If you havent seen it thrown around Reddit, you might have heard itballyhooed by a gym bro: ketosis just works, bro! You get to eat all the bacon and cream you can stomach, shred fat, maintain muscle, and still dominate your sport.

The very, very high-fat ketogenic diet is one of the hottest trends in nutrition, but while there are some success stories in endurance athletes, theres very little evidence in strength sports. It may be delicious, but is it a smart pick for your next meet?

Your body kicks into ketosis when carbohydrate intake is so low that the body doesnt want to use it as a fuel source. Typically, that happens when fat makes up 60 to 70 percent of overall calories, protein 20 to 30 percent, and carbs are under 50 grams per day. It usually takes less than a day for your body to start producing ketones for fuel a sure sign is when when your breath starts to smell of acetone, a ketosis by-product. (Incidentally, it kind of stinks. Like a mixture of fruit and nail polish remover, in which acetone is a key ingredient.)

If you look at one of the main fuels the body can burn, carbohydrates and fat are the main two, and a layer down are the sort of subfuels, lactate and ketones, says Dr. Mike T. Nelson, CSCS, an adjunct professor at the Carrick Institute whose PhD focused on metabolic flexibility.

Historically, ketones have not shown up in the body in enough quantities for the body to use unless youre in starvation, he explains. But you can get there via whats called a ketogenic diet. When you do that, your body will start producing ketones, which can then be used for fuel. Then youre in a state of ketosis.

Though first suggested as a therapeutic tool by the Mayo Clinic in the 1920s, it wasnt until the late 20th century that ketosis gained popularity as a tool to treat epilepsy and other brain disorders. Some research has shown that more than half of children with epilepsy who go on the diet experience at least fifty percent fewer seizures.

Thats always been its main use: therapeutic. Theres also some shakier evidence that it can help the body to fight cancerous tumors and prevent diabetes.

Its benefits like these that have spurred some corners of the health and fitness industry to try and stay in ketosis in their day-to-day lives. (Tim Ferriss has claimed it helped to cure him of Lyme disease, and he continues to cycle ketogenic phases to this day.)

It may also help folks to burn more fat while retaining muscle. Naturally, its this possibility that causedsix pack aficionadosto perk up and the diet to spread like wildfire. From there came communities like Ketogains, where some members can be found swearing up and down that all but eliminating carbs increases performance and aesthetics to unprecedented levels.

The problem is that while theres some evidence that ketosis may not be detrimental for some endurance athletes, theres very, very little clinical evidence as to whether or not it can benefit strength athletes.

But we know enough about how the body uses different energy systems to have a pretty good idea.

The short answer: low reps.

Since we dont have a lot of direct data, you have to ask what energy source are strength athletes using? says Nelson. If we look at Olympic lifting and powerlifting, its extremely explosive power, the duration of time is very short, so its primarily the ATP-CP energy system. So, ketosis in those athletes may be OK because theyre typically doing brief high output with pretty long rest periods.

He explains that if youre keeping sets at between roughly one and three reps with long rest periods of three to five minutes, this may be long enough to regenerate the ATP levels (a method of intracellular energy transfer) even if youre in ketosis.

So I would say keto is OK not great but its OK during peaking phases where volume is very low and youre having a very high intensity effort as opposed to high volume, says Dr. Mike Israetel, an assistant professor of nutrition, exercise science, and public health at Temple University and co-founder of Renaissance Periodization. The higher the total volume of work you perform in training, the more youre going to rely on glycogen and carbohydrate to potentiate that performance. In strength sports, because the work is typically not as high in duration, people can get away with lower carbs in general.

Functional fitness, strongman, and anything with high volume.

The higher the volume of training, the worse keto starts to perform, Israetel continues, saying that he would even caution against it for sets of more than six reps. CrossFit is maybe the worst category of sports for which you should try to do keto. Its an incredibly terrible mismatch.

This is because functional fitness athletes do high volumes of training and a lot of work around the lactate threshold. When exercising at a high intensity for between one and three minutes, the body primarily uses the glycolytic energy system which as the name suggests runs off of glucose. If youre in ketosis, your glycolytic system isnt running properly and your performance suffers.

Whats interesting is that ketogenic folks dont necessarily have low glycogen levels in their muscles. Remember that almost all the studies on ketogenic training have been performed on endurance athletes, and when theyre highly adapted, the glycogen levels in the muscles are often fine.

The issue is that if youre in ketosis and your body thinks it needs to be running on ketones, you may not be able to use those stored carbohydrates effectively. Even if your body has all the pieces to run its glycolytic system, it wont. (At least not well.)

