Mark Eisenhart is a true inspiration not only for people struggling with weight loss and body image but also to the many of us that face challenges every day that we think cannot be overcome. Mark was on death’s door weighing in at 455 lbs. with numerous physical ailments including diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, PTSD and severe depression to name a few. In just one year he was able to lose more than 200 lbs. with no surgery by changing to a plant based diet, working hard every day in the gym and most of all never giving up. He is now free and clear of many of the conditions that followed him when he was overweight and sets his new goal at dropping to 7% body fat and the cover of Men’s Health Magazine.
Mark can now be seen inspiring others with his story as he tours the country doing various radio and television shows. To read more about Mark and his amazing weight loss journey please visit his website or Facebook.
Here are a few images of Mark and a couple with him training in our KewlFit Performance Cooling Vest as he drops even more weight, with his sights on the cover of Men's Health!
This weekend is yet another healthy eating test as everyone tends to bring out their best, normally unhealthy foods for the big game. Here are a few tips and tricks from us at the KewlFit office on how to avoid over doing it this weekend.
“If you are enjoying the game somewhere other than your house, make sure to eat a healthy breakfast and lunch so you don’t arrive on an empty stomach” –John
“I bring healthy snacks and fruit with me to avoid the temptation of the chicken wings and pizza” –Bobby
“I always make 2-3 dishes for our Super Bowl party that I know are healthy and low in fat. This way I know exactly what is in it and how many calories per serving it is” –Tim
“Every Super Bowl I wake up early and get a good workout in with a long cardio session. This helps me start the day off with fitness to give me more incentives not to indulge in unhealthy food during the game” –Cindy
“Every year we make it a point to play in the yard before the kickoff and even play a game of touch football during halftime. This way we are not waiting around for the game which usually results in unhealthy food choices” –Lee
“I make it a point to try things in MODERATION but will avoid the sweets. After the game we normally go on a long walk which allows the guys to talk about the game and the women to talk about...whatever it is they talk about” –Josh
“I make it a point to come to the house that we are watching the game at on a full stomach. Nothing looks good when I have already had a full healthy lunch” –Susan
“We always leave the food in the kitchen and don’t bring it in the family room by the TV. I even put the ‘grownup drinks’ outside” –Amanda
“We make it a point to cut off all alcohol AND food after halftime. At this time most people are full enough and will continue eating with the food is in front of them” –Billy
“I always have my 2 litter water jug next to me and will sip it throughout the game. This helps with food cravings as my friends always have the unhealthiest foods” Justin
“My wife and I make it a point to only ‘indulge’ on foods that were made rather than store bought. This way we still feel we are treating ourselves but on something we can’t buy at the supermarket. Always in moderation of course -Dan
"Since the game is on a sunday I don't want to suffer the stomach ache of eating bad on Monday, so I normally avoid anything I wouldn't eat during the week! -Jasmin
These are some tips from people at the office, if you have some of your own please share!
-KewlFit
Many aren’t familiar with the term brown adipose tissue (or brown fat) but recent studies from Harvard Medical School have brought this interest to the mainstream media. Brown fat, once thought only to be located on infants and hibernating animals has now been found on adults. The tissue’s main function is to maintain body temperature and can be activated and seen through PET-CT scans after the individual has been exposed to cool temperatures.
Harvard Medical School in their study “Cold but not sympathomimetics activates human brown adipose tissue in vivo” found that a cooling vest set at 14°C activated this tissue better than the weight loss drug Ephedrine. They detected this tissue in the neck, supraclavicular and spine and in twice the quantity in women as they found in men.
Lead researcher Dr. Aaron Cypess would later say that fully activated brown adipose tissue could burn an extra 500 calories a day all through the exposure to cool temperatures and not through sympathomimetic drugs. Other published journals would confirm these findings, as studies show “mild cold exposure can prevent increases in body weight (Obesity Journal) and “activated brown fat boosts the rate at which we burn calories by 20%” (New England Journal of Medicine). Recently Dr. Bruce Spiegelman of Harvard Medical published an article saying he suspects humans, like mice, make brown fat from white fat when they exercise and this could be the explanation for some effects of exercise.
