Everyday heroes, the underdogs, home gyms, the most important meal of the day – and then some!
The MAN v FAT Newsround August 24th
From the MAN v FAT Football leagues
- Firstly, I want to give a big well done to Matt Barber from the Weston league. Last week Matt did an amazing and honourable thing; he donated 1.5L bone marrow. Despite being sore and tired, Matt hopes to be spectating the footy for a while, so be gentle with the high fives. Matt credits his work with MAN v FAT for being in good enough shape to be able to donate but we think you’re the real hero here, Matt.
- Well done so far to Stoke’s Bayern Munchies. The lads have ended their bad run of 5 seasons at the bottom of the league to climb right the way to the top. In Season 6 so far, the lads are on top of all three leagues, and are even unbeaten in the combined league – they’re currently 4 points clear with 5 games to go. From whipping boys to winning, boys! Great effort on and off the pitch.
In other news…
- Carbs are not bad for you. A little bit louder for those in the back: carbs are not bad for you! In fact, studies are actually showing that a low-carb diet could shorten your life expectancy by up to four years. BBC News explains that cutting back on carbohydrates often means that the dieter is eating more meat and fat and less fruit, vegetables and grains, which is linked to ageing in the body.
- Apparently, the experts are out to confuse us once again. The Guardian reports that a Harvard professor is warning us that our once celebrated coconut oil is ‘pure poison’. What’s more, both the British Nutrition Foundation and the American Heart Association agreeing that there are no benefits to eating coconut oil and that it actually increases LDL cholesterol or “bad cholesterol”. A senior dietician from the British Heart Foundation also explained that coconut oil is approximately 86% saturated fat, which is higher than butter – perhaps it’s time to think twice before you believe the hype.
What we’re talking about
- @StayAu79 is asking for tips and advice on weight training. Personally, I think he should go for it (but I am a little bit biased, as it’s my sport!) What are your experiences in weight training – do you enjoy it/find it beneficial? Come and let us know.
- Exercise equipment – Do you have any at home? What do you use? @Good2SeeU is after a treadmill and is looking for any recommendations to keep burning those calories whilst he’s at home.
- @Gar_Rooney does an absolutely fantastic job of reminding us that it isn’t always about what the scales say. Share with him (and the rest of us!) your non-scale victories here and celebrate what we’re achieving together. Keep up the positivity chaps!
What we’re reading
- If I’m being honest, I personally couldn’t think of anything worse than exercising on an empty stomach, but if you like a fasted workout, you might be interested in this article on WebMD. A British study has suggested that eating breakfast before an early workout can burn more carbs both during and after exercising. The study also suggests that eating breakfast beforehand can also get our bodies ready for the fast storage of nutrients when we eat meals after exercise.
- Fitbit freaks, y’all ready? The Charge 3 is about to drop and is ready for pre-order now. We’re talking Gorilla Glass, waterproof tech (up to 50 meters plus swim tracking!), 40% more screen and maybe the post important new feature? Seven days of battery life on a charge. See the rest of the features on the Fitbit site.
What we’re eating
There’s a whole bunch of reasons why we should be eating grapes. They’re a low calorie, high volume snack. They can help keep you hydrated, they’re anti-inflammatory and are even thought to lower your risk of diabetes by improving blood sugar regulation.
But, they’re fruit. And if you’re anything like me, fruit is not what you want to be turning to when the urge to snack hits. And healthy eating is hard enough without someone telling you that you have to eat another serving of fruit or veg. If you need a bit of help with your fruit intake or you suffer from a sweet tooth maybe Tesco’s new flavoured grapes might be the answer. At £2 and available in strawberry, tropical and candy floss flavours, it’s worth a shot.
Quote of the week
This week’s QOTW comes from food addiction specialist Justin Marsh, who was our fantastic guest on this month’s webinar. (If you missed it, you can catch up here)
He said:
“You can train your brain to appreciate an apple. It can be your go-to food but it takes some commitment to manage it, some persistence.”
For me, this quote is all about slowing down and listening to your body’s needs and not giving in to what you think you need.
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There’ll be no Newsround next week as we take a lil’ break, but we’ll be back in September with our best back-to-school hats on, so see you then!
