Fitness Articles of the Week #23 – Vigorous Cycling, Peanut Butter and Compression Clothing

image courtesy of indywriter

Every weekend I publish a recap of the best health and fitness articles I’ve read over the past week. Here are my favorites. Have a great Labor Day weekend!


Cycling fast: Vigorous daily exercise recommended for a longer life

It seems there’s a correlation in longer mortality rates and high intensity cycling. The study shows that it’s not the duration, but actual intensity, although optimal intensity has not yet been determined. I would assume that it’s just like any other exercise – the harder you work, the better the results.


Easy Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili

It sounds so easy and looks so delicious. I hope it’s as good as it sounds. I’ve been looking for a reason to get the crock pot out, and this is one mighty fine reason if you ask me! I love chili. I can’t wait!


The Volume Ladder Smart Bomb

Ladder-style workouts are always super-challenging, but isn’t that what makes it fun? This one is designed to get your muscle growing after hitting a wall, so do it for a couple weeks and jump back into your regular routine. I can already picture myself “sucking wind” doing this one.


2 Times a Week for Twice the Gains

I’ve been lifting weights for a long time and I remember the first time I heard about minimalist training like this. I didn’t believe it and I wouldn’t even consider trying it in fear of losing any progress I’ve made. Then I came across the Stronglifts 5×5 website and all of the testimonials persuaded me to give it a go. I can attest to the progress these types of plans can provide. I’ve never bench pressed or squatted more in my life and I continue to make gains every week. Give it a shot.


What is the point of compression sleeves for running?

Some great information about when and why to use compression clothing. Granted, the information is provided by a company who stands to profit from spreading information about the benefits. It’s still a great starting point for more research.


Boxing Is Not A Good Sports Option For Children And Teenagers, Says American Academy Of Pediatrics

It’s great when children want to be active and have a desire to be athletic but sometimes we don’t not think of the negative effects sports like boxing can have on the brain at a young age.


3 Fixes for Weak Body Parts

You can’t go wrong by applying the Einstein philosophy to plateaus in bodybuilding!


The jarring truth about peanut butter

Peanut butter is generally considered to be healthy because it contains lots of protein and healthy fats, but as this article points out, it really depends on the peanut butter you buy. Basically, go organic and read labels.


7 Superfoods from the Sea

A great article from the P90X newsletter. I actually just read some informative stuff about sea vegetables in the Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide. I’m not a fan of seafood taste at all, but I’m willing to give these veggies a try. They’re so nutritious, I have to at least taste them once.


Eat to Get Big Without Getting Fat

There is so much good information in here, especially for me since I’m trying to put on weight, but the problem is that I have to try to figure out how to make it work around a vegan diet. I’m gonna work on putting a meal plan together for this.


Just when you thought that the world couldn’t get any fatter…

Wow, take a look at these predictions. By 2030, researchers predict obesity among men to rise from 32% (already a ridiculous number) to 50%. Or how about 539,000 additional cases of cancer per year? Crazy.


The Bittersweet Truth About Sugar

Sugar makes foods delicious, but is it really worth all the negative things it does to your body? It makes you age faster, it suppresses your immune system and raises insulin levels, among other things. Limit your intake!


Matchup of the Week: Barbecue Wings

Very cool comparison between Tyson BBQ wings and Gardein’s vegan BBQ wings. The vegan version is so much healthier.


The Ultimate Vegan Baking Cheat Sheet

Very handy guide for the new vegan who likes to cook. When I first went vegan I thought I wouldn’t be able to cook or bake much anymore, but then I sought out some cookbooks and learned that there are lots of alternatives. In fact, just the other day I made some awesome cupcakes from the Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World cookbook 😉


Decrease in smoking reduces death rates within months

I started smoking when I was 15. At one point I was up to about a pack a day and then I gradually cut back to about a pack a week and then maybe only 3-4 cigarettes every weekend. I quit smoking completely last year in August and I feel great.

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