Natraj Muscle and Fitness

"Choose Your Pain" or so they say. And gotta be sure to put 'healthy' in quotations coz health looks different for different people. But generally there is nothing healthy about being sedentary and eating foods that's devoid of nourishment.

Hey :)

It seems like everyone is always looking for the big s*xy thing to do to propel them further along with their goals.

When in reality, it's rarely about the big stuff when it comes to success.

It is about the small, tedious, and boring s**t that, when done daily with intention, breeds success.

Stop looking for the next quick-fix solution because I am here to tell you they don't exist.

The delusion that you think this should be fun leads you into resentment.

Don't get me wrong, there are times it is fun, so embrace the hell out of those times!

And there are also many times where it feels boring, and that, my friends, is where you lose that focus.

When you can execute on the small and boring s**t daily because that is the standard of excellence you set for yourself, success becomes the byproduct of that consistency.

You also open yourself up to the abundance the universe has to offer by living in a place of excellence.

Only when I am consistent with the boring and small tasks daily my body takes a new shape.

The same holds true for my spiritual connection, emotional and mental health, and, quite frankly, my happiness.

Stop complaining about the boring stuff and set a new standard of excellence that you do the damn thing, no matter what!

YOU GOT THIS!

Reason no. 7,645 why you should exercise consistently for your entire life…

Visceral adipose tissue is bad and Exercise of any type reduces visceral fat at a faster rate than subcutaneous fat, when compared to calorie deficit alone

Decades of evidence have firmly established that visceral adipose tissue (VAT) is associated with cardiometabolic risk factors beyond obesity per se & when, accurately measured by CT or MRI, is an independent risk marker of cardiovascular and metabolic morbidity and mortality ( PMID: 31301983)

The indisputable association between VAT and cardiometabolic risk makes it a primary target for lifestyle-based strategies designed to prevent or manage health risk.

Evidence from a systematic review and meta-analysis clearly established that an increase in energy expenditure (aerobic exercise), or a decrease in energy intake (hypocaloric diet), are both associated with significant reductions in VAT (PMID: 10896648, PMID: 15166299)

These studies found that when the diet- and exercise-induced weight loss was carefully matched, reductions in abdominal obesity and VAT in response to 12–14 weeks of exercise or diet were similar. Regardless of biological s*x, a ~7% weight loss was associated with a ~25% reduction in VAT in response to diet or exercise (participants in the exercise group did not increase or decrease their energy intake throughout the intervention, whereas those in the hypocaloric diet group did not increase physical activity levels)

These observations are consistent with a 2016 systematic review (PMID: 27213481) revealed that diet or exercise is associated with similar reductions in VAT when the negative energy balance and duration of intervention is matched

A 2018 RCT (PMID: 29142011) reported that diet combined with exercise results in greater reductions in VAT than diet alone.

“It is now firmly established that both regular aerobic exercise and the consumption of a hypocaloric diet are associated with a substantial reduction in VAT and liver fat independent of age, biological s*x, or ethnicity. Whereas exercise is associated with VAT reduction with or without weight loss” (PMID: 32218121)

There’s no real predictor and anyone who tells you that they can change your physique in a limited amount of time is just taking a shot in the dark. and i suggest you start running away from those self proclaimed "8 week transformation" gurus. You don't need such negativity in life. PERIOD! The best thing according to me is to start thinking a few days ahead. This presence and slight amount of forward thinking will do wonders to the process and before you know it, you’ll have shed your fear of the unknown and embraced the process.

This day although dedicated to the ones you love. Many forget something’s that love you unconditionally inspite you not loving them back. Mother Nauture, strays animals, and most importantly your own BODY! Despite you throwing all kinds of toxic elements at them. They love you unconditionally. So this year, let’s make a pledge to something hood for them. - Love your body back and give it what it NEEDS.
- Make a pledge to workout for 4 days a week no matter what.
- To eat healthy as much as possible
- Move for 10 minutes after sitting for a few hours.
- Give the body proper sleep for atleast 6-7 hours.
- Feed the strays when you see one. ( a packet of biscuits or some milk will suffice)
- Make them feel loved for a few minutes
- Eliminate use of plastic wherever possible, and stop littering.
- Plant a sapling / take care of one tree in your neighbourhood. All these doesn’t take much of your commitment. But will go on to make a difference when you make it into a habit. Let’s show some love and make the world a better place to live in for us and others in it.

