http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain
Who: Tucker Pecan Company
What: Southern Pecans
Where: Montgomery, Alabama
For more than 60 years, Montgomery’s Tucker Pecan Company has been providing people all over the South and the country with premium pecans and pecan products. It all begins with a bright-green orb hanging from a tree branch.
http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain
Oreo has something new, and this time it’s not a wacky flavor or extra-thin cookies — it’s the standard, classic chocolate and cream sandwich cookie combo we all know, with a fun twist. For a limited time during the holiday season, Oreo is offering customizable packages.
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/
You read Mark’s Daily Apple every day. Paleo health, nutrition, and fitness folks populate your Twitter feed almost exclusively. You’ve got several PubMed alerts set up, helping you stay on top of the emerging evidence. Everyone in your immediate circle knows to come to you with questions about diet and exercise. You’ve been living like this for the better part of a decade, and things are going well. But what if there were a few blindspots you didn’t know about, or assumed you didn’t have to consider?
I’ve been doing this for a long time. Over the course of 10-odd years, I’ve realized that many Primal and paleo enthusiasts have a few glaring blindspots. They may not be cataclysmic, but addressing them—or at least acknowledging their existence—can certainly improve your health and happiness.
Let’s look at three of them.
It’s easy to get caught up in the rapidity of initial health improvements accompanying a Primal lifestyle. You lose a dozen pounds and several inches off your waist. You stop falling asleep at your desk once 2 o’clock rolls around. You’re no longer ravenously, constantly hungry. Foods that used to be pleasantly sweet are now cloyingly so. You read about the relative dearth of degenerative diseases in even long-lived hunter-gatherer peoples, figure you’re “eating just like them,” and assume you’ll also live long and well without having to see a medical professional or worry about cancer or heart disease. After all, you’ve eliminated refined sugar and grains, get plenty of physical activity, and adhere to all the Primal laws (and even some of the runners-up). What could go wrong?
That’s not how it works.
We’re all mortal. We’re all going to die. And it’s not always going to be a pleasant subtle shift into non-consciousness. It may very well hurt. It may very well involve a long, protracted degenerative process. The fact remains that maintaining a relationship with a health professional can actually help stave off some of these unpleasant complications. I absolutely, wholeheartedly maintain that diet, lifestyle, and exercise are the most important factors in determining how one lives and dies, but don’t write off modern medicine.
I’ve often said that the key to determining how genetics affect our health is through epigenetics: the turning on and turning off of genes in response to certain environmental stimuli. If we can just expose our bodies to the right environmental stimuli, we can. The “cancer gene” only becomes cancer-promoting in the wrong environment.
That’s probably true, but it’s also true that we don’t know all the environmental-gene interactions going on inside our bodies. Sure, eating healthy, lifting weights, getting adequate sunlight—these behaviors have been shown to reduce the risk of cancer, even in those prone to developing it. But those with a familial history of cancer, heart disease, or other illnesses shouldn’t ignore it just because they’re seemingly doing everything right.
Heeding genetics doesn’t mean submitting to the slings and arrows of destiny. I want to make that clear. But the guy with the “obesity genes” is more likely to become fat in response to food. To avoid obesity, he’ll have to eat cleaner, limit junk food forays, and train harder and more frequently than those jerks with genes that allow them to stay effortlessly lean. At a population level, genetics tell accurate stories. In the individual, genetics identify predispositions.
The difference here is that in our genes we have a static, immutable recipe that doesn’t change over time, but is profoundly affected by the epigenetic inputs we decide to present. And that’s where the power of paying attention to your genetic makeup lies: as a roadmap for potential epigenetic triggers we ultimately control. If you ignore your genes, you’re flying a little blind.
Humans are all built with the same basic physiological machinery. We use the same enzymes to process fats, carbs, and protein. We make the same endogenous antioxidants. Some of us don’t produce insulin, but we all respond to it.
And that’s why the basic Primal plan works for just about everyone. Because at the heart of it, eating Primal means ditching processed junk food and eating nutrient-dense animals and plants instead. It’s hard to go wrong with that. At the very least, it’s a great start.
But sometimes things stop working as well. And people get disillusioned. They get desperate and flail about, trying anything. Maybe they just need to get specific.
We know that humans are still evolving. A couple years ago, I even wrote a post describing some of the basic changes that the human genome(s) have undergone in the years since agriculture. Although personal ancestry-based dietary and lifestyle advice is years out, and we’re still figuring out the details and limited to making educated guesses, it might be worth it to think of your health and eating practices in terms of ancestral expectations.
Consider what I discovered after getting my genes analyzed. Much of what I was already doing—avoiding chronic cardio, eating more fat, taking more vitamin D (or sun) and omega-3s—was vindicated by the DNAFit results. It turns out that since I’m of Scandinavian stock, I’m adapted to and likely need a diet higher in fish and vitamin D for optimal health. I have the genetic predisposition to excel in endurance athletics, but my genes also predicted I’d be a strong power athlete; that explains why I was an elite marathoner in the old days and more recently have found decent success lifting and sprinting. I’d already figured all that out through trial and error, but not everyone does. Using your recent personal ancestry as a rubric for making lifestyle and diet modifications can be helpful. You don’t even have to go get a genetic test, although that can make it easier. You could simply ask your grandparents about their grandparents, or track your surname(s) and determine where in the world they likely originate.
It’s a fun detective game that can really pay dividends for your health and happiness. Later, I’ll probably write more in depth about using one’s recent ancestry to find clues about optimal lifestyle.
If these aren’t blindspots for you, cool. I don’t expect these to be issues for everyone out there. But they aren’t rare, isolated examples. Look within and ask if you’ve been ignoring some of these blindspots.
What else do paleo or Primal people tend to miss? What other blindspots are there?
