Archive | April, 2017

Information About Subway And Reasons Why It Is A Healthier Choice

Fast food restaurants are not doing business as well as they used to about a decade ago. The reason for this is that the food which they serve has no nutritional value whatsoever. This was OK a few years ago but these days more and more people are getting health conscious. The obesity rates are through the roof and more and more studies are giving definitive proof of a number of diseases that are connected to and caused by obesity. That is the reason why fast food chains all over have had to change their menus considerably and make their food more nutritious without cancelling out the taste factor. This rising awareness has also lead to the mushrooming of health food chains too. One such restaurant that couples great taste and health is Subway.

Subway is a chain of restaurants that serves different types of subs and sandwiches. These are low fat and extremely nutritious. At a Subway you have many different kinds of sandwich fillings that you can choose from. In fact you can get the sandwiches made to your specifications. This is the USP (Unique Selling Point) of this joint that has made it so popular. When you walk into a Subway you have to make 4 choices. The first choice is concerning the kind of sandwich you want. Next you have to choose the bread you want to make your sandwich out of. You have a choice between Whole Grain, Wheat, Honey Oat and Parmesan Oregano. Most franchises have their own selections that are usually added to these 4. Every loaf is freshly baked in the franchise itself. Once you have chosen your bread the meat filling is added. This filling is consistent with the type you ordered. Next you are given a choice of a number of different fresh vegetables. Last comes the sauces. There are number of different sauces that you can choose from. You can even ask your server which are the sauces that are low in calories.

Every sandwich is rich with taste and yet low in calories. It is one of the best choices when it comes to fast food. There are people who have even taken the subway challenge and lost a lot of weight. The menu also has a nutrition chart and a calorie break-up chart so that you can make a more informed choice as to what you want to eat and how many calories you want to consume.

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Sticking to Your Diet – What Is Your Light Bulb Moment?

Every year millions of people around the world start diets and the majority of them give up within a few days or weeks, leading to feelings of failure and disappointment.

It is easy to start but it takes some mental effort to keep going, but it is easier to stick to your diet if you have had a light bulb moment.

Most people start a diet to lose weight to look better and to feel better about themselves. Unfortunately this only works long term for the most dedicated or the severely vain.

Failures tend to erode our self-confidence making each successive attempt less and less likely to be successful.

The light bulb moment is when you discover a reason for maintaining your diet that is so important that you can overcome all of your past failures and all your subconscious resistance, and simply just turn your diet into a lifestyle.

8 Such reasons as:

  1. A serious health diagnosis.
  2. Feeling left out of some activity because of weight or fitness.
  3. Requirements for a great job.
  4. Revenge
  5. Special occasions.
  6. For a special holiday.
  7. Energy for children or grandchildren.
  8. Fear of aging.
  9. The need for wellness to care for others.

Of course there is one other very important consideration, it is that you have chosen a diet which makes sense, is sustainable and promotes health and not just weight loss. One celebrity lost weight by eating only potatoes for a year but the health consequences would be considerable.

The question is what is your light bulb moment where you realise that if you don’t take action you will lose out, or suffer, or pay a big price. And a simple way to make it stronger is to stack up two or more of these reasons.

Each extra reason will boost your commitment and by the time you get four or more you will have the power to push through any physical or emotional resistance.

The only problem is if we ignore these light bulb moments. Unfortunately this happens all the time, after all by the time a person becomes overweight or unfit they have ignored many such signals.

It is said that for many people the first sign of a heart attack is the heart attack itself. But I would challenge this. By the time of the heart attack there will have been many warning light bulbs, don’t let this happen to you.

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6 Week Body Makeover – Infinite Menu Planner

The 6 Week Body Makeover Infinite Menu Planner (IMP) is a great way to plan numerous meals for your body type without getting bored. If you’re a body type C (like me), you can either follow the Fast Track Menu Cards or plan your own meals with the IMP.

