Keep it tight and AWAY FROM THE EARS!!

Now that you have a basic idea of how nutrition works, it is important to spend some time focusing on issues that could potentially hinder your ongoing healthy lifestyle. One issue that is extremely important to be aware of is back pain.

Back pain is suffered by at least 80% of the adult population. It is the most prominent ongoing physical impairment for individuals over the age of 30, and it is one obstacle that (with careful attention) can absolutely be avoided. Unless you have a degenerative disorder or disease of the spine, there are a few basic life-long tips that can help you steer clear of a long term back condition.

First, make sure to exercise regularly and maintain good posture while doing so. Often times, good posture is seldom thought of among inexperienced people who want to work out. Some simple and effective tips are to keep the back straight, shoulders down and back (AWAY FROM THE EARS), and your abdominal (stomach) muscles contracted constantly.

Second, keep up with regular abdominal (core) exercises. The core muscles act as almost 95% of the supportive muscles of your spine. They work to keep the back straight and in proper alignment. The core muscles also protect the spine by keeping the muscles lining your spinal column strong and supple when they are worked regularly.

Next, try to avoid heavy lifting. If it is absolutely necessary to lift heavy objects, make sure you are not using your back to do all of the work. Remember to keep the back straight at all times, with the shoulders down and away from the ears. When lifting a heavy object, make your legs do some of the work as well. Bend your knees, keep your weight through your heels and squeeze your glutes (butt muscles) as you rise to a standing position. By following the basic lifting instructions I have given, it will be much easier to avoid a serious back injury in the future.

Lastly, avoid putting on too much weight. Maintaining a healthy body weight can be a tremendous in avoiding back problems. Unnecessary body weight puts a tremendous strain on the spine, and can cause serious pain and misalignment of the muscles and bones of the spine. Besides, staying at a healthy weight keeps you more energetic and helps to keep those core muscles supple and strong.

As always, keep up the good work!!

Drinking is WORSE than you think!

Drinking alcohol can be extremely unhealthy! Alcoholic beverages are loaded with calories, carbohydrates (including tons of sugar), sodium and toxins! Consuming alcoholic beverages kills brain cells, causes the gain of adipose tissue (this is the bad fat that is collected in the body around the abdominal area...IT CAUSES HEART DISEASE!), impairs judgment and has high levels of toxicity that can kill the body if over-consumed.
If you are honestly looking to lead a healthier lifestyle, put the drinks down and pick up the dumb bells! Go to the gym and use the EFX or the treadmill instead of heading to the bar on a Friday night.
If you feel it is absolutely necessary to go out for a couple of drinks...

1. HAVE A DESIGNATED DRIVER (Not having a designated driver can cause legal problems that will certainly stress anyone out. In return, stress is one of the worst things you can do to the body)

2. Limit your total amount of alcohol consumption! (The amount of calories consumed in one heavy night of drinking can total to more than an entire day's recommended calories in a matter of an hour or two.)

3. DO NOT DRINK IF YOU ARE UNDERAGE!!

The point in all of this...It is best not to drink at all! If you do, drink responsibly. Keep yourself healthy and respect your body!

Eat Lean MEATS, FISH......and......BEANS!!

This week I am going to teach you the importance of eating LEAN fish, chicken, turkey and beans. All of these foods provide essential nutritional elements, and without them the body will not have the ability to maintain a healthy way of functioning.

Throughout this blog, I have attached links to sites that will make it much easier for you to understand why some of contents I am mentioning are so VERY IMPORTANT to the body. I always thought it would be excellent to have an easy way to access all of this information from one place!

Let's start with FISH...

Fish is by far one of the healthiest foods in the WORLD!! As long as it is prepared correctly, fish provides at least 6 positive health benefits in one small piece. Fish is...

1. LOW fat

2. LOW cholesterol

3. Loaded with PROTEIN (the body does not have the ability to store protein...it needs to be eaten regularly)

4. Good source of vitamin B

5. HIGH IN OMEGA-3'S

6. Good source of calcium.

Although fish is one of the best ways to maintain a healthful diet, many people can't stand to eat it. If you are one of those people....DO NOT WORRY...I have some good news for you as well...


Another excellent nutritional source is CHICKEN. One boneless skinless chicken breast has 9 or more attributes to help keep yourself on the fast track to good health. Chicken...

1. Good source of PROTEIN

2. contains Niacin

3. Contains Vitamin B-6

4. Contains Vitamin B-12

5. Loaded with Vitamin D

6. Low in FAT

7. Contains NO CARBOHYDRATES

8. Large portions of the fat (if any) found in Chicken is Unsaturated Fat (healthy fat)

9. Contains Iron

(IF YOU ARE NOT A CHICKEN OR FISH EATER, YOU CAN ALSO GO FOR TURKEY. IT HAS MOST OF THE SAME NUTRITIONAL ATTRIBUTES AVAILABLE IN CHICKEN.)

LASTLY...

