Can Certain Foods Make Exercise Feel Easier?

Want to make life difficult?

Try starting a new exercise and diet plan at the same time.

A new exercise regime can fire your urge to eat, making low calories eating less challenging.

The solution is to avoid starting a diet and exercise plan at the same time.

Instead, it may be better to stagger them a week or two apart.

But what if you're already training and want to eat keto to kick-start a little extra weight loss?

This scenario is even trickier because carbs offer energy but are the enemy of weight loss.

The whole process seems to go against the grain.

Fortunately, the emerging research may help you make sense of it all.

Everywhere you look, you're told to eat carbs before exercise.

If you want power, you need pasta, rice, cereals, and breads.

This traditional approach might be wrong.

Research in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition scientifically scrutinized six studies on the field and couldn't find evidence for or against the ketogenic diet compared to the high-carb eating plan.

It was a no result, which means a good result if you eat a ketogenic diet.

The same paper cited some research that ketogenic diets can reduce lactate accumulation after exercise, improving recovery.

That's certainly a positive that even endurance athletes put into practice.

These speak to athletes like Chris Froome, who won three Tour De France competitions on a low-carb diet.

If Froome can go low carb while wearing the yellow jersey, the ketogenic lifestyle can easily fuel your pre-work training session.

So you’re feeling blah, off, and unfocused. What causes keto brain fog? Moreover, what can you do about it?

It can be helpful to make sure that your keto brain fog isn’t caused by something else. If you’re having additional symptoms of keto flu, like constipation or bloating, those could exacerbate your unwell feelings. You could also have an unrelated illness. Before you chalk it all up to keto, you should determine if you are actually sick with something (like the flu).

It’s best practice to check in with a doctor before you try any weight loss regimen, so assuming that your doctor has given you the okay, you can rule out some of the other causes of brain fog. These causes include illnesses and viruses, nutrition deficiencies, and systemic issues.

If your keto brain fog or keto flu doesn’t seem severe but is just annoying, then it’s time to look at a few of your habits to get you back on the right track. So here are a few things that might be causing your keto flu.

What does all this mean for you on a Monday morning?

Treat the research with a small amount of suspicion because it may not work for your unique body type.

Certain experts suggest that it could take several months before your body adapts to a keto diet if you're after Tour De France-level endurance.

If you're a regular person who wants to sweat a little, burn a little fat, and feel sharp, then a ketogenic eating plan has everything going for it.

If you want to be the MVP of your sports team, keto could be the ticket.

It can give you brain power because it uses ketones for energy.

Many athletes swear that a ketogenic diet makes them feel more relaxed yet focused, which is the perfect mindset for sporting excellence.

And if you feel like eating carbs but without losing the benefits of being in ketosis, try enjoying It's Skinny pasta and rice.

They have 9 calories and 0 net carbs and are high in fiber, leaving you feeling fuller for long enough to get to your fighting weight.