Eat These 5 Nutritious Superfoods For Better Health

If you’re looking to improve overall health, here are 5 superfoods you probably never eat. Each of these are packed with nutritious, and offer numerous health improving benefits.

1. Bamboo Shoots – Bamboo shoots are high fiber, low-calorie and packed with anti-oxidants. They are an easy addition to salads.
2. Pumpkin Seeds – Pumpkin seeds are not only high protein, but they have also been shown to reduce LDL, which are your harmful cholesterol levels. Like bamboo shoots, pumpkin seeds can easily be added to salads.
3. Swiss Chard – Loaded with potassium, Swiss chard helps to restore a better potassium/sodium balance. Maintaining a proper potassium/sodium balance is an essential when trying to battle high blood pressure.
4. Kiwi – If you are looking to increase your vitamin C intake, make sure to grab a few kiwis from the grocery store. Kiwis have more vitamin C than oranges or grapefruits.
5. Beets – Beet consumption has been linked to lower levels of homocysteine, and as a result, lower incidences of heart disease.

Do you eat any of these foods? If so, share you favorite recipes or uses below…

Keep Your Joints Healthy By Using Workout Support Devices

You can save your joints a lot of wear and tear by purchasing the following inexpensive support devices.

• Wrist Wraps – Wrist wraps can be purchased off of Amazon for under $10. They help support your wrists during bench presses, overhead presses, and even during exercises such as push ups and dips.
• Knee Wraps – Knee wraps provide support during squats, helping to stave off knee tendonitis and things such as minor hamstring strains. You can purchase a decent pair for $30 and under.
• Bench Slingshot – If you have any form of shoulder issues, then Mark Bell’s bench press Slingshot is a necessity. It provides shoulder support, and works well not only while bench pressing, but also while performing push ups and dips.
• Elbow Sleeves – Elbow sleeves keep your elbows warm and supported, and help to reduce tendonitis-related pain and inflammation.

Do you use any of these lifting support devices? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

Limited Time To Lift? Build Muscle Working Out 2 Days Per Week

Limited time to lift? Have no fear. You can build muscle while training only 2 days per week.

The following program should be performed with at least 2 days of complete rest in between each session. Here is a sample workout schedule:

• Monday – Workout A
• Thursday – Workout B

Workout A

• Squats – 3-4 x 6-10
• Bench Press – 3-4 x 6-10
• Dumbbell Rows – 3 x 8-12
• Still Leg Deadlift – 3 x 6-10
• Skullcrushers – 3 x 8-12
• EZ Bar Preacher Curl – 3 x 8-12
• Dumbbell Shrugs – 3 x 8-12
• Weighted Decline Sit Ups – 3 x 15-25

Workout B

• Deadlifts – 3 x 5
• Close Grip Bench Press – 3-4 x 6-10
• Pull Ups – 3 x AMAP (As Many As Possible)
• Seated Overhead Press – 3 x 6-10
• Cable Tricep Extensions – 3 x 8-12
• Dumbbell Curls – 3 x 8-12
• Seated Calf Raises – 3 x 10-15
• Planks – 3 x 60 Seconds

When It Comes To Workouts And Diets, Ignore Quick Fixes

Temptation can be harsh. It often leads us to look for shortcuts, and spend unnecessary amounts of money. Shortcuts in the fitness world usually mean miracle programs, such as:

• 10 minute abs
• Muscle in only 30 minutes a week
• Lose weight by eating all you want
• 3 minute butt blaster

…and other too good to be true claims.

Avoid programs that sound too good to be true. They are. There are no shortcuts in the gym or at the dinner table. Instead of looking for quick fixes, look for new lifestyles you can adopt.

Results come from lifestyle changes. When you see someone with an amazing both, one thing is for certain…their results didn’t come from a “10 minute abs” program. Results come from hard work, and hard work only.

Improve Your Health By Eating These 5 Super Fruits

Want to improve your health while eating something sweet? Who doesn’t. The following 5 fruit choices are not only great tasting, but are also considered “super foods.” They are packed with good nutrition, and provide numerous health benefits.

