tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21007349143410369382024-03-08T06:24:26.882-08:00The Better Health BlogSimple nutrition and exercise information that will change your life!Stephen Wallshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16123046663270332075noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2100734914341036938.post-90759272575256977442012-03-10T13:21:00.001-08:002012-03-10T13:23:52.057-08:00I'll Be BackI'm taking a brief hiatus from the blog to focus on some new opportunities. Check back in a few weeks. I still have a lot of great things to write about! In the mean time, feel free to check out one of my favorite blogs - <a href="http://zenhabits.net/infoholic/">http://zenhabits.net/infoholic/</a> Keep up the exercise and remember that a healthy life is a happy life!<br />
<br />Stephen Wallshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16123046663270332075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2100734914341036938.post-87734698513992701472012-03-04T19:01:00.004-08:002012-03-04T19:04:04.930-08:00DAY 28<br />
4 weeks and 16 workouts down! And I'm still moving in the right direction. I'm up to 181.5 lbs and I lifted more weight in my exercises this week than last. That said, I did run into a few snags.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DAY 28, March 4th, 181.5 lbs</td></tr>
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American Idol has ruined me... This may sound lame to a lot of you, but I have kept up with just about every season of this show since its first season 11 years ago. The show comes on around 8pm every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday night and usually lasts until 9:30 or 10. If you've been following my progress in these last 4 weeks, you know that I have been waking up at 4am to get to the gym before work. I was able to DVR all of the American Idol auditions in the past few weeks and watch them the next day, but now that they are doing live shows 3 nights a week I feel like I have to stay up and watch. If I record them to watch later, it just doesn't feel the same. Plus, I risk having the show spoiled the next day by a friend, family, or the news.</div>
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I stuck to my morning routine Monday and Tuesday, but by Thursday I was way too exhausted to hit the gym. I told myself I would go Friday and Saturday instead, but I felt just as tired Friday and another aircraft carrier with 5000+ people pulled into the base. The traffic was ridiculous. My quick fix - I did both my Thursday and Friday workouts all at once on Saturday. The result - I'm incredibly sore.</div>
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Just for your information, this is what my routine looked like this past week:</div>
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Monday-Strength Training with Legs/Core</div>
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Tuesday-Strength Training with Chest/Upper Back/Core</div>
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Wednesday-HIIT/Sprints</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DAY 1, February 6th, 178.4 lbs</td></tr>
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Thursday-Rest</div>
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Friday-Rest</div>
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Saturday-Strength Training with Lower Back/Legs/Shoulders/Chest/Core + 1 hour basketball</div>
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Sunday-2 hours of beach volleyball</div>
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This week, I'm going to have to figure something out. I'm going to go in the morning again tomorrow and Tuesday, but I am not sure what I'll do when Thursday rolls around. I guess I'll plan on going on the afternoon Thursday and Friday. I have 2 more weeks of my strength gain weight lifting routine. After that I will have a short break before I start a 6 week long hypertrophy plan.</div>
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I guess my quick words of advice for you are... If something sets you back, try to make up for it in the short-run, but more importantly, you need to make a plan to keep it from setting you back again. Keep moving forward and keep improving! I'm moving slowly, but I can't beat myself up for moving in the right direction.<br />
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<b>Let me know! </b>What makes it hard for you to keep a good workout schedule?</div>Stephen Wallshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16123046663270332075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2100734914341036938.post-89995916748914041152012-02-28T12:01:00.002-08:002012-02-28T16:48:00.283-08:00The Only Way to Work Abs – Part 1 of 2<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">We all know thousands of crunches and sit-ups are what it takes to get perfect abs, right? <br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Sadly, these exercises have grown synonymous with strong, attractive abs and they are probably what you see everyone doing in the gym too. It turns out that crunches and sit-ups are incredibly ineffective for developing core strength. And </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">crunches and sit-ups actually do more harm than good! </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> I will just use crunches as an example from now on, but keep in mind the same rules apply for sit-ups.</span></span></strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">WHY CRUNCHES AND SIT-UPS ARE HORRIBLE</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Your core muscles were designed for one thing only – to keep your spine straight. When performing a crunch, an unhealthy strain is put on your back at its weakest point. This weak point is at the back of your lower spine, which contains a huge amount of nerves. The high amount of nerves increases the potential of nerve damage. Flexing your spine over and over with a crunch also puts you at risk for a disk hernia. Your spinal disks can only take so many bends. The more you bend, the closer you are to causing bulges or hernias. Hernias can be debilitating, by the way. They can cause weakening of your entire body and incredible back pain. You’ve always heard to lift with your legs to avoid hurting your back, right? So why would you do this same bend in a lying position? </span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“But crunches make my abs look good.” When you are doing a crunch, you are not using the muscles in the way they were designed. And you are not building muscle for your health, you are only building them for looks. And guess what! If you do enough of these excruciating crunches, you will actually have some horrible looking abs. They will look great from the front, but when you see them from the side your stomach will actually poke out. There are some guys in fitness magazines that appear to have incredible abs, but they are actually complete weaklings. Not only have they created abs for the purpose of looks, they have put unnecessary wear and tear on their backs. I’d like to think of them as chiropractors’ best friends. </span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">WORKING YOUR CORE</span></strong></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Before we get started, I need your help. I am soo tired of hearing the word ‘abs.’ I think it is the word ‘abs’ that got all of us doing these stupid crunches and sit-ups in the first place. Can you help me by replacing the A-word with the word ‘core’ and vow never to use the A-word again? Thanks, now let’s move on.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The best way to get the strongest, sexiest, and healthiest core is to work the muscles in the way they are designed. Here’s a quick anatomy lesson to help us out – your core is composed of :</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Rectus Abdominus</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> – the six-pack, connects the rib cage to the pubic bone, balances the spine, creates abdominal pressure to help with lifting and going number 2 (these are my technical medical terms)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">External Obliques</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> – front side of body, assists in twisting and bending</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Internal Obliques</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> – underneath external obliques, assists in twisting and bending</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Spinal Erectors</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> – Run up both sides of the spine in the back. I can always tell who is a strong lifter with a healthy core by looking at their spinal erectors. The physical elite have big strong spinal erectors that make a ‘valley’ that runs up their spine.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Quadratus Lumborum</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> – also in the back, straightens the back and allows it to flex backwards</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Multifidus Muscle </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">– runs down the spine and connects to every vertebrae, forms scaffolding to keep back upright</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Iliopsoas Muscle</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> – connects at spine, goes through pelvis, connects to thigh, main posture muscle and strongest of hip flexors, allows you to lift your leg</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Gluteus Maximus</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> – a core muscle believe it or not, largest muscle in the body, moves leg backwards and rotates your hip, also important in straightening the back</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">To improve athleticism and your overall strength, you must train all of these muscles. The good news is you should not ever need to isolate any of these muscles and you can work them all at once. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The best core exercises are the ones that require you to hold your spine straight. The pushup is generally thought to increase strength in the chest, back, and arms, but it is an excellent example of a good core exercise. Pushups force your core muscles to stabilize your body and keep your spine straight throughout the exercise and this is exactly what you want. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In Part 2 of “The Only Way to Work </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Core</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">,” I am going to provide you with a thorough list of excellent core exercises. For now, I want you to try the plank (illustration below). No, not the trend where people lie on their face in weird places, the exercise! Support your body on your arms and toes. Keep your body perfectly straight (you might even say ‘as straight as a plank!’). And try holding this position for as long as possible. If you can hold it for 90 seconds or more, try lifting an arm or a leg and pointing it straight. If you want a bigger challenge, try putting your elbows on a Swiss ball. I have a challenge for you all this week. See how long you can hold a plank and let me know your time in the comments below. Remember not to dip your butt and keep your body straight! 3, 2, 1, go!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Let me know! </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Are you guilty of doing endless crunches and sit-ups? How long can you hold a plank?</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span>Stephen Wallshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16123046663270332075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2100734914341036938.post-58348795859881376042012-02-26T12:05:00.000-08:002012-02-26T13:54:51.057-08:00DAY 21<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DAY 21, 181.5 lbs</td></tr>
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Back in the 180s! Not too many people would be proud to be adding weight to the scale, but, for the ectomorph like me, it's a good thing. I know that my diet does not facilitate any unhealthy weight gain. So for me, increases on the scale can only mean one thing - increased muscle mass.<br />
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I finally started to add some HIIT to my weekly exercise regimen. HIIT (or High Intensity Interval Training) has been gaining popularity in the last few years and more and more studies are showing its incredible benefits. So why should you do HIIT? To put it simply, in only 10 to 20 minutes, HIIT provides cardiovascular benefits that rival long-distance exercise while also improving power, strength, metabolism, and fat burn. This means you can drop the hours of cardio and get MORE benefits in LESS time. I'll let you decide what to do with all of the extra time!<br />
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You can do HIIT by running, swimming, cycling, or by jazzercise for all I care! I'm going to use running as an example because its easy for most of us to strap on some shoes and get outside. <br />
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Sprint (preferably up-hill) at 90% of your ability 30 seconds<br />
