US Sports Fitness: Biohacking: Is it The Future of Health and Fitness?

 

From Beast Sports

Anthony Altieri

Biohacking, a symbiosis of biology and hacking, is a revolutionary concept that signifies the pursuit of enhancing one’s physiology, health, and overall life experience. It brings forth the possibility of leveraging an amalgamation of lifestyle modifications, technological advancements, and nutritional shifts to achieve optimal wellness and longevity. The question then arises, could this intriguing practice be the beacon that guides us into the future of health and fitness?

The Genesis of Biohacking

Biohacking finds its roots in the small, incremental changes that individuals make to their diet and exercise routine, all with the goal of attaining lasting enhancements over time¹. It is a holistic approach aimed at improving the overall well-being and longevity of individuals. Scientifically endorsed, biohacking has shown to have a measurable and substantial impact on one's health status².

A Multifaceted Approach

Biohacking isn’t just a singular approach but is rather an umbrella term that houses a diverse array of strategies. These range from the more traditional and common-sense, naturalistic methods, to avant-garde technological innovations that aim to bring about remarkable changes and enhancements to an individual’s health and fitness⁶.

A Dance of Cells and Silicon

Biohacking goes beyond mere external adjustments; it dives deep into the integration of technology within the human organism, exploring the realms of implants and interventions³. It explores how we can elevate the human experience by integrating enhancements that allow our bodies to transcend their natural limits. This form of human augmentation or enhancement is a profound representation of do-it-yourself biology, aimed at optimizing performance, health, and well-being⁵.

Beyond Mere Survival

Biohacking is not just about living; it’s about living optimally. It aims to elevate our physical, emotional, and mental states to unprecedented heights, using a combination of exercise, foods, supplements, and technology⁸. It is this dynamic approach to self-improvement that sets biohacking apart as a revolutionary tool in health and fitness, offering new pathways to enhance performance and achieve unparalleled levels of wellness.

A Balancing Act

Biohacking offers a range of possibilities, each bringing its unique set of risks and rewards⁷. It is imperative for individuals venturing into biohacking to do so with informed discretion, balancing the pursuit of self-enhancement with ethical considerations and a deep respect for the inherent limitations and sanctity of the human body.

The Future Landscape

Biohacking is more than a trend; it is an indication of the future trajectory of health and fitness. It promises a paradigm shift where the limitations of human potential and well-being can be redefined and reimagined. The intertwining of scientific innovations and self-experimentation within the sphere of biohacking opens up possibilities for a future where optimizing health and well-being is within our grasp, waiting to be unfolded.

Empowering Individuals

One of the most empowering aspects of biohacking is the autonomy it grants individuals over their health and well-being. It democratizes wellness, allowing individuals to take charge of their health and explore what works best for their unique biological makeup and lifestyle. By combining scientific insights with personalized experimentation, individuals can discover the optimal blend of biohacks that resonate with them, enabling the tailoring of interventions to individual needs and preferences.

Holistic Wellness

Biohacking embraces a holistic view of wellness, acknowledging the interconnectedness of physical, mental, and emotional well-being. By fostering a harmonious balance between these aspects, biohacking empowers individuals to reach new heights of holistic wellness. The comprehensive approach of biohacking facilitates the harmonization of the mind, body, and spirit, cultivating a state of complete well-being.

A Dynamic Revolution

The world of health and fitness is in the midst of a dynamic revolution, spurred by the innovative approaches and limitless possibilities brought forth by biohacking. It is reshaping our understanding of what it means to be healthy, pushing the boundaries of human potential and redefining the limits of what the human body can achieve.

Ethical Considerations

The advancement in biohacking technologies and methodologies brings forth a plethora of ethical considerations and moral dilemmas. The augmentation of human abilities through biohacking raises questions about the moral and ethical implications of enhancing human capabilities beyond their natural limits. The pursuit of self-improvement through biohacking must be tempered with a deep reflection on the ethical ramifications of such enhancements, ensuring the responsible and equitable application of biohacking technologies.

Conclusion

Biohacking, with its eclectic blend of biology, technology, and lifestyle modifications, holds the potential to revolutionize the realms of health and fitness. It is a beacon lighting the path to a future where the optimization of health and well-being is not a distant dream but a tangible reality. The intersection of scientific advancement and self-experimentation within biohacking holds the promise of a world where the enhancement of human potential is democratized, and holistic wellness is accessible to all.

