http://chriskresser.com/

Like guar gum, xanthan gum is a food additive that’s often used to thicken or stabilize a final product. It’s particularly common in gluten-free baked goods, since it provides extra elasticity to dough that would otherwise be missing.

But what is it? Is it safe to eat regularly? Keep reading to get the facts, along with my take on this food additive.

What Is Xanthan Gum?

Xanthan gum is the product of a bacterial fermentation process. It’s produced when the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris is placed in a growth medium that includes sugars and other nutrients. (1) The resulting compound is then purified, dried out, powdered, and sold as a food thickener.

If you’re on a gluten-free diet, you could be eating xanthan gum. But is it safe? The answer may depend on your allergies. Check out this article for more information about this common food additive.

In addition to its common use in gluten-free baked goods, it shows up in the ingredients list for salad dressings, some supplements and medicines, ice cream, yogurt, pudding, and some sauces.

If You Have Allergies, It Could Be Harmful

The growth medium used to make this thickener can have an impact on how a person reacts to the final product. Occasionally, allergenic substances are used to nourish Xanthomonas campestris. These can include:

• Soy
• Dairy
• Wheat
• Corn

Unfortunately, some manufacturers of xanthan gum (and food products that contain it) aren’t always willing to disclose the growth medium they use—perhaps for proprietary reasons, or because they aren’t entirely sure themselves—leaving food shoppers in the dark. (2) However, if it was produced using one of the substances listed above, this product can carry allergens straight to the consumer.

If you are purchasing your own supply to use in gluten-free baking, contact the manufacturer directly for more information on these potential allergens.

Is It Bad for Your Health?

Overall, there is little evidence that xanthan gum could be harmful to you. Aside from its potential to trigger allergic reactions in some people, studies have generally suggested that it’s safe to eat.

Here’s What the Research Has Revealed

Studies conducted on animals haven’t yielded many concerning results. In one study, rats ate varying concentrations of this food additive for two years. Their overall health remained largely unchanged from the control population except for one difference: They experienced soft stools more often. (3) Both populations showed the same survival rate, growth rate, organ weights, incidence of tumors, and blood markers.

Researchers also exposed dogs to this substance. Again, they weren’t able to find any significant differences, other than occasionally soft stools. Data from an experiment conducted on three generations of rats echoed these findings. Even after eating between 0.25 and 0.50 g/kg each day, there were no notable effects.

Some studies have focused on this additive’s digestive impact. In one such experiment, researchers discovered that rats eating a diet consisting of 4 percent xanthan gum had 400 percent more water present in their intestines. (4) In another study, rats ate an incredibly high dose of the substance—50 g/kg—for four weeks. The water content of their stool and short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) content rose substantially. (In adult humans, as I’ll note later, higher levels of SCFAs may contribute to good gut health.) (5)

In one surprising study, researchers noted some anti-tumor properties of this food thickener. When it was orally administered, it actually slowed cancer growth and prolonged the life of mice with melanoma. (6) It’s not immediately clear why this occurred, but it’s an intriguing piece of information.

What the Data from Human Studies Show

There aren’t many human-based studies on xanthan gum; perhaps they are sparse because the animal studies don’t reveal any cause for concern or urgency for further investigation. However, one study did look at the potential side effects of eating large quantities of this substance in an everyday setting. (7) Five adults—all men without digestive issues—ate between 10.4 and 12.9 g of the additive for 23 days. That’s 15 times the recommended daily amount. Still, researchers only found evidence of:

• Increased fecal bile acid
• Increased stool output and water content
• Decreased serum cholesterol

In another study, volunteers ate 15 g of the substance each day for a total of 10 days. (8) It appeared to act as a potent laxative, as the test subjects experienced gas and a higher stool output.