Its an access issue, not the amount thats being stored, says Nelson. Its like a gas tanker truck being pulled over at the side of the road because its out of gas. Its not like theres no gas in the tanker truck, its that theres no direct line to the engine.

While the volume is typically a little lower, the same rules apply for strongman: its a sport that typically requires thirty to ninety seconds of more or less continuous output, which means its an energy system that runs best on carbs.

As the events turn from the shorter events to the longer events like stone loading, log for reps, deadlift for reps, you would pay for ketosis, says Israetel. Youll have a couple of reps missed on everything. Its not recommended for performance.

Endurance runners can sometimes manage well on ketosis because their sport is performed at a relatively low intensity, so an athlete can have some pretty decent performance using ketones as fuel. But while that may be true, there are still no world-class ultramarathoners who dont eat carbs.

Its also important to note that while it may facilitate fat loss, ketosis is probably lousy for muscle gain. Thats in part because insulin, despite misconceptions that it should be minimized at all costs, is actually highly anabolic.

In bodybuilding circles where low-carb diets like keto are the most popular, youll see an interesting relationship where theyre very popular but only in fat loss stages, says Israetel. But in muscle gain phases, very few bodybuilders stay on low carbs.

In some corners of the fitness world, runners will train in ketosis to help their bodies better learn to use fat stores for energy and then, right before an race, theyll consume a huge serving of carbohydrates. The idea is that the athlete will then be able to efficiently use both forms of fuel, and while its a nice theory, it doesnt really hold up in practice.

Research[1][6] didnt see much of a performance change, and thats probably because they gave them a whole ton of carbohydrates while the machinery to effectively use them was impaired, says Nelson, who notes that the right enzymes to effectively use carbohydrates were not present in high enough amounts. It probably takes at least a couple of days and maybe a few weeks before those enzymes are back up and running at full steam.

Ketosis makes an athlete more effective at using fat stores for energy while making him or her less efficient at using carbohydrates for energy. But in his clients (and yes, this is anecdotal), Nelson has found that a good way to produce an athlete who is efficient at using both forms of fuel is intermittent fasting.

We know that ability to use fat during rest and low intensity exercise is highly variable, ranging from 23 to 93 percent [4], he says. So some can use it much more effectively than others[2][3]. If I think someones ability to use fat is impaired, Ill have them do periods of fasting of up to twenty-four hours or even longer to get that acute change in fat use without messing up their ability to use carbohydrates to the highest degree, he says.

He has his clients do long, slow, aerobic fasted training once or even twice per day in order to minimize insulin and train their bodies to use fat as much as possible without producing the kind of enzyme changes seen in ketogenic athletes that can reduce the ability to use carbohydrates. I can give them carbs the very next day and they can still use them to a high degree, he continues. So Im not screwing up their ability to do strength and power type activities.

People have been looking for the unique benefits of cutting carbohydrates out for a long time, and outside of some benefits in diseased populations, epileptics etc. there s just no benefits, it just wont happen, says Israetel. Not surprisingly, theres no big potentiation effect in anything when you remove something from your diet. So I think that situation with keto is, can it work in some places where its not terrible? Yes. Is it an enhancer? Ive never seen anything it enhances outside of some disease conditions.

We love bacon as much as the next person, but maybe dont forget the home fries.

Continue reading here:
Does the Ketogenic Diet Work for Strength Training? - BarBend (blog)

As a registered dietitian , I dont believe in diet "cheat" days or meals. Well, I dont really believe in diets either, but since many people are on some diet or other, they're still worth discussing. If you are on a dietor just trying your hand at healthy eating in generaland youre indulging in cheat days or cheat meals, let me explain why I cant get on board.

Eating seems to have devolved into the territory of the morality police: good versus bad . Dirty versus clean. Cheating versus staying loyal to your eating plan. But food is just thatfoodand making it into a moral issue is unfortunately becoming the new standard.

Before we dive in, it's worth noting that as with any diet or plan, cheat days may work for some people. A piece of 2016 research in Journal of Consumer Psychology found that "cheating" on a diet can actually help you lose weight because it wards off feelings of deprivation.

But for many people, it's not that simple. Here's why.

My primary concern with cheat days is the emotional implications of morally categorizing your eating habits. Sure, you can go overboard on a cheat day and eat a ton of crap and feel physically sick from it, but I think the emotional consequences can almost be more damaging.

Meaning, if you cheat, then overcompensate out of guilt by restricting your diet for the days following the indulgence, then overeat because youre restricting, it can become a soul-sucking binge cycle. The rapid influx of sugar , fat, and refined carbohydrates that make up many cheat meals often exacerbate this, leading to an extended binge either due to guilt, that "last chance" feeling, or through the actual composition of those foods. Obviously this defeats the purpose of the cheating concept, but it can also lead to feelings of failure.