Jog/Walk at 50% for 30 seconds<br />
Repeat 10-15 times<br />
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If you think it sounds easy, you are in for a surprise. I had hard time staying motivated and an even harder time keeping my food down. I do not suggest eating within 2 hours before HIIT. By the end of it, you will be breathless, shaky, sweaty, and begging for mercy. 'No pain, no gain' definitely applies here, but it is undoubtedly worth it. Whether you are looking to burn fat, build muscle, or just live a longer and healthier life, you have to make HIIT part of your weekly routine!<br />
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Now I'm lifting 4 days a week, HIIT 2 days, and resting 1 day. I feel healthier already.<br />
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<br />Stephen Wallshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16123046663270332075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2100734914341036938.post-45175181770694403002012-02-20T16:11:00.000-08:002012-02-20T16:14:01.330-08:00DAY 15<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I spent the end of last week traveling with family, so I did not have much time for working out or eating properly. I did the best I could with getting enough calories and protein and I even did a full workout with dumbbells in a Marriott hotel gym in Victoria, Canada. It's not too difficult to keep at it while you travel! You have 168 hours in your week. You can at least use 4 of those hours to get some exercise! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DAY 15, 180 lbs</td></tr>
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I'm excited to be starting a new 4-week strength training routine this week. I'm very happy to have recruited a friend of mine to join me. We'll be getting up at 4:30 every morning to get in the gym before work. We'll be doing a lot of high weight with low repetitions (i.e. 4 sets of 4 reps). The workout comes straight out of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/158333338X/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=asougirsgui0a-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=158333338X">The New Rules of Lifting: Six Basic Moves for Maximum Muscle</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=asougirsgui0a-20&l=as2&o=1&a=158333338X" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />, so, unfortunately, I can't share it with you. However, I urge any weight lifters (from beginners to intermediate lifters) to purchase this book! It is an excellent resource for up-to-date lifting routines and techniques. It has given me a whole year of very effective weight lifting routines! If you already have the book, I am using the Strength 2 routine for these next 4 weeks.<br />
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The only thing that the book lacks is proper instruction on working the core and the abdominal muscles. I substitute crunches for planks for working my core. Crunches and sit-ups are highly ineffective. I'll write a post on this soon! For now, just start doing more planks. If you can easily hold plank for a minute, try putting your feet on a bench or a swiss ball. You can also try lifting one hand and the opposite foot for 10 to 15 second intervals. There are tons of variations of the plank to help with core.<br />
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<b>Let me know! </b>How do you work your core?</div>
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<br />Stephen Wallshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16123046663270332075noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2100734914341036938.post-65840602373271457422012-02-15T19:09:00.000-08:002012-02-15T19:13:11.624-08:00DAYS 9 and 10<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">DAY 9</span><br />
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Happy Valentine's Day! I hope y'all made time to look good for your significant others. I know I couldn't thank my wife enough for the love and support she gives me. I can honestly say I don't always enjoy lifting weights, but I am motivated each and every day by her. I work hard to make sure that we will have a long, healthy, and happy life together. I love you, Lee-Cassie. I can't wait to see what the future holds for us!<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dzovH5BQj3I/Tzxvzf8CcOI/AAAAAAAAAQY/Krkjv6ypYKE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-02-15+at+6.53.35+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="196" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dzovH5BQj3I/Tzxvzf8CcOI/AAAAAAAAAQY/Krkjv6ypYKE/s320/Screen+Shot+2012-02-15+at+6.53.35+PM.png" width="320" /></span></a>Valentine's Day was no excuse to miss a day a training. I squeezed a great workout into my busy schedule. I feel like my body is starting to head in the right direction now that I have the right food to fuel me and the right schedule to get proper rest. One set-back has been the crowds in my gym lately. I workout in a shipyard, so when we have more Navy ships docked, there are more people in the gym. I plan on starting to workout early in the morning this Thursday. We'll see how that goes.</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">DAY 10</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">My sweet wife went grocery shopping for us this week after I compiled a list of the types of food I should be eating every week to fuel my workouts. Below is my personal 7 day list if you're curious. I don't have too much time to write tonight. I'm getting to bed early so I can get in the gym bright and early tomorrow morning. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">FRUIT</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">Apples</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">Bananas</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">2 Pineapples (precut)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">Plums, Pears, or Oranges</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">Berries</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">VEGGIES</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">5 Bags Fresh Spinach</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">3 Bags Baby Carrots</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">7 Potatoes</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">1 Onion</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">4 Red Bell Peppers</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">Cucumbers</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">DAIRY</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">1 Dozen Eggs</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">2 Large Containers Plain Yogurt</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">4 Cartons Egg Whites</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">Sliced Sharp Cheddar</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">2 Gallons Milk</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">MEAT</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">3 Packs Chicken or Turkey Sausage</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">4 Pounds Extra Lean Ground Beef</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">Large Bag of Chicken Breasts</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">Fish</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">GRAINS+NUTS</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">Whole Grain English Muffins (NOT ENCRICHED)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">1 Box High-Fiber Cereal</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">Walnuts</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">Cashews</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">Quinoa</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">Steel Cut Oats</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">Spaghetti Noodles</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">OTHER</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">Banana Cream Syntha-6 Protein Powder</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">Sports Drink Mix</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">Fish Oil Capsules (EPA + DHA = 300 to 600mg)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">1 Bottle Flax Oil</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">Green Tea</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;">Spaghetti Sauce</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><b>Let me know! </b>How is your workout going? What does your grocery list usually look like?</span></div>Stephen Wallshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16123046663270332075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2100734914341036938.post-11073052386485152142012-02-13T21:15:00.000-08:002012-02-13T21:20:34.193-08:00DAYS 7 and 8DAY 7<br />
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Sunday was spent recovering from all of my 13 hour nights at the shipyard. I got off work around 6:30am and decided to stay up until about 11:00pm in order to get back on my normal sleeping schedule. My body was incredibly achy from the first week of workouts and all of the running around at work. It was nice to sit at home and finally get some rest.<br />
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DAY 8<br />
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Phase 1 (Strength), Week 2<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DAY 1, 178 lbs</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DAY 8, 178 lbs</td></tr>
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Today is my start of week 2 and man, what a day. My body is definitely still used to sleeping through the day and working at night. My hamstrings and abs were still really sore from last week's workouts and unfortunately, today was leg day. Just like several exercises on the last 3 workout days, I lowered the amount of weight I normally lift and made sure I was using perfect technique. Next week, I start a new 4-week strength workout routine. I'm incredibly happy to have these leg days behind me. I get them done, but I'm definitely not a fan of leg days! I always remember that if the workout hurts really bad then it must be working.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DAY 8 Workout</td></tr>
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You may see some improvements in my body since <a href="http://thebetterhealthblog.blogspot.com/2012/02/day-1.html">Day 1</a>, but it is definitely a slow process. The fact that I was not able to eat enough food last week really set me back too. The good news is that I am getting groceries tomorrow. I'm also learning how to use <a href="http://www.fitday.com/">Fit Day</a> to record all of the food I eat each day. Soon, I will be able to give you insight on my daily nutrition too! Look for this within the next week. <br />
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Just some quick info on my workout spreadsheet: The tempo I use on each lift is very important. You may have heard of 'muscle confusion.' Your muscles get used to doing certain exercises, so you try to change them every few weeks to avoid plateauing. You can also change the amount of reps you do on each exercise. Doing more or less repetitions will force your body to recruit different muscles for the same task, thus keeping you from plateauing. So, I also vary the amount of reps for certain exercises at least every few weeks. So, about the tempo! The 3 digits provided give me the speed at which I complete each lift. Picture a bench press. With a tempo of 311 I would lower the barbell for 3 seconds, pause for 1 second, and raise it back up for 1 second. Got it? I vary my tempos just like my exercises and amount of reps to continue to 'confuse' my muscles. Lifting slower will allow more tear in your muscles while letting you to focus more on your technique. I advise using 311 when you are starting any exercise.<br />
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<b>Let me know! </b>How are you exercising this week? Do you hate leg days as much as me? Do you like to incorporate different tempos in your lifts?<br />
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<br /></div>Stephen Wallshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16123046663270332075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2100734914341036938.post-61408417599841950242012-02-13T20:08:00.000-08:002012-02-13T20:24:02.459-08:00Invest Now!You probably already have a good understanding of basic finances,<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">right? Then you know about compounding interest - earning interest on top of interest. Wait, isn’t this a health blog??? Yes. Bear with me!<br /><br />Let’s say someone is planning on retiring at 65. If someone puts $1,000 in a retirement account when they are 25, that $1,000 would turn into $45,000 by the time they get off the job. If they wait untilthey’re 35, they would only have $17,000. Delaying the investment by only 10 years led to barely getting one third as much at retirement!<br /><br />You probably see where I am going with this. Your body is much like an interest-bearing account. It is incredibly important to develop<br />healthy habits as early as possible. People that do not take time to invest in their body early in life have a lower life expectancy, are generally less happy, and are often much more prone to diseases. You save money so you can live a comfortable life once you have retired. There is little point in saving this money if you are not going to be alive and well when you’re done with work. If you wait to exercise and eat healthy, you are doing your body a horrible disservice. If you are older, however, don't make excuses. It is never too late to start! Take time to develop life-long healthy habits today. You will be thanking yourself later in life!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">Here's a list of a few healthy habits you could work on tonight:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">1) Exercise at least 3 to 5 hours a week (elevate your heart rate!)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">2) Eat only lean meats, whole grains, nuts, fruits, and vegetables 90% of the time</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">3) Be less sedentary (find hobbies that let you get outside and move around)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">4) Get at least 7 hours of sleep every night</span><br />