For those of you who are vegan or vegetarian, things can be a little more complicated when it comes to consuming the appropriate amount of nutrition in one simple food group. An excellent source of PROTEIN and FIBER is BEANS. Go to the link for beans where you will be able to gather loads of information on the nutritional value of beans along with other foods you should be eating to gather the appropriate vitamins for proper nutrition.

Once again...keep up the good work!!

DO NOT FORGET TO KEEP UP WITH REGULAR EXERCISE!!!

Get your FRUITS and VEGETABLES

Fruits and vegetables are extremely beneficial and crucial for a healthy diet. They are loaded with essential vitamins and minerals that will enhance the body's well-being. No matter who you are, a good rule of thumb to follow is consuming 3-4 servings of vegetables and 2-3 of fruits every single day.

Along with keeping up with the appropriate amount of servings, you want to make sure you are eating fruits and vegetables with lots of rich color. The color in the vegetable is where all of the beneficial vitamins are held. The CDC has a great website that is jam-packed with all sorts of information about the benefits of fruits and vegetables. I highly encourage everyone to check it out.

Until the next post remember, exercise, drink lots of water and keep on eating those fruits and vegetables.

...as always...KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!

Eating for life!

Nutrition is a subject that I have found is better to be received in steps. Remember my first post? I said little adjustments!! In other words, make sure you are changing things one step at a time.

For starters, I will give you a quick rundown on the basics...

The number one thing anyone and everyone should be doing to maintain a nutritious lifestyle is DRINKING WATER!!!! Water is the body's natural cleanser. Think about it, the body is mostly made up of water itself. How could it not be beneficial to drink more of it.

The good thing about water, is the fact that it does not contain all of those sugary or fattening fillers that most other drinks do. Most people probably don't even think about what is in the things they are drinking. Soda is loaded with sugar. Coffee drinks are jammed with sugar and SATURATED fat! Even many flavored waters are not healthful. They too contain sugars and other artificial flavoring.

WATER! WATER! WATER! WATER! Trust me, it is most definitely your best bet.

I said I was going to take this nutrition thing in small steps. For now, I would like to start with the water. It seems basic; however, it is my experience to witness many people having serious issues with such a small little element.

To prepare you for the next couple of nutrition tips, I have attached a quick and informative video, based on the mere basics you should be beginning to think about for nutrition. Watch the video and try to keep it in mind throughout the next week. Use your reminders of this video to help you notice places where you may or may not be making the more healthful choices.

Enjoy, and remember, KEEP UP THE HARD WORK!!

What is happening....and....Why stretch?!?!?!?

In order to understand stretching, you first need to understand a little more about how the body works on the inside.


After your first couple of productive (and incredibly healthy) workouts, you have most likely experienced a mild to moderate amount of muscle soreness. The aches and pains acquired from working out are referred to as DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness). DOMS is actually your muscle fibers repairing themselves after vigorous exercise.


Think of a scar. When a scar heals, it is about ten times stronger than the area before the scar existed. From the point of healing on, the area has re-enforced itself with a sort of protective shield.


The protective shield of a scarred area of skin is very similar to the repair you body undergoes for torn muscle fibers. In-fact, tearing muscle fibers by lifting weights is the number one way to re-enforce (strengthen) your muscles.


It is important to include a good stretch after each and every workout! When muscles in the body begin to get stronger from constant rebuild and repair, they start to tighten and constrict areas around the bone as well as around the joints. By stretching, you are loosening the tightened muscles, allowing joints to maintain a Full Range of Motion (Full-ROM).


The importance of maintaining an ideal ROM stems from the importance of adequate mobility and longevity of the entire body! It is recommended to stretch for at least 5 minutes after each workout for ideally healthy maintenance.

This workout-planet stretching routine is a great habit for you to get into. It will stretch the entire body and will take up the entire 5 minutes. Simply print it out and take it to the gym with until you have it memorized. It will also be good practice to do this routine on your days off from exercise. (It will keep you limber, and keep you in the habit!!)

Staying Motivated

After some time of working out, you may find yourself getting a little bored. This is because you are stuck in a repetitive rut. HAVE NO FEAR!! I have the answer that I believe will most definitely help you!!!

SET GOALS!!!

Now that you have conditioned your mind to the appropriate tools needed for a physically healthy lifestyle, you need to focus on motivation! When I say Goals, I mean fun goals! Things you can EXCITE yourself to work for!!

Let me give you an example...

If you are becoming excessively bored with cardio, try to give yourself something specific to train for. Check out events like The Harvest Moon Run on Survivor Sudan's blog site. The Harvest Moon Run is a perfect example of something that can motivate you to work for something you really believe in.

Once you have picked an event, start doing research on the specific training regimen you will need to follow. You can then plan your workouts accordingly. If there comes a time during your training where you start to lose sight of what you are training for, simply re-visit the site for the event you have chosen. Periodic reminders of what you are fighting for will definitely spark your flame!

If you find you need a constant reminder of your worthy cause, you can print a picture of the event or its purpose. After printing your inspirational picture, carry it with you to the gym, or tape it to your treadmill! This will surely seal the deal!

Have fun with your workouts!! AND REMEMBER...

Give yourself plenty of time to properly train for each event!!!