Why the Keto Diet Is No Better Than a Low-Fat Diet When Protein and Calories Are Equated

You are probably reading this because you plan to lose some pounds and are torn between going the keto diet way or the low-fat diet one. Debate on which, amongst these two is the better way to cut on some pounds. And we are yet to find a clear winner if the latest research on the matter is anything to go by.     

First, let's get to know more on keto diet 

Keto comes from "Ketogenic," a term given to a low starch diet. The goal here is to acquire healthy calorie. Those who front the regime believe that carbs are the biggest problem when it comes to loosing extra pounds. Getting rid of carbs, according to them, is the best way to lose those pounds. Just get rid of white bread, sugar, and sodas, and you will be good to go.

So how exactly does this result in weight loss?

Carbs are often our bodies' fuel, and by limiting your intake to less than 40 grams, it looks for other alternatives to fuel it. Your body gets into a metabolic state where ketones are produced to act as fuel. This is primarily proteins and fats getting broken down to provide your body with energy. What follows next is reduced pounds.  

Low-fat diets

For these regimes, the goal is usually to reduce fats in your food, which subsequently meaning less calories. Diets with few starch equated to a high-fat diet.

The underlying factor when it comes to losing un wanted pounds is starch. It’s about your intake and what you take out. If you do not take out calorie, then that means you will add more weight.

Which is better

A significant study which was conducted last year established keto diets and those with lower fat have near similar results. The average weight loss by both sets of people tested on both diets was almost equal. 

These results mean that both diets will work, and it will be up to you to decide what works well for you. Individuals planning to shed some pounds will have flexibility and not have to stick to one of these two, as had been the case for many years. The previous situation had proponents of either diet actively opposing the other and giving their reasons for support of theirs.

Your body needs carbs

Carbs are your body's best source of energy, with experts saying that our nervous system alone burns about 80 grams of it each day. When we fail to have enough carbs in our body, we forcefully stress the nervous system forcing it to seek for alternates. We all know plan Bs are never equal to plan A. Carbs will always be converted faster and more efficiently than fats and proteins.

Active persons require carbs

A keto diet can cause problems for people who are working out in a bid to add muscle. Our muscles need carbs too for contraction, and hence lacking them in our system means you will have a hard time reaching your targets. To perform at a high level, you need to include carbs or do away with gaining muscle as you lose weight.

You get keto flu 

Most people on this kind of diet will complain of some severe side effects, which include constipation, lightheadedness poor sleep patterns, among other discomforts. These are usually as a result of your body going into ketosis and trying to settle into the new state of operation without carbs. You do not have to go through this to lose weight. Simply cutting down on fats will work for you. Imagine having those symptoms for close to a month.

Electrolyte imbalance

Due to a reduction of carbs while on this diet, the body reacts by producing less insulin, and starts using the stored carbs. While this happens, your body experiences increased the loss of water. Your kidneys get rid of water and the electrolytes in it. This is why most people experience muscle cramps and fatigue. If you do not drink enough water, it might get as bad as getting kidney stones. 

Bad breath

When your body is ketosis, acetoacetic acid is broken down, releasing acetones that do not smell quite well. This gets to come out of your mouth whenever you open it. 

You experience brain fog

According to scientists, our brains run on glucose. We all know we get our glucose from carbs. This is probably why we are unable to concentrate well when we are hungry. Now imagine this happening to you as a result of denying the brain enough glucose. Most people will experience memory loss, migraines, and some even report getting confused.

Conclusion

Whether you choose a keto diet or a low-fat diet, the latest scientific data indicates you will get almost the same results if proteins and calories are the same. Keto dieters, however, have to go through lots of troubles to get to their desired goals. Why go all these while there is an alternative? 

7 Back Exercises That You Can Do At Home

Back muscles have a very important role in our lives as we use our back muscles to keep us upright and our spine in correct curvature. Poor posture can not only lead to injuries while lifting weights, it can also affect your mood and confidence.

Strong back muscles can help you improve your core and they are the base for progressing in any kind of workout routine. Whether you are trying to bulk up or exercising to lose weight, back exercises should definitely be part of your workout routine.

Here are seven back exercises that you can do at home.

Push-Ups

The regular push-up can activate your core and back muscles as much as your arms and legs. You need little space to do it, and there are many variations as you get stronger.

Make sure that your back is straight, and focus on keeping your body in a long line as you lower yourself as close to the floor as you can. If you struggle to perform a proper push-up on the floor, you can start by doing pushups on a workout bench.

