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

Let’s get you up and rolling on a bicycle! 

Whether you’re using it for exercise or transportation, biking is a great way to stay active and explore the world around you.

That’s why we encourage it in our Online Coaching Program when we discuss fun exercises! 

Want to train in a way that doesn’t suck? Learn more about NF Coaching!

Here’s what we’ll cover in today’s guide:

• What are the benefits of cycling?
• The 6 different types of cyclists
• How to buy a bike
• How to set up your bicycle
• What gear to purchase for biking
• What to bring on your bike ride
• How to ride a bike
• How to improve your bike riding skills
• Bike riding etiquette for newbies
• It’s time to hit the road (Next steps)

Let’s roll!

What Are the Benefits of Cycling?

There are a lot of excellent reasons to take up riding bikes:

1. It’s a great and healthy way to move from point A to point B.
2. It’s free – no gas to put in, no parking spaces to pay for.
3. It’s low impact on your body. There are no jarring-impact moments like with running.
4. It’s a great place to start with exercise. Sit on bike. Pedal. Done.
5. It’s fun!

Cycling has a magical ability to be whatever the rider wants it to be. 

Fun, challenging, scary, romantic, social, silly… you name it and there’s a type of cycling for it. You can even change what type you are doing to suit your mood on any given day, which is why most avid cyclists end up with several different bikes.

Some Rebels in the NF Coaching Program have even used cycling as a tool to help them get in shape, as demonstrated by Kyle here:

Note: Kyle also switched up his diet for his result.

The world can use more cyclists, so I’m stoked you’re interested in getting started. 

The 6 Different Types of Cyclists

Let’s spend a few minutes thinking about what type of rider you’d like to be.

The below list is not mutually exclusive, mind you. You can flip back and forth, contradict yourself, or mix and match them to suit your own needs.

#1) Mountain Biker

No one loves the outdoors as much as these guys do. If you’d rather ditch the pavement for a trail, mountain biking may be for you.

#2) Roadie

As the name would suggest, these riders are going to be found pedaling down your street. They often wear bright colors to make them easily seen by commuters. If you go this route, you can pretend like you have a sweet superhero costume to wear!

You can take this idea too far. 

 #3) Track 

Track cycling is a racing sport where riders zoom around a velodrome. If you’re a beginner, this is probably too advanced for you, but something to think about as you gain more cycling experience. 

#4) Triathlete

A triathlon is a multisport race where participants run, swim, and bike their way to the finish line. They’re not a bad event to train for since you have to condition yourself for a few different sports.

There are many triathlon events designed for beginners, some of which you can check out right here. 

#5) BMXer

Generally when people do lots of tricks on their bike, it’s a BMX bike. 

BMX is an abbreviation for bicycle motocross or bike motocross and were originally modeled after dirtbikes (minus the engine). They’re popular with kids, but also good for adults who are looking to perform a stunt or two. 

#6) Casual Rider

This is, in my opinion, the easiest way to get started.Just do whatever you want to on a bike and enjoy yourself in the process. 

Sounds simple, right? It is!

How to Buy a Bike

Truth be told, the best bike for you to buy is whatever one you like the best.

I think it’s wise to get a bike shop’s help in buying a bike that fits you. Even though you can adjust your bicycle to fit (more on this next section), it could still be potentially too large or small. Here’s how to find a bike shop in your area.

If you are going to select a bike on your own, you’ll want to consider its height:

1. If the bike has a horizontal tube, you should have about one to two-inch clearance from your crotch to the top tube, when standing over the bike.
2. If the bike has a sloping top tube, you’ll want at least two-inch clearance.

Shown here from REI’s guide to bike fitting:

Now, bikes do cost money. Expect to spend a few hundred bucks minimum at your bike shop. You don’t have to spend thousands, but you’ll have more fun on a decent bike than a heavy, crappy one from a department store.

If you must buy as cheaply as possible, in my opinion, most people are best served with a steel-framed 80’s road bike. They’re cheap, nearly indestructible, and easy to find on Craigslist.

Don’t be afraid to make counter offers and haggle a bit. 

You can also search the bike on Bicycle Blue Book to make sure you’re getting a fair deal. 

If you do buy a used road bike, steer away from 27” wheels, since 26” have become standard and will be easier to replace.  

Lots of people get mountain bikes for their first bike, and I think it’s a mistake unless you plan on riding through dirt. They are heavy and slow because they’re meant for trail riding on mountains. There’s also a cheaper bike option called bikesdirect.com. They sell off-brand frames with name brand components, and seem to have good customer service. Remember: get the bike you like. If you like it you’ll ride it. Keep that in mind as you’re reading the flame wars and conflicting advice. After all, it’s just bikes. It ain’t rocket surgery.

How to Setup Your Bicycle

While a professional at a bike shop can be a lifesaver when it comes to proper setup, you can totally do it yourself too.

#1) Saddle Height

A “good enough” way to determine proper seat height is the heel-to-pedal method. It might help to have someone hold your bike while doing this.

Take a seat, then have one pedal go completely down in the six o’clock position. Your knee should be completely straight here when making contact to this low pedal. 

If your knee is bent, you need to increase the saddle height. If you lose contact with the pedal, lower your seat. 

#2) Saddle Angle

For the most part, you’re going to want your seat angled so it’s parallel to the ground. Try this first, then you can adjust it slightly if you find different positions more comfortable. 

#3) Handlebar Reach

While handlebar reach can be a bit more personal, in general you don’t want to strain yourself to control the bike. 

When seated, you should easily be able to reach the brakes and shifters. Your elbows should have a slight bend, not locked. Adjust your seat first, get that dialed in, then adjust the bars themselves for your ideal setting.

What Gear to Purchase for Biking

After initially purchasing a bike, there are a few other things you should consider. 

#1) Helmet – In my opinion, it is imperative to own and wear a helmet when cycling. I don’t think it should be a law that everyone has to, but I think everyone should of his own volition anyway.

What kind of helmet should you buy? Giro, Bell, and Specialized all make good helmets. Try a few on and get a bike shop’s help with how it should fit.

#2) U-Lock – One of the most awesome things about riding bikes to get places is that you don’t have to park a car. You can just ride right up to the place, lock your bike, and go inside. You will need a lock if you’d like your bike to be there when you come out, though. Read up on locking strategy here.

#3) Blinky Lights – Get yourself a good set of blinky lights for your bike. 

I like the Blackburn Flea set, but also own the Spok LED light set, and the Planet Bike Superflash rear light. All are fine choices.

Outside has the unmitigated gaul of getting dark without our consent. It’s wise to have lights in these cases, so that you can be as visible as possible on the roadway.

#4) Clippy Shoes – If you’re going to ride often, eventually it’s wise to switch to clipless pedals and shoes. If you’re worried that they’ll make you fall over, rest assured. You will definitely fall over in them at least once. It’s called a zero mile per hour fall, and it’s a rite of passage. It’s also completely worth it.

#5) Lycra – If you’re doing any amount of riding at all, I recommend getting yourself a pair of bibs. Cycling shorts are nice too (they both have a chamois) but bib shorts are the ultimate in comfort.

What to Bring on Your Bike Ride

When setting off on a ride, carry these things: 

• A spare tube
• Tire levers 
• A CO2 inflate 
• A Master Link 
• A spare cylinder of CO2
• $20. 

Everything except the tube fits nicely into a little canvas bag that can slip into a center jersey pocket, which eliminates the need for a seat bag, which has a tendency to fall apart after a few hundred miles.

Don’t buy an expensive bike tool to carry on your rides. Any repair you can’t do with the above kit is a ride ender. Take a cab with the $20 instead and spend your tool budget on nice tools to keep at home if you want to wrench on your bike.

Also don’t buy a frame pump or mini pump – they don’t work well at all.  Get a floor pump for home and carry CO2 with you.

How to Ride a Bike

1. Turn pedals.
2. Don’t hit anything or fall off.

Kidding.

Here’s exactly how to ride a bike:

Let’s explain some more tips for smooth bike riding:

#1) Use your rear brake to check your speed and your front one only if you really want to stop. If you grab a handful of front brake on a modern bike it might become a catapult.

#2) Remember when I said clippy shoes were worth it? It’s because they allow you to apply power throughout the whole revolution of the pedal, and to use your whole leg and butt to apply said power. They’re awesome.

#3) Keep in mind also that it’s more efficient to spin than to mash. This means that you’ll be able to deliver more power for longer if you ride in a smaller, easier gear at higher cadence (RPM) than in a bigger, harder gear at slower cadence. Ideal cadence is said to be 90rpm or so, which is the exact tempo of Cake’s song The Distance. 

One foot should make a revolution for each beat of the song, or in other words, your foot is a quarter note. Your other foot will be offset, of course, so as a pair your feet will play eighth notes. And you didn’t even know you were a musician!