• Apples – Rich in antioxidants, flavonoids, vitamin C, fiber and potassium. Linked to improvement in heart health, prevention of lung cancer and type II diabetes.
• Apricots – Apricots are sweet tasting fruits that are rich in beta-carotene and lycopene. Both of these work to combat atherosclerosis and various other cardiovascular diseases.
• Blueberries – Often ignored because they are not rich in vitamin C, blueberries are packed with antioxidant phytonutrients. These phytonutrients have been shown to improve intra-cellular “communication”, helping to reduce cellular mutations and the spread of cancer cells.
• Kiwi – Research on kiwi consumption reveals that it may be beneficial in reducing asthma related symptoms such as wheezing and shortness of breath.
• Oranges – Known for being rich in vitamin C, oranges can work to prevent cancer, improve heart health, prevent strokes, cancer, diabetes and more.

Do you eat these super fruits each week. Share some of your favorite recipes and ways to eat them below.

Boost Your Bench Press With A One Month Specialization Program

Is your bench press stuck in a rut? Try this one month specialization program. You will not only be training your bench press twice a week, but backing it up with extra food intake. This synergy should leave to a bench press PR after 30 days.

Here are the 2 bench press workouts. You can fit them into any existing program or system as needed.

Monday – Bench Press Workout A

• Bench Press – 5 sets x 5 reps at 70% of your one rep max. When these feel manageable, add 5 pounds to the bar.
• Military Press – 3 sets x 8 reps. When these feel manageable, add 5 pounds to the bar.
• Skullcrushers – 3 sets x 8 reps. When these feel manageable, add 5 pounds to the bar.
• Pull Ups or Lat Pull Down – 3 sets x as many reps as possible (if Pull Ups). When these feel manageable, add 5 pounds to the bar.
• Dumbbell Curls – 3 sets x 10 reps. When these feel manageable, add 5 pounds.

Thursday – Bench Press Workout B

• Bench Press – 4 singles @ 85% of your one rep max. When these feel manageable, add 5 pounds to the bar.
• Close Grip Bench Press – 3 sets x 8 reps at 65% of your one rep max. When these feel manageable, add 5 pounds to the bar.
• Barbell Row – 3 sets x 8 reps. When these feel manageable, add 5 pounds to the bar.
• Bent Over Reverse Dumbbell Flye – 3 sets x 12 reps. When these feel manageable, add 5 pounds.
• Hammer Curls – 3 sets x 10 reps. When these feel manageable, add 5 pounds.

Combine this with a 4000 calorie daily diet, including a minimum of 200 grams of protein per day, and you are sure to see a nice little bench press personal record.

Has this program worked for you? Let us know in the comments section below.

Use These Dumbbell Exercises To Maximize Muscle Building At Home

You can build an amazing physique at home, even if you only have access to dumbbells. When building a workout program, you will want to utilize the most effective dumbbell movements. The following dumbbell exercises provide the most bang for your buck:

• Chest – Dumbbell Bench Press
• Chest – Dumbbell Flyes
• Shoulders – Overhead Dumbbell Presses
• Shoulders – Dumbbell Side Lateral Raises
• Shoulders – Bent Over Dumbbell Reverse Flyes
• Back – One Arm Dumbbell Rows
• Quads – Dumbbell Lunges
• Hamstrings – Dumbbell Leg Curl
• Obliques – Dumbbell Side Bends
• Abs – Dumbbell Sit Ups
• Biceps – Dumbbell Curls
• Biceps – Hammer Curls
• Triceps – Dumbbell Kick Backs
• Triceps – Dumbbell Skullcrushers

Are there any dumbbell exercises not on this list that you use? Let us know in the comments section below.

Walking For Health: Kick Up The Intensity With These Tricks

Walking is one of the most enjoyable ways of improving overall health and burning calories. If your daily strolls are starting to feel too easy, or you’re looking to burn a few extra calories, try kicking up your walks with these intensity tricks.

