Boundless Life

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Click to Subscribe to All Ben's Fitness & Get A Free Surprise Gift from Ben. Click here for the full written transcript of this podcast episode. Aug 22, 2012 free podcast: What Kind Of Sports Drink or Gel Is Best For Endurance Exercise? Also: upper body strength for swimming, is honey a good energy source, is a "hair analysis" worth while, should you "run through menopause", chlorine sensitivities, dealing with a labrum tear, xenoestrogens and weight changes, cycling and sciatica pain , and ways to deal with metatarsal pain. Have a podcast question for Ben? Click the tab on the right side of the screen, call toll free to 1-877-209-9439, Skype to “pacificfit” or scroll down on this post to access the free “Ask Ben” form. NEW Enhanced Podcast - For those of you with devices that support the M4A file type (Apple, some recent Android, Sonos, Creative Zen, Zune, some Sony, Nintendo DS, Wii, PSP, some Nokia and some Blackberry... and a few more) we have a new "enhanced" version of the podcast... with chapters! Download it here and let us know what you think. If you have trouble listening, downloading, or transferring to your mp3 player just e-mail ben@bengreenfieldfitness.com. Also, please don't forget to leave the podcast a ranking in iTunes - it only takes a minute of your time and it helps grow our healthy community! ----------------------------------------------------- News Flashes: To get these and other interesting news flashes every week, follow Ben on Twitter and Google+. If your kids are swimming in pools a lot, you need to be giving them antioxidants. Here's why. Simply using an iPad after midnight decreases melatonin production by 23%! Cool way to figure out whether you're a "morning" or an "evening" person. ----------------------------------------------------- Special Announcements: Cooking Class with Ben & Jessa Greenfield: "Make Your Own Probiotics" - Thursday, August 23, 6:30-8pm. Fee: $5 per person – includes recipes and samples. Location: Pilgrim’s Health Education Center. Ben is going to be at Ironman Canada - drop him an email or @ him on Twitter if you want to say hi! Need blood testing to find out your health or performance biomarkers? - Ben recommends WellnessFX ----------------------------------------------------- Listener Q&A: As compiled and read by Brock, the Ben Greenfield Fitness Podcast "sidekick". Audio Question from Keith: Wants to know Ben's opinion on Tailwind Endurance Fuel. ~ In my response I mention Osmo Nutrition. Eve asks: I am a typically pear shaped female. I have done strength training diligently for several years, and I have trained for triathlon for almost a year. My upper body strength is really holding me back on the swim. I train swimming 3 times per week. I have worked with swim coaches and have followed numerous strength training protocols with several personal trainers. I bought your book "strength training for triathletes" and followed some of the exercises. I've had improvements in my leg strength, but not in my lats and arms. I eat Paleo with loads of fruit, plenty of protein, litre of milk per day with zero junk and zero gluten. Is there no hope for me? Even my mother can bench more than me :-( ~ In my response to Eve, I mention the SwimSmooth book. Rob asks: I was listening to you and Brock talk about gels and goos today, recommendations for half-marathoning. I started running hardcore last year and I found the half-marathon distance really tough until I started wearing a CamelBak and I was thinking about carrying honey packets with me as a natural source of energy, as opposed to gels and goos. I'm a budget runner as much as possible because I'm a budget sort of wage-earner and I can just grab these honey packets at the local coffeehouse. What do you think about using honey as an energy source during a long-distance run? KaLonny asks: Is there any validity to hair analysis? A local chiropractor offers this test to measure mineral content of your hair and, according to this particular website, "if a particumineral deficiency or toxicity exists in the hair, it usually indicates a mineral deficiency or toxicity within the body. This in turn, provides a great window into the metabolic activity within the body, which allows us to prescribe a unique treatment protocol in order to properly treat your condition. " I am interested for myself, but also for my daughter, who shows characteristics of autism and other behaviour issues. Is it legit or a waste of money? ~ In my response to KaLonny, I recommend these two tests: www.evitalhealth.com/Red_Blood_Cell_Elements.html www.spectracell.com/mnt/#nutrients Hope says: I'm 53 years old and have been going through the side effects of peri-menopause and menopause for many years now. I decided when I was in my later 40's that I would try to "run through