Breakfast - The Most Important Meal of the Day

Here's an interesting article I ran across today. Now you'll have no excuse for not eating breakfast!



Instant Breakfast
By Elizabeth Ward, Men's Health

In the time you spend each morning calibrating your hair gel, you could be doing something more important, with a much better payoff: eating breakfast. Mom was right (and it's okay to admit it): Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

It keeps you slim: Breakfast eaters are less likely to be overweight than breakfast skippers, and successful dieters are also more likely to be breakfast eaters.

It keeps you healthy: Eating breakfast may reduce your risk of serious illnesses like heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer, and it strengthens your immune system so you're more resistant to common ailments like colds and the flu.

It keeps you sharp: Memory and concentration get a boost from breakfast. A study on children found that kids who eat breakfast score higher on tests and are less likely to suffer from depression, anxiety, and hyperactivity. It should help you at the office, too.

The Perfect Meal
You say you eat breakfast? Good boy. Even so, it's likely you're doing it wrong. "Most men make the mistake of eating too little in the morning, and then get so hungry they go overboard and eat a giant meal later in the day," says Evelyn Tribole, M.S., R.D., a nutritionist in Irvine, California, and author of Stealth Health.

A typical breakfast is just a couple of hundred calories, mostly in the form of simple carbohydrates that spike blood-sugar levels and leave the body starving for energy a couple of hours later.

Even a classic fiber-rich breakfast — say a cup of raisin bran with blueberries and skim milk — provides less than 300 calories and only about 10 grams of protein. An ideal breakfast needs to be much larger — between 500 and 600 calories. And it needs to be packed with vitamins, minerals, and nutrients, including at least 20 grams of protein and at least 5 grams of fiber. That will give your body a high-quality, long-lasting, steady supply of energy to help you through the morning.

Here's how to hit those numbers. Each of the following meals tastes great and can be made in minutes.

Blueberry Smoothie With Toasted-Cheese Sandwich
Prep time: 4 minutes 2 slices whole-wheat bread 1/2 c Kashi Go Lean Crunch! cereal 1 c fat-free milk 1 c frozen blueberries 1 1-oz slice Cheddar cheese Pop the bread into the toaster. Dump the cereal, milk, and berries into a blender and liquefy. Stick a slice of Cheddar between the warm slices of toast and nuke the sandwich in a microwave for 15 seconds. It tastes grilled—but isn't.

Benefits: "The cheese and milk in this meal are essential for building and maintaining new muscle," says Christine Rosenbloom, Ph.D., R.D., a professor of nutrition at Georgia State University. "The whole grains in the bread and cereal will help lower cholesterol, and the minerals in the milk and cheese will help keep blood-pressure levels down."

Per meal: 509 calories, 26 grams (g) protein, 75 g carbohydrates, 14 g total fat, 12 g fiber

Grab-and-Go Breakfast
Prep time: 1 minute 1 medium apple 1/2 pint fat-free milk 1 bran Vita muffin 1 pack Skippy Squeeze Stix peanut butter Slice the apple, grab the milk, muffin, and peanut butter, and go. Squeeze the peanut butter out of its pack onto your apple slices as you eat.

Benefits: Vita muffins (vitalicious. com) contain 100 percent of your recommended intake of several important nutrients, including vitamins A, B6, B12, C, D, and E. Foods high in monounsaturated fats — like peanut butter — may boost testosterone levels. This meal should help you burn energy more efficiently and lift more weight at the gym.

Per meal: 506 calories, 20 g protein, 87 g carbohydrates, 12 g total fat, 15 g fiber

Minute Omelette with Toast
Prep time: 2 minutes 1 egg 3/4 c frozen spinach, thawed 1 slice Canadian bacon, diced 2 slices whole-wheat bread 1 Tbsp almond butter 1 c Welch's grape juice Stir together the egg, spinach, and Canadian bacon and pour onto a plate coated with nonstick spray. Microwave for 1 minute or until the egg is fully cooked. Toast the bread and eat it with the almond butter. Chase everything with grape juice.

Benefits: Monounsaturated fat in the almond spread will help prevent spikes and drops in blood sugar, which can leave you feeling tired or crabby. Grape juice gives you an antioxidant, called resveratrol, that not only helps lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels but also helps improve bloodflow to the heart.

