You should do some sort of activity most days of the week. I do believe in one day of rest every week. For example, when I am on my game, I go to the gym and lift weights Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, Yoga on Tuesdays, and Plyometric training on Thursdays. This leaves me with a flex day during the week if things get to hectic. I will move a workout to saturday. I play football on sundays so at some point during the week, there will be one workout free week.
The body needs rest. That includes stress. Stress is a great way to get yourself unhealthy. While you need a physical break, you should also give yourself sometime to have a mental break. Allow yourself some time to relax and fade into a book or a movie. Always leave yourself some time for you to enjoy life.
For those looking for a daily workout to follow, check out Chris's local Crossfit webpage (http://aimeesfitnessblog.blogspot.com/), Crossfit KoP. There they post the workout of the day. Give it a try. If it is too complex for your skill level, scale it back and just try to get the movements down. Remember, a workout is supposed to push you. If it's easy, it's not much of a workout now is it?
Live Longer! Live Better!
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Pet Peeve #1
Here is one of my biggest pet peeves. If something has to tell you it's healthy, it probably isn't. FAT FREE! HIGH IN FIBER!! GREAT SOURCE OF 13 VITAMINS AND MINERALS!!
I'm sorry, Froot Loops are not good for you in any way possible. Do you see eggs with a big "PACKED WITH PROTEIN" sticker on them?? Are there signs on vegetables? No, because no one needs to tell you that they're good stuff. My favorite is the 100 calorie packs. Just because they're 100 calorie packs does not mean you can eat 4 packs and be great for lunch. It sounds like common sense when you put it this way but people fall for this all the time. Please, do not fall for these. These are good to help extremely obese and over-eaters reduce their calories. Weening off of an unhealthy diet is great if you need to use these to control yourself. They should just be eliminated completely in the end.
Be weary of the "healthy" claims and be smart.....unless you're cheating, then go crazy and eat all 11 vitamins in that pop tart.
I'm sorry, Froot Loops are not good for you in any way possible. Do you see eggs with a big "PACKED WITH PROTEIN" sticker on them?? Are there signs on vegetables? No, because no one needs to tell you that they're good stuff. My favorite is the 100 calorie packs. Just because they're 100 calorie packs does not mean you can eat 4 packs and be great for lunch. It sounds like common sense when you put it this way but people fall for this all the time. Please, do not fall for these. These are good to help extremely obese and over-eaters reduce their calories. Weening off of an unhealthy diet is great if you need to use these to control yourself. They should just be eliminated completely in the end.
Be weary of the "healthy" claims and be smart.....unless you're cheating, then go crazy and eat all 11 vitamins in that pop tart.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Almond Butter
I am not foreign to almonds or even almond butter, but making my way through Trader Joe's this past weekend, I noticed something. I was torn between two jars, Raw creamy unsalted almond butter and creamy unsalted almond butter. This confused me as everything in trader joes is organic. Both should include just almonds. I grabbed the one that I had eaten before and it was the regular kind. Upon researching, the difference was whether or not the almonds were roasted. Interesting......
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Recovery
After a long long day, I would normally take a day off. Something my body loves is normal good food and lots of water. Water is something that a lot people ignore. Don't drink coffee, don't drink snapple iced tea, don't drink something from starbucks. Water is great for flushing out the system. Yesterday, during my donut binge, I realized that I drank very little water. Today, now that the dieting is coming back on track, my body is looking for water again. I try to drink roughly a gallon of water every day.
Rest is another hugely overlooked item for health. I am skipping my rotation in the gym today because my body is still exhausted and recovering from the beating I gave it yesterday. I will go to bed early tonight and try to catch up on the sleep that I've been depriving my body. Lack of sleep can equal sickness very quickly. You should be getting AT THE VERY VERY VERY MINIMUM, 7 hours of sleep per night. My body seems to be fully charged after 9. Nine hours of sleep is a lot in this day and age but I try to get it whenever I can. You also do not want to lay in bed all day, but that is a given.
Today, I may jog down the log hallways and sprint to and from my car today. I also find myself stretching whenever possible. Getting the blood flowing (not through added stress) is great for ones health.
Today's diet so far:
3 eggs, 1/2cup of egg whites
Jenn's delicious turkey chili (ground turkey, diced tomatoes, beans [she wants fiber all the time....i dunno...], onions, spices)
Cup of brown rice.