#4) Your body should be pretty much still when you’re riding. Your knees should be in line between your hip and ankle, not out as if you’re trying to climb a pole:

How to Improve Your Bike Riding Skills

Cycling is beautiful and amazing, but the best cycling is also social.

Having some friends who are into it will help keep you into it. Mind you, it is ten buh-jillion times easier to meet people who already like things you want to do than to convert people you already like into doing something new. 

So, go do your local group ride. There’s guaranteed to be a beginner one near you that runs out of a bike shop. Ask at the bike shop once you feel comfortable returning. 

Yay for socializing!

You can also check out Meetup for a riding group. 

Bike Riding Etiquette for Newbies

There’s a tendency for new riders to want to express their liberation from the metal cage of the automobile through a certain free-spirited attitude toward traffic laws.

Please don’t do this.

Whatever we do while riding in traffic will be remembered by every driver who sees us and counted either for or against cycling as a whole in that driver’s mind.

Many new riders adopted a Me-Vs-Cars attitude, and it’s always a mistake. 

Figure out what the laws regarding cyclists on the road are in your area and follow them always!  Google “bicycling laws + [ your state ]”

You’ll also have a much easier time in traffic when you ride like traffic.

It’s Time to Hit the Road (Next Steps)

Above all, remember that cycling is a fun, social activity.

Wave to other riders. Say hello to them when you pass them. They’re nice folks! Well, except “serious” roadies, of course, but only other roadies listen to them!

Okay, that’s about it for this guide.

Find a bike, wear a helmet, and get ready to roll:

If you want to continue your journey with Nerd Fitness, there are three great options for you. 

Option #1) If you want a professional coach in your pocket, who can do video form checks, provide feedback, and adjust your workouts based on the equipment you have available, check out our Online Coaching Program! 

Some of our clients are avid cyclists and their coaches design workouts around their biking schedule:

Our coaching program changes lives. Learn how!

2) Exercising at home and need a plan to follow? Have questions you need answered? Join Nerd Fitness Prime!

Nerd Fitness Prime is our premium membership program that contains at-home exercise routines, live-streamed workouts with NF Coaches, a supportive online community, group challenges, and much more! 

Learn more about Nerd Fitness Prime!

Option #3) Become part of the Rebellion! We need good people like you in our community, the Nerd Fitness Rebellion.

Sign up in the box below to enlist and get our Rebel Starter Kit, which includes all of our “work out from home” guides.

Get your Nerd Fitness Starter Kit

• The 15 mistakes you don’t want to make.
• Full guide to the most effective diet and why it works.
• Complete and track your first workout today, no gym required.

Have fun out there, and ride safe, cycling friend!

-Steve

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Research of the Week

National handgrip score predicts Olympic medal tally.

Got super high cholesterol? Might be the carbs.

An EVOO-based high-fat diet causes a good kind of gut dysbiosis that lowers the risk of colon cancer.

How time has passed for people during the pandemic: for half it sped up, for half it slowed.

New Primal Blueprint Podcasts

Episode 432: Jon Venus: Host Elle Russ chats with fitness expert Jon Venus, former vegan who’s now embracing ancestral omnivory.

Episode 433: Brian Gryn: Host Brad Kearns chats with Brian Gryn about intermittent fasting.

Primal Health Coach Radio, Episode 68: Laura and Erin get geeky with Dr. Michael Ruscio about gut health.

Media, Schmedia

Homo erectus was a lot stockier than we imagined.

The Mayans had an impressive highway.

Interesting Blog Posts

Where has the time gone?

Malcolm Kendrick has lost faith.

Social Notes

Eat salt.

Burpee alternatives.

Everything Else

Signaling virtuous victimhood might be a warning sign.

Interesting convo with John Ioannidis.

“I’m a doctor with stage 4 cancer during a pandemic.”

Things I’m Up to and Interested In

I’m not surprised: Spiritual training begets a sense of spiritual superiority.

Interesting important article: About the many benefits of regenerative agriculture.

Interesting important video: Allan Savory on how regenerative agriculture can change the world.

Good overview on the topic: All the research the USDA has ignored on saturated fat.

Great article: Tim Noakes on reversing type 2 diabetes.

Question I’m Asking

In a few days, Robb Wolf and Diana Rodgers are releasing their seminal book on the importance and necessity of regenerative agriculture for both human and planetary health: Sacred Cow. This is important, guys, really important. If you agree, and you think this might just be able to change the world, please consider pre-ordering the book. Once you do, submit your receipt to www.sacredcow.info/book and receive $200 worth of bonus incentives.

Could you do that?

Recipe Corner

• Is there anything better than stone fruit with pork? To make this even better, add some burrata.
• Fermented rice gruel.

Time Capsule

One year ago (Jul 4 – Jul 10)

• 8 Tips For Keto on a Budget  – Do it on the cheap.
• The 5 Best Adaptogens for Stress Reduction – What works?

Comment of the Week

“I stick to the purple rain.”

– I like how you think, Groktimus.

The post Weekly Link Love — Edition 89 appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

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

In a past article, The Right Way To Lose Fat: What To Eat, we addressed the nutrition component of sensible fat loss. A lot was presented such as low carb/high protein, high carb/low fat, micronutrient values, and glycemic levels, but all signs pointed to creating a caloric deficit to optimally burn body fat. This article will highlight how exercise should be implemented to maximize fat-burning potential. That

read more

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Everyone wants beautiful skin. We are bombarded with marketing messages telling us what we need to do to have that youthful glow: scrub, wash, peel and pluck – and don’t forget the $300 moisturizer! But what if some of the “good” things you do daily are actually causing the exact opposite result, and may even […]

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Let me guess. You’ve been on keto for 5-6 months and enthusiastically thinking this is how you’ll finally wrangle your sugar cravings into submission! You’re loading up on healthy fats, avoiding grains, and ditching highly processed, high-carb foods. Yet there’s that incessant nagging. You know, the one that tells you that life is too short not to indulge in that giant Costco muffin or the more paleo-friendly version, another square (or three) of dark chocolate.

For a lot of people, including my own clients, moving toward a fat- or protein-dominant diet does the trick. You may have seen this article that Mark wrote earlier this year where he says “it takes two to three days of very-low-carb eating for the liver to start pumping out ketones” and that cravings will “decrease noticeably within three to ten days.” Research backs it up too, concluding that cravings are significantly reduced almost immediately as people get into ketosis.¹

Things like sleep deprivation, chronic stress, and gut dysbiosis are also shown to cause cravings for a variety of physiological reasons. But let’s say you’re getting a solid 8-9 hours of uninterrupted sleep, your stress levels are under control, your gut microbiome is balanced — and you’re still struggling with cravings. Then what?

Why Can’t I Quit Sugar?

Cravings are often more psychological than they are physiological. Maybe you’ve noticed that too. Maybe you’ve noticed that you start to have cravings any time you have a stressful day or feel anxious or deprived or smell something that reminds you of your favorite snickerdoodle cookie from childhood. In my experience, these are the top 5 emotionally driven reasons you might still be struggling with sugar cravings:

1. Your Diet is Too Restrictive

Eliminating certain foods and food-like items like grains, sugar, and refined carbohydrates is a good thing in general. But being too restrictive — or perceiving how you’re eating as a diet can end up backfiring. In fact, this study shows a direct correlation between food restriction and cravings.² Researchers looked at food cravings records of 52 women dieting to lose weight and 37 non-dieters and found that the dieters experienced significantly more food cravings, especially for sugary foods like chocolate.

2. Emotional Association

Cravings are tied to the brain’s memory center. From celebrating birthdays and holidays with sugary desserts to being rewarded with a treat for good grades, sugar has always been along for the ride. So, it’s no surprise that when you go to a party or achieve a goal, or even feel down, your sugar cravings might feel irresistible. Not to mention the fact that your hippocampus, caudate, and insula (areas of the brain activated by cravings) ³ are also in charge of housing your memories and experiences.

3. State of Mental Health

Australian researchers conducted a study on pandemic-related depression, stress, anxiety, and well-being and found that 79% of the participants were struggling with mental health issues due to COVID-19.⁴ If you’ve been dealing with a new routine, financial uncertainty, isolation, or fear, you might be feeling like your cravings are out of control and you’re turning to sugar to cope. As I’m sure you know, sugar consumption (temporarily) increases serotonin, ⁵ the neurotransmitter that regulates your mood. When you eat sugar, you feel happier, more connected, and less stressed out — at least until the sugar crash hits.

