Archive for the ‘Nutrition Tip’ Category
Monday, July 15th, 2013
How to Construct a Muscle Building Diet
Aside from opting for the right weight lifting strategies, what you consume before and after a workout is the most important piece of the muscle growth puzzle.
Get this: you can lift as hard you can, sweat as much as you can and spending endless hours in the gym, but as long as you don’t provide your body with the right stuff—diet-wise—your hard work will be futile.
Therefore, if you don’t want to compromise your hard effort and really seek to pile on the muscles faster and more efficiently, here are the diet guidelines you need to live by.
It starts with protein
Yes you know it. Every gym-rat out there is well aware of the importance of protein in muscle growth and proper recovery. If you’re protein-deficient, you won’t achieve any muscle growth no matter how committed you’re or how hard you push yourself in the gym.
Most studies and experts recommend shooting for at least 2g per kilo of bodyweight of protein. This amount may vary from one gym-rat to the next. But the harder you lift and push yourself in the gym, the more protein you’re going to need.
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Tags: build muscle, Diet, eating, food, muscle, muscle building, nutrition
Posted in Bodybuilding, Diet, Nutrition Tip | 1 Comment »
Friday, June 14th, 2013
Surprising Things You Probably Don’t Know About Calories
We are a calorie-obsessed country. We obsess about how many calories we consume on a daily basis and then we turn around an eat way too many of them. We know so much about calories and how they affect our body weight, but most of us don’t really know all that much. In fact, only about 12 percent of people in the USA can estimate how many calories they consume each day! Here are some facts about calories and how they work that just might surprise you!
Gym Machines Can’t Actually Accurately Measure Calories
Most people who work out hard at the gym have a mentality that they must sweat for their food. These people know that in order to lose weight they must work off all of the calories they have eaten in a day. This is great mentality to have, but you shouldn’t base what you can eat on how many calories you burned off on the treadmill.
Many people feel like they worked hard so they can eat whatever they want afterwards. This, sadly, is just not true. Don’t expect your gym’s workout machines to accurately predict how many calories you have burned off either.
You need to pay serious attention to how many calories you consume both before and after your workout, and you need to pay attention to how you are consuming those calories. For example, if you walk two miles on a treadmill, you might think you have done well and deserve a snack. But a very small handful of chips can quickly undo all of that work!
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Tags: calories, Diet, eating, fitness, food, meals, nutrition
Posted in Diet, Nutrition Tip | No Comments »
Wednesday, May 29th, 2013
What are the best carbs to help you build muscle or lose fat?
More than often, you’ll get this response: “Stay away from simple carbs and focus on complex carbohydrates, since they digest slowly and provide your body with a constant stream of energy”.
I can’t tell you how many “fitness-experts” give this response to their clients on a regular basis. Of course it seems to make sense, but there is actually some science suggesting otherwise.
Many people believe that as long as a carbohydrate digests slowly, it should keep your blood sugar stable and make it less likely for you to gain fat.
But the truth of the matter is that structuring your nutrition program around “slow-digesting carbohydrates” is actually not an effective way to get the nutrition you need.
There are actually 4 primary reasons why this is the case. Let’s go ahead and take a closer look…
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Tags: build muscle, carbohydrates, carbs, food, gain muscle, muscle, muscle gains, muscles, nutrition, workout
Posted in Diet, Nutrition Tip | 3 Comments »
Monday, May 13th, 2013
How to drop those last pounds
Anyone who goes to the gym knows the work that needs to be put into sculpting a fit body. Building muscle and cutting fat are the main goals of working out for many people, and one may be more difficult than the other. Gaining muscle mass is easy for some people, but often, there is a layer of fat obscuring the muscle that is much harder to lose than the muscle was to gain. Weight loss is a complex process, but there are many options available.
What are my options to lose fat?
