http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain

One of my favorite aisles to browse at Costco is in, you guessed it, the wine section. I’m a value-oriented wine shopper (please don’t call me cheap), so I tend to skip right past the fancy-looking wooden crates of wine priced at more than $20 and head to the shelves, which are typically loaded with more affordable wines. I get a thrill when I see my mother-in-law’s favorite pinot grigio on sale before she’s coming for a visit, or when the malbec we like pops up right before we have guests coming for dinner.

Curious about how they keep the prices so good — and where I might find the best value — I did some digging. While Costco was not able to comment on the specifics of how they source and price their wine, I was assured that their offerings are “carefully chosen by [their] team of expert buyers who work with respected winemakers and wineries around the globe to offer Costco members very good wine from the best wine regions in the world at exceptionally good prices.”

Here are seven things I learned about Costco’s wine. Did you know these things?

READ MORE »

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

“This is super embarrassing, but I really struggle with it. What do I do to get rid of my man boobs?”

I know. awkward phrase. But that’s not gonna get us to shy away from the topic here on Nerd Fitness.

A form of this question comes in daily: “How do I get rid ‘X’ fat on ‘Y’ area.”

Things like: “What can I do about this belly fat?” or “Is it possible to ditch these love handles?”

And also, “man boobs” or “moobs.”

I get it – we’re already self conscious beings to begin with. Throw in something about ourselves that make us feel less confident, probably some some (or a lot of) teasing in our past, and it’s how we end up wearing t-shirts in the pool and not taking our shirts off at the beach.

This sucks.

Today, we’re gonna dig into the truth, science, and treatment of man boobs – do you have a true medical condition (called gynecomastia), or is it just extra body fat in an inopportune spot?

Today, we’ll discuss:

• What causes man boobs?
• Can I target specific areas for fat loss?
• What to do in general to lose body fat?
• Can I fix my man boobs with diet and exercise?
• When are “moobs” a medical condition?
• Should I consider surgery or a medical procedure?

First up…

A note on inclusivity and body acceptance

There’s one thing I want to address before we dive in.

My goal with Nerd Fitness has always been to make it an inclusive place where people can share their challenges without fear or judgement. I understand this is already a controversial topic to begin with, and a not-great-but-definitely-used term to describe something that brings guys a lot of shame.

So a few points:

• If you identify as female, this topic may not be applicable to your situation. However, some of the questions we’ll talk about today like “can I target this area for fat loss” can be universally applied. So stick around, you’ll still learn a thing or two. Or maybe consider this post on targeting belly fat.
• I know many of our male readers have probably been picked on for holding fat in the chest area, whether a medical condition or not. Perhaps in grade school by a bully four decades ago, or by a friend yesterday at the beach. Either way, that’s terrible. If this is you, I am very sorry. People suck. All of us at Team NF want to promote positive body images. We strive to be healthy, but we know healthy will look different to everybody. While we don’t want to justify obesity, we also don’t want to promote fat shaming. We’ll try to walk that line with this post.
• There’s nothing wrong with both accepting who you are AND wanting to improve your physique. It doesn’t make you vain or shallow. It makes you human. I started training because I wanted to build muscle and get stronger and feel better with my shirt off. And that led me to eventually start Nerd Fitness.
• Even calling the male chest “man boobs” or “moobs” is controversial. But it’s the language that’s used in inquiries to us. So I’m putting all these terms in quotes. And we’re just gonna roll with it.
• If you’re still offended, no worries – I’m trying to come at this from the right place and above all else trying to help people.

Ok! Here’s a GIF of a puppy to help ease the tension:

Back to our regularly scheduled article.

What are “Man Boobs”?

Let’s chat about some medical definitions, because it’ll help us put “man boobs” in some proper context.

• Gynecomastia is defined as the benign growth of the male breast glandular tissue. The National Institute of Health states it’s usually caused by “increased estrogen activity, decreased testosterone activity, or the use of numerous medications.^[1]”
• Pseudogynecomastia is when male breasts are enlarged by fat deposits, due to an increase in body fat which distributes itself on one’s body according to genetics.

Most men who struggle with “man boobs” or “moobs” are in this second category, and the “pseudo” means they don’t really have the condition “gynecomastia.”

There is no hormonal imbalance.

Instead, the body is just storing extra fat in the chest area.

I’ll mostly be talking about shedding body fat and building muscle to lose “moobs,” but I will also talk about gynecomastia and medical conditions later.

Next up!

Can you get rid of Man Boobs?

Why do some men store fat in their chest?

That’s actually a really complicated question. A lot of it has to do with genetics and body types.

Generally, “body types” can be thought of as the following:

• Ectomorph: Characterized as having long, slim, and thin muscles and low fat storage. Difficult to gain any weight.
• Mesomorph: Sometimes called the “lucky ones.” They have medium bones, solid torso, low fat levels, wide shoulders and a narrow waist. Can build muscle easily.
• Endomorph: Endomorph are predisposed to storing fat, and thus play the game of weight loss on Legendary difficulty. Can gain fat easily.

There’s also xenomorphs, which have acid for blood.

Granted, the three non-alien body types above constitute a gross oversimplification of human beings. People are very complex. Additionally, the difference between the three is real, but not the end-all-be-all to your physique.

I bring this up to point out that dudes process and store calories differently.

And storing calories is a critical concept for our discussion on “man boobs.”  

If you eat more calories than you burn, day after day, month after month, year after year, your body has to do something with that extra energy.

If you’re sedentary, more often than not, the body chooses to store that energy as fat.