5) Eliminate clutter so you can focus on the people and things that you love<br />
6) Surround yourself with people who also want to live a long, healthy life<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>Stephen Wallshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16123046663270332075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2100734914341036938.post-61259548921832269062012-02-11T16:44:00.000-08:002012-02-12T16:21:39.229-08:00DAY 6I'm shrinking! My body weight has dropped to a 5 month low of 178 pounds. Unfortunately, I am trying to add muscle (thus weight), not lose it. This week serves as an excellent example of how to eat during weight lifting for both those trying to build muscle mass and those trying to burn fat.<br />
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My job requires tons of running around, climbing ladders and stairs, and ducking through passageways. I have been working 13 hour shifts this week, so I am doing a lot more of this than normal. Since my activity level has increased, but I have not had time to eat more food, I have been losing weight. If your goal is weight-loss, this is exactly what you should do (increase your activity level while eating a balanced diet). But my goal is to put on muscle mass. If I want to continue to see gains on the scale and big gains in the weight room, I have to eat more to keep up with my caloric demands. Pretty simple!</div>
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I'm hoping this evening is my last 13 hour shift. Once I am done, I will write a few posts I have been wanting to share with you. Plus, I will start providing you with my daily nutrition information and tips! Photo update will be posted Monday.</div>
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Have a great weekend. Get out there and do something!</div>
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<b>Let me know! </b>What are you doing this weekend to stay physically active? </div>Stephen Wallshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16123046663270332075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2100734914341036938.post-82150166621927447292012-02-10T07:32:00.000-08:002012-02-11T06:40:16.899-08:00DAYS 3, 4, and 5 Technique, technique, technique...<br />
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I keep having to repeat this. My goal each and every day is to improve, so I have always been really competitive with myself. For example, if I benched 185 pounds last week I would want to bench at least 190 pounds this week. These kinds of increases are possible, by the way, but here is my problem... The weights I have lifted previously have been completed with poor technique.<br />
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<i>If you start lifting with poor technique, you may have a very hard time correcting it later on. </i><br />
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If I were to continue to lift heavier and heavier weights each week, I would not be able to improve my technique. I'll use an exercise from today's workout as an example - the static lunge. I have done the static lunge before with a 155 pound barbell, so I wanted to be able to at least do 155 pounds today. While repeating that mantra in my head (technique, technique, technique), I figured out that when I was lifting 155 pounds I was only bending my knees half as much as I should have! Your back knee should come close to touching the ground while your front knee bends about 90 degrees. I was able to complete the exercise with perfect technique and tempo after dropping the weight to 105 pounds. In short, technique should always come before the amount of weight you lift! Who cares if the guy next to you is benching 300 pounds. As long as you are maintaining proper form, you will be on your way to being the healthiest you can possibly be.<br />
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This week is still crazy at work. I worked out on Monday and Tuesday then rested Wednesday and Thursday. I just got off of another 13 hour night shift and went straight to the gym. I am still unable to get proper <a href="http://thebetterhealthblog.blogspot.com/2012/02/when-to-eat.html">nutrient timing</a> with my horrible schedule. I'm doing the best I can on nutrition, but I will likely not see too much improvement with my body this week without the proper food for fuel and recovery. <i>Food is undoubtedly half of the battle when it comes to weight lifting. </i>I can still honestly say I am making huge improvements though, because now everything I do in the weight room is with proper form.<br />
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<b>Let me know! </b>Have you struggled with using proper form in the past? What are the exercises you have the most trouble with?Stephen Wallshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16123046663270332075noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2100734914341036938.post-33003969912131369482012-02-07T16:29:00.000-08:002012-02-07T16:29:28.574-08:00DAY 2Body Weight: 180.6 (up 2.2 lbs from day 1)<br />
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One thing I failed to mention in my Day 1 post is that I have a wild work schedule at the shipyard this week. I normally work 8 hour days from about 7 until 3:45, but about 4 to 6 weeks out of each year I am required to work 13 hour shifts. So right now I am working from 5:30pm to 6:30am and I go straight to the gym as soon as I get off of work.<br />
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I have some uncontrollable set-backs because of this crazy work schedule. Throughout my 13 hour shift I only get about 15 minutes to eat. This completely ruins my <a href="http://thebetterhealthblog.blogspot.com/2012/02/when-to-eat.html">nutrient timing</a> and I cannot come close to eating enough. The only thing I can do is eat as much as I can whenever I can. I am also running around a lot which increases my caloric demands. So I should actually be taking in more calories during this schedule, but it is impossible to do so. I'm hoping all of these 13 hour nights will be done before the start of next week. Until then, I will not be providing you with my daily diet. I don't have time in my day to eat the right foods, much less track all of my meals and post about it. So you can expect me to start sharing my daily diet with you next week!<br />
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IMPROVEMENTS<br />
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Today, I decided to lower all of my weights a little bit and really focus on my technique and tempo. I think that us guys tend to do as much weight as possible, often sacrificing technique. <i>Technique is far more important than that extra 10 lbs you could throw on the bar! </i><br />
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That's all I have time for today. I can't wait until these horrible night shifts are over and I can get in a routine!<br />
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<b>Let me know! </b>Do you have an inconsistent work schedule? If so, how do you make time to workout and eat well? Do you have any questions about my workout (above)? Are you guilty of sacrificing technique to get that extra 10 pounds?<br />
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<br />Stephen Wallshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16123046663270332075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2100734914341036938.post-79758765865095866092012-02-06T04:05:00.000-08:002012-02-11T23:47:14.218-08:00DAY 1<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Day 1, 178.4 lbs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Today is the day. No more procrastination. No more talking and planning. It's time to get it done!<br />
<br />
As some of you may know, I have been using some incredible workouts from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1583332383/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=thebetterhealthblog-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1583332383">The New Rules of Lifting</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebetterhealthblog-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1583332383" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> since last August. I've seen some significant strength gains and gained 10 pounds of body mass. My bench max went from 175 to 225 (a 29% increase) and my squat max went from 255 to 345 (35%). I saw similar gains in just about every exercise. However, there were things I did not do well during these 23 weeks. Here's the list:<br />
<br />
THINGS I DID WELL<br />
Never missed a scheduled workout during those 23 weeks<br />
Completed every set for each exercise (e.g. I never stopped after 2 sets when I had 3 to do)<br />
Always drank a post-workout protein shake<br />
Avoided excessive cardio<br />
<br />
THINGS I DIDN'T DO WELL<br />
Didn't drink enough water<br />
Didn't eat 6 meals each day<br />
Didn't eat enough (at least 4000 kcal on workout days)<br />
Didn't eat enough vegetables and whole grains<br />
Didn't take proper rest intervals between each set (e.g. Taking a 2 minute rest when I should only be taking 1)<br />
Didn't perform quick, intense cardio a few times per week (12-15 minutes)<br />
<br />
This time around, I have 25 weeks of workouts planned with 3 weeks of rest included. I am going to correct everything I didn't do well before. I'm using information from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1594860882/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=thebetterhealthblog-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1594860882">Scrawny to Brawny</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=thebetterhealthblog-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1594860882" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> to create the perfect nutrition plan for my goals and body type. I will be sure to take proper rest periods between sets and I'll definitely make sure I am getting a few intense cardio sessions every week. Each phase below has 4 workouts per week.<br />
<br />
Phase 1: 6 weeks of Strength<br />
1 week off<br />
Phase 2: 6 weeks of Hypertrophy<br />
1 week off<br />
Phase 3: 4 weeks of Strength<br />
1 week off<br />
Phase 4: 6 weeks of Fat-Loss<br />
Celebrate!<br />
<br />
Throughout the next 25 weeks, I am going to keep you up-to-date with my progress by posting my workouts, diet, and (currently embarrassing) photos. I hope you will follow along with me! I can't promise it is going to be easy, but extraordinary results take extraordinary measures. Let's get it done!!!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Today's Workout</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DAY 1</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DAY 1</td></tr>
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<b>Let me know! </b>Let me know if you have any questions about my workout listed on the spreadsheet above or anything about this post. Also, I would really appreciate some words of encouragement! Your support means a lot. Let's get it done!<br />
<br />Stephen Wallshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16123046663270332075noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2100734914341036938.post-82033490997591479642012-02-02T20:20:00.000-08:002012-02-04T21:21:09.421-08:00Grocery List – Whole Grains<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C08DiMyHwKU/Ty4Rd8u0-PI/AAAAAAAAAMA/PO4mLK3-dfU/s1600/wholegrains.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C08DiMyHwKU/Ty4Rd8u0-PI/AAAAAAAAAMA/PO4mLK3-dfU/s200/wholegrains.jpg" width="200" /></a>You should
be eating 5 to 8 servings of whole grains every day. How many do you eat? If you are like the average person, you fall
well short of the amount you should be eating every day. I strongly suggest that you start finding
ways to add the following grains into your diet, but first let me give you a
quick shopping tip.</div>
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The best
rule to follow when you are picking out grains is to <i>avoid enriched or refined grains</i>.
Grains that are enriched or refined are stripped of vitamins, minerals,
and fiber. When you are looking for
grains you must <i>look for whole grains</i>!
