I am setting up the very 1st Iron Strength and Conditioning Client Appreciation Week at the gym! Your business and support has meant the world to me so I want to celebrate by giving thanks to you!
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For all active clients, I will have a few things you can check out when you come in this week. Each client will be able to pick out 1 protein bar/snack this week completely free at the sign in area. There will also be a huge discount on all Iron Strength and Conditioning apparel which will be set out for you to view when entering the gym.
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I recently filled up all spots for training but I have a few clients that are leaving to return to college so I am opening a few spots. This is the perfect time to sign up and start working with me! I specialize in working with athletes wanting to increase strength, speed, jumping ability, etc. I can also help you if you are looking to add muscle, lose body fat or lose weight and care about your general health.
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I am truly thankful for all of the support of my clients and anyone who takes the time to read my post and articles, like, share, comment or just show any love at all. I love you all and hope you have a great week! Thank you for helping me turn my dream into a reality 🙏🏼
There’s something about that feeling you get when you throw a shirt on and the sleeves fit snug around the arms. It’s a shot of confidence and really makes you wonder how that girl you like in class didn’t notice. On a real note, it can motivate you to want to stay in the gym which is a big key to any good looking phyisque. Today we are going over 5 secrets to unlock bigger arms!
Anytime I have noticed the biggest change in my body, especially the arms are when I am following these tips. This is just like anything else, if you don’t take it seriously and put the time and effort in then you won’t see results. Make a commitment to yourself today and start off by following these secrets I am sharing with you. If you follow these, you will be filling that shirt sleeve out in no time!
So whats the secret? Well I will start by listing them and then explaining. Stay around until the end of this article and you will get 2 workouts that will help take care of one big step.
Increase the frequency of arm training(Duhh, I know)
Increase weight
Increase calories
More triceps (it’s 2/3 the arm)
Try taking creatine(check with a doctor 1st)
Increase the frequency of arm training
The first key thing to start off with is to train your arms more frequently each week. It may sound like a no brainer, but this is commonly overlooked and thought to be too much work for one area. A lot of people might only train their arms once a week compared to 2 to 3 or even 4 times a week. The thing about this is if you want bigger arms, you need to start training them more frequently. It WILL be a game changer, trust me.
Increase weight
Light weight curls is not going to get the job done, you have to start increasing weight and increasing weight overtime as well. One of my favorite movements is to do a cheat curl and really get the weight up but control it with a slow negative on the decent of the movement. This can really work on overloading the muscle and making it work at a higher level to force growth.
Increase calories
A key point in getting bigger muscles will always include consuming more calories. It is extremely hard to see a noticeable difference if you are maintaining the same caloric intake or even a lower caloric intake than your maintenance level would be. Find your maintenance calories and start adding 300 to 400 cal a day until you find an optimal range of calories to help increase weight at a steady pace.
More triceps (it’s 2/3 the arm)
This is the part a lot of people forget about and neglect… Triceps. It’s not all about the biceps. They can’t be getting all the love. You have to spread some love to those triceps and make sure you’re working them just as much, if not even more in my opinion. The reason is because the triceps will take up 2/3 of the arm space compared to the biceps. So in turn, if you get bigger triceps, the arms will appear bigger!
Try taking creatine
A good tool to use for getting bigger muscles and to increase strength is a supplement called creatine. Creatine works by creating extra ATP at the cellular level. This will increase the amount of reps that you can perform with a heavier weight, which will increase the strength and in turn increase muscle size. But another part that creatine helps with is holding water in the muscle to make the muscles appear slightly bigger. I recommend creatine monohydrate, but again please check with your doctor first to make sure this is a good option for you.
Don’t forget recovery!
With picking up the intensity, frequency and the soreness you’ll witness better looking arms. However if you want to get the very most out of the training and decrease the soreness to be able to continually increase and overload that muscle, you will need to take care of your recovery. Increased protein can help as well as adding in aminos and creatine into your supplement plan.
