Monday 22 February 2016

HIIT Intensive Exercise and Seaweed Trial to Boost Metabolism Day 11: Burning Fat Faster

The secret of great health has become a personal concern after suffering eczema, migraines, recurrent conjunctivitis and fatigue for most of my adult life. My blood results are normal, except for slight anaemia and vitamin D deficiency. But my symptoms would indicate a problem.

Thermogenetic Food and Activity

HIIT Boosts Metabolism
Convinced that systemic candida might be the source of my symptoms, I have learned after a 50 day trial on the anti candida diet, that diet alone will not kill the candida. Read about why I began the candida diet here.

Oral thrush, itching and tiredness would indicate a candida overgrowth in the gut, but after 50 days on anti fungals, probiotics and low carbs I have learned that nothing will work if my body temperature is too low. Vulnerability to the cold and Raynaud’s Syndrome would point to a lower than normal body temperature. The liver cannot work properly, the body goes into an inflammatory state and the candida flourishes. Worse, the body won’t lose weight easily.

How to Boost Body Temperature

In order to rule out hypothyroidism, I purchased a digital thermometer and took readings over several days. I discovered that my basal body temperature (the lowest reading taken early morning before rising) often dipped to 36.1°C or below. My daytime temperatures rarely touched 37.0°C (the normal body temperature). I also noticed that my symptoms occurred on ‘cold’ days and in the evenings, when my body temperature dipped below 36.3°C.

Blood tests showed no hypothyroidism. However, I was convinced that something wasn’t right and looked into other causes of low body temperature. Adrenal exhaustion and estrogen dominance cropped up. However, blood tests into hormone function revealed nothing out of the ordinary.

Exercises to Boost Metabolism

Seaweed Pack an Iodine Punch
With everything ruled out, I began a trial to increase my body temperature. I introduced seaweed into my diet. Seaweed is packed full of minerals seldom found in other foods, and is also a high source of iodine and fibre, good for the thyroid and the endocrine system. Dulce, bladderwrack, nori and kelp are good examples of edible seaweed.

Every other day, I have also been undergoing HIIT exercises. These are short bursts of activity to the point of exhaustion in three cycles lasting no more than 30 seconds each. Short periods of recovery (exercising at a slower rate) links the burst training. Warming up and cooling down is essential before and after each session. The entire exercise session lasts no more than 10 or 15 minutes at most. Ideal for the busy. But it gets better than tha.

These short bursts are preferable to the daily 40 minute cardio, because over-stressing the body produces too much cortisol, which in fact lowers body temperature and exhausts the thyroid. Burst training is quick with longer recovery times between. This allows the cortisol levels to drop and the body to recover. The benefits of HIIT do not occur during the exercise, but during the 48 hours between.

As always, always consult the GP before undertaking any new exercise.

HIIT and Thermogenesis

Red & pink indicates warmer temperatures
Now on day 11 of my HIIT sessions and introduction of seaweed into my green smoothies, I am seeing improvements in my body temperature already. My feet are warm in bed without needing the electric blanket or socks, and I will often switch the heating down. My daytime body temperatures are seeing 36.9°C and 37.0°C more frequently than before (and even 37.1°C).

Basal body temperatures are also slipping above 36.2°C.

But I take cautious hope. These readings could be masked by a progesterone rise after finishing my periods. I am also waiting for all my symptoms to disappear. My eyes are still sore after a bout of conjunctivitis and my skin still itches. However, I have new energy, my hair and skin looks good and my constipation has eased.

The results will be conclusive in a few weeks time.

More articles about Candida and regaining great health