Saturday, May 5, 2018

Understanding The Purpose of Clean Eating

I'm pretty sure you have heard the term "Clean Eating" by now, if not then you probably have been absent from the social world because advertisement is flooding with that term. Over the last decade, there has been an emphasis on the importance of health and fitness. Clean eating is not a new concept, the way that it's marketed is probably the difference in today's society. As with any new marketing trends, I've found that I have been applying them all along. The term of Clean Eating takes me back in time to the year 2005. That was when I really got serious about changing my eat habits. Long and behold, that road was very challenging as I began to study foods, ingredients, and how things was made. I'm still studying and researching today because we live in an ever changing world.


The one thing that stayed consistent was my desire not to quit and to continue researching. So, I definitely went through a whole lot of trials and errors and I'm grateful for that. I know that we all want the benefits of a healthy body without going through sacrifices. Trust me, if I could have skipped that process, then I would have done it a long time ago. Unfortunately, that's not the way life works, right. I'm so thankful that their are people out there who decided to do something to help educate others about eating choices. At this current time, I'm reading 2 different books that have added some additional knowledge and insight to clean eating. Those books are by Dr. Ian Smith ( The Clean 20 ) and Laila Ali ( Food For Life ). I considered myself to have enough knowledge about nutrition and fitness but that does not exclude me from learning. I'm going to continue my journey in reading and researching because I know that I don't know it all. Plus, getting a different perspective or things to try helps me to create my eating habits.

I've learned that you cannot force people to change the way they eat. That approach will backfire every time. The individual will either want to do it or choose not to. Sometimes, people will encounter a health issue that may force them to change, but the choice is still theirs at the end of the day. Upon your research, you may come across a lot of misconception so please do not give up. You will have to pray for discernment and continue on your path of learning about clean eating. Being consistent in something will definitely change in your favor one day.


If you've found this information helpful, feel free to share it with your family, friends, and on your social media sites. Leave a comment or post your questions if you have any in the comment box below.

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog and I hope it blesses you in so many ways!

Follow and SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube channel by clicking on the link
below for relevant videos about workouts, nutrition, and fitness.

https://youtu.be/cVoKxTm8Ij8


Saturday, April 14, 2018

Understanding the Basics of Sodium





The million dollar question is what is the recommended amount of sodium should you consume daily.

According the Dietary Guidelines, anyone 14 years and older is recommended to intake less than 2,300 mg per day. Wait a minute, maybe my eyes are deceiving me. 2,300 mg? When I first came across that number, I thought maybe this website had it wrong. Then that number was consistent with a few other sites, I'd research. You think that's something. The number is lesser for those who have high blood pressure. People with high blood pressure are asked to keep their intake less than 1,500 mg per day.

So, if 2,300 mg per day is the recommended amount, why do some food companies add so much sodium in their foods? I just don't get it, then when I think about how it's all about the money; I understand. Not saying that I agree with it but I guess that's how it is right.

To put that recommended number in perspective, I'm going to list some foods that are high in sodium that you may or may not  know. That's why it's important to read and analyze food labels so you can know just how much you are getting.








Bagels - Some bagels can have as much as 460mg

Ramen Noodles - 1 little package packs about 1500mg or higher

Regular and Canned Soups - Depending on the brand, they can range from 300 - 900mg

Deli Meats

Vegetable Juice

Cereal - Most cereal ranges from 180 - 390mg of sodium per serving

Dairy Products


There's always an alternative and you need to be actively analyzing the back of food labels to pay close attention to the content, especially dealing with sodium.


According to reports, the average Americans consumes over 3,400 mg of sodium per day and men generally consume more compare to women. No wonder why it's difficult to get rid of that belly fat. Hint Hint Hint!!


If you've found this information helpful, feel free to share it with your family, friends, and on your social media sites. Leave a comment or post your questions if you have any in the comment box below.

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog and I hope it blesses you in so many ways!

Follow and SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube channel by clicking on the link
below for relevant videos about workouts, nutrition, and fitness.

https://youtu.be/cVoKxTm8Ij8

Thursday, September 28, 2017

Learning the importance of staying consistent and having discipline for working out


Before I dive into this blog topic, I would like to give a huge thanks to the United States Marine Corps for preparing and strengthening my mental capacity. Now, as I looked back on my past, I guess those sand fleas down in Paris Island finally paid off๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ‘.






