There are many different types of fitness equipment out there that everyone jumps on the bandwagon to use because it is 'new and revolutionary'. Some of the new equipment is great; however, one of the least used yet most versatile exercise equipment to use is the tried and true medicine ball.
A lot of people think of Sylvester Stallone in the movie Rocky using a medicine ball for his workouts, but they aren't just for him. The uses for a medicine ball are nearly limitless while being able to use one for cardio, strength, and even balance conditioning. The balls can range from 1lb all the way up to 200lbs. The most used weights usually range from 6-20lbs depending on the exercise and the strength of the person.
The versatility of a medicine ball makes it very easy to get in a great full body workout without having to touch a single dumbbell. With that being said if you are looking for a 'total body trainer' just get a medicine ball and you are on your way. A few exercises that can be done using the medicine ball would be push-ups with one hand on the medicine ball and the other on the ground, squats while tossing the ball in the air to catch it, Russian twists for your core, and many many more. If you are interested in more exercises let us know and we will let you know more from the limitless selection.
People often ask me what the most important meal of the day is. Without hesitation, I answer with breakfast. This is a no brainer here. We must jump start our metabolism from a long night of sleep, and what better way to do that than with a nice healthy breakfast.
But I'm not here to talk about the importance of breakfast, rather, I am here to discuss the 2nd most important meal of the day, the post workout meal.
Why is the post workout meal so important you ask? After a workout, your body needs to repair your muscles from the stress you just put upon them. Following intense exercise, the body is in a catabolic state, meaning it’s breaking down muscle to fuel itself, trying to preserve its pre-workout state. It’s during this window of opportunity, which is only open for 30-60 minutes, that the body optimizes its ability to replenish lost energy stores, namely muscle and liver glycogen. During this “open window” of 30-60 minutes the body begins muscle protein synthesis for muscle tissue recovery and repair, replaces fluids lost through sweat, and adapts to the stress of the workout.
The amount and quality of the post-workout meal will play a direct role in the how well your recovery takes place. The harder and longer you’re active, the more important it is to refuel the body for the next workout. In order to get the most out of your post-activity meal, it should be made up of carbohydrates and proteins.
Getting enough carbs post-workout is crucial to restoring the glycogen levels within the muscles. Glycogen within the muscle and liver is one of the fuel sources used during exercise.
The best option for a quick absorbing carbohydrate would be dextrose. Simply add dextrose to your post-workout protein shake and there you have it. If dextrose is not an option, ingesting good quality carbohydrates such as bread, fresh fruit, cereal, and chocolate milk provide enough quality carbohydrates to begin refueling the muscles with lost glycogen.
The next macro-nutrient, protein, is an important part of the post-activity meal. Protein consumed within the “open window” of recovery should be about 20-30 grams. Protein is important because it provides amino acids, which are the building block for muscle, and ensures a positive protein balance, which means the protein synthesis exceeds protein breakdown. Because protein is broken down during activity, failure to consume protein can lead to muscle loss.
The best option for PWO protein would be whey protein. You can buy this in powder form and like mentioned above, mix with your dextrose to complete your shake. Liquid is absorbed much faster than whole food, which is why it is highly recommended for PWO. If protein powder isn't an option, opt for eggs, meat, chicken, or fish mixed with a carbohydrate source mentioned above.
There you have it. Protein shake mixture is option #1, and if not available, go with the whole food option. If both are options, opt for the shake, then eat the whole food combo an hour later. Your body is now set to replenish and rebuild from the workout!
There are many things that you will hear people say when it comes to weight loss. Some are going to be true, but also you will hear many that will be myths as well. Now how do you know whether they are true or not? Some people learn from experience, but also many people know through knowledge. Below are seven ideas that people believe to be true when it comes to weight loss, but unfortunately they are myths:
1. “Eating late night will cause you to gain weight.”
It really does not matter when you eat, just as long as you keep within your calorie limit. Any extra calories that you intake your body will store as fat, so if you are within your calorie limit, go ahead and enjoy a healthy midnight snack.
2. “If you cut down your calories drastically, you will lose weight faster.”
When you cut down your calories drastically all at once, you will make your body turn into “starvation mode.” So the calories that you do consume, your body will be forced to hold onto in order to maintain your weight.
3. “If you skip meals, you will lose weight.”
Much like the statement above, if you skip meals your metabolism will actually slow down, which in turn will prevent you from burning the calories throughout the day. That is why breakfast is the most important meal of the day, it helps kick start your metabolism.
4. “You should eat healthy 100% of the time.”
