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Jul 3

Every Projected NBA Playoff Team’s Biggest X-Factor – Bleacher Report

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The NBA is now less than a month away from resuming its truncated 2019-20 season.

Due to this long layoff, the quality of play will likely be worse than what we're used to in the regular season, let alone the levels that teams usually reach in May and June.

While the postseason is normally star-driven, we may see a more egalitarian, role-player-dependent playoffs in Orlando. Top players contracting the coronavirus while in the bubble could make each team's lesser starters and top bench players that much more important.

Here, we're looking at each projected playoff team's biggest X-factorthe player who could either help his team surpass expectations or be an integral contributor to their disappointment.

To project which teams are in and out, we'll turn toGreg Swartz's playoff projections from June 12.

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Kemba Walker may seem too good to be considered an X-factor, especially given the presence of Marcus Smart, another obvious choice for this label. But whereas a bad Smart performance would make winning more difficult, a bad Walker series will sink the Celtics.

Any All-Star performing below expectations will adversely impact his team, but Walker is more likely than most stars to do that in the postseason. Players of his size rarely succeed in the playoffsjust ask ringless Chris Paul and ringless John Stockton. Walker is not an all-timer like those two, so you can imagine how hard it will be for him to run an offense against lockdown defenders.

And that isn'tjust theory, either. Walker has cratered in the playoffs, including when he shot 36.6 percent from the field (and 3-of-16 in Game 7) against the Miami Heat in 2016.

Thankfully, Walker's new teammates are far more accomplished. Jayson Tatum looks more like a future superstar every day, and Jaylen Brown isn't far behind him. But with trigger-happy Smart and Brad Wanamaker as Walker's chief backups, the Celtics cannot afford to see their prized point guard falter under the bright lights.

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One could make a compelling case for Taurean Prince here. He was in the midst of a career-worst campaign when the season was suspended, and perhaps a four-month hiatus was the best medicine for such a slump.

But while Prince will merely help raise the Nets' floor even at his best, Caris LeVert could increase the team's ceiling. That distinction makes all the difference in the postseason.

As is sadly the norm, LeVert has struggled to stay on the floor this year, missing 25 games. However, he showed marked improvement when healthy, averaging career highs in points per 36 minutes and three-point efficiency while maintaining previous improvements as a versatile defender and distributor.Though there've been plenty of stops and starts, LeVert could still become a Khris Middleton-style wing in a best-case scenario.

Even if LeVert plays the best basketball of his career in the bubble, Brooklyn will get blown off the court in the first round. But if he at least shows up in a major way in Orlando, then the Nets have reason to be even more encouraged for next season, when Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving hopefully return to full strength.

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Tim Hardaway's 2019-20 regular season was a confirmation of Luka Doncic's superstar trajectory, but at the highest levels of the sport, he won't be able to lean on the Slovenian star in the same way.

After years of being a low-efficiency, shoot-first gunner on middling-to-bad teams, Hardaway has seemingly found a home for himself. The 28-year-old has shined in a limiting but more defined role with the Mavericks, recording a sterling 53.7 effective field goal percentage in 82 total games with the team and posting an 8.0 net rating this year, easily a career-best mark.

However, Hardaway has a shooting slash line of31.5/23.2/64.0 in 15 career postseason games. He has improved drastically as a player since then, so we shouldn't necessarily expect efficiency that low again. But some players seem to consistently falter time and again when the pressure is on (see Bledsoe, Eric).

Is Hardaway destined to be one of those eternal postseason disappointments, or can he transcend previous struggles to become a stalwart role player on a team seemingly destined for future greatness?

We'll get our first peek at the answer this summer.

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Michael Porter Jr. has been called the Nuggets' X-factor for months on end now, but based on head coach Mike Malone's rotation patterns, Porter is more likely to sit on the bench all postseason than be a key figure in Denver's playoff run.

Gary Harris, on the other hand, doesn't have the cover of inexperience to make up for his subpar 2019-20 campaign. The shooting guard has been trending downward for several years but hit a nadir this season, posting his worst shooting splits since his rookie season.

While Harris would be considered a lost cause in another situation, there are plenty of reasons to buy low on his potential.

First, the 25-year old has won the trust of those around him, with Malone, Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray all offering vociferous defensesof him. In addition, something may have clicked late in the year, as Harris shot 53.2 percent from the field and 57.7 percent from three in Denver's last 10 games.

If that wasn't just a hot streak and indicates a return to form for Harris, then Nuggets fans can go wild with postseason dreams.

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The Rockets are placing a lot on Robert Covington's plate.

In certain situations, he'll need to lock down the opponent's best perimeter scorer, while in others, he'll serve as a rim protector and need to contest finishes from the likes of LeBron James or Kawhi Leonard.In addition, on every offensive possession, Covington needs to be a competent enough stand-still shooter to let Russell Westbrook or James Harden have free rein over the paint.

In some respects, his responsibilities are straightforward. Seen another way, however, they're constricting and pressure-inducing, especially considering Covington has only played 14 games with Houston.

On top of all this, Covington's one postseason appearance with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2017-18 went terribly. Though his role on that team was different than it now is with the Rockets, he still shot a horrid 32.5 percent from the field and recorded a negative net rating for a team that won a series.

Given their top-line talent, the Rockets are likely to at least make it to the second round even if Covington forgets how to shoot again. But if he doesn't show up in later postseason rounds, then the Rockets' chances to progress further are dead on arrival.

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Victor Oladipo was starting to round into form when the season was suspended. Over his final seven games, he averaged 16.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists while shooting 48.2 percent from the field and 40.0 percent from three. Those aren't eye-popping statistics, but Oladipo was clearly on an upward trajectory.

However, while four extra months of rest and recovery would seem like a godsend for a player in his position, caution should still be heeded.

First, Malcolm Brogdon recently disclosed his positive coronavirus test. While he currently plans to play out the rest of the season, the former Rookie of the Year could either change his mind or may have limited playing time, which would increase Oladipo's role exponentially. In addition, Oladipo still isn't sure whether he'll participate, per ESPN'sAdrian Wojnarowski,due to the stop-and-start nature of this season and his rehab schedule.

The Pacers were an entrenched playoff team before Oladipo's return, so it isn't as though their fate this year hangs on his decision and subsequent performance. But the events of this strange period could inform how he and they move forward over the next few years.

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On paper, the Clippers own a nearly perfect roster. Sure, they have one rotation player taller than 6'8", but when it comes to a balance of talent and modern team-building, no other team is better.

As a result of the Clippers' excellent combination of stars and depth, you could contend that if Marcus Morris Sr. decides to ball-stop or take ill-advised jumpers in a critical moment, head coach Doc Rivers will just bench him for Lou Williams, Patrick Beverley or anybody else waiting in the wings.

However, Los Angeles made a move for Morris at the trade deadline for a reason. He gives the team another excellent shooter and solidifies its defensive front against LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers in a potential postseason matchup.

Morris has admittedly struggled with the Clippers.In 12 games with his new club, the forward has averaged just 9.5 points while shooting 38.6 percent from the field and posting his worst turnover percentage in four years. If that continues, he'll likely be marginalized in the postseason.

But if he rediscovers the magic that made him such a valuable role player for the Boston Celtics, then the Clippers might become the title favorite.

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Avery Bradley's withdrawal from the bubble is quietly very important. The 29-year-old's spacing and guard defense helped provide a high defensive floor for the Lakers, and now he's gone for the most crucial portion of the year.

Obviously, Los Angeles' title chances don't rise and fall with Bradley. But with so many great point guards in the NBA, the Texas product would have been especially integral, and he needs to be replaced.

If Alex Caruso, Rajon Rondo or Quinn Cook becomes necessary to another Los Angeles title, the team is in trouble, and despite his history with the Cavaliers, the newly acquired JR Smith doesn't exactly have the strongestpostseason track record. So it must beDanny Green.

Green hasn't defended point guards much this year, but he's got a great recent history against the league's best. Stephen Curry shot just 28.6 percent from the field with Green on him in last year's Finals, while James Harden has matched that putrid percentage this regular season.

He doesn't equal Andre Iguodala, Dennis Rodman or Robert Horry as a high-level postseason role player. But between his 2009 UNC squad and the San Antonio Spurs, Toronto Raptors and Lakers, Green has only played for title contenders.

