Stretching like an athlete

Scott Schwab

I know we have spoken about the benefits of stretching, but I did want to revisit the discussion with a couple of things that can add to the stretching. If you take the core stretches such as standing with your feet together and reaching for your toes, or in the seated position reaching for your feet in front of you; they are incomplete for stretching. There are some great things that you can do to incorporate on a daily basis. One thing that is important is to make sure the muscles are warm and pumping blood. One way is to do a small job, and do some butt kickers, high knees, and karaoke is one of my favorites. For those of you that don't know what karaoke is, you line up sideways and run with your one foot leading the way while taking the other foot in front and back as you move quickly about 20 yards. Face the same direction and move back the other direction, this time leading with the other foot. Once you have done some of these warm ups, take slow long steps that will stretch your hamstrings and quad muscles. Another exercise that I like is to walk, but with an exaggerated bounce that stretches my calves. Another great stretch is to be in the push up position and push your calves downwards as you are standing on your tip toes. It is also useful to run on your tip toes and do some jump roping. If you do not own a jump rope, go and get one today. It is such a good exercise and you can do it anywhere. When you are stretching make sure you are taking adequate time with your hips, groin, and lower back muscles. As we age these are some of the areas that slow people down and prevent a workout schedule. Get in the habit now to do the stretching needed so that you can have a lifelong workout regiment. Stretching is just as needed as cardio, abs, and weights. Just make sure that you time your workout and leave a little time at the beginning and end for the stretching. I would also suggest getting involved in a yoga class or a class dedicated to improving mobility and flexibility.

The Truth about Carbs

Chandi Schwab

Carbohydrates are the ideal fuel for most body functions. It supplies the body with the energy needed for the muscles, brain and the central nervous system. In fact, the human brain depends exclusively on carbohydrates for its energy. Carbohydrates are found in fruits, vegetables, beans, dairy products, foods made from grain products, and sweeteners such as sugar, honey, molasses, and corn syrup. The body converts the digestible carbohydrate into glucose, which our cells use as fuel. Some carbs (simple) are broken down quickly into glucose while others (complex) are broken down and enter the bloodstream more gradually. Some glucose is stored as glycogen in the liver and muscles for future use. If there is extra glucose, it is converted into body fat. That means the faster that carbs are converted to glucose, the more that eventually converts to fat.

On the other hand, with no glucose available for energy, the body starts using protein for energy. Therefore protein is no longer available for more important functions: the making of cells, tissue, enzymes, hormones, and antibodies; and the regulation of fluid balance. When carbohydrates are lacking, the body cannot use its fat in the correct way. Normally carbs combine with fat fragments for energy. When carbs are not available, there is an incomplete breakdown of fat that produces a by-product called ketones. Due to the lack of energy and the accumulation of ketones, low carb diets can also bring on nausea, headaches, dizziness, fatigue, bad breath, and dehydration. Exercise and fitness performance is reduced on a low carb diet. Do not be surprised if your energy level is so low that you cannot make it through your normal workout routine.

Like everything else,it is all about maintaining a balance. Choose your carbs wisely! Stick to natural, whole foods. They contain the nutrition you need and provide the energy that helps when you’re working out. Focus on eating complex carbs and a very limited amount of simple carbs.The more energy you are exerting the more complex carbs you will need in your diet.

The Good Carbs to Eat: (complex)So which foods are considered good carbs? Just think of foods that are close to nature as possible and haven’t been altered (processed.) Examples include:
Vegetables
Fruits
Legumes
Nuts and seeds
Whole grains

The Bad Carb Foods:(simple) When you think of bad carbs, think of foods such as baked goods and mainly foods that are white (flour and sugar.) Examples of bad carbs:
Most baked goods (cookies, cake, pies, etc.)
White bread
Pastas
Soda
Candy
Fruit juices (many contain corn syrup)

Workout until burn-out

Scott Schwab

The post today is meant to give you a whole new routine and a workout that is sure to exhaust you. Let me warn you that it is not something that you should pick up if you are not used to working out. It is a full body workout meant to burn your body out. I would suggest having an Amino acid while you work out followed by a protein shake after your workout. The goal is to choose 4 workouts for your upper body and 2 workouts for the lower body. The workout is meant to work the entire body and provide an exercise that you are not used to. Here is an example. Choose a squat and a lunge for the lower body and then bench, curls, pull-ups, and dips. Stick with the 10 reps, but you are going to do as many sets as your body will allow you to. Find weights at about 75% of your max and do your 10 reps for each of the 6 exercises. Continue to cycle through the exercises as many times as your body can physically allow. Make sure that you have water and take a break if you need it. The goal is to quickly move through each exercise, so take all your weights and put them in a general area so that people are not taking your weights and working in. You can partner up with another person, but make sure that both of you start with different exercises so you are pushing the other to keep moving so you are not waiting. Start with an arm, move to a leg, then arm, leg, and finish with two arms work outs. You are going to be tired, but just keep going through until you can only do 1-2 reps. Set your time at 1 hour and do as many as you can within that time frame. You will notice that the number of sets you are able to do should grow week after week. Try this workout one day out of a week and then the next week do it again and try and beat your number of sets. Eventually you will notice your stamina is up, you will have toned muscle, and your 75% will be at a higher weight. Plus this will give you a release from the everyday norm. You can choose any 6 exercises, just make sure that each targets a different area then the others. This way you are getting a full body workout. Like always finish with an abdominal workout. One of my favorites is to get a 15 pound weight and put it between your feet. Grab the pull up bar and lift yourself to where you are hanging from the bar and the 15 pound weight is in between your feet. At this point you will do knee ups. Try and get your knees as close to your chest as possible while flexing your abs. While still being suspended you can work your obliques by doing the side knee ups. Go side to side until you cant lift your knees anymore. By this point you are going to be pretty fatigued so don't over do it. This is also a good exercise to do on another day when you're not as fatigued. Let me know how many sets that you can do and what exercises you find to give you that ultimate workout.

