Do You Juice?

What is the absolute worst tasting drink you have ever tasted? Was it yak milk, an alcoholic drink, or anything liquid that was served as a beverage? I just tasted the worst juice ever. Just the other day I spent $7 on a juice drink from a well known juice company that tasted so unpleasant that knowing how to shut down my taste buds would have come in handy.

For some reason I got it into my head that I needed to get a juice after my workout that contained carrots, cucumber, lemon, apple and ginger. What possessed me to order this drink? It sounds terrible just typing the ingredients. Now, it’s important to know I like all of these things individually but put together...YUCK! I forced myself to drink at least half of this juice blend because I spent $7. So did my search for a tasty and healthy juice drink come to a halt after my experience? Nope.This experience got me to thinking. How should you choose what to drink? Since most of your options are terrible looking and sometimes tasting. Here's the 3 best drinks to have post workout or whenever you need a little pick me up:

1. Root Around

If you are looking for a drink that is High-fiber. I recommend using root veggies and fruit keep things moving through the digestive tract, while ginger calms your stomach.

Ingredients: Ginger, beet, carrots, apple

Calories: 155

2. Berry Good

Looking for something sweet? Antioxidants in berries boast potent anti-aging benefits.

Ingredients: Blueberries, strawberries, mango

Calories: 151

3. The Popeye

This green goodie sneaks in a dose of iron (you need extra during your period and pregnancy), key for healthy blood cell and muscle function. It also delivers more than your daily rec of vitamin K—another must for blood and bone health.

Ingredients: Kale, green grapes, cucumber, Granny Smith apple

Calories: 110

All of these recipes can be made in your blender—so no specialty equipment is needed. Because of the fiber in fresh fruit and vegetable purées, these concoctions vary in thickness: You can adjust to your taste preference simply by adding a little water. And no matter which juice you choose, you’ll get good-for-you benefits in every sip.

Many Myths About Mini Meals

I know you have heard this one before: "Eating mini meals during the day helps to boost your metabolism." Hmmm well this may not be the case. Basically the amount you eat affects how many calories you burn through digestion and absorption.  Logically it makes sense.  Let’s say for example a chicken breast takes 100 calories to digest.  It’s still going to take 100 calories to digest whether you eat it all at once or as part of two mini meals. So maybe all of this time I was wrong to think (or blog) that mini meals are essential for boosting your metabolism. I too, thought that meal frequency affects metabolism. It is a popular rumor after all.  Skipping meals will not slow down your metabolism.  Eating more meals will not increase your metabolism.

However, just because the frequency with which you eat food does not affect your metabolism this does not mean mini meals are useless.  Eating more frequently can help you lose weight because people are generally advised to eat complex carbohydrates and protein as part of their mini meals.  These nutrients help keep you fuller for longer and are generally lower in calories.  Mini meals also help reduce cravings and stop you feeling hungry meaning that you are less likely to over eat and binge on calories.

Form Follows Funky

Learning the proper form is key. It’s an important part of any workout routine. Nevertheless, most people only focus on trying to increase the amount of weight they’re lifting or the speed at which they’re running, instead of placing focus on using proper technique. What does this mean?  They significantly increase their injury risk and limit their progress in the long term. You can avoid this problem by taking the time to learn the proper form and once you’ve done this, you’ll get a much greater benefit from all your workouts.

Spice It Up!

Variety is the spice of life. This is true especially when it comes to your workout routine. The benefits are much greater when you mix up what you do rather than sticking to the same moves for years on end. How many years have you seen the same people at your gym doing the EXACT same routine day after day and you never see them change? That's because exercise variety maximizes benefits and minimizes obstacles to working out, such as injuries, plateaus, and boredom.

So what should I include in my routine to get results?

Aim for equal amounts of cardio and strength training each week and make sure to include flexibility exercises into every workout.

Yes you should make sure to stay consistent with the cardio and strength training but try to vary the intensity, frequency, duration, and variety within the exercise type. You will get optimal results this way.

• Intensity is measured by the percentage of your maximum heart rate you reach during an activity.
• Frequency refers to how often you perform an activity.
• Duration refers to the amount of time spent performing an activity.
• Variety refers to the number of different exercises you perform for a specific exercise type -- for example, the number of different cardiovascular exercises you do or the number of different strength-training exercises you do.

In conclusion, make sure your workout is working for you by getting the right mix of flexibility exercises, strength training, and aerobic exercise.

At Home Workout

Looking for a workout that doesn’t require going to a gym or equipment? I know your life can get busy and that means you won’t always have time to get to a gym. For this workout all you need is your body, some open space, some items that you’ll find around the home and a spare 30 minutes.

The workout itself includes six exercises. Each exercise should take no longer than five minutes to complete and for each one, you should perform three sets until failure…

Exercise 1 – Push Ups

Push ups are one of the oldest but most effective bodyweight exercises around and do a great job of targeting your chest and arms.

Instructions:

1. Kneel on the floor and place your hands on the floor in front of you, making sure they are parallel to your chest and about shoulder width apart.

