Fitness For Geeks: Real Science, Great Nutrition, and Good Health by Bruce Perry is a good reference for explaining optimal strategies for fitness, supplements, the eating regimen, and much more. The author extols the virtues of eating whole unprocessed food, exercise, using tracking metrics, sleep, de-stressing, and other lifestyle tactics like saunas.
The FitBit tracker is a small motion sensor device which displays the number of steps taken during the day, accumulated mileage, and calories burned, displaying a "flower" icon of the last three hours of activity. There is a dashboard together with nifty charts to track progress. Other sports tracking tools like Fitocracy and Garmin Connect are described.
There is an intensive discussion of nutrients covering both macronutrients and micronutrients. The macronutrients are proteins, fats and carbs; whereas, micronutrients are vitamins, minerals and photochemicals. A micronutrient is a tiny constituent of food or a biochemical that plays a vital role in basic physiology. The act of cooking alters the micronutrient content. The better choice is to eat fruits or veggies raw or to use a high quality food processor or juicer. Grocery IQ is a free app for assembling and saving on grocery lists in local stores.
Intermittent fasting is a hot topic among weightlifters and resistance trainers according to the author. These fasts are good for metabolic health which include fat burning, enhancing insulin sensitivity, lowering inflammation, and increasing
growth hormone levels. Glucagon levels increase during fasting. The pancreas secretes both glucagon and insulin. Glucagon carries the message to release fats or free fatty acids (FFA) into the bloodstream so the cells can start using them for energy. The term for burning of fats is lipolysis.
The author explains how the Sun plays a role in our fitness plan. It helps to make Vitamin D. Higher levels of this vitamin are associated with the reduction of several cancers. Sunlight elevates the mood and may help with the expression of genes.
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