Body type C people gain muscle easily, however, they tend to gain too much muscle mass in one area and not enough in other areas. For me, I have a lot of muscle in my arms and legs, but have a really flabby mid-section and upper torso. According to body makeover diet, I am allowed more simple and complex carbohydrates as my metabolism is able to burn these calories faster than other body types. However, I should stay away from red meats as this will increase mass in my body, which counter acts my goal of losing weight. I want to increase lean muscle and not bulk up.

An example meal for a body type c for breakfast (using the IMP) is 4 oz. protein from category b and 1 cup of carbohydrates from category B. I do not want to get into all of the IMP choices for category b, but an example of b proteins are chicken breast, scallops, shrimp and turkey breast. Carbohydrates in category b are barley, millet, rice (white & brown) and bagels.

You will never be bored with your diet if you use the IMP because of the unlimited amount of food choices. Also, if you are too lazy to choose from the IMP, you can use the Fast Track Menu Cards which lay out all meals for you based on easy, gourmet and rapid results categories.

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Cannonball Delts

Shoulder day is one of my favorite days to workout and I take shoulder training very seriously. If you want an impressive physique you can train chest, arms and back all you want but it is your shoulders that will tie everything together. What other muscle will make you look as good from any direction – side deltoids will give you width, front deltoids tie in with your chest and rear deltoids tie in with your back giving you thickness and width on your frame.

First thing you want to do is properly warm-up and doing that I like to grab a small weight plate like a 10lb and I warm up my rotator cuffs – by extending your elbow out to the side parallel I hold the plate and just move my forearm straight out in front of me for a light 10 reps for 2 sets each arm – then I hold the 10lb plate and keep my elbow right into the side of my body and just move my forearm from right to left back and forth for 10 reps two sets each side.

After a good warm-up I start with the mass builder exercise the shoulder press. I do one of two different presses – the first would be a front press on the smith machine seated. I start with one 45lb plate on each side and go from my chin to full extension for 12 repetitions. Then the second set I add another 45lb plate to each side for a set of 10 reps, 3rd set I add 25lb plate to each side for 10 reps and the last set I do 3 plates each side and complete 8 reps.

Every other workout I mix up the press with seated dumbbell presses. I start my first set with 80lb dumbbells for 12 reps. The second set I go to 90lb dumbbells for 10 reps, the 3rd set I do 95lb dumbbells for 10 reps and the 4th set I do 100lb dumbbells for 8 reps.

Presses are great and they hit the shoulders completely and are the mass builder but they don’t really pump me up and make me really feel jacked in the gym – it takes the lateral raises to get the blood flowing.

Next exercise is front raises and I have 2 ways of doing this exercise too and I’ll start with the first and that would be dumbbell front raises – I like to start with holding 25lb dumbbells and doing both arms raised from my side of my body and directly out in front of me for 12 slow reps. Second set I grab the 30lb dumbbells and do another 12 slow reps, third set I go up to the 40lb dumbbells and do them one at a time 12 reps with each arm alternating each arm. Last set is 45lb dumbbells one at a time each arm burning it out with another 12 reps. It is very important not to sway your body or get momentum rocking the weights make sure you slow down and let the muscle work so I like to do these seated. .

I also like to do front raises with a small barbell with the same weights and repetitions except when I do this I stand with my back to a wall for support. Again, no momentum or swaying – let the muscle do the work.

Are you ready to look big then you have to hit the side lateral raises. Side laterals can be preformed with either dumbbells or a low cable you can do two arms raised out lateral from the sides of your body from a standing position and I prefer to do this exercise one arm at a time. The majority of the time I use the low cable and I stand with tension from the weight stack at the lower start position with 30lbs on the stack and I raise my arm directly out to my side and back down with the cable very close to the front of my body and my arm stops at the front of my thigh and back up with continuous tension on the pulley. Alternating arms I perform 4 sets 30lbs for 12 reps, 40lbs for 12 reps, 50lbs for 10 reps, and 60lbs for 8 reps.

