I borrowed The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Total Nutrition from my cousin, who told me that I could borrow it in exchange for a daily nutrition tip. From now until I finish the book, I’ll be posting short tips from the book on a daily basis. Hopefully you’ll find it useful too! Each day, I’ll try to include a challenge for you; either to skip something bad or try something healthy. Keep checking in with me if you’d like to follow along

There are two types of diabetes: Type 1 can occur at  any age, but usually apprears before the age of 30. 10% of Americans with diabetes have this unpreventable type. Type 2 is less serious, usually diagnosed after the age of 30, and is experienced by 90% of diabetics. Luckily, you can take steps to decrease your chance of developing Type 2 diabetes. Today, incorporate one of these tips to decrease your risk:

- Turn off the TV. People with sedentary lifestyles who watch a lot of TV are at a higher risk of developing the disease.
- Walk briskly or engage in physical activity for at least 30 minutes a day.
- Choose whole-grain breads and cereals instead of refined breads, cereals, and sugars.
- Eat at least five to nine servings of fruits and veggies other than white potatoes, corn, and peas.
- Reduce your total fat intake to less than 30 percent of total calories.  Choose unsaturated over saturated.
- Enjoy coffee without sugar

I borrowed The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Total Nutrition from my cousin, who told me that I could borrow it in exchange for a daily nutrition tip. From now until I finish the book, I’ll be posting short tips from the book on a daily basis. Hopefully you’ll find it useful too! Each day, I’ll try to include a challenge for you; either to skip something bad or try something healthy. Keep checking in with me if you’d like to follow along

Certain foods may help your body fight harmful free radicals and therefore preserve healthy cells. This reduces the risk of cancer, so today focus on getting some of these healthy foods into your diet:

Green Tea
Stewed Tomatoes
Foods with high concentrations of Vitamin C (citrus fruits, broccoli, papaya, mango, peppers, kiwi fruit)
Foods with high concentrations of Vitamin E (sunflower seeds, almonds, spinach)
Foods with high concentrations of beta-carotene (peppers, lettuce, kale, spinach, carrots, mustard greens)
Foods high in Selenium (brazil nuts – but only one per day!, wheat germ, tuna, lentils)

I borrowed The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Total Nutrition from my cousin, who told me that I could borrow it in exchange for a daily nutrition tip. From now until I finish the book, I’ll be posting short tips from the book on a daily basis. Hopefully you’ll find it useful too! Each day, I’ll try to include a challenge for you; either to skip something bad or try something healthy. Keep checking in with me if you’d like to follow along

Water is the best way to hydrate for most athletes, but in some cases you may want to try a sports drink. Sports drinks like Gatorade, PowerAde, AllSport, Boost, etc. provide just enough electrolytes and carbohydrates to keep you moving in these instances:

- When continuous exercise lasts longer than 60 minutes

- When you’re exercising in extremely hot weather

Next time you fall into these categories, have a sports drink on hand to hydrate you during and after your workout. How does it make you feel that day?

I borrowed The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Total Nutrition from my cousin, who told me that I could borrow it in exchange for a daily nutrition tip. From now until I finish the book, I’ll be posting short tips from the book on a daily basis. Hopefully you’ll find it useful too! Each day, I’ll try to include a challenge for you; either to skip something bad or try something healthy. Keep checking in with me if you’d like to follow along

You probably know that it’s important to drink plenty of fluids throughout the day, especially to replace fluids lost through sweat.

Especially for athletes, the thirst mechanism is an unreliable indicator, so follow the guidelines below to ensure adequate hydration:

2 hours before exercise: consume 16 – 24 ounces of fluids
15 – 30 minutes before exercise: consume 8 – 16 ounces
Every 15 – 20 minutes during exercise: consume 4 – 12 ounces
After exercise: consume 16 -24 ounces for every pound lost (weigh yourself before and after)

Make sure you’re drinking enough water throughout the day, too. The color of your urine is a great indicator of hydration, for athletes and non-athletes alike. If urine is voluminous and clear or pale yellow, you’re on the right track! If it is dark and concentrated, you better get you some water!

Today, practice monitoring the color of your urine and aim for a light pastel shade!

I borrowed The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Total Nutrition from my cousin, who told me that I could borrow it in exchange for a daily nutrition tip. From now until I finish the book, I’ll be posting short tips from the book on a daily basis. Hopefully you’ll find it useful too! Each day, I’ll try to include a challenge for you; either to skip something bad or try something healthy. Keep checking in with me if you’d like to follow along

The point of a post-workout snack is to replenish lost nutrients, including glycogen stores, fluids, and potassium. It’s best to have a quick snack within 30 minutes post-workout to promote quick recovery. This is the best time of the day to enjoy some yummy natural sugars and starches, as they will be quickly absorbed into the muscles and will have little effect on blood sugar

Within 30 minutes of your next workout, consider a post-workout snack of some of these beauties:

- Plenty of fluids: water, fruit juice, soups, watery fruits and veggies (watermelon, grapes, oranges, tomatoes, lettuce, and cucumbers)

- A lot of carbohydrate-rich foods including pasta, potatoes, rice, breads, fruits, yogurts, etc.