In the right scenario, this year might see his most important contributions yet.

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Andre Iguodala may be washed. He certainly wasn't good in 14 regular-season games for Miami, as 4.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game will tell you. But to count the 36-year-old out now is to ignore recent history.

Iguodala's regular-season stats have been declining for years. He hasn't averaged 10 points per game since the 2012-13 campaign and hasn't played 30 minutes per night since the 2013-14 season.

The postseason, on the other hand, has been a different story. The wing has recorded a positive playoff box plus/minus every spring since 2008 and was a standout individual defender as recently as last year.

In addition, an extra eight months of rest could be sublime for Iguodala's aging limbs and joints. If those aforementioned 14 games and the eight seeding matchups in Orlando are a tune-up period, he very well could become a premier perimeter defender once the playoffs begin.

This may be a send-off postseason for Iguodala. But if he goes out swarming Giannis Antetokounmpo, Pascal Siakam or Jayson Tatum as part of a top-flight perimeter defense alongside Jimmy Butler, then it may be a sweet memory for Heat fans.

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There's no more obvious pick here.The Kentucky product is a shining example of what Draymond Green famously called an "82-game player."

While a solid point guard in the regular season, to the point that he made the All-Defensive first team in 2018-19 and was a borderline All-Star this year, Bledsoe has faltered spectacularly in each of the last two postseasons. He was memorably punked by Terry Rozier and the Boston Celtics in 2018 and shot just 35.7 percent from the field in the Eastern Conference Semifinals and Eastern Conference Finals last year.

Thanks to Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks somehow continue to improve and were approaching a 70-win pace before the 2019-20 campaign was suspended. Unfortunately for Bledsoe, however, they may need him more than ever in these playoffs.

With player health serving as an even more volatile proposition than usual this year and Giannis' jumper still eminently questionable, the point guard will likely be called upon at some point. Will he be able to rise to the occasion and complete a Hollywood-style redemption arc? Will the memories of previous failures continue to loom large?

The answer could determine whether Milwaukee wins a title. By extension, it could also determine whether the Bucks are able to keep Giannis for the next half-decade.

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Given the omnipresence of pace-and-space schemes in the NBA, the fact that Steven Adams remains integral to a playoff team's success is surprising. But let's see how long that continues.

In some respects, Adams is adapting. He has posted the best assist percentage and box plus-minus of his career by a wide margin this year, and he remains a master of esoterica like screening and shot alteration. The Kiwi has even earned the respect of Chris Paul, who recently statedon the All the Smokepodcast (h/t Forbes' Nick Crain),"[Adams is] going to do whatever the team needs him to do."

Even if all that is true about Adams, it doesn't mean he'll be a postseason asset.

For all those intangible pluses, the Kiwi is still a rather traditional center. He's made just 59.0 percent of his free throws this season, second-worst among qualified players, and remains at risk of being torched in pick-and-rolls by the likes of Russell Westbrook and Donovan Mitchell.

Adams has been a solid perimeter defender this year, but his potential shortcomings could force head coach Billy Donovan to play Nerlens Noel over him or even use Danilo Gallinari at center.

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The gap between the Magic's 2019-20 floor and ceiling is fairly minimal. At best, they'll lose a competitive series to a top-two seed. At worst, they'll get swept by a much more talented team. But as long as the team stays healthy, it'll still be able to form personnel opinions based on this six-week sojourn.

As has been discussed ad nauseam, Orlando's frontcourt is overstuffed, and this season, Aaron Gordon has suffered the most.

The big man has recorded his worst effective field-goal percentage since his rookie year and posted a negative net rating. However, he did improve after Jonathan Isaac suffered a knee injury, averaging 15.5 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists while shooting 46.0 percent from the field in the 29 ensuing games.

Will the long layoff and increased spacing help Gordon keep up that pace, finally turning him into Blake Griffin-lite? If that's the case, Orlando should either sell high and trade him for young players and picks or commit to building around him and Isaac while shopping Nikola Vucevic instead.

These stakes aren't super high, but they'll inform the direction of the Magic franchise for the foreseeable future.

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The 76ers might be winners of the NBA's hiatus.

In the grind of a season, it's hard to find time to work out on-court issues. However, three-plus months away from the court have given Philly a chance to solve serious questions.

If the team starts turning it around, then no Sixer stands to benefit more than Al Horford.

Horford's contract with Philly last summer was considered a smart move at the time. Instead, the 34-year-old has acted his age, looking a step slow on defense and spending most of his time standing at the three-point line on offense. In his own way, Horford has complained about this. But just before the season halted, head coach Brett Brown may have stumbled upon the solution: bringing the big man off the bench.

Given his $109 million contract, it's bad optics to move Horford to the bench. But he'd dominate other second units in a tailor-made role while a shooter like Furkan Korkmaz or Glenn Robinson III would settle the starting lineup.

Talent-wise, the ceiling in Philly could still lead to a title. The team just needs to continue tweaking its rotations until it finds the combination that can capture the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

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Congratulations on recovering from a gruesome injury, Jusuf Nurkic.

Your reward? An entire organization has spent the better part of a year spinning its wheels, waiting for you to return from that injury. Now that you're ostensibly healthy, you must be the savior who helps carry this team back to the playoffs.

The fact that injuries to Nurkic and Zach Collins have been used as cover for a lackluster 2019-20 season in Portland heaps significant pressure on their respective returns. This is especially true for Nurkic, who was in the midst of a career year in 2018-19 before he suffered a compound leg fracture.

Hassan Whiteside has filled in for Nurkic this year (to varying degrees of success), but it appears Blazers players will be onTeam Nurkicwhen the time comes.

Currently 3.5 games out of the eighth seed and in position to force a play-in series, Portland could make the playoffs for the seventh consecutive year. But with one of the most difficult schedules of any bubble team and the potential reintegration of a big man coming off a major leg injury, it will be a challenge.

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The Raptors have been training in Florida for over a week, and it looks like at least one of their players has stumbled on the Fountain of Youth while in the Sunshine State.

Even in his younger years, Marc Gasol was never this slim. In fact, he wasinfamously out of shape. And while you can argue that losing such a drastic amount of weight this quickly at age 35 will detract from what made Gasol effective in the first place, anybody who believes that hasn't watched a second of his career.

The Spaniard's game has only ever relied on power and girth in tangential ways, and he's a three-time All-Star because of a high basketball IQ and surprising agility as a perimeter defender. Losing weight will obviously not affect decision-making, and it can only heighten his ability to switch on defense.

It's hard to say how this affects the Raptors' championship aspirations. They have a clear offensive hierarchy, and Gasol was a stout defender this year even before the weight loss.

But it certainly can't hurt to have a former Defensive Player of the Year in peak physical condition.

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As if Mike Conley's integration into the Utah Jazz lineup wasn't complicated enough, he now hasa new set of obstacles to take on in the bubble.

On one hand, the point guard will take on a bigger role out of necessity after Bojan Bogdanovic's season-ending wrist surgery. On the other hand is the elephant in the room: Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert's relationship.

The organization is saying the right things, but it's not like the two were ever a seamless fit. The paint-bound Gobert was always an offensive impediment to Mitchell, a Dwyane Wade-style guard who thrives as a slasher and finisher around the rim.

Now, what does Conley have to do with any of this? Well, he's the team's point guard and elder statesman, meaning he's ostensibly in charge of the Jazz's fate.

Read this article:
Every Projected NBA Playoff Team's Biggest X-Factor - Bleacher Report


Jul 3

VICE – I Tried to Get Hench Over Lockdown – VICE UK

When my editor asks if I want to get hench over lockdown, I'm already three beers and half a bottle of red wine deep. I type in a tipsy-confident haze: "I've been neglecting my gains for about a year (lol), so I'd like to try." Hitting send sobers me up: I immediately realise I've fucked it.

Lots of people began lockdown promising to get a new "quarantine bod", but they had a get-out: they could just... not. I don't have the same escape route it is now my job to get hench. There'll be no quitting gym memberships and setting off to the boozer with the refund, no faking injuries to get out of it, and no half measures.

