Guest Post: Do Less Cardio

by Brianna Prigge, CPT

I am thrilled to be guest posting on Lauren’s blog this week. I met Lauren through mutual friends and we now work together. Working in the same small office as Lauren, I have had the unique opportunity to watch her go through the ADF lifestyle change. I had never heard of ADF before Lauren decided to commit to it about 5 months ago. I naturally had countless questions for her and was floored by the scientific evidence boasting the benefits of the ADF lifestyle. As you know from her blog, she has been incredibly successful.

Lauren and I never run short on conversation topics because we are both interested in the Paleo diet and some of the lifestyle aspects of the primal life, as well. I chose to adopt the Paleo diet about 6 months ago. I follow the diet with 80% of what I eat. The occasional soy sauce, peanut butter, corn chips, and dessert do tend to find themselves in my diet from time to time. I battle with some autoimmune conditions, and I feel markedly better following the Paleo diet.  

But, I would like to spend some time discussing a different aspect of the Paleo lifestyle: exercise. 

How does the primal lifestyle suggest we approach exercise? According to the author of The Primal Blueprint and popular blog, Mark’s Daily Apple, Mark Sisson, “The fact is, our hunter-gatherer ancestors didn't ramp up their heart rates significantly for over an hour every day, and I don't think we should either. They walked at a very low level of exertion, burning almost entirely stored fats.” Is Sisson trying to tell us that there is such a thing as too much cardio? Yes, in fact, once your body leaves the fat-burning zones, we become dependent on glycogen stores to fuel our muscles. Your muscles and liver have a threshold for stored glycogen, up to 2 hours for well-trained individuals, and much less for the rest of us.

Pushing past fat burning zones and relying on glycogen stores can quickly take a toll on your body. To name a few that Mark Sisson mentions: “this kind of training (and diet) raises cortisol levels, increases oxidative damage, systemic inflammation, depresses the immune system and decreases fat metabolism. About the only thing good it does is improve cardiac muscle strength – and even then you get to the point of diminishing returns fairly quickly.”

Read more here.

This information has been difficult for me to digest. I have accepted the meat and produce concepts of the Paleo diet, it truly resonates with me to eat like our ancestors did and fuel my body similarly. But we have been conditioned to believe that marathon runners are the picture of health; that we should be jogging for hours every week to be feel our best. For example, I just ran the Seattle Rock n’ Roll marathon in June and felt that I had hit a milestone in my journey towards health. To be honest, I could not have been more misguided. The marathon training demanded me to put more and more carbohydrates into my body as fuel. I was consuming Swedish fish during long training runs to keep my glycogen stores up, and was constantly exhausted. But I truly believed I was reaching extreme levels of fatigue in the name of health. I was very wrong.

Since the marathon, I have changed my approach to exercise. Not an easy task, since I have it ingrained in my brain that running and pushing my body to extreme cardio limits is equated with optimal health. But now, a week of my workouts looks like this:

Monday: 3 mile walk during my lunch hour and a Yoga Sculpt class in the evening
(Yoga Sculpt is a total body workout, CorePower Yoga Sculpt classes are set to energizing music and designed to tone and sculpt every major muscle group. This class complements your regular yoga practice, while boosting your metabolism and pushing your strength and flexibility to new heights. Free weights are added to the CorePower Yoga 2 (C2) sequence, creating resistance and intensifying each pose. Strength-training exercises such as squats, lunges, bicep curls and tricep curls are incorporated to build lean muscle mass.)

Tuesday: Yoga Sculpt class

Wednesday: 3 mile run and functional bodyweight exercises

Thursday: Functional Sprint and Strength Workout (see below)

Friday: Yoga Sculpt class

Saturday: Hike or take another adventure with my husband (kayak on the lake during the summer, ski during the winter, etc.)

Sunday: REST

According to the primal lifestyle, we should move slow and frequently. I do not own a car, so I end up walking a fairly great amount in everyday life, and also enjoy taking walks to explore new neighborhoods in Seattle. It is also important to do functional strength moves to make sure we are strong throughout our entire lives. Squats, lunges, and push-ups with our own body weight are great ways to keep your strength up. Lastly, we should sprint once in awhile  This is good for both our metabolism and body composition.