Depending on your genetics, your body might choose to store that fat in your butt, gut, thighs, or chest. Probably a combination of all those things.

To summarize the main argument of our article on “body types,” while our genes will always affect what we can and cannot be in life, we can also train and work to overcome our “type.”

For example, I’m a “ectomorph” but have worked hard over the past decade to make Captain America proud. We are not our genetics, and we can overcome certain aspects of our biology.

Just because you are an “endomorph” (gain fat easily) doesn’t mean you are destined to be overweight and you’ll never get rid of your man boobs.

It simply means you’ll need to have a natural, two pronged approach to tackling the “moobs” problem: exercise and nutrition.

Speaking of exercise…

Can exercises target chest fat?

No exercise can specifically target an area of your body for fat loss.

I’ve written about this before.

Fat and muscle are two different ‘systems’ in your body.

Fat sits on top of muscle, like oil on water. When you target a specific area for weight loss, like with a Thighmaster, all you are really doing is exercising the muscle underneath the fat on your thighs.

And don’t get me wrong – this is GREAT (the muscle, not the Thighmaster).

More muscle is a good thing. And yup, any exercise will result in calories burned – which is crucial when it comes to fat loss.

However, we need to think of the other system as well: the fat resting on top.

So, the path to get rid of “man boobs” centers on three points:

• Eating a caloric deficit (consuming fewer calories than you burn) so that your body has to break down your fat stores (including the fat stored in your chest) for energy.
• Strength train so your calories are diverted to rebuilding muscle rather than getting stored as fat.
• Strength train to build up the muscle under the fat. Muscular pecs with a low body fat percentage look dramatically different than man boobs.

Here’s why: strength training preserves the muscles you have (and can help build pectoral muscles).

Your body also has to rebuild the muscle that breaks down while you exercise, so it uses any extra calories you have to do that rather than store it as fat!

Think of it kind of like the Sorting Hat from Harry Potter (come on, this is Nerd Fitness after all). When you strength train, essentially your body will act like the Sorting Hat and divert calories coming in to sit at the cool kids table (“Rebuild muscle!”) and not the “Store as fat” table.

With our strategy, you are decreasing the body fat on top of your muscle, while also building up that same muscle underneath.

This results in tighter skin, with less padding (fat), stretched over firmer muscles. And boom – confidence boosting pecs that would make King Leonidas proud!

Said another way, we’ll be coming at “man boobs” from the outside and inside.

Strength training for the win

If you are currently sedentary, the best form of exercise to help build a confidence-boosting physique would be strength training.

In our opinion, a strong guy is a healthy guy.

We’ll get you started.

We can build up our pectoral muscles: your chest muscles under your “man boobs.” Same with broadening your shoulders. We can also improve our posture to make sure we stand tall and proud, pulling our shoulder blades back.

In order to accomplish each of these goals, we’re gonna focus on building up strength in our PUSH muscles. And our first stop will be push-ups, a basic but important exercise to start developing upper body strength.

We can show you the correct way do one right here:

I don’t care if you need to do them from your knees or doing an elevated push-up (as we point out in the video). We all start somewhere, and the name of the game is progressive overload – getting stronger with each workout!

Let’s consider the following Advanced Chest Exercises:

• Bench press (barbell or dumbbell). If one piece of equipment is visually associated with a fitness gym, it would be a bench press. If you’ve never done a bench press before, check out our guide on using one safely right here. Afraid you don’t have a spotter? Check out this video:

• Incline bench press. You can also work on an incline bench press to develop a more rounded-pectoral muscle that targets your upper chest. Or use an exercise band like so:

• Overhead presses. Not only can your pectoral muscles help push forward, they also get worked out when you do an overhead press. Varying chest exercises is a good way to help with definition. Here’s a dumbbell variation if you can’t train with a barbell yet:

• Dips. Don’t overlook the importance of also pushing down, with dips! Again, this will help promote chest definition. Scope out a step-by-step here:

• Gymnastic rings. It’s no secret I’m a fan of gymnastic rings. It’s hard to keep secrets when you write about them in a blog. I personally know of no better way to build upper body strength and muscle than with a pair of gymnastic rings.

Again, start with push ups. Start doing them today. If you can’t do a regular push-up, a knee push-up is totally fine. Just do them.

After you get cozy with push-ups, move onto the above Advanced moves. I asked the male members of our Nerd Fitness Academy about man boobs, and many have reported improving their appearance with these pectoral exercises. They can help.

Plus, strength training will make every other aspect of your life better. Carrying groceries, playing with children, and defending yourself against ninjas will all be much easier after strength training.

Now, I’d be remiss if I didn’t include some other exercises that can change your life:

Squats and deadlifts. These two basic barbell movements are the most ‘efficient’ exercises at building strength and burning fat. They recruit your central nervous system and every muscle, joint, tendon, and bone in your body to get stronger.

In fact, if you could only do 4 exercises for the rest of your life, I would say:

• Squats
• Deadlifts
• Push-ups
• Pull-ups

Show me somebody who is super strong at those four movements, and I’ll show you somebody who has a great physique.

Why pull-ups? In addition to recruiting a lot of muscle, they also will help you dramatically with your posture: pulling your shoulder blades back and standing tall can help stretch your skin on your front side, improving your profile when addressing the challenges with man boobs.

Too long didn’t read: get strong, and your life will get better. Build muscle in the right places, and it can help you reduce “man boob” problems.

Now, if you’re all “Steve this sounds awesome. I want to strength train, but damn man. I’m already self-conscious enough about my man boobs…how the hell do I get enough confidence to go into a gym when I don’t know what I’m doing!”

