I MATTER - EMPOWERMENT PROJECT

http://imatterempowermentproject.gr8.com

Exercise to Avoid Plateaus and Boredom

How do you Exercise to Avoid Plateaus and Boredom? Most people just start working out and following a program, not even considering how that could Exercise to Avoid Plateaus and Boredom. This holds especially true for people who most often attend group training programs. Typically, the group trainer does not have the participants track their progress or invite them to change up the weights or functionality of their exercise, with the result that you don’t use progression to avoid plateaus.

Planning Exercise to Avoid Plateaus and Boredom doesn’t just come from adjusting the load and having various levels of exercise. There are five very important exercise progressions that can help you avoid boredom and plateaus.

EXERCISE TO AVOID PLATEAUS AND BOREDOM

• The Load (Weight) – This is the obvious exercise progression. Adding more weight makes the exercise harder.  Many people don’t realize that you can change the load of an exercise by also changing the angle. An example would be push-ups on the decline or the incline. When you are changing the load and angles often you can have better gains, avoid plateaus, and keep you from being bored with the same old exercises.

• Change How You Stand – Adjusting your body position and stance can reduce or increase how your body is supported. When you do this your body has to work in different ways to support the exercise. An example would be to move from a standing normal to a staggered stance. This creates a whole new level of support needed throughout an exercise.

• Tempo – Changing the tempo or speed of the exercise can definitely change how the body responds to the exercise. Increase or decrease the overall speed. Increasing the concentric, and slowing the eccentric move or vice versus can create different results. For example, you could alter the tempo of a squat with a one count on the way down and a three count up as you come out of the squat.

• Combination Moves – This is when you put two exercises or movements together. Combinations create a bigger metabolic demand on the body or body part, which in turn creates more results.  You can combine squats with a shoulder press, deadlifts with back rows, or other exercises..

• Move More – The more you move the more you are adding to your exercise and exercise program. An example would be a kettlebell squat swing. The swing is great on its own, but if you step to the side, then squat and swing, then step back in and on to the other side to repeat you are doing more.

Overall you just need to always be challenging and changing your skill level. Exercise and training should always be progressing in the overall program, the way you lift or move, and how much you lift or move.

EXERCISE TO AVOID PLATEAUS AND BOREDOM

Many people have a hard time developing these progressions and then doing them in the proper progression and safe manner. So if you can, it is always suggested to work with a trainer to help you develop these skills. If working with a trainer is not something that works for you, then taking a look at Beachbody Fitness Programs like the Master’s Hammer and Chisel, P90X3, 21 Day Fix, and more is the next best thing. These programs provide the proper Exercise Progression to Avoid Plateaus and Boredom. Plus, they all come with amazing easy to use nutrition plans, and a free coach.

With Beachbody Programs your options are limitless and you will definitely not get bored and you will avoid plateaus.

http://www.gettingfittogether.com/exercise-to-avoid-plateaus-and-boredom/#!248

Mindset That Keeps You From Success

Do you ever feel like you are just existing? This happens from falling into Mindsets That Keep You from Success. So how do you change? How do you get out of the Mindsets That Keep You from Success? The best strategy is about making a complete 180 in your life. It’s about putting a stop to self-limiting beliefs and negative self-talk.

MINDSETS THAT KEEP YOU FROM SUCCESS

So how to do you figure it out?  What actions do you have to take to really change the Mindsets That Keep You from Success? If you don’t believe success is possible for you, you’ll make excuses and stay stuck. You have to break the cycles and change the mindsets.

Here are the things you need to change so you can create success:

1. Comparison – In today’s world of everything you see and do can be at your fingertips, it can be easy to fall into a trap of comparing where you are today to where someone else is. The thing is you cannot compare, as we all have our own learning curves and journey to go on. So instead of comparing yourself to someone else, you need to use what they have and you want as fuel. Your journey is personal and it should be measured by the goals you’ve set and what you do to hit those goals. Use what you see from others to drive you, not make you quit.

