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I love to discuss a variety of different ideas on fitness in the blogs. Some I agree with, some I don’t, but explain why and some are interesting concepts that make me stop and think. Intermittent fasting is on the cusp of agreement and interesting for a variety of reasons AND depending how it’s done. Some people do water fasts for days, stating it cleanses their bodies and helps them get back to metabolic normal. Others simply eat all their meals in a eight hour window, ending early one evening and starting later the next day. For instance, the final meal for the day might be at 5 o’clock on Wednesday and the next meal is at 9 am on Thursday. They haven’t really missed a meal, but did actually fast for 16 hours.

There are other more restrictive types of intermittent fasting.

While I rather like the 16/8 fast there are a number of ways to fast. Aside from the water fast, which can last for days, particularly at supervised medical facilities, most of the other fasts aren’t really total fasts but modified eating plans. These plans require you to eat smaller, super low calorie meals on one day or two with normal eating on the other days. The Warrior fast allows you to eat a light amount during the day, like a piece of fruit or two and a huge meal in the evening. I understand why some of the concepts aid weight loss, but seriously, like the 16/8 fast the most.

Intermittent fasting can cause healthy changes in your body.

Insulin levels in your blood drop when you’re fasting. That can increase the amount of fat your body will burn. When you fast, even for a short a period as 16 hours, your body starts repairing itself at the cellular level and removing cellular waste material. Gene’s for longevity change beneficially and the amount of HGH—human growth hormone—increase in the blood. The higher the levels of HGH, the more potential for fat burning and muscle building.

Chronic diseases can potentially be reduced.

Oxidative stress and inflammation are often one of the causes of chronic disease and definitely adds to the aging of the body. A number of studies not only show that intermittent fasting can be a proponent for your body, helping to reduce inflammation, while also improving the body’s resistance to potential oxidative stress. You’ll look and feel better longer. One researcher hypothesized that perhaps the benefits came from the stress put on the cells, which in turn caused them to adapt and enhance their ability to cope with stress. That’s similar to what happens when you exercise.

• Intermittent fasting often works to help people shed unwanted pounds. It often occurs because they simply don’t have time to eat as much as they normally would.
• Intermittent fasting has proven effective to boost your memory. Fasting creates ketones, those help protect memory and improve learning, while also slow brain diseases.
• While most studies have been on rats, rather than humans, research shows that short term fasts could help slow the development of Alzheimer’s. Human studies show that short-term fasts often reduced the Alzheimer’s symptoms significantly in 90 percent of the cases.
• Rat studies showed that intermittent fasting actually extended the lifespan of rats. Rats who fasted on alternate days lived 83 percent longer than those eating normal meals each day.

There’s a lot of talk about the dangers of taking too many NSAIDs. NSAIDs—nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs—include a long list of drugs, but the best known are probably aspirin, ibuprofen, celecoxib, naproxen and oxaprozin, although there are several more. While the link to stomach problems and Reyes syndrome has been quite publicized, there are other conditions that they can exacerbate. Increased risk of heart failure and increased risk of renal failure are two reasons to limit the use of these drugs and the potential for an allergic reaction is the third.

If you’re in pain, you want something to take it away, quickly.

People who suffer from chronic pain face the most risk. Arthritis victims are often facing severe daily pain, as well as those who suffer from other chronic conditions. Anyone who pushes themselves in the gym on a daily basis often knows that sometimes that extra weight lifted or push to do more comes with consequences. If you have float therapy or cryotherapy available in your area, these are two natural ways to relieve pain without ingesting any drug.

Try these herbs that have anti-inflammatory properties.

Ginger, turmeric and Valerian root are three herbal alternatives that can help pain. You can use all three to make tea to help soothe pain. Turmeric comes in capsule form or you can create a paste and apply it to the area affected. Be aware that it turns the area a vivid yellow. One study shows that while NSAIDs do stop inflammation, ginger not only does the same, but also provides antioxidants that breaks up the inflammation already existing and neutralizes the acidity of the fluid in arthritic joints. These natural anti-inflammatories also come with other benefits and have no side effects.

Create your own pain relief cream from chili peppers.