Great question.

If you want expert guidance, form checks, and a custom build workout (and nutritional guidance) to help you transform your physique, we have a private, 1-on-1 coaching program that spurs nerds into action.

If you want guidance from a trained professional, schedule a free call with our team by clicking on the image below and see if we’re a good fit for each other!

Okay, we talked about exercise.

And I mentioned “nutrition” as a MAJOR component when it comes to weight and fat loss.

So I’m gonna dive deep into this.

Why the focus?

80-90% of “how to get rid of man boobs” will rest on how you answer the question: “what do you normally eat?”

The science of fat loss

Why is diet so important for weight loss?

Consider what you have to do to lose body fat: you need to expend more calories than your body consumes, consistently.

To gain weight, do the opposite, and eat more than you expend, consistently.

Let’s put some numbers to this: 3,500 calories equals roughly one pound of fat. There’s seven days in a week. If you want to lose one pound of body fat in a week (a worthy, sustainable goal), you need to create a caloric deficit of 500 calories a day: either through consuming 500 less calories, burning 500 more calories, or a combination of the two.

Remember this: a 500 calorie deficit daily to lose a pound a week.

What do 500 calories look like?

• The number of calories found in a Big Gulp of Mountain Dew.
• An estimate of the calories required to run five miles.

Hopefully those two dots above made your head explode.

“Steve, you’re saying that in order for me to counteract just sipping on a Mountain Dew while owning noobs in Fortnite, I’d need to run 5 miles? I haven’t run a mile since gym class. And that was 15 years ago.”

Yup.

Nutrition is 90% of the equation when it comes to weight loss.

NINETY. PERCENT.

Okay I don’t actually know the exact percentage, but 90% is dramatic enough I hope to get you to realize that changing your nutrition is the most important thing you can do to reduce “man boobs.”

Sure, exercise is important. However, when it comes to creating a caloric deficit, it’s much easier to decrease calories consumed vs. increase “calories burned.”

Put a different way: would you rather pour out that Mountain Dew, or run five miles?

This is why Rule #4 of the Rebellion states “We understand that you can’t outrun your fork.”

Let’s tie together our discussion on “man boobs” with our philosophy on fitness: you’re eating too much, and your body is choosing to store these calories wherever it sees fit.

Unfortunately in your situation, it’s choosing to store them in your chest area.

You can’t change the past. But you can change your future.

Which is why we’re gonna reverse the trend: eat a caloric deficit, consistently and permanently. Over time, your body will respond by burning fat from certain areas, in a certain order (again, this is out of your control). As your body fat percentage drops far enough, it should start to remove the body fat from your pectoral area.

While exercise is important, for consistently creating a caloric deficit, we need to scrutinize total calories coming in.

One way to do this is to count every single calorie consumed. Every meal and morsel is recorded, no matter what. While this is indeed effective (track the problem to crack the problem), it’s also tedious, and unlikely to be consistently followed in the long run.

I know this is easier said than done. But it’s time to take a proactive approach to your nutrition. You’re reading this article because man boobs are a real problem for you – educate yourself on what you’re eating and work on cutting back on the calories!

I recommend everyone try tracking their food for at least a week: it can be a food journal, a calorie counting app like MyFitnessPal, etc. It’ll teach you a lot about the food you eat, and yourself.

TOUGH LOVE ALERT: I can almost guarantee that your man boobs are not a result of a slow metabolism. It’s due to the fact that you have been consistently overeating, day in, and day out, for years. 

Once you’re done being mad at me and defensive about this, you’ll realize this is great news!

Why? Because it’s fixable. You are not broken. You simply need to start changing how you deal with food.

To do that, we’re going to focus on sustainable changes. After all, temporary changes create temporary results. And we want to get rid of man boobs permanently.

So instead of eating less of the current food that got you here, let’s explore switching up the food you eat all together.

What should I be eating to lose “moobs”

The Nerd Fitness philosophy on diet can be written in three words: Eat REAL food.

I lay it all out in our Beginner’s Guide to Healthy Eating, but come on. Don’t act like you don’t know what “REAL food” is.

Food that grew in the ground, on a tree, ran on the land, swam in the sea or flew through the air.  Meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts are all great examples of REAL food.

This is what you should be eating. If you stick to REAL food, you’ll likely create a caloric deficit naturally.

Why?

The fine folks at WiseGEEK did an awesome post where they took pictures of what 200 calories of a certain food looks like.

200 calories of broccoli gets you enough broccoli to fill up an entire plate:

Or half a snickers bar:

Yeah…

If you want to create caloric deficit consistently, REAL food is the answer. Before you get all huffy, I know a Snickers bar is way more delicious than broccoli – it was designed in a lab by scientists to be AMAZING!

And I’m not gonna tell you to never eat a Snickers ever again either. Instead, you need to start being proactive about your food choices. If you’re gonna eat a Snickers, you better damn well be planning for that by reducing your calorie intake elsewhere.

And if the scale isn’t budging, and your man boobs aren’t getting smaller – you’re still eating too much!

Should you do the Mediterranean diet? Keto? Vegan? Paleo? Maybe. They all follow the same premise: by changing the foods you eat, you’re more likely than not to eat a caloric deficit without struggle. Certain people respond better to certain diets than others.

