Author: Narado Zeco Powell CFT|CNS|CES

Weight Training vs Cardio 

Welcome to another episode of The ZecoHealth Show, this is Weight Management Expert, Narado Zeco Powell 

In this weekend’s short, I will breakdown the possible benefits of weight training vs cardio

And at the end, I will give general recommendations for a program to promote lean muscle and fatloss 

Before I begin, I want to quickly remind everyone of The ZecoHealth Page, where I have placed all products I have ever recommended for weight & fatloss 

The Zeco Recommendation Page

Before making any dietary changes make sure to speak to medical professional & be mindful of allergies 

Now, let’s begin with the benefits of Cardio:

1. Improve your ability to break down carbs and use them for energy 
2. Improve cardiovascular health 
3. Improve your metabolism’s ability to burn bodyfat
4. Improve VO2 max
5. Improve heart rate 

And so on on so forth

So to those who bastardize cardio, you need to reconsider 

Now let’s discuss the possible benefits of weight training:

1. Increase lean muscle 
2. Improve response to inflammation 
3. Improve your body’s ability to burn fat
4. Increase strength 
5. Slow down the aging process 

And many others

So, yeah, they both have their place and can be super beneficial

In fact in my personal practice, I combine cardio & weight training 

Some benefits overlap, but it is important to understand that you need both to be optimal 

Now, let’s discuss a general guide that can help many individuals especially beginners on their journey 

1. Go for a brisk walk of jog around 3 times per week for about 30 minutes

That is really all you need. This is enough to train you muscles & large organs without putting undue stress 

In fact, often times excessive cardio keeps our cortisols levels high.

In this case, your body is under undue stress, which leads to hormonal imbalances, low energy, weight gain & more issues

2. Weight train around 5 times per week

Developing strength & lean muscle is important for fatloss, notice that I said fatloss,  not weightloss 

You can actually l gain weight because muscle weighs more than fat, but lose fat, fit in your clothes better, have more energy, etc

So in a weight training program, they can be short around 45 minutes

2 upper body, lower body & 1 full body

This will be beneficial for most because you are working your muscles groups constantly, and you are hitting your lower body at least 3 times. 

Your lower body are your largest muscle groups & they burn the most calories 

This may sound like a lot, but making these changes can really benefit you, especially when you combine them with a solid nutrition plan.

Remember to check out Lumen, the only breathalyzer on the market that reads your metabolism & gives your personalized nutrition guidance to train your metabolism to become flexible so you will burn the food you eat, instead of store them 

Use code zecohealth for 10% off their services.

Crush your weekend fam

In this week’s episode of the ZecoHealth Show, Jess Brain & I discuss habits to important brain health for optimal performance. The topics we discuss can improve mental clarity, decision making, memory, reduce blood pressure & more!

Jess Brain (yes, really!) is a Brain-Based Fitness Coach. She has worked in neuroscience research and brain health for over 10 years, researching the best methods to empower you to protect your brain and help you avoid cognitive decline.

She will work with you to find ways to improve your memory, focus and cognitive vitality. Her website is https://www.thebrainbar.com/

Welcome to another weekend short of The ZecoHealth Show 

This is Weight Management Expert, Narado Zeco Powell 

In this weekend’s short, I will explain how to get quality sleep 

We know by now that is a vital habit, if not the most vital habit for optimal weight management 

When I say quality sleep, I don’t just mean going to sleep & waking up, but going through proper cycles & getting deep sleep so you can recovery well so you wake up feeling amazing & ready to conquer the world 

Before I begin the episode, I want to remind you that I have launched The Zeco Recommendation Page with all products I have recommended for health, fitness & fatloss.

On at least half of these products, I have discount codes so you can save some money 

Before making any dietary changes please consult  a medical professional & be mindful of allergies 

Now, let’s get started

Getting quality sleep comes down to having an optimal circadian rhythm or circadian clock 

What is your circadian rhythm? 

Well, glad you asked

It is a natural cycle of physical, mental, and behavior changes that the body goes through in a 24-hour cycle.

This includes your hormones & neurotransmitters like cortisol & melotonin, which as we know play vital roles in getting quality sleep. 

We want our cortisol higher in the mornings & melotonin higher in the evenings

Let’s discuss how to do so:

1. Get morning sunlight ( especially redlight from the sun)

Our ancestors knew it was when the sun came up.

