The keto diet has gained popularity in recent years as a way to lose weight and improve health. As with any diet, it can be challenging to stick with long term and many people find it difficult to achieve their goals because of the restrictive nature of the keto diet. If you are considering trying this diet or are already doing so, it may be helpful to know what changes you can make to maximize your chances of success with the keto diet and how to maintain it in the long term.

Why Ketogenic Diets Work?

Ketogenic diets work by inducing a state of ketosis, which is a metabolic process that occurs when your body isn’t getting enough carbohydrates from food. When your body enters ketosis, it burns fat for energy instead of carbohydrates. In fact, studies show that those who adhere to ketogenic diets lose about four times more weight than those who follow low-fat diets.

What Are Macros, and Why They Matter?

Macros, short for macronutrients, are nutrients that your body needs to function properly. For example, carbohydrates are a macronutrient, because our bodies need them to provide energy. There are three main types of macro: carbohydrates, proteins and fats.

Setting Up Your Keto Diet

The keto diet is a very low-carb, moderate protein, and high-fat diet that causes your body to burn fat rather than carbs as its primary energy source. The aim of the keto diet is to force your body into ketosis, a state where you are able to burn fat for energy efficiently. Ketosis has been shown in studies to cause weight loss around two times more than other diets.

Staying on Track While Losing Weight

One of the most common mistakes people make while trying to lose weight is not sticking to their diet or exercise routine. This is one of the reasons why many people have difficulty losing weight. In order to avoid making this mistake, it is important that you set specific goals for yourself and create a plan for following them.

Common Misconceptions of Keto Diets

Keto diets have been gaining a lot of attention in recent years because they have been proven to be more effective in weight loss than other types of diets. However, there are still some misconceptions about keto diets that need to be addressed.

They are too hard to follow: This is definitely one of the most common misconceptions about keto diets, but this couldn’t be any further from the truth.
What Supplements Should I Take When Starting A Ketogenic Diet

The ketogenic diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet that forces your body to burn fats rather than carbohydrates for energy. This process produces ketones, which are substances that help in the production of energy. This can lead to many weight loss benefits such as better blood sugar control, reduced hunger and increased levels of energy. To make sure you are getting all of these benefits it is important to take supplements.

Macros, short for macronutrients, are nutrients that your body needs to function properly. For example, carbohydrates are a macronutrient, because our bodies need them to provide energy. There are three main types of macro: carbohydrates, proteins and fats.

Summary
SPDN is not the largest or oldest way to short the S&P 500, but it’s a solid choice.
This ETF uses a variety of financial instruments to target a return opposite that of the S&P 500 Index.
SPDN’s 0.49% Expense Ratio is nearly half that of the larger, longer-tenured -1x Inverse S&P 500 ETF.
Details aside, the potential continuation of the equity bear market makes single-inverse ETFs an investment segment investor should be familiar with.
We rate SPDN a Strong Buy because we believe the risks of a continued bear market greatly outweigh the possibility of a quick return to a bull market.
Put a gear stick into R position, (Reverse).
Birdlkportfolio

By Rob Isbitts

Summary
The S&P 500 is in a bear market, and we don’t see a quick-fix. Many investors assume the only way to navigate a potentially long-term bear market is to hide in cash, day-trade or “just hang in there” while the bear takes their retirement nest egg.

The Direxion Daily S&P 500® Bear 1X ETF (NYSEARCA:SPDN) is one of a class of single-inverse ETFs that allow investors to profit from down moves in the stock market.

SPDN is an unleveraged, liquid, low-cost way to either try to hedge an equity portfolio, profit from a decline in the S&P 500, or both. We rate it a Strong Buy, given our concern about the intermediate-term outlook for the global equity market.

Strategy
SPDN keeps it simple. If the S&P 500 goes up by X%, it should go down by X%. The opposite is also expected.

Proprietary ETF Grades
Offense/Defense: Defense

Segment: Inverse Equity

Sub-Segment: Inverse S&P 500

Correlation (vs. S&P 500): Very High (inverse)

Expected Volatility (vs. S&P 500): Similar (but opposite)

Holding Analysis
SPDN does not rely on shorting individual stocks in the S&P 500. Instead, the managers typically use a combination of futures, swaps and other derivative instruments to create a portfolio that consistently aims to deliver the opposite of what the S&P 500 does.

Strengths
SPDN is a fairly “no-frills” way to do what many investors probably wished they could do during the first 9 months of 2022 and in past bear markets: find something that goes up when the “market” goes down. After all, bonds are not the answer they used to be, commodities like gold have, shall we say, lost their luster. And moving to cash creates the issue of making two correct timing decisions, when to get in and when to get out. SPDN and its single-inverse ETF brethren offer a liquid tool to use in a variety of ways, depending on what a particular investor wants to achieve.