The researchers in this experiment also examined how their test subjects were able to metabolize this substance. Prior to the test, the fecal bacteria in 12 of the 18 volunteers were able to break down the additive. Afterward, that number jumped to 16. The data also shows that the fecal bacteria that was able to metabolize this food thickener displayed an increased production of SCFAs and hydrogen gas. That means the volunteers’ gut flora was able to quickly adapt in response to this new substance being introduced to the body.

You Should Know: There Is a Possible Health Risk to Infants

There is one population that may be particularly sensitive to this food additive: infants. Several years ago, a number of infants developed fatal cases of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) after drinking formula or breast milk that included a thickening agent made with xanthan gum. (9) This product was commonly used in hospital settings to help thicken up breast milk or formula for infants with swallowing problems or acid reflux. A thicker fluid can help infants with swallowing problems by giving them more time to close their airways and reducing the risk of aspirating the milk or formula.

We don’t yet have enough data to firmly prove a connection between this xanthan gum and NEC. However, several papers suggest that it may have contributed to a life-threatening medical condition by increasing the amount of SCFAs in the infants’ still immature intestinal tracts. (10, 11) In healthy adults, SCFAs are an essential component to a healthy colon. However, newborns appear to be extremely sensitive to them. (12, 13) That’s why milk thickeners and any products containing xanthan gum aren’t recommended for babies younger than one year.

Xanthan Gum vs. Guar Gum: What’s the Difference?

Guar gum is another additive that’s used to thicken and stabilize food. While there are some important differences between these two, if you’re allergic to any of the substances commonly used to create xanthan gum (like soy, dairy, wheat, or corn), guar gum may be a viable alternative.

Guar gum is made from the guar bean, native to India and Pakistan. It’s a soluble fiber, and some animal studies have shown that it actually has the potential to reduce body weight and lower blood glucose. (14)

If you have a digestive condition, however, you may want to avoid guar gum. Since it’s derived from a bean, it can cause distressing symptoms if you have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), or other gut health problems.

Should You Avoid Xanthan Gum?

While those with serious allergies or significant digestive issues should steer clear of it, it’s probably fine for most people to eat occasionally. Remember, however, that there is data showing that large quantities of this substance can alter the gut microbiome. While we don’t have evidence showing that these changes have a negative effect on overall health, a disrupted gut microbiome is a common cause of many modern diseases.

If you’re concerned about food additives, I recommend following a whole-food diet. Choosing nutrient-rich, real foods instead of pre-packaged goods is an essential step to avoiding chronic disease. The best way to nourish your body is to eat complete, nutritious foods that don’t require preservatives, additives, or other extra substances.

If your food comes in a box, bag, or bottle, there’s a good chance that it contains ingredients that don’t provide any benefits to your body. In some cases, they may even harm your health.

What are your thoughts on xanthan gum? Do you avoid it, or is it an essential part of your gluten-free diet? Let me know below in the comment section.

The post What Is Xanthan Gum—And Is It Bad for You? appeared first on Chris Kresser.

http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain

If you’ve been a little apprehensive about spaghetti squash, this is the recipe that will make you a convert once and for all. And if you’re already singing its praises, this veggie-filled take on spaghetti and meatballs is going to make you fall even more deeply in love. This, friends, is wholesome comfort food at its finest.

You’ll stuff each half of the roasted squash with your favorite meatballs, marinara, and plenty of gooey, melted cheese — and then you can eat right out of the squash. Yes, it creates its own bowl!

READ MORE »

http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain

Kitchn’s Delicious Links column highlights recipes we’re excited about from the bloggers we love. Follow along every weekday as we post our favorites.

There are a million ways to prepare mushrooms, but you might be tempted to throw them all out after you try this recipe for mushrooms with sesame and miso butter from The Endless Meal. It’s the closest a person can come to injecting umami directly into the center of their brain, and that’s one of the highest compliments I can give.

READ MORE »

http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain

One of our favorite kitchen product manufacturers has a great sale happening on Amazon right now. Chicago Metallic makes commercial-grade kitchen items with the home cook and baker in mind. Unfortunately, there’s no easy way to see all the marked-down pieces in one place, but you can see them sprinkled in on the Chicago Metallic product page.