This diet merry-go-round is a common reason why diets (or cheat days/meals on diets) dont work for most people.

Restricting food for a particular day can create tension around eating and cause you to crave, then overeat, the very foods that youre trying to avoid. As anyone who has ever been on a diet knows, that forbidden-fruit feeling can be very real. Obsessing about the "bad" foods youre going to take a swan dive into once your cheat day arrives is distracting and unhealthy, not to mention often a precursor to going overboard.

If you feel like you're eating "good" foods out of obligation so you can get to the cheat days, eating becomes merely a means to an end, which is pretty much the opposite of what it should be. Finding pleasure in food and nourishing your body and soul is a healthier, more satisfying way to view food. Instead of choking down a salad and then dreaming about the many cupcakes youre going to eat on your cheat day, wouldnt it be better to eat healthy food you actually enjoy ( it doesn't have to be salad !), have a cupcake whenever you want it, and move past the whole good/bad thing?

I work from a perspective of normalizing all foods. That means that even though some foods are healthier than others, its not a big deal to have an indulgent amount of a less-healthy food every day, then just get over it. Treating yourself often enough can defuse the attractiveness of those "forbidden" foods.

My clients find that eating this way is not only easier and more enjoyable, it also has no bad repercussions on their weight. On the contrary, it makes eating an overall healthy diet simpler because theyre stepping away from the obsessive "can't have this" mindset. No foods are off-limits and only allowed when you're cheating, aka being "bad." Think of it as the 80/20 or 90/10 rule. Im all for it.

If cheat days work for you and are helping you get closer to your health and fitness goals, thats great, and by all means you should continue with them! But if you feel that method isn't working for you, try a different approach. The best diet is one that you can live with for the long term.

Keep in touch with me on Twitter , Instagram , and Facebook . For diet reviews, blog posts, and recipes, check out Abby Langer Nutrition .

You may also like: How To Make Healthy High-Protein Avocado Boats

The rest is here:
Why 'Cheat' Meals Can Actually Sabotage Your Healthy-Eating Goals - SELF

Youre slowly replying to emails, finalizing your spreadsheet inputs, and reviewing your to-do list as you start to feel your energy waning and unfortunately, you cant blame it on a late night out on the town.

Heres another answer you quickly conjure up: your job must be super-boring. Why not blame your commitment to your cubicle for your head unintentionally dancing back and forth like an untamed bobble head? A sudden shift of attention to the latest online opportunities for job-hoppers becomes your ten-minute solution.

But the answer to your unforgiveable fatigue may be even simpler than that. You might not have to change your job; just change your diet.

Many studies have revealed that poor nutritional habits are a leading cause of low productivity levels worldwide.

Pay close attention to the foods you consume: some foods deplete energy levels, while others leave you feeling like the Energizer bunny. If youre looking for an energy boost throughout the day, throw out the white, starchy, fried, or sugar-packed products that youre hiding in the bottom drawer of your cubicle. Sorry, no more Doritos. Treat yourself to these five energy-boosting super nutrients, and you might just accelerate your advancement to the top of the promotion list.

When it comes to fighting fatigue, protein is a nutrient you cant go without. In diets where your body is not obtaining its balance of carbohydrates and fat, protein steps in and provides the body with energy.

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends eating protein, because it remains in the belly longer than carbohydrates, which leads to a steady source of energy and repair for damaged tissues. This helps if youre seeking to combat depression, stress, and weight gain all symptoms of fatigue. Just cut down on red meat and start adding more fish and beans to your meal plans. Sites like Weight Watchers Online are filled with sortable recipes, including those high in protein.

Unexplained fatigue and eye twitches during your managers superb presentation could be a sign that youre suffering from low levels of magnesium. And youre not alone. Research reveals that 70 80% of Americans are not getting enough magnesium in their diet.

Magnesium is a mega-mineral used by every organ in your body to help you produce energy. When youre low in valuable nutrients such as magnesium, youre more likely to choose sugary, calorie-filled foods for cravings. That can really throw a wrench into diets, like Nutrisystem, that consist mostly of frozen or prepared foods. And the energy you get from these short-lived treats wont keep you awake for that 9 p.m. conference call. Choose almonds, pumpkin seeds, spinach, bananas, beans, and other foods that are high in magnesium to maintain alertness.

