies. Any grieving we do is done in the closet, where no one will see, or we ignore it all together. It feels easier that way. We say yes when our bodies are screaming no. How happy our people are when we accept social invitations. Yet often we are not telling the truth, and it erodes us even more, diminishing the chance for any healing at all.

A scene in Colorado. Photo provided by the authors.

We didnt answer phone calls, we deleted emails and did not return text messages. We declined invitations to grief groups, though others said it would be helpful. We turned down or off the voices that told us who to be, what to believe and how to live.

All these ideas are helpful but not until all the moments of grief are felt. Life had to stop and bring us into a place where no feeling or experience was off limits. That is the gift of the woods.

Cindy began the journey to the woods first. She found a spot among three Aspen trees and lay down on the earth, her back against the dirt, then broke down and wept, feeling shattered. She returned to that place again and again and allowed anything to happen among those three treesany emotion, any ranting, crying or silence, any laughter, joy or peace. She allowed anything to happen there, as long as it was genuine. It was in the woods she first heard Chloes gentle whisper, and a new relationship began.

Cindy gathered wild sage in the forest and burned it, experiencing the cleansing power of this ancient plant. The two of us climbed mountains and sat by rivers. The healing power of nature permeated our lives, and we craved more of these experiences, eager to see how nature could become our wise guide and healer. We lay on the earth, poured out our grief, splashed in the river, hiked above the tree line and sought Chloe.

Along with the Spirit and family and friends, the earth has been our primary healer. We are not through healing, but we are much better. We have made peace with the reality that healing is a lifelong journey we are all on. It does not require the loss of a daughter to be on a healing journey; we all have losses and all experience many challenges. We are embracing and reveling in this healing journey.

We touch the water, feel its life and watch as it finds its way, listen as it sings through all the vicissitudes of its travels. Whether it is roaring during the snowmelt in the spring or trickling in late fall, the water finds its way and always sings. But even as the river journeys, it often has small side pools where the water rests. Learning from the water and letting it touch us, both literally and figuratively, has brought healing to our bodies.

We lie on the earth, breathe, sink deeper into its arms, feel the immense support it offers. The air connects us with the Spirit and encourages us to walk through the world more lightly, feeling held.

We have released from our cells the places that hold anxiety and grief, and we have softened. Better health is emerging.

Eventually, as an outgrowth of our experience, we offer retreats in the mountains of Colorado. We open ourselves and our space to continued transformation with others. We walk with our retreat participants as they explore next steps in their lives or navigate their particular life challenges. This has expanded our hearts and spirits. The healing journey continues.

Cindy and Herm Weaver continue their healing journey by experiencing nature and walking with those who seek to live joyfully in the midst of challenge. Their retreats can be found at dreamvalleyretreats.weebly.com.

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Navigating grief in our bodies: Dealing with 'an unspeakable loss' - The Mennonite

The average man does a lot to stay fit and healthy but oftentimes its simply not enough. Some habits have the potential to harm you, exacerbate an annoying condition, or cause injury.

Men are less likely to visit a healthcare professional, and that certainly complicates matters a lot. According to an Orlando Health survey, 81% of men easily remember their first car, but barely half can recall the last time they visited a doctor.

So men not only actively ignore their health but also dont like visiting the doctor when something does go wrong an immensely careless attitude towards their wellbeing.

Of course, we dont want you to be afraid of living your life to the fullest, but it is essential to reiterate the importance of a fit lifestyle and healthy habits to improve your everyday life.

The fact of the matter is that, man or not, many of us are just living our lives on autopilot in fact, according to a news by Harvard, we spend 46.9% of our time thinking about things that are inconsequential to our progress. This mind-wandering is often a cause for unhappiness that leads to unhealthy attitudes.

Let us highlight five ways you may be hurting your health unknowingly. Pay attention to these tiny details and try to look at things with a fresh perspective.

Lets get started:

If your head is shaved, skip to the next point. Otherwise, read on.

