Eating a healthy breakfast- Oh so important!

            Breakfast is truly the most important meal of the day!  Studies show that eating a healthy breakfast goes hand in hand with boosting your metabolism and energy for the day.  It also reduces your chances of obesity.  Breakfast should be our number one priority to getting our bodies ready for the day.  This may require changing up our morning routines, but the benefits to doing so will definitely outweigh any efforts towards this change.  As so many of us are on-the-go, we can easily make healthy choices that do not take up much extra time at all.  In fact, all we need to do is plan ahead and be prepared for this first meal of the day.

           Look, you don’t have to eat like an undersized sumo wrestler; a healthy breakfast should include both fiber and protein.  You can get your fiber source from items such as fruits, grains, oats, and vegetables. Your protein source can come from eggs, dairy, and low-fat meats. 

So back to the planning ahead concept, place some blueberries in separate baggies and freeze them so you can grab and go, for example. You can also boil eggs and refrigerate for the week to also grab and go.  A hard- boiled egg and a handful of blueberries would be an excellent breakfast source for the morning.  Other options include oatmeal with a few raspberries, fruit and grain bar, or yogurt with fruit in it!

            Let breakfast become one of your first steps in changing up your eating habits throughout the day. This meal will set the tone for how you approach the rest of your meals of the day.  I know we are all looking for that added energy and metabolism boost, and this is just one simple step to push your body in the right direction.

Krisi Hill, CPT

Ladies and gentlemen, over the past decade performance enhancing supplements have been everywhere in the news.  Everything from steroids, Human Growth Hormone (HGH), andro, and yes even protein.  Most of what you have seen on television and/or read in the newspaper has pertained to the use of these supplements by professional athletes.  Those same athletes to which your children may idolize and aspire to be like.  In today’s day and age these high profile athletes are paid “TOP DOLLAR” to perform at levels at which most of us could not even begin to fathom.  Don’t get me wrong, I am not condoning that what they have admitted to and are being accused of taking was right or fair by any means, actually I am all for the penalties that are being distributed to those players who have been caught.  The point I am trying to get across is that these individuals who are put in this spotlight can only shine until their light burns out, and that is pressure that no teenager should ever have to endure which leads me to my main reason for this blog. 

Nowadays you see younger and younger kids looking for that so called “edge” that next level, whether it be their parents pushing them towards something they might not be able to achieve on their own or maybe it’s all of the specialization in sports that has become so popular lately.  Whatever the case, teenagers should never have to reach for performance enhancing drugs in order to get the “step up” on the competition; for one their bodies are still growing and the supplementation can have adverse affects on their body and more than likely the teenager has no idea what he or she is putting into his/her body due to lack of research and overall knowledge.

However, there are supplements that are permissible for teens to take while their bodies are still developing that will promote positive growth without abnormal side affects.  But the only supplements that I can recommend for your teenager to even consider taking are a good multi-vitamin and a protein supplement if they aren’t getting enough nutrients in their diet. “Sports supplements haven’t been tested on teens and kids. But studies on adults show that the claims of many supplements are weak at best. Most won’t make you any stronger, and none will make you any faster or more skillful.”  And then it all boils down the the caliber of athlete that they are and whether or not they have the “drive from within” to achieve their goals as an athlete.  

You probably have seen in magazines and online how if you buy this product you will cause strength increases up to 450%.  Come On!  Really!  Folks what I am trying to say is don’t believe everything you read or see in a magazine, all of the advertisements are merely sales gimmicks to one up the competition.  If you have ever read any articles regarding the research done while testing a new performance enhancing supplement, what you will see are numbers that few people, if anybody, could ever reach.  Usually, these research groups select a number of participants and set them as a control group, a test group and a placebo group.  If you are paying attention, the majority of the time you will see that the placebo group will have remarkable gains as well as the test group, because neither group knows which is which and their minds are persuaded to think that what they are taking is the real deal.  So when you see the results and notice that the placebo may have possibly worked just as well you may begin to wonder, is it all just a state of mind? Or is the supplement actually working?  You Be the judge!  

Take into consideration, when you take a substance that is prohibited not only are you cheating yourself but you are cheating all of those whom you compete with and all of those (ie: younger siblings) who look up to you as a role model.  So teenagers and parents alike, find out everything you possibly can about what it is that you are allowing your son or daughter to put in their bodies only to gain what may be a minor temporary “edge.”

Guest Blog Written By: Derek Hummel

Frustrated?  Like most Americans I’m sure you’ve tried every possible training gimmick, fad diet, popped several pills that promised you results only to be left in the same situation you started in.

If that is the case? I’ve got great news.  I am about to reveal to you a few of my own personal fat shredding methods.

First, I want to say I know how much people dread working their legs, believe me I’ve been there.  I was the guy in the gym with the toothpick legs with an average upper body.  I was looking for better results and I couldnt figure out what I was doing wrong. 

Then I started lifting legs and I’ll tell you, it had been years since I last lifted my legs.  The next couple of days were miserable, walking was difficult and stairs seemed impossible, but I stuck with it.  I began noticing results I’d never experienced.  I began to notice my upper body was gaining size but most of all I was getting cut up like you wouldnt believe!

The fat seemed to be melting off and my AB’s, MAN!  I noticed lines  I never knew existed.  I was AMAZED!

