Stop Being Bored With Your Daily Diet! Any of These 7 Things Will Help You Eat Happier and Healthier

 

Every day it seems like a new wonder food hits the news. Everything from pomegranates to acai berries to salmon to sardines has been heralded as the newest key to looking and feeling your best.

The truth is, while some foods might provide a bit more of this or that nutrient, there is no one food that provides every nutrient you need to live the healthiest life possible. Your best bet is to eat a variety of foods so that your body will reap the benefit of each.

It’s so easy to get in a rut and buy the same foods over and over again, but with just a bit of effort you can incorporate new foods into your diet and treat your taste buds, all while giving your body the best possible nutrition possible.

Easy ways to try new foods:

1. Get a few good cookbooks. I’m particularly fond of Mark Bittman’s “How to Cook Everything Vegetarian” and the classic “The Joy of Cooking” by Irma Rombauer. It’s fun to flip through these giant volumes and find recipes for things I’d never heard of like salsify and amaranth. It makes me excited to search out new ingredients to play with in my cooking.

2. Shop at ethnic markets. In many cities, immigrants have opened stores selling the produce and other ingredients popular in their native cuisines. Not only will you be blown away by the variety and quality of produce, but you’ll find many gorgeous fruits and vegetables not commonly available in mainstream supermarkets. Plunge in and see if you can find some new favorites.

3. Try your local farmer’s market. This is one of my favorite tricks for getting picky children to try new things. My kids are much more likely to try the patty pan squash after they’ve spoken to the farmer that grew it rather than me just plopping it on their plates. The people working the market will be glad to answer your questions on how to use any unfamiliar produce and might even have samples. Many farmer’s markets also publish cook books to raise money which is a great way to get recipes for the produce local to your area while supporting local agriculture.

4. Join a CSA. Not only are CSAs (community supported agriculture) a great way to help farmers in your area, it’s a great way to expose your family to new fruits and vegetables or to remind you to eat old favorites. Most will give you ideas on how to use the produce in your weekly share. Keep in mind, there might be weeks where you do get an overabundance of one or two items and you might still have to go shopping to fill in the gaps or get more variety, however the produce will be fresh and full of nutrition and you’ll be discovering the joys of eating locally and seasonally.

5. Get your children involved. If you have kids, take them grocery shopping with you and make a challenge for them to pick one new food for dinner or snack. It’s wise to set limits, otherwise they might decide on the new variety of boxed cookies. But chances are, they’ll find something interesting. If the family likes it, great, put it in rotation. If not, talk about using the item in conjunction with a new preparation or waiting a year or so and then trying it again. It can help to share stories about foods you disliked as a child but loved later in life. This will help your children understand that tastes can and do change and that there is never a need to write off any food forever.

6. Have a potluck with friends. Encourage them to bring something new for the group from their culture, a place they’ve traveled, or any other recipe or foodstuff they’ve acquired a taste for by experimenting. Make sure to be clear that you’re looking for adventurous stuff, not just “safe” foods that everyone likes. Sharing foods and recipes with friends not only expands the palate but is a great way to experience community, which is also excellent for your best health.

7. Subscribe to cooking blogs. There are many fine blogs devoted to all sorts of cooking and food on the Internet. Reading through them can give you ideas for all sorts of new foods to try. You might even be experienced to start your own to document your adventures in eating!

Trying new foods is one of the great joys in life. It’s not only pleasing to the palate, an interesting diet can help you consume a wider variety of nutrients that will add to your continued health.
article source www.stumbleupon.com

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19 Ideas for A Healthier Easter Baske

The Easter Bunny is the bearer of all things sweet, delicious, and right with the world. But, this holiday doesn’t have to induce the same sugar-high as Halloween. Instead, fill those Easter baskets with some healthy alternatives. (Yes, we’ve included veggies and fruit, but we promise chocolate still has a strong presence.)

Edibles

Chocolate Covered Fruit
For a chocolate fix with a healthy dose of fruit, dip whole strawberries, grapes, or banana slices in melted chocolate. Microwave the chocolate on 50-percent power in 30-second increments, stirring between spurts, until smooth, or use a double boiler. Place the chocolateized fruit in mini muffin papers so the chocolate doesn’t schmear all over the rest of the basket’s contents. To tone down the amount of chocolate, drizzle the melted stuff ofver fruit with the tines of a fork. For an added crunch, roll the fruit in chopped nuts (we like almonds, walnuts, pecans, and pistachios).

Fruit Snacks
While standard fruit snacks often contain a host of artificial flavors, synthetic colors, and preservatives, whipping them up at home means forgoing the fake stuff. Though it take some time, it may be worthwhile to make your own fruit snacks using real fruit (this version uses just four ingredients — strawberries, lemon juice, honey, and gelatin). Pour the mixture into a shallow baking pan or cookie sheet and cut into cubes, or to get extra festive, use bunny-shaped molds!

