http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain

When my husband and I decided to renovate the third floor of our 1890 home in Louisville, Kentucky, we started from scratch. Yes, there was an old sink up there, but there was also some very gross wallpaper — and we didn’t keep either.

I was determined to outfit the space (an eventual full-time Airbnb) with interesting finds from architectural salvage shops, flea markets, and auctions. But for everything there is a place, and IKEA has its place in this kitchen under the eaves.

Well, to be fair, perhaps we should call it a kitchenette.

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http://www.marksdailyapple.com/

For today’s edition of Dear Mark, I’m answering two questions from readers. The first one concerns a study I linked to in this week’s Weekend Link Love. It appears to suggest that ancient humans had worse genes than modern humans have, that they were at greater risk for many different disorders and diseases. How can this be? Last but not least, Pierre expresses skepticism at the notion of fasting or starvation causing metabolic slowdowns. I agree, but only to a point, and I explain why.

Let’s go:

Mark, what’s your take on the ancient human gene study you mentioned in weekend link love today? This one: http://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/humbiol_preprints/115/

I found it really interesting.

Jared

The paper has a lot going on.

First, we find that the genetic disease load has not been increasing in modern humans. Many have proposed the opposite: That the rise of modern medicine and technology has relaxed the selective pressures of everyday living and allowed genetically “unfit” people to survive and reproduce, thereby increasing the rate of deleterious mutations. This paper seems to contradict that.

We find that the genetic load in certain disease categories was higher in ancient humans. Looking at individual samples, we find that the Altai Neaderthal and Otzk the Iceman had some issues. The Neanderthal had a higher genetic risk for neurological disease, immune issues, cancers, gut disorders, and metabolic disorders. The Iceman had a higher genetic risk for cardiovascular, immune, gut, and metabolic disorders.

There are several ways to interpret the results. The most common interpretation will probably be that the genetic disease load was greater in ancient humans because they weren’t living long enough for the diseases to take root and impact reproductive fitness. I think that’s part of it, but my take is different.

Maybe ancient humans carry more genes that in modern environments increase risk of diseases, but in ancestral environments were neutral or even increased fitness. Heart disease wasn’t an issue because he wasn’t chowing down on packaged cupcakes, Panda Express, and Pepsi. 

If you transported Otzi the Iceman or the Altai Neanderthal to the present day, set them up with an apartment on the Las Vegas Strip with neon signs blaring into their room at all hours of the night and ensured they spent their days hanging out at the slots and pigging out on the buffets, they’d be fat, diabetic, and feeble more quickly than most modern humans in the same position.

This is why traditional people get hit so hard by modernity. It’s perhaps why the Pacific Island nations are among the fattest in the world. It’s why native peoples all over the world, when influenced by industrial food cultures and modern sedentary lifestyles, tend to be fatter and sicker than the broader population of their countries, whether it’s Canada, the US, or Australia.

Consider the genetic predisposition to alcoholism. It’s far higher in American Indians than Americans of European descent due to a lack of protective genetic factors and higher incidence of deleterious genetic factors (and, of course, environmental factors). If you dug up some American Indian graves from the 1400s and ran DNA tests on the remains, they’d show up as having a high risk of alcohol dependence. But back then, when they weren’t exposed to alcohol, those “deleterious” genes weren’t actually deleterious. 

I suspect the same thing applies to the Neanderthal and Otzi. They had the genes for cardiovascular disease and irritable bowel syndrome. Media headlines say “Otzi had heart disease.” I’d say “Otzi had the genetic predisposition that increases heart disease risk in modern people living in modern environments.”

What’s really fun to think about is if these “deleterious” genetic variants offered protective or beneficial effects in other areas. What do you think?

Next, Pierre comments:

Not sure about the statement that metabolism slows down when you are starving. That doesn’t really square with my fasting results and it doesn’t make sense from an evolutionary standpoint. Seems that slowing down when you need to chase down some food would lead to your extinction.

I agree with your thinking. Fasting as most people practice it does not slow the metabolic rate. It takes at least 3 days of pure fasting for minor slowdowns to the metabolic rate to occur. Some studies even find that short-term fasting (48 hours) boosts metabolic rate by almost 4%. Others find similar results. This jibes with your results and hypothesis—”slowing down when you need to chase down some food would lead to your extinction.” It seems you’ve got about 3 days of full (or even extra) energy to acquire food before energy starts dropping. That should be plenty.

At some point, though, things break down. It doesn’t make sense from an evolutionary standpoint for humans to die when a European cave bear eats their face, since that leads to the human’s extinction, but die they do. There’s only so much the body can handle. Evolution can’t contend with a giant bear mouth chomping down on your head, nor can it contend well with a lack of food for six days straight. You just run out of juice.

That’s it for today, folks. Thanks for reading. Take care, and be sure to add your own comments, questions, and answers down below!