Bangin’ shoulders take rear delts and I stand inside the cable crossover machine and with each hand holding the bottom pulley handle (right hand holding left pulley handle and left hand holding right pulley handle) I bend over with bent knees and look straight ahead with any luck into a mirror to watch my form. You raise each arm straight out to the side of your body while leaning forward to do this which is called Rear Delt Cable Crossovers. This has to be a slowly performed exercise with no body momentum with a very slight bend at the elbow go out to the side of your body with each pulley handle squeezing your rear delts a the top of the movement keep never-ending tension on the muscle. Do 3 sets of 12 reps and I use 30lbs each arm first set, 40lbs second set, 45lbs third set.

Last exercise of the workout and my shoulders are boomin’ I like to do upright rows. On my upright rows I prefer to use a barbell and a close grip. The grip I use is measured by sticking out my thumbs and touching them together so it is about 6 inches each grip on the barbell. Standing up I have two 25lb plates on the 45lb barbell and I have the barbell in front of my body below my waist and I lift the bar up the front of my body extending my elbows out to the side bringing the barbell up close to my chin for the first set of 12 reps. Second set I add a 10lbs each side for 10 reps and the last set is 45lbs each side for 8-10 reps.

Workout

Shoulder Press – 4 sets – reps 12, 10, 10, 8

Front Raises – 4 sets – reps 12, 12, 12, 12

Lateral Raises – 4 sets – reps 12, 12, 10, 8

Rear Delt Cable Crossovers 3 sets – reps 12, 12, 12

Up Right Rows 3 sets – reps 12, 10, 8

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Large Frame Vs Small Frame

Skeletal sizes can vary. You can check this by comparing the wrist size of a “small boned” person to that of a “large boned” person. You can exercise and diet sensibly to lose weight but a larger frame person will probably not reach her prepubescent size nor should she even tries. The goal of a “large frame” person should be to try to achieve a healthy weight for his/her body type. A large frame person does not look as thin as a light framed person might; on the other hand, in old age the heavy-framed person may not develop a hump back and may not be not as likely to gain hip fractures due to osteoporosis. Having a slight frame is not a good thing for most women in the long run.

A large frame person can have low body fat just as a small frame person. However, they may never look as small and if they try, they would look emaciated. For instance, a 5ft2 woman with wide hip bones, if she goes less than 36 inches may start to protrude quite badly and her butt may look out of shape. A different person with the same height can have 33 inch hips and still have plenty of fat on them and have a nice round “posterior.”

Women especially should always take their built and frame into account and stick with a weight and size that are proportionate to their frame. A big-boned person should focus on obtaining low body fat even if the result won’t appear the same as that of a smaller person. So just don’t go overboard, always take your build and frame size into account and stick with a weight and size that you are most comfortable with. In order to determine if you are a large frame or medium frame person, measure your wrist. If it is 7-1/2″ around, you are “medium boned.” A “a big-boned woman has a wrist that measures about 8”. While we should focus on eating healthy and losing weight, we should accept our frame, and work with it.

As we journey through life, whether we’re, small, medium, or large frames, we should make a healthy life style our priority. We should make it our goal to stay away from situations in which unhealthy food is an option. If sweets or greasy foods are present and convenient, we’re much more likely to eat them than we are to eat something healthy. Instead of going to a fast food place and trying to order a salad, make the health food restaurant an option instead. Get rid of unhealthy foods and snacks quickly, before losing your willpower. Your environment should be stocked with healthy food and goodies only, so when the need arises, you can reach for something good and good for you. Skipping meals should not be an option. It’s not healthy to stop eating, you end up eating more to make up for the energy you lack. Eat healthily, watch your sodium intake, sugar and fats. Maintain portion sizes as exact as possible.