The best thing about push-up exercises is that you can make them harder as you progress and get stronger.

Bent-Over Row

There are many rowing exercises that can help you strengthen your back and the bent-over row is a good starting point.

You can use a resistant band when you are learning how to perform the exercise well and then progress to using dumbbells and a bench as you gain strength and stability.

The easiest option to start with is by using a low-resistance band. Start by stepping in the middle of the band, now grab the two ends in either hand in an overhand grip. When you perform a row, imagine squeezing a coin at the shoulder blades as you pull back the bands to your chest.

As you get stronger, you can replace the low-resistance band with heavier weights.

Plank

While plank is a good core exercise, it also makes a good exercise for strengthening your back muscles.

You activate your muscles to hold yourself up in the planking position instead of relying on your arms and legs while performing the exercise.

This exercise is perfect if you have weaker lower back muscles, as it will engage those muscles when you try and keep your body in a straight line.

As with the push-up, there are many options to make the exercise more difficult as you progress and feel stronger.

Another great advantage of this exercise is that you can perform it literally everywhere where there’s enough room to hold a plank as it doesn’t require any equipment (think hotel room while travelling).

Bridge

The bridge is a great exercise for beginners.

Start off by lying flat on the floor. Lying on the ground with your arms at the side, bend your knees as you keep your feet flat on the floor.

Raise your hips off the floor as you squeeze your glutes and hold the position for a few seconds. Feel the buttocks and your hamstrings contract before relaxing slowly back into the starting position.

As you get stronger, you can try doing glute bridge march which is advance version of this exercise.

Superman

The name that speaks for itself, Superman is a good exercise for beginners who want a stronger back and core.

This exercise has little room for error, and you can see yourself improve quite quickly.

Start by lying face down on the floor and gradually raise both arms and legs together and hold the position while looking straight ahead.

Although you may not feel like Superman when you can only hold the pose for a short while in the beginning, the good news is that you soon will if you keep on exercising regularly.

Front Squat

This is a leg exercise that also helps you strengthen your back.

The front squat shifts your center of gravity forward to make your back muscles work while you keep yourself upright. You can use a dumbbell or a barbell, but the idea is to hold the weight in front as you push your hips back into a squat.

Bend your knees until your thighs are parallel to the floor, and if you are unsure, use a workout bench as a guide. Push yourself back into the starting position. This counts as a rep.

Yoga Poses

There are also quite a few yoga poses that can help you strengthen and stretch your back muscles.

Firstly, the Cat Cow pose can help you find your neutral spine position, which you can later use as a starting point for other weight-bearing exercises.

Both Downward Dog and Upward-Facing Dog help to engage the back muscles in different ways.

Child’s pose is an active back stretching exercise that also helps you relax after a long day.

Conclusion

A strong back means that you are less likely to suffer from back pain and injuries when you lift heavy weights. Strong back muscles are also essential for building a generally healthy body.

These seven exercises above require few space and little or no equipment which makes them perfect for someone who is exercising at home.

Treat Yourself: 4 Reasons to Invest in Quality Workout Clothes

Gym clothes are usually an afterthought. Even today, when we have access to such a diverse and enormous market of gym-wear, a significant percentage of people that partake in physical exercises still opt to wear their frumpiest, worn-out clothes with the unflattering outline, simply because it is comfortable and disposable.

This custom - which emerged around forty years ago - is slowly replaced by the “Instagram-friendly” culture of going to the gym dressed to the nines in the latest and sleekest outfit. Now, this doesn’t mean that you should be forced to give up that fluttery old shirt which boosts perspiration, but you should definitely consider investing in quality workout clothes and even treating yourself with the most comfortable item.

1. Design intent

Your old rags might be familiar and comfy, but you have to remember - gym clothes are guaranteed to be even more comfortable. How can anyone make such a statement with utmost confidence? Well, you have to factor the design intent into the equation. Gym activewear is conceived in order to feel as if it is an inseparable part of your own body, fused with your muscles and ligaments in their most furious kinetic mode in such a way that you will forget you are wearing anything. The key is to achieve a max-performance appeal.

2. A matter of performance

Now, since a matter of performance has been mentioned, we need to clear out what it means and why it is a noteworthy reason to invest in workout clothes. As it has been noted, a building block of this factor is the design that focuses on making you feel as if you are clothes-free. The key is to think of a solution for every ‘weak spot’ on the clothes that may create irritation, so you can take your exercising a few steps further.

