Finish Strong: The Low-Carb Fuel Switch - Better Health

Exercise is needed for health benefits compared to sitting and doing nothing.

The body is configured for the exercise of daily life, such as hunting, or work.  We know that first hand, but we don’t know how exercise can be done properly.  Exercise is good, but not all exercise is optimal.  Running a race such as Badwater135 has the potential to have extreme physiological stress that requires careful preparation.  Even running in the sunshine feels good, but also has the risk of skin cancer. 

Exercise is good, but not all exercise is optimal.

If we switch to a low-carb diet, there can be difficulties, but recent history shows how running on high carbs can create gastrointestinal stress, insulin volatility, and recovery instability in some athletes.

If running on high carb carried the same risk levels as running on low-carb, then one could say it is matter of personal preference. But there are some damaging and unsuccessful outcomes on high carb running.

Of course, there are conditions where low carb is not optimal, but the human body is very strong in reacting to low food input. It has multiple ways to respond for survival.

There are other areas where you may not think of connection to running on high carb, such as in the Dentist’s Office. When there is lots of sugar going through the mouth, there is a chance for inflammation to develop, and that inflammation may contribute to broader cardiovascular stress. These links are indirect, but worth considering. When you get your teeth cleaned, ask the person doing the work to see if you have inflammation signs. I had that at one point and was warned about it, so I used a “water flosser” and cleaned it up in a few days.

Clean teeth

S Caps work well for electrolyte salts, but there is an added benefit for cleaner teeth.  Twist an S Cap in half and empty the powder into a small container.  Wet your toothbrush and scrape up the S Cap powder.  Use that powder to brush your teeth, front/back, high/low and then wait 20 seconds or so for the powder to get on the teeth.  Rinse a few times with water and enjoy very clean teeth.

There are other problems that could be listed, but the main problem is that the excess intake of sugar and carbohydrate is abnormal, not what your body prefers. Modern continuous carbohydrate availability differs from the intermittent, seasonal patterns humans evolved with. If carbs are low, you don’t have the insulin volatility that impairs fat oxidation. Keeping fat oxidation going to the end helps your finishing condition, in and after the run. The metabolic stability of low carb can help you enjoy a longer running career.

On the trail, you can be challenged by weather, by your stomach, and fatigue. What you can control is your preparation and metabolic stability. You may not control the trail, but you can control of your fuel, electrolytes, and pacing as you run. When those are steady, the result is not chaotic. Thai ’s good execution. Running long is not about suffering more than others, it is about managing the stresses better than others so that you finish strong.

The biggest battle in this method is to beat the sugar addiction. Once you have done that, the health benefits will be apparent.

Ketone advantages

When carbs are low, insulin falls and that lets your body make ketone fuel that has major advantages over sugar.

Sugar => anxiety

Ketones => relaxed calmness

You have a calmer, more focused mind on ketones.  Your energy is more stable, and you don’t have food anxiety.

Ketone awareness

Ketones are small molecules that can fuel the brain differently than sugar.  This leads to an awareness in the early morning hours.  You see things very clearly.  The thoughts can be profound.  Keep a notepad by your bed so that you can write these thoughts down.  When you wake in the morning, you will have a different hormonal context and won’t remember your thoughts.  So, write them down when you have them, and read them later.

Bi-phasic sleep

When these thoughts arrive, you may not sleep normally, but it is ok if you are awake for a while.  Your brain gets repair done early.  Later on, you may get repair in REM sleep, and then start waking up for the day.  Don’t worry about these kinds of sleep perturbations.  They are not harmful, but part of your mental experience.  Relax and enjoy.  Don’t go looking for problems that aren’t significant.

If you have questions or comments, please send them to:

contact@succeedscaps.com

Please pass the links here on to your friends so that they can see what this is about.


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Finish Strong: The Low-Carb Fuel Switch — Fuel Introduction

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