It can be frustrating to lose fat. Cardio training, dieting, and other lifestyle changes are difficult to stick to, and can be slow to take hold. When exercising, it is ideal to maintain an optimal heart rate for 20 minutes to an hour at a time, and it may be impossible to see fat loss for weeks or months after beginning a solid exercise routine. In addition, eating with a mind to burning fat can be complicated and time consuming; maintaining good eating habits is difficult, especially with temptation at restaurants and parties.
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Tags: Diet, dieting, eat, eating, fat loss, food, lose fat, lose weight, meal time, meals, nutrition, weight loss
Posted in Diet, Nutrition Tip | No Comments »
Wednesday, May 8th, 2013
Schedule Your Meals for Speedier Weight Loss
For those who get awesome results from Intermittent Fasting, don’t bother reading the following article. This is for people, for whom fasting either doesn’t work, or doesn’t agree with their schedule. However, if you follow a regular 3-5 meals a day diet, pay attention to the following piece.
How do Meal Times Affect Weight Loss?
New research is being done that indicates that there is more to healthy eating than many originally thought: not only does what you eat play a role in overall health, but when you eat may play a significant role as well. Researchers working at Brigham and Women’s Hospital collaborated with Tufts University and the University of Murcia have released results of a study that has shown that when you eat throughout the day might have an impact on weight loss.
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Tags: Diet, dieting, eat, eating, fat loss, food, lose fat, lose weight, meal time, meals, nutrition, weight loss
Posted in Diet, Nutrition Tip | No Comments »
Monday, April 1st, 2013
Hydrate for Health
We all know that it’s important to get eight glasses of water each day in order to ensure that our bodies are properly hydrated and that waste and toxins are flushed out of our systems.
When you engage in intense exercise, a lot of fluids can be lost to through sweat, increasing the need for not only water, but also essential electrolytes that allow your body to retain the life-giving fluids you drink.
While you might not think that pumping iron is as intense as running a marathon or swimming laps, the truth is that lifting weights can make you sweat.
That said, there are other reasons why staying hydrated before, during, and after your weight lifting regimen is important. In case you didn’t know it can have a dramatic effect on the results of your workout, as well as your overall state of health.
Here are just a few reasons why you should definitely strive for optimum hydration.
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Tags: build muscle, gain muscle, h2o, health, healthy, hydrate, hydration, muscle building, muscle gains, nutrition, water
Posted in Fitness Tips, Healthy Lifestyle, Nutrition Tip | No Comments »
Wednesday, March 20th, 2013
If there’s one part of a bodybuilder’s lifestyle that’s more important than the workouts, it’s got to be nutrition. If you’re not giving your body the fuel it needs to build muscle, all your efforts are going to go to waste as you burn out and lose both your energy and your muscle mass.
Traveling makes it even more difficult to stay on top of your nutrition, especially when you’re mostly limited to the offerings of airlines, terminal food courts, and restaurants. To keep your fitness routine up while you travel, it’s important to keep training and eating clean all the while.
Get acquainted with sludge.
It may not sound like the most appetizing food in the world, and it might be a bit tough to stomach at first, but it’s the traveling bodybuilder’s best friend. Most builders make their sludge by mixing whey protein and peanut butter or almond butter with with water until it reaches a pudding-like consistency.
Since you can’t bring liquids through airport security, pack enough pre-measured bags of whey and almonds to last through your flight, and a Tupperware container for mixing. Either buy bottled water in the airport, or take advantage of courtesy cups on the plane. Use a little less liquid than you would normally, and you can make your own protein-rich sludge anywhere.
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Tags: Business, Diet, exercise, fitness, nutrition, travel, work
Posted in Diet, Fitness Tips, Nutrition Tip | No Comments »
Tuesday, March 19th, 2013
Whether you’re bulking, cutting, or straight-up losing weight, you have no doubt developed a targeted diet meant to enhance your exercise regimen in order to help you meet your goals.
Restrictive or specific diets can leave you feeling unsatisfied or craving your favorite foods, and if you’re not smart about how you get your daily caloric intake you can find your tummy grumbling before you go to bed, or even waking you up in the middle of the night, just begging for a midnight snack that is definitely not diet-approved.