I have a subscription company called Iron Crate. We help take care of this problem by sending you some of the highest quality products on the market to help with recovery. It is also a great way to get a great deal on supplements and healthy protein packed snacks to try. I get one every month to act as a reward! It is like a monthly Christmas for the fitness lovers! You can check out my website for Iron Crate by clicking the button below. I appreciate any and all support!
Here are some of the previous Crates we have sent out recently. Oh and yea, we definitely added the cobwebs in the Iron Crates for Halloween we sent out to our customers and we sent stockings for Christmas. Wait till you see some of the new things coming! We like to keep it unique here to say the least.
Now that I got a shamless plug in, I really hope you can use this article to help get the arms you are looking for! If you use all 5 tips and keep up on your recovery, there’s no doubt you’ll be more than happy with the results you will receive.
As promised, I want to give you 2 solid workouts to help get you started. This uses some of the tips we just learned. Have fun! You can go to the Vault of Gainz page to see how to do all exercises listed!
Workout #1
A1) Barbell cheat curls – 5 x 8
A2) Tricep cable push downs – 5 x 15
B1) Close grip bench – 5 x 8
B2) Hammer curls – 5 x 15
Triset – 6 x 15 each
C1) bench dips
C2) cable curls
C3) band tricep pushdowns
Workout #2
Barbell cheat curls
12, 10, 8, 6 then drop weight and go back to 12 reps— dropset immediately after the 6 reps. That will be a set of 12. So as soon as you finish the last heavy set of 6 reps, take of about 30-50% of the weight and do that new weight for 12 reps.
Triset- 5 sets here
-Close stance push ups – till failure
-Over head dumbbell tricep extensions – 12-15
-Band tricep push downs – 20 reps
Triset – 5 sets here (try to grab one set of dumbbells and go through all of these here without setting the weights down)
-Dumbbell twist curls – 10-15
-Dumbbell reverse curls – 10-15
-Dumbbell hammer curls – 10-15
Thank you again for checking out this article! It would mean the world if you could share this out to your friends! Sending you all love and positive vibes. Here’s to a happy, healthy and successful 2021!
⬇️⬛️BLACK FRIDAY⬛️⬇️ . @ironcrate is doing buy 1 Crate, get 1 FREE! Never done this before! . The rest of the retail items in our store will be 50% off! Protein snacks, gym apparel and fitness accessories! Just use the code “BLACKFRIDAY” at checkout! . Please share with a friend to help out my business! I’d love for you to go through and grab an Iron Crate or load up and make your own Crate full of gear and goodies! But if you can’t or it’s just not your fit then no biggie! I still love you and appreciate the support 🙏🏼💚 hope you had a great Thanksgiving!
Want to target that lower chest? A decline angle is a great way to start. However you may be in the gym and the decline bench is taken, but need to get going. Take some bumber plates if available and set up a mini stack. I would not do more than 3-5 plates depending on how it is set up. Place them under the lower half of the bench to set up a decline angle.
This is also a great technique for if you have a flat bench at home and want to switch it up. The couple things you need to watch and check are safety factors. Make sure the bench is stable. I typically test this by pushing the bench at that end and sit on it and perform the movement WITHOUT weight first to ensure it will not slide. If you have rubber gym flooring and rubber bumber plates, you should be good. PLEASE use caution when doing this. I would try to get a spotter to help by spotting the weight and have the spotter also keep an eye on the bench to make sure it doesn’t slide.
Share with a friend and get to work!
-Alex Costa-
Follow the website and blog to make sure you don’t miss out on any content coming!⬇️
It’s almost time for Black Friday! Which means Christmas is already around the corner. When shopping for someone that’s into fitness, there’s a couple things to pay attention to.
Some people can be very picky. Not because they are a picky person but because of different factors that are involved in their training. Some things to keep an eye on and maybe ask if you aren’t sure is:
1. What kind of fitness are they into?
Bodybuilding, CrossFit, powerlifting, yoga, etc. This can really help so you look in the right direction.
2. Supplement favorites?
Are they sensitive to caffeine, does whey protein mess with their stomach, do they have a flavor they can’t stand?
*DO NOT JUST TAKE A STAB IN THE DARK AND GRAB THE FIRST THING AT WALMART.