Hormones are definitely important when it comes to your fitness. With my clients, I always try to look at past and present blood work to see how things look under the hood. ⁣⁣
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This gives me important insight into how well nourished they are and how they are recovering from training. From there I can make better decisions in regard to their fitness program so that they make better progress!⁣⁣
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The hormones listed in these graphics are particularly important when it comes to fitness. Swipe through for a simple breakdown of what each hormone does in terms of your metabolism, body composition, and performance.⁣⁣
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Being out of whack on one or more of these is a signal that something isn’t quite right and that you may not be making the most of your fitness efforts. Getting them all aligned can be tricky and may even involve changing your diet and/or training program in a way that you don’t like. But, doing so often leads to better outcomes in the long run.⁣⁣
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Let me know what questions you have by leaving them in the comments. ⁣

Period!

Fat Loss Transformation Reality Check
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Perhaps you need a reality check because you didn’t get out of shape overnight.⁣
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Your lifestyle CHANGED⁣
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Maybe you had kids⁣
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Maybe you are consumed by your job⁣
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Maybe you started drinking to relieve stress⁣
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Maybe your time management sucks ⁣
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Maybe Netflix sounds more relaxing after a long day⁣
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Maybe you stopped caring on a whole new level ⁣
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Maybe a feeling of overwhelm is your new normal and its rare you AREN’T stressed⁣
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Whatever happened, it wasn’t overnight. It was a gradual decline that may have lasted weeks, months, or even years. ⁣
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If it’s been YEARS since you liked the way you look naked, stop expecting to reverse it in a month. ⁣
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Instead - focus on loving yourself, valuing your physical and mental well being, prioritizing the best possible self care you can practically afford. ⁣
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Nothing is worth more than quality of life. If you are constantly stressed, eating to sooth emotions, pain, or if you are just too busy to slow down and give an F about yourself... it MUST END. ⁣
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CHANGE THE TRAJECTORY OF YOUR LIFE!!! ⁣
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Stop allowing yourself to continue to decline and choose to keep at it, one day at a time.⁣
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You will get there. You can do this. It just won’t happen IMMEDIATELY. You need to stay consistent!⁣

Our salute goes out to every woman out there. Who has broken the glass ceiling. And has made incredible strides to achieve many goals personally & professionally. To every Mom, sister, daughter, entrepreneur, doctor, engineer, house maker. Be strong, Be fit.

The fitness and diet industry is chock full of slimy salespeople who use buzzwords and nutrition myths to take your money.⁣
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Anything purporting to be a "detox" or a "cleanse" is B.S. Our liver does a fine job of clearing the body of potentially harmful substances, and the idea that we're full of toxins is just fear-mongering to get us to spend money⁣. You don't need to take a supplement or fast to "detox."⁣
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There is no such thing as a "fat-burning food" - fat loss ONLY occurs if you're in an energy deficit⁣, regardless of the amount of celery and grapefruit you eat.⁣
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If a product starts talking about alkalinity, your B.S. senses should be tingling. Cellular buffer systems, respiration changes, and adaptations in the kidneys ensure that our blood pH remains at 7.35-7.45, irrespective of our diet. If our blood pH significantly changes outside of that range, we've got problems.⁣
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⁣"Leaky gut" is a buzzword usually used to describe an increase in intestinal permeability. "Leaky gut" is not recognized as a diagnosable condition. The symptoms that are supposedly indicative of a leaky gut (brain fog, fatigue, stomach pain, etc.) are not causatively linked to increased intestinal permeability. While pseudoscientists try to simplify gut health, it's a very complex and nuanced topic. has a very informative post on "leaky gut" - she's an expert on gut health, so I'd recommend giving her a follow⁣
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Look - whether it be weight loss, muscle gain, improving our general health, G.I. issues, etc., we all want instant results. And while lots of people are willing to shell out thousands of rupees per year on B.S. products, comparatively few are eager to take a gradual approach utilizing sensible advice (eating in moderation, self-monitoring, increasing fruit and vegetable consumption, regular exercise, etc.)⁣
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The solutions to your problems are generally less s*xy than you think, and won't be found in the next fad diet or supplement⁣.

Next time you feel the urge to eat, pause and ask yourself, "Am I hungry?"

This isn’t about deciding if you're allowed to eat but getting to the bottom of WHY you want to.

You don't pull into every gas station you see; you check your fuel gauge first. ⛽️

So how do you determine the answer to this important question?

A full body assessment.

Check for PHYSICAL symptoms of hunger. More specifically:

▪️hunger pangs
▪️growling or grumbling
▪️gnawing
▪️an empty, hollow, or slightly queasy feeling
▪️weakness or loss of energy
▪️trouble concentrating
▪️difficulty making decisions
▪️light-headedness
▪️a slight headache
▪️shakiness
▪️irritability or crankiness

Hunger is a physical sensation. It's not a thought, craving, or rationalization.

What does YOUR hunger feel like? Please share in the comments below.