"Get Smarter" Links for the Weekend

Here are some great articles that I came across this week and will, undoubtedly, increase your knowledge. 

Since I wrote about being fat-adapted early this week, I thought I'd stick with that theme for the links this week. 

Mark Sisson wrote about how being fat-adapted boosts performance, which was pretty cool. I think, especially in the long-distance/runner community, it's all about the carbs and carb-ups, and did you eat your carbs? I'm not anti-carb, but I think that athletes out there should know they can try the fat-adapted route without conking out on a long run. I personally go for a long run once a week and I feel totally fine without eating carbs before or after.

In the same vein, authoritynutrition.com had a post that rounded up a bunch of studies of fat vs. carb fueled. Again, I'm not saying everyone should eat this way, but the "conventional wisdom" doesn't fit every body's metabolism. 

In case you didn't read the link from the NY Times article on junk food, you should READ IT. It's really fantastic. In fact, Josh and Chuck from Stuff You Should Know (my absolute favorite podcast) did a whole show on junk food that was pretty interesting, I highly recommend it (and all their other shows...). Anyone who talks to me for an hour or more will at some point hear a fact from their show. 

That's it for this week. If nothing else, you have a whole archive of podcasts about stuff you should know (seriously, it's pretty awesome). 

How To Eat Healthy: The Most Common Fitness Question

“What should I eat to get healthy?”

This is a common variant of questions I receive on an almost daily basis about nutrition. Generally I answer:

"It depends."

Here is the full video post about how the answer to most fitness-health-related questions is “It depends.” (with a mild shoulder shrug).

Now, in the realm of nutrition, the answer is “IT DEPENDS!” (with arms enthusiastically thrown up in the air).

Individual body chemistry, emotional state, past experiences, activity level, definition of “healthy,” and lifestyle are just a few of the plethora of factors that play into the eating style that works best for someone achieve “healthy” status.

That said, I thought I’d share my experience with eating a high-fat, low(er) carb eating style for the past year; it’s pretty fantastic, actually.

The decision to try it out was driven by an increasingly upset GI system and since what I was eating at the time (wide range of vegetables, meats, fruit, beans/lentils, etc.) wasn’t helping, I figured it was time for a change.

I am NOT on a ketogenic diet (which is starting to gain steam and popularity in the health/fitness world) because I found that it doesn’t make me feel great. Most ketogenic diets require pretty high fat content (~80-90% of intake), moderate protein (~10-15%) and minimal carb intake (~2-5%). Because I like iron and picking up heavy junk, I need more than the standard definition of “moderate” protein as well as a touch more carbohydrates to help me recover.

There are a LOT of resources out there that can help if you wanted to try a higher-fat eating style- all of which a much better than me. I will list out below what I changed and my experiences but I highly recommend the folks I link at the end of this post since they have more information than I can cram (or want to cram) into this post and, honestly, are much more knowledgable than me.

Granted, I started with a pretty healthy base, like I said, I was eating a whole-food based diet with all the stuff you’re “supposed” to eat so the change in eating habits wasn’t terribly difficult. It really came down to changing the proportions of what I ate, taking out a few foods that were problematic (some fruits, for example, were wreaking havoc on me) and adding in a bunch of tasty ones (chicken thighs, higher-fat beef, bacon, cocoa butter, more coconut oil etc.)

I don’t count macros (carbs, protein, fat) specifically, but I can give you a rough estimate of my daily break down before and after so you can see the difference.

Before:

Carbs- 40%

Protein- 40%

Fat- 20%

After:

Carbs- <10%

Protein- 25-ish%

Fat- 70-80-ish%

Eating this way has pushed me into a fat-adapted state, meaning I’m generally burning fat for energy as opposed to glucose (carbohydrate) throughout the day. It took about 2 weeks for my body to shift (and it was a weird two weeks, let me assure you) and once I did, I noticed the following:

1. I dropped about 10 pounds unexpectedly. Some of that was water weight, but it was a bit of a shock to drop that much that quickly (about 2 weeks). It took me about a month to gain it back and figure out what my maintenance intake should be. I’ve found it’s also easier to stay on the leaner side without much effort or change in training.

