Zaakir Shakoor, MSc

What is the Thermic Effect of Food?  The Thermic Effect of Food, abbreviated as TEF, is the calories used to digest and process each macronutrient group. The macronutrient groups are protein, carbohydrates and fats (1, 2). TEF accounts for around 10% of your total energy expenditure (1, 2), which isn't much but can still make […]

What is NEAT?  When we are thinking about weight loss, The first thing that pops to most people's mind are diet and exercise, but there's actually more to it. NEAT is a crucial component of energy output (total calories burned). NEAT is an abbreviation for Non-Exercise Activity-induced Thermogenesis, basically meaning the calories burnt from your […]

What is Exercise Energy Expenditure?  Following my previous introductory article, we learned about energy balance and how energy intake (food) and energy output (burning calories) can help maintain or lose weight. Exercise is one of many components of the energy output equation but a common misconception is that it is considered the only way to […]

What Could You Learn From This Article? This short article intends to give you a foundational understanding of weight/body composition for our "Understanding the Basics of Weight Management Series." We will cover what weight gain is and the health implications of excessive weight gain.  We will go through topics like why we gain weight through […]

What is BFR? Blood flow restriction, also known as occlusion training, is a distinctive training method that looks dangerous but has thousands of research articles supporting its safety and use in the practical setting (1). It allows you to train at low intensity (weight) with high reps and still achieve similar strength training benefits to […]

Introduction The importance of good nutritional intake for the elderly provides adequate micronutrients and antioxidants (vitamins and minerals) to reduce inflammation, boost the immune system, maintain healthy muscle mass, hormone balance, and provide energy for everyday activities (1).  I have highlighted some of my original example recipe ideas that older adults may want to incorporate […]

What causes older adults to fall? As we age, we can experience a gradual decline in vital bodily tissues and functions that contribute towards mobility and balance (1, 2). These include; muscle mass, bone density, tendon elasticity, and joint strength (1, 2).  The extent of degradation (loss) can increase fall risk after the age of […]

I have previously talked about sciatica which can be visited here. If you read through it, you probably have a general idea about the location of the sciatic nerve (lower back/hamstrings), how it becomes irritated by becoming trapped, the pain it causes, and how to alleviate the pain with certain positions and leg/back stretches. The […]

What is Sciatica? Sciatica is the term given to the sciatic nerve being impinged or irritated by the bones and the cervical disks (1). This nerve is located at the lower back and runs down to the feet; thereby, its impingement can cause excruciating pain at the back of the leg, more specifically known as […]

What Causes Poor Posture? A few variables can cause poor kyphotic posture, the most common one being our seating habits. We tend to slouch over and protrude our shoulders forward for a prolonged period without changing position, for example, sitting at the computer desk, slouching to use your mobile phone, watching TV etc. (1). These […]

Why Should you Perform Self Myofascial Release for the Hips and Legs? Our lower extremities consist of muscles that produce a variety of movements which I will highlight below. These muscles are crucial as they work in conjunction for everyday activities such as sitting down and standing up (1), to more vagarious athletic-based activities like […]

Why Should You Perform Lower Back Self-Myofascial Release? For those of us who experience lower back pain and stiffness, majority of the time, the causality is chronic overactive myofascial tissue within the lower back muscles from daily activities and exercise. The muscles in the lower back include erector spinae, deeper multifidus, and quadratus lumborum (1, […]

Why Should You Perform Upper Back Myofascial Release?   1) Fix Upper Back Stiffness, Pain and Mobility From my previous article, I've discussed the use of self-myofascial release as a tool to reduce muscle stiffness and pain (1), thereby increasing mobility/ range of motion (1, 2). Additionally, tension can build up in the upper back, […]

Why is Self-Myofascial release of the Deltoid and Rotator Cuff important? I cannot stress enough the importance of shoulder mobility during everyday activity and exercise. The rotator cuff and deltoid muscles are vital for movements at the shoulder girdle such as; medial and lateral rotation (twisting and shoulder in and out), abduction (moving the arm away from […]

Mobility of the Neck From my previous article, I have briefly discussed the benefits of self-myofascial release (SMR) (1, 2). If this is all new or your memory is blurred, I'd recommend revisiting it which is titled, 'what is self myofascial release'. For this page however, I will highlight how SMR can be administered correctly […]