Everyone knows that ingesting caffeine late in the day can adversely affect your ability to fall asleep, stay asleep, and the quality of your sleep. Even the timing of your meals can affect your sleep. Eating late in the evening and going to sleep with a full stomach can divert blood flow to your stomach and inhibit recovery, not to mention it can also exacerbate acid reflux.

But, can the balance of nutrients, i.e., Proteins, Carbohydrates, and Fats, actually help you sleep better?

Scientists recently discovered that a high protein diet may contribute to deeper sleep, and less interruptions in sleep due to movement, than a regular diet. It seems that a high protein diet suppresses sensory arousal and allows you to sleep deeper with less disturbances. 

This information was uncovered by scientists working with flies and mice, manipulating genes at first, then moving on to modifying their diets. Other stimulants, like heat or sound, were not affected.

So, this seems like just another reason to make sure that you are getting adequate protein each meal, especially those later in the day. Also, as we age, we have a tendency to decrease our protein intake and decrease the amount and quality of sleep we experience. Increasing or maintaining protein consumption in later years may contribute to better sleep and additional cognitive benefits.

For more details please go to the NewScientist website.

On TV and social media you are being constantly bombarded by products that can make you look and feel younger. Most of them are just a modern version of "snake oil", while others are potentially toxic and dangerous.

So how do you navigate the BS and actually do something to roll back the clock? It's simple, or at least it's not too complicated, if you are willing to make some lifestyle changes that will impact you today and in the future.

You are what you eat!

Common sense should tell you that if you stuff yourself with highly processed foods and drinks, that they are not going to support healthy physical and mental health. Instead, focus on getting as much of your nutrients from the periphery of the grocery store. In particular, from the butcher, the dairy case, and the vegetable aisle. By restricting your calories to this part of the grocery store, you are well on the way.

Intermittent Fasting

There is a significant amount of research that touts the benefits of intermittent fasting or restrictive time eating. All this means is that you restrict your eating to a very limited time frame, usually around six to eight hours. The rest of the day is spent in a fasting state, meaning that you are not consuming any calories that will break the fasting state. Drinking water, tea, or coffee, during this period is usually condoned. In it's simplest form, establishing an eating pattern that puts your first meal later in the day, and your last meal early in the evening, no later than 0700 pm, would be optimal.

Say "No" to stress

You've heard this before, but the more you can do to eliminate or reduce stress, the better off you will be short and long term. While stress would seem to only prey on the mind, it has deep responses both physically and chemically. Reducing stress can be as simple as walking outdoors in the sunshine, practicing meditation, playing with or petting your dog or cat, and reducing contact with people who stress you out.

Sleep like a baby

Often overlooked in our fast paced and hectic lifestyles, sleep is one of the foundational principles beyond living longer and healthier. If you are exercising, eating right, and reducing stress, but not getting enough sleep... well, let's just say that you need to get your house in order - NOW! Sleep, or a lack thereof, has an impact on every aspect of your life. There is no one single thing that you can do that will make a greater impact than establishing a good sleep routine and sticking to it. If you need help in finding what you can do to improve your sleep, just scroll through this website for a ton of information on how to improve that quality and quantity of your sleep.

Get Up and get moving

Like sleep, exercise has an impact on you at every level. Getting up and moving, even a little bit, will have an impact on your overall well being. Getting in several sessions a week, lasting sixty minutes or more, balanced between strength training and aerobic training, will have the most impact. But, if you can't fit in the amount of time per session, think about breaking up the longer sessions into shorter "movement snacks". Getting up every hour or so and going for a brisk walk will get you moving in the right direction. Adding on a short, intense weight living session, even one that's only ten minutes long, can make a big difference.

Look, nobody is going to live forever. No matter what you do, the grim reaper is going to catch up to all of us. But it doesn't make sense to live our "golden years" overweight,weak, sick, and sedentary. No matter what your age, young or old, if you adopt the principles outlined above, you will more than likely add quality days, months, and years to your life.

Tomorrow, most people in the United States will advance their clocks one hour for Daylight Savings Time (DST). Here are seven things you should know about DST:

Making the shift can increase health risks. Evidence points to acute increases in health risks, especially heart attacks and stroke. It also contributes to a heightened risk of mood disturbances, hospital admissions, an elevated production of inflammatory markers in response to stress, and an increase in car crashes.