With discounts up to 40 percent, this is a great time to stock up on some of their best-sellers. The quality is good enough for the serious baker, but the prices are good for people just learning as well. Here are a few of our must-have picks.

READ MORE »

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

Balance. The ability to recover from something that knocks you off center. The feeling that scampering over loose rocks doesn’t pose a threat because you know you have the ability to catch yourself.

Regardless of whether balance is something you ever think about, you have a sense of where your center of mass is located. It’s the spot where you feel most stable and least likely to be knocked off balance. When you move, your body searches for the place that feels the safest, giving you a sense of postural control.

read more

https://www.girlsgonestrong.com/

Are you working with clients who are survivors — of trauma, of negative experiences, of stress? If your clients are human, then you likely are.

Laura Khoudari, a Manhattan based trauma-informed personal trainer puts it best, “If you are working with people, you are working with trauma.” Khoudari provides somatic-based treatment specifically for women and genderqueer individuals suffering from PTSD, depression, anxiety, and chronic pain, and she sees strength training as a powerful tool for restoring healthy nervous system function, building resilience (in addition to strength), and improving quality of life.

Some clients will come to training with common, negative-but-non-traumatizing experiences, while others will come with more severe and impactful pasts.

As creatures highly adept at learning, humans process their own thoughts and feelings about life experiences, come to conclusions about how to avoid future negative experiences, and then apply those conclusions just like rules, in their behaviors, interactions, and choices moving forward.

Since, for the most part, you will have no way of knowing this history, it will serve you best to work with your clients using a professional, observant, flexible approach to your work.

From Trauma to Mishaps – The Spectrum of Negative Experience

Trauma is an emotional response to something horrible, like rape, or a natural disaster [1]. In the short term, shock, grief, and denial are normal and expected responses. Over time, however, there is a wide range of reactions to these types of events, and those who have trouble moving forward with their lives have been traumatized by the experience.

When a traumatized individual experiences difficulty in day-to-day living because of the traumatic event, they may be diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a treatable but debilitating mental illness.

One out of six American women experience attempted or completed rape during her lifetime [2]. Sexual assault is more likely to cause trauma than other events [3], and 9 out of 10 sexual assault victims are female [4]. Research clearly indicates that women are more than twice as likely to develop PTSD than men [5], and that many are unlikely to seek treatment.

If you work with women, chances are you’ve worked with a woman who’s experienced sexual assault.

Whether or not she has developed PTSD, that experience has impacted her feelings of safety, trust, and comfort, especially in new or unfamiliar settings. As Khoudari states, the experience will definitely affect training, at the very least including a taxed central nervous system and increased fatigue.

Trauma is one type of response that someone can have to the most terrible of events. There are many other types of negative events that may not be traumatizing, but still feel hurtful and sad. These experiences can influence an individual’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in a negative way in the future.

A recent national survey found that 81 percent of women said they experienced some form of sexual harassment or assault in their lifetime [6].

Seventy-seven percent of women reported experiencing verbal sexual harassment, and over 50 percent have experienced unwelcome sexual touching — that’s most of us.

Why This Matters to Coaches

Based on these statistics, it is reasonable, and wise, to assume that your female client has had negative experiences, specifically related to her body, her sexuality, and her appearance.

Coming to the gym and working with you may bring up memories, thoughts, and feelings of discomfort, and this would be a completely normal, reasonable, expected response.

If your client is triggered by certain people, places, or things, she can have a negative emotional response in that moment, because it reminds her of a previous negative experience. This is not only psychologically unpleasant for your client, but it can also have physical consequences.

For example, a recent study examined 60 female college students, many of whom reported experiencing child maltreatment, but who did not develop PTSD as a result. These women exercised by riding a stationary bike (physical stressor), and viewed a video of child maltreatment (psychological stressor), while their heart rates were monitored. The study found that women with a history of maltreatment experienced more psychological stress and a faster heart rate than those who did not experience maltreatment [7].

