GLYCOGEN TRAINING

Glycogen Loading Carbohydrates help in producing glycogen which is stored in the muscles and used at the time of intense physical exercise. Additional stores of glycogen can help an athlete increase endurance. Glycogen loading is a technique used by athletes to enable the body to store more than normal amounts of glycogen in the muscles. This practice helps in increasing the endurance of an athlete at the time of a sports event. The technique involves the following steps: 1. The athlete reduces the intake of carbohydrates for several days by eating more fats and protein rich food. 2. The muscle glycogen in the body is also depleted through heavy physical workouts. 3. The exercise is reduced abruptly to lower intensities and the carbohydrate intake is increased. 4. The muscle glycogen levels shoot up by 2 to 4 times of the normal level and the endurance of the athlete increases as a result. Glycogen loading is a common practice, but in some cases, it can lead to heart irregularities and should be practiced with caution. Since muscle glycogen is used only for endurance sports (such as long distance running) or where the athlete is required to exert for over 1 hour. It is not of any use to resort to this technique for short duration sports. For every gram of glycogen added to a muscle, the muscle will also gain 2.4 grams of water. This can be helpful in some sports where a larger muscle size is important, but can also be a negative factor in some sports where the body weight of the athlete should be kept low. Carbohydrates for Performance There is plenty of sound scientific evidence to suggest that endurance athletes should eat carbohydrates, fats and proteins in the following proportions: 60-65% carbohydrates, 20-25% fats, and 15-20% proteins The nutritionist must make the above statistics clear to the client since there may be a lot of other influencing factors at play such as companies selling wonder drugs or protein powders that emphasize the benefits of increasing protein intake. Such companies would not like to state simple truths that have been known for years because it would hinder their sales pitch. The theory behind sports nutrition is fairly simple and you should always try to keep it simple for your client as well. It is also your duty to inform your client about the unhealthy effects of supplements and wonder diets selling in the market. Many athletes are overawed by the hype around proteins. There is no doubt that proteins coupled with proper exercise will lead to muscle gain. However, simply taking a diet rich in proteins will not help many types of athletes. A diet that is too rich in proteins and lacking in carbohydrates will deplete the muscle glycogen levels of an athlete resulting in the loss of energy and performance. Some athletes rely on excessive fats to build energy reserves during exercise. However, fat can not be broken down fast and as the intensity of the exercise increases, carbohydrates become the main source of fuel and the rate of fat burning remains constant.

The SCIENCE of High Intensity Interval Training

Fact: Obesity has officially become an epidemic and the number of people being classified as obese is growing (probably exponentially) every day. In fact, the prevalence of diabetes follows obesity by about 10 years. Although the prevalence of diabetes is growing in our society, it is not a new disorder. Diabetes Mellitus (DM) and Obesity have become a global epidemic…hence for the new disorder: DIABESITY. Fact: Being female has its perks, however, when it comes to NON estrogen related issues, we need to take care of ourselves. Women are more likely to have Cardiovascular Disease (CVD)…the NUMBER ONE cause of DEATH globally. Women with diabetes have a greater risk for developing CVD….

7 Sport Nutrition Tips

If you are looking to gain a winning edge over your competitor and become an elite level athlete then these sports nutrition tips needs to be a key part of your training program.

1. Eat food every two to three hours.
As an athlete you should be eating every two to three hours to ensure your body gets sufficient energy, stimulates metabolism, and balance blood sugar levels. This will in turn improve your body composition and sports performance.

2. Eat protein, vegetables and fruit with every meal.
In order for you to have correct sports nutrition you should eat lean protein, vegetables and fruit at every meal. By doing this it will ensure that you not only are eating optimally but also you meeting the your daily requirements.

3. Only eat non fruits or vegetable carbs after training.
Things such as simple sugars, sports drinks, rice, pasta, potatoes and other carbohydrates should only be ingested after training, as this is when the body can process these the best.

4. Don’t be scared of fats.
Despite what the media wants you to believe not all fat is bad fat. Although you will want to avoid trans fats it is important that your sports nutrition plan have a balance of saturated, monosaturated, and polysaturated fats in your diet.

5. Drink more water.
It is very important for you to remain hydrated at all times. A great way to do this is to carry a water bottle with you at all time and continually sip on it throughout the day.

6. Do not replace food with supplements.
Supplements should never replace foods in your sport nutrition plan, as they simply do not offer the same benefits as whole foods.

7. Plan Ahead.
With everything that you have going on as an athlete it is important that you plan your meals ahead of time. A great tip is to prepare all your meals for the day the night before so that you can remain consistent and achieve that winning edge over your
competition.

BODYNRICHED.COM

BODY N RICHES YOUR LIFE
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It's time we stop talking about change and commit to change:

COLUMBUS TRAVELED THE WORLD IN A SAILBOAT.
...AND YOU CANT GET TO THE GYM?

Contact: Richard Gayle
email: bodynriched@gmail.com
Phone: 647 988-7315


FITNESS TESTING
Bodynriched Fitness clients do a progress report on a quarterly basis to help form new goals and achieve new levels of fitness. This test is optional, but a great way to ensure you are always increasing performance and staying on track! If you are not yet a client of ours we invite you to come in for a fitness test and see how you are doing so far. It is a great place to start and a great tool to see how far you’ve come! Nothing is a better motivator than results. Stop guessing and wondering, come get a solid answer on your fitness level.

Progress Report Options:

Body fat
Testing
Speed
Cardio
Endurance
Strength
Flexibility
Abs / Core strength
More….
You have the option to do any, or all the tests so come set some goals with us today!


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PERSONAL TRAINING

How To Create A Salad Bar At Home

Opting for the salad bar over a burger and fries at lunchtime might be a wise choice for your waistline, but can be a costly habit.

Creating a salad bar in your fridge at home is easy if you shop for and prepare your fixings on the weekends. When it’s time to make lunch, all you have to do is throw together your favorite combinations!
Start with your favorite greens and then add whatever you’re in the mood for. Bagged salad greens can be a lifesaver – and the difference between packing a healthy lunch and picking something up from the food court. Wash and cut your vegetables, fruits and proteins, and store them in airtight containers.
Incorporating a variety of fruits, vegetables and protein into each salad will ensure your lunch is balanced. Adding a cup of soup or a carton of milk will keep you full all afternoon.

Fruits & vegetables
• Sliced or cherry tomatoes
• Grated zucchini and cabbage
• Baby carrots
• Berries
• Cucumber slices
• Chunks of apple and pears
• Asparagus spears
• Sweet peppers
• Mushrooms
• Cut broccoli florets
• Boiled or roast potatoes, in bite-sized pieces
• Peach slices

Protein
• Poached or roasted chicken
• Thinly sliced turkey sausage
• Hard-boiled eggs
• Cheese, cubed or crumbled
• Bacon bits
• Sliced smoked salmon
• Marinated tofu
• Cooked beans
• Cans of tuna
• Avocado slices

Everything else
• Croutons
• Nuts and seeds
• Tortellini or ravioli pasta
• Dried fruit
• Cooked grains like bulgur or quinoa
• Fresh herbs like basil, dill or cilantro
• Leftovers – throw dinner’s leftovers onto a bed of greens and you instantly have salad for lunch!

Dressing
The basic vinaigrette template is two parts oil to one part acid. Think one cup of olive oil and half a cup of balsamic vinegar plus a little bit of anything else you might want to jazz up your dressing. The combinations are endless!

• Lemon, lime or orange juice
• Oils – olive, flax or grape seed
• Vinegars – balsamic, white wine, red wine, sherry, apple cider, Champagne
• Mustard
• Cheese – parmesan, goat cheese or feta
• Nuts
• Maple syrup or honey
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Fresh herbs – oregano, basil, mint, rosemary, cilantro

Study Shows 1 Obscure Trick to Make ANY Exercise Program or Workout MUCH More Effective

I've read about this very interesting Harvard University study about exercise multiple times in the past, but I was just recently reminded about this study again while reading the fascinating book called 59 Seconds by Richard Wiseman.

