•Blood is 83% water
•Muscles are 75% water
•The brain is 74% water
•Bone is 22% water
It may feel like an annoyance at the beginning but having water with you will make a huge difference in your life. Water is a requirement. Your body needs water to digest and absorb vitamins and nutrients. Water also detoxifies the liver and kidneys, and carries away waste, and makes digestion possible. Fiber alone cannot aid proper digestive function. Feeling dehydrated? You may be, and not even know it! Without water, your blood is literally thicker, and your body has to work considerably tougher to cause it to circulate. Your brain becomes less active, it’s hard to concentrate, your body feels fatigued, and you just tire out. Aim for a gallon a day. Before you know it, you will start to crave and love your water.
For best consistency eat meals every 2.5 to 3 hours apart, choose the right about of each food for your goals. You can buy a scale for $10-$20 bucks that will help you tremendously divide the food up with accuracy and speed. Divide all your meals into portion sizes for meals and storage. To speed up time in the kitchen I will cook a large amount of rice or sweet potatoes, and steam some green beans and/or broccoli while my meat is on the grill or in the oven. Make sure to keep spices handy when cooking meat to keep things different and more enjoyable. When choosing foods, try and pick ones that are low in the glycemic index, though there are many other healthy choices such as raisins, peas, corns, carrots, and white potatoes.
The last thing to mention that could make or break your success is the food that you choose to prep and cook. The richest sources of protein are animal foods such as chicken, meat, fish, cheese and eggs. However, plant proteins are believed to be healthier because of their lower fat content. Some of the best protein to eat from animals is turkey, fish. Chicken, steak. Once it comes to picking out carbs there are a couple that I would say are the go depending on if you want simple or complex carbs. Sweet potatoes are my favorite but for those who don’t like those there is brown or white rice. There is also whole wheat pasta & breads. You can’t forget to add in enough healthy fats which many do because they think of fat as being a bad thing. Healthy fats can be found in olive oil, almonds, natural peanut butter, and avocados. Although many hate veggies they are also a must to eat along with the other foods to get enough fiber. Those foods include broccoli, asparagus, green beans, brussel sprouts.
While there are not a ton of choices of food above, those are just a base line to get you started. There are many other options out there to eat healthy. You have to find the right food that you can enjoy eating and still be healthy. Find the right combination that works for you and have fun with it.
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The temperatures of your refrigerator and freezer, as well as the types of containers you use, are vital in preserving freshness of your meals. Your refrigerator temperature should be 40F or below and your freezer should be at least 0F or below. If you are preparing several hot meals, you should allow the meals to cool down (nearly to room temperature) and then store them in the refrigerator or freezer within 1-2 hours of preparing. This prevent the build of moisture for freezer burn while also helping things not to dry out.
Glass containers are great to have in the fridge because you can see the contents and they generally can be used in most microwaves. If you use a plastic container, just make sure it is BPA free. If you are going to freeze your meals, make sure the containers are air tight! If not, the food may be susceptible to freezer burn and taste like ice by the time you reheat and eat the meal.
When defrosting your meals, I always recommend defrosting in the fridge the night before you are going it eat the meal. It takes longer, but really, it has the less risk associated with it. Be careful if you’re planning to use the microwave to defrost your meals. Often times the microwave will heat food up pretty quickly and if there was any bacteria on/in the food, it can start to multiply or spread. Plus, some parts of the meal will be frozen while others remain warm so part of your meal can be overcooked.
While there are concerns about both the health risks associated with high-level exposure to microwaves, less is known about the low-level exposure. The FDA reports that scientific questions still remain as to the effects of low-level exposure to microwaves but generally people should practice common sense. Other options to reheat your food include: convection ovens, stovetops, crockpots, rice cookers and ovens. But, sometimes the microwave is all you have. There are some tips to remember: Use glass containers whenever possible. Use BPA free plastic. Often times the food can get so hot that it melts the plastic material. Substances and chemicals used in the manufacturing of the plastic can leak into your food and cause severe health concerns.
While you can generally be flexible about which foods to prep, there are a few that aren’t as good for meal prepping. Fresh fish loses a lot of texture once it’s been stored in the refrigerator and it often doesn’t reheat well. You can probably get away with reheating fish in a sauce at home, but do your coworkers the courtesy of not reheating fish in the break room microwave! If you’re looking to get in your omega-3s at the office, it might be best to stick to canned tuna and salmon.
Saucy pasta dishes can also be tricky to store. If you store the components separately, you may end up with dry pasta. If you store the pasta already sauced, the pasta ends up absorbing all of the sauce. For meal prep purposes, it’s probably best to stick to recipes for pasta salad that are meant to make leftovers. Otherwise, you can try coating your plain pasta in olive oil and storing it separately from your sauce.