Anyway, I would like to share with you all why you want to remain consistent and to develop some discipline to your workout plan. Whether you know it or not, there is a constant battle going on between your body and mind. If you do not focused on getting your mind on track, then you will delay any fitness goal you may have set. Why? I'm not really sure but I can tell you from experience that your body will follow what the mind does. Have you ever wonder how long does it takes your body to develop a new habit? There's a lot of debates out there and I've came across some results of 21 days, 1 month, and 6 weeks. As you can see, there is not a factual answer but the one thing that is evident is you must willingly make that choice. So, you have to be disciplined enough to stick to it and owned up to your decision. 


Stay consistent and do not be so quick to give up if you don't see results instantly. I've dealt with a lot of individuals who were motivated to start a new workout routine but decided to quit early because they was not seeing the expected result. I can relate somewhat so I try my best to encourage not to give up so easily. Think about how long it took for you to get to your current fitness level. For the majority, I guarantee that it didn't happened overnight. So, reaching your fitness goal will take some time. How long? Now, that depends on how determined and discipline you are. 


Developing discipline is a challenge within itself but it starts with the mind. Surrounding yourself with those who have similar goals could help you as well if you're unable to find a personal trainer. If you haven't found out by now, words are powerful and you can set yourself back in your goals if you keep speaking and doubting yourself.


If you want someone to take you serious, start off by being consistent. That can be applied in Life as well. I hope this blog post was just the material you needed not to give up on your goals. It will be a challenge, but the reward is worth it. 


If you've found this information helpful, feel free to share it on your social
media sites. Leave a comment or post your questions below if you have any. 

You can also follow and SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube channel by clicking on the link below for relevant videos about nutrition and fitness.

https://youtu.be/cVoKxTm8Ij8


Tuesday, August 15, 2017

A Few Reasons Why You Should Incorporate High Intensity Interval Training

High Intensity Interval Training has truly become one of my favorite and exhausting type of workout! Is it challenging? Absolutely! Is it worth it?
Absolutely! Should everyone being doing them? Absolutely! Unless there's some physical or medical limitations that prevents an individual from doing them. One of the main reasons I'd fell in love with them is because I'm reaping the benefits!๐Ÿ˜








High intensity workouts is ideal for those individuals who claim not to have time to go workout. Why? Because you can get an entire workout within 15 minutes or less depending on how hard you push yourself.

Now, I must take time to inform you of this important advice.


*BEFORE ATTEMPTING ANY TYPE OF HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING, CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR OR PHYSICIAN TO BE SURE YOUR BODY CAN HANDLE THAT TYPE OF WORKOUT.*

With high intensity, you will want to reach 85% of your maximum heart rate or as close to 85% as humanely possible. So, before reaching 85%, you will have to determine what your maximum heart rate is. The formula to use is 220 minus [ your age ]. For example, let's use a 40 year old adult. We will take 220 - 40 = 180. The adult maximum heart rate will be 180 beats per minute. Then, you must do the math to find out what 85% of 180 is. You can use a calculator to find out the result. So, in this scenario, 85% of 180 is 153. So the target range for the adult is 153 bpm (beats per minute). One awesome way to track your beats per minute is to invest into an activity tracker like fit-bit or any type of technology that has that capability.


Like I mentioned earlier, high intensity have taken over as my favorite type of exercise. Hit the play button on the video below to see 1 of my favorite combinations when doing a high intensity workout. At the same time, you can subscribe to my YouTube channel to see other high intensity and other workouts I enjoyed doing.





Before I end this topic, I will like to share a few of the benefits you can achieve doing high intensity workouts.




Burn More Fat & Calories

Don't Need Any Special Equipment

Increase Your Metabolism

Stimulate your HGH hormone



If you've found this information helpful, feel free to hit the like button, share this blog on your wall, and leave a comment or post your questions below if you have any. 


Friday, July 14, 2017

The Best Foods To Eat and Tone Up




Before I get started with this post, I have a confession to make! Finding the best foods to eat for toning can be challenging. One of the main reasons why is steered towards those of biased opinions. You will come across a lot of false information and false promises that will delay your process in finding the right foods. Even though I just made you aware, do not get discouraged as I will try and be as transparent as I can. We can all agree that our food industry is constantly changing. Prices have skyrocketed on certain foods and it is more expensive to get the best, fresh, and healthier foods.


One question you must ask yourself is, "How important is my health?" If you feel that it's one of your top priorities in life, then you will make no excuses in doing whatever is possible to achieve that. We all have that one thing in life that we're going to do no matter what. If you can somehow treat your health like that, then you will definitely progress.


