Wednesday Video - This Is 200 Calories

What is a calorie? How much do you need on a daily basis and where do those calories come from?

In this video we take a look at this. From Broccoli to Big Macs - All of your favourite foods, shown as 200 calories!

Monday Muscle - Skinny Guys - Here's the #1 Ingredient for Muscle Growth (Part 2)

A couple years ago, I spent a summer as a personal trainer for a really slender college kid who had recently experienced a near brush with death. This young guy had the unfortunate habit of internalizing an enormous amount of stress when faced with his academic workload, especially during finals. There's nothing unusual about that - right? Well, except for the fact that when he would get stressed (which was nearly all of the time), he'd stop eating. This combination of semi-starvation and adrenaline-inducing stress had eventually led him to having a devastating ulcer. When the ulcer opened up like a flood gate one day, he ended up hospitalized after being lucky that the severe internal bleeding didn't kill him.

Needless to say, he needed a lot of mind training before muscle training could reap benefits. The doctors found him so deficient of protein, he needed a daily iron supplement just to get his levels of this vital mineral up to par.

Quality protein sources are key

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that protein deficiency is about as conducive to muscle growth as doing uphill sommersaults to escape a tsunami. Steady intake of high quality protein is essential to muscle growth. Iron, present in meat, is important for adequate energy levels. If we didn't first improve his mindset toward healthy eating, none of the physical training would have amounted to even a few ounces of muscle gain.

So what's my point in sharing this story with you? Well, in my first article aimed at skinny guys, I really drove home the fact that stuffing down mega calories and haphazardly tossing weights around will rarely lead to mesomorphic nirvana. My point was that without having an optimal muscle breakdown/recuperation routine and schedule, all the calorie gorging one could partake in would just cause undue stress to the body and little or no muscle weight.

However, eating too little and too sporadically is detrimental as well. If you train like a tiger and eat like a bird, an optimal training/recuperation system will fail to deliver maximum results. In order to steadily gain muscle, you need to eat four to six meals a day consisting of 30 to 40 grams of protein per meal. You must also eat enough carbohydrates to fuel your daily activity energy expenditures while having a few grams left over for the energy requirements of muscle recuperation. This is not such a tall order. However, it can be somewhat daunting for those who have an aversion to eating like the young man I was training a couple summers ago.

So how many carbohydrate calories above your daily expenditure do you need for gaining muscle? Studies have shown that we need no more than two or three hundred above what would keep us at our present body mass.

Carbohydrates are important as well

That's about equivalent to eating a whopping three bananas or a couple bowls of oatmeal. Of course, you'd be best off by adding those few hundred extra carb calories evenly throughout your day. A meal every three hours with 40 grams of protein and 50 grams of additional carbohydrates is enough to put muscle on anyone, considering they've got the #1 key to muscle growth covered.

If this sounds inadequate, consider what I've done in the six weeks prior to this writing. I decided to get as ripped and low in body fat as I could. I reduced my calories and increased my activity until I was definitely burning more calories than I was consuming. Making sure to ingest enough protein, I ate a hefty 40 grams (at least) during each of my five daily meals. Not only did I NOT lose any muscle or strength - I gained more. I actually built muscle while restricting my calorie intake.

That's the power of obtaining the optimum muscle breakdown/recuperation routine and schedule. With a few caveats (like eating enough protein), it remains the number one key to muscle growth.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Scott_Abbett/91209

Wednesday Video - How sugar affects the brain

When you eat something loaded with sugar, your taste buds, your gut and your brain all take notice. This activation of your reward system is not unlike how bodies process addictive substances such as alcohol or nicotine -- an overload of sugar spikes dopamine levels and leaves you craving more. Nicole Avena explains why sweets and treats should be enjoyed in moderation.

Monday Muscle - Protein Rich Balanced Diet and Exercise for a Complete Muscle Building Experience

It is a known fact that protein is a must have in muscle building; following a high protein diet will enable one to gain muscle in an effective manner.