This isn't about getting a "beach body" or losing weight it's about putting myself through hell for a laugh, trying to build as much muscle as I can, while dropping as much body fat as I can, in a limited timeframe, using only the stuff I have available: a modest set of weights, and gravity.

On the first day of the challenge, I wake up, note the chocolate peanut butter protein powder I bought at quarter to midnight and consider the phrase "you are what you eat". Beer is probably my favourite food. I rarely eat meat, but I also regularly wilt spinach in a lot of butter, a la James Martin on Saturday Kitchen.

I haven't been to the gym in ten months and I haven't been for a run in roughly four years. I don't have an office commute, as I work from home. The gig economy doesn't allow time for fitness. But when my new scales arrive and I see that both my BMI and body fat percentage pop up in the "mildly obese" area, I realise I should probably start to making some time not least because of the long-term health risks (type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, liver and kidney disease, to name a few) associated with that phrase.

Having photos taken at the start of the challenge is horrible. Nothing on my photographer, Chris he's class I've just never liked being in front of a camera. With each click of the lens I feel layers being zapped from the thick skin I've grown, exposing my self-consciousness. We make a point of taking unflattering photos using a flash and white backgrounds, to bring out my pasty chubbiness and the Dairy Milk residue coating my teeth.

As soon as Chris leaves, I have an urge to exercise. I do five press-ups and then groan face-first into my yoga mat.

203 pounds, 33.4 percent body fat

I've put my weight on here, but it's not the focus putting on muscle often leads to weight gain, so I'm not so bothered about that. What I'm focusing on is body fat percentage, because I've read that any man can have a six pack if his body fat is somewhere near 15 percent, and I want to see what I look like with abs.

There are some things you inexplicably remember in life. You won't think about them every day, but you will remember them forever. For me, one of these things happened on the 23rd of August, 2018: Kim Kardashian announced that she does 1,000 squats per day. I remember this because yesterday I did 200 squats, and I can barely walk. Going to the toilet is a real issue. I imagine Kim forcing herself to the bathroom like Bambi on ice, grimacing every time she wipes. I have a lot of respect for her.

The next evening I decide to give the Brutal HIIT Ladder Workout a go to see roughly where my fitness is at. Ten minutes in, my blood feels like cider vinegar. I limp to the end of the session and lie on the floor for somewhere between ten minutes and an hour. While on the floor, an email pings up on my phone: "We've scheduled you weekly Zoom meetings with Zack George, the fittest man in the UK, starting on Monday. Hes going to send workouts for you to follow."

Having access to someone like Zack for free is a luxury, but you can't buy willpower. So while he's going to email me workouts to help me get responsibly fit, he isnt going to watch my workouts or check my fridge and I already know I'll ignore him every single time he suggests sprints or running. Either way, a call with him means Ill at least be less in the dark about this working-out-stuff next week.

For now, Im left to my own devices. Tweets about Fitness Blender and Joe Wicks fill my feed as everyone else also seems to be at the Dry January stage of lockdown. I follow a load of fitness accounts, then discover a person who becomes my new demigod: Jeff Cavaliere from ATHLEAN-X (more on him later). I click a video titled "Brutal Triceps Workout (SORE IN 6 MINUTES!)" and note the common theme of "brutal" in the headlines, wondering if this brief foray into fitness will turn me into a lifelong masochist.

I watch each video before I do them, because I often have no idea how to physically do any of the movements (dumbbell reverse fly????), which means they take twice as long. I also have to figure out which videos are home-workout-friendly. The couch proves surprisingly useful for dips, incline press-ups and other moves I've never heard of before.

The six minutes pass and I ache like hell. I down a lumpy chalky protein shake that tastes like the guilt-inducing advent calendar chocolates you eat a day early. Im wondering if Im allowed rest days. Im also regretting not drinking my beer supplies before starting, because I know I cant have one, which is miserable, but not as miserable as not having one.

204 pounds, 30.5 percent body fat

I meet my personal trainer, Zack George, on Zoom. I ask about pain at one point and he says: "If youre struggling to walk in the morning, well do a light session that day." Which is reassuring. I notice how ripped he is and become both jealous and concerned.

"I don't think youll build much mass, its hard," says Zack. Most people take months to do that in an actual gym. Perhaps if you were genetically gifted"

I am not genetically gifted, and I quickly lose interest in whats being said, resurfacing when he says, "You will be able to improve how you look in a month." I get my first workout:

50 reps of each exercise for time:Press upsSquatsDumbbell snatches 10kgLeg Raised CrunchesKettlebell SwingsBurpees

In total, Ill end up gritting my teeth through 75 Zack-intensity workouts across five weeks, plus the 21 I set myself.

Not long after, the UK's quarantine properly begins and I move into my girlfriend's family home. It's my first visit, and I quickly realise I cant maintain my relationship while eating like a bodybuilder, scoffing tuna and brown rice, and refusing to drink beer. I cant smell of sweat all the time and make weird straining noises in the wee hours of the morning. I also dont have access to a shower or kitchen for 14 days, as it seems safer to quarantine in the lounge, so protein shakes are made in the downstairs toilet, where I wash my armpits. I'm also unsure how to turn any of the radiators off, which makes for a challenging climate: I can wholly recommend never doing HIIT in a "hot yoga" environment.

My first morning at the house, I have a mild anxiety attack. This is because I thought I could work out in front of my girlfriend, but I cant. Ten burpees in, I feel myself jiggle while she kindly holds a camera for my Instagram stories and I inexplicably stop and sulk face-down on the bed for about 20 minutes.

While sulking, I realise this is about much more than hench. Its about me accepting that I dont like my body and confronting that I do, in fact, want to change how I look. Not because I look bad, but because there must be a reason I won't have my photo taken, or why I have a mild meltdown within 30 seconds of exercising in front of someone I want to like me. As the camera rolls, I'm already thinking about the "after" photos for this challenge. Even though I want to put in even more effort to get there, I can't look past the immediate difficulties of how much harder I'll have to work. I'm only human.

201 pounds, 26.4 percent body fat

I wake up to the best Christmas present I've never received: an actual bicep. I feel it when I cup my chest before looking in the mirror. Its hard. Later, when I bend over to suck in oxygen mid-workout, my stomach seems to hang in a more vertical-oval shape than the rounded-square blob Im used to. I feel great. Then I try to do a run and my back gives out. So the day becomes a rest day, which I am allowed once a week. I spend it feeling my little bicep child between watching workout videos.

I have a real itch to be active, but settle for exercise of the mind. Hench literature is my life now, and I am transfixed. After a couple more hours, in which I've absorbed endless pearls of wisdom "on a minute-for-minute basis, the burpee is one of the most effective exercises for burning calories" my girlfriend interrupts.

"Youre staring intently at that prawn, and youre NODDING AT HIM." She is referring to ATHLEAN-X demigod Jeff Cavaliere, and his "5 Dumbest Forms of Cardio (DONT LOOK STUPID!)" video, in which he takes a dump on running, my nemesis.

"He has 5.3 percent body fat you cannot just call him a prawn!" I hiss.

Toward the end of the week, I ache to the extent that its difficult to get dressed, but I've learned to exercise through it (I cant explain how, it just sort of happens, like I imagine "learning to walk" does). The idea of doing exercise becomes part of the shopping basket of my day, not a bulky extra item that keeps trying to fall out.

199 pounds, 23.4 percent body fat

Ive lost more than 10 percent of my body fat. My arms have visible "resting" muscles, in the right shadow. There is the faintest line running vertically down the middle of my stomach. When I place my hands on my hips, there is no cushioning. But I am desperate to have my chat with Zack later this week I need him like a cub needs its mother.

My post-breakfast snack is a smoothie containing: pea protein powder, faba bean isolate, flaxseed powder, kale, brown rice and more. You know when you mix paints and they become that browny-greeny-grey, like the colour they made cigarette packets to put people off smoking? It looked and tasted exactly like that. But I don't care. I am oozing health.

Everything is just sort of falling into place. Ive learned the fitness world has many acronyms and that optimisation is everything, like Kevins small talk in The Office. One specific thing I have discovered is that the EMOM workout works for me. Its an acronym for Every Minute On The Minute so say you do ten burpees in 39 seconds, you then rest for 21, and it's on to the next thing. It suits me, because the harder you work, the more you rest.