Pay attention, because this actually shows a pretty powerful trick that you can use to literally make ANY workout or exercise program a LOT more effective and results producing.

According to the book 59 Seconds, here's how this study was carried out:

Researchers at Harvard University studied over 80 hotel room cleaning attendants from 7 different hotels. The hotel room attendants naturally received a lot of exercise from their daily jobs, which included cleaning an average of 15 rooms per day at about 25 minutes per room. This work involves a good deal of exercise in carrying things, scrubbing, lifting objects, vacuuming, and so on.

The researchers knew the hotel maids led an active lifestyle from their work, but also questioned whether most of the maids may not realize that their work was actually good for their health. The researchers set out to study the effects on the hotel attendants of making them very aware of how beneficial the exercise they got while working was for their health, and to see if this increased the results that they actually received from the exercise.

Basically, the question was... Would telling them that their work was great exercise improve their health, lower their blood pressure, and help them to lose weight compared to the hotel attendants that didn't realize their work was in fact "exercise"?

The hotel attendants were split into 2 groups:

1. This group was informed about the benefits of exercise and told how many calories they were burning while doing their hotel cleaning work each day. They were specifically told how many calories activities such as changing sheets, vacumming, and scrubbing bathrooms were burning each hour.

The researchers also wanted this information to stick in their heads daily, so they gave the attendants a handout showing the quantities of calories they were burning doing each activity of their jobs. They were also shown a poster daily that reinforced how many calories they were burning.

2. The control group of hotel cleaning attendants was simply informed of the benefits of exercise, but were NOT told how many calories they were burning doing their work, and also were NOT told that their work actually constituted a good form of exercise.

The researchers studied the existing lifestyles of all of the participants in both groups as well as giving them various health tests, including weigh-ins.

The study was conducted for 4 weeks. The researchers made sure that none of the participants had actually changed their exercise habits, smoking, or eating habits outside of work. This assured that there was no external lifestyle factor that could have accounted for the results of the study.

In addition, the hotel managers assured that the workloads of both groups stayed the same throughout the entire experiment.

Here are the VERY interesting results:

It turned out that the group of hotel cleaning attendants that was informed daily about the calorie-burning effects of their normal work routines ended up losing a significant amount of weight, lowered their body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio, and decreased their blood pressure.

The control group of hotel attendants that was not told about the calories they burned while doing their work showed NONE of these improvements.

Wow... very interesting huh!

Remember that each of these groups received the SAME amount of exercise and did not alter their lifestyle, eating habits, drinking habits, smoking, or anything else. The only thing that was different between the 2 groups was simply that the one group was constantly being reminded of how beneficial the exercise during their work was for their health and how many calories they were burning, and therefore their minds were busy believing in the benefits of it.

This actually doesn't surprise me... this is classic placebo effect at work here, and reinforces how powerful our brains are in relation to the results we get from exercise, food, supplements, etc.

How to use this info to burn more fat in your workouts, build more lean muscle, and improve your health more from exercise and nutrition

There's a good lesson in this study. If you strongly believe in your mind that the workouts that you are doing are drastically improving your body, your results will increase dramatically from those workouts.

The trick I've used over the years is to really "get mental" during your workouts and believe strongly that the exercise you are doing is transforming your body into a lean chiseled machine. (This is assuming that you're actually doing legit workouts such as Truth About Abs routines and not just wasting time reading a magazine while pedaling away on a boring exercise bike or treadmill).

So, if you want to burn more fat, not only do you need to workout intensely (for your individual capabilities), but you also need to mentally visualize the results you're getting, the bodyfat you are burning, and really strongly believe in how powerful the workout routine that you are doing really is for your body.

Along the same lines, if your goal is to build more muscle, then you really need to strongly believe in your mind at how powerfully your workouts are helping you to build muscle.

And this can be applied to your food intake too!

Don't underestimate how powerful your mind really is... If you are eating healthy foods such as those detailed in my Truth About Abs manual, make sure that you are also actively thinking in your mind about how those foods are dramatically helping your body, making you stronger, making you leaner, improving your energy and health, and so on.

Don't ignore this... this will drastically improve your results if you actively think about how truly healthy the foods you are eating every day are and how they are changing your body. This is assuming that you actually are eating truly healthy foods every day.

Another benefit of this "mental programming" is that it trains you to actually want to avoid junk foods, because you want to be able to think about how everything you eat is improving your body instead.

So there you go... an interesting study that shows how you can legitimately increase your results from your exercise and nutrition by just actively thinking about the benefits of both every day!

Please feel free to share the link to this page with your friends and family on email, your blogs or forums, Facebook, Twitter, etc.

Body n Rich Fitness

Quote of the day Rome was not built in a day, but it was built!!

Are Whole Eggs or Egg Whites Better for You?

was on a weekend trip with some friends recently and one of my friends was cooking breakfast for the whole group. I went over to see what he was cooking and saw he was getting ready to make a big batch of eggs.

Well, to my shock and horror, I noticed that he was cracking the eggs open and screening the egg whites into a bowl and throwing out the egg yolks. I asked him why the heck he was throwing out the egg yolks, and he replied something like this...

"because I thought the egg yolks were terrible for you...that's where all the nasty fat and cholesterol is".

And I replied, "you mean that's where all of the nutrition is!"

This is a perfect example of how confused most people are about nutrition. In a world full of misinformation about nutrition, somehow most people now mistakenly think that the egg yolk is the worst part of the egg, when in fact, the YOLK IS THE HEALTHIEST PART OF THE EGG!

By throwing out the yolk and only eating egg whites, you're essentially throwing out the most nutrient dense, antioxidant-rich, vitamin and mineral loaded portion of the egg. The yolks contain so many B-vitamins, trace minerals, vitamin A, folate, choline, lutein, and other powerful nutrients... it's not even worth trying to list them all.

In fact, the egg whites are almost devoid of nutrition compared to the yolks.

Even the protein in egg whites isn't as powerful without the yolks to balance out the amino acid profile and make the protein more bio-available. Not to even mention that the egg yolks from free range chickens are loaded with healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

Yolks contain more than 90% of the calcium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, thiamin, B6, folate, and B12, and panthothenic acid of the egg. In addition, the yolks contain ALL of the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K in the egg, as well as ALL of the essential fatty acids (EFAs).

And now the common objection I get all the time when I say that the yolks are the most nutritious part of the egg...

"But I heard that whole eggs will skyrocket my cholesterol through the roof"

No, this is FALSE!

First of all, when you eat a food that contains a high amount of dietary cholesterol such as eggs, your body down-regulates it's internal production of cholesterol to balance things out.

On the other hand, if you don't eat enough cholesterol, your body simply produces more since cholesterol has dozens of important vital functions in the body.

And here's where it gets even more interesting...

There have been plenty of studies lately that indicate that eating whole eggs actually raises your good HDL cholesterol to a higher degree than LDL cholesterol, thereby improving your overall cholesterol ratio and blood chemistry.

And 3rd... high cholesterol is NOT a disease! Heart disease is a disease...but high cholesterol is NOT. Cholesterol is actually a VERY important substance in your body and has vitally important functions... it is DEAD WRONG to try to "lower your cholesterol" just because of pharmaceutical companies propaganda that everyone on the planet should be on statin drugs.

If you're interested in this topic of cholesterol specifically, I have another article listed at the bottom of this page about why trying to attack cholesterol is a mistake, and what the REAL deadly risk factors actually are.

In addition, the yolks contain the antioxidant lutein as well as other antioxidants which can help protect you from inflammation within your body (the REAL culprit in heart disease, not dietary cholesterol!), giving yet another reason why the yolks are actually GOOD for you, and not detrimental.

