Fitness Myths That May Be Holding You Back!

By Michael Berg, NSCA-CPT
Last updated: Mar 25, 2016

These 6 fitness myths have stalled the progress of many motivated lifters. Break through the mistruth and become a wiser, stronger you!

Fitness has its own share of tall tales. You've heard the ones about sculpting your six-pack with daily high-rep crunches, right? How about the little boy whose knees fell off after a single squat? Far too many of us have let our lives be steered by these yarns over the years, with nothing to show for it in the end. You deserve better!
To help separate myth from reality, we turned to two EAS athletes who have seen and heard all sorts of pumped-up fitness parables over the course of their careers: active duty Coast Guard member Steven Lopez and NPC bikini competitor Nikki Walter.

Here's what they had to say about six of the most persistent legends passed down through generations of iron enthusiasts.

MYTH 1 CRUNCHES ARE NECESSARY FOR A SIX-PACK

We get it: crunches burn so much when you do them they simply must be building something, right? Alas, wrong. Even the best direct ab exercises only strengthen the muscles underneath the flab. That doesn't mean they're not useful, but rather that they're only useful at certain times for certain goals.

"Listen, we all have 'abs,' regardless of how high our body-fat percentage is," Lopez explains. "It's when you diet and exercise the whole body that those muscles become more visible. The key to a chiseled six-pack is sticking to a good overall workout routine and clean diet."

Got that? The overall quality of your approach is far more important than any small part. This is what Bill Geiger was writing about when he described the EAS Muscle-Building Pyramid: Start with the big, and then work your way to the small.

"Yes, exercises that directly work the abdominals can make the muscles more detailed and defined," Lopez points out. "But that effort will only pay off when you peel away the layer of body fat over them. So start there."

Just to be clear, a crunch is also not unique in its ability to work the "six-pack muscles" of the rectus abdominus. All of the following absolutely scorch the rectus and every other ab muscle, creating core strength that can carry over to everything else you do in the gym!

Exercises that work the six pack muscles and then some:

• Strict hanging leg raise
• Front squat (all implements)
• TRX fall-out
• Mountain climber
• Plank with reach
• L-sit
• Stability-ball roll-out
• Stability-ball pike
• Ab roll-out
• Hollow-body hold

MYTH 2 TONS OF CARDIO IS NECESSARY TO GET EVEN A LITTLE LEAN

Slow-and-low cardiovascular training is a great tool—in the right time, amount, and place. But if you want to lose fat, you probably need less of it than you think, unless you're already lean and looking to get leaner.

"I've found that the average person trying to get lean can accomplish that with just a good weight workout routine and diet," explains Lopez. "However, if you compete or are prepping for a shoot, cardio is necessary to get rid of those last few pounds of stubborn fat in the final weeks of prep."

Until then, you might get better results from blended cardio and bodyweight training—the type that EAS's four "Transformed in 20" workouts contain in spades.

For guys, the most stubborn fatty areas are usually the love handles, lower abs, and lower back; for women, it's usually the hips, butt, and thighs. "These areas have a high amount of alpha-receptors, which are more insulin sensitive and receive less blood flow," Lopez says. "After being on prep for, say, 13-15 weeks, you might hit a fat-burning plateau and notice those areas are the last to get really lean. When that time comes, consider getting on the treadmill to help dial it in."

MYTH 3 YOU MUST DISAPPEAR FROM LIFE IF YOU WANT TO LOSE FAT

There's nothing like trying to transform your physique to make you start viewing the world starkly in terms of do's and don'ts. Just watch the next time someone brings a cake into the office, and you'll quickly notice two "teams" develop: those who partake, and those who don't.

"Until I started competing and committed myself to a strict diet, I just wasn't aware of how much of our social lives revolved around food and drinks," Walter says. "I used to experience this working in an office, when others would bring in food to celebrate. Office settings are hard when co-workers want to bring treats in or go out to happy hour after work. No one wants to be the antisocial one."

You want cake—but you want results, too. So what's an aspiring athlete to do? As with training abs, you have to trust the overall approach to handle the big part of the results. If you're confident in 90 percent of your nutritional approach—both the what and the why—it's easier to say either "no thanks" or "just a bit" and really mean it.

"Go out and be social, but be prepared at work with your own snacks, or limit yourself to one treat a week—whatever will help you focus on the lifestyle change you're aiming for," Walter says.


MYTH 4 SQUATS ARE BAD FOR YOUR KNEES

This idea has many people scared squatless, as those fearful of injury have steered clear of what arguably is the most productive weight-training exercise ever devised. The squat, after all, works a multitude of muscles synergistically, including the quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes, as well as the core and upper body.

