‘’ 2008 ‘’ March

How to make a Healthy Salad

Posted by Administrator - 25/03/08 at 10:03:51 am

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photo credit: avlxyz

If you put the right ingredients into your salads, you can come out with a healthy, well balanced, filling mix of greens, fruits, vegetables, and dressing that will provide needed fiber, protein, and slow burning carbs.  If done wrong, you’re going to make a salad with tons of fat, sugar, and calories which will make you wonder why you’re gaining weight if you’re just eating salads.

Here are some keys to making a great tasting, healthy salad.

• Use Raw, Green Food.
  Kick out the iceberg lettuce and add fresh spinach to get almost nine times more vitamin K.
• Add Some Bright Colors.
  As a general rule, vegetables that are more brightly colored offer more nutrients. Try adding some artichoke hearts, beets, corn, and a variety of bell peppers to your salad to make it a real health powerhouse.
• Avoid Those Sprouts.
  Did you know that 40% of recent food-related illnesses have been linked to raw alfalfa and mung sprouts? Plat it safe and avoid those guys.
• Pass on Anything Creamy.
  Mayonaise based dressings are going to be loaded with either fat or sugar (or both) and are almost higher in bad fats and total calories than oil based dressings of the clearer variety with no mayo.
• Switch-Up Your Oil Selection.
  Pre-made dressings are loaded with extra stuff that will fill out your belly. try adding just a touch of olive oil and as much as you want of red wine or balsamic vinegar.
• Add a little something on the side.
  If you’re trying to get fit by eating salads like this alone, you’re going to start craving change which could lead to a junk food pigout. Don’t be afraid to put something extra alongside your salad like a nice slice of whole-grain bread.
• Naked is Good.
  All those toppings at the end of the salad bar are only going to stop your healthy diet in its tracks.  You really can and should skip on the bacon bits, noodles, sunflower seeds, etc. Just walk right past all that.
• Start Throwing In The Protein.
  Lots of salad bars have protein options. Start adding all of them if you can. You’ll get filled up without downing lots of fats and sugars. Go for the eggs (try to get the whites only) chicken chunks, tofu, and tuna.
• Pile-On some Freebies.
  While they don’t add much nutritionally, cucumber slices, mushrooms, celery, and zucchini can help fill you up without negatively affecting your calorie count.
• Add Fiber
  Look for chick peas and three bean salad to add lots of fiber to your salad.

Try some of these unique dressings in low-calorie, low-carb, and low fat varieties. Don’t forget, use the least amount possible when it comes to adding dressing to your salad. Add only enough to help it goo down when you’re eating and you’ll cut out a ton of bad fats, sugars, and calories.

Also, check out this book on some healthy alternatives to sauces that you can make with the help of a food processor.

A sauce for every lifestyle: low-fat, low-carb, organic, even kids–there’s a sauce to suit every consumer want.(Sauces): An article from: Food Processing

Should I Warm Up Before Working Out?

Posted by Administrator - 18/03/08 at 05:03:19 am

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photo credit: whyld

From the research I have done, the answer would be ALWAYS WARM UP.

Warming up should never make you tired or fatigued in any way, but you should strive to break a sweat and rush blood into the muscle groups you’re about to start training. Warming up your muscles with some light lifting, stretching, and/or cardio not only helps to prevent injuries, but can also enable you to lift the heaviest possible weights you can during your workout.

Before weightlifting, warm up with a lighter load. For bodyweight lifting and exercising, such as pull ups, warm up by doing the routine from a position that makes the range of motion easier. For an exercise like a push up, warm up by doing push ups from an incline. To do an inclined push up, just put your legs up on a bench, sofa, etc. Stretching during warm up lifts can also be beneficial. Your range of motion can be increased temporarily which can help prevent injury.

As your workouts become more advanced and your muscles become stronger, you should be sure to increase your warm ups.  Your body will need more time to prepare for the lifting of heavier weights.  For example, if you plan on benching 315 lbs. five times, you may want to warm up with 135 lbs. 8 times, 185 lbs. 6 times, 225 lbs. 4 times, 275 3 times, and then you can “start” your workout.

Don’t let your mind fool your body.  Warming up the right way will keep your body protected from injury, increase your lifts, and WILL NOT make you tired or lift less.

The bar slants to one side when I bench press. Is there something wrong with one of my shoulders?

Posted by Administrator - 17/03/08 at 09:03:29 am

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Don’t focus on just one of your shoulders when you bench press. Odds are, if you’ve been around weights for a while, both of your shoulders are messed up.  Poor posture could also be the culprit which is guilty for making your bench pressing motion come out uneven. Also, if one side of the bar is higher than the other throught your benching motion, you may have a rotator cuff injury on the other side.

A good stretch for the shoulders before working out your upper body can be to place your forearms against a door frame and to lean forwars.  Hold this position for 15 - 20 seconde and then repeat.  You can do this forearm stretch several times each day, not just at the gym.

To strengthen up your rotator cuffs, try lying on your side with a dumbbell in the hand of the arm that’s facing up.  Bend your elbow to around 90 degrees while keeping your elbow against your side.  Rotate your shoulder backwards to make your forearm rise and your knuckles point to the sky.  From here, rotate back down to where your forearm is now parallel to the floor.  Congrats, you just completed one rotator cuff strengthening repetition!  Try to do three sets or 10 - 15 reps for both shoulders.  Rest in between should be 20 seconds up to a minute.

Hopefully, after a few weeks of performing these stretches, you will notice your bench press barbell straighten out when your performing your benching motion.

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