At the end of the week, I leave my girlfriends house. I feel like Ive grown a lot there, but I mainly feel bad that the weeks Ive spent with her have been ruined by my challenge. I hope she thinks Im hotter or something now. Perhaps Ill buy a Connell-esque silver necklace to accentuate my gains, or Ill just keep working out so that we can both eat a load of junk food whenever I see her next. Either way, the train ride home makes me realise how successful people often come across as arseholes, and it gives me pause for thought.

197 pounds, 23.1 percent body fat

Im staring out of the window and everything seems beautiful. I look at the kebab shops neon sign and feel a warm breeze through the window. It feels like I'm on holiday. This is mainly because Im having a beer and theres a pizza in the oven. Now that my lockdown challenge is over, I'm thinking about what I have achieved and how it's probably relatively insignificant a 5/10 effort compared to what you'd see if this feature was published in one of those fitness magazines with sinewy tattooed cover stars.

I've noticed some things about my body since trying to become hench. For example, it turns out that when you grow a little family of biceps, pecs and lats, they tend to stick around. The muscle fibres retain information and remember how to contract. Weeks on, I can still tense my pecs on cue, and my arms feel firm when I cross them. Im not working out as often perhaps twice a week, if I have time but more than I did beforehand, and actually, the results are still there.

By the end of the challenge, Ive lost a third of my body fat a pretty radical change. Even as a celebratory pizza and beers bloat my very faint abs into non-existence, the muscles beneath them have actually developed considerably. I stand straighter and correct my posture when sitting at my desk. I feel stronger, my back doesnt hurt nearly as much and my neck doesnt need clicking three times a day. My leg muscles, which were always a bit abnormally apparent, are even more apparent. Theres a new bit of definition where my thigh meets the inside of my knee, which looks strange, but Im into it.

Aside from the physical changes, there are other things I've realised. One is that many aspects of this challenge would suit a single person far more. In fact, other than helping you keep a grasp on reality, this challenge is entirely suited to not being in a relationship. It takes a chunk out of your life: it replaces quality time with cardio and crunches, a few drinks and dessert with an extra pint of water. You don't see Lady and the Tramp locking lips over a protein cookie, do you?

The challenge did make me feel confident enough to post my first ever selfie, but I wasnt prepared to temporarily ruin my life to look good and then revert back to normal. Under these circumstances, where everything is already strange, keeping some sense of normality was more important than ever.

My relationship with exercise has definitely changed. I wouldnt go as far as to say I love it, or that I want to count each millimetre of fat my body dissolves, but I do now spot a 20-minute gap in my day and think: 'I could spend that moving about, with or without heavy things in my hands.' I think the fact I've formed a much better relationship with fitness than I ever had before is the real gain.

Over the past five weeks, I've been mindful of my feelings towards my body. Sometimes I got slightly neurotic about how I look, but then I remembered that "getting hench" was a ridiculous goal from the get-go. What I'm proudest of is seeing a difference in my appearance within a specific timeframe. I gained muscle and it made me feel good, though it hasn't made me feel like a better human being. It's a novel achievement, a bit like climbing a mountain, in that Id recommend doing it if youre curious and fit enough I got some aches and pains and a nice view at the end but I'm glad to have descended back to normality.

I dont imagine I'll keep up Zack's punishing regime beyond lockdown. But I remember him saying hes been training his entire life, and he lumps the word consistency into conversations about five times an hour. He is 29. In the world of gains, I am about four weeks old.

According to science, habits are made in 66 days, and Im now halfway to that. Even if I drop myself down to a few workouts a week, Ill be a machine, relative to my former self. And come the height of summer, who knows maybe Ill enjoy looking at my reflection in the window of the pub. So thats the plan: just try to keep at it, at my own pace, responsibly. Heres to trying.

[@_rhysthomas_](https://twitter.com/_rhysthomas) / @christopherbethell_

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VICE - I Tried to Get Hench Over Lockdown - VICE UK


Jul 3

I hope Harvey dies before I do because he wont be able to cope without me, says heartbroken Katie Price – The Sun

WHILE her partying and rollercoaster love life have been played out in the public eye for more than 20 years, Katie Prices dedication to her disabled son is a side of her that we rarely get to see.

It is her love for Harvey that keeps the star going and she admits there were dark times when she would have ended her life if it were not for him.

9

This week, Katie was terrified when the partially sighted 18-year-old complained of chest pains and was rushed to hospital in an ambulance.

Autistic Harvey, who weighs more than 27st due to an excessive appetite caused by the genetic condition Prader-Willi Syndrome, is now home again after being diagnosed with a chest infection.

But speaking to The Sun, Katie has revealed doctors have told her Harvey is at serious risk of dying from a heart attack if he does not lose weight.

And, in a brutally stark statement, the fearful mum says she hopes Harvey will die before she does, because he simply will not be able to cope without her.

9

Katie, 42, says: When Harvey went into hospital, I feared the worst. I always do.

The doctors have told me hes at high risk of having a heart attack.

Hes 27st, wears 5XL clothes and he gets out of breath walking up the stairs. So of course I panicked.

I cant see him living past 50 unless we sort his weight and his breathing out.

I know its horrible to say, but I wish hed go before me because he wouldnt cope without me.

Hed be so heartbroken and wouldnt understand where Id gone.

The mum-of-five went into rehab clinic The Priory in January after admitting self-medicating with alcohol and cocaine.

In her darkest days, it was only the thought of Harvey that kept her going.

9

Katie also mum to daughters Princess Tiaamii, 13, and Bunny, five, and sons Junior, 15, and six-year-old Jett says: I could have gone off and hanged myself, which I wanted to do, but I didnt because I have kids.

I know its a harsh comment but its the truth.

If I ever died, my other kids, obviously, would be heartbroken but Harvey would not understand where Id gone.

And I just think no one would look after him the way I do, and he wouldnt understand why Im not there.

The thought kills me. I hate it. I dont know whats going to happen in the future.

Speaking about her eldest sons hospital dash last week, Katie says she had known something was wrong as Harvey was not himself but it wasnt until he complained about needles in his chest that she called an ambulance.

She says: I know hes getting bigger and Id noticed in the past month his breathing had changed.

9

It was at Princesss birthday party, just after shed done her cake and Harvey wasnt feeling himself and had a lie down. And then he was getting worse and worse and I thought, Oh s**t.

Sometimes hell fake things, like if he doesnt want to go to school, hell say Harvey feels wobbly, or hes got a sore throat.

But I know him well enough to know if hes trying to pull a fast one or not.

He said he was getting pains, and he can deteriorate quickly, so I just used my common sense, stayed calm and called the ambulance.

Harvey was diagnosed with fluid on his lungs and a chest infection, and discharged that night.

But Katie says that dealing with her eldest childs complex medical needs is getting harder and harder.

9

As well as being on the autistic spectrum and having a severe genetic condition, he was born with the brain disorder septo-optic dysplasia, which has left him partially sighted.

His father, former footballer Dwight Yorke, has always refused to help and has been absent from Harveys life but Katie says she is happy to be both Harveys mum and his dad.

She adds: I love him, and I would never change him, but its constant. Its exhausting.

He knows hes got to lose weight but its the Prader-Willi he just wants to eat.

Hell steal food, and hes on steroids that make him big.

9

We try everything, but cutting down food is hard.

Im not trying to give him a lot of food look at my other kids, theyre not big and fat like Harvey.

I dont want him to be in 5XL clothes, or to not be able to go on proper walks without being out of breath.

I dont want that, I come from a fit, healthy family.

People dont appreciate how big he is until they see him.

He cant fit in some cars, and on an aeroplane the seatbelts dont fit him.

He loves rollercoasters but he cant go on them because the seats dont fit down on him.

Katie is now filming a BBC documentary about living with her son in lockdown called Harvey And Me.

It will follow their everyday life and the struggles she encounters as a single mum to her disabled son.

It is bloody difficult, she says.

Its a constant worry, and I worry about the other kids too.

I think people will be shocked when they see what living with Harvey is really like.

9

Im both his mum and his carer and I dont even ask for sympathy, but it is hard work.

Little things p**s him off. If you have to skip the ads on YouTube when hes trying to watch Peppa Pig, or a door bangs in the house, or the wind bangs the window, hell start headbutting the walls.

