Get More With Music

The power of music. We can see how it has shaped the world we live in. Can you see how it could help shape our bodies as well. Right now there are not a lot of studies to site from about the effects of music on some who is working out but from personal experience having a set of great songs can really help you pick up the intensity during any workout. I've noticed an increase in calories burned per 30 minutes on one of my favorite cardo machines. I hit a good song and I'm working out a heck of a lot harder. So through on the headphones and get to burning calories.

A Boost

Caffeine

Performance/Endurance Enhancer
The tests show that ingesting 330 mg (or 5 mg per kilogram of body weight) 30 minutes to an hour before workouts results in longer endurance, faster times, less exertion, less fatigue, and more rapid recovery -- up to 30 percent better in each category. The most effective caffeine, though, is in tablet form, not in coffee, because the 100-plus other compounds in coffee probably block some of the effect of caffeine.
Fat Burner
Caffeine, which speeds metabolism, is the most-active ingredient in many "diet pills."
Caf breaks down fat, freeing fatty acids which are immediately burned. Conversion of fat to energy is about 30 percent more efficient when caffeine is consumed prior to exercise. The break-down, and the burning, occur only when you're working out!
While the fat is being burned, the glycogen, glucose, and amino acids (blood sugars) are being reserved -- so blood sugar levels remain higher for longer. Low blood sugar = hunger; high glucose staves starving. This is why coffee is popular among students and think-tankers. The brain functions exclusively on glucose, and higher blood sugar levels facilitate thinking.
So try and take 330 mg (or 5 mg per kilogram of body weight) 30 minutes to an hour before your workout. If thats too much build up to it. If anything I usually just grab a coffee before I work out. It gives me a little boost!

Counting Calories

This post will talk about counting calories and how it helps keep you accountable.
I have found that when I count my calories, I am better able to monitor what I eat and stay accountable to my nutritional regime. The truth is that you can work yourself to death at the gym, and still gain weight and fat. Everyone has a specific amount of calories they should be in taking through out the day. The calories you need to intake depend on your age, gender, weight, and activity level. Many people over estimate the amount of calories they need, and under estimate the calories they are in taking. When you find that you are exercising hard, and still not seeing the results you desire, it is time to start counting calories. Try keeping a journal. In the journal write down the food and drinks you are in taking. Don't lie about the portions in your journal, your body knows the truth. In our home, we have a food scale. They are relatively inexpensive, and incredibly helpful. By keeping a food journal you will stay accountable to your diet. I also find that by keeping a journal, I cut down on my snacking. Keeping a food journal discourages me from grabbing that extra handful of trail mix, or adding an extra scoop of ice cream and chocolate syrup to my bowl.

Burn Fat Faster! Health and Fitness Tip

A Super Set is doing back to back exercises with minimal rest in between. For example, going from regular chest press into a chest fly or going from a set of squats right into push ups or lat pull down into triceps extensions. Doing these Super Sets will ultimately intensify your workout thus increase the fat burning process. There are really two ways to think of this. One you can super set same muscle group, example going from Dumbbell Chest Press right into Chest Fly or Lat pull down Wide Grip to Lat pull down close grip. Both of these super sets are targeting the same muscle group just in a different way during the second time around. This is a great way to increase your fat burning workouts. Secondly you can do back to back sets working different muscle groups, example, going from squats to push ups or chest press to curls or back to shoulders. These super sets also increase the fat burning process by keeping your heart rate up over an extended period of time and working two different muscle groups. For a real Super Set try 3 exercise back to back, I like Squats to Push ups to Curls, Gets my Heart Rate Way up!

Protein Shake for the Lean Dieters

There are so many different protein shakes out there, but the one that I favor the most is Muscle Milk. It comes in so many different flavors, and just taste great. The protein shakes I make are incredibly low calorie and make a perfect snack or great pre/post workout shake.

What you need:
muscle milk light (I love the chocolate)
half a banana
ice
water
coffee

This shake should only adds up to 150 calories, and believe it or not, taste great.

To make this shake add one scoop of muscle milk light to the blender, half a banana, one tray of ice cubes, and a teaspoon of instant coffee (preference), and 8oz of water. Blend and enjoy.

The banana and coffee are my personal preference, so be creative and change it up. If you do 2 scoops of the protein you add 100 calories and get the entire 17g of protein from the serving. If you don't like bananas opt for strawberries, or cut out the fruit completely. The coffee gives you a little kick of energy, and really adds great flavor to the shake.