Anyhow, in a healthy person, there’s still a good layer of fat around the heart. In an obese person, too much fat can completely encase the heart which causes problems as the heart can no longer work optimally as a result; not to mention that the smallest amount of physical exertion can cause a heart attack, and complications. So think about your heart. Keep it healthy. And keep yourself fit. Cut out fast food, soda, beer, candy, processed foods and stuff you know that aren’t good for you.Make eating fresh fruits, veggie, lean meat and protein part of your daily routine. Drink a lot of water, eat breakfast, and go with whole wheat pastas and whole grain breads.

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Advantages and Disadvantages of the P90X Program and Where to Get a P90X Discount

In this article I’d like to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using the P90X workout system. Hopefully this will help you decide if its the right program for you. In case you do decide to buy it, I’m also adding a little explanation on how to get a P90X discount online.

You’ve probably seen the P90X commercial on television, the one that claims to get you ripped in 90 days. Or perhaps you have seen the P90X reviews online. This program does work as described. However, there are pros and cons to anything, including the P90X.

By examining both sides, you can adequately make a decision on whether or not the program is for you and your fitness goals.

The Advantages:

The advantages of following the P90X program should be obvious from the commercials. You’ll eat healthier, get stronger and leaner, and you’ll be able to do a hundred or more pushups and/or pull ups in one workout. You’ll be healthier than you’ve ever been and you’ll do it all in 90 days.

The Disadvantages:

The disadvantages of following the P90X program is that it must be followed every day, six days per week. This is essential to seeing the results described in the fitness guide as well as in the commercials. After the program, however, most people go right back to their old bad habits. And in that aspect, the P90X program may send the wrong message to those who aren’t used to working out and want results too quickly.

Its really up to you to decide whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. If you do decide to get the program, do follow it as described, and try not to revert to your old habits when you are done.

Where to Get a Discount:

If you decided in favor of getting the program, you might be on the lookout for a P90X discount.

In order to do that, just go to the various online authorized sellers and see who is offering the best price on the P90X. Cheap price points are not so common, but take into consideration that some places offer free shipping as well.

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Say No to Synthetic Fresh Fruit and Vegetables – 5 Reasons to Buy Organic Products

There is a new concept making its way around the fresh food industry. It’s a combination of scientific processors and a plants own natural development to create what is becoming known as synthetic fresh food. Food today is lacking in many nutrients and its ripe shelf life is greatly reduced.

Fruit today, including fruit recognised as a vegetable – such as tomatoes are often picked well under developed and unripened and stored until they are needed often for months at a time. Ethylene gas is often used to ripen fruit when it is needed for sale in Supermarkets.

From the moment a seed is planted in the ground it is subject to dozens of synthetic additives to enhance growth and to kill pests and weeds. Chemical based fertilisers, Pesticides, Herbicides and Fungicides are pumped into cropping land to the point soil microbes, earthworms and other insects and animals are driven out of a soil preventing the natural cycle of organic matter breakdown which becomes the normal feed source for plants.

Depending on the laws in the country the food was grown the seed itself may well be a synthetic version of a natural plant with various DNA added or removed to enhance a specific growth trait.

The only way we can get real fruit and vegetables is to look for heirloom seed producers and grow as much of our own fruit and vegetables in our own garden as we can.

Seems rather ironic that Science is creating synthetic ways to feed an expanding world and in the process half of the food is thrown out in waste.

Organic Farming is a huge, ethical industry where the emphasis is placed on producing a healthy viable crop to deliver to a consumer market with less emphasis on the profit margin. That is not to say Organic Farmers do not look for and try to make a profit. All business needs to run above the bottom line, but with Organic Farming the profit is made as a result of focusing on providing a quality, ethical consumer focused product and not profit regardless of quality or ethical practices.

To ensure you are buying quality organically grown fruit and vegetables consider these important points:

  1. Look for Certified Organic growers or processors.
  2. Synthetic Fresh Fruit and Vegetables are grown to deliver specific taste and shape quality to a demanding consumer market. Smooth fruit with no odd shapes looks nice on the shelf but not if shape is at the detriment of organic nutrients and an overall long lasting quality product.
  3. If possible buy direct from the grower.
  4. Look for Organic Food swap and sharing groups in your area. If there is none consider starting one.
  5. Avoid buying fruit and vegetables not grown in your local area. The further food has to travel the more likely it is to be treated synthetically to survive the trip or artificially ripened when it reaches its destination.