Ill have to get a plasterer in after lockdown as hes been punching the walls in my new house and its covered in holes.

He can switch just like that.

Normally, Harvey lives in a residential school during the week, but during lockdown it has just been him and Katie together at home.

Her two youngest children Bunny and Jett have been living with Katies ex-husband Kieran Hayler during the week, while Princess and Junior live with their father, pop singer Peter Andre, down the road from Katie in Sussex.

Katie has loved spending one-to-one time with Harvey but has been struggling with the home schooling.

She admits she is no teacher and jokes: Im about Harveys level.

Katie adds: Obviously his education is different to other childrens, but I dont care because doctors said he wouldnt walk, talk or see and he does it all.

Hes cleverer than people think. Hes amazing at drawing and knows his times tables.

9

Living with Harvey is a bundle of massive love and banter and he makes me laugh.

And while she is abused every day by online trolls who brand her a sl*g for her string of divorces, her former husbands have been very supportive since she left The Priory.

Katie says: Theyve been good, actually. Theres no drama with Kieran and Pete now. Its so nice and refreshing.

The new house is between their houses, and its so nice.

This week, Katie gave evidence by video link to a Commons committee looking into online abuse, and said the disgusting, despicable taunts directed at Harvey was part of the reason she sought treatment at The Priory.

Under her Harveys Law campaign, Katie wants to make online abuse a criminal offence, with the names of trolls placed on a register that employers can check.

9

Talking about the daily online abuse about her son, she says: Harveys not aware of it, but I am and I wont stand for it.

Its disgusting what he gets called.

I get trolled daily too, but he doesnt deserve the abuse he gets.

Im excited to get this law going because everyone agrees it should be a law.

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GETTING RIGHT HELP FOR OUR KIDS IS HUGE BATTLE

By Sam Carlisle

MY daughter, Elvi, is in the same class as Harvey Price at school.

He is a friendly giant, incredibly loving and has a real passion for art and frogs. Harveys fantastic piano-playing is the highlight of the Christmas concerts.

Whatever Katie does in her private life, her love for her son is palpable.

The fact she has raised him for 18 years without any financial or emotional support from his errant father, Dwight Yorke, shows great strength.

Every parent of a complex-needs child worries about who will look after them if anything happens to us.

So while it is shocking to hear Katie say she wants Harvey to die before her, I can understand what she means.

Like Elvi, who also has a rare genetic disorder, Harvey has challenging behaviour and there has to be someone with him all the time.

Before lockdown, both of them attended the residential unit at the school.

For me, allowing Elvi, 18, to stay overnight was an incredibly tough decision. I felt I had failed her at home.

But the reality was that she only slept three hours a night at home, never making up that sleep in the daytime.

That was night after night when I had to be up with her.

It was relentless and exhausting.

We realised residential care was the right decision.

The staff at the school are incredibly caring and great at coming up with a programme of events for the kids that would be beyond shattered parents.

Elvi loved her nights there.

So, with lockdown, Harvey and Elvi not only lost their lessons and the routine that is so important to them, they also lost their fun nights at school.

I dont think either of them understand why they cant see their friends.

As parents, we lost the respite that enables us to work, spend time with our other children and be the best we can be when our gorgeous kids come home.

Harvey and Elvis wonderful teacher has provided daily online activities for her class much easier than Elvis younger brothers maths.

Excerpt from:
I hope Harvey dies before I do because he wont be able to cope without me, says heartbroken Katie Price - The Sun


Jul 1

7 things you may be doing that can prevent weight loss – TODAY

If youve changed your eating habits to focus on healthier foods and gotten serious about your workouts, you might expect to start shedding pounds. But the reality is that despite what youve been led to believe, weight loss is more complicated than calories in versus calories out. If youre trying to lose weight, check out these habits that might be interfering with your efforts.

If you typically eat a muffin or avocado toast for breakfast, you might need to boost your protein intake. Research suggests that a protein-rich breakfast can help manage hunger better, which may make you less tempted to supplement with a mid-morning snack.

Protein is important at lunch and dinner, too. If youre routinely eating salads or sipping on gazpacho without any protein accompaniments like a boiled egg, yogurt, beans, meat, poultry or fish it could lead to declining muscle tissue over time, which means your metabolism will start to slow down and make it harder for you to lose weight. Aim for 20 to 35 grams of protein per meal (a portion about the size of a smartphone). But keep in mind that to boost weight loss, you may need to cut down on something else, like the starchy portion of your meal.

When youre short on sleep, it alters your bodys appetite-regulating hormones, spiking the levels of the hormones that tell you when youre hungry and reducing levels of the ones that tell you when youve had enough to eat. The net-net: Youre hungrier than normal. In one study, women who slept for five hours a night (instead of the recommended seven hours) were 32% more likely to experience a 30-plus pound weight gain during the 16-year study period.

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When youre sleep deprived, the type of food you crave can change, too. Studies suggest that it leads to an increase in activity levels of the reward circuitry in your brain, so donuts and other high-calorie foods are more irresistible. If you arent meeting the sleep guidelines, start off by creating a set sleep schedule, setting an alarm to go to bed earlier at night and staying consistent about going to bed and waking at routine times every day.

A mere 5% of adults are participating in exercise for 30 minutes a day, so any exercise deserves props. Physical activity is tied to a lower risk of heart disease and diabetes, and staying active can help you maintain your weight more easily. But if youre exercising to drop pounds (rather than maintain your weight), you might need to re-think your motives. Time and again, research points to the fact that when people exercise, theyre hungrier and therefore, eat more enough to make up for the calories they worked off.

Studies also show that when coupled with diet, exercise produces virtually the same weight loss as diet alone. Exercise because it makes you feel better, lifts your spirits and makes you feel stronger, more energetic and empowered. These motivators might even help you lean in toward activities you enjoy rather than ones you think you should be doing, which ups the odds youll stick with your fitness routine. Youll get health benefits from as little as 15 minutes of exercise a day the benefits drop off after 60 minutes a day, so aim to get somewhere in that range.

A little stress here and there isnt a big deal, but when its persistent, your body responds by continuing to pump out the hormone, cortisol, which leads to an increase in appetite and eating. Stress also impacts your food choices. Theres a reason why you crave comfort food, like pizza, instead of a salad when youre stressed out.

And heres the kicker: Studies suggest that when you actively try to lose weight by restricting what you eat, it ups your stress and cortisol levels, which is counterproductive. Exercise, meditation and hugs (be it cuddling a pet or hugging a housemate) are a few good ways to help lower cortisol levels, even when stressful circumstances are beyond your control.

Your body tells you when its hungry and when youve had enough to eat, but over time, you might have learned to override these signals. When you tune in to what your body tells you, you can respond more appropriately, say, by finding an activity when youre bored (instead of rummaging through the cabinets for a snack) or by wrapping up a meal when youre satiated, instead of when youve had too much to eat. Developing these listening skills takes practice, but over time, can help you reduce stress eating, minimize overeating and enjoy meals more.

Its possible to overeat very healthful foods, like avocados, nuts and quinoa, and this can influence your ability to lose weight. These foods can absolutely be part of a weight-loss eating plan, but your portion sizes may need some fine-tuning. For instance, a portion of pasta even healthier whole grain, lentil and chickpea versions is 1/2 cup (about the size of a teacup). A serving of nuts is an ounce, or the amount that would fill a mint tin. For nut or seed butter, the serving size is two tablespoons, or the size of a golf ball. An easy hack to help you fill up on proper portions is to reverse your ratio of grains to veggies on your plate, having twice the amount of veggies as grains or pasta. This trick helps downsize grain and pasta portions while keeping your plate full of food.

Theres a strong link between eating processed foods and your weight. One possible, science-backed explanation: You eat faster and dont fill up as quickly on very processed foods, so you wind up eating more. Just think how much easier and faster it is to wolf down a fast food burger than it is to consume a piece of salmon with a side of broccoli and brown rice. Or compare how quickly you can eat an oat-based granola bar to a bowl of oatmeal.

