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Absorbed into the screen of your computer, you sit in silence and watch the flawless execution of a rep. The seemingly effortless move from start to finish has your mind searching for answers.

Like a voyeur, you keep scrolling through the wonder world of the Internet. All you see is perfection at every level, the elite work of the full-time athlete. Suddenly, you are no longer comparing your one rep max with the other guys in the gym, but with a female Russian lifter who is half your weight. The waistband of your shorts snaps back into place as you check your manhood, feeling the shrivel of defeat.

But performance at the elite level is built from a foundation of simplicity and consistency. The comparison between you and the young female is actually an insult to her dedication to succeed. Before you get all elite, understand you need to dial back to the fundamentals that exist in and outside the gym.

Performance at the elite level is built from a foundation of simplicity and consistency.

1. Earn the Right to Progress

Training is a lifetime pursuit. The mistake many athletes make is a lack of appreciation that every exercise stems from a certain base level of movement. Sliding your feet and catching the bar deep into a snatch comes from hours spent in a deep overhead squat. From practicing with a wooden pole when your whole body is screaming at you to skip onto the bar like your hero.

“Training is more than just a physical presence. It’s a mental practice of improving every aspect of your time spent in the gym.”

Regardless of the sport or skill required, a simple question must be answered. Where are you right now in that skill continuum? You have to be honest and find your own starting point and then progress incrementally.

What you have then is information you can implement into your own training plan. You adapt to the training response of your own body and don’t break down your body with the volume only a well-drilled machine of an athlete could handle.

2. Move With a Purpose to Improve

You don’t have the luxury of filling your day with all the nuances of training. So, let’s be honest for a second. Is that latest animal crawling pattern you see everyone doing benefiting that troubled ankle you always complain about when you struggle in the squat?

“Is that latest animal crawling pattern you see everyone doing benefitting that troubled ankle you always complain about when you struggle in the squat?”

From the moment you walk into the gym, have a definite purpose. Training is more than just a physical presence. It’s a mental practice of improving every aspect of your time spent in the gym.

Working on purposeful movement with Dmitry Klokov.

Does your movement prep deal with mobility issues? Is that core drill complementing a compound lift? Do you get lost in another world in your rest periods scrolling down your phone or do you focus on breathing drills to recover more quickly? The choice is yours.

3. Find Radiators, Not Drains

Life will expose you to two different types of people. On one side, that person who always has a problem, continually complaining. The type of person who drains the life from one person to the next with their negativity.

“Your training space should be filled with a community of radiators, who take not only training but your everyday life to the next level.”

Then you meet the boom of energy that radiates beyond a smile from another athlete in the last few seconds of a skin-tearing set of kettlebell snatches. This person is awesome to be around, and out of the two, will be the one who keeps you in the zone.

In a healthy and productive training environment, you leave life’s little mishaps at the door. Your training space should be filled with a community of radiators, who take not only training but your everyday life to the next level.

Radiating energy after 715km in a boat with friends.

4. Find the Right Coach

At some point you are going to have to make decisions for yourself. Once you step into the ring, onto the field of play, or onto the lonely platform, you are the one in control. This is not simply applied from reading a book. It’s an immersion into your training and sport with a coach who slowly leads you to asking your own questions.

“If you want to achieve more than you currently think is possible, then find a coach, preferably through a recommendation. Listen, and above all trust his or her process.”

Spending two weeks with 2004 Russian Olympic Gold medallist, Dmitry Berestov, endlessly asking him questions and watching the interaction between coach and athlete left me in no doubt. To quote Berestov himself, “The best athletes have been coached to think, not depend.”

If you want to achieve more than you currently think is possible, then find a coach, preferably through a recommendation. Listen, and above all trust his or her process.

Me with Olympic Gold medallist Dmitry Berestov.

5. Get a Life

You are more than just a six-pack or a good set of glutes. You are a living example of what you do outside the gym walls. Two hours of training will not undo a missed meal, endless nights of poor quality sleep, or a work-life balance that is stressing you more than the thought of a 2km rowing time trial when you are just over five feet tall (or is that just me?).

“Remember that there is such a thing as living, especially when your training isn’t a matter of life, death, or getting a medal.”

Joking aside, the build-up of all the little stresses will have a huge impact as you apply the pressure of volume and intensity in your training time. Something will give and it’s normally a body part. Remember that there is such a thing as living, especially when your training isn’t a matter of life, death, or getting a medal.

Conclusion

It’s easy to get stuck in the details of programming and the OCD-like sexiness of the numbers, percentages, tempos, and rep ranges that are shared all over the Internet. Realize there is more to being elite than time spent in the gym.

More Like This:

• Forget the Elite and Train Your Actual Clients
• Specialization Is for Insects: Why Mediocrity Beats the Elite
• Is Your Training Taking You Closer to Your Goals?
• New on Breaking Muscle Today

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Maybe I should have entitled this article, The Best Normally-Engaged in Calorie-burning Activities Per Unit of Time. After all, you could burn many calories by insanely walking up and down flights of stairs all day until you eventually collapse at some point. That would not be a practical and safe option, though.

You could also perform a combination of ground-based bodyweight-only exercises, running, and chin ups for hours upon hours until you literally exhaust your energy supplies. But who has the time for that? Not many, and it’s not recommended unless you’re a psychotic fanatic and financially able to devote valuable time to it.

This discussion is centered upon the simple calorie in versus calories out reality, pragmatic exercise selection, and sensible eating.

Articles for Nutrition and Fat Loss

Regarding sensible eating, there is already a plethora of great information that can help you shore up your diet. It takes discipline, but you can do it if you truly want to make changes. Take a look at these fine articles:

• Carbohydrates: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
• The Story of the Endomorph: How to Work With What You Have
• Death By Food Pyramid: When Science Is Not What It Seems

Come With a Realistic Game Plan

Assuming you can shore up your food intake, here are some realistic exercise options using traditional modes and regimens. They are all based on a manageable time of thirty minutes per session – a length you can surely find time for if you’re serious about making changes. If you’re not serious, then quit reading this.

“[U]nderstand that the higher effort required per unit of time, the greater the calories burned. This has huge implications for either your weight gain or weight loss goals.”

On that note, why you are reading this?

• Are you seeking an exercise activity that will counter your poor calorie intake?
• Are you seeking an activity to kick start your magazine-popular exercise program that has not been working?
• Are you interested in what you need to do if you finally cross the line and engage in a sensible exercise program combined with reasonable food intake?
• Are you seeking effective options to augment your currently result-producing regimen to take it to the next level?

Before moving forward, know these facts:

• In general, consuming more calories than you expend will result in additional body fat storage, all other factors being equal. If you exercise and burn X number of calories, but then consume greater than X calories plus your daily basal metabolic calorie need, then you’ll most likely store more body fat. Stop it.
• If you follow a high-carbohydrate diet, but consume fewer calories in terms of protein and fat, your body might be compromised when it comes to optimal muscle mass development. You may be able to exercise longer, but your ability to grow shapely and calorie-dependent muscle may be limited.
• If you follow a high protein and fat diet, and eschew low carb intake, it may limit your energy tank and lessen your immediate ability. You may not possess enough energy to fuel short-term maximum muscle fiber-recruiting efforts. This can in turn limit optimal muscle fiber stimulation and potential forthcoming growth stimulation. Read: you may minimize muscle bulk gains.
• Growing and possessing an optimal muscle mass percentage (male and female) may allow you to avoid excessive body fat storage, provided your total calorie intake does not exceed your total calorie expenditure. However, your high-intensity exercise efforts may decline due to a lack of immediate glycogen (carbs) stores relative to your sport or energy demands. Bottom line: you’ll run out of high-intensity training fuel earlier.