menopause". I'm now running about 3 - 4 miles a few times a week and also do different types of cross training. I have completed a 5k and a 10k, but I find that I get too exhausted to put in any real extended mileage. I wanted your input regarding how to deal with the exhaustion, hot flashes and creeping weight gain which has been occurring. I have tried black cohosh and other remedies to no avail. My diet is overall very good - lots of veggies, clean foods, protein and not huge amounts of carbs, except for a treat. My mother had breast cancer twice, so there is no way I'll be touching any hormones. I am trying my best to keep fit and young, but I gotta tell you, it's been tough! ~ In my response to Hope, I recommend listening to my podcast on why women gain weight as they get older and taking a look at the Ben Recommends page. Nadine asks: I am an ex-triathlete who stopped swimming because of a problem with chlorine. Here is what the symptoms are like: after two or three swims in a week, I stop being able to digest fat, get heart palpitations (which I never get otherwise) and generally feel terrible. It took me a long time to figure out what the trigger is until my naturopath did some reflex testing with pool water and figured out that the chlorine in the water goofs up my liver and gall bladder. I stopped swimming in 2005. I do a lot of endurance training but really really want to get back into triathlon. I am going to try a lower chlorine pool in Vancouver but wondered if a) you have encountered this sort of reaction before and b) if you have any ideas about helping out with the chlorine. I have no respiratory symptoms. Shannon asks: I currently have a small tear in my labrum in my left hip. I have an acetabular impingement that seems to be why this has happened. I was a runner and practised a lot of yoga. I have been seeing a yoga therapist and doing physical therapy and my hip has been feeling better. I am not planning on having surgery, because my hip is feeling better. Do you have any suggestions or opinions about workouts? I would love to get back to running, but high impact activities make me nervous. ~ Heal Your Hips book. Sefi asks: Are there any studies that actually look at weight changes in women who avoid xenoestrogens compared to those who don't? ~ Harvey PW, Darbre P. Endocrine disrupters and human health: could oestrogenic chemicals in body care cosmetics adversely affect breast cancer incidence in women? J Appl Toxicol. 2004 May-Jun;24(3):167-76. ~ Braun JM, Kalkbrenner AE, Impact of early-life bisphenol a exposure on behavior and executive function in children, Pediatrics. 2011 Nov;128(5):873-82. Epub 2011 Oct 24. ~ Roy JR, Chakraborty S, Chakraborty TR. Estrogen-like endocrine disrupting chemicals affecting puberty in humans--a review, Med Sci Monit. 2009 Jun;15(6):RA137-45. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2717132/ http://www.epa.gov/ncer/science/endocrine/humanhealth.html http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17503436 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15461258 ~ Jensen TK, et al. Do environmental estrogens contribute to the decline in male reproductive health. Clinical Chemistry December 1995 vol. 41 no. 12 1896-1901.   ~ Ho, S-M, W-Y Tang, J Belmonte de Frausto, and GS Prins. 2006. Developmental Exposure to Estradiol and Bisphenol A Increases Susceptibility to Prostate Carcinogenesis and Epigenetically Regulates Phosphodiesterase Type 4 Variant 4. Cancer Research, Volume 66, Pages 5624-5632. ~ Diamanti-Kandarakis E et al. 2009 Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals: An Endocrine Society Scientific Statement. Endocrine Reviews 30(4):293-342 ~ Carwile JL, Michels KB, Urinary bisphenol A and obesity: NHANES 2003 – 2006. Environ Res. 2011 Aug;111(6):825-30. Epub 2011 Jun 14. Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA. ~ Zsarnovszky A, Le HH, Wang HS, Belcher SM. Ontogeny of rapid estrogen-mediated extracellular signal-regulated kinase signaling in the rat cerebellar cortex: potent nongenomic agonist and endocrine disrupting activity of the xenoestrogen bisphenol A. Endocrinology. 2005 Dec;146(12):5388-96. Epub 2005 Aug 25. ~ Ayyanan A, Laribi O, et al, ISREC-Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research, National Center of Competence Molecular Oncology, Lausanne, Switzerland. ~ Masuno, H., et al. “Bisphenol A in combination with insulin can accelerate the conversion of 3T3-L1 fibroblasts to adipocytes.” J lipid Res. 3 (2002): 676-684.   ~ Silver MK, O'Neill MS, Sowers MR, Park SK, PLoS One. 2011;6(10), Urinary Bisphenol A and Type-2 Diabetes in U.S. Adults: Data from NHANES 2003-2008. ~ Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America. ~ Harvey PW, Darbre P. Endocrine disrupters and human health: could estrogenic chemicals in body care cosmetics adversely affect breast cancer incidence in women? J Appl Toxicol. 