Quote of the day

Scott Schwab

Today I would simply like to leave a couple of tips to get you through your week. "When life kicks you down, kick back. If you land on your face, get up on your knees, if you land on your back look up to heaven." All of us will fall and it is enivitable that trials will come. However; if you can always have the strength, power, and resilience to get up and kick back, you cannot fail. Motivation can come from a thousand different places and there are quotes and stories to fill the rest of your days. Like a radio though, when there is not a signal received, there is no music played! In our lives, if we will not internalize the message and apply it, the music will not play. Our days can be pretty empty, but when filled with music, dance. Get on your feet and move around, get busy, and learn how to take the good of what you here and make the world better. There is a great quote and forgive me because I do not know the author; "I am convinced that 10% of life is determined by what I do, the other 90% is my attitude." Today is a great day to plan your week. Expect more from life and go and get it. "If life gives you lemons, make some lemonade, and share it with others." Have a great weekend and make sure this next week is your's. Remember; control the controllables, and with a set plan, you may get through the uncontrollables.

Letter from one of our Readers

Hi Chandi, I don't think we've ever formally met but I do remember you from track at West and Borah.I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate your blog and how much it has helped me in the past 6 months. I had gained quite a lot of weight in the past few years but was constantly struggling with losing it. I would go on a "diet" for one or two weeks, but then get upset that nothing drastic was happening, give up, and be right back to square one.Since connecting with you on Facebook and then discovering the mixernutrition blog, I've found that by reading it everyday I get the motivation I need to stick with living a healthy life-style. It's great getting all the different tips and encouragement there because it keeps things moving and interesting, rather than trying to follow the same stagnant "diet" routine. I find it much easier now to exercise and eat right since my aim is to live healthy rather than stick to a diet.But in any case, I just wanted to let you know that the work you and your husband are doing has helped me a ton and remains a source of inspiration and education for me! I really appreciate it and it's made a difference in my life.Thanks a lot and please keep it up!All the best, Liz

We appreciate the feedback so please feel free to share your feedback as well.We love as much involvement as possible so that we can all help eachother to reach our fitness goals.Thank you Liz!!

Time Wise

Scott Schwab

The week is quickly coming to an end and the weekend is here. I continue to be surprised by the speed at which a week passes by. I was thinking today and thought I might touch on a thing that I have seen in my life and in the lives of others. Time, is that element for which all things hinge. We all are either captives or controllers of the time that we have. Many people that I have observed always seem to be chasing time. I personally have seen this in my own life and never feel that there is enough time in a day to get things done. I believe that this is how it should be though. The great thing is that there always is a tomorrow, so we can still have hope that the unfinished things of the day will still get done. However, time is no respecter of persons, so as we approach our week with little planning and little concern of what the week will bring, we will make excuses and alibis for why things did not get done. You will here or might have said, "oh I will get to it next week." Or "I will start my workout tomorrow, or next week", and finally it will never get done. It is this attitude that bring complacency, and complacency brings mediocrity. You must decide each week what you will get done. Obviously you do not need to beat yourself up if there are times that you don't complete everything. Like we have said before, you must balance your time between relaxation, physical activity, work, mental stimulation, and enjoyment. There are other things that a week will bring, but I would say in general these are what we can categorize everything. Lets apply this to our health. We leave our self open for mistakes when we have to think about our decision making. One trait that is valued in leaders, is the ability to make quick decisions and not be swayed by others. Lets be leaders of ourselves and begin by making a chart or plan for our week. By writing it down you will accomplish more and still find time to do other things. You also must get to bed early and arise early. You will again accomplish more and there will be plenty of time to sleep when you are dead. Turn the t.v. off and hit the sack. I challenge all of us to look at our week and budget our time. There are things that we must do, things that we should do, and things that we want to do. Schedule the priorities, not prioritize your schedule. In this way you will take control of your time and your schedule. Also do not fear being a leader! If there is someone who is asking you to go and do something that does not fit in your plan for the week, politely decline and use another time to spend time with that person. Effectiveness comes from being busy. Things will come up, but again and as we have said before, if you have a schedule to keep on track, you cannot fail. Enjoy the weekend and do something enjoyable. Life is to short to miss out on some free time or some time outside.