I will reveal to you the most basic guideline you can follow when it comes to deciding what foods to consume for toning. Keep in mind that this is just basic and if you will like a more extensive guide, then you can grab a copy of my eBook from Amazon at the bottom of this blog post.


Basic Guideline


1. Eat foods that are high and have a good source of protein. Consuming more than 100 grams of protein a day is the range that you want to aim for. 20% or higher of your calorie intake should be from proteins as well. Here are some great examples of foods that are high in protein. Salmon, eggs, almonds, chicken breasts, turkey, oats, greek yogurt, tuna, and lean beef. There are plenty more of course, but I'm just keeping it at a basic level.

2. Eat more vegetables aka (veggies). As cliche as that may sound, it's hard to get to that toned level without them. I'm pretty sure you may run into that 1 individual who may have gotten lean without them. But for the majority of us, you will need them so please don't avoid them. All greens are great for toning and here are the best options. Spinach, celery, cabbage, collards, kale, lettuce, tomatoes, turnips, squash, and cucumbers. 

3. Fruits! You definitely cannot go wrong with fruits. Now, you do have to worry about the natural sugars that fruits produce but it's a better trade-off than foods with added sugars. So, stay away from fruits or any foods that have added sugar in them. Here are some great choices for fruit selection.
Watermelon, grapefruits, papaya, bananas, apples, and all berries ( strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, etc).

4.  Limit the amount of processed foods you consume. Choose whole foods instead that are very low in sodium and high in fiber. Low sodium range should be less than 500 mg a day. To put that in perspective, 1 teaspoon of salt contains about 2,300 mg of sodium. High fiber range for men should be anything over 38 grams a day. Women will be anything over 25 grams per day. This process will help to reduce bloating and water retention which hides your lean muscle. High fiber examples are vegetables, whole grain breads, nuts, any type of seeds, potatoes, and fruits. One thing to add to your memory bank, "Whole foods doesn't need ingredients listed on its nutritional content." That's one main difference when it comes to comparing it to processed foods. Processed foods means that ingredients were added to it.


5. If you consume alcoholic beverages, you really have to cut back on them. So, instead of
turning up, you need to do the opposite and turn down. Not necessarily cut them out entirely but for the sake of becoming lean, stay away from them until you're lean. Alcohol has a lot of uncounted calories and can quickly add up before your realize it. I can honestly say that when I cut out alcohol, I was able to really speed up my results.  I do from time to time have a beer or two or an occasional mixed drink, but I promise you it's not a weekly or monthly thing.


6. Until you get to your lean status, you should plan to eat at the same time every day. I know that can be challenging because we have to deal with life as anything can happen that can throw you off course. Aim for 3 weeks when you first start to see if it's something that you can commit to.


7. Be active and perform some type of exercise. Preferably high intensity exercises if your body can handle it. It's very rare to become toned and fit without exercise. How many people do you know have been blessed with that ability?


As much as I would like to give you more, this is just a basic guideline that you can follow to get on the right track. This process will be challenging but you're strong enough to overcome anything once you commit to it mentally. Now, you have the tools for you to get started. It's all up to you! Much success on your lean journey!


If you've found this information helpful, feel free to share it with your family, friends, and on your social media sites. Leave a comment or post your questions if you have any in the comment box below.

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog and I hope it blesses you in so many ways!

Follow and SUBSCRIBE to my YouTube channel by clicking on the link
below for relevant videos about workouts, nutrition, and fitness.

https://youtu.be/cVoKxTm8Ij8









Friday, July 7, 2017

How To Read Food Labels

Reading food labels has finally reach the radar for most individuals and I always wonder why it took so long. Anyway, just like anything else in life, this topic can get confusing when you don't truly understand what you're reading. Lucky for you, I will take some time to dive into the important factors that you want to pay attention to. Take a look at the image below to get a visual of how most food labels appear on a product.


The first thing you want to focus on is the "serving size & servings per container" because it sets the tone for everything else. Let's look at how this come into play when you're focusing on just the amount of calories. So, for all of my people who tracking calories, you especially want to pay close attention to this segment. If you look at the picture above, the amount of calories is listed as 90 and 30 of those calories come from fat. Most people will assume that this food only contains 90 calories. Remember the serving size and servings per container I was referring to. Well, 90 calories is not the correct amount of calories in this case. Look at the servings per container! It's listed as 3 so the amount of calories you will consume if you eat this entire package is 270. You will have to multiply the calories times the servings per container.