Fitness & Wellness

One of the most popular diets today is the keto diet. It forces the body to switch from using glucose to burning fat. That causes the increase in ketones in your blood. They’re the energy source for the brain when limited glucose is available and created by the liver. Ketosis indicates the diet is working, so you need to know when you’ve achieved it. Here are some signs to help you.

Test your blood for more ketones.

Probably the most reliable way is to test the blood for ketones. That requires you to prick your finger and a special kit that can be expensive. Since excess ketones leave the body as acetone in the urine and breath a breath analyzer, is a second choice. The most often used and cheapest way is to test the urine. The urine strips aren’t as accurate, but they are less expensive and give you a good idea of how much progress you’re making.

Your breath smells odd and not in a good way.

The breath analyzer indicates ketones, which are acetones, are being expelled. A good friend or family member can do the same thing. The release of acetones makes your breath smell like a combination of nail polish remover and rot. It’s a side effect of ketosis. No matter how much you brush your teeth or gargle, the smell lingers. Don’t quit brushing more often or attempting to eliminate it by chewing sugar-free gum or gargling. Those still help a bit.

Losing weight is one of the most positive ways to know you’re in ketosis.

You went on the keto diet and noticed that you shed far more weight than expected in the first few weeks. Rejoice! The diet is working and your body is in ketosis. You won’t have such fast weight loss after that, since the loss is mostly water weight but your weight will consistently drop. It will just be slower. The upside is that it will be true fat loss.

• After you start the keto diet, you may notice you’re not as hungry as you might normally be. Some believe it’s due to the increase of protein and change that causes diminished hunger hormones.
• You might feel exhausted initially. Fatigue can affect physical and mental performance. It’s all about switching from using carbs to burning fat for energy. Once your body adjusts, your energy level returns.
• The keto-flu includes both brain fog and digestive issues. The feeling of being sick is common when first starting a low-carb diet. It takes a few days for the brain to adjust to burning ketones. Since you’re eating less fiber, digestive issues like diarrhea or constipation occur.
• The good news is once your body adjusts, you’ll be more focused and have improved brain functioning. You’ll have more stable sugar levels. If you initially had insomnia, it disappears after a few weeks.

For more information, contact us today at Reggie C. Fitness

If you’re like many people in Houston, TX, who have switched to a plant-based diet, you’re having a problem identifying a good plant-based protein or how to introduce vitamin B12 into your diet. For vegans, adding nutritional yeast or fortified products are good ways to include B-12. The answer isn’t as simple for plant-based protein. There are far more options and some require combinations to create the best amino acid balance.

Before getting into the best plant-based protein choice, you need to understand protein.

Protein is one of the three macronutrients. It’s created from 20 amino acids. The body can produce all but nine of those. Those are the essential amino acids. They include histidine, isoleucine, leucine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, lysine, methionine, and valine. When a food with protein contains all essential amino acids, like animal products do, it’s considered a complete protein. Few plant-based proteins are complete proteins and must be combined to ensure the diet contains all essential amino acids. You don’t have to eat them at once for a complete protein. You can consume several types of amino acids throughout the day.

A few plant-based options are complete proteins, like soy and quinoa.

There’s a wide variety of soy products on the market. Soy is one of the better quality complete plant-based proteins available. A cup of chopped tempeh has 34 grams of protein. A half-cup of raw firm tofu has 21.8 grams of protein and the same amount of edamame has 7 grams of protein. Quinoa is another complete protein source that can be used in place of rice. If it’s not a staple for those choosing plant-based options, it should be. It has a long shelf life and has 8 grams of protein per cooked cup.

Hemp seeds and chia seeds are complete proteins and make good supplements.

Hemp seeds contain complete protein. Three tablespoons of shelled hemp seeds contain 10 grams of complete protein. That’s about 1/6 the amount required daily amount. You can use it to increase protein intake by sprinkling it on salads, adding it to oatmeal, or incorporating it in other ways into your diet. Two tablespoons of chia seeds provide five grams of protein—1/12th the DV. Like hemp seed, you can use it to supplement your protein intake.