Here are a few simple yet incredible leg workouts: DB squats, walking lunges(forward, backward, and lateral) and reverse leg curls on a physio-ball

Fun Fact: Did you know that by strength training your legs you increase your metabolism output for up to 24 hours after your workout?

Next, Eat!  Right now your probably like What? Eat? I eat all the time. 

That’s probably so, but are you eating correctly?  Most people get 2 maybe 3 meals in in a day.  Unfortunately, the 2 meals that you do get in, probably do not include breakfast.  Breakfast is the single most important meal of the day, it is the meal that jump-starts your metabolism.  After getting in a hearty breakfast you should try and eat something at least every two hours.  However still maintaining your 3 main meals. 

Right now you’re probably thinking how am I suppose to eat every two hours if right now I can barely get 2 meals in now?  The answer is simple.  Start by purchasing foods that can be transported easily and that are easy to put together.  (example: tuna packets, kashi bars, fruit, etc.)  All of these can be easily taken with you to work or school and can be eaten as a snack to help keep that metabolism pumpin’! 

“The key is to eat less more often”, and train yourself to get away from the “more less often” way of eating.  By keeping the metabolism cranked up by eating less more often, you will begin to notice that you will have more energy throughout the day and you will soon begin to notice results.

And last but certainly not least, Protein!  This is a huge part of my diet as it should be yours.  Protein helps to convert unwanted fats into lean muscle that allows for that toned sculpted shape you’ve been looking for. 

The human body can absorb a gram to a gram and a half of protein per pound of body weight.  You’re probably wondering how am I suppose to get that much protein in me in a day?  Do I have to drink protein shakes all day?  NO!  Some of the best sources of proteins come from animals: eggs, chicken, and fish are all great sources of protein. 

By following these secrets I have provided for you, you should be well on your way to that leaner, fitter, more sculpted body you’ve been looking for.  Enjoy!

Guest written By Derek Hummel

I recently read an article about a company that falsely promoted its product as “healthy,” when it in fact, was no more healthy than its counterpart the “soft-drink.” (Vitamin Water Law Suit) 

People these days already have a tough enough time trying to live healthier lifestyles.  Now, we have the very companies that are advocating a healthier lifestyle, deceiving those same people with false advertising.   Saying that their product is “this” and their product is “that”, when in fact, it is no better for you than drinking that “soda pop”  you’ve been craving all day. 

I just visited the Vitamin Water website and it is a dazzling website and it is full of all sorts of information, which is what comsumers look for when searching  for a product.  The website told me about all the big words they put in the bottle and some of their logic behind each flavor but not anywhere did they mention how this product could be a contributing factor to Type II Diabetes. VitaminWater feels it is necessary to market thier product as a healthy alternative to soft drinks, stating the health benefits include reducing the risk of certain diseases, promoting healthy joints, and supporting  healthy immune function.   All of which comes at the cost of 33 grams of sugar in each bottle.

Wouldn’t you as a health conscious consumer want know, that what you were about to put into your body could be potentially harmful to your health.  The company that started Vitamen Water has been trying to “punk” you and what’s even funnier is that they are a soft drink company (Coca – Cola).  I just wanted to make sure you knew about it before you went and wasted your money!  If you are an advocate for this vitamin product then I suggest you find something else!

One of my Favorite shows is CSI, you can guarantee I have seen almost every episode.  One reason I got into the show was because when I lived in Las Vegas for a short stint the local authorities told me that many of their shows were loosely based on actual crimes that had happened in Las Vegas.  Kind of scary huh?

More then anything the show just captivates me on how each clue is connected to the crime.   The littlest thing that I would have missed, they found it.  Yes, I know it is often far fetched but you have to admit that it is very interesting.   Let the truth be known that I would be a terrible CSI agent, the bad guy would always get away with murder.   But if there was ever a NSI (Nutritional Scene Investigator) then I would be the right man for the job. Nutrition unlike crime is very easy to solve, it’s all about the clues.  The difference with nutrition is there really aren’t any clues, instead it’s more like dead giveaways.

Let me give you my four dead giveaway clues to nutritional success.  The next time you go to the grocery store write these on the top of your grocery list, it will make you more conscious about the foods you choose to eat.

1.  Who made it?  If it’s “man made” then you need to investigate the ingredients.  There is a good chance it is processed.

2.  Make sure it says 100% whole grain.  Compare the complex carbohydrates to the sugar content.   You want to look at the carbohydrate to sugar ratio.   If they are both equal or the sugar is higher then there is a good chance it is not 100% whole grain.  Good carbohydrates have nearly no surgars at all and are generally higher in fiber.

3.  Protein:  Compare the protein content to the fat content on every item(you are looking for high protein and low fat, you want lean meat not lean fat, right?).  You must make sure your protein is high and the fat is low, if it’s not at least 90% lean put it back (this goes for all protein not just beef). Remember, the higher the fat the higher the calories.

4.  Frozen is only good for fruits and vegetables.  I love frozen fruit and vegi’s because they keep longer and still retain their nutritional value.  Generally anything else in that isle is going to be high in sodium and/or fat.  Know what you are going into the frozen section for and then get out, if you don’t you may be surprised at how tempting it can really be.  

Happy Shopping, and remember to think healthy!