When you’re looking at the ingredients
of whole grain bread or pasta, make sure that the word ‘enriched’ is not on the
label! There are tons of ways to prepare
raw whole grains. </div>
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GRAINS</div>
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<br /></div>
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Amaranth</div>
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Barley</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Brown Rice
(Basmati, Long Grain, Medium Grain, Short Grain)</div>
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Buckwheat</div>
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Bulgur</div>
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Couscous</div>
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Flaxseed</div>
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Millet</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Oats (Steel
Cut/Rolled)</div>
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Quinoa (pr.
keen-wah)</div>
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Rye</div>
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Spelt</div>
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Wheat
(Bulgur, Durun, Hard Red, Soft Red, Kernels)</div>
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Wild Rice</div>
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<br /></div>
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FOODS
CONTAINING WHOLE GRAINS</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Whole Grain
Bagel</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Whole Grain
Bread</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Whole Grain
Cereal</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Whole Grain
Crackers and Graham Crackers</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Whole Grain
English Muffin</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Whole Grain
Granola Bars</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Whole Grain
Oatmeal</div>
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Whole Grain
Pasta</div>
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Whole Wheat
Bread</div>
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<br /></div>
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BENEFITS OF
EATING WHOLE GRAINS</div>
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<br /></div>
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Low in fat</div>
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Helps weight
loss</div>
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Makes you
feel full longer</div>
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Aids in
digestion</div>
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Excellent
source of fiber</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Rich in
vitamins, minerals, and plant enzymes</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Prevents
constipation</div>
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Reduces risk
of heart disease</div>
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Protects you
from some cancers</div>
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Prevents type
2 diabetes</div>
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Longer life
expectancy</div>
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<br /></div>
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Make sure
you are getting your 5 to 8 servings. Go shopping now if you have to! Whole
grains are incredibly important for building a healthier you!</div>
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<br /></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<b>Let us know! </b>What are your favorite
whole grains? How many servings do you get each day?</div>Stephen Wallshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16123046663270332075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2100734914341036938.post-88873339857273585482012-02-01T21:52:00.000-08:002012-02-04T21:23:32.637-08:00When To Eat<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ERpgIJH9X7s/Ty4SQJui0eI/AAAAAAAAAMI/jY4381peTwE/s1600/stopwatch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ERpgIJH9X7s/Ty4SQJui0eI/AAAAAAAAAMI/jY4381peTwE/s320/stopwatch.jpg" width="237" /></a></div>
Do you eat 3 balanced meals every day? Is dinner your
biggest meal of the day? Are you one of
those people who just can’t eat breakfast?</div>
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If your answer is yes to any of these questions, you have it
all wrong! </div>
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If you have been following along these last few weeks, I
have given you a glimpse of <i>what </i>you should be eating and drinking for optimal
health. Lean meats, fish, dairy, whole
vegetables, whole fruits, whole grains, unpasteurized fruit juice, water,
etc. See <a href="http://thebetterhealthblog.blogspot.com/2012/01/grocery-list-fruit.html">Grocery
List - Fruit</a> , <a href="http://thebetterhealthblog.blogspot.com/2012/01/grocery-list-veggies-and-natural.html">Grocery
List - Vegetables</a>, and <a href="http://thebetterhealthblog.blogspot.com/2012/01/grocery-list-meats-poultry-and-fish.html">Grocery
List - Meat, Poultry, and Fish</a> for some guidance in what to eat. </div>
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What I have not yet discussed is <i>when</i> to eat. I like to call
this nutrient timing. Improving your nutrient timing will allow your metabolism
to stay high throughout the day and turn your body into a well oiled, fat
burning machine. </div>
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If someone asked you, "What are the two most important meals of
the day?", what would you say? If you said breakfast and after your workout,
you are correct! Do you know why?</div>
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BREAKFAST</div>
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When you are getting your long night’s sleep, your
metabolism is at its most efficient state and you have tons of stored energy
and low levels of glucose in your muscles.
It is extremely important to eat a healthy meal within 1 hour of waking
up in order to keep your metabolism high and build up stores of nutrients for
the day. You have to avoid simple carbohydrates and refined sugars, because
these foods will have a negative effect on your metabolism. Plus, the excess
glucose actually turns into fat! Don’t start your day with a plate of fat.
Instead, eat lean proteins (e.g. egg whites or natural peanut butter), complex
carbohydrates (e.g. whole grain english muffin or a whole grain bagel), whole
fruits, and vegetables. Breakfast will
affect your metabolism more than any other meal. The effects last the rest of
the day. If you are not eating breakfast, you are shooting yourself in the
foot. I would say you’re shooting yourself in both feet. If there is anything you
take away from this post it is that you should start every day off right with a
good, nutrient-rich breakfast!</div>
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AFTER YOUR WORKOUT</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Cardiovascular and anaerobic exercises both use nutrients
very quickly, so exercising, like sleep, will create nutrient deficiencies in
your body. For this reason, what you eat
after your workout can be very similar to what you would eat for a healthy
breakfast. In the meals following your exercise, you should replenish your body
with lean proteins, carbohydrates, and vegetables. If you consider yourself to
have a sweet tooth, post-workout is probably the best time of the day to get
your sugar fix. A little sugar improves your insulin and glucose levels. I’m
not a huge fan of sweets, but my post-workout protein shake includes hydrolyzed
whey protein (quick dissolving for quick supply to the muscles) and sports
drink mix (sugar). If you drink a
post-workout protein shake, make sure it is immediately after the workout. Also
eat a solid meal within two hours of your workout. Avoid fatty foods (even
healthy fats) in the 6 hours following your workout. </div>
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EAT SIX MEALS PER DAY</div>
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<br /></div>
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You have probably heard this one before. Eating six meals
each day is incredibly important for maintaining a high metabolism. You will
get nutrients more frequently, avoid over eating, and spend less energy
handling waste products. Many studies
have shown that a person who eats 6 meals each day gets way more nutrients than
a person eating the same exact food in 3 meals. The body can only absorb a
certain level of nutrients, so large meals create tons of excess waste that
slow the metabolism down. If you’re
eating three meals per day, it is time to make the change! Take a few minutes
each morning or night to prepare your meals if you have to.</div>
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<br /></div>
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These three rules apply to everyone wanting a healthier
body. If you want an individualized eating plan meant for your particular goal
(weight loss, muscle mass, etc.), feel free to email me or leave a comment
below. I would be more than happy to help!</div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<b>Let us know! </b>Which
one of these tips do you struggle with the most? If you eat 6 meals per day,
how do you take time to prepare each meal? Leave a comment below!</div>Stephen Wallshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16123046663270332075noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2100734914341036938.post-47563352866195789122012-01-27T20:38:00.000-08:002012-01-27T20:40:31.391-08:00A Healthy Body in 10 Words<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">FOR EVERYONE</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222;">Drink water.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222;">Eat whole foods.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222;">Do enjoyable cardio.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222;">Lift weights.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">FOR WEIGHT LOSS</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222;">Drink water.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222;">Eat whole foods.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222;">Do more cardio.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222;">Lift weights.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">FOR SKINNY GUYS</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222;">Drink water.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222;">Eat more calories.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222;">Lift more weights.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222;">Rest hard.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222;">APPLY THE 10 WORDS</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222;">Apply these 10 words to your life. Make them your absolute priority and all good habits. This is all it takes!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.917969); color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><b>Let us know! </b>Are these all priorities in your life? If not, what are you struggling with? What is keeping you from living a simple, healthy life?</span>Stephen Wallshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16123046663270332075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2100734914341036938.post-73861201181242829222012-01-26T19:56:00.000-08:002012-02-04T21:25:58.670-08:00My Journey - Hitting a Wall<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mWo4ZSZURng/Ty4S1GU14-I/AAAAAAAAAMQ/DshyVkWpom0/s1600/hitting-a-wall.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mWo4ZSZURng/Ty4S1GU14-I/AAAAAAAAAMQ/DshyVkWpom0/s1600/hitting-a-wall.png" /></a></div>
I have taken a lot of time to give all of you some of my best tips on exercise and nutrition, but I haven't found time to tell you about my own journey - until now.<br />
<br />
ABOUT ME<br />
<br />
I'm a 22 year old mechanical engineer. I live in Bremerton, Washington with my beautiful wife, Lee-Cassie. She has a blog herself, so check it out! [www.asoutherngirlsguidetoskinny.blogspot.com] I have been exercising and improving my nutrition off and on for the last 8 years, so I definitely know what it's like to go through slumps.<br />
<br />
Okay, so don't hate me when I tell you this... Do you promise?....Fine. I have always been skinny. No matter what I have eaten my whole life, I have always been lanky, scrawny, a bean stalk, ectomorphic, or whatever you wanna call it. I have grown up on thousands of pizzas, pounds of mac and cheese, and tons of fast food. I've always thought (as a lot of people do) that skinny means healthy. Here's a quick fact though: <i>Our bodies were made for natural whole foods</i>, not the man made science experiments all of us are guilty of stuffing our faces with. Skinny, obese, strong, or weak, there is no way to bypass this fact. If there is anything I've learned in the last 8 years, it's that skinniness is definitely not directly proportional to health! My family has a history of high blood pressure and heart issues. I knew if I continued to eat poorly, I would be on a fast track to high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and arteriosclerosis among tons of other issues. It's amazing how eating correctly can affect your life.<br />