For most of us in the modern world, it is the opposite, we do not get morning sunlight, but we expose ourselves to bluelight at night from the tv, cell phones, bulbs in the house, etc

So, in the mornings, preferably before 8:am, get at least 15 minutes of sun. 

That early the sun is not hot and most people should be able to expose their eyes to the sun.

This tells your body is morning time which resets your circadian clock so you can work toward balancing these important hormones.

As a caveat, unless medically necessary, do not wear sunglasses, again unless medically necessary. 

Wearing sunglasses also blocks the blue light from the sun 

2. Try to get at least 15 minutes of sun every 2 hours

This keeps your circadian clock functioning optimally 

3. Do your cardio or high intensity trainings in the mornings 

Being super active in the evenings or nights raises your cortisol levels, impacting your circadian clock 

Weight training can be done in the evenings, I would still say at least 5 hours before bed, but that is unique to each person

You can play with that to see how it works for you

Now, your evening habits are vital 

4. When the sun goes down, limit your exposure to blue light

It would be ridiculous to ask most people to not watch tv or get on their phones, but here are some things you can do

Get a pair of bluelight blocking glasses 

You do not have to get expensive pairs that some biohackers get, I spend about 10 dollars for my pair from Amazon 

In fact, I have 2 pairs 1 for work to limit blue light from the computer sleep & the other that I put on when the sun goes down 

Then you can get some blue light blocking bulbs

I get mine from Amazon as well

The light in my bathroom is the only light I have on when the sun goes down

So, you may put them in other rooms, but I recommend any room that you usually turn on the light when the sun goes down

Turn on the bluelight blocking on your phone

Mine is set on a timer

It makes your screen bright orange 

For an extra measure

You can also have blue light blocking curtains in your bedroom & wear a sleep mask at night to put yourself in nightly bliss

5. Limit brain activity 

Limit conversations & habits that excite you at night

That is why I only watch cartoons or comedies at night so no horror, drama or action movies

I sometimes read at night as well to help me relax

I read on my tablet so I always have my bluelight blocking glasses on with the bluelight blocking filter on tablet, which again comes on automatically at night 

6. Most of us prefer to sleep in colder weather

If you can drop, the temperature in your home or sleep under a fan

I drop the temp to 68 degrees every night or 70 degrees with my ceiling fan on

7. Do not go the bed in intense fatburn

I always explain to my clients that our brain prefers glucose, especially for sleep

Do not fall for that nonsense that if you eat carbs at night you will get fat

I explained that in last weekend’s short on The Best Time To Eat Carbs 

Go back & listen to that episode to learn more

A little glucose can set you up for success 

Some ideas are honey with Apple Cider Vinegar, a complex carb like berries of your choice or a fruit 

Do not go crazy with it, you can play with your servings until you hit your sweet spot

As a caveat, limit, if not eliminate alcohol at night 

There is countless research on how alcohol impacts brain activity & sleep patterns 

8. Lastly, I put a link in the shownotes to my Amazon Page which has the blue light blocking & other products I recommend for quality sleep 

https://www.amazon.com/shop/zecohealth?listId=1JFMITM8MQUQ8&ref=inf_list_own_zecohealth

There you go fam

These habits can improve your, aid recovery, improvement energy, fatloss & more

Enjoy Your Weekend Fam!

Dr. Nicole Fujiyama helps adults heal their autoimmune diseases and get back to livin’ life! 

As a naturopathic doctor, Dr. Nicole does more than just push supplements.  With a combination of natural therapies and traditional Chinese medicine, she supports her clients by addressing all the lifestyle & environmental factors that unknowingly trigger autoimmune diseases and are often the root causes.  This tends to go unaddressed by conventional medicine, but Dr. Nicole believes that this is exactly where huge health transformations can be found and it is within each client’s power to change these factors and put their autoimmune disease into remission!    

Dr. Nicole attended Bastyr University in Seattle, WA & her private practice is located in Torrance, CA.

You can reach Dr. Fujiyama on her instagram https://instagram.com/drnicolendutm_medium=copy_link. @drnicolend

Welcome to another weekend short of The ZecoHealth Show 

This is Weight Management Expert, Narado Zeco Powell 

This week, I will quickly explain the best times to eat carbs, especially early in your weight-loss journey 

Over the years, there has been much controversy on this topic. 