It's entirely possible that a lifetime of sitting (among many other factors) may have gotten in the way of your ability to squat deeply with good form. Squatting heavy before you can squat well is also a major culprit. But with patience and a focus on mobility, you can absolutely regain your squat!

And what's more, you should. The lower reaches of the range of motion, as they stop short of going all the way down to where the thighs are parallel to the floor or below, are where some of the squat's biggest benefits are to be found.

"If your knees are tracking out past your toes, start by widening up your stance a bit to allow you to at least go to parallel. Over time, work on getting better at full-ROM squats, and they'll more than earn their place in your leg-day routine," Lopez says.

In other words, don't leap to a heavy quarter-squat at the expense of learning how to do a light full squat. Start practicing light (or bodyweight) full squats, and then slowly add weight. Exercises like the goblet squat can certainly help you get there. They teach great squat form without requiring you to get under a heavy load.

MYTH 5 MACHINES ARE SAFER THAN FREE WEIGHTS

Because you're locked into a specific range of motion with the resistance tucked away on a weight stack versus being in hand via a dumbbell or barbell, many assume machines are naturally safer than free weights. But is this true?

The answer is a huge "it depends." Yes, you may be less at risk of hurting your knee today doing some leg extensions than doing a poor-quality, overly heavy squat. But you're also doing a lot less to strengthen your body as a whole, including all those tiny stabilizer muscles that make you feel as strong as you look.

The precise thing that makes a squat so difficult—namely, your body being forced to stabilize during a difficult movement—is what makes it valuable. A well-performed squat, even just with body weight, teaches your muscles to fire and work together. A machine just hammers a muscle or two. One is a symphony; the other is a solo.

"Of course, machines have their place in a workout routine," Lopez says. "But they're just one ingredient. As long as you check your ego at the door when it comes to weight selection and use proper form, machines, cables, free weights, and bodyweight exercises are all the same as far as safety goes. Each provide their own unique way of targeting a muscle group. Use them all for what they're best at."

MYTH 6 SUPPLEMENTS ARE ONLY USEFUL FOR MUSCLE BUILDING

There are two things that are about as timeless in the fitness industry as the dumbbell itself: the sound of a big guy in the weight room rattling a shaker cup, and the magazine ad of a ripped bodybuilder roaring into the camera.

We've all seen them both a million times by now. But their popularity comes with a downside: A generation of people have seemingly become convinced that supplements are only for people who either already have tons of muscle or who are desperately in pursuit of it.

As Nikki Walter found out when she wanted to transform her life, this just isn't the case. "Supplements can be scary for someone who has never used them," she says. "Had I known several years ago, back when I was a marathon runner, how much supplementation can assist with recovery and performance, I would have saved myself a lot of hassle."

Ask any of the millions who have successfully completed the EAS Body for Life challenge over the last 20 years, and they'll echo Walter's conclusion. Yes, a protein shakeis helpful to meet your daily protein target, but it's more helpful in its ability to fuel your recovery between workouts. Sure, a pre-workout is helpful for giving you energy, but only if that energy equals another rep, set, or movement you wouldn't have done otherwise.

Think of it this way: Choosing to commit to a lifetime with such an intense, challenging hour in it every day isn't easy. It isn't normal—even though it should be—but it's necessary. If a supplement can help you turn that daily ritual into something to be relished rather than feared or dreaded, well, that's worth considering for any athlete.

"It's worth your time to read reviews and embrace supplementation as an intellectual challenge," Walter says. "Knowing not only what to take, but also when to take supplements and how they support your goals are all key to success." Look for supplements that use transparent labeling, meaning you can see each ingredient and the exact dose used in the product, and carry third party certifications like GMP and NSF so that you know the product has been tested for safety and for banned substances.

Easter

This is just one point of view on three aspects of the whole Easter thing, with a conglomeration of ideas, time periods, and beliefs evolving over about 3500 years. Do your own research and find your own truths. 

Beyond Ishtar: The Tradition of Eggs at Easter

Where Did The Easter Bunny Come From?

The Greatest Story Never Told

Jesus: The revenge.

Enjoy!
Jesus: The revenge.

Do you need a digital detox?

