How to Repair and Strengthen Your Body

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Fasting - "Time Restricted Eating:" Benefits of which you may not be aware.

Fasting activates autophagy, promoting cellular repair and reducing inflammation while allowing the body to switch from glucose to fat for energy. This ancient system is already PROGRAMMED INTO ALL OF US.

  • enhances brain function,

  • reduces afternoon "nods" - aka fatigue,

  • protects muscle tissue, and

  • supports overall health through metabolic switching. That is, conditioning the fat-burning pathway.

It works through time-restricted eating. This video illustrates that the body thrives when not constantly fed. You do NOT have to fast for days. Even eating 1 meal per day, or 2 meals within an 8-hour window, has proven benefits.

Here is the summary: Consistent time-restricted eating is a solution to afternoon "blahs." You are not tired in the afternoon because of a lack of calories (energy). You are tired because you ate too often (and too much) and didn't give your body time to heal (repair).

Bone Health - A rapid and hard strike to the heel sends a signal to your brain to build bone.

Use it or lose it! Regarding your bones, "use it" means putting a short, violent strike to the heel. When you do this, the brain gets a signal to strengthen your bones. Here are the dos and don'ts.

  • Do: walk barefoot daily on a hard surface, striking your heel first, then pushing off with your toes.

  • Do: use the traditional Asian "bone health" workout explained in the video.

  • Do: wear soft-soled shoes when running on pavement, but walk barefoot or on hard-soled shoes when walking on hard surfaces.

  • Don't: fall into the dogma that you need to cushion every step. This deprives your brain of the signal to strengthen your bones.

The video illustrates the proper technique for a bone-building exercise. A shock wave is transmitted through the skeleton when you rise on your toes and drop to your heel abruptly. The mechanics of the rise and drop phases when your heel strikes a hard surface are the crucial signal for bone health.

Here is a useful article titled "What Happens to Your Body When You Jump." https://bit.ly/4uf6U5I

Here is the summary: For bone health: 1. Walk barefoot or on hard-soled shoes on a hard surface. 2. Jump rope 3. Any activity that creates a "hard strike" to your heel will stimulate bone growth. FORCE (speed) matters!

Cold Plunge for Vascular Health? There is a better way that you CAN do daily.

For most people focused on vascular health (especially the legs, veins, and circulation), cold foot soaks are the smarter, safer, and more practical choice than full cold plunges. They deliver many of the benefits with far fewer risks.

  • A foot soak creates a much milder response while still causing beneficial vasoconstriction (narrowing) in the legs followed by vasodilation (widening) when you warm up

  • Best routine: 10–15 minutes in cold water (around 10–15°C / 50–59°F) or add ice.

  • Do it in the evening after standing/sitting all day.

  • Optional: Try contrast therapy (alternate cold and warm water) for even better vascular "training."

Have you tried a cold plunge and just are NOT inclined to do this regularly? The cold foot soak overcomes this problem while providing the same benefits.

Here is the summary: For most people focused on vascular health (especially the legs, veins, and circulation), cold foot soaks are the smarter, safer, and more practical choice than full cold plunges. They deliver many of the benefits with far fewer risks.

Stressed? Try this method used by all animals (except humans) to overcome fight-or-flight stress.

Your autonomic nervous system (ANS) automatically regulates your body's internal functions. It has two main branches that work in opposition to keep you balanced

  1. Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) — "Fight, Flight, or Freeze."

  2. Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS) — "Rest, Digest, and Recover."

Shaking (or therapeutic trembling) is a natural, built-in mechanism many mammals use to discharge excess sympathetic arousal after a stressful event. Humans often suppress this instinct, which can leave residual tension in the body.

How to use shaking practically:

  • Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, soften your knees, and let your body shake naturally for 1–5 minutes (you can start by gently vibrating your legs or core).

  • Many people use Trauma Release Exercises (TRE), which safely induce this tremor response. Here is a link: https://www.choosingtherapy.com/trauma-release-exercises/

Here is the summary: Shaking for 60 seconds helps reset the nervous system after stress, mimicking natural animal behaviors. It reduces chronic cortisol levels, activates mechanoreceptors to block stress signals, and promotes muscle relaxation through the Golgi tendon organ, ultimately enhancing recovery and regulating the body's response to psychological stressors.

Stop what causes you to urinate at 2 am by DRAINING your legs where fluid has accumulated.

During the day, gravity causes fluid (edema) to pool in your lower legs. When you lie down to sleep, this fluid redistributes back into your bloodstream, increasing blood volume. Your kidneys then process the extra fluid into urine, leading to more nighttime urine production and nocturia (waking up to pee).

  • Elevate or "drain" your legs by propping them up above heart level for 30–60+ minutes in the late afternoon/evening)

  • Your body reabsorbs and excretes much of that excess fluid while you're still awake and can urinate normally.

  • Compression stockings can help, but elevating your legs is a better solution.

