#8 Kristin Rowell – Keto Marathoner and Bodybuilder

Kristin Lowell is incredibly inspirational.

This beautiful attorney from Minnesota is a marathon runner in the fall and a bodybuilder in the spring. Going keto has helped her excel in both her sports.

Listen as she explains the differences in her performance prior to going keto and after. And oh boy, what a difference it is.

Her favorite recipe is…

“Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups”

FOR THE CHOCOLATE:

• 1 cup dark chocolate, chopped
• ¼ cup coconut oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

FOR THE PEANUT BUTTER:

• ½ cup all-natural peanut butter (or you can use almond butter or walnut butter)
• ¼ cup honey (I half this to reduce the carbs)
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil

DIRECTIONS

• Line a muffin tin with liners.
• In a bowl, add the dark chocolate and ¼ cup coconut oil
• Microwave for 30 second intervals until melted, stirring each time.
• Stir in vanilla extract.
• Pour half of the chocolate mixture into the liners (just enough to cover the whole bottom).  Save the other half.
• Freeze for 15 minutes.
• In a bowl, add the peanut butter, honey and 2 T coconut oil.
• Microwave 15 seconds or until slightly melted and pourable.
• Pour mixture evenly into muffin tins.
• Freeze for 5 minutes.
• Pour remaining chocolate mixture on top of the PB layer.
• Freeze until firm about 1 hour.
• Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.

SHOW NOTES:

• I live in Minneapolis, Minnesota but I grew up in Minnesota
• I am a lawyer by day but have been a fitness enthusiast my whole life
• I do spend a lot of time focusing on my diet, and exercise

• I started my Keto journey kind of by accident, I was sort of doing low carb but I didn’t really understand what Keto meant
• I’ve always been a big runner. I have ran a number of marathons and ended up breaking my leg when I was running in the winter, in the cold and ice
• So, I needed to figure out what I could do with my diet because I wasn’t going to be burning the amount of calories I was when I could run and lift
• So I started this low carb thing and really got into it by just reducing my carbohydrates. And then I was surprised by how good my gut health felt because it was something I struggled with before
• I have ran 22 marathons and in the marathon community, everything is about carb loading and I was doing that for years because that’s what I thought I was supposed to do
• But as I was practicing my running more, I was still dealing with all this gut issues. And I would have to stop during the race and go to the bathroom
• Compared to the last marathon I did, I was totally fasted and I didn’t have to stop and go to the bathroom and I felt like I had so much more energy, it was my best marathon
• So since I accidentally started keto in 2014, it has been a progressive journey for me

• After the accident, I started doing some research
• I had been lifting hard for years, I started when I was 14, and I have really strong bones but I thought it was possible that I have osteoporosis that I didn’t know about
• So, I got my bone density tested and really starting to research about supplementation and diet, and how it impacts you as you get older
• A week and a half after surgery, I went back to gym and lifted, I would just focus on my left leg, abs, back and upper body
• I knew if I continue to lift for my left leg, my right leg muscles wouldn’t atrophy so bad
• They said that I won’t be able to walk on it for 3 months, but I did after just 2 months
• Then they told me that I couldn’t get the metal on my leg for a year, but in December of 2014, I went under the knife again and had it removed and then ran a marathon 10 months later
• When I went to law school after college, I was doing cardio and lifting weights a majority of the week
• But when I started practicing law I told myself that I didn’t have time to spend so much time exercising like that
• A friend of mine, who I ran with, said there’s a cool gym that opened and I have been working out there since November of 2007
• I lift twice a week, whole body workouts for only 30 minutes. The workouts are based on the science that to get a certain muscle stronger you need to get that muscle to muscle failure.
• I am going to do my first body building competition totally Keto in the spring
• Traditional body building is really high protein and moderate to low fat intake. The high protein works really well for me, because I lift so many weights but I intentionally raise my fat calories because I know I need them. I am staying Keto lean because of the way it makes me feel. I feel more energetic at work, I can focus better, I can run better, I can lift better
• I committed to it and stayed with it because anytime I’ve slipped and gone back to carbohydrates ritual, I just don’t feel good
• I have my macro nutrients set at 5% carbs, 70% fat and 15% protein for my goal
• On an average day I have about 140 grams of fat and about 115 to 120 grams of protein
• I’m 5’5” and I weigh about 130 lbs
• I have gained 7 pounds of muscles, lost 5% body fat and my weight did not move

TYPICAL MEALS FOR YOU

• I always try to do intermittent fasting as long as I can in the mornings
• I do my coffee with 1 tbsp of MCT oil
• Most days, I can go until lunch, I do my workout in the morning so I like to have that fasted time
• I often have steak or any sort of red meat and green vegetables. I put butter on my steak typically.
• Sometimes in the afternoon, I’ll have a protein shake
• When I go out for dinner I like to have sashimi, typically salmon or tuna and avocado
• At work, I’ll have half a pack of salami for my snack
• I reach for meats rather than dairy
• I take probiotics every morning
• One of the things that I am working right now is on chewing, it’s the first step in our digestive process
• I am always rushing and I chew 2 or 3 times on the food so I can get on the next thing

HOW MUCH CARDIO DO YOU DO?

• I do a fair amount of cardio
• I am working out in some capacity about 5 or 6 times a week
• Saturdays are my longer days because I like to have more time to do it, so I’ll spend a couple hours at the gym
• Most of the time, I’ll do an hour of cardio 4 to 5 days a week and lift twice a week
• I do 1 full day of rest or sometimes 2
• If you feel fatigued or if you feel your body is not recovering, then you really need to give yourself that second day of rest

ADVICE

• Just dive in first and really try it
• I think it’s scary to start something new. But if you decide that you want to try Ketogenic diet, I would say dive in first
• Track what you are eating but don’t let yourself get stressed out by it
• I listen to a lot of podcasts – ketovangelist, ketosavage
• Make goals and I promise you, you’re going to feel better once you reach them
• I do consume a lot of electrolytes. I knew I was low in electrolytes because every time I would sip on water, I had to pee and I thought my body is not retaining any of it
• You want to make sure that you’re getting enough electrolytes and put salt on your food

FAVORITE BOOK

• Carry On, Warrior: Thoughts in Life Unarmed by Glennon Melton

FAVORITE HOBBIES

• Even though I am on Keto, I still consider myself as a foodie.I love going to restaurants and trying new things
• I travel a lot
• I have a golden retriever. I am a dog person
• I volunteer for children’s hospital

FAVORITE QUOTE

• “Summer bodies are made in the winter”
• “How people treat other people is a direct reflection of how they feel about themselves”

FAVORITE WORKOUT SONG

• Birthday cake by Rihanna
• Champions by Kanye West

FAVORITE KETO RECIPE

• Homemade peanut butter cup
• With coconut oil, dark chocolates and almond butter
• I bake the first layer with just the chocolate and coconut oil
  Put it on the muffin tins
  Freeze it
• Once it is cool and firm, take half of the almond butter with a little bit of stevia, put that on the second layer
  Freeze that
• And then you put a chocolate on top

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