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My freshman year of college (5 years ago), I was 6' 2" and 144 lbs. I added 20 pounds of muscle over my four years at Auburn University (War Eagle!) by improving my diet and being a little more consistent with weight lifting. My engineering courses made it nearly impossible to stay consistent, but my schedule got much better once I graduated. My work day is usually 7:00 am to 3:45 pm. It leaves me plenty of time to hit the gym before dinner. Since I finally had the time, I had to set goals. I ordered "The New Rules of Lifting," written by Lou Schuler and Alwyn Cosgrove back in July. It helped me strip my workouts down to the most effective exercises and helped me lay out a one year plan. I'm now 23 weeks into the program and I'm 185 pounds and much stronger than I've ever been. I have seen close to 40% strength increases in several exercises, like deadlift, squat, and bench press. The results have been great so far, but I have recently hit a wall. Before I tell you about the wall, let me tell you about my personal goal.<br />
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MY GOAL<br />
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My goal is simple; be as healthy as I possibly can be. For me, this includes physical, emotional, and spiritual health. It's very important for me to find balance in all of these. I don't want to spend so much time focusing on my physical health that I end up dumber than a box of rocks. Some day down the road I want to be as fit as a professional athlete, have a PhD in engineering, and be a leader in my church. I'm a firm believer in self-improvement and I try to find at least one thing to improve upon each day.<br />
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To find a balance in my life, my goals are to:<br />
-Live a long, healthy life with my wife<br />
-Grow stronger in my Christian faith<br />
-Improve the lives of those around me<br />
-Be successful in my career<br />
-Travel the world<br />
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Fitness and nutrition is obviously a small slice of my goals. So why am I writing on it, you ask? Because there is so much information out there about nutrition and fitness and it takes a crazy amount of time to find out the correct ways to eat and exercise! I've had to devote a ton of time to find out how to be physically healthy. This is time I could have been spending focusing on all of the other aspects of my life. I'm hoping this blog will help save you a ton of time by giving you simple information, so you can spend time doing all of the other things you enjoy. <br />
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HITTING A WALL<br />
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I have not gone to the gym in the last 10 days. This doesn't sound so bad, right? I know, but I think it definitely is. I started this 52 week program 23 weeks ago. I haven't missed a single planned workout since I've started. I have skipped the last 6 planned workouts and now I feel almost no desire to pick up any weights. I am having a hard time convincing myself that I need to keep going and I'm continuing to make tons of excuses. I've had a pretty bad cold since last Monday, the gym was closed due to snow for a few days last week, and I went out of town this past weekend. Also, I will start working 9 straight days of 13 hour night shifts this coming Monday. I'm a little worried I'll never get back!<br />
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BREAKING THE WALL<br />
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So here's my plan. I won't have much time to devote to the gym during the next two weeks, so I'm going to eat especially healthy and hit the gym hard as soon as I'm done with the long shifts. I'm being a huge hypocrite because I firmly believe that you should never put things off, but February 13th will be the day.<br />
I will have 6 weeks of strength exercises, 1 week off, 6 weeks of hypertrophy workouts, 1 week off, 4 weeks of strength workouts, 2 weeks off, then 6 weeks of fat loss exercises. This has me ending sometime in August. I need you guys to help hold me accountable!<br />
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<b>Let us know! </b>What's the longest plan you've ever had? How do you break through your walls? What are your goals?<br />
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<br />Stephen Wallshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16123046663270332075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2100734914341036938.post-26768144093556112702012-01-17T19:56:00.000-08:002012-02-04T21:29:47.428-08:00The Essential ExercisesThe following exercises are the ones that I consider vital
to any weight lifting program. If you are not currently doing them, you should
be! I have seen the best results from these exercises and I never saw
significant strength gains until I used all of them in my routines. <i>The New Rules of Lifting </i>by Lou Schuler
and Alwyn Cosgrove only strengthened my beliefs. It is an excellent read for anyone
considering weight lifting. If you aren’t considering weight lifting, why not!?
Weight lifting (with some cardio) is the absolute best thing you can do for
your body.<br />
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Only young guys though, right? Absolutely not! Who should do
them? Anyone with any sort of fitness goal or any desire to be the healthiest
they can be. This includes men and women
of all ages.</div>
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Here is a list of the exercises, why you probably aren’t doing
them, and why you definitely should do them!
I will also mention how some people approach these exercises
incorrectly. I will leave it to you to find the proper technique. I highly suggest <i>Strength Training Anatomy</i>, 3rd ed, Delavier as a reference to proper form. It is a very thorough book with loads of information on just about every exercise you can think of. If you get
mixed answers from your research or you are just unsure on proper technique, I would be glad to explain
any of these. Just leave a comment!</div>
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<b>SQUAT<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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The squat is the ultimate lower body exercise. It primarily
works your quadriceps, hamstrings, and gluteus. It works your lower-back which
has to keep your body upright through the lift. Lastly, it enlists all of your
muscles from your feet to your abdominals and middle back.</div>
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<b>Excuses I have heard:
<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b>Only athletes need to
do squats. </b>False. Squats are the ultimate leg exercise. You saw the lengthy
list of muscles that squats engage!</div>
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<b>I’m too old to be
lifting free weights. </b>Definitely not. This applies to all of the following exercise. I encourage Men and women of all ages to lift free weights. Use light weights and work
your way up if necessary. I have seen countless episodes of The Biggest Loser where 60 year
olds are lifting weights and seeing amazing improvements in their overall
health. </div>
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<b>It will hurt my back.
</b>With proper form, squats are incredibly safe. Just make sure to keep your
back straight. Do not hunch over. If you’re worried about form try to utilize the
mirrors in the gym to keep yourself on track – yes, mirrors are there for more
than just the buff guys to check themselves out in.</div>
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<b>Leg press is better
and safer. </b>Leg presses isolate your quadriceps and you don’t work half the
muscles you would with a squat. Not to mention, leg presses put horrible
sheering stresses on your knees. </div>
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<b>DEADLIFT<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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The deadlift, like the squat, works just about all of your
lower body muscles. For this exercise the focus shifts your gluteus, hamstring,
and lower back. Your trapezius (the muscle between your neck, shoulder blades,
and middle back) and forearms also get a great workout from having to support
the barbell. Still questioning the importance of deadlifts, think about this: You
probably pick things up off of the ground pretty often, right? If you want to
decrease your risk of back injury, do deadlifts. Strengthening your lower back
is very important for protecting your spine. </div>
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<b>It will hurt my back.
</b>Just like squats, with proper form, deadlifts are incredibly safe. Just
make sure to keep your back straight. I always tell people to poke their butt
out. We have a natural tendency to want to hunch over, but do not. Hunching and
doing the exercise incorrectly is how you would hurt your back. Just keep that
butt poked out!</div>
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<b>LUNGE<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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This works all of the same muscles as squats and deadlifts,
but allows you to attack the all-important hip flexors. If you have a desk job
or just spend a lot of time sitting, you will have pretty tight hip flexors.
This limits your mobility by making it difficult to take long steps or
jump. Lunges are very important for
increasing your flexibility around your hips and legs. You can do these by
holding weights at your sides or a barbell on your shoulders. There are several
variations (static lunge, dynamic lunge, and twisting lunge just to name a
few). </div>
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I haven’t heard too many excuses from people about lunges,
but the problem I often see is that people will do tons of them without any
weight. Adding weight helps stretch and contract the hip flexors even more than
a weight-less lunge, while increasing strength in all of your leg muscles. </div>
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<b>BENCH PRESS, SHOULDER
PRESS, DIP<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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I put these together because they are all pushing exercises.
It is important to do all of these or you will be building uneven shoulders and,
more importantly, an uneven upper body. I have never heard any excuses from men
on these exercises, but it seems women avoid them like a bad disease! </div>
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<b>I don’t want a big
flat chest or wide shoulders like a guy. </b>Women can and should lift the same
as men. Genetically, females do not have the same amount of testosterone that
males do. For this reason, women cannot build large muscles without supplements
and crazy diets. There are a small percentage of women who have high
testosterone. If you are one of these women, just avoid heavy weights and make
sure to work your chest and back evenly. For all of you women out there, I
challenge you to start lifting just like men.
I doubt any of you will grow big strong muscles like men. Seriously, try
it! If you start to see bigger muscles than you want, just ease back on those
exercises (reduce weight, increase reps). You can lift like a man and mold an
incredible feminine figure.</div>
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<b>ROWS, CHIN-UPS/PULL-UPS,
VERTICAL ROWS<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Most guys crave what I like to call “mirror muscles.” This
includes the chest, abdominals, and biceps. For this reason, guys head straight
for the benches and dumbbells when they get in the gym. Guys that focus on
these mirror muscles rarely spend an equal amount of time doing these three
pull exercises. Everyone that does this is building a very
lop-sided body. If you do a push
exercise like a bench press, it is very important to do the opposite muscles in
the form of a pull. The pull exercise associated with the bench press would be
the row. You want to make sure you’re working both equally! I’m pretty sure
this is an epidemic. <b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<o:p><b>CARDIO</b></o:p></div>
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<o:p>Read my earlier post, "Don't Stop Running," on how to incorporate cardio into your routine. You need to change the amount of time you devote to cardio based on your goals. </o:p></div>
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So that’s it! That’s the list. Pretty short right? You’re
probably thinking, “You left out bicep curls!” That’s because they are a waste
of time! Focus on chin-ups for working the biceps and your upper body.
