📸 Shocking Visual:

Cholesterol isn't just something to avoid for good health; it has critical functions:

1. Precursor to Vitamin D and Steroid Hormones: Cholesterol is vital for creating vitamin D when your skin is exposed to sunlight. It's also crucial for producing steroid hormones, including sex hormones like testosterone and estrogen, and hormones that regulate mineral balance like aldosterone and cortisol.

2. Lipid Raft Formation: In cell membranes, cholesterol is part of "lipid rafts," which are small domains that help in cellular signaling and the entry of certain pathogens.

3. Membrane Homeostasis: It helps maintain the structure and fluidity of cell membranes, ensuring cells function properly and can adapt to temperature changes.

4. Bile Acid Synthesis: Cholesterol is converted into bile acids in your liver. Bile acids are essential for digesting and absorbing fats and fat-soluble vitamins in your intestines.

5. Insulating Nerve Fibers: Cholesterol is a component of the myelin sheath, a layer that surrounds nerve fibers in the brain and other parts of the nervous system, helping speed up the transmission of electrical impulses.

📽️ Workout Tips:

1. Intra-Set Stretching for Muscle Growth

    

   

    

   Enhance the intensity and effectiveness of your workouts by incorporating intra-set stretching.

    

   For instance, during a set of bicep curls, hold the weight at the bottom of the movement for a few seconds to stretch the muscle before completing the next repetition.

    

   This technique increases time under tension and can help improve muscle hypertrophy by forcing your muscles to adapt to both the load and the extended stretch.

    

2. Dynamic Effort Method

    

   

    

   Popularized by powerlifters, this training method focuses on lifting a relatively light load (around 40-60% of your one-rep max) as explosively as possible.

    

   This technique is excellent for developing power and speed because it trains the fast-twitch muscle fibers to contract more quickly.

    

   It can be applied to movements like squats, bench presses, and deadlifts.

    

   Implement this method by dedicating specific days to focus on the speed of movement rather than lifting heavy weights.

🔗 Useful Resources

1. Excessive screen time is silently damaging our eye health

    

   Our eyes didn't evolve to stare at bright pixels 2 inches from our face.

    

   The damage is accelerating each year.

    

   But there are solutions that ophthalmologists rarely share.

    

   Read here.

    

2. Danish studies find higher risk of optic nerve damage with Ozempic

    

   Two large studies from the University of Southern Denmark suggest that the diabetes medication Ozempic doubles the risk of developing NAION, a rare but serious condition that damages the optic nerve.

    

   Drawing on comprehensive data from Danish and Norwegian health registers, the studies validate earlier concerns raised in a smaller American study.

    

   Read more here.

    

3. Your metabolism isn't just "slowing down with age."

    

   It's breaking down because you're destroying it with: Processed foods. Chronic stress and Poor sleep.

    

   Here's the truth about metabolic breakdown & how to fix it.