Posts Tagged ‘nutrition’
Sunday, July 28th, 2013
When it comes to consuming our calories on a daily basis, one forgotten area is in the beverage area. The amount of calories that we drink on a daily basis might shock most. In fact, this was a rather hot topic recently in the media after a poll that was done in jolly ol’ England.
In one can of Coke Classic, your looking at 143 calories. 108 calories in a tall non-fat latte at your favorite coffee shop. These are just a couple of examples of modest size drinks.
Now lets talk meal replacement shakes. I just do not get the concept of these. You drink a shake that has 300+ calories in order to skip a meal. Why not just have a proper meal/snack of roughly the same calories. You will feel fuller because you have actual food in your stomach.
Of course there is a time and a place for a well-constructed protein shake made with either water or skim milk. Usually a shake like this will net you 20+ grams of protein, some vitamins and other nutrients, and usually can be kept around 200 calories. A nice shot of aminos in this way, will aid in recovery and help keep excess calories off your mid-section.
Then there is the whole argument that it is far better to get your nutrients from real, whole foods than from a drink. Anything that is in that shake was put there by a person. That is usually a clue that you want to avoid it. On the flip side, the nutrients in a proper meal were put there by Mother Nature. How did that old commercial go? “Don’t fool with Mother Nature.”
So there you go; a few good reasons to try to get your calories in your food, and not so much in your drink. That is unless you’re into blending together multiple fruits and veggies into a whole-foods smoothie. Now there’s a drink I can fully support.
Cheers!
Tags: drinks, food, meals, nutrition, shakes
Posted in Nutrition Tip | No Comments »
Monday, July 15th, 2013
How to Construct a Muscle Building Diet
Aside from opting for the right weight lifting strategies, what you consume before and after a workout is the most important piece of the muscle growth puzzle.
Get this: you can lift as hard you can, sweat as much as you can and spending endless hours in the gym, but as long as you don’t provide your body with the right stuff—diet-wise—your hard work will be futile.
Therefore, if you don’t want to compromise your hard effort and really seek to pile on the muscles faster and more efficiently, here are the diet guidelines you need to live by.
It starts with protein
Yes you know it. Every gym-rat out there is well aware of the importance of protein in muscle growth and proper recovery. If you’re protein-deficient, you won’t achieve any muscle growth no matter how committed you’re or how hard you push yourself in the gym.
Most studies and experts recommend shooting for at least 2g per kilo of bodyweight of protein. This amount may vary from one gym-rat to the next. But the harder you lift and push yourself in the gym, the more protein you’re going to need.
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Tags: build muscle, Diet, eating, food, muscle, muscle building, nutrition
Posted in Bodybuilding, Diet, Nutrition Tip | 1 Comment »
Friday, June 14th, 2013
Surprising Things You Probably Don’t Know About Calories
We are a calorie-obsessed country. We obsess about how many calories we consume on a daily basis and then we turn around an eat way too many of them. We know so much about calories and how they affect our body weight, but most of us don’t really know all that much. In fact, only about 12 percent of people in the USA can estimate how many calories they consume each day! Here are some facts about calories and how they work that just might surprise you!
Gym Machines Can’t Actually Accurately Measure Calories
Most people who work out hard at the gym have a mentality that they must sweat for their food. These people know that in order to lose weight they must work off all of the calories they have eaten in a day. This is great mentality to have, but you shouldn’t base what you can eat on how many calories you burned off on the treadmill.
Many people feel like they worked hard so they can eat whatever they want afterwards. This, sadly, is just not true. Don’t expect your gym’s workout machines to accurately predict how many calories you have burned off either.
You need to pay serious attention to how many calories you consume both before and after your workout, and you need to pay attention to how you are consuming those calories. For example, if you walk two miles on a treadmill, you might think you have done well and deserve a snack. But a very small handful of chips can quickly undo all of that work!
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Tags: calories, Diet, eating, fitness, food, meals, nutrition
Posted in Diet, Nutrition Tip | No Comments »
Wednesday, May 29th, 2013
What are the best carbs to help you build muscle or lose fat?
More than often, you’ll get this response: “Stay away from simple carbs and focus on complex carbohydrates, since they digest slowly and provide your body with a constant stream of energy”.
