Lets go walking!

.Did you know that if you take less than 5,000 (!) steps in a day you are considered sedentary? And if you don’t workout on a regular basis and you sit most of the day, you are at a higher risk for early death, disease and being overweigth.

Walking is a great and easy way to incorporating exercise into your daily routine. If you are taking over 10,000 steps you are considered active. There are many ways to increase your amount of steps every day; talk a walk before work, during lunch or after work, park further away your job, grocery store etc. Instead of sending an email at work, get up from your chair and go and talk with people (my favorite since it also is good for collaboration, team building etc). A great motivator is to purchase a step tracker/pedometer so that you can track your steps every day. Lets go walking!

High-protein diet linked to cancer

.New research shows high-protein diets linked to cancer. An article published in the journal Cell Metabolism says that, over an 18-year study period, Americans between 55 and 65 of age, who had the highest consumption of protein were more than four times as likely to die of cancer or diabetes, and twice as likely to die of any cause, than those whose diets were lowest in protein.

But a high-protein diet had the opposite effect on Americans 66 and older, a group of Americans and Italian researchers found. Those whose diets were highest in protein were 60% less likely to die of cancer and 28% less likely to die of any cause than were those whose protein intake was lowest.

This is when we as individuals have to educate ourselves and hunt down the true facts to ensure we have accurate information. I always find it astonishing when the news come out with big headlines about research that affect our health and they don't present all the facts. Does the survey take peoples lifestyles in to account (disease, smoking, eating junk foods, eating vegetables, exercise etc)...?

Also, just to be clear, the ketogenic/LCHF lifestyle doesn't advocate for an increase of red meat or other proteins. It's about eating healthy proteins, vegetables and fats until you feel full.

Protein shakes

Women often stay away from protein shakes because they think they’re only for bodybuilders. It’s true that high-protein shakes can help develop lean muscle mass, which is a benefit for all women, but it’s also true that shakes can encourage fat loss, deliver essential nutrients and even improve metabolic activity. According to the “American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,” high-quality proteins are more satiating than either carbohydrates or fats, and they may have the ability to improve the body’s metabolism.

I drink protein shakes when I do a lot of weight training (since I want to build muscles), but I also drink them for lunch on busy days at work when I don't have time to get lunch. They are really filling and the Isopure brand that I use also taste good (some protein drinks taste horrible). I'm also careful with not drinking protein drinks which have a lot of sugar or carbs, and this one has none! Cookies and cream, yum!

Nature's Best Isopure Zero Carb, Cookies & Cream

Ketosis

The basics of the LCHF/Ketogenic lifestyle is that you cut down on carbs and increase the amount of fats you consume. So why does that cause you to lose weight? The body starts burning stored fat as energy. The body is then in a state called ketosis. The liver converts the fat into fatty acids and ketone bodies. The ketone bodies replace glucose as an energy source. One of the first signs I notice when I’m in ketosis is that my body temperature increases and I’m full of energy. Before I started with LCHF I was always feeling cold, which would lead to tension headaches. It’s a relief to not always wear sweaters to keep warm or to constantly take painkillers for headaches.

I don’t strive to always be in ketosis. But in the beginning, it helped me tremendously to measure my ketosis levels and to be in optimal ketosis since it taught me how different foods impacted my weight loss and well-being. By using a ketosis meter you can measure and track your numbers. To be in ketosis you want to obtain a number within 1.5 to 3 mmol/L. Being at the higher range doesn’t bring any extra benefits, so just above 1.5 mmol/L is good enough.

I use the Precision Xtra NFR Blood Glucose Monitoring System which you can find here.

Precision Xtra

Please note that a ketonic state is not good if you are a diabetic. Diabetics should take extreme caution when considering a low-carbohydrate diet and always discuss options with their physician.

Time-saving tip #3 – Workouts

Here is the next post in our time-savings tips series, this one is about working out. With some planning you will make sure you don’t miss a workout, but also make your sessions more efficient. • Use the HIT – High Intensity Training - method. I don’t believe in spending hours in the gym. I believe in intense short workout sessions. Not only will they save you time but you will see great results. More info about HIT workouts.

• Be prepared for the days when you can’t get to a gym. Not going to the gym doesn’t mean you can’t workout. The Stellibell workout challenges only take 15 minutes and easy do to at home. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Park further away from the store, work etc.

• If you are planning on going to the gym in the morning, pack your gym bag the night before and put out your workout clothes so that they are ready for you. It’s difficult to skip the workout if you went through all the prep work and see the clothes when you wake up

• Schedule your workouts ahead of time and mark them in your calendar. This creates more accountability and helps you to plan around your workout, instead of making your workout a lesser priority.

