BODYNRICHED

Healthy foods make you feel fuller, as they still have their fiber and water content preserved. This is in contrast to highly processed items, which tend to have more concentrated calories in each serving. Foods like non-vegetables can be eaten in unlimited quantities, because their caloric content  is negligible. Also, as you know from the information above, lean protein is one of the best weight loss foods you can select. Eating only these types of healthy food choices allows you to eat bigger portions and more often.

This is important, because keeping your body feeling full will prevent your metabolism from slowing down, so you burn more calories throughout the day! Achieving Your Goals. When you use the three secrets above, you should have better weight loss results overall. Yet, obtaining expert guidance is the key to success, and it isn't wise to do without this!

Therefore, you will be well-served to purchase acomprehensive diet guide, which will take you through each step of the process. When you do so, you should be able to reach your fitness goals, and finally achieve the weight loss you've worked so hard to obtain!

Everyone has their caveats. This is the warning reasonably intelligent people deliver after every definitive statement in an attempt to cover their ass.

"Yeah, fasted cardio is the only way to get your body fat below 8%. But, you know, that's only true for most guys. It might not work for you."

The caveat absolves the speaker of any responsibility for the effectiveness of their advice, shifting the blame for failure to the listener. In the world of athletic training these cop-out statements are often necessary--there's not a whole lot out there that's strictly black and white.



Nonetheless, I was lying in bed last night wondering if there are certain unalienable truths out there, statements about training that require absolutely no caveat. In my mind, every pursuit has an essence that lends itself to description and explanation. Fitness is no exception. Here, I humbly present the truths of training, caveat-free:

1.) You will not get stronger without overload.

This one is simple. Training has two guiding principles--volume and intensity. The first refers to the number of repetitions performed, while the second refers to the relative demand those repetitions place on the body. Over time, you must expose your body to gradually increasing volume in order to reap fitness benefits. You must keep intensity high throughout. 

I like to track this in my workout log by recording the total amount of weight lifted in any session divided by the number of repetitions performed in that session. This calculation gives an average weight per repetition. This number must increase over time, or you're just spinning your wheels.

2.) You will not get bigger without eating more or smaller without increasing energy expenditure.

My buddy Eva Claire loves this one. All the girls want to get smaller and all the boys want to get bigger. Most women try to get smaller by eating less when they would be better served by increasing their energy expenditure. Most men try to get bigger by increasing their energy expenditure, although they'd be better served by eating more. 

Each gender should take a page out of the other's playbook. 

Eating less only serves to lower your metabolic rate, meaning your body will attempt to conserve every precious calorie for future use. What goes in stays in, stored as fat. Rather than lower their metabolic rate, women would be better served by lifting heavy to maintain lean muscle mass and exercising with high intensity to ramp up fat-burning.

In the same vein, lifting heavy and often will only increase lean muscle mass if the attendant caloric intake will support the new tissue. The boys need to take in more food, not lift more. Nonetheless, they'll spend three hours a day in the gym, burning off those stray calories that would've turned into new tissue if energy expenditure had been a little lower.

3.) Steady-state cardiovascular work will not lead to fitness.

The body uses three distinct energy pathways, each employed based on the demands placed on the body. Two of these systems (the alactic acid system and the glycolytic system) are called into play when the rate of muscle contraction exceeds the body's ability to produce contractions using oxygen.

These two systems, collectively known as the anaerobic systems, are not trained during steady-state cardiovascular work. Steady-state work utilizes the aerobic energy system, which is only capable of producing muscle contractions in the presence of oxygen.

Unfortunately, the anaerobic systems are critical for high to moderate power output activities, such as the squat, the clean and jerk, and the 400-meter sprint. If they aren't properly developed, the corresponding activities suffer. 

Road jocks aren't worth a damn when it comes to performing anaerobic activities, because they haven't developed the contractile strength that comes with heavy anaerobic training. Primary practitioners of steady-state cardiovascular work are incomplete athletes.

4.) Mental focus is more critical to training success than physical ability.

We are limited by our bodies, but our true limitations exist in the mind. Flat-out lying to an athlete about weight on the bar will often get them to lift a personal best, absence any organic change in the body. I attribute this phenomenon to the power of belief. "Knowing" that you can do something will instantly bring you closer to doing it. Combine an ardent belief with months of training, and you have a recipe for excellence.

On the flip side, God-given ability is easily negated by a poor outlook. I've seen otherwise-talented sandbaggers spend a lot of time claiming inability, giving them a ready-made hedge against failure. These folks fail a lot, and they remain in the realm of the novice athlete for years. 