Dark Chocolate
This time of year, drug stores and grocery stores stock their shelves with bunny- and egg-shaped treats …loaded with sugar, syrups, and hard-to-pronounce stuff. A holiday without chocolate is just cruel, so keep a few things in mind when choosing a healthier chocolate bar. To reap the benefits of dark chocolate, choose a bar with 70 percent or more cacao. Healthy bonus points: Cacao has been shown to help lower blood pressure and reduce the risk for coronary heart disease . Make sure the first ingredient on the label reads “cocoa butter” or “cocoa liquor.” When sugar is the first ingredient, it may taste sweeter, but it has far fewer health benefits. Organic chocolate bars, while generally a little pricier, are more bang for your buck. Why? They’ve got fewer ingredients (usually just cocoa, sugar, and sometimes an emulsifier, vanilla, and milk) while other bars feature artificial flavors and cocoa processed with alkali (which knocks out some of the flavanol antioxidants) .

Individually-Wrapped Treats
Now that you know how to choose the good stuff, it’s time to healthify that Easter basket in another less obvious way. Chocolate bars are exciting and all, but individually wrapped spheres and squares of chocolate offer built in portion control. Instead of ripping open a bar, grab one or two pieces at a time to enjoy.

Peanut Butter Eggs
Name one person that doesn’t like peanut butter eggs. (Thought so.) Though store-bought eggs taste like the nectar of the Easter Gods, they’re often oversized and full of not-so-healthy ingredients. The filling, for instance, often contains more sugar than actual peanuts. Make your own PB eggs with recognizable ingredients and switch things up with almond butter for more fiber, iron, and Vitamin E.

Gold Fish (or Bunnies!)
Cheesy snacks make an Easter-appropriate basket filler when they’re shaped like bunnies! We like Annie’s cheddar bunnies  — which come in a whole-wheat variety varieties — but it doesn’t take much to make your own. Grab a set of Easter-themed cookie cutters for festivity’s sake. While moderation is key with these cheesy little guys, the obvious benefit of homemade versions is that they actually use real cheese.

Homemade Peeps
Easter without peeps is like Christmas without milk and cookies, Chanukah without gelt, and St. Patty’s day without green beer (the shame). For a healthier marshmallow chick remix, ditch the corn syrup and white sugar in favor of honey. We’re not saying these peeps are as healthy as a floret of broccoli, but at least they’re free of preservatives, artificial dyes, and carnauba wax (the main ingredient in car wax, which also makes an appearance in Peeps).

Carrots
You don’t have to tell us carrots aren’t as cool as chocolate. We know. But, the Easter bunny loves ‘em, right? Wrap a few carrot sticks with green ribbon, or fill small cellophane bags with baby carrots to jazz the veggie up. Toss a few individual hummus containers in the basket as well for a healthy dipper.

Graham Bunnies
Just like gold fish, feel free to make your own graham snacks without hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup. Annie’s bunny grahams are a great choice for a pre-made version, which comes in a handful of varieties (such as vanilla, chocolate, and gluten-free snicker doodle). They’re still cookies, so eat the bunnies in moderation!

Hard-Boiled Eggs
While creme eggs and peanut butter-filled chocolate eggs may take center stage on Easter, why not eat real eggs? This superfood-in-a-shell is just about 70 calories per egg and provides 6 grams of protein. Plus, they’re full of omega-3 fatty acids (important for heart health). And good news is that it’s ok to eat the whole egg! For perfect hard-boiled eggs, gently place them in a large saucepan, cover with about an inch of water, bring to a boil, remove from heat, and let sit for 12 minutes. Skip the artificial dye and try homemade versions using ingredients like saffron (yellow), cabbage (blue), and raspberries (red).

Nut Butter and Fruit
To keep the carrots company, chuck a few apples and bananas in that Easter basket. We like pairing them with Justin’s Almond Butter packets for a healthy fiber and protein filled snack.

Filled Plastic Eggs
Those classic plastic Easter eggs are a genius way to pre-portion treats. Fill ‘em up with dried or dehydrated fruits — we’re big fans of Peeled snacks — or nuts (we like them cocoa dusted, seeds, healthy trailmix, granola, or cocoa nibs. Surprise!

Tea
For a soothing sipper for after you’ve accomplished a sugar high, include some canisters or boxes of tea. We really like the fun flavors from Republic of Tea and the pretty tea bags from Tea Forte.

Non-Edibles

Sidewalk Chalk
Whether this Easter basket is for a kiddo or not, sidewalk chalk is undeniably messy and fun. Egg and chick-shaped chalk are especially ideal, but any’ll do!
Jump Rope
Budget-friendly, yet full of potential, the jump rope is a portable fitness must-have. Print a copy of our 10-minute workout to go with it!
Lip Balm
Often a go-to stocking stuffer, chap stick and lip balm also make for a great Easter basket filler. EOS lip balm is even shaped like an egg for a timely basket addition. The small spheres come in fun flavors like pomegranate raspberry, honeysuckle honeydew, and lemon drop.
Small Fitness Gear
When the Easter feast and candy have settled, gift your Easter favorite with some small fitness essentials like headbands, and athletic socks. And since Spring means more time outdoors, we’re big fans of the Run Lock — a tiny gadget that keeps your car key safely secured to the car door while hiking or running. 

Gift Cards
For a small-sized basket filler with a lot of opportunity, throw in an iTunes gift card for fitness apps or music to fuel workouts. Other cards like Starbucks, Whole Foods, and Trader Joes allows the basket receiver to feed that coffee craving or pick up a healthy lunch once Easter has come and passed.