I personally follow a mental model diet, summarized here:

• Stay clear of processed food – they’re designed for you to overeat them. Take a look again at that Snickers bar. Do you really think you’d only eat half of one to stick to 200 calories? Of course not. This argument is more or less the rationale for following a paleo diet.
• Eat veggies. Vegetables are nutrient dense and light on calories. Because of all the fiber, they are also tough to overeat. Imagine eating all that broccoli. Are you going for seconds? Probably not. So eat your veggies to help keep you full. Hate vegetables? I once was like you. Read how I turned it around here.
• Avoid liquid calories. Cut back dramatically on soda, juices, smoothies, and any beverage with calories. Even most coffee orders (with sugar, cream, etc.) have a ton of hidden calories. All these drinks are sugar bombs, since there is no fiber to balance out all the carbs you are consuming. Stick to water, and unsweetened tea or coffee. Here are our thoughts on diet soda.
• Prioritize protein. When your body heals itself, like after exercise, your body uses protein as the building block of muscle rebuilding. Outside of repairing your body, protein will also work to keep you full and satiated: 400 calories of chicken will leave you wayyy more full than 400 calories worth of Gatorade^[2]. If you prioritize protein on your plate, you’ll be doing a lot of the heavy lifting on proper nutrition. Some great sources of protein include chicken, eggs, beef, pork, fish, nuts, legumes, quinoa, and most dairy products.

These four points will help you on your journey to create a caloric deficit.

Disclaimer: this is all easier said than done. After all, 70% of the country is overweight. Don’t worry though, because most of them don’t read Nerd Fitness. You do. This is like a strategy guide for life.

If you’re struggling with portion control and challenges, jump fully into the NF community. We cover human behavior and psychology to help you improve your environment, fix your habit building, and how to surround yourself with people that make you better (including our free message board community)

We’ve helped thousands of people like you here at NF, and we really focus on nutrition.

Like we said, it’s 90% of the battle!

It’s why we created our 10-level nutritional system. Each level gets a bit more challenging and healthier, but you can progress at your own speed to make your changes stick!

The name of the game here at Nerd Fitness is “consistency.” That’s how you target your whole body for fat loss, chest included.

You can download our 10-Level Nutrition Guide when you sign up in the box right here:

Does soy cause man boobs?

You don’t have to search far on the internet for the advice “avoid soy because it causes man boobs.” It’s repeated so much, it’s assumed to be fact.

Is it?

The definition of gynecomastia (medical condition of man boobs) mentions “increased estrogen activity” as a major cause. So when people say stay clear of soy, they’re worried of its impact on hormones like testosterone and estrogen.

Why the concern?

It comes down to a compound found in soy called “isoflavones.” Isoflavones are a type of phytoestrogen, which act a little like estrogen, the central female hormone.

“Phyto” is derived from Greek and means “plant.” “Estrogen” is estrogen. So phytoestrogen more or less means plant derived estrogen.

The fear of isoflavone rests with our bodies using this plant like estrogen as actual estrogen. A report from Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology found that this is potentially possible^[3].

I should now note, we are about to wade into a controversial subject.

We’ll be careful, and rely on good old fashioned science and studies for guidance. However, sometimes science can point us in a couple different and contradictory directions. When this happens, it’s important to acknowledge the uncertainty.

Compounds in soy may act like estrogen in the body. Does this apply to men though? And do they cause “man boobs?”

A 2005 study out of the The Journal of Nutrition did find a relationship between soy intake and hormone levels in men^[4]. However, they concluded these to be “minor.”

In 2010, Fertility and Sterility tackled the question on whether soy had “feminizing effects on men.” They found it didn’t^[5]. Their report stated that “neither isoflavone supplements nor isoflavone-rich soy affect total or free testosterone levels.” The journal concluded that “there is essentially no evidence from the nine identified clinical studies that isoflavone exposure affects circulating estrogen levels in men.”

Case closed?

Probably, but I’d be remiss not to mention the following:

There is one documented case published in Endocrine Practice, where a man may have given himself gynecomastia by drinking three quarts of soy milk a day^[6]. His gynecomastia went away when he stopped. Granted, this is anecdotal evidence, which is far from proof. However, it is interesting and worth noting to round out this discussion. And as mentioned earlier, the ability for phytoestrogen to act as actual estrogen does seem possible…

“Steve, Just tell me: Should I ditch soy to ditch my man boobs?”

Well, as with anything, quantity and context matters. Virginia Miller, an estrogen researcher at the Mayo Clinic, told a Vice journalist “the amount of phytoestrogens in various soy products varies by process method^[7].” Dr. Miller didn’t think it was too problematic to eat soy, specifically mentioning that “eating tofu is probably OK.” Interestingly, Miller suggested that BPA found in plastic is more harmful to our endocrine (hormone) system than eating or drinking soy^[8].

Confusing stuff.

In general, the consensus seems to be that as long as you don’t binge soy products (three cartons of milk), the amount of phytoestrogens found in a normal diet is fine.

If you have the actual condition of gynecomastia, soy is unlikely to be the root cause.

As more and more research is being done on this subject, this answer could change. My opinion: this is a tiny piece of the puzzle, not the whole picture.

If you are overeating terrible food every day, worrying about the soy you consume is missing the forest for the trees. That’d be like…putting on a long sleeve shirt instead of a t-shirt for added protection, before driving 50 miles an hour into a brick wall. Instead, maybe focus on wearing a seat belt, or better yet – not driving into the wall in the first place!

I swear that analogy made sense in my head before I typed it out.

Anyways – back to real specifics. Here is the Nerd Fitness philosophy on soy: focus on total calories consumed and get that dialed in for consistently caloric deficit.

Only THEN, as your body fat starts to decrease, and you’re analyzing how your body responds to any and ALL types of food, see how your body responds to removing soy from your diet.

Do I actually have gynecomastia?