DST was originally enacted to conserve energy. Benjamin Franklin invented the concept in 1784. Pushing clocks forward to make greater use of daylight hours during the warmer months was formally adopted during World War I as a global attempt to conserve energy

More after-work sunshine doesn’t necessarily mean a happier you. Sunlight is the most powerful synchronizer of our circadian rhythms. Exposure to sunlight closer to bedtime increases the release of cortisol, which makes it harder to fall asleep at our usual bedtime, and reduces the amount of sleep we’re able to get each night.

Less sleep means more health risks. Moving the clocks forward in the Spring results in going to sleep and waking up before our internal clocks are ready to do so. This misalignment of waking and sleeping times last the duration of DST. 

For certain groups, DST has a greater negative impact. Shift workers and adolescents take a bigger hit than most. Adolescents exhibit behavioral, learning, and attention issues, as well as an increased risk of accidents, injuries, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, and mental health risks. 

DST could become permanent. There has been a recent trend to enact the Sunshine Protection Act, which would result in the permanent misalignment of our internal clocks with the time on our social clocks. The evidence surrounding the health and accident risks surrounding DST is so great, that many are in favor of abolishing it altogether.

There are ways to manage the change. Most people will acclimate to the change in a week or so, while others will take longer or not acclimate at all. To facilitate the change you should gradually adjust your waking and sleeping times, setting your clocks ahead one hour on Saturday evening and going to bed on time, and getting outside on Sunday morning to get some direct sun exposure to help regulate your cortisol/melatonin production. 

BEYOND THE SNATCH WORKSHOP

Sunday March 19, 2023
at CrossFit Koncepts
10:30 am to 05:00 pm

WORKSHOP OVERVIEW

The Beyond the Snatch (BTSn) workshop is the entry point into getting a comprehensive understanding of the mechanics and techniques behind the Kettlebell. We will cover the foundational 01-hand Grinds and Ballistics that are essential to using the Kettlebell safely and effectively. All the techniques that will be taught during the workshop are applicable to a wide range of athletes of any age, strength, or experience level. We will also delve deeply into the concept of the “Hinge”, and how it applies to Kettlebells, the importance of the often overlooked “Backswing”, as well as providing coaching and performance guidelines for all techniques.

NOTE: this workshop is applicable to both the beginning athlete and the experienced coach, especially those who have been through a kettlebell certification in the past. The workshop will be taught so that beginning athletes will have sufficient depth in the techniques that they can self-assess their performance and make appropriate modifications. Coaches, trainers, and experienced Kettlebell users, will gain a deeper understanding of how to manipulate, teach, demonstrate, and troubleshoot Kettlebell technique in a manner that is safe, effective, and scalable to any athlete.

WORKSHOP CURRICULUM

KETTLEBELL GRINDS

• Deadlift
• Front Squat
• Farmer Carry; 01-hand
• Press
• Renegade Row
• Thruster
• Overhead Squat

KETTLEBELL BALLISTICS

• Backswing
• Swing
• Hand Change Swing
• Clean
• High Pull
• Snatch
• Half-Snatch
• Push Press
• Viking Press
• Jerk

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR

Michael Krivka is a Master RKC with over two decades of experience training with and teaching kettlebells. He has taught a wide range of people, Tier One Spec Op personnel to Soccer Moms, how to safely and effectively use kettlebells to meet their strength and body composition goals. He is the highest reviewed kettlebell instructor on the Dragon Door website, and his gym, CrossFit Koncepts, consistently receives five-star reviews on Google.

WORKSHOP DETAILS

• Date: Sunday March 19th, 2023
• Time: 1030 am to 0500 pm; 01 hour lunch break
• Location: CrossFit Koncepts 16720 Oakmont Avenue Gaithersburg, MD 20877
• Cost: $200/person if pre-registered by 03/12/23; $299/person after 03/12/23 (no exceptions)
• Registration: Contact Mike Krivka at 301/404-2571 or cfkoncepts@gmail.com
• NOTE: workshop size will be limited to 15 people

Chasing sleep is a nightly occurrence with some people. If you are someone who has a hard time falling asleep, or staying asleep, you know how frustrating it can be.

Sleep is the foundation of a healthy lifestyle and sleep issues need to be dealt with first. Before you run off and join a gym, modify your diet, and start slamming back protein shakes and supplements, you need to get your sleep in order.

Oftentimes people will resort to prescription or over the counter sleep medications to help them manage their sleep issues. While this might be a good short term solution, it doesn't address the real problem.

In previous posts we outlined a number of steps you can take to improve your sleep hygiene. In other words, ways that you can prepare the body for sleep and transitioning into sleep mode.