4. Current Rituals

Frozen junior mints at the movies. A slice of pie at summer barbeques. Checking out the dessert menu after dinner even though you’re stuffed. Your rituals and your environment  influence your behaviours (i.e. trigger you to search for something sweet).⁶ And if you have the ritual of consciously or unconsciously seeking out a specific food in a specific situation, you’ll begin to form the expectation that it will occur every single time you’re in that situation.

5. Past Trauma

The Mark’s Daily Apple article I referenced above struck a chord with a lot of readers, with many bravely sharing that they felt their cravings were due to a lack of love and emotional bonding early in life, and therefore a lack of the hormone, oxytocin. Because of this, they began to turn to other things to make themselves feel good, including sugar. Studies not only validate our readers’ experiences, they show the impact of oxytocin on everything from metabolism to chronic illness.⁷

Why It’s So Hard to Stop Eating Sugar

We’re taught early on that sugar equals love and that feeling “better” is as easy as snuggling a pint of Ben & Jerry’s on the couch. Sure, diving into the emotional side of good health can be uncomfortable, but it’s also extremely necessary if you want to get your cravings under control.

The more readily you can express and deal with your emotions, the healthier your mind and your body will be. In my 10+ years as a health coach, I’ve helped hundreds of men and women peel back the layers of their sugar cravings. And you can too. With the following strategies, you’ll learn that your sugar cravings aren’t something that need wrangling — they’re something that you can use to learn more about what you’re really craving.

How to Cut Your Sugar Habit: 5 Strategies to Stop Cravings

1. Add More Variety

A steady diet of grass-fed beef and local, organic veggies looks great on paper in respect to quality, but as mentioned above, might also feel too limiting for where you’re at right now. If you’re constantly dreaming of sugar-laden treats, take this opportunity to diversify your plate. By adding a variety of colors, textures, and flavors, you’re giving your brain and your body the signal that you’re having more, not less. And don’t forget to change it up now and then. Typically opt for ribeye? Try a salmon fillet. Love salads? Try grilled asparagus. Always snack on almonds? Buy some salted macadamia nuts. You get the picture.

2. Keep a Journal

You don’t have to write down all of your deepest, darkest thoughts, but I do recommend keeping a journal of when your food cravings hit — and this is the important part: what you’re feeling when they come on. Do this exercise without self-editing or judgement. Within a week, my guess is that you’ll start to see a connection between your triggers (which could be memories, celebrations, emotions, people, and places) and your sugar cravings. Research shows that having a practice of mindfulness can help you better manage the uncomfortable feelings that fuel your cravings.⁸ If you haven’t had the pleasure of tapping into your own awareness, this will be a game changer for you.

3. Ask Yourself What You Need

When you’re feeling stressed, anxious, fearful, or bored, ask yourself what you really need. A few bites of the donut in your kitchen or a quick drive through the Dairy Queen will work, but in reality, you’re just avoiding those uncomfortable feelings by numbing them with food. Be open and honest with yourself about what you need on an emotional level. It could be the comfort of reading a good book, the excitement of getting outside for some exercise, or just holding space to accept where you are in the moment.

4. Create New Rituals

Your past rituals influence your current behaviors, so why not spend some time creating new, healthier rituals? If the sound of dinner dishes being put away sends you running for dessert, think about other post-dinner rituals you could do. Maybe it’s a family walk around the neighborhood or taking a long, relaxing bath. By interrupting your patterns (when dinner ends I look for dessert) you’re able to develop new patterns that work toward your goals, instead of against them.

3. Do More Feel-Good Activities

If you lacked a sense of joy and connection growing up, it’s possible to increase oxytocin⁹ levels naturally (and reduce the desire to reach for sugar to feel good) through hugging, laughing, playing, and practicing gratitude. Other things like looking at photos of loved ones, singing, physical exercise, and support from family, friends, and our community here on Mark’s Daily Apple are also great ways to boost oxytocin levels. Emotional trauma of any kind can impact your habits and behaviors as an adult. And while a health coach can help you overcome certain obstacles, it’s crucial to work with a licensed professional trained to navigate these challenges ¹⁰ and help you move forward safely.

Do any of these reasons or strategies ring true for you? Anything you’d add? Tell me about your experience with emotions and overcoming sugar cravings in the comments.

The post 5 Reasons You Can’t Quit Sugar appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

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Across much of the world, movement restrictions are lifting, businesses are reopening, and gyms are coming back. While the next few weeks may paint a different picture, and cases are going up in many areas, many places now are seeing better overall trajectories. Deaths are down, which could be a lagging indicator and thus subject to a potential skyrocket. But for now, for better or worse, the gyms are opening.

Does that mean you should go?

My gym is open. Is it safe to go back?

Hi Mark,

I haven’t been able to get into the gym for several months now. But I just got an email and starting next week, they’re open for business. My question is should I go? Is it safe? What do you recommend?

I’ve really missed the workouts but I also don’t want to get sick.

Now, your regional COVID situation matters. If this is Hawaii and the case count is 1030 with just a few cases being added every day, you’re probably safe going to the gym. If you’re in New York with cases in the hundreds of thousands, the gym might pose more danger. So do your due diligence there. That’s going to vary for everyone.

Let’s say you decide you want to go back. All else being equal, how can you determine if it’s safe to do so? What should you expect from your gym proprietor? What steps can you take to reduce your chances of getting the virus at the gym?

I looked at the actual research into the interactions between gym safety and the coronavirus. I also asked my friend, Thom Downing, who owns the Focused Individualized Trainers facility in Los Altos, CA, for some tips. He’s been closed down for over three months now, and he’s figured out how to keep his coaches paid and his clients fit and healthy by expanding their offerings to include at-home sessions, virtual training, online tutorials, Zoom boot-camps, and even virtual PE classes for kids. He loaned out most of the gym’s equipment to local clients so they can continue their work at home. Plus, he’s been making modifications to the facility so that when he does open back up, his gym will be as safe as possible.

So, what are some things to consider?

I’m offering you a few things to think about. These measures will by no means keep you 100% virus-free. These are simply things to think about as you assess what risk level you are comfortable with.

Wait a Month to See How Things Shake Out

A month is a good period of time to see a trend emerge. If people return and transmission starts happening, you’ll know a month in. Any place of business will (or should) disclose positive COVID19 transmission.

Use Outdoor Equipment

There are many reasons to train outside. Sunlight is a powerful deactivator of the virus and increases your vitamin D production. Having an entire open atmosphere surrounding you instead of a cloistered indoor space provides plenty of room for the exhaled air to disperse and dilute.

This isn’t possible everywhere. Your average big box facility probably won’t let you take weights outside, but the smaller, more mom-and-pop gyms likely will. Ask nicely.

Consider Switching to a Personal Training-style Gym

Smaller, more personal gyms will be your best bet. The user count will be lower. You’ll be familiar with more of the people there. You can avoid people if you need to. People will be doing their own thing, usually with a trainer, and the trainers will all be keeping their clients at a safe distance from other clients because it’s mandated (and correct). It has structure, in other words, and that’s what you need right now.

A big box gym is impersonal, unwieldy. There’s so much going on and so many people you can’t possibly account for. This pushes up the risk of transmission.

Ensure There’s Good Ventilation

A study from 2018 found that the risk of influenza transmission at the gym increased with higher occupancy and higher CO2 levels.¹ You could ask your gym to monitor CO2 levels, as those are great barometers for ventilation. Higher CO2 means less ventilation and more shared air. Lower CO2 means higher ventilation, less shared air, and lower risk. Inhaled air is about 0.003% CO2; exhaled air is 4-6% CO2.

That said, “lower risk” doesn’t mean no risk. The same study found that influenza transmission risk remained fairly elevated even with low occupancy and lower CO2 levels. Gyms are just a great vector for a virus like influenza. All that fluid, all that exhalation, all that intensity, all that proximity. COVID19 isn’t influenza, but the two viruses spread through similar mediums: droplets expelled from the nose and mouth.

Fans Over Air Conditioners

Gyms love to pump up the air conditioning. This is helpful when it’s hot out. Safer, even. No one should overheat when training. But when the A.C. is on, the windows are usually closed, and these days, you want good air flow. You don’t want to breathe in the same air everyone else just exhaled.

Favor gyms that have huge industrial fans, open doors and windows, and tons of circulation.

Mask Considerations

The official recommendation is to wear a cloth face covering when you’re around people,² and masks will likely be required for indoor gyms. At first glance, that seems like it would be uncomfortable, particularly if you’re wearing a legitimate N95 mask. Those things are hard to breathe in.

But researchers have actually looked at this.³ They placed pregnant healthcare workers into N95 masks and had them exercise. They exhaled less oxygen and more carbon dioxide, but that was the extent of the changes. The fetal heartbeats were normal. Blood oxygen saturation didn’t change. Nor did rate of perceived exertion. Overall, it “impose[d] an additional workload on the metabolic system,” which could be good or bad depending on your stress tolerance and goals.