2004 May-Jun;24(3):167-76. Andy wrote: I recently "fell" into the sport of road cycling after trying it out last year during a vacation. I have always been active (4th degree Black Belt in Karate) though I now have to work within my sciatica that at times does not allow me to walk without pain. Riding does give me a minor back soreness but it does not hurt me at all! Even though I am now 56 I would like to get into this sport more seriously but with caution. I still have a full time job and yes a growing family thus I have to balance. So, where does one begin to establish a serious, though reasonable overall program that someone like me can use to challenge himself? ~ In my response to Andy, I recommend www.TriathlonDominator.com and www.Tri-Ripped.com Paul asks: I am a 63 yr old 30 + yr. runner. I have flat feet and hammer toes. The last few years I have had nerve pain under second toe on my right foot. I have used a metatarsal pad under toes with relative success. Lately pain hangs on after long runs. I went to a podiatrist and got a cortisone shot for the inflammation and was told I need an orthotic. I've seen insoles with a pad directly behind the ball of the foot designed to take the pressure off the metatarsal bone and would be interested in your view of the best way to approach this problem. ~ In my response to Paul I talk about the How To Run Barefoot post. Prior to asking your question, do a search in upper right hand corner of this website for the keywords associated with your question. Many of the questions we receive have already been answered here at Ben Greenfield Fitness! ====================================== [contact-form-7 id="6222" title="Ask Ben"]====================================== See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Click to Subscribe to All Ben's Fitness & Get A Free Surprise Gift from Ben. Click here for the full written transcript of this podcast episode. Aug 15, 2012 free podcast: How To Modify Your Exercise And Nutrition As You Get Older. Also: healing a broken foot, dealing with an eating and/or exercise disorder, post workout nausea, using the MostFit Suspension System, does your body self-limit, healing your gut after radiation therapy, ammonia in your sweat, and can green coffee bean extract hurt your workouts? Have a podcast question for Ben? Call toll free to 1-877-209-9439, Skype to “pacificfit” or scroll down on this post to access the free “Ask Ben” form. If you have trouble listening, downloading, or transferring to your mp3 player just e-mail ben@bengreenfieldfitness.com. Also, please don't forget to leave the podcast a ranking in iTunes - it only takes a minute of your time and it helps grow our healthy community! ----------------------------------------------------- News Flashes: To get these and other interesting news flashes every week, follow Ben on Twitter and Google+. If you get hungry through the day, start "snacking" on fish oil, cod liver oil, sardines, etc. Yesss…another reason for hot mommas to drink more wine. Consumption of foods with an average total antioxidant capacity equal to a handful of nuts and an apple is associated with a -38 % decrease in the risk of obesity. Want to lower your intake of estrogens? Switch to goat's milk from cow's milk. ----------------------------------------------------- Special Announcements: Go to www.audiblepodcast.com/ben - to get your free Audiobook today. Cooking Class with Ben & Jessa Greenfield: "Make Your Own Probiotics" - Thursday, August 23, 6:30-8pm. Fee: $5 per person – includes recipes and samples. Location: Pilgrim’s Health Education Center. Need blood testing to find out your health or performance biomarkers? - Ben recommends WellnessFX Last call - Come with Brock and Ben to Thailand and get this Asia Pacific 70.3 Training Plan for free! ----------------------------------------------------- Listener Q&A: As compiled and read by Brock, the Ben Greenfield Fitness Podcast "sidekick". Audio Question from Tony: Recently broke a bone in his foot and is looking for help from the nutritional side and supplement side. Also looking for advice on how to stay fit while on crutches for the next 8 weeks. ~ In his response to Troy, Ben mentions Capraflex. Audio Question from Chuck: Has been dealing with an eating disorder for years. Is currently checked in to an in-patient facility and eating all meals there. Exercise is frowned on until more weight is restored. Feels like all the weight he is putting on is going straight to his stomach. Wants to distribute the weight more evenly without sabotaging any success he is having in the program. Audio Question from Ben: Post workout nausea and/or lightheadedness. He trains fasted, usually around 11 or noon. Drinks a shake in the locker room right after lifting, squatting, push/pull etc… drinks a small coconut water and whey protein shake. 