If one wants to gain or lose weight, one should be on a muscle gain diet. A muscle gain diet is an important factor, because it helps to gain muscle instead of fat.

There are two factors included in weight loss. A proper diet and working out. When dieting one should avoid eating junk food and high carbohydrate food..

Incorporating a balanced breakfast to your daily routine is important.

Here I can suggest a balanced meal chart that can help build muscle and reduce body fat. Having a bowl of curd, with 2 sides of fruit such as a apple and a small banana. Two pieces of toast containing low trans-fat butter, such as peanut butter. One boiled egg white.

Snack or Mid-morning meal: 

Pure fruit or fruit juice makes for an excellent snack

A glass of fruit juice or a fruit. 

Lunch: 

Two ragi roti or roti made with wheat bran. A bowl of grilled vegetables. A serving of grilled chicken or turkey. Large salad and a bowl of spinach soup.

Evening replenishment: 

A glass of milk along with two biscuits. 

Dinner: 

Grilled meat or grilled fish. Baked beans and two rotis. Including a large intake of nuts, such as almonds or cashews. Some of the high protein foods include nuts, milk, wheat and lentils.

Maintaining a muscle building diet can sometimes get boring from eating the same foods. Contacting a dietician can be helpful, because the dietician can change your diet when required.

A simple strategy to help lose lean body mass fast is following a BMI (body mass index)

How to work out your BMI

chart. The chart is informational on the amount of weight and muscle required to the height and age of a person.

It is important for a person trying to gain muscle to know how much food is needed. Muscle cannot be gained unless the body fat is proper. An obese person will not gain muscle weight, because it will put him on more weight with fat.

Having excess muscle is a risk that can lead to having a disorder. Men can build up muscle by using Muscle building powders. These powders are available in the muscle building markets.

A recipe I can recommend to use as a muscle building food is a Sprouts-Chicken Burger. Ingredients: Burger bun, tomato and onion slices cut in round shape, 2 low fat butter or cheese sprouts, and processed boneless chicken mince. 

Method: Cut the burger bun in two halves. Place butter on the buns.

Place the processed chicken mince, sprouts, and vegetables inside the bun. Cover the items with the top part of the bun. Keep these simple and basic instructions in mind whenever you are trying to build muscle weight.

Wednesday Video - What is a carbohydrate?

You know about Carbohydrates right? It's the "bad stuff" that makes you fat and to lose weight you need to avoid it.

Well - not really. Carbohydrates are actually a lot more and this short video shows what it is and why you need it.

Welcome to the sweet and sugary macro nutrient Carbohydrate!

Wednesday Video - Fasted Cardio and Fat Loss - Muscle Myth #5

You've heard it before and will probably continue to hear it - Do your cardio on an empty stomach, 1st thing in the morning. This way your body is forced to turn to your fat stores to supply the energy needed and so you will burn more fat.

Sound's logical and it seems to make sense. However, is it really that simple? Maybe. This video supplies the answer

Fat Loss Friday - Healthy Dinner Recipes For A Healthier You

We all are aware that we are supposed to eat healthy, what makes healthy family dinner recipes more than just a benefit. Each and every one of us wishes the best for our families. If this is so, why don’t we eat healthy as we are required to? Let us take a look at the reason as to why we always find ourselves selecting unhealthy choices and also provide some few insights on healthy dinner recipes.

No Time to Prepare and Consume Healthy Dinner

In these modern times, people are always on the move - running errands, working, participating in extracurricular activities or even driving our children tom school.

Groceries are slowly turning into food stores. With its apt and detailed options to select from, we sometimes feel tired to go and shop for groceries.

Since most of us have a few minutes to grasp a healthy dinner, we opt for fast foods which are readily available, though, we understand that they are unhealthier. More people are getting fatter and unhealthier in U.S and what we need in order to combat this pandemic is to unveil dinner recipes that can be prepared within a short time.

