In today’s high-speed world, keeping a sound mind has become more fundamental than at any other time in recent memory. Mindfulness means being totally in the now of what you are feeling, thinking, and behaving in your current environment without criticism. Introducing mindfulness into your daily life can help reduce stress and focus and enable you to enjoy a better quality of life.
Here are some great ways in which you can incorporate mindfulness into your daily routine.
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Tags: health, mental health, mindfulness, mindset, serenity, Yoga
Posted October 27, 2024 in
Food,
Recipes 16 Comments »
This is a recipe for Zombie Brain Pate, a creamy seafood pate, or dip, which you can put on crackers, vegetables, or bread wedges. You will need to get a brain mold, or some other kind of mold, to use to shape your pate. Makes a nice shrimp or crab-flavored dip, which can be spooky as long as you use a spooky mold.
I found the brain mold linked below for sale on Amazon. You can pick one up and do some additional Christmas shopping for the kids while you are at it.
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Tags: brains, food, halloween, healthy food, recipe, Recipes
Posted October 25, 2024 in
Recipes No Comments »
Halloween is here and we are going to need some healthy recipes to go with the fall season. From September through the New Year, this is a go-to recipe for friends and family gatherings. As always at Project Swole we prefer to focus on recipes that can help us either gain muscle or lose fat. This high protein, high fiber black bean recipe will go a long way in satisfying your craving for chips and dip.
Black bean dip is quick and easy and tastes great with yellow or blue corn tortilla chips. Look for baked versions of your favorite tortilla chips to save additional fat.
Now let’s take a look at why black beans are so good for you, and how you can make a delectable batch of black bean dip for Halloween, game day, or an after-dinner snack.
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Tags: black beans, halloween, healthy food, recipe, Recipes
Posted October 25, 2024 in
Food,
Recipes 4 Comments »
Halloween Recipes – How to Bake Pumpkin Seeds
We recently talked about the sweet Omega 3 and antioxidant benefits of pumpkin seeds. Since autumn is upon us and Halloween fast approaches, you are going to want to cook pumpkin seeds, so I thought it appropriate to discuss some Pumpkin Seed Recipes.
Every time you carve a jack-o-lantern you end up with a Halloween decoration and a bowl full of stringy, slimy, pumpkin guts that don’t look the least bit appetizing. To make them appetizing, follow these instructions, and you’ll end up with a healthy Halloween snack that everyone can enjoy.
Once considered to be trashcan fodder, we now know you can roast them, toast them, or nuke them; and you can season pumpkin seeds with a wide variety of flavors. Check it out!
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Tags: Diet, food, halloween, nutrition, omega 3, pumpkin seeds, pumpkins, recipe, Recipes, snack
Posted October 22, 2024 in
Recipes 5 Comments »
High Protein Kitty Litter Cake Recipe for Halloween
This is one of the more disgusting Halloween recipes I’ve found. It is also not the healthiest recipe on Project Swole, but it is definitely fun for the kids. Just don’t let Fluffy near the final product or you might end up with more ‘Tootsie Rolls’ than you thought.
In an attempt to get as much protein into this recipe as possible, I am literally adding scoops of protein powder to everything and substituting protein bars for candy whenever possible. The recipe might not come out that great if you use every one of my substitutions, but you can pick and choose which substitutions to use based on personal preference.
I’ve also listed several substitutions for the cake recipes. If you use them all, the cake might not be that great, but using applesauce in place of oil never seems to ruin any recipe that I have ever tried.
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Tags: Diet, halloween, health, healthy food, high-protein, nutrition, protein, recipe, Recipes, whey protein
So I was out on the Interwebz looking around at strength training and fitness videos, and your typical YouTube martial arts fights, and I got to thinking about how annoying the ads are and how much the video quality sucks. There are some cool channels like Muscle Madness and Strength Wars but ultimately most of the videos on the web are slow to load and often the quality makes them hard to sit through. Worst of all is when videos are taken down, leaving dead links and video embeds scattered around the web.
So where can we go to find a reliable, secure, white-labeled fitness videos hosting service? The journey begins…
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Tags: exercise, fitness, fitness videos, how to, Motivation, uscreen, video, videos
Here’s a throw back to the past. This post about lifting strategy is the second post ever written on Project Swole. The point of it is I was getting back into training seriously after some time off, and I was going to use this site as a training journal. After a short time I realized the site would be better used as a repository for the knowledge and experience I’d gained as a personal trainer, and through 14 years of research and training experience as I’d started my fitness journey around 1993.