Goal Setting

Scott Schwab

For people to have success in the world of diet and exercise; I believe that there is a need for outside knowledge. What I mean by this is, that for us to be successful we need to understand a couple of things about ourselves and what we can expect from ourselves. Unfortunately quiting is as much of a habit as smoking. It's destructive nature is always looming and urging us to quit. It is human nature to resist change and to take the easy road. Furthermore, we live in a time where we want results quickly and with minimal effort. The current generation is at times referred to as the now generation. We have access to all information at the touch of our fingertips at the speed of lightning. We have fast food and microwaves that take away from waiting for our food. All of these and other inventions are great and I am not criticizing them. However, I will say that the odds are stacked against a person looking to start a diet or maintain a healthy nutrition plan. The number one thing that we must establish is goals. Goal setting is a process and there are great articles available about the most effective ways to set goals. I will share the process that I go through, but know there is a plethora of ideas and strategies. First I look at the thing that I want to do. I take it into my mind and begin to think of the best ways to overcome the odds, this way I am prepared when they arise. I also spend time trying to visualize the best way that I think to do what I want to do, so I have a clear picture of my expectations. Finally I take a picture of where I am and where I want to be. For example if I wanted to look like the characters from the movie 300, I would first research what odds would stand in my way to being consistent and completing my goal. The second thing that I would do is research and get the information available to me so that I follow a path or a plan. I would set the goal and know the expectations. Finally I would take a picture of what I look like, and also what I want to look like at the end of my goal. It may seem a little weird, but we can accomplish goals faster and easier when we have a clear mental and even physical picture. Hang the picture of what you want to look like on the mirror in your bathroom so that you have the motivation when you are in front of the mirror and you will see it multiple times in a day. The other key to obtaining a goal, is to repeat it to yourself many times through the day and course of the goal. Our bodies respond to vibrations and energy around us. You must say the goal out load this way recognizing to yourself and your body that you have a goal set and you have it in your mind and by saying it aloud the rest of your body can be on board. This may sound a little weird, but trust me, you have nothing to lose. Getting the goal into your subconscious is the goal. This way you don't even think about the goal, you just act. This way you don't have to struggle as much when you are tempted to quit, or take a break; because you have clear expectations and know the importance of your goal. The before picture that is taken is simply a way to notice the changes and give you motivation through the process. I would look at the picture when you need a pick up or motivation for where you eventually want to be.

Dieting tips

Scott Schwab

I have noticed over this weekend a couple of things that myself and others do that prevent us from a healthy diet. Every weekend I notice a trend of wanting to go out to eat or out on the town. I will be the first to tell you that I love to go out and enjoy myself. However; what I have noticed is not having a lot of discipline while out. I notice that I will tend to get a huge meal that is high in calories, fats, and carbohydrates. Essentially my work for the week is put on hold while the weekend sets in. Usually Saturday is a day that people catch up for the week and at times miss out on a workout. Furthermore, Sunday is another day that usually rest is the #1 objective. With this being the case many of us begin the week behind the ball. These tips are some that I have done to help me reverse the trend and have weeks that gain momentum towards my goals rather than starting over each week. When going out, order water. Drinks are nice, but look at the sugars that you are consuming in high amounts. I usually tell myself that I am celebrating and a Dr. Pepper is just what the Doctor ordered. Well it is fine to celebrate, but I notice the trend of ordering more and more. I also drink a lot of liquids and find myself going through 3 refills at least. This is not good, and I recommend water, maybe spice it up with a little lemon, but avoid those high processed sugars and fructose. The other thing to do is order what you will, but cut the portions in half as soon as your meal comes. This way you already know that you are not finishing the whole plate. Platters have gotten so big in the past 20 years that we should not be able to cram everything in our stomachs. Although we don't want to be wasteful, and sure we can just eat a little more, right? Wrong, this starts a terrible habit, in that we continue to stretch the stomach, until that nice flat stomach that we once had is now a tire and then a belly and then we are over weight. So stop the process now and begin by cutting your meals in half. Take the other half home, or agree with your date or friend to split the meal, it will also save you on cost. I would recommend for you to do this with all your meals if you find that you are eating 3 big meals. It is not good for the body and begins the binging and starving cycle of the body. Take those 3 meals and divide them into 6 smaller meals. Buy some Tupperware and take the other half with you to work or for a snack. This way you eat less, but overall you are eating the same amount. This way your metabolism keeps going and you don't go into the starvation phase where your body holds onto as much fat as it can through your meals. Additionally make sure you are drinking plenty of water and if needed refer to the blog; top 4 reasons to drink water. Try these things and I can guarantee that you will see results. In this way you will realize that eventually you will be eating smaller meals, avoiding sugars through drinks, and your stomach will actually shrink in size. Let me know if you have any questions or comments. Good luck.

Quote of the day

Scott Schwab

The quote for the day will begin with a story and finish with a story. In a land far away there was a man that used to sit outside the city gates and bid travelers well while tending to his sheep. On one occasion he was observed by a younger man, who was also taking care of his sheep. A traveler came and asked the older man what he might find in the city behind the gates. The man would welcome the question with another question; tell me of the city that you came from? The first traveler had said the city was wonderful and the people kind. The old man replied, then you will find the same here. A little later another traveler passed the man and asked; what might I find in the city behind the gates? The same response and question came, and the second traveler answered that the city that he came from was dirty, the people closed and rude. The old man replied, that the second traveler would probably find the same within the walls of the city. Upon seeing the differing answers; the younger Shepard approached the man. He inquired how the same answer could produce completely differing answers? The man smiled and told the Shepard, that people generally find similar conditions of those that they found themselves before. The Shepard pressed further, to which the old man said people are creatures of habits and will usually surround themselves with the same people that they did elsewhere. To me, this story represents the ability to find what you are looking for, not what you are used to. If you are the type of person that wants more out of life, commit yourself and go and find it. Work for it and never be a person to settle for that which you want most. There is a good quote that I found from a motivational blog site and a good friend runs it. There goal is to post motivational material that can help people everyday. Check out the blog, it is great and can give some material to help all of our lives. Here is the site; http://messagemotivator.blogspot.com/. Here is the quote from Abe Lincoln, "most folks are about as happy as the make up their minds to be." With that said, explore what you are looking for and then go and get it. Decide to be happy and make that your life's work. Some of you may have seen the following story of a women who dreamed and had made the decision to be happy. Enjoy your weekend.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