Stationary and an Everlasting Pen
There’s a lot to be thankful for when we get to spend time with family on holidays. Pick up some blank stationary or journal (to reduce stress or help monitor food intake). And for another gift that really keeps on giving for years, invest in a Seven Year Pen that’s an environmentally friendly miracle utensil for less than ten bucks.

article source www.stumbleupon.com 

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15 Fitness Motivation Tips To Make You Train Hard And Burn Fat

 

1. Stop Thinking About Problems and Think about Possibilities

There is always a reason why something can’t happen or isn’t likely to happen. Thinking about problems is easy. This is what quitters do or people who are looking for excuses.
You need to change your mindset and think about what is possible and not about the problems that stand in your way. It’s good to be realistic, but dreaming about a becoming better, more attractive and healthier requires you to not let “reality” weigh you down.

2. Train With a Friend

If you feel like you need a little push in the motivation-department, training with a friend may be the best thing you can do.
A good workout partner can help you to stay motivated, make sure that you don’t skip workouts, and push you to train harder in your workouts themselves.
You need to choose your workout partner carefully. He or she need to be committed to getting fit themselves, have a similar workout schedule as you do, and must be a person with whom you can get along, but not someone with whom you will end up talking endlessly in the gym.

3. Train For an Event

If you have a certain event to train for, you may find that you are suddenly full of motivation and drive. An event not only gives you a deadline by which you need to be fit, but also adds importance to your desire to look good and be fit.
There are 2 kinds of events that may be appropriate:

1. Social events such as a wedding, reunion, vacation, etc.
2. A sporting event such a charity race. I like this sort of event better as it is not about looks but actual physical ability.

4. Read Weight Loss Success Stories

Knowing that other people succeed in achieving what you want to accomplish yourself makes your goals seem more realistic and attainable. This is why I recommend that you read weight loss success stories on a regular basis.
You can find inspiring weight loss stories all the time. The media loves them. Just search for them on the Internet and you will have a ready source of daily inspiration.

5. Use The Right Music

There’s a reason why fast-tempo music is used in aerobic classes and gyms: it works. The right kind of music helps to give you more energy and focus on your exercises. Any kind of music should prove useful to keep you more motivated during your workouts.
Now, I don’t like the music in some of the gyms I trained in. I’m more of an oldies kind of guy. So, I bring an ipod with me to the gym. You should have a music player with you to make sure you have music you enjoy listening to.

6. Set Firm Goals

Goals are crucial regardless of what you want to achieve in life. You need to set both short and long term goals. These goals must be measurable, realistic, and specific. Once you have these goals, you need to write them down and keep them where you can see them often.
Once you have these set of goals ready, you will find that you are more motivated. It’s because you now have something to aspire to, something which isn’t abstract like the general goal of weight loss, but specific, like wanting to lose 10 lbs, trim 1 inch off your waist, or be able to complete a 10K run in under an hour.

7. Make It About More Than Looks

I love looking good and I wish I looked even better. However, this isn’t the only reason why I workout. In fact, it’s not even the main reason. I believe that if your entire fitness motivation is based on the desire to look good that you have a problem.
You need to make it about more than just looks. You need to consider all the other reasons why you should lose weight and get fit. These should include your health, productivity, stress reduction, greater physical ability, being able to play with your children, etc. The more benefits you can come up with that apply to you, the better.

8. Train to Be Better at an Activity You Like

Lifting weights is great, but what is the ability to lift heavier dumbbells going to contribute to you? What good is being able to do more push-ups? It can often seem pointless.
Training for an activity you enjoy gives you more purpose and drive. This can be an extreme sport like rock climbing or rafting, a team sport like soccer or basketball, a personal sport like golf or tennis, or a hobby like hiking. Being fit may also make you a better chess or card player because it increases your ability to concentrate for long stretches of time. Just find something you like and train to become better at it.

9. Imagine your Dream Body Often

If you’re working to improve your body, you need to have a clear image of how you want it to look. Having a mental image makes your goal more tangible, you can almost feel how good you will look. This can give you a lot more motivation. It’s how our mind works.
You need to picture your dream body every morning and every night. Make this picture clearer and more detailed. You will find that your drive increases tremendously.

10. Focus On Past Moments of Success

Whenever you feel that you’ve failed or that you’re somehow lacking, you should focus on moments of success that you experienced in your life.
By doing so, you’re reminding yourself that you can do things, that you’re capable and good. This will make you believe in yourself more.

11. Try New Routines

One of the reasons why people lose workout motivation is that their fitness routine is simply boring. It gets dull doing the same exercises over and over again.
You need to change your routine, keep your workouts diverse, use different sort of equipment, train outdoors, etc. Just keep things interesting.

12. Watch an Inspiring Sports Movie Once a Month

Some sports movies are really cheesy, but the good ones pack an inspiring punch. Watching an inspiring sports movie once a month can give you a huge push in the right direction. It can make you feel like anything is possible.
Some of the movies I recommend include Rocky, The Fighter, Invincible, and the Cinderella Man. I don’t know why, but many of these movies are about boxing.