Who wins here? The low-carb/high fat and protein intake group or the higher carb/normal intake of protein and fat group? There is no simple answer due to a variety of dependent variables. But whatever option you select, your existing scale weight and body composition assessment do offer marking points for further experimentation.

If you don’t know this by now, know it. Exercise, in general, does not burn a huge amount of stored body fat during the activity. Likewise, engaging in maximal calorie-burning activities does not tap into stored (fat) calories during training session, but may post-training – provided it’s combined with a lower calorie intake. It is not huge, but it contributes.

Calories Burned During Common Workouts

Knowing you will either gain or lose scale weight depending on your energy expenditure (exercise) and total calorie intake (food consumption), understand what follows. These are some realistic calorie-burning options that could help you provided you heed the aforementioned.

In rank order, what follows are effective (or ineffective) calorie-burning activities based on 30 minutes of activity for a thirty-year-old 190 pound/86 kilogram male and thirty-year-old 125 pound/57 kilogram female. The goal would be total estimated calorie burning independent of specific muscle-building workouts (hint, hint).

“Engaging in maximal calorie-burning activities does not tap into stored (fat) calories during training session, but may post-training – provided it’s combined with a lower calorie intake.“

Here are the activities, listed from greater to lesser average calorie usage:

Interval training on a Versa Climber @ 1:00 hard/:30 easy

• Male = 617 calories
• Female = 389 calories
• Note: If you have used the VersaClimber, you know it’s a love/hate relationship. It’s similar to having a sack full of twenty-dollar bills being used as kindling for cooking a delicious T-bone steak over a fire. Yeah! Ugh.

Stationary cycle – all-out effort

• Male = 451 calories
• Female = 285 calories

Resistance circuit strength training @ :45 of work and:20 rest

• Male = 371 calories
• Female = 234 calories

Bodyweight exercise circuit

• Male = 370 calories
• Female = 229 calories
• Note: This is as many rounds possible in thirty minutes of 10 reps each of push ups, pull ups (or max), air squats, and jumping jacks, with minimal rest between exercises and rounds.

Running at 12:00 per mile pace

• Male = 365 calories
• Female = 222 calories

Boot camp class – various exercises and funky dance moves

• Male = 357 calories
• Female = 220 calories

Treadmill walking @5.0 miles per hour

• Male = 308 calories
• Female = 211 calories

Traditional strength training

• Male = 217 calories
• Female = 137 calories
• Note: Done with a 3:00 rest between sets, but all-out on each set performed

Pilates

• Male = 158 calories
• Female = 100 calories

Yoga

• Male = 113 calories
• Female = 71 calories

Learn What Works for You

Much information and potential confusion exits out there, so read and know the facts above. If you engage in more (45 minutes) or less (20 minutes) exercise, then adjust accordingly. But understand that the higher effort required per unit of time, the greater the calories burned. This has huge implications for either your weight gain or weight loss goals.

“You could also perform a combination of ground-based bodyweight-only exercises … for hours upon hours until you literally exhaust your energy supplies. But who has the time for that?“

To burn maximal calories to promote body fat reduction, train hard and create a calorie-consumption deficit. To grow muscle tissue and concomitantly use that new tissue to burn more calories, use demanding resistance training and couple it with a relative calorie-intake balance.

Educate yourself on the type of calories and how they are metabolized. This would include not only protein, fat, and carbs, but also the type of each, such as:

• Low- versus high-glycemic carbs
• Saturated, poly-unsaturated, unsaturated fats, and trans-fats
• Lean versus fatty proteins

Use this information judiciously and responsively to assist you in your training goals.

Check out these related articles:

• Simple Options for Daily Calorie Burning
• Why Steady State Cardio for Fat Loss Is a Bad Decision
• The Fat Loss “Secret” – You’re Just Not Working Hard Enough
• What’s New On Breaking Muscle UK Today

Photos 1, 3, and 4 courtesy of Shutterstock.

Photo 2 courtesy of CrossFit Empirical.

The post What Is The Best Way to Burn Calories In 30 Minutes? appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

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When your love for a sport is all consuming and you live it and breathe it every day with a passion, it can be easy to forget that not everyone understands what it is about, or even knows about it. That happens to me a lot. Kettlebell sport is ingrained deeply in my life.

When your love for a sport is all consuming and you live it and breathe it every day with a passion, it can be easy to forget that not everyone understands what it is about, or even knows about it. That happens to me a lot. Kettlebell sport is ingrained deeply in my life.

I train for kettlebell sport, I coach my athletes in it, and I write about it. My wife is also a kettlebell lifter and coach. So you can imagine that I can still be taken by surprise when someone tells me they haven’t got a clue about kettlebell sport. But I’m always happy to explain.

Me at a kettlebell sport competition.

Kettlebells: Not Just for Fitness

Most gym goers and trainers have experienced kettlebells. These peculiar looking weights are not the novelty they were ten years ago and now have a place in many training facilities. However, most people only have seen and been taught to use these cannonballs with handles as a fitness tool. Many athletes remain oblivious that they have been used for over sixty years as integral tool of a fully-fledged sport.

“The two main disciplines of the sport are the biathlon (which is comprised of two separate events, the jerk and the snatch) and the long-cycle which is clean and jerk.”

The first official girevoy sport (the original Russian name of the sport) competition was held in 1948 in the old USSR and it developed from there across the 1950s and ‘60s. This advancement came mainly from the military, who had seen how this form of training benefited the troops. In the ‘70s, girevoy sport entered the National Sports Federation as the official ethnic sport of Russia.

It began gaining popularity in Britain around the second half of the 2000s, and after being an underground sport for a few years, now has competitions organised and sanctioned by national bodies such as the Girevoy Sport Union and the Organization of Kettlebell Sport England. In the U.S., the United States Girevoy Sport Federation was founded in 2003.

What Is Kettlebell Sport?

The best way to describe it is “endurance weightlifting.” The two main disciplines of the sport are the biathlon (which is comprised of two separate events, the jerk and the snatch) and the long-cycle which is clean and jerk.

“Training methodologies vary greatly from athlete to athlete and from coach to coach; however, the one principle that does not change is the requirement for supreme efficiency.”

All lifts are carried out for a maximum of ten minutes in which the athletes aim to complete as many quality reps as possible without placing the kettlebell(s) on the ground. Whoever has the highest amount of reps is deemed the winner. In biathlon there must be at least thirty minutes break between the jerk and the snatch.

Men complete the jerk portion of the biathlon and the long-cycle with two kettlebells, while women traditionally use only one kettlebell, although more and more ladies are choosing the two-arm lifts nowadays. The snatch is contested using one kettlebell in both male and female categories. Whenever using one kettlebell, be it in the snatch (for both gender categories), or in the women’s jerk and long-cycle, the athletes are allowed to change hands only once during the set.

The best way to describe kettlebell sport is “endurance weightlifting”.

How Heavy Are Those Things?

Kettlebell weights used in the men’s category usually are 16kg, 20kg, 24kg, 28kg, and 32kgs. Women use 8kg, 12kg, 16kg, 20kg, and 24kg. These are for local events in the UK, and for national events.

The choice of kettlebell weights decreases dramatically at international level. Here lifters are divided into two categories, amateur and professional. Male amateurs use the 24kg kettlebells, while women use the 16kg kettlebell. Professional male athletes compete with the 32kg kettlebells, while the professional women use the 24kg bell.