Fast and Healthy Dinner Choices

The market has many healthy family dinner recipes cookbooks with exactly what we need; quick and healthy dinner recipes. However, if you feel that you absolutely lack time to prepare a healthy meal, just visit a grocery store. Many supermarkets have a region where you can purchase roasted chicken and deli meats like sliced turkey. These two options are constituents of a healthy meal. Get yourself a bag of apples, a gallon of milk and a loaf of whole grain bread rather than consuming greasy fries with a quarter pound hamburger.

Healthy Dinner Saves You Money

If you have decided that fast food is not your thing, why don’t you sit down in a restaurant? With only $12 a meal, you can get enough to satisfy you for hours. With dishes such as potatoes, steak pastas and the mouth watering desserts. When you take a look at this wonderful menu, you can’t even remember the amount of sugar, fat and cholesterol you are adding to your body.

Compare the cost of this restaurant food and the one you make at home. It does not cost you $12 to prepare a meal; it is actually cost about $5 per meal. Add the time you drive to the restaurant. It is better to prepare an inexpensive healthier dinner at home than going for unhealthier foods outside your house.

How to Select a Healthy Dinner Recipe

-Utilize recipes that have low fat-content like veggies, lean meat, fruits, skim milk and whole grains.

- Pick the freshest ingredients

- If possible source those organically grown foods as they are the best for your body

The ultimate objective is to get the best ingredients that can help you make a healthy meal for your family.

Article Source: Vikram Kumar http://www.eArticlesOnline.com

Monday Muscle - Basics of a Weight Training Diet

Weight training diet hard to come by for you? Coming across too much confusion and puzzling information? No need to stress any longer because you should know that the weight training diet is only controlled by ones own aims. So if you do not have a clear goal in your midst and don't know exactly what you are aiming for then the weight training diet is not for you until you have gotten those in check.

Weight loss diets, power lifting diets and body building diets are all different kinds of a weight training diet. Although they may differ in quantity, in each of them however exists a shared element. This would be the quality of the food consumed, which is certainly the most vital factor in the weight training diet.

Traditionally most fitness enthusiasts would only eat 3 big meals a day. Now, more and more fitness members are eating at least 7 meals a day. An increase in overall meals at small portion sizes has the ability to increase your metabolism faster. Increasing your metabolism not only boosts you're your fat burning efforts but it also works towards to getting your lean.

The best way to draw up your diet schedule is to first educate yourself on the various types of foods.

Eating right is one thing but to know what exactly you are eating and why makes a huge difference to your momentum. Knowing what damages your body and what helps your body is fundamental when it comes to building muscles and getting ripped.

I personally never follow those hyped up fad diets, or even think for a minute that they aren't a gimmick. They are usually too difficult to follow because people will always have their restrictions like money, no motivation to continue and access to good food. Just be familiar with carbs, proteins and healthy fats; the three food groups. In addition learn about meats that relieves lean muscles like rock cod, salmon, rounded steaks, chicken breasts and lean turkey meat.

When doing the weight training diet remembers that it is only your own individual sweat that will influence your final outcomes. Just give in those extra efforts like reading health articles, because by educating yourself you will know exactly what you are doing and how you can further in being successful. To achieve the absolute best in what you are pursuing just give in extra thought and extra effort.



Article source: William Collins Basics of a Weight Training Diet http://www.sooperarticles.com/health-fitness-articles/proper-diet-articles/basics-weight-training-diet-515559.html#ixzz3redWvB00

Monday Muscle - 5 Things You Can Do Before Training

Are you getting the most out of your workout session, even if you're not training with a personal trainer? Your time is precious, and you have to know that what you do at the gym is effective and is optimizing that time and effort you invest. Work smarter, not harder, to achieve the stronger, leaner and more flexible body you want. And you can only do this by completing these 5 things before you work out. Each tip is designed to get you burning more calories, increase your capacity to build muscle and improve cardiovascular fitness.