Per meal: 540 calories, 25 g protein, 73 g carbohydrates, 19 g total fat, 8 g fiber

Two PB-and-Banana Wraps With Milk
Prep time: 2 minutes 2 Tbsp peanut butter 2 Eggo Special K waffles 1 medium banana 1/2 pint fat-free chocolate milk Spread a tablespoon of peanut butter over each (briefly microwaved) waffle. Divide the banana between them and roll each to make wraps. Wash down with chocolate milk.

Benefits: Eggo's Special K waffles supply complex carbohydrates, which break down slowly in the body and stimulate the production of serotonin, a calming brain chemical. The banana is packed with potassium — a heart protector.

Per meal: 570 calories, 23 g protein, 90 g carbohydrates, 16 g total fat, 7 g fiber

The Santa Fe Burrito
Prep time: 4 minutes 2 eggs 1 c Santa Fe frozen mixed vegetables (black beans, peppers, and corn) 1 flour tortilla 1/2 c low-fat shredded Cheddar cheese 1/4 c salsa Mix the eggs and vegetables and spread the mixture on a plate coated with nonstick spray. Cook in the microwave for 1 minute, stir with a fork, and microwave again until the eggs are cooked and the vegetables warm. Pile onto a flour tortilla, top with shredded Cheddar cheese and salsa, fold, and eat.

Benefits: "Without protein, guys can lose muscle mass quickly," says William J. Evans, Ph.D., a professor of geriatrics, physiology, and nutrition at the University of Arkansas. This meal is packed with it.
Per meal: 530 calories, 36 g protein, 53 g carbohydrates, 18 g total fat, 6 g fiber

Black-Cherry Smoothie and Peanut-Butter Oatmeal
Prep time: 4 minutes 1 c R.W. Knudsen black-cherry juice 1 c frozen strawberries 1 c frozen unsweetened cherries 2 Tbsp protein powder 2/3 c oatmeal 1 Tbsp peanut butter 1/2 c fat-free milk Blend the cherry juice, frozen fruit, and protein powder until smooth. Microwave the oatmeal according to the directions on the package. Stir in the peanut butter and milk.

Benefits: Men who ate at least one serving of whole-grain cereal (like oatmeal) a day had the lowest risk of dying of any cause, including heart disease, according to a 5-year study of 86,000 doctors. Cherries and strawberries are natural sources of salicylates — the active ingredient in aspirin — making them ideal for relieving stress-induced morning headaches.

Per meal: 600 calories, 27 g protein, 100 g carbohydrates, 11 g total fat, 10 g fiber

Almond-Butter-and-Raisin Sandwich With Smoothie
Prep time: 1 minute 2 Tbsp almond butter 2 Eggo Special K waffles 1 Tbsp raisins 1 Stonyfield Farm smoothie Spread the almond butter on the waffles. Sprinkle the raisins over one waffle and top with the other. Wash down with the smoothie.

Benefits: Whole-grain waffles help lower cholesterol and blood pressure, and improve your body's processing of insulin and glucose, a benefit that can reduce your risk of becoming diabetic.

Per meal: 600 calories, 21 g protein, 86 g carbohydrates, 22 g total fat, 7 g fiber

Commitment

Commitment. This small word means so much. If you make a commitment to your family you stick to it right? After all, you don’t want to let them down. If you make a commitment to get something done at work you make sure it gets done because if you didn’t it would look bad on you as an employee correct? Well working out and exercise takes just that… commitment. Without a commitment you may start off strong maybe working out 4 or even 5 days a week, eating all of your 5-6 small healthy meals a day, drinking all 8 glasses of water or more a day, and passing on the after dinner dessert. But after a while you start slipping. You might say to yourself, “Well I can skip the gym today. I did go yesterday after all.” And before you know it that one day has turned into a week, then a month. Then comes the dessert. “Well it IS Bob’s birthday. I can’t NOT have a piece of cake.” When all the while you don’t even really like Bob. But now that he has cake and you want some of it… he’s a “pretty good guy”. Without a commitment to a friend or family member or most importantly to yourself you’ll never achieve the goals you have planned. Commitment means going to the gym even when you don’t feel like it, eating more chicken because you know it’s healthier and leaner even though you can’t come up with a different way to cook it this time, passing on that piece of cake and just telling Bob happy birthday, and drinking that last bottle of water for the day. It’s squeezing in at least some type of exercise even though you’ve had a rough day and you just want to kick back and relax. Remember… working out helps relieve stress so go for a walk or a jog after that long day and unwind. Take out those co-worker frustrations on some quality weight training. And at the end of the day not only will you have less stress and sleep better, but you’ll feel better about being one step closer to your goals. When you first decided to get in better shape do you remember the person you pictured in your head? The smaller, healthier, fit version of yourself? That person wouldn’t quit! They know this isn’t just something that you can do for a little while and expect amazing results. That there is no magic pill you can take. That this is a lifestyle change. And until you realize that and make that commitment to yourself your goals are way out of reach, because you can’t reach for the stars when you’re constantly looking down at that cake!