10 or 15 minutes after the shake he gets dizzy and nauseous. He doesn't have this issue if he skips the shake. Audio Question from Ben: He is driving from California to New York and would like to stay fit during the trip. Do you think he could anchor the Most Fit Suspension Trainer on the car door the same way you do on a home or hotel door? ~ In his response to Ben, Ben mentions The MostFit Suspension Strap. Bill asks: I am a 60 year old male triathlete and using Ben's advanced 1/2 Ironman training plan. What adjustments in training, recovery and nutrition would you advise in general for older athletes? I find I'm taking an extra day off (usually an easy recovery training day) while working full time with family responsibilities. ~ In his response, Ben mentions the liquid multivitamin. Bill asks: About eight months ago (before I became a listener) I purchased Ellington Darden's "New High Intensity Training," As a result of applying this approach, I have become stronger, at 48-years-old, than at any other time in my life (including while playing college football). It's been great. However, I have two concerns. First, I am still going up... with no particular reason to keep getting stronger. I'm a creative director, not an offensive tackle. Should I just pick a plateau and choose to stay there forever? Or what? Also, my lifts are starting to be limited by (or possibly damage) non-target areas - for example, I could go higher on dumbbell flies as far as my chest is concerned, but my wrists aren't strong enough. And I can keeping squatting higher weights, but my hips are hurting. Seems like my body's trying to self-limit, maybe? I am surprised by how strong I have become with no ceiling in sight... is there a ceiling? Any thoughts, on HIT training in general and this situation in particular? Lauri says: My partner just completed abdominal radiation therapy for cancer. Needless to say, this pretty much trashed her digestive system. I have been looking into the GAPS diet as a potential method to help her along the healing path. However, when I've done a search through PubMed, I have not been able to find any peer reviewed articles on this diet. Are you familiar with any that are out there? I may just not have the correct search parameters. ~ In his response, Ben talks about the book: Fourfold Path To Healing. Andrew asks: I seem to be producing very high levels of ammonia in my sweat. In fact, if I was working out in a public gym I'm sure people would think I'd wet myself. This seems to be irrespective of whether it's a low intensity long workout or high intensity intervals. I consider my diet reasonably balanced though I am having trouble lowering my body fat levels despite a slow but steady weight loss. I take no supplements though I have just purchased a protein powder. Gerry says:I recently watched a Dr. Oz episode that mentioned chlorogenic acid in the form of pure green coffee bean extract. The info presented stated that this acid slows the release of glucose into the bloodstream and burns glucose and fat in the liver. I'm trying to drop weight, but I'm a very active triathlete who works out 6 days per week. Would this supplement be beneficial to help me reach my weight loss goals? Or would it be detrimental to my training and nutrition by decreasing the amount of glucose available to my body during workouts? Prior to asking your question, do a search in upper right hand corner of this website for the keywords associated with your question. Many of the questions we receive have already been answered here at Ben Greenfield Fitness! ====================================== [contact-form-7 id="6222" title="Ask Ben"]====================================== See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Click to Subscribe to All Ben's Fitness & Get A Free Surprise Gift from Ben. Click here for the full written transcript of this podcast episode. Aug 8, 2012 free podcast: Why Fiber Is Bad. Also: electrolyte intake and your sweat, how to heal an ankle injury quickly, changing the consistency of your stool, ways to exercise in an airport, how often should you eat, are Lion Heart Supplements good, healthy ways to flavour drinking water, why certain oils are dangerous, and learning to feel hungry during a race. Have a podcast question for Ben? Call toll free to 1-877-209-9439, Skype to “pacificfit” or scroll down on this post to access the free “Ask Ben” form. If you have trouble listening, downloading, or transferring to your mp3 player just e-mail ben@bengreenfieldfitness.com. Also, please don't forget to leave the podcast a ranking in iTunes - it only takes a minute of your time and it helps grow our healthy community! ----------------------------------------------------- News Flashes: To get these and other interesting news flashes every week, follow Ben on Twitter and Google+. Interesting that in last month's "Lo Fat vs. Lo Carb" diet debate, nobody mentioned Lo Carb had nearly 0 fruits/veggies-all fiber fed from "Metamucil". Weird. Ketogenic diet doesn't affect your strength… if you're doing really short stuff. Alcohol decreases post-workout recovery? Sure, if you have 4-6 drinks. ----------------------------------------------------- Special Announcements: Need blood testing to find out your health or performance biomarkers? - Ben recommends WellnessFX Ben is now using an Omni Blender - (50-400% less expensive than a Vitamix!) and Jessa and Ben recently shot two videos: How To Make Gluten Free Waffles and How To Make A Mexican Mocha. You only live once! - Come with Brock and Ben to Thailand and get this Asia Pacific 70.3 Training Plan for free! The BenGreenfieldFitness Inner Circle - is now $10! Join now at www.bengreenfieldfitness.com/innercircle ----------------------------------------------------- Listener Q&A: As compiled and read by Brock, the Ben Greenfield Fitness Podcast "sidekick". Audio Question from Paul: He just raced Vineman. He knows that you, Ben,  have been racing without electrolytes. Do you think that when you are not taking in electrolytes during the race that you will not be secreting salt like everyone else? Audio Question from Alberto: 8 weeks ago he sprained his ankle badly. Has a tear, bone concussion and some strained ligaments. Started swimming and riding last week but still can't run and… he is doing Kona! He needs to recover fast! ~ In my response to Alberto, I recommend: Phenocane, Capraflex, and Aqua Jogging. Also take a look at the injury recovery section of Everything I Have Ever Recommended. Audio Question from Ben: Digestion and elimination. He is a martial artist and a weight lifter. Was a high carb paleo isn't anymore. Has incorporated grains, sprouts, etc… His morning bowel movements are explosive (it isn't diarrhea but the urge to go comes on quickly and there is a feeling of he'd be in trouble if he weren't at home) and make a pile vs. a log. He usually poops one more time in the afternoon around 3-4pm. Has heard logs are better than piles. Wants to know how to firm up his stool. He has no problems like stomach aches, gas, loud stomach, etc. He feels fine all the time! He thinks he does all the so-called "right things" and yet still is having poorly formed poo! PS: He has never eaten breakfast. He eats lunch and dinner so he gets all his calories in two meals (about 3000 calories daily). ~ In my response, I mention this Bristol stool scale, eliminating FODMAPS as much as possible, and also the book: "Fiber Menace". Brock mentions Scientific American's Fiber Boosts Bowel Beneficial Bacteria. Horacio writes: Hi Ben, odd question coming: I happen to travel on planes very frequently so I spend a lot of hours in airports and there are no gyms there (perhaps a biz opportunity?). What good workouts can be done when I have a good 2-3 hours of waiting for my next flight? (while avoiding being deported for public disorder). ~ In my response to Horatio, I recommend www.airportgyms.com and the MostFit Suspension Strap. I also mention any of my 10 minute workouts and PEAR. Anderson asks: I was listening to some old episodes and I remember that you said in one of them that we have to eat every 1.5 - 3 hours to have the "thermogenic effect" of food. But on the Fat Loss Secrets Seminar you said we don't need to have a lot of snacks, elevate the blood sugar all the time, there's no evidence of benefits of this practice. So, how many meals should I eat? I don't know if that changes something but I have skinny genetics and want to gain muscle. Of course I know I need to lift some weights. ~ In  my response, I mention the article Snacking Will NOT “Boost Your Metabolism”. Giles says: I have found an online health supplement company here in the UK, Lion Heart Supplements, and wanted to get your take on the "super smoothie mix" the guy is touting. The reviews for it are great and plenty of, pardon the terminology, tree hugger types seem to rave about it. Could I ask your opinion of whether this could be a good product to include in my diet. Bert asks: Your comments on diet soda have me motivated to drop my litre to two litre a day habit... don't think I can go straight to water. I have seen a few of these new "water additives" like Mio. Let me add this variable: I need the solution to be easy. If it isn't easy, I most likely won't make the lifestyle transition; which sounds odd as I used to weight 310 lbs and could not walk to the end of the street but am now a 3:20 marathon runner. The key for me was that I made one "easy" change at a time. Cameron asks: You answered a question a while ago about other fats that would be good to include in her diet by discussing the smoke point, saturation level and propensity for oxidation during cooking and/or for colder uses. One thing struck me though. You