Timing Your Protein Supplement Intake

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If you take your protein supplement at the wrong time, chances are, your body doesn’t use all of it, and a good part of the protein powder goes to waste.Here is a list of key points in time, when protein powder is needed the most, ranked in order of importance.

A few minutes after your workout

Right after your workout your body needs raw materials to recover and rebuild itself.Consuming the right kind of nutrition after intense training will boost the metabolism and put your body in a mode where it can produce muscle building hormones like testosterone, insulin, and growth hormone.This is known as the anabolic window.

Taking 20-40 grams of protein along with high glycemic index carbs, immediately after the workout will make a drastic change in your physique over time.If you can afford only one protein shake a day this will be the best time to consume it.An hour after this protein shake is the time to eat
real food (about 30-40 grams of protein and some low glycemic index carbs).

In the morning

When you wake up, your body needs food after the 7,8 or 9 hour fast.This will be the right time for a whey protein shake or an amino acid supplement.Protein powder is assimilated faster than whole food and will get to your muscles faster.About an hour later it’s time for a real breakfast and another 30-40 grams of protein.

Before you go to bed

By consuming a “slow” digested protein like casein, you give your muscles a steady stream of “building blocks” trough the night.This is the way the muscles will stay in anabolic state during the longer fasting period.Remember, you don’t want to consume carbs before bed, because the body stores them as fat when there is no energy expenditure.

Between meals

Consuming protein between two meals helps your body to stay anabolic all day, especially if you have long periods of time in between meals.Because protein powder is easier digested, you won’t be full all the time and you will feel more hungry when the time for a meal comes.

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Bodybuilding : Nutrition Tips For A Great Body

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If you are a part of the Iron game, you probably know the basic principles of building muscle and losing fat. Lift heavy, eat right and get plenty of rest if you want to succeed in this game called bodybuilding. Sometimes, however, people tend to forget basic things that can make them successful athletes and stand out from the crowd. They say that building muscle and losing fat is 70 percent nutrition, so here is a list of basic nutrition reminders to help you get the body of your life.

1. Protein is the base. Your muscles are made of protein and this makes protein the essential macro nutrient you have to consume in order to build muscle mass. You need to consume at least 1.2-1.3 grams of protein per pound of your weight every day. This is a must if you plan to actually build muscle instead maintaining it. Good sources of protein include meats like beef,chicken and turkey, eggs, fish – tuna, salmon and herring and cottage cheese.

2. Complex carbohydrates throughout the day – oatmeal, brown , potatoes,  pasta etc. and fast carbs right after the workout. Complex carbs will ensure stable insulin levels during the day, they will give you more energy for intensive weight training sessions, while fast carbs will reload the depleted glycogen faster after training.

3. Eat essential fatty acids. Healthy fats are crucial for numerous body functions such as proper brain and heart activity, hormone regulation and control of energy levels. Great sources of EFAs are nuts and seeds, fish, fish oil, some fruits like avocado and papaya.

4. Eat your vegetables. Vegetables are a great source of fiber, vitamins and minerals. Fiber provides bulk to foods, therefore making you feel fuller longer. It also keeps the the insulin levels and blood sugar levels steady by making the food digest longer.

5. Don’t overeat. If you want to build muscle it’s necessary to eat more calories than you burn daily. This, however doesn’t mean that you are free to eat tons of calories. Eat only 400-500 calories more than you need to maintain your muscle mass. It’s always better to gain slowly but and stay lean, than to gain high percentage of body fat and then cut it down. Calculate your protein needs per meal and try to fulfill your protein needs first. Complete your calorie needs with carbs and then add some fiber.

6. Don’t drop your calories too low. This one applies when you are trying to drop weight. A 400-500 calorie decrease is all that is needed for your body to start burning fat for fuel. Lowering your calories too low for longer periods can cause muscle breakdown for energy. I’m talking about fasting for days here, not hours.

7. Protein for breakfast. There are studies that say the best breakfast for athletes is a pure protein one. Research has shown that starting your day with a protein food will normalize blood sugar, increase the metabolism and increase the production of anabolic hormones like the growth hormone.

8. BCAAs pre workout. Branched chain amino acids will spare your muscles during and help you recover after an intense workout. Try taking a larger amount (10-20 grams) of branched chain amino acids before the workout.