Things that make you go #?/&%$

So this week I'm going to talk about something that just really gets under my skin concerning fitness. People that say, “I can't.” I'll be training someone who is just going through their reps relatively easy and all of a sudden say,

Client: “I can't do it!”

Me: “What!? You can't do it!? You're doing fine. Look, you're still going.”

Client: “I know, but my arms are hurting.”

Me: “Ok. Is it a muscle hurt or an injured hurt?”

Client: “A muscle hurt. It burns!”

So in this situation it's not that the client can't do it, it's that they don't want to. The way I feel about it is (in the words of Jillian from The Biggest Loser) “If you choose to be less that what God intended you to be then don't tell me that you can't. Tell me that you choose not to!” There's no room for excuses when it comes to fitness, but that's what I hear every day. You either do it or you choose not to. That's it! The word “can't” should never come into play. This is also true with nutrition. I'll look over a client's food log and they're either not eating enough or they're not eating enough and what they are eating is junk. It usually goes something like this:

Me: “You're nutrition isn't looking too good here. What's going on?”

Client: “Well I'm at work all day so I can't eat 5-6 times a day” or “I have kids” or “I just wasn't hungry.”

Really? I work all day, I have kids and you know what, sometimes I'm just not hungry either. Millions of people are in the same situation, but they still make it happen. Then when it comes time for their monthly assessment and they don't see very good results they want to look at me like I'm failing them when they're the ones who aren't working out like they should and/or eating like they should. I can only do so much. I can't force anyone to do 5 more reps, although sometimes I try. And I can't follow clients home and force feed them or prepare all of their meals while they relax. Oh you want to look like Jessica Simpson? Quit eating freaking cookies and ice cream and try a few carrots and apples. You want to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger or look good in a bikini this year? Quit complaining that you're muscles burn or that the weight you just did 12 reps with is too heavy. It's called responsibility and determination people, try a little bit!

The bottom line is it all depends on how bad you want it. If you really want it you'll do what it takes to make it happen. Something else that gets me is when people look at me and say, “You can probably eat anything you want and not gain a pound. I wish I was like that.” Are you freaking kidding me!? I've busted my ass EVERY day in the gym and at the dinner table to get where I am. I'm no supermodel or the next Mr. Olympia, but I work for what I do have. I don't sit around complaining that it's too hard or it's not convenient cause you know what, it IS hard, it IS inconvenient, but that doesn't matter because I can see the goal line. I can see where I am now and where I want to be and I know what I have to do to get there. You're damn right it's hard and anything worth having should be! So suck it up people and see your goal line. How far away is it? What do you have to do to get there? Got a trainer? Need one (hint, hint)? If you're paying someone money to help you get to where you want to be then listen to them. That's why they're there. To help you. Not baby you!

The Exercise Prescription

A woman walks into a doctor's office for a check-up. After running a few tests the doctor tells here that she has high blood pressure, high cholesterol and is on the verge of type 2 diabetes. He then prescribes a series of medications to treat all of these problems and tells her about the importance of getting these things under control by taking her medications to prevent further damage to her body.

Now imagine what would have happened if instead of prescribing a list of drugs to "cure" the problems if he instead would have written her a prescription for exercise. I'm sure the lady would have been shocked as would have anyone else that she told about her experience; however, that doctor would have done the best thing imaginable for his patient had he done that.

The benefits of exercise don't end with looking and feeling better.

Heart Disease and Stroke - Daily exercise can help prevent heart disease and stroke by strengthening your heart muscle, lowering your blood pressure, raising your high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels (good cholesterol) and lowering low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels (bad cholesterol), improving blood flow, and increasing your heart's working capacity.