Last Updated: Jun 30, 2015 | By Sara Jayne Crow

Overview

As I try to write this article, I’m simultaneously streaming a DJ set on Mixcloud, reading an article on qz.com about Trent Reznor, researching its author on Twitter and periodically checking Facebook. My mental landscape is cluttered with platforms and advertising; windows and videos clamor for pixelated precedence; and I can’t seem to focus. Sound familiar? Making the cognitive leap from ingesting and processing information to applying that knowledge requires the discipline to silence the distractions. Yet the distractions keep growing, with on-demand entertainment fighting for our attention and social media becoming more insistent, pushing all types of notifications into our purview. It would be no surprise, therefore, that many of us may need a digital detox. Here are eight signs that you need to unplug, along with recommendations on how to detox.

1. You Never Read an Article From Beginning to End

The multitasking usually associated with online habits can have detrimental effects on your cognitive function. A 2009 National Academy of Sciences study indicated that your ability to filter information can be negatively impacted from too much mental juggling. What’s more, according to a study published in Developmental Psychology, “Media multitasking was…associated with negative social indicators,” meaning that multitasking online can inhibit one’s ability to relate to others. How, then, can you improve your attention span and ability to focus? A recent study reported in The Atlantic suggests that one can rebuild attention span through online games -- that is, if you want to spend more time online. Or try rewarding yourself for completing long tasks offline to help positively reinforce lengthening your attention span.

2. Your Vision Goes Blurry After Looking at a Screen

Does your vision go a bit blurry after a few hours spent surfing the Internet on your mobile phone? Not good news, according to Ed Greene, CEO of The Vision Council. “Digital devices are an important part of our everyday lives, from business and recreation to socialization and even education, but this behavior poses a potential risk to our eyes,” he says. More than a third of adults in the United States spend four to six hours per day tied to their phone, tablet and/or computer. The problem is that smartphones and other digital tools are not designed for reading, requiring our eyes to continuously refocus to process content and text of varying sizes. If you have symptoms like red, itchy or dry eyes, blurred vision, general fatigue, back pain, neck pain and headaches, it’s time to reevaluate your device use. The Vision Council report also suggests taking a “20-20-20” break. That’s taking a 20-second break every 20 minutes and looking at something 20 feet away.

3. You Can’t Make Up Your Mind

Believe it or not, reliance on smartphones is associated with lower problem-solving and analytical skills. Perhaps the immediate accessibility of contacts, texts, Internet surfing, shopping, navigation, applications and games isn’t always a good thing. Nathaniel Barr, Ph.D., Cognitive Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience researcher at University of Waterloo, recently co-authored an article that discussed how people “offload thinking to technology.” He says, “An active mind is an important aspect of maintaining a healthy life. As such, we strongly encourage people to continue to think analytically in their daily lives…although we can now Google a wealth of information.” Some researchers suggest that playing games like crossword puzzles can help improve critical-thinking skills, according to one article in QJM: An International Journal of Medicine.

4. You Keep Bumping Into Things

Brain scans have revealed multiple neurological changes as a result of Internet addiction, according to Victoria L. Dunckley, M.D., writing for Psychology Today. The images suggest that too much screen time can cause atrophy and shrinkage of the brain’s gray matter, which governs executive functions like planning and organizing. “Spotty” white matter also seen in brain scans indicates that what she calls “electronic screen syndrome” may affect connections between the body and the brain as well as between brain hemispheres and higher and lower brain centers. So, can using your phone cause you to be clumsier? When you are walking and typing, yes. Reacting to an increase of cellphone-related injuries, a study from Stony Brook University found that pedestrians on their phones are 61 percent more likely to veer off course. The simple solution: Don’t walk and type at the same time, and even be careful about walking and talking on your phone. Furthermore, reading books and envisioning what you’re reading can assist in positive brain function and spatial intelligence, according to a study published in Attention, Perception & Psychophysics.

5. You Can’t Function When Your Phone Dies

Once upon a time, it was possible to travel without GPS. It required referring to a physical map, noting landmarks and exercising that spatial intelligence we just mentioned. Deductive reasoning was required, like factoring time of day, the shadows on the ground and nearby landmarks to figure out which direction is north. The overuse of phones has also been linked to impulsive behavior such as “urgency, lack of premeditation, lack of perseverance and sensation seeking,” according to an article in Applied Cognitive Psychology. Being agile and resourceful requires a certain amount of self-reliance we aren’t used to anymore. It’s easy to rely on the lazy instant gratification our phones provide. To help overcome that, go on an adventure and get lost on purpose the next time you travel to a new city. Or grab an actual paper trail map and go on a hike where there is no cell service. You may be surprised at how much more grounded you feel.