  • Athletes "in the know" often raise their legs to drain toxins produced after a hard or long leg workout.

This is especially helpful for people with leg swelling, venous issues, or heart conditions. Compression stockings during the day can provide similar benefits.

Other benefits include: reduced swelling (for diabetics, for example), improved circulation, may relieve varicose veins, supports wound healing, eases discomfort and fatigue. and enhances lymphatic drainage.

Belly (visceral) fat is the most dangerous kind. Even thin people can be at risk. Practice these simple - yet effective methods to reduce that deadly visceral belly fat.

Key Solutions/Protocol Recommended

  • Fasted morning training — Exercise in a fasted state (e.g., walking or training before eating) to enhance fat burning, particularly around the belly/organs.

  • Time-restricted eating (TRE) — An ~8-hour eating window, specifically 11 AM to 7 PM. This creates a fasting period that helps reduce visceral fat and improve metabolic health (aligned with studies showing TRE benefits for visceral fat reduction).

  • Strategic carbohydrate placement — Timing carbs around workouts or specific times (rather than cutting them entirely) to optimize energy, hormones, and fat loss without derailing progress.

These elements combine to create a sustainable protocol that prioritizes visceral fat loss over just weight on the scale. The videos highlight that visceral fat is more responsive to these changes than subcutaneous fat.

Simple Steps: Step 1. Measure your waist. Use a tape measure at belly button level. Breathe out. Do not suck in. Write down the number. This is your baseline. Step 2. Set your eating window. Choose an eight-hour window that ends at least three hours before bedtime. For example, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. or 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Stick to it every day. Step 3. Stop eating after dinner. No snacks. No dessert. No late-night refrigerator raids. If you are hungry, drink water or herbal tea. Step 4. Train fasted in the morning. Within 30 minutes of waking, do 10 to 20 minutes of movement, such as a brisk walk, light jogging, bodyweight squats, and lunges.

Belly (visceral) fat reduction - dietary steps

Visceral fat is a toxic, inflammatory organ wrapped around your organs—not normal fat. Starving it backfires if your body's in stress/inflammation mode.

  • Eat these 5 foods daily to flip the switches:

    • Fatty fish (salmon/sardines): Boosts adiponectin (the "skinny hormone") to burn fat.

    • Cruciferous veggies (broccoli sprouts/kale): Sulforaphane unclogs your liver.

    • Pumpkin seeds: Magnesium kills cortisol and stress storage.

    • Chia/flax seeds: Viscous fiber sponges glucose spikes and boosts satiety signals.

    • Avocado: Oleic acid mimics fasting, triggering fat burn without skipping meals.

Look to other recommendations on this site to reduce belly fat, but these foods have been proven very helpful. For example, chia seeds form a gel-like coating in your intestines, slowing the absorption of sugars. This helps lower "insulin resistance" and excess circulating glucose, which then reduces triglycerides. All these, when elevated, contribute to belly fat.. Watch the video for other foods that help.

Important Point: Lowering visceral fat is NOT about reducing calories. It is about being smart about the foods you eat so the calories you consume do not SPIKE your blood sugar levels. When this is the case, your body will use the calories, especially if you perform some exercise before and after meals.

Sarcopenia (muscle loss or muscle wasting) is a major problem in many older adults. Protein alone is NOT a solution, and even adding resistance exercise may not be adequate. A part of the problem is a loss of "signaling" within the body to build muscle, which can decline with age.

Key Solutions/Protocol Recommended: You need all of these if your muscles are wasting.

  • Resistance exercise — Exercise in a fasted state (e.g., walking or training before eating and after eating) to enhance fat burning, particularly around the belly/organs. Try to stand up and walk every 2 hours.

  • Protein intake with Whey being the best — Not all protein is created equally and the difference is the distribution of amino acids in the different forms. Eggs, fish, meat, and plant-based proteins are good, but Whey has shown better results.

  • Fish oils along with beneficial lifestyle behaviors — Supplementation or eating fish has been shown to enhance muscle protein synthesis rates, increase muscle mass and function

  • Creatine with exercise (or no benefit). Creatine monohydrate combined with resistance training is one of the most well-supported adjuncts, with consistent evidence showing greater gains in lean mass, strength, and functional performance

  • Overcoming "anabolic resistance" - The Problem

    Aging muscle develops a blunted muscle protein synthesis (MPS) response to dietary protein — older adults show postprandial MPS rates approximately 16% lower than those of young adults. This is where Fenugreek seeds and certain fermented cheeses may help. The cheeses are Cottage Cheese (full fat), Parmigiano-Reggiano & Grana Padano

Simple Steps: 1. Take breaks and go for a short walk. 2. Consume foods with Whey protein or make a smoothie. These are high in Whey: Whole milk, Greek yogurt, quark, and kefir. 3. Supplement with creatine when you exercise. 4. Consume cheeses and Fenugreek seeds to help your body assimulate the proteins.