• Weighted Back Pack – Fill up a back pack with extra weight and go for a hike. This extra weight will start off feeling light, but end up providing you with a great workout.
• Find a Hill – Locate a steep hill and walk up and down it several times. You will be sore in the morning!
• Run or Sprint – Alternate between short periods of brisk walking, running or sprinting, and periods of regular walking.
• Explore Local Parks – Pick a different local or state park and go exploring. Walk where the mood takes you.
• Road March – Go on an extended road march of 5, 8, or even 10 miles. While difficult, you will enjoy the experience and most likely want to do it again.

Do you enjoy walking? Tell us about how you “kick up the intensity” in the comments section below.

Periodize Muscle Building Workouts Using HLM – Heavy, Light And Moderate Days

While progressive overload is an extremely important part of the muscle building process, working your body with lower reps and heavier weight can take its toll. One of the best ways to maintain progression, while allowing the body a slight break from heavy weight, is to periodize.

HLM periodization involves rotating between heavy, light and moderate training days. Use the following HLM guidelines when adding a periodization structure to your workouts.

• Heavy Days – Focus on 5-8 reps per set using heavy compound exercises.
• Light Days – Focus on 12-15 reps per set using primarily isolation or body weight style exercises.
• Moderate Days – Focus on 8-12 reps per set using less intense compound movements, and machine style exercises.

Have you used HLM periodization? Let us know what your workouts look like in the comments section below.

Improve Your Fitness By Using A CrossFit Style Workout

CrossFit training is an extremely popular form of fitness. Workouts are constantly varied, and focus on high intensity, functional-style movements. Training sessions can include body weight exercises, sprinting, rowing, weight lifting, rope climbing, object carries, and more.

If you’re looking to burn a few extra calories and improve your fitness level, try making your own CrossFit style workouts by picking an exercise from each of these categories and performing them with limited rest.

• Weight Lifting – Deadlifts x 15, Squats x 20, Clean and Press x 15, Overhead Squats x 15, Hang Cleans x 20, Push Press x 20, Front Squats x 12
• Body Weight Exercises – Push Ups x 25, Pull ups x 15, Bodyweight Squats x 50, Burpees x 25, Walking Lunges x 25
• Endurance – 50m Sprint, Jumping Rope x 200, 25m Bear Crawl, 500m Run, Row 500m
• Etc – Muscle Ups x 10, Box Jumps x 10, Sandbag – Ground to Overhead Press x 15, Kettle Swings x 25, Prowler Push 50m

Perform a random number of rounds of these movements, from 4 -8 total.

Battle Your Food Cravings With Good Nutrition

Fighting food cravings? Cravings are more important than we might think. They are the body’s method of telling you it is in need. Here are some typical food cravings, and what they can mean:

• Salt – Mineral deficiencies or dehydration. (The body will crave salt to help retain water)
• Sugar – Sugar cravings can be caused by protein or amino acids deficiencies, or the need for body or brain fuel.
• Alcohol – Alcohol cravings can be caused by poor sugar metabolism, protein deficiency, or the need for body or brain fuel.
• Bread or Pasta – Unbalanced blood sugar levels or the presence of an infection in the body.
• Cheese – The body is lacking essential fatty acids, protein or amino acids.
• Spicy Food – Your body is seeking vitamins and minerals, especially zinc.
• Ice – Ice cravings can be caused by iron deficiencies, and the need for B6 or B12.

What cravings do you battle? Let us know if supplementation or nutrition has helped.

Maintain A Healthy Weight By Knowing The Causes Of Obesity

Fighting the battle of the bulge? There are habits and factors that contribute to weight gain. By knowing these factors and being prepared, you can help to fight future weight gain and maybe even knock off a few pounds in the coming months.