If you want to continue to burn out your biceps after chin-ups, wrap dumbbells with towels and do towel
dumbbell curls. This does great work on your forearms. There’s no reason to
just work one muscle when you can work two! That’s the point of all of these
exercises. They all will give you the most bang for your buck. Sure, they’re
the hardest, but that is because they work the most! Incorporate these
exercises into your workouts and you’ll see fat burning, muscle building
results in no time. Better yet, you will be on track to be the healthiest you
can be!</div>
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Please ask me any questions you have about form or
clarifications about any of these exercises! Do you avoid any of these like the
plague? Are you going to try to start incorporating these into your workout
routine? </div>
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<br /></div>Stephen Wallshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16123046663270332075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2100734914341036938.post-71264715152595694122012-01-15T20:52:00.000-08:002012-01-15T20:53:15.080-08:00Don't Stop RunningI know, I know. In my
first post, I talked about weight lifting being more effective for weight loss
than running and other cardio exercises.
I still believe this to be true, but I am not asking you to stop
running, swimming, biking, or any other cardio exercise to only lift
weights. Cardio exercises can have massive
benefits for your body including improving heart health, strengthening your
immune system, quick calorie burn, strengthening bones and muscles, and
improving your self-esteem. I believe it’s
necessary to balance our weight lifting and cardio. The amount of time you spend on each, however,
should be determined by your goals.<br />
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<b>For Weight Loss<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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My earlier post dispelled any myth that cardio is better for
long-term weight loss than weight lifting, because weight lifting builds
muscle, boosts metabolism, and continues to burn fat even when you’re at
rest. Running and other cardio exercises
are incredibly efficient at burning calories making running, biking, swimming,
etc. all great ideas if you are looking for a quick burn. </div>
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To maximize weight
loss, it is important to make time for both weight training and cardio. I
recommend <i>weight lifting three days a
week and running three other days, taking one day for rest</i>. For example,
lift weights Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and run on Tuesday, Thursday, and
Saturday. </div>
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You could also do two-a-days, but make sure you weight lift
in the morning and run in the evening. Your body requires glycogen for weight
lifting that would be burned by a cardio session. Also, when you deplete your
glycogen levels with weight lifting, you get a jump start on burning fat with
your cardio. This is because, when you run, your body often spends the first
15-20 minutes depleting glycogen. Once glycogen is eliminated, you start
burning body fat. </div>
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<b>For Strength Gains or
Muscle Mass<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Cardio can ruin you! I have experienced this first hand.
Several years ago, I was in a fantastic weight training routine. I would spend
an hour lifting weights, three times a week and I was seeing tons of strength
improvements with this particular workout. A few weeks into the routine, I
started to play pickup games of basketball after each workout. I did this for a
few weeks until I noticed that I was actually losing strength and muscle mass.
I was going completely backwards! So I ditched the basketball and continued to
see the gains I was working so hard for. </div>
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I have since learned how to work in a little cardiovascular
exercise without sacrificing gains in the gym. You might be thinking, “Why do
any cardio at all?” Well, adding in a little cardio allows us to continue to
get benefits that we would not normally get from weight training. You will get
improved cardiovascular health, better endurance, and burn excess fat to help
you get that cut body you are looking for. I have three simple rules that I
like to follow to ensure I get these benefits without sacrificing all of my
hard work in the weight room.</div>
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Rule #1 – If you perform cardiovascular exercises, you must
eat more. Try eating at least as many calories as you predict you have burned.
If you don’t cover the energy demands of your workout, you will lose progress.</div>
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Rule #2 – Perform between 12 and 20 minutes of intense
interval cardio. I have read that this is plenty of time to get all of the
benefits from cardiovascular exercise. Any
longer and your body will have two separate exercises to recover from and you
will start to see fewer gains with your weight lifting exercises. Your
intervals should be short and intense followed by a longer recovery period
(e.g. 30 seconds of intense running followed by 90 seconds of a slow jog or
fast walk).</div>
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Rule #3 – Separate your weight lifting sessions and cardio
sessions with as much time as possible OR do your cardio immediately after
weight lifting. I would do the former though. I worry that a fatigued body is
more prone to injury. Two-a-days are especially horrible ideas. Your body, like
mine when I was playing basketball, will choose to recover from the cardio and
you will stop seeing gains from lifting. Unless you are a genetic freak, it is
just impossible to be an endurance runner and a successful weight lifter.</div>
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<b>For the Endurance Athlete<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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You are lucky. Endurance sports can negate any gains in
weight lifting, but it is very unlikely weight lifting will ruin your progress
in endurance activities. Obviously, you would not want to waste your time in
the weight room though, so there are a few guidelines you should follow. You should
obviously put your endurance activity as your first priority. You don’t want to lift weights before your cardio session in the same day because you will increase muscle fatigue and your chance for injury. You
want to run while you have the energy. Try to separate your endurance activity
and strength training, however. If you don’t, you will likely sabotage your
progress in your endurance while seeing very minimal gains in your strength
training. You will also deplete your body of glycogen (as I mentioned earlier)
required for weight lifting and probably increase your risk of injury. Try to
lift weights just two or three times a week and remember to keep it separate. </div>
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<b>Let us know! </b>Do
you lift weights and run? What kind of balance/schedule do you use to
accomplish your goals? </div>Stephen Wallshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16123046663270332075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2100734914341036938.post-69395555632318190282012-01-14T19:30:00.000-08:002012-02-04T21:08:15.837-08:00Grocery List - FruitI always have a hard time to remember what fruits I should buy organic and what is safe to eat non-organic. I would buy all organic if I could, but sometimes the selection is low and the prices are just way too high. This is why I've split this list into conventional (aka non-organic) fruits I think are safe and ones I think we should buy organic. The ones in the list titled "Fruit Okay to Buy Non-Organic/ Conventional" are almost always considered 'clean fruits' and are free of pesticides.The fruits in the "Fruit to Buy Organic" list have at least a generous amount of those pesky pesticides when grown conventionally. In case you were wondering, no, you cannot wash all the pesticides off. They are treated throughout the growing process and a lot of it is absorbed.<br />
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I tried to alphabetize the list to help with looking things up. Fruits I consider to be highest in pesticides all have an asterisk * next to them. I would avoid conventional forms of these asterisked fruits as much as possible. I hope this helps you guys and gals out. I know I will be pulling this list up about every time I'm wandering around the produce aisle or making my grocery list.<br />
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<b><u>Fruit Okay to Buy </u></b><b><u>Non-Organic/Conventional </u></b></div>
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Avocados<br />
Bananas<br />
Blueberries (local)</div>
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Cantaloupe (in season and domestic/avoid ones imported from Mexico)</div>
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Honeydew Melon<br />
Kiwi</div>
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Mango</div>
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Papaya</div>
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Pineapple</div>
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Watermelon</div>
</div>
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<u><b>Fruit to Buy Organic</b></u></div>
<div>
Apples**<br />
Blueberries (if buying non-local)<br />
Cantaloupe (if out of season/imported)</div>
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Cherries*
</div>
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Grapefruit
</div>
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Grapes*
</div>
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Oranges</div>
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Lemons</div>
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Nectarines*</div>
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Peaches*** (conventional peaches usually have the highest amount of pesticides over any other fruit)
</div>
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Pears*
</div>
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Plums</div>
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Raspberries*
</div>
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Strawberries**</div>
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Tangerines<br />
Tomatoes (buy local)<br />
<br /></div>
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*Fruits considered to be high in pesticides if non-organic.</div>
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**Very high in pesticides if non-organic</div>
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***Extremely high in pesticides if non-organic<br />
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<b>Let Us Know!</b> Do you have certain fruits that you only buy organic? Is your decision to buy organic fruit based on flavor, the lack or pesticides and other chemicals, or because you like to stick to locally grown crops? Is there anything missing from the lists? </div>
</div>Stephen Wallshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16123046663270332075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2100734914341036938.post-35800578526490728232012-01-13T11:03:00.000-08:002012-02-04T21:08:15.781-08:00When to Eat Organic<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left;"> If you are just starting to eat healthier foods, I would not worry about eating organic at first. Your first priorities should be to eliminate junk food from your diet and start eating more fruits, vegetables, and healthy snacks. There are people who only buy organic foods, but guess what – they could still be filling their bodies with junk.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Organic foods, under the United States Department of Agriculture's definition, are free of synthetic substances; contain no antibiotics and hormones; have not been irradiated or fertilized with sewage sludge; were raised without the use of most conventional pesticides; and contain no genetically modified ingredients.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This is all fine and dandy but when you're eating organic cheese puffs you are still eating junk food! I'm completely guilty of this, by the way, those organic cheese puffs are some of my all-time favorite snacks – but, like many of you out there, I have tried to begin changing my ways. My point is, there are tons of organic products that are just as horrible for you as their non-organic counterparts. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">Health expert, Jillian Michaels, talked about eating organic in one of her recent podcasts. She is a huge advocate for eating organic for, what I consider to be, all of the right reasons. She does not want to ingest all of those extra hormones, antibiotics, and other chemicals that are often found in conventional foods. But, you might ask, organic food is expensive, right? This is true in a lot of cases, so you have to find your balance. Jillian says if you have any expendable income, and you’re interested in being healthy and keeping chemicals out of your body, you should use it to buy organic foods. I think this is a great tip and it has stuck with me. I think what’s most important is that you</span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;"> find balance in your budget to include organics</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt;">. In the end, it’s your prerogative – conventional foods with all the chemicals -or- organic, natural foods eaten the way God intended without any additives.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">My wife and I have been trying to buy more organic fruits, vegetables, and meat lately and you can really tell the difference with some of them! I think many of them taste better, sure, every once in a while they don't, but I can rest assured that I'm not pumping my body full of all those man-made chemicals in conventional foods. I'm still not eating entirely organic foods yet and I’m having a hard time convincing my wife it’s worth the extra money that could be spent on books and clothes and other girly things, but it's a work in progress.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Here's a short list on why I think we should eat organic: (Remember, I’m only human and my reasons are based on a lot of personal research and a passion for a healthier, better life.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">1) Free of pesticides (contain neurotoxins that damage brain and nerve cells)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">2) Higher in nutrients like vitamins, antioxidants, and healthy minerals</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">3) Earth-supportive (a lot of modern agricultural practices are dangerous for the environment)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">4) Support local/small farmers</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">5) Lower your cancer risk</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">6) Free of antibiotics, hormones, and other chemicals</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold;">Let us know!</span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Are you eating a healthy diet? Do you avoid all of those processed foods in the middle aisles at the grocery store? Do you eat anything organic?</span></div>