The researchers noted that atypical physiological regulation to stressors is more common among those who have experienced emotional or physical abuse. They conclude, “Maltreatment may lead to increased psychological distress and PTSD symptomatology and may negatively impact on autonomic responses to physical and emotional stressors” [7].

What does this mean for you and your work? It means that your clients, trauma survivors, or something less severe, will become more physically stressed when they feel emotionally stressed.

If a client feels uncomfortable, unsafe, or triggered by certain aspects of the training environment, it will impact training.

Minimize Psychological Triggers

There are some basic ways you can minimize the risk of triggering your clients, and maximize their feelings of safety in the gym, their comfort with you as coach, and allow for more enjoyment of their training time.

Your goals as a trainer should include creating a safe and fun training environment for your clients. Here are three basic recommendations:

1. Be Professional

This may seem obvious, but sometimes, professional behavior can be neglected due to gym environment, familiarity with clients, or comfort with the work itself. Although it is important to be warm and approachable, it is equally important to be consistent, dependable, and to exercise healthy boundaries with your clients.

Keeping in mind that you have no way of knowing what your client has experienced, practicing professionalism minimizes risks that you may say or do something offensive, and increases chances your client will feel safe and comfortable with you.

2. Be Aware

Be mindful of the training environment.

Are there lots of loud noises or music? Are there individuals — other lifters, trainers — or other aspects of the gym setting that could possibly be seen as intimidating? If so, are there ways in which you can minimize this? Could it help to train away from the professional powerlifters, turn down the loud music, work out during a quieter time at the gym?

These changes can be subtle, but if they help your client to feel safe and relaxed in the environment, it will improve her attendance, her performance, and her satisfaction with her training.

Be mindful of your client’s comfort.

Do they seem anxious or uncomfortable? Do they avoid certain people, places, or things at the gym? Are they one person when you’re around the elliptical and machines, but a completely different person around the barbells?

If you are a rah-rah coach, does your client respond positively to this? In addition to being observant of form and movement, also practice being mindful about your client’s vibe — their body language, facial expressions, energy level and comfort. If you notice something feeling “off,” it is.

Laura Khoudari, who specializes in working with clients with a trauma history, states, “We want our clients to be able to find respite in the gym while they are going through tough times or coming to terms with past traumas.” If you are aware and observant of your client, both physically and psychologically, you can respond to what you observe, and make accommodations to facilitate success and enjoyment.

3. Be Flexible

Using awareness and your observations of your client, make accommodations in your programming and during your sessions together.

As Khoudari recommends, “Pay attention to what your client’s body is saying and not just what they are saying with their words. This is a technique called ‘tracking.’ Many clients will check out of their bodies (sometimes by pushing themselves very hard) as a way to not experience the pain or discomfort of certain emotions or physical sensations. This phenomenon is called dissociation. We can dissociate from a part of our body, or our body completely.”

“If a client keeps insisting that a movement or intensity is OK with their words, but their form is falling apart or they are more foggy-brained in between sets than usual, change gears, dial it back, and find a different movement. Your client may be moving from a state of progressive overload to just overloaded,” says Khoudari.

As a coach, you already have fine-tuned tracking skills! Use these to stay in touch with your client’s experience of their workout, and adjust as needed.

Some Additional Things to Keep in Mind

Remember to use these recommendations and techniques into your scope of practice, as a coach. You do not need to take on the role of counselor or doctor. You do not need to ask personal questions about your clients’ harassment, abuse, or assault history. You do not need to “tiptoe” around your clients.

All of your clients have had negative experiences that impact they way they think, behave, and make choices. Whether those include a traumatic event, an embarrassing incident, or something in between, they influence their current experience. When you coach with respect, notice circumstances or exercises that cause discomfort or anxiety, or just plain ask for permission to touch your client, you increase the chances that they feel safe.