The post Dear Mark: Grok’s Terrible Genes; Fasting, Starvation, and Metabolism appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain

You resolved to bring your lunch to work every day because you wanted to be healthier and save money, and we all know that brown-bagging it is the best way to do that. You bought a bunch of plastic or glass containers. “I’m really going to stick to it this time,” you thought.

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Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss

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(Image credit: Susanna Hopler)

Welcome to Kitchn’s new series My Favorite Healthy Recipes, where we show you how real people around the country (and even world) eat “healthy,” however they choose to define that for themselves. Maybe you’ll even find a few recipes to add to your own meal plan.

Name: Ashleigh Ange
Location: Charlottesville, VA
Age: 28
Occupation: Email Marketing Manager
Number of people in household: 1 (not counting my fur baby, Hazel)

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http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain

A child of the ’80s, I grew up thinking that brand-name anything was always best. It was, after all, the days of the Cola Wars, the Burger Wars, and the Chicken Wars. Yes, those really did happen. (Coke, McDonalds, and KFC — if you really want to know which sides I was on.)

Big brands, however, no longer hold major sway with me. After much trial and error, I’ve found that there are plenty of pantry staples that are just fine to buy generic. Here are the 10 times I definitely don’t care about brand names.

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(Image credit: Joe Lingeman)

Are you ready to be a snack hero in four ingredients? These banana-based mini cookies taste like banana bread and coconut macaroons had a delicious chocolate-covered baby. These cookies come together quickly, are naturally gluten-free and nut-free, and can be made vegan with the right chocolate. And they will totally bust your 3 p.m. slump or make you the coolest mom ever for serving cookies after school.

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https://www.girlsgonestrong.com/

Name: Jen de Mel
Age: 37
Location: London, UK

What does being a Girl Gone Strong mean to you?
Being a Girl Gone Strong means feeling powerful instead of small. It means having confidence and being proud of what my body can do, and feeling good in my own skin.

When I think of GGS, I think about smart training and about having more meaningful training goals based on performance.

Being a GGS means influencing other women to accept and be proud of their bodies and not wanting to be a different body type that the one they have been blessed with.

How long have you been strength training, and how did you get started?
I’ve been strength training since 2010, when I lost interest in doing things that made my body feel bad, such as partying too often and became more interested in doing things that made me feel good, such as training and being kind to myself.

What does your typical workout look like?
Full-body workouts mainly strength with a cardio intervals finisher. For example…

Warm-up and mobility for the first 15 minutes:

• Cat/Camel
• Thoracic mobility, such as open book
• Hip mobility, such as fire hydrants
• Glute activation such as clamshells, hip bridge, x-band walks
• Core activation such as bird dog, moving planks, dead bugs

Training session, 30 to 45 minutes. I prefer supersets because they feel more metabolic:

A1. Chin-Up 3xAMRAP
A2. BB Split Squat 3×10

B1. Push-Up 3×10
B2. Romanian Deadlift 3×10

Finisher :30/:30 work/rest ratio

C1. Moving Plank
C2. Kettlebell Swing
C3. Ski Erg

By the way, the above is not an example of a typical pregnancy workout! Those are my typical go-to exercises if I’m not following a specific program. Pregnancy workouts have been shorter.

Warm-Up/Mobility:

• A hip opener such as 90/90 split squat, pigeon stretch, and fire hydrant
• Glute and core activation

Training session, 3-4 sets of 10 reps each:

A1. Seated Row
A2. Goblet Squat or Romanian Deadlift
A3. Alternating Leg Lowering or Band-Resisted Bird Dog
A4. Hip Bridge variations

Finish with Intervals, 8-10 sets of :20/:40 work/rest ratio (usually ski erg and kettlebell swings), or with 30 minutes of steady-state cardio depending on time available.

Favorite Lift:
Romanian Deadlift. What’s not to love? It’s a full-body, compound movement and teaches you a great movement pattern of the hip hinge while building great strength in the hamstrings, glutes, core, and lats.

Most memorable PR:
In the gym: six weighted chin-ups with 10 kilos. Outside of the gym (water skiing): 5.5 bouys at 34 miles per hour on the slalom course.

Top 5 songs on your training playlist:

1. Crave You – Flight Facilities
2. Sweet Disposition – Temper Trap
3. Livin’ on the Edge — Aerosmith
4. Perfect Form – Cyril Hahn
5. Up and Down – Kattison

Top 3 things you must have at the gym or in your gym bag:

Headphones, phone, and water.

Do you prefer to train alone or with others? Why?
Both. I like training alone, but I get more motivated when I train with others. I enjoy mixing up my usual routine.

Most embarrassing gym moment:
Almost falling off the treadmill because the endorphins and song I was listening to got me feeling so high that I closed my eyes momentarily and lost my balance.