6. You Check Your Email and/or Social Feeds Throughout Every Meal

While dining out, we often see couples and even whole groups of people constantly checking their phones. Are they texting one another instead of talking? Are they Instagramming their food? What dire thing is more important than sharing a meal with someone you value, making eye contact and engaging? A common characteristic that researchers have identified among those who are diagnosed with so-called Internet addiction disorder (IAD) is a lack of impulse control that’s similar to OCD. What’s more, a 2012 study published in Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging compared MRIs of males with IAD and those without and discovered different neural activity that demonstrated a lack of inhibitory control. It’s essential, then, to unplug and focus on visceral, interpersonal interaction. To help reduce your reliance on technology and improve your interactions, schedule in-person meetings with friends, and turn off your phone for the duration of your time together.

7. Social Media Makes You Feel Negative About Your Own Life

While interacting with others online seems that it would promote social connection, there is evidence that it does the opposite. Many studies have linked overuse of social platforms with social anxiety, loneliness, depression and more severe problems like suicidal thoughts or bipolar disorder. If you suffer from low self-esteem or feel isolated when you’re logged into Facebook, Twitter or other social platforms, consider taking a one-week break from social media and see how you feel. Then, if you feel like you want to return to social media, choose the platform that makes you feel the most positive about your life and limit your interaction to that one. While your Klout score may suffer, chances are you’ll feel renewed, grounded and more connected -- to yourself.

8. You Talk in Hashtags and Acronyms, Even IRL

While he’s not a linguist or a psychologist, the actor Ralph Fiennes talked about how Twitter is “eroding language” at the BFI Film Awards a few years ago. He went on to say, “Our expressiveness and our ease with some words is being diluted so that the sentence with more than one clause is a problem for us, and the word of more than two syllables is a problem for us.” So, why are we using shorthand to rush through communicating with each other -- other than thinking it sounds cool? It may relate to the damage to the brain’s gray matter found in scans of the screen-addicted. According to the Psychology Today article, “A finding of particular concern was damage to an area known as the insula, which is involved in our capacity to develop empathy and compassion for others and our ability to integrate physical signals with emotion.” So show your love to your fellow humans by speaking in complete sentences using whole words. Remember, while the virtual world hosts infinite hours of information, distraction and interaction, be sure to fit in some time to reunite with the benefits of the visceral, human world.

How Do YOU Score?

What was your score? If you answered yes to 1 or 2, you do not need a detox. If you answered yes to 3 to 5, you need to cut down on your screen time. If you answered yes to 6 or more, make immediate plans to unplug. Reintroduce the joys of books, socializing, eating without interruption, and being outdoors.

Crunches: The Best Ab Exercise… Or The Worst?

by Tom Venuto 

In the 1980′s and 1990′s, nearly everyone in the fitness industry not only recommended crunches, they put the crunch on a pedestal and described the exercise with superlatives. I remember reading one of Dr. Frederick Hatfield’s books many years ago, where he said, “The crunch is the Cadillac of abdominal exercises.” Well, I would have said “Mercedes of ab exercises,” but you get the point – he was suggesting that crunches were the best vehicle to develop your abs… Are they? Let’s take a closer look…

Crunches, the experts explained back in those days, were the ultimate ab exercise because the crunching movement – shortening the distance between the sternum and pelvis – is literally the primary function of the rectus abdominis muscles. This is also known as spinal flexion. The crunch was also lauded because it’s not a full sit up, which activates the hip flexors, but rather a simple short range of motion “curl up” that “isolated” the abs.

Then, Everything Changed and The “Anti-Crunch Era” Began: By the first few years of the new millennium, there was a huge shift in thinking about the crunch and about abdominal training in general. What happened? Well, the fitness industry is notoriously fickle and prone to huge swings in opinion, even among legitimate experts, and we know all too well that consumers love to jump on the “latest and greatest” bandwagon.

In this case, the big new trend was “core training” and when that fad took off, it was the end of the crunch era. Planks became the new darling exercise, and we saw many books published about training your core, with not a crunch (or a sit up) in sight. But wait, there’s more. It was not enough to change the most popular exercise to a new one, the powers-that-be had to bash the old one. Suddenly, the crunch was worse than inferior – it was “bad for you.”

Not long after core training became the top fitness trend, we began to hear reports that crunches could hurt your lower back. Mind you, this came from trusted trainers, who said this warning came direct from exercise science labs. They said that too much spinal flexion (crunches) could actually cause a disc injury.