Here is a great example of a quick, functional sprint and strength workout to do no more than once a week:

*Warm-up for 5 minutes (power-walking or light jogging)*

Interval 1: Sprint 20 seconds, walk/light jog 3 minutes
-60 seconds of air squats (Here is a video tutorial)

Interval 2: Sprint 20 seconds, walk/light jog 3 minutes
-60 seconds of push-ups

Interval 3: Sprint 20 seconds, walk/light jog 3 minutes
-60 seconds of walking lunges

Interval 4: Sprint 20 seconds, walk/light jog 3 minutes
-60 seconds of planks

I feel markedly better on this type of a workout regimen. I no longer need to load up on carbohydrates to sustain my energy levels. In fact, two to three Paleo-style meals a day yields more than enough energy and the correct nutrients to feel my best. And to end on a vanity note: my clothes fit better than when I was marathon training, go figure.

Brianna Prigge is not only my friend and coworker  but a certified personal trainer (CPT) with a passion for fitness and health.

Guest Post: 3 Delicious Low-Fat Apple Juices

by Oleg

When you say "juicing" with the intent to lose some weight, you mean juice comprised of vegetables and fruits. The major front-runner of fruits, when it comes to juicing, is the apple. It is very common among mixtures of natural juices. Apple is rich in vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, C and folic acid.

Not only that, apples can also neutralize the bitter taste and bad odor of vegetable mixtures. Without the presence of apple in a mixture, the juice can have a strong smell and a bitter taste, especially if the mixture is comprised mostly of green vegetables like broccoli, kale leaves, cauliflower and others.

Here are the top 3 apple juicing recipes for weight loss:

1. Apple-Carrot-Ginger Juice. This juice will be loved by the health enthusiasts because it’s really low fat. It only contains 60 calories at the maximum. You can make this by mixing 1 cup of carrots, 1 cup of chopped apples, 1 teaspoon of grated ginger and 2 cups of ice.

For the carotene to be easily assimilated by your liver, you need to mix the juice with one half cup of sour cream or yogurt   A single serving will give you bursting flavors of saltiness, sourness, bitterness, spiciness and sweetness.

2. Apple-Fennel Juice. This juice has a fighting sweetness and sourness flavor. To get the right mixture, all you need to have is pick a 1 bulb of fennel, 2 lemons (sliced), 2 apples (use large ones) and a handful of mint.

Put everything inside the juicer and start blending until it liquefies. If you wanted to make it greener, you have the option to add kale leaves. Serve with ice cubes for great taste. Each serving only has a maximum of 130 calories.

3. Apple-Grapefruit Juice. This mixture is deliciously enticing because of the presence of semi-sweet grapefruit. In order to tone down the sweetness and sourness of the grapefruit, you need to put 2 big apples in the mixture. Usually, this mixture contains 1 grapefruit. The tropical fruit’s mixture with the apple is perfect. Usually, the mixture will give you 130 calories. 

Juicing for weight loss using apples is indeed very fun. Apples are a universal neutralizer in the world of juicing. They can be paired with any other vegetable mixtures or with other fruits like pears, grapes, citrus, watermelons and many more. Try it and witness its wonders.

Oleg, the author is a fitness and health enthusiast and invites you to visit his personal blog at howtogetabbs.com if you would like to get more fat loss tips.

Guest Post: Fast(ing) Food - Seared Sesame-Crusted Ahi Over Mango Cilantro Slaw

by Sarah Berger

Eat this and forget you're fasting because you made your mouth so happy.

Seared Sesame-Crusted Ahi over Mango Cilantro Slaw (Yields 2 servings)
~500 kcal/serving (w/avocado) or ~350 kcal/serving (w/o avocado)

This fast day meal is full of healthy fats and a wide variety of vitamins and minerals including iron, 11 grams of fiber, and many vitamins (A, B, C, E), and more.

Sesame-Crusted Tuna:

• 2 frozen ahi steaks (I used the ones from Trader Joe’s)
• 1 tsp sesame seeds (not toasted)
• 1 tsp coconut oil
• salt - optional

Defrost tuna in the fridge overnight or in a bowl of cold water (still in package). Remove from package and place on a plate, sprinkle with sesame seeds on all sides and press into fish. Season with salt, if desired. 

Heat coconut oil in a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Once oil is melted and hot, add fish. Cook on each side for 1-2 minutes depending on desired done-ness. Be careful not to burn sesame seeds---turn often and reduce heat if necessary. 

Remove from pan and place on a cutting board to rest for a few minutes while assembling the slaw. 