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References:

¹ The future of health: How biohacking is changing the game
² What Are Examples of Biohacking?
³ Biohacking: An exploratory study to understand the factors...
⁵ What's Biohacking? All You Need To Know About The Latest Health Craze
⁶ WHAT IS BIOHACKING
⁷ Biohacking: How a DIY Approach to Biology Can Shape Our Future
⁸ Biohacking: A Guide to Boosting Health and Performance

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5 Things To Do For Summer Shredding 

by Team Beast

Are you the type of person who does whatever they want in the colder months and then once spring is in full swing realize you are nowhere close to being ready for summer?  If that sounds like you and you end up going in full-blown summer shredding mode, you're going to want to pay close attention to the five things I have listed below that can help speed up the process for you.
 First off, I would highly recommend you make health and fitness a lifestyle choice.  Eating whatever you want and letting yourself go in the colder months isn't healthy and as you may be experiencing right now, can cause a lot of stress when you realize that summer vacation is coming up and you don't exactly fit into your swimsuit anymore.  But, don't worry, you aren't alone and I'm about to show you some key things to focus on to help you with your summer shredding. 

1. Decrease your calories

 The first thing you will want to do is get into a caloric deficit.  What this means is consuming fewer calories than what is needed for you to maintain your weight.  If 2,500 calories keeps your body weight the same, lowering down to 2,000 calories each day will help you lose around one pound of body weight each week.  Once you start making progress, you will need to make further changes to your calories and possibly lower them again so that you continue to see the results you desire. 
 However, there are a few other things that I'm going to touch on that will help you keep your calories up, yet allow you to burn more each day so you can enjoy the meals you eat. 

2. Cook your own meals

 Cooking your own meals is key for summer shredding.  You want to know exactly what is in each of your meals and control how it is prepared.  When you eat out at restaurants or even fast food, you really have no control over how they prepare your meals unless you give them specifics (and even then, you have your fingers crossed that they follow your wishes).  Simplify things by meal prepping your meals so you know exactly what you are consuming, in the exact portions you want, and with the precise macronutrient breakdown you need to see results. 

3. Increase cardio

 Cardio should be a staple during your summer shredding efforts.  Cardio will help you burn calories throughout the day, as well as allow you to keep your calories up higher than if you didn't do cardio at all and were expecting to see the numbers dropping on the scale.  Doing as little as 30 minutes of cardio a few times a week to start would definitely help.  From there you can always increase the duration of your cardio per session (say to around 45 minutes) or you can add in an extra day or two of cardio per week. 

4. Hit the weights

 Unfortunately, many people skip weight training and think it doesn't do much when it comes to weight loss.  Well, I'm here to tell you that if you want to speed up your summer shredding results, you need to hit the weights.  Weight training not only burns calories, but it helps build lean muscle mass. 
 Now, you might be wondering why you would want to build anything if you're trying to lose.  The fact of the matter is that the more muscle mass you have, the more calories you burn each day (even while at rest).  Muscle needs energy and because of that, it needs to burn fuel from the foods you consume or body fat itself in order to not only function but to maintain its size. 
 Ladies, you especially need to understand that you will not get HUGE lifting weights.  You don't possess the same amount of testosterone as men so it's naturally impossible to get big.  That being said, adding some quality lean mass will help the overall appearance of your physique and will improve your strength as well. 

5. Drink plenty of water 

Water!  Your body is made up of primarily water and for that reason, it needs to constantly be replenished to function optimally.  Water helps all of the processes that take place in your body.  Everything from muscle function to cognitive thinking.  When you become dehydrated, you will find your physical and mental performance will decline. 

 It is recommended that you drink water throughout the day to maintain proper levels as well as to maintain hydration.  Those who exercise (like you) need even more water during the day to replenish what you lost during workouts.  Therefore, I would recommend carrying around a water bottle everywhere you go and when it is empty, fill it back up.