This can be an area where you might just want to avoid unless you have a really good idea what they use and like.
3. Do they have access to a gym?
This can decide whether to get some items or accessories for the gym or home.
4. Do they have this item already?
If it’s a supplement or subscription box then thats okay because it’s an investment that is made consistently. However if it’s a set of bands, do they have this set already? Do they need another set or should we grab something else?
So what makes the list?
Whether you have a family member, gym friend or you’re doing a random acts of kindness for someone into fitness, I plan of having you walk away knowing exactly what to pick for them! I have created a list of 10 items that you can’t go wrong with! Lets get started!
1) Fitness subscription box
Iron Crate
Every fitness lover finds monthly fitness subscription boxes super exciting! Think about it.. it’s basically a fitness Christmas each month! I love my monthly box I get from Iron Crate. We keep it exciting and fresh each month. We include the most trustworthy and highest quality products on the market. We also include workout programs to keep you busy in the gym and even throw in items that you can use such as shakers, gym accessories and fresh gear to wear!
Why try shopping for stuff and end up getting something they may not like when you can take out the middle man. We hand select the items each month and create a unique monthly Crate for our customers. We even take care of shipping too!
The best thing about Iron Crate is that the retail value adds up to anywhere from $80-$130 each month but the monthly subscription customers only pay $39.99 a month for a box full of fitness goodies! So you can get up to $130 worth of fitness for only $39.99!
Go grab an Iron Crate for you, a family member or a gym buddy to make their Christmas! You can save 15% off your first Iron Crate with using the code “CRATE15” at checkout!
Healthy snacks are such a great choice! The best part is that it fits all categories of fitness! Iron Crate has you covered again. We also carry amazing snacks packed with protein that make great treats for any fitness enthusiast. One huge favorite is the protein candies we carry from MusclePharm. They taste just like M&Ms but without all the sugar that will affect your blood sugar levels. They are also a great source of protein and the taste is out of this world 🤤 I snack on these all the time when I’m craving chocolate.. which is almost everyday. Grab some items and fill up a stocking for your fitness lover this Christmas!
Out of all vitamins, this one is going to be a huge seller this year. Most of us are deficient in vitamin D. They say that this specific vitamin may help protect against becoming infected with, and developing serious symptoms of COVID-19.
Healthline.com says “A new study that looked at 216 people with COVID-19 found that 80 percent didn’t have adequate levels of vitamin D in their blood“
That is going to be one thing right off the bat that increases sales on this vitamin. Let me explain why this is a great gift idea other than that. Vitamin D is known for helping to have healthy muscles, bones and teeth. It can also help keep your immune system healthy, regulate energy levels and aid in brain health. The benefits of this vitamin are a tool most of us need, making it the perfect item to throw on the Christmas list this year.
At home gym equipment
It’s 2020.. the gyms have been closed down once. Let’s be honest, it won’t hurt to have a couple things at the house just to be safe.
Here’s a list of home gym items I would go with.
4) Yoga mat
This is a good option because for most fitness categories, you will typically want some kind of mat or padding on the floor. This can protect the weights, floor and the lifter.
5) Glute resistance band
Glute resistance band from Ironcrate.co
Let me explain why I LOVE these and think everyone needs one. Our glutes are naturally weak. Especially if we sit at school or at a desk all day. This can cause low back pain and issues with the hamstrings. This glute band can help increase strength in the glutes and hips.
If you are an athlete, this tool can aid you like no other. It can help pre-activate the glutes which essentially turns them on to increase strength during your workout. This can increase overall strength and lead to more muscle activation for bigger muscles and better performance.
I hear the girls in my gym talk about this all the time.. They want better and bigger glutes. This band WILL help if used properly.
I use this band for me and my clients before all of our lower body days in the gym. It is one of my favorite investments and I believe you will be just as happy as I was when you get one.
We sell these for an amazing price on Ironcrate.co , just click the button below and it will take you to the item on my website so you can pick one up before we sell out.