I can’t tell you how many “fitness-experts” give this response to their clients on a regular basis. Of course it seems to make sense, but there is actually some science suggesting otherwise.
Many people believe that as long as a carbohydrate digests slowly, it should keep your blood sugar stable and make it less likely for you to gain fat.
But the truth of the matter is that structuring your nutrition program around “slow-digesting carbohydrates” is actually not an effective way to get the nutrition you need.
There are actually 4 primary reasons why this is the case. Let’s go ahead and take a closer look…
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Tags: build muscle, carbohydrates, carbs, food, gain muscle, muscle, muscle gains, muscles, nutrition, workout
Posted in Diet, Nutrition Tip | 3 Comments »
Friday, May 24th, 2013
How to Lose Your Man Boobs
Gynecomastia—or male breasts—is a very common affliction that affects men all over the world. Though not life threatening—or even dangerous—male breasts can have a psychological effect that many would rather not experience, a fact made even worse by how difficult they can be to get rid of.
Fortunately, however, if you suffer from male Gynecomastia, there is a light at the end of the tunnel!
Though difficult to get rid of, Gynecomastia is not something you have to worry about for life. Man boobs are easier to get rid of if they are made primary of fat. If you got gyno by using or abusing steroids, diet and exercise will probably not be able to remove them completely.
Without further ado, here are the best ways to get rid of those male breasts.
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Tags: Diet, exercise, fat loss, fitness, gynecomastia, gyno, health, lose fat, lose weight, man boobs, nutrition, weight lose, workout
Posted in Healthy Lifestyle, Medical | No Comments »
Monday, May 20th, 2013
A Workout a Day Keeps the Cancer Away
Athletes know that lifting weights and exercising feels greater than anything (OK, almost anything) on Earth, but did you know that it can also reduce your risk of cancer?
Yes, it’s true – not only have you been working out all this time to get that stunning physique, but you have also been effectively reducing your chances of getting some of the most life threatening cancers.
One Third Reduced Risk of Cancer
Researchers say that regular physical activity and a healthy diet – two things that usually go hand in hand – can reduce the effects of colon and other cancers by up to 30%.
Moreover, diet and exercise can reduce the risk of many gender specific cancers too, like prostate and cervical cancer, largely because physical activity can decrease the amount of certain dangerous cell altering hormones.
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Tags: cancer, Diet, exercise, fitness, health, healthy, injury, nutrition, sick, sickness
Posted in Healthy Lifestyle, Medical | 1 Comment »
Monday, May 13th, 2013
How to drop those last pounds
Anyone who goes to the gym knows the work that needs to be put into sculpting a fit body. Building muscle and cutting fat are the main goals of working out for many people, and one may be more difficult than the other. Gaining muscle mass is easy for some people, but often, there is a layer of fat obscuring the muscle that is much harder to lose than the muscle was to gain. Weight loss is a complex process, but there are many options available.
What are my options to lose fat?
It can be frustrating to lose fat. Cardio training, dieting, and other lifestyle changes are difficult to stick to, and can be slow to take hold. When exercising, it is ideal to maintain an optimal heart rate for 20 minutes to an hour at a time, and it may be impossible to see fat loss for weeks or months after beginning a solid exercise routine. In addition, eating with a mind to burning fat can be complicated and time consuming; maintaining good eating habits is difficult, especially with temptation at restaurants and parties.
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Tags: Diet, dieting, eat, eating, fat loss, food, lose fat, lose weight, meal time, meals, nutrition, weight loss
Posted in Diet, Nutrition Tip | No Comments »
Wednesday, May 8th, 2013
Schedule Your Meals for Speedier Weight Loss
For those who get awesome results from Intermittent Fasting, don’t bother reading the following article. This is for people, for whom fasting either doesn’t work, or doesn’t agree with their schedule. However, if you follow a regular 3-5 meals a day diet, pay attention to the following piece.
How do Meal Times Affect Weight Loss?
New research is being done that indicates that there is more to healthy eating than many originally thought: not only does what you eat play a role in overall health, but when you eat may play a significant role as well. Researchers working at Brigham and Women’s Hospital collaborated with Tufts University and the University of Murcia have released results of a study that has shown that when you eat throughout the day might have an impact on weight loss.