2. Self-Doubt – We all have experienced doubt and fear. Most us fall into the fear of failure or looking bad. This self-doubt can be one of the biggest things that can derail progress. If you listen to the negative voices inside your head, you will convince yourself that you can’t make big changes or hit your goals. The thing is you can! No matter what you do you can obtain it. If it isn’t happening as fast as you want it to, that doesn’t mean you are failing, it means you need more time to learn and grow. Take action and stop self-doubting.  

MINDSETS THAT KEEP YOU FROM SUCCESS

3. Negative People – Have you heard the saying that the six closest people you associate with affect who you are, what you believe, and what you do? Well this is so incredibly true. Negative people bring done other people. If you listen to negativity day in and day out, it affects your mindset and attitude. To obtain success you have to learn how to cut negative people out of your life if you truly want to make progress in your life and create success.

4. A Lack of Inspiration – You need to fill your life with consistent motivation to keep focused. With the Internet at your fingertips you have the ability to grab daily inspiration through blogs, audio books, podcasts, YouTube, and more. Daily Personal Development is extremely important. Block out time each day for inspiration and motivation.

5. Waiting – The one thing in life that you are not guaranteed is knowing when your time on this earth will end. We truly only have today! You need to stop waiting. Today is now, and you need to start. Procrastinating will keep you from creating your success.

It is your time to grab your future in health, fitness, nutrition, business, and more! Change your Mindsets That Keep You from Success!

http://www.gettingfittogether.com/mindsets-that-keep-you-from-success/#!248

Fostering a Healthy Support System

Fostering a Healthy Support System is as important as the decision to improve your health. Fostering a Healthy Support System will keep you on track with your exercise and nutrition. The people in your support system will help you choose health foods and to complete your workout even after a long day at work. They won’t encourage you to hit happy hour with your friends.

FOSTERING A HEALTHY SUPPORT SYSTEM

Here are a few tips to help make sure you are on the you Fostering a Healthy Support System, so you can have a better chance of achieving your fitness and nutrition goals. When you are achieving your goals, and setting new ones to keep you healthy, you are living a healthy lifestyle.

• Seek out a support system. Friends and family should not be your only support. Sometimes friends and family may let you off easy. You want to make sure that you have others to really push you toward your goals and hold you accountable. There are thousands of people on the message boards, and social media who are experiencing a lot of the same things that you are. One of the best ways to find that support, besides amazing workouts and nutrition plans it to join the Beachbody Challenge. With the Beachbody Challenge you get fitness, nutrition, support from a FREE Coach.

• Be sure to explain why you are seeking a healthy lifestyle to those around you and tell them that you would appreciate their support. Explaining your nutrition and fitness goal, the reasons you are working toward them, and your plan to achieve them will help the people around you understand, and get that you are really serious about wanting a healthy lifestyle. Plus, once you have explained this to the important people in your life, you may be surprised that some may want to join you.

• Use your healthy influence for your family meal. Finding new recipes and creating healthy home-cooked meal can be fun and provide better health to your family as well. Get them involved and maybe have them pick a healthy recipe each week as well. You also can encourage picking healthy restaurants or healthy foods at restaurants.

FOSTERING A HEALTHY SUPPORT SYSTEM

• Portion control is a must and a huge part of being healthy and fit. Just switching to healthier foods is not going to help you if you are still eating huge portions. Using portion size containers can really make all the difference. Check out the Portion Fix nutrition plan to help you learn how balanced portion nutrition will help you live a healthier lifestyle. Plus, when you are learning about portion control with your support group or with family and friends you are also inadvertently helping them become healthier.

• Celebrate Successes and Learn from missteps. This is where your support system can really motivate you. When your support system celebrates with you and encourages you to learn and grow, it helps to keep you motivated. So give yourself a well-deserved pat on the back!

Fostering a Healthy Support System is as important as your goals and congratulating yourself. Embrace your Journey and Share it with your friends, family, and group.

http://www.gettingfittogether.com/fostering-a-healthy-support-system/#!248

P90X Series Workouts and Triathlon Training

Combining any of the P90X, P90X2, or P90X3 workouts with triathlon training can really be a game changer for many athletes. Yet many triathletes have not considered this marriage of training.