Alissa Williams

It has always been habitual for me to be physically fit and active, until last summer when I moved away, started school and life got a little crazy. In high school I had early morning dance practice, after school track practice, fitness classes and a gym membership that kept me constantly active. When I started to realize that I wasn’t spending over half of my day doing some sort of physical activity I realized I needed to start paying attention to my diet, getting enough sleep and making it important to get in the gym as much as possible. As I started to figure out my schedule, it was very imperative to prioritize and improvise. If I don’t get the chance to get to the gym I would make sure to do some things during the day, little by little. These things included, calf raises while standing at work or school, wall sits while waiting for my dinner to cook, and/or sit ups and push-ups before bed, I know it sounds a little silly, but if I at least do simple things like that, I feel a little better about myself. As for my diet I didn’t change it drastically, I just made sure that my intake included a variety of the essentials, and was sparse on all the “non-essentials”. I never have been a huge breakfast eater over the last couple of years, but I’ve made it a point to never skip that meal or any other meals ever. I like to think of it this way: eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a princess and dinner like a queen and that’s what satisfies me. It can be different for everyone; these things just seem to work the best for me. So all in all, the main things that I have to work on to maintain a healthy mind and body, are self discipline, creativity, a reasonable schedule and goals, and being as consistent as I can be with what works for me!

Top 4 Reasons to Drink More Water!!

Chandi Schwab

I have always been a firm believer in drinking water. It may seem like this one is mentioned quite often,but when you understand the benefits of drinking water you can appreciate the reminder.

Coming from a large family,water was often what I was given as a child.So luckily it became a part of my lifestyle at a young age. Here are th Top 4 reasons why we should all become huge water drinkers...

1) Drinking Water Enhances Weight Loss: If you’re trying to lose weight, this can’t be ignored. You won’t be able to lose the weight without water to flush out the by-products of fat breakdown.When there isn’t enough water to dilute the body’s waste products, kidney stones may form. When the kidneys aren’t working to their full potential, the liver must step in and help. Once this happens the liver can’t optimally perform its other important functions. As a result, burning fat has to wait.

2)Drinking Water Combats Ailments in the body:In many cases, fatigue, headaches and back pain may be caused by dehydration. If you suffer from an afternoon nod off, try drinking more water at lunch. If you or your children complain of frequent headaches, the amount of water you’re drinking could be responsible. And, muscle spasms are also caused by not being adequately hydrated.

3)Drinking Water can Reduce Hunger:Experts say that hunger Pangs are often misinterpreted cravings for water. Try drinking water before your regular meals and see if it helps you cut down on the amount of food you eat. It really works as an effective appetite suppressant. Avoid counting tea, coffee, sodas and juices in your fluid intake. Coffee and tea contain caffeine which has a diuretic effect and makes you lose water. Sodas and juices are too sweet—because the body must dilute them, they cause more dehydration.

4)Drinking Water Helps make you Look Younger:When the skin is properly hydrated, it looks plump and more radiant. Water will keep the toxins flushed out and help you to cool off through perspiration. Muscles need to have enough water to make them look full too. Deprive yourself of water and you’ll see the difference in the mirror.

So I now would like to challenge you...Replace every liquid that you drink with water for one week. Take your body weight and divide it by 2.That is how many ounces you should be drinking.And if you are very active, you should drink 2/3 of your body weight. I can guarantee you that you will look and feel better!!

I would also like to introduce our guest blogger for tomorrow. Her name is Alissa Williams.She is currently attending Paul Mitchell in Rexburg,ID. She has always been vey active. She grew up developing her skills as a Dancer and also participated in Track and Field. She enjoys running and staying active. We look forward to her post.

Diet Right

Scott Schwab

No this is not a misspelling of the favorite drink of the late 80's and 90's. Although sometimes I wish I could still see people drinking the retro cans and enjoying themselves like the old commercials. I wanted to take a couple of minutes and point out a couple of things that can help regardless of what diet plan you have. Most diets fail! I say this purely based on what statistics say. The reason is that people do not find something that works for them. Some diets work on points, others you must avoid certain foods, and still other say eat whatever you'd like and still loose weight. The fact is; you must keep your metabolism running. The faster that it is going the better. Naturally as we age our metabolism slows to a crawl. However, we can stimulate our metabolism through a couple of lifestyle changes. We need to be eating 6 small meals approximately every 2 hours. This is great to keep the metabolism working and gravity goes to work. Another suggestion is to drink a lot of liquids. We have mentioned this in other posts, but here is the equation again. Your weight divided by 2 and that is the ounces in a day that you should be drinking. Not only does it help facilitate the digestion process, but it will also help you avoid more sickness and give you many benefits relating to blood flow and oxygen to the body. Toxins are flushed more often when you are taking trips to the restroom. Be prepared, because when you start the process of drinking the water as specified by the equation; you will be going often. Another tip or hint; is to know your body and know how it responds to foods. There is a book that explains the differences of food as it relates to the bodies blood type. Body for Life is a great book, with proven results. It is one resource that may help you achieve your goals. The main reason why diets don't work, relates to the person. You must know your body, what foods you can and should not eat, have control, and set an exercise routine that you will stick too. Most people become uninterested with their diets and board of their workouts and eventually stop. Take some time and read through some of the other blogs on any muscle group that you would like to focus on and do that routine for a couple of weeks. After that choose something else that you will do for another 2 weeks. This is muscle confusion at its finest and will get you in the habit of trying new things and enjoying different workouts. Again start the habit of eating more often, but smaller better meals. Also implement the water and see how you start to feel. I would like everyone to try this for 1 week and report back how you feel and if you can start to have more energy and your digestive system is working better. Let me know if it works for you and if you would like any suggestions on foods to eat.