High Blood Pressure - Regular exercise can reduce blood pressure in those with high blood pressure levels. It also reduces body fat, which is associated with high blood pressure.

Noninsulin-Dependent Diabetes - By reducing body fat, physical activity can help to prevent and control this type of diabetes.

Obesity - Daily exercise helps to reduce body fat by building or preserving muscle mass and improving the body's ability to use calories. When physical activity is combined with proper nutrition, it can help control weight and prevent obesity, a major risk factor for many diseases.

Back Pain -. By increasing muscle strength and endurance and improving flexibility and posture, regular exercise helps to prevent and/or lessen back pain.

Osteoporosis - Regular weight-bearing exercise promotes bone formation and may prevent many forms of bone loss associated with aging.

Psychological Effects - Regular exercise can improve your mood and the way you feel about yourself. Researchers also have found that exercise is likely to reduce depression and anxiety and help you to better manage stress.

Millions of Americans suffer from illnesses that can be prevented or improved through regular exercise!

• 13.5 million people have coronary heart disease.

• 1.5 million people suffer from a heart attack in a given year.

• 8 million people have adult-onset (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes.

• 95,000 people are newly diagnosed with colon cancer each year.

• 250,000 people suffer from a hip fractures each year.

• 50 million people have high blood pressure.

• Over 60 million people (two thirds of the population) are overweight.

• 33% of the adult population are considered obese

• An even scarier statistic, 15% of children over the age of 6 are considered obese!

So if you ask me, the doctor in the story above just took the easy way out. Instead of prescribing exercise and holding his patient accountable for her own health he just whips out his pad and signs over prescriptions. The scary part is that is what's taking place in our world today. No longer are people responsible for ensuring they live to see their grandchildren. They put their faith instead in the drugs that are pushed by the doctors who are paid by the drug companies who are making billions each year. I find it sad that the CEOs of these drug companies whom people will never meet are sitting on a goldmine while personal trainers in every gym are barely able to make ends meet. I'll close in saying that the next time you visit your doctor and he pulls out that trusty old prescription pad tell him you think you'll try a different route first. Then if you really apply yourself and try to fix it the right way via exercise and nutrition and that doesn't work then, and only then, turn to the prescription!

Five Home Gym Must-Haves

I like to think that a lot of people would workout if they only had a place to go. Or maybe it's the time crunch. They just don't have the extra time to drive to a gym, workout, and then drive back home. Or perhaps they want to have a personal trainer, but in the privacy of their own home (hint, hint). Well for those people out there I tell you there's hope. Welcome the "Home Gym"! I'm going to cover the five must-haves that won't break the bank for anyone looking to start their own home gym and be successful in their efforts.

1) Pull Up Bar – A pull-up bar attaches at the top of a doorway by way of the door frame. You can get these at most of your sporting goods stores for about $30. Pull-ups are one the best, and hardest, upper body exercises you can do. Can't do a pull-up? Don't worry! There are regressions you can do to work your way up to them such as jumping pull-ups.

2) Stability Ball – A stability ball can be found just about anywhere these days. A good one will run you about $30. The exercises that you can do with these things are endless.

3) Dumbbells – I'm not talking about a whole rack of dumbbells. Just one or two pairs (a light weight pair and a heavy weight pair) or some adjustable dumbbells will do the trick. A pair of 10lb db's are approximately $25, a pair of 25lb db's are approximately $60, and a 40lb adjustable set of dumbbells will run you approximately $65.

4) Resistance Bands – Different color bands have different resistance levels so you may have to actually play around with a few before you find one that fits you. You can find these for approximately $6 (extra light) to $10 (extra heavy) per band. Once you settle on one though you can get a full body workout with just that one piece of rubber with handles. Very handy!

5) Jump Rope – You can get a good jump rope for about $15 to $20. Some are even adjustable for your height. Rarely will you find something so small that will have such a dramatic effect. This is cardio and a total body workout at the same time.

There you have it! The five must-haves for any home gym for a grand total of about $150. Your typical gym charges around $30 per month for a membership and $150 would get you about 5 months worth of gym usage. For the same price you now have an entire home gym for life! So if you just don't have the time to go back and forth to a gym or if you just can't afford that recurring $30 payment each month go out and build your own place of exercise. Now there's no excuses!