Mango Cilantro Slaw:

• ¼ red cabbage, shredded (about 2 cups)
• 1-2 carrots, grated
• 2 green onions, sliced finely
• 1 mango, julienned
• 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped finely
• ½ English cucumber, halved lengthwise then thinly sliced

Dressing:

• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• ½ tsp honey
• 1 tbsp water
• ¼ tsp salt or soy sauce
• ½ tbsp sesame oil

Extra:

• 1 large avocado, sliced - optional

Combine dressing ingredients in a medium bowl, whisk to dissolve honey and salt. Add in slaw ingredients and toss to coat. Place ½ of the slaw mixture on each plate, slice tuna across the grain and place over slaw. Top with sliced avocado, if desired. 

The creator and author of this recipe is Sarah Berger. She is the blogger behind Love Muffin (also in my blogroll) which is a collection of her Paleo recipes. Sarah has been my friend since middle school and is a great cook with some culinary schooling.

Guest Post: Mix Up Your Fast Days

by Sabine

Hi! My name is Sabine, and I've been doing ADF for about five months. I'm female, mid-forties, don't exercise, and I started off about 50 pounds overweight. I also do primal low-carb, and though it makes me feel great when I eat that way, I found it hard to sustain long-term (cheats!) and hard to get back on after cheating. The biggest benefit I have seen from ADF is that it is now easy to get back on plan after I eat something I shouldn't instead of falling into a downward spiral that can take weeks or months to recover from. And, oh yeah, I'm down 25 pounds so far. I don't always do the same thing on my Down Days (the JUDDD term for fasting days). Here are some different types of Down Days, that are helpful to have in your toolbox:

Zero-Calorie (Water Fasting)
This is what most people think of when they hear "fasting." Water, that's all, right? But even eating nothing has some tricks to it. Have different kinds of water. No, don't go buy fancy bottles. But have regular water, have water with lemon juice and salt (8 cups water, 1 tsp salt, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1/2 tsp sweetener - great for maintaining your electrolyte balance), have a pitcher of water that has some cucumber slices floating in it. Switch off between your different types of water, and have some herbal tea, as well. The change in flavors, though subtle, really helps. 

Drink at least 12 glasses of water, shoot for 16. (Unless you have issues which make drinking lots of water unsafe. Rare, but it can happen. Know thyself!) Accept that you will be visiting the bathroom a lot. Brush your teeth every time you're in there, while you're at it. It really helps. Do not chew gum. It makes it worse. Don't feel that you need to "do nothing" while you are fasting. It is better to be busy. Plan projects, errands, any kind of physical activity. Mental activities, save for Up Days (the JUDDD term for feast days), at least in the beginning. There's something about having to think, that makes your body say, "Hey, let's eat!"

All-Liquid
You're still drinking, but you're getting some nutrition. The main reason for drinking your calories, is to minimize your "meal" experience. When you first start Down Days, you will be amazed at all the time you now have, that you used to spend eating, preparing food, cleaning up, and thinking about food. Sometimes it is hard to know what to do with yourself! And sometimes you find that dealing with food at all, makes you want to go all the way, and have a meal, a real meal, and no, you don't want to wait until tomorrow, you want it NOW! This is when drinking a meal helps you out. You slug it down, and it's done, then you can stop thinking about it. Protein shakes are good here, probiotic drinks, and vegetable smoothies. And for those who like to have something going into their mouths all day, sipping on a nice iced coffee with milk or cream, can make the day a lot happier.

High-Fat
I started doing these kind of Down Days because I have had good success in the past with the Atkins Fat Fast. It gets you into ketosis (the good kind) super fast, and knocks cravings flat on their back. The challenge with High-Fat Down Days is that fat packs quite the caloric punch. You really can't eat a lot on these Down Days, but used wisely (after you have been low carb for a while, and are experienced with Down Days and their wiles) these can be great. One of my favorite "meals" is to cut a slice of liverwurst (~60 calories) into 24 little chunks, and eat them S-L-O-W-L-Y, letting them melt in my mouth. Unlike the All-Liquid Days, where you are trying not to think about food, High-Fat Days are all about savoring every bit of flavor in your mouth. Brie cheese, pork rinds with sour cream, macadamia nuts, and a spoon of peanut or almond butter are all favorites.

High-Protein
ADF is supposed to be muscle-sparing, but once in awhile you just start wondering: are my muscles wasting away? Protein to the rescue. At four calories per gram, you can get a lot of protein into a Down Day. Fish is great, because there's not much fat going along with it. Every bite is mostly protein. Protein shakes, of course. And jerky! I was amazed to discover how satisfying it is to tear into bites of jerky on a Down Day. Don't forget the humble egg. Double up on your whites, and save the yolks for your Up Day, or hard-boil them, and have egg-white egg salad. Amazingly good, especially when you consider that the best part (the yolk!) is missing. Also good is diet Jell-O (if you do chemicals) made with extra gelatin. I love being able to have a "dessert" on my Down Days sometimes.