The timing of your carbs are vital 

So today, I will break it down for you

Before I do so, remember that I have released The Zeco Recommendation Page with all products I have recommended for health, fitness & fatloss 

I also provided discount codes on at least half those products so you can save some money.

The link is here in the shownotes 

The Zeco Recommendation Page

& the description of the podcast. 

Now, let’s start the show

First, let’s talk about what happens when you eat carbs

For most of us, our bodies prefer carbs for energy & can break them down easily 

At first, it circulates glucose in our blood, then stores above what it needs in our liver & muscles

Anything above what it stores, it converts to fat

Can you see what having more muscle can allow you to store more carbs? So it doesn’t go to fat storage 

That is another reason why I stress the importance of weight training 

Also, our bodies store around 4 times more carbs than our liver

Now, let talk timing

Since our bodies prefer carbs for quick & explosive work, i.e anerobic work, it is best to eat carbs prior & post workouts

In fact, if you do not carb up and use carbs for recovery, you can likely burn muscle, which is a no no

This is something you can play with. 

An easy guide is, if you feel flat before a workout, eat some carbs, but eat slowly, or you will likely overeat

My bodybuilding friends & I always talk about our preworkout snacks 

After training, have a good meal, including some complex carbs to promote recovery 

Then other good time to eat carbs is before sleep

Feeding your brain with glucose promotes good sleep quality 

I always tell my clients to not fall asleep in intense fat burn

Just a little glucose can help you get sleepy & sleep better 

It can be small like honey & apple cider vinegar or a fruit.

Do not fall for that nonsense that if you eat carbs at night, you will gain weight 

There are nights where I carb load with at least 100 grams

Now I do not do that all the time & I am extremely metabolically flexible 

In fact, according to Lumen my metabolic flexibility is 19.5 out of 21

You have heard me talk about Lumen, it is the only breathalyzer on the market than reads your metabolism & gives you nutrition guidance to train your metabolism to become flexible, so you can use different macros for energy, instead of store them

The link to https://www.lumen.me/?fid=3338

 are in the shownotes, the description of the podcast & on the Zeco Recommendation Page 

Crush your weekend fam! 

In this week’s episode of The ZecoHealth Show, I sit with The Gut-Brain Holistic Nutritionist Riley Romazko.

In this episode we discuss the gut-brain connection, guthealth & weightloss, acid reflux, GERD & more!

Her bio is below

I’m Riley, your Gut-Brain Holistic Nutritionist. I have a Bachelors (BSK) in Kinesiology, minor in Dietetics, and an Associates in Nutritional Sciences (ASN). I’m a Certified Holistic Nutritionist (CHN), Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA), and Certified Personal Trainer (CPT). My hobby is researching the latest on gut health and challenging the medical community on common misconceptions.

I got into this field due to my own health issues. I’ve suffered with IBS, gastritis, hiatal hernia, LPR, dysbiosis, severe TMJD, psoriasis, interstitial cystitis, hypothyroidism, adrenal fatigue, and to top it off, cervical dystonia, which really affected my life negatively. Through my years of experience and research, I learned that everything revolved around a healthy gut. That’s why I’m here today to help people resolve their gut issues and get back to health.

Here is her free GutBrain Ebook

https://holisticriley.podia.com/ebook

Link to work with her

https://rrfitness2u.com/apply-to-work-with-me

The benefits of proper breathing 

Welcome to another episode of The ZecoHealth Show 

This is Weight Management Expert,  Narado Zeco Powell 

In this weekend’s short, I will break down breathing and the benefits of proper breathing for healthy, fitness & weightloss 

At the end, I will walk you through proper breathing techniques 

First, let’s discuss some benefits of proper breathing:

1. Manage cortisol 
2. Allows your body to have more CO2
3. Better performance, especially in endurance training 

Now let discuss why many do not breathe properly 

To begin, most of us breathe with our chest. 

This style of breathing is shallow

Then, we breathe too fast, which it  doesn’t do us any favors with managing cortisol 

 We breathe with our mouths

If you look at our physiology, there is no natural breathing pathway through the mouth

Now, that we know this, let’s discuss proper breathing 

First, let’s stop chest breathing. 

I mean, let’s breathe with our diaphragm 

As an exercise, my clients put one hand on their chest and one on their stomach, when they breathe, their stomach rises, but not their chest.