Hairstylists and skin specialists agree that shampooing your hair every day, or even every other day, is bad for your scalp.

The trouble is that men often wash their hair more than they need to. This removes important oils from the scalp leaving it dry and the hair brittle. Mens hair is usually thicker and curlier than womens it can go without washing for 2 to 3 days at a time.

Dry scalp goes into overdrive to make up for the lost oils and produces more oil than before. This is why men often feel like their hair isnt clean, no matter how much they shampoo. This results in a never-ending cycle that only irritates their scalps further.

Experts recommend shampooing no more than three times a week to ensure that your hair doesnt get too greasy too fast. This way, your scalp will also be able to reserve more of its natural oil, which, of course, is healthy.

Men dont really discuss their underwear with the doctor, but perhaps you should.

Your underwear is the second layer of clothing that is supposed to protect the groin area from chaffing and irritation, while also keeping your package safe.

However, many of us are guilty of wearing undies or briefs made from potentially abrasive material, and that can result in chaffing you might also risk irritating boys when you go commando. Tight briefs not only hurt the skin down there but may even lower fertility, so if you are trying to get the lady pregnant, stick to loose-fitting and cooling boxers

The good news is that you could always invest in mens cooling underwear that is designed to be very gently on this sensitive part of your body.

Men are notorious for eating meat there is nothing like a Southern barbeque to get most of us excited.

But its time you learned to keep an eye on your protein intake. Experts say that overdosing on protein can cause dehydration and loss of calcium, so its awful for your kidneys.

And in the long run, this can lead to weight gain because the body cant process all the protein you are eating, so it starts storing it. According to healthline, we are not supposed to have more than 0.8 grams of protein per kg of body weight, every day thats the minimum daily average recommended by health specialists.

If you are exceptionally fit and exercise more than the average male, you could get away with consuming up to 1.7 grams of protein per kg of body weight every day.

Men who drink too much coffee are at the risk of damaging their fertility.

Many Americans rely on three to five solid shots of coffee to help them get through the day but the Federal Drug Authority (FDA) puts the cap on up to 400 mg a day, which is roughly 4 cups of coffee.

So why all this hoopla about overdosing on caffeine?

Well, for starters, it is essential to understand that coffee is just ONE source of caffeine one can of cola has 50 mg of it, and energy drinks can give you to 250mg of caffeine in one serving.

So unknowingly, we gulp down up to 1200 mg of caffeine in a day this increases blood pressure, causes anxiety, and even boosts the risk of heart disease, in addition to causing fertility issues.

In 2018, Fox News host Pete Hegseth confessed in front of millions, that he hadnt washed his hands in over a decade!

He says he cant see germs, so they arent a real thing a sentiment echoed by many men around the world who are just too lazy to pick up the soap.

If you regularly wash your hands after finishing up in the toilet, pat yourself on the back.

Now, honestly think about this do you also wash up after taking the public transit, shaking hands with others, working on your office computer, handling equipment at the gym, or before sitting down for a meal?

Be careful of your hygiene, so you dont get sick and safeguard the health of others around you as well.

Remember, if you greet babies and the elderly with dirty hands, you can harm them severely they just dont have the power to fight off diseases. Even something as innocuous as flu can be deadly to them CDC reported that more than 80,000 people died from common flu in 2017-2018.

It is possible that many of those deaths could have been prevented had those people not been exposed to the virus, something proper handwashing could help with. So stay clean and well-groomed at all times.

A study by psycnet on the Psychology of Men & Masculinity found out that masculinity is negatively correlated to a willingness to improve health.

Sure, a man whos rough around the edges with a charming vibe or two is irresistible to the ladies, but carelessness is never a good look on anyone.

So take care of the social niceties discussed above you owe yourself and the world at large this much at least.

More:
The Most Common Nutrient Deficiencies (And Their Signs) - RecentlyHeard.com

Last night on Operation Transformation, the good people of Tullamore were subjectedto a series of secret tests by Professor Niall Moyna.