Make sure youre getting an average iron intake of 18 milligrams per day (women) and 8 milligrams per day (men) if you want to limit depression, inattention, and fatigue. Skipping iron intakes can lead to weakness, brittle nails, and fatigue all symptoms of anemia. Try the frozen food aisle in the supermarket and grab some iron-rich foods like spinach, dried fruit, beans, liver, and artichokes.

Feeling sluggish at your 9 a.m. staff meeting? Changes are high that your lack of nutritional fats is to blame. Fats have long been demonized, but your body needs some fat for healthy cell maintenance and energy production.

You can skip the saturated and trans fats, but youll need omega-3 fatty acids to combat depression, pessimism, and impulsivity. Omega-3 fatty acids decrease the glycemic index of foods and serve a potent role in providing the bodys energy source. Fats leave you with slow-burning fuel for long-lasting energy. You can count on walnuts, ground flax seeds, salmon, and omega-3-fortified eggs to give you the good fats you need for satiety and preventing extra snacking that can lead to fatigue.

If youre still feeling ravenous even though you just ate lunch two hours ago, dont be tempted to sneak away from your desk to buy enriched white pasta or, even worse, cookies. Youll have another dilemma: drowsiness.

Instead, add more fiber to your diet. Fiber is a powerhouse nutrient that delays the absorption of sugar and promotes steady blood glucose levels that help suppress cravings, so youll feel fuller faster.

Add the recommended 25 grams of fiber to your plate by incorporating more broccoli, nuts, beans, avocados, and even pineapple. Pineapples are fluid-filled, fiber-rich super-snacks that can help prevent dehydration, one of the most common culprits of drained energy.

Go here to see the original:
5 Super Nutrients That Will Help You Fight Fatigue At Work - Huffington Post

Face the new season with a spring in your step as Kirsty Jewson, of Saks Beauty Northallerton, reveals some of the best beauty treatments

After the ravages of winter, skin doesn't so much need a spring clean as a big dollop of tlc. And to help restore it ready for the season ahead, Saks Beauty Northallerton is offering 20 per cent off everything on its beauty menu during March.

As skin makes the transition from blasts of cold and heaters on high to the first signs of spring, its still in survival mode and needs extra attention," says salon owner Kirsty Jewson. "Our advanced menu has something for skin conditions, ageing well and indulgent relaxation.We adopt a fully-integrated approach, offering a selection of appropriate, award-winning, medically-evidenced treatments, delivered by therapists trained to Level 4 in our award-winning beauty salon.

Kirsty recommends these six top skin treatments and products from the experts to get your skin back into shape:

DERMALUX LED. This award-winning light therapy treatment has been scientifically developed to deliver optimised doses of therapeutic light for healthier, brighter skin, cleaning up common skin conditions and boosting vitamin D and serotonin levels. This is the perfect all-round facial wellness treatment in 20 minutes and can be integrated with other facials, peels and treatments on the menu.

DERMA-ROLLERING SKIN REJUVENATION. Micro-needling is one of the safest and most effective ways of rejuvenating the skin. Micro needles stimulate the skin to regenerate and repair itself naturally and safely, creating smoother, brighter, younger and healthier looking skin. It's a must-have treatment for those seeking a serious skin change.

REACH FOR YOUR SPF. We advocate using SPF all year round and it is even more crucial as we head into warmer, lighter months. Our firm favourite remains Hydrate+ from CosMedix, a light moisturiser packed with antioxidants and broad spectrum physical filters against UVA & UVB using zinc oxide. When checking ingredients, ditch the chemical filters and opt for physical to protect the skin from two major aggressors: free radicals and ultraviolet rays.

NATURES BEST: BLUEBERRIES. This superfood contains more antioxidants than any other fruit, with Vitamin A, B, C and E, and is amazing for younger-looking, glowing skin. Enjoy further benefits by choosing the CosMedix Blueberry smoothie facial, which combines powerful antioxidants with lactic acid for great exfoliation, revealing fresher, clearer skin without any irritation.

BODY CONTOURING. 3D-LIPO is a non surgical treatment for fat removal and skin tightening, and is great for those wanting to eradicate loose pockets of skin from excessive weight loss and and stubborn fat or a post-baby tum that wont shift with diet and exercise.

GLOWING SKIN. Not forgetting that a bit of glamour goes a long way to making your day, Saks Northallerton customers love cult tanning brand Xen-Tan for three reasons: the natural olive glow, the skin-friendly ingredients, and the fact that you dont have to sleep in it. It can be showered off in three hours

Read the rest here:
Get set for spring at Saks Beauty, Northallerton - The Northern Echo (registration)

Twice these birds have been near extinction but have fought their way back to healthy numbers

It happens more often then you might think. A heavy snowfall, cold temperatures, and boredom unite to create (in me) a giant case of writers block.