Triathletes are typically notorious for over-training, and training hard doesn’t necessarily mean they are training smart. Research has found that 90% of triathletes over-train, and typically do not do enough cross training in other areas. This cross training would have significant benefits to their sport. This is how the P90X Series Workouts and Triathlon Training came together.

Let’s take a look at how you can improve your triathlons by moving more of our training into your living room or at-home workout space. 

So why the P90X Series Workout and Triathlon Training?

The biggest reason that the P90X Series Workouts and Triathlon Trainingblend so well together is that the P90X Series offers the best performance-based programming. This performance based programming will increase lean muscle while improving your cardiovascular systems which will increase your ability to swim, bike, and run more efficiently.

P90X SERIES WORKOUTS AND TRIATHLON TRAINING

As I said before most triathletes are over-trained. This means you will get faster by running, riding, and swimming less and by focusing on rest, recovery, and the proper cross training. This is where the P90X Series Workouts come in. When you properly structure your year with proper periodization that includes both performance based workouts, biking, swimming, running, and proper recovery, you will get faster by spending less time swimming, biking, and running.

Creating a schedule with the P90X series workouts and typical triathlon training has to be periodized based on your upcoming events. You should begin your training program soon after your final race of the previous season. Here are a few areas that the P90X Series Workouts can be used.

FOUNDATION PHASE

P90X Series Workouts should be in the foundation phase. You will get the most benefit from it during this phase. When using the programs in this phase you will want to use the lean calendars P90X option. This will give you the lean strong muscles that you need for your sport.

PERIODIZATION PHASES

Triathletes should be familiar with periodization. If you aren’t, you need to be. Periodization is where you are doing speed work, aerobic work, and threshold work in each discipline separately, and then bring them together as you move closer to your big race. The P90X Series Workouts will strengthen your body and improve its capacity in all areas.

RECOVERY DAYS

Yes, Recovery Days Must Happen. Many triathletes get back out on the bike or do a swim. It is really best to actually take a break from your normal training or exercise and do something different. This is where all the P90X Series Stretching, Yoga, Recovery, Pilates, and other programs are of greatest benefit and also bring greater mobility and efficiency gains.

Let’s Put it all together. Do a full ‘lean’ round of whichever series you choose during the off-season. During your periodized training schedule you will sprinkle in maintenance P90X Series Workouts from the program you chose in the off-season, along with your specific triathlon training. Then use stretching, yoga, Pilates, and recovery programs on all rest days, and when you are in season.

Many find it hard to write a schedule that is specific to their needs and desires since there are hundreds of personal variables to consider. This is why so many athletes hire personal coaches to help them get things really dialed in and peak at the right times throughout the season.

The P90X Series Workouts and Triathlon Training really do go hand in hand, but remember it is better to be 25% under-trained with great cross training and a great periodized schedule, than to be 1% over-trained.

P90X SERIES WORKOUTS AND TRIATHLON TRAINING

So have fun, and take your triathlons to the next level by cross training with the P90X Series Workouts and Programs, not over-training in your disciplines, and build a great schedule.

http://www.gettingfittogether.com/p90x-series-workouts-and-triathlon-training/#!248

Should I Work Out on an Empty Stomach?

Should I Work Out on an Empty Stomach is a question that many people ask. Science has not always agreed. In the past the answer to the questions of Should I Work Out on an Empty Stomach, was Yes. Over the past 5-10 years’ science has shown us something different.

An entire meal before working out is a no-no. Digesting a full meal and exercise simply do not mix. When you work out, you want your blood flow to be focused on your muscles and extremities. When you eat a meal prior to exercise, your body has to focus its blood flow to the digestive system so it can process the food. So if you do eat a full meal it is recommended that you wait for 1 ½ to 2 ½ hours prior to exercising.  

SHOULD I WORK OUT ON AN EMPTY STOMACH

As stated previously you should not workout on an empty stomach, but you also shouldn’t eat a full meal. This means your stomach should not be completely empty. Give yourself enough time to adequately digest the majority of your food if you are working out after a meal, have 100-150 calories of food, or eat, drink, or swallow a high quality Pre-Workout Supplement 30 minutes prior to your workout.