This isn’t much more than an outline of my personal thoughts and strategies towards gearing up for a workout, training, and then post workout recovery. If this post has inspired or helped even one beginner athlete, then I can consider my goal accomplished.
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Interval Training is simply one of the most efficient forms of cardio you can perform, if not the most efficient. You can get pretty much ALL the benefits of longer-duration cardio but without the long duration. Moreover, you don’t get bored, you don’t spend all your time doing it, and you don’t have nearly the risk of overuse injuries.
Let’s take a look at how we can choose from the most efficient forms of cardio to elevate conditioning while working towards strength goals.
This is an excerpt from Nick Nilsson’s book Muscle Explosion: 28 Days to Maximum Mass
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Tags: cardio, cardiovascular, Conditioning, hiit, interval training, intervals
Posted October 9, 2024 in
Yoga No Comments »
Think you are too Swole to do yoga? Think again fool! If you are Swole, you NEED yoga for strength athletes!
Studies indicate that yoga combats common ailments of modern man such as depression, osteoarthritis, and stress. By fighting off these diseases, we have a better chance of recovering from intense workouts and illness.
Yoga’s benefits were realized by many Eastern civilizations hundreds and even thousands of years ago. The hardest part is knowing which style of yoga to choose, so here are 7 common forms of yoga for strength athletes. Choose the one that best fits your lifestyle, or try them all.
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Tags: bodybuilders, bodybuilding, Flexibility, health, strength, stretch, Yoga
Every serious lifter would love to have massive Popeye-level forearms. Forearm size adds to an already good physique, and forearm strength increases all of your pulling lifts and then some. The problem that most people have is that they aren’t sure how to attack their forearms – they lack the knowledge of the best forearm exercises for muscle growth. Either that or they are not as consistent as they need to be with their forearm training.
For strength, we need to train our forearms with heavy loads such as deadlifts, farmer carries, and heavy barbell shrugs. For size, we need to train with consistency and volume, leveraging the occasional isolation exercises like hammer curls and wrist curls.
Forearms should be trained just as often as any other muscle. It shouldn’t just be something you work on every couple of months whenever you are bored. Take your forearm training seriously, and you will be on the right path to adding some size and strength to them.
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Tags: bicep training, biceps, exercise technique, forearm training, forearms, Weight Training, weightlifting
Bodybuilding is a great way to sculpt and tone muscles, but the strain that it places on the body is sometimes too much to bear. Injuries are not uncommon among bodybuilders, and lower back pain is one of the most common problems experienced by lifters everywhere.
If you’re experiencing lower back pain, you don’t have to stop your workout routine. However, you should remember these tips that will help you manage your back pain and heal quickly. Warming up, stretching properly, and maintaining strict form will go a long way, but try these tips when all else fails.
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Tags: back pain, bodybuilding, form, health, healthy, injuries, injury, pain
Here is our conclusion to the best abdominal exercises series. If you haven’t already, you can read the Top 10 Best Abs Exercises Part 1. Then don’t forget to hit the Top 10 Best Abs Exercises Part 2.
Here is our list of the second 5 of our favorite 10 ab exercises that you can use to get 6-pack abs. Perform these exercises on a regular basis, mix them up, use different speeds, tempos, angles, and positions to get a full workout. Always try to mix it up from workout to workout.
That is quite enough out of me for now. Go ahead and read about the 5 exercises and then figure out how to work them into your routine.
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Tags: 6 pack, ab exercises, abdominal exercises, abdominals, abs, best abdominal exercises, best abs exercises, ripped abs, six pack abs
Box jumps are a great exercise for your legs, and can be performed on just about any variable flat surface. They hit your posterior chain – calves, quads, glutes, and hamstrings – pretty hard.
Box jumps can be used for cardio workouts, neural activation training (NAT), high-intensity resistance training (HIRT), and high-intensity interval training (HIIT) circuits. They are often used in CrossFit WODs (Workout of the Day) and are a staple exercise in plyometric training. Plyometrics have a wide range of athletic and real sporting applications; they are used, for example, to increase jumping ability, leg strength, hip drive, and explosiveness.
Box jumps are a simple movement. They require you only to jump from one flat surface up onto another flat surface, then either step or jump back down, depending on the purpose of the exercise. These are our tips for performing them safely and effectively.
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Tags: ankles, box jumps, calves, glutes, hamstrings, hips, jumping, knees, legs, plyometrics, posterior chain, quadriceps, quads
Posted October 1, 2024 in
Best Exercises No Comments »
Generally speaking, while working out the primary concern of bodybuilding is to develop a toned upper body, to the extent that aspiring bodybuilders sometimes forget to pay much attention to their legs. And if they do train legs, it is pretty much the bare minimum and a half-willed effort – leg press and leg curls, for example. Sometimes we need to consider home leg exercises to get some extra reps outside of a gym.