9. Large amount of carbs after training. Try to eat around 70-80% of your total carbs after the workout. Simple sugars will enter the muscle cells at a quick rate and will react with certain hormones to start the rebuilding process. Try to eat about 50 grams of fast carbs immediately after the workout together with a 30-50 gram whey protein shake. The rest of the carbs should be complex and you should eat them 1 to 2 hours later along with another 50-70 grams of protein.

10. Rotate the carbs (and calories): The body is a well tuned machine and soon it will adapt to the constant amount of calories. This is why cycling your carbs will keep the body guessing and help you continue your progress. Try to eat the maintenance amount of calories for a couple of days, followed by a high calorie day and then a low calorie day.

11. Have a cheat day once per week. Pick a day of the week when you can enjoy your favorite food. After you fulfill your protein needs you can eat whatever you want. This will increase leptinlevels and help you burn fat and build muscle. Just remember to go back to your diet the next day.

Want a flat stomach ?? Avoid the following!

A flat stomach is always a challenge. Some foods cause weight gain faster than others, because they have a high calorie and low-nutrient. These are the foods to avoid if you want to have a flat stomach:

Foods to avoid: Fat meat

The lamb, beef and pork is high in saturated fat – the worst of fats you need to avoid. They contribute to higher levels of cholesterol, artery blockage and heart disease. Saturated fats are high in calories, so it causes weight gain. Choose lean meats such as chicken and fish or do not eat meat at all.

Foods to avoid: Sugar

Sugar means nothing more than just calories and is not required in the diet. Every time you consume foods and sugary drinks, like candies or sodas, fast calories are stored in the body as fat and not burned immediately. These drinks and foods to avoid contain added sugar and are not good for your body.

Avoid white foods

White foods to avoid like pasta, biscuits, bread, white flour have almost no nutritional value because they are highly processed. Also, many have added sugar and trans fats. They provide quick satiety but this feeling disappears quickly too. The result is the temptation to eat more is more.

Avoid alcohol

It is another drink rich in just calories. To make it worse, many drinks are mixed with sweet (syrup). Besides being high in empty calories that are stored in the body as fat, alcohol destroys muscle tissue.

Potato chips

This type of foods to avoid is very high in fats. Another problem is that they do not provide satiety, so people are tempted to consume more, making the body a greater number of calories (the same amount can be replaced with seeds, nuts or fruit – they will provide a feeling of satiety for a long time and are healthier).

- See more at: http://www.fitneass.com/foods-to-avoid/#sthash.GtRdiyvw.dpuf

Nutrition Tips

Bodybuilding : Nutrition Tips For A Great Body

If you are a part of the Iron game, you probably know the basic principles of building muscle and losing fat. Lift heavy, eat right and get plenty of rest if you want to succeed in this game called bodybuilding. Sometimes, however, people tend to forget basic things that can make them successful athletes and stand out from the crowd. They say that building muscle and losing fat is 70 percent nutrition, so here is a list of basic nutrition reminders to help you get the body of your life.

1. Protein is the base. Your muscles are made of protein and this makes protein the essential macro nutrient you have to consume in order to build muscle mass. You need to consume at least 1.2-1.3 grams of protein per pound of your weight every day. This is a must if you plan to actually build muscle instead maintaining it. Good sources of protein include meats like beef,chicken and turkey, eggs, fish – tuna, salmon and herring and cottage cheese.

2. Complex carbohydrates throughout the day – oatmeal, brown , potatoes,  pasta etc. and fast carbs right after the workout. Complex carbs will ensure stable insulin levels during the day, they will give you more energy for intensive weight training sessions, while fast carbs will reload the depleted glycogen faster after training.

3. Eat essential fatty acids. Healthy fats are crucial for numerous body functions such as proper brain and heart activity, hormone regulation and control of energy levels. Great sources of EFAs are nuts and seeds, fish, fish oil, some fruits like avocado and papaya.

4. Eat your vegetables. Vegetables are a great source of fiber, vitamins and minerals. Fiber provides bulk to foods, therefore making you feel fuller longer. It also keeps the the insulin levels and blood sugar levels steady by making the food digest longer.

