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I’ll be using this page to share some useful training and nutrition ideas that I’ve found or developed over the years---everything from some of my favorite snacks and meals to some friendly reminders on how to avoid injuries (and even a little humor). Come back often to see what’s new.
Tired of commercial meal replacements? Here’s one of my favorite snacks/meals---it has between 350 and 400 calories (depending on your brand of protein powder and amount of fruit), 37-44 grams of protein, and almost no fat. In a blender, mix: 1 cup nonfat plain yogurt 1 cup skim milk ½ - 1 cup frozen fruit (strawberries or raspberries are my favorite) 1 scoop protein powder (approx. 16 - 18 gms. of protein)
Healthy eating habits For the majority of people, a healthy diet is just a matter of following a few basic rules.
Water: More = Less? When you don't drink enough water you can feel bloated, because water is needed to eliminate extra sodium in your body. This excess sodium causes fluid retention which can usually be eliminated by drinking more water, not less. Lower your fat intake Drinking nonfat milk instead of whole milk greatly reduces your fat and calorie intake. One cup of whole milk has almost as much calories and saturated fat as five strips of bacon!! Oven French Fries Cut a potato with the skin on into dinner fries, french fries, or ¼" chips and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet (a quick spray of Pam works great). Season with a little paprika, salt, pepper, or whichever spice you like, and bake at 400 deg. until the bottom of fries are golden brown (the top will usually develop bubbles about this time). Then turn on the broiler and broil until the top is golden. Yogurt Pudding Here’s a quick desert that's a lot like cold pudding and only takes a minute to make. Just stir together 1 cup of plain fat free yogurt and 1 scoop of your favorite protein powder….I’ve done it with both chocolate and vanilla. Depending on your protein powder, you’ll only end up with about 200-250 calories, and more than a third of your calcium needs for the day. Salad Dressing Salads can be such a great part of a healthy diet, but most people turn it into an un-healthy mess by piling on the dressing which is usually full of fat and too many calories. So, here are a couple of good ideas to keep that salad good for you. Try using salsa instead of dressing……it’s really low in calories, and adds a little zing to your salad. Or, sprinkle your salad with a little water, then add just a little dressing and mix it all up really well…..this will help spread the flavor over the salad better. With a little experimentation, you can sometimes find a non-fat or low calorie dressing that you like. Of course, when eating out, order your dressing on the side, and use the fork-dip method…..just dip the fork tines in the dressing, then stab your salad….you’ll get a little of the dressing’s flavor on each bite, and a little dressing will go a long way. Orange Cremesicle For a quick pre or post workout shake that tastes a lot like a cremesicle, shake up a scoop of vanilla protein powder in 1-2 cups of orange juice (adjust to fit your needs). Or, try chocolate protein powder in orange or strawberry/guava juice if you're a chocoholic like me.
4get it Too many people spend more time socializing in the gym than they do working out, so when I hear someone say "I don't have time to go to the gym today", I tell them "4get it!" GET in, GET busy, GET done, GET out. Keep the chatter and rest periods to a minimum---you’ll probably get a better workout and you’ll feel great about yourself for not skipping it. STAIR-CLIMBER DOs and Don'ts Do keep a straight back
with your head up and shoulders back. Benefits of Strength Training
Shrugs Do not rotate, or roll, the shoulders when doing shrugs. Doing so will expose the shoulders to injury and you get no additional benefit from doing it. Just move the weight straight up and down. Do the movement slowly and under control with a pause and squeeze at the top. SPOTTING When you agree to spot somebody, you are accepting a great deal of responsibility. Don't take it lightly! Here are a few guidelines to follow:
Benefits of Cardiovascular Fitness
OVERTRAINING Overtraining occurs when you train your body beyond its ability to recover. If your body cannot recover from the last workout then it will be unable to adapt and unable to grow. Symptoms of overtraining include:
Solution: If you are overtraining on your current routine, first take a week off (or two) to let your body recover, then cut back on the number of workout days per week, exercises and number of sets used. Avoid Lockout On pretty much all exercises, don't let your joints 'lock out'. This keeps the muscle under constant tension and lessens the risk of injury. Low Intensity Cardio Don't buy in to the myth that by doing low intensity cardio you’ll burn more fat than doing high intensity cardio---sounds like an excuse to be lazy to me. Whereas it is true that the percentage of calories coming from fat is higher, total calories burned will be lower….and for fat loss, isn’t it all about burning more calories? Exercising When Sick The question of whether to exercise when sick comes up often, so here's some general guidelines to go by:
Most importantly, use some common sense and listen to your body. Sex and Drugs and Exercise A couple of the hottest drugs on the market are for erectile dysfunction. These drugs work by increasing blood flow to the affected, or more precisely, the un-affected area.....but why not do the same thing naturally with exercise? Studies have shown that men who exercise vigorously are about half as likely to have erection problems as inactive men. It's also been shown that as a man gains weight, he becomes more susceptible to experiencing erectile dysfunction. Spot Reduction Spot reduction does not work, and doing hundreds of crunches will not make you lose the fat covering your abs. Think about it---if exercising a bodypart got rid of the fat in that area, then everyone you know that talks a lot would have a skinny little face.
