Years ago at the height of my track and field training, it was essential to have training partners to draw strength from; especially on those 200 meter interval days. Although I loved the 200m as a race, as a workout … well…let’s just say I would rather run 10 miles!  It helped to know, we were all in it together, that we were all hurting, tired and ready to pass out. Just the knowledge of knowing that I was not alone in the fight to make my body do what I needed it to do, gave me the energy to endure the workouts.

Now like then, consistency is the most senior of importance to staying fit, fast and strong. I do my exercises with proper form and sometimes when it becomes difficult, having a workout partner can help me get through my most intense workouts. Knowing that I’m not the only person feeling the pain makes it a little bit easier to bear. When choosing a workout partner, pick someone that keeps you on task, helps you stay motived, challenge you, and most of all, makes it fun!

Here the Top 10 Health Benefits of a Good Night’s Sleep By Mark Stibich, Ph.D

1. Sleep Keeps Your Heart Healthy

2. Sleep May Prevent Cancer

3. Sleep Reduces Stress

4. Sleep Reduces Inflammation

5. Sleep Makes You More Alert

6. Sleep Bolsters Your Memory

7. Sleep May Help You Lose Weight

8. Naps Make You Smarter

9. Sleep May Reduce Your Risk for Depression

10. Sleep Helps the Body Make Repairs

I choose a great pair of running shoes by testing the fit and style of them. Because I have narrow, almost flat feet I don’t just run in anything.  I prefer to wear a shoe that is formed in the same manner as my foot. The shoes that I most often run in are my Nike (LunarSpider) racing flats or my Adidas marathon 10′s. Those of you who are looking for new running shoes I have a couple of recommendations for shoe shopping.  It is important to try on different brands and styles to determine what works best for your foot and running style.

My favorite running shoe list:

Nike LunarSpider
Adidas Marathon
Merrell Sonic Glove
Nike Free Run
New Balance Minimus

6oz chicken breast, trimmed and ready to cook

1 tsp. chili paste

2 tbsp. fresh lime juice

½ tsp. olive oil

1 clove garlic

1 tbsp. cilantro

1 pinch black pepper

• Zest lime and place into blender. Add garlic, cilantro, olive oil and chili paste, blend until smooth adding just enough water to help puree
• Make slits in chicken breast to allow marinade to permeate, and pour over breast.
• Marinate for ½ hour minimum, grill or roast in 400 degree pre-heated oven for 10 minutes, until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.

Slice and serve

As I was thinking about how to approach the subject, I started to recall a time about eight years ago when I was training for the chance to make the U.S. Olympic team; at the time I kept a rigorous training schedule. Running on the track five days a week and doing weight training four days a week. I had to consume lots of calories and drink tons of water to keep myself energized and recovered for the next work out.  Being properly hydrated became very vital to my training. I remember once, after several days of training in 90 degree weather sweating and not replenishing the fluid loss; I had a crazy abdominal cramping episode. This is what happened: At the end of the 150 meter run, I bent over with exhaustion. After about 60 seconds rest, I started making my way back to my coach and I felt a little dizzy so I kneeled down to pull myself together. However this time I was seeing stars, and all of a sudden my abs cramped up like crazy. Next thing I can remember is being curled up in the fetal position on the track rolling around in pain like a 3rd grade boy that was just punched in the stomach by a bully named Dehydration.…. From that point on, I had a better appreciation of the importance of staying hydrated.

Water is one of the most precious resources we have on the planet. In fact about 60% of the body’s weight is made up from water. When we break down the water the content in the body, we find that our brains are made up of 74% water, the blood in our body’s have 83% water, our muscles hold 75% water, and our bones contain 22% water. Water has been known to rejuvenate, replenish, and energize the body. From my own personal experience I can say that being properly hydrated makes a difference in how I feel. What I have noticed is that when I drink enough water daily, I am more energized throughout the day. I’m more focused, my skin doesn’t feel dry and when I working out, I recover faster and perform better.

Dehydration can cause serious health issues. Being just 1%-2% dehydrated can disrupt normal physical and mental functions. Being 15% dehydrated can be deadly, without water a person can only survive a few days. Water is a key factor in organ function, and transporting nutrients to cells. Water is crucial in eliminating toxins from the body. It is essential for perspiration, urination and bowel movements and is critical for many other functions of the body.

My suggestion is to drink more water daily and to be sure to replenish the fluid lost during exercise. You can calculate how much water your body needs daily on this

Website: www.nutrition.about.com/library/blwatercalculator.htm

Just like any other day, I settled in my regular area by the drink pick up counter. As I sat there watching people coming in to Starbucks to get coffee, I noticed one thing that a vast majority of people had in common: excess belly fat. It didn’t matter if they were taller, shorter, and bigger or smaller… belly fat seemed to be winning the fight.

Most people that I speak with about their fitness goals are very concerned about getting rid of their stomach; some of them go as far as surgery to lose belly fat. However there are effective, non-surgical ways to cut belly fat. Before I give you tips to getting a flatter stomach, understand that spot training the body is not the most effective way to get rid of belly fat. We all have abdominal muscles, and yes we do need to train them, however what’s the point of doing the work if you can’t see them because they are buried by fat? The “ENEMY” here is the “Belly Fat “period… so we need to “ATTACK” the fat through diet, exercise and lifestyle.