To help bring even more proof that whole eggs are better for you than egg whites, I recently read a University of Connecticut study that showed that a group of men in the study that ate 3 eggs per day for 12 weeks while on a reduced carb, higher fat diet increased their HDL good cholesterol by 20%, while their LDL bad cholesterol stayed the same during the study. However, the group that ate egg substitutes (egg whites) saw no change in either and did not see the improvement in good cholesterol (remember that higher HDL levels are associated with lower risk of heart disease) that the whole egg eaters did.

So I hope we've established that whole eggs are not some evil food that will wreck your body... instead whole eggs are FAR superior to egg whites.

But what about the extra calories in the yolks?

This is actually a non-issue and here's why... even though egg yolks contain more calories than just eating the egg whites, the yolks have such a high micro-nutrient density in those calories, that it increases your overall nutrient density per calorie you consume. Essentially, what this does is help to regulate your appetite for the remainder of the day, so you end up eating less calories overall. In addition, the healthy fats in the egg yolks help to maintain a good level of fat-burning hormones in your body.

OVERALL,THIS MEANS THAT THE EXTRA FATS (HEALTHY FATS) AND CALORIES FROM THE YOLK ARE SO NUTRIENT-DENSE THAT THEY ACTUALLY HELP YOU TO BURN OFF BODY FAT!!

Also, your normal supermarket eggs coming from mass factory farming just don't compare nutritionally with organic free range eggs from healthy chickens that are allowed to roam freely and eat a more natural diet. Your typical cheap grocery store eggs will have lower nutrient levels and a higher omega-6 level and lower omega-3 level. On the other hand, the cage-free organic eggs from healthier chickens allowed to eat more natural feed and roam freely will have much higher vitamin and mineral levels and a more balanced healthier omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acid ratio.

I recently compared eggs I bought at the grocery store with a batch of eggs I got at a farm stand where the chickens were free roaming and healthy.

Most people don't realize that there's a major difference because they've never bought real eggs from healthy chickens... The eggs from the grocery store had pale yellow yolks and thin weak shells. On the other hand, the healthier free range eggs from the local farm had strong thick shells and deep orange colored yolks indicating much higher nutrition levels and carotenoids... and just a healthier egg in general.

This is due to the fact that a free-roaming hen allowed to roam on plenty of land will eat a variety of greens, insects, worms, etc transferring MUCH higher levels of nutrients to the eggs compared to an unhealthy hen that is trapped inside a dark factory farm hen house in horrible conditions and fed nothing but piles of corn and soy. It's a DRASTIC difference in the nutrition that you get from the egg.

So next time a health or fitness professional tells you that egg whites are superior (because of their "fat-phobic" mentality towards dietary fats), you can quietly ignore their advice knowing that you now understand the REAL deal about egg yolks.

And can we all please STOP with this sillyness about eating an omelete with 4-5 egg whites and only 1 egg yolk... If you want real taste and real health benefits, we'd all be better off eating ALL of our eggs with the yolks.

After all, do you REALLY think that our ancestors thousands of years ago threw out the yolks and only ate the egg whites? NOT A CHANCE! They intuitively knew that all of the nutrition was found in the yolks. But our modern society has been brainwashed with misinformation about fats and cholesterol.

ANOTHER INTERESTING STUDY ABOUT EGGS...

I read a study recently that compared groups of people that ate egg breakfasts vs groups of people that ate cereal or bagel-based breakfasts. The results of the study showed that the egg eaters lost or maintained a healthier bodyweight, while the cereal/bagel eaters gained weight.

It was hypothesized that the egg eaters actually ate less calories during the remainder of the day because their appetite was more satisfied compared to the cereal/bagel eaters who would have been more prone to wild blood sugar swings and food cravings.

Oh, one last thing I almost forgot... I personally eat 4 whole eggs almost every day with breakfast, and I maintain single-digit bodyfat most of the year.

Enjoy your eggs and get a leaner body!

BODY N RICH FITNESS

FIGHT ABDOMINAL FAT

Can This 1 Unique Spice Help to Fight Abdominal Fat?

Richard Gayle Body n Rich Fitness - Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Nutrition Specialist



This spice that I'm going to mention is one of the most overlooked, but healthiest spices in the world...

You might even call it a "fat burning spice"... in a roundabout way.

And yes, it can actually help you win the battle against abdominal fat if you use it daily...I'll explain why.

Here are some other benefits of this miracle spice:

•controls blood sugar levels
•helps maintain insulin sensitivity
•a VERY powerful antioxidant
•may have antibacterial and antifungal properties
•and dozens of other benefits
So what is this miracle spice that beats abdominal fat?

Well... it's good old tasty Cinnamon!

Although cinnamon does NOT directly increase fat burning (such as by increasing metabolic rate, etc), it CAN actually help you to burn off abdominal fat and get leaner in an indirect way.

Here's how...

Although cinnamon has dozens of health benefits, the main benefit that will help you to get leaner is through it's strong effect on controlling blood sugar levels in your body.

In a study published in 2003 in the medical journal Diabetes Care, groups were split into people taking 1, 3, or 6 grams of cinnamon per day in capsule form (the equivalent of approx 1/4th to 1 teaspoon of cinnamon).

The results of the study showed that all 3 amounts of cinnamon reduced fasting blood glucose levels by 18-29% after 40 days.

Cinnamon can also increase insulin sensitivity, which essentially means that it is helping your body to control blood sugar while simultaneously allowing your body to produce less insulin.

As you know, chronically high insulin levels can make your body pack on the blubber.

How to harness cinnamon to lose stubborn belly fat...

One possible way to benefit from cinnamon to lose more fat is to use cinnamon daily in your meals when you can, such as in yogurt or cottage cheese, in smoothies, oatmeal, or anything else you can think of where it would go well.

Also, you could use a cinnamon capsule before each of your meals.

This could help to control blood sugar and insulin response from your meals and thereby control your appetite and cravings throughout the day... hence, helping you to lose body fat more effectively over time.

So now you can see that not only is cinnamon a powerful antioxidant that can help you stay youthful longer, it can also help you to control blood sugar and get a leaner body!

The Importance of GI to an Athlete

The Importance of GI:


An athlete should quickly replace glycogen stores after intense exercise. The speed at which the stores are replenished is where the GI of the food being eaten comes into the picture. Rapid replenishment of glycogen is a must for athletes who have to perform repetitively after small time intervals (e.g. during heats in sprinting). Such athletes do not have much time before the next event and must eat foods that immediately shoot up their blood glucose levels (high GI foods). Consuming high GI carbohydrates (approx. 1 gram per kg of body weight) within 2 hours of the exercise speeds up glycogen replenishment and recovery. In sports that require performance for long durations (over 1 hour), it is wise to keep the athlete replenished with glycogen consistently throughout the day. This can be done by eating low GI foods 2 hours before the exercise or competition. The food will slowly supply blood glucose and shore up the stores of glycogen and keep the athlete full of energy for longer. It is always a good idea to keep eating carbohydrates throughout a competition to keep the glycogen and blood sugar levels high and constant.

The GI of some common foods (The GI of glucose which is always used as the reference food is 100): GI is measured on a scale where the GI of glucose is 100. Foods have been categorized as low, medium and high GI foods.