You never want your clients to be anxious in session, preoccupied with what others in the gym are thinking or saying about them, or preoccupied with the environment. If they’ve had negative experiences that remind them of the gym setting, the other people at the gym, or coaching, they may feel vulnerable, awkward, or even powerless.

You want the gym to be a strengthening, empowering, positive force in your clients’ lives, and you can facilitate those outcomes by practicing professionalism, awareness of your client, the gym environment, and the interaction between the two, and flexibility with programming, intensity of training, and goals.

By simply reading this article, you are becoming a more trauma-informed, psychologically minded coach! Please continue reading, thinking about, and practicing these skills.

Additional Resources

• Trauma and Recovery, by Judith Herman (Basic Books, NY, 1992).
• American Psychological Association
• LauraKhoudari.com
• Harassment on the Street and at the Gym
• Speak Up: Identifying Rape Culture in Everyday Conversation
• Sexual Harassment in Life and in the Fitness Industry

References

1. American Psychological Association, Psychology Topics, Trauma. http://www.apa.org/topics/trauma/index.aspx
2. Tjaden P, Thoennes N, U.S. Department for Justice, Prevalence, incidence, and consequences of violence against women: Findings from the National Violence Against Women Survey, National Institute of Justice, 1998. https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles/172837.pdf
3. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Women, Trauma and PTSD. https://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/PTSD-overview/women/women-trauma-and-ptsd.asp
4. Planty M, Langton L, Krebs C, Berzofsky M, Smiley-McDonald H, U.S. Department of Justice, Female victims of sexual violence, Bureau of Justice Statistics. https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/fvsv9410.pdf
5. American Psychological Association, Advocacy, Interpersonal Violence, Facts about Women and Trauma. http://www.apa.org/advocacy/interpersonal-violence/women-trauma.aspx
6. Stop Street Harassment, The Facts Behind the #MeToo Movement: A National Study on Sexual Harassment and Assault, 2018. http://www.stopstreetharassment.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Full-Report-2018-National-Study-on-Sexual-Harassment-and-Assault.pdf
7. Dale LP, Shaikh SK, Fasciano LC, Watorek VD, Heilman KJ, Porges SW, College females with maltreatment histories have atypical autonomic regulation and poor psychological wellbeing, Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 2018. http://psycnet.apa.org/record/2017-52050-001

Want to support women? Check out this FREE Course.

Women are being sexually harassed and assaulted in and out of the gym — and we need your help!

Interested in helping? If so, we’ve created a FREE course just for you!

→ Get access now, and start whenever you’re ready:

Get Your First Lesson

The post Creating a Safe Training Environment for Clients Who Are Survivors appeared first on Girls Gone Strong.

Originally posted at: http://www.nerdfitness.com/

Everyone, at every fitness level, can use a kettlebell.

Yup, even you. And your mom. She’s cool.

When used properly, this funky piece of equipment can help you build muscle, burn fat, and feel like a badass.

Those are three great things in my book!

So you don’t have to be afraid of this cannonball with a handle. It’s not an actually explosive.

However, I can understand if you feel intimidated by a kettlebell. It’s awkward and if you don’t know how to use one, you’re just going to use it as a doorstop.

So fear not!

Team Nerd Fitness has designed a kettlebell workout specifically for beginners that you can do TODAY.

The routine will help build muscle and burn fat, two key components of any exercise program. We’ll also make sure you know how to handle a kettlebell safely and effectively. If you couple this with a solid nutrition plan (don’t worry, I got you covered here too), you’ll have a great strategy for many different fitness goals.

So let’s rap about the following:

• What kettlebell workout you should start with.
• Why kettlebells are great.
• Mistakes with the kettlebell we want to make sure you avoid.
• If you want to purchase one, what kettlebell you should get.