Once when a member of my family was in dire need of some muscle pain relief and the stores were closed, I rumaged through my cupboards to see what I had available. Luckily, it was summer and we had loads of super hot peppers in the garden. I mixed turmeric, some ginger, coconut oil and whole hot peppers—minus stem—in the blender and applied it to the area that hurt. It worked, but it did stain everything a blissful yellow. Since then, I’ve found online recipes that will keep for weeks and are far better. It’s a cheaper alternative to capsaicin cream, which also works for muscle strains and arthritis.

• Soak in Epsom salt. The magnesium in Epsom salt enters the body transdermally—through the skin. It helps reduce muscle spasms, the pain of migraines and fibromyalgia. Eating sunflower and pumpkin seeds also increases magnesium levels.
• White willow bark was the first aspirin. The bark contains a substance called salicin that changes to salicylic acid in the stomach. Basically, that’s what aspirin is. However, synthetically produced, as in aspirin, it can cause stomach upset. The natural alternative—white willow bark doesn’t and still provides relief.
• Stress can cause pain and tension. A cup of chamomile tea can help.
• A massage is also relaxing and can help with deep muscle tension and pain.

I always say that anytime you can exercise is a good time, there are still some exceptions to the rule. Sometimes, people live a sedentary life five days a week and then become the GI Joe of the gym on the weekends. If you find your weekly schedule too crowded for exercise and spend your weekend focused on getting healthier and fitter, you need to be aware of the dangers of being a gym weekend warrior. Exercising is important, no matter when you do it, but you must watch out for these pitfalls.

There are studies that show weekend warriors get health benefits from getting all the exercise necessary in one or two days.

One study published in JAMA Internal Medicine used information surveyed from 63,591 adults. The survey showed that exercise lowered the risk of death approximately 30 percent, regardless of whether the exercise was done in one or two sessions a week or spread out throughout the week. The one or two sessions had to equal the same amount of time spent in five or more sessions to get the same results. The amount of time spent in vigorous activity should be approximately 75 minutes or 150 minutes of moderate activity.

Your risk of heart disease is lowered no matter what way you exercise, but there are other risks.

Even though you get the heart healthy benefits when you’re a weekend gym warrior, you face other risks. The risk of injury grows when you push too hard on just one or two days. People who just exercise on the weekend often push hard or enjoy sports on the weekend, rather than just spend two and a half hours walking. That vigorous exercise can cause musculoskeletal injuries due to overuse. Exercising on a regular basis throughout the week tends to reduce the likelihood of fractures and strains. Too vigorous of a workout can trigger rhabdomyolysis, which can lead to serious complications.

Ease into your workout by preparing your body for the high intensity.

One reasons weekend warriors often suffer from injuries is that their muscles aren’t ready for the sudden jolt. You also have to be aware of the the potential for dehydration, keeping sports drinks and water close at hand, particularly on hot days. You can prepare you body by focusing on a pre and post workout stretching, plus adequate hydration. Adequate warm-up and cool down are of prime importance particularly if you are sedentary throughout the week. Work with a personal trainer to create a list of stretches you can do the first thing in the morning or later in the day to boost your flexibility and help prevent strains It doesn’t take much activity throughout the week to lower the risk of injury. Devoting just ten minutes each day to stretching exercises lowers the risk dramatically.

If your schedule is so demanding that weekends are the only possible answer, start slowly and gradually ease into an intense workout. Run a few laps and do stretches before playing ball with friends. It can help prevent damage that will keep you out of the game for a long time.

To get the maximum benefit from your workout, especially if it’s only one or two days a week, consider adding High Intensity Interval Training—HIIT—to your workout program. You’ll get maximum benefit in the shortest amount of time.

For those inactive during the week and switch up to high activity on weekends. Be aware of the symptoms of rhabdomyolysis and/or dehydration. Avoid training in extremely hot weather. Rhabdomyolysis can be extremely dangerous and even life threatening.

If you’ve ever worked out with kettlebells, you probably already know that one of the benefits from working out with kettlebells is a total body workout. It also helps improve fitness in all areas, strength, endurance, flexibility and balance. It’s the perfect functional fitness workout that can get results in a far shorter period of time.