However, there are plenty of ways that you can keep yourself satisfied and full on nearly any diet plan so that you can stave off cravings for midnight munchies.
Here are just a few tactics you may want to try.
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Tags: Diet, eat, eating, fat loss, food, foods, health, healthy, late night, lose fat, lose weight, midnight, munchies, nutrition, weight loss
Posted in Diet, Healthy Lifestyle, Nutrition Tip | No Comments »
Thursday, March 7th, 2013
If you are weight training to build muscle, your biggest goal is to keep your body mass index in check. Body builders around the world will tell you that having the perfect, sculpted body is also about staying lean and keeping your body fat at a minimum.
To be pure muscle and no fat you have to find creative ways to exercise, but you also have to eat the right food. In order to sculpt your muscles, you need food with enough protein to keep you energized, but also food that helps burn fat – you also want to suppress those unwanted cravings.
Here are 5 great foods for burning fat and building muscle.
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Oatmeal.
Oatmeal is the secret weapon for a lot of body builders that want to sculpt the perfect body. Eating oatmeal 1 to 2 hours before an exercise or weight lifting session will give you an adequate amount of sustained energy, which will allow you to work out longer. Oatmeal is also great at regulating your blood sugar levels, which can stave off cravings. It is also a great source of fiber, which can prevent your body from storing excess fat.
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Tags: build muscle, Diet, fat loss, food, foods, gain muscle, health, healthy, lose fat, lose weight, muscle gain, nutrition, weight loss
Posted in Diet, Nutrition Tip | 3 Comments »
Saturday, March 2nd, 2013
On some level, we all know that caffeine is not exactly good for us, at least not in large doses and certainly not when it comes from sugary sodas or coffee drinks loaded up with cream and sugar (Starbucks: proudly serving 10% coffee in every coffee drink!). But whether you’re a soda hound or you drink black coffee throughout the day, you’ve likely experienced side effects like the jittery high that keeps you working like mad for an hour followed by the comatose state that leaves you craving more.
Then there are the headaches that plague truly devoted caffeine enthusiasts who don’t get their fix in a timely manner. I haven’t personally experienced this, but I have no less than 5 friends or aquaintances that do.
However, imbibing a moderate amount of caffeine can actually have some benefits for the casual drinker. Aside from giving you that extra boost of energy and focus, it can also have healthy effects for those who have the proper enzymes to break it down efficiently, potentially reducing the risk for heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, and even some forms of cancer, according to various studies.
It can also have an impact on your weight training routine.
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Tags: caffeine, coffee, energy, nutrition, peformance, supplement, Supplements, tea
Posted in Medical, Nutrition Tip | 2 Comments »
Saturday, February 23rd, 2013
Gaining weight and gaining lean muscle are two entirely different things. While increasing the amount you eat will almost certainly lead to you putting on weight, it will not automatically ensure that you gain lean, aesthetically pleasing muscle mass.
In order to effectively build muscle, you need to combine the right physical exercise with the right fuel for that physical exercise. It is, therefore, vitally important to pay attention to the nutrients you put into your body and to understand the role that carbohydrates play in the muscle building process.
Physical Activity and the Role of Carbohydrates
In order to build the lean muscle you desire, you need to engage in resistance training which specifically targets the major muscle groups in the body. Examples of these types of exercises include barbell curls, bench presses and squats. It is best to avoid working the same muscle groups in consecutive days and working out three to four times a week is ideal.
In order to perform efficiently, you also need to provide your body with the right kind of energy. Although proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals all combine to provide different things, carbohydrates in particular play a large role in muscle building.
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Tags: build muscle, carbohydrates, carbs, food, gain muscle, muscle, muscle gains, muscles, nutrition, workout
Posted in Diet, Nutrition Tip | No Comments »
Wednesday, February 20th, 2013
To optimize fat loss rather than weight loss, use the Project Shred diet plan for only 3 weeks, then scale back to a less restrictive meal plan. Be sure to use a workout routine like Fat Loss for Men or Fat Loss for Women, in order to maintain muscle mass during your weight loss phase.
