It depends on who you ask! Chris Carmichael and Jim Rutberg recently published an article discussing this exact topic. As I expected, they do not believe a ketogenic diet will improve overall performance for endurance athletes. I expected this as the research and science supporting a ketogenic diet is still relatively new, and it would take a major paradigm shift for coaches like this who have been following a successful nutrition program with their athletes for a long, long time.

But I did find the comments at the end of the article very interesting. Several who commented did find their performance has improved on a ketogenic diet. Others saw improvement with a low carb  diet and  strategic carb cycling.

If you ask Stephen Phinney or Jeff Volek, I suspect they would tell you that a low carb or ketogenic diet absolutely improves performance based on research they have done with cyclists and other endurance athletes. As you’ll note in their research and something I completely believe in, they key is to be fat adapted. It took me several months to become fat adapted and to start reaping the benefits of a ketogenic diet when I was riding my bike. Many people give up before truly becoming fat adapted – it’s not easy, and your performance will suffer while you are getting there. I remember that vividly, and even blogged about it.

My reasons for starting a ketogenic diet had nothing to do with athletic performance. I started this lifestyle to give myself every chance possible to avoid dementia. Since starting over 2 years ago, I’ve learned I’m also giving myself a fighting chance to avoid cancer, Parkinsons’ disease, and many other autoimmune diseases caused by inflammation. Improved performance on my bike was an added benefit I wasn’t expecting.

My point is, your reasons for adopting a ketogenic lifestyle make a huge difference in how you approach it and whether you stick to it. I had strong reasons for doing so, and I was willing to suffer through poor performance on the bike because I believed in the science and I know it would get better. I had no idea how much better, but I did my research and stayed strong.

People who lament the fact that they can’t have birthday cake at a celebration may not be truly committed to a ketogenic lifestyle for the rest of their life. I couldn’t care less about eating a piece of cake. But if I did, because I’m fat adapted, I would be able to get back into nutritional ketosis very quickly (and yes, I’ve tried it with other foods, just not cake!). But again, the key is that my body is fat adapted and has been for a long time. This allows you the flexibility to fuel from carbs if needed, and then get back into burning fat.

Once you’re clear with yourself on what you want to achieve, then stick to that plan for at least 6 months. After that you can start experimenting to see if there are other ways of eating or fueling that can enhance what you are already doing.

Today my heart is heavy, as I learned of the death of 2 people, Steve Graber and Elmer Kuntz, whom I admired very much.

Steve was a mentor to me when I was a young attorney first taking on elder law. He took me under his wing and encouraged me to dive in to elder law head first. While he did not practice in that area, he realized the great need for it and believed I could take it on and make a real difference to a lot of people. I can’t thank him enough for coming beside me and encouraging me to take a leap of faith. Cancer took his body, but his spirit is where it should be – in heaven. You are with the angels now, Steve.  I hope you knew how much I appreciated you.

Elmer is my sister’s father-in-law, and a figure in my life since I was a teenager. He always had a smile on his face, and his hug could brighten any bad day you were having. Unfortunately, dementia wreaked havoc with Elmer’s memory the last year, but his spirit remained strong. When he set his mind to something, there was no stopping him! Like Steve, Elmer had a strong faith in God and is no doubt reminiscing with my dad in heaven as I type.

I try to appreciate my good health and the people I love every day, but I’m sure I fall short. For those of you reading this, I hope you can give your loved ones a hug, and recommit yourself to a healthy lifestyle so you can spend as much time as possible with them on this earth. What’s next is up to you…

I was searching for research tonight on telomares, and came across this report from the Alzheimer’s Prevention website about how a certain type of meditation has been shown to improve brain function, decrease stress, and even lengthen telomeres .  The studies described in the link have been conducted since 2000 and have focused on the effects of a specific type of meditation – Kirtan Kriya – on the brain and memory.

I must warn you – Kirtan Kriya is not a silent meditation. You will be chanting. And the Alzheimer’s Prevention and Research Foundation stresses that to get the positive effects found in their research, this exact type of meditation should be followed. You’ll find a link to more information on their website, including step-by-step instructions.  You will also find a number of helpful videos on this type of meditation on YouTube.

12 minutes  a day.  Yes, I’ll be trying it!

We decided on a relatively last minute trip to Paris to ring in the new year. The main reason was to take Jonathan’s youngest daughter, Li, to Paris for her first trip, and to celebrate her upcoming graduation from college in the spring.

We left Huntington Beach yesterday afternoon and arrived in Paris around noon local time (3:00 am Pacific Time). We managed to make it to the apartment we rented and to a restaurant for lunch before crashing for a few hours. Jonathan and I made it to a late dinner while Li caught up on some much needed sleep. I made Jonathan join a crowd gathered on the Place de Charles de Gaulle bridge to watch the fireworks. It was soooo cold, but worth it. Here’s a few pictures from the evening.

Dinner at Atlas (and yes, the stupid picture is not rotated correctly):

Hanging out at the bridge for the fireworks:

While 2016 brought many great experiences, I am very excited for all that 2017 has in store. Happy New Year!