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Tags: Diet, dieting, eat, eating, fat loss, food, lose fat, lose weight, meal time, meals, nutrition, weight loss
Posted in Diet, Nutrition Tip | No Comments »
Monday, April 8th, 2013
Staying Healthy on the Road
Although for some people a week or two’s vacation in the sun represents an opportunity to sit back and relax, if you’re someone who places importance on maintaining your fitness and physique through exercise and training, this won’t be you. Instead you’ll see it as another chance to work out.
While you might try your hand at some new activities when you’re abroad, if you have access to a gym where you’re staying, you may well want to keep up with your current training regime. However, while you may think that you can just pick up from where you left off at home, there are a few issues to be aware of. This will ensure that you can work out safely to avoid injury and ill health, allowing you to enjoy the rest of your vacation and not put your fitness back. Follow the tips below and seek out further advice on staying well before you travel.
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Tags: Business, Diet, exercise, fitness, health, healthy, nutrition, travel, traveling, vacation, work
Posted in Business, Healthy Lifestyle | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, April 2nd, 2013
Weight loss surgery is becoming increasingly popular all over the world, and for a very good reason. It offers a solution to a problem that plagues millions of people worldwide. However, determining whether weight loss surgery is right for you can be difficult. There are many benefits to these surgical procedures, but there are downsides as well. It’s important to understand this issue from both sides to decide what’s right for you.
Pro: Guaranteed Weight Loss
If you’re like many people in the world today, you’ve had a hard time trying to lose your excess weight. Some people try everything under the sun in an effort to shed pounds, yet they still find themselves unable to achieve their weight loss goals. Surgical procedures like gastric bypass and gastric banding offer guaranteed results. Liposuction can get rid of excess fat instantly. Those who seek a guaranteed solution to their weight loss problems can find that solution with weight loss surgery.
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Tags: Diet, diet plans, diets, event, exercise, fat loss, fitness, food, lifestyle, lose fat, lose weight, Medical, nutrition, surgery, weight loss, workout
Posted in Medical, Research | No Comments »
Monday, April 1st, 2013
Hydrate for Health
We all know that it’s important to get eight glasses of water each day in order to ensure that our bodies are properly hydrated and that waste and toxins are flushed out of our systems.
When you engage in intense exercise, a lot of fluids can be lost to through sweat, increasing the need for not only water, but also essential electrolytes that allow your body to retain the life-giving fluids you drink.
While you might not think that pumping iron is as intense as running a marathon or swimming laps, the truth is that lifting weights can make you sweat.
That said, there are other reasons why staying hydrated before, during, and after your weight lifting regimen is important. In case you didn’t know it can have a dramatic effect on the results of your workout, as well as your overall state of health.
Here are just a few reasons why you should definitely strive for optimum hydration.
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Tags: build muscle, gain muscle, h2o, health, healthy, hydrate, hydration, muscle building, muscle gains, nutrition, water
Posted in Fitness Tips, Healthy Lifestyle, Nutrition Tip | No Comments »
Saturday, March 23rd, 2013
Here is another excellent fitness article for pregnant women. At Project Swole we care about everyone.
Exercising During Pregnancy
Many women are concerned about exercising during pregnancy, but the fact is that the right kind of workouts during the natal period can be tremendously beneficial. The rewards of exercising while pregnant include fewer childbirth complications, reduced incidence of aches and discomfort, higher energy levels, and better blood circulation.
Benefits like these make both the pregnancy period and the birthing process much easier and promote an overall sense of well-being. Weight training is especially good for pregnant women, as pregnancy tends to bring on extra body weight while muscles shrink due to inactivity.
Be Considerate of Exercise Technique
Of course, the body of a pregnant mom-to-be is in a delicate state, and this should be a cause for concern when exercise is being considered. Any exercise that involves a face-down posture should be avoided to reduce pressure on the abdomen, and the muscle groups focused upon should be those that need extra strength during pregnancy.
Lighter weights are highly recommended.