Low GI = 55 or less,

Medium GI = 56 - 69,

High GI = 70 or more

Breakfast Cereals

Oatmeal 49
Shredded Wheat 67
Quaker Puffed Wheat 67

Grains

Brown Rice 55
Long Grain White Rice 56
Short Grain White Rice 72
Noodles (instant) 46

GI of Fruit

Apple 38 Banana 55
Grapes 46
Papaya 58
Pear 38
Pineapple 66
Plum 39
Watermelon 103

GI of Vegetables

Broccoli 10
Cabbage 10
Carrots 49
Corn 55
Green Peas 48
Lettuce 10
Mushrooms 10
Onions 10
Potato (baked) 93
Potato (mashed, instant) 86
Parsnips 97
Sweet Potato 54

GI of Legumes/Beans

Baked Beans 48
Broad Beans 79
Lentils 30
Red Kidney Beans 27
Soy Beans 18

GI of Breads, Muffins & Cakes

Bagel 72
Blueberry Muffin 59
Croissant 67
Donut 76
White Bread 70
Whole Wheat Bread 69

GI of Pasta

Spaghetti 43
Ravoli (meat) 39
Macaroni 47
Rice Vermicelli 58

GI of Dairy Foods

Milk (whole) 22
Milk (skimmed) 32
Ice Cream (whole) 61
Yoghurt (low-fat) 33

GI of Snack Foods

Cashews 22
Chocolate Bar 49
Corn Chips 72
Jelly Beans 80
Peanuts 14
Popcorn 55
Potato Chips 55

Grilled Tofu Salad with Cabbage, Cucumber, Carrot & Rice Wine Vinaigrette

SERVES 2

4 Large slices firm tofu
1 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
2 Tsp. peanut butter
1 Tbsp. chopped ginger
2 Tsp. low-sodium soy sauce
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup shredded red cabbage
1 cup shredded Savoy or Napa cabbage
1/2 cup thinly sliced cucumber matchsticks
1/2 thinly sliced carrot matchsticks
Nonstick cooking spray

1. Heat a grell to high heat. Coat tofu with nonstick cooking spray and carefully lay it on grill, turning to a 90 degree angle to make grill marks. Repeat on the other side. Let cool, then slice thinly

2. Whisk together rice wine vinegar, peanut butter, ginger and soy sauce. While whisking, slowly pour in olive oil. This will make extra dressing.

3. Toss remaining ingredients with tofu and 1-2 tablespoons of dressing. Serve immediately

NUTRITION FACTS

320 calories
41g protein
24g carbs
29 g fat
9g fiber
5g sugar
92mg sodium

A HARDER CORE

Harder Core

1. Hit the Upper Abs First
By doing 20 to 30 crunches, you'll limit the upper abs' assistance when you move on to the lower portion, says Gunnar Peterson. This can help define the inguinal crease—the lines that run from hip to groin.

2. Tighten Your Belt
One-legged lifts contract your transverse abdominis—a belt of muscle surrounding your abdomen—says Jon Crosby, C.S.C.S., of Velocity Sports Performance in Baltimore. Grab a pair of dumbbells and raise your left thigh until it's parallel to the floor and your left knee is bent at 90 degrees. Bend your right knee slightly and do a set of shoulder presses, biceps curls, or lateral raises.

3. Squeeze a Tennis Ball While You Do Crunches
"Squeezing your hands as hard as you can causes radiational tension, which allows you to contract other muscles harder," says Murphy.

4. After You Bench-Press, Do 25 Crunches on the Bench
You'll be less likely to skip them than if you have to go find an exercise mat.

5. Make a Bet
Pick a date 8 weeks away and set a goal: You and your buddies wager over squatting your body weight, for instance, or decreasing your body fat below 15 percent. Add a dollar to the pot whenever you work out. Winner takes all.

The 5 Essential Exercises!!

To design a truly successful fitness or strengthening program, all you need are the 5 Essential Exercises: the dead-lift, lunge, push-up, chin-up, and ab wheel. These powerful moves form the basis of any conditioning workout.

The ultimate objective of any strength-training program is this:effectiveness. First and foremost, effective strength training or musculoskeletal conditioning must address all of the muscles, bones, joints, ligaments, and tendons of the body. This is because the body is a system, and that system ( like any other system ) is only as good as its weakest link.

Therefore, in order for any strength-training program to be truly effective, it must address the body as a system, and regardless of whether it is for a sixteen-year old or a sixty-year old, a linebacker or a librarian, in my opinion, the program must consist of 5 Essential Exercises.

The reason that this is the case is quite simply, that when broken down into components, the body does only five things; flexion (bending of the joint), extension (straightening of a joint), adduction (moving limb toward the body), abduction (moving the limb away from the body), and rotation (turning or twisting).

So when considering a Personal Trainer, why not consider someone who has not only the knowledge and Credentials for Fitness but will give you the results you need to feel great.

BODY N RICHED FITNESS
www.bodynriched@gmail.com

FAILURE..WHEN YOUR BEST IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH!!

In my experience, these sorts of explanations are all bunk. If someone shows up for a workout, it means they’ve already got their life under control and there’s only one thing that’s going to get in their way:

Pain. The expression ‘no pain, no gain’ is utter nonsense. There is nothing that feels so good as a great workout that pushes the limits of your strength and endurance and leaves you with a healthy ‘pump’ in all your muscles. But most people never reach this point, even if they hire a personal trainer.

Why? Because of muscular inhibition.

Roughly 9 out of 10 people (I’ve tested quite a few) have some kind of muscular inhibition. Maybe their arch is collapsed, creating an inhibition pattern all the way up the kinetic chain. Maybe a major muscle (like Illiopsoas) is over-contracted from sitting all day, shutting off its antagonist (the gluteus maximus). Maybe their stride is too short on one side, creating a whole chain reaction. Maybe there is a nutritional deficiency, or an organ is shut off for some reason, causing associated muscles to shut down. There could be one of a thousand things creating an inhibition pattern, but the effect is all the same:

Inhibition anywhere leads to compensation somewhere. Compensation leads to over-contraction, which increases compensation. The joint gets pulled, the ligaments and tendons get elongated, the joints gets pulled more and moves out of place. Nerves get pinched and when they’re pinched above a certain threshold, the person experiences pain.

When you’re in pain for even a moment, athletic performance breaks down. I’m sure you’ve experienced it at some point in your workout career: your body broke down and you were left sitting by the sidelines, watching everyone else have a great workout while you, a little embarrassed to admit you had failed that day, just couldn’t keep up.

Enter the western mythology of success:

‘Only the strong survive’, ‘no pain, no gain’ and all sorts of Successories posters showing people running up staircases with captions like ‘The victor keeps on running when everyone else stops’. Its almost like you’re supposed to feel guilty for not trying hard enough, even though trying isn’t the problem, pain is.

But pain is perfectly normal. Its your body’s way of telling you there is some underlying imbalance. These imbalances can be caught and fixed from day-one if you know the muscle tests for each muscle in the body.

But there is another, bigger reason people fail, and perhaps this is why we’ve been in the same ineffective medical paradigm for 2400 years…

#2. PAIN (not enough…)

The wiring of our nervous systems is such that pain takes precedence over all other impulses. We will do infinitely more to avoid pain than to gain pleasure. This is where apathy comes in: if we’re not in ENOUGH PAIN to justify making a major change, we’ll maintain things the way they are.

While being in a little pain can shut down an entire exercise program, not being in enough pain will leave you unmotivated to make the major changes necessary to get out of it long-term. And this is where most people sit: they’re in just enough pain that they can’t stay on a given routine long enough to see some results, but little enough pain that if they go back to doing nothing, the pain goes away.

No Equipment Core Strength Exercises
Body weight exercises are very effective for developing core strength. They are also the type of exercises many athletes and coaches rely on for regular core training.
They include:
● Abdominal Bracing
● The Plank Abdominal Exercise
● Plank with Leg Lift
● Plank with Arm Lift
● Modified Plank with Leg Lift
● Push Up
● Stability Ball Push Up
● V-Sit Abdominal Exercise
● Bridge Exercise
● Single Leg Bridge Exercise
● Lunge with Twist
● Hip Lift
● Seated Oblique Twist with Medicine Ball
● Lunge with Twist
● Alternating Superman Core Exercise

Abdominal Bracing
This is the main technique used during core exercise training. It refers to the contraction of the of the abdominal muscles. To correctly brace, you should attempt to pull your navel back in toward your spine. This action primarily recruits transverse abdominus. Be careful not to hold your breath - you should be able to breathe evenly while bracing.