Tags: Diet, diet plans, diets, event, exercise, fat loss, fitness, food, lifestyle, lose fat, lose weight, nutrition, weight loss, workout
Posted in Diet, Nutrition Tip | No Comments »
Monday, February 18th, 2013
You want to have enough energy to do dumbbell handstand push ups? Try this frosty shake on for size.
Ingredients
- 6-8 raw blanched almonds
- 3-4 tbsp. raw sunflower seeds or flax seeds
- 1-2 cup filtered water
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
- 1-2 square inches fresh coconut
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla
- 3-5 pitted dates or 1/2 banana
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Tags: Chai, Coconut, Diet, Elixir, energy, food, nutrition, shakes
Posted in Nutrition Tip, Recipes | No Comments »
Thursday, February 7th, 2013
No, I’m not talking about you. Yeah you probably are a health nut if you are anything like most Project Swole readers, but today I want to talk about healthy nuts, as in peanuts, almonds, cashew, walnuts, etc…
I was afraid I scared everyone away with last week’s post about Peanut Butter of Death, so this week I’m here to tell you that as long as your peanut butter isn’t contaminated, you can be sure that eating nuts is just as healthy a snack as it ever was.
Without further ado, I give you:
The Ultimate Guide to Healthy Nuts
Tags: almonds, cashews, food, foods, health, healthy, healthy food, nutrition, nuts, peanuts, walnuts
Posted in Nutrition Tip, Research | No Comments »
Sunday, February 3rd, 2013
When it comes to supporting your fitness routine with a suitable diet, it can be rather difficult to stick to the program, especially when you’re confronted by the delicious foods commonly found at social gatherings like BBQs and picnics. Not only are these traditional recipes fragrant and delicious, but it can be very difficult to deny yourself when everyone else is digging in with obvious relish.
In truth, most people have a much harder time sticking to a diet than an exercise regimen, likely because of the vast abundance of food options available to modern man, as well as a culture that urges us towards excess and instant gratification (often at the expense of long-term goals).
So the next time you go to a picnic or BBQ, you should prepare yourself to avoid certain foods that are sure to tank any type of diet (even when you’re bulking you’re likely to have some guidelines for appropriate foods).
Here are some foods you’ll want to steer clear of and how you can compensate for continued success.
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Tags: bbq, Diet, food, health, healthy, nutrition, picnic
Posted in Nutrition Tip | No Comments »
Saturday, February 2nd, 2013
Diet = 75% of Progress
Regardless of your fitness goals, your diet plays an important role in achieving the levels of physical strength, muscle tone, and overall health and fitness you desire. And since most of us have specific results in mind, it’s a good idea to spend just as much time and effort working out a targeted diet as working out at the gym.
For example, the dietary needs of a bodybuilder are very different than those of a person running a marathon. So if you’re looking to build muscle and your exercise regimen doesn’t seem to be delivered to your satisfaction, perhaps it’s time to do a little research and discover which foods will ensure optimum results in concert with your weight lifting efforts. In addition to food, you can use several testosterone products to build muscle faster too.
For today we will focus on nutrition. Here are a few foods that are sure to help you pack on the right kind of pounds.
You might think that any high-calorie foods will be sufficient when it comes to bulking up, but this is not true. Some will add fat as well as muscle, or only fat, and that’s definitely not what you’re looking for.
What you really need are foods that will repair and build your muscles as you add greater amounts of weight to your lifting routine, and your best bet is to use a combination of foods that make a complete and balanced diet that is nonetheless high in certain nutrients. You’ll need plenty of protein to build and maintain muscle, as well as carbs to replace all the calories you’re burning, but you’ll also need fruits, vegetables, and fats (yes, fats) to keep your body healthy and functioning properly.