In athletes, wearing a similar mask during weight lifting didn’t affect performance, but it did affect focus, alertness, and peak velocity. A few people got dizzy. All in all, they were okay though.⁴

Then again, another study found that lifters wearing a mask completed fewer repetitions.⁵

Slow-flow N95s aren’t required, though. The recommendations only specify that face coverings should be cloth, and mask requirements have been around long enough that there are now infinite styles and materials to choose from. There are lots of masks that are comfortable enough for workouts, and made of breathable material that won’t restrict airflow much.

Oxygenation probably won’t be a problem, but just in case, keep things brief. Don’t go too hard for too long. Don’t be a hero. No PRs.

Use the Sauna and Steam Room

The virus hates heat and humidity and initially infects the throat and nasal passage before eventually replicating enough to make it to the lungs. If that’s true, and you can breathe in enough 135 degree sauna air through both nose and mouth, you may be able to reduce the activity of the virus.

That’s very speculative, however, and there are many reasons to think it’s probably not enough.

1. By the time the air gets into your throat and nose, it’s already cooled off.
2. The heat exposure isn’t consistent. Breathing in means a second or two of sufficient heat exposure (assuming the air remains hot enough). Then you’re breathing cooler air out. Then you breathe in again. You’re not holding the temperature at a consistent 135 degrees for the 15 minutes it takes to really reduce activity.
3. The original SARS coronavirus from the 2000s is sensitive to 135 degrees. We don’t know for sure if this latest one has the same sensitivity.

At the most, the sauna might help. At the least, it won’t hurt. And sauna is good for other things, anyway.

Dose With Zinc Lozenges After You Train

There’s a certain kind of zinc acetate lozenge that has a strong local effect on zinc concentrations in the throat and nasal tissues. You start feeling a cold come on, you let one of those zinc acetate lozenges dissolve in your mouth, and it actually reduces the duration of the cold. No chewing. It takes around half an hour to fully dissolve, but it actually helps.

These might help against the coronavirus, which also gains entry via the throat and nasal passage and is vulnerable to zinc.

Consider a Povidone-iodine Gargle Before and After the Gym

Recent in vitro evidence shows that a 0.5% solution of povidone-iodine (an antiseptic often used in veterinary care) deactivates the coronavirus in 15 seconds.⁶ This is coronavirus on a surface, not in your body, but the virus initially spends time on the surface of your nasal membranes and throat before gaining entry and proliferating. There could be a window of opportunity between when the virus is transmitted to you and when you “have” it—and the povidone-iodine wash might kill some or all of the virus before it gets into you.

Simply get a 10% solution online or at a drug or pet store and dilute it to 0.5%.

If it doesn’t help, you’re not in any danger. 0.5% povidone-iodine is safe for gargling and nasal swabbing. Just don’t swallow it.

Keep Your Distance

Six feet is the prescribed distance. If you’re indoors and training, I’d bump that up even higher to 12-15 feet. You’re breathing hard. The other people are breathing hard. Everyone’s sweating, grunting, spittle flying.

Wipe Down Equipment Before and After You Use It

I don’t mean the old “wipe it with a sweaty towel.” I mean bring a cleaning agent that’s been shown to kill, or use disinfectant wipes (either bleach or ethanol-based). Very likely the gym will provide these; if not, provide your own.

Go During Off Hours

The more people in the gym, the greater the risk of transmission. Every gym has peak hours. Avoid those.

Find a Gym That’s Doing Everything Right

I’ll tell you what Thom is doing because it’s a very strong model.

No cardio equipment—too hard to clean.

Start every session on the hour. This makes it easier to do a deep clean every hour and keep people organized and safely distancing.

Disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizer stations all over. Hospital grade.

UV-C (shown to kill coronavirus) lighting in the air ducts.

Ionizers installed that attach water molecules to particles in the air, making them big enough for filters to catch.

Upgraded, more capable filters changed more frequently (once a month versus twice a year).

Open doors, big fans.

Do as much as possible outside in the sun.

Masks required in common areas.

Constant updates and communication with clients. Taking no chances.

Considering povidone-iodine washes available and zinc lozenges for sale, depending on logistics and whether more research emerges. This one’s pending.

Anyway, that’s what I’d recommend looking into. Regardless of how worried you are or not about the virus, these tips will help ensure you’re safe without negatively impacting your training experience.

What do you think about returning to the gym? What precautions will you take? What modifications, if any, will you make to your former routine and approach?

Let me know down below!

The post Dear Mark: My Gym is Open, Is It Safe to Go? appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

http://www.thealternativedaily.com/

It’s only water, right? So, why would you need to wash out your water bottle? If that’s your school of thought, you may want to reconsider. It’s not uncommon for people to infrequently — if ever — wash out their reusable water bottle. To make matters worse, certain shaped, colored, or patterned water bottles make […]

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Today we’re taking a peek under the hood and looking at some of the hormones involved in hunger and satiety, a.k.a. appetite hormones.

You might think of hunger as a gnawing feeling in your stomach and satiety as that feeling of fullness when you’ve eaten enough… or maybe too much. That’s how we experience the feelings we call hunger and satiety, true; but I’m talking today about the physiological drives to eat or stop eating that is driven by hormones.

Eating behavior is coordinated mostly in the brain by the hypothalamus, which acts as the control center for appetite. Hunger and satiety hormones deliver information from the body about how much energy you are taking in and whether you need more. The overarching goal here is energy homeostasis—balancing the energy coming in (via food) with the energy needed for the everyday functions of being alive.

When you have sufficient energy, your body is free to invest in growth, repair, and reproduction. Taking in more energy than you need can lead to excess fat storage and issues like hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance, and metabolic syndrome. Energy deficits result in adaptations designed to conserve energy. In the long run, energy deficits might increase longevity, but they can also seriously undermine health and, for example, impair fertility.

Today I’m going to cover some of the key hormones that are involved in this delicate dance. This is by no means a complete list. Let me know in the comments if you have a burning desire to learn more about one of the hormones not covered here.

Ghrelin: the Hunger Hormone

Ghrelin is usually called “the hunger hormone” because it directly stimulates your drive to eat. In fact, it is the only known peripheral (outside the central nervous system) hormone that has this effect. Other peripheral appetite hormones all act to suppress hunger and reduce food intake. I always use the mnemonic “ghrelin gets your stomach growlin’” to keep it straight. I’m sure the endocrinologists in the crowd are groaning at that one.

Ghrelin is released primarily by cells in the stomach. Levels rise before meals and correlate with subjective feelings of hunger.¹ It also activates reward centers in your brain so that food is more appealing, and your motivation to eat is stronger.²

Instantly download your Guide to Gut Health

Should I Just Take a Ghrelin Blocker?

After it was discovered in 1999, ghrelin became a target for drug companies hoping to cash in by developing ghrelin inhibitors as a treatment for obesity. These efforts haven’t panned out for several reasons. First, ghrelin doesn’t stimulate overeating in normal physiological conditions. If you administer ghrelin to a human or lab rat, they will eat more, even to the point of becoming obese in the case of rodents. Normally, though, ghrelin levels don’t stay consistently high. They rise and fall to reflect energy balance. After you eat, ghrelin levels fall in proportion to the number of calories you ingest,³ and more strongly in response to eating carbs and protein, compared to fat.⁴

Ghrelin doesn’t stimulate eating just for the heck of it. Its main job seems to be preventing a negative energy balance. Obese individuals actually have chronically lower ghrelin than their lighter counterparts.⁵ On the flip side, individuals with anorexia or cachexia due to chronic illness, who are in a severe state of negative energy balance, have high circulating ghrelin levels.⁶

Drug trials have also been stymied because ghrelin has wide-reaching effects on other aspects of health besides eating behavior. Some of the known activities of ghrelin include:^{7 8 9}

• Stimulating growth hormone release, which among other things helps regulate blood glucose levels during prolonged fasting or starvation¹⁰
• Increasing insulin sensitivity
• Improving cardiovascular function
• Promoting muscle growth and bone formation
• Regulating stress and anxiety
• Suppressing brown fat thermogenesis, contributing to energy conservation

In other words, suppressing ghrelin could be very costly indeed. You can focus on metabolic flexibility instead. More on that later.

Leptin: the Satiety Hormone

Leptin’s main job is to signal to the brain when you have sufficient energy available. It is produced by adipose (body fat) cells. More body fat means more circulating leptin. Leptin is also released after you eat. Carbohydrate intake prompts a particularly strong leptin response, protein less so, and fat probably only minimally.

Sometime leptin is characterized as ghrelin’s counterbalance. Whereas ghrelin is “the hunger hormone,” leptin is “the satiety hormone” (although in truth there are many, as you’ll see). If ghrelin tells the brain GO, leptin tells the brain STOP. I think that characterization isn’t exactly correct, though.

