Nutrition

While looking on the Internet a few days ago I was amazed at the number of diets out there that were absolutely out of balance nutritionally. The people and or companies that come up with these so called “magic bullets” really concern me. I have been serious about fitness and nutrition for over 25 years and there is no substitute for the combination of sound knowledge and diligence.

There is a saying in my favorite book, the Bible, which says “In all your getting, get wisdom for it is the principal thing”. I believe anything worth doing is worth doing well. Building the body is a process that takes time and dedication, if it was easy we would all be in great shape. Do not be deceived by some of claims of these so-called miracle diets. Since about 75% of your body’s improvements are due to nutrition, a balanced diet is a must. The body needs a proper combination of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats to function optimally. In my opinion, any diet that sounds too good to be true, probably is. I have tried just about everything out there, as far as supplements go, to get the most out of my body and I always ended up returning to the basics, plenty of quality food and water, a good multi-vitamin and a protein supplement.

Tacos:

• 2 cups of shredded skinless chicken breast
• 8 Garden of Eatin’ yellow corn taco shells
• 1 cup shredded Romaine lettuce
• 1 ripe avocado

Salsa:

• 1 can organic black beans
• 1 cup frozen pineapple
• ½ cup chopped cilantro
• 3 green onions
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 serrano chile seeded (optional)
• juice of 1/2 lime

In taco shell, layer ¼ cup shredded chicken, 2 tbsp of salsa, and ¼ cup shredded lettuce. Top with 2 thin avocado slices.

Although I was born and raised in the South, the California summers are something I can never seem to get used to. I find myself saying, ‘I can’t believe how hot it is!‘ every day, all day. With my ‘Get out of the Gym & Get into Shape’ philosophy, I’ve gotten creative with ways to exercise and eat right in spite of the oppressive summertime heat.

Don't just sit by the pool...GET IN IT!

Put down that magazine and get in the pool! Here are 5 terrific cardio exercises you can do AND stay cool.

1. Tread water: get in the deep end and start treading. Get your heart rate up by using just your legs and then just your arms.
2. Pool Walks: in waist deep water, walk from one end of the pool to the other. Mix it up by taking long strides and then short ones.
3. Kicks: at camp we work on 'little swimmers', here's your chance to do it for real! Grab the side of the pool with your arms extended, tummy down and start flutter kicking.
4. Swimming: really swim. I'm not talking about the American Crawl or the Butterfly, but really swimming the Breast Stroke or my mom's favorite, the Side Stroke, is great for your arms.
5. Playing with your kids: no matter how old your kids are they would love it if you got in the pool. Little kids love to jump off the side and tweens & teens love to throw the football or play water volleyball. Enjoy them this summer!

The misperception of having washboards abs is doing daily sit-ups and crunches. I see so many people in the gym doing every ab workout to man, but they never see any progress. Great abs is not indicative of how many sit-ups you do. It is indicative of being lean and having a low body fat percentage. For guys it is 10 percent and under for women it is 14 percent and under.

If you don’t have the genetics to look that lean naturally you will have to diet down to get your abs to be visible. This means eating 4 to 6 small meals a day and what this does is that it acts as a catalyst in speeding up your metabolism. Your diet should consist of high quality protein such as chicken, turkey and fish. Complex carbs are also great for attaining great abs because of the extra energy you get through digestion.

Another way to diet down is to reduce the calories you intake daily. It is not rocket science that the less food you eat the less calories you consume.

Now that you are ready to get in shape, I want to give you several keys to help you set and achieve your goals in health. The first thing you should do is set a goal that is realistic. Having a goal that is impossible to reach will only lead to disappointment. I like to use the analogy of being in a forest. We have been given an axe and our job is to cut down all the trees. If we keep our focus on the forest we will become overwhelmed. The key is to focus on one tree at a time and make each chop of the axe count. When we focus on what we see in the mirror, the same thing happens. We become overwhelmed, we see everything we aren't: overweight, out of shape, unattractive, etc. The focus should be one quality meal at a time, one balanced workout at a time.

This is so good and packed with protein! It has a delicious Greek flavor and I serve it with a mixed greens salad topped with balsamic vinegar and a piece of crusty whole-grain bread. Yummy!!
Spinach & Leek Frittata

• 6 eggs
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 bunch spinach, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 leek, coarsely chopped
• 3 minced garlic cloves
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta - I love the tomato & herb feta
• squeeze of fresh lemon juice
• sprinkle of salt

Have you ever noticed that when you decide to begin a diet, you’re thrilled for the challenge; nothing can get in the way of your success? You map out a meal plan, then stroll through the aisles of your local grocery store to grab everything on your list. Your workout regime is mapped out, and walking into the gym (or wherever you decide to embark) seems almost refreshing?

Two or three weeks pass, you become lethargic, less motivated, and the challenge just doesn’t seem as thrilling anymore. Well maybe I have an answer. Folks, it’s not because you lack the drive and the motivation psychologically, it’s most likely that since beginning your health quest, you have probably deprived yourself of essential nutrients, making you feel weak and exhausted. This can play tricks on one’s psyche, as most of us then look into the mirror wondering why we are such failures. We revert back to our “old ways”, thinking we have failed once again.

Come on, pick yourself back up, wipe off the “I am a failure” façade, and let’s analyze your plan of attack. You see, since beginning your diet and workouts, your body is thinking “what are you doing to me?” It does not know which way to turn. It just wants to go back to its old ways, the ways that were familiar. And this is where you can utilize a few quick tips to beat the issue at hand.

A huge debate in the Bodybuilding Industry has been to determine which is better at building muscle - soy or whey protein. Many bodybuilders are decidedly anti-soy, and many rumors circulate about the different “non-anabolic” effects of soy, as well as it's low BV index. On the flip side of the coin, some people swear by soy protein. The debate isn't restricted to bodybuilding though; an article on the website fortitech.com states: “Soy and whey build muscle equally- in rats at least”. Lets take a look at the positive and negatives for each.

Soy Protein Advantages

-Soybeans contain all of the amino acids necessary for good nutrition

-Clinical studies consistently show that soy protein can lower cholesterol levels (Henkel, 2000)

-May reduce the risk of various illnesses including osteoporosis, prostate cancer, and colon cancer (Henkel, 2000)

-Suitable for vegetarian diets

-Like whey protein, increases levels of gluathione in the body

Soy Protein Disadvantages

- Soy protein has a lower biological value (BV) than whey protein. This scale rates how efficiently your body can use a protein source. Basically, the higher the BV, the more nitrogen your body can absorb and retain. Soy protein has a BV of 74 and whey protein has a BV of about 100. So, in terms of bodybuilding, whey protein will help you to add muscle more quickly than soy. However, some studies on rats have shown that the BV of soy protein isolates may be equal to that of animal proteins, especially when enriched with the amino acid methionine (Wikipedia, 2007).

- The isoflavones daidzein and genistein are available in supplement form and are a component of soy protein. Isoflavones are phytoestrogens, a weak form of estrogen. Some studies have suggested that high isoflavone levels in the body might increase cancer risk. However, the results are inconclusive, and not all studies have found similar effects (Henkel, 2000). Note that this is a concern with isolated substances from soy protein, not the intact soy protein.

- Some scientific data using rats suggest that the component of soy protein, genistein, may prompt undesirable effects such as the growth of breast tissue in males (Henkel, 2000)