“All the lifts are performed aiming to use only the exact amount of energy needed and using momentum to the lifter’s advantage during the concentric phase.”

There is normally also a veteran category at international competitions. The weights used can vary depending on the federation under which the meet is being held and also with the lifters age. Normally veteran males use the 24kg and women the 16kg.

At the moment, women’s competition at international level only involves snatch. This may well change soon given the fast-changing landscape of the sport. It is also important to note that athletes compete in bodyweight categories. Men start at 63kg and go up to 95+kg and women begin at 53kg up to 68+kg.

The Preparation of a Kettlebell Sport Athlete

Training methodologies vary greatly from athlete to athlete and from coach to coach; however, the one principle that does not change is the requirement for supreme efficiency.

Without efficient technique it is not possible to achieve the high numbers of repetitions required to be successful in the sport. All the lifts are performed aiming to use only the exact amount of energy needed and using momentum to the lifter’s advantage during the concentric phase. To achieve such efficient technique, the jerk, snatch, and long cycle need to be patiently and consistently drilled.

“The sport requires specific flexibility, muscular strength endurance, power endurance, and a well-developed aerobic capacity, so all of these components should be present in the athletes GPP program in some way.”

The eccentric portion of the lift is reduced to a minimum. This also explains the relatively small amount of hypertrophy seen in kettlebell sport athlete when compared to powerlifters or Olympic weightlifters, despite the vast amount of weight lifted in each session.

In terms of GPP, the needs of each athlete will be different. The sport requires specific flexibility, muscular strength endurance, power endurance, and a well-developed aerobic capacity, so all of these components should be present in the athletes GPP program in some way.

Tips for Getting Started

To anyone interested in competing, I recommend seeking out a reputable coach so you can learn the technical details of the lifts and how to best program training cycles. If you cannot find a coach close to you, then seek a coach who offers online training. Just make sure he or she has a proven record on the platform, either personally or through athletes.

The best way to get involved in kettlebell sport in the United States is to check out the United States Girevoy Sport Federation to find out about when and where competitions are held. A great first step is simply to go and watch a competition, and get a feel for the sport. Good luck, and I’ll see you on the platform.

More Like This:

• Hardstyle, Girevory, or CrossFit? How to Decide Which Kettlebell Style Is Best
• An Introduction to Kettlebell Sport Training Methodologies
• 7 Reasons Kettlebell Sport Is the Everyman (or Everywoman) Sport
• New on Breaking Muscle Today

Photo 1 courtesy of Laurence Clemente.

Photo 2 courtesy of Shutterstock.

The post The Beginner’s Guide to Competing in Kettlebell Sport appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

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Research of the Week

Higher free PUFA in the blood, lower cognitive function.

London’s Black Cabbies have enlarged hippocampuses.

Low protein intakes make nighttime light exposure even more detrimental.

Essential oils show promise for improving mental health.

Those who laugh the most talking to a stranger enjoy the conversation least.

New Primal Kitchen Podcasts

Episode 2: Personalize Your Diet with Microbiome Expert Dr. Tim Spector: Morgan talks to Dr. Tim Spector.

Health Coach Radio: Annie Schuessler thinks that perfectionism doesn’t lead to excellence, but rather to waiting.

Media, Schmedia

I think we can all relate.

FDA putting the clamps on salt intake.

Interesting Blog Posts

Yes, this is true.

Average guy vs 100 mph fastball.

Social Notes

My absolute non-negotiable.

It’s quite simple.

Everything Else

The mysterious Irish sweathouse.

Reminder that America is big.

Things I’m Up to and Interested In

This slipped under the radar: The COVID spike protein bears remarkable resemblance to the human protein hepcidin, which regulates iron metabolism.

Interesting changes coming: Health care workers are quitting in droves.

Common finding: “Finally, the rate of all-cause mortality had started to diverge in favor of placebo after 2 years of follow-up.”

Interesting video: What is fat for?

Wait for it: My guess is this “cholesterol game-changer” will end up increasing mortality.

Question I’m Asking

Would you support a mandate for regular exercise?

Recipe Corner

• Lemongrass pork skewers, Vietnam-style.
• Squash is incredibly nutritious, and this acorn squash with yogurt tahini dressing is incredibly delicious.

Time Capsule

One year ago (Oct 9 – Oct 15)

• Starting Solids: When Can Babies Eat Table Food?— When?
• How to Eat More Organ Meat — How?

Comment of the Week

“I read “Sometimes a Great Notion” in the 70’s, promptly suspended college and worked in the woods for almost 2 years. Got a job with a small outfit in Happy Camp, CA and when they expanded, I worked with them hooking logs to the bottom of helicopters. The experience was transformational. The hard work ethic has kept me thriving all these years.”

-Fiction can be powerful!

The post New and Noteworthy: What I Read This Week—Edition 150 appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

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Hello folks! Seasoned health coach and Primal Health Coach Institute Curriculum Director, Erin Power is back to answer all your questions about sleep, from why you’re waking up in the middle of the night to the best natural ways to improve your sleep cycle. Got more questions? Post them over in our Mark’s Daily Apple Facebook group or down in the comments below.

Jordan asked:
“I’ve been going to bed at 10 p.m. and waking up at 6 a.m. for a few weeks. For some reason, I’ve started waking at 3:15 a.m. and can’t go back to sleep. Any ideas on what’s causing it?”

Almost half of all adults struggle with insomnia¹ to some degree, so, if it’s any consolation, you’re in good company. That being said, it’s not ideal to feel like you’re dragging yourself around all day, coping with sugar-laden snacks or venti-sized cups of coffee.

One of two nights of suboptimal sleep are manageable. But when it’s a nightly occurrence? It’s time to dig a little deeper.

What Waking Up Early Really Means

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine,² waking up at a specific time of the night (or early morning in your case) is a sign that something is off in the body since, as TCM teaches, different hours are associated with different organs and emotional states. Even if you don’t follow that train of thought, paying attention to your body’s signals can be a huge wake-up call (no pun intended).

It sounds like these 3 a.m. awakenings are a new thing, so start by looking at what’s changed recently.
Are you:

• Under more stress at home or work?
• Taking a new prescription or supplement?
• Looking at a screen later at night?
• Eating too close to bedtime?
• Eating more carbs than normal…or fewer carbs?
• Consuming alcohol or caffeine later in the day?

Anytime you’re doing something that’s working, then suddenly it’s not working, it’s usually because some other element has changed. I know, this isn’t rocket science, but in health coaching we like to start with the obvious. I like to start with the lowest-hanging fruit, which in my experience, is quite often a change in stress levels.

When you go to bed at night and life’s other distractions have quieted down, the brain shifts into repair mode, and one of the tendencies that’s somewhat inherent to that is processing the worries of the day. While you might fall asleep with ease, your 3 a.m. jolt could be caused by an activation of your sympathetic nervous system. Maybe you feel your heart rate increase or your thoughts start racing. If this is the case with you, be aware of what might be causing your stress and take steps to alleviate it before your head hits the pillow.

When Blood Sugar is to Blame

Another thing to look at is blood sugar balance, which is can also be a culprit for 3 a.m. wake ups. It’s well established that high carbohydrate intake has been shown to increase the number of times a person wakes at night and reduces the amount of deep sleep.³ If you’re used to using carbs as fuel and eating every few hours, blood sugar can drop during the night because your body isn’t getting the constant glucose drip it’s receiving during the day. It’s just one of the reasons I’m a huge advocate for getting off the Standard American Diet and snacking rollercoaster.