Pistachios are a great snack and an excellent way to increase protein in your diet. A one ounce serving provides 6 grams of protein. They’re a delicious snack that will increase your protein intake.

Combine two plant-based incomplete proteins to get a complete protein. Beans and rice and peanut butter on whole wheat are a few combinations.

Plant-based protein sources are often inexpensive. Many have a long shelf life, making it good to store for emergencies. Lentils, beans, rice, quinoa, nuts and nut butter, and nutritional yeast are a few examples.

High-protein breads, like Ezekiel bread, provide a source of protein. Coat it with peanut butter and it’s a high-protein meal or snack.

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If you’re not getting the nutrients you need, your body won’t function properly, affecting your overall health. Your gut is responsible for most of the digestive processes and the food you consume can either be bad or good for it. A diet high in sugar creates many problems, from too few beneficial microbes to inflammation. A compromised gut means compromised health. If you’re taking gas relievers or antacids after each meal, it’s time to switch your diet.

Introduce probiotic food into your diet.

What are probiotic foods? They are foods with beneficial microbes. A healthy microbiome—the collection of microbes in your gut—means better health throughout the body. A lot of things can affect the balance of microbes in the gut, creating an unhealthy environment. Medications, stress, a poor diet, and lack of exercise are a few. Probiotics replenish the beneficial bacteria. Probiotic foods are fermented foods that contain live cultures. It includes kefir, yogurt, sauerkraut, some types of cheese, kombucha, kimchi, miso, and unfiltered apple cider vinegar.

Add foods that are high in fiber to your diet.

Food high in soluble fiber is prebiotic. The soluble fiber in the food improves the population of beneficial bacteria in your digestive tract by providing food for them. The result is short-chain fatty acids that aid in mucus production, boost immunity, and deal with inflammation. Food high in soluble fiber includes beans, avocados, Brussels sprouts, apples, broccoli, and sweet potatoes. The other type of fiber, insoluble fiber, provides bulk to the stool, prevents blood sugar spikes, and hemorrhoids, and keeps food moving through the tract. Consuming nuts, whole grain products, and apple peels can boost insoluble fiber intake.

A diet high in plant-based food, but low in added sugar can be a big benefit to gut health.

A diet high in sugar boosts the population of yeast and other pathogens. As the colony of bad microbes grows, cravings for more sugar increase, causing more inflammation and weight gain. It can cause malnutrition, autoimmune diseases, skin conditions, cancer, and mental health conditions. Skip the candy bar and eat fresh fruit. Cut back on red meat and replace it with vegetable protein sources. It takes longer to digest meat, which can create digestive issues.

• Consume food high in collagen to heal the gut. Collagen regulates stomach acid and heals leaky gut, IBS, and inflammation. You can boost collagen by adding bone broth or protein-rich foods to your diet.
• Gut health also benefits from additional vitamin C, zinc, and copper. Citrus fruit, bell peppers, cheese, nuts, organ meat, and cocoa powder can increase the intake of at least one of those nutrients.
• Apples are excellent for gut health. They improve digestion, plus provide pectin to increase the beneficial bacteria, reduce the risk of acid reflux, boost weight loss, and aid hair and nail growth.
• Antibiotics kill both harmful and beneficial bacteria. If you have to take an antibiotic, consume fermented food an hour before taking the antibiotic or an hour after taking it to protect gut health.

For more information, contact us today at Reggie C. Fitness

There are a variety of marathons near Houston, TX, this year, as well as other races. A marathon is one of the most grueling races at 42 kilometers—26.2 miles. You don’t go from living a sedentary lifestyle to running a 26.2-mile race overnight. You have to train for a marathon. Sometimes, the training is in the gym and sometimes it’s out running. It’s all about building endurance and knowing your limits first. If your last running experience was playing dodgeball in grade school, you have a long way to go. Take it slowly.

Test your limits.