One of the important aspects of this is temperature regulation. For the max performance, you’ll want some parts of your body to be more exposed while the others sweat profusely, and useful items such as the Kewlioo neoprene sauna vest intensify perspiration so that you may lose deposits of fat around your abs. This can be especially useful to individuals who need to lose that waistline double-time. In other words, purchasing gym clothes is not about choosing a ‘holistic’ outfit, but picking a specific element for each part of your body that will maximize performance.

3. Longevity

Now, your arbitrary outfit picked from the old rags in the closet will not last long because you’ll have to wash it more frequently. After all, it is the hallmark of gym culture to keep yourself as odorless as possible since you are not the only one who occupies the space. Gym clothes are fashioned with this perpetual chemical and water trauma in mind, so they will almost certainly last longer. While activewear may be more expensive initially, you will actually save up money in the long run, as you will not be obliged to burn through extra stuff and purchase new clothing every few months.

4. Boosts confidence

Having a proper, designated set of gym clothes that account for all the upsides mentioned above will leave you more motivated. It will boost your confidence when it comes to performance and you will push yourself ever-so further, without having to think for a fraction of a second about what you are wearing or whether you should slow it down due to skin irritation. High-quality gym clothes will also make you more comfortable about partaking in public physical activities, such as jogging since it will clearly signal your intent to everyone in the streets. In other words, nobody will think for a second that you are running away from a band of criminals or officers.

You are not a superficial person if you want to do an appropriate outfit for the gym. It is not primarily about style or accessorizing - though this can be a wonderful outlet for such details - but about assembling a wardrobe of max-efficiency clothes that will boost your performance and your confidence to the fullest. This is the simplicity and, indeed, the allure of the entire philosophy. 

Make Your Vegan Diet Support Your Fitness Journey

Sir Paul McCartney once explained that when he and his then-wife Linda moved to the countryside and adopted animals, he found himself unable to think about meat without thinking of his relationship to the animals. While McCartney is not a vegan but a vegetarian, it’s easy to understand how animal lovers can be convinced into embracing a plant-based diet. 

Another typical reason to choose veganism as a way of life is out of love not only for animals but for nature altogether. Indeed, there is no denying that a plant-based diet offers a green diet alternative for the planet. Indeed, animal farms generate a lot of harmful emissions, which you can completely avoid by choosing local plant substitutes. 

However, very few fitness and health addicts consider a vegan diet to achieve their goals. But if you’re looking to make the most of your food to support your body and to optimize your performance, veganism is the way to go. Here are three reasons why: 

Plant-based solutions to build muscle mass

When it comes to muscle mass, protein is naturally your go-to food plan. However, you’ll find that contrary to the common belief, meat-based proteins can turn out to be a lot less effective – and a lot more harmful – than using plant-based solutions. Legumes, seeds, and beans are not only low in saturated fats and cholesterol – contrary to meat alternatives – but they are also delicious! However, if you’re working out at a high level, you might need to pay close attention to your vitamins and mineral intakes. Indeed, supplements and muscles go naturally hand in hand, https://veganproducts.org/vegan-bodybuilding/vegan-bodybuilding-supplements/. It’s a good idea to take amino acid supplements to help your body repair your muscles. You also want to check your vitamin D levels as deficiency can affect your recovery period.

Can you boost your fitness performance?

If you’re thinking of processed energy snacks to increase your performance, you need to explore vegan alternatives to help your body naturally enhance your athletic results. Indeed, switch your pre-workout chocolate bar for a homemade beetroot cocktail. You can find the recipe here: https://foodtherapymd.com/plants-athletic-performance/. Ultimately, vegetables and roots that have a high nitrate content, like beets, improve blood flow and increase the oxygen in your blood, which helps you to maintain high endurance levels. Additionally, beets can also reduce fatigue sensations after your workout, which is a bonus!

I’m feeling under the weather

Last, but not least, even though chicken soup is a favorite cold remedy, it would be foolish to assume that chicken meat has healing qualities. On the contrary, it’s the presence of vegetables and fresh herbs in the homemade broth that helps the healing process. Many ingredients in a plant-based diet can naturally and safely eliminate parasites and bugs. Garlic, for instance, is a natural antimicrobial herb that helps your body to get rid of harmful bacteria in the gut. Combined with black walnut, which has laxative properties, you can rapidly regain gut health. Other herbs, such as oregano and lavender are also effective for killing parasites.