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Tags: bodybuilder, bodybuilding, eating, food, health, healthy, meals, muscle, muscles, nutrition
Posted in Diet, Nutrition Tip | No Comments »
Wednesday, January 30th, 2013
Set the Tone for a Healthy Lifestyle During and After College
When it comes to health and fitness, many college students are too wrapped up in the demands of their academic pursuits to pay much attention. Even those that have been athletic in the past or are currently members of sports teams on campus might neglect their nutrition when they’re in a rush to get to class or they’re cramming for a test.
In case you hadn’t heard, unless you are practicing Intermittent Fasting, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. The reason for this is that it sets the tone for your metabolism, your satiety, and your level of energy throughout the rest of the day.
What you eat (and how you go about eating it) could have a major impact on your overall health and vitality. Keep in mind on test day, that your brain operates on carbs. Having some fruit and oatmeal before a big exam is scientifically the best way to exam prep.
As you can see from the picture of the girl on the right, breakfast does a college body good.
Here are just a few breakfast dos and don’ts to observe in college if you want to optimize health and fitness during your time on campus. Practice these tips now, and you will be more likely to carry them through the rest of your life.
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Tags: breakfast, college, eating, food, health, healthy, meals, nutrition
Posted in Diet, Healthy Lifestyle, Nutrition Tip | No Comments »
Friday, January 11th, 2013
No Rest for the Wicked or for the Wicked Busy
Whether you’re burning the midnight oil to cram for a test, you’re enjoying your precious moments of freedom with friends by partying until dawn, or you’re one of those 24 hour-a-day computer programmers (yeah, we don’t sleep) you may find yourself wolfing down high-calorie snacks that give you the fuel needed to power through your fatigue. Unfortunately, this can have a slew of unfortunate side effects, from simple digestive discomfort and heartburn to weight gain and all of the problems associated with it.
If you’ve gotten in the habit of staying up late, eating into the wee hours of the morning may have become routine. However, you can get back on a normal schedule where your diet is concerned and avoid late-night binges without too much trouble so long as you follow a few simple guidelines.
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Tags: eating, food, health, healthy, late night, lifestyle, nutrition, sleep, sleeping
Posted in Business, Education, Healthy Lifestyle, Nutrition Tip | No Comments »
Sunday, December 23rd, 2012
If you don’t know about water, here is the 411. Read some previous articles like:
How much water should you drink in a day?
How to increase water absorption.
When you are done with those, take a look at this fun graphic:
So if you don’t know, well now ya know. Planet Fitness may judge you as being a Lunk if you carry a gallon of water around, but have you seen their employees? Yeah, if you want to be a pasty skinned ShitFitness employee, don’t drink water. Otherwise – carry your gallon jug around with pride. =)
w00t! Lift w8 every day
Tags: drink, h2o, health, healthy, hydration, nutrition, water
Posted in Healthy Lifestyle, Nutrition Tip | No Comments »
Thursday, December 20th, 2012
The Dreaded Freshman 15 is Real!
You might think that the notorious freshman fifteen is nothing more than a fairy tale, but consider for a moment the contributing factors. For one thing, most college students are away from home (and the watchful gaze of mom and dad) for the first time in their lives. And without parents around to make sure you’re getting three square meals a day, you might fall into bad habits like scarfing pizza and burgers at the cafeteria for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, skipping fruits and veggies, and snacking from vending machines the rest of the time.
Pile on top of that plenty of stress, a distinct lack of sleep, a lot of high-calorie alcoholic beverages, and likely, little to no exercise. The true surprise is that the standard fifteen pounds are not double that. So if you’d like to avoid the unwanted extra pounds that plague the average student, here are just a few strategies to maintain your weight, keep your energy levels high, and ultimately look and feel as good exiting your freshman year as you did going in.
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Tags: college, Diet, exercise, freshman, freshmen, lifestyle, nutrition
Posted in Healthy Lifestyle, Nutrition Tip | No Comments »
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