It seems to me that both leptin and ghrelin prevent negative energy balance. If you think about it, for most of human history, energy shortage—which, in the extreme, means starvation and death—was a much bigger problem than energy abundance. Consuming too much food is a thoroughly modern problem. We should be more strongly attuned to shortages.

Elevated ghrelin levels signal to the brain that it’s in danger of going into the red; low levels of leptin do the same. This explains why low leptin is particularly problematic from a health perspective. It’s associated with mood disturbances and infertility, among other issues.^{11 12} Low leptin and high ghrelin both put the body in an energy conservation state. Leptin decreases, and ghrelin increases, in response to dieting and weight loss.^{13 14} In fact, leptin decreases more than you’d expect just based on how much body fat is lost while dieting. It’s one of the reasons hunger increases and can become unbearable when you’re on a diet. Presumably, these hormonal changes reflect the body’s efforts to defend its energy stores and restore homeostasis.

As with ghrelin, leptin’s functions extend well beyond appetite. Leptin has a hand in bone and cardiovascular health, insulin sensitivity, regulating thyroid hormones, insulin sensitivity, and glucose metabolism.

How to Increase Leptin Levels

It is possible to increase your leptin levels naturally, without medication. Here’s how to do it.

1. Eat enough food. If you are severely depriving yourself, leptin will be suppressed and ghrelin will take over. That’s no way to live.
2. Be sure to get healthy fats. Fats signal to your body that you’ve consumed enough calories, and they take longer to break down than carbs do. Some of my favorite sources of healthy fats include avocado oil, coconut butter, ghee, and macadamia nuts, among others.
3. Restrict carbs for a time. Carbs need to be constantly replenished. Once you get past the “low-carb flu,” you’ll find that you have energy without constantly having to reach for snacks.
4. Cycle in carbs. To optimize your leptin and ghrelin balance, you’ll want to achieve metabolic flexibility.

For more details on leptin and how to control it, read this article. 

Neuropeptide Y

Neuropeptide Y, or NPY, is the most abundant peptide in the central nervous system. Found mostly in the hypothalamus, it acts as a hormone and neurotransmitter. It’s involved in a host of actions locally in the brain and throughout the body.

Most importantly for the present purposes, NPY is considered the most potent appetite-stimulating compound in the human body. Each of the other hormones discussed in this post regulates food intake by acting on NPY in the hypothalamus. For example, ghrelin increases NPY activity, while leptin suppresses it. Elevated NPY strongly increases the drive to eat, especially carbohydrates.¹⁵

NPY acts to maintain energy homeostasis by decreasing energy expenditure, movement, sex drive, and thermogenesis when needed.¹⁶ It’s also expressed by fat cells, and research suggests that NPY promotes fat storage.¹⁷

Another potentially exciting area of research is examining the role of NPY in aging. NPY is important for coping with and adapting to stress,¹⁸, and it has known neuroprotective effects. There are a number of reasons to think that NPY is the key that explains how caloric restriction extends lifespan.¹⁹ I’m keeping my eye on this.

Peptide YY

Peptide YY (PYY) is produced in the intestines after you eat. It travels through the bloodstream to the hypothalamus, where it inhibits NPY, decreasing appetite. PYY also modulates other digestive functions, including pancreatic and gallbladder activity.

The amount of PYY produced is proportional to the number of calories consumed. Studies find that higher-protein meals cause the greatest rise in PYY, followed by higher-fat meals. Not only do high-carb meals stimulate the least PYY, PYY peaks and then starts to decrease quickly after high-carb meals, whereas it continues to rise for hours after meals containing more fat and protein.²⁰ This may be one reason you don’t stay full for long after eating high-carb meals.

Cholecystokinin

Cholecystokinin (CCK) was the first known satiety hormone. It is secreted in the gastrointestinal tract, especially in the small intestine. CCK rises quickly after eating, especially in response to fat and protein in the meal, and it triggers the initial release of PYY.

Like PYY, CCK is involved in various processes related to digestion, especially the digestion of fat. CCK also has interesting effects in the brain. The hippocampus contains a large concentration of CCK receptors, indicating that CCK plays an important role in learning and memory, though it’s still not well understood.²¹ High levels of CCK are related to anxiety and panic attacks, while schizophrenic patients may have abnormally low levels of CCK in their brains.²²

Glucagon-like Peptide-1

Abbreviated GLP-1, this hormone is secreted by the ileum and colon in response to nutrient intake. It acts as a satiety hormone, but researchers are especially interested in how it stimulates insulin secretion, improves insulin sensitivity, and helps regulate blood glucose.²³ GLP-1 figures prominently in experimental treatments for type 2 diabetes.

Following bariatric surgery, patients’ GLP-1 and PYY increase significantly, which probably accounts for post-surgical reductions in appetite,²⁴ which can persist for decades after the procedure.²⁵ Research using a rat model also suggests that GLP-1 facilitates the rapid metabolic improvements that often follow surgery.²⁶

Insulin

Let’s end with a familiar one. You probably know that the pancreas releases insulin after you eat, especially following carbohydrate intake. Insulin is sometimes called the “storage hormone” because one of its main jobs is to “unlock” adipose cells in order to store fat for future use. In healthy individuals, it also supports energy homeostasis by inhibiting lipolysis (fat burning) when there is sufficient glucose in the bloodstream to supply energy.

As with the other hormones discussed here, insulin also acts as an energy barometer for the brain. It crosses the blood-brain barrier, where it regulates NPY expression and suppresses appetite.

Can You Control Your Hunger Hormones?

It’s tempting to think that if we understood these hormones’ actions, we could learn to control hunger and eating behavior and solve all the problems related to overeating. As great as that sounds, we’re a long way off.

As you can see, energy homeostasis depends on the coordination of many different signaling pathways within the body. Too often, people try to hone in on the effects of just one variable—leptin or ghrelin, say—hoping to manipulate hunger and satiety. None of these hormones works in isolation, though. There is still a lot to learn about the physiological significance of each of these hormones individually, not to mention how they work in tandem with one another.

Furthermore, in human studies, hormone levels don’t consistently map on to our actual eating behavior as you’d expect. This might be because scientists haven’t uncovered the whole picture and don’t understand how all the various pieces work together to produce hunger. Probably, it’s also because we humans are complicated creatures who eat for a lot of reasons other than pure physiological hunger.

What does it all mean? I think it means don’t look for a magic pill that will allow you to control appetite and hunger. If you struggle with unwanted hunger, the first thing to ask is whether you are eating enough to meet your energy needs. Are sending your brain scarcity signals by not eating enough, or perhaps not often enough? That’s an easy fix.

Next, you can try manipulating your macros. One of the advantages of low-carb, high-fat (LCHF) diets over low-fat, high-carb (LFHC) diets is that appetite is managed much better on LCHF.²⁷ Protein is also quite satiating, likely due to the actions of hormones like ghrelin and PYY.²⁸ If you go very low-carb, you might experience the appetite suppressing effects of ketosis as well.

Check in with your stress levels and sleep habits. Too much of the former and not enough of the latter can drive up appetite.

If none of those is the answer, it might be time to make an appointment with an endocrinologist or functional medicine practitioner who can help you dig deeper.

Hunger isn’t something to be avoided, though. Hunger and satiety are normal physiological signals. Their job is to keep us alive and thriving. Rather than trying to manipulate or hack hunger, it’s useful to understand where it comes from so that we can respond appropriately and have the energy we need to be active and healthy.

The post Hunger and Satiety Hormones appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

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

So you want to know, “How much water should I drink a day?”

The short answer: drink enough to not be thirsty (maybe slightly more).

The long answer: read this guide for that!

Proper water consumption is a must for health and fitness, which is why we discuss it with every single member of our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program. We even assign them fun missions to make sure they’re adequately hydrated.

Are you drinking enough water? Let our coaches help you decide!

Here’s what we’ll cover to answer the question, “How much water do you really need?”

• Should you drink 8 glasses of water a day? (The controversy)
• How much water a day do you really need? (Follow your thirst)
• How to drink more water (Tips from a NF Coach)
• Can you lose fat by drinking lots of water? (Weight loss and water intake)
• Can I be overhydrated? (Too much of a good thing)
• Are sports drinks more hydrating than water? (Water, sugar, salt, and you)
• Does coffee dehydrate you? (Caffeine as a diuretic)
• A note on bottled water (Invest in a water filter)
• Staying properly hydrated (Next steps)

Pour yourself a glass of water (duh), then let’s do this thing!

Should You Drink 8 Glasses of Water a Day? (The Controversy)

First and foremost, yes you need water.

Boom. Article done. I’m going on break.

I kid, I kid.

