2 hours or less?

10 Best Foods To Eat Post-Workout

Mon, 20 May 2013 14:21:11 -0400

Most men who hit the gym are familiar with plateaus. You know, when you just can’t seem to gain any more muscle mass? While your weightlifting routi…

Luckily for me I enjoy every food on this list. That may be a first!

fitness—health—nutrition: GALS & GUYS! REBLOG...

Fri, 17 May 2013 12:46:18 -0400

fitness—health—nutrition:

GALS & GUYS! REBLOG this so that all your followers will see how UN-important the scale is to your happiness and progress!

Don’t Use the Scale to Gauge Healthy:

The scale is your enemy. It is not your friend. No other “health” product has caused so much physical destruction and mental pain than this simple contraption that measures the force of gravity on your body. How much do you weigh? Probably the most irrelevant statistic of your health.

Why is Your Weight So Important?

I’ll have to admit that the topic of “weight” had faded to the back of my mind until lately. It wasn’t until I started hearing about some of my wife’s clients’ concerns (hi ladies!) that I remembered how big of an issue weight is in our society. Perhaps it’s because of the ease by which you can take a measurement, or maybe it’s a result of our celebrity culture. Whatever the case of weight’s prevalence in our society, you need to start focusing less on weight loss, and more on fat loss.

Weight Fluctuates

Your weight fluctuates by several pounds a day. I drop up to 5 pounds from the time I go to bed to when I wake up in the morning. I can drop 10 pounds in a week just by eliminating carbs from my diet. This weight means absolutely nothing. It will be put right back on the moment I start drinking water or adding carbs back into my diet. Losing water is not what makes you look better – losing fat does.

There are many other reasons for why your weight changes, but the biggest reason is because weight also measures the amount of water mass on your body. No other nutrient can fluctuate as rapidly or drastically as water. Using the bathroom, sweating, drinking water, changing your carbohydrate intake, increasing your glycogen stores, changes in electrolytes, and for women – changes in your cycle, can all create huge swings in how much water you’re holding, and thus your weight.

Measure Body Composition Instead

If you want a better measurement of your health and fitness level, you need to start paying more attention to body composition. This is simply the ratio of fat to fat-free mass of your body. The problem? It’s much less convenient, and more time consuming to do these measurements. Most of the time, it takes a second person to help you take this measurement, and for many people, this is a deal breaker.

Getting your body composition measured is a very intimate process. After all, you usually either have to let a stranger pinch your fat (embarrassing), or you need to strip down to have it measured by a machine of some sort. Luckily, it is possible to do a 3 point skin caliper test yourself, but it’s less accurate than the 7 point. The good news? You don’t have to measure your body fat percentage often, and there are other ways to measure your weight loss progress.

Don’t Let the Scale Control You

Do yourself a favor. Take your scale and put it out of site, and don’t get it out to weigh yourself for the next month. Does this seem hard to you? If it does, then the scale is controlling you, and you have an unhealthy obsession with weight. At the end of the month, you can take it out and weigh yourself. However, you’re not weighing yourself because you care about your weight, you’re doing it because you need this number to calculate you total fat mass and lean body mass from your body fat caliper readings. Because really, that’s the only thing a scale is good for – helping to measure different types of mass (fat and fat-free).

Don’t get discouraged if your weight goes up and beyond the arbitrary ceiling you set for yourself. I know how frustrating it can be to see that number go up when you’re working your butt off. Just know that what you’re really trying to accomplish is not weight loss per se, but improved body composition and health. Once you grasp that concept, you can turn the scale into a motivational tool instead of the dream-breaker you currently see it as.

Article from Coachcalorie.com <—— I seriously recommend this fitness and health website for anyone who is wanting to start their journey or in the middle of their journey or just for some educated, positive reading!

"The entire world is not right in front of you. Look deeper."

Thu, 16 May 2013 20:50:31 -0400

““The entire world is not right in front of you. Look deeper.””