High carb isn’t always to blame though. One study showed that a lower carbohydrate diet could also impact sleep due to low levels of serotonin and melatonin.⁴ Researchers found that diets that were less than 50% carbs were linked to difficulty staying asleep — especially in men. There’s also proof that some people who ate low carb are more prone to experiencing sleep apnea.⁵

Take an honest look and get clear on what’s changed in the past week or so. If you’re under more stress, eating more carbs, or starting a diet like keto, get curious about what you can do to keep sleeping through the wee hours.

Tim asked:
“I’m lacking energy and am generally tired most of the day. According to my Fitbit, my sleep quantity is good, but my sleep quality is poor. I eat primal 95% of the time, though I’m not really trying to eat low carb. I supplement with magnesium, fermented cod liver oil, fermented skate liver oil, kelp, and probiotics. I do drink two large cups of butter blended coffee in the morning that’s half decaf, and I’m not getting much sunlight exposure these days, except for a dog walk at lunch. Other than ditching the coffee, any suggestions on how to improve my deep and REM sleep?”

First of all, Mark has shared sleep tips and written about how to crush some quality sleep quite often, and he’s always my go-to guy for information. But one of the things that jumps out at me from your question is that you acknowledge that you aren’t getting much sunlight exposure these days.

Sunlight exposure throughout the day is essential for syncing up our circadian rhythm, which has an important impact on sleep quality. This is one of the concepts I most love teaching my health coaching clients, because the notion that we need to engage with the sun at various times of the day is just so… natural. And, remember: we are nature.

Specifically, spending a few moments looking at early day sunlight helps encourage the onset of serotonin, the wakefulness hormone. Catching the mid-day rays during your lunchtime dog walk is great: it tells your body that the day is about half over. Finally, getting some exposure to the amber light of sunset tells the body to pack serotonin away and start thinking about churning out some melatonin — the sleep hormone.

Adding a morning walk and an after-dinner walk — just 15 minutes or so — is a simple way to spend just enough time in morning and evening sunlight, respectively, so you can get your sleep-wake hormones purring like a kitten.

And here are some more good ideas:

1. Wear Blue Blockers
   Artificial light from computers, tablets, and phone screens messes with your circadian rhythm, so if you need to finish work late at night or can’t stop scrolling social media, put on a pair of blue light blocking glasses to help reduce the impact on your sleep cycle.
2. Get Black-Out Blinds
   Even a small amount of light can disrupt your sleep. Black-out blinds are a great solution for the summer months, but can also be a huge help year-round. If new window coverings aren’t in the cards, get yourself a sleep mask.
3. Turn Down the Thermostat
   Your body temperature always rises at night, so keep your room cool (between 60-67?F / 15.6-19.4?C) to prevent overheating. Or get yourself a ChiliPAD. You won’t be sorry. I absolutely love mine.
4. Skip the Drink
   You might be tempted to wind down with a fine glass of Rioja, but alcohol late at night can interrupt your REM cycle too, leaving you feeling drained and groggy the next day. Alcohol can also cause you to snore more. Something to keep in mind if you care about the person sleeping next to you.
5. Keep your Phone Away
   In addition to emitting low levels of blue light, the temptation to respond to emails, check your Instagram feed, or make late-night purchases can be hard to resist when your phone is sitting right there on the bedside table. Instead, put it out of arm’s reach, preferably in the next room.

Ali asked:
“What are the best sleep supplements that don’t include magnesium or melatonin?”

Ask most people what they use for a natural sleep aid, and chances are you’ll be overwhelmed by folks singing the praises of magnesium and melatonin. And for good reason as they relax nerves and muscles, and help adjust your circadian rhythm, respectively.

As a health coach, it’s not in my practice to recommend specific supplements (although Mark has a great article about a few of them here), but if you ask me, there are even better sleep aid solutions that don’t require popping a pill.

Natural Sleep Remedies That Aren’t Supplements

If you’re open to the idea that you shouldn’t have to take something to get your body and mind to unwind, try deep breathing and meditation – two of my favorite relaxation techniques.

Most of us have the habit of taking quick or shallow breaths. Or worse, completely holding our breath for periods of time. When you’re getting ready for bed tonight, spend a few minutes taking slow, deep breaths, in and out from your belly. This naturally causes you to relax, which reduces the stress hormones that block melatonin (and prevent you from getting a solid night of shut eye).

Doing a body scan can also help. This is type of mindful meditation combines breathwork with consciously relaxing your muscles. When you’re ready to give it a go, lie down in a quiet, comfortable place, starting at your head and working down to your toes. Notice any areas of tension you’re feeling, then direct your breath to that spot. Research backs it up too, saying that doing a 20-minute body scan before bed can help you sleep longer and wake up less frequently during the night.⁶

What’s your go-to for a better night’s sleep? Tell me in the comments below.

The post Ask a Health Coach: Why Can’t I Sleep? appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

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The Primal Blueprint classically recommends against legume consumption, but that stance has softened. Legumes aren’t bad in and of themselves. Many people have intolerance issues with them, and unresolved gut barrier leakiness or FODMAP intolerances can make legumes a painful, often cacaphonous indulgence. But the category of legume itself is not a simple thing. Some legumes are better than others. Some people will tolerate one legume but not another. So where does soy fit in?

Is Soy Bad for You?

Well, there are a lot of foods that fall under “soy.” There’s soybean oil, soy protein, soy milk. There’s natto, tempeh, soy sauce. There’s the whole young soybean steamed. There’s the dried soybean cooked like a common bean.  Anyway, let’s get on with things and analyze all the soy products available.

Soybean Oil

Soybean oil might be the single biggest impediment to human health in the modern world. Over the past century, our consumption of soybean oil has skyrocketed and the proportion of linoleic acid in human body fat has also risen. Seeing as how the absolute amount of body fat has increased as well, we’re looking at a huge rise in absolute amounts of linoleic acid in the human body. Body fat isn’t inert. It’s a legitimate endocrine hormone, and the type of fat you store on your body can determine your hormonal output and metabolic health.

This rise in soybean oil-induced linoleic-rich body fat has paralleled the increases in obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and all the other degenerative maladies of modernity you see walking around in everyday life.

Soybean oil isn’t “meant” to be consumed because it wouldn’t even exist as a product without industrial extraction methods. You can’t press a soybean and get extra virgin soybean oil. You need solvents and industrial-scale equipment to make soybean oil. This alone is a good indicator that we should not be eating it. And then there are the studies that confirm we shouldn’t:

Soybean oil has low oxidative stability—heat damages it rather quickly and easily.¹

Soybean oil-based infant formulas are among the worst, producing poor metabolic and growth outcomes.²

Soybean oil combined with dietary cholesterol damages the liver. Lard combined with dietary cholesterol does not.³

The stuff is awful. Avoid.

Soy Protein

Soy protein powder has long been the go-to for plant-based lifters who want to increase their protein intake but can’t eat more animal protein to make it happen. If that’s your only option, fine: it’s better than not eating any extra protein. But if have no qualms about whey protein and you’re only choosing soy protein because it’s “healthier” or “better for the environment,” you’re making a big mistake.

• Compared to whey and other animal proteins, soy protein is simply not as effective at stimulating muscle protein synthesis.⁴
• Post-workout skim milk beats soy protein drink for muscle protein synthesis.⁵
• Skim milk leads to better lean mass gains than soy protein.⁶
• Young men drinking whey protein after lifting weights make more gains than young men drinking soy protein after lifting weights.⁷
• In dialysis patients looking to reduce lean mass loss, whey works better than soy.⁸

One study in college aged men found that while milk protein enhanced hypertrophy in type 2 fast twitch fibers, soy protein enhanced hypertrophy in type 1 fibers. If you want to get “jacked,” type 2 fibers are what you want to grow.⁹

Whey is simply whey better than soy protein.