5. Don’t overeat. If you want to build muscle it’s necessary to eat more calories than you burn daily. This, however doesn’t mean that you are free to eat tons of calories. Eat only 400-500 calories more than you need to maintain your muscle mass. It’s always better to gain slowly but and stay lean, than to gain high percentage of body fat and then cut it down. Calculate your protein needs per meal and try to fulfill your protein needs first. Complete your calorie needs with carbs and then add some fiber.

6. Don’t drop your calories too low. This one applies when you are trying to drop weight. A 400-500 calorie decrease is all that is needed for your body to start burning fat for fuel. Lowering your calories too low for longer periods can cause muscle breakdown for energy. I’m talking about fasting for days here, not hours.

7. Protein for breakfast. There are studies that say the best breakfast for athletes is a pure protein one. Research has shown that starting your day with a protein food will normalize blood sugar, increase the metabolism and increase the production of anabolic hormones like the growth hormone.

8. BCAAs pre workout. Branched chain amino acids will spare your muscles during and help you recover after an intense workout. Try taking a larger amount (10-20 grams) of branched chain amino acids before the workout.

9. Large amount of carbs after training. Try to eat around 70-80% of your total carbs after the workout. Simple sugars will enter the muscle cells at a quick rate and will react with certain hormones to start the rebuilding process. Try to eat about 50 grams of fast carbs immediately after the workout together with a 30-50 gram whey protein shake. The rest of the carbs should be complex and you should eat them 1 to 2 hours later along with another 50-70 grams of protein.

10. Rotate the carbs (and calories): The body is a well tuned machine and soon it will adapt to the constant amount of calories. This is why cycling your carbs will keep the body guessing and help you continue your progress. Try to eat the maintenance amount of calories for a couple of days, followed by a high calorie day and then a low calorie day.

11. Have a cheat day once per week. Pick a day of the week when you can enjoy your favorite food. After you fulfill your protein needs you can eat whatever you want. This will increase leptinlevels and help you burn fat and build muscle. Just remember to go back to your diet the next day.

It's been a while

 I learnt something today! A few things actually! Firstly my partner Katie is incredible! This is not a thing I didn't know but today she pushed me without me knowing to restart my insanity workouts! Not only does she look after my two amazing children but she keeps house! Manages our money and always looks beautiful! Never gives up no matter what and more importantly never gives up on me!!

I also learnt that my hellish job ( I call it hellish not because of the job itself but for those that make me feel lacking, worthless and for the first time in my life I feel myself seeking that persons blessing daily that I am doing a good job but never has a person made me feel so worthless and dreadful.

But!

In order to better the lives of my family I need to continue and endure! Because good things come to those who keep fighting! Keep trying! And do! And that's important because people respect those who do! 

Where will I be next year? Who knows?! I know I want to contribute to the world I want to make a difference! Can I do the insanity certification? I hope so! It gives me hope? Do people believe I can do it? Or will do it?  No! Just another crazy idea by Tom. I know what people think about me and yes I do care that people don't take me seriously. I do care! It hurts.

But I have gone from 18 stone to 15 stone 8 pounds! I have done amazing! I am amazing! 

What about my psychic work?

I find my self stepping to a different platform to coaching and life blessings.

Sounds crazy I know! But I don't believe ghost hunts are the way forward. I believe people need hope, they need a path and they need to see something beyond the structures of reality.

So what does this mean? For me!?

Driving forward creating a better me! Not and never worrying what others thing or believe about me!

I am inherently lazy, short in my intention span. But I mean all I say! I mean all I challenge myself with. 

The challenges i face everyday is unimaginable. With my inner demons! My hand! My self esteem, 

I don't show half of it, nor do I talk about it often. I need to succeed this time! For my self worth and for those around me to feel proud of me!

Losing weight

I think part of it is perception. Recently I hurt my back. I'm ok now but as I recovered I felt really heavy. Thought I'd put loads of weight on. Turns out? I'd put 1 pathetic pound on! 

I had a conversion with that pound! Threw some insanity it's way! And it left! And took some lardy friends with it! Ha! 

Weight loss is 60% mind set! Believe me! If you believe you can do and use the other percentage to eat well and train. You can do it! It's ironically easy to loss weight it's keeping it off that's the problem.