• Activity Levels – The more you move, the more calories you burn and the harder you make it to gain weight. You don’t need to live in the gym to make it harder for your body to pack on additional fat.
• Nutrient-Rich Foods – Empty calories might fill your stomach, but they don’t provide the vitamins and minerals your body needs to function properly. If you eat a lot of empty calories, odds are you will overeat as your body seeks the nutrients it needs.
• Portion Control – Binge eating is a serious dietary problem. How many times a week do you continue to eat after you feel full? Try this…full up your plate and eat only that, even if you still feel hungry. Wait at least an hour before eating again.

Protect Your Shoulder Health With Proper Bench Press Set Up

Despite being the most popular barbell exercise, the bench press is arguably the most dangerous. Very few bench press practitioners know how to perform the lift correctly. Because of this, shoulder injuries are common.

A proper bench press set up will protect your shoulders by reducing your range of motion. The further down your elbows have to travel, the greater the stress placed upon the shoulders.

• Back Arch – Drive your hips towards your shoulder blades. This will create a natural lower back arch, and shorten the range of motion of the press.
• Shoulder Blades – Envision squeezing a pencil between your shoulder blades. This will help create a solid and stable benching “platform.”
• Arm Angle – Don’t bench with your arms flared out at 90 degrees. Tuck your elbows around 45 degrees. This is a much better position for shoulder health.
• Row the Bar – Pretend you are rowing the bar towards your chest. This will help to create a tightness, resulting in more stable and powerful reps.

Have these tips helped your bench press? Let us know in the comments section below.

For Best Long Term Results, Balance Your Chest, Back and Shoulder Workouts

Balanced training has become a foreign concept. Muscle building has turned into a quest for bigger biceps and chest, at the expense of physique balance and aesthetics. While there is nothing inherently wrong with wanting a big chest and biceps, overworking one upper body muscle group while ignoring the others is a good way to bring about an injury.

Training imbalances increase incidences of elbow tendonitis and shoulder strains, pains and injuries. To reduce the likelihood of these types of upper body injuries, use the following rules:

• Balance – Seek to perform about the same number of sets for chest, back and shoulders.
• Bench and Rows – Seek to perform about the same number or bench press and row sets. This includes variations like dumbbell bench press and dumbbell rows.
• Overhead Press and Pull Ups – Seek to perform about the same number of overhead press and pull down/pull ups sets.  This includes variations such as dumbbell overhead presses and lat pull downs.
• Arms – Balance your bicep and tricep training. Avoid overworking the biceps.

Have you been guilty of overworking a single body part? Let us know in the comments section below.

Set Realistic Arm Building Goals To Improve Motivation

One of the best ways to maintain your training motivation is by setting realistic, but challenging goals. When it comes to arm building, it seems everyone claims 19-20″ arms. Despite this chest pumping, these numbers are far from reality.

Here is a simple method for determining reasonable arm building goals for the natural trainee: take your wrist measurement and add 10″ to 10.5″. The resulting number should yield a 16.5″ to 18″ arm size or more, depending on your current bodyfat levels.

You can also refer to the following chart to determine your arm size potential after taking a wrist measurement.

• 6.25″ Wrist – 16.25″ arm size goal
• 6.5″ Wrist – 16.5″ arm size goal
• 6.75″ Wrist – 16.75″ arm size goal
• 7.0″ Wrist – 17.0″ arm size goal
• 7.25″ Wrist – 17.25″ arm size goal
• 7.5″ Wrist – 17.50″ arm size goal

What size are your arms? Let us know in the comments section below.

Consider Workouts And Diet Plans As Starting Points

Don’t chain yourself to a workout or diet plan if it isn’t working. When you find a plan that seems to fit your needs, consider it a starting point, not a final destination.

Quality fitness trainers and nutritionists know that plans will change, and things will go wrong. Workouts and diets are starting points. They will need to be evolved over time as obstacles present themselves.

If you are not getting the weight loss or muscle building results you want, don’t be afraid to make small changes. If these new changes help, keep them. If not, change another variable. Remember to only change one variable at a time, so you can better judge the changes that are working, and those that are not.

What changes have you made to your workouts or diet plans to improve them?

Make Getting A Good Night’s Sleep A Top Priority

Ah, the good old days. Remember them? When you could sleep half the day away without a care in the world. Now you are older, busier and never seem to get a good night’s sleep.