Kettlebell workouts are fun, but still provide serious conditioning.

Yes, you do have to learn how to use the kettlebells properly or you’ll end up smashing yourself or pulling a muscle. However, once you have down the form and several of the moves, you’ll find it’s a great way to get a cardio workout without the boredom that often comes with the treadmill. When your workout is more fun, you’ll be more apt to go and not even consider skipping it.

Kettlebell workouts burns fat fast!

While cross country skiing uphill may be a top fat burner, it’s not always easy to find snow in Texas, nor desirable to cross country ski uphill. However, you’ll burn almost as many calories with a kettlebell workout can burn as many calories and is far more accessible than fast uphill cross country skiing. It burns approximately 400 calories in just 20 minutes, which is as much as running a six minute mile! That is huge for weight loss. It also builds muscle tissue that also helps boost your metabolism to take off weight fast.

Kettlebell training is great for busy people.

Since kettlebell training is a total body workout that addresses all types of fitness, in just 20 minutes you could get the same amount of exercise as you would in an hour using other techniques. It doesn’t require a large area, so you can use just a 6′ X 6′ area in a room in your home for a workout. That can cut down on time going to the gym. You can keep a kettlebell at work if you have enough space and train a few minutes at a time.

• Kettlebells are easy to store and don’t take a lot of room. You can also travel with kettlebells, unlike many other types of equipment.
• A kettlebell workout is safe, as long as you have guidance when first using them and choose the appropriate weight. People of all ages can use kettlebells.
• Kettlebells strengthen the core muscles and because of their off center distribution of weight, workout the stabilizer muscles. You’ll get a wider range of motion with kettlebells.
• You’ll improve functional fitness with kettlebells. While they do build muscle tissue, women don’t get big bulky muscles, but lean svelte, sexy ones.

Unusual but amazing workouts can renew your interest in working out and help you get into shape while having a blast. Imagine walking your dog, while cross country skiing at the same time. It’s called Skijoring and there’s even races. While the dog does some of the work, having a harness and straps to pull you, it’s still a great workout and can be fun for both you and Rover. Dogs need exercise, too and it’s a great bonding experience. In the summer, you can do doga, which is doing yoga with the dog.

Love karaoke, but also want exercise?

Try this new version of spin class, called Karaoke spin. It’s also known as cycle karaoke. When you’re singing while you spin, it helps breathing techniques and gives your lungs more of a workout. If you can’t easily sing while you’re pedaling, you’re not pedaling hard enough. It reminded me of a client who thoroughly enjoyed giving her kids a zinger. She used to ride bike with them and when she felt it was right, sang at the top of her lungs while pedaling. Needless to say, she had to pedal pretty hard to keep up with her kids who were fleeing her in embarrassment.

Jukari Fit to Fly is made for the adventurous.

If you loved the jungle gym and trapeze as a kid, you’ll love Jukari Fit to Fly. This workout uses a trapeze-like apparatus that helps you tone your body. It lets you swing, fly, spin and jump while you’re feeling like the top performer at a Vegas Cirque du Soleil review, except you’re far closer to the ground. In fact, it was created by collaboration between Cirque du Soleil and Reebok, so it should feel authentic.

If you are a fan of Bollywod movies, Doonya may be for you.

If the dance moves of Slum Dog Millionaire made you smile, imagine how great you feel when you do them on your own. This high energy workout will help you building strength and flexibility, while building your cardio. It offers the unique sounds and movements that sets it apart from other dance exercise classes.

• If you’ve ever watched your hamster in an exercise ball, you’ll appreciate what it must be like when you try water walking. Some deem this mode of exercise dangerous, particularly if you have an untrained operator, so do your homework before you decide to try it and only work with the best.
• Try Capoeira, an artform from Brazil that uses dance movement, combat moves and special music to improve agility, flexibility, strength and speed.
• Try Krav Maga, an Israeli hand-to-hand combat technique that uses instinctive reactions for self-defense.
• Take a pole dancing class, but if you’re not that adventurous, try polga. Polga combines yoga with pole dancing to provide benefits in all areas of fitness; strength, flexibility, balance and endurance.