Ultimate Arms

Scott Schwab

I wanted to share a workout that is sure to get your arms toned and ripped for whatever. I am a firm believer in the power of manual labor and plyometrics. I used to build log homes and have never found an exercise that was equivalent to the pealing of logs, carrying of logs, and building the actual walls. This was until I started to think about what you could do in a gym to reproduce what I was doing in building the homes. It is very intense and if you are not seasoned with lifting reduce the reps and sets of the workout. The first workout is a push-up. However you will take two small medicine balls of equal size and push up with those under your hands. You will want to do 10 reps and 4 sets. To improve the difficulty put your feet up on a bench, or for an expert workout put your feet up on an exercise ball. The key to this workout is balance and strength. It is difficult to keep your arms steady while doing push-ups on medicine balls. It becomes increasingly difficult as you keep your feet up and extremely difficult as you balance your feet and your upper body. Plan on a couple of falls when you are starting, its to be expected. The second workout I will call the super man. Put your legs up on a wall and be as vertical as possible. You will go from one end of the wall moving your hands and feet in unison to the other end of a wall and back. It is best to have a distance of 10-15 feet. You will do this 4 sets. It is also fun to stop on each side of the wall and try and do a push up in that vertical position against the wall. The third workout is to do normal bench press. Position your hands on the bar in different locations as to provide a complete arm and chest workout. Find the distance from the middle that when you you push up you are feeling it in your triceps. Do 10 reps and 4 sets at 75% of your max lift. The final lift is a doozie. You will put your feet up on a surface higher than a bench. Maybe a window well or a box that is used for box jumping. You will be in the push up position and raise one leg off of the surface and try and hold it up. It is difficult to balance but make sure you keep your left leg up for 10 reps and switch and keep your right leg up. Again 4 reps will be good, if you can finish it. Make sure you are burning out your muscles. I would suggest a creatine as well so that those torn muscles can heal. Finish off with a good abs workout and you should be good to go. Good luck and let me know how it goes.

Branch it out!!

Drew Cavner

Supplementing has almost become a necessity for people that workout or stay active through various sports and exercises. Whether it be supplementing with creatines, proteins, amino acids, pro-hormones, vitamins, minerals, it is still considered supplementing. Obviously it can become quite cumbersome to supplement from every side of the spectrum, so lets start with trying one of the very very basics. Branched chain amino acids. Most people assume that amino acids are just amino acids. Obviously amino acids are amino acids, but when supplementing with them it is very important that you are choosing the correct ones for recovery or performance enhancing properties. The way I try and explain the importance of amino acids is as follwed.

Imagine your body as a motorcycle. You have a main gas tank (your body's amino acid stores) then you have the 2 gallon reserve tank (your body's muscle). When you are working out or participating in an intense activity / long duration, your body runs out of the gas in the main tank (amino acid stores). Once your body runs out of gas it begins to tap into the reserve (muscle). This is obviously the worst situation for you and your body. Now, picture this. While partaking in an activity, instead of just drinking plain water, put two scoops of amino acid powder in your drink. This will enable your body to never run out of gas (amino stores) and it will prevent your body from ever tapping into it's reserve (muscle). This is obviously good because you will be able to build muscle instead of burn it.

L-glutamine is probably the most popular (well known ) amino acid in the supplement industry today. What most people do not realize is that although Glutamine is the most abumndant amino acid found in the skeletal muscle, it might not be the most effective amino acid for recovery. In actuality, your branched chain amino acids are called upon more for recovery than glutamine itself. Your three branched chain amino acids are ; Luecine, Isoluecine and Valine. It is also very important to know that there must be a 2:1:1 ratio of Luecine, Isoluecine and Valine for it to be readily absorbed and untilized properly. For instance, if you purchase a branched chain amino acid supplement the label should read something like this ;

Luecine : 3.6 Isoluecine : 1.8 Valine : 1.8
Luecine : 5.0 Isoluecine : 2.5 Valine : 2.5

Obviously these are just examples. If you see a company within a tenth or two of the 1 to 2 ratio it's no biggy. Also, these days it is waay more cost effective to purchase a branched chain supplement with glutamine already in it. It does not make sense to buy a glutamine supplement if you can purchase the same amount of glutamine with your branched chains and other goodies as well. Another great ingredient that you should look for in an amino acid supplement is Beta Alanine. Stay tuned for tomorrow's post on Beta Alanine.

Avoiding Sweets

Austin Taylor
One thing that seems to be a pretty difficult task in our strife to lead healthy lives is avoiding the goodies. I was probably one of worst at doing this while in my high school years. After realizing that now I can’t just eat sweets like I used to without paying a price I had to come up with some way to help myself avoid them. Here is what I found: It’s really quite simple. It’s nothing new, but definitely helpful. The mind is a powerful thing. We can be in control. If you tell yourself “That piece of cake or candy has absolutely no nutritional value to it and will do me no good”, you will have a lot easier time of being able to accomplish this feat. I even remind myself that when I eat those types of things I usually end up on the couch with an upset stomach. It is important to say it to yourself allowed, believe it, and you will be on your way to a happier, healthier life style.

Happy Easter

Scott Schwab

The quote from the week comes from a book by Og Mandino. The Greatest Secret In The World, is a short and relatively easy read. It does require from the reader application and responses and represents a personal journal in many ways. The quote is a very good one and very applicable today: "The highest order of mind is accused of folly, as well as the lowest. Nothing is thoroughly approved but mediocrity. The majority has established this, and it fixes its fangs on whatever gets beyond it either way." Pascal

The point here is that being exceptional is not a bad thing, but society, nature, and even some friends, would have you believe that you are weird or different. You are at a different level than others and that is ok. Do not let people hold you back or keep you down. There is no reason for you to feel different or bad based on you raising higher or giving more than expectations and performance of others. Embrace what you have, develop talents further, and grow into the person that you hope to be.