Going with the adjustable ones compared to the ones that are coming already set at weights will save moolah. It also saves space which is a plus. You can get a good pair from places like Amazon or even Walmart. I would get a set with some kind of iron weights compared to the plastic weights. That is just my personal preference though. If you are on a surface where you need to take care of it, then plastic might be a better idea.
7) Resistance bands
This is a great gift idea. It is highly utilized by many fitness categories and has many functions making it a good tool to have at home.
There are 2 main bands that will pop up when you type this into the search bar. The ones on the left are great for exercise variety. If you don’t have dumbbells or any weights then this may be a better decision because it will give you more options. The bands on the right are very popular for other things. They do not have handles like the other set and are a closed band as to where the other set is open. These are great for athletes that do explosive workouts. It is also a great tool to have added in if you have a squat rack or bench set that can add band resistance. They will typically have pegs for bands on the bottom.
8) A good pair of wireless headphones
Notice I didn’t say Air Pods or Beats? This is one I would ask about if you think that person is picky because just like supplements or flavors, this can be one of those gifts that the person may want a specific pair. If you have the budget, I think Air Pods or Beats are the higher quality ones on the market. However, one of my brothers and sisters has a set of headphones that look just like Air Pods and operate at just about the same level, so if that person isn’t picky, those are a better option if you have a lower budget in mind.
This is personally one of the items on my list this year. I like my normal headphones but I find myself always in a hassle messing with the cord. I do a lot of work involving my headphones and don’t always want to carry my phone on me so I like the thought of not worrying about the wire getting in the way or getting stuck on everything.
9) Shaker bottle custom to their favorite interest
The shaker bottle companies have been changing the game lately with their special series they are always dropping. They have bottles with teams, super heroes, food items and yes even some with avocados working out on them.
As someone that loves a lot of different fitness categories, there is something about having a flashy shaker bottle or one that is custom to what your interest are that makes you feel some type of way. Remember that feeling when you got that fresh new Scooby lunch box back in 1st grade, and you couldn’t wait to show it off? Yea that feeling. So take note of what their interested in and search it up.
10) Smart Watch
Apple, Fitbit and Fossil have amazing smart watch products. No matter what category your fitness lover is into, the watch makes working out so much fun!
This is also a great gift to get a beginner because it can really keeps them motivated by little things like “filling the rings” on the watches. Basically it sets goals for you such as walking distance, calories burned, time standing, etc. As you accomplish the goals, it fills up rings on your watch. This is like checking off something on a to do list. It gives a great sense of accomplishment!
Lets WRAP this up, get it.. Christmas.. gifts..HA, not funny, I know
There are a lot of amazing products out there that are going to be brought to your attention due to high marketing around the holidays. This doesn’t mean you have to get the 1st thing you see on the commercials. Next thing you know, you’re getting a shake weight for your grandson that is into powerlifting. So trust me, this is a good list that can really meet expectations for all fitness categories.
Wanna see another list for a specific category such as athletes, cross fit, runners, etc? Leave me a comment below and let me know what you want to see! Also let me know if you have any items that you think should be added to the list!
I know there’s a lot of stress right now with the election so what better way to simmer down and relieve stress than with a solid arm workout! Stop watching the news all day, take a break and get out of the house to enjoy the weather. Get some exercise, eat healthy food, practice some meditation and yoga. This is a simple way to relive a little stress that may be coming up.
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I put together a video you can watch while you workout so you can see form, sets and reps. I also included exercise tips on the video!
Into smoothies and protein shakes? So am I! When I started to do my first couple smoothies, I wasn’t exactly sure how to start. I have always been one to do a traditional protein shake consisting of a scoop of protein and milk. So when I tried to wrap my head around putting spinach in that, the thought wasn’t making me jump with joy at first.
My mom and dad got me a ninja blender for smoothies a couple Christmas’ ago and that’s where I started to learn more about it. I tried a bunch of fruit and handful of greens in the first smoothie. I was so excited that I forgot to add any milk or water. Rookie mistake, I know. As I took my 1st sip and spit it all back out, I decided at that moment to learn more about the art of making a smoothie.
I tried a lot of different recipes and tried my own. Be ready for a bunch of failures if you try it yourself. Nothing wrong with it, don’t get discouraged at first. Just takes some time to learn how to properly mix up a solid smoothie.