Thanks for reading, everyone. Take care!
http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain
Your mother taught you to never show up empty-handed, but there’s no need to break the bank as we head into holiday party season. If you don’t want to bring something homemade, there are plenty of small hostess gifts you can pick up for less than $10. Here are a few of our favorites.
Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss
Charles is here on a weekly basis to help you cut through the B.S. and get some real perspective regarding health and training. Please post feedback or questions to Charles directly in the comments below this article.
Last week I had a few people ask me about my warm-up procedure for heavy lifts, so here are a few thoughts on that subject. I’m going to start with what I consider the ideal warm up for anyone about to lift heavy weights.
Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss
Charles is here on a weekly basis to help you cut through the B.S. and get some real perspective regarding health and training. Please post feedback or questions to Charles directly in the comments below this article.
Last week I had a few people ask me about my warm-up procedure for heavy lifts, so here are a few thoughts on that subject. I’m going to start with what I consider the ideal warm up for anyone about to lift heavy weights.
http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain
Imagine the tines of your forking breaking through, almost snapping, the velvety crust of a fruit tart. It crumbles a bit, but is far from dry — each bite more rich and buttery than the last. That tender crust is typically known as pâte sablée. Unlike a flaky pie crust, pâte sablée is crisp and more cookie-like. The name literally means “sandy,” although it’s anything but. Pâte sablée is a classic French shortcrust pastry dough that, once baked, becomes the base for any tart you can imagine.
Originally posted at: http://www.nerdfitness.com/
It’s back, baby!
Earlier this summer, we launched Nerd Fitness Yoga here on Nerd Fitness, and 2,000+ rebels took the plunge. Over the past few months, it’s been an absolute blast interacting with them on the NF Yoga Facebook Group and watching them become more flexible every day.
Well, after closing the doors for a few months, I’m excited to announce that we’ve reopened enrollment today, this time for good! In case you didn’t join us back in August, I wanted to tell you a bit about Nerd Fitness Yoga today and encourage you to check it out!
This is, by far, the most polished product we have ever put together, and I couldn’t be more proud of it.
Mobility and stretching are huge components of living a leveled-up life. After all, what good is a strong body if you can’t move properly to take advantage of it, right?
Over the years, I have attended my fair share of yoga classes and found them to be incredibly beneficial to improving my day-to-day life, not to mention helping me recover from intense strength training sessions.
Yoga + Strength Training = the perfect c-c-c-c-COMBO!
However, yoga classes can be incredibly intimidating. I remember sitting in a car, forcing myself to work up the courage to attend my first yoga class. I worried about things like:
I worried about all of these things, and I RUN A FITNESS WEBSITE! So, I set out to create a course that would help Rebels of all ages, shapes, and sizes get started with yoga without having to deal with the problems of trying to find a great studio and work up the courage to join a group class.
That’s where NF Yoga comes in!
I’ll tell you about what’s in the course quickly:
Now, I’m not going to go through alllll of the benefits, features, and bonuses that come with Nerd Fitness Yoga, as all of that stuff is listed out in detail right here!
Yes, it will help you get more flexible.
Yes, it’s the perfect complement to any strength training routine.
Yes, it features plenty of corny jokes by yours truly.
Yes, it will make practically every other aspect of your life easier.
Yes, it is all done in a way that makes yoga approachable and fun.
Yes, I want you to check it out!
I will tell you that it was really fun filming this course alongside professional yoga instructor Kate Marolt and NF Rebel Staci Ardison. I’m so happy that it’s been received so freaking well by members of The Rebellion who have tried it out.
Now, it’s easy for me to say, “NF Yoga is awesome!” but I’m slightly biased… like a parent who thinks their kid is the best at everything.
So I want to share some success stories and testimonials from your fellow community members who have been using NF Yoga for the past few months:
And to be honest, these are just a handful of the hundreds of Facebook comments and emails we’ve seen come in over the last few months.
We’ve captured more feedback right here from people from all over the world, young and old, and even families and young kids who are doing yoga with their parents throughout the week. This gets us so fired up!
We don’t sell a lot of things at Nerd Fitness – in fact, this is only the second course we’ve put up for sale in the past four years!
That means when we do release something, it’s something I have put everything into to make sure it exceeds your expectations. It comes with a 100% money back guarantee, in case you’re still on the fence, as I want to make sure it gets you results like the people above!
So, check it out.
Starting right this second, Nerd Fitness Yoga is available for purchase at a discounted rate. This special pricing will run one week until Tuesday (the 17th) at 9 p.m. EST. Then we will be increasing the price to its normal rate and leaving it there.
You can get the basic level (with full access) and save $12 this week. And if you’re interested in a custom yoga mat (comes with our plus level), you’ll save $22 this week. We even have a payment plan for our basic level if you’d rather spread out the payments over 3 months.
We know the more people who get excited and get started together, the more accountability and momentum we’ll find in the private Facebook group to rally together throughout the holiday season.
If you’re one of the 2,000 Rebels who have already joined us, thanks for taking the chance back in August, and get ready to welcome all of the new students that join us starting today! 
If this sounds like a community you want to be a part of, but missed your chance in August, this is your window. Get started right away (and save a decent chunk of money) by joining THIS week.
See you on the inside!
-Steve
P.S. We’ll be back to our normal, free weekly articles helping you get stronger, stay fit, and level up your life starting next week! Let’s all finish 2015 strong!
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Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss
In Part One of this series, I discussed gender inequality in CrossFit and in women’s sports at large. It takes more for women to have an equal playing field with men – the “more” being a hypersexualized portrayal of oneself.
For now classes are 6pm and 640pm at 2840 Wildwood st in the Boise Cloggers studio.
Book your class NOW!
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