Well, my six-pack seeking friends, I’m here to tell you that if you were among the many who ditched crunches completely or if you also jumped on the anti-crunch wagon, you may not have heard the whole story. In fact, you may be missing out on one of the best ab exercises – yes, crunching exercises (properly performed) are still one of the best and deserve a place in a well-rounded ab program.

The Truth About Crunches, Spinal Flexion and Low Back Pain: I know and respect many of the trainers who said you should avoid crunches and do planks instead. On one hand, they have some valid concerns about injury prevention as well as good program design. But overall, crunches are a great ab exercise and are actually one of the safer ones, as long as best practices are followed.

At the end of this article, I’ll give you a list of best practices for doing crunches and other spinal flexion exercises safely to reap all their benefits without the risks. But first, let me tell you about the scientific research on which the demonization of crunches was based.

Some of the research on spinal flexion and disc damage was performed by Dr. Stuart McGill. In case you’ve never heard of him, Dr McGill is like the Mack Daddy of spine biomechanics. He is so well respected, that anytime he speaks, he gets attention from a huge number of trainers. It’s not surprising then that so many fitness professionals who followed McGill’s work immediately passed on these spinal flexion fears to their clients and readers, sometimes without putting it all in context. Context is everything in fitness.

The problem is, while the research did implicate repetitive lumbar flexion as a mechanism in disc herniation, one part that got lost in translation was that the studies were on pig spines, not human spines. Not only that, on dead pigs.

Seriously. But don’t blame the researchers – it’s not like you can flex human spines thousands of times in a row just to see when the discs pop or something snaps. (Would you sign up for that study?) When this fact came to light, then we started to hear more trainers say, “Wait a minute, is it correct to extrapolate data from dead animal studies to living human beings in the gym?” Indeed, living tissue has circulating fluids and nutrients and it gets stronger with progressive exercise.

Another flaw in the way many trainers and fitness enthusiasts interpreted the animal research is that the repeated flexing was not even a fair comparison to the workload or workout structure that a real person might do in the gym. Thousands of nonstop bending cycles (as imposed in those studies), is an extreme stress. A few sets of crunches for 15, 20 or 25 reps with breaks in between sets is a completely different “animal and hardly compares.

On a similar note, research on continuous daily high volume spinal flexion can’t be compared fairly to real world workouts that are only done 2 or 3 times per week, with rest days in between. Muscular structures and spinal tissues are given time to recover in between workouts, alleviating some of the disc stress, and promoting the strengthening process.

Let’s Put Crunches in Context: Also, what if crunches aren’t the only exercise being done? What if stabilization exercises like planks are done in addition to crunches, not instead of them? And what if you are giving your core and trunk other types of progressive resistance challenges like front squatting, overhead pressing and so on? Where’s the evidence that says intelligent programming of the crunch exercise into a well-rounded training plan has more risk than benefit in humans?

There’s even more: Some of the research that implicated crunches as a risk for back pain or disc herniation didn’t even approximate the crunch exercise at all. In the crunch, the range of motion is small – only about 30 degrees of spinal flexion, where only your head and shoulders come up off the floor – so it’s the thoracic region of the spine that is flexing the most, not the lumbar region. The impact on the spine depends on which segment of the spine is flexing and through what range of motion.

Furthermore, most people believe that back injury and spinal degeneration is caused mainly by wear and tear, but several studies have found that genetics is also a factor predisposing some individuals to low back pain and injury. This may explain why some people can train even in risky ways and never get injured, while others seem to be following all the best practices and they still get hurt.

Although some lines of research did raise concerns about crunches and other spinal flexion exercises, at least when considered in the context of the dose and frequency, there’s plenty of other evidence that shows crunches can not only be done safely, they have a long list of benefits.

Some Research Even Suggests that Crunches Reduce Low Back Pain: It should be common sense that moving and exercising is good for you and makes you fitter and stronger. That goes for moving – and flexing – the spine as well as other muscles and joints. Spinal motion delivers nutrients to the spinal discs. Being a couch potato accelerates disc degeneration and this becomes more pronounced as you get older. Even when there’s a risk to benefit ratio to consider when doing a particular exercise, the benefit of exercising with good form in realistic amounts almost always outweighs the risk of doing nothing.

There’s even research suggesting spinal flexion exercises might help reduce lower back pain. Lack of spinal flexibility is associated with increased low back pain. Resistance training is a form of active flexibility and joint mobility exercise, so many resistance exercises increase flexibility (through the normal range of motion), and may help reduce back pain for that reason.