The only way to really know if you have gynecomastia is to go to a doctor.

They’ll be able to tell you (often with an ultrasound) if it’s a glandular breast enlargement or just fatty tissue.

They might also do some blood tests to check testosterone levels and female sex hormones like estrogen.

If you have an imbalance, gynecomastia could be a side effect. They’ll know for sure and can prescribe a treatment.

It should be noted: obesity itself is tied to increasing the development of real gynecomastia.

Excessive fat stimulates the body’s production of estrogen, spurring the growth of actual breast tissue^[9].

Said another way, pseudogynecomastia can turn into actual gynecomastia.

If you are diagnosed with gynecomastia, it’ll be between you and your doctor as to next steps. I’ve seen men take one of three paths, as I’ve read anecdotes from our private men’s support community for our NF Academy:

• Men who had elective surgery (liposuction in some instances and skin tucks) to remove the fat due to gynecomastia. They are thankful for no longer being self-conscious about their chest areas. This is not an option for everybody for various reasons.
• Others have worked hard to reduce their man boob size through exercise and nutrition.
• Some have elected to not treat gynecomastia, or are working to reduce the fat around their pecs through diet and exercise before deciding what to do next.

If you’re concerned with “man boobs,” weight management is the path of action we’d recommend, whether you’re facing either gynecomastia or pseudogynecomastia. 

Reducing your body fat percentage can help keep your hormones in balance.

In addition, we’d recommend treating the root cause (poor nutrition and overconsumption of calories) instead of only treating the symptom (get rid of man boobs through liposuction).

Your unique situation is just that: unique. I know many men who have treated pseudogynecomastia with diet and exercise, and I know others who are VERY thankful they had surgery to treat the symptom and are much happier as a result.

No judgment here. You do you, brother.

At this point, I bet you have an additional question: “Can hormone balance be affected in the opposite direction? By increasing testosterone?”

Is there a way to boost my testosterone naturally?

If you do suspect you have a hormonal imbalance, speak with your doctor. They can run tests and tell you exactly what is going on, why, and how to treat it.

I will not be digging into medically supervised testosterone therapy (which is above my pay grade, and between you and your doctor), here’s our guidance on naturally boosting your testosterone levels:

• Strength training. I know. A few sections ago I devoted an entire area to strength training. However, if you are looking for a natural way to boost testosterone, strength training would be a good way to go about it. One 2017 study found, that although temporary, testosterone levels were shown to “acutely rise immediately following an acute resistance exercise bout^[10].” Because of the short term increase, consistency is key with resistance training and testosterone levels. Which is likely why “regular exercise” has been linked with increased testosterone overall^[11].
• Stress. Cortisol is a hormone that is promoted by stress and reduces free testosterone levels (in addition to signaling for your body to store fat)^[12]. The more stressed out you are, the lower your testosterone will be. What’s a cure? Being mindful. Meditation practices have been shown to help control cortisol levels^[13]. Want to start a mindfulness practice? Scope out our Nerd’s Guide to Mindfulness to get going.
• Overtraining. There can be too much of a good thing. Studies have found that both professional basketball and soccer players drop their testosterone levels by the end of a season^[14]. Which makes sense. Tons of activity in a short amount of time, gives no time to repair and heal. The same phenomenon has been found in ultra-marathoners^[15]. Make sure you get plenty of sleep and schedule rest days.
• Eat red meat. Red meat is a great source of the amino acid carnitine, which has been linked to improved fertility^[16]. Plus, it’s a good source of zinc, which has also been shown to help regulate testosterone^[17].
• Your results may vary. My friend Brett over at Art of Manliness did a 90-day experiment in which he doubled his testosterone levels through diet and strength training.

To be honest with you, even if you don’t have low testosterone levels, you should strength train, be mindful, and prioritize rest.

And maybe even eat a little red meat.

And yes, I read that study that says red meat will kill you. I don’t agree with the fear mongering^[18].

Getting started

So you have pseudogynecomastia.

And you’re interested in trying to do this the old fashioned way before going down the route of surgery. This would be my recommended path to everybody, though remember I’m not a doctor and I would recommend working with your doctor to put a plan in place together.

OUR NON-DOCTOR ADVICE FOR A DUDE TRYING TO GET RID OF MAN BOOBS NATURALLY:

• Take front and side photos without a shirt on today. This will help give you a frame of reference as you move forward with your changes. I’m not a fan of ONLY using scales, because all sorts of things influence total weight (hydration, muscle vs. fat, etc.). Pictures will round out your story.
• Consider a tape measure and take weekly chest measurements too. Just be consistent with how you take the measurements and look for overall trends!
• Follow the above nutritional guidance and workout routine for the next month. Remember, I gave you four tips for healthy eating. If you requested our 10-Level Nutrition Guide, it’ll help make those suggestions permanent. Plus, I want you to start doing push-ups (on your knees is a great start). Do it immediately. It’ll help prep you for those Advanced Chest Exercises I talked to you about.
• If the scale is dropping, and your photos are showing “moob” improvement, keep it up! As I said earlier, consistency is the name of the game here at Nerd Fitness. Slow and steady beats fast and quitting every time.
• If you want to talk to a doctor to see if anything can or should be done about it, go for it! Medical advice is generally good advice. Bonus points if you find a doctor that strength trains and seeks to treat through nutrition and exercise first!

I do want to stress, that many members of our Academy have reported improving their “man boobs” through the strategies listed in this article. We also have a super supportive private men’s community where embarrassing questions or challenges are discussed and supported.

I’d love for you to join us in the Academy if you’re seeking a positive group of guys to help you on your journey.