said to avoid fats that are "completely unsaturated" and "don't have any of the hydrogens" like canola, corn and sunflower oil. My understanding is that these fatty acids have omega 3's, 6's, 9's but no more than three double bonds per fatty acid. That means that all of the rest of the hydrogens (26 out of 30) are still there. Considering that, when I look at the composition of fatty acids in canola, safflower and sunflower the composition of specific monounsaturated fatty acids are different but not substantially. Is it possible that for cold applications each of these oils are perfectly fine? ~ In my response I mention these videos:  How canola oil is made:   How butter is made   Emily asks:I was wondering if you were familiar with "healing touch". I have heard there has been some research but I'm not sure how legitimate the studies are. Also, I struggle with eating enough during long runs, marathons or longer. I typically don't eat gels during training and try to supplement during races. They don't upset my stomach I just don't like eating while running. Have any recommendations on liquids or mental techniques to push myself to eat enough. I've noticed that I do sometimes get irritable towards the end of long runs, which I've heard you mention can be a sign of low blood sugar. Prior to asking your question, do a search in upper right hand corner of this website for the keywords associated with your question. Many of the questions we receive have already been answered here at Ben Greenfield Fitness! ====================================== [contact-form-7 id="6222" title="Ask Ben"]====================================== See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you're like me, you might wake up in the morning and drink a glass of water, take a shower, eat food that has been cooked in water, perhaps go for a swim later in the day, and then drink more water. Or maybe you wake up, have a glass of water, exercise at the [...] See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Click to Subscribe to All Ben's Fitness & Get A Free Surprise Gift from Ben. Click here for the full written transcript of this podcast episode. Aug 2, 2012 free podcast: Which Is Better: High Protein, Low Carb or High Fat, Low Carb? Also: what is hip dysplasia, how to deal with a baker's cyst, how carbs are listed on packaged food, trouble sleeping after evening workouts, what type of milk is best, HUUB websuits, should you use over the counter testosterone creams, how does Muscle Activation Technique work, and what is the ENG3? Have a podcast question for Ben? Call toll free to 1-877-209-9439, Skype to “pacificfit” or scroll down on this post to access the free “Ask Ben” form. If you have trouble listening, downloading, or transferring to your mp3 player just e-mail ben@bengreenfieldfitness.com. Also, please don't forget to leave the podcast a ranking in iTunes - it only takes a minute of your time and it helps grow our healthy community! ----------------------------------------------------- News Flashes: To get these and other interesting news flashes every week, follow Ben on Twitter and Google+. Wow! 4 weeks of echinacea supplementation worked wonders in runners. Attn dudes: sugary drinks at the bar, or any other "pre-sex" time is going to affect performance. And not from the alcohol per se. Quit sitting around at the gym. ----------------------------------------------------- Special Announcements: Go to www.audiblepodcast.com/ben - to get your free Audiobook today. Need blood testing to find out your health or performance biomarkers? - Ben recommends WellnessFX Ben is now using an Omni Blender - (50-400% less expensive than a Vitamix!) and Jessa and Ben recently shot two videos: How To Make Gluten Free Waffles and How To Make A Mexican Mocha. You only live once! - Come with Brock and Ben to Thailand and get this Asia Pacific 70.3 Training Plan for free! The BenGreenfieldFitness Inner Circle - is now $10! Join now at www.bengreenfieldfitness.com/innercircle ----------------------------------------------------- Listener Q&A: As compiled and read by Brock, the Ben Greenfield Fitness Podcast "sidekick". Audio Question from Jenny: Triathlete with hip dysplasia. Not severe but it does effect her training. She feels a pinching in the front. Squatting over 90 degrees hurts. It effects her all the time (sitting for a long time hurts) even on a rest day. Any particular stretches or exercises that might help. She does the hip flexor stretch and uses a rumble roller (despite it being scary at times). Audio Question from Andre: He has mild left knee pain around the joint. Ran an ultra marathon in Feb and ever since then the pain has gotten better but hasn't gone away. Has runs a lot in the past and never had this issue before. Has a chronically tight IT band. Had an MRI that only detected a tiny Baker Cyst. He wants to do squats and