Plus, Crunches Directly Develop Your “Six Pack”: The crunch is also one of the best ways to bring out the “six pack” look. There’s a reason for that. Many variations of the crunch exercise directly work and strongly contract the rectus abdominis – the six pack muscles – to a greater degree than many popular “core” exercises.
Dynamic exercises that move your joints through their range of motion also have an eccentric component and produce more metabolic stress, and therefore, have a greater capacity to stimulate hypertrophy, i.e., make your six pack abs pop out more.

So while the plank exercise (a static contraction exercise) is an important one to include in a well-balanced training program, there’s good reason to believe crunches to be better than planks for developing the “six pack” look.

Bottom Line: Are Crunches Bad For You Or Not? If we want to extrapolate the research to the real world, here’s what it’s probably telling us: That a high volume of daily ab work that involves a lot of the same spinal flexion exercises, or accumulating hundreds or thousands of repetitions every week, (or subjecting your body to the equivalent nonstop stress at work or doing physical labor), could increase the risk of low back injury.
I don’t believe the research supports the notion that crunches are universally bad for you. Taking all this into consideration, I would say the warnings about crunches and low back pain were premature and mostly unwarranted. However, crunches and spinal flexion exercises can indeed be misused and overused, so there are handful of best practices you should know about to manage the risks.

Abdominal Training Best Practices for Spinal Flexion Exercises
1. Don’t do extremely high repetitions. Doing hundreds of reps, let alone thousands, is not a good idea. Experts in spine biomechanics estimate that limiting to approximately 60 reps of spinal flexion exercises per workout is a sensible guideline. Think quality, not quantity. Use additional weight to boost strength and hypertrophy rather than train for crunches for endurance.

2. Choose the right training frequency (Don’t train abs every day). Doing abs – at least dynamic spinal flexion exercises – every day may also increase risks. All muscles require recovery between workouts and the abs are no exception. Allow at least 48 hours between dedicated ab workouts. Allow up to 72 hours if more recovery time is needed.
3. Use a controlled repetition speed. Increasing time under tension and metabolic stress can increase hypertrophy. A mix of rep speeds might be optimal and it may depend on the exercise. The down side of fast reps for ab training is that quick reps often use momentum, not muscle contraction, and are sloppily performed, thereby decreasing effectiveness and increasing risk of injury. The best practice for spinal health is to keep reps controlled and focus on squeezing and contracting the muscle.

4. Don’t train abs early in the morning right after you get out of bed. Research has shown that spinal discs absorb more fluid while they are unloaded during sleep. Fluid leaves the disc as the day goes on and the spine becomes more elastic and flexible. Risk of disc injury then, is more likely when you train right after waking up. A lot of people train first thing in the morning, but doing spinal flexion exercises within one to two hours of waking carries more risk than doing them later in the day. If you must do your resistance training at the crack of dawn, don’t skimp on your warm up or joint mobility work and be cautious with high risk exercises.
6. Take heed of your genetics. If you have reason to believe that you are genetically predisposed to low back pain, then take very careful note of everything that has been noted here as “high risk” and avoid the risky stuff.

Here's How Many Days You Can Skip a Workout Without Consequences

Marc

h 19, 2016 by SELF

On your fourth day of skipped workouts? Our friends at SELF explain exactly how this will affect your body.

Getting back to the gym after taking a small hiatus can feel like lifting weights for the very first time. And if you've ever tried to run after taking some time off, you know how painful that can be. The change is real, and pretty discouraging — physically and mentally. But how much is that really throwing you off your fitness goal? And how long is too long before you've disrupted all that hard work you put in?

Here's what happens to your body when you fall off the workout wagon (hey, life happens), and how much progress you really lose. 

Skipping workouts for a few days, or even a week, really isn't going to do much.

In fact, sometimes, your body may need it. "For most people that are exercising regularly and have a moderate to solid conditioning level [you work out four to six times a week], a week off is an opportunity to take a break and refresh the mind and body," Cris Dobrosielski C.S.C.S., C.P.T., consultant and spokesperson for American Council on Exercise and founder of Monumental Results Inc., tells SELF. And assuming you don't make it regular habit, you don't need to stress about falling out of shape.

The biggest risk in taking a week off is really more mental. "For the beginner, the routine of exercise is a huge key, and for this person getting motivated after a week off might be more difficult," says Steve Ball, Ph.D., state specialist and associate professor of nutrition and exercise physiology at the University of Missouri. "Some quit and never start again." Recognize that you've had to hit the pause button, and if you need a little extra motivation to pick things back up when your schedule allows, try one of these simple, science-backed kick-starters.

But within about two weeks of inactivity, aerobic conditioning starts to noticeably decline.