Water is good for you; a significant portion of your body is composed of water, and when you lose fluids through sweat, exertion, bodily functions, etc, consuming water can help you replenish fluids.

HOWEVER…

The whole “8 glasses of water a day” thing is not law. 

In fact, there’s no real proof of this being a proper amount at all.^[1]

As we’ve told you before (the perfect workout, the perfect diet), we are all unique snowflakes, and we all require different amounts of water!  

Somebody that exercises with regularity and goes on a lot of long runs will require more water than somebody who exercises less regularly. 

There’s no exact amount of water that works for each person.

So where did this magical “8 glasses of water a day” number initially come from?  

Nobody really knows.  

According to Snopes^[2]:

Back in 1945 the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council stated that adults should take in about 2.5 liters of water per day (which is roughly the equivalent of eight glasses of water), but it also noted most of that intake level was already satisfied through the consumption of food without the need for the additional drinking of water.

That’s right, you get a SIGNIFICANT amount of water from the food you are consuming. A huge percentage of our body is water, a huge percentage of the planet is water…why wouldn’t a huge percentage of our food be water too?

So, yes. Consuming water is important. 

But the 8 glasses a day case doesn’t hold water (ha!), as we get a significant portion of our daily H2O from the food we consume.  Things like fruits and vegetables (and even meat) are composed of a tremendous amount of water, all of which counts towards our ‘hydration quotient’ for the day.

Do you know what else counts? 

EVERY OTHER BEVERAGE WE DRINK!

Things like tea, coffee, even dreaded sugary beverages, milk, and juices, and even alcoholic beverages. ^[3] 

How Much Water a Day Do You Really Need? (Follow Your Thirst)

So you now know you don’t need to always drink 8 glasses of water.

It could be less and it could be more. 

So how much exactly do you need?

Honestly? Drink when you are thirsty. 

That’s it. I’m going on vacation!

Kidding again. 

Seriously though, your thirst is a pretty damn good indicator of when you should consume more water. Do you think dogs and cats and elephants worry about hydration levels?  

Nope – they simply consume water when their body tells them that they are thirsty.

As nerds, we tend to overthink, overanalyze, and drive ourselves crazy with too much info.

Now, if you happen to be one of those people that needs MORE advice than that, check your urine color.

Weird, I know.

This chart provides a great test for the proper shade of urine: 

• You want to aim (not literally) for the first three categories from the top, or “lemonade” color.  
• If your pee is starting to resemble Lemon Lime Gatorade (4th category down), you’re dehydrated. From here, the darker and browner the color, the more dehydrated you are. 
• If your pee comes out a different color altogether, I would probably seek medical attention immediately. You’re welcome 🙂

What if your pee doesn’t have ANY color to it? You might actually be “overhydrated,” which we talk about in this section.

So what are the telltale signs that something is wrong, that you are dehydrated?

According to the National Institute of Health,^[4] your primary signs of dehydration are:

• A feeling of thirst (duh)
• Dry or sticky mouth
• Low or no urine output; urine looks dark yellow
• Sunken eyes
• Lethargy

If you are feeling one or some of these symptoms, you may be dehydrated. We want to take this seriously, because SEVERE dehydration can be terrible for your health, even resulting in a coma.

Not good. So drink water whenever you get thirsty.

There’s a myth running around that says “if you are feeling thirsty, it’s too late and you’re already dehydrated.”

This is also not true.^[5] If you are feeling the signs of dehydration, consuming some water can get you right back on track.

If you are regularly dehydrated, let’s discuss a quick hack to make sure you’re consistently hydrated.

How to Drink More Water

The above video comes from our Daily Win series as part of Nerd Fitness Prime. 

The series is based on quick actions you can take (5 minutes or less) to help you build healthy habits.

In this video Coach Lauren walks you through a quick hack if you find yourself constantly dehydrated during the day: drink a glass of water first thing in the morning!

That way you can start off properly hydrated before the chaos of the day takes over:

It can also help you wake up to seize the day!

Here are some more tips for drinking plenty of water:

• Fill up a water bottle before bed, leave it in plain sight, and drink it first thing in the morning.
• If you don’t like the taste of water, you can try adding some cucumber slices and mint leaves to your overnight bottle. Your morning water will soak up the flavor!
• If cucumbers or mint ain’t your thing, you could also try some frozen berries or some cut-up lemon.

We’ve heard from many of our coaching clients that water first thing in the AM helps them feel more energized throughout their day.

Next, I want to address a question we get quite often from our readers. 

Can You Lose Fat by Drinking Lots of Water? (Weight Loss and Water Intake)

It’s common advice to drink lots of water for weight loss. 

Is it legit? 

Is there any evidence that drinking plenty of water can help one lose weight?

Eh, there’s a little!

One study conducted had two groups go on the same diet, the only difference being one group had 500 ml of water (about 17 ounces) 30 minutes before breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

The result?^[6]

• The Water Group: lost about 4.4% body fat
•  The Non-Mandated Water Group: lost about 1.1% body fat

This isn’t a TREMENDOUS difference, but it is interesting!

What might be going on? 

Here are two reasons why drinking plenty of water might help with weight loss:

• You’re full. Drinking water takes up room in your stomach. There is less room now for food, but also other water like drinks (which may have sugar and hidden calories in it, like fruit juice). 
• Water consumption may slightly raise your metabolism. I’m not talking a crazy impact here, but one study found your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate or how many calories you burn at rest) is raised by 24% for 60 minutes after drinking 500 ml (17 oz).^[7]

Let’s provide some context here. 

As we address in our guide “Why Can’t I Lose Weight?”, our bodies obey the Laws of Conservation of Energy and Thermodynamics: 

To lose weight, we need to burn more calories than we consume regularly. 

The two factors above might lower your “calories in” and raise your “calories out” respectively (a concept we discuss in our Guide to The CICO Diet). This may help someone get in shape. 

However, I wouldn’t bet the farm (note to self: buy a farm) on solely drinking water for weight loss. When we highlighted the study above on water consumption and weight loss, it’s important to remember that the two groups were both on a calorically restricted diet. It’s not like strategically drinking water alone made people lose weight. 

If you are on a weight loss journey, and wondering what might help, I have two resources for you to check out:

• How to Lose Weight Without Dieting (The 5 Rules of Weight Loss): you’ve probably been on a diet before. You might even be on a diet right now. We discuss why they generally don’t work (temporary changes create temporary results) and provide a less conventional but more permanent solution (tiny changes for the win).
• Our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program: many of our clients spent years yo-yoing their weight, going from one diet to another. It’s only when working with one of our coaches that they were able to achieve sustainable weight loss. 

Want to lose weight without hating life? Learn how we can help!

I now hear you saying: 

“Okay Steve, I got it. I don’t want to be dehydrated, and drinking water before meals may make me feel full. Why don’t I just start pounding water all day long?”

Great question, my dear friend.   

Can I Be Overhydrated? (Too Much of a Good Thing)

While being properly hydrated is good, it doesn’t mean chugging a gallon of water during your gym session is a good idea either. 

If not, then why is this so common to see?

From Outdoors^[8]:

A single individual working for the U.S. military decided that water was a tactical weapon. 

That if the military could be encouraged to drink more during maneuvers, they’d have less heatstroke and less illness and they’d be more productive and could be better soldiers. It was purely his idea. It had no scientific basis at all. 

Two years later he published a paper supposedly saying that if the US soldiers drank 1.9 liters per hour [64 ounces] when they were exercising in the heat they would perform much better. There was utterly no concrete evidence that that was true. 

The problem was, his advice was embraced by the U.S. Military. They changed their drinking guidelines to say that you should now drink 1.9 liters per hour. The same people who drew up those guidelines were then invited by the American College of Sports Medicine to get involved with drawing up guidelines for runners.

In 1996, that culminated with the new American guidelines,^[9] which said that you must drink as much as tolerable during exercise, up to 40 ounces per hour. 

That became the mantra—that you had to drink before you became thirsty, and as much as possible during exercise. It was after that the problems of hyponatremia really become problematic around the world.

Combine this with the sports beverage industry (which I’ll skewer in a minute) and the bottled water industry (one of the best scams going, which I’ll get to as well), and you have a marketing engine that won’t slow down:

“Drink before you’re thirsty or it’s too late.”  

“Running a marathon?  It’s better to over hydrate then not drink enough!” 

“Better safe than sorry!”

Actually, you CAN overhydrate, and it can be dangerous – it’s called hyponatremia, it’s an electrolyte imbalance from too much water consumed, and it’s bad news bears.^[10]

Want to know the people who suffer from hyponatremia the most?

Marathon and ultra-runners.