Soy Milk

Believe it or not, of all the popular non-dairy milks out there, soy milk contains the most nutrients and is probably the closest to cow milk. It’s high in protein. It contains a nice balanced selection of minerals. A review comparing soy milk, coconut milk, almond milk, and rice milk to cow milk found that soy milk was the closest—mostly because it actually featured measurable nutrients.

A cup of soy milk

• 74 calories
• 3.6 g carbs; 2 g fiber
• 4 g fat
• 8 g protein
• All the usual additions, like calcium, vitamin B12, vitamin D, riboflavin, and vitamin A
• 10% magnesium
• 15% manganese
• 6% folate
• 6% potassium
• 19% copper
• 10% selenium

Looks good on paper and is certainly better than the other alternatives, which are pretty much just nut water. However, people who regularly drink soy milk tend to end up with micronutrient deficiencies possibly due to the phytic acid levels inhibiting mineral absorption.¹⁰ Another possibility is that the soy milk is causing leaky gut, which inhibits nutrient absorption. Kids who drink cow milk are less likely to have atopic eczema, while soy milk drinkers have no such protection (and may even have increased risk). The protein in soy milk can help people build muscle, but milk proteins work better and also provide other benefits to the immune system. Soy is also notorious for harmful farming practices and requires copious amounts of chemical sprays, which are harmful to the consumer and to the environment.

Fresh Soybeans (edamame)

Edamame are young soy beans, still in the pods. They are not eaten raw, but they don’t require a lot of cooking. A light steam (or run through the microwave, as sushi restaurants do) will sufficiently tenderize the little beans. These aren’t hardy, difficult-to-digest dried beans. They’re more like green peas or green beans, which I previously gave the stamp of approval.

The fatty acids in edamame are mostly monounsaturated (which we like), whereas soybean oil, as mentioned earlier, is mostly polyunsaturated linoleic acid (which we usually want to reduce).

Edamame actually have drastically lower levels of phytoestrogens than mature soybeans. One study found that the phytoestrogen content of edamame samples ranged from 0.02% to 0.12%, while mature soybean samples ranged from 0.16% to 0.25%.¹¹ The gulf widens when you consider that edamame are a snack, eaten sparingly, while mature soybeans are usually converted into tofu, soymilk, and other products that people consume in large amounts.

I couldn’t find solid data on phytic acid levels in edamame, but that could be an indication of researchers’ utter lack of concern for the levels of phytic acid in edamame. I’d imagine that the phytic acid situation is much like the phytic acid situation in other young legumes like green peas and green beans: not very dire.

While I wouldn’t make it a regular part of my diet, edamame appears to be relatively benign as an occasional snack. Just don’t eat bucketfuls, don’t make it baby’s first food, and don’t get into edamame pancakes or some silliness like that.

Natto

Even though natto is soybeans, a legume with significant levels of phytoestrogens, phytic acid, and trypsin inhibitors, with a gross, slimy texture that may be outdone only by its interesting taste, it’s not what you think. By most accounts, people following a Primal lifestyle shouldn’t have anything to do with it. If you asked me ten years ago, I may have said that. But natto is a special kind of soy. It’s fermented using a particular strain of bacterium called Bacillus subtilis natto. When steamed soybeans are inoculated with b. subtilis, they are transformed from a basic legume with few redeeming qualities into a powerful supplemental food imbued with high levels of vitamin K2, a nutrient important in bone mineralization, cancer prevention, and protection from heart disease. The fermentation also makes it more digestible and reduces the phytic acid content.

Natto is great. Eat it. If you don’t like the taste, try eating it with soy sauce/tamari, black garlic, smoked oysters, sardines, a raw egg yolk, and maybe a little rice (or cauliflower rice).

Soy Sauce

Real soy sauce is naturally brewed/fermented. Look out for the acid-hydrolyzed soy protein sauce masquerading as real soy sauce.

I’ve gotten in trouble for this before, so I’ll make it clear this time: if you are celiac or have a sensitivity to gluten, choose tamari-style soy sauce (and make sure it says “gluten-free,” as some types of tamari just use less wheat than normal soy sauce). For the rest of us, I don’t think a few dabs of soy sauce will hurt. I’m normally quite sensitive to large doses of gluten—I can get away with a crust or two of bread with butter and that’s it—and regular soy sauce doesn’t bother me. But, again, if you have a negative response to soy sauce, use gluten-free tamari instead. Some research even shows that celiac patients can tolerate real fermented soy sauce, even the stuff that contains wheat.

A review found that soy sauce improves digestion by increasing gastric juice secretion (good, since we typically have it with food), inhibits microbial growth, contains an anti-hypertensive component, displays anti-cancer qualities, and has “shoyuflavones” with anti-inflammatory effects.¹² Soy sauce also contains polysaccharides that may increase iron absorption and reduce the symptoms of hay fever.¹³¹⁴ Real, fermented soy sauce has an antioxidant profile easily outclassing red wine, with one study finding that a single meal containing soy sauce reduced oxidative stress, lowered diastolic blood pressure, and inhibited lipid peroxidation in adults.

Soy sauce is good.

Soy Lecithin

Soy lecithin is simply the byproduct of soy oil extraction. It’s not hydrogenated soybean oil, folks allergic to soy can eat it without ill effect, and lecithin actually contains choline and phospholipids that can be quite beneficial for liver health.¹⁵ Don’t go out of your way to eat soy lecithin for any health benefits (egg yolks and liver are far better sources of choline), but don’t pass on some excellent dark chocolate simply because “soy” appears on the package.

For what it’s worth, high dose soy lecithin has been shown to increase vigor and improve blood pressure in post-menopausal women.¹⁶

Soy lecithin isn’t anything to worry about.

What about some of the health effects of soy consumption?

Soy and Cancer

We’re talking mostly about breast cancer here. The culprit in question is the group of soy isoflavones, plant hormones that mimics estrogen in the body. Some research has shown that isolated isoflavones, a.k.a. phytoestrogens, contribute to the growth of tumors in the breast, endometrium and uterus.

It essentially comes back to the whole foods question. The research has focused on the isolated isoflavones, particularly genistein, the most active of the soy isoflavones that activates cellular estrogen receptors, including those in breast tumors. Noted experts in the field have cautioned that research with isolated soy compounds does not necessarily carry over well to the effect of the whole food, even minimally processed soy flour. In other words, soy is healthier than the sum of its parts. Other studies have shown that the mix of phytoestrogens in soy, when taken together in whole soy foods, protect estrogen receptors and may partly shield them from the estrogen we take in with meat and dairy consumption (yup, bovine hormones even in organic). They can also possibly reduce the impact of the unequivocally insidious “xenoestrogens” found in chemical pollutants.

Add to this picture the analysis of cultural diet and disease trends. Though Japanese women regularly eat significant portions of soy (in forms like tempeh, edamame, miso and tofu), they have only 1/5 of the breast cancer rate that Western women have. There are other differences, of course, but the fact remains that soy consumption doesn’t seem to be increasing the rate of breast cancer.

Soy and Thyroid Function

Researchers are in general agreement that people with previously diagnosed hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) should not take soy supplements or make soy a large part of their diet. The isoflavones in soy inhibit thyroid peroxidase, which produces the thyroid hormones T3 and T4, which can make a bad situation worse for those with diagnosed hypothyroidism or can inhibit thyroid function in an otherwise healthy person.