Let’s go! Once you watch the video below, feel free to download our Beginner Kettlebell Worksheet that you can print out and use when you do your next workout! You can get yours free when you sign up in the box below:

The 20 Minute Beginner Kettlebell Workout

Our Beginner Kettlebell Workout is what’s called a circuit (you can learn all about circuit training here)

That’s just a fancy term for doing a workout like so:

• 1 set of exercise A, go immediately to
• 1 set of exercise B, go immediately to
• 1 set of exercise C
• Repeat from the top!

Your long term goal should be to do 3 full circuits back to back for a complete workout. Four if you’re in Berserker mode. If you can only go through it once or twice, that’s A-OK.

And if you need to take a break at any time between sets or after a circuit, do it! You do you.

Prior to jumping into the kettlebell circuit, don’t forget to do some mobility warm up (you can see our warm-up routine here).

Nothing too crazy, just something to “grease the groove” and get your body used to movement so you don’t pull any muscles once you start swinging the kettlebell. In other words, preparing your muscles and joints to move some weight around! Five minutes of running in place, air punches and kicks, some jumping jacks and arm swings, should get your heart rate up and your muscles warmed.

Then you’re ready for the Beginner Kettlebell Workout!

Once you’ve watched the video, here’s a quick recap with repetitions for the workout here:

COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING CIRCUIT 3 TIMES:

• 8 Halos (each side)
• 10 Goblet Squats
• 8 Overhead Presses (each side)
• 15 Kettlebell Swings
• 8 Bent Over Rows (each side)
• 6 Front Rack Reverse Lunge (per side)

You can do all of the above with one single kettlebell, from anywhere. Some things to keep in mind during the routine.

• With your halos, remember to keep the movement smooth. You don’t want to accidentally slam your head with the bell.
• For the goblet squat, focus on depth. It’s more important to practice doing a full squat than to pump out reps. If you can’t make 10, don’t stress it. Do what you can.
• When doing the overhead press, get tight. Tightening your muscles will engage your core, offering a fuller body workout.
• During the kettlebell swing, focus on hinging your hips. The swing is like a deadlift movement, so you should feel it in your hamstring and glutes.
• Try to keep your back straight and stomach tight during the row. This will help engage your legs for stabilization as you pull the kettlebell towards your stomach.
• For the lunges, again keep your back straight. By keeping your shoulders back, you’ll get a fuller body workout when you come in and out of your lunge.

When you’re done, do some light stretching to cool down. A couple yoga poses would suffice. Make sure you drink water too.

Feel free to go through this routine at least once a week, and up to 2-3 times a week, with a day off between. Remember, you don’t build muscle when you’re exercising, you build muscle when you’re resting. Your muscles are broken down when you strength train, and then they rebuild themselves stronger over the following days of recovery! If you just can’t sit still, feel free to do some fun exercises, go for a walk, or do one of the following.

If you read all of the above and you’re intimidated or overwhelmed, I totally get it.

I personally know how scary it can be to embark on a strength training program, especially when you don’t know if you’re doing it correctly. My first time lifting weights was a nightmare.

The results are worth it though, I promise.

Want help on this journey? We got you! We have an online coaching program if you still feel apprehensive about lifting weights, or worried about your proper form on these movements. Matt S from the video above is part of the Nerd Fitness Team that offers private 1-on-1 coaching to help you get in shape. Whatever your goals are, we will build a program that’s specific to your hectic life!

If you want to learn more, click on the big button below to schedule a free call with our team to learn more and see if we’re a good fit for each other!

In case you’re still on the fence about grabbing a kettlebell, let’s dig into them a little bit more ^[1].

Which Kettlebell Should I Buy? What are the best Kettlebell Brands?

So you want to buy a kettlebell, eh?

They come in all sorts of materials, in all sorts of shapes, and in all sorts of sizes. Which one you pick will come down to personal preference, your budget, and your experience with kettlebells.