Aerobic exercise (a long, easy run, for example) works your heart and lungs. "VO2 max basically measures a person's capacity to take in, transport, and then use oxygen during exercise," explains Tara Plusch, senior registered clinical exercise physiologist at NYU Langone Medical Center's Rusk Rehabilitation. The more you train, the more efficient your lungs and heart become at delivering fresh oxygen and blood to your body during exercise, and the better your VO2 max.

When you stop exercising, both VO2 max and the heart's ability to pump blood efficiently start to decline. The exact rate will vary, but studies suggest that after about two weeks of inactivity you'll notice some changes. "It's been shown in endurance athletes that by four weeks [of inactivity] there's a 20 percent decrease in VO2," Plusch says. "There are studies that show even at the 12-day mark, there's a seven percent decrease in VO2 max." When it comes to the average gym goer, experts say you'll start to feel those changes around the two-week mark. (But Ball notes that measurable detraining, for some, can even start as soon as 10 days from the cessation of exercise.)

When it comes to strength training, detraining isn't quite as noticeable.

There's a lot of conflicting research when it comes to losing muscle mass, because the rates will vary based on your age, sex, and your beginning muscle mass, which will differ greatly if you're an endurance athlete versus a powerlifter.

But typically, for a regular exerciser who lifts a few times a week, taking some time off won't really cause much loss. "Strength and muscle mass change very little in a couple of weeks, so not a lot happens," Dobrosielski says. "A person who has put on a significant amount of muscle mass can go anywhere from four to 10 weeks and still might look good, and come back and perform reasonably well." So while there's a decline, it's less substantial than it is with your cardiovascular fitness. Research suggests that muscle strength fibers remain unchanged after a month of inactivity, but you may see a loss in sport-specific power.

But it's totally normal to feel weaker (which is why you want to ease back into your training routine after taking time off). Both your mind and muscle are a little thrown off after a hiatus. It takes coordination, and literal muscle memory, to lift, so feeling out of sync and not as confident can make lifting heavy weights feel even harder.

The fitter you are, the sooner you'll notice signs of detraining. But the less likely you are to decline back to where you started.

Seems unfair, right? But since your body is more adapted to constant training at a higher level, you'll notice a difference a lot sooner than someone who works out more irregularly or at a much lower intensity. And this holds true for both aerobic activity and strength training. 

"The more highly trained runner will see some aerobic drop off in those first one to three weeks," Dobrosielski says. But while you'll notice it more at first, after that initial drop off, losses will be more gradual than in a beginner. "Someone less trained will not show a whole lot of change in that first one-to-three-week period, but after four to eight weeks, that fitness ability or aerobic capability is more likely to go back to zero." More rigorous exercisers can expect their losses to plateau after about four to six weeks, keeping their abilities above baseline for a lot longer than the beginner.

Factors like age and sex can also impact your rate of detraining — for example, older women have been shown to lose muscle mass quicker than other demographic groups.

It's better to get in a few short, high-intensity workouts than skipping completely.

Yep, a little something is better than nothing — if you can. Even if you're not declining back to zero, your losses can be significant. An aerobically fit athlete could experience a 25 percent decline from their physical prime (when measuring with markers like VO2) within a few months, Ball says. "Typically the longer the break, the greater the effect. Also it often takes longer to get it back than the time you took off."

So instead of skipping a few weeks or months of exercise, Dobrosielski recommends cutting back the amount of sessions you're logging, but upping your intensity on the days you can get a workout in. "If you're squeezed for time, just work a little harder on the days you're able to go to the gym," he suggests. Ultimately you want to strive for a well-balanced training routine (here's what that looks like) that you can sustain for a long time. So if you need to tweak and modify your schedule every now and then in order to stick with it, that's fine. Just bounce back when you can.

Analysis finds the Obama administration loses a record number of documents requested under the Freedom of Information Act

Why Everyone Is Drinking Matcha Tea

May 28, 2015

By SARA VANCE

Hoping to boost your energy, mood, metabolism and focus while lowering your disease risk? Then look no further than matcha tea. A member of the camellia sinensis (green tea) family, matcha really stands out from the regular green tea crowd for how it's grown, harvested, processed and prepared as well as for its health benefits.

The Growing

Shortly after they sprout, the tea leaves are covered with reed screens so they can be grown in the shade, which reduces the rate of photosynthesis. This process appears to increase the concentration of a number of the health-giving properties of the tea.