]]>Why is meal prep important? Preparation is key on your road to a healthier lifestyle! One common mistake is not having healthier alternatives readily available. When we don’t have food prepared or healthy snack options, we tend to reach for items that may not support fitness goals.
If you’re a bodybuilder, fitness model or athlete, you may want to consider meal prepping since your body is your lifeline for your business and understanding what you’re putting in to it is very important. Beginners should start with prepping 2 meals and 1 snack and they should make sure this covers their meals.
Another reason to meal is prep is to save money. When I’m discussing meal prep with others I often hear people complaining about how expensive meal prep must be. It may seem like a lot at first because you are spending all your money for food at once. However if you combined how much money is spent on food when you going out to eat and food for at home meals, I promise it will cost a lot more. Buying ahead of time and when there are deals to buy in bulk will save you a ton of cash.
Not only is meal prep affordable but there are ways to make it even cheaper. The best way is to start browsing your local grocery stores’ sales flyers. Start planning your grocery list around items that are on sale and you’ll see how much food you can get for your weekly budget. Once you start reading them, you’ll see that there are tons of items each week that are on sale for as much as 50% off without even using coupons! Shopping the bulk bins, even at pricey stores like Whole Foods, can also help you save money. Bulk oats are often a huge savings when compared to name brand oats, where you’re typically just paying for the packaging.
Cook Your Meals In Advance & Keep It Simple.
Preparing your meals in advance ensures that you won’t be tempted to make a pit stop into getting fast food. If you are short on time and want a gourmet meal then you may be setting yourself up for disappointment since gourmet cooking may take more prep time than you have. Maybe save the gourmet meal for a weekend treat when you have more time and it will give you something to look forward too.
Plan ahead by cooking your meals every other day, providing you with enough food for the next two days. If you are really busy, keep Sundays and Wednesdays as your ‘chef’ days. I normally eat breakfast at home unless I am doing morning cardio and am not returning home right away. I like to prep all my food on Sundays for the whole week. This way not only am I saving money but I am also save time during the week when I am most busy. Whether I am taking the kids to an event or having to do work around the house my meals are only 3 minutes in the microwave away from being ready.
]]>Whether you are in school or out, lift weights or run, stay at home parent or work, goals can be set in everything we do. Goals help you to determine priorities and direct you to focus on what is important. Without setting goals we could lose focus and in turn lose our affectability in whatever we are doing.
Goals create a road map for success. Sometimes you just have to step back for a minute and look at what you are doing and what needs to be done. Once you look at the big picture then you can start breaking things down into smaller steps and smaller goals. At that point you should define your goals by writing them down and sharing them with others. This is make you accountable and give you more reasons to succeed obtain those goals. When you make your goals you have implement the S.M.A.R.T method, which stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time Based. When it comes to writing S.M.A.R.T. goals, be prepared to ask yourself a lot of questions. The answers will help polish up your strategy, ensuring the goals are something that’s actually attainable. While you should be as realistic as possible, it’s important to approach writing S.M.A.R.T. goals with a positive attitude.
Once that part is done you can get down to the nitty gritty of doing the actual work. After the first step forward is taken then it becomes repetitive and it becomes one step after another. Staying on track, keep consistent dedication as you see your target dates and experience the excitement of achievement that will propel you to reach your goals. If you fail a goal, don’t get sad but get mad and work harder to get that goal the next time. If you hit your goal easy every time you are probably making your goals to easy. Goals should be something that is hard to work for and makes the success of obtain them that much greater! Stay committed and work hard to achieve your life goals!
]]>I also used to use some of the same excuses when I was younger but as I look back at I was just not using my time efficiently. Now as a person married with 2 kids, 2 jobs and going to school full time, I am still able to find time to train 6 times a week. I prep all my meals on Sunday so I don’t have to spend much time during the week cooking and workout out right after work which leaves me to spend time with the family the rest of the night until they go to sleep. Once the family falls asleep then its time for school work. Rinse, wash and repeat.
The best way to make time for exercise is to have a written plan. Figure out the best time to exercise and put it in your phone or calendar as a reoccurring event. This way it shows up daily and there’s less chance of you scheduling something during that time. Also, when you check your schedule in the morning, you’ll see it there and form a mental picture of when and how you’ll be exercising that day.
If you have an upcoming business trip or vacation, be sure to include your workout clothes. Just packing them signals to your brain that you intend to make time for exercise. Spend 15 to 20 minutes swimming laps, running stairs, or jogging on the hotel treadmill first thing in the morning.