- Everybody has their own motivation. Mine seems to change in waves. Sometimes even daily or hourly. I went to sleep last night and woke up this morning with something on my mind. I had something that was driving me but I knew that the road was a dead end.

I’ve always accepted the things that I can’t change, changed the things I could, and was wise enough to know the difference. This time I’m dealing with something beyond my control for several uncommon reasons.

At the moment I’m driven to just “be better”.

…

I might have missed my workout today but I haven’t lost an ounce of motivation. As a matter of fact, the day isn’t over yet.

So I had this quote that I was going to use as the title of this post…then I forgot it by the...

Wed, 15 May 2013 17:54:58 -0400

So I had this quote that I was going to use as the title of this post…then I forgot it by the time I started typing.

I went into the gym with every intention of trying out a workout I saw in my Tumblr feed. After spending almost ten minutes trying to set up and learn the right form I let go of that idea and just went on auto pilot. I concentrated on upper body since I’ve been giving my legs a good ass kicking the past few days.

I’ve been shoveling in the grub today:

Breakfast: Bacon, Eggs, Sweet Toast, OJ
Snack: Half almond butter and strawberry/pineapple preserve sandwich
Lunch: “Protein Plate” with grilled chicken, steamed veggies, and black beans.

I’m pretty sure before I leave the office I’ll have another sandwich and a double protein shot. I should be eating like this everyday but it’s just not always possible.

I wish I could remember that quote. It was a good one. :/

I think I’m too old to be worrying about being “shredded” and having the ultimate...

Tue, 14 May 2013 19:18:21 -0400

I think I’m too old to be worrying about being “shredded” and having the ultimate beach body. Healthy and fit are my main concerns at the moment.

I’m incorporating a new fitness routine and it started yesterday. I basically restructured my old routine and kicked it up a couple of notches. My body was still a little sore from Saturday’s Fran attempt but I managed to work my way through a strength routine.

Today was all about cardio/core; had a great cardio workout that showed improvement but I ran out of time on my core work. I hate working out with time constraints. I’ve been eating healthier the past couple of days but still getting in as many good calories and lean protein as I can. I picked up a new Whey protein powder that I’ll be reviewing soon.

I like being sore after a workout because I know when the pain is gone, I’ll be bigger, stronger, and better!

fitness—health—nutrition: Greatist.com Reviewed the...

Mon, 13 May 2013 16:53:13 -0400

fitness—health—nutrition:

Greatist.com Reviewed the “Scientific 7 minute Workout”:

The routine involves the following twelve exercises performed for 30 seconds each with 10-second rest/transition periods before the next move:

Jumping jacks

Wall sit

Push-up

Abdominal crunch

Step-up onto chair

Squat

Triceps dip on chair

Plank

High knees/running in place

Lunge

Push-up and rotation

Side plank

Read this article and try it for yourself!

Guys! Ever had your ass kicked by a girl? I did. And her name...

Mon, 13 May 2013 13:04:00 -0400

Guys! Ever had your ass kicked by a girl? I did. And her name was Fran. I’m not gonna cry about it though. I’m gonna retreat to a Shaolin Temple, train like Van Damme, and come back and put a hurtin’ on Fran’s toned ass!

5 Easy Rules for Better Cardio » Velocity Fitness Blog

Fri, 10 May 2013 14:32:55 -0400

5 Easy Rules for Better Cardio » Velocity Fitness Blog:

Courtesy of www.velocityfitnessblog.com

@VelocityFitness

healthysexyhappy: 8 Foods That Help Build Muscle 1)....

Fri, 10 May 2013 14:29:43 -0400

healthysexyhappy:

8 Foods That Help Build Muscle

1). Cottage-cheese
The white stuff is an excellent source of whey protein, one of the best muscle builders out there.

2). Whey Protein
A 25 g scoop of the magic dust packs 2.5 g of leucine.