As you start to get it all down, you can really spice it up with different ingredients.
I was looking through my social media feed today and saw a post from Precision Nutrition and loved it enough to want to share with you today! It was perfect for this article and really adds a visual to help you out!
One of my favorite ones to do is almond milk, chocolate protein powder, spinach, banana and peanut butter.
This post is from @precisionnutrition I love their content for nutrition 🥦
What’s a shake recipe you are thinking of trying out?
Like this content? Follow my gym page @Ironstrengthandconditioning for more health related tips! I post a lot of exercises, breakdowns, fitness/nutrition content as well as mental health content and plenty of helpful stuff for the athletes!
Welcome back to Costafitness! Watch this video and you can get a very good understanding of what I will be doing to try helping you and all of our viewers. I will be making some changes to the website so don’t be alarmed if you see a few noticeable changes through the next few days and weeks.
Some things you may notice is slightly different content, other authors/ publishers and more focus on things that we currently need.
This seems like a good time to get back on here and try spreading more positivity, smiles and knowledge. You can expect a good laugh from time to time, content that will be valuable and a true understanding for fitness so we can keep making progress while we face world problems as a team. Let’s tackle this together and let me help you!
Let’s make a difference and listen to what we need to do to conquer this virus. You can help a lot of others out there by sharing this content published on Costafitness.org and telling your friends and family about it! Also sharing it on social media. Keep checking in daily for workouts and more content that is sure to help you in someway, shape or form. Also please reach out if you have any questions or ideas for content you would like me to cover!
Are they friend or foe? There has been talk for a long time saying that consuming too many eggs can lead to high cholesterol levels. Is this true, should we slow down on eggs? Let us dig into some research and see what science has to say about this..
Humans have been eating eggs for a very long time, one article says approximately 6 million years and counting. Eggs back in the good ol hunting days were one of the easiest things for us to hunt and gather because unlike the mammoths and wild animals, the fragile egg never wanted to fight back. Hmm to hunt a saber tooth tiger or eggs… decisions, decisions.
What Is Cholesterol?
Cholesterol is described in this article as a waxy fat substance in the body, particularly in the cells of your body. Cholesterol can also be found in foods we eat such as eggs, fatty meats and cheese. It isn’t always a bad thing however. Cholesterol helps the body by helping the body with producing new cells and hormones as well as helping the body with dissolving vitamins. Most of the production happens in the liver, but researchers say that it isn’t necessarily the amount of cholesterol we consume but how much saturated fat is consumed with ones diet. (MedicalNewsToday.com was a huge resource where I got some of this information above)
The article I read on Medlineplus.gov discusses how too much cholesterol can be a bad thing:
“If you have too much cholesterol in your blood, it can combine with other substances in the blood to form plaque. Plaque sticks to the walls of your arteries. This buildup of plaque is known as atherosclerosis. It can lead to coronary artery disease, where your coronary arteries become narrow or even blocked.”
Good and Bad Cholesterol
Cholesterol is broken down into 2 categories. HDL (high-density lipoprotein) and LDL (low-density lipoprotein). These are important to remember because this is pretty much how we can tell if we have good cholesterol or not. The goal is to have more HDL and less LDL. This is because HDL helps with transferring cholesterol from around your body back to your liver, which is good because as it is moved to the liver, it processes it and gets rid of the bad cholesterol for you. Now on the other hand, LDL is the bad kind because this is the kind we hear about causing heart attacks and strokes due to it increasing a build up of plaque in the arteries.
What Causes High Cholesterol?
High cholesterol is a mixture of a handful of things. The main things that tend to increase the chances of having high cholesterol is having too many LDL in your body as learned above. Also not being active, eating a lot of saturated fats from items such as deep-fried and processed foods. Smoking also lowers our HDL which is our good cholesterol as it raises the LDL count which is our bad cholesterol, this part is especially true for women according to this article I read. Also pay attention to your family health history, if your family has had problems with cholesterol then take precautions by getting checked by your doctor on a regular basis of his recommendation.