2. My meals, because they are much higher in fat, are much for satiating. I don’t feel over-full, but it’s a good stick-to-your-ribs feeling that sustains me much longer between meals than before, which ties into my next point:

3. I don’t get “hangry” any more. You know the feeling, you turn into the velociraptor from Jurassic Park after going a few hours without eating. I used to have to eat something every 4-6 hours, I would get headaches or shaky or just straight-up hangry; now I can go 8-10 hours without eating if I wanted and without experiencing any of those other things either. I feel hungry, but it’s a much calmer hungry. It’s really, really helpful on days where I’m really busy or we’re traveling and I don’t want to pack a lot of food. I can just have my regular breakfast and last most of the day without having to eat if I don’t want to.

4. Now I actually crave fats and protein more than carbs. I think that’s a big hurdle for a lot of people trying to lose weight or maintain a weight loss is the craving for carbs that can sometimes take over your brain. Typically, large quantities of carbs are pretty easy (about half-way down, read about the “bliss point.”) to consume in one sitting (chips, cookies, etc.) but it’s often weird/hard to eat a large amount of either fats or protein all at once so it’s much hard to overeat your caloric needs for the day.

You don't usually eat a whole tub of this...

5. I still get a decent amount of vegetables in my daily intake, and I stick to the lower carb ones (like kale, sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, green beans, etc.) which also tend to be nutritional powerhouses. Yay for antioxidants and indole-3-carbinol!

6. My meals are WAAAAAAAY tastier. Chicken thighs, coconut oil and cream, 85% beef, and bacon… need I elaborate?

So, what is healthy eating?

Moving to a higher fat eating style has been really good for me, is it good for you? It depends.

Lots of people do well with it, and others don’t (my husband is one who needs a higher carbohydrate intake). Give it a try and see how you feel.

Your foundation, regardless of what your body composition/health goals are, should be whole-foods based diet: lots of veggies and fruit, lean protein sources, and minimizing the amount of junk you consume. That stuff doesn’t change; the proportions are the things that you can tinker with to optimize your daily intake for your health goals and desires.

If you are interested in trying it out I recommend Leanne Vogel's site, Mark Sisson's site, and Amber Romaniuk's site.

Key to Accomplishing Fitness Goals: Consistency is STILL King

Here is a post I wrote almost exactly a year ago and I thought it would be a good reminder to repost this as because, shockingly, consistency is STILL king when it comes to fitness goals (or any goals really). Granted, today is Tuesday and not Monday, but you know, pretend it is. 

Monday’s are my favorite day of the week. As you recover from your recoil of horror, let me explain.

I am a “routine” person. I find comfort and stability in the routines. As a kid, I didn’t really like summer vacation all that much because there wasn’t structure to my day like there was during the school year. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed time away from homework and the annoying kids at school, but I usually missed the schedule that school provided. I went to school, I went to practice (various sports, depending on the season), and I attended Girl Scouts (lifetime member!).

I carried this into college; I went to class, I worked out (a lot), I studied, and I slept. That was pretty much it. 

Kelsey circa '08, probably on a Thursday afternoon.

I had a pretty regimented 4 years- I kept to my schedule. I woke up and went to bed at the same time every day, I went to the same coffee shop to study, I (almost) always sat at the same table, I worked out at the same times, and even took the same route to each class. Though the details of my schedule shifted a bit every semester as my classes changed, I maintained a fairly rigid structure throughout the week.

At first, weekends were hard for me, because the structure was gone. I compensated for it by working at one of the campus dining halls on the weekends. I clung to my routines as I would a kettlebell during swings.

I know, I was a barrel of fun in college.

I was a competitive body builder in college, as I think most readers of the blog know, and the routine and structure I had helped me accomplish my goals of successfully competing in each show. I learned through those four years that long-term goals necessitate long-term strategies.