3). Eggs
Not only are they a lean snack at around 70 calories a pop, but also full of big-time benefits for your muscles. You’ll eat up 6 g of protein and 330 mg of leucine per egg, plus yokes contain the ultra-valuable nutrient choline, which supports acetycholine, the most abundant neurotransmitter in your body.
4.) Tuna
In addition to setting you up with more than 3 g of leucine, a can of tuna contains a healthy dose of omega-3 fatty acids, which produce multiple muscular benefits.

5). Chicken
A mere 3 ounces of chicken breast will set you up with more than 3 g of leucine and nearly 20 g of protein, at less than 100 calories.

6.) Quinoa
This mighty grain packs 8 g of protein per cup, including a complete set of branched chain amino acids—leucine, isoleucine, and valine—that play a crucial role in helping muscles grow.

7.) Edamame
One cup of these green guys (without shells) will jump-start muscle protein synthesis with 17 g of protein and a little more than 1 g of leucine. They’re also packed with omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which support your brain and central nervous system.

8). Coffee
Research from the University of Illinois found that coffee may reduce pain during exercise.

So…been thinking. Maybe it’s time I stepped up my...

Thu, 09 May 2013 20:22:56 -0400

So…been thinking. Maybe it’s time I stepped up my fitness game. Maybe a sporadic schedule and easy load won’t give me the gains I’m after? What do you think? Could I be onto something?

10 Random Thoughts...

Wed, 08 May 2013 19:43:31 -0400

1. Alcohol and fitness are not a match made in heaven.

2. Not happy with the term “Thinspo”. Google image it!

3. Since I wake up before 0600 during the week I should make a better effort to leave the house before 0700 during the week.

4. I’m VERY tempted to try supplements.

5. I think this soy protein powder really is giving me moobs. :/

6. I never knew I had so little punching power in my left hand.

7. Why don’t people understand I’m in a “bulking phase”.

8. Why doesn’t my body understand I’m in a “bulking phase”.

9. Realistically, how am I going to build my lung power and cardio?

10. Am I too old to be worrying about being in shape?

U Wanna Build Some Muscle???

Fri, 03 May 2013 15:33:05 -0400

U Wanna Build Some Muscle???:

Funny fitness tips you say? I’m all over it.

Where I am....

Thu, 02 May 2013 19:42:15 -0400

This is the second of a series of three entries that I’m making to give you guys an update on where I’ve been and the road ahead. Part one can be found here and three should come in a couple of weeks so stay tuned!

Fresh out of the gym and sipping on my favorite protein smoothie so I figured this would be a great time to work on the second part of my update series.

Let me get one thing out of the way since it kind of ties into the theme of this post; I’ve been on about a 10 day “vacation” from the gym and I am WEAK! I’m not infantile by any stretch but definitely a little less awesome than I was a couple of weeks ago when I was a regular rat. Seriously, my squats were pathetic today.

And that brings me to the topic of the day; “Where I am”. So after taking a step back from running, and in some ways fitness all together, I finally got a new gym membership this year. I would love to say that I’ve been more times than not since joining but that’s just not the case. And I’m ok with that. I’m ok with that because when I joined I set a few goals that, to date, are either accomplished or on track.

When I started getting back in the gym I still had every intention on getting back into running shape at some point but I knew that then, like now, is not the time. My goals were a little more mainstream; get in shape, get bigger, tone up. In that exact order.

To be honest, it didn’t take too long for me to get stronger. I’ve never been the strongest guy in the room but a few years back I worked my way up to being a little above average in the strength department. Unfortunately a whole lot of boozing and fourth meals wiped out a lot of my good gains. This year I went back to my tried and true routine of Olympic and power lifts to get myself stronger and in better shape.

My next goal is to spend the next few months putting on “good weight”. By that I mean lean muscle. I’m fully aware that it’s not realistic to think I can put on 20 pounds of muscle in less than a year but…take a look at my blog again. Nothing about this journey is realistic. Seriously though I am in a bulking phase. Protein, heavy weights, low reps, protein, and a lot of protein.