So What About The Eggs?
Eggs do indeed have a yolk that can include up to 200mg of cholesterol which is one of the richest among other foods however eggs also contain a bunch of health benefits including some benefits that can decrease chances of heart disease.
Some things that we like to see in eggs are:
Vitamins A, B, B12, D
Iodine
Folate
protein
Healthy fat
It is a plus having the option to get eggs in organic forms and cage free which are a good option. If not the normal eggs are still there and for a very good price which makes it a convenient food to have in the fridge.
This is a part of an article I read from Harvard that I wanted to include for those who may have a health history of high cholesterol, diabetes or anything that would need to be discussed with their doctor: “In studies including the Nurses’ Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study, heart disease risk was increased among men and women with diabetes who ate one or more eggs a day. For people who have diabetes and heart disease, it may be best to limit egg consumption to no more than three yolks per week.”
Here is another part of the same article from above, I believe this was apart of their conclusion: “While eggs may be a much better choice than sugary, refined grain-based options like sweetened breakfast cereals, pancakes with syrup, muffins, or bagels, they may fall short of other options. A bowl of steel-cut oats with nuts and berries, for example, will be a much better choice for heart health than an egg-centric breakfast. Consumption of whole grains and fruit predict lower risk of heart disease, and when it comes to protein, plant sources like nuts and seeds are related to lower cardiovascular and overall mortality, especially when compared to red meat or eggs.”
That is something I do want to point out for your health because I am not saying to go eat a stack of eggs everyday, I am saying to do your research. Talk to your doctor about your cholesterol and overall health and what diet would be best for you.
Conclusion
In any dieting advice you chose to follow, I always recommend talking to your family physician and a registered dietitian to ensure you are healthy enough to participate in any new diet. I also highly recommend getting your blood work done regularly/annually depending on your health. It is a good thing to go over your numbers with your doctor and ask any questions you have as well as discuss any nutritional guidance you should be following.
I personally eat eggs almost everyday, I try to substitute 1-3 days with a different alternative. After reading all of the articles and studies, I will try throwing other healthy options such as the steel cut oats with berries and nuts. I still believe for me personally, eating a few eggs on a regular basis shouldn’t hurt but I will be discussing topics like this with my doctor to get a professional opinion.
I hope this article helps you, I know cholesterol can be an important topic for many. Especially with an alarming number like 3,000,000 cases each year having high cholesterol. So please share this on social media and with friends and family because this could really help someone with their health and wellness.
Thank you for reading and have an awesome day! -Alex Costa-
With finals coming up for all of my students out there, studying can get exhausting and tiring. One big thing you can do to help is focus on your health, especially what you’re eating.
I want to give you some foods you can try to throw into your diet to help increase your memory!
#1 Broccoli
Broccoli is known for its health benefits and one of the most popular veggies among the rest. It is high in vitamin K which has been revealed in a couple studies to be linked to an increase in memory. However this study was conducted on 320 conductees that were between 70-85 years old that had no cognitive impairment. I believe it is safe to say if you don’t completely get the memory benefits, it will be very beneficial in other areas of your health!
#2 Pumpkin seeds
I went through very bad anxiety/panic attacks consistently a couple years ago until I read more on the nutrition aspect of the mental health industry. I found that magnesium can help immensely with your brain function which in turn can help with things such as anxiety and depression. I recently found that magnesium can be essential for your memory and learning!
With Pumpkin seeds being high in magnesium, they make a super simple snack to incorporate, especially during finals week!
#3 Spinach
Time to break out the spinach like Pop-Eye. Spinach is very high in vitamin k and in magnesium. Based off of what we have learned so far, that is a good sign. Start throwing in some more salads or throw some spinach in with a meal. This is a food that will help in more ways than one!
#4 Avocados
No surprise, avocados are in most top food list due to numerous health benefits they offer. Avocados are high in vitamin k and folate. These two nutrients combined with the mono-saturated fat content can decrease chances of stroke because it can help reduce the chances of blood clots. Avocados can also help with memory and concentration which is what we like to hear! Hit up my easy guacomole recipe!