Bulky
Sometimes, you just want to chew. Or stuff your face. And the fact that it is a Down Day, and you need to keep it to 500 calories or less, matters not. Vegetables are your friends. Those big bags of cut cabbage? They make great stir-fry. Yes, you CAN eat the whole bag yourself! Everyone has their favorites, but let me show you what 500 calories will get you in the produce aisle:

~56 kcal = 16 spears of asparagus
~20 kcal = a head of broccoli
~60 kcal = 4 cups shredded cabbage
~62 kcal = 2 big carrots
~26 kcal = 1/4 head of cauliflower
~24 kcal = 4 stalks of celery
~24 kcal = a bag of cut lettuce
~28 kcal =2 cucumbers
~48 kcal = 8 oz of mushrooms
~40 kcal = a nice big bell pepper
~36 kcal = a bag of spinach
~72 kcal = 20 cherry tomatoes
= ~496 calories TOTAL

You can eat on that all day and maybe even run out of time. Yes, there's no butter, or cheese, but it is one day! It can be done. And, amazingly, some days, you don't even want the butter. Your taste buds  and enjoyment of food DO change when you are doing ADF. I really look forward to my Down Days now, which I never would have thought would happen at the beginning. And if you have to have the butter or olive oil, well, drop the cucumbers and tomatoes, and stir-fry the rest up with 1 tablespoon of the butter or oil. You'll still have a huge quantity of food.

Mini-Meals
This is good for those days when you have a long, tedious project to do (think paperwork) and you will be desperate for breaks. In days past you might have had chips, or a candy bar, or a handful of nuts, or heck, all three, just a reason to get away from the project. You make real meals (yes you can have meals that are just ~140 calories) but you divide them even smaller. Just a bite or two. Say, one half of a deviled egg (made with sour cream and mustard in the yolks) which is ~40 calories. Forty calories, you say! That's crazy! But... you get 12 of these little meals. You're eating something every hour. And sometimes, it is okay to have just a bite. You enjoy it, you set the timer for another hour, and you head back to your project. Cherry tomatoes filled with cream cheese are especially good for this. You can have four of them for ~40 calories!

I'm-Not-Dieting-I-Just Feel-Like-a-Salad!
Sometimes you have to meet people for a meal on your Down Day. People you may not be interested in telling what you are doing. For whatever reason. I've had one too many eye rolls to judge anyone. You eat nothing else that day. You order water with lemon, or unsweetened iced tea. You order a salad with protein (chicken breast/steak/salmon) on top and not too many of the crazy extras (pineapple, craisins, nuts, croutons, you know what I mean) in it, and the dressing on the side. Dip your fork in the dressing before you spear your bites, and exclaim over how fresh it all tastes. You ORDER A DESSERT to go, saying you are too full, but it all looks so good, you just can't resist. (You get to eat it tomorrow, not tonight. Or you can give it to someone.) No one who orders a dessert can possibly be on some weird fasting plan, right, so your secret is safe!

Three-Squares-a-Day
Yes, it can be done. Get out your calorie book, and start thinking. Here's one of mine for inspiration:

Breakfast: 1 poached egg (~70 kcal) served over 2 cups spinach (~12 kcal), steamed, and mixed with 1 tsp butter (~33 kcal). Total = 115 kcal

Lunch: 1 small salmon fillet (~100 kcal) with 1 tsp mayo (~33 kcal) and a squirt of lemon juice (~10 kcal) and a shake of dried dill (free!),1 small zucchini (~9 kcal), 4 mushrooms (~12 kcal) sauteed with 1 tsp butter (~33 kcal). Total = 197 kcal

Snack: 1/2 apple (~41 kcal) and 1 tsp peanut butter (~32 kcal). Total = 73 kcal

Dinner: Homemade vegetable soup (~60 kcal) and a dessert of diet Jell-O made with extra gelatin (~45 kcal). Total = 105 kcal

If I count correctly, that's ~490 calories. Go hog wild with the other 10!  :)


Hope these ideas have been useful for you. Down Days can be a challenge, but they can also be fun. Find the right kind of plan for your situation, and enjoy your food!

Sabine started the Alternate Day Fasting Support and Chat forum thread of Mark's Daily Apple, a website that is a hub of resources and discussions about healthy living and the primal lifestyle. I met her through the forum thread when I first started alternate day fasting and was looking for advice from other people practicing the ADF way of eating. For more information on primal eating and living, check out Mark's Daily Apple.