5.) There is an inverse relationship between the complexity of a piece of exercise equipment and its effectiveness.

The most effective implements for building lean muscle tissue and shedding fat are heavy, blunt, and simple. They have few or no moving parts, and they don't plug into the wall. A barbell, some weights, a few dumbbells, and a pull-up bar are all you need to achieve world-class fitness. Everything else just adds variety.

By their nature, these things require effort to use. You've got to pick them up off the ground and hoist them around. They don't give you a place to sit, and they don't read your heart rate every ten seconds. 

If your exercise regimen involves blinking lights, vibrating seats, or imbedded televisions, you're doing yourself a disservice. Find the stuff that's cold and heavy and made of metal. It's the only route to fitness.

There they are--five unalienable truths about training. You could disagree with my assertions, and probably make a good case of it, citing fifteen scientific studies and the extensive knowledge of the over-certified polo shirt-wearing pseudo-trainer down at the local Y.

The problem is you'd have to use an awful lot of caveats.

1) You eat high glycemic index food like white toast 
2) Small intestines break it down into sugar
3) Rush of sugar goes through wall of intestine into blood
4) Body recognizes it has way too much sugar now in the blood and tells the pancreas to release insulin so that it can bring the sugar into the cells that need energy and return the blood sugar to a normal state. 
5) Body responds by releasing more insulin than needed because it is constantly being produced to bring down your sugar level.
6)Body releases too much insulin and ends up taking all the sugar from your blood (low blood sugar) LEAVING YOU CRAVING SUGAR AGAIN!
7) Body is now unable to burn fat because it has to burn through the stored sugar (glycogen) first before it accesses fat.
This is why sometimes even on a low calorie diet you are unable to lose body fat

 

Sometimes self control can make me cranky. I found out I’m not alone. According to Northwestern psychologists David Gal and Wendy Liu, exerting self control makes people chose anger related movies and have a preference for looking at angry faces. They conducted studies in which people were given a self indulgent option, a candy bar or a gift certificate for a spa treatment, and a responsible one, an apple or a gift certificate to a grocery store. Those who made the responsible choices were markedly more likely to chose the anger visuals. What’s our take away from that? Eat, drink and be merry or tomorrow we go postal? My guess is if we were controlling our food cravings we might actually chose the apple and be happy. Chronic dieting, as you now know, can create terrible cravings for high calorie, high carbohydrate, high fat foods but here are some healthy foods and herbs that can actually diminish food cravings.

• Foods:
• Molasses
• Eggs
• Apricots
• Dates
• Prunes
• Onions
• High fiber foods, particularly non starchy vegetables
• Carbs that also have high protein content:
• legumes, tofu, sesame seeds, brown rice
• Foods containing essential fatty acids: olive oil, salmon, etc…
• Herbs:
• Bayberry
• Black Cohosh
• Goldenseal
• Parsley
• Licorice
• Thyme
• Cardamom
• Cayenne
• Cinnamon
• Ginger
• Green Tea
• Mustard
• Fennel

So put some onions, parsley and thyme in your whole grain stuffing, have a cup of green tea with your apple-apricot, pie and be happy this 2012 season.

 

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.

 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.

 

Fat Gripz are being used by thousands of athletes and military around the world for weight lifting, strength training and powerlifting, including members of the US Special Forces, teams in the NFL/MLB/NHL, top MMA fighters and top bodybuilders

Thick bar training with Fat Gripz immediately targets your body’s weak links – increasing muscle activation and giving you more strength and mass (see how below)

Fat Gripz fit virtually all barbells, dumbbells, chin-up bars and cable attachments in seconds – making the bar more than twice as thick
Made from a military-grade high-density compound, they grip the bar like a clamp and don’t compress – even when deadlifting extreme loads
Immediate Impact Guarantee.

My advice is to focus on creating a max 500 calorie deficit per day which equates out to an overall 3,500 calories per week (1 pound of body fat). Create this overall 500 calorie deficit through a 250 calorie drop in your diet and another 250 burned with an exercise routine. This is the healthiest way to lose body fat while keeping your muscle mass and having your body run at an optimal level. It will also provide you with a much better plan to permanently keep the weight off forever!

For your diet, focus on getting enough protein throughout the day by choosing lean items like chicken breast, egg whites, turkey breast and fish. Also, make sure to eliminate all empty calories like soda, high sugar fruit juices, candy and fast food. Try and eat several small and nutritious meals throughout the day. By cleaning up your diet, you should see a vast improvement in your physique.