First and foremost, it is very difficult to eat healthy all the time. Even the most fit and athletic people like to indulge in their favorite non-healthy foods from time to time. As long as you keep it to an 80%/20% ratio in healthy foods to non-healthy foods, you will be fine. Having the OCCASSIONAL cheat meal will help you keep your sanity and help you keep yourself motivated towards your fitness goals.
5. "Spot reduction is possible.”
Whenever you turn on the TV, you hear commercials preaching that if you take this magic pill, you will lose five pounds of belly fat, or use this ab machine only, you will get rock hard abs in a short amount of time. When you lose weight, you lose it evenly over the body, not just in one spot.
6. “Since you workout, you can eat whatever you want to.”
Just because you go to the gym and burn 500 calories, does not mean you can go to McDonald’s afterwards and eat three chicken sandwiches and think you are going to lose weight. Those three sandwiches will account for roughly 1000 calories. So that workout you just had did you no good. You will need to stick to an evenly healthy diet.
7. “All carbohydrates are bad.”
First off, carbs are your fuel source when you exercise. So completely cutting them out of your diet, you will just feel exhausted and not be as motivated. That being said, there are also good carbs and bad carbs. Good carbs you get naturally, like from brown rice, whole grain foods, nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables. Bad carbs come from refined and processed foods that are usually high in sugar and white flour (candy, baked goods, white pastas and sodas, just to name a few.)
So make sure you do not always believe in what you hear other people say when it comes to weight loss. There will always be facts and myths when it comes to this, just make sure you know the difference between the two.
I'm sure that you have all heard Winston Churchill's quote or something along the lines of it, "Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference." This is a very profound statement as it is so true. I'm also sure that you can all relate that when you embrace a positive attitude everything in life just seems so much better. Then when you feel down and out about things you will only hear others telling you to be positive and happy. So why not be positive more often? In relevance to the world now, specifically football, Tim Tebow is a great example of positive thinking. His positive nature is brought forth from his strong faith in God but anyone can carry the same positive attitude with them throughout the whole day. His positive and encouraging demeanor for himself has transferred over to his teammates making his whole team better. Some people like to call it the "Tebow Factor", but when it comes down to it it is the power of positive thinking that allows him and the team to continue to win.
In terms of positive thinking toward exercise if you go into a workout with a ho-hum attitude most likely you are not going to reap the great benefits of the workout. Whereas if you go into a workout all energetic with a positive attitude you will have a great workout and feel pumped up and experience greater success throughout time. Everyone can most likely relate to the fact that when you are positive going into the workout you will flat out work out with more intensity. I know that it is tough to go into every workout feeling great but if you go into the workout with a positive attitude it will help you break though the low energy levels; mind over matter!
A story that I was told many years ago that demonstrated the power of positive thinking involved a train worker that was accidently locked into a refrigerated train car. After several hours of banging on the door to have someone let him out he began to worry that he would not be let out and freeze to death. He found some paper and a pen and started to write a journal stating how he was getting colder and colder and was going to freeze to death because of the refrigerated train car. In his last entry he said that he could no longer take the pain of the bitter cold and was really going to die. A day later he was found in the train car passed away while laying in the corner all cuddled up The workers who found him found the journal entries baffling as the refrigerated train car hadn't actually worked for several months. This man's mind actually took over his whole body as he talked himself into thinking that the refrigeration unit was actually on. Some sources have stated that this is a true story. Whether this is a true story or a fable of his actual death it sums up that power of the mind.
So next time that you go into a workout go in with a positive mindset and your intensity levels will peak from the power of positiveness!
With the holiday season around the corner, I'm sure plenty of you are going crazy with what to get for your loved ones. Well, I am going to offer a few suggestions for the health and fitness buff in your household. Here are a few options that everyone can enjoy:
For the runner – How about a new treadmill? There are many options when it comes to treadmills. I would suggest a quality brand when it comes to treadmills. And, if you are going to be logging plenty of miles on it, I would opt for a commercial quality style as well. The extra cost upfront will payoff in the end with the extra quality components. Also, go with a warranty. You never know when you may need service and how much it may cost. Play it safe.
For the muscle builder – I really like the Bowflex SelectTech 552 Adjustable Dumbbells. The nice thing about these dumbbells is you can adjust the weight from 5 – 52.5lbs with the twist of a dial. You won't need to spend a lot on a complete set of dumbbells if you go with this option. And with a trusted name in Bowflex, you are know you are getting a quality product.
For the family – How about a Nintendo Wii? Yes, I am serious. Have you seen how innovative this system has become with fitness in mind? You are up off your butt and using the controllers and your body to play these games. They offer fitness games, Yoga, Pilates, and all sorts of sports games for the youngsters. For an active family, this would be a great buy especially on rainy days.
You need music right? How about grabbing the newest mp3 player on the market? I personally feel music can make or break a workout. You can set up your play-list to your liking and kick the workout in the butt. And with all the options for downloading songs, your options are endless.