Our guest blogger for tomorrow is Austin Taylor. He is extremely disciplined with his eating habits as well as his work out regiment. He played soccer very competitively nationwide and continues his pursuits in many areas. Please welcome with me Austin Taylor.

At home ABS!!!

Chandi Schwab

Hey ladies! I know a lot of us are gearing up for summer. Which means that it is time to get rid of that extra cuish that winter bestowed upon us. I have an easy to do at home ab workout that I have been doing for years. I first learned it when I was on a dance team as a young girl.It has stuck with me though.Especially on those days that I am not able to make it to the gym. Try it out!You will see fast results!

1)Lay on your back in the normal crunch position (12 normal crunches with the small of your back flat against the floor)

2)Bring right leg straight up (12 more crunches, remember....slowly...breath in through your nose on the way up,out through your mouth on the way down)

3)Switch to left leg straight up(12 more crunches...don't bend your neck,keep it in line with the rest of your body)

4)Cross both legs straight up in the air(12 crunches)

5)Back to left leg straight up(12)

6)right leg straight up(12)

7)Normal crunch position(12)

8)Before relaxing your body... keep your neck and head up along with your legs balancing with the core of your body.(take three slow breaths in and out and then slowly relax your body back down)

9)Do a normal set of 50-100 obliques(normal crunches off to each side switching off sides each rep.)

10)Repeat step 8

11)Prop up neck and head with hands behind head...bring both legs straight up in the air and slowly lower them almost touching the ground and then bring them back straight up(10-20 reps)

12)Repeat step 8

I usually do the workout 3 times...you can do what times permits or adjust it to work for you.It works your upper,middle,sides,and lower abs.You will see your abs shape up fast!! I am anxious to get back into my ab routine after my baby girl arrives.It is so important to keep your core strong to help support the rest of your body. Try it today!!!

Good Friday

Scott Schwab

Greetings and Salutations. I wanted to touch on a couple of observations that I have been noticing lately and pass them on in hopes that they will help readers. I think all of us can remember a time when we were in athletics and stretching was just a part of the normal daily routine before the real fun started; the game or practice. For me personally, it was never ingrained in my head that it was that important. However, in recent years I have noticed that not only is it important, but it is essential. The great receiver Jerry Rice, spoke often that the reason that he was able to avoid injury and play to the level that he played, was he spent as much time stretching as he did with his workout. I currently am working out with a group of guys that bring a great accumulation of knowledge about sports and fitness. Yesterday we spent about 30min stretching all of our muscles. The obvious benefit to stretching is avoiding injury. The not so obvious benefits are increased muscle tone and joint and ligament strength. The core muscles to the body can be built by general to specific workouts. However, the muscles that really give the appearance of being cut and providing extra strength to the joints and connecting ligaments/muscles, are built through stretching and plyometrics. This is why in recent years there has been such a push to do workouts that involve the whole body and incorporate lifts that mirror manual labor. This is one reason that the 300 workout is so effective. It gets the whole body involved and builds those great connecting muscles and ligaments. One should definitely look for these types of workouts, but also include some serious stretching into a routine. I have noticed that I am able to work core muscles more effectively and the definition is better than doing normal core lifts alone. Also I have an old hamstring injury that will flare up every year, it seems. After our 30min stretch we did sprints and running exercises and I did not feel the hamstring once. I noticed that by taking the time to do an effective stretch, I felt no pain, but a good burn in my legs that I have not been able to have, based on not wanting to pull the muscle. In short take the time to do a stretch before the workout, but it is also just as important to do a light stretch after the workout. Also include one day in a week were you stretch for a long period of time and really work those connecting muscles, joints, and ligaments. We hope that everyone has a safe and enjoyable Easter weekend. Go and enjoy the beautiful outdoors that we are all lucky to have.

Hail to the 300 workout

Scott Schwab

Since the movie 300 came out, everyone has been in a craze to get the body of a spartan. Naturally some of us thought if we hit the gym hard and did our own type of a workout, we could obtain Spartan status. Unfortunately, the type of training and workouts that they did was intense to say the least. I also want to point out that this was there job and for 6 months they worked out in excess of 6 hours a day. If you had trainers, cooks, and nutritionists, you could do the same. However, we have to work with the time we have and the resources given to us. With that said, there have been very clever attempts to get this workout into the hands of the public. The workout is genius for muscle confusion, and getting the whole body working together for the purpose to get ripped. I attempted my first try with the workout on Wednesday. I am here to tell you that it kicked my butt. I will also admit that we were doing a lesser version, known as the 150 workout. Incredible! The short bursts and continuous cycle was nothing short of a solders regiment. I am not kidding when I say it is one of the most difficult workouts that I have done. I am feeling the effects today, being Thursday and it that good soreness that you know is really working your body. Also I noticed the burn that feels so good and provides the energy for the day. As I talked about before with getting proper sleep and setting a schedule; last night at about 10:30 I was ready to get some sleep and had no other choice but to surrender to the will of my pillow. It was hard to get up at 6:30 today, but I am starting my new habit. I am not saying that this is the schedule for you. What I am saying is make a schedule and when you do your workout; morning or night, make sure you work yourself to a light exhaustion. That way when it is time for sleeping, your body is ready to shut down and sleep. So with this post in mind, each of you can research the 300 workout and try it, or adjust it to fit you. There are many places that you can find what the workout is, but I went to Mens Health to read and learn more. Here is the link: http://www.menshealth.com/cda/article.do?site=MensHealth&channel=fitness&category=workout.plans&conitem=5e1790ecab7e1110VgnVCM20000012281eac____