Dr. Timothy Noakes, the author of Waterlogged, explains that the overconsumption of water can lead to our body developing a severe imbalance of sodium in our system, which can lead to a litany of side effects, even death.^[11]

What Noaks discoveredof people who have dealt with cases of exercise-induced hyponatremia:

“What I’ve found is that all of these people were probably drinking 1.2 liters per hour [40 ounces]. They continue to drink like that for four or five hours. Now, normally, if you’re drinking at that rate, you simply pass it out as urine. 

A person who is overdrinking will start passing urine so frequently that they’ll realize, this is stupid. I’m going to stop drinking.

But what happens in hyponatremia is that, for some reason, the brain interprets that the person is dehydrated and secretes the antidiuretic hormone. As a consequence, that prevents all urine production. 

Although they are sweating, they may be sweating at a rate of 20 ounces per hour, but they are drinking at a rate of 40 ounces per hour. Every hour they are accumulating 20 ounces. You can do that for a couple of hours, but once you’ve accumulated about 60 to 80 ounces of water in your body, all of your tissues become bloated, and the organ that becomes most affected is the brain.

The brain swells, and because it is in a rigid skull, it cannot swell very much. The more it swells, the more pressure, and that eventually squeezes the arteries supplying blood to the brain. Ultimately, there is less oxygen getting to the brain, and certain parts become damaged.“

Not good. 

One 2002 study found that 13% of Boston Marathon runners experienced hyponatremia. While many experience hyponatremia without being in immediate danger, it certainly isn’t healthy.^[12]

So, how do you combat this? 

Drink when you are thirsty!  

LISTEN TO YOUR BODY!

Time to answer your next question: “If drinking too much water causes an issue with sodium imbalances, what about sports drinks? They have electrolytes and sodium in them!”

Allow me!

Are Sports Drinks More Hydrating Than Water? (Water, Sugar, Salt, and You)

Michael Jordan is famously seen drinking Gatorade during his flu game in 96, which tells us that without Gatorade he wouldn’t have been able to play:

Little do they tell you that Michael also had another secret weapon at his disposal that helped him play up to snuff in that game: apple sauce!

So why is that famous commercial all about Gatorade and not about apple sauce? 

One word, and it rhymes with “honey.”

There’s wayyyy more money in the sports beverage industry, and they can sell on the term “replenish electrolytes” which is actually way simpler to do than they make it out to be.

We’re promised that without the careful combination of electrolytes and ingredients in Gatorade, we’re going to get dehydrated when exercising and suffer.

Here’s what happens: When you sweat, you lose fluids and electrolytes, especially sodium and chloride (which is why your sweat tastes salty…stop tasting your sweat). Now, when you’re lacking fluids and electrolytes, your muscles and performance can suffer.

So that’s where Gatorade ALLEGEDLY will solve all of your problems.

Here’s the truth: unless you are exercising for hours and hours and hours, your electrolyte imbalance will not cause a drop in performance.  If you are exercising for an hour or less, some sips of water to quench your thirst is more than enough. 

If you are exercising for hours upon hours, then additional products may help.

In these instances, Gatorade could help potentially, but there’s nothing in Gatorade that’s magic. It’s sugar, water, sodium, potassium, and then some artificial and natural flavoring to make it taste and look the way it does.

Want the benefits of Gatorade while on your marathon run without having to buy Gatorade? Make your own!

As Al Kavado talks about here, try mixing water, honey, salt, and/or lemon juice. Try different combos (mixing in some OJ or using coconut water!)

And just like that, you have your sodium, some sugars, and rehydration. No fancy marketing required.

THE WORST THING YOU CAN DO?  

Do some boring cardio for 20 minutes (which burns a minimal number of calories), and then chug a 32 oz Gatorade (200 calories and 50+ grams of sugar!) and think you’re healthier. 

Negatory!

Water works just fine for 98% of the activities you will ever do.

Does Coffee Dehydrate You? (Caffeine as a Diuretic)

Time to put the myth-busting cap back on: You’ve probably been told that drinking caffeinated beverages will dehydrate you.

That by consuming caffeinated beverages, you’re actually expelling more water than you are consuming.

This is another one of those bits of conventional wisdom that gets blown out of proportion.

Yes, caffeine is a mild diuretic. However, our bodies are pretty darn smart, and because all drinks are composed almost entirely of water, it more than makes up for the effects.

As pointed out here in this study:^[13]

Ingestion of caffeine in large doses (at least 250-300 mg, equivalent to the amount found in 2-3 cups of coffee or 5-8 cups of tea) results in a short-term stimulation of urine output in individuals who have been deprived of caffeine for a period of days or weeks. 

A profound tolerance to the diuretic and other effects of caffeine develops, however, and the actions are much diminished in individuals who regularly consume tea or coffee. 

Doses of caffeine equivalent to the amount normally found in standard servings of tea, coffee and carbonated soft drinks appear to have no diuretic action.

So coffee can actually help you stay hydrated.

What about alcohol? 

Same thing.

Alcohol has diuretic properties, but only causes dehydration when consumed at beyond normal levels. (Here’s our Guide to Drinking, which covers our thoughts on being a healthy nerd that can still enjoy an occasional cocktail.)

What ALLLLL OF THIS MEANS: 

• Drink when you are thirsty. 
• All liquids you consume count towards hydration, and only in cases of overconsumption can they negatively affect your hydration.

A Note on Bottled Water (Invest in a Water Filter)

In 2019, total U.S. bottled water consumption increased to 14.4 billion gallons, up from 9.1 billion gallons in 2011.^[14]

• Every person in America drank an average of 43.7 gallons of bottled water last year.  
• Bottled water sales increased by 3.6 percent in 2019, and now total $34.6 billion.

Only in America can an industry selling tap water in a plastic bottle become an absolutely juggernaut, as Lewis Black so eloquently points out (NSFW Language):

It is very likely that your local tap water is fine! Check your local government for more information, but if you live in the United States, chances are your tap water is equal or better to the bottled stuff! Heck Coca-Cola knows this, as their Dasani Brand is ultimately filtered tap water.^[15]

Want that bottle of Fiji water because it’s clean and pure and provides you with magical abilities like a waterbender?

There is less arsenic in Cleveland Tap water than Fiji water!^[16] Much less expensive too 🙂

If you don’t like the taste of, or are concerned about your local tap water, try a Brita filter or something equivalent. Stop going through hundreds of plastic bottles of water every year, and drink the water you already have available to you.

Yes, if the choice is between no beverage, a Coke, or a bottle of water, go with the bottled water!

Just don’t go out of your way to buy water from the polar ice caps, Hoth glaciers, or the Swiss Alps because you think it’s going to be healthier for you, provide you with more of a benefit than regular water.  

That’s all hype, sucka!

Staying Properly Hydrated (Next Steps)

There you have it, the long answer on how much water you should drink. 

Water keeps your body functioning properly. Consume it when you feel the need and your thirst will be quenched, your body will stay regulated, and you will live to see tomorrow.

On top of that, consuming water before a meal can help you feel fuller and thus prevent you from overeating. 

If this works for you, keep doing what you’re doing!

Water should definitely be consumed when you are thirsty!  

But the importance of water has been overblown, and you don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars each year on fancy bottled water from glaciers.

Here’s how often you should drink H2O::

• Chill out about water, don’t overthink it.
• Drink when you feel thirsty.
• If your pee is a darker color than normal, drink more water.
• Don’t stress about drinking water neurotically throughout the day.
• Don’t bother with sports drinks unless your exercise is intense, over several hours, or in very hot conditions.

I think that about does it for today’s guide.

If you’d like to join our community, I have three ways for you to continue your journey with Nerd Fitness:

#1) Our 1-on-1 Online Coaching Program: a coaching program for busy people to help them make better food choices, stay accountable, and get healthier, permanently.

You can schedule a free call with our team so we can get to know you and see if our coaching program is right for you. Just click on the image below for more details:

#2) Liked the video we showed in today’s guide? Want to watch more like them live and get your questions answered? Join Nerd Fitness Prime!

Nerd Fitness Prime is our premium membership program that contains live-streamed workouts with NF Coaches, a supportive online community, group challenges like drinking more water, and much more! 

Learn more about Nerd Fitness Prime!

#3) Join The Rebellion! We have a free email newsletter that we send out twice per week, full of tips and tricks to help you get healthy, get strong, and have fun doing so. 

I’ll also send you tons of free guides that you can use to start leveling up your life too:

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• Follow our 10-level nutrition system at your own pace
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Have any more questions for me?  What else do you need to know about water?

Let’s hear it.

-Steve

PS: We walk about how water fits into a proper diet in our Guide to Healthy Eating. Check it out if you’re just embarking on leveling up your nutrition game.