Prepping for a competition on a Friday night in college... yes, I am painting myself tan. I had to enlist my cousin (he had to paint my back) before going to bed at 8PM. This was standard for competition season.

I’ve loosened my tight, death-grip on my schedule over the years- mostly thanks to my loving, patient husband who helps me step outside those routines and relax on the weekends- though I still maintain a fairly structured work week. I have goals I want to accomplish, both short- and long-term, and I know that having a routine allows me to work on each one regularly.

While I’m not advocating that you should NEVER deviate from your schedule, I am saying that structure is a boon when you’re on the path to achieve a goal. It allows for consistency and adherence to processes that propel you forward to that goal.

Do you want to deadlift your bodyweight? Drop 1 minute off your mile time or 5 seconds off your 60 yard dash? Leaner? Improve your performance on the field, court, or in the pool?

All those things take time and consistency.

Question: How are you going to consistently strength train? How are you going to ensure you’re consistently running? How are you going to consistently adhere to your eating plan?

Answer: By planning times in your day/week to do so. The best way to do that is to make it part of your normal routine. Everyone has their own daily and weekly rituals. Simply add training and/or meal prep or both to them!

When I get in the car, I check my mirrors, put on my seatbelt, turn the car on, check my mirrors again, put the car in reverse, and back out. This is my routine, and it’s so ingrained that I do most of it automatically without thinking about it. If I get distracted (say a large bird hits my windshield- true story) and I don’t perform all the checks in order, I usually forget something and I wind up lost on the process.

The same can be said, on a larger scale, about training. If it’s not part of your routine, you’ll forget to do it (or worse, find excuses not to do it).

This is my number one piece of advice for anyone looking to improve in the physical fitness realm- be it for athletics, aesthetics, or life-  make it a part of your life routine.

SAPT Technique Tip: Rib Position in the Row

Here's a quick video with yet more rowing technique. Like I said in the prior two posts, the poor row is butchered over and over again. Don't be that lifter!

If you want to reap the full benefits of the row, pay attention to your rib position. You'll have to watch the video to find out why!

SAPT Core Exercise of the Week: Slider Miyagi Plank

Do you want a li'l somethin' to set your core ablaze? (and channel Karate Kid, obviously)

Try these puppies: 

Training tips:

Keep your midsection tight as well as your butt (everyone forgets that bit). This will prevent your hips from twisting or swaying from side-to-side. Lock your elbows and keep most of your weight on your supporting, not sliding, arm.

If you can't keep your hips level, spread your feet apart to create a wider base. As you become more proficient, you can inch your feet closer together.

You also get the added benefit of challenging shoulder stabilization so it's great for overhead athletes or anyone who needs to work on the smaller muscles in the shoulder.

To make it harder, you can elevate your feet.

We use furniture sliders at SAPT, but if you don't have them towels on a hard surface work, as do magazines (totally used that before) on a carpet, or sliding your bare palm lightly across the floor will work if you're in a pinch. 

SAPT Technique Tip: Arm + Knee Supported Dumbbell Row

Trotting along the theme of row technique, today’s video breaks down the nuances of the bent over row with the arm and knee supported.

I love this variation, and yet again, it’s often poorly executed. Check yourself out in the mirror next time you perform this or have someone watch you to make sure you’re not falling into one of these traps!

Main points:

Many people round the upper and lower back too much, don’t even retract their shoulder blade at all, and wind up shoving their shoulder into their ear.

On the flip side, some folks extend/arch their lower back and neck too much and can set themselves up for injury at those locations. Also, this lends itself to instability which will limit the amount of weight you can actually row.

I see people all the time lean too far forward in their toes (heel is off the ground) which also makes them feel unstable. Instead, you should sit back in the heel of the foot that’s on the ground and most of your weight should be in your hips. This creates a much more stable position and the row becomes markedly easier to perform correctly.

Neutral spine all they way.