A Little Motivation

Not only will being in good shape contribute to your life’s longevity, here are a few ways in which it will also lead to its betterment:

• Endorphin Rush- No stress+good feeling. After spending as little as 15 minutes physically exerting yourself in the gym, your body releases a tide of endorphins which will leave you beaming and relaxed for hours afterward. 
• Relationships- You may be the straightest ruler in the drawer, but being physically fit can help build your relationships with both sexes. While finding a “bro” to spot you in the gym forms tighter connections on the male side, the body that’s going to result from the gym time will help you make “tighter connections” on the female side. In fact, a Harvard University study found that women view “fit” men as 54% more attractive than their overweight counterparts. 
• Success- As shallow as it sounds; better-looking people get better opportunities. Studies have shown that people viewed as more attractive were more likely to land better jobs and score more dates. 
• Sleep- Regular exercise can be one of the best sleep-promoting remedies. It’s been shown that a good morning workout can not only keep you buzzing throughout the day, but also provide more restful night’s sleep than a dose of sleeping pills. 
• Self Confidence- Mirror, mirror on the wall, who are the most confident students this fall? I’m no talking piece of glass, but I think I can answer this one: the ones who are utilizing the gyms, clubs and intramural sports being offered to them for free. For every extra lb of body fat carried, self-confidence goes down three points (Alright, that’s not entirely true, I kind of just wanted to quote the little kid from Big Daddy when he’s denting the cans). However, body composition does have a lot to do with the way you carry yourself. Whether it’s how you feel once you slip on that slim-fit T before a date, or how you (and your date) feel when you take it off later, you shouldn’t have to worry about your body looking its best. 
• Immunity- There’s a substantial increase in diseases related to inactivity in our country as of late. These diseases such as high blood pressure, cholesterol and obesity can all lead to serious health problems and death. As Dr. Musto, the professor of my health and physical activity class put it, “What if we had one pill that could cure all these things, all at once?” One thing that many people fail to realize is that pill’s out there (and you don’t need an expensive prescription or doctor’s note for it). Heart, bones, brain, brawn… The list goes on and on. It’s been shown over and over that higher levels of fitness lead to healthier cardiovascular systems, stronger bones and can even cut your risk of dying of any cause (disease, plane crash, stab wound from a crazy girlfriend) by at least 16%. Not only will your body function better as a whole, it’ll keep you from catching the common cold (and help you recoup faster if you do). 
• Put It In, Burn It Off- Since you’ve been following a healthier lifestyle, there’s a possibility that Whole Foods Market has become your new “go-to” for groceries. Take a stroll over to the bakery. You want that freshly baked, golden brown, mound of soft, chewy, oatmeal chocolate-chip cookie? No? How about the crumbly apple turnover that’s still steaming in the display case? The truth is, if you’re on a consistent clean eating and exercising program it’s more than okay to indulge every now and again. Go ahead and savor whatever it is that you’ve craving and don’t feel bad about it because you know that you’ll burn it (and more) off in the gym later. 

So basically, exercising impacts every aspect of your life in a positive way. Why the hell not do it? No really, why not? If there’s any one out there that can counter any of these points please let me know, I haven’t had a good laugh in quite a while. For those of you non-comedians looking for all of the above, get out there and get moving. Join a gym, buy P90x, hire a personal trainer or simply jog around the block. Do something!  If all of this (plus a little Eminem) aren’t enough motivation for you, find a way to get in touch with me and I’ll see if I can’t change your mind.

When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would NOT have a single bit of talent left, and I would say, “I used EVERYTHING you gave me”

~Peak 360 Fitness/Erma Bombeck

Supplements: From Basics to Bestest

Two rules regarding my nutrition which I never break:

1)   ALWAYS eat a good breakfast

2)   ALWAYS consume some form of protein post-workout

My lineup includes the 3 best flavors in the world: chocolate, peanut butter, and banana. Use a magic bullet to blend ‘em all together with a little creatine, some delicious E2 Pro Charge Protein, and milk and you’re got yourself one smoothilicious post-workout drink!

Looking for a lighter, easier shake? Buy yourself a Blender Bottle and you’ve protein shake’s ready in seconds!