While veganism might not be the solution to all your health worries, it is undoubtedly a successful approach to muscle build, endurance, and overall bug management. A plant-based diet is not only beneficial for the health of the planet. It can also boost your body’s natural goodness.

Outdoor Exercise: 3 Ways to Get Started

Working out in the gym is great and all that, but it can’t compare to the fresh air outside and the beauty of nature. Unfortunately, though, it seems as if many of the most popular outdoor activities include mostly cardio such as cycling and running - and those parkour people jumping off buildings, but that’s not for everyone.

If you would like to continue with your weight lifting program but need a change of scenery, you’ve come to the right place. Here is a handful of ideas on outdoor exercises that will sculpt you just as well as those weights in the gym is able to.

It just makes it a bit more fun to exercise and you might even squeeze an extra day or two into your regular routine.

#1 Climbing

If you haven’t tried rock climbing before, it’s probably better to do this indoors first in order to get the guidance you need. A lot of people get addicted to it, though, and it’s a great activity to team up with your love for nature and camping as well; suddenly you have a lot of other rocky destinations on your travel lists.

Your new hobby might even take you around the world, in search for the biggest rock to climb.

There are, however, a lot of different types of climbing and you might want to look into bouldering, free climbing and solo climbing before you get started. It helps a bit to read up on the different types to figure out which one is the best fit for you - and to understand which climbing gear you might have to invest in.

Most importantly, though, climbing is great for your body and will get you strong in a way that weights simply can’t compare with.

#2 Kayaking

When the weather allows for it, you should get out there and try kayaking for a change. This is sometimes considered an extreme sport, although it depends on the kind of waters you plan on heading into, and it’s definitely extreme enough for your body.

You can have a look at this article to read more about what you should know before you get started - but a good tip is to remember to paddle with your whole body and not just your arms. It will make sense soon enough when your arms start to ache, though, but keep it in mind and your whole body will get a much better exercise.

#3 Skiing

Skiing is a great sport no matter if you like it fast, slow and steady, or going downhill at a neck-breaking pace. We don’t always think of it as a great workout, though, but you will definitely use your leg muscles a lot and, of course, have a chance to enjoy the kind of stunning scenery you won’t get in a dry gym. Cross-country skiing will definitely be a great choice in terms of exercise, by the way, so have a look around the web for skiing equipment right away.

Getting in Shape for The Festive Season

If you’re looking to get in shape, most people wait until the new year, though there’s something to be said about getting a head-start and forming the building blocks on which you can then catalyze your growth for the new year.

When you think about how a house is built, it’s often the foundations that take the longest time to put in place, and the same is true when it comes to your fitness.  See, whilst we all want to accomplish significant growth, and of course there are links between things like peptides and muscle growth, but fundamentally, you want to be building bulf from a stable base.

This way, it’s like building a pyramid, in that the first level provides the support and stability for the rest of the structure - for instance, if you want bigger shoulders, it makes sense to first build up the strength of the stabilizing muscles around your rotator cuff.  Otherwise, you’re likely to find yourself overloading the muscle and causing an injury.

With that in mind here are a few ways you can start building the foundation for a stronger you in the New Year, and get in shape for the festive season:

1. DRINK MORE WATER

We all know our bodies are made up of mostly water, yet we often find ourselves in a place where we are dehydrated.  We simply don’t drink enough water.

When you consider that being chronically dehydrated (which is what most people are) puts a huge amount of strain on vital organs, which means you perform much less than you would if you were hydrated.

It often results in a foggy head, an achy body, and a low mood.

When it comes to working out, it’s particularly important you keep hydrated.  For instance, the American College of Sports Medicine recommends that you should drink at least twenty ounces of water in the two hours prior to exercise, throughout your workout, and the one most people forget - after your workout, as this is when the body needs to flush out the lactic acid in your muscles.

2. DEVELOP CORE STRENGTH

When people think of “core strength” they mostly assume it has to do with their abs, yet, core stability isn’t limited to your abs and back - it extends to all joint structures, for instance, if you develop stability around your knee joints and shoulder joints before lifting heavy weights you are safeguarding yourself against injury.

For this reason, taking the time to engage in activities like yoga, pilates and swimming can be deeply beneficial to building a firm core foundation.

3. EXERCISE LITTLE AND OFTEN

Many people are guilty of binge exercising, trying to cram in so much to a workout that they overdo it.  Whilst this can be tempting, it would actually make a lot more sense to do a quick thirty minutes in the morning and a quick thirty minutes in the evening - as this way, your body has time to repair and replenish.  