Moyna lookedat simple everyday behaviours - getting up out of a chair andwalking upstairs -to find out if someone is unconsciously compensating for a loss of muscle mass and core strength.

"One of the inevitable consequences of aging is that we lose muscle mass," he explained. "It starts around the age of 30. We can get small telltale signs during our life and a great one of them is getting up from a chair."

If you use your hands to help push yourself in and out of a chair, you could be doing yourself a disservice and losing muscle mass in your quads as well as your core strength.

Watch those hands!

Missed it? Watch Operation Transformation back on RT Player now.

TanyaLast week, Tanya's partnerMark revealed to the nation that the couple's real first date was a few cans in his bedroom,the OT leader insistedhe organise a proper date for the two of them.

This week, we learned evenmore about the Cork womanincluding how, as an 11-year-old girl,she saved the life of her best friend Mary when she had a serious accident playing on a building site. Tanyaused her clothes to slow the bleeding from her friend's head injury and ran to get help.

Unfortunately, despite sticking to her exercise plan,Tanya failed to make her target for the first time on Operation Transformation. In fact, she has failed to lose any weight at all but, Dr. Sumi explains that her current weight is probably down to her period.

Starting weight:14 stone11lbsThis week:13stone 11lbsLoss: 0

Shane When Shane was 15 years of age, he broke his knee on a trampoline which led to a chain of medical incidents and issues, ultimately resultingin the loss ofall sensation in his bladder. From then on, the music teacher had toself-catheterise.

Speaking to Dr. Eddie, Shane explained how the condition isolated him from his peers and drove him to contemplate very dark thoughts as a teenager. Thankfully, his mother persuaded him to seek counseling and things began to look up.

However, to this day, Shane has struggled to find a balance in his life - staying busy to distract himself from his issues which has led him to miss out on precious time with his family, and from being happy.

Speaking to the experts at his weigh-in, Dr. Eddie encouraged the leader to ask for help from those around him.

Starting Weight:20st 7lbsThis week: 18 stone 10lbsLoss: 4lbs

Barry"OT are trying to kill me," jokedBarry on last night's show. Last week the 39-year-old leader battled a cold, this week he's dealing with gallstones and shin splints.

Not only that but the physiotherapist opens up about his mental health struggles, explaining that he often suffers from 'blue days'.As a pick me up, Barry's friend Niall drops by to share a healthy OT-approved meal, a quick cardio session and a chat.

Barry ReaStarting weight:29 stone 4lbsThisWeek: 27 stone 4lbsLoss: 4lbs

AndreaElsewhere,Andrea visits her mum who clarifies a comment that she madeabout Andrea's wedding dress. In a previous episode, she described her daughter getting married in a size 20 dress as very "disappointing".

Last night, she explained that she meant no harm by the comment andhopes that she can bring Andrea out ona mother-daughter shopping trip in the future whereby they both feel happy and comfortable.

Andrea ReaStarting weight:21 stone 2lbsThis week: 19 stone 10lbsLoss: 3lbs

LorraineLorraines oldest daughter, Mia, had her annual Cystic Fibrosis check-up in Temple Street Hospital this week so a trip to Dublin wasrequired. To stay healthy during their road trip,Lorraine is careful to prepareher food in advance.

Most impressively, Lorraine managed to stay on track during a trip to Eddie Rockets, a fast-food restaurant where the girls enjoy a celebratory meal post-hospital. Opting for an OT-approved snack, the leader managed to ignore her "food envy" and avoid her daughter's basket of chicken tenders.

Unfortunately, Lorraine missedher weight-loss target for theweek but Dr. Sumi suggests that, like Tanya, Lorraine's menstrual cycle could be to blame as she is most likely retaining water.

Starting weight:12 stone 5lbsThis week: 12 stoneLoss: 1lb

Operation Transformation continues on Wednesday on RT One.

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Operation Transformation: The leaders weigh-in - RTE.ie