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5 Myths About Coconut Oil and How To Start Using Them To Your Advantage

Myth #1 – Coconut Oil is Unhealthy Because It’s Fat

As found by researchers at the Harvard University School of Public Health, it’s actually a myth that low-fat diets lead to weight loss or better health.

They found that our bodies need fat for fuel and to help the body properly function. Low fat diets were shown to be bad for your health in the long run because essentially, they are starving the body of the fats required for healthy digestion and other processes.

The trick to losing weight and staying healthy, is eating healthy fats.

Coconut oil is one of these healthy and natural fats that can provide a lot of dietary benefits without any adverse weight gain. It can assist people to burn fat when incorporated into a healthy diet of lean protein, with plenty of fruit and vegetables.

Myth #2 – It Has Cholesterol, It Must be Bad for the Heart.

True, it has been found that cholesterol can do damage to the heart.

So for many years it was thought that oils that contain cholesterol naturally, are bad for the heart and cause heart disease.

But that’s simply not true.

There are two different kinds of cholesterol. One is healthy and one is not.

Coconuts contain the good type of cholesterol. The type that stimulates the body to create more healthy cholesterol, actually helping the heart by lowering the amount of bad cholesterol in the body.

Healthy fats like coconut oil also boost the immune system which can help the heart fight against heart disease and damage.

So, as we might expect from a fruit… this is far from detrimental to your health.

In fact, it’s great for your health. Boosting your immune system, kick-starting your metabolism and burning bad cholesterol.

Myth #3 – Oil Causes Bad Skin and Acne.

It has been widely assumed that using an oily product on the skin (like coconut oil) would lead to clogged pores, oily skin and acne. But that’s simply not the case.

It does absolute wonders for the skin.

It’s a gentle and all-natural makeup remover, safe to use even for eye makeup.

It also contains anti-oxidants which help eliminate free radicals. Those nasty little things that cause your skin to age, wrinkle and sag.

So applying a little bit of pure coconut oil to the skin can actually help reverse the signs of aging.

Don’t believe me? Try using a drop of coconut oil on your tender skin after a day in the sun. You’ll soon understand!

Myth #4 – It’s Too Expensive.

Even pure, untreated coconut oil might not be as expensive as you think. It’s actually very affordable (comparable to most oils on the market) and it can be found in many grocery stores as well as in health food stores.

You don’t need to spend a fortune to get a high quality oil.

You just need to make sure that the oil you buy is pure and untreated coconut oil. This is the only way that you can get all of the health benefits.

Myth #5 – Coconut Oil makes you fat.

This is the biggest myth of all time.

It doesn’t make you fat. In fact, study after study concluded that adding coconut oil to your diet actually promotes weight loss.

Coconut oil for weight loss is the best cooking oil to choose, due to the plethora of healthy medium chain saturated fatty acids (MCTs) that boost metabolism.

Kick-start your metabolism with these MCTs, and your body will automatically seek out and burn your excess fat.

Want to learn more about how to use coconut oil to destroy stubborn belly fat fast? It’s simple…

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How to Use Flax Seed

You can eat whole flax seeds but you need to chew them good to break them up. Your stomach will not dissolve whole flax seeds and many of them will come out in your stools. Chew about a tablespoon in the morning. Then drink 8 oz of water. Make sure if you chew flax seeds that you drink water since the seeds expand and become gelatinous.

There are brown and golden colored flax seeds. The golden cost more but there is not difference in their nutritional value.

You can grind them up in a grinder and add them to your smoothies. It is best not to use them in any cooking recipes. Heat destroys the value of the flax oil and makes it toxic.

I don’t recommend you buy ground up flax seeds as found on websites or in health food stores. Once you grind your flax seeds, you need to use them in your drinks or food soon after grinding so they don’t lose their nutritive value.