In countries that do consume a lot of soy, they also tend to consume a lot of seaweed, which is rich in iodine and can counter the inhibitory effects on thyroid function. If you’re going to consume soybeans, make sure you consume seaweed or get plenty of iodine from other sources like shellfish and seafood.

Soy and Mineral Absorption

Soybeans are high in phytic acid, which is known to block the body’s absorption of minerals such as calcium, zinc magnesium and iron, just like grain-based diets have been shown to do. Fermentation is known to substantially reduce phytate levels, which is why you often hear that fermented soy forms are preferable—and it’s why most cultures who consumed soy as a staple food did so by fermenting it.

Soy and Testosterone

Although some recent reviews claim to have found “no effect,” one study found that 14 days of soy protein feeding was enough to suppress testosterone levels in young men.¹⁷

And every case study I’ve ever run on the subject, by which I mean listening in on what people in line at the cafe are ordering and comparing their physiques, men who order soy milk lattes tend to have skinny fat bodies and burgeoning breasts.

What’s the Bottom Line on Soy?

Whole and fermented soy forms are clearly preferable. Personally, I wouldn’t bother with anything else. There are far better alternatives to most soy products:

Real milk beats soy milk.

Whey protein beats soy protein.

Avocado oil, olive oil, and animal fats beat soybean oil.

However, soy sauce/tamari is tough to replace. Luckily, it’s pretty inoffensive and may even be good for you.

Natto is impossible to replace. Best source of vitamin K2 on the planet.

Soy lecithin really helps smooth out high quality dark chocolate and is pretty benign.

I think there is something to the benefits of whole fermented soy, not as a staple but as a condiment or supplemental food, especially when combined with seaweed or another source of iodine. Nonetheless, you should all avoid soybean oil, soy protein, and any isolated concentrated “extract” of soy. And if you have any issues with testosterone, or you want to build yours to great heights, take it easy on the soy.

Kids shouldn’t eat large amounts of soy beyond some edamame at the sushi bar or some natto in their lunch plate.

Babies shouldn’t eat soy at all, especially not in formula form.

Above all else, soy isn’t necessary to be healthy, and a lot of it will probably lower your quality of life and general vigor. There may be genetic factors at work here, too, where populations with a long history of soy consumption can benefit more than people whose ancestry does not record much soy exposure. And even there, those people weren’t eating soy protein isolate and soybean oil.

What do you think of soy, folks? Do you eat it at all? If so, in what forms?

The post Is Soy Bad For You? appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

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As I discussed in a recent post, my diet has been trending toward a higher protein intake than in years past. Rarely do I consume less than 100 grams of protein. Most days I’m considerably higher even eating only two meals. Those meals center around protein first and foremost with vegetables playing more of a supportive role.

After so many years of following a Primal diet, I feel wholly confident in my ability to eat intuitively. I trust my body to guide my food decisions from meal to meal, day to day, and week to week, so I don’t bother with tracking macros (the exact amounts of protein, carbs, and fat I eat each day). However, knowledge is power. You should have a sense of your protein and carb intake at least, even you’re getting even if you ballpark it.

Most folks don’t have a clue what they’re eating, though. Sure, they might read nutrition labels at the supermarket, but how many people know what 100-150 grams of protein look like in terms of actual food? Do you know how much protein is in a single chicken breast? How about a six-ounce steak? Three eggs, handful of nuts, or even vegetables?

How to Measure Protein Intake

Protein is measured by the gram weight of the protein itself, not the total volume of food you eat. This is a common point of confusion for people who are new to tracking their food. As you’ll see, four ounces of steak is different protein-wise than four ounces of chicken breast or salmon. To determine how much protein a given food contains, you’ll need an app like Cronometer (my current favorite) plus a food scale for precision. Measure all meat raw and make sure to select the correct entry (raw versus cooked) in your tracking app.

Even if you don’t want to weigh and measure all your food, consider tracking just your protein intake for a few days. See what you’re averaging. In my experience, almost everyone is eating less than they think, especially if they practice intermittent fasting. Once you have a decent sense of what it takes to hit your daily protein goal, it’s up to you whether you want to continue to track or not.

I’ll save you some time and provide protein data for a bunch of common foods below. All values came from Cronometer. You’ll notice right away that this list includes both animal- and plant-based sources of protein, including things like legumes and soy products that aren’t strictly Primal. Don’t take this to mean that I think animal and plant sources of protein are equivalent. There’s no question that animal-based proteins are superior in terms of bioavailability and amino acid profiles. However, our Primal community includes individuals who self-identify as plant-based, vegetarian, or even vegan. I want them to eat enough protein, too, from the best possible sources. I’ve thoroughly covered the question of plant-based diets vis a vis Primal Blueprint recommendations in the past. Scroll to the end of the post for further reading on the topic.

How Much Protein Is in Meat?

Values provided for raw meat by weight.

Ground beef, 85% lean (4 oz.): 21 grams

Ground turkey, 93% lean (4 oz.): 21 grams

Chicken breast, boneless (4 oz.): 26 grams

Chicken thighs, boneless (4 oz.): 23 grams

Turkey breast (4 oz.): 26 grams

Porkchop (4 oz.): 25 grams

Pork shoulder (4 oz.): 21 grams

Steak, New York strip (4 oz.): 25 grams

Steak, ribeye (4 oz.): 22 grams

Ham (4 oz.): 23 grams

Venison (4 oz.): 24 grams

Beef liver (4 oz.): 23 grams

Beef heart (4 oz.): 21 grams

Beef tongue (4 oz.): 20 grams

Protein in Seafood

Tuna, fresh (4 oz.): 28 grams

Salmon (4 oz.): 25 grams

Pollock (4 oz.): 22 grams

Trout (4 oz.): 23 grams

Oysters (4 oz.): 11 grams

Shrimp (4 oz.): 15 grams

Canned tuna (1 5-oz. can): 36 grams

Canned sardines (1 4.4-oz. can): 17 grams

Protein in Common Dairy Products

Cottage cheese, full-fat, plain (1 cup): 23 grams

Cottage cheese, fat-free, plain (1 cup): 22 grams

Greek yogurt, full-fat, plain (1 cup): 22 grams

Greek yogurt, fat-free, plain (1 cup): 25 grams

Whole milk (1 cup): 8 grams

Skim milk (1 cup): 8 grams

Heavy whipping cream (2 Tbsp.): 1 gram

Cheddar cheese (1 oz.): 7 grams

Swiss cheese (1 oz.): 8 grams

Cream cheese, full-fat (1 oz.): 2 grams

Are Eggs High in Protein?