When you have a small amount of food in your stomach or a pre-workout supplement, it will be well into the digestive process 30 minutes later when you start working out and it will have charged up your metabolism. Therefore, you will burn more calories during your exercise versus having a sluggish metabolism.  A study published in the Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, states that when you have a small amount of food or a high quality pre-workout supplement in your system you will burn more calories because it allows you to have a greater output during your exercise and it will have revved up the metabolism. This fuel helps keep the blood sugar levels more even throughout your exercise, which helps keep your metabolism from shifting, which in turn keeps you burning more fat.

SHOULD I WORK OUT ON AN EMPTY STOMACH

The question of Should I Work Out on an Empty Stomach is really a question of the past. Timing your pre-exercise feeding or using a small amount if you are just starting will keep you at your best. The general rule if you have a full meal, is to wait. If you are just getting your day started and want to get that workout done, have 100-150 calories or a pre-workout supplement to get you going. 

For more information on high quality nutritional supplements, CLICK HERE.

http://www.gettingfittogether.com/should-i-work-out-on-an-empty-stomach/#!248

Strength Training Will Keep You Young

Many people today are continually looking for a magical quick-fix to weight loss, maintenance of health, youthful appearance, and vitality. The truth is…

There is no quick fix! There is however a way that can help with the things people are looking for, and it can be accomplished in 30-40 minutes. The best solution has proven success and has shown to help in all areas, time and time again. The answer is strength training.

Strength Training Will Keep You Young!  Strength Training is exercise that creates a muscular contraction by using gravity or a force to oppose muscle contraction. Strength Training Will Keep You Young, and has shown to be the closest thing to the Fountain of Youth. It has many health benefits such as strengthening your bones and heart, improving your balance, helping you lose body fat, maintain skeletal muscle, and more. No other single activity has a more positive impact on your mind and body, than Strength Training which is why Strength Training Will Keep You Young.

STRENGTH TRAINING WILL KEEP YOU YOUNG AND PROVIDE…

1. Increased Bone Density, Preservation of Lean Muscle, and Joint Support

People can lose up to 1% of their muscle and bone density per year after the age 30. For women this amount doubles during menopause. Decreased bone density is the leading cause of osteoporosis, yet it is preventable nine times out of ten with regular weight bearing exercise.

Muscle hypertrophy and atrophy can be prevented through regular strength training. It will preserve lean muscle mass, prevent saggy skin, and help keep joint pain to a minimum.

The best protection for the joints is to ensure their surrounding muscles are strong enough to support them. Your core (abdominal and low back muscles) supports your spine, your leg muscles (hamstrings, quadriceps, and calves) support your knee, and so on.

Improvements on bone density, muscle strength and tone, and joint support keeps injuries at a minimum or prevents them all together.

2. Increased Metabolism

Research has found that for every pound of muscle you gain, you burn 35-50 more calories each day. Every muscle cell gained helps increase the metabolism. Therefore, you burn more calories, when active, inactive AND while sleeping.

3. Better Posture

Stronger muscles help maintain proper posture. Improved posture allows you to move more efficiently, with more range of motion and freedom, will give you more confidence, and makes you look slimmer.

4. Decreases the Risk of Diabetes

Adult-onset diabetes is a growing epidemic. Research has found that a few months of regular weight training can increase glucose utilization by 23%.

5. Reduced Stress

Strength training elevates the level of endorphins which has been shown to combat stress. Strength training has also been recommended as one of the greatest antidepressant, improved sleep aid, and overall factor in quality of life improvement because it combats stress.

STRENGTH TRAINING WILL KEEP YOU YOUNG

No Matter How Old You Are Strength Training Will Keep You Young and Feeling Good. Remember this doesn’t mean bodybuilding and bulking up big muscles. The implementation of a regular weight/strength training routine that targets specific muscle groups can give you exactly what you need. This can also be done right at home with Beachbody’s New Master’s Hammer and Chisel Program, or other programs like P90X3, Body Beast, 21 Day Fix, or 21 Day Fix Extreme. Regardless of your gender, age, or current abilities, all of these programs can be modified to fit your training abilities and provide you the muscle your body needs and craves to have.  