There’s often no benefit in exercising for hours upon hours, as is evidenced by the effectiveness of high intensity interval training.

How to Get Into a Morning Workout Routine

While we can’t all be energized morning people by default, there just seems to be something about those that get up at the crack of dawn to enjoy a quick jog and the fresh air. To some of us, this is definitely an activity we’d rather steer clear of - while others find the idea quite tempting if they only had that kind of energy early in the morning.

If you belong to the latter group, there are actually a few ways to fool yourself into a steady morning workout routine. It won’t be easy, to begin with, but as long as you stick with it for a couple of weeks, you’ll never want to go back to your former ways.

Here is a handful of ways to feel ready for a delightful workout at 6 AM so that you have time to enjoy yourself and relax when you’re done with work for the day.

#1 Invite your dog along

If you have a dog who loves a brisk walk in the morning, he or she will be your perfect companion for these workouts. No dog will fail in helping you to snap out of your grumpy morning mood and you’ll be able to rely on their happy and energized spirits to feel just a bit more awake.

Plus, it’s going to feel great for your dog to get a good run before you’re off to work. Get up in the morning, put those shoes on and go for a jog with your favorite pet and enjoy a big breakfast before it’s time for work.

You definitely won’t regret it when you’ve been sitting in that office chair for a while - and your dog is probably looking forward to the next morning jog already.

#2 Wake up with coffee

Before everyone started to drink coffee through every hour of the day, athletes were well-aware of its benefits before a good workout. It’s going to be difficult to digest that breakfast in such a short time, seeing that you won’t really be able to sit down and let your body work through it before it’s time for that workout, but you can definitely have a cup of coffee.

It will give you a bit of extra energy and might even make it a bit easier to get up in the morning. Treat yourself to a coffee machine that wakes you up with a nice brew at a set time every morning so that the smell off coffee tempts you out before you’re able to consider ditching that morning run.

#3 Remember to start small

Before you get excited about your new and improved ways, you should keep in mind that pushing yourself too much in the morning is a sure way to fall right out of your workout routine. Don’t commit to an hour-long routine which includes running, lifting weights, and holding a plank position for five minutes when you’ve just woken up - you’re just going to disappoint yourself.

Instead, try to start as small as possible and work towards a longer workout as you get used to jumping straight out of bed and into your exercise shoes. That nice run with your dog is a perfect way to start the day as he or she probably wants to stop a few times to sniff around which gives you time to catch your breath again.

It means that you won’t have to wake up a full hour before you usually get up in the morning and 15 minutes may be all you need for the first couple of sessions. Slowly work towards waking up a bit earlier and see if you’re able to exercise for an hour after a few weeks.

#4 Wake up with water

Hearing the alarm go off in the morning and snoozing for the next half hour is something most people can recognize in themselves. Whatever happened to waking up and actually feeling awake rather than drowsy?

There is, in fact, a way to kickstart your brain and body a bit in the morning without having to go through the seemingly mandatory sleepy, snoozy, grumpy state for the first hour after waking up. Just put a glass of water next to your bed and commit to having a few large sips when that alarm goes off.

You can still stay in bed while enjoying your water, though, just make sure that you empty that glass in order to wake yourself up. Drinking water first thing in the morning is known for boosting your metabolism and thereby kickstarting your brain a bit when you would, normally, still be yawning and struggling to wake up completely.

Plus, a large glass of water when you’ve been sleeping for eight hours is definitely quite welcome and will help to hydrate your body properly before that workout. A well-known bonus tip in terms of water is, of course, to have a glass before bed as well so that your bladder can get you out of bed in the morning.

#5 Enjoy a post-workout breakfast

Sometimes, we need to count on the little things to help us get out of bed in the morning. We all enjoy that post-workout feeling and, from a conditioning point-of-view, the endorphins released when working out is definitely a part of what keeps you going.

Boost this feeling slightly by having a post-workout snack or breakfast you can look forward to after that morning run. Read up on atp science as well, by the way, so that you know about all the products that can help you to reach your workout goals a bit faster - and get the kind of body you’ve been working towards.

When you manage to actually get up as your alarm goes off, head outside in the fresh morning air and look forward to a delicious post-workout meal afterwards, you might find that a morning workout is just what you needed in your life.

Commit to sticking to it for at least a few weeks before you give up so that your mind has time to adjust to this new and healthy lifestyle; when you’re used to it, it’s actually going to be difficult to go to work without having enjoyed a nice run first.