In one year-long study, dieters were assigned to either a low-fat or low-carb eating meal plan, with both groups losing a similar amount of weight. Despite the different dietary approaches, there were some commonalities about how both groups ate. Both limited sugar and overly processed foods and amped their veggie intake while also eating more whole foods. If you want to simplify your eating habits and lose weight, this is a good way to go.

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7 things you may be doing that can prevent weight loss - TODAY


Jul 1

Stop worrying about bread, nutritionists say the toppings you put on your carbs are more likely to influence – Business Insider India

Good news, carb-lovers you may not have to cut back on bread even if you're trying to lose weight, according to experts.

"People have demonized carbs as one of the main things behind gaining weight when that's not proven by evidence," nutrition coach and author Graeme Tomlinson told Insider. "It's 'calories in' versus 'calories out' [that] are going to determine whether you gain or lose weight."

Those toppings, particularly when they're calorie-dense foods like cheese or nut butter, can end up being double or quadruple the calories of the bread itself, he explained.

When trying to reduce or maintain body weight, many continue to assume that bread must be abolished from their diet. In terms of energy, there is no difference between white or brown bread. And whilst the latter contains more fibre [which may increase satiety], one would be better placed to evaluate total ingredients consumed with bread in order to determine a more holistic perspective. Not least because bread is rarely consumed alone. These additional ingredients equate to additional calories. In this example, smearing on a few of generous knifes of peanut butter and jam (components of a hearty PB & jelly sandwich) more than quadruples the total calorie content of the consumed food. Consequently, all of a sudden the debate is not about consumption of bread in the first instance, or its colour in the second. Adding an often invisible 10g of butter to a warm slice of bread will result in the calorie value of the bread increasing from 95 calories to 169. Thus, though its visibility is dormant, it is the butter that nearly doubles the calorie value of what we often perceive as the consequence of eating bread. Standing alone, bread is merely one calorie variable. Using the examples shown in my graphic, there can be multiple additional calorie variables. The quantity of additional variables will influence the overall calorie value of that eating episode. Bread may not be the problem after all. This principle can be applied to ones rationale when assessing and addressing their overall diet. In doing so, one can move away from unwarranted demonisation of a food which can be utilized as energy like any other. Of course, one may over consume bread. But unless their diet comprises of only bread, this is a mere contribution to a bigger sequence of variables. To catastrophize bread as a nutritional problem is to catastrophize a minuscule variable out of many. A calorie surplus over time results in weight gain, not bread. - - #portioncontrol #bread #toast #snacks #peanutbutter #jam #carbs #snackfood #fatlosstips #fatlosshelp #caloriecontrol #losefat #caloriesincaloriesout #losingfat

A post shared by Graeme Tomlinson (@thefitnesschef_) on Jun 17, 2020 at 10:38am PDTJun 17, 2020 at 10:38am PDT

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"It's not about the carbs, it's about the company they keep," Taub-Dix told Insider. Condiments and spread can quickly and surreptitiously raise the total calorie of your meal or snack and make it harder to keep track, she said.

As such, carbs can potentially be a useful tool for weight loss if they can help stave off snacking later in the day, she added.

Taub-Dix recommends trying to include some of each macronutrient carbs, fat, and protein when you sit down to eat so your meal or snack is nutritionally balanced but also enjoyable.

Cutting out bread, or carbs, entirely can also backfire if it makes you crave those foods intensely, leading to overindulgence later.

"It can be a bit of an eye opener to see how many calories you were eating vs how many you want to meet your target," Tomlinson said. "You can eat a lot of the foods you enjoy, you just have to understand portion sizes so you can eat those things and still meet your goals."

With that in mind, including some bread in your diet can actually help with weight loss goals, Tomlinson said, since a diet of foods you enjoy is more likely to be a diet you can stick to.

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Stop worrying about bread, nutritionists say the toppings you put on your carbs are more likely to influence - Business Insider India


Jul 1

Watch These Sportbikes And Supermotos Get Owned On The Track – RideApart

If we said that Auto Race was an obscure form of motorcycle racing, it would be the understatement of the decade. Based in Japan, Auto Race competitions primarily function as a gambling sport, but the contests are entertaining whether you have a wager on the table or not. To the casual viewer, the brightly colored jerseys, absurdly oversized shoulder pads, and quirky race machines may provide some comic relief, but the racers are seriously skilled.

Auto Racer motorcycles are brakeless affairs that zip around a tarmac racetrack at 90 mph. The frame is a true hardtail with no suspension in the rear and simple springs in the forks. Heavily regulated by the Japanese Keirin Autorace Foundation, the 599cc dedicated race engines typically generate 59 horsepower and 45 lb-ft of torque. To reduce weight, the bikes have no starter, no gauges, and a puny half-gallon gas tank. The oddly shaped handlebars and triangular tire profile are specifically suited for sustaining a 45-degree lean angle.

Auto Race heats usually include eight riders vying for the checkered flag over the course of six laps. Race organizers rigorously inspect the machines to weed out any unfair advantages or attempts at race-fixing, but some competitions are more for fun than betting. One such match included pitting a pair of sportbikes and two supermotos against a lone Auto Race bike.

Yes, the sportbikes can outpower the Auto Racer. Yes, the supermotos can outhandle the antiquated rig. Despite those shortcomings, the Auto Race bike is on its own turf. You dont race a dirt biker off-road with your adventure bike, you dont beat a cheetah in a footrace, and sure as hell dont challenge an Auto Race on the 500-meter asphalt oval.

Even with the favorable starting position, the contenders were no match for the Auto Racer. After one lap, he quickly disposed of the supermoto pretenders and set his sights on the two sportbikers. By carrying speed through the turns and holding superior lines, the Auto Race rider was able to make up more than enough ground in the first two go-arounds. With four laps to go, he was already harassing the leading riders.

Like a game of cat and mouse, the Auto Racer pulled ahead with three laps to go only to lose traction and leave the door open for sportbike #2 to regain the lead. Undeterred, racer #5 fought back throughout the penultimate lap and led with a defensive line before capturing the checkered flag. While sportbikes and supermotos are lauded for their acceleration and nimbleness, they now know better than to mess with this obscure but highly-skilled form of racing.

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Watch These Sportbikes And Supermotos Get Owned On The Track - RideApart


Jul 1

3 Tips To Avoid That Dreaded Caffeine Crash, From An MD – mindbodygreen.com

All bodies are different, and so people respond to caffeine in various ways. That explains why your friend can have two cups of coffee at dinner and still fall asleep by 10 p.m., while your morning roast might keep you wired until bedtime.To understand why caffeine crashes occur, we need to look deeper at how the body metabolizes caffeine.

As a stimulant, caffeine fires up the central nervous system, allowing you to become more alert and focused. You may have more energy. An increase in adrenaline may raise your heartbeat or blood pressure. For most people, these physiological changes are temporary.

For some people, caffeine can create uncomfortable symptoms. Mild side effects of caffeine include anxiety, restlessness, irritability, agitation, gut upset, and impaired sleep. More extreme symptoms include disorientation, hallucinations, mental confusion, seizure, erratic heartbeat, and inadequate blood supply to a part of the body (ischemia).

Why do some people experience these things after they consume caffeine while others handle it just fine? When you consume caffeine, a liver enzyme called CYP1A2 breaks it down. The gene that codes this enzyme varies greatly among people. Scientists divide people into three groups, depending on how quickly their liver metabolizes caffeine: high, regular, and low metabolizers.

For fast metabolizers, this enzyme breaks down and helps clear caffeine very quickly. Slow metabolizers, on the other hand, break down coffee at a much slower pace, so its effects stick around much longer.

Your brain also plays a role in caffeine metabolism. If you're not sleeping well, it can sometimes result in higher levels of an organic compound called adenosine. One of adenosine's roles is to slow down brain activity, making you sleepy. Caffeine blocks adenosine from attaching to brain receptors. Once your body has metabolized that caffeine and its effects wear off, that adenosine floods brain receptors and tells your brain that it's sleepy time, even if it's in the middle of the afternoon. Which can result in that caffeine crash sensation.

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3 Tips To Avoid That Dreaded Caffeine Crash, From An MD - mindbodygreen.com


Jun 29

18 Foods and Drinks That Are Surprisingly High in Sugar – EcoWatch

Over the past several years, the U.S. has made significant strides toward equality for people of all genders and sexualities, with landmarks such as the legalization of same-sex marriage by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2015 and the election of Danica Roem, Virginia's first openly transgender candidate, in 2017. And on June 15, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits employment discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.