As the research continues to be done, it is quite exciting that this tissue is leading to an all-natural weight loss solution and something that we do not need to ingest with harmful side effects.
This could lead to a new aspect of diet and exercise as the activation of brown adipose tissue can be done in conjunction with these two.
KewlFit
More and more high end athletes are pre-cooling before their sport as research continues to be done on the enhanced performance benefits one receives. When conditioning/training the body’s central organs (specifically the liver, kidneys and intestines) rise significantly in temperature and can often times exceed 101 degrees. This causes water and blood to leave the muscles and race to the skin in an attempt to cool the individual down which will lead to fatigue as it depletes the muscles of oxygen and dehydrates them. For most athletes they reach this high temperature after just 20 to 30 minutes into their exercise however research shows that cooling beforehand can delay this process significantly.
Athletes across many sports are finding the benefits in pre-cooling and the academic research supports their notion. According to Saarland University in Germany pre-cooling can effectively enhance endurance performance and Stanford University goes further by saying athletes who pre-cool can perform at their highest level, 10 to 20 percent longer than those who don’t. At an age when athletes are looking for even the slightest edge many are now turning to pre-cooling as a legal solution.
The technology and products once only used by the high end athletes is finally making its way to the mainstream fitness market and the research is catching on. No longer are professional teams the only athletes taking advantage of pre-cooling for enhanced performance as many regular gym goers are getting the most out of their workouts by wearing a cooling vest for both pre-cooling and during exercise cooling. According to Whitelands College in the UK cooling during exercise increased the time taken to reach volitional exhaustion by 13.5%. This process is allowing the individual to sustain higher exercise intensity and allows a greater rate of heat storage, with the effect of reducing the rate of rise in core temperature according to the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
Research is continuing to be done as athletes want to perform at their highest level and will always look for an edge over their competition. The idea of pre-cooling is one positive influence that the everyday fitness professional can gain from the athletes we hold in such high regard.
-KewlFit
Welcome to the KewlFit Blog, we thank you for taking the time to follow us!
Here at KewlFit we are introducing a new way to achieve fat loss and performance goals without the harmful risks and side effects that many products on the market come with. Backed by numerous academic research studies the KewlFit brand of products offers temperature specific (58°F) Cooling Vests that enable the user to achieve results by simply wearing it.
Cooling the body for Athletic Performance has been done for many centuries and continues to be a “legal enhanced performance similar to altitude training” (Stray-Gunerersen, Appl Physoil). Further research indicates “run time increased by 17% with precooling” (Med Science Sports Exercise) and according to Stanford University’s thermoregulation expert Stacy Sims, “athletes who precool can perform at their highest level 10 to 20 percent longer than those who don’t”. Up until now athletes have been forced to precool with Ice causing the body pain and discomfort as an extreme temperature is introduced to the body. The KewlFit brand of products offers a comfortable 58°F Cool Vest that will maintain its temperature for 2-3 hours much longer than ice and at 30% lighter with no condensation. Currently we are working with Tour de France winner Alberto Contador, Robert Van Persie and the Netherland’s Soccer Team, Formula 1 racer Jenson button and many other high profile athletes and teams that we will be showcasing moving forward.
Users of KewlFit can also achieve Fat Loss goals by wearing the temperature specific (58°F) Cooling Vests as researches at Harvard University this temperature to stimulate Brown Adipose Tissue and further state this temperature worked better than the weight loss drug Ephedrine in activating Brown Fat. Research goes further by saying the activation of as little as three ounces of brown fat can burn several hundred calories a day (Dr. Cypess Harvard Medical) and can “boost the rate at which we burn calories by 20%” (New England Journal of Medicine). Brown Fat deposits can be found at the base of the neck, upper clavicle and down the spine, all areas that the KewlFit Vest readily activates. “Brown Fat cells convert calories into energy” and according to Dr. Cypess of Harvard Medical “brown adipose tissue might lead to new approaches to promoting weight loss and increasing insulin sensitivity”.
Over the course of this blog we will be posting various academic research that has been done on cooling the body for enhanced performance as well as fat loss. We will continue to write about useful nutrition and training tips that should be used in conjunction with KewlFit.
We hope you join our certified trainers in the KewlFit lifestyle…