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Tags: babies, baby, Diet, exercise, fitness, nutrition, preggers, preggo, pregnancy, pregnant, workout
Posted in Fitness Tips, Medical, Women's Health | No Comments »
Wednesday, March 20th, 2013
If there’s one part of a bodybuilder’s lifestyle that’s more important than the workouts, it’s got to be nutrition. If you’re not giving your body the fuel it needs to build muscle, all your efforts are going to go to waste as you burn out and lose both your energy and your muscle mass.
Traveling makes it even more difficult to stay on top of your nutrition, especially when you’re mostly limited to the offerings of airlines, terminal food courts, and restaurants. To keep your fitness routine up while you travel, it’s important to keep training and eating clean all the while.
Get acquainted with sludge.
It may not sound like the most appetizing food in the world, and it might be a bit tough to stomach at first, but it’s the traveling bodybuilder’s best friend. Most builders make their sludge by mixing whey protein and peanut butter or almond butter with with water until it reaches a pudding-like consistency.
Since you can’t bring liquids through airport security, pack enough pre-measured bags of whey and almonds to last through your flight, and a Tupperware container for mixing. Either buy bottled water in the airport, or take advantage of courtesy cups on the plane. Use a little less liquid than you would normally, and you can make your own protein-rich sludge anywhere.
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Tags: Business, Diet, exercise, fitness, nutrition, travel, work
Posted in Diet, Fitness Tips, Nutrition Tip | No Comments »
Tuesday, March 19th, 2013
If you are expecting a child, it is important to know that doctors and specialists don’t discourage physical fitness and weight training like they used to do in the old days – they actually encourage it.
Physicians used to believe that any kind of rigorous exercise for a mother to be could potentially cause harm to the fetus, either due to miscarriage or a premature birth, but now it is widely believed that a routine fitness regiment during pregnancy can have a number of benefits, like lowering stress levels and increasing general well being.
Moreover, regular weight training is both risk-free and can have many benefits for a woman during her pregnancy, in all trimesters.
Here are 5 benefits of weight training during pregnancy.
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Tags: babies, baby, Diet, exercise, fertitity, fitness, nutrition, preggers, pregnancy, workout
Posted in Fitness Tips, Medical, Women's Health | No Comments »
Tuesday, March 19th, 2013
Whether you’re bulking, cutting, or straight-up losing weight, you have no doubt developed a targeted diet meant to enhance your exercise regimen in order to help you meet your goals.
Restrictive or specific diets can leave you feeling unsatisfied or craving your favorite foods, and if you’re not smart about how you get your daily caloric intake you can find your tummy grumbling before you go to bed, or even waking you up in the middle of the night, just begging for a midnight snack that is definitely not diet-approved.
However, there are plenty of ways that you can keep yourself satisfied and full on nearly any diet plan so that you can stave off cravings for midnight munchies.
Here are just a few tactics you may want to try.
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Tags: Diet, eat, eating, fat loss, food, foods, health, healthy, late night, lose fat, lose weight, midnight, munchies, nutrition, weight loss
Posted in Diet, Healthy Lifestyle, Nutrition Tip | No Comments »
Thursday, March 7th, 2013
If you are weight training to build muscle, your biggest goal is to keep your body mass index in check. Body builders around the world will tell you that having the perfect, sculpted body is also about staying lean and keeping your body fat at a minimum.
To be pure muscle and no fat you have to find creative ways to exercise, but you also have to eat the right food. In order to sculpt your muscles, you need food with enough protein to keep you energized, but also food that helps burn fat – you also want to suppress those unwanted cravings.
Here are 5 great foods for burning fat and building muscle.
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Oatmeal.
Oatmeal is the secret weapon for a lot of body builders that want to sculpt the perfect body. Eating oatmeal 1 to 2 hours before an exercise or weight lifting session will give you an adequate amount of sustained energy, which will allow you to work out longer. Oatmeal is also great at regulating your blood sugar levels, which can stave off cravings. It is also a great source of fiber, which can prevent your body from storing excess fat.