Despite this progress, LGBTQ+ people continue to experience discrimination that negatively impacts their physical and mental wellbeing. Transgender and gender-nonconforming people in the U.S., particularly Black transgender women, remain at increased risk of fatal violence and sexual assault. Studies also show that LGBTQ+-identifying folksespecially people of colorface higher rates of food insecurity than their straight and cisgender counterparts. And while many LGBTQ+ adults in the U.S. have access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), some food banks and pantries have denied services to people due to their sexual orientation or gender identity.

In the face of this discrimination, LGBTQ+ community leaders around the globe continue to fight for lasting change. In honor of Pride Month, Food Tank is highlighting collectives, farms, and other organizations that are working to strengthen LGBTQ+ representation in the food system and give back to their communities.

1.Chaseholm Farm, Pine Plains, New York

Located in New York's Hudson Valley, Chaseholm Farm is a third-generation operation run by siblings Rory and Sarah Chase. While Rory oversees the creamery and cheesemaking operations, Sarah manages the farm and livestock. With her wife, nutrition therapist Jordan Schmidt, Sarah achieved Organic certification for the farm and moved to holistic management practices, including 100 percent grass feeding.

2.Cuir Kitchen Brigade, New York City

Launched after Hurricane Mara hit Puerto Rico in 2017, Cuir Kitchen Brigade is a collective that works in solidarity with people impacted by climate change, oppressed by governments, and marginalized due to sexuality and gender identity. Cuir Kitchen Brigade provides food relief on a mutual aid model, runs solidarity and ancestral learning trips to Latin America, and hosts workshops on canning and fermentation to help queer, transgender, Black people, Indigenous communities, and people of color be more resilient to climate disasters.

3.Cultivating Change Foundation, San Francisco

Through relationship-building events, partnerships, and discussions, Cultivating Change Foundation seeks to create a global network of LGBTQ+ agriculturists and their allies. Using advocacy and education, the foundation provides resources and materials to help LGBTQ+ farmers feel empowered and elevated within their communities and professional fields. In June, the Foundation typically holds a three-day global agriculture conference in Des Moines, Iowa, to bring together LGBTQ+ agricultural workers, diversity professionals, and other experts working toward a more equitable food system.

4.Diaspora Co., Oakland, California, and Mumbai, India

Owned and managed by self-identifying queer women of color, Diaspora Co. is an organic spice business working to decolonize commodity crops from India, while uplifting small farmers. Diaspora Co. reduces the spice supply chain to only involve itself, small farmers, and the consumer. Doing so allows small farmers to earn more money and maintain control over the crops they grow. The company also works with the Indian Council of Agricultural Research to identify additional ways they can support farmers working with Diaspora Co.

5.Fierte Agricol, Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec

Fierte Agricol is a nonprofit organization that works to unite LGBTQ+ people in agriculture. Through focus groups, the organization provides a safe space for individuals to discuss their experiences as LGBTQ+ farmers. The organization also works with stakeholders and other professionals to raise awareness on sexuality, gender identity diversity, and challenges that LGBTQ+ people in agriculture may face.

6.Finca Morada, North Miami, Florida

Finca Morada is a cooperative -acre permaculture farm in North Miami, Florida, that is organized around the concept of "wild culture." They define "wild culture" in opposition to consumer culture, and in favor of interdependence with nature and traditional, Indigenous land management. "At our heart-center is environmental, racial, LGBTQ, gender, social, & food justice, inspired by nature's magic, radical interdependence & wild diversity," they write. Finca Morada means "purple farm" in Spanish, and the farm uses purple as a way to honor the land's previous owner and as a symbol of diversity, the royalty of nature, and the fluidity of binaries between red and blue.

7.GayFarmer,Germany

GayFarmer is a professional association made up of over 500 individuals from the LGBTQ+ community who work in professions such as agriculture. The association is helping individuals in green sectors establish professional connections with corporations and other workers. GayFarmer also organizes specialized groups for people of specific LGBTQ+ identities to provide additional support for members. GayFarmer's website also promotes members' products to help them gain visibility in the marketplace.

8.Homestead Ranch, Oskaloosa, Kansas

Courtney Skeeba and her partner, Denise Whitesides, operate Homestead Ranch, a small family farm located in Oskaloosa, Kansas, that specializes in sustainable goat farming. The farm strives to reduce waste, nurture the land, and educate consumers on the source of their food. The farm sells goat milk-based shampoo, soap, and other body products online, at local farmers markets, and boutiques.

9.Hudson Valley Seed Company, Accord, New York

In 2004, Ken Greene was working as a librarian when he started the country's first seed library, as a way to support local food systems. A few years later, his seed library became the Hudson Valley Seed Company, which he launched with his partner, Doug Mueller. They focus on heirloom, local, and organic seeds, and were one of the first companies to sign the Open Source Seed Initiative. Every year, the Hudson Valley Seed Company also commissions contemporary artists to design storytelling-oriented "art packs" for their seed varieties.

10.Humble Hands Harvest, Decorah, Iowa

Humble Hands Harvest operates a small organic farm in Iowa using regenerative practices to grow organic vegetables. To support the LGBTQ+ farming community, the farm holds the Queer Farmer Convergence, an annual event uniting LGBTQ+ farmers to reduce the isolation felt by LGBTQ+ farmers and to combat racist and capitalist practices in agriculture. Additionally, the farm created the Queer Farmer Network to revolutionize the agriculture industry and rural community.

11.Interlocking Roots, United States

Interlocking Roots is a network of self-identifying queer and transgender Black and Indigenous people of color (QT*BIPoC) who work as chefs, educators, farmers, and food justice advocates. The network organizes gatherings and uses digital platforms, like Instagram, to create safe spaces for QT*BIPoC people to connect. Interlocking Roots is currently working on a podcast to share stories about QT*BIPoC folks who are using food and agriculture to decolonize the agri-food industry.

12.Lesbian Natural Resources, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Established in 1991, Lesbian Natural Resources (LNR) assists lesbians interested in maintaining community land and preserving rural ecosystems. LNR offers a variety of programs to combat food insecurity and racism and help members of their community access land. They also connect members to grants to help them sustain their work.

13.Mill Creek Farm, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Johanna Rosen and her partner, Jade Walker, run Mill Creek Farm. This educational farm and environmental center provides low-cost, chemical-free produce to local communities and people of color in need of assistance. Mill Creek Farm integrates sustainable practices, like crop rotation and companion planting. The farm also engages with the local community by hosting after-school gardening and cooking clubs, field trips, and internships and fellowships to help local youth.

14.Moxie Ridge, Fort Edward, New York

Moxie Ridge is a farm and creamery in northeast New York State that specializes in pork, fully free-range chicken and eggs, and a selection of fresh and ripened goat cheeses from goats milked by hand. Moxie Ridge is run by Lee Hennessy, who came out as transgender last year and is committed to respecting land by using traditional management practices. On the farm, he accomplishes brush clearing with the help of the goats, pastures are "mowed" by grazing horses and sheep, and pigs act as tillers and root removers.

15.The Okra Project, United States

The Okra Project is a collective addressing food insecurity within the Black transgender community. The collective delivers healthy and culturally appropriate meals prepared by Black transgender chefs to Black transgender people experiencing food insecurity. To lend support globally, the Okra Project developed the International Grocery Fund, which provides US$40 grants to Black transgender people around the world who are food insecure. The Okra Project also established the Byokra series, monthly wellness sessions for Black transgender people.

16.Queer Farmer Collective,Denver, Colorado

Queer Farmer Collective is a community organization working to engage the LGBTQ+ community in agriculture, while removing barriers that prevent LBGTQ+ people from participating. Using organized events, the organization hopes to inspire its network to grow their own food and uses donations to provide financial support to various farmers. Queer Farmer Collective also shares resources and advice for their farmers on its Facebook page.

17.Rainbow Chard Collective, Canada

The Rainbow Chard Collective is an organization made up of farmers, food activists, and students working to create awareness for LGBTQ+ farmers and promote sustainable agriculture. The Rainbow Chard Collective holds events and workshops, conducts research on sustainable living, and mentors youth individuals by leading workshops at camps. The Collective also advocates for increased government support for small farmers.