1. Be hydrated. Drink sufficient water at 2-3 hours before you exercise.

Of course you should always keep your body well-hydrated no matter if you exercise or not, but consume a little more a couple of hours before hitting the gym. This will help your body improve the circulation of nutrients, which can have a positive affect on your ability to maximize your physical state and decrease your recovery.

2. Eat well the day before, specifically if you have low blood pressure. The last thing you need to happen is to experience that crash during your work out. You know, when you just hit that brick wall and simply cannot move any longer. Eating well prevents this from happening, so you can remain at peak performance.

3. Don't eat right before your workout. Food that's just been delivered to your stomach needs energy to digest, meaning you'll be diverting precious energy to your stomach instead of your game. It's bad for gastro-intestinal health and makes it harder to workout, plus the valsalva maneuver is compromised. If you eat anything, keep it to a light snack (e.g. banana) and eat it an hour minimum beforehand.

4. De-stress and mentally get yourself ready. Take time to relax, particularly if you're emerging from a busy or stressful environment. A positive frame of mind is crucial, especially because a negative one can tap energy from your nerves-- it should be used on your workout!

5. A little coffee won't hurt, and it may even help you to perform better. Charles Poliquin, an Olympic Strength Trainer,

recommends taking a caffeine supplement about 45 minutes before you start exercising. Research has found that it may also help you burn fat better.

While every one has their things they do to get driven to work out, these tips have all been provided as a way to optimize the results you achieve from your workout.

Now what are you waiting for? Get your sweats on and hit the gym!

Article by Mike Landon.
Article source: http://www.articlewheel.com/article/139/5-things-you-can-do-before-training.html

How to go about a low carb plan

Begin With a Low Carb Diet Plan

Once you are fully convinced that you need to shed off some weight and you have decided that low carb diet plan is the way to follow, you have passed the most difficult part. The remaining aspect is just to get started. Let us see what you are supposed to do for the first days of the low carb diet plan.

The first day should be characterized by making some concrete decisions. These decisions include first deciding to shed weight and then deciding that low carb diet plan is the means for shedding this weight. The next decision will be to select the diet plan that you will follow amongst the three popular plans. These are; Glycemic Index low carb diet plan, South Beach low carb diet plan, and the Artkins low carb diet plan.

Regardless of the plan you select, the ultimate goal in taking in the carbs is to lay off additional weight and excess fat from your body. Thus, on day one, make decision on the diet plan to follow and cognize yourself with the working of the particular plan you have selected.

Day two will be specifically for making preparations and planning. The first activity on this day is to sweep clean the cabinet, fridge, pantry and freezer. Discard or give out foods with excess sugar content as they are exempted in your low carb diet plan.

Certain foods will not be permitted in the diet plan to guarantee its success. However, the foods will be allowed after a few weeks in the plan. The next thing is to list and buy the things you will be consuming roughly for the next one week. In the list you may have meals, liquids and snacks, but you should ascertain that they are allowed in the plan.

Day three will signify the start of the new diet plan as you will start consuming the plan’s specified foods. You should try to make sure that you start the diet plan early in the morning. This will help you see that you are committed to the plan rather than feeling like it is an impulsive decision. To commit to the plan, ensure that you have cooked food as lack of it may cause you to compromise and jeopardize you weight loss efforts.

The following days in the plan may be seem endless and might not be the best. Constant starch and sugar cravings, headaches, sluggish feelings and mild dizziness will be the order of the day. The symptoms may be the result of your body trying to clean excess starch and sugar reserves that had piled in your body. The prevalent experiences may also be a result of withdrawal of the normal sugar that your body had been getting. It is advisable to take in pre-cooked foods at the early days of low carb diet plan as they are readily available when you are feeling like quitting especially when your body starts feeling unwell.

Article Source: Vikram Kumar http://www.eArticlesOnline.com

How to burn stored fat

The human body has evolved over the years to store fat in preparation for times of food deprivation. That is one of the reasons why it is so hard to burn off stored fat. This video explains how to solve this puzzle.