GPS – Yes, GPS for running. The new Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS Receiver is a watch you simply wear while running. It will track your precise speed, distance, and record pace data. You can also analyze the info with Motion-based, which provides online mapping and route sharing.
These are my top 5 suggestions for holiday fitness gifts. I hope this helps with your fitness minded family and friends.
We all know that cardio is an important factor in our workout routine. It helps keep the heart rate up, metabolism rocking high and makes for a great feeling afterwards (even though we mostly curse at it before and during it). What many people do not know, is that there are different ways to get your cardio in other than getting onto the treadmill, elliptical, stair master, etc. and just run, step, or pedal for what seems like forever. One of the most effective ways to burn calories faster, keep the heart rate up, and to challenge the body is do what is called interval training.
I know from personal experience that sometimes running on the treadmill for 30 minutes feels like it takes forever, and seems like it takes up too much of your day. An alternative to running for long periods of time is to do intervals. This will save time, make cardio more enjoyable, and helps challenge the body to new heights. Now what do intervals consist of you ask, I will break it down for you. Intervals are simply doing the cardio part for a certain amount of time, rest, and repeat.
Speed of the cardio should consist of a fast jog or a sprint, depending on your ability level. Resting part of intervals can be anywhere from a walk, jog, or simply jumping onto the sides of the treadmill for a certain amount of time. You simply repeat that process for as many times as desired. Best part about intervals, is that it literally cuts the amount of time one does the cardio in half, while still burning the same amount of calories, and is still challenging at the same time.
I know it does sound confusing, but below I have broken it down into ability levels, different interval routines, and the differences between running on a treadmill compared to intervals. Now there is a progression on intervals, so make sure not to overdo it. These can be both fun and a change of pace of what you may be used to. I say try it out, and let me know if you have any questions about them.
Intervals: Level 1 – Run 10 seconds, rest 20 seconds, repeat 20 times (10 minutes). Level 2 - Run 15 seconds, rest 15 seconds, repeat 20 times (10 minutes). Level 3 – Run 20 seconds, rest 10 seconds, repeat 20 times (10 minutes).
Now you can adjust the amount of times you repeat it or the length of time you run, but starting off with 10 minutes is a good start.
Calorie breakdown between running and intervals for a 165 lb male:
Running at 6.0 miles per hour at 30 minutes at an incline of 0 = 450 calories.
Interval running at 7.5 mph for 15 seconds, jog 4.5 mph for 15 seconds, repeat for 20 minutes at an incline of 0 = 450 calories.
Breakdown: Same amount of calories burned in less time while performing intervals. Nice little change to your usual cardio routine.
With football season now in full force home parties are being held to cheer on their team with friends and family members. While these parties are a good time they are also usually a huge hindrance to continuing on with healthy eating. So the next time that you are throwing a party or going over to someone else's place to watch the big game try making some of the following appetizers to help keep you on the healthy eating trail. Some of the easiest things to fix up for everyone to have would be some sweet potato fries, ants on a log, or
shrimp with cocktail sauce. In addition to those simple appetizer fixings another healthy option would be to make a vegetable pizza.
Sweet Potato Fries
In order to make the sweet potato fries just cut up a sweet potato into fry strips and place it on a baking sheet with approximately 1 TBSP of extra virgin olive oil. Place into an oven preheated to 450 degrees and bake for 20 minutes or until the fries are crisp.
Ants on a Log
Ants on a Log are simply raisins, peanut butter, and celery. Spread some natural peanut butter on a stick of celery and place some raisins on top of the peanut butter to give it the look of ants on a log.
Vegetable Pizza
The vegetable pizza will take a bit longer preparation time but it will be well worth it in order to stay on track with healthy eating and please all of the other game watchers. Ingredients consist of 2 8oz cans of whole wheat crescent rolls, 8oz of fat free cream cheese, 1 tsp of dried dill weed, 1/8 tsp garlic powder 1/2 cup of small broccoli florets, 1/2 cup of cauliflower florets, 1/4 cup of sliced cucumbers, and 1 chopped Roma tomato. You can add any other of your favorite vegetables to this as well. Preheat an oven to 375 degrees and open both cans of dough. Separate the dough into 4 long rectangles and place dough into an ungreased 15x10x1-inch pan forming a crust. Bake for 13 to 17 minutes or until golden brown and then let it completely cool. In a small bowl, mix the cream cheese, sour cream, dill and garlic powder until smooth and spread it over the crust. Top it all with the vegetables and then place in the fridge to continue to cool.
So now that you have a few healthier options to prepare for the next house party you don't have to worry about falling off track with your nutrition.
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