My Health and Fitness Journey – week 1
How I lost 2kg in a week
I have just completed one full week of a coordinated effort to improve my health, lose weight, get in shape and get fitter.
Having watched several YouTube videos and Podcasts on health, longevity and fat reduction, combined with previous experiences, I put together my own programme and process. Note that I am a Level 5 qualified Sports Coach but don’t operate or work in that field and through that training I have a good basic knowledge of nutrition and diet.
I put together a programme of things and changes to my lifestyle that when combines should give rapid and significant results in the short term but also be sustainable in the long term.
These were:
- Exercise
- Intermittent Fasting
- Diet
- Supplements
Exercise
I started a programme of intensive gym work on Friday after work - 2 hrs average per day for 7 days solid with a mix of some cardio, weights and specific exercises for areas of my body I wanted to work on.
After I finished work, I headed straight to the gym and work out for around 2 hrs. Now at this moment in time, I don’t have much to get in the way of this, I’m at home alone and few child or family responsibilities for the first time in many years.
That means I can easily dedicate this time after work and that’s not the case for everyone. I tend to do a 15-minute cardio exercise on a cross trainer, an hour and a half or so on various weight machines and other exercises and finish off with a 15-minute row plus a cool down.
This is straightforward and nothing that you can’t do at any gym or even at home.
Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting isn’t a diet as such; it’s more about restricting when you eat rather than what you eat. It involves periods in the day where you don’t eat anything. What this does is it induces something called ketosis after a period of time. The body initially uses the glycogen in your body as fuel but once this is used up it then starts to use fat as an energy source and breaks down fat. This aide’s fat reduction and weight loss but it can also have other benefits such as improved cognition.
There are different types and ways of intermittent fasting but the one I followed was the 16/8 or as close to it as practical.
I have been actively fasting from around 8pm in the evening (sometimes 9pm) to 12pm (or 1pm) which is around 16 hrs of fasting which is usually enough to reach a point of ketosis.
However, I didn’t start this on day one of my 7 days but rather on day 4 - the Monday so didn’t get the full benefit over the full 7 days.
Diet
I’ve been eating a healthy diet with plenty vegetables/salad and fruit as well as protein called a ketogenic diet. Again, I only started this in earnest on the Monday day 4 so didn’t get the full benefit of 7 days.
The main things I have cut out food wise are starchy carbohydrates like bread, pasta, rice, potatoes and any sugary food.
I swapped out vegetable oil in any cooking for extra virgin olive oil.
I added in some recommended super foods such as Blueberries, Avocado and nuts such as almonds and brail nuts. All in moderation though.
I cut out alcohol and increased my water intake significantly (and yeah, I’ve been peeing a lot).
I switched from slightly sweetened decaf coffee with milk (latte) in the morning to Matcha Tea (no milk and no sugar). Drinking a latte in the morning would break my intermittent fast as it contains some food elements and sugar and reduce any ketosis potential. It took me until day 4 to also realise this. I was recommended to switch to Matcha tea, and not a matcha latte, because of its benefits and to maintain my fast. Matcha is rich in antioxidants which is good for inflammation, heart disease, liver protection, weight management and also improves cognitive function.
Supplements
I’ve recently discovered and researched a lot about added supplements, initially because its my job to understand these products and help to market them but I also have a vested interest as I’m not as young as I was and I want to remain fit and healthy for a long time to come.
I love me extreme and outdoor sports and I won’t be able to do them if I don’t look after myself and remain as fit and healthy as I can.
Two of my main areas of interest for my research are longevity (trying to live longer and healthier) and reversing my heart disease. I have a hereditary heart condition and hypercholesterolemia which resulted in several heart attacks, followed by a triple heart bypass a few years ago. If I don’t take care of myself, I could end up on the operating table sooner rather than later or perhaps worse.
The Supplements I take are as follows, some I started before the fitness programme and some I have added during the week as I’ve done more research and been able to buy them.
NMN – I have been taking this for some time, and it is a precursor of NAD+ and really helps boost NAD+ levels and in turn helps to give more energy and boost Mitochondrial function. It improves DNA repair and helps longevity as well as physical performance. It takes time to build up and according to Prof David Sinclair who has been taking NMN for over a decade with zero issues that “when you give a human NMN by swallowing 1g of it – you typically double the levels of NAD+ in your body”* NMN Supplements UK | High Purity Nicotinamide Mononucleotide Powder – Voyager Life Limited
Nitric Oxide (L-citrulline & L-arginine) – I again had been taking this for a few months as its is reported to improve cardiovascular health and reduce blood pressure as well as improving exercise performance and faster recovery times (available from Amazon)
Magnesium – this helps with sleep and rest, but also with muscle relaxation, bone health and cardiovascular & metabolic health. Magnesium Citrate 500mg 120 Capsules – Voyager Life Limited
Multivitamins – these cover almost everything and are the staple essential if taking supplements to your diet. If you only take one supplement then make it a good quality multi-vitamin Vegan Multivitamin & Minerals 60 Capsules – Voyager Life Limited
Vitamin D – needed for all humans and hard to obtain from sunlight specially in the winter so a must have supplement for almost everyone. It helps with bone health, immune system support, muscle function, mental health and energy, and also has anti-inflammatory qualities. Vitamin D3 4,000iu 365 Tablets – Voyager Life Limited
I started with the first two especially NMN and added the rest as the week went on. I’m also looking to add some more such as:
Creatine - https://voyagerlife.co.uk/products/creatine-monohydrate-powder-500g
Resveratrol - https://voyagerlife.co.uk/products/resveratrol-150mg-90-capsules
Vitamin K2 - https://voyagerlife.co.uk/products/vitamin-k2-mk7-100ug-120-capsules
What has happened? What results did I achieve after 7 days?
I started on a Friday night after work, and I hit the gym hard. Because of that I knew I was going to suffer. I continued both on the Saturday and the Sunday but by Sunday the DOMS (Delayed onset muscle soreness) hit hard and I was suffering with a lot of muscle aches.
I pushed through it and by Tuesday I had no pain at all. I do think the NMN has played a part in supporting that quicker healing.
By the following Thursday after a full week of training I initially didn’t think that I’d made much progress, but I then realised that I had. What I realised was that I was lifting at least double the weight that I started at the previous Friday. Not only that but I was doing more reps and far more easily than at the start. Basically, I was having to add more weight or increase the reps to get the same level of work rate as I had when I started.
But the biggest thing I noticed was the amount that of energy I had. I would have expected that after doing so much exercise and fast that id have less energy, but it was the opposite.
On the fasting side I had previously practiced intermittent fasting and had some good progress, so I knew what was ahead. The first few days were tough but once through those my body settled into a routine. The matcha tea and NMN in the morning did not break my fast but added energy. The biggest problem I had was eating too late at night – as in aiming for an 8pm cut off but after leaving work at 6pm and spending two hours at the gym I was only getting home at 8.30pm.
Having meals prepared and batch cooking made a difference, such as cooking a whole roast chicken and using it to make up salads for the week.
I didn’t see for think I felt a massive change in my body after the first week but I was a bit firmer and slightly trimmer in parts but it was the scales showed the real results. After a full week I weighed myself on the Friday and I had lost 2kg. That’s all the motivation I needed to keep pushing for week two.
Weekly updates to follow….
Don Marshall
Marketing & Sales Manager, Voyager Life
*source reference for Prof David Sinclair: Dr David Sinclair: Can Aging Be Reversed? After 8 Weeks, Cells Appeared 75% Younger In Tests!
