Trends/Ideas

Keto, is it the Holy Grail of Diets?

I know, it seems like everyone is talking about the ketogenic diet! So for those of you who don’t know what the keto diet is, I’ll try to explain it in very simple terms and tell you what I know. Just a side note, I have never attempted this diet.

In the simplest explanation possible, the Keto diet focuses on limiting your carbohydrates, minimizing the amount of fruit you consume, and eating meats and vegetables. You should eat the freshest of food and as always, try to only drink water or at least limit drinks that aren’t water. Fatty foods are also a huge focus, i.e. bacon. And you have to like salt. Keto experts say that you must incorporate salt into all of your meals to make up for the all of the electrolytes lost from not consuming other foods and drinks.

Now, I have two different stories to tell you. One is very positive towards Keto and the other does not go in Keto’s favor.

My first story is about the CEO of the bank where I currently work. He has completely changed his life because of the Keto diet. Over the last 6 months, he has lost more than 40 pounds! What, 40 pounds?! Yes, and he did it all by just following the Keto diet. He is a changed man! He went from what some would call a beer belly to being slim and relatively fit. His health has dramatically changed. He preaches about the diet to everyone that will listen and even those that don’t really care.

My second story is about my mom’s first cousin, Larry. He was significantly overweight and never seemed to be able to lose all of his excess weight. Over the years he had struggled with his weight while jumping from diet to diet. Then along came the Keto diet. He was instantly hooked. I can honestly say he was the first person that I had heard use the Keto diet. His results were amazing! He lost over 100 pounds over more than a year’s time and his overall health had greatly improved. So you may be asking yourself at this point, why wouldn’t I want to do the Keto diet if the results are so impressive?! Well, one day Larry was at his home and he began having chest pain. He collapsed and was rushed to the emergency room. He had heart attack! Thankfully it was a minor heart attack, but the doctors said the reason for his heart attack was from all of the fatty foods that he was consuming for the Keto diet. Since then, he has recovered but has started eating healthy without the fatty foods.

Now, I can’t safely say that the Keto diet was the only reason for Larry’s heart attack, but what I can tell you is that it didn’t help any. I wouldn’t let this one story change your mind about the Keto diet, but I would remain cautious with the amount of fatty food that you are consuming.

CrossFit, What’s the Big Deal?

Let me start off by saying that for the last 10 plus years of fitness training, I have been the stereotypical male that is looking to get bigger and stronger. This means that I focus on individual muscle groups to get bigger and stronger. Now, CrossFit is a totally different animal. CrossFit is a combination of strength and endurance. This includes sometimes pushing your body farther than you knew possible.

Several years ago, I was tasked with trying to help my family move several heavy objects and right away everyone thought that I should have no problem doing so. Turns out working out with limited motion and in unnatural positions doesn’t help you when you really need it most. Just because someone can benchpress a ton of weight doesn’t mean they can pick up a heavy object and carry it around. They are only strong if they are laying on their back and pressing that weight in a benchpress motion. So, needless to say I failed miserably and was actually weaker than some of the people in my family when it came down to moving the heavy objects. After being completely embarrassed, I started doing research and found CrossFit.

After months of research, I talked my best friend into accompanying me to a CrossFit gym for a free trial. Boy were we in for a huge surprise! Remember earlier when I said I was only strong moving in certain ways? Well, just like that horrid day with my family, I was so far out of “CrossFit” shape that I couldn’t even finish the free session! I had women kicking my butt! Our session included an extensive amount of stretching, resistance training, strength training, and cardio. Pretty much everything you can think of was incorporated into the session. I was completely hooked after that session. Turns out CrossFit trains your body for real-world use. Had I been doing CrossFit training before moving those heavy objects, I would have been able to move them with ease.

And, did I mention CrossFit training is more of a team effort than anything? The majority of the time CrossFit training is done in a group setting. Not only does the coach root you on, but those that finish the exercise or circuit before you are expected to root you on as well. It’s an incredible environment and I highly recommend it for anyone looking to get into better shape. It doesn’t matter if you’re already into fitness or if you’ve never lifted a weight in your entire life. Every exercise in CrossFit can be modified to work for you and your fitness level. Give it a shot and I bet you’ll get hooked too!