We are dealt a certain hand from the genetic lottery: whether we gain muscle quickly or slowly, whether we lose our hair or not, and whether we store fat in our legs or in our chest.

We can get mad about it, or we can play the hand we are dealt.

Until somebody develops robot legs, I’m not growing any taller.

However, let’s not justify our internal excuses, or throw ourselves too big of a pity party.

What we do with our genetic fate, is completely up to us. And we have hundreds of thousands of people in the Nerd Fitness Rebellion who have overcome shitty genetics to transform themselves dramatically.

We come in all shapes and sizes: you do you.

The goal of this post is educational. To teach you how your body stores fat, and what can or cannot be done about it.

It’s more than okay to love yourself and also want to improve your physique.

Body positivity and wanting to look better are not mutually exclusive.

We’re all works in progress, and that’s great.

If you want to use this post to spur you to change, like cleaning up your diet or lifting some weights, awesome!

I’m glad Nerd Fitness can help lead you into action:

• Reduce your body fat percentage through nutritional changes (which includes eating a caloric deficit).
• Strength train to increase the amount of muscle you have, increase the “calories burned” portion of the weight loss equation, and increase your testosterone.
• Work with your doctor if you are reducing your body fat but not seeing any changes in your chest area – you might actually have a medical condition gynecomastia.

I know it’s easier said than done to say “f*** the haters,” but seriously, f*** the haters. Take your shirt off at the beach: you deserve to enjoy the sun and sea like everybody else.

We’re all a work in progress, and I hope this post helps you continue to work on yours!

-Steve

PS: If you are motivated into action, but terrified to get started (or you just want somebody to tell you exactly what to do), we can help! Schedule a free call with our team to learn more about our 1-on-1 Coaching Program will work with you to set up triggers and accountability so you can meet your fitness goal.

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All photo sources can be found in this footnote right here ^[19]

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/

Good morning, folks. My friend and frequent co-author, Brad Kearns, is stopping by the blog today with a follow-up post to his recent article here, How to Cure Plantar Fasciitis. You can catch Brad on the Primal Endurance podcast, his weekly keto show on the Primal Blueprint podcast, and on his new personal podcast venture called Get Over Yourself. If you haven’t checked it out, I’d recommend it. I stopped by a while back for a two-hour show Brad ended up calling “The Ultimate Mark Sisson Interview.” Thanks to Brad for sharing his experience with plantar fasciitis in today’s post and accompanying video. Enjoy!

Since you’ve worked so hard to heal your chronic pain by making longer, stronger, more supple muscles and connective tissue, let’s make sure you never again regress into plantar fasciitis hell! Today I’ll detail how to transition gradually and sensibly toward a more barefoot/minimalist lifestyle—and what types of shoes will interference the least in that process (when you have to wear them).

As you increase your barefoot competency, you’ll reduce the risk of chronic pain and injury to your feet and throughout your lower extremities. You’ll also improve your technique (in running and other sports) as well as your balance, explosiveness, speed, endurance, and kinesthetic awareness when doing all manner of physical activity. Yep, bare feet are functionally superior and more comfortable than shoes in most every way—except when you need the support and protection of shoes for specialized physical endeavors that could easily injure exposed feet.

Why and How To Transition To a Barefoot Lifestyle

While I don’t have concrete proof at my fingertips, I’m going to make the bold proclamation that Grok did not suffer from plantar fasciitis. Our ancestors walked, hiked, sprinted, and even ran long distances over assorted natural terrain for 2.5 million years using bare feet, or rudimentary sandals or moccasins. A shoe-dominant lifestyle came into play only as recently as the Industrial Revolution. The epidemic chronic foot pain and assorted conditions suffered by modern humans are strongly influenced by spending a lifetime in cushiony, constrictive footwear with an elevated heel. Modern footwear weakens your lower extremities, messes up the synchronistic functioning of your entire musculoskeletal system and central nervous system, compromises correct posture, and makes you vastly susceptible to injury, dysfunction, and chronic pain.

You may be aware of some backlash in the minimalist footwear movement in recent years, as naysayers caution about the increased risk of injury with bare feet or “flimsy” shoes. As misguided as these negative claims are, it’s reasonable to gracefully acknowledge the inherent injury risk of being foolish when transitioning to more barefoot experiences and to learn how to do it the right way. Accordingly, here are some tips for making a safe and comfortable transition:

1. Do the stretches and mobility exercises mentioned in the How To Cure Plantar Fasciitis regularly. Consider adding some barefoot strengthening exercises, such as those listed in my awesome eBook, Amazing Feets. (Check the end of this post for how to get yourself a copy.) If you just start by making aggressive circles with your feet while watching T.V., you are in business here.
2. Try to spend as much time as possible barefoot around the house (or in stocking feet if you need warmth)
3. For runners: complete your training sessions in your typical shoes, then jog on grass or other soft surface for a few minutes at the end of each run.
4. For workers on feet: If you have to wear orthotics to make it through your nursing shift, pair that with some barefoot time around the house after work.

Suggestions For Minimalist Footwear

Acquire a pair of minimalist shoes that you will integrate into daily life here and there. Here are some athletic shoe models, listed in order of progression from most support to most barefoot-like: Nike Free’s (flexible sole, but well-built on top), New Balance Minimus (minimal heel elevation, but well built on top), Merrell Trail Glove (fits your foot like a glove, with little or no heel elevation, but a full toe box and good support for trail running), Luna Sandals (inspired by our ancestors, and invented by the irrepressible Barefoot Ted McDonald), Vibram Five Fingers (the ultimate barefoot experience with the independent toe operation; today there are many similar brands).