The Plank Abdominal Exercise
The basic plank exercise, also called a hover, is the starting place if you want to improve your core strength and stability. Here's how to do it right.

● Begin in the plank position (see photo 1) with your forearms and toes on the floor.
● Keep your torso straight and rigid and your body in a straight line from ears to toes with no sagging or bending.
● Your head is relaxed and you should be looking at the floor.
● Hold this position for 10 seconds to start.
● Over time work up to 30, 45 or 60 seconds.


Plank with Leg Lift
Start in the same plank position (photo 1) as above with your forearms and toes on the floor.
● Slowly raise one leg 5-8 inches off the floor (photo 2)
● Count to two and slowly lower your leg to the floor.
● Switch legs and repeat.
● Do about 2-3 sets of 10 reps.

Plank with Arm Lift
● Start in the same plank position (photo 1) as above.
● Carefully shift your weight to your right forearm.
● Extend your left arm straight out in front of you.
● Hold 3 seconds while keeping your core tight.
● Slowly bring your arm back to starting position.
● Switch arms and repeat.
● Do 2-3 sets of 10 reps.


Modified Plank with Leg Lift
Perform the movement on your hands, rather than your elbows will make this exercise a bit easier

Side Plank Hip Strengthening Exercise
● Begin by lying on your side on the floor.
● Position your elbow on the floor just under your shoulder.
● Lift up on that elbow and keep your body stiff from head to toe.
● Hold this position for a count of 10 and lower your hip to the floor.
● Rest and repeat three times.
● Switch sides and repeat the exercise on the other hip.
● You can increase the effect of this exercise by lifting the top leg up toward the ceiling. Repeat the leg lift 10 times slowly and return to the start position.
● If you prefer, you can do these exercises on a hand rather than an elbow.


How to Do a Perfect Push Up
● Get on the floor and position your hands slightly wider than your shoulders.
● Raise up onto your toes so you are balanced on your hands and toes.
● Keep your body in a straight line from head to toe without sagging in the middle or arching your back.
● Your feet can be close together or a bit wider depending upon what is most comfortable for you.
● Before you begin any movement, contract your abs and tighten your core by pulling your belly button toward your spine.
● Keep a tight core throughout the entire push up.
● Inhale as you slowly bend your elbows and lower yourself until your elbows are at a 90 degree angle.
● Exhale as you begin pushing back up to the start position
● Don't lock out the elbows; keep them slightly bent.
● Repeat for as many repetitions as your workout routine requires.

Stability Ball Push Up Technique
● Lay with your chest on the stability ball
● Place your hands at the sides of your chest.
● Place your toes on the floor, legs straight.
● Push your body up until your arms are almost

V-Sit Abdominal Exercise
How to Do It
● Begin in a seated position, contract your abdominal muscles and core, and lift your legs up to a 45-degree angle.
● Reach your arms straight forward or reach up toward your shins as you are able.
● Maintain good core posture and a strong spine.
● Hold this "V" position for several seconds to begin. As you get stronger, hold the position longer.
● Return to your starting position slowly.
● Just before you reach the floor, stop and hold the position for a few seconds.
● Repeat this entire movement several times.

Bridge Exercise
● Lay on your back with your hands by your sides, your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
● Make sure your feet are under your knees.
● Tighten your abdominal and buttock muscles.
● Raise your hips up to create a straight line from your knees to shoulders.
● Squeeze your core and try to pull your belly button back toward your spine.
● If your hips sag or drop, lower yourself back on the floor.
● The goal is to maintain a straight line from your shoulders to your knees and hold for 20 to 30 seconds. You may need to begin by holding the bridge position for a few seconds as you build your strength. It's better to hold the correct position for a shorter time than to go longer in the incorrect position.


Single Leg Bridge Exercise
● Lay on your back with your hands by your sides, your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Make sure your feet are under your knees.
● Tighten your abdominal and buttock muscles.
● Raise your hips up to create a straight line from your knees to shoulders.
● Squeeze your core and try to pull your belly button back toward your spine.
● Slowly raise and extend one leg while keeping your pelvis raised and level. If your hips sag or drop, place the leg back on the floor and do a double leg bridge until you become stronger.

The goal is to maintain a straight line from your shoulders to your extended leg and hold for 20 to 30 seconds. You may need to begin by holding this bridge position for a few seconds and switching sides. It's better to hold the correct position for a shorter time than to go longer in the incorrect position.

Hip Lift
Begin by lying on your back with your arms by your sides, palms facing up.
Raise your legs so they are straight up toward the ceiling and perpendicular to your torso.
Pull your navel toward your spine and lift your hips a few inches off the floor, keeping your legs pointed straight up.
Then slowly lower your hips back to the floor.

Seated Oblique Twist with Medicine Ball
Seated oblique twists with medicine ball, sometimes called a Russian Twist, is a very effective exercise for strengthening the abdominal muscles.

How to do it right:
● Sit on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
● Contract your abs and sit at about a 45 degrees angle.
● Hold a medicine with both hands directly in front of you
● Contracting your abs, twist slowly from your torso to your right and touch the medicine ball to the floor beside you.
● Quickly, but smoothly, contract your abs and twist your torso and touch the medicine ball to the other side.
● Repeat for the desired number of reps.

Lunge with Twist
Using this type of stability exercise isolates your quads and hamstrings with the lunge motion; adding the twisting motion (with or without added weight) causes your glutes to contract more fully while it engages your core. It's also a great way to challenge your balance and engage muscles that are used while performing any exercise your perform one leg at a time, such as running, cross country skiing, and even cycling.
You can also use this as a warm-up exercise to get blood flow to many muscles at one time.

How to Do It
The Lunge with Twist Exercise:
● Stand with feet about shoulder width apart.
● Hold a medicine ball (optional) in front of you with elbows bent about 90 degrees. You may want to begin this exercise with no weight and build up your strength over time.
● Step forward with your left foot into a lunge position.
● Be sure to keep your left knee over your left foot; don't twist at the knee.
● From your torso, twist your upper body to the left. Then, reach across your left side with your arms out-stretched. (Think of pointing to the left from your belly button).
● Maintain a slow and controlled movement throughout the exercise.
● Slowly return your arms to center and step back from the lunge to an upright position.
● Repeat the movement to the other side.
● Perform 5 to 10 times on each side. Complete 2 sets.

Advanced The Lunge with Twist:
● Because shoes offer additional support, you can increase the difficulty of this exercise by performing it barefoot. This engages the small muscles of the foot and ankle that stabilize the ankle and maintain balance.
● Turn this into a Walking Lunge with Twist by performing the exercise as you walk forward 10 steps.
● Do 2 sets.

How to Do the Alternating Superman Core Exercise
● Lie face down on a mat with your arms stretched above your head (like superman)
● Raise your right arm and left leg about 5-6 inches off the ground (or as far as you comfortably can).
● Hold for 3 seconds and relax.

Target Heart Rate!!

Q: What is heart rate?
A: Heart rate is the number of heart beats per minute; the times per minute that the heart contracts.
Q: What is average heart rate?
A: The average of heart rates measured during an exercise period.

Q: What is recovery heart rate?
A: This is the heart rate that our body will decrease to after an exercise session. For example, you exercise for a 1/2 hour at 155. Two minutes after you stop exercising, your heart rate decreases to 95. The 95 would be your recovery heart rate. It is used to evaluate your fitness level after exercise. It is good to set a two minute time frame and see how many beats you recover in that time frame. Compare this recover heart rate between exercise sessions.

Q: What is resting heart rate?
A: Resting heart rate (Resting HR) is the number of beats in one minute when you are at complete rest. Your resting heart rate indicates your basic fitness level. The more well-conditioned your body, the less effort and fewer beats per minute it takes your heart to pump blood to your body at rest.