Chicken egg (1 large): 6 grams

Duck egg (1): 9 grams

Quail egg (1): 1 gram

Plant-based Protein: Legumes and Soy

Tofu, firm (4 oz.): 14 grams

Tempeh (4 oz.): 23 grams

Natto (4 oz.): 22 grams

Lentils (1/2 cup cooked): 9 grams

Split peas (1/2 cup cooked): 8 grams

Black beans (1/2 cup cooked): 8 grams

Kidney beans (1/2 cup cooked): 8 grams

Pinto beans (1/2 cup cooked): 8 grams

Chickpeas, aka garbanzo beans (1/2 cup cooked): 7 grams

Green peas (1/2 cup): 4 grams

Nuts and Seeds

Peanut Butter (2 Tbsp.): 7 grams

Almond Butter (2 Tbsp.): 7 grams

Almonds (1 oz.): 6 grams

Cashews (1 oz.): 5 grams

Macadamias (1 oz.): 2 grams

Walnuts (1 oz.): 4 grams

Chia seeds (1 oz.): 5 grams

Flax seeds (1 oz.): 5 grams

Hemp seeds (1 oz.): 9 grams

Pumpkin seeds (1 oz.): 9 grams

Sesame Seeds (1 oz.): 6 grams

Sunflower seeds (1 oz.): 6 grams

Fruits and Vegetables with the Most Protein 

Spirulina powder (2 Tbsp.): 12 grams

Brussels sprouts (1 cup): 4 grams

Broccoli florets (1 cup): 3 grams

Asparagus (4 large spears): 2 grams

Green beans (1 cup): 2 grams

Spinach, raw (1 cup): 1 gram

White potatoes (1 medium): 4 grams

Sweet potatoes (1 medium): 2 grams

Blackberries (1 cup): 2 grams

Guava (1 fruit): 1-2 grams

Gluten-free Ancient Grains, Pseudograins, Grasses

Teff (1/2 cup cooked): 5 grams

Amaranth (1/2 cup cooked): 5 grams

Quinoa (1/2 cup cooked): 4 grams

Wild rice (1/2 cup cooked): 3 grams

This is obviously not a complete list of every protein-containing you might eat. Protein powders, especially whey protein, are convenient and usually highly bioavailable sources of essential amino acids. I didn’t include them here because protein content varies by brand, but you can usually expect 20-30 grams per serving. I also avoided the bevy of fake meat alternatives. In part that’s because they also vary widely in protein offerings, but more to the point, many of them contain objectionable ingredients such that I can’t in good conscience list them here.

Finally, let me put in a plug for looking seriously at insects as an option. Unless you grew up in a culture that values insects as a food staple, you’re probably shaking your head right now, but insects win big points both for sustainability and nutrition!

Check out our recipe collection for tons of fantastic ideas for protein-centered meals.

Further Reading

• 17 Primal Tips for Vegans and Vegetarians
• Low Carb Vegan: Is Plant-based Keto Possible?
• What Primal Types Can Learn from Plant-Based Diets (and Dieters)
• Whey Protein vs. Pea Protein

Protein FAQ

How much protein do I need?

A good rule of thumb is to aim for a minimum of 0.7 to 1 gram per pound of lean body mass for overall health. For building muscle, research suggests 0.8 g/lb (1.6 g/kg) of body weight is a good target.

How much protein is too much?

There’s not really an upper limit, though at some point you start to get diminishing returns. The myth that you shouldn’t consume more 30 grams of protein at a time because that’s all your body can assimilate is just that – a myth.

Is protein powder good for you?

While I generally recommend opting for whole foods first, protein powders can provide convenient options for meal replacements or snacks. Whey protein is the most bioavailable. Even though it is derived from dairy, many people who are lactose intolerant tolerate whey protein powders.

Best vegan protein sources?

It’s extremely difficult to be both vegan and Primal. Most vegan-friendly foods that contain non-negligible protein are borderline Primal at best. That said, legumes, nuts, and seeds of all kinds, plus teff, quinoa, amaranth, and vegan protein powders will be your best bets.

The post How to Eat Enough Protein appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

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These amazing egg-stuffed mini meatloaves aren’t only for breakfast. They’re great for lunch or dinner, too. But when served in the morning, they really start the day off right.

First, a mixture of pork and beef is seasoned to taste like breakfast sausage. Next, it only takes a minute to form the meat around a hardboiled egg. When baked together, the meat and egg turn into a rather stunning little loaf.

Cook these mini breakfast meatloaves on a lazy weekend morning, or better yet, on Sunday night so they’re waiting in the refrigerator Monday morning.

Ingredients

• 6 peeled large hard boiled eggs
• 1 lb. ground pork
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 tbsp. olive oil or avocado oil
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 2 tbsp. spicy or dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp. minced fresh sage
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tbsp. dried thyme
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. sweetener of choice
• 1/4-1/2 tsp. ground fennel
• 1/3 cup ketchup or spicy ketchup
• Fresh thyme, for garnish

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a bowl, combine the pork, beef, oil, onion, garlic, mustard, sage, egg and dried herbs and spices.

Once everything is mixed together, separate the mixture into 6 balls.

Flatten each ball into a circle and place a peeled egg in the center. Wrap the egg in the meat mixture. Repeat with the remaining eggs.

Brush half of the ketchup on top of each meatloaf.

Bake for 20 minutes, then brush with the remaining ketchup. Bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the meatloaves are browned and the internal temperature of the meat reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Top with fresh thyme leaves and enjoy!

Print

Scotch Egg Style Mini Meatloaf Recipe

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• 
  Author: Mark’s Daily Apple
• 
  Prep Time: 15 minutes
• 
  Cook Time: 20 minutes
• 
  Total Time: 35 minutes
• 
  Yield: 6 servings
• 
  Diet: Gluten Free

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

Description

Mini meatloaves made Scotch eggs style with a hard boiled egg in the center, topped with a ketchup glaze.

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Ingredients

6 peeled large hard-boiled eggs
1 lb. ground pork
1 lb. ground beef
1 tbsp. olive oil or avocado oil
1/2 cup minced onion
2 cloves minced garlic
2 tbsp. spicy or dijon mustard
1 tbsp. minced fresh sage
1 egg
1/2 tbsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. sweetener of choice
1/4–1/2 tsp. ground fennel
1/3 cup ketchup or spicy ketchup
Fresh thyme, for garnish

---

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a bowl, combine the pork, beef, oil, onion, garlic, mustard, sage, egg and dried herbs and spices. Once everything is mixed together, separate the mixture into 6 balls. 

Flatten each ball into a circle and place a peeled egg in the center. Wrap the egg in the meat mixture. Repeat with the remaining eggs. Brush half of the ketchup on top of each meatloaf.

Bake for 20 minutes, then brush with the remaining ketchup. Bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the meatloaves are browned and the internal temperature of the meat reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Top with fresh thyme leaves and enjoy!

Notes

Follow the tips on how to hard-boil eggs in our egg tutorial

You can use all beef or all pork for this recipe if you’d like. Dark chicken meat would probably work as well.

• Category: Lunch, Dinner
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1/6 of recipe
• Calories: 436.6
• Sugar: 1.6 g
• Sodium: 882.9 mg
• Fat: 30.2 mg
• Saturated Fat: 6 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 2.87 g
• Trans Fat: .35 g
• Carbohydrates: 7.4 g
• Fiber: .8 g
• Protein: 33.7 g
• Cholesterol: 122.9 mg
• Net Carbs: 6.53 g

Keywords: mini meatloaf recipe, mini meatloaves recipe, scotch eggs recipe

The post Scotch Egg Style Mini Breakfast Meatloaf Recipe appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

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Research of the Week

The people who need the vaccine most of all—the metabolically unhealthy—have the lowest antibody response to vaccination.

100% of Spanish breastfeeding women have elevated levels of acrylamide, a toxin caused by heating vegetable oils.

A high-soybean oil diet (sound familiar?) causes colitis in rodents.

Those who secrete the most insulin are more likely to lose more lean mass and less body fat during weight loss.

Breastfeeding on a ketogenic diet imparts high enough ketones in the milk to prevent seizures in the nursing baby.

New Primal Kitchen Podcasts

Episode 1: Mark Sisson and Morgan Zanotti: Morgan and I talk about the Primal Kitchen story.

Health Coach Radio: Dr. Shanté Cofield says the time will pass anyway, so why waste it?

Media, Schmedia

What they don’t mention is that the same data shows that 49% of teen girls are anemic.