Choose the lowest heel elevation option for your dress shoes, leisure shoes, and athletic shoes. For women who are accustomed to wearing heels, any reduction in heel height will make a difference, but ideally you’ll move to flats. Guys, this might mean choosing a different dress shoe that looks the same, but with less heel. Elevated heels promote shorter, weaker, Achilles tendons and calf muscles, unwinding all the hard work you did stretching and mobilizing.

Over time, strive to make progress. Start using minimalist shoes during strength training sessions at the gym. Progress through the footwear options to the least support. Reject the “shoe mileage” ethos and keep your shoes until they are battered and worn down to the bare minimum!

Finally, please employ the tips in the proper context of your personal situation. Your barefoot efforts should feel great and should be free from any sort of pain and suffering. If you experience next day muscle tightness after jogging a mile on the grass, work through it with stretches and drills, and expect improvement and increased resiliency over time. If you’re hobbled and inflamed after spending a full or half shift in your fancy new minimalist shoes, dial it back to a goal of one hour in the minimal gear and the rest in regular.

Even if you follow all the guidelines well, realize that your decades of using cushiony, elevated shoes has generated significant atrophy in your lower extremities. Consequently, you’ll have a moderate to significant risk of injury during your transition. If you have to retreat here and there from an aggressive strategy, don’t be discouraged. As with transitioning from carb dependency to becoming fat- and keto-adapted, everything that happens can be a positive learning experience—even an indulgence followed by a recalibration.

Check out this video for more about minimalist shoe wear and how they support long-term plantar fasciitis recovery (as well as general foot health).

Let’s hear from you? How has your healing process for plantar fasciitis gone? What shoes have you settled on, and how has barefooting made a difference in your recovery? Thanks for reading today. (And if you’re interested in learning more about a barefoot  lifestyle, take advantage of the special offer to download the Amazing Feets ebook for free on my website.)

The post Healing Plantar Fasciitis: Best Shoe Choices appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain

Thanksgiving is a time for plates piled high with turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, pie, and much more. In short: it’s a day of feasting at its finest. But in the mix of all those ultra-comforting side dishes, I also like to include the option for something a little lighter — like a fresh and vibrant salad — to balance out the heartier, heavier dishes.

These 20 colorful salads will show you it’s worth making room for a bright spot on the Thanksgiving table in the form of a refreshing salad — like an arugula, pear, and blue cheese salad; or a kale and apple salad with warm pancetta vinaigrette. For any with more delicate greens, remember to dress them right before serving to make sure everything stays crisp.

READ MORE »

http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain

Just as there are extreme couponers, there are extremely bad couponers. These are people (like me) who get excited about coupons, clip them out, carry them around for a while or put them in a pile and promptly … don’t think about them again until way after the expiration date. Bummer!

While this can seem like a waste, it can also be an opportunity to help someone out who might not have access to coupons — specifically, our troops overseas who are shopping at government-run commissaries on our military bases. This opportunity is actually very easy to take advantage of.

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http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain

Sorry, Cyber Monday, but it appears your reign was brief. These days, online shopping deals are launching earlier and earlier, and now Cyber Monday has to share billing with an entire cyber week of deals, starting the Monday before Thanksgiving. That includes Amazon, of course, which actually launched early Black Friday deals on November 1. (Christmas isn’t the only thing that comes earlier and earlier these days.) Now that Black Friday week is officially here, they’re rolling out even more deals, every day.

See below for our favorite picks. We’ll keep updating as more are made available.

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http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain

There are plenty of legitimate reasons you might want to skip the traditional sweet potato casserole topping of caramelized, gooey marshmallows. Maybe you’re welcoming a vegan or vegetarian to the table, or you want to eat less sugar during the holidays, or maybe you’re one of those folks who just doesn’t like marshmallows!

Luckily, sweet potato casserole doesn’t hinge on a marshmallow topping. You can get creative and have a sweet potato casserole that is still tasty and stunning. Here are several ideas for sweet potato casserole toppings that don’t include a single marshmallow.

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http://www.thekitchn.com/feedburnermain

All year round, Target talks about how customers (actually, executives refer to shoppers as guests) can find lots of “affordable joy” in stores and online. Luckily, that seems to be extra true during the holidays. You know, when you have loads of cheer to spread but a limited budget to do so.

Between all of Target’s special in-house brands — like Opalhouse, Threshold, Hearth & Hand, and even the kiddie line Pillowfort — there are hundreds and hundreds of great gifts to choose from. They’re all totally stylish and well-designed, yet somehow also well-priced. That means you don’t have to spend a fortune in order to wrap up a gift that you’re excited to give.

To help you cross off everyone on your shopping list, we spent hours walking through a store and came up with this list of 20 great gifts that look way more expensive than they actually are.

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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.

Is it just me, or did autumn feel really short this year? It snowed last night, and I was completely unprepared for this sudden shift to winter. My town always has very rainy fall weather, and just last week I bought a much-needed rain coat and congratulated myself for finally remembering to buy one before the rainy season ended. But I never even got a chance to wear it, and now my driveway needs to be shoveled, my kid is asking for hot chocolate and marshmallows, and I’m on Pinterest looking up the best healthy turkey chili recipes.

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https://www.girlsgonestrong.com/

Did you know you can compete in Kettlebell Sport aka Girevoy Sport (GS)? Whether you want to lift for fun or to become a top kettlebell athlete, there is a place for you in the growing kettlebell sport community.