You keep talking about making sleep a priority. Now it’s time to take action. Follow these tips to improve your sleep.

• Caffeine – Reduce or minimize the amount of caffeine you drink each day. While you may not think caffeine impacts your sleep, once you go cold turkey you will notice that you wake up each day feeling better. Caffeine does, and will impact the quality of your sleep.
• Unplug – Noise will raise stress levels. Unplug from all electronic devices – TV, iPod, etc, for at least 60 to 90 minutes before bed each night. Read a book or surf the web instead.
• Habit – Create a habit. Force yourself to go to bed at the same time every night. There are the same number of hours in the day either way. Staying up later isn’t squeezing more out of life, it is merely creating more fatigue.
• Sanctuary – Make a sleep sanctuary. Create a very dark and cool room, and provide some nice ambient background sounds – possibly the hum of a fan.

Have these suggestions helped improve your sleep? Let us know in the comments section below.

Binge Eater? Lose Weight Using Intermittent Fasting

Are you a binge eater, or big night eater? If so, you know how difficult the weight loss process can be. Instead of trying to work against your eating tendencies, the next time you embark upon a weight loss journey try working with them by using intermittent fasting.

Intermittent fasting involves eating during a 4 to 8 hour window each day, and fasting for 16 to 20 hours. While this might sound counterintuitive, it is actually an amazing way to lose weight and still enjoy bigger meals and/or smacks.

Simply determine a healthy daily calorie intake level, and eat these calories within a 4 to 6 hour period of time. This could involve one larger meal and several smaller snack meals later, or 3-4 smaller feedings. If doesn’t matter how you structure your meals as long as your plan fits your needs.

Have you tried intermittent fasting? Let us know in the comments section below?

When Starting A Fat Loss Diet, Dial Down Your Calories Slowly

One of the most common dieting mistakes involves the practice of dramatically cutting calories. An overweight individual will decide they want to lose weight, and instead of focusing on cleaning up their diets, they will eat as little food as possible. These types of semi-starvation approaches might work for a few days, but they quickly turn into a train wreck that generally involves bounce back weight.

Instead of cutting calories by a large amount, try first eating only slightly less but cleaning up your diet. Try cutting out the following:

• Drinks with calories
• White sugar
• White flour
• Processed foods

Next, add in more whole foods:

• Meat, eggs, dairy
• Red, green, yellow and white veggies
• Fruits, especially low glycemic ones: strawberries, blueberries, etc.

Once you have removed the junk from your diet, and replaced with nutritious food choices, you should start experiencing weight loss. If any 2-3 weeks the scale isn’t moving, pull back your daily calorie intake by 300 calories and aim for a reasonable amount of weight loss per week.

Use Heavy Cream And Butter To Help With Weight Gain

For those of you struggling to gain weight, the thought of force-feeding yourself another chicken breast or helping of rice can feel like a daunting task. Perhaps you feel constantly full, or just flat-out don’t have much of an appetite. In cases like these, you are better off trying to add in extra calories via a small amount of high calorie foods.

One of the best ways to add in a small amount of calorie dense foods is with the use of heavy cream and butter.

One pat of butter contains 36 calories. You can add several pats to your veggies, baked potato or even rice. This will increase your daily calories slightly without trying to force your stomach into holding more food.

Heavy cream is another great choice. Each ounce of heavy cream contains 103 calories. You can add an ounce to each whey protein shakes for a quick calorie addition. Heavy cream also works well for cream sauces that can be placed on meats or carbohydrates.