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<br /></div>Stephen Wallshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16123046663270332075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2100734914341036938.post-64581369794040317392012-01-12T22:31:00.000-08:002012-02-04T21:08:15.824-08:00Bad Food, Cigarettes, and My Grocery ListI have always been interested in reading about and studying body transforming exercises, but I did not start caring about healthy eating until a few years ago. I've always been scrawny, so I always thought I was healthy no matter what I ate. Boy was I wrong!<br />
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I have often heard people say that "the food you eat is half the battle" and I couldn't agree more. Since I have started eating healthier foods, I have seen a huge change in my life. I feel lighter, happier, I sleep better, I get sick much less often, and I have seen a ton of improvement in all of my workouts. And these are just the short term benefits! I also have the peace of mind that everything I'm putting into my body is fuel for a longer life. Eating healthy will give me good cholesterol, blood pressure, body fat, bone strength, and cardiovascular health for the rest of my life.</div>
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I like to compare bad foods to cigarettes. They are both addicting. Our bodies, by nature, love high calorie, fatty foods. The problem is that all of these foods are terrible for us. Most of them are man-made with all kinds of ingredients that are not meant for our bodies. Sure, the FDA approves them for consumption, but the long term effects of eating tons of these horrible foods are equivalent to effects from smoking. Eating poorly and smoking both lead to a shorter life expectancy in some way or another. Poor food choices can lead to heart problems, diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure), and even cancer in addition to tons of other horrible things. </div>
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Avoiding poor food choices is a daily battle. There is conflicting data on just about anything you pull off of the grocery store shelf. I spend a few hours every week just trying to learn what food is healthy and what is not. </div>
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My best advice is to<i> find a hand full of healthy options and recipes that you enjoy and stick to them</i>! Jillian Michaels is a personal trainer and health expert from shows like The Biggest Loser and The Doctors. She has a great podcast I like to listen to each week (It's called "The Jillian Michaels Show" if you want to check it out). Anyways, in one of her podcasts she talked about what she likes to eat to stay healthy. She said she just has 2 or 3 different things she'll eat for each meal of the day. She always knows her intake of calories, protein, fat, etc. I love the simplicity of this! I took this idea and compiled my own personal menu. It was so easy to do and it makes trips to the grocery store a heck-of-a-lot quicker! I know, I know. You're probably thinking "What if I get tired of these meals?" or "What if I can't eat the same thing twice in one week?" If you get tired of something, just can always just switch it out and you can always make the menu as big as you want. Maybe you want a menu the size of the novel they have at The Cheesecake Factory. There's good things to be said for that and I think you could definitely benefit from my upcoming 'Grocery List.'</div>
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<b>GROCERY LIST</b></div>
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As a start on my posts on nutrition, I've decided to make a 'Grocery List.' I'm hoping it will be a great resource for anyone making their own grocery lists or even someone looking to add another recipe to their 20 page menu. I have a hard time remembering all of the foods that are healthy. For example, I always forget which types of fish need to be wild-caught and which types are okay to eat farm-raised. I also forget what types of fruits I need to buy organic and what types are okay conventional. For now I'm just going to make a huge list of healthy foods. If you want me to explain my choices, feel free to comment or email me. And by all means, let me know if you have some more healthy options to add to the list. I will try to categorize everything, but I imagine it may take a while to list them all. There are more healthy options out there than you think! </div>
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What bad foods do you have a hard time quitting? What's your favorite thing on your healthy menu? Let us know and maybe we'll start a Better Health Blog cookbook. </div>Stephen Wallshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16123046663270332075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2100734914341036938.post-39090812629333861442012-01-12T18:58:00.000-08:002012-02-04T21:08:15.799-08:00Grocery List - Vegetables<span style="font-size: 12pt;">I am terrible about eating all of my vegetables. Growing up, the only servings of vegetables I got were in the form of pizza sauce or taco lettuce. Ever since I met my wife, she's been trying to get me on the right track. If there is one thing I have learned in my research on nutrition, you should definitely consume more veggies than any other type of food. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">I am dividing my list into what I think is safe to eat non-organic and what should be bought organic. Vegetables in the organic list have been known to be covered in pesticides. I have alphabetized them to make the list a little easier to use. Vegetables especially high in pesticides have asterisks * next to them. I would avoid the non-organic/conventional types of these asterisked veggies at all costs. The more asterisks, the worse. I hope this list helps and remember to keep eating your veggies!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12pt;"><b style="font-size: medium;"><u>Vegetables to Buy Non-Organic/Conventional</u></b>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Asparagus</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Avocados</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Broccoli</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Brussel Sprouts</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Cauliflower</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Cabbage</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Corn, sweet (buy local)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Eggplant</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Garlic</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Okra</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Onions</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Radishes</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Rhubarb</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Sweet Potatoes</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Tomatoes (buy local)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Winter Squash (if you don't eat the skin)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Zucchini</span><br />
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<b><u><span style="font-family: inherit;">Vegetables to Buy Organic</span></u></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Beets*</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Bell Pepper**</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Carrots*** (carrots are sometimes grown just to absorb heavy metals from soil)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Cauliflower</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Celery*** (generally most pesticides of any other conventional vegetable)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Collard Greens</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Cucumbers**</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Green Beans*</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Kale</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Lettuce</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Mushrooms (not a veggie, but you will probably find these in the vegetable aisle)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Pepper</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Potatoes</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Spinach*</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Summer Squash</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Winter Squash (if you eat the skin)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">* Vegetables high in pesticides, heavy metals, and other contaminants</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">** Vegetables very high in pesticides, heavy metals, and other contaminants</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">*** Vegetables extremely high in pesticides, heavy metals, and other contaminants</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">If I'm missing any veggies from the list, let us know!</span></div>
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<br /></div>Stephen Wallshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16123046663270332075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2100734914341036938.post-4682102735881772942012-01-12T18:55:00.001-08:002012-02-04T21:08:15.811-08:00Grocery List - Meats, Poultry, and Fish<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">MEATS<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Beef
(organic, grass-fed)</b> – Get lean cuts
of grass-fed beef, 93/7 or better, to avoid high fat content. Grass fed beef
will cost extra, but you’ll be avoiding all of the horrible chemicals and
hormones that are pumped into most cows. Beef can have anywhere between 25 and
35 grams of protein and 150 and 250
calories (in 4oz serving) depending on the type of cut.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Bison
(organic, grass-fed)</b> – This is a
great alternative to beef. Fat content is generally lower and there is a ton of
protein packed in (32g in 4oz). Get grass fed!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lamb<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Elk<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Venison<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Pork
Tenderloin (organic)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">POULTRY<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Turkey
(organic) </b>– 34g of protein and 180
calories in 4 ounces. Turkey has to be the best poultry you can eat. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Chicken
breast (organic) </b>– It’s the leanest
part of the chicken. You can also get it ground like beef and turkey. It’s another
one of the best proteins you can buy with 190 calories, 35g of protein, and 5g
of fat in a 4oz serving. I have a hard time finding organic chicken, but it is
definitely worth the splurge. You avoid tons of synthetic chemicals, GMOs
(genetically modified organisms), and all kinds of other bad stuff. Anyone who
has seen <i>Food Inc. </i>knows what I’m
talking about and if <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">you haven’t seen it, you should
definitely add it to your Netflix queue!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ostrich<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">FISH/SEAFOOD<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Salmon
(wild caught)</b> – Salmon is probably
the best fish you can eat. It’s full of fatty acids called Omega-3s that have
tons of great benefits for your body including cardiovascular health,
anti-inflammatory, better brain function, and protection from heart attacks and
strokes (200 calories and 29g of protein in 4oz). Avoid farm raised at all
costs, they are fed chemicals to give them color, fed things like chicken
feces, and given antibiotics at higher levels than any other livestock. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Sardines
and Herring </b>– Both of these, like
Salmon, are high in Omega-3s.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Trout
(farm raised) </b>– Farm raised trout is
just fine (140 calories and 24g of protein in 4oz). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lobster<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Crab<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Mussels<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Clams<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Oysters<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Crawfish<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Scallops<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Shrimp<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Squid</span><span style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Tuna </b>(limit mercury exposure! eat skipjack light canned tuna if you want to eat often, eat albacore or yellowfin if you just want to eat it once a month or so)</span><br />