Start by getting a physical or checking with your healthcare professional, since a marathon is especially grueling. The less fit you are, the more important it is. You have a goal, running a marathon, but which marathon and when? If you’ve never exercised, start slowly and plan for a marathon as far as a year in the future. Beginners can start with a 20-minute walk/run routine, where you run for as little as 15 seconds and then walk for a minute to catch your breath, returning to running. As you get fitter, extend the running period and shorten the recovery time. Once you can run a full 20 minutes, it’s time to start training for your marathon.

Build your mileage.

Marathons are grueling for a reason….they’re really long! Once you can run 20 minutes straight, start working on your mileage. Work out 3-5 times a week, with at least one long run every 7-10 days. Many runners use Fartlek techniques that constantly vary pace throughout the run. Instead of going at high-intensity and recovery, you go at close to high-intensity speed, medium, low speed, and everywhere in between the three, but never slow down to recovery pace, always keeping your heart rate slightly higher. Run on various types of terrain.

Build up your distance.

Alter the way you increase your distance run. Start by increasing your long run by a mile every week or two. If you’re running 10 miles, the next distance run, go 11 miles, then 12 miles. Instead of going 13 miles the next distance session, revert to 10 miles, and the following session, increase it to 13. Don’t worry about your pace on the distance run, but distance. Rest on the days you’re not running. It should be active rest, like swimming, calisthenics, or yoga.

• Focus on sleep. Sleep allows the body to heal and produce HGH—human growth hormone. HGH aids in muscle repair.
• Hydration is important. Get a hydration pack or belt. If you don’t want to carry the water, create a path that goes past water sources, like fountains. Drink lots of water before any long run.
• You have to feed your body right to be your best. Eat a healthy diet throughout training. The night before a long run, or the marathon itself, make your meal rich in carbs and carry energy packs or fruit during long runs.
• If running a marathon is your goal, personal training can help. Our small group in-person training is also another good option.

For more information, contact us today at Reggie C. Fitness

When I talk with clients in Houston, TX, I find that the ones that are most successful at sticking with a fitness program tend to make working out a habit. Most of us think of negative habits, like smoking, binge-watching videos or TV or leaving dirty dishes on the floor, but habits can be good, too. If you make it a habit to eat healthy meals or exercise at a certain time every morning, you’ll be just as apt to do it as you would a bad habit. Most of the time, you automatically do it or it’s uncomfortable when you don’t.

Working out is essential for a healthy life.

Your workout doesn’t have to be formal. It’s all about living an active, varied lifestyle. You need flexibility, strength, endurance and balance training throughout life. If you’re active, moving furniture, dancing, playing basketball or riding bikes might be part of the way to do it, but it even an active lifestyle doesn’t guarantee that you’ll get all types of exercise or work all parts of the body. A program of exercise does. If you don’t get all the types of training or work on all parts of the body, it can leave you vulnerable.

Start by scheduling your workout.

Just like any appointment, you’ll be more apt to keep that appointment with yourself when it’s on your schedule. You’ll also start to associate that time with your workout. Have you ever switched jobs or had your job schedule change and found yourself driving to your old workplace instead of your new one, or driving to work when you meant to go to the grocery? It happens. Just like establishing any habit, whether it’s eating healthy food or going to work, once it’s a normal part of your daily life, you don’t even have to think about it, you just do it.

Don’t try to do it all at once.

If you haven’t worked out for a while, or ever, you need to monitor yourself and start slower. Instead of pushing yourself to do an astronomical amount of reps, cut back on the reps and focus on form for the first few weeks. The proper form is one of the most important parts of any workout routine. Slowly add repetitions and sets as you go. Don’t risk injury by pushing too hard.

• You can follow our online services for a workout that’s created to bring success. Schedule time for personal training, small group or bootcamp training to create a scheduled workout and create a habit.
• Make working out a habit by being prepared for the next day’s workout. Pack your gym bag or have your workout clothes laid out. If you have the bag next to the door, you won’t forget it.
• Workout with a friend. Working out with a friend means you’ll be held accountable for showing up. It’s one reason personal trainers have such great success. They hold clients accountable.
• Track your progress. Tracking your progress means writing down your workout, including the number of reps. Make notes on how hard or easy the workout felt and how you increased difficulty as you went. Winners keep score.

For more information, contact us today at Reggie C. Fitness