On a diet? Condiments to avoid...

Ketchup - usually pumped full of sugar, sodium and high fructose

Ranch - usually contains buttermilk and mayonnaise, which makes it high in calories and fat. The average serving ranch contains about 140 calories and 14 grams of fat.

Barbecue sauce - this is a less healthier version of ketchup with even more sugar and high fructose. In addition, contains less tomatoes, which by themselves are healthy.

Mayonnaise - packed with saturated fat, and the primary ingredient in most mayonnaise is refined soybean oil which has no nutritional value.

Salad dressing - most salad dressings are packed full of saturated fat and/or high fructose corn syrup, and processed soybean oil. Beware of "fat free" claims as they can be misleading and contain high fructose corn syrup. In addition, are stripped of some healthy fats. Not all fats are bad fats.

Maple syrup - sugar free or low sugar syrups only mean that the level of high fructose corn syrup has exponentially increased. If you must have syrup, search out pure maple syrup. Avoid synthetic syrups which are common in restaurants and on store shelves.

Cocktail sauce - usually contains both ketchup and horseradish, both of which are not particularly healthy. More than half of the calories come from sugar.

Jelly & Jam - most store bought jellies and Jams are loaded with sugar. Beware of "sugar free"  claims,  as that just means that natural sugars have been replaced by high fructose corn syrup.

Honey mustard - mustard by itself is one of the healthiest condiments you can ingest. The average two tablespoon serving of honey mustard has roughly 120 calories and 11 grams of fat. Compare that to regular mustard of the same serving which roughly 5 calories and 0 grams of fat.

James M., NSCA CPT

At the pyramid!

Don't have time to work out?

Super sets are the way to go!

Super sets are a way to get in your workout in a fraction of the time.

You don't want to work out longer than an hour away, it starts to become excessive on both your mind and body.

A super set is simply back to back exercises with no rest in between. Super sets work best with opposing muscle groups, for example: biceps/triceps, chest/back, quads/hamstrings.

The benefits of a super set are great! Sustained elevated heart rate so you'll burn fat faster, shorter workout, etc...

James M., NSCA CPT

Isn't this why today's religious world is so muddled?

More China doomsday cult arrests

What are you putting in your stomach? Your body is a temple!

Design a healthy eating plan:
- whenever possible, buy food that is grown locally and fresh rather than packaged.
- visit farmers' markets in your area for the freshest produce.
- plan ahead by creating a grocery list to make better food choices.
- prepare and cook more meals at home instead of dining out.
- consume more nutrient-dense foods and beverages such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fat-free or low-fat milk products, seafood, lean meat and poultry, eggs, beans, peas, nuts, and seeds.

How much fluid should I drink when I'm sick?

Nutrition News (@nutritionnews) tweeted on Tue, Dec 18, 2012: How Much Fluid Should I Drink when I'm Sick? Click here!

A hearty, lean, rainy day chili recipe

Check out this recipe I found on BigOven!http://www.bigoven.com/recipe/157495/Turkey-Chili

Everyday Health (@weightloss) tweeted at 8:07 AM on Wed, Oct 10, 2012: Think you're a fitness pro? Here's how to measure your personal fitness level: http://t.co/DXdjImq8 (https://twitter.com/weightloss/status/256048318122172416) Get the official Twitter app at https://twitter.com/download

James NSCA CPT (@JamesfMitch) tweeted at 8:00 AM on Wed, Oct 10, 2012: @ the gym training my clients! (https://twitter.com/JamesfMitch/status/256046593151729667) Get the official Twitter app at https://twitter.com/download

All hard work pays off!

<p>Sweat more now, bleed less later...that's what my drill instructor in the Army use to say! It's so true, even the Bible clearly lays out that life is gonna take nothing short of hard work; "Look at the ant, you sluggard, consider it's ways and be wise!" -- "All hard work yields a profit, but mere talk only leads to proverty." </p>
<p>Much can be said about fitness, it's going to take nothing short of dedication and commitment to reach your fitness goals.

Is it dangerous for youth athletes to lift weights?

A common misconception is that strength and conditioning is too dangerous for some youth athletes; however, quite the opposite is true. A properly designed strength and conditioning program can actually decrease the potential for injury in youth athletes.