Towards the end of Summer, I hope to have put on about 15 - 20 pounds of good weight and then I’ll move into the toning/cutting portion of my fitness plan. During that phase I’ll be upping the cardio and aerobic work which serves the dual purpose of getting me ready to start running again.

So as you can see, I really do have a plan. Whether I stick to it and if it actually works is a total other subject all together. I guess you’re going to have to just stick with me and see what happens.

Wish me luck kids!

Where I've been...

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 16:46:54 -0400

This is the first of a series of three entries that I’m making to give you guys an update on where I’ve been and the road ahead. Parts two and three should come before the end of next month so stay tuned!

So if you haven’t noticed, I haven’t blogged regularly in over a year. I had a goal of competing in a few small races, ultimately building up to a marathon last year. Well…after that first 10k I pretty much stopped running cold turkey.

As it turns out, running can become an expensive hobby. It’s cheap relative to other hobbies. Really the only equipment you need is a sturdy pair of shoes and some road. Honestly though, a decent pair of shoes will run you around $100 and a “nice” pair can be double that.

The expensive part are the race entry fees. I was shocked that the average entry fee was $30 - $50 for early registrations. Sometimes the price doubled on race day. I’m not the richest guy so when I did the math on payday it was a no-brainer to choose paying rent and eating over registering for a race.

Believe me that I had every intention on continuing my race schedule but there just never seemed to be enough in the kitty to get involved. Time passed and before I knew it an event had come and gone. Entry fees weren’t the only roadblock for me. Proper training was an issue as well.

I didn’t, and still don’t, have much of a running background. Other than what I’ve gathered from the interwebs and other sources my knowledge of running is minimal. As a matter of fact my knowledge of running doesn’t go much farther than “left foot, right foot as fast as you can.” My training primarily consisted of jogging as much as I could hoping to get my cardio up. Having asthma as a kid, I was never tops in the cardio area and to this day I’m sure I would be below average if tested.

It wasn’t just the training itself though that was an issue. Those running shoes I talked about earlier just never made themselves onto my feet. I figured that if I was going to be serious about running I’d better invest in a good set of second soles. Again, the problem was that a good set costs a pretty penny. On my salary, pennies are about all I had to work with.

So…no training and no entry fees pretty much put me out of the running world. In hindsight I probably could have scraped up some money to run a few races. I also probably could have looked harder for an affordable pair of footwear instead of trying to put elite shoes onto my weekend warrior feet.

No excuses though. I will make a return to running and at least TRY to reach that brass ring.

Munchie Monday - Product Review Edition - Trader Darwin's Soy Protein

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 18:26:35 -0400

Glad to be doing another “Munchie Monday” entry. Usually these are designed for healthy recipes but this time I decided to combine it with a product review.

The product I’m featuring is Trader Darwin’s Vanilla Flavored Soy Protein Powder. If I was doing a quick two word review this entry would end with “cake batter”. More on that later.

To give you a little background, I had been looking for a tasty and inexpensive protein supplement for a few months. Muscle Milk, Myoplex, and the GNC brands were all a little out of my price range. I’d been patiently waiting for a sale or price drop when one day I happened to be in Trader Joe’s for some snacks. I look up and notice they had a few varieties of powders for under $20! If you’ve ever bought protein powder then you know that it typically runs around $50 - $60 for about a month’s supply.

I looked over the choices they had a decided on the Soy Vanilla for the price and the fact that vanilla mixes well with a variety of flavors. One mistake I noticed making right out of the store is that I went with soy instead of whey. If there’s any truth to these claims then I was in for an unpleasant experience.

Let’s open up the jar!

First thing that hits you when you take a whiff? CAKE BATTER! Smells just like the stuff. Run your hands through it? CAKE BATTER! And why beat around the bush? Taste? FLIPPIN CAKE BATTER!