A quick daily menu could consist of:

8am:
1 chicken breast (8 ounce), 1 cup of steamed brown rice, 1 small salad with balsamic vinaigrette dressing

11am:
turkey sandwich with whole wheat bread (8 ounces of lean turkey breast, lettuce, tomato, mustard) (NO cheese or mayo).

2pm:
8 ounces of top round steak, 2 boiled red potatoes, 1 cup of non-fat cottage cheese

5pm:
egg white omelet (8 egg whites, mushrooms), 2 pieces of whole wheat toast (NO butter)

8pm:
8 ounces of fish (salmon, catfish, trout, halibut, etc.), 2 cups of whole wheat pasta, 1 small salad with balsamic vinaigrette dressing

WHAT IS SHOCKWAVE THERAPY?

Shockwave therapy is a modern and highly effective treatment option in orthopaedic and rehabilitation medicine. The term shockwave refers to mechanical pressure pulses that expand as a wave in the body. In modern pain therapy, shockwave energy is conducted from the point of origin - the shockwave generator - to the painful body regions, where it applies its healing capacities.

The first medical treatment with shockwaves was lithotripsy. This allowed focused shockwaves to essentially dissolve kidney stones without surgical intervention. Today, over 98% of all kidney stones are treated with this technology. The use of shockwaves to treat tendon related pain began in the early 1990s.

The treatment is administered at both the Rexdale office  96 Rexdale Blvd in Etobicoke and our new Hamilton office. Dr. Jenny Proutsos  is a highly experienced registered Chiropractor and Acupuncture  specialising in tendon-related injuries.

If you’ve seen our ZEM Gear Split Toe Lo Unboxing or Split To Lo Review then you already know that we’re big fans of ZEM shoes. They are not your average minimalist shoe thanks to its unique split toe “ninja” design. Rather than rest on the success of their already popular shoes, ZEM has taken the feedback they’ve received and updated their entire shoe lineup. We’re happy to give all of our readers a sneak peak at the exciting new line.

What’s New

The current lineup of ZEM shoes revolves around one main shoe design which allows for a few variations like collar height, split or round design, etc… With the 2011 lineup comes 3 new shoes each designed for a set of particular activities.

 

Three rounds for time of:
85 pound Overhead squat, 15 reps
15 Lateral  Pull-ups
95 pound Split-jerk, 15 reps
15 Knees to elbows
95 pound Hang clean, 15 reps
15 Back extensions, with 25 pounds

Hold 25 pound plate or dumbbell to chest for back extensions.

P.S make sure you have a great warm up and STRETCH!!

Josh Everett 15:28, Austin Malleolo 15:50, Dave Lipson 16:10, Russell Berger 16:37.

Post time to comments.

Common Mistake: Failure to set goals.

Ok, when's the last time you set off in your car without a destination in mind? Probably never. But when was the last time you had a workout without a clear goal in mind? Probably always!

Having a roadmap and a goal in clear site is a critical step in fitness and weight loss success. How will you know if you are going the right direction? How will you know when you get there?

Workout tips...Not only having a goal in mind but tracking your progress in a journal will help ensure you get there.

A journal, detailing each workout, will ensure you can actually see your improvements and will maintain your motivation. More on this later.

Common Misconception: No Pain, No Gain.

This is actually a dangerous truth. The building of muscle is fascilitated through the creation of tiny tears in the muscle fibres by working them beyond their current capacity. This is why you hurt after a rigorous workout. The muscles repair themselves by adding a little tissue at the site of the tear.

Workout tips...This is a normal process, but must be done gradually with sufficient rest periods to allow proper healing.

Two problems are common here with beginning exercisers.

Working out when you are in pain, without allowing sufficient rest time to heal can cause long lasting damage to muscles, tendons and ligaments. Do this and you won't be able to work out anymore and may find yourself in constant and long lasting pain.

Even if you haven't caused long lasting damage, if you wake up the next day after a workout and can hardly drag your aching body out of bed because everything hurts, you are going to be less motivated to workout at all. Nothing will kill an exercise program faster than constant pain!

Oh yes, and don't miss the section on stretching - you will learn how to lessen post-workout soreness.

Common Myth: Weight training makes Women Bulky.

Women simply don't produce enough of the hormone testosterone to build muscle mass the way that men do. If you see an over-muscled woman in a body building competition, chances are that she has used a synthetic testosterone such as anabolic steroids.

Weight training for a woman will strengthen and tone muscle, burn fat and increase metabolism, not build mass.

