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 off👍👍.

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. 


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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!😁








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. 

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.

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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. 

Understanding Abdominals

Abdominals! One of the muscles in your body that has several names. Some say abs, 6 or 8 pack, and even core. Whatever you may know them as, they are responsible for holding your upper body and lower body together. You have to admit, that are great set of them will set you apart from those who fail to get theirs to show. The best way to get your abdominals to show is to best understand how they operate. So, here's a little education that will open your eyes and hopefully start you on a new strategy. There's actually 4 different sections that make up your entire abdominals and they are as follow: transversus abdominis, rectus abdominis, external oblique muscles, and internal oblique muscles. The definition and its functions are located in the diagram below:

Transverse abdomininis: Located under the obliques, it is the deepest of the abdominal muscles and wraps around your spine for protection and stability.

Rectus abdominis: Located along the front of the abdomen, this is the most well-known abdominal. Often referred to as the "six pack."

External abdominal oblique: Located on the side and front of the abdomen.


Internal abdominal oblique: Located under the external obliques, running in the opposite direction.


Getting your abdominal to show is challenging and is one of the most researched topic when it comes to fitness. They're are at least a hundred reasons why this is difficult because of the way our food is processed today and your knowledge level on how they operate. Plus, there's a lot of supplements and fat loss pills that have failed in their promises and it kind of discourages those who may have tried them. I hope that you haven't lost faith because I have a video that will give you hope and possibly motivation. 


Click on the video below to get a visual presentation on understanding abdominals.







Ladies and Gentlemen, I truly believe that once you understand how your abdominal operate, you'll find the most effective way to get to your desired results. Remember, that this process is not overnight and it will take some time. Use what I've provided you through this post and video and share your testimony afterwards.

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 below in the comment box.  

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Your Guide to Gaining Weight and Staying Toned

Gaining weight and staying toned is just as challenging as losing weight and toning up. One of the most important things you have to do first is figure out what your calorie maintenance level is. You may or may not have heard that term refer to it as "caloric intake" or whatever else name someone decided to use. Nevertheless, it simply means is finding out the amount of calories it will take to maintain your current weight. That's important because in order to gain weight, you will have to exceed your calorie maintenance level and it's vice versa when it comes to losing weight. For the sake of this topic, I'm going to focus on gaining weight. 


Obviously, there's a few ways in which you can find out what your calorie maintenance level is. You can search online and find an online calculator that can assist, visit your doctor or any nutritionist, or you manually calculate your calories. I can tell you from experience that performing it manually takes time and discipline and will pretty much be more accurate than any other option. You will have to write down all the calories you consume on a daily basis (both eating and drinking). You will have to be truly honest with yourself and if you fail to record every calorie, then it will be all on you.



So, if you don't have patience to do it manually and want to start right away, then click on the following link to get an estimate: https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/macronutcal.htm

Be sure to select the muscle gainz option under the "Goal" section and fill out the rest of the requirements. Once completed, you will have an estimate calorie maintenance level and starting point. 


If you choose the manual route, this is what you will have to consistently 
do. 

1. Eat the same number of calories each day for 3 weeks.

2. Weigh yourself at the end of the week (7 days) on an empty

stomach. For example, if you start on a Monday, then weigh yourself on 

the following Monday. If it's a Thursday, then weigh yourself on the

following Thursday. 

3. Write down your weight at the end of the week in your journal. Compare

your weight and monitor your results.

4. Adjust accordingly if needed.

If you found that your weight stayed the same, then you've found your

calorie maintenance level. All you will have to do is increase your calorie
intake from that number. For example, let's say that you weigh 160lbs and you found that your caloric intake was 2700 calories per day. What that's saying is that in order for you to maintain 160lbs, you will have to consume 2700 calories. For gaining weight, you would have to exceed 2700 calories per day. How much your body will gain depends on your physical activity. You would have to exceed that number and monitor and record your results. I would recommend
increasing your calorie intake between 250 - 500 extra calories a day and record your weight after 3 weeks. So, instead of 2,700 calories a day, your new caloric intake will be between 2,950 and 3,200 calories.



As far as numbers, gaining weight shouldn't be too much of an issue once you know what your caloric intake is. The challenge will be to do it in such a way to keep toned at the same time.



That will require a more in depth post which will come at a later date. For now, I'll provide you with an overall basic guideline to follow.

Consume foods that are high in protein

Foods that are high in protein support muscle growth and are important to help

you reach that toned or lean level. 

Focus on consuming lean proteins such as fish,

turkey, skinless chicken, flank steak, lean ground beef or turkey for example.

 Beans are very high in protein as well along with dairy

products. 

Avoid foods that are very high in saturated fat. 

If unable to get enough calories from food, look for a weight gainer protein that's low in sugar and fat. 

If you've found this information helpful, feel free to share it on your social
media sites. Leave a comment or post your questions 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/rS_DWJMmT24

Carbohydrates: Understanding how to choose between the Good ones and Bad ones

Carbohydrates -  are fibers, starches, and sugars naturally found in fruits, milk products, grains, and vegetables. It's also known as your body's "main source for energy"! 

You've probably heard a lot of people mentioned "good and bad carbs" without even elaborating on them, right? Well, don't feel alone because this post does not fall into that category. I'll try my best to go in depth just enough for you to get the understanding because carbohydrates can broken down in so many ways. So, let's get right to the difference.

The major difference between good and bad carbs relates to if they have been processed or not. Most foods that have been processed have ingredients listed on the back of food labels and the non-processed foods have not and are referred to as "Whole" foods.  

So, we will have to do our due diligence and take the time to read the back of food labels because there's a few ingredients that's a key give away that a food has been processed. Those ingredients are enriched, hydrogenated, hydrogenation, preservatives, refined, sodium benzoate, sugar alcohols, and the word "added". I'm pretty sure that they are several more ingredients, but those are just the main known ones.


Examples of whole foods are vegetables, fruits, nuts, eggs, poultry, fish, and meat. Remember that whole foods doesn't contain no extra ingredients. It's just the whole food itself. 

Just like carbs, the word "processed" is another confusing term and hasn't been legally defined but for the purpose of understanding carbohydrates, I will translate what it means.

One meaning of the term relates to companies taking foods, removing the impurities from them, and then infusing the nutrients back that was removed in the process. Another way can be as simple as you drying, freezing, baking, pasteurising, and canning foods to preserve the nutrients in them. So, according to that 2nd definition, you're probably eating more processed food than you thought.

Who's right and wrong can definitely be up for debate but that's another topic for another day. 

When it comes to working out, you definitely will need an adequate amount of energy to finish your workouts. Carbohydrates are crucial and you want to ensure that you're consuming the right amount of good carbs for eating and exercising.

Hopefully, this post help clarify some of the confusion when it comes to carbohydrates. So, I know there are some people out there who are using a no carb diet and I would say to reconsider that approach unless you have been directed by a doctor. I wouldn't recommend that you cut them out completely. If you're targeting the low carb route, please consume the good carbs. 

The FDA recommends that adults should aim at consuming 45 - 65% percent of carbs for your total calorie intake, which translates to about 130 grams a day. If you're pregnant, then you should consume about 175.


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