Nature has a funny way of providing all we need to live healthy… right in the foods that we eat. With Shots and Pills being the Modern Day ‘go-to’, a group of researchers at Yale University are showing that if we eat correctly; we can ward off Viral attacks of the dreaded Flu. The solution is simply food. Well, Eating the right foods that is.
While I will leave out assigning labels like “ketogenic diet” today, the research shows there is some strong connections to the style and ratios of Proteins, Fats and Carbohydrates seen in ketogenic metabolism and its effect on our immune system. But the gem in this donut is more about what is happening on the genetic level. So lets dive deep inside ourselves and see how nutrition has all the answers!
For over 12 years I have been preaching from my soap box about cutting the processed carbohydrates and sugars from the modern diet. Backed by Researchers all over the world who did an about face on the High Carb/Low Fat standard that I grew up on, Science righted itself and is permeating the social consciousness .
Markers in inflammation, cellular life cycles, and even DNA structure are some of the proven benefits of adopting a Low carb/ High protein lifestyle. What happens inside the genes when diets like this take hold is called “EXPRESSION” . Expression is the genetic instructions that are translated into the production of actual proteins, or in the Case of the Yale Findings… a subset of T cells inside the lungs.
T cells or ‘Thymus Cells’ are important White Blood cells connected to our immune system and its ability to fight off foreign invaders or bacteria that would cause us harm. They are manufactured in the Bone Marrow, housed in the Thymus gland and then sent through the body, like soldiers, to specifically attack diseases. T cells are fascinating and make me all excited because of 2 Reasons;
1. They are incredibly dynamic.
T cells can morph and 'Express’ to respond to any type of issue in the body from the Flu virus to a cut on your knee.
2. T cells are Killers.
Literally they can bind to any antigen they come across, like cancer cells, and kick the shit out of it. But having an over active T cell Count can be harmful to the body as well…
Specific to the Yale finding is how a low carb diet aids in the production of GAMMA DELTA T CELLS. These cells are specific to the lungs where they lie in wait for outside invaders like the Influenza Virus to enter and they literally gobble up the virus, smothering it and killing it. What I can deduce from the materials is exactly what we have known about the Low Carb style of living for some time. Without the presence of such inflammatory foods in the diet, your bodies ability to produce White Blood Cells and respond quickly to foreign invaders is raised.
I must interject that I am not a fan of the Flu Shot in general and will claim my bias towards nutrition based preventative medicine. Everyone is different and certainly we all have unique immune systems. The CDC works on the medicine side and certainly has an agenda when it comes to the health of the overall population. This is why so much is invested each year to try and predict what the severity of the Flu virus will do to the population. But again, one size does not fit all and my belief is that we have a unhealthy population here in the United States. By providing a arbitrary Flu shot to put a bandaid on the fast that we are breeding a population of poor eaters, is not way to administer health policy.
Food is our Fountain of Youth. Eat correctly and often to ensure your longevity. As we dive into the most robust time of the year for foreign invaders to test our immune systems, food choice is more important than ever. Try adopting the Low Carb/ High Protein lifestyle this winter and see what it does for you. Ill be here to support you the entire time.
Love
Eric
Programming Notes 11/25-11/29 ** This is Week 4 of the Strength Exposure cycle. This week we are going to take the box away and now work tempo to the bottom and holding position at the bottom . As well we have some position work to focus on with the clean on Friday and this is week 1 of some sprint work we will sprinkle into the strength cycle.
11/25
Baseline:
500m Row
3X
10 Lateral Lunges
10 Single Leg Toe Touches
10 Deadbug Ipsa lateral Reaches
8 Burpee Tuck Jumps
Squat Flow: Squat Flow: Kang Squat, Internal Rotation, Ankle Roll Out, Bootstraps, PNF Stretch, Squat W/ T Spine Stretch
Strength:
Tempo Backsquat
5X5
@ (:03 descent, :02 pause at bottom, :01 speed up)
then,
Kettlebell Front Rack Lateral Lunge
3X8 @ Each Leg.
Conditioning:
15 Minute AMRAP
11 D Ball or Sandbag Squats
11 Box Hurdles *full hurdle all the way over the box
11 Toes To bar
11 Cal Bike
11/26
Baseline:
5:00 Easy Bike
3X
8 Scapula Pull Ups
10 Elbow To instep Lunges
12 Squat Jumps
Gymnastic Isometrics:
4 Rounds of
:20 Chin Over Bar Hold
:30 Side Plank
:40 Sandbag or D Ball Hold
Anaerobic Intervals:
Every 3:00 for 7 Rounds.
12 Calorie on Assault Runner
6 Burpee Pull Up
12 Calorie Assault Bike
Cool Down:
Jog 1 Mile on the assault runner
11/27
Baseline:
500m Row
3X
10 banded Pull apart (supine/prone Grip)
10 Banded pas Thru
10 Banded Trunk Rotation
10 Banded Row
10 banded Press
Strength:
Kneeling Landmine Press (Banded)
3X 8 *Each Arm
Super Set with ;
Landmine Row (Banded)
3X 10 *Each Arm
WOD:
“Fran”
21-15-9
Thrusters 95/65
Pull Ups
11/28
Baseline:
Agility Warm Up @ 10m Each
High Knee Pull
Quad Pull
Squat 180 **stepping the leg high over hip, swing opposite leg to 180, squat
High Knees
Butt kickers
Marching High Kicks
Groiners
Straight leg shuffles
Fig 4 Drill
Lateral Shuffle
Carioca
Lateral Bounding
Sprint W/ Change of Direction
Agility and Plyometrics:
1 Round through..
10 Reps X Depth Jump from 12” to Vertical Leap
10 Reps X Single Leg broad Jump to 2 foot landing @ each leg
10 Reps X Lateral jumps. *jump laterally off one leg to stable landing on the other.
Speed Work #1
2X 200m Sprints
*Rest 3:00 between attempts
Aerobic Conditioning:
5 Rounds
500m Row
100m Single Kettlebell Farmer Carry
21 Kettlebell Swing 53/35
15 Burpee
11/29
Baseline:
4X
250m Row
8 Barbell Good Mornings
8 Barbell Romanian Deadlifts
8 Lateral Tuck Jumps Over Rower
Clean Warm Up:
7@ Each
-Clean Deadlift
-Clean High Pull
-Muscle Clean
-Front Squat
-Thruster
-Hang Squat Clean
-Tempo Power Clean from Mid Shin
Clean Complex:
12 min EMOM
Odd- Pausing Clean (:02 @ Shin) (:02 @ Mid Thigh) + 1X Power Clean
Even- 1X Clean Deadlift/ 1X Squat Clean/ 1X Jerk
Strength Workout:
10 Rounds for Time
1 Deadlift @ 2X Bodyweight
5 Strict Chin Ups
10 Ab Mat Sit ups.