Common Mistake: Sacrificing Quality for Quantity

Be sure to check out our section on exercise technique for proper form. When you wish to increase the number of reps of a certain exercise, and strengthen the corresponding muscles, instead of simply forcing yourself to do a little more each time, try this.

Workout tips...Decrease the number of reps in a set but increase the number of sets. Back off to half your usual number of reps but add a couple of more sets. You will be less fatigued and will gain strength in your fast-twitch muscles.

You might also try this...

For your final set of an exercise, rather than using the same weight, drop back to about 50% of that weight and perform reps to fatigue. Studies have shown that this technique can increase strength rapidly.

Another way to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of an exercise is to speed up the lifting phase during a repetition. That is, for example with a bicep curl using a weight you would normally be able to do 10 reps with, to lift the weight as fast as possible and let it back down at a regular rate. Try quick sets of 5 rather than 10 reps. This puts more tension on the muscle using the same weight and can be the blast that works you through a plateau.

Common Mistake: Over-Emphasizing Strengths

It's human nature to focus on what you are good at, but when trying to get fit, you should instead be focusing on your weak points in order to balance things.

Workout tips...For example, if your upper body is better developed than your lower body, make sure you assign one day per week to work only on this area.

Common Mistake: Not Enough Variety

Boredom not only numbs the brain but will diminish the effects of exercise.

The effectiveness of any program depends on the degree to which it challenges your body. The problem is that familiar stressors are less challenging because the body get used to them. Each successive repetition of an exercise is less effective.

Workout tips...So shake it up a little. Try a different variation of the same exercise. Be sure you are not ignoring weaker areas. If you are using a machine for a particular routine, try free weights instead- you will notice the difference.

Common Mistake: Lack of Diversity

This might sound like a contradiction to the previous point about variety, but getting stronger requires repetition so don't change your routine every workout. For example, if you reach a new level with a target muscle and then switch to another muscle entirely for too long a period of time, you begin to lose the first gains you made.

Workout tips...One way to strike a good balance between diversity and continuity is to change half of your exercises every 4 weeks. Also be sure to regularly utilize complex exercises which use multiple joints such as rowing, squats, deadlifts and lunges to maintain the levels attained.

Don't let those muscles forget and remember that it is easier to maintain them than to rebuild them!

Common Mistake: Improper Technique (Poor Biomechanics)

It is very common to see people (usually young men) attempting to lift or move more weight than they can reasonable handle. They try to work beyond their capacity in order to blast on the muscle.While it is important to strive to do better, using good technique will do the job more efficiently and with less chance of injury.

Workout tips...Generally speaking, if you’re lifting a weight correctly, you’ll feel tension through the target muscle but no pain or discomfort in the associated joint.

Your movement should be precise and consistent from rep to rep, almost like you are a machine.

If you find yourself “shaking and quaking” under the weight, it’s probably too heavy relative to your current abilities.

If it looks wrong, it probably is. For example, if the bar isn’t parallel to the floor when you squat, deadlift, or bench press, it means you’re applying more force with one limb than the other.

I think the biggest mistake for those seeking to get ripped is placing too much emphasis on your body weight and body fat. The end result is to be ripped right? Not 3 or 4% body fat, but to have a well defined core, striated shoulders, ripped arms, and great leg separation, so why care about how much you weigh, or how low your body fat is?

I have heard claims that people are under 2-2.5% bodyfat, plain and simple, it is not possible. It is extremely rare to see a competitor get under 4%, whether on drugs or not. The common mistake is that people gauge their body composition based on what they see in the mirror, without realizing although they may have a ripped six pack, they may be holding more fat on their legs, glutes(very common), lower back, and not to mention the essential 2.7% body fat that our organs require to function.

So what is the best way to gauge and monitor your progress?
2 tools used for success
•MIRROR- No matter what the scale says, no matter if your body fat reading is 3 or 20%, if you are not happy with what you see in the mirror your body fat has no significance.
•BODY COMPOSITION- You can purchase a body fat testing scale(Bioelectrical impedance analysis) or skin-fold callipers. Test on a weekly basis, the same day of every week to ensure consistency and progression.
Bioelectrical impedance analysis testing also reads your body water percentile, this is important because your weight can fluctuate up to 8-10lbs based on your body water percentage, that is why I dont recommend weighing yourself unless taking into consideration your body fat and water percentage.

Believe it or not, in the photo above I was at 10% body fat, I had a full six pack, striated shoulders, and I was fairly vascular. That is why being a certain body fat does not mean too much. I personally use the mirror to gauge where I want to be, then testing my body composition. Don’t get carried away with your body fat readings, especially not your scale weight. Your scale weight does not reveal the amount of fat, lean body mass, or water so it is not an accurate way of determining your health, your body fat, or progression towards your goal.