13. Celebrate Small Successes

You need to enjoy success. Even if it’s something little like shedding a couple of pounds or finally managing to do a pull up. Every time you celebrate a success, you train yourself to want it more. You award your own effort and get a sense of accomplishment. This is great for motivation.

14. Share Your Progress With Others

Sharing your efforts and progress is not so easy at first, but it can be a huge motivation boost. First of all, you will suddenly find that you want to do better simply because you want to look good in front of others. Second, you will get the support of other people.

15. Make a Promise To Someone You Love

It’s easy for us to quit. We are experts in making ourselves believe our own excuses.
When you make a promise to someone else, a person you love, you won’t get off so easily. Once you promise to your spouse, your child, your close friend that you will workout regularly and get leaner, healthier, and fitter, you will do whatever it takes to not let them down.
This is one of the most powerful motivation tips I can give you. It will help you push yourself harder and further than you could have ever imagined
I hope that these fitness motivation tips will help you train hard, stop making excuses, and burn more body fat with your workouts.
I’d love to read your own motivation tips. What gives you more passion and drive to workout? Share your tips by leaving a comment.

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The Minimalist Body Workout - Burpee Workout

For everyone out there that can't or don't want to go to a gym, for those that don't want to use any equipment and for the minimalists that don't want a complicated workout there is a simple exercise and a simple workout that can give you excellent results when it comes to building stamina and overall body conditioning. Burpees not only work the entire body, but they also are a great fat burning exercise.
The truth is you can forget about fancy equipment and build athletic and fit body by doing just this workout because as I mentioned before, the burpee will:

Build Strength - There is a reason why the burpee is used by football players and military forces in their functional fitness workouts.Because you use explosive movements, you'll build strength in your arms, shoulders, chest, torso and legs. This exercise is not complex, but it sure is a difficult one after you’ve done it for a decent length of time.

Burn Fat And Get You In Shape - The fact that the burpee is a full body workout and physically demanding after doing it for a certain (not very long) period of time makes it a very efficient fat burning exercise. It will speed up your metabolism, so the calorie burning process will last for hours after the workout is over. This makes the burpee workout a perfect cardio workout and when combined with weight lifting you can use it to develop a powerful and functional physique.
The most fun part is that you don't need any equipment or special classes to do this workout and you don't need a gym membership. It can be done anywhere : at home, in the park or even in such small spaces as prison cells !!!

There are a few burpee variations that make it easier or more difficult:

1. The standard burpee
- Stand with your legs shoulder width apart.
- Squat low enough so you can touch the ground with your hands
- Position your hands on the ground and kick your legs back so that you take a pushup position
- in one continuous movement bring your legs up under your chest
- jump straight up

You've completed one single burpee.

2.The push up Burpee

Follow the instructions from the standard burpee until you make it to the push up position. Do a full push up and then bring your legs up under your chest with one continuous movement and jump up.

3.Burpee and a pull up

Stand under a pull up bar and do the standard or "the push up" burpee. As you jump up, grab the pull up bar and do a complete pull up. After 10 of these you'll be gasping for air.
You can integrate burpees in your weight lifting workout as cardio by doing 4-5 sets of 10 burpees or because they are such a physically demanding exercise you can do them on your non-weightlifting days as tabata workouts:
Burpees x 20 seconds
rest x 10 seconds
This is only one set. Feel free to perform 5 to 8 sets for a total workout time of under 5 minutes.
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10 Easy to follow Tips to help You Lose Weight

Dieting is not easy. If it were, we would probably all be thin. Since we are not, here are some tips that successful people use to lose weight so that others can benefit, too.

SUCCESS TIP NO. 1: DRINK 8-10 GLASSES OF WATER EACH DAY

Okay, for many people this is a big problem. Water doesn’t taste all that great generally because water doesn’t really “taste” like anything. Drinking water 8 to 10 times each day gets easier the more you actually do it. It is simply a matter of conditioning your taste buds, and yourself, so that it becomes easier to do. Once you get started, you will begin to crave water.

To begin with, you should drink a glass of water in the morning first thing, before you eat. This is probably the easiest glass you will drink all day and it will help you remember to drink water all day long. Better yet, why not drink two glasses?

If you really cannot bear the taste of water, try using a water purifying pitcher or filter. You can also add a few drops of lemon or lime to your water – but no sugar or sweetener! Ice also helps.

Check out flavored waters on the market, too. Just keep an eye out for additives.

SUCCESS TIP NO. 2: EAT BREAKFAST

Do not skip breakfast. If you need to go to bed a little earlier so that you can get up 20 minutes earlier each morning – do it! Breakfast is so important to your good health and to weight control. According to Dr. Barbara Rolls a professor of nutrition at Penn State University, "Your metabolism slows while you sleep, and it doesn't rev back up until you eat again."

Eating breakfast is not only good for overall weight loss, it will help you stay on track with your diet the rest of the day. You are more likely to binge on something sweet and in the “bread” group if you skip breakfast.

You can always keep a couple of hard-boiled eggs in the fridge or some high-fiber, low starch fruit around. If you plan to eat fruit at all during the day, breakfast is the perfect time to do it.