Strength training will make you will feel healthier, have more energy, look better, reduce the risk of injury, and decrease joint and muscle pain. Strength Training Will Keep You Young, and is the closest thing we have to the Fountain of Youth. It is never too late to get started.

http://www.gettingfittogether.com/strength-training-will-keep-you-young/#!248

Tips to Kick the Junk Food Habit

Our nation is exploding with the epidemic of obesity and diabetes. This explosion is coming from the massive consumption of fast food, sugary and fatty junk foods, and other processed foods that Americans continue to consume at increasing rates. We are a nation that has Junk Food Habits that need to be broken.

So how do we make a change? With a few Tips to Kick the Junk Food Habit, and a little effort, you can get those Junk Food Habits back under control.

These Tips to Kick the Junk Food Habit will help adjust the wiring in your brain. Unfortunately, by adulthood, most of us are a hodgepodge of neuroses and psychoses and we have developed habits that may have made junk food a security blanket, and unless we work on making some changes this urge to splurge will never vanish. Yes, we can consciously understand that our body does crave and want healthy food, but your psyche may never stop seeking validation of a junk food style.

TIPS TO KICK THE JUNK FOOD HABIT

Tips to Kick the Junk Food Habit begin with training your body with clean nutrition. Eating correctly goes a long way toward helping a junk food mentality. When you spend significant time eating clean (consistently for 6-12 months), your digestive system will begin to lose its ability to handle the toxic effects of a sugar hit, not to mention preservatives and other synthetic additives.

Step 1 – Clean All Junk Food Out of Your Home

Out of Sight Out of Mind! If the ice cream is not in the freezer, odds are that you won’t go out late at night to buy some.

If you don’t have access to the junk, you’re more likely to grab something healthy, like baby carrots.

Step 2 – Eat Clean 80-85% of the Time

Just because your kitchen cupboard no longer looks like a candy and junk food aisle at the grocery store doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy those things once in a while. If most of your nutrition is super tight, you’re doing great, so cut yourself some slack, and relax 15-20% of the time. The biggest thing to remember is in the beginning it will be to your benefit to be really consistent and tight until you hit some or all of your goals.

Step 3 – Be Prepared with Healthy Foods at All Times

Being prepared is half the battle. Be sure to carry a purse or a backpack wherever you go. Always keep healthy snacks like apples or raw nuts with you. This will keep you from getting too hungry and making bad decisions. When you are prepared you don’t have that excuse.

TIPS TO KICK THE JUNK FOOD HABIT

Great Snack Ideas:

• Fresh fruit (Apples, plums, pears, and stone fruit travel well!)
• Dried fruit
• Raw nuts
• Whole-grain crackers
• A Shakeology packet

Step 4 – Try New Fruits and Veggies

There are plenty of different, healthy foods that many of us have never tried. You don’t always have to go for the same old boring oranges or carrots.  Look for fruits and vegetables that you have never tried, find new things you like, and look for new ways to use them in your meals.

Step 5 – Binge on Healthy Foods

If you just have the urge to use food as a security blanket because you have not quite broken that old habit, hit the fridge and binge on healthy foods, especially raw veggies. At some point you may still want to grab chips or cookies, but if you start with the healthy food, you are more likely to go light on junk food. Bingeing in any form isn’t a great idea, but it’s better if you overdo it with healthy food than with garbage.

Eating right when you have been a junk food junkie for so long can be difficult and won’t change overnight. If you are willing to choose your health, and use these Tips to Kick the Junk Food Habit it will get easier, and the reward is your health!

http://www.gettingfittogether.com/tips-to-kick-the-junk-food-habit/248

Does a Crash Diet Work?

Crash diets promise quick and efficient weight loss, but the real question is Does a Crash Diet Work.

Crash diets are diet plans that severely reduce calories, are nutritionally restrictive, and are supposed to promote quick weight loss. Often these diets focus on one or two food groups and are not intended for long-term lifestyle changes. Most Crash Diets have a calorie count of less than a 1,000 calories a day. Long-term, this can be dangerous and create issues throughout the body.