Gorilla dies in the arms of the ranger who first rescued her. Storybook ending, bittersweet.

Interesting Blog Posts

Some interesting ways to use potato starch in the kitchen.

Social Notes

Are you putting mayo in your coffee yet?

On breathing less.

Everything Else

An elephant’s memory.

Babies are full of microplastics.

Things I’m Up to and Interested In

Reminder: Selenium status is one of the best predictors of COVID mortality, and we’re doing nothing about it.

Like for like: Move your body, move your brain.

Interesting study: “COVID-19 vaccination and subsequent dishonest behavior.”

Big if true: Blood pressure drugs appear to offer no mortality benefit to patients aged 18-59 with mild to moderate hypertension.

What have I been saying?: Early screen time predicts myopia.

Question I’m Asking

What’s your most important healthy behavior, the one with the most impact on your life?

Recipe Corner

• Shrimp and avocado salad: and you thought salads were boring or nutrient-poor.
• Basic guac is best guac.

Time Capsule

One year ago (Oct 2 – Oct 8)

• How to Eat Meat and Still Reduce Your Environmental Impact— It’s very possible.
• How to Foster Healthy Body Image in Children— How to do it.

Comment of the Week

“I need fire to grow, also.

I need that passion that drives whatever I do to be something more than the simple act.

I need that burning desire to hold the woman I love with a jealous embrace.

I need the spark that pushes me to look over the distant horizon or to crest the next wave, and to experience the unknowable world beyond the familiar.

I need the drive to grow and shine and be better today than I was the day before.

I need water and nutrients, just as that sequoia does. Similarly, I need that fire to be more than simply alive.”

-Me too, hate_me.

The post New and Noteworthy: What I Read This Week—Edition 149 appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.

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We all love a good success story, don’t we? Hearing how someone dropped 70 pounds. Or got super fit. Or ditched their meds. They make it look so easy. Heck, all you have to do is clear out the pantry and stock it with primal-friendly foods and you’re golden.

Except that’s not how it works for most people. Most people operate from a point of view that prevents them from seeing the results they’re working so hard to obtain. How many times have you said to yourself, “I’ll be happy once I’m wearing a smaller size.” Or “When I lose the weight, I’ll be more confident.”

In my experience, the biggest difference between folks who continually crush their goals and those who always seem to have setbacks is that goal-crushers know how to tap into the feeling of having already achieved something great before that great thing actually happens.

Your Thoughts Create Your Reality

It’s time we change the conversation from “when I achieve my goal, I’ll feel good” to “when I start feeling good, I can achieve my goal.” Your thoughts are the biggest needle-mover when it comes to changing your reality. If you want a different life, a different pant size, a different relationship with food, you need to adjust your thoughts.

Easier said than done, right? If you’re new to this whole your-thoughts-create-your-reality thing, let me start by saying that it’s not your fault if you believe you really hate exercising or that you’re destined to battle sugar cravings for the rest of your days. ??We all have self-limiting beliefs. Even health coaches like me. As humans, we’re wired to create narratives based on pieces of information we picked up from childhood, from our family, friends, or our environment, about ourselves or how things are supposed to be. These narratives become a form of our identity. So, while you may believe you couldn’t cut out pizza and beer if your life depended on it, just know that it’s your belief system calling the shots, not the truth.

Why Self-Efficacy and Visualization Work

Every thought you think and action you perform is driven by a belief that a certain outcome is — or isn’t — possible. Psychologist Albert Bandura originally proposed the concept of self-efficacy, which refers to the idea that if you believe you can make a change, you’re much more likely to actually do it.¹

Examples of Strong Self-efficacy:

• Looking at challenging problems as tasks that can and should be mastered
• Developing a deeper, more committed interest in the activities you participate in
• Feeling a dedication to yourself and to your goals that doesn’t waver, even when the going gets tough
• Having the ability to get back on track quickly after experiencing a setback

Based on this premise, author James Clear developed a concept he calls identity-based habits. It’s basically the idea that if you believe you’re the type of person who eats healthy or moves daily, it’s easier to change your behaviours, than say forcing yourself to pass on the rolls or go to the gym when you don’t want to.

And then there’s visualization. Long used by athletes, from weekend racers to Olympic gold medalists, visualization is a technique where you spend time practicing experiencing whatever it is that you want to achieve in your mind. That includes the big things like crossing the finish line, and smaller details like lacing up your shoes when it’s miserable out.

When you actively visualize what you want for yourself (and believe you can have it), you’ll start to notice more opportunities — and you’ll be more likely to persevere when things aren’t all rainbows and sunshine. According to the psychoneuromuscular theory, your neural pathways get programmed the same way whether you’re mentally performing an action or physically performing it.²

Mental Power to Muscle Power

You’ve probably noticed times when your thoughts produce a physical reaction. Think about when you get nervous. Maybe you get a pit in your stomach or get “butterflies” when you’re excited, or your shoulders get tense when you feel stressed.

There are tons of studies that prove the power of the mind, including one published in Human Kinetics Journals, where researchers looked at the electromyographical activity (EMG) of 22 male and 17 female weightlifters and found that their muscles were activated (and their strength increased) just by imagining lifting weights.³

And in another study, where two groups were asked to perform “mental contractions” of their finger and elbow, while one group did the physical equivalent. Over the course of 12 weeks, the first two groups had increased their strength by up to 35% just by imagining doing the exercises, versus a 53% increase with the folks who performed them physically.⁴

How to Create a Believe-It-To-See-It Mindset

Call it visualization, creation, or self-efficacy, the point is, your mind is an amazing tool for laying the groundwork for the life you want. If you’re open to the idea that you can believe it before you see it, check out these steps:

1. Get Out of Autopilot Mode.
   Our brains have an unconscious system for completing routine tasks. It’s just one of the ways it keeps us safe from being overloaded with decisions. The problem is, when we’re not consciously aware of what we’re doing (or what we’re thinking), we’ll keep doing and thinking the same thing day after day, which makes it hard to see anything that differs from your current reality.TRY THIS: Next time you’re about to perform a routine task, such as brushing your teeth or scrolling social media, use your non-dominant hand. This helps you stay in the moment and see things in different ways.
2. Rehearse it Mentally.
   This isn’t about daydreaming that you won the lottery or that you crossed the finish line at Boston. This is about mentally walking through the steps (and the ups and downs that might transpire) that get you to your goal. Basically, it’s a way to convince yourself in the safety of your mind that you are prepared for anything that might happen.TRY THIS: If weight loss is your goal, rehearse prepping a healthy breakfast when you’re short on time or navigating a party with limited food options. If your goal is to have more confidence, rehearse meeting new people — and feeling great about the interaction.
3. Take Aligned Action.
   Once you start believing that you can lose the weight, or talk to strangers in line at the store, or run a PR, you’ll instinctively want to act. Because you’ve seen it in your mind — and your neural pathways have started to become programmed as if you’ve been doing it — the steps you need to take will feel easier and more natural.TRY THIS: Begin with baby steps. Instead of focusing on the end goal, get present and check off the small tasks, like lacing up your running shoes in the morning, sitting down for an epic protein-packed breakfast, or asking a complete stranger how their day is going.

It All Starts with Believing

If you’ve been operating from the point of view that you need to see to believe (and not getting the results you want), consider a different tactic. One that gets you tapped into the high vibrating feeling of achieving your goal by following these steps:

1. Get out of autopilot mode
2. Rehearse it mentally
3. Take aligned action

What about you? Do you need to see it first? Or are you all-in on believing?

The post Why You Need to Believe It Before You Can See It appeared first on Mark’s Daily Apple.