https://images.app.goo.gl/Ub98fQpHMeYDgGmaA We all have heard that having high cholesterol is bad - but why? It’s because having high cholesterol leads to heart attacks, but do you know why? It’s because cholesterol is the plaque that clogs the arteries in your heart, right? And how does one get high cholesterol (barring genetics)? It’s because of the foods we eat, that contain high cholesterol, right? All these point and more will be addressed in this blog but
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It depends. Sorry for the cop-out answer but sugar affects different people quite differently. This article will try to give you some insights so that you can better understand how sugar may affect you. One of the main reasons why it affects people differently is because people have different metabolic health. What does that mean? Well, if Alan is a fat person who doesn’t exercise regularly, eats fast food everyday and drinks sweet milk
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So a study has been recently published and has concluded that one of the best indicators for cardiovascular health for adult men is by doing a max set of push-ups. This is a pretty big deal as this is the first study that shows push-up capacity being associated to chances of getting cardiovascular disease. This push-up test has been shown to be an even better indicator than the traditional running on a treadmill test which
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It’s time to talk about ‘fats’. I’m not talking about the stuff under your skin and jiggles when you jump, but the kind that you eat in food like drizzle on your salad or spread on your toast (actually, they are kinda the same thing). Everyone’s got an opinion about them and unfortunately, most people only know about the misconceptions of fats. There are many types of fat and so when you are talking about
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So you’ve been working out pretty consistently now for at least 6 weeks and you’ve seen some progress in your strength, fitness and maybe your body composition has even improved slightly - nice. But recently, you’ve shown little to no progress and so your motivation begins to wane. Your workout routine which you were so keen on before is getting bland and even boring. Time to change the workout routine and inject some new stimuli to
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You might have heard in the news recently that Starbucks coffee now causes cancer! Let’s take a closer look to see what’s going on and if we should stop drinking coffee. This blog is an attempt to try to explain what the media is saying and how their headlines may be misleading, and what the real situation is. What to expect in this blog: What is the media saying exactly What the main health risk
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This answer from Quora is one of the better pieces I've read online for a while. Although, the piece veers slightly away from fitness and nutrition, the advice is all about improving oneself - and that is the fundamental mission of Olive Branch. It is a bit lengthy, but it’s completely filled with nuggets of wisdom that will benefit you. Read it - and let’s discuss! Comments welcomed! Read Matt Bodnar's What does the 1%
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You hear it all the time: “I need to lose weight!” And the instrument you use the most to track your progress - the scale. But do you just want to lose weight indiscriminately? The answer, if you haven’t already guessed, is a emphatic NO! That’s because when a person decides to lose weight, they will usually go on a ‘diet’ and eat less so they weigh less. However, your loss of weight can come
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The Body Mass Index (BMI) has long been used by doctors and health professionals as the main screening tool to determine your health risk of metabolic disease. Even to this date, your physical check-up examination will tell you your BMI results. Unfortunately, studies have shown it to be highly unreliable and that there are better screens out there for you to check if you are at risk. Firstly, why is the BMI screen unreliable? The
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Survivorship Bias Similar, to my earlier blog Misconceptions: Swim, to have a swimmer’s body! this blog talks about the perils of the pervasive cognitive flaw - survivorship bias. Exercise programs that you frequently read on fitness magazines and social media platforms almost always depict a famous athlete giving his/her workout routine and telling you should follow it too if you want to get a big chest, skinny waistline, broad shoulders, slender legs, 6-pack abs,
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