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Tags: build muscle, Diet, fat loss, food, foods, gain muscle, health, healthy, lose fat, lose weight, muscle gain, nutrition, weight loss
Posted in Diet, Nutrition Tip | 3 Comments »
Saturday, March 2nd, 2013
On some level, we all know that caffeine is not exactly good for us, at least not in large doses and certainly not when it comes from sugary sodas or coffee drinks loaded up with cream and sugar (Starbucks: proudly serving 10% coffee in every coffee drink!). But whether you’re a soda hound or you drink black coffee throughout the day, you’ve likely experienced side effects like the jittery high that keeps you working like mad for an hour followed by the comatose state that leaves you craving more.
Then there are the headaches that plague truly devoted caffeine enthusiasts who don’t get their fix in a timely manner. I haven’t personally experienced this, but I have no less than 5 friends or aquaintances that do.
However, imbibing a moderate amount of caffeine can actually have some benefits for the casual drinker. Aside from giving you that extra boost of energy and focus, it can also have healthy effects for those who have the proper enzymes to break it down efficiently, potentially reducing the risk for heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and even some forms of cancer, according to various studies.
It can also have an impact on your weight training routine.
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Tags: caffeine, coffee, energy, nutrition, peformance, supplement, Supplements, tea
Posted in Medical, Nutrition Tip | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, February 27th, 2013
One of the first places the average adult body stores spare fat is around the belly, and this can be a real nightmare for anyone trying to trim down their midsection.
You might think that you’re doing everything right when it comes to your diet and exercise regimen, and yet, for some reason you just can seem to shed the unsightly padding around your abdominals.
If this is the case, you could find that doing everything right is actually all wrong. Your lifestyle might be sabotaging everything.
Here are just a few tips and tricks that could help you to finally melt away the belly fat that’s been plaguing you for years. Sure, they say diet is responsible for 75% of your progress, but if you are doing everything else wrong, your lifestyle could derail 90% of your progress.
Here are 5 more tips to help you lose belly fat:
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Tags: cardio, Diet, diet plans, diets, event, exercise, fat loss, fitness, food, lifestyle, lose fat, lose weight, nutrition, relaxation, rest, sleep, weight loss, workout, Yoga
Posted in Fitness Tips, Healthy Lifestyle | Comments Off on 5 MORE Ways to Burn MORE Belly Fat During Exercise
Tuesday, February 26th, 2013
There’s something you might not know about type 2 diabetes: anyone can get it. The onset of this form of the disease need not be related to heredity, although instances in your family may raise your risk for developing diabetes. However, you should also know that the condition is not unavoidable, even if you do have a family medical history to contend with.
What is Diabetes?
Type 2 diabetes develops when there is too much sugar in your blood, a condition known as hyperglycemia. Normally, your body creates insulin that breaks down sugar so that it can be stored in cells and burned off as energy. But over time, excess fat in the body can reduce levels of insulin being produced and create an insulin resistance in cells.
While the main cause of type 2 diabetes onset is thought to be obesity, the truth is that you can have a slim physique with a high percentage of body fat. The point is that even people who don’t necessarily look like they’ll develop diabetes may be prone to the disorder. And lifting weights can definitely help to lower your risk.
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Tags: diabetes, exercise, fitness, health, Medical, medicine, nutrition, resistance training, weight lifting, Weight Training, weightlifting
Posted in Medical, Research | No Comments »
Saturday, February 23rd, 2013
Gaining weight and gaining lean muscle are two entirely different things. While increasing the amount you eat will almost certainly lead to you putting on weight, it will not automatically ensure that you gain lean, aesthetically pleasing muscle mass.
In order to effectively build muscle, you need to combine the right physical exercise with the right fuel for that physical exercise. It is, therefore, vitally important to pay attention to the nutrients you put into your body and to understand the role that carbohydrates play in the muscle building process.
Physical Activity and the Role of Carbohydrates
In order to build the lean muscle you desire, you need to engage in resistance training which specifically targets the major muscle groups in the body. Examples of these types of exercises include barbell curls, bench presses and squats. It is best to avoid working the same muscle groups in consecutive days and working out three to four times a week is ideal.
In order to perform efficiently, you also need to provide your body with the right kind of energy. Although proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals all combine to provide different things, carbohydrates in particular play a large role in muscle building.
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Tags: build muscle, carbohydrates, carbs, food, gain muscle, muscle, muscle gains, muscles, nutrition, workout
Posted in Diet, Nutrition Tip | No Comments »