Q: How do I determine Morning Resting Heart Rate?
A: Immediately after awakening and before you get out of bed, measure your heart rate using your heart rate monitor or from the palpitating pulse from artery, counting the beats for 15 seconds and multiplying by four. You can sleep with your heart rate monitor on and in the morning read it first thing. Be aware of the fact that, if your bladder is full in the morning, you didn't sleep well, or you're feeling stressed, you might have a slightly elevated resting heart rate. Take these measurements for five consecutive days and find the average. This average is your actual resting heart rate. Resting heart rate is dependent on your living habits and a number of factors such as quality of sleep, stress level, and eating habits.

Q: What is maximum heart rate?
A: Maximum Heart Rate (Max HR) is the highest number of times your heart can contract in one minute. Max HR is the most useful tool to be used in determining training intensities, because it can be individually measured or predicted.

Q: How to determine maximum heart rate?
A: You can define your maximum heart rate by

1) having it measured in an exercise test

2) using age-predicted maximum heart rate formulas.

1) Measured Max HR

The most accurate way of determining your individual maximum heart rate is to have it clinically tested (usually by treadmill stress testing) by a cardiologist or exercise physiologist. You can also measure it in field conditions supervised by an experienced coach. If you are over the age of 35, overweight, have been sedentary for several years, or have a history of heart disease in your family, clinical testing is recommended.

2) Predicted Maximum HR There is a mathematical formula that allows you to predict your Max HR with some accuracy. It is called the "age-adjusted formula". The age-adjusted Max HR formula can come in very handy when you're not prepared to pay for the physician-supervised stress test.

WOMEN: 226-your age = age-adjusted Max HR
MEN: 220-your age = age-adjusted Max HR

If you are a 30-year-old woman, your age-adjusted maximum heart rate is 226- 30 years = 196 bpm (beats per minute).

These formulas apply only to adults. The generally accepted error in age-predicted formulas is + - 10-15 beats per minute, which is due to different inherited characteristics and exercise training.

You should remember that there may be some discrepancy when using the age-adjusted formula, especially for people who have been fit for many years or older people. The formula will give you a ballpark estimate to work from, but if you want to exercise/train at your most effective levels, your Max HR should be measured.

Q: What is the heart rate reserve?
A: Heart Rate Reserve is the difference between your Maximum Heart Rate and your Resting Heart Rate. If your maximum heart rate is 196 bpm (beats per minute) and your resting heart rate 63 bpm, your heart rate reserve is 196 bpm - 63 bpm = 133 bpm.

The greater the difference, the larger your heart rate reserve and the greater your range of potential training heart rate intensities.

Q: What is safety heart rate?
A: This is the heart rate that is prescribed for beginning exercises - whether a walker, runner, swimmer, snow shoer, or a participant in any aerobic activity. It is also the term used in some cardiac rehabilitation programs in which physicians prescribe moderate, supervised training for recovering heart attack patients. This range is usually 60% (or less) of the maximum heart rate and represents the least amount of stress you can place on your heart and still receive a beneficial exercise effect.

Q: What is Max VO2 heart rate?
A: This is the heart rate at which you hit your maximal oxygen uptake effort. On the average, you hit your Max VO2 HR at 95% of your Max HR.

Q: What is the anaerobic threshold?
A: The physiological point during exercise at which muscles start using up more oxygen than the body can transport, i.e. muscle work produces more lactic acid/lactate than the body can process.

Q: What is biofeedback?
A: Visual/numerical information on what is happening inside the body, for instance heart rate.

Q: What does ECG stand for?
A: It stands for electrocardiogram which is a unit that is used in the medical community to measure and analyze heart rate. The Polar heart rate monitors all have the same accuracy rating as the ECG machine.

Q: What is the target zone?
A: A target zone is a heart rate range that guides your workout by keeping your intensity level between an upper and lower heart rate limit. There are various target zones that are suggested for an individual to follow that correspond with a specific exercise goal. IE: Improved Fitness Zone 70-80% of Max Heart Rate.



Ideal For Benefit Desired Intensity Level (% Maximum heart rate)
Light Exercise Maintain Healthy Heart/Get Fit 50% - 60%
Weight Management Lose Weight/ Burn Fat 60% - 70%
Aerobic Base Building Increase Stamina Aerobic Endurance 70% - 80%
Optimal Conditioning Maintain Excellent Fitness Condition 80% - 90%
Elite Athlete Maintain Superb Athletic Condition 90% - 100%

CARDIO THAT BURNS DOUBLE THE CALORIES IN HALF THE TIME!

The right way do cardio effectively is with short, high-intensity intervals.
Interval cardio triggers your anaerobic metabolism, which will skyrocket your heart rate and melt the fat -- without eating away your muscle tone. Remember, you need to keep your lean muscle so you can keep burning more fat and calories.
In fact, interval cardio is so effective that you will KEEP burning calories around the clock -- up to 48 hours after your workout is over.

How Can That Be!!
Well, because MAX Workouts is intensity dependent (not time dependent) it triggers a powerful physiological effect known as EPOC (a.k.a. "The After Burn"). Let me explain...
EPOC is a scientific term used to measure your body's rate of oxygen intake following a high-intensity activity. The higher the intensity of the activity, the more oxygen and energy are needed to restore your body. As a result, your body continues to burn calories for up to 48 hours afterward.

So the "calories burned" counter on the treadmill means nothing anymore because your body is going to burn calories for up to TWO DAYS after your workout!

SCIENTIFIC FACT: Short, high-intensity interval training burns calories up to 48 hours AFTER your workout. That means you burn calories while you sleep!

SCIENTIFIC FACT: Lower-intensity aerobic (cardio) activities only burn calories while the activity is being performed

SCIENTIFIC FACT: Anaerobic Strength-training) workouts increase EPOC much more than aerobic exercise does

If there's one major point I want you learn from this article, it's this: fitness is intensity dependent,not time dependent.


So you see, the secret to shrinking your waistline and getting rid of belly fat permanently is NOT to workout longer. You just need to know how to workout SMARTER, which is exactly what you're going to learn with MAX Workouts.

The Food Guide Pyramid...THE FACTS

The food guide pyramid is often shown on cereal boxes, advertisements and other places that provide nutrition information to the public. The USDA Food guide pyramid contains the following groups of food.



a) Bread, Cereals, Rice, Pasta Group(6 to 11 servings): This group consists of the carbohydrate heavy foods and is placed at the bottom of the pyramid indicating that they should be eaten more often and should form an important part of the daily diet. The rationale behind eating more carbohydrates is that they provide energy so that a person is required to eat less fat. It is recommended that a person should have 6-11 servings from this group.

b) Vegetables (3-5 servings) and Fruit (2-4 servings): There is no doubt that fruit and vegetables are good for the body. Fruit and vegetables provide the body with essential vitamins and other nutrients and ward off diseases and ailments. A person should have 3-5 servings of vegetables and 2-4 servings of fruit a day.

c) Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs and Nuts Group (2-3 servings): This group provides the body with proteins. Proteins help in building the body tissues and muscles. A person should eat 2-3 servings from this group a day.

d) Milk, Yogurt and Cheese Group (2-3 servings) : This group provides proteins and calcium that make the bones strong and prevent health problems related to the degeneration of bone mass. A person should eat 2-3 servings from this group a day.

e) Fats, Oils and Sweets (eat sparingly) : This group should be eaten sparingly. Fat leads to heart s and obesity. Too much sugar also leads to obesity which can later create health problems.

The food guide pyramid provides an excellent way to ensure that the body's nutritional requirements are fulfilled properly. By following the guide, an individual will receive all the daily requirements in terms of energy, proteins, vitamins and other essential nutrients.

Here are the recommended sizes of the servings for foods high in carbohydrates.

Vegetables: 1 cup of raw vegetables, or ½ a cup of cooked vegetables, or ¾s of a cup of vegetable juice.
Fruit: 1 medium sized fruit (such as 1 medium sized apple or 1 medium sized orange), ½ a cup of a canned or chopped fruit, or ¾s of a cup of fruit juice.
Bread and cereals: 1 slice of bread; 1 ounce or 2/3 s of a cup of ready-to-eat cereal; ½ a cup of cooked rice, pasta, or cereal; ½ a cup of cooked dry beans, lentils, or dried peas.
Dairy: 1 cup of skimmed or low fat milk.