Here are some tips to help in the overall reduction of body fat and to show off the hard work you put in on your abs!

1: Don’t Drink Alcohol: Its toxic, poison, with unhealthy empty calories

2: Stop Stressing: Because stress causes an increase in cortisol, visceral fat and emotional overeating

3: Stay Away from Trans Fat: It increases the risk for heart disease, raises cholesterol and clogs up arteries

4: Eat More Fruits and Vegetables: They are a good source of healthy fiber and nutrients and are low in calories

5: Exercise Intensely: Exercising at least 3-4 times a week will burn calories and add lean muscle mass

6: Get Sleep: Getting at least 6-10 hours of sleep a night according to researchers helps to lower cortisol in the body

Certainly there are more things that can be done to reduce overall body fat, but these tips will give you an idea on where to start.

I came up with this information by using an instrument that a friend of mine located during our search for answers on how to measure the nutrients in produce. I used two things, the Brix chart and an instrument called the “Refractometer” .What is the Brix? It is the measure of the richness of the juice of fresh raw produce and the Refractometer is the tool used to get your reading. If you want to learn more about the Brix and Refractometer, checkout this website:highbrixgardens.com

To test the orange I used the following procedure:

1. Cut the orange in half.
2. Extracted the juice from one half of the orange into a clean glass
3. Cleaned the Daylight plate and main prism of the Refractometer
4. Let the Daylight plate and main prism air dry for 30 seconds
5. Looked directly through the Refractometer in the direction of the light source to focus the eyepiece and clearly see the graduations
6. Used my dropper to extract orange juice from the glass
7. Dropped about two drops of juice in to the main prism, close the daylight plate and checked the reading.
8. Referred to Brix Chart to check score

The Orange scored a 6 which is Poor (letter grade D), according to the Brix chart (Excellent score 20, Good 16 and Average 10). Why this is important?

Well as you know the body needs nutrients to perform its functions properly. Likewise the best way to get nutrients is from the foods we eat. So when I spend my hard earned money on produce I expect to get nutrients from them. The test brings up a number of questions…. Could it be that all of the produce in the grocery stores are low grade produce? Are the produce at the farmers markets more nutrient dense? I will continue to look into this topic and let you know the results…until then….to be continued.
P.S. If you are interested in this, I would recommend getting yourself a Refractometer to test your produce. I am sure you will see the benefits in knowing what grades of nutrients are in your food. It’s best to look into it yourself, don’t just take my word for it.

Avocado…I love it, and if you love it like I do then you will really enjoy this salad. Avocados are full of good heart-healthy monounsaturated fat. Between me and you, I sometimes eat two avocados by themselves with dinner! I am not sure if you knew this already, but avocados have been known to help lower cholesterol. Some say that if your cholesterol levels are high it can lead to the production of hormones that cause the abdomen to store fat. Likewise by eating the fruit avocado one can actually help reduce belly fat by lowering cholesterol levels there by avoiding production of the hormone cortisol, which contributes to belly fat. This salad is a great way incorporate healthy fats into your diet. Enjoy!

Avocado Salad

1 Avocado, sliced

2 Large handfuls of mixed greens, spinach, arugula, watercress

½ Small onion

2 Tomatoes

1 Tablespoon sunflower seeds

1 Tablespoon pumpkin seeds

Dressing:

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 Tsp apple cider vinegar

1 Small garlic clove, finely chopped

Celtic sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Put the ingredients for the dressing in a large salad bowl and add the mixed greens, onion and tomatoes and avocado.  Toss the salad in the dressing and sprinkle with seeds.

Optional: Add your favorite protein such as chicken, turkey or salmon to make a complete meal.

1. P.Y.T(Pretty Young Thing) – Michael Jackson
2. You Rock My World – Michael Jackson
3. Roses – Outkast
4. Muscle Cars – E-40
5. Hello Good Morning (Remix) – Dirty Money feat. Rick Ross & T.I.

It’s been about six weeks since I’ve posted a workout on the blog. Today will be a leg only workout. For this one, fast pace is the name of the game, why… because, through this type of training one can get the maximum benefit in a minimal amount of time.  If it was me, I’d set a watch for 30 minutes to complete this work out however, it should only take 45 minutes max. As a rule, during the workout, I take no longer than 30 seconds rest between each rep & set, challenge yourself to do the same

It is very important to take a minimum of 10 minutes for jogging or speed walking for your warm up. Sweating is the goal (if you aren’t sweating, you’re not warm) This workout is designed to be a heavy lifting day, so be sure to use the heaviest weight that you can handle without sacrificing technique .Please be sure to use proper form at all times. Good luck, and let me know how it goes!

Leg Only Workout:                                              Muscles Used:

Deadlifts 2x 8-10                         Gluteus Maximus, Hamstrings, Low Back

Squats     2x 8-10                          Gluteus Maximus, Gluteus Medius, Hamstrings, Quadriceps

Leg Press 2x 8-10                                            Quadriceps, Gluteus

Leg Curls 2x 8-10                                      Hamstrings, Gastrocnemius

Leg Extensions 2x 8-10                                       Quadriceps

Jump Squats 2 x 20 (body weight only)   Gluteus Maximus, Gluteus Medius, Hamstrings, Quadriceps,Calves