I should be back to normal tomorrow depending on the amount of rest I can get tonight. Until then, get your butt moving! Park farther away, jog to your car, use the stairs!
Rest is another hugely overlooked item for health. I am skipping my rotation in the gym today because my body is still exhausted and recovering from the beating I gave it yesterday. I will go to bed early tonight and try to catch up on the sleep that I've been depriving my body. Lack of sleep can equal sickness very quickly. You should be getting AT THE VERY VERY VERY MINIMUM, 7 hours of sleep per night. My body seems to be fully charged after 9. Nine hours of sleep is a lot in this day and age but I try to get it whenever I can. You also do not want to lay in bed all day, but that is a given.
Today, I may jog down the log hallways and sprint to and from my car today. I also find myself stretching whenever possible. Getting the blood flowing (not through added stress) is great for ones health.
Today's diet so far:
3 eggs, 1/2cup of egg whites
Jenn's delicious turkey chili (ground turkey, diced tomatoes, beans [she wants fiber all the time....i dunno...], onions, spices)
Cup of brown rice.
I should be back to normal tomorrow depending on the amount of rest I can get tonight. Until then, get your butt moving! Park farther away, jog to your car, use the stairs!
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
February 8th
Today is my birthday! YAY ME!! There is no such thing as a diet today. My diet so far has consisted of donuts and a bbq chicken wrap. It will end with burgers, fries, and cake. This occurs one day throughout the year. It probably isn't good to go crazy and into a diabetic coma like I do today, but its only one day.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Peanut Butter?!
Peanut butter. The staple of every body builder. However, as my good pal Chris would tell me, the peanut is not actually a nut. It is a legume. What is the difference exactly? Well, in a nutshell (LOL, ok i'll stop), a nut will usually only have one or at most two seeds. Legumes have many. Also, a true nut will not open on its own while a legume is open naturally. Of course, it's never as cut and dry as that.
From a nutrtition standpoint, the legume is a gut irritant. It can cause small perforations in the intestine which is not fun for anyone. What it comes down to is that you should aim towards something like Almonds for your diet instead of peanuts. I currently incorporate both into my diet for the mere fact that getting almond butter is just too expensive. This is also a big reason that body builders go for peanut butter. Regardless of which you choose, the product has to be natural. You do not want all of the added chemicals and sugars that come with processed foods. Yes, that means Skippy does not count. For me, I shop at Trader Joe's. You really can't go wrong with many of their products. I grab a bag of Raw Almonds for my healthy fats (Yes you need fat in your diet but thats for another discussion) and natural creamy peanut butter.
Dan's Portions:
2 tbls. Trader Joe's Natural Peanut Butter once per day for meal 2
1 serving (approx 20) Raw Almonds with lunch (Meal 3) and with meal 4
Thanks for reading my first post. I'm sure this topic and many other areas will be elaborated on in the future. Leave any ideas or comments! Thanks.
From a nutrtition standpoint, the legume is a gut irritant. It can cause small perforations in the intestine which is not fun for anyone. What it comes down to is that you should aim towards something like Almonds for your diet instead of peanuts. I currently incorporate both into my diet for the mere fact that getting almond butter is just too expensive. This is also a big reason that body builders go for peanut butter. Regardless of which you choose, the product has to be natural. You do not want all of the added chemicals and sugars that come with processed foods. Yes, that means Skippy does not count. For me, I shop at Trader Joe's. You really can't go wrong with many of their products. I grab a bag of Raw Almonds for my healthy fats (Yes you need fat in your diet but thats for another discussion) and natural creamy peanut butter.
Dan's Portions:
2 tbls. Trader Joe's Natural Peanut Butter once per day for meal 2
1 serving (approx 20) Raw Almonds with lunch (Meal 3) and with meal 4
Thanks for reading my first post. I'm sure this topic and many other areas will be elaborated on in the future. Leave any ideas or comments! Thanks.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Welcome to your NEW favorite blog
While I may not be the original Iron Geek, I will say I am THE Iron Geek. On this blog, I will share my wealth of knowledge regarding the two things I know best, Technology and Health. With that said, this will probably be mostly about health. Nutrition, working out, etc., are all things that are full of myths. I hope through my blog I will clear them up. On this site, I will provide workouts, diets recipes and general fitness tips. Sit back, enjoy the ride, and tell your friends!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)