BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS

FOR YOU WHEATIES LOVERS I HAVE A NEW BREAKFAST OPTION THAT IS NOT ONLY LOW FAT BUT IT HELPS YOU GET YOUR VEGETABLES AS WELL. I KNOW YOU ARE SAYING THAT YOU DO NOT WANT VEGETABLES FOR BREAKFAST BUT LIKE THEY TELL MIKEY “TRY IT, YOU’LL LIKE IT.”
GET OUT YOUR FRYING PAN AND PLACE IT ON THE STOVE, THEN SPRAY SOME PAM IN IT AND BEGIN TO HEAT – PRETTY SIMPLE SO FAR. NEXT ADD 1 HANDFUL OF FRESH SPINACH, SOME DICED ONIONS AND GREEN PEPPERS. AS SOON AS THE VEGETABLES BEGIN TO COOK ADD SOME REAL EGG PRODUCT FROM COSTCO OR SOME EGG BEATERS FROM YOUR LOCAL GROCERY STORE AND STIR JUST LIKE YOU WOULD SCRAMBLE EGGS. IF YOU LIKE ADD A LITTLE TABASCO FOR FLAVOR AND YOU HAVE THE NEW BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS.
BY DOING IT THIS WAY YOU ONLY HAVE 30 – 40 CALORIES PER SERVING AND NO FAT. IN ADDITION YOU GET A FEW SERVINGS OF VEGETABLES AND A GREAT JUMP ON THE DAY. I KNOW I AM NO RACHEL RAY BUT ENJOY ANYWAY.

WHY?

FROM A YOUNG AGE WE LEARN THAT WE DO WHAT WE ARE TOLD TO DO HOWEVER AS WE START TO GET OLDER AND GAIN THE ABLILITY TO THINK MORE FOR OURSELVES ALL THAT CHANGES. THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT WE STOP DOING WHAT WE NEED TO DO IT IS THAT WE LEARN A NEW WORD IN THE PROCESS AND THAT WORD IS – WHY?
IN THE LAST 25 YEARS I AM SURE I HAVE HEARD THAT WORD OVER A MILLION TIMES AND OVER THE LAST 17 YEARS IN THE HEALTH AND FITNESS INDUSTRY I HAVE BEEN ASKED WHY AS IT RELATES TO EVERY THING TO DO WITH THE HEALTH AND FITNESS EXCEPT ONE – THIS PAST WEEK I WAS ASKED WHY DO I HAVE TO EXERCISE? AS FUNNY AS IT SOUNDS I DON’T EVER RECALL BEING ASKED THAT QUESTION SO MY ANSWER AT THE TIME WAS – BECAUSE. I AM SURE MY ANSWER DID NOT SATISIFY SO I DECIDED TO ANSWER IT HERE.
THE FOLLOWING ARE THE SOME OF THE REASONS TO EXERCISE:
1. IT IMPROVES YOUR MOOD
2. HELPS YOU MANAGE WEIGHT
3. HELPS FIGHT AGAINST CHRONIC DISEASES INCL. CANCERS AND HEART DISEASE
4. STRENGTHENS HEART AND LUNGS
5. PROMOTES BETTER SLEEP
6. INCREASES ENERGY LEVELS
7. INCREASES STAMINA
8. BOOSTS SELF ESTEEM
9. REDUCES STRESS LEVELS
10. DECREASES RISK OF OSTEOPOROSIS
11. TONES AND FIRMS MUSCLES
12. INCREASES FLEXIBILITY
13. HELPS PROTECT AGAINST BACK PROBLEMS
14. INPROVES DIGESTION
15. IMPROVES CIRCULATION
16. INCREASES METABOLIC RATE
17. INCREASES COORDINATION AND BALANCE
18. IMPROVES ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE
19. POTENTIAL INCREASE IN YEARS LIVED
20. POSITIVE EFFECT ON YOUR SEX LIFE
AND MANY, MANY MORE…
IF YOU CAN’T FIND A REASON THERE FOR YOU THEN DON’T ASK WHY?

ASSISTED HAMSTRING STRETCH

EVERYONE SHOULD BE ON A DAILY STRETCHING PROGRAM TO HELP REDUCE THE POSSIBILITY OF INJURY AND BE ABLE TO FUNCTION AT FULL CAPACITY IN EVERY ACTIVITY WE DO. A FLEXIBLE HAMSTRING IS VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT NOT ONLY AFFECTS MOTION OF THE LEG BUT ALSO HAS AN IMPACT ON THE BACK AND ITS FUNCTION AS WELL.

ASSISTED HAMSTRING STRETCH


CAUTION:

• LISTEN TO THE PERSON YOU ARE ASSISTING IN THE STRETCH.


• GO THROUGH THE MOVEMENT SLOWLY. NO JERKING MOTIONS.


• MAKE SURE TO STOP WHEN THEY REQUEST.

PREPARATION:

• LIE ON THE GROUND WITH THE NON-STRETCH LEG STRAIGHT OUT OR SLIGHTLY BENT.


• MAKE SURE SPINE IS IN NEUTRAL POSITION AND NO ARCH IN THE BACK.


• THE LEG THAT WILL BE STRETCHED WILL BE IN THE AIR AND CONTROLLED BY THE PERSON ASSISTING YOU IN THE STRETCH.


• YOUR HEEL WILL BE ON THE SHOULDER OF THE PERSON ASSISTING YOU AND THEY WILL PLACE THEIR HAND ON THE FRONT OF YOUR KNEE TO KEEP THE LEG STRAIGHT.

