Bodycomp News & Views Issue#11 January 2011

In this issue:

  1. 4 Hour Body
  2. How much water should I drink?
Water water everywhere

There are a myriad of benefits to drinking enough water to allow for propper hydration. They include increased mental clarity, reduced cancer risk, better energy levels and softer skin.

There are many other established benefits as well, but this presents a big question - how much is enough water? This will vary depending upon your activity level, local humidity, temperature and more.

An easy check - you should have a nearly clear urine stream other than your first go in the morning. If you enjoy counting glasses, then go for it, but as long as you aren't peeing yellow in the mid day, you can be assured that your hydration is adequate.

 

Timothy Ferris thinks you should get a DXA scan

I was pleasantly surprised to return from a winter holiday in Edmonton over the holidays to a huge pile of email and voice messages. It turns out that the 4 Hour Body by Timothy Ferris was released and people were taking his advice in spades.

The book focuses on highly effective actions that will provide you with big changes in your body composition with a minimal ammount of effort and change.

His dietary focus is on eating healthy proteinwith each meal and removing "fast carbs" such as flour, white rice and sugar in exchange for beans and vegetables.

For physical activity he suggests such highly effective activities and kettlebell swings and heavy weight lifting with a smaller number of reps.

Mr Ferris understands that changes on your bathroom scale do not adequately reflect the changes to your lean and fat mass. If you gain ten lbs of muscle and lose ten lbs of fat, your body composition has improved dramatically, but your weight remains unchanged. That's why he suggests that anyone attempting to change their lean and fat mass should get an accurate measurement before starting.

 

Click on the 4 Hour Body image to pick up the book at Amazon