BURN FAT WHILE SURFING THE NET Well, not exactly, but consider this: a pound of muscle can burn up to 50 calories a day, and there’s 3500 calories in a pound of fat. So, if you put on only 2 pounds of muscle you could burn the equivalent of 10 pounds of fat in a year even while surfing the net! Be Active As many as 12% of all deaths---250,000 per year---in the U.S. may be attributed indirectly to lack of regular physical activity, according to the CDC. STRETCHING Some studies indicate that slow static (passive) stretching may not be a good part of a proper warm-up before exercise, sporting events, etc. This type of stretching relaxes your muscles and can lead to injury or poor performance. Five to ten minutes of cardio will warm your muscles and get the blood flowing. You may want to do these types of stretches after you workout.
Consistency
Train when you should, eat when you should and rest when you should, but don't confuse consistency with obsession. If you miss a workout, skip a meal or indulge in some junk food, don't sweat it----just don't make a habit of it.
YOU JUST MIGHT BE A POWERLIFTER IF......
Stay Motivated Keep inspirational pictures in places you see them regularly for motivation, dream of your ideal physique, take pictures so you can see improvements. Your Metabolism Is Like A Campfire You need to think of your metabolism as a campfire and calories like the wood you feed into that fire-----your fire will burn a lot hotter and burn more wood if you feed it small amounts throughout the day instead of throwing a huge log on it once or twice a day after it's died down. Phone Pal When making changes in your life such as starting an exercise program or changing your eating habits, it can help to have someone you can call for support---whether it's a friend or your trainer. When you feel like you want to cheat on your food intake or skip a workout, give your pal a call---most likely you'll actually talk yourself out of it even if you just get their voice mail. Vacation and Slacking Off Too often when people go on vacation or have a special event that they go to, they totally put their exercise and nutrition on hold. But, this is about your health isn’t it? Would you stop taking your heart medication or insulin just because you’re on vacation? I think not! You need to get your priorities in order and decide if your health or some temporary gratification is more important. Posture and Driving Here’s a great little tip for keeping your posture correct while driving. When you first get in your car, sit up straight and adjust your rear view mirror. If you notice after a little driving that you need to re-adjust your mirror, try re-adjusting your posture instead. Typically, you will start to slump a little and the result is you can’t see out your rear view mirror as well as you did when you first adjusted it---most likely your mirror didn’t move and you just need to correct your posture. So, use your mirror to remind you to sit up straight----your back and neck will thank you. Get Fit To Play Whenever the weather starts getting nicer, people start thinking about getting involved in sports to get fit. But, this is really backwards thinking and can lead to injury. You should be getting fit to play sports, not playing sports to get fit. Once you are fit, sports can help you stay that way, but you need to train your body ahead of time to prepare it for the unique stresses it will be put under. Time Time seems to be the excuse everyone uses when they don’t eat right or exercise, but if you don’t find time to do it now, you’ll really come up short on time at the end of your life. Kind of blunt I know, but find the time now to get healthy and stay healthy, and you’ll more than make up for it by living a longer and more functional life. Cut Cancer Risk According to the American Council for Cancer Research, you can lower your risk of cancer by 20% by eating your 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. 20% not enough to get your attention? Then bump that up to as much as a 40% reduction by making the rest of your diet healthy, staying active, and maintaining a healthy weight.
Patrick, Frey, TOPFIT, certified, personal training, personal trainer, personal trainers, fitness trainer, fitness trainers, fitness training, fitness, Medford Oregon, Southern Oregon, Jackson County, health, weight management, weight loss, fat loss, NSCA, CSCS, ACE, ISSA, sports performance, strength and conditioning, hypertrophy, weight gain, forum, weightlifting, weight lifting, powerlifting, power lifting, bodybuilding, message board, in-home, home, at home, online, supplements, food nutrient database, exercise, equipment, tips, articles, rehab, rehabilitation, certified personal trainer, certified fitness trainer, toning, firming
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