If family obligations prevent you from fitting in regularly scheduled workouts. Schedule family hikes, soccer games, after-dinner walks, bike rides or family trips to the gym. Let the kids suggest family-activities. And remember that exercise is something you’re doing for your family. When the kids see that exercise is important to Mom and Dad, it will be important to them, too.
Exercise DVDs are cost-effective, private, flexible, and they allow you to stop and start your workouts based on real-life time constraints. For example, you can do laundry while working out if you are a stay at home parent. I know for me P90X started out my fitness transformation and got me prepared for military life.
When you’re short on time, focus on higher-payoff workouts. HIIT workouts are great for someone with limited time available. Kettlebell swings (keep a kettlebell or resistance bands by your desk) and slow-motion resistance training are great workout that could even be done in a office. The key is staying focused and maintaining a high intensity throughout.
]]>One sports psychologist put it, mental toughness is “the ability to consistently perform toward the upper range of your talent and skill regardless of competitive circumstances.” In other words, being mentally tough means that no matter how ruthless the situations. Having mental toughness will help you tolerate all the pain and suffering needed to perform to the full potential of your skills and abilities. This will take you to the highest state of readiness.
As psychologists debate the roles of genetics, environment, and learned skills in determining mental toughness, they do agree that high levels of mental toughness are associated with athletic prowess and success. In fact, mental toughness or “grit” may be the defining factor between finishing at the front of the pack and not finishing at all.
A good example of this is running a marathon. When running a marathon (26.2 miles) for the first time many find these aspects to be true. While training does make a major role, It is the mental toughness that will push you though to the finish. I found this to be true when I ran my first one. My muscles were done and shut down and I was ready to quit at the 20 mile mark but that’s when my mental toughness kicked in and would not let me quit and helped me push out that last 6 miles of the race. My mind had to take me to a different place so I could block out all the pain, cramps and exhaustion. Without that mental edge I would have just folded up and quit like some others that I saw.
What you’re physically capable of in an endurance environment is more determined by your mental strength than your physical capabilities… your body can go beyond what your physical perceptions of tiredness or fatigue are. Your brain will be telling you “You’re tired, Stop.” It’s trying to stop you from killing yourself. The mental limitations kick in before the physical limitations. Visualization is a piece of the training that is incredibly important. You don’t have to do anything physically—you can be meditating or walking, anything where you’re in your mind, playing it out in advance. You’re imagining the start, the route, the competition, those points that your body is saying, ”stop,” or that you’re suffering. You’re mentally training yourself to push through those barriers
To realize your full potential as an athlete or performer, you have to start training your mind as well as your body! Just as you develop physical skills and techniques, you must learn to develop these mental skills. What are these so-called mental skills?
•Staying relaxed under pressure, in what I call “good nervous.”
•Focusing on what’s important and letting go of everything else.
•Rebounding from mistakes, bad breaks and failures.
•Handling last minute self-doubts and negative thinking.
•Using mental rehearsal for upcoming performances.
•Motivating yourself by setting personally meaningful and compelling goals.
•Recognizing mental traps and avoiding them.
•Developing self-confidence and a positive, go-for-it attitude.
]]>I recently got a diagnosis of grade 2 tear is both of my elbows and for two years tried every kind of work around to get them to heal so I continue training. I tried physical therapy, acupuncture, dry needling, zapping with the tens unit, cortisone shots, load the elbows with weight before finally getting the MRI done and having two different specialist tell me to take 3 months off doing anything with my arms. While this is not what I wanted to hear its better than doing the alternative of surgery and having 3 months of recovery per arm for a total of six months of my arms being immobilized.
This was discouraging at first as I knew that I would not be able to train my upper body for 3 months. Then I had to look at it as more of an opportunity to focus on my weak area of my legs. So for three months I trained legs six times a week which included alternating quads/abs with hamstrings/calves. While it was a painful process I can feel my legs have got much stronger and my endurance in my lower body is now though the roof. With that being said I am happy that next week I will be able to start giving my legs a rest with just twice a week training and will now be able to incorporate upper body training along with all of that.
I am hoping that nobody else has to endure the pain or setback of an injury, the real truth is that something is going to happen to everyone. When we occur setbacks we have to treat them as an opportunity to grow mentally stronger, be resilient, bounce back and prove our dedication. It only makes it that much sweeter when we succeed. It’s the trials that really makes us stronger because if everything came easy then we wouldn’t truly appreciate the reward.
Stay Strong!! Stay Resilient!!
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