I’ve already gotten into the 1^st topic, and I’ll cover more of that in a future post, but for now, we’ll chit-chat about good ‘ol number 2 (and I’m not talking about the guy from Austin Powers.)

The process of working out isn’t quite what it seems. While many people assume that every curl makes your arms bigger and stronger, initially, you’re doing the opposite. As the knowledgeable Nate Green puts it in his (recommended) book, Built For Show, “you aren’t really building muscle, you’re tearing it apart.” When you execute proper weight training, you’re strategically tearing muscle fibers and afterwards, you’re body uses its muscle protein to repair and build up more muscle on top of the tears. The reason that a good recovery drink is so essential to your workout is the fact that it provides your body with an adequate amount of protein for this restoration process. A good post-workout meal/shake has a solid blend of protein and a small amount of carbs to speed up the process and replenish your recently depleted blood glucose. All in all, protein powders are a convenient way to get these much needed nutrients within minutes after a heavy training session. Simply shake it up and drink it down!

Lucky for me, I’ve had some pretty amazing tasting proteins in my day. On the other hand, I’ve had some that seem akin to cat food (not that I’ve ever tried that or anything…) but I digress.

In no particular order, here’s a list of almost every protein powder that I’ve consumed along with a taste rating from 1-10, a quick overview and a link to each company’s website its product’s name:

• High-5, Strawberry

Taste: 7

One of the first protein powders I tried when I started lifting in high school. If I’m not mistaken, it’s made by MaxMuscle and exclusively available in their stores. Not a bad product to start off with, taste and quality wise, but there’s better out there.

• Isopure Zero-carb, Chocolate & Isopure Zero-carb Mint Chocolate Chip

Taste: Chocolate- 8 Mint Chocolate Chip- 1

Night and day difference flavor wise. Going out on a limb here, and I’m sure my buddy Alex would agree, in saying that the mint chocolate chip may be the absolute worst thing I’ve ever had in my mouth (close competition with the cat food) but again, I digress. Don’t get me wrong, I love me some mint chocolate chip ice cream, but this stuff just doesn’t get along well with your taste buds. At all. In regard to ingredients, when I started I, like many others, assumed that this was the best protein available because it was “zero-carbs!” and who wants those fattening carbs, right? I do. As I mentioned before, after an intense workout, you’re muscles need a solid balance of carbs and protein to replenish and rebuild. As tempting as a the zero-carb label may be, this is probably one time you should forgo the the former and opt for more.

• Nitro-tech, Chocolate

Taste: 7

I am forever grateful to the Garcia family for their donation of this large jug to me, but the fact that it was over a year past its “best if used by” date, didn’t help much. Aside from uh… cleansing my system, I’d assume that it’s not too poor of a product. Within its due date of course.

• ON 100% Whey, Every Flavor Sample Pack

Taste: Ranges from 1-9

Great supplement. As far as ingredients go, this is probably the simplest, yet most solid combination of whey proteins out there. For any dude or dudette out there looking for a simple, yet effective post-workout recovery, this is your guy.  Taste on the other hand, varies greatly between flavors. It’s kind of like Coke trying to make a fruit juice. It’s just best to stick with the original flavors. “Root Beer Float” and “Rocky Road” sound tempting, but they leave you with a weird aftertaste that says, “they tried too hard..” Go with extreme milk chocolate and you’ve got yourself a delicious shake with a great nutritional profile that gives your muscles a good dose of whey protein.

• Up Your Mass!, Cookies ‘n Cream

Taste: 10

Hands down, the most delicious protein powder that I’ve ever had. I literally used to rush through my workouts in hopes of getting back sooner, mixing one of these bad boys up and drinking it down. Savor the creamy..well..cream, part of the title, and crunch down on the delectable cookie pieces throughout. If you’re looking to gain weight, go with the 4 scoop recommendation, but if you want to stay lean, cut it down to 2 and you’re golden.