Most memorable compliment you’ve received lately:
Someone called me “superwoman” because I’m six months pregnant and still super active and hosting a large family gathering at the last minute while making it look easy (It wasn’t. My feet were throbbing and most of the dishes were overcooked!)

Most recent compliment you gave someone else:
“You’re the best!” to my dog Tyson. That doesn’t count? OK, I told my sister that she is brilliant in times of crisis, and she has held our family together during a traumatic event.

Favorite meal:
Fish (like seabass) and greens. Boring, I know, but I eat it every day and don’t get bored. I was gutted when I had such a strong aversion to it during my first trimester of pregnancy.

Favorite way to treat yourself:
Pregnancy massages are my favorite way to relax these days.

Favorite quote:
“Go placidly amid the noise and haste and remember what peace there may be in silence.” from Desiderata by Max Ehrmann

Favorite book:
The Prophet by Khalil Gibran

What inspires and motivates you?
People who are challenged physically and achieve more than most, such as Bethany Hamilton (a champion surfer who lost her arm to a shark and became a world champion surfer anyway). Overcoming that kind of adversity rather than letting fate deal you a cruel card is ridiculously inspiring and always makes get it together if I start to feel sorry for myself.

What do you do?
I am a pre- and postnatal fitness coach, and a corporate ethics consultant. And

What else do you do?
I am crazy about slalom water skiing. It’s the feeling of being on the water, the sunshine, spending the day hanging out at the lake with friends, the exhilaration, and adrenaline of the sport, competing against myself, trying to control the inner monkey who keeps trying to sabotage my best passes by telling me not to mess it up. Plus, I just think it’s the coolest sport in the world, and because it’s not that big or popular you can actually get quite close to the champions who inspire you!

Describe a typical day:
I wake up at 6:30 and go to the gym. Then I take Tyson (our mini schnauzer) for a walk in the communal garden, where he plays with all the other dogs. Just watching him being so playful makes me feel happy, so it’s such a great way to start the day.

I pick up some coffee for Priyan (my husband) and me from Coffee Plant (best coffee on the famous Portobello Road in Notting Hill!) and go home to make us breakfast at around 9 a.m., before I wash and settle down for work and household chores, etc.

The rest of the day seems to slip by until it’s time for dinner at around 7 p.m. after Priyan has taken Tyson out for his second walk. Then we relax and watch some TV. Usually, Priyan is watching football, and I’ll be looking at social media our reading unless there’s a new season of House of Cards or Game of Thrones to watch!

Your next training goal:
Being six months pregnant, my current training goal is learning and practicing body positivity — regardless of how many kilos I am gaining — and training for function rather than performance. But I’m dying to get super fit again next year and prepare for “Women’s Week” in Orlando, in September 2018 with the female world champion water-skier, Whitney McClintock. I want to smash my personal best on the slalom course and start shortening rope lengths.

For what are you most grateful?
Good health for me, family, and friends.

Of what life accomplishment do you feel most proud?
There was a time in my life when I was down in the dumps after suddenly losing my dad to cancer, and I was low on self-esteem, drinking too much, and not being good to myself. I decided I needed to get out of the rut and in the space of a few months turned my whole outlook on life around through exercise, holistic therapies, and nutrition. It helped me become happy, confident, and relaxed.

Which three words best describe you?
My best friend and husband are hanging out next to me while I’m answering this, so I asked them to answer for me. They said “fun, loyal, and adventurous.”

What’s a risk you’ve taken recently, and how did it turn out?
Having the courage to walk away from a well-compensated legal career at a company where I worked for 10 years to pursue my dreams of being a strength and conditioning coach.

How has lifting weights changed your life?
Lifting weights has helped me make the shift from training solely for aesthetics and burning calories to training for function and performance, which is a far more consistent, satisfying, and empowering goal for me.

What’s the coolest “side effect” you’ve experienced from strength training?
Feeling fearless and bad-ass!

What do you want to say to other women who might be nervous or hesitant about strength training?
There’s absolutely nothing to lose by asking one of the trainers in the gym to show you how to perform a lift with proper form. If they’re not busy training clients, they will gladly help you out, that’s our job! It could transform the way you train. If you’ve never tried it before, you’ll love how much you will improve and get stronger and see your body (and your mind) transform quite quickly! Proper form is key, and there are always ways to improve. It’s 100 percent worth asking a trainer or investing in a few training sessions to learn the ropes.

To learn more about Jen, check out her website and connect with her on Facebook and Instagram!

The post GGS Spotlight: Jen De Mel appeared first on Girls Gone Strong.

http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain

You don’t always have a full day to dedicate to organizing your kitchen, so your best bet is to complete little tasks here and there. The next time you find yourself with an extra 10 minutes on your hands (say, during a commercial break or before you have to leave for school pickup), try tackling one of these to-dos.

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Originally Posted At: https://breakingmuscle.com/feed/rss

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