Let’s contemplate the following:

• Standard vs.Competition. A standard traditional kettlebell will be cast iron, and as the weight goes up, the dimensions go up. For example, a 16kg (35 lb.) bell will be larger than a 6kg (15lb) bell. This isn’t true for competitive kettlebells. No matter their weight, competitive kettlebells will have the same dimensions for bell shape, base, and handle width. So the 16kg will look just like the 6kg. This can be helpful to make sure you are consistent with technique.
• Weight. In general, pick a weight that allows you to complete a workout with good form. When in doubt, start with a lighter weight, as you can always increase the weight/size later. If you’re forcing me to pick one for you, knowing NOTHING about you, I’d say consider purchasing a 16kg if you’re a male or 8kg if you’re a female. Now, this isn’t an exact science, and we are all unique snowflakes. If you think you’re stronger than average, go heavier. Not quite there? Go lighter.
• Ballistic vs. Grind. You’ll often hear the terms ballistic and grinding in kettlebell workout discussions, for fast and slow movements respectively. Ballistic movements would be quick, like the kettlebell swing. Grinding movements would be slow, like the overhead press. For ballistic movements, you might actually want a heavier kettlebell, to help with momentum. For grinding movements, less weight might be in order to help with control. For now, if you are just starting out, go ahead and stick to one kettlebell. Branch out as you advance in experience.
• Handle. This is where quality comes into play. You’ll be doing many, many repetitions with your kettlebell. If the handle has rough edges, you’ll feel each and everyone of the movements scrap into your hand. Ouch. Not fun. Quality matters when it comes to handles. So we’ll chat about ideal brands in a moment. I’ll end our discussion on handles by saying they are generally standardized at 35mm for thickness. Use this as your baseline for differences when comparing bell grips.

Okay, let’s talk about brands:

• Cap Barbell. This would be an ideal first kettlebell. Not too expensive and decent quality, Cap Barbell kettlebells can be found on Amazon or at any Walmart. The Cap Barbell is the most highly reviewed and reasonably priced kettlebell we have encountered. Do you have any experience with one? Let us know in the comments if you like it!
• Kettlebell Kings. You see Kettlebell Kings ranked as some of the best bells out there. Not a bad price for the quality. Plus, they offer free shipping in the US, which is nice since you’re essentially mailing a cannonball.
• Dragon Door. Some call Dragon Door the gold standard of anything and everything “kettlebell.” I wouldn’t disagree, but expect to pay for it.
• Onnit. Onnit rocks, and they offer good quality bells that are quite popular. And… they sell a Darth Vader one. I know, I should have started with that.

OUR ADVICE: Before you go buy an expensive kettlebell, check your gym! I bet it has kettlebells, and you can try out different brands/sizes/weights/styles to see which one you like the best.

Afraid of going to the gym? I got you.

Don’t care about buying your bell new? Check out Craigslist or a used sporting goods store like Play it Again Sports for a previously owned kettlebell from a person who no longer needs it. A used kettlebell is still a kettlebell.

Crafty? Build your own! Here’s a video on how to make a kettlebell:

If you make your own kettlebell (be careful – you don’t want it breaking mid swing!), please email me. I would be so pumped!

How to Lose Weight with A Kettlebell Workout Program

If you’re trying to get fit, a kettlebell and the workout routine above would be a great part of the plan!

The other part of the plan should be your nutrition.

As we lay out in our Coaching Program and our online Nerd Fitness Academy, we believe that proper nutrition is 80-90% of the equation for weight loss.

No joke. It’s by far the biggest factor for success.

So will you lose weight training with kettlebells? Maybe. If you fix your diet AND begin to incorporate our kettlebell routine a few times per week, you’ll will find yourself building muscle, losing fat, and getting stronger!

So how do you fix your diet?

Great question.

Whether you choose to follow a Keto Diet, Paleo Diet, Mediterranean Diet, or something like Intermittent Fasting, the best path will be up to your goals, your situation, and your habits.