- Adequate lean protein

- Potassium-rich foods like potatoes, bananas, oranges, orange juice, and raisins.

I borrowed The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Total Nutrition from my cousin, who told me that I could borrow it in exchange for a daily nutrition tip. From now until I finish the book, I’ll be posting short tips from the book on a daily basis. Hopefully you’ll find it useful too! Each day, I’ll try to include a challenge for you; either to skip something bad or try something healthy. Keep checking in with me if you’d like to follow along

It’s important to fuel your body properly for working out, especially if it’s going to be an intense one! Everyone is different, but I feel best when I plan my pre-meal accordingly. After months of experimentation, I came up with my own set of “rules.” And, whadayaknow, this book has had those same rules all along! Now  you’ve got the easy way out, just give these a shot and see if you don’t have a great workout!!

- Have your large meal 3 – 4 hours before the event, and have a small snack within the two hours before.
- Choose carbohydrate-rich foods and moderate amounts of protein. Avoid foods high in fat.
- Avoid super-high-fiber foods and foods that make you gassy
- Lay off the salt, which may cause you to retain water and feel bloated and uncomfortable
- Don’t eat something completely new before an important event…test it during training beforehand

Next time you workout, put these tips into practice. How does this make you feel before, during, and after the workout?

I borrowed The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Total Nutrition from my cousin, who told me that I could borrow it in exchange for a daily nutrition tip. From now until I finish the book, I’ll be posting short tips from the book on a daily basis. Hopefully you’ll find it useful too! Each day, I’ll try to include a challenge for you; either to skip something bad or try something healthy. Keep checking in with me if you’d like to follow along

In my P90x post, I promised you I’d tell you what I’ve been researching and learning about protein. Well, here’s a preview…

It’s a common misconception that athletes need higher amounts of protein in order to build muscle. This is true, but it’s not quite so high as many people think! Consider the following chart to determine how much protein you should aim for daily:

Exercise Category Recommended daily Protein (grams per pound)
Sedentary Folks                         .36
Moderate Exercisers                 .36 – .5
Endurance Athletes                   .5 – .8
Strength Athletes                       .6 – .8
Growing Teenage Athletes       .6 – .9

(To determine how many grams of protein you need per day, you just multiply you weight in pounds by the number of grams to the right)

Today, tally up your protein to make sure you’re getting the right amount, but don’t consume more

In honor of this, I think it’s time for another blog entry, and I hope to be creating more as I get back into the gym.

So, what was my experience with P90x? Well, physically, I’m in great shape after the program. Cardio-wise, I’m pretty tough. The program shed a lot of body fat, improved my abs, but allowed me to keep my muscle. I’ve really leaned out in the hip area, which makes me happy. I think I could have improved by following the diet plan, BUT during the 90 days I’ve been re-thinking my thoughts on protein. That’s another post

My complaints with P90: At the end of 90 days, it gets to be a bit repetitive. We’re at the point where we’re incorporating the cheesy lines into everyday life and doing random chair poses that no one understands except for us. And, yes, this DVD is full of cheesy jokes. But, I sort of like it, if you can let loose and be goofy. Second complaint: which is really a matter of personal preference: I did the program with my boyfriend. At the same time. In the same small living space. We tripped over each other. We fought over weights. We sweated and stank. I’d like to say it improved our relationship (we did hold hands in an act of solidarity and support during one particularly awful abs session), but it mostly just reinforced that I like to workout alone and in a proper facility. Some people workout better with a partner or at home, so these are just my thoughts.

In the end, I do recommend this program to others that are serious about fitness. It’s a bit expensive, but if you are into it, it’s a great program. I wouldn’t recommend it to people who don’t work out much. First, it’s a bit advanced, so you’ll want to improve your cardio a bit before starting. By doing this, you’ll either start a new pattern of working out or abandon the idea altogether. That’s how I’d recommend evaluating whether the price will be worth it to you, as I fear many people would otherwise purchase the product then let it get dusty.

In the end, if you are considering it, you can of course learn a lot about the program online. My quick thoughts on each DVD:

Chest & Back: Awesome workout, one of my fav’s. I’ll incorporate this into my regular workout from time to time. Lots of pushups were great for improving the number I can do and my chest looked great at the end of the program.

Plyometrics: Monsterous cardio workout! The first time I did it, I had to stop after 15 minutes because I felt sick! Now, I can make it through the whole thing (although I absolutely cannot when menstruating, it’s very strange), but it has never gotten easy. This workout is worth it.

Shoulders and Arms: A bit too many bicep movements, but the shoulder workout is decent. The DVD moves a bit slowly, towards the end of the program I just fast-forwarded to keep my heart-rate up.

Yoga: Pretty cool, but long! 1.5 hours. Wide variety of poses, and it gets quite challenging. You do sweat! Even towards the end I had trouble with some poses, but my balance improved significantly over the 90 days.

Legs and Back: Some interesting moves (sneaky lunges!). I didn’t find this workout to be challenging, but my boyfriend did. I found it worked my butt more than my legs, but he blames my high hip attachments (my butt gets sore even on calf raises…? Don’t get it.)