 

There will always be injury risks with any type of activity, but lifting weights is no more risky than the sports youth athletes participate in. We must not ignore the obvious benefits of strength training for youth athletes, primarily increasing strength. Consider the research from the NSCA's Performance Training Journal 

Remember this! 

• Youth athletes are more likely to injure themselves with home exercise equipment than with a structured program supervised by a certified coach.

• Youth athletes can increase strength by up to 30% with the intervention of an 8- to 20-week program.

• Many youth athletes are not prepared physically to meet the demands of their sport due to inadequate training and insufficient muscular strength and cardiovascular conditioning.

• One third of youth athletes that participate in organized sports require medical attention for a sports-related injury.

• The potential for sports-related injuries and for youth athletes to drop out of sports could be decreased by a properly designed strength and conditioning program.

• Not having a properly designed strength and conditioning program may be a factor in youth athletes' feeling that they are not good at the sport, therefore they are more likely to drop out of sports altogether.

*Source: www.NSCA.com

--
Tauheed "James" F. Mitchell, NSCA-CPT

www.jfmfit.blogger.com

--
Tauheed "James" F. Mitchell, NSCA-CPT

www.jfmfit.blogger.com

Thinking about short-cutting your cardio program? 10 reasons not too!

1) Cardio increases HDL count! Which reduces the harmful LDL's floating around in your body.

2) Cardio reduces your risk factor for CAD's(cardio vascular disease).

3) Cardio improves neuromuscular response and function.

4) Cardio increases insulin sensitivity.

5) Cardio improves endocrine system hormone production.

6) Cardio has positive psychological effects.

7) Cardio lowers resting heart rate.

8) Cardio improves aerobic muscle function

9) Cardio improves increases the amount of oxygen available for your muscles to uptake

10) Cardio improves cardiac output
Tauheed "James" F. Mitchell, NSCA-CPT

Motivational tip for meeting your fitness goals

Every goal in your fitness program needs to be a process goal. Meaning you need to focus on the process(performance), which you can control, and not the outcome which you have very little control over.

Focus on performing every exercise with full range of motion and proper technique.

Tauheed "James" Mitchell, NSCA-CPT
James M.

Strech like a rubber band!

There are four different types of streaching techniques:

• Static
• Dynamic
• Ballistic
• PNF(proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation)

The most effective way to increace range of motion in your joints, and to prevent injuries, is to combine a mixture of static with dynamic streaching techniques, after your warm up activity, so that your muscles are plyable and relaxed.

Breath slowly and controllably, so that the streach reflex in your muscle don't activate causing your muscles to contract, therefore not achieving a full range of motion.   

Exercise increases insulin sensitivity and glucose utilization, thus lowering blood glucose levels!

Fat burning tips!(High energy edition)

Foods that promote higher energy levels:

Vitamins That Enhance Energy:

Thiamin (Vitamin B1) is essential for helping the body convert carbohydrates into energy. Foods that are good sources of thiamin are beans and peas, whole grains, brewer's yeast, and sunflower seeds.

Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) and Niacin also help us use the energy obtained from our food more effectively. Sources of Riboflavin include milk, yogurt, mushrooms, and whole grains. Niacin food sources are mushrooms, whole grains, tuna, salmon, chicken, and beef.

Pyridoxine (Vitamin B6) assists in protein metabolism. Foods high in Pyridoxine include spinach, bananas, soybeans, sunflower seeds, tuna and beef.

Minerals That Enhance Energy:

Phosphorus: Dairy products, poultry, fish, eggs, whole grains, nuts, seeds

Zinc: Poultry, fish, eggs, whole grains

Iodine: Salt-water fish, dairy products

Copper: Seafood, nuts, seeds

Chromium:  Egg yolks, whole grain

*Drink plenty of water! 8 - 10 glasses of water!

Fat burning tips!

A Quick 20 recipe: Fisherman's salmon with rice an tomatoes(Recipe courtesy of Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH).

Vitamins and Minerals gained: An excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin C, folate, calcium, potassium and a good source of magnesium and fiber.

2 7-oz. cans salmon
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 cup cooked whole corn kernels, chilled
4 large tomatoes, halved and seeded

Put the salmon into a large bowl and flake it with a fork. Make dressing by whisking together the oil, vinegar, and mustard until well blended. Stir in parsley. Add the rice, corn and dressing to the salmon and toss until well-mixed. Place the tomato halves on a platter and fill with the salmon mixture.