I have been taking ZMA (Zinc, Magnesium, and Asperate) for as long as I can remember before bedtime every night. ZMA helps you relax and transition you into sleep, as well as providing some essential nutrients that are lacking in our Western diet.

I recently became aware of a more potent combination of supplements that are even more beneficial than ZMA. The combination of Magensium Threonate, Apigenin, and Theanine, has been shown to be highly effective at transitioning you to sleep and keeping you there.

The following video, from the Joe Rogan podcast, has Dr. Andrew Huberman discussing this combination of supplements and their effect on the body and mind. I have been using this combination of supplements, a have several of my clients, for several months with positive results.

Take a listen to the video, do some research, and give it a try if you think that it's for you.

DISCLAIMER - I am not a Doctor or a nutritionist. I am just sharing my experiences with these supplements. As always, you should consult with your physician before taking any medications or supplements.

What if there were five (05) things you could do, that would cost you nothing, that would radically change your life. Five things, that on the surface, seem simple and easy to implement. Would you do them? Would you take the time every day to take care of yourself? Let's go through them and find out.

1) SLEEP

The foundation for physical and mental health has to be sleep. You need to work towards getting at least 06-08 hours per night. If you are having difficulty in falling asleep or staying asleep, there are a number of proven supplements and apps that can help. Having a consistent time that you go to sleep and get up is also tremendously helpful

2) MOVEMENT

Movement is the number one least prescribed drug for overall health. It doesn't matter if you are doing Zumba or BJJ, you need to slowly and surely get yourself up to about an hour a day of movement. It could be a combination of walking and weightlifting, or running and yoga, just find something you enjoy doing and stick with it.

3) SUNLIGHT

There are a number of mental and physiological benefits from sun exposure first thing in the morning and later in the afternoon. Try to sun exposure multiple times a day, but focus on getting a good period of time first thing in the morning and in the afternoon. This habit will help your body adjust from sleeping to waking and facilitate transitioning from being awake to sleeping.

4) NUTRITION / HYDRATION

In a perfect world you would get 100% percent of your food from non-processed sources. Unfortunately we don't live in a perfect world, Instead, try to get 75-80% of your food from non-processed sources. In addition to food, you need to pay attention to your hydration, especially in the morning. Once again, 75-80% of your hydration choices should be from non-processed sources, which takes alcohol and soft drinks off the table immediately.

5) SOCIAL CONNECTION

Simply, spend time with family and friends that make you feel loved and appreciated. Your "tribe" is an important part of your physical and mental health, and you should make a concerted effort to spend time with them every day. My favorite time to spend time with my family is over dinner. Learning about each others day is a great way to get some quality time in with family members. Also, if there are "toxic" people in your life, make sure you do your best to minimize exposure to them. There are going to be some people that you can't completely remover from your life, but spend as little time around them as necessary. 

This list comes from the following YouTube clip with Dr. Andrew Huberman. Take a few minutes to listen to what he has to say and then think about how you are going to implement this list into your lifestyle.

Here is what Dave, who has been training with us for over ten years and is an RKC (Russian Kettlebell Certified Instructor), has to say about his experience training at CrossFit Koncepts:

I began working out with Mike Krivka over 10 years ago and cannot overstate the value of his expert training.  I have benefitted beyond the obvious rewards and health results of strength and fitness training. I’ve heard Mike say that “Strong people are hard to kill.” I never understood this until I was on the receiving end of a speeding hit and run driver on December 12, 2022. 

The force of the collision blasted my vehicle into two additional cars in front of mine and made it undriveable. I was banged up, but thankfully suffered no severe injuries.  My doctor is a fitness enthusiast and wanted to go over my diagnostic imaging in detail to explain his findings.  I had muscle damage and suffered a mild concussion but had no broken bones, no ligament damage, and no permanent injuries. He pointed out enthusiastically that the “armor of muscle” that I had developed over years of training protected the rest of my body. My doctor admitted that he usually saw more severe injuries and often broken bones with this sort of collision. I later called Mike to tell him my story and to thank him for the excellent training.

I was able to return to work later that week and resumed working out again within 2 weeks once the pain and inflammation subsided. As of today (02/04/2023) my car is still in the repair shop, but I am back to working out.

Thanks for helping me to get strong Mike!

Getting a good night's sleep is the foundation for physical and mental health. You can workout like a Demon, and diet like a Saint, but if you're not getting good quality sleep, it's all for naught! 

If you are a regular reader of the CrossFit Koncepts website, then you are familiar with Dr. Matthew Walker. He is an internationally recognized expert, author, and lecturer, on sleep. His TED Talk on sleep has over 9.5 million views!