Which is why diets generally don't work long term. Studies find more people who have dieted have gained more weight than they lost in the first place. You can't starve your body of what it craves. You have to overhaul you life style. It has to be a want, a need, an overwhelming arse kicking realisation that you and your body deserve the best life.

You can exercise until you blue in the face. If you don't overhaul and believe this is a long term thing, why bother? If you screw up? So what! Work harder the next day! 

Rant over! Love peeps!

Set back

Was doing really well with insanity workout then busted my back. Since then I have say on my bum for a week. It's getting better but not enough to work out. Problem is when I am not focused I eat and I eat the wrong stuff.

I know I've gained weight. Not much but enough to make me feel like shit.

As I am eating these wrong things I know I am doing it and hating myself for doing so.

Don't get me wrong I really want to catch up in my insanity work outs but can't invade I make matters worse with my back.

It's a vicious cycle I hate it.

Dunno what to do except the obvious.

Three choices

I exercise and I will stop eating shit, risk my back

Wait until fully better, risk eating crap

Stop eating crap and wait (the hardest of the three) 

Some visual assistance

Things to eat and avoid

Why insanity workouts are considered to be crazy and how these crazy results are achieved

People will define insanity in different ways. Some will say that insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly in order to get different results. This statement applies with Insanity workout. For betterInsanity workout results, onehas to repeat the same workout everyday and if you buy insanity workout DVD, this means that you will have to repeat the same exercise everyday for the amount of days put in place for example sixty days. It is also true to say that doing the same insanity workout practice will give you potentially amazing results.

Even though you are a person that works fairly but on regular basis, Insanity workout has the ability to challenge and push you to the level of your desire. If you take an insanity program for sixty days, you have the ability to change your physique and also your life. This is not like any other program in the market that with the ability to change one’s fitness. Insanity workout is considered to be insane because it involves working out to one’s maximum level all through the workouts with shorter periods of intense but less work, but the intense less work is more intense than what people actually think or perceive it to be.

It involves working one’s body to their limits and getting the most out of it in every minute one does the workout but whose results are guaranteed in a relatively shorter time. It is also considered not to be a workout for the faint hearted. If you go online and search for Insanity workout reviews, you will notice the levels at which people have gone through to develop the fitness they desired. No mediocre results can be achieved from insanity workout as the results are based on how much of the workouts you have done

Source http://www.demufder.org/why-insanity-workouts-are-considered-to-be-crazy-and-how-these-crazy-results-are-achieved/

First gym day

Ok, so it's not the first gym day but I've had near three weeks off due to injuries and strains.

So 6:20am early rise! Beautiful day! Very warm! Got to the gym weighed myself have gone from 16 stone 11 to 16 stone 13. Obviously a huge weight gain! So I am laying off the swimming for a while and concentrating on cardio and low weights in the gym.

I won't say I can cut out chocolates but I will certainly try. Juicing I've found difficult but writing a program I plan to follow.

So I plan to lose 4 pound this week. I want to be 15 stone by September for Amsterdam.

Juicing detox! Good or bad?

Juice fasting has become trendy, with whole offices undertaking group cleanses, and juice shops constantly posting photos of the latest celebrity to guzzle their drinks.

I don't know about you, but I like food. 

If you like the idea of detoxing, but can't fathom going a week without food, rest assured, in this case you can have your cake and eat it too. Figuratively, anyway.

Nature has created potent detoxifiers, in the way of certain fruits and vegetables, so all you need is a little knowledge on exactly what to eat (and not to eat) to effectively detox your body without pills or juice fasts. 

Why Detox?

Our bodies are naturally built to remove toxins every day. We detox by eliminating and neutralizing toxins through our colon, liver, kidneys, lungs, lymph and skin.

However, in this day and age we're exposed to a number of environmental pollutants in the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat. Furthermore, our chemical-laden diet — with its large amounts of animal protein, saturated and trans fats, caffeine, sugar, and alcohol — inhibit our bodies from properly performing their detoxification processes.

Detoxing through the diet is a great way to give your body a break and support its natural self-cleaning system.

Besides just helping your body get rid of toxins, doing a food-based detox can also help you:

• Flood your body with micronutrients.
  
• Drop a few pounds.
  