• Schedule your workouts around peak hours when other gym goers are also trying to fit in their workouts. That way, you don’t have to wait for the machine and weights.

An half assed LCHF/ketogenic lifestyle

If you are thinking of starting the LCHF/ketogenic lifestyle, I have to warn you of one thing. The LCHF/Ketogenic lifestyle is nothing you can do half assed. Either you do it or you don't. If you eat low carb high fat most of the time but continue eating some bread or other carbs most of the days, you will gain weight instead of losing weight. So make up your mind. Either you in or you out! A smart person would be in. Just saying ;)

Our guide to the LCHF/Ketogenic Lifestyle; Eat more fat, Fatty! and lose weight.

Eat more fat, Fatty! and lose weight

Go nuts! preferably almonds

Even when I follow a strict LCHF lifestyle I make sure I eat a small handful of almonds every day. Not just because they are delicious and they contain lots of healthy fat, but because almonds have so many other benefits to our health: Almonds alkalize your body (balance the ph level). When your body is not alkaline enough, you risk osteoporosis, gain weight, get low energy and poor immune function.

In addition to healthy fats and vitamin E, a quarter-cup of almonds contains 62 mg of magnesium plus 162 mg of potassium.

Almonds also contain riboflavin and L-carnitine, nutrients that boost brain activity and may also reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

With these many benefits of eating almonds there are no reasons for not eating them. go nuts! preferably almonds. Here is an excellent choice of almonds.

Almonds

Make your workout sessions count

Last night when I was at the gym I realized how much people need help and they don’t even know it. They are working out for hours and they probably don’t see much results because only 10% is exercise and 80% is diet. With LCHF you will lose weight without exercising, but does that mean you shouldn’t exercise? I believe we all should exercise for our health. Get the blood pumping and get all the toxins out! Eating right and exercising is not only going to help you lose weight the healthiest way, but also in the most efficient way. And we all want to save time, right? Instead of wasting hours in the gym, decrease your workout time and work out more intense. Interval training or tabata training are great methods to push the intensity in your workout sessions. Our workout challenges are great for fast results in less time.

Here is this week’s challenge.

workout challenge 3

As always, email me at molander@stellibell.com if you have any questions, and to give me your progress report.

Let’s live!

Upsetting book title

Wow, did I get a response from people on my book title! The purpose and goal of my book is that I want to help people get to better health the easy and healthy way. I picked the title because I needed to get your attention. It's time to wake up. It's very dangerous to your health to be over-weight. LCHF allows you to eat real food and still become healthy. I’m shocked that not more people have discovered the LCHF lifestyle and its benefits yet, which is why I’m working so hard to get the message out. There is no reason not to start the LCHF Lifestyle today and start enjoying life.

Weekend workout

Love the weekends! It’s the only day when we have time for a long breakfast together. This morning we enjoyed scrambled eggs, bacon and raspberries. A great LCHF breakfast for the entire family. I managed to go to the gym this morning after breakfast. I put out the clothes by the bed the night before so that I wouldn’t have any excuses. I knew I would go if I had already put on my workout clothes. I have never been good at working out in the mornings. I don’t have the same strength or energy as I have in the evenings. If you are just starting to work out, try different times of the day to find the perfect time for you. It can make a big difference in your results. This morning I ran on the treadmill and did our workout challenge. I gave it my all so that I was out of there in less than an hour. So worth it!

We are in it together

The last couple of days have been very moving and inspiring. I'm very touched by how many of you have emailed and thanked me for the book. It's also very touching to see how many of you has reached out for help. Making a commitment to a new lifestyle can be scary, but we will do it together. I'm continuing my own LCHF journey and I will share my progress with you on the blog. Please share your progress with me at molander@stellibell.com and we can motivate each other. Let's live!

Workout update

How did your workouts go this week? I worked out three times as promised. My second workout was for some reason really tough. I think I didn’t drink enough water during the day. I couldn’t really get into it and my body was achy. So I listened to my body and did one round less than the first workout session earlier in the week. On day three my energy was back and I pushed myself to the limit. Even though I believe in always pushing and challenging yourself to do more each time, I also believe in listening to your body to make sure you don't get injured. Listen carefully and you will learn when it’s telling you to take it easy and when it’s trying to trick you. If it’s telling you to have ice cream instead of working out, I'm pretty sure it’s trying to trick you! Now my running shoes are calling on me for a 30 min run. Have a great Sunday!