100 Reasons To Exercise And Eat Healthy

1. You will respect yourself more.
2. You will feel better.
3. You will sleep better.
4. You will love better.
5. You will have more energy.
6. You will have fewer aches and pains.
7. You will cut down on prescription drug use.
8. You will be stronger.
9. You will look great at the beach.
10. You will look great between the sheets.
11. You will meet new friends; they will ask you how you “do it.”
12. You will become a better cook.
13. You will have bigger arms.
14. You will have a stronger lower back.
15. You will lose your man-boobs.
16. You will lose your arm flab.
17. You will lose that annoying belly.
18. You will reduce junk food cravings because you eating more nutritionally dense foods.
19. You will feel more confident.
20. You can toss out your fat clothes and buy things you like.
21. You will be setting a good example for your children.
22. You will be lowering your blood pressure.
23. You will be lowering your risk of diabetes.
24. You will be lowering your risk of depression.
25. You will be lowering your risk of heart attack.
26. You will be lowering your risk of heart disease.
27. You will be lowering your risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
28. You will experience less knee pain.
29. You will think more clearly.
30. You will perform better at work.
31. You will have a better outlook on life.
32. You will be creating less container waste by eating more whole foods.
33. You will finally have a great butt.
34. You will learn to set and reach goals in other areas of your life.
35. You will no longer have to wake up and say: “I’m starting on Monday!”
36. You will make it easier to maintain a healthy weight.
37. You will be reducing your risk of cancer.
38. You will live longer.
39. You will feel better in the morning.
40. You won’t feel as sluggish during the day.
41. You will no longer have to diet because exercise and proper nutrition have become your lifestyle.
42. You will have stronger bones.
43. You will be able to eat a little but more without playing a price.
44. You will lower your stress levels.
45. You will have more “me” time.
46. You will have a realistic chance at that 6 pack.
47. You will learn a lot about your capabilities.
48. You will exceed your expectations.
49. You won’t feel bloated 24/7/365.
50. You will look younger than your age.
51. You will be able to take falls and spills easier.
52. You will have a stronger immune system.
53. You will earn more money. Fit and healthy individuals generally have a greater income.
54. You will feel more motivation to eat better when you exercise.
55. You will feel more motivation to exercise when you eat better.
56. You will breathe easier.
57. You won’t get winded walking up the stairs.
58. You will no longer be a slave to the scale.
59. You deserve a better life.
60. You will drink more water.
61. You will have lower health care costs.
62. You will have an impressive barbell squat.
63. You will have an impressive bench press.
64. You will miss fewer days of work.
65. You will like what you see in the mirror.
66. You will have better looking skin.
67. You will feel better in airplane or ballpark public seats.
68. You will spend more time outside.
69. You will fulfill your dreams instead of hoping they happen someday.
70. You will have better bad cholesterol levels.
71. You will have better digestion.
72. You will have a faster metabolism.
73. You will reduce the fragility that comes with age.
74. You will watch less mindless TV.
75. You will never be laughed at again about your weight.
76. You will never be called weak again.
77. You will be in control of your destiny, for once and for all.
78. You will perform better in sports.
79. You will have much better physical endurance.
80. You will feel more creative.
81. You will have better short-term memory.
82. You will have healthier joints.
83. You will have a lower resting heart rate.
84. You will experience less severe menstrual issues.
85. You will have better flexibility.
86. You will have a better BMI.
87. You will lower your life insurance costs.
88. You will have better balance.
89. You will have greater coordination.
90. You will have better posture.
91. You will sweat out toxins.
92. You will turn heads.
93. You will be able to keep up with your kids.
94. You will feel more satisfied eating fruit than eating a donut.
95. You will remain more hormonally balanced.
96. You will heal and recovery more quickly.
97. You will never have to purchase another diet book.
98. You will prove you are not a quitter.
99. You will have fewer regrets.
100. You deserve the best out of life.

For Heart Health, Eat Foods Rich In Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Omega-3 fatty acids are fats generally located in plant and marine oils. Omega-3s are considered essential, because they cannot be manufactured in the human body and must be taken in via the foods we eat. There is evidence that omega-3 fatty acids assist in lowering the risk of heart disease, and may also reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

The following foods are rich in omega-3 fatty acids:

• Oils – Flax seen oil, canola oil, soybean oil
• Nuts – Walnuts
• Fatty Fish – Salmon, albacore tuna, lake trout, sardines and mackeral