Does a Crash Diet Work? Crash diets can be temporarily effective for people who have no personal control and are easily tempted by food (underscore “temporary”).  Temporary means no more than one week. Crash Diets, when set up properly are not really crash diets at all, they are shred diets. Meaning you will shred and drop some weight quickly because it shocks the body. Again this should be very temporary just to get the weight loss process going, to curb cravings, and begin the process of seeing portions for what they should be. This type of plan should not be maintained beyond 7 days.

DOES A CRASH DIET WORK?

Crash diets can have many risks due to their nutrient deficiencies. These diets make it difficult to get a sufficient amount of calcium, vitamin D, or iron and other important nutrients. If this type of plan is followed long-term it can cause permanent damage to the organs by not providing them with their required fuel. If there is too much fluid loss, you can damage your electrolyte level, and become easily dehydrated, and when this happens you may experience cramping, fainting, and even heart failure.

Another issue with a Crash Diet is the slowing of the metabolism. Our bodies are extremely efficient machines and will slow down and lower its resting metabolic rate in order to survive longer if the calories or nutrients are too low. When this happens for long periods of time our bodies begin to cannibalize its own lean muscle tissue for nutrients to maintain itself. Slow metabolism will create a decrease in energy and you will feel sluggish, have ashy skin, and other issues. This will have a negative effect on your home and work life, and your ability to workout will be non-existent.

Another negative factor of a Crash Diet is its effect on your emotional and mental state. When on a crash diet, irritability, depression, and lack of patience begin to set in. Sleep patterns are disrupted and in severe cases it can cause full blown insomnia. Again this will affect your workouts, because it is during rest that the muscles recover.

Does a Crash Diet Work? The answer really is NO. When you return to a rational eating plan, your body will store everything you eat, as it thinks it has been starving for the last few weeks, and as a result support rapid weight gain.

The answer is, as it has been for centuries, a decision to change has to be greater than to stay the same. To lose weight you must make a lifestyle change. You have to have motivation and discipline to stick to a well-rounded clean eating plan. Though you can kick off with a 7-day shred plan that is a well-balanced 900-1200 calories, you must bump that up to me 1,400 to 3,000 calories depending on your needs for long-term success at weight loss, muscle building, or other goals. These calories should be split up over 5 to 6 meals a day and have a proper balance of protein, carbs, and healthy fats.

DOES A CRASH DIET WORK?

If you combine this with 30-45 minutes of intense exercise you will be speeding up your metabolism.

Does a Crash Diet Work? Not if you want your New Year’s resolutions to come to fruition. Stay off the crash diet / fad diet merry-go-round. Commit to choosing your health and making a lifestyle change.

http://www.gettingfittogether.com/does-a-crash-diet-work/#!248

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Shake up your snacking with Roasted Red Pepper Hummus. You can use Roasted Red Pepper Hummus on sandwiches, with vegetables, or in a salad. Garlicky Roasted Red Pepper Hummus is absolutely delicious, takes but a few minutes to prepare, and requires no cooking. Be the one who shows up at the party with this healthy dip everyone is sure to love.

ROASTED RED PEPPER HUMMUS

Total Time: 10 min.
Prep Time: 10 min.
Cooking Time: None
Yield: 10 servings, each serving approximately 3 Tbsp.

Ingredients:
1 (15-oz.) can Garbanzo Beans drained, rinsed
½ (12-oz.) jar roasted red peppers (not packed in oil), drained
2 fresh rosemary sprigs, leaves removed and coarsely chopped, stems discarded
4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp. olive oil

Preparation:
1. Place beans, peppers, rosemary, and garlic in in blender or food processor; cover. Blend until smooth.
2. Slowly add oil, blending constantly until blended.

ROASTED RED PEPPER HUMMUS

http://www.gettingfittogether.com/roasted-red-pepper-hummus/#!248

Understanding the Master’s Hammer and Chisel Portion Nutrition

One of the most frequent questions when people start a new nutrition program is how to handle portion control. That is why the new Master’s Hammer and Chisel Program uses a color-coded container system that makes portioning nutrition a breeze. Understanding the Master’s Hammer and Chisel Portion Nutrition makes nutrition balance and portion control easy and intuitive. No hassle of calorie counting, and you always know you are getting the right nutrition for the results you desire. If it fits in the container and is on the approved nutritious food list, you get to eat it!