Calculating Lean Body Mass
Weigh yourself and record your weight in pounds.

Measure your waist at the navel and record it below your weight in pounds.

Plug the measurements into the formula below:

For Women:
[(4.15 x waist measurement) -- (0.082 x weight) -- 76.76] / weight

For Men:
[(4.15 x waist measurement) -- (0.082 x weight) -- 98.42] / weight

The result is your percentage of body fat.

Take the result from above and multiply it by your weight. This will yield your body fat in pounds.

Subtract your body fat in pounds from your total weight to get your lean body mass.

Here is an example. A woman weighs 130 pounds and has a 27 inch waist.

[(4.15 x 27) -- (0.082 x 130) -- 76.76] / 130

[112.05 -- 10.66 -- 76.76] / 130

24.63 / 130 = .1895 (body fat percentage)

Multiply this by total weight (0.1895 x 130) = 24.63 pounds of fat

To get lean body mass subtract 24.63 from 130 = 105.37

Trial & Error Part IIII
So I've been asked a lot about what to eat and or how to begin a diet regimen and the answer people is quite simple. Eat for what you do ! If your not so active, and have a desk job that limits your time at the gym or getting out doors then your must eat for what your body expends. Basically the more active your are the more you must feed yourself , and the less active your the less calories your will need to consume. Now a lot  goes into the kinds of foods you will need as well as the quantity. For instance a triathlete or marathon runner would usually consume a higher rate of carbohydrates then lets say some one who works out a couple days a week and only does the treadmill.  And a bodybuilder who spends anywhere from 4-6 days a  week with a specific  weight training routine will have a diet higher in protein and but would not eliminate core macro nutrients like complex carbs or dietary fats. His or her diet would be based on a 40 /20/20 ratio or a more tailored approach. Bottom line is there isn't some exact way for every person. I would like to say that the simplest way to approach your meal plan is by familiarizing yourself with what lean proteins are, complex carbs, simple or high glycemic carbs and dietary fats. Once you have a little knowledge on that then take a look at your activity expenditure.

If your find that you are doing a lot of high impact sports, or activities that require a lot of cardiovascular exercise, be sure to have nutritionally packed foods that are quick digesting and replenish your body. These could be simple carbs like blueberries, strawberries, bananas etc. Fruits are packed with powerful nutrients and keep your vital signs up to par and ready for that extra mile. The same approach can be used for a bodybuilder who undergoes a series of of heavy sets or high impact sets. These are the times where you are best at consuming these high GI foods. Now before and after your workout  you want to be sure you have an adequate amount of protein (fish, chicken, steak,eggs) complex carbs (brown rice or pasta, yams or boniato, oatmeal, whole wheat quinoa, or couscous) and of course your plate should always consist of fibrous greens! Dietary fats ( avocado, nuts, egg yolk ( yes i said egg yolk !) oils such as olive, macadamia, peanut, canola, etcs. OK so now that we are a little more familiar with food choices we need to understand how to incorporate these food around our day. Now depending on how soon you get out of bed will determine how many meals you get in through out the course of the day.

The more proportioned and quality foods you consume in a three hour window ( some ppl two hours once again all on how active you are ) the faster your metabolism will respond. Its like your telling your body " hey ive got healthy food coming in ! move the hell out of the way !  The more your body works to eliminate food the faster your metabolism works the leaner you become. Now once again , as i will continue to repeat, you must eat for what your do !

If your day is spent on average sitting down not moving and you only get an hour if any at the gym, then your plates should mainly consist of protein, greens, and some fats. Not every plate should consist of fats but just about two courses out of your meals. If you find that your are constantly running around and working out then early during your day you should see that your plate will have a fist full of complex carbs , about 4 -6 oz protein ( women) 6-10 oz protein ( men ) and about a table spoon of dietary fat. For the rest of us we want to  aim to consume out complex carbohydrate as early as possible with the consumption of protein for adequate absorption. And are plate should look lighter and lighter as the day progresses.

This is just an introduction to many ways of attacking your meal plans, but can be very efficient with practice. Not all of us can have certain foods and i know a lot of ppl suffer from food ailments. Now i will be approaching this matter in further detail but would like you all to really take a look of what Ive written and next time ask your self , how adequate is my diet? How many times a day am I eating? And how active am I really? With that in mind stay tuned to further tips and check out my MEAL PREPARATION album for healthy ideas on what to cook!

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
 

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.