Cooking your food and nutrients

Scott Schwab

Today I wanted to write on a topic that everyone of us does and needs to reduce. I decided to do some research to back up what I will be speaking about today. The microwave oven was a bi-product of research in the 40's with radar research using magnetron's. It actually was a mistake and stumbled upon by a Dr. Percy LeBaron Spencer. The first commercial sales of the microwave oven actually started in 67. The Microwave didn't become the thing to have until the 70's though. So now we are in the year 2009. The power and efficiency of the microwave continues to be improved and the aesthetic appeal is improved as well. However, lets talk about the power that is being generated by one of these incredible machines. I don't know if I could explain the scientific side of things even if I took a class and studied just the microwave power for a semester. This is why I have attached an article that I believe is very good and walks through the steps. It is a great article and also a site that has great information about health and living better. Essentially what happens as food is being cooked in the microwave; is the molecules are being bounced off of each other rapidly. This creates heat within the solid object, (i.e your food). The problem though, is as you heat up your food faster and faster, you are loosing valuable nutrients, antioxidants, and proteins. It is known that the more raw you can eat your food the better. However, cooking your food is something that is needed and part of our lives. Furthermore, the time that we take to cook foods and have meals is limited, thus making microwaves more useful. Here are some suggestions to get more out of your food, give you more energy, and receive the proper nutrients that you are expecting from your meals. The more nutrients, antioxidants, and proteins that you receive from your food, the more energy you will have for your days and weeks. The more you have energy, obviously the more productive you will be and more opportunities you will have to workout and live a healthier life. If when cooking with a microwave, cook on a low heat. If you must use a microwave, you must use the lowest heat possible. The final suggestion added is something that is being advertised more and more. With the harmful chemicals that are in plastics, much of these toxins are entering into your food. Cook on a glass plate, or paper towel. We don't know all of the harmful things that cooking food on plastic create. The thing that is for sure, is that these toxins have agents known to break down the immune system, and have cancer causing agents. Lets vow to live longer and healthier lives. This is only one part to the puzzle. The biggest piece has to be a workout schedule and healthy diet. Do it for yourself, your friends, family, loved ones, whomever; just do it!

http://www.naturalnews.com/022015.html

Toned and sexy legs

Scott Schwab

Many people right now are engaged in the tedious process of getting their beach bodies. When I am at the store in line or read online popular health magazines; the main focus is getting ready for the summer. Having great legs starts with the calf muscles. The best way to work them is doing calf raises with weights in your hands. Another great workout is to do step ups on a bench but focus on just stepping up just on the front part of your feet with a burst up on your tip toes with each step. Make sure you have light weight so you don't fall of the bench. Another suggestion is just to do step ups with your foot flat on the bench. This will ensure that you are working the hamstrings and buttocks. Remember 10 reps and 4 cycles. These two separate exercises can be done on different days, like a tues and thurs. Depending upon how hard you work the calf muscles you may be able to work them both days equally but lighter. My last two suggestions will come in the way of jumping and sprinting. I have talked about sprinting before, but I wanted to touch on jumping. Van Halen had a hit dedicated to the singular form of jumping that might be able to pump you up in the midst of your workout. Likely not, but you need to do things that will elongate your calf muscles and give those nice lines on the calf's and the thighs. Those lines are partly due to activity, but can be obtained by an increase and focus on leg exercises. So like before you need to stand shoulder width apart and jump as high as you can, reaching for the sky, ten times and again 4 cycles. The next exercise is to jump sideways 20 yards and back the opposite direction 20 yards. Again this should be done with the idea of 4 cycles. The final exercise is to jump as you are running with each step. Drive as you take each step into a jump, and push yourself 50 yards or more. It would also be valuable to get into the habit of running stairs, jumping with each step going up the stairs. Try this for a month a let me know what you think. It is important to do these 2 times a week and also work in running over 30 minutes in one of the days. It is important to know your body and start slow. If you are already working out, work in squats and lunges for one of the days. The best idea is to have a combination of all exercises for your legs.

America the Beautiful

Francis William Arellano

American disagrees about a lot of things, but we rarely quarrel when it comes to our food. For a nation built on grand democratic virtues, there is still nothing that defines us quite like our love of chow time. We have plenty of reasons to fetish our food-not the least being that we’ve always had so much of it. Is it any wonder that what might be our most evocative patriotic song is “America the Beautiful,” in which an ideal like brotherhood doesn’t even get mentioned until the second-to-last line, well after rhapsodic references to waves of grain and fruited planes. The song defines of what it means to succeed and a big part of that is access to an environment in which there is a lot of food to be consumed. The problem is, all those calories come at a big price. In 1900 the average weight of college-age male in the US was 133 lb (60kg); the average woman was 122 lb(55kg). By the year 2000, men had plumped up to 166 lb (75kg) and woman to 144 lb (65kg).
Humans, like most animals are hardwired not just to eat but to gorge. “We’re not only programmed to eat a lot,” says Sharman Apt Russell, author of Hunger: An Unnatural History, “but to prefer foods that are high in calories.” To eliminate the problem of obesity among our youth and in America we have to make a stand to not gorge ourselves on every garbage food that comes in our way. Stop the temptation and devote a healthy diet that you can create and sustain a healthy lifestyle.
Till next time, Good Morning Good Evening And Good Night!