SUCCESS TIP NO. 3: EAT AT LEAST 3 MEALS AND 2 SNACKS EACH DAY

This can be one of the hardest adjustments to make. After all, you are busy! You already have a “full-plate”. When do you have time to worry about filling your plate with more frequent meals?

Just like eating breakfast will increase your metabolism, so will eating more often. This will also help you curb your bad-carb intake by making sure that your snacks are planned and occur regularly throughout the day.

Really, it will just take a minimal investment of planning time at the grocery store and at home each morning before you head out for the day to make some healthy food choices and prepare a few healthy snacks and meals. For suggestions, just see the handy list of snacks and appetizers listed later.

SUCCESS TIP NO. 4: AVOID WHITE FOODS

This is one easy way to remember what not to eat. If it is made from sugar, flour, potatoes, rice or corn - just say no. Remembering this rule of thumb will make it easier to recognize those rice cakes as an unhealthy high-carb snack.

Always look for colorful fruits and veggies to substitute for the white ones. Buy broccoli, lettuce, bell peppers, green beans and peas, brown rice in moderation, leafy greens like kale and spinach, apples, melons, oranges and grapes.

These foods are not only colorful they are also high in fiber, nutrients and important antioxidants. Eating colorful fruits and vegetables will give your diet variety as well as give you added health benefits.

SUCCESS TIP NO. 5: EAT YOUR VEGGIES

It is so easy to use a low-carb diet as an excuse for poor nutrition. Resist this temptation. If the only vegetable you have eaten in the last 5 years has been the potato, now is a good time to begin experimenting with other vegetables. This is important for your overall health and to avoid some nasty side effects of not getting enough fiber in your diet.

If you try hard enough, you will find vegetables that you enjoy eating. Experiment with grilling veggies and cooking with real butter to add flavor. You can also search for new recipes on the Internet or in cookbooks.

Remember, if you are only eating 40 grams of carb a day or less, two cups of plain salad greens contain only about 5 grams of carbohydrate. You have no excuse not to eat your veggies.

SUCCESS TIP NO. 6: PREPARE YOUR OWN FOOD AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE

While more and more restaurants are offering low-carb friendly menu items, many of them are still not ideal low-carb fare. There are many recipes for quick and easy meals that you can prepare yourself at home. Try to do this as often as possible.

If you cook your own foods, you know exactly what the contents are and you will be able to better control for hidden sugar and otherwise processed foods.

Another benefit is the cost savings over the long run. Even if you must go to the grocery store more often, you will save a significant amount per meal as opposed to eating at restaurants and fast food establishments.

It will also be easier to maintain your diet with your own favorite fresh food selections on hand.

SUCCESS TIP NO. 7: INVEST IN A GOOD SET OF FOOD STORAGE CONTAINERS

Having food storage containers of various sizes on hand will make it so much easier for you to plan your meals and snacks. When you buy nuts, fruits and vegetables in bulk you can simply prepare, separate and store them for easy use later.

For instance, you can pre-slice your apples and snack on them over several days. Simply cut them, rinse them in pineapple or lemon juice and store. This will make a quick and easy snack for later.

Fix your lunch and take it with you to work. Better yet, fix your lunch and 2 snacks for work.

SUCCESS TIP NO. 8: EAT SOME PROTIEN AT EACH MEAL & AS A SNACK

In addition to everything that’s been discussed before, eating protein helps you burn more calories. Jeff Hample, Ph.D., R.D., a spokesman for the American Dietetic Association says that, "Protein is made up mainly of amino acids, which are harder for your body to breakdown, so you burn more calories getting rid of them.”

Just think – eating a protein rich snack can help you lose weight. How about a few slices of turkey or ham or some string cheese?

Eating protein will also help you feel full so that you are less likely to crave unhealthy snacks.

SUCCESS TIP NO. 9: DRINK A GLASS OF WATER AFTER EACH SNACK

This will help you get in your 8 to 10 glasses of water each day but it can also have other benefits. Ever feel hungry after eating a handful or standard serving of nuts? Try drinking water afterwards. The water will help you feel full and prevent overindulgence.

Drinking water after a snack will also help remove the aftertaste from your mouth and can help curb your desire for more.

SUCCESS TIP NO. 10: EAT SLOWLY & ENJOY YOUR FOOD

You will feel full and more satisfied if you take the time to savor your food and chew it slower. Don’t get in the habit of eating while standing or eating quickly. Sit down and chew.

Eating slower will help you enjoy your food more, pay attention to what it is you are actually eating and get a better sense of when you are actually full.
article source www.stumbleupon.com

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The Art of Bodyweight Training

If you ask most people how to get stronger, they immediately recommend weight training, using barbells, dumbbells, or kettlebells. If you are starting from a very low level, pushups or situps might be recommended, but these are only as preparation for the serious business of heavy lifting. The truth is that weight training is not the only way to get stronger, and it isn’t even the best way. The world’s strongest athletes, who demonstrate extremely high levels of strength in a range of positions and orientations, are gymnasts, acrobats, and martial artists, well known for their bodyweight training regimens. Even old school strongmen, those who trained in the 1930s, used bodyweight movements for developing strength while demonstrating it on external weights. The problem is that most people are not aware of the higher level bodyweight strength progressions.
Once you’ve mastered the pushup, where do you go from there? You can elevate your feet, but that adds only marginally to the movement and leads to minimal strength gains A better solution is to learn the advanced bodyweight progression. For the pushup, learning how to do multiple reps of straight body, one-arm pushups will usually do the trick. Compared to a heavy bench press, a one-arm pushup done correctly requires much greater levels of muscle tension and nervous activation, so while you might not get massive pecs, you’ll have equivalent or greater pushing power, not to mention some amazing core strength and shoulder stabilizers.