• Reduce inflammation.
  
• Curb your sugar cravings.
  
• Increase your energy and productivity by clarifying your mind.
  
• Bolster your immune system.
  
• Kick start a new healthy eating plan.
  
• And since you won't be starving yourself, there is really no downside. 
  

How to Detox through Your Diet

Detoxing through your diet is simple enough. Essentially, you just have to eliminate anything that doesn't grow from Mother Earth, including processed and packaged foods, animal products (including dairy and fish) and sugary drinks. Instead, replace them with whole fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and whole grains (think brown rice, not brown rice bread).

Choose 3-5 days during which you'll follow this clean eating plan in order to give your body a break and support its natural self-cleaning system. Of course, it's best to eat healthy all year long, but since life can sometimes get in the way, it's a great idea to get in the habit of doing periodic food detoxes to really nourish your body and give it a chance to naturally cleanse and repair itself. 

Photo Credit: Shutterstock.com

Daily juicing

Taste is better, still not perfected but again work in progress.

I do wonder how to create the red juices?

First juicing

Interesting taste, not very palatable but it's a learning curve

 

Ways to a good juicing life

by Dr Ben Kim

I'm often asked to name one thing that can be done right away to get healthier. With respect to food choices, the best suggestion I have is to begin drinking freshly pressed vegetable juices. Drinking just one freshly pressed juice each day is a reliable way of infusing your body with a wide variety of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients that can protect your cells against premature aging and disease.

Almost everyone who has studied nutrition can agree that freshly pressed vegetable juices are highly beneficial to human health. But few people make time to prepare and drink them regularly.

Making time to drink vegetable juices isn’t a problem for most people. It’s the time that is needed to wash fresh vegetables, feed them through a good juicer, and clean the juicer afterward that prevents most people from making fresh juices a regular part of their lives.

So the first step to incorporating juicing into your life is to fully understand how good it is for your health and why making time to do it daily is one of the very best investments you can make.

The Right Ingredients

The key to making healthy vegetable juices is to make green vegetables the bulk of every serving. Green vegetables won’t spike your blood sugar and insulin level like fruits and sweet vegetables like carrots and red beets will.

This is not to say that you can’t juice fruits, carrots, and red beets. Fruits and sweet root vegetables can be healthy additions to your drinks, and they'll definitely add sweetness and flavor. You just want to make sure that they never make up more than one-third of each glass that you drink.

And if you have a problem controlling your blood sugar level, you’ll want to use a blood sugar monitor to determine how much is acceptable for you. I’ve worked with dozens of diabetics over the years who haven’t been able to handle even an ounce of fruit, carrot, or red beet juice in their drinks without negative health consequences, so please consider this point before you select your ingredients for juicing.

Romaine lettuce is one of the best green vegetables that you can juice. You can also juice other types of green, leafy lettuce like red or green leaf lettuce.

For variety, try adding large handfuls of kale, Swiss chard, collard greens, Bok Choy, and any other dark green vegetable that you might steam before eating.

For another layer of flavor, you can add a tiny slice of lemon (including the rind for its flavonoids) to your vegetable juices.

Some people enjoy adding a clove of raw garlic for even more bite.

Be creative and add any vegetables you crave. You really can’t go wrong as long as you make sure not to use too many carrots, red beets, or fruits.

Clearly, organic vegetables are better than non-organic vegetables. But my experiences have led me to believe that the health benefits of drinking juices made with well washed, non-organic vegetables far outweigh not juicing at all. If you are only able to juice non-organic vegetables due to financial or other life circumstances, it’s still well worth your while to do so.

Preparing to Juice

We like to fill up the kitchen sink with cold water and dunk all of our vegetables for a good five minutes. Before we pull all the vegetables out to sit in a colander to dry off a bit, we shake them around in the cold water to make sure that we’ve removed any dirt or even bugs that may be hiding in the vegetables, particularly in heads of celery and lettuce.

If we know that we need to make a few gallons of vegetable juice over several days, we store washed carrots and ribs of celery in containers full of water in the refrigerator.

We store leaves of lettuce spread out and stacked vertically in a container with layers of paper towel in between each layer of lettuce to help absorb excess moisture. Fresh lettuce can last a whole week or more when stored in this fashion.