2. Straighten your legs out behind you and hold your core muscles in.

3. Slowly bend your arms until your nose touches the floor, keeping your core tight and your back straight at all times.

4. Slowly straighten your arms and return to the starting position.

5. Repeat until failure.

6. Repeat steps 1-5 two more times.

Exercise 2 – Pull Ups

Pull ups are an extremely challenging bodyweight exercise that target your biceps and upper back. To perform them, you’ll need either a pull up bar or a sturdy frame that can fully support your hanging bodyweight.

Instructions:

1. Stand under the pull up bar or sturdy frame and grab it with both hands (palms facing forward), making sure that they are about a shoulder width apart.

2. Bend your knees, take your feet off the floor and hang, allowing your arms and shoulders to fully support your bodyweight.

3. Slowly bend your arms and raise your body up towards the pull up bar until your biceps are fully flexed and your chin is above the bar.

4. Once your biceps are fully flexed and your chin is above the bar, slowly lower your body back down into the starting position.

5. Repeat until failure.

6. Repeat steps 1-5 two more times.

Exercise 3 – Tricep Dips

Tricep dips are a top exercise for targeting your triceps. To perform them, you’ll need a solid, sturdy chair that won’t bend or break when supporting your bodyweight.

Instructions:

1. Sit on the chair, stretch your legs out in front of you and bend your knees slightly.

2. Place your hands on the chair next to your butt with your fingers facing forward.

3. Lift your butt off the chair and move forward slightly.

4. Slowly bend your arms, lower your body and stop when your butt is almost touching the floor.

5. Slowly extend your elbows, straighten your arms and return to the starting position.

6. Repeat until failure.

7. Repeat steps 1-6 two more times.

Exercise 4 – Bodyweight Squats

Bodyweight squats are an excellent way to give all the muscles in your legs a full workout.

Instructions:

1. Stand with your feet a little wider than shoulder width apart and clasp your hands together in front of you.

2. Slowly bend your legs and lower your body down until your butt is parallel with your knees.

3. Slowly straighten your legs and raise your body back up to the starting position.

4. Repeat until failure.

5. Repeat steps 1-4 two more times.

Exercise 5 – Planks

Planks are one of the best exercises you can do for your core and a fantastic way to finish off any bodyweight routine.

Instructions:

1. Kneel down and place your forearms on the floor.

2. Bring your knees off the ground, balance on your toes and forearms, tighten your core muscles and hold this position for as long as you can.

3. Repeat steps 1-2 two more times.

Get Smarter With Exercise

Fitness can improve your life! Duh! There are so many benefits you can gain from regular activity. Mental benefits! Here are a few:

1) BELIEVE IN YOURSELF:- Working out helps your overcome personal obstacles (running faster, going longer distances etc) and physical obstacles (biking up hills, getting through an obstacle course etc). When you prove that you can overcome these obstacles you build confidence and gain the mental strength to overcome other obstacles in your daily life.

2) DON’T BE SO ANGRY: Anger is something EVERYONE deals with. Anger is a natural emotion and is not inherently good or bad. And everyone deals with it differently. A bad way to deal with anger is through physical or verbal aggression towards other people.  A good way to deal with anger is to exercise as it allows you to release it physically without impacting other people. When you exercise it allows you to physically get the anger out of your system whilst the alone time you get from a workout provides you with an opportunity to think about and deal with the anger in a more calm and collected state.

4) CONCENTRATE AND BUCKLE DOWN:- In order to constantly push yourself during your workout and achieve more you need to be focused on the task at hand and determined not to give up. This brings about improved focus and determination.  These skills can be applied to other areas of your life and make you more successful in these areas.

The next time you are feeling angry, unhappy or your confidence is at an all time low why not go exercise and see what it does for you?  At the very worst you will burn a few additional calories but if all goes well you will come back feeling much more happy, confident and upbeat.

Super Sneaky Ways To Boost Your Metabolism

I know it may sound too good to be true regarding the idea that there are super foods out there which burn fat and boost your metabolism. Well, I’m here to tell you it is true that a combination of these super foods can assist you with weight loss and increase your metabolic rate. So which foods fall into the category of super foods? The list is of some of the foods that are “Super”:

• Blueberries
• Celery
• Grapefruit
• Oranges
• Pumpkin
• Salmon
• Tomatoes
• Walnuts
• Greek Yogurt

Please, please, please note these foods are NOT magical and will not immediately burn fat and increase your metabolism. However, add these foods into your diet while maintaining a fitness plan you will boost your gains. To effectively introduce super foods with an overall fitness program, follow the advice below.

1) BE SMART. EAT SMARTER:- Instead of the traditional three meals a day, break it down to five or six mini-meals. Aim to eat every 3-4 hours. In each of these small meals include some super foods but make sure they do not consist entirely of super foods. Balance is the key when preparing your meals.

2) GET MOVING. INCREASE CARDIOVASCULAR EXERCISE:- Increasing the amount of cardiovascular exercise you do will help increase your metabolism. This does not mean you have to participate in a ten mile run every day. Try walking to places you would normally drive, playing with your kids or doing some gardening. Anything that makes you a little more active will improve your metabolism.

3) BUILD MUSCLE:- The more muscle you have, the more calories you will burn each day and the higher your metabolic rate will become. Again, you do not have to do anything substantial but incorporating some weight lifting into your weekly routine will help boost your metabolism.