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<b>Let us know! </b>Is there anything missing from these lists? Are there any meats you like to eat organic?</div>Stephen Wallshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16123046663270332075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2100734914341036938.post-12272980843164261012012-01-11T18:53:00.000-08:002012-01-15T20:54:43.633-08:00Making Your Workout Plan and Staying Motivated<br />
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<span id="internal-source-marker_0.30863705836236477"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Before I start talking about motivation and planning, let’s address the word no one likes to hear - Procrastination. We all procrastinate - let’s just get that out in the open. There’s not a one of us who doesn’t, to some degree. When you’re starting a new workout or any new good habit at all, just take Mr. Procrastination and punch him right in the face!</span><br /><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How many times have you had the following thoughts? “I’ll start exercising next Monday” -or- “I’ll start eating well after the holidays.” If you’ve had these thoughts, did you actually follow through? Chances are you did not and, unfortunately, Mr. Procrastination won yet again. There is no reason not to start these habits RIGHT NOW. If you want to start working out, go to the gym TODAY. If it’s too late, go ahead and get your workout clothes together for tomorrow. If you want to start eating well, throw out all of those bad foods TONIGHT and get a grocery list together for healthy food.</span><br /><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">PLANNING</span><br /><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b><br /><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When I started lifting weights about 8 years ago, I would go the gym whenever I had spare time with a few exercises or body parts I wanted to work (usually abs, biceps, and chest like any teenager wanting a ‘beach body’). I had no real plan at all. I would do this for a month or two and hardly see any results. Without a plan, I was completely frustrated, tired of exercising, not to mention, totally wasting my time.</span><br /><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When you begin weight lifting, making a plan is essential. Just follow these 4 simple rules:</span><br /><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Make a 1-week schedule that works all muscle groups: </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You have to decide whether you want to lift weights 2, 3, or 4 days per week. Keep in mind that resting is very important because it gives your muscles much needed time to repair. Do not lift weights more than two days without taking a rest day (a lower intensity exercise is still ok). Make sure you work all muscle groups (shoulders, chest, back, biceps, triceps, legs, abs) within this week. You could split these groups into 2, 3, or 4 separate days. </span><br /><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Continue doing your 1-week schedule for 4 to 8 weeks: </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This 4 to 8 week routine gives you time to see progress. You’ll be able to do more weight each week. Your technique will improve and so will your body. The problem is, as you near the end of this routine, your muscles will start to get used to each of these exercises and you will begin to plateau. </span><br /><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Create another routine at least a week before your current routine ends: </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This new routine will keep you from plateauing! Plus, I always get bored doing the same thing for a long time, so I’m always excited about changing my workout. </span><br /><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Take a week off after your 4 to 8 week routine: </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">By now you have probably not had a single day without being sore in some part of your body. It is very important that you take a break for both emotional and physical reasons. Some of you will be thinking “Thank goodness about time for a break,” but most of you will be excited about getting started the next week. Just know that when you work hard, you have to rest hard as well! </span><br /><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b><br /><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">STAYING MOTIVATED</span><br /><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></b><br /><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’ve been lifting weights for the past 6 months with 5 different 4 to 8 week routines, but this past week I hit a wall. I took a two week break during the holidays and when I started back, I did not want to be in the gym. My current routine starts on Monday by working legs and I really hate leg days so that probably didn’t help. I didn’t like it, but I stayed in the gym and finished my workout anyways. That night, I couldn’t have been happier and more proud of myself. Now I’m more excited than ever about my plan. </span><br /><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Set goals</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. What kept me motivated when I hit that wall were my goals. 6 months ago, I made a somewhat long term (I say ‘somewhat’ because the ultimate long term goal should be lengthening your healthy life!) goal to lift weights for a year without skipping a single day of workouts. The fact that I have already been through 6 months without missing a day holds me accountable. I think to myself “I can’t give up now!” I also make weekly goals. I take a log sheet with me to the gym every day to record the weight I lift. Not everyone does this, but I highly recommend it. Recording my weight allows me to beat myself each time I go to the gym. If I don’t beat my weights from the previous week, I’m losing and no one likes losing! Think about how much you could progress if you continue to beat your past weights for 6 consecutive weeks. I’ve seen more than 30% strength gains in my 6-week routines before!</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-weight: 800; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<b><br /><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Workout with a partner</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. If you have a partner in crime, you will always have someone to spot you for one, but, more importantly, you will have someone who can pick you up when your down. It is unlikely that you will both lack motivation on the same day. I always thought I needed a partner to hold me accountable each week, but not everyone needs one. I haven’t been able to keep a steady partner since I started 6 months ago, but I’ve learned to stay motivated by other means (above).</span></b><b id="internal-source-marker_0.30863705836236477"><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></b></b><br />
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<b><b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Look back in time. </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Sometimes looking at old photos of how you were before you began training, losing weight, and building muscle are more than enough to keep you motivated. This also works with recorded weights and numbers.</span></b> </b> </div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tell people about your goals</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Just vocalizing your goals can make it a lot easier for you to stick to them. They suddenly feel more real and tangible. Plus, you do not want to fail in front of your friends and family or let them down. I’ve seen people that post their goals on Facebook. The people (men and women both) who I’ve seen post their weights and weight goals on Facebook have all obliterated their goals and have all been more excited doing so. I’m sure the same would definitely work for guys with strength goals or guys trying to put on muscle mass.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Let us know! </b></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What are your fitness goals? Weight loss? Gaining strength? Gaining muscle mass? </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Try writing them all down and use your new planning skills to make a plan to achieve them!</span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></div>Stephen Wallshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16123046663270332075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2100734914341036938.post-82117103964125805502012-01-11T17:14:00.000-08:002012-01-20T20:38:26.810-08:00Strength Training is the Ultimate Exercise<br />
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.14782815240323544"><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">People sometimes look at me like I’m crazy when I proclaim that I don’t need to run several miles a day or diet to get in shape.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What is wrong with this guy? Isn’t cutting back on food the first step to a six-pack? Isn’t cardio the best way to burn calories and lose weight? No and no. You do not have to starve yourself or run miles upon miles to get in shape. Yes, that’s right! No more hours running on the hamster wheel and staring at the wall or eating measly, miserable salads at every meal. Dieting is a horrible idea by the way (more on this later).</span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are several benefits to running and other cardio exercises, so if running is something you enjoy then by all means keep it up. But if you’re anything like me, you can’t stand running on a treadmill or jogging in big circles every day of the week. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">STRENGTH TRAINING is the key!</span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">90% of you probably know what I’m talking about when I use the term ‘strength training,’ but for those of you who don’t… Strength training is the use of resistance to contract muscles in order to build strength, anaerobic endurance, and size of skeletal muscles.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Strength training is 100% without a doubt better for losing weight than cardio. Cardio exercises like running, swimming, and cycling all promote cardiovascular health, but when it comes to losing weight, strength training is king. Why, you ask? Muscles require more calories than fat to maintain them. People who lift weights increase their muscle mass so their bodies are burning more calories even when at rest. This means you are burning fat even when you’re watching TV or sitting at the dinner table! Some studies have shown weightlifting can cause your metabolism to increase by up to 15%. I’ve learned the truth of this statement first hand. My wife complains that I eat everything in the house whenever I start a new lifting regimen. This is not a problem though, because my body is getting stronger and leaner as I continue to lift.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you want the body you’re looking for, it’s time to get in the gym and pick up some weights! I’ll suggest some great workouts in upcoming blogs. Until then, check out the fitness sections on</span><a href="http://www.menshealth.com/"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #000099; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">www.menshealth.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> or</span><a href="http://www.womenshealthmag.com/"><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #000099; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">www.womenshealthmag.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Train at least 3 times a week and make sure you work all of your muscle groups each week. I like to divide my workouts by muscle groups. A good example is: Day 1 - Chest and Triceps, Day 2 - Back and Biceps, Day 3 - Shoulders and Legs. You can work abs in wherever you like. Try to use free weights instead of those machines. Start light and focus on technique! If you can’t get access to a gym or weight room, there are plenty of exercises you can do at home. Try googling a few ‘home workouts’ for now. I will post some workouts for you soon!</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">-Stephen</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />Here's a little food for thought.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Benefits of Weight Lifting</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Leaner body</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Better athletic performance</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Boosts metabolism</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Provides fat loss</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Increases strength</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Improves the immune system</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Slows down aging</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Improves posture</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Improves libido</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Reduces stress</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lowers high blood pressure</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Improves circulation</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Reduces risk of diabetes</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Increases confidence</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Improves balance</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Improves flexibility</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Builds stronger bones</span></div>
</div>Stephen Wallshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16123046663270332075noreply@blogger.com0