There has been endless research in the subject apart from the findings that have led to the development of the food guide pyramid regarding the proper intake of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. The currently recommended balance according to the McGovern Select Committee on nutrition and human needs is approx.

Proteins : 12%

Carbohydrates : 58%

Fats : 30%

There is plenty of sound scientific evidence to suggest that endurance athletes should eat foods with proteins, carbohydrates and fats in the following proportions:

Proteins : 15-20%

Carbohydrates : 60-65%

Fats : 20-25%

Body builders eat more proteins to add muscle and bulk, with the proteins accounting for up to 35-40% of the diet for professional body builders like Arnold Schwarzennegger in his competing days.

Top 10 foods for inflammation

Here 10 excellent inflammation-fighting foods and ways to incorporate them into your lifestyle:1

1. Fermented Foods and Liquids like Dong Quai, InnergyBiotic, Whole Grain Biotic and Coco-Biotic should be at the top of your list of inflammation-fighting foods. They are anti-inflammation super stars for many reasons. One example is that they build immunity and help control infections that are often an underlying cause of inflammation

2. Broccoli has tons of vitamin C and plenty of calcium. It also fights eye inflammation. Make sure you lightly steam your broccoli to digest it well.

3. Hemp oil (and all other oils with omega-3 fatty acids) reduce inflammation. Most Americans consume too many omega-6 fatty acids, so it's important to incorporate more omega-3 fatty acids. Hemp oil also has gamma-linoleic acid (GLA) to further fight inflammation. Remember to look for unrefined organic oils.

4. Wild-caught salmon is another way to get beneficial omega-3 fatty acids. You can also try other fatty fish like cod and sardines.

5. Tart cherries can reduce inflammation ten times better than aspirin! Once your inner ecosystem is well underway you are in stage 2 of Body Ecology. Tart cherries help reduce your risk for heart disease. They are certainly more delicious than the popular over-the-counter pill you are likely familiar with.

6. Soaked walnuts make a delicious and inflammation-fighting snack when you are ready for stage 2 of Body Ecology because of vitamin E and more heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Soak your walnuts and other nuts before you eat them to remove the enzyme inhibitor. This makes them easier to digest.

7. Onions and Garlic. Onions not only provide a sweet taste to your savory meals, but also they have lots of quercetin, a potent antioxidant that can help your body fight inflammation. Try onions with your grain dishes, or prepare with eggs and greens. Garlic has long been a folk remedy for colds and illness, and its anti-inflammatory properties are amazing! Garlic contains sulfur compounds that stimulate your immune system to fight disease.

8. Fermented Foods and Liquids like Dong Quai, InnergyBiotic, and Coco-Biotic should be at the top of your list of inflammation-fighting foods. They are anti-inflammation super stars for many reasons. One example is that they build immunity and help control infections that are often an underlying cause of inflammation.

9. Pineapple is a tart fruit that you can begin to eat in Stage 2 of the Body Ecology diet. It has bromelain, an antioxidant that boosts your immunity naturally.

10. Spinach has plenty of carotenoids, one kind of inflammation-reducing antioxidant and it also contains vitamin E. Make sure to steam your spinach for ultimate digestion.

Spices: Ginger & Turmeric


Turmeric is a spice used extensively in other cultures, and for good reason. It contains curcumin, a substance that actively reduces inflammation. Try sprinkling turmeric onto cooked squash or quinoa for a different flavor.

Ginger works in a way similar to turmeric to lower inflammation and in some studies has been shown to reduce pain associated with arthritis.

Typical Beach Body Workout!!

Typical Beach Body Workout

3-4 Day per Week Whole Body Circuit Routine
Basic Routine - 3\4-day Resistance to be completed 3 times per week. Duration 35mins approximately
Rest & Recovery - Take a day rest between sessions i.e. complete it Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Intensity - Carry-out the exercises right through with no rest. Take 90 second rest before completing right through again.

Beach Body Workout
Circuit Workout Sets x Reps


Fast Push-ups 4-6 x 20

Bent over Rows 4-6 x 8

Triceps Dips (on bench or chair) 4-6 x 15

Single leg squats (onto bench or chair) 4-6 x 15 each side

Shoulder Press 4-6 x 8 reps
Deadlifts 4-6 x 12 reps

Points to Note


Undertake for 5-8 weeks and combine with Build Muscle and Lose Fat Diet for best results.
See Best Ab Exercises if you are unsure of any Core Strengthening exercises.


P.s My reason to posting this Post, train in the cold for the Summer body you want!!

Keys To a Successful Fitness Program

Often people ask me what's the quickest way to lose weight. Well, unfortunately there is no shortcut or easy way to lose weight or tackle the problem areas, despite what most gimmicky products lead us to believe. But there are three keys that must be adhered to if you ultimately want to achieve success in your health & fitness program. Whether you're trying to lose weight, train for a 10K run, or just feel better.

These three components include: commitment, consistency and accountability. First and foremost, you have to be committed to your goals. To be completely committed you must to be willing to make lifestyle changes. Exercising at high intensities, multiple times each week is important but equally important is eating a sensible diet. Following a structured meal plan is imperative and has proven effective to meet the desired goal. Counter measures will lead to frustration, discouragement, and ultimately resignation from any program.

To really begin to start feeling and looking better you must exercise consistently. At the very minimum you have to workout at least twice a week - preferably three or four times. Consistency doesn't mean skipping workouts on a regular basis. If you plan on working out three times a week but miss a workout once every two weeks, that accounts for 26 missed workouts in a year. That's almost a whole month of not exercising!

Finally, you have to be accountable. Being accountable can include monitoring your diet by keeping a food log everyday (not once in a while), drinking plenty of water, and exercising regularly. Too often people think that since they worked out today they are "allowed" to eat an extra serving of dessert or have a bigger portion of lunch or dinner. By doing this you're adding back the calories you burned during your workout. This is not going to help you lose those extra pounds that you work so hard to burn. This is something to keep in mind being in the holiday season.



Accountability in Your Fitness Regimen



-Keep active. If you cannot meet your trainer or get to the gym, use that treadmill at home with the clothes draped all over it. If you do not have a piece of cardio equipt, try going for a walk.

-Keep motivated. Think about the goals that you have set for your fitness program and how being unproductive during the holiday season could hinder the progress that has been made towards those goals.

-Keep a dietary journal/log. During the holidays, eating can get out of hand. Try using a journal and write down what you have eaten and try to stay within a good target caloric intake.

-Eat in moderation. Eating sweets and large meals can be killer, but make an extra effort to try to eat in moderation. Remember, portion control!

Weight Loss Tips

A. Principles of Weight Loss


During any weight loss program, the following important factors must be clearly understood and made a part of the program.

1. Weight loss will take place when the calories expended by the body are more than the calories consumed. Therefore reducing the intake of calories through a well balanced diet is important for most weight loss cases.

2. The RMR (resting metabolic rate), which is the amount of calories consumed by the human body at rest for performing essential body functions such as beating of the heart and keeping the body warm makes a huge difference to the calories consumed by an athlete every day.The more the lean body mass (muscle weight), the more is the RMR of the body. The athlete’s lean body mass should be increased through weight training and aerobic exercise so as to increase the RMR.

3. If the weight loss program leads to weight loss accompanied by a loss in lean body mass (reduction of muscle weight), it will also mean that the RMR will decrease as well. The reduced RMR will mean the body will require less energy while at rest and the chances of regaining the lost weight will be extremely high. It is therefore essential that the muscular fitness is increased along with the weight loss. Therefore, a mix of aerobic exercise (to burn calories) and weight training (to increase the lean body mass) is the best technique for losing weight.