The only cure for that obscene mixture is to grab one of my scientific journals and check out the latest research on some interesting critter.

For instance, did you know that the brown pelican was driven to the brink of extinction twice! It seems that, back in the late 19th century real feathers were the only thing worthy of adorning ladys hats and clothing. And exotic birds, from egrets and herons to eagles, storks and pelicans, were the targets of choice. Nothing in Audubons world was safe from the market hunters sights. The slaughter was utterly horrendous, with whole rookeries being wiped out in a single nights massacre.

The Migratory Bird Treaty Act, along with strong enforcement efforts, helped to stop that situation, and the birds began a slow but steady recovery. But then came another more insidious threat in the form of insecticide poisons including or similar to DDT. Eagles and other fish-eating birds were hardest hit. But in 1972 those poisons were outlawed. The following year the Endangered Species Act was passed. And dozens of bird species, including the brown pelican, once again were given the opportunity to survive and thrive.

And lest we forget, on March 14, 1903, Pelican Island in Florida was declared to be the first of a long list of national wildlife refuges by President Theodore Roosevelt. During 1905 and again in 1908, game wardens protecting the birds on that and other nearby nesting islands were killed by feather poachers. And the feather war was on, but soon died out as the fashions changed.

Today the brown pelican can be found along coastal regions from New York to the Texas Mexican border and south from there along the Mexican, Central and South American coasts. It is also found along the Pacific coasts in many areas. Both males and females assist in the egg brooding chores by standing on the eggs. The heat from their feet does the incubation work.

Their population continues to increase. This species has become so numerous that it was delisted from the Endangered Species Act in 2009. And even though it is the smallest of the eight pelican species, it is still a large bird. It sports a wingspan in excess of six feet, and its overall length is a shade over four feet (average), including its overly long bill.

Oh, and if you might be wondering about the diet of these birds, wonder no more. They eat primarily small schooling fish. But their fishing method is somewhat unique. They dive from heights of 60 feet or more, stunning the small fish and allowing the pelicans to scoop some of them up in their pouch along with about two and a half gallons of water.

But just because minnows are inside the birds pouch does not yet mean dinner is served. Gulls often come a calling to steal some small fish right out of the pouch. It is not uncommon to see a gull sitting on a pelicans head while stealing food right out of its mouth.

There are two species of pelicans in North America, the brown and the white. The whites are primarily found on fresh water rivers and lakes, while the browns are more coastal and usually fish in salt or brackish water. And unlike many human couples, brown pelicans share parental duties. The male brings nesting materials and the female arranges them to her liking.

Brown pelicans are truly unique birds in many different ways. And now their population is both adequate and diversely spread, all but assuring their continued species expansion. As long as humans leave them alone to do their own thing we can expect to see them in impressive numbers in the future.

* * *

Here is a conundrum of sorts for which there may not be any clear-cut answers. Research has shown that large deer populations, which have long been the bane of many humans including insurance companies and automobile drivers, is also hurting some songbird species. Yes, more deer may directly result in fewer songbirds with certain nesting requirements.

It appears that some bird species need short vegetation for their nesting and foraging requirements. Much of that low-lying vegetation is prime fodder for deer. But too many deer feeding on those grasses and tender spring shoots can cause havoc for nesting birds.

This study is based on scientific evidence, not just theory. Two areas were researched, extending from coastal Virginia to the Shenandoah Valley. And multiple years of data were collected.

There was a substantial over-population of deer in the coastal Virginia research area and a well-regulated herd in the Shenandoah area. And the research team found far fewer songbird species, such as hooded warblers, white-eyed vireos and the prairie warbler, where they found increases in the number of deer.

This is actually the third similar study of this kind, and all three have clearly indicated the same general data. More deer (overpopulated) in any given area will adversely impact the ground-nesting songbirds in that area. And, since different songbird species were studied in each of these projects and every studied species was directly impacted by the deer, it can be safely deduced that all species of ground-nesting birds are or will be adversely impacted if the deer population is permitted to increase much beyond the accepted carrying capacity.

Is there any solution to this problem? Probably not. Areas with too many deer most often got that way due to changing conditions within the human community. Suburban sprawl combined with changing human attitudes toward deer harvesting is probably the most common reason for ground-nesting songbird decline.

The likelihood of that situation changing is slim. Chances are that nothing short of a major catastrophe of some kind will change existing human nature in any way.

Len Lisenbee is the Daily Messengers Outdoor Writer. Contact him at lisenbee@frontiernet.net.

Read more:
Lisenbee: Pelicans prover they're a hearty bunch - MPNnow.com