If you’re really pressed for time and want to make enough juice to last three to four days, you can make a big batch and store it in an air-tight container in the refrigerator - not as good as drinking right after pressing, but still likely better than drinking store-bought fruit juices or even vegetable cocktails like V8.

The Art of Juicing

Juicing is, for the most part, quite easy to do. You make sure that your vegetables are small or crunch-able enough to fit through the feeding mechanism of your juicer, and you push them in one at a time.

It's best to juice soft vegetables like leafy greens first, as they are a bit harder to push through the extraction mechanism than firmer vegetables like carrots and celery. Firmer vegetables like carrots and celery can actually help to push any bits of softer vegetables that are deep within the feeding tube of your juicer but not yet
completely through the extraction mechanism.

With leafy greens, we find that it is best to roll them up into small balls before feeding them through the juicer. This helps prevent a single leaf from getting stuck between the feeding tube of your juicer and the plunger that you use to push the vegetables down.

Fruits, like firmer vegetables, can be added near the end, as you are unlikely to have a problem with pushing them down and through the extraction mechanism with the plunger.

Healthy Juice Recipes

Vegetable-based juices:

• 2 carrots
• 2 ribs of celery
• 8 leaves of romaine lettuce

• 2 carrots
• Handful of parsley
• 6 leaves of romaine lettuce
• Squeeze of lemon

• 2 tomatoes
• 3 ribs of celery
• 1 carrot
• Squeeze of lemon

• 6 leaves of romaine lettuce
• 1 tomato
• 1 rib of celery
• 1 carrot

• Big bunch of kale
• 2 carrots
• 2 ribs of celery

• Big bunch of Swiss chard
• 2 carrots
• 2 ribs of celery

• 6 leaves of romaine lettuce
• 2 cups of green cabbage
• 2 carrots

• 6 leaves of romaine lettuce
• 2 ribs of celery
• 1 apple, whatever is in season

• 4 ribs of celery
• 2 carrots
• 1 apple

Fruit-based Juices (only for special occasions and if you don’t have high blood glucose levels):

• 3 ribs of celery
• 2 apples

• Small handful of strawberries
• Watermelon (cut into strips, rind included if you wash it well before cutting)

• Honeydew (cut into strips)
• Squeeze of lemon

• 1 apple
• 1 pear
• 3 ribs of celery

• 2 apples
• 8-10 strawberries

• 1 cup of pineapple
• 1 cup of grapes
• Small handful of strawberries

This is some serious, life-sustaining stuff, so drink with gratitude and enjoy knowing that you're taking great care of yourself. 

Source: www.drbenkim.com

5 TIPS FOR JUICING GREENS!

By Drew Canole

Juicing vegetables is tasty, easy and beneficial for your health. Juicing vegetables is a great way to reward your body with nutrient dense vegetables, vitamins, minerals and powerful nutrients. 

Many of my clients who first come to me, complain about feeling sluggish, tired, no energy, lack of sleep and often times they want to get into shape. One of the first things I recommend is a simple juice fast.

When you first start juicing greens, you might be confused on what greens to juice and how to get a good tasty juice. You don't want the juice to be bitter or unbearable. For these reasons I came up with 5 tips for juicing greens.

1. Start with a Base

Before you add any leafy greens like kale, add a base. A base includes vegetables like romaine lettuce, celery, or cucumber. You want to add high water content vegetables. 

Adding celery, cucumber or romaine lettuce also makes you green juices taste better.

2. Add Leafy Greens

Next you want to add some leafy greens. I love to add kale to most of my juices.

3. Add Some Herbs

Add a handful of cilantro, parsley or basil to your juices. Herbs like cilantro and parsley are great for helping you detox.

4. Add a Little Zing

Add some GINGER. Ginger has great anti-inflammatory properties.

5. Add Lemon or Lime!

Lemon is rich in vitamin C, which helps boost your immune system, helps remove toxins from your body and also helps keep your body's pH in an alkaline state.

6. Bonus!

Add a pear or apple to sweeten it up!

What's your favorite green juice recipe? Tell us in the the comments section below!

Stay tuned next week! We have some super exciting news to share with you!

Source Link: http://fitlife.tv/5-tips-for-juicing-greens/