Benefits of Bodyweight Training

The benefits of bodyweight training are numerous. First of all, because all you need is your own body (and maybe a pull-up bar or tree branch) you can train literally anywhere you have room to lie down. More advanced movements can utilize some equipment, such as hanging rings, but the cost of this equipment is far less than that of a full set of weights. Developing strength in the entire range of motion and more angles also helps protect the joints more reliably than weight training. Because you have to use your bodyweight to adjust the difficulty of exercises, you learn how to utilize your entire body in any given movements. While a bench press is largely an arm exercise, a one-armed pushup requires the entire core and hip musculature in addition to the pressing arm.

Principles and Methods

Most people don’t realize that strength is much more than simply the amount of load a muscle can lift. Muscle tension is combined with stabilization and focused force to generate strength in any given movement. Additionally, neurological elements, such as clarity and strength of the nerve signal, can enable relatively small muscles to generate tremendous amounts of force. Traditional weight training methods neglect the development of these factors.

The reason is simple: weight training relies on moving a load in the most efficient manner possible (a straight line), while bodyweight training tends to distinguish itself by utilizing disadvantaged positions. By using such awkward positions, you force the muscles involved to learn how to create more tension that they would normally have to in order to move the weight. The principles of bodyweight training are slightly different than weight training. In weight training, you simply have to increase the weight slowly over time and wait for your muscles to adapt. Bodyweight training still relies on increasing load to develop strength, but the ways this is done is mainly through decreasing the leverage of the muscle group involved.

As an example, take the L-sit, a movement in which the athlete holds their legs out at a 90-degree angle from the body. This movement can be made much easier by allowing even a slight bend in the knees, but locking the legs out will make it an extremely difficult abdominal exercise. A few centimeters can make a huge difference. Another way to alter leverage is by keeping your hands or legs in a particular range of motion (doing a diamond pushup instead of a regular pushup, for example. The other way bodyweight training increases the load on the muscles is by training a single side at a time. This has the benefit of not only increasing the load on the muscle being used, but the unilateral nature of the movement forces the rest of the body to stabilize and the working limb learns to focus its force output.

Examples of High Strength Bodyweight Moves

• The one-armed pushup (done with legs together and chest parallel to the ground)

• The one-armed pull-up

• The single leg squat

• The planche

• Front and back levers on rings

• Handstand presses

• Strict muscle-ups on rings

• Ring dips

• Iron cross

An Example Strength Progression: The One-Armed Pushup

The one-armed pushup is a good example of how you can use several bodyweight principles to get really strong using just your body. A lot of people will say that they can do these, but when asked to demonstrate, they will stick one leg out far to the side and twist their body to favor stronger muscles in the back.
A true one-arm pushup is done with a straight body and feet together, just like a regular pushup.  Like all bodyweight moves, maintaining strict form is vital. You can cheat by going faster and using momentum or bounce, so all movements should be done slowly and under total control. If you cannot yet do a regular pushup, work up to that, using similar principles. Being able to execute 30-40 slow, controlled wall pushups, or 20-30 slow, controlled knee pushups is a good way to do that. Once you have worked up to 20 regular pushups, you can start working on one-armed pushups.
One simple method, which mirrors the progressions of single-leg squats, is to do one-armed pushups on a wall and slowly lower where you place your hands over time using tables, chairs, and blocks. This will increase the load on your working arm until you are doing your pushups on the floor. Make sure to keep your body in a straight line by consciously tightening your abs and your glutes. If you suspect you are twisting to make the movement easier, back up and work at a lighter load for a while. You should be able to do 10 slow reps at each height before you move to a lower support for the working arm. Another progression starts on the floor.
1. Once you’ve mastered regular pushups, work up to 20 reps of close-grip pushups (sometimes called diamond pushups).
2. Elevate one hand by placing it on a ball. Evenly distribute your weight, which will mean that the fully extended arm should feel like it has more weight on it at the bottom of the pushup. 10-15 reps is a good goal for this progression.
3. Assume a regular pushup position. Now, when you lower to the floor, only one arm bends normally. The other remains straight and slides out to the side. To push back up, you can push with the straight arm, but it has to remain straight at all times. 10-12 reps.
4. Lower slowly to the floor on one arm, then push back up as in the previous step. Be able to complete 8-10 reps.
5. Full one-arm pushups. Remember, if you have to twist your body at all, you should back up and get stronger in a previous progression before trying again.