lungs but can't do them or the knee flairs up again. Every time he races it hurts a lot again. He has a few races coming up and wants to get healed. Audio Question from Ty: On the ingredient list, how do you differentiate between a simple and a complex carbohydrate? ~ Ben’s Top 10 Healthy Packaged Foods Eve asks: I train for and do Olympic/5150 triathlons. I seem to do well with a hard training efforts over lunch, but if I do a track interval training in the evening for 50-60 min, or even swim intervals, I often mess up my sleep (elevated heartrate, chestpain and restlessness during the night). I'm assuming I have an unfavourable hormonal response - T3 crash, adrenaline to mobilize glycogen etc. I love group training (track and swim) in the evening, but if I cannot get the sleep issue sorted, I have to get back to morning and lunch training. Do you have any ideas on how I can increase my "tolerance" for evening training, except lowering intensity? Kate says: I have been suffering from a pain in my hips and knees whilst running for the past year and have recently visited a Sports Therapist in order to get to the bottom of the problem. He used Muscle Activation Techniques to reduce tension in my body and I could definitely see an improvement after just an hour. I found this technique very strange as he worked on an area in my neck to activate a muscle in my leg. I was wondering whether you have had much experience of MAT and what your thoughts on the technique are? ~ In my response, I mention my MAT podcast interview. Ben writes: What type of milk would you recommend for a child and would that recommendation change based off age? I'm curious about raw milk vs. goats milk vs. almond milk vs. coconut milk. Nadaleen says: I've been trying to follow a low carb high protein diet in order to lose weight (unsuccessful thus far). I did a 4 mile running race this morning and noticed my breath began to really smell during it, and afterwards my husband commented that I needed to brush my teeth. Reading up on it, it seems that it could be either dehydration, ketosis, or someone said if your body doesn't burn fat well, it could be that I'm burning muscle and not fat. I often get shaky during long rides as well, and feel that whatever I eat is not being absorbed by my body. I have noticed as I've switched to protein from carbs that I get less shaky and am also less hungry on long rides. So my body is shifting, I'm just not sure how, whether it is shifting in the right direction, and if I should be more patient with fat loss. Kenny says: Two questions: 1) huub wetsuits - marketing seems like a perfect fit for me. Is it all hype? 2) testosterone - I am 42 year old male and my level's slightly below normal. If I take an over the counter cream or supplement is this going to give me more energy? Make me stronger? Is it considered cheating in my training? Paige asks: Is it possible to cycle ketogenic periods? For example, fasting all night, exercising and then waiting until dinner to break your keto state. If so, would it be beneficial? Or would you benefit just as much from a fasted workout? Would this kind of cycle cause fat gain since you are eating an increased amount during keto state. Also, how could you monitor to know you are in this state? Would the strips be enough or should you monitor other things as well? ~ In my response to Paige, I mention http://www.lowcarbtriathlete.com Jim asks:I have a question about a machine a friend uses - the ENG3. They swear by it (says it helps their lungs and recovery time) but when I looked it up I don't really know what to make of it (except that it's expensive). If you have any info that would be great. They said I could give it a try but I always like to know what up before I jump in. Prior to asking your question, do a search in upper right hand corner of this website for the keywords associated with your question. Many of the questions we receive have already been answered here at Ben Greenfield Fitness! ====================================== [contact-form-7 id="6222" title="Ask Ben"]====================================== See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you're a podcast subscriber, you may have heard this message from Brock, in which he tells you why there's no BenGreenfieldFitness podcast this week, and also plays you a nice little tune that his rock band recorded. Anyways, the long and short of it is that Ben is off to defend his amateur world [...] See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As I write this post, I am grimacing. My chest hasn't been this sore since back when I was doing more lifting (that's me above, a few days before I did my first triathlon and decided I had too much muscle to comfortably do cardio-style racing). Anyways, it's been six days since I've stepped foot [...] See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.