STRETCH:

• STABILIZE MID SECTION BY PULLING BELLY BUTTON IN OR TIGHTENING THE ABDOMINAL MUSCLES.


• PERSON ASSISTING WILL PUSH THE LEG FORWARD FROM THEIR SHOULDER WHILE SUPPORTING THE KNEE UNTIL TENSION IS FELT AND PERSON BEING STRETCHED INDICATES TO STOP.


• HOLD FOR 20-25 SECONDS AND PERFORM THIS ON EACH LEG 2 - 3 TIMES.

EXTRA:

• TO ENHANCE THE STRETCH THE PERSON ASSISTING WILL PULL DOWN VERY SLIGHTLY ON THE TOE OF THE LEG BEING STRETCHED AND HOLD FOR THE LAST 10 - 15 SECONDS OF THE STRETCH.
  

TO LEARN MORE CONTACT YOU FITNESS PROFESSIONAL OR CONTACT FITNESS EFFECTS.

THE CORE IS MORE

ONE OF THE MOST COMMON COMPONENTS OF AN INDIVIDUALS EXERCISE PROGRAM IS THE CORE WORKOUT. AT THE END OF MOST WORKOUTS AN INDIVIDUAL WILL GO THROUGH A SERIES OF ABDOMINAL TYPE EXERCISES WITH THE HOPE AND INTENTION OF GAINING THE PROVERBIAL “SIX PACK”. THIS AIM FOR MORE DEFINED ABS IS AN IMPORTANT COMPOMENT OF CORE TRAINING HOWEVER WE FAIL TO REALIZE THAT THERE IS MORE TO THE CORE.
THE CORE IS DEFINED AS SEVERAL MUSCLES IN THE PELVIS, BACK, HIPS AND ABDOMEN. SPECIFIC MUSCLES ARE LABELED AS MULTIFIDUS, ERECTOR SPINAE, EXTERNAL OBLIQUES, TRANSVERSE ABDOMINIS AND THE RECTUS ABDOMINIS. THE MUSCLES NOT ONLY HELP PROTECT THE BACK FROM INJURY THEY ALSO ENHANCE INDIVIDUAL POSTURE AND REDUCE LOW BACK PAIN. A GOOD CORE PROGRAM WILL INVOLVE STRENGENING EXERCISES THAT WORK ALL THE MUSCLE GROUPS INVOLVED IN THE CORE AS WELL AS FLEXIBILITY OF THE SAME MUSCLES.
SOME EXAMPLES OF EXERCISES THAT HELP BUILD THE TOTAL CORE INCLUDE: A VARIETY OF ABDOMINAL EXERCISES, WOOD CHOP WITH MEDICINE BALL, DEADLIFT WITH DUMBBELL, ROMANIAN DEADLIFT, LUNGE TWIST WITH MEDICINE BALL, TENSOR FASCIA LATAE – STANDING, PSOAS STRETCH, BRIDGE ON STABILITY BALL, PLANK ON ELBOWS, DOWNWARD DOG, BACK EXTENSION ON STABILITY AND 1 LEG PNF PATTERNS TO NAME A FEW. AS YOU CONTINUE TO PROGRESS IN YOUR FITNESS PROGRAM YOU WILL BE ABLE TO UTILIZE HUNDREDS OF DIFFERENT CORE BUILDING EXERCISES. TO GAIN A GREATER PERSPECTIVE ON A COMPLETE CORE WORKOUT CONTACT A FITNESS PROFESSIONAL.
REMEMBER – THE CORE IS MORE.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Everyone must eat to survive but how often do we consider the contents of the food we eat and its impact on our bodies. Research shows that most Americans make food choices based on convenience before nutrition. It’s not hard to tell that this is one of the reasons that we live in the most obese nation in the world. Though we must all make decisions for ourselves consider the following next time convenience rules:
· Drinking 1 can of COKE a day for an entire year adds up to 53,108 calories consumed including 9,855 grams of sugar. That is equivalent to 15.17 pounds of bodyweight added.
· Eating 20 potato chips a week for an entire year adds up to 15,600 calories consumed including 1,040 grams of fat and 18,720 milligrams of sodium. That is equivalent to 4.46 pounds of bodyweight added.
· Eating 1 cup of vanilla ice cream a week for an entire year adds up to 15,080 calories consumed including 832 grams of fat and 1,560 grams of sugar. That is equivalent to 4.3 pounds of bodyweight added.
· Eating 2 slices of cheese pizza a week for an entire year adds up to 52,208 calories consumed including 1,664 grams of fat and 93,808 milligrams of sodium. That is equivalent to 14.92 pounds of bodyweight added.
· Eating 1 single patty cheeseburger a week for an entire year adds up to 18,668 calories consumed including 1,040 grams of fat and 50,752 milligrams of sodium. That is equivalent to 5.3 pounds of bodyweight added.
· Eating 1 large serving of French fries a week for an entire year adds up to 28,028 calories consumed including 1,508 grams of fat and 17,056 milligrams of sodium. That is equivalent to 8 pounds of bodyweight added.

The truth of the matter is this is all part of the average American diet consumed on a weekly basis providing us with an additional 182692 calories, 6084 grams of fat, 11415 grams of sugar, 180336 milligrams of sodium and 52.15 POUNDS OF BODY WEIGHT - PER YEAR.