Here are some basic tips though (as we cover in our Beginner’s Guide to Healthy Eating):

• If your goal is weight loss, you have to eat less than you burn each day. This can be through eating less and burning more (from the kettlebell workout above)
• Processed foods and junk food makes it really tough to lose weight: They have lots of calories and carbs, low nutritional value, don’t fill you up, and cause you to overeat.
• Vegetables are your friend. If you don’t like veggies, here’s our advice on how to fix that.
• Liquid calories are making you fat. Soda, juice, sports drinks: they’re all pretty much high calorie sugar water with minimal nutritional value. Get your caffeine from black coffee or tea, fizzy-drink fix from sparking water.
• Not losing weight? Track your calories and work on consuming slightly less each day.
• Eat more protein! Protein helps rebuild muscle, and can help you stay under your calorie limit because it’s satiating and filling.

If you’re not quite sure how to eat correctly, we created a created a free 10-level nutrition blueprint that helps you build better food habits. You can download yours free by clicking in the box below:

Do Your First Kettlebell Workout TODAY

Like most things in life, the important aspect of any exercise regimen is starting it.

No matter what strength training program you choose, start TODAY. You don’t need to get strong before you can play with a kettlebell. You can play with a kettlebell to get stronger!

Here’s that Beginner Kettlebell Workout one more time to recap:

• 8 Halos (each side)
• 10 Goblet Squats
• 8 Overhead Presses (each side)
• 15 Kettlebell Swings
• 8 Bent Over Rows (each side)
• 6 Front Rack Reverse Lunge (per side)

I’d love for you to start with your new strength training today, and let us know how things go with your kettlebell!

If you want help through any part of the fitness spectrum, I’ll remind you of the Nerd Fitness 1-on-1 Online Coaching program. Our coaches can work with you to pick up a kettlebell for the first time or to learn more advance moves.

Whether you are brand new to your fitness journey, or ready to take it to the next level, we have your back!

If you want to go another route, like strictly bodyweight workouts, that’s great too. It’ll help a lot. Just start moving!

-Steve

PS. Don’t forget to download our Beginner Kettlebell Worksheet – and let us know what you think of it!

*All photo sources can be found in this footnote right here^[2]

http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain

Perhaps you’ve heard us wax poetic about Costco’s private-label brand, Kirkland Signature, before? Perhaps you’ve also waxed poetic about how much you love it? The private-label brand includes all sorts of things like plastic wrap, applesauce pouches, vodka, and much more. And the stuff is always just as good as the name-brand stuff — if not better!

People have all sorts of questions around the brand. (Is it really made by the comparable big-name companies and just repackaged? How is it so inexpensive?) We had one burning question that was recently answered by Kirkland Reporter: Why is it called Kirkland Signature? Why not, say, Costco Signature?

READ MORE »

http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain

On those nights I really don’t feel like cooking, it feels so easy to resort ultra-quick and comforting fallbacks, like bowl of cereal, a PB&J, or some quick buttered noodles. But I don’t. Because while it feels great in the moment to rustle up those options with next to no effort, it’s pretty much guaranteed that I’ll be hungry again in a couple of hours.

Instead I’ve learned to keep a short yet reliable roster of high-protein dinners that are sure to fill me up, and come together with minimal effort, ingredients, and time on the clock.

READ MORE »

http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain

“No MSG added!” reads almost every package of quick ramen in grocery aisles in the United States. The trepidation associated with the chemical called MSG, or monosodium glutamate, is ingrained in Americans’ consciousness — a fear that the flavor enhancer is the cause of health issues like headaches (maybe), breathing issues (only, maybe, in those allergic to it), obesity in giant doses (in rats). The truth is that scientific studies (even those I just mentioned) haven’t yielded conclusive findings that suggests MSG is bad for you. So, why are we still scared of it?

In an article recently published in US News & World Report, reporter Toby Amidor claims that scientists have known for decades that MSG is safe to consume. Turns out, MSG has likely been misunderstood by Americans and it’s probably not actually a flavor danger.

Read more: Scientists Have Known MSG Is Safe for Decades. Why Don’t Most Americans? from US News & World Report

READ MORE »