#5 Fatty Fish
With the brain being comprised of about 60% of fat (mainly omega -3), it makes sense that this would be a good one to add to the list. If you look closely, most of this list is made up of healthy fats.
A study found that regularly eating fish that was baked or broiled could increase grey matter in the brain. Grey matter holds the nerve cells that make decisions, memories and control your emotions. Some of the best options you can get are salmon, tuna, trout and sardines.
#6 Berries
Berries are something you can throw in with cereal, yogurt, smoothies and shakes or just have as a snack. This makes it super easy to add them in immediately.
A study says that “the berry fruit may exert their effects directly through alterations in cell signaling to improve/increase neuronal communication, calcium buffering, neuroprotective stress shock proteins, plasticity, antioxidant/anti-inflammatory action, stress signaling pathways and inhibition of acetylcholinesterase.“
So in other words, berries are high in antioxidants, improve neuron communication in the cell, increases the plasticity, which will help brain cells form new connections promoting learning and memory enhancement. This same study also mentions that more clinical trials need to be done to see the effects of berries on therapeutic agents for brain-related diseases.
A good example of berries to go for regarding this article suggest blueberries, blackberries and strawberries.
#7 Walnuts
Every nut is a powerhouse of nutrients but nothing compares to the walnut on the charts in this study. Walnuts are a great source of ALA (alpha-linolenic acid), the plant form of omega-3 fats. They had a count of 2.5 grams compared to the others such as pecans which was the closest having 0.5 grams, then followed by peanuts, almonds and pistachios which all come in at 0 grams. I have a chart below I used to show you a visual of this.
This graph is being used from bebrainfit.com, they had a great article on this!
There was an interesting study showing that an increase consumption of walnuts showed a significant increase in reaction time, learning, and memory recall compared to those who did not eat them. The study was done with conductees that were the ages of 20-90 years old and they saw an increase all across the board no matter what gender you are or the age. So I would go out and start looking for walnuts for better brain function!
#8 Olive Oil
There is always a lot of controversial conversations surrounding olive oil. “It’s the healthiest thing for you”, “it’s bad news”. Here’s the thing, no matter what in my opinion, we can’t deny how olive oil is better that some other choices out there for you. I have read articles claiming both health benefits and no health benefits. It gets even more confusing when you start reading into studies.
Olive oil is high in vitamin K and E, paired with being a monounsaturated fat, we have a formula for something here that could improve brain performance based off of what we read today so far.
An article I read explains that diets such as the Mediterranean diet higher in olive oil can reduce chances of Alzheimer’s up to 40%. The MIND diet has the ability to reduce the chances of Alzheimer’s more than 50%. If you are a younger adult this may not interest you as much as an older or even mid aged adult. This is still a very important topic because it can decrease chances so it may not be a bad idea to look more into this topic especially if Alzheimer’s runs in your family.
The other benefit I enjoy about olive oil is that it is pretty easy to incorporate into a diet. You can use it for cooking which makes it easy to get more olive oil into your diet. One more remark I would like to add on olive oil is that although I use it in my diet, I try not to overdue it when I use it, as many vitamins out there, too much may be as bad as too little.
In conclusion I believe that healthy fats can definitely play a role in our brain function as well as other nuts, berries and seeds. There are more things out there, I just researched many articles and studies to see which ones came up the most and why. It is a good idea to eat healthy not only for your future self and body but you should also do so because it can help increase performance mentally as well as physically.
I really value your opinions and feedback so please feel free to leave a comment below or reach out to me and let me know how you liked this article. Would you like to see more like this and on what topics? Thank you again for taking the time to better yourself today. By reading this, I know you take your health seriously, so make sure you keep coming back for more new content on the website. Also follow me on my social media links shown below for even more helpful tips including exercises, workouts, nutrition, increased athletic performance and so much more!
Disclaimer: Please check with your physician before using anything on this article. I am not a registered dietitian and although I researched and used scientific studies in a lot of the material here, your health history or medical stand point may need assistance of other foods, vitamins or supplements so check in with your doctor / physician before making any drastic changes in your diet. Thank you.
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