Weaknesses
The weakness of any inverse ETF is that it does the opposite of what the market does, when the market goes up. So, even in bear markets when the broader market trend is down, sharp bear market rallies (or any rallies for that matter) in the S&P 500 will cause SPDN to drop as much as the market goes up.

Opportunities
While inverse ETFs have a reputation in some circles as nothing more than day-trading vehicles, our own experience with them is, pardon the pun, exactly the opposite! We encourage investors to try to better-understand single inverse ETFs like SPDN. While traders tend to gravitate to leveraged inverse ETFs (which actually are day-trading tools), we believe that in an extended bear market, SPDN and its ilk could be a game-saver for many portfolios.

Threats
SPDN and most other single inverse ETFs are vulnerable to a sustained rise in the price of the index it aims to deliver the inverse of. But that threat of loss in a rising market means that when an investor considers SPDN, they should also have a game plan for how and when they will deploy this unique portfolio weapon.

Proprietary Technical Ratings
Short-Term Rating (next 3 months): Strong Buy

Long-Term Rating (next 12 months): Buy

Conclusions
ETF Quality Opinion
SPDN does what it aims to do, and has done so for over 6 years now. For a while, it was largely-ignored, given the existence of a similar ETF that has been around much longer. But the more tenured SPDN has become, the more attractive it looks as an alternative.

ETF Investment Opinion

SPDN is rated Strong Buy because the S&P 500 continues to look as vulnerable to further decline. And, while the market bottomed in mid-June, rallied, then waffled since that time, our proprietary macro market indicators all point to much greater risk of a major decline from this level than a fast return to bull market glory. Thus, SPDN is at best a way to exploit and attack the bear, and at worst a hedge on an otherwise equity-laden portfolio.

Healthy skin is probably the most important aspect of natural beauty-enhancement. Below you will find the top 10 best skin care tips. Though there are certainly more than 10 important tips to getting the most beautiful skin possible, this skin care tips list is limited to the top 10 that cover the critical points of skin care. Here they are:1. Know Your Skin Type. Determining your skin type is the first thing that must be done because it will determine the products you choose and the daily regimen that you will follow. There is no one product that will suit every skin type. Your type will be classified as dry, oily, or combination. Look for products that specifically deal with your particular type.2. Drink Plenty of Water. This cannot be stressed enough. Drinking lots of water will keep your skin moist and will aid in your overall health. Your skin is the biggest organ of your body and it requires a lot of water in order to be at its best. This is one of the most important tips for overall best skin care.3. Cleanse the skin twice a day. Every day we are exposed to dust, free radicals and outside pollutants that can damage our skin. Even though our skin doesn’t look “dirty”, we must be sure to cleanse regularly and twice a day is the recommended amount. When bathing or cleansing your face, use lukewarm water instead of very hot or very cold water because both of those may damage the skin as well.4. Treat your skin gently. Scrubbing the skin or exfoliating too often is not good for your skin. Never rub, but gently massage the cleanser into your face using upward circular motions. As you age, the skin loses its elasticity and rubbing it or pulling it can actually cause the skin to sag.5. Use a moisturizer. Dry skin looks bad because it’s not getting the proper nutrients that it needs. The dryness will actually cause your outer layer of skin to crack which results in an unattractive look. Choose a moisturizer that is right for your skin type and apply it over damp skin. Also ensure it’s a good quality product that contains the necessary nutrients for best skin care.6. NEVER use body soap on the face. This type of soap is meant for use below the neck. Only use cleansers that are made for the face because they are much more gentle on your skin.7. Use Sunscreen. This point cannot be stressed enough. Using sunscreen will protect your skin against the harmful UV radiation from the sun. You may think that if it’s cloudy that you don’t need sunscreen, but that’s not true. Skin cancer can be caused by exposure to UV rays so don’t forget this very important skin care tip.8. Exercise and get plenty of sleep. Both are essential for great skin and overall health. Lack of sleep and lack of exercise are both causes of sagging skin and wrinkles. Both exercise and sleep will help you to overcome any stress in your life which makes you look and feel better.9. Don’t ignore skin conditions. Be sure to pay attention to your skin and if you notice any abnormalities, consult your dermatologist immediately. It’s best to find out what the condition is before you start self-diagnosing and treating it yourself, which could lead to more problems.10. Try to beat stress. Though we all have stress in our lives, there are ways to lessen it. Understand that stress is harmful in so many ways to your health and to your appearance. It will harm the skin as well so be mindful of this and try to do things to help lessen the stress in your life.