Beast Sports Nutrition Presents: Team Beast Reggie Beast Mode Black and THE BEST DIET PLAN IS SIMPLE...EAT WHAT YOU WANT

THE BEST DIET PLAN IS SIMPLE...EAT WHAT YOU WANT

 by Team Beast

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, you will never lose weight doing something you hate. Initially, you may be enticed to continue down the path when you see some results but the long-term play always leads to failure. Look, would you do something you hate every single day for the rest of your life? Probably not, right? And who would expect you to? Now, there will be a little give and take during the process but the most effective weight loss strategy is eating what you want. Let me explain.

No, I’m Not Nuts

Well, that’s actually debatable but it’s not the topic of discussion – your weight loss strategy is. Let’s take a peek at your diet. Not the best, correct? It’s cool, we can work with that. In fact, I don’t even really want you to do much in terms of eliminating what you eat, we can play with it a little.

I’m sure you have tried several diets in the past. How did they turn out? Good at first and then you figured out the diet absolutely sucks day in and day out so you gave up. Am I right? That’s because the diet you were trying to use didn’t fit your lifestyle. Know what? It won’t fit the majority of lifestyles out there and that’s why it’s called a “diet.”

Diets are quick fixes to a bigger issue. While what you eat is just as important as how much, a simple way to see some quick weight loss is by simply managing how much you eat (to start). To break it down in easy to digest terms, you have a daily caloric maintenance number that if you hit it each day, your weight will stabilize – you won’t gain weight and you won’t lose weight. Then you have a caloric deficit. That’s where you consume fewer calories than maintenance and over time you will see a decrease in your body weight. Lastly, we have a caloric surplus. That’s where more than 60% of American’s are on a daily basis which causes weight gain.

With more than 60% of American adults being overweight and of that number around 30% of them being considered obese, you can say we have an epidemic on our hands. Not to worry, we can dig you out of the hole you dug if you feel that’s where you are. First thing’s first – you need to track your calories. I’m willing to bet that nearly every instance where someone isn’t losing weight, they have no idea how many calories they are consuming on a daily basis and additionally, they are in a dreaded caloric surplus.

Either write down on a piece of scrap paper your daily intake of calories as well as protein, carbohydrates, and fats, or use a simple and easy to use app such as MyFitnessPal to track your nutrition. Numbers don’t lie and neither does the mirror. If your maintenance calories are said to be at 2,500, what happens if you eat more? You betcha, you’ll be gaining weight. Therefore, we need to make sure we are under that number. I’m using 2,500 as a placeholder for my example. You may be higher/lower so just roll with me on this one to understand what needs to be done in your instance regardless of what your actual maintenance calories are.

If you remove 250 calories per day from your 2,500 you will be left with 2,225 and that can yield you around 0.5lb of weight loss per week. If you drop 500 calories per day and take it down to 2,000 calories per day, you can lose around 1lb per week. You don’t want to lose any more than 2lbs per week or you’ll risk losing lean muscle mass which will lead you down another dark hole of slowing down your metabolism.

 How Can You Eat Whatever You Want?

I know this is the part you’ve been waiting for. As the title says, the most effective weight loss strategy is eating what you want. Is that true? Yes and no. No, it’s not clickbait – hear me out.

Do you like ice cream? I’m not telling you to eliminate it. Do you like pizza? You can have pizza. Do you like big, fat, juicy burgers with fries? Get down with your bad self. You don’t need to get rid of any of that deliciousness – but you need to manage how much you eat and where it puts you calorically for the day.

Listen, if your family wants to have a pizza night and it’s your tradition, by all means, eat some pizza. But rather than having an entire pizza yourself, only have a couple of slices and call it a day. Log your calories and macronutrients from the meal and move on. Now, I’m not saying it’s healthy to have pizza every day but I’m also not saying you need to give it up altogether.

Diets like keto don’t work for people because they like their pizza, donuts, and ice cream. Who am I to tell you that you can’t have those things? And no one should. It’s simply a matter of better managing the food you consume and in what quantities.

The problem with all of these diets is that they want you to eliminate entire macronutrients. Eliminate all fat. Eliminate all carbohydrates. It sounds ridiculous. Who wants to do that and maintain their sanity? I’d be the grumpiest person you’d meet if you made me eliminate an entire macronutrient. That’s why the failure rate is so high. It’s not a long-term strategy or a lifestyle you can follow until the day you die.