18.Rise and Root Farm, Chester, New York

Karen Washington, a Black farmer and community activist, wants to build a different agricultural narrative, inclusive of all races, genders, and sexualities. Her farm, Rise and Root Farm, is -owned by people in the LGBTQ+ community. Washington created Rise and Root Farm to be a place of healing for diverse and marginalized communities particularly important today, as black farmers work to call attention to not only their own contributions to the modern food system but also the impact of the slave trade on the development of global food chains.

19.Rock and Steady Farm and Flowers, Millerton, New York

The self-identifying queer- and women-owned cooperative Rock Steady Farm & Flowers uses sustainable agricultural practices and community partnerships to advocate for marginalized communities in the food system. The farm provides food to food pantries, social justice nonprofits, and local businesses, like florists and restaurants. The organization also partners with LGBTQ+ resource centers to increase healthy food access for and educate youth about agriculture.

20.Sweet Digz Farm, Richmond, British Columbia

Kareno Hawbolt and her partner, Kimi Hendess, founded and operate Sweet Digz Farm in Richmond, Canada, where they strive to implement sustainable farming methods to grow vegetables and herbs. Sweet Digz partners with other local farms to expand their market and operates a community supported agriculture (CSA) program. Sweet Digz also manages the SHAREit Forward Fund, an initiative which provides fresh produce to local neighbors in need.

21.TransGenerational Farm, New York City area

Founded and operated by Jayne Henson, a transgender woman, the TransGenerational Farm near New York City is using agriculture to connect the LGBTQ+ community and educate them on the agri-food industry. The farm employs regenerative practices, like reusable landscape fabric, and operates a CSA program. TransGenerational Farm is currently in the process of establishing a CSA scholarship program for individuals who want to join the CSA program, but are financially unable to do so.

22.Truelove Seeds, Philadelphia

Truelove Seeds is a Philadelphia-based seed company that partners with over 20 urban and small-scale rural farms to produce rare, open pollinated, and culturally important seeds. Several staff members and growers Truelove works with identify as members of the LGBTQ+ community. Truelove Seeds aims to support community food sovereignty, Indigenous cultures, and regenerative agriculture by including growers as integral decision-makers for seed-keeping.

23.Urban Oasis Project, Miami

The Urban Oasis Project works to increase access to local, fresh food in South Florida. The organization runs farmers markets, provides free Food Justice Veggie Boxes to families in need, plants gardens, and more. President Art Friedrich, who identifies as a queer man, told Food Tank that LGBTQ+ identity is important to his work; at times 40 percent of the stalls at their main farmers market are run by LGBTQ+ vendors, many of whom are also people of color.

24.Westside Urban Gardens, Los Angeles, CaliforniaNate Looney, a Black transgender farmer and veteran, is the founder and CEO of Westside Urban Gardens, an urban agricultural start-up farm located in Los Angeles, California. Westside Urban Gardens helps members of the LGBTQ+ community by hiring them and teaching viable skills for future employment. Through the use of hydroponic cultivation and aquaponics, the farm uses approximately 90 percent less water than soil-based outdoor farms.

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18 Foods and Drinks That Are Surprisingly High in Sugar - EcoWatch


Jun 26

My 600-Lb Life’s Brandon Is Making Music With His Fiance Taylor After Weight Loss Triumph – News Lagoon

Tori Roloff very likely meant no harm by her latest Instagram Stories post.

She almost definitely just wanted to share some new and cute photos of daughter Lilah.

In doing so, however, the beloved Little People, Big World star may have revealed a rivalry within her own family that appears to be more intense than ever before.

Allow us to explain

At this point, theres no disputing the fact that Jacob Roloff does not see eye-to-eye with Audrey Roloff.

The in-laws are vastly different in terms of their religious beliefs and how they view the world, which has recently prompted Jacob to call Audrey out for her inaction when it comes to the Black Lives Matter movement.

This feud isnt new, however.

We started writing about Jacob and Audrey not getting along back in 2017.

Tori, however, is as mild-mannered as they come.

She has never said a cross word about Audrey, and yet there have been hints here and there that these family members arent exactly best friends.

A somewhat recent case in point?

Audrey was the only relative NOT to congratulate Tori on social media after the latter welcomed her second child in November.

Its fine if Audrey and Tori dont totally get along, of course, but Toris latest Instagram post has seemingly exposed the depths of this non-relationship.

A few days ago, Tori posted a precious picture on her Instagram Stories of her daughter laying on the carpet next to a friends baby.

As you can see below, Lilah is rocking a matching rose-printed t-shirt and shorts set with a floral headband in the snapshot, which Tori has captioned as follows:

meeting another baby for the first time: a series.

Many followers took a look at these words, thought for a moment and realized:

Wait a minute! Lilah was born in November! And Audrey and Jeremy expanded their family six weeks later with the arrival of son Bode!

So if Lilah is only meeting a baby for the first time here, then that means she has never met her cousin, right?!?

Theres really no other conclusion too be drawn if what Tori wrote above is accurate.

To be fair, of course, COVID-19 hit in March and almost everyone in America has been under quarantine ever since.

But to also be fair, Bode was born two months before this outbreak, meaning there was plenty of time for the families to get together before this virus took over the world.

Earlier this month, Jacob unfollowed Audrey after years of disagreements over politics.

Tori has not taken the same step, nor would we expect her to do so.

We doubt theres any real bad blood between these women, they just arent especially tight.

Which is fine, of course. Its just notable.

And also a little bit sad.

Husbands Zach and Jeremy are twins and, in an ideal world, their wives would be besties and the cousins would also be good friends for life.

Alas, this isnt an ideal world.

The Roloffs are partly popular because they seem to all get along and theyve avoided any sort of real scandal over the years.

Is this alleged rivalry between Tori and Audrey a scandal? No, we wouldnt say so.

Its just worth keeping an eye on as things go forward.

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My 600-Lb Life's Brandon Is Making Music With His Fiance Taylor After Weight Loss Triumph - News Lagoon


Jun 25

Weight gain during the COVID-19 pandemic – KGUN

TUCSON, Ariz. The COVID-19 pandemic is continuing to affect our lives and according to a recent WebMD poll, nearly 50% of women and 22% of men in the U.S. say they've gained weight because of COVID-19 restrictions.

Deborah Wright with WW Arizona says a lack of activity and stress made the process more difficult for members. WW Arizona centers were shut down in March for COVID-19 protection, but teams quickly modified operations by enhancing communications via phone, zoom and social media.

We knew to give them resources like videos on YouTube. Some of the best trainers in the country offered free stuff during this time. There were videos that werent normally available. Some have come on because of the webinars, they say this is an opportunity for me to do it my way, Wright said.

Amy Musick has been on her weight loss journey since 2016. She says panic buying and empty shelves at stores made it hard to maintain her goals, but she made it work. Shes lost 70 pounds so far and has about 30 more to go. She says if she can do what it takes to lose the weight anyone can.

That was a tough thing I kind of determined this is what were dealing with so Im going to do my best to make it a game and try and put meals together. I thought, OK, this is available on the shelf Ill put it together with this and thats dinner. Weight gain is so personal whether its 5 pounds or 55 pounds or no matter what you have to lose it affects you at a core level, Musick said.

Since the start of the pandemic Weight Watchers Arizona transitioned into 185 webinars and virtual workshops per week to keep members on track and those workshops are here to stay.

One thing about virtual workshops that has given a little bit of anonymity to the member as far as their body size were seeing larger members participate because they have a better comfort level with that, Wright said.

Musick says while things seem out of control in todays world theres always a way to take control of your own health.

Here it is the world has completely fallen apart and like Deb said Im able to control something when the world is out of control. Im able to control what I put in my body how I move, Musick said.

Right now theres one WW Arizona center in Tucson and ten in Phoenix. As for the cost- the first three months are free, then members pay $52 per month.

Locations are slowly starting to reopen with strict CDC guidelines.

Were requiring face masks of course and limited access to the suite as far as members coming in, Wright said.

WW Arizona information: https://www.weightwatchersaz.com

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Weight gain during the COVID-19 pandemic - KGUN



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