Kettlebell lifters develop a tremendous amount of coordination, static muscular strength, muscle endurance, power endurance, anaerobic capacity, cardiorespiratory endurance, and mental fortitude. That’s a lot of benefits for your body and mind!

Competition Kettlebells

The steel kettlebells used in GS competitions are different than the cast-iron or vinyl kettlebells you may see in many gyms. Unlike those of cast-iron or vinyl bells, the dimensions and handle sizes of competition kettlebells don’t change as they get heavier. While cast-iron bells are usually black, competition bells are color-coded according to weight.

Kettlebell Sport Lifts

Kettlebell Sport is a power-endurance sport that requires athletes to work under a submaximal load, lifting their kettlebells for as many repetitions as possible in a given time frame. Originating from Russia, the sport has grown throughout the world and has many variations, depending on the organization’s rules and competition formats. Three of the classical lifts are: jerk, snatch, and long cycle.

Jerk

The jerk is performed by cleaning the bell once to rack position — which means rounding your upper back and extending your hips so your elbow can reach your iliac crest or torso, resting the kettlebell in the triangle between your bicep and forearm — then lifting it overhead as many times as possible. The phases of jerk include: first dip (bend your knees while sending your hips forward), bump or triple extension, second dip (get under the bell, push hips back), lockout, and dropping the bell back to rack position.

Depending on the competition format, you can choose to jerk one or two bells.

Snatch

The snatch is performed by swinging the bell to overhead position in one continuous motion. In many competition formats, men and women use only one bell. The phases of a full snatch include: the swing, acceleration pull at the top of the swing, hand insertion, lockout, dropping the bell from overhead, and re-gripping the bell.

In some competitions, lifters can compete in half snatch events. In full snatch, you drop the bell from overhead in one continuous motion, all the way to the swing. In half snatch, you drop the bell from overhead to your rack position, where you can rest before repeating the movement.

Depending on the competition format, you can choose to snatch one or two bells.

Long Cycle

The long cycle, also known as the clean and jerk, is performed by cleaning the bell to rack position then jerking it overhead. The phases of long cycle include: clean, rack, first dip, bump or triple extension, second dip, lockout, and dropping the bell back to rack position.

Depending on the competition format, you can choose to clean and jerk one or two bells.

An Endurance Sport

The goal of kettlebell sport is to perform as many accurate repetitions possible within a given time frame. Lifters are assigned to a platform; a judge and a counter are assigned to each lifter, to record the number of reps and determine the accuracy of each rep. Depending on the competition format, athletes can choose to lift for:

• 5 minutes, without setting the bell(s) down, only one-hand switch
• 10 minutes, without setting the bell(s) down, only one-hand switch
• 5 minutes, with the option of setting the bell(s) down, multiple switches
• 10 minutes, with the option of setting the bell(s) down, multiple switches
• 30 minutes (half marathon), without setting the bell down, multiple switches
• 30 minutes (pentathlon), six-minute set for each of the five lifts, with five-minute recovery in between sets
• 60 minutes (marathon), without setting the bell down, multiple switches

Kettlebell lifting also emphasizes mobility and technique training that emphasizes efficiency, grip strength, conditioning, and lift-specific breathing cycles.

Events

Competitors can choose to lift in one or more events in a given competition. They can also choose to use one or two bells, and choose their own kettlebell weight. Events can include:

• Jerk
• Snatch
• Long cycle
• Biathlon (jerk and snatch)
• Triathlon (jerk, snatch, long cycle)
• Half-marathon (30 minutes of one chosen lift)
• Marathon (60 minutes of one chosen lift)
• BOLT Ironman (double snatch, double jerk, double long cycle, single snatch, single jerk, and single long cycle).
• Pentathlon (clean, clean and press, jerk, half snatch, and push press)
• Timed team relays (jerk relays)

Ranking & Placing

Organizations have various ranking tables, which are similar to the belt system in martial arts. For example, if you hit a certain number of reps within your weight category, your ranking can be Rank 3, Rank 2, Rank 1, Candidate for Master of Sport (CMS), Master of Sport (MS), and Master of Sport International Class (MSIC). This is a good benchmarking tool for your individual progress in the sport. Ranking tables take into account your age and gender, bodyweight category, the weight of the kettlebell.

Placing is different than your individual ranking. When you place first in your event, this means that you scored the most number of reps compared to everyone else in your category (including gender, age group, bodyweight), lifting in the same event with the same kettlebell weight. In addition, some organizations choose to use a formula to determine the top coefficient lifter in each event.

A Great Cross-Training Opportunity

GS training can be integrated into any training program and is especially beneficial for other iron sports (strongman, CrossFit, powerlifting) and combat sports (MMA, boxing, wrestling, judo). Some athletes may choose to train in kettlebell sport during their off-season.

A Sport for Everyone

One of the best things about kettlebell sport is its accessibility — you don’t have to be an elite athlete to pick up this sport. I have seen five-year-olds and 70-year-olds alike, stepping on the platform for the first time. All you need to get started are a few kettlebells, a good kettlebell sport coach, and the patience and focus to develop your technique.

Whether you decide to enter kettlebell sport competitions or simply train for fun in the comfort of your own home or gym, I hope that this article inspires you to pick up a kettlebell and start swinging. Happy lifting!

Infographics courtesy of Chicago Kettlebell Club.

A message from GGS…

Understanding how to get more results in less time so you actually enjoy exercise and can have a life outside of the gym isn’t hard, you just have to understand the Blueprint and be willing to trust the process.

Tell me how!

The post What Is Kettlebell Sport? appeared first on Girls Gone Strong.