Don’t get me wrong. As a kid I LOVED licking the spoon and if I was lucky the whole damn bowl. This is different cake batter. Imagine flavorless, gritty cake batter. Now are we on the same page? Despite the label’s claim that it’s “vanilla” flavored, I have yet to taste anything of the sort.

I won’t go into full detail about how I’ve ingested it but I’ll tell you, for brevity’s sake, that I tried several different formulas. My standard low fat milk and powder approach yielded less than stellar results. Using the label’s recommendation of “water or your favorite juice” produced a surprisingly smoother concoction but still horribly flavorless. I tried instant coffee and milk with mildly pleasant results. Adding the powder to chocolate milk seemed to “unsweeten” the chocolate. About the best method was adding a bit of sugar and cinnamon with low fat milk. It definitely made the tastiest drink but flavor-wise was nothing compared to the pre-mixed drinks.

I am approximately half way done with this jar and honestly don’t plan on purchasing another can of the stuff. I will, however, give Trader Darwin’s Whey protein a try since I have a sneaking suspicion that the soy is what’s causing the bland flavor.

As far as health benefits go, I’ve taken it as recommended on average of 3 - 4 times a week. I’ve also done cardio and strength training about 3 - 5 days a week in that time as well. If the scale is accurate I’ve put on a solid 3 - 5 pounds. It would seem that there are some nutritional benefits to the product but since my “testing” wasn’t all that controlled there’s a lot of x factors out there.

In a nutshell: If you’re used to sweetened Muscle Milk or Myoplex, this isn’t the product for you. If you’re on a budget, you can stomach the product for the value you’re getting. If you’re a hardcore gainer, the 25g of protein it provides may not be enough for you. If you’re creative in the kitchen, please doctor this up and send me your recipe.

2 Habits That Stop Natural HGH Production

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 19:25:02 -0400

2 Habits That Stop Natural HGH Production:

Eating sugar and carbohydrates at the wrong time literally shuts down your natural HGH production.

"Old Men Playing Basketball BY B. H. FAIRCHILD The heavy bodies lunge, the broken language of fake..."

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 15:36:59 -0400

“

Old Men Playing Basketball
BY B. H. FAIRCHILD
The heavy bodies lunge, the broken language
of fake and drive, glamorous jump shot
slowed to a stutter. Their gestures, in love
again with the pure geometry of curves,

rise toward the ball, falter, and fall away.
On the boards their hands and fingertips
tremble in tense little prayers of reach
and balance. Then, the grind of bone

and socket, the caught breath, the sigh,
the grunt of the body laboring to give
birth to itself. In their toiling and grand
sweeps, I wonder, do they still make love

to their wives, kissing the undersides
of their wrists, dancing the old soft-shoe
of desire? And on the long walk home
from the VFW, do they still sing

to the drunken moon? Stands full, clock
moving, the one in army fatigues
and houseshoes says to himself, pick and roll,
and the phrase sounds musical as ever,

radio crooning songs of love after the game,
the girl leaning back in the Chevy’s front seat
as her raven hair flames in the shuddering
light of the outdoor movie, and now he drives,

gliding toward the net. A glass wand
of autumn light breaks over the backboard.
Boys rise up in old men, wings begin to sprout
at their backs. The ball turns in the darkening air.

”

- http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poem/27880

Why the Boston bombings won't keep runners away from marathons

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 17:42:10 -0400

Why the Boston bombings won't keep runners away from marathons:

After two explosions rocked the Boston Marathon, runners all over the world are showing their resilience

Long Time No Write...

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 15:36:11 -0400

Listening to “Off the Wall” by MJ as I type my first entry in a long time. A lot has gone down since my last entry and I’ll get to all of it in a series of three posts real soon. Just as a quick update; I effectively stopped running, I FINALLY joined a gym, I had a change of venue, and my outlook on life has changed slightly.

If anyone is still interested in my fantasy goals, stay tuned!

The benefits of Jogging

Fri, 04 May 2012 15:15:57 -0400

The benefits of Jogging