The Harvesting

The harvest of the matcha tea begins 88 days after the first day of spring, generally in early May. The first harvest produces the highest-quality young leaves -- called the "first flush." Considered by connoisseurs as the finest in quality, taste and color, young matcha tea leaves are the chosen tea for traditional Japanese tea ceremonies.

The Processing

After harvest, unlike other green teas, matcha leaves are steamed, which helps prevent oxidation and preserve the antioxidants in the tea. The matcha stems are removed and the leaves are carefully air-dried and ground into a very fine powder.

The Preparation

Steeping tea leaves in hot water makes regular green tea. Matcha tea is made by dissolving the fine powder into hot water, so you're essentially consuming the entire tea leaf. The ideal water temperature is around 175 degrees. Traditionally, a special bamboo whisk called a chasen is used to properly stir and incorporate the powder into the water, but a milk frother will work fine too.

The Taste Matcha tea has a complex, rich, earthy, velvety-smooth and very slightly sweet umami flavor. If your matcha tastes bitter, it could be because you need to purchase a higher-quality tea or because the water was too hot during preparation.

Serious tea drinkers should consider buying high-quality ceremonial-grade tea and investing in an electronic teakettle that allows you to select a brew temperature. If you don't have a special kettle, just bring your water to boil and allow it to cool for four to five minutes before adding the powder. Matcha also works well in other preparations beyond tea: Adding the powder to smoothies and other recipes will lend a green hue, tea flavor and a long list of health benefits.

The Health Benefits

Green tea is in a class of foods called superfoods -- because it delivers high levels of nutrients and offers powerful disease-lowering benefits. Matcha tea supports good health in a number of ways:

Metabolism: Matcha creates a thermogenic effect, which means it boosts the body's metabolic rate so you burn more calories. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that the catechins in tea reduced body fat and lowered LDL cholesterol. It's also been shown to support healthy blood sugar levels by slowing the conversion of carbs into simple sugars. This is an important benefit, because it is estimated that more than 50 percent of Americans currently struggle with blood sugar instability.

Detoxification: Matcha tea supports the body's detoxification channels in a number of ways. The green color comes from a compound called chlorophyll -- which is found in matcha in higher concentrations because it is grown in the shade. Chlorophyll supports the body to remove toxins and heavy metals.

Alkalinity: Unlike coffee, which is acidic, chlorophyll is alkaline, which supports a healthy pH in the body. The alkalinity also means that matcha can be gentler on the digestion.

Brain Function: Buddhist monks have used matcha for centuries to help them meditate for long periods of time. Matcha contains high amounts of the amino acid L-theanine, which can improve concentration by promoting a calm focus.

Mood: The high levels of L-theanine may also reduce anxiety and support a balanced mood.

Energy: Matcha tea contains a little more than twice as much caffeine as regular green tea, but less than coffee. But the caffeine is balanced out by the L-theanine, so it delivers a calm, focused energy, without that jittery feeling.

Immune System: Green tea is rich in polyphenol catechins, which are powerful antioxidants and free-radical scavengers. One of the most potent of the catechins is epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), which has been found in studies to offer protective effects against cancer.

A 2011 study found that the amount of EGCG in matcha was 137 times higher than traditional Chinese green tea.

Skin Health: The free-radical-destroying capacity of the polyphenols in matcha tea can protect your skin from environmental pollutants and UV damage to support antiaging and cancer prevention in the skin.

Oral Health/Breath: Matcha tea has antibacterial properties, so it supports good oral health and won't leave you with coffee breath!

Beware if you go for the matcha latte at your local coffee shop -- it's probably loaded with sugar and milk. Studies show that the catechins are less effective when consumed with protein, so matcha tea is best consumed alone. If you want a latte, skip the sugar and go with a nondairy milk.

--Sara

Readers -- Have you ever tried matcha tea as a beverage or added to foods? What are some different preparations of matcha tea that you've tried? Would you ever trade your coffee for matcha tea? Leave a comment below and let us know.

Sara Vance is a nutritionist and author of the book The Perfect Metabolism Plan. A regular guest on local San Diego television stations, Sara also offers consultations, corporate nutrition, school programs and online courses. Visit her blog and download her free eBook at rebalancelife.com.

ReferencesThe History of Matcha Tea.

Polyphenols: skin photoprotection and inhibition of photocarcinogenesis.

Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG) is the most effective cancer chemopreventive polyphenol in green tea.

Ingestion of a tea rich in catechins leads to a reduction in body fat and malondialdehyde-modified LDL in men. 

Health Benefits of Matcha Tea.  

How Matcha is Processed. 

9 Benefits of Matcha Tea.