In the video below, Dr. Walker talks about how to get to sleep, and improve the sleep you are getting. Not to spoil the big reveal, but he mentions two things that will improve your sleep:

1) CONSISTENCY - getting to bed and waking up at the same time every day. This allows your bodies biological cycles to become stable and train the body to prepare for sleep. 

2) COLD - your body needs to experience a drop in temperature to move into the sleep cycle. In order to do that, your bedroom needs to be significantly cooler than your body temperature. The optimal bedroom temperature? 65 degrees!

Here's the video so that you can get this information straight from Dr. Walker:

Beyond the Swing (BTSw) Workshop Overview

The Beyond the Swing (BTSw) workshop is the entry point into getting a comprehensive understanding of the mechanics and techniques behind the Kettlebell. We will cover the foundational 02-hand Grinds and Ballistics that are essential to using the Kettlebell safely and effectively. All the techniques that will be taught during the workshop are applicable to athletes of any age, strength, or experience level. We will also delve deeply into the concept of the “Hinge” and the "Backswing", and how they apply to Kettlebells, as well as providing coaching and performance guidelines for all techniques. This will be intensely "hands on", so prepare to train hard, learn a lot, and take lots of notes.

NOTE: this workshop is applicable to both the beginning athlete and the experienced coach. The workshop will be taught so that the beginning athlete will have sufficient depth in the techniques that they can self-assess their performance and make appropriate modifications. Coaches, trainers, and experienced Kettlebell users, will gain a deeper understanding of how to manipulate, teach, demonstrate, and troubleshoot Kettlebell technique in a manner that is safe, effective, and scalable to any athlete.

BTSw Curriculum

The Beyond the Swing (BTSw) workshop is based on around foundational techniques and tactics that have been used in programming individual workouts (for civilians, law enforcement, and military personnel), as well as small and large group classes for over twenty years. That means that every single technique has performed thousands of times, and the teaching methodology and tactics have been ironed out through working with real clients. There is no "fluff" in this workshop, only tested and validated techniques that can be applied today, and developed to a higher level in the future.

NOTE: each technique listed below will be demonstrated, trained, and tactics presented to ensure that the user understands the principles that are being taught. Techniques that have been honed through twenty years of classroom experience, that are completely unique to this training program, will be presented to add depth to the learning and training experience.

Kettlebell HINGE:

• • Door Hinge
  • Accordion Hinge

Kettlebell BACKSWING:

• • High Hinge
  • Squat Hinge
  • Power Hinge

Kettlebell GRINDS:

• • Deadlift
  • Goblet Squat
  • Front Squat

Kettlebell BALLISTICS:

• • 02-hand Swing
  • 02-hand Clean/Dead
  • 02-hand Clean/Swing
  • 02-hand High Pull
  • 02-hand American Swing

WORKSHOP DETAILS:

• Date: Sunday February 18th, 2023
• Time: 1030 am to 0500 pm; 01 hour lunch break
• Location: CrossFit Koncepts 16720 Oakmont Avenue Gaithersburg, MD 20877
• Cost: $200/person if pre-registered by 02/12/23; $299/person after 02/12/23 (no exceptions)
• Registration: Contact Mike Krivka at 301/404-2571 or cfkoncepts@gmail.com
• NOTE: workshop size will be limited to 15 people; pre-registration as of 02/09/23 is at 06 attendees

I'm not a doctor and I am not making medical advice. But, I'm a firm believer in managing your own healthcare and making intelligent decisions, along with recommendations from your doctor.

In regards to cholesterol there is a lot of information, both good and bad, that may influence your decision to take medication to reduce your overall cholesterol levels. There have been a number of studies that are both for taking the medication and strongly against taking it.

If you are in a low risk group, meaning that you have your weight, diet, sleep, and stress, under control, you might not benefit from taking the medication. If you are overweight, have a crappy diet, don't sleep well, and are rife with stress, you might benefit from taking the medication.

Note that even the best medications can only make a twenty percent (+/-) in your total cholesterol. The biggest impact is going to come from weight reduction, diet modification, sleep enhancement, and stress control. Also, your body produces the cholesterol that is being read in the testing, and because of your genetics, you might not have a whole lot of say into your numbers.

So, the long and short of the cholesterol story is: manage your weight, diet, sleep, and stress, talk to your doctor, and make a decision that works best for you and your situation. The following video will give you some insights into what cholesterol is and how you can approach managing it.