Working out your Abbs the right way!

A couple years ago I made up my mind that I wanted a full blown six pack. I lifted weights, I did cardio, and watched my diet, but I wasn't getting the results I wanted. I was making little progress with lots of effort. My abb routine consisted of 300 to 500 hundred sit ups daily along with various other core strengthening exercises. I did this for quite a long time thinking that eventually I'd get the six pack I wanted. Why didn't this work? I'll tell you. Your abbs are a muscle, and will grow just like any other muscle. Once I implemented that concept in to my workout routine I saw amazing results. Just like my chest or my legs I only worked my abbs out once a week. I worked them out hard but only once a week. I gave my stomach the next 6 days to rest and rebuild before I attacked them again. With in a few months I couldn't believe the gains I made. My abbs were bigger, more defined and stronger then ever before. So my advise to anyone trying to take that extra step in creating a stomach full of muscle is to treat those abbs like all other body parts. ONCE A WEEK WILL DO WONDERS!

Low Calorie Snack Suggestions

Instead of reaching for that apple pie try this healthy alternative:

Sliced apple with cinnamon, yogurt, and cereal..

All you need is:

One apple-It doesn't really matter what type of apple you get, choose your favorite. It is recommended you try to eat only organic apples. Apples are one of the fruits that contain large amounts of pesticides.

1/2 cup-1 cup of yogurt- When eating yogurt, try to buy the one with the least ingredients. You can also opt for low calorie or non-fat. In our household we eat fat free plain Dannon yogurt. One cup is only 110 calories.

Cinnamon Powder

1/2 cup of Special K Cereal- This can be any healthy low calorie cereal, and is optional

Directions: Preheat your oven to 375. Slice your apple into small cubes. Sprinkle the cinnamon on the apples and place in the oven (baking sheet, aluminum foil, any non stick oven save dish). Bake for 25-40 (until the apple begins to soften). Remove from the oven and put both your yogurt and apples into a bowl and enjoy.

*I add about 1/2 cup of Strawberry Special K to my desert, I love the crunchies*

Serving Size

This post will cover serving size fiascoes: Many labels boast of low calories on the outer packaging. For instance, a bag of chips might say "Only 100 Calories per Serving". It sounds great, but could be a sneaky trick by marketers attempting to lure health conscious people into their trap. Be sure to look at the back of the nutrition label and see how many servings are in the bag, box, etc.. You may think you are only eating 100 calories, but if there are 2.5 servings you are actually eating 250 calories.

The Best Rule Of Thumb For Healthy Grocery Shopping

This posting is about knowing where the healthiest foods are located within your average grocery story: It's no secret that in any store you'll find your fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, and yogurts around the perimeter of a grocery store. Where do you find all your cereals, candies, chips, breads, and breakfast bars? They are usually located in the center isles. The rule of thumb for finding the most nutritious and natural foods is to stick to the perimeter of the grocery store. I've learned that there really aren't too many healthy natural foods in the center isles. By avoiding the center isles and following the perimeter of the grocery store you'll find everything you need to have a healthy balanced and nutritious diet.

Utilizing Ingrediant Labels To Make Quick Decisions While Shopping

This posting covers info on food labels and what to look for to maximize over all health:

Looking at food labels can be a bit tedious and frustrating, some people just focus on the calories other look further into fats, proteins, carb, and sodium counts but if you really want to make an good decision about healthy foods you need to look at the ingredients. A great rule of thumb for reading an ingredient label is "Less is Better". The fewer ingredients listed on a nutrition label the easier it will be for your body assimilate or expel those nutrients. EXAMPLE Yogusrt is a very healthy food found in all grocery stores, but take a look at the nutrition label. Many of the available choices will boast low calories or high protein, but what you get along with those highlighted benefits is a huge amount of ingredients meant to preserve, solidify, bleach, and enhance taste, just to name a few. Granted they my taste really sweet and the texture my be nice, but your putting in your body a hole slew of ingredients it doesn't ingest well. Look for a yogurt with minimal ingredients. If plain yogurt is to tart for you add slices of banana or strawberry. The point here is to limit ingredients in order to get the most healthy choice for your body. Tip of the day is to look for products with minimal ingredients and compare them to each other to find the best product available.