UNDERSTANDING THE MASTER’S HAMMER AND CHISEL PORTION NUTRITION

The plan comes with six colored containers that represent six groups of foods that our bodies need for balanced nutrition. When you see how simple this nutrition plan is, you will see why it is changing people’s nutritional lifestyle, and doing it with ease.

The Green Container is for Vegetables. The vegetables can be cooked or raw, sliced or chopped. Examples of foods from the approved food list are lettuces, kale, squash, peppers, mushrooms, and onions. Remember it is what fits in the container, so you can really squish the lettuce into the container and create one awesome salad!

The Purple Container is for Fruit. Obviously fruit like berries, grapes, and cherries can easily fit into the container, but larger fruits like watermelon, apples, oranges, and fruits with pits, like peaches, will need to be cut up so you can put them into the container to make sure you are getting the right amounts.

The Red Container is for Protein. This container is used for any meat protein, but also for yogurt, eggs, tofu, or shellfish. Some proteins have specific instructions in the food list guide.

The Yellow Container is for Starch and Grain Carbohydrates. This container is for rice, beans, sweet potatoes, and whole-grain pastas. When it comes to foods like sprouted grain bread, waffles or tortillas that won’t fit well into a container, the allowed amounts are in the food guide.

The Blue Container is for Healthy Fats. Healthy fats include avocados, nuts, cheese, and hummus, to name a few. Again, what you can fit in the container, you get to eat.

The Orange Container is for Seeds and Dressings. The orange container is the smallest, which is why it is used for most calorie-dense foods like seeds, olives, coconut, and approved dressing recipes.

Teaspoons. Teaspoons are also a measurement of use in the nutrition program. Teaspoons are used for oils and butters. A teaspoon is not provided with the system, as most people have one in their kitchens.

Understanding the Master’s Hammer and Chisel Portion Nutrition and how to use the containers will create greater results in your fitness and health program since 80-85% of the results come from the kitchen. The best part of this plan is you will not have to count calories or worry about macro-nutrient percentages, because the easy to use portion control system does it for you. The first step is to use the nutritional guide’s caloric equation formula to figure out approximately how many calories will need each day based on your goals. Once you figure out your daily calorie need, use the calorie chart to see how many containers of each color you get to eat each day.

UNDERSTANDING THE MASTER’S HAMMER AND CHISEL PORTION NUTRITION

Another great feature of this nutrition plan is you can mix and match foods of the same category to fill a single container, allowing you to create a greater variety. For example, if you don’t want to use a whole green container for spinach, you can fill it halfway with spinach and half with carrots. Two foods, one green container.

As convenient and transportable as the containers are, remember that you don’t have to eat out of them. Actually it is recommended that you really use them to measure your food and then empty them onto a plate or into a bowl so you can have a great presentation of your food. The better the presentation of food, the more satisfied you will feel when you have finished eating.

Understanding the Master’s Hammer and Chisel Portion Nutrition makes it easier to stay on track and focused on your nutritional goals. Often when people begin this program, they find that they’re full even before they’ve finished their portions for the day. The reason is healthy food has more volume than low nutritional foods and junk food. If you find this is the case for you, only eat what you can, but make sure to eat from all the containers instead of just filling up on your favorite kind and avoiding what you like the least. You still want to be balanced with all your food groups.

This system truly creates moderation and a sense of awareness about what you are eating. After you’ve completed this program, you’ll have a good idea of how many fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and healthy fats you should be eating every day.

http://www.gettingfittogether.com/understanding-the-masters-hammer-and-chisel-portion-nutrition/#!248

What Can Quercetin Do for You?

What Can Quercetin Do for You? It has been determined through sports science and nutritional research that quercetin can do quite a bit for your performance during exercise. Quercetin is a bioactive compound and phytonutrient. Phytonutrients give fruits and vegetables their color. Quercetin is found in apples, onions, and other fruits and vegetables that have a yellow color or yellow hue. This flavonoid has been found to have many benefits for humans. When Quercetin is used in products it will give a yellow color to the supplement. The brighter the yellow, the more pure the quercetin. Beachbody Performance Energize and Hydrate are two of the best supplements on the market that contain quercetin. Their day-glow yellow color proves that the quercetin is very pure.