Motivational Quote

Scott Schwab
We have decided to start a new idea for Sundays. Instead of leaving a post, we will leave a motivational quote and introduce a guest blogger for Monday. Today's quote comes from the book; Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. "Every adversity, every failure, and every heartache carries with it the seed of an equivalent or a greater Benefit." This is a great quote because my personal belief is the opportunity is failure inside out. Fear is the opposite of faith and it takes faith to do anything in life.
I wanted to also introduce our guest blogger for tomorrow. His name is Francis Arellano. Besides being a State wrestler in High School, he also obtained various honors in Football. He continues to work his mind and body to always be his best. He spends many hours a week working on his balance of health and the application of what he reads. Please welcome a good friend and confidant, Francis Arellano.

Gretchen Cheney

Before I became a mom staying in shape was just a matter of routine for me. When I got up in the morning the first thing I did was either go to the gym or go for a run. It was the perfect start to my day. Of course it wasn’t always easy finding the motivation (my husband helped me out with that), but I always felt so good afterward. After a few months of this routine I couldn’t imagine not working out in the morning. It was almost like sleep for me—I needed it to have energy for my day. This routine helped me have a wonderfully easy pregnancy, delivery and recovery when I had my son. I credit all my success in birthing to my daily exercise.
Since I’ve had my baby it’s been another story...my life seems much more hectic and I have been finding it hard to make the time to exercise. At first it was mainly because I was so tired in the morning that I would have to take a nap instead of working out, then the weather was an issue (too cold to run outside and what would I do with Carter at the gym?) and my husband was so busy at school that he wasn’t much help. So my daily exercise routine turned into maybe once or twice a week if I was lucky!!! Not only was exercise going down the tubes, but eating habits as well. I use to be able to control what I ate really well because I brought my lunch and snacks to work with me—I had a limit to what I could eat because I could only eat what I brought with me. Now that I’m home whenever I get bored, I head to the kitchen! Something had to change. I could tell a huge difference in myself without exercise--less energy, less muscle, less confidence. I was starting to feel like such a slob. So, I haven’t TOTALLY fixed the problem, but I have found a few things that I can do with my baby that help me get through the day even if I can’t go for a run or go to the gym:
Dance
My little guy loves music and he loves to dance with me. After dancing with him for awhile one day I realized that I was really winded. So, when I know I am probably not going to make it to the gym I have a dance party with my son! I put on some fun music and we get jiggy. Carter thinks it’s hilarious to watch my crazy dance moves and I always make sure to throw in some jumping jacks and other aerobic moves in there. It’s really fun and I am always sweating afterwards.
Stairs
We have a set of stairs in our house that really come in handy for a little bit of aerobic stimulation. During the day I’ll run stairs either with Carter or when he takes his nap. Carter has a bit of an obsession with going up and down the stairs so since I am on the stairs so much anyway I try to throw in a few sets of calf raises in there!
Commercial Breaks
I have a few shows that I watch every week--The Bachelor and The Biggest Loser among them….I feel guilty and slovenly when I watch T.V, so I’ve made a deal with myself: NO Sitting during commercials. During commercial breaks I do my ab workout. This makes me feel better about watching TV.
Snacks
I realized that I need a structure to my eating habits or else I eat junk all day. Since I am feeding Carter little snacks every couple of hours I’ve made it a habit to eat when Carter eats. Of course I only feed Carter healthy snacks so I end up eating several small, healthy meals. It works out great!
Human Weights
Carter is the perfect size to double as my little weight machine; he climbs on my back while I do push-ups and I do bicep curls with him in my arms. He has fun and I build muscle; it’s a win-win.

None of these things can totally replace the value of actually going to the gym or taking a good long run, but it’s better than nothing! I am still trying to find the balance in my life between being a good mom and taking care of myself too. I am finding that the better I feel about myself and my body the more energy I have and the better mom I am—I need to remember that!

The value of the sprint

Scott Schwab

The other day I had spoken about a legs workout that included sprinting in the regiment. I want to revisit the discussion and point out some of the benefits to sprinting. I think in many of our minds, once we are out of athletics formally; it is time to hang up the towel and stick strictly to a moderately difficult workout to an easy workout. Participants lift a little bit, tinker around with different exercises, and eventually lose interest and the gym is an after thought at best. We have pointed out many times through posts that you must be doing something that you enjoy, be consistent, and mix things up for mental sanity and muscle confusion. This being the key, start doing the things that you used to do back in the day(whatever that day is), or have seen others do and enjoy. I used to detest sprinting; partly due to that being a punishment in athletics for being late, talking, mistakes, etc. As I exited my sporting career I used to laugh and say, "sprinting, yeah if someone was chasing me or if I had a ball", then I would give the little laugh that you find at times in a country club setting. Not funny. Anyway, I started to look into the benefits of sprinting and doing more cardio. The bursts of speed and exertion get the heart going unlike long distance running does. This being said it is important to first warm up so you don't pull a hammy and your out for the season coach. Truth is, sprinting adds stamina, heart strength, leg power and strength, and muscle confusion. Doing a set of ladders, sprinting a forty, or mixing your speeds as you are going on a long distance run, will do more for you then spending hours on the weights. Weights have purpose, however; adding sprints to your workout will give you an edge that you will see in all areas of your life. It also gives you balance that will give you the overall health and body we are all looking for. When on a long distance run, choose a road sign, park bench, whatever, and sprint to it. Keep your run going at the pace that you were comfortable with. Also try intervals of 75% and others. This may not work for you if you are marathoning, but I can tell you that the benefits will take you to a level that you enjoy your workouts more and get the maximum time out of your gym experience.