Many beginners focus so much on a toned set of abs or bowling ball shoulders, that they skip out on leg day and forget to include their squats and deads throughout the week. This greatly affects the symmetry of the body. So to obtain that perfect physique you dream about, you will need to include leg workouts too.
For today we will focus mainly on home leg exercises and primarily use only body weight.
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Tags: exercise, home exercises, home leg exercises, leg exercise, leg training, legs, lunges, squats, workout
Posted September 27, 2024 in
Injuries,
Recovery No Comments »
Plantar fasciitis is a common foot condition that causes pain in the heel and bottom of the foot. It occurs when the plantar fascia, a thick band of tissue that connects your heel to your toes, becomes inflamed. This condition can be debilitating, but the good news is that there are ways to manage and alleviate the discomfort.
Here are five tips to help you deal with plantar fasciitis and get back on your feet.
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Tags: feet, foot health, foot injuries, injuries, injury, plantar fasciitis, recovery
Posted September 25, 2024 in
Health,
Legal,
Medical No Comments »
Choosing the right health insurance can feel overwhelming, especially with so many options, policies, and confusing terms. It’s easy to feel lost in a sea of choices, wondering which plan is best for you and your family. But don’t worry—our list of 10 practical tips will guide you through the decision-making process and help you make an informed choice with confidence. Whether you’re new to health insurance or just looking for better coverage, these tips will point you in the right direction.
This guide will walk you through ten essential tips to help you make an informed decision when selecting health insurance, ensuring you get the best coverage without unnecessary expenses.
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Tags: health, health insurance, insurance, Medical
Diet trends have become increasingly popular as people seek new ways to improve their health, manage weight, and align their lifestyles with personal values. Whether it’s veganism, keto, paleo, or intermittent fasting, each of these diets can have a profound effect not only on overall health but also on oral health. While many of these diets are promoted for their health benefits, it’s important to understand how they may impact the health of your teeth and gums.
Understanding the potential benefits and risks of each diet can help you make informed choices that protect your smile while supporting your dietary goals.
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Tags: diet trends, diets, healthy mouth, mouth, oral health, teeth
Posted September 17, 2024 in
Injuries,
Medical 1 Comment »
There is nothing more satisfying than a strong back. While bulging biceps, pecs, and quads might seem sexy, they aren’t nearly as effective at increasing strength and stability as robust rhomboids, lats, and traps. However, not only is it easy to inefficiently train the back, but it is incredibly easy to injure those muscles (and the tissues around them) and end up with back pain due to improper technique and inaccurate exercises.
If you want a rope-covered back but you don’t want chronic back pain, here are a few common mistakes you should avoid – and if you are already laid low from a back injury, here’s how you can recover and prevent them in the future.
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Tags: back injury, back pain, exercise, injuries, injury, Medical, pain, prehab, rehab, therapy
Should Athletes Train Individual Muscles or Only Sports Movements?
Personal trainers have to know how to train people from all walks of life. I’ve seen bodybuilders, strength athletes, middle-aged men, obese housewives, trained athletes, newbies, weekend warriors, and about 100 other types of people and athletes. No one routine can be designed for everyone. Sport-specific movements might be prescribed for some athletes, while others might need a beginner’s routine, while others might only want to focus on powerlifting movements like bench, squats, and deads. We need to always be aware of the athlete’s goals when designing a workout routine.
Even in sport-specific niches like football, baseball, basketball, and soccer, or with other athletes such as powerlifters, bodybuilders, strongmen, and Olympic lifters, there is no one-size-fits-all training routine. You can’t take a baseball pitcher and train the pitching motion for 5 hours a day, 7 days a week. It just won’t work. So how do you train athletes who only need a small variety of movements to be successful at their sport?
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Tags: athlete, athletes, bodybuilding, exercise, fitness, Sports, train, training, weak point, Weight Training, weightlifting, workout
Posted September 11, 2024 in
Injuries No Comments »
Today, a majority of people have experienced some kind of lower back pain. Acute, chronic, local, or pain that is going all through your glutes’ muscles and legs to your foot. All of them are very intensive and they limit us in our everyday life.
So, what causes it, why, and how should you solve lower back pain? Aside from adding a few of the best lower back exercises to your workout routine, here are some additional tips and tricks that can help you prehab and rehab a sore lower back.
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Tags: lower back, lower back pain, rehabilitation