Even though Nutri Flax, ground up flax seed, is packaged so the flax seeds don’t see light or oxygen, what happens when you open the package? These flax seeds are going to be exposed to oxygen and light and as time passes they will become oxidized.

It only takes 10 to 15 minutes in light and oxygen for the ground up flax seeds to become oxidized and lose it nutritive value.

So if you decided to use pre-grounded flax seed like it Nutri Flax, store it in your refrigerator immediately after it is opened and used to minimize its oxidation.

Flax seeds are composed of,

· 41% fat – fifty seven % is omega 3

· 18 % is monounsaturated

· 16% is omega 6

· 9% is saturated

· 20% is protein

· 7% is moisture

Daily requirements of the essential fatty acids

Daily most people require up to 3-6 grams of linoleic – omega-6 fatty acid

And 1.5-3 grams of linolenic – omega-3 fatty acid

For treatment of specific diseases, increase amounts of these fatty acids are required. The actual amounts will depend on the type of illness, the health of the individual, and the diet that they eat. A guideline to the amount needed is,

. Linoleic – omega-6 (9-30 grams per day)

. Linolenic – omega-3 (6 grams per day)

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7 Tips for Clean Eating In a Busy World

Does clean eating feel like a lovely concept but just not do-able in a busy world? I get it, the world is moving fast these days. Many companies have downsized leaving less employees to do more work which means more hours. We have families to take care, extra curricular activities, appointments to go to, the list goes on and on…

Eating clean perhaps feels like one of those nice to do things but just doesn’t seem possible. Well today I want to give you some tips on how you can strive to eat clean in a busy world.

1. Take a little time to sit down and put together a clean eating plan, a little planning will go a long way. What kinds of foods do you like? What are some of your favourite quick and easy simple recipes? Look in your cupboards and put together a grocery list of what you need in your pantry and fridge that will give you delicious and healthy meals for the week.

2. Pull out your calendar and create a meal plan. You may find that your breakfasts and maybe even lunches are fairly routine, these should be easy. Based on your pantry and grocery list pre-plan your meals so that when you get home after a long day you know exactly what you are going to cook and can get started right away. Ensure you have plenty of fresh groceries stocked up each week so you have no excuses to open that box of macaroni and cheese that has been sitting in the back of your cupboard.

3. Create a kitchen “prep” day. I like Sundays. This is the day where you can plan your meals for the week. If you have some extra time you might even pre-cook some meals and either freeze them or save them for the next couple of nights. Wash fruit and veggies, chop veggies and put them into serving sizes so they are ready to go. You can clean, marinate and freeze your meat ahead of time (don’t forget to label the date something goes into the freezer). Get any healthy snacks ready for the week etc… you get the idea. It’s really your time to get organized to make your busy week as easy as possible.

4. Use your crock pot. On your kitchen prep day, it’s easy to pre-prepare meals that you can throw into the crock pot. That way you can simply open a container, put everything into the crock pot then when you get home at the end of the day you have a healthy meal ready and waiting for you. How easy is that?

5. Get your snacks and lunches ready the night before so you aren’t rushing when you are trying to get the out the door in the morning.

6. If you grocery shop on a day other than your kitchen prep day wash your fruits and veggies immediately when you get home. This makes it easy to grab something healthy on the run.

7. Take a small cooler/lunch bag with you when you are on the go. Fill it with healthy snacks and any meals needed for the day. This will keep you from grabbing something quick and unhealthy.

So yes, clean eating will take a little extra work but if you take a little time each week to plan and prepare clean eating go from being a nice to have to just what you do every week. Get your family involved, make clean eating and healthy living a part of your lifestyle and create those healthy choices that will last a lifetime.

I promise your body will reward with more energy, less weight, brighter skin and many other benefits that will have you feeling fabulous.

So, get planning and enjoy clean eating in your busy world made easy.

To your health!

Kelly

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