To understand What Can Quercetin Do for You?, you first must have a better understanding what it is and what it can do to benefit you and your performance during workouts.

WHAT CAN QUERCETIN DO FOR YOU?

Quercetin can help enhance your immune system. Quercetin may have antiviral benefits, and help fight oxidative stress, which in turn can help regulate immune function, and reduce your chances of developing illness when you are training hard.

Though quercetin can help with these immune functions, it does this best when combined with specific nutrients.  When combined with vitamin C and Omega-3 fatty acids it has a greater impact on the reduction of oxidative stress.

Quercetin can also help decrease Inflammation. It has been known to be high in anti-inflammatory properties following exercise. Scientists have seen that when quercetin is combined with green tea (another powerful flavonoid), a reduction in inflammation takes place immediately after exercise. This is a huge benefit since acute inflammation slows recovery, and contributes to DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness).

Quercetin increases energy. It increases energy by supporting mitochondrial biogenesis. Mitochondria produce the energy that powers the cells in the body. The more mitochondria, the more energy. More energy, the greater physical output one will have. This means the body will be faster, stronger, and perform better.

WHAT CAN QUERCETIN DO FOR YOU?

What Can Quercetin Do for You? Anyone who engages in exercise should seriously consider having quercetin as a part of their supplementation plan. Quercetin when combined with the other nutrients that are important to your body will help boost your performance and protect your body from unnecessary damage. Get your performance and body in top form by using Energize and Hydrate from the Beachbody Performance Line. These two products have the right amount of Quercetin, and the other nutrients needed to have peak performance and recovery.

http://www.gettingfittogether.com/what-can-quercetin-do-for-you/#!248

Resolutions that Can Change Your New Year

Each year many of us set resolutions for the new year and don’t see much change.  If done correctly you can set Resolutions that Can Change Your New Year and have a dramatic ripple effect on your health, and happiness.

RESOLUTIONS THAT CAN CHANGE YOUR NEW YEAR

Smile More Often: It’s a well known fact that the simple act of smiling can make you happier and healthier, even if your smile is forced. According to the facial feedback hypothesis, smiling activates the release of dopamine, endorphins and serotonin, neurotransmitters that help reduce stress and elicit positive emotions. Plus, smiling can be contagious. When you smile, you are more inviting, attractive, relaxed and sincere to others. Choose to Smile Often!

Have a Health and Fitness Regimen: Regular physical exercise and a healthy nutritional diet cannot only help with weight management, but also can reduce stress, fight disease, improve your mood, and improve your energy levels and sleep. Regular exercise and eating healthier can also help you appear be a better leader.

Schedule Personal Time: YES… Schedule personal time. With our busy lives most of us don’t personal time, so schedule it. Evidence suggests that the most productive people are not the busiest but the best at prioritizing their free time. So schedule time for personal passions, family, and other activities that are important to you.

Only Commit to Things You Can Do: Many people want to say maybe to things, or yes, even when they know that they will cancel when it comes up anyhow. Don’t do this! If you can’t make it to dinner with your friend next week don’t say maybe in fear of disappointing them, just say you can’t. Not overextending yourself will save you time and consternation down the road. Plus, when you can actually commit, the person knows you mean it and it will mean something to them.

Use Your Calendar: The best way to stay on top of your goals is to be relentless about your calendar. Managing things to do, things that are important to you, your deadlines, and more will keep you organized, and ensure that you prioritize your most important tasks. Remember that your schedule and calendar should include time with family and friends, reading, personal hobbies, workouts, and all the other things that are important to you and your health.

RESOLUTIONS THAT CAN CHANGE YOUR NEW YEAR

You will be amazed how these guidelines can be the Resolutions that Can Change Your New Year. When you create your personal to-do list and make it as important as your work to-do list, you begin to create balance. Those these are Resolutions that Can Change Your New Year, it is important to re-evaluate everything you are doing on a weekly and monthly basis. You may want to consider setting up reminders for re-evaluation as well. You can create change in your New Year.

http://www.gettingfittogether.com/resolutions-that-can-change-your-new-year/#!248