To summarize, any weight loss program is based upon the principle that when the number of calories burned by a person in 24 hours is greater than the number of calories consumed, weight loss takes place in the individual. The net deficit in the calories burned and used is made up by the fat in the body which results in a loss in weight. The smaller your muscles are, the fewer calories you will burn; the bigger your muscles are, the more calories you will burn. But remember that strenuous exercises with weights (including, but not limited to, dumbbells and barbells, Nautilus-type machines, your own body weight, and other forms of resistance exercises) is the best way to increase your muscle size, and thereby increase your metabolic rate. This will result in far more calories being burned all day long, even at night while you're sleeping.


B. Weight Loss through Exercise and BMI


1 pound of body fat = 3500 calories

WEIGHT LOSS (IN LBS) = (CALORIES BURNED - CALORIES CONSUMED)/3500

As a sports nutritionist, you must emphasize the importance of exercising for weight loss. Even though this may seem the hard way round the problem, it is much healthier and more fun. The formula behind a successful weight loss training program is simple - Burn more calories.

Here is a chart explaining the approximate number of calories burnt in 30 minutes by the body during various exercises:

The caloric expenditures listed in the table below are for people with about a 20 percent body fat level.

Aerobics (low impact) - 185
Cycling (recreational, 5mph) - 120
Cycling (moderate, 10mph) - 300
Cycling (vigorous, 15mph) - 480
Skipping 300
Step Aerobics (low impact) - 225
Swimming - 265
Walking (moderate) - 145
Walking (vigorous) - 195

1. One pound of fat is burnt by burning 3500 calories through activity. So, to burn one pound of fat would take 11.5 half-hour sessions of moderate cycling per week. This may seem difficult to most people. So it is advised that a healthier food intake program should be combined with the exercise routine. The emphasis should be on healthier food intake rather than less food intake (dieting).

Proper food is essential for the maintenance or restoration of health. There are six classes of food substances: carbohydrates, fats and oils, proteins, minerals, vitamins, and water. A calorie is a unit of heat used to measure body metabolism and "how fat" individual foods will make you. Technically, a calorie is the amount of heat necessary to raise the temperature of one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of water by one degree Centigrade. Carbohydrates and fats are the chief sources of calories. Proteins may also furnish calories. One gram of these nutrients, when burned in the body, supplies the following number of calories:

Carbohydrates 4 Calories
Fat 9 Calories
Proteins 4 Calories
Alcohol 7 Calories

From the above figures, you can see that fat is a concentrated source of calories. This is the reason why overweight people are asked to reduce their intake of fatty foods. Alcohol is also a concentrated source of calories, supplying 7 calories/gram. This is one of the reasons that beer drinkers end up gaining a beer belly. The amount of calories needed for body functions varies with age, sex, activity, and climate. Boys are usually more active than girls and require more calories. If you eat more calories per day than your body uses, the excess is changed into fat and stored in the body.

Body Mass Index (BMI) is a measure of the amount of fat on the body. BMI is defined as an individual’s body mass (in kgs) divided by the square of the individual’s height


The critical values of BMI for males and females are 27.8 and 27.3 respectively. One of the variables the BMI formula does not take into account is lean body mass. It is possible for a healthy, muscular individual with very low body fat to be classified as obese if we use the BMI formula. If you are a trained athlete, the weight calculated on the basis of the percentage of fat on your body would be a better indicator of what you should weigh.

BMI below 20:

It indicates a lean BMI, which means you have a low amount of body fat. If you are an athlete, this can be desirable. If you are not an athlete, a lean BMI can indicate that your weight may be too low which may lower your immunity. If your BMI and body weight are low, you should consider gaining weight through a good diet and exercise habits to increase your muscle mass.

BMI between 20 and 22:

A BMI in this range indicates the ideal, healthy amount of body fat which is associated with living longest, and the lowest incidence of serious illness. Coincidentally, it seems this ratio is what many individuals perceive to be the most aesthetically attractive.

BMI between 22 and 25:

A BMI in this range is still considered acceptable, and is associated with good health.

BMI between 25 and 30:

You are considered hefty and should find ways to lower your weight through balanced diet and exercise. You are at a high risk for a variety of illnesses with your present weight. You should lose weight by changing your diet and exercising more.

BMI over 30:

A BMI in this range indicates an unhealthy condition. Your excessive prosperity is making you prone to heart diseases, diabetes, high blood pressure, gall bladder diseases and some cancers. You should lose weight by changing your diet and exercising more.

Weight loss requires a change in eating habits and life style as well as a regular dose of exercise to burn fat. People who are grossly overweight have a great problem on their hands, and you must ask them to stop worrying and attack the problem with a positive mind and motivation. Will power is an important factor in weight loss, and you must help the trainee believe that weight loss is possible. While mentioning this, you must also drive home the point that weight loss cannot take place in a matter of a few days. It is a hard road that will require the person to abstain from unhealthy foods and take regular exercise. (something that the overweight trainee will not be used to). Weight loss trainees are not only required to be administered fitness counseling but also mental counseling to keep them motivated.


C. The ZigZag Method of Weight Loss


The zigzag approach to weight loss is considered the most scientific approach and one that leads to long term reduction of fat. The following issues must be kept in mind while understanding the zigzag method of weight loss:

1. The more the lean body mass, the more is the RMR (resting metabolic rate or the rate at which the body consumes calories at rest) and the better the capability of the body to burn fat while at rest.

2. The key to weight loss is to reduce the fat and increase the lean body mass and RMR. If you do this, the weight loss will be permanent.

3. A calorie deficit diet leads to a reduction not only in fat, but also in the RMR because the lean body mass is also reduced by the calorie deficit diet.

4. The problem confronting the weight loser now is how to increase the lean body mass, which requires a positive calorie balance diet.

5. The zigzag approach is the best approach to reducing fat for longer periods, increasing the lean body mass and the RMR.

Rules to be Followed to Make the Weight Loss Successful:

FITNESS TRENDS 2011

The top ten fitness trends predicted for 2011 are given below.


1. Educated and experienced fitness professionals. Due to increases in the number of organizations offering health and fitness certifications, it’s important that consumers choose professionals certified through accredited programmes.

2. Fitness programmes for older adults. As the baby boom generation ages into retirement, some of these people have more discretionary money than their younger counterparts. Therefore, many health and fitness professionals are taking the time to create age-appropriate fitness programmes to keep older adults healthy and active.

3. Strength training. Strength training remains a central emphasis for many health clubs. Incorporating strength training is an essential part of a complete physical activity programme for all physical activity levels and genders.

4. Children and obesity. With childhood obesity growing at an alarming rate, health and fitness professionals see the epidemic as an opportunity to create programmes tailored to overweight and obese children. Solving the problem of childhood obesity will have an impact on the health care industry today and for years to come.

5. Personal training. More and more students are studying sport and exercise science, which indicates that students are preparing themselves for careers in allied health fields such as personal training. Education, training and the possession of recognized qualifications for personal trainers has become increasingly important to the health and fitness facilities that employ them.

6. Core training. Distinct from strength training, core training specifically emphasizes conditioning of the middle-body muscles, including the pelvis, lower back, hips and abdomen – all of which provide needed support for the spine.

7. Exercise and weight loss. In addition to nutrition, exercise is a key component of a proper weight loss programme. Health and fitness professionals who provide weight loss programmes are increasingly incorporating regular exercise and calorific restriction for better weight control in their clients.

8. Boot camp. Boot camp is a high-intensity structured activity programme modeled after military style training and led by an instructor. Boot camp incorporates cardiovascular, strength, endurance and flexibility drills in both indoor and outdoor settings.

9. Functional fitness. This is a trend toward using strength training to improve balance and ease of daily living. Functional fitness and special fitness programmes for older adults are closely related.

10. Physician referrals. Physician referrals partner medical and health and fitness professionals to allow the simple integration of exercise into patients’ lives.