If your stomach rises, then you are breathing with your chest which is a no no

Then only nose breathe in and out

Listen to my interview with Dr. Dave Shirazi where he explains that our bodies no not like to do anything unnecessary.

It has 2 O2 receptors,  but hundreds of Co2 receptors.

So, our bodies runs better on CO2

By breathing out with your mouth, you are releasing CO2 that your body needs

Lastly, let’s talk rate of breathing 

Most of us breathe too quickly, I generally breathe in for 3 seconds, hold for 3 and then breathe out for 6.

This activates your parasympathetic nervous system, manage your cortisol and as a bonus promotes fat burning.

You do not have to count, especially as you get used to it.

Just breathe slower, taking long on the exhale 

Remember that balanced cortisol promotes fat usage 

That is why zone training is more beneficial for fatburn than anerobic training where your heart rate stays high

Thanks for listening to this short. 

Remember to access The Zeco Recommendation Page for all products I recommend for health,  fitness  & weightloss.

Enjoy your weekend fam! 

Welcome to another episode of The ZecoHealth Show. This is Weight Management Expert, Narado Zeco Powell

In this episode I sit with Sonia Magruder

We discuss clean nutrition, toxins, weight-loss & more.

Sonia Magruder is an integrative nutrition health coach, who is passionate about helping others practice better self care through health education and nutrition. After a personal health journey, Sonia transitioned from being a stressed out, full-time, successful real estate broker to following her passion for helping others get healthier as well as helping many build their own organic nutrition business. She now has an organization that is over 53,000 strong.

Intermittent Fasting & Weightloss 

Welcome to another weekend episode of The ZecoHealth Show.

This is Weight Management Expert,  Narado Zeco Powell 

In this weekend’s short, I will explain the benefits & downfalls of Intermittent Fasting when it comes to weight management & health. 

At the end I will give you some recommendations to properly implement a fasting protocol to lose weight. 

So, let’s get started.

Let’s begin with a definition 

What is Intermittent Fasting?

According to Healthline

Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern that cycles between periods of fasting and eating.

It doesn’t specify which foods you should eat but rather when you should eat them.

In this respect, it’s not a diet in the conventional sense but more accurately described as an eating pattern.

This definition is spot on.

I will add that there are different ways to fast, i.e water fasts, dry fasts, dinner to dinner fasts.

As long as you are purposely condensing your feeding windows, you are fasting.

Now that we know what it, let’s discuss the possible benefits:

1. When you fast, several things happen in your body on the cellular and molecular level. I.e   your body adjusts hormone levels to make stored body fat more accessible.
2. Fasting can reduce insulin resistance by lowering blood sugar & fasting insulin levels.
3. Your cells also initiate important repair processes and change the expression of genes. (Epigenetics)
4. The levels of growth hormone skyrocket, increasing as much as 5-fold. This has benefits for fat loss and muscle gain, to name a few.
5. When fasted, your cells initiate cellular repair processes. This includes autophagy, where cells digest and remove old and dysfunctional proteins that build up inside cells.

Reasons 3 & 5 are why there are animal studies that show that fasting can prevent cancer. The key word is can.

There are other benefits of Intermittent fasting like improving brain health & the list goes on & on.

I mean weight-loss,  muscle gain, cellular repair, these all sound amazing.

No wonder why Intermittent Fasting is the main trend in health & fitness. 

Just like anything else, there are possible downsides, so let’s discuss them:

1. Hunger & Cravings

2. Headaches & lightweight 

3. Digestive Issues

4. Mood Swings

5. Fatigue 

6. Weight Gain

These happen for a few reasons, but the main ones are fasting too long, hormonal imbalances, nutrition deficiency & metabolic inflexibility. 

Let me explain, if you fast for too long, you will put your body under undue stress, raising your cortisol levels.

If you have been listening to me, you know the issues that chronic cortisol levels cause.

Hormonal issues like drop in thyroid T3 hormone which is crucial for energy. 

If you are diabetic, especially if you are not being monitored by a health or medical professional, your blood sugar may drop to dangerous levels.

Excessive fasting can lead to nutrient deficiencies.

In short, we need food.

When we starve our bodies, it will give priority to the large processes i.e our heart, while starving our smaller processes, which can shorten our lives. 