• Muscle Milk, Chocolate & Muscle Milk (Light), Vanilla Crème

Taste: Chocolate- 9 Vanilla- 7

Mmm, “muscle milk.” Sounds like something that’s good for your muscles, but the harsh reality is that it’s probably not. While it is arguably one of the best tasting protein supplements out there, this is simply because of its high levels of sugar and fat. The “Light” version’s a better option, but a recent study that found dangerous levels of harmful substances such as lead and arsenic in most of their products has me leaving this milk on the shelf.

•  AtLargeNutrition’s Nitrean, Strawberry

Taste: 8

Similar to Beyoncé, this can only be described in one way: thick and delicious. Mixes well but still holds a thick creamy strawberry flavor that’s enjoyable to drink. A good blend of proteins with whey for immediate absorption, and casein for delayed long term absorption. Voted “Supplement of the Year” the past 2 years by Men’s Health.

Peanut Butter Sushi!? & Product Recommendation (Below)

What you’ll need:

2 slices of bread

Peanut butter to smear (amount to your preference)

Choice of filling:

-Apples

-Bananas (personal favorite!) 

-Celery

-Peanuts

-Cinnamon-Sugar etc.

Honey (optional)

Easy as 1-2-3…4!

1. Using a rolling pin, flatten out the two pieces of bread. One slightly overlapping the other, until they are both evenly flat and wide.
2. Smear on a big ‘ol spoonful of peanut butter, offset a bit to one side.
3. Thinly slice (long ways or hot dog style) whatever topping you have on deck, place it in the middle of the PB and roll her up nice and tight.
4. Cut into about 6 even sushi pieces, drizzle a little honey on top if you’d like, grab some chopsticks and enjoy!

Even if you went the cinnamon-sugar route, you just made yourself a cheap and healthy little snack that looks pretty damn cool too. Take that over-priced sushi buffets! 

Kon’nichiwa!

Here’s another healthy snack, which I came across today as a matter of fact:

 VitaTops. These surprisingly delicious and quite filling muffin tops are only 100 calories and 2g of fat each, while providing 8g of fiber and up to 5g of protein. They make for a perfect breakfast, snack or dessert, which can apparently be “walked off in 13 minutes”. With flavors ranging from banana nut to apple crumb, and from deep chocolate to chocolate mint, there’s bound to be something in there that you’ll like. They've even recently added a VitaEgg Sandwich, plain and with veggies, both between a whole wheat english muffin! Pick some up at Publix, or check out their website by clicking the name above. 

The Ultimate Full-Body Workout

Warm up with a 5 minute jog on a treadmill, increasing the speed by .5 every 30 seconds so you end with a bit of a sprint to get your heart rate up and work up a bit of a sweat. 

The fun begins:

Legs- (By starting with legs, your able to lift heavier weight which will release a tide of human growth hormone, testosterone and other hormones that will stick with you through the rest of your workout)

Superset(SS)* 3 sets of squats with 3 sets of straight leg dead lifts. Resting about 30 sec between each set.

SS 3 sets of leg press with 3 sets of calf raises.

 Chest- 

Hit 10-12 reps of each exercise, one after the other, resting for 30 sec in between each set.  Repeat circuit 3 times.

Flat machine bench press.

Incline machine bench press.(Not your prime bodybuilder, but he’s got it down)

Decline machine bench press.

 Triceps- 

SS 3 sets of weighted dips with 3 sets of seated over-head single arm triceps extensions.

 Back & Biceps-

With an EZ curl bar start with inside grip and do a set of 21’s followed bybent over rows with a heavier weight on an EZ bar. Do the same thing for the next set with outside grip and continue until you’ve done 2 sets with each grip, 4 in total.

 Shoulders & Traps-

Complete a circuit of a shrugs, upright rows and overhead dumbbell press. Repeat for a total of 3 times each.

 Abs & Forearms-

Start with a set of 20 reps of seated crunch machine with legs extended straight in front. Turn hips to the right and do 10 oblique crunches. Repeat on left side.

SS with 25 behind the back wrist curls. Repeat this circuit 3 times and….

Voilà! You have completed the Ultimate Full-Body workout. I’m sure that you feel fantastic right now and want to comment on this post saying just that, but before you log on to rave about how phenomenal your workout was, I recommend downing a whey protein shake to help speed muscle growth and recovery.

Screw everything you just read. It's CrossFit time.