Will Power Elite » fruit

Got Friend? Got Motivation!

Will Power Elite — Sat, 27 Oct 2012 01:20:45 +0000

As we struggle to manage our busy lives, it’s important to keep up your exercising as a means of stress relief. If you were to survey people about some of the reasons they have difficulty staying consistent with their fitness programs; I could just about guarantee, one if the biggest reasons would be the lack of motivation. Personally, I find it easier to stay motivated when I work out with a partner or a group. It works well when I have someone there counting on me to keep them accountable, as well as to keep me on task.

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!

Grow to Appreciate Sleep

Will Power Elite — Sat, 29 Sep 2012 01:00:53 +0000

Over the years, I’ve really grown to appreciate the benefits of a good night’s sleep. When I am fully rested the world seems a little brighter, I feel more upbeat and ready to embrace the day. Good sleep makes it easier to getting things done the next day. I have also noticed when I don’t get enough sleep, it feels like my body and mind struggle to recover and can even react in very strange ways. I remember the first and last time I worked a sixteen hour shift. I was just out of high school working as a guard at a food manufacturing plant here in Oakland. I remember being so tired the last 2 hours of my 16 hour shift that, I was hallucinating! It had been a long, windy day and I was finishing up my rounds. The wind was blowing hard and I spotted something that look like a seagull flying low to the ground. However when it got near me it was just newspaper floating in the wind. After that I decided to never go that long without sleep again if could help it! That lasted maybe two years, until I was in my second year in college. I was on the forensics team and early one Saturday morning we were scheduled to have a debate. It was my first one and I was nervous. I had been up studying my argument until the wee hours of the morning and was exhausted. In spite of that, my team needed me to show up and perform, so I did. Unfortunately on the drive home, about 3 blocks from my house, I fell asleep at the wheel and totaled my car. I was lucky to be ok, but the moral of the story is: get sleep and plenty of it. Your body and mind will operate better, work faster and you will get more things done when you’re well rested.

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

If The Shoe Fits

Will Power Elite — Sat, 15 Sep 2012 01:04:28 +0000

Today I decided to blog about one of my favorite things to buy…running shoes. I would say on average most people have about least 2 to 3 pairs of running shoes, however I have at least 40 pairs! I know that’s a little excessive, but I do love how a great pair of running shoes feel on my feet…and yes, I really have that many or maybe more…lol. Running has become more popular now days and there are a huge variety of shoe colors, fit, and styles in the marketplace.

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

Chile-Lime Marinated Chicken Breast

Will Power Elite — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 17:37:57 +0000

Hey it’s recipe time… Chicken is a great way to incorporate protein in your daily diet; a 6 oz. chicken breast has about 32 grams of protein. However I sometimes get tired of plain old chicken, if you’re like me sometimes you need a little variety. Hopefully this marinated chicken breast will spice-up the chicken breast in your life! This recipe is really easy to follow, try it and let me know how it tastes.

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

What Happened to the Taste!

Will Power Elite — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 19:24:26 +0000

Almost a year ago a friend and I were having a conversation about how fruit tasted when we were young. In this discussion we were making a comparison of the taste, size and color of the fruit that we remember from growing up. We came to the conclusion that while the fruits are bigger and the colors brighter, the taste isn’t as delightful as they were in the past. Nowadays, it has become more difficult to find fruits that are naturally sweet and rich in nutrients. Just recently I went to the grocery store to grab some fruit, but was disappointed in the taste. The mangos were not sweet, apples too soft and the oranges dry. I decided to test the quality of the nutrients in the oranges and the results were shocking. They scored D!

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:

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