Think about it like a car where the engine and large mechanisms still work.

The car still runs well, but not optimally, until the issues with the small mechanisms stop holding up and it impacts the large ones and the car dies or you have to take it to the shop. 

Now, let’s discuss metabolic flexibility & gut enzymes. 

If you have been following The ZecoHealth Show, by now you know about gut enzymes & how they are connected to the flexibility of your metabolism & fat loss.

If not go back and listen to my recent episodes in the following order:

1. Introduction to Gut Enzymes & Metabolic Flexibility 
2. Keto vs Metabolic Flexibility 
3. Metabolic Flexibility with Lumen Metabolic Coach Maria Fox 

Long story short, if you are not metabolically flexible, especially if you have a sugar metabolism, you will less likely burn fat, but you can stress your body and your blood sugar will drop to unsafe levels. 

This is the perfect spot to disuss Lumen. 

It is the only breathelizer on the market that reads if you are burning fat or carbs, gives you a score to determine the flexibility of your metabolism.

Based on the flexibility of your metabolism,  they provide nutriention macro guidance so your body can develop adequate enzymes to break down fats or carbs as needed. 

This magic of being metabolically flexible, leads to improved metabolic health and sustainable weightloss. 

I highly recommend Lumen and their services.

Go to  lumen and use code zecohealth for 10% off all their services. 

The link to lumen is in the shownotes & the description of the podcast. 

Lastly, here are ways to implement a fasting protocol to promote fatloss. 

It begins with habits around fasting:

1. Reduce stress.

Stress promotes a sugar metabolism because it raises cortisol.

Habits like  diaphragmatic breathing,  slow breathing & meditation. 

If you have not, listen to the solo episode titled, Morning Habits To Jumpstart Fatburn to learn how to implement these habits.

2. Start with a shorter window.

Do not jump into long fasts, especially if you have a sugar metabolism. 

Start at the low end and slowly increase. 

3. Fasting windows for men & women are different  

I recommend 12 to 14 hours of fasting for women, but 14 to 16 for men.

Again starting at the low end so 12 for women and 14 for men. 

Remember I am referring to daily fasts here and be mindful if you have health issuss

4. Train your metabolism to be metabolically flexible.

As your body shifts from a sugar to fat metabolism, it will become better at breaking down it’s own body fat for fuel.

Remember to look into lumen and use code zecohealth for 10% off their services. 

5. Once you are metabolically flexible and you can consistently fast at the height of your window, 14 hours for women & 16 for men, then you can have a weekly 24 hour or dinner to dinner fast.

I would say you can try dinner to dinner fasting after about 2 months of consistently fasting at the height of your window.

At the point your metabolism operating efficiently.

There it is fam.

Enjoy your weekend & let’s crush 2022!

In this week’s episode I sit with Dr. Latania Booker.

In this episode we discuss nutrients, movement, stress, biology & other factors that impact your health & fitness.

Latania Booker, MD, a Texas, is a board certified Internal Medicine doctor. She has been practicing medicine since earning her Doctorate of Medicine from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston in 2009. She completed her internship and residency training in Internal Medicine at the Houston Methodist Hospital in the world renowned Texas Medical Center.

Shortly after completing her residency training, Dr. Booker gained  further training and experience in Occupational Medicine and Urgent Care while operating as the clinic medical director for a large Occupational Medicine practice. After a few years, she decided to transition back into hospital based medicine and care for acutely ill patients. After years of caring for the sickest patients in one of the most prestigious hospitals in Houston, Dr. Booker decided to shift her focus to wellness. 

Dr. Booker is a marathoner who is passionate about fitness and nutrition. After learning how to improve her own personal health and athletic performance, she decided that she wanted to make a change in the way she approached caring for her patients and switched her focus from treating chronic disease using prescriptions to disease prevention using movement and nutrition. She believes that she can use simple lifestyle modifications to help patients manage common diseases such as osteoarthritis, type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease and other chronic inflammatory illnesses. Her objective is to help patients learn to eat a nutritious diet that supports health at the cellular level and provide movement solutions so that patients can be more active and have more vitality.  

“My goal is to help my patients live their healthiest lives with fewer prescription medications, fewer physical limitations and less burden of chronic disease”.

You can find Dr. Tania on IG @doctor.tania 

You can schedule a call below