###

photo source: Han Shot First: Aquaman, jDevaun: Gatorade, RLhyde: Glass,, philografy: bottled water, 27147: coffee cup,, Adventures With My Dogs: Waterfall, Urine Color, 1upLego: Lego Dawn of Justice Aquaman, Kristina Alexanderson: Maybe the droids we’re looking for are at the bottom of the pool, Jeanne Menjoulet: building in a glass of water, Lisa Zins: The Facuet, az: d-136 I’m not just going too far, I’ve arrived, 

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Avocados and avocado oil had a slow road to popularity, starting with a rebranding of sorts. There’s a bit of an internet debate around the origin of the word avocado. Some reports say that it came from the word ahuacatl, which is Aztec slang for testicle. As the fruit became more popular, that association wasn’t great for marketing, so farmers changed the name to “avocado” and even petitioned dictionary publishers to update the entry. ¹ Good move on their part, because “avocado toast” sounds much more appetizing than … the other thing.

Is Avocado Oil Good For You?

Back in the ‘80s when low-fat diets were lauded as the sure path to losing weight, people shunned avocados because of their fat content. About a decade and a half later when word got out that different fats do different things in the body, avocados were regarded as a welcome addition again because of their monounsaturated fat content. With the growth of the Primal and keto movements, people now embrace these fats, and avocados are regarded as a beneficial food that fits into a healthy lifestyle.

Stay on track no matter where you are! Instantly download your Primal and Keto Guide to Eating Out

Avocado Oil Benefits for Skin

With naturally-occurring nutrients and a range of fatty acids, it’s no wonder that the skin loves avocado oil. As demand for natural products rises, avocado oil becomes a more and more common ingredient in skincare products from moisturizing creams to facial oils and treatments.

There’s not a tremendous amount of research on avocado oil benefits for skin, but a few studies show its potential as a worthy skin ingredient:

• Rats that were fed avocado oil for a period of time showed increased collagen in skin. ²
• A skin cream containing avocado oil combined with a few other oils showed antimicrobial effects, specifically against Staphylococcus pseudintermedius and Malassezia pachydermatis ³
• Avocado oil seemed to increase increased collagen production and reduced inflammation during wound healing ⁴
• Avocado oil is being explored as a treatment for psoriasis ⁵

If you would like to experiment, try it as a base in a DIY facial. Fill a small bottle with three tablespoons of avocado oil and one tablespoon of a lightweight oil, like MCT oil. Add one drop of essential oil like frankincense or rose. Shake to combine, and apply one drop at a time to your skin. (Always patch test new products before using them all over.)

Avocado Oil Nutrition

One tablespoon of Primal Kitchen® Avocado Oil contains 120 calories and 14g fat. It is not a significant source of sodium, carbohydrates, or protein.

Fatty Acid Composition of Avocado Oil

One of the main avocado oil benefits is its fatty acid composition. Most brands of pure avocado oil has approximately:

• 11% saturated fat
• 13% polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA)
• Over 70% monounsaturated fat (MUFA)

Saturated and monounsaturated fats are stable fats that your body can use; polyunsaturated fats tend to oxidize easily.⁶

Avocado Oil vs Olive Oil

Monounsaturated fat

Avocado oil and olive oil are both high in oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat, which is the compound that research has shown may help reduce blood pressure, ^{7 8} may benefit the immune system,⁹ and is potentially blood-lipid friendly. ¹⁰

Antioxidant Content

Both avocado oil and olive oil contain a range of antioxidants. High-quality, extra-virgin avocado oil contains lutein,¹¹ a carotenoid that may benefit eye and skin health.¹² Olive oil contains vitamin E, beta carotene, lutein, and others that have a range of benefits. ¹³ The benefits of lutein depend on how much lutein is actually in the avocado oil, which varies depending on lots of factors – the quality of the avocado, processing methods, etc.

Smoke Point

Both olive oil and avocado oil make incredible salad and finishing oils when used straight from the bottle. The difference comes in once you heat the oils. Avocado oil begins to burn just over 500 degrees Fahrenheit, whereas extra virgin olive oil can only withstand temperatures just over 400 degrees Fahrenheit. As long as you use both oils appropriately, you can reap the benefits of either.

Avocado Oil: Regular or Extra Virgin?

There are a few key differences between avocado and extra virgin avocado oil.

Taste

Avocado oil has a neutral taste. Extra virgin avocado oil tastes rich, buttery, and can have earthy or mushroom-like undertones.

Smoke Point

Avocado and extra virgin avocado oil both have similarly high smoke points, though avocado oil’s smoke point is slightly higher than its extra virgin counterpart. Both work well for cooking, baking, frying, grilling, and more.

Uses

Since avocado oil has a neutral taste, it works well in most recipes as a cooking oil. Extra virgin avocado oil works for cooking, but its rich flavor is best showcased as a finishing oil or alongside a few simple ingredients for a quick-toss salad dressing.

Avocado oil uses

Cooking

You can use avocado oil in place of any neutral-tasting culinary oil. Cooking applications include:

• Sautéeing
• Pan-frying
• Stir-frying
• Baking
• Roasting
• Searing
• Greasing pans before baking and grill grates before grilling

You can also use avocado oil uncooked, for example in homemade salad dressings or drizzled as a finishing oil. The rich, buttery flavor of extra virgin avocado oil suits these applications well.

Avocado Oil Smoke Point

As research emerged about the dangers of oxidized oils, people started to pay attention to which oils could be heated, and how hot they could get without degrading. A lot of healthy fats are delicate and oxidize quickly. Some oils should not be heated at all.

Avocado oil is unique in that it contains predominantly monounsaturated fats that can be heated over 500 degrees Fahrenheit. That makes it an ideal oil for the stovetop, as frying and sautéeing can exceed the smoke points of a lot of other oils.

Frying

Because avocado oil can be heated to such a high temperature without damage, it makes a fantastic frying oil. As long as the temperature doesn’t exceed 520 degrees, you’re good to go.

Avocado Oil for Hair

Some people use avocado oil as they would any other hair oil or pomade, to combat frizz and tame flyaways, creating smoother, more manageable hair. Everyone’s hair is different, so it’s best to give it a try when you have time to wash it out and restyle if it doesn’t work with your hair type.

Avocados naturally contain biotin. Since biotin deficiency is associated with hair thinning, people have done avocado oil-based scalp treatments to help stimulate hair growth. This hasn’t been researched, but try it if you want to, and monitor your hair for changes. Others combine it with other ingredients, such as coconut oil or shea butter, and use it as a moisturizing hair mask or hot oil treatment. There’s no measurable amount of biotin in avocado oil, so if people are seeing an effect with these hair masks, it’s probably more due to the skin-happy effects of the fatty acids.

How to Choose the Right Avocado Oil

A lot of avocado oil on the shelves may be either rancid (heavily oxidized), or adulterated (cut with cheaper, less desirable oils like soybean). It’s up to the consumer to do their homework and find a trustworthy brand so that you know the oil inside the bottle matches what it says on the outside of the bottle.

From tree to bottle: the Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil process

What to Look For

To ensure your avocado oil is high quality, look for these attributes:

• Minimally heated. Excessive heat destroys the beneficial compounds in avocado oil, which opens up the opportunity for oxidation. That could turn a healthy oil into one that may potentially cause harm.
• Non-GMO. Depending on how it’s done, genetically modified avocados could shift the balance of fatty acids and nutrients in the final product.
• Mechanically extracted. Centrifuge is the best way to extract avocado oil as temperatures can be kept low and there is no need for solvents.
• Extraction without solvents. You want to avoid solvents like hexane, which are removed at the end of extraction, but many solvent-extracted oils have traces of hexane left behind. You probably don’t want to eat chemical solvents.
• Extra virgin, if you want to add richness. Extra virgin avocado oil is extra rich with a subtle earthy flavor that adds something special to salads or steamed vegetables.

Shop Primal Kitchen® Avocado Oil 

Signs Your Avocado Oil Might Be Off

• Aroma. Rancid oil takes on a faint smell of plastic or paint thinner. Virgin avocado oil can smell grassy or earthy, which is a good thing.
• Smoking. If avocado oil smokes in a pan under 520 degrees Fahrenheit, it may not be pure. Avocado oil can withstand pan frying on medium-high heat.
• Color. Avocado oil should range from pale yellow to green, depending on region and processing.
• Date. Buy avocado oil that you can use up before the expiration date printed on the bottle.

Don’t hesitate to contact avocado oil producers and inquire about their processes.

How to Buy and Store Avocado Oil

Again, check the expiration date before you buy, and make sure you’ll use it well within that time frame. Look for avocado oil in dark glass containers, as light will degrade the oil more quickly. You can store avocado oil in a dark cabinet or pantry, away from direct sunlight and heat.

The post Is Avocado Oil Good for You? Benefits for Hair, Skin, Cooking, and More appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.