Kenpo: HATED this workout!! I once took a short self-defense class, and it drove me nuts that this DVD copied the kick, punch, and block movements without explaining them. I know I’m just being biased. I was so bored I with this DVD I usually skipped it and jogged for an hour instead.

Stretch: Never did this one once (it’s optional on rest days), I think yoga provided enough stretching, plus I’m a big advocate of a rest day with no obligation.

Core Synergistics: I liked this workout, great for the core and a decent cardio workout. It’s interesting because 1. the movements are never repeated within the DVD and 2. You only do this DVD a few times during the 90 days, so it doesn’t feel as redundant.

Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps: This workout was decent. A good number of exercises, but again I found myself fast-forwarding to the next sequence to keep my heart rate up.

Back and Biceps: Again, I found myself fast-forwarding between sequences, but all in all a good workout.

Cardio X: This is what you do if Plyometrics is too intense for you. I’ve never done this workout, but have watched it. It’s definitely for beginners.

Ab Ripper X: You do this workout 3 times per week, so it gets quite redundant! It’s only 15 minutes, so tough it out. It definitely made my abs more defined and there are some very good lower-ab moves that I’ll incorporate into my regular routine.

The diet plan: It’s a good one, one that I’ll use regularly and one that I’m in the habit of recommending to other people. It’s very satisfying, easy and fulfilling.

Thinking of investing in this program and have questions? Have you done P90 yourself? I’d love to hear from you. As always, send me your thoughts in an email (VainJane3@gmail.com) or comment on the blog post. I love hearing from you!

I borrowed The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Total Nutrition from my cousin, who told me that I could borrow it in exchange for a daily nutrition tip. From now until I finish the book, I’ll be posting short tips from the book on a daily basis. Hopefully you’ll find it useful too! Each day, I’ll try to include a challenge for you; either to skip something bad or try something healthy. Keep checking in with me if you’d like to follow along

Today’s Tip:

Occasionally you will want to indulge in a restaurant and order anything and everything you want (and that’s OK!), but develop a habit of making healthy choices in a majority of your outings. People eat out frequently nowadays, so don’t fall into the mindset of “eating out is a rare treat and I should eat whatever I want.” Next time you go out to eat, follow some of these tips to make a good choice:

Stick with meats that you already know are lean: poultry, fish, loin, round, and flank. Be aware that many restaurants melt butter over steaks to make them appear more tender. Ask the waiter to waive this practice.

Seek out dishes that are prepared in healthy ways: Grilled, baked, poached, roasted, boiled, blackened, steamed, etc. You can even ask your waiter to have your food prepared “dry,” without oil.

Opt for side dishes of vegetables or beans rather than white rice

Avoid creamy sauces like hollandaise, alfredo, butter, cheese, and cream sauces.

Balance out your meal: Order a pasta dish, but pass the bread; order grilled fish with veggies, then splurge on dessert; skip bread, choose fresh fruit for dessert, and indulge in a glass or two of wine.

I borrowed The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Total Nutrition from my cousin, who told me that I could borrow it in exchange for a daily nutrition tip. From now until I finish the book, I’ll be posting short tips from the book on a daily basis. Hopefully you’ll find it useful too! Each day, I’ll try to include a challenge for you; either to skip something bad or try something healthy. Keep checking in with me if you’d like to follow along

Healthy food preparation is pretty easy, you just might have to adjust your recipes a bit. You can improve the nutritional value of your favorite meals or enticing recipes by incorporating some of these preparation tips. This week, make it a point to try out a few of these methods, and at least one you’ve never tried before:

- Instead of frying, use low-fat and no-fat cooking methods including microwaving, poaching, steaming, baking, broiling, grilling, and stir-frying.

- Instead of cooking oil, use nonstick vegetable sprays or liquids like broth, water, juice, or wine.

- In casseroles and meat sauces, replace up to one-half the meat with beans, cooked brown rice, bulgur, or couscous. This will reduce fat and add fiber.

- When cooking poultry, apply seasoning under the skin (use kitchen shears to detach skin in one area to allow you to season underneath), and cook with the skin on. Before serving, remove the skin. In this way, the meat will be seasoned and leaving the skin on will result in moister meat. Studies have shown that fat from the skin is not absorbed into the meat during cooking.

- To thicken soups and sauces, use soft tofu, plain nonfat yogurt, potatoes, carrots, or cauliflower instead of flour, cream, egg yolks, and butter.

- Replace butter and lard in recipes with olive, sesame, canola, safflower, sunflower, or corn oils.

- Reduce the quantity of chocolate chips, coconut, nuts, and bacon by half in recipes.

- When baking, use fruit purees to add flavor and texture instead of fats.

- Replace at least half your white flour with whole-wheat flour. You can also find whole-wheat pastry flour for baked goods that require a light texture.

- Substitute pureed green peas for half the avocado when making guacamole.

- Top your pizza with veggies instead of meat, and look for whole-wheat crust.

- Use non-fat plain yogurt in place of sour cream.

- Use 1/2 the fat that a recipe calls for. When a recipe calls for a large amount of sugar, scale it back by 25%.