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When Exercise Is Too Much of a Good Thing

 

 

Recently, researchers in Britain set out to study the heart health of a group of dauntingly fit older athletes. Uninterested in sluggards, the scientists recruited only men who had been part of a British national or Olympic team in distance running or rowing, as well as members of the extremely selective 100 Marathon club, which admits runners who, as you might have guessed, have completed at least a hundred marathons.
All of the men had trained and competed throughout their adult lives and continued to work out strenuously. Twelve were age 50 or older, with the oldest age 67; another 17 were relative striplings, ages 26 to 40. The scientists also gathered a group of 20 healthy men over 50, none of them endurance athletes, for comparison. The different groups underwent a new type of magnetic resonance imaging of their hearts that identifies very early signs of fibrosis, or scarring, within the heart muscle. Fibrosis, if it becomes severe, can lead to stiffening or thickening of portions of the heart, which can contribute to irregular heart function and, eventually, heart failure.
The results, published online a few weeks ago in The Journal of Applied Physiology, were rather disquieting. None of the younger athletes or the older nonathletes had fibrosis in their hearts. But half of the older lifelong athletes showed some heart muscle scarring. The affected men were, in each case, those who’d trained the longest and hardest. Spending more years exercising strenuously or completing more marathon or ultramarathon races was, in this study, associated with a greater likelihood of heart damage.
The question of whether years of intense endurance training might, just possibly, be harmful to the heart is hardly new. It arises whenever a seemingly healthy distance runner, cyclist or other endurance athlete suffers a heart attack. It’s also sometimes invoked by those looking for an excuse not to exercise.
But, to date, science has been hard pressed to establish a clear cause-and-effect link between strenuous exercise and heart damage. A much-discussed 2008 German study of experienced, older marathon runners, for instance, found signs of fibrosis in their hearts more frequently than in a group of less active older men. But some of the racers had taken up regular exercise only late in life, after decades of smoking and other bad health habits. It was impossible to say whether their current heart damage predated their marathon training.
The new study of elite lifelong athletes avoids that pitfall. None of the athletes were new to exercise. Only one had ever smoked. But even so, the study can’t directly prove that the older athletes’ excruciatingly heavy training loads and decades of elite-level racing caused heart scarring, only that the two were associated with each another.
But another new study, this time in laboratory rats, provides the first solid evidence of a direct link between certain kinds of prolonged exercise and subtle heart damage. For the study, published in the journal Circulation, Canadian and Spanish scientists prodded young, healthy male rats to run at an intense pace, day after day, for three months, which is the equivalent of about 10 years in human terms. The training was deliberately designed to mimic many years of serious marathon training in people, said Dr. Stanley Nattel, a cardiologist who is director of the electrophysiology research program at the Montreal Heart Institute Research Center and a senior author of the study.
The rats had begun their regimens with perfectly normal hearts. At the end of the training period, heart scans showed that most of the rodents had developed diffuse scarring and some structural changes, similar to the changes seen in the human endurance athletes. A control group of unexercised rats had developed no such remodeling of their hearts. The researchers also could manually induce arrhythmias, or disruptions of the heart’s natural electrical rhythm, much more readily in the running rats than in the unexercised animals. Interestingly, when the animals stopped running, their hearts returned to normal within eight weeks. Most of the fibrosis and other apparent damage disappeared.
What does all of this mean for those of us who dutifully run or otherwise make ourselves sweat several times a week? Probably not much, realistically, said Dr. Paul Thompson, the chief of cardiology at Hartford Hospital in Connecticut and an expert on sports cardiology. He was one of the peer reviewers for the British athlete study.
“How many people are going to join the 100 Marathon club” or undertake a comparable amount of training? he asked. “Not many. Too much exercise has not been a big problem in America. Most people just run to stay in shape, and for them, the evidence is quite strong that endurance exercise is good” for the heart, he said.
Dr. Nattel agrees. “There is no doubt that exercise in general is very good for heart health,” he said. But the emerging science does suggest that there may be a threshold of distance, intensity or duration beyond which exercise can have undesirable effects.
Unfortunately, it remains impossible, at the moment, to predict just what that threshold is for any given person, and which athletes might be most vulnerable to heart problems as a result of excessive exercise, said Dr. Paul Volders, a cardiologist at the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands, who wrote an editorial accompanying the recent rat study.
“Let’s say we ask 100 people, all same age, all same gender, to start a marathon training program at the age of 20 years,” Dr. Volders wrote in an e-mail. If the runners continued their training uninterrupted for 30 years and scientists then scanned their hearts, “it is very likely (one may say: for sure) that there will be major differences in the tissue of the chambers of the heart between these people,” he wrote. For some, the changes will be beneficial; for others, probably not.
Similarly, because most of the research has been done in men and male animals, it is unclear whether the hearts of long-term female athletes are affected in the same fashion. But Dr. Nattel said it seems likely that the latest finding would also apply to women.
So for now, the best response to the emerging science of excessive exercise is to just keep exercising, but with a low-level buzz of caution. If your heart occasionally races, which could indicate arrhythmia, or otherwise draws attention to itself, Dr. Nattel said, consult a doctor.
But if you exercise regularly and currently have no symptoms, “I think it’s safe to say that you should keep it up,” Dr. Thompson said.