Stop buying into all of these fad diets and eat whatever the hell you want (within the guidelines I mentioned above). Enjoy your life and the food you eat. Just be mindful of your portions and make sure you hit your daily numbers. If you can eliminate certain things that don’t mean much to you, such as soda, do so. Make changes that fit your lifestyle and when you make changes, do them slowly. Don’t throw away everything in your pantry, simply stop buying certain foods. Maybe switch from regular soda to diet. Switch from sugar in your coffee to something like Stevia. Little changes can yield great results in the long-term. Remember, this is a long-term play, nothing happens overnight.

Who Wants It Bad Enough? Presented by Beast Sports Nutrition - 2019 Ep1 Respect The Process and 5 Ways To Overcome Injuries And Reach Your Goals

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5 Ways To Overcome Injuries And Reach Your Goals

 By Team Beast

In this article, Team Beast athlete Steve Gentili dives in on how to overcome injuries to reach your goals.

Injuries can be an embarrassing part of strength sports and extreme bodybuilding. We have to admit to ourselves that we are, in fact, actually human. Unfortunately, when it comes to pushing yourself to the absolute limit, itʼs not if you get hurt, itʼs when.
For most athletes, the injuries are manageable: strained muscle, aches and pains from not recovering. Most are nothing debilitating, and most serious athletes get ahead of the issues before it gets serious with massage, physical therapy, ice, heat treatments and a plethora of other modalities if they think it can help.
Whether the injury is serious or not, there are some things you can do to minimize losing progress at the gym, maximize the recovery process and potentially shorten the time off. You always want to work with medical professionals and listen to their advice as well. I always seek out the best in the field in my area, but there are things you can do on your own.
Hereʼs 5 tips to focus on while going through an injury.
1. DIET AND SUPPLEMENTS
This should be an athlete's main concern, but especially if time is going to be spent away from the gym and we canʼt be as flexible with food choices. We want nutrient dense foods, and, usually if activities are limited, to reduce overall caloric intake.
Yes, you will lose some weight, but for most injuries, losing a few pounds can help with recovery. You're not actually losing muscle mass, just volume size. Itʼs a far better alternative than slapping on a bunch of bodyfat. With all the protein needed to recover from injuries, I always use BCAA 2:1:1 or Aminolytes throughout the day in the acute stages of the injury along with Beast Protein at night. You have to fuel the body for recovery.
2. DO ANY MOVEMENTS YOU CAN PAIN FREE
You want to minimize any amount of atrophy you can, so wort the muscles you can without causing any more injury to the damaged area. You want to be disciplined in the sense of not being over enthusiastic and re-injuring yourself, but also not avoiding all exercise and using injuries as an excuse.
Thereʼs a difference between pain and therapeutic discomfort, and youʼll be the only one to really know. Remember, this is more of a maintenance phase. You're not trying to set PRs, but every injury is different. I live by the motto, “do what you can, when you can."
3. REMAIN OPTIMISTIC
So many people allow injuries to drag them down into depression. Itʼs important to remember that your mind is your biggest advocate, but also your worst enemy. Your recovery will only be as limited as you believe it will be. The honest truth is some injuries are so bad that you will never be the same. But people who are determined to accomplishment something find a way, even if it was different than what was originally intended.
4. SLEEP AND REST
While injured, the most important thing you can do is allow a full recovery. Sleep, along with diet (and water intake), are top priorities for recovery. You canʼt keep up the same intensity you had prior to the injury, and rest is not going to slow your progress down. After surgeries, I sleep 8-10 hours per night, plus naps throughout the day. Your body wants to heal and the best way to do that is sleep.
5. FOCUS ON WHAT MOTIVATED YOU IN THE FIRST PLACE
Serious injuries can make people reevaluate a lot of priorities. You go from being the best, in-shape version of yourself to needing help for basically everything. Itʼs a surreal and very humbling experience.

Itʼs easy to walk away from what hurt you, but to me thatʼs never been an option. I refuse to be beaten by an injury. I knew the risks before I started my journey as a powerlifter so I accepted that injuries could come at anytime. But I always remain focused on the things that motivated me from the beginning. Iʼll stop competing one day, but it will be because Iʼm ready to walk away - not because Iʼm scared to keep pushing myself.