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20 Super Foods You Need to Build Muscle & Lose Fat

 

To build muscle & lose fat, you need a variety of proteins, veggies, fruits, carbs, and healthy fats. Eating protein helps building & maintaining muscle. But it also helps fat loss: protein has a higher thermic effect than carbs/fats.
Eating fats also helps fat loss: your body holds fat if you don't eat fats. Fruits & veggies contain vitamins & minerals, necessary for recovery from your workouts. And carbs fuel your muscles so you feel full of energy at the gym.
Lots of you struggle to get these foods. Sometimes because you're too busy or sometimes because you just lack information. This list will help you — 20 super foods you need to build muscle & lose fat.

1. Whole Eggs. Cheap & rich source of protein: 7g/egg. The yolk contains most nutrients: half the protein, vitamins A/D/E and cholesterol to naturally increase your testosterone levels.
Don't worry about cholesterol in eggs. Dietary cholesterol isn't bound to blood cholesterol. Read this, this, this & this. If you have bad cholesterol, lower your body fat rather than throwing the yolk away.

2. Fish Oil. Reduces inflammation (joints/skin), lowers body fat and increases testosterone levels. You need 9000mg EPA/DHA per day. Since you'll probably struggle to get that from eating fatty fish, consider a fish oil supplement.


3. Wild Salmon. One of the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids that also gets you 20g protein per 100g serving. Farm raised salmon is, however, omega-3 deficient: it's corn/grain fed. Go with wild salmon.

4. Berries. Strong antioxidants that prevent cancer, heart & eye diseases. Any kind works: cranberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, etc. Buy fresh or frozen berries and mix with oatmeal.

5. Yogurt. Contain bacteria that improve your gastrointestinal health. Don't buy frozen yogurt or yogurt with added sugar and fruits at the bottom. Get plain low fat yogurt. Eat it with berries & flax seeds.

6. Flax Seeds. Source of fiber, protein & omega-3. Grind the flax seeds to get the most out of them. Take 1 tbsp with yogurt & berries before going to bed. Stay away from flax oil: it's unstable and contains no fiber.

7. Extra Virgin Olive Oil. 70% monounsaturated fats that protect against heart diseases and cancer. Add 1-2 tbsp olive oil to your salads. Buy Extra Virgin Olive Oil: it contains more polyphenols and tastes better.

8. Mixed Nuts. Contain mono- & polyunsaturated fats, proteins, fiber, vitamin E, zinc, potassium, magnesium, etc. Mixed nuts are caloric dense, great if you're a skinny guy who wants to gain weight.
Anything works: almonds, walnuts, cashews, hazelnuts, ... Peanut butter also works as long as you buy natural peanut butter without added salts/sugars.

9. Red Meat. Protein, vitamin B12, heme iron, zinc, creatine, carnosine and even omega-3 if you eat grass-fed beef. Eat steaks & hamburgers from top round or sirloin. Read Dr. Lonnie Lowery's article on Meat.

10. Broccoli. High in cancer-fighting phytochemicals and anti-estrogenic indoles. Broccoli is also high in soluble fiber and low calorie, helping fat loss. Eat other cruciferous vegetables for a change: cabbage, bok choy, cauliflower, kale, ...

11. Spinach. One of the most alkaline foods. Spinach prevents muscle & bone loss, but also cancer and heart diseases because of its high nutrient profile. Try one of the spinach recipes I shared a while back.

12. Turkey. If you don't believe saturated fat is good for you, try white turkey. The leanest beef has about 4.5g saturated fat/100g, while white turkey has close to 0g (that why it's so dry). Eat turkey with spinach & quinoa.

13. Quinoa. South American "king of grains". Quinoa is higher in fiber & protein than rice or oats, tastes a lot better and is gluten free. Buy the whiter grain, it's better quality. Eat it post workout with meat & spinach.

14. Oats. Reduce cholesterol, provide you with low-gi carbs for energy, and high in soluble fiber. Try this post workout shake of whey & oats.

15. Tomatoes. High in lycopene, which prevents cancer. The lycopene in tomato paste is 4 times more bioavailable than in fresh tomatoes. Have pizza or pasta with tomato sauce & olive oil post strength training.

16. Oranges. Vitamin C to fight diseases, magnesium to lower blood pressure, anti-oxidant beta-carotenes, etc. Quit drinking processed orange juice which often has added sugars. Eat oranges or make your own orange juice.

17. Apples. Pectin in apples helps weight loss by increasing satiety. Apples are also the strongest antioxidiant after cranberries (eat the peels). Unfortunately apples are one of the most pesticide-contaminated fruits. Go organic.

18. Carrots. Their huge vitamin A content improves eye-health, especially night vision. Carrots are also rich in fiber, low calorie and taste good, even raw.

19. Water. Your body holds water if you don't drink enough. Drinking prevents water retention, helps muscle recovery and prevents dehydration from strength training. Get a brita filter and drink 2 cups of water with each meal.

20. Green Tea. Strong antioxidant and natural diuretic. Green tea also speeds up fat loss, prevents cancer and improves blood sugar & circulation. Drink green tea in the morning instead of coffee. Real green tea, not the teabags.

Putting it All Together. Eat proteins, veggies, fruits & fats every 3 hours. 2 cups water with each meal. Carbs post workout only. Junk food 10% of the time. Get stronger in the meanwhile and you'll build muscle & lose fat.

  article source www.stumbleupon.com

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